China’s 2002 revision of its 1992 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) doctrine shifted its focus away from the development of the ability to win a “limited war under high-technology conditions.” Instead of attempting to modernize the PLA solely through “mechanization” (enhancing its hardware platforms), China attempted... MORE

Openly defiant of the mounting domestic opposition, the strong protests from Beijing and Seoul and the growing criticism of international opinion, on August 15 Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid homage to the Yasukuni Shrine where Class-A war criminals from World War II are honored... MORE

--PLA GENERAL POLITICAL DEPARTMENT CALLS FOR THE STUDY OF “SELECTED WORKS OF JIANG ZEMIN” The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Political Department (GPD) issued a circular that called for the entire PLA and People’s Armed Police (PAP) to study the “Selected Works of Jiang Zemin,”... MORE

For many years, Lebanon, a small country with a population of nearly 3.9 million, has been of marginal interest to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Much of the association between the two countries centered on Dr. George Hatem, an American physician of Lebanese origin... MORE

During the first decade of the post-Cold War era, the development of Sino-Philippine relations was held captive by overlapping territorial claims of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Occupying an important strategic position next to major commercial Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) and... MORE

A debate is raging within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over whether it should emulate the relatively bold structural reforms that the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) had introduced earlier this year. The VCP’s reforms have included the “multiple-candidate” election of the party chief, meaning that... MORE

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is thirsty for energy. From the late-1970s to the mid-1990s, it has managed to quadruple its economy and in the process of doing so, became a net petroleum importer in 1993. China’s dependency on foreign energy has only continued... MORE

For over five decades, Pyongyang has attempted—and failed—to develop domestic sources of petroleum. Its inability to do so has forced Pyongyang to rely almost entirely upon crude oil imported from other countries. In 1991, the DPRK imported 2.44 metric tons (worth US$307 million) of crude... MORE

Understanding the inner workings of China’s Politburo has always been a difficult challenge for observers. Pervasive secrecy has forced scholars to rely on dubious articles in Hong Kong newspapers—usually based on anonymous, questionable sources—to speculate upon the concerns of the Chinese leadership. In a notable... MORE

Beijing, in particular President Hu Jintao, has emerged as a loser in the latest episode of missile and nuclear brinkmanship orchestrated by Dear Leader Kim Jong Il. In spite of the billions of dollars in aid that Beijing has poured into the Democratic People’s Republic... MORE