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Xi embraces China's big dream
Xi Jinping's first address as China's president made repeated allusion to the country's past periods of economic success and territorial expansion. The big question is how the state's dream of a ''renaissance'' and the quite different hopes of the people can be achieved harmoniously, and how will these interlink with the fears of neighbors. - Hoang Anh Tuan
(Apr 4, '13)
Where the Yangtze meets the Congo
Expectations that China is baiting a neo-colonial trap in Africa ignore Beijing's pledges that economic and cultural relations rest on an equal plain, and that burgeoning ties were built on mutual anti-Western contempt. As European diplomats wring hands over no-strings aid and human rights, Africa and China can reflect on a decade that's seen the continent experience its fastest growth in history. - Brendan P O'Reilly
(Apr 4, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
China finds soft power in sport
Chinese sporting stars such as tennis player Li Na, hurdler Liu Xiang and basketball player Yao Ming are proving vital tools of soft power as Beijing tries to beat rival superpower the United States at its own game. Just as American athletes like Michael Jordan and Mohammed Ali changed how the world viewed the country, China hopes sporting achievement will develop into greater global influence. - Jieh-Yung Lo
(Apr 3, '13)
China signals with Coast Guard overhaul
Beijing has moved to bring separate maritime law enforcement agencies under one governing body. Although the overhaul seems a response to international criticism that poor communication between agencies had stoked internal tensions and worsened territorial disputes, it's more likely aimed at improving response times and bolstering command and control mechanisms. - Lyle Morris
(Apr 3, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Italy's Internet politics
menace China
While online debate in China represents a potential training ground for future democratic dialogue, the dangers of Internet politics can be seen in the rise of Italy's "5 Star Movement". The prevailing voices in Beppe Grillo's movement are those most active on the web, and they post the most barbed comments. Such chaotic, volcanic politics only lead masses to seek radical leaders. - Francesco Sisci
(Apr 3, '13)
Centralized power key to Xi's 'China dream'
After his election, President Xi Jinping cited three precedents for fulfilling the "China dream", all concerned with creating conditions for a "renaissance". Judging from how he has concentrated ministerial responsibilities, in contrast to dictums of late patriarch Deng Xiaoping, he might have added a fourth precedent, the Leninist doctrine of centralizing power. - Willy Lam
(Apr 2, '13)
Taiwan war games get back their bang
Tensions between mainland China and Taiwan have never been more absent since the island went its own way from Beijing. So President Ma Ying-jeou's decision to re-introduce live-firing of ammunition in annual war-game maneuvers raises several questions. The answers, it seems, have more do to do with domestic issues than a changed perception of the Taiwan's potential foe. - Jens Kastner
(Apr 2, '13)
COMMENT
China can defuse North Korea time-bomb
Time is of the essence if an impending nuclear disaster at the hands of North Korea is to be avoided. As China's three most-senior foreign policy officials, including new Foreign Minister Wang Yi, have rich experience with the diplomacy of the issue and appreciate the need to achieve denuclearization peacefully, their intervention is not only desirable, it is necessary. - Joseph R DeTrani
(Mar 25, '13)
Xi tightens bonds with Moscow
The deepening bond between Beijing and Moscow, highlighted by Xi Jinping making Moscow his first port of call as Chinese president, has immense implications for the world - especially the United States. Indeed, it appears that Washington may have made a failed attempt at a "divide and rule" stratagem before Xi's Russian trip. - Brendan O'Reilly
(Mar 26, '13)
China's elderly exposed to suicide risk
Suicide rates in China's general population have fallen dramatically amid rapid urbanization and economic growth, but the breakdown of traditional communal structures has exposed the elderly to greater risk, particular after the death of a spouse. Innovative ways to keep suicidal thoughts at bay have been found, yet more needs to be done to increase mental well-being. - Cameron Frecklington
(Mar 26, '13)
US disc jockey makes waves in China
American radio host Rick O'Shea has spent two decades in Taipei, Shanghai and Beijing learning that his interactions with his audience prove that when blended, US and Chinese creative energy can lead to something special. As the last lover of San Mao, one of China's most beloved and tragic modern novelists, his insights into today's China make for compelling listening. - Tamara Treichel
(Mar 22, '13)
BOOK REVIEW
Searching the globe for China Inc
China's Silent Army: The Pioneers, Traders, Fixers and Workers Who Are Remaking the World in Beijing's Image by Juan Pablo Cardenal and Heriberto Araujo
As Chinese business expands overseas, it is increasingly important to understand how mainland companies and Beijing interact as the latter steers the economic juggernaut. This book unravels some aspects of how Chinese diplomacy and business cooperate to serve geopolitical goals, but it mistakenly implicates Chinese immigrants in search of a better life in the economic exploitation being orchestrated by their leaders. - Muhammad Cohen
(Mar 22, '13)
Mongolia and Russia show military sheen
Military cooperation with Russia, including preparations for joint exercises, gave a distinct sheen to Mongolian Minister of Defense Dashdemberel Bat-Erdene's first official overseas visit last month. Under the surface, Moscow likely gave vent to concerns over a coal and uranium mine project that, though stalled, favored China in a manner that has held up foreign investment in Mongolia. - Alicia J Campi
(Mar 21, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
China seeks military friends in Central Europe
Beijing has sent diplomats and top military brass to press official flesh in Central Europe, most likely in an attempt to gain more torque to lift the European Union embargo on the sale of arms to China. Poland is a particular target, with a strong track record supplying other Asian countries with simple technological solutions that the People's Liberation Army also wants. - Paul Behrendt
(Mar 21, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Surrender is the
best option for Tibet
Self-immolation by Tibetans taints the rule of those in Beijing who are in charge of Tibet, but does not change basic facts and the reluctance of the majority Han Chinese to see it become independent. With autonomy always a distant dream, the best hope for the Tibetan cause is not suicide, but a strategic surrender. - Francesco Sisci
(Mar 20, '13)
China may wear out African welcome
While many African countries favor Chinese investment that's free from the political strings and human-right lectures attached to Western agreements, growing complaints over labor abuses, poor construction and delays suggest an end to the Sino-African honeymoon. Prospects for future cooperation depend on how Beijing responds to such dissent and how Africa manages expectations of its trading partner. - Nan Chen
(Mar 20, '13)
New China leader Li warns world
In his first meeting with foreign media as premier, Li Keqiang has served notice to the world: Any militarized threats to China's territorial claims are threats not only to regiof internal reforms, relevant powers must also be cnal stability, but also to world peace. As Beijing wades into the "deep waters" oareful of their footing in the turbulent seas of East Asia. - Brendan O'Reilly
(Mar 19, '13)
Xi unmoved by Tibetan self-immolation
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to remain as unmoved as his predecessors to frustration over Beijing's attitude to Tibet that has seen the toll of deaths by self-immolation in the autonomous region reach 108 in the past three years. While Tibetan exiles debate the hardline policies, Xi's sight is fixed on growth and stability.
- Saransh Sehgal
(Mar 19, '13)
Is enough enough for China, North Korea?
Subtle evolutions in the language with which China officially condemns North Korean nuclear tests suggest that Beijing is becoming less forceful, while the public outcry over the most recent detonation was nothing new. While Western analysts see Beijing writing a harsh new playbook on Pyongyang, the latest test will actually have little impact on its ''dual-track" strategic approach. - A Greer Meisels
(Mar 19, '13)
War trumps peace in Myanmar
Myanmar President Thein Sein this month claimed that ''there's no more fighting in the country'' - in complete denial of the harsh facts on the ground, facts Western nongovernmental organizations and think tanks scrabble together for cash and influence in seeking peace, just as China takes the lead in the process. Despite all the effort and rhetoric, lasting peace in Myanmar's war-torn frontier areas is as elusive as ever.
- Bertil Lintner
(Mar 19, '13)
Beijing underlines 'stability' beats reforms
China's new leaders, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, have dealt an early blow to hopes that they would introduce a series of liberalizing reforms, instead underlining the paramount importance of "stability", Party dominance and the failures of Western democracy, backed up with arrests and warnings to intellectuals who want things otherwise. - Willy Lam
(Mar 18, '13)
China counter-pivots on Myanmar
A beefed up Beijing diplomatic interest in Asia, with particular focus on Myanmar, is an apparent response to the United States' renewed focus on the region and its warming relations, at China's expense, with Myanmar's government. Washington should be wary of overreacting to this Chinese "pivot", or, in turn, fall out of favor in Naypyidaw. - David I Steinberg
(Mar 18, '13)
A papal mission to close gap with Beijing
Pope Francis is a Jesuit, as was Francis Xavier, the missionary who oversaw the Catholic Church's 16th century near-successful efforts to convert China, which today is the only real opening for the Church to expand in Asia. Perhaps Pope Francis and President Xi Jinping, elected within hours of each other, can close the gap in trust between Beijing and the Holy See. - Francesco Sisci
(Mar 15, '13)
Beijing's pit bull alliance
China not only benefits from North Korea stealing its limelight as one of Asia's biggest human-rights violators, Pyongyang also serves a key political weapon against the strangulation strategy being visited on Beijing by the US and its allies. Diplomatic efforts to paint China as "renegotiating" terms of bilateral cooperation with the North are a "dog-and-pony" show. - Brett Daniel Shehadey
(Mar 15, '13)
<IT WORLD>
China cyber-war: Don't believe the hype
Anyone hoping for a reset in US-China relations might feel a twinge of disappointment at Washington's decision to hype Chinese cyber-intrusions. If a measured escalation was its aim, the Obama administration was hijacked by the sequestered US military and security industry's desire for more power and profit. Besides, occupants of the White House throw cyber-stones too. - Peter Lee
(Mar 15, '13)
SINOGRAPH
China seizes the day
for market forces
A roll-back of the state by restructuring the functions and philosophy of ministries in China and a strong push, ostensibly the opposite direction, to hand control of vital concerns such as energy policy back to the center, are the deep and long-term changes emanating from this month's National People's Congress. Together they suggest real urgency to give space to market forces. - Francesco Sisci
(Mar 13, '13)
Bo Xilai airbrushed from family album
Defiant gestures by deposed Chongqing chief Bo Xilai from jail, from reported beard-growing protests to hunger strikes, underline why the party needed to him gone before Xi Jinping is endorsed as president this month. US pop historians may overplay Bo's significance, but his is a cautionary tale and highlights that no one is bigger than the party. - Muhammad Cohen
(Mar 13, '13)
Hong Kong's miser-minister
For a growing number of his critics, the budgets of Hong Kong Financial Secretary John Tsang are a perennial exercise in miscalculation, predicting deficits but ending up with an embarrassment of riches then stashed away in the city's swollen reserves. As Tsang and miserly officials remain bereft of fresh ideas for the future, surely it's time to wake up and smell the coffee. - Kent Ewing
(Mar 11, '13)
Did China execute the wrong pirate?
