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East Asia China Ascendant Part III
Wenran Jiang - 5/2/2008
Chinas reemergence as a great power has come a long way since Mao Zedong proclaimed in 1949 that the Chinese people have stood up. Todays China is standing tall, and taking off: ranking third in the world economy, commanding a foreign cash reserve that has no rivals, attracting the largest amount of foreign investment and sending astronauts to circle the earth. Chinese leaders have pledged to the world that its rapid rise will be peaceful in nature, harmonious in treating its own citizens, and multilateral in dealing with other states. One World, One Dream! as Chinas 2008 Olympic mantra, they reasoned, would be inspiring. Chinas Troubled Olympics
Saberi Roy - 4/29/2008
China finds itself in a diplomatically and politically uncomfortable situation yet again with the Tibet unrest and needs to come out with a solution to its problems at least before the Beijing Olympics, but considering its political directions, that is most unlikely to happen. At the moment all solutions of the China-Tibet problem, can only be temporary. China Ascendant Part II
Prof. Pranab Bardhan - 4/29/2008
As the troubled Olympic torch relay winds its way to Beijing, the recent fury in China about the evil doings of the Dalai clique in Tibet and of the western media goes beyond the ever-active orchestration by the Chinese leadership. As nationalism has replaced socialism as the social glue in this vast country, old memories of humiliation at foreign hands and current pride in phenomenal economic success generate popular resentment at what looks like external attempts to rain on the parade of Chinas glorious Olympic moment. China Ascendant Part I
Bertil Lintner - 4/29/2008
The Chinese are coming. If the plan holds, the small and sleepy capital of Laos, Vientiane, might look like Manhattan on the Mekong. More than architectural statement, the construction of the new Chinatown in Laos will mark the newest evidence of Chinas rising influence in Indochina, once the playpen of Vietnam. Chinas Crackdown on Tibet Divides Europe
Shada Islam - 4/18/2008
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso's three-day visit to Beijing, starting April 24, was planned months ago to spotlight European Union hopes of upgrading political and business ties with China. However, the talks will now be dominated by EU concern over Beijing's crackdown in Tibet and Chinese anger at the bloc's plans to invite the Dalai Lama to a European Parliament session. Taiwans Success Could Show the Way for Tibet
Humphrey Hawksley - 4/6/2008
Chinese-controlled Tibet and a presidential election in Chinese-claimed Taiwan may inadvertently have thrown a spotlight on a new era of international diplomacy one tempered not by strategic balance or competing moral values, but by demands of the global supply chain. Taiwan Poll and China: New Future?
Abdul Ruff - 4/4/2008
The opposition Nationalist Party Kuomintang (KMT) candidate and the former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou Ma cruised to victory in the presidential election, promising to expand economic ties with China while protecting the island from being swallowed up politically by its giant communist neighbor. Ma won in a landslide on 22 March against an opponent who had tried to use recent bloody protests in Tibet to scare people into not voting for Ma. He faced Frank Hsieh of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in the race to succeed Chen Shui-bian. Both candidates advocated closer economic ties with China , but differed over the pace and degree of change. Revolution in a Box
Naseem Javed - 4/3/2008
Come August 24th, 2008, when the Olympics Games start with music and hymns and the torch lit the flame, the global spotlight will land on Beijing, and when the athletes march in unison to their beautifully-orchestrated national anthems, in the ultra modern stadium, the whole world will witness a sleeping giant, awaken to create a global shockwave. Like a nicely packaged, little gift box, a highly intense global consumer revolution will be let out to create ripples in global image shifts and perception consuming minds and like a tsunami will mostly wash over the busy production facilities of hundreds of nations parked far away. American Support to Tibet Movement
Tanveer Jafri - 4/3/2008
Once again, the Tibet movement has become a public talk for the world. On the last March 10, the Tibet supporters demonstrated in the Tibet capital Lhasa and in many other countries whereas the natives of Tibet were celebrating the 49th anniversary of the revolt that took place against the Chinese control over Tibet. In it the demonstration in the capital Lhasa became violent. As a result of it, the Chinese soldiers, present there followed the offensive policy and fired at the unarmed demonstrators. It has not been verified by now that in this firing by the Chinese soldiers, on the Tibetan dem... Dalai Lama & Tibetans' Stake in China
Prakash Bom - 3/25/2008
Is Tibet geographically part of South Asia? If not then when socio-political and economic crises occur in Tibet troubles should not pour down on to the nations of the South Asia. Nevertheless, historically that is not true since 500 BCE after Siddhartha Gautama established his philosophy of Buddhism. In my view Buddhism is not the religion of faith or belief or superstition. On the contrary, it is a philosophy of religion, which can initiate a revolutionary process in an individual for his or her perceptional independence over the collective consciousness that he or she has been succumbed to as a member of certain tribe, race, group or nation. US crisis leading to war with China?
