
Latest Articles about China and the Asia-Pacific
Why India Won’t Play Its ‘Tibet Card’
On February 22, India’s Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale issued a directive calling on leaders and government officials to stay away from events planned by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)—the Tibetan government-in-exile—to mark the 60th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s exile to India. In his note,... MORE
Chinese-Russian Defense and Security Ties: Countering US Encirclement
China recently announced plans to contribute to Russian support of the Assad regime in Syria, just one of many ways in which Chinese-Russian security ties have strengthened over the past five years (MOFA, May 14). Since the early 2010s, the two countries have been brought... MORE
Moscow Set to Establish Second Military Base in Kyrgyzstan
After almost five years of fits and starts on the question, Moscow is set to open a second military base in Kyrgyzstan. With this strengthened military presence, Russia will be in a better position to respond to any militant or terrorist threats potentially spilling over... MORE
New Evidence for China’s Political Re-Education Campaign in Xinjiang
This article is condensed from a longer paper, available for download here. (Editor's note: longer paper was updated with corrections September 2018) Since summer of 2017, troubling reports in Western media outlets about large-scale detentions of ethnic Muslim minorities (including Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz) in... MORE
This article is condensed from a longer paper, available for download here. Since summer of 2017, troubling reports in Western media outlets about large-scale detentions of ethnic Muslim minorities (including Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz) in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have multiplied (The Guardian,... MORE
Is There Still a Role For Russia in the Korean ‘Peace Process?’
Since the announcement of looming inter-Korean and United States–North Korean summits, regional powers China, Japan and Russia have all striven mightily not to be excluded or marginalized from those processes. All thee governments are doing what they can to support the summits. On one hand,... MORE
How PRC Diplomatic Messaging Impedes Its Foreign Policy Objectives
In today’s emotionally charged international moment, with populism and “fake news” dominating headlines, it is more important than ever for politicians and diplomats to work together effectively to manage perceptions and address the concerns of partner nations. China has particularly well-known concerns over its inefficient... MORE
Putting Xi’s Imperial Presidency in Perspective
The removal of presidential term limits from China’s state constitution is another step along the road of authoritarian rule for China. However, most observers today seem to miss that this in no way signifies a fundamental shift in the CCP’s mode of governance [1]. Rather,... MORE
In Drive for Tech Independence, Xi Doubles Down on Civil-Military Fusion
Amid growing tensions with the United States over technology and trade, China is elevating civil-military fusion (军民融合) to the center of the country’s cybersecurity and informatization agenda (New America, April 30). “We must grasp the historical opportunity of the current information technology transformation and new... MORE
Concern Mounts in Beijing over Xi’s Aggressive Tactics
Recent days have seen a burst of relatively moderate views from official opinion-makers in China. Global Times chief editor Hu Xijin wrote in his weibo blog last week that “our country has indeed in the recent past adopted some high-sounding rhetoric.” “This has boosted the... MORE