Western coverage of the execution of Naw Kham focused on whether it would be broadcast - and if not, why not. All good hackwork over a macabre event in far-off China, and totally missing the point. There seems little doubt the Burmese pirate was a baddie on a considerable scale, but whether he had a hand in the massacre of 13 crew members of two ships on the Mekong River is quite another matter. - Peter Lee
(Mar 8, '13)
US faces China's 'unrelenting strategy'
Aggressive, self-confident maneuvers by China's military seemingly targeting the US suggest Beijing is following the ancient ''unrelenting strategy" written of in the I Ching, which calls for confusing an opponent before creating and deepening internal conflicts and launching an offensive assault. As the sun sets on US power, the method could offer a short-cut to usurping it as the sole superpower. - Jenny Lin
(Mar 7, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Devil in detail
of grand
urban plan
A grand plan announced by the National People’s Congress this week envisions spending of US$6.4 trillion over 10 years to bring 400 million people into China's smaller cities. As an economic initiative, the migration could lead to China becoming the largest contributor to global growth within a few decades. As a complex project of structural transformation, the devil is in the detail. - Francesco Sisci
(Mar 6, '13)
Kerry, Hagel and us
While Beijing may welcome US Secretary of State John Kerry's concerns that Washington's Asian rebalancing strategy "creates a threat" where there wasn't one, past accusations from new Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that India opened a "second front" in Afghanistan still stick in the craw in Delhi. Instead of fretting over pitfalls in the Obama-era "course correction", India and China should instead focus on creating new traction in their bilateral engagement.
- M K Bhadrakumar
(Mar 6, '13)
China homes in on Pacific air supremacy
The likely capability of China's new DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile to cripple US aircraft carrier strike groups threatens the platform that established and maintained post-World War II US supremacy in the Asia-Pacific, with momentous ramifications for regional power equations. If Washington fails to demonstrate adequate countermeasures to such asymmetric weapons, China's leaders will see the Asian "pivot" as a hollow threat. - Andrew S Erickson
(Mar 6, '13)
Beijing holds seeds of cross-strait pride
Beijing can grow the seeds of Chinese nationalism now appearing in Taiwan if it applies patience and a continued willingness to avoid confrontation. Visiting Kuomintang leader Lien Chan's admiration of achievements such as China's growing space program can be fertile ground for cultivating cross-straits pride. - Brendan P O'Reilly
(Mar 4, '13)
Foreign, domestic policy blur for Beijing
New foreign policy strategists in the hot seat as Xi Jinping takes the Chinese presidency must navigate relations at a time when international issues are having a greater impact than ever on domestic security and the public mood. From the South China Sea to Afghanistan, past approaches stressing indifference and neutrality simply won't suffice. - Nadine Godehardt
(Feb 28, '13)
Abe raises ghost of glories past
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Washington proclamation that Japan is "back" may have been unwelcome in a White House preferring a more stabilizing tone in the eastern Pacific. Abe's currency policy, praised by some, is also a cause for worry, its lack of neighborly concern raising the prospect of the yen as official currency of the Japan Sole Prosperity Sphere. What could possibly go wrong? - Peter Lee
(Feb 27, '13)
Xi's egalitarian streak runs into reality
Incoming Chinese president Xi Jinping's early tenure has been marked by clampdowns on lavish official parties and gifts, with sales of top-end liquor going into a rapid decline as a result. But curbing the elites' most egregious excesses will only appease masses suffering through wealth gaps in the short term. To ensure the party's survival, Xi needs to target deep-seated rot.
- Brendan P O'Reilly
(Feb 26, '13)
COMMENT
China should take lead on North Korea
China, as the only country North Korea may listen to, should step in at a potentially explosive time on the peninsula. Much in the spirit of necessary intervention that cooled tensions in 2005, Beijing's leadership of talks that also involve South Korea and the United States will determine quickly if a negotiated settlement to the nuclear issue is achievable and the wider six-party process still viable. - Joseph R DeTrani
(Feb 26, '13)
INTERVIEW
Pyongyang tests Xi's populist credentials
North Korea's third nuclear test produced rare protests in China, with pockets of the public infuriated at the impact of such provocation on China's national interests. Security expert Sun Zhe says growing support for a harsher stance on Pyongyang comes as incoming Chinese President Xi Jinping is projecting himself as more in tune with the mood on the street than his predecessors. - Sunny Lee
(Feb 26, '13)
China's autism oasis
Spiraling autism rates in China and a paucity of modern treatment means competition is intense among parents for places in Qingdao city's Elim Autism school, seen as the premier early intervention center for the disorder. With expectations running so high as a result, one of the hardest task for teachers is explaining that the facility only instills coping skills, and not a life-long cure. - Nick Compton
(Feb 25, '13)
North Korean nukes: A useful stage device
Washington wants to hand Xi Jinping a lead role on taming North Korea and its nuclear program - to show the world progress on the intractable issue and to make the Chinese government play the part of "responsible stakeholder". This wrongly assumes that China will relinquish its most useful buffer state in return for a promised backsliding of the US Asian "pivot" that's unlikely to take place. - Peter Lee
(Feb 22, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
Change in the Middle Kingdom
Examine the composition of China's Politburo Standing Committee under Xi Jinping and it becomes clear that democracy reform is off the table, while economic reforms and political consolidation are the name of the game. That's bad news for those expecting the domestic security stance to relax, while the good news is that in the name of cooperation and stability, the territorial dispute with Japan will be shelved. - Stefan Soesanto
(Feb 21, '13)
Chinese doctors pull bullets in Mali
Chinese doctors have been occupied with the treatment and prevention of communicable diseases in Mali since the first medical teams from China began arriving there in 1968. With the surge in violence in the African nation, they are turning their skills to treat victims of the civil war on a daily basis amid the din of gunfire. - Olivia Rosenman
(Feb 21, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
China edges closer to rule of law
Optimizing China's progress and development while maintaining a strong economy will require a more accountable and respected legal system, but Beijing need not abandon its Confucian and legalist traditions and blindly adopt Western ideals. Through a modern outlook, and transforming traditional wisdom into practical policy, China can develop a unique legal system that obtains the best of two worlds. - Thomas Velk and Shannon Gong
(Feb 21, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Papal vote takes a Chinese hue
The Cardinal of Manila Luis Antonio Tagle is a Filipino of Chinese origin, and a candidate to lead the Catholic Church in the upcoming vote to choose a new pope. While to Beijing, the Catholic question is arcane and in many ways incomprehensible, the prospect (however distant) of a pope of Chinese descent and other Chinese in the church's hierarchy will inevitably turn the Vatican's focus its way. - Francesco Sisci
(Feb 20, '13)
Radar incident belies China-Japan progress
Allegations that a Chinese Navy frigate locked its fire-control radar onto a Japanese destroyer near the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands fitted well with speculation that China is strategically escalating the situation to put pressure on Japan. However, Beijing's muted response suggests hawkish military elements were responsible for the aiming, and acted out-of-step with efforts to thaw diplomatic ties. - Andrew Chubb
(Feb 20, '13)
Tibetan self-immolation hard to stifle
 A 102nd Tibetan has self-immolated in protest at China's rule despite new repressive measures introduced to stop the burnings. Although critics say that criminalizing the act is unlikely to stop it, Beijing has persisted with steps such as deploying paramilitary forces, shutting down communications and restricting travel in areas where self-immolations have occurred.
(Feb 19, '13)
Xi Jinping's imperfect inner circle
The network of incoming Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken shape, with consolidation of his authority a remarkable feat given that he lacked the powerful Chinese Communist Party cliques enjoyed by Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao. As the military remains the princeling Xi's premier power base at the expense of liberals, his inner circle could yet shape pugilistic foreign policies. - Willy Lam
(Feb 19, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Catholic Church faces
brave new world
The Pope's unexpected decision to resign presents the Catholic Church with a challenge to defy its conservatism, and presents a particular challenge for Western culture. Finding a pope from Asia, a dynamic frontier for the Church, is one option being considered by one of the most momentous conclaves in history, even as one-twentieth of the world's Catholics live there. - Francesco Sisci
(Feb 15, '13)
Hong Kong's colonial acres under threat
A drive by Hong Kong's development bureau to reclaim land to ease the severely squeezed housing market has seen it target lavish clubs built and enjoyed by past colonial masters. While withdrawing the privileged status and token rents enjoyed by institutions like the Cable & Wireless Recreation Club seems an overdue concept, critics fear it will further deprive the city of green space and recreational opportunities. - Kent Ewing
(Feb 15, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
Time for Chinese culture to strike back
Failure to care about "cultural property rights" as much as Beijing frets over sovereignty of lands and seas has seen too many Chinese concepts and words co-opted and replaced by inferior Western examples. China has taken its place as the world's biggest trading nation, now it needs to re-write so-called "world history". - Thorsten Pattberg (Feb 15, '13)
Rethinking the US-China-Taiwan triangle
The asymmetric security triangle that has defined US-China-Taiwan relations since the Cold War is becoming obsolete as the mainland becomes vital to Taipei's economic prospects and as Beijing develops the army, naval and air forces needed to counter American military support. A new inclusive triangle is the answer, with Taiwan serving as multi-dimensional entrepot for the two larger powers' business and political connections. - Brantly Womack (Feb 14, '13)
North Korea nukes the Year of the
Snake
China made plain that North Korea would pay a high price for the nuclear test
even before the ground shook as the Year of the Snake slithered into view.
