Sinica Podcast
03.17.17
Big Daddy Dough: Hip-hop and Macroeconomics in China
from Sinica Podcast
By day, Andrew Dougherty is a macroeconomist who manages a China research team for Capital Group, one of the world’s largest actively managed mutual funds. By night, he is Big Daddy Dough, creator of an album of parody hip-hop songs that explain...
Books
03.16.17

Hollywood Made in China
China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 ignited a race to capture new global media audiences. Hollywood moguls began courting Chinese investors to create entertainment on an international scale—from behemoth theme parks to blockbuster films. Hollywood Made in China examines these new collaborations, where the distinctions between Hollywood’s “dream factory” and Xi Jinping’s “Chinese Dream” of global influence become increasingly blurred. With insightful policy analysis, ethnographic research, and interviews with CEOs, directors, and film workers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Los Angeles, Aynne Kokas offers an unflinching look at China’s new role in the global media industries. A window into the partnerships with Chinese corporations that now shape Hollywood, this book will captivate anyone who consumes commercial media in the twenty-first century. —University of California Press{chop}
ChinaFile Recommends
03.16.17China Consumer Day Show Skewers Nike Shoes, Muji Foods
Reuters
China’s annual consumer rights day television show turned its spotlight on U.S. sports brand Nike Inc for misleading advertising and Japanese brand Muji for selling food products allegedly sourced from part of Japan affected by radiation.
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03.16.17Here’s Who Will Benefit from the Beijing-Seoul Fallout
CNBC
Currently, South Korea’s decision to allow the U.S. to deploy an advanced missile defense system on the peninsula has culminated in a series of retaliatory measures from Beijing. South Korean firms have already started investing in the fast-growing...
ChinaFile Recommends
03.14.17Is Google Another Step Closer to Being Unblocked in China?
CNBC
Google is still in talks with Beijing over its plans to return to the mainland Chinese market
ChinaFile Recommends
03.14.17China Property Sales Surge Despite Efforts to Cool Market
Voice of America
Property sales by area rose 25.1 percent year-on-year in January and February.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.14.17China’s Economy Gets Off to Strong Start in 2017 as Investment Rebounds
Reuters
China issued a raft of upbeat data on Tuesday showing the economy got off to a strong start to 2017, supported by strong bank lending, a government infrastructure spree and a much-needed resurgence in private investment.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.14.17After Dick Clark Productions Deal Fails to Close, What’s Next for Dalian Wanda?
Variety
Wang Jianlin has led a triumphal march through Hollywood.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.13.17Trump’s Top China Expert Isn’t a China Expert
Foreign Policy
Peter Navarro doesn't speak Chinese, and has scant in-country experience. Should that matter?
ChinaFile Recommends
03.13.17Kushners Set to Get $400 Million From Chinese Firm on Tower
Bloomberg
Family company of president’s son-in-law in deal with Anbang, one of China's largest insurance companies. Plan is circulating among investors for more equity partners.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.13.17Ford to Build New Lincoln SUV in China by 2019
Detroit Free Press
Ford and its joint ventures in 2016 sold a record 1.27 million vehicles in China, though the company’s imported vehicle volume for 2016 was down overall from 2015.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.13.17Trump’s Trade ‘Hammer’ Aims to Pound China, Mexico and the WTO
Bloomberg
Lighthizer has urged a harder-nosed approach to China, which accounts for more than half of America’s $500-billion trade deficit, and more trade complaints from the U.S.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.12.17After $225 Billion in Deals Last Year, China Reins In Overseas Investment
New York Times
On Saturday, in the strongest public signal yet that Beijing is changing course, China’s commerce minister castigated what he called “blind and irrational investment.”
ChinaFile Recommends
03.09.17Lotte Stores Feel Chinese Wrath as South Korea Deploys U.S. Missile System
New York Times
A wave of anti-South Korean sentiment has broken out across China after the South’s embrace of an American missile defense system that China says can be used to spy on its territory.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.09.17No Country Comes Even Close to China in Self-Made Female Billionaires
Quartz
China is home to more self-made female billionaires than any other nation, according to Hurun Report.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.08.17As Leaders Argue, South Korea Finds China Is No Longer an Easy Sell
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.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.08.17Trump Trademarks Approved by China
BBC
China has given U.S. President Donald Trump the chance to expand his brand, after approving dozens of applications to register the Trump trademark.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.07.17The Tesla China Numbers That Elon Musk Won’t Tell You
Forbes
More evidence about Tesla’s Big China Bonanza is coming in
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03.07.17One of China’s Biggest Trade Partners Is Worried Beijing Will Turn to Its ‘Old Toolbox’ of Protectionism
CNBC
China’s plan to advance its manufacturing capabilities is drawing criticism from one of its major trade partners.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.07.17China’s Plan to Build Its Own High-Tech Industries Worries Western Businesses
New York Times
China has charted out a $300 billion plan to become nearly self-sufficient by 2025 in a range of important industries, from planes to computer chips to electric cars, as it looks to kick-start its next stage of economic development.
