Recommended Readings
Over the last 25 years the reputation of Mao Zedong has been seriously undermined by ever more extreme estimates of the numbers of deaths he was supposedly responsible for. Do these allegations hold water? During his lifetime, Mao Zedong improved the welfare of the Chinese people, slashed the level of poverty and hunger in China and provided free health care and education. Mao’s theories also gave great inspiration to those fighting imperialism around the world.
Bollywood is a great replica machine often plagiarising Hollywood and giving blockbusters a masala makeover. So it is with Indian democracy, a proper Bollywood performance.
A good articulation of China’s vision for development going forward as well as its impact for the world.
China has an old saying, ‘knowing the challenge is not difficult, but acting on it is’. Building a new China-West relationship will thus not happen overnight, but demand a strategic vision, a strong commitment and a down-to-earth approach from both sides.
Those who doubt angels of mercy exist among us should heed the heart-warming career of Cristina Rosello, a Filipina therapist who helps former “comfort women” forced into sexual slavery during World War 2 to balm their inner wounds. In this interview, Rosello describes her creative methods and how she is both healer – and healed.
It is one thing for western media to be critical of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party. It’s quite another to let their views of the CCP color their reports on the history … to brush away from the suffering of the Chinese people for present political convenience.
In many countries, adopting Chinese terminology is a taboo. Even the most noble-minded thinkers, such as the Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse, warned the Germans that “we must not become Chinese [...], otherwise we’d adhere to a fetish.” Nevertheless, many should perhaps start learning about shengren (圣人 or 聖人), minzhu (民主) and wenming (文明).
Eric X. Li on the Ying and Yang of Internet Regulation in China and how social media in China is providing a safety valve alerting the government to problems that can get out of control.
Google Inc. didn’t stop wrangling with censorship when the company moved its search engine out of mainland China to shed its restraints on what can be shown on the Internet. For instance, local laws prodded Google to help shield Turkey’s founder and Thailand’s monarch from public ridicule. The company also complies with laws in Germany, France and Poland that force it to exclude information that promotes or supports Nazi causes
Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig expounds on what has become of the American Republic.
As the West increases its pressure on Iran, the latest effort being a concerted campaign to impose an oil embargo on Tehran, China finds itself in a tough dilemma.
Who has the guts to call things as they are: even when the King has no clothes? Here Pincus questions the purpose of the U.S. buildup of military presence in Asia – including questioning Clinton’s “top of the list” reason of a “rapid response to disasters,” “[t]he United States [being] a generous nation” – because after all, you can’t deter natural disasters with aircraft carriers, drones or special forces…
A sober analysis of the 1962 war – how the arrogance and mistakes of a few leaders threw two long-time peaceful neighbors into a conflict that lasts to this day.
Rein discusses how symbiotic and profitable the U.S.-China relationship can be, but laments how much of the current strain has come from a misunderstanding, sometimes willful, among many in the West about how China is evolving.
Brought to our attention by Naqshbandiyya, this lively and insightful discussion gives a good background on the Indian-Chinese border dispute – how, as Naqshbandiyya puts it, “it is a tragedy of cosmic proportions that the Chinese Communists – in contrast to the Chinese Nationalists on Taiwan – were so willing to cede historical Chinese territory for good relations with neighboring states, yet were so consistently branded the “aggressor” in its disputes by the capitalist West.” A piece titled ”Remembering a War – The 1962 India-China Conflict” by Dr Gregory Clark, Oct 24, 2002, also brought to our attention by Naqshbandiyya, is also helpful.
A complete system of healthcare covering cities, counties and townships, as well as an early warning and response system for emergent epidemics, has been established in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Asia is a big stage and has enough space for the “return” of the United States, provided it is ready to put itself in the right place to further aid its development, not to thwart its growth.
Andre Vltchek bravely writes about the West’s efforts to smear China at all costs, an act that lead to this recent interview by the People’s Daily.
Eric X. Li writes that China’s politically-stifled intelligentsia has painted the recent train accident as a symbol of the Communist Party’s failings, warning against the perils of rapid economic growth. But these Internet-wielding elite are venting personal frustration, not voicing the will of the Chinese people
Despite budget woes, the military is preparing for a conflict with our biggest rival — and we should be worried. Stephen Glain discusses the crippling costs of a defense policy that makes global hegemony a mindless imperative.
