Schedium

  A British teacher's remarks about Taiwan during an online English class have led to his dismissal from an educational platform in the People's Republic of China (PRC). On September 17, a video surfaced on Weibo showing the teacher stating, “Taiwan is not China; Taiwan is a country, did you know?” while instructing primary school students through Lingostar, an online teaching platform. Weibo screenshot   The teacher, who stated that he lived in Taiwan for a long time, sparked immediate backlash from parents present during the class. They insisted that “Taiwan belongs to China ,” leading to a heated exchange. The situation escalated when the teacher responded with a middle finger gesture before abruptly quitting the session. Lingostar quickly issued a statement affirming its commitment to the “one-China principle” and explaining that all teachers must sign a commitment letter prohibiting political discourse in the classroom. The teacher, still on probation, was promptly fired...

  Chu Kai-pong (諸啟邦), a 27-year-old Hong Kong citizen, has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan, marking the first conviction under the city's newly enacted Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) based on Article 23 of the Basic Law. Chu Kai-pong was arrested on June 12, 2024, at an MTR station for wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times” (光復香港 時代革命) and a yellow mask with the letters “FDNOL,” an abbreviation for “Five Demands, Not One Less” (五大訴求，缺一不可). These slogans were prominent during the 2019 protests against a proposed extradition bill between Hong Kong and mainland China. Embed from Getty Images Chu was reportedly walking around the Shek Mun MTR station in Sha Tin. When approached by police, he refused to show his identity card. Consequently, he was charged under the SNSO with “engaging in acts with seditious intent” (作出具煽動意圖的作為), “loitering with intent” (有意圖而遊盪) and “failing to...

The government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) allegedly recruited Taiwanese social media influencers to visit Xinjiang and produce content aimed at countering international criticism over its human rights abuses against the Uyghur population. On September 3, US Taiwan Watch (美國台灣觀測站), a non-profit think tank and media creator focused on the relationship between the United States and Taiwan, hosted a panel discussion on challenges facing the Taiwanese government. During the conference Su Ch’iao-ning (蘇巧寧), associate professor of the Department of Communications, Journalism and Public Relations at Oakland University, said that the trend of Taiwanese influencers making trips to Xinjiang appears to be a calculated effort to reshape the narrative surrounding the region and bolster the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She argued that the promotion of Xinjiang as a “simple and beautiful” destination on social media platforms serves to legitimise the CCP's ru...

A journalist and a retired professor from Taiwan have been sentenced to prison for fabricating false public opinion polls during the 2024 presidential and legislative election campaign under the direction of the People's Republic of China (PRC). __________ Lin Hsien-yüan (林獻元), a Taiwanese journalist and head of Chih-tung New Media Communication Co., Ltd. (指動新媒體傳播有限公司), was accused by the District Prosecutor in Taichung City of fabricating false polls on behalf of Beijing for personal gain. Lin reportedly worked with Su Yün-hua (蘇雲華), a retired associate professor at the Department of Business Administration of Providence University (靜宜大學), to create nine fake polls under the direction of the PRC's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. They received 130,000 RMB (approximately 18,000 USD) to make the polls, which were intended to mislead voters and influence the election outcome. Prosecutors in Taichung alleged that in April 2023 Lin was invited by the Fujian Provincial Co...

As the 2024-2025 academic year begins, Hong Kong's educational landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. The Hong Kong Education Bureau has announced the integration of “patriotic education” (愛國教育) and “Xi Jinping Thought” (習近平思想) into the junior high school curriculum. Since the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2019-2020 and the adoption of the National Security Law (NSL) in June 2020, the Hong Kong Education Bureau has been laying the groundwork for a shift in the school curriculum to bring it in line with the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On October 24, 2023, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in Beijing passed the “Patriotic Education Law of the People's Republic of China" (中华人民共和国爱国主义教育法). The law, which came into effect on January 1, 2024, aims to promote patriotism, national unity and security, as well as cultural identity among the citizens. In his 2023 Policy Address delivered on October 25, the Beijing-app...

In the recent German federal state elections held on September 1, 2024, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party achieved significant victories in both Saxony and Thuringia.  __________ In Thuringia the AfD emerged as the leading party, obtaining approximately 32.8% of the vote, making it the first far-right party to win a state election in Germany since the 1930s.  The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) followed with about 23.6%, while the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) secured third place with 15.8%.  The Social Democrats (SPD) only garnered around 6%, and the Greens 3.2%. The Greens, who are a coalition member of the incumbent German federal government alongside the Social Democrats and the Free Liberals, failed to meet the 5% threshold needed for representation in the state parliament. In Saxony, the CDU maintained a narrow lead with approximately 31.9% of the vote, closely followed by the AfD at around 30.6%. The BSW came in third with about 11.8%. The SPD ...