Dake Kang
@dakekang.bsky.social
中文名：姜大翼｜AP Journalist in Beijing | 美联社北京分社的一位伟大时代的记录者｜你可以用微信联系我（dakekang) 或者电报, Signal, WhatsApp (+1 201 937 9797). 邮箱: [email protected]
30/With Myf Ma, @yaelwrites.com, @roosblad.bsky.social, Marshall Ritzel, Rebecca Blackwell, @byrontau.bsky.social, @garanceburke.bsky.social, and thoughts from @chinalawtranslate.bsky.social, Du Wen, @yaqiu.bsky.social, Holden Triplett, and many others who can't be named. Thank you.
December 15, 2025 at 7:09 AM
30/With Myf Ma, @yaelwrites.com, @roosblad.bsky.social, Marshall Ritzel, Rebecca Blackwell, @byrontau.bsky.social, @garanceburke.bsky.social, and thoughts from @chinalawtranslate.bsky.social, Du Wen, @yaqiu.bsky.social, Holden Triplett, and many others who can't be named. Thank you.
…that’s the kind of charge that @nyrolaelima.bsky.social’s cousin faced. She was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sending her parents in Australia money to buy a house - a vivid illustration of the potential of abuse of this kind of tech:
www.newyorker.com/culture/pers...
www.newyorker.com/culture/pers...
China Cannot Silence Me
Speaking of the crimes committed against my family and other Uyghurs in Xinjiang has sparked a surprising reaction.
www.newyorker.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:35 AM
…that’s the kind of charge that @nyrolaelima.bsky.social’s cousin faced. She was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sending her parents in Australia money to buy a house - a vivid illustration of the potential of abuse of this kind of tech:
www.newyorker.com/culture/pers...
www.newyorker.com/culture/pers...
33/Nonetheless, Li's willingness to speak out makes him singular among the thousands targeted by Fox Hunt and Sky Net. Few others, if any, have criticized the Party publicly.
Experts agree: Li and his family paid dearly for speaking out. "They see me as a traitor," Li says.
Experts agree: Li and his family paid dearly for speaking out. "They see me as a traitor," Li says.
December 15, 2025 at 4:50 AM
33/Nonetheless, Li's willingness to speak out makes him singular among the thousands targeted by Fox Hunt and Sky Net. Few others, if any, have criticized the Party publicly.
Experts agree: Li and his family paid dearly for speaking out. "They see me as a traitor," Li says.
Experts agree: Li and his family paid dearly for speaking out. "They see me as a traitor," Li says.
32/Li now lives in the Texas desert, with a Christian church also in exile. He continues to speak out against the Party. Some Chinese dissidents question Li, saying he only speaks out to gain asylum in the U.S.
Certainly, asylum would save him from prison. apnews.com/photo-essay/...
Certainly, asylum would save him from prison. apnews.com/photo-essay/...
PHOTO ESSAY: In Texas, a former Chinese official targeted by Beijing's surveillance finds refuge
MIDLAND, Texas (AP) — The Chinese government is using an increasingly powerful tool to control and monitor its own officials: Surveillance technology, much of it originating in the United States, an A...
apnews.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:49 AM
32/Li now lives in the Texas desert, with a Christian church also in exile. He continues to speak out against the Party. Some Chinese dissidents question Li, saying he only speaks out to gain asylum in the U.S.
Certainly, asylum would save him from prison. apnews.com/photo-essay/...
Certainly, asylum would save him from prison. apnews.com/photo-essay/...
31/The state harasses lawyers Li hires to defend his family, warning them it’s a political case & the outcome is already determined.
A plainclothes officer stopped me from taking photos at the courthouse (photo below), saying a “sensitive political case” was being heard.
A plainclothes officer stopped me from taking photos at the courthouse (photo below), saying a “sensitive political case” was being heard.
December 15, 2025 at 4:49 AM
31/The state harasses lawyers Li hires to defend his family, warning them it’s a political case & the outcome is already determined.
A plainclothes officer stopped me from taking photos at the courthouse (photo below), saying a “sensitive political case” was being heard.
A plainclothes officer stopped me from taking photos at the courthouse (photo below), saying a “sensitive political case” was being heard.
30/There's serious violations of due process. Interrogation transcripts are altered. The state refuses to provide evidence to lawyers. Details of the charges are secret. His relatives are convicted of receiving embezzled funds - before proving Li himself committed embezzlement.
