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Crying to Justice Bao becomes sensitive, Protests against the Communist Party of China

Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan. KUCINTA SETIA

News on CCP, U.S., Taiwan

News (1) to (3) / Reporter : Li Xi / Editor : Liu Yuyuan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/4/21/n14230522.htm / Image : Wei Yongliang, a citizen from Handan, Hebei Province, went to the Bao Gong Temple in Kaifeng on the Qingming Festival (5 April 2024). He was taken away and forcibly deleted because he filmed people crying at the temple. (Video screenshot)

News (1)

The phenomenon of crying in temples is fermenting. The video of Bao Gong Temple was taken to the police station

 Kaifeng Bao Gong Temple was once closed due to the temple crying phenomenon. Recently, it was reported that people in Hebei were taken to the police station for taking photos and videos and they were forced to delete them.

News (2)

The phenomenon of crying in the Bao Gong Temple has once again caused tension among the authorities

A few days ago, Wei Yongliang, a resident of Handan, Hebei Province, told The Epoch Times reporter, “I went to Kaifeng Bao Gong Temple on the Qingming Festival (April 5). At that time, some people knelt down and cried, so I took a video of the scene, but unexpectedly, I was attacked by the scenic spot staff. Stopped and taken to local police station to delete photos and videos.”

Prior to this, on March 10, a woman from Liaoning visited Bao Gong Temple in Kaifeng. She felt sad when she thought about her unjust, false and wrong case, and she knelt down and cried at the Bao Gong Temple. The video went viral on the Internet, and attracted many enemies to follow suit, forming a crying temple. Afterwards, the Bao Gong statue was removed from the park and closed.

In late March, another woman from Guangzhou wanted to go to the Bao Gong Temple in Zhaoqing, but was harassed by the local police, who said, "I want to know about your plan to go to the Bao Gong Temple in Zhaoqing the day after tomorrow."

The woman asked: "What does it have to do with you if we go to Zhaoqing or Beijing? Are we breaking the law? The day after tomorrow I will go to Zhaoqing Bao Gong Temple, cry, and make a video to send to the entire Internet. I tell you clearly that you are restricting the freedom of China's law-abiding citizens. Okay, even if you arrest me from Changsha this time, you are violating the law. "

A Guangzhou woman has been petitioning for her rights for five years over the issue of upside-down payments, but the problem has not been resolved. She told the police: "Tell your leaders and superiors that in a society without fairness and justice, no one is safe, and your interests will be deprived sooner or later."

The police said: "You go to Bao Gong's Temple to cry, but you can't take videos and post them online. The Internet is not a place outside the law." The woman replied: "I tell you, you policemen are not outside the law...sooner or later. One day, I have to settle things with you.”

News (3)

Systemic darkness makes petitioning a dead end

Jiang Fuzhen, an editorial board member of "China Spring" and secretary-general of the Democratic Party Overseas Committee who lives in the Netherlands, told the Epoch Times reporter, "'Bao Longtu (formerly a bachelor of Longtuge) sits in Bao Gong's Mansion' is a widely circulated joke. All the unjust, false and wrong cases that hit Kaifeng Mansion will be corrected. Although the probability is low, there are still honest officials. This time it just shows that unjust, false and wrong cases are everywhere, but there is nowhere to redress them. As a netizen said: If there is justice in the world, Why kneel down and cry to the sky?”

"From wrongful judgments to non-execution and random execution by the executive office, from failure to correct mistakes to futility in petitioning, the darkness of the system has disappeared, and petitioning has long become a dead end. You have all the reasons, and petitioning cannot go beyond the level. There are many legal petitions If you do not resolve the matter once, you will be intercepted, detained and sentenced for 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble' or 'malicious petitioning'.

"The 'wailing wall' effect caused by women kneeling down and crying at Bao Gong Temple in Kaifeng frightens the authorities. They are afraid that this will become a disguised way to petition and a kind of self-relief, which will force the attention of relevant departments but they closed down the demolition of Bao Gong Temple. It is just a way to stop the boiling water, which not only fails to solve the problem, but also highlights the bias and viciousness of the ruling group in maintaining stability."

Ms. Fan, a writer in Fuzhou, also told the Epoch Times reporter, “In China today, it is no exaggeration to say that the world is full of injustices. But there are always some people who are still a bit bloody and unwilling to swallow their anger, so they will choose to redress injustices. However, redressing injustices to a certain extent, not only will the problem not be solved, but it will also be suppressed from all aspects.”

"Nowadays, sentencing has become a common method of suppressing die-hard petitioners. It is no longer an isolated phenomenon for petitioners to be sentenced many times. Such a vicious cycle means that the victims have no hope at all, and Bao Gong symbolizes justice in history. As god of justice, it is really helpless and extremely tragic for the desperate enemies to go to this idol Bao Gong to vent their pent-up emotions for a long time.

"However, with the exposure on the Internet, this phenomenon has made the government feel very embarrassed. If it is not stopped, it will become a hot spot for petitioners to petition, which makes them scared." She said.

News (4) to (5) / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/04/22/a103873642.html / Image : On 20 April, protesters braved heavy rain outside Harvard Kennedy School to express their protest against the tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party to the Chinese Ambassador to the United States. (Liu Jingye/The Epoch Times)

News (4)

Harvard girls protest against Chinese Communist ambassador, identity of tough dragster exposed

Xie Feng, the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, gave a speech at Harvard University and was protested by three students. During this period, a young man who was violently dragging a protesting female student sparked public outrage. Netizens revealed that the dragster is Zou Hongji, chairman of the Chinese Federation of Students at Harvard University.

On 20 April 2024, Xie Feng was invited to speak at the "Harvard Kennedy China Forum" hosted by a society at Harvard Kennedy School. During this period, three students in the audience protested one after another, which embarrassed Xie Feng and the organizer.

Online video showed that the first Taiwanese female student to protest was violently dragged away from the venue by a young long-haired Chinese man. After the man took the female students away with off-site security personnel, the two protesting students did not suffer such rough treatment again.

Netizens have criticized why in a free country like the United States, protesting students should be treated like "the Chinese Communist Party's stability maintenance". Netizens have speculated about the relationship between the long-haired man and the Chinese Communist regime. Then the online meat search started.

"Gongzi Shen", a Chinese Internet celebrity living in the United States, tweeted on the Pink” is committed to helping the CCP “tell the Chinese story well.”

