Archive | Blog Posts

18 August 2014

Can America “Just Say No” to China?

A trenchant, thought-provoking analysis by CNAS Research Associate and rising star in the China/Asia-Pacific studies field Amy Chang on contradictions in U.S. China policy and what to do about them. Whether you agree with Amy or not on the specifics, her argument is reflective of growing concerns in many U.S. and allied quarters…
Amy Chang, “Can America […]

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01 August 2014

PRC National Defense Ministry Spokesman Sr. Col. Geng Yansheng Offers China’s Most-Detailed Position to Date on Dongdiao-class Ship’s Intelligence Collection in U.S. EEZ during RIMPAC Exercise

Summary translation: China demands freedom from the United States to collect intelligence in U.S. Exclusive Economic Zones in the name of U.S. principles and domestic laws. China denies the United States reciprocal freedoms in the name of China’s own domestic laws.
Such lack of reciprocity flies in the face of international legal principles and support for an […]

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01 August 2014

A “New Situation”: China’s Evolving Assessment of its Security Environment

Excellent analysis by a serious observer of Chinese military, doctrinal, and policy developments. Here’s hoping that David Bradley continues to publish his sophisticated analysis for all to read!
Has Washington unwittingly contributed to Beijing’s assessment of a “new situation” in the regional security environment and beyond by: (1) devoting insufficient resources and attention to the Asia-Pacific, (2) not […]

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18 July 2014

China Sends Uninvited Spy Ship to RIMPAC

At the world’s foremost maritime cooperation wedding, a wedding crasher from China’s navy is enjoying an intelligence buffet…
Sam LaGrone, “China Sends Uninvited Spy Ship to RIMPAC,” USNI News, 18 July 2014.
China slipped an uninvited guest into the world’s largest naval exercise.
The U.S. invited four ships from China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to the Rim […]

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16 July 2014

Outcomes of Strategic Track of 6th Round of U.S.-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue

U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue Outcomes of the Strategic Track
Media Note, Office of the Spokesperson, Washington, DC, July 14, 2014
At the Sixth Round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) July 9-10, 2014, in Beijing, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, special representative of President Xi Jinping, and Secretary of State John Kerry, special representative of President Barack Obama, […]

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13 July 2014

Chinese Fleet Participating in RIMPAC Drill Leaves for Exercise Area

“Chinese Fleet Participating in RIMPAC Drill Leaves for Exercise Area,” Xinhua, 11 July 2014.
Photo taken on July 9, 2014 shows Chinese navy’s missile frigate Yueyang leaves Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, the United States. The Chinese fleet participating in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercises left Pearl Harbor for the exercise area on […]

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13 July 2014

China Issues 2nd Foreign Aid White Paper

Philippa Brant, “China’s Foreign Aid White Paper: Quick Overview,” The Lowy Interpreter, 10 July 2014.
Today, the Chinese Government released its much-awaited second White Paper on Foreign Aid. It’s been in the pipeline for a while, as I’ve noted a number of times, and follows the first white paper published in April 2011. 
So what does it say?
First, it is an […]

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04 July 2014

Dr. Shi Yinhong: Territorial Dispute-Related “Tension Between China and the US and U.S. Allies Will Deteriorate Rather Than Improve”

It’s always important to understand the context of strong quotations like the ones below. Sometimes essential factors are not captured initially, and things become clearer with time. But John Garnaut is an highly-experienced, extremely-reputable journalist and Dr. Shi Yinhong (时殷弘)’s views always merit close consideration. While he no doubt had to use his academic title […]

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01 July 2014

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel Welcomes Japan’s New Collective Self-defense Policy

Hagel Welcomes Japan’s New Collective Self-defense Policy
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today welcomed the Japanese government’s new policy regarding collective self-defense, saying it will enable the Japan Self-Defense Forces to engage in a wider range of operations and make the U.S.-Japan alliance even more effective.
In a reinterpretation […]

