Free trade should be fair trade

Dear Access member,

Would you prefer not to receive two emails from us on Fridays and Mondays, or do you like the additional update?

Write to me at jeremy@thechinaproject.com to let me know or give me feedback on anything else!

—Jeremy

1. Free trade should also be fair trade — Mahathir in Beijing

Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad was prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. He was re-elected earlier this year. During his campaign, he sharply criticized deals struck with China by his corruption-tainted predecessor. He is in China now, on a mission to renegotiate those deals.

• Hangzhou was Mahathir’s first stop. The Straits Times reports that he visited carmaker Geely, which owns 49.9 percent of Malaysia’s Proton, and Alibaba. He met both companies’ chief executives — Li Shufu 李书福 and Jack Ma 马云.

• Mahathir met Premier Li Keqiang this morning in Beijing, where they signed an agreement on currency swaps, and the importing of Malaysian frozen durian and palm oil into China.

• Mahathir toned down his harsh campaign-trail rhetoric about Chinese investment in Malaysia for this visit, as CNN points out. After meeting Li, he told reporters that  Malaysia could “learn a lot” from Beijing, adding, “I believe in cooperation with China because China has got a lot that will be beneficial to us.”

• But he made a few frank comments, as Reuters reports. Li Keqiang tried to adjourn the press conference to announce the signing of the durian and palm oil deals by saying that if Mahathir was in agreement that they both supported free trade, they could end the press conference there. Mahathir paused long enough to make Li uncomfortable (video clip), and then said:

Well, I agree with you that free trade should be the way to go. But of course, free trade should also be fair trade… We don’t want a situation where there is a new version of colonialism because poor countries are unable to compete with rich countries in terms of open free trade. It must also be fair trade.  

• Nonetheless, the visit was positive, and as the South China Morning Post notes, Mahathir “pinned blame for the large debt his country owes China squarely on his predecessor Najib Razak,” not on Beijing.

• Xi Jinping met Mahathir in the afternoon. Naturally, they both affirmed the excellence of the Belt and Road initiative, reports Xinhua News Agency. The Chinese version of that report is Xinhua’s top story today.  

• What does this all mean for the region? An opinion piece in the South China Morning Post says that Mahathir’s thinking “offers an insight into weaker states’ views of the evolving Asian order in the Trump-Xi era and suggests a firmer stance on the South China Sea.”

2. Transit-stop-plus: Tsai Ing-wen in America

President Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 of Taiwan stopped over in the U.S. a second time on the way home from Paraguay and Belize.

• These visits are called “transit stops” rather than official visits because Taiwan does not enjoy official diplomatic relations with America, but Beijing has always objected to them. In 1995, the then president of Taiwan, Lee Teng-hui 李登辉, spoke at his alma mater, Cornell: China called the visit a “wanton wound inflicted upon China [that] will help the Chinese people more clearly realize what kind of a country the United States is” (see New York Times story, paywall).

• Tsai met a “trio of pro-Taiwan US House representatives” on her first stop in Los Angeles on August 13, according to the South China Morning Post.

• “In a first, Taiwanese journalists were permitted to follow Ms. Tsai and report from the sites of events she attended,” reports Chris Horton for the New York Times (porous paywall). “She visited Taiwan’s de facto consulate in Los Angeles — another first — and she addressed American media at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library near Los Angeles.”

• On her return to the U.S. yesterday, she stopped at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. These activities “significantly raised her public profile and made her seem more like a normal leader making a normal visit to a foreign country,” said Julian Ku, a professor at Hofstra Law School, to the New York Times.

• As for the future: “Congress is eager to do things to help Taiwan, so nothing, not even a Tsai address to Congress, can be ruled out in the current environment.”

See also:

• Taiwan improves missiles to counter China military expansion / AP

• Tsai asks US Taiwanese to join in reform efforts / Taipei Times  

—Jeremy Goldkorn

3. Trade war, day 46: China becomes convinced U.S. seeks to contain its rise

The U.S. and China are counting down the clock to August 23, when the second tranche of $16 billion in tariffs will activate, bringing the total taxed in taxed goods in the trade war to $50 billion.

Asian financial markets closed higher today, CNBC reports, on news of a Wall Street Journal report (summarized in Friday’s Access newsletter) that hinted at a four-month timeline to end the trade war by mid-November.