Image : "Gongzi Shen" tweeted. (webpage Screenshot)

Public information shows that Zou Hongji and his twin brother Zou Hongyi are from Beijing. They graduated from Duke Kunshan University in Beijing (a Sino-US cooperative university) in 2023 and then went to Harvard University to pursue graduate studies. Previously, there were some articles praising the two on the official website of Duke Kunshan University.

Image : Reported by the official website of Duke Kunshan University. (Screenshot of Google search)

"Gongzi Shen" analyzed in a tweet that Zou Hongji is most likely from a family within the CCP system in Haidian District, Beijing, and beautifies the CCP in the international community under the banner of "promoting multiculturalism."

Image : "Gongzi Shen" tweeted. (webpage Screenshot)

There are also reports on the Internet that Zou Hongji is a graduate student at the Harvard Kennedy School. As the leader of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association of Harvard University, he is quite "active" in the United States.

Image : X message. (webpage Screenshot)

The Harvard Kennedy School where Xie Feng lectured has a large number of Chinese students studying abroad and has many cooperation projects with the Chinese Communist regime. It has helped Beijing train officials for many years and is known as the "Second Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China."

In addition, the Chinese Student Associations of many universities in the United States have been accused of having "very close" relations with the Chinese Communist Party's embassies and consulates, and often secretly carry out the embassy and consulates' instructions. Therefore, the relationship between these student federation leaders and the CCP officials has also been questioned.

According to a video posted online, when Xie Feng gave a speech at the Kennedy School on April 20, three students, two women and one man, protested in succession. They stood up from the audience and loudly denounced Xie Feng and condemned the CCP’s genocide and deprivation of Tibet and Xinjiang. Hong Kong is free and threatens Taiwan with force, etc.

News (5)

The dictator has become a street rat

pic.twitter.com/X47l3FzYjG

— MosesTalking (@MosesTalking) April 21, 2024

It is reported on the Internet that these three people are all international students at Harvard University and come from Taiwan and Tibet.

Netizens also confirmed that the first person to protest was Taiwanese-American female student Wu Ting-hua. After she and another protesting female student were kicked out of the venue, she continued to make videos outside the venue to condemn the CCP and Xie Feng (video link).

News (6)

Chinese Communist Ambassador’s speech at Harvard was interrupted three times by protesting students

Reporters : Wang Yanqiao, Liu Jingye / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/04/23/a103873780.html

On 20 April 2024, when Xie Feng, the Chinese Communist Ambassador to the United States, gave a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School, he was interrupted three times by protests and questioning by students on site. Faced with the sudden embarrassment, Xie Feng fell into silence.

Protesting students: "Xie Feng, you are here to promote the illusion of China's prosperity, but your hands are stained with blood!"

Protesting students: "You have deprived Hong Kong people of their freedom and destroyed Hong Kong's democracy, and now you are destroying my country, Taiwan!"

Protesting students: "Shame on Xie Feng! So many Uyghurs were imprisoned in concentration camps and tortured. Even their organs were forcibly harvested and sterilization operations were performed."

Protesting students: "You don't deserve to be here! This is a free country, you can't bring transnational oppression here!"

Senior current affairs commentator Li Linyi: "As a protest, if it is a peaceful protest, it will not be punished but for the CCP ambassador, Xie Feng, he is very embarrassed. If this happens again If it happens, I'm afraid he would rather not give a speech, but he may also want to put pressure on those schools, but it is still difficult to prevent this kind of thing in a democratic society. "

After the relevant video was circulated to the X platform, it received a lot of praise, and netizens left messages praising them for "a great job."

That morning, several groups including Falun Gong practitioners, ethnic minorities and other groups protested Xie Feng's arrival outside the conference hall.

Protesters: "Liberate Hong Kong and release political prisoners in Hong Kong and China. Human rights and freedom in China, and freedom for all people in Hong Kong and Macau."

Protesters: "We are here to protest the situation in China, the way they (the Chinese Communist Party) treat people, the persecution of many different groups, Falun Gong, Uyghurs, Tibetans and Christians. "

News (7)

Protest against Tibetan suppression, hacker group Anonymous hacks into Wuhan University

Editor : Ning Feng / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/4/22/n14231036.htm / Image : On 20 June 2008, Chinese armed police patrolled in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. (Photo by Guang Niu/Getty Images)

The international hacker organization "Anonymous" announced that it had hacked into China's Changbei Airport and Wuhan University, speaking out for the victims of the "Violent Suppression in Tibet" incident last month, vowing to destroy China The Communist Party "repays blood debts with blood."

"Anonymous" announced on the social platform X on the 19th that it had invaded China's Changbei Airport and Wuhan University, and posted two pictures. The picture shows that the organization is suspected of attacking an electronic signboard at the airport. On the signboard is written the words "Tibetan armed police torture and kill students to suppress human rights, the Chinese Communist Party repays blood debts with blood" and describes the background and demands of the "violent suppression in Tibet" incident.

Speaking out for the students who sacrificed their lives at Lhasa Teachers’ College in Tibet. Speak out for the students who sacrificed their lives at Lhasa Teachers’ College in Tibet. We hacked into Changbei Airport and Wuhan University. The following is our demands and diagram #Tibet #CCPChina #中国 Communist Party pic.twitter.com/jmIv0DHtMg

— Anonymous64 (@64Anonymou79920) April 19, 2024

NTDTV's "China Forbidden News" program quoted an insider who requested anonymity on 10 April 2024 to reveal that in March this year, students at the Lhasa Teachers College in Tibet collectively protested because they were dissatisfied with the school's long-term closure and extreme control. Hundreds of armed police were dispatched to violently suppress the students, resulting in the death of more than 20 students.

People familiar with the matter pointed out that the closure of Tibetan universities originated from 14 March 2008. On that day, hundreds of people held a rally to protest against China’s arrest of monks and human rights violations. As a result, they were suppressed by armed police. This conflict led to the recent hundreds of people were injured and killed, which was called the "3.14" incident by the outside world. Since then, the authorities have required Tibetan universities to close their campuses every March. As the only university directly under the Tibetan capital, Lhasa Normal University has implemented this measure particularly thoroughly.

The anti-communist hacker group "Anonymous" has been very active in the past two years.

