China Gloats as Europeans Rush to Join Asian Bank
Xinhua described the U.S. as “petulant and cynical” for declining to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Global Push Aims to Change China’s Mind on Bank Rules: U.S. Official
Lobby wants China to stop rules that would force tech vendors to Chinese banks to hand over source code.
Environment
03.19.15
World Coal Investments Increasingly Risky, Especially China’s
from chinadialogueThe investment case for coal-fired power is looking increasingly unconvincing, but more plants will need to be cancelled if the world is to avoid runaway climate change, a report published on Monday said.
The...
U.S. Urges Allies to Think Twice Before Joining China-led Bank
The move by U.S. allies to participate in Beijing's flagship economic outreach a diplomatic blow to Washington.
The Constant Adaptations of China’s Great Firewall
Firewall-hopping technologies see activist programmers and Chinese censors engaged in a cat-and-mouse game.
Defying U.S., European Allies Say They’ll Join China-Led Bank
Germany, France and Italy have agreed to join a new China-led Asian investment bank.
Books
03.16.15
The China Boom
Many thought China’s rise would fundamentally remake the global order. Yet, much like other developing nations, the Chinese state now finds itself entrenched in a status quo characterized by free trade and American domination. Through a cutting-edge historical, sociological, and political analysis, Ho-fung Hung exposes the competing interests and economic realities that temper the dream of Chinese supremacy—forces that are stymieing growth throughout the global South.
China to Reveal Detailed “Belt and Road” Roadmap
Hundreds of major infrastructure projects could spread into Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan.
India Should Play Bigger Role in South China Sea, Says Singapore
India’s involvement in the region could give Southeast Asian nations a further buffer against China.
Qiu He, top Yunnan Official, Ousted for Corrupt Land Deals
Qiu was the catalyst for a swath of controversial infrastructure projects, including a new international airport finished in 2012.
U.S. Students Losing Interest in China as Dream Jobs Prove Elusive
Waning interest worries those who view having Americans who speak Chinese as a matter of national interest.
China Carbon Emissions Decline as 2014 Global CO2 Stays Flat
New data from the International Energy Agency a sign that efforts to control pollution are gaining traction.
US Anger at Britain Joining Chinese-led Investment Bank AIIB
U.S. statement says of U.K. membership that it is ‘worried about a trend of constant accommodation’ of China.
Caixin Media
03.10.15
China’s Factories Are Building a Robot Nation
Every day, two quality-control supervisors monitor four robots tirelessly assembling remote-control devices for home appliances at a Midea Group factory in Foshan, in the southern province of Guangdong.
The robots recently replaced 14...
Henan Delegates Protest Inequality in University Admissions
Henan people say big cities are given preferential consideration for education funds and places in universities.
Foreign Non-Government Groups in China Fear Clampdown Under New Law
The draft law stops NGOs violating "Chinese society's moral customs."
China NPC 2015: The Reports
Downloadable versions of the reports on the Work of the Government (Premier Li Keqiang); the Plan for National Economic and Social Development (NDRC); the Budget Report (Ministry of Finance).
China 2015 Defense Budget to Grow 10.1 Pct, Lowest in 5 Years
Projected spending of $144.2 billion lowest in five years as country confronts economic slowdown.
China’s Premier Vows to Promote Film, TV Industries, “Core Socialist Values”
Li Keqiang pledging to promote entertainment industry as delegates renewed calls for film classification system.
China Lowers 2015 Economic Growth Target to Around 7 Percent
The growth target is lower than the 7.4-percent economic growth in 2014, its weakest annual expansion since 1990.
How China Uses J-Visas to Punish International Media for Critical Coverage
A new report finds Chinese authorities are "treating journalistic accreditation as a privilege rather than a professional right."
How China Fuels Myanmar’s Wars
No one should be investing in large-scale development projects in Myanmar’s war zones until durable peace agreements are established.
China’s Military Budget Increasing 10% for 2015, Official Says
Increase would put the budget around $145 billion, the world’s second-largest, though still far behind the United...
China Says Tech Firms Have Nothing to Fear From Anti-terror Law
Obama this week said China would have to change the draft law if it were "to do business with the United States".
Photo Gallery
03.03.15
Migrant Hair
This photo series of Chinese hairdressers was made in the spring of 2012, in the city center of Chengdu in Sichuan province. There, some 16 percent of the city’s...
China Orders Two Local Governments to Punish Polluting Steel Mills
That could pile pressure on mills already struggling with weak demand-growth as the world's No.2 economy loses momentum.
Chinese Babies Should be Trained to Play Football—President Xi
Beijing has approved the country's "football reform plan," and says being good at soccer is the "ardent wish of the whole nation."
China Drops Leading Technology Brands for State Purchases
U.S. brands Cisco, Apple, Intel, McAfee and Citrix Systems may be the first to suffer.
Traffic Peaks as Lunar New Year Holiday Ends
The last day of the holiday saw about 9.7 million train trips, 1.4 million by plane, and 73.6 million by highway.
