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I will examine the Chinese textile industry, and how China became one of the world leaders in textile exports. Of particular interest is how Chinese production affected manufacturing in the American south, as well as Mexico and Central America. I will study the effects of the Multi-Fiber Agreement, the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, and… Continue reading Term Paper Topic →

Recently a former Buddhist monk became the 100th person to self-immolate since 2009 for the purpose of publicizing Chinese abuse of Tibet.  Self-Immolation is hardly a new concept of civil disobedience.  However, the increasing amount of Tibetans lighting themselves on fire has gotten the attention of the Chinese government.  It is a problem that brings up nature… Continue reading Tibetan Self-Immolations and China’s Growing Problem →

A few weeks ago, two of China’s largest telecom equipment manufacturers, posted very different forecasts for their profitability. Huawei Technologies, the world’s second largest manufacturer behind Ericson, geared up for a net profit of 15.4 billion yuan (approx. $2.48 billion), a 33% increase of FY2011. ZTE Corp., by contrast, warned of a larger loss, something… Continue reading Telecom Manufacturers: Alike in Function, Dissimilar in Profitability →

China’s aviation industry is experiencing high levels of growth, at rates higher than GDP growth. This is a relatively young industry in the country compared to more developed nations. With the removal of regulations in 1997, airlines have become more competitive, servicing more airports and routes than before. There are four major state run airlines: Air… Continue reading China’s Aviation Industry →

Foreign Affairs‘s January-February 2013 issue has an interesting piece by Huang Yasheng, “Democratize or Die: Why China’s Communists Face Reform or Revolution.” (There’s a companion piece, “The Life of the Party: The Post-Democratic Future Begins in China” by Eric X. Li.) We don’t have time to pursue questions of the interactions of economic performance and… Continue reading Reform or Revolution? →

My term paper will center on the relationship between China and Africa, specifically with the investment by China in African countries. First and foremost, I must distinguish between investment by the country of China itself and businesses from China. Some tend to think of actions by Chinese businesses as the carried out orders sent down… Continue reading Term Paper Idea →

It is my intention to explore predatory trade policy, specifically between China and the U.S. I will define predatory trade policies, and explain several misconceptions relating to them. Often times the definition of predatory trade policy is controversial as the formal definition was developed by lawyers and may not be accepted by economists. The main… Continue reading Andrews Term Paper Idea →

The United Nations Security Council issued a unanimous condemnation of the nuclear test by North Korea. No matter what the UN releases as its “official” opinion, however, won’t matter if the countries in the UN do not follow through with the overall outlook. Some believe that even after this test, China may still see interest… Continue reading Testing Chinese Support →

I know this is the second post on this subject but I think it is extremely relevant. The 2013 National Intelligence estimate says that China is systematically hacking nearly every sector of the United States economy. As stated in earlier posts, big name companies all across the nation have reported being attacked. Some sources say that this… Continue reading China Systematically Hacking →

As we saw in Country Driving, China’s healthcare system has issues with staffing, payment options, and customer service among other issues. According to a recent article by China Daily, the growing middle class and aging population are beginning to demand better health services including greater access to doctors, cleaner and better-maintained facilities, shorter waiting times, and… Continue reading China’s Healthcare System Opening Up to Foreign Investors →

In March 2000, China introduced the Grain-to-Green program, aimed at converting cultivated land on steep slopes back into forests with the goal of minimizing erosion and mitigating the impact of flooding. It marked one of the largest scale conservation programs of all time. Estimates place land loss into the Yellow and Yangtze rivers to be… Continue reading Term Paper Topic: Grain-to-Green Policy →

For expository purposes, let’s stick with the extreme W. Arthur Lewis assumption of MPL=w=0 in the Chinese countryside by 1990. The list of contributing factors is long: electric pumps; mechanical threshers; chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers; new cultivars; and finally (though post-dating 1990) new rice systems that did away with the need to prepare seedbeds… Continue reading Lewis, China and Slums →

==> Meng, Xin (2012). “Labor Market Outcomes and Reforms in China.” Journal of Economic Perspectives  26:4, pp. 75-102. For your reference, this issue of JEP has the following additional articles on China. All are free to download via the link above. Li, Hongbin, Li, Lei and Xiong, Yanyan (2012). “The End of Cheap Chinese Labor.”… Continue reading Wed 13 Feb Reading →

Recently, a number of US newspapers announced that their security had been compromised by Chinese hackers. Though Beijing has categorically denounced such actions as illegal, many sources point to a notable lack of effort to crack down on such efforts. Moreover, in an editorial in the Wall Street Journal, one U.S. lawmaker with experience in… Continue reading China and Cyber-warfare →

America owes $1.2 trillion to the now largest trading nation in the world, with imports and exports for China totaling $3.87 trillion for 2012, barely beating out the United States which had $3.82 trillion in total exports and imports. What is contributing to the massive jump?