2026 Issue 41

The PRC economy continues to weaken even as the country hits historical records for exports.  Chinese stock exchanges are in freefall and economists around the world question the accuracy of the CCP’s self-reported data which shows them meeting their growth targets.

Instead of focusing on these economic problems, the CCP reverted to a familiar theme, lash-out at foreigners who “hurt the feelings” of the Chinese people.  This week it was French footballer Kylian Mbappe who plays for a Spanish team.  He joked about a meme depicting him as the dictator, Mao Zedong.  The CCP organized a nation-wide coercion campaign to extract an apology from Mbappe, his so-called crime was suggesting that Mao… the individual responsible for killing tens of millions of Chinese during his rule… was a dictator.

The New York Times released an in-depth report on the PRC spy that established a close relationship with Jensen Huang, the CEO of chip designer Nvidia.  Jensen has played a critical role in persuading President Trump to loosen export controls on advanced AI chips to the PRC which has accelerated Chinese efforts to catch up to American AI companies.

The Canadian Michael Kovrig, who was held hostage by the PRC Government in retaliation for the arrest of the Huawei CFO in late 2018, introduces a new book, The People’s Republic of the Disappeared.  The book describes how the Chinese Communist Party uses its network of secret prisons, called Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL), to torture those whom the Party wants to silence and punish.