Chinese President Xi Jinping has paid tribute to late reformist leader Hu Yaobang by urging today’s Communist Party cadres to follow in his footsteps to tackle the country’s tough issues. At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday, Xi said that opening up and reform were the “magical instruments” of China’s modernisation…
China’s 15th five-year plan is more than a policy blueprint; it is a pivotal turning point. This plan and the next one will define an era of innovation-led growth, solidifying China’s status as a major power and peer competitor to the United States. Since the reform and opening-up policy was launched, China’s economic development has…
Shing-Tung Yau, one of the world’s most influential mathematicians, is chair of Tsinghua University’s Qiuzhen College, which is fast-tracking talented young students through a programme of his own design. Born in the southern province of Guangdong and educated in Hong Kong and the US, the 76-year-old shared his ideas on science and education, key to…
JEROME COHEN could not stay quiet. On a visit to China in 1972, his first of many, he was invited to dinner with Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong’s lieutenant, a rare honour for foreigners. Rather than stick to pleasantries, Cohen pressed him on a range of concerns. He urged Mr Zhou to release his former college…
This year marks half a century of formal diplomatic relations between China and the European Union as well as the 25th anniversary of the founding of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. As part of a series of reports examining ties between the two powers, Meredith Chen and Nora Mankel look at how…
Ahead of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, marking the end of the Sino-Japanese war and the global fight against fascism, we look at the profound changes of the post-war period and how they continue to affect China’s place in the world. Part four of this series examines how the history of Sino-American cooperation has…
During nearly three decades as a US diplomat in China, Southeast Asia and Africa, Matt Ingeneri watched his Chinese counterparts dispense prestigious scholarships, hold lavish banquets and conduct expensive national day celebrations. “They are very good hosts and can be really charming when they want to be,” Ingeneri, now in the private sector, said, adding…
A leading engineer, who spent 20 years working for the global oil giant Shell, has left Britain to take up a position at a Chinese university to lead a team working with the petroleum industry on low-carbon technology. Jing Xudong, who was an adjunct professor at Imperial College London at the time of his departure,…
For China, the early- to mid-20th century was a time marked by political and social upheaval. It began with the Xinhai Revolution, which saw the end of the imperial system, before the Second Sino-Japanese War rocked the nation. The Chinese Communist Revolution and Cultural Revolution signified massive political and social shifts. In 1949, after the…