Viewpoint
01.31.17
The Origins of China’s New Law on Foreign NGOs
For many years, the vast majority of foreign NGOs operated quietly in China in a legal grey area. Many are unregistered and work in China through local partners, while others are registered as commercial enterprises. That all changed with the...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.31.17Philippines’ Duterte Asks China to Patrol Piracy-Plagued Waters
Reuters
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said he had asked China to help in the fight against Islamic State-linked militants by sending ships to patrol southern waters plagued by raids on commercial vessels.
ChinaFile Recommends
01.31.17Facebook Is Trying Everything to Re-Enter China—and It’s Not Working
Wall Street Journal
Since regulators blocked the service in 2009, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has hired well-connected executives, developed censorship tools and taken a ‘smog jog’ in Beijing—but the company has made no visible headway.
Media
01.28.17
China’s Feminists Go to Washington
Zhang Ling was dressed like a revolutionary from the Spanish Civil War. With a long braid emerging from a scarlet beret and clad in trousers a color she described as “communist red,” Zhang had driven her Honda from her home in upstate New York the...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.25.17Hong Kong Denies Beijing Role in Seizure of Singaporean Troop Carriers
South China Morning Post
Customs chief says the enforcement action was based on Hong Kong law and also claims Singapore’s government was never a target for investigation
ChinaFile Recommends
01.25.17China Corruption Prosecutions Drop for First Time in Five Years
Financial Times
Fall of 20% in party officials handed to courts marks change of tack in campaign
ChinaFile Recommends
01.23.17Trump Has the Power to Fight China on Human Rights. Will He Use It?
Guardian
President inherits law originally aimed at Russia that allows him to sanction any official involved in violations—and China activists have put forward a list
ChinaFile Recommends
01.20.17Punches, Kicks and the ‘Dangling Chair’: Detainee Tells of Torture in China
New York Times
Perched unsteadily on a stack of plastic stools in an isolated room, Xie Yang, a Chinese lawyer, was encircled day and night by interrogators
ChinaFile Recommends
01.19.17In China, Pollution Fears Are Both Literal and Metaphorical
NPR
Last month, as China encountered some of its worst pollution yet, artists in Chengdu did something bold: They put smog-filtering cotton masks over the faces of statues representing ordinary urbanites that dot a centrally located shopping street.
Conversation
01.18.17
U.S.-China Flashpoints in the Age of Trump
Over the past year, Donald Trump has vowed to “utterly destroy” ISIS, considered lifting sanctions on Russia, promised to cancel the Paris climate agreement and “dismantle” the Iran nuclear deal. But many of his most inflammatory statements are...
Depth of Field
01.17.17
House Calls on the Tibetan Plateau, Children of Divorce, Celebrity Secrets
from Yuanjin Photo
In the final galleries of 2016, the publishing juggernaut Tencent again shows its leadership in the documentary photography space, but iFeng’s choice to publish a personal photo gallery by Zhou Xin is also worth a good look, especially since...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.13.17South China Sea: China Media Warn US over ‘Confrontation’
BBC
Blocking China from islands it has built in contested waters would lead to “devastating confrontation,” Chinese state media have warned.
ChinaFile Recommends
01.12.17Tillerson Channels Reagan on South China Sea
Lawfare Blog
Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson said that perhaps the United States should deny China access to its artificial islands in the South China Sea.
ChinaFile Recommends
01.12.17Hong Kong Human Rights Situation ‘Worst Since Handover to China’
Guardian
Amnesty International report says rule of law, freedom of speech, and trust in government all deteriorated in 2016
Conversation
01.10.17
Can Beijing’s Ivory Ban Save the Elephants?
On New Year’s Eve, Beijing announced it will ban the ivory trade in China, potentially shutting down the world’s biggest ivory market. Why did Beijing decide to curb the ivory trade? Will it put enough muscle behind it to enforce the decision? What...
ChinaFile Recommends
01.03.17A Human Rights Activist, A Secret Prison and A Tale from Xi Jinping’s New China
Guardian
Peter Dahlin spent 23 days in a ‘black prison’ in Beijing, where he says he was deprived of sleep and questioned with a ‘communication enhancement’ machine.
