Who’s up, down and out at China’s Congress?
China’s National People's Congress is largely a rubber stamp for policy but it is still closely watched for indications of who is on the rise or on the way out in Beijing.
American Unrest Proves China Got the Internet Right
Beijing has been criticized for its Great Firewall and online censorship. Now it's looking prescient.
China Is Playing Nice to the Very Media Outlets Trump Has Antagonized
U.S. president Donald J. Trump’s antagonism toward major media outlets has created an opportunity for China’s leaders to offer up a contrasting, seemingly more open style—however misleading that is.
China Property Sales Surge Despite Efforts to Cool Market
Property sales by area rose 25.1 percent year-on-year in January and February.
China’s Economy Gets Off to Strong Start in 2017 as Investment Rebounds
China issued a raft of upbeat data on Tuesday showing the economy got off to a strong start to 2017, supported by strong bank lending, a government infrastructure spree and a much-needed resurgence in private investment.
China’s Political Propaganda Gets a Digital Makeover
There are more such tactics being adopted this year.
After Dick Clark Productions Deal Fails to Close, What’s Next for Dalian Wanda?
Wang Jianlin has led a triumphal march through Hollywood.
Trump’s Top China Expert Isn’t a China Expert
Peter Navarro doesn't speak Chinese, and has scant in-country experience. Should that matter?
Books
03.13.17
The End of the Asian Century
Since Marco Polo, the West has waited for the “Asian Century.” Today, the world believes that Century has arrived. Yet from China’s slumping economy to war clouds over the South China Sea and from environmental devastation to demographic crisis, Asia’s future is increasingly uncertain. Historian and geopolitical expert Michael Auslin argues that far from being a cohesive powerhouse, Asia is a fractured region threatened by stagnation and instability.
Trump’s Trade ‘Hammer’ Aims to Pound China, Mexico and the WTO
Lighthizer has urged a harder-nosed approach to China, which accounts for more than half of America’s $500-billion trade deficit, and more trade complaints from the U.S.
After $225 Billion in Deals Last Year, China Reins In Overseas Investment
On Saturday, in the strongest public signal yet that Beijing is changing course, China’s commerce minister castigated what he called “blind and irrational investment.”
Sinica Podcast
03.10.17
Jane Perlez: Chinese Foreign Relations in a New Age of Uncertainty
from Sinica PodcastJane Perlez has been a reporter at The New York Times since 1981. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for coverage of the war against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She has reported on wars, diplomacy...
China in the World Podcast
03.09.17
What Would Closer U.S.-Russia Relations Mean for China?
from Carnegie ChinaThe Trump administration has spurred a debate in the United States on how to best manage the complex bilateral relationship with Russia. Paul Haenle sat down with Carnegie scholars Andrew Weiss, Paul Stronski, and Alexander Gabuev...
China Tried to Get the U.S. to Negotiate with North Korea—the U.S. Declined
The United States rebuffed a proposal from China to “apply the brakes” to an escalating standoff with North Korea, saying “positive action” was required before either country would engage with “irresponsible” leader Kim Jong Un.
China Expresses Concern at Revelations in Wikileaks Dump of Hacked CIA Data
China expressed concern on Thursday over revelations in a trove of data released by Wikileaks purporting to show that the CIA can hack all manner of devices, including those made by Chinese companies.
Lotte Stores Feel Chinese Wrath as South Korea Deploys U.S. Missile System
A wave of anti-South Korean sentiment has broken out across China after the South’s embrace of an American missile defense system that China says can be used to spy on its territory.
Conversation
03.09.17
Is THAAD the Start of a U.S.-China Arms Race?
In late February, U.S. President Donald Trump called for adding $54 billion to the U.S. military budget—an increase of roughly 10 percent. And in early March, despite outcry from Beijing, the United States began deploying the Terminal High-...
China Rails against U.S. for Human Rights Violations
China lashed out at the United States for its “terrible human rights problems” in a report on Thursday, adding to recent international criticism of Washington on issues ranging from violence inflicted on minorities to U.S. immigration policies....
Books
03.08.17
The Killing Wind
Over the course of 66 days in 1967, more than 4,000 “class enemies”—including young children and the elderly—were murdered in Daoxian, a county in China’s Hunan province. The killings spread to surrounding counties, resulting in a combined death toll of more than 9,000. Commonly known as the Daoxian massacre, the killings were one of many acts of so-called mass dictatorship and armed factional conflict that rocked China during the Cultural Revolution.
