People outside China usually regard China’s ideological control as originated from communism. That is entirely a misunderstanding. When Emperor Wudi (157BC to 87BC) of the Han Dynasty decided to adopt Confucianism as the dominant ideology, China imposed strict Confucianist ideological… Read More ›
In the shadow of a group of giant smokestacks and deserted foundries, a peeling sign welcomes visitors to the Wenxi Steel Industrial Park. But in the nearby village, the working-age men and many of the women have gone, leaving only… Read More ›
The following is a translation from Chinese media: The United States’ supply of four Perry class frigates to Taiwan has become a hot topic, but a People’s Liberation Army major says that even with such weapons, Taiwan lags behind China… Read More ›
Taiwan hit headlines again this week. More popular than New York, London, and Paris for New Years Eve. Home to a just-finished military head quarters after an 18-year construction project. An ever unpopular President facing oil-food scandal bribery allegations. And,… Read More ›
In 2013, China’s Communist Party, led by Xi Jinping, silenced human rights defenders and popular internet voices, while also setting new austerity rules for party members. This year, the crackdown became even more expansive, as Xi worked overtime to oust corrupt officials and jail moderate… Read More ›
Since Mao’s foolish military attack of India, there has been tension between China and India along their disputed border for half a century. Now China is giving Nepal substantial aid in order to prevent the Dalai Lama’s followers from crossing… Read More ›
There may be no exact translation for “humbug” in Chinese, but in recent days, as popular fervour for the trappings of Western-style Christmas enveloped this officially atheist nation, the defenders of traditional Chinese culture have fought back with Scrooge-like zeal…. Read More ›
The following is a translation from Chinese media, with commentary: China’s qianzhan.com says in its report that the vice director of an [unnamed] Russian institute of political and military analysis has published an article on the serious underestimation of China’s… Read More ›
China is to send 700 combat troops to South Sudan in what analysts describe as a significant shift from its stated policy of non-interference in African conflicts. The first Chinese infantry battalion to take part in a UN peacekeeping mission… Read More ›
After his successful charm offensive in central and eastern Europe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang directed the same offensive at South East Asia. According to a Reuters report, the Chinese government’s mouthpiece Xinhua said in its report yesterday that Li has… Read More ›
Chinese President Xi Jinping‘s recent statements have been alarming China’s neighbours. What’s behind them? Over the last several months, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party have repeatedly exhorted the People’s Liberation Army to “be ready to win… Read More ›
Xu Lin is an unusual kind of Chinese official. For starters she accepted a request for a BBC interview. Admittedly she came quickly to regret it, demanding that we delete a large section of our recording. But given that unelected… Read More ›
China made two well-crafted blunders which Beijing likely considers a success. China called for US arms sales to Taiwan to cease, then Xi went to Macau where democracy supporters could protest him more directly at the second inauguration of Macau’s… Read More ›
The following is based on reports in Chinese media, with commentary: Mil.huanqiu.com says in its report that China successfully tested its DF-41 ICBM with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology, able to hit anywhere in the United States. According… Read More ›
China sharply criticised on Friday a decision by Washington to sell four used warships to Taiwan, the self-ruled island it considers part of its territory. President Obama signed legislation on Thursday approving the sale of four Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigates,… Read More ›
As soon as the US began to adopt its policy of a pivot to Asia to encircle China, China switched to Russia’s side by joining Russian veto over Syria issue. China followed Sun Tze’s teaching in The Art of War,… Read More ›
As Moscow’s relationship with the West continues to deteriorate, Russia has engaged in a concerted and very public “pivot to Asia,” the focus of which has been to deepen its relationship with China. Beyond the rhetoric, however, is there a sufficient overlap of interests between Moscow and Beijing for the two sides to actually… Read More ›
In my post “China’s Economic Slowdown Is Precisely What Xi Jinping Wants” on November 17, I quoted my book Tiananmen’s Tremendous Achievements Expanded 2nd Edition to explain that China’s “old tricks of seeking export-driven and credit-fuelled growth do not work.”… Read More ›
