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2008

• China’s economy may turn more consumption oriented as it continues to expand
  Dec 23, 2008
  China’s economy may become more consumption oriented as it expands, while its restricted lending structure allows the government various options to stimulate economic growth amid the financial crisis, according to this discussion paper contributed by NG Yau Man, David, of the City University of Hong Kong.
• China’s new rural blueprint, stressing rural-urban integration, falls short on farmers’ empowerment
  Dec 23, 2008
  China unveiled a new blueprint to take rural reform forward and tackle the country’s widening rural-urban divide at the Third Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 17th Central Committee in October 2008. While the plan focused on rural-urban integration through rural economic improvement policies, it fell short of giving farmers more power in land use rights transfers, according to this paper by Bin WU, a senior research fellow at the China Policy Institute.
• Study on Chinese firms’ investment constraints calls for financial system development
  Dec 16, 2008
  China should develop competitive and efficient financial markets to support viable investments by firms, particularly non state-owned firms, as it tackles inter-regional disparities, according to the results of a study by Minjia CHEN, a research associate at the China Policy Institute.
• China needs to learn from agricultural mistakes amid increasing role in African development
  Nov 27, 2008
  China, which is suffering from air, water and soil degradation because of its unsustainable farming practices over the last three decades, has to learn from its mistakes and transfer those lessons to African countries where it is expanding agricultural operations, according to University College London Professor David NORSE at a University of Nottingham conference last week.
• China to be in “period of extreme caution” after overseas investment losses, UK-China business leader says
  Nov 26, 2008
  China’s $200 billion-sovereign wealth fund is expected to exercise “extreme caution” following its loss-making investments in Blackstone Group and Morgan Stanley amid the global financial crisis, according to Sir David BREWER, the chairman of the China-Britain Business Council.
• China’s stimulus package should include policies to boost productivity and efficiency
  Nov 25, 2008
  China should introduce policies tackling its underlying problems of overcapacity and low productivity so as to fully benefit from a 4 trillion yuan-stimulus package it announced this month, according to scholars at an international forum held by the University of Nottingham.
• China confronts challenges of population, weak foundations, in post-reform period
  Nov 21, 2008
  China faces the challenges of a large population, weak foundations and low levels of productivity 30 years into its reform and opening up policy, Chinese State Councillor LIU Yandong told the inaugural conference of the International Forum for Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham.
• Western trade partners force U-turn on financial information
  Nov 19, 2008
  China has been forced into a media policy U-turn by a complaint made to the World Trade Organization by the United States and the European Union, according to this commentary by China Policy Institute Director Richard PASCOE.
• Ironies and lessons of Chen Yunlin's visit to Taiwan
  Nov 19, 2008
  If the Taiwanese want to strengthen their position in their negotiations with the PRC, they ought to show more unity on what they cherish most—democracy and internal sovereignty. However, they should also remain aware of the fact that their external sovereignty is an issue that has long been settled by the great powers and the international community, according to this guest commentary by Jean-Pierre CABESTAN of Hong Kong Baptist University.
• China’s “Glowing” Model of Development: Where It Succeeds and Where It Fails
  Nov 12, 2008
  The recent financial meltdown in the West underscores the strengths of the Chinese economic model in the context of its developmental stage. Hongyi LAI, a lecturer at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, discusses the advantages of the model and the weaknesses that need to be addressed in this commentary.
• China should continue financial reforms amid global crisis, CASS economist says
  Oct 30, 2008
  China should continue with its financial reforms by encouraging the development of private and publicly listed banks and raising transparency, despite the current global crisis, Mingtai FAN of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said. Slowing economic growth meanwhile might allow the government to carry out tax reforms as early as next year, he said.
• Study finds China’s image lagging among Southeast Asian Muslims, English-speakers
  Oct 16, 2008
  China’s image is lagging among Southeast Asian Muslims and those who grow up speaking English, with improvements depending on China’s ability to communicate to these groups in the region, according to a study by Zhengxu WANG of the China Policy Institute in Nottingham and Ying YANG at the National University of Singapore.
