China’s Military Power

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , was written by for on November 12, 2023 .6 Comments

Less Butter and Fewer Friends, But More Guns

As China’s economy slows down ahead of expectations and it loses its luster abroad, it’s hard power seems set to acquire a bigger profile.

Синореализм 101

This , about Geopolitics, tagged , , , , was written by for on December 28, 2018 .No Comments

Wei Gensheng: Шанхай, Китай. У меня появилась в среде русских националистов некая репутация “синофила”. На самом деле, мне как-то безразлично, считаете ли вы, что китайцы – наследники древней, пятитысячелетний культуры, чья страна заслуживает снова стать “Среднем Королевством” всего мира, либо что они – аутистичные, богоборствующие роботы, которые убивают своих девочек в матке и едят собак. Но если меня […]

Russian Liberals and China

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for on June 2, 2014 .No Comments

Reprinted from Facebook (2018/02/15): Russian liberals (Vladimir Milov this time) continue claiming the China gas deal is disastrous for Russia. His argument this time? That Japan pays $200/mcm more for gas than what China gave Russia. http://www.echo.msk.ru/blog/milov/1330024-echo/ He is either ignorant of or ignoring the fact that Japan imports gas as LNG, because it’s an island LOL. […]

A Very Brief History of China-Russia Relations

This about History, tagged , , , was written by for on May 30, 2014 .22 Comments

The response of much western commentary to the Russia China agreements has been scepticism that they can ever burgeon into an outright partnership because of the supposedly long history of mutual suspicion and hostility between the two countries. The Economist for example refers to the two countries as “frenemies”. To see whether these claims are […]

Russian Federation Sitrep 2014.03.13

This about Politics, tagged , , , , was written by for , on March 13, 2014 .3 Comments

RUSSIAN FEDERATION SITREP 13 March 2014 Propaganda. Watch for these news items in your local media outlet to indicate when it stops re-typing and starts reporting. Who is what in the new govt in Kiev; the sniper story; General Dempsey has no evidence the soldiers in Crimea are Russians; what the treaty allows Russia to […]

Translation: Patriarch Kirill in China

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , was written by for on May 15, 2013 .No Comments

As the Russian Patriarch embarks on a five-day visit to China, Kommersant’s Pavel Korobov takes a look at the history, current reality, and future prospects of Orthodoxy in China. The ROC Acquires Chinese Literacy Patriarch Kirill arrived in China on a five-day official visit. The leadership of the PRC has already called the First Hierarch’s visit […]

Book Review: Xin Liu – The Otherness Of Self

This about Society, tagged , , , was written by for , on April 17, 2013 .2 Comments

“The Otherness of Self” by Xin Liu, published in 2002. Rating: 1/5. I don’t want to sound overly demanding, but really, unless a writer is the next Kant or Heidegger, he owes it to his readers to make his prose at least minimally engaging. With this book on too many occasions I was under the […]

Book Review: Benjamin Schwartz – In Search Of Wealth And Power

This , about History, tagged , , , was written by for , on April 16, 2013 .2 Comments

In Search of Wealth and Power by Benjamin Schwartz, published in 1964. Rating: 4/5. In Search of Wealth and Power is a very dense but richly rewarding tome by Benjamin Schwartz, a noted China scholar. He focuses on the life of the translator Yan Fu to illustrate the culture clashes that arose when traditional Chinese civilization came into […]

The West Made Its Bed, Now Russia Will Lie In China’s

This about Economy, tagged , , , , was written by for , on April 11, 2013 .10 Comments

The latest US-Russia.org Experts Panel discussion was about Russia’s burgeoning partnership with China. I especially recommend Mercouris’ contribution which – although unfortunately titled by VoR’s editorial staff)) – is otherwise quite brilliant. My own effort follows below: First of all, let me preface that I’m one of the biggest China bulls around. Its economy in real […]

Book Review: Arthur H. Smith – Chinese Characteristics

This , about History, tagged , , was written by for , on March 28, 2013 .17 Comments

Chinese Characteristics by Arthur Henderson Smith, published in 1894. It is available free here. Rating: 5/5. In rich and evocative prose reminiscent of De Tocqueville’s writings on America, Arthur H. Smith lays out what he sees as the core features of the Chinese character and his values. The tone is bold and fearless, making sweeping generalizations and brusque judgments that […]

The Guardian On China And Russia

This about Demographics, tagged , , , , was written by for on December 29, 2012 .3 Comments

Keeping up with the Guardian’s stream of textual diarrhea in its Russia coverage is a quixotic task, and one that I do not really have the stamina for (although Alex Mercouris does this remarkably effectively). Still, when it comes to certain issues I’m particularly interested in, such as demography, or China-Russians relations as in this […]

The Evolution Of Chinese IQ

This about HBD, tagged , , , was written by for on August 17, 2012 .62 Comments

In the discussion at the previous post, in which I took exception to Ron Unz’s theory of the East Asian Exception, he alerted me to so additional work on the matter he’d done as a Harvard freshman on Chinese IQ. You can read his summary of Social Darwinism and Rural China as well as Steve Sailer’s commentary on […]