Arts & Culture
Art is Another Story in Hong Kong
John Gittings finds challenging work in the current exhibition of contemporary Chinese art at the M+ art museum in Hong Kong.
Aki Elborzi
April 18, 2024
Hong Kong
Democracies’ Own Freedoms at Risk
Sophie Richardson argues that democracies’ failure to respond to China’s assault on international human rights law constitutes a risk to their own freedoms.
Aki Elborzi
April 4, 2024
Hong Kong
Beijing’s willing helpers bang the last nail into Hong Kong’s autonomy with new law
A new security law stokes fears and makes it possible to class criticism and questioning of government policy as subversive, writes Stephen Vines.
Aki Elborzi
March 27, 2024
Hong Kong
The Fall of Hong Kong: How China-US Rivalry Ended A Geopolitical Neutral Zone
Brian Fong asks whether Hong Kong can outlive the China-U.S. great power competition.
Aki Elborzi
March 26, 2024
Society
The Role of Family Planning in China’s Demographic Transition
China’s decades-long fertility control policies have led to impact on rapid population aging and sharp decline in labour supply, writes Jane Du.
Aki Elborzi
March 26, 2024
Hong Kong
Two Generations of Hong Kong Democratic Movement
Au Loong-yu reflects on how the tragedy of past Chinese revolutions could be avoided.
Aki Elborzi
March 19, 2024
Censorship
Resisting Censorship: Digital Activism, Platform Algorithms, and Gendered Imagination
Chinese online activists are demonstrating increasingly innovative and sophisticated strategies to fight against official censorship, writes Chi Zhang and Ming Zhang.
Aki Elborzi
March 14, 2024
CCP
China’s NPC lacks effective solution for economic woes
George Magnus writes that the NCP’s mild stress on economic growth offers little indication that China will move away from “lingering risks and hidden dangers”.
Aki Elborzi
March 12, 2024
China-Africa
China’s Non-Interference Principle and the Military Coups in Africa
Sizo Nkala and Khensani Ntlemo comment on emerging fissures between China’s non-interference principle in African states and relations with regional bodies such as the African Union.
Aki Elborzi
February 28, 2024
Politics
China’s Perception of Existential Risk
John Gittings examines to what extent Chinese policy in three fields, nuclear, climate change, and pandemics, includes an awareness and assessment of existential risk.
Aki Elborzi
February 20, 2024
China-Germany
German Strategy on China – A Critical Appraisal
Stefan Messingschlager argues that the importance of Germany’s 2023 “Strategy on China” policy document should not be underestimated, domestically or internationally.
Aki Elborzi
February 15, 2024
Economics
Shifting Sands: Unpacking the Divergence in China’s Real Estate Market
Xiaowen Zhang, Jack Burnham and Ye Xue comment on state-owned enterprises and China’s troubled real estate sector.
Aki Elborzi
January 30, 2024
China-Myanmar
Conflict in the China-Myanmar Borderland
Xu Peng comments on the ongoing conflicts at the intersection of Han Chinese identity, organized crime, and cross-border dynamics on the China-Myanmar border.
Aki Elborzi
December 5, 2023
Economics
The Industrial Policy Effects of China’s Free Trade Zones
Janu Du writes that the concentration of industries in FTZs can result in a reallocation of productivity, potentially leading to the “hollowing out” effect in existing industries, which can have a beggar-thy-neighbour effect on regional growth.
Aki Elborzi
December 1, 2023
History
Henry Kissinger and His Shanghai Story
Zizhu Wang comments on Henry Kissinger’s relationship with China, reflecting in particular on his 2013 visit to Shanghai.
Aki Elborzi
November 23, 2023
China-UK
UK China Policy Under Labour: More Continuity than Change?
Gray Sergeant says the Labour Party’s broadly similar China strategy to the Conservatives might not be good for electioneering but the continuity will provide some comfort to Britain’s allies.
Aki Elborzi
November 9, 2023
Society
On the Edge: Feeling Precarious in China
Margaret Hillenbrand argues that a vast underclass of Chinese workers exist in “zombie citizenship,” a state of dehumanizing exile from the law and its safeguards.
