China & Taiwan

Lack of Demand: The Coronavirus Pandemic and China’s Belt and Road Initiative

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which arose in China and swept around the globe, has devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands. But however large the health impact of COVID-19 ultimately is, hundreds of millions more have already...

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Beyond COVID-19, Part 9: Space Launches and Growing Authoritarian Crackdowns

The end of April is in sight. Most of us have been working from home and living under quarantine and social distancing policies for six weeks now, but somehow, April’s almost over. Some misguided individuals are now protesting to...

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Will COVID-19 Sink Globalization?

Watching the news, it is easy to think that the COVID-19 pandemic will sink globalization. The number of cargo ships setting off for the United States declined by 10% in March compared to the previous year, the seventh consecutive...

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China’s COVID-19 Diplomacy is Backfiring in Europe

According to China’s embassy in Paris, France is failing the test of the COVID-19 crisis. Employees at French nursing homes are collectively abandoning their jobs leaving retirees to die of hunger, unlike in China, where exemplary lockdown measures beat...

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The Streisand Effect Gets Geopolitical: China’s (Unintended) Amplification of Taiwan

The Streisand Effect, referring to “the act of trying to suppress information but simply making it more widespread as a result,” was coined in 2005. The term is named after singer Barbara Streisand because in 2003, Streisand sued photographer...

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Beyond COVID-19, Part 7: Turkish Economic Problems, China’s Human Rights, and Progress in the War in Ukraine

Week four of social distancing and quarantine is coming to a close in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We’re starting to see some encouraging signs about curves flattening, but the death toll this week has been a tragedy. This...

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Beyond COVID-19, Part 6: U.S.-China Relations at a Standstill

We’re now in week four of social distancing and quarantine. Today, we’re welcoming our second guest to the Beyond COVID-19 discussion. Jacques deLisle is joining me to discuss important issues related to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and East Asia....

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Beyond COVID-19, Part 5: And Now For Something Completely Different

We’re entering the month of April and week three of social distancing and quarantine. The country has at least another month of abiding by the national guidelines to flatten the curve. Since April Fool’s Day was yesterday and people...

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Beyond COVID-19, Part 4: The U.S. “Angers” China and North Macedonia Joins NATO

Welcome to week three of social distancing and quarantine. Due to the increased number of cases in the United States, President Donald Trump has renewed all restrictions on social gatherings until the end of April. As everyone remains in...

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Beyond COVID-19, Part 2: U.S. Marines Prepare for China and Russia Prepares to Vote

We are now in week two of self quarantine in the United States. As testing increases across the country, we are finally getting a sense of how widespread COVID-19 is. This is our second “installment” of Beyond COVID-19. The...

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