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

~ 2004  ; 2005 ; 2006 ; 2007

[News] [Papers]

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.

 

China Could Be Dragged Down by Wall Street Crash By William Pesek (Bloomberg, Oct. 3, 2008) China's mercantilist model makes the most populous nation dangerously dependent on consumers in the biggest economy. Growth in Asia will experience quite a setback if the U.S. enters a prolonged period of weakness.

China’s Image Sullied by Tainted Milk By Mary Kay Magistad
(YaleGlobal, Oct. 1, 2008) Without swift and effective action to better protect its own consumers and citizens, China’s leaders may find that the wave of goodwill they’ve been riding of late may dry up, and bring them down to earth with a thud.

Surveillance of Skype Messages Found in China By John Markoff
(New York Times, Oct. 1, 2008) A group of Canadian human-rights activists and computer security researchers has discovered a huge surveillance system in China that monitors and archives certain Internet text conversations that include politically charged words.

The World Is Observing What China will Do Amid Crisis By Rowan Callick (The Australian, Sep. 29, 2008) What Asia needed China to do in 1997, the whole world is looking for it to do right now. Premier Wen Jiabao won't find much disagreement.

Tainted Milk Flowed Through Holes in Scrutiny By Jim Yardley and David Barboza (New York Times, Sep. 26, 2008) The dairy scandal raises the core question of whether the ruling Communist Party is capable of creating a transparent, accountable regulatory structure within a one-party system.

China’s Top Paper Says Olympics Shows Party Rule Works By Chris Buckley (Reuters, Sep. 26, 2008) The United States' economic woes show the bankruptcy of Western-style democracy while China's Olympic Games triumph shows the growing "superiority" of its Communist Party rule, China's top newspaper said.

China’s Milk Scandal Bares Government Shortcomings By Charles Hutzler (AP, Sep. 24, 2008) Galling to many Chinese is the suspicion that high-level pressures for a successful Beijing Olympics added momentum for a cover-up.

‘Little Emperors’ Surprise China Elders with Work at Olympics By Dune Lawrence (Bloomberg, Sep. 23, 2008) China's pampered, 20-something ``little emperors'' surprised the nation with their hard work during the Beijing Olympics and the May earthquake that killed an estimated 87,500 people.

China Joins a Turf War By Malik Fareed
(Guardian, Sep. 22, 2008) Online, astroturfing - whereby stealth PR tactics are passed off as grassroots enthusiasm for a product or candidate - is flourishing. But in China, things have gone one step further - with the establishment of the country's 50-cent army.

China Seeks to Calm Fears Amid Scandal By Jim Yardley
(New York Times, Sep. 20, 2008) The broad response underscores how deeply the dairy crisis has resonated with the Chinese public as well as the political problem the scandal has presented for the government.

Public Anger Over Milk Scandal Forces China’s Hand By Ariana Eunjung Cha (Washington Post, Sep. 19, 2008) The scandal over tainted milk powder, which has killed four people and sickened 6,244 more, has fueled such universal outrage that the Chinese government in recent days has thrown out its playbook for how it deals with such incidents.

China’s Top Trade Official: Don’t Abandon the Doha Round By Chen Deming (BusinessWeek, Sep. 15, 2008) The Chinese Commerce Minister writes that resuming the key trade talks is needed to combat a global economic slowdown.

China’s Rulers Look to Space to Maintain Olympic Pride
(AFP, Sep. 9, 2008) China's rulers are looking to catapult overflowing pride and patriotism from the Beijing Olympics into another stratosphere when the nation's first "taikonaut" walks in space this month.

Populists Gain Seats in Election in Hong Kong By Keith Bradsher
(New York Times, Sep. 7, 2008) The biggest rift in Hong Kong politics, between those who favor greater democracy and those who support the Beijing-backed local government, produced little change on Sunday.

In China, Police Clash with Protesters Who Invested in Illegal Schemes By Maureen Fan (Washington Post, Sep. 6, 2008) Corruption is endemic in China as the country gains in affluence. Last month, China's top auditor said that 10 central government departments misused or embezzled $660 million in 117 cases last year.

China Trade Outguns Europe’s Rights Concern By Julio Godoy
(Inter Press Service, Sep. 5, 2008) European Union leaders speak repeatedly of tying increasing Chinese investment in Africa to respect for human rights. No such considerations come in the way of the EU's own dealings with China.

China’s Olympic Run—Part II By Pallavi Aiyar
(YaleGlobal, Aug. 29, 2008) Without the Games and their prestige to drive home the necessity of “harmony” at any cost, China’s ruling party will have to confront its greatest Achilles heel – its inability to admit to the existence of real diversity and dissent – head on.