ChinaFile Recommends
01.03.17China: Limited Victory for Man in Transgender Dismissal Case
BBC
A transgender man has won his case for unfair dismissal at a court in China.
Conversation
12.30.16
Rex Tillerson at State: What Will He Mean for U.S.-China Relations?
On December 13, President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team announced the selection of ExxonMobil Chief Executive Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. We asked ChinaFile contributors to respond to the choice with a specific focus on how Tillerson...
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12.30.16A Good Year for Xi Jinping— But Trouble is Heading His Way
Guardian
After domestic victories in 2016, China’s president must deal with a worsening economy and Trump in the White House
ChinaFile Recommends
12.30.16Uncertainty Over New Chinese Law Rattles Foreign Nonprofits
New York Times
A new law in China is raising concern among thousands of nongovernmental organizations about their ability to continue their work in the new year
ChinaFile Recommends
12.29.16China’s Defense Ministry Confirms Probe of Leading General Wang Jianping
South China Morning Post
Ministry announcement verifies August report that Wang had been arrested on the suspicion of taking bribes
ChinaFile Recommends
12.29.16U.S. Charges Three Chinese Traders With Hacking Law Firms
Wall Street Journal
Indictment says the traders bought shares of at least five publicly traded companies before announcements that the firms would be acquired
ChinaFile Recommends
12.28.16Chinese Middle Class in Uproar Over Alleged Police Brutality
New York Times
Thousands are signing online petitions to protest the dropping of a police brutality case, representing a rare display of white-collar outrage with Beijing
ChinaFile Recommends
12.28.16Chinese Prosecutors Charge Thousands of School Bullies
South China Morning Post
Nationwide crackdown includes three-year jail sentence for 15-year-old who robbed his classmates
ChinaFile Recommends
12.21.16China Unveils List of Activities Permitted for Foreign Non-Profits
Wall Street Journal
Law taking effect Jan. 1 is widely seen as targeted at groups working in areas such as human rights and rule of law
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12.16.16China Police Confirm Detention of Human Rights Lawyer Jiang Tianyong
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
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...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.15.16New Chinese Law Puts Foreign Non-Profits in Limbo
Wall Street Journal
Many NGOs could be made illegal on Jan. 1 amid campaign against unwanted foreign influences
ChinaFile Recommends
12.15.16China’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
ChinaFile Recommends
12.15.16China Puts New Weapons on South China Sea Islands, Report Says
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
ChinaFile Recommends
12.14.16Lost Lives: The Battle of China’s Invisible Children to Recover Missed Years
Reuters
With the end of the One-Child Policy, unregistered younger siblings are trying to make up for lost time
ChinaFile Recommends
12.13.16Attempts to ‘Clean Up Beijing’ Target Low-Cost Migrant Homes
"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"
ChinaFile Recommends
12.13.16China to Set Date to Close Ivory Factories
Guardian
Preparation is under way in China to bring in a ban on their domestic ivory trade, following a promise made with the US earlier this year
ChinaFile Recommends
12.13.16China Stocks Drop as Insurers Face Crackdown
Wall Street Journal
China’s top securities regulator has accused some big insurers of behaving like ‘barbarians’
Media
12.09.16
U.S.-China Relations As a Cycle of ‘Rapturous Enchantment’ and ‘Deep Disappointment’
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...
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12.08.16Michael Jordan Owns Right to His Name in Chinese Characters, Too, Court Rules
New York Times
Michael Jordan has pulled out a victory in an arena long known as unfriendly to visitors: the Chinese legal system
ChinaFile Recommends
12.07.16China’s ‘Walter White’ Sold $600k of Illegal Drugs Every Month to the US and Europe
Time
A chemistry professor in China has been convicted in a case that has drawn comparisons with the hit TV show "Breaking Bad"
Conversation
12.05.16
Should Washington Recalibrate Relations with Taipei?
