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THE ROVING EYE
China: We don't
do shutdowns
The bumper-to-bumper debt gridlock in Washington leaves no room for US President Barack Obama to pivot to Asia as he is forced to give regional summits in Indonesia and Brunei a miss. That leaves Chinese President Xi Jinping to bask, unrivalled, in center-stage glow. The no-show only reinforces perceptions that US foreign policy is in a mess - and that while the US does shutdowns, China brings cash to the table. - Pepe Escobar
(Oct 4, '13)
No new "Little Red Book" - that's official
News that a Chinese military scholar is working on a new book of quotes from late supreme leader Mao Zedong quickly brought denials from Beijing that a new version of Mao’s "Little Red Book" is being prepared for the presses. While Chen Yu says his book is merely "scientific research", critics claim the project reflects popular sentiment for the past amid rising social tensions. - Xi Wang
(Oct 4, '13)
Abe shoots blanks in New York
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's concern expressed at the United Nations over a rise in China's military budget conveniently ignored that the increase is line with the China's economic expansion. Meanwhile, Japan's defense spending is outstripping national growth as it surges to its highest since the Cold War. Little wonder Beijing responded by pointing to Tokyo's imperial past. - Brendan P O'Reilly
(Oct 2, '13)
SINOGRAPH
A devious blueprint
to empower the party
Everything has to change in order to change nothing. That is the central message of an ingenious blueprint for the Chinese Communist Party to retain power in the face of worries that reforms may stall and lead back to a Maoist path. According to the blueprint, in charting a course to make China great President Xi Jinping would do well to look to Western democracies for inspiration. Timing is everything. - Francesco Sisci
(Oct 1, '13)
Tibetan father immolates in China protest
A father of two burned himself to death in Sichuan province in the first self-immolation protest against China's policies in Tibetan-populated regions in more than two months. The death brings to 122 the total number of Tibetans in China who have self-immolated calling for Tibet's freedom and for the return of the Dalai Lama.
(Sep 30, '13)
Turkey goes for Chinese take-away defense
Turkey, a key NATO member, has gone for a US$3 billion Chinese take-away to ensure it has its own independent missile defense system. In ordering a version of the Hong Qi missile, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be telling Washington it no longer sees Turkey as Europe's front line state in the Middle East, and aims to manage his relationships with Iran and Syria on a more bilateral basis. - Peter Lee
(Sep 27, '13)
BOOK REVIEW
How the West denied China's law
Legal Orientalism: China, the US and Modern Law by Teemu Ruskola
This important book traces the remarkable hold Orientalist views demonizing China as lawless still have on political and cultural narratives about China's laws and legal institutions. It argues that at a time the word needs more accurate knowledge of Chinese legal concepts, present-day reforms equating to a "self-Orientalism" make that unlikely. - Dinesh Sharma
(Sep 27, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Parochial limits to
China's world view
China's responses to the political crisis in Taiwan and to the Syrian malaise reflect distinctly different approaches; Taiwan prompting rumblings over the limits of democracy, and events in Damascus bringing stoic, non-interventionist silence. The common thread through both is a parochial approach to politics that suggests nationalism keeps Beijing out of touch with international destiny. - Francesco Sisci
(Sep 24, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
Welcome to the Hotel Bo Xilai
When rising tiger turned crouching criminal Bo Xilai checks into his prison cell in the hills north of Beijing, courtesy of the Chinese Communist Party, he'll have all the trappings of a corrupt Mob boss in a California jail. Many powerful friends in the party would be bang to rights with him if his conviction was all about corruption. Instead, Bo waits for his key ally in Beijing to join him. - Pepe Escobar
(Sep 23, '13)
No next act for Bo Xilai
Many of Bo Xilai's supporters still hope for his exoneration and rehabilitation, even as the shamed former senior Communist Party member starts a life sentence in jail. His famed father showed what can be done in the political Lazarus stakes by surviving a decade-long purge to rise once more to the top. But this is one Bo who will not bounce back. - Kent Ewing
(Sep 23, '13)
Soviet lessons for China in Xinjiang
While China's presence in the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region resembles Russia's colonization of Central Asia countries in the Soviet era, the fact that segregation and revolts were less common in the latter suggests nationalities like the Kazakhs and the Kyrgyz found it easier to relate to their northern neighbors. Nonetheless, Beijing's combination of huge monetary investment and a carrot-and-stick policy for its restive Uyghur people is having results. - Igor Rotar
(Sep 23, '13)
Uyghurs shot dead in 'munitions center' raid
Details are emerging of an incident in which up to 12 Uyghurs were shot dead near Kashgar, in China's western Xinjiang region, with local people saying it involved an attack by the authorities on an alleged training camp and munitions center. Days earlier, 22 were killed in another "anti-terrorism" operation in the Kashgar region. -
Shohret Hoshur and Qiao Long
(Sep 18, '13)
Ma draws blood in KMT heavyweight bout
Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has denied that intra-party rivalries were behind his decision last week to revoke the party membership of popular legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng, insisting that Wang's abuse of power in a legal case - not a personality clash - was his motivation. This hasn't stopped his maneuver reawakening ethnic and geographic fault-lines in the ruling Kuomintang party. - Jens Kastner
(Sep 18, '13)
The real Bo Xilai story
Bo Xilai is presented in the West as a "princeling" who nearly reached the summit of China's party structure thanks to popular social and economic policies, only to succumb to greed. The reality is that Bo rose through the ranks by exploiting fortunate promotions and other people's policy successes, in a case that reflects failures typical to countries experiencing rapid development. - Dan Steinbock
(Sep 17, '13)
SINOGRAPH
'Confusionists', Mao
and urban morality
Behind the evolving case of Bo Xilai and new Maoist nostalgia, a bigger issue looms in China: the failure of traditional values and the fraying of the social fabric brought about by fast-paced urbanization. Things may be patched up, but a new social and ethical equilibrium will emerge only once cities stop growing. - Francesco Sisci
(Sep 17, '13)
SCO glimpses a new Eurasia in Bishkek
Defiant sounds from a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit last week in Kyrgyzstan over Syria's crisis and Iran's nuclear program underlined how the organization has evolved from an anti-terrorist coalition into a powerful counterpoint to Western international influence. If it can now forge energy links between South and Central Asia, the SCO can seriously threaten plans for a new American century. - Brendan P O'Reilly
(Sep 16, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
No joy in US or Chinese exceptionalism
While American exceptionalism led the US to blunder into Iraq and now perhaps Syria, Chinese exceptionalism has seen Beijing ignore international human-rights standards and claim 80% of the South China Sea. Neither power appreciates that the issues facing humanity today are global issues that require global solutions - and global standards of behavior. - Mark C Eades
(Sep 11, '13)
Who shall guard the guardians of India?
