Depth of Field

02.25.19

Living by the Rivers

Ye Ming, Yan Cong & more from Yuanjin Photo
If the stories in this edition of Depth of Field share a common thread—apart from their distinguished photographic storytelling—it’s their interest in the flux and churn of life in China in 2019, where nothing seems fixed and pressure of constant...

China’s Gas Tariffs Are a Permian-Size Problem for Oil

Liam Denning
Bloomberg
The latest bit of America’s energy sector to feel the over-the-shoulder lash is the liquefied natural gas-export business. On Friday, LNG joined the list of goods that China will hit with tariffs in retaliation for U.S. ones. This...

China Drops Sanctions Probe into US Sorghum Imports

BBC
BBC
China says it is dropping an anti-dumping probe into sorghum imports from the US, as the two sides discuss ways of easing trade tensions.

China Says Trade War with U.S. Will Only Bring Disaster to Global Economy

Elias Glenn
Reuters
Beijing criticizes proposed tariffs by Washington amid fears it could shatter global growth.

Trump Takes the Bait from Musk, Attacks China Auto Import Duties

Dana Hull and Justin Sink
Bloomberg
President Donald Trump may not follow Elon Musk on Twitter, but the Tesla Inc. chief’s posts decrying China’s automotive trade practices managed to catch his attention.

China Opens Inquiry into U.S. Sorghum as Trade Tensions Worsen

Sui-Lee Wee
New York Times
China has opened an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into U.S. sorghum imports, the latest salvo in an escalating trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies.

U.S. Firms in China Fear Fallout from Tit-For-Tat Trade War

Wendy Wu
South China Morning Post
American business group says Beijing could target sectors to send a political message across the Pacific.

China's 2017 Exports Rose 7.9% in Dollar Terms — Imports Jumped 15.9%

CNBC
China reported a 7.9 percent jump in exports and 15.9 percent rise in imports — both in dollar terms — for 2017.

China Says It Will Limit Oil, Refined Product Exports to North Korea

CNBC
China's Commerce Ministry said on Friday it will limit exports of crude oil, refined oil products, steel and other metals to North Korea, in line with tough new sanctions imposed by the United Nations for Pyongyang's missile tests.

Despite Trump's Pleas, China's Online Opioid Bazaar Is Booming

New York Times
President Trump is looking to President Xi Jinping to “do something” about America’s opioid epidemic, for which he blames China.

Shaky U.S.-China Trade Relationship Will Top Trump's Agenda in Beijing

Rob Schmitz
NPR
Soft lounge music pipes through the speakers as elegantly dressed shoppers peruse organic produce and meats at City'super, one of Shanghai's most upscale markets, a cross between Whole Foods and Louis Vuitton. But one look at the price of...

China Disputes Trump’s Claim of Flood of Chinese Fentanyl into US

South China Morning Post
Beijing says there is not enough evidence to support allegations that most of the illicit drug involved in the epidemic is made on its soil.

China Deflects Blame for Opioid Crisis as Trump Visit Nears

New York Times
As President Trump visits China next week, his vow to press for more stringent drug controls may run into resistance from a government loath to accept full responsibility for its role in the United States’ opioid problem.

China Deflects Blame for Opioid Crisis as Trump Visit Nears

New York Times
As President Trump visits China next week, his vow to press for more stringent drug controls may run into resistance from a government loath to accept full responsibility for its role in the United States’ opioid problem.

China September Exports up 8.1%, Imports up 18.7% as Trade with North Korea Slides

CNBC
China reported strong trade data on Friday just days ahead of a major Communist Party Congress.

Exclusive: Russia’s Rosneft Aims for Big Boost in Oil Exports to China - Sources

Vladimir Soldatkin, Gleb Gorodyankin
Reuters
Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft (ROSN.MM) wants to boost its supplies of oil to China through Kazakhstan to as much as 18 million tonnes (36,000 bpd) per year from around 10 million tonnes in 2017, three industry sources said on Friday.

Ivanka Trump’s Business in China Shrouded in Secrecy as Public Trade Data Disappears

Erika Kinetz
Independent
It is no secret that the bulk of Ivanka Trump's merchandise comes from China. But just which Chinese companies manufacture and export her handbags, shoes and clothes is more secret than ever, an Associated Press investigation has found.

China's ‘Teapot’ Oil Refiners Feel the Heat as Competition Grows

Anjli Raval and Neil Hume
Financial Times
China’s independent oil refiners face an uphill struggle as excess capacity in the sector and slower demand for fuel creates a tougher trading environment, a top executive has warned.

