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Today’s geopolitics hotspots

China tries to silence critics but…

China tried to bully other countries into boycotting a meeting on media freedom in Hong Kong, but it backfired. Instead of cowering in fear, 25 nations showed up to support the cause and condemn China’s crackdown on press freedom and human rights.

Here’s what happened.

🏛️ The meeting.

The meeting was organized by the UK and held on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday.

• It featured speakers from Reporters Without Borders, Hong Kong Watch, and the son of Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy media tycoon who has been imprisoned for more than 1,000 days by the Hong Kong government.

• The meeting aimed to raise awareness and pressure on China to respect media freedom and human rights in Hong Kong, which have been eroded since the imposition of the national security law in 2020.

🚫 Boycott.

China was not happy about the meeting and tried to stop it from happening.

• On Tuesday, prior to the meeting, it sent a letter to all UN member states, warning them not to attend the meeting and accusing the UK of “blatant political interference” in China’s internal affairs.

• It also claimed that the meeting was based on “lies and rumors” and violated the UN Charter.

🙌🏻 Backfired.

China’s boycott attempt didn’t pan out the way it wanted it to. Instead of being intimidated by China’s threats, 25 countries defied China and attended the meeting.

• They included Japan, France, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the US.

• They expressed their solidarity with the people of Hong Kong and their concern over the deteriorating situation of media freedom and human rights there.

• They also called for the release of Jimmy Lai and other political prisoners.

💭 What it shows.

The meeting was a rare show of unity and courage against China’s bullying and repression. It demonstrated that China’s soft power is still relatively weak and its influence is limited.

🌟 Today’s gem

Quick updates

Click the country's name for more.👇🏻

🇷🇺 Russia:

Plane crash in Mali sparks rumors of Russian mercenaries on board.

A plane that crashed in Mali has sparked speculation about its passengers and purpose. Some reports suggest that the aircraft, a Soviet-era Ilyushin Il-76, was owned by Wagner. These reports even suggest that it could have carried members of the Wagner Group.

✱ NOTE: The plane overshot the runway at Gao Airport and burst into flames, killing an unknown number of people.

🇸🇪 Sweden:

Sweden wants to send in the army to stop gang violence.

Sweden is under siege by ruthless gangs that are killing innocent people and children. Shootings and bombings have left 12 people dead in the past month alone.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has had enough and wants to enlist the army to stop them. He blames the violence on a failed immigration policy and naive legislation.

🇨🇳 China:

Cisco routers under attack by Chinese hackers.

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency issued an advisory, warning that Cisco routers are not safe from the prying eyes of Chinese cyber spies.

• A group called BlackTech is using a backdoor in Cisco routers to infiltrate and steal data from major companies in Japan and the US.

• The group targets various sectors, such as government, media, defense, and technology.

• The hackers use custom malware to spy on the traffic and access sensitive information.

✱ NOTE: Cisco claims that the attack only works on legacy products and that there is no flaw in its devices.

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso:

Burkina Faso foils another coup plot by rogue officers.

The military rulers of Burkina Faso claim that they have survived yet another attempt to overthrow them by some disgruntled army officers and others. Four alleged coup plotters were arrested and two are being hunted down by the security forces, who claimed to have saved the country from “chaos.”

✱ NOTE: Burkina Faso has been under military rule since September 2022, when Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power. The country is struggling to contain a rebellion by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL.