The political successions in the Soviet Union and China after Stalin and Mao, respectively, are often explained as triumphs of inner-party democracy, leading to a victory of “reformers” over “conservatives” or “radicals.” In his new book “Prestige, Manipulation and Coercion”, Joseph Torigian argues that the post-cult of personality power struggles in history’s two greatest Leninist regimes were instead shaped by the […]
Until recently, Japan had been trying strenuously to improve and strengthen its relations with Russia. Japan had hoped to regain its Northern Territories through negotiations with Russia. It also aimed to discourage Russia from forging ties with China that had already become too close for comfort for Japan. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally […]
Zero-Covid and China’s position on the war in Ukraine present a dual challenge for the future of the relationship between China and European countries. What will be the short and more long-term effects on business, diplomacy and China’s role in the world? What is the trajectory and are there still any off-ramps? Join us in discussing […]
Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be May 19 at 6:00 PM at an embassy in the Dongzhimen area. This is our most important meeting of the year. We will reflect on the past year and, most importantly, elect our next board. The club needs you to make this important institution work! For correspondent members […]
A discussion on the highly-anticipated first visit by a U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to China since 2005. About our speaker: Philip Alston is an international law scholar and human rights practitioner. He is Professor of Law at New York University School of Law and has previously taught at various law schools around the […]
Following a career spanning nearly thirty years in the Australian Public Service, Allan was Chief of Staff to the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Industry Greg Combet (2009 to 2013) and senior advisor to then Shadow Minister and now Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong (2017-19). Allan Behm specialises in international and security […]
How does the Chinese state coerce citizens into compliance while simultaneously minimizing backlash? In her latest book, Outsourcing Repression, Lynette Ong examines how the Chinese state engages nonstate actors, from violent street gangsters to nonviolent grassroots brokers, to coerce and mobilize the masses for state pursuits. She draws on ethnographic research conducted annually from 2011 to […]
A new book by Alfred L. Chan This book is the first comprehensive exploration of all episodes of Xi Jinping’s life history and his political career, begun at age 17. The author discusses all major issues including Xi’s legitimacy building, consolidation of power, ideological redefinition, party rectification, anti-corruption efforts, and control of dissent up until […]
The 14th BRICS Summit is set to be held on June 23-24 under China’s chairmanship. This year, the war in Ukraine has added a new layer of uncertainty to the ongoing debate around the viability and relevance of the group of major emerging economies composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Shyam Saran, […]
The diaries of Lord Patten, the last British Governor of Hong Kong, will be published on June 21st and he will speak to the FCCC in the week before the 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong about his experiences. In June 1992 Chris Patten went to Hong Kong as the last British governor, to try […]
Mao Zedong banned Confucianism after the CCP seized power in mainland China in 1949. But the school of thought has returned slowly to the mainland with the opening of the country during the 1980s. After taking office, President Xi Jinping has openly praised the philosophy and visited the birthplace of Confucius in Shandong. Confucianism has […]
FCCC drinks this Thursday from 6:30pm - with happy hour all night. This time we’ll try a different venue, the new Side Street at Jianguomen, which is located behind Nola, just south of Ritan Park. All members and friends welcome.
