CHINA

Fujian 168, by Candice and Jarrett (CC BY-NC 2.0)

After nearly two and a half years of pandemic-related restrictions limiting inbound travel to China, the Chinese government is now increasing restrictions on outbound travel, as well. On Thursday, the National Immigration Administration stated that it would “strictly limit” unnecessary overseas travel by Chinese citizens. As COVID cases rise and dozens of Chinese cities remain

Hong Kong national security police arrested Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun on Wednesday for alleged conspiracy to collude with foreign powers. Cardinal Zen is a 90-year-old former bishop and senior figure in Hong Kong’s democracy movement. He is reportedly in frail health. Zen was arrested for being a former trustee of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund,

The masterclass, by Gauthier DELECROIX (CC BY 2.0)

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) criticized China’s zero-COVID policy and called on the government to transition to another strategy for dealing with the pandemic. The move was poorly received by the Chinese government, which censored news of the WHO’s criticism on Chinese social media. As numerous Chinese cities grapple with weeks of lockdown

On Thursday, May 5, the Politburo Standing Committee decreed that there is no place for those who would “distort, doubt, or deny” China’s “dynamic zero-COVID” policy. In response, Shanghai’s already-stringent lockdown immediately intensified as city officials rushed to pursue victory in “the Battle to Defend Shanghai.” At China Media Project, David Bandurski analyzed the language

The past weekend has brought more bad news for many Chinese students who have found themselves at the whim of the government’s aggressive and sustained zero-COVID policies. On Saturday, Shanghai officials announced that the city’s university and high school entrance exams (known as gaokao and zhongkao, respectively) would be postponed by a month to early

Well oiled wedding photography machine, by tzejen (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

On Sunday, Hong Kong’s recently reorganized Electoral Committee selected John Lee to be the next Chief Executive of Hong Kong, a position that he will take over from current Chief Executive Carrie Lam on July 1, the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover from Britain to China. Running unopposed and chosen by a group

泉州湾大桥 (Quanzhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge, Fujian), by 最光阴 (CC BY-NC 2.0)