North Korea Nuclear Test Irks Ally China
on February 13, 2013
The test, held during a major Chinese holiday, is seen as a slap in the face to Beijing. But experts say China has more to lose by downgrading its bumpy ties.
North Korea: How Much More Will China Take and How Should the U.S. Respond?
A ChinaFile Conversation
on February 13, 2013
China is increasingly frustrated with North Korea and may even see more clearly that its actions only serve to increase allied unity, stimulate Japanese militarism and accelerate missile defense. For all these reasons the U.S. should lean on Beijing to—at last—not only help strengthen sanctions and implement them but also to reduce/cut off aid and fuel to North Korea. This should be one of our highest priorities with China. We should encourage Seoul and Tokyo to join us in collective demarches to Beijing.
Nuclear Fusion: An Answer to China’s Energy Problems?
on February 13, 2013
The global nuclear sector has been through something of an apocalyptic patch since the disaster at Fukushima—from power station shutdowns in Japan and Germany to waste-plan chaos in the U.K. to doubts about China’s ability to showcase new reactor designs.
Officer Draws Gun on Drunk Driver—To Overwhelming Online Applause
on February 13, 2013
A policeman draws his gun to stop a desperately escaping criminal. It may sound sensational, but this is technically what happened in the southern Chinese megalopolis of Guangzhou on January 31. As traffic policemen were manning a drunk driving checkpoint, a driver in a red Porsche pulled a U-turn and attempted to escape. After the driver refused to stop, the traffic policeman pulled out a gun and forced him to pull over. The driver, who was found to be drunk, was punished severely.
Welcome to Wuwucun, a Village in the City
on February 12, 2013
Tucked amidst the factories and shops of of the Longgang district of the southern boomtown of Shenzhen sits a handful of narrow Qing Dynasty lanes collectively called Wuwucun, after the original Hakka minority Wu clan who established the village in the early nineteenth century. If one squints a bit and ignores the satellite dishes on the tiled roofs, the place does not appear to have changed much since then. But the Wus have been gone for a couple of decades now, leaving their ancestral buildings for the modern apartments springing up in the nicer parts of town. Who has taken their place?
Zhao Ziyang and China’s Political Future
on February 12, 2013
What legacies have previous reformers like Zhao Ziyang left to today’s China? Does China have feasible political alternatives to today’s repressive ‘market Leninism’ and corrupt ‘state capitalism’? Does Zhao’s legacy indicate an alternative to the past and for the future?
For those who are familiar with the development of Chinese politics since the reform years, Zhao is now widely regarded as a major architect of the nation’s profound transition. His contributions to China’s post-Mao development are rich and multi faceted, including those on rural and urban economic reforms extending to accountable governance, liberal policies concerning domestic affairs and China’s foreign relations.
Featuring contributions from leading experts in the field such as Richard Baum and Xiaonong Cheng, this book explores the historical development of China’s political reform issues, and how his political legacies are relevant to China’s political development since the 1980s to the future. Using recently translated recollection articles by veteran reformers who worked with Zhao in the 1980s, like Du Runsheng, An Zhiwen, Li Rui, Bao Tong, Zhao Ziyang and China's Political Future is a valuable contribution for students and researchers interested in the Chinese politics, Asian politics and political development in Asia.—Routledge
Not a Shred of Face: China Reacts to North Korean Nuke Test
on February 12, 2013
Is Kim Jong Eun deliberately trying to insult China? That was the question on the minds of some Chinese following a nuclear test in North Korea that left even the Hermit Kingdom’s closest ally feeling flustered.
Beijing Slams U.S. Sanctions on Chinese Companies
on February 12, 2013
Beijing has denounced U.S. sanctions imposed on four Chinese companies and one individual last week for allegedly breaching a U.S. law designed to hamper the development of weapons of mass destruction by Iran, North Korea or Syria.
Zhuang Zedong, Skilled in China Foreign Relations and Ping-Pong, Dies at 72
on February 12, 2013
In 1971, at the world table tennis championships in Japan, an American player mistakenly boarded a bus carrying the Chinese team. The team had been told not to talk to Westerners, and an awkward silence descended. Ten minutes elapsed. Then the best player in China, stood, greeted the American and offered him a gift, a scarf.
In China, Shock and Acceptance of Pope’s Resignation
on February 12, 2013
In China, where official relations with the Vatican are a “never ending crisis,” as the Vatican Insider put it recently, the news of the resignation of Pope Benedict has been slow to spread. The Chinese state doesn’t recognize the Pope as the leader of China’s Catholics and has had its own “patriotic” church since the Communist Revolution in 1949.