Bethany Allen 貝書穎
@bethanyallen.bsky.social
Head of China investigations @aspi_cts. Was @axios @foreignpolicy @yale @HopkinsNanjing. Author BEIJING RULES, Financial Times Best Books of 2023. Email me: bethanyallen@aspi.org.au
The Democratic Party headquarters in Abilene, Texas— my hometown—has been vandalized in a targeted attack, according to local news KTXS.
The attack appeared to target the party's support for the LGBTQ community, as Pride flags and related items were destroyed or removed.
ktxs.com/news/local/t...
The attack appeared to target the party's support for the LGBTQ community, as Pride flags and related items were destroyed or removed.
ktxs.com/news/local/t...
Taylor County Democratic Party headquarters vandalized in targeted attack
The Taylor County Democratic Party headquarters in Abilene was broken into and vandalized overnight on Jan. 16.
ktxs.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:51 PM
The Democratic Party headquarters in Abilene, Texas— my hometown—has been vandalized in a targeted attack, according to local news KTXS.
The attack appeared to target the party's support for the LGBTQ community, as Pride flags and related items were destroyed or removed.
ktxs.com/news/local/t...
The attack appeared to target the party's support for the LGBTQ community, as Pride flags and related items were destroyed or removed.
ktxs.com/news/local/t...
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
NEW from me: In MN, George Floyd-era faith networks have reignited after Renee Good's killing by ICE.
They often partner w/others: last night, a church, brewery & bookstore hosted an event.
If you showed up w/a whistle (to warn people of ICE), you got a free drink. religionnews.com/2026/01/11/i...
They often partner w/others: last night, a church, brewery & bookstore hosted an event.
If you showed up w/a whistle (to warn people of ICE), you got a free drink. religionnews.com/2026/01/11/i...
In Minneapolis, George Floyd-era faith networks reignite after Renee Good's killing by ICE
MINNEAPOLIS (RNS) — The faith-based networks, which developed organizing infrastructure and relationships during the Floyd era, are joined by newcomers as resistance efforts have intensified following...
religionnews.com
January 11, 2026 at 5:54 PM
NEW from me: In MN, George Floyd-era faith networks have reignited after Renee Good's killing by ICE.
They often partner w/others: last night, a church, brewery & bookstore hosted an event.
If you showed up w/a whistle (to warn people of ICE), you got a free drink. religionnews.com/2026/01/11/i...
They often partner w/others: last night, a church, brewery & bookstore hosted an event.
If you showed up w/a whistle (to warn people of ICE), you got a free drink. religionnews.com/2026/01/11/i...
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
Big year for photos of clergy enduring pain while protesting ICE.
· Rev. David Black, Chicago Sun-Times: chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/10...
· Rev. Jorge Bautista, SF Chron: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
· Rev. Hannah Kardon, Chicago Protest Photography: www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...
· Rev. David Black, Chicago Sun-Times: chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/10...
· Rev. Jorge Bautista, SF Chron: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
· Rev. Hannah Kardon, Chicago Protest Photography: www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...
October 23, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Big year for photos of clergy enduring pain while protesting ICE.
· Rev. David Black, Chicago Sun-Times: chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/10...
· Rev. Jorge Bautista, SF Chron: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
· Rev. Hannah Kardon, Chicago Protest Photography: www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...
· Rev. David Black, Chicago Sun-Times: chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/10...
· Rev. Jorge Bautista, SF Chron: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...
· Rev. Hannah Kardon, Chicago Protest Photography: www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1...
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
Chen Zhi, the alleged ringleader of one of Asia’s largest scam conglomerates, was arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China, the Cambodian government said Wednesday.
www.wsj.com/world/asia/c...
www.wsj.com/world/asia/c...
Cambodian Scam Tycoon Wanted by U.S. Extradited to China
The Justice Department accused Chen of running a sprawling scam empire targeting Americans.
www.wsj.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:01 AM
Chen Zhi, the alleged ringleader of one of Asia’s largest scam conglomerates, was arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China, the Cambodian government said Wednesday.
www.wsj.com/world/asia/c...
www.wsj.com/world/asia/c...
