US/CHINA: Beijing rebuffs Kerry’s call to treat climate change as a standalone
Chinese leaders rejected a call from US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry to adopt more aggressive climate change targets. Kerry’s interlocutors made clear that Beijing is unwilling to treat climate as a standalone issue separate from the tensions and stale… Become a member to read the rest of this article Username or […]
CHINA: Huarong and Evergrande show Beijing’s pragmatic approach to moral hazard
A group of state-owned financial institutions will recapitalize Huarong, the state-owned financial conglomerate that fell into distress after the ex- chairman was convicted of bribery and later executed. Though Huarong’s exchange filing did not reveal details of the state bailout… Become a member to read the rest of this article
CHINA: “Common prosperity” agenda shifts focus to income redistribution
Top Communist Party leaders called for new policies to promote income redistribution, signaling a new focus for the Communist Party’s broader “common prosperity” agenda. Policymakers have made similar pledges before, but the latest call came from a high-level party organ d… Become a member to read the rest of this article
CHINA: Political commitment to reducing carbon emissions appears strong
President Xi Jinping unveiled his ambitious 2030 and 2060 climate pledges last year before China’s bureaucracy had developed a policy roadmap for achieving them. But a series of policy announcements in recent weeks suggests the pledges are not empty, and the Communist Part… Become a member to read the rest of this article
AFGHANISTAN: China and Russia look for gains, but terrorism a rising worry
China and Russia will build on the disorderly US withdrawal from Afghanistan to strike their own relationship with the new regime, protect their respective regional interests, and undermine US global influence. The return of the Taliban to power is a boost to terrorist gro… Become a member to read the rest of this article
CHINA: This time is different? Signs of progress on long-awaited property tax
Political obstacles have stalled progress on a property tax for over a decade, despite a broad consensus among technocrats and official promises by the Communist Party leadership. But recent policy signals, combined with a more favorable political and economic context, sug… Become a member to read the rest of this article
CHINA: New Delta outbreak shows downside of zero tolerance
An outbreak of the Delta variant in China is testing Beijing’s commitment to its zero-tolerance policy for new infections. Since the latest outbreak began on 20 July in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, authorities have confirmed more than 414 locally transmitted infections i… Become a member to read the rest of this article
CHINA: Politburo signals shift towards policy easing – with a few exceptions
The Communist Party’s top policymaking body, the Politburo, held its quarterly meeting on the economy on 30 July. The official readout shows the leadership growing more concerned about slowing growth and shifting towards policy loosening. The shift will be gradual, however, as gr… Become a member to read the rest of this article
CHINA: Education crackdown is part of broader ‘common prosperity’ agenda
China’s cabinet announced sweeping new policies to regulate the after-school tutoring industry, motivated by concerns that the industry preys on parents’ anxieties about academic competition and leaves children overworked. The crackdown is part of the government’s latest e… Become a member to read the rest of this article
US/CHINA: Tianjin meeting yields no progress but may prevent deterioration
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the northern port city of Tianjin on 26 July. As with the meeting of top diplomats in Anchorage in March, the meeting yielded no policy outcomes, only statements from both sides reiterating familiar grieva… Become a member to read the rest […]