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China tangled up in industrial espionage
A plethora of hot-button issues
under the headline "Chinese government engages in industrial espionage to rip
off US companies" are set to rattle relations in the run-up to the US
presidential election after a criminal indictment over alleged attempts by a
state-run group to acquire American chemical giant DuPont's closely-held secret
for making titanium dioxide. The murky case has its origins in the explosive
growth in China of the pigment that makes things "whiter than white". - Peter
Lee (Feb 10, '12)
China's liberals keep the flame alive
The influence in China of reformist intellectuals has been on the wane ever
since the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Yet it is significant that remnant
liberals both in and out of the party have in the past several months staged a
vigorous campaign to hold aloft the flickering flame of reform. Nationally
known figures are patrons of their debates. - Willy Lam
(Feb 9, '12)
 SINOGRAPH
Good reason to
red-carpet Merkel
All European Union countries speak for themselves and for the EU as a whole in
China, but Germany is seen by Beijing - quite naturally - as its colossus. With
China interested in how the euro and Europe, perhaps politically united, might
be saved, visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel got extra special red-carpet
treatment. - Francesco Sisci (Feb 8, '12)
Hong Kong clash stirs the pot for
Taiwan
As relations between people in Hong Kong and mainlanders in the city plummet,
Taiwanese has reason for concern that the same social frictions could mar
developing ties. Yet as Beijing and Taipei close ranks, the conditions that
have stirred intense feelings among Hongkongers towards their mainland brethren
are far from being present to embitter the strengthening cross-strait brew. - Jens
Kastner (Feb 8, '12)
Kidnaps highlight urgent task for
China
Fresh from kidnappings in Sudan and Egypt and an unprecedented evacuation from
Libya last year, China is increasing confronted by problems over how to protect
a growing band of workers abroad. From the Mekong to Africa, cooperation with
other nations is possible, but Beijing must also look inward and decide which
institution steps in when Chinese nationals are in trouble overseas. - Mathieu
Duchatel and Bates Gill (Feb 7, '12)
Beijing finds vulnerable ally in
Berlin
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to China highlights a significant
warming of relations as the countries find common ground on issues ranging from
the eurozone crisis to Libya. However, China is concerned that an easing of
economic troubles will see Berlin and Europe betray Beijing's vision of a
multipolar world and return to the high ground over human rights and democracy.
- Jian Junbo (Feb 7, '12)
Run-up to proxy war over Syria
Russia and China's double veto of the Arab League resolution on Syria in the
United Nations Security Council could come to mark the end of the "post-Soviet
era" in world politics. As a test of will develops over Damascus, the
coordinated move to challenge Washington on its triumphalist march from Libya
toward Syria and Iran constitutes a watershed event. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Feb 6, '12)
Mainland chip on Hong Kong's shoulder
An inflammatory newspaper advert in Hong Kong depicting mainland Chinese as
"locusts" exploiting the island's social welfare system has capped a month of
cross-cultural tensions. While decrying mainlanders as uneducated bumpkins
eating noodles on trains or as nouveau riche frequenting high fashion stores,
Hong Kongers should perhaps remember the contribution visiting Chinese make to
their economy. - Kent Ewing (Feb 2, '12)
A dragon dance in the Negev
Bedouins of the Negev will soon witness a Chinese-built railway line snaking
its way through the desert to the eastern Mediterranean and the oil and gas
reserves of the Levant Basin. The "Med-Red" plan is symbolic of China's bold
Middle East advance on three parallel tracks; to engage Iran, Persian Gulf oil
states and Israel, Beijing's new strategic partner. The geopolitical
implications are profound, while the adroit diplomacy poses unsolvable riddles
for other outside powers. - M K Bhadrakumar (Feb
1, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Dai talks the talk,
walks the line
for Xi
China State Counselor Dai Bingguo's visit to India marks the beginning of a
thaw that takes the neighbors off a dangerous war path over the longest
contested border in the world. An agreement that could one day - though not now
- lead to a Line of Actual Control and warm words set the compass as Beijing
prepares for Xi Jinping, vice president and anointed future leader, to go west
to Washington. - Francesco Sisci (Jan 31 '12)
Dissent exacts a different price for
Liu
Publication of a new collection of poems and essays by Liu Xiaobo, the
imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate, comes as China is stepping up its
repression of dissidents and activists. Liu, the first Chinese citizen living
in China to win the prize, chose to stay - other writers have taken another
route and paid a different price. - Emily-Anne Owen
(Jan 31 '12)
Cross-strait winds of change blow
cold
Unprecedented Chinese interest in Taiwan's elections saw social networks abuzz
with envious comment and "political tourists" visiting the island, spurring
predictions that democracy could be exported to the mainland. However,
Beijing's already dim view of dissent is harsher in times of a leadership
transition, and years of Chinese exposure to orderly polling elsewhere have not
had much of an impact. - Jens Kastner (Jan
30'12)
Will China help out the West in
Sudan?
