Technology Archive

In the background of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s recent visit to the United States was the specter of increased military tensions between China and the U.S. Chinese military capabilities appear to be growing rapidly, with systems like the J-20 stealth fighter and the DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missile threatening key U.S. assets. However, the summit between Hu and President Barack Obama focused more on economic than military issues. And one of the foremost trade problems discussed during the visit was the issue of intellectual property (IP). The United States has consistently criticized China for laxness in IP regulation, complaining that Chinese […]

This is Part IV in a four-part series. Part I examined the follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. Part II examined the REDD+ agreement. Part III examined financial assistance. And Part IV examines technology transfers and adaptation. CANCÚN, Mexico — In the past 10 years, technology developments in the environmental sector have progressed significantly. Solar panels now have the capacity to power entire regions of Germany. Wind turbines provide small to medium-sized cities across the world with their energy needs. Geothermal heating is a functional reality, while methane captured from modest-sized landfills can offer electricity to thousands of nearby homes. […]

This is Part II of a two-part series. Part I examined the reality of freedom and repression in contemporary China. Part II examines the Chinese government and society’s struggle to adapt to the information age. BEIJING — Following weeks of outraged rhetoric and divisive diplomacy from Beijing, last month’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony was blacked out on most — but not all — of China’s international satellite channels. The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos remarked that “The black screen is a darkly comic relic . . . left over from a time when Chinese newspapers hailed bumper harvests and denounced foreign […]