On the night of 16 March 2024, the official website of the pro-China China Review News Agency suddenly published an article entitled "Excerpts" from the government work report of Chinese Premier Li Qiang will perish”. "Anonymous" admitted on the X platform that it launched this attack.

During the CCP’s National Day holiday last year, “Anonymous” hacked into websites such as the CCP Military Academy Wuchang Vocational College and changed the homepage photo to “Xi Jinping’s Eighteen Levels of Hell Crimes” detailing Xi Jinping’s various crimes. On the 34th anniversary of the June 4th incident last year, the hacker organization also hacked into many official websites of the Chinese Communist Party and planted the words "Don't forget June 4th" and photos of tanks rolling into Beijing to suppress the crackdown.

News (8)

Lieutenant General Zheng Jiagai, deputy commander of the Armed Police, died of illness, and numerous CCP generals died

Reporter : Li Jing / Editor : Sun Yun / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/4/22/n14231746.htm / Image : The picture shows representatives of the Chinese Communist Party’s military attending the National People’s Congress meeting of the Communist Party of China on 8 March 2024. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Recently, senior generals of the Chinese Communist Party’s army have died of illness intensively. According to incomplete statistics, at least forty generals of the Communist Party of China have "died due to illness", and Lieutenant General Zheng Jiagai, deputy commander of the Armed Police Force, is the latest case.

On 22 April 2024, according to government sources, Lieutenant General Zheng Jiagai, deputy commander of the Armed Police Force, died in Beijing on April 19 at the age of 63 "due to ineffective treatment of illness." However, the authorities did not mention the cause of Zheng Jiagai's illness.

Public information shows that Zheng Jiagai is a native of Shimen County, Hunan Province. He joined the army in 1979 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1984. He has successively served as deputy chief of staff and deputy commander of the group army, deputy commander and chief of staff of the Jinan Military Region Air Force, deputy chief of staff of the Jinan Military Region, chief of staff of the Army in the Northern Theater Command, and chief of staff of the Armed Police Force.

Zheng Jiagai was promoted to the rank of major general in 2011, changed to major general of the Armed Police in 2017, and promoted to lieutenant general of the Armed Police in 2019. In 2020, he was appointed deputy commander of the Armed Police Force.

According to official media reports, Zheng Jiagai is a descendant of the national army general Zheng Dongguo. During the second civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Zheng Dongguo served as deputy commander-in-chief of the Northeast Bandit Suppression Headquarters of the Kuomintang Army. In 1948, he surrendered to the Chinese Communist Party during the Liaoshen Campaign.

It is worth noting that at least 40 senior generals of the Chinese Communist Party have died of illness recently, and these generals are all members of the Communist Party of China.

According to official public reports of the Chinese Communist Party and incomplete statistics from The Epoch Times, in the five months from July to November in the second half of 2023, at least 26 senior generals of the Chinese Communist Party with full military rank and above died of illness one after another, including the former Air Force Commander in General Zhenwu, former Chief of the Artillery Department of the General Staff Major General Wen Jing, former Deputy Political Commissar and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of the Guangzhou Military Region Lieutenant General Wang Tongzhuo, former Deputy Commander of the Navy Lieutenant General Shen Binyi, and Academician of the Academy of Engineering and Professor of the National University of Defense Technology Ling Yongshun.

In less than four months from December 2023 to mid-March 2024, at least 15 senior generals of the Chinese Communist Party’s military died of illness, including former Navy Political Commissar Wei Jinshan, former Second Artillery Deputy Political Commissar Shi Kexin, and former Academy of Military Sciences Vice President Qian Haihao, four lieutenant generals Shen Chunnian, former deputy director of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and Sheng Zhiyong, academician of the Academy of Engineering and former vice president of the 304 Hospital.

Next, in the four days from 30 March to 2 April 2024, at least four senior generals of the Chinese Communist Party died of illness, including Major General Li Xiong of the Chinese Communist Party, Lieutenant General Han Decai, former deputy commander of the Air Force of the Nanjing Military Region, and former deputy commander of the Guangzhou Military Region Lieutenant General Song Wenhan and female rear admiral Huo Ling.

Since the outbreak of a new covid epidemic in mainland China in December 2022, CCP members, officials, and experts, scholars, and celebrities in various fields who support the CCP have died of the disease intensively. However, the CCP authorities have been covering up the epidemic.

News (9) to (12) / Reporters : Ning Haizhong and Yi Ru / Editor: Li Renhe / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/4/19/n14229284.htm / Image : On 5 March 2024, Premier Li Qiang bowed before the National People’s Congress work report. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

News (9)

Li Qiang's title as one of the "Top 100" triggered a power struggle? Expert interpretation

Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s image as the “following prime minister” of Xi Jinping, the leader of the Communist Party of China, is well known, especially since he was dismissed as prime minister at the “Two Sessions” in March this year. The press conference was once again dwarfed. However, Li Qiang's status was recently named by foreign media as one of the top 100 people in 2024, triggering speculation that it may affect the power struggle in Zhongnanhai. However, experts believe that under Xi's dominance, Li Qiang would be scared if he received the title of "Top 100 People", but there should be no security issues.

News (10)

Li Qiang is listed in Time's Top 100 People. Experts: He will be afraid, but there is no risk to his safety

On 18 April 2024, Taiwan's quasi-president Lai Ching-te and Chinese Communist Party Premier Li Qiang were both selected as Time magazine's top 100 people in 2024. Time magazine's introduction to Li Qiang was that while Li Qiang served as Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Secretary from 2017 to 2022, he carried out cruel covid lockdowns, have traumatized millions, completely damaging his hard-won reputation as a pragmatist and pro-business, but also endearing to Xi Jinping. The introductory article calls him "the chief executive officer (CEO) and chief operating officer (COO) that Xi Jinping awes".

Ding Shufan, an honorary professor at the School of International Affairs at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, told The Epoch Times on 19 April that this incident may make Li Qiang feel a little scared.

"Because in theory, Xi Jinping should get this (title). How could it be Li Qiang? From a Chinese cultural perspective, I think Li Qiang would be uneasy."

He thinks it may be that the West does not understand Chinese culture, because this may harm Li Qiang.

"Currently, Xi Jinping has overwhelming power. Xi Jinping will be unhappy if anyone gets a title like 'Top 100'."