China is testing the mettle of the Indian political leadership with small-scale military incursions across the Indian line of their disputed borders. The PLA is not yet confident enough to invade, though that day will come. As things stand, India will lack the political resolve and military capability to support its inferior forces. - Aruni Mukherjee
(Sep 10, '13)
Papal challenge rocks US's Syria plans
Pope Francis' case against a military solution in the Syrian crisis cuts deep to the Christian core of United States' governance, and the Holy See can count on the support of European countries made skeptical by the collapse of US-backed revolutions in Egypt and Libya. The pope's calls could grow into a historic opportunity for the Vatican to regain a global political role. - Francesco Sisci
(Sep 10, '13)
China still has it wrong in Myanmar
China's efforts to convince Myanmar's government and population that it is committed to negating the social and environmental impacts of resource-related projects have achieved the opposite, resulting in the widespread belief that Beijing is focused on protecting its commercial interests above all. - Bernt Berger
(Sep 10, '13)
Suppose we offered battle ...
Air Sea Battle, US military's latest grand doctrine and megaboondoggle, is not, absolutely not, about war with China, which just happens to be the one power at which the related plans can be targeted. But just suppose the PRC fails to respond with fangs drawn ... just suppose ... - Peter Lee
(Sep 6, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
China, India face stability challenge
China plans to relax import restrictions on India, build up defense ties and construct an industrial park in Uttar Pradesh. However, as China's stakes in India increase so too does its responsibility to ensure stability in the region. - Anand V
(Sep 6, '13)
Manila, Beijing, and UNCLOS: a test case?
Manila's request for international arbitration over competing territorial claims with Beijing in the South China Sea prompts the question of whether right or might will determine their fate. China's refusal to cooperate also makes it a compelling and deeply Asian test of whether the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or diplomacy will play the lead role in securing a peaceful settlement. - Alex Calvo (Sep 3, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Bo breaks from script,
but sticks to role
By contradicting his wife and top aide's testimonies during his corruption case, former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai succeeded in disrupting the trial - but only by a half measure. If Bo had politicized the trial he could've reawakened interest in his neo-Maoist vision and undermined the current leadership. His failure to do so suggests a likely forlorn hope of rehabilitation. - Francesco Sisci
(Sep 3, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
Houses of the holy in China and Moscow
Just like the Led Zeppelin track, the song will remain the same in China after the Bo Xilai trial, as the party does whatever it takes to survive so the next generation of leaders can continue to line their pockets. Like Edward Snowden, Bo betrayed his house. But Bo did so for his own enrichment, Snowden fell for a seemingly noble but hopeless cause. - Jonny Connor
(Sep 3, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
Constructing an American Confucianism
Ethnic Chinese scholars of "Chinese studies" in the United States tend to switch, and switch eagerly, to the English language to explain Chinese meanings, while Western scholars seem overtly keen on adopting at least some Chinese loanwords. Both groups embody an example of mutual learning that should be followed by national governments. - Thorsten Pattberg
(Aug 29, '13)
Apple et al create new working class
Apple and its commercial ally, Taiwan's Foxconn, are facing challenges to their corporate images that require at least lip service in support of progressive labor policy reforms. The consequences could shape the future of labor and democracy in and beyond China. - Jenny Chan, Ngai Pun and Mark Selden
(Aug 29, '13)
China, Taiwan volunteer armies part ways
As Taiwan's volunteer recruitment army program falters in the face of public mistrust and the death of a young corporal in training, China is ramping up its initiatives by seeking better qualified candidates. If the trends continue, Taiwan's defense will become more reliant on the US military, while China's will be better geared towards modernization. - Kevin McCauley
(Aug 27, '13)
SINOGRAPH
US hurdles strew
China's reform path
The debate in China over whether Western-style change or an embrace of a new Maoism is the right path underlines that the country has reached an historic point as significant as that crossed by Deng Xiaoping in 1978. Deng could count on Washington's support for his reforms. Today, the pivoting US is not making it easy. - Francesco Sisci
(Aug 27, '13)
Questions linger as Bo Xilai trial ends
The trial of former Chongqing party boss Bo Xilai produced five riveting days of testimony and a grubby showcase for China's efforts to fight corruption. As he awaits a verdict and up to 20 years of house arrest, the political reverberations of the disgraced princeling's extraordinary fall from grace will be felt in China for years to come. - Kent Ewing
(Aug 26, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
The Fall of the House of Bo
The trial of disgraced princeling Bo Xilai is China doing Macbeth, and its script is meticulously pre-ordained. But as he injects some extra drama into proceedings by claiming he was framed, the Man Who Would be President is proving that he won't go down without a fight. - Pepe Escobar
(Aug 23, '13)
Denial is not just a river in Egypt
Events in Egypt (not to mention Washington's reluctance to cut military links with Cairo) give Beijing further justification for avoiding rapid democratic reform in China. Meanwhile, the US hunt for secrets whisteblower Edward Snowden and two court cases involving US-based Cisco Systems further highlight the consanguinity of authoritarianism in the East and West. - Peter Lee
(Aug 23, '13)
COMMENT
Binding China to new superpower rules
It is in the interests of the United States and the world to design a set of binding rules for China's superpower role in the next 10 to 20 years while they still have the ability to do so. This way, when the time comes and the US has to concede a large portion of global influence, it can be assured that China will have to work within those rules. - Zhengxu Wang
(Aug 23, '13)
BOOK EXCERPT
The Lius of Shanghai: A past 'Chinese dream'
Letters sent in the 1940s between members of the prominent Liu family in Shanghai give insight into how the powerful navigated the treacherous politics of the period. They also reflect how China would learn to master the heart of a capitalist world. - Sherman Cochran and Andrew Hsieh
(Aug 23, '13)
Pacific pivot sparks US-China arms race
The rosy military-to-military relations on show as Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan visited the US this week are belied by a new conventional arms race between the two nations that revolves around the Asia-Pacific. While Beijing is spending billions on an area-denial strategy encompassing, land, sea and space weapons, Washington is lavishing more on its "networked, integrated" AirSea Battle tactic. - George Gao
(Aug 22, '13)
Sino-Japanese deals hold water
Over the past five years, China and Japan have worked on maritime confidence-building and communication arrangements to reduce the chances of unintended escalation of territorial disputes. These mechanisms, if properly implemented, could play valuable roles in managing bilateral tensions at sea.
