Latest Articles about China and the Asia-Pacific
Georgian Authorities Seek to Block Azerbaijani Investment in Telecommunications Infrastructure
On July 17, Georgia’s parliament approved amendments to the Law on Electronic Communications, which will allow the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) to appoint “special managers” to telecommunications companies (Civil.ge, July 17). The GNCC is a state regulatory authority charged with distributing electronic communication protocols (rules... MORE
Semi-Submersible Heavy Lift Vessels: A New “Maritime Relay Platform” for PLA Cross-Strait Operations?
Introduction In August, naval and aviation forces of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) conducted exercise activity in four different maritime regions: the Bohai Gulf, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea. This unusual level of exercise activity represented an effort to demonstrate... MORE
The Controversies and Security Concerns Surrounding TikTok
Introduction In July, the music and lip-syncing short-video app TikTok (蒂克托克, DikeTuoke)—popularly used by dancers, singers, magicians and fashion bloggers—became another point of tension in the growing conflict between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC). On July 31, U.S. President Donald... MORE
Beijing’s Ambitions to Build Cross-Strait Transportation Infrastructure
Introduction In January of last year, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping gave a landmark speech about Taiwan in which he called for the construction of bridges between China’s Fujian Province and offshore islands under Taiwan’s jurisdiction (Xinhua, January 2, 2019). Xi’s speech... MORE
China-U.K. Relations Grow More Strained Over Huawei and Hong Kong
Introduction In October 2015, People’s Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping visited the United Kingdom at the request of Queen Elizabeth II, marking the first time that the PRC head of state had done so in ten years. In the lead-up to the visit,... MORE
The Strategic Implications of Chinese UAVs: Insights from the Libyan Conflict
Introduction In recent years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has emerged as a leading producer of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms for both commercial and military use, and its technologies are being used in unprecedented ways. For example, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to... MORE
Integrating the PLA Rocket Force into Conventional Theater Operations
Introduction Currently, only limited analytical discussion exists regarding the command authorities over China’s land-based ballistic and cruise missile inventory. Much of the discourse surrounding the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF)—the military service that operates most of China’s land-based precision strike systems—focuses on nuclear command... MORE
The CCP’s Official Journal Falls in Line with Xi Jinping’s Cult of Personality
Introduction Since 1988, the journal Qiushi (求是), produced bimonthly by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee, has served as the CCP’s leading official theoretical journal. Commenced under the tenures of then-CCP General Secretary Zhao Ziyang and then-paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, the journal was intended... MORE
The CCP’s Economic Plans in the Lead-Up to the Fifth Party Plenum
Introduction Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping has given top priority to a policy of domestic consumption and innovation to ensure “safe economic growth” and to counter U.S. President Trump’s apparent efforts to boycott high-end Chinese firms and products. According to a CCP... MORE
The Sino-Russian Disinformation Axis During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Introduction For the first time, the European Commission has identified the People’s Republic of China (PRC), along with Russia and other actors, as responsible for conducting “targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns in the EU, its neighborhood, and globally” (European Commission, June 10). In the... MORE