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01 July 2014

Japan’s Article 9 Challenge

Adam Liff, “Japan’s Article 9 Challenge,” The National Interest, 27 June 2014.
Throughout the postwar period, the Government of Japan’s (GOJ) definition and interpretation of collective self-defense and Article 9 of Japan’s constitution have played a crucial role in how its leaders develop and employ military power. This issue also has had significant implications for its […]

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27 June 2014

National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Public Intellectuals Program Now Accepting 4th Round Applications

The Public Intellectuals Program (PIP), a flagship program of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), just received a generous two-year grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York that will fund a fourth round of the program. Additional information about PIP, and a call for applications, is available on NCUSCR’s website.
Application deadline: 1 August 2014
PIP, founded […]

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23 June 2014

NYT Editorial Board Expresses Concern, Describes China as “The Lion Now Roaring over the Waters of the South China Sea”

It is quite significant to see the New York Times become this concerned. Since simply asking Beijing to adhere to the spirit of the 2002 declaration is unlikely to have substantive effect, I hope that the Editorial Board will follow up with some practical suggestions for U.S. policy, including bolstering domestic support for trade agreements, […]

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23 June 2014

Is This a Model of China’s Next [3rd Total, 2nd Domestically-Constructed] Aircraft Carrier?

Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer, “Is This a Model of China’s Next Aircraft Carrier?” Eastern Arsenal Blog, Popular Science, 17 June 2014.
Photos of a potential new Chinese aircraft carrier class have surfaced this month at the Dalian Naval Exhibition Center. The photos depict a large carrier that would give China the type of large strike […]

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20 June 2014

China Must See Past Its Own Hype of An America in Decline

In this difficult time for Sino-American relations, in which statements often contain far more heat than light, Prof. Zha offers a constructive, balanced perspective–typical of his commitment to seeking truth from facts as a scholar, rather than engaging in the sort of one-sided sloganeering that has become all too prevalent. Thanks to Prof. Avery Goldstein for […]

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15 June 2014

Worth Revisiting on Eve of RIMPAC 2014: General Karl Eikenberry on “The Possibilities and Limits of Sino-American Military Relations”

With China joining the world’s largest international maritime exercise for the first time ever later this month in RIMPAC 2014, it’s time to revisit General Karl Eikenberry’s seasoned take on opportunities and challenges in U.S.-China military-military relations. 
Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, USA (ret.), “The Possibilities and Limits of Sino-American Military Relations,” Charles Neuhauser Memorial Lecture, John […]

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15 June 2014

Latest Congressional Research Service Report on “U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress”

Shirley Kan, Ronald O’Rourke, Susan Lawrence and other Congressional Research Service specialists continually provide some of the best return on U.S. taxpayer dollars with their tireless compilation and updating of sophisticated, timely, and relevant reports. They are invariably informative, balanced, and well worth reading! Members of Congress, please take note: preserving this invaluable policy-informing resource […]

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14 June 2014

Chinese Fleet Joins Others for RIMPAC Exercise

“Chinese Fleet Joins Others for RIMPAC Exercise,” China Radio International, 14 June 2014.

The missile destroyer Haikou (R), missile frigate Yueyang and supply ship Qiandaohu (C) are seen during the supply at sea in Pacific Ocean, during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercises on June 13, 2014. After 6 days’ sail, the Chinese […]

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05 June 2014

Pentagon Releases “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2014”

Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2014, Annual Report to Congress (Arlington, VA: Office of the Secretary of Defense, 5 June 2014).
Highlights from text:
p. i
“The October 2013 MANEUVER-5 exercise in the Philippine Sea, which included participation from all three PLA navy fleets – the North Sea Fleet, the East Sea Fleet, […]

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01 June 2014

PLA LtGen Wang Guanzhong’s Remarks—Scripted & “Unscripted”—at Shangri-La Dialogue

Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong, Deputy Chief, General Staff Department, People’s Liberation Army, China
Shangri-La Dialogue 2014 Fourth Plenary Session: Major Power Perspectives on Peace and Security in the Asia-Pacific
 
Watch on mobile
 
Peace and Security in the Asia-Pacific?
PLA General Wang Guangzhong departed from his prepared address to attack the speeches made by Chuck Hagel and Shinzo Abe as ‘provocative […]

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