https://www.scmp.com/rss/322891/feed Wenyuan Wu holds a PhD in international studies from the University of Miami. Her research covers governance and energy reform issues in China, the United States and Latin America. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In the expanding global Covid-19 crisis, Beijing and Washington have wasted no time in exchanging political blows, both high and low. On March 13, the Chinese State Council Information Office issued its 2019 report on human rights violations in the US, highlighting the government’s anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-minority and anti-poor policies and generally depicting America as an illiberal regime with rampant third-world problems. To add insult to injury, Beijing is now encouraging conspiracy... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3075798/trumps-stoking-anti-china-racism-over-coronavirus-puts-asian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3075798/trumps-stoking-anti-china-racism-over-coronavirus-puts-asian?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2020 19:00:16 +0000 This winter, 39 cities across northern China, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei megalopolis and the Fenwei Plain, experienced alarming surges in air pollution. The uptick in smog means these heavily polluted areas are now unlikely to meet their annual air quality targets. Beijing’s gambit to relax anti-pollution curbs in the face of economic pressures, particularly trade tensions with the US, has not helped.  In February, average levels of PM2.5 – hazardous ultra-fine airborne particles, known... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/3002599/chinas-economic-growth-engine-slows-its-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/3002599/chinas-economic-growth-engine-slows-its-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Mar 2019 14:00:06 +0000 China’s domestic energy consumption, considered one of the most reliable indicators of the country’s economic performance, rose by 9.4 per cent in the first half of 2018. Amid a heatwave, China also imported over 29 million tonnes of coal in July – the most in any month since January 2014. Energy analysts already knew a coal resurgence was under way. In the first five months of 2018, 870 million tonnes of thermal coal was burned for electricity, up 12 per cent from 2017. Coal imports were up –... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2161129/how-can-china-win-its-war-pollution-and-meet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2161129/how-can-china-win-its-war-pollution-and-meet?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Aug 2018 07:00:30 +0000 China is well on its way to reaching its carbon reduction goals ahead of time after years of structural economic change that emphasised shifting to low-carbon hi-tech sectors. A recent study suggested that China’s carbon dioxide emissions may have peaked in 2013 and have seen a steady decline since. As Beijing aims to wean its economy off coal, other energy sources have been expanded, most prominently nuclear power.  In early June, China National Nuclear Corporation reached two deals with its... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/china/article/2154378/why-nuclear-energy-will-fuel-power-hungry-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/china/article/2154378/why-nuclear-energy-will-fuel-power-hungry-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jul 2018 08:00:44 +0000 Wenyuan Wu Wenyuan Wu Tensions are running high in northeast Asia after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a successful intercontinental ballistic missile test launch as his Independence Day “gift” to the US. After assessing the precision and unprecedented range of the missile, which could reach Alaska, the US teamed up with South Korea to launch a volley of missiles in retaliation, showcasing their military capabilities and accord. Meanwhile, China aligned with Russia in a joint appeal for restraint and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2101481/diplomacy-can-defuse-korean-crisis-just-it-did-cuban-missile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2101481/diplomacy-can-defuse-korean-crisis-just-it-did-cuban-missile?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jul 2017 04:40:55 +0000 With the US veering towards global warming denial under Donald Trump, President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) China is now being cast as leading not just the region but the world in at least one field: protecting the environment. Has China earned this sudden elevation in status to climate protector? The reality is complicated. The shift began when Xi spoke to Trump on November 14, pledging China’s commitment to fighting climate change “whatever the circumstances”. While Trump has portrayed climate change... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2052518/can-china-be-new-global-hero-environmental-protection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2052518/can-china-be-new-global-hero-environmental-protection?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Dec 2016 09:41:20 +0000 This week, the Chinese government declared national coal output capacity would fall by 280 million tonnes in 2016. With smog smothering the capital, Beijing has intensified its war on industrial pollution, making it harder for businesses to obtain environmental licences and posing harsher penalties for non-compliance. On paper, provinces seem to be following the central government’s lead. Earlier this year, China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported a 3-4 per cent fall in fossil carbon... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1983642/chinas-power-struggle-how-beijings-clean-energy-efforts-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1983642/chinas-power-struggle-how-beijings-clean-energy-efforts-are?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jun 2016 09:47:18 +0000