China Opens World’s Longest Bridge: Would You Cross If You Came To It?
A bridge that links the port city of Qingdao with an offshore island Huangdao opened today in Shandong province. The Jiaozhou bridge, which spans 26.3 miles, cost reportedly $2.3 billion and is the...
View ArticleBuilding Boom in China Stirs Fears of Debt Overload
The New York Times reports from Wuhan on the extensive redevelopment plans for the city and the problem of local debt incurred by Chinese cities’ ambitious building projects: The plans for Wuhan, a...
View ArticleChinese Democracy Has its Benefits
A recent study suggests that China’s village elections have led to some concrete improvements for local residents since the early 80s, despite widespread meddling by Party officials. Among the reported...
View ArticleDebates on the Future of China’s Economy
In an article titled Pedalling Prosperity, The Economist correspondents use an elaborate metaphor of penny-farthing to disagree with China bears. They point out a common misconception among observers...
View ArticleHeavy Rain Kills At Least 37 in Beijing
Rainfall of up to 18 inches brought death and disruption to Beijing over the weekend. From Andrew Jacobs at The New York Times: The heaviest rainfall in six decades caused widespread havoc in this...
View ArticleDirectives from the Ministry of Truth: Beijing Floods
The following examples of censorship instructions, issued to the media and/or Internet companies by various central (and sometimes local) government authorities, have been leaked and distributed...
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Flood Brings Out Beijing’s Digital Samaritans (Update)
Update (August 23, 2012): The Fangshan authorities reported on July 23 that no elders died in assisted living facilities due to the flood [zh]. Netizens have reached out a digital hand to those left...
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Destiny in the Flood Waters
“Be moved! But more than that, move the sewers!” Beijing’s floods are emblematic of government mismanagement. Chinese netizens are quick to make social critiques of disasters both great and small, and...
View ArticleGDP, Infrastructure, Train Crashes and Tofu Bridges
Earlier this month, Foreign Policy compiled a list of the 75 cities projected to be the “world’s most dynamic” by 2025, according to per-capita GDP growth. The list, which is based on a McKinsey Global...
View ArticleDo New Policies Signal Road to Recovery?
Bloomberg reports that the Chinese government has approved plans to build over 2,000 kilometers of roads as it aims to reverse slowing economic growth: The projects include highways in Zhejiang and...
View Article67 Killed, 100,000 Displaced by Yunnan Quakes
Two earthquakes in south-west China have killed at least 67 people (as of 1:02 a.m., local time) and forced more than 100,000 from their homes. Xinhua described the damage and initial relief efforts....
View ArticleChina Advances High-Speed Rail Amid Concerns
For National Geographic, Ian Johnson takes stock of the current situation of China’s high-speed rail network and the many issues involved with its further development: The project symbolizes China’s...
View ArticleReport Claims Hacker Group Linked To People’s Liberation Army
In the recent string of hacking attacks against American newspapers, government departments and other organizations, the difficulty of definitively attributing such actions has been a recurring theme....
View ArticleCan Airport Investment Clear the Runway for Growth?
China’s 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015) has identified infrastructure development as essential for maintaining economic growth, and under it local governments will be footing the bill for airport...
View ArticleGov. Brown Sees China as Ticket to High-Speed Railway
On a weeklong trade mission to China, California Governor Jerry Brown is seeking to promote Chinese investment in the U.S. state’s enormous but struggling economy, and Chinese media has been taking...
View ArticleChina Becomes the Biggest PC Market
China has become the world’s biggest market for personal computers according to IHS, with 69 million units shipped in 2012 compared with 66 million in the U.S.. From the BBC: Laptops are the fastest...
View ArticleCorruption on College Campuses
While China’s explosion in college admissions has led to a glut of graduates with gloomy job prospects, the corresponding boom in campus infrastructure offers rich opportunities for corruption. From...
View ArticleAudit Reveals Growing Local Government Debt
A recent report from China’s National Audit Office shows an increase in borrowing at the local government level. The audit, which covered more than 200 local government financing vehicles, indicates...
View ArticleChina Reaffirms “Absolute Fight” Against Dalai Lama
An article by a Central Party School scholar and reports of experimental concessions in some Tibetan areas have recently given rise to hopes that China might adopt a softer line towards the Dalai Lama....
View ArticleBeijing Opens Infrastructure to Foreign Investment
With GDP growth slowing to 7.5% in the second quarter, Beijing has invited foreign investors to bid on $55 billion worth of urban infrastructure projects. Reuters reports: The projects include rail...
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