China

| CAMBODIA – THAILAND – CHINA

The decision to join UNCLOS comes after 40 years of delays, opening a new front with Thailand over the disputed oil fields off Koh Kood Island. In 2001, then Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra signed an agreement with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen, for joint exploitation, but this never materialised and is now contested by Bangkok. The issue ties in with the 2016 arbitration on China’s "nine-dash line” with which Beijing claims most of the South China Sea.

by Silvia Torriti

A complex system of corruption disguised as educational trips and remedial courses that never took place has come to light after complaints from the families of some students at the Technology and Business College. Faced with the nationwide outcry over the case, local authorities are shifting the blame. There are currently around 800 private universities operating in the country, with popularity levels now on a par with public universities.

| 19/01/2026
| CHINA

Established by Pope Gregory XIII on 23 January 1576, it was the first in East Asia in the modern era and played a key role in the region’s evangelisation. St. Joseph's Seminary Church has been  designated as a place of pilgrimage due to a special indulgence granted by the pope for this occasion. “Let the memory of the past become a compass for” today’s mission, writes Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang.

| 18/01/2026
| ECCLESIA IN ASIA
by Andrew Law

Three issues dominated online discussions in China at the end of last year, as do discussions about the crises in Venezuela and Iran today, reflecting an awakening in Chinese public opinion and a renewed thirst for the truth, beyond government  propaganda about phoney prosperity.

| 17/01/2026
| CHINA

The agreement, the result of lengthy negotiations with the Trump administration, has been announced. Taiwan will receive the same treatment as Japan, South Korea and the European Union, but its companies are committed to building plants in the United States: TSMC is expected to open at least five factories. Beijing: ‘Taipei is like a turtle in a jar to us.’

 

| 16/01/2026
| TAIWAN - UNITED STATES

Construction has been completed on a 145,000-square-metre area in the Yizhuang District. The goal is to create a full-industrial chain that includes launch vehicles, satellite production, new materials, and space technology applications, making the race for the commercial exploitation of aerospace a new strategic sector for China’s economy.

| 15/01/2026
| RED LANTERNS

An app that suddenly shot to the top of the download charts has lifted the veil on the anxiety of many Chinese people, not just the elderly, who find themselves living alone in large cities. If no one responds within 48 hours, their smartphone sends a notification to a contact. By 2030, China will have 200 million single-person households.

| 12/01/2026
| CHINA
Editor's choices
 
by Father Will Conquer*
From Sihanoukville, a missionary talks about the many ambiguities behind the high-profile operations and arrests targeting the local scam farm system. With so much hypocrisy, he sees “silent complicity” and “utter abdication of responsibility.” ...
| 20/01/2026
| CAMBODIA
 
From 19 January, the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam will decide the country's leadership until 2031. General Secretary To Lam arrives at the event on the back of strong economic results achieved in 2025, so further centralisation ...
| 16/01/2026
| VIETNAM
 
From Indonesia and Saudi Arabia to Sudan and Libya, Pakistan has expanded defence deals in recent months with JF-17 fighter sales, jointly produced with China that proved ITS versatility during the conflict with India last May. This affordable aircraft ...
| 14/01/2026
| PAKISTAN
 
The 'Yesterday’ project, which reports from abroad on protests in China, selected the 10 most significant collective initiatives of the past year, offering a snapshot of activism in China. It features “unsung heroes” who together ...
| 08/01/2026
| RED LANTERNS
 
The year begins with elections in Bangladesh, Thailand and Nepal, but also with the Vietnamese Communist Party Congress. The Philippines will hold the rotating presidency of ASEAN, while Shenzhen will host the APEC summit. Japan will host the 20th edition ...
| 01/01/2026
| ASIA
 
The list includes Japan's first female prime minister, Nepal's Generation Z, and Field Marshal Munir in Pakistan. We also have Zohran Mamdani, who today speaks to India from his post as mayor of New York; Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, ...
| 31/12/2025
| THE YEAR THAT IS ENDING
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”