mayawang.bsky.social

Trump, Xi Attacks on Rights a Challenge for APEC Summit At a summit dominated by two leaders who have demonstrated utter hostility to the international system, human rights law, and democratic principles, how should rights-respecting, democratic countries ...

At a summit dominated by two leaders who have demonstrated such utter hostility to the international system, human rights & democratic principles, how should democratic countries respond?

With courage and conviction.

By me & John Sifton: thediplomat.com/2025/10/trum...

What Democracy Does . . . And Does Not Do | Journal of Democracy People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier…

Extensive research shows while autocracies eg China "sometimes achieve rapid gains, they also produce volatility, repression, & data manipulation", on balance democracies "offers the strongest odds for healthier, more stable, and prosperous societies" www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/wha...

Among the strongest words we've heard from Zelenskyy on China since the war began

US risks losing more ground to China in EV race as investment tumbles White House backing for petrol-based cars poses dilemma for many automakers

EV investment in the US tumbled by a third in the last quarter, the Clean Investment Monitor from Rhodium Group & MIT shows. Under Trump, the US is unilaterally surrendering the global EV market to China (and others). It risks turning the US into the Galapagos Islands of cars.

on.ft.com/4nlRcly

聚姬地社交｜我花了一百多万，把一个全女店开倒闭了。 过去三年，我把攒下的全部积蓄一百多万投进了一家全女空间。三年里做了三家店，如今两家已倒下，最后一家也不得不暂停营业。

What a striking vignette about gender relations in China today: A feminist opened three women-only spaces three years ago-- as emergency shelter, reading group, and gathering place--and men came in and destroyed two of them. They may all have to close: chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7221...

中國政府剛剛主辦了「全球婦女峰會」。

在一個監禁女權運動者、把女性身體當作控制人口方式的地方舉行「婦女峰會」，不僅諷刺更令人感到冒犯。

這場峰會把女性權利當作營銷工具，並對女性觀點進行嚴密審查，而當前最迫切的議題，諸如基於性別的暴力（包括性騷擾和家庭暴力）以及生育自主權，大都遭到忽視或幾乎未見改進。

- 人權觀察 @mayawang.bsky.social

“Gao Zhen is facing years in prison for holding up a mirror to China’s past," @hrw.org's @elainepearson.bsky.social
said. “The Chinese government should break away from its abusive past practices, drop the charges against Gao, and immediately release him.”

Gao's father died in custody during the Cultural Revolution. As fellow Chinese artists noted in a public letter: "[The [police] has labeled Gao Zhen’s artistic creations as evidence of a crime, repeating the persecutions of the Cultural Revolution.”

China: Free US-Resident Artist Unjustly Charged The Chinese government should drop the baseless charges against the artist Gao Zhen (高兟) and allow him and his family to return to the United States.

After Gao fainted, doctor at the detention center said he may have arteriosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries, and that it could be “a precursor to a stroke.” Gao also suffers from a chronic back problem. He's held in a crowded cell with 14 others. www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...

Gao's prosecuted for the crime of “slandering China’s heroes and martyrs”--introduced in 2021--for the well-known sculptures he made over a decade ago, before the crime existed. Under Xi, the Chinese government has tightened ideological control.

China: Free US-Resident Artist Unjustly Charged The Chinese government should drop the baseless charges against the artist Gao Zhen (高兟) and allow him and his family to return to the United States.

❗️Detained Chinese artist Gao Zhen (高兟) is in poor health and had fainted in late Sept. Chinese govt should drop charges against the 69-year-old, allow him + his family to return to the United States. The Gaos are US green card holders & citizen. www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...

China: Draft ‘Ethnic Unity’ Law Tightens Ideological Control A newly proposed law in China would provide a broad legal framework to justify existing repression and force assimilation of minority populations throughout the country and abroad.

The Chinese govt's proposed draft "Ethnic Unity" Law would justify, intensify existing:
▶️ ideological controls
▶️ the targeting of ethnic and religious minorities, including by erasing minority language rights +
▶️foster control beyond China’s borders.
www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

China: Draft ‘Ethnic Unity’ Law Tightens Ideological Control A newly proposed law in China would provide a broad legal framework to justify existing repression and force assimilation of minority populations throughout the country and abroad.

“ .. #Tibetans, #Uyghurs, and others who speak out for minority populations can expect even greater government repression.” @mayawang.bsky.social (HRW)

www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

A Chinese international student and activist goes missing during a trip home Zhang “Tara” Yadi disappeared on July 30. Rights groups fear she will face national security charges on Tibet.

#張雅笛 被捕是「一件 #跨國鎮壓 案例。中國留學生的抗爭行動恐怕已遭嚴密監控。它的影響是使每個人都對自己的一言一行感到十分擔心，包括在中國國外。」- 人權觀察 @mayawang.bsky.social 對《自由亞洲電台》表示：

www.rfa.org/english/chin...

Our latest case of #transnationalrepression: a young Chinese woman studying in France has disappeared some seven weeks ago while on a trip to visit her family in Hunan province.

