China Film Group Takes Role in Hollywood

Ben Fritz and Laurie Burkitt
Wall Street Journal
With a ten percent stake in ‘Furious 7’ China Film Group had, for the first time, an incentive to award an import a good release date.

China’s Controversial Trade in Africa’s Natural Resources

Eric Olander & Cobus van Staden
China often faces blistering criticism for its voracious appetite for Africa’s natural resources. Chinese companies are spread across the continent mining, logging, and fishing to feed both hungry factories and people back home. In most, if not all...

China Raises Red Flag on Its Stock Markets

Chao Deng
Wall Street Journal
Regulator warns investors not to borrow money or sell property to buy shares. 

Environment

04.16.15

Petrochemical Plant Explosion Vaporizes Government Safety Assurances

from chinadialogue
Opposing the construction of petrochemical plants making Paraxyline (PX), a key ingredient in plastic bottles and polyester clothing, has been one of the most common forms of environmental activism for China’s urban residents in the past decade.On...

New Asian Development Bank Seen As Sign Of China’s Growing Influence

Jim Zaroli
NPR
Obama worries the new bank will compete with the Western-led World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Conversation

04.16.15

How Much Consumerism Can China Afford?

Andrew Batson & Matthew Crabbe
This week, a blockbuster movie celebrating speedy cars and the racing life landed atop China’s box office. The Hollywood import Fast and Furious 7 grossed $63 million in one day (as reported by Bloomberg), the most-ever for a single title in that...

BMW China Dealers Press Auto Maker for More Financial Support

Rose Yu and Colum Murphy
Wall Street Journal
In letter to German luxury car maker, dealers call on BMW to set more realistic sales targets.

China’s Biggest Chip Maker’s Possible Tie-Up With H-P Values Unit at Up to $5 Billion

Eva Dou
Wall Street Journal
Tsinghua Unigroup in talks to buy a controlling stake in Hewlett-Packard unit H3C Technologies.

Where Does Hillary Clinton Stand on China and Russia?

Steve Clemons
Atlantic
It's unclear how she would manage two of America's most important and complex relationships.

China’s G.D.P. Slows to 7 Percent, the Weakest Rate Since 2009

Neil Gough
New York Times
China’s G.D.P. Slows to 7 Percent, the Weakest Rate Since 2009 

China’s Booming Stockmarket — The Bubble Question

Economist
Whereas China’s growth has drifted steadily lower, its share indices have doubled in value. 

Caixin Media

04.14.15

Bulldozing the Cadre Who Revamped Kunming

Warm, sunny Kunming brimmed with charm before Communist Party leader Qiu He brought an autocratic style of governance to town and spurred the urbanization campaign that preceded his downfall.Today, this historic city in southwestern China is a...

The Netflix of China Is Invading the US With Smartphones

Cade Metz
Wired
LeTV launched its Internet video streaming service three years before Netflix (2004 versus 2007). 

China Restricts Travel By Shenzhen Residents To Hong Kong

Frank Langfitt
NPR
The move is designed to assuage Hong Kongers angry with mainlanders who buy up goods.

Hank Paulson: Economic Challenges, China — and the Birds

Susan Page
USA Today
Paulson says the United States needs a clear-eyed, coordinated, consistent approach to the formidable challenge from China.

China’s Island-Building Is Ruining Coral Reefs, Philippines Says

Floyd Whaley
New York Times
China’s South China Sea neighbors could lose up to $100 million a year because reefs are fish breeding grounds.

China’s March Exports Shrink 15 Percent Year-on-Year in Shock Fall

Koh Gui Qing and Kevin Yao
Reuters
The tumble could heighten worries about how a rising yuan hurt demand for Chinese goods and services abroad.

Sinica Podcast

04.13.15

Styling It in China

Kaiser Kuo, Jeremy Goldkorn & more from Sinica Podcast
Sociologist Ben Ross, a doctoral student at the University of Chicago, focuses on Chinese labor migration and related issues. He first got noticed by Sinica in 2007 while writing a blog about working as the only foreign "hair-washing trainee...

Reports

04.09.15

Power Play: China’s Ultra High Voltage Technology and Global Standards

Paulson Institute
As a matter of government policy and corporate strategy, China has been intensifying its effort to set indigenous standards for homegrown ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission technology. The country also aims to contribute to UHV standards...

