Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The China Program invited two distinguished scholars to comment on the potential impact of U.S. political and military ties with Japan and Taiwan on the current Sino-U.S. relationship.
The Pentagon's proposal to sell missiles to Taiwan must rank in a league of most ill-considered policy initiatives by itself. Obviously, the timing for pressuring Taiwan to purchase these systems is awkward. The US should seek all the diplomatic and strategic help it can get from China, and clearly it is no time to slap Beijing in the face.
If the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia can reach a basic understanding on how to handle North Korea, the effort to convince Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program and accept a reasonable "more-for-more" agreement, while not easy, should enjoy a reasonable chance of success.
Dr. Victor Yuan, Founder and CEO of Horizon Research, assessed the opinions of ordinary Chinese. His opinion survey results range from popular awareness of AIDS to assessment of the performance of mayors in major cities.
The announcement that the United States, North Korea and China will hold talks next week in Beijing over North Korea's nuclear program is a welcome development and an apparent victory for the Bush administration's decision to oppose direct, one-on-one talks with Pyongyang.
Many observers believe the current relationship between Washington and Beijing is the best it has been in over a decade. Discussants examine this turnaround, its origins, its features and the challenges that lie ahead, particularly with regard to security issues.
While the world's attention is riveted on Iraq, the United States cannot afford to ignore the brewing crisis in Korea. The Bush administration's approach to North Korea is quickly moving from the inexplicable to the irresponsible. If it continues on the current course, America could soon find itself confronted with the unpalatable choice between a nuclear-armed North Korea and war.
Discussants debate the impact of the internet revolution in China on the future development of politics and bureaucracy.
Next week Jiang Zemin is expected formally to cede the presidency to Hu Juntao. Will China's low-profile foreign policy change too? It is time the leadership re-evaluated the geopolitical assumptions underlying Chinese foreign policy.
It is commonly believed that privatization and economic modernization lead, if not directly then at least indirectly, to democratization. China, however, illustrates the limits of such wisdom.