This video explores the long-standing superstition of backroom diplomacy in U.S. diplomacy toward China and its dangers. The speaker points out that the CCP has repeatedly violated both public and private promises, yet certain interest groups and China experts in Washington still blindly believe in closed-door negotiations. The video reviews the drawbacks of the backroom model since Nixon's visit to China, analyzes the tactics used by the CCP to hoodwink Western dignitaries through information control and cultural misinterpretation, and calls on Washington to abandon appeasement and illusions toward Beijing, adhere to diplomatic principles of transparency, record-keeping, and verification, and force the CCP to change using the truth in the sunlight.
On September 18, Study Times, the official newspaper of the CCP Central Committee Party School, published an article pointing out that public opinion has become a high-risk explosion point for social conflicts. It criticized the government for its habitual avoidance of responsibility, suggested channeling emotions through empathy and apologies, and called for incorporating public opinion management into the national governance system.
On September 21, the Georgetown University Center for Asian Law and Boyden House in New York will host the English-language book launch and symposium for Xu Zhiyong's 'Beautiful China' in Washington. As the founder of the New Citizen Movement, Xu Zhiyong was sentenced to 14 years in prison in April 2023 for promoting educational equality and the public disclosure of officials' assets, and he is currently still serving his sentence.
On September 17, the Financial Times reported that the EU has asked China to restrict exports of hybrid vehicles to Europe, setting a 15% market share cap. EU officials warned that if Beijing fails to cooperate voluntarily, the EU will take mandatory restrictive measures aimed at protecting domestic European industries from shocks.
On September 18, media reports indicated that the crowdfunding platform Shuizhichou increased its platform service fee from 6% to 8% starting August 15. Patient families reported that hefty service fees and channel fees were deducted upon withdrawal. Shuizhichou customer service responded that the price hike was intended to provide higher quality services, which triggered public skepticism regarding its commercial nature versus its charitable positioning.
On September 18, a woman in Guizhou posted a video on social media claiming that due to financial hardship and depression, she had given her daughter away for adoption. In the video, the woman expressed resentment toward raising children and confirmed in the comment section that the child had been sent away, while also revealing that she had previously had thoughts of harming the child due to stress.
On September 17, employees of public institutions reported encountering pop-up alerts when applying for entry and exit documents, being required to provide a consent letter from their unit's human resources department. Even when opting for off-site processing, the system still indicated that record-filing was required, triggering concerns and panic among labor dispatch and grassroots employees regarding restricted freedom of travel.
On August 30, a blogger tested the purchasing power of sanitation workers in Heze, Shandong. The interviewed worker had a monthly salary of only 600 yuan, working 4 to 5 hours a day with no weekend holidays. The blogger conducted a shopping test based on a daily wage of about 20 yuan, sparking discussions among netizens about low wages and the lack of social security.
Between late 2025 and early 2026, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were plotted against and confirmed to be taken down. Subsequently, in late August 2026, the National People's Congress explicitly relieved Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli of their positions as deputies to the NPC and members of the Central Military Commission, among other posts, drawing external attention to the rift between the military and the central leadership.