P8 Operations in the South China Sea

05/27/2015
05/27/2015: A P-8A Poseidon from Patrol Squadron (VP) 45 captures surveillance footage of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) conducting land reclamation operations in the South China Sea. Credit:Fleet Combat Camera Pacific:5/20/15 According to CNN, while operating in international airspace, the Chinese regularly threatened the P-8 during its mission. The…

Protecting Advanced Military Technology in a Challenging Environment: The Case of A123 Systems, Inc.

01/12/2013
2013-01-12 By Eric Sterner Just before Christmas, A123 Systems Inc., best known for receiving “green jobs” funding from the Obama administration, announced that a judge approved a Chinese company’s bid to buy the battery-manufacturing firm’s assets in a bankruptcy auction. Normally, an offer to take over a bankrupt firm and put…

US-China Commission Underscores Growth in Chinese Nuclear Strike Potential

01/09/2013
By Richard Weitz In its 2012 annual report to Congress, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission noted rapid improvements in China’s nuclear forces. The Commission estimates that China is possibly within two years of attaining a genuine “nuclear triad,” consisting of land-based ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and air-dropped…

Chinese-US Thinking on the “ASEAN Pivot”

12/18/2012
2012-12-18 by Richard Weitz In several comprehensive dialogue sessions on China-U.S. relations held at the Chinese Embassy and various Washington think tanks, several themes emerged, focused primarily on the Southeast countries of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). According to U.S. officials, their Chinese counterparts are communicating two messages -- and…

Chinese Economic and Strategic Gains from the Korean Crisis

11/14/2012
2012-11-14 by Richard Weitz The PRC-DPRK relationship is no longer based primarily on ideology but relies more on overlapping national interests and mutual economic ties. Chinese policy makers continue to take steps to avert state failure in North Korea and counter other possible sources of chaos on the Korean peninsula.…

China and South Korea: Convergence or Conflict of Interests?

11/11/2012
2012-11-11 by Richard Weitz The close alignment between Seoul and Washington in recent years has reinforced Beijing’s caution about breaking with the DPRK. The PRC and South Korea established formal diplomatic relations in 1992. Since then, their economic exchanges have soared, with China overtaking the United States as the ROK’s main…

Rethinking US Defense Strategy in the Pacific

10/23/2012
2012-10-23 by Robbin Laird The United States became a Pacific power by means of gaining Spanish territory after the Spanish-American war, and events in Hawaii that eventually led to Hawaii becoming a U.S. territory.  The late 19th century saw the emergence of the U.S. as a Pacific power, so the pivot…

Sino-Uzbek Economic and Energy Ties: A Growing Partnership

10/19/2012
2012-10-19 by Richard Weitz Energy security represents a major force driving Beijing’s increased interest and involvement in Uzbekistan. A combination of a booming economy and declining domestic energy production has resulted in China’s importing an increasingly large percentage of its oil and natural gas. In particular, the PRC’s natural gas…