In China, Despair for Cause of Democracy after Nobel Laureate’s Death
New York Times
July 20, 2017
Now, the ruling Communist Party’s feverish attempts to erase Mr. Liu Xiaobo’s legacy have raised fears that Mr. Xi will intensify his campaign against activists pushing for ideas like freedom of speech and religion.
Liu Xiaobo, Democracy, Censorship, Chinese Communist Party
Chinese Billionaire Battles Talk of Trouble at Real Estate Empire
CNN
July 20, 2017
Last week Dalian Wanda sold several theme parks and dozens of hotels for $9.3 billion, marking the end of Wang Jianlin’s dream to defeat Disney (DIS) in China. The billionaire said the deal would reduce his company’s debt burden. It followed several reports that Beijing regulators were investigating some of Wanda’s overseas deals for breaching investment rules, and that they had warned state banks not to lend to the company.
Wang Jianlin, Wanda, Disney, Real Estate, Banks, Regulation
CPEC: The Growing Resentment and Resistance among Poor Pakistanis Can Cost China Dearly
Quartz
July 20, 2017
In Pakistan, there’s no topic hotter than the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion dollar bilateral development project that will officials promised in 2015, “usher in an era of unprecedented progress and prosperity.”
China-India Relations, Investment, Coal, Pakistan
China and the U.S. Are Both Going for Trade’s Nuclear Option
By Ana Swanson via Washington Post
July 19, 2017
As the Trump administration and their Chinese counterparts meet this week to hammer out agreements on trade, they are likely to use the same rationale—national security—to argue for very different goals.
Trade, Tariffs, Steel Industry, Cybersecurity, Intellectual Property Rights, Intellectual Property
China Is Being ‘Unusually Aggressive’ in Border Row
South China Morning Post
July 19, 2017
A top Indian diplomat said China is being unusually aggressive in a month-old border dispute with India that shows no sign of easing, media reports said yesterday.
China-India Relations, India, Border Conflict, Borders
Chinese Labor Activist Targeted over ‘Ivanka Trump Supplier Probe’
South China Morning Post
July 19, 2017
Hua Haifeng believes police arrested him and took a special interest in his work after he began investigating factories supplying Trump’s clothing brand
Labor Conditions, Ivanka Trump, Investigations, Corruption, Donald Trump
‘Making China Great Again’: Beijing-Run Media Crows as U.S. Stumbles
By Sophia Yan via CNBC
July 19, 2017
A Communist Party mouthpiece is crowing that malfunctioning U.S. leadership is making China “great again” on the eve of highly anticipated bilateral trade talks between the two countries.
Propaganda, Trade Deficit, Trade
Singapore Will Not ‘Roll over’ for China
By Bhavan Jaipragas via South China Morning Post
July 19, 2017
Despite assertions from a former top diplomat, an ambassador-at-large says the Lion City will always speak up when its interests are at stake
Singapore, South China Sea, Diplomacy
U.S.-China Trade Rifts Resurface Even After Friendly Summit
By The Associated Press via Associated Press
July 18, 2017
The Trump administration risks igniting a trade war by considering slapping tariffs on steel imports.
Trade, U.S.-China Relations, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump
China Ready For ‘War’ With India, Holds Live-Fire Drills Near Border
By Tom O'Connor via Newsweek
July 18, 2017
The ruling Communist Party of China has issued a stern warning to neighboring India, with which it is engaged in a bitter border dispute that has recently seen Chinese live-fire drills and media speculation of extensive Indian military casualties denied by both sides.
China-India Relations, Territorial Disputes, Military
A ‘Spectacular’ Trend Is Transforming the World’s Second Largest Economy, Stephen Roach Says
By Stephanie Landsman via CNBC
July 18, 2017
China's economy is a lot more resilient than the West thinks, according to one of Wall Street's most distinguished voices on the region.
Economic Growth, Private Sector, Innovation
China Is Crushing the U.S. in Renewable Energy
By Sherisse Pham and Matt Rivers via CNN
July 18, 2017
China may be the planet's biggest polluter but it's also powering ahead of other countries on renewable energy.
Environment, Renewable Energy, Clean Technology
China Is Increasingly Becoming Key For Israel’s High-Tech Industry
By Ferry Biedermann via CNBC
July 18, 2017
Israel has laid out the welcoming mat to Chinese companies and investors who may face more troublesome regulations and scrutiny elsewhere.
Israel, Chinese Investment, Innovation, Technology
Despite Ban, Rhino Horn Flooding Black Markets across China
By Laurel Neme via National Geographic
July 18, 2017
The country is pledged to end the trade in elephant ivory this year, but will it take steps to help save rhinos?