Aki Elborzi
October 12, 2023
Hong Kong
Is Hong Kong still Hong Kong?
Veteran journalist Vaudine England reflects on whether the city can survive the current clampdown on basic freedoms.
Aki Elborzi
October 3, 2023
Politics
Artwork or Propaganda? Core Chinese Socialist Values in London
Chi Zhang argues that Yique’s Chinese socialist slogans graffiti that appeared in Brick Lane was artwork rather than propaganda.
Aki Elborzi
September 5, 2023
Arts & Culture
Who is Madame Song?
John Gittings reviews ‘Madame Song: Pioneering Art and Fashion in China’, a new exhibition at Hong Kong’s M+ museum.
Aki Elborzi
August 22, 2023
Politics
Going Viral: the Changing Images of Health and Hygiene in Chinese Propaganda
Avital Avina explores the use of propaganda imagery to combat disease and promote hygiene in China.
Aki Elborzi
August 8, 2023
Taiwan
China-origin disinformation campaign stoke Taiwan fears over microchips
Disinformation targets morale in Taiwan and netizens unwittingly help spread half-truths and lies, writes Neal E. Robbins.
Aki Elborzi
August 2, 2023
China-USA
It takes two to tango
Despite the United States’ attempt to improve communications with China, the depth of the division between the two major powers remains deep, writes Jonathan Fenby.
Aki Elborzi
July 13, 2023
History
The unsolved puzzle of an ancient Chinese seal
Professor Shane McCausland shares his expert opinion on the mystery of an ancient seal from the collection of the German-British businessman and banker Ferdinand Nassau Schiller.
Aki Elborzi
July 11, 2023
Law
China’s new Foreign Relations Law
Olivia Cheung comments that the new law indicates that the re-building of trust with western countries is not a priority for Chinese foreign policy.
Aki Elborzi
July 5, 2023
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s National Security Regime Threatens Its Status as a Financial Hub
Dennis Kwok writes that Hong Kong’s status as an international financial hub is teetering on the edge of a precipice due to Xi Jinping’s national security agenda.
Aki Elborzi
June 27, 2023
International Relations
China’s Ukraine predicament
Despite China’s refusal to condemn Russia, its role is indispensable for a settlement of the ongoing tragedy as its leverage over Moscow has considerably increased since Russia got bogged down in Ukraine after its botched invasion, Gilbert Achar argues.
Aki Elborzi
June 27, 2023
Xi Jinping
Tianxia under Xi Jinping: Is China a revisionist or reformist power of the Liberal International Order?
Olivia Cheung writes that Xi’s vision of tianxia suggests that it is unrivalled Chinese power and universal acceptance of Chinese influence that sustain world peace and prosperity.
Aki Elborzi
June 22, 2023
China-UK
Language education key to understanding China
Despite China now being the second largest economic power on the planet and home to the world’s largest population, little attention is given to Mandarin teaching in the UK, writes Catherine West MP
Aki Elborzi
June 22, 2023
Politics
The history of China’s Financial Regulatory Reform after 1978
Chuang Men comments that China’s financial regulatory reform of 2023 is not novel compared to previous reforms.
Aki Elborzi
June 8, 2023
Defence and Security
General Li Shangfu spells out China’s defence objectives for the Indo-Pacific
China’s defence minister was in a pugnacious mood and turned down the invitation to meet his US counterpart for face-to-face talks, writes Duncan Bartlett.
Aki Elborzi
June 8, 2023
China-Russia
China’s nuclear red line: An opportunity for dialogue?
John Gittings argues that China could, and should, do a lot more to demonstrate its claimed neutrality in relation to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Aki Elborzi
April 4, 2023
China-Russia
Xi’s Moscow trip shows peace in Ukraine isn’t China’s main concern
Xi Jinping’s trip to Moscow has been more about reiterating China and Russia’s shared interests, and less about any concrete pathway towards ending the war in Ukraine, writes Jingdong Yuan.
