Conversation

08.05.15

Should the U.S. Extradite Chinese Wanted by Beijing?

Jerome A. Cohen, Chen Weihua & more
This week, The New York Times reported that Chinese officials have asked the U.S. government to help in apprehending Ling Wancheng, a wealthy Chinese business man and the brother of one of the highest-level officials to have been targeted in Xi...

Media

08.05.15

Beijing’s Ban on Smoking Is Actually (Sort of) Working

They rarely trash hotel rooms or boast about drugs, but Chinese rock stars could at least be counted on to smoke. Now even that’s starting to change in the face of a smoking ban in China’s capital that shows little sign of burning out, almost two...

Alibaba Names Former Goldman Sachs Executive as President

Michael De La Merced
New York Times
Alibaba on Tuesday named J. Michael Evans, who already serves on its board, as its president.

China Seeks Businessman Said to Have Fled to U.S., Further Straining Ties

Michael Forsythe, Mark Mazetti
New York Times
Ling Wancheng is the younger brother of Ling Jihua, who for years held a post akin to that of the White House chief of staff.

Caixin Media

08.03.15

Villain or Hero for Stock Market Saga?

An obscure equities-trading finance agency that brokers often slighted in favor of bank loans has suddenly taken center stage in the drama playing out in the stock market.But reviews are mixed over whether the four-year-old, quasi-governmental China...

Guo Boxiong Expelled From Chinese Communist Party in Bid to Reform Military

Philip Wen
Sydney Morning Herald
The military has been a core focus of President Xi Jinping's campaign against official corruption.

China’s Naked Emperors

Paul Krugman
New York Times
By trying to control the market China's rulers show that despite 25 years of success they have no idea what they’re doing.

China Gets the 2022 Winter Olympics

Economist
Beijing will stage the winter games in the desert.

China Shares Suffer Worst Month in Nearly Six Years

Chao Deng
Wall Street Journal
Shaken confidence in Beijing’s role in market led to wild swings in recent days.

In China, Michael Jordan Does Not Hold Rights to His Own Name

Zheping Huang
Quartz
Jordan first sued Qiaodan Sports in 2012 for using his Chinese name, his team number 23, and a jumping man logo to sell basketball shoes and jerseys.

China’s Film Industry Is Gaining on Hollywood

Bilge Ebiri
Businessweek
Chinese audiences are growing, more theaters are being built, and the movies are getting better.

Caixin Media

07.27.15

Tech Takeoff Lifts Drone Industry to New Heights

A tech evolution and falling production costs have allowed drones to make the flight off military bases and Hollywood production lots to the hands of ordinary people and government agencies.It has become routine to see these small unmanned aerial...

China’s Shares Tumble Again

Neil Gough
New York Times
Artists, essayists, lawyers, bloggers and others deemed to be online troublemakers have been hauled into police stations and investigated or imprisoned for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a charge that was once confined to physical...

China’s Un-separation of Powers

Christopher K. Johnson and Scott Kennedy
Foreign Affairs
U.S. industry has figured out how to pull the levers of power in China but also points to a substantial change in how China is governed. In the past, there was at least some separation between party and government roles, but it seems that the line...

In Quirky Hong Kong Voting System, Fishermen Play Key Role

Kelvin Chan
Associated Press
Fishing and farming make up less than 1 percent of Hong Kong's $274 billion economy but command 60 votes in the leadership committee.

China's '300': When Spartans Meet the Beijing Police

Shen Lu
CNN
Half-naked models, dressed as Spartan warriors were subdued by Beijing police after a marketing stunt, promoting a salad delivery service.

China Calls Japan Foreign Policy 'Two-faced'

Thomas Peter
Reuters
China's Defense Ministry says it reserves the right to a "necessary reaction" after Japan called on Beijing to stop building oil and gas exploration platforms close to disputed waters.

Myanmar Gives 153 Chinese Life in Jail for Illegal Logging

Aye Aye Win
Associated Press
A court in Myanmar sentenced 153 Chinese nationals to life in prison on after convicting them of illegal logging in a case that has already strained relations with Beijing.

Chinese Art Curator Admits to Faking Masterpieces

William Kazer and Olivia Geng
Wall Street Journal
A prestigious art institute in Guangzhou has discovered that it had forged artwork in its collection — faked by none other than one of its curators.

China Box Office Booms with $284-Million Week; Foreign Films Remain Shut Out

Julie Makinen
Los Angeles Times
The depth and variety of local films suggests growth in China’s domestic production.

