Jiang's party turns a brighter shade of red The induction of the entrepreneurial class into China's Communist Party brings a new meaning to the word "red", writes Francesco Sisci. As the party will reflect the interests of all people, and not simply those of the proletariat, loyalty to the party leadership will mean loyalty to the greater interests of the country. (Sep 11) Full text
EDITORIAL China to the rescue? Nine of the world's 10 largest economies have a severe sinking feeling. The odd one out is number six, China, and Asian nations are pinning their hopes on that country tossing them a lifeline. But their calls for China to revalue its currency constitute an admission that domestic reforms are going nowhere and exports as usual are their only hope. China should stay the course, and East Asia must find its own ways to meet the challenge. (Sep 11) Full text
Moscow and Beijing cement their alliance Military sales between Russia and China have developed steadily over the past years, with normal trade lagging far behind. The two countries are making concerted efforts to redress the situation, writes Sergei Blagov, to the extent that relations now border on a kind of informal alliance. (Sep 11) Full text
China's booming trade in Vietnamese brides Vietnamese women in growing numbers are beingdeceived into sham marriages or sold by their families to men in China and Taiwan. In their new countries, these "brides" are shared around or sold outright to the sex industry - or to a new "owner". According to the Vietnamese government, the lucrative wife business isgrowing rapidly. (Sep 10) Full text
Wanted: a global balance of power China has noted and welcomed a change of heart by the US administration in its policy on a missile defense shield vis-a-vis China. The US now appears to recognize the necessity of a balance of power with China, but that is something that will worry countries like Japan and India. Francesco Sisci argues that a more global balance is needed, with a focus not on "rogue states" but on equilibrium within a wide Eurasian framework. (Sep 10) Full text
China's uneasy mix of politics and trade In several high profile instances recently China has imposed its political will on purely business matters relating to Taiwan. Laurence Eyton writes that the moves, so close to China being admitted to the World Trade Organization, raise questions about exactly how serious it will be in honoring its obligations once it is admitted. (Sep 10) Full text
Investment fair offers over 10,000 projects More than 10,000 investment projects are expected to be on offer at this week's Fifth China International Investment and Trade Fair. Investment opportunities include some service trade sectors such as commerce, foreign trade, finance, insurance, telecommunications and tourism, which will be opened to foreign investors following China's entry into the World Trade Organization. (Sep 10) Full text
Lee Teng-hui has the last laugh After a year in Taiwan's political wilderness following his stepping down after 12 years as Kuomintang chairman, the 78-year-old Lee Teng-hui is back in political center stage - this time campaigning against his own party. Laurence Eyton writes that the Kuomintang is at an utter loss about what to do about him, apart from asking him politely if he might be willing to resign from the party - a plan that has Taipei convulsed with laughter. (Sep 7) Full text
Shanghai to serve as airport hub Plans have been approved to turn Shanghai Pudong International Airport into an Asia-Pacific hub by 2005 with a capacity of handling 20 million passengers a year, making it one of the busiest in the world. (Sep 7) Full text
Healthy outlook for medical services At its current rate of expansion, China will need 5.8 million new hospital beds and 1.26 million doctors in the next five years, figures that represent attractive opportunities in the country's medical services sector. (Sep 7) Full text
Enterprising debtors under fire More than half of the 62,656 enterprises that have opened accounts at China's five largest banks have been involved in debt evasion in one form or another, forcing the central authorities to order a crackdown. (Sep 6) Full text
Twists in China's path to prosperity The strength of the renminbi in China's black market is one sign that the Chinese people have enough confidence in their future to stay in their country and not export their currency. But, writes Francesco Sisci in this second part of a two-part article, there are other signs that warn of dangerous curves ahead on their road to prosperity. (Sep 5) Full text
Korean telcoms rush to stake China CDMA claims While China's mobile phone companies form internal alliances in preparation for selecting foreign code division multiple access (CDMA) service partners, Korean firms are gearing up to compete in the potentially lucrative market. (Sep 5) Full text
ANOTHER CHINA Chapter 11: Peace or war? War is war, whether waged by means of missiles or international finance. Francesco Sisci argues in this serialization of his book that the Asian financial crisis, the Indian nuclear tests, and the US-Japan plan to deploy a Theater Missile Defense shield are linked in a geopolitical struggle that has evolved from Cold War to "soft war". And all this has cost China dear by distracting it from what has been its primary task for the past 20 years: economic construction. (Sep 3) Full text
Mao's bomb shelters become consumer paradise Beijing is undergoing major refurbishing in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, much of it underground. Chairman Mao Zedong's vast complex of bomb shelters and tunnels, dug in fear of nuclear attacks, are being transformed into a consumer paradise, with shopping malls, hostels and sports centers. (Sep 3) Full text
Encirclement the key to a new world order The possibility of expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to include Russia has set Francesco Sisci thinking on the best scenario to ensure stability across the world, starting with the troubled Eurasian continent. His suggestion in the final article of a three-part series is for the United States to view its influence as encircling the world, with an unaligned Russia in the center acting as a vital buffer zone. (Aug 29) Full text
