标签： Asia

In an unplanned, dramatic show of defiance against swirling social media rumors about his declining health, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. put on an impromptu fitness demonstration Monday outside his Manila office, performing jumping jacks and a short jog for assembled journalists to prove the falsehood of claims that he was seriously ill or even deceased.

Dressed in his standard formal office attire, complete with reading glasses and leather work shoes, the 68-year-old head of state told reporters the spontaneous workout was intended to ease unnecessary public anxiety about his health at a moment when Filipinos are already grappling with cascading challenges tied to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“I challenge anyone out there spreading claims that I am sick to come exercise with me,” Marcos told the press contingent. “Meet me at the gym, and we will see who can outlift me on the weights. Those people saying I am sick, that I am paralyzed, they are all liars.”

The unsubstantiated health rumors began spreading rapidly across Philippine social media platforms earlier this year after Marcos stepped back from public appearances for a short period in January. He later addressed the public in a pre-recorded video message, confirming he had been admitted to a hospital for treatment of an abdominal condition linked to stress and aging.

During Monday’s demonstration, Marcos openly laughed off the baseless claims of his death and clarified his formal medical diagnosis: diverticulitis, a common digestive condition marked by inflammation of small pouches that form in the colon wall, which typically causes abdominal pain, fever, nausea, and constipation. He confirmed that a follow-up health checkup conducted a few months ago found the condition had been fully resolved. He has since returned to a normal diet and maintained a consistent routine of regular exercise.

When reporters asked whether he relied on any ongoing maintenance medication, Marcos acknowledged he takes prescription drugs to manage two common chronic conditions: gout and high blood pressure.

Since taking office in mid-2022, Marcos has navigated a steady stream of high-stakes, complex political and societal challenges. His presidency has been tested by escalating territorial tensions with Beijing over disputed claims in the South China Sea, a string of devastating natural disasters including deadly earthquakes, destructive typhoons, and widespread flooding, persistent national economic headwinds, fractured public relations with his own vice president, and a high-profile corruption scandal involving top allies and senior legislators that has triggered widespread public anger.

As Hong Kong enters the final countdown to the annual National Security Education Day, which falls on April 15, 2026, a wide range of official and community events are unfolding across the city to reinforce the core link between national security, sustained development and long-term prosperity, while calling on all sectors of Hong Kong society to take shared responsibility for upholding the country’s territorial and systemic integrity.

In a public blog post released on Sunday, Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, laid out the foundational importance of national security to the country’s overall development, as well as to Hong Kong’s social stability and residents’ quality of life. He highlighted that the overarching principle of “upholding both development and security” is formally inscribed in the outline of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, and was also reaffirmed in a national white paper on safeguarding national security under the “one country, two systems” framework published this past February.

As a globally recognized hub for international finance, trade, shipping and innovation and technology, Chan stressed that Hong Kong has a unique need to strike a careful, sustainable balance between expanding development opportunities and maintaining robust security guardrails. He advocated for embedding proactive risk prevention into the city’s ongoing efforts to open up to global markets, pursue technological innovation and consolidate its competitive advantages.

Using the city’s financial sector as a case in point, Chan noted that Hong Kong’s financial system has long earned a reputation for stability and operational efficiency, supporting the smooth functioning and rapid growth of its global markets. At the same time, the sector has consistently prioritized security, maintaining close, coordinated oversight of cross-market dynamics and systemic interconnections, while building strong reserve buffers to absorb unexpected shocks. Only when innovation is rooted in solid security and risk management frameworks can it deliver a more resilient, dynamic and competitive financial system, he explained, allowing Hong Kong to better withstand external volatility and achieve long-term, inclusive growth.

Against the backdrop of a shifting global geopolitical landscape, growing great power rivalry, and emerging cross-sector risks and challenges, Chan emphasized that Hong Kong must place security at the center of all development planning, while reinforcing security foundations through high-quality growth. Only by upholding both development and security can Hong Kong seize new opportunities amid global uncertainty and open a new chapter of greater prosperity, stability and accelerated progress, he added.

On the same day, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) launched its joint “National Security Education Day 2026 cum Hong Kong Police Force Fun Day”, an outreach event designed to boost public understanding of national security, strengthen a sense of national identity among Hong Kong residents, and showcase the force’s work and achievements in upholding national security to the wider community.

