For Benjamin Kang Lim's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
A generation ago, from mid-1995 into early 1996, China lobbed missiles in the waters around Taiwan as the self-governing island prepared to hold its first fully democratic presidential election. Washington forcefully intervened to support its ally, sending two aircraft carrier battle groups to patrol ...
China's powerful military is considered to be a master at concealing its intentions. But there is no secret about how it plans to destroy American aircraft carriers if rivalry becomes war. At November's biennial air show in the southern city of Zhuhai, the biggest state-owned ...
In 1938, in the midst of a long campaign to bring China under Communist Party rule, revolutionary leader Mao Zedong wrote: "Whoever has an army has power." Xi Jinping, Mao's latest successor, has taken that dictum to heart. He has donned camouflage fatigues, installed himself as ...
China is expected to announce a reshuffle of its top diplomats at an annual meeting of parliament in March, aiming to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump's growing suspicion of Beijing, several sources familiar with the plan said. The sources, including foreign diplomats, told Reuters ...
A recent scene at a dusty Inner Mongolia military base provided evidence of Chinese President Xi Jinping's consolidation of political power even as he faces pushback in his ruling Communist Party ahead of a critical gathering next month. Dressed in army fatigues on July 30, ...
China's sweeping overhaul of its anti-corruption architecture could enable President Xi Jinping to justify retaining his key ally and top graft buster Wang Qishan beyond retirement age, sources with ties to the leadership say. Breaking the unwritten retirement rule could also set a precedent for ...
China's military has become alarmed by what it sees as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's support of Taiwan and is considering strong measures to prevent the island from moving toward independence, sources with ties to senior military officers said. Three sources said one possibility being considered ...
Whether President-elect Donald Trump goes through with a deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea will be a key indicator to how political ties unfold with China, sources with ties to the leadership in Beijing said. Beijing also kept a close eye on ...
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will travel to China this month on a visit that could redraw alliances in East Asia after his incendiary comments about the United States and active courting of Washington's chief rivals. The friendly relationship between the Philippines and the United States ...
One year before a Communist Party conclave that could decide who will eventually replace him as China's next leader, President Xi Jinping is maneuvering to reduce the power of a rival political bloc while seeking to get members of his own faction onto the ...
