Latest China Brief Articles
CHINA’S MARCH ON SOUTH ASIA
China is steadily extending its reach into South Asia with its growing economic and strategic influence in the region. China's current trade volume with all South Asian nations reaches close to $20 billion a year. Its bilateral trade with India alone accounts for $13.6 billion... MORE
ANTI-JAPANESE PROTESTS POSE LONG-TERM CHALLENGES FOR BEIJING
It is not surprising that President Hu Jintao and his colleagues decided in mid-April to cool down anti-Japanese protests: a body blow has been dealt to China's reputation as a responsible member of the global community. The fact that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) administration... MORE
BEIJING’S ALARM OVER NEW “U.S. ENCIRCLEMENT CONSPIRACY”
One of Beijing's worst nightmares seems to be coming true. Having apparently steadied the course in the Middle East, the Bush administration is turning to Asia to tame its long-standing "strategic competitor." While this particular term has been shelved since 9/11 – and Sino-U.S. relations... MORE
SINO-VATICAN RELATIONS AFTER POPE JOHN PAUL II
The death of Pope John Paul II underlines the gulf that still exists between the Roman Catholic Church and the People's Republic of China (PRC), two of the world's largest and most important bodies. It was the ardent desire of the late pontiff to visit... MORE
THE CHINA FACTOR IN AUSTRALIA-U.S. RELATIONS
Shared strategic interests and political values tie Australia to the United States across the Pacific in much the same way as the Anglo-American alliance traverses the Atlantic. The U.S. is Australia's most important military ally, with the 1951 ANZUS Treaty as the cornerstone of Australia's... MORE
THE GEOPOLITICAL CHALLENGE OF CHINESE TEXTILE EXPORTS
On January 1, the Multifiber Agreement (MFA), which had established a worldwide quota system for textiles and apparel products since 1974, expired. With no quotas in place, China is poised to dominate the world textile industry, having built excess capacity to put into operation as... MORE
CHINA’S GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR ENERGY, SECURITY, AND DIPLOMACY
Next month is the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference, where Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and Indonesian President Sukarno set out to carve a space for Asian and African countries based on principles of mutual interest, respect for national sovereignty and non-alignment with either the... MORE
TAIWAN’S ROLE IN THE SINO-JAPANESE RIVALRY
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao spent a substantial part of his post-National Peoples' Congress press conference on Sino-Japanese ties, offering an olive branch to Tokyo with his "three principles, three recommendations" – if it stays out of the Taiwan issue. But what has clearly changed Sino-Japanese... MORE
ENDING THE EU ARMS EMBARGO: THE REPERCUSSIONS FOR RUSSIA
The impending termination of the EU's embargo on arms sales to China has implications beyond EU-U.S. and EU-China relations. The motives of the players in this drama, as well as the repercussions of the embargo's likely end, are many and diverse. Certainly, they go beyond... MORE
BRIDGING THE GAP: PRC MISSILE MODERNIZATION AND THE CHANGING DETERRENCE ENVIRONMENT
As recently as the 1980s, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) operated on military doctrines that evolved during World War II and military means preceding the war. The country's political and economic evolution had far outstripped its military capacities, engendering a credibility gap in the overall... MORE