NEWS / the week of Sept 6-12
NOTE: The news reports below are not in chronological order. There is often a time lag in their reaching the US and in gaining our attention. These reports reflect the opinions of a variety of news sources.
📰 Major Political & Diplomatic Moves
🕊️ Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un Meet in Beijing / Sept 11, 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held bilateral talks in Beijing during China’s Victory Day military parade. They reached an “important common understanding” on regional and global issues, signaling a renewed closeness amid North Korea’s growing ties with Russia.
⚙️ Military & Security
China pilots village surveillance in Solomon Islands, seeks stability / Sept 12, 2025
China has implemented a pilot version of its domestic "Fengqiao" village surveillance model in the Solomon Islands (in “Fighter 1” village near Honiara). The project includes fingerprinting, palm print collection, household registration, and mapping of households/community data. Critics raise concerns about privacy, constitutional rights, and authoritarian overreach.
China’s DF-5C nuclear ICBM can reach anywhere at any time / Sept 12, 2025
A close-up of the new long-range missile during last week’s military parade in Beijing suggests a leap forward in fuel storage technology.
📈 Economy & Technology
Alibaba’s answer to Google Maps, sees over 40 million users test new ranking service / Sept 11, 2025
Amap Street Stars uses AI algorithms to rank mainland destinations, including restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions.
Those caught in the dragnet of China’s digital cage enabled by U.S. tech / Sept 5, 2025
This isn’t a single person so much as several impacted families. It includes the story of the Yang family in Jiangsu province, who have been under repeat surveillance, alleged harassment, and predictive policing just for petitioning the government. The article puts human faces to the scale of digital surveillance and how people’s lives are changed by it.
🌏 Society & People
Weight loss becomes the hottest new consumer craze in China / Sept 11, 2025
Young Chinese consumers are driving a booming weight-loss and wellness trend. This includes things like gyms, health foods, fitness influencers, and even semaglutide-type treatments. The movement ties into growing health awareness but also carries concerns over body image and mental health.
Green, healthy lifestyle gaining traction / Sept 12, 2025
There is growing momentum among ordinary Chinese people toward healthier, more environmentally conscious lifestyles. More people are valuing fitness, organic / functional foods, outdoor activity, cycling etc. One person profiled jogs regularly and spends on gym, meals, gear. The trend is having knock-on effects in related industries.
China pilots village surveillance in Solomon Islands, seeks stability / Sept 12, 2025
China has implemented a pilot version of its domestic "Fengqiao" village surveillance model in the Solomon Islands (in “Fighter 1” village near Honiara). The project includes fingerprinting, palm print collection, household registration, and mapping of households/community data. Critics raise concerns about privacy, constitutional rights, and authoritarian overreach.
📚 Liu Jun Leaves Harvard for China / Sept 11, 2025
Liu Jun, one of Harvard’s top mathematicians, announced his return to China, citing patriotism and a passion for education. His move comes amid U.S. research cuts and reflects a broader trend of Chinese scholars returning home
Knowledge upgrade in the Chinese apparel industry / Sept 5, 2025
This article investigates how Chinese apparel companies have been able to acquire and upgrade knowledge over the last four decades. Based on a broad range of published sources and official data, it identifies the dominant firms that enabled the industry's dramatic expansion during two distinct phases: export oriented in 1980–2005 and domestic market oriented in 2005–2020. (cited in Wall Street Journal)
Christian Church
🏛️ Hohhot House Church Sentences Upheld / Sept 12, 2025
On September 5, the Hohhot Intermediate People’s Court in Inner Mongolia upheld prison sentences for ten house church Christians convicted of “illegal business operations.” Their offense? Distributing legally published Bibles outside the state-sanctioned Three-Self Church. Despite selling at a loss and acting out of faith, the court reaffirmed sentences ranging from one to nearly five years, plus fines totaling one million yuan. Legal experts and human rights advocates have condemned the ruling as a stark example of China’s tightening grip on religious freedom.
✝️ Pastor Zhao Huaiguo Passes Away / Sept 10, 2025
Pastor Zhao Huaiguo, founder of Bethel Church in Cili County, Hunan, died after years of persecution. Since founding the church in 2007, he and his wife faced repeated harassment, including raids, detentions, and pressure to join the Three-Self movement. His death marks the end of a life devoted to serving marginalized believers, especially elderly Christians who avoided state-sanctioned churches.