December 15, 2025 at 4:48 AM
30/There's serious violations of due process. Interrogation transcripts are altered. The state refuses to provide evidence to lawyers. Details of the charges are secret. His relatives are convicted of receiving embezzled funds - before proving Li himself committed embezzlement.
29/Li and his lawyers don't deny potential conflicts of interest, but deny criminal charges of bribery and embezzlement.
His case is incredibly complicated, but case files I reviewed and 9 lawyers I spoke to show clearly that Li is being targeted for political reasons.
His case is incredibly complicated, but case files I reviewed and 9 lawyers I spoke to show clearly that Li is being targeted for political reasons.
December 15, 2025 at 4:48 AM
29/Li and his lawyers don't deny potential conflicts of interest, but deny criminal charges of bribery and embezzlement.
His case is incredibly complicated, but case files I reviewed and 9 lawyers I spoke to show clearly that Li is being targeted for political reasons.
His case is incredibly complicated, but case files I reviewed and 9 lawyers I spoke to show clearly that Li is being targeted for political reasons.
28/Another fascinating tidbit: Leaked docs show that software sold by a former IBM partner to the Chinese state includes functions tracking suspected prostitutes...
(Like corruption, affairs often aren't a problem for officials - until you're targeted)
(Like corruption, affairs often aren't a problem for officials - until you're targeted)
December 15, 2025 at 4:48 AM
28/Another fascinating tidbit: Leaked docs show that software sold by a former IBM partner to the Chinese state includes functions tracking suspected prostitutes...
(Like corruption, affairs often aren't a problem for officials - until you're targeted)
(Like corruption, affairs often aren't a problem for officials - until you're targeted)
27/(There is, indeed, a movie about Fox Hunt, that came out this year. Further back, a popular TV drama called "In the Name of the People" 人民的名义 also dramatizes the anti-corruption campaign)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LNJ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LNJ...
猎狐行动 ｜ Fox Hunt Movie | Official Trailer | 官方正式预告片
YouTube video by GSCinemas
www.youtube.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:46 AM
27/(There is, indeed, a movie about Fox Hunt, that came out this year. Further back, a popular TV drama called "In the Name of the People" 人民的名义 also dramatizes the anti-corruption campaign)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LNJ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LNJ...
26/Fascinating tidbit: A leaked photo of the internal police software used to hunt officials suggests the moniker “Sky Net” was inspired by “The Terminator."
Xi is known to be a Hollywood fan, & state media describes "Fox Hunt" arrests as cinematic, "like a Hollywood blockbuster"
Xi is known to be a Hollywood fan, & state media describes "Fox Hunt" arrests as cinematic, "like a Hollywood blockbuster"
December 15, 2025 at 4:45 AM
26/Fascinating tidbit: A leaked photo of the internal police software used to hunt officials suggests the moniker “Sky Net” was inspired by “The Terminator."
Xi is known to be a Hollywood fan, & state media describes "Fox Hunt" arrests as cinematic, "like a Hollywood blockbuster"
Xi is known to be a Hollywood fan, & state media describes "Fox Hunt" arrests as cinematic, "like a Hollywood blockbuster"
25/Using family as leverage isn't new. In Maoist China, your family background was often your fate. The concept of punishment across "three generations" was common.
But with U.S. tech, police and Party investigators gained incredible visibility into everyone's ties and finances.
But with U.S. tech, police and Party investigators gained incredible visibility into everyone's ties and finances.
December 15, 2025 at 4:44 AM
25/Using family as leverage isn't new. In Maoist China, your family background was often your fate. The concept of punishment across "three generations" was common.
But with U.S. tech, police and Party investigators gained incredible visibility into everyone's ties and finances.
But with U.S. tech, police and Party investigators gained incredible visibility into everyone's ties and finances.
24/Experts say it's part of a broad pattern: Chinese authorities use family in China essentially as hostages, pressuring targets overseas.
They send agents to "persuade" targets to return. They stalk people from coast to coast, using night goggles and threatening notes
They send agents to "persuade" targets to return. They stalk people from coast to coast, using night goggles and threatening notes
December 15, 2025 at 4:43 AM
24/Experts say it's part of a broad pattern: Chinese authorities use family in China essentially as hostages, pressuring targets overseas.
