Latest China Brief Articles

Editor’s Note

Editor’s Note: Jamestown is proud to present this special issue of China Brief on three unique aspects of Chinese energy security. Beijing has been forced to recalibrate its energy priorities to confront a complex set of challenges that include persistently high oil prices, rising domestic... MORE

Beijing’s “New Thinking” on Energy Security

China’s growing appetite for energy has caused widespread concern around the world. The Middle Kingdom is blamed for the sharp increase in global oil prices in the past few years, and the United States grows uneasy about Beijing’s evolving cozy relations with major oil producers... MORE

The Strategic Vulnerability of China’s Reliance on Coal

China’s dramatic economic boom has focused attention on the strategic aspects of the country’s efforts to secure reliable energy supplies and satisfy its growing demand for oil and natural gas. Most analysts have examined China’s aggressive pursuit of overseas energy supplies, highlighting concerns this poses... MORE

On Eve of U.S. Visit, Hu Pushes Reformist Image

President Hu Jintao has in the run-up to his U.S. tour launched a vigorous campaign to project himself as a reformer. Apart from courting public opinion in the West, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary is anxious to fend off criticism from forward-looking cadres... MORE

China Responds to the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal

China’s opposition to the landmark U.S.-India nuclear deal finalized during President Bush’s New Delhi visit in March 2006 has now emerged as a new source of tension in India-China relations. Just as it did last year to effectively sabotage India’s bid for a permanent seat... MORE

Port Development Boom in China

No discussion of China’s tour de force economic performance is complete without taking a look at its maritime strengths and port development, as a majority of its international trade is carried by way of sea. China has been ranked as the world’s third largest trading... MORE

Beijing Launches Multi-pronged Offensive Against Chen Shui-bian

Beijing has waged a high-decibel, multi-pronged offensive in response to Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian scrapping the island’s National Unification Council (NUC) and its National Unification Guidelines (NUG) last month. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership has also put additional pressure on Washington to help rein... MORE

Pragmatism Over Ideology: China’s Relations with Venezuela

The incessant barrage of threats and counter-threats hurtling between Washington and Caracas is the background, sometimes the foreground, of Sino-Venezuelan relations. Simply put, if U.S. ties to Venezuela were friendly, Beijing would have little to do in this oil-rich state that exports 60 percent of... MORE

Thunder in Sino-Pakistani Relations

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1951, Sino-Pakistani relations have steadily deepened, and the two countries have never had a public disagreement over any bilateral, regional, or global issue. If there was any wrinkle in their mutual relations, it was amicably resolved in private,... MORE