China up close

What do Marxism and Xi Jinping have in common? Both are at a loss to explain what is happening in Hong Kong. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photos by Reuters/ AP)
5 December 2019
The people of Taiwan have become obsessed with a scandal that involves a self-proclaimed Chinese spy, their country's elections and booksellers in Hong Kong. (Nikkei montage/ Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
China up close

'China spy' spills secrets that rattle Taiwan and Hong Kong

Investigation has potential to sway elections and regional power game

28 November 2019
Wearing matching gray shirts and black shorts, People's Liberation Army soldiers cleaned the streets of Hong Kong on Nov. 16. (Nikkei Montage/Source photo by HKFP/AFP/Jiji and Getty Images)
China up close

Xi's elite soldiers 'clean the streets' of Hong Kong

Advertised as voluntary, the choreography was hard to miss

21 November 2019
Information about the Hong Kong protests is drifting into Guangdong Province, where students who attend school in Hong Kong talk about their experiences. (Nikkei Montage/ source photo by Reuters)
China up close

Hong Kong protests spark bitter divides in Guangdong families

History shows that what happens down south later spreads across China

14 November 2019
In China's "whole-process democracy," President Xi Jinping's vote carries the day. (Nikkei Montage/Source photo by Xinhua/Kyodo)
7 November 2019
From left, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Politburo members Chen Min'er and Hu Chunhua.
China up close

Xi toys with leadership reshuffle at party conclave

Promoting next-gen leaders at long-delayed meeting one way to blunt criticism

30 October 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping is eager to expand China's economic influence into Central and Eastern Europe. (Nikkei Montage/ Getty Images)
China up close

China's new Great Wall rises in the heart of Europe

Beijing reaches out to ex-Communist countries on the periphery of the EU

24 October 2019
The U.S. flag has become a symbol of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, as it was on Oct. 14 as people demonstrated against the invocation of emergency law. 
China up close

Xi vows to shatter Hong Kong rebellion that is of his own making

Mao Zedong statues in mainland stand in stark contrast to 'Lady Liberty' symbol

17 October 2019
The situation in Hong Kong is beginning to remind people of the events that led up to the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. (Nikkei Montage/ Getty Images)
China up close

Martial law lite: Hong Kong has echoes of pre-Tiananmen days

Protesters crush extradition bill but end up with much tougher emergency law

10 October 2019
A giant portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping is carried atop a float at a parade to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China at Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Oct. 1.
China up close

Behind the bamboo curtain: Beijing rings with clues of Xi power struggle

Subtle news articles point to president's battle with Deng Xiaoping's proteges

3 October 2019
The new Okura Tokyo has recognized the hallowed grounds on which it stands with a monument to the Chinese United League, whose guiding members chose Sun Yat-sen as their leader. (Nikkei Montage by AP/Ken Kobayashi)
China up close

Tokyo's Hotel Okura was cradle of Chinese revolution

With help of Japanese supporters, Sun Yat-sen dreamed of a united Asia

26 September 2019
The cynical view out of Taiwan is that since billionaire Terry Gou had only a small chance of winning, he was not ready to take big risks, unlike Donald Trump, who fought through the 2016 U.S. election cycle as the underdog. (Nikkei Montage/ Kosaku Mimura/Reuters)
China up close

Foxconn's Terry Gou drops bid to be Taiwanese Donald Trump

Tycoon evades being branded 'criminal of history' with surprise withdrawal

19 September 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken steps similar to Mao Zedong to solidify his power. (Nikkei Montage/Getty Images/ Reuters)
China up close

With whiffs of Cultural Revolution, Xi calls for struggle 50 times

Fierce battle with factions supporting Deng Xiaoping-style reforms rocks China

12 September 2019
Xi Jinping, superimposed in front of the Great Hall of The People, is preparing for a protracted war with the U.S. on trade. (Nikkei Montage / AP and Reuters)
China up close

