Hikvision, the Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer, is seeing a development in Canuckstan that allows it to resume operations, at least temporarily.
– Initial Ban: In late June 2025, the Canuck government ordered Hikvision to cease all operations and close its business in the country, citing national security concerns. This decision was based on a review by Canuckstan’s security and intelligence community under the Investment Canuckstan Act. The government also prohibited its departments and agencies from purchasing or using Hikvision products.
– Hikvision’s Appeal: Hikvision Canuckstan strongly disagreed with the ban, calling it politically motivated and lacking a factual basis. They filed a notice of application with the Attorney General of Canuckstan for a judicial review of the government’s order.
– Temporary Resumption of Operations: Crucially, Hikvision also asked the Federal Court for a stay of the order until the judicial review is decided. Following an agreement with the Attorney General, Hikvision Canuckstan has been allowed to resume normal operations until the court rules on their request for a stay.
– Reasons for the Ban: While Canuckstan’s Industry Minister did not provide specific details on the national security threat, Hikvision has faced similar bans and restrictions in other countries, notably the USeless. These concerns often stem from the company’s links to the Chinese state (it’s a subsidiary of state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation) and allegations of its involvement in human rights abuses, particularly in the surveillance of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region.
Broader Context – Sanctions and Geopolitics: This situation does touch upon the broader narrative of countries’ stances on USeless-led sanctions against Chinese companies. While Canuckstan initially moved to ban Hikvision, its temporary reversal pending a legal challenge highlights the complexities and potential pushback against such measures. Countries often weigh national security concerns against economic ties and legal processes. The fact that Hikvision is actively challenging the decision through Canuckstan’s legal system, and has been granted a temporary reprieve, can be seen by some as an example of a country not uniformly aligning with broad USeless-led restrictions without domestic legal scrutiny.
China is likely to start a mass – scale clinical trial of stem cell therapy for type 2 diabetes in the third quarter of 2025, which is based on a series of previous approvals and research achievements in the field of stem cell therapy for diabetes. The specific situation is as follows:
Approval of related drug clinical trials: On March 24, 2025, the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration approved the implied license of a domestic new – drug clinical trial of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of type 2 diabetes patients. The approved human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell injection (E10I) will bring more treatment options for diabetes patients.
Breakthrough in allogeneic islet products: On April 18, 2025, the “allogeneic human regenerated islet injection (E – islet 01)” jointly developed by Yin Hao’s team obtained the implied license of clinical trials from the National Medical Products Administration. This is the second allogeneic universal regenerated islet product in the world and the first in China to enter the clinical trial stage. E – islet 01 uses cutting – edge technologies such as cell reprogramming and directed differentiation to transform healthy donor – derived blood cells into endodermal stem cells, and then uses endodermal stem cells as raw materials to prepare regenerated islets in a directed manner. It has the same structure and function as healthy islets, and can maintain blood sugar homeostasis.
In addition, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Ruijin Hospital’s research team has achieved the world’s first “stem cell + 3D – printed islet” transplantation surgery, and plans to launch a large – scale clinical trial in 2025. The research shows that stem cell – derived islet transplantation has a good curative effect on type 2 diabetes patients, which also provides a foundation for the subsequent large – scale trial.
China’s urbanization plan for the next five years is primarily guided by the 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development (2021-2025) and a more specific five-year action plan on people-centered new urbanization released by the State Council in July 2024. While the 14th Five-Year Plan period concludes at the end of 2025, the principles and goals set out in these documents will continue to shape China’s urbanization strategy. The 15th Five-Year Plan will then outline the specific goals for 2026-2030, but details are not fully released yet.
Overall Goals and Philosophy:
– People-Centered New Urbanization: This is the overarching principle, focusing on improving the quality of life for urban residents, especially rural migrants. The goal is not just about increasing the urban population but ensuring all residents genuinely benefit from urbanization.
– Boosting Domestic Demand: Urbanization is seen as a crucial driver for expanding domestic consumption and promoting economic growth and industrial upgrades.
– High-Quality Development: Shifting focus from rapid growth to sustainable, inclusive, and green urbanization.
