Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 14h

In the past, Chinese citizens who took immense risks to speak out against the CCP trusted that if they could reach American soil, they would be safe from the Party’s reach. Today, that confidence has been shaken. Many now wonder: Will I be traded away for a Taiwan deal, a tech deal, or a trade deal?

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 14h

The Trump administration’s betrayal of those who believed in America’s commitment to freedom—and in its power to protect those who fight for it—has been profoundly shocking and painful. The US must correct course before the damage becomes irreversible. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/08/t...

Trump Is Supporting Transnational Repression

Instead of sheltering pro-democracy dissidents, America is now returning them for arrest.

foreignpolicy.com

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 1d

The CCP can certainly prevent people from expressing hopelessness and advocating for the "lying flat" approach to life, but it cannot control people’s inner despair—or their decision to disengage from a system that offers them little hope. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/w...

China Punishes ‘Excessively Pessimistic’ Social Media Users

www.nytimes.com

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 3d

Totally understand but I can’t help but feel disappointed. What will save American democracy is not elites’ smarts but your courage. SPEAK ON THE RECORD, folks. Yes, you have a lot to lose, but you also have a lot. You will be fine. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/m...

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 3d

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to all the political prisoners in China and Hong Kong who cannot celebrate the festival with their families because they want to build a society where all families can live with dignity and freedom. 中秋节快乐！

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 4d

Great piece and grim read by @nateschenkkan.bsky.social. The expanding practice of transnational repression has made the world increasingly dangerous for anyone who dares to speak their mind, anywhere. www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the...

The Golden Age of Transnational Repression | Journal of Democracy

Authoritarian regimes are targeting exiles and diaspora communities in more places than ever before. Activists, journalists, and regular people living abroad must watch their backs…

www.journalofdemocracy.org

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 7d

Please join me tomorrow at 6pm in DC with @kennethroth.bsky.social to share his experience of being deported from Hong Kong and sanctioned by the Chinese government, and why staying principled is, in fact, the most effective strategy for creating change: www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticket...

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 8d

Your periodic reminder: Don’t fall into the trap of admiring Chinese authoritarianism simply because American democracy is facing serious challenges.

Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 8d

People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier, more educated, and more peaceful societies? On all counts, the answer is yes.

muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 16d

Ha, we all seem to have stories about how nice Jerry was to us when we were young and inexperienced. I met Jerry for the first time at a party about 10 years ago. He talked to me as if he knew me, as if I was his equal.

Melissa Chan @melissakchan.bsky.social · 16d

I met Jerry as a young foreign correspondent in China. In any field there are those who gate keep, and those who do the opposite. Jerry treated what I said seriously in a way that made me feel he considered me an equal. That is so rare. In other words — he had deep kindness... (1/2)

Jerome Cohen, the First American to Practice Law in China, Dies at 95

An expert on China—and a sometime critic—Cohen defended companies and dissidents.

www.wsj.com

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 16d

Professor Cohen was a true “old friend of the Chinese people.” He was a pioneer in building bridges between China and America. He genuinely cared about human rights defenders, extended a helping hand whenever he can. RIP. I’m sure one day you will be in official Chinese history books, Jerry!

Sophie Beach @sophiebeach.bsky.social · 16d

www.wsj.com/world/china/...

Jerome Cohen, the First American to Practice Law in China, Dies at 95

An expert on China—and a sometime critic—Cohen defended companies and dissidents.

www.wsj.com

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 16d

Good to see @hrwchinese.bsky.social's report on Zhang Yadi's case. It is essential that America’s civil society organizations continue spotlighting the cases of human rights defenders in China, especially in light of the US government's abrupt retreat from global human rights promotion.

Yalkun Uluyol @yalkun.bsky.social · 17d

Beijing is threatening to imprison student-activist Zhang Yadi for years for speaking out against racial injustice and peacefully exercising her rights. She should be starting graduate school in London, not jail. Governments should press for her freedom.

www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

China: Free Student Advocate for Tibetan Rights

Chinese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Zhang Yadi, an advocate for Tibetan rights who had been an international student in France.

www.hrw.org

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 18d

Trump is doing everything to make Xi look better. Just imagine if America had a one-party system and Trump wielded the kind of unchecked power Xi does — what would he do to his opponents then?

David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 18d

“That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don't want the best for them.” —The President of the United States, speaking at a memorial service

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 21d

The leaders of both super powers now agree on that one should be punished for speaking out against them. It is time for us little people in both countries to unite in defense of free speech.

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 22d

Today, the US government forfeited all credibility in criticizing the CCP’s suppression of free speech in China.

