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SINOGRAPH
China-US ties bind and bruise
The temperature of United States-China relations has plunged in the few months
since President Barack Obama visited Beijing, with a string of disagreements
leading to icy exchanges. While China's efforts to bring North Korea closer to
nuclear disarmament talks bring hope that cooperation with Washington can only
get better, Beijing's inability to communicate with the world remains a massive
stumbling block. - Francesco Sisci (Feb 9,
'10)
Beijing beefs up cyber-warfare capacity
Research and development in Internet-based combat, including cyber-espionage,
is high on Beijing’s next five-year plan. Given that friction between the
United States and China will likely continue, if not worsen, over issues
including trade, Taiwan and Tibet, cutthroat competition along the information
superhighway could add a new dimension of instability. - Willy Lam
(Feb 8, '10)
Dalai Lama firm on Obama meeting
A United States rebuttal of warnings from China against the Dalai Lama meeting
Barack Obama adds to the growing list of tensions between Washington and
Beijing. The issue has spilled over into talks between Beijing and envoys of
the Dalai Lama, who stressed that a meeting between the Tibetan spiritual
leader and the US president was a tradition unbroken since 1991, one of the
envoys tells Asia Times Online. - Saransh Sehgal
(Feb 4, '10)
US's strike threat catches China off
guard
The United States' plans for a "Prompt Global Strike" system that could launch
a conventional weapons attack on anywhere in the world within an hour are
unsettling China. The US combat strategy has traditionally relied on nuclear
might, and this change is seen by Beijing as a maneuver in America's quest for
domination of the world and of space. - Peter J Brown
(Feb 3, '10)
Geomancer loses in battle of the wills
A case that has mesmerized money-obsessed 
Hong Kong ended on Tuesday with a court deciding a charity run by the family of
Nina Wang, Asia's richest woman when she died over two years ago, is the
rightful heir to her estimated US$4 billion fortune. A rival will produced by
her feng shui advisor and self-professed lover was ruled a fake. - Olivia
Chung (Feb 2, '10)
Tomb warriors battle in China
The battle between ancient warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei has been renewed in
death. As archaeologists seek recognition that they have identified their final
resting places - the one in Henan province, the other in Sichuan - truth and
authenticity are being overshadowed by officials' hunger for increased tourism
revenue. - Kent Ewing (Feb 2, '10)
Iran caught up in China-US spat
China has reacted to news of the United States' proposed US$6.4 billion arms
package for Taiwan by warning that diplomacy involving the US's efforts to get
Beijing's backing in the nuclear stand-off with Iran could be damaged. By
playing spoiler, though, China risks sending Washington further down a
confrontational path with Tehran. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Feb 1, '10)
BOOK REVIEW
The skeleton in the cupboard
China: Fragile Superpower by Susan L Shirk
While avoiding the stereotypes on which Western pundits base their assumption
that China's rise to surpass the power of the United States is inevitable, this
important book charts a course of democratization. However, it fails to account
for the possibility that China may succeed precisely because of its
totalitarian nature. - Dmitry Shlapentokh (Jan
29, '10)
 SINOGRAPH
Silence on Tibetan talks
is golden
The Dalai Lama's decision to keep the reopening of talks with the Chinese
government this week out of the spotlight is in line with how Beijing likes to
conduct diplomacy. But plenty of opposing forces, from a disagreement between
the parties over what constitutes the territory of Tibet to factions within
both sides, threaten to derail meaningful progress. - Francesco Sisci
(Jan 28, '10)
Hong Kong's cyber-dissenters get real
Discontent among Hong Kong's young people over what they see as the
government's fawning relationship with Beijing may be Internet-driven. But, as
the recent besieging of the city's Legislative Assembly shows, frustrations
with the government - mostly recently over a vastly expensive plan for an
express rail link to the mainland - are still strong enough to spark street
protests. - Kent Ewing (Jan 28, '10)
Winner of Google-China feud is - India
The Barack Obama administration has launched a crowd-pleasing salvo on Internet
freedoms over Google's tiff with China, though the United States and Google
intercept and track Internet traffic with levels of sophistication that China's
security monitors can only dream of. Obama's shifting electoral fortunes and
Google's hubris have them staring past China towards a potentially more
attractive market and ally - India. - Peter Lee
(Jan 27, '10)
 SUN
WUKONG
Xi blows whistle for the big match
Vice Premier Xi Jinping is thought to have thrown his weight behind a crackdown
on football corruption. Successful efforts to clean up the game and bring
happiness to legions of frustrated fans could put one in the back of the net
for Xi's bid to be supreme leader. - Wu Zhong
(Jan 26, '10)
US and China pick their fights
Washington's weapons sales to Taiwan and the war of words over Google's
decision to pull the plug in China show the honeymoon's over for President
Barack Obama and Beijing. The two sides can still hold hands on a broad array
of international concerns, but bickering is assured on bilateral issues where
their interests and values conflict. - Jian Junbo
(Jan 25, '10)
Echoes of ideologies clashing
While Beijing has flatly rejected Google's claims it supported hacks into
e-mail accounts of diplomats, journalists and human-rights activists, United
States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has evoked the First Amendment in
expressing support for the US search-engine company's decision to stop
cooperating with Internet censorship. (Jan 25, '10)
Iron fist wrapped in the hand that gives
President Hu Jintao's new deal for Tibet promises infrastructure, technology
transfers and construction of the world's highest airport. Exiled Tibetans have
reacted negatively to his promises of "development with Chinese characteristics
and Tibetan flavor" and the appointment of a hardline former soldier as the
region's new governor. - Willy Lam (Jan 22,
'10)
The Tibetans are back in town
Tibetans forced to leave Beijing before the 2008 Summer Olympic Games are only
now making their way back to the city to live and work after gaining permission
to return. Scraping out an existence, their lot is a far cry from the
privileges they once enjoyed. - Cristian Segura
(Jan 22, '10)
India targets China's satellites
New Delhi has openly declared its desire to match China and incorporate
anti-satellite weapons into its ballistic missile defense program. The
provocative maneuver may be on US Defence Secretary Robert Gates's agenda
during his current visit to India, since it injects a powerful destabilizing
element into the South Asian strategic equation just as the US is trying hard
to stabilize the region. - Peter J Brown (Jan
21, '10)
Tibetans seek a way out of impasse
More than a year into the standstill in talks between Beijing and envoys of the
Dalai Lama's government in exile, the Tibetan side says it is ready to sidestep
the blame game in an effort to seek the earliest resumption of dialogue. - Saransh
Sehgal (Jan 21, '10)
Betraying Confucius: Fraud in China
In traditional academia, peer reviews by professors are the foundation for
research that has integrity and which truly advances humankind, set within a
system that rewards honesty and punishes deceit. That's not happening in parts
of China, where cheating among scholars has exploded. - Kent Ewing
(Jan 20, '10)
China vents anger with missile test
China this month conducted what it termed a "defensive" anti-missile test.
