President Xi announced a 300,000-personnel reduction at the 70th anniversary military parade (China Military Online, September 3). The reduction represents the most significant element of the current military reforms so far made public. Less contentious elements of the reform plan regarding training, rules and regulations,... MORE

Over the past 12 months, China and a number of similarly-minded countries have taken firm steps to challenge the internet status quo. The January redrafting of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)–sponsored United Nations Information Security Code of Conduct, the signing of a China-Russia “cyber pact”... MORE

The month of August began for Chinese netizens with terrible news. Two siblings, aged 15 and 12, were murdered in a gruesome double homicide (QQ News Online, August 8). The story of the children’s murder struck a chord with the Chinese public, particularly because the... MORE

This is the second PLA special operations article. The first article appeared in the previous edition of China Brief and addressed special operations forces, command and planning, training and future direction. Special Operations Forces (SOF) execute key strategic and operational combat missions, respond to non-traditional security threats,... MORE

Following the 2002 Bali bombings, Indonesia confronted a seemingly unmanageable terrorist problem. Over the next decade, however, the country became widely viewed as a counter-terrorism success story as the threat from al-Qaeda-linked or -inspired jihadist groups declined dramatically. Unfortunately, the transnational pull of the conflicts... MORE

On September 3, China held a military parade commemorating the end of World War II (WWII). A departure from previous parades, which only took place on China’s October 1 National Day, this parade had a significant international focus, featuring troops from 17 countries, veterans of... MORE

Almost immediately after the devastating explosions near Tianjin Port at 11 pm, August 12, President Xi Jinping convened his closest aides to check whether there was any political motivation behind one of the most atrocious accidents in China in recent memory. At the beginning of... MORE

China will host a huge military parade in Beijing on September 3, and President Vladimir Putin will be in attendance—returning President Xi Jinping’s earlier gesture of Sino-Russian partnership, which the Chinese head of state expressed as the top guest of honor at the parade in... MORE

This past week marked the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. On August 14, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave a speech commemorating the end of the war and expressing regret and repentance for Japan’s role in the war... MORE

In the run-up to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Fifth Central Committee Plenum scheduled for October, President Xi Jinping has adopted a number of tactics to consolidate his power. Xi, who is also CCP General Secretary and Chairman of the policy-setting Central Military Commission (CMC),... MORE