ChinaFile Recommends
04.27.15Nepal Rejects Taiwan Rescue Team Offer, Says Minister
Agence France-Presse
Nepal does not recognize Taiwan, considered by China as part of its territory awaiting to be reunited since their split in 1949 at the end of a civil war.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.27.15CCTV Shows Moment Aftershocks Hit Tibet after Nepal Earthquake
Guardian
The footage shows roads and buildings shaking violently in Gyirong county, which neighbours Nepal.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.27.15At Least 20 Killed, 58 Injured in Tibet Following Earthquake
Xinhua
Some 24,800 people in Xigaze City were relocated after 8.1 earthquake in neighboring Nepal.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.26.15Nepal Earthquake: India and China Send Rescue Teams to Himalayan Nation
Wall Street Journal
China sent 62 rescue workers, six sniffer dogs, and was providing about $3.2 million in supplies.
Environment
04.24.15Fracking May be Needed in China to Wean it Off Coal
from chinadialogue
Fracking of China’s huge shale gas reserves will only have a modest impact on the environment if anti-pollution controls—many of them new—are enforced rigorously, says a new report from the U.K.-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI).The ODI...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.23.15Cities in China’s North Resist Tapping Water Piped From South
Wall Street Journal
Huge project transferring water from Yangtze River to drier regions runs into budgetary constraints.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.23.15China’s Big Plunge in Pakistan
New York Times
If China can advance a stable Pakistan through development programs, the whole region would benefit.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.20.15Philippines Starts South China Sea War Games With U.S.
Bloomberg
More than 11,000 soldiers from the Philippines, U.S. and Australia will take part in joint drills in the South China Sea.
The China Africa Project
04.17.15China’s Controversial Trade in Africa’s Natural Resources
China often faces blistering criticism for its voracious appetite for Africa’s natural resources. Chinese companies are spread across the continent mining, logging, and fishing to feed both hungry factories and people back home. In most, if not all...
Environment
04.16.15Petrochemical Plant Explosion Vaporizes Government Safety Assurances
from chinadialogue
Opposing the construction of petrochemical plants making Paraxyline (PX), a key ingredient in plastic bottles and polyester clothing, has been one of the most common forms of environmental activism for China’s urban residents in the past decade.On...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.15.15BMW China Dealers Press Auto Maker for More Financial Support
Wall Street Journal
In letter to German luxury car maker, dealers call on BMW to set more realistic sales targets.
Reports
04.15.15Towards A Water & Energy Secure China
China Water Risk
China’s waterscape is changing. Water risks in China, be they physical, economic or regulatory, have great social-economic impacts and are well recognized, especially those in China’s water-energy nexus. Today, 93 percent of power generation in...
ChinaFile Recommends
04.14.15Can the US and China Save the World?
Diplomat
The Department of Commerce emphasized Obama's commitment to fighting climate change through clean energy development.
Environment
04.02.15‘Wolf Totem’ Trainer Sees Risks, Rewards for Hollywood in China
from chinadialogue
Wolf trainer Andrew Simpson has just wrapped up three years in Beijing coaching wolves to perform in the film version of the novel Wolf Totem. The Sino-French adaptation of Jiang Rong’s best-selling 2004 novel opened in Beijing and Europe in...
The China Africa Project
04.02.15The Politics of Banning Ivory in China
In February 2015, China announced a one-year ban on ivory imports. While many conservation groups such as the Environmental Investigation Agency denounced Beijing’s policy as “ineffective,” the San Francisco-based group WildAid said the ban is an...
Reports
04.01.15Can Fracking Green China’s Growth?
Overseas Development Institute
This paper analyses the best available technical, scientific, and engineering literature on the risks and opportunities posed by shale gas, and also what policy environment could maximise the opportunity and minimise the risk. It also analyses China...
Reports
04.01.15Can Carbon Taxes be Good for China and the United States?
Paulson Institute
One way that China may meaningfully control its emissions is through the recent idea of a national carbon permit trading system, building on its carbon permit pilot programs. In China’s case, the internal debate about promulgating these actions...
