[ Home | Taiwan | PRC | Cross-Strait | U.S. | Japan | Asia-Pacific | Papers | Comments | Media | Archives ]

 

 

China’s Rise:
China’s Economic and Social Developments

~ 2004  ; 2005 ; 2006 ; 2007

[News] [Papers]

China’s Wen Reassures Student on Jobs amid Crisis
(Reuters, Dec. 21, 2008) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, in a surprise visit to a Beijing university, tried reassuring students they would be able to find jobs amid the current global economic woes, and promised more unspecified steps to help the economy.

China’s President Hu Urges Growth and Stability
(Reuters, Dec. 18, 2008) China must focus on economic growth and social stability in the face of a global slump, President Hu Jintao said, vowing a stronger state role in steering market reforms.

China Is Said to Restore Blocks on Web Sites
(New York Times, Dec. 17, 2008) The Chinese government has quietly begun preventing access again to Web sites that it had stopped blocking during the Olympic Games in Beijing in August, Internet experts said.

On Rights Day, China Hails Gains and Detains Protesters
(New York Times, Dec. 11, 2008) China celebrated International Human Rights Day with newspaper editorials and television commentaries hailing what they called the country’s “unremitting efforts” and “nonstop progress” in promoting free speech and individual rights.

Slumping Trade a Sign of Great Fall for China By Don Lee
(LA Times, Dec. 11, 2008) The 2.2% drop in exports from November 2007, reported by the government, underscores the rapidly deteriorating conditions in China's economy. In October, the nation had posted a 19.2% jump in exports from a year earlier.

Yuan Falls Most Since End of Currency Link Before Paulson Visit
(Bloomberg, Dec. 1, 2008) China’s yuan fell the most since the government ended a fixed exchange rate in 2005, supporting the nation’s exporters three days before U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson visits Beijing.

Chinese Leader Says China Losing Competitive Edge
(AP, Nov. 30, 2008) Chinese President Hu Jintao warned that China has started to lose its competitive edge in trade amid the global financial crisis.

China Rate Cut Highlights Concern Over Slowdown, Jobs
(Bloomberg, Nov. 28, 2008) China’s biggest interest-rate cut in 11 years highlights government concerns that the country risks spiraling unemployment, social unrest and the deepest economic slowdown in almost two decades.

Protest-hit China Says Job Stability Top Priority
(Reuters, Nov. 20, 2008) Stabilizing employment is the top priority for China, a minister said on Thursday as he revealed a rise in jobless workers triggered by a weakened export sector amid a series of strikes and protests.

Hu Tells Leaders China Growth Will Help World Economy
(Bloomberg, Nov. 16, 2008) Chinese President Hu Jintao, speaking to leaders from the Group of 20 nations in Washington, said China can help alleviate the impact of the financial crisis and slowing global growth by stoking its own economy.

China’s Hu Goes to Washington Wary of Wish-list
(Reuters, Nov. 14, 2008) China goes to the Washington financial summit facing expectations for global leadership that innate caution and domestic fears leave it unready to shoulder.

China Says It Can Withstand World Crisis
(AP, Oct. 30, 2008) China said its financial markets would remain stable enough to allow it help ex-Soviet Central Asian countries weather the global economic crisis while appearing to snub Western calls for Beijing to help boost the IMF’s bailout pot for countries worst hit by the financial meltdown.

China to Allow Land Leasing, Transfer
(Washington Post, Oct. 20, 2008) China's Communist Party issued new rules on Sunday that would allow farmers to lease their contracted farmland or transfer their land-use rights.

Premier: China’s Government Shares Responsibility
(AP, Oct. 18, 2008) In a rare admission by a member of  China’s leadership, China's Premier Wen Jiabao says the government was partly responsible for the tainted milk scandal.

China’s Economy Shows Signs of Weakening
(Vancouver Sun, Oct. 2, 2008) While China's official statistics show the economy is still steaming ahead, there are other signs the pace of economic growth is already slowing down as many observers have long feared it would.

China Can Best Help World by Growing Fast: Wen
(Reuters, Sep. 27, 2008) Premier Wen Jiabao expressed confidence on Saturday that China could maintain fast growth and said this was the greatest contribution it could make to help the world weather the current financial crisis.

‘China Repression Grow’, Says US
(BBC, Sep. 20, 2008) Repression of religious freedom in some parts of China has intensified over the past year, the US government says.

China Wealth Fund Plays Down Morgan Stanley Talk
(Reuter, Sep. 19, 2008) China Investment Corp dampened speculation that the sovereign wealth fund could be ready to increase its stake in U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley.

