‘I Have Revised My Idea of What a Uighur Heroine Should Be’

By Zubayra Shamseden on April 19, 2019

The Chinese government would have you believe a good Uighur woman is one who knows how to apply false eyelashes and cook dumplings. She is neither too modest nor too forward. She is “good at singing and dancing.” Since leaving China, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on what it means to be a Uighur woman. This year in particular, I spent International Women’s Day thinking about how absurd it was to see the Chinese government praise itself for the “benefits” it provides by “re-educating” Uighur women in concentration camps.

A Specter Is Haunting Xi’s China: ‘Mr. Democracy’

By Ian Johnson on April 19, 2019

Something strange is happening in Xi Jinping’s China. This is supposed to be the perfect dictatorship, the most sustained period of authoritarianism since the Cultural Revolution ended more than 40 years ago, a period of such damning disappointment that all but the regime’s most acquiescent apologists have become cynics or critics. And yet the past few months have also seen something potentially more interesting: the most serious critique of the system in more than a decade, led by people inside China who are choosing to speak out now, during the most sensitive season of the most sensitive year in decades.

In Reassessing China, Europe Sharpens Its Approach

A China in the World Podcast

By Paul Haenle, Tomáš Valášek & more on April 18, 2019

In recent weeks, Beijing has both won victories and suffered defeats during important summits and dialogues with France and Italy, as well as the European Union. French President Emmanuel Macron invited German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to join his meeting with Chinese President Xi to demonstrate a united European response against Beijing. This sent a message to China, as well as to central and eastern European countries, that Beijing’s attempts to pick off individual EU member states by dealing on a bilateral basis or through its 16+1 forum will not be taken lightly. Meanwhile, transatlantic tensions have affected Europe’s relations with and perceptions of China. The U.S. and the EU disagree over certain aspects of their approach to Beijing. The U.S. prefers a confrontational approach focused on limiting China’s threat to U.S. primacy, whereas European countries prioritize cooperation with China based on mutual cooperation and equality

North Korean Group Establishes Second Representative Office

on April 18, 2019

According to information available on the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) website, the North Korea International Trade Promotion Council successfully registered a representative office in Dalian city, Liaoning province on April 11. This is the Council’s second representative office registered within China, and it is the only North Korean NGO to have successfully registered for a representative office. The China NGO Project previously reported the registration of the NGO’s first representative office in Jilin province in April 2018. According to the MPS, the North Korea International Trade Promotion Council aims to “utilize ties and exchanges with the Liaoning Chamber of Commerce and trade companies” and “promote economic cooperation and trade relations between North Korea and Liaoning Province.”

Guangzhou Encourages Citizens to Report Illegal Religious Activities, Including Foreign NGO Law Violations

on April 18, 2019

The Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs released its “Method for Rewarding the Masses for Reporting Illegal Religious Activities,” which details how city officials can reward Guangzhou residents for reporting illegal religious activities to the authorities. According to the “Method,” the phrase “illegal religious activities” refers to actions that violate the Foreign NGO Law, the Provisions on the Administration of Religious Activities of Aliens within the Territory of the People’s Republic of China, or other relevant laws, regulations, or rules. Notably, the “Method” is directed at citizens rather than at government employees.

Pierre Vimont

on April 17, 2019

Pierre Vimont is a Senior Fellow at Carnegie Europe. His research focuses on the European Neighborhood Policy, transatlantic relations, and French foreign policy. Prior to joining Carnegie, Vimont was the first Executive Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), from December 2010 to March 2015. During his 38-year diplomatic career with the French foreign service, he served as Ambassador to the United States from 2007 to 2010, Ambassador to the European Union from 1999 to 2002, and Chief of Staff to three former French foreign ministers. He holds the title of Ambassador of France, a dignity bestowed for life to only a few French career diplomats.

Zubayra Shamseden

on April 16, 2019

Zubayra Shamseden is Chinese Outreach Coordinator at the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), a documentation and advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. She has been campaigning for the human rights and political freedom of the Uighur people since the late 1980s. Before joining UHRP, Shamseden worked as an Information Officer, Researcher, and Translator at the International Uyghur Human Rights and Democracy Foundation (IUHRDF). She has worked in multicultural education and community liaison for nonprofit, academic, and government organizations in Australia and the U.S. for over two decades. Shamseden is a 2016-2018 Fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement’s (IGE) Center for Women, Faith & Leadership (CWFL). She has a Bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science from East China Normal University in Shanghai, a certification in Chinese from the Industrial University of Xinjiang, a diploma in Russian language and literature from the State University of Eastern Kazakhstan, and a graduate diploma in Information Studies and a Master’s degree in International Studies from the University of South Australia, where she focused on the modern history of Uighur human rights. She is fluent in English, Uyghur, Chinese, Uzbek, and Russian, and has a working knowledge of Turkish.

Frankie Huang

on April 15, 2019

Frankie Huang was born in Beijing and raised in New Jersey. She is a freelance writer, illustrator, and cultural insight strategist based in Shanghai. Her writing explores feminism, diaspora, and social issues in China. She also writes a daily Twitter column called #PutongWords that explores the embedded culture and hidden meanings within everyday Chinese words.

Chinese Partner Unit Thanks Guizhou Public Security, NGO Helps with Mental Health Training in Heilongjiang, Schools in Hubei Get a Visit from NGO Management Office

Ministry of Public Security WeChat Posts—March 31-April 11, 2019

on April 15, 2019

Recently, the Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Small Group Office for Helping Develop Border Areas presented a banner to the Guizhou Public Security Bureau (PSB) Foreign NGO Management Office, expressing their gratitude for the office’s kindness and convenient and efficient services. As part of the work done by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, the Small Group Office uses science and technology to aid the region’s “elderly, minority, marginalized, and impoverished” groups through poverty alleviation efforts and social development, as “innovative work is required of all democratic parties and industry and commerce federations to adapt themselves to poverty alleviation and development in the New Era (是各民主党派、工商联适应新时期扶贫开发需要所做的一项开创性工作).”. Since the implementation of the Foreign NGO Law, the Small Group Office has launched multiple activities with Hong Kong’s Grace Charity Foundation Limited and other foreign NGOs, primarily in the fields of education, health, and disaster relief.