Latest Articles about China and the Asia-Pacific
Understanding the Intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative and China’s Supply-Side Structural Reform
Introduction The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been a focal issue for understanding the foreign policy of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Some observers view the BRI as representing a new phase of economic globalization and regional economic integration. Others argue that the... MORE
The CCP Extends Its Policies of Forced Ethnic Assimilation to Inner Mongolia
Introduction The government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has extended its draconian policies regarding the forced assimilation of ethnic minorities into the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区, Nei Menggu Zizhiqu) (IMAR). From this year’s new school term onwards, students in primary and secondary... MORE
China Expands Its Railway Presence in Caspian Region
Since early September, media in Caspian littoral countries have been filled with stories about the expansion of Chinese rail operations there, a development that represents a double challenge to Moscow (Kaspiyskiy Vestnik, September 17). First, this expanded Chinese presence undermines Russia’s influence over these countries... MORE
Xinjiang’s System of Militarized Vocational Training Comes to Tibet
Introduction and Summary In 2019 and 2020, the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) introduced new policies to promote the systematic, centralized, and large-scale training and transfer of “rural surplus laborers” to other parts of the TAR, as well as to other provinces of the People’s Republic... MORE
Dismissing European Outrage, Russia Turns Itself Into a ‘Great Pariah Power’
With its latest double breach of norms of international behavior—poisoning the opposition leader Alexei Navalny and embracing the discredited Belarusian autocrat, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka—Russia has managed to unite Europe in outrage. Last week (September 17), the European Parliament approved, by a large majority, a harsh... MORE
The China-U.S. Exchange Foundation and United Front “Lobbying Laundering” in American Politics
Introduction The China-U.S. Exchange Foundation (中美交流基金会, Zhong-Mei Jiaoliu Jijinhui) (CUSEF), a nominally private civic organization founded in Hong Kong in 2008, first emerged in early 2018 as a subject of public debate in the United States. At that time, controversies emerged over grants made by... MORE
Examining China’s Organ Transplantation System: The Nexus of Security, Medicine, and Predation / Part 3: China’s United Front Tactics in Managing the Narrative on Organ Trafficking
Editor’s Note: This is the third and final installment of an article series analyzing China’s policies and institutional architecture for surgical organ transplantation. The first two installments—"Part 1: “The Growth of China’s Transplantation System Since 2000” and “Part 2: Evidence for the Harvesting of Organs... MORE
The Role of Coopted Diaspora Groups in Czech and European United Front Work
Introduction As is true in much of Europe, the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Czech Republic heavily relies on the cultivation of political elites by party-state organs, overshadowing the role of coopted groups within the Chinese diaspora (China Brief, May 9;... MORE
The CCP’s United Front Network in Sweden
Introduction Throughout the last few years, Sweden’s relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has grown more tense. With increasing concerns about trade and technology mirroring discussions in other Western countries, the Swedish-Chinese relationship has been further strained as a result of Beijing’s kidnapping... MORE
The Northeastern Dimension of Russia’s ‘Ocean Shield 2020’ Naval Exercises (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. Between late July and August 31, forces from Russia’s Northern, Black Sea, Pacific and Baltic fleets took part in the large-scale Ocean Shield 2020 naval military exercises, subsequently held in the western and then northeastern theaters (Portnews.ru,... MORE