Japan Refuses to Take Part in China’s ‘Victory Day’ Event to Mark End of War
Shinzo Abe has decided against visiting Beijing for the event, partly to protest against China’s regional military build-up.
China Says More than 10 Countries to Join Unprecedented WW II Military Parade
Russia and Kazakhstan are among those countries joining a parade in Beijing in September to commemorate China's WWII victory over Japan.
Conversation
08.18.15
How Should the U.S. Conduct the Xi Jinping State Visit?
As tensions increase between China and the United States over the value of the yuan, human rights violations, alleged cyber attacks, and disputed maritime territories, among other issues, how should the Obama administration conduct the upcoming...
China TV Anchor Bi Fujian to be Punished for Mao Insult
He committed "a serious violation of political discipline" mocking the man who led the Cultural Revolution and sparked a crippling famine.
China Hits Back at U.S. Criticism over South China Sea ‘Restrictions’
Free overflights and navigation doesn't equal foreign warships and jets to violate sovereignty and security, Beijing said.
Excerpts
08.10.15
What Happened to the Settlers the Japanese Army Abandoned in China
Seventy years ago today, thousands of Japanese settlers—mostly women and children—found themselves trapped in an area then known as Manchuria, or Manchukuo, the name of the puppet state the Japanese military established in 1931....
The Melancholy Pop Idol Who Haunts China
Teresa Teng’s influence is particularly powerful in China, which her parents had fled after the revolution.
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.
Guo Boxiong Expelled From Chinese Communist Party in Bid to Reform Military
The military has been a core focus of President Xi Jinping's campaign against official corruption.
China’s Naked Emperors
By trying to control the market China's rulers show that despite 25 years of success they have no idea what they’re doing.
Wan Li Obituary
Former leader Wan Li, who died at age 98, was a reform-minded communist. In the post-Mao Zedong era, Wan achieved one great success only to fail dismally in another crucial enterprise.
Xi Turns Back the Clock on Women’s Rights in China
Although it is unthinkable today, two decades ago 30,000 women from around the world converged outside Beijing to promote a host of social and political causes.
Louisa Lim: “How Chinese People Became Complicit...”
I didn’t want to write this book. Even the thought of it scared me, but it hammered away at my conscience. When I finally gave in, I took elaborate precautions.
Conversation
07.21.15
Is China’s Reform Era Over and, If So, What’s Next?
Fordham Law School professor and regular ChinaFile contributor Carl Minzner says we've arrived at “...
Japan Sharpens Censure of China Disputed Sea Activity
Japan is nearing approval of changes to a national security law that would allow Japanese troops to fight overseas for the first time since World War II.
Understanding Xi Jinping’s ‘Key Minority’
Xi’s renewed attention to the performance of county leaders shows that he is relying on local officials to play a pivotal role in implementing his program.
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.
Biggest Ever Winged Dinosaur is Found in China
An ancient feathered creature dug up in northeastern China is the largest winged dinosaur ever found, researchers say.
China Locks Up Lawyers, Defending the Rule of Law
Amnesty International says 120 lawyers, and more than 50 support staff, family members and activists, have been rounded up in China since July 9th.
Two Way Street
07.09.15
The ‘Two Orders’ and the Future of China-U.S. Relations
from Two Way StreetThe China-U.S. relationship may be the most complex relationship that has ever existed between two major powers. Ties between China and the United States are deepening, and at every level the interaction between the two countries is marked by...
Both China and Taiwan Have South China Sea Obligations
China and Taiwan share claims to the South China Sea, a legacy of the civil war when the Communists beat the Nationalists and took control of the mainland in 1949.
China’s Confucius Institutes and the Soft War
The first Confucius Institute opened its door in November 2004 in Seoul, South Korea. Hanban, or the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language.
Chinese Tourists Warned over Turkey Uighur Protests
China advised citizens against travelling to Turkey after it said several tourists were attacked in protests over the Chinese government's treatment of Uighur Muslims.
Fears Raised as "A Third" of China Great Wall Vanishes
About 30%, of the ancient fortification built in the Ming Dynasty era has disappeared due to natural erosion and human damage, according to the Beijing Times.
China National Security Law Won’t Apply to Hong Kong
Hong Kong has a provision on national security law-Article 23, stating that it can enact laws to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, or subversion.
China National Security Law Aims to Create 'Garrison State'
The law marks a crackdown on activism and dissent, featuring repression of civil-society groups, and warnings against the spread of Western ideas.
Taiwan Youth to China: Treat Us Like a Country
Activists tie themselves up in chains, block mountain roads, scale fences and throw red paint balloons in a wave of anti-China sentiment to turn politics in the next election.
Thousands Protest on Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Return to China
As Hong Kong marks the 18th anniversary of its handover from Britain from China, thousands take to the street to rally for democracy.
The Truth About China’s New National Security Law
China’s national legislature passed a national security law who's mandate covers politics, the military, finance, religion, cyberspace, and even ideology and religion.
With Beijing’s Voting Plan Dead, Hong Kong Looks Ahead
The rejection of a Beijing-backed plan to let the public elect Hong Kong’s top officials begs the question of what happens next.
Books
06.25.15
City of Virtues
Throughout Nanjing’s history, writers have claimed that its spectacular landscape of mountains and rivers imbued the city with “royal qi,” making it a place of great political significance. City of Virtues examines the ways a series of visionaries, drawing on past glories of the city, projected their ideologies onto Nanjing as they constructed buildings, performed rituals, and reworked the literary heritage of the city.
