mayawang.bsky.social
@mayawang.bsky.social
Deputy Asia director @hrw. Also distinguished fellow @asu_ldns. Email me: wangm(at)hrw(dot)org.
Pastor Huang Yizi is about to be tried for "illegal business". His crime? "Distributing audio Bible players containing his sermons to church members." Xi Jinping's crackdown on religion continue in China: chinaaid.org/news/the-cas...
The case of Pastor Huang Yizi is scheduled to be heard on April 24 in Zhejiang
The case of Pastor Huang Yizi is scheduled for April 24 in Zhejiang. Learn about the charges and implications for his church.
chinaaid.org
I feel conflicted tweeting about this, as student activists living abroad have gone back w/o incident, & I don't want to spread the chill. But the arbitrariness is the terror itself. Chinese student jailed for 6 years for protesting for democracy in Australia: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Student allegedly jailed in China for six years after taking part in pro-democracy protests in Australia
Exclusive: The Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect overseas students from political repression
theguardian.com
🚨A Chinese student was allegedly jailed for 6 years(!) after returning from #Australia, reportedly over pro-democracy protests in Sydney. @mayawang.bsky.social (HRW) says the case reflects a wider campaign of #transnationalrepression reaching PRC students overseas www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Student allegedly jailed in China for six years after taking part in pro-democracy protests in Australia
Exclusive: The Australian government has been urged to take stronger action to protect overseas students from political repression
theguardian.com
China’s conviction rate is nearing 100% as the not-guilty rate falls to ~0.021%—a 25-year low, raising wrongful conviction risks: china.caixin.com/2026-04-15/1...
法眼｜无罪判决率降至25年来最低水平，意味着什么
有学者研究显示，2025年无罪率约为0.021%，也即一万人中仅两人能获得无罪判决。极低无罪率或许折射出更高的错案率
china.caixin.com
NEW: @hrw.org research finds that Beijing has tightened ideological control & surveillance on China's 12 million Catholics since Xi's Sinicization campaign & that the 2018 Holy See-China agreement has facilitated Beijing's pressure on the underground Catholic communities. www.hrw.org/news/2026/04...
China: Pressure on Catholics Escalates
Chinese authorities are increasing pressure on underground Catholic communities to join the state-controlled official church.
hrw.org
Major UK museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, has deleted maps and images deemed "sensitive" by Beijing censors from exhibition publications. Incredible: www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
V&A censored catalogues after demands by Chinese printer
Exclusive: Victoria and Albert Museum has deleted maps and images deemed sensitive by Beijing censors from exhibition publications
theguardian.com
Read this from @chinadigitaltimes.net about how a small construction subcontractor tried to recover ~1/2 million USD in unpaid wages owed to his workers by a major state-owned company, only to end up being sued by that company. chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7263...
凤凰财经｜讨薪未果反成被告，一个包工头的三年
几年前，刘彪还是手握积蓄、带领几十号人的包工头，风光无两。如今，存款耗尽，亲戚借遍，癌症缠身，还讨要着给工人的工钱。
chinadigitaltimes.net
Gao Zhen’s trial shows Beijing’s growing intolerance of dissent + contempt for the rule of law. He's punished for works done over a decade ago, when he was able to show them publicly in China. Secret trial + exit ban for family would've been rare back then www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/w...
The Secret Trial of a Chinese Artist Accused of Mocking Mao Zedong
nytimes.com
very important op-ed highlighting what's often missing in media coverage of China's economy: This is an economy based on crushing the rights of workers and communities rather than anything else. Heavy repression means only very little can be exposed by journalists & NGOs.
mayawang.bsky.social@mayawang.bsky.social · 4mo agoEuropean policies' focus on China's subsidies & industrial policy is missing a deeper point: that China's political economy is built on "a scaffolding of abuses that enable authorities to reshape economic sectors and to strong-arm communities with minimal resistance." www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...