But tensions in broader U.S.-China relations are rising, whether or not the trade war hits a pause in the next four months:

• “I believe that Xi has decided the US is intent on keeping China down,” noted China-watcher Bill Bishop writes (paywall), after a two-week trip to China. He added, “While there may be some exploratory efforts to see if a palatable deal exists that mitigates some of the worst of the trade tensions for as long as possible, I do not expect the PRC side to make concessions approaching those demanded by the US in May, even if they are now being slightly watered down.”

• Bloomberg and the South China Morning Post reported the same trend: “A grand strategy, devised and led by Trump, to thwart China’s rise as a global power” is perceived widely in Beijing, Bloomberg says (paywall), while the SCMP writes, “There are signs of a new resolve that sees the trade conflict as part of Washington’s design to temper China’s rise to greater power.”

• The SCMP cites three specific policies in Washington, besides the trade war, that have helped push Beijing toward this view:

  • The National Security Strategy (NSS) published in December 2017, which branded China a “strategic competitor” of the U.S.;

  • The Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act (BUILD Act), currently pending legislation that would “double the spending cap of [the] U.S. overseas investment agency to US$60 billion,” part of the Trump administration’s “Indo-Pacific Economic Vision” to compete with China’s Belt and Road; and

  • The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA), part of the defense spending bill that Donald Trump signed on August 13, which applies extra scrutiny of Chinese deals in particular. Bloomberg reports that the “world’s doors are shutting to Chinese investments,” with FIRRMA leading the way, leading to resentment in Beijing.

• Trump lobbed two unusual non-trade complaints toward China, via Twitter of course, in recent days: “It is outrageous that Poisonous Synthetic Heroin Fentanyl comes pouring into the U.S. Postal System from China” (August 20) and “All of the fools that are so focused on looking only at Russia should start also looking in another direction, China” (August 18). National Security Adviser John Bolton confirmed that the August 18 tweet was related to interference in the upcoming 2018 midterm election, saying that besides Russia, “it’s a sufficient national security concern about Chinese meddling, Iranian meddling and North Korean meddling that we’re taking steps to try and prevent.”

• The Washington Post sees a recent, even more hawkish turn in Washington: “Trump and his advisers have come to view the communist nation as a malign power and direct competitor and adversary whose expanding influence must be blunted through more extreme countermeasures,” a report titled “After detente with North Korea, Trump increasingly takes aim at a new foe — China,” suggests.

More on the trade war:

• Chinese economic support
  Beijing orders banks to boost lending to exporters / FT (paywall)
  “In a statement issued at the weekend, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission urged the country’s banks, most of which are state-owned, to support infrastructure projects and companies facing ‘temporary difficulties’.”

• Nervous American companies
  Elon Musk asks White House to let him buy Chinese parts without paying tariffs in ongoing trade war / SCMP
  “Elon Musk’s Boring Co., which is trying to lower the cost of building high-speed transit tunnels, has asked the Trump administration to exempt it from tariffs for some Chinese-made tunnel boring machine components, warning the tariffs could significantly delay a planned tunnel between New York and Washington.”
  Morgan Stanley cuts its profit estimates for General Motors because of exposure to China / CNBC
  Walmart asks cosmetics suppliers whether they can stop getting their products from China / SCMP
  “In an email sent to some beauty suppliers on August 7, the retailer asks whether they have facilities outside China, and if not, whether they would consider investing in them.”

• Beijing’s U.S. treasuries
  Why the trade war won’t prompt Beijing to dump its US Treasuries / SCMP
  “With Beijing and Washington continuing to face off over trade, is China likely to sell off its US Treasuries to hurt America? The simple answer is no. A trade war is essentially a competition about who will be more miserable. If China – America’s largest foreign creditor – sells off its US Treasuries, it will bring down their price and raise their yields.”

• Military relations
  China rejects ‘irresponsible’ Pentagon report on bombers / AFP via Economic Times of India
  “China on Saturday rejected what it called an ‘irresponsible’ Pentagon report claiming Beijing ‘s bombers are likely training for strikes against US and allied targets in the Pacific.”
  Chinese bombers: the warplanes ‘training for strikes against US targets’ / SCMP
  “The Pentagon has highlighted China’s growing military clout in a new report, saying the air force is developing its bombers to hit targets as far away as possible – and ‘likely training for strikes’ against the United States and its allies.”

• Finance opening, but not for Americans?
  Trade war imperils foreign banks’ China plans / FT (paywall)
  “European banks are hopeful that the diplomatic tension between China and the US could play to their advantage by allowing them to steal a march on their American rivals in the fast-growing Chinese market.”

