China’s Power in the Middle East Is Rising
By Jonathan Fulton via Washington Post
August 9, 2018
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, his second Middle East trip after visiting Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt in January 2016. The most significant outcome was the elevation of the bilateral relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the highest level in China’s hierarchy of diplomatic relations. The visit indicates recognition in Beijing of the UAE’s role as a major actor in Middle Eastern affairs as well as the role it is expected to play in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Middle East, Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese Foreign Policy, Diplomacy
Huge Increase in Chinese Aid Pledged to Pacific
By Kate Lyons via Guardian
August 9, 2018
Australia has traditionally been the most significant donor to the Pacific, but in 2017 China committed to spending more than four times as much as Australia, data from the Lowy Institute thinktank published today shows.
Chinese Investment, Foreign Investment, Foreign Direct Investment, Chinese Foreign Policy
China Has an Online Lending Crisis and People Are Furious about It
By Matt Rivers and Jethro Mullen via CNN
August 9, 2018
The outcry shines a light on a murky corner of China's financial industry that authorities allowed to grow rapidly with little oversight. Promises of double-digit returns attracted people looking for more lucrative places to put their money than conventional banks.
P2P, Financial Crisis, Protests, Banking
Walmart and JD.Com Invest $500 Million in a Chinese Online Delivery Company
By Saheli Roy Choudhury via CNBC
August 9, 2018
Dada-JD Daojia was formed from the merger of JD Daojia, which is JD.com's online-to-offline business, and Dada Nexus, a large crowd-sourcing delivery platform in China with operations in more than 400 major cities.
Investment, Innovation, Food, Walmart
Where China’s Top Leaders Go in Summer and in Secret: A Brief History of Beidaihe
By Choi Chi-yuk via South China Morning Post
August 9, 2018
When state radio reported on Wednesday that Premier Li Keqiang met United Nations General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa in Beidaihe, it was the clearest confirmation that the annual summer gathering of China’s most influential politicians was taking place at the northern Chinese seaside resort.
Mao Zedong, Party Leadership, Chinese Leadership, Beidaihe
China‘s July Factory Inflation Slows but Consumer Prices Accelerate
CNBC
August 9, 2018
The July inflation data is the first official reading on the impact on prices from China‘s retaliatory tariffs on $34 billion of U.S. goods that went into effect on July 6 and apply to a range of products from soybeans, to mixed nuts and whiskey.
Inflation, Trade, Chinese Economy, Economic Development
China Tightens Grip on Foreign University Ventures
By Emily Feng via Financial Times
August 8, 2018
The directive, which took effect last year but whose existence is being revealed for the first time by the Financial Times, mandates foreign education institutions to include a clause that supports the establishment of a party organisation in any application to set up a joint-venture university, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Chinese Communist Party, College/University, Government Policy, Chinese Influence, Ideology
A Demonstration of Power: China Derails Protests before They Even Begin
By Nathan VanderKlippe via Globe and Mail
August 8, 2018
It was after midnight and the slow train from Chengdu was nearing the end of its 30-hour journey when Ms. Yang decided to make a run for it. She was headed to Beijing to join a protest, but it was becoming clear that the authorities were closing in. Early in the trip, relatives called to say police had come looking for her. Then, a railway worker arrived at her sleeper car bunk, saying he had been instructed to locate her.
Protests, Government Policy, Military Crackdown, Military, Police, Secret Police
China Stamps Hint at Relaxation of Two-Child Policy with Large Piglet Family
By Foreign Staff via Telegraph
August 8, 2018
Commentators noted that the scrapping of the decades-old one child policy in 2015, in favour of a two-child policy, was preceded by the release of a stamp for 2016, the Year of the Monkey, featuring two baby monkeys.
Birth Rate, Population, Aging Population, Government Policy
China Ignores Trump Threat on Iran, Says Business There Will Continue
By David Reid via CNBC
August 8, 2018
U.S. sanctions against Iran came into effect Tuesday and President Donald Trump has warned that countries who trade with Tehran will not be able to do business with the U.S. Trump also said he will expand the punitive measures in the coming weeks to include tougher ones related to oil production.
China-Iran Relations, Iran, Economic Sanctions, Nuclear Issues
China Has Outspent the US by $24 Billion in 5G Technology since 2015, Study Shows
By Arjun Kharpal via CNBC
August 7, 2018
China has in recent years outspent the U.S. by $24 billion in the area of next-generation mobile internet technology known as 5G, potentially creating a "tsunami" that will be difficult to catch up with, according to a Deloitte study published Tuesday.
