分类： politics

In a significant address to high-ranking officials, senior Chinese leader Cai Qi has outlined the strategic priorities for China’s upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), emphasizing the critical importance of comprehensive planning and implementation. The December 16th study session in Beijing brought together top officials to discuss the operationalization of directives from the recently concluded Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party Central Committee.

Cai Qi, who holds dual positions on the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, stressed the necessity of thoroughly understanding both the theoretical foundations and practical applications of the plenum’s decisions. The session specifically focused on translating these principles into actionable strategies for national development over the next five-year cycle.

The address highlighted several core components essential for successful planning, including clear comprehension of development objectives, economic and social requirements, and multi-level implementation frameworks across various sectors. A recurring theme throughout the presentation was the imperative of maintaining strong centralized leadership under the Party Central Committee to ensure cohesive execution of national strategies.

The Fourth Plenary Session, held in October 2025, had previously established the foundational Recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan, setting the stage for this current phase of detailed planning and preparation. This latest gathering represents a crucial step in moving from theoretical frameworks to concrete operational plans that will guide China’s development trajectory through the end of the decade.

Hong Kong’s political establishment and professional organizations have expressed resounding endorsement of the High Court’s verdict convicting media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying on national security charges, while simultaneously rejecting Western attempts to romanticize his actions as democratic advocacy.

The judicial decision, delivered on Monday by a panel of three High Court judges, found Lai guilty on all three counts: two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security and one count of conspiracy to publish seditious materials. Three corporations associated with Lai’s defunct Apple Daily media empire were similarly convicted on related national security charges.

Leung Chun-ying, Vice-Chairman of China’s top political advisory body, characterized Lai’s portrayal as a democracy advocate by Western entities as fundamentally misleading. Through social media commentary, Leung asserted that Lai had systematically manipulated Hong Kong’s autonomous privileges under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Basic Law to pursue de facto independence, thereby undermining Chinese sovereignty. “He might be ignorant… but definitely not innocent,” Leung stated, while highlighting the UK’s potential legal response to similar actions within its jurisdiction.

The Hong Kong SAR government issued a formal statement condemning both the Hong Kong Journalists Association and certain foreign media outlets for employing democratic rhetoric to sanitize Lai’s criminal conduct. A government spokesperson emphasized that the case unequivocally involved criminal behavior disguised as journalistic activity, completely unrelated to press freedom protections.

Security Secretary Chris Tang Ping-keung reinforced the principle of legal accountability, noting that foreign consular representatives had observed the transparent judicial proceedings firsthand. This assessment was corroborated by China’s Foreign Ministry Commissioner Office in Hong Kong, which detailed in a letter to foreign media how Lai’s legal and personal rights had been scrupulously maintained—including provision of timely medical care, accommodation of religious practices through specially arranged services, and solitary confinement implemented at his own request.

Hong Kong’s legal community voiced strong institutional support, with both the Bar Association and Law Society affirming the verdict demonstrated judicial independence and professional adjudication based solely on legal merits and evidence. They noted that national security legislation exists in numerous jurisdictions worldwide, positioning Hong Kong’s legal framework within global norms.

NANJING—Senior Chinese official Wang Huning has emphasized that enhanced economic collaboration between mainland China and Taiwan is indispensable for national rejuvenation and common prosperity. Speaking at the 2025 Cross-Strait CEO Summit in Nanjing on December 16, the chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee articulated that businesses across the Strait must deepen cooperation to advance shared economic interests and fortify the Chinese nation’s future.

Wang, a Standing Committee member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, reinforced President Xi Jinping’s stance that China’s revitalization presents substantial opportunities for cross-Strait economic synergy. He asserted that compatriots on both sides are integral components of China’s national economy and would collectively benefit from a prosperous, powerful nation.

The summit occurred amid strategic implementations following the CPC’s 20th Central Committee fourth plenum, which outlined developmental blueprints for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). Wang characterized these designs as catalytic for cross-Strait relations, potentially injecting fresh momentum into economic cooperation and advancing peaceful reunification efforts.

Taiwanese representatives echoed the sentiment. Liu Chao-hsuan, chairman of the summit’s Taiwan side, acknowledged the mainland’s enduring role as a critical production base and market for Taiwan businesses despite global economic volatility. He highlighted the summit’s adherence to the 1992 Consensus as a foundational principle for industrial collaboration.