China Eclipses US as Japan’s Biggest Customer
(Telegraph, Aug. 21, 2008) China has replaced the US as Japan's biggest customer, underlining the emergence of the country in the global economy.

China Became Net Food Importer in 1st Half
(Reuters, Aug. 21, 2008) The swing into deficit sheds an interesting light on China's stance in last month's abortive global trade talks when Beijing is increasingly concerned about food security.

Poll: Most in China Expect Olympics to Help Image
(AP, Jul. 22, 2008) Overwhelming numbers of Chinese say next month's Olympics will help their country's tattered image abroad, and they predict the Beijing Games will be successful, according to a poll released Tuesday. Pew Research Center Survey Report

China Orders Probe into Latest Rural Clash
(Reuters, Jul. 21, 2008) China flew a provincial Communist party boss to a remote rubber-growing area of southwestern Yunnan to investigate a weekend clash between police and residents in which two people were killed, state media said.

China’s Foreign Investment Up 45 Percent at US$52.4 Billion in First Half of 2008 (AP, Jul. 11, 2008) Foreign investment in China in the first half of the year rose 45 percent over the same period a year ago to US$52.4 billion, the government said Friday.

China’s Trade Surplus Falls Nearly 12 Percent in First Half: Customs
(AFP, Jul. 10, 2008) China's trade surplus reached 99.04 billion dollars in the first half of 2008, the customs bureau said Thursday, a fall of nearly 12 percent from a year ago.

China’s Economy to Become World’s Biggest in 2035: Study
(AFP, Jul. 9, 2008) China's economy will overtake that of the United States by 2035 and be twice its size by midcentury, a study released Tuesday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace concluded.

Thousands March for Greater Democracy in HK
(Reuters, Jul. 2, 2008) Thousands in Hong Kong urged Beijing to grant it greater democracy on Tuesday, with a recent furor over newly appointed political aides stoking perceptions of the unelected government's lack of accountability.

U.N.’s Ban Calls on China to Be Bigger Peacemaker
(Reuters, Jul. 1, 2008) U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged China to match its growing economic and political clout with more funding and troops for peacekeeping operations to meet growing international crises.

China Calls for Rich Country Help on Climate Change
(Reuters, Jun. 29, 2008) Addressing climate change head-on is in China's best interests, but it needs developed countries to do their fair share, President Hu Jintao said in a speech reported by the Xinhua news agency on Saturday.

China Still Lags Behind U.S. in Influence, Survey Shows
(New York Times, Jun. 17, 2008) Despite China’s remarkable economic rise, and its efforts to spread its influence in Asia through what is known as “soft power,” the country still lags far behind the United States in that sphere, according to a survey to be released Tuesday. Pew Global Attitudes Project A recent survey shows approval for China is down while respect is up.

Asia Soft Power Survey 2008 By Christopher Whitney and David Shambaugh (Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Jun. 2008) As China prepares to host the 2008 Olympics and display the result of its great economic progress to the world, the survey finds that in the estimation of most Americans and many Asians, China still has a way to go to claim the world’s full recognition as a multifaceted power.

New Disease Outbreaks in China; 15K Children Infected
(AP, May 8, 2008) New outbreaks in China reported Wednesday put the number of children infected with hand, foot and mouth disease above 15,000 and the death toll has risen to at least 28 across the country.

China Calls for Halt in 'Radical' Anti-France Demonstrations
(AP, Apr. 23, 2008) With praise for the French president and appeals for calm, China's leadership signaled that it is ready to put an end to anti-France sentiment that has swept the country since the chaotic Olympic torch relay in Paris.

Protests of the West Spread in China
(New York Times, Apr. 21, 2008) Nationwide demonstrations against a French supermarket chain spread on Sunday as thousands of people protested what
they said was France’s sympathy for pro-Tibetan agitators. The protesters have also been singling out Western news outlets, especially CNN, for what they said was biased coverage of unrest in Tibet.

China Urges Control of 'Patriotic Fervor' over Tibet
(AFP, Apr. 18, 2008) China has urged its people to contain their patriotism, in the first sign Beijing may be growing uncomfortable with a nationalist outburst over the Tibet issue that it has tacitly supported.

Europeans See China as Biggest Threat to Global Stability: Poll
(AFP, Apr. 15, 2008) Europeans see China as a bigger threat to global stability than the United States, Iran or North Korea, according to a poll. The Harris survey for the Financial Times showed that an average of 35 percent of voters in Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy saw China as the biggest threat to global stability, compared to 29 percent who thought the same of the United States.