Innovation, Technology, Chinese Investment, Investment
How Taming the Mekong Could Give China Unprecedented Power
By Jason Koutsoukis via Bloomberg
August 7, 2018
The deadly collapse of one of the dozen or so dams dotted along the Mekong River and its tributaries has highlighted the rapid development of a waterway that is increasingly important strategically for China and its neighbors.
Development, Dams, Construction, Chinese Influence, Strategic Planning
China’s Gas Tariffs Are a Permian-Size Problem for Oil
By Liam Denning via Bloomberg
August 7, 2018
The latest bit of America’s energy sector to feel the over-the-shoulder lash is the liquefied natural gas-export business. On Friday, LNG joined the list of goods that China will hit with tariffs in retaliation for U.S. ones. This is problematic when you consider China has taken 13 percent of U.S. LNG exports (and more like a quarter last winter), according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Oil, Natural Gas, Trade, Tariffs, Imports and Exports
Chinese Audiences Will Not See Disney’s New Movie Starring Notorious Outlaw Winnie the Pooh
By Marissa Martinelli via Slate
August 7, 2018
Christopher Robin, which is already in theaters in the U.S., is the second Disney movie to be rejected in China this year, following A Wrinkle in Time. Another source told THR that Christopher Robin was not necessarily snubbed because it stars Winnie the Pooh, and that the decision “likely has to do with the size and scope of the film given the foreign film quota.”
Censorship, Film, Film Industry, Xi Jinping, Arts
‘We’re a People Destroyed’: Why Uighur Muslims across China Are Living in Fear
By Gene A. Bunin via Guardian
August 7, 2018
Gene A Bunin has spent the past 18 months talking to Uighur restaurant workers all over China. These conversations reveal how this Muslim minority feel the daily threat of arrest, detention and ‘re-education’
Xinjiang, Uighur, Human Rights, Human Rights Abuses
China Claims to Have Successfully Tested Its First Hypersonic Aircraft
By Jessie Yeung via CNN
August 7, 2018
The China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA), based in Beijing and part of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, conducted the first test of the "Starry Sky-2" aircraft last Friday.
Military, Air Space, Defense
Ai Weiwei Responds To Chinese Authorities Destroying His Beijing Studio
By Shannon Von Sant via NPR
August 6, 2018
In Beijing, the AFP reports that authorities have slated the neighborhood surrounding Ai's studio for redevelopment. According to the AP, Beijing has destroyed "large swaths of the suburbs over the past year in a building safety campaign."
Ai Weiwei, Demolition, Beijing, Art, Dissidents and Activists, Activism
China's Yuan, Shares Fall as Trade Row Overshadows Policy Shift
By Moxy Ying, Tian Chen and Jeanny Yu via Bloomberg
August 6, 2018
The onshore yuan slipped 0.17 percent to 6.8402 per dollar as of 4:02 p.m., while the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 1.3 percent at its lowest since February 2016. The ChiNext gauge of small caps and tech stocks fared even worse, tumbling 2.8 percent -- its worst day in seven weeks -- to its lowest in nearly four years. The Hang Seng Index, which fell every day last week, held a 0.6 percent gain.
Currency Devaluation, Currency, Renminbi, Chinese Financial Market, Chinese Financial Policy, Monetary Policy
How China Is Evolving From a Maker of Copycat Medicines Into a Producer of Complex Drugs
By Preetika Rana via Wall Street Journal
August 6, 2018
At a cancer conference in Chicago in June last year, a little-known Chinese startup stunned researchers with early results showing its experimental gene therapy was abating an aggressive form of blood cancer in patients back home.
Cancer, Drugs, Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceutical Companies, Innovation
China Millennials’ Love of Credit Cards Raises Debt Fears
By Tom Hancock and Wang Xueqiao via Financial Times
August 6, 2018
Mr Wang is part of a generation of young consumers who have rejected the thrifty habits of their elders and become used to spending with borrowed money. Outstanding consumer loans — used for vehicle purchases, holidays, household renovations and buying expensive household goods — in China grew nearly 40 per cent last year to reach Rmb6.8tn, according to Chinese investment bank CICC.
Credit, Finance, Debt, Chinese Financial Market
Worries Grow in Singapore Over China’s Calls to Help ‘Motherland’
By Amy Qin via New York Times
August 6, 2018
Growing up in Singapore, Chan Kian Kuan always took pride in his Teochew heritage — the dialect, the cultural traditions and the famous steamed fish. But after visiting his ancestral village in Teochew, in Guangdong Province, China, and seeing the progress there, he became truly proud to be not just Teochew, but also Chinese.
