https://www.scmp.com/rss/322436/feed Steve Tsang is director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The massive protests in Hong Kong in recent weeks have showed the depth of its citizens’ determination to uphold their democratic way of life – something they were supposedly guaranteed when Britain returned sovereignty over the city to China in 1997. Moreover, the protests hold three powerful lessons: for Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, for the demonstrators themselves, and for China’s rulers.  Over the past few years, the Chinese authorities have steadily increased... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3016357/lessons-hong-kongs-protests-carrie-lam-liability-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3016357/lessons-hong-kongs-protests-carrie-lam-liability-leadership?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2019 22:00:13 +0000 In October 2017, at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the party enshrined in its constitution a new political doctrine: “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era”. At a time when a rapidly modernising China is a leading global player, it is tempting to dismiss this doctrine as anachronistic party-speak from a bygone era. We succumb to this temptation at our peril.  Five months after the constitutional change, the National People’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2185174/west-needs-better-understand-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2185174/west-needs-better-understand-xi-jinping?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Feb 2019 18:00:00 +0000 A thick fog of politics has engulfed Beijing, and it will not lift until October or early November, when the 19th Congress of the Communist Party has concluded. But occasional events and patterns from the past give us scope to peep through gaps in the murk, and identify some pointers of what to expect at the 19th congress. The placing under investigation of Sun Zhengcai (孫政才), a Politburo member and Chongqing (重慶) party ­secretary, is one such occasion. This is a landmark development, as only... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2103271/what-potential-successors-fate-says-about-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2103271/what-potential-successors-fate-says-about-xi-jinpings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jul 2017 09:30:45 +0000 A global nuclear security summit held in Washington last week provided the latest illustration of China’s perceived strength – and that of its president, Xi Jinping ( 習近平 ) – on the world stage. Headlines focused on Xi’s meeting with US President Barack Obama, in which China and the United States agreed to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and issued a joint statement on nuclear security cooperation. The issue of China’s construction of military facilities in the South China... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1934208/xi-jinpings-focus-shoring-power-comes-cost-reforms-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1934208/xi-jinpings-focus-shoring-power-comes-cost-reforms-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Apr 2016 08:53:26 +0000 The euro zone crisis rumbles on. Just when European policymakers reach a semblance of consensus, further twists emerge, rendering each action one step behind the rapidly unfolding events. At a recent meeting of the Integrating Global Society Priority Group at the University of Nottingham, several academics warned that European policymakers are unlikely to resolve the crisis without the assistance of non-European states. What role then, if any, will the major powers outside of Europe be prepared... https://www.scmp.com/article/1006534/its-own?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1006534/its-own?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Quiet diplomacy has long received short shrift from China when addressing human rights issues. The case of Chen Guangcheng, however, marks a significantly more sophisticated approach to its negotiations with the US. If both sides maintain their composure, Chen and his family will soon be allowed to leave for the US, a striking reflection of how the two countries' diplomatic relationship has progressed to where they can focus on shared interests and avoid differences that appear certain to put... https://www.scmp.com/article/1001036/discretion-better-part-diplomacy-chen-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1001036/discretion-better-part-diplomacy-chen-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The election of Leung Chun-ying as Hong Kong's third chief executive showed that Beijing could - and should - have left the decision to the people of Hong Kong. Ultimately, the official results proved of marginal interest. Leung's poor showing, securing only 689 votes out of 1,200, was largely caused by Beijing's decision to first back his rival Henry Tang Ying-yen. The Chinese authorities shifted their endorsement to Leung only after Tang had grossly mismanaged a series of scandals that had... https://www.scmp.com/article/997236/political-realities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/997236/political-realities?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As an unpredictable nuclear power thrashes out a succession strategy for life after Kim Jong-il, the international community grows nervous. But the United States and its allies have a rare opportunity to present North Korea with an alternative to the self-destructive status quo. How the formation of a new regime will play out is a matter of wild speculation. The political system allows tremendous scope for a few individuals holding strategic positions in the Worker's Party of Korea and the... https://www.scmp.com/article/988488/us-overture-now-may-find-welcome-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/988488/us-overture-now-may-find-welcome-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000