James Griffiths
@jamestgriffiths.com
🇨🇦 Asia correspondent, @theglobeandmail.com
📚 Author, ‘The Great Firewall of China’ and ‘Speak Not’
📍 Hong Kong
🔒 jgriffiths.852
📚 Author, ‘The Great Firewall of China’ and ‘Speak Not’
📍 Hong Kong
🔒 jgriffiths.852
In case any residents of Gyeongju weren’t annoyed at the inconvenience associated with hosting APEC meetings, the authorities are blowing up people’s phones with 2-3 emergency alerts every day about traffic and facility closures.
October 31, 2025 at 12:03 AM
In case any residents of Gyeongju weren’t annoyed at the inconvenience associated with hosting APEC meetings, the authorities are blowing up people’s phones with 2-3 emergency alerts every day about traffic and facility closures.
"By controlling access, the British Government maintains a handle on the narrative of its colonial administration and on the broader history of Hong Kong." www.historyworkshop.org.uk/empire-decol...
October 23, 2025 at 3:52 AM
"By controlling access, the British Government maintains a handle on the narrative of its colonial administration and on the broader history of Hong Kong." www.historyworkshop.org.uk/empire-decol...
"Questions I fielded from diplomats, scholars, journalists ... revealed how distorted the picture of the US has become. The Party’s success in sealing out Western influence has also sealed in ignorance about the American policy process and political economy." www.choosingvictory.com/p/a-proud-su...
October 23, 2025 at 3:50 AM
"Questions I fielded from diplomats, scholars, journalists ... revealed how distorted the picture of the US has become. The Party’s success in sealing out Western influence has also sealed in ignorance about the American policy process and political economy." www.choosingvictory.com/p/a-proud-su...
"Almost no one in the US and the UK pushing for age verification laws really understands how different the internet feels when someone can see what you're doing." www.garbageday.email/p/the-great-...
October 18, 2025 at 6:58 AM
"Almost no one in the US and the UK pushing for age verification laws really understands how different the internet feels when someone can see what you're doing." www.garbageday.email/p/the-great-...
Australia Expands Sunscreen Recalls Over False SPF Claims: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/w...
October 3, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Australia Expands Sunscreen Recalls Over False SPF Claims: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/w...
Saw a post by Elon Musk, which reminded me I had not donated to Wikipedia in a while.
October 2, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Saw a post by Elon Musk, which reminded me I had not donated to Wikipedia in a while.
While many foreign journalists remain barred from mainland China, at least this guy is having a nice time.
September 25, 2025 at 2:35 AM
While many foreign journalists remain barred from mainland China, at least this guy is having a nice time.
I wrote about the Hong Kong Ghost Signs project and efforts to preserve and conserve our rapidly changing city's history: www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
September 22, 2025 at 7:09 AM
I wrote about the Hong Kong Ghost Signs project and efforts to preserve and conserve our rapidly changing city's history: www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
"The now-defeated [same-sex partnerships] bill was the government’s attempt to meet the deadline, but only in an absolutely minimalist way." www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...
September 22, 2025 at 6:56 AM
"The now-defeated [same-sex partnerships] bill was the government’s attempt to meet the deadline, but only in an absolutely minimalist way." www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...
One feature The Globe’s app has that I wish others would replicate is this tab collating news alerts. Maybe I’m weird in instinctively clearing alerts on lock screen and then wishing I could have clicked them but it’d also be useful for record keeping to see what outlets alerted overnight etc.
September 18, 2025 at 11:57 PM
One feature The Globe’s app has that I wish others would replicate is this tab collating news alerts. Maybe I’m weird in instinctively clearing alerts on lock screen and then wishing I could have clicked them but it’d also be useful for record keeping to see what outlets alerted overnight etc.
Beijing warned there may be people with “ulterior motives” who try to “politicise” and manipulate the issue. "They aim to disrupt Hong Kong’s harmony and stability, hampering the city from achieving prosperity." Hong Kong society should remain “vigilant,” it said. hongkongfp.com/2025/09/11/l...
September 11, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Beijing warned there may be people with “ulterior motives” who try to “politicise” and manipulate the issue. "They aim to disrupt Hong Kong’s harmony and stability, hampering the city from achieving prosperity." Hong Kong society should remain “vigilant,” it said. hongkongfp.com/2025/09/11/l...
Funnily enough this piece never mentions what exactly the author might have heard about Xinjiang pre-2019, or how he went about "fact-checking" it. But hey, he had a nice conversation with a cop.
www.ecns.cn/news/cns-wir...
www.ecns.cn/news/cns-wir...
September 5, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Funnily enough this piece never mentions what exactly the author might have heard about Xinjiang pre-2019, or how he went about "fact-checking" it. But hey, he had a nice conversation with a cop.
www.ecns.cn/news/cns-wir...
www.ecns.cn/news/cns-wir...