My appreciation for the film Dr. Strangelove has grown over the years. Its subtitle, I now feel, has a lasting brilliance that never loses its relevance — "How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb."
December 11, 2025 at 8:04 AM
My appreciation for the film Dr. Strangelove has grown over the years. Its subtitle, I now feel, has a lasting brilliance that never loses its relevance — "How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb."
U.S. Plans to Scrutinize Foreign Tourists’ Social Media History
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
Chinese models are rapidly gaining global users through open-weight releases & easy API access.
As I told The Washington Post, if we don’t understand how they’re built, we risk importing censorship & political control hidden inside the technology itself.
www.washingtonpost.c...
As I told The Washington Post, if we don’t understand how they’re built, we risk importing censorship & political control hidden inside the technology itself.
www.washingtonpost.c...
December 2, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Chinese models are rapidly gaining global users through open-weight releases & easy API access.
As I told The Washington Post, if we don’t understand how they’re built, we risk importing censorship & political control hidden inside the technology itself.
www.washingtonpost.c...
As I told The Washington Post, if we don’t understand how they’re built, we risk importing censorship & political control hidden inside the technology itself.
www.washingtonpost.c...
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
We tested image understanding in English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
We found:
• Much stricter censorship in Chinese
• Strongest distortions on Tiananmen, Tibet, Falun Gong & Xinjiang
• Some models quietly added pro-state framing even without refusing.
We found:
• Much stricter censorship in Chinese
• Strongest distortions on Tiananmen, Tibet, Falun Gong & Xinjiang
• Some models quietly added pro-state framing even without refusing.
December 2, 2025 at 3:24 AM
We tested image understanding in English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
We found:
• Much stricter censorship in Chinese
• Strongest distortions on Tiananmen, Tibet, Falun Gong & Xinjiang
• Some models quietly added pro-state framing even without refusing.
We found:
• Much stricter censorship in Chinese
• Strongest distortions on Tiananmen, Tibet, Falun Gong & Xinjiang
• Some models quietly added pro-state framing even without refusing.
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
The results are staggering.
Models routinely:
❌ refuse to answer
❌ erase key details
❌ repeat state narratives
Here’s one example: a major Chinese LLM flat-out refuses to describe the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Models routinely:
❌ refuse to answer
❌ erase key details
❌ repeat state narratives
Here’s one example: a major Chinese LLM flat-out refuses to describe the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
December 2, 2025 at 3:24 AM
The results are staggering.
Models routinely:
❌ refuse to answer
❌ erase key details
❌ repeat state narratives
Here’s one example: a major Chinese LLM flat-out refuses to describe the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Models routinely:
❌ refuse to answer
❌ erase key details
❌ repeat state narratives
Here’s one example: a major Chinese LLM flat-out refuses to describe the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
China’s national AI-safety standard categorises 31 types of “unsafe” content — from terrorism and privacy breaches to…
🟥 criticism of the CCP
🟥 “Western ideology”
🟥 peaceful protest
This is the logic shaping every model released in China.
🟥 criticism of the CCP
🟥 “Western ideology”
🟥 peaceful protest
This is the logic shaping every model released in China.
December 2, 2025 at 3:24 AM
China’s national AI-safety standard categorises 31 types of “unsafe” content — from terrorism and privacy breaches to…
🟥 criticism of the CCP
🟥 “Western ideology”
🟥 peaceful protest
This is the logic shaping every model released in China.
🟥 criticism of the CCP
🟥 “Western ideology”
🟥 peaceful protest
This is the logic shaping every model released in China.
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
Our new ASPI report 'The Party’s AI' is out now. It shows how China’s LLMs, vision models and “AI+” governance architecture are hard-coding censorship and control into the future of AI.
www.aspi.org.au/repo...
www.aspi.org.au/repo...
December 2, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Our new ASPI report 'The Party’s AI' is out now. It shows how China’s LLMs, vision models and “AI+” governance architecture are hard-coding censorship and control into the future of AI.
www.aspi.org.au/repo...
www.aspi.org.au/repo...
