Fidel hell: USSR is dead, but Castro's iron grip on Cuba endures
By John J. Metzler
UNITED NATIONS — For as long as I can remember, the phrase Castro’s Cuba was s[...]
Chairman Xi’s ‘China Dream’ whether anyone else likes it or not
By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Following the celebratory Lunar New Year holidays, China’s ruling Communist Party announced that Chairman Xi Jinping, the current President, would be allowed to stay in office beyond the constitutionally proscribed two-term limit. A tweaking of the constitution would allow in effect Xi, who assumed power in 2013, the […]
Can the CCP govern 1.3 billion web-savvy, corruption-hating Chinese?
By Sol W. Sanders BEIJING – Only a few hours in this capital of a country with 1.3 billion people are enough to pose the question of whether the control of the Communist Party may not be cracking under the growing strains accompanying the exposure of its economy to the outside world. Stalin perhaps had […]
Xi's answer to America's strategic shift to Asia: Closer ties with Moscow
By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com General Secretary and Commander-in-chief Xi Jinping is set to continue the “pro-Russian” policy of his predecessor, Hu Jintao, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership becomes more nervous than ever over Washington’s perceived “anti-China containment policy.” While meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev in Beijing on Jan. 8, Xi said that “China-Russian […]
Xi Jinping emphasizing rule of law to secure Party's monopoly on power
By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Xi Jinping, newly anointed general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has lost no time laying down what will likely be a leitmotif of his 10-year tenure: promoting “constitutional Socialism with Chinese characteristics.” This so-called “Back to the [Chinese] Constitution” movement will be kicked off after fellow Politburo Standing Committee […]
Xi Jinping hits the ground running, telegraphs hawkish policy stances
By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Less than one month after becoming general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the country’s commander-in-chief,Xi Jinping has displayed a flair for catchy slogans — and superior public-relations skills. The new chairman of the policy-setting Central Military Commission has also demonstrated a readiness to project China’s hard power in […]
New commander-in-chief Xi wastes no time projecting hard power in Asia-Pacific Theater
By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Xi Jinping is a man in a hurry. Since becoming CCP general secretary and commander-in-chief on Nov. 15, the putative “core” of the Fifth-Generation collective leadership has wasted no time in placing his stamp on China’s military and foreign-affairs establishment. In addition to becoming chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), […]
Jiang still heads Shanghai faction while new leader Xi has only glamorous wife and no network
By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com When Hu Jintao became general secretary of the world’s largest and most powerful political party, the global media asked a simple question: “Who’s Hu?” Now that Vice President Xi Jinping is about to take over the slot of Party boss from Hu, few China observers are bothering to ask “Who’s Xi?” or “What’s […]
Power struggle gives rise to top generals, hawkish foreign-policy statements
By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com A ferocious power struggle among three of China’s most powerful figures — former President Jiang Zemin, current President Hu Jintao, and expected President Xi Jinping — has resulted in top generals of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) acquiring unprecedented power. The extraordinary clout of the top brass of the PLA has […]
Hu Jintao and future President Xi Jinping forge power pact over Bo scandal
By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com Former Chongqing Party Secretary Bo Xilai’s alleged conspiracy to usurp Vice President Xi Jinping’s status as heir apparent to the Chinese Communist Party leadership has served to tighten ties between Xi and the current supremo, President Hu Jintao. This has been seen as one of the few “positive results” that the […]
Amateur hour in year four
By Sol W. Sanders Back in prehistory, during The Cold War, students of arcane Kremlinology — the science and art of trying to unravel what Winston Churchill called “a riddle wrapped in an enigma” — identified a dangerous heresy. “Mirror-imaging”, it was called, defined as attributing to Moscow our own motivations, rather than understanding Soviet Communist leadership […]
