About
Transpacifica is primarily written by me, Graham Webster. I'm an analyst, journalist, and consultant on East Asian politics and technology. Here, I write about East Asian politics mostly in China and Japan, the Internet and society, the environment, and contemporary art. Unavoidably, I sometimes veer off topic—even with a topic as large as the Pacific.
By day, I work at the EastWest Institute in New York City, but all opinions are my own and do not represent EWI or any of my other clients or employers.
Twitter: @gwbstr.
Website: gwbstr.com.-
Recent Posts
- Key U.S.–Japan meeting overshadowed by U.S.–China diplomacy
- ‘National interests’ and dealing with U.S.–China distrust
- A great paragraph: Wen Jiabao as prodding CCP rule
- Some notes on This American Life’s retraction episode #Apple #China
- The rise and fall of a migrant food cart in China, from Tricia Wang
Pages
Archives
Blogs by Academics
- 冷知识 Cool Knowledge – Hu Yong
- China Rhyming
- Elite Chinese Politics and Political Economy – Victor Shih
- 花崗齋雜記 Jottings from the Granite Studio
- Frog in a Well – The China History Group Blog
- Frog in a Well – The Japan History Group Blog
- Japan Focus
- RConversation
- The China Beat
- YouMeiTi 有媒体 – Tricia Wang
China
- 两元文化奇物 (biculturalfreak.net)
- China and the World – Ella Chou
- China Digital Times
- China Financial Markets – Michael Pettis
- China Law Blog
- China Media Project at HKU
- Dance to the Revolution – Ella Chou
- Danwei.org
- EastSouthWestNorth
- James Fallows
- Letters from China – Evan Osnos, The New Yorker
- See China
- Shanghaiist
- Sinocentric
- The China Game
- The China Reader – Lyle Morris
- The China Tracker – Forbes
- The China Vortex
- The Opposite End of China
- Wangjianshuo’s Blog
Environment
Friends (non-Transpacific)
Internet and Society
Japan
Me Elsewhere
License
This work by Transpacifica is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Export license granted for U.S. imaging tech in Chinese telescope
An extra-high resolution sensor built for the U.S. Naval Observatory is now part of a Chinese mission to put an observatory in Antarctica. The use of the U.S. technology, however, was uncertain. According to a South China Morning Post article (subscription required), … Continue reading
Hu Jintao says foreigners out to ‘westernize’ China
This from the AFP via the South China Morning Post (subscription only): “Hostile international powers are strengthening their efforts to Westernise and divide us,” Hu wrote in the article, noting “ideological and cultural fields” are their main targets. “We must … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged exceptionalism, Hu Jintao, soft power, westernization
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On the weaponization of information technology: a great paragraph
From Milton Mueller, amidst a controversial pair of blog posts on activism directed toward blocking the diffusion of information and communication technology that can be used for surveillance, a great paragraph: For the past five years, some of us have … Continue reading
Why talk of a U.S.–China ‘Cyber Cold War’ is nonsense
When anti-China rhetoric combines with computer security paranoia, we get outlandish statements and alarmism. In my first piece for Al Jazeera English, I argue that the idea of a “Cyber Cold War” is a hallucination: In January 2010, a Google … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Al Jazeera, China, China-U.S., cybersecurity, Work Published Elsewhere
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China cutting under-employed college majors: paranoid or good policy?
Laurie Burkitt for the WSJ reports the Chinese Ministry of Education has announced plans to phase out college majors that don’t get people employed. Emphasis mine: Yet the government’s decision to curb majors is facing resistance. Many university professors in China … Continue reading
Fukuyama’s evolution problem
I haven’t read Francis Fukuyama’s most recent book, but I like this point made by John Gray in a TNR review. THE NOTION THAT ONLY one type of government can in the future be legitimate is as far-fetched as the … Continue reading
China–Japan maritime arrests: to care or not to care?
After China’s stern reaction last year to the arrest of a Chinese sailor who rammed Japanese ships near islands disputed by the two countries, the world media has braced itself for another round of “tensions” following a new arrest. The … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged China-Japan, Gotō Islands, maritime, Media, Senkaku/Diaoyutai
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Ma Jun and the motivation boomerang: clever environmental advocacy
This evening I went to an event discussing human rights and the environment in China.* The big draw was Ma Jun, one of the most recognized names in Chinese environmental protection and the director of the Institute for Public & … Continue reading
Zhu Rongji’s diplomatic rants
Ella Chou has translated part of the recently published four-volume collection of materials on Zhu Rongji. Here’s a great rant, and go read some more. ZHU: (Reminded the Americans that China made concession even before April on the agricultural sector.) You … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Belgrade, China-U.S., diplomacy, Ella Chou, insurance, negotiation, Zhu Rongji
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China’s more ‘constructive’ and ‘outspoken’ role on Afghanistan
A report emerged today that China is taking a more active role in international discussions about the situation in Afghanistan. This minor diplomatic news is a case study in China’s role in the international community. Reuters reports that Chinese Deputy … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Afghanistan, Amitai Etzioni, China, China's Rise, diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, Reuters, sovereignty
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