
Latest China Brief Articles

Another Lei Feng Revival: Making Maoism Safe for China
Chinese political culture contains a lot of dangerous ideas for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This may go a long ways toward explaining Beijing’s fickle relationship with Confucius as a symbol of Chinese culture and, now, with the trappings of Maoism. While criticism of Chongqing’s... MORE

Mekong River Patrols in Full Swing but Challenges Remain
Following the brutal murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River in October 2011, China prevailed upon Thailand, Burma and Laos to improve transboundary law enforcement cooperation by participating in coordinated riverine patrols launched in December. While China’s participation in coordinated patrols in Southeast... MORE

A Model Company: CETC Celebrates 10 Years of Civil-Military Integration
This year marks the tenth anniversary of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (zhongguo dianzi keji jituan gongsi)—known better by its acronym CETC—one of China’s ten official defense industry conglomerate-bureaucracies [1]. CETC’s operations are central to China’s push toward dual-use electronics and civil-military integration for information... MORE

Civilian UAV Production as a Window to the PLA’s Unmanned Fleet
Representing a wider trend, one of China’s largest aerospace manufacturers, AVIC, recently announced, after a record 18.8 percent growth in 2011, it is increasing investment in an unmanned helicopter that will function in a range of both mundane civil applications as well as more critical... MORE

China’s Persian Gulf Diplomacy Reflects Delicate Balancing Act
The diplomatic acrobatics and brinkmanship on display over Iran’s nuclear program are escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf to new heights, raising the stakes for all of the protagonists involved—including China. In this context, it is worth examining China’s position on the rapidly evolving events... MORE

Security Chief’s Efforts to Seal Up the Political-Legal Chairmanship
The run-up to this year’s leadership succession has brought more excitement than observers could reasonably expect when the top two presumptive leaders, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, seemed set after the 17th Party Congress in 2007. The competition between Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai and... MORE

On Sale Now! 2012 China Defense and Security Conference DVD
On February 16, 2012, The Jamestown Foundation held its second annual conference on China Defense and Security, at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC.This full-length DVD covers four panels featuring:An introduction by Admiral Timothy Keating, Former Commander - US Pacific Command; remarks... MORE

China’s Space White Paper: Increasing Transparency…to a Degree
The publication of China’s Space Activities in 2011 on December 29, 2011 represents a continuing effort by Beijing to make its space program more transparent and to tout its progress. The publication of this third white paper on the space program demonstrates China’s continued commitment... MORE

PLA Puts Political Work Online
Much attention has been given to the controls and restrictions placed on Internet users within China, which have increased, especially in the wake of efforts by online activists to rally citizens to the streets (“China’s Adaptive Approach to the Information Counter-Revolution,” China Brief, June 3,... MORE

Constitutionalizing Wukan: The Value of the Constitution Outside the Courtroom
Starting last September, a protest in Wukan village made world headlines. After months of tension, thousands of villagers angry over the seizure of their land, inadequate compensation and the death of a villager in police custody expelled village officials and occupied the public square. Provincial... MORE