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The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has escalated its war on Tibetan religion and culture, abducting one of Tibet’s most respected Buddhist scholars under the cover of darkness. Geshe Lharampa Kunchok Chodak, abbot of Hortsang Kirti Monastery, was taken in a midnight raid by armed Chinese security forces. His residence was ransacked, and monastery documents were seized. No charges have been announced, no explanation given, he has simply vanished into the black hole of China’s secret detention system.

In a rare act of defiance, a protest banner was displayed in Xinhua County, Hunan province, calling for democracy and the end of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s rule. The banner, hung from a pedestrian footbridge, bore slogans advocating for democratic elections and the ousting of Xi, reminiscent of the 2022 ‘Bridge Man’ protest in Beijing.

China's recent release of a white paper titled “Human Rights in Xizang in the New Era” on March 28 has sparked renewed international criticism over its policies toward Tibet, particularly in cultural, educational, and religious affairs. Presented by the State Council Information Office in Lhasa, the document seeks to highlight China's development efforts in Tibet, yet has been accused of masking ongoing human rights abuses.

In a significant development for global diplomacy and democratic solidarity, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) has officially welcomed Taiwan as a member during its fourth annual summit held in Taipei on July 30. This move marks a historic moment in international politics, underscoring the growing global resistance to China's policies.

Recent reports highlight a significant escalation in China's control over Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, the world’s largest Tibetan Buddhist study center located in Serthar County, within Tibet’s traditional Kham province, now part of Sichuan Province. Around 400 military personnel and helicopter surveillance were deployed on December 20, 2024, signaling heightened state control over this iconic site.

Arc’teryx was founded in 1989 in Vancouver, but today it is owned by Anta Sports, a Hong Kong-listed giant with deep ties to Beijing. Anta has built its empire on securing favor in the Chinese domestic market, making Arc’teryx part of a broader portfolio of brands being promoted aggressively in China. Arc’teryx has come under fire after staging a massive fireworks display in Tibet’s fragile Himalayan region. What the company called “art” quickly revealed itself as a reckless stunt—one that not only contradicted Arc’teryx’s conservationist image but also exposed Beijing’s exploitative use of Tibet as a stage for propaganda.

Shaksgam shows the limits of that progress. It proves that even when one corner of the relationship is being cooled, another is being heated sometimes deliberately, sometimes opportunistically, always with the same outcome: India is kept reacting, never simply building. For ordinary Indians, this isn’t about abstract mistrust. It is about the soldier who stands through a Ladakh night where the wind can kill. It is about families who still carry 2020 in their bones. It is about Ladakhi communities watching maps and roads and “corridors” tighten around them. It is about the quiet fear that the next “incident” will again arrive after a round of talks that promised calm.

On June 16, 2025, Chinese authorities sentenced Sherab, the abbot of Yena Monastery, to four years in prison. Gonpo, the monastery’s chief administrator, received a three-year sentence. Both men were charged for leading peaceful protests against the construction of the massive Gangtuo hydropower dam project a part of China’s 13-dam cascade planned for the upper reaches of the Drichu.

Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the Tibetan President in Exile, provided insights into ongoing back-channel negotiations with China and outlined the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) strategic plans. The discussions come amid broader geopolitical issues, including China's renaming of territories and the historical role of Tibetan soldiers in Indian wars.

OpenAI has revealed that Chinese groups are increasingly using its AI tools—like ChatGPT—for covert operations online, including spreading political propaganda and supporting cyberattacks. In...