Where Next for Post-Games China? By Michael Bristow
(BBC, Aug. 28, 2008) The Olympics in Tokyo in 1964 and Seoul in 1988 both marked turning points in the development of Japan and South Korea. Many hope it will be the same for Beijing.

China’s Olympic Run—Part I By Mary Kay Magistad
(YaleGlobal, Aug. 27, 2008) China’s leaders are caught between conflicting instincts – to play to both audiences, to trumpet China’s rise as a formidable power, while trying to reassure the world of its friendly, non-threatening nature.

Slipping Over the Great Firewall of China By Nicholas D. Kristof
(NYT, Aug. 24, 2008) It’s true that the government censors critical Web sites and closes down troublesome blogs. Yet there aren’t nearly enough censors to manage the job, and many Chinese are quite adept at technological ladders over the Great Firewall of China.

Post-Games China to Refocus on Economy, Stability By Benjamin Kang Lim (Reuters, Aug. 24, 2008) China's leaders will breath a sigh of relief as the Beijing Olympics close, turning their attention back on the economy, keen to prevent any slowdown and possible unrest.

The Chinese Dream Has Replaced America’s By Martin Fletcher
(Times, Aug. 23, 2008) China’s economy may be lagging behind the U.S., but it is miles ahead in optimism, dynamism, and patriotism.

Will the Olympics Boost China Human Rights? By Bruce Einhorn and Lawrence Delevingne (BusinessWeek, Aug. 22, 2008) Many were hoping a new openness would emerge as the mainland took center stage, but most experts agree the Games won't change much.

New Strategies for ‘Democratizing’ China By James Gomez
(Asia Times, Aug. 21, 2008) An integrated approach that is based closer in the region seems to be the way forward to bring democracy to China as well as to other parts of Asia.

Harmony and the Dream By David Brooks
(New York Times, Aug. 11, 2008) The rise of China isn’t only an economic event. It’s a cultural one. The ideal of a harmonious collective may turn out to be as attractive as the ideal of the American Dream.

U.S. in “Firm Opposition” to Chinese Human Rights Policies, Bush Says By Michael Abramowitz (Washington Post, Aug. 7, 2008) President Bush on Thursday used some of his bluntest language to date on human rights in China, saying that "America stands in firm opposition" to China's detention of political dissidents and religious activists.

China’s Leaders Are Resilient in Face of Change By Jim Yardley
(NYT, Aug. 6, 2008) If the Olympics have presented unmistakable challenges and crises, the Communist Party has proved resilient. The short-term byproduct of the Olympics has been a surge in Chinese patriotism that bolstered the party against international criticism.

China Shouldn’t Be Inscrutable By Fareed Zakaria
(Newsweek, Aug. 11, 2008) To say that this new China is the same as the old is to be utterly ignorant or ideological—perhaps both.

Despite Flaws, Rights in China Have Expanded By Howard W. French (New York Times, Aug. 2, 2008) Political change, however gradual and inconsistent, has made China a significantly more open place for average people than it was a generation ago.

China’s Dash for Freedom
(The Economist, Jul. 31, 2008) On balance, the award of the games has done more harm than good to the opening up of China. The big forces driving that opening are independent of the games.

China Emerges as Major Player in Global Trade Talks By Stephen Castle (New York Times, Jul. 29, 2008) As seven years of global trade talks approach another climax, China is emerging as a central player — and coming under heavy criticism from the United States and others for its tactics.

China Using Olympics as ‘Pretext’ for Crackdown: Amnesty
(AFP, Jul. 29, 2008) China is using the Beijing Olympics as a pretext to pursue -- and in some cases tighten -- a crackdown on human rights, notably ridding the capital of "undesirables," Amnesty International charged Monday.

Rights Issue Looms as Bush Heads to China By Michael Abramowitz
(Washington Post, Jul. 28, 2008) With President Bush set to leave next week for the Olympics in Beijing, the White House is coming under increased pressure from lawmakers and advocacy groups to make a public statement of concern about the crackdown on human rights and freedom in China.

Olympics: Wary China Readies for Some Patriot Games By Jonathan Watts (Guardian, Jul. 28, 2008) With less than two weeks until the opening ceremony, the tide of nationalist fervor is rising to fever pitch as the torch enters the final stages of its epic and controversial journey to Beijing.

China’s Agony of Defeat By Orville Schell
(Newsweek, Aug. 4, 2008) The Beijing Games present a fraught and sensitive moment. China has made a Herculean effort to prepare the way for this spectacle, in which ordinary Chinese, not just their leaders, can announce themselves to the world as having regained their national greatness.