Missile experts contend it was really carrying out a test of anti-satellite
capabilities and sending a strong signal of disapproval over United States
weapons sales to Taiwan. - Peter J Brown (Jan
19, '10)
Asia Uncut fulfills expatriate
dream
American executive Jon Niermann always wanted to be on TV, and moving to Asia
gave him the chance. After an uneven, at best, first season in Singapore, Asia
Uncut will be the first international English-language program produced
in mainland China when it begins season two on Sunday night. - Muhammad Cohen
(Jan 15, '10)
China shuffles military leadership
Beijing has made a number of key changes in the leadership of its military and
security forces, including the People's Armed Police. Given the Communist
Party's reliance on the police to crack down on "the three evil forces of
separatism, terrorism and religious extremism", these changes are particularly
notable. - Willy Lam (Jan 14, '10)
China's 'ants' between dreams and reality
Times are rough for China's low-income graduates who have moved to the big
cities for a better life, finding instead only low-paying jobs and over-crowded
housing. These young workers have been dubbed by Chinese sociologists the "ant
tribe" - "clever, weak and living in groups". (Jan
14, '10)
SUN
WUKONG
Yale donation sets
tongues wagging
A young Chinese graduate's record donation of nearly US$9 million to Yale
University has sparked nationwide debate in China, with some calling it a
national betrayal and others citing it as a source of pride. Amid some
surprise, state-sanctioned media have chipped in, rising to the benefactor's
defense. - Wu Zhong (Jan 13, '10)
Copenhagen changed the political climate
The conference on climate change in Copenhagen was dominated by cooperation and
confrontation between international groupings. The United States and China
cooperated in an informal Group of Two, while developing nations like Brazil,
India and South Africa were also influential. It is these international groups,
not individual state powers, that will emerge as the main poles of a new world
order. - Jian Junbo (Jan 12, '10)
China's soft power hardens in Cambodia
China's Vice President Xi Jinping's recent three-day visit to Cambodia included
an unprecedented US$1.2 billion in aid agreements with Phnom Penh. The visit
came just one day after Cambodian authorities deported to China 20 ethnic
Uighur asylum seekers, a vivid illustration of the new bonds now linking
Beijing and Phnom Penh. - Sebastian Strangio (Jan
11, '10)
More taint on China's safety record
News of the arrest of three Shanghai dairy executives allegedly trying to foist
contaminated milk on an unsuspecting public appeared at first to show that
China's new food-regulatory regime was kicking in with impressive results. But
it turns out that officialdom has still not learned that delays and cover-ups
only serve to exacerbate scandals, not bury them - a global worry, not just a
national one. - Kent Ewing (Jan 11, '10)
Hatoyama to Nanjing, Hu to Hiroshima?
Speculation is rife in international media that Japan and China are mapping out
a grand rapprochement, finally putting to rest historic grievances and paving
the way to a new era of cooperation. Tokyo and Beijing have both denied the
details of the reports, but economic and political reality dictates that
something of the sort is very likely - and Washington is watching warily. - Kosuke
Takahashi (Jan 11, '10)
SINOGRAPH
Fears real and imagined
Some Western worries about China's rise are of little importance or are easily
dealt with. Others are more substantive, rooted in China's vast size and
population and its culture, which is utterly different from the West's. China
cannot change its nature to make itself less fearsome, nor should it. But in
another important way, it can indeed change. - Francesco Sisci
(Jan 8, '10)
This is the second article of a two-part report
PART 1:The
peace imperative
BOOK REVIEW
Diamond reclaimed
Diamond Hill by Feng Chi-shun Now just another subway stop
and home to the glitzy malls and housing estates that define modern Hong Kong,
Diamond Hill was once full of gamblers, thugs, movie stars and squatters. A
resident during that long-lost period, the author presents a snapshot of Hong
Kong's rich history that, at the same time, laments how the city is paving over
its past. - Kent Ewing (Jan 8, '10)
Russia, China, Iran redraw energy
map
Drowned out by the United States-driven cacophony over Tehran's alleged
belligerence is news of the inauguration of a pipeline connecting Iran's
northern Caspian region with Turkmenistan's vast gas reserves. Trumping the
sole superpower and its European allies, Ashgabat has committed its entire gas
exports to China, Russia and Iran. And Tehran - "increasingly isolated"
according to Washington - finds itself at the center of a newly emerging
economic axis. - M K Bhadrakumar (Jan 7, '10)
SINOGRAPH
The peace imperative
China's rise toward great-power status has been helped by freedom from costly
and wasteful wars and a deliberately non-aggressive foreign policy. Beijing is
fully aware of how much it depends on this "peaceful rise" continuing, yet it
cannot afford to appear weak, militarily or otherwise. Its leaders thus walk a
tightrope - a strong and thick one, but a rope nonetheless. - Francesco Sisci
(Jan 7, '10)
This is the first article in a two-part report.
