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China’s
Rise:
China’s Economic and Social Developments
2006
~
2004
; 2005
[News] [Papers]
China to Boost Energy
Profile with US-Asia Meet
(Reuters, Dec. 8, 2006) China next week hosts a wide-ranging summit of US and
Asian ministers that will boost the energy profile of the world's No. 2 oil
consumer.
China Overtakes Japan as No.
2 in R&D Spending
(Bloomberg, Dec. 5, 2006) China has overtaken Japan to become the
second-biggest spender on research and development after the United States,
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has
reported.
China to Allow More Freedom
For Journalists From Abroad
(Washington Post, Dec. 2, 2006) China has decided to substantially liberalize
restrictions on coverage by foreign journalists ahead of the 2008 Olympic
Games in Beijing, the government announced.
China's Economy May Expand
as Fast as 10.7% in 2006
(Bloomberg, Nov. 26, 2006) China's economy, the world's fourth- largest, may
expand as much as 10.7 percent in 2006, said Yao Jingyuan, chief economist at
the National Bureau of Statistics.
Aids Cases in China Up by 30
per cent This Year
(Straits Times, Nov. 23, 2006) The number of reported HIV/Aids cases in China
has jumped 30 per cent this year over the last, health officials said
yesterday, fanning concerns over China's growing epidemic.
China Outlines Economic
Controls
(BBC, Oct. 31, 2006) China's central bank has said it will press ahead with
change to its foreign exchange rate regime, and "let the market play its
role" in setting rates.
China
Probe: Senior Officials Held
(AP,
Oct. 24, 2006) Two senior officials in charge of managing Shanghai's
government-owned assets are under investigation, the government said, in a
corruption scandal that has already brought down the city's top leader and
appears to be spreading.
China's Growth Rate Slows to
10.4% in Quarter
(Reuters, Oct. 20, 2006) China's annual growth rate slowed a little in the
third quarter to 10.4%, but the world's fourth-largest economy is still
firmly on course to log a fourth consecutive year of double-digit expansion.
China to
Pay Farmers More for Having Fewer Children
(AFP, Oct. 16, 2006) China will next year
introduce new financial incentives to encourage its 750 million rural
residents to have fewer children. Parents in the countryside aged over 60
will each year receive 600 yuan if they have only one child, or two girls.
China
Arrests Dissident Lawyer
(Reuters, Oct. 13, 2006) China has arrested
outspoken human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng on charges of inciting subversion,
his lawyer said on Thursday, extending a government campaign to curb
activists challenging its authority.
China's Party Leadership
Declares New Priority: 'Harmonious Society' (Washington Post, Oct. 12, 2006) China's Communist Party formally
endorsed a political doctrine laid out by President Hu Jintao that calls for
the creation of a "harmonious society," a move that further
signaled a shift in the party's focus from promoting all-out economic growth
to solving worsening social tensions.
China Tightens Controls on
Foreign News
(AP, Sep. 11, 2006) China tightened its control over the distribution of news
by foreign agencies, further restricting international access to the already
tightly regulated Chinese media market.
You Can't Rush Democracy,
Says Chinese PM
(Times, Sep. 5, 2006) In self-assured mood before setting off for a visit to
Europe, Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Prime Minister, voiced his confidence today
in the strength of his booming economy but ruled out any swift advance
towards greater democracy.
China Raises 2005 Economic
Growth Figure to 10.2%
(AP, Aug. 30, 2006) China's booming economy grew even faster last year than
originally thought, the government said, as authorities announced another new
measure meant to rein in the growth they fear could create problems.
China Says Trade Surplus Hit
Record
(New York Times, Aug. 10, 2006) China announced another record trade surplus,
even as tensions between China and many of its trading partners have cooled
somewhat. Chinese exports exceeded imports by $14.61 billion in July.
China's Local Governments
Not Listening to Economy Warnings
(AFP, Aug. 1, 2004) After a week of high-level
warnings that the Chinese economy needs to be reined in, the nation's leaders
still face the daunting task of getting local officials to listen.
Missing: 30b in Public Money
in First Half of Year
(AFP, July 31, 2004) China's auditors say more than 30 billion yuan in public
funds had been misappropriated or embezzled in the first half of this year,
state media reported.
China
Postpones Trial of Family Rights Activist
(WP,
July 21, 2006) The trial of a blind rural lawyer, charged in what rights
activists say is a politically motivated case, was postponed, and a group of
his supporters was assaulted by unknown assailants outside the courthouse.
