![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CB_Logo.jpg)
Latest China Brief Articles
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Sun_Speech.jpg)
China Gets More Blunt, Goes on Media Offense on South China Sea Issues
At this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue on Asian security, held in Singapore, China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea were in sharp focus. Admiral Sun Jianguo (孙建国) again represented China at the conference, a position he is uniquely suited for due to his role as... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Org_Chart_01.png)
The New PLA Joint Headquarters and Internal Assessments of PLA Capabilities
The creation of new multi-service (joint) headquarters organizations at the national (strategic) and theater (operational) levels is a major component of the current tranche of reforms underway in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). These changes further concentrate ultimate leadership of the armed forces in the... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Port_Projects_in_Bangladesh.png)
China’s Sinking Port Plans in Bangladesh
A key link in China’s Maritime Silk Road (MSR) suffered a setback in February when Bangladesh’s Awami League (AL) government shelved plans for construction of a deep-sea port at Sonadia, south of Chittagong. Bangladesh is an important participant in China’s “One-Belt, One-Road” (OBOR) initiative. An... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Sun_Jianguo.jpg)
The Rise of Admiral Sun Jianguo and the Future of U.S.-China Naval Relations
On December 31, 2015, the PRC announced that after many years of planning and preparation, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would begin its most substantial reorganization since 1949 (PRC Defense Ministry, January 9). According to statements by the PRC defense ministry, these reforms are designed... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Zhu_Weiqun.jpg)
Creeping Islamophobia: China’s Hui Muslims in the Firing Line
At the recently convened Central Religious Work Conference Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of fusing religious doctrines with Chinese culture and preventing the interference of religion in government affairs and education (Xinhua, April 23). These comments were directed, at least partially, at the... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Chinese_citizen_is_led_to_safety_during_terror_attacks_in_Bamako_Mali.jpg)
Growing Overlap Between Counter-Terrorism and Overseas Interest Protection Acts As New Driver of Chinese Strategy
Late November 2015 marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of how terrorism is perceived in China. The death of a Chinese citizen at the hand of the ISIS and the fact that three senior managers of China Railway Construction Corporation were among the casualties... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The_PLA_sees_cultivating_Xuexing_as_fundamental_part_of_its_overal_modernization_program.jpg)
The Courage to Fight and Win: The PLA Cultivates Xuexing for the Wars of the Future
With all its new weapons systems and platforms, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has become a powerful military by any standard that can be quantified. But how will PLA officers and enlisted, however well-armed, perform when faced in combat by a capable adversary? China’s civilian... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Japanese_Foreign_Minister_Fumio_Kishida_Meets_with_Chinese_State_Counselor_Yang_Jiechi.jpg)
China Dictates Terms for Sino-Japanese Relations During First Japanese Foreign Minister Visit in Four Years
Japanese Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio’s official visit to Beijing from April 29 to May 1, the first trip to China by a Japanese Foreign Minister since November 2011, represented renewed effort to mend the frayed relationship between Asia’s two most powerful countries (South China Morning... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Tsai_s_Cabinet.jpg)
Team Tsai Ing-wen: a Who’s Who of the New Cabinet
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen took office on May 20 with no shortage of challenges ahead. Her inaugural speech focused on five specific areas: transforming economic structures; strengthening the social safety net; addressing social fairness and justice; promoting regional peace, stability and cross-Strait relations; and contributing... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Xi_Jinping_visits_Yichun_Heilongjiang.jpg)
Xi Visits China’s Northeast, Emphasizes Revitalization, Environment and Food Security
Chinese President and Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has visited China’s northeastern most province of Heilongjiang. The visit, on May 23–25, included a number of towns along the border with Russia. Xi’s inspection visits are not just a prime photo opportunity. This is his... MORE