Lukas Messmer
@lukasmessmer.bsky.social
China Correspondent for Swiss Television SRF, based in Shanghai. 瑞士电视台驻华通讯员。เจ็ดปีในประเทศไทย. ເຄີຍຢູ່ລາວແລະຍັງຄິດຮອດລາວຢູ່.
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
Hong Kong’s plan to prove that a dynamic financial hub and “world city” does not have to hew to Western liberal values. My column, The Telegram, reported from HK
economist.com/internationa...
from The Economist
economist.com/internationa...
from The Economist
China places a Hong Kong-sized bet on Western decline
The territory aims to prove that a non-free society can be a global financial hub
economist.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Hong Kong’s plan to prove that a dynamic financial hub and “world city” does not have to hew to Western liberal values. My column, The Telegram, reported from HK
economist.com/internationa...
from The Economist
economist.com/internationa...
from The Economist
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
Waiting for the hit piece on Trump's dogmatic education he received at Wharton.
"The president has said his education at Wharton was formative. But critics say that his degree exemplifies how business schools steep students in capitalist dogma."
"The president has said his education at Wharton was formative. But critics say that his degree exemplifies how business schools steep students in capitalist dogma."
A few thoughts about this deeply-flawed Jeremy W. Peters article.(Gift link.) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...
How a Small Elite College in Maine Influenced Mamdani’s World View
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Waiting for the hit piece on Trump's dogmatic education he received at Wharton.
"The president has said his education at Wharton was formative. But critics say that his degree exemplifies how business schools steep students in capitalist dogma."
"The president has said his education at Wharton was formative. But critics say that his degree exemplifies how business schools steep students in capitalist dogma."
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
And, of course, by cancelling his visa they are verifying that Trump is, indeed "Idi Amin in whiteface."
The US has revoked the visa of a Nobel Prize winner in literature after the author called President Trump "Idi Amin in whiteface." Nigerian Wole Soyinka, 91, said the US consulate told him to bring in his passport so it could be canceled in person. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka says his US visa revoked
The 91-year-old Nobel laureate in literature has been a critic of Trump's immigration policy.
www.bbc.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:21 PM
And, of course, by cancelling his visa they are verifying that Trump is, indeed "Idi Amin in whiteface."
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
Iowas Sojabauern wählten Trump. Doch seine Zölle kosten sie ihren Hauptkunden China. Ausgerechnet hier, wo einst ein junger Agrarbeamter namens Xi Jinping aufkreuzte, der bis heute eine Brieffreundschaft mit einer Seniorin pflegt.
Reportage aus Muscatine @spiegel.de
www.spiegel.de/ausland/chin...
Reportage aus Muscatine @spiegel.de
www.spiegel.de/ausland/chin...
(S+) Sojakrieg am Mississippi: Chinas Rache an Trumps Bauern
Iowas Sojabauern wählten Trump. Doch seine Zölle kosten sie ihren Hauptkunden China. Ausgerechnet hier, wo einst ein junger Agrarbeamter namens Xi Jinping aufkreuzte – der bis heute eine Brieffreundsc...
www.spiegel.de
October 26, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Iowas Sojabauern wählten Trump. Doch seine Zölle kosten sie ihren Hauptkunden China. Ausgerechnet hier, wo einst ein junger Agrarbeamter namens Xi Jinping aufkreuzte, der bis heute eine Brieffreundschaft mit einer Seniorin pflegt.
Reportage aus Muscatine @spiegel.de
www.spiegel.de/ausland/chin...
Reportage aus Muscatine @spiegel.de
www.spiegel.de/ausland/chin...
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)
October 9, 2025 at 4:42 AM
David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
EU sanctions envoy David O'Sullivan the latest top EU official to confirm Wang Yi comments to Kallas
"I know that in many in America would say, yeah, but China is much more of a problem than Russia. But actually they're kind of two sides of the same coin...
"I know that in many in America would say, yeah, but China is much more of a problem than Russia. But actually they're kind of two sides of the same coin...
September 30, 2025 at 11:47 AM
EU sanctions envoy David O'Sullivan the latest top EU official to confirm Wang Yi comments to Kallas
"I know that in many in America would say, yeah, but China is much more of a problem than Russia. But actually they're kind of two sides of the same coin...
"I know that in many in America would say, yeah, but China is much more of a problem than Russia. But actually they're kind of two sides of the same coin...
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
So much has gone wrong in US press reporting on Trump because the White House reporters are people who have exclusively covered US politics.
They need people who have worked in Hungary, Turkey, etc. The relevant knowledge isn't Reagan factoids; it's the dynamics of competitive authoritarianism.
They need people who have worked in Hungary, Turkey, etc. The relevant knowledge isn't Reagan factoids; it's the dynamics of competitive authoritarianism.
