Pulitzer prize winner Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao, addresses the change China went through over the past twenty years, beyond the poor cliches we often look at. How the country became more important military, as a consumer heaving, but also developing cultural values that were believed to be missing.Read More →

Self-sufficiency in food has long been the mantra of China. But that is changing, as the country even imports rice from the US. Aging farmers, pollution and other challenges makes this change necessary, tells assistant professor Sara Shu, as the domestic production cannot be guaranteed.Read More →

Despite often higher costs, Chinese consumers try to buy foreign brands, when they are looking for food products to avoid the pollution and scandals with domestic brands. Business analyst Shaun Rein, and author of The End of Copycat China: The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia explains to Bloomberg why: they want peace of mindRead More →

Beijing underwent for the first time a code red for pollution: officially the worst air quality ever. But the air had been worse before, even a week earlier. Beijing-based journalist Ian Johnson sees a silver lining on the code red: the people and the politicians start to see things have to change, he writes in the New York Review of Books. And that is good new for the Paris talks.Read More →

While much work remains to be done, China and the US has set an important step forward in curbing carbon emissions, writes analyst Sara Hsu in the Diplomat. “At present, China’s cap-and-trade systems do not address price distortions in the nation’s socialist economy.”Read More →

China has recently announced ambitious environmental plans to stave off climate change. But are those plans enough, and can China really deliver? Economic analyst Sara Hsu welcomes the plans at Triple Crisis, but wonders if it is going to work.Read More →

Slowly, very slowly, some good news about China´s environment is coming in. Journalist Ian Johnson talked for the New York Times with Mark Clifford, author of The Greening of Asia, about the changes in the world´s largest coal consuming country.Read More →

The environmental documentary “Under the Dome” by Chai Jing has become more influential, even after Chna´s censors banned it from the internet. Not only because between 100 and 200 million already watched the documentary, says author Zhang Lijia to Bloomberg. The government can no longer brainwash the people.Read More →