Tariffs in the ongoing trade war are taxes, so it is unavoidable consumer prices will go up, says financial analyst Victor Shih, author of Factions and Finance in China: Elite Conflict and Inflation, at The Point. Some increases might be taken by the distributors, and consumers are not yet worried because the US economy is now doing very well, Shih says. But that could change in the months to come when the effects of the trade war kick in.Read More →

China’s central government and the Vatican closed a deal on appointments of Catholic bishops in China, causing debate among the already divided Catholics in the country, writes journalist Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao at the New York Times. The way the Communist-ruled state church might integrate with the Roman Catholic church might not please all Catholics, he writes.Read More →

The disappearance of famous movie star Fan Bingbing now three months ago has kept many guessing for the reasons behind it. Being a celebrity in China has some extra risks, explains business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The War for China’s Wallet: Profiting from the New World Order, for AP.  “There’s a greater risk for celebrities to get in trouble with the law and never be able to get a chance at redemption.”Read More →

China internet giant Alibaba struck a major deal last week with Russia’s  Mail.ru – one of Russia’s leading tech and media conglomerates that is already called Russia’s Alibaba. A smart move says Russian Ashley Dudarenok, a veteran marketer on China’s e-commerce and author of Unlocking the World’s Largest E-market: A Guide To Selling on Chinese Social Media in the China Economic Review.Read More →

Alibaba’s chairman Jack Ma announced he will turn over the reins of his company to the next generation of executives next year. But business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The End of Cheap China, Revised and Updated: Economic and Cultural Trends That Will Disrupt the World, wonders if the new generation takes over Ma’s magic spell over staff, users and investors, he tells to Inkstone News. Read More →

The focus has been on the Chinese government after US president Donald Trump announced new tariffs. But that might be wrong, says economist Arthur Kroeber, author of China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know to CNN. What Trump wants is not getting China into negotiations, but forcing US companies to come back to the US.Read More →

The Venerable Xuecheng did become the symbol for supercharged Buddhism in China. Journalist Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao, looks for the New York Times at how China’s #MeToo movement brought down this confusing factor in the rising Buddhism.Read More →

Most Western media reports focus on the oppression of religion in China, and miss one of the most important developments in the country when it comes to religion, argues journalist Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao in the China Zentrum. “Faith and values are returning to the center of a national discussion over how to organize Chinese life.”Read More →

Religion in China is on the rise, shows journalist Ian Johnson in his book The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao. China’s outbound investments in the One Road, One Belt (OBOR) or Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) program illustrate that change in China’s approach to religion, he says to Indepthnews.netRead More →

While the criminal case for sexual harassment against JD.com CEO Richard Liu is still unclear, to say the least, its shareholders are getting nervous, says financial analyst Shaun Rein, and author of The War for China’s Wallet: Profiting from the New World Order to the Nikkei Asian Review.  “Worries will grow over timeRead More →