However, Ding Shufan believes that this report was done by the Western media themselves and was not actively pursued by Li Qiang. Li Qiang can argue that he did not spend money to buy this honour, so Xi will not doubt him.

Ye Yaoyuan, chair professor of international studies at the University of St. Thomas in the United States, also told The Epoch Times on April 19 that Li Qiang was listed as one of the top 100 people in the United States by Time. If it is understood that foreign media are praising Li Qiang, he will become the master of Li Qiang's achievements, but in fact It will not have any impact on the relationship between Xi and Li.

"Li Qiang may tell Xi Jinping that this may be a means for Western countries to divide us. Then of course Xi Jinping will give him a leg up."

News (11)

Local officials accompany Li Qiang on inspection tour, and official media reports resume due "treatment"

At last month's "Two Sessions" of the Chinese Communist Party, whether Li Qiang's premier's press conference was canceled or the "Organic Law of the State Council" was revised to add a clause about obeying Xi Central Committee's orders, Li Qiang's status as prime minister was lowered. However, on the same day that Time magazine named Li Qiang one of the top 100 most influential people, the Chinese Communist Party’s official media also restored one of Li Qiang’s promotional benefits.

On 18 April 2024, Li Qiang visited the corporate pavilion of the 135th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair). Information from the Chinese Communist Party media People's Daily Online stated that Huang Kunming and Wu Zhenglong participated in relevant activities. Wu Zhenglong is the Secretary-General of the State Council and is Li Qiang's standard travel companion, and Huang Kunming is the Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee. When Li Qiang went to a local area before, although CCTV video showed that he was accompanied by local leaders, the official media did not mention it, breaking official rules and triggering speculation.

Ding Shufan said that when high-level officials visit local areas, they are often accompanied by local officials. This is basic etiquette. Before, the official media did not report that local officials accompanied Li Qiang, but now it is reported that it is difficult for the outside world to understand. Maybe Xi Jinping is considering the balance between factions, so that his position will be more consolidated.

Ding Shufan explained that in order to maintain his dominant position, Xi made the remaining six people compete with each other. Sometimes he would pull one against another. These people may be more unconditional in following Xi's leadership because of psychological fear. "Sometimes I suppress you, and sometimes I praise you, which makes you feel anxious. You will always remain afraid of me."

Ye Yaoyuan analyzed that although Xi Jinping is now dominant, the officials below may start to consider not to blindly put all their chips on Xi, because no one can guarantee how long Xi Jinping will be able to rule China. "It is actually a concept of risk sharing. If anything happens to Xi Jinping, Li Qiang is likely to be the next leader."

Ding Shufan believes that according to the current trend, Li Qiang will probably be able to step down safely after serving as prime minister for the entire term.

News (12)

Analysis: Li Qiang is no better than Lin Biao. He tried his best to make Xi feel that he is not a threat

On 18 April 2024, an American news blogger, Substack, analyzed in an article the dangers of Li Qiang being the second-in-command under Xi Jinping: “Today (18th) he used some very skillful gestures to stimulate business activities at the Canton Fair. But he has the most dangerous job in the world."

The article commented that being the nominal second-in-command to an arrogant CCP leader is not for the faint of heart. (For those unfamiliar with party history, a quick Wikipedia search for Liu Shaoqi and Lin Biao, the two former No. 2 figures, will give you an idea of where they stand.)

Both Liu Shaoqi and Lin Biao were Mao Zedong's successors. In the end, the former was persecuted to death, and the latter was accused of "escaping" and crashed.

Ding Shufan believes that it is unreasonable to compare Li Qiang with Lin Biao and Liu Shaoqi. Because the other six current members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China do not have the same status and behavior as Lin Biao when he was with Mao Zedong.

"Lin Biao and Mao Zedong did have great differences on certain policies later. Later research showed that Lin Biao strongly opposed Mao Zedong's establishment of relations with the United States. But Li Qiang would not have such a similar approach towards Xi Jinping."

Ding Shufan said that after all, Lin Biao conquered the world with Mao Zedong and was one of the top ten marshals, while Li Qiang relied on Xi Jinping to come to power, so Li Qiang did not dare to show the same attitude that Lin Biao had towards Mao, nor did he dare to show his attitude towards Xi Jinping. A very disdainful state.

Ye Yaoyuan said that everyone has witnessed Xi Jinping's methods of eliminating political opponents. Li Qiang will definitely find ways to maintain relations for his own safety. At least during the "Two Sessions", Li Qiang accepted all Xi Jinping's suppression of Li Qiang. He is safe and sound until now. He must have worked hard to make Xi feel that he is not a threat.

News blogger Substack listed multiple pictures of many people taking notes while Li Qiang was speaking and said, "The number of scribes taking notes is worrying because it is obviously increasing." However, Substack also said that Li Qiang likes to drive, but He wasn't going to take the helm. He is now content to be a backseat passenger.

Ding Shufan said that it does not matter whether Li Qiang’s status is higher or lower, because the status of the six Politburo Standing Committee members is much lower than that during the Jiang Hu period in the past. “In the Xi Jinping era, only Xi Jinping was respected, and the others, all six of them, are Xi’s subordinates.”

News (13)

The "hearse" of the leader of the Communist Party of China reappears! Want to foreshadow something?

Reporter : Qin Rui / Editor : Qin Rui / https://www.aboluowang.com/2024/0422/2046584.html

In recent years, some ominous signs have frequently appeared around the leader of the Communist Party of China, and these signs are so consistent that they seem to indicate that something is going to happen.

On social platform X, a screenshot sparked heated discussions among netizens. According to the text on the screenshot, this is a scene from the Tibetan Spring Plowing Ceremony. A large photo of the leader of the Communist Party of China is hung in front of the front of a Tibetan tractor.

The feedback from netizens is relatively consistent. People think this has a sense of déjà vu like a hearse.

People joked, "This funeral car is very majestic," "It has a unique style for funerals," "It looks like a hearse," and "It is recommended to take black and white photos."

Other netizens also said, "I can't tell whether this is high-end red or low-end black", "If this was posted on Bilibili or Weibo, the comment area would be closed."

This is not the first time such a scene has occurred. A few years ago, when the leader of the Communist Party of China went to Tibet, a shocking scene also occurred.

