Region Related Event Feeds

PacNet #32R - Responses to PacNet #32 - The Illogic of China's North Korea Policy

ellise — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

In PacNet #32, Ralph A. Cossa and Brad Glosserman make a detailed case for how China's current approach toward North Korea actually contradicts many Chinese national interests. Their argument can be supplemented by four additional concerns for China and its now indispensable role in international politics.

PacNet #32 - The Illogic of China's North Korea Policy

ellise — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

BEIJING: Discussions in Beijing about North Korea are always frustrating. It's not so much due to the sharp divergence in US and Chinese thinking about how to deal with Pyongyang; the two sides differ on many issues. No, the real problem is the illogic of the Chinese position; at least from a US perspective.

Comparative Connections v.14 n.1

bMizuno — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Regional Overview: At a Time of Uncertainty, Count on North Korea, by Ralph A. Cossa and Brad Glosserman
US-Japan Relations: Back to Normal? by Michael J. Green and Nicholas Szechenyi
US-China Relations: Xi Visit Steadies Ties; Dissident Creates Tension, by Bonnie Glaser and Brittany Billingsley

Comparative Connections v.14 n.1 - Regional Overview

bMizuno — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

There was a brief period when a breakthrough seemed possible in the stalemate with North Korea when it pledged to freeze all nuclear and missile tests; then Pyongyang announced a planned satellite launch, pulling the rug out from under Washington (and itself) and business as usual returned to the Peninsula.

Comparative Connections v.14 n.1 - US-China

bMizuno — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Xi Jinping’s visit to the US went smoothly and laid the foundation for a strong bilateral relationship after the 18th Party Congress this fall. Speeches to mark the 40th anniversary of Nixon’s visit to China highlighted progress while recognizing deep mutual strategic mistrust. The third Asia-Pacific Consultation was held to manage suspicions and enhance cooperation.

Comparative Connections v.14 n.1 - China-Southeast Asia

bMizuno — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Chinese interchange with Southeast Asia featured President Hu Jintao’s visit to Cambodia. The unusual attention was related to China’s efforts to manage disputes with claimants in the South China Sea and Cambodia’s appointment as the chair of ASEAN.

Comparative Connections v.14 n.1 - China-Taiwan

bMizuno — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

In January, President Ma Ying-jeou won re-election and the KMT retained its majority in the legislature. Voters endorsed Ma’s gradual approach to developing constructive relations with the Mainland. In Beijing, the outcome validated President Hu’s “peaceful development” policies.

Comparative Connections v.14 n.1 - China-Korea

bMizuno — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The 20-year anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea may provide a pretext for more active diplomacy to meet a growing list of potential disputes in the relationship. Presidents Hu Jintao and Lee Myung-bak have held two summits this year and there has been increased interaction among other senior leaders as well.

Comparative Connections v.14 n.1 - Japan-China

bMizuno — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

With both Tokyo and Beijing intent on celebrating the 40th anniversary of normalization, bilateral relations started well in 2012 – and quickly went downhill. Contested history returned in a controversy sparked by Nagoya Mayor Kawamura Takashi’s remarks questioning the reality of the Nanjing massacre.

Comparative Connections v.14 n.1 - China-Russia

bMizuno — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

By any standard, the first four months were a rough start to the year for both Russia and China. While succession politics gripped first Russia and then China, Moscow and Beijing coordinated closely over crises beyond their borders (Syria, Iran, and North Korea) and promoted multilateralism through summitry with the BRICS and the SCO.

PacNet #28 - China, the Philippines and the US Security Guarantee

ellise — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Three days before his Jan. 20, 2012 retirement, the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Adm. Patrick Walsh, gave a departing interview to the Associated Press. In it, he expressed his concern about security and stability in the South China Sea.

Bo Xilai’s Fall from Grace

sherry — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

On April 10, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) suspended one of its fastest rising stars, Bo Xilai, from the Politburo for suspected “serious violations” of party discipline. The same day, the regime announced it also had detained Bo’s wife on “suspicion of intentional homicide” in the death of the Briton Neil Heywood.

Arguing Over Blocks: Do China and the Philippines Both Have a Claim?

gpoling — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

This post is the first in a new blog series, The South China Sea Frame-by-Frame. It incorporates data and imagery from the CSIS Southeast Asia Program's innovative policy tool, The South China Sea in High Resolution. It originally appeared on CSIS' Asia Policy blog, cogitASIA.

The Evolving Economic Picture in Asia

ian — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The following conversation derives from an on-line chat between Global Forecast editors and three CSIS scholars on opportunities inherent in the changing economic landscape in Asia.