John Mangun - 3/23/2008
The New York stock market rallied some 400 points Tuesday night, prompting an increase in prices across Asia. Even the Philippines participated a little. US stock prices reacted favorably to the news that the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates. Bloomberg: The Fed has cut the benchmark lending rate by 2 percentage points this year, the most aggressive easing since the federal funds rate became an explicit target of policy in the late 1980s. Shameful Tibet Imbroglio
Dr. Ravindra Kumar - 3/19/2008
The current imbroglio of Tibet in which more than one hundred lives of sons of the soil have gone is a matter of serious concern for those all who are concerned of human rights, freedom and justice, doesnt matter if they belong to any part or country of the world. Therefore, it is the time when all of them must come forward in support of peaceful and non-violent struggle of Tibetans to protect their thousands years old culture. Moreover, they for the sake of humanity and without any prejudices must condemn atrocities being committed on innocent Tibetans by the rulers of the Peoples Republic of China. China and Pakistan: New Friends Cant Compare
Willem van Kemenade - 3/16/2008
The United States built a close relationship with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on the basis of his hard line against terrorism. Shared recognition of a security threat bound the two states together, much as it did during the early Cold War. But Pakistani voters questioned that priority, and the outcome of February parliamentary elections revealed the fragility of the current US-Pakistan alliance constructed on security interests. In contrast, Chinas alliance with Pakistan is based on permanent strategic interests and immutable issues of geography, including Chinas desire for access to... "The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East" by Kishore Mahbubani
Susan Froetschel - 3/5/2008
The premise of Kishore Mahbubani's latest book is simple: If representative democracy is the best known form of governance for nations, then it's also the best form for the world. How the American NIE report influences Japans extension of the anti-terror law
Shirzad Azad - 1/4/2008
Among major U.S. allies, Japan and the French government of President Nicolas Sarkozy were the biggest casualties of the recently released National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report on the Iranian nuclear issue. France, with President Sarkozy, took an aggressive approach to Iran's nuclear program, while at the same time Sarkozy's more prudent counterparts in Germany and Britain, Chancellor Merkel and Prime Minister Brown, adopted a flip-flop policy over the nuclear issue. How Japan lost Iran to China?
Shirzad Azad - 11/11/2007
It has recently become a popular dictum in Japan that whatever the Japanese lose, it finds its way into the hands of the Chinese. Based on such an assumption, Chinas latest adroitness to put itself at the top list of Irans trading partners provides only a tiny case of how the rising dubious dragon is conquering Japans oversea markets one after another. How To Dismantle North Korea's Bomb
Lisa Schwer - 10/14/2007
North Korea has openly agreed to abandon its nuclear program by the end of this year. This declaration was made less than a year after it had carried out the controversial nuclear tests that shook the world. Is it a sincere effort toward peace or just empty words of desperate diplomacy? Dialogue and Process in China - Taiwan Tensions
Dr. Ravindra Kumar - 9/3/2007
The law passed by China's National People's Congress in March, 2005, under which its army has been legally empowered to attack Taiwan if it declares independence, has created a very complicated, serious and bewildering situation. On the one hand this law has highly intensified the tension between China and Taiwan; on the other hand it has filled the regional and international atmosphere with anxiety. Korean Martyrs and Hostages
Ron Coody - 8/29/2007
What is going on in Afghanistan with the Koreans? A group of young medical personnel travel into a desperately difficult situation to address the needs of hurting people and they become prisoners in a nightmarish drama of international proportions. They didnt go to fight, they didnt go to threaten, they didnt go to trouble anyone. They went to serve the physical needs of other human beings. Taiwan In The Asia Pacific
Dr. Ravindra Kumar - 8/21/2007
With a population of 22,901,897 and an area of 36,000 square kilometres, Taiwan is the model territory of people belonging to various religious communities, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Yi Guan Dao, Christianity and Islam. This is the territory, which for the last ninety-three years has maintained its unique identity in the Asia-Pacific Region, on the basis of equality and harmony Cultural and Economics Relations Between India and China
Dr. Ravindra Kumar - 8/19/2007
India and China are two big countries not only of Asia but also of the world. They are two neighbouring counties and both have also preserved their five thousand years old cultures. They are agricultural countries and a great majority of population is rural. The lacks of villages spread all over the country and the rural population have been the main resources of the cultural expansion as well as of the economic growth of their respective countries. China's Hollow Threat to Dump U.S. Bonds
Prof. Peter Morici - 8/13/2007
