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!

‘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 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...

"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

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.

"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...

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...

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.

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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

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