• Manufacturing moving to SE Asia
  ‘Made in Cambodia’ may become new fashion label with tariffs hitting China / Bloomberg (paywall)
  “Steven Madden Chief Executive Officer Edward Rosenfeld said on the company’s most recent earnings call that it has been shifting production of its handbags to Cambodia from China. The maker of shoes and accessories sees 15 percent of its handbags coming from Cambodia this year, with this percentage doubling in 2019.”
  Trade war puts new strains on America Inc’s factories in China / Reuters
  “Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia are countries that have potential opportunities,” says Larry Sloven, president of Capstone International HK Ltd and a veteran of China’s exporting sector.

—Lucas Niewenhuis

4. Xinjiang update

The weekend saw a few new reports on the mass detention camps in Xinjiang:

• “Securitisation and mass detentions in Xinjiang” is the title of a big picture description of what we know about the camps and security measures, by Rachel Harris, of SOAS University of London.

• The camps are expanding, confining even “the secular, old and infirm,” according to this new report (paywall) by the Wall Street Journal’s Eva Dou, Jeremy Page, and Josh Chin.

• “The number of individuals held in detention may possibly number in the millions,” a State Department official told ABC News, enlarging a previous number cited by official U.S. sources.

• Editorials condemning the camps were published in Al Jazeera and HuffPost.

• The China Project is working on an explainer that summarizes what has been reported about the Xinjiang camps — stay tuned.

—Jeremy Goldkorn

—–

Our whole team really appreciates your support as Access members. Please chat with us on our Slack channel or contact me anytime at jeremy@thechinaproject.com.

—Jeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief

<

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• Evergrande
  Bearish bets pile up against China Evergrande / Bloomberg (paywall)

• Electric and autonomous cars
  China’s EV startups: Boom or bubble? / Automotive News (paywall)
  “China has emerged as a global incubator for next-generation electrified driving and as a potent Silicon Valley rival. Some call it a boom, others a bubble. To understand the China EV craze, look no further than Byton.”
  China’s Geely in deal to let Malaysia’s Proton tap new-energy, other vehicle tech in global push / Reuters
  “Chinese automaker Geely has agreed to extend its existing partnership with Proton Holdings Berhad (DRBM.KL) to upgrade the Malaysia carmaker’s lineup of cars and power Proton to go beyond Malaysia, part of an ongoing effort to help Proton establish a presence in China and other international markets.”

• Real estate and Beijing economy
  Beijing rents skyrocket as agencies fight for business / Caixin Global
  Beijing residential rents jump 25% in July / FT (paywall)

• Luxury
  Global luxury brands again chase China’s young, rich and spendthrift / Reuters
  “Global luxury brands from Prada to LVMH are investing in China for the first time since a crackdown on conspicuous spending five years ago, focusing on smaller, less developed cities even as the world’s second-largest economy slows.”

• Robots in space
  China will send two robots to study the Moon / Futurism
  “On Wednesday, the nation shared new details on its Chang’e-4 mission during a news conference in Beijing. According to an official from China’s National Defense Science and Technology Bureau, the mission will be the first “‘to realize a soft landing on and inspection of’ the far side of the Moon.”

• Google
  The employee backlash over Google’s censored search engine for China, explained / Vox
  “About 1,400 Google employees — out of the more than 88,000 — signed a letter to company executives this week, seeking more details and transparency about the project and demanding employee input in decisions about what kind of work Google takes on. They also expressed concern that the company is violating its own ethical principles.”
  Anger grows over Google’s China plans / China Digital Times
  Google’s ambitions for China could trigger a crisis inside the company / The Verge
  Google’s internal dissent over China plans sheds light on broader transparency issues in China / TechNode
  Impact of Google returning to China will reach beyond Chinese market / The Globe Post

• Censorship and business / Apple
  China’s censorship casts shadow over internet businesses / Nikkei Asian Review
  “Though no Chinese company has disclosed financial losses associated with the tighter government control, the damage has not gone unnoticed.”
  China’s live streaming sites facing another attack on porn and illegal content / TechNode
  “What’s more, network service providers are required to establish systems for content auditing, information filtering, and a 7 x 24-hour emergency response mechanism in case of porn or other ‘harmful information’ on the loose. Live streaming platforms will be required to record and log information from users and keep them for an unspecified amount of time. They are also required to provide all data to relevant departments upon request.”
  Apple wipes thousands of gambling apps after China backlash / Bloomberg
  “The U.S. company confirmed the action and said it was simply complying with regulations. But it underscores both Beijing’s resurgent crackdown on all forms of online content from games to social media and video services, as well as the difficulties facing foreign companies that do business in the world’s second-largest economy.”
  Apple takes down 25,000 illegal apps from App Store China / TechNode

• Cashless society
  Chinese vendors are refusing to accept cash and it’s becoming a problem / TechNode
  “Many have noticed that parking lots, small supermarkets, food street stalls have become reluctant to accept Chinese yuan bills and the anecdotal evidence has now been confirmed by Chinese authorities.”

