In The News

China’s Diversified Energy Strategy

S. Kumar October 3, 2011
China, the world’s biggest consumer of energy, “faces challenges in the area of energy security” due to its contentious political relationships and dependence on supply routes. In this opinion piece for Al Jazeera, S. Kumar describes diversified energy strategy that China is employing with both foreign governments and companies. For example, China is “actively trying to attract investments from...

Asia’s Lack of Babies

Philip Bowring September 20, 2011
Declining birth rates in East Asia could dent economic growth, notes an Asian Development Bank study. Increasing wealth correlates with low fertility rates. Bearing and raising children entails sacrifices that last at least two decades, and women easily ignore government calls for a hike in reproduction rates. Asia could follow the lead of Scandinavia, France or the US, suggests Philip Bowring...

Apple Attacked Over Pollution in China

Leslie Hook, Kathrin Hille September 13, 2011
Large multinational corporations are often accused of taking advantage of lax environmental laws in developing countries to reduce costs. But China is signaling a new willingness to reject environmental degradation in exchange for jobs and economic growth. A report published by five Chinese non-governmental organizations alleges that technological behemoth Apple has used suppliers with public...

India Measures Itself Against a China That Doesn’t Notice

Vikas Bajaj September 6, 2011
India is in a race, comparing the pace of its economic development not with Western economic powers but with its neighbor, China, writes Vikas Bajaj for the New York Times. Comparisons on infrastructure, universities and armed forces are a constant feature in India's newspapers. But China does not share the same obsession, instead setting sights on surpassing the largest economy, that of the...

Chinese Tycoon Seeks to Buy Tract of Iceland

Andrew Ward and Leslie Hook September 2, 2011
Big land purchases attract public scrutiny, especially if the buyer is a foreign national. A Chinese real estate investor has set out to buy 300 square kilometers of Icelandic wilderness for an eco-tourism project. The tract, partly under public ownership, represents about 0.3 percent of the island and government approval is required, reports the Financial Times. Investor Huang Nubo is a former...

Chasing Rare Earths, Foreign Companies Expand in China

Keith Bradsher August 30, 2011
Besides a huge market and inexpensive labor, China’s lure for foreign firms has now been revealed to be its vast holdings of rare earth minerals, essential for manufacturing cell phones, hybrid cars and other electronic products. “Companies that continue making their products outside the country must contend with tighter supplies and much higher prices for the materials because of steep taxes and...

Only 3 Percent of What You Buy Is Made in China, But It's the Most Important 3 Percent

Greg Lindsay August 25, 2011
For four decades, corporations have outsourced manufacturing operations to Asia, reducing costs. Shifting manufacturing off-shore eliminated jobs and also “sacrificed the know-how to think of new ways of manufacturing goods,” explains Greg Lindsay for Fast Company. In all, services represent two thirds of the US economy. Manufacturing’s role is small: San Francisco Federal Reserve economists...