The Congress is growing impatient with China's currency manipulation and export subsidies, and is near passing legislation that would require the Bush Administration to strike back. Faced with the prospect of trade competition on a level playing field--something the Chinese Communist Party fears more than free elections--the U.K. Daily Telegraph reported on August 8 Beijing threatened to dump its hoard of U.S. dollars to panic financial markets and sink the U.S. economy. Chinas Pursuit of Happiness
Dharak V. Bhavsar - 8/1/2007
The phenomenon of globalization has substantially changed the dealings of the nations with each other and created a complex system of interdependence among the nations. The emergence of economic globalization has greatly diminished the prospects of regional or world wars, hence creating more opportunities for development and growth. Economic globalization lies at the core of Chinas rise to a superpower in a peaceful manner. An open door policy has been Deng Xiaoping's most dramatic contribution to China's economic reform movement. Since starting to open up and reform its economy in 1978, Chin... Half A Cheer... If North Korea Doesnt Cheat
Bhuwan Thapaliya - 7/23/2007
The ruling leaders in North Korea certainly know how to stir up a crisis and fool the world. It has been fooling the world and it has had plenty of practice. But out of the blue, North Korea on 14th July said that they had shut down their main plutonium producing pant, at Yongbyon. Is it a sham? Only time will reveal. Given the complexity of the North Korea , nobody now dares predict the eventual result with any confidence. Answering China
Prof. Peter Morici - 7/20/2007
The rash of dangerous Chinese imports, ranging from defective tires to tainted toothpaste, makes apparent the perils in U.S. and EU policies toward China. Since President Nixon, the United States has sought constructive engagement to encourage economic and political reform. By opening commerce, the United States seeks to expose Chinese citizens to democratic values, instigate systemic change, and eventually add another responsible, prosperous state to the community of western nations. Why China Should Revalue the Yuan
Prof. Peter Morici - 6/25/2007
Not since the United States floated the dollar in the 1970s and threw the Bretton Woods system on the scrap heap of history has the management of exchange rates so captured the attention of economists and national politicians as China's undervalued yuan does now. Then, as now, all manner of polemics and the weight of established authority argued that governments should manage currency-exchange rates, much like they attempt to fix prices, for example sugar or petroleum, to supposedly serve the greater good. How The US Should Deal With China
Prof. Peter Morici - 6/4/2007
U.S. efforts to persuade China to be a responsible player in the international community have failed. The May installment of bilateral talks, which under various names have spanned the Clinton and Bush Presidencies, failed to persuade China to alter its mercantilist economic policies and act responsibly on environmental problems. Asian Experiment: Contrast Between Capitalist and Communist Nations
David Storobin, Esq. - 4/16/2007
Since achieving independence, some Asian countries grew phenomentally wealthy, while others are mired in poverty with the people constantly subject to human rights abuses. A quick look at the successful and failed nations shows that the primary difference has been the government's economic policies. Hong Kong and others Asian countries that embraced capitalism have experienced tremendous growth. Countries implementing communist economic policies failed miserably and maintain a Third World standard of living. China's Growth & Its Citizens' Liberty
Amit Pyakurel - 4/16/2007
Does economic prosperity decreases the importance of democracy? China is leaving the world behind while heading rapidly towards a marvelous economic progress. This is undoubtedly a very good note of the well-being of the world's largest population, and the sparkles of this progress may also do significantly good for its economic allies and neighbors and along with other underdeveloped and developing nations. North Korea: Axis of Evil No More?
Prof. Gavan McCormack - 3/14/2007
Crisis can and seems to have opened new opportunity in the Korean peninsula. Having gone to the precipice of a nuclear confrontation, the parties in Northeast Asia have woken up to the need for a realistic approach. China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the US and North Korea reached an agreement to dismantle the latter's nuclear-weapon program in exchange for fuel aid, opening the door to normal relations. Gavan McCormack, professor emeritus and Asian analyst at the Australian National University, reviews the implications of the agreement for North Korea's neighbors. For the agreement to proceed... North Korean Nuclear Agreement: Back to the Future?
Shim Jae Hoon - 2/22/2007
Members of the Six-Party talks have finally reached an agreement aimed at halting North Koreas nuclear-weapons program. If the agreement holds, the accord has a good deal to offer both sides: In return for energy aid, security guarantees and steps toward normalizing relations, Pyongyang will dismantle its nuclear infrastructure in a way that outside powers can verify. Plenty of pitfalls remain, however. Already, North Korea has announced that the deal amounts to a temporary freeze rather than a permanent settlement and even if the country does permanently dismantle its nuclear infrastructur... Why North Koreas Nukes?
