Martin Thorley
@methorley.bsky.social
Book on UK-China shadow international relations: http://tinyurl.com/3ny5c5ee
Senior Analyst at GI-TOC: developing concept of geocriminality.
PhD on shadow international relations. Previously academia. Views my own. Erstwhile 北漂儿
Senior Analyst at GI-TOC: developing concept of geocriminality.
PhD on shadow international relations. Previously academia. Views my own. Erstwhile 北漂儿
Pinned
Martin Thorley
@methorley.bsky.social
· Dec 16
"The suspected Chinese spy banned from the UK amid fears that he was targeting Prince Andrew can be named as Yang Tengbo, also known as Chris Yang." www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4...
Alleged Chinese spy with links to Prince Andrew named as Yang Tengbo by judge - live updates
Senior Tory Sir Iain Duncan Smith says he could be
www.bbc.co.uk
1/21 After days of speculation about #PrinceAndrew, Pitch@Palace, and links to China, Chris Yang's (Yang Tengbo/ 杨腾波) identity is now public knowledge. As ever, there is more to the story than meets the eye...
One month today, my book 'All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State Influence in Britain' is published with @hurstpublishers.bsky.social. I’m including some of the quotes from the back cover. More info available via the link. www.hurstpublishers.com/book/all-tha...
November 11, 2025 at 11:17 PM
One month today, my book 'All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State Influence in Britain' is published with @hurstpublishers.bsky.social. I’m including some of the quotes from the back cover. More info available via the link. www.hurstpublishers.com/book/all-tha...
Reposted by Martin Thorley
A 2 day mini book tour to promote my new @columbiagr.bsky.social slim volume, Tuesday talk at the Hoover (video already up here www.hoover.org/events/milk-... ) & then Wednesday at @cwclub.bsky.social (event co sponsored by @dissentmag.bsky.social (podcast to come)
The Milk Tea Alliance: Inside Asia's Struggle Against Autocracy And Beijing
www.hoover.org
July 31, 2025 at 4:26 PM
A 2 day mini book tour to promote my new @columbiagr.bsky.social slim volume, Tuesday talk at the Hoover (video already up here www.hoover.org/events/milk-... ) & then Wednesday at @cwclub.bsky.social (event co sponsored by @dissentmag.bsky.social (podcast to come)
1/3 Today is the final day you can get 25% off All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State Influence in Britain with @waterstones.bsky.social @newchinabooks.bsky.social
We’ve started to receive early feedback:
“One of the most important books to have been published on the UK-China relationship”
We’ve started to receive early feedback:
“One of the most important books to have been published on the UK-China relationship”
July 31, 2025 at 12:56 PM
1/3 Today is the final day you can get 25% off All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State Influence in Britain with @waterstones.bsky.social @newchinabooks.bsky.social
We’ve started to receive early feedback:
“One of the most important books to have been published on the UK-China relationship”
We’ve started to receive early feedback:
“One of the most important books to have been published on the UK-China relationship”
Reposted by Martin Thorley
1/3 @waterstones.bsky.social are offering 25% off my book if pre-ordered by Thursday:
All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State influence in Britain.
With @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State influence in Britain.
With @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
July 28, 2025 at 12:15 PM
1/3 @waterstones.bsky.social are offering 25% off my book if pre-ordered by Thursday:
All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State influence in Britain.
With @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State influence in Britain.
With @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
1/3 @waterstones.bsky.social are offering 25% off my book if pre-ordered by Thursday:
All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State influence in Britain.
With @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State influence in Britain.
With @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
July 28, 2025 at 12:15 PM
1/3 @waterstones.bsky.social are offering 25% off my book if pre-ordered by Thursday:
All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State influence in Britain.
With @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
All That Glistens: Chinese Party-State influence in Britain.
With @hurstpublishers.bsky.social
The GI-TOC is hiring in Asia.
Field Coordinators in:
Cambodia,
Laos,
Thailand
Vietnam;
Legal Consultant in Malaysia.
Further details about the positions are available via the link. globalinitiative.net/about-us/jobs/
Field Coordinators in:
Cambodia,
Laos,
Thailand
Vietnam;
Legal Consultant in Malaysia.
Further details about the positions are available via the link. globalinitiative.net/about-us/jobs/
Job opportunities | Careers with the Global Initiative
We always welcome expressions of interest from experts in different forms of transnational organized crime or with a geographic speciality, for limited-time cooperation.
globalinitiative.net
April 28, 2025 at 10:36 AM
The GI-TOC is hiring in Asia.
Field Coordinators in:
Cambodia,
Laos,
Thailand
Vietnam;
Legal Consultant in Malaysia.
