China
BRICS bank decision highlights growing divisions among major powers
By Nick Beams, 19 July 2014
The move by the BRICS summit to set up a development bank and emergency fund reflects dissatisfaction with US dominance of the global financial system.
Chinese president seeks closer ties with South Korea
By Ben McGrath, 9 July 2014
The developing relationship between China and South Korea has led to questions about Seoul’s relations with Washington.
German chancellor makes her seventh visit to China
By Ulrich Rippert, 9 July 2014
As on previous visits, the chancellor was accompanied by a business delegation.
Socialism and the Fight Against Imperialist War
Statement of the International Committee of the Fourth International
3 July 2014
One hundred years after the outbreak of World War I and 75 years after the start of World War II, the imperialist system is once again threatening humanity with a catastrophe.
UK’s People’s Assembly stages anti-austerity protest
By Paul Mitchell, 24 June 2014
The purpose of the People’s Assembly protest was to sow illusions in the trade unions, which have not lifted a finger to fight austerity.
China’s premier signs major trade deals with Greece
By John Vassilopoulos, 24 June 2014
A total of 271 private meetings were held between the Greek delegation and Chinese investors.
China-Vietnam talks fail to end tensions over oil rig
By Ben McGrath, 24 June 2014
As part of its “pivot to Asia,” the US has deliberately stoked territorial disputes between China and its neighbours, including Vietnam.
China seeks to woo India’s new right-wing government
By Deepal Jayasekera, 14 June 2014
Beijing is trying to counter US and Japanese attempts to draw India more tightly into their campaign to isolate and militarily encircle China.
Washington drives escalating tensions in South China Sea
By Joseph Santolan, 13 June 2014
As part of its “pivot to Asia”, the US is pressing Vietnam and the Philippines to challenge China in the South China Sea.
Thai junta holds talks with Chinese military, investors
By Tom Peters, 13 June 2014
The Thai delegation to Beijing will be closely watched by Washington, which considers Thailand a key ally in its “pivot to Asia” against China.
Australian Senate committee discusses threat of US-China war
By Mike Head, 11 June 2014
Behind the backs of the public, a discussion is taking place about the likelihood of Australia being involved in a US war for domination over the Asia-Pacific.
Close encounter between Japanese and Chinese military planes
By Ben McGrath, 28 May 2014
China scrambled fighters in response to Japanese planes monitoring a joint Chinese-Russian naval exercise in the East China Sea.
Russian president forges stronger ties in China
By Peter Symonds, 23 May 2014
It is precisely Washington’s confrontation strategy in Asia as in Eastern Europe that is driving China and Russia into a closer relationship.
US pushes cyber-war confrontation with China
By Patrick Martin, 20 May 2014
The Justice Department indicted five officers of the Peoples Liberation Army on 31 counts of computer hacking and economic espionage.
Anti-Chinese protests erupt in Vietnam’s industrial zones
By Peter Symonds, 16 May 2014
The protests follow Hanoi’s xenophobic campaign against a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Further warnings on Chinese property markets
By Nick Beams, 14 May 2014
The “housing construction frenzy” in China has reached its “highest peak in human history” over the past three years.
Vietnam and Philippines escalate maritime disputes with China
By Mike Head, 13 May 2014
Continuing clashes between Vietnamese and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea highlight the potential for a wider conflict.
Leaked plans highlight China’s fear of a new Korean war
By Ben McGrath, 12 May 2014
The contingency plans detail the Chinese response to the collapse of the North Korean regime and a US-led invasion.
Tensions flare between China and Vietnam in South China Sea
By Peter Symonds, 8 May 2014
The positioning of a Chinese oil rig in disputed waters has been the immediate trigger for a confrontation between Vietnamese and Chinese vessels.
A bombing in China’s Xinjiang province
By Peter Symonds, 6 May 2014
There are growing fears in Beijing that the US will exploit separatist movements among China’s ethnic minorities to destabilise the country.
