Foreign journalists visiting the headquarters of Baidu in Beijing, China’s largest search engine, might be up for a surprise, as they are met by rock musician Kaiser Kuo, also spokesperson of Google’s competitor. Here is a part of the report by Jordan Pouille in Metro.Read More →
The Chinese government should be revaluate its currency on one time to stop the price rises in the country, Shaun Rein explains in CNCB. In the past he argued against a too fast increase of the value of the renminbi, since that would hurt the export and the manufacturers. Now, to prevent social unrest, stiff action would be needed to stem inflation.Read More →
Strong rumors – denied by the government – suggest Taiwan is planning to defer payments for US weapon systems to the US, writes the Asia Sentinel. Defense expert Wendell Minnick suggests that would give the Obama administration a good argument to back out of already closed weapon deals.Read More →
The US could lose 1 to 2 trillion US dollar in revenue if they successfully scare away Chinese investors, writes Shaun Rein in CNBC, quoting a recent Asia Society report. “Fear mongering about China by American politicians and businessmen like Donald Trump has made Chinese think twice about investing in the U.S.”Read More →
Chinese have spent last year 13 billion US dollar on luxury goods, but only 40 percent in China itself, says Shaun Rein in CNBC. Because of the high tariffs luxury goods, including cars, are 20-30 percent more expensive on the mainland. “They are shooting themselves in the foot.”Read More →
Arthur Kroeber by Fantake via Flickr China’s government is placing its bets on increasing domestic spending by consumers, tells Arther Kroeber in The Guardian. But the inflation seems to be undermining the confidence among those consumers. The 11.7% rise in food costs reflected growing demand, a shrinking pool of youngRead More →
Shaun Rein by Fantake via Flickr Shaun Rein addresses at CNBC China’s largest nightmare, inflation, as real estate prices and wages go up. But he remains optimistic about the country’s consumers, who keep on buying for the coming six months. Shaun Rein is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau.Read More →
Shaun Rein by Fantake via Flickr America should not give in on its core values like its democracy, writes Shaun Rein in Forbes, but it can most certainly learn a few lessons from the way China dealt with the financial crisis. First, although China’s leaders are not elected democratically, theyRead More →
Xi Jinping via Wikipedia After the elevation of Xi Jinping, son of the revolutionary hero Xi Zhongxun, into China’s military comite, analysts try to find out what his agenda is. That is still speculation, says Victor Shih in The Global and Mail. “Xi Jinping was a compromise candidate, a princeling who couldRead More →
Shaun Rein by Fantake via Flickr US congress and other political bigwigs might be pushing China to appreciate its currency, but Shaun Rein asked US companies, and they see their interests hurt by a rise of the Renminbi, he writes in Forbes: The next time you hear someone in CongressRead More →
Shaun Rein by Fantake via Flickr China’s economy is going to be much leaner and greener, says Shaun Rein in CNBC, as the plans for the 12th five-year plan have been made in Beijing over the weekend. Green technology is already getting much financial support. Economic growth might be moreRead More →
Writer focusing on civil society, culture and religion; senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations. Awarded with a Pulitzer prize, Ian Johnson worked for twelve years for the Wall Street Journal as feature writer and bureau chief. He is now a regular contributor to the New York Times, the New York Review of Books, the New Yorker, and National Geographic. He travels from Beijing and Berlin.Read More →