Caixin Media

04.06.15

Tycoon Said to Bring Down a Deputy Mayor, Control Key Beijing Land Deal

A recent business dispute between a state-owned technology conglomerate and a private property developer has put a low-profile but powerful businessman in the spotlight. The businessman is believed to have brought down a former Beijing deputy mayor...

China Escalates Hollywood Partnerships, Aiming to Compete One Day

David Barboza
New York Times
Chinese studios are moving up the value chain, helping to develop, design and produce world-class films and animated features.

Environment

04.02.15

‘Wolf Totem’ Trainer Sees Risks, Rewards for Hollywood in China

from chinadialogue
Wolf trainer Andrew Simpson has just wrapped up three years in Beijing coaching wolves to perform in the film version of the novel Wolf Totem. The Sino-French adaptation of Jiang Rong’s best-selling 2004 novel opened in Beijing and Europe in...

The Chinese Billionaire Zhang Lei Spins Research Into Investment Gold

Alexandra Stevenson
New York Times
Starting 10 years ago with $20 million from Yale’s endowment, Zhang was an early backer of Tencent and JD.com.

Taiwan’s Rash Decision to Join AIIB

Ricky Yeh
Diplomat
Taiwan’s legislative branch was never able to approve the application or review the evaluation reports and proposals.

Conversation

04.01.15

New Chinese Cyberattacks: What’s to Be Done?

Steve Dickinson, Jason Q. Ng & more
Starting last week, hackers foiled a handful of software providers that promote freedom of information by helping web surfers in China reach the open Internet. The attacks that drastically slowed the anti-censorship services of San Francisco-based...

Claims of Retaliation in Detention of Chinese Anticorruption Campaigner

Patrick Boehler
New York Times
Ou Shaokun, 61, gained prominence by advising Guangzhou petitioners protesting government land seizures.

Petrobras Deepens China Tie With $3.5 Billion Loan Deal

Juan Pablo Spinetto
Bloomberg
The world’s most indebted oil producer bolsters ties to China as corruption scandal shuts it out of international bond markets.

Obama Expands Options for Retaliating Against Foreign Hackers - NYTimes.com

Peter Baker
New York Times
Obama used existing authority to impose economic sanctions on North Korea, but the new order will expand his options.

Reports

04.01.15

Revising U.S. Grand Strategy Toward China

Robert D. Blackwill, Ashley J. Tellis
Council on Foreign Relations
China represents and will remain the most significant competitor to the United States for decades to come. As such, the need for a more coherent U.S. response to increasing Chinese power is long overdue. Because the American effort to “integrate”...

Reports

04.01.15

Can Fracking Green China’s Growth?

Ilmi Granoff, Sam Pickard, Julian Doczi, Roger Calow, Zhenbo Hou, & Vanessa D’Alançon
Overseas Development Institute
This paper analyses the best available technical, scientific, and engineering literature on the risks and opportunities posed by shale gas, and also what policy environment could maximise the opportunity and minimise the risk. It also analyses China...

China Ban Hits Google’s Search Ad Share; Baidu Gains

Kerry Flynn
International Business Times
Google’s share of 2015’s $81.59 billion search ad market at 54.5%, down from 54.7% in 2014 and 55.2% in 2013.

Chinese Authorities Compromise Millions in Cyberattacks

Charlie Smith
Great Firewall of China
Hijacking the computers of millions of innocent Internet users around the world shows China's disregard for Internet governance norms.

A Chinese Perspective on the #RacistRestaurant Scandal in Kenya

Cobus van Staden & Huang Hongxiang
The Chinese restaurant in Nairobi that barred Africans after 5pm sparked a frenzied week of news coverage on both local and international media and, of course, on Twitter. The actions of this small, inconsequential restaurant seemingly took on much...

China Appears to Attack GitHub by Diverting Web Traffic

Paul Mozur
New York Times
In recent attacks on sites that try to help Internet users in China circumvent censorship, the Great Firewall appears to have been used as a weapon.

Q. and A.: Adam Fisk on Evading Internet Censorship in China

Patrick Boehler
New York Times
GreatFire.org’s “mirrored” websites and the Internet bandwidth-sharing service Lantern have allowed users to access the open Internet.

How China Plans to Shape New Asian Order

Charles Hutzler
Wall Street Journal
At the center of these efforts is the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and plans for pan-Asian infrastructure .

