Latest China Brief Articles
Cross-strait “war Talk” Mixes With Taiwan’s Presidential Politics
On December 9, President George Bush singled out Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian for a bluntly worded rebuke. Appearing at the White House with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Bush told reporters, "We oppose any unilateral decision by either China or Taiwan to change the status quo.... MORE
China’s Fourth Generation Gets Savvy With Taiwan “splittists”
That Taiwan's Legislative Yuan had passed a watered-down version of the Law on Referendum on November 27 has hardly brought a respite to the looming cross-Straits crisis. The day before, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities had warned that there would be a "strong response"... MORE
China And Japan Race For Russian Crude
As the situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, from car bombings in Riyadh to pipeline attacks in Iraq, two Asian energy-deprived superpowers are nervously eyeing the developing chaos and wooing their nearest energy alternative, Russia. Both China and Japan are attempting to finalize... MORE
Is This China’s Century?
This month marks the end of the first quarter-century of China's reform era. During the groundbreaking Third Plenum of the 11th Party Congress in 1978, Deng Xiaoping launched his agenda of change, which has restructured the People's Republic beyond recognition. Once painted in pale shades,... MORE
ONE-COUNTRY TWO-SYSTEMS AFTER “7-1”
By Willy Lam The future of "one country, two systems" has become even murkier after Beijing's high profile endorsement of Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa earlier this month. Moreover, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership's apparent refusal to allow democracy to proceed at a... MORE
INDIA AND CHINA, REPEATING OLD HABITS
By Harvey Stockwin Relations between China and India pass periodically through a vast gamut of emotions. These range, on the Chinese side, from superciliousness over India's addiction to democracy and comparative lack of economic achievement, to deep curiosity and even envy that India is so... MORE
A REPLY TO JOHN TKACIK
In the May 6 issue of China Brief, John Tkacik called attention to Taiwan's upcoming presidential election, and asked quite bluntly: What does it mean for the United States? I am astonished at the conclusion he appears to reach, namely, that if the Kuomintang-People First... MORE
CHINA ACCELERATES NAVY BUILDING
By Richard D. Fisher, Jr. A naval arms race is now underway across the Taiwan Strait that has wider implications for the United States and its Asian allies. While the government of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian had hoped to make the Taiwan Navy its top... MORE
ARTICLE 23 STIMULATES HONG KONG’S PEOPLE POWER
By Harvey Stockwin First and last, the July 1 protest march, in which half a million Hong Kongers marched three miles in orderly nonviolent protest, despite hours of waiting in the torrid heat and the densely packed streets and park, brought Hong Kong's wheel of... MORE
HONG KONG PROTESTS–CHINA’S APOCALYPSE NOW
By Gordon G. Chang A half million demonstrators took to the streets in Hong Kong this month. Can the people in the Mainland be far behind? There are, as we have been told, two systems in the one country that we call China. Yet both... MORE