Caixin Media
03.03.17
China’s Legislators Take on Zombie Companies, Real Estate
Curbing wasteful socialist-era business practices and taming unruly real estate and lending sectors will take center stage at the annual meeting of China’s legislature, which starts next week, with some also looking for signs of a pickup in economic...
Books
03.02.17

The Silver Way
Long before London and New York rose to international prominence, a trading route was discovered between Spanish America and China that ushered in a new era of globalization. The “Ruta de la Plata,” or “Silver Way,” catalyzed economic and cultural exchange, built the foundations for the first global currency, and led to the rise of the first “world city.” And yet, for all its importance, the Silver Way is too often neglected in conventional narratives on the birth of globalization. Gordon and Morales re-establish its fascinating role in economic and cultural history, with direct consequences for how we understand China today. —Penguin China{chop}
ChinaFile Recommends
03.02.17For China’s Factories, a Weaker Currency Is a Double-Edged Sword
New York Times
For the past three years, China has allowed its currency, the renminbi, to weaken in value compared with the American dollar. Yet the renminbi’s slide has provided only a marginal benefit.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.02.17Rags to Riches: Delivery Man Now China’s Third-Richest Billionaire
CNBC
Wang Wei, chairman of SF Holding—the FedEx of China—has seen his fortune grow to around $27 billion, according to a Forbes estimate.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.02.17Mega-Mansions in this L.A. Suburb Used to Sell to Chinese Buyers in Days. Now They’re Sitting Empty for Months
Los Angeles Times
At $9.8 million, the recently built property is a relative bargain. A similar-sized home in Beijing would cost twice as much. Yet two months after it was placed on the market, the house remains unsold. Not long ago, real estate like this would have...
ChinaFile Recommends
02.28.17Trump Is Not Anti-China, Lenovo CEO Says
CNBC
U.S. President Donald Trump is “not anti-China” but any move away from globalization by the White House could be a concern to businesses across the world, the chief executive Lenovo told CNBC on Tuesday.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.27.17Chinese Private Security Companies Go Global
Financial Times
Beijing’s protection industry looks after workers in the most dangerous places.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.27.17China Bankruptcy Cases Surge as Economy Slows
Financial Times
Rise in liquidations reflects growing role for courts in tackling ‘zombie’ companies
ChinaFile Recommends
02.27.17China’s Twitter Clone Will Soon Have More Users Than Twitter
Quartz
While Twitter is going through some rough times, Weibo, which went public in the U.S. in 2014, is thriving. In fact Weibo is on track to surpass its U.S. counterpart in one of the key metrics for social media platforms: monthly active users.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.24.17China’s New Banking Regulator Chief Faces Daunting Challenges
Bloomberg
China has appointed Guo Shuqing as the new head of the banking regulator, according to people familiar with the matter. Guo, 60, faces daunting tasks ahead as he takes on oversight of the world’s largest banking industry by assets.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.23.17The Biggest Loser If Trump Ignites a Trade War with China
CNBC
There’s at least one big loser if President Donald J. Trump ignites a trade war with China: Taiwan. The island democracy has a heavily export-dependent economy enmeshed in billions of dollars in U.S. and China trade.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.23.17Why Is EBay Returning to China?
Bloomberg
EBay recently announced that it’s partnering with Ningbo, a major port and manufacturing hub, to help boost the city’s e-commerce with the rest of the world. That’s a farsighted move.
Conversation
02.23.17
Can China Expand its Beachhead in Hollywood?
With The Great Wall, a classic army vs. monsters tale, director Zhang Yimou has brought America the most expensive Chinese film ever created. The movie may be backed by a Hollywood studio and it may star no less an American icon than Matt Damon, and...
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02.21.17China Is Warning Lotte Group against Letting a Korean Golf Course Become a Missile Defense Site
Quartz
China’s has a new target amid its ongoing economic retaliation against South Korea—the country’s fifth-biggest conglomerate
Depth of Field
02.16.17
Riding into the New Year
from Yuanjin Photo
As preparations for the Chinese New Year got underway, Liang Yingfei set up a roadside studio and asked migrants traveling home by motorbike to stop for a quick photograph. While in Cambodia for the Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops, Jia...
Conversation
02.16.17
Can China Become a Leader of Innovation?
China’s ambitious high-tech strategy is raising alarm in industrialized nations. From American and South Korean chipmakers to German car and machine manufacturers, some industry leaders expect the imminent arrival of strong Chinese competitors. Does...
ChinaFile Recommends
02.16.17Live-Streaming in China Now Requires a Broadcast License If You’re Not a Citizen
Mashable
Live streaming is taking off in China, but foreigners won’t be able to join in the fun.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.16.17Why It Matters That Bill Gates Joined China’s Super App WeChat
Forbes
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is the newest member of WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.16.17China’s Artificial Intelligence Boom
Atlantic
The country’s universities and tech giants are starting to surpass American ones when it comes to researching and implementing AI.