China, New Zealand Sign Free Trade Deal
(AP, Apr. 7, 2008) China and New Zealand signed a sweeping free trade agreement Monday, the rising economic giant's first such pact with a developed country. The deal, signed by Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming and his New Zealand counterpart, Phil Goff, will give New Zealand access to one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

China Hopes to Tame Its Rapid Economic Growth
(Associated Press, Mar. 5, 2008) China's premier called for "powerful measures" to rein in the persisting inflation battering ordinary Chinese, saying the government will use further price controls and curb soaring investment to hold prices to a 4.8% rise.

China's Communist Party Approves Leadership, Reform Plans
(AFP, Feb. 28, 2008) China's ruling communist party approved top leadership jobs and government reform plans Wednesday, ahead of the annual session of its parliament next week, state media said.

China Turns to Economic Controls
(Associated Press, Feb. 11, 2008) Fighting stubbornly high inflation, China's leaders dusted off a blunt tool from its pre-market reform era and commanded utility companies to freeze electricity prices.

China Tries to Reassure U.S. About Its Investing Plans
(New York Times, Feb. 1, 2008) The head of China’s $200 billion government investment fund, seeking to reassure Americans nervous about the possibility of foreign takeovers, said that China would invest mostly in portfolios rather than individual companies — except when a “big fat rabbit” like the investment banker Morgan Stanley came along.

China Snow Crisis Shows Vulnerability
(AP, Jan. 31, 2008) China's financial capital saw fresh snowfall as the impact of unusually wintry weather deepened, highlighting the vulnerabilities of the country's booming economy. Heavy snows in recent days have stalled shipments of food and fuel, complicating authorities' efforts to combat a spike in inflation.

Foreign Companies Pour Money into China: Govt
(Agence France Presse, Jan. 22, 2008) Foreign firms invested a record 82.7 billion dollars in booming China last year, the government said, with analysts adding the tide of money had undermined efforts to slow economic growth. The 2007 figure for foreign direct investment, or FDI, was up 13.8 percent from a year earlier.

China's Trade Surplus Surges to Record
(AP, Jan. 11, 2008) China's global trade surplus soared nearly 50 percent last year to a record despite an avalanche of safety warnings and recalls of Chinese-made products abroad. The sharp rise could add to pressure on Beijing to act on currency controls and import barriers.

China to Launch Rockets, Manned Mission, in Olympic Year
(Associated Press, Jan. 8, 2008) China plans to launch its third manned space mission that will feature its first-ever space walk during 2008. China will also send up 15 rockets and 17 satellites. In 2003, China became only the third country in the world after the United States and Russia to send a human into orbit. It followed with a two-man mission in 2005.

China Clamps Down on Internet
(AFP, Jan. 4, 2008) China has announced tough new rules to crack down on the explosion of audio-visual content on the Internet, reiterating that sex and politically sensitive material will not be tolerated. Only state-controlled entities will have the right to operate websites that post audio-visual content, according to the rules.

Morgan Stanley Sets Price for China Deal
(AP, Dec. 25, 2007) Morgan Stanley and the Chinese government said that the U.S. investment bank has determined the range of prices to be used when China's international investment fund converts $5 billion worth of securities into Morgan Stanley stock.

Hong Kong Leader Presses China for Vote
(NYT, Dec 13, 2007) Facing widespread demands from the public for full democracy to be introduced within five years, the Hong Kong government urged the Chinese government on Wednesday to set a firm timetable for direct elections for the region’s leader and legislature.

 

As Trade Slows, China Rethinks Its Growth Strategy By Keith Bradsher (New York Times, Jan. 1, 2009) Particularly noteworthy have been the Chinese government’s steps to help labor-intensive sectors like garment production, one of the industries China has been trying to move away from in an effort to climb the ladder of economic development.

In China, Media Make Small Strides By Maureen Fan
(Washington Post, Dec. 28, 2008) President Hu Jintao said in June that news coverage of emergency incidents should be more timely, authoritative and transparent, but he stressed the need to adhere to party propaganda.

The China Growth Fantasy By Yasheng Huang
(Wall Street Journal, Dec. 21, 2008) China is one of the few countries in the world endowed with the land mass, the energetic and talented population, and the entrepreneurship to become a true global economic powerhouse. But that potential has been squandered by a misguided development strategy that privileges production at the expense of consumption.

