For the first time since 2001, the Taliban controls most of Afghanistan. US intelligence estimates made public just over a week ago predicted that the Afghan government could fall within 90 days. It fell in less than a week. While…
Chinese regulators are cracking down on domestic companies, including technology, after-school learning, and real estate businesses. The crackdown is part of the Chinese Communist Party’s continued push to concentrate power and is consonant with President Xi Jinping’s efforts to deter…
Beijing’s new ambassador to the U.S., Qin Gang, a prominent wolf warrior diplomat with close ties to President Xi Jinping, has struck a conciliatory tone since his arrival on July 28. But it’s unlikely that this half-hearted attempt at improving…
In an act born of supremely cynical calculation, it was reported earlier this week by the Chinese government–controlled Xinhua News Agency that President Xi Jinping would like to foster a more “trustworthy, respectable and loveable” image for the People’s Republic…
The Associated Press reported recently that Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu said if the island is attacked by China it will defend itself “to the very last day.” The foreign minister was reacting to China’s flying of 10 warplanes into…
The Biden administration was, or was not, depending on whom you talk to, discussing a 2022 Olympics boycott with allies and friends. That’s all to the good. If the administration can’t make up its mind about whether it was even…
The People’s Republic of China is America’s biggest foreign policy challenge. China is an ancient civilization and a fascinating country. It also is regressing toward brutal authoritarianism if not totalitarianism. This terrible legacy undermines the legitimacy of the Chinese political…
The Biden administration continues to show itself to be an empty suit on foreign policy. In the wake of the crisis, er, challenges on the southern border, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez called Biden “the migrant president.” After President Biden…
China only wants “patriots” to hold positions of political authority in Hong Kong. That means those who are willing to shill for the Chinese Communist Party. The relative autonomy enjoyed by the Special Administrative Region since the 1997 turnover to…