China is considered key to ending the crisis in the Horn of Africa as Sudan's
President Omar al-Bashir puts a US$15 billion price-tag on the survival of his
Western-backed, breakaway neighbor South Sudan. That is the value Bashir seeks
to exact to keep open the pipeline from the South that supplies 5% of China's
oil imports. After doing the strategic math on what amounts to a
multi-billion-dollar, multi-decade punt, Beijing will likely keep the book shut
. - Peter Lee (Jan 27, '12)
China losing media war over
self-immolation
While China insists a series of 15 self-immolations by Tibetan monks was
incited by outside forces as a "separatist agenda under religious cover", the
prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile, Lobsang Sangay, tells Asia
Times Online the acts were an outpouring of desperation over "peaking" rights
abuses. Beijing's refusal to allow observers into Tibet inevitably undermines
its version of events. - Vishal Arora (Jan
25, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Rebels quashed
by New Year
gift
For a few weeks, a former fishing village in Guangdong was known to the world
as the symbol of rebellion and violent crackdown in communist China. That all
changed with a Lunar New Year gift to rebels that goes to show how party
leaders are far more nimble than their caricatures at home and abroad would
project - and points to creative thinking for political dialogue. - Francesco
Sisci (Jan 25, '12)
INTERVIEW
Power grew out of Zheng He's gunboats
Admiral Zheng He's armadas sailed from Nanjing to as far as East Africa over
eight voyages between 1405-1433. Most Chinese lionize the Muslim eunuch as an
ambassador of peace and friendship. But Australian historian Geoffrey Wade
tells Victor Fic the admiral was a Ming military commander pursuing
gunboat diplomacy, and indicts him for war crimes. (Jan
25, '12)
Iranian oil poses Asian dilemma
It makes tactical sense for countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, India
and Turkey to slowly retrench from Iranian oil, but it would be a strategic
disaster for them to become reliant on Western approval to access Middle
Eastern energy, which will remain important in Asia's energy mix for at least
some more years. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jan 24,
'12)
Europe passes the oil buck to China
By agreeing to close off Iran's second-biggest oil market, European foreign
ministers have dramatically escalated the pressure on Iran to negotiate
seriously on its nuclear program. However, the immediate effect will be to pass
the diplomatic initiative to Iran's largest trading partner, China, which will
reluctantly become a powerful arbiter of the oil market and Iran's fate. - Phil
Radford (Jan 24, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
Refugees blur Bhutan's image
Bhutan has a carefully cultivated image of mountain vistas and peaceful
Buddhist temples with a content people whose state of mind is measured by a
Gross National Happiness. This fine picture makes no account of the forced
expulsion of a significant portion of the population. - David Koppers
(Jan 24, '12)
Sheikhs fall in love with
renminbi
A currency swap that puts more of the Chinese currency in the vaults of Persian
Gulf countries almost went unnoticed as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao scouted the
region last week for friendship, not oil - to paraphrase his words. As they
wake up to bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary in their oil trade with
Asia, Gulf leaders know that in a volatile world the "people's currency" smells
as comforting as a cup of Arabica. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Jan 23, '12)
Here be dragons
Criticism that a postage stamp launched to mark the Year of the Dragon was too
fierce to represent today's China ignores the auspiciousness of the year and
that dragons - like emperors - also offer protection. The paradox of the
dragon's power and benevolence is fitting for a year to be dominated by China's
influence over territorial disputes and economic woes. - Kent Ewing
(Jan 23, '12)
Saudi Arabia pivots toward Asia
As the exploitation of its own gas and oil resources leads to a future in which
the United States washes its hands of Middle Eastern intractables and oil,
Saudi Arabia's primacy in US energy concerns is weakening. The kingdom needs a
Plan B, and its latest effort this week to strengthen ties with China, perhaps
already its largest customer, highlights an awkward transition to an anxious
oil and gas partner to Asia's surging economies. - Peter Lee
(Jan 20, '12)
Beijing expects pay back from Ma
While President Ma Ying-jeou says his re-election mandates him to protect
Taiwan's sovereignty and seek its entry into international bodies, China sees
his victory as Taiwanese vindication of the 1992 Consensus that asserts both
sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of one China. Beijing has delivered on its
economic promises, now it expects Ma to respond with concessions that could
create a roadmap for reunification. - Yvonne Su
(Jan 19, '12)
SINOGRAPH
Ma's re-election rings
loudest on
the mainland
The re-election of President Ma Ying-jeou in Taiwan probably has more important
consequences for Beijing than for the island. Political reunification is far in
the future, but the the political questions are on the agenda and de facto
pressing Beijing's own political reforms schedule today. In a way, Ma's victory
at the weekend also provided China with a favorable environment to cope with
its prickly security issues in restive regions. - Francesco Sisci
(Jan 18, '12)
China weighs 'right side of history'
in Gulf
While a tour by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was solidifying political and energy
ties with Sunni Gulf countries, Beijing was at the same time standing
shoulder-to-shoulder with Shi'ite Iran over United States sanctions. That the
Saudis invited Wen despite tensions with Tehran shows China's diplomatic
hedging is paying off. Meanwhile, Washington's attempt to sanction a Chinese
oil firm smacks of desperation. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Jan 17, '12)
Taiwan's opposition licks its wounds
Unexpectedly comfortable victories for Beijing-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou
and his Kuomintang party in Taiwan's Sunday elections suggest the
anti-unification Democratic Progressive Party is fighting a losing battle, with
the opposition facing the United States' and China's joint desire for
