Opinion & Commentary by Author

1. Complacency is the danger in Asia's power games

   John Lee | 01 Aug 2011 | The Australian

   Even if one disagrees with Wolfowitz's thinking on the Middle East, this viewpoint on China policy cannot be easily dismissed.... Read More

2. Pakistan a Chinese pawn to stall India

   John Lee | 19 Jul 2011 | The Australian

   AT the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting of defence ministers in Singapore last month, Indian Defence Minister Pallam Raju was... Read More

3. China’s exports don’t fuel boom

   John Lee | 06 Jul 2011 | The Washington Times

   While China undoubtedly needs both for the communist party to remain in power, the dilemma for the country’s leaders is... Read More

4. US will Remain the Preeminent Player in Asia

   John Lee | 01 Jul 2011 | China - US Focus

   In early May, I gave an interview to the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper arguing that China was probably ‘the... Read More

5. Beware China's control of rare earth minerals

   John Lee | 27 Jun 2011 | The Wall Street Journal

   China’s rare-earth quota policies will have global repercussions.

6. China and the tactical utility of international norms

   John Lee | 22 Jun 2011 | Australian Strategic Policy Institute

   China is finding it difficult to translate economic size into normative leadership, let alone dominance.

7. Missing the woods for the trees

   John Lee | 21 Jun 2011 | The Hindustan Times

   China won't be happy if India becomes an Asia power.

8. China's influence gap

   John Lee | 06 Jun 2011 | The Wall Street Journal

   Beijing is finding that translating its economic size into regional strategic and diplomatic leverage is more difficult than... Read More

9. Japan's economic demons dog China

   John Lee | 24 May 2011 | Business Spectator

   The enduring flaws in Japan’s political economy’s continue to stunt its growth.

10. China's self-defeating currency policy

    John Lee | 12 May 2011 | Business Week

    Although a stronger yuan would be better for the economy, it would hurt the Chinese Communist Party.

11. China’s America Obsession:

    John Lee | 06 May 2011 | Foreign Policy

    Osama bin Laden’s death will only accelerate America’s reengagement with its Asian allies and partners at China’s expense.

12. PM may trump Rudd in managing China

    John Lee | 21 Apr 2011 | The Australian

    Gillard’s lack of foreign policy experience and ambition could well be a blessing in disguise.

13. The China hedge

    John Lee | 04 Apr 2011 | The National Interest

    Beijing’s mantra of ‘building mutual respect and trust’ remains hollow. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to change since... Read More

14. Why Taiwan will fail

    John Lee | 01 Apr 2011 | The Wall Street Journal

    Taipei has a plan to make a virtue out of the necessity of greater integration. But Beijing will demand reunification and... Read More

15. Cracks in ‘Great Firewall of China’

    John Lee | 01 Apr 2011 | The Washington Times

    A blogger’s disappearance in China reveals nervous despots.

16. Good news for Chinese banks, bad news for reforms

    John Lee | 31 Mar 2011 | Forbes

    Beijing has been increasing the spread in Chinese banks to improve the quality of their assets. Put simply, the more money... Read More

17. Haunted by China's ghost cities

    John Lee | 29 Mar 2011 | Business Spectator

    If Australia thinks it can avoid the ‘Dutch disease’ by relying on the relentless construction of empty Chinese shopping... Read More

18. Why Australia's socialist Prime Minister now loves America

    John Lee | 11 Mar 2011 | The Weekly Standard

    Hedging against authoritarian China by strengthening the U.S.-led hub-and-spokes security system in the region is now Australia’s... Read More

19. Party needs to loosen its grip

    John Lee | 09 Mar 2011 | The Australian Financial Review

    The Chinese mode of governance is highly corrupt and dependent on questionable lending practices, while local wards gain... Read More

20. Malaysia's phony war on affirmative action

    John Lee | 04 Mar 2011 | Business Week

    Policies favouring the Malay majority over Chinese and Indian Malaysians must change, but progress so far has been slight.