Bryan Hill - 2/7/2007
The ongoing nuclear goings-on in North Korea have been greeted with a mixture of incredulity, outrage, and even downright panic. However, despite such widely varying reactions, it is a commonplace that Pyongyangs nuclear program is aimed squarely at the United States and its allies. This is true Pyongyang certainly seeks by its threats to engender a fresh-round of concessions, such as occurred in 1998, when the Clinton Administration capitulated to North Koreas bluster. However, this is not the full story there is a rather more unusual answer to be had if one commits oneself to fully answering the question: Why? Give North Korea one final chance
Bhuwan Thapaliya - 2/5/2007
To many people in the West, North Korea is all one phenomenon: illiberal, alien, dangerous and baffling. Some of this weeks headlines North Korea eyes 2nd nuclear test, Starvation on the roll in North Korea, What North Korea really wants? will confirm such people in their views. Yet a wider reading of the news bear what should be a commonplace: North Korea has many faces. Asian Games: New Gold Standard in Measuring National Will
Sadanand Dhume - 1/31/2007
Sport is an age-old metaphor for politics and Asian affairs analyst Sadanand Dhume looks at the Asian Games in the light of the region's traditional rivalries. China captured more medals than any other nation, almost three times as many gold medals as runner-up South Korea. Chinas geopolitical rival India was ranked eighth, with most of its medals won in more intricate, intellectual games. As emerging powers, China is huge, yet efficient and government-centered, while democratic India is lacking in structured effort. After dominating the games for decades, mature Japan now trails China and ... China and America: The New Space Order
Imran Khan - 1/24/2007
In recent years, China tried to setup an international conference in United Nations to stop space arms race. The United States rejected the plan that there is no such arms race in space. A common faith in United States is that after the collapse of Soviet Union, there is no other power in the world which could match their capabilities in space. So why to listen others if someone could not pose any threats and apparently that was the basic reason behind United States refusal to accept any ban of space arms race. Instead in October 2006, United States administration issued a new national space p... Oil-Thirsty China Strives For Persian Petroleum
Shirzad Azad - 1/4/2007
Iran is endowed with abundant crude oil and natural gas reserves, and perhaps being equipped with nuclear weapons is only a tool to protect its most in-demand asset. Shall we trust Tehran? Thirsty Japan Gambles over Iraqi Oil
Shirzad Azad - 12/20/2006
The Japanese media have started questioning the government's decision of extending the Air Self-Defense Forces (ASDF) in Iraq until July 31, 2007. The ASDF started airlifts from Kuwait in March 2004 under a July 2003 ad hoc law to carry out Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces (GSDF) deployment for non-combat activities in Iraq. Discrimination Towards Foreigners in Japan
Shirzad Azad - 12/5/2006
The orchestrated move by the Japanese government over the case of an Iranian family of four seeking special residence permission to continue living in Japan should be considered as a clear example of violating all human rights conventions that tarnishes Japan's image. Have Sino-Pak relations reached the end of the road?
Abid Mustafa - 12/4/2006
On his visit to Pakistan, the Chinese President Hu Jintao emphasised the importance of Sino-Pak relations and expressed his desire to expand bilateral ties between the two countries. "Let us build on past achievement and strengthen traditional friendship, advanced with the time, expand and enrich China-Pakistan strategic partnership so that our friendship will pass on from generation to generation," he said. The Pakistani government reciprocated by praising China's relationship with Pakistan. North Korea's Nuclear Propaganda Conceals the Citizens' Grief
Amit Pyakurel - 11/26/2006
While the world media appears busy on covering outcry associated with the North Koreas recent nuclear practice, it seems we are painfully subsiding our alertness towards the very suffering of the North Korean citizens, who on the one hand suffers beneath the oppressiveness of their own regime, and on the other are apparently being pushed back towards a sway of famine, an upshot of the recent UN sanction and other international aid barrier to this isolated communist state, as the result of its nuclear test last month. The probable famine could be similar to that of the 1990s, when about 3.5 mi... For China, North Korea Is A Curiosity, Not A Threat
Lauren Keane - 11/17/2006
Beijing has declared its official opposition to the nuclear tests conducted by North Korea and even responded to international calls to impose partial economic sanctions on its historic ally. Despite their governments seemingly forceful reaction, however, the Chinese people seem largely unconcerned about a nuclear North Korea. Many cite the historically friendly relationship between the two countries, likening the position of North Korea to that of the young and developing Chinese nation that conducted its first nuclear test in 1964. A greater threat to China, many agree, is conflict with Jap... Pyongyang: Lets Talk, But Change the Subject