Environment
03.26.15China Court to Hear NGO Lawsuit Targeting Polluter’s Profits
from chinadialogue
An environmental group has filed a lawsuit for 30 million yuan (U.S.$4.8 million) to seek compensation from a Shandong chemical company for pumping out harmful substances—a legal action thought to be the first public interest litigation for air...
ChinaFile Recommends
03.26.15Skiing Is the Latest Obsession for China’s Wealthy
Wall Street Journal
Winter sports are catching on as Beijing bids to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.25.15Car-Hire Services Compete for the Ride Stuff
Uber's deal with a car broker is a sign of growing competition among firms relying on car-hire and taxi-hailing apps.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.24.15Seeing Through the Smog
China Open Research Network
Potential impacts of the documentary Under the Domes on China’s Civic Participation.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.19.15Coal Boomtowns Fade as China Declares War on Pollution
Science
China is headed towards peak coal which means cities reliant on coal mining struggle.
Environment
03.19.15World Coal Investments Increasingly Risky, Especially China’s
from chinadialogue
The investment case for coal-fired power is looking increasingly unconvincing, but more plants will need to be cancelled if the world is to avoid runaway climate change, a report published on Monday said.The report which was co-authored by green...
ChinaFile Recommends
03.13.15China Carbon Emissions Decline as 2014 Global CO2 Stays Flat
Bloomberg
New data from the International Energy Agency a sign that efforts to control pollution are gaining traction.
Environment
03.11.15China’s Polluted Soil and Water Will Drive up World Food Prices
from chinadialogue
China’s push for more intense farming has kept its city dwellers well-fed and helped lift millions of rural workers out of poverty. But it has come at a cost. Ecosystems in what should be one of the country’s most fertile regions have already been...
Media
03.09.15China’s Real Inconvenient Truth: Its Class Divide
China is talking about its pollution problem, but its equally serious class problem remains obscured behind the haze. Smog leapt to the forefront of Chinese national discourse after the February 28 release of "Under the Dome," a 103-minute...
ChinaFile Recommends
03.09.15Under the China Dome – A Reality Check
China Change
China’s left foot wants to go north, and China’s right foot wants to go south. Both feet have the same goal, and, that is, to maintain the one-party rule.
Sinica Podcast
03.09.15Under the Dome
from Sinica Podcast
Under the Dome, Chai Jing's breakout documentary on China's catastrophic air pollution problem, finally hit insurmountable political opposition last Friday after seven days in which the video racked up over 200 million views. The eventual...
ChinaFile Recommends
03.09.15China Blocks Web Access to ‘Under the Dome’ Documentary on Pollution
New York Times
The drama over the video has ignited speculation over which groups supported it and which sought to kill it.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.06.15China’s Real Inconvenient Truth: Its Class Divide
Foreign Policy
Solving China's air and water pollution will require addressing the gap between rich urbanites and rural peasants.
Environment
03.05.15Beijing Says Panda Population Up 17%, But Experts Doubtful
from chinadialogue
China's claims that its population of wild giant pandas rose around 17% in just over a decade are being disputed by some experts, who point out that the latest census was over a much wider area than the previous one.The giant panda, a global...
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03.04.15In Beijing, Political Pomp Abounds as China Kicks off 'Two Meetings'
Los Angeles Times
The dual sessions do telegraph the general national agenda for the coming year.
Environment
03.04.15Clearing Skies
from Sierra Club
After dark is when the pollution arrives on the outskirts of Shanghai. On a bright night, when moonlight refracts through the smog, you can see black clouds of soot pouring out of small workshop smokestacks silhouetted against the sky. In case you...
Reports
03.04.15A Vital Partnership
Asia Society
As the two largest global emitters of greenhouse gases, China and the United States share the challenge of transforming each of their current fossil fuel–based energy systems into clean twenty-first-century energy systems that remain cornerstones of...
Conversation
03.03.15Why Has This Environmental Documentary Gone Viral on China’s Internet?
[Updated: March 6, 2015] Our friends at Foreign Policy hit the nail on the head by headlining writer Yiqin Fu's Monday story "China's National Conversation about Pollution Has Finally Begun." What happened? Well, in the...