On 22 July 2021, Xi Jinping visited Lhasa and visited Drepung Monastery, Barkhor Street, Potala Palace Square and other places in Lhasa. In the video posted by netizens, the Chinese Communist authorities arranged for many local Tibetans to greet the CCP leader along the road.

When the CCP leader's car slowly drove forward, Tibetans on both sides of the car, dressed in black, threw their white hadas towards the vehicle one after another. The snow-like hadas fell on the black car. The scene was so horrifying that countless netizens He exclaimed, "Xi Jinping seems to be riding in a hearse."

A similar scene happened when the leader of the Communist Party of China went to the United States in 2023.

In November 2023, on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, participating leaders from various countries stayed at their respective hotels in San Francisco. I don’t know whose idea it was, but in front of the hotel where the leader of the Communist Party of China stayed, a large shed was built mainly surrounded by white cloth. On the 14th, a blue canvas was covered outside the white canvas. The vehicles entering and exiting were also covered with black cloth.

At that time, netizens not only thought that the decoration had an obvious "mourning hall" style, but some also found that the sign on the pillar in front of the hotel was also black and white, with two English words written on it, "ONE WAY". This adds to the overall scary atmosphere. Someone said on the Internet, "The most important thing is to enter the mourning hall door."

Some netizens pointed out that the blue cloth added after "building the mourning shed" is very similar to the style of Li Keqiang's mourning hall, and "it actually matches the colour tone of Li Keqiang's mourning hall."

News (14)

China's Guangdong and Guangxi suffered floods and hailstorms, causing heavy casualties. People: No one cares

Reporters : Zhao Fenghua and Mingyu / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/04/22/a103873770.html

In the past few days, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places in China have suffered from extreme weather such as heavy rain, strong winds and hail, causing heavy casualties. Some people said that they did not receive rescue after the disaster.

From 19 to 21 April, continuous heavy rains in Guangdong Province caused floods, causing many casualties and at least 10 others missing.

In Shaoguan, Guangdong, abnormal heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, triggered landslides, and cut off water and power in some areas.

The video showed a man in Shaoguan struggling to move forward in the water, with the floodwaters reaching his neck.

On 21 April, Yangshan Middle School in Qingyuan, Guangdong was flooded.

Cars were also swept away by the raging floods.

In Qingyuan City, Guangdong, some villagers' homes were flooded and suffered heavy losses.

Mr. Huang, a local villager: "This used to be a rice field, but now it's completely flooded. There's nothing we can do."

Mr. Huang, a local villager, said that the flood caused a loss of 100,000 yuan, but no rescue was received and no one took care of it.

Mr. Huang: “This year (the government) didn’t send anyone, no one from the government came.”

Many residents are also worried that this year's flood season will come earlier than in previous years. Some residents also questioned whether the official's unwarranted flood releases caused disasters.

Mr. Song, a resident of Qingyuan City: "The first floor, the first floor has no roof. Basically, the first floor has passed. But now we have taken measures in advance. Many have been moved."

Mr. Ling, a resident of Qingyuan: "It has rained more heavily since the year before last, and this year too, because floods rarely rose to this level before. It was mainly caused by flood discharges."

The Chinese Communist Party official said on the 22nd that floods in Guangdong caused at least four deaths, including three in Zhaoqing and one in Shaoguan. In addition, 10 people have lost contact in Shaoguan, Qingyuan and other places. However, official figures have been questioned and the actual number of casualties may be higher.

Recently, Guangxi has been hit by heavy rains, strong winds and hail, causing some roofs to be blown off by the strong winds, trees uprooted and traffic interrupted.

Local resident: "The trees on both sides (downed by the wind) blocked the way."

Hail as big as an egg fell in some areas, and the bad weather caused many injuries in Guangxi.

News (15)

Trump's hush money trial officially begins, with fierce confrontation between prosecution and defense

Reporter : Ren Hao / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/04/22/a103873765.html

On 22 April 2024, the first day of the official trial of the Trump hush money case, the prosecution and defense gave completely contradictory opening statements, highlighting the fierce confrontation. Trump once again denounced the case as a political persecution.

On Monday (22nd), all jurors were seated, and the Trump hush money case entered the first day of trial. The main content of the day was that the prosecution and defense made their opening statements.

Prosecutors allege that Trump covered up a hush-money payment to porn star Daniels under the guise of paying his lawyer Cohen's legal fees. Because this incident occurred on the eve of the 2016 election, it was suspected of election fraud.

The defense attorney disagrees with this at all. Trump's legal team called on jurors to "use common sense in deciding the case" and bluntly stated that the 34 charges raised by the prosecutor were all word games and contained no evidence of guilt.

Defense attorney Alina Haba: "He (former President Trump) should not have hired two teams of lawyers to be here. He should not have been here because he was not wrong."

On the same day, Trump accused the Democratic government of manipulating the trial to deprive him of time to campaign.

Former U.S. President Trump: "This is a political persecution, which is a disgrace. The order came from (the capital) Washington and was coordinated by (the Biden administration)."

In the latest NBC poll released on 21 April, Trump had an approval rating of 46%, leading Biden at 44%.

The judge adjourned the case at noon because one of the alternate jurors had a dentist appointment for the afternoon. The trial will continue on Tuesday (23rd).

Some legal experts pointed out that in most cases, 80% of jurors will confirm their opinions after listening to the opening statements on the first day.

News (16)

Trump’s full court schedule this week puts him in the spotlight

Reporter : Li Haoyu / Editor : Ren Zijun / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/4/22/n14231794.htm / Image : The picture shows that on 18 April 2024, former US President Trump spoke to the media while leaving the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, holding a news clipping. (Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)

Former U.S. President Trump’s (Trump) legal woes will become the focus this week. This week is very important for the U.S. Republican presidential candidate. It's been a busy and important week.

Much attention has been paid to the New York hush money case, for which the jury was selected last week.

But that's just one of many fronts for the former president, who will also fight in court over a potential gag order related to the trial and the bond he posted in a separate civil fraud case in New York.

The most important one may be that the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Trump's immunity claim this week, but the debate time will overlap with the hush money case trial.

Here's Trump's court appearance schedule this week.

Opening statement of hush money case

On Monday (22 April 2024), Trump began the opening statement of the hush money trial. Trump thus became the first U.S. president to face a criminal trial in U.S. history. The trial is expected to take at least six weeks, starting with jury selection.