After 30 Years, Economic Perils on China’s Path By Jim Yardley
(New York Times, Dec. 19, 2008) Beyond the oratory, Mr. Hu and other Chinese leaders are now facing a new era in which Deng’s export-led economic model, as well as his iron-fisted political control, face unprecedented challenges.

Divergence Grows Between China and the West—Part I By Xu Sitao (YaleGlobal, Dec. 18, 2008) Like so many other nations, China’s hands are tied when it comes to demonstrating international leadership or offering aid, especially on policies preferred by the West. China’s priority is looking after the interests of its own people, which in the long term benefits the world.

China’s Communist Party Cautiously Celebrates Its Reforms By Peter Ford (Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 23, 2008) After riding the tiger of rising expectations so successfully for so long, the government may have met its match in the international economic crisis.

China’s Charter
(Editorial, Washington Post, Dec. 17, 2008) What they advocate, as Charter 2008 puts it, is to "embrace universal human values [and] join the mainstream of civilized nations." That's an offer that ever more Russians and Chinese are likely to find preferable to 21st-century dictatorships.

With Strikes, China’s New Middle Class Vents Anger By Ariana Eunjung Cha (Washington Post, Dec. 17, 2008) Rural protests, often led by impoverished farmers angry over land seizures that leave them unable to feed their families, have occurred sporadically over the past decade. But richer, more educated Chinese are behind the recent strikes, which have disrupted life in China's cities.

What China Can Learn from 1929 By Michael Pettis
(Newsweek, Dec. 22, 2008) As the key sources of the imbalance, the United States and China must recognize the roles each must play in resolving the crisis. America must reduce spending to bring its overconsumption down, and China must reduce overcapacity.

A Straitjacket for Criticism
(Editorial, Boston Globe, Dec. 12, 2008) Reform is needed for sure, but not only in the economic sphere. The ultimate break with the old Maoist ways would be to let the Chinese people speak their minds.

The Second Long March
(The Economist, Dec. 11, 2008) Now Chinese officials fret about the possibility of growing unrest as the economy suffers the impact of the global crisis. Democrats must wait.

Keep China on the Capitalist Road By Fred Hu
(Wall Street Journal, Dec. 11, 2008) Of the many actual and possible victims of the current global slowdown, one of the most troubling could turn out to be China's process of economic opening and reform.

China Grapples with New Social Safety Net By Lucy Homby
(Reuters, Dec. 9,  2008) Creating a new social safety net for millions of workers cast adrift in the past 15 years has emerged as a key challenge for the Communist Party -- especially given the global economic downturn could create waves of more unemployed.

China Economy at Crossroads After 30 Years of Reform By Alan Wheatley (Reuters, Dec. 7, 2008) For 30 years, concentrating resources in the hands of the government through state ownership and taxes has served China well. But the private consumption needed to power self-sustained growth is lacking.

Chinese State Media Pushes for Press Freedom By Malcolm Moore
(Telegraph, Dec. 5, 2008) Xinhua, the Chinese government's news agency, has condemned officials who try to cover up dissent and called for greater press freedom in the internet age.

China Scholar Warns of Social Turmoil As Growth Slows
(Reuters, Dec. 4, 2008) China risks massive social turmoil next year as the economy slows and the number of angry jobless grows, a leading Communist Party scholar has warned.

Factory Closures, Layoffs Stir Unrest in China By Calum MacLeod
(USA Today, Dec. 2, 2008) A wave of often violent protests poses a challenge to China's ruling Communist Party, as people take to the streets on issues ranging from factory closures to government land grabs.

Ex-bad Boy China Praised at Climate Talks By Arthur Max
(AP, Dec. 2, 2008) Once global warming's bad boy, China is now winning praise for its upbeat role in climate talks, a turnaround perhaps brought on by the effects of carbon emissions on its choking cities, shrinking water resources and increasingly flooded lowlands.

China Defines Future with Peasant Migration to City By Norman Levine (Washington Times, Dec. 2, 2008) With a population of 1.3 billion, and with a vast demography of farmer poverty, China is confronting one of the major socioeconomic challenges of the 21st century: how to overcome the class polarization of urban wealth and agricultural deprivation.

Leadership Gap in China By Elizabeth Economy
(Washington Post, Dec. 1, 2008) In the midst of a global financial crisis, the world has come to China's doorstep seeking leadership. Yet China's leaders have largely kept the door shut. China wants to be a responsible partner, not a global leader.

China Can No Longer Save World By Michael Sheridan
(Times, Nov. 30, 2008) If the world was looking for China to save it, the actions of Chinese leaders in the past few weeks suggest they intend to save their own economy first.

