democracy

Leading academics have this month abandoned microblog Sina Weibo over free speech worries. Will more follow?

Signs that Burma’s economy is opening aren’t just good news for Western firms hoping to make some money – democracy in the country could depend on it.

Last year was a tough one for Chinese dissidents. With the Communist Party keen for stability as the leadership transition unfolds, 2012 could well be worse.

Peking University Prof. Kong Qingdong sparks controversy with his comments on people from Hong Kong.

Peking University Prof. Kong Qingdong sparks controversy with his comments on people from Hong Kong.

China’s leaders have been playing up the dangers of anonymous micro-blogging. Are they making a mistake?

Political prisoners freed in Burma, pay cuts for Singapore’s politicians and Anwar’s acquittal. A good start to 2012.

Hu Jintao warned that China was in a cultural war with the West. But the real problems are at home.

Hu Jintao warned that China was in a cultural war with the West. But the real problems are at home.

The most important global trend is the emergence of a great people from millennia of despotic rule, says Gordon Chang. The Chinese people, in short, are the world’s unstoppable force.

Protests in China aren’t seen as an existential threat by leaders, but a policy issue. Still, citizens are likely to increasingly see them as the best way of ensuring things get done.

To the casual eye, China’s social media landscape might look diverse and lively. But the social media clones are careful to follow Communist Party censorship.