The Great Firewall of China: Upgraded

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Global Recap
July 18, 2023 • Read in: 6 minutes

Hello again, Global Recap readers! Today, we have some wild global news to recap. Here are the highlights:

  • 🇨🇳 Xi Jinping orders an “upgrade” to the Great Firewall.

  • 🇰🇵 North Korean soldiers detain a US soldier.

  • 🍄 Were hallucinogenic mushrooms to blame for Janet Yellen's bows?

  • 🇷🇺 Russia amasses 100,000 troops along the northern frontline in Ukraine.

China
The Great Firewall: Upgraded

🔥 Xi’s firewall gets hotter. If you thought China’s internet couldn’t be censored more, think again. Xi Jinping ordered his officials over the weekend to build a “security barrier” around the country’s already restrictive internet.

This is what he said:

"Internet and information technology departments at all levels must be loyal to the Party and the people, shoulder their responsibilities, be innovative and hard-working, and dare to fight cyber terrorism and other illegal acts in cyberspace in a bid to provide strong guarantees for the high-quality development of the internet and information technology work.”

Xi Jinping

This upgrade to China's “Great Firewall” makes it extremely challenging not only for Chinese citizens to access non-state-fed information but also for foreign companies operating in China. Users who violate its rules can face fines, detention, or even imprisonment.

China
China’s foreign minister is MIA

🇨🇳 While we are at it, here’s another China news.

Qin Gang, China's foreign minister, has mysteriously vanished from the public eye for a solid three weeks, triggering a frenzy of speculation about his whereabouts. He didn’t show up at an annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Indonesia last week and also canceled a meeting with the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, last minute around the same time.

Given the curious trend of missing Chinese officials turning out to be covertly detained (remember the Interpol chief, Meng Hongwei?), it wouldn't be far-fetched to imagine Qin caught up in some political drama.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Qin didn’t attend the ASEAN meeting “because of health reasons,” without detailing the specifics. If he isn’t detained, he certainly must be gravely sick.

North Korea
North Korea Captures a US Soldier

🚨 Breaking News. A US national has crossed into North Korea and is believed to be in the custody of the country’s forces, according to the United Nations Command, which operates the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

👤 The individual was on a Joint Security Area (JSA) orientation tour when they crossed, without authorization, the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea. The United Nations Command is working to resolve this incident.

🗞️ South Korea’s Dong-a Ilbo Daily initially reported that the individual was a US Army private named Travis King, but this report was later removed from the paper’s website and could not be immediately verified.

So why did this individual cross the border?

World
Top of the News World

🍄 Mushrooms to blame? US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent bows to China’s vice premier have been the subject of much discussion. Sources claim that Yellen may have consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms at a Beijing restaurant three nights before the meeting. The mushrooms in question, Jian shou qing, have psychedelic properties if not cooked thoroughly.

The restaurant, Yi Zuo Yi Wang, posted on Weibo that Yellen ordered four portions of Jian shou qing and that it was an “extremely magical day.” However, the restaurant claims the mushrooms were properly prepared. Find out more.

🚨 Russia Amasses 100,000 Soldiers. Russia’s military buildup along the northern frontline in Ukraine has reached alarming levels, with over 100,000 troops, 900 tanks, 555 artillery systems, and 370 multiple rocket launchers gathered on the Lyman-Kupiansk axis. Find out more.

🇹🇼 Alarm Bells Ringing in Taiwan. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry reported that 16 Chinese warships were spotted around the island in a 24-hour period, marking the biggest deployment of ships in the Taiwan Strait since Taipei started to list daily updates of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) activity around the island in 2022. Find out more.

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