After decades of emulating Japan‘s export-driven economic miracle, China appears in danger of following it into the same kind of economic coma that Japan is trying to wake up from 20 years later. China is struggling to wean itself off… Read More ›
Month: July 2013
Australia presses China for human rights reform
Australia’s Foreign Minister Bob Carr has urged China to press ahead with legal and political reform as the nation plays an increasingly important role in the world. In a speech to the influential Asia Society in Hong Kong, Senator Carr… Read More ›
China charges Bo Xilai with corruption, paves way for trial
China charged disgraced senior politician Bo Xilai with bribery, abuse of power and corruption on Thursday, paving the way for a potentially divisive trial that President Xi Jinping will want smoothly handled as he pushes major economic reforms. Bo, 64, could… Read More ›
Australian Foreign minister on trade tour of China
Australia’s Foreign Minister Senator Bob Carr today began a 10-day visit to boost bilateral ties and economic links with China. Senator Carr will have a series of high-level meetings in China, including in Hong Kong, Sichuan, Chongqing and Fujian…. Read More ›
Debt crisis looms in China’s Jiangsu province
The nightmare scenario for China’s leaders as they try to wean the country off a diet of easy credit and breakneck expansion is a local government buckling under the weight of its own debt. Few provinces fit that bill quite… Read More ›
Why China’s economy is wobbling
A $91 billion industrial project in China, mired in debt and unfulfilled promise, suggests part of the reason why China’s economy is wobbling – and why it will be hard to turn around. The steel mill at the heart of… Read More ›
China’s nuclear arsenal perhaps world’s largest – up to 10,000 warheads
Mil.huaniu.com says in its comprehensive report on July 24, 2013: “According to an article in Russian Military Messenger weekly on July 24 titled “China’s grand nuclear gift—China may have the largest nuclear arsenal in the world”, the author, a deputy… Read More ›
China’s new ships seen near Senkaku Islands
Chinese coast guard ships were spotted Wednesday for the first time near disputed islands controlled by Japan following a reorganisation of the service to boost Beijing’s ability to enforce its maritime claims. Japan’s coast guard said four Chinese craft were… Read More ›
China: DF-21C aircraft carrier killer missiles show their strengh in Gobi Desert
PLA Pictorial: Draw your bow for shooting on a horse in the vast desert, a great general once said. In midsummer, a certain unit of the Second Artillery Corps went fully out with all its equipment to the Gobi Desert…. Read More ›
China: 70 dead in Gansu earthquake
Two powerful earthquakes have struck China’s north-west Gansu province, killing more than 70 people and leaving at least 400 others injured. The first earthquake near Dingxi city had a magnitude of 5.98 and was shallow, with a depth of just… Read More ›
China frees up lending rates in major reform
China’s central bank removed controls on bank lending rates, effective Saturday, in a long-awaited move that signals the new leadership’s determination to carry out market-oriented reforms. The move gives commercial banks the freedom to compete for borrowers, a reform the… Read More ›
July 21 1553 China’s warrior monks meet Japan’s dwarf pirates
On July 21st 1553, 120 Buddhist temple monks met an approximately equal number of “Japanese pirates” in battle. The so-called Japanese pirates, wakou or woku, were actually a confederation of Japanese, Chinese, and even some Portuguese citizens who banded together…. Read More ›
China’s economic turmoil a major concern for US companies
It’s official. China’s slowdown is starting to hurt corporate America. As the world’s second-largest economy – and still growing – China is seen as a primary source of revenue growth by the largest U.S. companies. But a country that once… Read More ›
China urges local governments to speed up spending to support the economy
China urged local governments on Thursday to speed up spending this year’s budget to support economic growth but said it would keep overall policy stable and focus on pushing through reforms. Beijing is reluctant to take broad action to stem… Read More ›
How will China react to 20,000 US troops training in Australia?
This article, by Matthew M. Burke, appeared on the ‘Stars and Stripes’ website. It raises a few questions about the agenda and implications. I would hope the Australian people would look at this manoeuvre with more than a cursory assessment…. Read More ›
Australia and China resume free trade talks
Australia will undertake a major rethink of its investment stance towards China, with the Rudd government now prepared to discuss reducing hurdles to Chinese investment as it strives to conclude a free trade agreement with Beijing. New Trade Minister Richard… Read More ›
China’s nuclear power ambitions threatened by public trust
As China pushes an aggressive expansion of nuclear power, it is running into a major stumbling block – a breakdown of trust, post-Fukushima, in official assurances of public safety. A plan to build a $6 billion uranium processing plant in… Read More ›
I.M.F. warns China to hasten economic change
China’s growth has slowed significantly in recent months. But even its current pace of expansion may not be sustainable, the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday, unless China starts making significant and systemic economic changes — and soon. “Since the… Read More ›
China copies Russian anti-missile radar defence system
Recently, some photos on the internet disclosed a Russian 64N6E Big Bird anti-missile phase array radar system that China has copied from Russia. It is said that China uses such a radar system for the anti-missile capability of its land-based… Read More ›
Australia helps China build emissions trading scheme
Australia has been drafted in to help design an emissions trading scheme for China, the world’s biggest polluter. A deal announced in Canberra on Thursday will see the Australian National University take leadership of a program that will analyse pollution… Read More ›
China: Tang Hui’s victory important in battle for democratic supervision
CCTV reporter Ji Chenghai reported on Monday: “With respect to the case of Tang Hui v. Hunan Yongzhou Committee of Re-education Through Labour for administrative compensation, at 9:15 am, Hunan Higher People’s Court gave its verdict of final instance. “Tang… Read More ›
Japan to increase China tensions by nationalising islands
Japan may nationalise hundreds of unclaimed islands off its coast in a bid to bolster its territorial claims, reports said, in a move that could complicate already simmering relations with China over existing maritime disputes. Quoting government sources, the Yomiuri… Read More ›
China’s J-20 stealth fighter: Finalisation test flight and interior weapon cabin
According to reports by Chinese media, at about 16:00 hours on July 6, 2013, China’s fourth-generation stealth fighter jet J-20 no. 2002 took off again at the aircraft plant in Chengdu for the test flight centre in Xian. This indicated… Read More ›
China’s air travelers forced to take high-speed rail
It is really fascinating that there has been so much bad news in China now. Take transportation for example, on July 12 there was an SCMP report Chinese airports the worst when it comes to delays. The next day, there was… Read More ›
China targets foreigners through expat websites
For many years, China have used paid contributors on internet forums to shape commentary in favour of China, and to belittle the west (China’s government hires people to distort web conversations). These contributors are known in Chinese as wumao, and often… Read More ›
China’s city-sized mall, complete with artificial sun
For years, the race to build the world’s tallest tower has been dominated by the United Arab Emirates with the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, or the Tokyo Sky Tree of Japan. But China recently opened up a few front in… Read More ›
China-US dialogue: China’s unrequited love again?