When the next administration assesses the global economic picture on Day 1, what do you expect it will look like?

Pivot to Asia: Prepare for Unintended Consequences

ian — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Under the current administration, the pendulum in U.S. policy toward China has swung from attempting to cooperate with China on global problems to pushing back against Chinese assertiveness and challenges to international laws and norms.

Rethinking U.S. Military Presence in Asia and the Pacific

ian — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

For the past six decades the U.S. military has enjoyed preeminence in the Western Pacific, but there are increasing questions about whether this advantageous position is sustainable given a combination of budget cuts, asymmetrical military threats, and local opposition to bases.

2012 Global Forecast

ian — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

U.S. Strategic Alignment: Squaring Trade and Grand Strategy in Asia

sherry — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The United States has all the tools at hand to build an enduring and sustainable strategy for engagement in the Asia Pacific. But some careful work is needed to fit the key parts of this policy together. The most compelling requirement is to ensure that trade policy supports a comprehensive U.S. strategy.

U.S.-China Parallel Development Assistance Goals

jdunton — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The expansion of China’s economy in recent decades has brought a corresponding rise in the amount of foreign assistance China offers to the developing world. In particular, China increased aid to countries in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Some of China’s methods and objectives are controversial within the international aid community.

China and Afghanistan

jdunton — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Because China is principally interested in preventing the destabilization of Xinjiang Province, it has broadly deferred to the United States and its Western allies who are leading military efforts, political reconciliation, and economic reconstruction in Afghanistan.

PacNet #20 - Wen Signals Something New

bMizuno — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

After years of delay, crackdowns, and failures, the time seems to have arrived for political reform in China. This coincides with a major demotion in the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP): on March 15 controversial Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai was replaced by Jiang Dejiang.

TWQ: Reassessing China: Awaiting Xi Jinping - Spring 2012

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

In the Hu Jintao era (2002–2012) China’s politics, economics, and national security policies have changed almost beyond recognition.

TWQ: The South China Sea: Oil, Maritime Claims, and U.S.–China Strategic Rivalry - Spring 2012

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The risk of conflict escalating from relatively minor events has increased in the South China Sea over the past two years with disputes now less open to negotiation or resolution.

The South Manchuria Railway Company as an Intelligence Organization

jdunton — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The intelligence activities of the South Manchuria Railway Company (SMR) “Research Department” (Chōsabu) are well known in Japan.

PacNet #12A - Washington and Beijing Need Straight Talk on Containment

ellise — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

In public remarks during his Washington visit, neither Vice President Xi Jinping nor his US interlocutors directly addressed the diplomatic malady that afflicts both governments - call it acute containment confusion syndrome.

Freeman Briefing: China’s Export Lobbying Groups and the Politics of the Renminbi

ian — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The standard narrative of the disputes between the United States and China over exchange rate policy portrays a unified Chinese leadership defending China’s position against claims by the United States that an undervalued Chinese currency—the Renminbi (RMB), gives China an unfair trade advantage.

U.S. and Iranian Strategic Competition: The Impact of China and Russia

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

US competition with Iran has become the equivalent of a game of three-dimensional chess, but a game where each side can modify at least some of the rules with each move.

PacNet #9 - Protecting Chinese Citizens Abroad: What next?

ellise — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The dramatic rise in overseas travel and expatriate work by Chinese was punctuated by the recent kidnappings of Chinese workers in Sudan and Egypt. "Overseas Chinese protection" (haiwai gongmin baohu) has been a critical priority since deadly attacks killed 14 Chinese workers in Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2004.

PacNet #7 - Return to Asia: It's Not (All) About China

ellise — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

"All right China, come out with your hands up; we've got you surrounded!" When one reads about the US "pivot" to Asia, it is almost always cast in terms of countering China's rise, as if it - and everything else that Washington does in Asia - is always all about China. Of course, Beijing thinks it's all about China . . .

PacNet #5 - Congress and Obama's China Policy, More Bark than Bite

ellise — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

The 112th Congress will complete its term in 2012 marked by strong opposition to policies of President Barack Obama on government debt, budget cuts, health care, and other issues.

PacNet #4 - South Korea's Policy Toward China After President Lee's Visit

ellise — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Last week, President Lee Myung-bak visited China as a state guest and held a summit with President Hu Jintao. They addressed the Sino-South Korean strategic cooperative partnership and how to strengthen the relationship between their countries' foreign and defense ministries.

Needed: A National Economic Security Lens

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Last October, a U.S. intelligence report to Congress revealed that foreign economic espionage worth billions of dollars is being driven by China and Russia and represents a “significant and growing” threat to the nation’s prosperity and security.

Comparative Connections v.13 n.3