Tag: PRC

Huanqiu Shibao, North Korean border region, Sino-North Korean relations, 新闻自由

Inspector O is Not in the Office: Tracing a Traffic Accident Near Pyongyang

The story has made virtually no waves in English, Chinese, or Korean, but perhaps that is the point: On November 26, apparently within minutes of one another, two separate buses full of “a Chinese business delegation” and “a Chinese tourist group” crashed on an icy road 60 km from Pyongyang, killing six Chinese and two North Koreans. This according to the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang, … Continue reading Inspector O is Not in the Office: Tracing a Traffic Accident Near Pyongyang

Adam Cathcart5 Comments
American Foreign Policy, Cello, Cultural Politics, EU-East Asia relations

A Little Musical Diplomacy

China is presently thundering its way into some heavily-historically-documented commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the PLA’s arrival in Tibet, while at the same time bringing the rhetorical hammer down in a headline Huanqiu op-ed unsubtly entitled “The West, Sympathizers to ‘Xinjiang Independence’ Terrorism.”  As assertive nationalism and an emphasis on “social stability” (and the threats that forces external to China pose to the country’s … Continue reading A Little Musical Diplomacy

Adam Cathcart1 Comment
Art, Beijing, China, Cultural Politics

PRC Portraiture // Tibet Commemorations

Images 1 and 2 are entries in a large national portraiture exhibition which opened yesterday in Beijing; images 3 and 4 are Xinhua products, linked to stories about the March 28 commemorations of the Dalai Lama’s exit from Tibet in 1959 (see Chicago Manual of Style for the ethics of “shock quotes,” links to all pages are on the images themselves). Continue reading PRC Portraiture // Tibet Commemorations

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North Korea, Sino-North Korean relations

Chronicling a Crisis in Sino-North Korean Relations

The diplomatic records of China’s relations with North Korea since 1948 are full of uncomfortable — and often forced — choices, strained declarations of friendship, and realizations of mutual need. This relationship has seen hard times in the past, from the ulcer-generating lead up to China’s intervention in the Korean War to the hostile cross-border propaganda war in the late 1960s.   We might draw … Continue reading Chronicling a Crisis in Sino-North Korean Relations

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China, Chinese nationalism, Cultural Politics, East Asian modernity, Sino-Japanese Relations

Chinese Cyber-Nationalism and Online Identity among Chinese Youth

China Media Research, a peer-reviewed online journal which is a cooperative venture between Zhejiang University and Michigan State University, carries two excellent and worthwhile articles in its latest issue. Li Mingsheng, a communications scholar at Massey University, lays out an excellent and densely-document account of the netizen response to the Tibet debacle (both the March riots and the Olympic Torch protests) of spring 2008, entitled … Continue reading Chinese Cyber-Nationalism and Online Identity among Chinese Youth

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China, Cultural Politics, EU-East Asia relations, French, Sino-French Relations

Rebiya Khadeer in Western Europe

Ribiya Khadeer may have been rejected from a visit to the isle of Taiwan, but she continues to move internationally and stir discussion of Chinese policies in Xinjiang. This past week she has been in Paris, which I suppose can be considered, in its own fashion, and with apologies to San Francisco and New York, the center of the world. In Paris, Khadeer met with … Continue reading Rebiya Khadeer in Western Europe

Adam Cathcart3 Comments
Sino-North Korean relations

New Report on Chinese-North Korean Relations

I don’t know about you, but finding and reading long working papers on such topics as North Korea’s foreign affairs is a real pleasure any day of the week.  Such documents are usually prepared meticulously, and are packed with more quality data than one hundred blog posts or individual news stories.  Yet they are more breathless, and often more relevant and timely, than heavy tomes … Continue reading New Report on Chinese-North Korean Relations

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China, Hip-hop

Taiwan, Mama Wants You To Come Home for Dinner!

October 1 commemorations are now in the rear-view mirror, but there remains much excavation left to perform on the event and China’s self-interpretation. One very important aspect of the celebrations and Xinhua/CCTV’s emphasis therein was on unity and harmony with Taiwan.   Major goals of CCP foreign policy since the inception of the state — should nto be suprising.  Xinhua outlets excitedly reported on their cooperation … Continue reading Taiwan, Mama Wants You To Come Home for Dinner!

Adam Cathcart13 Comments