Chinese Stocks Rise as Shenzen Gains 20% on July Low

Chao Deng
MarketWatch
Pressure remains from a continuing unwinding of leveraged positions and analysts said they aren’t optimistic about cash-backed state support.

Xi Warns China Military Amid Anti-Corruption Purge

Charles Clover
Financial Times
Xi delivered the stern message to the home unit of Xu Caihou, formerly one of China’s highest ranking generals, arrested last year for bribery scandal.

Want to Circumvent China’s Great Firewall? Learn These 9 Phrases First

Kuang Keng Kuek Ser
Public Radio International
A story about the newly updated e-book Decoding the Chinese Internet: A Glossary of Political Slang”

6 Arrested in China After Dressing Room Sex Video Goes Viral

Julie Makinen
Los Angeles Times
A 19-year-old man was charged with disseminating obscene material. The couple pictured and three others were detained.

Caixin Media

07.20.15

How Beijing Intervened to Save China’s Stocks

Top executives from 21 securities firms spent the morning of Saturday July 4 pinned to government office chairs while the future of China’s stock markets hung in the balance.They’d been summoned on a day off to the Beijing office of the China...

The Most-Viewed Fitting Room in China

Austin Ramzy
New York Times
Aside from shielding Internet users from political discussions the government considers deviant, China’s online censorship seeks to protect users minds from pornography.

Could China Be the Next Japan?

Enda Curran
Bloomberg
Even as China's economy shows signs of recovering from a slowdown, it is vulnerable to the crash that dragged Japan into falling consumer prices and stagnant growth.

Amazon Prime sale--a Chinese import?

Elizabeth Weise
USA Today
Prime Day is "Amazon's effort to try and capture the magic that Alibaba has captured with its November 11 Singles' Day promotion," said Kevin Carter, founder of EMQQ

The Real Risk Behind China’s Stock-Market Drama

Evan Osnos
New Yorker
More recently, the Party has offered annual targets for economic growth that almost always bear out, no matter what sort of creative policy, or accounting, steps are required

China Surprises With 7% Growth in Second Quarter

Mark Magnier
Wall Street Journal
China’s growth remained at 7% in the second quarter, a level economists had thought would be hard to reach amid broad signs that Beijing’s policies to jump-start the economy hadn’t taken hold. 

Caixin Media

07.14.15

Uber CEO Enjoying a Fast China Ride

Demand for cross-town transportation is at the heart of an urban lifestyle that is defining modern China. It is also giving the American car-hire service Uber Technologies Inc. an incredible ride.Few are enjoying the ride more than Uber CEO Travis...

Angolans Resentful as China Tightens its Grip

Herculano Coroado and Joe Brock
Reuters
After oil prices fell, leaving a huge hole in Angola's finances, it became clear sub-Saharan Africa's third largest economy needed - and President Jose Eduardo dos Santos signed multi billion dollar loans with China.

Oil Prices Rise on China Recovery and Iran Deadlock

Nicole Friedman and Matthew Cowley
Wall Street Journal
Oil prices climb as Chinese stocks rebounded, easing concerns about China’s economic growth, and expectations of higher Iranian crude-oil exports receded.

China's Richest Lost $195 bn In One Month

Liyan Chen
Wall Street Journal
The country’s stock market has been a wild ride this year, especially for millions of rookie retail investors who rushed to open their accounts for the first time.

Why Worry About China?

Alen Mattich
Wall Street Journal
The Chinese government has stepped in to the market, the police are involved, and short selling is under fire. 

China’s Web Users Find NYSE Shutdown Hilarious

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
Within 30 minutes of the NYSE shutdown, the word spread on the Chinese Internet, and jokes came pouring in on China’s Twitter-like microblogging platform Weibo.

The Philippines Takes China to Court

Al Jazeera
The Philippines argued at a closed that an international court should intervene in its dispute with China over rights to exploit natural resources and fish in the South China Sea.

Why Russia’s Turn to China is a Mirage

Björn Düben
Reuters
Chinese companies provide Russian companies with technology which they cannot access due to sanctions, and Chinese banks are a source of loans for Russian businesses.

China's Stock Market Crash, Explained

Timothy B. Lee
Vox
Chinese stocks surged last year, but those gains didn't reflect broader economic gains. They were a result of more people investing in the stock market with borrowed funds.

China Takes More Steps to Stop ‘Irrational’ Selling'

Grace Zhu
Wall Street Journal
Chinese government agencies step up efforts to shore up China’s plunging stock markets that the securities regulator described as facing panic and irrational selling.

