ChinaFile Recommends
05.15.18China Gave Trump a List of Crazy Demands, and He Caved to One of Them
Washington Post
China’s list of economic and trade demands that suggest its negotiating position.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.15.18Trump, China, ZTE and the Art of the Deal
CNN
ZTE case offers insight into Trump’s way of doing business.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.15.18China’s South-East Asia Push Threatened by New Malaysia Regime
Financial Times
Status as Belt and Road posterchild at risk as Mahathir vows to review Chinese projects.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.15.18Warning Sounded over China's 'Debtbook Diplomacy'
Guardian
Academics identify 16 countries loaned billions that they can’t afford to repay.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.14.18China Welcomes Trump’s Help on ZTE as Trade Talks Loom
New York Times
Both sides are using the Chinese telecom company as a pawn in a geopolitical game.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.14.18Why Is China Suddenly Seeking Filipino English Teachers?
South China Morning Post
Beijing shifts its attitude towards workers from the Philippines.
Conversation
05.11.18
Do American Companies Need to Take a Stance on Taiwan?
China’s airline regulator recently sent a letter to 36 international air carriers requiring them to remove from their websites references implying that Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau are not part of China. In a surprisingly direct May 5 statement, the...
ChinaFile Recommends
05.10.18China Draws Up a Shopping List of American Goods to Avoid Trade War
Wall Street Journal
China likely will offer to import more U.S. goods during negotiations in Washington next week as the two sides see one of the best ways to avert an all-out trade war is for Beijing to buy American.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.10.18ZTE Is Now Center Stage in the US-China Trade Fight
CNN
The smartphone and telecom equipment maker announced Wednesday that it has halted its main operations after the US government last month banned American companies from selling it vital components.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.08.18Hillary Clinton Says China’s Foreign Power Grab ‘a New Global Battle’
Guardian
China’s attempt to gain political power and influence in foreign countries is “a new global battle”, Hillary Clinton has warned.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.08.18China Plans $47 Billion Fund to Boost Its Semiconductor Industry
Wall Street Journal
In a move that could further heighten tensions with the U.S., China is poised to announce a new fund of about 300 billion yuan—$47.4 billion—to spur development of its semiconductor industry as it seeks to close the technology gap with the U.S. and...
ChinaFile Recommends
05.08.18No Matter What Trump Says on Iran, China Will Probably Ignore Him
CNBC
In a matter of hours, President Donald Trump is set to announce his decision on the Iran nuclear deal.
Conversation
05.07.18
Can China Afford to Play Hardball with the U.S.?
In the midst of roiling trade tensions between the United States and China, last week Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin led a delegation of Donald Trump’s top economic advisors to Beijing. Demands were made in both directions and talks were...
ChinaFile Recommends
05.04.18U.S.-China Trade Talks End with Strong Demands, but Few Signs of a Deal
New York Times
The Beijing talks were unlikely to result in a comprehensive deal, but experts said they could still be a first step toward reaching some sort of accord.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.04.18U.S.-China Trade Talks End with Strong Demands, but Few Signs of a Deal
New York Times
The Beijing talks were unlikely to result in a comprehensive deal, but experts said they could still be a first step toward reaching some sort of accord.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.04.18Behind Erik Prince’s China Venture
Washington Post
The Blackwater founder has cut a lucrative security-training deal with Chinese insiders. But is it against U.S. interests?
Books
05.03.18

High-Speed Empire
Columbia Global Reports: The story of the world’s most audacious infrastructure project.Less than a decade ago, China did not have a single high-speed train in service. Today, it owns a network of 14,000 miles of high-speed rail, far more than the rest of the world combined. Now, China is pushing its tracks into Southeast Asia, reviving a century-old colonial fantasy of an imperial railroad stretching to Singapore, and kicking off a key piece of the One Belt One Road initiative, which has a price tag of U.S.$1 trillion and reaches inside the borders of more than 60 countries.The Pan-Asia Railway portion of One Belt One Road could transform Southeast Asia, bringing shiny Chinese cities, entire economies, and waves of migrants where none existed before. But if it doesn’t succeed, that would be a cautionary tale about whether a new superpower, with levels of global authority unimaginable just a decade ago, can pull entire regions into its orbit simply with tracks, sweat, and lots of money. Journalist Will Doig traveled to Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore to chronicle the dramatic transformations taking place—and to find out whether ordinary people have a voice in this moment of economic, political, and cultural collision.{chop}
ChinaFile Recommends
05.03.18US Trade Team Arrives in Beijing for Talks, and China Media Are Cautious
CNBC
State media said China will stand up to U.S. bullying if need be, but it was better to work things out at the negotiating table.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.02.18Taiwan Says China Dangled $3 Billion to Grab Ally Dominican Republic
Reuters
China offered the Dominican Republic a $3.1 billion package of investments and loans to get them to sever ties with Taiwan, a Taiwan official said on Tuesday, after the Caribbean nation switched allegiance to China in a diplomatic blow to the self-...
