Author Archives: Bigdragon

Understanding the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender.

There has been a lot of press coverage about the military parade China held to mark the 70th anniversary of the Japanese surrender that ended the Second World War, sometimes referred to as the Second Sino-Japanese War, and known in … Continue reading

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Hong Kong Demonstrations

Having recently read an article in ForeignPolicy.com on the demonstrations in Hong Kong the issue of over-simplification of issues, and stark black and white judgements, often casting China in a villainous role prompted me to write the following comment on … Continue reading

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Number One? No thanks!

The Financial Times reports that China is set to become, if it has not already become, the world’s largest economy in 2014, based on purchasing power. But interestingly it is reported that China has been engaged in a long campaign … Continue reading

Posted in Business, Economics, International Relations, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 126 Comments

If beer could talk!

If you have ever had a glass of China’s most famous beer, Tsingtao, you may have wondered how it is that such an accomplished beer has been brewed in China for over a century. The answer is intriguing, and, recalling … Continue reading

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Chinese community to urge remembrance

Today marks the 97th anniversary of the death of 543 Chinese labourers, killed when the SS Athos was torpedoed en route to the Western Front, carrying (amongst others) 900 members of the Chinese Labour Corps. This act would eventually lead … Continue reading

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A real clash of cultures

This year that most commercialized of Western festivals, Valentine’s Day, fell, for the first time since being popularized with China’s urbanites, with the traditional Chinese festival of the Lantern Festival. Marking the end of the Spring (Chinese New Year) Festival. … Continue reading

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The Taiwan Question

Representatives of China and Taiwan formally met today (11th February 2014) for the first time in 65 years. It is an historic occasion, a pragmatic (if difficult step) in the ever-closer relationship between the mainland and Taiwan. But what is … Continue reading

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China’s Space Programme

The landing of a lunar rover by China’s National Space Administration has grabbed news headlines around the world. The Administration’s accomplishments are significant, but the fact that China has apparently embarked unilaterally on a space programme in some ways is … Continue reading

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China’s Apartheid

In an article in the People’s Daily, China’s ambassador to South Africa between 2001 and 2006, Liu Guijin, is quoted as saying of Nelson Mandela, “He once told me that when he was in prison he and his fellow inmates … Continue reading

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China offers combat troops to UN Peacekeeping

News that is a significant development in the development of China’s foreign relations. Since Premier Zhou Enlai’s development of the Five Principle’s of Peaceful Co-existance in 1954, the Five Principles- 1. Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, … Continue reading

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