The Pentagon wants to improve bases in Guam and Australia to counter China following a review of U.S. military resources around the globe. The Global Posture Review (GPR), of which an unclassified version is set to be released later on… Read More ›

Month: November 2021
Cadence Column: Asia, November 29, 2021
China faces a very serious and very real boycott at the Olympic Games. The Olympic Committee awarded China as the host country and claims that politics isn’t its business; other governments need to handle that. Boycotts are under serious consideration… Read More ›
China targets ride-hailing operator Didi for delisting in New York
China’s internet regulator has ordered the operators of a major ride-hailing app, Didi Chuxing, to delist from the New York Stock Exchange, in an ongoing government crackdown on the country’s technology sector, international media reports said on Friday. The Cyberspace Administration… Read More ›
US sends warship through Taiwan Strait in message to China
The U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) sailed through the Taiwan Strait in a routine operation on Tuesday. The transit sparked anger from the Communist Chinese government, which considers Taiwan its territory, and it characterized the… Read More ›
How China is trying to turn the U.S. against itself
As Congress advances a set of bills to protect against Beijing’s efforts to subvert American democracy, China is using our system of government to block and tackle. On November 12, Reuters reported that Chinese officials have been pressuring American companies,… Read More ›
Chinese geo-strategic expansion in the Levant: A case study of Lebanon
As soon as the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, China and the Middle East faced a series of challenges. In recent years, China’s influence in the region has expanded due to its economic interests in energy, trade,… Read More ›
The Chinese Communist Party still thinks it owns the future
A rising chorus of analysts now describe China as a “peaking power”—one that might take greater risks to revise the international order before its strategic window of opportunity closes. They cite the country’s aging population , slowing economy , and hostile external environment… Read More ›
Chinese maritime militia threatens order in South China Sea
Hundreds of Chinese maritime militia vessels are operating in contested areas of the South China Sea on a consistent basis, according to a new U.S. think tank report that says this poses a significant challenge to “maritime order rooted in… Read More ›
Cadence Column: Asia, November 22, 2021
The world is not responding well to the so-called “plandemic”. The important thing is not whether the global disease, as said by Judy Mikovits to have been developed under the supervision of Fauci, was actually intended to do all this…. Read More ›
Tackling Chinese technological advantage
“China has won the artificial intelligence battle with the United States and is heading towards global dominance because of its technological advances”. When the Pentagon’s former software chief Nick Chaillan made this claim, it felt as if the whole world… Read More ›
Biden and Xi move back from the brink
The three-and-half-hour virtual summit meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not, and could not, solve the fundamental problems that have driven the two great powers toward confrontation. But both men clearly wanted to challenge the… Read More ›
Celebrities who disappeared in China after speaking out about the Communist Party or powerful people
Peng Shuai has not been heard from since she accused a top Chinese official of sexual assault. The 35-year-old tennis player is one of China’s biggest sports stars. In a post on November 2 on Weibo, Peng alleged the former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli… Read More ›
China’s ‘leftover women’ using their financial power to fight stigma
In China, if you are female, educated and unmarried by the age of 27, people might use a particular term – “sheng-nu” – to describe your social status. It translates simply as “leftover woman.” The label was deliberately invented to… Read More ›
Health workers in China are killing pets while their owners are in quarantine
Local health workers in some Chinese cities are breaking into people’s homes and killing their pets while the owners are in quarantine, prompting outrage online. In one case, a dog owner named Ms Fu witnessed through her home security camera… Read More ›
Xi Jinping’s Terrifying New China
China’s social media was briefly aflutter this fall about an impressive feat in the popular online fantasy game Honor of Kings. A player had completed a “pentakill,” or five kills in a row, but something just smelled wrong: The user… Read More ›
Cadence Column: Asia, November 15, 2021