Strike by Chinese footwear workers shut down
By Alan Leigh, 1 May 2014
State-controlled trade unions, local officials and the police worked to pressure striking Yue Yuen workers back to work.
Wall Street Journal outlines US military options against China
By Tom Peters, 30 April 2014
The Pentagon has drawn up plans to deploy nuclear-capable bombers and aircraft carriers off the Chinese coast.
Forty thousand workers strike at shoe manufacturer in southern China
By Joseph Santolan, 19 April 2014
The Yue Yuen strike is described by China Labor Watch as “likely one of the largest Chinese worker strikes in recent history.”
Australian PM pushes for free trade deal with China
By Peter Symonds, 15 April 2014
The trip was generally praised in the Australian media, simply because Abbott managed to avoid any diplomatic rows with Beijing.
US defence secretary’s provocative tour of Asia
By Peter Symonds, 12 April 2014
Hagel’s trip has been an emphatic declaration that the US will not back away from its “pivot to Asia” against China, even as its confrontation with Russia over Ukraine intensifies.
US defence secretary clashes with Chinese counterpart
By Peter Symonds, 9 April 2014
The public display of hostility is another warning of the dangerous tensions that the Obama administration’s “pivot to Asia” has provoked throughout the region.
Growing danger of Chinese credit collapse
By Nick Beams, 4 April 2014
China experienced an expansion of credit unprecedented in world economic history—equivalent to the size of the entire US banking system.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visits France
By Kumaran Ira, 2 April 2014
Despite the massive trade deals signed between China and France, relations between the two countries are dominated by rising geo-strategic tensions.
More signs of a weakening Chinese economy
By Nick Beams, 25 March 2014
The fall in a key manufacturing index points to a continuing slowdown in China.
Edward Snowden exposes NSA spying against Chinese telecom firm Huawei
By Tom Carter, 24 March 2014
The NSA has been doing to the Huawei telecommunications firm exactly what the US government has routinely accused the Chinese company of doing.
Provocative remarks by US Pacific fleet commander fuel disputes with China
By Nick Beams, 21 March 2014
A senior US admiral invokes the Crimea crisis to accuse China of expansionism.
Chinese real estate developer on brink of collapse
By Nick Beams, 20 March 2014
Concerns about the property market point to wider problems in China’s economy and financial system.
Concerns mount over Chinese growth and financial stability
By Nick Beams, 17 March 2014
Is the Chinese financial system heading for a “Lehman moment”—the equivalent of the US investment bank failure that triggered the 2008 global financial crisis?
Iron ore price slump points to mounting Chinese economic problems
By Nick Beams, 12 March 2014
A sharp drop in the price of iron ore this week cast a shadow over global financial markets amid concerns about the state of the Chinese economy.
China: IBM workers strike against sale of business to Lenovo
By Tom Peters, 7 March 2014
Workers at IBM-owned factory in Shenzhen fear that the new owner will reduce wages and conditions and cut staff.
China treads cautiously after pro-US coup in Ukraine
By James Cogan, 5 March 2014
The response of China to the US- and European Union-backed coup in Ukraine, and Russia’s subsequent intervention to maintain control over the Crimean peninsula, is being closely monitored by political leaders and strategic analysts around the world. Any decision by Beijing to openly support Moscow’s actions would dramatically escalate the global tensions that now exist.
China: Uighur separatists blamed for railway station killings
By Peter Symonds, 4 March 2014
Attackers armed with long knives killed 29 travellers and employees at Kunming railway station in southwestern China.
US and Japanese troops train for war against China
By Peter Symonds, 28 February 2014
US imperialism, following its wars of aggression in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, is preparing for a new and more terrible conflict against China.
Australian government eyes purchase of Triton drone aircraft
By James Cogan, 25 February 2014
Triton drones would vastly expand the area of the Indian and Pacific Oceans under surveillance by the Australian military.
Another US provocation: Obama meets the Dalai Lama
By Peter Symonds, 24 February 2014
The meeting was designed to reinforce US support for the Tibetan government-in-exile and the threat to China of Tibetan separatism.
