Author Archives: editor

OoT, Canberra & Chinese Alliance for Democracy Conduct Seminar titled “Sino-Tibet Relations in the Post-Xi Jinping Era”

Sydney, Australia: The Office of Tibet, Canberra, in collaboration with the Chinese Alliance for Democracy, organised a seminar titled “Sino-Tibet Relations in the Post Xi Jinping Era” at Sydney University on 10 July 2024.

The seminar, graced by the presence of esteemed researchers, activists, and leading experts on China, engaged in a comprehensive discourse. The discussions ranged from the impact of Xi-Jinping’s policies on Sino-Tibetan relations to the alarming cultural genocide unfolding in Tibet under his rule.

In his opening remarks, Representative Karma Singey underscored the situation’s urgency, stating, “Today, a deep sense of insecurity, uncertainty, and fear pervades due to the Chinese government’s expansionist greed and repressive policies. If these policies remain unchallenged, the world’s peace and security are in grave jeopardy.” He further revealed China’s policy to securitise Tibet and Sinicise Tibetan people as part of Xi Jinping’s long-term assimilation drive.

Dr Gyalo, a leading expert on China’s assimilation and education policies in Tibet, shared his profound insights on Xi Jinping’s overall vision to create a Han-centric nationalism policy and how the Chinese government has enforced mandatory boarding school education for Tibetan children, which he described as forced sinicisation and policy of culture genocide against Tibetans.

Bawa Kalsang Gyaltsen, Representative of the Office of Tibet in Taiwan, explained the Central Tibetan Administration’s commitment to Middle Way Policy in finding a peaceful solution to the Sino-Tibet conflict. He further emphasised the importance of more vital interaction and allyship between Tibetan and Chinese communities to strengthen the friendship between the two communities.

Finally, Prof. Feng Chongyi, Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and Chairman of the Australia and New Zealand Alliance of Victims of Chinese Communist Party spoke on how establishing a democratic constitutional government in China is the prerequisite for any nationality to achieve self-determination. He further explained that democratic negotiation or a referendum under a democratic political system is necessary to realise self-determination, which could result in autonomy, independence, or maintaining the status quo.

Dr Jin Jiang, Chairman of the Chinese Alliance for Democracy, Duoduo Zhang, President of the Sydney Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Group, and Sophia Tsai, a Taiwanese ally, moderated the seminar.

Dawa Sangmo, Chinese liaison officer of the Tibet Office, Canberra, delivered the closing remarks.

Tienchi Martin-Liao: Yu Jie and the Leviathan State

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Author Yu Jie. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Chinese writer-in-exile Yu Jie attempts to reconcile his past life in China and his present life in the United States.

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Ma Jian Introduces Madeleine Thien: Do Not Say We Have Nothing

Monday 18th July 2016 7pm – 8pm 107 Charing Cross Road Literary Event, Chargeable Event
Madeleine Thien’s third novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing, is an epic, resonant novel about the far-reaching effects of China’s revolutionary history. Spanning the decades since 1949, it tells the story of two inter-linked musical families, from the Shanghai Conservatory in the early years of Mao’s ascent to the tumult of the 1989 Tiananmen demonstrations, as a vibrant cast of characters deal with the Cultural Revolution’s impact on their artistic selves, personal relationships and national identity.
The daughter of Malaysian-Chinese immigrants to Canada, Madeleine Thien is uniquely placed to tell this story, and has crafted a novel that deals with epic themes on an intimate scale, flawlessly weaving a Chinese philosophy and sensibility with Western narrative traditions.
At this exclusive event, the acclaimed author of Beijing Coma and Red Dust Ma Jian introduces us to Madeleine and her work. Joined by his wife and translator Flora Drew, Ma Jian and Madeleine will discuss Do Not Say We Have Nothing and the real-world events that it draws upon.
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one China’s most important cultural commentators in conversation with a striking and important voice in Canadian literature. Their discussion will be followed by a Q&A with the audience and a book signing.
Venue: The Auditorium at Foyles, Level 6, 107 Charing Cross Road
Tickets: FREE. Simply book below.
Please note, no physical tickets will be issued, the email confirmation you receive is proof of your booking.
Refunds
We are unable to issue refunds to customers unable to attend the event without at least 24 hours’ notice. To request a refund of your ticket purchase or purchases, email [email protected] with your details and request

Tienchi Martin-Liao: Horsetrading With Abduction

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From left to right: Chang Ping, Tienchi Martin-Liao, writer Ye Fu, and a friend, in Amsterdam in 2012. Image courtesy of the author.

 

China stretches out its hand to control the international media over the authorities’ abduction of a journalist’s family.

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German president slams communism in provocative speech to Shanghai students on his China visit

Joachim Gauck in ShanghaiGermany’s president has condemned the illegitimacy of Communist rule in East Germany and lauded the benefits of human rights in a provocative speech to Shanghai university students on Wednesday. Continue reading

Journalist Says China May Expel Her for Article on Uighurs

reprinted from Deutsche Welle

China effectively expels French journalist Ursula Gauthier

Officials have refused to renew Beijing-based journalist Ursula Gauthier’s press visa unless she apologizes for a story. Gauthier wrote criticially on China’s “anti-terror” operations against Xinjiang’s Uighur Muslims.0,,18942243_303,00

“They confirmed that if I did not make a public apology on all the points that had ‘hurt the Chinese people’… my press card would not be renewed and I would have to leave on December 31,” Gauthier told news agency AFP. Gauthier cannot apply for a visa unless her press card is renewed.

“If I had actually written what they accuse me of, I deserve to be put in prison, not expelled,” the reporter said. The attitude of Chinese officials was “a pretext to intimidate foreign correspondents in China, particularly on issues concerning minorities,” she said, adding that she would “not deviate” from her story.

Gauthier is based in Beijing and works for the news magazine “L’Obs,” formerly known as Le Nouvel Observateur. Her essay, published on November 18, was called “After the attacks [in Paris], Chinese solidarity is not without ulterior motives.” The report discussed Beijing’s policies in Xinjiang, where most of China’s ethnic Uighur Muslim minority lives. The story also triggered abusive comments from social media users in China and was condemned by the state-run Global Times and China Daily.

‘Campaign of intimidation’

Chinese officials said the report justified violence against the government. “The article criticized China’s counterterrorism efforts and denigrated and slandered Chinese policies. It provoked the strong indignation of the Chinese public,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said earlier this month.

Meanwhile, efforts by French officials, including Paris’ envoy to China, Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, have produced no results. The foreign correspondents’ club in Beijing said it was “deeply concerned with the attempts of intimidation.”

Press organization Reporters Without Borders also denounced the incident, calling it “media lynching” and “campaign of defamation and intimidation” against Gauthier.

Before Gauthier, Melissa Chan, who works for television channel Al Jazeera, was expelled in 2012.

Ai Weiwei: Courage on Trial in China

Reprinted from the New York Times 

BERLIN — In April 2011, I was kidnapped by the Chinese undercover police at a Beijing airport and detained at a secret location for 81 days. After my release, the government charged me with tax evasion, even though most of the questions during my confinement centered on my political activities. They demanded that I pay back taxes and a fine totaling $2.4 million, and when I asked why the shakedown, one official replied, “If we don’t penalize you, you won’t give us any peace.” Continue reading