You can’t understand the world without understanding China. No country has had a less predictable, more dynamic impact on the world in the past 40 years — and the next 40 will be no different.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied a Financial Times report that China had tested a nuclear-capable, hypersonic missile in August. Hypersonic weapons technology, which is under development in the U.S., Russia, and China, could have major implications for strategic positions.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Chinese leader Xi Jinping both gave speeches over the weekend that addressed the future of Taiwan. Xi described “Taiwan independence” as a “grave hidden danger” to his future plans, while Tsai insisted, “nobody can force Taiwan to take the path China has laid out for us.”
A recent spat in Taiwan’s legislature put a spotlight on the island’s “heritage languages.” But are proponents of linguistic diversity fighting for a lost cause?
A contingent of about two dozen U.S. troops have been conducting training in Taiwan in secret for over a year, the Biden administration revealed publicly for the first time via a Wall Street Journal report.
The news of an expected virtual meeting came on the same day as a six-hour in-person meeting in Zurich between top U.S. and Chinese officials, after which both sides released statements assuring the world that they are being responsible.
Some are alarmed by the number of Chinese military planes that flew near Taiwan over the weekend. But Taiwan's ADIZ (air defense identification zone) is not the same as its sovereign airspace: there have been no PLA jets over Taiwanese land, a fact that has been lost in some of the breathier news coverage.
Does the Biden administration have its own China trade strategy, or is it just “Trump with allies”? U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai gave a speech on China that recalled Trump’s tactics: castigating “state-centered” economics while demanding that Beijing direct more purchases of American goods, and offering both fig leaves and threats on tariffs.
A comprehensive report from AidData estimates that $385 billion in debt from Chinese loans have been hidden from official balance sheets, and 35% of China’s Belt and Road projects have “major implementation challenges.”
When the Peace Corps pulled out of China early last year, it marked the end of a 27-year program that existed only thanks to the efforts of high-level American and Chinese diplomats. Could the program — with its ideals of U.S.-China cooperation — ever be restored?