Caixin Media
03.03.15Can Market Mechanisms Clear China’s Air?
The Chinese government recently responded to rising public discontent over environmental degradation by introducing tougher rules for industrial emissions.Meanwhile, a non-governmental organization and a state-run newspaper are coordinating a...
ChinaFile Recommends
03.03.15Beijing Quietly Curbs Discussion of Documentary on Air Pollution
Wall Street Journal
Censors stepped in to tamp down the buzz around an air-pollution documentary that drew 100 million views.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.02.15Pollution Documentary ‘Under the Dome’ Blankets Chinese Internet
Wall Street Journal
Pollution Documentary ‘Under the Dome’ Blankets Chinese Internet http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2015/03/02/pollution-documentary-under-the-dome-blankets-chinese-internet/
ChinaFile Recommends
03.02.15China Orders Two Local Governments to Punish Polluting Steel Mills
Reuters
That could pile pressure on mills already struggling with weak demand-growth as the world's No.2 economy loses momentum.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.02.15China’s Coal Use and Estimated CO2 Emissions Fell in 2014
Huffington Post
Glen Peters of the Global Carbon Project calculates that China's CO2 emissions have also fallen, by 0.7 percent, for the first time this century.
ChinaFile Recommends
03.02.15The Film That Is Going to Change China
Business Spectator
Chai Jing's stunning documentary on the smog problem was viewed more than 100 million times in little over two days.
Reports
03.02.15China’s Long March To Safe Drinking Water
China Water Risk
China’s central government set ambitious goals to safeguard water quality in 2011, at the outset of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015). Those goals targeted improvements from source-to-tap, earmarking a budget of nearly RMB 700 billion (U.S.$112...
Reports
03.01.15China’s Elusive Shale Gas Boom
Paulson Institute
China’s natural gas market is expected to see robust growth over the next decade. This is a function of several factors. First, as part of the country’s effort to effect an energy transition to cleaner fuels, natural gas is viewed as a viable bridge...
Excerpts
02.25.15The Sun Kings
In 1992, Shi Zhengrong completed his doctorate and found himself an expert in a field that wasn’t quite ready for him. He’d studied physics at Australia’s University of New South Wales, focusing on crystalline technology, the basic scientific...
Books
02.25.15The Greening of Asia
One of Asia's best-respected writers on business and economy, Hong Kong-based author Mark L. Clifford provides a behind-the-scenes look at what companies in China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand are doing to build businesses that will lessen the environmental impact of Asia's extraordinary economic growth. Dirty air, foul water, and hellishly overcrowded cities are threatening to choke the region's impressive prosperity. Recognizing a business opportunity in solving social problems, Asian businesses have developed innovative responses to the region's environmental crises.{node, 13216}From solar and wind power technologies to green buildings, electric cars, water services, and sustainable tropical forestry, Asian corporations are upending old business models in their home countries and throughout the world. Companies have the money, the technology, and the people to act—yet, as Clifford emphasizes, support from the government (in the form of more effective, market-friendly policies) and the engagement of civil society are crucial for a region-wide shift to greener business practices. Clifford paints detailed profiles of what some of these companies are doing and includes a unique appendix that encapsulates the environmental business practices of more than fifty companies mentioned in the book. —Columbia Business School Publishing {chop}
Reports
02.25.15Double Impact
Paulson Institute
This paper makes the case for establishing a national CO2 price in China as soon as possible. End-of-pipe pollution control technologies—a core component of China’s Air Pollution Action Plan (APAP)—can address local air pollution but not CO2...
ChinaFile Recommends
02.24.15China Looks West to Bring ‘Wolf Totem’ to Screen
New York Times
French director Jean-Jacques Annaud was reportedly long-banned from China for “his 1997 film "Seven Years in Tibet."
Environment
02.23.15Chinese Firms Must Act Decisively on Climate Change, Report Says
from chinadialogue
Chinese companies will need to cut direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of their operations by up to 2.7% a year if China is to stay on track with the level of action required to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius, says a new report...