Rhino, Hunting, Illegal Trade, Ivory
China to Keep Monitoring ‘Irrational’ Overseas Investments
By Reuters via Reuters
July 17, 2017
Chinese authorities will continue to monitor the trend of "irrational" overseas investments in the real estate, hospitality and film industries.
Investment
Liu Xiaobo’s Death Pushes China’s Censors into Overdrive
New York Times
July 17, 2017
It came as little surprise when, after the death of the dissident Liu Xiaobo last week, China’s vast army of censors kicked into overdrive as they scrubbed away the outpouring of grief on social media that followed.
Liu Xiaobo, Tiananmen Protests, Charter 08, Censorship
Why China Censors Banned Winnie the Pooh
BBC
July 17, 2017
The blocking of Winnie the Pooh might seem like a bizarre move by the Chinese authorities but it is part of a struggle to restrict clever bloggers from getting around their country’s censorship.
Xi Jinping, Internet Censorship, Japan
In Urban China, Cash Is Rapidly Becoming Obsolete
New York Times
July 17, 2017
Almost everyone in major Chinese cities is using a smartphone to pay for just about everything. At restaurants, a waiter will ask if you want to use WeChat or Alipay — the two smartphone payment options — before bringing up cash as a third, remote possibility.
WeChat, Alibaba, Tencent
China’s Top Graft Buster Attacks ‘Unhealthy’ Political Culture
Reuters
July 17, 2017
China’s top graft-buster launched a scathing attack on the ruling Communist Party’s members on Monday, writing that party political culture remained ‘unhealthy’ and governance weak even after five years of renewed effort to fight the problem.
Wang Qishan, Corruption, Communism, Xi Jinping, Bo Xilai
China Cracks down on Dalian Wanda’s Overseas Deals: WSJ
Reuters
July 17, 2017
China’s regulators have told banks to stop providing funding for several of Dalian Wanda Group’s overseas acquisitions as Beijing looks to curb the conglomerate’s offshore buying spree, sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.
Wang Jianlin, Wanda, Banks, Regulation
Is New Transformers a Sign of China’s Hollywood Fatigue?
By Sherry Fei Ju and Charles Clover via Financial Times
July 17, 2017
Like a high-flying space robot shot out of the sky, the Transformers film franchise has crash-landed in China—singeing a promising Hollywood business model in the process.
Film Industry, Hollywood, Soft Power, Propaganda, Entertainment
China Dispatches Troops to Djibouti to Set up Its First Overseas Base
NPR
July 13, 2017
China dispatched troops to set up its first military base overseas on Tuesday. After a ceremony in the southern port city of Zhanjiang, military personnel embarked on a voyage to the East African country of Djibouti to establish an outpost “conducive to China’s performance of international obligations,” state-run media report.
Zhejiang province, Military, Beijing
Apple Opening Data Center in China to Comply with Cybersecurity Law
New York Times
July 13, 2017
Apple said Wednesday that it would open its first data center in China, joining a parade of technology companies responding to growing global demands to build facilities that store online data closer to customers.
Cybersecurity, Apple, Big Data, Internet Security, Cyberattacks
China’s Quest to End Its Century of Shame
New York Times
July 13, 2017
At an ocean research center on Hainan Island off China’s southern coast, officials routinely usher visitors into a darkened screening room to watch a lavishly produced People’s Liberation Army video about China’s ambitions to reassert itself as a great maritime power.
Mao Zedong, South China Sea, Japan, Qing Dynasty, Chiang Kai-shek
Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo, Who Fought for Democracy in China, Dies in Police Custody
Wall Street Journal
July 13, 2017
Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, who embodied the hopes of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy movement long after the protests were crushed, died in detention on Thursday after a battle with liver cancer, according to a government statement. He was 61 years old.
Liu Xiaobo, Tiananmen Protests, 1989, Political Prisoners, Democracy
China Is Trading More with North Korea but Buying Much Less Coal
CNN
July 13, 2017
A Chinese government official said Thursday that China-North Korea trade was worth $2.6 billion in the first half of 2017, up about 10% over the same period last year.
Sanctions, China-North Korea Relations, Kim Jong-un, Missiles, Washington D.C., Donald Trump, Xi Jinping
Trump in Paris to Improve Ties despite Divergence on Climate, Trade
Xinhua
July 13, 2017
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Paris on Thursday morning in a diplomatic move to soften divergence with France over climate change and trade liberalization by seeking common ground on security and fight against terrorism.
