As Hong Kong Chooses Its Next Leader, China Still Pulls the Strings

Alan Wong
New York Times
For the fifth time, Hong Kong’s next chief executive will be selected on Sunday by a committee stacked with supporters of the Chinese government rather than by a free election.

As China’s Li Visits Down Under, Trump on Australian PM Turnbull’s Mind

Nyshka Chandran
CNBC
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to keep his relationship with the U.S. in close focus as China’s Li Keqiang becomes the first Premier in eleven years to visit Down Under.

Why Is Spain in the Middle of a Spat between China and Taiwan?

Kevin Ponniah
BBC
Spain could soon become the first European Union country to extradite Taiwanese criminal suspects to China, instead of their home island.

Demolishing Dalian: China’s ‘Russian’ City Is Erasing Its Heritage—in Pictures

Francesca Perry
Guardian
Founded by the Russians, Dalian boasts a wealth of architectural history. But now its treasured buildings are marked for demolition—and the government is being sued. One student went to capture the area before it disappears

Eleven Countries Signed a Letter Slamming China for Torturing Lawyers. The U.S. Did Not.

Simon Denyer
Washington Post
When 11 embassies signed on to a joint letter criticizing China over “credible claims” that lawyers and human rights activists have been tortured while in detention, there were two notable abstentions.

Why China Stoking up Anger over South Korea Missile System Is Doomed to Fail

Josh Ye
South China Morning Post
Encouraging boycotts of South Korean goods won’t stop Seoul deploying the defence shield, but will sour an economically valuable relationship, observers say

Philippine Ministers Cry Foul over China’s Island Plans

Michael Peel
Financial Times
Fears of a Chinese plan to build a radar station on a disputed ocean outcrop have laid bare tensions in the Philippine government over President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign to woo Beijing.

Conversation

03.22.17

China Writers Remember Robert Silvers

Ian Johnson, Orville Schell & more
Robert Silvers died on Monday, March 20, after serving as The New York Review of Books Editor since 1963. Over almost six decades, Silvers cultivated one of the most interesting, reflective, and lustrous stables of China writers in the world, some...

Xi Jinping Is Only Halfway through His Rule yet China’s Already Trumpeting His Legacy

Zheping Huang
Quartz
Xi is set to start his second five-year term with the party congress meeting this fall. In the past few months, China’s propaganda machines have been busy churning out videos crafting his personal image.

Rex Tillerson’s Deferential Visit to China

Hannah Beech
New Yorker
America’s top diplomat agreed that “the U.S. side is ready to develop relations with China based on the principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win coöperation.”

China Just Held Its National People’s Congress. Here Are Three Key Points.

Lynette Ong
Washington Post
For decades, China’s “Two Sessions” (lianghui) each spring have offered a glimpse into the policies and priorities of China’s Communist Party (CCP).

China May Set New Rules to Curb ‘Irrational’ Outbound Investment This Year

Fortune
China this year may publish rules on outbound investment by Chinese firms that would spell out the sectors in which investing is encouraged and those where it is restricted, state media reported on Tuesday.

China and America Need a One-Korea Policy

Michael D. Swaine
Foreign Policy
The only way to stop North Korea is by guaranteeing the peninsula will eventually be united—and non-aligned.

China’s Xi Tells Israel That Peaceful Middle East Good for All

Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping told visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that peaceful coexistence with the Palestinians would be good for both sides.

Tillerson’s Beijing Visit Was a Home Run for China: State Media

Janis Mackey Frayer
NBC News
China’s state-run media cheered Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s weekend visit to Beijing as a diplomatic win for the home team.

South Korea Complains to WTO about China over THAAD

BBC
South Korea has appealed to the World Trade Organization to determine if the Chinese government is treating South Korean companies unfairly.

Taiwan ‘Targeted by Mainland China’s Top Medium-Range Missiles’

Nectar Gan
South China Morning Post
Deployment of DF-16 missiles part of the increased military intimidation of Taiwan by Beijing, according to island’s defense minister

China’s Taxes on Imported Cars Feed Trade Tensions with U.S.