Nayan Chanda - 11/7/2006
With its two-steps-forward one-step-back approach, North Korea has fulfilled its long-held nuclear ambition and for now holds back on further tests in return for an easing of UN sanctions. Diplomats suspect that in the long months of negotiations ahead North Korea will try to change the subject while carrying on production of fissile material. North Korea agreed to return to the Six-Party Talks on the condition that the US would negotiate about Macau bank accounts blocked by the US Treasury on charges of money-laundering. Even when the bank account issue is resolved, tortuous negotiations lie ahead while Pyongyangs nuclear arsenal is likely to grow. China and Iran: Dance of the lion and the dragon
Shirzad Azad - 11/7/2006
Based on historical and cultural affinities, not to mention overlapping interests, Iran and China form a natural partnership. China's modernization and economic development have become a source of inspiration for Iranians. Political and economic necessities are other factors pushing the governments in both counties toward close cooperation in various areas ranging from trade to technology to energy and the environment. Revising Doctrine on the Korean Peninsula
Nicholas M. Guariglia - 11/7/2006
For far too long policymakers in Washington have referred to a possible conflict on the Korean peninsula as unthinkable and inconceivable. Their characterization of a war with North Korea as not preferable and promisingly catastrophic is not off the mark, but their write-off of such an event as undoable, unlikely, or both, does not help the current crisis one iota. It is their job to think the unthinkable, conceive the inconceivable, and, perhaps in this case, do the seemingly undoable. China and the Crisis of Overproduction
Prof. Walden Bello - 10/31/2006
The world is investing too little, according to one prominent economist. The current situation has its roots in a series of crises over the last decade that were caused by excessive investment, such as the Japanese asset bubble, the crises in Emerging Asia and Latin America, and most recently, the IT bubble. Investment has fallen off sharply since, with only very cautious recovery. China Gets Tough With North Korea
Susan Shirk - 10/30/2006
In mid October the US secretary of state visited China and South Korea, two states that hold the key to an international solution to the North Korea nuclear crisis. Economic lifelines from China and South Korea can keep the repressive regime afloat even if every other country cuts North Korea off. North Koreas Nuclear Gamble
Shim Jae Hoon - 10/12/2006
The North Korean underground nuclear test on 9 October has sent shockwaves - weak on the Richter scale but shaking the core of the East Asian security and the existing geopolitical balance in Asia underpinned by the US nuclear umbrella. North Korea has taken a giant step backward by choosing the nuclear option in its desperate attempt to avoid regime collapse and thwart the reunification of the peninsula under South Korean control. Instead of reinforcing the shaky Kim Jong Il regime weakened by decades of economic mismanagement and Stalinist dictatorship, the nuclear gambit is likely to put th... Cheering Chingiz Khan's Ephemeral Empire
Shirzad Azad - 10/9/2006
The Mongolians are celebrating the 800th anniversary of 1206, the year in which a warrior named Temujin united the nomadic steppe tribes and took the title Chingiz Khan, or universal ruler. Many events have being held with culmination of festivities named Mongolias national holiday, Naadam, in July and another big festival at the former Mongolian capital, Kharakorum, last August. Japan Between Eagle And Dragon: What Is Behind Sino-Japanese Frictions?
Shirzad Azad - 10/3/2006
The liberal school of international relations maintains that as a byproduct of economic cooperation and interdependence between countries, a wide range of norms, rules and institutions will emerge to coordinate and regulate their cooperation(1). In such process, they will necessary become politically integrated and the institutions that are created would foster collective actions in order to achieve their intended objectives. Based on this view, an increasing level of economic interdependence and regional cooperation could act as the precursor of political integration, with the final goal of r... Japanese Politics Turns To Business Tricks
Shirzad Azad - 9/18/2006
Shinzo Abe, top contender in Japanfs premier race, is neither more conservative than his right-wing and outspoken comrade, Foreign Minister Taro Aso, nor more experienced and competent than his so-called main challenger, Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki;@he simply looks more attractive than them. Can a White House Visit Shore Up a Sagging US-South Korea Alliance?