Donald Trump, CO2 Emissions, Pollution, Jobs
Taiwan Casts Nervous Eye as Mainland Chinese Aircraft Carrier Liaoning Sails Near
By Lawrence Chung via South China Morning Post
July 12, 2017
Taiwan’s military is closely watching as a convoy accompanying mainland China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, sailed into the Taiwan Strait after leaving Hong Kong where it took part in the handover celebrations.
Taiwan, China-Taiwan Relations, Military
China Sends Troops to Djibouti, Establishes First Overseas Military Base
By Brad Lendon and Steve George via CNN
July 12, 2017
China has dispatched troops to Djibouti in advance of formally establishing the country's first overseas military base.
Military, Global Politics, Army, China-Africa Relations, Africa
Fugitive Chinese Tycoon ‘Snoops on Middle Eastern Royal Families’ in Leaked Phone Messages
By Nectar Gan via South China Morning Post
July 12, 2017
Recordings of what appear to be phone voice messages left by fugitive Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui requesting information about powerful royal family members in the Middle East and other international public figures have emerged online.
Fugitives, Middle East, Corruption, Anti-Corruption, Graft, Anti-Graft, Espionage
Guo Wengui Told Niece and Other Executives to Fraudulently Obtain Loans, Court Hears
By Jun Mai via South China Morning Post
July 12, 2017
The niece of exiled tycoon Guo Wengui was one of three executives he instructed to use fake documents to obtain loans for his Henan real estate firm, a court in central China heard on Wednesday.
Fugitives, Corruption, Anti-Corruption
KFC—Yes That KFC—Is Selling Its Own Smartphones in China
By Cheang Ming via CNBC
July 12, 2017
Kentucky Fried Chicken celebrated its 30th anniversary of operations in China by unveiling a limited edition smartphone it had collaborated on with Chinese smartphone maker Huawei.
Fast Food, Smartphones, Mobile Phones, Social Media
Diplomats Fear Beijing Is Stalling on Allowing Liu Xiaobo out of China
By Tom Phillips via Guardian
July 12, 2017
Diplomats in Beijing say time is running out for the ailing Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo to go overseas for treatment and fear China’s top leaders are deliberately stalling the process until it is no longer safe for medics to move him.
Liu Xiaobo, China-Germany Relations
Apple Opens Data Center in China to Comply With Cybersecurity Law
By Paul Mozur via New York Times
July 12, 2017
Apple has set up its first data center in China, setting the tone for how foreign companies will handle a strict new law requiring them to store Chinese users’ information in the country.
Apple, Cybersecurity, Regulation, Financial Regulation
China Says ‘China Responsibility Theory’ on North Korea Has to Stop
By Ben Blanchard via Reuters
July 11, 2017
China hit back on Tuesday in unusually strong terms at repeated calls from the United States to put more pressure on North Korea, urging a halt to what it called the “China responsibility theory,” and saying all parties needed to pull their weight.
China-North Korea Relations, Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Disarmament, North Korea
In China, Shoppers Buy Bad Loans Online with Their Groceries
Bloomberg
July 11, 2017
Among the sneakers, diapers, and pet food for sale on Taobao, China’s biggest e-commerce platform, is a listing that may take up a little more space in the online shopping basket.
Taobao, Alibaba, Corporate Debt, Debt, E-Commerce
India, China Can Handle Border Differences, Senior Indian Official Says
Reuters
July 11, 2017
India and China can manage the differences that are likely to arise from time to time over their contested border, India’s Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday, commenting on recent tension sparked by Chinese road-building.
China-India Relations, Border Conflict, Borders, Diplomacy
US, India and Japan Begin Naval Exercises, as China Looks On
By Steve George and Huizhong Wu via CNN
July 11, 2017
A rising Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean has prompted the largest naval exercise the region has seen in more than two decades. The United States, Japan and India have deployed front-line warships, submarines, and aircraft as part of the tri-nation Malabar exercises in the Bay of Bengal.
Asia-U.S. Relations, Japan-India Relations, China-India Relations, China-Japan Relations, U.S. and Japan, Navy, Indian Ocean
Liu Xiaobo: German Anger at China over Hospital Videos
BBC
July 11, 2017
Germany has issued a sharp rebuke to China after videos of Western doctors visiting ailing Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in hospital were posted online.
Liu Xiaobo, Liu Xia, China-Germany Relations, Political Prisoners, Dissidents and Activists
China Envoy Says North Korea Trade Growth Picture ‘Distorted’
CNBC
July 11, 2017
China’s ambassador to the United States has said reports of trade growth between his country and North Korea, in spite of international efforts to press Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile programs, give “a distorted picture.”
