China up close

Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army march in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. China's foreign policy has turned aggressive under President Xi Jinping. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
China up close

China's 'wolf warrior' diplomats roar at Hong Kong and the world

Xi Jinping's ambitious goal of overtaking the US at the heart of global tensions

28 May 2020
Many of China's economic goals to be discussed at the National People's Congress will be influenced by the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. (Nikkei Montage/Source photo by Reuters) 
China up close

Trump spoils China's planned economy

Unpredictable American president holds the key to many of Beijing's economic targets

21 May 2020
Are China's memories of the Boxer Rebellion 120 years ago keeping Beijing from being open, transparent and cooperative? (Nikkei Montage/Getty Images and Xinhua/Kyodo)
China up close

Haunted by a phantom, China fights a modern-day siege

Bitter memories of Boxer Rebellion make virus compensation a non-starter

14 May 2020
Aggressive Chinese criticism of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, appears to reflect a defensive effort to protect President Xi Jinping, left. (Nikkei Montage/Source photo by Reuters and Xinhua/Kyodo)
China up close

China's global campaign for virus-response praise met with silence

Beijing's full-court press on Pompeo tied to Communist Party's 2021 anniversary

7 May 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping finds himself at the center of a controversy stirred up by his U.S. counterpart: Did the novel coronavirus escape from a Wuhan research laboratory, or did it naturally jump into humans from a bat or other animal? (Nikkei Montage/Source photos by Xinhua/AP, AFP/Jiji)
China up close

China knew of lab safety concerns from last year

Beijing had been preparing biosecurity law, but not fast enough

30 April 2020
Chinese public security officials have determined that "it is necessary to effectively eliminate the influence" of Zhou Yongkang, second from left, Sun Lijun and Meng Hongwei -- all fallen irritants to President Xi Jinping. (Nikkei Montage/Source photos by Xinhua/Kyodo, AP and Reuters) 
China up close

Xi returns to his favorite hobby: crushing dissent

As China took up coronavirus fight it also began investigating top police official

23 April 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping and containers stacked at Yangshan Deepwater Port in Shanghai: China's growth model will be at risk if manufacturers relocate to other countries to be less China-dependent. (Nikkei Montage/Source photo by Reuters/Getty Images) 
Most read in 2020

China up close: Xi fears Japan-led manufacturing exodus from China

The year of the metal rat returns every 60 years -- and brings calamity with it

16 April 2020
Celebration and mourning. Medical workers from Jilin University cheer before boarding a flight out of Wuhan on April 8. Four days earlier President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang bow their heads to the coronavirus's victims. (Nikkei Montage; source photos by EPA/Jiji and Xinhua/AP) 
China up close

Wuhan liberated, but Xi's virus victory day remains elusive

Asymptomatic carriers stand in the way of president's 'exit strategy'

9 April 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping wanted to show the warm side of his personality and project a reassuring attitude as he visited Xixi National Wetland Park in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on March 31. (Colors enhanced to highlight Xi by Nikkei)
China up close

Xi sends coded message to closest aides through Zhejiang trip

President rallies his troops as China navigates stormy waters

2 April 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has upped the stakes in the game of global chess between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
China up close

China plays double-track diplomacy in virus blame game

One official floats US conspiracy theory only to be shot down by ambassador

26 March 2020
President Xi Jinping in Wuhan peers down from a TV at a shopping center in Beijing as an incipient second wave of the coronavirus pandemic threatens to undo China's sacrifices.
China up close

China's inaction for 3 days in January at root of pandemic

A second wave of the coronavirus is boomeranging back to the mainland

19 March 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping and residents of Wuhan: The city's inhabitants are not ready to cheer their leader's handling of the crisis they are suffering through. (Nikkei montage; source photos from Xinhua/Kyodo and Reuters) 
China up close

Campaign to 'thank' Xi Jinping flatly rejected by Wuhan citizens

Communist Party's propaganda efforts powerless in face of coronavirus anger

12 March 2020
The last time a calamity delayed a Chinese leader's state visit to Japan was in 1998, when flooding in Wuhan beckoned then-President Jiang Zemin. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photos by AP/ Kyodo and Xinhua/ AP) 
China up close