US paranoia seen in new Red Dawn
The 1984 cult hit Red Dawn, which portrayed a Soviet invasion of the
United States, is being remade with China as the aggressor. Playing on American
fears over economic and military weakness in the aftermath of a crisis, the
plot and backdrop are similar. However, this time the movie apparently tries to
represent China as the solution to some of the most acute problems in American
cities. - Benjamin A Shobert (Jan 7, '10)
The blowback effect, 2020
The world will be a very different place by 2020, with momentous shifts in
global relations. China, already an economic giant, will become a powerhouse,
while the United States' expensive foreign wars will have hastened its decline.
The poorer, formerly colonized nations of the global South will emerge and turn
the tables. As may the Earth itself - human-led environmental damage may well
lead to potentially devastating natural blowback. - Michael T Klare
(Jan 6, '10)
COMMENT
Don't blame China, US for Nopenhagen
After the United Nations and its retinue ran the climate change talks off the
rails, China and the United States not only rescued them with a workable
agreement, but also demonstrated how the UN should have spent its time
productively. - Muhammad Cohen (Jan 6, '10)
Russia, China keep toehold in Yemen
The failed Christmas Day airliner bombing attempt has underscored Washington's
commitment to poverty-stricken, al-Qaeda-infested Yemen, a "vital
counter-terrorism partner" of the United States. Yet Yemen’s
multimillion-dollar military modernization program is overwhelmingly centered
not on Washington, but on Moscow and Beijing. (Jan
6, '10)
Weiqi: A symbol of the Chinese
experience
The ancient board game known in the West as go, in China as weiqi,
offers invaluable insights into the philosophies that drive China's
re-emergence as a global power. Were Westerners to stop lecturing Beijing long
enough to familiarize themselves with the Tao of weiqi, they would find
the key to the paradoxes of this civilization. - David Gosset
(Jan 5, '10)
China's space program poised to surge
This year may rank as one of China's best yet for its space program in terms of
the total number and variety of missions launched. As the United States
attempts to forge closer ties with China in space, the important and changing
role of the People's Liberation Army Air Force needs to be better understood. - Peter
J Brown (Jan 5, '10)
Russia-India ties sour in Central
Asia
Moscow's heavy-handed attempts to curb China's influence in Central Asia by
forging a regional security bloc and bolstering links with ally India are
foundering due to Beijing's more popular economic approach and resentment in
the "Stans" over the Soviet legacy. At the same time, links between Moscow and
New Delhi have been marred by crude diplomacy. - Peter Lee
(Jan 4, '10)
In testing times, China's star rises
After steering China past a year fraught with economic pitfalls and sensitive
anniversaries, leaders can rest assured that the nation's ascendancy to
world-power status is still on track. Beijing's new confidence and clout were
best observed during the visit of United States President Barack Obama - never
have the US and China seemed so equal. But the new year may ring in an intense
internal power struggle. - Kent Ewing (Dec
23, '09)
Beijing in a high-level balancing act
The need to overcome global economic decline and financial instability has
driven unprecedented high-level contact between China and the United States. As
China's ascendancy on the global stage shifts the balance of power, differences
in how it handles issues from the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran, to
relations with Taiwan, and economic recovery itself, pose questions over how a
stable relationship can be sustained. - Jing-dong Yuan
(Dec 23, '09)
India keeping up with the neighbor
While the chance of an all-out war between China and India over their disputed
border is slim, their relationship over the coming decades will be defined by
jostling over areas of common interest. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Dec 23, '09)
China resets Central Asia
engagement terms When Kazakhstan's president this month
joined Central Asian leaders to laud a gas pipeline that will take the region's
gas to China's industrial heartland, he'd just told Western miners they would
be shunned unless they gave back to his country's development. His confidence
is testament to China's use of patient diplomacy to muscle in on the great game
and divert the region's allegiances from West to East. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Dec 23, '09)
Cross-strait tourists see double
The popularity of travel by mainland Chinese to Taiwan is growing, encouraged -
for different reasons - by both Beijing and Taipei. It is a sign of the ties
that bind Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and of what still
separates them. - Cristian Segura (Dec 22,
'09)
SINOGRAPH
Copenhagen miscalculation
Beijing's battle against pollution is fought on many fronts, and it had hoped
to bring home from Denmark a powerful tool to press local governments to
cooperate in the bid for cleaner air. But Beijing underestimated the crucial
importance of transparent verification in any deal that included United States
financial aid. - Francesco Sisci (Dec 22,
'09)
A red-carpet welcome for Nepal
Nepal's prime minister visits China this week at a critical time for his
country, given ongoing political unrest, Maoist assertiveness and stalled
efforts to write a new constitution. China is all too aware of the fragility of
Premier Madhav Kumar Nepal's government in Kathmandu, but as long as Beijing
needs to keep an eye on India's activities in Nepal, the Chinese will play the
perfect hosts. - Dhruba Adhikary (Dec 21,
'09)
Ten years after, the Macau they wished
for
When Portugal returned Macau to China in 1999 after centuries of misrule, it
seemed unlikely the city would achieve prosperity. Today, Macau is the world's
leading gaming destination and has pulled in billions of foreign investment
dollars. So why isn't Beijing smiling? - Muhammad Cohen
(Dec 18, '09)
China's naval prowess overblown
A former United States military advisor's take on the growing power of the
Chinese navy and a decline in American naval strength, depicted in his
fictitious account of the sinking of a US aircraft carrier by China, is
overblown and ends the year for US-China relations on a controversial note. - Peter
J Brown (Dec 17, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
Dancing the revolution away
The ballet Red Detachment of Women, popular with Mao Zedong during the
Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, is now playing again in Beijing, complete
with capitalist roaders, psychedelic 
cartoon sets and girls with guns. Given the way China's economy has progressed
- and where it is heading - the dancing girls should be prancing around in
Pradas, Guccis and Jimmy Choos, sipping champagne and juxtaposed against steel
and glass sets. - Pepe Escobar (Dec 17, '09)
China reels under a barrage of criticism
China has reacted sharply to accusations that it is blocking progress at the
Copenhagen summit after clashing with the United States on greenhouse gas cuts
and the issue of US-funded "climate reparations". Drawing on ancient writings,
Beijing insists it is a part of the solution, not the problem. - Antoaneta
Bezlova (Dec 17, '09)
SINOGRAPH
A radical empire looms
China and the United States are becoming closer, and there is pro-Beijing
sentiment in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. If the new US policies allow
