China Second Quarter GDP to Test Reformers’ Stomach for Slower Growth
China's resolve to revamp its economy for the long-term good...
Xi's Call for "Mass Line" Answered by Actions
On June 18, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said that the "mass line" is the lifeline of the Party and the CPC's upcoming year-long campaign will be a "thorough cleanup" of undesirable work styles such as formalism,...
The Chimerica Dream
Whatever the confusions and difficulties the Chinese leadership faces, Beijing seems to understand the realities behind Washington’s strategic intentions. One wonders whether the reverse applies.
China’s Jailed Nobel’s Wife Writes Open Letter to Chinese Leader to Protest Brother’s Sentence
In the letter, Liu Xiaobo’s wife Liu Xia said the sentencing was unfair and urged Xi to govern China in a way that respects the rights of individuals and avoids “ruthless suppression based on violence.”
U.S. and China Pledge New Model of Cooperation
The two presidents appeared eager to redefine the relationship in a way that would allow their countries to overcome their economic, political and diplomatic differences, rather than letting new — or old — crises derail progress....
Xi Jinping Appears More Maoist Than Reformer So Far
During his first months in power, Xi has proven himself more hard-line than his recent predecessors. He has tightened censorship in academia and the media, and spearheaded China’s territorial assertions in the South China and East China...
Most View China as a Friend
According to a Gallup poll on Thursday, 55 percent of respondents thought China was either an ally or friendly nation. A total of 40 percent viewed China unfavorably.
Cui Tiankai, China’s Envoy to the U.S., Aims to Allay Tensions
Cui Tiankai, the country’s ambassador in Washington, is its chief behind-the-scenes facilitator for the meeting that will bring together Mr. Xi and President Obama at Sunnylands starting June 7.
Conversation
06.11.13
What’s the Best Way to Advance Human Rights in the U.S.-China Relationship?
Nicholas Bequelin:
The best way to advance human rights in the U.S.-China relationship is first and foremost to recognize that the engine of human rights progress in China today is the Chinese citizenry itself. Such progress is...
Xi’s Not Ready
The U.S. needs to free itself from the idea that finding the soft spot in a foreign leader antagonistic towards it improves bilateral relationships. Summits like this one should be reserved for friends and allies.
U.S.-China Meeting’s Aim
The two day meeting is an enormous bet on the power of personal diplomacy, in a setting carefully chosen to nurture a high-level friendship.
Obama Meets Xi: A Chance to Make History
This weekend's gathering is more informal than other meetings. The leaders of the world's two biggest economies have a rare chance to get to know one another on top of the official business about trades, security and global power....
Conversation
06.06.13
What Would the Best U.S.-China Joint Statement Say?
As we approach the June 7-8 meeting in California of U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping we are holding a small contest. We have asked ChinaFile Conversation regulars and a few guests to envision their ideal...
How to Play Well With China
There is no way to rebalance the global economy, slow climate change, manage the trouble kicked up by rogue states and keep the peace in Asia unless Washington and Beijing work together in as many areas as possible.
The U.S., China, and Cyber Security (Podcast)
Evan Osnos and others discuss the U.S.-China relationship before an upcoming Obama-Xi meeting, covering the topics of cyber security and the two countries’ mutual “strategic distrust.”
Obama’s Meeting with China’s Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping
The Heritage Foundation
President Obama and the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, will meet June 7–8 in California. The meeting has been characterized as a way for the two to establish a personal relationship and build trust. This would all...
Ideological Debate: Drawing the Battle Lines
Xi Jinping’s lip service to liberalization and constitutionalism has emboldened advocates of political reform. Party officials have responded by rallying against constitutionalism and warning activists to not adopt Western ideals....
Conversation
05.29.13
What Should Obama and Xi Accomplish at Their California Summit?
Susan Shirk:
It’s an excellent idea for President Obama and President Xi to spend two days of quality time together at a private retreat in Southern California. Past meetings between Chinese and American presidents have been too...
Obama to Meet China’s Xi in California
The June 7 and 8 meeting will likely find the two leaders discussing several hot-button issues such as North Korea’s recent belligerence, cyberattacks, and tension in the South China Sea.
