China

China • STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 08, 2022 • 7 min read

Analysis Indonesians are drawing a hard line on China

By Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat • Jul 08, 2022
Public pushback against the Asian superpower’s South China Sea aggression, Belt and Road Initiative and Uyghur repression complicate relations

China • STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 14, 2021 • 3 min read

Podcast The Anakut podcast: Cambodia’s controversial internet gateway

By Andrew Haffner • Jul 14, 2021
Proposals for an internet gateway in Cambodia have inevitably drawn comparisons to China's Great Firewall. In this episode of Anakut, we speak with digital security expert Moses Ngeth and James Griffiths, author of The Great Firewall of China, to hear what this plan could mean in practice

China • Apr 05, 2021 • 8 min read
Geopolitics

How much is fish driving Chinese aggression in the South China Sea?

A massive decrease in Chinese fishing fleet activity throughout 2020 may not provide the full picture, with a recent ramping up of aggression in the South China Sea leaving many once again questioning China’s true motivations in the disputed waters
By Ashley Lampard • Apr 05, 2021

China • Feb 22, 2021 • 8 min read
Analysis

Thailand’s rising tension between public and state relations with China

As Thailand's economy has grown increasingly reliant on Chinese tourism and investment in recent decades, so too has public distrust of the Asian giant's influence in the kingdom – a tension that risks spilling over says columnist Professor Mark S. Cogan
By Mark S. Cogan • Feb 22, 2021

China • Jan 27, 2021 • 7 min read
Geopolitics

Why the U.S., and not ASEAN, is the answer for Vietnam’s South China Sea dispute

The South China Sea issue has long proved a sticking point for ASEAN, unable to forge a united front against Chinese claims. Researcher Nguyen Hoang Anh Thu says the political block isn't equipped to ward off Beijing, and Vietnam should instead seek a US alliance
By Nguyen Hoang Anh Thu • Jan 27, 2021

China • Jan 25, 2021 • 2 min read
Geopolitics

US warships conduct exercises in South China Sea

In the first routine operation in the region under new US President Joe Biden, an American aircraft carrier group sailed into the South China Sea as part of a so-called "freedom of navigation" exercise that has irked leaders in Beijing
By Agence France-Presse • Jan 25, 2021

China • Jul 31, 2020 • 11 min read
Belt and Road

Onboard China’s Belt and Road Express: Does Laos stand to benefit?

The first piece of track on Kunming-Vientiane railway was laid in April as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. But with the project steaming ahead, does Laos stand to actually see any benefits from the project, or is it merely in Beijing's interest?
By Alexi Demetriadi • Jul 31, 2020

China • Jul 30, 2020 • 2 min read
Corruption

China denies harbouring Malaysian alleged 1MDB mastermind

China has denied that it is harbouring Jho Lo, the Malaysian financier and alleged mastermind behind the 1MDB plot, the same week former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was convicted for corruption for his part in the scandal
By Agence France-Presse • Jul 30, 2020

China • Jul 25, 2020 • 3 min read
International relations

Australia rejects Beijing’s South China Sea claims, backing US

Australia has submitted a formal declaration to the United Nations rejecting Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea, in a move that sees Canberra closer aligning with Southeast Asia and the US on the issue
By Agence France-Presse • Jul 25, 2020

China • Jul 23, 2020 • 3 min read
Hong Kong

Will Hong Kong become like tightly-ruled but stable Singapore?

Limited democracy but high living standards and stability form a trade-off that most Singaporeans seem willing to live with – and some now suggest rival Asian finance hub Hong Kong can emulate the model as China tightens control
By Sam Reeves and Martin Abbugao/AFP • Jul 23, 2020