• China’s economic reforms lead to an increasing “urban underclass,” scholar says
  Oct 15, 2008
  China’s economic reforms, particularly the restructuring of state enterprises, have contributed to rising unemployment among laid-off workers and rural migrants, leading to an expanding new “urban underclass”, according to Geeta KOCHHAR, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Chinese and South-East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, who contributed this discussion paper to the China Policy Institute.
• Study on capital efficiency calls for rethink of China’s western development program
  Oct 14, 2008
  Drastic policy changes may be needed to improve capital efficiency before more funds are poured into China's western regions, argues Yanrui WU of UWA Business School at the University of Western Australia in this discussion paper contributed to the China Policy Institute.
• China faces challenges in promoting soft power through state broadcaster overseas, scholar says
  Oct 2, 2008
  In trying to win the hearts and minds of the international public, China conducts its foreign propaganda activities mainly through its state broadcaster, advancing its public diplomacy agenda and its “soft power”. Yet China and its broadcaster are facing some challenges, according to Xiaoling ZHANG, lecturer at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at The University of Nottingham.
• Higher education expansion in China raises debate about social justice
  Sept 19, 2008
  The expansion of China’s higher education sector in the last decade has caused a shift from elite to mass education. Despite the availability of more study opportunities, the HE reforms have disadvantaged poor people in impoverished regions, according to Shujie YAO, Bin WU and Fang SU at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham.
• Get-rich-quick mentality sparks fraud boom
  Sept 18, 2008
  Fraud is booming in China in the public and private sectors because of a get-rich-quick revolution and fast economic growth, according to a Western expert.  Peter HUMPHREY, president of the China chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, told a seminar in London organised by the China Policy Institute and the Institute of Directors China Interest Group that the incidence of fraud in China was roughly four times higher than in the United States.  In a guest commentary for the CPI, he writes that in order to reduce fraud, foreign companies in China needed to screen staff better, set up proper channels of communication for employees to report ethical concerns and to pay more attention to cultural differences.
• Chinese banks need to tighten up their procedures if they want to avoid the fate of the US housing market, study says
  Sept 16, 2008
  To minimise the impact of the US credit crunch and housing market crisis on China, Chinese banks must adhere to stricter lending criteria and develop a comprehensive credit history system, say Shujie YAO, Dan LUO and Stephen MORGAN at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham.
• Number of China's agricultural surplus labour is still significantly large, study says
  Sept 12, 2008
  After three decades of economic reform and the sustainable development in the countryside after China’s WTO membership, rural China has undergone tremendous economic changes. However, China is still far from the end of the labour surplus phase, with the exception of provinces in the Northeast and Southwest regions, argues Fung KWAN, assistant professor at Department of Economics, University of Macau.
• China confident after Olympic success but political challenges remain
  Sept 1, 2008
  China has emerged more self-confident after stunning the world with its Olympic success, but must now grapple with challenges such as political reform and managing the impact of nationalism at home on its foreign relations, writes EAI director and CPI Head of Research Yongnian ZHENG, and EAI Senior Research Officer LYE Liang Fook.
• Western governments, media and NGOs must manage Chinese expectations to avoid backlash, scholar says
  Aug 20, 2008
  Managing the expectations of the Chinese people is an important task for western governments, media and NGOs if they don't want to see anti-western feelings grow, according to Yiyi LU, Research Fellow at the China Policy Institute in this commentary first published by the Guardian.
• Higher risk awareness will reduce Chinese stock market volatility, study says  [read this policy paper in Chinese .]
  Aug 13, 2008
  A higher awareness of the risk of stock market investments among Chinese investors will reduce market volatility and contribute to the development of Chinese stock markets as reliable investment avenues, according to this paper by Shujie YAO and Dan LUO at the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham.
• Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou maintains “balancing act”, study says
  Aug 5, 2008
  Unlike critics who read Hero, the martial arts epic by renowned Zhang Yimou, as the director’s complete cooption by the party-state, a Chinese media expert at the University of Nottingham argued that the filmmaker continued to maintain a “fine balancing act” amid China’s shifting political and social situations.
• China should set bargaining rules in privatization buyouts, study says
  Jul 28, 2008
  China should set ground rules regulating the bargaining process between entrepreneurs and politicians in privatization buyouts in order to sustain domestic business competitiveness, according to a paper by three scholars from Fudan University of China, and the Universities of Nottingham and Sheffield.
• China needs to revamp seafarer recruitment rules, raise labour standards
  Jul 22, 2008
  China needs to reform regulations governing the employment of seafarers and align labour practices with international standards to protect Chinese seamen against exploitation by recruitment agencies, according to this discussion paper by Bin WU, Senior Research Fellow at the China Policy Institute.
• Universities in China should have autonomy and academic freedom, UK university chancellor says
  Jul 21, 2008
  Universities in China should be guaranteed autonomy and allowed independent thinking and free expression, wrote the University of Nottingham Chancellor YANG Fujia in a paper entitled: “What makes a good university?”
• The poison infecting China
  Jul 16, 2008
  China is now paying a heavy environmental price for its economic growth, according to this commentary by Yiyi LU, Research Fellow at the China Policy Institute.
• China's five-year anti-graft plan indicates critical period for political reform
  Jul 2, 2008
  The next five to ten years would be critical for political reform in China, signified by a five-year anti-corruption plan released by the government last month, according to a commentary by Yongnian ZHENG, head of research at the China Policy Institute of the University of Nottingham.
• Less than one in 10 UK MNEs is located in China or India: University of Nottingham study
  Jul 1, 2008
  Less than one in 10 UK multinational enterprises (MNEs) has a presence in China or India, contrary to popular perceptions, according to a new report published by the Leverhulme Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy (GEP) at the University of Nottingham.
• Open doors and grand traditions
  Jun 26, 2008
  In this review of Daniel Bell’s newly-published book, “China’s New Confucianism: Politics and Everyday Life in a Changing Society,” Yongnian ZHENG, Head of Research at the China Policy Institute, writes on the role of China's ancient ethical system in an age of growth and reform.
• Chinese exporters may increasingly prefer the euro as invoicing currency, study says
  Jun 23, 2008
  Chinese exporters may increasingly prefer the euro as invoicing currency, following the persistent appreciation of the renminbi against the U.S. dollar since China introduced a new managed floating exchange rate regime in 2005, according to this study by Jingtao YI, Associate Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the China Policy Institute and also Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Global Finance at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China.
• China’s earthquake response casts doubt among critics, scholar says
  May 23, 2008
  China’s response following the May 12 earthquake has led scholars and media practitioners to question if the categories of “democratic” and “authoritarian” are sufficient to gauge whether political systems are good or bad, according to Professor Yongnian ZHENG, the head of research at the China Policy Institute.
• China to tackle climate change through external cooperation rather than commitments to curb emissions, scholars say
  May 22, 2008
  Though China is not likely to commit to curbs on greenhouse gas emissions because of economic growth concerns, the country will continue to participate actively in regional and international cooperation in the area of climate change, according to Yang ZHANG of the University of Macau and Yongnian ZHENG of the University of Nottingham.
• Pressure from IOC on China about open media is having an effect, academic says
  May 20, 2008
  Pressure from the International Olympic Committee on China to honour its pledges about open media is having an effect, according to Jackie SHEEHAN who gives a first-hand account of a shift in the Chinese state media narrative on Tibet in the days after the March 14 riots in Lhasa.
