Gabriel Corsetti
@gabrielcorsetti.bsky.social
China, politics, climate change. Views my own. Reposts are indeed endorsements. Why would I repost if I disagree? https://gabriel965.substack.com/
It's been going in the same "weird hyper nationalist direction" for years and years. This is a shocking incident, but at the same time it's really nothing new. Every now and again, something insane at this level will occur.
November 26, 2025 at 4:22 AM
It's been going in the same "weird hyper nationalist direction" for years and years. This is a shocking incident, but at the same time it's really nothing new. Every now and again, something insane at this level will occur.
Counterpoint: short trips to China actually have negative value in terms of understanding the place. A lot of what you see is quite impressive, but the problems are much less visible to the casual visitor.
November 25, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Counterpoint: short trips to China actually have negative value in terms of understanding the place. A lot of what you see is quite impressive, but the problems are much less visible to the casual visitor.
The upcoming film was met by a backlash from Han nationalists, protesting the glorification of the "foreign" Manchu dynasty defeating the Ming dynasty's last bastion of resistance in Taiwan.
bitterwinter.org/the-battle-o...
bitterwinter.org/the-battle-o...
“The Battle of Penghu”: Weaponizing History, Again, for Propaganda Films About Taiwan
China’s use of historical cinema to push reunification narratives is drawing criticism even within its own borders.
bitterwinter.org
November 22, 2025 at 5:23 AM
The upcoming film was met by a backlash from Han nationalists, protesting the glorification of the "foreign" Manchu dynasty defeating the Ming dynasty's last bastion of resistance in Taiwan.
bitterwinter.org/the-battle-o...
bitterwinter.org/the-battle-o...
With all the attention and justified sympathy Keyu Jin is currently getting due to the Epstein emails affair, it might be a good time to share this review of her book I wrote last year. She's basically a soft apologist for the Party, in my view. gabriel965.substack.com/p/keyu-jin-a...
Keyu Jin and China's new playbook
On bridging perspectives and soft apologia
gabriel965.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:33 AM
With all the attention and justified sympathy Keyu Jin is currently getting due to the Epstein emails affair, it might be a good time to share this review of her book I wrote last year. She's basically a soft apologist for the Party, in my view. gabriel965.substack.com/p/keyu-jin-a...
Breakneck by Dan Wang seems to be the “China book” of the year. I have just read it and it is, I have to say, a very good book. Here's my review:
gabriel965.substack.com/p/dan-wangs-...
gabriel965.substack.com/p/dan-wangs-...
Dan Wang's Breakneck: a fair view of China
Part-memoir, part-polemic, this book has interesting things to say about China and the US
gabriel965.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Breakneck by Dan Wang seems to be the “China book” of the year. I have just read it and it is, I have to say, a very good book. Here's my review:
gabriel965.substack.com/p/dan-wangs-...
gabriel965.substack.com/p/dan-wangs-...
This person was the Republican nominee in the 2020 senate election in Delaware. It's extremely dangerous how antisemitism has become normalised again. Extremists of all stripes are now proudly and defiantly antisemitic.
November 18, 2025 at 3:40 AM
This person was the Republican nominee in the 2020 senate election in Delaware. It's extremely dangerous how antisemitism has become normalised again. Extremists of all stripes are now proudly and defiantly antisemitic.
I think much of the anger over this headline comes down to the ambiguity of the word "provoke". It has two meanings: to anger or infuriate someone, and to call forth or stimulate a reaction, feeling, or action. It can be used negatively or in a more neutral way, as I think was the intention here.
November 14, 2025 at 6:28 AM
I think much of the anger over this headline comes down to the ambiguity of the word "provoke". It has two meanings: to anger or infuriate someone, and to call forth or stimulate a reaction, feeling, or action. It can be used negatively or in a more neutral way, as I think was the intention here.
Chinese "officials, government advisers, academics and entrepreneurs" tell the Economist that Trump represents a historic opportunity for China, since he is "unconstrained by liberal principles" and "weakens America’s standing". I'm shocked!
www.economist.com/internationa...
www.economist.com/internationa...
Beijing insiders’ plan to play Donald Trump
They see America’s president as a golden opportunity for China
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Chinese "officials, government advisers, academics and entrepreneurs" tell the Economist that Trump represents a historic opportunity for China, since he is "unconstrained by liberal principles" and "weakens America’s standing". I'm shocked!
www.economist.com/internationa...
www.economist.com/internationa...