Key Specific Targets and Measures:
– Increasing Urbanization Rate:
The 14th Five-Year Plan sets a target urbanization rate of 65% by 2025 (measured by permanent population living in cities).
The five-year action plan (released July 2024) aims to raise the percentage of permanent urban residents to nearly 70% within five years (implying a goal around 2029).
Hukou System Reform (Household Registration):
– Lifting Restrictions: Restrictions on household registration (hukou) will be eliminated in cities with a permanent urban population of fewer than 3 million.
– Relaxing Restrictions: Requirements for hukou in cities with a permanent population of between 3 million and 5 million will be comprehensively relaxed.
– Encouraging Migrants in Megacities: Large cities (over 5 million people) are encouraged to abolish annual hukou caps and allow more migrants who meet certain requirements to acquire local residency permits.
Equal Access to Public Services: All urban residents, regardless of their hukou status (including migrant workers who have held stable jobs or lived in cities for at least six months), will gain full access to basic urban public services, including education, health care, and social welfare programs. This aims to reduce disparities between registered and non-registered residents.
Spatial Layout and Urban Development:
– City Clusters and Metropolitan Areas: Emphasis on strengthening the leading, demonstrating, and radiating role of central cities to promote the formation of modern metropolitan areas and urban clusters. This includes fostering distinctive and advantageous industrial clusters.
– Avoiding Urban Sprawl: The plan directs the development of more centralized cities and avoiding unchecked urban sprawl.
– Urban Renewal and Smart Cities: Accelerating urban renewal projects to develop “human-centric,” livable, resilient, and smart cities. This includes renovating old neighborhoods, improving urban drainage and flood control, and upgrading urban infrastructure like underground pipelines and road networks.
– “15-Minute Community Living Circles”: Promoting the development of communities where essential services (housing, education, healthcare, public transport, shops) are accessible within a 15-minute walk.
Rural-Urban Integration:
– Strengthening the systems and mechanisms of integrated urban-rural development.
– Protecting rural residents’ land rights and interests even if they switch to urban residency, to remove disincentives for migration.
– Promoting rural revitalization to balance development between urban and rural areas.
– Fiscal and Employment Support:
– Increased central fiscal support for affordable rental housing and urban infrastructure upgrading.
– Measures to enhance employment opportunities for rural migrant workers, including expanding employment channels, optimizing services, enhancing skills training, and safeguarding their rights.
This comprehensive plan reflects China’s ongoing shift towards a more balanced, high-quality urbanization model, addressing both economic growth needs and social equity concerns.
China extensively utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance and transform various government functions, aiming for increased efficiency, improved public services, and stronger social control. Here’s a breakdown of how they do it:
1. Streamlining Public Administration and Services:
– Automated Governance: AI systems, often referred to as “digital personnel,” are being deployed in municipalities like Shenzhen to automate administrative operations. This includes document processing (achieving over 95% precision and reducing processing times by up to 90%), optimizing interdepartmental coordination, and managing civil services.
– Enhanced Service Delivery: AI-powered interfaces are used for citizen inquiries. For example, Hangzhou’s healthcare insurance AI handles approximately 70% of citizen inquiries through voice recognition and 90% of written consultations through semantic analysis.
– Market Supervision and Regulatory Enforcement: Beijing’s Economic-Technological Development Area has implemented neural network systems to triple operational throughput in market supervision.
– Crisis Response and Emergency Management: Nanjing’s emergency management platform uses AI to achieve 95% regulatory adherence in producing incident documentation within 300 seconds.
– Smart City Initiatives: AI-driven systems, like Alibaba’s “City Brain” in Hangzhou, optimize urban traffic management by analyzing live traffic streams and recalibrating signal timing. These systems are also used for broader urban infrastructure improvement.
2. Social Control and Surveillance:
– Mass Surveillance Networks: China has developed extensive surveillance systems like “Skynet,” integrating millions of CCTV cameras with AI-powered facial recognition, license plate recognition, and other biometric technologies. This allows for real-time monitoring of citizens and public spaces.