• Ecommerce and logistics
  China ecommerce boom fires up logistics sector / FT (paywall)

• Pharma
  Roche’s Alecensa gets green light from Chin / MarketWatch
  “Roche Holding AG’s Alecensa cancer drug has been granted marketing authorization in China, the company said Monday. The approval is as a monotherapy treatment for patients with a type of ALK-positive lung cancer.”

• Coffin business dying out
  Coffins sold to timber mills in eastern China to be made into furniture after ban on burials / SCMP
  “As a campaign urging people to cremate their dead continues, officials in the northeast draw flak over crackdown on paper money and offerings.”

• CEFC
  Oil giant CEFC China’s debt woes widen as unit defaults on commercial paper / SCMP

• Batteries and lithium
  China’s largest lithium producer set for HK IPO to fund SQM purchase / FT (paywall)

• Tech stocks
  Alibaba earnings report will put spotlight on China Internet stocks / Investor’s Business Daily
  Why Chinese tech stocks are getting hammered / CNN Money
  “The country’s major players — Baidu (BIDU), Alibaba (BABA) and Tencent (TCEHY) — have lost hundreds of billions of dollars in market value in the past few months. And the slump is wider than just those three.”
  Slowing Chinese payments market compounds Tencent woes / FT (paywall)
  JD looks to monetize logistics assets / TechNode
  Jinri Toutiao rival Qutoutiao files for US IPO / TechNode
  Meituan Dianping rumored to list in Hong Kong in September / TechNode

• Anbang
  China’s Anbang puts a $5.5 billion luxury hotel portfolio on the block / WSJ (paywall)

• Film and TV
  Second annual Licensing Expo China nearly doubles in size / China Film Insider
  China box office: ‘The Island’ earns $39 million to beat still hungry ‘Meg’ / Variety

• Dagong follies
  Chinese credit rating agency Dagong suspended after cash-for-ratings probe / SCMP
  “The uncovering of irregularities at the Beijing-based Dagong Global Credit Rating Co exposed the lack of independent and trustworthy credit ratings in the Chinese bond market — a problem that amplifies the risks for fixed-income product investors.”

• Bitcoin crime
  China’s biggest-ever bitcoin heist: Three held over theft of US$87 million in cryptocurrency / SCMP

• Institutional investors
  Canada’s CPPIB plans to double China asset allocation / FT (paywall)
  “The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board plans to more than double the proportion of assets it allocates to China in the next seven years as one of the world’s biggest pension schemes looks to tap fast-growing emerging markets for greater returns.”

• Shadow banking and economic indicators
  Chinese shadow banking contraction set to moderate – Moody’s / FT (paywall)

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• Iran
  China’s top diplomat says cooperation with Iran to continue / Reuters
  “The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 2015 deal in which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear work in return for the lifting of most Western sanctions, is in line with the international community’s ‘common interest,’ the Chinese diplomat said in a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, according to Xinhua.”
  French energy giant Total quits Iran gas project with China’s CNPC as US reimposes sanctions / SCMP
  “French energy giant Total has officially quit its multibillion dollar gas project in Iran, Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said on Monday, following the reimposition of US sanctions.”

• India and Bhutan
  Doklam a year on: Bhutan more worried about India than China / SCMP
  “New Delhi must realize there are few takers in Bhutan for the logic that India’s military commitment to Bhutan gives it ownership over Thimphu’s security and economic decision-making. There is the lurking fear of China, which is unsurprising in a predominantly Buddhist country. But that is gradually giving way to an even more tangible irritation at India’s clumsy overlordship.”