The man who seized power in a coup and presided over the mass murder of half a million people for being suspected communists, then ruled for 30 years and approved the invasion of East Timor that led to awful atrocities, has just been declared a national hero by Prabowo.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Indonesia names former dictator Suharto a 'national hero'
The controversial legacy of Suharto's New Order regime has sparked heated protests against the move.
www.bbc.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:58 AM
The man who seized power in a coup and presided over the mass murder of half a million people for being suspected communists, then ruled for 30 years and approved the invasion of East Timor that led to awful atrocities, has just been declared a national hero by Prabowo.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
I think this sort of one-sided rhetoric stems partly from an instinctive understanding that Western government react well to criticism, while the Chinese leadership reacts well to flattery. Criticising China on the world stage will not have the desired effect.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Rich countries have lost enthusiasm for tackling climate crisis, says Cop30 chief
Brazil’s André Corrêa do Lago says countries should follow China’s lead on clean energy as conference begins
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:29 AM
I think this sort of one-sided rhetoric stems partly from an instinctive understanding that Western government react well to criticism, while the Chinese leadership reacts well to flattery. Criticising China on the world stage will not have the desired effect.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
"Yes China has censorship, but everyone just uses a VPN!" It's not quite so simple. While private VPN usage is generally tolerated, it's illegal and only tolerated until it isn't, as this translated article from the Ministry of State Security proves.
mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DK-yLJmgfF...
mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DK-yLJmgfF...
China Calls On Public to Report Illegal VPN Usage, Man Arrested
Follow Expat Focus
mp.weixin.qq.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:16 AM
"Yes China has censorship, but everyone just uses a VPN!" It's not quite so simple. While private VPN usage is generally tolerated, it's illegal and only tolerated until it isn't, as this translated article from the Ministry of State Security proves.
mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DK-yLJmgfF...
mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DK-yLJmgfF...
Not that I necessarily disagree with the general point, but the part about "driving to the mall" shows Noah Smith doesn't live in China.
November 10, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Not that I necessarily disagree with the general point, but the part about "driving to the mall" shows Noah Smith doesn't live in China.
"In April 2024, Sheffield Hallam’s Beijing office was visited by three state security officers. An employee was questioned for two hours regarding the HKC. (...) “the tone was threatening and [the] message to cease the research activity was made clear”.
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
UK university halted human rights research after pressure from China
Exclusive: Leading professor at Sheffield Hallam was told to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in China after demands from authorities
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:34 PM
"In April 2024, Sheffield Hallam’s Beijing office was visited by three state security officers. An employee was questioned for two hours regarding the HKC. (...) “the tone was threatening and [the] message to cease the research activity was made clear”.
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Good job the KMT is out of power, and doesn't seem to have much chance of winning again.
Incoming KMT chair Cheng Li-wun doubles down on 'Putin was democratically elected' remarks – Focus Taiwan: ‘When Tsou then asked her whether it was Putin who decided to start the war in Ukraine, Cheng replied, “Of course not.” “The core reason […] is NATO’s repeated eastward expansion,” Cheng said.’
Incoming KMT chair doubles down on 'Putin was elected' remarks - Focus Taiwan
Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) chair-elect Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said on Friday that she hopes Taiwan can "make as many friends as possible," when asked to elaborate on her recent remarks that "Vladimir Put...
focustaiwan.tw
November 2, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Good job the KMT is out of power, and doesn't seem to have much chance of winning again.
Amazing that in 2100 China will have only slightly more people than Pakistan and Nigeria. I do wonder if such projections can be taken seriously. Demographic trends aren’t predictable, all the more so in China, where the state will go to huge lengths to buck the trend.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The giant basket case countries
More and more of humanity is going to live in a few big countries that can't manage themselves.
substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Amazing that in 2100 China will have only slightly more people than Pakistan and Nigeria. I do wonder if such projections can be taken seriously. Demographic trends aren’t predictable, all the more so in China, where the state will go to huge lengths to buck the trend.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
True. Foreign correspondents tend to become very hawkish while in China, due to the way that the authorities do their best to sabotage them, often in ways that are completely pointless and self-defeating. It's less true for Italian correspondents, probably because they fly under the radar.
October 29, 2025 at 12:00 PM
True. Foreign correspondents tend to become very hawkish while in China, due to the way that the authorities do their best to sabotage them, often in ways that are completely pointless and self-defeating. It's less true for Italian correspondents, probably because they fly under the radar.
It's amazing how much this is blowing up on Twitter. Not just Italian Twitter, but global Twitter. Calenda really hit home, and the pro-Russian trolls are going crazy trying to defend Sachs.
Italian politician Carlo Calenda takes on Jeffrey Sachs over his shameless pro-Kremlin propaganda on the war in Ukraine and calls him a liar to his face. Nice to watch, especially when the Kremlin's misinformation is so widespread and popular in Italy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=28XC...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=28XC...
