Mission Improbable—Jack Ma, China’s Biggest E-Commerce Tycoon, Wants To Be a Media Mogul Too

Economist
Jack Ma, Alibaba’s billionaire boss, wants to be a global media mogul.

As U.S. and Europe Pass the Hat at Climate Talks, China Clings to Developing-Nation Status

KEITH BRADSHER and CORAL DAVENPORT
New York Times
This week, China is crying poverty.

China Denounces Dalai Lama's 'Sympathy' for Islamic State

Sui-Lee Wee and Ben Blanchard
Reuters
"By saying, 'listen, understand and respect' them, it exposes, in his very bones, his sympathy or endorsement for IS."

China’s Plan to Merge Sprawling Firms Risks Curbing Competition

Rose Yu
Wall Street Journal
Combining some state-owned companies could tighten Beijing’s grip over key parts of the economy.

Chinese State Media Hits Back at Claims of Racist 'Star Wars' Poster

James Griffiths
CNN
"Finn (who happens to be black) and Chewbacca (happens to be Wookiee) get shafted in China."

Media

12.09.15

How to Say ‘Islamic State’ in Mandarin

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
On December 6, the Islamic State released a slick recording of a Mandarin Chinese-language song glorifying jihad, in what seems to be a direct attempt to recruit Chinese Muslims to the terrorist group’s cause. “Awaken, Muslim brothers! Now is the...

China Web Tsar Admits Censorship Troubles

Charles Clover
Financial Times
“We have indeed called for reinforcements over prominent online problems, this is the truth.”

Conversation

12.09.15

Is China a Leader or Laggard on Climate Change?

Isabel Hilton, Li Shuo & more
As ongoing climate talks wind down at COP21 this week, participants in and observers of the summit in Paris wrote in to share their assessment of the message coming from the official delegation from China, currently the world’s largest emitter of...

FOCAC 6: A China-Africa Lovefest

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit concluded in Johannesburg on December 5 amid an almost giddy atmosphere. All sides in this relationship seemingly walked away with more than what they had anticipated.Africa provided a welcome...

Xi Jinping 'Resigns', According To Typo In Chinese State Media Report

Tom Phillips
Guardian
Four Chinese journalists have been suspended after inadvertently – and incorrectly – announcing the resignation of president.

Notes on the China I’m Leaving Behind

ANDREW JACOBS
New York Times
I GOT together at a restaurant the other night with some Chinese and expatriate friends.

On China’s Constitution Day, Book on Constitutionalism Largely Disappears

KIKI ZHAO
New York Times
China held its second-ever National Constitution Day on Friday.

China Has An Awful Safety Record — And Wants To Run 110 Nuclear Reactors By 2030

Emily Rauhala
Washington Post
The country will have 110 working nuclear reactors by 2030.

How China’s Anti-Corruption Drive Is Hurting Growth

Katy Barnato
CNBC
Chinese authorities' anti-corruption campaign has knocked between 1 percent and 1.5 percent off the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

Bribery Confession in China Calls Into Question Integrity of College Admissions

MICHAEL FORSYTHE
New York Times
In a country where cash and connections rule, one bastion of meritocracy, it was thought, remained: admission to a university.

China’s Xi Pledges $60 Billion for Africa Development Over Three Years

PATRICK MCGROARTY
Wall Street Journal
China’s trade with Africa grew to $222 billion last year, making it the continent’s top trade partner for the sixth straight year.

Conversation

12.03.15

Does the Renminbi’s Elevation to Global Currency Matter?

Arthur R. Kroeber & Zhiwu Chen
On November 30, the International Monetary Fund approved the Chinese renminbi, also known as the yuan, as one of the world’s leading currencies, underscoring the country’s rising global financial importance. What’s behind the decision and what...

You Can't Understand China Unless You Know How the Communist Party Thinks

Zheng Bijian
Huffington Post
The CPC came into being in 1921, almost a century ago.

Sino-Indian Border Talks Not Enough to Defuse Tensions

Sarah Watson and John Chen
Diplomat
Unless India and China can take positive actions, they risk drifting into a growing conflict on their disputed border.