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
ASPI's exclusive new report, shared with the
@theguardian.com, reveals that the number of scam centers operating along the Thai-Myanmar border has more than doubled since Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021
Read the Guardian's on-the-ground reporting:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
@theguardian.com, reveals that the number of scam centers operating along the Thai-Myanmar border has more than doubled since Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021
Read the Guardian's on-the-ground reporting:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Revealed: the huge growth of Myanmar scam centres that may hold 100,000 trafficked people
Operated by crime syndicates and fostered by the country’s military junta, the number of vast complexes such as KK Park on the Thai-Myanmar border has doubled since 2021
www.theguardian.com
September 8, 2025 at 3:26 AM
ASPI's exclusive new report, shared with the
@theguardian.com, reveals that the number of scam centers operating along the Thai-Myanmar border has more than doubled since Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021
Read the Guardian's on-the-ground reporting:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
@theguardian.com, reveals that the number of scam centers operating along the Thai-Myanmar border has more than doubled since Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021
Read the Guardian's on-the-ground reporting:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
WOW. China is drilling for oil and gas inside Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone, a move that analysts believe is likely part of Beijing’s unilateral grab for disputed territory.
Great scoop from @heldavidson.bsky.social and @thejamestownfdn.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Great scoop from @heldavidson.bsky.social and @thejamestownfdn.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
China drilling for oil and gas inside Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone
Exclusive: Experts say the move could be part of Beijing’s ‘greyzone’ grab for disputed territory
www.theguardian.com
September 4, 2025 at 1:54 AM
WOW. China is drilling for oil and gas inside Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone, a move that analysts believe is likely part of Beijing’s unilateral grab for disputed territory.
Great scoop from @heldavidson.bsky.social and @thejamestownfdn.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Great scoop from @heldavidson.bsky.social and @thejamestownfdn.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
In this article about China's green tech revolution, the New York Times cites ASPI's Critical Technology Tracker and my colleague Dr. Jenny Wong-Leung:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
How China Went From Clean Energy Copycat to Global Innovator
A surge in high quality research and patent applications has cemented China’s dominance in the industry.
www.nytimes.com
August 15, 2025 at 12:34 AM
In this article about China's green tech revolution, the New York Times cites ASPI's Critical Technology Tracker and my colleague Dr. Jenny Wong-Leung:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
I was today years old when I learned the final appendix to Thomas Paine’s Common Sense — the pamphlet that set fire to the Revolution — concludes with a firm rejection of “mingling religion with politics.”
The context is he’s fighting with Quakers he says aren’t Quakers, but he doesn’t mince words.
The context is he’s fighting with Quakers he says aren’t Quakers, but he doesn’t mince words.
July 22, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I was today years old when I learned the final appendix to Thomas Paine’s Common Sense — the pamphlet that set fire to the Revolution — concludes with a firm rejection of “mingling religion with politics.”
The context is he’s fighting with Quakers he says aren’t Quakers, but he doesn’t mince words.
The context is he’s fighting with Quakers he says aren’t Quakers, but he doesn’t mince words.
If the State Department doesn't renew funding for Freedom House's China Dissent Monitor, the world will lose an entire category of knowledge about how people in China are actually experiencing life under CCP governance.
Read my latest:
www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-last-pub...
Read my latest:
www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-last-pub...
The last public database tracking protests in China is about to go dark | The Strategist
As global financiers tried in late 2024 to predict how much stimulus Xi Jinping would roll out to boost China’s faltering economy, government censorship of China’s economic data drove them to a surpri...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
July 22, 2025 at 8:47 PM
If the State Department doesn't renew funding for Freedom House's China Dissent Monitor, the world will lose an entire category of knowledge about how people in China are actually experiencing life under CCP governance.
Read my latest:
www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-last-pub...
Read my latest:
www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-last-pub...
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
"Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intel Cmte., led by … Marco Rubio."
July 22, 2025 at 7:37 PM
"Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intel Cmte., led by … Marco Rubio."
