Until the early 1990s the standoff between Beijing and Taipei was in terms of which government, the exiles in Taipei or the usurpers in Beijing, was the "real" government of China. Taiwan subsequently modified its stance to admit that there was a "political entity" on the mainland which was the de facto government, but it never claimed that China was another nation. While president Lee Teng-hui made this claim in 1999, reiterated by Chen in 2002, it has never been formalized in law. (link)

The fundamental issue is which alliance will prevail in East Asia: the autocratic coalition led by China that seeks to drive the United States from the region or the democratic grouping led by the United States that seeks a stable balance of political and military power in which trade and economic development flourishes. (link)

It's time to think about cars from China. It won't be too many years before China offers cars for sale in the United States. So says Robert Lutz, vice-chairman of General Motors, in a story in The New York Times.(link)

The flip side of the 21st century is ours crew: 東亞病夫已成世界病夫: 面對中國千瘡百孔的現狀，中國人的反應是怎樣呢？還有點良心的會說有心無力，絕大多數會是無動於衷，甚或對情況也不清不楚，總之是繼續莫談國事，繼續熱烈參與有中國特色的社會主義或市場經濟，繼續燈紅酒綠卡拉OK ，繼續相信中國的問題都是由天災、西洋人或東洋人所造成，繼續等待每一個獲官方御准的排外機會、以發泄被奴役的苦悶和奪回中國失落的自尊，繼續相信中國最需要的還是監獄一樣的穩定，繼續相信中國文化優越無比、繼續以身為中國人為無上光榮、繼續相信中國不管有沒有能力治國但統治面積還是越大越好（譬如中國官民日夜揚言要解放台灣和釣魚台等），尤甚者，他們會繼續越來越相信廿一世紀是中國人的世紀。