China’s State Media Has Been Mocking Donald Trump’s ‘Unpresidented’ Tweet

Charlie Campbell
Time
"Trump is not behaving as a President who will become master of the White House in a month"

U.S. Demands Return of Drone Seized by Chinese Warship

Helene Cooper
New York Times
The episode threatens to increase tensions in a region already fraught with great-power rivalries

China to Return Seized U.S. Drone, Says Washington 'Hyping Up' Incident

Ben Blanchard and Steve Holland
Reuters
The drone incident has raised fresh concerns about China's increased military presence and aggressive posture in the energy-rich South China Sea

Donald Trump Accuses China of 'Unpresidented' Act Over US Navy Drone

Martin Pengelly
Guardian
President-elect makes spelling error in belligerent early morning tweet; China says ‘hyping up’ of issue is not helpful but agrees return of vehicle

President Obama Says Donald Trump Should Deal Cautiously With Taiwan, China

Carol Lee
Wall Street Journal
President warns successor to think through the consequences of his actions

Where Trump Does (and Doesn’t) Have Leverage with China

Thomas Hout
Harvard Business Review
Trump must keep his trade demands on Beijing specific and legitimate. The question is, does he have the discipline?

Trump Aide Plays Down Prospect of Upending 'One China' Policy

Reuters
CNBC
Trump aide Reince Priebus: "We are not suggesting that we're revisiting 'one China' policy right now,"

Trump’s and Xi’s Differences Magnify Uncertainties Between U.S. and China

Chris Buckley
New York Times
Both came to power vowing to restore their nations to greatness...but that's where the similarities end

Facing a Transition of Power, China’s Xi is More Desperate Than Ever to Control Young Minds

Echo Huang
Quartz
With 2017 nearing, it’s likely China will expand its campaign to further instill the ideologies of the party in young minds

China Says Trump’s Description of Drone Seizure as Theft is ‘Inaccurate’

Chuin-Wei Yap
Wall Street Journal
U.S., China militaries in smooth communication over drone, Chinese Foreign Ministry says

As Trump Tweets, China Quietly Weights Options to Retaliate

Ting Shi, Nick Wadhams and David Tweed
Bloomberg
China’s leaders are biting their tongues as U.S. President-elect Trump uses Twitter to rattle relations between the world’s biggest economies

China’s Notorious City Management Officers in Legal Limbo Despite Expanding Role

Zhou Qijun, Sun Liangzi and Li Rongde
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has been charged with regulating the force that earlier was under the sole purview of local governments

Finding Balance in the US-China Relationship

Roncevert Ganan Almond
Diplomat
As Donald Trump ascends to the Oval Office, he must recognize the larger vision required to see clearly at the height of power

Tibetan Leader Urges Trump to Confront China on Rights

Sanjeev Miglani
Reuters
The head of the Tibetan government-in-exile said he was encouraged by Trump’s tough stand on China

When China Bullies Its Neighbors, India Gets More Muscular

Ilaria Maria Sala
Quartz
China’s increasingly rough-handed and assertive foreign policy towards its neighbors is raising India’s diplomatic and economic clout in the region

China Police Confirm Detention of Human Rights Lawyer Jiang Tianyong

Benjamin Haas
Guardian
The activist’s family are still waiting to hear from him despite officials saying he was released more than two weeks ago

Viewpoint

12.15.16

The Missing Topic in Trump’s Tough Talk on China

Melissa Chan
President-elect Donald Trump’s rhetoric suggests he will push China on many issues, not just one. Some observers have held on to the hope that his phone call with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, his burst of anti-China tweets, and his most recent...

Books

12.15.16

Crashing the Party

Scott Savitt
It’s 1983. Scott Savitt, one of the first American exchange students in Beijing, picks up his guitar and begins strumming “Blackbird.” He’s soon surrounded by Chinese students who know every word to every Beatles song he plays. Savitt stays on in Beijing, working as a reporter for Asiaweek Magazine. The city’s first nightclubs open; rock ‘n’ roll promises democracy. Promoted to foreign correspondent for The Los Angeles Times and then United Press International, Savitt finds himself drawn into China’s political heart. His girlfriend is the assistant to Bette Bao Lord, the wife of the U.S. ambassador. He interviews people who will become leaders of the democracy movement.Later, at 25 years old, Savitt is the youngest accredited foreign correspondent in China, with an intimate knowledge of Beijing’s backstreets. But as the seven-week occupation of Tiananmen Square ends in bloodshed on June 4, 1989, his greatest asset is his flame-red 500cc Honda motorcycle—giving Savitt the freedom to witness first-hand what the Chinese government still denies ever took place. After Tiananmen, Savitt founds the first independent English-language newspaper in China, Beijing Scene. He knows that it’s only a matter of time before the authorities move in, and sure enough, in 2000 he’s arrested, flung into solitary confinement and, after a month in jail, deported.Savitt’s extraordinary memoir of his two decades in China manages to take an extremely complex political-historical subject and turn it into an adventure story. —Soft Skull{chop}

Taiwan is Both Exhilarated and Unnerved by Trump’s China’s Remarks

Javier Hernandez and Amy Qin
New York Times
What does it mean for one’s homeland to be put on the table by Mr. Trump, in negotiations with China’s leaders, who are not known for making concessions easily?

