China Policy Institute Blog

Diverging Globalizations: Lessons from China and India

Written by Roselyn Hsueh. China is the world’s largest autocracy. India is the world’s most populous democracy. Both economies have maintained steady GDP growth even as countries in the developed world grapple with financial and economic crises. They have conducted unprecedented market reforms and boast some of the most competitive industries and companies in the …

Linking Diaspora Chinese Studies with Contemporary Chinese Studies

Written by Bin WU. A review of The Conceptualization and Practice of Transnational Asia: China Model, Ethnic Network and International Relationship (“跨界亚洲的理论与实践—中国模式,华人网络,国际关系”,刘宏著,南京大学出版社2013 ) The on-going processes of China’s rise and transition are perhaps one of “big events” in the world history, offering opportunities and challenges for academics to understand, reflect and interpret. In relation with …

Family and Politics in Film: Feng Xiaogan’s “Aftershock” (2010) and Deepa Mehta’s “Midnight’s Children” (2012)

Written by L. H. M. Ling. In the past year, I’ve had the chance to watch two recent films made, respectively, by a Chinese and Indian director and within two years of each other. These are Feng Xiaogan’s “Aftershock” (2010) and Deepa Mehta’s “Midnight’s Children” (2012). Though much differentiates these films, a central theme also …

Taiwan’s dispute with the Philippines (II): Domestic politics in command

By Michal Thim In my previous post, I examined the general nature of the current dispute between the Philippines and Taiwan and the foreign policy motivations on the Taiwan side. Yet, the behaviour of Taiwan’s government in the aftermath of the incident from May 9 that resulted in death of a Taiwanese fisherman after his …

Taiwan’s dispute with the Philippines (I): One international law, two interpretations

By Michal Thim A short time ago, I praised Taiwan for reaching an agreement with Japan on fishing in the area around Diaoyutai/Senkaku islands. It was a rare occasion on which two sides reached consensus on a highly disputed issue involving sovereignty claims and resource sharing. However, the seas of East and Southeast Asia offer plenty of …

New developments in the Taiwan-Uyghur Nexus

Written by Yu-Wen Chen. Uyghur activists have been working closely with Taiwanese independence-minded activists to create a Taiwan Friends of Uyghurs organization, expanding the global Uyghur national self-determination movement’s outreach to the island. This new development arrives at a time when Beijing is again tackling deadly violence in Xinjiang, accusing “Uyghur terrorists” for inciting unrest. …

Seeking truth about the anti-rightist campaign: the Zhu Yufu view of history

Written by Jackie Sheehan. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences vice-director Li Shenming’s article in Seeking Truth, the CCP’s theoretical journal, has caused a stir in China for his assertion that “not a single person was persecuted” in the anti-rightist campaign of the late 1950s. Li acknowledges that 550,000 people were “labelled as rightists”, but apparently does …

Rising India: A Chinese Strategic Perspective

Written by Anil Kumar. The term rising India is a buzzword in IR discourse nowadays. Until recently, the world used to hyphenate India with Pakistan. However, with the steady rise of India’s national power, it has started re-hyphenating with its historical match, China. So as the world has discarded the prism through which it used …

Indian Engagement in Africa

Written by Ian Taylor. India’s connections with Africa have been relatively overlooked in comparison to that of China’s. Such neglect of India’s rise in Africa is despite the important implications of the growing presence of Indian corporations and New Delhi’s political connections to Africa. Such connections represent a further diversification of Africa’s international relations away …

Taoist Humility By The Chinese Government On The Syria Issue? – Threats & Non-Action

Written by Sam Beatson. The US ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, promised more weapons to Syrian rebels this week in speech confirming that: “the US position has not changed…We still say that Bashar Al-Assad must resign, he must resign. And the Syrians must create a new transitional government that excludes him and his inner circle.” …