China

Could China save Europe?

September 27, 2011 11:50 pm by Gideon Rachman

I thought that spending a week in Singapore might provide some respite from the euro-crisis which, as Paul Krugman wrote the other day, is now simultaneously boring and terrifying. But there is no getting away from it. Even the staid Straits Times, the local paper here, led on the euro yesterday. And at a dinner I went to last night – mixing Asians and Europeans, financiers and policymakers – the talk was mainly of Greece, Germany and the single currency.

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Posted in China, Europe, Financial crisis | Permalink

FT podcast: World Weekly

September 16, 2011 12:12 am by FT

Brics buying debt, Greece in trouble again, Palestine lobbies for statehood

In this week’s show: As Europe looks to China and other Bric nations to buy up its debt – we ask, is the global economy at a tipping point? Back in the Eurozone – rumours are flying again about the possibility of a Greek debt and Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel is under pressure; and, Palestinian leaders prepare to present their case to the UN for statehood.

Presented by Shawn Donnan with Joe Leahy in Sao Paulo, Jamil Anderlini in Beijing, Guy Dinmore in Rome, Gerrit Wiesmann in Berlin and Roula Khalaf and Ben Hall in the studio in London. Produced by LJ Filotrani and Serena Tarling

Posted in China, Europe, Germany, Greece, Middle East | Permalink

China’s spreading ‘core interests’

September 13, 2011 9:08 am by David Pilling

China’s definition of what constitutes its “core interest” appears to be spreading. Such interests used to be confined to a few areas, about which the Communist party would brook absolutely no dissenting view. These included its national security, national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Tibet, where there is a strong separatist element, quite obviously forms part of China’s definition of territorial integrity. So does the island of Taiwan, ceded to Japan in 1895, and now a self-governed democracy. Beijing has made clear that, if Taiwan were ever to declare formal independence, it would invade. More recently, the term has been applied to Xinjiang, the huge area of western China that has been the scene of clashes between local Muslims and Han Chinese.

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Tags: Chinese Communist Party, South China Sea, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang
Posted in China | Permalink

A coherent voice for Asia?

August 26, 2011 1:18 pm by David Pilling

Just what the world needs – another think tank. Except that maybe, just maybe, this is a good idea. This week saw the launch of the Fung Global Institute, a self-styled Hong Kong-based independent research institute that wants to be the Brookings of Asia. Its mission is to produce “business-relevant research on global issues from Asian perspectives”.

There are a few red flags here, of which later. But the idea itself is timely. If Asia continues to grow at anything like its current pace, it will play an increasingly important role in the global economy. Yet it lacks anything like a coherent, intellectual voice. The global dialogue is being held in Washington, New York and London. Asia’s views deserve to be heard more – and not just in cacophony of a forum like the G20.

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Tags: China, India, Japan
Posted in Asia, China, Foreign affairs, Global economy, India, Japan | Permalink

FT podcast: World Weekly

July 29, 2011 12:33 am by FT

Norway, Gaddafi, and high speed trains in China

In this week’s podcast: Terror in Norway: a lone attack or a signal that the far right is rising? Libya – what next for Gaddafi? And, China’s ambitions for high speed rail are dealt a blow.

Presented by Gideon Rachman with Robin Wigglesworth, Martin Sandbu and David Gardner in the studio in London and Simon Rabinovitch in Beijing – interviewed by Serena Tarling. Produced by LJ Filotrani

Posted in China, Europe, Libya | Permalink

Crash casts doubt on high-octane China

July 24, 2011 1:54 pm by David Pilling

Saturday’s high-speed train accident in China is above all a tragedy. At least 35 people have died and more than 200 people have been injured.

The number of casualties may yet rise. But the accident also has a broader meaning. It will strengthen the case of those who have accused Chinese authorities of building a high-speed network too quickly and of cutting corners in the interests of leapfrogging other nations and, possibly, generating kickbacks for corrupt officials.

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Posted in China, Foreign affairs | Permalink

FT podcast: World Weekly

July 23, 2011 1:37 am by FT

Greece bailout, Cameron, US/China relations

In this week’s podcast: Have European leaders done enough to save Greece and the eurozone? UK prime minister David Cameron struggles to keep a lid on the News of the World phone hacking scandal; And, has Obama’s meeting with the Dali Lama endangered US/China relations?

Presented by Gideon Rachman with Peter Spiegel in the studio in London, Elizabeth Rigby in Westminster and Jamil Anderlini in Beijing – interviewed by Serena Tarling.

Produced by LJ Filotrani

Posted in Britain, China, Europe, Financial crisis, Greece, US foreign policy, World affairs | Permalink

The release of Ai Weiwei

June 22, 2011 10:14 pm by Gideon Rachman

Maybe China does respond to international pressure on human rights, after all? That’s certainly one way of reading the release of Ai Weiwei. There has been a major crackdown on dissidents going on in China for some months. But the case of the imprisoned artist and activist, Ai Weiwei, had attracted the most international attention and condemnation.

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Posted in China | Permalink

From FT.com June 6, 2011

FT column: When China becomes number one

How will it feel when China becomes the world’s largest economy? We may find out quite soon. A few weeks ago, the International Monetary Fund issued a report that suggested China would be number one within five years.

Posted in China | Permalink

A Chinese base in Pakistan?

May 23, 2011 7:06 pm by Gideon Rachman

The story in the FT this morning that China has been asked by Pakistan to build a naval base at its south-western port of Gwadar has raised a few eyebrows in foreign ministries in Asia, the US and Europe. If the Chinese were to accept the invitation and to go ahead, it would be a huge departure for Chinese foreign policy – their first overseas naval base. As one western official notes drily – “That’s not what you would call hiding your capabilities and biding your time.” (A reference to Deng Xiaoping’s famous advice to Chinese policymakers).

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Posted in China, Pakistan | Permalink