The Globalist

The centenary of the Chinese Communist Party makes this a good time to consider some Chinese “might have beens” and their relevance today.

The current protests show that Hong Kongers aren’t just interested in money, and mainland elites worry that Hong Kong won’t remain a separate territory where they can safely store their money.

The relentless horse trading among Malay politicians has not only undone the result of the 2018 election, but seemingly put an end to a genuinely multi-ethnic coalition.

Beyond the constant strife with the U.S., China’s assertion of global powers runs into increasing resistance even by normally acquiescent Asian nations.

The once reformist President Joko Widodo, now in his second term, gets swallowed up by the bureaucracy and overall Indonesian politics.

Trade brought prosperity to many of the trading sultanates which lined the coast of the archipelago and peninsula.

China’s rise, the spread of Islam and the arrival of Europeans had a profound effect on the region.

Chinese Buddhists traveled to Sumatra to improve their learning before proceeding to India and Sri Lanka.

Religion is proving an increasingly divisive factor in the politics of Asian nations.

The Silk Road’s historical importance has been vastly exaggerated. It was the sea that was the most important link between east and west.