China’s Alibaba Launches Crowdfunding-Like Service for Film Investment
on April 1, 2014
China's largest e-commerce company, Alibaba, launched a micro-finance service for movies.
Is the American Middle Class Losing Out to China and India?
on April 1, 2014
CUNY professor Branko Milanovic says the middle class in China and India experienced 60 to 70 percent income growth from 1998 to 2008, while middle class growth stalled in the United States.
Distribution of Metals in Soils From Uncultivated Land, Soils From Rice Fields and in Rice Grown in the Area of an Industrial Complex With Metal Smelting and Processing Facilities in Hunan Province, China
on April 1, 2014
Contamination of soil with a number of toxic metals, including cadmium and lead, is known to be an existing problem for many parts of Hunan province, China. High levels of these metals have also been reported for rice grown in many parts of the province. This study investigated metal concentrations in surface soils, waters, and rice crops in the vicinity of an industrial complex in Hunan province, within which are situated a number of non‐ferrous metal smelters and processing facilities.
Topics:
Organization:
Greenpeace
High Tech: The Next Wave of Chinese Investment in America
on April 1, 2014
In this report, we explore the advent of Chinese investment in U.S. high-tech sectors in order to provide an objective starting point for debate about this nascent trend. We use a unique dataset on Chinese FDI transactions in the United States to describe the patterns of Chinese FDI in U.S. high-tech sectors, elaborate on the firm-level drivers of those investments, and present an initial assessment of the impacts from a U.S. perspective. We then identify the most important impediments to two-way U.S.–China high-tech investment flows and present recommendations for policy makers and businesses on both sides to address these stumbling blocks. We believe that growing Chinese outbound high-tech investment is an important determinant of the path forward for U.S.–China relations in general. Successful Chinese investments will make Americans recognize the potential benefits of greater economic integration with China through two-way investment flows and remind Chinese leaders that openness and convergence with a market-based innovation approach is in China’s own interest. A negative U.S. response to growing Chinese investment will aggravate existing tensions and give encouragement to proponents of a more nationalistic and discriminatory approach to technology, triggering a backlash against foreign firms in China and risking a protectionist downward spiral.
Topics:
Organization:
Asia Society
China’s Huawei ‘Maintained Calm’ During NSA Hacking Reports
on March 31, 2014
CEO Eric Xu said the telecom giant's Shenzhen headquarters conducted "business as usual" after media reports that the U.S. National Security Agency had hacked company executives' communications.
Laszlo Montgomery
on March 31, 2014
Southern California-based Laszlo Montgomery is the creator and presenter of the China History Podcast. Montgomery began studying Mandarin and Chinese history in 1979 at the University of Illinois. For twenty-five years, he has worked for China consumer product manufacturers, helping them build market shares in the U.S. Part of his China career brought him to Hong Kong for nine years beginning in 1989. Usually the sole Westerner in the Chinese company, Montgomery learned early on the benefits and importance of building bridges and appreciating the good things about China and Chinese culture.
After receiving inspiration from the early pioneers of the history podcasting genre, Montgomery launched the China History Podcast in June 2010, about the same time as the first Sinica Podcast. From his home in Claremont, California, he produces a steady flow of podcast episodes that introduce topics from Chinese history covering the most ancient and mythical times to the present day.
Montgomery divides his time between writing and producing the China History Podcast from Claremont, California and advising Chinese companies in the U.S.
The World War One Chinese Labor Corps
on March 31, 2014
This week on Sinica, Kaiser Kuo and David Moser are delighted to host Mark O’Neill, author of The Chinese Labour Corps, for a discussion of the Chinese contribution to World War One.
Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou Talk Movies
on March 28, 2014
Ang Lee, the Oscar-winning American film director with Taiwan roots, and Zhang Yimou, the storied veteran of mainland Chinese moviemaking, joined together on March 27 at Cooper Union in New York in a discussion billed “Chinese Film, Chinese Confidence” by Zhang’s backer, LeVision Pictures.
Climate Change Darkens Life in China
Experts’ Leaked Report Shows Rising Threats to Water, Food, Health, Homes, Industries, and Ecosystems
on March 27, 2014
Asia faces a worsening water crisis, according to a leaked report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Water demand from rising populations and living standards, and poor management—in addition to climate change—will increase the scarcity of freshwater for large portions of Asia, says the summary of the IPCC Working Group II report, due to be published on March 31.
The Bloomberg Fallout: Where Does Journalism in China Go from Here?
A ChinaFile Conversation
on March 26, 2014
On Monday, March 24, a thirteen-year veteran of Bloomberg News, Ben Richardson, news editor at large for Asia, resigned.
