By Willy Wo-Lap Lam Security will be the watchword of the new administration of Wen Jiabao, due to be named prime minister at the National People's Congress (NPC) early next month. In the past fortnight or so, Wen, a Zhu Rongji protégé, has conducted marathon... MORE

By Gordon G. Chang China has reported stellar economic growth for 2002. Can the country continue its success in developing its economy? Growth last year was largely the result of three factors: record investment flows inward, surging exports outward and massive fiscal stimulus. Because trends... MORE

By Prakash Nanda Despite being the world's largest democracy, India has always neglected Taiwan, the first Chinese society to reject authoritarianism in favor of democracy. India is so sensitive to China's reaction that it has compromised both principles and pragmatism in its relations with Taiwan.... MORE

"If we didn't have China I would be suicidal," chief Morgan Stanley economist Stephen Roach said this month. "It's the only bright spot in the world economy." And bright spot it is: Beijing announced that its gross domestic product grew 8 percent last year. The... MORE

Three months ago, in November of last year, Hu Jintao was anointed leader of the People's Republic of China. Until recently, leaders of China were emperors, the last of whom abdicated in 1912. Hu Jintao, like his communist predecessors who succeeded the emperors, resembles an... MORE

In an effort to counter the continued build-up of China's offensive missile and air power, Taiwan is again considering developing its own "active defense"--that is, the ability to attack select PLA capabilities as part of an overall "defensive" strategy. But this time it would prefer... MORE

Personnel issues are set to dominate the First Session of the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC), due to convene on March 5. After having nailed down a sizeable number of senior Communist Party slots at the 16th CCP Congress last November, the Jiang Zemin (Shanghai)... MORE

By Jonathan Mirsky On Christmas Eve the Chinese government released Xu Wenli, the founder of the country's tiny Democratic Party, into American exile. Xu has spent sixteen of the last twenty-one years behind bars. The most interesting comments on this event came from John Kamm,... MORE

New Chinese Communist Party (CCP) chief Hu Jintao is relying on two primary weapons in waging what could be a protracted struggle against the Jiang Zemin or Shanghai Faction: legalism and populism. By stressing the imperative of obeying laws and regulations, he is reminding President... MORE

By Robyn Lim North Korea, taking advantage of America's preoccupation with Iraq, is out to provoke a new nuclear crisis--seeking assurances that it will not be next on President Bush's hit list, and demanding to be rewarded yet again for bad behavior. The United States,... MORE