Both Octopus and credit card/NFC payments are far more convenient to consumers than clunky China-style QR code solutions, it's not backward to prefer them.
August 31, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Both Octopus and credit card/NFC payments are far more convenient to consumers than clunky China-style QR code solutions, it's not backward to prefer them.
(fwiw, I doubt Mance, a vegetarian-vegan, wrote that headline)
Notable shift I've seen in recent years is that vegans ~aren't~ the butt of the joke anymore, or even necessarily seen as scolds, as most people agree with need for veganism on principle, even if they can't follow through.
Notable shift I've seen in recent years is that vegans ~aren't~ the butt of the joke anymore, or even necessarily seen as scolds, as most people agree with need for veganism on principle, even if they can't follow through.
August 29, 2025 at 1:04 AM
(fwiw, I doubt Mance, a vegetarian-vegan, wrote that headline)
Notable shift I've seen in recent years is that vegans ~aren't~ the butt of the joke anymore, or even necessarily seen as scolds, as most people agree with need for veganism on principle, even if they can't follow through.
Notable shift I've seen in recent years is that vegans ~aren't~ the butt of the joke anymore, or even necessarily seen as scolds, as most people agree with need for veganism on principle, even if they can't follow through.
"Interpreting China demands a mindset grounded in evidence rather than instinct. Healthy curiosity is important, but it must be paired with scepticism and an awareness of how easily compelling stories can lead us astray." www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
August 14, 2025 at 12:53 AM
"Interpreting China demands a mindset grounded in evidence rather than instinct. Healthy curiosity is important, but it must be paired with scepticism and an awareness of how easily compelling stories can lead us astray." www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
Given this is focused on Hong Kong, surely it's the city's "hottest Siusyu?"
July 8, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Given this is focused on Hong Kong, surely it's the city's "hottest Siusyu?"
Only the NPP has come out in favour of the current bill, DAB, FTU and Liberal Party are opposing it on conservative grounds. On the latter, worth comparing that stance to the Liberal Party's manifesto:
July 5, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Only the NPP has come out in favour of the current bill, DAB, FTU and Liberal Party are opposing it on conservative grounds. On the latter, worth comparing that stance to the Liberal Party's manifesto:
(a) Polling shows public opinion broadly in favour of same-sex marriage.
(b) Funny how suddenly a law extending rights needs public support but others are passed despite massive opposition.
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
(b) Funny how suddenly a law extending rights needs public support but others are passed despite massive opposition.
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
July 5, 2025 at 1:11 AM
(a) Polling shows public opinion broadly in favour of same-sex marriage.
(b) Funny how suddenly a law extending rights needs public support but others are passed despite massive opposition.
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
(b) Funny how suddenly a law extending rights needs public support but others are passed despite massive opposition.
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
Members of post-2021 "Patriotic" LegCo have found their voices to criticize the govt: over a proposal that falls short of constitutionally-required protections (but they would have be even weaker) on an issue where they are firmly on the wrong side of public opinion.
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
July 4, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Members of post-2021 "Patriotic" LegCo have found their voices to criticize the govt: over a proposal that falls short of constitutionally-required protections (but they would have be even weaker) on an issue where they are firmly on the wrong side of public opinion.
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
This isn't to call out the FT. AP also used it as an apparently neutral descriptor, when it manifestly isn't.
June 27, 2025 at 4:10 AM
This isn't to call out the FT. AP also used it as an apparently neutral descriptor, when it manifestly isn't.
Not sure when "pragmatic" became a synonym for centrist, but it's a descriptor that really shouldn't be getting past editors or appearing in news stories outside of quotes, given the implied value judgement about who is and is not deemed "pragmatic."
June 27, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Not sure when "pragmatic" became a synonym for centrist, but it's a descriptor that really shouldn't be getting past editors or appearing in news stories outside of quotes, given the implied value judgement about who is and is not deemed "pragmatic."
Maybe I've gone too far the other direction in my skepticism, but rumours of Xi's weakness or demise or death or removal have come and gone so many times (from literally days before he was appointed!) that unless I see a general on TV, I'm not buying them.
June 27, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Maybe I've gone too far the other direction in my skepticism, but rumours of Xi's weakness or demise or death or removal have come and gone so many times (from literally days before he was appointed!) that unless I see a general on TV, I'm not buying them.
"No hablarás: Imperio, identidad y la política del lenguaje," the Spanish-language edition of "Speak Not" (a New Yorker best book of 2022) will be published on 22 May 2025. Keep an eye on this link for pre-orders in North America: www.amazon.com/-/es/No-habl...
March 19, 2025 at 3:07 AM
"No hablarás: Imperio, identidad y la política del lenguaje," the Spanish-language edition of "Speak Not" (a New Yorker best book of 2022) will be published on 22 May 2025. Keep an eye on this link for pre-orders in North America: www.amazon.com/-/es/No-habl...