cross-strait continuity and apparently rising indifference to independence. - Jens
Kastner (Jan 17, '12)
SPEAKING FREELY
The war is with China,
the
battleground Africa
The obvious intent of the United States' stated focus on the Asia-Pacific is to
remind the rising China that America is still the big dog; the glaze at the
Asia-Pacific is not that region at all, it is Africa. - Dieter Neumann
(Jan 12, '12)
Taiwan vote may trip up US and China
The United States and China share many reasons to hope Taiwan's President Ma
Ying-jeou is re-elected in Sunday's elections. All the same, victory for the
anti-unification Democratic Progressive Party's Tsai Ing-wen in the close race
is unlikely to spur major policy shifts in Washington or Beijing. While Tsai is
reluctant to roll back cross-strait relations, China has little incentive to
punish the island. - Jens Kastner (Jan 12,
'12)
Call for US naval
build-up in South China Sea
A think-tank with close ties to the administration of President Barack Obama
has called for Washington to pursue a policy of "cooperative primacy" in the
South China Sea to both avoid future conflict with Beijing and preserve freedom
of navigation and the independence of smaller countries in the region. First
though, the US needs to bolster its navy, the report suggests. - Jim Lobe
(Jan 11, '12)
 SUN
WUKONG
Hu warns successors
over 'peaceful
evolution'
President Hu Jintao's call for China to resist ideological infiltration by
"hostile forces" was widely seen as a declaration of war against Western
culture, similar to spiritual pollution campaigns in the 1980s. However, Hu was
actually warning those who will take power at this year's 18th Communist Party
congress to stay awake to the greatest threat to communist rule - "peaceful
evolution". - Wu Zhong (Jan 10, '12)
Grim future for Wukan model
Optimism that China's land seizures, inequality and corruption could be solved
by simply listening to activists rather than through suppression, as apparently
happened in Guangdong's Wukan village, is undermined by pressures on local
governments to contribute to the national growth rate. With land transactions
accounting for at least half of revenues, regional administrations are unlikely
to soon stop cracking heads. - Willy Lam (Jan
10, '12)
China's new role in the making of
Europe
If China opts to support the eurozone it will become a significant investor in
European integration, while helping to create a world where the United States
dollar loses absolute pre-eminence. The level of Sino-European interdependence
achieved during China's renaissance will likely accelerate as Europe better
understands China's governance and as Beijing greater appreciates the
complexities of the continent. - David Gosset
(Jan 9, '12)
Taiwan's Diving Dragon resurfaces
Reports that Taiwan is seeking non-United States assistance to indigenously
build diesel-electric submarines continue to emerge despite the reluctance of
India or European countries to risk such a massive snub to China. The renewed
focus could be explained by the "game-changing" impact subs could have on a
cross-strait conflict, with President Ma Ying-jeou needing to reassure voters
of his steel ahead of Saturday's elections. - Jens Kastner
(Jan 9, '12)
Guangdong boss bets on velvet glove
Villagers from Guangdong's Wukan have welcomed the provincial authorities'
desicion to investigate land seizures that spurred attention-grabbing protests
there. While local party chief Wang Yang hopes his handling of the case secures
a Politburo Standing Committee seat at this year's leadership shuffle, his
softer line is up against Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai's more "ruthless"
approach to crime and corruption. - Kent Ewing
(Jan 6, '12)
BOOK REVIEW
Invisible walls in Xinjiang
The tree that bleeds: a Uighur town on the edge by Nick Holdstock
A snapshot of Xinjiang province's Yining city four years after deadly ethnic
riots in 1997, this book provides insights into how fraught relations between
Uyghurs and and Han Chinese were worsened by Beijing's divisive rules and
policies, particularly in education. The separate dormitories, canteens and
admissions described as the ethnicities "pretend the other doesn't exist" make
recent violence easier to understand. - Michael Rank
(Jan 6, '12)
China sends a message to Nepal
The most recent manifestation of Nepal's political crisis is handwringing over
the postponement of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit. Beijing's decision
gives traction to the perception that the Nepalese government, under
(India-educated) Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, is determined to strengthen
relations with India - at China's expense if necessary. - Peter Lee
(Jan 5, '12)
THE NEW FACE OF NORTH KOREA
China rallies behind supreme leader
China's desire for a smooth power transition saw it swiftly back Kim Jong-eun
following his father's death, with Beijing inviting him for a visit and urging
Seoul and Washington not to promote regime change. China is not only concerned
over instability causing a refugee influx, it also needs a Northeast Asian
buffer against the United States' "return to Asia". - Yvonne Su
(Jan 4, '12)
SINOGRAPH
China and Japan find
common ground
A significant monetary agreement between China and Japan could become a
platform for political convergence. In the short term, the currency swap makes
it easier for Beijing and Tokyo to help America and Europe. In the long term, a
new regional order could be built around North Korea that sees Japan and the US
become China's important strategic partners. - Francesco Sisci
(Jan 4, '12)
Trying times in US-China ties
Both China and the United States enter 2012 fragile, needing one another to be
strong while at the same time resenting the vestiges of strength each appears
to have over the other (China resenting America's regional position and
military power while America resents China's seemingly stable economy). This is
in a nutshell the peril: both have as much to gain from seeing the other
stumble as from stability. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Jan 3, '12)
Hong Kong's unwanted Christmas
present
In 1941, Hong Kong's governor Sir Mark Young declared the then-British colony
well prepared to resist any attack. The fact that he was plain wrong will
resound in the minds of international veterans and Chinese civilians who
suffered at the hands of an Imperial Japanese force that 70 years ago this
