Frank Ching - The Japan Times

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Frank Ching

Frank Ching is a Hong Kong-based writer who has covered developments in China for several decades. He opened The Wall Street Journal’s Bureau in Beijing after the U.S. and China established diplomatic relations in 1979, becoming one of the first American reporters to be based in China since 1949.

For Frank Ching's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMENTARY / World

Sep 17, 2013

Beijing sees a victory as UNSC role gets a boost

China has every right to be pleased with the U.S.-Russia agreement on Syria, which has returned the United Nations to center stage.

COMMENTARY / Japan

Jul 25, 2013

Riding out the shifting political winds of Japan

LDP-Komeito dominance of the Upper House poll signals the return of political stability to Japan ? with a nationalistic flavor ? for the first time in seven years.

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 27, 2013

China wins in Snowden saga

The release of information about U.S. surveillance efforts worldwide has led to the depiction of Washington as a hypocrite for berating China over cyber espionage.

COMMENTARY / Japan

May 16, 2013

Ryukyu sovereignty question simmers in China

The aim of China's questioning Japanese sovereignty over the Ryukyu Islands probably is to weaken Japan's claim to the disputed Senkaku Islands, which China calls the Diaoyus.

COMMENTARY / World

May 4, 2013

An attitude that smacks of might makes right

With regard to other countries with maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea, China appears to have assumed the attitude that might makes right.

COMMENTARY / World

Mar 21, 2013

Grading the developing world's rising powers

The United Nations warns of the possibility of a halt or reversal of human development progress if action is not taken to protect the environment.

COMMENTARY / Japan

Feb 22, 2013

Abe shows a flair for pragmatism and survival

China is walking a fence. It blames the U.S. for North Korea's ambitions, yet works to avoid being seen as the enabler of the North's nuclear program.

COMMENTARY / Japan

Jan 28, 2013

Anti-Japan propaganda has handcuffed Beijing

There is little doubt that rising nationalistic sentiments in China and Japan are being driven by Beijing.

COMMENTARY

Dec 26, 2012

Abe's ascent provides China with a chance to improve ties

Shinzo Abe, widely viewed as a rightwing nationalist, assumes office Wednesday as prime minister of Japan, the seventh time the country's leadership has changed hands in six years and his second turn at the helm since 2007.

COMMENTARY

Nov 29, 2012

China should reconsider the land-grabber look

The installation of a new generation of leaders in China, albeit still incomplete, provides an opportunity for change in the Sino-American relationship, now that U.S. President Barack Obama has been re-elected.

COMMENTARY

Sep 20, 2012

Give Deng's proposal to share Senkaku resources a chance

"Our generation is not wise enough to find common language on this question," Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping said in 1978 about his country's territorial dispute with Japan. "Our next generation will certainly be wiser. They will certainly find a solution acceptable to all."

COMMENTARY

Sep 6, 2012

Nationalists making waves in Japan-China ties

Forty years ago this month, Japan and China established diplomatic relations. However, the two countries are clearly in no mood to celebrate because of a heated territorial dispute over tiny uninhabited islands called the Senkakus by Japan and the Diaoyus by China. They are under Japanese control but claimed by Beijing.

COMMENTARY

Aug 24, 2012

China seems loath to wait for Romney to learn

During the American presidential campaign of 2008, China was virtually a nonissue. During the televised debates between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, China was barely mentioned.

COMMENTARY

Aug 14, 2012

China betting on wrong side in Syrian conflict

On the weekend before last, the United Nations General Assembly voted, 133 to 12, for a resolution that condemned the violence in Syria and called for a "political transition that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people."

COMMENTARY

Jul 28, 2012

China deepening aid and trade ties with Africa

Having overtaken the United States as Africa's biggest trading partner two years ago, China is continuing to cement its relationship with the continent, with President Hu Jintao pledging $20 billion in loans over the next three years at a meeting in Beijing attended by leaders from 50 African countries.

COMMENTARY

Jun 18, 2012

Beijing censors target leads to collective action

When Barack Obama visited China in 2009, the American leader made it a point to publicly declare himself "a big supporter of noncensorship" and said criticism made him a better president.

COMMENTARY

Jun 4, 2012

Persecution goes on against Chen's kith and kin

Beijing has scored points in its handling of the case of Chen Guangcheng, first by agreeing to guarantee his safety by relocating him and his family to another city where he can study law and then, after the blind activist changed his mind and decided to go abroad, by publicly saying that he has the right of any "regular citizen" to travel and issuing him a passport.

COMMENTARY

May 17, 2012

Beijing tightens the screws on foreign journalists

In 2001, when it made a successful bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing promised there would be complete freedom for the foreign media to report in China. While this did not occur, more liberal rules were introduced, such as not requiring official permission before conducting interviews.

COMMENTARY

Apr 20, 2012

How Beijing demonstrates a lesson in harmony

From the outside it seems as though China's leadership is facing its biggest crisis in a generation with the country's most prominent political star, Bo Xilai, the czar of Chongqing, suddenly dismissed from all of his posts while his wife and a household assistant stand accused of the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

COMMENTARY

Mar 19, 2012

Chief executive falls on Hong Kong's reputation

Chief Executive Donald Tsang, chastened by the disclosure that he had accepted favors from Hong Kong and mainland tycoons, was on the verge of tears when he appeared March 1 before the Legislative Council and pleaded: "No matter whether you still trust me or not, don't lose faith in Hong Kong's institutions."

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

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