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Latest China Brief Articles
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Chinese Premier Liâs India Visit: Sifting through the Charm Offensive
A state visit to India by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in late May this year has taken on more importance in the wake of an unusual combination of diplomatic openness and military tension between China and India. Li's visit was not only the first ever... MORE
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Rectification Campaign to Boost Cadres with âRed DNAâ
President Xi Jinping has given the clearest indication to date of his political orientation and policy preferences by launching a Maoist-style rectification campaign to âthoroughly clean up the work styleâ of the Chinese Communist Partyâs (CCP) 85 million members. In the coming year, officials in... MORE
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Appraising Xi Jinpingâs Politicking
At least since the politicking for Chinaâs leadership succession heated up last summer, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping consistently has shaped the political environment in his favor, seemingly consolidating control much earlier than many expected. The official reporting of Xi berating his... MORE
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Beijingâs Aggressive New Foreign Policy and Implications for the South China Sea
The Xi Jinping leadership is embarking on an ambitious and all-rounded diplomacy that official Chinese commentators have called large-scale or high-powered diplomacy (dawaijiao). Its essence, according to the Xinhua News Agency, is âtaking relations with big powers as crucial; giving priority to [Chinaâs] neighbors; treating... MORE
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President Aquinoâs Second Half: Minimum Credible Defense in Contested Waters?
Following the Philippines 2013 General Election, President Benigno Aquino IIIâs position is strengthened for the second half of his single six-year term. On May 13, Filipino voters elected Aquino allies in nine of the twelve contested Senate seats, where his allies now control 13 of... MORE
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Second Thomas Shoal Likely the Next Flashpoint in the South China Sea
Second Thomas Shoal, a low tide coral reef located 105 nautical miles from the Philippinesâ Palawan Island, is likely to become the next flashpoint in the South China Sea. The shoalâwhich is 15 kilometers long and five kilometers wide and is known as Ayungin in... MORE
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The South China Sea Dispute (Part 2): Friction to Remain the Status Quo
Chinaâs policy toward the South China Sea dispute remains fundamentally unchanged under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. Over the past six months, Beijing has tried to reassure neighboring countries of Chinaâs peaceful rise, but also its determination to uphold its territorial and jurisdictional claims... MORE
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Taiwan Military Reform: Declining Operational Capabilities?
On June 6, Taiwanâs Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) released its first âBlue Paperâ evaluating Taiwanâs defense requirements. Although the report probably serves a political purpose, the DPPâs critical assessment of Taiwanâs military budget, readiness and acquisition joins several other recent developmentsâincluding Taiwanâs second Quadrennial Defense... MORE
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Taiwan Work Leading Small Group under Xi Jinping
For Beijing, the status of Taiwan represents the last unresolved issue from the Chinese Civil War that ended with victory for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1949. Taiwan-policy has, unsurprisingly, long been a policy focus of the CCP since the establishment of Taipei as... MORE
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How China Got There First: Beijingâs Unique Path to ASBM Development and Deployment
Chinaâs deployment of the worldâs first operational anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) has just been confirmed with unprecedented clarity by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The ASBMâs development path was unusual in many respects, but may increasingly represent the shape of things to come for... MORE