China Wants to Avert ‘Head-on Collision’ in the Koreas, but Will Trump Sign on?
China’s foreign minister has a plan to ease tensions in East Asia: North Korea should stop testing missiles, and the United States and South Korea should stop joint military exercises, he said Wednesday.
As Leaders Argue, South Korea Finds China Is No Longer an Easy Sell
Now, as the deployment of the system begins this week and China threatens to punish South Korea further, companies like Beyond Cosmetics have been bracing for worse.
Trump Trademarks Approved by China
China has given U.S. President Donald Trump the chance to expand his brand, after approving dozens of applications to register the Trump trademark.
Trump in the China Shop
The arrival of Donald Trump in the White House threatens a significant acceleration in the rivalry between the U.S. and China.
I Went to Jail for Handing out Feminist Stickers in China
The backlash is painful, but it coexists with progress as women activists manage—slowly—to bring about a change in attitudes
China Warns U.S., Korea of ‘Consequences’ for Missile System
China has said it will take unspecified measures against a U.S. missile system being deployed in S. Korea, and warned that Washington and Seoul will bear the consequences.
One of China’s Biggest Trade Partners Is Worried Beijing Will Turn to Its ‘Old Toolbox’ of Protectionism
China’s plan to advance its manufacturing capabilities is drawing criticism from one of its major trade partners.
China’s New Civil Code Light on Individual Rights Reforms
China’s Communist leaders will this week introduce sweeping new laws that codify social responsibilities for the country’s 1.4 billion citizens while also providing some modest new protections.
Cities and Data: China’s Weapons in the Battle for Clean Air
China is proud of the fact that its air quality readings have improved in recent years, if only slightly, with lingering smog in industrial areas.
North Korea Tests Four More Missiles—and China’s Patience
At 7:36 a.m. Monday, local time, North Korea launched four missiles that flew about 600 miles over land before splashing into the Sea of Japan.
Jostling Contenders for Party Elite Play It Safe at China Parliament
Avoiding controversial questions and sticking closely to the script, three leading candidates jostling for a spot on the Communist Party’s apex of power made rare public appearances on the sidelines of China’s annual meeting of parliament on...
Great Wall of China’s Troubled History Offers Lessons for Trump, Scholars Say
The president has described his border proposal as ‘the Great Wall of Trump,’ evoking what one expert sees as a calamitous and ill-conceived folly
China’s Modest Military Spending Hike Masks Bigger Goals
China’s announcement of the smallest percentage increase to its military budget since 2010—around 7% (to approximately $148 billion)—seems designed in part to project the image of being the sober, peaceful force in the Asia-Pacific sphere.
China’s Congress Meeting Brings Crackdown on Critics
Chinese authorities have shut down activist Ye Haiyan’s blogs and forced her to move from one city to another. Left with few options, she now produces socially conscious paintings to make a living and advocate for the rights of sex workers and...
The Dalai Lama Told John Oliver That China’s Leaders Are Not “Using the Human Brain Properly”
British comedian John Oliver recently flew to the north Indian town of Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama has lived in exile for more than five decades.
China Congress: BBC Team Forced to Sign Confession
The story reveals more about the exercise of power in China than any interview ever could. It is one that involves violence, intimidation and a forced confession—in which I found myself apologizing for “behavior causing a bad impact” and for...
Caixin Media
03.03.17
China’s Legislators Take on Zombie Companies, Real Estate
Curbing wasteful socialist-era business practices and taming unruly real estate and lending sectors will take center stage at the annual meeting of China’s legislature, which starts next week, with some also looking for signs of a...
China Drills Again Near Taiwan as Island Warns of Threat
Chinese jets and warships carried out exercises near Taiwan and into the Western Pacific on Thursday, as the self-ruled island's defense minister warned of a growing threat from its giant neighbor.
How Trump Could Find Common Ground with China, Thanks to the Islamic State
Since the election of Donald Trump, the relationship between Washington and Beijing has appeared strained. Despite diplomatic efforts to bridge the gap, China and the United States are at loggerheads over a variety of issues, including trade and...
Books
03.02.17
The Silver Way
Long before London and New York rose to international prominence, a trading route was discovered between Spanish America and China that ushered in a new era of globalization. The “Ruta de la Plata,” or “Silver Way,” catalyzed economic and cultural exchange, built the foundations for the first global currency, and led to the rise of the first “world city.” And yet, for all its importance, the Silver Way is too often neglected in conventional narratives on the birth of globalization.
