Stiffer Bank-Technology Rules Loom in China

Eva Dou and Gillian Wong
Wall Street Journal
Beijing presses for secure and controllable systems; suppliers fear intrusive measures. 

Was News of Xu Caihou’s Death Buried?

South China Morning Post
Speculation mounts on demise of former PLA general. 

China’s Army in Show of Force Along Myanmar Border After Fatal Bombing

Xin Lin and Wen Yuqing
Radio Free Asia
Tensions rising between Asian neighbors after death of five people in Yunnan.

Qiu He, top Yunnan Official, Ousted for Corrupt Land Deals

East by Southeast
Qiu was the catalyst for a swath of controversial infrastructure projects, including a new international airport finished in 2012. 

U.S. Students Losing Interest in China as Dream Jobs Prove Elusive

Alexandra Harney
Reuters
Waning interest worries those who view having Americans who speak Chinese as a matter of national interest.

China’s Growing Middle Class Chafes Against Red Tape

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New York Times
As China’s middle class—wired, ambitious and worldly—grows, its members increasingly are intolerant.

Shambaugh China Essay in Shambles

China Daily
Shambaugh's deep flaw is that he looked at China with a bias, completely ignoring the positive aspects.

Conversation

03.11.15

Is China Really Cracking Up?

Suisheng Zhao, Arthur R. Kroeber & more
On March 7, The Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece by David Shambaugh arguing that “the endgame of Chinese communist rule has now begun...and it has progressed further than many think.” Shambaugh laid out a variety of signs he believes...

China Celebrates International Women’s Day By Arresting Women’s Rights Activists

Matthew Sheehan
Huffington Post
Many women’s rights groups activists who also work on LGBT issues have gone into hiding.

US Should Consider Establishing a So China Sea Intl Ops Ctr in Indonesia

Jeff W. Benson
USNI News
The PLA Navy is building more submarines and ships and intends to operate three aircraft carriers.

Henan Delegates Protest Inequality in University Admissions

Chris Buckley
New York Times
Henan people say big cities are given preferential consideration for education funds and places in universities.

Under the China Dome – A Reality Check

Cao Yaxue
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.

Foreign Non-Government Groups in China Fear Clampdown Under New Law

Sui-Lee Wee and Megha Rajagopalan
Reuters
The draft law stops NGOs violating "Chinese society's moral customs."

China 2015 Defense Budget to Grow 10.1 Pct, Lowest in 5 Years

Xinhua
Projected spending of $144.2 billion lowest in five years as country confronts economic slowdown.

In Beijing, Political Pomp Abounds as China Kicks off 'Two Meetings'

Julie Makinen
Los Angeles Times
The dual sessions do telegraph the general national agenda for the coming year.

Conversation

03.03.15

Why Has This Environmental Documentary Gone Viral on China’s Internet?

Angel Hsu, Michael Zhao & more
[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...

Chinese Diplomat Tells West to Consider Russia’s Security Concerns over Ukraine

Sui-Lee Wee
Reuters
China's ambassador to Belgium urged Western powers to "abandon the zero-sum mentality" with Russia.

China’s Neighbors Build Up Militaries

Trefor Moss
Wall Street Journal
China’s neighbors are moving forward with the modernization of their militaries with new fighter jets, submarines and other hardware, even as Beijing has tried to tamp down territorial tensions in the region.

In China, Suspicions Cloud Trade Dispute Involving Tech Companies

Paul Mozur and Jane Perlez
New York Times
Top Internet regulator has warned foreign companies to behave if they want to stay in China’s $450 billion technology market.

China Drops Leading Technology Brands for State Purchases

Paul Carsten
Reuters
U.S. brands Cisco, Apple, Intel, McAfee and Citrix Systems may be the first to suffer.

Civic Groups’ Freedom, and Followers, Are Vanishing

Chris Buckley
New York Times
Accepted activities are narrowing, sparking fear that openness in the political landscape may disappear.

The China-Russia NGO Crackdown

Julia Famularo
Diplomat
Authorities in both countries apparently aim to cripple NGOs with foreign patrons or partners.