(Aug 21, '13)
China chases Central Asian pipe dream
China's nurturing of energy links with Central Asian countries, particularly Kazakhstan, has seen soft power opportunities grow and long-held mistrust of expanding Chinese influence recede. While Kazakh critics argue that economic ties with Russia are more natural, traditionally the area has benefited more from trade with China than with their northern neighbor. - Alexander Kim
(Aug 21, '13)
PLA HAWKS, PART TWO
Chinese propaganda as policy
People's Liberation Army pundits and their take-no-prisoners approach to China's maritime disputes with the Philippines and Japan have generated a huge fan base. The appetite for their warlike statements - contrasting with official government positions - indicates that the hawks may be answering deep psychological needs as well as encouraging criticism of China's foreign policy. - Andrew Chubb
(Aug 15, '13)
Part One: Good cop, bad cop with China's generals
China's realities will trump 'Likonomics'
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang aims to beat a growth slump by liberalizing product prices and easing ownership systems to encourage urbanization. But if "Likonomics" ends up relying on government investment to spur growth, it will only perpetuate a system is threatening the party's long-term future. - Willy Lam
(Aug 14, '13)
Xi realigns party politics to new realities
Chinese premier Xi Jinping has launched a party education campaign that expounds Maoist theory at a surface level, but underneath this "mass line" approach are plans to reshape the party to "serve the public". This strategy isn't only down to fears of social turmoil; the reorienting of party leadership to meet the needs of a prosperous society is becoming a hallmark of Xi's party politics. - Timothy Heath
(Aug 13, '13)
Hong Kong shows two faces of justice
Two dissidents from different places and different times land in Hong Kong. One, American whistleblower Edward Snowden, was treated with kid gloves and allowed to leave. The other, Libyan Sami al-Saadi, a CIA and MI6-designated terrorist suspect, was put on a plane to Tripoli where he was tortured. For Hong Kong, the tale of two people's experiences is a story of one city, two systems of justice. - Kent Ewing
(Aug 9, '13)
COMMENT
Time for China and ASEAN to make up
Remarks by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a recent Southeast Asia tour underline that Beijing remains committed to engagement with ASEAN countries, despite increasing territorial posturing. China is starting to show more tolerance of individual countries' geopolitical maneuvers to hedge against it, and ASEAN could return the favor by redefining the strategic partnership with China. - Karl Lee
(Aug 9, '13)
China's legal system leading to 'terrorism'
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made tackling government corruption a priority, yet renowned legal scholar Xu Zhiyong has recently been detained in relation to his efforts to have Communist Party officials declare their wealth. Similar dysfunction in the legal system is prompting domestic, often fatal, "terrorism", as frustrated ordinary folk see no means of legal redress - Cindy Hwang
(Aug 8, '13)
Beijing readies for new urbanization
A new model of Chinese urbanization that envisions using new towns to create sustainable hubs of demand has to somehow ensure that the assimilation of 250 million rural people doesn't lead to mass expansion of existing urban cores. Beijing, already facing criticism over its plans, needs to take the concerns seriously to make the model work on the ground. - Gabriele Battaglia
(Aug 7, '13)
Beijing slams doors on North Korean refugees
China cites concerns over drug smuggling, human trafficking, and military "accidents and incidents", in erecting miles of barbed-wire fences along the Tumen River border with North Korea. The stronger security appears aimed more at preventing North Korean refugees from escaping, though the most likely result will be to ramp up agents' fees for assisting in the dangerous crossing. - Jung Min Noh
(Aug 7, '13)
Mixed reactions to Mongolian election
Mongolia President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj's re-election in June was welcomed by countries he's been courting as new avenues of trade for his country's vast mineral wealth, such the Koreas and India. However, powerful neighbors China and Russia were less pleased - both are aware that Elbegdorj is forging such alliances to reduce Mongolia's traditional reliance on them for energy and policy direction. - Alicia J Campi
(Aug 6, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
India-China make a tryst
From energy to trade and counter-insurgency, India and China's converging interests in Myanmar are too deep to be easily undermined by economic competition and strategic power politics. By bridging their trust deficit and recognizing the potential for joint development, Beijing and Delhi could make the country a prototype for future Sino-Indian cooperation. - Sonu Trivedi
(Aug 5, '13)
COMMENT
'One China' risks aviation disaster
Taiwan's civil aviation authorities have full responsibility for administering one of the busiest air transport hubs in Asia, yet politics have prevented it from joining the International Civil Aviation Organization, leaving the country with no access to crucial safety information. A truly seamless global aviation security network will be impossible unless the ICAO accepts US-backed plans to end Taiwan's exclusion. - Kent Wang
(Aug 2, '13)
Dangerous liaisons threaten Pacific balance
That a "balance of relations" in the Asia-Pacific favors US above Chinese interests was reaffirmed by their leaders' summer summit. The ballast in the bilateral relationship matters little when set against the dangerous dynamics that would rock the boat should Washington or Beijing press countries in the region to choose between them. - Satu Limaye
(Aug 1, '13)
SINOGRAPH
The jasmine lesson:
Reform beats revolution
The outcome of the jasmine revolutions two years on is a lesson to authoritarian governments - and angry populations - not yet facing similar uprisings: economic and political reform, however undesired by thuggish leaders - is preferable to upheaval that brings down old political systems, only to have them replaced by chaos or painfully rebuilt in their old forms. - Francesco Sisci
(Jul 31, '13)
Nepal claims strategic middle ground
Senior Nepalese officials on simultaneous visits this month to China and India underlined to their hosts that the Himalayan country would not allow itself to become a staging post for militants in restive regions of Tibet and India that it borders. Kathmandu also seeks to stress that it's not a pawn to be fought over, rather a useful link between its two large neighbors. - Brendan P O'Reilly
(Jul 31, '13)
Real change absent in Sino-US relations
Optimists who believe recent Sino-US meetings created a new diplomatic dynamic on economic issues and climate change seem ignorant to the fact no major changes to policy on key international issues, such as North Korea or cyber-security, have ensued. In another significant disconnect, critics in Beijing say Washington is blind to how the US pivot is encouraging a Japanese re-militarization with fraught regional consequences. - Richard Weitz
(Jul 30, '13)
Beijing boosts controls on online content
The "Great Firewall" has been strengthened under China's new leadership to better monitor and restrict what its citizens do online, according to a report by US-based watchdog Freedom House. Anonymity is harder to come by and Internet users' ability to view overseas content has been compromised. Inconsistent censorship could be linked to political use of online content by factions within the Chinese Communist Party, the report found.
(Jul 29, '13)
PLA HAWKS, PART ONE:
China's generals play good cop, bad cop
Sensational and aggressive remarks made by Chinese military officers in the midst of sovereignty-based conflicts are approved by the centralized leadership and are designed to catch the international media's attention. Such statements are better seen as propaganda rather than statements of intent or clues to foreign policy debates. - Andrew Chubb
(Jul 29, '13)
China's help raises Kyrgyz concerns
China's willingness to boost Kyrgyzstan's economy and develop its infrastructure is a counterpoint, welcomed by some, to Western reluctance to invest there. How Bishkek repays the "no-strings" deals it signs up to with Beijing is also raising concern.
