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Chinese soccer fans bemoan 0-7 loss to Japan as ‘Day of Humiliation’

Editor09 mins

Read a version of this story in Chinese Chinese netizens reacted with embarrassment and frustration to the men’s national soccer team’s humiliating 0-7 loss to Japan in a World Cup qualifying match, with some calling it a “Day of Humiliation.” “Ah! It’s simply embarrassing to talk about. As a Chinese, I am ashamed,” sports enthusiast Zhao Xiang told Radio Free Asia. “This is practically a joke.” “Why can’t we solve these problems?” he asked. “I don’t think the physique of Chinese people is an issue. Koreans and Japanese are also Asian and they make it to the (World Cup). Why can’t we?” Japan is one of Asia’s strongest teams, competing in every World Cup since 1998. Meanwhile, China has only managed to qualify once, in 2002 – so getting beaten isn’t terribly surprising. But losing by such a lopsided score in Thursday’s match in Saitama, north of Tokyo, was hard for many Chinese fans to swallow.  Japan’s Takumi Minamino fights for the ball with China’s defender Liu Yang during their World Cup qualifying match in Saitama, Sept. 5, 2024. (Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP) Despite its relative lack of success in the world’s premier tournament, China is a soccer-crazed nation. President Xi Jinping, a fan himself, once expressed his hope for China to host and even win the men’s World Cup one day.  “Sept. 5 is a day of humiliation for Chinese soccer,” said an online media outlet run by the government of Shandong province. Chinese citizens have a complex relationship with Japan, owing to the troubled history between the two nations, which fought major wars against each other during the 20th century and found themselves aligned on opposite sides of the Cold War. EXPLORE OUR WORLD CUP QUALIFIER COVERAGE North Korea falls 0-1 to Uzbekistan to start 3rd round of World Cup Asian qualifiers Asian qualifier outlook round 3: North Korea  Podcast: RFA Insider EP10 (Timecode 17:32) While thousands of Chinese tourists have flocking to Japan each year, Chinese social media regularly erupts in Japan-bashing sentiment, such as when Japan released wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant last year into the ocean, sparking fears about tainted seafood.  ‘Real gap’ It was the worst loss for China’s men’s team since 2012, when the team suffered a 0-8 shellacking to perennial world powerhouse Brazil. The Chinese women’s national soccer team has performed much better, competing in eight World Cups, with the 1999 team finishing 2nd in that year’s tournament. The women’s team is ranked 18th in the world, while the men’s team is ranked 87th. Zhang Yuning, a former player of the Chinese team, said the match “demonstrates the real gap between Chinese and Japanese football.”  “It is ultimately reflected in the score, which demonstrates the difference between Chinese and Japanese football,” he said. China’s Fernandinho, Alan, Dalei Wang and teammates after their 0-7 World Cup qualifier loss to Japan in Saitama, Sept. 5, 2024. (Issei Kato/Reuters) He said the Chinese team should acknowledge the gap and try to perform better in the upcoming matches. According to Chinese media reports, Fan Zhiyi, another former national player, also criticized the home team by stating that the loss to a powerful team like Japan was understandable, but it was terrible that Japan was allowed to score so easily. “If it weren’t so far from here, I would have really jumped into the Huangpu river,” Fan said, referring to Shanghai’s main waterway, in a widely circulated video. “How many football association presidents have we had? Has anything changed? It’s just changing the syrup without replacing the prescription!”  Competing for spots Thursday’s match was the start of the third round of China and Japan’s world cup qualifying campaign, and they are competing with 16 other Asian teams for spots in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico and the United States. Wataru Endo opened up the scoring for Japan in the 12th minute, and China managed to keep the Japanese out of the goal for the rest of the first half until the second minute past regulation, when Kaoru Mitoma found the back of the net.  Goals rained down on China in the second half, with Takumi Minamoto scoring in the 52nd and 58th minutes, followed by Junya Ito at 77, Daizen Maeda at 87, and Takefusa Kubo at 5 minutes past regulation. China’s head coach Branko Ivankovic on the sidelines during the World Cup qualifying round football match between Japan and China in Saitama, Sept. 5, 2024. (Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP) Many fans on social media blamed the loss on China’s new manager, Croatian Branko Ivankovic, who was handed the reins in February, but others clapped back. “Stop blaming the head coach and demanding for his resignation after the game,” netizens said. “It doesn’t matter who the coach is. … (we should) just withdraw from the competition. … We can’t afford the embarrassment.”  Others suggested that China withdraw from international soccer altogether. With the defeat, China sits at the bottom of the Group C standings, and will look to regain its footing on Tuesday vs Saudi Arabia in Dalian. Also in Group C, Bahrain upset Australia 1-0 and Saudi Arabia and Indonesia played to a 1-1 draw. Meanwhile, in Group B, Palestine turned heads earning a scoreless draw against heavily favored South Korea, and in Group A, North Korea lost to Uzbekistan 0-1. Translated by Li Yaqian. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.