China
Prepares for Establishment of Petroleum Reserve Center (People’s
Daily, July 21, 2006) When the national petroleum reserve center is up and
running, it will take over the established national strategic oil reserve
bases and manage oil assets worth tens of billions of U.S. dollars.
China’s
Economy Speeds up in Second Quarter
(AFP,
July 14, 2006) China's
economy picked up even more speed in the second quarter, reaching a dizzying
10.9% growth rate likely to trigger tighter controls to slow things down,
state media said yesterday.
China
Jails Reporter over Essays on Graft
(Associated
Press, July 13, 2006) A Chinese reporter who posted essays on foreign Web
sites criticizing the ruling Communist Party was sentenced Thursday to two
years in prison on subversion charges, his lawyer said.
China
Posts a Surplus Sure to Stir U.S. Alarm By David Barboza
(New York Times, July 11, 2006) China reported a record
trade surplus with the rest of the world on Monday, the largest monthly trade
imbalance any country has ever recorded and one that is likely to heighten
trade tensions, particularly with the United States and Europe.
Draft Law on Reporting
Applies to All Media
(Reuters, July 5, 2006) A Chinese draft law that threatens to fine news media
for reporting on 'sudden incidents' without permission applies to both
foreign and domestic news organizations.
Hu Urges 'Deeper Democratic
Reforms'
(Reuters, July 4, 2006) 'Democratic governance means adhering to rule for the
people and relying on the people to govern,' he said, adding that China must
'ensure the people are their own masters through democratic institutions,
democratic forms and democratic methods'.
Mr Hu told a study session for top officials.
China to Step up Control of
Internet and Cellphone Use
(Straits Times, July 3, 2006) The Chinese authorities have announced their
intention to step up efforts to police and control the Internet, along with
other communications technologies such as instant messaging and cellphones.
UN: China Trade Overpowers
Asian Neighbors
(AP, June 29, 2006) "China's stunning economic growth, in so many ways
an inspiration to its Asia-Pacific neighbors, is not delivering reciprocal
benefits to its regional trading partners -- and is in some cases creating
difficulties for them," said Kemal Dervis, a U.N. report released
Thursday said.
China's Population to Peak
at 1.5 Billion in 20 Years
(AFP, June 23, 2006) China's population will peak at 1.5 billion in about 20 years while the sex ratio
will continue to be heavily skewed towards males.
China's First Strategic Oil
Reserve Due for Completion by August
(China
Daily, June 17, 2006) China will complete construction of its first strategic
oil reserve facility in Zhenhai, East China's Zhejiang Province, in August.
Three other sites in Dalian (Liaoning), Huangdao (Shandong) and Daishan
(Zhejiang) are also under development.
China Posted Trade Surplus
of $13 Billion Last Month
(New York Times, June 13, 2006) China said that its trade surplus reached a
record $13 billion in May, raising the prospect of renewed trade frictions
with the United States and Europe.
China Promotes Its Culture
Overseas to Dissolve "China Threat"
(People's Daily, May 28, 20060 China is striving to dissolve the
misconception of its development as the "China threat" in the wake
of its rapid economic growth, by making its traditional value systems known
to the world.
China Defies Rome Over
Bishop's Post
(Associated Press, May 15, 2006) China's state-approved Catholic Church
welcomed the installation of another bishop who was not approved by the pope,
exacerbating the strain in Beijing's relations with the Vatican.
Chinese GDP Forecast Raised
Again
(Straits Times, May 11, 2006) The World Bank has raised its forecast again
for China's gross domestic product (GDP) for this year to 9.5 per cent after
the world's fourth-largest economy grew faster than expected in the first
quarter.
China to Set Up Strategic
Mineral Reserves
(AP, May 10, 2006) China plans to set up strategic reserves for key minerals
such as copper, uranium and aluminum, the government says, acting to ensure
supplies amid record high prices due to soaring demand.
China's Leader Signs Oil
Deals With Africans
(New York Times, May 1, 2006)
President Hu Jintao returned to Beijing on Sunday after a diplomatic
tour that began awkwardly in the United States but ended with a swing through
Africa that brought China several trade and energy deals.
China to Ship Oil Through
Mekong Next Month
(Straits Times, Apr. 8, 2006) China will begin shipping processed oil along
the Mekong River next month as part of an experiment to find alternatives to
the congested Strait of Malacca.
China Hopes Buddhist Forum
Will Counter Threat Theory
(Reuters, Mar. 27, 2006) China will use a Buddhist forum, its first
international religious meeting since the atheist Communists swept to power
in 1949, to counter fears it is a threat to the world, the top official on
religion said.
