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.-
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- 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
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Friends (non-Transpacific)
Internet and Society
Japan
Me Elsewhere
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Tag Archives: China
Minxin Pei: Why economic reform is impossible with CCP rule
Minxin Pei, a political scientist known in part for his book China’s Trapped Transition, writes in the Financial Times that the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to maintain power are ultimately incompatible with economic reform. Pei writes: One may be tempted … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged CCP, China, Deng Xiaoping, Financial Times, Minxin Pei, reform
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Polluting in the new year!
First, of course, happy new year to all those greeting the year of the dragon this week. I, for one, am suitably stuffed. Second, via Angel Hsu, this image depicting what is most likely a huge cloud of noxious firecracker … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Angel Hsu, Beijing, China, Chinese New Year, data, Environment, holiday, Lunar New Year, PM2.5, pollution
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Sorting out a dubious report on China in Africa
Well, this doesn’t look good. American University Professor Deborah Brautigam has written a detailed criticism of a think tank commentary about Chinese agricultural investment in Mozambique, and if her conclusions are correct, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and its author … Continue reading
Huntsman and fear of China – ‘the new expat message’?
Noted, from ChinaSolved (emphasis mine): When Huntsman says, “America First” he means “and not China”. His message is that he’s seen what can happen if the global status quo doesn’t shift – and that this is scary to the US. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged China, China-U.S., ChinaSolved, expatriates, expats, Jon Huntsman, U.S. Election 2012
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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
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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
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
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
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Tagged Afghanistan, Amitai Etzioni, China, China's Rise, diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, Reuters, sovereignty
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