Confronto con Jeffrey Sachs e le sue strampalate teorie.
YouTube video by Carlo Calenda
www.youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:38 PM
It's amazing how much this is blowing up on Twitter. Not just Italian Twitter, but global Twitter. Calenda really hit home, and the pro-Russian trolls are going crazy trying to defend Sachs.
Italian politician Carlo Calenda takes on Jeffrey Sachs over his shameless pro-Kremlin propaganda on the war in Ukraine and calls him a liar to his face. Nice to watch, especially when the Kremlin's misinformation is so widespread and popular in Italy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=28XC...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=28XC...
Confronto con Jeffrey Sachs e le sue strampalate teorie.
YouTube video by Carlo Calenda
www.youtube.com
October 25, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Italian politician Carlo Calenda takes on Jeffrey Sachs over his shameless pro-Kremlin propaganda on the war in Ukraine and calls him a liar to his face. Nice to watch, especially when the Kremlin's misinformation is so widespread and popular in Italy.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=28XC...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=28XC...
In spite of China's central government organs officially stating that all hotels should take foreigners "in principle", many continue refusing foreign guests. As long as they aren't heavily fined for this practice, it won't stop.
mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-0Qz11g66y...
mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-0Qz11g66y...
Why Many Small Hotels in China Are Turning Away Foreign Tourists
Follow Expat Link
mp.weixin.qq.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:19 AM
In spite of China's central government organs officially stating that all hotels should take foreigners "in principle", many continue refusing foreign guests. As long as they aren't heavily fined for this practice, it won't stop.
mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-0Qz11g66y...
mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-0Qz11g66y...
The contrast between the claim "Chinese Muslim languages" are "literally everywhere" in Xinjiang, and the only sign in the photo being exclusively in Chinese, makes the post particularly ridiculous. I wonder if the guy believes what he writes, or if he knows what he's doing.
October 21, 2025 at 2:19 AM
The contrast between the claim "Chinese Muslim languages" are "literally everywhere" in Xinjiang, and the only sign in the photo being exclusively in Chinese, makes the post particularly ridiculous. I wonder if the guy believes what he writes, or if he knows what he's doing.
The "surveys show 90%+ of Chinese citizens support their government" argument has resurfaced again. I've been hearing it trotted out for years and years. Comparing such surveys in China with similar ones in other countries just makes no sense, for a number of reasons.
October 20, 2025 at 10:30 AM
The "surveys show 90%+ of Chinese citizens support their government" argument has resurfaced again. I've been hearing it trotted out for years and years. Comparing such surveys in China with similar ones in other countries just makes no sense, for a number of reasons.
Another day on Twitter, another large alt-right account with a blue tick spreading ridiculous misinformation about China's "Social Credit System". This stuff is actually incredibly damaging for those who fight to expose China's genuine human rights abuses.
October 17, 2025 at 4:02 AM
Another day on Twitter, another large alt-right account with a blue tick spreading ridiculous misinformation about China's "Social Credit System". This stuff is actually incredibly damaging for those who fight to expose China's genuine human rights abuses.
Chinese authorities detain the leaders of the underground Christian "Zion Church", and idiot shills and Chinese ultranationalists on Twitter celebrate China cracking down on Zionism because the church had the word Zion in its name. Couldn't make it up.
October 13, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Chinese authorities detain the leaders of the underground Christian "Zion Church", and idiot shills and Chinese ultranationalists on Twitter celebrate China cracking down on Zionism because the church had the word Zion in its name. Couldn't make it up.
I keep seeing content of this sort. This one's by some travel blogger based in Bangkok. Of course he goes on about robotaxis and drone deliveries (never taken a robotaxi or had anything delivered by drone in China, and I last went back in May). Are these people paid, or do they just want attention?
October 13, 2025 at 1:22 AM
I keep seeing content of this sort. This one's by some travel blogger based in Bangkok. Of course he goes on about robotaxis and drone deliveries (never taken a robotaxi or had anything delivered by drone in China, and I last went back in May). Are these people paid, or do they just want attention?
Just spoke to an old Chinese friend. She now works as a school teacher. She said she'd like to take her son to Malaysia over the summer, but she has to see if her school approves her going abroad. Teachers now have to hand their passports in to their schools, since they are "public officials".
October 12, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Just spoke to an old Chinese friend. She now works as a school teacher. She said she'd like to take her son to Malaysia over the summer, but she has to see if her school approves her going abroad. Teachers now have to hand their passports in to their schools, since they are "public officials".