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.

Once the Biggest Buyer, China Starts Dumping U.S. Government Debt

Min Zeng and Lingling Wei
Wall Street Journal
Shift in Treasury holdings is latest symptom of emerging-market slowdown hitting global economy.

Putting the Past Behind in China

Chris Horton
New York Times
The days of China’s relying on export manufacturing and infrastructure construction as drivers of economic growth are gone.

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...

U.S. Allies See Trans-Pacific Partnership as a Check on China

Jane Perlez
New York Times
The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal was welcomed as a win for the United States in its contest with China for clout in Asia.

How hard does China work?

Tom Phillips
Guardian
A look at the realities of working life in China, following Jeremy Hunt’s suggestion that Britons need to work as hard as the Chinese.

Japan's Abe Says TPP Would Have Strategic Significance If China Joined

Linda Sieg and Kaori Kaneko
Reuters
"It would contribute largely to our nation's security and Asia-Pacific regional stability, if China joined the system in the future."

China’s Middle-Class Dreams in Peril

Mark Magnier and Laurie Burkitt
Wall Street Journal
Smaller cities on the cusp of China’s transformation toward consumer-driven growth struggle to overcome ill effects of previous economic model.

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...

Troubles for the ‘China Model’

DANIEL A. BELL
Wall Street Journal
Meritocracy has worked for Beijing, but to survive, the system needs more openness.

Media

10.01.15

U.S. Presidential Candidates on China

Our Presidential Quotes tracker keeps you up to date on what the candidates are saying about China, and where and when they say it.

America’s Biggest Competitor Really Isn’t China

Ana Swanson
Washington Post
If you ask Americans who their country's biggest competitor is, many people will tell you China.

Jack Ma to US: Quit Worrying So Much About China

Everett Rosenfeld
CNBC
"You American people worry too much about the China economy," Ma said at the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting.

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...

Reports

10.01.15

China’s Next Opportunity: Sustainable Economic Transition

Anders Hove, Merisha Enoe, and Kate Gordon
Paulson Institute
China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, also known as Jing-Jin-Ji, presents a compelling opportunity to highlight the potential—and the challenges—in transitioning to a more sustainable economic growth model. The Chinese government has prioritized the...

Conversation

09.30.15

The Future of Autonomy in Hong Kong

David Schlesinger, Denise Y. Ho & more
Yesterday, the governing board of Hong Kong University, one of the territory’s most esteemed institutions of higher education, voted to reject the promotion of Johannes Chan, a former law school dean, over the objections of the faculty and students...

The Thucydides Trap: Are the U.S. and China Headed for War?

GRAHAM ALLISON
Atlantic
In 12 of 16 past cases in which a rising power has confronted a ruling power, the result has been bloodshed.

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...

Everyone Wants To Decouple From China – Except Osborne

Heather Stewart
Guardian
UK Chancellor George Osborne urged Chinese firms to help build Britain’s “northern powerhouse” during his five-day long grand tour of China.

Osborne Praised for 'Not Stressing Human Rights' in China

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

Six Questions for Chinese President Xi Jinping

Steven Mufson
Washington Post
Chinese President Xi Jinping does not usually conduct open news conferences, but when in America, do as the Americans do.

What is China’s 'New Normal'?

Robert Peston
BBC
What a difference two years make, in China.

What Is China’s 'New Normal'?

Robert Peston
BBC
What a difference two years make, in China.

Missing From The U.S.-China Tech Summit Class Photo: Uber, Google, And Women

Josh Horwitz
Quartz
Business leaders from some of the biggest global names in technology gathered in Seattle for a meeting with Xi Jinping.

Currency Devaluation and U.S.-China Relations

David Dollar
Brookings Institution
When President Xi Jinping and an entourage of Chinese officials come to Washington this week, one of the top issues on the economic agenda will once again be the exchange rate.

Boeing to Sell 300 Jets to China Firms, Set Up China Plant: Xinhua

FANG YAN AND MATTHEW MILLER
Reuters
Boeing Co is becoming the first U.S. firm to clinch a business tie-up in the country since Chinese president Xi Jinping began a U.S. state visit.

Boeing to Sell 300 Jets to China Firms, Set Up China Plant: Xinhua

FANG YAN AND MATTHEW MILLER
Reuters
Boeing Co is becoming the first U.S. firm to clinch a business tie-up in the country since Chinese president Xi Jinping began a U.S. state visit.

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...

Caixin Media

09.22.15

Chinese Contractor Finds Project in Bahamas Is No Day at Beach

A giant luxury resort planned on a beach outside the Bahamas’ capital, Nassau, that is supposed to be a showpiece to help China’s largest construction company tap the U.S. market has become a headache for both its builder and a lender.The resort was...

U.S. to China: Quit Cyber Spying

Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton
Reuters
Xi said China's government does not engage in the theft of commercial secrets and does not support Chinese companies that do so.

