The Economist (October 14)
“The world’s most powerful man” is now clearly Xi Jinping who possesses decidedly “more clout than Donald Trump.” As the U.S. abandons global leadership, Xi’s arrival on the world stage has been welcomed by many. But Xi is not a benign force. “The world should be wary” and “not expect Mr Xi to change China, or the world, for the better.”
The Economist (July 29)
“This week’s exercises with Russia in the Baltic, meanwhile, suggest not only a shared enmity towards the West but also mutual admiration of each other’s thuggish political systems. President Xi Jinping has turned a blind eye to Russia’s land-grab in Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin to China’s in the South China Sea.” That impression is slightly off the mark. There is actually little to fear. “In fact, America’s navy should co-operate more with China’s, too.”
Tags: Admiration, Baltic, China, Enmity, Exercises, Land-grab, Navy, Putin, Russia, U.S., Ukraine, Xi
The Week (April 19)
“President Trump thinks he has worked out a magnificent ‘deal’ with China.” In reality, “Trump is being played like a fiddle by Chinese President Xi Jinping.” China will be unable to place much additional pressure on North Korea. In return for nothing, “Trump has decided to drop one of the few good ideas of his campaign: renegotiating our trade deal with China so it’s better for the U.S.”
Tags: China, Deal, North Korea, Renegotiating, Trade deal, Trump, U.S., Xi
Reuters (April 14)
“While individual companies are hesitant to criticize China for fear of backlash, critics from U.S. business groups accuse Beijing of unfairly subsidizing domestic firms and restricting foreign investment into much of the world’s second-biggest economy.” Meanwhile, U.S. business leaders may also be wary of offending President Trump even thought they are concerned given the “skin-deep results from Trump-Xi trade talks.”
Tags: Backlash, China, Critics, Economy, Foreign investment, Subsidies, Trade, Trump, U.S., Unfair, Xi
Wall Street Journal (September 24)
“It is now impossible to ignore that China is attempting to redefine its relationship to America and the rules of world order. Under Mr. Xi, Beijing sees itself as a strategic rival rather than a partner. Its foreign policy is increasingly aggressive, sometimes lawless…. The U.S. needs to show that it will resist this behavior—even as it seeks to steer China’s leadership back toward global norms.”
Tags: Aggressive, Beijing, China, Foreign policy, Global norms, Lawless, Partner, Rival, U.S., Xi
LA Times (September 22)
Chinese President Xi Jinping is stopping on the West Coast to meet with business leaders before meeting with President Obama in Washington. Many expect Xi to enlist the support of the business leaders he meets in derailing the likely imposition of “economic sanctions on China as punishment for cyber attacks, including the theft of millions of sensitive personnel records from U.S. government computers.” The 30 U.S. business leaders meeting with Xi in Seattle should be careful not to “undermine their long-term interests by giving Xi the wrong message on cybersecurity…. It would be shortsighted and foolish to try to dampen the federal government’s response to the relentless cyber attacks.”
Tags: Business leaders, China, Cyber attacks, Cybersecurity, Economic sanctions, Obama, Personnel records, Shortsighted, Washington, Xi
Washington Post (June 4)
“The tragic sinking of a cruise ship on the Yangtze River on Monday night produced a reflexive reaction from China’s communist authorities: censorship.” This could backfire. “Mr. Xi’s attempt to impose Stalinist-style information controls may not work in 21st-century China. His regime would foster more trust were it to follow the examples of neighbors such as South Korea and Taiwan, which live-streamed video of rescue efforts after recent disasters and encouraged debate about what went wrong. In attempting to shield the regime from criticism, Beijing’s censors are only adding to public embitterment.”
Tags: Censorship, China, Debate, Disasters, Rescue, Sinking, South Korea, Stalin, Taiwan, Tragic, Xi, Yangtze
Washington Post (December 29)
In China, rule by law is an “empty promise.” In the years since President Xi Jinping “came to power, hundreds of rights defenders and intellectuals have been thrown into prison for political reasons. Properties have been expropriated or demolished, free speech has been restricted, religion has been suppressed, women have been forced to have abortions, and torture has multiplied. In Xinjiang and Tibet, the authorities have carried out one shocking human rights catastrophe after another. The abuses have never stopped.” The current Government campaign of “‘governing the country according to law’ is just another attempt by the party to address its crisis of legitimacy. Such slogans may help the party fool people within China and the international community.”
Tags: Abuse, China, Crisis, Empty promise, Free speech, Government, Human rights, Legitimacy, Prison, Religion, Rule by law, Tibet, Torture, Xi, Xinjiang
New York Times (December 27)
A quarter century ago Tiananmen appeared to signal the downfall of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Today, “the world’s largest political organization, with 86 million members, seems as robust as ever.” Despite this seeming success, the CCP remains riddled with contradictions and insecurity over everything from protests to environmental catastrophe, a housing bubble and slowing growth. “The dark side of the Chinese dream — the negative fantasy that haunts China’s psyche — explains why Mr. Xi, the strongest Chinese leader since Deng, is so skittish, so ready to jump at shadows.”
Tags: China, Communist party, Contradictions, Deng, Environment, Growth, Housing bubble, Insecurity, Protests, Robust, Tiananmen, Xi
Financial Times (May 23)
“India has a new prime minister; and each of Asia’s four most powerful nations is now led by a combative nationalist.” India’s Modi, Japan’s Abe, Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi make up the four “nationalist horsemen” who will transform Asia and perhaps the world. “The multilateralist assumptions of the postwar order are giving way to a return to great power competition. Nationalism is on the march, and nowhere more so than in the rising east.”
Tags: Abe, Asia, Assumptions, China, Combative, Competition, India, Japan, Modi, Multilateralist, Nationalist, Postwar order, Power, Prime minister, Putin, Russia, Xi