- Chris Rickleton
(Jul 29, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
China: The Bo factor
The larger-than-life geopolitical-economic question of our time, arguably, is not Syria, Iran, or even NSA spying. It's all about China; how on Earth the Chinese Communist Party will be successful in tweaking Beijing's economic growth model, and how China will manage its now slowed-down ascension. But first there's a "trial of the century", starring ex-Chongqing strongman Bo Xilai, to get rid of. - Pepe Escobar
(Jul 26, '13)
BOOK REVIEW
What China really wants
Wealth and Power: China’s Long March to the Twenty-First Century by Orville Schell and John Delur
Tracing Chinese history through the eyes of its most influential leaders, this work proposes that all but one were motivated by the simple pursuit of wealth, power or both. It was these objectives that led China to dabble in republicanism, anarchism or "whatever ism of the time", writes the authors. Now that the country is wealthy and powerful, they conclude, a constitutional society may just be possible. - George Gao
(Jul 26, '13)
Bhutan's Thinley still on the happiness trail
Defeated Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley's gross national happiness index succeeded in putting his small country, crammed between China and India, on the global agenda. It didn't convince voters this month that his prowess on the global stage outweighs his failure to address graft, unemployment and inequality. Undaunted, Thinley is still selling happiness to the world. - Vishal Arora
(Jul 26, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Abe gets unfortunate vote of confidence
The Japanese electorate at the weekend effectively backed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policies and his confrontational attitude to China on the disputed Senkaku Islands - which is in line with the United States' strategy of a "pivot to Asia". Unfortunately for Abe, Japan and the wider region, inherent contradictions in the "pivot" and Abenomics threaten a dangerous long-term political mess for everybody. - Francesco Sisci
(Jul 23, '13)
COMMENT
A brewing storm in the Western Pacific
China's aggressive territorial claims, Washington's "pivot" to Asia, and Japan's hawkish bluster are stirring a volatile brew in the Asia-Pacific. While the Philippines is quickly a frontline state in the US bid to contain China, many observers are drawing parallels with the military-political situation in Europe before the outbreak of World War I. - Walden Bello
(Jul 24, '13)
China debates how to handle North Korea
North Korea's wayward behavior has triggered a policy debate in China and calls from some quarters for the new leaders in Beijing to abandon a longtime socialist ally. They are more likely to respond to extreme moves that offend China's interests and will make the North correct them. Still, the fundamental question remains whether the North should be handled as a buffer zone or a time bomb. - Ren Xiao
(Jul 23, '13)
US sincerity questioned in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian countries that rely on US military backing to counter Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea have watched with concern as Washington deepens bilateral ties with Beijing. As US-China economic interdependence and diplomatic synergy come to the fore, allies like the Philippines likely question the US sincerity towards mutual defense commitments. - Richard Javad Heydarian
(Jul 23, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
US pivot risks Asia-Pacific cold war
As the US "rebalancing" to the Asia-Pacific accelerates a militarization of regional allies, US-backed governments are also increasingly trying to convince their populations that China is the principal enemy. Bydrawing more countries to its strategic vision in the region, Washington is creating blocs whose interactions could sow the seeds of global conflict. - Ninan Koshy
(Jul 23, '13)
Snowden: Moment of truth for Russia, US
Propelled by the Edward Snowden case, a poignant moment of truth is arriving for Russia and the United States in their post-Cold War relationship. For Moscow, it is nothing less than an identity crisis where ideology is making a comeback, whereas for Washington it's back to the drawing board as the charade of the "reset" conjured up during Barack Obama's first presidential term has outlived its utility. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Jul 19, '13)
China's maritime stance shifts with tides
China's successes in using coercion and intimidation against Southeast Asian claimants to South China Sea territories and in challenging Japan's control of disputed islands explain why its assertiveness on maritime territorial disputes has intensified since its power transition. Historic foreign policy trends suggest rising regional acquiescence could see a shift to a moderate approach. - Robert Sutter and Chin-Hao Huang
(Jul 19, '13)
Chan's chutzpah hits geomancers hard
The 5,000-year history of geomancy is littered with avaricious charlatans, but none quite like Hong Kong's boldest feng shui fraudster, Chan Chun-chuen. His fall from riches as geomancer to Asia's one-time richest woman, Nina Wang, is another bizarre chapter in a decades-long family soap opera - and thanks to his greed, the city's tax authorities are likely to hit fellow fortune-tellers where it hurts most. - Kent Ewing
(Jul 18, '13)
Chinese navy powers into new waters
Chinese warships' use of the narrow La Perouse Strait between Japan's Hokkaido and Russia's Sakhalin island after exercises with the Russian Navy off Vladivostok last week marked the first time China's navy had used the narrow passage - a historic voyage that demonstrated Beijing's growing deep-water reach, while giving Tokyo time to consider the implications as the armed vessels powered home to Qingdao with Japan's home islands on their starboard bow. - Brendan O'Reilly
(Jul 17, '13)
Exploring China's Arctic icebreaker
Chinese officials are thinking seriously about commercial exploitation of the Arctic in the belief that, by 2020, as much as 15% of China's international trade may use the route. China's inclusion in the Arctic Council bodes well for that aim, and Beijing could use that foothold to demand a voice in the resolution of territorial boundaries. However, it is not alone in seeking to maximize the benefits of membership. - Stephen Blank
(Jul 17, '13)
Snowden saga exposes fragile US-China ties
While last month's US-China summit in Sunnylands raised cosmetic hope of "mutual consensus", disconnects were also evident between Beijing's desire to create a "mini order" to resolve bilateral, regional and global issues, and the US desire to merely seek a "new model of cooperation". The case of whistleblower Edward Snowden underlines that the US-China relationship is a palace made of glass.- Hoang Anh Tuan
(Jul 17, '13)
China claims Uyghurs trained in Syria
China's concern that that the civil war in Syria will foster greater instability in the Middle East is matched by its fears that Uyghur "foreign fighters" there, with ties to international jihadists, may use their combat training to carry out attacks in Xinjiang and fuel unrest in the province. Beijing has already pinpointed the arrest of a returning Uyghur militant for planning "violent attacks". - Jacob Zenn
(Jul 15, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
China plots strategic coup in the Pacific
Far from piecemeal aggression, China's assertiveness in the East and South China Seas is a direct, if subtle, challenge to the international order the United States created in the western Pacific after World War II. Unless the US upholds treaty obligations, the region will soon resemble the Chinese system of vassal states under the Ching Dynasty. - Richard C Thornton
(Jul 15, '13)
China looks again at Gwadar and Pakistan
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif underscored the importance he places on China's US$18 billion plan to build a road, rail and energy route linking Xinjiang with Gwadar Port by hot-footing it to Beijing this month. Just as he is in dire need of China's investment, the corridor fantasy describes the strategic necessity for China to place more eggs in the troubled Afpak basket.
