Spotlight
ChinaSource Journal: Chinese Public Theology for Our Time (July 8, 2026, ChinaSource)
Guest edited by Jerry An, this issue brings together voices from Chinese-speaking scholars and ministry leaders reflecting on what it means for the church to bear public witness in today’s world. The articles explore public theology in relation to pluralistic society, the digital age, the Malaysian Chinese church, Anabaptist theology, peacebuilding in Hong Kong, Taiwan’s anti-child prostitution movement, and the place of beauty and aesthetic formation in the church’s public life. Together, these essays invite readers to consider how Chinese churches—in China and throughout the diaspora—can become faithful, visible, and alternative communities in a rapidly changing world.
Featured Article
Founder of Prominent Underground Church Released from Prison in China (July 4, 2026, The Guardian)
The founder of one of China’s most prominent underground churches has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States. Ezra Jin, the founder of Zion Church, landed in the US on Friday evening. He was one of dozens of church members who were detained in a sweeping crackdown on Christians in October.
Government / Politics / Foreign Affairs
What Is China Doing In the Arctic? (June 29, 2026, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations)
Countries across the globe are increasingly focused on the Arctic due to its expanding shipping routes, vast natural resources, and cutting-edge scientific research opportunities. China views the Arctic as a critical new frontier for its economic and geostrategic opportunities. Since China isn’t geographically located in the Arctic, it must work with other nations, like Russia, to achieve its aims in the region. However, Chinese engagement in the Arctic has been met with skepticism, especially from the United States and European nations weary of China’s relationship with Russia and the impact of China’s economic activity on their own industries.
China Tells Its Ethnic Minorities to Integrate or Face Consequences with Sweeping New Unity Law (July 1, 2026, CNN)
For years, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pushed ethnic minority groups like Tibetans and Uyghurs to adopt an identity rooted in Chinese nationality and allegiance to the ruling Communist Party. Now, that push has been codified into a sweeping new law that reaches into classrooms, neighborhoods, and homes—and gives Beijing the right to target people outside of its borders that it believes violate its rules.
China’s Moment to Shape a New Global Order (July 6, 2026, The Diplomat)
China’s recent calls for “constructive strategic stability” with the United States and a “new type of international relations” with Russia indicate that Beijing is intent on managing competition with Washington to create the strategic space to build a global order no longer led by the United States.
China Missle Test: What Do We Know and Why Are Countries In the Region Concerned? (July 7, 2026, The Guardian)
China’s decision to conduct a missile test in the Pacific at short-notice has prompted swift condemnation from leaders including the US, Australia, and New Zealand, who have accused Beijing of “destabilizing” the region. The test was carried out on Monday, with the missile reportedly flying thousands of kilometers across the Pacific in what China described as a “routine” military exercise. China has urged foreign nations to not “over-interpret” the test, but it has set alarm bells ringing among leaders and experts.
Religion
Malaysia: Praying for the Chinese Diaspora (July 2, 2026, China Partnership)
This July, we are praying for the Chinese diaspora throughout Asia. We begin this week by praying for Malaysia, which is home to a vibrant Chinese community. In recent years, more and more Chinese have left their homeland for all corners of the globe. As Chinese have spread, the Chinese church is growing, too. We are praying that God will use the Chinese diaspora to take the gospel to all peoples, and want to intentionally pray towards that end. Please join us as we pray for the Chinese diaspora!
The Challenge of Scientism in Chinese Diaspora Mission (July 3, 2026, ChinaSource)
In Chinese society today, atheism remains arguably the most influential framework shaping belief and unbelief. The thought patterns formed by long-term, deeply embedded atheistic education and scientism remain a major epistemological threshold that Chinese diaspora Christians must cross in evangelism, as well as a stronghold that apologetics must address.
Zion Church Prayer Letter (July 5, 2026, Fasting and Prayer Day for the Persecuted Church in China, via Facebook)
After 266 days-nearly nine months—of detention since October 10, 2025, we thank and praise the Lord for graciously releasing His servant, Pastor Jin Mingri. He arrived in the United States on the night of July 3, 2026, reuniting with his family after an eight-year separation.