Singapore, Immigration, Southeast Asia, China-Southeast Asia Relations
China’s Currency Slide Risks a Horrible Misunderstanding with Trump
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard via Telegraph
August 2, 2018
China’s currency slide is graduating from benign neglect to something more deliberate. Whether or not you deem it currency warfare, it is playing with political and financial fire.
Currency Manipulation, Currency, Currency Devaluation, Trade, Tariffs
Chinese Spiritual Leader Is Accused of Harassing Female Followers
By Javier Hernandez via New York Times
August 2, 2018
In a 95-page document that circulated widely on social media this week, two male monks accused the Venerable Xuecheng, the abbot of Longquan Monastery in Beijing and a powerful religious official, of sending explicit messages and making unwanted advances toward women.
Sexual Politics, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Women, Women’s Rights
Pakistan Puts a Spotlight on China’s Opaque Loans
Financial Times
August 2, 2018
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former cricket captain and newly elected prime minister, is on a sticky wicket. His victory in last week’s polls was secured in part on a pledge to ramp up spending on public services. Yet the coffers are empty and a balance of payments crisis looms. Instead of the “Islamic welfare state” he hoped to create, his aides are forced to ponder the prospect of an IMF deal. Even that safety net may not be at hand. Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state, says Washington will oppose any bailout that pays off Chinese loans on grounds that this would be unfair to US taxpayers.
Belt and Road Initiative, Pakistan, Foreign Debt
Germany Toughens Stance and Blocks China Deal
By Arne Delfs via Sydney Morning Herald
August 2, 2018
Merkel's cabinet on Wednesday voted to block the potential purchase of German machine tool manufacturer Leifeld Metal Spinning by a Chinese investor. The government took the precautionary measure even though the Yantai Taihai Group indicated at the last minute it would withdraw.
China-Germany Relations, Germany, Angela Merkel, Foreign Investment
China Says U.S. Trade Pressure Won’t Work
Wall Street Journal
August 2, 2018
China fired back after the Trump administration threatened to double proposed tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, saying it won’t yield to White House pressure.
Tariffs, Trade, Chinese Economy
China’s Empire of Money Is Reshaping Global Trade
By Bloomberg Markets via Bloomberg
August 2, 2018
China is building a very 21st century empire—one where trade and debt lead the way, not armadas and boots on the ground. If President Xi Jinping’s ambitions become a reality, Beijing will cement its position at the center of a new world economic order spanning more than half the globe. Already, China has extended its influence far beyond that of the Tang Dynasty’s golden age more than a millennium ago.
Belt and Road Initiative, Foreign Direct Investment, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, International Development
China’s Introverts Find a Kindred Spirit: A Stick Figure From Finland
By Mike Ives and Zoe Mou via New York Times
August 2, 2018
The “Finnish Nightmares” comic series documents the social challenges faced by Matti, a mild-mannered stick figure who abhors small talk. The series has been trending on Chinese social media, and it even spawned a new word for social awkwardness in Mandarin: jingfen, or “spiritually Finnish.”
Popular Culture, Urban, Internet, Urban Issues
As China’s Woes Mount, Xi Jinping Faces Rare Rebuke at Home
By Chris Buckley via New York Times
August 1, 2018
China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, seemed indomitable when lawmakers abolished a term limit on his power early this year. But months later, China has been struck by economic headwinds, a vaccine scandal and trade battles with Washington, emboldening critics in Beijing who are questioning Mr. Xi’s sweeping control.
Xi Jinping, Party Politics, Scandal, Government Officials
Whistleblower Reveals Google’s Plans for Censored Search in China
By James Vincent via Verge
August 1, 2018
According to internal documents provided to The Intercept by a whistleblower, Google has been developing a censored version of its search engine under the codename “Dragonfly” since the beginning of 2017. The search engine is being built as an Android mobile app and will reportedly “blacklist sensitive queries” and filter out all websites blocked by China’s web censors (including Wikipedia and BBC News).
Google, Internet, Internet Censorship, Technology
U.S. Defense Bill Seeks to Counter China
By Katie O'Keefe and Siobhan Hughes via Wall Street Journal
August 1, 2018
Congress is preparing to enact a defense-policy bill that some lawmakers say is tougher on China than any in history, as a bipartisan movement to confront Beijing gathers steam. The measure, an annual policy bill that will authorize $716 billion in total defense spending for the coming fiscal year, seeks to counter a range of Chinese government policies, including increased military activity in the South China Sea, the pursuit of cutting-edge U.S. technology and the spread of Communist Party propaganda at American institutions.