Keith Bradsher
New York Times
A Jeep Wrangler can cost $30,000 more in China than in the United States—and the reasons illustrate a growing point of tension between the two countries.

China Is Reportedly Getting Ready to Hit back against Any of Trump’s Trade Penalties

Fortune
China’s government has been seeking advice from its think-tanks and policy advisers on how to counter potential trade penalties from U.S. President Donald Trump, getting ready for the worst, even as they hope for business-like negotiations.

Tillerson Ends China Trip with Warm Words from President Xi

Yeganeh Torbati and Michael Martina
Reuters
With warm words from Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work together with China on North Korea and putting aside trickier issues.

Rex Tillerson and Xi Jinping Meet in China and Emphasize Cooperation

Jane Perlez
New York Times
Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and President Xi Jinping of China cast aside their differences on Sunday with a public display of cooperation, sidestepping areas of disagreement even as North Korea made another defiant statement by showing off a...

In China Debut, Tillerson Appears to Hand Beijing a Diplomatic Victory

Simon Denyer
Washington Post
While his boss was goading China over Twitter, new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been trying to build a constructive and “results-oriented” relationship with the leadership in Beijing.

The Real Reason China Won’t Exert Economic Pressure on North Korea

Tom Holland
South China Morning Post
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson thinks that if only he can enlist Beijing’s support, sanctions will compel Kim Jong-un to give up his nuclear arsenal—here’s why he’s wrong

Viacom’s Paramount Rejected in Potential $1 Billion Film Deal with China

Claire Atkinson
MarketWatch
Viacom’s Paramount Pictures movie unit has failed to strike a deal with two Chinese groups to receive $1 billion in financing for a fresh series of films, according to several Hollywood sources who spoke to The Post.

How China Is Preparing for Cyberwar

Adam Segal
Christian Science Monitor
The U.S. and China have made progress on curbing commercial cyberespionage. Now, the global powers need to set limits when it comes to digital warfare.

Stephen FitzGerald: Managing Australian Foreign Policy in a Chinese World

Stephen FitzGerald
The Conversation
This is an edited extract of the 2017 Whitlam Oration, delivered by Stephen FitzGerald, Australia’s first ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (1973-76), at the Whitlam Institute, Western Sydney University, on March 16, 2017.

Next Stop Beijing: Tillerson Seeks to Press China on North Korea

Nick Wadhams
Bloomberg
The U.S. is hoping the urgency of North Korea’s advancing ballistic-missile technology will compel China to crack down on banks and other businesses that provide an economic lifeline to Kim Jong Un’s regime despite United Nations sanctions.

Amb. Haley: China Must Prove to Us It Wants to Stop North Korean Aggression

Fox News
United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said this morning that the Trump administration is taking a new, tougher approach toward China in an effort to deter North Korean aggression.

Missile Row Drives Korean Culture Underground in China

Adam Jourdan and Joyce Lee
Reuters
The mainland chill on Korean content that follows Seoul’s decision to deploy a missile defense system is driving Chinese fans to get their “K-culture” fixes on peer-to-peer platforms instead of mainstream sites.

China Raising Pressure on Taiwan, Gently

Ralph Jennings
Voice of America
China is slowly tightening its grip on self-ruled Taiwan to make it break a nearly year-old political deadlock, but it’s avoiding any tough measures that it can’t reverse if relations improve, analysts say.

Rex Tillerson: Military Action against North Korea Is ‘On the Table’

Alexander Smith
CNBC
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Friday that military action against North Korea was “on the table” if the country continued to develop its weapons program.

Xi Jinping: The Illusion of Greatness

Ian Johnson from New York Review of Books
Politics is always about pomp and pageantry, but as pure, stultifying ritual few occasions can compare to the convening of the Chinese parliament, the National People’s Congress, which ended this week. No matter what is happening in China or the...

Taiwan Plans Military Spending Surge to Counter Rising China

Adela Lin and Ting Shi
Bloomberg
Taiwan plans to raise military spending by about 50 percent next year as President Tsai Ing-wen attempts to offset China’s growing might and support the local defense industry.

