As the world’s most powerful nation, a lot happens inside the United States. We have an immense territory with a varied and dynamic population. We also suffer from massive internal problems that need much attention. With so much going on inside the country, the temptation is to turn inward and not pay attention to outside … Read more
China’s rapid demographic decline is fast becoming a severe population crisis. This unexpected shift can be traced back to misjudgments made over 40 years ago. Deng Xiaoping’s implementation of a controversial population control policy in 1979 was considered one of history’s most significant and disastrous social experiments. In response to China’s growing population, Deng Xiaoping … Read more
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s purge of those not fully aligned with his ever-evolving party line has led to unexplained and sudden changes in senior military personnel, including the removal of the Defense Minister and the expulsion of nine high-ranking People’s Liberation Army officers (PLA) from the national legislature, as well as dropping three top defense-industry … Read more
Wall Street runs its financial operations using time-honored processes based on data and statistics. Such data is needed to ensure investor interests are not jeopardized. The standards are rigid and necessary in a dog-eat-dog world where people take advantage of others. Generally, there are no exceptions to such procedures. The government and Wall Street insist … Read more
When a ship has a major leak, either the captain fixes the leak or saving the vessel becomes an exercise in futility. The water comes rushing in while the crew bails out the water. Sooner or later, the crew will tire, and the ship will go down. The sinking ship metaphor fits the eco-crisis. Governments … Read more
Most educated Americans would be happy to hear that their local schools offer students a chance to learn Mandarin Chinese. Given China’s growing importance, many opportunities in business, academia and diplomacy are open to those with such skills. Expensive Classes However, offering foreign languages (or “world languages,” to use the preferred academic term) is difficult … Read more
On June 15, 2023, Xi Jinping observed his seventieth birthday. 2023 is also the tenth anniversary of his accession to China’s presidency. He is unquestionably the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. He may be even more powerful than Mao, a fact hard to access given the tight control in today’s China. However, Xi … Read more
China’s rapid rise to global prominence, both economically and politically, has rightly raised concerns in the international community. President Xi Jinping’s desire for greater influence and world leadership is manifested through aggressive expansion of its military power, increasing economic ties and loan packages and an assertive diplomatic offensive meant to overshadow America and the West. … Read more
On November 14, 2022, President Biden publicly assured Chinese dictator Xi Jinping, “The One China policy, our One China policy, has not changed, has not changed. We oppose unilateral change in the status quo by either side, and we’re committed to maintaining the peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits.” Unfortunately, Xi Jinping has changed … Read more
The book China After Mao: The Rise of a Superpower is a behind-the-scenes chronicle of China’s rise to world power. Award-winning Dutch author Frank Dikötter is a China expert who bases his research on access to government documents and what he witnessed. His story is compelling because he has no agenda beyond trying to explain … Read more
