China
The Prisoner Who Revolutionized Language With a Teacup
While imprisoned for being a “reactionary,” physicist and engineer Zhi Bingyi began devising a system to help computing machines read Chinese characters.
China’s ‘People’s Courts’ Resolve Online Disputes at Tech Firms
No garlic on the oysters? Soup stained a blanket? Panels of users hear the complaints and can order refunds or removal of critical reviews.
15 Great Chinese Dramas to Binge
There's really no excuse to miss out on C-dramas' epic fight scenes and time travel romances—especially since you can find a lot on YouTube or for free.
US-China Trade Tensions Threaten Europe's Biggest Tech Company
ASML quietly built a chip machine manufacturing empire but a sales ban on its most advanced tech in China may hinder its growth plans.
A Year In, Biden’s China Policy Looks a Lot Like Trump’s
The administration has toned down the anti-China rhetoric, but it has maintained and expanded economic sanctions—and plans a “diplomatic boycott” of the Olympics.
The Year Everyone Remembered That Chips Matter
Shortages of semiconductors messed up production of everything from cars to toys. Plans are in the works for more factories, but they'll take years.
Microsoft Seizes Domains Used by a Chinese Hacking Group
The move delivers a blow to the hackers behind sophisticated attacks on government agencies, think tanks, and other organizations.
Peng Shuai and the Real Goal of Chinese Censorship
Censorship in China is about more than topics and keywords. It’s about destroying social resources.
TikTok’s Next Big Move? To Become Facebook
ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok and Douyin, has global ambitions to challenge Meta’s universe.
Ignore China’s New Data Privacy Law at Your Peril
The Personal Information Protection Law gives authorities the power to impose huge fines and blacklist companies. But the biggest impact may be felt outside the country.
Even as China Cracks Down on Tech, AI Companies Plan IPOs
SenseTime and Megvii both include facial recognition technology among their offerings and do a lot of business with government agencies.
China Targets Extreme Internet Fandoms in a New Crackdown
Measures aimed at influencer and celebrity culture will reach into the screens of young people.
LinkedIn’s Exit From China Cuts Another East-West Bridge
The Microsoft subsidiary had agreed in 2014 to censor content in China, but that apparently wasn’t enough for tougher government regulators.
Another Global Pandemic Is Spreading—Among Pigs
African swine fever killed half the pigs in China. There is no vaccine and no treatment. Now it’s in the Caribbean and on the doorstep of the US.
China's Sweeping Cryptocurrency Ban Was Inevitable
The decentralized technology clashes with the government’s plans for a state-dominated economy—one that includes its own digital currency.
China Aims Its Propaganda Firehose at the BBC
The alleged digital operation has deployed hundreds of websites and social media accounts to attack the broadcaster's reporting.
China Cracks Down On Its Tech Giants. Sound Familiar?
Companies like Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent were once regarded with national pride. Now they’re being slapped with fines and other penalties.
TikTok a Year After Trump’s Ban: No Change, but New Threats
The popular short-video app survived a plan to block it on US phones. Now, it’s mistrusted by both the US and Chinese governments.
How China’s Hacking Entered a Reckless New Phase
The country’s hackers have gotten far more aggressive since 2015, when the Ministry of State Security largely took over the country’s cyberespionage.
The US Needs to Get Back in the Business of Making Chips
Pandemic-induced supply disruptions and competition from China put more pressure on US companies to manufacture semiconductors at home.
China's Nationalistic ‘Wolf Warriors’ Blast Foes on Twitter
Diplomats hurl insults and mock enemies in screeds that often appear aimed at a domestic audience, even though the social media service is blocked in China.
Global Democracies Need to Align to Fight Disinformation
Before authoritarians pollute the 2022 midterms, the US and EU must build a blueprint for democratic internet governance.
A Global Smart-City Competition Highlights China’s Rise in AI
Chinese entrants swept all five categories, featuring technologies to improve civic life. But the advances could also be tools for surveillance.
China's Quiet Ecommerce Giant Thrives on Fresh Produce
Pinduoduo, which recently passed Alibaba as the shopping site with the most customers, connects 12 million farmers to more than 800 million users.