21. The problem with China’s banks – unknown and unknowable

    John Lee | 02 Mar 2011 | The Asian Banker

    The official accounts of China’s banks indicating reasonable financial health simply do make sense. Just as senior banking... Read More

22. Egypt's fate could yet be Malaysia's future

    John Lee | 25 Feb 2011 | The Australian

    When announcing his "new economic model" last year, Najib became the first Malaysian prime minister to explicitly link the... Read More

23. Charm defensive

    John Lee | 18 Feb 2011 | Hindustan Times

    As the other great foundational civilisation in Asia, India presents a unique challenge to China that other big Asian powers... Read More

24. Watching Egypt crumble: Mideast chaos emboldens China's hard-liners

    John Lee | 04 Feb 2011 | The Washington Times

    But while many Western observers hope the unrest in Egypt might cause the CCP to think twice about maintaining its iron grip,... Read More

25. Hu's real agenda

    John Lee | 21 Jan 2011 | The Wall Street Journal

    An improvement in Sino-U.S. diplomatic relations is not the same as cooperation.

26. Cooperation and the Chinese Hydra

    John Lee | 20 Jan 2011 | The National Interest

    The Chinese leader does not have the authority to make the hard decisions that Obama will be pressing him to make—meaning... Read More

27. How the U.S. Can Manage Expectations of U.S.-China Talks

    John Lee | 19 Jan 2011 | Time Magazine

    Whoever is leading China is not a dominant leader with real power, but a figure riding a streak of tigers often pulling in... Read More

28. Beijing’s motives behind rare-earth metals

    John Lee | 03 Jan 2011 | Forbes

    There’s a growing suspicion that China is increasingly taking a zero-sum rather than ‘win-win’ approach to open markets... Read More

29. Watch out for Russian wild card in Asia-Pacific

    John Lee | 29 Dec 2010 | The Australian

    Russia is pulling out all the stops to court India to maintain its position in Asia's future balance of power.

30. People's republics

    John Lee | 23 Dec 2010 | The Hindustan Times

    By 2040, the world may be talking, not about a Washington or Beijing consensus, but a 'Mumbai Consensus' on economic development.

31. China's national insecurity

    John Lee | 20 Dec 2010 | The Wall Street Journal

    Beijing sees Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize as part of an international strategy to contain China's rise.

32. China and India's Growing Energy Rivalry

    John Lee | 17 Dec 2010 | Businessweek

    Competition for oil and gas resources will be the most likely cause of serious tension between the two Asian giants in the... Read More

33. Tearing Chindia apart

    John Lee | 15 Dec 2010 | Business Spectator

    It was obvious that China and India in particular had coordinated strategies before the summit to scupper any binding agreement.

34. Rudd deserves points for confronting some brutal truths

    John Lee | 06 Dec 2010 | Crikey

    The leaked conversation between Hillary Clinton and Kevin Rudd contradicts the perception that the former Australian prime... Read More

35. Chinese want degrees, not democracy

    John Lee | 03 Dec 2010 | Wall Street Journal

    American values still have wide, if not universal, appeal. But we cannot ignore the apparent paradox that the young and urbane... Read More

36. What if the Chinese Bubble Bursts?

    John Lee | 01 Dec 2010 | The Interest

    If the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008 is any guide, we already know what Beijing will do in the event of a... Read More

37. U.S. envoy to ASEAN

    John Lee | 17 Nov 2010 | The Korea Herald

    A productive American relationship with ASEAN, particularly when it joins the East Asia Summit as a full member in 2011,... Read More

38. In the Asian century, Washington must still offer leadership

    John Lee | 09 Nov 2010 | Crikey

    Tensions between the US and China should not present any fundamental dilemmas for Canberra since the capacity of Beijing... Read More

39. The end of the charm offensive

    John Lee | 26 Oct 2010 | Foreign Policy

    China's neighbours welcome a strong China, just not a dominant one -- and that's where the United States comes in.

40. The stakes at the East Asia summit

    John Lee | 26 Oct 2010 | The Wall Street Journal Asia

    Beijing wants to ease America out of the region, but other nations want to entrench the U.S. role.