Christmas took the colony after a lightning 17-day campaign. - Ronan Thomas
(Dec 21, '11)
Maybe that war with China isn't so
far off
The United States has the doctrine, the means and the motivation to make
mischief for China in 2012. In an unusually toxic election year, expect the US
to feed the "return to Asia" narrative with the specter of China as an arrogant
and destabilizing regional threat. That will make China leery and ready to
repel any sign that Washington may apply its "preventative diplomacy" doctrine
to cross red lines in Taiwan, Tibet and the South China Sea. Miscalculation on
either side could spark trouble. - Peter Lee (Dec
21, '11)
China struts ahead with swagger
China's leaders may be forgiven their swagger and new assertiveness, but
ultimately the country's social stability and the fate of its authoritarian
regime depend on a simple equation that amounts to an unspoken agreement
between the government and the people: high economic growth=social stability
and support for the Communist Party. - Kent Ewing
(Dec 21, '11)
INTERVIEW
Getting the dragon onboard
The Chinese may have an attitude whereby they want to exploit the rest of the
world for their own benefit. They do not see themselves yet as a responsible
leader of the world economy in a way we would like them to. The issue is how
can we bring China to stand alongside Europe and America? So asks Giles Chance,
author of China and the Credit Crisis in a conversation with Benjamin A
Shobert. (Dec 21, '11)
BOOK REVIEW
A future with China
China and the Credit Crisis: the Emergence of a New World Order by
Giles Chance The book explores the inter-connection between United
States policy and China's participation in globalization. The presentation on
what the current economic crisis means regarding the future of the US dollar
and the necessary adjustment by the world's financial and regulatory systems to
incorporate China's needs are balanced and satisfying. Yet the most important
reason to read this work may be what it has to offer about how these troubled
times will reshape US-China relations. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Dec 21, '11)
All roads lead to Myanmar
With Myanmar slowly opening up, Western countries that shunned the country for
decades are likely to stream in. In response, India, Singapore and Thailand can
be expected to step up their engagement to protect their influence ahead of the
arrival of American and European business. China, which has invested huge
amounts of capital and other resources, is unlikely to watch passively as its
presence is whittled away. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Dec 21, '11)
Cunning Kim confounds to the last
A perpetual source of consternation for both allies and adversaries in life,
now North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has in death complicated crucial political
junctures for the United States, South Korea and China, as well as potentially
sabotaging hopes of revived nuclear talks. Many who feared the Dear Leader's
appetite for destruction have woken up to a fragile, post-Kim world where the
threat seems many times greater. - Sunny Lee (Dec
20, '11)
TAIWAN GETS READY TO VOTE
Polls put DPP ahead in three-horse
race
The most reliable survey of Taiwan voter opinion puts anti-unification
candidate Tsai Ing-wen ahead of incumbent Ma Ying-jeou in the island's January
14 presidential and legislative elections. Beijing dreads a win for Tsai and
her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and has indicated it will hobble her
presidency. If votes for James Soong Chu-yu's People's First Party mean the DPP
fails to control parliament, the result will likely be a lame-duck government
anyway. - Jens Kastner (Dec 20, '11)
SINOGRAPH
And the winner is ...
Hu Jintao by
a shadow
It is almost sacrilegious to say it, but there is already a real winner of
Taiwan's presidential election - China's President Hu Jintao. No matter who is
elected the island's leader, it is impossible to escape the mainland's grasp. A
crowd of economic figures and links in travel and communications solidify this
reality. Political reunification is already underway and as Beijing has cast
its shadow, Taipei's shadow also falls on the mainland. - Francesco Sisci
(Dec 20, '11)
SPEAKING FREELY
A journey through Inner Mongolia
Spending time in Inner Mongolia is an interesting experience, especially when
in some places Mongolian culture is overshadowed by Chinese culture. - David
Koppers (Dec 20, '11)
US Congress fights China on all
fronts
A United States congressional hearing held up Nobel Peace Prize Liu Xiaobo's
trial and detention as a stark harbinger of Beijing's political direction,
while challenging long-held US notions that economic ties will nurture
liberalization. As ideological and trade differences widen, congress envisions
a new policy of engagement that isolates China, with the leadership deprived of
the economic growth it depends on for legitimacy. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Dec 15, '11)
SPEAKING FREELY
Self-immolation tests China
Contrary to most observations, self-immolation does not suggest growing
frustration among the Tibetans. Rather, it indicates newer kinds of protest in
the face of newer kinds of repressive measures from Beijing. - Abanti
Bhattacharya (Dec 15, '11)
The dragon brings change under heaven
China's favored candidate, Henry Tang Ying-yen, is reported to be in the lead
over popular candidate Leung Chun-ying in the race to become chief executive of
Hong Kong in the Year of the Dragon. However, revelations that Tang had an
extra-marital affair and accusations he's out of touch with the less wealthy
are spicing up the island's typically staid leadership contest. - Augustine Tan
(Dec 14, '11)
SINOGRAPH
China and the shadow of German
history
At this point in history for China there is room to argue that the nation is
faring better than Europe or the United States. Mounting internal criticism of
the "Peaceful Evolution" doctrine and resistance to political and economic
reform ignore the fact that China's model is creating a growing misalignment of
interests between China and the rest of the world. The shadow of the history of
Germany 100 years ago holds a warning for China today. - Francesco Sisci
(Dec 14, '11)
China's toxic soup
As a potentially deadly smog cloud with a toxicity that was off the charts hit
Beijing last week, a haze of misinformation seen in low official readings had
many city-dwellers turning to microblogs for accurate air-quality information.
