Frenchman turns states evidence in murder mystery involving wife of once-powerful Bo Xilai

Frenchman turns states evidence in murder mystery involving wife of once-powerful Bo Xilai

Special to WorldTribune.com East-Asia-Intel.com A former intimate of Gu Kailai, the wife of ousted Chinese strongman Bo Xilai, flew to Beijing only days before prosecutors announced she was being charged with murder. Patrick Henri Devillers, the Frenchman who shared an apartment in Britain with Gu, surrendered to Chinese authorities on July 17. Gu’s indictment for […]

China constructing extensive transportation network along N. Korea border

China constructing extensive transportation network along N. Korea border

Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com China is building a massive highway and rail network along the border with North Korea in an apparent bid to tap into its neighbor’s natural resources and to secure easy access for troops in case of an emergency in the destitute nation. China will spend more than $10 […]

There’s a word for Beijing’s new island dispute tactics with Tokyo: Hardball

There’s a word for Beijing’s new island dispute tactics with Tokyo: Hardball

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Since territorial disputes erupted between China and Japan in the early 1970s over the Diaoyu islets (called the Senkakus in Japan), Beijing has stuck to late patriarch Deng Xiaoping’s famous dictum: “Leave the question of sovereignty for the next generation; let’s put the emphasis on joint [economic] development.” […]

With 150,000 ‘Arab Spring’-like incidents from Hong Kong to Xinjiang, are CCP’s days numbered?

With 150,000 ‘Arab Spring’-like incidents from Hong Kong to Xinjiang, are CCP’s days numbered?

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com For years, analysts of domestic Chinese politics have been pondering this important question: With riots and protests increasing to more than 150,000 incidents a year, how close is China from an Arab-style mass uprising that could result in the destruction of the dictatorial Chinese Communist Party (CCP)? Even […]

Power struggle gives rise to top Chinese generals, hawkish foreign-policy statements

Power struggle gives rise to top Chinese generals, hawkish foreign-policy statements

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com A ferocious power struggle among three of China’s most powerful figures — former President Jiang Zemin, current President Hu Jintao, and expected President Xi Jinping — has resulted in top generals of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) acquiring unprecedented power. The extraordinary clout of the top brass of […]

Hu Jintao and future President Xi Jinping forge power pact over Bo scandal

Hu Jintao and future President Xi Jinping forge power pact over Bo scandal

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Former Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai’s alleged conspiracy to usurp Vice President Xi Jinping’s status as heir apparent to the Chinese Communist Party leadership has served to tighten ties between Xi and the current supremo, President Hu Jintao. This has been seen as one of the few “positive […]

Obama administration pushes to ratify Law of Sea treaty to deter China

Obama administration pushes to ratify Law of Sea treaty to deter China

Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com Senior Obama administration officials last week urged the Senate to approve a bill authorizing the U.S. to become a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Doing so, they said, would better deter China’s “excessive” claims in the Western Pacific region. “As a […]

Piracy against China ships shows N. Korea’s military units are desperate, on their own

Piracy against China ships shows N. Korea’s military units are desperate, on their own

Special to WorldTribune.com By Lee Jong-Heon, East-Asia-Intel.com North Korean troops deployed in a remote area hijacked Chinese fishing boats for ransom earlier this month, government officials and analysts in Seoul said. A North Korean gunboat seized four Chinese boats with more than 30 Chinese fishermen on May 8 and demanded cash for their return. The […]

Much more to China than meets the (American) eye

Much more to China than meets the (American) eye

Lev Navrozov Last week we had a call from someone whom we used to know some years ago: an intelligent young man, a brilliant computer specialist, with a keen interest in international affairs, at that time particularly concerned with Falun Gong persecutions going on in China. He had several Chinese friends associated with the Chinese […]

Report: Taiwan weighs gamechanger with purchase of U.S. F-35B stealth jetfighters

Report: Taiwan weighs gamechanger with purchase of U.S. F-35B stealth jetfighters

Special to WorldTribune.com In a major policy reversal, Taiwan’s defense officials have indicated they may forego further upgrades to their current F-16A/B fleet and instead purchase the next-generation F-35B stealth fighter, according to Taiwan’s China Times. Taiwan’s mainstay combat aircraft is the F-16A/B block 20. Taiwan currently has 145 such advanced aircraft in service. However, […]