China
The war in Ukraine is pushing Central Asia away from Russia
As the Russian army pulled back the troops after a series of humiliating defeats in north-east Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin flew to Uzbekistan to attend a gathering…
What does Biden mean on Taiwan?
In the Cold War, analysts were sometimes concerned that the Kremlin might misread a rogue statement of bellicosity in Washington DC as an indication of White House intentions. If…
China’s ungainly balancing act with Russia
President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan has prompted another round of …
Commentary
For pirate captain Xi Jinping, party congress will be a coronation
What does ‘Pirates of the Carribean’ have to do with the CCP? Under President Xi, the party’s rules have turned out to be guidelines which he can follow, or dispense with, as the…
US-China rivalry in Southeast Asia need not be a zero-sum game
Is Southeast Asia solely an arena of competition in which only either the United States or China can win? Or could it be an arena of cooperation that concurrently benefits all…
The SCO: an illiberal club of growing global significance
The 22nd leaders’ summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, to be held on 15–16 September, will be the first in-person gathering of the central Asian grouping since 2019…
Beijing three-step: China denies, deflects and dissembles on Xinjiang
Propaganda, understood as the “deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behaviour to achieve a response that furthers the desired…
China, Russia and North Korea: the wars that never end
Book review: Dancing on Bones: History and Power in China, Russia and North Korea, by Katie Stallard (OUP, 2022)
In Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery, in north-east Saint…
A tragedy in Xinjiang, a tragedy for the UN
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s four-year term ended this week with the release at the eleventh hour of a long-delayed report assessing China’s…
What are the prospects for stability across the Taiwan Strait?
It is under debate whether we are heading towards a fourth Taiwan Strait Crisis. This month alone, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China responded with unprecedented…