U.S. Urges Allies to Think Twice Before Joining China-led Bank

Matthias Sobolewski and Jason Lange
Reuters
The move by U.S. allies to participate in Beijing's flagship economic outreach a diplomatic blow to Washington.

Caixin Media

03.17.15

Chinese Businesses Eye Purchasing Power of LGBT Community

Chinese businesses are starting to show interest in the purchasing power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) consumer market, often referred to as the “pink dollar,” a trend led by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group...

The Constant Adaptations of China’s Great Firewall

Eva Dou
Wall Street Journal
Firewall-hopping technologies see activist programmers and Chinese censors engaged in a cat-and-mouse game. 

Defying U.S., European Allies Say They’ll Join China-Led Bank

Yann Le Guernigou and Ben Blanchard
Reuters
Germany, France and Italy have agreed to join a new China-led Asian investment bank.

Books

03.16.15

The China Boom

Ho-fung Hung
Many thought China’s rise would fundamentally remake the global order. Yet, much like other developing nations, the Chinese state now finds itself entrenched in a status quo characterized by free trade and American domination. Through a cutting-edge historical, sociological, and political analysis, Ho-fung Hung exposes the competing interests and economic realities that temper the dream of Chinese supremacy—forces that are stymieing growth throughout the global South. Hung focuses on four common misconceptions about China’s boom: that China could undermine orthodoxy by offering an alternative model of growth; that China is radically altering power relations between the East and the West; that China is capable of diminishing the global power of the United States; and that the Chinese economy would restore the world’s wealth after the 2008 financial crisis. His work reveals how much China depends on the existing order and how the interests of the Chinese elites maintain these ties. Through its perpetuation of the dollar standard and its addiction to U.S. Treasury bonds, China remains bound to the terms of its own prosperity, and its economic practices of exploiting debt bubbles are destined to fail. Dispelling many of the world’s fantasies and fears, Hung warns of a post-miracle China that will grow increasingly assertive in attitude while remaining constrained in capability. —Columbia University Press{chop}

China to Reveal Detailed “Belt and Road” Roadmap

Xinhua
Hundreds of major infrastructure projects could spread into Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. 

India Should Play Bigger Role in South China Sea, Says Singapore

Sharon Chen
Bloomberg
India’s involvement in the region could give Southeast Asian nations a further buffer against China.

Qiu He, top Yunnan Official, Ousted for Corrupt Land Deals

East by Southeast
Qiu was the catalyst for a swath of controversial infrastructure projects, including a new international airport finished in 2012. 

U.S. Students Losing Interest in China as Dream Jobs Prove Elusive

Alexandra Harney
Reuters
Waning interest worries those who view having Americans who speak Chinese as a matter of national interest.

China Carbon Emissions Decline as 2014 Global CO2 Stays Flat

Reed Landberg
Bloomberg
New data from the International Energy Agency a sign that efforts to control pollution are gaining traction.

US Anger at Britain Joining Chinese-led Investment Bank AIIB

Nicholas Watt, Paul Lewis and Tania...
Guardian
U.S. statement says of U.K. membership that it is ‘worried about a trend of constant accommodation’ of China. 

Caixin Media

03.10.15

China’s Factories Are Building a Robot Nation

Every day, two quality-control supervisors monitor four robots tirelessly assembling remote-control devices for home appliances at a Midea Group factory in Foshan, in the southern province of Guangdong.The robots recently replaced 14 workers on the...

Henan Delegates Protest Inequality in University Admissions

Chris Buckley
New York Times
Henan people say big cities are given preferential consideration for education funds and places in universities.

Foreign Non-Government Groups in China Fear Clampdown Under New Law

Sui-Lee Wee and Megha Rajagopalan
Reuters
The draft law stops NGOs violating "Chinese society's moral customs."

China NPC 2015: The Reports

Wall Street Journal
Downloadable versions of the reports on the Work of the Government (Premier Li Keqiang); the Plan for National Economic and Social Development (NDRC); the Budget Report (Ministry of Finance).

China 2015 Defense Budget to Grow 10.1 Pct, Lowest in 5 Years

Xinhua
Projected spending of $144.2 billion lowest in five years as country confronts economic slowdown.

China’s Premier Vows to Promote Film, TV Industries, “Core Socialist Values”

Clifford Coonan
Hollywood Reporter
Li Keqiang pledging to promote  entertainment industry as delegates renewed calls for film classification system.

China Lowers 2015 Economic Growth Target to Around 7 Percent

Xinhua
The growth target is lower than the 7.4-percent economic growth in 2014, its weakest annual expansion since 1990.

How China Uses J-Visas to Punish International Media for Critical Coverage

Bob Dietz
Committee to Protect Journalists
A new report finds Chinese authorities are "treating journalistic accreditation as a privilege rather than a professional right."

How China Fuels Myanmar’s Wars

Matthew F. Smith
New York Times
No one should be investing in large-scale development projects in Myanmar’s war zones until durable peace agreements are established.

