Latest China Brief Articles

CHINA’S PRACTICE OF PRESS CENSORSHIP

By Arnold Zeitlin Editor in chief Jin Minhua proudly escorted a visitor through the offices of his Chinese-language Shenzhen Weekly. The newspaper is located high in the forty-two story tower erected by the Shenzhen Special Zone Newspaper Group to demonstrate the prodigious profits it has... MORE

MODEST PROPOSALS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

By Willy Lam Although political liberalization seems to have met with at least a temporary setback in China, a modest proposal about constitutional reform put forward by veteran reformer Cao Siyuan merits special attention. The 56-year-old Cao, who runs a consultancy on mergers and bankruptcy,... MORE

HU AND JIANG STRUGGLE FOR PRIMACY

By Willy Lam Ex-president Jiang Zemin and his still powerful Shanghai Faction are returning fire after a political season that has witnessed the relentless expansion of the clout of President Hu Jintao and such key associates as Premier Wen Jiabao. However, Hu has stitched together... MORE

SARS AND THE CHINESE MEDIA: A BRIEF OPENING

By Arnold Zeitlin The SARS panic in China has subsided and the disease itself appears to be in remission. So too is the earnest hope that the widespread coverage of the epidemic in the Chinese news media heralded a new era of openness. Among some... MORE

REFERENDUM–TAIWAN’S “PROVOCATION?”

By Holmes Liao   A country relishing democracy, liberty, and prosperity is not necessarily a country enjoying international popularity. In spite of its remarkable advancement in democracy and the extraordinary achievements of its economy, Taiwan is nevertheless the world's most diplomatically encroached country.   If... MORE

COMMUNIST COUSINS, PART III

By Gordon G. Chang Chinese leaders are not as lucky as their North Korean cousins. Beijing's cadres govern a population that is increasingly mobile, aware, and demanding--and that thinks for itself. The Communist Party's shameful coverup of the SARS epidemic ended when Chinese doctors told... MORE

HU NOW LEADS ON TAIWAN

By Willy Lam President Hu Jintao will intensify both united front tactics and "military readiness" after having taken over the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Leading Group on Taiwan Affairs. The LGTA is the country's policy setting organ for reunification matters. Chinese sources in Beijing have... MORE

NO GLASNOST YET FOR THE VICTIMS OF SUBMARINE 361

By Harvey B. Stockwin   It is a remarkable fact that numerous observers of the Chinese scene, anxious to see progress even where there is little at hand, have hailed as a sign of Chinese "glasnost"--or political openness--a decision by Beijing to disclose information about... MORE

COMMUNIST COUSINS, PART II

By Gordon G. Chang China's problem is that it is stuck in the middle of the reform process, while North Korea's is that it is just starting it. To arrest the continued deterioration of North Korea's economy, Kim Jong-il, the communist world's first and only... MORE

CHINA: THE BEST FRIEND OF ASIA’S DICTATORS

By Al Santoli Superficially, the May 30 mob violence and the detention in Burma of Aung San Suu Kyi, Asia's revered champion of democracy, appears to be a case of business-as-usual by one of the world's most reviled military juntas--a group that, for over a... MORE