While Beijing is showing itself increasingly to be on the "right side of
history" and will likely support new sanctions against Pyongyang, competing
geopolitical priorities mean that incoming leader Xi Jinping will be
hard-pressed to make a seismic shift. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Feb 13, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Beijing nurtures new
foreign policy thinking
Stern warnings to North Korea over its third nuclear test alongside a new
openness on the territorial dispute with Japan show that new thinking on
international affairs is blooming in China. This offers the United States the
prospect of rethinking its focus in Asia and considering less confrontation and
more cooperation with Beijing, which would have huge repercussions globally. - Francesco
Sisci (Feb 13, '13)
China's Sudan challenge
Sudan's partition in 2011 has presented China with a new set of challenges
after cordial relations dating back to mutual estrangement from the West more
than two decades ago. The tense crisis between the two Sudans is compelling
Beijing to question how well its foreign policy principle of non-intervention
advances its geostrategic interests. - Giorgio Cafiero
(Feb 8, '13)
Snakes, ladders, deities and presidents
Far from the satanic serpent seen in the West, the snake in China represents
intelligence, wisdom and self-discipline. While next week's dawning of the Year
of the Snake thus appears to benefit the country's rise and incoming president
Xi Jinping, himself born under that sign of the Chinese zodiac, conflicting
elements of fire and water suggest both will face earth-shattering conflict. - Kent
Ewing (Feb 8, '13)
Rocky road ahead for Mongolia
The Mongolian government is advancing a strategy of resource nationalism and
retreating from an open investment policy to increase its leverage with major
customers, particularly China, in the extraction of considerable mineral
reserves. While welcoming rough treatment meted out to Beijing, other foreign
investors will be discouraged by the fact they are likely next. - Peter Lee
(Feb 8, '13)
Legal push in the South China
Sea
Vietnam's new Law of the Sea and the Philippines' decision to take its dispute
with China over areas of the South China Sea to an international arbitration
tribunal both serve notice to Beijing that its territorial claims in the region
will be hotly disputed. They also put pressure on new Association of Southeast
Asian Nations chairman Brunei and freshly appointed Secretary General Le Luong
Minh (from Vietnam) to find a way to ease tensions. - Roberto Tofani
(Feb 7, '13)
China steps into Kachin conflict
Beijing's hosting of peace talks between Myanmar's government and the Kachin
Independence Army reflects its increasing involvement in their conflict, as
civilians seek refuge across the border and as the fighting threatens the
supply of resources to China. It could also be a prelude to a greater Chinese
third-party role in other regional disputes. - Brendan O'Reilly
(Feb 6, '13)
China-Japan tango treads on regional toes
Unless Chinese and Japanese policymakers start to appreciate the consequences
of "their" bilateral tensions on the wider region, realize the limitations of
simply holding conferences and start to approach historic faultlines with
creativity, what some see as insignificant issues - such as the Diaoyu/Senkaku
Island dispute - could easily escalate into a deep freeze in relations or
worse, militarized conflict. - Jean-Marc F Blanchard
(Feb 6, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
US goads Japan into China
confrontation
A US delegation sent to Japan in late 2012 purportedly to diffuse island
tensions with China was headed by two senior officials who in the past have
stated that the US-Japan alliance can only survive if Tokyo renounces its
pacifist constitution and develops a "capable military force" to face the
"re-rise" of China. By becoming the US's "bait", Japan puts itself in the
firing line. - John V Walsh (Feb 5, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Ang Lee shows
China the way forward
China's future standing will depend on cultural as well as political factors.
The United States' success is built in part on its use of overseas talent and
absorption of "foreign" culture - both necessary for the rising Asian giant if
it is to pass the US as a global power. Movie director Ang Lee, loved in both
countries, has shown what can grow from such cross-cultural awareness. - Francesco
Sisci (Feb 5, '13)
Washington's dilemma on a 'lost' planet
US policy since reaching the apex of global power following World War II is
premised on the US owning the world and fighting anything that weakens its
control. Like China in the 1940s, countries that move towards independence are
considered "lost". That hegemonic outlook makes supposed US yearnings for
democracy and stability appear as the ranting of a commissar. - Noam Chomsky
(Feb 4, '13)
 THE
ROVING EYE
All that pivots is gold
Mali's gold reserves and China's frenetic buying spree of the shiny stuff as it
tries to unseat the petrodollar likely motivated the United States to step up
its AFRICOM project by building a drone base in nearby Niger. But shadow wars
in Africa are just a sideshow, the real deal is a pivot to Asia that maintains
the exorbitant Pentagon budget. - Pepe Escobar
(Jan 31, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Beijing needs a papal line
The campaign for the election of the next pope has started in earnest, with all
countries preparing for the transition - except China. The real possibility
that the Vatican may seek to convert more Asian souls with the appointment of
an Asian pontiff during Xi Jinping's tenure as president, means that China can
no longer afford to ignore the world's most influential religious leader. - Francesco
Sisci (Jan 30, '13)
'Pivot' could cost Obama, Asia dearly
Recommendations of a leading US think-tank to mark President Barack Obama's
second inauguration inadvertently exposed the archaic nature of most American
foreign policy discourse regarding China's rise. Yet criticism of the "pivot to
Asia" correctly underlined the schizophrenic policy, which rather than improve
security outcomes is helping fuel all-out confrontation in East Asia. - Brendan
P O'Reilly (Jan 29, '13)
Japan pivots south, with eye on China
A "democratic security diamond" is a key formation for newly elected Japanese
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he intensifies a charm offensive across the
Pacific to create a strategic alliance of Indo-Pacific countries that share his
anxieties about China's growing naval might. The southern pivot will have
profound implications for regional security. - Richard Javad Heydarian
(Jan 25, '13)
Powder keg in the Pacific
Will China-Japan-US tensions in the Pacific ignite a conflict and sink the
global economy? It is widely assumed in Washington that a showdown with Iran
will be the first major crisis to engulf the next secretary of defense. China's
determination to assert control over disputed islands in the East and South
China Seas is a potential crisis of far greater magnitude and possibly far more
imminent. - Michael T Klare (Jan 25, '13)
China's energy industrial revolution
China's carbon-intensive industrial revolution is exacting a heavy toll in
terms of polluted skies, waterways and earth. Yet, the country's pursuit of
"green growth" strategies as national policy serves as an important lesson for
the West and suggests a future decline in emissions. - John A Mathews and
Hao Tan (Jan 25, '13)
Russia, China grapple with Mali's future
Moscow and Beijing, which condemned the West's intervention in Libya as
unlawful, are being more reticent in their reaction to events in Mali. Russia
has little to gain or lose in the present adventure. China is a different
matter. The West cannot compete with its broadening relationships with African
nations. Containment and recolonization is the name of the game. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Jan 24, '13)
China-Mexico ties hitting 'all-time low'
A multi-hectare retail complex planned by China for the south of Mexico, to
serve as a Latin America hub for Chinese-made goods, is attracting increasing
local and national concern at a time when the Mexico is struggling to identify
how to improve and rebalance ties with the Asian giant. - Emilio Godoy
(Jan 24, '13)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
When soft power fails
China's attempts to expand its influence through soft-power are being
undermined in Asia by hard-power posturing. The US, reluctant to reevaluate its
own "soft power" when it seems so obviously a fig leaf for the assertion of
military dominance, should consider China's failed efforts, while aspiring
Japan and South Korea should also take note: you rarely can have it both ways.
- John Feffer (Jan 23, '13)
Chinese mafia thrives in Europe
Chinese criminal syndicates based in Europe are succeeding by co-opting rather
than battling resident outfits, with Sino-European joint ventures in
money-laundering, sex trafficking and extortion springing up from Italy to
Spain. However, more than the threat of tightened custom laws stemming the tide
of counterfeit goods, it is the continent's creeping recession that is leading
these criminal groups to consider greener pastures. - Emanuele Scimia
(Jan 23, '13)
SINOGRAPH
China mourns loss
of policy prophet
Zhang Xiaodong, who passed away on Sunday, was the first Chinese foreign policy
scholar in the 1990s to predict China's increasingly proactive role in the
Middle East, and the first to see how China would need to develop a global
worldview to uphold even its local interests. His death, aged 51, makes the
world an emptier place for China and its rivals. - Francesco Sisci
(Jan 23, '13)
Xi raises bar on PLA 'combat readiness'
Xi Jinping has moved quickly to stamp his authority as commander-in-chief of
the People's Liberation Army to demand that the 2.4 million-strong force
profess "absolute loyalty" to the party leadership. The ferocity of measures to
scale up combat capabilities could spell a watershed in Beijing's use of
military prowess to safeguard national interests. - Willy Lam
(Jan 22, '13)
BOOK REVIEW
Can Asians be funny?
The Curious Diary of Mr Jam by Nury Vittachi A endearing
collection of Hong Kong humorist Nury Vittachi's observations on everything
from global politics to family life, this "diary" of his alter-ego Mr Jam also
sets out to prove that despite blacklisting by oppressive regimes, post-modern
Asian vidushaks, or jesters, can indeed raise a smile. The author
succeeds, it just takes a few too many pages to get there. - Kent Ewing
(Jan 18, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Faded war wounds
still raw in Asia
The legacy of World War II and the Cold War faded in Europe following German
reunification. In Asia, the ideological divides that prompted those conflicts
have blurred into geopolitical rivalries. Because its growth is built upon
these unresolved regional issues and scars, China must decide whether to relent
to historic hatred or stray from the warpath. - Francesco Sisci
(Jan 17, '13)
Winds of change in China's smog
As pollution in Beijing in recent days has climbed off the charts, signs are
emerging that China's leaders are beginning to take air quality seriously.
Beyond incremental policies to ease the choking haze accompanying breakneck
economic growth, the most important indicator of change is the state-run
media's extensive coverage of the ongoing "Airpocalypse". - Brendan O'Reilly
(Jan 17, '13)
The historical significance of Mao
New Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the
importance of upholding Mao Zedong Thought, even as revisionists under the
spell of neo-liberal market fundamentalism fail to appreciate the late leader's
contributions to the Chinese collective consciousness. Deng Xiaoping argued
that to get rich is glorious; Xi and his colleagues would do better to follow
Mao's advice: serve the people.- Henry C K Liu
(Jan 11, '13)
Hagel cordial, but outdated on China
China has welcomed the chance that closer engagement between the United States
and Chinese militaries may come should Chuck Hagel become US defense secretary.
President Barack Obama's nominee for the role has made reassuring statements of
cordiality towards Beijing, yet has also displayed misconceptions that need to
be corrected. - Brendan O'Reilly (Jan 11,
'13)
Xi Jinping: China's first 21st-century
leader
Incoming Chinese President Xi Jinping is already ringing the changes with a
down-to-earth, modern style exemplified by a ground-breaking tour of Guangdong
province presented to the public through an informal microblog. Pledges to end
corruption and eschew lavish privileges are also welcome signs that he's ready
to break with tradition - but will the party truly allow that? - Kent Ewing
(Jan 11, '13)
India wades into the South China Sea
Hawkish pronouncements by an Indian admiral declaring that the country will
enter the South China Sea "when it is required to" are an expression of growing
naval and political ambition, as a Southeast Asian-US alliance also gradually
forms against China. By pushing back an increasingly aggressive Chinese
posture, India risks rapprochement on other fronts. - Richard Javad Heydarian
(Jan 10, '13)
China's Fourth Estate fights for freedom
A mini-revolt of journalists in southern China against excessive provincial
government interference and skewing of reportage is testing the limits freedom
to expose unscrupulousness in a country that is becoming more
information-saturated, web-savvy and impatient about the glacial pace of
political reforms. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jan 10,
'13)
SINOGRAPH
Bureaucratic reforms
to test Xi's power
China is about to embark on a drastic reform of its bureaucracy, with the
number of ministries expected to be halved. That should create greater
efficiency for the state and the market, but will also create an army of
malcontents facing a loss of power and source of wealth. Negotiating the change
and reining in conservative forces will be a severe test for incoming
president, Xi Jinping.
