February 8 - February 14
China
The State Council released a white paper asserting that Beijing has “fundamental responsibility” for national security in Hong Kong, one day after a court sentenced former newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai to twenty years in prison for violating the 2020 National Security Law. The white paper described the law as a “legal shield” that neutralized threats and restored order following 2019 mass protests sparked by the Hong Kong government’s plan to enter into an extradition agreement with Beijing.
The US government paused a ban on China Telecom's U.S. operations and restrictions on sales of Chinese equipment for U.S. data centers in an apparent effort to defuse trade tensions ahead of a planned summit meeting between the two countries’ leaders in April. The US also put on hold a proposed ban on the domestic US sale of routers made by China-connected TP-Link Systems Inc. and a proposal to bar the three major Chinese telecom companies from connecting to U.S. networks.
The Ministry of Commerce set final anti-dumping tariffs of 7.4% to 11.7% on EU dairy imports, significantly lower than the 21.9% to 42.7% preliminary rates that China imposed last year in retaliation for EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The lowered rates and China's new willingness to let Chinese EV makers negotiate individual price commitments with the EU signal easing trade tensions between the two sides, though the European Commission called the dairy tariffs unwarranted and may challenge them at the World Trade Organization.
The State Administration for Market Regulation released guidelines targeting deceptive pricing practices by automakers, suppliers, and dealers to curb price wars that have hurt profitability in China's auto industry. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued draft safety standards for automated driving and brake systems. The measures are part of the government's “anti-involution” campaign that seeks to shift the way companies compete for market share from aggressive price cuts to value-based competition.
The National Copyright Administration and three other government agencies launched a nationwide campaign against film piracy that targets covert recording in cinemas, unauthorized distribution, and pirated product sales. Authorities also highlighted recent court decisions punishing film piracy.
The Cyberspace Administration of China announced the latest iteration of its ongoing internet censorship campaign called Operation Qinglang 清朗行动, this time tailored to address some themes relevant to the upcoming lunar new year holiday. Targets include competitive displays of wealth such as holiday shopping, online conflicts among fans over holiday television programs and film releases, and content deemed “anti-marriage,” “anti-childbirth,” or promoting gender antagonism. Extended families typically gather for the holiday, and older relatives may pressure younger persons to hurry up and marry or have children.
The Enterprise Chamber of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal ordered a formal investigation into chipmaker Nexperia and upheld an earlier order suspending its Chinese CEO, citing doubts about the company’s policies and conduct. Disputes over control of the Dutch-based but Chinese-owned semiconductor company have disrupted the global auto industry for months. China’s Ministry of Commerce said it hopes the Dutch side will prioritize “the smooth functioning of the global semiconductor supply chain.”
Hong Kong
The High Court sentenced Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai to twenty years in prison after convicting him of conspiring to collude with foreign forces and conspiracy to publish seditious materials. The court found that Lai used his newspaper to lobby foreign countries to sanction China and Hong Kong and published articles inciting hatred against authorities. The 78-year-old will serve eighteen years on top of an earlier sentence of nearly six years for lease fraud.
Eight co-defendants, including six former Apple Daily executives and editors and two activists, were sentenced to terms ranging from six years and nine months to ten years in prison. Editor-in-chief Ryan Law, executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung, and English edition managing editor Fung Wai-kong each received ten years, while publisher Cheung Kim-hung, associate publisher Chan Pui-man, and editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee received shorter terms after testifying against Lai.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang issued notices to de-register Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Ltd., and AD Internet Ltd. and list them as prohibited organizations under Article 23.
Chief Executive John Lee said that Lai “committed numerous heinous crimes" and “deserves his punishment,” while Police Chief Superintendent Steve Li said authorities may appeal for longer sentences. Beijing's foreign ministry said Lai deserved severe punishment.
Foreign Correspondents' Club President Morgan Davis declined to comment, while Hong Kong Journalists Association Chair Selina Cheng said she was unable to speak freely about the sentencing.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk demanded Lai's immediate release and called the verdict incompatible with international law, while Human Rights Watch described the sentence as effectively a death sentence due to Lai’s age and poor health. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the ruling. Lai is a UK citizen, but Beijing declines to recognize his change of citizenship.
The British government announced that it was expanding eligibility for UK visas under the British National (Overseas) scheme to thousands more Hong Kongers. It said that adult children of BNO status holders who were under 18 at the time of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover to China now may apply for the route independently of their parents. The announcement said that Lai’s sentence showed China has “criminalized dissent.”
A Hong Kong magistrate convicted the father of US-based activist Anna Kwok, who is wanted by Hong Kong national security police, of illegally attempting to handle the financial assets of an absconder. Kwok Yin-sang, 69, was arrested after the insurance company AIA told police he tried to withdraw HK$88,609 (US$11,342) from a policy he had purchased in his daughter’s name when she was a toddler. His attorney argued that Kwok had not transferred ownership of the policy to his daughter and had no intent to send her the funds. The court held that the policy belonged to the daughter and as such was frozen due to her fugitive status.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested 22 people in a territory-wide crackdown on suspected corruption linked to large-scale building renovation projects. The ICAC said it targeted grand renovation projects at seven housing estates and buildings, and that the seventeen men and five women who were arrested included directors and staff members of four project consultancy firms and three contractors, as well as chairpersons of incorporated owners of some of the buildings concerned.
Japan
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party won 316 seats in the 465-member lower house of the Diet in a snap election. It immediately formed a coalition with the Japan Innovation Party (36 seats) that secured a two-thirds super-majority, allowing it to override the opposition-controlled upper chamber. In her campaign, Takaichi pledged to suspend the 8 percent consumption tax on food for two years despite government debt more than twice Japan’s gross domestic product.
