China’s war for Africa’s hearts and minds
October 17, 2014 6 min. read

China has made a badge of honor out of Zheng Bijian’s term coined in a seminal 2005 Foreign Affairs article, which described the Middle Kingdom’s path toward modernization as a “peaceful rise.”

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Beijing Loses Face over Partial Lifting of U.S. Arms Embargo on Vietnam
October 3, 2014 3 min. read

Beijing’s formidable display of aggression this year has once again backfired, as its neighbors continue to beef up their military capabilities and forge defensive pacts both within and outside the region.

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China Issues Freedom of Religion Policy, Sentences Ilham to Life Imprisonment
September 26, 2014 6 min. read

In a long overdue move, China’s highest court, top prosecution office and the Ministry of Public Security issued instructions last week on how to deal with cases of terrorism and religious extremism.

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Big Brother v. Big Bang
September 5, 2014 6 min. read

On Jan. 5, 1930 Mao Zedong wrote the essay, “A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire.” Yet over 80 years later, the phrase still rings true in today’s fragile and fractured China. One such recent example, although not nearly as serious in scale to what Mao was contemplating, occurred when CCTV, the state broadcaster, […]

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Is Vietnam Spinning Out of China’s Orbit?
August 14, 2014 5 min. read

Beijing’s formidable display of aggression this year is backfiring, as its neighbors scramble to beef up their military capabilities and forge defensive alliances both within and outside the region. One such notable alliance making the headlines this past week is between the U.S. and Vietnam. Vietnam, much like U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines, is […]

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Unrest in Xinjiang Leading to Extreme Measures
August 11, 2014 5 min. read

Local authorities in China’s restive Xinjiang region are going all out in their efforts to fight terrorism, including those in the northwestern city of Karamay, who are now banning people who wear veils, head scarves, a loose-fitting garment called a jilbab, clothing with the crescent moon and star, and those with long beards, from boarding […]

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Universal Values with Chinese Characteristics
July 26, 2014 3 min. read

Chinese President Xi Jinping, certainly has a huge task before him – not only cracking down on rampant corruption, but attempting to change the mindset of a population which some say has lost its moral compass. A recent circular from the Communist Party’s powerful Organisation Department stated that party officials must be prevented from “being […]

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Censorship alive and well in China
July 23, 2014 3 min. read

As open as China has become in some ways (as it would like the rest of the world to think it has become), it continues to keep a tight lid on its citizens use of the Internet and media. In 2011, a 22-year-old Chinese reporter named Kang Xia launched a website dedicated to sharing foreign […]

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Should the U.S./EU Send Naval Observers to the South China Sea?
July 11, 2014 6 min. read

The Boston Global Forum (BGF), a non-profit forum for international scholars, hosted its opening session on July 2, aiming to engage leaders from the United States, Asia, and the United Nations to discuss the crisis in the South China Sea.  BGF Chairman and Co-Founder Michael Dukakis moderated the discussion, with the active participation of Professor […]

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Why is China Building Artificial Islands?
June 23, 2014 5 min. read

When planning an international beach holiday, few holidaymakers think of China when choosing to spend their time on a beach.  China does boast one top destination for beachgoers, Hainan island, but the quality of most of its mainland beaches has diminished greatly in recent years by floating trash, oil slicks, or abundant algae. Given the […]

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Beijing’s A La Carte Approach to Foreign Policy
June 13, 2014 4 min. read

Following the largely negative international reaction to its latest aggressive actions in Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, Beijing may be trying a new approach in settling longstanding territorial disputes with its neighbors.  On Monday, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced China is prepared to resolve its border disputes with India by peaceful means, “Through years […]

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Brazil’s World Cup and the True Voice of the BRICS
June 6, 2014 5 min. read

It appears that when the world was praising the BRICS nations a few years ago, that Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa were seen as the countries that would dominate the world economy in the future, and that any opportunity to link a company or organization to these mega-economies would pay off without any […]

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