• The PLA and the Party
  China’s Xi says military must resist ‘corrosion’ of corruption / Reuters
  “China’s military must resist the ‘corrosion’ of corruption and ensure the fight against graft is deepened, President Xi Jinping told senior officers, state media said on Sunday, offering a renewed warning against a deep-seated problem.”
  Xi Jinping calls for ‘absolute loyalty’ from Chinese army / The Guardian

• Ideology and censorship
  Trial by invective / China Media Project
  “Chen Jieren (陈杰人), the blogger and popular ‘Big V’ taken into custody by authorities in Hunan Province back in June, appeared in court yesterday. But this was not a court of prosecutors and defenders, of cross-examinations, legal arguments or objections. It was the court of the People’s Daily. The court of Xinhua News Agency. The court of the Global Times.”
  What do “low-quality people” watch on TV? / China Media Project
  China’s patriotism drive risks ostracizing its intellectuals / SCMP

• Disease outbreaks
  China reports third case of African swine fever among hogs / Bloomberg
  “The outbreak of the disease, the first in the country, may prompt the authorities to strictly scrutinize meat imports, while hog farms may advance slaughtering of their herds, said Feng Yonghui, chief analyst with industry portal www.soozhu.com. Domestic pork prices, which recently rebounded, may come under pressure, Feng said.”
  China pork producers fall after third case of African swine fever / FT (paywall)
  Battle to contain Hong Kong dengue fever outbreak intensifies, as wet weather forecast / SCMP

• Human rights activists
  Activists target China’s human-rights record with new ad campaign in Vancouver / The Globe and Mail

• Russia and China’s strengthening relationship
  Why the West is worried about a birthday celebration over vodka and Russian sausage / ABC News

• Hong Kong — independence activist Andy Chan  
  Hong Kong National Party leader Andy Chan rebuked after calling on US President Donald Trump to have city and China kicked out of World Trade Organization / SCMP
  ‘Not enough evidence to prosecute Hong Kong separatist Andy Chan’: Beijing loyalist Maria Tam adopts different stance from top official Zhang Xiaoming / SCMP

• Bureaucracy
  Heartaches, headaches and hukou: How China’s bureaucracy tangled people in red tape / SCMP

• North Korea
  China’s Xi Jinping to visit North Korea next month / Straits Times (paywall)
  “Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Pyongyang next month at the invitation of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un to attend the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of North Korea’s founding, Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper reported.”
  Possible Chinese President visit to Pyongyang raises doubts on sanctions / VOA

• Radioactive disasters
  Mining halted over radioactive building material fears in eastern China / SCMP

• Pakistan
  Pakistan’s economic turmoil threatens China’s ambitions / Foreign Policy
  “Without reforms to improve Pakistan’s competitiveness, the country could well fall into a debt trap that it can’t escape. That, too, is a matter for Pakistani-Chinese discussion. China, already Pakistan’s largest trading partner, is indeed the primary cause of Pakistan’s growing trade deficit, accounting for 29 percent of imports. Pakistan only exports $1.62 billion in goods to China, less than it exports to either the European Union or the United States.”

• Vaccine scandal fallout
  China sacks six senior officials at food and drug regulator over vaccine scandal / Reuters
  “China said on Saturday it has sacked six senior officials at its food and drug regulator after a safety scandal at vaccine maker Changsheng Biotechnology Co Ltd revealed failings at the government body including inadequate supervision.”

• Hong Kong and Macao and threats to the country
  New mainland China ID card for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents will be revoked if holders pose threat to country, documents reveal / SCMP
  Hong Kong and Macau students will face compulsory military training at top mainland Chinese university for first time / SCMP

• Potemkin villages
  China’s ‘richest village’ grapples with debt / Nikkei Asian Review
  “Long dubbed the richest village in China, Huaxi has also come to epitomize debt-ridden local governments as their troubles are laid bare through a campaign spearheaded by President Xi Jinping.”

• Opinion: Migrant workers and hostile urban planning
  It’s time to stop demolishing China’s urban villages / Sixth Tone

• The air in Beijing
  ‘Airpocalypse’ over? Beijing breathes easier as clean air drive pays off, US embassy smog readings suggest / SCMP

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Crime in Hong Kong
  Hong Kong double rapist who scorched and tormented victim sentenced to 18 years in jail / SCMP

• Not so easy to reverse decades of family planning propaganda
  Chinese drug firm starts ‘let’s have a baby’ campaign. Angry women say ‘let’s not’ / SCMP

• Wealth gap in Macao
  Macau: The incredible poverty at the heart of world’s richest place / SCMP

• Tomb raiders
  China arrests over Tang dynasty relic thefts / BBC
  “The gang allegedly seized almost 650 objects, including gold and silver cutlery and jewellery, from the Dulan Tombs, which lie on the ancient Silk Road in northwest China.”