Environment

02.23.15

Chinese 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...

Media

02.23.15

Five Predictions for Chinese Censorship in the Year of the Sheep

Blocked websites, jailed journalists, and nationalist rhetoric have long been features of the Chinese Communist Party’s media control strategy. During the Year of the Horse, which just ended on China’s lunar calendar, President Xi Jinping and his...

The China-Russia NGO Crackdown

Julia Famularo
Diplomat

China Protests India Leader’s Visit to Disputed Border Area

Michael Forsythe
New York Times
A large portion of the Austria-size state is claimed by China, and the two sides fought a border war over the area in 1962.

Viewpoint

02.19.15

Beijing Touts ‘Cyber-Sovereignty’ In Internet Governance

Scott D. Livingston
It has been a difficult few weeks for global technology companies operating in China.Chinese officials strengthened the Internet firewall by blocking the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), reasserted demands that web users register their real...

Caixin Media

02.17.15

Prosperity, International Cooperation, Civil Rights Key to Defeating Terror

The global fight against terrorism has entered a new stage with the emergence of the Islamic State (IS), and the battle lines have never been so clearly drawn all over the world.On February 18, Washington will host the Summit on Countering Violent...

China, Russia to Mark 70th Anniversary of End of WWII in Show of Unity |

Laura Zhou
South China Morning Post
Military parades marking anniversary give two nations platform to offset U.S. influence while diplomats reassure Japan.

Environment

02.11.15

China’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...

Parent Meddling Makes for Unmerry Marriages in China

Laurie Burkitt
Wall Street Journal
"Parental matchmaking is robustly correlated with lower marital harmony,” says a new World Bank report.

Exclusive: U.S., China to Discuss Repatriation of Chinese Fugitives

Tim Reid
Reuters
The issue is a thorny one, as no extradition treaty exists between the U.S. and China.

China’s Xi to Make First State Visit to U.S. as Both Flag Problems

Peter Cooney, Ben Blanchard and Michael...
Reuters
The two biggest economies are trying to ease tension over trade, human rights, and accusations of hacking and Internet theft.

As U.S. Exits, China Takes On Afghanistan Role

Jeremy Page, Margherita Stancati, and...
Wall Street Journal
After a decade of rebuffing U.S. requests for help in Afghanistan, China may be ready to do more.

Qualcomm to Pay $975 Million to Resolve China Antitrust Dispute

Noel Randewich and Matthew Miller
Reuters
Qualcomm said the agreement removes a major source of concern for its investor.

China Executes ‘Mafia-style’ Mining Tycoon Liu Han

BBC
 Liu is believed to have had links to former security tsar Zhou Yongkang, who is currently being investigated. 

Qualcomm Nears $1 Bln Deal Resolving China Antitrust Dispute

Matthew Miller and Michael Martina
Reuters
The deal could end a 14-month government investigation into anti-competitive practices.

Is China Making Its Own Terrorism Problem Worse?

Justine Drennan
Foreign Policy
Beijing's repressive policies toward members of its Uighur minority may be helping to strengthen ties to the Islamic State and al Qaeda.

China: Inventing a Crime

Perry Link from New York Review of Books
In late January, Chinese authorities announced that they are considering formal charges against Pu Zhiqiang, one of China’s most prominent human rights lawyers, who has been in detention since last May. Pu’s friends fear that even a life sentence is...

A Chinese Perspective on the BRICS in 2015

Niu Haibin
Council on Foreign Relations
The BRICS group is not only an economic concept but increasingly it is also taking the form of a political entity.

China Labor Strife Rises; Death of a Foreman

Chun Han Wong
Wall Street Journal
As the Lunar New Year homeward migration approaches, workers press for back-wages.

Conversation

02.05.15

What’s the Case for Heads of State Meeting the Dalai Lama?

Francesco Sisci, Robert Barnett & more
On Thursday in Washington, the Dalai Lama attended the annual National Prayer Breakfast hosted by President Barack Obama, angering China's leaders in Beijing who have long called the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader a "splittist" and...

