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Latest China Brief Articles
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Post-Reform Developments in Village and Neighborhood Party Building
Introduction The Chinese President Xi Jinping (习近平) has repeatedly mentioned local governance capacity when reflecting on China’s successful management of the Covid-19 pandemic, crediting the active participation of grassroots organizations in the public health response and stressing the need to solidify the foundations of governance... MORE
Editor’s Note to the Special Issue on the Chinese Communist Party (June 2021)
Editor’s Note: This is a special theme issue of China Brief, taking the opportunity of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s upcoming centennial celebrations (on July 1) to focus analysis on the CCP’s past, present and future. Over its 100 years of history, the CCP has... MORE
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Chinese Leaders Project Confidence in Self-Sufficiency Amid Post-Pandemic Food Security Concerns
The Chinese agronomist and “Father of Hybrid Rice'' Yuan Longping (袁隆平) passed away on May 22. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his condolences to Yuan’s family, and the state news agency Xinhua ran a rare weekend commentary to honor his passing—actions more usually suited to... MORE
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Automation and Digitalization of Justice in China’s Smart Court Systems
Introduction The automation of justice has become a worldwide phenomenon. Various big data and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technological applications have been introduced in the administration of justice over the past years. These range from predictive analytics to automated divorce proceedings and automated decisions in small... MORE
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Beijing Boosts its Position as a “Himalayan Hegemon” Through Hydropower
Introduction China’s building of ambitious hydropower and water diversion projects, and increasing focus on the Himalayan ecosystem as a critical developmental resource, has increased tensions with its regional neighbors, particularly India. The Chinese state contractor PowerChina in November 2020 announced plans for a 60-gigawatt dam... MORE
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Suez Closure Brightens the Future of China’s New Silk Road
Introduction On March 23, the 240,000-ton, 1,312 feet long (399 meters) Panama-flagged MV container ship Ever Given, drawing 47 ft 7 in (14.5 meters) and carrying 20,000 containers from China’s Yantian International Container Terminal in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province bound for Rotterdam, accidentally grounded its bow... MORE
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What I Learned From the PLA’s Latest Strategy Textbook
Introduction In August 2020, China’s National Defense University (NDU) released a revised version of its Science of Military Strategy (战略学, zhanlüe xue) (SMS), a core textbook for senior PLA officers on how wars should be planned and conducted at the strategic level. This article compares... MORE
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Low Fertility Trap Fears Cloud China’s Release of 2020 Census Data
The results of China’s seventh national census were released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on May 11, after more than a month’s delay. NBS commissioner and deputy leader of the State Council Leading Group for the Seventh National Population Census Ning Jizhe (宁吉喆)... MORE
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China’s Bid to Dominate Electrical Connectivity in Latin America
Introduction On March 31, Chilean regulators unconditionally approved the $3 billion sale of Chile’s Compañía General de Electricidad (CGE) to the Chinese state-owned electric utility company State Grid (InfoBae, March 31). The deal follows China Southern Power Grid’s 2018 purchase of a 27.7 percent interest... MORE
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Sustaining China’s Sovereignty Claims: The PLA’s Embrace of Unmanned Logistics
Introduction The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has tested the use of unmanned vehicles (UAVs) to perform logistical missions such as transportation and resupply since 2018. In academic explorations of border defense and logistics modernization, PLA logistics officers argue that UAVs can dramatically increase the... MORE