ChinaNU+ Winter 2025 edition

With great anticipation, we started two years ago with ChinaNU+, the digital version of the VNC magazine that had always been read in print. With a sense of wonder and admittedly, admiration we look back on the past two years. For eight issues, we managed to work with a team of enthusiastic regular editors and find guest contributors when needed. Those eight issues seemed to come together almost effortlessly, filled with a wide range of interesting topics, all centred on China.

For the upcoming holidays, we have compiled the December issue of ChinaNU+. Some of these articles were previously published on the VNC website, and the issue is now complete with the latest additions.

Over the past two years, we have come to realise that it is actually a shame to publish only four issues a year. Why wait to publish an article about rare earths when the topic is right in the spotlight? The digital format invites us to publish more frequently and keep our members better informed. In 2026, we will continue evolving both the format and the frequency of our publications.

For two years, I have combined the roles of VNC chair and acting editor-in-chief. From 2026 onwards, Marilou den Outer will join us as our new editor-in-chief. She ran her own China website, De Gele Draak, for many years, and we are very pleased with the enthusiasm, journalistic expertise, and China connections she brings. I am happy to pass the baton to Marilou so that I can focus again on other tasks within the VNC. I will, however, remain involved with the editorial team.

For now, we wish you happy holidays and enjoyable reading.

Monique Knapen – interim editor-in-chief