Pakistan to increase its clout in Afghanistan, India could feel it is caught in
a vice. However, Delhi should not rejoice if Afghanistan's anarchy spreads,
since if Kabul and Islamabad fall, the vast "new India" that could emerge would
face massive destabilization from radical Islamic elements. - - Francesco Sisci
(Dec 16, '09)
China injects 'humanity' into death
sentence
A bleak Beijing jail is to become the capital's new center for executions, as
part of a plan for all death sentences in China to be carried out by lethal
injection, rather than by firing squad. Officials say the method is more humane
and transparent, but others claim it could be a ploy to increase the number of
"voluntary" organ donors. - Cristian Segura (Dec
15, '09)
Nepal finally waves away refugees
After 18 years and hundreds of millions of dollars spent by the United Nations,
100,000 refugees in Nepal are now being resettled in the West, mostly in the
United States. The saga exposes bureaucratic bungling and nationalist fervor at
their worst, while Bhutan ensures the cultural survival of the last Tantric
Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. - Alexander Casella
(Dec 14, '09)
Courtship and censure in US's China
policy
The momentous impacts of recession on the China policy of the United States are
apparent in the annual US Congress report that traditionally takes a different,
harsher line towards the Middle Kingdom than the White House. This year, signs
that hawkish forces in Washington are slowly accepting China's military
expansion contrast with the report's claims that Beijing, rather than Wall
Street, caused the global economic crisis. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Dec 14, '09)
Shenzhen raises iron fist to protests
Shenzhen has been at the vanguard of China's economic reform over the past 30
years as a testing ground for policies later adopted nationwide. A recent
crackdown on protests belied the city's liberal characteristics and Beijing's
swift condemnation suggests it is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. -
Stephanie Wang (Dec 11, '09)
China unveils its new worldview
Beijing has released a five-pronged foreign policy vision, signaling it is
ready to play a bigger part on the global stage. Most notable on the ambitious
agenda are the twin theories of "shared responsibility and enthusiastic
participation", which imply that China will acquit itself in a way that it
feels is commensurate with its quasi-superpower status. - Willy Lam
(Dec 10, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
Hopenhagen's dirty secret
As developing countries accuse the industrialized North of trying to side-step
cuts in carbon emissions, the real winners of the Copenhagen climate summit are
emerging: Wall Street and Big Oil. While Wall Street banks will probably turn
climate change into a new commodities market, marketing it as an investment
product, Big Oil is likely to make a killing from a global carbon tax. - Pepe
Escobar (Dec 9, '09)
SUN
WUKONG
New stars in China's firmament
A reshuffle of provincial chiefs in China points towards the leadership
succession due in 2012 and heralds the rise of cadres likely to shift to the
center of power. Among them, Hu Chunhua and Sun Zhengcai have a blend of youth,
experience and support that could take them to the top. - Wu Zhong
(Dec 9, '09)
Trouble in China's little Africa
Thousands of Africans are poring into the Chinese city of Guangzhou, seeking
cheap goods to resell back home. Media stereotypes portray many of the Africans
as untrustworthy, while police routinely harass them, making it far more
difficult for them to do business than for their Chinese counterparts to work
in Africa. - Kent Ewing (Dec 8, '09)
Taiwan elections a warning to Ma
The performance of Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang party at the weekend's local
elections indicates discontent with President Ma Ying-jeou's handling of the
economy, a deadly typhoon and relations with China. Ma may need to fine-tune
his approach to the mainland. - Cindy Sui (Dec
7, '09)
Calculated ambiguity in
the South China Sea
China's end goal for the South China Sea may not just be a vast exclusive
economic zone. Rather, Beijing appears to be expanding into the disputed waters
to project naval power, including through a fleet of nuclear ballistic missile
submarines. - Peter J Brown (Dec 7, '09)
Obama flat-footed on rights in China
President Obama's recent visit to China saw him chide the government on
Internet freedoms and extol "universal values". That was far from enough for
the country's activists, who say Obama glazed over more sensitive topics lest
he offend an economically emboldened Beijing - and that he was only the latest
US official to do so. - Verna Yu (Dec 4, '09)
China-India relations take another
pitch
Although cricket is barely played in China, the 
sport's world governing body is betting on the game becoming hugely popular
there over the next 15 years or so. Cricketing rivals India and Pakistan are
now competing to influence the potentially vast market, while some spectators
believe the game can become a bridge for Sino-Indian political divides. - Siddharth
Srivastava (Dec 3, '09)
Beijing broods over its arc of anxiety
Through some combination of Pashtun insurgency and rebellion by Pakistan's
military against the strategy of the United States, the pro-Washington
government in Afghanistan is destined to be replaced amid an anti-Indian
rollback. This will be an extremely welcome development for Pakistan and its
ally, China. - Peter Lee (Dec 3, '09)
China sizes up EU's new face
Pledges to strengthen bilateral cooperation at the first summit this week
between China and the European Union since the latter put into effect the
Lisbon treaty masked a growing divergence between the two. Among reasons for
the disconnect is Beijing's belief that even a revamped EU is too weak to be a
viable partner in the construction of a multi-polar world order. - Jian Junbo
(Dec 2, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
China bemused by flat Europe
In theory, Europe now has a unified voice. But while Europeans were expecting
bubbly champagne, they were handed flat cola in the form of the new European
Council president, Belgian Herman van Rompuy, and quasi-EU foreign affairs
minister, Baroness Catherine Ashton. China might well ask the immortal Henry
Kissinger question: "Which number do I dial when I want to talk to Europe?" - Pepe
Escobar (Dec 1, '09)
SUN
WUKONG
China spies anti-graft revolution
Spying on comrades is a no-no in China's one-party system, where separation of
the legislative, executive and judicial powers has long been out of the
question. That approach may soon be scrapped as the Communist Party tries to
tackle increasing levels of official corruption. - Wu Zhong
(Dec 1, '09)
The day Beijing blinked
Many sensitive issues were broached only indirectly during United States
President Barack Obama's visit to China, but on the subject of a US-China Group
of Two and acting as the US's partner on global issues, Beijing made clear its
disapproval. - Antoaneta Bezlova (Nov 30,
'09)
SINOGRAPH
China takes a new look at Marxism
Beijing is promoting that the Communist Party should build a "study model of
Marxism". Coupled with the visit by a senior party official to Taiwan to
discuss - for the first time ever - political models, the signs are clear that
China is reforming its own system. - Francesco Sisci (Nov
25, '09)
Obamas were sorely missed in Asia
First Lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Sasha and Malia, not joining United
States President Barack Obama's swing through Asia may have been a mistake.