China to Drop Rigid
Ambitions for Growth
(Financial Times, Mar. 6, 2006) China
is abandoning most numerical economic targets from its decades-old planning
system as part of an effort to change the country’s obsession with growth at
the expense of social programs and the environment.
China Promises More Rural
Spending
(AP, Mar. 5, 2006) Premier Wen Jiabao opened the annual session of China's figurehead
parliament with promises of new social spending to placate the country's
rural poor, and said the economy is expected to slow but should still grow by
8 percent.
Chinese To Develop Sciences,
Technology
(Washington Post, February 10, 2006) China announced an ambitious plan to
speed development of science and technology in its industry and military,
vowing to double research investment over the next 15 years to increase
"overall national strength."
China’s Economy Grows 9.9%
in 2005
(Reuters, Jan. 25, 2006) China’s gross domestic product grew 9.9 percent in
2005 and at the same annual rate in the last quarter, riding high on strength
in exports and investment, the National Bureau of Statistics said.
Leading Publication Shut
Down In China
(WP, Jan. 25, 2006) China's ruling Communist Party on Tuesday suspended one
of the premier publications in Chinese journalism, escalating a campaign to
rein in the state media.
Chinese PM Warns on Rural
Unrest
(BBC, Jan. 21, 2006) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said that land seizures
by local authorities are a key threat to rural stability. He said land grabs
and a lack of proper compensation for those affected was sparking "mass
incidents".
Trade Surplus Tripled in
'05, China Says
(New York Times, Jan. 12, 2006) China said that its trade surplus with the
rest of the world had tripled in 2005, to a record $102 billion, a figure
that could reignite global trade frictions and step up pressure on the
government to allow its currency to appreciate further.
China's Great Innovation
Push
(Straits Times, Jan. 10, 2006) China will ramp up spending on research and
development (R&D) significantly over the next 15 years in a bid to become
more competitive as well as less reliant on foreign technology.
Chinese Paper Strikes After
Editors Ousted
(Agence France Presse, Dec. 30, 2005) One-third of the editorial staff at a
popular, outspoken Beijing newspaper have staged an unprecedented strike to
protest the ousting of its chief editor and two deputies, reporters said.
China
Tries to Fix Growth Problems
(Reuters, Dec. 28, 2005) China will spend 218
billion yuan (S$45 billion) on rural education over the next five years in a
drive to improve schooling in the countryside and narrow the gap with the
booming coast.
China Plays Down Impact of
GDP Revision
(Straits Times, Dec. 21, 2005) Statistics chief took pains to put the upward
revision of the Chinese economy in perspective, wary that loud headlines around
the world would torpedo Beijing's attempt at cultivating a benign
international image.
Report: China Uses Reserves
on Resources
(Associated Press, Dec. 27, 2006) China will take advantage of its massive
foreign exchange reserves to expand its stock of strategic resources such as
oil and minerals, Vice Prime Minister Zeng Peiyan said.
Chinese Success Story Chokes
on Its Own Growth By Howard W. French
(New
York Times, Dec. 19, 2006) Few cities anywhere have created wealth faster
than Shenzhen, but the costs of its phenomenal success stare out from every
corner: environmental destruction, soaring crime rates and the
disillusionment and degradation of its vast force of migrant workers.
China, Shy Giant, Shows
Signs of Shedding Its False Modesty By Joseph Kahn (New York Times, Dec. 9, 2006) China's Communist Party has a new agenda:
It is encouraging people to discuss what it means to be a major world power,
and has largely stopped denying that China intends to become one soon.
China and the 'China Threat
Theory'
(Interfax, Dec. 4, 2006) For those who believe that there is an air of menace
about China's rapid move up the ranks of the world's most prosperous
countries, the government in Beijing has provided a solid and consistent
response over the last few years.
Five Years After China
Joined WTO, World Still Reeling from Impact (Agence France Presse,
Dec. 3, 2006) As the world's most populous nation marks the fifth anniversary
of its entry into the global trade body, it is time for both the 1.3 billion
Chinese themselves and the rest of the world to take stock of the changes.
China's Poorest Getting
Poorer
(Straits Times, Dec. 2, 2006) China has succeeded in slashing its poverty
rate but its poorest are getting poorer because there are no safety nets to
catch them. The country lifted 70 million people out of poverty from 2001 to
2004, reducing its poverty rate to 10 per cent, from 16 per cent.
Rules for a Harmonious
Society By Lu Yiyi
(Straits Times, Nov. 30, 2006) Politics in China is evolving. To appreciate
the nature of the changes taking place, it may be necessary to look beyond
the traditional areas of politics. Take, for example, the debates that
occurred recently at a workshop in Beijing on environmental protection.
