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On January 17, 2025, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested Yuanqing Deng, a Chinese software engineer, along with two Filipino associates, Ronel Jojo Besa and Jayson Amado Fernandez. The trio was allegedly conducting unauthorized surveillance across Metro Manila and the greater Luzon area. The operation included the collection of detailed images of terrains and structures without government authorization, raising red flags about potential threats to national security.

In a chilling display of repression, Chinese authorities in Ponkor Village, Golog, have arrested over twenty Tibetans, including renowned Tibetan language activist Khenpo Tenpa Dhargye. Among those detained, Gonpo Namgyal, a respected village leader, died after suffering brutal torture involving beatings and electrocution. His death has sparked outrage and deep concern for the safety of the other detainees.

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.

Hundreds of Tibetans were beaten and detained in February during rare protests against China’s planned Gangtuo dam on the Jinsha River, according to sources and footage verified by the BBC. The protests underscore growing tensions over Beijing’s controversial hydropower projects in Tibetan territories. “Our ancestors were here, our temples are here,” said one Tibetan protester. “It is very painful to move. What kind of life would we have if we leave?”

A bombshell report released today by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) uncovers the shocking extent of China’s destructive hydropower agenda in Tibet. Titled Chinese Hydropower: Damning Tibet’s Culture, Community, and Environment, the report paints a grim picture of irreparable damage to Tibet’s civilization, environment, and the livelihoods of millions across Asia. Through advanced Geographic Imaging Software (GIS) analysis and meticulous regional research, ICT reveals how Beijing’s unbridled hydropower expansion threatens not just Tibet but the very survival of 1.8 billion people downstream.

In a dramatic and bold assertion of sovereignty, Nepal has decisively shut down plans for a visit by the Chinese Communist Party-backed Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, citing its policy of neutrality on religious matters. This move has sparked intense diplomatic ripples, showcasing Kathmandu’s resolve to maintain its geopolitical balance amid mounting pressures from its northern neighbor.

As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, prepares to attend the Nanhai Buddhism Roundtable in Nepal this December, Beijing’s political motives behind this visit are becoming increasingly evident. The so-called Panchen Lama’s international appearances are part of a calculated effort by China to tighten its control over Tibetan Buddhism and extend its influence across global Buddhist communities.

China is set to send what it claims to be the Sacred Buddha Tooth Relic to Thailand, a move wrapped in grandeur but steeped in manipulation. From December 5, 2024, to February 14, 2025, Thai devotees will venerate a relic purportedly connected to the Buddha himself. However, a deeper examination reveals this enshrinement is less about reverence and more about China's soft-power play, weaponizing religion to advance its geopolitical ambitions.

In a damning indictment of China's policies under Xinjiang Communist Party chief Ma Xingrui, Uyghur exiles have accused Beijing of extending its repression of the Turkic Muslim minority beyond Xinjiang's borders. They allege that Ma, despite his technocratic credentials, has intensified the systemic persecution of Uyghurs through forced detentions, cultural erasure, and asset seizures.

The recent wave of corruption investigations in China’s military leadership, including allegations against Defense Minister Dong Jun, has cast a long shadow over Beijing’s governance under President Xi Jinping. Despite official denials branding such reports as "shadow-chasing," the pattern of high-profile purges within the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) raises critical questions about the stability and integrity of China’s ruling elite.