• When rebranding backfires
  Remarkable rebranding: Employees confused and angry about “58 Transport” name change to “Fast Dog Drivers” / What’s on Weibo  
  “During the dog days of summer, Chinese transport company ’58 Suyun’ has made a remarkable move: they’ve rebranded under the name ‘Fast Dog Drivers’ (快狗打车). But since ‘dog’ is a derogatory term in Chinese that can mean ‘damned’ or ‘bastard,’ employees are reluctant to drive around with the new sign that marks them as ‘damned drivers.’”

• Paying for healthcare
  Meet the Chinese kidney patient selling a smile to survive / SCMP
  It’s not just the U.S. where people have to find alternative methods of financing medical treatment. This article profiles a women who “has taken to the streets of her hometown of Chongqing, a megacity in the country’s southwest, selling smiley stickers and offering passers-by a smile at the rate of one yuan a minute” to pay for medical bills her family cannot afford.

• Sexual harassment
  Chinese calligraphy teacher jailed for molesting 11-year-old pupil / SCMP
  “The 43-year-old man, with the surname Wang, was found guilty of molesting the girl in January at an extracurricular school in Kunming in Yunnan Province.”

• Odd online culture
  Binging and purging as online trend: From China’s “big stomach stars” to “vomit bars” / What’s on Weibo

• Objectification of women
  Sexism alive and well at China’s biggest gaming convention / SCMP
  “For four days, the 23-year-old ditched her schoolteacher look for cute makeup, a pink mini sailor skirt, and 3-inch-high heels to entertain a potential audience of 350,000 — predominantly male.”

• Academic fraud
  Chinese high schoolers caught plagiarizing published papers / Sixth Tone  
  “As an alternative to the gaokao, China’s grueling college entrance exam, many of the country’s universities offer what’s known as an ‘independent assessment’ path — but this week, students in nine provinces and municipalities were caught trying to game the system by plagiarizing research papers.”

• Documentary film — the class divide
  Three small stories paint one big picture of the class divide in China / SCMP

VIDEO OF THE DAYClick Here

Viral on Weibo: The life of a Chinese grasshopper farmer

Farming grasshoppers might be unconventional, but it can be profitable, as this farmer in Henan Province, China, proves.

World’s longest glass-bottom bridge opens in China

The bridge, located in Benxi, Liaoning Province, is 369 meters (1,210 feet) long, three meters (9.8 feet) wide, and 158 meters (518 feet) above the ground.

The China ProjectVR: Take a 360-degree tour of Brooklyn’s Chinatown in NYC

The China Project’s Jia Guo and Anuz Thapa explored a less well known Chinatown in New York City, on 8th Avenue in Brooklyn, and visited one of the most popular stores in the neighborhood, Fei Long Supermarket. Take a look at what they discovered.

ON SUPCHINA

Click Here

Kuora: How the West views China now, China viewed the West 200-plus years ago

Why do some Chinese say that the attitude of the West toward China is increasingly similar to the attitude of the Qing dynasty toward the West? The reference is partially about the attitudes of the Qing in the late 18th century, at what looked superficially like the height of Qing imperial splendor, but at a time when, in fact, the rot had already set in and the Qing government was ossified, complacent, and undeservedly arrogant.

The birth rate debate in China is out of control

A proposal to establish a fund to reward families for having two children, published by Nanjing University professor Liu Zhibiao on August 14, was an absurd and incomprehensible idea amid an ongoing national conversation about how China can halt declining birth rates. Amazingly, after the outrageous suggestion backfired miserably on the Chinese internet, more experts, for reasons inexplicable, felt the need to contribute even more horrendous recommendations to the dialogue on family planning.

Friday Song: ‘Yellow,’ by Katherine Ho, from ‘Crazy Rich Asians’

Of all the things Crazy Rich Asians has going for it — critical acclaim, strong earnings, cultural impact — let’s add this to the list: really nice music. A notable standout is Katherine Ho’s “Yellow,” which is a cover of Coldplay’s song by the same name. Crazy Rich Asians director Jon Chu had to personally write a letter to Coldplay to get permission to use the song, as the band originally felt uncomfortable with the potential racial connotations, when associated with an Asian movie, of the song title.

PHOTO FROM MICHAEL YAMASHITA

Playing polo

Polo players at Reignwood Pine Valley Golf Club in Beijing. The sport has become popular among China’s ultrarich in recent years.

—Jia Guo