West Must Prepare for
Chinese, Indian Dominance: Wolfensohn
(Agence France Presse, Nov. 26, 2006) Western nations must prepare for a
future dominated by China and India, whose rapid economic rise will soon
fundamentally alter the balance of power, former World Bank chief James
Wolfensohn has warned.
Poor in China Getting
Poorer, World Bank Study Shows
(Straits Times, Nov. 23, 2006) China's poor have grown poorer at a time when
the country is growing substantially wealthier, an analysis by World Bank
economists has found. The findings challenge the basis of government policies
aimed at narrowing the country's wealth gap.
China Reins In Rural
Protests, but Not Resentment By Edward Cody
(Washington
Post, Nov. 19, 2006) Through a mix of increased surveillance, police
restraint and swift arrests of any troublemakers, security forces have kept
unrest off the busy lanes of this fishing and farming village. The formula
for stability in Dongzhou has been applied across China, authorities said,
and with apparently similar results.
A Troubled River Mirrors
China’s Path to Modernity By Jim Yardley
(New
York Times, Nov. 19, 2006) For centuries, the Yellow River symbolized the
greatness and sorrows of China’s ancient civilization, as emperors equated
controlling the river and taming its catastrophic floods with controlling China.
Now, the river is a very different symbol — of the dire state of China’s
limited resources at a time when the country’s soaring economic growth needs
more of everything.
China Shows How it Defines
Human Rights
(Straits Times, Nov. 18, 2006) China opened its first exhibition on human
rights.'No sovereignty, no human rights', said a signboard for a section of
the exhibit highlighting how the country regained its footing after fighting
off 'Western imperialism, foreign invaders and domestic
counter-revolutionaries'.
Dilemma of China's Reserves By Chi Lo
(Straits
Times, Nov. 14, 2006) China's foreign exchange reserves have now exceeded
US$1 trillion. This is equivalent to 40 per cent of the country's estimated
gross domestic product (GDP) for this year, and half of all of Asia's foreign
exchange reserves.
Confident China to Show Off
New Diplomatic Clout at APEC
(Agence France Presse, Nov. 13, 2006) China is set to exude all the
confidence of a rising great power at this week's Asia-Pacific summit in
Vietnam, wielding its clout on issues such as North Korea's nuclear program
and the price of oil.
ASEAN States Chase the
Chinese Investment Dollar By Goh Sui Noi
(Straits
Times, Nov. 2, 2006) ASEAN leaders had trade and investment on their minds when
they met Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the Asean-China
summit early this week.
The Allure of the Chinese
Model By Wei-Wei Zhang
(International Herald Tribune, Nov. 1, 2006) Many of the African leaders
coming here for the Chinese-African summit meeting are attracted not only by
opportunities for aid and trade, but also by the Chinese model of
development.
Chinese Corruption Inquiry
Expands to Beijing Party Leaders By Joseph Kahn (New York Times, Oct.
26, 2006) A widening Chinese anti-corruption inquiry has targeted Beijing's
party leaders, in a sign that President Hu Jintao intends to continue
removing officials he considers insufficiently loyal, people told about the
leadership's planning said.
China's
Boom in Corruption By Jim Yardley
(New York Times, Oct. 22, 2006) The current corruption
sweep authorized by Hu in Shanghai and other cities is widely viewed as more
of a purge of allies linked to his predecessor, President Jiang Zemin, than
an unfettered crackdown.
Dreaming of Harmony
(Economist, Oct. 18, 2006) A recent decision by the Communist Party to build
a “socialist harmonious society”, in which peasants prosper and corruption
fizzles, was met in the village with scepticism.
China
Drafts Law to Boost Unions and End Abuse By David Barboza (NYT,
Oct. 13, 2006) China is planning to adopt a new law that seeks to crack down on
sweatshops and protect workers’ rights by giving labor unions real power for
the first time since it introduced market forces in the 1980’s.
China Makes Commitment to
Social Harmony By Joseph
Kahn
(New York Times, Oct. 12, 2006) China’s Communist Party, devoted in recent
years to expanding the economy at any cost, endorsed a new doctrine that puts
more emphasis on tackling the severe side effects of unrestrained growth.
China's Increasingly
Powerful Hu Driving Home Reform Agenda
(Agence France Presse, Oct. 9, 2006) Four years after being named China's
Communist Party boss, President Hu Jintao is pushing hard to implement
sweeping political reforms aimed at changing the nation's economic growth
model, analysts said.