Morton Abramowitz - 9/15/2006
As President Roh of South Korea calls on President Bush, hell get lunch, but certainly no tour of Graceland la the prime minister of Japan. Indeed, both governments have anxieties about the visit. The US-South Korean relationship has not been as troubled, since Jimmy Carter announced 30 years ago that he was unilaterally taking American ground forces out of the Korean peninsula. Toward a Beautiful Country: The credo of Japans prime minister-in-waiting
Shirzad Azad - 8/1/2006
Released on July 20, Shinzo Abes book, Utsukushii Kuni E (Toward a Beautiful Country), has captured the attention of Japan specialists, analysts, journalists and politicians, both inside and outside Japan. North Koreas Missiles Backfire
Shim Jae Hoon - 7/24/2006
North Koreas missile launches in early July, despite repeated pleas by all, enraged an international community worried about a growing threat to global security. The launches even provoked North Koreas longtime allies, China and Russia, prompting both parties to sign on to the UN resolution calling for sanctions. South Korea, which favored negotiations and reconciliation with the North, now stands at a policy crossroads. The sanctions include the ban on transfer of any financial resources to North Korea, which could significantly reduce South Korean aid to the North and affect trade with R... Time to Lift North Korea's Quarantine
John Feffer - 6/11/2006
The US has put North Korea under quarantine. Pyongyang stands accused of a multitude of crimes, from missile exports and drug smuggling to counterfeiting and money laundering. North Korea has long relied on illicit activities to acquire what it has had difficulty obtaining through legitimate means. Yet isolating Pyongyang from the global economy could prove counterproductive. North Korea at Dire Food Impasse
Bhuwan Thapaliya - 5/26/2006
North Korea has the world worried about its nuclear weapons potential. But that's not what most worries South Koreans, who are concerned about its menacing food crisis and its possible economic collapse. After decades of a command economy, North Korea is almost stripped bare and has become one of the poorest nations as well as the largest food aid recipient in the world, while South Korea, by contrast, under capitalism, has gained economic momentum and has developed as a model for emerging nations. 2008 Olympics: Boycott Beijing
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 5/20/2006
The euphoria surrounding Chinese President Hu Jintaos visit in April to the U.S has faded into memory, replaced by the cold reality that significant ideological differences still remain between the two countries. The failure of President Hu and U.S. President George W. Bush to make progress on important economic, human rights and national security issues is not only an abrupt setback to bilateral relations, but it also creates the possibility for future disagreements and even open conflict. China: A Troubled Dragon
Conn Hallinan - 5/19/2006
The image of China in the Western press is less the dragon of the Celestial Kingdom than J.R.R Tolkien's Smaug, a beast of enormous strength and cunning, ravaging oil markets in Africa, copper ore in South America, and uranium deposits in Australia. The world begins to feel the dragon's breath on its back, intones the Financial Times. Beijings Global Strategy
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 4/24/2006
Chinese President Hu Jintaos first visit to the U.S. this week to meet with President George Bush and corporate executives from Boeing Co. and Microsoft Corp. comes at a difficult time for the Chinese leader, as concerns regarding his countrys meteoric global rise continue to grow. Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick warned China recently that it must begin to take definitive steps to address what he called a cauldron of anxiety in the U.S. and abroad over Chinese global intentions. Many countries hope China will pursue a peaceful rise, but none will bet its future on it, he said. North Korea against Whom?
Erik Mobrand - 3/8/2006
Gordon G. Chang, Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes on the World. New York: Random House, Jan. 2006. 327 pp. $25.95 hardcover. Tim Beal, North Korea: The Struggle against American Power. London and Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, Sept. 2005. 342 pp. $80.00 hardcover, $29.95 paperback. Korean Monument's Long Journey Home
Hyejin Kim - 2/23/2006
A historical stone monument is finally returning to its home in North Korea after more than 100 years in Japan, the Korea Times reported on Feb. 13. The six-foot stone structure, called Pukkwan Taechop-bi or Monument to the Great Victory of Pukkwan, was erected in 1707 to pay reverence to Jung Moon-bu, a general who defeated a sixteenth-century Japanese invasion in Hamkyung province in present-day North Korea. European Arms Embargo Against China
Angelique van Engelen - 12/18/2005
Efforts to propel growth of the lagging European defense industry are hardly paying off and now another obstacle been added. Lifting an EU arms embargo against China, planned for June 30, has been called into serious question since China indicated last week it is quite enamored with the idea of annexing Taiwan. In a real in-your-face move, China ratified a law condoning military intervention in Taiwan. Pressures from within the EU and the US are rising for Europe to abandon its plans. China: What Is Going On in Dongzhou?
Bhuwan Thapaliya - 12/16/2005
China's remarkable economic achievements have instilled a pride the Chinese haven't felt in more than a century. But it is too early to say if the economic efforts will succeed in making the country more united, as exemplified by the latest use of force by the Chinese government since the Tiananmen Square killings in 1989 against its own citizens. Asia's Spying Eyes
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 12/3/2005
As President Bush returned to Washington from his trip to Beijing -- where he pressed for greater political and religious freedoms -- reports were surfacing that China was considering the introduction of a new weapon to curtail dissent: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. Chinas Hypocritical Energy Stance
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 11/26/2005
An undeniable international energy race is now underway involving many of the worlds most powerful countries such as China, Germany, India, Japan and the United States. In particular, Chinas need for oil has become extremely acute; forcing Beijing to act more deliberately by adopting a dual energy strategy. China and E-Banking
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 11/4/2005
China is in the midst of a sustained banking revolution. Driving this revolution are changes in customer expectations, rapid technological advances and intense industry competition that have placed extraordinary pressure on Chinas nascent banking sector to modernize and reform. Indeed, the time has arrived for Chinas much maligned brick and mortar banking system to adopt a new Business of Banking strategy. An integral part of any new banking strategy should include electronic or e-banking. China and Mexico: Improved Relations Raise Questions
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 10/19/2005
Chinese President Hu Jintaos recent visit to Mexico City to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox marked a new beginning in Sino-Mexican relations with both leaders signing agreements in the areas of bilateral trade, mining and energy. The motive of my visit is to deepen the strategic association between Mexico and China, president Hu Jintao told journalists gathered at the Presidential Palace. Is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization a Military Confederacy?