Taiwan is a peaceful island of peaceful people. The Taiwanese calm demeanor often plays tricks on the minds of Americans and Chinese. Every day, Taiwanese put up with enormous nonsense and harassment, yet manage to carry on with an authentic… Read More ›
China is closing to the world, and it isn’t just about borders
It’s been nearly two years since China shut its international borders as part of its efforts to keep Covid-19 out. China tamed the initial outbreak in Wuhan by locking down the city of more than 10 million people, confining residents… Read More ›
China seeks greater role in setting international rules for digital economy
China has said it wants a greater role in setting the rules for the international digital economy and criticised the United States for trying to use the international order to contain it. On Friday, foreign vice-minister Xie Feng told a… Read More ›
China to develop new heavy icebreaker for ‘Polar Silk Road’
China plans to develop a new heavy icebreaker and semi-submersible heavy lift ships – so big that they can carry other ships – in the next five years to support its expanding maritime activities. The heavy icebreaker is to be… Read More ›
Australia shows the world what decoupling from China looks like
China’s attempt to bully Australia has been a spectacular failure. When Australia had the temerity to call for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 last year, China was incensed. It responded with an unprecedented wave of trade restrictions… Read More ›
Green & war economy – a reasoned reading
The China Daily announces that China is the country in the world that has the greatest sensitivity to the protection of bio diversity. At the same time, the crisis in the cost of natural gas forces China to increase the… Read More ›
As distrust of China grows, Europe may inch closer to Taiwan
European nations had long kept Taiwan at arm’s length, wary of provoking Beijing, which opposes contact with the island it claims as its territory. But an unusual flurry of diplomatic activity suggests a subtle shift may be underway in Europe,… Read More ›
China says its new stealth aircraft erodes U.S. advantages
The Chinese air force is developing new stealth aircraft and expanding the weapons-carrying capacity of its J-20 stealth fighter, the Pentagon said in its annual report on Chinese military power, issued Nov. 3. The Pentagon said U.S. advantages in the… Read More ›
Cadence Column: Asia, November 8, 2021
China tripped the alarm. Revelations of a US aircraft carrier-shaped target in China’s Taklamakan Desert doesn’t exactly resemble a friendly trick-or-treat visit. Congress is upset, calling this the closest we’ve ever been. Washington tries to use calm rhetoric, saying they… Read More ›
Strike China and Save the World: Part 2 – Manufacturing Reality
Just imagine a video of Chinese authorities brutally assaulting and arresting Chinese citizens who have a credit rating below certain criteria, appearing on Sina Weibo. In no time this video would be viral on WeChat, DouBan, YouKu, and several other… Read More ›
What Does China’s New Land Borders Law Mean for Its Neighbours?
China has a new tool to wield during any future flareups along its borders with foreign entities, whether those be the Indian government, Afghan refugees or Myanmar rebel groups. Announced on October 23, the new Land Borders Law authorizes the… Read More ›
Xi Is Running Out of Time: China’s Economy Heads for a Hard Landing
How worried should observers be about China’s economy? As recently as midsummer, that seemed like an academic question geared to the long term. In recent months, observers who were already concerned were further dismayed whenever Beijing moved to reel in… Read More ›
China urges families to keep stocks of daily necessities ahead of winter
The Chinese government has told families to keep daily necessities in stock in case of emergencies, after COVID-19 outbreaks and unusually heavy rains that caused a surge in vegetable prices raised concerns about supply shortages. The commerce ministry directive late… Read More ›
Chinese tennis star Peng Shua says ex-vice premier forced her into sex
Former world No.1 tennis doubles player Peng Shuai, one of China’s biggest sporting stars, has publicly accused a former Chinese vice premier of forcing her into sex several years ago in a social media post that was later deleted. According… Read More ›
Two Chinese supercomputers reportedly break exascale barrier
Two Chinese supercomputers have reportedly broken the notorious exascale barrier, but their developers prefer to stay quiet about it for now. Both systems are reportedly based on China’s homegrown Phytium and Sunway processors and therefore do not use crucial technologies… Read More ›
Cadence Column: Asia, November 1, 2021
China has been told, then told again. This week, China was told again again again. The EU gave a blistering rebuke to China’s unsolicited three cents about what other governments call their offices. Specifically, Taiwan is labeling it’s representative office… Read More ›