ChinaFile Recommends
09.23.15China's Xi Tells Foreign NGOs to Obey the Law
Agence France-Presse
Foreign organisations in China should "obey Chinese law".
ChinaFile Recommends
09.23.15China Admonishes Malcolm Turnbull on South China Sea Comments
Guardian
China hoped Australia would ‘stay committed to not taking sides on issues concerning disputes over sovereignty’.
The NYRB China Archive
09.12.15
‘I Try to Talk Less’: A Conversation with Ai Weiwei and Liao Yiwu
from New York Review of Books
In late July, Chinese authorities renewed travel privileges for conceptual artist and political activist Ai Weiwei, ending a five-year prohibition following his arrest in 2011. He promptly flew to Munich and then Berlin, where he has accepted a...
ChinaFile Recommends
09.11.15For the First Time Ever, China’s Communist Party Is Openly Questioning Its Legitimacy
Quartz
China’s Communist Party invited political figures and academics to attend a meeting in Beijing.
ChinaFile Recommends
09.10.15Is Xi Jinping Living up to the Legacy of China’s Greatest Modern Reformer?
Quartz
The parade is a crowning ceremony to justify a leader’s power, meant to demonstrate national unity.
The NYRB China Archive
08.13.15
China: The Superpower of Mr. Xi
from New York Review of Books
In the almost one-hundred-year existence of the Chinese Communist Party (C.C.P.), its current general secretary, Xi Jinping, is only the second leader clearly chosen by his peers. The first was Mao Zedong. Both men beat out the competition, and thus...
Two Way Street
08.01.15
China’s Foreign Policy Isn’t Transparent? You’ve Got to Be Kidding
from Two Way Street
In her recent article, “What China’s Lack of Transparency Means for U.S. Policy,” U.S.-China relations expert Susan Shirk caused a stir when she argued that China’s “lack of transparency” around public policy making, defense, national security, and...
Sinica Podcast
07.13.15
Good Riddance, Monsieur Epstein
from Sinica Podcast
The hosts of the Sinica Podcast are not surprised that Gady Epstein is moving on. We used to buy the papers for his “Telegrams from the Orient”, but then he took that Economist gig and his productivity plummeted and it has become hard to even...
Media
06.02.15
Chinese Netizens to Fiorina: You’re Right, We Don’t Innovate
Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and a declared Republican candidate for U.S. president, evidently has strong opinions about the capacities of Chinese people. “Yeah, the Chinese can take a test,” Fiorina told an Iowa-based video blog...
Media
05.20.15
China Liked TPP—Until U.S. Officials Opened Their Mouths
After a brief but frightening setback for proponents, U.S. congressional leaders looked set on May 13 to pass legislation for an eventual up-or-down (“fast-track”) vote on what would be one of the world’s largest trade accords, the U.S.-led Trans-...
Sinica Podcast
05.11.15
India Comes to China
from Sinica Podcast
This week’s Sincia Podcast is about the upcoming visit to China of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who served from 2001 to 2014 as Chief Minister of Gujarat and was sworn into office almost one year ago this month. Modi’s visit comes at an...
Viewpoint
04.23.15
China’s Leftists Are Embracing Confucius. Why?
When Jennifer Pan and Yiqing Xu posted their new paper, “China’s Ideological Spectrum,” last week, it marked the first time that anyone has provided large-scale empirical data on the ideological shifts and trends within the Chinese population. China...
Sinica Podcast
04.20.15
China’s Ideological Spectrum
from Sinica Podcast
Last week, Harvard doctoral student Jennifer Pan and MIT graduate student Yiqing Xu co-released a paper, “China’s Ideological Spectrum,” that has garnered a tremendous amount of attention in China-watching circles. And the reason for the fracas?...
Media
04.13.15
The Chinese Internet Hates Hillary Clinton Even More than Republicans Do
On the afternoon of April 12, Hillary Clinton announced her long-expected decision to run for president in 2016. Within hours, Chinese news sites shared the announcement on Weibo, China’s most popular micro-blogging platform, provoking thousands of...
