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Latest China Brief Articles
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China’s New National Constitution Day: Is It Worth Celebrating?
In one of its few precise actions, the recent fourth plenary session of the current Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party declared December 4 to be “National Constitution Day” (China News, November 1). The Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress, ever responsive to... MORE
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After the Fourth Plenum: What Direction for Law in China?
On October 23, Chinese authorities concluded their annual Party plenum, focused on “ruling China according to law” (yifa zhiguo)—the first time that top Chinese leaders have designated law as the central focus for the meeting. In the weeks since, observers have been parsing the full... MORE
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Xi Consolidates Power at Fourth Plenum, But Sees Limits
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pledged to promote rule of law with Chinese characteristics at the Fourth Plenary Session of its Central Committee. President Xi Jinping, also Party General Secretary, promised that the CCP would lead the nation in “strengthening the implementation of the Constitution... MORE
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Fourth Plenum: Implications for China’s Approach to International Law and Politics
At the recently completed Fourth Plenum of the 18th Party Congress, Chinese leaders directed efforts to reform existing international institutions and laws and promote alternative values, political principles and legal arguments that better accord with China’s needs. These directions reflect a broader, whole-of-government effort to... MORE
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The Fourth Plenum, Party Officials and Local Courts
The Fourth Plenum of the 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) focused on transforming the country’s legal system and passed the Decision Concerning Some Major Questions in Comprehensively Moving Forward and Governing the Country According to the Law. The Decision calls for the... MORE
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China Cynical over U.S. Midterm Elections, But Expects Policy Continuity
On Tuesday, November 4, the United States held its 2014 midterm elections and voted the Republican Party into the majority in the U.S. Senate, giving them control of both houses in Congress and, as Chinese analysts noted, a major political victory. The overall Chinese response... MORE
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China’s Espionage Against Taiwan (Part I): Analysis of Recent Operations
The last few weeks put Chinese espionage against Taiwan back into the headlines with a series of arrests and sentencing pronouncements. In the first week of October, a Taiwanese court sentenced Vice Admiral Ko Cheng-sheng, a former deputy commander of the Navy, to 14 months... MORE
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Regional Maneuvering Precedes Obama-Xi Meeting at APEC Summit
As we approach this month’s 22nd Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Beijing, relations between China and the United States stand at a tipping point. On the one hand, Beijing and Washington still cooperate on certain issues related to renewable energy, Islamist terrorism, global... MORE
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A Family Divided: The CCP’s Central Ethnic Work Conference
For over a decade, academics and policymakers have been engaged in an unusually public and at times ad hominem debate over the future direction of China’s ethnic policies. [1] A group of maverick Chinese thinkers claim current policies engender disunity and could cause China to... MORE
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Sino-Indian Joint Military Exercises: Out of Step
The Indian and Chinese militaries will participate in joint counter-terrorism exercises on November 16–27, in the western Indian city of Pune. The exercises will quickly follow Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to India in September, which was intended as an economic summit with Indian... MORE