They send agents to "persuade" targets to return. They stalk people from coast to coast, using night goggles and threatening notes
They send agents to "persuade" targets to return. They stalk people from coast to coast, using night goggles and threatening notes
23/The Party arrests over 40 of his friends, family and former associates, including his pregnant daughter and elderly people suffering from cancer and heart disease. Three die in detention, his aunt is released in a vegetative state.
December 15, 2025 at 4:42 AM
23/The Party arrests over 40 of his friends, family and former associates, including his pregnant daughter and elderly people suffering from cancer and heart disease. Three die in detention, his aunt is released in a vegetative state.
22/The Party has a well-honed playbook, sharpened with decades of U.S. tech, that they use against Li. With surveillance across China & databases tracking calls, texts, banking data, it’s easy for police to pin anyone tied to Li.
Read our earlier story:
apnews.com/article/chin...
Read our earlier story:
apnews.com/article/chin...
Silicon Valley enabled brutal mass detention and surveillance in China, internal documents show
U.S. technology firms such as IBM, Dell and Cisco largely designed and built China’s surveillance state, an AP investigation finds. The tech companies deny wrongdoing.
apnews.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:42 AM
22/The Party has a well-honed playbook, sharpened with decades of U.S. tech, that they use against Li. With surveillance across China & databases tracking calls, texts, banking data, it’s easy for police to pin anyone tied to Li.
Read our earlier story:
apnews.com/article/chin...
Read our earlier story:
apnews.com/article/chin...
21/At this point, the central government and Xi himself gets involved, enraged that what they see as an act of betrayal by one of their own, according to four people I talk to and backed up by the Party’s public statements and actions.
They go after Li any way they can.
They go after Li any way they can.
December 15, 2025 at 4:42 AM
21/At this point, the central government and Xi himself gets involved, enraged that what they see as an act of betrayal by one of their own, according to four people I talk to and backed up by the Party’s public statements and actions.
They go after Li any way they can.
They go after Li any way they can.
20/At this point, it's still a local power struggle, confined to Li's home province. But things escalate dramatically when Li decides to speak out again: Publicly, to anti-government media overseas.
He attacks the Party, calling it repressive & accusing it of a cover-up.
He attacks the Party, calling it repressive & accusing it of a cover-up.
December 15, 2025 at 4:41 AM
20/At this point, it's still a local power struggle, confined to Li's home province. But things escalate dramatically when Li decides to speak out again: Publicly, to anti-government media overseas.
He attacks the Party, calling it repressive & accusing it of a cover-up.
He attacks the Party, calling it repressive & accusing it of a cover-up.
19/But Li’s past comes back to haunt him.
In 2020, his friend and ex-subordinate is arrested for criticizing the Party over COVID. Li is called and warned that associates of Xu – his former rivals in the Party – are going after him. In July 2020, he’s put under investigation.
In 2020, his friend and ex-subordinate is arrested for criticizing the Party over COVID. Li is called and warned that associates of Xu – his former rivals in the Party – are going after him. In July 2020, he’s put under investigation.
December 15, 2025 at 4:40 AM
19/But Li’s past comes back to haunt him.
In 2020, his friend and ex-subordinate is arrested for criticizing the Party over COVID. Li is called and warned that associates of Xu – his former rivals in the Party – are going after him. In July 2020, he’s put under investigation.
In 2020, his friend and ex-subordinate is arrested for criticizing the Party over COVID. Li is called and warned that associates of Xu – his former rivals in the Party – are going after him. In July 2020, he’s put under investigation.
18/In 2017, Li is allowed to retire and given his passport back. This is important because this is essentially the system issuing him a clean bill of health.
He leaves the country for cancer treatments, which I verified by reviewing his travel and medical records.
He leaves the country for cancer treatments, which I verified by reviewing his travel and medical records.
December 15, 2025 at 4:40 AM
18/In 2017, Li is allowed to retire and given his passport back. This is important because this is essentially the system issuing him a clean bill of health.
He leaves the country for cancer treatments, which I verified by reviewing his travel and medical records.
He leaves the country for cancer treatments, which I verified by reviewing his travel and medical records.
17/The common thread running through these cases?
The big crime isn't corruption. It's disobedience, disloyalty, betrayal.
If you read the charges, what's listed 1st is always about "forsaking ideals", "losing Party spirit", "betraying your original aspirations".
Corruption, adultery - that's 2nd.