Aki Elborzi
March 29, 2023
Covid-19
China’s zero-Covid strategy: causes for public protests
Daouda Cissé explores China’s zero-Covid strategy, its causes for recent public protests in major Chinese cities and its consequences for the world economy.
Aki Elborzi
December 15, 2022
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid U-turn shows how much he fears his own people
Steve Tsang comments that Xi Jinping’s de facto U-turn on the zero-Covid policy and the management of the funeral for former leader Jiang Zemin reveal that he still feels insecure.
Aki Elborzi
December 13, 2022
Covid-19
Long Live the People: A Contested Slogan
The recent protests in China have seen demonstrators call out “Long Live the People”. But the slogan is a contested one: it is also claimed by the CCP where it means something different, and is now associated personally with Xi Jinping, writes John Gittings.
Aki Elborzi
December 7, 2022
Hong Kong
Who is Jimmy Lai? The Hong Kong newspaper owner’s show trial
Eric Yan-ho Lai comments that the upcoming trial of publisher Jimmy Lai is seen as a symbol of the erosion of freedom of speech in Hong Kong.
Aki Elborzi
December 7, 2022
Law
Enter a Bewildering Territory — the Civil Code of China
In China, the relationship between statutory presumptions and legal fictions has always been highly controversial and perplexing, writes Professor Wen Du.
Aki Elborzi
December 7, 2022
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s New Museums: Tradition and Challenge
John Gittings reviews Hong Kong’s Palace Museum and M+, the “Museum of Visual Culture”.
Aki Elborzi
November 16, 2022
Xi Jinping
Xi’s vision for China after the 20th Congress
With the conclusion of the 20th Congress of the CCP, Xi Jinping has made himself at least as powerful as Mao Zedong who imposed totalitarianism in China. This is good news for him, but bad news for China and the world, writes Professor Steve Tsang.
Aki Elborzi
November 16, 2022
Censorship
Why is China banning Boys’ Love (BL) and why should we care?
Dr Chi Zhang and Dr Ming Zhang argue that China’s banning of ‘Boys’ Love’ and its derivative works will have no positive consequences on women’s willingness to have children.
Aki Elborzi
October 14, 2022
China-Switzerland
Chinese Travelers under the “Local Gaze”
A PhD project by Lea Hasenzahl seeks to examine and assess “the public discourse around Chinese Outbound Tourism in Switzerland”.
Aki Elborzi
October 14, 2022
Law
China’s “Stop-Paying-the-Loans” Phenomenon: The Legal Problems
Dr Ruiping Ye discusses the systemic problems in China’s residential housing mortgages and, more widely, in land and housing developments.
Aki Elborzi
August 26, 2022
CCP
‘Rent’ in Exchange for Loyalty
Dr Jane Du discusses Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign and the impact it has had on China’s state-owned enterprises.
Aki Elborzi
August 16, 2022
International Relations
What should China learn from the War in Ukraine?
Professor Michimi Muranushi examines how the Russian war on Ukraine could influence China’s ambition to ‘reunite’ with Taiwan.
Aki Elborzi
July 28, 2022
China-ASEAN
Trade, Investment and the ASEAN-China Technology Gap
Dr Jane Du examines the trends in China’s trade and investment with Southeast Asia, and the implications of a slow-down in China’s imports for the region.
Aki Elborzi
July 21, 2022
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s handover 25 years on
The past two years have seen significant changes in Hong Kong’s freedoms, writes Eric Yan-Ho Lai.
Aki Elborzi
July 5, 2022
CCP
Is China about to close the door?
Dominik Mierzejewski analyses two recent domestic political discussions in China in the context of the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party.
Aki Elborzi
May 11, 2022
China-Russia
Sino-Russian Energy Dealmaking Since the Ukraine War
Rob O’Brien reviews Sino-Russian energy dealmaking in 2022, with an emphasis on developments after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Aki Elborzi
May 11, 2022
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Iron Man
Duncan Bartlett writes that while John Lee has the backing of China’s Communist Party to be the new CEO of Hong Kong, the city’s international reputation is at stake following a turbulent period.
