Political Risk

Hu Jintao replaced Jiang Zemin as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in November 2002, and as President of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in March 2003.... 2004-09-15

Tibet remains the focus of international protest over poor human rights, and continues to overshadow the progress that China has made over the last twenty-five years in developing... 2004-09-15

China and North Korea both share a close revolutionary history, dating back to when they fought together against the Americans during the Korean war. It is this that explains why... 2004-09-15

Fifteen years after the Tiananmen Square Massacre, political reform still remains off the agenda in China. BMI View: The political elite do seem to recognise that the current inflexible... 2004-06-15

North Korea appears ready to make further concessions to South Korea after agreeing recently to reduce military tensions. BMI View: In truth, the odds on another swift move towards... 2004-06-14

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has recently completed a high profile 11-day visit to the EU. BMI View: The purpose of the trip was to persuade European governments to lift their arms... 2004-05-18

Chen Shui-bian has been re-elected president by just 30,000 votes in highly controversial elections. BMI View: Opinion polls before the election suggested Chen was likely to lose.... 2004-03-25

China's northeastern rustbelt, home to some of the most violent outbreaks of unrest in recent years, is now attracting the attention of the government. BMI View: Reform efforts so... 2004-03-19

Presidential elections, due to be held in Taiwan on March 20, are expected to be very close. BMI View: The incumbent, President Chen Shui-bian, has been setting the agenda so far,... 2004-02-23

The Chinese government has unveiled plans to significantly boost spending on the country's poor rural areas. BMI View: The increase in funding is designed to reduce social discontent... 2004-02-23