The big crime isn't corruption. It's disobedience, disloyalty, betrayal.
If you read the charges, what's listed 1st is always about "forsaking ideals", "losing Party spirit", "betraying your original aspirations".
Corruption, adultery - that's 2nd.
December 15, 2025 at 4:36 AM
17/The common thread running through these cases?
The big crime isn't corruption. It's disobedience, disloyalty, betrayal.
If you read the charges, what's listed 1st is always about "forsaking ideals", "losing Party spirit", "betraying your original aspirations".
Corruption, adultery - that's 2nd.
The big crime isn't corruption. It's disobedience, disloyalty, betrayal.
If you read the charges, what's listed 1st is always about "forsaking ideals", "losing Party spirit", "betraying your original aspirations".
Corruption, adultery - that's 2nd.
16/
-Former Guangxi governor: Rumor is that he was involved in smuggling rare earths to the U.S. when China was using it as leverage in trade negotiations. Another betrayal.
-In contrast, ex-foreign minister Qin Gang - taken down after a scandalous affair - is now reported OK, in a low profile job
-Former Guangxi governor: Rumor is that he was involved in smuggling rare earths to the U.S. when China was using it as leverage in trade negotiations. Another betrayal.
-In contrast, ex-foreign minister Qin Gang - taken down after a scandalous affair - is now reported OK, in a low profile job
December 15, 2025 at 4:32 AM
16/
-Former Guangxi governor: Rumor is that he was involved in smuggling rare earths to the U.S. when China was using it as leverage in trade negotiations. Another betrayal.
-In contrast, ex-foreign minister Qin Gang - taken down after a scandalous affair - is now reported OK, in a low profile job
-Former Guangxi governor: Rumor is that he was involved in smuggling rare earths to the U.S. when China was using it as leverage in trade negotiations. Another betrayal.
-In contrast, ex-foreign minister Qin Gang - taken down after a scandalous affair - is now reported OK, in a low profile job
15/Take a few recent examples:
-The minister of agriculture: Rumor is that he was arrested because he didn't take Xi's orders to secure China's food supply safety seriously.
-Ongoing PLA purge: Rumors that China's missile readiness affected, secrets sold to the US. Xi was livid over the betrayal
-The minister of agriculture: Rumor is that he was arrested because he didn't take Xi's orders to secure China's food supply safety seriously.
-Ongoing PLA purge: Rumors that China's missile readiness affected, secrets sold to the US. Xi was livid over the betrayal
December 15, 2025 at 4:32 AM
15/Take a few recent examples:
-The minister of agriculture: Rumor is that he was arrested because he didn't take Xi's orders to secure China's food supply safety seriously.
-Ongoing PLA purge: Rumors that China's missile readiness affected, secrets sold to the US. Xi was livid over the betrayal
-The minister of agriculture: Rumor is that he was arrested because he didn't take Xi's orders to secure China's food supply safety seriously.
-Ongoing PLA purge: Rumors that China's missile readiness affected, secrets sold to the US. Xi was livid over the betrayal
14/In such an environment, the question of who gets targeted by the corruption crackdown is intrinsically a political question. If it was just about corruption, a lot more heads would roll.
Instead, it’s often about power struggles. Or increasingly, whether you’ve displeased Xi.
Instead, it’s often about power struggles. Or increasingly, whether you’ve displeased Xi.
December 15, 2025 at 4:32 AM
14/In such an environment, the question of who gets targeted by the corruption crackdown is intrinsically a political question. If it was just about corruption, a lot more heads would roll.
Instead, it’s often about power struggles. Or increasingly, whether you’ve displeased Xi.
Instead, it’s often about power struggles. Or increasingly, whether you’ve displeased Xi.
13/Anyone who's spent enough time in China hears the stories: dozens of luxury villas, obtained mysteriously. The wife-and-husband duo, one in business, one in politics.
Not naming names, but all I can say is that it is isn't just common; it's ubiquitous.
Not naming names, but all I can say is that it is isn't just common; it's ubiquitous.
December 15, 2025 at 4:30 AM
13/Anyone who's spent enough time in China hears the stories: dozens of luxury villas, obtained mysteriously. The wife-and-husband duo, one in business, one in politics.
Not naming names, but all I can say is that it is isn't just common; it's ubiquitous.
Not naming names, but all I can say is that it is isn't just common; it's ubiquitous.