You probably have heard about the wandering balloon that crossed the USA from north-west to south-east. The Chinese government insisted that it is a weather balloon operated by a private company for civilian uses, and other than that, the government knows nothing about it.
Later, two more balloons were discovered and shot down, and then one unidentified flying object (UFO) was shot down. The Chinese government stopped acknowledging these objects, instead, Beijing claimed it found some UFO on its ocean and would like to also shoot it down. According to RFI, the Chinese government also accused the USA of sending spy balloons to China a dozen times in 2022.
So, either all countries start using balloons to spy on each other, or there is an Alien invasion and maybe soon the earth has to start wandering.
A wandering earth (流浪地球) or many wandering balloons (流浪气球)? In Chinese, the two sound very close to each other: Liúlàng dìqiú vs Liúlàng qìqiú.
And how many balloons ? 99 of course
Erkin Tuniyaz is a Uyghur, but not the kind that is being oppressed in Xinjiang. In fact, he is the governor of Xinjiang who actively participated in the prosecution of minorities in his province, according to those who are monitoring the situation in Xinjiang. On Feb 8th it was announced that the governor is coming to UK and EU ‘next week’ for a visit: many in the human rights community were shocked. Some UK politicians also expressed their ‘incomprehension’.
It is not clear if he will make the trip, as seven UK Members of Parliament are calling for his arrestalt link.
A wandering governor, for now.
The late former prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, wrote his memoirs (kaikoroku in japanese) about his interactions with world leaders, and on Febn 8th, “Abe Shinzo: Kaikoroku” was posthumously released in Japan. According to the Nikkei Asia press,
Abe said he noticed Xi stopped sticking to pre-prepared remarks at meetings around 2018, which he took as a sign of the Chinese leader’s growing authority.
Xi once said he “would not join the American Communist Party if he were born in the U.S., and would instead be part of the Democratic or Republican party,” according to Abe, who interpreted the remarks as a sign of a “fierce realist.”
When it comes to Japan-China relations, “political skill is about managing national security issues while turning China’s market into an economic opportunity for Japan,” he said.
Abe might be very flattering by calling Xi a “realist”, but, Xi has been differentiating himself politically as an ardent communist. So, to me, Xi is just a plain opportunist who wants power at all costs.
I am late to discover them, but I think you might find them interesting too.
The group was founded in 2010 by conductor Jin Chengzhi and his classmates from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The choir performs a concert every six months, staging traditional-style choral works both existing and newly written. As of 2016, the group had 44 members, including both students and working personnel.
The video that got my attention is the song What I Do Is For Your Own Good – The Spring Festival Survival Kit (春节自救指南), a song about young people going home for the LNY holiday, only to be scolded by relatives for getting rich fast, getting married, etc. This is a common complaint by young urban people who find the family pressure unbearable. As you can see, the young singers are attractive, happy, and enjoying expressing themselves. (not the first time they did
If you like their style, they have more on their YouTube channel.