Last time a Chinese leader delayed a Japan trip, it didn't end well

Xi Jinping needs to avoid a repeat of Jiang Zemin's visit in 1998

5 March 2020
President Xi Jinping had warned Communist Party cadres of black swans and gray rhinos a year ago, as China headed into a year ending with a "9." (Nikkei Montage/ Source photos by Reuters, Getty Images and Xinhua/Kyodo)  
China up close

Xi's prediction of a cursed year came true

Coronavirus proves black swans fly in years ending in '9'

27 February 2020
Former subordinates of Xi Jinping in Zhejiang Province have gone on to assume key roles across China, giving the president a powerful grip over the country. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photo by Kyodo/ Getty Images/ Reuters)
China up close

Xi's faction grabs more power as virus crisis worsens

'Zhejiang's new army' adds Hubei and Hong Kong to strongholds Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing

20 February 2020
The deadly coronavirus that originated in China also threatens the political health of Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Nikkei montage/Xinhua/AP/Reuters)
China up close

Xi ally warned leader against overexposure in virus fight

Wang Qishan feared public anger being directed at the president

13 February 2020
With lightning speed, China has constructed hospitals in Wuhan, but President Xi Jinping will face a mountain of issues going forward. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photo by Kyodo and AFP/ Jiji) 
China up close

Party's half-baked admission misses Xi's biggest problem

Leader's call for 'top-down' governance conflicts with Wuhan officials' need for freedom

6 February 2020
President Xi Jinping has consolidated so much power that China's bureaucracy fears acting without his orders, a situation that initially hampered Beijing's response to the Wuhan pneumonia. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Akira Kodaka)
China up close

Xi's one-man rule hamstrings coronavirus response

Bureaucrats hesitate to move without top leader's orders

30 January 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping's demeanor lately has some people in China wondering why he has been "so grumpy." (Nikkei Montage/ Source photo by Reuters and Getty Images) 
China up close

Battle for hegemony: Xi knows there is no middle ground with US

Leader's goal of surpassing America has put China on an irreversible path

23 January 2020
Wang "William" Liqiang, the self-proclaimed former Chinese spy who fled to Australia, surfaced again ahead of the Taiwan election. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photo by Getty Images and Akira Kodaka) 
China up close

'China spy' and a last-ditch attempt to swing Taiwan's election

With island's 'pro-China' constituency shrinking, Beijing senses trouble

16 January 2020
An end-of-year Communist Party Politburo meeting lavished praise on General Secretary Xi Jinping's handling of a once-in-a-century crisis, blaming any problems on outside forces. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photo by Reuters and Xinhua/ Kyodo) 
China up close

China crowns Xi with special title, citing rare crisis

Politburo blames country's many problems on Trump and outsiders

9 January 2020
From diplomatic friction with the U.S. to protests at home, Xi Jinping faced many challenges in 2019. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photo by Reuters) 
China up close

Trump, Hong Kong and slowdown: Xi Jinping's rocky 2019

Black swans and gray rhinos appeared, as the leader warned

31 December 2019
Xi Jinping succeeded in having Moon Jae-in endorse his vision of "a community with a shared future for humanity" but did not push the envelope with Shinzo Abe. (Nikkei Montage/Source photo by Reuters/ Kyodo) 
China up close

In 'Three Kingdoms' rivalry, China's waltz with Japan is temporary

Xi ready to step off dance floor when domestic politics dictate

26 December 2019
Xi Jinping thought time was on his side in his battle with Donald Trump, but a poor economy proved him wrong. Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters
China up close

Did Xi surrender to Trump? China struggles to silence chatter

Trade deal contains many concessions by Beijing like import targets

19 December 2019
Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, left, has been tasked by President Xi Jinping to handle Japan relations. (Nikkei Montage/ Source photo by Reuters)
China up close

Xi moves right-hand man to Japan affairs as ties with West sour

China turns to a familiar crisis management formula: flatter thy neighbor

12 December 2019