In Graft Inquiry, Chinese
See a Shake-Up Coming By Joseph
Kahn
(New York Times, Oct. 4, 2006) A sweeping anti-corruption investigation in
China is aimed at revamping the country's political leadership and bolstering
the power of the ruling Communist Party's two main leaders, party officials
and Chinese political analysts said.
In China, Churches Challenge
the Rules By Maureen Fan
(Washington
Post, Oct. 1, 2006) A new breed of churches in this region of China has
demonstrated a boldness and independence unmatched elsewhere in the country, despite
strict government guidelines for places of worship.
In China, the Pendulum
Swings the Party's Way By Philip
Bowring (International Herald Tribune, Sep. 25,
2006) It is hard for liberals and democrats to accept, but there seems to an
inevitability about the reassertion in China of the political supremacy of
the Communist Party and the administrative dominance of the central
authorities.
China Competes With West in
Aid to Its Neighbors
(New York Times, Sep. 18, 2006) Flush with nearly a trillion dollars in hard
currency reserves and eager for stable friends in Southeast Asia, China is
making big loans for big projects to countries that used to be the sole
preserve of the World Bank, the Asian
Development Bank, the United States and Japan.
African States Borrowing More
from China
(Associated Press, Sep. 18, 2006) African countries are increasingly looking
to borrow money from China because the flow of funds from the World Bank and
other donors has been slow and contain too many conditions, several African
finance ministers said.
China's Leaders Rediscover
Confucianism By Daniel A.
Bell
(International Herald Tribune, Sep. 14, 2006) In
China, the moral vacuum is being filled by Christian sects, Falun Gong and
extreme forms of nationalism. But the government considers that such
alternatives threaten the hard-won peace and stability that underpins China's
development, so it has encouraged the revival of Confucianism.
China’s True Growth: No Myth
or Miracle By Jonathan
Anderson
(Far Eastern Economic Review, September 2006) Whether
success or failure, boom or bust, China is the story. Completely sui generis
in scale and scope, different from everything that came before, the most
dramatic event of the century, China “matters” in a way that no other
emerging market has.
China Leads Vibrant Asia
Economies
(Reuters, Sep. 14, 2006) Led by China, emerging Asian economies will grow 8.3
percent in 2006, about half a percentage point more than previously thought,
the International Monetary Fund said in a report.
Critics Dispute Impact of
China's Revised Media Rules By Maureen
Fan (Washington Post, Sep. 13, 2006) Experts said
the impact of the new rules was limited in a country that already bans direct
delivery of general news to Chinese media. They said the new rules signaled
an attempt by China's state media to grab a piece of the lucrative financial
information market.
China Is Not Just Rising,
but Also Changing By Ross
Terrill
(New York Times, Sep. 9, 2006) China’s advance toward
global economic pre-eminence appears irresistible. Yet the facade of
China’s urban coastal economy hides problems that, sooner or
later, are sure to put a damper on the celebration.
In China, Living With the
Unspeakable By John
Pomfret
(Washington Post,
Sept. 7, 2006) Forty years ago this past August, the first killings were
carried out to launch the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in China. No other
country seems to have been so adept at avoiding the pitfalls -- and erasing
the memory -- of its past.
China Keeps Tight Rein on
Mao Legacy
(Reuters, Sep. 7, 2006) Despite his ruthless political campaigns in which
tens of millions died, Mao, whose huge portrait continues to stare down on
Tiananmen Square, is still largely revered in China as a charismatic ruler
who stood up to foreigners and unified the country.
China Is Big Trouble for the
U.S. Balance of Trade, Right? Well, Not So Fast By Tyler Cowen (New York Times, Sep.
7, 2006) Contrary to popular opinion, China may be good for our trade
balance. American consumers seem determined to spend money, and Chinese
businessmen have made the bill cheaper.
China-Asean FTA 'on Track
for 2010 Deadline'
(Straits Times, Sep. 7, 2006) Free trade negotiations between China and Asean
are 'right on schedule' for completion by 2010, a senior Chinese official
said. But both China and Asean have already introduced two rounds of tariff
reductions in January 2004 and July last year as part of an 'early harvest' programme
to reap the benefits of the FTA ahead of its completion.
China's Top 500 Companies Report Revenues Worth 78% of GDP
(AP, Sep. 4, 2006) China's Top 500 Enterprises in 2006 last year posted total
operating revenue of RMB 14.14 trillion, a total equivalent to about 77.6% of
the country's total GDP in the year 2005.
Why India Will Overtake
China By Cait Murphy
(Fortune, Aug. 31, 2006) At some point, a market economy requires a
reasonably open and flexible political order. In China, that implies the end
of the Communist Party's monopoly of power, or at least the chance to
challenge it without being imprisoned.