A cold front has cleared the fearsome fog, but the apathy of the leaders and
the environmental consequences of rapid growth will likely see another soon
descend. - Kent Ewing (Dec 13, '11)
US misses its cue in Pacific theater
In its posture over Asia-Pacific, the United States acts as if preparing for a
new protracted Cold War to contain Beijing, but its rationale demonstrates a
crude failure to discern that China is no longer ruled by the People's
Liberation Army alone. Washington appears to be forcing Beijing's hand by
increasing its military presence in the region, which will strengthen the very
group of people that the US does not wish to see in power. - Yong Kwon
(Dec 12, '11)
China tunnel and nuclear warhead
follies
The Washington Post kicked off a furor with publication of academic claims that
China may be hiding as many as 3,000 nuclear warheads in a maze of underground
tunnels. The wonderful story had two flaws: the parts that were true weren't
new (the "Underground Great Wall of China" is notorious) and the parts that
were new appear not be true (the 3,000-warhead extrapolation has now been
abandoned). On another level, it highlights a continuing nuclear stand-off
between the United States and China. - Peter Lee
(Dec 9, '11)
Bear nettles the eagle, dragon
smiles
While Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accuses the United States of
stirring protests in Moscow against him, Washington is clearly getting up front
and personal about the high probability of Putin's return as president. For
Beijing, the spat and the prospect of an assertive Putin back on top mean
coordination with Moscow will deepen even further on many fronts vital to
China's interests. If the eagle were to fall into a trap it set for the bear,
that would spell joy for the dragon. - M K Bhadrakumar
(Dec 9, '11)
China pitches fork at invading
'Pacific
President'
China has adopted a multi-pronged approach to deaden the diplomatic offensive
mounted by the United States' first "Pacific President". Reassurances that
Beijing will play by the rules over the South China Sea, the tried-and tested
economic card and - perhaps its most potent weapon - a fast-modernizing navy
are all being deployed. Whether that game-plan will be sufficient depends
largely on Barack Obama's ability to get Japan and India to back his
"pivot-on-Asia" strategy. - Willy Lam (Dec 7,
'11)
Politics seen in cheap China-Taiwan
flights
Taiwan's opposition says discounted cross-strait Lunar New Year flights
brokered by the government are designed to encourage Taiwanese businesspeople
living on the mainland to head home to vote for the ruling party in January's
elections. While critics suspect a pro-China initiative to influence the vote,
not all Taiwan's expats see the Kuomintang party - or deeper cross-strait
integration - as the right choice. - Jens Kastner
(Dec 7, '11)
America vs China in Africa
The United States seem incapable of responding to the challenge as China
overtakes Africa's traditional trading partners. With counter terrorism the
White House's top foreign policy in Africa, China can only steal more of a
march in the second scramble for African resources that is now in full swing.
The United States and Europe seem stuck in neocolonial perspectives that paint
Africa as an impoverished backwater, while the Chinese seize the day in all
spheres. - Francis Njubi Nesbitt (Dec 6, '11)
SUN WUKONG
Hu and Wen's 128 million conundrum
Whatever achievements President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao can count when
they pass the helm next year, social problems that became increasingly acute on
their watch will not be among them. One figure, 128 million, points to their
failure. It is the number of city dwellers still condemned to be second-class
citizens under urban residency rules, and also the official number of people
living in poverty. - Wu Zhong (Dec 6, '11)
SINOGRAPH
East and West at a crossroads
As Europe shifts towards political unification and the United States hints at
recovery, China has cut its interest rates. But the fate of those sweeping
changes rests on how each power deals with rising Middle East tensions. The US
needs to balance reining in Iran with backing of the Arab Spring and Israel,
while Beijing should gaze beyond domestic stability. For Brussels, the
challenge rests on intervention. - Francesco Sisci
(Dec 6, '11)
Nepal bends to China over Tibet
Tibetans who've reached northeastern India say China has toughened refugee
controls and increased pressure on Nepal to tighten its borders, while
Dharamsala's exile community says arrivals have dropped too sharply since
Lhasa's 2008 riots to be attributed to Beijing's economics-based ethnic policy.
