Articles on Chinese Society

The China-Pakistan Alliance

Introduction Pakistan and China have had deep political, military economic ties that date back to the formation of the respective countries. Each country benefits from this alliance. From Pakistan’s perspective, China provides Pakistan with military technology and weapons, infrastructure and other financial investment, access to Chinese markets, and support for its geopolitical objectives. For China, […]

China’s Military – Growing Assertiveness

Despite assertions by Beijing that it seeks a peaceful rise and integration with the global community, China’s growing political and economic might has set off alarm bells internationally, not least because of a perception that nationalism in China is on the rise.

China, Rare Earths and Technological Edge

A sign at the entrance of China’s Baotou, Inner Mongolia Pioneering Rare Earth Hi-Tech Zone quotes Deng Xiaoping’s 1992 claim: “There is oil in the Middle East, but there is rare earth in China.”

Sino-Japanese Relations: In the Shadow of History

There can be no doubt that China and Japan are the giants of East Asia, both in economic and political terms. The bilateral relationship is, therefore, of great importance to both the region and the wider world.

China’s Island Disputes – A lot at Stake

Among the numerous causes of friction between China and its neighbors, the continued failure to resolve a series of territorial disputes remains one of the most pressing.

History Articles

China and Southeast Asia: Waking up the Neighbors

If China is to be the world’s next superpower, then Southeast Asia is its ‘backyard’, just as Central Asia was to Russia during its superpower era, and Central America is to the US.

Sino-Indian Relations: Realists and Rivals

The two most populous nations in the world, China and India share a disputed border, are both on the rise economically and politically, and both possess fearsome nuclear arsenals.

The Tibet Issue

To many in the West, China’s continued rule in Tibet is often considered to be a foreign occupation, though few inside China accept this point of view. Tibet is of great psychological importance to China and to Chinese people in terms of national identity and the maintenance of Chinese national unity.

Taiwan: Strait Talking

More than sixty years after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China when Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalists fled to the island, Taiwan remains at the core of domestic and foreign policy decisions for Beijing.

From Indifference to Engagement to Dominance? China and International Organizations

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, its strategy with regard to involvement in international organizations has undergone a complete U-turn. As political and economic international organizations such as the United Nations and the Bretton

China and the European Union: Principles and Pragmatism

One of the fundamental difficulties with assessing the relationship between China and the EU is one that is inherent in all analyses of the EU: that it is not a single entity.

The Chinese Environment: Positive Trends toward Environmental Protection

Environmental degradation in China has increased significantly in the last 30 years. In 2000, China’s EPA found that two thirds of China’s 300 largest cities had air quality which exceeded WHO standards.