‘All-out Offensive’ in Xinjiang Risks Worsening Grievances
China is in the midst of what it calls a “people's war on terror” in its far west. What sparked this latest campaign was a knife attack.
For China’s Factories, a Weaker Currency Is a Double-Edged Sword
For the past three years, China has allowed its currency, the renminbi, to weaken in value compared with the American dollar. Yet the renminbi’s slide has provided only a marginal benefit.
China Accuses Western Media of ‘Fake News’ about Human Rights
China has launched a Donald Trump-style attack on foreign media, branding claims that a leading human rights lawyer was tortured by government agents “fake news.”
Ordinary Citizens Are Hoping to Make a Difference at China’s Biggest Political Meet-Up
China’s “two sessions” kicks off this week, bringing together all of the movers and shakers from the top echelons of government for the nation’s two big annual political shindigs.
Viewpoint
03.01.17
Is the U.S.’s Withdrawal China’s Gain in Latin America?
Latin Americans can’t afford to wait four years to see when the United States will be willing to have an honest and reciprocal conversation about economic prosperity in the Western Hemisphere. Luckily for the U.S.’s southern...
ISIL Video Threatens China with ‘Rivers of Bloodshed’
ISIL fighters from China’s Uighur ethnic minority have vowed to return home and “shed blood like rivers” in what security experts said marked the first such threat against Chinese targets.
Trump’s Not Telling the Whole Story on Trade, China Claims
Beijing fired back Wednesday at President Trump’s claim that the U.S. has “lost 60,000 factories” since China joined the World Trade Organization, with a top diplomat suggesting the president told only part of the story.
Trump Promises More Coal and Steel Jobs. China Is cutting 500,000
As President Trump talked up his plans to help American coal and steel workers in his address to Congress, a top official thousands of miles away in Beijing was detailing China’s plans to cut half a million jobs in heavy industries this year.
The Army Gets Back in the Ship-Killing Business
Since1996, the Chinese military has steadily expanded its umbrella of land-based missiles, strike aircraft, and submarines designed to overwhelm both U.S. air bases and carrier strike groups.
As Atheist China Warms to the Vatican, Religious Persecution ‘Intensifies’
According to a new report from U.S.-based NGO Freedom House, persecution of Chinese Christians and other faith groups has “intensified” in recent years.
China Isn’t Displacing Traditional Aid Donors in Africa
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s decision to make Africa his first stop on a five-nation tour in early January highlights the importance China places on its relations with Africa.
Russia, China Block U.N. Sanctions on Syria over Gas Attacks
Russia on Tuesday cast its seventh veto to protect the Syrian government from United Nations Security Council action, blocking a bid by Western powers to impose sanctions over accusations of chemical weapons attacks during the six-year Syrian...
Conversation
02.28.17
Is The Trump Era Really The Xi Era?
On February 17, China’s Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping announced what he called the “two guidances.” Beijing should now “guide the international community to jointly build a more just and reasonably new world order,” Xi said in an important...
The China Africa Project
02.28.17
Is China a Partner or Predator in Africa (or Both)?
In this week’s episode of the China in Africa podcast, Matt Ferchen from the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing joins Eric and Cobus to discuss his new paper on the perception gaps that exist around the world...
China Reacts with Anger, Threats After South Korean Missile Defense Decision
Chinese state media have reacted with anger and boycott threats after the board of an affiliate of South Korea’s Lotte Group approved a land swap with the government that allows authorities to deploy a U.S. missile defense system
US-China Relations: Trump Meets Senior Official Yang Jiechi
A senior Chinese diplomat had a brief meeting with President Donald Trump while at the White House for talks with the president's advisers
‘The President Always Gets Something’: Spicer Suggests Trump Gained Concession from China
Before taking power Trump hinted he might reverse the US’s stance on Taiwan but later back-pedaled, prompting speculation he had capitulated to Beijing
China Capital Crackdown Threatens Wave of Overseas Buyouts
Delay in Wanda’s $1bn takeover of Golden Globes producer signals shift in Beijing
China Considers Baby Bonus for Couples to Have Second Child
The Chinese government may consider giving families financial incentives to have a second child in a bid to reach higher birth rate targets
New Gambia Government Says Committed to ‘One China’ Policy
Gambia’s new government has endorsed the “one China” policy and said it would not establish any official relations or contacts with Taiwan, continuing a policy adopted in March 2016 by the government of former leader Yahya Jammeh.