Latest Articles about China and the Asia-Pacific

The US-China Hong Kong Sanctions Face Off

Introduction Since the passage of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) on July 1, 2020, the US has sanctioned 42 individuals for their role in the imposition of the law. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has responded with countersanctions targeting the US, and... MORE

Factional Strife Intensifies as Xi Strives to Consolidate Power

More evidence has emerged of a ferocious power struggle between China’s supreme leader, President Xi Jinping and powerful factions and personages including former Vice-President Zeng Qinghong and current Vice President Wang Qishan. Not-so-subtle instances of in-fighting among these influential figures and their cliques have emerged... MORE

New Editor’s Introductory Note

The changes currently underway in China are immense and their outcome uncertain. 2021 has been a momentous year in Chinese politics, with more big changes set to come out of the Communist Party Central Committee's sixth plenum in November. Next year will lead up to... MORE

Opportunities and Challenges for China’s Plans in Afghanistan

Introduction In a September meeting between China’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu and Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, China declared that its first batch of humanitarian aid will reach Afghanistan before the arrival of winter. (The News, September 28). The emergency humanitarian aid is... MORE

Far From a Panopticon, Social Credit Focuses on Legal Violations

Introduction Two new pieces of draft authority on China’s social credit system, directories of data inputs and punitive outputs from the General Office of the State Council, provide further clarity into the system’s ultimate form and purposes.[1] These official guidance documents present a picture of... MORE