- Francesco Sisci (Jan 10, '13)
China soybean needs
shaping West's farms
China's neglect of soybean culture - and increasing use of the commodity - as
it focuses on grain self-sufficiency is driving up production in exporting
Western nations, mostly by cultivating new areas rather than boosting yields.
As land runs out, the likes of the Amazon basin must be tilled unless demand
falls. - Lester R Brown (Jan 9, '13)
Taiwan executions put Tseng on the spot
Claims that Taiwan Justice Minister Tseng Yung-fu "illegally" ordered the
December 21 execution of six convicts in Taiwan have brought promises from
lawyers to seek his impeachment and prevent "a return to authoritarianism".
While the minister says correct procedures were followed, activists allege that
the six were denied rights. - Dennis Engbarth
(Jan 9, '13)
China legal reform hopes are premature
Hopes that China's next leader, Xi Jinping, will pursue legal and political
change have risen over recent weeks, yet may prove premature. Much air has been
given to reformist language, but whether it marks real change or is simply a
transitory artifact of party divisions exposed in the leadership succession is
the key question. - Carl Minzner (Jan 8, '13)
China's short-lived North Korean shift
A solution to the riddle of why China abandoned staunch support for North Korea
with a stern warning in the prelude to the North's rocket launch in December
has its origins in Cambodia. It was there that outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao gave
the warning as a personal favor to United States President Barack Obama. That
may also explain why the shift was so short-lived. - Sunny Lee
(Jan 8, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
Asia should go within, not ape the
West
Economic dynamism and a position as a crucible for tensions between global
players give Asia a crucial place in the multipolar world emerging as centuries
of American and European domination stutters to an end. Across the region, new
centers of political power should adapt ancient civilizations and culture to
conditions today rather than import failed Western economic and social models.
- Francesco Brunello Zanitti (Jan 7, '13)
Beijing prizes loyalty over skill in
reshuffle
A reshuffle of party and administrative chiefs following last year's 18th
Chinese Communist Party Congress has seen top leaders select new faces that
balance different factions, administrative specialties and places of origin.
It's also clear that candidates willing to toe the party line - and ruthlessly
implement it - took priority over anyone displaying skills in finance,
management or information technology innovation. - Willy Lam
(Jan 7, '13)
 SPENGLER
The siege of Baghdad
and China's rise
The failure of the last Abbasid Caliph to prepare Baghdad for an onslaught of
Chinese innovation led to his gruesome death at the hands of Mongol invaders in
the siege of 1258. Like Baghdad then, Americans have no idea what is about to
hit them as China's deep pockets source whatever technology is required. By any
means other than a resurgence of US innovation, resistance is futile.
(Jan 7, '13)
US, China set for a year of surprises
Power transitions in the United States and China have left comparative
moderates at each helm, but tensions are deepening in the world's most
important bilateral relationship. The US military "pivot" towards Asia and its
support of Japan in the Diaoyu/Senkaku dispute rear as the most obvious
flashpoints in 2013, but more policy surprises can be expected from both sides.
- Brendan O'Reilly (Jan 4, '13)
Beijing finds limits in
Mid-East role
China backs international calls for a resumption of peace talks between
Israelis and Palestinians but faces geopolitical trauma in balancing
concomitant Israeli and Arab interests, at a time when the Sino-Israeli
dialogue is on the rise. Much though it tries, Beijing is not yet changing the
game in the Middle East. - Emanuele Scimia (Dec
21, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
A Confucian Christmas in China
As long as Western scholarship on China floats on a platform of misleading
cultural imperialism, such as historic European notions painting Confucius as a
Christian saint rather than a sage, the West isn't learning anything new from
Asia. It has more to offer than British, French, and German philosophers could
ever satisfactorily translate. - Thorsten Pattberg
(Dec 21, '12)
China's year of living anxiously
The past 12 months gave China an opportunity to get a close look at what the
United States' pivot back to Asia entails - and it looked a lot like
containment. Initial moves on both sides suggest this will be a costly,
grinding war of attrition fought on multiple fronts - with Japan suffering
mightily - instead of a quick triumph for either side. This year, let's call it
a draw. If Japan turns its back on its pacifist constitution, the pivot could
turn into a death spiral for US credibility and influence in the region. - Peter
Lee (Dec 21, '12)
China's year of celebration and disgrace
There is only one candidate for China's man of the year, and he's not from the
new leadership. Disgraced Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai's popularity and lust
for power brought him down. But he was nevertheless the catalyst who shook the
Chinese Communist Party to its core, revealing the depth of its internal rifts
and corruption to the world. - Kent Ewing (Dec
21, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Xi has to get the party started
The Chinese Communist Party has dragged millions into the middle class through
economic and home-ownership reform, giving them an undeniable stake in the
country's future. While almost no Chinese want revolution, neither do they feel
attached to the political system. The key to political inclusion more likely
lies in public debate and elections than short-term salves like administrative
change and anti-graft crackdowns. - Francesco Sisci
(Dec 21, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Chen marks new tone for Chinese
dissidence
Blind Chinese human-rights lawyer Chen Guangcheng's escape from house arrest
this year was significant for more than the feat itself, as Chen's background
transformation from grassroots activist to renowned rights advocate also
reflects accelerating growth and evolution of the Chinese dissident movement.
From liberals within the party to democracy activists and Christian liberals,
groups are increasingly overlapping as bottom-up momentum grows. - Man Yee Karen
Lee (Dec 20, '12)
Mongolia takes a chance to move on
Mongolia's new and self-described "government of change" will have to manage
the country's inevitable transition from an agricultural to a mining-based
economy while avoiding all the associated social, environmental, and political
pitfalls. It is working hard to deliver much-needed development and overcome
the temptations of supposedly "endemic" corruption. - Nyamosor Tuya
(Dec 20, '12)
Autism grows into silent epidemic in
China
Autism centers are springing up across China in response to an increasing
diagnosis rate that mirrors global trends, yet pricey treatment and limited
class sizes severely limit access to their Western, science-based methods.
Stigmatized in a society where childhood already faces the pressures of the
one-child policy, the rest have few opportunities for learning useful skills
for their adult lives. - Nick Compton (Dec
19, '12)
COMMENT
China, Japan set a confrontation course
The victory of the Liberal Democratic Party in the Japanese elections, with the
hawkish Shinzo Abe back as prime minister after five years, will probably
result in an escalation of tensions with China, just as Beijing is launching
new provocations. As the tide of nationalism rises in both countries, the
dispute over three barren islands looks like it will become a major element in
the realignment of geopolitics. - Roberto Savio
(Dec 19, '12)
China reforms target internal security
Though signs of the areas that will be at the forefront of China's reform
process are difficult to divine, shifts in power structure at the top suggest
change is in the offing for whoever holds the reins of the internal security
porfolio. Controversy surrounding former Political-Legal Committee secretary
Zhou Yongkang, an ally of ousted Bo Xilai, could be the cause of the reforms,
which are likely to have a significant effect on China's intelligence
apparatus. - Peter Mattis (Dec 18, '12)
Xi Jinping reignites reform promise
China's newly anointed top leader Xi Jinping lost no time in reassuring the
world that his administration will persevere with reforms, replicating the
"southern tour" taken by Deng Xiaoping when the late patriarch championed his
"open door" policy. The onus is on Xi and his Politburo inner circle to
demonstrate whether they have what it takes to be Deng's worthy successors. - Willy
Lam (Dec 17, '12)
China's rise can be peaceful
The US intelligence community acknowledge that within two decades the country
will no longer be the world's sole hegemon. Beijing's response that a rising
China "will unswervingly pursue a way of peaceful development" is well and
good, but for conflict to be eluded it must avoid stoking US fears, while the
Washington must be willing to accommodate China as an equal. - Brendan O’Reilly
(Dec 17, '12)
China's leaders face stark challenges
China's new leadership faces one main priority - to bring stability within the
country's boundaries and to prevent civil protest against the government. That
will require resolving the looming demographic crisis while closing the wealth
gap and curbing corruption. Meanwhile, overseas resources must be secured while
avoiding conflict in the South China Sea. Xi Jinping faces a challenging
decade. - Billy Tea (Dec 13, '12)
SINOGRAPH
World won't wait for China to change
China's aging Chinese Communist Party leadership, still raw from the harshness
of the political struggle that accompanied their ascent, view political reform
as a process to be gradually drawn through opaque mechanisms for a decade. This
allows the US to coax regional neighbors onside by painting Beijing as a
threatening, destabilizing force. Paradoxically, US-China tensions could create
new Asian powers. - Francesco Sisci (Dec 13,
'12)
Mongolia nurtures ties with North Korea
Mongolia's hosting of direct senior-level talks between Japan and North Korea
about the issue of the North's abduction of Japanese nationals will help extend
the landlocked-country's foreign policy reach. Its increased role in the region
may also help Ulaanbaatar towards its economic goals. - Alicia J Campi
(Dec 12, '12)
 SUN
WUKONG
Doomsday phobia hits China
A recent 3D screening of Hollywood disaster flick 2012 in China has seen
a resurgence in odd behavior by believers in Mayan-inspired predictions of a
December 21, 2012, doomsday. Some mortgaged their apartment to give poor
children a pleasurable last few days, while others exhausted family savings on
wine and fine dining. An "ideological vacuum" is blamed for the phenomenon. - Wu
Zhong (Dec 11, '12)
Sino-Indian ties border on the
amicable
China's deep strategic interest in maintaining stable relations with India can
be seen in last week's progress on disputed borders, as changes in the
political and economic order open up vital new areas for cooperation. While
domestic pressures demand that neither side backs down on fronts like the South
China Sea, even such contradictory signals underline the emergence of a
better-natured rivalry. - Brendan O'Reilly (Dec
10, '12)
Mongolia steps in the wrong direction
A Mongolian jury finds former president Nambaryn Enkhbayar guilty of corruption
and the city government in Ulaanbaatar pulls down the statue of Vladimir Ilyich
Lenin. At face value, these are symbolic steps to support the narrative that
Mongolia is developing into a country committed to rule-of-law and capitalism.