While Obama's town-hall session broke new ground, the beguiling sight of the
first family mingling and shopping in downtown Shanghai, Tokyo or Singapore
would have been a better boost for the US's image and economy. - Peter J Brown
(Nov 25, '09)
In China, an easy route to academic glory
China produces the highest number of PhD graduates in the world annually, but
many fear the number is vastly inflated by officials who - seeking rapid
promotion - have paid universities for the prestigious qualification without
doing any work. - Stephen Wong (Nov 24, '09)
Power struggle behind revival of Maoism
As with many political trends in China, the revival in the popularity of Mao
Zedong's ultra-conservative norms is related to jockeying for 
position between two major Communist Party cliques. Implicit in the statues of
Mao being erected and references to his works is criticism of the policies of
the leaders by elements who want a shift towards doctrinaire socialist values
and away from free-market precepts. - Willy Lam
(Nov 23, '09)
US's dalliance in Beijing is
short-lived
In a joint statement, United States President Barack Obama and Chinese
President Hu Jintao this week pledged to "strengthen communication, dialogue
and cooperation on issues related to South Asia". It took Washington a matter
of hours to start backtracking; any enterprise to mount ill-fated Sino-American
ventures in this region could seriously disrupt American business interests.
(Nov 20, '09)
A town with a tale to tell
The more elderly inhabitants of Tawang, the town plumb in the heart of disputed
territory between India and China, have lived under four national flags -
British, Tibetan, Chinese and Indian. These indigenous people, the Monpas, have
strong views on which country they believe would now best serve their
interests. - Saransh Sehgal (Nov 20, '09)
Subtle changes in US's China policy
A closer look at United States President Barack Obama's four-day visit to China
reveals subtle but meaningful changes in US policy towards the Middle Kingdom.
The Obama administration is likely to continue the cooperative and pragmatic
policies of its predecessor, while a heightened emphasis on China shows deeper
recognition of Beijing's growing regional and international clout. - Jian Junbo
(Nov 19, '09)
OBAMA ON THE ASIAN HIGHWAY
A new courtship for Southeast
Asia
Barack Obama at the weekend became the first American president to share a room
with all 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The US's new
Asian focus is based partly on a belief that the region has been neglected,
giving China a pre-eminent position, and that it's time to get down to
business. - Brian McCartan (Nov 18, '09)
SINOGRAPH
Hu and Obama seal real deals
The joint statement by Chinese President Hu Jintao and visiting United States
President Barack Obama signal appears to embrace a long-term, strategic
relationship between the nations. The pledges of cooperation on Iran, South
Asia and the Asia-Pacific may appear principled rhetoric, but in private they
represent concrete deals being made. - Francesco Sisci
(Nov 18, '09)
Obama dodges Chinese missiles
During his visit to China, United States President Barack Obama avoided the
subject of China's military buildup and its deployment of new missiles, as well
as "Juniper Cobra", a vast and sophisticated US-Israel missile defense
exercise. His failure to broach the issue may spark domestic criticism and
concerns among US allies in Asia. - Peter J Brown
(Nov 18, '09)
Political impasse takes Nepal to
brink
Leaders of Nepal's Maoists are threatening more mass protests and to turn the
nation "into another Afghanistan" should their demands for limits to
presidential powers not be met. As the political turmoil drags on - not helped
by an apparent China-India tussle for influence - some see hope in the
formation of a unity government. - Dhruba Adhikary
(Nov 17, '09)
Mafias expose China's legal woes
It took a directive from the top echelons of the Chinese Communist Party before
officials in China's western Chongqing metropolis would unleash an "anti-triad
tornado" on the well-connected mafia syndicates, nabbing close to 3,000
big-time criminals. The fiasco has laid bare the full extent of collusion
between organized crime and senior officers in the police and judiciary. - Willy
Lam (Nov 17, '09)
THE ROVING EYE
Welcome, comrade Maobama
United States President Barack Obama visits Beijing as China is organizing a
new world order based on economic independence and respecting cultural and
political differences - a hierarchical change all nations can believe in.
Beijing welcomes being classed as the US's "essential partner" and
"competitor"; being competitive is second nature when you have been a major
economic power for 18 of the past 20 centuries. - Pepe Escobar
(Nov 16, '09)
Hong Kong plays transgender catch-up
A Hong Kong transsexual is suing the government for the right to marry her male
partner, putting traditionalists on the legal defensive. Attitudes toward
sexual orientation are changing in Hong Kong, though it's behind some places on
the Chinese mainland where such a conjugal union is already legally sanctioned.
- Kent Ewing (Nov 16, '09)
Sino-Indian rivalry fuels Nepal's
turmoil
As Nepal's Maoists intensify efforts to paralyze the central government, the
group's mass protests and provocative acts over a political impasse threaten to
plunge the nation back into civil conflict. With the Maoists claiming the
support of China, and a pro-India government in place in Kathmandu, a barely
concealed proxy contest is developing between Beijing and Delhi for a strategic
advantage in the Himalayas. - Peter Lee (Nov
13, '09)
COMMENT
China: A need for strategic reassurance
Given the residual mutual concerns and suspicions between China and the United
States, even as their common interests and interdependence have never been as
marked, a concept of "strategic reassurance" is emerging. In terms of this, the
US would not seek to impede China's rise, while Beijing would ease Washington's
fears over its emergence on the world stage. - Jing-dong Yuan
(Nov 13, '09)
BOOK REVIEW
An extraordinary life, an ordinary man
Don't Call Me a Crook by Bob Moore
Dissident Books, in rediscovering and editing this overlooked classic first
published in 1935, has resurrected a one-time author whose ignorance,
rakishness and lack of conscience are indicative of his time. What's
extraordinary, however, are his Chinese misadventures, which include tales of
murder and kidnappings. - Kent Ewing (Nov 13,
'09)
OBAMA ON THE ASIAN HIGHWAY
Myanmar up close
United States President Barack Obama's meeting with Southeast Asian leaders
next week will likely focus on the new US policy of "constructive engagement"
with Myanmar, whose poor human-rights record and lack of democracy have for
years placed limits on US efforts to deepen economic ties with the region.
