Category: Analysis

Debt on Top of Debt: Beijing Issues More Bonds Amid Economic Slowdown

News Analysis Beijing issues new bonds as debts mount and credit swaps increase in price. Local governments, hard hit by the real estate slowdown, are expected to issue more bonds. Much has been written about the quantity of U.S. debt held by China. The Chinese regime, however, has also been steadily increasing its own sale…


Is Beijing Finally Stepping Up to Its Financial Responsibilities?

News Analysis Stranger things have happened, but not frequently. The huge Chinese property developer, Evergrande, after missing an $83 million interest payment on a portion of its dollar-denominated debt, suddenly sent funds to its trustee to make the payment. This move came barely within the usual 30-day grace period for payment—just in time—in other words,…


China: A Troublesome Proliferator of Armed Drones

News Analysis A few weeks ago, China made headlines when it tested a hypersonic glide vehicle capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. This test also revealed that China might be trying to develop a “fractional orbital bombardment” capability. These capabilities, if combined, means that China could acquire the capacity to negate or overwhelm the United…


China’s ‘Xiconomics’: Lots of Economic Slogans, More Government Control

News Analysis Chinese leader Xi Jinping is cracking down on the financial sector, restricting foreign trade, and generally moving the Chinese economy away from market influence toward one of social and central planning. To commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the founding of communist China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a letter, extolling “the six…


Xi’s Crackdown on China’s Financial Sector Reveals His Political Predicament

News Analysis Nearly 100 high-level Chinese officials in the financial sector have been investigated since the beginning of this year, ranging from banks, insurance companies, asset management companies, and financial regulatory agencies. The scope is unprecedented as previous disciplinary campaigns in China mostly targeted a small number of officials who were found suspicious. This aggressive…


The Chinese Economy: Less Markets, More Socialism

News Analysis In 2012, Xi Jinping told the Chinese people that “only socialism can save China.” Although it was capitalism that dramatically increased the country’s living standards, Xi is leading the country back to the stricter socialism that kept China poor, decades ago. Former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping said that “to get rich is glorious,”…


Japan’s Election: No Drastic Changes

Commentary Japan held its election for the Diet Lower House (think: U.S. House of Representatives) on Oct. 31. Japanese elections rarely result in drastic change—and this one didn’t, either. What happened? The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost some seats, but retained a majority—even without Komeito, its coalition partner’s seats added in. Since its founding…


Power Struggle Within CCP Intensifies as Top Officials of Gestapo-Like Office Purged

Commentary Amid Xi Jinping’s recent anti-corruption campaign that targets China’s political and legal system, many officials who were recently taken down were part of the “610 Office.” On Oct. 24, China’s eastern province of Jiangsu announced that Chen Yizhong, former deputy director of the provincial public security department, is under investigation. The announcement also noted…


Examining John Kerry’s Support for Communist States

Commentary U.S. “Climate Czar” John Kerry has a long history of supporting communist states, including the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Kerry could not have been happy with the disclosure last week that he has invested $1 million in a Chinese private equity firm, which has “invested in a tech company blacklisted for human rights abuses…


Chinese Military Plans Foreign Port Destruction

News Analysis The Chinese military is unveiling a range of sophisticated military technologies, from underwater stealth attacks against foreign ports, to drone fighters and military artificial intelligence (AI). China’s military is testing stealthy underwater explosions for purposes of the destruction of foreign ports, according to the Global Times, an ultra-nationalist news outlet controlled by the…