Latest Articles about China and the Asia-Pacific

This article is condensed from a longer paper, available for download here. Since summer of 2017, troubling reports in Western media outlets about large-scale detentions of ethnic Muslim minorities (including Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz) in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have multiplied (The Guardian,... MORE

How PRC Diplomatic Messaging Impedes Its Foreign Policy Objectives

In today’s emotionally charged international moment, with populism and “fake news” dominating headlines, it is more important than ever for politicians and diplomats to work together effectively to manage perceptions and address the concerns of partner nations. China has particularly well-known concerns over its inefficient... MORE

Putting Xi’s Imperial Presidency in Perspective

The removal of presidential term limits from China’s state constitution is another step along the road of authoritarian rule for China. However, most observers today seem to miss that this in no way signifies a fundamental shift in the CCP’s mode of governance [1]. Rather,... MORE

In Drive for Tech Independence, Xi Doubles Down on Civil-Military Fusion

Amid growing tensions with the United States over technology and trade, China is elevating civil-military fusion (军民融合) to the center of the country’s cybersecurity and informatization agenda (New America, April 30). “We must grasp the historical opportunity of the current information technology transformation and new... MORE

Concern Mounts in Beijing over Xi’s Aggressive Tactics

Recent days have seen a burst of relatively moderate views from official opinion-makers in China. Global Times chief editor Hu Xijin wrote in his weibo blog last week that “our country has indeed in the recent past adopted some high-sounding rhetoric.” “This has boosted the... MORE

Russia Retreats From International Developments

The end of April was extraordinarily rich in high-profile international events—and Russia was conspicuously absent from all these dynamics. The president of South Korea and the North Korean dictator planted a pine tree of peace just to the south of the ceasefire line that still... MORE

China and Georgia Deepen Transit Cooperation

On April 12, Georgia’s Economy Minister Dimitry Kumsishvili, along with three other high-level Georgian officials, participated in a joint People’s Bank of China–International Monetary Fund conference on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in Beijing. During the conference, Kumsishvili and Chinese Minister of Transport Li... MORE