If the Pope had met the Dalai Lama, Chinese Catholics would have been made to suffer. What a pity the Pope did not be meet the Dalai Lama when the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism was in Rome for a… Read More ›
Hong Kong’s Umbrella movement has completely shifted out of the public eye. Beijing and Hong Kong authorities will likely view this as a victory, while the West and the East Asian region know that steam does not vanish merely because… Read More ›
To this question the Philippines gives a positive answer. In its report today Reuters quotes the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry as saying, “The Vietnamese position is helpful in terms of promoting the rule of law and in finding peaceful and nonviolent… Read More ›
Before Deng Xiaoping opened China to the world, a popular way to glimpse the sealed-off mainland was by peering across the border from Hong Kong. Decades later, that remains a great vantage point. The 75 days of Hong Kong’s Umbrella… Read More ›
China is preparing to arm its stealthiest submarines with nuclear missiles that could reach the U.S., cloaking its arsenal with the invisibility needed to retaliate in the event of an enemy strike. Fifty years after China carried out its first… Read More ›
Vietnam and China moved their sabre-rattling over the South China Sea into the legal arena this week as Hanoi lodged a submission with an arbitral tribunal at The Hague and rejected a Chinese position paper. Beijing swiftly dismissed Vietnam’s challenge…. Read More ›
The following is based on translations from Chinese media: China’s qianzhan.com says in its report yesterday that according to Canada’s Kanwa Defense Review, China has finished the preparations for the construction of, and will soon begin assembling, its homegrown aircraft… Read More ›
China‘s skyrocketing appetite for ivory is leading to the unsustainable slaughter of African elephants. As prices for precious ivory goods have surged in China, the number of poached elephants has also escalated. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants, said… Read More ›
Last week the US State Department released a useful report on China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea. As M Taylor Fravel tweeted, it is a must-read for anyone interested in maritime security, the law of the sea, or… Read More ›
The following commentary is based on media releases by the Chinese government: Reuters says in its report “China denounces Philippine ‘pressure’ over sea dispute arbitration” yesterday, that China has denounced the Philippines for putting it under pressure with international arbitration… Read More ›
British brands such as Jaguar Range Rover and Mulberry are copied. Cheaper versions of the luxury products are sold en masse in China. Complex patent laws make it near impossible for companies to take action. At first glance, it looks… Read More ›
Since Jiang Zemin stressed the rule of law at the 15th CCP National Congress in 1997, China has promulgated alot of legislation to have a complete system of laws, and trained hundreds of thousands of legal professionals. Soon after Xi Jinping… Read More ›
China’s reemergence as a wealthy and powerful nation is a fact. In recent decades its rise has been unprecedented, moving from the tenth-largest economy in 1990, to the sixth-largest economy in 2001, to the second-largest economy in 2010. According to… Read More ›
In my article “Chinese Radar Detects, Locks on F-22, Causes US Withdrawal of F-22s from Japan” on April 2, 2014, I quoted an Italian media report that the major reason for the F-22’s withdrawal from Japan to Guam was that… Read More ›
The Chinese president Xi Jinping’s swift ascent to power raises human rights concerns and has caused anxiety among China’s neighbours, President Barack Obama warned on Wednesday. Obama told members of the Business Roundtable that Xi “taps into nationalism that worries… Read More ›
The following is a translation from Chinese media with commentary: The website of the US National Interest magazine published on November 30 the article “America’s Next Big Challenge: Countering China’s Diplomatic Blitzkrieg” by Richard Javad Heydarian, an Assistant Professor in… Read More ›
A recent study performed by two economists affiliated with a Chinese state agency found that China’s state investments have becoming alarmingly wasteful and ineffective. There are two indisputable facts about China’s mammoth investments in its infrastructure and factories. One, they… Read More ›
Taiwan’s landslide election was more historic than the Democrats’ whompping early November. The vote didn’t reject Taiwan’s KMT-Nationalist party as much as it rejected Beijing. One big factor ignored by media: Clearing HK demonstrators in Mong Kong two days before… Read More ›
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