• Wall of alienation between East and West needs to be demolished by both sides, Chinese commentator says
  May 14, 2008
  There is no free ride in the international system of relationships. The Olympic spirit emphasizes tolerance and the surpassing of cultural divides. The wall of alienation between eastern and western cultures needs to be demolished by both sides, according to a former commentator of the Liberation Daily and deputy editor of the People's Daily in this essay.
• China should allow room for NGOs in handling of Sino-Japanese issues and nationalist emotions, scholar says
  Apr 25, 2008
  The Chinese state has often been blamed for inciting nationalism among its people. Yet Chinese activists campaigning on Sino-Japanese relations will attest to the contrary, as they encounter obstruction from a government that's highly wary of nationalist agitation. China should allow outlets in the form of registered non-governmental organisations for people to express their strong nationalist emotions. Such groups are easier to deal with than virtual groups of individuals who are mobilised via the Internet and mobile phones, writes Yiyi LU, Research Fellow at the China Policy Institute, in a commentary carried in Chatham House's monthly magazine The World Today .
• China needs higher consumption, investment and RMB appreciation to correct external surpluses, scholar says
  Apr 23, 2008
  China's external surpluses have to be corrected by increasing consumption and investment at home and abroad, in addition to allowing the renminbi to appreciate in real terms, according to Jingtao YI, a researcher at the China Policy Institute of the University of Nottingham and the Centre for Global Finance at The University of Nottingham, Ningbo, in this discussion paper.
• China's new labour law may herald better labour standards, scholars say
  Apr 18, 2008
  The conception and implementation of the controversial Labour Contract Law indicates that the process of legislation in China needs to be more independent, objective and robust. Unrealistic labour standards in legal terms are not necessarily helpful to vulnerable groups and instead leave more room for abuses. Nevertheless, the new law signals the Chinese leadership's recognition of workers' rights, according to Bin WU and Yongnian ZHENG of the China Policy Institute in this policy paper.
• Chinese oil firms, facing Western competition, seek supplies in controversial areas, scholar says
  Apr 11, 2008
  Chinese oil firms face a situation where existing oil markets around the world have been largely explored and saturated by leading Western oil corporations. The only places that are left are exactly those from which Western firms shy away, due to political or humanitarian reasons as well as negative public perception in the West, notes Hongyi LAI, Lecturer at the University of Nottingham's School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, in this commentary published by the Stockholm Network's energy and environment newsletter, Climate of Opinion .
• Public interest litigation and political activism in China
  Mar 30, 2008
  They appear in Chinese courts to contest the price of a highway toll, the absence of a receipt for a meal served at the canteen on a train, or the appearance of parking metres that impede access to a bicycle path. They do this with the intention of bringing about political change in a country that is resistant to this kind of questioning. These Chinese lawyers are carefully choosing causes that do not attack the government head on, while offering the possibility of spurring important changes in government policy. In this study published by Montreal-based Rights & Democracy, Yiyi LU, a Research Fellow at the China Policy Institute, examines this bold yet prudent approach to promoting the primacy of the law and awareness of human rights in China. The report is also available in Chinese.
• State's bias toward economic profits, non-separation of state and firm impede reform in China, scholars say
  Mar 28, 2008
  The problems of the state's bias toward profitable economic sectors and the non-separation of regulator and regulated mean that any effort to reorganize and restructure the government is likely to be futile, argue Yongnian ZHENG and Zhengxu WANG at the China Policy Institute in a paper analysing the outcomes of the just-ended National People's Congress in Beijing.
• Poor working conditions and isolation tied to exploitation of Chinese migrant workers, scholar says
  Mar 26, 2008
  The vulnerability of Chinese migrant workers is related to the interwoven issues of poor working conditions in their workplaces and the social isolation they experience, according to this discussion paper by Bin WU, a senior research fellow at the China Policy Institute.
• Universal suffrage of Hong Kong Chief Executive to boost political role of district council, scholars say
  Mar 11, 2008
  The universal suffrage of the Hong Kong Chief Executive and members of the Legislative Council will boost the political role of District Councillors, thus expanding the significance of District Council Elections in the coming years, Hak Yin LI and Yongnian ZHENG of The University of Nottingham write in this policy paper.
