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Frank Langfitt

Frank Langfitt is NPR's Shanghai Correspondent. He covers the epic story of China's economic rise and its implications at home and abroad for Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation and Planet Money. Along with Beijing Correspondent Louisa Lim, he also covers Japan and the Koreas.

Before moving to China, Langfitt was NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi. He covered Somalia's civil war from the front-lines in Mogadishu, where he learned to run fast in Kevlar. He interviewed cattle rustlers in South Sudan and chatted up imprisoned Somali pirates, who insisted they were just misunderstood fishermen. During the Arab spring, Langfitt covered the uprising and crushing of the reform movement in Bahrain.

Prior to Africa, Langfitt was a labor correspondent based in Washington, D.C. He covered the 2008 financial crisis, roamed the hills of West Virginia investigating coal mine disasters and worked the union halls of Detroit as General Motors and Chrysler collapsed into bankruptcy.

Shanghai is Langfitt's second posting in China. Before coming to NPR, he spent five years as a correspondent in Beijing for The Baltimore Sun. During that time, he covered the Hong Kong handover, the fall of Suharto in Indonesia and reported from Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam. In the opening days of the Afghan War, Langfitt also reported from Pakistan and Kashmir.

In 2008, Langfitt covered the Beijing Olympics as a member of NPR's team, which won an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports reporting. Langfitt's print and visual journalism have also been honored by the Overseas Press Association and the White House News Photographers Association.

Langfitt spent his early years in journalism stringing for the Philadelphia Inquirer and living in Hazard, Kentucky, where he covered the state's Appalachian coalfields for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Before becoming a reporter, Langfitt drove a taxi in Philadelphia and dug latrines in Mexico. Langfitt is a graduate of Princeton and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard.

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Asia
3:37 pm
Tue May 29, 2012

China, Philippines Face Off Over Remote Islands

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Credit Pat Roque / AP
For the past two months, the Philippines and China have been locked in a standoff over territory in the South China Sea that both countries claim.The Philippine navy accused Chinese boats of fishing illegally in the area. Protesters in the Philippines are shown here marching in Manila earlier this month.
Credit Philippine Navy / AP
Filipino naval personnel look at giant clam shells onboard a Chinese fishing vessel at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea last month. Both countries claim the area, but say they are seeking a diplomatic solution.
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Originally published on Tue May 29, 2012 8:45 pm

Back in early April, a Philippine navy frigate tried to arrest Chinese fishermen accused of poaching sharks and giant clams.

But more is at stake than a boatload of seafood.

Neighboring countries say confrontations like this are growing as China asserts claims to territory well beyond its coastline. And analysts think China is testing America's resolve in the region.

Philippine officials say China still has more than 30 boats in the contested area, which is widely known as Scarborough Shoal, though the Chinese call it Huangyan Island.

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The Two-Way
8:56 am
Fri May 25, 2012

What A Show! China's Movie Theaters Have Improved Dramatically

Credit Ng Han Guan / AP
Moviegoers at a 3D IMAX theater in Beijing.
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Originally published on Fri May 25, 2012 11:34 am

On Morning Edition, NPR's Frank Langfitt reported about a Chinese company's $2.6 billion purchase of North America's second-largest movie theater chain. Now, he tells us how the movie-going experience has changed in China in recent years:

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Asia
4:26 am
Fri May 25, 2012

Hollywood Dreams Led Chinese Firm To Buy Into U.S.

Credit Ng Han Guan / AP
Moviegoers watch a 3-D IMAX movie at a Beijing theater run by the Chinese company Wanda, which recently announced it was buying AMC movie theaters for $2.6 billion. The move is seen as part of a larger effort by the Chinese conglomerate to move into the U.S. market.
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Originally published on Fri May 25, 2012 10:09 am

One of the big movie blockbusters this year isn't a film, but a business deal.

The Chinese company Wanda, one of that country's leading cinema owners, is buying AMC Entertainment, North America's second-largest movie theater company, for $2.6 billion.

When the agreement was announced in China this week, it did not make a lot of sense at first glance. At least for the buyer.

AMC is loaded with some $2 billion in debt, and movie theater attendance in North America was down 4 percent last year.

