President Tsai and the DPP have taken advantage of fears of mainland influence to gain an advantage over the KMT – but Beijing will maintain its tough stance on the island.

The facts do not add up with the self-professed Chinese spy Wang Liqiang. There’s a growing consensus he’s either a low-level operative overstating his role or a scam artist.

Beijing’s rebuke of the High Court decision raised fears it may overturn the ruling, weakening judicial independence. But any intervention would carry huge risks.

Don’t underestimate the depths to which adrenaline-fuelled students will plunge. Heed the words of CY Leung and beware the lone wolves at our door. 

The Reign of Zhenguan was a golden period of peace and prosperity. China’s leaders should learn from this time, not just pay lip service with propaganda.

Rumours ahead of the Communist Party’s Central Committee meeting about a possible shake-up of China’s top leadership have proved off the mark

The reasons for its extraordinary reaction are more nuanced than simple government orchestration. But while national outrage has reached fever pitch, this narrow-minded nationalism does not bode well for China’s image overseas.

An exposé that revealed Deutsche Bank showered Chinese leaders with gifts, including a US$15,000 crystal horse, highlights the need for transparency in the business activities of Chinese leaders and their families

Nearly 40 years after Deng Xiaoping put China on the road to reform, it’s time for Beijing to make another monumental shift and embrace the rule of law

On both fronts, it might be time for Beijing to take a more flexible approach, writes Wang Xiangwei

Xi already stands out for getting a second chance to stand atop the Tiananmen rostrum. Will he be glorified in terms once reserved for the country’s founder?

Efforts to combat the national crisis over China’s staple food have been too little, too late. It now threatens to sour the mood for national celebrations, from the Mid-Autumn Festival to Lunar New Year.

Any optimism that Hong Kong’s protest crisis has been defused is likely to be short-lived. Protesters may feel emboldened – and if they do, they’ve misread the mood in Beijing

To Chinese observers, the US president’s rapid flip-flops on Xi Jinping and the imposition of tariffs are giving off hints of desperation – and China can afford to hunker down for a drawn-out negotiating process

Since Sunday’s peaceful rally of hundreds of thousands, there has been hope for a break from months of violence. But with Beijing not likely to meet the protesters’ demands or send in troops, the summer of discontent will roll on.

Political reform is slow, but there’s a swift solution to the economic inequality that has helped foment discontent. The Chief Executive can break the stranglehold of property moguls by greatly increasing land supply.

Last week’s decision to devalue the yuan against the dollar sent turbulence through international markets, but Washington should be aware that Beijing knows how to match Trump’s brinkmanship, writes Wang Xiangwei.

This is no Tiananmen moment – despite delusional radicals on both left and right itching for a military intervention, Beijing is likely to wait these protests out.

Xi Jinping reportedly agreed to allow a compliance department chosen by the US to be embedded into the firm, but the move has only emboldened Washington.

Beijing has become increasingly alarmed by the way radicals have hijacked the previously peaceful demonstrations, while the city’s police have become the most hated in the eyes of many Hongkongers.

Examples abound of the country’s opaque and corruption-ridden law enforcement and judiciary system. Moves are being made to build public confidence, but will they be enough?

Chinese urging concessions for Washington have been attacked by the media, businesses are being forced to change foreign-sounding names, and a war film called The Eight Hundred has been cancelled.

In Hong Kong, residents are worried about Beijing’s attempts to tighten its grip on the city, while central government officials are more concerned with losing control, says Wang Xiangwei.

The chief executive could have avoided much of this quagmire had she not bypassed proper procedures and, instead, consulted the public. In underestimating the pushback, she has shown a lack of political antennae.

American casino licences could be brought into play as trade tensions worsen – not least because bosses like Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn have influence with US President Donald Trump.

Former Chinese official Huang Qifan argues that the elimination of tariffs, barriers and subsidies is key for any country that wants to dominate world trade. But will the powers-that-be sit up and take notice?

Blacklisting the tech giant from buying American-made software and parts points to a sinister effort by Washington to halt China’s technological growth. But Beijing would be wise not to follow suit.

Defiant statements by the US and China as the latest set of trade talks unravel look suspiciously like psychological negotiating tactics.

When the Obama-era vice-president said China was ‘not competition’ for the US, the backlash was enough to make him walk back his comments, but the challenges facing President Xi Jinping, from the economy to wrangling the country’s bureaucrats, are vast

China on Saturday marks 100 years since the May Fourth Movement. Love for the nation was also at the core of 1989’s student protests, but officials have been trying their best to obscure that legacy.