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 24d

It's often not the case. In China, you'd likely end up not being able to find a job ever again. But, my American friends, you must be willing to take the risk of being fired TODAY -- and not landing on your feet -- so that you can have a FUTURE where your views no longer put your livelihood at risk.

Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 24d

I know there's a tendency to think that every talented individual fired for expressing dissenting views somehow lands on their feet. But that's just not true.

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 26d

In which I said to Americans: “I just can’t emphasize enough to be braver than you think you can. If you don’t pay the middle price now, you’re gonna pay a huge price. People go to jail, people disappear, people die for the right to speak, now you only need to lose your job.” pen.org/what-oversea...

Propaganda, Isolation, Censorship, and Entertainment: What Overseas Press Know About the Authoritarian Playbook

Anna Nemzer, M. Gessen, and Yaqiu Wang discuss how media falls victim under authoritarianism, and what America should watch out for.

pen.org

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · 26d

Pleased to see Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu honored with CPJ’s Press Freedom Award. It’s a reminder to the Chinese government that those it brands as criminals are, in fact, recognized as heroes by the rest of the world.

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · Sep 7

A Chinese man in Hubei got detained for 10 days for mocking the military parade. Americans, if you don't want to be thrown in jail for mocking a certain orange-colored man in the future, you gotta fight TODAY!

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · Sep 6

Human rights advocates who have long relied on the US to pressure the CCP to end its abuses, need to face the music: "The US is reorienting its foreign policy to protect govts that manipulate and censor info, both inside their own countries and around the world." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

America Surrenders in the Global Information Wars

The U.S. is reorienting its foreign policy to protect governments that manipulate and suppress information.

www.theatlantic.com

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · Aug 31

So I just tweeted about a Chinese student being arbitrarily turned away at a US airport. Now, here is a Chinese student being arbitrarily detained at a Chinese airport. I feel so sorry for Chinese students these days. (Disclaimer: I'm not equating the two governments in terms of level of abuses.)

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · Aug 31

The student liked his exchange experience at Cornell so much that he applied to study philosophy (!) in the US again, only to be turned away at the border for no obvious reason. How many others has this happened to? The US is bankrupting its reputation at lightning speed. apnews.com/article/chin...

A Chinese student was questioned for hours in the US, then sent back even as Trump policies shift

A Chinese philosophy student was deported from the United States after landing in Houston to study at the University of Houston.

apnews.com

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · Aug 30

The Trump administration moves to fire most of VOA journalists.

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · Aug 30

Great to hear that this brave man has left China with his family already and is now safe in Europe. Hope he can secure permanent legal residence soon. This incident underscores the importance of resettlement programs for persecuted human rights activists.

昨天 @yesterdaynews.bsky.social · Aug 29

重庆勇士在离开前，在现场留下一封信，在信中，他希望看信的警察不要连累无辜的人，不要助纣为虐。从他的公开信可以得知，他最晚于今年8月16日住进了重庆大学城嘛嘛酒店，安放了装置并留下信件。

另外，他之前在微信朋友圈就发表过反共言论。

公开信内容：

“朋友你好！
我不知道你是谁，暂且称呼你一声朋友，也许此时你已经把我当成你的敌人了，首先声明，我不属于任何组织，之所以走到这一步，也是无可奈何，谁愿意颠沛流离有好日子不过呢？请不要为难无关人员，共产党在这片土地上犯下的罪恶，罄竹难书。请尽量不要助纣为虐。也许你现在是受益者，我相信大多数人往上三代甚至是一代，没有不受到共产党的迫害，

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · Aug 29

This is both inspiring and deeply worrying. May the brave soul(s) who pulled this off manage to get out of China before the authorities catch up.

昨天 @yesterdaynews.bsky.social · Aug 29

投稿：北京时间8月29日晚10:00有勇士在重庆大学城熙街发出反共标语，呼吁人们起来反抗，持续50多分钟。

内容分别是：

“打倒红色法西斯，推翻共产党暴政。”

“没有共产党才有新中国，自由不是恩赐要去夺回。”

“起来吧不愿做奴隶的人们，起来反抗夺回自己的权利。”

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Yaqiu Wang 王亚秋 @yaqiu.bsky.social · Aug 27

While Trump is firing and investigating his enemies in front of everyone’s eyes, Xi is quietly making his disfavored deputies disappear en masse. Trump must envy Xi the silence.
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

Xi Unleashes China’s Biggest Purge of Military Leaders Since Mao

He’s ousted almost a fifth of the generals whom he personally appointed, raising the question: Is it a sign of political strength, or of his weakness?

www.bloomberg.com

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