Taiwan: I've finally discovered a country where everyone else apologizes to everyone else almost as much as I do, for non-infractions such as dropping a straw in front of a stranger and apologizing because now you have to stoop down in front of them to pick it up.
July 13, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Taiwan: I've finally discovered a country where everyone else apologizes to everyone else almost as much as I do, for non-infractions such as dropping a straw in front of a stranger and apologizing because now you have to stoop down in front of them to pick it up.
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
NEW: A ChinaFile investigation into China's powerful, but leaky, internet censorship system at locknet.chinafile.com
1/21
1/21
June 30, 2025 at 10:42 AM
NEW: A ChinaFile investigation into China's powerful, but leaky, internet censorship system at locknet.chinafile.com
1/21
1/21
There's a family in the coffee shop I'm at who are alternating between Farsi and German. The fact that I understand both these languages has basically never been useful in my career, but it does make me an A+ eavesdropper lol
July 3, 2025 at 4:31 PM
There's a family in the coffee shop I'm at who are alternating between Farsi and German. The fact that I understand both these languages has basically never been useful in my career, but it does make me an A+ eavesdropper lol
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
Michele Bachmann says Christians should be thrilled about the Israel/Iran war: "We are living in the times that the Bible said that the prophets longed to see. The prophets of the Bible wanted to be alive now!"
June 25, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Michele Bachmann says Christians should be thrilled about the Israel/Iran war: "We are living in the times that the Bible said that the prophets longed to see. The prophets of the Bible wanted to be alive now!"
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
Wow, @columbiagr.bsky.social is keeping up its tradition of eye catching covers. I’ve loved the ones for my books with them and just saw the one they have for a forthcoming CGR that I can’t wait to read (by a writer I admire & on a topic of interest to me) globalreports.columbia.edu/books/the-ro...
The Robe and the Sword · Columbia Global Reports
When the robe becomes a weapon, who can stop the violence? We think of Buddhism as a faith of peace—rooted in compassion, patience, and nonviolence. But across South and Southeast Asia today, the robe...
globalreports.columbia.edu
June 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Wow, @columbiagr.bsky.social is keeping up its tradition of eye catching covers. I’ve loved the ones for my books with them and just saw the one they have for a forthcoming CGR that I can’t wait to read (by a writer I admire & on a topic of interest to me) globalreports.columbia.edu/books/the-ro...
Reposted by Bethany Allen 貝書穎
It is increasingly clear that drones — from reconnaissance UAVs to long-range loitering missiles to uncrewed subs — are a fact of modern warfare.
Yet as it stare down the possibility of imminent Chinese invasion, Taiwan is struggling to build its own drone capability. www.wired.com/story/taiwan...
Yet as it stare down the possibility of imminent Chinese invasion, Taiwan is struggling to build its own drone capability. www.wired.com/story/taiwan...
Taiwan Is Rushing to Make Its Own Drones Before It's Too Late
Unmanned vehicles are increasingly becoming essential weapons of war. But with a potential conflict with China looming large, Taiwan is scrambling to build a domestic drone industry from scratch.
www.wired.com
June 23, 2025 at 5:53 PM
It is increasingly clear that drones — from reconnaissance UAVs to long-range loitering missiles to uncrewed subs — are a fact of modern warfare.
Yet as it stare down the possibility of imminent Chinese invasion, Taiwan is struggling to build its own drone capability. www.wired.com/story/taiwan...
Yet as it stare down the possibility of imminent Chinese invasion, Taiwan is struggling to build its own drone capability. www.wired.com/story/taiwan...
"toward"
BREAKING: Palestinian witnesses and hospitals say Israeli forces opened fire toward hundreds of people waiting for aid trucks in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people.
Israeli forces fire on people waiting for aid in Gaza, killing 25, witnesses and hospitals say
Palestinian witnesses say Israeli forces and drones opened fire toward hundreds of people waiting for aid trucks in central Gaza.
bit.ly
June 24, 2025 at 4:12 PM
"toward"