Where’s Mao? Chinese Revise
History Books By Joseph Kahn
(New York Times, Sep. 1, 2006) When high school students in Shanghai crack
their history textbooks this fall they may be in for a surprise. The new
standard world history text drops wars, dynasties and Communist revolutions
in favor of colorful tutorials on economics, technology, social customs and
globalization. Socialism has been reduced to a single, short chapter in the
senior high school history course.
Is the Chinese Economy
Headed for a Meltdown?
(The Guardian, Aug 26, 2006) Many analysts believe that growth in China is
out of control and that the authorities in Beijing must act soon before it
takes a mighty fall.
The Long Search for Justice
in China By Hannah
Beech
(TIME, Aug. 24, 2006) Despite international outrage, legal activist Chen Guangcheng
will languish in prison for years and China's human-rights record gets
another black mark. When a top Beijing lawyer tried to represent Chen in a
Linyi court on Aug. 18, he was promptly tossed into jail himself.
China's Aging Population to
Slow Economy: Report
(Reuters, Aug. 21, 2006) China's one-child policy has led to an aging
population and labor shortages that could undermine a key basis for the
country's economic growth -- its seemingly endless supply of cheap workers.
Struggling for Transparency
in China By Frank Ching
(Japan Times, Aug. 20, 2006) Following the Chinese press, one sometimes gets
totally depressed and feels that there is no hope for the country, with its
myriad problems. At other times, the opposite is true. This week, it is a
mix.
Chinese Crackdown on Rights
Lawyers Signals Effort to Deter Increasing Legal Challenges By Joseph Kahn (New York Times, Aug. 19, 2006) Chinese officials are stepping up a
crackdown on defense lawyers in the latest sign that Communist Party leaders
are determined to stamp out legal challenges to their authority.
Chinese Take a Turn at
Turning a Sub-Saharan Profit
(New York Times, Aug. 18, 2006) China, it seems, is suddenly everywhere in
Africa, not just in oil-rich states. Trade between Africa and China has
almost quadrupled since 2001, and last year reached almost $40 billion.
The Birth and Rebirth of
Shenzhen By Michael Schuman
(TIME Asia, Aug. 14, 2006) The city that has driven China's manufacturing
boom must now bank on innovation, not sweatshops, for continued economic
growth.
China on the Verge By William Pesek Jr.
(Bloomberg, Aug. 14, 2006) It's hard to get excited about China's efforts to
slow its white-hot economy. Sure, the world is watching - it has to. An
overheated China that spirals into crisis could make the region's 1997
meltdown look negligible.
China's Growth: How Fast Is
Too Fast?
(International Herald Tribune, Aug. 9, 2006) Since
Beijing announced the 11.3 percent growth rate last month, China has not exactly
withdrawn the punch bowl, but it is cutting back on the punch. The Chinese
government recently laid out a series of steps to slow the economy, including
increased reserve requirements for commercial banks aimed at reducing the
funds available for lending.
Hopes for Change Hung on '08
Olympics
(Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 7, 2006) Now, as the clock ticks louder,
expectations that the Olympics will cure all, reform all, and modernize all
in China - are piling up thick and fast. Everyone inside and out of China
has a hope that the Games will improve their cause.
Book Review: Twisting Along
China’s Sharp Curves By William
Grimes
(New York Times, Aug. 4, 2006) This improbable journey, from Maoist orthodoxy
to the entrepreneurial quasicapitalism officially described as “socialism
with Chinese characteristics,” is the main theme of “Chinese Lessons,” but
Mr. Pomfret, a reporter for The Washington Post, gives his tale a twist.
Rise of China, India A Big
Plus for World
(Straits Times, Aug. 5, 2006) FORBES magazine editor-in-chief Steve Forbes,
who is also president and chief executive of Forbes Inc, talks about the
effect that global tensions and the rise of China and India will have on the
world economy.
Book Review: Present at the
Stagnation By Andrew J. Nathan
(Foreign Affairs, July/August 2006) Minxin Pei, Transition: The Limits of
Developmental Autocracy. Harvard
University Press, 2006. Is China's Development Stalled? Minxin Pei thinks
that China's transition from communism to democracy is stalled. His
description of these problems is accurate, but his interpretation of their
import is questionable.
Two Chinese Villages, Two
Views of Rural Poverty By Maureen Fan (Washington Post, Aug. 1, 2006) Nestled mid-slope in the foothills
of China's second-poorest province, Dacitan is a village run almost entirely
by women, mothers who work the potato and wheat fields while their husbands
are away.
