Xi Jinping is using rare-earth export controls and a range of domestic and international strategies to strengthen China’s global influence while tightening ideological control at home to maintain political cohesion. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/11/16/world/xi-jinpings-balancing-act-both-home-and-abroad/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #china #xijinping #chinesecommunistparty
From surveilling and repressing Chinese citizens to firing and prosecuting potential rivals, Chinese President Xi Jinping seems able to rule only through fear. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/11/11/world/xi-jinpings-purges/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #xijinping #china #chinesecommunistparty
Structural issues — including population decline, job shortages and an insufficient social-safety net — are hampering consumption and demand. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/03/world/what-is-behind-chinas-positive-gdp/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #china #chineseeconomy #gdp #chinesecommunistparty #xijinping
Jimmy Lai’s house in Kyoto once gave him refuge. The trial of the 77-year-old Hong Kong-based publisher now stands as a test of whether Japan will defend democratic values in its own region. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/08/21/world/press-freedom-china-jimmy-lai/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews#jimmylai #hongkong #china #britain #chinesecommunistparty #democracy#tadashiyanai
The dual posture of ideological firmness and diplomatic flexibility has remained a consistent feature of China’s foreign policy for decades. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/08/08/world/xi-turns-to-maos-foreign-policy-playbook/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #china #us #chinausrelations #mao #chinesecommunistparty #donaldtrump
Speculation about Xi Jinping losing his grip on power overlooks how China’s evolving digital authoritarianism absorbs dissent through algorithmic control and selective visibility to reinforce CCP rule. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/07/10/world/china-online-dissent/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #china #ccp #chinesecommunistparty #freespeech #xijinping