China // Current

Traveling Down the Mekong River - Pt. 1 The Source of the Mekong

This journey starts in China's Qinghai province, where Asia's life-giving Mekong River... more

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Obama China Visit Prompts Activist Round-Up

China detained several activist ahead of President Barack Obama's visit to the country.

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China to US: Is That a Hedge or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

Yep. Cash4Gold is being run by Uncle Sam ...

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MIGHTY MOVIE PODCAST on HuffPost: John Woo on RED CLIFF

The short form would be that John Woo rediscovered himself in returning to China, but that really doesn’t capture what’s going on. Woo made his name with such beautiful, dynamic, and surprisingly thoughtful urban crime films as HARD BOILED and THE KILLER — pop culture with soul — then made his way to America for films like BROKEN ARROW, FACE/OFF, and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE II. Pop culture, still — with bigger budgets and bigger stars, granted — but with something missing: Even when Woo touched on the themes that first earned him the love of film fans, it was clear that there was a subtle but critical dissipation of that all-important soul.

So Woo is now back in China. But instead of a full return to familiar, city-grit turf (asphalt?), he’s leveraging his Hollywood-nurtured clout and turned his attention to epic adventure. The result is RED CLIFF, a mammoth (the original Chinese version ran five hours, we’re getting a version that clocks in at somewhere in the neighborhood of two and a half) historical drama based on a fourteenth century novel about two kingdoms who join military forces to repel the onslaught of a usurper general (Zhang Fengyi). And aside from the return of Tony Leung to the Woo fold as a military strategist, and the appearance of Zhao Wei in a very Tsui Harkian role as a female warrior who goes undercover in drag to scout out the opposing forces (other stars in the large cast include Takeshi Kaneshiro as another key strategist, You Yong and Chang Chen as the rival kings turned allies, and Chiling Lin as what amounts to a Chinese Helen of Troy), you can tell Woo is regaining his form in how the lead protagonists form bonds that are less military expediency than they are full-on brotherhood, and the sheer energy and beauty of the production (maybe I’m overdramatizing, but a CG sequence of a dove — John Woo, remember? — overflying the opposing camps looks as much like Woo’s creative heart taking flight as it does a neat way to transition from one locale to another).

I was kind of expecting that having faced/down Tom Cruise, Woo would present a rather battle-hardened front for the press. Instead, he was quiet, polite, and rather self-effacing — which only reinforced my original respect for him. We got to talk about how one brings down to earth a tale originally told at a time when heroes, as a matter of course, were ascribed supernatural powers, and how his sojourn in Tinsel Town positioned him to push the Chinese film industry into more ambitious realms. Click on the link above to hear the interview.The short form would be that John Woo rediscovered himself in returning to China, but... more

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Made-in-China wind farm on U.S. taxpayer dollars

China knows renewable energy is the economy of the future and is cashing in on it by... more

resolute
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China Steps Up Spying On US?

Hacker War, or excuse to reduce internet freedoms?

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China Wants China-Grown Wind Turbines, for Itself and Europe

Big shifts seem to be stirring in the wind turbine market. Foreign companies are... more

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Obama's Bad Trip To Asia

by Richard Wolffe To the president’s critics, this week’s White House trip to... more

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President Obama tries to take the sting out of Copenhagen collapse

Two main problems continue to plague the Copenhagen conference, the dates of which are... more

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No longer a rock star? Obama's poll numbers fall.

For the first time since his election, fewer than 50 percent of Americans support... more

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Afghan Minister Accused of Taking Bribes

"KABUL - The Afghan minister of mines accepted a roughly $30 million bribe to award... more

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Obama close to Afghan war decision

BEIJING — President Obama said Wednesday he was “very close to a decision” on a troop increase for the war in Afghanistan and would make his case to the American people for his Afghan strategy in the next “several weeks.”

“I am very confident that when I announce the decision, the American people will have a lot of clarity about what we’re doing, how we’re going to succeed, how much this thing is going to cost,” Mr. Obama told CNN in an interview at his hotel in Beijing. Most important, he said, was that he was asking “what’s the end game on this thing, which I think is something that, unless you impose that kind of discipline, could end up leading to a multiyear occupation that won’t serve the interests of the United States.”

Mr. Obama said that his “preference” on Afghanistan “would be not to hand off anything to the next president,” but did not indicate if that meant he planned to pull out most American troops by 2012. “We have a vital interest in making sure that Afghanistan is sufficiently stable, that it can’t infect the entire region with violent extremism.”

He said that Afghan President Hamid Karzai “has served his country in important ways,” but added that he has some weaknesses.

Mr. Obama’s comments came as part of a series of interviews he conducted with the major American television networks from his hotel in Beijing on his last day in China. He arrived in Seoul, South Korea, the final stop on his Asian trip, on Wednesday afternoon.

Before leaving Beijing, he met with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

Mr. Wen said China did not seek a trade surplus with the United States and wanted to balance flows, striking a conciliatory note but avoiding public comment on currency rifts, Reuters reported. Mr. Wen’s comments during the meeting were posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry Web site.

