Unlike most other myths about China that are created and perpetuated by the West, this myth - the notion that China does not ever interfere in the internal affairs of other sovereign nation states - was created by China itself. It is perpetuated primarily by China's historical record of non-intervention. Consequently, over time this principle of non-intervention has … [Read more...] about The Myth of Chinese Non-Intervention
Foreign Relations
The Myth of Chinese Mass Migration into Russia
I stumbled upon a rather entertaining Reuters article a few days ago, reporting Russia's latest move to supposedly defend against a so-called "soft invasion" from China - in which massive yellow hordes from China's over-populated Northeast will systematically migrate into and outnumber the dwindling Russian population in the Russian Far East (RFE), and eventually assume de … [Read more...] about The Myth of Chinese Mass Migration into Russia
The Tragicomedy of Errors: China, British Imperialism, and the Opium Wars
Julia Lovell, in her new book The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams and the Making of China, finds something funny in the tragedy Great Britain has many reasons to feel great about itself. Its empire was the largest in history and covered over a fifth of the world's population. It had more Asian and African colonies than any other European power. It came, it saw, it divided, and it … [Read more...] about The Tragicomedy of Errors: China, British Imperialism, and the Opium Wars
A conversation with Aminta Arrington on China
Following is a conversation with Aminta Arrington, author of the upcoming book, “HOME is a ROOF OVER a PIG, an American Family’s Journey in China.” (See my book review in a prior post.) Since the writing, her family has moved from Tai'an to Beijing where she now teaches at Renmin University. We talked about learning Chinese, freedom and individuality, Chen Guangcheng, hope for … [Read more...] about A conversation with Aminta Arrington on China
Syria, Resolution 2042, a true win for humanitarian intervention
Joshua Goldstein wrote a whole book to explain that our world today, despite the seemingly endless number of crisis, is in fact the least brutal it has ever been. He concluded with empirical evidence that U.N. peacekeepers, as neutral third parties on the ground, have been stopping tribal factions from fighting and escalating violence. That form of humanitarian intervention … [Read more...] about Syria, Resolution 2042, a true win for humanitarian intervention