UN report on North Korea targets both Pyongyang and Beijing
By Peter Symonds, 18 February 2014
The UN’s catalogue of horrors is designed to stampede public opinion behind stepped-up US provocations against Pyongyang and intensify the pressure on China.
Kerry’s Asian trip and the build-up to war with China
By Peter Symonds, 17 February 2014
Having deliberately inflamed dangerous flashpoints in Asia, the US is seeking to press home its advantage, regardless of the consequences.
US secretary of state’s new round of bullying in Beijing
By Peter Symonds, 15 February 2014
Having deliberately inflamed dangerous flashpoints in the region as part of its “pivot to Asia”, Washington is making provocative new demands on Beijing.
Chinese navy conducts exercises in east Indian Ocean
By Peter Symonds, 14 February 2014
Australian reportage of the event makes clear that the Chinese naval presence was regarded as an unwelcome intrusion.
US analysts debate plans for war against China
By James Cogan, 10 February 2014
The issue being debated is not whether the US should be planning a war on China, but the methods to be used.
US disputes China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea
By Joseph Santolan, 8 February 2014
The move by the US State Department to challenge Beijing’s maritime territorial claim constitutes an escalation of Washington’s campaign against China.
Philippine President Aquino compares China to Nazi Germany
By Joseph Santolan, 6 February 2014
The Philippine president denounced China’s role in the South China Sea as akin to Hitler’s annexation of Czechoslovakia.
Trust bailout highlights massive growth of China’s “shadow banking”
By Oliver Campbell, 6 February 2014
The bailout of a Chinese trust fund could be the prelude to a financial crisis that would have international ramifications.
US warns China over air defence zone
By Peter Symonds, 4 February 2014
The Obama administration has seized on an insubstantial Asahi Shimbun article to stir up tensions with China over the South China Sea.
Report exposes Chinese elite’s offshore tax havens
By Oliver Campbell, 30 January 2014
The consignment of riches to the British Virgin Islands provides a glimpse into the extraordinary growth of social inequality in China.
Japanese PM strengthens economic-strategic ties with India
By Deepal Jayasekera, 30 January 2014
Both Japan and India are concerned to counter the growth of China’s economic and strategic influence in Asia.
Chinese Internet shutdown linked to right-wing groups, US shell corporations
By Kevin Reed, 28 January 2014
The Internet in China was rendered virtually inoperable for eight hours last Tuesday.
Chinese economic growth slows
By Nick Beams, 21 January 2014
China’s falling growth rate could be the start of a long-term trend.
Japanese PM’s aggressive diplomatic push in Africa
By John Watanabe, 16 January 2014
The trip was aimed at expanding Japanese influence in Africa and curbing China’s presence in this strategically vital region.
Brazil’s Petrobrás sells off Peruvian stake to China
By César Uco, 15 January 2014
Petrobrás, the government-run oil company, is selling off international assets to finance its investments in offshore oil.
US inflames row with China over fisheries regulations
By Peter Symonds, 13 January 2014
The Obama administration is exploiting the South China Sea disputes to drive a wedge between China and its neighbours.
Japan scrambles fighters amid escalating tensions with China
By Peter Symonds, 8 January 2014
In the midst of the Senkaku/Diaoyu dispute with China, the Japanese government announced that it was registering another 280 remote islands as state property.
Chinese economic conference warns of downturn
By John Chan, 24 December 2013
China’s industries confront serious overcapacity, and huge local government debts threaten financial stability.
Chinese security circles debate growing US war threat
By John Chan, 19 December 2013
A forum in Beijing exposed divisions over how to respond to the US military build-up against China.
Former Chinese security chief under house arrest
By John Chan, 18 December 2013
Zhou Yongkang, a former member of the powerful Politburo Standing Committee, is under investigation for corruption.
Top Indian official declares relationship with China “adversarial”
By K. Ratnayake, 18 December 2013
National Security Board chairman Shyam Saran’s remarks point to a growing discussion in Indian ruling circles about closer defence ties with Japan and the US.