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Torrential rains, deadly flooding hit Tibetan areas of Qinghai province

Editor05 mins

Read RFA’s coverage of this topic in Tibetan. Heavy rains in Tibetan areas of central China’s Qinghai province have triggered severe flooding, destroying infrastructure and killing at least nine people and hundreds of livestock, three Tibetans from inside Tibet said. The rains have drenched the area since Sept. 2, flooding roads, damaging bridges and causing landslides, they said. Chinese state media reported that heavy rains have  inundated houses and swept away vehicles. Tibet is experiencing heavier annual rainfalls and flooding than in the past, which some Tibetan rights groups say is due to climate change. Six people died in Trelnag township of Serchen (Gonghe in Chinese) County in Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the sources said, insisting on not being identified to avoid reprisals from authorities. Five of them died while traveling in a vehicle when a bridge collapsed, one source said. Three others died due to a landslide in Honaguk village in Minhe county of Tsoshar (Haidong in Chinese) prefecture.  Some areas experienced severe hailstorms, which shattered windows and glass panes in the homes of nomads, the sources said. Livestock dies The flooding killed livestock as well. Nearly 400 cattle and sheep died In Tsekhok (Zekog) county in the Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.  Residents there needed help pulling dead cattle from the water and mud. RELATED STORIES Why do places in Tibet have both Tibetan and Chinese names? Sudden flooding, landslides damage homes and roads in remote Tibetan county Hail, torrential rain leave at least 31 dead in Tibetan-populated areas of China Severe rain damages significant monastery in Tibet (VIDEO) In Minhe district, houses were damaged, and highways and bridges were washed over, while grasslands were covered by mud. As of Sept. 4, the Chinese government elevated the weather-damage alert for Qinghai from level 4 to level 3.  Chinese state media reported a level-one flood warning has been issued for Siling (Xining) city as well as Tathang, Kumbum and Tongkor counties. As a result, officials suspended bus transportation from Siling to these areas. Roads and bridges connecting Tongkor and Siling have been severely damaged by the flooding, the sources said. Additionally, roads leading from Dashi (Haiyan) and Kangtsa (Gangcha) counties of Tsojang (Haibei) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and Themchen (Tianjun) county of Tsonub (Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture) to Siling (Xining) city have been cut off, making travel in and out of these areas impossible. The areas have been hit by flooding before. In 2022, five people died and over 2,000 head of livestock died due to flooding in parts of Qinghai province, including Mangra (Guinan), Serkog and Rebgong counties, as well as Labrang town in Sanchu (Xiahe) County of Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu province.   Additional reporting and translation by Tashi Wangchuk and Tenzin Dickyi. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

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South Korea, Japan ‘ready to stop North Korea hiding behind Russia’

Editor05 mins

Leaders of South Korea and Japan said they would maintain their readiness to stop North Korea hiding behind Russia in its provocative acts, Kim Tae-hyo, South Korea’s deputy national security adviser, said on Friday. Kim was speaking after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met for talks in Seoul that included ways to deepen cooperation, even as Kishida prepares to step down at the end of the month. Kishida arrived for a two-day visit and talks with Yoon, their 12th summit in about two years. It was their last summit, as Kishida will not seek reelection as prime minister and leader of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party after three years in the job. During the summit, Kishida called for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula through a “unification doctrine” that Yoon announced last month, which focuses on expanding North Koreans’ access to external information and proposes establishing an official dialogue channel between the two Koreas to discuss various issues. Yoon, in his opening remarks at Friday’s summit, said it was important to maintain the positive momentum in relations with Japan. He added that the two countries have a chance to raise their relations to another level when they mark next year’s 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties and that working with Kishida on improving relations was the most meaningful development since he became president. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Sept. 6, 2024. (Lee Jin-man/Pool via Reuters) Relations between the two U.S. allies have been fraught for years because of South Korea resentment of Japan’s behavior during its occupation of Korea before and during World War II. But Yoon and Kishida have been able to build a close relationship as a result of Yoon’s decision last year to resolve a long-standing dispute regarding Japan’s wartime mobilization of Koreans for forced labor by compensating victims without contributions from Japanese firms. The two leaders have since resumed a “shuttle diplomacy” of holding meetings on the fringes of international conferences and visiting each other as needed. Their restored relations have also substantially enhanced trilateral security cooperation with the United States, as all three of the allies warily watch North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and the missiles to carry them.  RELATED STORIES Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo reaffirm Korean Peninsula denuclearization commitment Tokyo, Seoul target North Korea-Russia arms deal with sanctions Yoon, Kishida aim for better ties; island issues may constrain South Korea has been trying to bolster cooperation with regional partners in response to deepening military ties between North Korea and Russia.  On Wednesday, Yoon met New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. They condemned North Korea’s nuclear weapons development and its military cooperation with Russia, including the North’s export of ballistic missiles to Russia in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Yoon and Luxon denounced Russia’s war against Ukraine, while pledging to support Ukrainian sovereignty and its efforts to secure a just and lasting peace, according to a joint statement. Edited by Mike Firn. 

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EXPLAINED: Why is Taiwan called ‘Chinese Taipei’ at sports events?