A Long Wait at the Gate to Greatness By John Pomfret
(Washington Post, Jul. 27, 2008) China, the drumbeat goes, is poised to become the 800-pound gorilla of the international system, ready to dominate the 21st century the way the United States dominated the 20th. Except that it's not.

The Man Who Swam to China Floats to the Top of Global Banking By Heather Stewart (Guardian, Jul. 27, 2008) Lin says China’s most important link with Africa is in providing an example of economic success. 'China provides a role model to show that it's possible to change from a very desperate situation into a very promising, dynamic country - and that kind of role model is very important.'

In Washington, China and Critics Spread Separate Versions of Coming Olympic Games (AP, Jul. 25, 2008) The Olympic games begin in Beijing on Aug. 8, but already the competition to sway public opinion in the United States is heating up between anti-China activists and Chinese authorities. It is transforming the run-up to the global sports gathering into a public relations marathon.

China’s Evolving Perspective on Darfur: Significance and Policy Implications By Chin-Hao Huang (PacNet #40, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Jul. 24, 2008) It appears that there is greater consensus on hot spots in Africa such as Darfur, in part because there is growing congruence in Beijing’s evolving perspective and Washington’s outlook.

Open China’s Great Firewall
(Christian Science Monitor, Jul. 24, 2008) China has more people online than any other country. But its rulers are also world-class obstructors of the Internet, a practice sure to be under scrutiny during the Olympic Games, when foreigners used to Web freedom will visit Beijing.

In China, Fine Line Between Response and Overreaction By Jill Drew (Washington Post, Jul. 23, 2008) The goading note was a stark reminder that connecting all the dots before an act of violence and providing an ironclad protection against it is nearly impossible, experts said.

China’s Unreality TV
(Editorial, New York Times, Jul. 22, 2008) We will never know whether China’s leaders intended to keep their word. What we do know is that the International Olympic Committee, corporate sponsors and governments around the world should have held China to its word.

Confronting Income Inequality in China By Alan Wheatley
(Reuters, Jul. 22, 2008) In "China's Dilemma," a collection of papers co-published by the Australian National University and the Asia Pacific Press, Yifu Lin argued that fundamental flaws in China's economic model were partly to blame for the yawning gap between rich and poor.

China is Growing Unfriendly to Foreigners, Visitors Say By Ariana Eunjung Cha (Washington Post, Jul. 19, 2008) Some human rights advocates, business associations and foreign visitors say the visa crackdown has more to do with keeping out potential foreign protesters. They say the process is alienating foreigners.

China ‘Is Fueling War in Darfur’ By Hilary Andersson
(BBC, Jul. 13, 2008) The BBC has found the first evidence that China is currently helping Sudan's government militarily in Darfur.

Faster, Higher – But Freer?
(Editorial, The Guardian, Jul. 12, 2008) The opening ceremony will be less of a coming-out parade for Chinese leaders than a coronation. For the very same reasons, western leaders rightly remain uneasy about giving their imprimatur to a regime which jails dissidents, persecutes religious groups, backs Burma and bankrolls Darfur.

China Crackdown Targets Critics Ahead of Olympics By Henry Sanderson (AP, Jul. 11, 2008) As Beijing enters the final stretch before the August 8-24 Olympics, the government is trying to shut out anyone it believes might mar an event meant to showcase China as a modern nation.

Fraying at the Edges
(The Economist, Jul. 10, 2008) Taiwan is a big unfinished nationalist project at a time when Chinese nationalism is gaining potency. Beijing’s present policy relies on Taiwan’s refraining from any “provocation”. This is dangerously fragile.

Confucianism Makes a Comeback in China By Daniel A. Bell
(Japan Times, Jul. 10, 2008) Communism has lost its capacity to inspire the Chinese. So what should replace it? Most Westerners think the answer is liberal democracy, but there is another answer, which takes the form of the old and venerable tradition of Confucianism.

Around the World, Activists Assemble to Press China on Rights By Robin Shulman (Washington Post, Jul. 9, 2008) Marking the one-month countdown to the start of the Beijing Olympic Games, activists gathered here and in cities around the world Tuesday to call on China to ease crackdowns on dissenters and release political prisoners.

China Seen as Reneging on Media-Freedom Vow By Geoffrey York
(Globe and Mail, Jul. 7, 2008) When 25,000 foreign journalists descend on Beijing next month to cover the Olympics, they will face restrictions that are far from the "complete freedom" China promised in its bid for the Games.

China Protests: A New Approach? By Simon Elegant
(Time, Jul. 4, 2008) The incident that took place in the remote town of Weng’an is more than a mere pre-Olympics anomaly and may be part of a new, more open approach by Beijing to outbursts of long-simmering rage.

