The Globe and Mail, 23 March 2017
By Nathan Vanderklippe — Eleven countries have jointly called on the Chinese government to investigate reports of torture against human rights lawyers and urged Beijing to abandon a controversial detention system that holds suspects in secret locations for months at a time.
Read More →Foreign Policy, 22 March 2017
By Robert Daly — No revelations were expected from Rex Tillerson’s first trip to China as U.S. Secretary of State; he invited only one journalist to accompany him, and seemed determined that his visit make no news. He nearly succeeded — but his repeated use of Chinese phrases earlier rejected by the Obama administration caused a stir in both Chinese and U.S. media. If the visit is remembered, it will be for the Trump administration’s adoption of Beijing’s diplomatic language and style. The tactic cannot have been well considered, and could prove misleading.
Read More →Human Rights Watch, 21 March 2017
By Sophie Richardson — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will land in Australia for an official visit later this week. On the eve of his visit, Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop delivered an unusually sharp warning to China on its need to move towards democracy. “While non-democracies such as China can thrive when participating in the present system…[h]istory shows that the embrace of liberal democratic institutions is the most successful foundation for nations seeking economic prosperity and social stability,” Bishop said during a speech in Singapore on March 13.
Read More →Huffington Post, 20 March 2017
Peng Ming was one of the only dissidents in China serving a life sentence. The founder of a democracy and environmental advocacy group, he was found guilty in 2005 of “organizing and leading a terrorist organization.” Before that, in a hastily written letter, Peng warned his family that he might soon meet with an “accident.”
BBC, 20 March 2017
BBC — China says Islamist separatists in Xinjiang are the greatest threat to national security. The far western region is home to a community of some 10 million Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim.
Read More →Al Jazeera, 17 March 2017
Al Jazeera — China’s ruling Communist Party has hardened its rhetoric on Islam, with top officials making repeated warnings about the spectre of global religious “extremism” seeping into the country, and the need to protect traditional Chinese identity.
Read More →Human Rights Watch, 18 March 2017
Human Rights Watch — The Chinese authorities’ failure to release details about terrorism convictions heightens concerns that the country’s counterterrorism law is being used to prosecute nonviolent activity, Human Rights Watch said today. The 2017 Supreme People’s Court (SPC) report, presented on March 12, 2017, departs from past practice by excluding details on 2016 terrorism cases, such as the number of individuals convicted. China’s new Counterterrorism Law took effect in January 2016.
Read More →South China Morning Post, 16 March 2017
Associated Press — Chinese officials are issuing new warnings about the specter of global religious extremism seeping into the country, following reports of fighters from China’s Muslim minority fighting alongside militants in Syria and Iraq.
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