Conversation
05.21.13
U.S.-China Economic Relations—What Will the Next Decade Bring?
On Monday, within hours of the announcement that Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet U.S. President Barack Obama on a visit to...
China Detains Activist for Subversion After Pressuring Leaders On Wealth
President Xi Jinping’s administration has detained at least 10 activists who have led a campaign for officials to publicly disclose their wealth - the first coordinated crackdown by the new government on activists.
China Warns Officials Against ‘Dangerous’ Western Values
The Chinese Communist Party has warned officials to combat “dangerous” Western values and other perceived ideological threats, in a directive that analysts said on Monday reflected the determination of China’s leader to preserve top-down...
Hu Shuli: China Has Still Not Compiled A Common Dream
Hu, who has been described as the most dangerous woman in China because of her investigative reporting, gives an interview about the challenges facing new president Xi Jinping in 2013.
Tale Of China’s Leader In A Taxicab Is Retracted
The state-run news media, which had initially given credence to the story, abruptly reversed course, and the tale was in shreds. What does it mean when feel-good propaganda cannot be trusted even on its own fanciful terms?
...
Challenges Mount For China’s President
Whatever honeymoon President Xi Jinping of China may have been having appears to be over. Now the president must grapple with the H7N9 virus, tensions over North Korea, an economic slowdown, corruption, and a host of other issues....
North Korean Leader Strains Ties With Chinese
How far the alliance between the powerhouse China and the impoverished North Korea has soured is now debated openly in the Chinese news media. Few call it a serious rift, though a spirited debate is under way within the Chinese government...
Now Sharper, Xi Jinping’s ‘China Dream’ Marks Departure From Past
A recent editorial elaboartes upon Xi’s ‘Chinese Dream’: “...realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation... [achieving] national prosperity, revitalization of the nation and its people’s happiness.”
Elite In China Face Austerity Under Xi’s Rule
Warning that graft and gluttony threaten to bring down the ruling Communists, Mr. Xi has ordered an end to boozy, taxpayer-financed banquets and the bribery that often takes the form of Louis Vuitton bags.
Can China Deliver The Chinese Dream(s)?
In dedicating his people to pursue something more abstract and individualized, Xi has succeeded in capturing their attention. Now he faces the challenge of meeting their expectations.
Media
04.02.13
Singing a Note of Caution About New First Lady Peng Liyuan
Xi Jinping, the newly appointed Chinese President, unfolded his presidency with a grand foreign tour to Russia, Tanzania, South Africa, and the Republic of the Congo. While this series of state visits unequivocally underscored China’s diplomatic...
Sinica Podcast
03.29.13
Xi Jinping Goes to Russia
from Sinica PodcastXi Jinping’s trip to Moscow earlier this week, his first journey abroad as China’s new Head of State, has raised interesting questions about China’s ambitions in Asia, and coupled with Washington’s “pivot to Asia” is resurrecting the specter of a...
China’s Xi Tells Africa He Seeks Relationship Of Equals
On the first stop on an African tour that will include a B.R.I.C.S. summit of major emerging economies, Xi Jinping told Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete that China’s involvement in Africa would help the continent grow richer....
China’s First Lady Strikes Glamorous Note
At a time when China’s Foreign Ministry is struggling to improve China’s international image, Peng Liyuan, 50, who has dazzled audiences at home and abroad with her bravura soprano voice, comes as a welcome gift.
Changing Faces
Xi Jinping’s first foreign visits since his inauguration and new appointments in foreign policy-related positions hint at the direction of the new administration’s foreign policy plans and goals.
Xi Stresses Positive U.S. Ties In Lew Meeting Amid Tensions
Recently appointed U.S. Treasury Secretary discussed exchange rate, intellectual property, cybersecurity, and North Korea in his first meeting with Xi Jinping and the rest of the newly appointed Chinese leadership.
China’s Economy To Rebound This Year
Former Morgan Stanley Asia guru Stephen Roach is more bullish on Chinese GDP this year than outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao. Jiabao had it at 7.5%. Roach estimated 8%.