Victims of the Boom By David Harrison
(Telegraph, Jun. 29, 2008) The cities may be thriving but in the countryside 800m peasants struggle to survive. As pollution, migration and 'land grabs' threaten to destroy rural China, protests are growing. How much longer can the people be ignored?

Nationalist Fervor in China Is Backed by Anger By Ted Plafker
(International Herald Tribune, Jun. 27, 2008) Wrought from several sets of interwoven strands, the Chinese impulse toward nationalism is an intricate fabric. Love of country is mixed with a sometimes venomous ethnic chauvinism.

To Understand China’s Future, Look to Its Past By Jonathan Fenby
(The Times, Jun. 24, 2008) Given the fault lines created by 30 years of invigorating but unbalanced growth, China's leaders need to show a degree of benevolence to buttress popular support. How to do that without relinquishing their grip on power is a problem they share with rulers dating back through the millennia.

Return to Repression
(Editorial, Washington Post, Jun. 23, 2008) The suppression of critical coverage and the harassment of foreign journalists are the norms in China. What makes it remarkable now is not only the brief relaxation of control that preceded it but the fact that it comes just weeks before the Olympic Games in Beijing.

A New China Appears Amid Quake Rubble By Mark Magnier
(LA Times, Jun. 17, 2008) One month after a massive earthquake killed nearly 70,000 people, some of the effects of the crisis may hardly outlast the rubble, even as other seismic shifts irrevocably shake the Chinese government and society.

In China, the Game Has Changed By Victor D. Cha
(LA Times, Jun. 15, 2008) Political change in China is unavoidable, however. Beijing's leaders face a Catch-22. The price for seeking the Olympic limelight to showcase China's greatness is increased exposure to pressures to change.

China to Keep Grip on Society as Challenges Loom By Benjamin Kang Lim (Reuters, Jun. 9, 2008) Chinese government's burst of openness in the aftermath of its devastating earthquake was not a signal that the Communist Party is relaxing its grip on a rapidly changing society -- far from it.

Victim Or Victor? China’s Olympic Odyssey By Ian Buruma
(Wall Street Journal, Jun. 7, 2008) Resurgent nationalists are counting on a torrent of gold medals to erase centuries of humiliation. Will the Beijing Games complete a restoration of Chinese greatness or arrogance?

Setting Politics Aside to Help Victims of China Earthquake By Kirk Semple (NYT, Jun. 1, 2008) The emergency has temporarily unified the various and sometimes competing strands of the Chinese diaspora, including anti-Communist groups, which have suspended their political animosities toward Beijing for now, to support the victims of the earthquake.

Two Images of China By Lee Kuan Yew
(Forbes, Jun. 16, 2008) this moment of world sympathy will pass, and concerns over China's future role will remain. The West is uncertain whether this huge nation will be good or bad for the world. This tension will only be resolved when both sides approximate each other's worldviews and accept that they will never have identical cultural values.

Outpouring of Help Shifts Mood in China By Edward Cody
(Washington Post, May 27, 2008) Foreign Ministry spokesmen were appealing for help from anywhere abroad within a week of the quake. It was a departure for China, which typically accepts only small amounts of aid in times of crisis.

China Enjoys Rare Moment of Global Support By Peter Ford
(Christian Science Monitor, May 27, 2008) In an unexpected silver lining to the tragic Sichuan earthquake, China's international image has enjoyed dramatic improvement over the past two weeks. But the turnaround remains fragile, say Chinese and foreign scholars.

A Thwarted Search for Information By Maureen Fan
(Washington Post, May 26, 2008) Thousands of children died in the May 12 Sichuan earthquake. The loss has been particularly hard because of China’s limits on family size a nearly 30-year-old policy designed to curb population growth and reduce poverty.

China Teaches Something in Quake By Frederick Kempe
(Bloomberg, May 20, 2008)
Tempting as it is to judge China's response as further evidence of the country's unstoppable rise, it is a reminder of Chinese fragility. What lurks beneath the firm surface of accomplishment are growing economic, social and environmental shifts that might threaten the country's single-party, technocratic leadership.

Many Hands, Not Held by China, Aid in Quake By Jim Yardley and David Barboza (New York Times, May 20, 2008) The public outpouring is so overwhelming that analysts are debating whether it will create political aftershocks and place pressure on China’s authoritarian state to allow more space for civil society.

A Hard Look at China's Soft Power
(Asia Times, May 16, 2008) China's attempts to use its "soft power" assets are increasingly successful, although not without problems, according to a recent United States congressional study. China also deploys its soft power as part of the political dynamic of trying to separate Taiwan from its remaining diplomatic relationships.