Dig deeper, and both suggest the country is flirting with a system led by
cronyism. - Jeffrey Reeves (Dec 7, '12)
How beauty shapes
power in China and Japan
Asian and Western history show that power relations and perceptions of
hierarchy play their part in estimations of what is "beautiful" and "charming"
in the human form. Ancient Chinese and Japanese depictions offer insights into
how trends such as bound feet and shaved eyebrows evolved into today's double
eyelid surgery. - Cho Kyo and Kyoko Selden
(Dec 7, '12)
China makes a splash with coastguard
rules
Beijing's poor public relations management in announcing new regulations for
the Hainan Coast Guard gave Western media a chance to claim this was a "PRC
threat to freedom of navigation" - a canard the United States happily
encourages to justify its own claim to relevance in the South China Sea. None
of the scaremongering registered that China isn't the first power to upgrade
rules to pre-empt chest-thumping nationalists. - Peter Lee
(Dec 7, '12)
China's forgotten children
A tragic tale of five boys freezing to death in a Guizhou dumpster after their
parents left to pursue migrant work is an indictment of China's household
registration process, designed to stop peasants reaching cities, and of
official promises to make China more equal. An outcry about modern values and a
mini-purge of officials have ensued, but the boys were victims of a callous
system. - Kent Ewing (Dec 5, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
China to rule the seas - unmanned
Fast forward a few years beyond the current crop of territorial skirmishes in
Asian seas and drones, rather than naval ships, will be ruling the waves.
China's declared intention to deploy marine surveillance drones heralds a brave
new world of perception politics, eyes in the sky and military conflict - a
future in which it is likely to emerge the winner. - Elizabeth Van Wie Davis
and Margaret Albert (Dec 5, '12)
Hope and pay soar in China's soccer
league
The arrival of international stars such as Didier Drogba in China's Super
League reflected a massive growth in credibility for a former "hobby club"
league that graft took to the brink in 2010. But as $300,000 per week salaries
attract top players, the fact that club owners see teams as back-handed
investment vehicles suggests a rapidly inflating bubble. - Nick Compton
(Dec 3, '12)
China Youth clique maintains clout
Premier-designate Li Keqiang is the only member of the Communist Youth League
clique, meticulously nurtured by President Hu Jintao, to have made it onto
China's inner circle of power. While that result of the 18th Party Congress
looks like a setback, the close-knit network remains the ruling party's largest
faction, and its predominance will manifest itself no later than the next
congress in 2017. - Willy Lam (Dec 3, '12)
Passport to a Greater China
A contentious map printed in China's latest passport, which shows Taiwan and
disputed South China Sea and Himalayan territories as part of a sovereign
China, reflects raw ambition that jars with Beijing's efforts at economic
integration with Asian neighbors. While India sees the passports as a blueprint
for future strategic encirclement, Southeast Asian countries fear that stamping
them represents acquiescence to Chinese claims. - Derek Henry Flood
(Nov 30, '12)
Powering up Asia's super-grid
A super-grid linking the electric power systems of China, Japan, South Korea,
Mongolia and perhaps Russia may hold greater potential for East Asian
integration than a monetary or political coming together. Vast wind farms would
lessen carbon emissions and might also erode protectionist and nationalist
tendencies. - John A Mathews (Nov 30, '12)
Is China trying to implode Japan's
economy?
China's high-handed response to the Japanese government's purchase of the
Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands go beyond the apparent blunderings of a disoriented
elite or a decision to use the dispute as a demonstration against the US pivot
into Asia. Beijing may be thinking seriously about trying to kick away a key
prop of the US initiative - a vital, but weakened and vulnerable ally: Japan. - Peter
Lee (Nov 30, '12)
China's change brings needed urgency
Western pundits disappointed by the absence of their favorites in China's new
reduced leadership team are missing what is important: the sense of urgency and
acknowledgment that bad economic numbers and political discontent demand
decisions. Economic reform is coming - but won't assuage public discontent over
unfairness. Political facts will soon become as compelling as the economic
numbers. - William H Overholt (Nov 29, '12)
SUN
WUKONG
Wen 'wealth' probe
can boost Xi
Outgoing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao wishes to defend his reputation against
claims of his family being linked to hidden great wealth. A court case is
unlikely, but the Communist Party could do worse than conduct the investigation
he has requested. That at least would convince the public that the party can
honor its commitment to combat corruption and strengthen the authority of new
leader Xi Jinping. - Wu Zhong (Nov 29, '12)
Beijing signals new hard line on Hong
Kong
A mainland Chinese official's claim that unnamed "external powers" are
interfering in Hong Kong affairs is the clearest signal yet that authorities in
Beijing have completely lost the plot in their management of the city. With
resentment of mainland visitors and leaders at a record high, this is hardly
the time for Cold War-style allegations of foreign interference and calls for
anti-sedition laws. - Kent Ewing (Nov 28,
'12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Smoke and mirrors fail the CCP
The Chinese Communist Party will find it impossible to maintain its grip power
by suppressing its membership, using foreign scapegoats, and ignoring deeply
needed political reforms forever. There is an alternative, but the absence of
any real attempt to redefine itself means the party faces impending extinction
from within. - Brett Daniel Shehadey (Nov 28,
'12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Respect for elders trumps reform
As China's leadership change takes full shape, it's becoming clear that
less-popular officials who demonstrated hard-earned, on-the-job experience have
triumphed over the younger, more reformist and enterprising. As long as those
who escape the complex institutional process unscathed are chosen over those
who display educated ambition, there is less scope for trumpeted change. - Zhengxu
Wang (Nov 27, '12)
Xi feels threat of a China Spring
Xi Jinping, the newly minted General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party,
has delivered some of the harshest warnings to date about the threat that
corruption poses to China. His comparison with social unrest in the Middle East
underlines his concern, even though the anger of the Arab Spring grew out of
poverty, while China has enjoyed three decades of remarkable economic growth.
If that continues to falter ... - Brendan O'Reilly
(Nov 27, '12)
Beijing set to adjust its diplomacy
Speculation that China's leadership change will see the country abandon its
low-profile foreign policy to grasp its place on the diplomatic stage ignores
that this has always depended more on domestic conditions and history than the
international climate. With the economic transition far from complete, an
aggressive stance on sovereignty issues only risks undermining the regional
environment needed for growth. - Jian Junbo (Nov
27, '12)
THE
ROVING EYE
Obama the Pivot
You could almost hear the rush of faraway drones during President Barack
Obama's defense of Israel on his whirlwind tour of Southeast Asia. Wise heads
won't get fooled by the inherent hypocrisy, while it's clear that no amount of
presidential spin on the Asian 'pivot' cannot hide the sacrificial offshoring
of American jobs to contain China's rise. - Pepe Escobar
(Nov 21, '12)
US pivot bumps Asian economic reality
The United States "pivot" to Asia is either based on a selfless desire to
protect the sovereignty rights of smaller Southeast Asian nations or a
concerted effort to wrench the Asian economic focus from Beijing and towards
the US. Key is whether Washington has the sustained will to drive events in a
region where it is becoming a peripheral player. Smaller players in the region
will hedge their bets. - Peter Lee (Nov 21,
'12)
China's aviation industry coming of age
China's latest domestically made aircraft signal that it no longer has to rely
on reverse engineering and derivative technologies. Western airline
manufacturers should perhaps scale back their expectations of sales in China,
while neighbors concerned about Beijing's intentions in the South China Sea
will find such progress potentially ominous. - Carl O Schuster
(Nov 21, '12)
China searches for an Afghan 'pivot'
Just as Chinese companies have won the most lucrative oil contracts in Iraq,
Beijing may reap the massive potential of Afghanistan's natural resources
without deploying a single solider. China's economic focus is paying dividends,
while the overly militaristic strategy of the United States is incredibly
costly and largely ineffective. - Brendan O'Reilly
(Nov 20, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Xi opens generation gap
The most significant part of China's power transition was not the shift to a
new leader, but the resignation of his predecessor from posts of influence. For
the first time in Chinese Communist Party history, Party Secretary Xi Jinping
can govern alone, out of the shadow of the older generations. Steps have been
taken to ensure elements of the past survive, but its unlikely these can hold
back reform. - Francesco Sisci (Nov 20, '12)
China's stunning setback to reform
Calls from outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao for reform of China's leadership system
stood in contrast to his predominantly conservative end-of-term report and the
backroom skullduggery behind the choice of politburo members at the Great Hall
of the People. Taken together, these points make it unlikely that China's new
leaders will push reformist goals and policies. - Willy Lam
(Nov 19, '12)
Bhutan switches focus to China
Concerned it will one day be swallowed by its giant neighbors, Bhutan is
aggressively seeking a bigger role in international relations. For the first
time, it is turning to China to meet its ambitions, raising security fears for
long-term friend and ally India and forcing a re-evaluation in New Delhi of
diplomacy towards countries in its traditional sphere of influence. - Vishal
Arora and Vijay Simha (Nov 19, '12)
World braces for Syrian trainwreck
The reorganized overseas Syrian opposition still looks ill-equipped (where are
the death squads?) to counter the Salafist jihadis filling the power vacuum
created by the civil war, and a political settlement remains unlikely, barring
the emergence of a Sunni strongman. The continuing bloody chaos is, however,
another opportunity for Beijing to advance its interests in the neighborhood.- Peter
Lee (Nov 16, '12)
BEIJING HANDOVER
Hu hands military baton to Xi
Xi Jinping, as expected, is to head up a reduced Politburo Standing Committee
when he takes over as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. As well
as becoming China's new president, he will head the Central Military
Commission, signaling outgoing Hu Jintao's intention to fully retire from
politics. Xi's task of battling party corruption will be led by economist Wang
Qishan. - Wu Zhong (Nov 15, '12)
China's carrier forces US Navy rethink
The geopolitical implications of China's first operational aircraft carrier
underline that the growing Asian superpower's long-held strategy to counter US
military dominance has had a corrosive effect on Western naval confidence. The
US Navy should not attempt to shoulder the burden of responding to China's
maritime strategy alone. - Sukjoon Yoon (Nov
15, '12)
BEIJING HANDOVER
The China challenge: War or peace
Political reform is more than the main issue confronting the Chinese Communist
Party as President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao step aside. Harmonization
of China's political system with the rest of world is also of paramount
importance. After years of ineffective containment by the United States, the
two countries could recognize that their differences can pave the way for
positive partnership rather than outright war. - Francesco Sisci
(Nov 14, '12)
PLA reshuffle draws battle lines
The reshuffle of China's top military brass prior to the party congress
reinforces the People's Liberation Army's increasing dedication to promoting
professionally savvy officers. The personnel changes also reflect intense
horse-trading among the Chinese Communist Party's principal factions that will
likely consolidate Hu Jintao's power as the military's political boss. - Willy
Lam (Nov 14, '12)
SUN WUKONG
China sets out its future
The Chinese Communist Party's 18th National Congress will be memorable for
appointing new leaders lacking a direct link to the giants of the revolution -
Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. As Xi Jinping plots a new coarse for prosperity,
out will go Deng's "crossing the river by feeling the stones", and it will no
longer be glorious just to get rich. "People power" is making a comeback, of a
sort. - Wu Zhong (Nov 13, '12)
China moves to new era
The Chinese Communist Party's national congress now underway in Beijing is set
to bring in a new leadership for the first time in a decade. It opened with a
warning by outgoing President Hu Jintao that corruption threatens the party and
the state, but major political and economic reforms under his successor, Xi
Jinping, are considered unlikely. (Nov 9, '12)
Iran pays price for Chinese support
China's rising international profile and reliance on energy imports have
created a perfect answer to Iran's need to contain the negative effects of a
confrontational policy towards the West. However, Beijing's persistence in
seeking deeper oil discounts and reluctance to offer real support on the
nuclear issue underline the pitfalls of a lop-sided relationship. - Richard
Javad Heydarian (Nov 9, '12)
China, Russia and Obama's second
coming
Obligatory congratulations to Barack Obama from Russia and China show the
Kremlin decidedly more cagey on what the US president might bring to his second
term in office. Beijing, notably soon-to-be-president Xi Jinping, was more
upbeat - though state media were not slow to put big dollar numbers into their
commentaries. Much may depend on whether John Kerry or Susan Rice is Obama's
secretary of state. - M K Bhadrakumar(Nov 8,
'12)
Hong Kong nibbles the hand that feeds it
An anti-mainland "secessionist" group in Hong Kong has been accused of
ingratitude in the face of seemingly non-ending Chinese economic favors to its
reclaimed territory. Beijing calls the pro-independence sentiment and nostalgia
for colonial times a virus and heartbreaking, and perhaps it has a point. - Kent
Ewing (Nov 7, '12)
A way ahead in the South China Sea
Hopes that unity can counter Chinese ambitions in the South China Sea have been
dashed as some ASEAN members cozy up to Beijing and others turn to the United
States for naval support. A better route back from the brink of conflict is for
nations with rival sovereignty claims to China to agree sea boundaries and a
code of conduct among themselves. - David Brown
(Nov 6, '12)
UN Tibet statement welcomed and rejected
Tibet-focused activists are hailing a strongly worded statement by the United
Nations' top official on human rights drawing attention to growing public
discontent in Tibet just ahead of a major leadership shuffle in China. Beijing
rejected the statement, while in the US the subject appears to be too hot to
handle in the presidential race. - Carey L Biron
(Nov 6, '12)
China 'pivot' trips over McMahon Line
Beijing is looking for a "Western" pivot to counter the United States'
diplomatic and military inroads with its East Asian neighbors. The Central
Asian "stans" lacks disputed islands and the Seventh Fleet, but cozying up to
India will prove trickier. In particular, there is the contentious issue - and
shady history - of the hastily drawn McMahon Line and New Delhi's insistence
that it has historic legal standing. - Peter Lee
(Nov 5, '12)
China's Central America
investments a one-way street
Central America, like much the rest of the world, is receiving plenty of
interest and investment from China. Selling stuff back to the Chinese is a
different matter, with low volumes of beans or fruit having too little value to
justify the distances and costs involved. - Danilo Valladares
(Nov 2, '12)
INTERVIEW
China no country for young
women
Young rural women navigating the complexities of making it in a wealth-obsessed
new China have to overcome deep-rooted traditions and customs designed to
prevent females from climbing the social ladder. Leading Chinese author Sheng
Keyi told Asia Times Online how she has created independent female characters
and broke sexual taboos as she highlighted their plight. - Muhammad Cohen
(Nov 2, '12)
Scandals lay bare China's insecurities
Scandals pulling in China's highest (and not so high) officials before the
Communist Party's National Congress next week undermine confidence in the
"Beijing Model" of economic progress. Endemic inequality and corruption also
add fuel insecurity at a time when the United States is doubting its own
future. Each country would do well to attend to its own needs rather than
highlight the other's shortcomings. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Nov 1, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Wen versus Bo
gets more explosive
Western media bombshells into the personal wealth of China's leaders were
likely primed by the neo-Maoist camp of Bo Xilai, as the disgraced Chongqing
communist party chief fights to avoid the death penalty. Their timing, and the
possibility that corruption allegations of the kind levied against Prime
Minister Wen Jiabao could target other leaders, lend an increasingly explosive
air to next month's party congress. - Francesco Sisci
(Oct 31, '12)
Tibetan burnings reach new level
The wave of Tibetan self-immolation protests against Chinese rule may have
entered a new phase following a record number of burnings, as Tibetans show an
unrelenting determination in their campaign to restore their rights in a land
where there "are more Chinese than Tibetans, more troops than Tibetan monks and
more surveillance cameras than windows". - Parameswaran Ponnudurai
(Oct 30, '12)
Insider trading, Chinese style
The epic financial machinations allegedly practiced by the family of Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao drew a thrilled response from Western media - not
unreasonably. The Wen family appears to have navigated the loopholes,
opportunities, and shoals of personal enrichment in fashion immediately
recognizable by their spiritual brothers and sisters across the sea: the robber
barons of Wall Street and the City of London. - Peter Lee
(Oct 30, '12)
SINO-INDIAN WAR: 50 YEARS ON
Ghosts of '62 can't rest in peace
Half a century after blood was spilled in the world's highest battlefield, the
brief Sino-Indian War is bitterly remembered in India and largely forgotten by
the Chinese public. As the borders fought over remain under dispute, and the
giant neighbors locked in a state of mutually assured destruction, fertile
ground for improvements in economic, political, and cultural ties is still
being lost. - Brendan O'Reilly (Oct 30, '12)
Yesterday: Beijing,
Delhi tread fine line
 THE
ROVING EYE
China takes
over Bryce Canyon
Past the "loneliest road in America", beyond Mitt's Mormon paradise in Salt
Lake City, and at Bryce Canyon, Nevada, early-rising expeditioners from
Guangzhou were surveying the fractured landscape of the American dream. In that
scene Roving Eye heard an echo to answer the futility of Mitt Romney's proposed
trade/currency war against China: the Chinese are going to take over
everything. - Pepe Escobar (Oct 29, '12)
SINO-INDIAN WAR: 50 YEARS ON
Beijing, Delhi tread fine line
The 1962 conflict between India and China was in many ways a mere blip, limited
in time, range and use of force. The next time tensions reach breaking point,
war will not be confined to a disputed land border, will involve air forces and
navies, and will have repercussions for global security. All the more reason
for Beijing and New Delhi to avoid extreme rhetoric. - Chietigj Bajpaee
(Oct 29, '12)
Tomorrow: Laying the ghost of war
China's wealthy seniors dodge time-bomb
Western entrants into China's market for care of the elderly have emphasized
solutions for the wealthy - a segment that's easily defined and has shown a
propensity for Western luxury goods and health services. Yet, China's
government knows that long term, it will have to encourage investment and
foreign expertise to cater for seniors at the bottom of the pile. - Benjamin A
Shobert (Oct 26, '12)
US learns hard lessons of Asia 'pivot'
The US "pivot" toward China's backyard has had the apparently unintended
consequence of Beijing lashing out at America's valued allies in the region,
especially Japan. To try to mend the damage, the US sent a high-powered
bipartisan team of retired diplomats to Asia, but they found out what regional
players already knew: China's once-cuddly "soft power" panda has grown fangs. - Peter
Lee (Oct 26, '12)
China's 'old buddy' diplomacy dies a
death
The Chinese government marked the death of Norodom Sihanouk with solemnity
befitting more than just a long-time ally. The former Cambodian king was an
"old buddy", one of a group of friends to China who for decades were an
important feature of the country's diplomacy. Modernization, economic growth,
and age, have wrought the end of an era. - Jian Junbo
(Oct 25, '12)
Construction tensions
in the South China Sea
Manila is becoming more anxious over its territorial claims in the South China
Sea, protesting over China's construction blitz there, including establishment
of a prefecture-level city in the disputed Paracels. Though other rival
Southeast Asian claimants have built up fortifications and even tourist spas in
the region, they too are worried that more Chinese structures will eventually
carry more diplomatic weight than China's oft-stated "historical claims". - Richard
Javad Heydarian (Oct 25, '12)
Chinese bogeyman resurfaces in US
The blather between Barack Obama and the guy who wants his job about who is
"tougher on China" is neither surprising nor new - it happens in every US
presidential election. It will also come as no surprise if this campaign
rhetoric is a hot topic at the Chinese Communist Party Congress after the
November 6 vote. There is always the danger that heated words will translate
into action, such as a trade war that is in no one's interest. - Kent Ewing
(Oct 25, '12)
SINOGRAPH
US race shames China's leadership change
The opacity of China's upcoming leadership shuffle is in stark contrast to the
United States' presidential race. The lack of substance in rumors over
potential winners and losers of the Communist Party congress proves that for
Beijing to achieve world influence it will need to stop hiding truths from its
own people.
- Francesco Sisci (Oct 24, '12)
COMMENT
Can Europe prevent Asia's rise?
The West, increasingly preoccupied with Asia's rise, is mounting rearguard
action to delay the redistribution of power in international organizations such
as the International Monetary Fund. It's a losing battle since as influence
grows these institutions will be molded in an Asian image, just as European and
American power shaped the past century's international rules.
- Barry Desker (Oct 24, '12)
China's need to find a voice
Growing debate in China recognizes that gap between the country's power as the
world's second-largest economy and Beijing's ability to shape discussions and
values needs to be closed. The challenge for Beijing is to project its right to
voice on the international stage what kind of world China wants. - Peter Mattis
(Oct 22, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
A farmer needs a wife in China and India
China and India both face a sex-ratio crisis that leaves men getting a bad
press as the consequences of "missing women" work their way through the
demographic pyramid. Solutions are needed, and some balance can be found in
encouraging urban women to marry rural sweethearts. - Lauren Johnston
(Oct 19, '12)
China's reformers hope for a game-changer
As their nation, in their view, lurches into crisis, Chinese reformers are
grasping at the Bo Xilai affair to push their agenda in the run-up to the
Communist Party Congress and change of leadership. And this time, there are
indications that party leadership accepts the reality of crisis and the need
for reform. But it could take an asteroid-like catastrophe to force meaningful
change. - Peter Lee (Oct 19, '12)
Challenges ahead for comeback kid
Making use of a town-hall format that suited his strengths, President Barak
Obama was able to make Mitt Romney squirm on issues from Benghazi to Beijing,
likely recouping some of the poll space he gifted his Republican opponent with
his earlier "disengaged" performance. Perhaps most importantly, Obama emerged
with the image of a team player - not a back-biter. - Dinesh Sharma
(Oct 17, '12)
China's slowdown raises
human rights hazards
Each year, a congressional committee issues a report on China's progress, or
lack thereof, on its human-rights practices, and on each occasion Beijing
reacts with righteous indignation. This year, given a slowing of China's
economic boom, its citizens may not be easily distracted from their
frustrations. - Benjamin A Shobert (Oct 17,
'12)
SUN WUKONG
Xi to guide CCP from revolution to rule
Long-held views of Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping that the Chinese Communist
Party must evolve from a "revolutionary" to a "ruling" party are being
idealized, with top scholars backing an emphasize reforms and democracy in a
new political outlook. While stopping far short of a multi-party system,
incoming leader Xi's plan envisions the CCP abandoning revolutionary trappings.
