Chinese Stock Plunge Forces a Trading Halt, and Global Markets Shudder

Keith Bradsher and Amie Tsang
New York Times
The aftershocks carried over to Europe and the United States, where markets fell sharply once again.

S. China Sea Tensions Surge as China Lands Plane on Artificial Island

Greg Torode and Michael Martina
Reuters
China's increasing military presence in the disputed sea could effectively lead to a Beijing-controlled air defence zone.

China Plans a New Silk Road, but Trading Partners Are Wary

Keith Bradsher
New York Times
Kazakhstan has limited Chinese investment and immigration for fear of being overwhelmed.

Abe and Modi Strengthen Ties to Counter China's Rise

Natalie Obiko Pearson
Bloomberg
India and Japan took their biggest steps yet to deepen strategic ties, and it’s mostly thanks to China.

China’s Xi Pledges $60 Billion for Africa Development Over Three Years

PATRICK MCGROARTY
Wall Street Journal
China’s trade with Africa grew to $222 billion last year, making it the continent’s top trade partner for the sixth straight year.

China-Africa Summit: What To Look For Beyond The Hype And Hypocrisy

JOHN J STREMLAU
Mail & Guardian
The Africa-China summit will provide an opportunity to see how the Chinese President is responding to democratic developments in Africa.

China’s Renminbi Is Approved as a Main World Currency

KEITH BRADSHER
New York Times
The I.M.F. decision will help pave the way for broader use of the renminbi in trade and finance, securing China’s standing as a global economic power.

China Set to Pledge More Aid to Africa Ahead of Xi's Trip

SUI-LEE WEE
Reuters
China is set to announce new aid to African nations when President Xi Jinping visits Zimbabwe and South Africa next month.

Chinese Investment in Africa Falls by 40%

Saibal Dasgupta
Voice of America
China’s Commerce Ministry publicly admitted that Chinese investments to Africa had fallen by 40 percent in the first half of this year.

China Wants to Build a High-Speed Rail Link to a Newly Open Iran

Richard Macauley
Quartz
China Railway has proposed a high-speed rail link that will carry both passengers and cargo between China and Iran.

China and U.S. Say They’ve Made Strides in Trade Talks

Neil Gough
New York Times
The United States and China said that they had made progress on sticking points in trade.

China Seeks to Remove Provincial Barriers to Trade

Sue-Lin Wong
Reuters
China will accelerate reforms to remove internal barriers to both foreign and domestic trade.

Asia-Pacific Leaders See Trade as Solution to Economic, Security Troubles

TREFOR MOSS
Wall Street Journal
Leaders stay quiet on territorial disputes in South China Sea.

Obama Calls on Beijing to Stop Construction in South China Sea

MICHAEL D. SHEAR
New York Times
President Obama addressed the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in Manila, where he discussed China, trade and climate change.

Challenging the Myth of Chinese Land Grabs in Africa

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
Among the most durable myths surrounding the China-Africa relationship is the fear that the Chinese government and private enterprises are buying vast tracts of African farm land and have plans to transplant millions of Chinese peasants to live and...

China Has Passed Canada as the Biggest U.S. Trading Partner––Thanks to Oil Prices

Richard Macauley
Quartz
Crude oil, a key export for Canada, has dropped from a 2014 peak of $107 per barrel to just $44 today (Nov. 9)

The World — Including China — Is Unprepared for the Rise of China

Lawrence Summers
Wall Street Journal
For the first time in centuries, China affects the global economy as much as it is affected by the global economy

What to Expect at this Year’s Mega China-Africa Summit

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
The sixth Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that will be held in December in Johannesburg comes at a critical time in the Sino-African relationship. The combination of China’s slowing economy, a major slump in global commodity prices, and a...

Ailing Europe Looking for 'Chinese Medicine'

Michael Ivanovitch
CNBC
The Chinese have never seen so many European leaders beating their path to Beijing.

Features

10.27.15

Rich Man, Pu’er Man

Christina Larson
“These men always have machetes,” shouts the driver. Through trees along an unpaved road, he spots a ramshackle hut, slows down, and warns his passengers: this is a checkpoint. It’s the only way to enforce rules in this part of the jungle, at the...

In the Race for Africa, India and China Aren’t All That Different

Lily Kuo
Quartz
During the third India-Africa Summit, Indian officials are working hard to differentiate their country from China.

Xi’s Visit to Britain Highlights Broader Shift in Concerns About China

STEVEN ERLANGER
New York Times
The visit to Britain by Xi Jinping is underscoring how European nations are de-emphasizing human rights and security concerns.

A Remote Corner of China Wants Access to the Sea. The Obstacle Is North Korea.

Anna Fifield
Washington Post
You can almost smell the sea air from here, at the point where China, Russia and North Korea meet.

Why China Doesn’t Mind Being Left Out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Allison Jackson
Global Post
In case you hadn’t heard, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a really big deal— unless you're China.

China and Europe May Team Up to Snub TPP

Nyshka Chandran
CNBC
The world's largest trade deal in recent decades may wind up creating high school-esque cliques on the international stage.

