These past few weeks have illustrated numerous positive developments for China’s economy. The yuan rose to an all-time high on the dollar last week, and China’s millionaire population surpassed that of the United Kingdom, putting the country in fourth place behind just the U.S., Japan, and Germany. Economists also predict that China is poised to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest manufacturer in 2013-2014.
Additionally, the U.S. is enacting a “Super Saturday Visa Program” where the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and four U.S. consulates general across China are opening on Saturdays for a few weeks. This reflects the huge increase of Chinese travelers seeking visas recently, with application numbers growing 28% over the past year.
In terms of weather and environmental issues, China has not been nearly as lucky. Rainstorms and landslides have persisted in southern and eastern China, resulting in dozens of deaths, thousands being evacuated, and an estimated 10 million people total affected. Torrential rains have blocked railroad traffic, killed power lines, and even caused mountains to collapse. Fujian, Guangxi, and Guangdong provinces are among the places where the search for the missing continues. Adding to the chaos, Jiangxi province has faced massive flood problems, as an estimated 88,000 people have fled their homes following unrelenting rainstorms.
On a lighter and happier note, the Chinese recently celebrated their famous Dragon Boat festival holiday. Beijing and Shanghai predictably received large crowds over the holiday weekend, with the World Expo as the inevitable top destination for students and visitors. The event, which has already been running for approximately two months, continues to attract record crowds and worldwide attention. Read more about China`s economy, politics and other current events in the Daily Updates section of our website.
At US-China Today, we recently published a new feature article. China and Australia: Ties That Bind, by staff writer Andras Bodrog, on the multifaceted China-Australia relationship. In recent years, the two countries have grown increasingly dependent upon one another due to China’s growing need for Australia’s resources. In fact, in 2009 China was Australia`s top trading partner. Their bilateral relationship has not been perfect, as controversial events such as the Rio Tinto trial and protested visit of Uyghur rights activist Rebiya Kadeer have illustrated. However, the two countries are working to improve their ties with each other, and it will be interesting to see how their mutual relationship develops under the leadership of future Australian PM and freshly elected Julia Gillard. Find out about this and other news at our website.
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