New Chinese Law Puts Foreign Non-Profits in Limbo

Josh Chin
Wall Street Journal
Many NGOs could be made illegal on Jan. 1 amid campaign against unwanted foreign influences

China’s Digital Dictatorship

Economist
Turn the spotlight on the rulers, not the ruled: Instead of rating citizens, the government should be allowing them to assess the way it rules

China Puts New Weapons on South China Sea Islands, Report Says

Emily Rauhala
Washington Post
China appears to be adding new anti-aircraft weapons to a string of artificial islands in the middle of the disputed South China Sea

For China’s State Media, Trump Victory Can’t Cure the ‘American Disease’

Chris Buckley
New York Times
China’s ruling elite seems to be consoling itself with the idea that Trump will take charge of a country staggering into decline and disunion

GM China Reportedly Under Antitrust Investigation: A Warning for Trump?

Bertel Schmitt
Forbes
The surprising report of an investigation of GM comes suspiciously close to President-elect Trump’s incendiary recent comments on Taiwan

‘Friends Forever’? China Wary of Rex Tillerson Wooing Away Russia

Tom Phillips
Guardian
Trump will have close ties to Moscow via its Secretary of State, but relations with Beijing are frosty. Could Sino-Russian ties be under threat?

Popular Chinese Muslim Website Down After Posting Letter Critical of Xi

Christian Shepherd
Reuters
Users of China Muslim Net say they have been unable to access the website since Saturday

Attempts to ‘Clean Up Beijing’ Target Low-Cost Migrant Homes

Huang Shulun and Li Rongde
"They came and banged on tenants' doors every day until they agreed to move out, and they cut off their power supply for a week"

China’s Richest Man Threat to Trump ’Should Things Be Handled Poorly’

Echo Huang
Quartz
Wang Jianlin says 20,000 American jobs and $10 billion in investment are at stake

China Stocks Drop as Insurers Face Crackdown

Shen Hong
Wall Street Journal
China’s top securities regulator has accused some big insurers of behaving like ‘barbarians’

Is Latin America of Strategic Importance to China?

Shaheli Das
Diplomat
For China, Latin American countries will be a key part of its bid to influence global governance

If Donald Trump Pushes, How China Could Push Back

Jane Perlez
New York Times
Here are five ways the Chinese could make life difficult for a Trump administration

Beijing Concerned by Trump Questioning ‘One China’ Policy on Taiwan

Josh Chin
Wall Street Journal
President-elect Donald Trump questioned U.S. support for the idea that mainland China and Taiwan are part of ‘one China’

Trump Says China is Not a Market Economy. Here’s Why That is a Big Deal

Chad Bown
Washington Post
In 2001, in China’s view, the U.S. promised it would treat the Asian country as a “market economy” starting in December 2016. Trump has a different idea.

Media

12.09.16

U.S.-China Relations As a Cycle of ‘Rapturous Enchantment’ and ‘Deep Disappointment’

Eric Fish from Asia Blog
In 1872, China’s imperial government began sending teenage boys to the United States to study science and technology. After a series of “humiliating” military defeats at the hands of technologically superior foreign powers, China’s leaders realized...

Viewpoint

12.09.16

I Think That Chinese Official Really Liked Me!

David Wertime & James Palmer
“Friendship” is everywhere in China, at least when it comes to dealing with foreigners. International societies are friendship associations. The stores once accessible only to foreign currency holders were called Friendship Stores. Provincial cities...

China Universities Must Become Communist Party 'Strongholds', Says Xi Jinping

Tom Phillips
Guardian
All teachers must be ‘staunch supporters’ of party governance, says president in what experts called an effort to reassert control

China Has Gained Hugely from Globalization, So Why Are Its Workers So Unhappy?

Economist
Now, more than ever, working-class Chinese fret about rising inequality, the impact of mass migration from the countryside into cities and job losses

China Faces off Against World on Open Global Markets

Mark Magnier and Will Mauldin
Wall Street Journal
Anniversary of China’s accession to World Trade Organization highlights global rift over Beijing’s economic policy

I Think That Chinese Official Really Liked Me!

David Wertime and James Palmer
Foreign Policy
Trump's pick for U.S. Ambassador to Beijing is apparently 'old friends' with President Xi Jinping. That will mean very little.