Books

03.16.17

Hollywood Made in China

Aynne Kokas
China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 ignited a race to capture new global media audiences. Hollywood moguls began courting Chinese investors to create entertainment on an international scale—from behemoth theme parks to blockbuster films. Hollywood Made in China examines these new collaborations, where the distinctions between Hollywood’s “dream factory” and Xi Jinping’s “Chinese Dream” of global influence become increasingly blurred. With insightful policy analysis, ethnographic research, and interviews with CEOs, directors, and film workers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Los Angeles, Aynne Kokas offers an unflinching look at China’s new role in the global media industries. A window into the partnerships with Chinese corporations that now shape Hollywood, this book will captivate anyone who consumes commercial media in the twenty-first century. —University of California Press{chop}

China Consumer Day Show Skewers Nike Shoes, Muji Foods

Jackie Cai and Adam Jourdan
Reuters
China’s annual consumer rights day television show turned its spotlight on U.S. sports brand Nike Inc for misleading advertising and Japanese brand Muji for selling food products allegedly sourced from part of Japan affected by radiation.

Here’s Who Will Benefit from the Beijing-Seoul Fallout

Huileng Tan
CNBC
Currently, South Korea’s decision to allow the U.S. to deploy an advanced missile defense system on the peninsula has culminated in a series of retaliatory measures from Beijing. South Korean firms have already started investing in the fast-growing...

Rather Than Talk to Taiwan, China Sends in the Spies

Chris Horton
Quartz
While spy scandals are not uncommon in Taiwan, the news has heightened concerns that the island is inadequately prepared to deal with Chinese espionage at a time when relations across the Taiwan Strait are at their lowest point in years.

Clean Energy Could Spark a Trade War between the U.S. and China

Nick Stockton
Wired
In the past few years, China has surpassed the U.S. in electric vehicle sales, renewable energy capacity, and recently announced it was investing $365 billion to keep the momentum going. That investment puts China in a prime position to lead the...

From ‘Fake News’ to No News: Tillerson Leaving Press behind on Asia Trip Could Send Message to China

David Nakamura and Carol Morello
Washington Post
Tillerson’s aversion to dealing with U.S. journalists have added to growing questions about the Trump administration’s commitment to a free press and transparent government.

Conversation

03.15.17

How Does China’s Imperial Past Shape Its Foreign Policy Today?

Pamela Kyle Crossley, Jeremiah Jenne & more
Throughout most of history China dominated Asia, up until what many Chinese refer to as the “century of humiliation”—when Japan and Western powers invaded or otherwise interfered between 1839 and 1949. Now, with China on the rise again, are Beijing’...

China to Trump: We Don’t Want a Trade War—but If There Is One, You’d Lose

Simon Denyer
Washington Post
China’s premier told the United States on Wednesday: We don’t want a trade war with you, but if one breaks out, your companies would bear the brunt.

Tillerson to Press China on North Korea in Tough First Asia Trip

David Brunnstrom and Yeganeh Torbati
Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson faces a tough first trip to Asia this week when he will seek to reassure nervous allies facing North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threat and press China to do more

Chinese Premier Calls for Return to Talks on North Korean Nukes

NBC News
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called Wednesday for all parties to return to talks amid rising tensions over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.

Who’s up, down and out at China’s Congress?

Carrie Gracie
BBC
China’s National People's Congress is largely a rubber stamp for policy but it is still closely watched for indications of who is on the rise or on the way out in Beijing.

American Unrest Proves China Got the Internet Right

Ran Jijun
Beijing has been criticized for its Great Firewall and online censorship. Now it's looking prescient.

China Is Playing Nice to the Very Media Outlets Trump Has Antagonized

Zheping Huang
Quartz
U.S. president Donald J. Trump’s antagonism toward major media outlets has created an opportunity for China’s leaders to offer up a contrasting, seemingly more open style—however misleading that is.

China Property Sales Surge Despite Efforts to Cool Market

Voice of America
Property sales by area rose 25.1 percent year-on-year in January and February.

