Chinese children play with a toy called a “bu dao weng,” or “old man who cannot be toppled”—a painted egg-shaped object weighted on one end that, no matter how you push it, always ends up righting itself after a certain amount of wobbling, quite unlike Humpty-Dumpty which, of course, was smashed to smithereens and could not be put back together again.

…詳盡more…

Talking to controversial Peking University scholar Pan Wei, who gained fame—if not notoriety—a few years ago for arguing that China does not need democracy is truly refreshing.

…詳盡more…

The recent visits by three Taiwan opposition leaders to mainland China illustrates the new policy of President Hu Jintao, which is a marked departure from that of his predecessor, Jiang Zemin.

…詳盡more…

President Hu Jintao, in an official visit to Moscow June 30-July 3, strengthened the Sino-Russian political relationship by signing with President Vladimir Putin a joint statement on the international situation in which the two countries expressed similar views on major issues and were critical of the United States, albeit not mentioning that country by name.

…詳盡more…

Mainland China is stepping up its campaign to woo Taiwan by offering sweeter “carrots,” but so far Taiwan has remained suspicious and, in some cases, has rejected the overtures and questioned Beijing’s goodwill.

…詳盡more…