A maxim of globalization holds that all economics are global, all politics local. From the vantage point of early autumn 2006, this formula captures both the persistence of ongoing cross-Strait economic activity as well as the current stasis of political relations between Beijing and Taipei.... MORE

Taiwan’s diplomatic plight in recent years has been troubling for many concerned with the island’s political survival. Unable to compete with China’s growing political and economic influence, in the last three years alone Taiwan has lost six of its thirty diplomatic allies—Chad, Grenada, Dominica, Senegal,... MORE

From July 10-13, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou visited Yokohama and Tokyo on a trip that his advisors billed as an opportunity to “completely and clearly explain his positions toward his Japanese friends” [1]. This opportunity marked Ma’s first visit to Japan since being elected as... MORE

JIEFANGJUN BAO CALLS FOR SPECIAL FORCES CAPABILITIES TO PERFORM “HOME ALONE” OPERATIONS The PLA’s official military newspaper, the Jiefangjun Bao, published an editorial by Peng Xiaolong and Wu Wenjun that called for China to enhance its ability to conduct special operations (Jiefangjun Bao, September 14).... MORE

President Hu Jintao has adroitly played the disciplinary and anti-corruption cards to boost his stature in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as well as to exercise control over the top brass. Given that a large-scale reshuffle of the policy-setting Central Military Commission (CMC) is due... MORE

The ongoing political crisis in Thailand, which forced Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to temporarily resign in April and has now resulted in a coup by the Thai military, has not been good news for the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Since taking office in 2001,... MORE

With over 350 million smokers, China accounted for more than one-fourth of the world's annual tobacco consumption in 2002 [1]. In addition, these smokers affected an additional 460 million second-hand (passive) smokers, most of whom are women and children [2]. In other words, nearly two-thirds... MORE

Conventional wisdom in Washington has stated that Beijing, if it wished to do so, could easily persuade Pyongyang to return to the Six-Party Talks and possibly even renounce its nuclear weapons program. This belief has only been bolstered by the statements of Chinese spokesmen who... MORE

CHINA RESHUFFLES ITS MILITARY LEADERSHIP Beijing recently instituted a new round of personnel changes among the top-ranking officers of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and its sister branches, the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) and the Second Artillery Corps (SAC). On August 16, Vice Chairman... MORE

An elaborate and intriguing ideological campaign is being waged in connection with the recently published Selected Works of Jiang Zemin—a collection of speeches and writings by the former president (China Brief, August 16). Jiang’s successor, current President Hu Jintao, has given instructions to all Communist... MORE