Aki Elborzi
May 10, 2022
Diplomacy
Words and Deeds: Chinese Policy on Ukraine
John Gittings reflects on the Ukraine crisis and what more could China do to fulfil its obligations to the UN Charter as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Aki Elborzi
April 26, 2022
Politics
Democratic neighbours as a challenge to the autocratic superiority tale
A new report by the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI) has identified considerable declines in the quality of democracy worldwide. Hauke Hartmann comments on the role of Russia and China.
Aki Elborzi
April 25, 2022
China-Thailand
泰国省 (Thailand Province of China) and the Milk Tea Alliance
Wasana Wongsurawat comments on China-Thailand relations and the ‘Milk Tea Alliance’, an ethereal alliance in cyber space of the pro-democracy movements in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand.
Aki Elborzi
March 31, 2022
China-Africa
China and Africa: Ethiopia case study debunks investment myths
Common perceptions about Chinese engagement in Africa are that it is one-dimensional and sometimes biased. But Chinese private investments in Ethiopia are highly diverse, fluid and complex, writes Weiwei Chen.
Aki Elborzi
March 17, 2022
Diplomacy
Leaders ‘Rock Solid’ with Putin as People Call for End to Russia’s War
At the annual political meeting of China’s leaders, known as the Two Sessions, raising defence spending and standing with Putin has shown how deeply out of touch it is with the international mood, writes Duncan Bartlett.
Aki Elborzi
March 14, 2022
China-UK
UK-China relations – what after the reset?
With a ‘reset’ and cooling of relations underway between London and Beijing, Chris Cash reflects on what a constructive and secure China strategy for the UK might look like.
Aki Elborzi
March 10, 2022
Diplomacy
Can Beijing stop the war? Calling out the Chinese contradiction
John Gittings argues that as the Ukraine situation worsens, the only way to stop Putin may be if China shifts ground and indicates its opposition to his aggression. Russia would then be deprived of the one ally which counts.
Aki Elborzi
March 8, 2022
China-CEE
Moscow and Beijing telling their stories (un)well. The case of Poland
A recent study by SOAS alumna Alicja Bachulska has examined two major online media outlets responsible for promoting Chinese and Russian state-backed narratives in Poland, namely China Radio International (CRI) and Sputnik.
Aki Elborzi
March 2, 2022
International Relations
Beijing’s lessons from the Russia-Ukraine-West conflict
Dominik Mierzejewski argues that although China feels duty-bound to support Russia in its war with Ukraine, Beijing runs the risk of being labelled an imperial power, especially in the developing world.
Aki Elborzi
March 1, 2022
Economics
Some of China’s best laid plans are going awry
Hong Kong has recently seen a surge in Omicron cases. If it spreads to mainland China, it could torpedo zero-COVID, causing significant economic disruption, and political embarrassment, writes George Magnus.
Aki Elborzi
February 23, 2022
Xi Jinping
Xi’s Status in China’s New History Resolution
Dongyu Sun examines the November 2021 Resolution of the CCP in which Xi Jinping has been given equal status to only Mao Zedong, and placed above Deng Xiaoping as a paramount leader of the People’s Republic of China.
Aki Elborzi
February 21, 2022
Society
China Must Pay More Attention to the Welfare of Rural Women
Ran Yan writes that in the ‘Three-child era’, China needs to pay more attention to the protection of rural mothers’ rights and interests.
Aki Elborzi
February 16, 2022
CCP
China’s Conservative Turn on Gender Roles
SOAS alumna Ludovica Meacci comments on Xi Jinping’s renewed push to reinforce conservative gender norms as a means to serve two mutually reinforcing objectives of the CCP.
Aki Elborzi
February 14, 2022
Asia Pacific
Part II: ‘Global Britain’ and the Indo-Pacific in 2022
What is ‘Global Britain’? Eerishika Pankaj analyses the UK’s post-Brexit ambition towards deeper security and economic engagement with the Asia-Pacific region, in light of growing competition and weariness between the UK and China. | Part 2
Aki Elborzi
February 9, 2022