China's communist leadership has long anticipated that to militarily subdue democratic Taiwan it will first need to win a battle against the United States. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is now preparing for one specific, and key, battle. It is developing methods to disable or... MORE

What is China's magic? How does the Communist Party get away with it? Beijing exports weapons of mass destruction to dangerous states, oppresses its minorities, locks up political and religious dissidents, menaces Taiwan, looks the other way as human organs and blood are illegally secured... MORE

When Chinese President Jiang Zemin arrives in Hong Kong on June 30 for what could be his last official visit to the Special Administrative Region (SAR), he should have ample reason to feel pleased. A wave of patriotism seems to be sweeping the land. Newspapers... MORE

The abrupt influx of U.S. military forces along China's western flank has seriously jeopardized Beijing's interests in Central and South Asia. China is unlikely to be sidelined into acquiescing to the imposition of U.S. political and diplomatic control in the region in general and Pakistan--its... MORE

On May 20, Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian celebrated his second anniversary in office, having won Taiwan's second direct presidential election in March of 2000, turning out the Kuomintang (KMT) that had governed the island for more than half a century. It has been a trying... MORE

By Harry Wu [NOTE: China Brief offers occasional interviews with prominent individuals contributing to our understanding of Greater China. Hongda "Harry" Wu is one of the most prominent advocates for democracy and greater respect for human rights in China. For his beliefs he suffered nineteen... MORE

At about 2 in the morning on June 4, 1989, as I watched the Chinese People's Liberation Army march into Tiananmen Square, I listened to a piece of advice from the man next to me. "Nothing to worry about," he said. The PLA would never... MORE

By Wang Dan Remarks at the 13th Anniversary Candlelight Vigil in Washington DC: June 1, 2002 It has been thirteen years since the June 4 massacre. I continue to remember with a guilty conscience those who perished. As my sense of responsibility grows heavier in... MORE

By Baopu Liu The upcoming 16th Chinese Communist Party Congress, scheduled for September, will feature a top power transition in China and hopes for the long-anticipated political reform are therefore running high. The prognosis, however, remains grim. THE EARLY PACKAGE The early political reform package... MORE

By Willy Wo-Lap Lam Spin-doctoring by Russian leaders--and the Chinese media--can scarcely change or hide the fact that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership remains deeply troubled by Moscow's tilt toward Washington and NATO. On the eve of President Jiang Zemin's visit to St. Petersburg... MORE