Sinica Podcast
04.07.15
Cyber Leninism and the Political Culture of the Chinese Internet
from Sinica Podcast
Kaiser Kuo and David Moser speak with Rogier Creemers, post-doctoral fellow at Oxford with a focus on Chinese Internet governance and author of the China Copyright and Media blog.{chop}
ChinaFile Recommends
03.27.15Beyond Ai Weiwei: How China’s Artists Handle Politics (or Avoid Them)
New Yorker
Westerners are often criticized for looking at Chinese art through a narrow political lens.
Media
03.25.15
Was Lee Kuan Yew an Inspiration or a Race Traitor? Chinese Can’t Agree
When Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of Singapore, passed away at the ripe age of 91 on March 23, the elderly statesman was as controversial in death as in life—and nowhere was the debate more vigorous than in China. While state media was full of...
The NYRB China Archive
02.03.15
How to Be a Chinese Democrat: An Interview with Liu Yu
from New York Review of Books
Liu Yu is one of China’s best-known America-watchers. A professor of political science at Tsinghua University, she lived in the U.S. from 2000 to 2007 and now researches democratization in developing countries, including her own. The thirty-eight-...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.16.15China Arrests 60,000 in ‘Unprecedented’ 100-Day Drug Crackdown
NBC News
China's top anti-drug official said the mass arrests had "sown terror" among drug criminals, according to a report Thursday in China's state-run newspaper Legal Daily. Liu Yuejin told the newspaper that he had called on China...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.16.15Is ‘China’s Machiavelli’ Now Its Most Important Political Philosopher?
Diplomat
Much like a dragon, “the ruler of men has bristling scales. Only if a speaker can avoid brushing against them can he have any hope of success.”
ChinaFile Recommends
01.15.15China Is Using ‘Charlie Hebdo’ to Justify Its Own Crackdown on Free Speech
New Republic
“The world is diverse and there should be limits on press freedom,” read the editorial by Paris bureau chief Ying Qiang. “Unfettered and unprincipled satire, humiliation, and free speech are not acceptable.”
ChinaFile Recommends
01.14.15China’s 109-Year-Old Dissenter Is Still Fighting for Democracy
Business Insider
Born when a Qing dynasty emperor was on the throne, the man who helped invent the Pinyin writing system used for transliterating Chinese worldwide turns 109 on Tuesday. But Zhou Youguang's outspoken support for democracy means his writings are...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.14.15Hong Kong’s Leader Says Concessions to Protesters Could Lead to Anarchy
New York Times
Leung Chun-ying, the chief executive of Hong Kong, offered the proposals in his first major policy package since the street demonstrations ended last month. Since Mr. Leung came to office in 2012, he has repeatedly vowed to redress the city’s...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.14.15Good Times Are Over for Local Governments
Two pieces of recent news have piqued the public's interest. First, local governments reported their latest debt figures to the Ministry of Finance. The numbers have not been made public, but sources say many officials reported large amounts in...
Media
01.13.15
‘Where’s Our Unity March?’ China Wants to Know
The January 7 terrorist attack on satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo that left 12 dead has mostly inspired unity in the West, but the massive march held in its aftermath is spurring controversy, and even some disdain, in China. While the...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.12.15Firebombs Thrown at Jimmy Lai’s Home and Company in Hong Kong
New York Times
Apple Daily has been a vocal advocate of the recent demonstrations for expanded democracy in Hong Kong. Mr. Lai frequently attended the protests, which saw several main thoroughfares occupied for more than two months. He was arrested and released in...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.11.15Chinese Spy Chief Ma Jian Detained as Corruption Crackdown Widens
South China Morning Post
It is not clear what triggered the probes, but it is believed to be linked to a high-profile anti-graft investigation into activities at the top of Founder Group, a Peking University-owned technology conglomerate.
