China News

From Oct. 1 to Oct. 10, the world witnessed the full extent of the divergent paths China and Taiwan are on. Those 10 days saw differing understandings of Chinese history and national values communicated in speeches, op-eds, ceremonies, and military incursions. If the gravity of the situation in the Taiwan Strait wasn’t clear before, it…

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, no—it’s a Chinese fractional orbital bombardment system. A what?! Yes, a Chinese fractional orbital bombardment system—armed with a hypersonic glide vehicle. It was revealed in mid-October that China has conducted two tests of this new strategic weapon system during the summer—a development that should seriously concern U.S. defense…

The Financial Times recently reported that China had combined two advanced missile technologies in a test of a new nuclear capability. The test featured a so-called Fractional Orbital Bombardment System, which is launched into space and can orbit the globe before releasing a missile at its target. The Fractional Orbital Bombardment System was reportedly armed with a nuclear-capable hypersonic glide vehicle, which can…

LinkedIn, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft, announced on Thursday a sunset of its localized version of its platform in China that currently has over 50 million users. The platform had recently been criticized for blocking several U.S. journalists for the use of “prohibited content” in light of a crackdown by Chinese authorities earlier this…

Chinese military activity around Taiwan has risen to unprecedented levels over the last few months. Chinese warplanes have breached Taiwan’s air defense zone more than 150 times in just this last week. Given the stakes, and rather ambiguous assurances from the U.S. regarding Taiwan’s security, what happens when Beijing tries to test U.S. resolve? The current Taiwan Relations Act does not provide…

In an attempt to lay out the Biden administration’s approach to charting the course of the U.S.-China economic relationship, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai underscored that the bilateral relationship is “complex and competitive.”   More importantly, Tai noted, “In recent years, Beijing has doubled down on its state-centered economic system. It is increasingly clear that China’s…

After a summer of extraordinarily bad news on the exponential growth of China’s strategic nuclear forces, recent public statements by U.S. government officials indicate Beijing isn’t only building out its nuclear forces, but also diversifying it, by considering new, nontraditional weapons, as well as possibly reconsidering its nuclear deterrent doctrine. That’s an awful lot of…

Amid an already concerning “common prosperity” drive and crackdowns on a growing list of industries, Beijing recently released new rules to strengthen the government’s ideological oversight of the entertainment sector. Shortly thereafter, a post by a hitherto-obscure blogger claimed these developments constituted to a “profound revolution” against capitalists, the “worship” of Western culture, and “sissy-boy”…

In the rarified atmosphere of Washington, the debacle unfolding in Afghanistan has led as much to questions of how China might exploit this as it has analysis and discussion of what is ongoing in Kabul. One regularly asked question is whether Beijing will feel emboldened to invade Taiwan, either because the U.S. is preoccupied with…

The China challenge looms large and shows no sign of stopping. Put simply, China is working aggressively to spread its influence and promote its interests throughout the globe, exploiting nations and flouting individual rights and sovereignty as it does so. And it’s doing a pretty good job. China invests huge amounts of capital into developing countries, with overseas investment and construction exceeding $2 trillion since 2005. Many of…

When you look up “Why is history important?” on Google, the answer you are given is that “studying history allows us to observe and understand how people and societies behaved.” While history does indeed give us insight on the past, it also grants the ability to make inferences about the present and future. This is especially true…