China-North Korea Relations, Trade, Nuclear Weapons
Modi’s India Beats Xi’s China
By Panos Mourdoukoutas via Forbes
July 11, 2017
India has been on the radar of different international agencies in recent days and has been getting high marks for its reforms and growth prospects—beating China.
China-India Relations, India
Haley Says China May Face Trade Sanctions If It Continues To “Hold Hands” with N. Korea
By Kathryn Watson via CBS News
July 10, 2017
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the U.S. is going to “push hard” against China amid threats from North Korea, and that China needs to do more when it comes to the country that just days ago test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
North Korea, Missiles, Sanctions
China Attacks Tycoon Guo for Client Leaks at HNA Group: Xinhua
Reuters
July 10, 2017
Exiled Chinese tycoon Guo Wengui is suspected of obtaining confidential client data of aviation-to-financial services conglomerate HNA from air traffic control and airline staff, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing Chinese police.
Corruption, Chinese Communist Party, Government Officials, Bribery
Take a Tour of China’s First Aircraft Carrier, a Secondhand Soviet-Era Ship Now in Hong Kong
By Zheping Huang via Quartz
July 10, 2017
China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was open to the public for the first time this past weekend. The event took place in Hong Kong as part of the 20th anniversary marking the city’s handover to Chinese rule.
Military, Arms, Hong Kong, Navy
China’s Wanda Signals Retreat on Debt-Fueled Acquisition Binge
By Sui-Lee Wee via New York Times
July 10, 2017
The Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group has epitomized the country’s high-flying deal makers, building a vast global empire of theme parks, real estate developments, and movie theaters across the United States.
Hotels, Finance, Wang Jianlin
War Games Could Inflame What They Aim to Prevent: Conflict with China
By Stuart Rollo via Guardian
July 9, 2017
Australia is sleepwalking along a path of military expansion and confrontation in line with U.S. security priorities, instead of setting our own security policies
Australia, Military, Asia-U.S. Relations
Chinese Umbrella-Sharing Firm Remains Upbeat Despite Losing Most of Its 300,000 Brollies
By He Huifeng via South China Morning Post
July 7, 2017
Just weeks after making 300,000 brollies available to the public via a rental scheme, Sharing E Umbrella announced that most of them had gone missing, news website The Paper reported on Thursday.
Online Shopping, Economy, Corporations
How China Misread Donald Trump
By Paul Gewirtz via Politico
July 6, 2017
Trump’s view of China is quickly turning sour. The reason for his dwindling patience is Beijing’s failure to rein in North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s nuclear program.
Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, North Korea, Nuclear Disarmament, U.S.-China Relations
At the Movies in China, Some Propaganda With Your Popcorn
By Amy Qin via New York Times
July 6, 2017
Chinese cinemas have been ordered to play one of four government-issued videos before every movie screening.
Propaganda
Liu Xiaobo Vigil: Doctors Tell Chinese Nobel Laureate’s Family to Prepare for His Death
By Mimi Lau via South China Morning Post
July 6, 2017
Family and friends of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo are keeping vigil after doctors warned that the dissident’s condition had worsened.
Liu Xiaobo, Dissidents and Activists, Human Rights
Germany’s Football Diplomacy Delights Beaming Xi Jinping as Chinese President and Angela Merkel Watch Kids’ Match in Berlin
By James Porteous via South China Morning Post
July 6, 2017
China’s president remains a massive football fan, but it seems clear that youth development and commitment to training, rather than sky-high transfer fees and foreign takeovers, is the way to his heart.
Sports, Cultural Diplomacy, Angela Merkel, Xi Jinping
China’s Baidu Being Probed after CEO Tests Driverless Car on Public Roads
Reuters
July 6, 2017
Baidu Inc, China’s biggest search engine provider, is under investigation to determine whether it had broken any laws after its chief executive tested a driverless car on public roads.
Baidu, Innovation
Ahead of Fractious G20, Germany and China Pledge New Cooperation
By Thomas Escritt and Michelle Martin via Reuters
July 5, 2017
Ties between China and Germany are about to enter a new phase as the Chinese president met the German chancellor before a G20 summit that is expected to highlight their differences with the United States on a host of issues.
Angela Merkel, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump
Skeletons of 5,000-Year-Old Chinese ‘Giants’ Discovered by Archaeologists
By Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith via Independent
July 5, 2017
Archaeologists in eastern China have found 5,000-year-old skeletons of people experts say would have been unusually tall and strong.
Shandong Province
US, China Divided over How to Deal with New North Korean ICBM Threat
By Ben Wescott and Stella Kim via CNN
July 5, 2017
A paradigm-changing North Korean missile test has left the United States and China split over how to deal with the aggressive rogue state.
