China: Back to Authoritarianism
from New York Review of BooksOver the past decade, Xi has become a transformational figure on a par with the two other giants of Chinese Communist Party rule: Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. Like them, he has reversed earlier policies, in Xi’s case the relative openness that...
The Red Emperor
from New York Review of BooksThis fall, the Nineteenth Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (C.C.P.) gave proof that during his five years as general secretary Xi Jinping has become the most powerful leader of China since Mao Zedong died in 1976. Most observers, Chinese...
Did Kim Jong-Un Kill His Uncle and Brother over ‘Coup Plot Involving China’?
Sources told the newspaper that Kim Jong-Un’s uncle, Mr. Jang Song Thaek, proposed a plot to overthrow Mr. Kim, with Beijing's assistance, and to replace him with his oldest half-brother, Kim Jong-nam.
Commentary: Why North Korea Is Turning into a Headache for China and Xi Jinping
Chinese President Xi Jinping has found himself in a peculiar predicament over the North Korean nuclear issue. Although Xi is widely believed to be far more popular as a global leader than his immediate predecessor, President Hu Jintao, he is...
Should the U.S. Extradite Chinese Wanted by Beijing?
This week, The New York Times reported that Chinese officials have asked the U.S....
China Seeks Businessman Said to Have Fled to U.S., Further Straining Ties
Ling Wancheng is the younger brother of Ling Jihua, who for years held a post akin to that of the White House chief of staff.
One-Time Aide to China’s Ex-President Accused of Corruption
Party investigators accuse Ling Jihua, 58, once aide to former President Hu Jintao, of accepting bribes and illegally obtaining party and state secrets.
Singapore Former PM Meets with Chinese Leaders
Pepople's Daily photo archive of the late Lee Kwan Yew's meetings with five of China's top leaders.
Net Closes on Ling Jihua, One-Time Top Aide to Ex-President Hu Jintao
Hu has been conspicuously silent over the investigation.
China Tells Spain to Prevent Tibet-Related Lawsuits
Two Tibetan support groups and a monk with Spanish nationality brought a case in Spain against former Chinese president Jiang Zemin and ex-prime minister Li Peng in 2006 over allegations they committed genocide in Tibet.
China’s New President Nods To Public Concerns, But Defends Power At Top
“I think that [Xi] is attracted to the idea of a kind of enlightened dictatorship, or neo-authoritarianism,” says magazine editor Li Weidong. “He rejects fundamental political reform, but he wants a cleaner, more efficient government that...
Vows of Change in China Belie Private Warning
Xi Jinping told party insiders during a visit to Guangdong Province in December, China must still heed the “deeply profound” lessons of the former Soviet Union.
Xi Jinping’s Opposition to Political Reforms Laid out in Leaked Internal Speech
Beijing-based writer Gao Yu’s writing on a speech Xi Jinping made during his “southern tour” in December, suggests Xi, who blames those not “man enough” to do what had to be done to save the Soviet Communist Party from itself, has even less...
Will Xi Jinping Differ from His Predecessors?
As part of our continuing series on China’s recent leadership transition, Arthur Ross Fellow Ouyang Bin sat down with political scientist Andrew Nathan, who published...
The New Chinese Gang of Seven
from New York Review of BooksIn traditional Chinese religion, a fashi, or ritual master, will recite a set of phrases to turn an ordinary space into a sacred area where the gods can descend to receive prayers and rejuvenate the community. The ceremony can last days...
How Crash Cover-Up Altered China’s Succession
The outlines of the affair surfaced months ago, but it is now becoming clearer that the crash and the...
Top 10 Myths About China in 2012
This year may prove to be a pivot point, when the myths that China and the world had adopted about the politics and economics of the People’s Republic began to erode.
Ten Ways to Investigate Transition in China
How can students learn what kind of place China is today? The Learning Network and The New York Times gathered 10 different ways of looking at the country.