Editor08 mins

If you’re watching the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and wondering what or where “Chinese Taipei” is, you’re not alone. More than 10 athletes from Taiwan are competing in the games, but they aren’t being introduced as coming from Taiwan. Instead, they are represented as being from “Chinese Taipei.” This isn’t just the case at the Paralympics or Olympics – it happens at all major international sporting events. Taiwan’s athletes are not allowed to compete under the Taiwanese flag. Here is why. What is ‘Chinese Taipei’? “Chinese Taipei” is the name Taiwan agreed upon with the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, in 1981 to participate in the Olympic Games. Instead of Taiwan’s red and blue flag, Taiwanese athletes compete under the “Plum Blossom Banner,” a white flag that carries the Olympic rings. A traditional flag-raising song, not Taiwan’s national anthem, is played when its athletes are on the podium. This allows Taiwan to compete without presenting itself as a sovereign nation. The Badminton Men’s Doubles Gold Medal Match at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Paris, France, Aug. 04, 2024. Supporters can be seen holding Chinese and Chinese Taipei Olympic flags during the gold medal match. (Ann Wang/Reuters) Why not ‘Taiwan’? Taiwan, or the Republic of China, is not diplomatically recognized by most countries despite being a self-ruled democracy of 23 million people with its own borders, currency and government. This dates back to 1949, when Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China disagreed over which government was the rightful “China.” After the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949, the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan, while Mao Zedong’s communist forces established the People’s Republic of China on the mainland. According to Beijing’s communist leadership, there is only “One China,” meaning Taiwan is considered part of it and must eventually be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. In Beijing’s view, as a breakaway province, Taiwan does not have the right to state-to-state relations or to be treated as a state on the international stage. As part of its efforts to isolate Taiwan, Beijing prevents the island from using the name “Taiwan” in international events. Why ‘Chinese Taipei’? The dispute over Taiwan’s name at international sports events began in 1952 when both Taiwan and China were invited to the Olympics. At that time, both governments claimed to represent China, leading Taiwan to withdraw from the Games. In 1956, Taiwan participated under the name “Formosa-China,” but Beijing  boycotted those Games and withdrew from the IOC two years later. During the 1960s, Taiwan competed under the name “Taiwan” at the request of the IOC. However, Taiwan’s government at the time objected, insisting on being called the Republic of China, or ROC. By the 1970s, more countries were diplomatically recognizing Beijing instead of Taiwan. In 1972, Taiwan participated in the Olympics as the ROC for the last time. Taiwan then boycotted the 1976 Games after host country Canada insisted it compete under the name Taiwan rather than ROC. In 1979, Taiwan was suspended from the Olympics after the IOC recognized Beijing as the representative for China. Two years later, Taiwan was allowed back into the Games after agreeing to compete under the name “Chinese Taipei,” which it has used ever since. A flag bearer holding the flag to represent Taiwan enters the stadium for the closing ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (AP/Eugene Hoshiko) Back to Taipei? There are now growing calls to use the name Taiwan at the Games once again as relations between Taiwan and China are at a low point. The Formosan Association for Public Affairs, U.S.-based nonprofit organization that seeks to build worldwide support for Taiwan independence, urged the IOC in early August to allow Taiwan’s team to compete under the name “Taiwan” rather than “Chinese Taipei”. “Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country, and this is a long-established ‘status quo’,” the association’s president said in a statement, adding that Taiwan’s Olympic team was “fully entitled to compete proudly under the name ‘Taiwan’.” A referendum on whether “Chinese Taipei” should be changed was held in Taiwan in 2018, although “Taiwan” lost, partly because top athletes opposed the change, fearful of being banned from major sports events.  China has dialed up diplomatic and economic pressure on the island since former president Tsai Ing-wen’s administration came to power in 2016, as Tsai and her party refused to acknowledge that Taiwan and the mainland belonged to “One China.” President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, who came to power after winning a January election despite Beijing’s fierce opposition to his bid, ran on a platform of promoting peace in the Taiwan Strait while not compromising on claims of Taiwanese sovereignty. Edited by Mike Firn.

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Hong Kongers march in London to mark subway station police attacks