US and Chinese naval vessels in near-collision
By Tom Peters, 17 December 2013
While a clash was avoided, the incident is another warning of the dangers war posed by rising tensions in East Asia.
Washington escalates phony “human rights” campaign against China
By Tom Peters, 12 December 2013
The Obama administration’s denunciations of China have nothing to do with defending democratic rights but are intended to camouflage US preparations for war.
Japan steps up campaign against Chinese air defence zone
By Peter Symonds, 10 December 2013
The Japanese government is intensifying the pressure on China by soliciting support in South East Asia to oppose Beijing’s ADIZ and convene an international meeting on the issue.
South Korea declares air defence zone
By Peter Symonds, 9 December 2013
Tensions continue to flare between US allies—Australia, Japan and South Korea—and China over disputed air defence zones in North East Asia.
China’s neo-Maoists hail North Korea’s nuclear program
By John Chan, 9 December 2013
China’s leading neo-Maoist web site Utopia falsely proclaimed the bankrupt North Korean regime as a “bastion against imperialism.”
New Zealand calls for “constructive dialogue” on Chinese air defence zone
By Tom Peters, 7 December 2013
The government’s response reflects the dilemma facing the ruling class as it seeks to balance between its chief trading partner, China, and its longstanding ally, the US.
Biden lectures Chinese leaders on “human rights”
By John Chan, 6 December 2013
Biden’s hypocritical invocation of “human rights” will only compound the tensions between the US and China over the latter’s air defence zone in the East China Sea.
As tensions in Asia mount, danger of world war emerges
By Nick Beams, 6 December 2013
With the centenary of the outbreak of World War I approaching, the prospect of a third world war is increasingly being raised in the establishment media.
Biden-Xi meeting fails to resolve East China Sea crisis
By John Chan and Peter Symonds, 5 December 2013
High tensions over the Chinese air defence identification zone in the East China Sea continue after yesterday’s meeting between the US vice-president and Chinese president produced no agreement.
US vice president backs Japan over China’s air defence zone
By Peter Symonds, 4 December 2013
The US seized on the Chinese ADIZ to strengthen its alliances with Japan and South Korea, as part of its “pivot” to Asia.
US vice-president to lay down law to China
By Peter Symonds, 3 December 2013
The prime responsibility for last week’s flare-up of tensions in the East China Sea lies with Obama’s “pivot to Asia” aimed at undermining China economically and militarily.
US vice-president begins Asian tour as tensions with China continue
By John Chan, 2 December 2013
China’s declaration of an air defence zone will top the agenda during Biden’s trip to Japan, China and South Korea.
Tensions escalate over Chinese air defence zone
By John Chan, 29 November 2013
Miscalculations in the current situation could quickly lead to a clash involving Chinese warplanes with those from Japan, the US or South Korea.
Chinese officials downplay stand-off with US in East China Sea
By John Chan, 28 November 2013
Chinese officials said there should not be a “fuss” after Washington flew B-52 bombers into an air defence zone China established in the East China Sea.
US sends B-52s to China’s air defence zone
By John Chan, 27 November 2013
Far from being a “routine” flight, the B-52 mission was a risky challenge to China that threatened to trigger a military clash.
Heightened tensions over China’s air defence zone
By John Chan, 26 November 2013
Beijing’s creation of a new zone in the East China Sea is a response to Washington’s “pivot to Asia” and Japan’s rearmament.
China announces “air defence identification zone” in East China Sea
By John Chan, 25 November 2013
The Obama administration criticised the Chinese air defence zone and reiterated that the US-Japan Security Treaty will apply if war breaks out between China and Japan over the disputed Senkaku islands.
China releases sweeping market reform blueprint
By John Chan, 23 November 2013
Global financial markets have responded with enthusiasm to the 60-point agenda that will open up lucrative business opportunities.
American think tank envisages blockading China with missiles
By Mark Church, 23 November 2013
The Rand Corporation report points again to the advanced preparations for war as part of the US pivot to Asia.