China’s Export Engine Slows as Imports Maintain Steady Gains

Bloomberg News
Bloomberg
China’s export growth slowed as global demand for the country’s products moderated, while imports remained robust as investment at home aided demand.

China’s War on Smog Shakes up Ports; Tianjin Loses, Rivals Benefit

Meng Meng and Josephine Mason
Reuters
China’s war on smog is shaking up the country’s busiest ports, which handle billions of tonnes of cargo a year, forcing Tianjin to overhaul its business as northern rivals snare a greater share of vast coal and iron ore shipments, results show.

China Warns U.S. Over Aluminum Dispute

CNN
China has told the Trump administration to tread carefully in a spat over aluminum exports if it wants to avoid damaging the relationship between the world’s two largest economies. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Thursday disputed U.S...

China Orders Halt to Red Meat Imports From Several Australian Meatworks

Sarina Locke
ABC
China has temporarily banned beef exports from six Australian meatworks, the Federal Government has confirmed.

U.S.-China Economic Dialogue Ends in a Tiff

Nikkei Asian Review
Negotiators involved in the first U.S.-China Comprehensive Economic Dialogue here on Wednesday failed to produce concrete results. The U.S. later issued a statement saying China acknowledged a shared objective to reduce the U.S.’s bilateral trade...

China Imposes 100% Tax on Foreign Star Signings in Bid for World Cup Glory

Katie Stallard
Sky News
The country's President Xi Jinping is hoping the Asian superpower will host - and one day win - the global football tournament.

China Throws out More Trade and Business Offers to Trump’s America

South China Morning Post
A report issued by the Ministry of Commerce on Thursday said China may buy further goods from the U.S., including crude and refined oil products, cotton and machine tools.

Is China Too Tough a Steel Beast for Trump to Tame?

Manolo Serapio Jr, Muyu Xu
Reuters
China exported 620,000 tonnes of steel direct to the United States last year, a fraction of the 800 million tonnes it produces each year, equal to about half of world output.

Trump Thought China Could Get North Korea to Comply. It’s Not That Easy.

Amanda Erickson
Washington Post
Beijing’s nightmare scenario is a collapse of the Kim regime, which could also open the door to reunification with South Korea, another nightmare for Beijing.

China Says Its Trade with North Korea Has Increased

Jane Perlez and Yufan Huang
New York Times
Amid sharply rising tensions over North Korea’s nuclear arms program, China said on Thursday that its trade with the country had expanded, even though it had complied with United Nations sanctions and stopped buying North Korean coal

China Exports Jump the Most in Two Years as Imports Moderate

Bloomberg
China’s overseas shipments last month jumped the most in two years as global demand held up. Imports moderated after a holiday-season surge in February and the trade balance rose.

China’s Emergence as Top U.S. Oil Buyer Highlights Economic Ties

Lucy Hornby
Financial Times
China was the top foreign buyer of U.S. crude in February, according to data that show the growing interdependence of the world’s big energy-consuming nations at a time of heightened geopolitical tensions.

China Posts Rare Trade Deficit in February as Imports Gallop

CNBC
China produced a rare trade deficit in in February after imports galloped, official data showed Wednesday.

As Leaders Argue, South Korea Finds China Is No Longer an Easy Sell

Motoko Rich
New York Times
Now, as the deployment of the system begins this week and China threatens to punish South Korea further, companies like Beyond Cosmetics have been bracing for worse.

The Tesla China Numbers That Elon Musk Won’t Tell You

Bertel Schmitt
Forbes
More evidence about Tesla’s Big China Bonanza is coming in

China Accused of Undermining Drive to Cut Steel Capacity

Charles Clover and Lucy Hornby
Financial Times
China’s cuts in steel capacity last year primarily targeted mills that were already idle, doing little to reduce the exports that have fueled trade tensions or address the blight of toxic smog, a study has found.

China January Exports Rise 7.9 Percent, Beating Forecasts

CNBC
China’s January exports easily exceeded analysts’ expectations, rising 7.9 percent from a year earlier, while imports rose by 16.7 percent, also topping forecasts, preliminary data showed on Friday. That left the country with a trade surplus of $51...

China’s Oil Collapse Is Unintentionally Helping OPEC

Bloomberg
OPEC’s campaign to prop up oil prices is getting unlikely support from its biggest customer.

China Exports Snap Seven-Month Losing Streak as Imports Surge

Bloomberg
China’s exports gained as a cheaper yuan aided foreign purchasing; Imports jumped the most in more than two years on strong demand for raw materials

As China Shifts From Exporter to Importer, Fortunes Change

Owen Guo and Neil Gough
New York Times
Daqing is home to China’s biggest oil field, and the city’s troubles reflect a broader reality for the country: Once a major exporter of oil, China is now one of the world’s biggest net oil importers.