The West – Europe, United States, and to a great extent Australia – are all living in denial. They never fully accepted the truth about the terror they unleashed and are still unleashing against the great majority of the world. They are still rich: the richest, as they live from the sweat and blood of others. They are still an empire – one Empire – united by colonialist culture. Currently, there is no intellectual hunger, no “hunger for truth,” for alternative views, in the West – be it Sydney, New York, or London. Yet there will never be peace on earth, a real reconciliation, unless this culture of control disappears. And the only way to make it disappear is to face reality, address and revisit the past. It is the responsibility of those who know the world and understand the suffering of its people to speak the truth.
Huang Shuo of the China Daily puts the launching of China’s first carrier in perspective…
A terrible train wreck occurred July 23 in China near Wenzhou, about 220 miles south of Shanghai. A wildfire of corporate-owned media bashing of China soon ensued in the West. Could it be that a fear of Chinese competition in technology and construction and a politically motivated desire suppress China’s development of its high-speed rail technology and signal systems be behind all this?
China’s Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry have expressed strong opposition to Japan’s 2011 defense white paper, saying that it contains “irresponsible” comments regarding the development of China’s national defense.
Brian Cloughley writes how it seems like that the chief job of Washington these days is to embarrass or insult other countries – especially China – to the detriment of global peace.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen writes that the military relationship between China and U.S. is one of the most important in the world and simply too important to manage through blind suspicion and mistrust. Whatever difficulties, it is time for the two sides to work toward strategic trust.
Jeff Stibel, author of Wired for Thought, writes that our brains work very well individually but tend to break down in groups. This is why we have individual decision makers in business (and why paradoxically we have group decisions in government). Leaders need to make tough decisions all the time: find the best people, place them in leadership positions, and expect them to do great things.
The U.S. is trying to convince the people of Okinawa that its troops are there to protect them from the “threat” of China. But the Okinawans are not buying it. (See also WSJ article)
There has been a lot of hoopla on the 17-Article Agreement. Is it valid or null? Does it prove Tibet was an independent country around 1950 or not? Does it show the legitimacy of the Tibetan exiled government of not? If you love history, dig in. You will enjoy this article.
Sixty Years Since Peaceful Liberation of Tibet The Information Office of the State Council, China’s cabinet, on 7/18/2011 published a white paper on the sixty years since peaceful liberation of Tibet.
A central element of the narrative circulated by the Tibet Movement has been that China has carried out genocide and practised colonialism in Tibet. Do these allegations hold up upon closer scrutiny? You be the judge…
Good analysis on what is important – and what is not – about the “South China Sea Crisis”
Arthur Kroeber debunks five frequently held myths about China’s economy.
Shaun Rein writes that while challenges always exist in China’s path to development, one should not mis-judge China based on phantom facts.
Interesting report listing instances of U.S. armed intervention abroad from 1798-2010.
An interesting, well-written perspective of U.S. foreign policy from a Chinese perspective.
While disaster diplomacy hasn’t transformed the overall picture of Sino-Japanese relations – in fact, disaster diplomacy itself is actually shaped by broad international and domestic political relationships - the importance of people-to-people relations in disaster diplomacy shouldn’t be underestimated.
Visiting the Japnese embassy, Hu told Ambassador Niwa Uichiro that, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, he extended his sincere sympathies to the Japanese people as well as condolences to the victims of the earthquake
Francis Fukuyama, author of the famous piece End of History, discusses the political differences between China and U.S. In the end, perhaps Deng’s saying that “No matter if it is a white cat or a black cat; as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat” applies to more than just Chinese politics….
Robert Kennedy on why buying Chinese – at least in the renewable space – is a win-win for everyone, Americans included.
Nearly half of Americans surveyed say China is the world’s top economic power. And just what do the Chinese make of all this talk?
The key to a peaceful and prosperous future is for the U.S. and China to create a tradition of respect and cooperation so that the successors of leaders meeting now will continue to see it in their interest to build an emerging world order as a joint enterprise.
An unedited transcript of written answers from President Hu Jintao of China to written questions from The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
Former Carter national security advisor argues that U.S. and China should join in a partnership with a wider mission than national self-interest, guided by the moral imperatives of the 21st century’s unprecedented global interdependence.