China’s Military Budget Increasing 10% for 2015, Official Says

Chris Buckley and Edward Wong
New York Times
Increase would put the budget around $145 billion, the world’s second-largest, though still far behind the United States,

China Says Tech Firms Have Nothing to Fear From Anti-terror Law

Paul Carsten and Gerry Shih
Reuters
Obama this week said China would have to change the draft law if it were "to do business with the United States".

Caixin Media

03.03.15

Can Market Mechanisms Clear China’s Air?

The Chinese government recently responded to rising public discontent over environmental degradation by introducing tougher rules for industrial emissions.Meanwhile, a non-governmental organization and a state-run newspaper are coordinating a...

China Orders Two Local Governments to Punish Polluting Steel Mills

Ruby Lian
Reuters
That could pile pressure on mills already struggling with weak demand-growth as the world's No.2 economy loses momentum.

Chinese Babies Should be Trained to Play Football—President Xi

BBC
BBC
Beijing has approved the country's "football reform plan," and says being good at soccer is the "ardent wish of the whole nation."

China Drops Leading Technology Brands for State Purchases

Paul Carsten
Reuters
U.S. brands Cisco, Apple, Intel, McAfee and Citrix Systems may be the first to suffer.

Caixin Media

02.25.15

Apple Pay Stalled, Frustrated in China

The central bank, UnionPay bank card service, and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. are standing up to Apple Inc.'s effort to bring the Apple Pay no-card, no-cash payment system to iPhone users in China."Apple is seeking to...

Traffic Peaks as Lunar New Year Holiday Ends

Meng Jie
Xinhua
The last day of the holiday saw about 9.7 million train trips, 1.4 million by plane, and 73.6 million by highway.

Excerpts

02.25.15

The Sun Kings

Mark L. Clifford
In 1992, Shi Zhengrong completed his doctorate and found himself an expert in a field that wasn’t quite ready for him. He’d studied physics at Australia’s University of New South Wales, focusing on crystalline technology, the basic scientific...

Books

02.25.15

The Greening of Asia

Mark L. Clifford
One of Asia's best-respected writers on business and economy, Hong Kong-based author Mark L. Clifford provides a behind-the-scenes look at what companies in China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand are doing to build businesses that will lessen the environmental impact of Asia's extraordinary economic growth. Dirty air, foul water, and hellishly overcrowded cities are threatening to choke the region's impressive prosperity. Recognizing a business opportunity in solving social problems, Asian businesses have developed innovative responses to the region's environmental crises.{node, 13216}From solar and wind power technologies to green buildings, electric cars, water services, and sustainable tropical forestry, Asian corporations are upending old business models in their home countries and throughout the world. Companies have the money, the technology, and the people to act—yet, as Clifford emphasizes, support from the government (in the form of more effective, market-friendly policies) and the engagement of civil society are crucial for a region-wide shift to greener business practices. Clifford paints detailed profiles of what some of these companies are doing and includes a unique appendix that encapsulates the environmental business practices of more than fifty companies mentioned in the book.  —Columbia Business School Publishing  {chop}

Sobering News Out of China, Part 4 Million

Atlantic
Chronicles of a country walling itself off.

China Is Creating a New Economic World Order Right Under the West’s Nose

Pepe Escobar
Nation
From new “silk roads” to 40,000 miles of high-speed rail, China is poised to dominate the 21st century global economy.

Spooked by Yuan Drop: China’s Top 1%

Andrew Browne
Wall Street Journal
Fears the megarich will take flight puts a floor under the currency’s slide against dollar.

Environment

02.23.15

Chinese Firms Must Act Decisively on Climate Change, Report Says

from chinadialogue
Chinese companies will need to cut direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of their operations by up to 2.7% a year if China is to stay on track with the level of action required to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, says a new report...

Commodities Explained: China’s New Normal

Henry Sanderson
Financial Times
China has been the most important factor in commodities demand in the past decade.

Viewpoint

02.20.15

Major China Apple Supplier Pays Workers Less Than Foxconn

Jonathan Landreth & Kevin Slaten
Apple, the world’s most beloved maker of sleek mobile phones, powerful personal computers, and slim portable music players recently reported record profits—money a new report from the New York-based nongovernmental organization China Labor Watch (...

Viewpoint

02.19.15

Beijing Touts ‘Cyber-Sovereignty’ In Internet Governance

Scott D. Livingston
It has been a difficult few weeks for global technology companies operating in China.Chinese officials strengthened the Internet firewall by blocking the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), reasserted demands that web users register their real...

Is Chinese Corporate Behavior Improving in Africa?

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
The list of grievances against Chinese companies operating in Africa is long and varied, from violations of labor rights to environmental destruction to widespread allegations of corruption. Although it is hard to tell how many companies are truly...

Is India’s Economy Really Growing Faster Than China?

Raymond Zhong
Wall Street Journal
At 7.5%, India’s revised growth estimate for the fourth quarter of last year beat China’s 7.3%.

With Lunar New Year Show, Another Link to China for a New York Fireworks Family

Kirk Semple
New York Times
The Central Academy of Fine Arts, China’s largest art academy, is involved in the celebrations this year.