Iron Ore Plunges 10pc Amid Extended China Market Route

Jasmine Ng
Australian Financial Review
Iron ore retreated to the lowest level in at least six years as a rout in China's stock markets threatened to hurt demand just as the biggest producers plan to raise output.

China Stock Slump Spreads as Alibaba to JD.com Whipsaw Investors

Elena Popina and Aleksandra Gjorgievska
Bloomberg
U.S.-traded Chinese stocks tumbled at least four years before rebounding in late trading as the rout that’s wiped $3.2 trillion from the value of mainland equities spreads.

Why is China's Stock Market Crashing?

Bo Zhiyue
Diplomat
The volatility of the stock markets has become a political issue but political intervention has not been effective. It is likely that Chinese leaders will find ways to boost the confidence in the Chinese stock markets which could backfire.

As China’s Market Tanks, What Becomes of the Companies Hoping to List?

JURO OSAWA and WEI GU
Wall Street Journal
As the market soared in China, nearly 20 Chinese companies whose shares trade in New York got bids to go private in management buyouts.

Chinese Investors Who Borrowed Are Hit Hard by Market Turn

DAVID BARBOZA
New York Times
Millions of ordinary investors like Mr. Gong, who piled into an ever-soaring Chinese stock market over the last year, are bracing for a roller-coaster ride.

China Stocks Fall in Defiance of Beijing’s Support Efforts

Patrick McGee, Josh Noble and Gabriel...
Financial Times
Another 173 firms listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen announced trading suspensions after the market closed on Tuesday, bringing the total to around 940. 

China Stocks Rise as Beijing’s Emergency Moves Brings Some Relief

Samuel Shen and Pete Sweeney
Reuters
Support measures unleashed by Beijing brought some relief to a market after headlong slide over three weeks. 

Media

07.02.15

On the Border

Sim Chi Yin
Minutes after we turned off the main road and into the Tumen Economic Development Zone, we spotted a group of workers weeding along an access road.From afar, all we could make out in the gentle early morning light was that they were women in...

Conversation

07.02.15

How Much Does the Chinese Market Matter to the World?

Yukon Huang, Ira Kalish & more
China’s main market, reflected in the Shanghai Composite Index, has fallen 24 percent since June 12, losing $2.4 trillion in value. While many analysts are focused on the financial crisis in Greece, some are beginning to wonder if China's woes...

Beijing's National Security Law Could Create New Tensions

Michelle FlorCruz
International Business Times
China adopted a national security law which defines issues in cyberspace, outer space, the deep sea and, the South China Sea, as areas it has the right to defend.

GSK’s Viiv Arm Agrees China Tie-up to Produce HIV Drugs

Andrew Ward
Financial Times
GlaxoSmithKline signs a deal to manufacture cut-price HIV drugs in China as the UK group rebuilds its presence after a corruption scandal.

Why are China’s Stock Markets so Volatile?

Josh Noble
Financial Times
Home to the world’s largest equity markets after the US, China is still extremely volatile with benchmark indices often swinging as much as 10 per cent in a matter of hours.

China: The Indian Ocean can’t be India’s backyard

Business Insider
Chinese military officials warn that the Indian Ocean is not India's "backyard" and may result in clashes.

Local Filmmakers Must Raise Their Game to Compete With Hollywood

Clifford Coonan
Hollywood Reporter
Chen Kaige says that while the movie industry booms in China, local filmmakers need to raise their standards to compete with Hollywood.

Foreign Films Rise Again at China’s Box Office

Laurie Burkitt
Wall Street Journal
China’s movie market is booming, with $3.3 billion worth of ticket sales in the first half of the year, up nearly 50% from the same period in 2014.

China Parliament Ratifies BRICS Bank Agreement

Ben Blanchard
Reuters
The BRICS Bank, is one of two international development banks that China is promoting as an alternative to western institutions such as the World Bank.

Taiwan Youth to China: Treat Us Like a Country

Michael Gold
Reuters
Activists tie themselves up in chains, block mountain roads, scale fences and throw red paint balloons in a wave of anti-China sentiment to turn politics in the next election.

China's Military Must Help Xinjiang Modernize

Reuters
Guardian
China’ wants to bring “modern civilisation” to the southern areas of Xinjiang, where Muslim ethnic Uighurs are in a majority, and help develop its economy

China Invites Kim Jong Un to Beijing in September

Alastair Gale
Wall Street Journal
China has invited Kim Jong Un to attend events in Beijing in September to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Why it is Better to Stay Out of China A-shares

John Authers
Financial Times
Where did the argument for China A-shares go? In the last two weeks the case for the booming stock market of mainland China has turned at least two somersaults.