Category: Asia

Cambodia’s Descent: ruling party was ‘never committed to genuine democratic process’

     

  The United States has called on Cambodia to reverse steps that “backtracked on democracy” before a general election next year, Reuters reports: “We are advising that these steps that… Read more »

Beijing’s sharp power proves China won’t become ‘more like us’

     

The downfall of a prominent Australian lawmaker is fueling a growing sense of unease about Chinese influence in the country’s domestic affairs, and raising tensions with its most important trading… Read more »

China’s foreign influence operations causing alarm: ‘struggle over ideology and values’

     

  Washington is waking up to the huge scope and scale of Chinese Communist Party influence operations inside the United States, which permeate American institutions of all kinds. China’s overriding… Read more »

Relative moralism: is the U.S. still promoting democracy?

     

Does the U.S. administration’s decision to restrict visas for Cambodians engaged in “undermining democracy” in the Southeast Asian nation validate the Economist’s observation that it’s not necessary  “to have clear… Read more »

Cambodia, Vietnam highlight ‘troubling reality of Southeast Asia’s democratic recession’

     

  The Trump administration announced Wednesday it will restrict visas for Cambodians “undermining democracy” in the Southeast Asian nation following the dissolution of the main opposition party and a crackdown… Read more »

China’s ‘sharp power’ obscures ‘cultural genocide’ in Tibet

     

China’s growing power projection in the fields of media, education, and political values and ideas is sometimes called soft-power. But a study of rising authoritarian influence, released today by the… Read more »

China’s Solitary Development Model – ‘fundamentally deficient, not easily reproducible’

     

Chinese President Xi Jinping may be consolidating his power following the 19th Party Congress, because he believes China is facing its most challenging period, a U.S. analyst said Monday, UPI reports: Andrew… Read more »

China’s ‘sharp power’ quietly reshaping opinion and policy abroad

     

Australia’s Prime Minister today attacked Opposition Leader Bill Shorten for visiting a Chinese billionaire’s home to ask for donations, according to reports. Foreign interference in Australian politics has become a… Read more »

Combatting kleptocracy? Why nondemocratic states can’t deliver on corruption

     

Targeted, personal sanctions aimed at oligarchs create a genuine problem for Vladimir Putin’s hold on power, notes analyst Natalie Nougayrède. Russia is an authoritarian kleptocracy. The elite’s loyalty to the… Read more »

The globalization of Chinese propaganda: monetizing soft power initiatives

     

The Vatican and China are planning a first-ever exchange of artworks, as the two states forge ahead with soft diplomacy amid a stalemate in negotiations to heal decades of diplomatic… Read more »