Q. and A.: Luo Yufeng, a.k.a. Sister Feng, on Life as a Manicurist in New York

Vanessa Piao
New York Times
Sister Feng, whose real name is Luo Yufeng, is an Internet celebrity with more than 4.7 million followers on Sina Weibo

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-...

Books

05.19.15

No Ordinary Disruption

Richard Dobbs, James Manyika, Jonathan Woetzel
Our intuition on how the world works could well be wrong. We are surprised when new competitors burst on the scene, or businesses protected by large and deep moats find their defenses easily breached, or vast new markets are conjured from nothing. Trend lines resemble saw-tooth mountain ridges.The world not only feels different. The data tell us it is different. Based on years of research by the directors of the McKinsey Global Institute, No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Forces Breaking All the Trends is a timely and important analysis of how we need to reset our intuition as a result of four forces colliding and transforming the global economy: the rise of emerging markets; the accelerating impact of technology on the natural forces of market competition; an aging world population; and accelerating flows of trade, capital, and people.Our intuitions formed during a uniquely benign period for the world economy—often termed the Great Moderation. Asset prices were rising, cost of capital was falling, labor and resources were abundant, and generation after generation was growing up more prosperous than their parents.But the Great Moderation has gone. The cost of capital may rise. The price of everything from grain to steel may become more volatile. The world’s labor force could shrink. Individuals, particularly those with low job skills, are at risk of growing up poorer than their parents.What sets No Ordinary Disruption apart is depth of analysis combined with lively writing informed by surprising, memorable insights that enable us to quickly grasp the disruptive forces at work. For evidence of the shift to emerging markets, consider the startling fact that, by 2025, a single regional city in China—Tianjin—will have a GDP equal to that of the Sweden, or that, in the decades ahead, half of the world’s economic growth will come from 440 cities including Kumasi in Ghana or Santa Carina in Brazil that most executives today would be hard-pressed to locate on a map.What we are now seeing is no ordinary disruption but the new facts of business life—facts that require executives and leaders at all levels to reset their operating assumptions and management intuition.—PublicAffairs{chop}

Caixin Media

05.19.15

Why Xinjiang’s Economy Is Sputtering

It has been almost one year since a terrorist bombing in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, shocked the nation and brought economic woes and social conflicts in the largely Uighur-populated area into the spotlight again.I arrived by train...

In China, ‘Breaking Bad’ is Real

Wall Street Journal
Chinese police have arrested a Chinese college chemistry professor for joining forces with a drug kingpin.

China Issues Plan for Gleaming High-tech Future

Gerry Shih
Reuters
China’s plan to promote advanced industry is supposed to aid its economy’s move away from low-value manufacturing.

China: Protests For High-Speed Rail Line To ‘Abandoned' City’ Triggers Violent Clashes

Duncan Hewitt
International Business Times
China: Protests For High-Speed Rail Line To 'Abandoned' City Triggers Violent Clashes http://www.ibtimes.com/china-protests-high-speed-rail-line-abandoned-city-triggers-violent-clashes-1926516

Duck-Rice, Honey Bees and Mandarins

Kathleen Buckingham
China Policy Institute Blog
There has to be a financial model which allows the farmers to see the impact of restoration on their business.

Despite Tension, Xi says U.S.-China Relations are Stable

David Brunnstrom
Reuters
John Kerry's trip has been dominated by security concerns about Beijing’s maritime ambitions in the So China Sea.

Want a Green Card? Invest in Real Estate

Julie Satow
New York Times
Developers also take the search for investors in their projects on the road, primarily to China.

Indians From All Over China Are Flocking to Shanghai to Hear Their Prime Minister Speak

Rishi Iyengar
Time
More than 5,000 Indian expats are expected to attend an event on Saturday.

Dying to Breathe

Sim Chi Yin
National Geographic
This is the unseen cost of gold mining in China—the world’s top gold producer. In China, silicosis is considered a form of pneumoconiosis, which affects an estimated six million workers who toil in gold, coal, or silver mines or in stone-cutting...

China Economy Loses More Steam in April, Further Stimulus on the Cards

Kevin Yao
Reuters
China's money supply grew at its slowest pace on record in April and investment growth sank to its lowest in 15 years.

Excerpts

05.14.15

The Bar

Suzanne Ma
She had been working at the bar for less than a week when the skin on her hands started to peel. Little bits of skin, translucent and pink, flaked off like Parmesan cheese. Then the cracks appeared. Tiny fissures ruptured at the joints and split her...

China’s Economy: A Slower Slowdown

Simon Rabinovich
Economist
It's been nearly six months since China began easing monetary policy and there's little sign of a rebound in growth.

A Flash Point in China-Africa Relations Re-Opens in Zambia

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
When critics of the Chinese in Africa make their case, the Collum coal mine in Zambia is invariably on their list of grievances. The controversial mine has been the site of violent labor disputes that have severely injured, even killed, both...