What Happens to China if World Trade Falls?

Douglas Bulloch
Forbes
Despite China’s commitment to rebalancing its economy, exports keep rising, and with them China’s vulnerability to the negative consequences of protectionism.

China’s Quest to Buy Up Global Supply of Donkeys Halted by African Nations

Katie Forster
Independent
Donkey hide is used to make Chinese remedy ejiao, believed to improve blood circulation

China Will Resume Imports of U.S. Beef After a Ban Long Seen as Political

Hannah Beech
Time
For an American industry that relies increasingly on global demand, the news is welcome

China’s Coal Cap Will Bite

David Fickling
Bloomberg
Can the shift to more domestic output be met without blanketing China's cities in smog?

Environment

09.15.16

A Chinese Train Could Link South America’s Atlantic and Pacific Coasts by Rail for the First Time

from chinadialogue
Official bodies from Brazil and Peru have expressed concern about the social and environmental impacts of the proposed interoceanic railway, which will connect the coast of Peru and Brazil, cutting through 621 miles of pristine rainforest.In a...

China Lays New Brick in Silk Road With First Afghan Rail Freight

Eltaf Najafizada
Bloomberg
China has for years had grand investment plans for Afghanistan’s resource riches.

Mayor of Major Chinese Port City of Tianjin Faces Corruption Inquiry

Guardian
City’s acting Communist party chief is accused of ‘serious discipline breaches’ by investigators.

China’s Hunger for Steelmaking Coal Fuels Price Rally

Rhiannon Hoyle
Wall Street Journal
China is increasingly relying on coking-coal shipments from abroad due to a local shortage.

China’s Zika Fumigation Rules Raise Worries for U.S. Exporters

Costas Paris
Wall Street Journal
Companies worry that requirement to fumigate all containers could result in costs, delays.

China Exports Slide on Weak Demand

Mark Magnier
Wall Street Journal
Global uncertainty and headwinds continue to buffet the world’s second-largest economy.

What China’s Successful Reforestation Program Means for the Rest of the World

Elizabeth Shockman
Public Radio International
China, as it turns out, is looking elsewhere to get the lumber it needs.

China's 'Zombie' Steelmakers Hit With Huge U.S. Tariffs

Ed Flanagan
NBC News
Similar dissatisfaction with dumping has been seen in Europe, India and Australia, where investigations and similar taxes have also been levied against Chinese steel.

Three Myths about China in Kenya

Apurva Sanghi and Dylan Johnson
Brookings Institution
Despite many problems, China’s involvement in Kenya is a net positive, as most trade relations in the world tend to be.

The Latest U.S.-China Trade Spat Is over Chicken

Charles Riley
CNN
The Obama administration has accused China of unfairly blocking U.S. poultry imports, the latest in a series of election-year trade disputes between Washington and Beijing.

Caixin Media

04.12.16

Chinese Telecoms Gear Maker ZTE Fighting U.S. Export Ban

The second-largest maker of telecoms gear in China is scrambling to get off a U.S. export blacklist that threatens to dry up supplies of critical components.“The investigations are still in progress, and may result in criminal and civil liabilities...

Pork Shortage in China Leads to Soaring Prices, Rush to Import

Lucy Craymer
Wall Street Journal
U.S. pig industry benefits from boost in exports to pork-loving China.

China Exports, Imports Fall Sharply in February

CNBC
China's exports fell 25.4 percent on-year in February, while imports declined 13.8 percent, clocking far bigger slides than expected.

China Manufacturing Picks Up

Mark Magnier
Wall Street Journal
China’s PMI rose slightly in December, but economists don’t expect significant rebound in economy.

Walmart’s Imports From China Displaced 400,000 Jobs, a Study Says

HIROKO TABUCHI
New York Times
“Walmart is one of the major forces pulling imports into the United States.”

Media

11.10.15

Chinese Hits Miss Out on the Global Box Office

Jonathan Landreth from China Film Insider
If he’d had the time after meeting American captains of industry in Seattle and Barack Obama at the White House, Chinese President Xi Jinping might have ducked out at the close of his United Nations appearance and into a New York movie theater to...

Great Fall of China Sinks World Stocks, Dollar

Sinead Carew
Reuters
A near 9-percent dive in China shares and a sharp drop in the dollar and major commodities sent investors rushing for the exit.

Caixin Media

08.24.15

How to Solve China’s Currency Parity Puzzle?

Boosting exports, controlling outbound capital flow and supporting the Chinese currency’s bid for Special Drawing Rights (SDR) status are just some of the reasons cited by analysts for the yuan's unexpected devaluation in mid-August.The yuan...