Zhe Vietnam’s Neighbors

Why a Chinese Security Deal in the Pacific Could Ripple Through the World

April 20, 2022 / China, David Lindsay, Micronesia and Solomon Islands

In potentially opening the door to a Chinese military base, the Solomon Islands threatens the balance of power in a vital shipping region. By Damien CaveApril 20, 2022Updated 7:42 a.m. ET “SYDNEY, Australia — When the Solomon Islands’ prime minister stood before Parliament on Wednesday to announce that his government had signed a sweeping security agreement with China, he …

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These Revered Cranes Escaped Extinction. Can They Survive Without Humans?

March 21, 2022 / Japan, The Sixth Extinction of Species

Conservators vastly increased the numbers of red-crowned cranes, a symbol of loyalty and longevity in Japanese culture. That’s just a start. By Motoko Rich and Hikari Hida Photographs by James Whitlow DelanoMarch 21, 2022. “KUSHIRO, Japan — The dance of the red-crowned cranes commenced, an impromptu pas de deux. The pair approached each other with a bow. They crossed …

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Beijing Wanted the Winter Olympics. All It Needed Was Snow.

February 9, 2022 / China, Climate Change Polluters, Sports and Martial Arts

The environmentally unfriendly secret of winter sports is that many competitions take place on artificial snow. China’s water-scarce capital had to go to enormous lengths to make enough of it. By Matthew Futterman and Raymond ZhongPublished Feb. 5, 2022Updated Feb. 6, 2022阅读简体中文版閱讀繁體中文版Leer en español “BEIJING — China did not move mountains to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. But it flooded a …

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In Clash With U.S. Over Ukraine, Putin Has a Lifeline From China

February 2, 2022 / China, Russia

President Biden could find his plans to punish Russia undermined by Xi Jinping, a longtime ally of Mr. Putin. But China moves cautiously during crises. By Steven Lee Myers and Edward WongFeb. 2, 2022Updated 2:49 a.m. ET “BEIJING — As the United States moves to exert maximal pressure on Russia over fears of a Ukraine invasion, the Russian leader, …

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What Japan Got Right About Covid-19

January 24, 2022 / Japan, Public Health

Jan. 24, 2022, 5:00 a.m. ET By Hitoshi Oshitani Dr. Oshitani is a professor of virology at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. He has helped advise the Japanese government on its Covid-19 response. By Hitoshi Oshitani Dr. Oshitani is a professor of virology at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan. He has helped …

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China’s Births Hit Historic Low, a Political Problem for Beijing

January 17, 2022 / China, Population Growth

The demographic crisis, a challenge to the economy, also signals a limit to the reach of the government, which has struggled recently to grow the population. By Steven Lee Myers and Alexandra StevensonJan. 17, 202, “China announced on Monday that its birthrate plummeted for a fifth straight year in 2021, moving the world’s most populous country closer to …

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Why Even a 40% Tax Break Won’t Move Japan’s Employers to Raise Pay

December 23, 2021 / David Lindsay, Japan, Politics and Economics

The country’s prime minister says lifting long-stagnant wages would jump-start the sputtering economy. Companies call the plan a nonstarter. 14 By Ben Dooley and Hisako UenoDec. 23, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET “TOKYO — Over the last two years, Masataka Yoshimura has poured money into the custom-suit business his family founded more than a century ago. He has upgraded his factory, installed …

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RACE TO THE FUTURE

December 22, 2021 / China, Climate Change Remediation, Transportation

Why a Chinese Company Dominates Electric Car Batteries Beijing gave CATL lavish subsidies, a captive market of buyers and soft regulatory treatment, helping it to control a crucial technology of the future. CATL’s headquarters, shaped like an oversize lithium battery, in Ningde, China.Credit…Qilai Shen for The New York Times By Keith Bradsher and Michael Forsythe Dec. 22, 2021,  …

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Inside the Campaign to Save an Imperiled Cambodian Rainforest

December 20, 2021 / Cambodia, The Sixth Extinction of Species

Deep in the Southern Cardamom Mountains, former loggers and poachers have assumed new roles as protective rangers and ecotourism guides. Can their efforts help preserve a vast stretch of wilderness? Photographs and Text by Francesco Lastrucci Dec. 20, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, we launched …

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The U.S. and China Should Compete on Electric Cars

December 8, 2021 / China, Climate Change Remediation, Transportation

Dec. 8, 2021 By Deborah Seligsohn Ms. Seligsohn is an assistant professor in the political science department at Villanova University. “If you are in the market for an electric vehicle today, there’s a good chance you’ll buy a Tesla. Fast forward a couple of years, and this may no longer be true. Traditional automakers like General …

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