In The News

The Politics of Memory: Tiananmen at 27

Nick Frisch June 14, 2016
China has transformed since the 1989 crackdown on thousands of protesters in Tiananmen Square who demanded economic, political and social reforms. China’s leaders, initially triumphant about quelling the protests, soon retreated into a disciplined silence, banning public accounts or grieving. “As the years accumulate, the anniversary of the tragedy offers an occasion to wonder if the pursuit of...

China’s Internet Policy Offers the Wrong Kind of Lessons

Pete Hunt June 8, 2016
Authoritarians may eye China’s system of internet censorship, known as the Great Firewall, with envy, but other governments may struggle to apply the Chinese model, suggests internet policy analyst Pete Hunt. “China’s real lesson to the world, in turns out, is that maintaining cyber sovereignty is an expensive endeavor with sizable opportunity costs,” he writes for the Diplomat. “The government’s...

Obama's Pivot to Asia Is Working

Doyle McManus June 3, 2016
The Obama administration’s pivot to Asia, starting in 2011, has drawn both criticism and praise. Doyle McManus argues the pivot is working well. “Almost every country in the region is clamoring for a closer relationship with the United States,” he writes. “The United States does have one asymmetric advantage of its own: its ability to forge stronger alliances with China’s worried neighbors.” The...

For the US, Sailing Around the South China Sea Is Not Strategy

Harry J. Kazianis June 2, 2016
China is intent on dominating the entire South China Sea, including sections claimed by neighboring nations like the Philippines and Vietnam. The coercion has caught the United States off guard. Using tracking systems and military installations, “China has set the stage to turn areas around its near seas … into what some are calling a ‘no-man's land’ for US naval vessels and aircraft,”...

With Eye on China, Obama Strengthens Ties With Vietnam

Murray Hiebert May 24, 2016
The United States and Vietnam are rapidly building a partnership based on trade and security agreements. US President Obama visited Vietnam on his way to the G7 meeting in Japan. During the visit, Obama lifted a ban on the sale of weapons to the country of 90 million and Vietnam will welcome US Peace Corps volunteers who teach English. Vietnam values the relationship more for trade than security...

In Historic Move, US Lifts Embargo on Arms Sales to Vietnam

David Nakamura May 23, 2016
US President Barack Obama’s visit to Vietnam, and lifting an arms embargo, underscores growing cooperation between the two countries that were at war just over four decades ago. David Nakamura reports for the Washington Post: “Obama said the latest step ‘was not based on China or any other considerations. It was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving towards...

E-Commerce and Crowdfunding: Why Are They the Same in China?

Julien Legrand May 20, 2016
Small startups in China struggle to find funding, and many entrepreneurs rely on numerous crowdfunding platforms, explains Julien Legrand for ParisTech Review. “China counts 650 million netizens, accessing the Internet mostly via smartphones (86% of Internet usage), on which many have electronic money,” he writes. “Household savings are huge – about US$4.6 trillion – and Chinese are increasingly...