With China's premier set to visit Kathmandu this month, Nepal's Tibetan
minority fears heightened restrictions. - Saransh Sehgal
(Dec 5, '11)
Dead heat election raises Taiwan
stakes
Crude campaign representations of President Ma Ying-jeou as China's "Trojan
Horse" and of his competitor, Tsai Ing-we, as a pro-independence hardliner
underline the tense state of play in Taiwan ahead of January's presidential
polls. Foreign powers are equally transfixed by the contest. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Dec 2, '11)
SPEAKING FREELY
Making sense of self-immolation
An opinion piece in the China Daily added insult to the injury of Tibetan
persecution with an attack on the Dalai Lama over the recent spate of
self-immolation by Buddhist monks and nuns. While it is a violent act, it can
also be an inherently individualistic act of self-sacrifice that exacts no
apparent cost for others. - Dhundup Gyalpo (Dec
1, '11)
Rivals under the same heaven
The Obama administration's recent efforts to make its containment policy more
aggressive reflect a fundamental refusal to understand Chinese philosophy,
history, and hopes for future advancement. Such an immature approach has
failed, and will continue to fail, to derail China's peaceful rise. - Jian Junbo
(Nov 30, '11)
Author probes a teenage murder in
Peking
Pamela Werner's mutilated body was discovered in 1937 at the foot of an ancient
watchtower in Old Peking, and in spite of exhaustive investigation by her
desperate father, her murderers never brought to justice. Writer Paul French
insists his investigation gets to the heart of whether the teenager was killed
by White Russian exiles, members of a sex ring or right-wing Chinese. - Victor
Fic (Nov 30'11)
SPEAKING FREELY
India and the Asia-Pacific chessboard
India's place within changing Sino-United States political and security
equations needs to be reckoned with. Common sense would dictate that 'hedging'
and 'balancing' is perhaps the best safety net, but foreign policy fundamentals
need to be revisited, especially in regard to the most pressing issues with
China. Engagement rather than balancing and containment should be India's
policy brand. - Medha Bisht (Nov 30, '11)
A SINO-US PARADIGM SHIFT
Hardened features of a soft war
At the East Asia summit in Bali, US President Barack Obama looked
cool and in control, while Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao looked anything but. This
was a reversal of similar engagements in the past, as at this moment Beijing
faces unprecedented political challenges at home and in the region, where
Washington is poised to retake a starring role – perhaps even in a
confrontation between the Communist Party and the Chinese people themselves. - Francesco
Sisci (Nov 29, '11)
SPEAKING FREELY
Asia and the sea
powers, 1911 and 2011
There are fascinating comparisons between Britain's naval dominance in around
Asia early in the 20th century and that of the US a hundred years later. There
are also stark - even bizarre - differences, including America's indebtedness
to its greatest Asian "rival", China. - Alan G Jamieson
(Nov 29, '11)
Obama takes early aim at China for
2012
President Barack Obama's Asian tour this month re-affirmed the United States's
"return" to the region just as his Republican rivals were ramping up their
anti-Chinese rhetoric. However, rather than forward constructive Sino-US
dialogue, Obama's moves to form a security bloc and demands Beijing revalue its
currency suggest he too is more focused on the 2012 US presidential vote. - Kent
Ewing (Nov 29, '11)
SUN WUKONG
China's navy delivers Thanksgiving
spoiler
Chinese naval exercises in the Western Pacific are doing more than give United
States counterparts something to do over the Thanksgiving holiday. The latest
maneuvers underline Beijing's growing ability to extend naval power beyond the
immediate confines of the Chinese coastline even while already operating
against pirates in the Indian Ocean. - Wu Zhong
(Nov 28, '11)
Lieutenant Pike, Li Gang,
and China's Internet dilemma
A video involving a University of California police officer, "Occupy"
protesters and liberal use of a pepper-spray presented a relishing opportunity
for the Chinese Communist Party to point the finger at the hypocrisy of
American hectoring on democracy. The Internet judged the cop mercilessly, just
as netizens poured the people's opprobrium on an errant princeling, the son of
party official Li Gang, on a campus in that cyber-gulag behind the Great
Firewall. - Peter Lee (Nov 23, '11)
Proposed sale of Taiwan raises no
laughs
A satirical op-ed advising United States President Barack Obama to abandon
military support for Taiwan in exchange for China forgiving US$1.14 trillion of
American debt appears to have roots in reality. While the island is
conspicuously absent from the US's "return to Asia" plans, US liberal circles
have touted the same idea to boost Obama's re-election campaign. - Jens Kastner
(Nov 22, '11)
 SPENGLER
Dissonance grows
in US-China network
In the United States, the Internet supports the political belief of the right
to express an opinion, whereas in China it shows up the limitations to how
individuals may disagree with a government equipped to suppress dissent. While
American technology gives Beijing the ability to snoop into the online thoughts
of the Chinese people, tensions between political values and commercial
opportunities become a big issue for the United States when entry into a
compelling market is threatened. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Nov 21, '11)
It might not be an Asian
century after all
Demographics, resistance to democracy and complacency about its visible success
all risk taking the steam out of China's rising trajectory. If Beijing
erroneously concludes from the United States's financial crash that a command
economy is in its interests, and regards America as an enemy rather than as an
unthreatening rival, it will decline. The greatest challenge is not American
strength but American weakness. (Nov 21, '11)
America: The new sick man of Asia?
China, excluded from the free-trade aspirations of the Trans Pacific
Partnership, smarted from the lash of American condescension as the United
States flaunted Asia-Pacific solutions at a regional meeting in Honolulu. The
problem for Washington as it presses China to "play by the rules" and deliver
on a revalued currency and more open markets is that its own qualifications to
lead economic rejuvenation - rather than spread imperial malaise - are looking
increasing dubious. - Peter Lee (Nov 18, '11)
US, China role play for
ASEAN
China and the United States are reaffirming the tendency in Southeast Asia to
see both in terms of specialist roles: Beijing as the economic partner bringing
prosperity and Washington as guarding the peace. That dichotomy is
understandable and in full view at a current crop of summits. The Association
of Southeast Asian Nations wants China at arm's length from a security role as
it flexes its muscles in the South China Sea, and while more trade with America
is desired, that may drop off the radar if US priorities turn inward. - Donald K
Emmerson (Nov 18, '11)
US and China fret over Taiwan vote
While China believes defeat for President Ma Ying-jeou and the ruling
Kuomintang in Taiwan's January elections will usher in a new era of
pro-independence, Democratic Progressive Party agitation, Washington suspects
his DPP challenger, Tsai Ing-wen, intends to roll back years of cross-strait
political and economic detente. However, the Taiwanese have the final say, and
the polls are headed towards a photo finish. - Bonnie S Glaser and Brittany
Billingsley (Nov 17, '11)
Uyghurs challenged by life in Beijing
Separated by religion, language and culture, Uyghur migrants are treated with
suspicion by their Han Chinese countrymen in Beijing, with discrimination
leaving kebab stalls a sole option for work. Though the recent violence in
Xinjiang has hardened attitudes against them, the migrants complain that a Han
influx into their province leaves them "no homeland to return to". - Paloma
Robles (Nov 16, '11)
A thee-way waltz in Honolulu
United States President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry
Medvedev were on first name terms at the weekend's Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation summit in Honolulu, even though nothing particularly is happening
between their countries to justify the bonhomie. Chinese President Hu Jintao,
though, remains very much "Mr President", indicative of the strains between
Washington and Beijing. - M K Bhadrakumar (Nov
15, '11)
China feeds rumor mill with media
curbs
New media laws that ban China's reporters from using unverified information
from the Internet are targeted at rapidly spread online "rumors" that Beijing
says could destabilize society, such as false reports of the death of a leader.