ChinaFile Recommends
02.23.15Commodities Explained: China’s New Normal
Financial Times
China has been the most important factor in commodities demand in the past decade.
The China Africa Project
02.19.15Is Chinese Corporate Behavior Improving in Africa?
The list of grievances against Chinese companies operating in Africa is long and varied, from violations of labor rights to environmental destruction to widespread allegations of corruption. Although it is hard to tell how many companies are truly...
Environment
02.11.15China’s New Environment Minister Has Work Cut Out For Him
from chinadialogue
The elevation of the president of China's most prestigious university to the job of government minister was unexpected. It is rare to bring in an academic without a goverment background. But given the tarnished reputation of a ministry that is...
Reports
02.11.15It’s Time to Peak
World Wildlife
Without additional efforts, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will continue to increase by 3.7 – 4.8 °C, a level well beyond the 2 °C temperature rise limit widely agreed among scientists and governments across the world as a limit above which...
Books
02.10.15The People’s Republic of Chemicals
Maverick environmental writers William J. Kelly and Chip Jacobs follow up their acclaimed Smogtown with a provocative examination of China’s ecological calamity already imperiling a warming planet. Toxic smog most people figured was obsolete needlessly kills as many as died in the 9/11 attacks every day, while sometimes Grand Canyon-sized drifts of industrial particles aloft on the winds rain down ozone and waterway-poisoning mercury in America.In vivid, gonzo prose blending first-person reportage with exhaustive research and a sense of karma, Kelly and Jacobs describe China’s ancient love affair with coal, Bill Clinton’s blunders cutting free-trade deals enabling the U.S. to "export" manufacturing emissions to Asia in a shift that pilloried the West's middle class, Communist Party manipulation of eco-statistics, the horror of cancer villages, the deception of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and spellbinding peasant revolts against cancer-spreading plants involving thousands in mostly-censored melées. Ending with China’s monumental coal-bases decried by climatologists as a global warming dagger, The People's Republic of Chemicals names names and emphasizes humanity over bloodless statistics in a classic sure to ruffle feathers as an indictment of money as the real green that not even Al Gore can deny. —Rare Bird Books, A Vireo Book {chop}
ChinaFile Recommends
02.10.15Large South China Sea Gas Field Discovered South of Hainan
Xinhua
The China National Offshore Oil Corp has identified over 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas at the Lingshui 17-2 gas field.
Environment
02.05.15Parched Beijing’s Olympics Bid Based on Fake Snow
from chinadialogue
Where better for a Winter Olympic Games than famously arid north China?Drought and a fast growing economy have created water shortages so severe that China’s government has spent more than a decade, and up to U.S.$80 billion, constructing 2,400...
Reports
02.01.15China’s Water-Energy-Food Roadmap
Wilson Center
The water-energy-food nexus is creating a complicated challenge for China and the world. Energy development requires water. Moving and cleaning water requires energy. Food production at all stages—from irrigation to distribution—requires water and...
Environment
01.28.15China to Appoint Academic as New Environment Minister
from chinadialogue
The head of Beijing’s Tsinghua University is likely to be appointed to the top environmental job in in China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, according to reports, as the country’s leadership moves to defuse public anger about worsening air,...
Environment
01.23.15China’s Air Pollution: The Tipping Point
Last November, Beijing saw a stretch of solidly clear skies and the Chinese media coined a phrase to describe them: APEC blue. After the diplomats and businesspeople gathered in China’s capital for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum...
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01.22.15Chinese Director’s Film For Greenpeace Shows How Smog Changes Everything
Huffington Post
The film follows families from Hebei, in heavily polluted industrial northern China, and from Beijing, the prosperous Chinese capital next door, that has seen epic pollution emergencies recently.
Environment
01.21.15‘New Measures Needed’ To Take China’s Cars Off the Roads
from chinadialogue
As air pollution once more soared to hazardous levels last week in Beijing, in Washington a panel of Chinese and other international experts explained some of the solutions to taking cars off the roads in the world’s most populous country, but there...