Editor09 mins

Read RFA coverage of this story in Mandarin from London and Canada Hundreds of Hong Kongers gathered in London over the weekend to mark the fifth anniversary of 2019 attacks by riot police on unarmed train passengers with baton’s and tear gas in Prince Edward subway station. Around 500 people gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square on Saturday, raising the colonial-era flag of British Hong Kong and singing the banned protest anthem “Glory to Hong Kong,” before lowering the flag to half-mast to mourn those who died during the months-long protests against Hong Kong’s vanishing autonomy under Chinese rule. The protesters then marched to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, shouting “Hong Kong is not China!” and “One Hong Kong, one nation!” and handing out information leaflets about the attacks to passers-by. Police were present at the march, and while the demonstration drew stares from some people around Chinese-owned businesses as the march passed through Chinatown, there was no physical or verbal altercation. Details of the attacks by riot police at the height of the 2019 protest movement remain shrouded in secrecy. Journalists and activists are having difficulty piecing together a coherent picture of what exactly happened in the station as much of the evidence remains in the hands of the authorities. While police and government officials have hit out at ‘malicious rumors’ that someone died, the selective release of stills from surveillance footage from cameras inside the station has done little to assuage public mistrust in the official narrative. Call for investigation A woman who gave only the surname Wong for fear of reprisals said she has been living in the U.K. for three years now, and has attended every rally marking the Aug. 31, 2019, attacks. Wong said the attacks were one of the most iconic events in the entire anti-extradition movement, adding that she “can’t accept” that the Hong Kong police charged into a subway station and “indiscriminately attacked” people. She said the government has yet to fully investigate the incident, and called for the truth about what happened in the subway station to be made public. Passers-by view an art exhibit about the 2019 Hong Kong protests in Vancouver, Aug. 31, 2024. (RFA/Liu Fei) The parents of a 6-year-old marcher told RFA Mandarin that they had “mixed feelings” about being allowed to hold peaceful demonstrations in the United Kingdom after moving to the country in June. They said they felt an obligation to tell people in Britain about how their freedoms were built on the sacrifices of others, and that Hong Kongers had been forced to emigrate to the U.K. by the ongoing political crackdown in their home city. In Canada, around 40 protesters gathered outside the Chinese Consulate in Calgary, burning photos of Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee and security chief Chris Tang, who was chief of police at the time of the protest movement, when rights groups hit out at the use of “excessive force” by the authorities. 39 minutes Public anger against the police treatment of protesters began with the intense tear-gassing of unarmed crowds who had no escape route at the start of the anti-extradition protests. It gained momentum when officers took 39 minutes to respond to hundreds of emergency calls when unidentified mobsters in white T-shirts attacked passengers and passers-by at Yuen Long MTR on July 21, 2019. And it took on a much darker turn following the bloody attacks on train passengers, after which the MTR refused to release video footage from trains and platforms despite persistent rumors that at least one person died in the attacks. Photos of Lee’s second-in-command Eric Chan and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam were also burned. Protest organizer Paul Cheng, who organized the protest, called them Hong Kong’s “Gang of Four,” and called on the Canadian government to sanction them. “They helped the Communist Party destroy Hong Kong and kill Hong Kong,” Cheng told RFA Mandarin at the protest. “They are the Communist Party’s running dogs. The Communist Party is the culprit in the killing of Hong Kong, and they are its accomplices.” Cheng, who emigrated to Canada more than 40 years ago, says he remembers the freedoms once enjoyed by the city’s 7 million residents, adding that things are very different now. First sedition conviction Last Thursday, a Hong Kong court found two editors of the now-defunct Stand News guilty of conspiring to publish seditious material, marking the first sedition conviction against any journalist since Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China in 1997. The publication’s former editor-in-chief, Chung Pui-kuen, and former acting editor-in-chief, Patrick Lam, could face a maximum prison term of two years under colonial-era sedition laws. A former Hong Kong journalist who gave only the nickname Stephen for fear of reprisals said he used to work as a journalist in the city, and was particularly saddened by those convictions. “All Hong Kong media have the same tone now,” he said. “There’s no opposing voices, just a unified message.” Meanwhile, Vancouver-based activist Christine described physical and mental “torment” after leaving the city she once called home. “I can’t let it go, to be honest,” she said. “It’s not easy. But fortunately, there is a group of us with the same aspirations, so we can use that discomfort as motivation.” “So we come out on days that need to be commemorated, which is better than pretending I’ve forgotten about it,” she said. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

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How secure is Hun Manet’s year-old premiership in Cambodia?