A Capitalist Returns to Bet
on China By Peter S. Goodman
(Washington
Post, August 1, 2006) The story of Yao coming home to manage mutual funds
speaks to the maturation of China's economic reforms, suggesting that the
country's leaders may be growing serious about running a real stock market.
Better Use of China's
Profits By Philip Bowring
(International Herald Tribune, July 31, 2006) As the yuan inches up again and
China's government talks tougher about restraining credit, the question looms
of how to rein in China's galloping economy and reduce international
imbalances. The solutions that some have suggested focus on credit growth and
the exchange rate, but that focus is too narrow.
Praise and Punishment: It's a Fine
Line in China By Joseph
Kahn
(NYT, July 19, 2006) A blind man hailed as a champion of peasant rights a few
years ago is now a symbol of the tendency of ruling Communist Party officials
to use legal pretexts to crush dissent.
No G-8 Seat for China By Tom Raum
(Associated Press, July 9, 20060 The G-8 summit that President Bush and seven
other world leaders are attending in Russia is often billed as a gathering of the world's leading economic powers. It is not.
Consider: China..
Chinese to Prosecute Peasant
Who Resisted One-Child Policy By Philip P. Pan (Washington Post, July 8, 2006)
The decision follows a prolonged bureaucratic stalemate in the ruling
Communist Party, and it highlights the growing clout of hard-liners in the
party since President Hu Jintao took office three years ago.
Murder Made in China
(Editorial, Boston Globe, July 4, 2006) There was a time when Americans
worried about China because it was Communist. But times change, and today the
reason to worry about China is that it is capitalist - in an especially
unrestrained, unprincipled way.
What 'Energy Security'
Really Means By Sebastian Mallaby
(Washington
Post, July 3, 2006) China's energy security is not in competition with U.S.
energy security, as the resource-scramble model would suggest. China's energy
security is part of U.S. energy security.
China Resource Demand
Changes Economic Map
(Associated Press, June 27, 2006) China's huge hunger for energy and other
resources needed to feed its juggernaut economy is creating a profitable bond
with commodity exporters, helping to refashion global markets and trading
alliances.
China Just Delaying the
Inevitable By Pei Minxin
(Taipei Times, June 23, 2006) Most Westerners believe in a theory of liberal
evolution. While the long-run record of this theory is irrefutable, China's
authoritarian ruling elite is determined to hold on to power and has been
smart enough to take steps to countering the liberalizing effects of economic
development.
China's Economy Continues
Rapid Growth
(Straits Times, June 16, 2006) China's economy is showing no sign of slowing
down from its torrid pace of 10.3 per cent growth in the first quarter, going
by the critical economic indicators released this week for the month of May.
Halfway to China’s Collapse By Gordon G. Chang
(Far Eastern Economic Review, June 2006) China remains a fragile nation. As
China’s new leaders successively open their great country, all the forces
that apply around the world—political, economic, and social—are beginning to
apply in China as well. As this process continues, as China becomes less
Chinese, the country’s centrally directed political system becomes
vulnerable.
For Beijing, A Little
Religion Goes A Long Way By Philip Bowring
(International Herald Tribune, May 28, 2006) For China's Communist Party,
religion may still be, in Marx's words, "the opiate of the people."
But far from being the adversary of atheistic materialism, the Beijing
leadership is recognizing that the opiate can come in handy in helping
sustain the party's hold on power.
China's Symbol, and Source,
of Power By Edward Cody
(Washington Post, May 18, 2006) In its scope and ambition -- as well as its
human costs -- the Three Gorges Project has become a symbol of China's
relentless energy and determination to take its place among the world's great
economic powers.
Next Wave of Camera-Wielding
Tourists Is From China By Howard French (New York Times, May 17, 2006) In
1995, only 4.5 million Chinese traveled overseas. By 2005 that figure had
increased to 31 million. Chinese and international travel industry experts
forecast that at least 50 million Chinese tourists will travel overseas
annually by 2010, and 100 million by 2020.
China's Economy Still
Overheated By Tung Chen-yuan and Wong
Guo-chen
(Taipei
Times, May 08, 2006) There are indications that the Chinese economy, despite two
years of macroeconomic control measures, is still at risk of overheating.
During the first quarter of this year, China's GDP and broad money supply
grew by 10.2 percent and 18.8 percent.
A Safety Net for China's
Rulers By Steven Mufson
(Washington Post, April 16, 2006) "China is a clear example of how an
authoritarian state can use modern information technologies to sustain itself
in power," says Mulvenon, an expert on China and on information
technology.