- Wu Zhong (Oct 16, '12)
COMMENT
China's economic power
mightier than the sword
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has created a new Department of International
Economic Affairs aimed specifically at achieving foreign-policy goals by using,
or withholding, its massive economic power. These goals are not just in the
field of commerce; from now on, Beijing will use economic means to further its
political and territorial interests while the US, the EU and Japan flounder in
economic disarray. - Brendan O'Reilly(Oct 15,
'12)
US digs in for cyber warfare
The US Congress' Intelligence Committee has in effect blocked Chinese telecoms
Huawei and ZTE from doing any business, government or otherwise, in the United
States, out of "national security" concerns. The true nature of these concerns
is obfuscated in the committee's report, and for a very good reason: The real
fear is the vulnerability of the US to cyberwar, in which the Obama
administration itself upped the ante when it unleashed the Stuxnet weapon on
Iran. After opening this Pandora's box, the US is hoping against hope that its
cyber-rivals will play nice and "obey the rules". - Peter Lee
(Oct 12, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Bo: political implications
of a non-political crime
Similarities between the trial of the infamous Gang of Four and that of Bo
Xilai are undermined by the fact that the disgraced former party chief of
Chongqing is going down for a simple murder. The fact that Bo's crime and the
political fall-out are distinct could make the consequences starker for those
associated with him and his neo-Maoist tenets. - Francesco Sisci
(Oct 11, '12)
Taiwan shaken by US conference confusion
An unusual no-show by US State Department officials at an annual meet on
defense cooperation with Taiwan has pundits on the island in a tizzy. The US
cancellation, they insist, is linked to Taipei's recent aggressive behavior
over the disputed Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands. There are other plausible
explanations for the no-show, however, not least the US presidential election
campaign. - Jens Kastner (Oct 11, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Ashes of Sino-Indian war stay warm
Half a century after the China and India war in the eastern Himalayas,
aggressive posturing by both sides has seen increased militarization of the
region - Beijing plans to deploy new fighters to support its 300,000 troops
there, and Delhi has stationed Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles in Arunachal
Pradesh. The region continues as a Sino-Indian flashpoint. Frameworks are
required that can deal with misperceptions on both sides. - Namrata Goswami
(Oct 10, '12)
China's shake-up to shape foreign policy
China, just as it prepares for its once-per-decade shift in leadership, is
being rocked by uncertainties arising from daunting economic and political
challenges. Though these are primarily domestic, they will have an impact on
the foreign policy of the Communist Party's incoming leadership. How the rest
of the world reacts to this policy will determine whether, and to what extent,
China's rise remains peaceful. - Brendan O'Reilly
(Oct 10, '12)
DPP swallows pride, hooks up with CCP
A recent visit by Frank Hsieh, a heavyweight in Taiwan's pro-independence
Democratic Progressive Party, to the mainland marks the DPP's recognition that
it needs to forge closer ties with Beijing as favored by many moderate
Taiwanese. However, political gains made in distancing itself from the
independence movement could be lost as its traditional support base turns to
more hardline elements. - Jens Kastner (Oct
10, '12)
SINOGRAPH
It is the world or
nothing for China
Had Britain had a better understanding of the geopolitics of its sphere of
influence 30 years ago, it might today still own Hong Kong, while the Falklands
would belong to Argentina. Today, China may be making similar errors of
judgment as it throws its weight around in the East and South China Seas, while
missing the bigger picture - that as a rising power it has no need to bully the
rest of the region or the world, but to embrace it, and respect others' values
and aspirations. - Francesco Sisci (Oct 9,
'12)
Transatlantic dream or joke in Asia
The United States has urged the European Union to join in strengthening its
Asian pivot, even as it tries to sabotage EU foreign affairs head Catherine
Ashton's dreams of developing strategic ties with China. Try as it might,
Brussels' desire for a more prominent role in Asia keeps on being thwarted, and
a common transatlantic stance on the Pacific Rim is a risible proposition. - Emanuele
Scimia (Oct 5, '12)
Hong Kong's $500 million marriage
proposal
Though modern and hip in many ways, Hong Kong has been slow to eliminate
official discrimination against homosexuality, especially lesbianism.
Inadvertently, one of the city's most noted homophobes - and a top-rank
septuagenarian Lothario - has given the struggling LGBT community a boost with
his offer of a huge bribe to any man who wins the hand of his openly lesbian
daughter. - Kent Ewing (Oct 4, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
India renews Taiwan embrace
India is promoting itself as an alternative market for Taiwan to mainland China
as a thaw in cross-strait relations eases Beijing's sensitivities over such
flaunting of the "one-China" policy Delhi adheres to. The newfound push for
improved trade ties with Taipei also reflects a new Indian assertiveness as its
counters a Chinese encirclement strategy of building ties with countries like
Pakistan and Myanmar. - Anindya Batabyal (Oct
4, '12)
China, Japan dodge anniversary
Planned celebrations of four decades of diplomatic relations between Japan and
the People's Republic of China have been put on hold as the two Asian giants
remain bogged down in a dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. Behind the
deteriorating ties is mutual distrust rooted in history and aggravated by huge
shifts in economic power and regional influence. The souring of relations, if
allowed to continue much longer, will be damaging to both nations. - Brendan
O'Reilly (Oct 3, '12)
Shanghai Goodfellas
The 1920s and 1930s were years of vicious organized crime in both West and
East, with Shanghai a particularly brutal example of violence and excess.
Affluence, growth and good times have now returned to the "Pearl of The
Orient", rejuvenating its reputation for expatriate and Chinese high-living
party life - this time without the crime. - Ronan Thomas
(Oct 3, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Curtain not down
on Bo Xilai scandal
While the announcement by the Chinese Communist Party of the fate of Bo Xilai
was not unexpected, it entailed procedural circumventions designed to bring a
quick conclusion to this embarrassing saga so it does not cast a dark cloud
over the upcoming party congress and handover of the nation's leadership.
Questions remain about how this scandal was allowed to continue for so long,
and how Bo rose so high in the party ranks so quickly. - Wu Zhong
(Oct 2, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
China's pedagogic pitfalls
Although the English language will the medium for future Sino-US exchanges on
economics, politics, and diplomacy, English-language training in China suffers
from a misguided pedagogical mindset that views classrooms through a factorial
lens and flaunts enrollment numbers as if these alone underscore linguistic
success. The answer is to have Western instructors in the classrooms, new
facilities and performance incentives, but Beijing doesn't seem interested - James
Fishback (Oct 2, '12)
China pushes back against Japan
Beijing overreacted two years ago when Tokyo put a Chinese fish-boat captain on
trial for an incursion into disputed waters, and the result was a damaging
disruption to trade. This time, things are different. Japan enjoys little
international support for its "nationalization" of the Senkaku Islands, its
ally the US is staying as far as possible from the issue, and Beijing is
keeping anti-Japanese street protests under control (sort of). All things
considered, the PRC has a pretty strong hand, played with cool calculation. - Peter
Lee (Sep 28, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
The end of translation
As a result of Western media and academia mistranslating ancient Chinese
concepts into convenient biblical or philosophical terminology, few in Europe
or America have any real grasp of Chinese culture. The same is true of the tens
of thousands of unique non-European concepts in the Sanskrit-Hindu tradition.
It's if billions of Chinese and Indians in 3,000 years invented nothing. - Thorsten
Pattberg (Sep 28, '12)
Republican extremes threaten Sino-US ties
The insipid and inappropriate move by Mitt Romney to try to pin recent Muslim
violence overseas on President Barack Obama is just one example of how the
Democrats' rightward shift has pushed the Republicans toward extremes that,
should they become a reality after November, would be disastrous for US trade
and foreign policy. - Benjamin A Shobert (Sep
27, '12)
Asia poll prospects make for choppy seas
It's no coincidence that the increased vitriol in Northeast Asia over
sovereignty issues comes as leadership changes loom in South Korea, China and
likely Japan. While Beijing is overcompensating for a mediocre economic
performance by yielding to ultra-nationalist demands, Tokyo similarly needs a
bogeyman to end political instability limiting the state's effectiveness. - Yong
Kwon (Sep 26, '12)
Nervous Malaysia eyes China dancefloor
On the surface, the first ever defense and security consultation between China
and Malaysia points to relations at an all-time high. Yet, immediate benefits
of cozying up to Beijing aside, divergences are such that Kuala Lumpur
continues to pursue a hedging strategy amid the uncertainty posed by China's
rise. - Prashanth Parameswaran (Sep 26, '12)
China's security boss surveys Hindu Kush
An historic visit by Politburo member and security boss Zhou Yongkang to
Afghanistan on Saturday signaled China's readiness play a much larger role
there following the 2014 Western withdrawal. Zhou's focus on futue
reconstruction, security and economic cooperation was unlikely to have been
missed by the United States or Russia. Beijing's interest gives Kabul added
leverage with Washington, and has momentous implications for China's
"all-weather friendship" with Pakistan.
- M K Bhadrakumar (Sep 26, '12)
Taiwan angles for the big fish
While Taipei may be keen to show the world that the Diaoyu/Senkaku island
dispute is trilateral, and not just a row between Beijing and Tokyo, Taiwanese
fishermen simply want to fish those seas. For its own reasons, Japan is
considering accommodating the fishermen without backing off from its
"nationalization" of the islands, but it is hard to see how it could do so
without making the political situation even worse. - Jens Kastner
(Sep 26, '12)
Egypt gains balance and leverage in China
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi returned from his recent visit to Beijing
with strengthened ties between the two countries in the form of nearly US$5
billion worth of agreements that also help give him improved leverage in
dealings with the United States and the International Monetary Fund. - Chris
Zambelis (Sep 25, '12)
US pivots toward trouble in West Pacific
Washington wants to be seen as an honest broker in the maritime disputes
between China and its neighbors, but its actions betray its bias against
Beijing. The result of America's meddling has been a resurgence of rivalries
that had been dormant for decades, and aggravation of the underlying distrust
between the nations of East and Southeast Asia and China. - Jian Junbo
(Sep 25, '12)
Realities debunk CCP reform rumors
An apparent "downgrading" of propaganda and law enforcement ministries expected
at the 18th Chinese Communist Party Congress and Premier Wen Jiabao's past
pleas for political reform hint that the congress could set the stage for
liberalization. However, the retooling of party organs is simply administrative
restructuring, while Wen's demands merely reflect the CCP's evolutionary
nature. - Willy Lam (Sep 24, '12)
The dangling Chinese princeling
The sentencing of former Chongqing vice-mayor Wang Lijun to 15 years on Monday
over a murder cover-up, corruption and a defection attempt leaves almost
complete the Communist Party's strategy to minimize fallout from the Bo Xilai
scandal. Damning testimony hints at what Bo will face in a trial likely as
swift and definitive as this and his wife Gu's. - Kent Ewing
(Sep 24, '12)
Benghazi, Beijing show limits of
power
Violent protests in the Middle East, particularly in Benghazi, were a nasty
reminder that liberation from dictatorship does mean unfettered affection for
the "liberators". Anti-Japanese demonstrations in China may more instructive in
how the madness of mobs can be a tool for a government's foreign policy goals.