Charleston Shooting: A U.S. Expat’s View From Afar
There’s perspective that’s gained by watching the US from afar; it helps expats understand why locals may view America as dangerous.
China Voice: Cooperation Prevails Over Confrontation in China-U.S. Ties
The dialogues will help pave the way for President Xi Jinping's state visit to the U.S. in September.
Caixin Media
06.22.15
Why Fukuyama Still Beats a Drum for Democracy
American author and political scientist Francis Fukuyama has long extolled the virtues of democracy against the backdrop of the Soviet Union’s collapse and the end of the Cold War.
Fukuyama’s best-selling book The End of History and...
China Extends Reach into Hong Kong to Thwart Democrats
Democrats rejected a Beijing-backed Hong Kong electoral reform package but face an increasingly organized Chinese government.
China will welcome only anti-independence candidate for Taiwan president
For upcoming Taiwan presidential election, China will only accept anti-independence candidates.
Hong Kong Vetoes China-Backed Electoral Reform Proposal
The rejection was expected and will likely appease activists who demanded a veto of what they call "fake" reforms.
Conversation
06.17.15
Has China’s ‘One Country, Two Systems’ Experiment Failed?
As Hong Kong’s legislature began debate this week on the reform package that could shape the future of the local political system, the former British colony’s pro-democracy lawmakers swore again they will reject electoral reforms proposed by the...
Books
06.16.15
The Yellow River
Flowing through the heart of the North China Plain―home to 200 million people―the Yellow River sustains one of China’s core regions. Yet this vital water supply has become highly vulnerable in recent decades, with potentially serious repercussions for China’s economic, social, and political stability. The Yellow River is an investigative expedition to the source of China’s contemporary water crisis, mapping the confluence of forces that have shaped the predicament that the world’s most populous nation now faces in managing its water reserves.
China to Halt Its Building of Islands, but Not Its Projects on Them
China will soon halt island building in the South China Sea but will continue constructing military and civilian facilities.
Conversation
06.11.15
How Will Beijing Treat Myanmar’s Symbol of Democracy?
Burmese opposition leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who spent 15 years under house arrest in Myanmar, is visiting the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing for five days this week, through Sunday. Also courted...
Top Leaders to Host Suu Kyi on Her 1st Visit to China
The five-day visit includes no public appearances and gives Beijing a chance to get to know Suu Kyi as her country has shifted toward the West.
Americans Buy a Fifth of China’s Exports
Americans bought almost $1 out of every $5 worth of goods that China exported in May, the highest share since August 2010.
Conversation
06.06.15
Should the U.S. Change its China Policy and How?
The past several months have seen a growing chorus of calls for the U.S. to take stock of its policy toward China. Some prominent voices have called for greater efforts by the U.S. and China to forge “a...
Media
06.05.15
Hong Kong’s Long-Standing Unity on Tiananmen Is Unraveling
June 4, a day that changed mainland China forever, has become a cross that the city of Hong Kong bears. Each year, thousands of the city’s residents gather on an often steamy night and share anxious memories of 1989, when tanks rolled by bloodied...
China Is Exporting its Tiananmen Censorship, and We Are All Victims
Twenty six years after the killing of student protesters, the code of silence is spreading worldwide.
The NYRB China Archive
06.04.15
In North Korea: Wonder & Terror
from New York Review of BooksThe northeast of China used to be called Manchuria. Another name was “the cockpit of Asia.” Many wars were fought there. A French priest who traveled through the region in the 1920s wrote: “Although it is uncertain where God...
Books
06.02.15
China Under Mao
China’s Communist Party seized power in 1949 after a long period of guerrilla insurgency followed by full-scale war, but the Chinese revolution was just beginning. China Under Mao narrates the rise and fall of the Maoist revolutionary state from 1949 to 1976—an epoch of startling accomplishments and disastrous failures, steered by many forces but dominated above all by Mao Zedong.
Chinese Democracy Isn’t Inevitable
Can a political system be democratically legitimate without being democratic?
Will China Close Its Doors?
The draft “Foreign NGO Management Law” is part of a package of legislation that includes strict laws on national security and antiterrorism.
Q&A—Willy Wo-Lap Lam on ‘Chinese Politics in the Era of Xi Jinping’
Xi’s reversal of guiding principles guiding Chinese politics post-Mao signals “the closing of the Chinese mind.”
Sinica Podcast
06.01.15
Earthquake in Nepal!
from Sinica Podcast[Note: This podcast was first recorded on May 13.—The Editors]
On April 25, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake shook the Katmandu...
Chubby Blue Cat Hints at Thaw in Ties Between China and Japan
In September, three Sichuan newspapers attacked the animated cat Doraemon as a tool of Japan’s “cultural invasion.”
China Voice: South China Sea Issue Should not Hinder China-U.S. Ties
A U.S. anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft flew over waters off China's Nansha Islands last month.
The Ultimate Irony: Is China the ‘America’ of Asia?
Beijing’s claims in Asia are as valid as those made by the U.S. States against Mexico and Great Britain in the mid-19th century.
China Cares Little for Other Countries’ Territorial Claims
Beijing’s actions in building man-made islands in the South China Sea are motivated by a desire to impose its sovereignty.