Caixin Media

05.12.15

The Urgency of Continuing with Reform

Concern about the middle-income trap has grabbed public attention again. The minister of finance, Lou Jiwei, recently said at Tsinghua University that China had a “50-50 chance” of sliding into it in the next five to 10 years. However, many...

Chinese Investment Banker Fan Bao Searches for Next Jack Ma

William Mellor and Lulu Yilun Chen
Bloomberg
If successful, the combined Didi and Kuaidi Dache could join Internet giants Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent.

Media

05.11.15

Interactive Map: Follow the Roads, Railways, and Pipelines on China’s New Silk Road

Reid Standish & Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
Foreign Policy has put together an interactive guide tracking Beijing’s victories and obstacles along the new Silk Road. The list of participating countries is still not finalized, but with China forking out billions in trade deals and preferential...

Investors Pay a Price for Caution on China

Carolyn Cui
Wall Street Journal
Skittishness has kept cash out of Chinese shares, which have been on a tear. 

China’s Best Economic Forecaster Says Economy Will Rebound Again This Year

Angie Lau
Bloomberg
The central bank cut the benchmark interest rate a third time in six months. 

China Tilts Towards Liberal Latin American Economies

Lucy Hornby and Andres Schipani
Financial Times
China is promoting a Chinese-built, cross-Andes rail link that would allow Brazilian ore and soya to be shipped from Pacific ports in Peru to Asia.

Environment

05.08.15

It’s Time to Fix China’s Food Safety Conundrum

from chinadialogue
Food safety scandals have become so common in China that people are losing confidence in what they eat. The government has consistently emphasised the need for better regulation of the food industry, and it’s established an inter-ministerial...

China Malls Rise Amid Growing Xenophobia in South Africa

Cobus van Staden & Mingwei Huang
Chinese immigrants in South Africa have not been spared from the violent, anti-immigrant riots that have swept across Durban and Johannesburg, two of the country’s largest cities. There have been reports of injuries along with at least 40 business...

China Pulls Out Stops to Avoid Lay-Offs as Economy Cools

Kevin Yao and Koh Gui Qing
Reuters
Some businesses are even enticed into hiring despite the slackening economic growth.

China’s Xi Highlights “Big Picture” in Reform Drive

Xinhua
Authorities must place scientific and technological innovation at the heart of the drive to reform. 

Buffett Bullish on China

Qian Ruisha
Global Times
Warren Buffett predicts a two-to-three-year boom in Mainland markets. 

China Focus: Cross-Strait Economic Forum Held in Shanghai

Xinhua
The forum could invite a wider spectrum of people to cover major issues of cross-Strait development. 

The U.S.-China Disconnect on Trade Deals

Bob Davis
Wall Street Journal
Obama cautions on Beijing’s rise as he pushes TPP at home; a look at key differences in how the U.S. and China approach trade expansion.

China, Pursuing Strategic Interests, Builds Presence in Antarctica - NYTimes.com

Jane Perlez
New York Times
China, Pursuing Strategic Interests, Builds Presence in Antarctica http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/04/world/asia/china-pursuing-strategic-interests-builds-presence-in-antarctica.html?hpw&rref=world&action=click&pgtype=Homepage...

Reports

05.01.15

New Neighbors: Chinese Investment in the United States by Congressional District

National Committee on United States-China Relations
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a vital component of the United States economy today and has been throughout the nation’s history. Investors from abroad are a source of growth, employment, competitiveness, and innovation, and their presence is...

Books

04.30.15

Fantasy Islands

Julie Sze
The rise of China and its status as a leading global factory are altering the way people live and consume. At the same time, the world appears wary of the real costs involved. Fantasy Islands probes Chinese, European, and American eco-desire and eco-technological dreams, and examines the solutions they offer to environmental degradation in this age of global economic change.Uncovering the stories of sites in China, including the plan for a new eco-city called Dongtan on the island of Chongming, mega-suburbs, and the Shanghai World Expo, Julie Sze explores the flows, fears, and fantasies of Pacific Rim politics that shaped them. She charts how climate change discussions align with U.S. fears of China’s ascendancy and the related demise of the American Century, and she considers the motives of financial and political capital for eco-city and ecological development supported by elite power structures in the U.K. and China. Fantasy Islands shows how ineffectual these efforts are while challenging us to see what a true eco-city would be. —University of California Press{chop}

China Rethinks Safety Net for Its Banking System

Neil Gough
New York Times
New deposit insurance could shake the public’s faith in the long-held belief in failsafe government bailouts.

Obama Accuses China of Flexing Muscle in Disputes with Neighbors

Matt Spetalnick and Nathan Layne
Reuters
Obama said a strong U.S.-Japan alliance should not be seen as a provocation to China.

Media

04.28.15

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Chinese Fugitives

Alexa Olesen
Meet China’s 100 international most-wanted: a history professor, a driving instructor, and a government propaganda office cashier. Chinese graft-busters want you to know that one of them might be your neighbor.On April 22, China’s dreaded Central...

