In a compendium of essays published recently about the future of US-China relations, eleven of China’s top foreign policy thinkers made familiar arguments, including that US global influence is waning and that China can reshape international systems. Some experts also took the unusual step of arguing that China should adopt a more self-effacing foreign policy. … more
1. EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment The EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) has finally concluded. The agreement provides increased market access for EU companies in China, and includes rules on areas such as state-owned enterprises, subsidies, technology transfer, and labour standards. Like the recently concluded Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the Agreement came after almost … more
This week: Alibaba’s alleged monopoly conduct, public opinion, women in leadership, sent-down youth 1. Alibaba China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) 国家市场监管总局 announced that it was investigating possible monopolistic practices by Alibaba. These alleged practices include Alibaba’s tactic of pressuring merchants to sell exclusively on its platform. The current investigation is the first of … more
Checking my phone for COVID updates on Sunday, I was delightfully distracted by Stan Grant’s recommendation that Australians read the 15-volume Cambridge History of China over the summer holidays. As an historian of late imperial and modern China, I couldn’t agree more that there is much to learn about China, and that the legacy of … more
This week’s topics: Nanjing Massacre, democratic solidarity, Zoom/censorship, CCP members 1. Nanjing Massacre China marked its National Day of Commemoration for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre 南京大屠杀死难者国家公祭日 with a solemn public ceremony in Nanjing on December 13. Eighty-three years have passed, but the collective memory of the event still exerts an emotional pull on … more
India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said last week that the deadly clashes on the disputed Sino-Indian border this year had “completely changed national sentiment” in his country towards China. There is evidence that Beijing recognises the dangerous double-edged sword of nationalist public opinion in India. So far, this recognition of Indian public opinion’s role in … more
With official relations at a new low, it is easy to be pessimistic about Australia-China relations. But there are many actors involved in Australia-China diplomacy. These connections can help provide communication channels for when official relations are frosty. They also bring economic, educational and cultural benefits. I was at a webinar earlier this year where … more
This week’s topics: Politburo meeting, overseas lending, detained Chinese journalist 1. Politburo Meeting Friday’s Politburo meeting readout (Chinese | English) mentioned three items: economic policy work for 2021, plans for anti-corruption work for 2021, and rules for elections in local Party organisations. According to the readout, the Politburo assesses that 2020 has been a good … more
The “China Initiative” kicked off its third year with the U.S. Department of Justice reporting that it has made substantial progress to date and the work of countering national security threats emanating from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues apace. With only a little over a month before President-elect Biden is sworn in, however, … more
Mutually beneficial trade links may appear tempting to use as political leverage in theory, but there are a number of reasons why the reality of attempting to put theory into practice is more complicated. Recent events in the Australia-China context make for a salient case study of why this is the case. Deep economic complementarities … more
