China’s Next Opportunity: Sustainable Economic Transition

By Anders Hove, Merisha Enoe, and Kate Gordon on October 1, 2015

China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, also known as Jing-Jin-Ji, presents a compelling opportunity to highlight the potential—and the challenges—in transitioning to a more sustainable economic growth model. The Chinese government has prioritized the regional economic integration of Jing-Jin-Ji—a rapidly developing economic cluster that accounts for roughly 10 percent of China’s annual GDP—to spur development. Jing-Jin-Ji’s Hebei province, home to some of China’s largest steel and iron manufacturers, and to some of the most polluted cities in the world, is a key focus of the Chinese government’s industrial efficiency improvements and air quality control. Given the region’s diverse economic mix, strong policy and regulatory environment, and central location in China, Jing-Jin-Ji has the potential to dramatically reduce emissions and set the tone for China’s transformation toward a more sustainable growth model. Changes already taking place in the region are just a microcosm of what will soon begin happening nationwide if on-the-ground implementation matches up to government aspirations. With this paper, we outline a vision for a sustainable economic transition in the Jing-Jin-Ji region, which we hope will ultimately inspire a similar transition across China.
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Topics: 
Economy
Energy
Keywords: 
Sustainability
Economic Growth
Energy
Beijing
Tianjin
Hebei
Organization: 
Paulson Institute

Less Snow in Tibet Means More Heatwaves in Europe

on September 30, 2015

Recent summer heatwaves in Europe and northeast Asia have caused massive water shortages and a large number of deaths. But the mechanism behind these extreme weather events is not fully understood.

Scientists at China’s Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology now say that decreasing snow cover in the Tibetan Plateau could be playing an important role.

The Future of Autonomy in Hong Kong

A ChinaFile Conversation

By David Schlesinger, Denise Y. Ho & more on September 30, 2015

Yesterday, the governing board of Hong Kong University, one of the territory’s most esteemed institutions of higher education, voted to reject the promotion of Johannes Chan, a former law school dean, over the objections of the faculty and students who recommended him for a top administrative post. Chan specializes in constitutional law and his law school colleague Benny Tai was a leader of last year’s pro-democracy demonstrations.

Anne Henochowicz

on September 30, 2015

Anne Henochowicz writes about human rights and freedom of speech in China. From 2011-2016 she was the Translations Editor at China Digital Times, to which she still contributes. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Cairo Review of Books, The Postcolonialist, and Foreign Policy. She is an alumna of the Penn Kemble Democracy Forum Fellowship at the National Endowment for Democracy. Before tracking Chinese social media, Anne studied Inner Mongolian folk music at the University of Cambridge and The Ohio State University.

China Says Arrests Two Japanese for Spying

By Linda Sieg and Kaori Kaneko on September 30, 2015

Japan's Asahi newspaper said one man was taken into custody in China's northeast province of Liaoning near the border with North Korea and the other in the eastern province of Zhejiang near a military facility.

History, Law, Military, Politics
China-Japan Relations, Chinese Communist Party, Sino-Japanese War, Xi Jinping, Shinzo Abe, Espionage