China’s need for energy to fuel its burgeoning economy means that Xinjiang is now critical to its future. The Tarin Basin alone has proven reserves of over one billion tons of crude and 59 billion cubic meters of natural gas. These oilfields are expected to... MORE

Dear Readers, Jamestown is proud to present this special issue of China Brief analyzing China's deepening ties to the Middle East. In recent years, Beijing has looked to the Gulf region to meet its soaring energy demand. This special issue examines China's expanding role in... MORE

China has raised its diplomatic profile in the Middle East and North Africa, successfully negotiating a number of big sticker long-term energy contracts in the region. What do these activities reveal about China's evolving role in world affairs and in Middle Eastern affairs in particular?... MORE

Since 2003, China has pursued a two-pronged Iraq policy of promoting Chinese interests while avoiding antagonizing the Untied States. On the one hand, this policy addresses concerns about oil and construction contracts and the desire to use the Iraq crisis to increase Chinese political influence... MORE

The Jerusalem-Beijing-Washington imbroglio over Israel's sale of Harpy UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to China that surfaced in December 2004 is by no means over. Yet, while it is too soon to mourn the untimely death of Israeli arms sales to China, it is nonetheless becoming... MORE

Today, China accounts for 12 percent of the world's energy consumption. That is second only to the U.S., at 24 percent, and up from 9 percent a decade ago. China's entire modernization strategy is based on access to abundant supplies of energy, and this also... MORE

April marked a small leap forward in China's energy relations with Canada. China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) put down $150 million for a one-sixth stake in MEG Energy Corp., an upstart oil sands company. This is China's first major investment in Canada's vast oil... MORE

Beijing has regained some initiative on the Taiwan issue by having two major Taiwan opposition leaders pay homage to the Middle Kingdom. Yet the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership under President Hu Jintao needs to offer Taiwan's people a lot more than pandas to persuade... MORE

A new geopolitical dimension appears to be developing with regard to the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. At a time when the country is experiencing a severe crisis and many Western nations are distancing themselves from Kathmandu over human rights concerns, China seems to be maneuvering... MORE

On March 25, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1590 authorizing the UN to deploy peacekeeping forces in Sudan. Five days later, China announced that they would contribute personnel to the peacekeeping operation, signaling the latest development in China's evolving approach to protecting its national... MORE