Larry Ong
Larry Ong is a senior analyst with SinoInsider, a New York-based risk consultancy that focuses on Chinese elite politics.
Behind the Timing of Didi Global’s $1.2-billion Fine
News analysis Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Global was hit with a $1.2 billion fine on July 21. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) accused the company of violating laws on cyberspace security, data security, and...
Xi Tightens Grip on China’s Police Force Ahead of 20th Party Congress
News analysis On June 24, the official website of China’s National People’s Congress listed Ministry of Public Security Party secretary Wang Xiaohong as public security minister. The next day, Wang, a key ally of General...
Xi Tightens Grip Over Chinese Propaganda Ahead of Key Conclaves
Key positions in the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda agencies underwent personnel reshuffles in recent weeks. Those reshuffles appear to be part of Xi Jinping’s effort to more firmly strengthen his control over the Party’s “pen”...
China Fights Uphill Battle to Rescue Its Economy While Keeping ‘Zero-COVID’
Since late May, state and Chinese Communist Party propaganda outlets have been noticeably promoting Beijing’s economic policies and the central government urging local officials to do economic work well alongside “dynamic zero-COVID.” The central government’s...
Xi vs. Li? Analyzing Political Rumors About a ‘Split’ Between China’s President and Premier
Xi Jinping’s dismal handling of COVID-19 outbreaks in Shanghai and other parts of China have put the nation’s leader in such serious trouble that even his closest colleagues no longer respect his authority, according to...
Communist Politics Are Bringing Disaster to China–And Xi Jinping
News analysis China is not doing well, and Xi Jinping is largely to blame. Draconian efforts to curb coronavirus outbreaks throughout China and highly restrictive policies aimed at propping up the real estate sector have...
‘Unified National Market’ Push Exposes Steep Challenge of Reforming China’s Economy
On April 10, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese government’s State Council released an opinion document on “accelerating the construction of a unified national market.” The opinion called for...
‘Zero-COVID’ Lockdown in Shanghai Compounds Xi’s Political Dilemma
News analysis Over the past two years, cities and entirely provinces in China implemented economically and socially destructive “zero-COVID” lockdowns and other control measures to squash the virus. Shanghai, however, stuck to a milder “precise...
China’s Reaction to Biden-Xi Call Exposes Its Fear of International Pressure Amid Russia-Ukraine War
News analysis At a glance, the March 18 video call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Ukraine and other matters was a non-event. Official meeting readouts showed that both sides...
3 Key Takeaways From China’s ‘Two Sessions’ Meetings This Year
News analysis Delegates of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) rubber-stamp legislature and political advisory body met in Beijing for the annual “Two Sessions” meetings in March. At the week-long meetings of the National People’s...
In Leaked Recording, Elite Chinese Scholar Laments Crippling Dysfunction of Communist Regime
News analysis In early February, a leaked audio recording featuring former Harvard–Yenching Institute scholar Huang Wansheng’s candid take on a range of sensitive topics at a private gathering in January started circulating on the internet. ...
CCP’s Beijing Winter Olympics Propaganda Fest Marred by Controversy
The Winter Olympics in Beijing, like the Summer Games in 2008, was intended to showcase to the world the supremacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and bolster its ruling legitimacy. To ensure success, the...