Editor014 mins

On Aug. 22, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet marked his first anniversary in office by personally receiving dozens of Khmer artifacts returned to Cambodia by the United States. The ceremony at his Peace Palace was dripping with symbolism.  “Why did these Khmer statues leave Cambodia? Because we were divided,” he declared. “However, now, their return symbolizes our reunion. On the first anniversary of [his government], we have maintained stability, peace, and prosperity for the people. Today, we celebrate as a unified nation, free from war and division.” However, just a week earlier, the Cambodian Interior Ministry had ordered police to tighten security around Phnom Penh, instructing provincial leaders to do the same, citing a group allegedly plotting a Bangladesh-inspired “color revolution.”  There is unease in the country over tensions with neighboring Vietnam over the Funan Techo Canal, the Hun dynasty’s legacy project, which could threaten Vietnam’s rice-growing heartlands.  In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, front, prays before a statue with Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona, right, during a ceremony for the return of artifacts in Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (AKP via AP) The public is also concerned about the implications of the Development Triangle Area, an old agreement involving Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam that has become a new point of contention in anti-Cambodian People’s Party circles.  Despite the government’s efforts to frame this as a purely economic zone, old prejudices persist, with some Cambodians viewing Hun Manet’s government as unpatriotic, much like they did his father’s.  Hun Sen, who ruled from 1985 until he handed power to his son last year, was often accused of being a puppet of Vietnam and later China, accused of selling off Cambodian land to the highest foreign bidder. On the surface, despite concerns about the recent Bangladesh revolt, Hun Manet and his family appear secure. They control almost every significant political and social institution, and the economy continues to provide jobs and food for the people. Hun Sen meticulously planned last year’s transition, implementing a “generational succession” in which key political and civil service families passed power down to their sons or relatives.  Shrewd transition strategy This strategy was shrewd, as many authoritarian governments have succumbed to fratricide during leadership transitions. By allowing the political families that matter to keep their patronage and corruption networks, no one lost wealth or influence, thus ensuring stability during the changeover. The Hun family remains first among equals, the ruling house within Cambodia’s political aristocracy. They control nearly every important institution except two: the navy, run by the Tea family, and the national police, overseen by the Sar family.  Hun Sen secured the presidency of the Cambodian Senate earlier this year, making him the acting head of state – a position that grants him the institutional power to intervene if his son’s government faces a crisis.  To further consolidate power, he enacted constitutional amendments last year to weaken the National Assembly and appointed a loyalist, Khuon Sudary, as its president. Additionally, he installed a family ally as army chief, succeeding Hun Manet, while another son, Hun Manith, heads military intelligence and now serves as deputy army chief.  People carry small Cambodia national flags and banners during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Funan Techo Canal in Kandal province, Aug. 5, 2024. (Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP) Another son, Hun Many, who leads the country’s largest youth movement, was appointed minister of the Civil Service last year, ensuring the Hun family’s control over the bureaucracy. Hun Sen intends to remain CPP president for life, with Hun Manet running the party’s youth wing.  Hun Sen has also  brought the rowdy but powerful business tycoons into line through the Cambodia Oknha Association he formed last year and presides over.  The monarchy, while independent, lacks political interest, with King Norodom Sihamoni staying out of politics and the Queen Mother, the power behind the throne, now 88 years old. Moreover, Hun Sen, Hun Manet, and their allies dominate the Royal Council of the Throne, the body responsible for selecting the next king. In this feudal-like political system, the Hun family has appeased other influential families by allowing them to keep their patronage networks while consolidating its power across almost every key institution.  Ordinary Cambodians’ concerns No family from this First Estate can rival the Huns. They also enjoy the support of the economic barons, the oknhas, and other business elites who finance the political aristocracy.  That leaves the Third Estate, the ordinary Cambodians. Hun Sen needed to rig last year’s general elections—and the two prior—to secure his son’s ascent to power.  Repression has persisted under Hun Manet’s rule. The opposition has been neutralized, and civil society has been either silenced or co-opted. Hun Manet’s government has successfully distributed patronage to the middle classes, whose loyalty might have shifted toward a political alternative, if one was ever to exist again. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (C, front) cuts the ribbon at the launching event of the Kampot Multipurpose Port in Kampot province, Cambodia, June 6, 2024. (Ly Lay/Xinhua via Getty Images) The government continues to deliver basic needs.  While the recent revolution in Bangladesh alarmed the Hun family, Cambodia does not face similar conditions. The country’s garment industry, which many expected to collapse during the COVID-19 pandemic, has instead rebounded and is once again driving economic growth.  Cambodia’s tourism industry has also recovered in terms of visitor numbers, though revenue remains about two-thirds of pre-2020 levels. There has been progress in the tech and service sectors, though the construction industry and related sectors, like brickmaking, have declined.  Typically, young women worked in garment factories while young men found jobs on construction sites, so the loss of construction jobs could have posed a threat to the government. However, many young men have returned to agriculture, which is thriving, especially with increased exports to China. Read more RFA commentaries COMMENTARY: Cambodia’s Hun Dynasty stakes reputation on the Funan Techo Canal COMMENTARY: Elite power…

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Influencer-Based YouTube Channels/Vlogs for Soft Power Propaganda Network

