Cuba's Communist Party has approved significant free-market reforms, expanding private enterprise, attracting foreign investment, and allowing private banks. President Miguel Diaz-Canel acknowledged domestic economic issues alongside external pressures.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has called for "urgent and necessary changes" to overhaul the country's communist economic model, citing a severe crisis exacerbated by a US oil blockade and internal issues like bureaucracy. He pointed to China and Vietnam as potential models for economic opening.
British Ambassador to China, Wilson, made a rare visit to Yangjialing, a former revolutionary site and communist heartland where President Xi Jinping once performed hard labour. The visit, at the invitation of the International Department, included tours of the Yanan Revolutionary Memorial Hall, a key site for Beijing's ideology messaging.
Cuba's Communist Party has approved reforms to open more sectors to private investment, including tourism and foreign direct investment. The move comes amid increased US economic pressure, resource shortages, and power outages on the island. The reforms aim to revitalize key sectors and decentralize decision-making.
Il Partito comunista di Cuba respinge le critiche alle nuove riforme economiche, definendole un'evoluzione del socialismo ispirata da Fidel Castro. Le misure includono meccanismi di mercato, incentivi agli investimenti esteri e un ruolo ampliato per il settore privato.
China's top military decision-making body concluded an unprecedented training course for senior officers in Beijing, emphasizing ideological transformation and loyalty to the Communist Party. Vice-chairman Zhang Shengmin urged participants to prepare for the PLA's 100th anniversary with a renewed political outlook.
Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, a new doctrine emphasizing centralized leadership and anti-corruption, was lauded as a historical milestone at a national conference. Introduced a year before the 2027 party congress, it sets the stage for significant leadership changes.
Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, described as a milestone in Marxist and CCP history, emphasizes centralized leadership, rigorous self-governance, and anti-corruption measures. Introduced before the 2027 party congress, it anticipates significant Central Committee and Politburo reshuffles.
The Central Party School has had several notable heads in the past 30 years, including Hu Jintao (1993-2002), Xi Jinping (2007-2012), Zeng Qinghong, and Liu Yunshan (until 2017). These roles often served to familiarize heirs apparent with ideology work or were held by chief ideologues.
Beijing rejects boundary talks with Japan and Philippines, citing illegality and invalidity, amid escalating territorial disputes and joint naval patrols in contested waters.
Cai, a close aide to Xi, appointed to oversee training of top officials at party school, solidifying ties with Xi after decades of collaboration.
Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit North Korea June 8-9, strengthening ties after pandemic isolation, amid Beijing's denuclearisation stance and Pyongyang's growing Moscow ties.
China's United Front Work Department head Li Ganjie urged Tibet academics to find creative ways to shape the global conversation about Tibet while adhering to Communist Party ideology, citing the region's critical stage of stability and development.
An official in China's Shanxi province is under investigation for corruption following a deadly coal mine blast. The explosion at Liushenyu Coal Mine on May 22 killed multiple miners and exposed severe safety fraud and mismanagement.
Zhao Yongjin, party secretary of Qinyuan county in Changzhi, is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law. An anti-corruption watchdog revealed preliminary findings of severe safety problems and systemic failures at a mine site, with past issues including poor management and illegal activities.
A 62-year-old CAS academician, identified as Zhou, was reportedly taken away by disciplinary inspectors in late April. His details have since been removed from the official CAS website. His research areas include spatial data mining and hydrology.
Tibetan Australians are using cultural celebrations and activism to preserve their heritage and advocate for the Dalai Lama's succession, resisting Chinese government interference.
Tibetan Australians are using cultural practices like dance and language schools to preserve their identity amid China's attempts to control the succession of the Dalai Lama. The community in Australia is actively engaging with politicians to advocate for the Dalai Lama's spiritual authority over his reincarnation.
Japanese Communist Party Chairwoman Tomoko Tamura criticized proposed revisions to the Imperial House Law, stating that the Diet should not legislate in a way that is detached from public opinion. She expressed strong concern over government-led movements and reiterated her call for a direct discussion on female emperors.
US President Donald Trump concluded his Beijing visit with a rare tour of Zhongnanhai, the Chinese Communist Party's leadership compound, alongside President Xi Jinping. The visit featured pageantry and conciliatory remarks, with discussions touching on trade and Iran.
A US congressional commission is pressing President Donald Trump to confront his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over detained Americans when the leaders meet this week, warning that silence would leave Beijing free to “use human beings as bargaining chips”. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), in a letter to Trump dated May 7, aired concerns over the growing threat arising from the Communist Party’s use of “hostage diplomacy, coercive exit bans and transnational repression”...
The relationship between mainland China and Taiwan is not one of state-to-state relations, Chang Rong-kung, vice-chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), the island’s main opposition party, told Beijing’s top official on Taiwan affairs on Monday. Chang met Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the Communist Party’s No 4 official, at the opening day of the third annual Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit. Wang said the summit showed people on both sides of...
Cheng Li-wun is the chairwoman of Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT). In this far-ranging interview, she discusses her vision for peace and cooperation between Taiwan and mainland China, her meeting in April with Communist Party chief Xi Jinping and her coming trip to the United States in June. Cross-strait relations have been increasingly tense for more than 10 years. What approach can change this situation? As long as both sides of the strait accept the 1992 consensus and...
Cheng Li-wun is the chairwoman of Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT). In this far-ranging interview, she discusses her vision for peace and cooperation between Taiwan and mainland China, her meeting in April with Communist Party chief Xi Jinping and her coming trip to the United States in June. The original interview was conducted in Chinese. SCMP Plus members can read a Chinese version of the transcript here. For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click...
