Beijing has detained Ching Cheong (
Many people who hold unrealistic ideas about China often conveniently forget, or consciously choose to turn a blind eye, to its notorious violations of basic civil rights -- freedom of the press being just one of them. It should not be forgotten that in China the news media is state-controlled and is essentially a puppet, allowed to parrot government propaganda only.
Beijing's long record of arresting journalists who step out of line speaks for itself. Chinese journalists have been arrested for reporting the government cover-up of the SARS epidemic and the spread of AIDS, as well as scandals involving corrupt officials and police brutality, among others. In any democratic society, reporters who bravely stand up against the system are considered heros. In China, they get thrown in jail. It is no wonder that the advocacy group Reporters Without Borders says there are more journalists in prison in China than anywhere else in the world.
As for foreign journalists based abroad or in special administrative regions of China such as Hong Kong, or who work for a foreign media outlet, Beijing does show a little more deference -- just a little -- due entirely to concerns over international pressure. Still, it is not enough to keep incidents such as the detention of Ching from occurring.
In fact, Ching's case marks the second incident of detention by the Chinese government of people working for foreign media within the past year. Zhao Yan (
Of course, no one is arguing that journalists should be granted legal immunity per se just because they are reporters. But Beijing, as a matter of standard procedure, often arrests or detains journalists without charge. Even when it bothers to make an official charge, it is often dubious -- like stealing "state secrets" or engaging in "espionage activities." As for what constitutes "state secrets" or "espionage activities," the Chinese government retains the subjective and arbitrary discretion to define them. The definitions vary depending on the political needs and concerns of the government at the time.
Ching was allegedly detained to prevent the publication of secret interviews with Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽), the former premier who opposed the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. Reportedly, Beijing feared that the publication of the manuscript might stir memories of the massacre and create resentment toward the government. But everyone already knows that the bloody crackdown was ordered by the Chinese government. What kind of "state secret" is that?
There is also the severe lack of legal due process for journalists who are detained or arrested. They are often placed in detention for a long period of time without charges being formally made, without the right to legal representation, and without any formal and open trial.
Ching has been in custody since the end of April, allegedly to assist the "investigation." The same is true in Zhao Yan's case.
If Beijing genuinely wishes to change the impression that it has absolutely no respect for the rule of law and human rights, start by according these detained journalists open and transparent legal due process.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
The military is conducting its annual Han Kuang exercises in phases. The minister of national defense recently said that this year’s scenarios would simulate defending the nation against possible actions the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) might take in an invasion of Taiwan, making the threat of a speculated Chinese invasion in 2027 a heated agenda item again. That year, also referred to as the “Davidson window,” is named after then-US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Philip Davidson, who in 2021 warned that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had instructed the PLA to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. Xi in 2017
RSS