China moved swiftly to fill that gap, and now Washington may fear being left
behind. (Nov 12, '09)
Tug-of-war over Pearl River Delta
Beijing wants to control the relatively free-wheeling and liberal Pearl River
Delta by pushing for its economic and social integration into three mega
metropolitan areas, including Macau and Hong Kong. Local authorities,
accustomed to doing things their own way in an area that accounts for about a
quarter of China's total trade value, are pushing back. - Cristian Segura
and Wu Zhong (Nov 12, '09)
SINOGRAPH
A sacrificial lamb
Discussions between India and China on disputed border issues could be hastened
by Washington's need to find a political solution for Afghanistan, something
that could compromise the cause of the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual
leader who donated "his" Tawang to New Delhi. - Francesco Sisci
(Nov 11, '09)
Clouds over Tokyo and Seoul
Disagreements over a United States army base in Japan and a free-trade
agreement with South Korea are likely to figure prominently in President Barack
Obama's visit to Northeast Asia. Nonetheless, Obama is expected to grasp this
opportunity to reaffirm the US's longstanding relationship with its two closest
allies in the region. (Nov 11, '09)
OBAMA ON THE ASIAN HIGHWAY
Space is suddenly on the agenda
As United States President Barack Obama prepares for his first official trip to
Asia, a Chinese army commander has called for China's "superiority in space".
This could be taken as proof that China seeks military dominance in space, and
that the US's planned cooperation in civilian space programs would in effect
transfer technology to a potential adversary. - Peter J Brown
(Nov 11, '09)
Dalai Lama calm in the eye of a
storm
While the visit by the Dalai Lama to the disputed area of Arunachal Pradesh in
India has not helped already frosty relations between India and China - some
even talk of war - the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader is possibly closer to
the reality when he points out "my visit here is non-political". - Saransh
Sehgal (Nov 10, '09)
Dalai Lama at apex of Sino-Indian
tensions
Along with the tension created by the Dalai Lama's visit to the disputed Indian
state of Arunachal Pradesh, shifts within the Tibetan movement, India's
evolving geopolitical stature and the United States' growing economic ties with
China are converging to create dangerous instability in Sino-Indian relations.
- Peter Lee (Nov 9, '09)
BOOK REVIEW
China according to
the Chinese
The Origin, Process, and Outcome of China's Reforms in the Past One Hundred Years
by Enbao Wang
Much of the English-language discourse on China's unpredicted rise is divided
between those who are fascinated and those who are frightened. The author makes
a useful attempt to bridge a growing gap between what has happened in China in
the past 30 years on the one hand, and persistent Western cultural-political
solipsism on the other. - Yu Bin (Nov 6, '09)
Uyghur activist seeks talks with Beijing
An avowed critic of China's ethnic policy in the Xinjiang region, Uyghur
activist Rebiya Kadeer says Beijing is guilty of persecuting dissidents 
from her minority, as well as of an economic bias in favor of the Han majority.
Rejecting claims she is a terrorist and organized deadly riots, Kadeer wants
dialogue with Beijing. - Catherine Makino (Nov
5, '09)
China's sleepy Hengqin wakes up
A relatively undeveloped corner of the Pearl River Delta immediately west of
Macau is being lined up for an extensive makeover. Hengqin island, part of the
mainland city of Zhuhai, is to be transformed into a resort paradise featuring
golf courses and theme parks. In the process, Macau and Hong Kong will be more
intimately integrated into the mainland delta, tricky legal relationships
permitting. - Kent Ewing (Nov 5, '09)
Russia, India and China go their
ways
Despite its best efforts, Russia failed at a recent trilateral summit to get
India and China to agree to a common regional initiative regarding Afghanistan.
This failure ensures that the United States can now press ahead with its own
strategy of striking grand bargains individually with these key players. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Nov 4, '09)
Who will be the last frog in the well?
After centuries of Sinocentrism behind the Great Wall and secretive imperial
politics within the Forbidden City, China's opening up and thirst for a greater
understanding of the foreign world has sparked a global Chinese renaissance in
engineering, computing and the classical arts. Should the West not try and
dispel its suspicions over this model of modernization, it runs a real risk of
being left behind. - David Gosset (Nov 4,
'09)
China's Three Gorges Dam comes of age
Fifteen years since work began and at a cost of between US$8 billion to $27
billion, the water level in the reservoir behind the Three Gorges 
Dam on the Yangtze River will soon reach its final height of 175 meters.
Officials, though, aren't celebrating too loudly: as China searches for new
forms of renewable energy, the dam has become a monument to obsolete ambitions.