锡安教会代祷信 (July 5, 2026, Fasting and Prayer Day for the Persecuted Church in China, via Facebook)
哈利路亚！“耶和华果然为我们行了大事，我们就欢喜。”（诗126:3）自2025年10月10日，经过了266天，近9个月的拘押，感谢赞美主施恩释放了祂的 仆人金明日牧师，于2026年7月3日晚抵达美国与阔别了八年的家人团聚。
After the City on a Hill (July 6, 2026, ChinaSource)
As we prepare to release the Summer 2026 issue of ChinaSource Journal, Chinese Public Theology for Our Time, we are pleased to share Brent Fulton’s ChinaSource Perspective as a preview of the upcoming issue. This issue brings together Chinese Christian scholars and ministry leaders reflecting on public witness, virtue, peace, justice, and beauty. With contributions engaging contexts in China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the broader Chinese diaspora, the journal asks what faithful public witness can look like when churches face pluralistic societies, restricted public space, social division, and rapid technological change.
Society / Life
The Psychology Terms Capturing What It Means to Be Young and Chinese (July 1, 2026, The World of Chinese)
From “odyssey years” to “family of origin,” and from “cortisol spikes” to “task separation,” a new wave of pop psychology expressions is offering young people a language for understanding, accepting, and even defending themselves against modern life’s growing pressures. They might not fix the root issues, but by giving people a release valve, they offer connection in the face of shared uncertainty.
I Learned the Feeling of Statelessness in My Uyghur Homeland (July 2, 2026, Global Voices)
As I grew older, I became increasingly curious about who I was. I began reading history and asking questions. Gradually, I came to understand that my culture, the Uyghurs, possessed a language, culture, and historical memory distinct from those of the Han majority, which make up 91 percent of China’s population. More importantly, I began to sense that the society around me was not quite as equal as it appeared. My father was the first person who taught me that I belonged to a people whose story could not simply be folded into the story of China. He was the first person who planted the word “Uyghur” deep in my heart.
The Chinese Resignation Letter That Caused a CEO-Toppling Storm (July 6, 2026, Sixth Tone)
Earlier this June, a product manager at DingTalk, the team collaboration platform developed by the Chinese tech giant Alibaba, posted a farewell letter on the company’s internal forum. It takes hours to read the entire letter, which is roughly the length of a book, but its message is clear: the team behind a product that shapes the workplace experience of hundreds of millions of people has itself a toxic workplace culture.
History / Culture
The Lexicon of Revolution: Tracing the Origins and Global Journey of China’s ‘Long March’ (June 30, 2026, Sixth Tone)
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March—a foundational epic of the Chinese Red Army’s perilous passage from Jiangxi province in the east to Shaanxi province in the northwest, which helped them survive their Kuomintang enemies. Yet, this epic might have remained confined to a localized military retreat were it not for the language used to describe it. In the annals of history, events are often defined by those who name them.
Civilization and Governance: A Conversation on an Inclusive China (July 6, 2026, The World of Chinese)
Through a collection of reflective essays spanning history, politics, economics, and travel writing, Under Heaven adopts a holistic view of history, situating China’s reform and revolution within a broader context while emphasizing cultural interaction, regional diversity, and inclusion as part of a renewed historical narrative. The World of Chinese spoke with Professor Han about some of the ideas explored in his newly updated book.
Science / Technology
Washington’s New AI Lockdown: The Fight to Control AI (July 1, 2026, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations)
The United States and China are locked in an intense AI competition with each country hoping to take the lead in this critical new technology. While initially pursuing a hands-off regulatory approach, Congress and the Trump administration are now considering policies that would limit foreign access to advanced US AI models. This shift comes in the wake of the release of advanced models like Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable, which sharpened concerns in Washington about how cutting-edge AI capabilities could be used by foreign governments and rival firms.
Can China Repeat Its EV Success with Robotaxis? (July 6, 2026, BBC)
In Beijing’s Yizhuang district, driverless vehicles have become a common sight. Robotaxis weave through traffic alongside ordinary cars, while autonomous delivery vans glide along the inside lane as they carry packages to collection points. The district has become one of China’s testing grounds for autonomous driving, with companies including Baidu, WeRide, and Pony.ai operating commercial robotaxi services within designated areas.
What Is a “Token Factory”? What Advantages Does China Have? (July 7, 2026, Our China Story)
When we talk about the “world’s factory”, we first think of workers, goods, and assembly lines; in the AI era, a new type of factory—the “Token Factory”—is quietly emerging. Described as the new oil of the AI age, tokens serve as the “intelligent fuel”. Thanks to its unique advantages, China is becoming one of the world’s most critical production bases for tokens.