"A Europe that systematically embed human rights across trade, procurement, migration, and security policies, would strengthen not only its credibility, but also its security, acting as a stabilizing force in an unstable world." - @benjeannerod.bsky.social & @mayawang.bsky.social in @lemonde.fr
Europe’s Economic Security Begins With Human Rights
Confronted with what he calls a “commercial tsunami” from China and growing unpredictability from the United States, French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Europe to become “a true geopolitical an...
hrw.org
European policies' focus on China's subsidies & industrial policy is missing a deeper point: that China's political economy is built on "a scaffolding of abuses that enable authorities to reshape economic sectors and to strong-arm communities with minimal resistance." www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...
« Les pays européens devraient intégrer les droits humains à leurs politiques économiques et étrangères »
TRIBUNE. Alors que le modèle économique chinois repose sur un système répressif – interdiction des syndicats, exploitation des migrants, travail forcé… –, l’Union européenne devrait renforcer la loi s...
lemonde.fr
Chinese government's going after the lawyers defending the arrested leaders of Zion Church, a major unofficial evangelical church in China, revoking and suspending the lawyers' licenses: www.wsj.com/world/china/...
China Targets Lawyers Defending Jailed Christian Leaders
The arrest of pastor Ezra Jin has drawn criticism from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and members of Congress.
wsj.com
"World leaders should use this moment to challenge #China’s enforced silence surrounding #Tibet" #TibetanUprisingDay @mayawang.bsky.social #HumanRightsWatch www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...
Don’t Forget Tibet on Anniversary of 1959 Lhasa Uprising
Nearly seven decades since the 1959 uprising in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, the Chinese government still treats March 10 with vigilance.
hrw.org
On March 10, anniversary of 1959 Lhasa Uprising, Chinese govt would be on high alert, but few Tibetans would dare to mark the occasion as the cost is too high. "World leaders should use this moment to challenge China’s enforced silence surrounding Tibet": www.hrw.org/news/2026/03...
Don’t Forget Tibet on Anniversary of 1959 Lhasa Uprising
Nearly seven decades since the 1959 uprising in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, the Chinese government still treats March 10 with vigilance.
hrw.org
The rush to China trade "–meant to survive Trump’s chaos–may instead hasten the arrival of the China Century, one in which Beijing dominates not only geopolitics but its repressive approach to domestic governance becomes the global norm." My op-ed: www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: Trump has spurred a rush to China for trade salvation. That shouldn’t sacrifice human rights
‘Pragmatism’ cannot mean building unconditional trade ties with a Chinese government that engages in widespread human rights violations
theglobeandmail.com
. @mayawang.bsky.social of @hrw.org in the @theglobeandmail.com : “Mr. Carney is right that middle powers need to co-operate. But a more honest “pragmatism” begins with recognizing that widespread human rights violations by a trading partner generate economic, security and governance risks.”
Blade defects at Three Gorges wind farm expose quality risks in China’s turbine boom – Caixin Global: ‘adding to concerns that China’s past installation rush and price wars are now surfacing as costly quality failures.’
Blade Defects at Three Gorges Wind Farm Expose Quality Risks in China’s Turbine Boom
A repair tender covering 99 turbines in Inner Mongolia highlights mounting failures linked to the industry’s 2015-2016 installation rush and later price wars
caixinglobal.com
Framing Hong Kong’s repression as “stability” risks legitimising authoritarian governance as an economic good, and words from democratic leaders matter far beyond Hong Kong and set precedents elsewhere.
mayawang.bsky.social@mayawang.bsky.social · 6mo agoWhen pressed by journalists, British PM Keir Starmer said he *mentioned* Jimmy Lai to Xi. He didn't seem to have called for Lai's release: www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
When pressed by journalists, British PM Keir Starmer said he *mentioned* Jimmy Lai to Xi. He didn't seem to have called for Lai's release: www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
Starmer stresses Hong Kong’s stability as key to stronger ties in meeting with Xi
Meeting focused on shared interests to bolster Sino‑British relations, with Jimmy Lai’s national security case also touched upon in ‘respectful’ discussions.
scmp.com
Chinese govt has detained the leader + key members of underground Protestant church, the Early Rain Covenant Church. There's been a string of arrests of members of prominent “house churches” in China in past year. They should be freed, faith isn't a crime: www.hrw.org/news/2026/01...
