In today\u2019s newsletter: A timeline of increasing dissent as Chinese citizens demand \u2018food, not PCR tests\u2019 and blame Xi Jinping\u2019s government for restrictions they say have cost lives<\/p>\n
Good morning. After days of escalating protests across China unprecedented since Xi Jinping came to power a decade ago, the state hit back on Monday night<\/a>. \u201cThere was a massive police presence [at the expected protest sites] in Shanghai and Beijing questioning passers-by,\u201d the Guardian\u2019s Helen Davidson, covering the story from Taipei, told me this morning. \u201cThey scared people off, which was obviously the intention.\u201d And yet the unrest that has grown over recent days and weeks remains a sign of an extraordinary rupture in China\u2019s political system.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t going to lead to a revolution,\u201d Helen said. \u201cBut I do think it is a point of no return in the relationship between the general population and the CCP [Chinese Communist party], at least as far as Covid goes. There are frequent protests in China. But people who have been living in China for decades say they haven\u2019t seen anything like this since Tiananmen Square in 1989.\u201d<\/p>\n Foreign policy<\/strong><\/em> | Rishi Sunak has signalled the end of the \u201cgolden era\u201d of relations between Britain and China<\/a>, using his first major foreign policy speech to warn of the creeping authoritarianism of Xi Jinping\u2019s regime. Sunak called China<\/a> a \u201csystemic challenge to our values and interests\u201d.<\/p>\n Internet safety<\/strong><\/em> | Social media platforms that breach pledges to block sexist and racist content could face substantial fines<\/a> under new changes to the online safety bill. Ofcom will have the power to fine companies up to 10% of global turnover for breaches.<\/p>\n Ukraine <\/strong><\/em>| Fighting around the key eastern Ukraine<\/a> town of Bakhmut has descended into a bloody morass with hundreds of dead and injured reported daily, as neither Russian or Ukrainian forces were able to make a significant breakthrough after months of fighting.<\/p>\n Environment | <\/strong><\/em>A report by Unesco and IUCN has concluded that the Great Barrier Reef, the world\u2019s biggest coral reef system<\/a>, should be placed on a list of world heritage sites that are in danger.<\/p>\n Media<\/strong><\/em> | More than 70 media figures, including the editors of the Guardian and the Daily Mail, are calling on the government to back a proposed law<\/a> to tackle \u201cabusive legal tactics to shut down investigations\u201d. A letter calls for urgent action against the global super-rich\u2019s use of \u2018\u201cstrategic lawsuits against public participation\u201d (Slapps).<\/p>\n