December 29 - January 4
China
Prosecutors in Wenzhou People's formally charged 39 members of the Ming family crime group with fraud, intentional murder, intentional injury, illegal detention, operating a casino, drug trafficking, and organizing prostitution. The group based itself in northern Myanmar’s Kokang Self-Administered Zone and is accused of running a massive telecom scam operation against Chinese citizens, often using trafficked or coerced Chinese workers. The Myanmar military said the head of the family, Ming Xuechang, committed suicide after being captured in November.
The Commerce Ministry added 28 US companies to its export control list, meaning they are barred from buying dual-use items from China. The 28 include General Dynamics, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and Lockheed Martin. In addition, the ministry added ten US companies involved in arms sales to Taiwan to an unreliable entities list, meaning they are barred from exporting to, importing from, or investing in China.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is seeking public comments on a draft regulation for the cross-border flow of personal information (《个人信息出境个人信息保护认证办法（征求意见稿）》). The regulation will govern transfers of personal information data collected from within China to overseas destinations, downloading and accessing personal information stored within China by overseas institutions and individuals, and overseas processing of personal information data in China.
The US-based website China Digital Times published a list of the most notable censored content from the Chinese internet in 2024. Many of the censored articles and commentaries touch on legal rights and violations of law.
Hong Kong
Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said the current term has seen a faster pace of processing bills but this does not equate to a lack of oversight. Asked in a radio program to comment on the LegCo greenlighting all government funding requests, Leung said being an effective legislature does not solely entail obstructing progress. Since major changes in the composition and election of LegCo in 2021, the body no longer has any lawmakers from pro-democracy parties.
Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho estimated the city will lose about 33,000 sub-standard subdivided housing units and retain about 80,000 “acceptable basic housing units” if proposed new requirements are put into place. Ho wrote in an op-ed published in the South China Morning Post that a bill codifying the new scheme is set to be introduced to the legislature soon after a stakeholder consultation ends on February 10. The proposal is controversial because Hong Kong has a severe housing shortage, creating demand even for tiny, dangerous flats.
Japan
Nippon Steel Corp. was reported to be preparing a lawsuit in response to US President Joe Biden's decision to block its $14.1 billion takeover of United States Steel Corp. Nippon Steel, the world's fourth-largest steelmaker, and the smaller US Steel said in a joint statement that the US government’s review of their deal was “manipulated to advance President Biden's political agenda.” The companies are expected to argue in court that Biden did not present sufficient evidence to prove the acquisition poses a threat to US national security, and that his decision violates due process under the US Constitution and the law governing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews inbound investment for national security concerns.
Former US officials and security experts said the rejection of Nippon Steel’s acquisition continues a global trend of broadening use of national security exceptions to trade and investment. Japan is one of the United States’ closest allies and the largest source of foreign direct investment in the US.
The mayors of some of Tokyo's 23 special wards requested the national government to grant same-sex couples greater rights, such as health insurance coverage for dependents. Two wards, Setagaya and Nakano, launched initiatives in November to register the relationships of same-sex couples in the same way as for common-law couples.
Koreas
Officials attempting to detain President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning and search his residence in Seoul were blocked for more than five hours by the Presidential Security Service (PSS) and soldiers, and eventually gave up. Yoon, whose powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14, has refused to cooperate with an investigation into whether his short-lived Dec. 3 declaration of martial law amounted to rebellion. Investigators accused the PSS of obstruction of official duties for its role in the standoff, and opposition politicians called on Acting President Choi Sang-mok to order the PSS to cooperate.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok appointed two justices to the Constitutional Court, leaving just one vacancy on the nine-justice court as it weighs whether to uphold the National Assembly’s vote to impeach Yoon. A court spokesperson said it hopes that a ninth justice will be appointed soon. By law, at least six votes are required to uphold an impeachment motion.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s lawyers asked the Constitutional Court to issue an injunction against detaining the president. At a preliminary hearing, they also said a lengthy trial with many witnesses would be needed to decide whether the National Assembly’s Dec. 14 impeachment vote should stand. In written submissions, Yoon’s lawyers argued that he should have immunity from prosecution because declaring martial law is within the president’s powers. Yoon remains president until the court confirms the impeachment. On Jan. 4, tens of thousands of Koreans joined competing protests supporting and opposing Yoon as the power struggle continued.
Taiwan
The Taipei District Court ordered that former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and his three co-defendants be returned to detention. Ko has been indicted on corruption and other charges. The district court released him last week on bail but days later the High Court overruled the decision, citing concerns about witness tampering and collusion.
The Ministry of Justice said it has approved 5,275 requests to exonerate victims of judicial and administrative wrongdoing during the period of authoritarian rule in Taiwan. The ministry took over this role when the Transitional Justice Commission was dissolved in May 2022.