Spotted on Weibo: Chinese Leaders Share a Human Moment
An active Beijing-based micro-blogger named Dongdong Wang recently tweeted this image on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter: {vertical_photo_right}
At first glance, it doesn’t look like much: Outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao (left) and outgoing...
Why Is China Censoring a Fake Photo of its Leaders Doing 'Gangnam Style'?
A doctored photo of China's top officials doing a popular South Korean dance went viral 'til Chinese censors pulled it down.
China, at Party Congress, Touts its Cultural Advances
Party guidance is the "soul” of China's moves to privitize and promote industries that can spread soft power abroad.
Party Report Suggests Old Guard is Strong
My preliminary conclusion: conservative forces within the Party are still very powerful. According to the line marked out by the political report to the 18th National Congress, there is very little prospect that substantive moves will be made on...
On Way Out, China’s Leader Offers Praise for the Status Quo
Capping 10 careful years at the helm of the Communist Party, China’s top leader...
China's Communist Party Congress Opens with a Warning
Outgoing President Hu Jintao warned that the Communist Party faces 'collapse' if it fails to clean up corruption.
China Prepares for Party Congress
Hu Jintao told party-picked that China faces a period of major change and “complicated domestic and international circumstances."
Many Urge China’s Next Leader to Liberalize
After it was leaked that Xi Jinping, the man...
China Gets Back to Work
After China's Golden Week holiday, a round-up of important recent stories on economy and politics.
Reading Deep Red
On the question of political reform, there is one important terminology in particular we should remain alert to if we hope to read, between the lines as it were, the larger political climate of the 18th National Congress: the “Four Basic...
The Ten Grave Problems Facing China
‘The Ten Grave Problems’ 十大文问题 forms the second section of a three-part feuilleton or ‘pamphlet’ (in its earlier rabble-rousing sense) by Deng Yuwen 邓聿文 titled ‘The Political Legacy of Hu-Wen’ 胡温的政治遗产. It...
Doesn’t Matter If the Ferrari Is Black or Red
Salacious rumours had started swirling on the internet within hours of the spectacular crash in March: another Ferrari in Beijing, another Chinese leader’s son. But which leader? Months later the answer appears to...
Editor at Communist Party Mouthpiece Blasts Leaders
A senior editor of Study Times, a Communist Party mouthpiece, has launched a blistering broadside at the country's outgoing leaders, who are about to step down in a once-a-decade shake-up, accusing them of stalling long-overdue political reform...
China Faces New Scandal Over Crash of a Ferrari
China’s carefully scripted leadership transition appears to have suffered another glitch: a fatal car crash involving a Ferrari, a privileged son and two women.
Black Box by the Sea
This week China’s Communist Party announced the election of the 2,270 delegates who will gather later this year in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People for the 18th National Party Congress. They will be tasked with determining a new roster of top...
The Chairman
from Sinica PodcastTen years after his elevation to General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, Hu Jintao remains almost as much of an enigma now as he was on first taking power. What do we know about the man beyond his reputation as a somewhat robotic...
Hu Jintao and the Washington Summit
from Sinica PodcastAs part of our ongoing efforts to secure the hottest scoops for you, our Sinica team originally planned to storm Hu Jintao’s flight to Washington and record a live podcast with everyone’s favorite chairman during his flight across the Pacific....
A Tom Friedman Exclusive
from Sinica PodcastAs you’re probably aware, earlier this month Hu Jintao hotfooted it to Washington to attend a nuclear security summit and discuss potential United Nations sanctions against Iran.
While the rest of the Internet was sleeping on this story, we...
China’s New Rulers: What They Want
from New York Review of BooksFollowing are the members of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee, whose election is expected in November 2002, listed by their rank according to protocol, with their main Party and future state positions. Ages are given...
China’s New Rulers: The Path to Power
from New York Review of BooksFollowing are the members of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee, whose election is expected in November 2002, listed by their rank according to protocol, with their main Party and future state positions. Ages are given...