On Xi Jinping:
On ChinaFile, Arthur R. Kroeber of GaveKal Dragonomics challenges skepticism about Xi Jinping’s economic reforms and anti-corruption campaign. Xi Jinping’s record over the past two years is stronger than any other world leader’s, Kroeber writes: Xi is playing a long game, aimed at overhauling China’s economy—and the anti-corruption drive, mirroring Chiang Ching-kuo’s crackdown on corruption in 1980s Taiwan, is a necessary step to build a vibrant economy.
On China’s carbon pledge:
Read this interview with China’s chief climate negotiator to see how serious China is about its new carbon emissions targets: In a fascinating interview with Caixin editor Hu Shuli, Xie Zhenhua, China’s chief climate change negotiator, stresses that China’s carbon targets are part of the country’s overall economic reform plan—and its new commitment to sustainable development. Climate change has a real cost, he says: over the last ten years, China has lost 2,000 lives and 200 billion yuan a year to extreme climate events.
On China’s coal caps:
China’s experts are trying to figure out how to meet the country’s new 2020 goal for capping coal production and use. (The Paulson Institute’s Climate Change and Air Quality Program is working on the issue, too.) International and Chinese experts recently convened in Beijing and proposed solutions, from increasing competition to overhauling the energy pricing system to emissions trading.