Propaganda Network of YouTube Influencers

Editor038 mins

China’s strategic use of influencer-based YouTube channels has become a crucial element in its soft power propaganda network, particularly in shaping global perceptions of China and countering Western narratives. These influencers, many of whom are expatriates or foreign residents in China, utilize their platforms to promote themes such as the alleged falsehoods spread by Western media, the superiority of China’s infrastructure, technology, and safety over that of the United States and their home countries, and the notion that China is always on the right side of geopolitical conflicts. A sample of the most prominent channels reveals the extensive reach and influence these platforms hold. For instance, channels like Jabiertzo with 845K subscribers and Daniel Dumbrill with 167K subscribers, frequently address topics such as the situation in Xinjiang, presenting narratives that counter reports on human rights issues. Similarly, Nathan Rich with 490K subscribers and Cyrus Janssen with 661K subscribers often highlight China’s advancements in technology and infrastructure, portraying China as a superior alternative to the United States. In total, the combined reach of these most prominent channels accounted for in this report amounts to 5.33 million subscribers, with a staggering 10,577 videos that have collectively garnered over 1.05 billion views. This extensive content library is used to disseminate China’s narrative on various global issues, reinforcing the idea that China’s approach is not only legitimate but preferable to Western models. Channels like Living in China and Niranjan China, with subscriber counts of 460K and 814K respectively, contribute to the portrayal of China as a safe, prosperous, and culturally rich society, often contrasting it with perceived notions. Channel Name Subscribers Videos Views Country Alex from Xinjiang 44.1K 70 7,204,566 Hong Kong Numuves 84K 392 15,687,017 China Daniel Dumbrill 167K 266 13,473,874 Hong Kong FerMuBe 41.2K 693 3,585,459 United States Jabiertzo 845K 915 218,626,212 Spain Asia Hot Topics 19.7K 97 2,650,695 United States Cross Pacific Confrontation 623 33 75,992 N/A VOC: Vision of China 4.47K 119 994,783 Canada Nathan Rich 490K 233 36,895,956 United States Noel Lee 31.2K 144 2,886,782 N/A Living in China 460K 320 57,661,697 United Kingdom Niranjan China 814K 575 125,939,595 India China Content Center 607K 4,069 210,156,033 United States BeeRose in China 18.4K 29 860,928 United States TripBitten 78.1K 224 7,788,812 United States Part Time Traveller – China 25.6K 553 3,760,153 India Cyrus Janssen 661K 411 119,111,974 United States Barrett 376K 601 52,129,466 United Kingdom Harvey in China 24K 133 2,336,921 United Kingdom Fel Thommy 263K 399 85,110,680 United States Reporterfy Media & Travel 211K 302 29,413,718 United Kingdom 5,333.73K 10,577 1,056,299,162 Statistics of some of the popular Chinese Propaganda YouTube Channels The strategic deployment of these influencer-led channels is a sophisticated tool in China’s Soft Power Propaganda Network, allowing the country to shape international discourse and influence global public opinion in favor of its geopolitical stance. Through engaging, relatable content that appeals to both Western and non-Western audiences, these YouTube channels effectively support China’s broader propaganda objectives, reinforcing its narrative of being a global leader in technology, governance, and social stability. Country Number of YouTube Users (in millions) as of April 2024 India 476 United States 238 Brazil 147 Indonesia 139 Mexico 84.2 Japan 79.4 Pakistan 66.1 Germany 65.7 Vietnam 63 Philippines 58.1 Turkey 58.1 UK 55.7 France 50.2 Egypt 48.1 Thailand 44.2 Number of YouTube Users (in millions) as of April 2024 Despite China being the world’s most populous country after India, it is notably absent from the list of leading YouTube audiences as of April 2024. This absence is primarily due to the Chinese government’s long-standing restrictions on YouTube, which has been blocked in the country since 2009. Consequently, the platform is inaccessible to the vast majority of China’s population, leading to a significant gap in its user base despite the country’s vast potential audience. Interestingly, this gap has given rise to a unique phenomenon where many foreign YouTubers, residing and working in China, create content that caters primarily to international viewers, particularly those in countries where YouTube remains highly popular. These content creators often focus on showcasing various aspects of Chinese culture, travel, and daily life, which aligns with the growing global interest in China. However, their content frequently extends beyond mere cultural exchange, becoming a vehicle for soft power and state-sponsored propaganda. These YouTube channels and vlogs are often subtly or overtly linked to the Chinese state, either through direct support or indirect influence. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leverages these influencers to build and promote narratives that align with its geopolitical objectives and desired international image. By presenting an idealized version of China, these influencers contribute to shaping global perceptions in a way that supports the CCP’s strategic interests. This content often portrays China as a modern, harmonious, and prosperous nation, glossing over or omitting discussions of controversial issues such as human rights, censorship, or political repression. Furthermore, these influencers may receive preferential treatment, easier access to restricted locations, and other incentives that are not available to independent journalists or content creators critical of the Chinese government. In this way, the CCP effectively utilizes foreign YouTubers as part of a broader soft power strategy, disseminating state-approved narratives to a global audience, while circumventing the direct use of traditional state media channels. This influencer-driven content plays a crucial role in the CCP’s efforts to build a favorable narrative about China on the global stage, leveraging the reach and appeal of YouTube to influence public opinion, even in the absence of direct access to the platform within China itself. Following some of the prominent YouTube channels indulged in Chinese Propaganda: Channel:  Living in China Key Propaganda Themes: Channel:  Niranjan China Key Propaganda Themes: Read the entire report for a comprehensive understanding of the Influencer Network: Link Niranjan’s content across these platforms consistently promotes a narrative of China’s advancements, quality of life, and rapid development, often contrasting these aspects with India and other countries to highlight China’s superiority. Channel:  China Content Center Key Propaganda Themes: China Content Center consistently promotes narratives that emphasize China’s economic and…

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Hundreds of Taiwanese ‘disappear’ in China over past 10 years