ChinaFile Recommends
01.09.15Drawing the News: Wo Shi Chali (Je Suis Charlie)
China Digital Times
Chinese cartoonists and netizens have responded quickly to the slaying of cartoonists and editors at the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo yesterday. Masked gunmen entered the offices of the journal and fired automatic weapons at staff in an...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.08.15Want to Hire a Private Car in China? There Will Be No App for That
Bloomberg
“Banning private cars from using the apps will put passengers at ease,” the ministry said. “But apps for premium car services have an innovative service model and play a positive role in meeting the high-end and differentiated transportation market...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.07.15China’s Empty Promise of Rule by Law
China Change
I’m afraid that those of you who excitedly applauded the Communist Party’s rehashing of the term “governing the country according to the law” have forgotten the famous words of Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu, who once warned sternly, “Don’t...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.05.15Maoists in China, Given New Life, Attack Dissent
New York Times
They pounce on bloggers who dare mock their beloved Chairman Mao. They scour the nation’s classrooms and newspapers for strains of Western-inspired liberal heresies. And they have taken down professors, journalists and others deemed disloyal to...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.22.14China Indicts Jackie Chan’s Son on Drug Charge
Associated Press
Beijing police detained the younger Chan at his Beijing apartment in August along with Taiwanese movie star Ko Kai. Police said Chan and Ko both tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug, and that 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of it were...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.22.14China Offers Russia Ruble Help
Wall Street Journal
China says it is willing to provide assistance to Russia following recent sharp drops in the value of its currency, said a senior official, as President Vladimir Putin’s regime faces continuing strains with the U.S. and Europe.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.17.14Dalai Lama Concedes He May Be the Last
BBC
Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has said he realizes that he may be the last to hold the title. But he told the BBC it would be better that the centuries-old tradition ceased "at the time of a popular Dalai Lama".
ChinaFile Recommends
12.15.14China’s Double-Edged Pact
New York Times
Whether China is a climate hero or a climate villain is a matter of polarized debate. At one extreme, the world’s biggest carbon-emitter is portrayed as a wasteful bogeyman that obstructs efforts to halt global warming and “steals” clean-tech jobs...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.15.1479 Days That Shook Hong Kong
Time
Photo Essay: Hong Kong's street occupations have ended, but many demonstrators say this is only the beginning of their fight for free elections.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.14.14Pope Francis Denies Dalai Lama an Audience Because of China Concerns
Guardian
The Dalai Lama, in Rome for a meeting of Nobel peace prize winners, told Italian media he had approached the Vatican about a meeting but was told it could create inconveniences.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.12.14Young, Idealistic, and Caught Up in a Wave of Detentions
New York Times
Well educated and deeply committed to helping their fellow Chinese, Liu Jianshu and Zhao Sile are the kind of idealistic young people who pepper the story of China’s transformation over the past century as it searches for a modern identity.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.09.14Environmental Filmmakers Have Rare Impact in China
Associated Press
One clip shows a girl swatting flies from a younger child among piles of trash. Another has children blowing up used medical gloves like balloons. The footage is on the computer screen of Wang Jiuliang as he edits his second film about waste harming...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.09.14Hong Kong Democracy Protesters Brace for Final Camp Shutdown
Washington Post
The operation reflects the waning support for demonstrators after more than two months of civil disobedience and clashes that began over Beijing’s role in directing elections in the former British colony.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.02.14Hong Kong Protests Have Produced No Real Winners
Guardian
There appear to be no real winners from Hong Kong’s umbrella movement: not the demonstrators—who have failed to win the concessions for which they have fought so persistently—nor the authorities, who have veered between aggressive intervention and...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.01.14Teachers’ Strikes Spread Across Northeast China
New York Times
Teachers are asking for raises and for the government to end a requirement that teachers make payments to a pension plan as part of an experimental policy. China National Radio reported that one teacher was making less than $400 a month after...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.01.14How Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement Folded
Al Jazeera
An effective boycott by the relevant interlocutors, in the form of government officials, and for two months the lack of a face-to-face oppressor, in the form of police—who until last week appeared to have learned that gassing protesters was the...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.01.14Gregarious and Direct: China’s Web Doorkeeper
New York Times
When a major Chinese-American Internet conference convenes in Washington on Tuesday, a middle-aged Communist Party propaganda chief will be seated amid a room full of tech industry executives, American officials and web luminaries.