Heading Off Fears of a
Resurgent China By Fei-Ling
Wang
(International Herald Tribune, Apr. 11, 2006) While the world may be used to
identifying China with the cute panda bears or mystic dragons, best-sellers
in the People's Republic now strongly advocate a new national totem of the
wolf and the wolf pack's blood-thirsty, aggression-oriented, force-worshipped
spirit of predators as the essence of a renaissance of Chinese civilization.
At a
Secret Meeting, Chinese Analysts Clashed Over Reforms By Joseph Kahn (New York Times,
Apr. 7, 2006) Officials and scholars who had been convened last month to
advise senior Chinese leaders disagreed sharply on how to advance economic and
legal reforms, according to minutes of the private meeting that have been
leaked on the Internet.
Labor Shortage in China May
Lead to Trade Shift By David
Barboza (New York Times, Apr. 3, 2006) Persistent
labor shortages at hundreds of Chinese factories have led experts to conclude
that the economy is undergoing a profound change that will ripple through the
global market for manufactured goods.
Blinding Science: China's
Race to Innovate By Bruce
Einhorn
(BusinessWeek, Mar. 31, 2006) Looking for the cutting edge of stem cell
science? Instead of Stanford or Cambridge or Singapore, consider Shenzhen.
That's where Chinese entrepreneur Sean Hu has set up one of the most radical
businesses in the field.
New Breed of Activist Is
Changing China By Yiyi Lu
(International Herald Tribune, Mar. 31, 2006) On March 15, the China Consumer
Journal named Hao Jinsong one of 10 "consumer rights-defending
heroes" of 2005. Last year Hao successfully sued China's state railroad
authorities for failing to provide him with proper receipts on trains.
Chinese Legal Reform at the
Crossroads By Jerome
Alan Cohen
(Far Eastern Economic Review, March 2006) China’s legal system is careening
towards a crossroads. The country’s phenomenal economic development and
correspondingly rapid social changes have dramatically increased pressures on
courts to cope with problems that other government agencies have failed to
resolve.
China Keeps Them Down on the
Farm By Philip Bowring
(International Herald Tribune, Mar. 10, 2006) Necessity as well as good sense
lies behind China's decision in its latest five year plan to target the
wealth gap and social and environmental issues. But the new goals look likely
to be out of reach without more fundamental policy changes to address rural
poverty.
Beijing Stresses
Non-Economic Targets in Five-Year Blueprint
(Straits Times, Mar. 7, 2006) For its new five-year economic blueprint, the document will for
the first time mandate the government to reduce energy usage and pollution
while maintaining economic growth, reflecting Beijing's resolve to achieve
more sustainable development in the long run.
Democratic China 'May Pose
More, Not Less, Danger'
(Straits Times, Mar. 4, 2006) Australian Strategic Policy Institute claims
that China's communist leadership remains committed to peaceful economic development.
But the institute believes that demands for greater political openness,
coupled with a generational change in the Chinese leadership.
Not All Roads Lead to China By Wayne Arnold
(New York Times, Feb. 28, 2006) From automobiles to semiconductors, China is
fast catching up with the rest of the world in manufacturing prowess, making
it a formidable competitor for exporters everywhere. But does its rise
necessarily spell doom for Southeast Asia's big manufacturing centers?
From Power Shortage to
Excess Supply
(Agence France Presse, Feb. 21, 2006) China expects its seemingly perennial
energy shortages to end this year, but it risks facing the opposite problem
of having too much power generating capacity.
China Paranoia Derails Free
Trade By Johan
Norberg
(Far Eastern Economic Review, January/February 2006) As free traders have
always pointed out, the best way to avoid soldiers crossing borders is to
allow goods to cross the borders. Stronger economic integration, deeper trade
links and crossborder ownership do not pose national security risks. The
absence of them does.
Why China’s New GDP Data
Matters By Carsten
A. Holz
(Far Eastern Economic Review, January/February 2006) One may quibble about
the exact size of the purchasing power adjustment, but the inevitable
conclusion from some purchasing power adjustment—or a revaluation of the
yuan—is that China’s economy is rapidly moving to the center stage of the
world economy.
China's Rosy Forecasts Bring
No Cheer
(Straits Times, Feb. 11, 2006) If Chinese social scientists are right, China
would become a moderately developed country by 2050. The rosy projections,
however, have drawn widespread derision in online forums and Chinese newspapers,
which decried the poor quality of state-sponsored research.
China to Eradicate Poverty
by 2050: Study
(AFP, Feb. 10, 2006) Minimum incomes in China will average 15,000 dollars a
year by 2050, lifting wages about 30-fold in rural areas and virtually
eradicating poverty, a government-linked academic group has forecast.
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