The HRIC Daily Brief is a daily selection of news stories and commentary related to human rights in China, drawn from Chinese- and English-language news and online media sources that we monitor daily. In addition to headlines and source links, HRIC also provides English translation of Chinese headlines.

Monday, May 16, 2022

China's Reach (中国:内控与外扩)

China’s Communist Party congress: all praise Xi Jinping but draw the line at Mao
South China Morning Post, May 16, 2022

Chinese TikTok Users Are in Love With ‘Daddy Putin’
Foreign Policy, May 15, 2022

Chinese censors go after 'last generation' references on social media platforms
Radio Free Asia, May 13, 2022

美国国立卫生院院长证实该院在新冠疫情初期曾应中方要求隐匿病毒基因测序(NIH director confirms U.S. officials concealed early stage genomic sequences of COVID-19 at China’s request)
Voice of America, May 15, 2022

“每25人就有1人被关” 新疆疏附县监禁率被指居世界之冠(Shufu County, Xinjiang said to have world’s highest detention rate: “1 in 25”)
Deutsche Welle, May 16, 2022

台湾国安局长:北京培训和资助台湾网红搞统战(Taiwan's national security chief: China trains, subsidizes Taiwanese Internet celebrities to engage in United Front work)
Voice of America, May 16, 2022

中所安全协议话题会否是决定澳大选结果的关键?(Will China-Solomon Islands security pact be key to outcome of Australian election?)
Voice of America, May 16, 2022

Human Rights Defenders & Civil Society (人权捍卫者与公民社会)

Arrest of Cardinal Zen sends chill through Hong Kong’s Catholic community
The Guardian, May 16, 2022

Related:
Hong Kong’s next leader John Lee dismisses Western criticism of arrests of cardinal and activists, insists city’s rule of law targets only criminals and not dissent
South China Morning Post, May 16, 2022

Prosecution grants immunity to ex-Apple Daily exec. testifying against Jimmy Lai in fraud trial
Hong Kong Free Press, May 16, 2022

記協下月辦會員大會 投票降低解散門檻(Hong Kong Journalists Association to hold general meeting next month to vote for lowering dissolution threshold)
Ming Pao, May 16, 2022

Can Hong Kong Bar Association’s new chief walk a tightrope and mend ties with Beijing while speaking up on issues?
South China Morning Post, May 16, 2022

山东大学退休教授孙文广至今生死成谜 中共当局须给予答复(Whereabouts unknown: Sun Wenguang, well-known human rights defender and retired Shandong University professor forcibly disappeared in 2018)
Radio Free Asia, May 14, 2022

Law & Policy (法律与政策)

中办发长文禁止离休领导 “妄议中央”(CPC’s Central Office prohibits retired cadres from "arbitrarily criticizing policies of central gov’t")
Radio Free Asia, May 16, 2022

Related:
加强新时代离退休干部党的建设工作(Strengthening the party building work of retired cadres in the new era)
People, May 16, 2022

Current Topics (热门话题)

China’s Shanghai aims to end COVID lockdown by June 1
Al Jazeera, May 16, 2022

抗议封锁 深夜聚集拆围墙(Beijing University students protest lockdown, gather at night to tear down COVID fence)
Radio France Internationale, May 16, 2022

EU-US trade and tech negotiators meet in Paris to tighten screws on autocrats, including China and Russia
South China Morning Post, May 16, 2022

How Long Can Xi Prioritize ‘Zero COVID’ over the Economy?
The Diplomat, May 14, 2022

Commentary & Analysis (评论与分析)

China’s harsh zero-Covid measures risk eroding trust in the rule of law
South China Morning Post, May 14, 2022

When rights are restricted they must also be protected
South China Morning Post, May 14, 2022

The World Tries to Move Beyond Covid. China May Stand in the Way.
世界与新冠共存,为何习近平仍不惜代价坚持清零?

The New York Times, May 16, 2022