Editor017 mins

Read related stories in Mandarin: 10年来857名台湾人在中国被失踪或任意逮捕 and 强迫失踪在中国：纪念日背后的无尽悲痛与抗争  More than 800 nationals of democratic Taiwan have “disappeared” over the past 10 years in China, which has long used forced disappearances to silence and control its own dissidents and rights activists, rights groups said on Friday. Figures compiled by the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and several other non-government groups showed that 857 Taiwan nationals have been “forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily arrested” in China, activists told a joint news conference in Taipei. They include publisher Li Yanhe (pen name Fu Cha), detained in Shanghai since April 2023, democracy activist Lee Ming-cheh, who served a five-year jail term in Hunan province for “attempting to subvert state power,” and businessman Lee Meng-Chu, jailed for nearly two years for “espionage” after he snapped photos of People’s Armed Police personnel at a Shenzhen hotel at the height of the 2019 Hong Kong protests. Speaking on the United Nations’ International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Taiwan Association for Human Rights chief Eeling Chiu called on China to fulfill its obligations under international human rights law. “China should … immediately release those who have been forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily detained,” Chiu told journalists, calling on the Taiwan authorities to ratify United Nations conventions against torture and enforced disappearances as soon as possible. “[They should also] actively assist the families of those who have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in China and set up assistance mechanisms for them,” she said. Members of a support group for disappeared Taiwanese publisher Fu Cha hold up signs calling for his release to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Aug. 30, 2024. (Huang Chun-mei/RFA) Activist Wang Chia-hsuan of a petition group in support of Li Yanhe, or Fu Cha, said Li was born in China but had permanent residency in Taiwan at the time of his disappearance, having lived in Taipei for more than a decade. He has been incommunicado for 527 days, and has been detained on suspicion of “incitement to secession,” Wang said. He called on Taipei municipal authorities to step up efforts to communicate with the Chinese authorities regarding Li’s case. Lee Ming-cheh told the news conference that his disappearance and subsequent jailing put huge pressure on his family back home. “Collaborators with the Chinese government in Taiwan warned my wife off talking to Taiwanese NGOs or speaking out publicly about my case, saying they would allow her to travel to China to visit me [if she complied],” he said. “If she spoke publicly about my case, she wouldn’t be allowed to go to China,” Lee said, accusing the Chinese government of abusing current crime cooperation agreements with Taiwan to persecute its residents. Negotiating is key Ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Puma Shen said the Taiwanese authorities could do a better job of negotiating in the early stages of such cases. “Government officials … should call on China for more appropriate handling of [such] cases,” Shen said. “If that doesn’t happen, then we should cut off communication [with China].” “If we continue to communicate past that point, there will be no deterrence at all … and it will send the message that it’s OK if our people keep disappearing,” he said. Taiwanese publisher Li Yanhe in an undated photo. (Fu Cha via Facebook) Meanwhile, Taiwanese lawmaker Hung Shen-han warned that it’s not only Taiwanese who are at risk of arbitrary arrest and “disappearance” in China. “The risk to individuals of being disappeared and prosecuted in China don’t just apply to Taiwanese,” Hung said, adding that some democratic countries have issued travel advisories to their citizens on the matter. “The Chinese government uses its laws, along with various undemocratic and unsupervised practices, to threaten the personal safety of people from all countries who go to China,” he said. “Chinese citizens themselves face the same problem.” Geng He, the U.S.-based wife of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng said it has been seven years since he “disappeared” on Aug. 13, 2017. “Gao Zhisheng has been missing for seven years and 17 days, with no news or explanation, neither verbal nor written,” she told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview. “They deploy the whole state apparatus in its entirety to target people like Gao Zhisheng who speak the truth and work on behalf of the people,” Geng said. The couple’s entire family has also been affected, she said. “My entire family’s ID cards have been confiscated for the past 15 years now,” Geng said. “This has caused great inconvenience to my family in terms of their ability to work, go about their lives, access medical treatment and travel.” “They’re being controlled to death,” Geng said. “Basically, they can’t leave their homes.” Gao’s sister died by suicide in May 2020, while his brother-in-law also took his own life after being forced to beg the authorities to “borrow” his own ID card so he can access his cancer medication. Disappeared Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng in an undated photo. (Weiquanwang) Veteran rights lawyer Bao Longjun said the authorities have also “disappeared” his wife Wang Yu, also a prominent rights attorney, on several occasions in recent years. She was incommunicado for several hours on Wednesday during the trial of rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and activist Xu Yan in Suzhou. “I feel like it’s about ruling the country through terror,” Bao told RFA Mandarin. “There is no legal basis for [enforced disappearances].” “If you are even slightly disobedient, they will immediately bring state power to bear, forcibly restricting your freedom, and controlling you to achieve what they think is stability,” he said. Uyghurs and Tibetans Chinese authorities have also forcibly disappeared Uyghurs and Tibetans in the far-western part of mainland China. An estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang under flimsy pretexts during mass incarcerations that began more than seven years ago in an effort by Chinese authorities to prevent religious extremism, separatism and terrorism. Former Xinjiang University President Tashpolat Teyip, who himself vanished in 2017…

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Did Taiwanese ships fly the Chinese flag while passing through the Red Sea?