In my post South China Disputes: Encirclement of China, I described China’s unrequited love. I said that in spite of China’s efforts and sacrifice in the case of Libya (where it has suffered huge loss due to support for US policy),… Read More ›
China’s only good news is bad news from elsewhere
China‘s appearance in international headlines thus far in 2013 has often been because of quality of life issues. The year began with reports of unusually high smog levels in Beijing and images of massive numbers of dead pigs clogging Shanghai waterways…. Read More ›
Is China too big to fail?
My recent post about the financial problems of shipbuilder Rongsheng was renamed from it’s original title to become China believes shipbuilder is ‘too big to fail’ – does China share the same belief about itself?” This posed a very interesting question:… Read More ›
China’s pollution reduces life span by 5.5 years
Air pollution causes people in northern China to live an average of 5.5 years shorter than their southern counterparts, according to a study released on Monday which claims to show in unprecedented detail the link between air pollution and life… Read More ›
China believes shipbuilder is “too big to fail” – does China share the same belief about itself?
An appeal for government financial support from China’s biggest private shipbuilder presents authorities with some stark choices between protecting a big employer and its jobs or letting the firm go under to ease pressure on a sector suffering from overcapacity… Read More ›
Joint China-Russia exercise more political than military
China and Russia made headlines this past weekend when they participated in the rather blandly titled Joint Sea 2013. Despite the name, Joint Sea was China’s largest ever joint naval exercise, and one of the more noteworthy bits of naval activity… Read More ›
China’s new visa laws target expats
On July 1st 2013, China introduced new visa laws for foreigners, supposedly targeting illegal workers, but in reality targeting all expats in China (read the laws here). Mostly it seems about being able to control and punish foreigners more, which… Read More ›
China targets foreign firms for charging more than inferior domestic products
China’s top economic planning agency is investigating costs and prices charged by drugmakers, including units of GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, as foreign firms come under pressure from Beijing over possible price-fixing. The move follows a separate probe into instant milk powder,… Read More ›
China’s CCP tightens grip on power after Egyptian crisis
CCP leaders view the latest upheaval in the Middle East as a vindication of their policy of gradual reform and opening up to maintain stability. As demonstrations and street clashes again rock Egypt, many in China are watching closely to… Read More ›
China’s anti-Japan stance causes Toyota to reconsider the country’s merits
Toyota and its dealers are quietly manoeuvring to allay risks from periodic eruptions of anti-Japan sentiment in China, even as recent sales data suggest a slow but steady recovery for Japanese automakers since the latest flare-up last year. China sales… Read More ›
Australia warned of China economy danger
Former Australian prime minister John Howard has warned Australia not to become mesmerised by China, and instead focus on maintaining an efficient and productive economy. In a major speech to the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, Mr Howard said… Read More ›
China will cut off credit to rebalance economy
China said on Friday it would cut off credit to force consolidation in industries plagued by overcapacity as it seeks to end the economy’s dependence on extravagant investment funded by cheap debt. In a statement from the State Council, or… Read More ›
China says Philippines stirring trouble by asking US for help
A Chinese military general told foreign media Thursday that the Philippines plays the character of a “troublemaker” in the South China Sea. “The role of the Philippines in the South China Sea is actually, in my view, a troublemaker,” People’s… Read More ›
Russia sells China S-400 surface-to-air missiles
Huanqiu.com says in its report titled Russia has decided to sell S-400 to China: “According to the July issue of Canadian “Kanwa Defence Review” an authoritative source of the Russian military industry says that Russia has decided to export S-400 anti-aircraft… Read More ›
Chinese official says police job to beat people
A surprising statement by a government official in eastern China’s Jiangsu province has captured the attention of internet users after it was caught on video and posted online on Sunday. “If the police don’t beat people, what’s the point of… Read More ›
China plays down economic turmoil
China’s chief banking regulator said on Saturday that liquidity in China’s banking system is sufficient and pledged to control risks from local government debt, real estate and shadow banking. Despite a cash squeeze that sent money-market interest rates soaring over… Read More ›
What to make of Xi Jinping’s Maoist turn
With a number of Mao-like pronouncements emanating from Beijing in recent months, some observers of Chinese politics think Xi Jinping might be turning Maoist. The most recent example is an editorial published earlier this week in the authoritative People’s Daily… Read More ›
China agrees to South China Sea talks amid new row with Manila
China agreed to hold formal talks with Southeast Asian nations on a plan to ease maritime tensions on Sunday as the Philippines accused it of causing “increasing militarisation” of the South China Sea, one of Asia’s naval flashpoints. The rebuke… Read More ›
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