ChinaFile Recommends
05.02.18The U.S. and China Are Finally Having It Out
New York Times
With the arrival in Beijing this week of America’s top trade negotiators, you might think that the U.S. and China are about to enter high-level talks to avoid a trade war and that this is a story for the business pages. Think again.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.02.18Chinese State Media Has a Message for the US Ahead of Trade Talks in Beijing
CNBC
Ahead of a meeting between officials from the world’s two largest economies to iron out their trade tensions, state-owned Chinese media has one message for the American delegates: Don’t expect China to give into all of your demand.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.02.18Trump Is Breaking the WTO. Will China Want to Save It?
Washington Post
A U.S. trade team is in China this week to discuss the countries’ trade disputes and the U.S. threat of $150 billion in sanctions.
ChinaFile Recommends
05.02.18China Is Weakening Its Currency before U.S. Trade Talks Begin
Bloomberg
China weakened its daily currency fixing by more than traders and analysts had expected before high-ranking U.S. officials arrive in the country to discuss trade issues.
China in the World Podcast
04.30.18
The Rise of Populism and Implications for China
from Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy
The rise of populism in Europe and the United States has had a pronounced impact on domestic politics and foreign policy, as seen in Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. In China, leaders are unsettled by the nationalist and anti-globalization...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.27.18What Happened to China’s Only Bitcoin ATM after Its Crackdown on Crypto
Quartz
Four years ago, China got its first bitcoin ATM.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.27.18U.S. Considers Tightening Grip on China Ties to Corporate America
Reuters
Any broad effort to sever relationships between Chinese and American tech companies - even temporarily - could have dramatic effects across the industry.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.26.18China Tells Donald Trump: We Can Help Make America’s Infrastructure Great Again
South China Morning Post
China has offered to take part in US President Donald Trump’s US$1.5 trillion plan to repair and upgrade America’s infrastructure, saying it would complement Beijing’s own Belt and Road Initiative.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.26.18Exclusive: Chip Wars - China Closing in on Second $19 Billion Semiconductor Fund: Sources
Reuters
China’s state-backed semiconductor fund is near to closing a 120 billion yuan ($18.98 billion) investment round for a second fund to support the domestic chip sector and help cut reliance on imports amid a bruising trade standoff with the United...
The China Africa Project
04.25.18
How Africa Benefits from China’s Rapidly Aging Population
China’s rapidly aging population presents a huge challenge for the country as it needs to find new ways to pay for rising healthcare and social welfare benefits. And that’s where Africa may be able to help. Home to one of the youngest populations on...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.25.18China Is Fueling a New ‘Resource Curse’ — and Riots around the World
Washington Post
During the past 15 years, China’s demand for primary commodities has triggered a dramatic increase in natural resource extraction in the developing world.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.25.18US-China Trade War: Not about Trade, Not about Trump. Here’s What It Is About
South China Morning Post
Perhaps we should stop talking about US President Donald Trump’s US-China trade war.
China in the World Podcast
04.23.18
The Corrections Needed in the U.S.-China Relationship
from Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy
Stephen Hadley, former national security advisor to President George W. Bush, argues that the United States took false comfort in China’s hide-and-bide strategy and failed to recognize that China would increasingly assert itself as it became more...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.20.18US Grain Ships Diverted at Sea Hours after China Imposes Grain Tariff
Guardian
Five ships carrying tonnes of sorghum change course after Beijing imposes rule requiring 178% deposit.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.20.18China Refuses to Recycle More of the World’s Trash
CNN
For decades, other countries shipped containers full of scrap and waste to China for recycling.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.20.18China Envoy Says China Will Retaliate If U.S. Insists on Trade War: Xinhua
Reuters
China’s ambassador to the United States urged the United States to abandon a cold war and zero-sum mentality.
Viewpoint
04.19.18
Trump’s Incredibly Risky Taiwan Policy
So-called friends of Taiwan in the United States are putting the island at risk as never before. The Taiwan Travel Act, passed unanimously by both houses of Congress, and signed by President Trump on March 16, 2018 without reservations, could...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.19.18China’s Economic Numbers Have a Credibility Problem
Bloomberg
China’s gross domestic product grew 6.8 percent in the first quarter, smack on its pace in the preceding quarter, which was unchanged from the quarter before that.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.19.18China’s Children Are Its Secret Weapon in the Global AI Arms Race
Wired
China wants to be the world leader in artificial intelligence by 2030. To get there, it’s reinventing the way children are taught.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.19.18China Quietly Rolled Out a Very Big Bang
Bloomberg
In 1984, I came to China as a grumpy, uninquisitive backpacker, dragged from crowded bus to uncomfortable hostel to inedible meal by two student friends who spoke Mandarin.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.19.18Exclusive: China Looks to Speed up Chip Plans as U.S. Trade Tensions Boil - Sources
Reuters
China is looking to accelerate plans to develop its domestic semiconductor market amid a fierce trade stand-off with the United States and a U.S. ban on sales to Chinese phone maker ZTE that has underscored the country’s reliance on imported chips.
Viewpoint
04.16.18
Has Xi Jinping Changed China? Not Really
Xi Jinping has had an eventful early spring. After he abolished presidential term limits and was unanimously elected—if it can be called an election—to serve another term in that post, Xi got the world’s attention again by holding a meeting with Kim...
