China to Launch New Manned Spaceship in 2013-Xinhua
on November 10, 2012
The launch marks a step forward in Beijing's ambitions for a bigger space presence, including construction of a space station by 2020.
China Turns Corner on Economy as Party Chooses New Leaders
on November 10, 2012
The world's No2 economy has stopped slowing, the economic planning agency said, forecasting 2012 GDP growth of 7.5 percent or more.
Eighteenth Party Roundup
A Sinica Podcast
on November 10, 2012
This week on Sinica, our hosts Kaiser Kuo and Jeremy Goldkorn are joined by Gady Epstein from the Economist and we turn our attention to the Eighteenth Party Congress, which officially started in Beijing earlier this week. As China’s capital descends into the pomp of another ten-year leadership transition, we take an inside look at all the news and rumor fit for podcasting as history unfolds in real-time around us.
Where to, China?
on November 9, 2012
The windows of buses and taxis going by Tiananmen Square have been taped shut. The paramilitary police stand at attention at all major traffic intersections—even near the old alleyway where I live some five kilometers away. Those are sure signs that political season is well underway here in Beijing.
The Chinese Communist Party’s 18th national congress, which began here on November 8, ushers in a once-a-decade leadership transition. Shortly after the end of the weeklong—largely closed-door—meetings, China will have a new set of leaders.
Opinion: Meritocracy Versus Democracy
on November 9, 2012
Without much fanfare, Beijing has introduced significant reforms and established an elaborate system of what can be called “selection plus election.”
Two Rising China Leaders Say Open to Wealth Declarations
on November 9, 2012
After report on Wen Jiabao's "hidden riches," Guangdong and Shanghai party bosses said officials will eventually have to declare assets.
Is China Better at Picking Leaders than the U.S.?
on November 9, 2012
The case for China is that its leaders can emphasize long-term planning and difficult decisions over short-term politics and voter-appeasement.
China's Economy to Overtake U.S. Economy in Four Years, Says OECD
on November 9, 2012
A Paris-based think tank said China's economy will be larger than the combined eurozone economies by year's end and will overtake the US by the end of 2016.
Pragmatism and Patience
China’s Leadership Transition at the 18th Party Congress
on November 9, 2012
Hamid Bilgari, Vice Chairman of Citicorp, the strategic arm of Citigroup, is a leader in international investment banking.
Bilgari says that pragmatism and patience are the dominant qualities exhibited by cultures facing major change, such as the leadership transition at the top of the Chinese Communist Party.
Strong Society, Smart State
on November 9, 2012
The rise and influence of public opinion on Chinese foreign policy reveals a remarkable evolution in authoritarian responses to social turmoil. James Reilly shows how Chinese leaders have responded to popular demands for political participation with a sophisticated strategy of tolerance, responsiveness, persuasion, and repression—a successful approach that helps explain how and why the Communist Party continues to rule China.
Through a detailed examination of China's relations with Japan from 1980 to 2010, Reilly reveals the populist origins of a wave of anti-Japanese public mobilization that swept across China in the early 2000s. Popular protests, sensationalist media content, and emotional public opinion combined to impede diplomatic negotiations, interrupt economic cooperation, spur belligerent rhetoric, and reshape public debates. Facing a mounting domestic and diplomatic crisis, Chinese leaders responded with a remarkable reversal, curtailing protests and cooling public anger toward Japan.
Far from being a fragile state overwhelmed by popular nationalism, market forces, or information technology, China has emerged as a robust and flexible regime that has adapted to its new environment with remarkable speed and effectiveness. Reilly's study of public opinion's influence on foreign policy extends beyond democratic states. It reveals how persuasion and responsiveness sustain Communist Party rule in China and develops a method for examining similar dynamics in different authoritarian regimes. He draws upon public opinion surveys, interviews with Chinese activists, quantitative media analysis, and internal government documents to support his findings, joining theories in international relations, social movements, and public opinion. — Columbia University Press