New York Judge Juan Merchan said all jurors and alternate jurors were officially sworn in last Friday.

Lawyers for both sides will make opening statements before prosecutors begin their charges against the former president.

Adult actress Stormy Daniels, whose credibility has been questioned, claimed that she had an affair with Trump in 2006, but Trump repeatedly denied it.

A month before the 2016 election, Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to settle accusations of an "extramarital affair."

Although these are far from constituting a criminal case, and the two-year misdemeanor prosecution period has already passed. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg still accuses Trump of trying to interfere in the 2016 election by buying Daniels' silence.

The $130,000 "hush money" paid by Cohen was alleged to be Cohen's campaign donation to Trump. Cohen was accused of violating federal election laws on the grounds that he exceeded the $2,800 donation limit, and Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison.

Cohen, whose credibility is in doubt, in 2017, in the name of "legal services", withdrew a sum of money from the account of Trump's company every month, and got back his own US$130,000 12 months later. At the same time, Trump's company 50% tax paid.

Cohen withdrew money in the name of "legal services" 12 times in 12 months, and was charged with 12 counts of "falsifying business records." He issued invoices and accounting records once a month, and had 24 records in and out of 12 months. The items were not found, so the so-called "34 felony counts of falsifying business records" were pieced together to accuse Trump.

A panel of 12 jurors and six alternates is hearing the case. The five women and seven men who made up the jury were mainly educated white-collar workers, all living in dark blue Manhattan.

Prosecutors will need to convince a jury that the former president falsified business records in order to commit fraud, commit a crime or further commit a crime to prove Trump's guilt.

Since this week is Passover, the court will adjourn on Monday and Tuesday at 2 pm. The court will still hold four regularly scheduled hearings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week.

Trump's $175 million bail hearing in civil fraud case

Trump on Monday agreed to additional limits on his $175 million bond in a New York civil fraud case, addressing concerns from the New York state attorney general about the safety of the funds.

The bond, issued by Knight Specialty Insurance, is intended to ensure Trump complies with a $454.2 million judgment won by New York Attorney General Letitia James if his appeal is unsuccessful.

During Monday's hearing, Trump and his lawyers agreed that the funds may not be used for securities trading.

They also agreed that Knight Specialty Insurance would have exclusive control of the account, not withdraw funds, and provide James with monthly statements to ensure the cash didn't go anywhere.

Previously, the New York Attorney General's Office asked Judge Arthur Engoron to declare Trump's bond invalid on the grounds that Trump and his co-defendants failed to prove that the surety company had sufficient funds to pay the bond. The attorney general's office also said the defendants failed to demonstrate "sufficiently secure and ascertainable collateral" to back the bond.

The attorney general's office first challenged the bond earlier this month in a brief court notice, asking Trump or the insurance company to prove that the company has the ability to pay the full bond if Trump loses his appeal. State attorneys also asked Trump or the insurance company to prove that the bond was properly secured.

This deposit prevented Lexia James from seizing Trump's assets.

Gag order hearing

A hearing on Trump's gag order will be held starting at 9:30 am on Tuesday (23 April 2024).

Prosecutors last week asked New York Judge Merchant to fine President Trump $3,000 for violating the gag order.

Melchan did not immediately rule on the prosecutor's April 15 request, but scheduled a hearing on the matter for April 23.

Assistant District Attorney Chris Conroy said the former president's three recent posts on the social platform Truth Social violated the gag order, and Merchant imposed the gag order. To prohibit him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and members of the judge's family.

The posts targeted potential witnesses in the hush-money case, including Daniels and Cohen.

Trump's legal team argued that the posts did not violate the gag order, with attorney Todd Blanche saying last week that Trump was "responding to lewd, repetitive, and obscene comments about Trump from these witnesses." Fierce attack."

Trump's immunity arguments at the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments at 10 a.m. on Thursday (April 25) on whether Trump can face criminal prosecution for being accused of trying to overturn his 2020 re-election defeat.

The Supreme Court earlier this year agreed to hear Trump's immunity arguments in a case involving special counsel Jack Smith's election interference, but the case was later shelved.

Trump's lawyers have maintained that Smith's case should be dismissed, saying the former president has absolute presidential immunity from criminal prosecution.

So far, Trump's trial judge and a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals have rejected his immunity claims.

Melchamp said last week that Trump would not be able to attend Thursday's debate on presidential immunity. According to New York state law, Trump must attend the entire hush money case trial unless he gets special permission from the judge.

News (17)

Barr: The real threat to America comes from the far left, not Trump

Reporter : Li Xin / Editor : Li Tianqi / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/4/19/n14228965.htm / Image : Former U.S. Attorney General Barr said that the real threat to the United States comes from the far left, not former President Trump. The picture shows that on December 21, 2020, then-U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr spoke at a press conference held by the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, DC. (Michael Reynolds/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr said that he believes the real threat to the United States comes from the far left, not former President Trump (Trump) and said he would vote for the former boss he had criticized in the November election.

On Saturday (April 20), while participating in the Fox News "Cavuto Live" program, Barr was asked about the problems that Trump's new administration might face if he is re-elected.

Barr told show host Neil Cavuto: "But at the end of the day, you have to remember that I served in his administration. I had no problem with his policies. I thought his policies were good policies. "

Barr added that he criticized Trump because of his views on the former president's behavior after the 2020 election. But he believes that Trump's "idea" of trying to take over power is not a threat to the United States. On the contrary, the far left is the real threat to democracy.

"The threat our country faces comes from the far left and the drift toward a true socialist system," Barr stressed.

"In my opinion, (the far left) are a rowdy mob and that's the threat," he added.

When talking about Trump's possible future hiring principles, Barr said: "I think a big sign will be his choice of vice president and what kind of person he picks there. I hope he picks a A staunch conservative Republican who could be president of the United States if they ever had to."

This is Barr's latest expression of his support for Trump as the Republican presidential candidate in 2024. Last Wednesday, Barr also said in an interview with Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom” that despite differences with his former boss, he would vote for the “Republican candidate” in November.

The show's host Bill Hemmer asked Barr at the time: "He is the presumptive nominee - we think he will be the nominee. Will you support him in 2024 (in the election)?"

Barr responded: "I've always said that if there are two bad choices, I think it's my responsibility to choose the one who I think will do the least harm to the country. In my opinion, I will vote for the Republican candidate. I will support the Republican candidate."

