HRIC Weekly Brief
Top News 头条
After X introduced the IP location display function, it was revealed that numerous accounts posting pro-China statements actually originate from official Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sources. Many personal accounts that promoted Chinese culture and defended official positions, or those claiming to be “overseas Chinese,” were found to have their real IPs located within China. At the same time, a batch of accounts claiming to be “Uyghur people,” which mainly post pro-China or external propaganda content, also showed IP addresses located within China. Since China has banned the X platform, ordinary users must access it via VPN, which changes the IP country location display. However, the aforementioned accounts all display as local Chinese networks, indicating direct access without VPN disguise. Currently, within China, only a few companies (such as Tencent, NetEase, etc.) are permitted to retain international direct connection permissions due to business needs. Therefore, these accounts that continuously post external propaganda content are highly likely to be operated by official CCP institutions or authorized propaganda organizations.
In other news, the China-Japan row over Taiwan continues to deepen. On China’s end, “wolf warrior” diplomats have been unleashed in addition to flight cancellations, suspended imports of Japanese seafood, and even a letter to the United Nations accusing Japan of “threatening armed intervention.”
Law & Policy 法律与政策
China Establishes New Legal Precedents on Domestic Violence: The Supreme People’s Court unveiled eight “guiding cases” on domestic violence which will set new judicial precedents, placing particular emphasis on psychological domestic abuse as a legally actionable offense.
China’s Cross-Border Data Transfer: Key Insights from Official Q&A (III): The Cyberspace Administration of China aims to refine rules to ensure data security in relation to international business operations. For foreign investors, compliance with these regulations is critical to avoid operational disruptions and legal risks.
Platforms face stringent new privacy rules: The Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Public Security are soliciting public consultation on the draft regulations until December 22, 2025. According to the draft regulations, personal information collected and generated in China should be stored domestically in data centers that are located in China and meet national security standards.
Cyber Security & Digital Rights 网络安全与数字权利
HRIC on X/Twitter: Chinese scientists from Zhejiang University and Beijing Institute of Technology have published a simulation study on the technical feasibility of blocking Elon Musk’s Starlink across a region as large as Taiwan, but only at an immense scale that would require 1,000 to 2,000 electronic warfare drones. This indicates that China is systematically making technical preparations to attack Taiwan, especially valuing communication as an important tactical objective.
China’s ‘super app’ WeChat has become a powerful police surveillance tool: New research by lecturer Ausma Bernot looks into how the WeChat app is now functioning as a “police app,” a digital toolkit allowing police to collect intelligence, accept crime reports, verify identities and access citizen data through a private platform that is deeply embedded in everyday life in China.
Trust in AI far higher in China than West, poll shows: A newly-released Edelman poll shows that trust in AI varies significantly by country, with 87 percent of people in China stating they trusted AI compared to only 32 percent in the U.S. Notably, this trust has led more than 70 percent of Chinese respondents to believe AI will help solve societal issues such as “climate change, mental illness, poverty and polarisation.”
Related: Trust is the Missing Ingredient in the AI Boom: The Edelman poll surveys respondents in Brazil, China, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S., with results finding that developing markets place more trust in AI than their developed counterparts.
AI-Powered Espionage Will Favor China: One analysis argues that countries with a high risk appetite stand to benefit the most from AI-driven hacking campaigns; plus Google’s legal disruption campaign takes aim at the responsible 25 individuals living in China.
Diaspora Community & Transnational Repression 海外社群和跨国镇压
US-China Economic and Security Review Commission 2025 Annual Report to Congress reflects Hong Kong Watch research findings: On 18 November, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission released its 2025 Annual Report to Congress which highlighted the continued “national securitization” of Hong Kong and the Chinese Communist Party’s escalating transnational repression.
Related: 2025 Annual Report to Congress, Chapter 12: Hong Kong: According to the report, Hong Kong security forces have expanded a campaign of transnational repression against leaders of the democracy movement who fled abroad, placing bounties on an additional 15 activists, canceling passports, and blocking access to their pensions. Authorities have also escalated harassment of activists’ family members still in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Watch engages with Minister’s office and Immigration Committee members to push for one-time measure on Hong Kong Pathway backlog: Hong Kong Watch Canada, alongside the Hong Kong Young Professionals Association Canada, met with the senior advisor in Minister Tim Hodgson’s office to highlight the urgent need for action to support more than 20,000 Hong Kongers who remain in limbo, and to urge the government to introduce a one-time measure to clear the Hong Kong Pathway backlog.
Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society 人权捍卫者与公民社会
Underground Christian pastors arrested in China during latest religious crackdown: 18 prominent Christian leaders have now been formally charged with “illegally using information networks” and now face trial and potential prison sentences of up to three years. Earlier, five individuals were released in October, and a further four support staff granted bail around 10 November.