Caixin Media

04.28.15

Saudi Aramco’s Al-Falih on China Collaboration

Saudi Arabian Oil Company President and CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih has seen global oil prices rise and fall through at least six market cycles during his more than 30 years with the world’s largest crude producer and exporter.Al-Falih, 55, joined the...

Wang Jianlin, a Billionaire at the Intersection of Business and Power in China -

Michael Forsythe
New York Times
Wang tends to present himself as the pragmatic face of big business in China.

Obama Presses Case for Asia Trade Deal, Warns Failure Would Benefit China

Gerald F. Seib
Wall Street Journal
President says anti-globalization sentiments from left and right ‘a big mistake’

Environment

04.24.15

Fracking May be Needed in China to Wean it Off Coal

from chinadialogue
Fracking of China’s huge shale gas reserves will only have a modest impact on the environment if anti-pollution controls—many of them new—are enforced rigorously, says a new report from the U.K.-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI).The ODI...

China Shocks World by Genetically Engineering Human Embryos

Sarah Knapton
Telegraph
Critics warn China's the ‘Wild West’ of genetic research, on its way to desiging children. 

China Employment Resilient Despite Slower Economic Growth

Kevin Yao
Reuters
The world's No. 2 economy created 3.24M new jobs in Q1, down from 3.44 million during the same period last year. 

China Manufacturing Gauge Falls to One-Year Low

William Kazer
Wall Street Journal
An initial gauge of China’s factory activity showed further weakness in April, defying government efforts to support the economy.

Cities in China’s North Resist Tapping Water Piped From South

Te-ping Chen
Wall Street Journal
Huge project transferring water from Yangtze River to drier regions runs into budgetary constraints.

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Chinese Fugitives

Foreign Policy
One of China’s 100 international most-wanted might be your neighbor in the United States.

China’s Big Plunge in Pakistan

The Editorial Board
New York Times
 If China can advance a stable Pakistan through development programs, the whole region would benefit.

China Points to America in Most-Wanted List

James T. Areddy
Wall Street Journal
Pointing to America in Most-Wanted List Beijing believes some corruption suspects have fled to U.S.

Why India’s E-Commerce Boom Will Look Nothing Like China’s

Shelly Walia
Quartz
In five years, the number of Indians with internet access is estimated to reach the level of China back in 2012.

China Asks Interpol to Help Find 100 Graft Suspects

Michael Holtz
Christian Science Monitor
Chinese authorities are seeking to repatriate absconding officials and others accused of corruption.

China Fines Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz for Price-Fixing

BBC
China is the world's No. 1 car market and foreign automakers have been under scrutiny for allegedly overcharging customers.

Viewpoint

04.22.15

Will China’s New Anti-Terrorism Law Mean the End of Privacy?

Scott D. Livingston
A newly drafted Chinese anti-terrorism law, if enacted in its current form, will empower Beijing to expand its already nearly unchecked policing of the Internet to reach web traffic and other online data flows emanating from both domestic and...

China Is Planning to Rebuild the Silk Road and Transform Global Trade Routes

Samuel Oakford
Vice News
China plans to build a modern version of the Silk Road through Pakistan and beyond.

Xi Jinping of China and Shinzo Abe of Japan Meet Amid Slight Thaw in Ties

Jane Perlez
New York Times
The meeting signaled a continued slight warming in otherwise frosty relations between Asia’s two top economies.

Xi Says Increasingly Confident in China-Pakistan Ties

Xinhua
Xi called for focus on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Gwadar Port, energy, transport infrastructure, and industrial cooperation.

China Airs Pilot Free-Trade Zone National Security Rules for Foreign Investment

Lawrence Chung
South China Morning Post
Investments in defence, the economy, social order, culture, and the Internet, will be reviewed.

China is Still Rising, Just More Slowly

Hu Angang
Foreign Affairs
Embracing China's "new normal" or why the economy Is still 
on track.

Curbs on Foreign Investment Cut for Four FTZs

Zhong Nan
China Daily
Pilot free trade zones in Tianjin, Guangdong, Fujian, and Shanghai now have fewer restrictions.

China’s One Belt, One Road Initiative

Jacob Stokes
Foreign Affairs
Beijing looks West toward Eurasian integration.

China’s New Ad Ban?

Amy Tennery
Reuters
China is considering a ban on advertisements for infant milk formula in a bid to tackle low levels of breast feeding.

Philippines Starts South China Sea War Games With U.S.

Norman P. Acquino
Bloomberg
More than 11,000 soldiers from the Philippines, U.S. and Australia will take part in joint drills in the South China Sea.

China’s Investing $46 B to Carve Route Through one of World’s Most Dangerous Regions

Lily Kuo
Quartz
Xi visiing Pakistan to sign energy and infrastructure deals for a corridor stretching to Xinjiang.