- Peter Lee (Jul 12, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
Mali and China's 'Western' foreign policy
China's engagement with Mali, despite the Africa country's seemingly limited economic and strategic value, has led to speculation that Beijing envisions taking on the US's role of interventionist global policeman. However, China's refusal to make human rights demands and indifference to "responsibility to protect" suggest it will continue to be guided by its own cultural and political premises. - Moritz Pollath
(Jul 12, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
The China-US 'Brotherhood'
The latest US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue talk fest now underway in Washington comes with local punters believing Beijing has weakened since its post-financial crisis heavy lifting days. Don't bet on it. With Barack Obama trapped in a Middle East Brotherhood net, Chinese leader Xi Jinping sees good pickings in Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Iraq - not to mention Pipelineistan and the South China Sea. "Fragile"? You wish. - Pepe Escobar
(Jul 11, '13)
Mongolia gives president a second term
Corruption, and reforms of mining regulations and the judiciary, will test Mongolia's President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj after he is sworn in for a second term on July 10. The public will judge most closely how he deals with factional interests both within and outside his Democratic Party. - Mendee Jargalsaikhany
(Jul 9, '13)
INTERVIEW
China, a new equality and the world
A conversation with Wang Hui
The concept of equality in China must expand beyond economic opportunities and social welfare to incorporate the ideals of human diversity and the realities of biodiversity, says prominent intellectual Wang Hui. While new liberals argue for constitutional reform, the implication of this is that the whole political system must be change - the communist party can never accept this. - Gabriele Battaglia
(Jul 3, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
Hong Kong wants to ditch the joker
The citizens of Hong Kong are taking to the streets to show their mounting anger - anger over an influx of mainlanders, over hugely expensive accommodation, over Beijing's interference in education and elsewhere. Most of all, they are angry at quasi-elected Chief Executive C Y Leung - call him The Joker. A storm is definitely approaching. - Pepe Escobar
(Jul 2, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Xi cuts CEO cloth
for bruising battle
Under President Xi Jinping the old tradition of collective leadership in Beijing is about to go, although the complexities of contemporary China preclude a return to Mao-style helmsmanship. By establishing himself as ultimate leader Xi could yet grasp the chance to break the back of corruption in both the Communist Party and state-owned enterprises. - Francesco Sisci
(Jul 2, '13)
Dissident Chen snubs 'free' Taiwan
Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese human rights activist who has lived in exile in the US for the past year, used a visit to Taiwan to dismiss the anti-unification policies of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, whose leaders were among the cheerleaders on his arrival. They should not have been surprised. - Jens Kastner
(Jul 2, '13)
Xinjiang death toll higher than reported
The body count from ethnic unrest in China's northwest may be as high as 47, more than first reports, according to eye-witness accounts, including sightings of up to 20 security personnel of Han origin among the dead. The influx of China's ethnic majority into in Xinjiang province is being intensified while Uyghur Muslim are indiscriminately jailed as terrorists, rights groups say.
(Jun 28, '13)
Obama steps into China's African shadow
United States President Barack Obama and his entourage of business leaders have trade and investment in their sights on their wide-ranging tour of Africa. Wherever they go, Chinese money has probably been there first, and the specter of Beijing's flourishing influence in the region is a vital subtext. - Narayani Basu
(Jun 28, '13)
America's Edward Snowden problem
Whimpering arguments from Washington that Edward Snowden is a traitor seeking refuge in bastions of repression aim to shift the global focus from "US persecution of whistleblower" to "creepy tyrannies flouting international law". There's still time to reel Snowden in and give him a fair hearing, but that looks unlikely; the Obama administration is betting it can get Americans to stop caring about his awkward revelations. - Peter Lee
(Jun 28, '13)
Tibetans allowed to revere Dalai Lama
Tibetan monks in areas of Qinghai and Sichuan may now venerate the Dalai Lama as a religious person, and criticism of the exiled spiritual leader, long considered by Beijing as a dangerous "splittist", is no longer required of senior leaders, according to sources. The recent departure of former president Hu Jintao, once a party chief in Lhassa, is seen as key to the authorities' change of tone.
(Jun 27, '13)
27 die in fresh Xinjiang violence
New clashes in China's troubled northwest region of Xinjiang led to 27 deaths after an attack on a remote rural police station by a "knife-wielding mob", official Chinese media reported. Ethnic Uyghur rights groups accused Beijing of staging a cover-up and called for an independent probe into the killings, the worst in the province since 200 people died in unrest in 2009.
(Jun 27, '13)
Trust can break Indian Ocean vicious cycle
The growing US-India strategic partnership reinforces the view from China that Indian Ocean arc of Washington's Asian pivot is part of an encirclement strategy. Amid military build-up, a trust mechanism is sorely needed to hold back an arms race that will lead to all parties sacrificing increasingly shared economic and security interests. - Namrata Goswami and Jenee Sharon
(Jun 27, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Ancient texts uncover
meritocracy debate
The discovery of 4th century BC manuscripts is casting totally new light on the history of ancient China and philosophical debate of the times. The documents prove, among other revelations, that the idea of blood succession, punctuated by dynastic change, which prevailed through 3,000 years, was powerfully challenged at the time, though expunged from later texts of Qin and Han rulers eager to spread their own propaganda. - Francesco Sisci
(Jun 25, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
Xi traces China's emerging world view
That China's president first swung through emerging countries and regions before reaching the United States underlines how Beijing's new leadership plans to take global engagement to a new level. The "Chinese dream" resonates with the aspirations of those countries, so as President Xi Jinping talks of changes in "great power relations", Washington should pay attention. - Anand V
(Jun 25, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
The Chimerica dream
Chinese President Xi Jinping's dream for his country's future does not include ruling even the Asian part of the world, but the prospect does mean it impinges on Washington's own dream for the Pacific future. A strategic adjustment by both sides could help further cooperation towards a "Chimerica" - but that would imply the US was capable of acknowledging "core" Chinese national interests. - Pepe Escobar
(Jun 21, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
China discovers the Mediterranean
The slow pace of Europe's recovery and political changes spurred by the Arab Spring are revitalizing ancient trade links between China and European and Arab countries in the Mediterranean region. Joint Chinese-Egyptian projects near the Suez Canal are only a taster of how the relations could redefine energy and geopolitical dynamics. However, if Beijing wavers from principles of non-interference, its maneuver could fail. - Pietro Longo
(Jun 21, '13)
Snowden and the three wise NSA men
Treatment of three past National Security Agency staff who took the legal route when "whistleblowing" makes surveillance leaker Edward Snowden's decision to flee the United States seem sensible, but his situation is no less precarious. However, that these men support Snowden's cause suggests Washington will struggle to paint him as a rogue analyst. - Peter Lee
(Jun 21, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Common folk aren't
US's cyber-targets
Furor over US surveillance ignores that even second-rate powers have for decades been capable of recording every citizen's calls. The real target of monitoring is governments. For the the US, China is the biggest cyber-spying threat. Yet by simply selling secrets to Beijing, Washington could hook China into US technological development, minimize the risk of leapfrogging - and make some money. - Francesco Sisci