September 27, 2025 at 1:33 PM
So much has gone wrong in US press reporting on Trump because the White House reporters are people who have exclusively covered US politics.
They need people who have worked in Hungary, Turkey, etc. The relevant knowledge isn't Reagan factoids; it's the dynamics of competitive authoritarianism.
They need people who have worked in Hungary, Turkey, etc. The relevant knowledge isn't Reagan factoids; it's the dynamics of competitive authoritarianism.
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
One of my favorite poems since childhood, and a poem I share every #autumnequinox.
By the 12thc warrior poet Xin Qiji 辛棄疾, sidelined during peacetime, demoted, drifting through a decade of minor posts in remote lands.
Poetry, then, is that which is left unsaid.
“My, what a cool and lovely autumn.”
By the 12thc warrior poet Xin Qiji 辛棄疾, sidelined during peacetime, demoted, drifting through a decade of minor posts in remote lands.
Poetry, then, is that which is left unsaid.
“My, what a cool and lovely autumn.”
September 22, 2024 at 11:07 AM
One of my favorite poems since childhood, and a poem I share every #autumnequinox.
By the 12thc warrior poet Xin Qiji 辛棄疾, sidelined during peacetime, demoted, drifting through a decade of minor posts in remote lands.
Poetry, then, is that which is left unsaid.
“My, what a cool and lovely autumn.”
By the 12thc warrior poet Xin Qiji 辛棄疾, sidelined during peacetime, demoted, drifting through a decade of minor posts in remote lands.
Poetry, then, is that which is left unsaid.
“My, what a cool and lovely autumn.”
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
So what are we thinking, a 70-30 balance?
Trump: "When 97% of the stories are bad about a person, that's no longer free speech."
September 19, 2025 at 10:55 PM
So what are we thinking, a 70-30 balance?
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
"This country is full of maniacs with guns who shoot people for all kinds of crazy reasons" — a long text message from my friend Cleo Rose-Innes (like me, not born in the U.S.), copied in this 🧵:
September 19, 2025 at 1:41 AM
"This country is full of maniacs with guns who shoot people for all kinds of crazy reasons" — a long text message from my friend Cleo Rose-Innes (like me, not born in the U.S.), copied in this 🧵:
“Do I want the Silicon Valley people to win? Probably not.” He wants, he said, the most ethical version of AI to win.
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘I have to do it’: Why one of the world’s most brilliant AI scientists left the US for China
In 2020, after spending half his life in the US, Song-Chun Zhu took a one-way ticket to China. Now he might hold the key to who wins the global AI race
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2025 at 9:20 AM
“Do I want the Silicon Valley people to win? Probably not.” He wants, he said, the most ethical version of AI to win.
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
Ich bin jetzt seit bald zwei Monaten in China, und ich bin fasziniert wie "weit weg" das Land von Europa doch immer noch ist. Ein Beispiel: @watson.ch publiziert einen Artikel über angebliche "selbstschiessende" Autos. Darin stimmt eigentlich nichts.
www.watson.ch/internationa...
www.watson.ch/internationa...
In China gibt es jetzt unbemannte, selbst schiessende Polizeiautos
In China gibt es die ersten unbemannten und selbst schiessenden Polizeiautos.
www.watson.ch
September 12, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Ich bin jetzt seit bald zwei Monaten in China, und ich bin fasziniert wie "weit weg" das Land von Europa doch immer noch ist. Ein Beispiel: @watson.ch publiziert einen Artikel über angebliche "selbstschiessende" Autos. Darin stimmt eigentlich nichts.
www.watson.ch/internationa...
www.watson.ch/internationa...
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
Get ready for a bunch of media interviews with traumatized South Koreans workers once they all return home, about how they were treated by the U.S. and ICE.
September 9, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Get ready for a bunch of media interviews with traumatized South Koreans workers once they all return home, about how they were treated by the U.S. and ICE.
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
Europe’s summer from hell bleeds into autumn as Trump and Xi turn the screws
My piece looking at how China's flex of military muscle and diplomatic clout is going down in Europe
My piece looking at how China's flex of military muscle and diplomatic clout is going down in Europe
Europe’s summer from hell bleeds into autumn as Trump and Xi turn the screws
Brussels flounders and others set the pace of global power politics, so commentators reach for comparison in Chinese history.
www.scmp.com
September 5, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Europe’s summer from hell bleeds into autumn as Trump and Xi turn the screws
My piece looking at how China's flex of military muscle and diplomatic clout is going down in Europe
My piece looking at how China's flex of military muscle and diplomatic clout is going down in Europe
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
No question
one thing I am moderately confident on now is that China is the leading global scientific power by 2030.
