In April 2012, authorities in the prosperous and generally peaceful Caribbean nation of Belize intercepted a shipment of precursor chemicals sent from China and apparently bound for representatives of the Mexican cartel “Los Zetas.”  The shipment—sufficient to produce an estimated $10 billion in methamphetamines—highlights growing... MORE

With the 18th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress a mere six months or so away, the identity of senior cadres who will make the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) has pretty much been settled. Apart from Vice President Xi Jinping and Executive Vice Premier Li Keqiang—who... MORE

Every spring, the director-general of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) goes before the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign and National Defense Committee to discuss national security-related developments. Befitting Taiwan’s focus on cross-Strait affairs and the Chinese military, the NSB chief, Tsai Te-sheng, almost always has something interesting... MORE

In late April 2012, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit visited China and met with a number of top officials, including Chinese President Hu Jintao. After these meetings, China offered South Sudan $8 billion in development funding, along with an important message from Vice Premier... MORE

In 2008, China’s central government launched its own New Deal, heavily promoting massive infrastructure development after the economic downturn. Local governments were more than happy to take up the banner. Now, they are left with shiny new plazas, towering office buildings, highways to nowhere and... MORE

In recent years, China’s commitment to “rule in accordance with law” has been called into question as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders have intensified the politicization of legal institutions, de-emphasized judicial professionalism and formal adjudication, and suppressed rights defenders (“CCP Tightens Control over Courts,” China... MORE

The blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng’s plight, which piqued much of the world’s attention the past fortnight, has fully exposed the shocking failings of China’s law-enforcement apparatus. Chen was forced to seek shelter in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing due to the Chinese authorities’ systematic violations... MORE

On May 9, Premier Wen Jiabao opened an executive meeting of the State Council on promoting China’s development of information technology and information security. The meeting promulgated a new opinion “Vigorously Promote Informatization Development and Earnestly Guarantee Information Security.” Premier Wen called for a clear... MORE

Tensions are once again on the rise in the South China Sea. On April 10, a standoff began when two Chinese surveillance vessels blocked a Philippine warship from detaining Chinese fishermen suspected of poaching near the contested Scarborough Shoal. There has been a tense deadlock... MORE

After a period of relative calm during the second half of 2011, tensions in the South China Sea began to ramp up again in the first quarter of 2012. In particular a tense standoff in April between a Philippine Navy ship and three Chinese patrol... MORE