The pictures we have been seeing from China have been astonishing.
People using loudhailers to demand democracy – others calling for freedom, their faces exposed.
We have not seen this for more than three decades for good reason.
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Why are people protesting in China?
China tolerates no political dissent. Dissidents go to jail often for very long times. Under Xi Jinping’s totalitarian rule, their lawyers have been imprisoned too.
The protesters on streets across China know what will follow for them.
There are reports that many who attended protests over the weekend have already been called or texted on their phones by the police using surveillance technology to track them.
“We know what you have been doing” is the message. “Stop or face the consequences.”
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Others have already been arrested and could face years behind bars.
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China has been building a massive billion-dollar system of national surveillance to repress and control its people. It is now being put through its paces to sweep up thousands of protesters.
After Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, Chinese authorities bided their time, then rounded up ringleaders using technology to trace them and track them down.
In Beijing, there are reports police have been one step ahead of protesters, pre-empting protests at locations where they due to be held.
There will be a cat-and-mouse game and it will cost many their liberty.
But the Chinese have shown they are prepared to take the risk. Chinese students sweat blood and tears to gain coveted university places in their hugely competitive society.
But in more than 50 universities it seems students have risked all that by turning out to demonstrate and demand change, such is their strength of feeling.
China’s authoritarian leader Xi Jinping has big ambitions. Chairman Mao may have united China, Deng Xiaoping made it richer, but he will take it to its rightful place leading the world, he believes, and he is not going to let a few days of unrest jeopardise that.
But he faces a dilemma. He can crack down on these protests tightening the lid of China’s pressure cooker but that might risk further explosions of unrest.
Or he could ease the lockdowns, as the people are demanding.
But China’s health system is not ready for that. Told their infallible leader had beaten the virus, many Chinese – especially the elderly have not been vaccinated – or had all their shots. And there are not enough intensive care beds to cope with an increase in infections.
If the lockdowns ease, COVID will spike and many could die, especially the old. In a country that venerates the elderly, that could be politically disastrous for the government. Either option could only make matters worse.
Worldwide stock markets have plummeted for the second day running as the fallout from Donald Trump’s global tariffs continues.
While European and Asian markets suffered notable falls, American indexes were the worst hit, with Wall Street closing to a sea of red on Friday following Thursday’s rout – the worst day in US markets since the COVID-19 pandemic.
All three of the US’s major indexes were down by more than 5% at market close; The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 5.5%, the S&P 500 was 5.97% lower, and the Nasdaq Composite slipped 5.82%.
The Nasdaq was also 22% below its record-high set in December, which indicates a bear market.
Ever since the US president announced the tariffs on Wednesday evening, analysts estimate that around $4.9trn (£3.8trn) has been wiped off the value of the global stock market.
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Mr Trump has remained unapologetic as the markets struggle, posting in all-caps on Truth Social before the markets closed that “only the weak will fail”.
The UK’s leading stock market, the FTSE 100, also suffered its worst daily drop in more than five years, closing 4.95% down, a level not seen since March 2020.
And the Japanese exchange Nikkei 225 dropped by 2.75% at end of trading, down 20% from its recent peak in July last year.
Image: US indexes had the worst day of trading since the COVID-19 pandemic. Pic: Reuters
Trump holds trade deal talks – reports
It comes as a source told CNN that Mr Trump has been in discussions with Vietnamese, Indianand Israelirepresentatives to negotiate bespoke trade deals that could alleviate proposed tariffs on those countries before a deadline next week.
The source told the US broadcaster the talks were being held in advance of the reciprocal levies going into effect next week.
Vietnam faced one of the highest reciprocal tariffs announced by the US president this week, with 46% rates on imports. Israeli imports face a 17% rate, and Indian goods will be subject to 26% tariffs.
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China – hit with 34% tariffs on imported goods – has also announced it will issue its own levy of the same rate on US imports.
Mr Trump said China “played it wrong” and “panicked – the one thing they cannot afford to do” in another all-caps Truth Social post earlier on Friday.
Later, on Air Force One, the US president told reporters that “the beauty” of the tariffs is that they allow for negotiations, referencing talks with Chinese company ByteDance on the sale of social media app TikTok.
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Tariffs: Xi hits back at Trump
He said: “We have a situation with TikTok where China will probably say, ‘We’ll approve a deal, but will you do something on the tariffs?’
“The tariffs give us great power to negotiate. They always have.”
Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.
The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.
The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.
The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.
The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.
Image: Demonstrators stayed overnight near the constitutional court. Pic: AP
Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.
The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.
Image: The court was under heavy police security guard ahead of the announcement. Pic: AP
After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.
He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.
His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.
The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.
South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.