41. China won't revalue the yuan

    John Lee | 24 Sep 2010 | Foreign Policy

    No amount of hectoring by Barack Obama is going to change the calculus of Chinese leaders. An undervalued currency may be... Read More

42. The end of smile diplomacy?

    John Lee | 23 Sep 2010 | The National Interest

    Beneath the façade of unity in Chinese decision-making is the gradual but inexorable fragmentation in the formulation of... Read More

43. China-Japan tensions will rise

    John Lee | 22 Sep 2010 | Business Spectator

    Tension between China and Japan is structural, strategic and institutional – something that can only be managed rather... Read More

44. The resurrection of Kevin Rudd

    John Lee | 13 Sep 2010 | The Wall Street Journal

    The question now is whether Mr. Rudd has learned from his mistakes and will be a team player, or whether he plans to use... Read More

45. Don’t rush to back Beijing over Delhi

    John Lee | 13 Sep 2010 | The Australian

    While China's efficiency hides a brittleness, chaotic India's model is deceptively resilient.

46. If only China were more like Japan

    John Lee | 01 Sep 2010 | Business Week

    China is heading toward a Japanese-style economic debacle and that the process won’t be as gradual or peaceful, says John... Read More

47. A world away

    John Lee | 27 Aug 2010 | Time Magazine

    While candidates in the federal election sidestepped foreign policy for the sake of a few marginal seats, Australians as... Read More

48. What China's huge traffic jam reveals

    John Lee | 27 Aug 2010 | Business Spectator

    The traffic jam in China gives us some insight into a number of things that are good and bad about how China actually works... Read More

49. China's water grab

    John Lee | 24 Aug 2010 | Foreign Policy

    Forget the South China Sea. If America really cares about strengthening its presence in Asia, it’ll focus on the Mekong... Read More

50. China's rise and the road to war

    John Lee | 05 Aug 2010 | The Wall Street Journal

    As with Germany a century ago, an emerging power is overestimating its capabilities, says  John Lee in The Wall Street Journal,... Read More

51. Obama switching sides over China

    John Lee | 30 Jul 2010 | Weekly Standard

    There is renewed American preparedness to join with regional allies and partners in checking China’s ambition.

52. Unpacking the black box

    John Lee | 30 Jul 2010 | Newsweek

    China’s dicey statistics tell us a lot, says John Lee in Newsweek, 30 July 2010.

53. A way India can outshine China

    John Lee | 14 Jul 2010 | Business Spectator

    If India hosts a successful Commonwealth Games in October it will be a pleasant surprise for the region and help to further... Read More

54. The uncurious case of Xue Feng’s jail sentence

    John Lee | 08 Jul 2010 | Forbes

    The geologist and U.S. citizen was charged with stealing Chinese state secrets. A case of Deja Hu?

55. Hardsell soft power

    John Lee | 02 Jul 2010 | The Hindustan Times

    China dedicates considerable more resources to building ‘soft’ power than India.

56. India needs to flex its soft muscles

    John Lee | 29 Jun 2010 | The Sydney Morning Herald

    New Delhi would do well to learn lessons from Beijing about the importance of selling its strengths and achievements to the... Read More

57. PM Rudd’s demise signals more modest Australian foreign policy

    John Lee | 25 Jun 2010 | Inquirer

    Prime Minister Gillard’s diplomacy will be much more cautious compared to Kevin Rudd, says John Lee in the Straits Times... Read More

58. A well-timed currency kowtow

    John Lee | 21 Jun 2010 | The Wall Street Journal

    China's currency reform is meant to appease foreign politicians, not rebalance the domestic economy.

59. India’s edge over China: soft power

    John Lee | 17 Jun 2010 | Business Week

    In the struggle to win support around Asia, India’s openness gives the country a big advantage compared with China, says... Read More

60. China’s got a secret

    John Lee | 10 Jun 2010 | Foreign Policy

    China’s policy of concealment and fostering uncertainty are the main impediments to deepening its military-to-military... Read More

61. Opaqueness at heart of Chinese military’s U.S. strategy

    John Lee | 10 Jun 2010 | South China Morning Post

    Chinese reluctance to commit to meaningful high level military-to-military talks with America is not as much about Taiwan... Read More

62. India’s rise helps complement US interests in Asia

    John Lee | 04 Jun 2010 | The Australian

    The subcontinent has to prove it can carry its weight in regional diplomacy, says John Lee in The Australian, 4 June 2010.

