Monitor The Strategic Trends
Introduction:
The original birth of civilization began in the Middle East and migrated westward - to Greece, to Rome, and then to the nations of northern Europe. As Henry Luce so aptly quipped in 1941, ''The twentieth century was the American Century.'' And indeed it was. But the centroid of power continues to migrate westward: it is widely anticipated that the 21st century will be the ''Asian Century.''
With recent shifts in the economic centers of the world, most notably the decline of the U.S., the Far East is quickly rising to fill the void.
[READ THE FULL INTRODUCTION]
A Dim Gleam In North Korea's Future? December 20, 2011
American - Chinese Chess Match in Asian Affairs November 29, 2011
Beaming Into North Korea September 06, 2011
China Slopping In The Mud June 21, 2011
Working To Maintain Peace With Chinese Military October 12, 2010
Strategic Update: 2010 and Beyond - China by Mary Miller, Director of Research
China Update, Part 3: Communism in China by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute
China Update, Part 2: Economics in China by Mary Miller, Koinonia Institute
China Update, Part 1: Religion in China by Chuck Missler
Kings of the East, Part 2 The Rise of India by Chuck Missler
**ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS AND LINKS**
Note: These links are provided for your further research and education. Koinonia House does not necessarily agree with the information on these sites or support the specific organizations.
Documents
U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China - The Cox Report
Related Sites
China-U.S. Relations - Yahoo! Full Coverage
Statement on the President's Request for Most Favored Nation (MFN) Trade Status for China - Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
Kyodo News - News from Japan
News Sources
NEW!
China Deepens Energy Partnership With Arab States - As the world's biggest energy consumer, China's roaring appetite for stable oil and gas supplies is driving its Gulf push — a relationship made clearer last month when Premier Wen Jiabao traveled to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. In Saudi Arabia, Wen specifically called for the two countries to "deepen their energy partnership" and increase trade in oil and gas. State oil giant Saudi Aramco and Chinese refiner Sinopec just finalized plans to jointly build a refinery in the Red Sea city of Yanbu capable of handling 400,000 barrels of oil a day. The two companies and Exxon Mobil Corp. are already partners in a refinery in eastern China. Nearby Iran was not on Wen's January itinerary even though China remains Iran's trop crude oil buyer and its powerful state energy companies have rights to exploit untapped Iranian oil reserves.
Russia Seeking Closer Ties With China - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Chinese leaders opened two days of meetings Tuesday aimed at boosting relations amid strains over declining military sales and stalled talks over energy deals.
Besides a struggle to increase trade and agree on sales of Russian gas to fuel China's booming economy, Moscow is also unhappy with China's copying of Russian fighter jets and other military hardware and recently announced the arrest of a Chinese man accused of seeking to buy military secrets.
Putin's two-day visit follows his recent announcement that he plans to swap jobs next year with President Dmitry Medvedev. Many observers say that transition could see Russia turn eastward after years of warming ties with the West under Medvedev.
China Not Pleased With US Senate Currency Manipulation Bill - China expressed strong objections on Tuesday to a bill in the United States Senate that would threaten to impose higher tariffs on some Chinese goods over its currency policies. The tariffs would be in retaliation for what some American lawmakers and economists say is a Chinese policy of keeping its currency artificially depressed, to give its exports a price advantage. The Senate voted 79 to 19 on Monday to open debate on the bill, which would require the Treasury Department to determine whether China is manipulating its currency, and then order the Commerce Department to impose tariffs on certain Chinese goods as a punitive countermeasure.
US Wants China To Stop Undervaluing Its Currency - The Senate will move forward next week on legislation that aims to encourage China to raise the value of its currency as a way
to strengthen the U.S. job market. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the Senate will take up the bi-partisan currency
legislation next week, and that he feels "very comfortable" it will be passed. The Senate bill would require the U.S.
Commerce Department to investigate if a country is undervaluing its currency, which would be regarded as a government subsidy
under U.S. law. Affected U.S. companies would then be allowed to seek retaliatory tariffs on goods imported from the country.
Blind Forced Abortion Opponent Headed To Personal Prison - Blind forced abortion opponent Chen Guangcheng and his wife, Yuan Weijing, will be transferred to a small prison built specifically for them, according to a Radio Free Asia report. They will be separated from their five-year-old daughter in the move. Their young son, living with relatives, was reportedly strip-searched leaving the family home. Chen was arrested in 2006 for exposing evidence that 130,000 forced abortions and involuntary sterilizations were performed on women in Linyi County, Shandong Province in a single year.
**ADDITIONAL RELATED RESOURCES**
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