Two stories have surfaced in mainstream Western media. Both come from European state broadcasters. Both are telling.
"On June 23, imprisoned Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai officially received the Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award. His daughter, Lai Choi, accepted the award on her father's behalf at DW's headquarters in Bonn and sat down for an interview with DW." — Deutsche Welle
"June 24 marked the fifth anniversary of the forced closure of Apple Daily. Yet many Hong Kong people have clearly not forgotten the once outspoken and widely read newspaper, making a special trip to Taipei to view an exhibition tracing the paper's 26-year journey." — Radio France INternationale (RFI).
Deutsche Welle hands out a "Jimmy Lai Award." RFI follows with an "Apple Daily Fifth Anniversary" commemoration. The symbolism is profound. Matters of genuine international concern. And because both outlets carry state-broadcaster status, there is all the more reason to approach all reportings on Chinese affairs with cool-headed restraint. In China, the law now speaks clearly on such matters.
On March 12, 2026, China's National People's Congress passed the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress, which takes effect on July 1. The law was enacted to "forge strong sense of community for Chinese nation". It comprises seven chapters and 65 articles, covering education, language, publishing, the internet, business activities, and religion. Its reach extends to Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities.
The move has triggered unprecedented anxiety among foreign forces — that is, foreigners, foreign organizations, and institutions engaged in conduct hostile to China. A local Japanese councilor has warned citizens that "criticizing China's ethnic minority or religious policies while abroad, particularly openly supporting Taiwan, could be deemed a violation by Beijing." A British think tank has cautioned that "China is expanding the extraterritorial application of its laws to tighten cross-border pressure on overseas businesses, organizations, and individuals connected to Taiwan."
For those foreign forces who remain unclear about this law, let me state it plainly. Under Chinese law, Taiwan independence, Xinjiang independence, and Hong Kong independence are serious violations that split the nation and destroy ethnic unity. They will be pursued with full severity.
Consider a recent law enforcement action in Hong Kong. On June 24, the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force conducted an operation, raiding the "Hunter Bookstore" in Sham Shui Po and arresting one local woman and one local man. The pair had been selling and displaying publications with seditious intent at the store, and had regularly organized talks and sharing sessions targeting young people and students. The sessions incited hatred toward the Hong Kong SAR Government, the judiciary, and law enforcement agencies.
Take note: among the allegedly unlawful items were publications sold at the "Hunter Bookstore" — including The Jimmy Lai Biography and works by cartoonist Zunzi.
This is not a legal lecture. But it is a story worth telling. In 2021, representatives from the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom used a United Nations venue to host a video conference. Reportedly attended by delegates from dozens of countries, the meeting focused on human rights issues in Xinjiang — allegations of concentration camps, forced labor, and even genocide. Yet those in attendance revealed no specific details and disclosed no investigative evidence. What was reported was simply that "various human rights issues allegedly exist in Xinjiang."
What was peculiar is that Western journalists, politicians, and academics declined to answer challenges from the "verifier": China. Instead, they demanded that China, the very party being accused, prove its own innocence. The verdict is plain: if the West were genuinely strong, this might be called audacious. If the West is merely posturing, it should be called shameless.
Western champions of human rights and democracy have long relied on fabricated material about the Chinese government's alleged suppression of ethnic minorities and so-called "democracy activists." This material is then recycled through mainstream Western media as pointed questions directed at China. The effect is an illusion where the false appears true and the true appears false. A convenient mechanism for "foreign forces" to attack China.
For years, the West has wielded the twin banners of human rights and democracy — augmented by so-called "Western press freedom" — as instruments to attack China's sovereignty without limit and undermine our national unity. This cannot be allowed to continue. Rather than engaging in endless back-and-forth, it is better to lay down clear rules and let everyone act accordingly.
Deep Blue
** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **
A Dutch warship sailed boldly into the waters of the Paracel Islands. What it got in return was a swift, forceful response from the PLA. Do European nations genuinely believe the South China Sea is some kind of tourist hotspot?