Despite all the talk of China as “the other superpower,” people in China do not see China that way. If all goes well, China will be the 2nd most powerful nation … in 2050.
China’s Vice Premier Li Keqiang on China’s interaction with the World and how that interaction is so vital for China herself and the world at large.
Government White Paper published by the Information Office of the State Council, or China’s Cabinet, published 12/23/2010, on promoting economic development and social progress in China and Africa.
Do it with the Nobel Peace Prize by recognizing Gandhi and Deng.
The Nobel Winner has praised the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan – and advocated the overthrow of the Chinese government so China can be fully westernised.
China’s experience cannot be exported. By the same token, not all Western experience will suit China.
Editorial in Xinhua on the injustice of this year’s Nobel Prize.
We’ve often mentioned about the “religion” of Western liberalism. Here is a good overview of that religion.
Some with a gut to speak against conventional wisdom: attacking China will not make the U.S. more prosperous.
It is irresponsible and propagandistic to label China as “irresponsible” and U.S. as “responsible.”
Interesting article on how release of a Chinese national suspected of killing of a Norwegian national in the aftermath of Liu’s recent IgNobel Prize has stirred emotional response in Norway about human rights, justice, and rule of law.
The increase in inequality in China has leveled off in recent years and could be less severe than previously thought, suggesting that Beijing is starting to make progress in tackling one of its biggest social problems.
Author explains why the West should embrace—rather than fear—the next superpower.
Looking for parallels to Haiti’s catastrophe, many point to China. The author went back to Sichuan six months after the catastrophe and was amazed at the speed of physical and economic recovery.
On why the norm of the Internet may not be laissez-faire, but fragmentation of community along linguistic and national lines.
On how China has prospered through peace, established a framework for future peace – and on how the present form of government may present the best guarantee of preserving peace.
Blaming China now for destroying the world won’t help future negotiations nor get the world on track to developing new low-carbon economies nor dissuade China from its mission to lead the world in clean development.
Interesting op-ed on British, American, Russian, and Japanese imperialism in East Asia in the early-mid 20th century.
There has been a lot of accusations by some that the world economic crisis has been caused by China. Here are some good readings for those initiated enough to learn more about reality.
From the toilet to music to science, our world may be more interconnected than you think!
Advice to empire builders: learn from Byzantine not Rome.
The best friend a blogger can have is a good enemy. Your friends will, perhaps, read through your posts and make a few comments. But only an enemy will read through your entire argument, for free, finding every error and questionable statement.
China’s strange mixture of state intervention, markets, dictatorship, and efficiency is puzzling. But it’s time to stop hoping for China’s failure and start understanding and adapting to its success.
According to the article, it’d be so much better for India and China to slowly forge a constructive pan-Asian consensus and do away with the “post-colonial baggage” that animates the current Sino-Indian border dispute.
Ever wondered what China’s Hu would really like to tell Obama on the sidelines of the upcoming G-20 meeting? Here is an entertaining take…
An Xinjiang Native studying in the U.S. for his Ph.D. shares his thoughts on this summer’s violence and its fallout.
In a trend that will change the country, leadership of China’s Communist Party is slowly passing from functionaries trained in engineering to those educated in softer sciences like law.
Progress in use of the yuan will depend not just on Chinese government initiatives, but on how much more competitive China’s exporters can become.
It is time to look anew at a reopened Eurasia under the growing influence of China’s re-emergence. For those whose objective is long-term geopolitical equilibrium, this is a dynamic to acknowledge, monitor and support.
Some clarifications are needed about the many misinformation that has come about since the Urumqi riots.
China may be enjoying its new found role as a leader engine of International growth. Playing this role will however not be easy…
Asia’s emerging economies are leading the way out of recession; the tough part now is to make their recovery last.
I’ve always felt that genocide is a term that is overused by the West as a geopolitical propaganda pawn. Here is a case where the West cries foul when Russia plays the game.
China faces enormous challenges. It is not yet the leader of the global economy, but it’s getting there.
Japanese strategist Kenichi Ohmae discusses why closer (economic) integration with the mainland is a matter of survival for Taiwan.
One view of what we can learn about the media – both Chinese and Western – from their coverage of the recent Xinjiang riots.
Rwanda’s Paul Kagame Charts A Way Forward.
