Xi’s Power Grab Gives a Short-Term Boost with Long-Term Ramifications
By David Dollar via Brookings Institution
February 27, 2018
China’s stock market and currency rallied Monday on news that the country would revise its constitution to abolish term limits for the president.
Xi Jinping, Constitution, Stock Market
China Probes Report of Possible North Korea Sanctions Breach at Sea
By Reuters Staff via Reuters
February 22, 2018
China said on Thursday it is investigating a Japanese report that a Chinese ship may have carried out a ship-to-ship transfer with a North Korean vessel in breach of U.N. sanctions.
United Nations, China-North Korea Relations, North Korea, North Korea Sanctions, Japan
China’s Caves Are Hiding Plants That Exist Nowhere Else in the World
By Amanda Erickson via Washington Post
February 22, 2018
At first glance, a cave doesn’t seem the likeliest home for exotically lush flora. It’s dark, damp and dingy, more likely to host sparkly stalagmites than bristly bushes.
Plants, Science, Environment, Deforestation
3M and H&M Probe Claim They Used Chinese Prison Labor
By Daniel Shane via CNN
February 22, 2018
Three big Western companies are investigating allegations that prisoners in China made packaging bearing their brand names.
Prisons, Labor, Labor Conditions, Fashion
As China Puts Pressure on Taiwan, Signs of a U.S. Pushback
By Keith Bradsher via New York Times
February 22, 2018
As China ratchets up pressure on Taiwan, the self-governing island it claims as its territory, the United States is cautiously starting to push back.
Taiwan, China-Taiwan Relations, U.S.-Taiwan Relations
China Hands out Free TVs to Beam Propaganda into Poorest Regions
By Neil Connor via Telegraph
February 22, 2018
China is distributing 300,000 television sets to some of its poorest regions as Beijing seeks to spread its propaganda into some of the country's most hard to reach households.
Xi Jinping, Propaganda, Chinese Communist Party
Short Track: China's Wu Wins 500m in World Record Time
By Simon Jennings via Reuters
February 22, 2018
Wu Dajing won China’s first Olympic gold medal in the men’s 500 meters on Thursday, setting a world record time of 39.584 seconds to beat South Korea’s Hwang Dae-heon.
Olympics, Sports, South Korea
Battleground Malaysia: China Extends Crackdown on Uygurs across Borders
By James M. Dorsey via South China Morning Post
February 20, 2018
Malaysia has emerged as the latest battleground pitting Chinese efforts to export its security notions against principles of the rule of law.
Uighur, Malaysia, Extradition, Xinjiang, Crackdown, Belt and Road Initiative
Terracotta Theft: Chinese Anger over Stolen Warrior Thumb
By BBC via BBC
February 20, 2018
Chinese authorities have demanded “severe punishment” for a man who allegedly stole the thumb of a terracotta warrior statue on display in the US, Chinese state media report.
Terracotta Warriors, Museums, Culture, History
“Ignore the Missiles”: Duterte Says China’s South China Sea Militarization Is No Problem
By Steve Mollman via Quartz
February 20, 2018
Generally speaking, a sovereign nation dislikes it when a foreign power establishes new military bases within striking range of its capital. But when it comes to China doing just that to the Philippines in the South China Sea, Rodrigo Duterte, it seems, doesn’t mind at all.
China-Philippines Relations, Philippines, South China Sea
China Wages War on Funeral Strippers
By Neil Connor via Telegraph
February 20, 2018
China has launched its latest crackdown against a phenomenon which just won’t seem to die in rural areas - funeral strippers.
Crackdown, Ministry of Culture, Tradition
Who Owns Red Envelope Cash – Parents or Children? A Chinese Court Decides
By Kinling Lo via South China Morning Post
February 20, 2018
Chinese internet users have been arguing about whether red envelopes – filled with cash and given as gifts during the Lunar New Year – should go to children or their parents, after a court published rulings on several cases.
Chinese New Year, Courts, Family
Chinese Warships Enter East Indian Ocean Amid Maldives Tensions
By Reuters Staff via Reuters
February 20, 2018
Eleven Chinese warships sailed into the East Indian Ocean this month, a Chinese news portal said, amid a constitutional crisis in the tiny tropical island chain of the Maldives now under a state of emergency.
