Thanks so much for the kind words 🙏

Missed this wonderful piece by @arthurkaufman.bsky.social over the holidays. I'm such an admirer of his work and this piece is no exception!

What Is the Purpose of ‘China-Watching’ in the United States Today? The executive ignored widespread dissent to force through an illiberal agenda. Violent confrontations between protesters and police brought forth increased repression. In less than a year, new policie...

‘Once we become submissive, thinking that [accommodation] can protect us, we still get targeted in the end … [B]eing targeted has nothing to do with content actually having an issue’ madeinchinajournal.com/2025/12/12/w...

What Is the Purpose of ‘China-Watching’ in the United States Today? The executive ignored widespread dissent to force through an illiberal agenda. Violent confrontations between protesters and police brought forth increased repression. In less than a year, new policie...

"What does it mean if we continue producing non-reflexive, business-as-usual discussions of authoritarian-like issues in another country when our own country is undergoing an authoritarian takeover?"
For @madeinchinajournal.com, I urge us to reimagine our work.
madeinchinajournal.com/2025/12/12/w...

What Is the Purpose of ‘China-Watching’ in the United States Today? The executive ignored widespread dissent to force through an illiberal agenda. Violent confrontations between protesters and police brought forth increased repression. In less than a year, new…

"By leveraging our China expertise—using intersectional, comparative, and critical lenses—we can analyse and critique the structures of authoritarianism unfolding in both China and the United States, and thereby encourage others to push back." — @arthurkaufman.bsky.social @madeinchinajournal.com

What Is the Purpose of ‘China-Watching’ in the United States Today? The executive ignored widespread dissent to force through an illiberal agenda. Violent confrontations between protesters and police brought forth increased repression. In less than a year, new policie...

The American China Studies field is facing an existential threat under the Trump administration. To protect its integrity, we should infuse our work with a critical, comparative, and intersectional analysis of authoritarianism in the United States and China, argues @arthurkaufman.bsky.social.

More details in the article. I don't have all the answers, but I hope to spark a more public conversation about this so that we can collectively respond to the current moment in a way that's proportional to the threat we're facing.

This isn't just a more responsible way to do "China watching," it's also immediately necessary for combatting the spread of authoritarianism in the US, which existentially threatens our own field, among others. We must see ourselves as agents capable of political action, not powerless bystanders.

We must embed within our work a critical, comparative, and intersectional lens to analyze authoritarianism in China and the US. Drawing on a Global China method, we can highlight interlinking dynamics and structures driving authoritarian practices in both countries without essentializing them.

What Is the Purpose of ‘China-Watching’ in the United States Today? The executive ignored widespread dissent to force through an illiberal agenda. Violent confrontations between protesters and police brought forth increased repression. In less than a year, new policie...

"What does it mean if we continue producing non-reflexive, business-as-usual discussions of authoritarian-like issues in another country when our own country is undergoing an authoritarian takeover?"
For @madeinchinajournal.com, I urge us to reimagine our work.
madeinchinajournal.com/2025/12/12/w...

Keep CDT Online: Donate for Server Expenses China Digital Times (CDT) is a non-profit organization that relies on institutional and individual donations to sustain our operations. In recent months, we have lost a significant portion of our inst...

In recent months, we have lost a significant portion of our funding. Yet we remain committed to helping the world better understand China at this critical juncture in global politics. We are asking for your help to keep our websites up and running.
giving.chinadigitaltimes.net/page/serverc...

Doing What's Easy vs. Doing What's Right Rui Zhong draws a connection between China-watchers' responsibilities towards China, the US, and Palestine.

What responsibilities do China-watchers have towards China, the US, and Palestine? How are they connected? @redderbeanpaste.bsky.social shared her perspective in a conversation with me. Here are some highlights.
thelasttrain.substack.com/p/doing-what...

