Chris O'Brien

Shippers resist calls to arm against pirates

The piracy-plagued shipping industry is resisting calls to deploy armed guards on cargo ships, fearing it will not stop pirate attacks and could make shipping lanes off Somalia's coast even more dangerous.

April 21, 2009

Obama, Lee issue ‘stern, united’ warning to N. Korea

President Obama joined South Korean President Lee Myung-bak at the G-20 economic summit Thursday in calling for a "stern, united" world response if North Korea proceeds with plans to launch a long-range rocket.

April 2, 2009

Obama seizes agenda on world stage

Obama met for the first time with the two countries with the greatest ability to help or hurt U.S. objectives, and departed with an ambitious agenda for nuclear disarmament and economic cooperation.

April 2, 2009

Obama extends diplomacy on G-20 eve

UPDATED: President Obama plunged into a whirlwind of international diplomacy Wednesday on the eve of the G-20 summit, meeting with world leaders throughout the day.

April 1, 2009

U.S.-China face-off looms at G-20

No longer content to be the patient listener, China goes into this week's Group of 20 summit armed with $2 trillion in foreign exchange reserves and intent on challenging the United States and demanding a greater role.

April 1, 2009

EXCLUSIVE: China stocks up on bargain oil

China is forging ahead with an overseas spending splurge, snapping up resources especially oil at bargain prices and strengthening its long-term prospects for growth before Western economies can bounce back.

March 12, 2009

New year not festive for most Tibetans

The 150 households of Jinglong, perched on a hilltop high above the monastery town of Tongren, are now the butts of local jokes.

February 25, 2009

Beijing seeks Latin trade ties

As Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton headed to Asia on Sunday, China was embarking on a double-pronged diplomatic mission in Latin America, seeking more robust trade ties to temper the impact of the financial crisis and demonstrate its swelling influence in the U.S. backyard.

February 16, 2009

Educated and unemployed

The Year of the Ox is said to symbolize prosperity through fortitude and toil. But, as China celebrates the Lunar New Year this week, millions of anxious college students are finding these qualities do not guarantee success in the country's contracting job market.

January 30, 2009

China tries ‘soft power’ with aid ship

China's military has a new weapon in the country's soft-power arsenal that copies a technique long used by the United States - a 10,000-ton hospital ship to be deployed for humanitarian purposes in Asia and beyond.

January 26, 2009

Censors cut off Obama speech

UPDATED: For China´s notoriously conservative propaganda czars, the decision to allow President Obama´s inauguration speech to be beamed live into the nation´s homes was bold.

January 22, 2009

Obama’s address censored in China

For China's notoriously conservative propaganda czars, the decision to allow President Obama's inauguration speech to be beamed live into the nation's homes was bold. It backfired as soon as Mr. Obama said the C-word — communism.

January 21, 2009

Thirsty Beijing awash in water woes

This capital's growing thirst for clean water is clashing with provincial demands and concerns that plans to tap China's rivers will hurt an already troubled environment.

December 22, 2008

Economy protests worry Beijing

A string of strikes and violent protests is unnerving China's Communist Party leadership as it struggles to contain the fallout from the global economic slowdown that appears likely to sharply increase unemployment.

November 28, 2008

Skepticism greets Beijing’s stimulus plan

China's $586 billion stimulus plan is turning out to look less impressive than it first appeared, with much of the money expected to come from localities and the central government still seeking to boost exports as an engine of growth.

November 17, 2008

China wants West to fund its cleanup

China is trying to persuade rich nations to finance its fight against climate change just as the developed world is tightening its purse strings.

November 9, 2008

Taking a world view of Obama’s election

World leaders and ordinary citizens around the globe expressed amazement and admiration Wednesday at the election of America's first black president.

November 6, 2008

Economic pacts haven’t solved all ills

Landmark economic deals signed between China and Taiwan this week have brought the longtime foes another step closer to ending 60 years of hostilities.

November 6, 2008

China is ‘elated’ by Obama win

China's state-run media greeted news of Barack Obama's victory with rare exuberance after following orders to avoid displaying a clear preference for either candidate during the presidential campaign.

November 5, 2008

Election stirs democracy debate in China

BEIJING | The history-making U.S. presidential campaign is sparking an unusual debate in China about the relative merits of democracy versus one-party rule.

October 30, 2008