Indian Ocean, China-India Relations, Maldives
Chinese Envoy Says It’s ‘Dangerous’ for U.S. to Confront Beijing
By Keith Zhai via Bloomberg
February 15, 2018
China’s ambassador to the U.S. warned the Trump administration against adopting a confrontational approach to the world’s second-biggest economy.
Cui Tiankai, Xinhua, Donald Trump
Chinese New Year Means a Spending Spree across East Asia
By Xin En Lee via CNBC
February 15, 2018
The Lunar New Year, which kicks off on Feb. 16, is East Asia’s most important holiday season.
Tencent, Chinese New Year, Tourism
Maldives Crisis Could Stir Trouble between China and India
By Mujib Mashal via New York Times
February 15, 2018
As the Maldives’ autocratic president, Abdulla Yameen, cracks down on opposition to consolidate power ahead of another election, analysts and diplomats warn that the small nation’s troubles could provoke a larger crisis that draws in China and India, which have long competed for influence in the Indian Ocean region.
Maldives, China-India Relations, India, Indian Ocean, Belt and Road Initiative
In China, Flashy Logos Are Making a Comeback as a Status Symbol
By Yiling Pan via Quartz
February 15, 2018
Over the past few seasons, logos have made a return to the runway. Even in China, where the industry consensus was that countless fakes and shallow status projection had created serious logo fatigue, people are no longer ashamed to flash luxury logos from head to toe.
Fashion, Luxury Goods, Youth
China’s All-Seeing Social Control Network Brings an End to Fugitives’ Festive Fun
By Nectar Gan via South China Morning Post
February 15, 2018
With most of China getting into the swing of the Lunar New Year holiday, two crime suspects in the southern city of Guangzhou could have been forgiven for thinking the local police force was taking a break too.
Chinese New Year, Surveillance, Police
Harry Harris, Trump’s Pick for Australia Envoy, Slams Beijing’s Asia Ambitions
By Ben Westcott via CNN
February 15, 2018
China is seeking to “undermine” the international order in the Asia Pacific, Adm. Harry Harris, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Australia, said in Washington on Wednesday.
Australia, International Order, South China Sea
China Confirms First Ever Human Case of H7N4 Bird Flu
By Tom Phillips via Guardian
February 15, 2018
A 68-year-old patient from Jiangsu province, who has since recovered, developed symptoms on Christmas Day and was admitted to hospital
Bird Flu, Health, Public Health, World Health Organization
China Wants to Make a Mark in Space—but It’ll Need a Little Help
By Sarah Scoles via Wired
February 14, 2018
In a China Global Television Network video from 2003, taikonaut Yang Liwei leans back in his orbital capsule, the overstuffed stripes of his spacesuit legs filling the frame. His helmet shield is up, so the viewer can gaze into his eyes as he speaks: “Greetings to people around the world!” His eyes move leftward, out of the frame. “Greetings to my colleagues in space!” he says.
Space Exploration, Space Program, Science
Flu Fears Spread in China Ahead of Lunar New Year Holiday
By Wall Street Journal via Wall Street Journal
February 14, 2018
Chinese health authorities said the worst influenza season in recent years was straining the country’s resources and some experts warned that the Lunar New Year holiday, when hundreds of millions of Chinese go on the road, could make things worse.
Chinese New Year, Migration, Public Health, Health
China and Russia Are Catching up with Military Power of US and West, Say Leading Defence Experts
By Kim Sengupta via Independent
February 14, 2018
China and Russia are challenging the military supremacy of America and its allies and the West can no longer rely on the strategic advantage it has enjoyed until now, a leading think tank states in its annual report.
Russia, Defense, Military Technology, Missiles
“Shameless” and “Two-Faced”: China’s Astonishing Rebuke of Its Former Internet Czar
By Zheping Huang via Quartz
February 14, 2018
China’s former internet czar was expelled from the Communist Party and will be prosecuted for corruption, the party’s top graft-busting agency said yesterday (Feb. 13).
Anti-Corruption, Anti-Graft, Lu Wei, Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping
Tesla’s China Dream Threatened by Standoff over Shanghai Factory
By Bruce Einhorn, Yan Zhang, Keith Zhai, Ying Tian and Haze Fan via Bloomberg
February 14, 2018
Tesla Inc., the biggest-selling electric carmaker in the U.S., is in danger of being relegated to an expensive niche in China because Elon Musk can't clinch a deal to open a factory there.
