Religion has returned to the center of politics, argues journalist Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao at the McGrath Institute for church life. Religion has returned to center of society over the past decades.Read More →

Former trade negotiator Harry Broadman warns at Bloomberg the trade war is far from over despite positive sounds on the phase 1 agreement. US President Donald Trump seems more engaged in winning the 2020 presidential elections than ending the trade war. And he introduces agricultural deals for the US thatRead More →

China’s central government has been trying to sinicize religion, and that had especially a major effect on Christianity, writes journalist Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao. For the New York Review of Books, he reviews Jesus in Asia by R.S. Sugirtharajah, but starts with a thorough overview of Beijing’s efforts to curtail Read More →

Under president Xi Jinping, politics has become more dynamic than under his predecessor Hu Jintao. Anti-corruption, political reforms and increased infighting between different factions mark the news on an almost daily basis. And while everybody has an opinion, at the China Speakers Bureau we are happy to have a range of expert opinions on China´s political development.Read More →

Journalist Ian Johnson attended China’s National Day celebrations in Beijing and noted – apart from the military parade and obligatory propaganda, the crowd was different from earlier celebrations. “Tuesday’s crowd was different. It was made up of university professors, scientists, administrators, bureaucrats and people who had made some sort of contribution to the state. They weren’t props but excited participants who expected to remember this day,” he writes in the New York Times.Read More →

The threat to delist Chinese companies from US stock exchanges has shocked observers, even though it is not yet clear whether the White House is moving forward. Financial analyst Sara Hsu warns the reputation of US financial institutions might be at stake. And also: her latest viewpoint on what the consumers might feel from the ongoing trade war.Read More →

China not only has been doing very well over the past decades, but any systematic opposition is lacking, even not triggered off by the Hong Kong protests. Although it does not mean president Xi Jinping is having no problems, says political analyst Ian Johnson to the Sydney Morning Herald.Read More →

Starbucks found itself in hot water as the protesters turned against Maxim, the major franchise holder of the coffee outlet in Hong Kong. When it has to choose between Hong Kong and Beijing, Starbucks will pick China’s central government, says business analyst Shaun Rein according to Fortune.Read More →