Hong Kong fire; Politburo study session on strengthening Internet governance; Japan-China; Cloud loophole for advanced AI chips; Xu Qinxian
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Great Firewall
15 min read
The article discusses China's internet governance and censorship infrastructure. Understanding the technical and political architecture of the Great Firewall provides essential context for Xi's comments about 'cutting off interest chains' and the Cyberspace Administration's role in digital control.
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Ryukyu independence movement
14 min read
The article mentions China 'questioning the status of Japan's Ryukyu Islands' as a pressure tactic. This Wikipedia article explains the historical context of Okinawa's contested identity and why China sees this as a strategic lever against US military presence.
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Xu Qinxian
10 min read
Named in the article title but not excerpted, Xu Qinxian was the PLA general who famously refused orders during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. His recent death and legacy are politically significant in understanding civil-military relations in China.
Xi Jinping pointed out that internet chaos pollutes social morals and infringes on the interests of the masses; we must dare to show the sword and resolutely strike, cutting off interest chains and industrial chains, and eradicating the soil and conditions for their breeding. We must combine the crackdown on internet chaos with an in-depth search for weak links in the governance of the internet ecosystem, taking targeted measures to solidify foundations and patch weak spots. - Readout from the November Politburo Study Session
Summary of the Essential Eight:
1. Hong Kong fire - The official death toll from the horrible fire at the Wang Fuk Court public housing estate is now over 150 people. The search continues for more victims, and for the cause of the disaster. So far 14 people have been arrested on corruption and manslaughter charges.
2. November Politburo meeting - The Politburo meeting met on Friday, November 28. The readout was quite short, and the publicized agenda was “to deliberate the ‘Comprehensive Report on the Situation of the 20th Central Committee’s Inspection of Provinces (Autonomous Regions, and Municipalities)’”. The CCTV report did not show any images from inside the meeting, but the report on the Politburo study session later that day did, and the absence of both Standing Committee member Li Xi and Politburo member Ma Xingrui may be noteworthy, especially given the rumors swirling for months that Ma may be in trouble. I discuss the study session in the next item.
3. Politburo study session on strengthening Internet governance - The November Politburo study session, convened on November 28, focused on “strengthening the governance of the Internet ecosystem”. The meeting signals a distinct evolution in how Beijing approaches digital control. A critical takeaway from the readout is the marked shift in the leadership’s stance on artificial intelligence, moving beyond viewing it merely as a frontier industry to be regulated and instead positioning it as a functional instrument of social control and state capacity. Xi Jinping framed AI not only as a challenge but as a vital “support condition” for the regime. This phrasing suggests a strategic directive to harness these technologies to bolster governance capabilities, explicitly tasking officials with utilizing AI to better “understand public opinion” and enhance “forward-looking” or predictive governance. The call to “promote application scenarios” within a governance context implies a mandate for the Cyberspace Administration of China and security apparatus ...
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