Latest China Brief Articles

THE SINO-SAUDI CONNECTION

By Thomas Woodrow Although current Chinese relations with Saudi Arabia are largely linked to Beijing's quickly growing appetite for imported energy resources, China's long-term goal may be to replace the United States as the Persian Gulf's security guarantor. Beijing is rapidly becoming a major player... MORE

THE ZHU XIAOHUA CASE: A WINDOW INTO CHINESE HARDBALL POLITICS

Despite China's claim of having an independent legal system, its leaders often exploit legal procedures, making them into proxy battles in their struggle for power. One such example is the handling of the Zhu Xiaohua corruption case, in which Zhu was sentenced to fifteen years... MORE

PREMIER ZHU FIGHTS FOR HIS LEGACY

By Willy Wo-Lap Lam Zhu Rongji has a habit of saying intriguing things when he is abroad. And when cadres who do not see eye to eye with him, including President Jiang Zemin, are not around. While visiting Paris late last month, the veteran premier... MORE

THE PROBLEM WITH WATER, PART II

By Gordon G. Chang President Jiang Zemin has recently urged China's young to "Protect the Mother Rivers." If the truth be told, Jiang's exhortation is a call to resist the nation's environmental policies. The biggest threat to China's waterways is the country's own leaders. Central... MORE

HELICOPTER DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA AND INDIA

AIR SHOW PROVIDES VENUE FOR EXHIBITION Both China and India have long held ambitions to establish local helicopter manufacturing bases for reasons of industrial strategy, national security and international prestige. Rotorcraft development was addressed in September at an Indian defense conference. From November 4 through... MORE

EXPLOITING A FAVORABLE CLIMATE

By Willy Wo-Lap Lam Beijing is exploiting to the utmost Washington's and the UN's recent decisions to classify the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) as a terrorist organization. CCP leadership wants to take advantage of what the official media calls "a favorable global climate against... MORE

TAIWAN’S FECKLESS NATIONAL DEFENSE POSTURE

The U.S. Department of Defense's Annual Report on the Military Power of the People's Republic of China, released on July 12, pointed out Taiwan's growing vulnerability to China's pre-emptive, multipronged blitzkrieg. In acquiring advanced weapons from Russia and frequent large-scale joint-force military exercises, the People's... MORE

THE HONG KONG-TAIWAN-CHINA TRIANGLE

While recent Pentagon and Congressional reports on Sino-American relations noted the military trends threatening war between China and Taiwan, too little attention is paid to the political underpinnings of China's policies towards Taiwan, which make war in the Taiwan Straits more likely, even inevitable. When... MORE

THE PROBLEM WITH WATER, PART I

"Pigs, chickens, cows--there were corpses everywhere, including people," said Zhao Zhengwu, a soybean grower and resident of Guangming. Guangming, some 40 miles south of Wuhan, was inundated in the great floods of 1998 and has not fully recovered. "We used to be able to grow... MORE