By Cheng Rui 成睿 NANJING, CHINA — 25 years after Li Yang’s award-winning film “Blind Mountain” exposed the problem of human trafficking in China, the tragic reality depicted in the film is once again rearing its ugly head. The Chinese public has learned about Yang Mouxia, a woman who was sold like chattel, chained with... Continue Reading →
Walking the Talk: India’s Surprising Role in the Climate Action Arena
By Ishani Srivastava India has made a name for itself as a wild card at the climate change negotiating table. In the talks leading up to the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP 21), almost all major greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting nations agreed to emission reduction targets. India, the world’s third-largest annual GHG emitter, conceded only... Continue Reading →
Elegant Language in the Cyber World 网络世界的高雅语言
By Qinan Li 李琪楠 NANJING, CHINA — Two Chinese idioms, yang chun bai xue and xia li ba ren, can be used to distinguish between different types of art. The former refers to high-class art, meaning art which can only be created, mastered, and appreciated by people who have received high levels of education. The... Continue Reading →
Is China Cheering for Star Athletes or Just Their Identities? — A Discussion on Eileen Gu Fever
Photo Credits: Wei Zheng via Getty Images Of the athletes representing the 91 National Olympic Committees participating in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, none captured the same international attention as China’s star freestyle skier, Eileen Gu. Despite having won three medals for the Chinese team — two golds in big air and halfpipe... Continue Reading →
China’s Zero-Covid Policy: The Motivations and Hidden Costs 中国的“清零政策”：动机与隐藏成本
Photo Credit: South China Morning Post Since May 2020, China has recorded only four deaths from COVID-19, around 24,000 cases, and a death rate below 0.0004%. The Chinese government is bragging about the success of its Zero-Covid Policy in fighting against the pandemic. However, these statistics do not tell the full story. Aside from doubts... Continue Reading →
A Conversation About Nagorno-Karabakh
By Mary Hopkins and Jacob Levitan On Nov. 10, 2020, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders met in Moscow to sign a Russian-mediated ceasefire that ended the 2nd Nagorno-Karabakh War. One year on, two Johns Hopkins SAIS organizations -- the Global Security and Conflict Management Club and the Central Asia and Caucasus Club -- organized a panel... Continue Reading →
China’s Power Scarcity – Short Pain or Structural Crisis? 中国电荒——阵痛还是结构性危机？
By Cheng Rui 成睿 NANJING, CHINA — September-October is typically the peak production season for private enterprises in China, but in 2021 a shadow was cast over the early-autumn boom. A massive nationwide power scarcity began in mid-September, and the "pulling and restricting" electricity policies in several major manufacturing provinces have negatively impacted production capacity... Continue Reading →
The United States Lost in Afghanistan. Did Anyone Win?
By Jacob Levitan The United States withdrew its last soldiers from Afghanistan on August 30, 2021. By August 15, the Taliban entered Kabul, marking the end of a week-long campaign that saw them conquer Afghanistan. Officials from Beijing, Moscow, and Islam gloated on how the mighty American empire had been humbled. After 20 years and... Continue Reading →
China’s Low Birth Rate Raises Concerns
By Alex Yue In May 2021, the government of China released data from its seventh national census and, at the same time, revised its fertility policy to allow and encourage couples to have three children—a significant reversal of policy from prior decades and a key indicator that China now perceives fertility as a national concern.... Continue Reading →
Chinese Diplomacy: Canary in the Loan Mine or Babble?
By Sean Carver If you have paid attention to Congress these days, you are aware that there is zero agreement across a wide range of topics: government funding, the debt limit, immigration, infrastructure, abortion, and climate change, to name just a few. In one area, however, there is universal consensus: China. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID),... Continue Reading →