63. Don't buy China's growth mirage

    John Lee | 24 May 2010 | Business Spectator

    Rural-to-urban migration is having less and less influence on the rising levels of fixed and asset investment activity occurring... Read More

64. EU not on China’s chessboard

    John Lee | 14 May 2010 | The Diplomat

    European nations are making a mistake courting China as to maintain relevance they need to align with the US.

65. Authoritarian China won’t bow to US policy

    John Lee | 14 May 2010 | The Australian Financial Review

    Australia needs to rethink its special relationship with the US if it wants to be China’s friend.

66. China will not be tamed

    John Lee | 06 May 2010 | Business Spectator

    Shaping Chinese tactics is one thing, but taming China, by attempting to determine its destiny, is another, says John Lee... Read More

67. What did Hu expect?

    John Lee | 30 Mar 2010 | Business Spectator

    Only the willfully stubborn or the ignorant will argue that Stern Hu’s admission of guilt on the charge of bribery means... Read More

68. In dealing with Beijing, overambition tends to backfire

    John Lee | 26 Mar 2010 | The Australian

    Obama and Rudd are having more trouble with China than Bush and Howard.

69. Inflated expectations of a rising yuan

    John Lee | 24 Mar 2010 | The Australian Financial Review

    Chinese inflation in theory can lift the currency, but don’t hold your breath.

70. Why China is stepping on toes

    John Lee | 23 Mar 2010 | Business Spectator

    Foreign companies will be watching the outcome of the Stern Hu trail very carefully.

71. Rudd seeks redemption from Susilo’s visit

    John Lee | 10 Mar 2010 | New Straits Times

    Deepening the bilateral relationship between Jakarta and Canberra ought to be one of the first steps towards any regional... Read More

72. China between T-bills and a hard place

    John Lee | 03 Mar 2010 | The Australian Financial Review

    Despite Beijing’s addiction to US bonds, the proportion of US government debt financed by Chinese foreign exchange reserves... Read More

73. Perception gap

    John Lee | 01 Mar 2010 | Time magazine

    American faith in the transformative power of China's economic rise might be misplaced.

74. Paper tiger: China's no threat to the US

    John Lee | 01 Mar 2010 | Business Week

    Some Chinese leaders think Beijing can use its financial clout to punish the US, but  there's little reason for the White... Read More

75. Confronting Beijing’s new bipolar reality

    John Lee | 18 Feb 2010 | The Washington Times

    America’s attempts to ‘manage’ China’s rise are failing.

76. Big trouble with big China

    John Lee | 04 Feb 2010 | Foreign Policy

    Relations between Washington and Beijing are looking more tense than ever.

77. Why China won’t be a ‘responsible stakeholder’

    John Lee | 02 Feb 2010 | The Wall Street Journal

    The U.S.-China bilateral relationship is the most important one in the world. But the flaws in the relationship model constructed... Read More

78. China's new Silk Road geo-strategy in Asia

    John Lee | 29 Jan 2010 | Tehran Times

    China is seeking to change the geostrategic parameters of the existing game for influence in Asia.

79. Why Rudd has overstayed his welcome in Asia

    John Lee | 16 Jan 2010 | The Spectator

    John Howard had far more gravitas and influence in Australasia than Kevin Rudd, who is starting to look like he doesn’t... Read More

80. The future is already here

    John Lee | 06 Jan 2010 | The Diplomat

    There is almost universal agreement that the centre of power is shifting from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans in what... Read More

81. China’s next generation of leaders

    John Lee | 03 Jan 2010 | The Taipei Times

    The appointment of five provincial-level Chinese Communist Party chiefs in early December is a reminder that the ascension... Read More

