Media Report
- The Washington Post reports: "Evidence appears to be mounting that China is pondering another bout of island-building in the sea, and the United States is already on alert. Twice last week — and again on Tuesday — the U.S. Pacific Command said it sent warplanes close to Scarborough Shoal, a triangular chain of coral reefs, sand and rocks just off the coast of the Philippines....Work on the shoal would be another major step in cementing China's long-term control of the South China Sea, but it would also significantly raise regional tensions and bring China's military into close contact with U.S. military bases in the Philippines. A key ruling by a panel of jurists at a U.N.-appointed tribunal in The Hague is driving the unease and is expected soon."
- Reuters reports: "China's massive corporate debt problem could be eased through debt-to-equity conversions or securitization of non-performing loans, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday, but only if these apply to viable firms that undergo restructuring....Two techniques to tackle debt problems have been highlighted by Chinese media - converting non-performing loans into equity and repackaging them into marketable securities - but the IMF said these would need to be coupled with broader restructuring efforts. 'Unless they are carefully designed and part of a sound overall framework, they could actually worsen the problem, for example, by allowing 'zombie' firms to keep going,' the IMF said, in a reference to non-viable firms that are still operating."
- The New York Times reports: "The Justice Department has issued new rules that give prosecutors in Washington greater oversight and control over national security cases after the collapse of several high-profile prosecutions led to allegations that Chinese-Americans were being singled out as spies. The new rules are intended to prevent such missteps, but without undermining a counterespionage mission that is a top priority for the Obama administration....The cases involved routine criminal laws such as wire fraud, so national security prosecutors in Washington did not oversee the cases. In a letter last month to federal prosecutors nationwide, Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates said that would change. All cases affecting national security, even tangentially, now require coordination and oversight in Washington."
Calendar
- 2016-04-26 China Curbs Plans for More Coal-Fired Power Plants
- 2016-04-25 China Close to Passing Strict Law on Foreign Groups
- 2016-04-24 Earliest China Economic Data Show Recovery Gathers Pace in April
- 2016-04-22 China denies reports of massing troops at North Korea border
- 2016-04-21 US envoy says China, US united in opposition to NKorea tests
- 2016-04-20 Democrat attacks policy on China, Republican defends it
- 2016-04-19 China Extending Anti-Graft Measures to Officials' Families
- 2016-04-18 Chinese Housing Market Shakes Off a Slump
- 2016-04-17 China's Reforms Give Global Economy Some Breathing Room, Leaders Say
- 2016-04-15 Senior Chinese Military Officer Visited Dispute Island
News
- The Washington Post Storm clouds gather over South China Sea ahead of key U.N. ruling
- Reuters Debt-to-equity swaps could help China but firms must restructure: IMF
- The New York Times After Missteps, U.S. Tightens Rules for Espionage Cases
- The Wall Street Journal China Sales Slide Eats Into Apple Revenue
- The Financial Times Unpaid bills add to China debt problems as receivables mount
- The Washington Post Meet the robot monk spreading the teachings of Buddhism around China
- The New York Times China Human Rights Campaigner Harry Wu Dies
- Bloomberg Business Apple Stumbles in China as Local Phone Makers Head Up-Market
- Reuters U.S. companies skeptical of corporate China's advances
- The Wall Street Journal U.S. Sees New Flashpoint in South China Sea Dispute
- Bloomberg Business China's Plan to Clear Bad Loans Could Backfire, IMF Staff Warn
- The New York Times Ilham Tohti, Uighur Scholar Jailed in China, Is Nominated for Rights Award
- Reuters In bold move, U.S. Steel launches campaign to stop China imports
Commentary
- Bloomberg Gadfly Apple Loses Its China Buoy
- The Wall Street Journal How China's Debt Fix Could Make Things Much Worse
- The New York Times: Sinosphere A Robot Monk Captivates China, Mixing Spirituality With Artificial Intelligence
- Reuters What to read into a growing alliance between China and Pakistan
- The National Interest Can the One China Policy Survive the Kenya Incident?
- The New York Times: Sinosphere Book Debate Raises Questions of Self-Censorship by Foreign Groups in China
- The Diplomat China's Consumer Revolution: Digital Demand, Global Scale