Does China Have A Foreign Policy?
A country’s foreign policy should be judged on the basis of its actions as well as its rhetoric. When we conduct a careful examination of Chinese policies and actions, we see that Chinese foreign policy is actually ambivalent, even weak....
What China’s New President Means For The Entertainment Industry
Although China's annual foreign movie quota was recently increased, there’s much uncertainty surrounding how Xi’s rise to power will impact the entertainment industry.
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...
China’s First Lady Gets In On Charm Offensive
The move to make his wife more visible underscores the sense that Xi is treading a different path from his predecessor. Breaking with Chinese tradition signals his recognition that China must find new ways to make friends.
...
China’s Public Expression Philosophy: A Case Of Too Little Theory?
For the foreseeable future, accepting pluralism, in all its colours and guises, is simply inconceivable in the epistemology of the Communist Party, and so are liberal conceptions of free expression and democracy.
China’s Richer-Than-Romney Lawmakers Reveal Reform Challenge
The growing presence of wealthy people in the legislature coincides with Xi's efforts to address the concern that the Communist Party no longer represents the interests of ordinary Chinese.
New Chinese Leader Shores Up Military Support
Since taking the top party post, Mr. Xi has made a closer relationship with the military with greater speed and sureness than his recent predecessors.
Conversation
03.06.13
Are Proposed Sanctions on North Korea a Hopeful Sign for U.S.-China Relations?
Orville Schell:
What may end up being most significant about the new draft resolution in the U.N...
After The First 100 Days Of Xi Jinping
A look at what Xi has done so far and what is on the horizon, including environmental and economic reforms. loosening media restrictions, and Xi’s formally replacing Hu Jintao as president.
China Austerity Drive Becomes A Joke
Beijing recently decided to take a more populist approach to its austerity campaign by making it a theme of the entertainment on CCTV’s widely watched Lunar New Year’s Eve gala.
China’s Xi Affirms Goal Of Unification With Taiwan
The meeting is the first between Xi and a leading Taiwanese politician since Xi assumed the party leadership and was viewed on both sides as a symbolic gesture aimed at reaffirming warming ties between the two nations.
Viewpoint
02.25.13
Xi Jinping Should Expand Deng Xiaoping’s Reforms
A month after the conclusion of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 18th National Congress, the new Secretary General of the CCP and Central Military Commission, comrade Xi Jinping, left Beijing to visit Shenzhen, the first foothold of...
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.
North Korea, China Do Their Usual Dance
North Korea and China have done it again—call it the Pyongyang-Beijing two-step. Though Beijing registered ‘firm opposition’ to North Korea’s nuclear weapons test, it is unlikely to exercise its unique leverage on North Korea to encourage change...
American Policy Towards China: Getting Beyond the Friend-Or-Foe Fallacy
It is not widely accepted that any meaningful relationship can be boiled down to a single index that quantifies where it is at any moment and whether it is “better’’ or “worse” than a week or a month ago.
North Korea’s Nuclear Test: Are You Listening America?
EARS shut to the impending chorus of international condemnation, North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on February 12th. It said the detonation was of a “smaller and light” atomic bomb that was different from its previous two, and that it...
Nuclear Test Poses Big Challenge to China’s New Leader
North Korea's nuclear test in defiance of China’s warnings leaves that country’s new leader, Xi Jinping, with a choice: Does he upset North Korea just a bit by agreeing to stepped up United Nations sanctions, or does he...
Is China’s Mystery Blogger Xi Jinping Himself?
A mystery blogger who appears to have close access to the daily activities of China's new leader may be the leader himself, say China watchers.
Reformers Aim to Get China to Live up to Own Constitution
After the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, the surviving Communist Party leaders pursued a project that might sound familiar to those in the West: Write a constitution that enshrines individual rights and ensures rulers are subject to law, so...
Is Xi Jinping a Reformer? Wrong Question.
Better questions are needed in order to produce more useful analyses and forecasts of China’s political development. Such analyses should start by recognizing two facts: First, the new leadership’s various initiatives and pronouncements after...