June 29-July 5
China
The Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate jointly issued a document that says criminal suspects and defendants must be allowed to choose their own defense counsel and should not be forced to accept government-appointed lawyers. In recent years, local authorities have frequently appointed defense counsel for defendants in politically sensitive cases, displacing lawyers hired by the defendants’ families.
In late June the National People’s Congress Standing Committee approved revisions to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law (中华人民共和国反不正当竞争法) that, among other things, prohibit platform operators from compelling their vendors to sell items at below cost price. Other changes include adding protection for well-known unregistered marks; prohibiting the use of others’ trademarks as business names or search keywords; broadening trade secret protections; banning companies from using algorithms to unfairly direct traffic away from rivals; and adding an extraterritorial jurisdiction provision. A detailed analysis of the revised law can be found here. Its text and legislative history can be found here.
A crackdown on online gay erotic literature that began in February has resulted in the arrests of at least 30 writers, nearly all women in their 20s. They published their work on Haitang Literature City, a Taiwan-hosted adults-only platform. Erotic material that draws more than 5,000 clicks is deemed a criminal offense. Many of the arrests are being made by police in one city, Lanzhou, who are summoning authors from across China to present themselves for questioning, leading to speculation that they are trying to raise money through fines.
China sanctioned the former majority leader of the Philippine Senate, Francis Tolentino, for authoring bills that reaffirmed the Philippines’ territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea. In a statement, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Tolentino an “anti-China” politician and barred him from entering China, including Hong Kong and Macau.
A US judge ruled that China’s Huawei Technologies, a leading telecoms equipment company, must face criminal charges in the US in a wide reaching case alleging it stole technology and engaged in racketeering, wire and bank fraud and other crimes.
The US Justice Department charged two Chinese nationals with acting as agents of the People’s Republic of China. The department alleged that the two facilitated a dead-drop payment of at least $10,000 from China’s Ministry of State Security to an unidentified informant, took photographs inside a naval base, and participated in efforts to recruit US military service members. The suspects, who were arrested in Oregon and Texas, respectively, are charged with violating the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
Hong Kong
Local officials marked the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule (only July 1) and fifth anniversary of the National Security Law (on June 30) by warning against “soft resistance” (软对抗), the government’s term for public expressions of dissatisfaction with official policy. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam told HK01, an online news platform, that “you cannot say that just because it doesn't violate the law, you can ignore it” (唔可以話，唔違反法律就可以漠視佢). In recent weeks, several senior leaders including Chief Executive John Lee have spoken about the need to crush “soft resistance.”
The League of Social Democrats, one of Hong Kong’s last active pro-democracy groups, confirmed that it is disbanding. “In the face of immense political pressure ... we have no choice but to announce our dissolution,” party Chair Chan Po-ying (陳寶瑩) told a news conference. The left-wing party was founded in 2006 by prominent democracy advocates including “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung (梁國雄) and Wong Yuk-man (黃毓民). It once held three legislative seats and was known for its small-scale street protests, petition drives, and other grassroots activism.
The government Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau submitted a proposal to the Legislative Council that would allow registration for same-sex adult couples who have married or formed civil partnerships or civil unions overseas, provided these relationships were legally recognized in those jurisdictions and one of them is a Hong Kong resident. Hong Kong does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil partnerships, but in 2023, the Court of Final Appeal ordered the government to create a framework for protecting same-sex couples’ legal rights. The proposed legislation falls short of that.
The Legislative Council Panel on Security outlined plans to revise Hong Kong’s prison rules to safeguard national security. The proposed changes would give the Correctional Services Department more power to block visits that are deemed to be a threat to national security, including those from religious leaders, lawyers, and doctors. The government said that in the past some visitors have abused their access to influence inmates and incite resistance to prison authorities.
Japan
China lifted a ban on seafood imports from 37 of Japan’s 47 prefectures. The ban was imposed two years ago due to concerns - which the Japanese government said were misplaced - over the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. China’s customs agency said its sample testing of the water off Japan had not found any abnormalities.
The Children and Families Agency released draft guidelines for enhanced background checks of employees who work with children. The new background checking system takes effect in December 2026 and implementation details are still being worked out. The new checks will apply to community-based organizations such as children’s cafeterias, talent agencies, cram schools, and sports clubs as well as schools and child care facilities.
Women account for fewer than 30 percent of candidates competing in the July 20 elections for the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of parliament. The absolute number and share of the total are the second-highest on record but fall short of the government’s target of 35 percent.
Koreas
South Korea’s National Assembly voted to revise martial law rules in response to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024. The revisions would prohibit any attempts to hinder lawmakers from entering the National Assembly building and bar the military and police from entering without the speaker’s approval. In December, martial law soldiers blocked the legislative building but lawmakers scaled the walls to enter and voted down the martial law order.
The National Assembly approved newly elected President Lee Jae Myung’s nominee for prime minister, paving the way for Lee to form a cabinet. The new prime minister is Kim Min-seok, a veteran lawmaker and a political ally of the president. Lee’s Democratic Party has proposed to significantly bolster the power of the prime minister to include oversight of key government functions such as budget planning, investigations and trade policy.
The National Assembly approved a supplementary budget bill on the final day of its special legislative session. In an emerging pattern since the Democratic Party won the presidency one month ago, legislation was passed by the Democratic majority while the opposition People Power Party of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol walked out.
Two special counsel teams began investigations into corruption allegations surrounding former first lady Kim Keon Hee and the alleged cover-up of an incident involving the 2023 death of a marine during flood rescue operations. The wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol faces sixteen allegations, including involvement in a stock price manipulation scheme, accepting a luxury handbag as a gift, and interference in election nominations.
The US Justice Department alleged that North Korean agents were hired as remote tech workers by more than 100 US companies as part of a criminal scheme to access sensitive US information, including export-controlled military technology, and virtual currency. The department said two US nationals were indicted and one pleaded guilty; it also accused six Chinese nationals and two Taiwanese of participating in the scheme.
Taiwan
Recall elections will be held on July 26 and Aug. 23, 2025, for a total of 26 Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators. Both the KMT and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have mounted recall campaigns against each other’s legislators in a struggle for control of the national legislature, but the KMT so far has failed to collect enough signatures to force a recall vote against any DPP legislators.
The Pingtung District Court approved the detention of a senior KMT official on suspicion of forging signatures in a recall petition targeting a DPP legislator. Investigators searched KMT offices in Taoyuan, Nantou, Hualien, and Taitung counties and the residences of some staffers, and questioned 15 persons. Several were released on bail, but Huang Pi-yun (黃碧雲), deputy head of the KMT's Organizational and Development Committee, was detained. On June 24, prosecutors in New Taipei City indicted 31 persons on charges of forging thousands of signatures in recall campaigns. The KMT has accused the DPP of politicizing the police powers.
Migrant worker groups demonstrated ahead of International Domestic Workers’ Day to call for the inclusion of domestic migrant workers in the mandatory labor insurance system. Migrant workers, are currently not included in the Labor Standards Act, meaning it optional for employers to provide insurance to cover on-the-job injuries, disability, death and childbirth. As Taiwan’s population ages, it has become increasingly common for families to hire migrant workers to care for the elderly.