Editor09 mins

A video and photograph of a cargo vessel have been shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim they show vessels from  the Evergreen Group – Taiwan’s shipping and transportation conglomerate – flying a Chinese flag while passing through the Red Sea in July. But the claim is false. Evergreen vessels have not passed through the Red Sea since December 2023. A video of a cargo ship was posted on Chinese social media Bilibili on Aug. 17. “A cargo ship belonging to China’s Taiwan-based Evergreen Group passed through the Red Sea flying the five-star red flag without incident. Previously, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked passing ships in the Red Sea, but ships flying the Chinese and Russian flags have usually been able to pass through safely,” the video’s caption reads.  The 12-second video shows multiple scenes, including China’s national flag, the Five-star Red Flag, and a cargo ship with an “EVERGREEN” sign on it.  Separately, a photo of what appears to be Evergeen’s cargo vessel was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Aug. 18, alongside a caption that reads: “The Evergreen Hotel refused to fly the Chinese flag, but Evergreen Marine flew the Chinese flag when it passed through the waters under the jurisdiction of the Houthis in the Red Sea.” A number of influencers posted photos of Evergreen ships purportedly flying China’s flag (Screenshots/X, Weibo and Bilibili) The claim began to circulate online after Chinese social media users criticized a decision by a branch of the Taiwanese Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Paris to refuse to fly China’s national flag during the Olympics. Some users further criticized the Evergreen Group, the hotel’s parent company, for what they said was double standards after several of its ships passed through the Red Sea in July while flying the Chinese flag for protection.  Evergreen Group is a Taiwan conglomerate with businesses in shipping, transport and associated services such as energy development, air transport, hotels and resorts. Taiwan has been self-governing since it effectively separated from mainland China in 1949 after the Chinese civil war, but China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that should be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. However, the claim about the Evergreen vessels flying the flag is false.  Vessels in question Reverse image searches found the two vessels seen in the Bilibili video and the photo on X are Evergeen’s EVER ALP and EVER BUILD.  A comparison of the EVER ALP and the EVER BUILD with the respective Chinese influencers’ content. (Photo/AFCL) According to the ship tracking service Marine Traffic, both vessels are under the jurisdiction of Panama.  Since the internationally recognized United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that a ship must sail under the flag of the state to which it is registered, those ships should fly Panama’s flag.  Information on the EVER ALP and EVER BUILD. (Screenshot/Marine Traffic)  According to a contingency plan issued by Evergreen in December 2023, all of its cargo vessels originally scheduled to pass through the Red Sea  between Asia, Europe and the eastern United States would be rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope due to the threat of attacks on merchant ships. Since the release of the contingency plan by Evergreen, the EVER ALP has not passed through the Red Sea, while the EVER BUILD has only sailed between northeast China and Thailand, nowhere near the Red Sea. Records from the ship tracking service Marine Traffic also show that neither the EVER ALP nor the EVER BUILD has sailed through the Red Sea since the group issued its contingency plan.  The respective routes of both vessels recorded on Marine Traffic show that they have not entered through the Red Sea in the last 9 months.  (Screenshots/Marine Traffic) A representative of Evergreen told AFCL that it had not changed its company-wide shipping reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, and the company required its vessels to follow the international and industry practice of flying the flags of the country under whose jurisdiction they sail.  Hoisting a different country’s flags A former Taiwanese Coast Guard official told AFCL that, in practice, there are cases when a ship might fly a different country’s flags.  It is common for ships to fly another country’s flag alongside their own registered state flag to show goodwill when passing through that country’s territorial waters, the official said.  In disputed waters, ships from one country involved in the dispute might fly the flag of the other country to reduce the risk of interference from the rival state’s authorities or militias. Lastly, ships from smaller or less powerful nations often fly the flag of a more powerful country when passing through pirate-infested waters to create a deterrent, the official explained, adding that Taiwan did not legally permit ships under its jurisdiction to engage in the second or third scenarios. Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang. Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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Top White House official in Beijing for talks with foreign minister

Editor04 mins

U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan arrived in China on Tuesday on a three-day trip that includes talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and comes after complaints from China’s neighbors about what they see as its territorial intrusions. Sullivan and Wang “will hold a new round of China-U.S. strategic communication,” according to China’s foreign ministry, exchanging views on bilateral relations, “sensitive issues” and “major international and regional hotspots.” A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters on Friday that Sullivan and Wang would discuss a range of topics including areas of disagreement, such as Taiwan, Ukraine and the Middle East. RELATED STORIES Top White House official to visit China Philippines, China clash near disputed shoal in South China Sea Philippines joins US-led allies in multilateral maneuvers in South China Sea The visit comes amid protests by U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines about what they say are Chinese incursions. Japan said a Chinese Y-9 reconnaissance plane entered Japanese airspace for two minutes on Monday, which Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi described as “utterly unacceptable.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday China was trying to verify the report, adding that its military had “no intention of intruding” into any country’s airspace. Meanwhile, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Tuesday that China was “the biggest disrupter” of peace in Southeast Asia. His comments came after a clash on Sunday between Philippine and Chinese vessels near a disputed reef in the South China Sea. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is welcomed by Director General of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Yang Tao (C) and US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns (L) upon arriving at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on Aug. 27, 2024. (Ng Han Guan/POOL/AFP) Sullivan was greeted at Beijing’s Capital Airport by the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s North American and Oceanian department head Yang Tao, and U.S. ambassador Nicholas Burns. His trip is the first official visit to China and the first by a national security adviser since Susan Rice went to Beijing under the Obama administration in 2016. Sullivan and Wang have met in Washington, Vienna, Malta and Bangkok over the past 18 months. Edited by Mike Firn.

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Investigative Journalism Reportika © March 2022 by Ij-Reportika is licensed under CC BY 4.0