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 9/26/2005
The members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will recognize the organizations fifth anniversary in June 2006 with a much anticipated celebration, Everyone agrees this first jubilee date must be celebrated accordingly, said Vitally Vorobyev, Russias coordinator in the SCO. Washington, however, will not be joining in the festivities. U.S. Banks Investing in China
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 9/19/2005
Recognizing Chinas enormous importance to the global financial marketplace and its future impact on the world economy in general, U.S. financial institutions such as Bank of America, Citigroup, J.P. MorganChase, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and others have recently invested billions of dollars in the Chinese banking sector. What To Make Of Chinese Claim Never To Attack Taiwan?
Angelique van Engelen - 9/9/2005
The US reaction to any force rivalling its global position militarily or economically is to monitor it with watchful eyes and prepare for action rather matter of factly. China appears to be rather aware of this and has issued a report into its foreign policy ahead of the upcoming summit of the US and Chinese presidents George W. Bush and Hu Jintao in Washington. The summit was cancelled due to hurricane Katrina, but the Chinese rumblings are no less valid. China and Global Strategic Positioning (GSP)
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 8/23/2005
China is taking careful, deliberate and well-coordinated action on a global scale to advance relations with strategically positioned countries possessing both the natural resources and influence to support its ascension in the international community. To accelerate the growth of its power and influence on the world stage, China has eagerly embraced the concept of Global Strategic Positioning or GSP, as the gold standard of its foreign policy for the 21st century. Hong Kong: Beacon of Economic Freedom
David Storobin, Esq. - 8/19/2005
Hong Kong is arguably the most fiscally successful developing territory in the world. It has the globe's most capitalist economy, to the point where some consider it almost laissez-faire. The success of the "hands-off" approach in this tiny land is for all to see. It is 6 times wealthier than China and has an even higher GDP per person than its colonial power, Great Britain. [1] The Kings of Asia are Gathering: But Why?
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 8/8/2005
In July, permanent members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/topics/sco/t57970.htm, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, met in the Kazakh capital of Astana to discuss matters of mutual importance which included trade, energy, security and technology cooperation. The Asian Threat: Interview with Colonel Gordon Cucullu
Ryan Mauro - 7/30/2005
Colonel Gordon Cucullu is the author of "Seperated at Birth: How North Korea Became the Evil Twin" and has a weekly column entitled "The Right Approach". He served as a political-military advisor to Paul Wolfowitz, then the assistant secretary of state for East Asia Pacific Affairs. Col. Cucullu had also been assigned to the Pentagon where he was managed military assistance to Central American countries. Earlier in his career, Col. Cucullu was a member of the highly classified Studies and Observation Group that conducted top secret reconnaissance missions into Laos, Cambodia and denied areas ... The Approaching Chinese Cyber Storm
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 7/22/2005
On numerous occasions in the past, Chinas authoritarian regime has publicly stated that the U.S. is its ideological enemy. Comments made by Chinese defector Chen Yonglin to Australian authorities in June support the theory that Chinas leaders view the U.S. as their main adversary. The U.S. is considered by the Chinese Communist Party as the largest enemy, the major strategic rival. The U.S. occupies a unique place in Chinas diplomacy, noted Yonglin. Huge Cyber-Tsunami Developing in Asia
Naseem Javed - 7/11/2005
Today, for the first time, China has 100 million people on the Internet, 30 percent of whom are on broadband. Within a few years, a billion people in Asia will be playing with e-commerce. All that power and all that technology replicating at a phenomenal rate will create global shockwaves both in trade and communications. Chinese Influence on the Rise in Latin America
Saul Landau - 6/30/2005
A century ago, U.S. policy planners looked to a then weak and divided China as the answer to the countrys future trade and economic problems. Anxious exporters implored President William McKinley to act because the Chinese market rightfully belongs to us, a member of the Riverside ( New York) Republican Club told Secretary of State William Hay. The North Korean Nuclear Crisis
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 5/11/2005
Frustrated by the collapse of six-party talks designed to end the North Korean nuclear program, President Bush last week said of North Korean despot Kim Jong-Il: "There is concern about his capacity to deliver a nuclear weapon. When you are dealing with a tyrant like Kim Jong -Il, you have to assume he can deliver." The President's remarks came at a particularly crucial juncture of the North Korean crisis: indeed, recent actions taken by North Korea's totalitarian leadership-including firing a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan earlier this month-show that the Hermit Kingdom may be much closer to "delivering" on its nuclear threat than previously thought. Chinese Threat to American Leadership in Space
Gabriele Garibaldi - 5/9/2005
The Ronald Reagan years saw the introduction of the US space program. Temporarily halted under Bill Clinton, it was reinstated when Donald Rumsfeld became the American Secretary of Defense. The zeal with which he relaunched the US space programs - acquiescing to the military and industial military lobbies' requests for rapidly developing space weapons - is evidence of a throwing down of the gauntlet to potential "peer competitors" of the United States. Furthermore, this decision conforms to the will expressed by the Bush administration to definitively reaffirm and consolidate the unipolar role... China's Growing Influence in Africa
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 5/7/2005
China's rapid ascension as an influential economic and political force in Africa is raising complex questions concerning the security of the African continent and the future of its people. China's involvement on the continent has increased dramatically over the past several years, fueled by Africa's growing demand for cheap Chinese products and the need for greater infrastructure investment in the African energy and transportation sectors. China and the Philippines: A Bad Match
John Mangun - 4/27/2005
President Gloria Arroyo acted as excited as a schoolgirl with the prospect of refereeing the dispute between China and Japan. The thought that a minor player like the Philippines might sit down at the same table as Asia's two giants, even momentarily, was almost too much to comprehend. China's Container Ship Fleet: Economic Savior or Trojan Horse?
