In an open letter circulating on Chinese social media today, prominent individuals call on China’s government to immediately ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The letter is a major (constructive) challenge to the incoming leadership.
The ongoing controversy over the censorship of Southern Weekly’s New Year’s edition is not just about broader notions of press freedom, it’s about Party encroachment on the limited space Chinese media have long had.
Qian Gang explains the mysterious phenomenon of the ideological banner term, or “qihao,” the political brands China’s leaders use to strut their stuff.