China Up Close: News & Insights - Nikkei Asia

    China Up Close

    China Up Close consists of reporting on President Xi Jinping's aims and happenings in his administration. 

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    15 October 2026
    Chinese President Xi Jinping and Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Shengmin, bottom right, pose with newly promoted generals. Xi's furious military purges might have given him a command structure of senior officers inclined to show loyalty to the Communist Party and to Xi himself. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Xinhua/AP)
    Former Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya meets with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Sept. 28. Did Iwaya receive a message meant for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi? (Nikkei montage/Source photo by CCTV/Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: A thaw in Japan-China ties at APEC remains elusive

    Chinese foreign minister's message leaves many wondering how to interpret it

    8 October 2026
    It is unclear whether Donald Trump realized Xi Jinping had set a diplomatic trap in a prepared statement that the U.S. president read during a China-U.S. summit last week. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Donald Trump steps into Xi Jinping's Taiwan trap

    US president's WWII allies remark gives historical legitimacy to today's China

    1 October 2026
    Tensions between Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping linger, with Xi wanting to leverage a strong partnership with New Delhi against the U.S., and Modi wary of just that. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Trump factor limits diplomatic outcome of Xi's outreach to Modi

    New Delhi fears annoying Washington if it is seen cozying up to Beijing

    17 September 2026
    Xi Jinping is unlikely to leave as China's supreme leader anytime soon, which means his eventual successor won't be a politician now in their 60s but someone like Zhu Zhongming, the 54-year-old acting mayor of Shanghai. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Kyodo and Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Shanghai may be cradling Xi Jinping's successor

    Mayor-to-be Zhu Zhongming, 54, seen surging past his older rivals

    10 September 2026
    The recent purges of Zhong Shaojun, Xi Jinping's "spy" within the military, and Gen. Zhang Youxia, pictured, are the latest examples of Xi's determination to take full control of the PLA ahead of the Communist Party's national congress in 2027. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Xi Jinping purges his 'spy' in the military

    Zhong Shaojun was ousted along with top uniformed officer Zhang Youxia

    3 September 2026
    The Hubei Daily on Aug. 17 spoke to "a small group of people," telling them, "The idea of trying to develop behind closed doors is destined to lead nowhere." The hubbub in political circles is that "small group" refers to figures backing Xi Jinping's current policies. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yuki Kohara and Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Hubei issues a challenge to Xi Jinping's economic policies

    Inland province's prominent leader seen linked to newspaper's Deng-like reform call

    27 August 2026
    Zhu Rongji's story provides plenty of food for thought regarding the future of Chinese politics as Xi Jinping prepares to seek re-election for a fourth five-year term as party chief. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: How Zhu Rongji changed China's political history

    Reform-minded former premier declined offer to take helm in early 1990s

    20 August 2026
    Xi Jinping and Cai Qi. Cai was recently seen in the seaside resort of Beidaihe, suggesting that preparations are underway in Hebei province for a conclave between Chinese Communist Party leaders and elders. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Kyodo)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Xi Jinping shows signs of worry ahead of Beidaihe meeting

    Intraparty coordination begins to prepare for supreme leader's US visit in September

    6 August 2026
    The latest flashpoint in Japan's and China's deteriorating relations is Japan's southernmost island of Okinotori, near which Chinese naval vessels recently held machine-gun firing drills. China denies Okinotori is an island. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Kyodo and Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Why China denied its foreign minister had chat with Japan's

    China's live-fire drills in Japan's EEZ show bilateral freeze won't thaw anytime soon

    30 July 2026
    The scandal swirling around Ma Xingrui is a serious blow for the Xi administration, which now has to step carefully to avoid bearing the brunt of public anger. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Xi Jinping moves to bury a scandal that reaches his inner circle

    Politburo member purged ahead of APEC summit in Xi family stronghold of Shenzhen

    23 July 2026
    Xi Jinping had an ulterior motive in launching an SLBM over the Pacific Ocean on July 6 -- to see if Donald Trump might acquiesce to a suggestion that Barack Obama long ago snubbed. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and PLA Navy's WeChat account)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Xi Jinping tests Trump's limits with Pacific SLBM firing

    Route sent a message to the Philippines while avoiding South Korea fallout

    16 July 2026
    Lam Wing-kee was once detained by Chinese authorities as part of a broad policy to ensure the political security of Xi Jinping's administration. His death came a day after a law took effect in China that threatens free speech around the world. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Bookseller died 'in line of duty' resisting Xi Jinping's rule

    Exiled free speech advocate's death comes as China stretches extraterritorial reach

    9 July 2026
    In a matter of months, the Xi Jinping administration's retaliatory measures against Japan's prime minister have eroded decades of goodwill between Japan and the Chinese port city of Dalian. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: China detentions cast shadow over Japan's legacy in Dalian

    Economic retaliation ices a relationship that not even Tiananmen could chill

    2 July 2026
    While Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi play to their domestic audiences, their nations are losing the kind of diplomatic go-betweens that throughout history have been useful in healing rifts. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Ken Suzuki)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: China's pressure revives ancient Japanese sense of crisis

