Latest China Brief Articles
Time for Conflict Prevention Across the Taiwan Strait
As Taiwan’s presidential election concludes, Beijing and Washington both will—pro tempore—breathe a sigh of relief to have successfully stifled Taiwan’s most recent attempt to validate its de facto sovereignty through the holding of two controversial UN referenda, which both ended in vetoes because the total... MORE
China’s New National Energy Commission and Energy Policy
The long-anticipated plan for Beijing to undertake major structural reforms to the energy sector by merging a number of central-level ministries, commissions and departments to form a so-called energy “super-ministry" or "super-commission" passed, albeit with some tweaks to satisfy the powerful vested interests that dominate... MORE
China’s Central Military Commissions After the NPC
The 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) stamped in the new leadership of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Membership of the state organ’s CMC and the 17th CMC of the Communist Party of China (CPC) are identical, in that... MORE
Stability Trumps Reform at China’s Parliamentary Session
The Chinese leadership at the ongoing National People’s Congress (NPC) has announced tough measures to rein in inflation and to promote government efficiency. In their talk to deputies in the two-week-long parliamentary session, however, Premier Wen Jiabao and his senior colleagues appeared to have made... MORE
Heixiazi Island to Return to PRC by End of 2008
Liu Guchang, the Chinese ambassador to Russia, announced that the demarcation of borders for the Heixiazi Island (Bol’shoi Ussuriiskiy Island) is complete and the island will be officially returned to the People's Republic of China's (PRC) jurisdiction by the end of 2008 (China Times, March... MORE
China’s Military Budget Spurs Debate Over the Taiwan Strait
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense announced on March 11 that China's real defense budget is most likely to be two to three times more than the reported amount from the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (China Times, March 11). Last week... MORE
China’s Nuclear Gambit
Economic factors are clearly driving Chinese interest in strengthening their country’s underdeveloped nuclear energy sector. At present, China’s 11 operating nuclear reactors produce less than 2 percent of the country’s electricity, compared with over 25 percent in Japan and approximately 75 percent in France [1].... MORE
The Future of China’s Overseas Peacekeeping Operations
Since 1990, China has contributed about 7,500 peacekeepers to United Nations peacekeeping operations (UNPKOs), according to the Peacekeeping Affairs Office of the Ministry of Defense in Beijing (China Daily, July 24, 2007). In early 2008, 1,963 Chinese peacekeepers were serving on UN missions in countries... MORE
Taiwan Presidential Election 2008: Choosing the Path Less Traveled?
Taiwan's voters will be going to the polls on March 22 to cast perhaps one of the nation's most important votes since the nation first directly elected its president in 1996. This coming election will decide whether or not the process of Taiwan’s democratic consolidation... MORE
The PLA’s Evolving Operational Doctrine: Experiments in Modularity
The People’s Liberation Army's (PLA) focus on creating modular combined arms forces is part of its plan to create a Hardened and Networked Army (HNA) [1]. It is mechanizing the force while introducing information operations doctrine and equipment. The first PLA division developed as part... MORE