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 4/11/2005
Homer's two great epic tales, the Iliad and the Odyssey, describe heroic actions of indomitable figures such as Achilles and Agamemnon during the Trojan War. Under the guise of increased economic cooperation and friendship, could this epic tale of deception be resurrected and used by China in a spectacular, lightening invasion of Taiwan? Could the hollow hulls and empty decks of Chinese container ships carry infantry and mechanized divisions for a devastating attack on Taiwan, securing the island before the U.S. could respond? China's Containment Policy Towards United States
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 4/8/2005
European intellectuals yearned for the mutually exclusive: an America contained and a regime-changed Iraq. The Chinese are more pragmatic - though, bound by what is left of their Marxism, they still ascribe American behavior to the irreconcilable contradictions inherent in capitalism. China: Emerging Global Economic Player
Panna Lal Chowdhury - 4/5/2005
The People's Republic of China adopted an open door economic policy starting from 1978. Its centrally controlled and inefficient economy was replaced gradually with a market oriented economy. This historic initiative resulted in impressive economic and social developments for China. During the 1980s, China's GDP growth rate recorded a sharp increase and was second only to that of South Korea. In the 1990's, China experienced highest economic growth rate in the Asia-Pacific region. China now enjoying record inflow of foreign investment, the highest in the world. For the current decade China is ... The Cost of Unification - German Lessons for Korea
Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. - 3/23/2005
The North remains as recalcitrant and belligerent as ever. The prospects of Korean unification are best gauged in Panmunjom, scene of the armistice that ended the Korean war, where a South Korean rail line ends abruptly. The North has yet to construct the few miles to Kaesong within its territory. North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland continues its vitriolic diatribes against South and West alike. Unification is not a straightforward matter not only geopolitically or politically - but also, and, perhaps, mainly, economically. Genocide in China: Nanking's Other History
Dawne Hendrix - 3/17/2005
Nanking is a city widely known for its great literary, political, and artistic contributions to Chinese culture; and in the history of the city, one can learn about the extravagant tombs, palaces, and museums, for it was considered to be a cultural hub. However, it seems that when looking at this city's history in the twentieth century, one major event is not really mentioned. This history relates to the massacre that occurred right before the official beginning of the Second World War. China's Shipbuilding Industry: An Emerging Threat to U.S. National Security?
Frederick Stakelbeck, Jr. - 2/17/2005
China is experiencing the greatest national expansion of its shipbuilding industry in the country's maritime history, with growth expected to continue well into the next decade. China's shipbuilding industry currently ranks third overall in the world behind perennial leaders South Korea and Japan, with the goal of becoming the world's leading shipbuilder by 2015. But what does this mean for the U.S.? The Dragon's Dawn: China as a Rising Imperial Power
Geoffrey Cain - 2/11/2005
Possessing a brutal history of foreign invasion, rape, and occupation by expanding Asian empires, most notably the Mongols under Genghis Khan, modern China has developed a sense of cultural pride through feelings of ethnic revenge and in notions of national expansion. Such an upsurge in patriotism can essentially be seen in such factors; however, in order to fully understand China as a rising power, other aspects of growth must be considered within its full international context. North Korean Gulag Survivor Speaks
Charles Ganske - 1/4/2005
North Korea is the largest recipient of food aid in the world today, but an estimated four million North Koreans have starved to death since 1995. In one year, the regime of Kim Jong Il spent $20 million out of $80 million in humanitarian relief funds on Mercedes Benz automobiles. Additionally, forced labor camps dotting the countryside. |
