China has once again emerged as the world’s biggest jailer of writers amid an intensifying crackdown on free speech and dissent , according to a report from PEN America. At least 401 writers across 44 countries were jailed in 2025, an increase from 375 writers in 40 countries the year before, the organisation's Freedom to Write Index found. There has been a 69 per cent rise in jailing of writers globally in the past seven years, which underscores the alarming escalation in suppression of dissent, the report stated. China has been the biggest jailer of writers consistently for the past seven years, with 119 authors arrested for writing on democracy, criticising the Chinese Communist Party, and promoting ethnic minority language and culture. The report was released as US president Donald Trump was about to set out on a two-day visit to China , where he is stated to discuss Taiwan and the case of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai with president Xi Jinping.…