China’s Economy Gets Off to Strong Start in 2017 as Investment Rebounds

Yawen Chen and Elias Glenn
Reuters
China issued a raft of upbeat data on Tuesday showing the economy got off to a strong start to 2017, supported by strong bank lending, a government infrastructure spree and a much-needed resurgence in private investment. 

China’s Political Propaganda Gets a Digital Makeover

BBC
There are more such tactics being adopted this year.

After Dick Clark Productions Deal Fails to Close, What’s Next for Dalian Wanda?

Gene Maddaus, Brent Lang
Variety
Wang Jianlin has led a triumphal march through Hollywood.

Trump’s Top China Expert Isn’t a China Expert

Foreign Policy
Peter Navarro doesn't speak Chinese, and has scant in-country experience. Should that matter?

Books

03.13.17

The End of the Asian Century

Michael Auslin
Since Marco Polo, the West has waited for the “Asian Century.” Today, the world believes that Century has arrived. Yet from China’s slumping economy to war clouds over the South China Sea and from environmental devastation to demographic crisis, Asia’s future is increasingly uncertain. Historian and geopolitical expert Michael Auslin argues that far from being a cohesive powerhouse, Asia is a fractured region threatened by stagnation and instability. Here, he provides a comprehensive account of the economic, military, political, and demographic risks that bedevil half of our world, arguing that Asia, working with the United States, has a unique opportunity to avert catastrophe—but only if it acts boldly. Bringing together firsthand observations and decades of research, Auslin’s provocative reassessment of Asia’s future will be a must-read for industry and investors, as well as politicians and scholars, for years to come. —Yale University Press{chop}

Trump’s Trade ‘Hammer’ Aims to Pound China, Mexico and the WTO

Bloomberg
Lighthizer has urged a harder-nosed approach to China, which accounts for more than half of America’s $500-billion trade deficit, and more trade complaints from the U.S.

After $225 Billion in Deals Last Year, China Reins In Overseas Investment

New York Times
On Saturday, in the strongest public signal yet that Beijing is changing course, China’s commerce minister castigated what he called “blind and irrational investment.”

Sinica Podcast

03.10.17

Jane Perlez: Chinese Foreign Relations in a New Age of Uncertainty

Jeremy Goldkorn & Jane Perlez from Sinica Podcast
Jane Perlez has been a reporter at The New York Times since 1981. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for coverage of the war against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She has reported on wars, diplomacy, and foreign policy from...

What Would Closer U.S.-Russia Relations Mean for China?

Paul Haenle, Andrew S. Weiss & more from Carnegie China
The Trump administration has spurred a debate in the United States on how to best manage the complex bilateral relationship with Russia. Paul Haenle sat down with Carnegie scholars Andrew Weiss, Paul Stronski, and Alexander Gabuev on the sidelines...

China Tried to Get the U.S. to Negotiate with North Korea—the U.S. Declined

Emily Rauhala
Washington Post
The United States rebuffed a proposal from China to “apply the brakes” to an escalating standoff with North Korea, saying “positive action” was required before either country would engage with “irresponsible” leader Kim Jong Un.

China Expresses Concern at Revelations in Wikileaks Dump of Hacked CIA Data

Reuters
China expressed concern on Thursday over revelations in a trove of data released by Wikileaks purporting to show that the CIA can hack all manner of devices, including those made by Chinese companies.

Lotte Stores Feel Chinese Wrath as South Korea Deploys U.S. Missile System

Javier C. Hernandez, Owen Guo, and...
New York Times
A wave of anti-South Korean sentiment has broken out across China after the South’s embrace of an American missile defense system that China says can be used to spy on its territory.

Conversation

03.09.17

Is THAAD the Start of a U.S.-China Arms Race?

Isaac Stone Fish, Graham Webster & more
In late February, U.S. President Donald Trump called for adding $54 billion to the U.S. military budget—an increase of roughly 10 percent. And in early March, despite outcry from Beijing, the United States began deploying the Terminal High-Altitude...