Supreme Court Justices Junichi Takasu and Masami Okino retained their positions on the bench after fewer than fourteen percent of votes cast in a nationwide review procedure - held together with the House of Representatives election - called for their dismissal. Nonetheless, it was the second highest percentage supporting dismissal of a judge since the first such review was held in 1949. Voter interest in such reviews has increased due to social media campaigns but no justice has been removed by majority vote in twenty-seven reviews.
Two lawyer groups filed lawsuits to void the House of Representatives election, claiming unconstitutional vote inequality across single-seat districts. Hokkaido's largest district had 462,088 eligible voters while Tottori's smallest had 220,368, meaning one vote in Tottori carried 2.10 times the weight of a vote in Hokkaido. Disparity in the value of votes has been repeatedly litigated over the past few decades; while courts have found such disparities problematic, they have typically not called for new elections.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan will continue requesting Russia to restart a program allowing former residents to visit their ancestors' graves in the Russian-held Northern Territories. Soviet troops seized the islands from Japan at the end of World War II. Russia suspended the visit program after invading Ukraine in 2022.
The Justice Ministry said it will consider penalizing sex buyers under Japan's anti-prostitution law, which currently punishes only sellers. The ministry plans to convene an expert panel by the end of March after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed a review in November.
Koreas
The Seoul Central District Court sentenced former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min to seven years in prison for aiding ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol in executing his 2024 martial law decree, which the court characterized as an insurrection. The court found that Lee relayed Yoon's orders to cut electricity and water to media outlets and committed perjury during Yoon's impeachment trial. Lee received a lighter sentence than former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's twenty-three years because Han had a constitutional duty to prevent the declaration and actively collected Cabinet signatures to create the appearance of deliberation.
South Korea’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said two judicial reform bills being discussed in the National Assembly could cause “great harm” to the public. The bills would expand the Supreme Court from fourteen to twenty-six justices and allow constitutional appeals of finalized Supreme Court decisions. Opposition lawmakers said the bills, pushed by the ruling Democratic Party, aim to help President Lee Jae-myung avoid his five paused criminal trials by enabling him appoint twenty-two justices during his term.
The South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will require foreigners purchasing property to disclose their visa status and whether they qualify as legal residents, as well as overseas bank deposits, foreign loans, and proceeds from securities or cryptocurrency sales. The ministry said the measure aims to prevent speculative purchases using suspicious overseas funds. It identified 416 suspected illegal real estate transactions involving foreign buyers last year. Real estate prices in Seoul have been surging due to under-supply.
South Korea's ruling Democratic Party proposed creating a Real Estate Supervisory Service under the Prime Minister’s Office to centralize real estate monitoring functions currently dispersed among agencies. The new service would have judicial police powers and warrantless access to financial records. The opposition People Power Party said the proposal would create over-surveillance.
Taiwan
Taiwan's representative to the United States and the American Institute in Taiwan's managing director signed a reciprocal trade agreement capping US tariffs on Taiwanese goods at 15 percent. Taiwan agreed to eliminate or reduce tariffs on 99 percent of US imports, remove restrictions on US vehicles, and allow imports of US beef and pork products previously banned. The agreement requires approval from the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan. The Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) said it will rigorously scrutinize it, expressing concerns about potential impacts on food safety and labor rights.
More than thirty US lawmakers from both parties wrote to Taiwan's legislative speaker and party leaders urging passage of President Lai Ching-te's NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget for 2026-2033, and warning that China is preparing for a blockade or invasion. The Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party have proposed an alternative budget capped at NT$400 billion and allocated yearly. The Kuomintang said it will not compromise on budget oversight despite US expectations.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) pardoned a woman in her eighties who killed her profoundly disabled son after caring for him for over fifty years. The Taipei District Court sentenced her to two years and six months in prison for suffocating her son in May 2023, shortly after a COVID-19 diagnosis caused her physical and mental health to deteriorate. The case drew widespread public sympathy, and the court and several legislators recommended the pardon.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted former Taiwan People's Party Legislator Lin Kuo-chen (林國成) on charges of publicly insulting President Lai Ching-te after Lin swore at Lai five times during a livestreamed rally in July 2025. The offense carries short-term imprisonment or a fine of less than NT$9,000 (US$287), but prosecutors recommended a heavier sentence, citing Lin's lack of remorse.
The Taipei District Prosecutors Office indicted ten lawmakers on charges of causing bodily injury during legislative brawls in 2024 and 2025. Seven Kuomintang and three Democratic Progressive Party legislators are accused of causing concussions and fractures. Taiwan has a tradition of physical brawling on the floor of the legislature, although such clashes are typically performative. Prosecutors rejected arguments that the violence was constitutionally protected free speech, and said the physical actions were unrelated to official duties.
The Ci’aotou District Prosecutors’ Office indicted 106 people on charges of excavating large gravel pits in Kaohsiung's Meinong District and backfilling them with construction waste, generating an estimated NT$300 million (US$9.54 million) in profits. The excavated area was double the size of Kaohsiung's Chengching Lake Baseball Stadium and averaged 15 meters deep.
Overturning an acquittal, the High Court convicted two men of vote-buying for organizing trips to China ahead of the 2024 presidential and legislative elections that were funded by pro-Kuomintang Chinese officials. The court sentenced borough warden Yao Wei-hua (姚韋華) to two years and six months and association chairman Chien An-shih (簡安仕) to four years and eight months in prison.