Taiwan and Mainland leaders exchange 1st direct messages between CCP and KMT since CCP tookover the mainland in 1949.
When Xue Longlong’s academic records vanished in Wubu, he lost out on a high-paying job, and the woman he hoped to marry abandoned him.
Heyrat Niyaz – a Uyghur journalist, blogger, and AIDS activist – tells of how he tried to warn officials that “blood would flow” in Urumchi on July 5 and gives his thoughts about the background to the ethnic rioting.
China’s perspectives on Xinjiang, by Fu Ying, China’s ambassador to the UK.
On why Asia’s (and China’s) Rise is by no means guaranteed…
Rising tensions and resistance to Beijing’s control challenge China’s ‘harmonious’ society
A two year-old debate that is nevertheless reminiscent of many of the ideological clashes we’ve had here on Fool’s Mountain.
Is the fall of communist ideology responsible for China’s ethnic strife today?
Should Asians’ alleged over-saving and under-consuming habits be blamed for causing the global financial crisis?
Through a combination of carrots and sticks, Beijing is starting to change how this country generates energy.
According to this NY Times Op-Ed, unless the U.S. gets its fiscal house in order, relations with China will be fundamentally unstable.
Everyone – including Hillary Clinton – seems to have a take on 6-4. Here may be a slightly more realistic version.
Auto sales are rising in China – but electric bike sales growth are even larger.
What does liberty mean for the Chinese people? Here is a small sample.
20 Years After Tiananmen, Beijing Tolerates a Safer Wave of Protest.
World’s largest political party has maintained power by transforming itself and its relationship with the Chinese public.
The Obama administration hailed talks by the US special envoy to Sudan in Beijing to discuss the Darfur region and a peace agreement between the African country’s north and south.
To see China’s holdings as a threat to the U.S. is to misjudge the goals of the Chinese government.
Chinese officials have drafted automotive fuel economy standards that are even more stringent than those outlined by President Obama last week.
Should China be taken at her word that she wants to be a status quo power, not a revolutionary power?
China’s efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions are “impressive” and often underestimated.
Closer economic integration between Mainland and Taiwan creates win-win situation for everyone.
Can GM’s China operations become too successful for GM’s own good?
China has emerged in the past two years as the world’s leading builder of more efficient, less polluting coal power plants.
Can India and China resolve their territorial disputes?
National Geographic on the tapestry of the modern and old in Modern Tibet.
Envoys from Mainland and Taiwan agree to continue to expand air links and promote mainland Chinese investment on the island in the latest step forward.
China’s autosales exceeds U.S. sales for the third month in a row.
New laws are only part of the reason that fewer Chinese children are being adopted by families in the U.S.
UHV lines may be ideal for bringing electricity from remote areas. All eyes are on a big test in China.
That is one of the great things with China: We do not know what this dragon in the East is going to do.
As in everything to do with International Law/Politics, sovereignty is a concept based on realism. The article also explains that sovereignty can come in degrees, commensurate with the relative powers of various relevant states.
China’s economy continues to grow despite the global receission, providing a bright spot even for companies not benefiting from Beijing’s consumption-boosting initiatives.
An American tries to parse through the thick forest of rhetoric that is modern Tibet.
In China, Liu Yan Still Dances in Her Dreams.
Treasury did not find that any major trading partner had manipulated its exchange rate for the purposes of preventing effective balance of payments adjustment or to gain unfair competitive advantage.
For Skating’s Championships, a Chinese Pair Plots a Tango; From Stony Silences to Seductive Gazes
Time on China’s plans to dramatically reform its health care system.
China and France announced an agreement to restore high-level contacts and promote cooperation following a lengthy spat over Tibet sparked by the French president’s meeting with the Dalai Lama.
Can a one-party system take on characteristics of democracy?
Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-American geostrategist, US National Security Advisor under president Jimmy Carter, on Sino-U.S. Relations in the 21st century.
How revival of Buddhism in China may lead to political reconciliations amongst Mainland China, Taiwan, and exiled Tibetans.
The Great Depression made the United States the world’s unquestioned financial leader. The current crisis can do the same for China.
Sheldon Richman on why continued Chinese purchase of U.S. bonds is a lose-lose for everyone.