82. China’s intransigence is a sign of its insecurity

    John Lee | 29 Dec 2009 | The Australian

    Recent events have convinced many observers that we are entering an unprecedented era marked by rising Chinese power and... Read More

83. The rebirth of Charter 08

    John Lee | 28 Dec 2009 | Wall Street Journal Asia

    President Barack Obama’s meek visit to China last month confirmed that the United States is taking a much more conciliatory... Read More

84. China fears climate change openness

    John Lee | 23 Dec 2009 | The Guardian

    Beijing, which fears that external monitoring might reveal internal dysfunction, was backed into a corner by the United States... Read More

85. Don’t overlook India’s consumer market for China’s

    John Lee | 22 Dec 2009 | BusinessWeek

    Urban consumers in India will likely drive more global business than their Chinese counterparts while India’s rural development... Read More

86. Chinese Urbanization Put on Hold

    John Lee | 19 Dec 2009 | The Korean Herald

    Beijing will gradually relax the hukou, or household registration system, to give rural Chinese citizens an opportunity... Read More

87. For once it’s better to end with a whimper

    John Lee | 25 Nov 2009 | The Straits Times

    Washington pulls out all the stops for President Barack Obama's first state visitor: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,... Read More

88. Boring summits are better for everyone

    John Lee | 24 Nov 2009 | Foreign Policy

    Barack Obama and Manmohan Singh should say as little as possible when they meet in Washington next week.

89. Pacific angst

    John Lee | 11 Nov 2009 | Foreign Policy

    The very fact that America needs to negotiate with its Asian allies and partners – and sometimes even compromise – means... Read More

90. China woos Africa – and not just for its resources

    John Lee | 09 Nov 2009 | Time magazine

    While much of the world still views Africa as a basket-case continent, Beijing is thinking ahead and busy establishing a... Read More

91. Rudd fails to court New Delhi

    John Lee | 06 Nov 2009 | The Australian

    If Australia wants to remain an active, relevant and influential middle power in Asia, then spending the next half decade... Read More

92. India Fast Becoming Asia's 'Swing State'

    John Lee | 04 Nov 2009 | The Korea Herald

    If India’s unpredictable political parties remain committed to continue reforms, and the bilateral partnership between... Read More

93. China's potential enemy is US' good friend

    John Lee | 03 Nov 2009 | The New Straits Times

    If India’s unpredictable political parties remain committed to continue reforms, and the bilateral partnership between... Read More

94. Beijing birthday spin distorts reality

    John Lee | 02 Oct 2009 | The Australian

    As the week-long celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of modern China roll on, the message coming out... Read More

95. China’s statistical setback

    John Lee | 01 Oct 2009 | Forbes

    Although China has been decentralizing and officials have multiplied, it is not the building of institutions that encourages... Read More

96. The Party's Not Over: Why China's 60th birthday is nothing to celebrate

    John Lee | 28 Sep 2009 | Foreign Policy

    Inone important respect, authoritarian China is failing: while the Chinese state is rich and the party powerful, civil society... Read More

97. China's Ring of Power

    John Lee | 09 Sep 2009 | Foreign Policy

    While nobody was paying attention, Beijing was busy cornering the market on a little-known, but much coveted, strategic commodity.

98. Beijing must work to rebuild its reputation

    John Lee | 26 Aug 2009

    The Thursday edition of the state-sponsored China Daily led with an editorial defending the cancellation of a visit to Australia... Read More

99. The region does not need the PM’s architecture

    John Lee | 18 Aug 2009 | The Australian

    Kevin Rudd has consistently lectured the region that some big-picture strategic thinking is needed in Asia.

