America is in turmoil. Pro-Palestinian protests are spreading like wildfire across US campuses. To the outside world, something else is even more upsetting: US politicians' reactions to the unrest. One, incredibly, compares the outbursts of demonstrations to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, calling them a textbook case of a plot to "overthrow a democracy", without mentioning that the only weapons in the hands of students are tents and banners. Opportunistically, Trump blames Biden for the anti-Israeli campaigns.

On April 11 local time, Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee (representing Ohio), wrote to President Biden, urging him to " take bold, aggressive action and to permanently ban EVs produced by Chinese companies or whatever subsidiaries they establish to conceal their origins." This is the strongest statement made by U.S. lawmakers on this issue to date.

Amid escalating tensions in Sino-Philippine relations, ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, especially Cambodia appear to be more prominent, positive and prosperous – due to the politicizing of the U.S.

There are few coincidences in politics. The United States and the mainstream media its influences are the masters of depicting world events in a theatrical-like fashion. That is, the ability to create a stage show of a "problem" with amplified coverage, to manufacture outrage and attention, and then of course to parachute their own foreign policy proposals in as the solution. I have learned this through experience.

2024 is a significant year marking the 10th anniversary of a holistic approach to national security, together with the enactment of Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, well-known as Article 23. In the remarkable year, Xia Baolong, the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, gave a video address on National Security Education Day, emphasizing the importance of sharpening the city's competitive edges amid the changing landscape.

There is a well-known saying that goes "a week is a long time in politics." The saying refers to the reality that politics is in many instances, unpredictable. One thing can happen, and we can draw conclusions or assumptions from it that things are heading in a certain direction or will be limited to a certain paradigm, only for suddenly something else to happen, randomly and unforeseen, which challenges everything we assumed and leads to a completely different outcome if not world.

Is China undergoing a shift in diplomacy and foreign policy? If this shift is significant, it must be critically examined. An article titled, "Proactive diplomacy" which reported what Wang Yi said in his press conference, provides a basis for discussion.

On April 11, an extraordinary trial concluded in the District Court (DCCC 210/2023). Joseph John, also known as Wong Kin-chung, who holds a Hong Kong permanent identity card as well as a Portuguese passport, pleaded guilty to an offense of conspiring to incite others to commit secession through online posts. He styled himself the "president" of the "Hong Kong Independence Party", and operated its Facebook and other social media accounts, including a United Kingdom-registered website.

Disparaging China has not only become an American disease, but an American epidemic. This hopelessly polarized country now has only one thing in common: antipathy towards China. Even for a Russia at war, it still boasts apologists in America, of which Donald Trump is the most prominent. But China haters, alarmingly, are becoming the fastest growing demographic in the US.

On Thursday the BBC run a feature piece on the decline of China's manufacturing in the city of Dongguan, Guangdong province. Now while of course the BBC has frequently sought to depict China pessimistically wherever possible, the article raised some interesting points.

Although the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) is undoubtedly robust, it would be of little value if it did not cover all bases. It contains a comprehensive set of laws, which nicely complement the regime created by the National Security Law for Hong Kong (NSL) in 2020. With its enactment, the process of ensuring national security and the security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is complete, and economic development can now be prioritized.

Must land border or maritime disputes necessarily lead to violent conflicts? The case of the China-Philippines may be one that warrants serious discussions – for better border management. Amid escalations both in terms of frequency and duration of physical conflicts, the following newspaper article may provide a model for China and the Philippines to peacefully resolve their current disputes through what I call "durian diplomacy".

The last time when French President Emmanuel Macron visited China, President Xi Jinping took him to Guang Dong, where Xi and his late father have been building their legacy, the Greater Bay Area mega project; this time around, German Chancellor Scholz toured the ancient mountain city of Chongqing with young architects – and was on a boat cruise going down the famed Yangtze River, which was made even more famous by the Tang Dynasty great Chinese poet Li Bei (701-762) whose poem "Boating Downstream to Jiang Ling" is among the world's most beloved and popular piece of poetry.

The Financial Times has described Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official visit to the United States, which is mired in the "black gold" scandal, as the most significant upgrade to the US-Japan relationship in more than 60 years. The "biggest upgrade" to the US-Japan alliance is a dangerous anti-China game.

National security is a crucial cornerstone for the prosperity of a country, and the stability of its people is the most fundamental and common aspiration and demand. Whether they are local residents or friends from overseas, ensuring the protection of people's lives, properties, and livelihood stability is their basic expectation from the government and the country.