Hey, what's up? It's Gustavo Areano. This week, we're playing some of the Times' greatest hits, our favorite episodes from this past year. And here's one from July that takes a hard look at China's territorial ambitions. Take it away, past Gustavo.

100 years ago today, the Chinese Communist Party was born. At first, small and on the fringes of society,

the group evolved into one of the most powerful, ambitious political entities

the modern world has seen.

China's push to create a new world order has seen President Xi Jinping

crack down on domestic descent

while also look abroad to expand his nation's influence.

And the two areas long in his scope, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The discussion around their autonomy has sparked massive protests for years.

And at the center of these tensions are young people.

Today, we start a two-part series on the Chinese Communist Party's ambitions. We get into the continued crackdown on freedom and democracy in Hong Kong today, and China's growing threats to absorb Taiwan tomorrow. And in both episodes, we highlight the lives uprooted because of it. Two years ago, the world watched as millions of people in Hong Kong marched on the streets

to call for autonomy from China.

Beijing responded by passing a national security law last summer that broadly defined acts of subversion, foreign collusion, and terrorism

that critics say crushed civil liberties.

Since the law was enacted in 2020, authorities have arrested thousands of pro-democracy activists

and shut down a major daily newspaper.

Many people have fled Hong Kong, some to neighboring Taiwan.

Yet Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own territory, is at risk as well.

My colleague David Pearson covers this region for The Times.

David, welcome to the Times.

Hey, thank you for having me.

The big news this past week was the permanent closure of Apple Daily.

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