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China’s Rise:
China’s Economic and Social Developments
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2004 ; 2005 ; 2006 ; 2007
[News] [Papers]
New
Disease Outbreaks in China; 15K Children Infected
(AP, May 8, 2008) New outbreaks in China reported Wednesday put the number of
children infected with hand, foot and mouth disease above 15,000 and the
death toll has risen to at least 28 across the country.
China Calls for Halt in
'Radical' Anti-France Demonstrations
(AP, Apr. 23, 2008) With praise for the French president and appeals for
calm, China's leadership
signaled that it is ready to put an end to anti-France sentiment that has swept the country since the
chaotic Olympic torch
relay in Paris.
Protests of the West Spread in China
(New York Times, Apr. 21, 2008) Nationwide demonstrations against a French
supermarket chain spread on Sunday as thousands of people protested what they
said was France’s sympathy for
pro-Tibetan agitators. The protesters have also been singling out Western
news outlets, especially CNN, for what they said was biased coverage of
unrest in Tibet.
China Urges Control of
'Patriotic Fervor' over Tibet
(AFP, Apr. 18, 2008) China has urged its people to contain their patriotism,
in the first sign Beijing may be
growing uncomfortable with a nationalist outburst over the Tibet issue that
it has tacitly supported.
Europeans See China as
Biggest Threat to Global Stability: Poll
(AFP, Apr. 15, 2008) Europeans see China as a bigger threat to global stability than the
United States, Iran or North Korea, according to a poll.
The Harris survey for the Financial Times showed that an average of 35 percent of
voters in Britain, France,
Germany, Spain and Italy saw China as the biggest
threat to global stability, compared to 29 percent who thought the same of
the United States.
China, New Zealand Sign Free Trade Deal
(AP, Apr. 7, 2008) China and New
Zealand signed a sweeping free trade agreement Monday, the rising economic
giant's first such pact with a developed country. The deal, signed by Chinese
Commerce Minister Chen Deming and his New Zealand counterpart, Phil Goff,
will give New Zealand access to one of the world's fastest-growing economies.
China Hopes to Tame Its
Rapid Economic Growth
(Associated Press, Mar. 5, 2008) China's premier called for "powerful
measures" to rein in the persisting inflation battering ordinary
Chinese, saying the government will use further price controls and curb
soaring investment to hold prices to a 4.8% rise.
China's Communist Party
Approves Leadership, Reform Plans
(AFP, Feb. 28, 2008) China's ruling communist party approved top leadership
jobs and government reform plans Wednesday, ahead of the annual session of
its parliament next week, state media said.
China Turns to Economic
Controls
(Associated Press, Feb. 11, 2008) Fighting stubbornly high inflation, China's
leaders dusted off a blunt tool from its pre-market reform era and commanded
utility companies to freeze electricity prices.
China Tries to Reassure U.S. About Its Investing Plans
(New York Times, Feb. 1, 2008) The head of China’s $200 billion government
investment fund, seeking to reassure Americans nervous about the possibility
of foreign takeovers, said that China would invest mostly in portfolios
rather than individual companies — except when a “big fat rabbit” like the
investment banker Morgan Stanley came along.
China Snow Crisis Shows Vulnerability
(AP, Jan. 31, 2008) China's financial capital saw fresh snowfall as the impact
of unusually wintry weather deepened, highlighting the vulnerabilities of the
country's booming economy. Heavy snows in recent days have stalled shipments
of food and fuel, complicating authorities' efforts to combat a spike in
inflation.
Foreign Companies Pour Money into China: Govt
(Agence France Presse, Jan. 22, 2008) Foreign firms invested a record 82.7
billion dollars in booming China last
year, the government said, with analysts adding the tide of money had
undermined efforts to slow economic growth. The 2007 figure for foreign
direct investment, or FDI, was up 13.8 percent from a year earlier.
China's Trade Surplus Surges to Record
(AP, Jan. 11, 2008) China's global trade surplus soared nearly 50 percent
last year to a record despite an avalanche of safety warnings and recalls of
Chinese-made products abroad. The sharp rise could add to pressure on Beijing
to act on currency controls and import barriers.
