
Latest China Brief Articles

Beijing’s Perspective: Sino-U.S. Relations and the 2008 Presidential Election
Americans will decide in November whether a Democrat or Republican will become the 44th president of the United States, and the whole world is weighing how the two political parties' platforms and presidential candidates’ persona of “change” will impact the orientation of the world’s superpower... MORE

PLA’s “New Leap Forward” in Information-Centric Command
“Sharpening Sword 2008,” the code name for the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) month-long multi-service and multi-arm joint training counter-strike military exercise, is underway at the Zhurihe Joint Tactical Training Base under the Beijing Military Area Command in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Particular to this year’s... MORE

China, Mongolia Quietly Enhance Military Ties
The Assistant Chief of the General Staff of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA), Chen Xiaogong, was in Ulaanbaatar on a four-day visit to attend the third Sino-Mongolian Defense Security Consultation on August 27. Chen's elevation to the position of Assistant Chief of the General Staff,... MORE

Amid Warming Ties Taiwan Scraps Plans for Developing Long Range Cruise Missiles
According to Taiwan’s Presidential Office Spokesperson Wang Yu-chi, the Ma Ying-jeou administration has decided that it will not develop missiles that have a range longer than 1,000 kilometers (580 miles), namely it will not develop "offensive weapon capabilities" that can strike Shanghai (China Times, September... MORE

Beijing’s Post Olympic Shakedown in Xinjiang and Tibet
While the catchwords and slogans of the just-ended Beijing Olympics trumpeted “harmony” and “One World, One Dream,” the traditionally tense relations between Han Chinese and ethnic minorities – particularly Uyghurs and Tibetans – could worsen significantly in the foreseeable future. Four quasi-terrorist attacks in the... MORE

The East China Sea Dispute After Fukuda: Calmer Waters?
Taiwan has long taken Japan as an ally, both before and after severing diplomatic relations on September 29, 1972. Japan made great efforts to preventing Taiwan’s expulsion from the United Nations in 1971 even more so than the United States had, which was bound to... MORE

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Georgian Crisis
The Russian invasion, occupation, and dismemberment of Georgia represent the greatest challenge if not crisis to confront the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). In American commentary on the SCO there has been a consistent tendency to view it as essentially or even merely an anti-American organization... MORE

Beijing’s Perspectives on the Russo-Georgian Conflict: Dilemma and Choices
Beijing’s reaction to the Russo-Georgian fiasco has remained muted since Russian tanks rumbled into Georgia on August 8, leading to the most serious standoff between the West and Russia in the post-Cold War era. In his meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on August 27... MORE

Chinese Soldiers and Arms Exports Embroiled in Zimbabwe’s Electoral Impasse
Chinese soldiers were spotted patrolling the streets of Mutare, Zimbabwe. The total number of PLA soldiers in Mutare is unconfirmed, but eyewitness accounts place 10 Chinese soldiers in full military regalia equipped with pistols with 70 Zimbabwean soldiers checking into a hotel (Zimbabwejournalists.com, April 15).... MORE

Energy Security the Centerpiece of China’s Foreign Policy
The 2008 People's Republic of China (PRC) White Paper on Diplomacy placed energy security as a major centerpiece of the country's foreign policy. The White Paper represents "China's foreign policy and China's view on the international situation and introducing the status of China's foreign relations... MORE