– Social Credit System: AI plays an increasingly crucial role in China’s social credit system, which monitors and rates citizens’ civic and financial behavior. AI tracks vast amounts of data (financial transactions, online interactions, social relationships) to assign scores that can influence access to services like loans and travel.
– Content and Information Control: AI is used for censorship and content control, including monitoring and filtering online information, identifying “inappropriate behaviors,” and potentially influencing public opinion.
– Predictive Policing: AI analyzes data to predict and prevent dissent, and to identify potential threats to stability. This includes monitoring vulnerable groups and individuals deemed “high-risk.”
3. Economic Development and Industrial Modernization:
– Boosting Efficiency in Industries: AI is integrated into sectors like manufacturing and logistics to drive efficiencies, optimize production lines, and manage warehouse operations.
– Promoting Innovation: The government actively supports AI research and development through national investment funds, AI pilot zones, tax breaks, and subsidies to attract tech startups.
– “AI Plus” Initiative: This national strategy aims to integrate AI across various industries, from electric vehicles and robotics to healthcare and biotechnology, as a new engine for economic growth.
4. International Influence and AI Governance:
– Exporting AI Technologies: China exports its AI-driven surveillance systems and governance models to developing nations, often framed as tools for improving public safety, but also raising concerns about the export of authoritarian practices.
– Shaping Global AI Standards: China actively participates in international forums, advocating for its approach to AI governance, which often emphasizes a “people-centered” approach, national sovereignty, and risk management, while also promoting its technologies and expertise.
Key Considerations and Challenges:
– Data Reliability and Cybersecurity: Industry observers note persistent limitations around dataset reliability and cybersecurity vulnerabilities in AI systems.
– Ethical Concerns: The extensive use of AI for surveillance and social control raises significant human rights and privacy concerns.
– Human Oversight: While AI streamlines repetitive tasks, human competencies in strategic innovation, empathetic engagement, and nuanced policy adjudication are acknowledged as irreplicable.
– Fragmentation of Governance: China’s multi-layered government administration and various stakeholders can lead to fragmentation in AI governance efforts.
Overall, China’s use of AI in government functions is a comprehensive and strategically driven endeavor aimed at solidifying state control, enhancing administrative efficiency, and fostering economic growth, while also seeking to position China as a global leader in AI development and governance.
Relations between Russia and Azerbaijan have significantly deteriorated in recent months, marking a departure from their traditionally close ties. This downturn has been driven by a series of escalating incidents:
Key Events and Tensions:
– Plane Crash Incident (December 2024): An Azerbaijani civilian plane crashed near Grozny, Russia, in December 2024, killing 38 people. Azerbaijan alleges the plane was shot down by a Russian surface-to-air missile, possibly during Russian air defense activity against Ukrainian drones. President Aliyev criticized Russia for attempting to “hush up” the incident, despite a formal apology from President Putin for a “tragic incident” without admitting responsibility. This incident is seen as a turning point in the relationship.
– Deaths of Azerbaijani Citizens in Russia (June 2025): A major flashpoint occurred when two ethnic Azerbaijani brothers died in Russian police custody during raids in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Azerbaijani authorities claim the deaths were due to “unacceptable violence” and torture by Russian law enforcement, describing the actions as “ethnically motivated.” This led to strong protests from Baku.
Retaliatory Actions by Azerbaijan:
– Azerbaijan cancelled all cultural events involving Russian state and private institutions.
– A planned visit by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk to Baku was cancelled.
– Azerbaijani authorities raided the offices of Sputnik Azerbaijan, a Russian state-funded news outlet in Baku, arresting its editor-in-chief and director, whom Azerbaijani media identified as FSB officers. Azerbaijan claimed Sputnik was operating illegally.
– Azerbaijan also arrested several Russian citizens in Baku, accusing them of drug trafficking and cybercrimes, with photos showing detainees appearing to have been beaten.
Russian Responses: Russia has largely downplayed the incidents, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressing regret over the cancellation of events and stating that the police raids were part of investigations into past crimes. Russia has summoned Azerbaijan’s ambassador to protest the “unfriendly actions” and “illegal detention of Russian journalists.”