China Plans to Upgrade Coal Plants

EDWARD WONG
New York Times
China's cabinet announced that it would try to cut pollution from coal-fired power plants by 60 percent by 2020 through upgrades to plants.

China’s Plan: First Manchester City, Then Hosting And Winning The World Cup

Tom Phillips
Guardian
Chinese consortium thinks involvement will benefit nation’s football.

Caixin Media

12.02.15

Zhang Zhixin: The Woman who Took on the ‘Gang of Four’

Sheila Melvin
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The desire not to dwell on that tumultuous decade, after half a century has passed, is understandable, but the failure to reflect on its impact, offer a full...

What China Hopes To Achieve With First Peacekeeping Mission

Karen Allen
BBC
China started deploying hundreds of troops to South Sudan earlier this year to bolster the UN peace mission in the country.

China Calls Hacking of U.S. Workers’ Data a Crime, Not a State Act

MICHAEL FORSYTHE and DAVID E. SANGER
New York Times
China has acknowledged that the breach of the United States Office of Personnel Management’s computer systems was the work of Chinese hackers.

Can Beijing Sell Silk Road as a Marshall Plan Against Terror?

ANDREW BROWNE
Wall Street Journal
China needs West’s buy-in on stabilizing effects of its Silk Road project.

China's Xi In Zimbabwe To Sign Power, Infrastructure Deals

MACDONALD DZIRUTWE
Reuters
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, the first visit by a Chinese leader since 1996.

Viewpoint

11.30.15

Court in China Adds Last-Minute Charge Against Rights Leader During Sentencing

Yaxue Cao from China Change
On August 8, 2013, Guo Feixiong (real name Yang Maodong) was arrested and then indicted on charges of “gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place.” The heavy sentence came as a shock to everyone following the case. More shockingly, the...

China Stick to Right to Decide Reincarnation of Dalai Lama

Reuters
The Dalai Lama and China's officially atheist Communist Party have repeatedly tussled over who has final authority on the issue of reincarnation.

China-Africa Summit: What To Look For Beyond The Hype And Hypocrisy

JOHN J STREMLAU
Mail & Guardian
The Africa-China summit will provide an opportunity to see how the Chinese President is responding to democratic developments in Africa.

China’s Renminbi Is Approved as a Main World Currency

KEITH BRADSHER
New York Times
The I.M.F. decision will help pave the way for broader use of the renminbi in trade and finance, securing China’s standing as a global economic power.

China to Build Naval Hub in Djibouti

Jeremy Page and Gordon Lubold
Wall Street Journal
Beijing confirms for the first time plans for East African nation, already home to U.S. base.

China Bars Anastasia Lin, Miss World Canada (and Rights Advocate)

New York Times
A Chinese who moved to Canada as a kid, the charismatic Lin is a practitioner of Falun Gong, the spiritual movement China calls an “evil cult.”

Media

11.27.15

‘Personal Media’ in China Takes a Hit From Pre-Publication Censorship

Hu Yong
Observers have long thought that Chinese authorities censor the media depending on type: the censorship of traditional media is primarily conducted in advance, with a thorough inspection of news and discussion before publication; new media, in...

China Set to Pledge More Aid to Africa Ahead of Xi's Trip

SUI-LEE WEE
Reuters
China is set to announce new aid to African nations when President Xi Jinping visits Zimbabwe and South Africa next month.

Chinese Investment in Africa Falls by 40%

Saibal Dasgupta
Voice of America
China’s Commerce Ministry publicly admitted that Chinese investments to Africa had fallen by 40 percent in the first half of this year.

Q. and A.: Christina Lin on China’s Antiterrorism Efforts

JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ
New York Times
Chinese leaders have long been wary of joining global efforts against terrorism.

Conversation

11.24.15

The China Africa Relationship: Crossroads or Cliff?

Cobus van Staden, Eric Olander & more
As we approach the sixth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Johannesburg, we try better to understand the main issues that surely will arise when Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Jacob Zuma meet on December 4...