China to Launch Rockets, Manned Mission, in Olympic Year
(Associated Press, Jan. 8, 2008) China plans to launch its third manned space
mission that will feature its first-ever space walk during 2008. China will
also send up 15 rockets and 17 satellites. In 2003, China became only the
third country in the world after the United States and Russia to send a human
into orbit. It followed with a two-man mission in 2005.
China Clamps Down on Internet
(AFP, Jan. 4, 2008) China has announced tough new rules to crack down on the
explosion of audio-visual content on the Internet, reiterating that sex and politically
sensitive material will not be tolerated. Only state-controlled entities will
have the right to operate websites that post audio-visual content, according
to the rules.
Morgan Stanley Sets Price for China Deal
(AP, Dec. 25, 2007) Morgan Stanley and the Chinese government said that the
U.S. investment bank has determined the range of prices to be used when
China's international investment fund converts $5 billion worth of securities
into Morgan Stanley stock.
Hong
Kong Leader Presses China for Vote
(NYT,
Dec 13, 2007) Facing widespread demands from the public for full democracy to
be introduced within five years, the Hong Kong government urged the Chinese
government on Wednesday to set a firm timetable for direct elections for the
region’s leader and legislature.
China's
Harmonious Diplomatic Symphony By John Pomfret
(Washington Post, May 9, 2008) While its propaganda machine might be sounding
a little shrill lately, China's foreign policy is hitting all the right
notes. In the past few weeks, President Hu Jintao has met twice with leading
politicians from Taiwan following the election of Ma Ying-jeou. What's more,
last week, Hu spent five days in Japan using "smile" diplomacy with
China's Asian nemesis.
China-Bashing
Is a Blind Man's Game By David Gosset
(Asia Times, May 7, 2008) China's renaissance, arguably the most
significant story of our time, offers to the world as much as the world
brings to China. Yet some fail to grasp the big picture, and for them,
China's re-emergence generates anxiety. The result is anti-Chinese rhetoric
and behavior that can only generate anti-Western attitudes within China.
China's
'Soft Power' Blitz No Major Concern: US Study
(AFP, May 6, 2008) Cash-flush China may be winning
allies and displacing American influence by ramping up foreign investments
and disbursing aid with no strings attached, but a US congressional study
says Washington need not lose sleep over it.
China's Pride Versus Western
Prejudice
(Asia Times, May 2, 2008) New wave of Chinese nationalism: This is at least
the fourth outbreak of Chinese patriotism or nationalism in the last decade:
previous triggers include the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia in
1999, the EP-3 US electronic surveillance plane incident in 2001, and
protests against the Japanese prime minister's visit to the Yasukuni Shrine
in 2005.
China Intensifies War
against Splittism By Willy Lam
(Asia Times, Apr. 30, 2008) While Beijing started last weekend to rein in
nationalistic outbursts against Western media and governments, the Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) has upped the ante in its "people's war"
against separatists who are allegedly in cahoots with "anti-China
elements overseas" to undermine Chinese rule and disrupt the Beijing
Summer Olympic Games.
For Chinese, a Shift in
Mood, From Hospitable to Hostile By Edward Cody
(Washington Post, Apr. 29, 2008) Just weeks ago, most Chinese were welcoming
foreigners as Olympic guests and partners in the country's meteoric economic
development. But as the country enters the final 100 days before the Olympic
Games in Beijing, the mood has changed. Many Chinese have begun to regard
foreigners as adversaries interfering in domestic affairs or, at worst,
bigots unwilling to accept China's emergence as a great power.
Tibet Through Chinese Eyes By Kishore
Mahbubani
(Newsweek, May 5, 2008) The recent crisis over the Olympic torch and Tibet
represent an epic clash: not just between Tibetans and Beijing, but between a
self-congratulatory Western worldview and the very different vision of a
billion-plus Chinese. Most Chinese think the West’s real aim to deny them the
triumph they deserve for their success.