Economics / Trade / Business
China’s Cheap Speed Is Resetting Consumer Expectations (July 1, 2026, Chinaskinny)
Chinese companies are producing things cheaper, faster and smarter than ever before. The impact goes beyond just changing how products are made or delivered—it is altering consumer behavior.
Europe Could Prosper as China’s Trade Ally Rather than Adversary (July 7, 2026, South China Morning Post)
The European Commission has been clearly signalling its intention to wage a trade war against China. Brussels’ intent to counter the so-called China shock 2.0—the wave of subsidized Chinese exports such as electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels and batteries—is no longer merely a verbal threat but appears to be an imminent decision.
Health / Environment
Guangdong Proposes Tighter Rules on Cancer-Linked Betel Nut (July 2, 2026, Sixth Tone)
Southern China’s Guangdong province has proposed bringing the betel nut, a widely consumed but carcinogenic chewable stimulant, under stricter oversight by designating it a “specially controlled product.” The province’s top market regulator will first evaluate the industry, enforcement challenges, consumer habits, and public safety before proceeding with legislation, the local government said in an official post on the messaging app WeChat on Friday.
Arts / Entertainment / Media
After Impact (July 3, 2026, China Media Project)
During afternoon rush hour last Friday, a single-engine aircraft smashed into the upper floors of Beijing’s CITIC Tower, a glittering skyscraper towering above the city’s central business district. Footage and eyewitness accounts of the crash circulated rapidly on Chinese social media, including video of the aircraft breaking apart on impact, debris raining down on the street below. Just as swiftly, as local police cordoned off the area, these posts vanished, leaving in their wake a dense and deliberate official silence.
Books
A Tale of Two Chinas (1) (July 7, 2026, ChinaSource)
When, as outsiders, we come to think of “China,” we immediately (and usually unwittingly) encounter two challenges. The first is how to sum up the diversity of voices found in such a huge country in this short, singular word, and the second is how to then avoid letting our own natural biases distort our understanding of those voices. My recently published book, A Tale of Two Chinas, seeks to address these challenges by both taking into account the plurality I encountered on my own China journey, as well as aiming to be descriptive, rather than overly prescriptive, with regard to the political and cultural issues that arose on the way. In two words, the book aims to be, as far as possible, holistic and objective.
Events
Online Book Club Discussion (ERRChina)
Join us for a discussion of the book Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future, by Dan Wang. Now would be a great time to purchase the book and start reading it in order to be ready for a lively and vibrant discussion.
Date: August 5, 2026:
Time: 5pm PST / 6pm MST / 7pm CST / 8pm EST (US)
Platform: Zoom.
Register here.
Pray for China
July 11 (Pray For China: A Walk Through History)
On July 11, 1924, Eric Liddell (李爱锐) became the first China-born athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. After refusing to run on Sunday in his best event, Liddell later set a world record while running a much longer event. Just before that race, a friend slipped him a note saying, “He that honors me, him will I honor” [1 Samuel 2:30] Liddell returned to China as a missionary in 1925, spending 12 years in Tianjin teaching at a Chinese boys’ school, 6 years in rural Xiaozhang as a evangelist, and his final years in Weifang in a Japanese prison camp. Pray for Chinese Christians to emulate Liddell in striving to be faithful and just in all circumstances. One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. Luke 16:10
為中國受逼迫的教會禁食禱告日 (Fasting and Prayer Day for the Persecuted Church in China, via Facebook)
他们虽因逼迫受苦，却因羔羊的血和所见证的道得胜。（启示录 12:11）
特别感谢7月9日承办教会—MDV大华府宣教团契及所有主办、协办、支持单位和众教会的同心摆上。
当中国仍有许多牧者同工因信仰遭受逼迫，当许多家庭仍在等待、忍耐、持守，我们诚邀众教会、众圣徒同心禁食祷告，以祷告托住受苦的肢体，见证基督得胜的福音。
美东时间：2026年7月9日（周四）7:30–9:30 PM
北京时间：2026年7月10日（周五）7:30–9:30 AM
Zoom 会议:862 2831 7199
密码：2030
Prayer 2026: Off the Beaten Path (January 1, 2026, China Partnership)
Operation World (April 21, 2025, ChinaSource)
Pray for China (prayforchina.us)
Prayer Walking as a Rhythm of Life (May 30, 2025, ChinaSource)