ChinaFile Recommends
12.01.14China’s Crackdown in Hong Kong May Fuel a Long-term Democracy Movement
Washington Post
China's Communist authorities are nothing if not predictable. With a high-profile international summit hosted by President Xi Jinping this month behind them, they are ready for authorities in Hong Kong to crack down on a pro-democracy protest...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.26.14LIVE: Stand-off Ensues Between Protesters and Police in Mong Kok
South China Morning Post
Crowds of protesters are involved in stand-off with police in Mong Kok after officers earlier took control of the junction of Shantung Street and Sai Yeung Choi South Street by forcing people back on the pavement.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.26.14Despite Persecution, Guardian of Lake Tai Spotlights China’s Polluters
New York Times
ZHOUTIE, China — By autumn, the stench of Lake Tai and the freakish green glow of its waters usually fade with the ebbing of the summer heat, but this year is different. Standing on a concrete embankment overlooking a fetid, floating array of...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.26.14China Fires Journalist Who Tweeted In Support of Occupy Central
Radio Free Asia
Wang Yafeng, who wrote editorials for Communist Party mouthpiece the Jiaxing Daily in the eastern province of Zhejiang, lost his job after sending out tweets highly critical of state media's line on the Hong Kong protests on his personal...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.21.14Los Angeles Mayor Presses China to Allow More Hollywood Films
Reuters
Hollywood producers, eager to build ties to the world's second-largest film market, have embraced an influx of Chinese capital in recent years, leading to a series of high-profile partnerships.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.21.14Political Surgery
Economist
This year is unlikely to be remembered fondly by Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou. He entered it with opinion polls at record lows. Spring saw students occupying the legislature for more than three weeks in protest against his efforts to forge...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.21.14“Hunger Games” China Release Date canceled, Likely Due to “Revolutionary” Political Content
That’s
The film's sudden withdrawal may be due to the film's apparently incendiary content, depicting a fictitious revolution aimed at toppling a dystopian future government. It's feared that movie-goers might draw parallels to Taiwan's...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.14.14In China, Blunt Talk to Reporters on Access
New York Times
Mr. Xi’s comments come as several journalists for The New York Times and other news organizations have been forced to cover the country from outside its borders, after producing articles that were embarrassing for the Chinese leadership.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.11.14Cut the Shawl Talk: Chinese Censors Wipe Putin’s Move on China’s First Lady
CNN
At an APEC event to watch the fireworks in Beijing on Monday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin created a few of his own by slipping a shawl over the shoulders of Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.10.14‘A Map of Betrayal,’ by Ha Jin
New York Times
Many years ago, the F.B.I. coined an acronym, MICE, to describe the motivations of the spy. This stands for Money, Ideology, Compromise and Ego. All spies, it is argued, are drawn into espionage by some combination of these factors.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.10.14China’s ‘New Type’ of Ties Fails to Sway Obama
New York Times
Nearly three years ago, Xi Jinping was still China’s vice president and only the heir apparent to the Communist Party leadership. But even during that visit he spoke expansively of forging a “new type of great power relations” with the United States.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.05.14Britain Soft on China over Hong Kong Crisis, Says Chris Patten
Guardian
Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong before the 1997 handover, said China’s actions were “spit in the face” of the 1984 Joint Declaration on the conditions under which Hong Kong would be handed over.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.03.14A Comb Worth Fighting For
Economist
By one estimate, the number of Chinese Christians could by 2030 have reached 250 million—the largest Christian population of any country in the world.
ChinaFile Recommends
11.03.14Taiwan Leader Stresses Support for Hong Kong Protests
New York Times
“If mainland China can practice democracy in Hong Kong, or if mainland China itself can become more democratic, then we can shorten the psychological distance between people from the two sides of the Taiwan Strait,” President Ma Ying-jeou said.
ChinaFile Recommends
10.31.14In Hong Kong Photographer, China Sees Image of Spy
New York Times
Dan Garrett, a gnarled, tattooed former Pentagon intelligence analyst, has attracted more stares than usual lately when he prowls the streets here with a camera fitted with a 300-millimeter lens, snapping images of pro-democracy demonstrations,...
ChinaFile Recommends
10.31.14Taiwan Puts Curbs on Study in China, WeChat for Top Officials
Wall Street Journal
Taiwan and China have fostered closer commercial ties recent years, and since 2008 have signed some 21 trade agreements. But both sides remain at loggerheads over Taiwan’s political status. Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must be...