Related: Christian pastor’s daughter urges US lawmakers to help free her father in China: Appearing before a congressional panel Thursday, Grace Jin Drexel, the daughter of Ezra Jin Mingri, urged members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China “to use the authority entrusted into [their] hands and to not forget [them].”
ICT Report Urges Global Action on Tibet, Citing Threats to International Security: The report, published on 17 November, argues that the United States and other major powers must recognize that Tibet’s location at the intersection of three nuclear-armed states in south Asia has significant ramifications for the strategic interests of the United States, Europe, and other global powers.
Related: Why Tibet? Strategic Imperatives for International Peace and Security: According to the report, “Tibet’s occupation reflects an imperative and an opportunity for the international community to counter China’s threats to democracy; its suppression of religious freedom in Tibet, China and globally; and its undermining of the international human rights norms that have underpinned global peace and security since the second World War.”
Tibetans in Bern protest with independent light projection after Tibet was deemed “too political”: The annual “Rendez-vous Bundesplatz” show had scrapped a planned Tibet segment following pressure from Swiss parliamentary authorities who deemed the imagery “too political,” reflecting growing self-censorship within Swiss institutions regarding issues concerning China.
46th Protest: Tibetan Activists Demand Guimet Museum Restore “Tibet” Name: Free Tibet France and the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress staged their 46th protest in Paris, demonstrating in front of the Guimet Museum over its continued refusal to remove the Chinese colonial term “Himalayan World” from its Nepal–Tibet exhibition.
Veteran Tibetan activist concludes final solo-cycle rally in Dharamshala, urges youth’s active role in freedom struggle: Jamyang Tenzin arrived in Dharamshala on Thursday evening after completing his seventh and final Tibet Awareness Solo-Cycle Rally, a journey that spanned approximately 4,000 kilometers across seven Indian states.
Hong Kong charges four over online posts urging boycott of ‘patriots-only’ election: Lam Chung-ming was charged with sedition, while Wong Kin-kwok, Lam Kin-sik, and Bonney Ma were charged with engaging in illegal conduct on social media.
Hong Kong independent bookstore owner charged with running unregistered school after Spanish class: The bookstore Book Punch, as well as other local independent bookshops, have been closely scrutinized by Hong Kong authorities in recent years. In September, Book Punch said it was forced to cancel multiple events in recent months due to “anonymous and false” complaints.
Hong Kong Pride Committee scraps outdoor event after being told venue unavailable due to ‘construction work’: The event’s cancellation comes as some civil society groups in recent years have reported difficulties securing venues for their activities. On some occasions, groups said the venues axed their bookings after receiving “pressure.”
China’s Reach & Internal Control 中国: 内控与外扩
China enforces brainwashing policies on Tibetan children in boarding schools: This November has been designated “Education for National Defense Month,” and the Chinese Communist Party has been intensifying its repressive policies against Tibetan children in Chinese colonial-style boarding schools in central Tibet. Public service personnel are also not spared.
China tightens grip on independent films at home and abroad: Independent film festivals in China have faced intensifying crackdowns over the past decade: China’s Film Industry Promotion Law declares that filmmakers must avoid producing content that could “harm national unity” or state interests, and all films must be submitted for government review. It also states that unlicensed works cannot be shown publicly, shared online, or submitted to festivals.
International Responses 国际反应
Taiwan to distribute safety handbook on how to prepare for ‘Chinese aggression’ to every home: The latest handbook called “In case of crisis” is Taiwan’s new public safety guide. It aims to prepare locals with instructions on everything from what to do if they encounter enemy soldiers to watching out for disinformation campaigns of claims of Taiwan’s surrender.
Trump says he will visit Beijing in April and host China’s Xi for a state visit later next year: Discussing trade, Taiwan, and Ukraine, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post: “Our relationship with China is extremely strong!”
Watch out for online contact with Chinese spies, UK defence minister warns public: MI5, the U.K.’s Security Service, warned that China is attempting to recruit individuals with access to sensitive information, revealing two LinkedIn accounts that had been used to try to recruit even members of the public.
Europe considers cutting out Huawei and China for good: While the European Commission is looking at ways to force EU member states to phase out Huawei and ZTE from their networks, current European attempts to achieve “tech sovereignty” are complicated by the fact that European governments have different expectations from the concept.
Panamanian lawmakers’ Taiwan trip sparks diplomatic row with China: Panama’s Foreign Relations Ministry and the U.S. ambassador to the country criticized China’s diplomats in Panama for asking the lawmakers to cancel their trip to Taiwan, with the ministry accusing the Chinese Embassy of “meddling” in internal Panamanian affairs.
Canadian MPs spotlight Tibet, declares 2025 as ‘Year of Compassion’ honouring Dalai Lama: The members of Parliament reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to Tibetan rights, highlighted the legacy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and called for 2025 to be proclaimed the “Year of Compassion” in honor of the Tibetan spiritual leader’s 90th birthday.