Department of Defense, U.S. Foreign Policy, Law, Military Policy
As Trump’s Tariffs Start to Bite, China Pledges It’ll Keep Its Economy Stable
By Huileng Tan via CNBC
August 1, 2018
In a statement carried by China’s state media after a meeting of the Politburo, a top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party, Beijing said it will take targeted measures to solve issues in the economy. The Chinese economy is facing “some new problems and new challenges,” said the statement carried by state-run Xinhua news agency.
Economic Downturn, Economic Growth, Tariffs, Chinese Economy
Chinese Surveillance Expands to Muslims Making Mecca Pilgrimage
By Eva Dou via Wall Street Journal
August 1, 2018
The state-run China Islamic Association published photos of Chinese Muslims at the Beijing airport departing for Mecca in Saudi Arabia in recent days wearing customized “smart cards” on blue lanyards around their necks. The devices, which include a GPS tracker and personal data, are designed to ensure the wearer’s safety, according to the association.
Uighur, Surveillance, Saudi Arabia, Islam, Pilgrims
Trump’s Tariffs Push Electronics From China to Southeast Asia
By Debby Wu via Bloomberg
August 1, 2018
A number of Taiwanese firms that form a crucial plank of the global supply chain have in recent days signaled their intention to diversify away from the world’s No. 2 economy. Delta Electronics Inc., which supplies power components to Apple Inc., said Tuesday it’s making a $2.14 billion offer to buy out a Thai affiliate — a precursor to expanding production there.
Tariffs, Technology, Manufacturing, Outsourcing
China’s Plan to Win Friends and Influence Includes Ski Slopes and Spas
By Alexandra Stevenson and Cao Li via New York Times
August 1, 2018
In Thailand, a theater rigged with hydraulic seats will give moviegoers the sensation of flight. In Australia, an indoor ski slope is going up near the beaches of the Gold Coast. In the Czech Republic, a spa with Chinese medicine is under construction in the southern wine country. All three projects fall under Beijing’s ambitious effort to build geopolitical and economic ties around the world — and all three stray from its original mission.
Belt and Road Initiative, Soft Power, Chinese Economic Influence, Tourism, Chinese Influence
Kazakh Trial Throws Spotlight on China’s Internment Centres
By Emily Feng via Financial Times
July 31, 2018
The trial of a Chinese citizen who fled to Kazakhstan has offered rare insight into China’s secretive internment system, with Beijing’s security campaign in the western region of Xinjiang increasingly putting neighbouring countries in central Asia on edge.
Xinjiang, Kazakhstan, Uighur, Criminal Trials, China-Central Asia Relations
Disgraced Former Chinese Internet Tzar Lu Wei Charged with Bribery
By James Griffiths via CNN
July 31, 2018
Lu Wei “accepted a large number of bribes” during his time as national propaganda chief, head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, deputy head of the official Xinhua news agency, and as a Beijing city official, according to state media.
Internet, Internet Censorship, Bribery, Lu Wei, Crime
China in Africa: Win-Win Development, or a New Colonialism?
Guardian
July 31, 2018
As their hand-built wooden dhow approaches the shore, Ibrahim Chamume and his fellow fishermen take in the sail and prepare to sell their catch to the small huddle of villagers waiting on the white sand. He has been making a living like this on the Indian Ocean since he was 14. His father was a fisherman, too.
China-Africa Relations, Development, Foreign Investment, Africa
From a Space Station in Argentina, China Expands Its Reach in Latin America
By Ernesto Londoño via New York Times
July 30, 2018
The giant antenna rises from the desert floor like an apparition, a gleaming metal tower jutting 16 stories above an endless wind-whipped stretch of Patagonia. The 450-ton device, with its hulking dish embracing the open skies, is the centerpiece of a $50 million satellite and space mission control station built by the Chinese military.
Space Program, China National Space Administration, Argentina, South America, Overseas Military Base
Facebook’s Return to China Thrown into Doubt
BBC
July 26, 2018
The company, like all major US tech platforms, has been blocked in the country since 2009. Facebook said on Wednesday it had secured a licence to set up an “innovation hub to support Chinese developers, innovators and start-ups”. But 24 hours later, there are widespread reports the licence has been withdrawn from the government database.
