Beijing tones down its rhetoric in bid to defuse ‘China Threat’ theory

Beijing tones down its rhetoric in bid to defuse ‘China Threat’ theory

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com There is evidence that after two years of no-holds-barred projection of Chinese power, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership under President and Commander-in-Chief Xi Jinping has softened its diplomatic rhetoric. Recent statements by senior officials have emphasized Beijing’s willingness to abide by international norms laid down by the […]

Xi uses notorious, ancient, super secret ‘Eastern Factory’ to crush foes

Xi uses notorious, ancient, super secret ‘Eastern Factory’ to crush foes

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com Chinese pundits have a nickname for the Communist Party’s Central Commission on Disciplinary Inspection (CCDI): the “Eastern Factory.” The “Eastern Factory” is a notorious spy agency which emperors and eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) used to bring down, torture and kill their enemies. While General Secretary and […]

As world eyes China’s economy, Xi still focused on consolidating power with the PLA

As world eyes China’s economy, Xi still focused on consolidating power with the PLA

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com Despite reports that the China’s GDP is about to surpass that of the United States, much of Chinese politics is still governed by Maoist norms of the 1930s and 1940s. One of Chairman’s Mao Zedong’s most famous dictums — “power grows out of the barrel of a gun” […]

Despite his goal of ‘de-Americanized world’, Xi unlikely to bail out key ally Russia

Despite his goal of ‘de-Americanized world’, Xi unlikely to bail out key ally Russia

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com The impending default — and possible collapse — of the Russian economy has not only caught the Xi Jinping administration by surprise but also cast doubt on Beijing’s two-year-old “Russia first” foreign policy. Despite the fact that one of the first diplomatic acts of President Xi was to […]

Xi lifts censorship for global Internet conference, then makes case for tightened controls

Xi lifts censorship for global Internet conference, then makes case for tightened controls

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com The Beijing leadership has signaled tighter control over the Internet on the occasion of the First World Internet Conference, whose ostensible goal is to promote inter-connectivity between China and the world via the Net. For three days – Nov. 19 to 21 – censorship on Google, Facebook and […]

Xi Jinping tells whole world Beijing will soon crush Hong Kong protests

Xi Jinping tells whole world Beijing will soon crush Hong Kong protests

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com President Xi Jinping has taken advantage of the global attention that has been focused on Beijing during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference to vow that the Occupy Central Movement in Hong Kong will soon be crushed with force. At a joint press conference with President Obama after […]

Economic disputes bedeviling China-U.S. ties seen as focus of APEC mini-summit

Economic disputes bedeviling China-U.S. ties seen as focus of APEC mini-summit

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com China-American relations, which have the past decade been characterized by “cold politics and hot economics,” could take a serious drubbing at the on-going Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Beijing. While geopolitical contention between China and the U.S. has been exacerbated particularly in the Asia-Pacific Region, bilateral ties […]

Extensive groundwork for Xi-Abe meeting could prove consequential … or not

Extensive groundwork for Xi-Abe meeting could prove consequential … or not

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com Beijing has all but confirmed that President Xi Jinping and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will have their first-ever tete-a-tete in Beijing on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting scheduled for Nov. 10 and 11. When asked about the Xi-Abe meeting, Foreign Minister […]

Xi’s steamrolling agenda for first time encounters turbulence at major party meeting

Xi’s steamrolling agenda for first time encounters turbulence at major party meeting

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, EastAsiaIntel.com The much-awaited Fourth Plenary Session of the Central Committee closed in Beijing on Oct. 23 with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership vowing to “improve the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics.” However, what caught the attention of political observers in Beijing is that General Secretary and […]