By Willy Wo-Lap Lam China watchers worldwide are focused on leadership changes expected at the 16th Communist Party congress this autumn. But reshuffles of perhaps equal significance are taking place now in the provinces and major cities. In the past year, about half of China's... MORE

By Richard D. Fisher, Jr. China's new ex-Soviet, ex-Ukrainian aircraft carrier is now in a Dalian navy shipyard. Could the partially completed Kuznetsov-class carrier Varyag become the first aircraft carrier of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)? Or will it instead be a Macao gambling... MORE

by William R. Hawkins The February meeting between President George W. Bush and Chinese President Jiang Zemin in Beijing was cordial, but uneventful. Beijing was clearly not prepared to give an inch on any of the issues which divide the two Asian powers. On key... MORE

Precisely thirty years to the day after Richard Nixon's historic visit to the People's Republic of China, President George W. Bush arrived in Beijing. Although the Chinese press made much of the symbolism, the two visits were quite different. Nixon, an unpopular president trying to... MORE

By Willy Wo-Lap Lam After President George W. Bush's visit to China, whether--and how--Hu Jintao will modify Beijing's long-standing U.S. policy has become one of the most crucial questions in bilateral ties. For some brief moments last Friday, the little-known Chinese vice president was basking... MORE

By Mark Simon Concerns for press freedom are justifiably at their height when overt repression and violence are used to silence journalists. But as regimes quickly find, overt pressure on a free media will almost certainly bring international condemnation, possible economic sanctions, and unfriendly attention... MORE

By Vijai K. Nair   Directly and indirectly, America's war on terrorism challenges China's strategy to gain influence in the Central and South Asian region. This strategy was born of the need to adopt a generally more assertive foreign policy following the collapse of the... MORE

Whether at Tsinghua University or at the Central Party School, President George W. Bush will soon be talking to the youth of China, a tremendous opportunity for real communication if compared, say, with a "full and candid" discussion with the top leadership. What should he... MORE

By Willy Wo-Lap Lam Forget about the "constructive strategic partnership." Beijing has officially dropped the goal for Sino-American ties President Jiang Zemin and former President Bill Clinton reached in 1998. Now, on the eve of the Beijing tour of President George W. Bush, the Chinese... MORE

By Danny Gittings The good times are gone in Hong Kong. A city whose population became accustomed to prosperity during the boom days of the early to mid-1990s is now struggling through its second recession in four years. The property market--formerly such a locomotive of... MORE