Books
02.25.15
The Greening of Asia
One of Asia's best-respected writers on business and economy, Hong Kong-based author Mark L. Clifford provides a behind-the-scenes look at what companies in China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand are doing to build businesses that will lessen the environmental impact of Asia's extraordinary economic growth. Dirty air, foul water, and hellishly overcrowded cities are threatening to choke the region's impressive prosperity.
Sobering News Out of China, Part 4 Million
Chronicles of a country walling itself off.
China Is Creating a New Economic World Order Right Under the West’s Nose
From new “silk roads” to 40,000 miles of high-speed rail, China is poised to dominate the 21st century global economy.
Spooked by Yuan Drop: China’s Top 1%
Fears the megarich will take flight puts a floor under the currency’s slide against dollar.
Environment
02.23.15
Chinese Firms Must Act Decisively on Climate Change, Report Says
from chinadialogueChinese companies will need to cut direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of their operations by up to 2.7% a year if China is to stay on track with the level of action required to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius,...
Commodities Explained: China’s New Normal
China has been the most important factor in commodities demand in the past decade.
Viewpoint
02.20.15
Major China Apple Supplier Pays Workers Less Than Foxconn
Apple, the world’s most beloved maker of sleek mobile phones, powerful personal computers, and slim portable music players recently reported record profits—money a new report from the New York-based nongovernmental organization China Labor Watch...
Viewpoint
02.19.15
Beijing Touts ‘Cyber-Sovereignty’ In Internet Governance
It has been a difficult few weeks for global technology companies operating in China.
Chinese officials strengthened the Internet firewall by blocking...
The China Africa Project
02.19.15
Is Chinese Corporate Behavior Improving in Africa?
The list of grievances against Chinese companies operating in Africa is long and varied, from violations of labor...
Is India’s Economy Really Growing Faster Than China?
At 7.5%, India’s revised growth estimate for the fourth quarter of last year beat China’s 7.3%.
With Lunar New Year Show, Another Link to China for a New York Fireworks Family
The Central Academy of Fine Arts, China’s largest art academy, is involved in the celebrations this year.
Sinica Podcast
02.16.15
Business and F*cking in China
from Sinica Podcast
This week's show starts with us grilling James on "what you have to do to be part of Chinese business culture" and descends from there into stories of the sort of booze-and-ketamine-fuelled business deal-making that seems to consist of a large...
China’s Wealthy Parents Are Fed Up With State-Run Education
Forget rote memorization and pressure-packed tests—Western, alternative learning is the new rage.
Exclusive: U.S., China to Discuss Repatriation of Chinese Fugitives
The issue is a thorny one, as no extradition treaty exists between the U.S. and China.
China’s Xi to Make First State Visit to U.S. as Both Flag Problems
The two biggest economies are trying to ease tension over trade, human rights, and accusations of hacking and Internet theft.
It’s Time to Peak
World Wildlife
Without additional efforts, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will continue to increase by 3.7 – 4.8 °C, a level well beyond the 2 °C temperature rise limit widely agreed among scientists and governments across the world as a limit above...
Books
02.10.15
The People’s Republic of Chemicals
Maverick environmental writers William J. Kelly and Chip Jacobs follow up their acclaimed Smogtown with a provocative examination of China’s ecological calamity already imperiling a warming planet. Toxic smog most people figured was obsolete needlessly kills as many as died in the 9/11 attacks every day, while sometimes Grand Canyon-sized drifts of industrial particles aloft on the winds rain down ozone and waterway-poisoning mercury in America.
Large South China Sea Gas Field Discovered South of Hainan
The China National Offshore Oil Corp has identified over 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas at the Lingshui 17-2 gas field.
Qualcomm to Pay $975 Million to Resolve China Antitrust Dispute
Qualcomm said the agreement removes a major source of concern for its investor.
China Executes ‘Mafia-style’ Mining Tycoon Liu Han
Liu is believed to have had links to former security tsar Zhou Yongkang, who is currently being investigated.
Qualcomm Nears $1 Bln Deal Resolving China Antitrust Dispute
The deal could end a 14-month government investigation into anti-competitive practices.
In China, Heavy Industry Unexpectedly Falls Sharply
The full scope of China’s economic weakness is obscured by limited data, as the country prepares for a weeklong holiday beginning Feb. 18.
Alibaba To Pay $590 Mln For Stake In China’s Meizu As Smartphone Competition Intensifies
All eyes are on low-price Chinese upstart Xiaomi.
A Chinese Perspective on the BRICS in 2015
The BRICS group is not only an economic concept but increasingly it is also taking the form of a political entity.
Trade Groups Urge U.S. to Push Against Chinese Regulations
New policies that could hamper the ability of major technology multinationals to do business in China.
China Labor Strife Rises; Death of a Foreman
As the Lunar New Year homeward migration approaches, workers press for back-wages.
Is China Preparing for Currency War?
As China grapples with its slowest growth in 24 years, President Xi Jinping is under pressure to stimulate the economy.