Books

10.07.15

Unmade in China

Jeremy R. Haft
If you look carefully at how things are actually made in China—from shirts to toys, apple juice to oil rigs—you see a reality that contradicts every widely-held notion about the world’s so-called economic powerhouse. From the inside looking out, China is not a manufacturing juggernaut. It’s a Lilliputian. Nor is it a killer of American jobs. It’s a huge job creator. Rising China is importing goods from America in such volume that millions of U.S. jobs are sustained through Chinese trade and investment. In Unmade in China, entrepreneur and Georgetown University business professor Jeremy R. Haft lifts the lid on the hidden world of China’s intricate supply chains. Informed by years of experience building new companies in China, Haft’s unique, insider’s view reveals a startling picture of an economy which struggles to make baby formula safely, much less a nuclear power plant. Using firm-level data and recent case studies, Unmade in China tells the story of systemic risk in Chinese manufacturing and why this is both really bad and really good news for America. —Polity Press{chop}

What Does China Think of the TPP?

Shannon Tiezzi
Diplomat
China is taking a wait-and-see approach on the U.S.-led trade deal.

Conversation

10.06.15

What Will the TPP Mean for China?

Barry Naughton, Arthur R. Kroeber & more
On Monday, the U.S., Japan, and ten other countries concluded negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP—the largest regional trade accord in history. If approved, the agreement will set new terms for the nearly $28 trillion in trade and...

Trans-Pacific Trade Deal a Setback for China

Mark Magnier and Mitsuru Obe
Wall Street Journal
TPP marks a victory for Japan and other U.S. allies in the battle with China over shaping the future of global commerce.

Are the Good Times Over for China and Africa?

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
One of the prevailing media narratives of China’s recent economic turmoil is the effect that it could have on emerging markets, particularly in Africa. Now that the Chinese economy is showing real signs of slowing, the story goes, Beijing will soon...

How China’s Economic Slowdown Will Impact Africa

Eric Olander & Cobus van Staden
The tremors in China’s faltering economy are being felt across Africa. Now that China has replaced Europe and the United States as most African countries’ largest trading partner, there is understandable concern that slowing demand in the P.R.C...

Caixin Media

09.28.15

Xi and Obama Should Make a BIT Breakthrough

President Xi Jinping has begun his first state visit to the United States to meet U.S. President Barack Obama in what state councilor and former foreign minister Yang Jiechi has called “a pivotal meeting at a critical time.”Xi arrived in the United...

Osborne Praised for 'Not Stressing Human Rights' in China

BBC
The Global Times praised Mr Osborne's "pragmatism regarding his China policy".

Conversation

09.22.15

Xi Jinping’s Message to America

Taisu Zhang, Graham Webster & more
China’s President Xi Jinping addressed an audience of more than 700 American businesspeople in Seattle on Tuesday evening on the first stop on his first state visit to the United States. Regular ChinaFile Contributors who watched the speech offer...

Features

09.14.15

Sino-Russian Trade After a Year of Sanctions

Alexander Gabuev from Carnegie Moscow Center
After a year of intense flirtation, the Sino-Russian relationship is beginning to look like a one-sided love affair. Indeed, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China last week—his first since the United States and European Union enacted...

In Africa, Those Who Bet on China Face Fallout

Patrick McGroarty and Matina Stevis
Wall Street Journal
Economic slowdown in China exacerbates strain for trading partners in Africa.

South Africa’s Inexplicable Love Affair with China

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
While the recent economic turmoil in China is prompting a number of African countries to reconsider their growing economic dependence on the People’s Republic of China, not so in South Africa. Both the government and the ruling African National...

Who Loses Most from Chaos in China—And Some Possible Silver Linings

Washington Post
The panic may weaken demand for U.S. exports. But that could make some goods cheaper for consumers.

China Cuts Interest Rates Amid Mounting Concerns Over Economy

Neil Gough, Chris Buckley
New York Times
The cut followed a global stock market rout in which China led with a 7.6 pct plunge Tuesday to its lowest level this year.

Warner Bros. in Talks to Make Movies in China

Ben Fritz and Shalini Ramachandran
Wall Street Journal
The joint venture would produce local-language films for Asian audience.

Apple Stock Recovers After Tim Cook Email Praises China Sale

Brian X. Chen
New York Times
CEO Tim Cook emailed “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer to say the App Store in China had its best performance of the year in the last two weeks.

China’s Special Economic Zones in Africa: Lots of Hype, Little Hope

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
A decade ago, China announced it would develop of a series of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Africa to boost trade and industrialization. Given the phenomenal success of China’s SEZs that helped to spark the PRC’s three decades of history-making...

Conversation

08.18.15

How Should the U.S. Conduct the Xi Jinping State Visit?

Evan A. Feigenbaum, Arthur Waldron & more
As tensions increase between China and the United States over the value of the yuan, human rights violations, alleged cyber attacks, and disputed maritime territories, among other issues, how should the Obama administration conduct the upcoming...

U.S.-China Aviation Talks Hit Stumbling Block on Airport Access

Fang Yan and Jeffrey Dastin
Reuters
In May talks China offered to permit more flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and lower caps for other domestic cities.