Tesla, Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Elon Musk
‘You Are Our Lucky Star’: Chinese Media in Overdrive on Xi Jinping’s New Year Tour
By Tom Phillips via Guardian
February 14, 2018
Xi Jinping has flown into one of rural China’s most deprived corners to champion his war on extreme poverty before the country’s week-long Lunar New Year holiday.
Xi Jinping, Chinese New Year, State Media
The ‘Globalisation’ of China's Military Power
By Jonathan Marcus via BBC
February 13, 2018
China’s modernization of its armed forces is proceeding faster than many analysts expected.
Armed Forces, Weapons, Missiles, Military Modernization, Military Technology
Alibaba's ‘Digital Free Trade Zone’ Has Some Worried about China Links to Malaysia
By Nyshka Chandran via CNBC
February 13, 2018
Alibaba e-commerce platform in Malaysia raises concerns over impact on local firms.
E-Commerce, Alibaba, Malaysia, Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese Influence
Former Chongqing Party Chief Charged with Bribery in China
By Edward White via Financial Times
February 13, 2018
A former top Chinese official once tipped as a potential successor to Xi Jinping has been charged with corruption, state media reported on Tuesday.
Anti-Corruption, Chongqing, Party Politics, Chinese Communist Party
Britain to Test China by Sailing Ship in Disputed Sea
By Jamie Smyth and Tom Hancock via Financial Times
February 13, 2018
Anti-submarine frigate to sail through contested waters of South China Sea.
South China Sea, Maritime Disputes, Territorial Disputes, United Kingdom
China to Select Theaters Nationwide to Show Propaganda Films
By AP via CNBC
February 13, 2018
The state will boost the box office of these propaganda movies with group sales, discounted tickets and other financial backing.
Entertainment, Propaganda, State Propaganda, Film and Television, Film Industry
How China Is Getting Serious About Financial Risk
By Bloomberg News via Bloomberg
February 13, 2018
Chinese leaders pledged to make controlling financial risk a top priority. Their challenge is to do so without derailing the economy.
Chinese Financial Policy, Financial Regulation, Financial Stability, Chinese Financial Market
Trump Taps Harry Harris, Known for Being Tough on China, as Australia Envoy
By Jaqueline Williams via New York Times
February 12, 2018
Trump announces plans to nominate a vocal critic of China as ambassador to Australia.
Australia, Ambassadors, Diplomacy
China Quietly Releases 2017 Provincial GDP Figures
By Salvatore Babones via Forbes
February 12, 2018
Provincial GDP figures don't add up to the reported national growth rate.
GDP, Economic Growth, Growth
Catholics Warn of Church Schism If Vatican Makes a Deal with China
By Simon Denyer via Washington Post
February 12, 2018
Influential Catholics expressed shock and disappointment about the Vatican's potential deal with Beijing.
Catholicism, The Vatican, Beijing, Pope Francis
Small Earthquake Rattles China's Capital, Beijing
By Reuters Staff via Reuters
February 12, 2018
A 4.3 magnitude quake centered just south of Beijing in the neighboring province of Hebei.
Earthquakes, Hebei, Beijing
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Kills More Than 100 in China This Year
By Chris Buckley via New York Times
February 12, 2018
Gas poisonings in southern China have left at least 104 people dead and hundreds hospitalized.
Natural Gas, Fuel, Fossil Fuels, Coal, Guangxi
Disney Can Stream Its Movies in China Again, Thanks to Alibaba
By Alanna Petroff via CNN
February 12, 2018
Disney is trying again to get its movies and TV programs into China.
Disney, Entertainment, Film and Television, Alibaba
China Studying Impact of Trade Measures against U.S. Soy, Sources Say
By Bloomberg News via Bloomberg
February 8, 2018
China is studying the potential impact of trade measures imposed on soybeans imported from the U.S., valued last year at $13.9 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Antidumping
This Week in China Tech: Xiaomi’s 460 Investments, Tencent’s Gamble and a New ‘Blockchain Academy’
By Bay McLaughlin via Forbes
February 8, 2018
China’s technology scene is always shifting, and this week we’ve seen big news coming from Xiaomi, Tencent, Wanda, Baidu, among others. Here are the some of the most interesting tech stories out of China you might not have heard about.
Xiaomi, Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu, Internet
Life Drains from Little Africa as China Dream Fades for Its Fortune Seekers
By Tom Phillips via Guardian
February 8, 2018
Kalifa Feika swapped Sierra Leone for southern China four years ago, determined to manufacture his fortune in the factory of the world.