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02.15.17China Bird Flu Deaths Surge in What Could Be the Worst Season Ever
Reuters
As many as 79 people died from H7N9 bird flu in China last month, the government said, stoking worries that the spread of the virus this season could be the worst on record.
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02.15.17Why Chinese People Won’t Boycott Trump Fashion
BBC
In a week that saw a political storm after Nordstrom dropped Ivanka Trump fashion lines and reports in the U.S. media that her younger sister Tiffany Trump was “shunned” at New York Fashion Week, there was one unlikely win for the first family.
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02.15.17China’s Top Football Team Vows to Phase out Foreign Players
Financial Times
Fans worry beautiful game could lose luster if Guangzhou Evergrande makes good on pledge
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02.14.17In China, a Lonely Valentine’s Day for Millions of Men
New York Times
That’s because China’s gender gap remains huge. There were 33.59 million more men than women in China in 2016, according to figures from the country’s National Bureau of Statistics that were issued last month
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02.14.17U.S. Eyes New Tactic to Press China
Wall Street Journal
Currency strategy would avoid singling out country in bid to avoid break in relations
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02.14.17Inflation in China Is Heating Up Fast
Business Insider
Chinese inflationary pressures went up a cog in January, led by another enormous surge in producer price inflation (PPI).
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02.14.17Chinese People Are Buying All Kinds of Desperate Remedies to Protect Themselves from Smog
Time
Air purifiers, meanwhile, are becoming cheaper and more efficient. Chinese tech firm Xiaomi leads the way with its Mi Air Purifier Pro, boasting a dual-fan, dual-motor system with ”high-precision laser sensor.”
Viewpoint
02.13.17
The U.S. Should Not Demand In-Kind Reciprocity from China
In a well-drafted task force report issued this week by the Asia Society and the University of California San Diego, a group of scholars and former government officials recommend that the Trump administration take steps to make the U.S.-China...
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02.13.17China Accused of Undermining Drive to Cut Steel Capacity
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.
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02.13.17How Chinese Internet Giant Baidu Uses AI and Machine Learning
Forbes
Baidu is currently considered to be pack leader amongst the Chinese internet giants as they race to develop and deploy machine and deep learning technology.
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02.13.17China’s Weibo Eclipses Rival Twitter’s Market Capitalization
Financial Times
Shares rally on back of Chinese social platform’s ability to monetize subscriber base
Viewpoint
02.10.17
Taiwan Needs to Hear Trump Say ‘Democracy’
President Trump has sent conflicting signals on Taiwan, first suggesting cozier relations with the self-ruled island and then walking that back to reassure China.In a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, he pledged no change to...
Conversation
02.10.17
Did Xi Just Outmaneuver Trump?
On the evening of February 9, U.S. President Donald Trump had what the White House described in a terse readout as a “lengthy” and “cordial” telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. That alone is newsworthy, as the...
ChinaFile Recommends
02.10.17Plan for $10 Billion Chip Plant Shows China’s Growing Pull
New York Times
On Friday, the California-based chip maker GlobalFoundries announced a $10 billion project in China, showing how the center of gravity continues to shift across the Pacific.
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02.10.17China’s Quota on Hollywood Film Imports Set to Expand, State Media Says
Hollywood Reporter
After an “extremely cordial” call between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, a government-backed news outlet projected an expansion to China’s film quota and a greater share of box-office revenue for Hollywood studios.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.09.17Here Are Five Ways China’s New Silk Road Is Good for Western Companies
Forbes
China’s One-Belt-One-Road initiative is the most ambitious infrastructure project in history. Referred to as “OBOR,” this immense network of planned highways, railways, energy grids and port facilities will create economic corridors between 65...
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02.09.17China’s Transgender Oprah
Economist
As an army colonel who became a woman, she exemplifies a society in flux
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02.08.17EU to Phase out China Solar Panel Duties Read
Star Online
The EU said Wednesday it aimed to phase out anti-dumping duties on Chinese solar panel imports after 18 months, ending a bitter dispute with one of its largest trading partners.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.08.17‘Irrational’ Coal Plants May Hamper China’s Climate Change Efforts
New York Times
A certain coal plant near the rugged Kazakhstan border and others like it undermine China’s aim of being a global leader on efforts to limit climate change.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.08.17Joyous Africans Take to the Rails, With China’s Help
New York Times
China, which designed the system, supplied the trains and imported hundreds of engineers for the six years it took to plan and build the 466-mile line. And the $4 billion cost? Chinese banks provided nearly all the financing.
ChinaFile Recommends
02.08.17China’s Shipbuilders Go From Boom to Rust
Wall Street Journal
Shipyards across China are being driven out of business by weak global demand for new ships