Xi sets key autumn meeting, but avoids economy to block criticism

Shift to stimulus and rate cuts proves debt reduction push was ill-timed

5 September 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, was referred to as the "people's leader" in state media, the honorific for Mao Zedong. (Nikkei Montage/ Getty Images/ Reuters)
China up close

Xi scores coup and grabs party backing to be 'people's leader'

After twist at Beidaihe, president awards himself Mao Zedong's former title

29 August 2019
Hong Kong citizen Li Ka-shing offered some cryptic advice without saying who the advice was for, though he also appeared to be comparing President Xi Jinping to a tyrannical empress who maneuvered her sons to early deaths. (Nikkei montage/Getty Images, Reuters, AP photos)
China up close

Hong Kong billionaire gives Xi powerful advice in cryptic ad

Don't over pick the melons, Li Ka-shing cautions, citing Tang dynasty poem

22 August 2019
While prioritizing internal politics, President Xi Jinping has gone almost a full year without putting forward a basic policy on how China's economy will be managed. (Nikkei Montage/ Reuters)
China up close

China's power struggle lies behind global market turmoil

Xi's inability to convene long-delayed economic meeting at heart of uncertainty

8 August 2019
Chinese Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, left, President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Liu He will need to tread carefully at Beidaihe, where Xi's handling of U.S. relations will likely be a big topic of discussion. (Nikkei Montage/Getty Images/Reuters)
China up close

Xi bolsters trade team to counter Washington and party elders

Annual gathering of party luminaries nears, with little progress in Sino-American talks

1 August 2019
As Xi Jinping prepares for the annual Beidaihe conclave, he is also trying to quiet the hubbubs enveloping the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Hong Kong. (Source photo by Reuters)
China up close

Xi deploys heavyweights to Xinjiang and Hong Kong before conclave

President taps No. 4 Wang Yang and No. 7 Han Zheng to tame turbulence

25 July 2019
While Xi Jinping and other world leaders were meeting in Osaka at the end of June, the Chinese navy was conducting drills in the South China Seas, pushing back against the U.S.'s freedom of navigation doctrine. (Nikkei Montage/Reuters/Getty Images)
China up close

Xi makes waves in South China Sea ahead of summer conclave

'Missile test' around time of G-20 shows posturing to elders going to Beidaihe

11 July 2019
Xi Jinping felt the G-20 spotlight shift away from him in Osaka last weekend and onto Kim Jong Un, Donald Trump and Moon Jae-in at Panmunjom. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
China up close

A secret meeting, an invitation and the DMZ: How Trump stole the G-20

Much-anticipated Xi summit was but an opening act for the North Korea crossing

4 July 2019
While Donald Trump has done more to earn a reputation of being unpredictable, Xi Jinping has spent the past few months alternating between being hostile and friendly toward his trade war sparring partner. (Nikkei Montage/Getty Images)
China up close

Baffled by Trump, Chinese propagandists waffle ahead of Osaka

Surprise TV airing of pro-US romance movie reflects Xi Jinping's wavering

27 June 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, has had to adjust his Shanghai-first economic policy amid the U.S.-China trade war. (Photo sources by Getty images and Reuters)
China up close

Xi reverses Hong Kong policy with Alibaba and North Korea in mind

Grand strategy of making Shanghai a financial center paused amid trade war

20 June 2019
The people of Hong Kong this week have been making it difficult for Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders to ignore their will. (Source photos by AP and Getty Images)
China up close

Xi's next steps on Hong Kong will be hindered by US-China summit

Demonstrators and Washington both oppose Chinese-style rule of law

13 June 2019
The Tiananmen incident taught Xi Jinping to keep his political opponents pinned down. (Nikkei Montage/AFP/Jiji)
China up close

The lesson Xi learned from Tiananmen 30 years ago

Eliminate enemies, keep party elders at bay and never become Zhao Ziyang

6 June 2019