Let’s Face It, China Runs U.S. Monetary Policy Now

Rana Foroohar
Time
What’s happening in China right now has limited the ability of the Federal Reserve Bank to do what’s right for the American economy.

China’s Workers Stumble as Factories Stall

CHUN HAN WONG
Wall Street Journal
As factories run out of money and construction projects idle, China sees a rise in unrest.

China Seeks 'New Model' for Relations with U.S.

Carrie Gracie
BBC
Despite the enormous range and complexity of the US-China relationship, it is becoming ever harder to manage. 

This Explains Why China Is Taking So Long to Reform Its Economic System

Yang Jiang
Washington Post
The new leadership is turning back to old measures to stimulate growth.

China Market Rout Doesn't Reflect Economy, Top Diplomat Says

Bloomberg
“Some movements on the stock exchange in China should not equal the whole picture of the Chinese economy.”

Xi Goes to Washington: 4 Problems for the U.S. and China

Charles Riley
CNN
Already, there's drama, drama, drama.

China Hails U.S. Repatriation of Corruption Fugitive

SUI-LEE WEE AND BEN BLANCHARD
Reuters
The repatriation of Yang Jinjun marked the first time that China has succeeded in getting a wanted corruption suspectback from the U.S.

China Tries to Extract Pledge of Compliance From U.S. Tech Firms

PAUL MOZUR
New York Times
Beijing has summoned American tech companies to a forum in Seattle next week.

China's Xi Says Economy Resilient, Has Huge Potential: State Radio

Judy Hua and Jake Spring
Reuters
China's economy is resilient and has the capacity to maintain a long-term medium-to-high growth rate.

Conversation

09.16.15

What Would New Breakthroughs on Climate Change Mean for the U.S.-China Relationship?

Junjie Zhang, Joanna Lewis & more
With just over a week to go before Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his first State Visit to the United States, there is much evidence to suggest that bilateral action to fight climate change is an area most ripe for meaningful Sino-U.S...

The Missing Piece of US-China Relations: Trust

Michael Tai
Diplomat
“U.S. antipathy to China is rooted in angst about its rise and the prospect of American decline.”

Obama and China: Trying to Play Well With A Close Frenemy

David Nakamura
Washington Post
Obama plans to welcome Xi with the highest level of diplomatic pageantry for a foreign leader.

Is Romance Dead? France Seeks New Image in China

MICHEL ROSE
Reuters
France's finance minister wants to persuade Chinese officials to set aside their romantic image.

Caixin Media

09.15.15

Stock Market Volatility Is Not a Harbinger of Collapsing Growth

It would be a sad end to an amazing story. An economic miracle—one that lifted 300 million people from poverty and shifted the world's economic center of gravity—collapsing under the weight of risky investments and a financial crisis.This seems...

Iran Says Wants China's Help to Resolve Middle East Tensions

Ben Blanchard
Reuters
China has been active in pushing both the United states and Iran to reach agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

U.S. Won’t Impose Sanctions on Chinese Companies Before Xi Visit

Ellen Nakashima
Washington Post
Senior U.S. and Chinese officials reached “substantial agreement” on several cybersecurity issues.

Who Are Uighurs? A Look at Group from Restive China Region

Associated Press
A primer on the Uighurs, the repression they face in China and their presence abroad.

One Thing China Got Right

Peter Coy
Bloomberg
Stocks plunged, monetary policy wavered, but Beijing finally fixed the "fixing."

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.

China’s Economic Crisis Ripples at Area Colleges

Laura Krantz and Jacqueline Tempera
Boston Globe
As of last year, more than 13,000 Chinese students were attending college in Boston, out of a total of 44,000 foreign students in the city.

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...

G-20 Seeks Reassurances that China Plans to Calm Markets

Dow Jones Newswires
Wall Street Journal
The Group of 20 biggest economies are concerned a stalled Chinese economy could spur further global sell-offs.

Can the Chinese Government Get Its People to Like G.M.O.s?

New Yorker
Genetically modified food faces zealous public opposition and is largely banned from the marketplace.

No Coins, No Red Faces: Apps Change Chinese Attitudes to Splitting Bills

Shen Lu
CNN
Splitting the bill is a relatively new idea to most Chinese, but now it's being embraced by cash-strapped young people.

Media

09.03.15

Chinese Web Users Aren’t Blaming Detained Journalist for Market Panic

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian
China’s stock markets have been in free-fall for some time. Now, so is a financial journalist who had the temerity to write about them. On August 31, Chinese journalist Wang Xiaolu confessed on state-run China Central Television (CCTV) to writing a...

The China Economy: What Lessons for Africa?

Eric Olander, Cobus van Staden & more
When African policy makers scan the globe in search of inspiration on how to structure their economies, that search often leads to Beijing. Not surprisingly, African leaders look at what China has done over the past 30 years where it went from being...