Facebook, Internet Censorship, Technology, Social Media
More of Africa Finds Itself in China’s Debt
By Matina Stevis-Gridneff via Wall Street Journal
July 26, 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping has signed a slate of investment deals during a weeklong tour of Africa, feeding into concerns in the West and on the continent over ballooning levels of indebtedness to Beijing and its expanding political footprint.
China-Africa Relations, Africa, BRICS, Foreign Debt, Foreign Aid
China Hasn’t Delivered on Its $24 Billion Philippines Promise
By Jason Koutsoukis, Cecilia Yap via Bloomberg
July 26, 2018
Of the 27 deals signed between China and the Philippines during Duterte’s visit to Beijing in October 2016, China originally agreed to provide $9 billion in soft loans, including a $3 billion credit line with the Bank of China, with a further $15 billion worth of direct investments from Chinese firms in railway, port, energy and mining projects. It didn’t specify a timeline.
China-Philippines Relations, Chinese Investment, Infrastructure, Foreign Aid
Chinese Internet Users Employ the Blockchain to Share a Censored News Article
By Shannon Liao via Verge
July 26, 2018
Chinese netizens have turned to blockchain to share a censored news story about faulty vaccines given to small babies. Their efforts to repost an investigative piece about a large vaccine maker were largely thwarted by Internet monitors, but by sticking the story within the metadata of a cryptocurrency transaction, netizens have been able to outsmart the censors, as first spotted by TechNode.
Internet Censorship, Vaccines, Censorship, Law Enforcement
Lone Suspect Wounded in Blast near U.S. Embassy in China
By Se Young Lee, Tom Daly via Reuters
July 26, 2018
The explosion happened on the street outside the southeast corner of the embassy compound. Beijing police said the suspect, a 26-year-old man from China’s Inner Mongolia region, had injured his hand and been taken to the hospital. Police did not provide a motive.
U.S. Embassy, Bombing, Police, Beijing
Trump Says China Is ‘Being Vicious’ and Targeting U.S. Farmers on Purpose
By Fred Imbert via CNBC
July 25, 2018
Trump’s comment comes after the administration announced a $12 billion bailout plan for farmers hit by tariffs on their goods. Earlier this month, China slapped a 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans, one of the biggest U.S. exports to China.
Trade, Farmer, Donald Trump, Twitter, Farming
China Stimulates Again, but Don’t Expect Fireworks
By Nathaniel Taplin via Wall Street Journal
July 25, 2018
The country’s main stock benchmark was up 1.6% Tuesday, after a call from China’s cabinet overnight for more fiscal spending, abundant liquidity, and—perhaps most significant—support for the “reasonable” fundraising needs of local governments’ notorious off-
Economic Stimulus, Chinese Economy, Economic Growth
Giving In to China, U.S. Airlines Drop Taiwan (in Name at Least)
By Sui-Lee Wee via New York Times
July 25, 2018
You can book a ticket to Taipei from New York on a major American airline. Just don’t ask them which country you are going to. American, which was the first to make the switch, listed Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, the city’s main airport, as a destination for travelers looking to book a flight on its website
Airlines, Taiwan, China-Taiwan Relations, U.S.-Taiwan Relations
China and India Launch Investment Spree in Africa Ahead of Key Summit
By Justina Crabtree via CNBC
July 25, 2018
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have continued to lend in tandem to African countries ahead of a major emerging markets summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, beginning on Wednesday.
BRICS, China-Africa Relations, India, Chinese Investment, South Africa
Big Investors Are Placing Bets on China’s Facial Recognition Start-Ups
By Jamie Condliffe via New York Times
July 25, 2018
In the past week, Chinese facial recognition companies, according to a pair of reports, were close to raising as much as $1.6 billion.
Cybersecurity, Social Credit System, Foreign Investment, Internet Security
One in Five Arrests Take Place in ‘Police State’ Xinjiang
By Lily Kuo via Guardian
July 25, 2018
Analysing publicly available government data, the advocacy group Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), found 21% of all arrests in China in 2017 were in Xinjiang
Xinjiang, Police, Human Rights, Human Rights Abuses
China’s Effort to Control Debt Loses Steam
By Chao Deng and Lingling Wei via Wall Street Journal
July 12, 2018
China is letting up on its drive to keep a lid on debt growth as it faces a softening economy at home and escalating trade tensions with the U.S.
Trade, Debt, Economic Growth, Growth
US-China Trade Brawl Threatens America’s Booming Oil Exports
By Matt Egan via CNN
July 12, 2018
China is America’s second-biggest crude oil customer, and Beijing has threatened to retaliate against President Donald Trump’s trade crackdown by imposing tariffs on US crude oil.