Africa, China-Africa Relations, Xenophobia, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship
An Indian-Russian Supersonic Missile Could Be a Problem for China
By Nyshka Chandran via CNBC
February 8, 2018
BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India and Russia, has developed what it calls the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile. The namesake rocket may now be exported globally — a potentially concerning development for the world’s second-largest economy.
India, China-India Relations, Russia, China-Russia Relations, Missiles, Vietnam
Germany’s Daimler Issues ‘Full Apology’ to China over Dalai Lama
BBC
February 8, 2018
Daimler has issued a second emphatic apology to China after its subsidiary, Mercedes Benz, quoted the Dalai Lama in an Instagram post on Monday.
Dalai Lama, Automobiles, Censorship, Internet Censorship, Instagram
China Loves Trump
By Benjamin Carlson via Atlantic
February 8, 2018
In January of last year, around the time of the presidential inauguration, as jitters about the relationship between Donald Trump and China mounted, I regularly joined the mob of reporters at the Chinese foreign ministry’s daily briefings in Beijing.
Donald Trump, State Media, Media, Xi Jinping, Propaganda
China’s Yuan Toppled from Two-Year High as Trade Data Surprises
By Bloomberg News via Bloomberg
February 8, 2018
China’s yuan sank the most since the aftermath of its shock 2015 devaluation, after data showed the country’s trade surplus more than halved last month, and investors speculated controls on outward cash flows will be eased.
Yuan, Trade, Trade Deficit
Racing to Match China’s Growing Computer Power, U.S. Outlines Design for Exascale Computer
By Robert F. Service via Science
February 7, 2018
In 1957, the launch of the Sputnik satellite vaulted the Soviet Union to the lead in the space race and galvanized the United States. U.S. supercomputer researchers are today facing their own Sputnik moment—this time with China.
Supercomputer, Physics, Nuclear
China Is Placing Underwater Sensors in the Pacific near Guam
By Anthony Kuhn via NPR
February 7, 2018
China’s official People’s Daily newspaper reported in December that Chinese scientists had lowered acoustic sensors into the Mariana Trench, at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Navy, Science, Research, Ocean, Military Technology
Untreatable Gonorrhea Is on the Rise in China
By Alessandra Potenza via Verge
February 7, 2018
The sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea is becoming resistant to the only two antibiotics left to treat it — and it’s spreading in China, according to new research
Medicine, Disease, Disease Control
China Tries to Charm Tech-Savvy Taiwanese Youth as Political Ties Fray
By Brenda Goh and Jess Macy Yu via Reuters
February 7, 2018
A start-up incubator on the outskirts of Shanghai is laying out sweeteners for budding entrepreneurs: Free office space, subsidized housing rent, tax breaks and in some cases, cash of up to 200,000 yuan ($31,211.47).
China-Taiwan Relations, Taiwan, Start-Ups, Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship, Young Entrepreneurs
China’s Didi Chuxing Signs Deal with 12 Car Groups
By Charles Clover and Sherry Fei Ju via Financial Times
February 7, 2018
Chinese ride-hailing group Didi Chuxing has signed partnership agreements with 12 car companies to help them market auto-sharing services and electric vehicles.
Didi Chuxing, Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Automobiles, Automobile Industry
China Detains Executive Close to Family of Former Prime Minister
By David Barboza and Michael Forsythe via New York Times
February 7, 2018
The authorities in China have detained a wealthy investor who went into business with relatives of the previous prime minister, a sign that the anticorruption campaign initiated five years ago by President Xi Jinping may again be closing in on a former top leader.
Anti-Corruption, Anti-Graft, Xi Jinping, Wen Jiabao, Corruption, Detention
The Upside for China in the US Stock Market Plunge – from the Chinese Economist Who Tipped a Big Fall
By Frank Tang via South China Morning Post
February 6, 2018
A record points plunge in the US stock market this week could be good news for China’s exporters, according to a Chinese government economist who predicted a big correction in American shares four weeks ago.
Yuan, Stock Market, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
China Confirms Detention of Hong Kong Bookseller Snatched from Train
By Te-Ping Chen via Wall Street Journal
February 6, 2018
China confirmed it was holding Swedish citizen Gui Minhai and that he would be dealt with according to Chinese law, as Stockholm stepped up criticism of Beijing for its “brutal” treatment of the Hong Kong bookseller.