China Takes Aim at South Korea’s Lotte After Missile Move

Bryan Harris and Charles Clover
Financial Times
Series of probes follows Lotte’s surrender of golf course to host US-made Thaad missile shield

Risking Beijing’s Ire, Vietnam Begins Dredging on South China Sea Reef

Lincoln Feast and Greg Torode
Reuters
Activity visible on Ladd Reef in the Spratly Islands could anger Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the group and most of the resource-rich sea

Uganda is Worried About the Number of Chinese Men Marrying Their Women

Lily Kuo
Quartz
An increasing number of Chinese men are marrying Ugandan women to gain residency and continue their business interests in the country

How a Midwest Governor Rose to Become America’s Top Official in China

Catherine Wong
South China Morning Post
Trump administration hopes Terry Branstad’s long-standing friendship with Xi Jinping will smooth often-strained ties between the two nations

What Taiwan’s Leader Sees in Donald Trump

Nick Frisch
New Yorker
Taiwanese President Tsai's call to President-elect Trump, which riled both Washington and Beijing, suggests a hidden streak of boldness

Trump Picks Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as Beijing Ambassador

Simon Denyer and Philip Rucker
Washington Post
Branstad has extensive ties to China and a personal friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping

Taiwan Feels Forgotten. But Not By Trump.

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
New York Times
Despite facing a sober future, Taiwanese will continue to celebrate what they see as an overdue recognition of their hard-won existence

China’s Currency Didn’t Really Drop, Despite Jitters Over Trump

Neil Gough
New York Times
Early Tuesday it appeared the RMB had suddenly fallen more than 8%, but no deliberate devaluation took place. Instead, the culprit was a technical problem

Xi Jinping to be ‘First Chinese President to Attend Davos Summit’

Li Jing
South China Morning Post
Trip has yet to be officially announced but preparations well underway for Chinese head of state’s visit to World Economic Forum in Switzerland

Trump’s China Tweets are Just Tough Talk

Melissa Chan
Guardian
A trade war would be damaging for the US, and the president-elect is likely to need Beijing’s help with North Korea. Wait until he’s in office

A China Economist Told Us How China Could Hurt the US in a Trade War

Business Insider
BI caught up with Gene Ma, IIF's Chief Economist, to ask him some questions about where the Chinese economy is going in the age of Trump

Conversation

12.05.16

Should Washington Recalibrate Relations with Taipei?

Yu-Jie Chen, J. Michael Cole & more
On Friday, Donald Trump shocked the China-watching world when news broke that he had spoken on the phone to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. The call was remarkable not for its content—Tsai’s office said she told Trump she hoped the United States “...

Caixin Media

12.05.16

‘Two-Child Policy’ Driving Mini Baby Boom in China

The number of children born in China this year is set to rise by 5.7 percent from 2015 as a result of the introduction of the country’s new two-child policy, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) Deputy Director...

Through Climate Change Denial, We’re Ceding Global Leadership to China

Daniel Gardner
Los Angeles Times
Remember when China was the climate change outcast? What a difference a few years — and an election — can make

After the Call: Does Taiwan Have a Plan for the Trump Years?

Ankit Panda
Diplomat
What is Taiwan looking for from Donald Trump?

China Says Trump Clear About Taiwan, in Touch with His Team

Ben Blanchard and Roberta Rampton
Reuters
"The whole world knows about the Chinese government's position on the Taiwan issue. I think President-elect Trump and his team are also clear"

How China Could React to Trump’s Taunts: Best Case to Worst Case Scenarios

Heather Timmons and Zheping Huang
Quartz
In the wake of #TaiwanFreakout and the latest Twitter-storm, here’s a range of things Beijing could do, from the shrug-worthy to the downright terrifying

Features

12.02.16

How Do You Stand up to China? Ask Mongolia

Sergey Radchenko
The day before the Dalai Lama’s November 18 trip to Mongolia, Beijing issued a “strong demand” to its neighbor to cancel the visit of the “anti-Chinese separatist” or face (unstated) consequences. The Dalai Lama would be making his ninth visit to...

China’s Top Court Exonerates Man 21 Years After Execution

Shan Yuxiao, Xiao Hui & Li Rongde
Case puts spotlight on accusations that judges accept coerced confessions and that police torture is rampant, activists say

China Seizes Opening in U.S. Backyard as Trump Upends Policy

Ting Shi and John Quigley
Bloomberg
As Trump weighs plans to tear up trade deals and deport illegal migrants from Latin America, China's Xi is moving swiftly to reset relations in America’s backyard

China’s Second Most Powerful Man Warns of Dissent and Corruption in the CCP

Zheping Huang
Quartz
Tough talk on corruption is not unheard of from Wang, but his harsh manner and candid rundown of the party’s problems mean the speech was given great importance