(Jun 18, '13)
Intra-Asian security ties 'good for US
Following the meeting of President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a report urges Washington to take a more active role in putting together security ties in Asia in ways that include Beijing in any multilateral activities while remaining "vigilant against threats of entrapment from adventurous allies and partners". - Jim Lobe
(Jun 13, '13)
SINOGRAPH
Obama and Xi forge a way out
At eight hours, they didn't reprise Mao Zedong and Richard Nixon's 17-hour session in 1972, but presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama opened a way out of the American "pivot" siege for China, and a path for the US to avert costly confrontation. Eight hours is a start - a collaborative breakthrough on issues such as the environment and handling North Korea requires much rethinking. - Francesco Sisci
(Jun 11, '13)
Spy vs spy in the cyber age
Beijing's hand may or may not be behind Edward Snowden's decision to seek refuge in Hong Kong and his disclosure of details of a vast US intelligence program to mine domestic Internet data, but the revelations dented whatever impact President Barack Obama hoped to make on his counterpart Xi Jinping in their weekend discussion of cyber attacks between China and the United States. - Brendan O'Reilly
(Jun 11, '13)
US-China shadow boxing at Shangri-La
A few rungs lower than the presidential confab, China used the Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore to mount a charm offensive targeting the US "rebalance" in Asia. Suggestions of "peace, development, cooperation and win-win" were quickly followed with hints that Beijing may carry out tit-for-tat maritime surveillance. The US hit back forcefully, and it was left to emerging regional players to seek equanimity and restraint. - Abhijit Singh
(Jun 11, '13)
South China Sea row risks wider clashes
Polarizing positions in South China Sea disputes are becoming evident this year as talks on a code of conduct make painfully slow progress, Beijing resolutely sticks to choosing a bilateral path and the process is derailed by maritime incidents. Even if pressure does ease on conflicts involving Southeast Asian nations, this will sees focus retrained on equally fiery East Asian disputes. - Ian Storey
(Jun 10, '13)
COMMENT
Accentuate the positive
China and the US can minimize the potential for conflict by increasing the economic linkage that distinguishes their relationship from other historical power contests. But a new, more positive interdependence is required. A good place to start is with a better alignment of China's need to invest is $3.3 trillion reserves with US states' needs to finance infrastructure renewal. - Bill Mundell
(Jun 6, '13)
US-CHINA SUMMIT
Humble pie for Xi on Sunnylands menu
China's Western critics, expecting US President Barack Obama this weekend to surrender to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping's panda-like charm at their summit in the Californian sunshine, are in for a big surprise. Xi is cognizant of the fact that right now the United States holds the advantage in the evolving US-China relationship, and he will think seriously about validating American concerns over cyber-threats. - Peter Lee
(Jun 6, '13)
Nowhere to turn for China's Uyghurs
Pressure from the United Nations and Washington over alleged religious and cultural suppression by China in Xinjiang province is being resisted by Beijing, which insists its achieving progress in religious freedoms and autonomy in minority regions. Deadly clashes in the province in April that saw 21 killed, including 19 Uyghur “suspects”, suggest a lack of self-determination is leading to radicalization. - Audrey Petit
(Jun 6, '13)
Shangri-La lost for China
China's proactive participation in regional organizations in recent years raised hopes that Beijing would use the latest Shangri-La Dialogue gathering in Singapore to dispel the notion that East and Southeast Asian stability is being undermined by its assertive defense of expansive sovereignty claims. Instead, the Beijing delegation delivered platitudes that failed to confront the serious issues. - Bonnie Glaser
(Jun 5, '13)
North Korea common ground for US, China
Tensions over the US's military build-up in the Asia-Pacific will test President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, as they meet this week. With North Korea's nuclear developments, missile launches and threats irritating both countries, the heads of state have an opportunity in Washington to find common ground. - George Gao
(Jun 4, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
The closed Gate of Heavenly Peace
Twenty-four years, a generation and an Internet after China's leaders quashed the Tiananmen Square protest, the political stagnation continues. With wealth inequality and corruption now part of the Chinese Communist Party's DNA, it is either ironic or just plain tragic that the "people's government" has made it clear that the people have no role in decisions. - Peter Mitchelmore
(Jun 4, '13)
Migrate or educate in China's borderlands
Urbanization, labor migration and universalization of education are creating radical shifts in China's social and cultural fabric, particularly in minority regions. A study of southwestern Sichuan reveals that as agricultural priorities fade, parents are forced to choose between the immediate income of labor migration and investing in a Han-based education that could lead to college and better jobs. - Stevan Harrell and Aga Rehamo
(May 31, '13)
World eyes China's coexistence strategy
Strategies of coexistence and non-interference that China has used to great effect in engineering its international rise are gaining popularity globally over the West's liberal economic and political agendas. However, its impact as a challenge to American alliance-based system is being undermined by Beijing infringing on sovereignty rights in areas such as the South and East China Seas. - Liselotte Odgaard
(May 29, '13)
Li makes his Potsdam declaration
Li Keqiang broadened the dispute with Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands by citing the 1945 Potsdam Declaration, the World War II demand for Japanese surrender which set severe (though ambiguous) limits on Japan's post-war territories. Li's remarks, made during a visit to Germany, directly warn China's neighbors not to forget Japan's past aggression. - Brendan O'Reilly
(May 28, '13)
CHINA DIPLOMACY
Frost in a promising Indian summer
High drama of a Chinese troop "intrusion" on the disputed border with India seemed to ebb through negotiations as silently as it had begun, with seemingly little damage to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's state visit to New Delhi. Yet Beijing may have weakened the very power centers in India that were working to usher in a brave new world of partnership. - M K Bhadrakumar
(May 28, '13)
Six-party soap opera set to restart
Recent talks between Xi Jinping and North Korean envoy Vice Marshall Ch'oe Ryong-hae produced an unexpected result with Pyongyang's agreement to restart the six-party nuclear negotiations that stalled in 2007. When the talking starts, hard facts will likely be glossed as the North is coming back to the table only to placate China. - Andrei Lankov
(May 28, '13)
One country, one system in Hong Kong?
Lavish welcomes that Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption laid on for visiting mainland officials - detailed in recent accusations against its chief - threaten the city's reputation as a transparent bastion quite distinct from China's graft-ridden official culture, with the charges against Timothy Tong Hin-ming part of a trend that undermines the city's singular identity. - Kent Ewing
(May 28, '13)
China's reform hands fail to clap
The young Chinese leadership is displaying a near-schizophrenic split that can be summed up by President Xi Jinping's gung-ho style and no-holds-barred defense of Mao Zedong and the seriousness with which Premier Li Keqiang, China's first "PhD prime minister", is pushing economic reforms. Irreconcilable contradictions persist between nurturing the marketplace and the Chinese Communist Party's power imperative. - Willy Lam
(May 24, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
Western hypocrisy over Chinese nukes
Speculation that China plans to depart from a strict nuclear policy that emphasizes minimum deterrent and a no-first-use pledge flies in the face of official rebuttals and the fact that its nuke arsenal hasn't expanded with economic advances. Instead of assuming Beijing is aggressive, Western nations should ask why their own policy is based on preemptive strikes and not more defensive postures.