Alibaba Names Former Goldman Sachs Executive as President

Michael De La Merced
New York Times
Alibaba on Tuesday named J. Michael Evans, who already serves on its board, as its president.

U.S. Not Concerned About Chinese Competition in Africa ... But It Probably Should Be

Eric Olander & Cobus van Staden
The difference between U.S. and Chinese foreign policies in Africa was on stark display in July when president Barack Obama made his landmark visits to Kenya and Ethiopia. The president brought along with him a vast agenda that transcended trade,...

Myanmar Gives 153 Chinese Life in Jail for Illegal Logging

Aye Aye Win
Associated Press
A court in Myanmar sentenced 153 Chinese nationals to life in prison on after convicting them of illegal logging in a case that has already strained relations with Beijing.

China Box Office Booms with $284-Million Week; Foreign Films Remain Shut Out

Julie Makinen
Los Angeles Times
The depth and variety of local films suggests growth in China’s domestic production.

China, Africa, and the Indian Ocean: A New Balance of Power

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
For centuries the Indian Ocean was a vital conduit in the British empire, connecting colonies in South Asia with Africa as part of a vast imperial network. Today, the Indian Ocean once again plays as a vital role in an emerging global trading empire...

Why it is Better to Stay Out of China A-shares

John Authers
Financial Times
Where did the argument for China A-shares go? In the last two weeks the case for the booming stock market of mainland China has turned at least two somersaults.

China Voice: Cooperation Prevails Over Confrontation in China-U.S. Ties

Xinhua
The dialogues will help pave the way for President Xi Jinping's state visit to the U.S. in September.

China’s Proposed Ivory Ban: Breakthrough or B.S.?

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
China’s surprise announcement that it will phase out the trade and manufacturing of ivory came as a rare piece of good news for Africa’s rapidly shrinking elephant population. While most major international wildlife groups welcomed Beijing’s new...

The $6.5 Trillion China Rally That’s Making Stock-Market History

Kyoungwha Kim
Bloomberg
 The sum is the value created in just 12 months of trading on Chinese stock exchanges, a rally some say has gone too far.

Americans Buy a Fifth of China’s Exports

Bloomberg
Americans bought almost $1 out of every $5 worth of goods that China exported in May, the highest share since August 2010.

Sale of High-Tech Battery Plants to China May Haunt Hillary Clinton

Todd Spangler
Detroit Free Press
@tsspangler http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/06/05/clinton-sale-michigan-china-gop/28525387/

Media

05.20.15

China Liked TPP—Until U.S. Officials Opened Their Mouths

After a brief but frightening setback for proponents, U.S. congressional leaders looked set on May 13 to pass legislation for an eventual up-or-down (“fast-track”) vote on what would be one of the world’s largest trade accords, the U.S.-led Trans-...

Books

05.19.15

No Ordinary Disruption

Richard Dobbs, James Manyika, Jonathan Woetzel
Our intuition on how the world works could well be wrong. We are surprised when new competitors burst on the scene, or businesses protected by large and deep moats find their defenses easily breached, or vast new markets are conjured from nothing. Trend lines resemble saw-tooth mountain ridges.The world not only feels different. The data tell us it is different. Based on years of research by the directors of the McKinsey Global Institute, No Ordinary Disruption: The Four Forces Breaking All the Trends is a timely and important analysis of how we need to reset our intuition as a result of four forces colliding and transforming the global economy: the rise of emerging markets; the accelerating impact of technology on the natural forces of market competition; an aging world population; and accelerating flows of trade, capital, and people.Our intuitions formed during a uniquely benign period for the world economy—often termed the Great Moderation. Asset prices were rising, cost of capital was falling, labor and resources were abundant, and generation after generation was growing up more prosperous than their parents.But the Great Moderation has gone. The cost of capital may rise. The price of everything from grain to steel may become more volatile. The world’s labor force could shrink. Individuals, particularly those with low job skills, are at risk of growing up poorer than their parents.What sets No Ordinary Disruption apart is depth of analysis combined with lively writing informed by surprising, memorable insights that enable us to quickly grasp the disruptive forces at work. For evidence of the shift to emerging markets, consider the startling fact that, by 2025, a single regional city in China—Tianjin—will have a GDP equal to that of the Sweden, or that, in the decades ahead, half of the world’s economic growth will come from 440 cities including Kumasi in Ghana or Santa Carina in Brazil that most executives today would be hard-pressed to locate on a map.What we are now seeing is no ordinary disruption but the new facts of business life—facts that require executives and leaders at all levels to reset their operating assumptions and management intuition.—PublicAffairs{chop}

Indians From All Over China Are Flocking to Shanghai to Hear Their Prime Minister Speak

Rishi Iyengar
Time
More than 5,000 Indian expats are expected to attend an event on Saturday.

China Tilts Towards Liberal Latin American Economies

Lucy Hornby and Andres Schipani
Financial Times
China is promoting a Chinese-built, cross-Andes rail link that would allow Brazilian ore and soya to be shipped from Pacific ports in Peru to Asia.

The Sleeper Issue of 2016 Is China

Aaron L. Friedberg
Politico
Why are we so worried about the Islamic State when Beijing is the real challenge?