Greater Sino-American cooperation needed in Afghanistan
Considering China’s unease with a large foreign military presence on its borders, one would expect the U.S. drawdown of military forces in Afghanistan to be welcomed in Beijing and result in greater U.S.-China cooperation on Afghanistan. However, the U.S. and China have different goals and timetables regarding this conflict, which pose challenges to their bilateral relationship.
Russia, China, ASEAN, and Asian Security
Southeast Asia and the South China Sea are now clearly major theaters of rivalry between the US and China, and once again, a cockpit of major international rivalries. ASEAN’s members are squarely in the middle of this rivalry. Meanwhile Russia is trying to run a bluff on China, which will probably only provoke Chinese and Asian mistrust despite the mutual professions of an identity of interest with China.
Review – China, the USA, and Global Order
Whether The US and china can overcome a tendency towards a zero sum disposition and embrace change in a progressive way in the 21st century remains to be seen.
One Man’s Casino, Another Man’s Aircraft Carrier
There have been several reports that the Chinese may have been the winners to purchase the British HMS Ark Royal. If this is the case, we could see the old flagship of the Royal Navy serving in the PLA navy. Western and Russian military planners should think long and hard on whom they sell their old wares to. It just might come back to haunt them.
China’s New Authoritarianism
China’s inability or refusal to democratize has been a constant source of political consternation for the West. Yet, China is becoming a democracy of sorts, albeit laced with an authoritarian edge.
Review – Kissinger On China
One surefire way to know that a bilateral relationship is of the upmost importance is for Henry Kissinger to devote an entire book to the topic. With world stability likely to hinge in good part on the nature of future of Sino-American relations, and China’s continued rise being almost inevitable, much is at stake.
The Dragon’s Teeth: The Growth of China’s Military
The massive expansion and technological maturation of PLA land-based aerial and ballistic forces indicates the rise of a “Fortress China” doctrine in Beijing. China sees national defense and regional security as a function of its own ability to control its local periphery.
The CCP at 90
The Chinese Communist Party is a unique force. None of the members who attended the first meeting would have dared imagine that less than a century later, membership would stand at 80 million, and was poised to become one of the major forces of the 21st century. The Party today is facing a new range of challenges, which are testing even its legendary capacity for adaptation and pragmatic change.
Are the Seas Becoming a No-Man’s Land?
The outlook for maritime Asia appears increasingly desolate. Should China rule the skies while the United States commands the depths, surface fleets on both sides — not to mention the merchantmen that transport the raw materials and finished goods that sustain our globalized economy — will be caught in the no-man’s land between.
The Importance of Sino-African Trade
The Chinese Communist Party has maintained political office and subsequent control in China since 1949. Chinese leaders now draw their legitimacy from the state’s amazing economic growth. China now looks to Africa for resources and offers African nations an economic model they can emulate that is vastly different than western standards.
