USC and China in the News, May and June 2010

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June 29, 2010:South China Morning Post

USC international relations specialist Daniel Lynch was quoted in an article discussing the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed between China and Taiwan.

June 29, 2010: Voice of America

USC Annenberg faculty member Andrew Lih was quoted in an article about Google’s efforts to remain in business in China. Lih said that, by redirecting google.cn visitors to the Hong Kong Google site, "[Google] basically said, 'We're not going to censor ourselves.  If there's any censorship that is going to happen, it's going to be by the Great Firewall, which is out of our hands.'"

June 24, 2010: Marketplace

Baizhu Chen of the USC Marshall School of Business was interviewed about the impact demographic change in China may have on labor markets. Chen noted that in one factory he visited recently, the owners were thinking about automating the production line because of higher labor costs.

June 23, 2010: Tulsa World

An article about two former Tulsans now serving as student ambassadors at the USA Pavilion noted that the University of Southern California (the USC U.S.-China Institute) recruited and selected students for the program.

 June 20, 2010: Eastday (Shanghai)

“The Godmother” earned USC School of Cinematic Arts student Lior Chefetz best director honors in the short film category at the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival.

June 18, 2010: Fortune

Clayton Dube of the USC US-China Institute was quoted in an article about China’s recent investments in Greece. Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang signed fourteen deals during a four day visit to Greece. Dube noted Chinese Communist Party dominates large firms and investments by appointing the top corporate officers and bank heads. These Greek investments together constitute China’s biggest ever investment in Europe.

June 16, 2010: Chronicle of Higher Education

Michael Diamond of the USC Rossier School of Education was quoted in an article about Peking University’s efforts to forge global partnerships. Diamond said that Lin Jianhua, Peking University provost, was “one of those rare academic leaders who feel that elite research universities should develop programs addressing the problems faced by societies around the world." The article noted that Peking University was considering partnering with USC on professional programs in education and social work.

June 3, 2010: KABC Radio

Clayton Dube of the USC US-China Institute was interviewed on "The Peter Tilden Show" about China's housing bubble and its implications for China's economy and for the US. Dube stressed the widening gap between rich and poor in China, which is vividly demonstrated in the gap between median household incomes in places such as Beijing and housing prices which have shot up in recent years. Current estimates put Beijing's housing affordability index at just 15% compared to Los Angeles's 56%.

June 2, 2010: InSead Knowledge via Emirates Business

Mike Chinoy, senior fellow at the USC US-China Institute was interviewed for an article about media freedom in China. Chinoy noted that China is more open than before, but that the government remains committed to maintaining control of the media. Chinoy highlighted cases where the media exposed scandals, saying "Within certain limits, it's quite vibrant and free. Once you bump up against those limits, the heavy hand of the state can come down quite quickly." Chinoy said that economic and business news was freer than other types.

May 27, 2010: Los Angeles Times

An article about Expo 2010 in Shanghai, noted that “The [USA] pavilion also showcases another American trait, friendliness, making use of 160 Mandarin-speaking college students who were recruited by USC and are assigned to chat with Chinese visitors.”

May 20, 2010: Al Jazeera

USC political scientist Stanley Rosen was interviewed about recent violence in China and noted that during China’s Cultural Revolution some violence could be attributed to an outpouring of grief from those who had suffered hardships, famine, and repression.

May 13, 2010:Marketplace

Richard Drobnick of the USC Marshall School of Business was interviewed for a story about China’s importance to the world economy. He said, “China has become the engine for the world economy. We should be very happy that Chinese economy is growing quite well” and also noted, “Our exports to China are important. But our exports to Indonesia and Malaysia are important, and those economies are stimulated by the Chinese economy.”

May 13, 2010: US-China Press (桥报)

The USC US-China Institute’s Clayton Dube was interviewed for an article about BYD Auto’s plans to import their plug-in cars to America. Dube noted that California was the appropriate target for the company since one out of four gas/electric hybrids sold in the US is sold in California. With the nation’s highest gas prices and longest commutes the region has many potential customers for electric cars.

May 13, 2010: World Journal (世界日报)

In an article discussing the arrival of China’s BYD Auto in the US, Clayton Dube of the USC US-China Institute was interviewed. Dube explained that the electric car industry is still in its infancy. He noted that General Motors is preparing the Volt plug-in electric car. He noted that the best-selling hybrids are in the $25,000-35,000 price range and to effectively compete, the BYD entry will need to be in that range as well.

May 12, 2010:China Daily via Sina.com

Stanley Rosen, USC political scientist and director of the East Asian Studies Center, was quoted in an article about film and American knowledge about China. He said, “Yes, movies are great, but things can easily get lost in translation. Chinese directors like Zhang Yimou have already complained about this."

May 1, 2010: New York Times

USC East Asian Studies Center director Stanley Rosen was interviewed for an article about the recent violence against Chinese schoolchildren. He said that there was so much violence in China’s Cultural Revolution because so much rage had been bottled up for so long. Those who had suffered famine, brutal rule, and impoverishment hadn’t had any outlet for their grief.

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