100. US is still a leading influence in the balance of power in Asia

     John Lee | 16 Aug 2009

     It seems that not a week goes by without a big-picture thinker releasing a big-picture book or giving a big-picture sermon... Read More

101. Why the ‘China functionalists’ might win the battle but lose the war

     John Lee | 01 Aug 2009

     The US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue between Washington and Beijing has begun. Owing to the global financial crisis,... Read More

102. Getting Asia's approval for an Indo-US partnership

     John Lee | 22 Jul 2009 | Opinion Asia

     On her first trip abroad as Secretary of State which was to Asia in March 2009, insiders in both New Delhi and Washington... Read More

103. China is not ready to lead the world

     John Lee | 18 Jul 2009 | Sydney Morning Herald

     In a speech given just before the 17th Chinese Communist Party Congress in 2007, Premier Wen Jiabao rebuked those agitating... Read More

104. Foreign Policy: Why Beijing Needs To Be Brutal

     John Lee | 06 Jul 2009 | Foreign Policy

     After scolding the West for interfering in the internal affairs of Iran, Beijing’s public relations department will now... Read More

105. China's Empty Land Reform

     John Lee | 04 Jul 2009 | Guardian

     Recently, Beijing announced new procedures to ‘give an effective guarantee’ to rural citizens that their land rights... Read More

106. The rural poor in India fare better than in China

     John Lee | 02 Jul 2009 | Wall Street Journal Asia

     China and India will likely defy the economic malaise in Western economies and grow at more than 7% this year. But that is... Read More

107. Don’t bridge this difference

     John Lee | 01 Jul 2009 | Active News

     Visitors invariably comment that China is shiny, orderly and clean while India is dusty, chaotic and dirty. In 2006, Prime... Read More

108. Beijing's facade of resilience

     John Lee | 29 Jun 2009 | Asia Times

     Some analysts speculate that the turmoil caused by the global financial crisis presents an opportunity for the Chinese government... Read More

109. China’s Progress Looks Nothing like Singapore's

     John Lee | 29 Jun 2009

     Recent conversations with Chinese political scientists brought home the great extent to which Beijing is obsessed with watching,... Read More

110. China no longer learns East Asian lessons

     John Lee | 23 Jun 2009 | The Korea Herald

     When the Nobel Prize-winning economist Kenneth Arrow was asked which country had the best managed economy recently, he nominated... Read More

111. 20 years on from Tiananmen, political reform no closer

     John Lee | 04 Jun 2009 | ABC News

     With the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen protests today, many would have thought that conditions are better now for... Read More

112. Democracy's long march to China

     John Lee | 03 Jun 2009 | The Australian

     Last month, actor Jackie Chan created uproar around the world when he told a gathering in Hainan province that China didn’t... Read More

113. PM Rudd still needing strategy lessons from Asian allies

     John Lee | 31 May 2009 | Opinion Asia

     This weekend, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was given the honour of delivering the keynote at the annual Shangri-La... Read More

114. China’s content consumer class

     John Lee | 29 May 2009 | Real Clear World

     With the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen protests less than a week away, many would have thought that conditions are... Read More

115. Indians vote to become ‘swing state’ in Asia

     John Lee | 18 May 2009 | Washington Times

     Current leader Manmohan Singh will become only the second Indian prime minister to win reelection after serving a full five... Read More

116. Law forcing Chinese to smoke indicates deeper problem

     John Lee | 15 May 2009

     The farce and corruption of many local officials in China is held in check only by the decency and common sense of ordinary... Read More

117. Australia is in a bind about China

     John Lee | 07 May 2009 | Media Daum

     Ever since China's great reformer, Deng Xiaoping, instructed Chinese leaders to "hide brightness, nourish obscurity," the... Read More

118. Australia in a bind deciphering China's future intentions

     John Lee | 06 May 2009 | The China Post

     Ever since China’s great reformer, Deng Xiaoping, instructed Chinese leaders to ‘Hide Brightness, nourish obscurity’,... Read More

119. The Waning Challenge of the ‘Authoritarian Capitalists’

     John Lee | 29 Apr 2009 | The Diplomat

     Capitalist authoritarian states with their booming economies will be pitted against liberal-democratic counterparts. But... Read More

120. China’s much lauded ‘charm offensive’ is hitting a wall

     John Lee | 04 Apr 2009 | The Sydney Morning Herald

     Chinese soft power – the ability to get what it wants through persuasion and attraction rather than using the age old approach... Read More

