In The News

China "to Overtake US on Science" in Two Years

David Shukman April 6, 2011
With a growing economy and rising surplus, China has invested heavily in education and R&D. "Chinese spending has grown by 20% per year since 1999, now reaching over $100bn, and as many as 1.5 million science and engineering students graduated from Chinese universities in 2006," reports David Shukman for the BBC News. A study by the UK's national science academy compares the...

A Bolt From the Blue Sea

Nayan Chanda March 31, 2011
Japan is the source of advanced technology for multiple industries. Triple tragedies of an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident – with thousands killed, hundreds of thousands displaced and rolling blackouts – immediately revealed many economic interconnections and the vulnerability of the global supply chain, explains Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal editor, in his regular column for Businessworld....

Li & Fung Warns of End of Cheap China Goods

Rahul Jacob March 28, 2011
The era of low prices – thanks to low-cost labor in China – is over, warns Li & Fung, a Hong Kong product sourcing firm, as reported by the Financial Times. China laborers overall enjoyed a raise of about 20 percent this year, reports Rahul Jacob. Retailers must now decide how much of the extra costs they can pass on to consumers and how much can be taken away from profits. Even as...

Libya Exposes Fault Lines in the Mediterranean – Part I

François Godement March 25, 2011
Europe and the West, enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, anticipate a quick end to the conflict. With the tenacity of the pro-Gaddafi forces, that assumption may prove to be misplaced. The crisis reveals a range of security vulnerabilities affecting the Mediterranean and beyond. In the first article of this YaleGlobal series, China specialist François Godement notes how the need to evacuate...

China Considers Relaxing One-Child Policy

Tania Branigan March 24, 2011
Human-rights advocates have long railed against China’s one-child policy – and exemptions have gradually been granted to a limited number of families, allowing them two children. Warned about population imbalances and young adults overwhelmed with caring for aging parents without sibling support, officials quietly ponder how to extend a two-child policy gradually for all Chinese. One out of six...

A Tryst with Destiny

Yoichi Funabashi March 23, 2011
On 11 March, a 9.0 earthquake struck the Japanese coast, followed by a tsunami’s powerful wall of water. Natural disaster damaged a nuclear power plant, releasing radiation that taints some crops and Tokyo’s water supply. Tragedy that devastated the world’s third largest economy will transform Japan’s identity and policies, too, explains journalist and author Yoichi Funabashi, writing from Tokyo...

Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers

Keith Bradsher, Hiroko Tabuchi March 16, 2011
In a disaster, society often depends on a few courageous individuals who risk their lives to stabilize equipment and minimize damage. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan battered the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, adding new dangers to operations that had already carried ample risks. Most staff was evacuated, but a small crew volunteered to stay behind, working with flashlights and last...