Category: Thinking About China

China’s ‘Shanghai Cooperation Organization’ for the Moon

Commentary A deepening cold war divide between China and the United States is about to be officially extended to the moon by China’s creation of a formal organization that will help extend the hegemony of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from the Earth to the Earth-moon system. The impending formation of the International Lunar Research…


Impose Secondary Sanctions on the Business Partners of Russia and China

Commentary Western sanctions on Russia have loopholes through which a self-driving truck with haywire AI could drive. Businesses in Central Asia, for example, openly advertise online about how they serve as transshipment points to evade U.S. and EU sanctions “100 percent.” The statistics back them up. As soon as the sanctions took effect, imports of…


Biden Cowed by China’s Aggression

Originally published by Gatestone Institute Commentary The State Department delayed imposing sanctions, export controls, and other measures on China after the Chinese military brazenly flew its large spy balloon over Alaska, Canada, and the lower 48 states in late January and early February. The postponement of these measures, reported by Reuters on May 11, will almost certainly…


The Washington Declaration: Implications for Taiwan and East Asia

Commentary Below are a series of questions asked to me by “Taiwan Talks,” one of Taiwan’s English TV programs, regarding recent events between South Korea, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific region. What is the significance of the “Washington Declaration” agreed to by President Joe Biden and President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea? The “Washington…


The Big Climate Change Lie: The CO2 Risk to the Planet

Commentary Is carbon dioxide (CO2) really as bad as climate change scientists and ESG alarmists say it is? Is CO2 responsible for rising temperatures, extreme weather, food shortages, and even famine? According to climate authorities such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Columbia Climate School, CO2 causes global warming via the greenhouse effect….


The New Global Battlefield: Eurasia’s Reemerging Heartland

Commentary Leaders of Central Asia’s five independent states will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a critical summit on May 18–19 in China’s Xi’an city. The five states are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It is critical because Xi recognizes that Central Asia holds the key to the survival of China and the…


Going Nuclear in Asia: More Than Just Building a Bomb

Commentary Could America’s Asian allies go nuclear? This is a recurring scenario, given continuing concerns in Tokyo, Seoul, and even Canberra that Washington’s security commitment to Asia—and particularly its promise of extended nuclear deterrence—may be less than dependable. In articles (found here, here, and here), the argument is made that countries like Japan, South Korea,…


Condolences to Liberal Studies

Commentary The last examination of Liberal Studies was held on April 27, bringing an end to 30 years of liberal studies education in Hong Kong. Naturally, the pro-establishment camp breathed a sigh of relief as their decade-long mudslinging brought an end to this subject, which supposedly heralded a new age of independent study but was…


ANALYSIS: After a Strong Opening, China’s Economy Begins to Falter

News analysis Not even a month ago, reports of a first-quarter consumer-spending surge created much enthusiasm about China’s return to economic strength. News that this spending had pushed China’s real gross domestic product (GDP) well ahead of consensus expectations renewed talk that China would surpass the United States as the world’s largest economy. Even then,…


US Position on Syria Deteriorates

Commentary The U.S. position in the Middle East is weakening quickly. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Syria, where a pro-Russian dictator has waged a brutal civil war against his people with increasing impunity. On May 9, Syria and Saudi Arabia announced they would reopen their embassies in each others’ countries. Previously, the Saudis,…