However, censoring micro-blogs just helps rumors go viral - whether they are
true or not - and history suggests that hard facts dispel lies better than
manipulation. - Yvonne Su (Nov 15, '11)
The taxman cometh for Ai Weiwei
Beijing's decision to target anti-establishment artist Ai Weiwei through his
pocket presents the 54-year-old with the bleak choice of either paying the
US$2.4 million bill or accepting more jail time. While the latter would enhance
Ai's fearless status and throw a spotlight on China's justice system, the
brutal treatment he's endured in the past may factor in his decision. - Kent
Ewing (Nov 14, '11)
Will Aba be the CCP's Waterloo?
A string of self-immolations at a single Tibetan Buddhist monastery has put Aba
prefecture, a remote corner of Sichuan province, in the news again, three years
after violent protests in the run-up to the Beijing Summer Olympic Games and
the devastation of the Wenchuan earthquake. A rising death toll of radicalized
monks and mismanagement of the quake's aftermath will be taken as the Chinese
Communist Party's legacy if it continues along its path of repression and
re-education. - Peter Lee (Nov 10, '11)
Philippines roils South
China Sea
A war of words over a Philippine warship that became entangled with the cables
of a Chinese fishing vessel has roiled disputed waters already unsettled by a
show of force in the South China Sea, just as a meeting of world leaders looms
on the horizon to calm tensions. "No apologies were necessary and none was
given," says the Philippines government, while the China Communist Party's
English-language daily mouthpiece says Manila "should prepare for the sound of
cannons". - Al Labita (Nov 9, '11)
SUN WUKONG
Diplomat lets
Zhou facade slip
The stiff diplomatic facade perfected by late Chinese premier Zhou Enlai
remains key to the way China presents itself to the world. So it comes as
little surprise that when the Chinese ambassador to India flashed an inner core
of frustrated arrogance at a New Delhi press conference recently, he caused
uproar. The real surprise is that the sense Zhang Yan was out of line was felt
more keenly at home than in India. - Wu Zhong
(Nov 8, '11)
Beijing's brake in place for post-Ma
Taiwan
While the bid by People First Party chairman James Soong Chu-yu for Taiwan's
presidency will split the China-friendly voter base for the ruling
Kuomintang at next January's elections, it's not all bad news for Beijing.
Soong's known opposition to fiddling with cross-strait trade arrangements and
to military purchases makes him a reliable hedging tool against
pro-independence adventurism. - Jens Kastner (Nov
7, '11)
The wrong model for China
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but as relations with the
United States break down China seems to be making the worst possible choice by
opting to modify the "peaceful development" doctrine in Asia to mimic the US's
security-based foreign policy. High-handed bullying in the South China Sea and,
in miniature, Beijing's response to the deaths of its sailors in a bizarre
incident on the Mekong River hint at shift in sharing a "win-win" portfolio of
gains and interests with neighbors into emulation of a toxic national security
narrative. - Peter Lee (Nov 4, '11)
China-US satellite warning a
hot-button issue
People's Liberation Army hackers may have the ability to disrupt United States
deployment in an armed conflict by taking control of American observation
satellites, an independent advisory panel on relations with China warns the US
Congress in a forthcoming report citing at least four questionable strikes
consistent with Chinese techniques. Proponents of the "counter-space" threat
are troubled by the warning, while others claim its real target is
cyber-warfare funding.- Craig Guthrie (Nov 3,
'11)
Dark days for Taiwan's spies
Taipei insists plans to reduce the military intelligence budget will not impact
on China operations, but the cuts have fueled accusations that President Ma
Ying-jeou has decimated the island's once-proud spying capabilities to keep
Beijing happy. Revelations of a Taiwanese spy-cum-masterchef's gastronomic
adventures in a Paris cooking school only add to woes of the Military
Intelligence Bureau. - Jens Kastner (Nov 3,
'11)
SINOGRAPH
The scalpel and needle
as foreign
policy tools
Stark cultural differences on what constitutes a successful foreign
intervention in Western and Chinese traditions are epitomized in metaphor by
their contrasting approaches to curing illness. The West favors what it sees as
the decisive, bloody cut of the scalpel, while China favors needles that need
no band-aid, take a long-term view and are not applied at a time of crisis. - Francesco
Sisci (Nov 2, '11)
CHINA AND THE EUROZONE CRISIS
The dragon is no white knight
China's response to the advances of debt-stricken European Union leaders has
been positive. With the EU as China's biggest trading partner and as holder of
the world's biggest foreign reserves, Beijing has every reason for concern, but
is unlikely to be a philanthropist. Caution is the order of the day, and while
diplomatic niceties fade, only national interests are permanent. - Jian Junbo
(Nov 2, '11)
Jockeying intensifies for China's
politburo
Intense positioning has begun for positions on the nine-member Politburo
Standing Committee, the Chinese Communist Party's powerful inner sanctum where
seven members are expected to step down in 2012. One of the most visible
candidates is Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai, a charismatic princeling
whose catchphrase is to "sing red songs and to strike at black elements". - Willy
Lam (Nov 2, '11)
SUN WUKONG