Further details about the positions are available via the link. globalinitiative.net/about-us/jobs/
Field Coordinators in:
Cambodia,
Laos,
Thailand
Vietnam;
Legal Consultant in Malaysia.
Further details about the positions are available via the link. globalinitiative.net/about-us/jobs/
A reminder that GI-TOC is running a special issue of our LSE Press academic journal JIED on the topic of geocriminality
We’ll need a short letter of intent by Monday 21 April if you’d like to contribute to the debate on state use of criminality abroad.
globalinitiative.net/announcement...
We’ll need a short letter of intent by Monday 21 April if you’d like to contribute to the debate on state use of criminality abroad.
globalinitiative.net/announcement...
JIED Special Issue: Geocriminality – state instrumentalization of criminality abroad
This special issue will explore the concept and its wide-ranging ramifications for crime and crime prevention. While state instrumentalization of crime in general is as old as statehood itself, the fo...
globalinitiative.net
April 16, 2025 at 2:19 PM
A reminder that GI-TOC is running a special issue of our LSE Press academic journal JIED on the topic of geocriminality
We’ll need a short letter of intent by Monday 21 April if you’d like to contribute to the debate on state use of criminality abroad.
globalinitiative.net/announcement...
We’ll need a short letter of intent by Monday 21 April if you’d like to contribute to the debate on state use of criminality abroad.
globalinitiative.net/announcement...
Reposted by Martin Thorley
1/6 Introducing geocriminality. In my latest short article, I highlight a change we’re witnessing in state instrumentalization of criminality. While states have used criminal networks in various forms since their genesis, this relationship is transforming. globalinitiative.net/analysis/the...
Of kingdoms and crooks: The rise of geocriminality
Globalization, state–crime collaboration and tense geopolitical conditions have given rise to a troubling new phenomenon. More needs to be done to better understand this emerging threat and its implic...
globalinitiative.net
March 18, 2025 at 5:50 PM
1/6 Introducing geocriminality. In my latest short article, I highlight a change we’re witnessing in state instrumentalization of criminality. While states have used criminal networks in various forms since their genesis, this relationship is transforming. globalinitiative.net/analysis/the...
1/6 Introducing geocriminality. In my latest short article, I highlight a change we’re witnessing in state instrumentalization of criminality. While states have used criminal networks in various forms since their genesis, this relationship is transforming. globalinitiative.net/analysis/the...
Of kingdoms and crooks: The rise of geocriminality
Globalization, state–crime collaboration and tense geopolitical conditions have given rise to a troubling new phenomenon. More needs to be done to better understand this emerging threat and its implic...
globalinitiative.net
March 18, 2025 at 5:50 PM
1/6 Introducing geocriminality. In my latest short article, I highlight a change we’re witnessing in state instrumentalization of criminality. While states have used criminal networks in various forms since their genesis, this relationship is transforming. globalinitiative.net/analysis/the...
Reposted by Martin Thorley
👇 Publishing June 10, with a few additions in the form of at least three bits of advance praise, deeply gratifying blurbs by @eosnos.bsky.social Emma Larkin & Thongchai Winichakul
Exciting mail, thanks for the advance copies @columbiagr.bsky.social —& keeping up your tradition of stunning covers
March 8, 2025 at 12:43 AM
👇 Publishing June 10, with a few additions in the form of at least three bits of advance praise, deeply gratifying blurbs by @eosnos.bsky.social Emma Larkin & Thongchai Winichakul
Reposted by Martin Thorley
Not an exaggeration to say this was pound-for-pound the most effective piece of US public diplomacy in China. Twitter was blocked, but U.S. embassy pollution tweets forced Beijing to start publishing its own pollution data, which fed public outrage. Result: millions breathing vastly less toxic air
U.S. Embassies Halt Air Quality Monitoring Abroad
Since 2008, embassies and other diplomatic posts had been publishing data about local air quality. In many countries, it was the only reliable source of such information.
www.nytimes.com
March 4, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Not an exaggeration to say this was pound-for-pound the most effective piece of US public diplomacy in China. Twitter was blocked, but U.S. embassy pollution tweets forced Beijing to start publishing its own pollution data, which fed public outrage. Result: millions breathing vastly less toxic air
Reposted by Martin Thorley
Sheffield has a truly excellent East Asian Studies school that is in danger of downsizing and redundancies. Please sign and share!
I spent some of my best university years at SEAS. Please sign and share: www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/sh...
Sheffield Uni Needs East Asian Studies!