Corporate leaders provided ground-level perspectives. Fei Kuang-han, general manager of Kunshan Bonteck Precision Co, reported robust support for Taiwanese entrepreneurs in Jiangsu province, noting increasing long-term investments. Lee Cheng-hung, president of the Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, urged young Taiwanese to explore opportunities in e-commerce, digital economies, and artificial intelligence.

Academic insights from Kao Chang, an honorary professor at Taiwan’s Dong Hwa University, underscored the inevitability of cross-Strait integration. He described Taiwan’s economy as inherently outward-looking and emphasized that mainland market forces would continue to drive collaborative growth despite international uncertainties.

The event attracted approximately 800 participants, including entrepreneurs, scholars, and summit council members, all engaged in dialogues aimed at fostering industrial innovation and economic unity.

In a firm diplomatic response, China has demanded Japan retract what it characterizes as erroneous statements concerning Taiwan while simultaneously rejecting critiques of its defense expenditure as unfounded. The confrontation emerged during a regular press briefing in Beijing, where Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun addressed recent comments from Japanese officials.

The diplomatic friction originates from November 7th remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggesting that potential Chinese military action toward Taiwan could constitute a ‘survival-threatening situation’ for Japan. This was followed by statements from Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi who, while referencing historical agreements, notably omitted crucial language from the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement regarding China’s sovereignty over Taiwan.

Guo highlighted Japan’s selective citation of historical documents, noting that when referencing the Cairo Declaration, Japanese officials deliberately avoided acknowledging that territories including Formosa (Taiwan) were ‘stolen from the Chinese.’ The spokesman further criticized Japan for juxtaposing the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement with the Treaty of San Francisco, which China considers a violation of Japan’s international commitments.

The timing carries historical significance, marking the 80th anniversary of both victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the restoration of Taiwan. Guo emphasized Japan’s colonial history in Taiwan, stating that given this background, ‘Japan is in no position to make any interference’ in Taiwan matters.

Separately, China rebuked Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi’s characterization of China’s defense spending increases. Guo defended China’s military expenditure as necessary for national security and international responsibilities, while noting that Japan’s own defense spending has surged approximately 60% over the past five years and continues rising for the thirteenth consecutive year.

The spokesman concluded with a stark warning about Japan’s remilitarization efforts, urging ‘all peace-loving countries’ to remain vigilant against any revival of Japanese militarism and to uphold the outcomes of World War II victory.

A firestorm of controversy has engulfed American politics following calls from multiple Republican officials for the mass expulsion of Muslims from the United States. The inflammatory rhetoric emerged in response to a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, with lawmakers attempting to link the overseas incident to Muslim communities in America.

Leading the charge, Florida Congressman Randy Fine declared on social media platform X that ‘mainstream Muslims have declared war on us’ and advocated for ‘radical deportations of all mainstream Muslim legal and illegal immigrants, and citizenship revocations wherever possible.’ His statements were echoed by Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, who controversially asserted that ‘Islam is not a religion’ but rather ‘a cult,’ adding that Muslims ‘aren’t here to assimilate. They’re here to conquer.’

Texas Congressman Keith Self meanwhile claimed that Republican lawmakers possessed ‘critical pieces of legislation’ to protect the United States from what he described as the threat of Sharia law, which he alleged had ‘already taken over France and the UK.’ New York City Councilmember Vicki Paladino similarly called for Muslim expulsion in a since-deleted post, despite approximately one million Muslim residents constituting nearly a quarter of America’s Muslim population residing in her city.

The remarks triggered immediate condemnation from officials across government levels. New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim, directly addressed Paladino, stating: ‘We belong here, as does every other New Yorker. This is vile Islamophobia from the Councilwoman and it has no place in our city.’ Senator Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both emphasized that the antisemitic attack in Australia should not be weaponized to fuel Islamophobia.

Legal experts and civil rights advocates sounded alarms about the normalization of such rhetoric. Jenin Younes, National Legal Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, drew historical parallels, warning that the language echoes early Nazi rhetoric that preceded mass violence. Academic Yousef Munayyer noted that Muslim hatred enjoys unique normalization ‘at the highest levels of American government.’

Critics highlighted the disparity in institutional response compared to previous disciplinary actions against Muslim lawmakers, accusing Congress of maintaining a ‘hierarchy’ in how speech is policed that leaves Muslim communities vulnerable to dehumanization without substantive protection.