- Hui Zhang
(May 24, '13)
SINOGRAPH
China nears point
of no return with Kim
China is losing patience with North Korean leader Kim Jong-eun, slowly but surely moving into the US orbit to deal with his threats and blackmail. As Beijing will sooner than later reach the point where it has little to lose from falling out with North Korea, Kim had better start contemplating his own mortality. - Francesco Sisci
(May 22, '13)
New spark in the South China Sea
Sanctions Taiwan has imposed following the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard, including a hiring freeze on Filipino workers and banning tourism to the Philippines, are shows of sovereignty aimed at bolstering the administration's sagging approval ratings. Manila has no such problems, but economically and diplomatically it can't afford another front opening in the South China Sea. - Julius Cesar I Trajano
(May 22, '13)
Fox leads US tiger into China's crosshairs
"Irritating Japan" is well on its way to replacing "Rising China" as the meme favored by the United States as Abe Shinzo's new nationalism exploits US backing to advance its own goals. Beijing sees "the fox pretending to the tiger's might". Tokyo is pushing bigger game, the weakened US Asian "pivot" itself, into Beijing's crosshairs. - Peter Lee
(May 17, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
Chinese opinion jars with policy on Korea
An unexpectedly significant outburst of anger from China's elite at North Korea's brazen provocations may be enough to require that Beijing try to harmonize public opinion and foreign policy on the issue. If Beijing bows to the public demands and cracks down on Pyongyang this time, it could undermine the government's ability to censor debate on internal issues.- Niklas Swanstrom and Kelly Chen
(May 17, '13)
Gangsters and politics shake hands in Taiwan
An attempt by hundreds of members of a crime syndicate to join Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party, seemingly designed to manipulate a vote to elect the DPP chairman, has perplexed observers. China is a key suspect to be the hidden hand, as the only outside power with the clout, know-how and motive to generate such harmful press for the pro-independence party. - Jens Kastner
(May 15, '13)
SINOGRAPH
East-West divide starts here
Capitalism, as a new theory that stressed the importance of individual knowledge and contribution while undercutting the role of the state, represented something that bureaucracy-obsessed, ultra-efficient imperial China found impossible to impose. Adam Smith's free thought - not free trade - pushed the West ahead. China only caught up due to the industriousness of individuals and Beijing giving them free rein. - Francesco Sisci
(May 14, '13)
Binding the baton in China
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has waved his cudgel at the police amid wide-reaching plans for weiwen or "preserving socio-political stability" with a spate of reshuffles in political-legal bodies aimed to boost internal checks and balances. While publicly described as measures to stop "unjust law enforcement", critics say Xi is just cementing Chinese Communist Party control over the force. - Willy Lam
(May 14, '13)
US hoist by its own pivot petard
Efforts by the United States to orchestrate a win-win economic and security regime in Asia through constructive pressure on China, aka the "pivot", is being undercut by Tokyo, concerned at China's rise and determined to contain it. Beijing knows how to tweak that tail, with Okinawa a deliciously sensitive spot to touch. The pivot to Asia isn't about China anymore. It's about Japan. - Peter Lee
(May 10, '13)
US criticism stirs China's military pride
The annual US defense report on China's military development openly accusing it of state-sanctioned cyber-espionage. While China has condemned the provocations as overly combative and alarmist, the government appears to be somewhat proud of being taken seriously as a rival. - Brendan P O'Reilly
(May 10, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
China's incursions show strategic blindness
Incursions by Chinese troops into eastern Kashmir are reflective of new leader Xi Jinping's assertive strategy on territorial disputes. While rallying behind People's Liberation Army causes may boost Xi's leadership, such aggression merely vindicates the "China threat" discourse among the country's neighbors. - Namrata Goswami
(May 9, '13)
SINOGRAPH
China widens stride
on Middle East stage
As the US repositions its core foreign and economic policy to the Pacific theater, China has stepped in to fill the gap on the Middle Eastern stage with an offer to host a summit between the Israelis and Palestinians. True, Beijing would prefer to stay out of the conflict, but it has strong reasons to take a mediation role in a region increasingly vital to its national interests. - Francesco Sisci
(May 8, '13)
SINOGRAPH
China losing cultural race with India
More than border flare-ups, deep cultural disconnects between China and India are sabotaging growth of a bilateral dynamic as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's prepares for landmark visit. One factor niggling Beijing is that while its rival seems economically, militarily and politically inferior, India, from dress to religion, has better preserved its traditions and enjoys a special place of interest in the Western world. - Francesco Sisci
(May 7, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
India-China war delayed by technology
The asymmetry and imperious emperors that could provoke an India-China conflict aren't in place, and even if a war were to break out over remote border areas, international pressures and military parity require that at most, the two countries fight a very limited war that does not cause irremediable loss of face. - Mohan Guruswamy
(May 7, '13)
China's border rows mirror grim history
Two Chinese territorial disputes - one high in the Himalayas with India, the other with Japan involving similarly uninhabitable islands - indicate two different paths concerning Asia's future security. The clash with Japan is the more unsettling, not least as the government in Tokyo faces a political and economic environment uncomfortably parallel to that of Germany in the 1930s. - Peter Lee
(May 3, '13)
Australians attitudes hold back China ties
Major deals struck during Australian Prime Minister's Julia Gillard trip to China in April highlighted the strategic potential of greater military and economic cooperation. However, doubts expressed in the Australian press concerning China's authoritarian character and human-rights abuses highlighted perhaps the greatest challenge to deeper engagement - mistrust. - Eileen McInnes
(May 3, '13)
COMMENT
Does China have a strategy?
Beijing's assertive behavior in Asia is mobilizing its neighbors against it at a moment when it needs a peaceful external environment more than ever. At home, the development model no longer fits. In short, China has strategic goals, but no strategy for achieving them. - Robert A Manning and Banning Garrett
(May 2, '13)
Beijing elevates core security concepts
China's defense white paper this year revolved around the concepts of "historic missions" and "core interests", with the former referring to strategic guidance for the military and the latter covering the collective "material and spiritual demands of a state and people". Far from the communist dogma of the past, the concepts plot a clear-headed path towards prioritizing modern responsibilities and threats. - Timothy Heath
(Apr 30, '13)
China's changing calculus on North Korea
North Korea's advances in nuclear weapons technology and escalation of bellicose rhetoric against the US and its allies have triggered a reassessment of the threat it poses. Even ally China's overall strategic assessment is shifting, as the North goes from being an intermittently problematic entity to a source of regional instability. - David Mulrooney
(Apr 29, '13)
Fierce debate erupts over the 'China Dream'
The vague yet all-embracing connotations of the "China Dream" concept being pushed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping have produced divergent interpretations, even raising expectations in some quarters of a shift towards democratic reform and individualism. In-the-know commentators underline that far from a Westernized future, the dream envisions a strong, assertive global power and a "renaissance of the Chinese race". - Willy Lam
(Apr 29, '13)
US, China military top brass take aim
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey and his People's Liberation Army counterpart, Fang Fenghui, treaded carefully between a range of tensions at their Beijing summit. Even as the two powers' military-to-military relationship is increasingly vital to upholding Asian stability, the top brass didn't sidestep contention. - Brendan P O'Reilly
(Apr 26, '13)
Envoy urged to press Uyghur rights
US Ambassador Gary Locke was visiting Xinjiang when 21 people were killed in the worst episode of violence in the restive region in nearly four years. With 16 people from the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority among the dead, exiles have called on the envoy to press Beijing on rights violations.