He went on to emphasize: "I think the real danger to the country - as I said, the real danger to democracy - is the radical agenda."

News (18)

Zhou Xiaohui: The CCP is harming American teenagers with three moves, and the United States needs a strong counterattack

Editior : Pushan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/4/22/n14231744.htm / Image : U.S. President Trump has called on Chinese Communist President Xi Jinping to take action against the opium epidemic in the United States, blaming the Chinese Communist Party for the drug epidemic in the United States. (Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty Images)

A few days ago, the U.S. House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on the Chinese Communist Party issued a question on the official account of the X platform, saying that the Chinese Communist government provides a 13% tax subsidy for certain export products, especially illegal fentanyl. The precursor product "1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole". This question is based on a screenshot of the export tax refund rate inquiry tool on the official website of the State Administration of Taxation of the Communist Party of China.

The screenshot shows that the VAT refund rate corresponding to the product code "2933990055" is 13%, which means that exporters can obtain tax subsidies from the Chinese Communist authorities when exporting such products. The CCP has been implementing an export tax rebate policy for certain export products in order to obtain orders in the international market through low prices.

Obviously, the U.S. Ad Hoc Committee on the Chinese Communist Party pointed out that the Chinese government blatantly provides subsidies to companies that openly sell illegal synthetic drugs, which has refreshed people's understanding. In other words, the Chinese authorities are supporting the dumping of illegal drugs into the U.S. market.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and is small, easy to transport and replaceable. The United States says synthetic opiates manufactured in China are causing the worst drug crisis in U.S. history. Fentanyl is estimated to kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 77,000 people died from excessive use of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids between May 2022 and April 2023.

Last year, Tyrone Durham, director of the National Threat Center under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said that China is almost a perfect environment for drug trade. China has a large, poorly regulated chemical manufacturing infrastructure and porous borders. He noted that “China is the source of most of the precursor chemicals needed for fentanyl production.” It’s easy for criminals in China to create chemicals, smuggle them out of the country, mix them into legitimate products, and then leave the After entering China, they were transferred to Mexican drug cartels or other drug trafficking transactions.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, there are 40,000 to 100,000 pharmaceutical companies in China. Europol also stated that China is the world’s largest producer and seller of laboratory-synthesized drugs.

However, the Chinese Communist government has always denied these accusations and pretended to cooperate with the United States. However, the Chinese Communist Party has always followed the rules in disguise. For example, in 2019, as part of trade negotiations with then-President Trump (Trump), the Chinese government agreed to ban the production, sale, and export of all fentanyl-related drugs unless special permission was obtained. This has resulted in a sharp reduction in direct exports of fentanyl from China. But then Chinese companies turned to Mexico and sold fentanyl precursor chemicals to Mexican drug cartels.

In August 2022, in retaliation for then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the CCP suspended all anti-drug cooperation with the United States.

In November 2023, Biden and Xi Jinping met and reached an important agreement to curb the flow of fentanyl into the United States, but Biden emphasized the need to verify whether Beijing complies with the regulations.

In January 2024, China and the United States launched a joint operation to curb the production of fentanyl. During the Munich Security Conference in February, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong met with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas. The core topic of the meeting held by the United States is to promote cooperation with the CCP in combating fentanyl, which causes huge harm, and its precursor chemicals and related equipment.

However, from the CCP’s official reports, it can be seen that Wang Xiaohong used this as a bargaining chip, implying that the United States can only truly crack down on the United States if the United States respects the CCP’s core interests and major concerns, such as canceling visa restrictions for certain groups of people in China. Nishang cooperated. The United States obviously will not make this exchange.

The latest questioning by the U.S. Ad Hoc Committee on the Chinese Communist Party undoubtedly shows that although the CCP has promised to cooperate with the United States in combating drugs, in reality it is still promoting the export of fentanyl precursor products. The U.S. government and opposition parties should clearly understand that the CCP, which regards the United States as an enemy to its core, is not only seeking huge profits, but also to physically harm American teenagers and make the United States lose its future, because the main reason for taking drugs such as fentanyl is It's teenagers.

Currently, some U.S. politicians and anti-drug organizations have begun calling for a more in-depth investigation into China’s export policies to ensure that there are no economic incentives of any kind that fuel the illegal drug trade. It can be said that the United States needs a stronger counterattack in this regard.

If the CCP uses fentanyl to physically harm American teenagers, then the CCP also uses TikTok to brainwash and influence American teenagers mentally. Currently, TikTok’s main user groups in the United States are “Millennials” and “Generation Z”. The latest data in 2024 shows that there are as many as 150 million monthly active TikTok users in the United States.

After the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Center for American Politics at Harvard University, Harris Poll and Harris X conducted an online survey of 2,116 registered voters in the United States and came to one conclusion: : 51% of young Americans aged 18 to 24 and 48% of young people aged 24 to 34 believe that Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens are justified.

After seeing the results of the survey, Gallagher, chairman of the U.S. Ad Hoc Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, expressed "very shock" and posted a question: "How can most young people in the United States be so morally corrupt? Why do young people in the United States support the kidnapping of the United States? Citizen terrorists? And targeting an important ally of the United States? Where do they get these confusing news?”

He pointed out in the article that this survey result reflects TikTok’s influence in the United States. Today, 69.7% of Americans aged 12 to 17, 76.2% of Americans aged 18 to 24, and 54% of Americans aged 25 to 34 use TikTok. By adjusting TikTok’s algorithm, the CCP can censor information and influence Americans of all ages on a variety of issues. “It can reshape facts and conclusions.”

As we all know, TikTok’s parent company and Douyin are both owned by the same company, ByteDance, and both accept the control of the CCP. The content they produce is often consistent with the CCP’s position. This is why a $95 billion legislative package voted by the U.S. House of Representatives on April 20 includes a bill to divest or ban TikTok.

Once TikTok is divested or banned, it will not only reduce the risk of Americans’ privacy being stolen by the CCP, reduce the CCP’s interference in the U.S. election, but also reduce the CCP’s influence on American teenagers.

In addition to physically and mentally harming some young Americans, the CCP also targets future American elites by inviting them to visit China for brainwashing.