121. China’s much lauded ‘charm offensive’ is hitting a wall

     John Lee | 04 Apr 2009 | The Sydney Morning Herald

     Chinese soft power – the ability to get what it wants through persuasion and attraction rather than using the age old approach... Read More

122. India should have been on Clinton’s Asia itinerary

     John Lee | 03 Mar 2009 | Opinion Asia

     There is excitement throughout Asia over Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s choice of the continent for her maiden international... Read More

123. Hilary Clinton’s India snub could be a mistake

     John Lee | 02 Mar 2009 | Opinion Asia

     There is excitement throughout Asia over Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s choice of the continent for her maiden international... Read More

124. Allies wary of focus on China

     John Lee | 14 Feb 2009 | The Straits Times

     Secretary Clinton needs to bring America’s allies with her and not move ahead of them.

125. Why China fears Obama: The danger of an attractive America

     John Lee | 02 Feb 2009 | The New York Times

     The enthusiasm with which Obama’s election was received in Europe will not be replicated in China.

126. Over-governed China is the worst governed

     John Lee | 28 Jan 2009 | New Straits Times

     China may have one official for every 35 people but this does not mean that it is building institutions that encourage public... Read More

127. China needs a new way

     John Lee | 27 Jan 2009 | The Australian

     The Year of the Ox will bring little prosperity for the Chinese people.

128. The Year of the Ox will bring little prosperity for the Chinese

     John Lee | 25 Jan 2009 | The Times

     Beijing's “authoritarian capitalist” model has gone as far as it can. Chaos, corruption and indecision have been ignored.

129. Double-edged sword in Obama’s use of technology

     John Lee | 20 Jan 2009 | Online Opinion

     The reliance on social networking technology will leave Obama vulnerable in 2012.

130. How China bought its graduates' loyalty

     John Lee | 08 Dec 2008 | The Guardian

     Attend a dinner party with a random sample of China’s 5 million university graduates each year and in many respects they... Read More

131. Why Obama must look to the Pacific before the Atlantic

     John Lee | 19 Nov 2008 | Opinion Asia

     It is significant that the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States was greeted most warmly by Europeans.... Read More

132. Beijing’s stimulus may not help its struggling consumption donkey

     John Lee | 15 Nov 2008 | International business time

     China likes to think big. It has the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and now a mind-boggling US$600 billion economic stimulus... Read More

133. Should Australia moderate between the US and China?

     John Lee | 13 Nov 2008 | Online Opinion

     Ever since the election of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, editorials in China’s state-sponsored media have been increasingly... Read More

134. Land reforms fall short for China farmers

     John Lee | 13 Nov 2008 | The Standard

     With America and Europe facing the likely prospect of deep recession, Asia is looking to China’s potentially huge consumer... Read More

135. Why China wants to win

     John Lee | 13 Nov 2008 | The New York Time

     Sending a man to the moon was once old news, but not anymore. A space race is occurring between Asia's giants - China, India,... Read More

136. Why McCain will be a better ally for Malaysia

     John Lee | 04 Nov 2008 | New straits Times

     The common wisdom is that a Barack Obama presidency will be better news for Malaysia and Southeast Asia than a John McCain... Read More

137. Why McCain will be a better ally for Malaysia

     John Lee | 03 Nov 2008 | New straits Times

     The common wisdom is that a Barack Obama presidency will be better news for Indonesia and Southeast Asia than a John McCain... Read More

138. Plight of Chinese peasants could worsen

     John Lee | 25 Oct 2008 | The Strait Times

     With the current financial crisis spreading throughout the world, most economists believe more than ever that global economic... Read More

139. Tainted Milk Is Part Of A Bigger Problem For Chinese Civil Society

     John Lee | 25 Sep 2008 | The Australian

     The tainted milk scandal in China – with four deaths and 54,000 children ill and rising – exposes a glaring contradiction... Read More

140. Out of whack with Asia

     John Lee | 18 Jun 2008 | The Straits Times

     Earlier this month, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd argued that Australia should learn lessons from the set-up of the... Read More

