Sep 09,2019 Open Forum

Who Controls the Past Controls the Future: The political use of WWII history in Russia & China

Under a perfectly blue sky in September 2015, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin strode out to the Gate of Heavenly Peace in the center of Beijing. This was the entrance to the Forbidden City when China’s last emperors ruled, and it was where Mao Zedong declared the foundation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) […]

Katie Stallard-Blanchette
Great Patriotic War , political memory , Victory Day , Vladimir Putin , World War II , Xi Jinping
Jul 16,2019 Open Forum

The Debate over US Policy toward China Heats Up: Doves, Hawks, Superhawks, and the Viability of the Think Tank Middle Ground

The aim of this synopsis is to clarify the debate that has erupted in the early summer of 2019, to differentiate the main schools of thought, to put the debate in historical perspective, and to suggest some tests that lie ahead. On the one hand, any such debate at this juncture has to be a […]

Gilbert Rozman
Cold War , Donald Trump , Doves , Hawks , Red China , Superhawks , Xi Jinping
Jul 03,2019 National Commentaries

A US Perspective

It is easy to assume that rising tensions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China will benefit Taiwan. As everyone knows, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” But this assumption reveals a superficial understanding of Taiwan’s role in the triangular relationship among Beijing, Washington, and Taipei. In fact, a different […]

Shelley Rigger
Donald Trump , G20 , GCTF , National Defense Authorization Act , TPP , Tsai Ing-wen , Xi Jinping
Jul 03,2019 National Commentaries

A Taiwanese Perspective

In contrast to the relatively amicable Ma Ying-jeou (KMT) era (2008-16), cross-strait relations have chilled considerably since Tsai Ing-wen of the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) came to power in Taiwan in 2016. Despite Tsai’s vow to maintain the status quo, China has criticized her for failing to accept the so-called 1992 Consensus – an agreement […]

Vincent Wei-cheng Wang
1992 Consensus , Democratic Progressive Party , One China policy , RTX6RUB6 (layout (comp)) , Tsai Ing-wen , Xi Jinping
May 14,2019 Special Forum

Introduction

The subject of interests versus values figures importantly in queries on international relations in Northeast Asia. Four prime examples are: 1) What is driving the tensions in Sino-US relations, and how should the US respond to China’s perceived ideological challenge? 2) Is Abe Shinzo driven by national interests or national identity in foreign policy, and […]

Editorial Staff
Abe Shinzo , Donald Trump , Kim Jong-un , Moon Jae-in , Vladmir Putin , Xi Jinping
May 14,2019 Special Forum

Winning the ideological competition with China

The 2017 US National Security Strategy describes a vision of the international arena defined by a return of great power competition, with China as the leading rival of the United States seeking to challenge the liberal international order.1  As Robert Kagan recently argued, authoritarianism has reemerged as “a profound ideological, as well as strategic, challenge.”2  […]

Scott W. Harold
"Belt and Road" Initiative , America First , China Dream , Confucius Institutes , Donald Trump , free and open Indo-Pacific , Liberal international order , United Front , Xi Jinping
May 10,2019 Special Forum

The Case of Sino-Russian Relations in the US Shadow

Studies of the history of the Cold War find the impact of values so overwhelming that national interests were left on the sidelines by Beijing and Moscow to their deep, later regret. Claims by both Moscow and Beijing over the past quarter century to be building a relationship based only on national interests defy evidence […]

Editorial Staff
Donald Trump , Liberal international order , Sino-Soviet split , Strategic Triangle , Vladmir Putin , Xi Jinping
Feb 19,2019 Special Forum

Introduction

As the 2010s draw to a close, the special character of the Sino-Russian-US great power triangle is on vivid display and hints can be detected that its nature could be changing. Whether one focuses on the hoopla accompanying summitry, on signs of each country’s adjustment in thinking regarding the bilateral relationships in the triangle, or […]

Editorial Staff
Abe Shinzo , America First , China Dream , Donald Trump , Sino-Russian alliance , US-Japan alliance , Vladimir Putin , Xi Jinping
Oct 11,2018 Open Forum

As China and Russia Draw Closer, Mongolia Feels the Squeeze

In September 2018 Russia carried out the largest military exercise since the height of the Cold War.1 Vostok-2018, held in Siberia, drew considerable attention in the Western media, not just because of the sheer scale of the event (declared as involving 300,000 troops and thousands of tanks and airplanes) but also because China sent an […]

Sergey Radchenko
BRI , EEF , EEU , Khaltmaa “Genco” Battulga , SCO , third neighbor policy , Vladmir Putin , Xi Jinping
May 08,2018 Open Forum

The Interference Operations from Putin’s Kremlin and Xi’s Communist Party: Forging a Joint Response

Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin are systematically interfering in the politics and undermining the institutions of democratic nations.1 Xi’s China and Putin’s Russia have different long-term goals, strategic positions, methodologies, and capabilities. But their interests in weakening the liberal order are converging, and they are working from a similar asymmetric […]

Laura Rosenberger , John Garnaut
Chinese Communist Party , Sharp power , Vladmir Putin , Xi Jinping