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aliceysu.bsky.social
Covering China and Taiwan & co-hosting Drum Tower pod @TheEconomist. Former Beijing bureau chief @latimes, previously in the Middle East. [email protected]
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Two years ago, I heard that Taiwan's govt had unearthed surveillance files from the secret police of its authoritarian era. They were finally becoming open to the public, nearly four decades after Taiwan's democratisation. I wanted to see what was inside: www.economist.com/1843/2025/05...

submitted 8 days ago • 4 comments

Superb and important piece from @aliceysu.bsky.social about the long and painful process of truth and reconciliation in Taiwan. A pointed reminder about what "unification" with the People's Republic of China actually demands of the Taiwanese people. www.economist.com/1843/2025/05...

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

What if China & India became friends? I join @aliceysu.bsky.social on The Economist's Drum Tower podcast this week to discuss whether India & China can grow closer economically after their October border deal -- and what that might mean for Asia and the world. www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

submitted 75 days ago • 2 comments

Taiwan has detained a Chinese-crewed ship for investigation after another one of its undersea cables, this time connecting Taiwan to Penghu, was cut this morning. Coast guard says the ship was sailing under Togo flag but Chinese-funded, and could be a grey-zone actor www.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/20...

submitted 76 days ago • 1 comment

Taiwan's armed forces have a Chinese spy problem. Prosecutions for Chinese espionage have jumped fourfold in the last 4 years. 2/3 of alleged spies last year were current or retired military personnel. China is also using new tactics to recruit younger collaborators www.economist.com/asia/2025/02...

submitted 94 days ago • 2 comments

I'm hearing a lot from the media NGO sector about the impact of USAID cuts. A lot of small investigative media organisations across the globe are facing imminent closure as the funding they've budget for has vanished overnight, and the funder community has no capacity to absorb the shock.

submitted 95 days ago • 32 comments

I spent the last two days speaking w researchers and activists doing some of the most groundbreaking work on human rights in China. Many are facing pay cuts, layoffs, and total shutdown after the sudden freeze in US foreign aid www.economist.com/china/2025/0...

submitted 95 days ago • 1 comment

Our latest episode of Drum Tower tackles a difficult problem for liberal democracies with Chinese diasporas - how to counter the Communist Party's influence and espionage attempts within Chinese communities without demonising and alienating Chinese people? www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

submitted 96 days ago • 0 comments

In 2024, manufacturing strikes remain at persistently high levels. Across the year, 451 protests were recorded—over 75% linked to payment arrears and relocations, often driven by cost-cutting, risk avoidance, or quick exits. Workers’ rights remain an afterthought.

submitted 102 days ago • 1 comment

"When the US selectively applies internationally accepted rules, it undermines its credibility and loses influence.. Biden claimed to understand this, but he abandoned his own strategy at a critical time. In doing so, he paved the way for a race to the bottom." www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

submitted 113 days ago • 1 comment

"Our core values remain openness, humility and digital. I know some people think that digital is not a value. But I believe that digital changes everything, including grammar." Bartleby is always excellent but this one actually made me laugh out loud www.economist.com/business/202...

submitted 113 days ago • 0 comments

“Because Mr. Biden, unlike Mr. Trump, was seen for decades as a champion of an American-led global order — ‘a high priest in the church’ — his actions in particular showed that international rules ‘are hollow’.” www.nytimes.com/2024/12/26/u...

submitted 126 days ago • 0 comments

Just listen to Drum Tower podcast from the @economist.com Insights like this are worth the money. We need to learn the lesson from Hong Kong about how step by step China crackdown on the rights and freedom of the individual.

submitted 151 days ago • 0 comments

现在能帮助过去吗? 活人能救死人吗? 当我继续阅读时，很明显这些都是不可能的问题。通过与人类最黑暗方面的持续接触，我感到我对人类长期破碎的信念完全破碎。我几乎放弃了这本小说。然后我读到了一个年轻夜校教育工作者的日记条目。朴永俊，一个害羞、安静的青少年，参加了1980年5月光州十天的起义中形成的自治公民的“绝对社区”.. 尽管他知道士兵们将在清晨返回，但他选择留在那里。在那最后一晚，他在日记中写道：“上帝啊，为什么我必须有这样令我痛苦的良心呢？我想活下去。” 读了这些句子，我像闪电一样清楚地知道这部小说应该走哪条路，我的两个问题必须颠倒过来： 过去能帮助现在吗? 死人能救活人吗?

submitted 154 days ago • 2 comments

submitted 156 days ago • 1 comment

Syria is the most displaced nation on Earth. 60% of its population - 14M people - forced from their homes by the regime’s brutality. Today, a golden thread has connected cities around the world as the Syrian diaspora gather to celebrate the end of Assad. Here’s a 🧵 of global celebrations 🟢⚪️⚫️ 👇

submitted 155 days ago • 14 comments

Crying this morning. Alf mabrook to the brave Syrians I know who have suffered so much for so long and who thought this day would never come. Courage and strength to them as they see loved ones come out of prison and dare to think of finally, really, being able to go home apnews.com/article/syri...

submitted 155 days ago • 0 comments

Japan's military spots a Russian submarine moving near Yonaguni, the island closest to Taiwan, for the first time apnews.com/article/japa...

submitted 159 days ago • 0 comments

Some tip-top tariff coverage by colleagues this week. First, Don Weinland on how China will resist and retaliate against US trade restrictions. One meaningful difference between today and 2018-19 is that China's trade surplus with non-US partners is far larger. www.economist.com/finance-and-...

submitted 159 days ago • 3 comments

While Yoon previously vowed to fight corruption and improve transparency, his presidency has been marred by abuses of power. Imposing martial law is a serious backslide of democracy in South Korea and follows a trend of a worrying chilling effect in the media since he entered office in 2022.

submitted 160 days ago • 1 comment