Willy’s Corner

Beijing Battles Brewing Crisis in Financial Sector

Given that China is expected to contribute 24 percent of world growth this year, the fast-rising quasi-superpower is generally deemed a bastion of stability in the financial maelstrom that is hitting Europe and the United States. While Beijing, which is the largest holder of U.S.... MORE

Local Elections Open for All but the Independent Candidates

While much of the Middle East and North Africa has been swept by a “spring of democracy” since early this year, the Middle Kingdom is shrouded in deep winter. The latest manifestation of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) administration’s determination to “nip all destabilizing forces... MORE

Xi Jinping: China’s Conservative Strongman-in-Waiting

The world caught a rare glimpse of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping during U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s five-day visit to China last month. Xi is due to succeed Hu Jintao as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at its 18th Congress in... MORE

Troubled Railway Ministry Casts Doubt on Beijing’s Commitment to Reform

While the July 23 bullet train crash in the east China city of Wenzhou has damaged the credibility of the country’s high-speed railway program, Beijing’s apparent failure to prescribe effective remedial measures such as restructuring the Ministry of Railways (MOR) has cast doubt on the... MORE

Local Debt Problems Highlight Weak Links in China’s Economic Model

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership’s apparent failure to rein in reckless borrowing by local administrations has raised serious questions about the efficacy of the country’s stimulus package—and the viability of its vaunted economic model. Last month, the National Audit Administration (NAA) disclosed that regional... MORE

Mixing Marxism and Capitalism: CCP Celebrates its 90th Birthday

As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) marks its 90th birthday on July 1, on the surface the Party has reasons aplenty for indulging in some self-glorification. Having been in power continuously for 62 years, the CCP holds the world record for the longest term of... MORE

CCP Tightens Control over Courts

Chinese Chief Justice Wang Shengjun’s advocacy of out-of-court mediation as a favored means of settling civil disputes and “enhancing social harmony” has raised concerns about the further deterioration of the country’s rule of law and judicial independence. At a recent seminar for senior judges, Wang,... MORE

Chinese Citizens Challenge the Party’s Authoritarian Tilt

In what pundits have billed as a battle between David and Goliath, Chinese citizens appear to be pushing back on the all-powerful party-and-state apparatus that increasingly seems out of touch with popular aspirations. Efforts to challenge the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) supremacy are mounting even... MORE

The Death of Factions within the Chinese Communist Party?

On the surface, trends in recent months would suggest that the conservative and reformist wings of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are locked in a ferocious struggle over seminal issues such as political liberalization and the treatment of dissidents. On the one hand, public and... MORE