Germany arrests married couple on suspicion of spying for China (Reuters)
German authorities arrested a Chinese couple on suspicion of espionage for a Chinese intelligence agency. The couple allegedly built contacts with German scientists and invited them to China with the aim to obtain intelligence on military technology. While Beijing has repeatedly denied similar accusations in the past, German authorities warn of growing security concerns coming from China. (2026/05/20)
Leaked: The secret Chinese surveillance program tracking people like me (The Telegraph)
Cybersecurity researchers uncovered that China’s security apparatus comprehensively pools information about anyone “of interest”, including foreigners. On the so-called “Dynamic Control Platform”, Chinese authorities integrate millions of data points pulled from surveillance cameras, visa details etc. to holistically track people. The platform includes a feature for relational mapping, which tracks who someone under surveillance meets with. (2026/05/19)
Wang Xiaodong, derided over Covid-19 handling, comes under corruption cloud (South China Morning Post)
Wang Xiaodong, former governor of Hubei Province is currently under investigation for corruption during the Covid-19 outbreak. Only last month, his subordinate and previous mayor of Wuhan Zhou Xianwang was indicted on bribery charges. Both officials were ridiculed online for contradictory statements during a press conference in 2020. Wang had stated that mask supplies were extremely short, while Zhou had said that medical supply issues were resolved. (2026/05/17)
China's marriages drop to decade low, deepening demographic concerns (Reuters)
Chinese authorities recorded nearly 1.7 million marriage registrations during the first quarter of 2026. This number is down by 6.2% year-on-year and has halved since 2017. As most couples decide to have children only once they are married, low marriage registrations give an indication that China’s demographic challenges will intensify even further. (2026/05/11)
China state broadcaster reaches World Cup deal with FIFA (AP)
After months of negotiations, China Media Group and FIFA finally reached a deal on broadcasting rights for the men’s World Cup. With the first tournament less than a month away, some Chinese fans had feared that they might not be able to watch the World Cup at all. While FIFA had initially sought USD 300 million, the two sides now settled at USD 60 million, according to Chinese media. (2026/05/15)
Former China defense ministers convicted of corruption in latest purge of military leaders (The Guardian)
Marking some of the most severe crackdowns on corruption in recent years, two ex-defense ministers Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe were given suspended death penalties for bribery. Their sentences are expected to be commuted to life imprisonment and should probably serve as a warning to other generals in the armed forces that nobody is safe from purges. (2026/05/08)