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Articles on Deng Xiaoping

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The official line in China is that the Tiananmen ‘incident’ was necessary for stability. This whitewashing of history has largely been accepted by many in China as the truth. How Hwee Young/EPA

Thirty years on, China is still trying to whitewash the Tiananmen crackdown from its history

The Chinese government tightly controls all mention of the 1989 pro-democracy protests, but in recent days, it’s been very open with its justifications for the brutal crackdown.
Chinese stamps commemorating Deng Xiaoping, a leader widely regarded to have modernised the country and made it a formidable economic power, 1998. Shutterstock

World politics explainer: Deng Xiaoping’s rise to power

China is one of the world’s largest economies, and Deng Xiaoping was arguably the man who made that happen through his visions of economic reform.
A 1792 painting by artist James Gillray portrays the Macartney Embassy mission to China, when the British ambassador was rebuffed by the emperor after offering western goods. There are parallels in Chinese history to Donald Trump’s isolationism. British Museum/1868,0808.6228

Lessons in Chinese history as America shuts off from the world

China turned inward during the Industrial Revolution after being a economic powerhouse for thousands of years. There are lessons about the dangers of Donald Trump’s isolationism in Chinese history.
Demonstrators protest against Beijing’s interference over local politics and the rule of law. Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Can the fruits of democracy survive in Hong Kong?

In recent months, the flimsy foundations of Hong Kong’s autonomy have been exposed by a series of dramas.
Presidents Obama and Castro instigated rumors of a thaw when they shook hands for the first time at the memorial for Nelson Mandela in December last year. Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

History lessons from China for future relations with Cuba

This past December, Presidents Barack Obama and Raoúl Castro ended over fifty years of economic and political isolation between the US and Cuba with their shock announcement that they intend to re-establish…
HK protests. Stringer China/Reuters

Is Hong Kong China’s future?

The media spotlight has shifted away from Hong Kong and toward President Obama’s visit to Beijing, but students and activists remain in Admiralty and Mong Kok, and their demands for political change have…

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