Monthly Archives: November 2010

Our Appearance Has Changed

WordPress has switched us to its new Pilcrow theme, as it is doing for all blogs that used PressRow. Our side and main bars have flipped places as a result, as regular readers will notice. We have also taken the … Continue reading

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Filed under Media

China Gives First Reaction To Leaked U.S. Diplomatic Cables

Beijing’s first public comment on the leaked U.S. State Department cables published by the online whistleblower WikiLeaks has been a short, sharp no comment from the foreign ministry. These are already choppy waters for the U.S. not much worth China … Continue reading

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Filed under China-U.S., Media

Cablegate: Grim South Korean Take On China’s Leverage Over North Korea

A leaked U.S. State Department cable from February this year, newly made public by WikiLeaks, reports a grim view of China’s leverage over North Korea held by South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister, Chun Yung-woo. Chun reportedly told American officials that … Continue reading

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Filed under China-U.S., China-Koreas

Still Awaiting China Surprises From Leaked U.S. Cables

The leaked U.S. State Department cables published by WikiLeaks so far, at least those concerning China that we have seen coming from the U.S. embassy in Beijing, are mostly the diplomatic equivalent of sales-call reports: Mr X said A; Mr … Continue reading

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Filed under Politics & Society

Leaked Cables Show U.S. Frustration At China’s Role In North Korea-Iran Trade

The leaks of U.S. State Dept. cables by the online whistleblower WikiLeaks as far as we can tell so far don’t reveal any great new secrets about Sino-American relations. We’ve turned up only a few China-related cables in the batches … Continue reading

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Filed under China-U.S., China-Koreas

No Time To Buy Time On The Korean Peninsula

When you don’t know what to do with a problem, punting it to a committee is usually  a safe option. It buys time to come up with an answer if nothing else. That is what China has done with North … Continue reading

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Filed under China-Koreas

Drawing Lines In The Yellow Sea

China gets the U.S. aircraft carrier off its shores that it previously managed to browbeat Washington to keep at bay. There is no more provocative symbol of naval power to Beijing. The Peoples’ Liberation Army is building a carrier but … Continue reading

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Filed under China-U.S., China-Koreas

Kim’s Dangerous Gauging Game With Beijing

Beijing’s pubic reaction to North Korea’s shelling of  South Korea’s Yeonpyeong island has been, not unsurprisingly, muted. It has expressed concern and called for both sides to show restraint but said little more. In that regard, the situation is similar to … Continue reading

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Filed under China-Koreas

China’s Green Leap Forward

China has a goal of meeting 15% of its energy consumption from non-fossil fuels by 2020, and the five-year plan that starts next year calls for a large expansion of hydropower for electricity generation. The World Bank, in a policy … Continue reading

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Filed under energy

Local Officials Lumbered With Making Price Controls Stick

China has formally announced a series of measures to fight consumer price inflation that dump the task squarely in the laps of local officials. The State Council has instructed local governments to boost farm production, stabilize supply and lower food … Continue reading

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Filed under Economy