Full Text of Chinese President’s Speech at Boao Forum for Asia

Xinhua
Xi's speech, entitled, "Towards a Community of Common Destiny and A New Future for Asia"

China’s Zhou Says PBOC Has Room to Act on Growth Slowdown

Malcolm Scott
Bloomberg
The central bank chief's remarks follow China's weakest expansion since 1990.

Chinese Firms in Europe: Gone Shopping

James Miles
Economist
Gone shopping More European businesses are coming under Chinese ownership.

Beyond Ai Weiwei: How China’s Artists Handle Politics (or Avoid Them)

Christopher Beam
New Yorker
Westerners are often criticized for looking at Chinese art through a narrow political lens.

Lee Kuan Yew, the Man Who Remade Asia

Orville Schell
Wall Street Journal
He preached ‘Asian values’ and turned a tiny, poor city-state into an astonishing economic success. Is Lee’s ‘Singapore model’ the future of Asia?

Apple is Hitler, says Chinese CEO

James Vincent
Verge
Chinese tech firm LeTV is rumored to be entering the smartphone market.

U.S. About-Face on AIIB Would be Welcomed

China Daily
US leaders have for years said Asia-Pacific nations do not have to choose between China and the US.

Skiing Is the Latest Obsession for China’s Wealthy

Wall Street Journal
Winter sports are catching on as Beijing bids to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Which U.S. Companies Are Doing the Most R&D in China and India?

Vijay Govindarajan, Gunjan Bagla, and...
Harvard Business Review
Companies' quest to cut costs per engineer drives new entrants into using R&D from India and China.

South Korea Says It Will Join China-Led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank

Wall Street Journal
Seoul makes assurances about AIIB’s governance, which U.S. has been wary about.

US Risks Epic Blunder by Treating China as an Economic Enemy

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Telegraph
The United States has handled its economic diplomacy with shocking myopia.

Car-Hire Services Compete for the Ride Stuff

Qin Min and Wang XInci
Uber's deal with a car broker is a sign of growing competition among firms relying on car-hire and taxi-hailing apps.

China Eyes Innovation in Face of Economic “New Normal”

Xinhua
The growth target for 2015 was set at "approximately 7 percent," down from 7.5 percent in 2014.

China Reiterates Openness of AIIB After Shift in US Attitude

Xinhua
The China-proposed AIIB, has an expected initial subscribed capital of $50 billion.

Conversation

03.24.15

What Went Wrong With U.S. Strategy on China’s New Bank and What Should Washington Do Now?

Patrick Chovanec, Zha Daojiong & more
Now that much of Europe has announced its intentions to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), was Washington’s initial opposition a mistake? Assuming the AIIB does get off the ground, what might it mean for future...

IBM to Share Technology with China in Strategy Shift: CEO

Matthew Miller and Gerry Shih
Reuters
IBM must help China build its IT industry rather than viewing the country solely as a sales destination or manufacturing base.

Chinese Relic Experts Claim 1,000-year-old Mummified Monk Was Stolen

Naomi Ng
CNN
Fujian officials found photos and historical records suggesting the statue belonged to a village temple.

China on the World Stage: A Bridge Not Far Enough

Economist
China plans a new bank to help match Asia’s vast savings with its even vaster need for infrastructure.

China (Finally) Admits to Hacking

Shannon Tiezzi
Diplomat
An updated military document for the first time admits that the Chinese government sponsors offensive cyber units.

China’s Biggest Anti-Censorship Service is Under Attack

Russell Brandom
Variety
GreatFire.org has been under an unprecedented denial-of-service attack, receiving more than 2 billion requests per hour.

Yahoo to Shutter China Office and Cut “Around 350” Jobs

Martin Patience
BBC
The move not a huge surprise as Yahoo has been retreating since 2013 when it ended email servies in China. 

China Gloats as Europeans Rush to Join Asian Bank

Simon Denyer
Washington Post
Xinhua described the U.S. as “petulant and cynical” for declining to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Global Push Aims to Change China’s Mind on Bank Rules: U.S. Official

Krista Hughes
Reuters
Lobby wants China to stop rules that would force tech vendors to Chinese banks to hand over source code. 

Environment

03.19.15

World Coal Investments Increasingly Risky, Especially China’s

from chinadialogue
The investment case for coal-fired power is looking increasingly unconvincing, but more plants will need to be cancelled if the world is to avoid runaway climate change, a report published on Monday said.The report which was co-authored by green...