Tibet, Taiwan and China – A Complex Nexus

Tshering Chonzom Bhutia
Diplomat
Recent developments in cross-strait relations raise interesting questions for Tibet’s leadership in exile.

Ever Wonder How China Got Back Into International Diplomacy After the Cultural Revolution?

Robert Farley
Diplomat
China’s successful entry into the international scene after the Cultural Revolution bears lessons for other pariah states.

Chinese Student Protesting Books’ Stance on Homosexuality Meets With Officials

Chris Buckley
New York Times
Gay activists in China brought their demands for public acceptance to a court.

China Wants to Build a High-Speed Rail Link to a Newly Open Iran

Richard Macauley
Quartz
China Railway has proposed a high-speed rail link that will carry both passengers and cargo between China and Iran.

China’s Silk Road Fund Backs Another IPO of State Owned Firm

Kane Wu
Wall Street Journal
Fund is largest cornerstone investor in China Energy Engineering Corp’s up to US$1.96 billion IPO.

China and U.S. Say They’ve Made Strides in Trade Talks

Neil Gough
New York Times
The United States and China said that they had made progress on sticking points in trade.

Xi’s China: The Illusion of Change

Ian Johnson from New York Review of Books
Xi Jinping is often described as China’s most powerful leader in decades, perhaps even since Mao. He has been credited—if sometimes grudgingly—with pursuing a vigorous foreign policy, economic reforms, and a historic crackdown on corruption.But as...

Obama Pledges Military Aid to Allies in Southeast Asia

Michael D. Shear
New York Times
“We have a treaty obligation, an ironclad commitment to the defense of our ally the Philippines, who can count on the United States.”

China Cuts Mobile Service of Xinjiang Residents Evading Internet Filters

Paul Mozur
New York Times
The Chinese government is shutting down the mobile service of residents in Xinjiang.

China Seeks to Remove Provincial Barriers to Trade

Sue-Lin Wong
Reuters
China will accelerate reforms to remove internal barriers to both foreign and domestic trade.

China Shuts Down Service For Some Phones With Foreign Messaging Apps

Colin Lecher
Verge
As mobile users try to evade censorship in China through software, the government appears to be trying a new technique to head off such attempts.

Would India Dare Risk Antagonizing China?

Daniel Markey
Council on Foreign Relations
I found a striking consensus about the relative stability between the two giant Asian neighbors.

China's Own 'Double Standard' on Terrorism

David Volodzko
Diplomat
China continues to lump terrorist groups and peaceful activists together — and to censor media coverage of both.

Hong Kong May Be A Little Insecure, But It's No 'Slave'

Kenny Hodgart
South China Morning Post
I don't much care to weigh in on the subject of Hong Kong remaining a place where non-Asians are able to prosper.

Q. and A.: Jindong Cai on ‘Beethoven in China’

Ian Johnson
New York Times
Jindong Cai, 59, is an orchestra conductor and a professor at Stanford University.

Hong Kong's 'Umbrella Soldiers' Win Seats in Local Elections

Donny Kwok and Clare Baldwin
Reuters
"The paratroopers are a new power, a challenge to the government and the central authorities in Beijing."

China Is Trying to Warn Taiwan Voters

Noah Feldman
Bloomberg
The possibility of conflict between China and Taiwan is dangerous to the world’s security.

Yiyi Lu: Rebuilding the Communist Party

Yiyi Lu
WSJ: China Real Time Report
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s effort to clean up politics in the country is generally known as an “anticorruption campaign.”

Media

11.20.15

Pulitzer’s ‘Lookout on the Bridge’ vs. China’s ‘News Ethics Committees’

David Bandurski
In a recent harangue on the imperative of better journalism, a website run by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department tore a jagged page from the wisdom of American newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer: “A journalist is the...

Why 2,500-Year-Old Tale Gives Ma Hope for Chinese Democracy

Adela Lin Chris Anstey
Bloomberg
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou said history gives him hope for political change on the Communist-ruled mainland.

Japan Could Risk Chinese Anger by Joining U.S. Sea Patrols

Justin McCurry
Guardian
Shinzo Abe reported told Barack Obama that Tokyo would think about participating in operations in South China Sea.