Accepting Nominations for 25 Under 25

China Hands is now accepting nominations for the 2021 feature, 25 Under 25 in US-China relations! Founded in 2012, China Hands aims to provide a platform for constructive dialogue on China-related issues and on US-China relations. It has readership in over 70 countries, and maintains a popular Facebook page with over 5,000 followers updated by a team from schools such as Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Peking University, and the University of Hong Kong. … Continue reading Accepting Nominations for 25 Under 25

Southeast Asia’s Pivot to China

ADINA-LAURA ACHIM evaluates the warming relations between China and Southeast Asian nations. Southeast Asian nations like Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the Philippines have found a reliable partner in China, the second largest economy in the world. Yet, Western media has often portrayed these partnerships as examples of China’s manipulation and debt-trap diplomacy. Analyzing relations between China and Southeast Asian nations only through a geopolitical lens … Continue reading Southeast Asia’s Pivot to China

Made in China Done Right: Sustainability Reforms in Chinese Manufacturing

ADINA-LAURA ACHIM analyzes China’s efforts to rebrand Made in China and pivot to more environmentally sustainable production. Throughout the centuries, the Made in China label denoted high quality, impeccable craftsmanship, artistry, and skillfully curated products. “European traders and power brokers traveled the Silk Road to purchase silks, stone-carved decorative pieces, cashmere, unique calligraphy, and first-rate ceramics,” said Jing Daily. However, on its quest to become the … Continue reading Made in China Done Right: Sustainability Reforms in Chinese Manufacturing

China Hands Volume 6 Print Edition

Dear Readers, Sir Austen Chamberlain, half-brother of former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, once referred to a Chinese curse which took the form of saying, “May you live in interesting times.” We live in interesting times. The foundations of US-China relations are splintering. The delicate webs of global value chains and cross-border investments linking our economies are unravelling. The resulting disruptions are diverting attention from China’s … Continue reading China Hands Volume 6 Print Edition

Fintech Disrupted

DYMPLES LEONG explores how people’s use of fintech changes during times of unrest in China. The push towards a cashless society by governments and the private sector has led to a rapid global development of the financial technology (fintech) industry. Countries in Asia are increasing their adoption of fintech to meet the challenges of a globalized digital economy, such as access to underbanked individuals and … Continue reading Fintech Disrupted

Comparative Analysis of Factory Girls and Korean Workers

ZHEYAN NI reviews Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China and Korean Workers: The Culture and Politics of Class Formation. An inquiry has been occupying my mind for a long time: are journalists or scholars the better story tellers of a society? Contrasting the two books in this review helps us understand their differences in approach and effect. Leslie Chang, the wife of famous China … Continue reading Comparative Analysis of Factory Girls and Korean Workers

How the Chinese Political System Can Elevate More Competent Government Officials

MICHAEL TAN examines the Chinese civil service system and why it can potentially produce more effective leadership than democratic systems. Would a TV-celebrity and real-estate mogul with no political experience whatsoever ever be able to achieve the presidency in China? Such a feat, while possible in the United States, has next to no chance of happening in China, for reasons that lie in the extremely rigorous … Continue reading How the Chinese Political System Can Elevate More Competent Government Officials