Economist sees a China asserting itself—carefully (article recommended in part to illuminate pervasive Western bias against / fear of China).
The World Bank cut its forecast for China’s growth this year to 6.5%.
Are China’s leaders turning the current economic crisis to competitive advantage?
A year after the riots, people are still scared, and the economy is still depressed … but the city is looking to prosper soon again.
McKinsey hypothesizes on what the world order will look like in 2040.
A story of how Lhasa residents are still trying to recover from the deadly March riots last year and the year-long recession since.
Justin Raimondo examines the U.S. domestic politics of Sinophobia in light of the recent U.S.-China scuffle in the South China Sea.
Taiwan and Mainland China are in the midst of negotiating a comprehensive free-trade agreement.
Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to Angola to investigate China’s rapidly growing presence in Africa.
Though still poor on a per capita basis, China nevertheless seems to have overtaken Germany as the 3rd largest economy in the world in 2007, much earlier than expected.
A rebuttal on why General Toshio Tamogami had it wrong that Japan was a non-aggressor in WWII.
Review of a book on everyday lives of migrant women in China’s world factories
On a Chinese electric car company with sight set to surpass GM and Toyota and become a world leader in electric-vehicle technology.
Reflecting 30 years of US-Sino Relationship from an American perspective.
Economist takes a gloomy look at China’s prospects in 2009.
Quick Pocketbook Reference on China’s 30-year “Economic Miracle.”
China is often depicted as a dirty polluter. But China is also fast building a green tech industry as well. Here is one example.
An American asks whether a revival of Confucian values can help to lead the way of a morally just China.
Reflecting upon Deng’s legacy of allowing 1/4 of then humanity to rejoin mainstream world development.
A call for the next U.S. president to put in place an architecture of peace for the 21st century.
Unclassified report from the National Intelligence Council on how key global trends might shape and influence world events in the next 15 years.
Can all conflicts be reduced … down to the single factor of population growth?
A Taiwanese firm tries at selling low-cost quality health care to Mainland China’s masses.
Beichuan official Zhang Kangqi lives in his office. The focal point of the room is a pencil drawing of the family he lost on May 12.
Exiled Tibetans should address three strategies which Chinese hardliners may pursue.
Five years ago, I had the missionary complex to help change China. Today I feel honored to be simply on the sidelines observing these extraordinary times…
China is stunningly bad at managing her reputation. Here’s one perspective why.
Ever wondered why “Tibet” is always “good” and “China” is always “bad”? Here is an answer.
Sluggish Productivity, Low Rural Incomes Raise Concerns Over Long-Term Growth; A Question of Property Rights
The prosperity of the United States and China depends on further integrating China into the global economic system, according to Henry Paulson.
Even-keeled summary of the current state of relation (as of early October 2008) between the Mainland and Taiwan.
All members of 2008 team cleared of underage allegations – but two members from 2000 team still under investigation.
Malaysia’s long simmering sinophobia may yet lead to a new era of multiculturalism.
White paper issued by the Information Office of China’s State Council on 2008-09-25.
Scholar tells skeptical audience that claims by Tibetan exiles of Chinese cultural discrimination are greatly exaggerated.
China’s mid-autumn festival:One derivatives market still thrives
Li Taige considers the lessons learned during the Beijing Games and sees progress emerging from the Olympics.
Two idealistic Taiwanese businessmen happened into the most rural part of China and thought: Let’s bring it from the 15th century to the 21st.
WHAT is the single most important price in the world? Chinese wages.
By Badeng Nima from Kham Aid Foundation Education Programs
Two Games, equal splendor! (h/t: Rocking Offkey)
Hot chefs rarely use it in ‘fusion’; upscale Chinese spots are hard to find.
Studies Suggest Many of Our Political Choices May Be Traced to Genetic Traits.
FALSE beliefs are everywhere.
In response to Tony Martin.
A Chinese government committee said that a rush to build schools during the country’s recent economic boom might have led to shoddy construction that resulted in the deaths of thousands of students during the Sichuan earthquake.
Western media is biased, but it can’t hide it anymore.
How a Secret CIA Campaign Against China 50 Years Ago Continues to Fester; A Role for Dalai Lama’s Brother.
“Zen Shaolin,” a music, dance and martial arts show, has a cast of 500 in a remote valley in China.
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