Oil, Tariffs, Trade
Surveillance Fears Cloud China’s ‘Digital Silk Road’
By Nyshka Chadran via CNBC
July 12, 2018
A major element of China’s continent-spanning Belt and Road Initiative has nothing to do with roads, ports or power plants.
Belt and Road Initiative, Surveillance, Intelligence
China Is Better Able To Withstand A Trade War Than In The Past
By Jim Zarroli via NPR
July 12, 2018
As President Trump threatens to heap more tariffs on Chinese imports, he’s got one important fact on his side: The United States remains China’s biggest single export market, buying some $500 billion in goods last year alone.
Trade, Tariffs, Donald Trump
China’s Human Rights Record, Aggressive Military Expansion Damage Its Soft Power Rating
By Liu Zhen via South China Morning Post
July 12, 2018
China’s soft power has been weakened by its hard line on foreign policy and human rights, according to an annual survey released on Thursday.
Human Rights, Soft Power, Civil Society
Uighur Children Fall Victim to China Anti-Terror Drive
By Emily Feng via Financial Times
July 11, 2018
On a quiet street in the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar, a house lies empty, padlocked from the outside, the family who lived there gone.
Uighur, Children, Human Rights
Inside China’s Dystopian Dreams: A.I., Shame and Lots of Cameras
By Paul Mozur via New York Times
July 11, 2018
In the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, a police officer wearing facial recognition glasses spotted a heroin smuggler at a train station.
Technology, Surveillance, Police, Start-Ups
Crisis in U.S. Nuclear Talks With Pyongyang Not China’s Doing, Experts Say
By Keith Johnson via Foreign Policy
July 11, 2018
President Donald Trump has suggested that China might be to blame for an apparent crisis in nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea — arguing that Beijing could be undermining the agreement because of anger over the escalating trade war with the United States.
North Korea, Donald Trump, Trade
Ex-Apple Engineer Arrested on His Way to China, Charged with Stealing Company’s Autonomous Car Secrets
By Allyson Chiu via Washington Post
July 11, 2018
For about two years, Xiaolang Zhang was privy to information to which many in the tech world can only dream of having access: the inner workings of Apple’s secretive autonomous car research.
Apple, Automobiles, Intellectual Property
Qin Yongmin: Prominent Chinese Dissident Jailed for 13 Years
By BBC via BBC
July 11, 2018
One of China’s highest-profile democracy campaigners has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for “subversion of state power”.
Human Rights, Democracy, Dissidents and Activists
Welcome to China, Tesla. Now Time to Cough Up
By Anjani Trivedi via Bloomberg
July 11, 2018
Welcome to China, Elon. Let’s talk about how this is going to work.
Elon Musk, Tesla, Automobile Industry, Automobiles
New Round of U.S.-China Trade War Rattles Global Markets
By Alexandra Stevenson via New York Times
July 11, 2018
President Trump’s escalating trade war with China rattled global markets on Wednesday.
Trade, Donald Trump, Stock Market
Exclusive: China Presses Europe for Anti-U.S. Alliance on Trade
By Robin Emmott, Noah Barkin via Reuters
July 3, 2018
China is putting pressure on the European Union to issue a strong joint statement against President Donald Trump’s trade policies at a summit later this month but is facing resistance, European officials said.
European Union, Trade, Donald Trump
Trump Moves to Block China Mobile's U.S. Entry on Security Concerns
By Brenda Goh, Sijia Jiang via Reuters
July 3, 2018
The U.S. government has moved to block China Mobile (0941.HK) from offering services to the country’s telecommunications market, recommending its application be rejected because the firm posed national security risks.
China Mobile, National Security, Telecommunications
How Britain Went to War With China Over Opium
By Austin Ramzy via New York Times
July 3, 2018
In 1840, Britain went to war with China over questions of trade, diplomacy, national dignity and, most importantly, drug trafficking. While British officials tried to play down the illicit origins of the conflict, opponents gave it a name that made the link quite clear: the Opium War.
Opium War, British-Chinese Relations, National Humiliation
China’s Massive ‘Belt and Road’ Spending Spree Has Caused Concern around the World, and Now It's China’s Turn to Worry
By Christopher Woody via Business Insider
July 3, 2018
Since announcing its Belt and Road Initiative five years ago, China has spread billions of dollars around Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, supporting a variety of infrastructure projects and stoking concern about Beijing's growing global sway.
Belt and Road Initiative, Debt, International Monetary Fund