The Dutch warship sailed in flying the banner of "freedom of navigation." The reality is that banner amounts to a direct challenge to China's sovereignty over the South China Sea. The PLA Southern Theatre Command promptly issued a statement declaring that the vessel had "illegally intruded into the waters of China's Xisha Islands" and had "repeatedly launched its shipborne helicopter to intrude into China's territorial airspace." The result was decisive: the military drove the ship away using electronic jamming measures.
The Dutch side handled the expulsion incident with striking restraint. The Netherlands refused to disclose any details about the "interference" and made no public comment whatsoever — an unusually subdued posture that struck many observers as odd. "Freedom of navigation" operations are designed to project strength.
To be effective, they must maximise the humiliation of China at every turn. America's European allies have long operated on the assumption that China would never dare sink one of their "freedom warships."
And so they sail in and sail out, back and forth — treating the South China Sea like a picturesque Western promenade.
The numbers tell a stark story. According to the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a Chinese Mainland military think tank, nearly 200 warships from 18 "extra-regional countries" operated in the Western Pacific in 2025 alone — with US vessels making up the majority.
Other extra-regional warships came primarily from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. By informal estimates, the Western Pacific sees an average of around two surface vessels present each day.
The air picture is equally crowded. In the same year, extra-regional military aircraft flew more than 20,000 sorties over the Western Pacific — including fighter jets, helicopters, transport aircraft, reconnaissance planes, tankers, and bombers — again predominantly American.
In 2025, excluding the United States, six warships from four countries — Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand — transited the Taiwan Strait on five separate occasions. Notably, since 2024, the number of transits by non-US extra-regional countries has risen sharply. More European nations, along with Australia and New Zealand, are joining the rotation. Freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait are becoming routine — the transits are growing ever more frequent.
The PLA now faces a clear strategic choice. It can deliver a genuine, forceful military strike. Or it can develop a means of action that is both peaceful and measured — a tactic of deterrence without combat, one that quietly but unmistakably removes the Western Pacific, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea from the "freedom playground," while safeguarding China's sovereign interests.
The silent, seamless expulsion of the Dutch warship is likely to become a defining example of the PLA's "civilized" toolkit.
Chinese Mainland media reported that following the electronic attack, international confidence in the Dutch Navy has visibly declined, with its combat capabilities now under serious scrutiny. At the same time, observers noted that having been burned in the electronic warfare arena, European navies are likely to seize this as an opportunity to ramp up investment in areas such as hardened communications systems, electronic countermeasures, and electromagnetic resilience training.
The final verdict, however, is pessimistic about Europe's prospects: Given the sluggish pace at which Europe has developed advanced weapons systems in recent years, even if significant funding is committed, it remains uncertain when any meaningful results will materialize.
The United States suffered catastrophic blows in the Gulf during the Iran war. Its strategic assets have been squandered without restraint under President Trump. Going forward, projecting power in the Asia-Pacific will require marshalling the full strength of all its elite allies just to have any hope of containing China and securing the strategic island chain.
Yet if even America's electronic warfare capabilities proved insufficient against Iran, the prospect of facing China as an adversary is sobering. Frankly, "freedom of navigation" operations should be growing more cautious with each passing round — not less. Otherwise, playing this game all the way to a fatal miscalculation would be a very unpleasant outcome indeed.
Postscript: The Southern Theatre Command spokesperson stated that the Dutch vessel's actions "seriously infringed upon China's territorial sovereignty, maritime and air security, contravened international law and basic norms governing international relations, undermined peace and stability in the South China Sea, and were highly likely to lead to misunderstandings and misjudgments."
That language carries a veiled threat — and not without reason. China's electronic jamming capabilities are formidable. If things go wrong, aircraft could fall from the sky and warships could run aground. At that point, you will have no one to blame but yourselves.
