China
Huge contradictions behind China’s stimulus-driven recovery
By John Chan, November 19, 2009
US President Obama’s visit to China focussed attention on the country’s rising economic power, high growth and large currency reserves. A closer examination, however, reveals that China’s hothou...
The US-China summit highlights sharp schisms
By John Chan, November 18, 2009
The grand summit between Hu and Obama was mostly show and no substance. The formulations in the joint statement about the need for peace, economic cooperation and strategic trust were a rather threadb...
China continues its aggressive pursuit of Africa’s resources
By Brian Smith and Ann Talbot, November 16, 2009
The ministerial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation met in Egypt last week, attended by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. He pledged $10 billion (£6bn) in concessional loans to Africa over the next three yea...
Obama seeks to boost US influence in Asia
By John Chan, November 16, 2009
On his first trip to Asia, US President Barack Obama has made clear that its main purpose is to reassure key allies and enhance American interests in the region against Washington’s main rivals, esp...
US-China tensions overshadow Obama’s trip to Asia
By Peter Symonds, November 13, 2009
US President Barack Obama arrives today in Tokyo at the start of his first trip to Asia. While he will also stop off in South Korea and the APEC summit in Singapore, the central focus of the tour is C...
Tensions between India and China flare again
By John Chan, October 23, 2009
The immediate spark was a visit by the Indian prime minister to the northern state of Arunachal Pradesh. The trip provoked a protest from Beijing, which disputes Indian control of the area, resulting ...
Signs of the US dollar’s demise
By John Chan, October 19, 2009
An article the Independent on October 6 entitled “The demise of the dollar” is credited with adding to the recent weakness of the US dollar and the rise of gold prices.
Western media steps up pressure on China over Iran
By John Chan, October 8, 2009
As US pressure escalates against Iran over its nuclear programs, a distinct anti-China undercurrent has appeared in the media over Beijing’s resistance to backing punitive new sanctions against Tehr...
Sixty years after the Chinese Revolution: Lessons for the working class
By John Chan, October 1, 2009
Communist Party bureaucrats today will join hands with the representatives of global capitalism in toasting the formation of the Peoples Republic of China. These celebrations are not at variance with ...
Former Taiwanese president jailed for life
By John Chan, September 23, 2009
In a highly political court decision on September 11, former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian was sentenced to life imprisonment, fined $6.1 million and stripped of his civil rights.
World Economic Forum: False hopes in a China-led recovery
By John Chan, September 18, 2009
Corporate leaders and officials gathered in Dalian to pay homage to China as the bright spot of global capitalism. However, closer examination reveals that the Chinese economy is just as fragile as it...
US-China trade tensions sharply escalate
By John Chan, September 16, 2009
In a move that threatens to trigger a major trade conflict, US President Barack Obama last Friday signed an order to impose a 35 percent tariff on Chinese-made tyre imports over the next three years.