Canadian Woman Detained in China on Spying Suspicions Released on Bail

Nathan Vanderklippe
Globe and Mail
Julia Garratt was released to her family “pending trial by Liaoning Provincial State Security Bureau.” 

Viewpoint

02.04.15

Why China Is Banning Islamic Veils

Timothy Grose & James Leibold
This week, regional authorities outlawed Islamic veils from all public spaces in the regional capital of China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The Urumqi ban, which went into effect on Sunday February 1 (coincidentally the third annual*...

Why Scrapping Quotas in China’s Criminal Justice System Won’t Be Easy

Stanley Lubman
Wall Street Journal
Can judicial reform increase the courts' independence by reducing local government and party influence? 

China Says No Room for ‘Western Values’ in University Education

Agence France-Presse
Education minister says books which ‘smear socialism’ will be banned.

Conversation

01.29.15

Is China’s Internet Becoming an Intranet?

George Chen, Charlie Smith & more
With Astrill and several other free and paid-subscription virtual private networks (VPNs) that make leaping China’s Great Firewall possible now harder to use themselves after government interference "gummed" them up, the world wide web...

Nearly 40% of Inspected Products on Chinese Ecommerce Sites are Fake, Government Says

Charlie Custer
Tech in Asia
Buyers should order either from the site itself or from an official third-party shop.

China Communist Party Magazine Blasts Professors Who Spread ‘Western Values’

George Chen
South China Morning Post
Party journal's commentary targets liberal academics after President Xi Jinping calls for 'ideological guidance' for teachers and students 

China Says Web Authors Must Use Real Names

New York Times
Guidelines aim to force online authors to “take better responsibility” for their works. 

Bobby Jindal & China’s Louisiana Methanol Plant

Al Jazeera
A Chinese tycoon whose natural gas firm's environmental and labor rights record is under fire in the Chinese press is parking assets in a multibillion dollar methanol plant in Louisiana.

China to Pay Price for ‘Closed-Internet’ Policy |

George Chen
South China Morning Post
Thinking everything will look good by blocking online access may sound too simple and naive.

Death Threats and Dawn Raids: Welcome to China’s Anti-Graft Drive

Shai Oster
Bloomberg
On one side is Peking University Founder Group, a state-owned company that partnered with Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN) in a separate securities joint venture whose chairman has disappeared.

Reporter Honored for Clearing Dead Man’s Name

Ma Chi
China Daily
Hugjiltu, a man of Mongolian ethnicity, was sentenced to death for rape and murder in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, in 1996. The 18-year-old was executed 62 days after being charged, despite doubts about the evidence...

Obama’s Top Asia Adviser: Goal is for Complete Trade Pact in 2015

David Brunnstrom
Reuters
Evan Medeiros, senior director for Asia at the U.S. National Security Council, asked about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, said: "We are confident we can and we will get it done."

China Says Ousted Security Tsar’s Influence Corrupted Others

Megha Rajagopalan
Reuters
Last year, China arrested Zhou and expelled him from the party, accusing him of crimes ranging from taking bribes to leaking state secrets.

Chinese Director’s Film For Greenpeace Shows How Smog Changes Everything

Matt Sheehan
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.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Can Help the U.S. Counter China’s Expansion

The Washington Post Editorial Board
Washington Post
We’ve faulted President Obama for his less-than-full-throated support of free-trade agreements that enjoy the nominal backing of his administration. There was no such cause for complaint about his State of the Union address Tuesday night, however,...

China Labor Activists Say Facing Unprecedented Intimidation

Alexandrea Hearney
Reuters
The number of strikes more than doubled in 2014 to 1,378 from 656 the year before, according to China Labor Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based advocacy group. April saw the biggest strike in decades, when about 40,000 employees of Adidas and Nike supplier...

Sinica Podcast

01.19.15

China and Charlie

Kaiser Kuo & Jeremy Goldkorn from Sinica Podcast
First there were the terrorist attacks in Paris. And then there was the global reaction to the attacks, with its spate of frenzied free-speech cartooning. And then there was the counter-reaction to the initial reaction, which played out mostly on...