She is an editor for the digital platform “Chinese Youth Stand for Tibet” (CYST)
www.tibetanreview.net/chinese-intl...

‼️ A Chinese student has been missing during her visit home due to her activism for Tibetan rights while studying in France.

Lawyer Jiang Tianyong, who represents her, has been taken into custody during a meeting with her parents.

French govt should press for their freedom.

As people in China, including many young people, tighten their belts, dumpster-diving (or more precisely, picking vegetables thrown out by wholesale veggie sellers, 捡菜) has become a fashionable trend:

Leaked files show a Chinese company is exporting the Great Firewall’s censorship technology Geedge Networks is providing censorship capabilities to foreign governments, including those in Myanmar, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan

For years there are allegations of the spread of China's Great Firewall (especially by Myanmar activists) but there had been no concrete proof--until now. This looks like an incredibly important contribution: www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...

I'll speak at a #HRC60 side event on human rights in China, alongside Mary Lawlor, Rizwangul NurMuhammed, and Sophie Richardson, moderated by Raphael Viana David. We'll discuss the chilling effects of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances in China on human rights and offer recommendations.

While the world celebrated the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama this July, Tibetans inside Tibet faced brutal repression- owning a photo, singing in his honour, or organising a simple prayer can lead to arrest, torture, or disappearance under Chinese occupation

"Some diplomats asked me if it is still worth making public statements about abuses in Xinjiang...The answer is a resounding yes." Heartbreaking and personal by
@yalkun.bsky.social China's committed crimes against humanity and should be held accountable: thehill.com/opinion/inte...

Daniel Andrews’ photo with dictators is a glaring reminder of Australia’s hypocrisy on human rights | Daniela Gavshon A government can’t half care about human rights. And Australia’s ‘disagree where we must’ approach with China enables abuse and undermines our national interest

"A government can’t half care about human rights. And Australia’s ‘disagree where we must’ approach with China enables abuse and undermines [Australia's] national interest." Excellent piece by my colleague @dgavshon.bsky.social: www.theguardian.com/law/commenti...

就在 #中國共產黨 紀念二戰勝利80週年並大秀軍事實力的同時，批評中共惡劣人權記錄的聲音也日益高漲。

從 #彭立發 和2022年 #白紙運動 ，到湖南 #方藝融 、四川 #梅世林 的布條抗議行動，再到今個月在重慶、北京各地陸續出現的反習標語，這些抗爭的共通點是：即使中國政府鎮壓日益緊迫，仍然不斷出現無畏的公民，甘冒巨大風險，公開批評習近平並要求民主改革。

中共盛大的閱兵背後，掩藏著中國共產黨高壓統治的潛在弱點：在執政超過70年後，中共依然最害怕自己的人民，只因他們屢屢以勇敢的行動要求民主與人權。

@mayawang.bsky.social

China’s Military Pageantry Masks Popular Discontent As the Chinese government celebrated the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in World War II and the country’s military might this week, criticism of the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights record ...

Yes there's the state-of-the-art weaponry, yes there are the goose-stepping soldiers. But beneath this show of strength of a dictators' club, there is an enduring anxiety: of the people standing up for their rights. My modest piece: www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

China: Baseless Imprisonments Surge in Xinjiang (New York) – The Chinese government has increased its groundless prosecutions with long prison sentences for Uyghurs and other Muslims in recent years in China’s Xinjiang region.

See also: @hrw.org's work on prison figures www.hrw.org/news/2021/02... and www.hrw.org/news/2022/09...

Young Chinese Scholar Missing Since 2018 After Conducting Research on Uyghur Culture Feng Siyu, a young scholar from Zhejiang, was once admitted to 17 of the world’s top universities and celebrated in Chinese media as an exceptionally gifted student. Yet since her arrest in 2018,…

Young Chinese scholar of Uyghur culture, missing since 2018, is reportedly sentenced to 15 years in prison hrichina.substack.com/p/young-chin... This stunningly harsh sentence is in fact typical during Xinjiang's abusive crackdown, where baseless prison terms are *12.5 years on average*.

Thanks @CDTChinese for the link: chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7207... and mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzAx...

China refuses to release the environmental assessment report of the world's largest dam, claiming it's a "state secret." It said earlier that the dam, being built in Tibet and will have impact on India + Bangladesh, is "a safe project that prioritises ecological protection".

Xi Jinping's visit to Tibet exposes China's fragile frontier Chinese leader's attempt to overshadow the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday reveals insecurity to the watching world

"That Xi felt compelled to overshadow the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday with a carefully choreographed display of power only reveals Beijing's enduring anxiety: Tibet remains less a success story of integration than a fragile frontier" asia.nikkei.com/opinion/xi-j...

What these poorly-built projects have in common: corruption, lack of transparency, using low quality materials, forged documents, i.e. common practices in China due to no democracy, free press, civil society to hold companies accountable. Authoritarianism has very real costs.