Author Archives: Andy Yau

Opinion: A fresh look at China’s road to democracy – the way ahead

Great Wall of China - Some rights reserved by radiowood2000
Is China now on the road to democracy? My answer is “yes”.

I began to observe China’s democratic progress on 5 April 1989. Now, 23 years has past. China is still at the starting point. We know in modern democracy, people can decide their own lifestyle and enjoy their own freedom. How about democracy and people’s freedom in China today?

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 7 Comments

Opinion: A fresh look at China’s road to revival

Great Wall of ChinaOn 14 Nov 2012, Xi Jinping was elected as the new Communist Party of China (CPC) General Secretary in the 18th CPC National Congress of the People’s Republic of China.

In his first speech to the press on 15 Nov, Xi Jinping, together with the 6 new elected members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, put his focus on continuous open reform and strong CPC governance responsive to the Chinese people’s needs. Also, he mentioned that China’s revival (China’s rejuvenation) will be a continuous important national goal in …

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A fresh look at the Diaoyu Islands

On 15 August 2012, 14 Chinese from Hong Kong were arrested by Japanese coastguards in Diaoyu Islands by the East China Sea. Seven of the Chinese were returned to Hongkong by air on 17 August and another seven by boat on 22 August.

Diaoyu (meaning “fishing” in Chinese) Islands are group of 5 very tiny islands situated in the East China Sea between Taiwan and Okinawa. Since the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese have used these islands as a military front against Japanese pirates and 17th century sources showed the maritime boundary to be between the Diaoyu (also known as the “Senkaku” islands to the Japanese) and the Ryukus where turbulent waters mark the edge of the continental shelf (see map).

Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged and | 3 Comments
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Recent Comments

  • John Kelly
    @Tom Arms – good article but I must take issue with you on the following paragraph: “Except for the occasional exchange of fire, fighting between Hamas and...
  • Jana
    @Peter Wrigley “ the maximum amount of individual freedom that doesn’t infringe the freedom others.” With due respect, I regard that as a libertarian ...
  • David Ford
    I have a 'better' record than the man in Cirencester: never elected anyone in a FPTP election since 1970 (despite Eric Lubbock getting 43% then). But I have al...
  • David S
    The goal of a representative electoral system is not to ensure that this or that party gets elected. The goal should to be to ensure that every voter, or as clo...
  • Paul R
    Jana - There is no mention of any form of “political union” anywhere in the EU Treaties. Indeed, this was explicitly clarified by the other leaders in t...