Speaking at the event’s opening ceremony, Cheuk Wing-hing, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR Government, praised the HKPF for its unwavering commitment to upholding national security, its fearless response to unrest and its decisive action to curb disorder. Cheuk noted that the force has made enormous, irreplaceable contributions to building an impenetrable line of defense for national security in Hong Kong, which has helped cement the city’s status as one of the safest in the world.

Chow Yat-ming, Commissioner of Police of the HKSAR, reflected on the city’s recent progress, noting that supported by a comprehensive national security legal framework, enforcement systems and mechanisms, Hong Kong has successfully transitioned from a period of chaos to restored order, and has now entered a new phase of moving from stability to lasting prosperity. This hard-won stability, he emphasized, is a clear demonstration of the strong support and protection the central government provides to Hong Kong.

Upholding national security is not a responsibility that falls only to authorities — no resident can remain a passive bystander, and every citizen has a role to play in defending national interests, Chow said. He expressed hope that through the events held for National Security Education Day, Hong Kong residents will gain a deeper understanding of the principles laid out in this year’s national security white paper, strengthen their own national security awareness, and work collaboratively to protect both national security and Hong Kong’s hard-won stability.

The public event featured a dedicated national security education exhibition zone and interactive educational games tailored for attendees, with a particular focus on engaging Hong Kong’s younger generation. It also included a static display of specialized operational equipment from multiple police units, including the Counter Terrorism Response Unit, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau and the Police Dog Unit, giving attendees a first-hand look at the force’s professional capabilities and the breadth of its work safeguarding the city.

URUMQI — A new academic publication offering a data-driven, on-the-ground account of advancing human rights protections under the rule of law in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has been officially launched, earning acclaim from scholars for its rigorous, firsthand approach to documenting the region’s development. Titled *Report on the Legal Protection for Human Rights in Xinjiang (2024)*, this second volume of an annual blue book series was jointly compiled by researchers from Xinjiang University and the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, based in Chongqing. The series made its debut in 2023, building a growing body of independent academic research on the region’s human rights progress.

Dai Bin, Party secretary of Xinjiang University, described the new blue book as a landmark academic contribution to advancing understanding of Xinjiang’s human rights work. Unlike many secondhand accounts circulated by international commentators, the publication draws on objective quantitative data, detailed on-the-record case studies, and extensive on-site materials to map out tangible progress made across the region in recent years.

“As an educator and researcher who has built my career here in Xinjiang, I have seen with my own eyes how the fundamental rights to subsistence and development are fully protected for people of all ethnic groups across this region,” Dai said at the launch event. He highlighted universal access to compulsory education, expanded job security, targeted investment in cultural heritage preservation, rising household living standards, and consistent legal safeguards for all residents as the most tangible proof of China’s consistent human rights progress in Xinjiang.

Zhang Jianjiang, Party secretary of Xinjiang University’s Law School, explained that the report is the product of years of systematic grassroots research by scholars who have lived and worked in Xinjiang long-term. The research team traveled extensively across both northern and southern Xinjiang, collecting firsthand data and reviewing typical court cases directly from villages, urban communities, local factories, and primary and secondary schools across the region.

The final report offers structured analysis of legal safeguards across seven key domains that touch residents’ daily lives: labor rights, access to education, religious freedom, public health services, environmental protection, and the preservation of Xinjiang’s diverse traditional cultural heritage. “Our core goal is straightforward: we want to present the global community with a truthful, complete picture of how human rights are protected under the rule of law in Xinjiang,” Zhang said.

Remina Xiaokaiti, deputy dean of Xinjiang University’s School of Marxism, added that Xinjiang has built a comprehensive, all-encompassing legal framework to protect the religious freedom of all residents. “Under the framework of the rule of law, the right to religious freedom for people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang now has solid, tangible guarantees,” she said.

Over the past five years, Remina noted, the central and regional governments have increased allocated funding for the protection and renovation of religious sites across Xinjiang, with investments focused on preserving cultural relics hosted at these sites, upgrading public safety infrastructure, and improving overall site facilities. “By focusing both on upgrading site facilities and standardizing religious practices in accordance with law, we have made religious activities safer and more orderly, which gives worshippers greater peace of mind and clarity,” she said.

Scholars in attendance at the launch emphasized that the evidence-based approach of the blue book fills a gap in international discourse around Xinjiang human rights, offering independent, on-the-ground research that counters misinformation spread by foreign critics.