China, India Powers to Equal US
Might in 10 Years: Canadian Survey
(AFP, Apr. 25, 2008) A majority of Canadians (67 percent) believe the
influence of China and India in the world will rival that
of the United States within the next decade, said a survey. As well, more
than 60 percent of Canadians believe the growing importance of China and
India as economic powers are more of an opportunity for Canada than a threat.
With First Car, a New Life in China By Keith
Bradsher
(New York Times, Apr. 24, 2008) China’s explosive growth in first-time buyers
is the driving force behind the country’s record car sales, up more than
eightfold since 2000. It is the reason China just passed Japan to become the
world’s second-largest car market, behind the United States.
China Changes Course,
Advocating Tempered Response to Its Critics
(Washington Post,
Apr. 23, 2008) After weeks of expressing outrage at Western protests over
Tibet and the Olympics, officials here have begun tempering their rhetoric in
recent days and telling Chinese people to be "rational" about their
response.
China Falls Short on Vows
for Olympics: 'Long Way to Go' On Rights, Pollution And Press Freedom (Washington Post, Apr. 21, 2008) China
has spent billions of dollars to fulfill its commitment to stage a grand
Olympics. But beneath the shimmer and behind the slogan, China has not lived
up to a pledge in its Olympic action plan, released in 2002, to "be open
in every aspect," and a constitutional amendment adopted in 2004 to
recognize and protect human rights has not shielded government critics from
arrest.
Chinese Urge Anti-West
Boycott over Tibet Stance
(International Herald Tribune, Apr. 20, 2008) Armed with her laptop and her
indignation, Zhu Xiaomeng sits in her dorm room here, stoking a popular
backlash against Western support for Tibet that has unnerved foreign
investors and Western diplomats and, increasingly, the ruling Communist
Party.
A Highway that Binds China
and Its Neighbors
(International Herald Tribune, Mar. 30, 2008) Prime ministers of Cambodia,
China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam officially inaugurate the former
opium smuggling route as the final link of what they call the
"north-south economic corridor," a network of roads linking the
southern Chinese city of Kunming to Bangkok spanning 1,800 kilometers. The
network is a major milestone for China and its southern neighbors.
Nationalism at Core of
China's Angry Reaction to Tibetan Protests By Jim Yardley
(International Herald Tribune, Mar. 30, 2008) Playing to national pride, and
national insecurities, the Communist Party has used censorship and propaganda
to position itself as defender of the motherland - and block any examination
of Tibetan grievances or its own performance in the crisis.
A Whiff of Openness at
China's Congress By Jill Drew
(Washington Post, Mar. 14, 2008) China is awash in policy proposals as more
than 5,000 people meet this month to ratify laws handed down by Communist
Party leaders. The official Chinese news media portray it as democracy in
action -- delegates, selected by local officials to represent their regions,
offer ideas for laws they believe will improve conditions back home.
The Rise of China’s Neocons By Mark Leonard
(Newsweek, Mar. 17, 2008) A fierce debate over China’ international
approach is underway. The argument, waged in government-run think tanks and
universities, pits liberal internationalists against China’s neocons – who
aim for nothing short of remaking the entire international order in China’s
image. For new the liberal internationalists have the upper hand.
Growing Rich-Poor Divide
Tests China's Boom
(Reuters, Mar. 2, 2008) Economic reforms over the past three decades may have
lifted millions out of grinding poverty and helped fuel a rising middle
class, but those effects have not been felt equally across the country. The
stability-obsessed government worries that if this gap keeps growing, it will
fuel social unrest and violence in the world's most populous nation, some 700
million of whose 1.3 billion people live in a vast and generally poor
countryside.
Elite China Think-Tank
Issues Political Reform Blueprint
(Reuters, Feb. 19, 2008) The "comprehensive political system reform
plan" by scholars at the Central Party School in Beijing argues for steady liberalization that its
authors say can build a "modern civil society" by 2020 and
"mature democracy and rule of law" in later decades.