September 1, 2025 at 3:23 AM
No question
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
My prediction is that someday fairly soon we will wake up to find Chinese astronauts walking on the Moon, and the entire country will absolutely freak out about falling behind in space.
Trump wants to slash NASA’s budget. A "Real World" star will lead the agency. But who needs space anyway? @petridishes.bsky.social writes in The Atlantic Daily.
Maybe We Don’t Need to Go to Space Anymore
Trump wants to slash NASA’s budget. A Real World star will lead the agency. But everything’s okay!
bit.ly
July 19, 2025 at 7:18 AM
My prediction is that someday fairly soon we will wake up to find Chinese astronauts walking on the Moon, and the entire country will absolutely freak out about falling behind in space.
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
Important piece from @davidautor.bsky.social & Gordon Hanson about the next "China shock" and how to deal with it. #EconSky
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...
Opinion | We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse.
www.nytimes.com
July 14, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Important piece from @davidautor.bsky.social & Gordon Hanson about the next "China shock" and how to deal with it. #EconSky
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
Important to keep an eye on what is occurring in Thailand at present
Thailand’s judiciary is flexing its muscles, but away from PM’s plight, dozens of activists are at the mercy of capricious courts
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office. Meanwhile, leading activists languish behind bars on ‘lèse majesté’ offenses.
theconversation.com
July 15, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Important to keep an eye on what is occurring in Thailand at present
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
Maroussia Lévesque uses the term “analog privilege” to describe how the wealthy avoid being subject to & penalized by algorithmic decision making models. You know what rich people also do? Send their kids to private schools where they have low student-to-teacher ratios & aren’t forced to use GenAI.
This is a laundry list of rhetorical strategies to defend the adoption of a given technology for the purposes of advancing an ideology & economic regime: inevitability, unquestioning praise of “innovation,” buy-in from concerned stakeholders, assurances that partnership is not capitulation. 1/n
Today we launched the National Academy for AI Instruction with UFT, Microsoft, OpenAI & Anthropic to offer free, high-quality AI training to educators. Some of you have expressed legitimate reservations about AI and tech companies. I want to speak to you directly. 🧵
July 9, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Maroussia Lévesque uses the term “analog privilege” to describe how the wealthy avoid being subject to & penalized by algorithmic decision making models. You know what rich people also do? Send their kids to private schools where they have low student-to-teacher ratios & aren’t forced to use GenAI.
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
Stell dir vor, der Präsident des wirtschaftlich und politisch mächtigsten Landes der Welt ändert jeden Tag seine Meinung, oft sogar mehrmals am Tag. Dann müssten die Tageszeitungen einen Ticker nur für die Furz-Ideen dieses Präsidenten einrichten. Stell dir das einmal vor.
#Trump
#Trump
July 8, 2025 at 6:11 AM
Stell dir vor, der Präsident des wirtschaftlich und politisch mächtigsten Landes der Welt ändert jeden Tag seine Meinung, oft sogar mehrmals am Tag. Dann müssten die Tageszeitungen einen Ticker nur für die Furz-Ideen dieses Präsidenten einrichten. Stell dir das einmal vor.
#Trump
#Trump
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
All praise for @chinadigitaltimes.net aside, let me say that it makes me absolutely f-cking furious that they have to put their bowl out for $10K.
It's a sum that is absolutely inconsequential in comparison to the value CDT provides.
It's 1/4 year kindergarten tuition at a Beijing int'l school.
It's a sum that is absolutely inconsequential in comparison to the value CDT provides.
It's 1/4 year kindergarten tuition at a Beijing int'l school.
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...
giving.chinadigitaltimes.net/page/serverc...
Keep CDT Online: Donate for Server Expenses
China Digital Times (CDT) is a non-profit organization that relies on institutional and individual donations to sustain our operations. In recent months, we have lost a significant portion of our inst...
giving.chinadigitaltimes.net
July 3, 2025 at 6:50 AM
All praise for @chinadigitaltimes.net aside, let me say that it makes me absolutely f-cking furious that they have to put their bowl out for $10K.
It's a sum that is absolutely inconsequential in comparison to the value CDT provides.
It's 1/4 year kindergarten tuition at a Beijing int'l school.
It's a sum that is absolutely inconsequential in comparison to the value CDT provides.
It's 1/4 year kindergarten tuition at a Beijing int'l school.
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
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
Reposted by Lukas Messmer
The owner of Twitter sends out 100 right wing propaganda tweets every single day and the algorithm is set up so that every single person on Twitter has to see every single one of these tweets. Now here’s another piece about Blue Sky’s ideological diversity problem.
June 15, 2025 at 2:56 PM
The owner of Twitter sends out 100 right wing propaganda tweets every single day and the algorithm is set up so that every single person on Twitter has to see every single one of these tweets. Now here’s another piece about Blue Sky’s ideological diversity problem.