Day: June 2, 2022

China’s war over sand

Chin@Strategy

Environmentalists have long fretted about soaring global demand for sand. It is used to make the concrete that is being poured into the world’s expanding cities, often at the expense of vital ecosystems such as rivers and lakes from which the material is extracted. No country is hungrier for it than China, where the damage caused by rampant illegal mining has been enormous. In March the Communist Party’s mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, called it “irreparable”. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does…

China’s interest in the Pacific islands is growing

Chin@Strategy

During the second world war, some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific took place as the Allies pushed Japanese forces back in a “leapfrogging” campaign across the islands that dot the ocean north-east of Australia. Now America and its allies are scrambling to defend their hold on the region against an island-hopping diplomatic offensive from China that they fear could lead to a military presence. But China is facing not just Allied resistance. Many Pacific-island countries want more done to address local needs—especially climate action—and are wary of being…

Xi Jinping bans grumbling inside the Communist Party

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To grasp the dire state of political debate in modern China, consider this: there are reformist speeches by Deng Xiaoping, the late paramount leader, that could easily be banned by censors today. A good example is Deng’s speech on the benefits of collective leadership of the Communist Party and Chinese state, delivered in August 1980 as he moved against veterans of the recently ended Mao era and replaced them with modernisers. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does not support the <audio>…

Accounting Act Changes Spark Brawl in Taiwan’s Legislature

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers brawled in the Taiwanese legislature earlier this week over changes to Article 99-1 of the Accounting Act proposed by the DPP. What provoked ire was that the changes may clear former President Chen Shui-bian of corruption charges regarding the use of special expense funds when he was president.  Chen, who served as president from 2000 to 2008, was the first DPP president in Taiwanese history. Chen rose to prominence as a defense lawyer for the Kaohsiung Eight, who were political dissidents…

Is Biden’s Foreign Policy Team the Best of ‘the Blob’?

Chin@Strategy

Even more worrying is the Biden administration’s approach to China, which sees Beijing primarily as a threat to American global supremacy and thus defines relations with the world’s other superpower in largely zero-sum terms. In a May 26 speech at George Washington University outlining the administration’s China strategy, Mr. Blinken said it could be “summed up in three words”: The United States will “invest” domestically, “align” its policies with those of its allies and “compete” with Beijing. The word “cooperate” was notably absent. Biden officials describe their turn away from…

Shanghai reportedly bans media use of the term ‘lockdown’ as lockdown ends

Chin@Strategy

Authorities in Shanghai have reportedly ordered the media to refrain from using the term “lockdown” while reporting on the end of the city’s two-month lockdown. This week the Chinese city of 25 million people reopened, allowing most to leave their homes, go to work, and use public transport after more than 60 days inside. On Thursday, according to leaked directives from the city, Chinese media were told to disseminate information about the changes to restrictions, but ordered not to use the phrase “ending the lockdown”. “Unlike Wuhan, Shanghai never declared…