(Nov 3, '09)
Chinese general enters US military core
Ahead of United States President Barack Obama's first official visit to
Beijing, China's second-highest officer became the first People's Liberation
Army member to visit US Strategic 
Command headquarters. Both sides are sending the right signals in pursuit of
strengthening military-to-military ties; beneath the surface, improved
relations do not appear an urgent priority. - Peter J Brown
(Nov 2, '09)
More missiles across strait
A recently released report by Taiwan's Defense Ministry stating that China has
increased the number of missiles targeted at the island demonstrates that
despite unprecedented warming relations, the potential for war between the
long-time rivals still very much exists. - Cindy Sui
(Oct 30, '09)
SINOGRAPH
China no longer a law unto itself
China and the West, in particular ancient Rome and Greece, followed markedly
different routes on the way to developing the legal systems in use today. The
West was notably influenced by the needs of merchants and the market place for
equitable regulation, while China saw this as a threat to central power. As
China steps onto the international stage, it will have to reconcile such
differences. - Francesco Sisci (Oct 29, '09)
China hawks target US sign-off shuffle
United States President Barack Obama has delegated presidential power of
scrutinizing and approving exports of missile- and space-related technology to
the Commerce Department. But anyone who thinks that Obama has suddenly
rewritten the rulebook when it comes to exports of missile and space-related
technology to China is mistaken. - Peter J Brown
(Oct 28, '09)
Beijing runs a diplomatic marathon
From the Americas to Europe to Asia, Chinese leaders this autumn are engaged in
wide-ranging diplomacy to play up the country's status as a near superpower
that is also a responsible stakeholder in the world community. The danger in
Beijing's no-holds-barred projection of military and diplomatic prowess is that
it may also render the "China threat" theory more credible. - Willy Lam
(Oct 27, '09)
China's culture offensive hits a wall
Beijing is working hard to raise its cultural profile on the global stage,
including in the field of publishing, with its latest attempt taking it to the
Frankfurt Book Fair. But it wasn't all about celebrating state-sponsored books
and authors. To the Chinese officials' dismay, the event was marred with
controversy and spats over human rights and press freedoms.
(Oct 26, '09)
 SUN
WUKONG
China's insurers denied
run of property
The Chinese government's decision to allow insurance companies to invest some
of their near US$500 billion in holdings directly in real estate has property
developers keenly anticipating a new inflow of cash. Yet the red tape with
which Beijing is tying up the reform should be sufficient to ensure no quick
bucks - or sharp losses - for anyone. - Wu Zhong
(Oct 26, '09)
US zeroes in on China's clout in
Myanmar
A senior United States State Department mission is going to Myanmar to
ostensibly discuss democracy and human rights, but the subtext will clearly be
boosting ties and building influence in a country long considered to be in
China's diplomatic pocket. The competition between Washington and Beijing for
influence in Southeast Asia could hinge on how Myanmar's generals react. - Brian
McCartan (Oct 23, '09)
China trumps Taiwan's 'democracy card'
As neither unification with mainland China nor independence will likely occur
in the near future, it is more important than ever for Taiwan to figure out an
appropriate position in the international community. Taipei is in the global
"liberal democratic community", but its volatile politics fail to solicit
majority support at home or to remove threats from Beijing. - Erdong Chen
(Oct 23, '09)
Hong Kong law under Beijing’s shadow
Claims that missing Chinese dissident Zhou Yongjun was arrested in Hong Kong
and sent to China for traveling on a fake passport bring the independence and
integrity of Hong Kong's legal system into question. This comes as the wife of
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is welcomed back into the city after
receiving diplomatic immunity for an alleged assault - Kent Ewing
(Oct 22, '09)
COMMENT
Why an East Asian Community matters
Historical feuds, territorial disputes and centuries of neighborly mistrust
have kept the concept of an East Asian Community on the drawing board for
decades. Some critics have called the bloc's formation a "mission impossible",
but nothing will be achieved until a first step is taken. - Jian Junbo
(Oct 21, '09)
China's navy sails past India's dock
Three Chinese naval vessels do not make a fleet, but they do make a statement.
By sending them to patrol off the coast of Somalia as part of the multinational
force operating there, in effect, China is saying to India, "We're back." - Peter
J Brown(Oct 21, '09)
SINOGRAPH
Ten years to tackle the Taiwan equation
Instead of China and the United States sparring over Washington's next arms
sale to Taiwan, they should concentrate on the core issue: the reunification of
Taiwan with the mainland. At the rate of China's current economic growth, they
have about 10 years to prepare for this. - Francesco Sisci
(Oct 21, '09)
China opens a new front in Kashmir
China, by issuing residents from Indian-administered Kashmir visas different
from those given to Indians from other parts of the country, is treating the
disputed area as a sovereign entity. This is a surprising departure from
Beijing's traditional policy of leaving the Kashmir issue to India and Pakistan
to resolve. Delhi suspects a hidden agenda. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Oct 20, '09)
Taiwan recalls days of dance
A new documentary aims to revive the fading memory of Taiwan's defunct E Sha
Song and Dance Group. The group, an overlooked piece of Taiwan's cultural
history, is a snapshot of the country's cultural-political landscape during the
turbulent years from 1959 to 1985. - Lin Zixin
(Oct 19, '09)
China's media blitz needs fact-checking
The heads of the world's leading media organizations gathered this month in
Beijing to relish the fact that Chinese leaders have allocated US$6.6 billion
for the expansion of state media groups. Much was made of China's irresistible
media market, but the topic of press freedom was largely avoided by the bigwigs
in attendance. - Kent Ewing (Oct 16, '09)
The Dragon spews fire at the
Elephant
Indian lobbyists - with an eye on profiting from arms sales with the United
States worth billions of dollars - are whipping up war hysteria and xenophobia
over China, and Delhi is playing along. Against this electrified diplomatic
backdrop, the state-run People's Daily tore into India this week. The
relationship could nosedive further if the Dalai Lama's visit to India's
disputed areas with China goes ahead.- M K Bhadrakumar
(Oct 16, '09)
Maoists go on pilgrimage in China
Nepal's top Maoist leader and former prime minister, Prachanda, took time out
on his trip this week to China to visit the birthplace of Mao Zedong. Prachanda
has a deep-seated interest in original communist concepts, and in comparing
them with present-day realities. Beijing is looking for a dependable ally in
Kathmandu, and Prachanda believes his Maoists can take on this role, he tells
Asia Times Online. - Dhruba Adhikary (Oct 15,
'09)
