By Nicholas Clement
May 17 – On Wednesday, China held negotiations with Japan regarding maritime issues in the East China Sea, with their territorial dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands on the top of the agenda. Currently involved in a naval standoff with the Philippines in the South China Sea and ongoing border disputes with India, it is increasingly clear that China’s relations with its neighbors are exemplified by geopolitical processes.
The territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands (which is currently controlled by Japan, yet also claimed by China and Taiwan) intensified last month when the governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, announced plans to buy the islands from a private owner, claiming that they were extremely important to Japan as a source of natural resources. The reaction from China was negative; with Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Weimin stating that “any unilateral action taken by Japan on the Diaoyu and nearby islands is illegal and invalid and cannot change the reality of China’s ownership.” Continue reading
May 10 – The South China Sea (SCS) continues to act as a regional flashpoint in the Asia Pacific, recently exemplified by the ongoing naval standoff between China and the Philippines. The current standoff began at the beginning of April when the Filipino navy intercepted Chinese fishing vessels in Scarborough Shoal, who they claimed were illegally operating inside of its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Before the fishermen were arrested, however, China sent vessels from its maritime surveillance unit who placed themselves between the Filipino navy and Chinese fishing vessels – thus starting the standoff. 
May 4 – Going from Hangzhou to Pune seems a long way, but it isn’t if you know a shortcut! Indeed, the point of departure for each is the corresponding country’s main commercial city: Shanghai or Mumbai. Numerous comparisons have been put forward comparing the latter two, and both cities are glittery, fantastic and have their own beat which sometimes doesn’t follow the same rhythm as the rest of the nation. Personally, I don’t think you can compare both cities. However, few comparisons have been made about the neighboring cities of Shanghai and Mumbai or, as we like to refer to them in business terms, “second-tier cities.” 
Apr. 26 – Gyaltsen Norbu, the individual that China’s central government has hand-selected as the 11th Panchen Lama, made his first official speech outside of Mainland China on Thursday.