China’s Taxi Strikes: A Test for the Government By Simon Elegant
(Time, Nov. 28, 2008) By a rough estimate, this was the eighth time in four weeks that taxi drivers around the nation had slammed on their brakes, making the rolling strikes the longest sustained chain reaction of labor unrest in the history of the People's Republic.

China’s Media Seen Gradually Freeing Up By Ben Blanchard
(Reuters, Nov. 27, 2008) China's media is not as tightly controlled as foreigners make it out to be but serving demands to maintain "social stability" means reporters must heed official guidance.

Regions Won’t Dance to Beijing’s Tune By Wu Zhong
(Asia Times, Nov. 26, 2008) It may be too far-fetched to explain the controversy as a manifestation of intensified power struggles in the party - it is more likely a good example of the open secret that regional authorities will often circumvent policies from Beijing deemed not to be in the region's interests.

Did Britain Just Sell Tibet? By Robert Barnett
(New York Times, Nov. 25, 2008) The financial crisis is going to do more than increase unemployment, bankruptcy and homelessness. It is also likely to reshape international alignments, sometimes in ways that we would not expect.

China Basks in APEC Limelight, Balks at Star Role By Chris Buckley
(Reuters, Nov. 23, 2008) China will keep edging towards greater activism on world economy, while fending off the demands roused by its huge foreign exchange reserves and exports, said a Beijing-based expert.

China Will Be a Winner in the New Economy By Zachary Karabell
(Wall Street Journal, Nov. 22, 2008) In the new system the United States will still be the largest economy but no longer the sole determinant of global economic health. The new winners will be cash and China.

Chinese Governor, Demonstrators Hold High-Profile Meeting By Lauren Keane (Washington Post, Nov. 22, 2008) A senior Chinese official met with participants in a recent riot as the government sought to highlight how much it was doing in the face of a shaky economy and an increasingly restive population.

Thousands Battle Police in China’s Northwest By Andrew Jacobs
(New York Times, Nov. 19, 2008) A local newspaper and Xinhua, the official news agency, said the skirmishes began Monday and involved 2,000 people.

China’s Huge Poverty Gap Slowing Growth, UN Says By Tania Branigan (Guardian, Nov. 17, 2008) The gulf between rich and poor in China is affecting growth by deterring consumption and holding down productivity, according to a report released by the United Nations Development Program.

China Signals It Is Ready to Help IMF By Jane Macartney
(Times, Nov. 14, 2008) With Chinese President Hu Jintao set to be a focus of international hopes at the G20 meeting of world leaders, Beijing gave its first clear signal that is ready to help the International Monetary Fund to help countries hit by the global credit crisis.

China’s New Deal
(Independent, Nov. 11, 2008) Poverty breeds division; division begets weakness; weakness brings national humiliation, as it did for so much of China's story in the 20th century. China's leaders will be very happy to spend their way out of that particular problem.

China Unveils Sweeping Plan for Economy By David Barboza
(New York Times, Nov. 10, 2008) China announced a huge economic stimulus plan on Sunday aimed at bolstering its weakening economy, a sweeping move that could also help fight the effects of the global slowdown.

Once Sizzling, China’s Economy Shows Rapid Signs of Fizzling By David Barboza (New York Times, Nov. 7, 2008) Just as China attained supercharged growth that astounded much of the world, it appears to be slowing more sharply and more quickly than anyone anticipated.

As China’s Losses Mount, Confidence Turns to Fear By Ariana Eunjung Cha (Washington Post, Nov. 4, 2008) In the initial weeks of the global financial crisis, Chinese officials resolutely declared that they were not significantly affected. But now, the Communist Party's confidence has changed to another feeling entirely: fear.

As China Goes, So Goes …
(Editorial, New York Times, Oct. 27, 2008) A boost to consumer spending would undoubtedly help China weather the economic storm. But by raising Chinese imports and reducing its dependence on exports, it would also help the rest of the world.

Hu Says China’s Economy Stable, Pledges Coordination on Crisis By Dune Lawrence (Bloomberg, Oct. 25, 2008) Chinese President Hu Jintao said maintaining his country's economic growth rate, the fastest among major economies, is the best way to combat a credit crisis that threatens a global recession.

China’s Activist Wins Rights Prize By Jim Yardley
(New York Times, Oct. 24, 2008) In a rebuke of China’s Communist Party, the European Parliament gave a prestigious human rights prize to Hu Jia, an imprisoned advocate for democracy in China.

