This morning’s news reports indicate that a large portion of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the entity that actually manages and oversees China’s multimillion-man military, is now in place. When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) 18th Party Congress convenes two days after the U.S. election, the top Chinese leadership will …
The final presidential debate, on foreign policy, is scheduled for Monday, October 22. Moderator Bob Schieffer announced that the topics will be: “America’s Role in the World,” “Our Longest War—Afghanistan and Pakistan,” “Red Lines—Israel and Iran,” “The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism,” and “The Rise of …
Where is China’s incoming Communist Party chief, Xi Jinping? When he canceled a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, it was attributed to a back injury or perhaps unhappiness with the U.S. But as he has canceled meetings with other visitors, including the Singaporean prime minister, rumors have arisen …
In the wake of the Beidaihe leadership conference, Chinese leaders almost certainly expected to return to their posts, pending the 18th Party Congress this fall, having resolved the shape of the new leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Only it doesn’t seem to be quite working out that way. …
An ongoing sale of communications satellites to a Hong Kong–based company is attracting a great deal of attention at the moment. Space Systems/Loral, a major U.S. satellite manufacturer, contracted in 2011 to manufacture two communications satellites, AsiaSat-6 and AsiaSat-8, for Asia Satellite Telecommunications (AsiaSat). The contract was initialed soon after …
The impending convening of the 2012 Beidaihe conference in China is a meeting of global significance. China is now the world’s second-largest economy and has a military that has benefited from two decades of double-digit growth. The decisions made in Beidaihe will affect us for the next 10 years and …
On June 28, during a press briefing by the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Chinese military press spokesman Senior Colonel Geng Yansheng released a bombshell. Asked by an unnamed correspondent about China’s response to Vietnamese air force patrols near the Spratly Islands, Geng made the usual declaration about China’s claims to …
Sometime in the next week, most likely this weekend, China will launch Shenzhou-IX, its fourth crewed mission into space. If all proceeds according to plan, this mission will see the Chinese engage in their first manned docking, as the Shenzou-IX spacecraft links with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab. The Chinese …
The SpaceX Dragon capsule has returned to Earth after delivering nearly a half-ton of supplies in the first purely commercial replenishment mission to the International Space Station (ISS). With its successful completion, SpaceX is now on its way to providing a private-sector alternative for keeping the ISS supplied, with 12 …