Sinica Podcast

02.16.15

Business and F*cking in China

Kaiser Kuo, Jeremy Goldkorn & more from Sinica Podcast
This week's show starts with us grilling James on "what you have to do to be part of Chinese business culture" and descends from there into stories of the sort of booze-and-ketamine-fuelled business deal-making that seems to consist...

China’s Wealthy Parents Are Fed Up With State-Run Education

Helen Gao
Foreign Policy
Forget rote memorization and pressure-packed tests—Western, alternative learning is the new rage.

Exclusive: U.S., China to Discuss Repatriation of Chinese Fugitives

Tim Reid
Reuters
The issue is a thorny one, as no extradition treaty exists between the U.S. and China.

China’s Xi to Make First State Visit to U.S. as Both Flag Problems

Peter Cooney, Ben Blanchard and Michael...
Reuters
The two biggest economies are trying to ease tension over trade, human rights, and accusations of hacking and Internet theft.

Reports

02.11.15

It’s Time to Peak

Ecofys
World Wildlife
Without additional efforts, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will continue to increase by 3.7 – 4.8 °C, a level well beyond the 2 °C temperature rise limit widely agreed among scientists and governments across the world as a limit above which...

Books

02.10.15

The People’s Republic of Chemicals

William J. Kelly and Chip Jacobs
Maverick environmental writers William J. Kelly and Chip Jacobs follow up their acclaimed Smogtown with a provocative examination of China’s ecological calamity already imperiling a warming planet. Toxic smog most people figured was obsolete needlessly kills as many as died in the 9/11 attacks every day, while sometimes Grand Canyon-sized drifts of industrial particles aloft on the winds rain down ozone and waterway-poisoning mercury in America.In vivid, gonzo prose blending first-person reportage with exhaustive research and a sense of karma, Kelly and Jacobs describe China’s ancient love affair with coal, Bill Clinton’s blunders cutting free-trade deals enabling the U.S. to "export" manufacturing emissions to Asia in a shift that pilloried the West's middle class, Communist Party manipulation of eco-statistics, the horror of cancer villages, the deception of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and spellbinding peasant revolts against cancer-spreading plants involving thousands in mostly-censored melées. Ending with China’s monumental coal-bases decried by climatologists as a global warming dagger, The People's Republic of Chemicals names names and emphasizes humanity over bloodless statistics in a classic sure to ruffle feathers as an indictment of money as the real green that not even Al Gore can deny.   —Rare Bird Books, A Vireo Book  {chop}

Large South China Sea Gas Field Discovered South of Hainan

Xinhua
The China National Offshore Oil Corp has identified over 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas at the Lingshui 17-2 gas field.

Qualcomm to Pay $975 Million to Resolve China Antitrust Dispute

Noel Randewich and Matthew Miller
Reuters
Qualcomm said the agreement removes a major source of concern for its investor.

China Executes ‘Mafia-style’ Mining Tycoon Liu Han

BBC
 Liu is believed to have had links to former security tsar Zhou Yongkang, who is currently being investigated. 

Qualcomm Nears $1 Bln Deal Resolving China Antitrust Dispute

Matthew Miller and Michael Martina
Reuters
The deal could end a 14-month government investigation into anti-competitive practices.

In China, Heavy Industry Unexpectedly Falls Sharply

Keith Bradsher
New York Times
The full scope of China’s economic weakness is obscured by limited data, as the country prepares for a weeklong holiday beginning Feb. 18.

Alibaba To Pay $590 Mln For Stake In China’s Meizu As Smartphone Competition Intensifies

Russell Flannery
Forbes
All eyes are on low-price Chinese upstart Xiaomi.

A Chinese Perspective on the BRICS in 2015

Niu Haibin
Council on Foreign Relations
The BRICS group is not only an economic concept but increasingly it is also taking the form of a political entity.

Trade Groups Urge U.S. to Push Against Chinese Regulations

Paul Mozur
New York Times
New policies that could hamper the ability of major technology multinationals to do business in China.

China Labor Strife Rises; Death of a Foreman

Chun Han Wong
Wall Street Journal
As the Lunar New Year homeward migration approaches, workers press for back-wages.

Is China Preparing for Currency War?

William Pesek
Bloomberg
As China grapples with its slowest growth in 24 years, President Xi Jinping is under pressure to stimulate the economy.

Postcard

02.04.15

The Bro Code

James Palmer
Turning down an after-dinner invite to a brothel is always a social minefield. But the city’s Party Secretary, a 50-something man with baby-soft hands, had been gently fondling my thigh underneath the banquet table for the past 45 minutes, making me...

Caixin Media

02.03.15

Minsheng Bank President Resigns Amid Corruption Investigation

China Minsheng Banking Corp. said on January 31 that its president has resigned, shortly after people close to the matter said the Communist Party is investigating him for corruption.Minsheng said in a statement that Mao Xiaofeng had quit as...

Infographics

02.03.15

Wealthy Chinese Are Fleeing the Country Like Mad

from Sohu
Last year, Chinese millionaires maxed out the quota for EB-5 visas under the U.S.’s Immigrant Investor Program, and recently it was reported that 90% of Australia’s Significant Investor visas were given to Chinese nationals. All over the world,...