Really appreciated this conversation. It's hard to speak out against the genocide, trust me. But the alternative is worse

"what I would really like people to try to do even if we're not ideologically aligned is to understand that your job is secondary to the material well-being of people in and affected by China": have been trying to find the right words to capture this idea. a brilliant interview.

Highly recommend this interview, in which Rui Zhong challenges fellow China watchers to reflect on how they respond/fail to respond to authoritarianism in the U.S. and policy on Gaza through the lens of their own work.

"People are going to have to start getting a little bit more uncomfortable. Frankly, will it be a little bit detrimental to people's careers? I don't know, maybe… But at the end of the day, do you want to do what's easy or do you want to do what's right?"

"If somebody made their name on human rights and pushing back against authoritarian practices, then [Gaza] is definitely something they should be talking about, because otherwise what are you doing? What are you waiting for?"

"We owe it to our discipline and to our mission to talk with the public, to make things understandable, to frankly assess authoritarianism, censorship, propaganda, and overreach by law enforcement entities, regardless of who is conducting the overreach."

Doing What's Easy vs. Doing What's Right Rui Zhong draws a connection between China-watchers' responsibilities towards China, the US, and Palestine.

What responsibilities do China-watchers have towards China, the US, and Palestine? How are they connected? @redderbeanpaste.bsky.social shared her perspective in a conversation with me. Here are some highlights.
thelasttrain.substack.com/p/doing-what...

Doing What's Easy vs. Doing What's Right Rui Zhong draws a connection between China-watchers' responsibilities towards China, the US, and Palestine.

I talked with @arthurkaufman.bsky.social about China work and responsibilities as practitioners on Gaza thelasttrain.substack.com/p/doing-what...

The Relationship Between Your Words and Justice in the World Kicking off this interview series, a Chinese professor in the US reflects on their political evolution amid America's slide into authoritarianism.

In my latest post that kicks off this interview series, a Chinese professor in the US reflects on their political evolution amid America's slide into authoritarianism.
thelasttrain.substack.com/p/the-relati...

ICYMI, do check out my first post about our need to push back against the censorship of pro-Palestine voices in the US, and the parallels with censorship in China.
bsky.app/profile/arth...

A highlight: "There has to be a point for why we are doing our work...There is a relationship between your words and justice in the world. You have to believe in what you say and stand up for what you say, because those are not just words."

The Relationship Between Your Words and Justice in the World Kicking off this interview series, a Chinese professor in the US reflects on their political evolution amid America's slide into authoritarianism.

In my latest post that kicks off this interview series, a Chinese professor in the US reflects on their political evolution amid America's slide into authoritarianism.
thelasttrain.substack.com/p/the-relati...

From the [REDACTED] to the [CENSORED] The American China-watching community has an important role to fulfill in countering the crackdown on pro-Palestine speech.

My first post is about how the American China-watching community has an important role to fulfill in countering the crackdown on free speech, starting with Palestine. Our silence has consequences for everyone, and we must speak out before it's too late.
thelasttrain.substack.com/p/from-the-r...

From the [REDACTED] to the [CENSORED] The American China-watching community has an important role to fulfill in countering the crackdown on pro-Palestine speech.

My first post is about how the American China-watching community has an important role to fulfill in countering the crackdown on free speech, starting with Palestine. Our silence has consequences for everyone, and we must speak out before it's too late.
thelasttrain.substack.com/p/from-the-r...

About - Last Train China-watchers rediscovering home, and getting their house in order. Click to read Last Train, a Substack publication. Launched an hour ago.

I made a Substack yesterday. It's a space for the China-watching community to reflect on our positionality and responsibilities, at a moment when the foundations of the field are under attack in the West. I hope this will spark a broader conversation.
thelasttrain.substack.com/about

Translation Archives

Welcome new followers! China Digital Times has been publishing news and translations focused on human rights and freedom of expression in China for more than 20 years. For those new to our work, get started with our Translations...
 (1/9) #china