    Nearly 14 centuries after the Battle of Baekgang, strained ties lead neighbors into an abyss

    25 June 2026
    Cai Qi and Xi Jinping are sending signals about how long the current generation of Chinese leaders intends to stay in power. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: 73-year-old Xi Jinping resists generational shift

    Septuagenarian right-hand man's new role sparks speculation

    18 June 2026
    Did Xi Jinping on June 8 make a deal with Kim Jong Un that will eventually give China shipping access to the Sea of Japan via North Korea and the Tumen River? (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Xinhua/Kyodo)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Kim Jong Un emerges as winner in summit with Xi Jinping

    North Korean leader's diplomatic balancing act results in no mention of denuclearization

    11 June 2026
    Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, left, who spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum on May 31, rejected charges by the government of Chinese President Xi Jinping that Japan is pursuing a "new militarism." (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Why China's defense minister skipped the Shangri-La Dialogue

    Beijing slams Japan but misses the chance to explain defense policy

    4 June 2026
    Sanae Takaichi tries to reconnect with Xi Jinping by paying her condolences to families who lost loved ones in China's worst mining disaster in 17 years. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yusuke Hinata and Yuji Murakami)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: China AI ignores Takaichi's condolences over coal mine blast

    Xi's outburst to Trump about Japan's 'remilitarization' under Takaichi gets hushed

    28 May 2026
    Xi Jinping mentioned the Thucydides Trap to Donald Trump as the two presidents navigate a relationship marked by a shifting power dynamic. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: US leaves no paper trail of Xi-Trump exchanges on Taiwan

    China's 'impression' and US leader's rhetoric reflect fragile bilateral stability

    21 May 2026
    Donald Trump has returned to China for the first time since 2017, when he complimented Xi Jinping as the "king" of China. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Extending temporary truce could benefit Xi and Trump

    The two leaders will try to bring their worlds together at the Temple of Heaven

    14 May 2026
    Xi Jinping needs a victory heading into the next Chinese Communist Party congress, in 2027, and a handshake with Sanae Takaichi just might give it to him. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Suzuki, Reuters and Getty Images)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: How the Shenzhen APEC summit might reshape Japan-China ties

    A simple handshake could give Xi Jinping a 'complete success' ahead of party congress

    30 April 2026
    Xi Jinping finds himself in a dilemma. He cannot directly criticize Donald Trump for putting China's crude oil imports at risk without jeopardizing a summit he dearly covets. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: US blockade of Hormuz casts shadow over Trump's China visit

    As pressures mount on Chinese economy's choke point, Xi poised for counteroffensive

    23 April 2026
    Xi Jinping's meeting with Taiwanese opposition party leader Cheng Li-wun on April 10 in Beijing allowed the Chinese president to project a conciliatory mood toward some factions in Taiwan, particularly the KMT. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Xinhua/AP)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Military purges prompted Xi Jinping to meet Taiwan KMT leader

    Warm welcome for Cheng Li-wun demonstrates Beijing's hope for 'peaceful unification'

    16 April 2026
    Party elder Wen Jiabao makes a statement by appearing in public in Beijing, and Xi Jinping sends his own message by shrugging away the stunt. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: What Wen Jiabao's rare public appearance reveals

    Xi Jinping tolerates former premier's stunt as an olive branch to party elders

    9 April 2026
    Despite war engulfing the Middle East, Xi Jinping remains focused on his military and how loyal it is to him. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images) 
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Why has Iran not disrupted Xi Jinping's focus on his military?

    A 1930s leftist who studied medicine in Japan explains Xi's 2020s obsession with loyalty

    2 April 2026
    Last week in Washington, Donald Trump urged Sanae Takaichi to state her stance on China. Her words were something Xi Jinping did not want Chinese media to report. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Yusuke Hinata and Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Xi Jinping finds himself in a Japan-US dilemma

    The Chinese leader wants to attack Sanae Takaichi but not Donald Trump

    26 March 2026
    Xi Jinping still has high expectations for Donald Trump to pay him a visit, but everything depends on the Iran war. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Trump's delay of China visit derails Xi's 2026 diplomacy

    Trip could be scrapped as US president deals with repercussions of his Iran decision

    19 March 2026
    Xi Jinping appears content to step gingerly now that Donald Trump has brought war to the Middle East. (Photos by Reuters and Tomoki Mera)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Xi torn between long ties with Khameneis and US relations

    Peking duck dinner in 1989 helped build China's military relationship with Iran

    12 March 2026
    With the killing of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the U.S. may have severed an energy lifeline that Xi Jinping could have relied on after the next several moves on the geopolitical chessboard. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Getty Images and Reuters)
    China Up Close

    Analysis: Why Xi can't say no to Trump visit despite the Iran strikes

    Economic and political woes at home limit China's criticism of the US

    5 March 2026