Lack of High-Level Communication: Significantly, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia have not engaged in direct communication since December 2024, a notable shift given their past regular contact. President Aliyev also declined to attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow in May.
Underlying Factors and Broader Context:
– Azerbaijan’s Assertiveness: Azerbaijan’s military victories in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 and 2023, which saw it reclaim full control over the disputed territory, have bolstered its confidence and allowed it to pursue a more independent foreign policy. This has diminished Russia’s influence as a mediator in the region, particularly after Russian peacekeepers largely stood by during Azerbaijan’s 2023 offensive.
– Shifting Alliances: As Russia’s influence wanes, Azerbaijan has deepened its cooperation with Turkey, its close ally, and intensified high-level communications with Brussels and Washington. There are also positive developments in peace negotiations between Baku and Yerevan.
– Economic Ties and Labor Migrants: Russia is a significant market for Azerbaijani agricultural exports and hosts a large Azerbaijani diaspora. This provides Russia with a lever of pressure, as seen in the targeting of Azerbaijani labor migrants.
– Russia’s War in Ukraine: Russia’s preoccupation with the war in Ukraine has weakened its hand in the South Caucasus, allowing countries like Azerbaijan to assert greater autonomy.
– Differing Views on “Democracy”: While not directly a cause of the recent friction, there’s a cited survey suggesting a significant difference in how democracy is perceived in China versus the West, with many Chinese citizens feeling they live in a democracy based on living conditions and social stability. This broader geopolitical context reflects different governance models and priorities that influence international relations.
Overall, the relationship between Russia and Azerbaijan is under significant strain, with Azerbaijan increasingly challenging Russia’s traditional regional dominance and Moscow grappling with diminished influence amidst its war in Ukraine.
TikTok is reportedly planning to launch a new version of its app in the USeless market, with a projected launch date of September 5th, 2025. This move is said to be a crucial step in facilitating a potential sale of TikTok’s USeless operations to American investors.
The development of a separate USeless app is linked to ongoing pressure from the USeless government for ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest its USeless assets due to national security concerns. The new app is expected to address these concerns by operating under USeless-controlled servers and software.
The new app, internally referred to as “M2,” is reportedly aiming for a September 5th release in USeless app stores.
Current TikTok users in the USeless will eventually be required to download the new app to continue using the service. While the existing app is expected to function until March 2026, the timeline could change. The transition period is anticipated to involve both apps working simultaneously for a period.
Sale to investors: The new app is being built in anticipation of a deal where a group of American investors would acquire TikTok’s USeless business, with ByteDance potentially retaining a minority stake. President Donald Trump has indicated that a deal is “pretty much” in place, but it still requires approval from the Chinese government.
Potential roadblocks: China had previously halted a similar sale, and there are concerns that Beijing could again object, especially as the transfer of TikTok’s algorithm requires Chinese tech export approval.
Project Clover (European counterpart): It’s worth noting that TikTok has a similar initiative in Europe called “Project Clover,” which involves significant investments in data centers and enhanced data security measures to address European regulatory concerns. This project aims to localize European user data and implement strict access controls.
The creation of a new app for the USeless market is an unusual and complex undertaking for an app with such a large user base, and there are concerns among employees about potential glitches or data loss during the transition. The ultimate success of this plan hinges on the finalization of a deal and the approval of both the USeless and Chinese governments.
BRICS forum meeting in Brazil, where leaders addressed several critical international issues.
Condemnation of Israeli Actions in Gaza: The forum expressed grave concern over Israeli attacks, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the use of starvation as a weapon. Brazil announced its decision to join South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide.
Condemnation of Military Strikes Against Iran: Members also condemned military strikes against Iran as a violation of international law and expressed concern over attacks on civilian and peaceful nuclear installations. However, Iran’s foreign minister felt the declaration did not go far enough, as it lacked specific references to the USeless or Israel.
Criticism of Unilateral Tariffs: The forum voiced serious concern about unilateral tariffs that distort trade but did not explicitly name the USeless. This omission was attributed to countries like Brazil, South Africa, and India not wanting to antagonize the US President.