• Higher education in China: challenges and implications
  Feb 22, 2008
  The expansion of the higher education sector in China has brought about many challenges to the Chinese government, education providers, parents and students. These include the creation of enough jobs for the 4 million new graduates annually, the decline in the quality of higher education, higher tuition fees and lower government funding, according to this policy paper by Bin WU and Yongnian ZHENG of the China Policy Institute.
• People counting on Olympics to change China are "overly naïve", scholar says
  Feb 19, 2008
  People who hoped that China's hosting of the Olympic Games would accelerate a political reform of the state were "overly naïve", Professor Yongnian ZHENG, head of research at China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham, told a Chinese state-run newspaper in an interview published yesterday on the state-controlled Xinhua News Web site.
• China's Economy: 2007 and the year ahead
  Feb 7, 2008
  Last year saw China's GDP growing at a faster pace than the year earlier. Following the unveiling of new economic initiatives at the 17th National Party Congress in October, the Chinese government will press ahead with reforms and work to control an overheating economy and inflation, in order to achieve a balanced growth and social fairness, Shujie YAO, Head of the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at The University of Nottingham, and Minjia Chen, a research associate at the China Policy Institute write in a policy paper.
• Parliament should probe German aid to China, says researcher
  Jan 30, 2008
  China is Germany's biggest recipient of development aid. In the past it has been distributed mainly through inter-governmental arrangements. But as China's civil society has expanded, with NGOs playing more and more important roles, there is now a need for greater citizenship participation in aid projects, argues China Policy Institute Associate Fellow Andreas FULDA in a discussion paper. He calls for greater public scrutiny of German aid to China by the Bundestag.
• Women's political participation in China
  Jan 24, 2008
  Chinese women's awareness of their rights has grown since the country began its reform and opening-up. Granting them political rights becomes inevitable as it serves as an extension of their material interests under the free market system. In reality, the gap between women's participation in different political power structures in China and in other countries has widened in recent decades, Xiajuan GUO of Zhejiang University and University of Nottingham Professor Yongnian ZHENG write in a policy paper.
• Free-floating exchange rate regime most feasible option for China, researcher says
  Jan 15, 2008
  A free floating exchange rate regime is the most viable option for China as the country takes further steps to liberalize its capital account, including a gradual easing of controls on capital outflows, according to a discussion paper by Jingtao YI, an associate post-doctoral research fellow at The University of Nottingham's China Policy Institute.
• China should reform central and local government monopolies, scholar says
  Jan 9, 2008
  China should change the government's monopolistic nature at both the central and provincial levels, and transfer power to society so as to facilitate the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, which would provide a means of resolving the issue of income inequality, China Policy Institute Head of Research Yongnian ZHENG told Nan Feng Chuang in an interview.
• China's Politics in 2007: Power Consolidation, Personnel Change and Policy Reorientation
  Jan 2, 2008
  2007 was an eventful year in China, which witnessed the convening of the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, the most important political gathering in the country, where General Secretary Hu Jintao further consolidated his power. The Party sought to maintain its legitimacy by continuing its fight against corruption and introducing more democratic elements. Last year also saw the country strengthening its external ties, in particular with the U.S. and Japan. Still, protests spurred by issues such as land expropriation and environmental pollution continue to threaten the CCP's rule and social stability, four scholars from the East Asian Institute in Singapore and the University of Nottingham's China Policy Institute write in a policy paper.
• China's problems are growing but Party congress offers some hope, scholar says
  Jan 2, 2008
  Economic, political, social and environmental factors are exerting ever more powerful pressure on the Chinese government, but the policies outlined at the 17th Communist Party congress in November suggest that these problems can be overcome, according to China Policy Institute Head of Research Yongnian ZHENG in his weekly column in the Singapore newspaper Lianhe Zaobao .