Human Rights, Human Rights Abuses, Censorship, Detention
Philippines’ Duterte Reneges on China Deal, Bans Foreign Research Ships
By Manuel Mogato via Reuters
February 6, 2018
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has banned all foreign scientific research off the country’s Pacific coast and told the navy to chase away unauthorised vessels, despite earlier allowing Chinese oceanographers to operate there.
Philippines, Science, Research, Academic Research, Navy
China Is Rapidly Closing the US’s Lead in AI Research
By Dan Kopf via Quartz
February 6, 2018
Every year, hundreds of researchers gather at the annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) to hear presentations on the latest developments in AI. Increasingly, that means learning about the work of Chinese researchers.
Technology, Kai-Fu Lee
China Smartphone Sales down for First Time since 2009
By Louise Lucas and Edward White via Financial Times
February 6, 2018
Sales of smartphones in China — the world’s biggest market, responsible for roughly one in every three shipments — declined last year for the first time since 2009, slumping 4.9 per cent year on year according to preliminary data from research group IDC.
Smartphones, Apple, Samsung, Huawei
Photos Show Beijing’s Militarisation of South China Sea in New Detail
By Tom Phillips via Guardian
February 6, 2018
Beijing has been accused of building “island fortresses” in the South China Sea after a newspaper in the Philippines obtained aerial photographs offering what experts called the most detailed glimpse yet of China’s militarisation of the waterway.
South China Sea, Militarization, Philippines
China to Stamp out Cryptocurrency Trading Completely with Ban on Foreign Platforms
By Xie Yu via South China Morning Post
February 5, 2018
Offshore platforms targeted after recent efforts to shut down domestic exchanges failed to eradicate trading.
Virtual Currency, Bitcoin, Chinese Financial Market, Financial Regulation, Chinese Financial Policy
With Everyone Focused on Russia, China Is Quietly Expanding Its Influence across Europe
By Rick Noack via Washington Post
February 5, 2018
Two new studies suggest that European leaders appear to too willing to overlook China’s authoritarian ambitions.
Europe, European Union, Emmanuel Macron, Diplomacy
Mystery of Suspected China-CIA Spy Draws Lawmaker Scrutiny
By Josh Meyer via Politico
February 5, 2018
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and other senior members of Congress are asking why the FBI took more than five years to arrest former CIA China hand Jerry Chun Shing Lee after it first became suspicious of him.
CIA, U.S. Congress, Intelligence, Espionage
Chinese Capital Controls Hit Silicon Valley Tech Investors
By Leslie Hook via Financial Times
February 5, 2018
Chinese technology investors in Silicon Valley are being thwarted by the country’s capital controls, in a sign of the unintended consequences of Beijing’s move last year to curb cash outflows.
Chinese Investment, Outward Direct Investment, Offshore Investment, Technology, Business
China Wants to Enter the U.S. Car Market, But a Rough Road Lies Ahead
By Russ Mitchell via Los Angeles Times
February 5, 2018
State-controlled Chinese automaker GAC Motor plans to enter the U.S. car market.
Automobile Industry, Automobiles, Electric Cars
China Opens Inquiry into U.S. Sorghum as Trade Tensions Worsen
By Sui-Lee Wee via New York Times
February 5, 2018
China has opened an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into U.S. sorghum imports, the latest salvo in an escalating trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies.
Trade Deficit, Imports and Exports, Agriculture, Tariffs, Trade
More Than a Dozen Hurt as Van Crashes outside Starbucks in Shanghai
By Charlie Campbell via Time
February 2, 2018
At least 18 people were injured after a minivan rammed into pedestrians near a Starbuck’s coffee shop in downtown Shanghai on Friday morning.
Road Accidents, Shanghai, Smoking
China Considers Legal Gambling on Hainan Island
By Keith Zhai and Daniela Wei via Bloomberg
February 2, 2018
China is drafting a proposal to allow gambling on Hainan Island, people familiar with the talks said, in what would be an unprecedented move that could reshape gaming in China’s territories and transform the economy of a strategic southern province.
Hainan, Gambling, Tourism, Macau
Pyramid Schemes Cause Huge Social Harm in China
Economist
February 2, 2018
The authorities call them “business cults”. Tens of millions of people are ensnared in these pyramid schemes that use cult-like techniques to brainwash their targets and bilk them out of their money.
Pyramid Schemes, Crackdown, Fraud