China

Top news for China

The politics of Maldives are divided as a result of the China-India choice

Maldives is scheduled to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in September 2023. In the previous parliamentary election held in 2019, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) won a historic 65 out of 87 seats, with the remaining seats held by other parties and independents. The main electoral issues in the country include development, corruption, the environment, and violent extremism, but political discourse is largely dominated by anti-India and anti-China campaigns. The ruling MDP is facing a growing rift between former President Mohamed Nasheed and incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Nasheed announced his candidacy for the MDP’s presidential primary, accusing Solih of rigging votes and bribery. Solih won the primary and urged for unity within the party, but the split could lead to a divided vote in the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Qayyoom, the opposition coalition’s candidate, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of money laundering and bribery, barring him from running for president. India and China’s activities in the country have further exacerbated political divisions and polarization. The opposition has urged the government to reconsider its close ties with India, while Nasheed criticized China’s Belt and Road Initiative, saying that Beijing intentionally inflated the…

Read More »

The Pottery Barn Rule and China ‘s Dilemma

China’s reaction to the recent announcement of Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines through AUKUS was highly critical. China accused the three AUKUS members of “completely disregarding the concerns of the international communities and are walking further and further down the path of error and danger.” Not surprisingly, China’s view of the recently announced expansion of military ties between the United States and the Philippines was also overwhelmingly negative. The news of the largest-ever joint army exercises between the U.S. and the Philippines was labeled by China as “part of U.S. efforts to encircle and contain China through its military alliance.” In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the formation of multilateral groupings and informal minilaterals in the Indo-Pacific. States with existing defense-strategic partnerships are increasing cooperation and strengthening these relations. Several scholars and observers have argued that one common factor behind these developments is the rise of China and its implications for the regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific. Yet China’s reaction to these developments is almost invariably hostile, as the statements in relation to AUKUS and Philippine-U.S. ties demonstrate. China’s wolf warrior diplomacy is well documented. Claims that the U.S. is interfering in China’s sphere of influence…

Read More »

Progress of China’s Military, Political, and Commercial Expansion in Panama

I traveled to Panama to interview government officials, businesspeople, and others about the country’s evolving relationship with China. My trip came shortly after a Chinese donation of military gear including 6,000 bulletproof vests and helmets to Panama’s security forces, as well as congressional testimony by the head of U.S. Southern Command, General Laura Richardson, in which she warned of the strategic risks from China’s presence in Panama. Thanks to COVID-19 and added scrutiny of Chinese projects by the government of Laurentino “Nito” Cortizo, the rate of China’s advance in Panama is less alarming than it was under the administration of Juan Carlos Varela, who switched Panama’s diplomatic relations to Beijing in 2017. Under Varela, Panama had signed up to a series of eventually abandoned high-profile initiatives with Chinese companies, including $4 billion high-speed train between Panama City and David, a $1 billion port investment by a shady China-based consortium in the port in Colon, and a $1 billion natural gas power plant originally designed to support the project. China’s setbacks in Panama under the Cortizo administration should not invite complacency. It is investing significant effort in Panama and making important, if uneven progress in building influence, as well as commercial…

Read More »

Mainland shopper costs edge increased

China's consumer price index was 2.1 percent higher than a year earlier in January, up from the 1.8 percent gain the month before.The index was boosted by a seasonal surge in spending over the Lunar New Year festival, with airfares, movie ticket..

Read More »
Web Search Engine

Seoul resumes short-term visas to mainland guests

South Korea plans to resume issuing short-term visas for travellers from the mainland on Saturday after China improved its Covid-19 situation.Kim Sung-ho, South Korea's vice interior minister in charge of disaster and safety management, said the..

Read More »

Beijing urges Australia to be truthful to Chinese language corporations

Beijing on Thursday expressed the hope that Australia will provide a fair environment for Chinese companies, in response to Canberra's announcement it is reviewing Chinese-made cameras in defence offices.Australia's defence minister said ea..

Read More »

The 6 Horsemen of the Apocalypse for China

2022 was not an easy year for China. Outbreaks of COVID-19 and the subsequent strict control measures that induced protests nationwide, as well as the geopolitical challenges that the country faces, are all but outward signs of the crises that the co..

Read More »

Chinese language Protesters and the World Web Want One One other

In late November 2022, the Chinese internet was overwhelmed by expressions of rage, grief, and disbelief. The catalyst was a fire in an apartment block in Urumqi, capital of the western region of Xinjiang, which killed at least 10 people after harsh ..

Read More »

The Persevering with Saga of China’s Ant Group

Chongqing Ant Consumer Finance, a subsidiary of Alibaba’s spinoff financial arm, Ant Group, has received regulatory approval to raise $1.5 billion to expand itself into the consumer finance business. With the approval, China Banking and Insurance Reg..

Read More »

Jiang Zemin’s Combined Legacy

Jiang Zemin’s passing this week will have no major political repercussions in China. Unlike Deng Xiaoping’s death in 1997, which helped Jiang to step out of Deng’s shadow and lead with more confidence and style, today Xi Jinping is in firm control of..

Read More »

China Eases Virus Controls Amid Effort to Head off Protests

More Chinese cities eased anti-virus restrictions and police patrolled their streets Thursday as the government tried to defuse public anger over some of the world’s most stringent COVID measures and head off more protests. Following weekend demonstr..

Read More »

Jiang Zemin’s International Coverage Legacy Has Died With Him

It is perhaps fitting that Jiang Zemin died at the height of Xi Jinping-style governance in China. Just a few weeks after the 20th Party Congress made it official that Xi is paramount leader for life and that the factions that might oppose him (inclu..

Read More »
Back to top button