Property capitalists hijack
China's
protest movement
Recent buyers of incomplete apartments in Beijing and Shanghai have hit the
streets to demand compensation after plummeting housing prices wiped out
potential returns. The agitations have drawn significantly less sympathy than
typical protests over abuses of power or injustice, but the government's
eagerness to compromise suggests any cause can exploit Beijing's sensitivity
over "mass incidents". - Wu Zhong (Nov 1,
'11)
Battle for Hong Kong University's
soul
The University of Hong Kong's vice chancellor is quitting following a
controversial visit by Chinese premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang in August that saw
students man-handled and detained by security. But pro-democracy advocates
aren't cheering Tsui Lap-chee's departure, suspecting his replacement will
embody elitist, pro-Beijing attitudes on show during Li's visit and erode the
institution's history of free speech. - Kent Ewing
(Oct 31, '11)
Mongolian core to Russia's nuclear
bid
Russia, through the legacy of an oversized Soviet-era weapons program, is
well-placed to become the prime player in the 21st century global nuclear fuel
industry if it can dominate trade in uranium. That's where a focus on
Mongolia's reserves and hardball tactics come into the frame. The lack of
interest on the part of the United States in Moscow's push is especially
curious - until one considers what a Russian monopoly would mean for China. - Peter
Lee (Oct 28, '11)
Uyghurs see bias in China's
anti-terror laws
Uyghur groups are concerned draft legislation that defines terrorist acts and
organizations will raise the specter of shadowy Central and South Asian
organizations orchestrating violence in Xinjiang, with the government using
this to justify crackdowns on legitimate economic and social frustrations in
the restive Muslim region. However, proponents say the bill targets no specific
area or ethnic group. - April Sain-Ley-Berry (Oct
28, '11)
Taiwan's Ma talks peace but gets an
earful
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou has touted an unprecedented peace deal with
China to end decades of animosity, with the opposition saying the pact would
weaken Taipei's position, potentially inviting invasion. Though this may
dent Ma's image ahead of next January's elections, the move also forces his
opponents' hands on the sensitive unification issue. - Jens Kastner
(Oct 26, '11)
China seeks military bases in
Pakistan
China says it will not accede to Islamabad's request and build a naval facility
at Gwadar in Balochistan province. This could change in a flash if China is
allowed to establish military bases in Pakistan's tribal areas from where
rebels launch cross-border attacks into troubled Xinjiang province. India,
which suspects China already has troops in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, is
watching developments with some trepidation. - Amir Mir
(Oct 25, '11)
China isn't cool - yet
China wants an international cultural impact comparable to its economic
importance, with an image shaped by rich traditions replacing perceptions of
authoritarian government, corruption and food scandals. However, the vague and
stilted manner in which Communist Party bureaucrats laid out the strategy
suggests Beijing will struggle to compete with Hollywood blockbusters and
iconic American TV series in setting the cool agenda. - Kent Ewing
(Oct 25, '11)
WTO jangles keys to China censorship
A landmark United States filing to the World Trade Organization may lift the
lid on the censorship regime in China by posing hard questions on attempts by
Beijing to control the Internet. The trajectory of US-Sino trade relations is
becoming increasingly clear, and how Beijing answers these questions could hold
the key to the level of freedom of information that China's people will enjoy
in future. - Richard Komaiko (Oct 24, '11)
SPEAKING FREELY
China's grand strategy
After a 200-year hiatus China's Grand Strategy has been reinstated and looks to
be as successful as ever. It is inexpensive and delivers sustainable, tangible
benefits to the Chinese people. Expect to see elements of it emulated, first by
Asian countries and later - who knows? - by us. - Godfree Roberts
(Oct 24, '11)
US plants a stake at China's door
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has laid out a lengthy
rationale of America's plans to "return to Asia". That's code for staking its
claim to continued control of the Asian security dialogue and fostering
instability inside and around China. Expect a decade of self-righteous mischief
as a fading superpower deploys its assets to frustrate the grand ambitions of a
rising regional power. - Peter Lee (Oct 21,
'11)
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ATol Specials
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Shanghai, the becoming thing
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China:
The
Impossible
Revolution
By
Francesco Sisci
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Sinoroving
Pepe Escobar in China
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Henry C K Liu
on the yuan
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A 3-part series by Macabe Keliher
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China-US: The Quest
for Peace
A series by Henry C K Liu
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A 3-part series on the lamas of Tibet by Julian
Gearing
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A 3-part series by Miao Yi
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A 4-part series by Jasper Becker
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