China’s Foreign Aid

On April 22, China issued a white paper presenting an overall picture of its foreign aid activities over the past few decades. This is the first time China has issued a White Paper on Foreign…

Zhu Rongji resurfaces to criticise education reforms

Former premier Zhu Rongji made a rare public appearance yesterday, delivering a scathing criticism of the mainland’s education system and other policies during a visit to his alma mater, Tsinghua University. Zhu (pictured) lashed out…

Price fall means cruel harvest

Selling produce at a loss is best desperate vegetable growers can hope for, Duan Yan in Shandong province and Hu Yongqi in Beijing report. Last year was better for Xu Yuguang, a Shandong farmer. The…

China takes action to halt produce price slump

The Chinese government announced Tuesday that it has launched an emergency program to protect farmers from produce price slumps and stabilize the produce market. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said in a statement on its…

A Worry for Beijing That Goes Beyond Cities

The fertile fields of this corner of eastern China are an unlikely microcosm of the national economy. There is not a power plant or factory in sight. Yet the area encapsulates as well as any…