One thing is certain, these were not a pathetic charade. They were dead serious
- and successful. - Peter Lee (Sep 21, '12)
FILM REVIEW
America's futuristic DNA with a Chinese
twist Looper directed by Rian Johnson
Thirty years from now, China is a utopia, a refuge from barren, dystopian
America. But escape is complicated by the invention, and outlawing, of time
travel. Hit-men work to close the loops created by time-travel anomalies, yet
themselves are vulnerable to self-doubt - and romantic love. This film plays on
the deep anxieties related to the demographic and cultural shifts taking place
in today's America, demographically and culturally. - Dinesh Sharma
(Sep 21, '12)
SINOGRAPH
False targets and
the rise of fascism
In post-Habsburg Europe, a disputed decision sparked first a minor skirmish,
and then the rise of European fascism. Today, Mao-shirt-clad mobs in China
disturbingly mirror the black and brown shirts of fascist Italy and Germany.
The louder the Chinese nationalists become, the more they strengthen Japanese
nationalists. But the unelected Chinese leadership lacks the legitimacy to
quell this 21st-century rise of fascism. - Francesco Sisci
(Sep 20, '12)
China loves a crisis
The eurozone crisis has coincided with a huge increase in Chinese investment in
Europe. Counter-intuitive perhaps, but good sense to Chinese companies in a
number of ways, and welcomed by struggling European businesses.
- Benjamin A Shobert (Sep 20, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Hu's legacy - the good, bad and ugly
Chinese President Hu Jintao's legacy is muddied by the country's
(technology-driven) greater freedom of expression, and the emergence of new
enemies with the demotion of Bo Xilai. Yet as he reaped the success of earlier
reforms he can claim real achievement in some areas, notably in relations with
Taiwan. - Francesco Sisci (Sep 19, '12)
China's gilded age
The official Chinese Communist Party line is that the 10-year reign of
President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao has produced a "golden decade" of
economic growth and social stability, and they leave a legacy of peace, harmony
and prosperity. Critics say credit for prosperity goes to their immediate
predecessors while the incumbents have overseen an increasingly corrupt and
divided society. - Kent Ewing (Sep 19, '12)
China faces double challenge
China's policymakers understand that new economic and political models are
required for the country to continue its ascendancy. No less a challenge to its
new leaders may be in how the established Great Powers - in particular the
United States view China and its intentions. Misperceptions could lead
unwittingly to disaster. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Sep 18, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Beijing faces protests dilemma
The recent anti-Japanese protests, many violent, across China coincide with
Japan's 1931 invasion of the country. The Chinese government now faces having
to crackdown fiercely at home or allow its foreign policy to be hijacked by
popular will to run into military conflict with Japan and then with other
neighboring countries. Neither is desirable for the Party during a time of
power transition. - Wu Zhong (Sep 18, '12)
Uneasy crowd control in East China Sea
The dispute among Japan, Taiwan and mainland China over the Senkaku/Diaoyu
Islands gets more stressful by the day, as the surrounding seas teem with
vessels from all three powers. Though - primarily for economic reasons - none
of them want an actual shooting war over these barren rocks, the chances that
domestic politics and face-saving - or simply an accidental escalation by
trigger-happy coast guards - will trump calm judgment are too high for comfort.
- Jens Kastner (Sep 18, '12)
EAST CHINA SEA DISPUTE
Beijing more sensitive to war tremors
Japan's decision to try to tighten control over disputed islands in the East
China Sea looks like a serious miscalculation. It's not extraordinary that
protesters in China are baying for war. The difference from times past is that
rifts surfacing at the top of the Communist Party render Beijing more sensitive
to the popular mood. - Brendan O'Reilly (Sep
17, '12)
A tale of two (China vs US) stimuli
The world is in a Dickensian dilemma, with two starkly different models of
economic stimulus - China's and America's. Viewed rationally, China's favored
path to prosperity is now riddled with too many hurdles to be navigable in the
long term, while the US has its own, very different, problems. However,
rationality is beside the point in both economies: Ideology is guiding the
debate, not toward heavenly success but "direct the other way". - Peter Lee
(Sep 14, '12)
BOOK REVIEW
Chinese juggernaut
World.Wide.Web by Bertil Lintner
Seemingly insignificant stopovers by US diplomats in Asia-Pacific backwaters
are one pointer to the expansion of Chinese interests in the region. The author
has done an excellent job of tracing the country's increased role over the past
three decades, but the absence of some developments means the work already
seems dated. - Kent Ewing (Sep 14, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Point of no return in the South China Sea
As tensions over rival territorial claims in the South China Sea rise to
worrying levels, serious actions are required to turn back from a point of no
return. In this effort, much will be expected from the United States and China
to lead the way toward stability. - Nazery Khalid
(Sep 13, '12)
US election sets poser for Taiwan
At first glance, it would appear from the Republicans' campaign bluster that a
Mitt Romney administration would be a boon for Taipei at Beijing's expense, but
neither major Taiwanese party is betting heavily on that. In the first place,
campaign rhetoric is often quickly forgotten once a candidate is installed in
the Oval Office. In the second, the new state of cross-strait relations has
changed the rules of the game. - Jens Kastner
(Sep 13, '12)
SINOGRAPH
China's new
leaders on a tightrope
The new leadership that will lead China over the next decade will confront
challenges at home and with neighbors that are quite different to those faced
by earlier generations. The government need only return to excessively cautious
policies to alarm everyone, and the world could witness the chill of a new Cold
War sweeping across Beijing. - Francesco Sisci
(Sep 12, '12)
Keeping Beijing at arm's length
Legislative Council elections are always a channel for Hong Kong people to send
a complex amalgam of messages both to their own city government and to the
central regime in Beijing. The latest vote was no exception, made even more
complicated by the Democratic Party's (and the media's) campaign against
"mainlandization". And the result was a stunner. - Augustine Tan
(Sep 11, '12)
Clinton's strained swan song in China
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent visit to China was tense, to put
it politely. While this could be explained by the pending leadership changes in
both Beijing and Washington - with Clinton herself probably set to step down -
there is no doubt Sino-US relations have become highly strained, given the US
"pivot" into China's sphere of influence and America's reluctance to rein in
its increasingly assertive ally Japan. - Peter Lee
(Sep 10, '12)
Beijing steers clear of skirmishes
Beijing can hardly be accused of a sanguine response to calls to arms in China
and the usual display of combativeness from Japan in their 40-year-old dispute
over island sovereignty. That's because ultimately it can count on
carrot-and-stick ploys to persuade Tokyo to keep emotions in check. - Willy Lam
(Sep 10, '12)
Asia's free-trade bandwagons to nowhere
The United States' Trans-Pacific Partnership smacks of burnish for the Asian
pivot, with the hook of no trade tariffs if members smite intellectual property
pirates, but it is leading smaller states to believe they can take a swipe at
China. While Beijing is oiling the wheels of its own free-trade vehicle, with
cozy characteristics, all roads are leading nowhere. - Peter Lee
(Sep 7, '12)
Clinton brush off marks new
Sino-US rivalry
Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping's snub of visiting US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and Beijing's harsh rebuff to soft US criticism on the Syrian
crisis underlines China's increasingly assertive stance towards its sole
competitor for global influence. China now has the clout to back up strong
words, helped by a decade establishing economic ties around the world rather
than building costly military bases. - Brendan O'Reilly
(Sep 6, '12)
Chinese, overseas and insecure
The remarkable rise in the number of Chinese projects and workers overseas,
notably in Africa, brings a concomitant increase in the security risk facing
company property and individuals. The government in Beijing must tread softly -
and brave domestic claims of weakness - or take a stronger stance that would
bring charges of "imperialism". - Jacob Zenn (Sep
5, '12)
Taiwanese frigate captures Chinese
cadre
Chinese Vice Transport Minister Xu Zuyuan last week made history by boarding a
Taiwanese frigate in a joint maritime search and rescue drill. After Taiwanese
activists upset the United States-Japanese alliance by sailing to disputed East
China Sea islands, the photo-opportunity created by the exercise gives Beijing
further excuse to cast doubts on Washington's role as Taipei's guarantor of
security. - Jens Kastner (Sep 5, '12)
US eyes spoiler role in Japan-China
dispute
China and Japan have allowed nationalism to hijack the real national interest
in their ongoing row over the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. Rather than
allow the sovereignty tensions to affect rising interdependence and potential
Asian solidarity against United States hegemony, Tokyo and Beijing would be
better to shelve the dispute for future generations living in a climate less
replete with patriotism, unilateralism and US interference. - Jian Junbo
(Sep 4, '12)
Calling the China-Russia spilt isn't
heresy
Beijing is not amused at the Kremlin's refusal to reciprocate over the United
States' "pivot" in the Asia-Pacific, especially since returns from its
diplomatic support for Moscow's embattled ally in Damascus are expected. The
symbolism of Russia hosting the Vietnamese president and the Japanese foreign
minister in quick succession in July was not lost on China either - and so the
Sino-Soviet chill now descending is a far easier call than in cold days of the
1950s, when such forecasts were greeted as acts of heresy. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Sep 4, '12)
Taiwan verdict exposes
death-penalty danger
Quashed convictions in Taiwan's most controversial death-penalty case left
supporters of the "Hsichih Trio" cheering. It also leaves the entire island
sanguine that were it not for President Ma Ying-jeou's refusal as justice
minister in 1995 to sign the order and 21 years of legal battles to take on the
courts, the trio would now be dead, wrongly executed after false confessions
were beaten out of them. - Dennis Engbarth (Sep
4, '12)
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ATol Specials
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Shanghai, the becoming thing |
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China:
The
Impossible
Revolution
By
Francesco Sisci |
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Sinoroving
Pepe Escobar in China
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Henry C K Liu
on the yuan
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A 3-part series by Macabe Keliher
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China-US: The Quest
for Peace
A series by Henry C K Liu
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A 3-part series on the lamas of Tibet by Julian
Gearing
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A 3-part series by Miao Yi
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A 4-part series by Jasper Becker
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