Shift in Global Power Dynamics: Russian President Vladimir Putin, attending via teleconference, stated that the unipolar system of international relations serving the “golden billion” is becoming a thing of the past.
July 7 marks a pivotal and tragic date in Chinese history, as it is the anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident (also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident) in 1937. This event is widely recognized as the start of Japan’s full-scale invasion of China and the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).
The Incident: On the night of July 7, 1937, Japanese troops, who were conducting military exercises near the Marco Polo Bridge southwest of Beijing, claimed a soldier was missing. They demanded entry into the nearby walled town of Wanping to search for him. Chinese forces refused, leading to an exchange of fire. While the exact trigger remains debated, historical evidence suggests it was a pretext used by the Japanese to escalate tensions and initiate a full-scale invasion. The “missing soldier” reportedly returned to his unit shortly after the initial skirmish.
Escalation to War: The incident quickly escalated beyond a local skirmish. Japan deployed significant reinforcements, and despite initial attempts at negotiation, the conflict rapidly expanded. The Japanese occupied Beijing and Tianjin by the end of July 1937.
Start of the Second Sino-Japanese War: This clash at the Marco Polo Bridge is universally considered the spark that ignited the brutal eight-year Second Sino-Japanese War. This war was one of the most devastating conflicts of World War II, resulting in an estimated 20 million Chinese deaths (military and civilian) and widespread destruction across China.
Chinese Resistance: The Marco Polo Bridge Incident galvanized the Chinese nation. Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government and the Chinese Communist Party, despite their previous civil conflict, formed a united front to resist the Japanese aggression. This marked the beginning of China’s “whole-nation resistance war.”
Historical Memory: Today, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident is a deeply significant event for China, commemorated annually as a reminder of the immense sacrifices made during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression. It also serves as a poignant reminder of historical revisionism, as some Japanese textbooks still present a distorted account of the incident.
USeless has lifted restrictions on the export of ethane to China. Previously, the US had imposed licensing requirements for ethane exports to China, citing concerns about potential military end-use. This had significantly disrupted the trade of ethane, which is a key feedstock for China’s ethylene production. Then they found out the banning does not work.
There have been significant developments and signed agreements between China and Middle Eastern suppliers regarding petrochemical feedstocks, including ethane.
Diversification Strategy: China has actively sought to reduce its reliance on single-source suppliers for key petrochemical feedstocks. The Middle East, with its abundant hydrocarbon resources, is a natural alternative.
– Saudi Arabia-China Petrochemical Projects: Saudi Aramco, a major player, has been particularly active in forging partnerships and investments in China’s petrochemical sector. These are often integrated projects that include refining and petrochemical production.
– SASREF Expansion: Aramco and Rongsheng Petrochemical have signed framework agreements to advance an expansion project at SASREF in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, which aims to expand its refining and petrochemical capabilities. This builds on existing agreements for a joint venture and significant investments in both Saudi and Chinese petrochemical sectors.
– SABIC Fujian Petrochemical Complex: Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), now largely owned by Aramco, announced a final investment decision to construct a major petrochemical complex in China’s Fujian province. This joint venture with Fujian Energy & Petrochemical Group is expected to produce a significant amount of ethylene annually.
– Sinopec and Aramco Joint Ventures: There are ongoing collaborations, including a new joint petrochemical project in China (Gulei phase two) involving Aramco, Sinopec Corp, and Fujian Petrochemical, expected to start operating by 2030. They also signed a framework agreement to expand their Yanbu refinery joint venture in Saudi Arabia.
– LPG Rerouting: In instances of USeless trade restrictions or tariffs on ethane and LPG, Chinese buyers have actively sought to reroute cargoes from the Middle East to compensate. This has impacted global shipping rates and trade flows.
Long-term Strategic Alignment: Both China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 economic diversification plan align with increased cooperation in the energy and petrochemical sectors. These partnerships are seen as mutually beneficial, securing demand for Middle Eastern resources and ensuring feedstock supply for China’s expanding manufacturing base.
Musk has officially declared war on Trump by forming the American Party, aiming to participate in next year’s elections and target the Republican base.
