In The News

US Weighs Harder Line with China on Yuan

Andrew Browne February 22, 2006
With the appreciation of China’s currency moving at an unsatisfactory pace for the Bush administration, the US is signaling that it may press the issue more forcibly. Last year the US trade deficit with China rose to $202 billion, more than a quarter of the total US deficit. A week ago, US Trade Representative Rob Portman introduced a task force that will analyze Chinese trade practices. The...

China Seeking Auto Industry, Piece by Piece

Keith Bradsher February 21, 2006
With strong backing from the Communist Party, the Chinese company Lifan is making the jump from manufacturing motorcycles to cars, planning to compete with companies like Honda and Ford. The company is bidding to acquire one of the most innovative car engine plants in the industry from Damiler Chrysler and BMW The plant is in Brazil, but Lifan plans to break Campo Largo down and reassemble it in...

Fuss About China Is Overdone

Guy de Jonquières February 20, 2006
The world has become “mesmerized” by China – hungry for its market and fearful of its increasing strength. In this article, Guy de Jonquières speculates about the possibility of an economic downturn for China and what that might mean for the world at large. Such an event, while unlikely, could emerge with “internally generated upsets” such as a property market crash or social unrest. His argument...

So Long Dalai Lama: Google Adapts to China

Joseph Kahn February 15, 2006
Free-speech advocates continue to reproach the world’s technology and media giants for ready cooperation with the Chinese government’s moves to censor the internet. Yahoo offered up information about users’ email accounts that led to the convictions of so-called dissidents in 2003 and 2005. Microsoft pulled the plug on a major blog that drew the ire of Chinese censors. Cisco sold equipment...

Keeping North Korea from the Brink – Part I

Peter Beck February 14, 2006
Countries throughout the north Pacific recognize the grave danger of the North Korean nuclear program, but lack a coherent strategy for restraining it. This two-part series examines the specific concerns for US and China in containing the program – as well as proposals for a long-term resolution. Peter Beck, an analyst with the International Crisis Group in Seoul, notes that US economic...

Chinese Censors of Internet Face “Hacktivists” in US

Geoffrey A. Fowler February 14, 2006
The Chinese government tries to maintain strict control over citizens’ access to the internet, but computer-savvy free-speech activists abroad are making that job more difficult. Among those activists is Bill Xia, a North Carolinian who distributes a program called “Freegate” that allows Chinese web surfers to circumvent their government’s online censorship. Designed by a Chinese-American,...

China's Powerhouse Vision for 2050

Jonathan Watts February 13, 2006
China released a report from its leading research institute with an optimistic vision for the nation’s next 50 years. The projections depend on China undergoing a transition from a predominantly agricultural society to a suburban knowledge-based economy – and moving 500 million people closer to the cities. China would also have to maintain a strong growth rate, now at 9 percent. Noting that China...