For those of us who have tracked Chinese political trends since the late 1970s when Deng Xiaoping came to power, reading the news about China these days can prove strangely disorienting. One week, we’ll be struck by a slew of …
China
Crackdowns and Executions Provoke Shock and Outrage in China’s Business Community
When China’s biggest real-estate developer speaks up on Sina Weibo, the nation’s Twitter-like social media service, people listen. On July 14, Wang Shi, the founder of property firm China Vanke, used his account to bemoan how …
Six Chinese Megaprojects Across the Globe
The Middle Kingdom has been extending its reach far into Africa, Latin America and Europe with a variety of contentious industrial and infrastructure schemes
Why Bad News Elsewhere Is Good News for China
China’s appearance in international headlines thus far in 2013 has often been because of quality of life issues. The year began with reports of unusually high smog levels in Beijing and images of massive numbers of dead pigs …
10 Reasons Not to Go Locavore in China
This month’s discovery of artery-clogging trans fats in infant milk formula is just the latest in a long line of food scares to hit China. It’s no wonder that the faith placed by Chinese citizens in local food waning rapidly. In …
China Mourns the Two Teenagers Killed in San Francisco Plane Crash
Each year, some 300,000 Chinese go abroad to study, and they are by far the largest contingent of foreign students to receive schooling in the United States. The sheer numbers make it inevitable that misfortune might befall a few …
In China, Higher Education Brings Few Guarantees
Almost 7 million college graduates will pour into China’s job market this year, but a large proportion will struggle to find suitable work
Africa or Bust: Chinese Gold Miners Take Huge Risks
Hundreds of gold miners from southern China face destitution after they were deported from Ghana for illegal prospecting
Signs of the Dalai Lama: Is China’s Tibet Policy Changing?
Can he be seen or not? Last week, different organizations that follow Tibet, including Radio Free Asia, reported that in certain Tibetan regions, local authorities appeared to be allowing images of the Dalai Lama, the exiled …
China Accuses U.S. of Hypocrisy on Cyberattacks
Edward Snowden’s revelations about the U.S. government’s extensive online-surveillance programs have been a propaganda boon in China, and Beijing has raced to paint the Obama Administration as hypocritical for admonishing the Chinese government for cyberattacks while apparently committing plenty of its own.
On Thursday, Chinese …
Does a Purge of Senior Officials Mean China’s Serious About Its Corruption Problem?
The brief notice on the Chinese Ministry of Supervision’s website on June 23 seemed like just another example of an obscure but wayward official being brought to justice as part of President Xi Jinping’s half-year crusade …
Party Like It’s the 1960s: China Resurrects Mao-Era Slogans and Autos
Is the Chinese government feeling nostalgic for the 1960s, the glory days of Communist Party sloganeering and dominance? First, it emerged that Foreign Minister Wang Yi (and soon other top Chinese officials) was eschewing a …
Viewpoint: Why Surveillance Outrage Falls Flat in China
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman’s advice was polite but pointed: “We believe the United States should pay attention to the international community’s concerns and demands,” said Hua Chunying on June 17, “and …