Editor’s note for Friday, March 26, 2021

My thoughts today:

It’s come to this: This week the Chinese government started blacklisting think tanks like Germany-based MERICS and individual politicians as well as scholars like Jo Smith Finley in retaliation for EU sanctions on China for human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Earlier this week, in addition to MERICS, China sanctioned other European organizations, officials, and scholars, including Adrian Zenz, who is known for his work on Xinjiang. But neither MERICS nor Dr. Finley has a reputation like Dr. Zenz — closely connected to very high-profile research on Uyghur issues. It seems that Beijing is willing to hit back at opprobrium from Western countries with a scattershot approach.

America’s Center for Strategic and International Studies said these blacklistings as well as “the gross mistreatment of fellow think-tanker Michael Kovrig, and the other recent restrictions are producing all too predictable negative consequences for China.” The result will be “to close the door to genuine scholarly exchange.”

Our word of the day is, for no reason other than it’s Friday, happy weekend! (周末愉快 zhōumò yúkuài)

—Jeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief