 |
Singapore, Hong Kong unite against
'locusts'
A fatal car smash after a speeding Ferrari jumped a red light in Singapore has
brought resentment against mainland Chinese into sharp focus, igniting a tirade
of abuse against "locusts" flooding the job and property markets. Inflamed
opinion spread with rumors that the "financial investor" dead at the wheel of
the limited edition sports car was the brother of a Chongqing mafia boss and
had been accused of money laundering in Hong Kong. - Augustine Tan
(May 22, '12)
Taiwan's Ma plays it cool
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's re-inauguration speech on Sunday didn't
sketch a roadmap for unification with China, as some had expected. Ma instead
attacked Beijing's human-rights policy, praised his island's defense industry
and denied a cross-strait peace agreement was being planned, with critics
seeing Washington's hand at work. - Jens Kastner
(May 21, '12)
Chen hands Beijing a hollow victory
As Chen Guangcheng settles in New York, Beijing can rest assured that its
efforts to minimize domestic fallout over the blind activist's escape have
worked well and that Chen is effectively silenced. However, this Pyrrhic
victory does nothing to address the deep-rooted corruption in local politics
that Chen suffered imprisonment and torture to agitate against. - Kent Ewing
(May 21, '12)
The riddle of the Scarborough Shoals
In the matter of the Scarborough Shoal mess, the Philippines started it and the
infamous Chinese nine-dash line encompassing almost the entire South China Sea
looks like an audacious claim drawn from an appetite for aggression. A closer
look reveals that there is some genuine method to Beijing's madness, and a
chance that gas and greed, rather than international law and principle, may
salvage peace in the South China Sea.
- Peter Lee (May 18, '12)
The 'illogic' of China's North Korea
policy
China's refusal to use its leverage as North Korea's friend and protector to
halt its provocations strengthens the United States alliance system that
Beijing considers a tool of encirclement. As Pyongyang blithely continues with
missiles launches and other acts that undermine China in the international
arena, it seems hard to image a policy that could do more damage to Chinese
national interests. - Ralph A Cossa and Brad Glosserman
(May 18, '12)
BOOK REVIEW
Cherry-picking from China's success
What the US Can Learn from China
by Ann Lee
This book forces the reader to confront China's growth in the midst of
America's decline, drawing attention to the reasons US politics became too
self-serving, too short-sighted and too partisan. The author doesn't argue the
Chinese approach is flawless, but she does hold up China's single-minded
fixation on economic growth and leadership process based on experience as
examples US policymakers must consider.
- Benjamin Shobert (May 18, '12)
Nepal: A camel in the making
Fragile agreement between Nepal's major parties has raised hopes that, after a
four-year wait and several missed deadlines, a new constitution will be
proclaimed by May 27. However, last-minute compromises and controversial
federal proposals leave the statue resembling an ancient Hindu tale, where a
god assembled attractive animal parts to create a beautiful creature, but ended
up with the camel. - Dhruba Adhikary (May 17,
'12)
 SINOGRAPH
Chen case hints at crack
in old
consensus mold
China and the United States were able to reach two agreements about the fate of
the blind dissident lawyer Chen Guangcheng in less than 48 hours - a feat
unthinkable in the era of consensus politics that started after Mao Zedong's
demise. That a crack in the old mold shows a leaner power structure, with
mandates for individuals to make quick decisions, could emerge as a legacy of
President Hu Jintao. - Francesco Sisci (May
17, '12)
Dim prospects for political-legal
reform
China's labyrinthine police-state machinery continues in overdrive, with more
spent on the huge network of cadres and informants who maintain stability than
on the military budget. The urge to preserve the Maoist "one voice chamber" and
prevent dissidents from exploiting factional strife means the 18th party
congress is unlikely to tinker, even after the bad publicity generated by the
Chen case. - Willy Lam (May 17, '12)
China's suicide bomber: Hero or
heroine?
For 24 hours last week, China had its first female suicide bomber, with the
story of her protest against illegal land grabs going viral as bloggers
dismissed the carnage and hailed a modern-day "heroine" for the rights of
common people. A day later, state media said the perpetrator was male and
hell-bent against society. That facts can change so dramatically overnight
underlines two disturbing truths about China. - Kent Ewing
(May 16, '12)
ALL CHANGE IN FRANCE ...
China takes on new importance
New French President Francois Hollande faces daunting eurozone challenges, but
is clearly focusing on opening a new chapter in relations with China, the 21st
century's most important factor of change, to define his presidency. In his bid
to strengthen cooperation independently of the United States, and to end the
mistrust that characterized ties under Nicolas Sarkozy, Hollande is off to a
good start. - David Gosset (May 15, '12)
China's fishermen charge enemy lines
The crew of Chinese fishing vessels increasingly embroiled in South China Sea
confrontations are portrayed by Beijing as brave defenders of territorial
rights, but rival claimants see their actions as low-intensity warfare. While
some critics believe these boats are on secret military missions, others think
they provoke in the safe knowledge Beijing will compensate them generously. - Jens
Kastner (May 15, '12)
The sea rises in China
Chinese pot-shots at the Philippines over the Scarborough Shoal stand-off
reveal that the former's nationalism sometimes reflects a desire to prevent
past humiliations rather than expansionism. While sensitive to the public's
angry demands over integrity and security, Beijing knows mutually beneficial,
face-saving measures can be taken to exploit South China Sea resources while
avoiding a war no one will win. - Brendan O'Reilly
(May 14, '12)
The anatomy of Chen's change of heart
Barack Obama might well be relieved that China is willing to help Chen
Guangcheng leave for the United States. After a hastily arranged deal for Chen
to stay in China collapsed amid the rights activist's doubts about his safety,
the American president had much political capital to lose. That deal may have
opened a fascinating experiment in the two powers' engagement, but dissect
events as the US played fast and loose and it is clear why Chen wanted no part
of it. - Peter Lee (May 11, '12)
 SUN
WUKONG
Rumor aside, a smooth
transition is assured
China's state-run media is taking great pains to scotch rumors the 18th
National Congress will be postponed in the wake of the Bo Xilai affair.
Highlighting smooth preparations for the country's once-in-a-decade transition
of power, the message is that Bo's dismissal falls way outside the realm of an
"extraordinary circumstance" the constitution allows for delaying the meeting.
- Wu Zhong (May 10, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
US: China's aggression written in the
stars
Concerns are growing in the United States that China's military has accelerated
its pursuit of space-related weaponry that could win future conflicts, with
anti-satellite missiles, laser and directed energy devices set to strengthen
Beijing's "anti-access" strategy. Meanwhile, China's satellite industry is
challenging US dominance over the global commercial space enterprise and
boosting Beijing's diplomatic clout. - Radhakrishna Rao
(May 9, '12)
Chen saga exposes a shared weakness
The case of blind activist Chen Guangcheng signals that China's rejection of
political reform and Washington's narrative that China would become "more like
us" through engagement are both ultimately doomed. While the technology that
enabled Chen to interact with a US congress hearing exposed the futility of
Beijing's controls, testimony revealed growing American support for direct
action - not words. - Benjamin A Shobert (May
9, '12)
Hu oils cogs to lock the US Asia
'pivot'
China has a clear interest in challenging the United States "pivot" towards
Asia, seeing it an aggressive stance of a power in relative decline. Since
Beijing cannot hope to match the military might at Washington's disposal in the
medium term, President Hu Jintao is seeking to effectively disarm the US
tactical advantage by making their economies so mutually dependent that armed
conflict is rendered obsolete. - Brendan O'Reilly
(May 8, '12)
Gaps in China's area-denial strategy
A United States Air Force drill in Alaska that saw stealth fighters clear a
path for bombers simulated the smashing of an anti-access/area-denial strategy
- the doctrine China is believed to be pursuing through increasingly
sophisticated shore-based defenses. While Operation Chimichanga underlined
serious US deficiencies in hardware, critics say neither this nor the threat of
large losses would halt a real US deployment. - Jens Kastner
(May 7, '12)
Mixed US messages in
China-Philippine spat
The United States has reaffirmed it will defend the Philippines from "third
country attack" but insists it will remain neutral in South China Sea disputes
with China such as the Scarborough Shoal standoff. The US stance has been
criticized as non-comittal, but Washington's seeming openess towards Manila's
military wish list suggests a belief that well-armed smaller claimants can keep
China at bay. - George Amurao (May 4, '12)
US chases shooting stars over China
The latest United States congressional report to stoke fear on how China
"might" use its developing capabilities against US interests focuses on space
technology. As other American policy circles chase other tales of China's
growing prowess, they might well reflect that Washington politicians find it
increasingly difficult to resist Cold War-era thinking. - Benjamin A Shobert
(May 4, '12)
BOOK REVIEW
When heaven and earth shook in China
The Death of Mao: The Tangshan Earthquake and the Birth of the New China
by James Palmer
As a devastating earthquake struck the Chinese city of Tangshan on a sweltering
summer's night in July 1979, killing an estimated 650,000, a series of
political events that would culminate in the Gang of Four's expulsion were
starting in Beijing. Recounting days of despair and deceit that helped forge
modern China, this insightful work suggests political reform did little for
disaster management. - Michael Rank (May 4,
'12)
China sets out on Putin presidency
Li Keqiang, the likely next Chinese premier, received warm words from Moscow
during his mission to put relations in good stead for Vladimir Putin's imminent
return to the Russian presidency. The welcome won't mask the fact that while
both powers share reasons, such as Syria, to take a common stand, Putin won't
tilt at windmills that don't impede Russian interests. That opens an
opportunity for the United States to exert its influence on Asian affairs. - M K
Bhadrakumar (May 4, '12)
Hu's sixth-generation proteges play
it safe
The rapid ascent by senior cadres from Chinese President Hu Jintao's Communist
Youth League faction, drawn from the "sixth generation" born in the 1960s, can
be consolidated following Bo Xilai's disgrace. Hu's stars have worked hard to
avoid controversial statements and Byzantine factional intrigue, emulating
their mentor's cautious and meticulous approach to power plays. - Willy Lam
(May 4, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
North Korea puts China in harm's way
North Korea's repeated choice of provocation instead of engagement flies in the
face of the wishes of its sole ally, China, with Pyongyang's alleged decision
for a third nuclear weapons test a signal for Beijing to weigh the pros and
cons of its support very carefully. Reckless North Korea is turning out to be a
strategic burden for China.
- Thapa Pradip (May 4, '12)
Chen's switch spoils daring US dance
As blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng switches from a willingness to stay in
China to requesting resettlement in the United States, both countries look
close to tripping up in the diplomatic dance over his daring escape from house
arrest into (and out) of American protection. A muted triumph for US
championing of human rights may sour, but China has much to gain if Chen slides
uncertainly into exile. - Peter Lee (May 3,
'12)
China won't be frozen out of the
Arctic
Members of the Arctic Council are undecided on China's ambitions towards
permanent observer status, though Beijing will likely be the largest customer
for natural resources and new shipping lines that will emerge as the region
warms. Should the council deny entry, China will simply circumvent the ruling
to safeguard its economic interests in the North Pole. - Jian Junbo
(May 2, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Bo as the devil they know
The most obvious message in the Bo Xilai scandal is that political reforms are
happening in China and they are for real. A less clear message of Bo's whole
political adventure is the strength of the appeal of Maoism. Many common
Chinese do not want to step into a democratic future. They want another
terrible and fascinating Mao Zedong to lead them away from the present
mish-mash of new and confusing ideas.
- Francesco Sisci (May 2, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Drugs scandal hot
on the hoof of meat ban
Revelations that common medicines contain gelatin made from waste leather
materials are scandalizing consumers in China. Closely following an instruction
for athletes in training for the Olympic Games to stop eating pork, beef and
lamb for fear the meat might contain banned chemicals, the incident shows how
little confidence the government has in its ability to beat the food-chain
cheats. - Wu Zhong (May 1, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
China searches for maritime stability
As the United States and other nations, including the Philippines and Japan,
appear overly fearful of China's naval activities, they may instead want to
learn several valuable lessons from China's sparkling maritime history. Perhaps
it is time to allow China to equalize the balance of power in the Pacific
region, helping to bring stability and innovation. - Dallas Darling
(May 1, '12)
New life for China's political
reformers
Political reformers in China are more hopeful than at any time since the
Tiananmen crackdown in 1989 quashed the student-led pro-democracy movement.
Their optimism is fired by expectations that the Bo Xilai saga marks an end for
old-style communist corruption and a new era of transparency in the one-party
state. - Kent Ewing (Apr 30, '12)
Peace lies beyond
the South China Sea horizon
The Scarborough Shoal dispute between the Philippines and China is a reflection
of underlying tension and competition over sovereignty, resources and security
in the South China Sea. Resolution requires strategic vision and difficult
diplomacy, while the ramifications of the conflict reach over the horizon and
raise questions about American staying power in the region as China becomes
more assertive. - Jingdong Yuan (Apr 27, '12)
The China pivot and the US 'siege'
strategy
The United States' new strategy to project power in the Asia-Pacific has
revived multi-billion dollar weapons and ships developed around the Air-Sea
Battle concept, which assumes wars in the region will be dominated by
precision-guided strikes from naval and air forces. The notion that high-tech,
remote solutions will guarantee victory seems far from the ugly truths of a
real conflict with China. - David Isenberg (Apr
26, '12)
Taiwan chooses to shoot blanks
Friendly fire - environmentally friendly fire - rang loud in Taiwan's recent
annual war games, with volleys of shots simulated through speaker systems
rather than allow Mother Earth to be polluted by exploding live rounds. That
official explanation of the decision to shoot blanks was appreciated and mocked
in mainland China, but many on the island didn't believe the green spin.
- Jens Kastner (Apr 25, '12)
China holds court in the global
village
China is enlarging its horizons in the global village, as befits one of the
most significant nodes of the international network of politics, business and
ideas. This should not be mistaken as the urge to usurp the United States as a
world leader. Rather, thanks to the central tenets of its civilization, China's
natural role is as an effective mediator in the community of nations. - David
Gosset
(Apr 25, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Old Beijing lanes
embody a useful spirit
A walk down the lanes of Beijing holds much more than fascinating insights of
past lives, triumphs and tribulations evident in a new unique book about the hutongs.
The old courtyards in the heart of historic Chinese cities are a material
inspiration to understand and adapt the essence of the old to the new
conception of modern China. - Francesco Sisci
(Apr 25, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Party struggles
to put the lid on Bo
As the rumor mill surrounding the political demise of Bo Xilai works overtime,
the Communist Party's propaganda machine is pumping out the message that
leaders do not want to escalate Bo's dismissal into a political purge that
could destabilize the transition of power later this year. It's a given,
however, that the future of those deemed too close to the former Chongqing boss
won't be so bright.
- Wu Zhong (Apr 24, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
China's dilemma: Power vs freedom
China's dilemma is that it must allow greater freedom of choice if it wants to
improve quality of life, but that will threaten the Communist Party's monopoly
on power. What China needs most is not democracy but limited government and the
rule of law, reforming a politicized and corrupt economy where the road to
riches is through the pursuit of power rather than freedom. - James A Dorn
(Apr 24, '12)
US wades into
China-Philippine standoff
Joint United States-Philippine war games simulating the seizure of oil and gas
platforms, upcoming defense talks and the handover of another US Coast Guard
cutter to Manila have thrown a spotlight on Washington's support for the
Philippines as the Scarborough Shoal standoff simmers in the South China Sea.
While prospects of war seem remote, the US-China battle for influence is
destabilizing the region. - Al Labita (Apr
23, '12)
Water and will in short supply in
China
As two-thirds of China's polluted cities face water crises of some sort, and
the government sounds its alarm over usage outpacing supplies, the most
pressing challenge is whether there is enough political will to make the trade
off between economic development and protecting its most essential resource.
The crucial question is whether it is all too late to stem the increasing
distress. - Benjamin A Shobert (Apr 23, '12)
US plays a bit part in Pyongyang's
parade
Inclusion of a US maker's diesel engine and a German manufacturer's automatic
transmission system in a missile launch vehicle seen in a military parade
raises questions over the efficacy of international efforts to contain North
Korea's nuclear weapons threat. The parts won't spare blushes in the American
administration for admonishing China's technological role in Pyongyang. - Kosuke
Takahashi (Apr 23, '12)
A real test for North Korea-China
relations
Smiles in Beijing as a senior North Korean diplomat arrived didn't betray any
Chinese anger at Pyongyang defying the world with its "satellite" launch.
However, if as suggested by satellite imagery and experts a third nuclear test
is being prepared to compensate downtrodden masses for the shameful dud, then
the "precious" friendship might come under real strain. - Donald Kirk
(Apr 23, '12)
Turkey: The odd man in
If there was a message from China to visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan this month, it was that Beijing doesn't need his leadership in
the Middle East. Instead of relieving tensions over Syria, Turkey is trapped in
a frontline confrontation and increasingly viewed as a Western poodle. As
Erdogan forfeits Turkey's status as an honest broker, China, with close
economic ties to Saudi Arabia and Iran, is stepping in to try to take that
role. - Peter Lee (Apr 20, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
After the storm in the South China
Sea
The stand-off in the South China Sea between vessels from the Philippines and
China represents a high-water mark in simmering tensions over disputed
territories. Looking beyond frenzied diplomatic efforts that should restore
calm, the incident may help spur efforts to establish long-lasting peace. - Nazery
Khalid (Apr 20, '12)
China tests the will of the
Philippines
The stand-off between the Philippines and China at Scarborough Shoal in the
South China Sea could result in a moment of strategic truth: Can the Philippine
government, through a combination of diplomatic skills and military maneuvers,
take a firm stand against China's intrusions into its territory? - George Amurao
(Apr 19, '12)
Free thinker takes on China's
neo-Maoists
Prominent 83-year-old Chinese economist Mao Yushi has become a hate figure for
neo-leftists for doggedly supporting liberalism and the free market despite the
latter being increasingly blamed for widening wealth divisions. Shaved and
branded a "Rightist" during the Cultural Revolution before rising academically
to spearhead Chinese thought on financial reform, Mao has witnessed the dangers
of collective thinking first-hand. - Yvonne Su
(Apr 19, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
India and China can do the
unthinkable
India could forge new partnerships with China by offering Chinese goods an
alternative to fragile sea routes, While that would require New Delhi to do the
unthinkable and set aside differences over disputed borders, the benefits for
both countries would be significant. - Ritvvij Parrikh
(Apr 19, '12)
China keeps new and old rivals in
range
Recent tensions suggest a suspected new mid-range Chinese ballistic missile,
the "Dongfeng-16", could be aimed at rival South China Sea claimants rather
than traditional target Taiwan. However, analysts on the island fear it is
designed to follow a special, high-arch trajectory that could outwit Taiwan's
interceptors and hit its missile-proof headquarters. - Jens Kastner
(Apr 18, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Confessions of a former
police chief
Former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun, in this fictionalized account, charts
the rise and fall of his boss Bo Xilai, and the twists and turns of a murder
investigation that led him to cross a threshold and commit an act of treason at
a very dangerous moment for China. - Francesco Sisci
(Apr 18, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Fury at Beijing's 'cigarettes
with
Chinese characteristics'
Critics already suspicious of Beijing's commitment to tobacco control - the
same ministry that oversees cigarette production and sales also regulates
health measures - aren't happy with the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration's
entry in this year's national science awards: An innovative smoke targeted at
Chinese tastes in particular.
- Wu Zhong (Apr 17, '12)
A fly in China's Russian ointment
With Russia-China strategic coordination at a high level, the energy deal
Russian state firm Gazprom has struck with Vietnam comes as a reality check to
Beijing. China has been made to feel insecure about Moscow's surge into the
Asia-Pacific and - as bad - a possible Russian-American entente cordiale. - M K
Bhadrakumar (Apr 16, '12)
No panacea for China's
reforms of
healthcare
As Beijing strives for a modern healthcare system that balances government and
free-market participants, it's likely aware that missteps on pharmaceutical
pricing and hospital management will only widen the rich-poor divides coloring
much of national politics. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Apr 16, '12)
Counterattack on China in cyber-space
Chinese industrial cyber-espionage has emerged as a dominant near-term security
concern of the United States, with China being described as a "Persistent
Collector". The tables have been partially turned with the hacking of a Chinese
"defense contractor" that turned up some detailed information on overseas US
operations. It appears there will be a major US pushback against China in the
cyber-arena. - Peter Lee (Apr 13, '12)
SINOGRAPH
PLA-watchers mind their language
A recently published US report on why Western predictions of the modernization
of China's military keep proving embarrassingly wrong reaches an intriguing
conclusion: much of the blame for failing to circumvent Beijing's deceptions
over its true firepower lies with a historical reluctance to exploit
open-source material written in Chinese. - Jens Kastner
(Apr 11, '12)
Murder adds twist to Bo thriller
An official investigation into Bo Xilai is the definitive end of the
princeling's political career, but not the end of a story that has many
disturbing new implications. With Bo's lawyer wife a suspect in the murder of a
British businessman - and the United States probably in receipt of smoking-gun
information surrounding his death - Beijing may be forced to step lightly with
friends abroad and make bolder reform strides at home. - Francesco Sisci
(Apr 11, '12)
Cautionary tales for China
The ouster of Bo Xilai without so much as the arrest of the power-hungry
Chongqing Communist Party boss was a victory of sorts for China's leaders.
Where they slipped up was in creating an information vacuum that the global
Twitter/microblog/media machine gleefully filled with baseless rumor. With
cautionary tales echoing from Syria and Bahrain, Beijing should realize by now
that if anti-regime facts are suppressed, another narrative will be aired. - Peter
Lee (Apr 10, '12)
Small wars loom large on China's
horizon
China's rising naval dominance in the western Pacific could soon see it launch
small-scale wars against rival claimants for energy rich waters, with the
fallout more manageable than expected for Beijing. While attacking major US
allies like South Korea would stir too much trouble, testing new toys against
adversaries like Vietnam or the Philippines is unlikely to spark World War III.
- Jens Kastner (Apr 5, '12)
Post-Bo loyalty drive may
stifle China reforms
A plethora of wild rumors surrounding the downfall of Chongqing's Communist
Party secretary Bo Xilai confirms there are serious ills in China's body
politic. Amid attempts to shore up stability ahead of the wholesale changing of
the guard at the 18th Party Congress in November, it is doubtful whether the
party elite will heed Premier Wen Jiabao's repeated calls for genuine political
reform. - Willy Lam (Apr 5, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Dreams - and nightmares
Chinese leaders have come to realize the country should become a great paladin
of the free market and democracy, and embrace them very strongly, just as the
West is rejecting them because it is realizing they are backfiring. This is the
"Chinese Dream" - working better than the American dream. Or is it just too
fanciful? - Francesco Sisci (Apr 4, '12)
US risks emotion on China's clean
energy
As the United States government imposes tariffs in response to alleged Chinese
subsidies on manufacture and export of solar panels, US legislators must ask
whether protectionism or competition should be used to deal with China's goal
of dominating clean technology. Emotionally satisfying protectionism will
unfortunately be the one chosen. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Apr 4, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Lies, damned lies, and Chinese
propaganda
Don't hold your breath for a miracle: China's state media are unlikely to be
offering an apology for defaming the Dalia Lama. If it wants his support in
containing the deepening crisis in Tibet, however, then Beijing should tone
down its vitriol and engage in constructive dialogue. - Dhundup Gyalpo
(Apr 4, '12)
SUN WUKONG
A brush with reform
The fall of Bo Xilai, the once powerful Communist Party boss of Chongqing,
removes what could have been a major obstacle to Prime Minister Wen Jiabao's
promises of political reform. There is even talk of a re-evaluation of the 1989
Tiananmen "crackdown". This year's Qingming grave-sweeping festival might
provide a clue. - Wu Zhong (Apr 3, '12)
Chinese ice festival melts Jerusalem
hearts
Jerusalemites of all ages and denominations have found wonder in an "Ice City"
created by Chinese master sculptors. While translucent effigies of city
landmarks such as the Tower of David and the Jaffa Gate have impressed the
adults, schoolkids have marvelled as they meander through an ethereal, frozen
forest featuring scenes from their favorite fairytales. - Pierre Klochendler
(Apr 3, '12)
Corruption cloud hangs over Hong Kong
Hong Kong's reputation as a center of clean business and good governance took a
hit with the high-profile arrests of the billioaire Kwok brothers on corruption
charges, which came in the wake of a scandal-dogged election process for chief
executive. However, ordinary Hong Kongers can take heart from moves that hint
at an end to a massively wealthy and unaccountable "tycoon class". - Kent Ewing
(Apr 2, '12)
Bo Xilai drama becomes Beijing opera
Classical Beijing opera, banned during the Cultural Revolution, is making a
comeback in China's capital, Nixon in China - Part 2, with Chinese
characteristics added. Jets screech overhead, a president returns to his palace
in the dead of night. A spear carrier, with missiles to his back, stands aloof
from the curs. Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger has two walk-on
parts. - Chris Stewart (Mar 30, '12)
Clouds on the Sri Lankan horizon for
China
China's support should protect Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lankan government from
war crimes prosecution as claims of atrocities in crushing the Tamil Tigers
insurgency circle internationally. But the real challenge amid Rajapaksa's
failure to reconcile is political, not legal, and Beijing's clout in Colombo -
a product of its part in the Tigers' destruction - will decline if India
returns from pariah to influence as an honest broker on the island. - Peter Lee
(Mar 30, '12)
BOOK REVIEW
Global tango tilts toward China
China Versus the West: The Global Power Shift of the 21st Century by
Ivan Tselichtchev
Professor and TV talking head Ivan Tselichtchev assesses the heavyweight battle
for global economic supremacy in his new book. Rather than a clash of
civilizations and systems, his nuanced analysis suggests that everyone can wind
up a winner. However, the West will need to play by China's rules. - Muhammad
Cohen (Mar 30, '12)
Loose tongues in cross-strait
relations
Remarks by a Taiwanese official classing Taiwan and mainland China's
relationship as "one country, two areas" have outraged Taiwan's opposition,
which says the government is surrendering the island to Beijing's will.
However, the ruling Kuomintang party insists the "one country" referred to is
ruled over by Taipei. - Jens Kastner (Mar 29,
'12)
Economic churning spurs Chinese
'coup'
The appeals of the disgraced Bo Xilai to Mao Zedong-era uprooting of
anti-communist tendencies, and his personal rapport with the working poor who
are chafing against record levels of economic inequality, challenged the bases
on which China had become a superpower. The heavy human costs of an economic
revolution are bound to manifest themselves in political intrigue and festering
dissent. - Sreeram Chaulia (Mar 28, '12)
Washington sweats at China's cyber
threat
United States congressional discussion on threats posed by China's
cyber-security practices make for grubby collars in Washington since no other
sphere has left American companies, consumers and government so exposed to
matters outside US control. Yet many of the uncomfortable questions raised in a
hearing this week are of America's own making. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Mar 28, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Rumor over substance
The dismissal of Bo Xilai as Chinese Communist Party secretary of Chongqing
municipality and the doubts swirling over the allegiances of Zhou Yongkang, one
of the nine members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, have fueled
wild rumors in a country traditionally shielded from the machinations of the
power elite. Beijing's claims of improved transparency ring hollow.
- Wu Zhong (Mar 27, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Hu in Seoul, life goes on
China's President Hu Jintao is in South Korea, proof if any is needed that the
government is going about its business and any crisis it may or may not have
faced is gone - so far. Rumor-mongers with time on their hands can turn to
other topics, such as the death in Chongqing late last year of British
businessman Neil Heywood. The British government has asked for an inquiry.
- Francesco Sisci (Mar 27, '12)
Crisis closes in on China's inner
circle
Tremors running through the Chinese Communist Party now threaten to claim Zhou
Yongkang, one of the nine-strong Politiburo Standing Committee inner circle.
With the clouds gathering over the still-powerful former president Jiang
Zemin's men as the party moves towards a leadership transfer, colorful coup
rumors can attain all too much credibility. - Chris Stewart
(Mar 26, '12)
Taiwan's high-tech firms go for
green
Taiwan's high-tech electronics firms are concerned that the island's dependence
on conventional energy will cost them low-carbon certification set to benefit
South Korean and Japanese rivals. The sub-tropical island boasts ample sunshine
and a solar-panel industry, and critics blame political tinkering for the scant
use of renewables. - Jens Kastner (Mar 26,
'12)
Hong Kong passes China's democracy
test
While China's favored candidate Leung Chun-ying won in Sunday's chief executive
election in Hong Kong, the last week of campaigning forced Beijing into damage
control following the revelatory accusations of his rival. With fail-safe
levers easily calming that crisis and Leung's easy victory, China can look
forward with confidence to universal suffrage in the territory by 2017. - Augustine
Tan (Mar 26, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Is it China's turn to change economic
gear?
China's economy has reached a fork in the road where it could enter a moribund
phase similar to Japan's over the past few decades, or continue with fairly
high growth. Optimists point to China's important advantages, while pessimists
emphasize problems that pose serious threats. Getting social and economic
policies right is critical. - Takahiro Miyao and William S Comanor
(Mar 26, '12)
The China-US rare earth games
The joint United States, Japanese and European Union complaint at the World
Trade Organization over Beijing's "monopoly" on rare earths is political
theater, creating fear that China will one day unscrupulously withhold elements
critical for defense technologies, hybrid cars and smartphones. Washington
neglected mention of the abundance of "rare" earths - and that China will
likely become a net importer by 2015. - Peter Lee
(Mar 23, '12)
Bo exit shows China's true colors
The forced departure of Bo Xilai as Chongqing's communist party secretary casts
light on how deeply China's leaders feel parts of the country could spiral out
of control. Even after decades of economic growth, the discontinuities,
problems and ticking time bombs that must be properly managed color the fragile
fabric of China's politics. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Mar 22, '12)
Taiwan-Singapore soup turns
bitter-sweet
Taiwanese media is buzzing with scandals that have rocked ties with Singapore,
with Taipei's representative in a spot of flag-waving bother and high-level
bilateral military exchanges reportedly compromised. While critics see China's
hand at play, Singapore is unlikely to take a u-turn on long-standing ties and
its support of an American presence in the Pacific. - Jens Kastner
(Mar 21, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Is it time to move Taiwan's capital?
The same reasons why countries such as Germany, Brazil and Australia moved
their seats of government last century - geography, population density,
economic development and security - ring true for Taiwan today. Relocating to a
southern city will ease Taipei's traffic, property prices, crime and pollution,
while addressing lopsided development that's seen growth concentrated in the
north. - Winston Wong (Mar 21, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Wen hangs tough on home sweet home
A pledge from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to continue to crack down on
skyrocketing house prices has alarmed property developers. But housing is not
just about economic considerations. Access to housing has a dimension in
marriage and divorce, and as family breakdowns skyrocket too, lack of housing
options are also condemning warring couples to stay in loveless proximity. - Wu
Zhong (Mar 20, '12)
SINOGRAPH
China's Ides of March
Like the death of Julius Caesar on the same date millennia earlier, the
Chongqing party chief's fall could mark a turning point in a nation's political
development. Beijing is determined to undertake political reform, but in what
direction? Not the one favored by Bo Xilai, evidently. The next test will be
the upcoming election for chief executive of Hong Kong. - Francesco Sisci
(Mar 19, '12)
A Chinese princeling loses his
fiefdom
The firing of Bo Xilai as Chongqing's party chief sent a strong message to
those nostalgic for the Mao Zedong era: forget about it. It's still unknown how
exactly the saga will play out in the formation of the all-powerful,
nine-member Politburo Standing Committee at autumn's 18th Communist Party
congress, but the picture is getting clearer all the time. - Kent Ewing
(Mar 19, '12)
China unbowed, vigilant and still
rising
Washington's new defense strategic guidance, which emphasizes heightened
interest in the Asia-Pacific region, predictably provoked strong response from
Chinese officials, military brass, media and foreign-policy experts. These
reactions varied from stridency to calm analysis, but boiled down to the
probability that while Beijing will be vigilant against "containment", it will
stay the current course of "China's rise".
- Michael S Chase and Benjamin S Purser III
(Mar 16, '12)
INTERVIEW
Bridging East-West historical divides
Has China's rising economic power unsettled the proud West? Tonio Andrade
freaks it out even more. This historian at Emory University in Atlanta,
Georgia, argues that imperial China was stronger earlier - and for longer -
than most Westerners realize. In this interview with Asia Times Online
contributor Victor Fic, the researcher explains big ideas that might
revolutionize our understanding of world history. (Mar
15, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Wen signals
something new
Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, in a speech that captivated the nation, has
brought political reforms to the fore, dramatically linking them with the
desire to avoid a repeat of the mistakes of the past. It heralds a new phase in
China's development, abandonment of rigid growth targets, and - buttressed by
the demotion of the sloganeering Chongqing chief - the beginning of a new form
of political experimentation. - Francesco Sisci
(Mar 15, '12)
Hong Kong derails Beijing's election
plans
Scandals damaging the credibility of China's preferred candidates in next
month's Hong Kong chief executive election have underlined Beijing's disconnect
with the city's evolving political culture. While media freedoms ensured that
infidelity and housing violation charges marred Henry Tang Ying-yen's campaign,
his aggressive mudslinging with rival Leung Chung-ying further sabotaged the
mainland's manipulation. - Kent Ewing (Mar
15, '12)
China's capacity for cyber-war
The US shift away from manufacturing toward service industries, with the
consequent outsourcing of the former to other countries beyond the reach of
regulators, seemed like a good idea when America's economy was booming. It was
easy to overlook the potential national-security threat of letting countries
like China control the technological supply train, and use this power to
enhance its own cyber-war capabilities. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Mar 14, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Reform doses differ
for China and
Russia
While in China the Great Helmsman almost said, "Democracy is not a tea party",
Vladimir Putin's presidential victory requires a pinch of salt and something
stronger. Russia needs new medicine, starting with a measure of economic reform
before political improvements. China's prescription is the reverse order.
- Francesco Sisci (Mar 13, '12)
Uncool China fails to woo Taiwan's
youth
Chinese Communist Party officials have called for Taiwanese youths to identify
more closely with Chinese culture, but despite the calligraphy jamborees and
other jolly cross-strait outings Beijing has organized, the young stubbornly
wish to remain Taiwanese while preferring Japanese music and fashion. A
potential savior has arisen, however, in the shape of toddler's cartoon Happy
Lamb Grey Wolf. - Jens Kastner (Mar
13, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
China, EU share same ills
The economies of China and the European Union economies are, in theory and
historically, quite different, yet, within both, reforms being urged from
within bear a disconcerting similarity - and have a similar small likelihood of
being adopted.
- Emanuele Scimia (Mar 13, '12)
SUN
WUKONG
NPC: A house
of non-representatives
Though it still calls itself the National "People's" Congress, China's
so-called parliament now is populated mostly by those whose wealth and power
are far beyond the dreams of the peasants and soldiers who used to be its
delegates. Its domination by vested interests makes it doubtful any real
reforms will emerge, but at least it has entertainment value. - Wu Zhong(Mar
12, '12)
BOOK REVIEW
Meth madness in Hong Kong
Eating Smoke by Chris Thrall
This book works well as a portrait of a crystal-methamphetamine addict, not as
a portrait of Hong Kong. The city is no longer what it was in the mid-1990s
before the handover, the time of the English author's harrowing sojourn. What
is captivating is his hellish depiction of his addiction and fall into a
dangerous underworld. - Kent Ewing (Mar 9,
'12)
China reaches out with happy talk
The current National People's Congress is a venue for talk of "win-wins" by
China's Communist leaders. That's not unusual, but this time it coincides with
a World Bank report called China 2030. Co-authored by Beijing, the report can
be read as verifying the country's potential as a "harmonious" contributor to
global economic well-being. Tellingly, the word "democracy" does not appear
once. - Peter Lee (Mar 9, '12)
North Korean repatriation sets
challenge
A US congressional hearing has shone a spotlight on China's practice of sending
North Korean refugees back into their own country, where they face imprisonment
and sometimes death. While participants agreed there was plenty of blame to go
around - in Beijing, Washington and especially Pyongyang - it offered few
solutions to a humanitarian crisis complicated by geopolitics. - Benjamin A
Shobert (Mar 8, '12)
Mainland journalists face Taiwan
oppression
The rapid opening of cross-strait relations has not yet been extended to the
media, reporters from the mainland say. Their movements are restricted, and
visa limits add cost and inconvenience. But Taiwan argues that the real source
of the difficulty lies in Beijing, not Taipei. - Jens Kastner
(Mar 8, '12)
SINOGRAPH
PLA makes moves on political
frontline
At face value, the tighter rein on China's military budget rise this year
points to declines, displaying Beijing's wider vision for a peaceful future.
But the military-strategic element is only part of a story where the pertinent
question concerns what the People's Liberation Army wants in return for giving
up part of its money and present power. - Francesco Sisci
(Mar 6, '12)
Hong Kong's Tsang bows out
ungracefully
Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's last months in charge have
been rocked by scandal over alleged graft and a penthouse tenancy deal,
emulating the controversy that's marred the selection process for his
successor. After Tsang's hand was seen in conflict of interest claims
surrounding a pro-China candidate he didn't favor, critics suspect Beijing
stepped in. - Augustine Tan (Mar 6, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Wen pledges stability
Premier Wen Jiabao has lowered China's economic targets for this year, while
pledging at the National People's Congress to address the wealth gap, cool the
property market and build universal retirement protection. The populist
promises and nod to economic stability suggest Wen doesn't plan on risking his
"people's premier" legacy in his last year in power. - Wu Zhong (Mar
5, '12)
Hu draws blood in Wang Lijun scandal
As Chinese President Hu Jintao likely intended all along, the fall from grace
of former Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun has crippled Chongqing Party
Secretary Bo Xilai's promotion prospects. It also affects the revival, opposed
by Hu's faction, of Maoist values promoted by Bo and fellow princelings -
including the man tipped to take over from Hu, Vice President Xi Jinping. - Willy
Lam (Mar 5, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Wukan: Democracy or crisis
management?
The first ever "free, transparent and democratic election" in the People's
Republic of China's short history went smoothly on Saturday. But polls in Wukan
are better viewed as Beijing's first major success in diverting global
attention from the real issues behind land-grabs and related protests. - Gene Q
(Mar 5, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Rising tide of conflict
Competing interests in the South China Sea are of importance far beyond East
Asia itself, especially as the US has ramped up its presence in the area. A
crucial center of maritime trade and potential source of fuel and minerals, it
is poised to become increasingly - and dangerously - militarized. - Elliot
Brennan (Mar 2, '12)
China locked out of Russia's
far east
While China is a logical source of investment needed to reverse the economic
decline of Russia's far east, Moscow's recent plan to lease huge agricultural
territories excluded China in favor of Japan and South Korea. The Kremlin sees
its own past in Beijing - a semi-totalitarian society using state-controlled
funds to expand - and is wary of Vladivostok's increasingly Asian orientation.
- Dmitry Shlapentokh (Mar 1, '12)
Beijing blurs divide with Taiwan
economy
Beijing is taking an increasing number of practical measures to achieve
unification with Taiwan by offering economic incentives to islanders, such as
the young, the less well-off and those outside Taipei and its hinterland, who
feel left out by earlier strengthening of cross-strait economic ties. - Jens
Kastner (Feb 29, '12)
SINOGRAPH
China's chance to stem Syrian
blood
China is using the Syrian crucible to test new foreign policies in the Middle
East. Without the same historical baggage in the Middle East as Syria's
neighbors, that brings a chance for some creative solutions to foster a new
balance of power in the region. But first Beijing should seek to stem the flow
of blood. - Francesco Sisci (Feb 29, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Nepotism row threatens Wen's legacy
The appointment of Wen Jiabao's only son as chairman of the state-owned China
Satellite Communications Corp muddies the carefully cultivated image of China's
"people's premier" just months before changes in the country's leadership.
While handing Wen Yunsong the job follows a "princeling" tradition that
stretches back decades, it undermines his father's purported commitment to
social justice.
- Wu Zhong (Feb 28, '12)
A Chinese vision begins to emerge
China is surprisingly getting out in front on Syria, instead of letting Russia,
Damascus' long-time ally and arms supplier, carry the ball. It appears Beijing
has decided to stake out its position in the Middle East as a great power with
its own significant and legitimate interests, instead of trying to shoehorn
itself into whatever diplomatic coalition the United States or Russia invokes
to deal with the crisis. - Peter Lee (Feb 24,
'12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Saudis embrace China in new
polygamy
Saudi Arabia has been tethered to the United States since its foundation as a
modern state in the 1930s. The "Catholic marriage", as the relationship was
described in its heyday, has broken, replaced in the view of the exasperated
Saudis as an "Islamic marriage" that increasing elevates China and will likely
define the power dynamic in the Middle East over the next decade. - Joshua
Jacobs (Feb 24, '12)
Friends and enemies blur for
Taiwanese
Advances in political and business links between Taiwan and the mainland
haven't been matched by military-to-military trust-building, with Chinese
ballistic missiles still trained on the island and airspace violations risking
tensions. While the top brass on both sides seem increasingly cozier, the
Taiwanese public is still wary. - Jens Kastner
(Feb 23, '12)
China cuts down the foreign fun
After axing television shows that featured dating, talent-seeking, motoring
reviews and time-travel, Beijing has capped the number of "vulgar" imported
Asian dramas that can be broadcast in prime-time slots. Though the move aims at
promoting "morality building" and protecting state-run channels from
competition, most viewers will simply turn to the Internet. - Clarissa
Sebag-Montefiore (Feb 23, '12)
Dead man walking in Hong Kong
Hong Kong chief executive candidate Henry Tang Ying-yen's campaign has crumbled
as revelations of extra-marital infidelity were compounded by the uncovering of
an illegal "underground palace" housing a wine cellar, cinema and Japanese
bath. While Beijing's preferred candidate is seemingly out of the running, it
can likely rely on loyalist contender Leung Chun-ying. - Kent Ewing
(Feb 22, '12)
SINOGRAPH
China dragged into 'kill the pope'
plot
Whether there is any substance in allegations about a plot to kill the pope
cannot be established, but China's name has been dragged into the conspiracy
whirlpool. That's a leap of imagination: China is important to the Vatican as
the new frontier of faith, but the Vatican means little to China. - Francesco
Sisci (Feb 22, '12)
Turkistan 'terrorists' hurt
Uyghur cause
The Turkistan Islamic Party presents itself as a champion of Uyghur grievances
over the education, migration and economic policy dictated to Xinjiang province
by China's leadership. However, the TIP has rarely been responsible for the
attacks it claims, and its al-Qaeda-style propaganda has undermined
international support for Uyghurs while lending Beijing an excuse to crack
down. - J Z Adams (Feb 21, '12)
China sits out Syria regime change
tango
There is a window of opportunity for China to promote its desired outcome in
Syria - a "third path" political strategy, one that eschews both regime change
and perpetuation of the status quo in favor of evolutionary reform keyed on a
new constitution. - Peter Lee (Feb 17, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Indian press buries truth at the
border
The shame of a lost war half has left a long tradition of anti-Chinese slant in
Indian newspapers, to the extent that some give the impression that the war
never quite ended. Brace yourself for more malignant stuff this year, which
marks the 50th anniversary of the conflict. - Debasish Roy Chowdhury
(Feb 17, '12)
Beijing's new overseas imperative
As a rising power with growing global interests, China has yet to develop a
flexible strategy to protect its increasing number of workers overseas. While
29 hostages recently released in Sudan were imperiled due to civil conflict,
they were also victims of unsophisticated diplomatic relations in Africa that
Beijing needs creative solutions to improve. - Jian Junbo
(Feb 16, '12)
China blocks Hong Kong-Taiwan embrace
Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang has rebuffed an invitation to officially
visit Taiwan in a trip that would have represented a protocol mine-field.
However, the likeliest reason for his refusal is the political storm in which
Beijing finds itself.
- Jens Kastner (Feb 15, '12)
INTERVIEW
China's timeless tussle with nature
Will the march of China's material progress trample the tiger into oblivion?
Professor Robert B Marks reviews the Middle Kingdom's environmental history -
farming, defeating rivals, disease and taming the Yellow River - as a prelude
to calling for measures that protect the big cat. - Victor Fic
(Feb 14, '12)
SINOGRAPH
A Chongqing man
walks into a
consulate ...