North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, China-North Korea Relations
China Shadow Banking Is Slowing amid More Coordinated Government Measures, Says Moody’s
By Huileng Tan via CNBC
July 4, 2017
Growth in shadow banking in China is slowing due to coordinated government action to contain systemic financial risks, a development that will benefit banks, although it will also bring adjustment risks.
Shadow Banking, Economic Growth, Financial Industry
Chinese Media Says India Needs to Be Taught a 'Bitter Lesson' over Its Border Dispute
By Joseph Hincks via Time
July 4, 2017
An editorial that ran in China's Global Times Tuesday has ramped up the rhetoric in an ongoing military dispute along a portion of the Sino-Indian border.
China-India Relations, Border Conflict, India, China Borderlands
China Says It Has Invited Foreign Physicians to Treat Imprisoned Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo
Time
July 4, 2017
The judicial bureau for the northeastern city of Shenyang said Wednesday in an online statement that Liu’s family members made a request for foreign experts and Liu’s medical team agreed. Liu, China’s best-known political prisoner, is being treated at a Shenyang hospital for late-stage liver cancer diagnosed in late May.
Liu Xiaobo
Chinese Ways of Empire, Then and Now
By Yi-Zheng Lian via New York Times
June 30, 2017
In 30 more years, Hong Kong will fully revert to the mainland. Much could happen between now and 2047, and the tea leaves are already out there waiting to be read: There are many old — even ancient — historical precedents showing how the Chinese central authorities first manage rebellious peoples on the periphery before eventually subjugating them.
Hong Kong-Mainland Tension, Carrie Lam, Xi Jinping, Handover
China's Xi Sees 'Challenges' in Hong Kong as Beijing Dismisses Any UK Role
By Greg Torode, Venus Wu via Reuters
June 30, 2017
Chinese President Xi Jinping, visiting Hong Kong for the 20th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, said on Friday the city's "one country, two systems" formula faces "new challenges" as pro-democracy campaigners ramped up their protests.
Hong Kong-Mainland Tension, Hong Kong, Xi Jinping, Handover
Pakistan Pivots to China Amid Fresh Concerns over US Ties with India
By Pamela Constable via Washington Post
June 30, 2017
The words from Pakistan’s top foreign policy adviser could not have been clearer. At a news conference welcoming China’s foreign minister to the Pakistani capital this week, Sartaj Aziz declared, “Pakistan’s relations with China are the cornerstone of our foreign policy".
Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Donald Trump
China’s Richest Man Builds World’s Biggest Indoor Ski Resort, Giving Harbin Year-Long Winter
By Zheng Yangpeng via South China Morning Post
June 30, 2017
Harbin Wanda City, the $6 billion resort development built by China’s wealthiest tycoon Wang Jianlin, opened for business on Friday, the conglomerate’s sixth theme park as it pushes further into the country’s leisure and entertainment industry to compete with Disneyland and Universal Studios.
Harbin, Wang Jianlin, Tourism, Wanda
US-China Honeymoon Over: Washington Sanctions Chinese Bank and Sells Arms to Taiwan
By Tom Phillips, Oliver Holmes via Guardian
June 30, 2017
Relations between the world’s two largest economies look to be entering a new phase of turbulence after the US punctured Chinese celebrations of the anniversary of Hong Kong’s return by unveiling sanctions against a Chinese bank linked to North Korea and a major arms sale to Taiwan.
Hong Kong, China-Taiwan Relations, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping
Hong Kong to Be Staging Point for Plan to Draw 100 Billion Yuan of Capital into China’s Bond Market
By Karen Yeung via South China Morning Post
June 30, 2017
China’s government will allow foreign investors to trade in the country’s $9.3 trillion bond market, a vital step in helping to internationalise the yuan and help deepen the capital market.
Hong Kong, Bonds, Capital, Foreign Direct Investment
Trump Is China’s Chump
By Thomas L. Friedman via New York Times
June 28, 2017
Beijing is now quietly encouraging everyone in the neighborhood to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, China’s free-trade competitor to TPP.
Trans-Pacific Partnership, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Belt and Road Initiative, U.S.-China Relations
Exclusive: China's CNPC Suspends Fuel Sales to North Korea as Risks Mount - Sources
By Chen Aizhu via Reuters
June 28, 2017
China National Petroleum Corp has suspended sales of fuel to North Korea over concerns the state-owned oil company won't get paid, as pressure mounts on Pyongyang to rein in its nuclear and missile programmes.
Fuel, Trade, China-North Korea Relations