In The News

China Protectionism Equals Votes

Christian Bourge September 15, 2003
US Treasury Secretary John Snow's failure to convince China to float its currency has been met with dismay by the Bush administration. As American unemployment grows in the manufacturing-heavy swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, Bush is looking to place blame elsewhere before he has to compete in the 2004 presidential election. China seemed like a good target – the US has a...

China Joins the Global Economy - Part One

David Zweig September 15, 2003
Just over two decades ago, China was a vast, poor country whose centrally-planned economy offered its citizenry little hope for an improved standard of living. After a series of market-oriented reforms, however, many Chinese now regularly enjoy luxuries that were once reserved for the elite. In part one of a 2-part series on China's entry into the world economy, China expert David Zweig...

Lonely at the Top

Clyde Prestowitz September 13, 2003
Although the US experienced an outpouring of sympathy from much of the world after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, over the past two years it has encountered much resistance to its leadership on issues from Iraq to free trade. The US has lost any goodwill it received after the attacks, says former Reagan administration official and author Clyde Prestowitz, because Washington has pursued a...

Why China Should Not Revalue Its Currency

Linda Lim September 12, 2003
Many Americans are searching for someone to blame for their currently struggling economy. Higher unemployment, a drop in the value of the dollar, and low consumer confidence have made the booming 1990s a distant dream. Some US industries have reacted to the economic slowdown by accusing a top exporter, China, of purposefully undervaluing the yuan. Demands to decouple the yuan from the dollar...

Agriculture on the Table at Trade Talks in Mexico

Kevin Sullivan September 10, 2003
Protesters gathered yesterday around the heavily guarded convention center in Cancun where the latest WTO meeting is taking place. The agricultural subsidies of developed countries is at the top of many representatives' agenda. Negotiators from Mexico to Australia are arguing that the US and the European Union's agricultural subsidies hurt their farmers by 'artificially'...

Hong Kong Entrepreneurial Spirit Shines On

Pana Janviroj September 10, 2003
Hong Kong's economy is not simply recovering in the wake of Sars, but remains vibrant and growing. By withdrawing the anti-subversion bill that motivated massive protests earlier this summer, the government seems to be prioritizing the revitalization of Hong Kong's economy. Many countries in Asia had closely watched the anti-subversion bill, because its handling had the potential to...

Protests Greet Yet Another WTO Meeting

Pranab Bardhan September 8, 2003
As the World Trade Organization prepares to meet in Cancun, Mexico, backers and detractors of globalization are clashing again, with each side claiming to represent the interests of the world's poor. Those opposed to globalization in its current form point to an increase in inequality and poverty in countries that have opened up to international capital and corporations, while supporters...