The intriguing saga of how former Chongqing vice mayor Wang Lijun became
"stranded" in a US consulate has overshadowed Vice President Xi Jinping's trip
to America. But more momentous shockwaves will reverberate through Beijing's
leadership succession and broader US-China relations. By defying the typical
fate of China's "fall guys", Wang could reinvigorate the reform agenda. - Francesco
Sisci (Feb 13, '12)
The princeling and the police chief
Rising from lowly traffic cop to become Bo Xilai's muscle man, Wang Lijun was a
vital cog in the crime crackdown that had seemingly ensured the Chongqing party
chief's rise to China's circle of power. While perhaps only Wang knows whether
betrayal, self-preservation or inner-party intrigue was behind the US consulate
visit, its impact on Bo's career trajectory seems certain. - Kent Ewing
(Feb 13, '12)
China tangled up in industrial
espionage
A plethora of hot-button issues under the headline "Chinese government engages
in industrial espionage to rip off US companies" are set to rattle relations in
the run-up to the US presidential election after a criminal indictment over
alleged attempts by a state-run group to acquire American chemical giant
DuPont's closely-held secret for making titanium dioxide. The murky case has
its origins in the explosive growth in China of the pigment that makes things
"whiter than white". - Peter Lee (Feb 10,
'12)
China's liberals keep the flame alive
The influence in China of reformist intellectuals has been on the wane ever
since the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Yet it is significant that remnant
liberals both in and out of the party have in the past several months staged a
vigorous campaign to hold aloft the flickering flame of reform. Nationally
known figures are patrons of their debates. - Willy Lam
(Feb 9, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Good reason to
red-carpet Merkel
All European Union countries speak for themselves and for the EU as a whole in
China, but Germany is seen by Beijing - quite naturally - as its colossus. With
China interested in how the euro and Europe, perhaps politically united, might
be saved, visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel got extra special red-carpet
treatment. - Francesco Sisci (Feb 8, '12)
Hong Kong clash stirs the pot for
Taiwan
As relations between people in Hong Kong and mainlanders in the city plummet,
Taiwanese has reason for concern that the same social frictions could mar
developing ties. Yet as Beijing and Taipei close ranks, the conditions that
have stirred intense feelings among Hongkongers towards their mainland brethren
are far from being present to embitter the strengthening cross-strait brew. - Jens
Kastner (Feb 8, '12)
Kidnaps highlight urgent task for
China
Fresh from kidnappings in Sudan and Egypt and an unprecedented evacuation from
Libya last year, China is increasing confronted by problems over how to protect
a growing band of workers abroad. From the Mekong to Africa, cooperation with
other nations is possible, but Beijing must also look inward and decide which
institution steps in when Chinese nationals are in trouble overseas. - Mathieu
Duchatel and Bates Gill (Feb 7, '12)
Beijing finds vulnerable ally in
Berlin
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to China highlights a significant
warming of relations as the countries find common ground on issues ranging from
the eurozone crisis to Libya. However, China is concerned that an easing of
economic troubles will see Berlin and Europe betray Beijing's vision of a
multipolar world and return to the high ground over human rights and democracy.
- Jian Junbo (Feb 7, '12)
Run-up to proxy war over Syria
Russia and China's double veto of the Arab League resolution on Syria in the
United Nations Security Council could come to mark the end of the "post-Soviet
era" in world politics. As a test of will develops over Damascus, the
coordinated move to challenge Washington on its triumphalist march from Libya
toward Syria and Iran constitutes a watershed event. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Feb 6, '12)
Mainland chip on Hong Kong's shoulder
An inflammatory newspaper advert in Hong Kong depicting mainland Chinese as
"locusts" exploiting the island's social welfare system has capped a month of
cross-cultural tensions. While decrying mainlanders as uneducated bumpkins
eating noodles on trains or as nouveau riche frequenting high fashion stores,
Hong Kongers should perhaps remember the contribution visiting Chinese make to
their economy. - Kent Ewing (Feb 2, '12)
A dragon dance in the Negev
Bedouins of the Negev will soon witness a Chinese-built railway line snaking
its way through the desert to the eastern Mediterranean and the oil and gas
reserves of the Levant Basin. The "Med-Red" plan is symbolic of China's bold
Middle East advance on three parallel tracks; to engage Iran, Persian Gulf oil
states and Israel, Beijing's new strategic partner. The geopolitical
implications are profound, while the adroit diplomacy poses unsolvable riddles
for other outside powers. - M K Bhadrakumar (Feb
1, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Dai talks the talk,
walks the line
for Xi
China State Counselor Dai Bingguo's visit to India marks the beginning of a
thaw that takes the neighbors off a dangerous war path over the longest
contested border in the world. An agreement that could one day - though not now
- lead to a Line of Actual Control and warm words set the compass as Beijing
prepares for Xi Jinping, vice president and anointed future leader, to go west
to Washington. - Francesco Sisci (Jan 31 '12)
Dissent exacts a different price for
Liu
Publication of a new collection of poems and essays by Liu Xiaobo, the
imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate, comes as China is stepping up its
repression of dissidents and activists. Liu, the first Chinese citizen living
in China to win the prize, chose to stay - other writers have taken another
route and paid a different price. - Emily-Anne Owen
(Jan 31 '12)
Cross-strait winds of change blow
cold
Unprecedented Chinese interest in Taiwan's elections saw social networks abuzz
with envious comment and "political tourists" visiting the island, spurring
predictions that democracy could be exported to the mainland. However,
Beijing's already dim view of dissent is harsher in times of a leadership
transition, and years of Chinese exposure to orderly polling elsewhere have not
had much of an impact. - Jens Kastner (Jan
30'12)
Will China help out the West in
Sudan?
China is considered key to ending the crisis in the Horn of Africa as Sudan's
President Omar al-Bashir puts a US$15 billion price-tag on the survival of his
Western-backed, breakaway neighbor South Sudan. That is the value Bashir seeks
to exact to keep open the pipeline from the South that supplies 5% of China's
oil imports. After doing the strategic math on what amounts to a
multi-billion-dollar, multi-decade punt, Beijing will likely keep the book shut
. - Peter Lee (Jan 27, '12)
China losing media war over
self-immolation
While China insists a series of 15 self-immolations by Tibetan monks was
incited by outside forces as a "separatist agenda under religious cover", the
prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile, Lobsang Sangay, tells Asia
Times Online the acts were an outpouring of desperation over "peaking" rights
abuses. Beijing's refusal to allow observers into Tibet inevitably undermines
its version of events. - Vishal Arora (Jan
25, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Rebels quashed
by New Year
gift
For a few weeks, a former fishing village in Guangdong was known to the world
as the symbol of rebellion and violent crackdown in communist China. That all
changed with a Lunar New Year gift to rebels that goes to show how party
leaders are far more nimble than their caricatures at home and abroad would
project - and points to creative thinking for political dialogue. - Francesco
Sisci (Jan 25, '12)
INTERVIEW
Power grew out of Zheng He's gunboats
Admiral Zheng He's armadas sailed from Nanjing to as far as East Africa over
eight voyages between 1405-1433. Most Chinese lionize the Muslim eunuch as an
ambassador of peace and friendship. But Australian historian Geoffrey Wade
tells Victor Fic the admiral was a Ming military commander pursuing
gunboat diplomacy, and indicts him for war crimes. (Jan
25, '12)
Iranian oil poses Asian dilemma
It makes tactical sense for countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, India
and Turkey to slowly retrench from Iranian oil, but it would be a strategic
disaster for them to become reliant on Western approval to access Middle
Eastern energy, which will remain important in Asia's energy mix for at least
some more years. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jan 24,
'12)
Europe passes the oil buck to China
By agreeing to close off Iran's second-biggest oil market, European foreign
ministers have dramatically escalated the pressure on Iran to negotiate
seriously on its nuclear program. However, the immediate effect will be to pass
the diplomatic initiative to Iran's largest trading partner, China, which will
reluctantly become a powerful arbiter of the oil market and Iran's fate. - Phil
Radford (Jan 24, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Refugees blur Bhutan's image
Bhutan has a carefully cultivated image of mountain vistas and peaceful
Buddhist temples with a content people whose state of mind is measured by a
Gross National Happiness. This fine picture makes no account of the forced
expulsion of a significant portion of the population. - David Koppers
(Jan 24, '12)
Sheikhs fall in love with
renminbi
A currency swap that puts more of the Chinese currency in the vaults of Persian
Gulf countries almost went unnoticed as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao scouted the
region last week for friendship, not oil - to paraphrase his words. As they
wake up to bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary in their oil trade with
Asia, Gulf leaders know that in a volatile world the "people's currency" smells
as comforting as a cup of Arabica. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Jan 23, '12)
Here be dragons
Criticism that a postage stamp launched to mark the Year of the Dragon was too
fierce to represent today's China ignores the auspiciousness of the year and
that dragons - like emperors - also offer protection. The paradox of the
dragon's power and benevolence is fitting for a year to be dominated by China's
influence over territorial disputes and economic woes. - Kent Ewing
(Jan 23, '12)
Saudi Arabia pivots toward Asia
As the exploitation of its own gas and oil resources leads to a future in which
the United States washes its hands of Middle Eastern intractables and oil,
Saudi Arabia's primacy in US energy concerns is weakening. The kingdom needs a
Plan B, and its latest effort this week to strengthen ties with China, perhaps
already its largest customer, highlights an awkward transition to an anxious
oil and gas partner to Asia's surging economies. - Peter Lee
(Jan 20, '12)
Beijing expects pay back from Ma
While President Ma Ying-jeou says his re-election mandates him to protect
Taiwan's sovereignty and seek its entry into international bodies, China sees
his victory as Taiwanese vindication of the 1992 Consensus that asserts both
sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of one China. Beijing has delivered on its
economic promises, now it expects Ma to respond with concessions that could
create a roadmap for reunification. - Yvonne Su
(Jan 19, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Ma's re-election rings
loudest on
the mainland
The re-election of President Ma Ying-jeou in Taiwan probably has more important
consequences for Beijing than for the island. Political reunification is far in
the future, but the the political questions are on the agenda and de facto
pressing Beijing's own political reforms schedule today. In a way, Ma's victory
at the weekend also provided China with a favorable environment to cope with
its prickly security issues in restive regions. - Francesco Sisci
(Jan 18, '12)
China weighs 'right side of history'
in Gulf
While a tour by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was solidifying political and energy
ties with Sunni Gulf countries, Beijing was at the same time standing
shoulder-to-shoulder with Shi'ite Iran over United States sanctions. That the
Saudis invited Wen despite tensions with Tehran shows China's diplomatic
hedging is paying off. Meanwhile, Washington's attempt to sanction a Chinese
oil firm smacks of desperation. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Jan 17, '12)
Taiwan's opposition licks its wounds
Unexpectedly comfortable victories for Beijing-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou
and his Kuomintang party in Taiwan's Sunday elections suggest the
anti-unification Democratic Progressive Party is fighting a losing battle, with
the opposition facing the United States' and China's joint desire for
cross-strait continuity and apparently rising indifference to independence. - Jens
Kastner (Jan 17, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
The war is with China,
the
battleground Africa
The obvious intent of the United States' stated focus on the Asia-Pacific is to
remind the rising China that America is still the big dog; the glaze at the
Asia-Pacific is not that region at all, it is Africa. - Dieter Neumann
(Jan 12, '12)
Taiwan vote may trip up US and China
The United States and China share many reasons to hope Taiwan's President Ma
Ying-jeou is re-elected in Sunday's elections. All the same, victory for the
anti-unification Democratic Progressive Party's Tsai Ing-wen in the close race
is unlikely to spur major policy shifts in Washington or Beijing. While Tsai is
reluctant to roll back cross-strait relations, China has little incentive to
punish the island. - Jens Kastner (Jan 12,
'12)
Call for US naval
build-up in South China Sea
A think-tank with close ties to the administration of President Barack Obama
has called for Washington to pursue a policy of "cooperative primacy" in the
South China Sea to both avoid future conflict with Beijing and preserve freedom
of navigation and the independence of smaller countries in the region. First
though, the US needs to bolster its navy, the report suggests. - Jim Lobe
(Jan 11, '12)
SUN WUKONG
Hu warns successors
over 'peaceful
evolution'
President Hu Jintao's call for China to resist ideological infiltration by
"hostile forces" was widely seen as a declaration of war against Western
culture, similar to spiritual pollution campaigns in the 1980s. However, Hu was
actually warning those who will take power at this year's 18th Communist Party
congress to stay awake to the greatest threat to communist rule - "peaceful
evolution". - Wu Zhong (Jan 10, '12)
Grim future for Wukan model
Optimism that China's land seizures, inequality and corruption could be solved
by simply listening to activists rather than through suppression, as apparently
happened in Guangdong's Wukan village, is undermined by pressures on local
governments to contribute to the national growth rate. With land transactions
accounting for at least half of revenues, regional administrations are unlikely
to soon stop cracking heads. - Willy Lam (Jan
10, '12)
China's new role in the making of
Europe
If China opts to support the eurozone it will become a significant investor in
European integration, while helping to create a world where the United States
dollar loses absolute pre-eminence. The level of Sino-European interdependence
achieved during China's renaissance will likely accelerate as Europe better
understands China's governance and as Beijing greater appreciates the
complexities of the continent. - David Gosset
(Jan 9, '12)
Taiwan's Diving Dragon resurfaces
Reports that Taiwan is seeking non-United States assistance to indigenously
build diesel-electric submarines continue to emerge despite the reluctance of
India or European countries to risk such a massive snub to China. The renewed
focus could be explained by the "game-changing" impact subs could have on a
cross-strait conflict, with President Ma Ying-jeou needing to reassure voters
of his steel ahead of Saturday's elections. - Jens Kastner
(Jan 9, '12)
Guangdong boss bets on velvet glove
Villagers from Guangdong's Wukan have welcomed the provincial authorities'
desicion to investigate land seizures that spurred attention-grabbing protests
there. While local party chief Wang Yang hopes his handling of the case secures
a Politburo Standing Committee seat at this year's leadership shuffle, his
softer line is up against Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai's more "ruthless"
approach to crime and corruption. - Kent Ewing
(Jan 6, '12)
BOOK REVIEW
Invisible walls in Xinjiang
The tree that bleeds: a Uighur town on the edge by Nick Holdstock
A snapshot of Xinjiang province's Yining city four years after deadly ethnic
riots in 1997, this book provides insights into how fraught relations between
Uyghurs and and Han Chinese were worsened by Beijing's divisive rules and
policies, particularly in education. The separate dormitories, canteens and
admissions described as the ethnicities "pretend the other doesn't exist" make
recent violence easier to understand. - Michael Rank
(Jan 6, '12)
China sends a message to Nepal
The most recent manifestation of Nepal's political crisis is handwringing over
the postponement of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit. Beijing's decision
gives traction to the perception that the Nepalese government, under
(India-educated) Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, is determined to strengthen
relations with India - at China's expense if necessary. - Peter Lee
(Jan 5, '12)
THE NEW FACE OF NORTH KOREA
China rallies behind supreme leader
China's desire for a smooth power transition saw it swiftly back Kim Jong-eun
following his father's death, with Beijing inviting him for a visit and urging
Seoul and Washington not to promote regime change. China is not only concerned
over instability causing a refugee influx, it also needs a Northeast Asian
buffer against the United States' "return to Asia". - Yvonne Su
(Jan 4, '12)
SINOGRAPH
China and Japan find
common ground
A significant monetary agreement between China and Japan could become a
platform for political convergence. In the short term, the currency swap makes
it easier for Beijing and Tokyo to help America and Europe. In the long term, a
new regional order could be built around North Korea that sees Japan and the US
become China's important strategic partners. - Francesco Sisci
(Jan 4, '12)
Trying times in US-China ties
Both China and the United States enter 2012 fragile, needing one another to be
strong while at the same time resenting the vestiges of strength each appears
to have over the other (China resenting America's regional position and
military power while America resents China's seemingly stable economy). This is
in a nutshell the peril: both have as much to gain from seeing the other
stumble as from stability. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Jan 3, '12)
|
|
ATol Specials
|
 |
|
Shanghai, the becoming thing
|
|
 |
|
China:
The
Impossible
Revolution
By
Francesco Sisci
|
|
 |
|
Sinoroving
Pepe Escobar in China
|
|
 |
|
Henry C K Liu
on the yuan
|
|
 |
|
A 3-part series by Macabe Keliher
|
|
 |
|
China-US: The Quest
for Peace
A series by Henry C K Liu
|
|
 |
|
A 3-part series on the lamas of Tibet by Julian
Gearing
|
|
 |
|
A 3-part series by Miao Yi
|
|
 |
|
A 4-part series by Jasper Becker
|
|
|
|
|
|