China’s 3rd-Quarter GDP Drops Sharply By Ariana Eunjung Cha
(Washington Post, Oct. 21, 2008) If China's growth falls below 8 percent, it "would be equivalent to a recession in advanced economies" because that pace is needed to support the labor market.

Giants Feel the Pinch By Rowan Callick
(The Australian, Oct. 20, 2008) The global meltdown is starting to claim its first casualties in China and India, the Asian giants whose economies were believed to be mostly insulated from the international financial crisis.

China Enacts Major Land-Use Reform By Jim Yardley
(New York Times, Oct. 19, 2008) After days of uncertainty, the governing Communist Party announced a rural reform policy that for the first time would allow farmers to lease or transfer land-use rights, a step that advocates say would raise lagging incomes in the Chinese countryside.

Wary of Islam, China Tightens a Vise of Rules By Edward Wong
(New York Times, Oct. 18, 2008) To be a practicing Muslim in Xinjiang is to live under an intricate series of laws and regulations intended to control the spread and practice of Islam, the predominant religion among the Uighurs.

China Extends Olympic-style Foreign Media Freedom at Last Minute By Richard Spencer (Telegraph, Oct. 18, 2008) China has enacted new regulations giving foreign journalists freedom to travel around the country, confirming hints that this Olympics-related reform would be a "lasting legacy" of the Games.

Promises, Promises
(The Economist, Oct. 16, 2008) Chinese academics have long argued that a freer and better-regulated rural property market is essential if peasants are to enjoy more of the fruits of growth.

Hints of Discord on China Land Reform By Edward Wong
(New York Times, Oct. 15, 2008) Chinese leaders have yet to announce details of a rural reform policy they said they adopted on Sunday, contributing to speculation that Communist Party officials are in disagreement on major aspects of the policy.

China Land Reform Disappears from Radar By Mark Magnier
(LA Times, Oct. 15, 2008) By the time the closed-door meeting wrapped up Sunday, the issue had all but disappeared from public view. It wasn't even mentioned in the final communique from the 368-member decision-making body.

China Democracy: Reformer’s Words Signal a New Debate on Political Reform By Malcolm Moore (Telegraph, Oct. 14, 2008) President Hu Jintao has promised "more extensive democratic rights" by 2020, without being more specific, and this is also the year when China's booming economy should deliver per capita GNP of $3,000, ushering in "moderate prosperity for all."

Radical Reforms to Set China’s Farmers Free By David Stanway
(Guardian, Oct. 13, 2008) Thirty years after first setting out on the capitalist road, China's ruling Communist party has approved bold proposals that aim to liberate 700 million peasants from their state-owned land.

China Announces Land Policy Aimed at Promoting Income Growth in Countryside By Edward Wong (New York Times, Oct. 13, 2008) Chinese leaders said Sunday that they would adopt a rural growth policy aimed at vastly increasing the income of China’s hundreds of millions of farmers by the year 2020, setting in motion what could be the nation’s biggest economic reform in years.

China’s Communist Rulers Debate How to Respond to the Crisis of Capitalism By David Eimer (Telegraph, Oct. 12, 2008) For four days, the Chinese Communist Party elite has been meeting behind closed doors in Beijing to thrash out how to prevent the global financial crisis from damaging China's continued prosperity as much as that of the West.

China to Maintain ‘Fast and Stable’ Economic Growth, Yi Says By Nipa Piboontanasawat (Bloomberg, Oct. 11, 2008) China will boost domestic demand to sustain the nation's fast and stable economic growth, central bank Deputy Governor Yi Gang said.

In China, Leaders Turn Focus to Farmers’ Plight By Andrew Batson
(Wall Street Journal, Oct. 10, 2008) The decision to focus the high-level Communist Party conclave on rural matters shows how China's relative insulation from the credit crunch is allowing it to continue working on a crucial long-term issue. It also shows the gravity of the situation in the countryside.

China Opposes Peace Prize for Rights Activist
(AP, Oct. 9, 2008) China said Thursday that a prominent Chinese human rights activist should not be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, saying such an honor would go against the spirit of the award.

World Shouldn’t Foot Bill for US Woes—China Paper
(Reuters, Oct. 7, 2008) The People’s Daily commentary comes against a background of speculation that China, with U.S. bonds making up the lion's share of its $1.81 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, could have a role to play in any globally coordinated response to the meltdown.

China’s Rulers Vulnerable If U.S. Contagion Hits Asia By Jonathan Manthorpe (Vancouver Sun, Oct.