“China does not pursue a trade surplus,” Mr. Wen said, adding that his government wants “to encourage a steady balancing of bilateral trade,” according to Reuters. “Lively global trade and investment will help to overcome the international financial crisis and accelerate global economic recovery.”

China has come under heavy pressure, not only from the United States but also from Europe and several Asian countries, to revise its policy of keeping its currency, the renminbi, pegged at an artificially low value against the dollar to help promote its exports. Some economists say China must take that step to prevent the return of large trade and financial imbalances that may have contributed to the recent financial crisis.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/world/asia/19prexy.htmlBEIJING — President Obama said Wednesday he was “very close to a decision” on a... more

current89
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Obama vows to seek climate action in Copenhagen

BEIJING - President Barack Obama, with China's leader at his side, lifted his sights Tuesday for a broad accord at next month's climate conference that he said will lead to immediate action and "rally the world" toward a solution on global warming.

Obama and President Hu Jintao talked of a joint desire to tackle climate change, but failed to publicly address the root problems that could unravel a deal at the 192-nation conference in Copenhagen: how much each country can contribute to curb greenhouse gases and how the world will pay the billions of dollars needed to fight rising temperatures.

Hu said nations would do their part "consistent with our respective capabilities," a reference to the now widely accepted view that developing nations — even energy guzzlers like China, India and Brazil — should be required only to set goals for reining in greenhouse-gas emissions, not accept absolute targets for reducing emissions like the industrialized countries.

Nonetheless, the symbolism of the world's two largest polluters pledging no half-measures in an agreement during the Dec. 7-18 conference took the sting out of the admission by Obama and other leaders over the weekend that Copenhagen would be only a way station rather than the endpoint envisioned two years ago when negotiations for a new climate treaty began.

Using language that went further than before, Obama said the aim of the summit "is not a partial accord or a political declaration, but rather an accord that covers all of the issues in the negotiations, and one that has immediate operational effect."

He said an all-encompassing agreement "would be an important step forward in the effort to rally the world around a solution to our climate challenge."

Obama did not elaborate. But the United Nations and the European Union have called for a fund of at least $10 billion annually in the next three years to help poor countries draw up plans for moving to low-carbon economies, slow deforestation and take emergency steps against the effects of climate change.

The agreement is meant to succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which required 37 industrial countries to cut emissions an average 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012, but which made no demands on rapidly growing economies like China's.

The Copenhagen agreement would require developing countries to curb their emissions growth, but it was unclear how their plans would be enshrined in the accord and what would happen if their promises were broken.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34001621/ns/us_news-environment/BEIJING - President Barack Obama, with China's leader at his side, lifted his sights... more

current89
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Jump in coal use pushes emissions to all-time high

"With the faltering climate change talks set to open in Copenhagen next month, the... more

JacquesHalle
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New US-China Energy Agreement Aims for '21st Century Coal'

Amid its commitments to increase cooperation in developing renewable energy and... more

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Innovative Analytic Tool Empowers Investors

An innovative new investor analytic tool made its public debut today, and it offers an... more

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3 days ago
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‘Company’ to Country’ strategy leads to growth opportunities

GE and its Chinese partners that represent some of that country’s key infrastructure development goals announced the signing of a series of “Country to Company” agreements aimed at promoting collaboration between GE and Chinese public and private sector aviation, energy and transportation organizations. The announcements, which were made as part of "GE's Clean Technology Week in China" activities, included the formation of two joint ventures – in avionics and locomotive engines; and the parties’ agreements to explore future “cleaner coal” gasification and high-speed rail opportunities.

The agreements encourage active collaboration to advance clean technologies that address both long-term strategic challenges and economic opportunities for GE and China. Over time, these initiatives are expected to create and safeguard thousands of jobs in both countries.

Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE said, “These agreements share common themes – rapid growth potential, clean technologies and job creation. Whether expanding our existing aviation, energy and transportation relationships or looking at technology collaborations to open up new growth opportunities, partnerships like these help protect and grow employment for both GE and China’s infrastructure sectors.

“We expect these investments and commitments to yield long-term benefits,” Immelt said. “New global sales will be a direct result of these collaborations – safeguarding and growing U.S. jobs while supporting Chinese growth for GE businesses and the Chinese aviation, energy and transportation industries,” Immelt said. These partnerships will also give GE the opportunity to strengthen our own local capabilities, enhancing our ability to serve our Chinese customers as that nation drives its technology initiatives.”

Mark Norbom, GE’s president & CEO for Greater China, said: “The deals we are signing are built upon GE's rapid growth in mainland China in the first three quarters of 2009. They not only represent tremendous growth opportunities for our China platforms but also support jobs in the United States. The partnerships we are building with the Chinese industry leaders will better position GE in strategic growth sectors in China such as aviation, transportation and energy. "
http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/GE-Chinese-Partners-Sign-Agreements-Advance-Clean-Technologies-Create-JobsGE and its Chinese partners that represent some of that country’s key infrastructure... more