The China Africa Project
04.16.18
Angola: China’s Risky Gamble in Africa
China has loaned Angola an estimated U.S.$60 billion dollars since the two countries established diplomatic relations back in 1983, making it one of the top destinations for Chinese financing in Africa. Angola is especially attractive for the...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.13.18China Wary after Trump’s U-Turn Could See US Rejoining TPP
South China Morning Post
Chinese analysts have said they are wary about the possibility that the United States will rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but shrugged off the immediate need to make policy changes.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.13.18China’s Trade Surplus with U.S. Soars in First Quarter but March Exports Falter
Reuters
China’s trade surplus with the United States surged nearly 20 percent in the first quarter, with some analysts speculating exporters were rushing out shipments to get ahead of threatened tariffs that are spurring fears of a full-blown trade war.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.13.18China Delays Deal Reviews as U.S. Trade Frictions Build
Wall Street Journal
Amid escalating trade tensions, China is holding up deal reviews that could clear the way for U.S. companies Qualcomm Inc. and Bain Capital to make multibillion-dollar acquisitions of semiconductor companies, people familiar with the matter say.
China in the World Podcast
04.13.18
Putin’s Fourth Term
from Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy
Vladimir Putin was elected to his fourth term as president of Russia on March 18, 2018. His continued leadership has important implications for the international community, including China.
Books
04.12.18

China’s Great Wall of Debt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Over the course of a decade spent reporting on the ground in China as a financial journalist, Dinny McMahon gradually came to the conclusion that the widely held belief in China’s inevitable economic ascent is dangerously wrong.In this unprecedented deep dive, McMahon shows how, lurking behind the illusion of prosperity, China’s economic growth has been built on a staggering mountain of debt. While stories of newly built but empty cities, white elephant state projects, and a byzantine shadow banking system have all become a regular fixture in the press in recent years, McMahon goes beyond the headlines to explain how such waste has been allowed to flourish, and why one of the most powerful governments in the world has been at a loss to stop it.Through the stories of ordinary Chinese citizens, McMahon tries to make sense of the unique—and often bizarre—mechanics of the Chinese economy, whether it be the state’s addiction to appropriating land from poor farmers, why a Chinese entrepreneur decided it was cheaper to move his yarn factory to South Carolina, why ambitious Chinese mayors build ghost cities, or why the Chinese bureaucracy was able to stare down Beijing’s attempts to break up the state’s pointless monopoly over the distribution of table salt.Debt, entrenched vested interests, a frenzy of speculation, and an aging population are all pushing China toward an economic reckoning. China’s Great Wall of Debt unravels an incredibly complex and opaque economy, one whose fortunes—for better or worse—will shape the globe like never before.{chop}
Conversation
04.11.18
China’s Communist Party Takes (Even More) Control of the Media
China’s Communist Party made moves last month to solidify and formalize its (already substantial) control over the country’s media. China’s main state-run broadcasters are to be consolidated into a massive new “Voice of China” under the management...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.10.18U.S. Stocks Surge after China’s Xi Eases Trade Fears
Wall Street Journal
U.S. stocks climbed Tuesday, with the Dow gaining more than 400 points, as remarks from Chinese President Xi Jinping soothed concerns about a trade war that have roiled markets in recent weeks.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.10.18China’s Vast Intercontinental Building Plan Is Gaining Momentum
Bloomberg
China’s massive build program to recreate trade routes stretching from Asia to Africa and Europe is gaining momentum.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.10.18Xi Says China to Lower Trade Barriers as Beijing Files Wto Complaint against U.S.
NPR
China’s President Xi Jinping says his country will “significantly lower” import tariffs on automobiles as part of a broader move to open up its economy amid a major trade dispute with the U.S.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.09.18China Now Has the Most Valuable AI Startup in the World
Bloomberg
Facial recognition company in China becomes richest-valued private AI startup.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.09.18China Elites Seek to De-Escalate Trade Tension before Xi Speech
Financial Times
Government advisers dismiss reports of secret plan to sell off US Treasury bill.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.09.18Hopes Are High for China to Announce Market Access Reforms on Tuesday
CNBC
Xi’s speech to announce market reforms could help heal U.S.-China trade frictions.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.09.18Tensions Rise over Taiwan Strait as U.S. and China Harden Positions
Washington Post
Fears grow that Taiwan will suffer the consequences of Trump-China spat.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.09.18Europe Caught in the Middle as Trump Threatens China
New York Times
Europe in dilemma as conflict escalates between its two biggest trading partners.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.09.18China Is Studying Yuan Devaluation as a Tool in Trade Spat
Bloomberg
China evaluates impact of currency depreciation among trade tensions.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.05.18White House Sends Mixed Message on China Trade Thaw
Financial Times
Markets rally but questions remain over US willingness to talk to Beijing.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.05.18U.S. Farmers Likely among Hardest Hit by Chinese Tariffs
NPR
China's retaliatory tariffs may hit farmers harder than any other group...
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04.05.18If There’s a U.S.-China Trade War, China May Have Some ‘Unconventional Weapons’
New York Times
There are ways to make life harder for American companies in China that need not be formal, or widely publicized.