The University of Sheffield has been a global leader in East Asian Studies since its inception as the national centre for modern Japanese Studies in 1963. Korean Studies was introduced in 1979 and mai...
www.megaphone.org.uk
January 10, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Sheffield has a truly excellent East Asian Studies school that is in danger of downsizing and redundancies. Please sign and share!
Reposted by Martin Thorley
HTS anti-narcotics officers say they found several tons of the drug captagon made by Assad-linked factories and other precursors today. They burned it all while we tried not to breath and recorded tape for @npr.org
January 23, 2025 at 7:05 PM
HTS anti-narcotics officers say they found several tons of the drug captagon made by Assad-linked factories and other precursors today. They burned it all while we tried not to breath and recorded tape for @npr.org
1/21 After days of speculation about #PrinceAndrew, Pitch@Palace, and links to China, Chris Yang's (Yang Tengbo/ 杨腾波) identity is now public knowledge. As ever, there is more to the story than meets the eye...
"The suspected Chinese spy banned from the UK amid fears that he was targeting Prince Andrew can be named as Yang Tengbo, also known as Chris Yang." www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4...
Alleged Chinese spy with links to Prince Andrew named as Yang Tengbo by judge - live updates
Senior Tory Sir Iain Duncan Smith says he could be
www.bbc.co.uk
December 16, 2024 at 10:20 PM
1/21 After days of speculation about #PrinceAndrew, Pitch@Palace, and links to China, Chris Yang's (Yang Tengbo/ 杨腾波) identity is now public knowledge. As ever, there is more to the story than meets the eye...
Reposted by Martin Thorley
an incident that resembles the "chained woman" scandal emerged recently in China; outrage online seems to have made local govt change their approach
a woman with mental illness was lost 13 years ago. she was recently found and the police initially said she was "taken in" 收留 by a villager. apparently
a woman with mental illness was lost 13 years ago. she was recently found and the police initially said she was "taken in" 收留 by a villager. apparently
December 10, 2024 at 7:56 AM
an incident that resembles the "chained woman" scandal emerged recently in China; outrage online seems to have made local govt change their approach
a woman with mental illness was lost 13 years ago. she was recently found and the police initially said she was "taken in" 收留 by a villager. apparently
a woman with mental illness was lost 13 years ago. she was recently found and the police initially said she was "taken in" 收留 by a villager. apparently
1/3 Good work from the @nytimes here. This is in fact, one case of many - the use of criminal channels by states may be ancient but it has evolved and become a far wider phenomenon relatively recently. This is not simply sporadic use of criminality but..
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/n...
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/n...
How a Criminal With Close Ties to China Became a New York Power Broker
John Chan was a Chinatown gangster before remaking himself into a powerful force in New York politics — one closely aligned with the Chinese Communist Party.
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2024 at 8:20 PM
1/3 Good work from the @nytimes here. This is in fact, one case of many - the use of criminal channels by states may be ancient but it has evolved and become a far wider phenomenon relatively recently. This is not simply sporadic use of criminality but..
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/n...
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/n...
Reposted by Martin Thorley
#FromtheChinaFiles
In 2013, Document 9 or Document No. 9 set the ideological tone for Xi Jinping's government, and we're still living in the world it shaped. Here is our translation of it:
In 2013, Document 9 or Document No. 9 set the ideological tone for Xi Jinping's government, and we're still living in the world it shaped. Here is our translation of it:
Document 9: A ChinaFile Translation
This weekend, China’s leaders gather in Beijing for meetings widely expected to determine the shape of China’s economy, as well as the nation’s progress, over the next decade. What exactly the outcome...
www.chinafile.com
December 5, 2024 at 3:16 PM
#FromtheChinaFiles
In 2013, Document 9 or Document No. 9 set the ideological tone for Xi Jinping's government, and we're still living in the world it shaped. Here is our translation of it:
In 2013, Document 9 or Document No. 9 set the ideological tone for Xi Jinping's government, and we're still living in the world it shaped. Here is our translation of it:
Reposted by Martin Thorley
Xi presided yesterday over the 4th symposium on the construction of the #BeltandRoad, calling for coordinating hard and soft connectivity.
The Health Silk Road is an exemplar of this approach. As I explain in my latest report, it illustrates BRI's systematic structure:
www.nbr.org/publication/...
The Health Silk Road is an exemplar of this approach. As I explain in my latest report, it illustrates BRI's systematic structure:
www.nbr.org/publication/...
The Health Silk Road: A Branch of China’s Belt and Road Initiative | The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR)
www.nbr.org
December 4, 2024 at 6:25 PM
Xi presided yesterday over the 4th symposium on the construction of the #BeltandRoad, calling for coordinating hard and soft connectivity.