China creates new National Security Committee
By John Chan, 20 November 2013
The body will bring China’s military, intelligence, public security, and foreign policy agencies under President Xi Jinping’s direct control.
Chinese Communist Party unveils pro-market “Reform 2.0”
By John Chan, 13 November 2013
There will be further privatisations and millions more jobs lost, while divisions remain in the top party leadership over the future of the largest state firms.
Chinese Communist Party plenum to unveil “free market” blueprint
By John Chan, 8 November 2013
Beijing is desperately seeking to lift economic growth, presently 7.5 percent a year, by boosting foreign investment.
China and Japan hold rival military exercises
By John Chan, 6 November 2013
Massive exercises, staged not far from the disputed Diaoyu/Senkakus islands, have become the focal point for a war of words between Tokyo and Beijing.
Chinese court rejects Bo Xilai’s appeal
By Peter Symonds, 28 October 2013
The trial of the CCP Politburo member was bound up with sharp differences within the state bureaucracy over economic policy.
Chinese premier visits Vietnam
By John Roberts, 28 October 2013
The trip was part of a diplomatic offensive by the Chinese leadership in South East Asia aimed at countering the US “pivot to Asia.”
US stages show of naval force in the South China Sea
By Joseph Santolan, 26 October 2013
The presence of an aircraft carrier battle group was designed to shore up the US diplomatic position in Asia after Obama’s no-show at key regional summit meetings.
Taiwan’s ruling party mired in political crisis
By John Chan, 16 October 2013
Underlying the political infighting is Taiwan’s deteriorating economy and differences over the Cross-Strait Services Trade Agreement with China.
US-China tensions flare over South China Sea
By Peter Symonds, 11 October 2013
The Chinese premier and US secretary of state traded verbal blows over the South China Sea at yesterday’s East Asia Summit.
US-Japan talks escalate war preparations against China
By Peter Symonds, 5 October 2013
The talks announced deployments of hi-tech US weaponry to Japan and a green light for Japanese remilitarisation, in the framework of “a more robust alliance”.
Staggering growth of billionaires in China
By John Watanabe, 3 October 2013
The staggering growth in the worth of these ultra-wealthy individuals testifies to the widening social gulf between rich and poor.
China protests British and US interference in Hong Kong
By John Chan, 28 September 2013
Britain and the US are provocatively exploiting the issue of democratic rights in the territory to exert pressure on China.
China: Ex-CCP Politburo member Bo Xilai given life sentence
By John Chan, 24 September 2013
Bo was given a life sentence for accepting millions of dollars of bribes from two businessmen.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation warns against US-led war on Syria
By John Chan, 19 September 2013
The Russian- and Chinese-led summit reflects mounting geo-political tensions with the US, first and foremost over Syria and Iran.
Sino-Japanese tensions flare over disputed islands
By John Chan, 16 September 2013
Both Japan and China engaged in risky military manoeuvres on the anniversary of Tokyo’s nationalisation of the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.
Volkswagen opens plant in Chinese province of Xinjiang
By Philipp Frisch, 16 September 2013
Concern is mounting in Germany about Volkswagen's over-reliance on the Chinese car market.
China’s former security chief under investigation
By John Chan, 11 September 2013
The decision to target Zhou Yongkang is bound up with the new stage of pro-market restructuring being pushed through by the Chinese leadership.
China warns against a repeat of the Iraq war in Syria
By John Chan, 31 August 2013
While Beijing has officially called for caution, sections of the Chinese media are calling for active opposition to a US war on Syria.
Bo Xilai denies corruption charges
By John Chan, 27 August 2013
The state media sought to portray the trial as an example of China’s “rule of law,” rather than a political prosecution against a major factional figure.
China: Bo Xilai trial signals new wave of market “reform”
By John Chan, 22 August 2013
Fearing public discussion about the corrupt character of the entire “red” aristocracy, the CCP has kept the scale of the charges against Bo relatively small.
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