China’s Complicit
Capitalists By Kellee S. Tsai
(Far Eastern Economic Review, January/February 2008) Private sector development
has clearly had a structural effect on Chinese politics, but not in the
manner expected. Neither capitalists nor communists are interested in
disrupting the implicit pact that has emerged in the last two decades:
continued growth for continued communism.
China’s Economic
Fluctuations and Their Implications for Its Rural Economy By Albert Keidel
(Carnegie Endowment Report, January 2008) China’s recent inflation surge is
the product of domestic rural structural problems, not excessive monetary
growth linked to trade surpluses or foreign reserves. The fundamental
response to China’s inflation risk should be to raise bank deposit and
lending rates to match inflation; failure to do so in the past has caused
damaging swings in inflation, output growth, and social unrest.
Beijing Rejects Farmers' Call for Land
Privatization Rights
(South China Morning Post, Feb. 1, 2008) A top mainland agricultural
policymaker has rejected an appeal by some farmers for the right to privatize
farmland, saying land seized illegally by officials should be returned to its
collective owner, not individuals.
Keeping an Eye on China’s Security By Keith
Bradsher
(New York Times, Jan. 31, 2008) With China now becoming wealthier and its
citizens more mobile, the government is now embracing the extensive use of
street-by-street surveillance technology — and the United States government
is becoming less sure that American companies should be playing a central
role in the effort.
China's Leader Puts Faith in Religious By Edward Cody
(Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2008) There was Hu Jintao, head of the Chinese
Communist Party, warmly shaking hands at a party-sponsored New Year's tea
party with one of the country's main Christian leaders. The shift in tactics
does not mean the Politburo has embraced religion, specialists cautioned, but
it indicates a desire to incorporate believers into the party's quest for
continued economic progress and more social harmony.
In China, a Backlash Over Move to Arrest Journalist
(Washington Post, January 9, 2008) Government officials from a county in
northeastern China's
Liaoning province were not pleased by a magazine story criticizing their
local Communist Party leader. So they traveled nearly 500 miles to Beijing
seeking to arrest the author. As word
of the case filtered out, it prompted national attention, with the news media
crying foul and many other Chinese using the Internet to voice their
displeasure.
What a 'Dissident President' Would Do at the Games By Ellen Bork (Washington Post, Jan. 7, 2008) China's
government arrested one of the country's most prominent dissidents late last
month. State security agents entered the home of Hu Jia on Dec. 27, according
to reports, cut the phone line and gave his wife, Zeng Jinyan, a warrant
accusing her husband of subversion. The arrest of Hu, an advocate for AIDS
victims and a critic of Beijing's handling of the 2008 Olympics, poses a
problem for the White House.
A 'Harmonious Society' Hearing
Different Notes By Howard French
(International Herald Tribune, Jan. 4, 2008) To pay
attention in China is to be aware of the proliferation of the astoundingly
wooden language that suffuses public life. What bigger riddle could there be
in China today, for example, than the meaning of President Hu Jintao's signature
slogan, "harmonious society"? Certainly, no clear explanation has
been given of the concept, as anodyne as it is inherently and, one suspects,
deliberately vague.
China Aims to Grow Its Middle Class
(Associated Press, Dec. 26, 2007) China hopes to grow its middle class to
more than half of its population by the end of the next decade, a Communist
Party planner said. The goal is part of quadrupling China's per capita gross
domestic product by 2020. A bigger middle class will also challenge
the government to provide greater social security and services and better
education systems.
A Revisionist Tale: Why a Poor China Seems Richer By Keith
Bradsher
(New York Times, Dec. 21, 2007) Fashionable streets
even in interior cities like Chongqing now have stores selling Burberry
raincoats and other luxury items to an emerging industrial elite. But the new
World Bank calculations underline the extent to which China remains a poor
nation over all. The average Chinese has economic output — gross domestic
product per capita — worth $1,721 at China’s low market prices. That works
out to the buying power of someone consuming $4,091 worth of goods and
services valued at the prices in an industrial economy — a level of
consumption that would represent poverty to an American.
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