141. PAP replacing PLA as the Party’s army

     John Lee | 18 Jun 2008 | China Brief

     Following the crackdown of Tibetan protesters in March, President Hu Jintao issued a call for “greater security guarantees”... Read More

142. China’s complicit universities

     John Lee | 09 Jun 2008 | Campus Review

     It is true that intellectuals tend to give more weight to their role in society than is generally warranted. But it is also... Read More

143. Democracy’s slowboat to China getting slower

     John Lee | 01 Jun 2008 | The Gaurdian

     Around 320,000 Britons visited China in 2007. One of the world’s great cultures has finally embarked on a path towards... Read More

144. Reassessing China’s future beyond the Beijing Olympics

     John Lee | 01 Jun 2008 | AIIA Policy Commentary

     China has averaged double digit growth each year for over three decades and its economy has grown four times in size over... Read More

145. Why China’s loyal youth no longer want democracy

     John Lee | 31 May 2008 | The Weekend Australian

     In the last two decades, China’s economy has tripled in size. The numbers of young, relatively affluent people (15–25... Read More

146. Democracy for the few

     John Lee | 31 May 2008 | The Business Spectator

     China’s transformation from the backward, autocratic economy of just three decades ago is probably the most spectacular... Read More

147. ‘China’s unbalanced economy providing silver lining

     John Lee | 30 May 2008 | The Age

     Chinese leaders and economists have been saying for a decade that its economy is pulled by two strong horses and one weak... Read More

148. Democracy’s slowboat to China getting slower

     John Lee | 28 May 2008 | The Canberra Times

     Figures released suggest that in early 2009, there will be over 200 million Internet users in China which will be more than... Read More

149. Bachelors wreaking havoc in China

     John Lee | 28 May 2008 | The Courier Mail

     China’s leaders seem to be good at fixing big problems. They have transformed a backward economy into perhaps the most... Read More

150. A rotting core: the other side of China’s miracle

     John Lee | 12 Mar 2008 | The Sydney Morning Herald

     Ask many Chinese parents (like mine) anywhere in the world what they wanted their kids to be when they grow up and the chances... Read More

151. Tibetan monks fuelling Beijing's paranoia

     John Lee | 10 Mar 2008 | The Australian

     When the monks in Burma led protests against the military junta last September, China initially reacted by making the usual... Read More

152. What does China really want from the Pacific?

     John Lee | 05 Dec 2007 | Islands Business

     Why is China so interested in the Pacific? After all, despite the differences in size, population, wealth, and influence... Read More

153. Medicare becoming a luxury we cannot afford

     John Lee | 31 Oct 2007 | Unleashed Blog

     Medicare is becoming an anachronism. The ``free and universal'' taxpayer-funded health systems of the twentieth century were... Read More

154. Capital flows the wrong way in China

     John Lee | 25 Oct 2007 | The Australian Financial Review

     China has recently indicated that it intends to move away from an investment-driven growth strategy toward a consumption... Read More

155. The danger of pursuing ‘Harmony’ in Chinese foreign policy

     John Lee | 24 Oct 2007 | The Canberra Times

     The recently concluded five-yearly congress in Beijing reaffirmed two things. First, President Hu Jintao is unchallenged... Read More

156. China's syndrome of lawless growth

     John Lee | 20 Oct 2007 | The Australian

     One of the writers who best understood the phenomenon of totalitarianism in the 20th century, British historian Robert Conquest,... Read More

157. Will the China boom last? – don’t bet your house on it

     John Lee | 10 Oct 2007 | The West Australian

     Ask anyone in Western Australia whether China presents an economic risk or opportunity and there will be few takers for the... Read More

158. China: Death of the Dragon?

     John Lee | 14 Nov 2006 | The New Matilda

     In his final press conference as Chinese Premier in March 2003, Zhu Rongji confidently declared that, ‘all the tasks needed... Read More

159. Why Kevin Rudd’s ‘security community’ will annoy Asia

     John Lee | 30 Nov -0001 | National Business Review

     New Zealand places a lot of emphasis on multilateralism and a rules-based foreign policy. Last week, Australian Prime Minister... Read More