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...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.02.16China’s Top Court Exonerates Man 21 Years After Execution
Case puts spotlight on accusations that judges accept coerced confessions and that police torture is rampant, activists say
ChinaFile Recommends
12.02.16China’s Second Most Powerful Man Warns of Dissent and Corruption in the CCP
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
ChinaFile Recommends
12.02.16Microsoft, Intel, IBM Push Back on China Cybersecurity Rules
Wall Street Journal
Comments offer rare glimpse at tussle between Beijing and U.S. tech companies
Viewpoint
12.01.16
Why I’m Giving Away My Book in China
After a decade covering Asia for The Wall Street Journal, I devoted three years of my life to researching and writing a book about China’s one-child policy, One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment. This month, I’m giving away the...
ChinaFile Recommends
12.01.16China’s Dalian Wanda Group Faces Renewed U.S. Regulatory Scrutiny
Wall Street Journal
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer raises concerns over Chinese conglomerate’s Hollywood takeovers
ChinaFile Recommends
12.01.16Researchers May Have ‘Found’ Many of China’s 30 Million Missing Girls
Washington Post
A new study proposes the births of many of the 'missing' girls were simply not registered
ChinaFile Recommends
12.01.16Though Awash in Fakes, China Rethinks Counterfeit Hunters
New York Times
As China grows and matures, and moves to protect brands and ideas, it still struggles with how to get rid of fakes. Enter Mr. Ji.
Sinica Podcast
11.30.16
The Intersection of Chinese Law and Politics
from Sinica Podcast
China’s legal system is much derided and poorly understood, but its development has, in many ways, been one of the defining features of the reform and opening-up era. Rachel Stern, a professor of law and political science at the University of...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.29.16Stuck at the Bottom in China
New York Times
If the Chinese government is serious about fostering a stable and harmonious society, it must address limits on social mobility before it’s too late
ChinaFile Recommends
11.29.16Hong Kong’s Rebellious Lawmaker Yau Wai-ching
BBC
The youngest woman elected to Hong Kong's parliament has been called many things, including: "radical", "goddess", "spy", "pretty" and "cancer cell"
ChinaFile Recommends
11.29.16Putin Brings China’s Great Firewall to Russia in Cybersecurity Pact
Guardian
The Kremlin has joined forces with Chinese authorities to bring the internet and its users under greater state control
Conversation
11.28.16
Should Facebook Self-Censor to Enter the Chinese Market?
The social network Facebook has reportedly developed software to suppress posts from users’ feeds in targeted geographic areas, a feature created to help the giant social media network gain access to China, where it is blocked. Facebook Chief...
ChinaFile Recommends
11.28.16China is Confiscating the Passports of Citizens in its Muslim-Heavy Region
Quartz
China is requiring all residents in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to turn in their passports to help the government “maintain social order”
ChinaFile Recommends
11.23.16China Expands UN Peacekeeping Role as U.S. Influence Wanes
Financial Times
‘Blue helmet’ deployments offer opportunity to burnish international image
ChinaFile Recommends
11.22.16U.S. Won’t Tolerate Pressure from China on Fugitive Families
Reuters
China has upset Western countries by sending undercover agents to try and get suspects back, although it says it has changed tactics after complaints
ChinaFile Recommends
11.18.16JPMorgan Chase Paying $264 Million to Settle Allegations of Nepotism in China
NPR
The bank isn't being formally charged, but by agreeing to pay the fines, it brings a three-year investigation by the U.S. government to a close
ChinaFile Recommends
11.18.16China Presses Tech Firms to Police the Internet
Wall Street Journal
Third-annual World Internet Conference aimed at proselytizing China’s view to global audience
ChinaFile Recommends
11.17.16With Fertility Rate in China Low, Some Press to Legalize Births Outside Marriage
New York Times
Underlying the debate over reproductive rights is China’s low fertility rate of 1.05 children per woman, revealed in the mini-census last year
China in the World Podcast
11.16.16
Electing Donald Trump: The View from China
from Carnegie China
Donald Trump’s election in the 2016 U.S. presidential race ushers in a period of considerable uncertainty in regard to the future of U.S. policies in the Asia-Pacific and vis-à-vis its relationship with China. In this podcast, Paul Haenle spoke with...