In January this year, when Xi Jinping, the leader of the Communist Party of China, responded to a letter to his friend Sarah Landy of Iowa, USA, he specifically emphasized that “the future of Sino-U.S. relations lies with the youth” and therefore “announced that in the next five years, 50,000 American teenagers will be invited to come to China for exchanges. study". At the end of March, as a new group of members of China’s invitation to American youths to visit China for study and exchange, 24 students from Lincoln Middle School and Stracon Middle School in Washington State, USA, concluded their study tours in Beijing, Shiyan, Hubei, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Guangdong. Visit.

Under the warm reception of the CCP, and as the CCP tries to use its evil and mutated "party culture" to confuse the public and fish in troubled waters, these American middle school students have seen a "different China and Chinese culture." How many of them will accept it? What about the CCP’s brainwashing? Will they continue to confuse "CCP" with "China", "Chinese traditional culture" with "Party culture"? The U.S. government and opposition parties must not ignore this.

The purpose of the CCP’s three insidious tactics against American teenagers is obvious: to disrupt American society, divide American society, and destroy the future of the United States. Although the U.S. government and opposition parties have taken various measures to deal with the CCP, they have not done enough in this regard, and further strong counterattacks are still needed.

News (19)

U.S. House of Representatives delegation arrives in Taiwan to meet with Tsai Ing-wen and Lai Ching-te

Reporter : Zhong Yuan / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/4/23/n14232003.htm / Image : Secretary of the U.S. House of Representatives Republican Caucus Lisa McClain (second from left), Democratic Representative Dan Kildee (first from left) and Republican Representative Mark Alford (second from right) April 2024 Arrive in Taiwan for a visit on September 23. Wang Liangyu (first from right), Director of the North American Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, welcomed Bank B on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China said today (23rd) that Secretary-General of the Republican Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives McClain and Congressman Kildee jointly led the delegation will visit Taiwan and will meet President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its sincere welcome.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China issued a press release today stating that Lisa McClain, Secretary General of the Republican Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Democratic Congressman Dan Kildee jointly led a cross-party group of legislators from 23 to 25 April 2024. He visited Taiwan on the 2nd, and members also included Mark Alford, a member of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee with friendly relations with Taiwan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China sincerely welcomes the visit of the three congressmen on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the expiration of the Taiwan Relations Act, demonstrating the United States' cross-party support for Taiwan.

During their stay in Taiwan, the delegation will meet President Tsai Ing-wen, Vice President and President-elect Lai Ching-te, and receive a banquet hosted by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. The three members of the House of Representatives are members of the Armed Services Committee and the Planning Committee respectively. In addition to paying close attention to Taiwan issues, they also continue to support the promotion of various cooperation between Taiwan and the United States. "During their stay in Taiwan, the visiting delegation will exchange views with us on important issues such as Taiwan-US relations, the Taiwan Strait and regional security situation."

The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the "Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024" on the 20th. Among them, the "Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act" injects important financial resources into military aid to Taiwan. The visit of the three congressmen this time once again demonstrates the U.S. Congress's firm support for Taiwan and Taiwan Strait security with concrete actions. It will also further deepen the understanding of Taiwan and help continue to promote the close partnership between Taiwan and the United States in Congress in the future and jointly defend the rule-based based international order and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity.

News (20)

Ranking of the world’s smartest cities: Europe performs well, Taiwan rises

Reporter : Li Yan / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/4/22/n14231781.htm / Image : Zurich Switzerland. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)

The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland, releases a smart city index every year. On the one hand, it pays a balanced attention to the economic and technical aspects of smart cities. The other aspect focuses on the “human dimension” of smart cities (quality of life, environment and inclusivity).

The 2024 Smart Cities Index, released in April, showed smart cities in Europe and Asia making progress globally, while North American cities fell in the rankings.

The report ranks 142 smart cities around the world based on data analyzed by researchers and survey responses from 120 residents in each city. This year’s index is produced by the IMD World Competitiveness Center Smart Cities Observatory in partnership with the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

The report shows that seven of the top ten smart cities on the list are located in Europe. According to the IMD definition, a smart city is “an urban environment that applies technology to enhance the benefits of urbanization to citizens and reduce its disadvantages”.

Zurich ranks first in the index for the fifth consecutive time, Oslo ranks second and Geneva ranks fourth. Copenhagen, Denmark, Lausanne, Switzerland, London, England, and Helsinki, Finland ranked sixth to ninth respectively. Australia's Canberra ranks third and the United Arab Emirates ranks tenth.

The 2024 IMD Smart City Index report states, “With very few exceptions, the top 20 cities are located in areas with relatively predictable social and economic environments, even amid global uncertainty.”

Cities that perform well on the list also have measures in place to meet the overall quality of life of their citizens.

“Such initiatives focus on developing green spaces and expanding opportunities for cultural activities and social connections,” the report states. “Of these leading cities, most combine such efforts with innovative strategies to attract and retain talent, Promote selective investments (such as supporting sustainable development) and address long-standing issues of geographic inequality and inclusion.”

Notably, for the first time since the index was launched in 2019, there are no North American cities in the top 20.

Bruno Lanvin, president of the Smart City Observatory, said, “Last year, most U.S. cities saw an increase in the index, but this year they saw a decrease.”

"Some explanations can be found for Biden's 'Build Back Better', which has had a positive effect. In contrast, the impending election this year has made people more critical of areas for improvement."

"Using three-year moving averages (i.e., comparing a city's average ranking during the 2021-2024 period to its average ranking during the 2020-2023 period), a large number of U.S. cities fell in the rankings," the report said.

“This is especially true for Washington, D.C., Denver, and Los Angeles, which dropped 12, 12, and 11 places, respectively, while San Francisco, New York City, and Chicago dropped 9, 7, and 4 places, respectively.”

The highest-ranked U.S. city this year is New York City at No. 34, followed by Boston at No. 36 and Washington, D.C. at No. 50.

While European cities dominate the list, Asian cities are also making progress. Among them, Taipei City jumped 13 places compared with last year, rising from 29th in 2023 to 16th this year.

"Cities must design and adopt strategies that can withstand the test of a future of increasing uncertainty," Longman said.

"Health-related concerns remain high," he said. "A new wave of international tensions has further complicated the situation. Trust and good governance are becoming increasingly important, and artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important in urban design and management." will also become increasingly important.”

“Although it sounds counterintuitive, artificial intelligence can help cities become more people-centric,” he added.

(This article refers to CNBC reports)