
In a Fortnight

Huawei’s Smart Cities and CCP Influence, At Home and Abroad
What do international espionage concerns, a Chinese truckers’ strike, and the smart cities of the future all have in common? All are part of the story of how the commercial ambitions of Huawei—one of the PRC’s leading developers of high-tech electronics and telecommunications equipment—could be... MORE

UK, Japan Companies Help China to Counter US’s Tech Leverage
With the help of major tech companies from the UK and Japan, China may be poised to take an important step towards isolating its microchip supply chain from US pressure, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accelerates an indigenous technology drive in the face of... MORE

Is China Changing the Game in Trans-Polar Shipping?
For more than a decade, Russian policymakers have fruitlessly tried to turn the Northern Sea Route (NSR), which connects Asia and Europe along Russia’s northern coastline, into a viable commercial shipping route (Jamestown Eurasian Daily Monitor, April 29, 2016). PRC financial muscle might finally be... MORE

Pre-suasion: How the PRC Controls the Message on a Sino-US Trade War
During the past fortnight, a long-simmering trade dispute between the United States and China has burst into open recrimination, with the two sides threatening each other with $250 billion worth of reciprocal tariffs (China Daily, April 7). As of this writing, the situation remains fluid... MORE

In A Fortnight: The End of the Singapore Model
In many more ways than one, this year’s Two Sessions—an annual March meeting of China’s two highest legislative bodies—marked the end of an era. Among other developments, Xi Jinping signaled his unmatched control of the levers of power by remaking, seemingly at a stroke, China’s... MORE

In A Fortnight: Xi’s Other Amendments
A terse February 25 article by Xinhua News Agency sent shockwaves around the world with its announcement that the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Central Committee had proposed amending the PRC Constitution to remove term limits for the country’s president and vice-president (Xinhua, February 25).... MORE

In a Fortnight: In Maldives Standoff, China Looks to Safeguard Growing Interests
A deepening electoral crisis in the small island nation of the Maldives, located roughly 300 miles west-southwest of India’s southern tip, has highlighted the growth of Chinese interests in a part of the world long considered India’s strategic backyard, and points the way toward likely... MORE

Greying China Strains Social Safety Net, Healthcare System
Despite the repeal of the “One Child Policy” and implementation of the “Comprehensive Two-Child Policy” in January 2016, in mid-January, the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics released a report that revealed that China’s population has continued to decline (The Beijing News, January 18; China Brief,... MORE

China-Russia Relations Reality Check
In 2017, China and Russia trumpeted the closeness of their relationship, calling it a historic highpoint. Xi Jinping has made good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin a priority, visiting Russia six times and meeting with Putin on 21 occasions since taking office. Authoritative statements... MORE

China Faces Wintertime Energy Crisis of its Own Making
Northern China is facing an energy crisis this winter due to shortfalls in heating gas. Since mid-December, reports from Hebei, the province that surrounds Beijing and Tianjin, indicate that schools and residential areas are going without natural gas for heating. In Quyang county (曲阳县), southwest... MORE