Taiwan tones down celebrations
Unlike mainland China, with its mammoth 60th anniversary celebrations, Taiwan
celebrated its national day in a less glitzy fashion due to the 
recent deadly typhoon. In his muted address, President Ma Ying-jeou
acknowledged warmer cross-strait ties, while adding he had not forgotten about
a possible military threat from that direction. - Lin Zixin
(Oct 15, '09)
SINOGRAPH
Asia steels for challenges ahead
All of Asia has witnessed the United States battered and mired in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and buffeted by financial crisis. As the world's largest economy
takes stock, trends in Asia could take new directions, and countries in the
region might decide it is more practical and efficient to sort out their
problems by themselves. - Francesco Sisci (Oct
14, '09)
Omaha greets an 'unusual visitor' from
China
People's Liberation Army Colonel Yao Yunzhu is frequently invited to
international conferences because she is one of only a handful of military
researchers in China who speaks English well. But what was she doing at the
United States base near Omaha, Nebraska, which oversees all aspects of US
nuclear warfighting? - Peter J Brown (Oct 14,
'09)
China's rockers too pampered for politics
Unlike trailblazers from the 1990s, who sung fiery political anthems and faced
harsh censorship, 
young rock bands in today's China are indifferent to politics, with
introspection, veganism and day jobs more common than angst. These children of
the urban elite know they should be rebelling against something, but their
lifestyles are just too comfortable to risk. - Alice Liu
(Oct 13, '09)
SPEAKING FREELY
Debating the dragon-bear duet
Are current Sino-Russian bilateral relations the beginning of a new,
multi-polar world order? Or is Beijing pulling Moscow into a new form of
resource patron-clientism in which the former holds the upper hand? While the
skeptics have plenty of evidence to show that Russia is being short-changed by
China, there are mutual regional and global benefits to this partnership. - Anna
Konopatskaya (Oct 13, '09)
Beijing hires a media guru
As part of its modernization efforts, the Chinese Communist Party has recruited
a once-famed news anchor as its top media advisor. A lot has changed since
crisis was met with silence and falsehoods. The party has perhaps realized that
being an international player involves demonstrating some transparency. - Cristian
Segura (Oct 9, '09)
BOOK REVIEW
Short-changing China's century
The Empire of Lies by Guy Sorman
This book penetrates the interior of China, touching on areas too-often
overlooked, such as poverty, human rights, and archaic governance. But it
fails to note how far the nation has come this century, its pulse of progress
in developing regions and subtle changes in leadership, and the analysis
suffers as a result. - Benjamin Shobert (Oct
9, '09)
Confucianism a vital string in China's
bow
A revival of interest in Confucianism, within China and beyond, is helping
Beijing to develop the "soft power" it needs if the country is to become a true
world power. Some modernization of the 2,500 year old system of thought would
help. - Jian Junbo (Oct 8, '09)
China torn over Internet freedoms
Following a spate of titillating but fallacious stories posted on the Internet
about high-profile 
personalities, such as television hostess Fang Jing, many of China's Internet
users want the government to clamp down, even as Beijing realizes the
advantages of promoting free speech in cyberspace. - Stephanie Wang
(Oct 7, '09)
Give and take on North Korea
North Korea's Kim Jong-il on Tuesday promised visiting Chinese
Premier Wen Jiabao that Pyongyang will return to the six-party talks that the
North has previously spurned. Beijing will take credit for arm-twisting the
recalcitrant North Koreans, while Kim will believe he has played his cards just
right. - Donald Kirk (Oct 6, '09)
China's satellite diplomacy shifts a gear
China offers satellites to developing countries at bargain-basement prices,
however, accurately calculating the exact cost of these satellite projects is
difficult because rarely, if ever, is anything done in the open. - Peter J Brown
(Oct 6, '09)
India plays down Chinese
incursions
Reports of Chinese incursions into Indian territory are on the rise, with
alleged firefights, air space infringements and graffiti. But New Delhi has
downplayed them, saying there are diplomatic mechanisms for such issues. At the
same time, the Indian military is making its own assessment. Priyanka Bhardwaj
(Oct 6, '09)
Uyghurs face an education dilemma
The Uyghur ethnic group in China's Xinjiang province says the education system
traps their children between minority and mainstream culture. Chinese-language
schooling may offer better job prospects, while only minority schools teach
traditional language, history and culture. - Paloma Robles
(Oct 5, '09)
The secret of the CCP's success
Aware of the need to "adapt or die", successive leaders of the Chinese
Communist Party have gradually molded it to fit the changing needs of
the people while maintaining an iron grasp on rule. This is evident in the
shift of the core party membership from the peasantry to the rising middle
class. - Justin Vela (Oct 2, '09)
India and China profess brotherhood
With flashy ads and eloquent statements, India congratulated China on its 60th
anniversary, with Beijing in turn touting its commitment to India's
economic development. Beneath the surface, however, a number of issues simmer,
particularly border disputes. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Oct 2, '09)
China warily watches US-Myanmar entente
Ongoing concern in Bejing over unrest near the China-Myanmar border, which led
to a mass influx of refugees into southern China, has been heightened by
diplomatic overtures by the junta to the United States. China's leaders are
suspicious of any US attempt to counter its influence in the region. - Larry
Jagan (Oct 1, '09)
China maps an end to the Afghan war
A senior Chinese official has publicly put forward an unusually forthright and
timely view on the Afghanistan conflict, proposing concrete steps to be taken
towards unlocking the stalemate there. This, he argues, is an Afghan issue,
while al-Qaeda is not a big factor. Not the least important: US troops should
go home. - M K Bhadrakumar (Oct 1, '09)
China's military struts its stuff
The military took center stage on Thursday during celebrations to mark the 60th
anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Significantly,
the massive parade in Beijing 
featured hitherto unseen advanced hardware developed and made in China. The
People's Liberation Army has been equally open in outlining its ambitious
modernization plans to make it the best fighting force in the world. - Cristian
Segura and Wu Zhong (Oct 1, '09)
The night Zhou was drunk under the table
While out-drinking Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, arguing over literature with Mao
Zedong's wife and sharing turkey with the Gang of Four, a young Westerner in
Beijing at the time of the Cultural Revolution was blissfully unaware of the
Moscow-style purges going on behind the scenes. - Ian Williams
(Oct 1, '09)
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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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