(Apr 26, '13)
BOOK REVIEW
Banker tries bait and switch
Nothing Gained by Phillip Y Kim
When this tale of death and mystery in a crisis-hit US investment bank relates how a life built on arrogance, privilege and luck can rapidly unravel, it's a pleasure to watch high-fliers squirm. However, the would-be international business thriller pushes its most compelling characters offstage and offers unsatisfying substitutes. - Muhammad Cohen
(Apr 26, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
What China wants from North Korea
North and South Korea are being relegated to bit-players in peninsular tensions as the contest increasingly becomes another front for their powerful sponsors. China is stoking the East Asian tensions to push US forces away from its coast, in the knowledge that US bases in Taiwan and South Korea have had the Chinese navy covered. - Joel Gibbons
(Apr 26, '13)
Post-quake prices anger Sichuan survivors
Protests have erupted over skyrocketing food prices in the wake of an earthquake in Sichuan over the weekend that left hundreds dead or missing. Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province warned businesses against increasing their prices and shut a noodle shop that became a focal point for anger.
(Apr 25, '13)
COMMENT
China will not change its nuclear policy
The absence in this year's defense white paper of China's annual pledge against first use of nuclear weapons sparked speculation that Beijing might consider changes to its long-held policy. Reality is prosaic: there is no sign of a new stance. The report merely takes a new focus to present specific themes. - Yao Yunzhu
(Apr 24, '13)
Taiwan's Chen gets a spacious cell
Friends and family of disgraced former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian are not too pleased to see him transferred back to prison from hospital to continue doing time for corruption. But they can probably thank recent high-profile graft cases against aides to his presidential successor for securing him a more spacious cell. - Jens Kastner
(Apr 23, '13)
SINOGRAPH
An alternative route
for China's ascent
Despite President Xi Jinping's concept of the "Chinese Dream", the ascent to global political and economic dominance, is undermined by a mish-mash of old communist and new American ideas. The key for Beijing will be to assimilate successful ideals of failed American, British and Spanish empires, while aligning its own aspirations with those of the rest of the world. - Francesco Sisci
(Apr 23, '13)
INTERVIEW
Chen: The people must drive reforms
Chinese civil-rights activist Chen Guangcheng, who famously escaped house arrest last year and now lives in the United States, says Chinese people are waking up to regard the Communist Party's talk of reform as just talk, so it is up to an increasingly aware public to drive political reform in China. - Courtney Brooks
(Apr 22, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
China-India border talks pivot on Tibet
For China and India to resolve issues surrounding Tibet that have for decades stalled progress on border talks, both countries must bring together their brightest minds to identify intertwining core interests. Although Beijing and Delhi both view the Tibetan independence struggle as a security threat, an impasse that prevents the Sino-Indian dynamic from reaching its full potential is allowed to persist. - Namrata Goswami and Jenee Sharon
(Apr 22, '13)
Obama edges to realpolitik on Koreas
President Barack Obama may become an unlikely convert to realpolitik and allow Secretary of State John Kerry to sacrifice America's nuclear non-proliferation principles on the battered altar of North Korean diplomacy. The Korean nuclear crisis has the potential to be a good thing for the US and South Korea - and perhaps even for China - if the US president bends on some cherished non-proliferation beliefs. - Peter Lee
(Apr 19, '13)
BOOK REVIEW
Living (and dying) in the shadows
Hong Kong Noir by Feng Chi-shun
Gruesome tales from the minds of Hong Kong's most notorious serial killers and gangsters fascinate and appall in equal measure. While the 15 "factual" stories in the book sometimes mobilize the author's imagination, the squeamish detail in the former pathologist's writing will likely leave some readers cold. - Kent Ewing
(Apr 19, '13)
China's Catholic body vs the Vatican
While Western critics lambast China for its insistence on internalizing the running of the country's Roman Catholic establishment, the Vatican is just as stubborn when it comes to "protecting" its own officials, as seen in its handling of child abuse allegations. Both institutions are stuffy, tone-deaf bureaucracies, but at least Beijing has grown much more amenable to Catholic influence in recent years. - Vaughan Winterbottom
(Apr 17, '13)
US misreads Sino-Russian affair
Since the Cold War, the United States has always been vexed about the possibility of an alliance between Russia and China. Xi Jinping's first trip to Russia as the president of China has once again raised American concerns about the implications of Beijing-Moscow relations. Yet current Sino-Russia cooperation is largely symbolic, and its impact is more psychological than of substance. - Jinghao Zhou
(Apr 16, '13)
China's choppers fly under the radar
The development of China's stealth fighters and its first aircraft carrier have taken the spotlight away from steady expansion in its helicopter attack force. An increasing number of squadrons of the Z-10, China's premier attack helicopter, and other specialized choppers shows that China is making more significant progress than has been acknowledged. - Peter Wood and Cristina Garafola
(Apr 16, '13)
China sees red over Taiwan-Japan pact
A fisheries agreement between Taiwan and Japan will allow Taiwanese boats - their own waters now largely bereft of fish - to make catches in Japan's exclusive economic zone covering the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, while staying clear of the 12 nautical mile zone immediately around the islands. The pact is a direct snub to Beijing. - Jens Kastner
(Apr 15, '13)
Xi, Putin share bed, with their own dreams
Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Russia came as their partnership assumes a stronger definition in light of Washington's ''rebalancing'' towards Asia. Their mutual interests and perspectives are considerable, highlighted economically by gas deals waiting to be sealed. In effect, the Russian and Chinese dreams seem somewhat similar, but that is not saying they have similar dreams . - M K Bhadrakumar
(Apr 12, '13)
China: Pivot partner or pinata?
As the North Korean crisis lumbers on, a novel take engineered in Washington optimistically suggests China is being roped in as a partner in the US pivot to shepherd its errant ally to reason. This is largely a work of fiction that serving the pivot narrative that an indispensable US security role in Asia is doing something more than wielding a big stick that is accelerating the North's nuclear weapons program and generating Chinese anxiety and anger. - Peter Lee
(Apr 10, '13)
China targets South Korea with soft power
China's forceful condemnation of North Korea's nuclear provocations have brought it closer than ever to the South, just as Seoul was tiring of American reticence in security commitments. With new leaders in both East Asian capitals, the time seems right for blossoming relations. But South Korea is likely playing one suitor against the other. - Sunny Seong-hyon Lee
(Apr 10, '13)
SINOGRAPH
China walks fine line on Korea
China's determination to prevent North Korea from hijacking Beijing's foreign policy to Pyongyang's advantage has led to harsher than ever condemnations of the Korea's nuclear brinkmanship. But as the North becomes a crucible for East Asian tensions, China needs to think of better ways to manipulate the crisis that will strengthen its regional hand. - Francesco Sisci
(Apr 9, '13)
'Occupy' Hong Kong plan
a nightmare for Beijing
Plans for an "Occupy" Hong Kong movement, timed to coincide with official celebrations to mark next year's 16th anniversary of the handover to China, have been exposed, likely filling the city's pro-business and pro-Beijing camps with dread. While pro-mainland media are already predicting the plan would be "economic suicide", it seems ordinary Hong Kongers have little interest in taking part. - Kent Ewing
(Apr 8, '13)
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)
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ATol Specials
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Shanghai, the becoming thing |
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China:
The
Impossible
Revolution
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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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