Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Given the apparent ease with which President Xi Jinping has consolidated his hold on power, it is perhaps not surprising that the princeling (a reference to the offspring of party elders) is actively nurturing the careers of younger members of the “red aristocracy.” In the past year, several […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com The usually deferential official Chinese media has characterized Premier Li Keqiang performance during his just-completed four-nation visit as “Li-style diplomacy.” The last leg of Li’s first overseas trip as head of government – a mere two-day stopover in Berlin – has demonstrated the hard edge of enhanced hard-power […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Premier Li Keqiang’s just-completed trip to India has revealed a new thinking in Chinese diplomacy regarding its neighbors. The six-month-old administration of President Xi Jinping, who also heads the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Leading Group on Foreign Affairs, has decided to go soft on India and ASEAN while […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com There are three major birthdays and anniversaries in this year’s political calendar – and how they will be celebrated says much about the country’s future. The first one is the 60th birthday of President and party General Secretary Xi Jinping, which falls on June 15.The second is the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Nothing illustrates better the conservative turn that Chinese politics and foreign policy have taken under the Xi Jinping administration than the way ministers and senior cadres are reviving the credos – and familiar sayings – of Chairman Mao Zedong. Consider the reaction of the new Chinese ambassador to […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Willy Lam is traveling. The Chinese government on April 16 published the much anticipated document called “The Diversified Applications of China’s Armed Forces,” commonly known as the Chinese Defense White Paper. The report details the communist country’s defense policy, strategic outlook, services strength, and weapons development. The Chinese […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com Amid much fanfare, North Korea has advanced to the brink of the dreaded Second Korean War. Now the question is whether there’s a face-saving way to bring about dialogue. Can’t North Korea, at some stage, declare a rhetorical victory and go into negotiations? U.S. Secretary of State John […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com There are clear-cut signs that Chinese and Japanese leaders want to mend fences after the seven month-old row over the Diaoyu-Senkaku islands has plunged bilateral ties to the lowest level since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972. Masahiko Komura, Vice-President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) […]