China: New Arrests at Underground Protestant Churches
hrw.org
China’s government has long sought to silence dissent abroad, but recently there’s been a disturbing escalation: harassment through sexually explicit letters targeting activists outside the country www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...
Sexual Harassment of Chinese Critics Abroad
China’s government has long sought to silence dissent abroad, but recently there’s been a disturbing escalation: harassment through sexually explicit letters targeting activists outside the country.
hrw.org
The second is a deep dive into the numbers - and lives - behind China's renewable energy surge by @wang-seaver.bsky.social and @tednordhaus.bsky.social. --> www.breakthroughjournal.org/p/greenwashi...
Greenwashing With Chinese Characteristics
China's "Green Electrostate" Is Neither
breakthroughjournal.org
Two great pieces just dropped that lift the veil on the story of China as a "green" saviour. Worth the read! First one by @sophiedrich.bsky.social @climaterights.bsky.social on what China showed - and obfuscated - at the most recent COP. climaterightsinternational.substack.com/p/china-cop3...
China COP30 Cop Out
By Sophie Richardson
climaterightsinternational.substack.com
At a summit dominated by two leaders who have demonstrated such utter hostility to the international system, human rights & democratic principles, how should democratic countries respond? With courage and conviction. By me & John Sifton: thediplomat.com/2025/10/trum...
Trump, Xi Attacks on Rights a Challenge for APEC Summit
At a summit dominated by two leaders who have demonstrated utter hostility to the international system, human rights law, and democratic principles, how should rights-respecting, democratic countries ...
thediplomat.com
Extensive research shows while autocracies eg China "sometimes achieve rapid gains, they also produce volatility, repression, & data manipulation", on balance democracies "offers the strongest odds for healthier, more stable, and prosperous societies" www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/wha...
What Democracy Does . . . And Does Not Do | Journal of Democracy
People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier…
journalofdemocracy.org
Among the strongest words we've heard from Zelenskyy on China since the war began
Jorge Liboreiro@jorgeliboreiro.bsky.social · 10mo agoZelenskyy blasts China at #EUCO. "China helps Russia. It doesn’t help Ukraine and is not interested in our victory and Russia losing," he says. "They're not interested in unity between the US and Europe. They're not interested in a weak Russia. That's why they help Russia."
EV investment in the US tumbled by a third in the last quarter, the Clean Investment Monitor from Rhodium Group & MIT shows. Under Trump, the US is unilaterally surrendering the global EV market to China (and others). It risks turning the US into the Galapagos Islands of cars. on.ft.com/4nlRcly
US risks losing more ground to China in EV race as investment tumbles
White House backing for petrol-based cars poses dilemma for many automakers
on.ft.com
What a striking vignette about gender relations in China today: A feminist opened three women-only spaces three years ago-- as emergency shelter, reading group, and gathering place--and men came in and destroyed two of them. They may all have to close: chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/7221...
聚姬地社交｜我花了一百多万，把一个全女店开倒闭了。
过去三年，我把攒下的全部积蓄一百多万投进了一家全女空间。三年里做了三家店，如今两家已倒下，最后一家也不得不暂停营业。
chinadigitaltimes.net
中國政府剛剛主辦了「全球婦女峰會」。 在一個監禁女權運動者、把女性身體當作控制人口方式的地方舉行「婦女峰會」，不僅諷刺更令人感到冒犯。 這場峰會把女性權利當作營銷工具，並對女性觀點進行嚴密審查，而當前最迫切的議題，諸如基於性別的暴力（包括性騷擾和家庭暴力）以及生育自主權，大都遭到忽視或幾乎未見改進。 - 人權觀察 @mayawang.bsky.social
❗️Detained Chinese artist Gao Zhen (高兟) is in poor health and had fainted in late Sept. Chinese govt should drop charges against the 69-year-old, allow him + his family to return to the United States. The Gaos are US green card holders & citizen. www.hrw.org/news/2025/10...
China: Free US-Resident Artist Unjustly Charged
The Chinese government should drop the baseless charges against the artist Gao Zhen (高兟) and allow him and his family to return to the United States.
hrw.org