The two rounds of six-party talks in Beijing on the Korean nuclear standoff have demonstrated China's unusual support for a multilateral solution to the conflict. This is symbolic of the country's new diplomacy under Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabo. As is typical, Beijing is seeking... MORE

Last October, when China issued an unprecedented white paper on relations with the European Union (EU), it painted a rosy picture of economic exchanges, predicting that the EU would outstrip the United States and Japan and become China’s largest trading and investment partner. Not so... MORE

While President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have yet to make their mark in political reform, the Fourth Generation leaders, particularly Hu, have excelled in consolidating their power base in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and government hierarchies. It is true that, with respect... MORE

The avian or "bird" flu has already spread across at least ten countries in Asia and caused almost two dozen deaths in Thailand and Vietnam. In China, the flu epidemic has spread to more than half of all provinces and territories, while Hong Kong has... MORE

The past twelve months having been a banner year for Chinese foreign policy, senior cadres, including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, have been busy laying the foundations of a diplomacy that is balanced yet pro-active. And the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Leading Group... MORE

INTRODUCTION That China is in transition no one can doubt: In ten years she will be very different than she is today, not to mention in twenty or thirty years. This is simply a fact, guaranteed by the unleashing in China, in the twenty-eight years... MORE

China has moved to effectively veto Hong Kong's expectations of constitutional progress towards a greater degree of democracy or, at the very least, to delay indefinitely any such advance. In doing so, Beijing appears to have vitiated its former promises to grant the former British... MORE

Most Asian economies long have depended on bank financing, and to a lesser extent, on the equity markets, to fund investments. Except for countries like Singapore, Malaysia and a few other more developed Asian economies, corporate bonds are almost unheard of in the region. But... MORE

Call it the February offensive. Beijing is set to unleash a series of initiatives to prevent the reelection of Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, who is seen by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as pushing the island toward de jure independence. While the CCP leadership under... MORE

On January 15, 2004 patrol boats from the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces (JMSDF) allegedly attacked two Chinese fishing vessels in waters near the disputed Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands, according to a report in the People's Daily (China). The Japanese vessels were said to have fired water... MORE