The Health Silk Road is an exemplar of this approach. As I explain in my latest report, it illustrates BRI's systematic structure:
www.nbr.org/publication/...
The Health Silk Road is an exemplar of this approach. As I explain in my latest report, it illustrates BRI's systematic structure:
www.nbr.org/publication/...
Reposted by Martin Thorley
"I declare martial law to protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces, to immediately eradicate the unscrupulous pro-Pyonygang antistate forces that pillage the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect free constitutional order"
Korean President Yoon declares emergency martial law
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law against "antistate forces" Tuesday night in an unannounced press conference.
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com
December 3, 2024 at 2:53 PM
"I declare martial law to protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces, to immediately eradicate the unscrupulous pro-Pyonygang antistate forces that pillage the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect free constitutional order"
Reposted by Martin Thorley
Some great news: #China releases 3 Americans wrongfully detained for years. Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung will finally return home! Huge kudos to @StateSPEHA! 🍾
3 Americans held for years in China have been released, the White House says
Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released. That word comes Wednesday from the White House and it's a diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden a...
apnews.com
November 27, 2024 at 11:15 PM
Some great news: #China releases 3 Americans wrongfully detained for years. Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung will finally return home! Huge kudos to @StateSPEHA! 🍾
Reposted by Martin Thorley
In the 🧵 below, you will find all China-related starter packs that I know of, reverse sorted by number of people today.
I occasionally search for new ones, but won't find them if the post (!) which introduces them doesn't contain certain keywords.
Adding #Chinastarterpack facilitates search.
I occasionally search for new ones, but won't find them if the post (!) which introduces them doesn't contain certain keywords.
Adding #Chinastarterpack facilitates search.
November 22, 2024 at 6:11 PM
In the 🧵 below, you will find all China-related starter packs that I know of, reverse sorted by number of people today.
I occasionally search for new ones, but won't find them if the post (!) which introduces them doesn't contain certain keywords.
Adding #Chinastarterpack facilitates search.
I occasionally search for new ones, but won't find them if the post (!) which introduces them doesn't contain certain keywords.
Adding #Chinastarterpack facilitates search.
Reposted by Martin Thorley
Hi everyone, I too just joined Blue Sky. Am excited to see so many China hands here. For those who hadn't seen, after leaving Freedom House for the world of freelancing, I started a newsletter project called UnderReported China. You can find my latest writings there.
underreportedchina.substack.com
underreportedchina.substack.com
UnderReported China | Sarah Cook | Substack
News and analysis on China: human rights, technology, and foreign influence. Click to read UnderReported China, by Sarah Cook, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
underreportedchina.substack.com
November 17, 2024 at 2:57 PM
Hi everyone, I too just joined Blue Sky. Am excited to see so many China hands here. For those who hadn't seen, after leaving Freedom House for the world of freelancing, I started a newsletter project called UnderReported China. You can find my latest writings there.
underreportedchina.substack.com
underreportedchina.substack.com
This looks like some good hunting by @bloomberg.com
Dark fleet vessels “come here daily to transfer cargo away from prying eyes. It’s how billions of dollars of sanctioned Iranian oil finds its way to China annually".
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
Dark fleet vessels “come here daily to transfer cargo away from prying eyes. It’s how billions of dollars of sanctioned Iranian oil finds its way to China annually".
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
The Clandestine Oil Shipping Hub Funneling Iranian Crude to China
A burgeoning group of dark fleet vessels operating with impunity on the edge of a major maritime thoroughfare is moving hundreds of millions of barrels of sanctioned oil — and risking an environmental...
www.bloomberg.com
November 20, 2024 at 2:39 PM
This looks like some good hunting by @bloomberg.com
Dark fleet vessels “come here daily to transfer cargo away from prying eyes. It’s how billions of dollars of sanctioned Iranian oil finds its way to China annually".
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
Dark fleet vessels “come here daily to transfer cargo away from prying eyes. It’s how billions of dollars of sanctioned Iranian oil finds its way to China annually".
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
A starter pack of GI-TOC researchers - working on transnational organised crime and connected themes - geopolitics, state threats, narcotics, illicit finance, etc.
Starter pack of the small but growing number of Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) researchers that are on Bluesky 🦋
For those interested in organized crime, illicit economies, and their links to conflict and instability!
➡️ globalinitiative.net
go.bsky.app/9WG7fns
For those interested in organized crime, illicit economies, and their links to conflict and instability!
➡️ globalinitiative.net
go.bsky.app/9WG7fns
November 20, 2024 at 10:31 AM
A starter pack of GI-TOC researchers - working on transnational organised crime and connected themes - geopolitics, state threats, narcotics, illicit finance, etc.