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Mongolia Booms
10:47 am
Wed May 23, 2012

Old Ways Disappearing In The New Mongolia

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Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A baby Bactrian camel is tied up at the edge of the Badam family's small farmstead. Bactrian camels — like all Mongolian mammals — have thick fur to withstand the winters.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
The Badam family raises sheep and goats and camels in the South Gobi.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Workers brush cashmere goats in South Gobi on the Badam family's farm. Cashmere wool, milk and meat are the main commodities for Mongolia's herders.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A freshly slaughtered sheep carcass hangs inside the family's ger, or yurt, to dry. Meat — usually mutton — and noodles are the main foods for most Mongolians.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Bat-Erdene Badam stands inside his animal corral, made of wood and compressed animal dung. He says none of his children are interested in continuing to work as herders.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A veterinarian rides in on a motorcycle to check on the family's animals.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Bat-Erdene's son, Uuganbaatar Badam, works at a coal mine in South Gobi. He lives in one of these gers near the open-pit mine and makes about $500 a month.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Uuganbaatar says does not miss the herding life of his father and enjoys the salary, friends and amenities at the mining camp.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Workers brush cashmere goats in South Gobi on Bat-Erdene Badam's family farm. Cashmere wool, milk and meat are the main commodities for Mongolia's herders.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Bat-Erdene Badam's family raises sheep, goats and camels in the South Gobi region of Mongolia. But his three children have no interest in continuing the family business.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A baby Bactrian camel is tied up at the edge of Bat-Erdene's small farmstead. Bactrian camels, like all Mongolian mammals, have thick fur to withstand temperatures of 40 degrees below zero in winter. Even in spring, temperatures regularly dip below freezing.
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Originally published on Thu May 24, 2012 9:57 pm

Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan and nomadic herders, is in the midst of a remarkable transition. Rich in coal, gold and copper, this country of fewer than 3 million people in Central Asia is riding a mineral boom that is expected to more than double its GDP within a decade. The rapid changes simultaneously excite and unnerve many Mongolians, who hope mining can help pull many out of poverty, but worry it will ravage the environment and further erode the nation's distinctive, nomadic identity.

Last of four parts

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Mongolia Booms
3:21 am
Wed May 23, 2012

Mongolians Scramble For A Share Of Mining Wealth

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Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Tseren-ochir is a superintendent at Oyu Tolgoi mine who goes by the name "Augie" because it's easier for the foreigners he works with to pronounce. He is overseeing workers digging a nearly 5,000-foot-deep shaft down to reach the copper ore.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Oxidized copper (visible here in one area of Oyu Tolgoi's open-pit mine) gave the mine in the southern Gobi region its name, which means "Turquoise Hill".
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Oyu Tolgoi offers remarkable opportunities for young Mongolians such as Ooarnkoyar Maikhuu, a 22-year-old single mother who drives a 60-ton dump truck.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Trucks haul massive loads of dirt along an Oyu Tolgoi road.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A group of Chinese workers takes a smoke break at Oyu Tolgoi. The company has imported thousands of skilled Chinese workers to help finish the mine infrastructure.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Tseren-ochir, in his mid-30s, is a mine superintendent at Oyu Tolgoi. He is supervising workers as they dig a nearly 5,000-foot-deep shaft down to the copper ore.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
At the mine camp, workers relax by playing basketball.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Life is hard for the workers, who must spend weeks away from their families and where temperatures drop to 40 below zero in winter and soar to 135 in summer.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Mine workers play table tennis inside a Quonset hut.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Kitchen workers take a break after the morning rush at the cafeteria, which feeds thousands of workers every day.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Some Mongolians who can't find work with the mines are striking out on their own, as has this group of gold prospectors who line a valley in the South Gobi hills.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Digging for gold is technically illegal. But many Mongolians do it anyway when they hear of a strike to supplement their incomes.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Prospectors typically dig a hole — in this case, 3-to-5-feet deep — to get at the soil. They then sift the soil, using a blower to separate the dust from the gold.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A prospector shows off the results of two days of labor — a good-sized palmful of pure gold nuggets.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Rich in copper, coal and gold, Mongolia is in the midst of a mineral boom. This marks a major change for a country where two out of every five people herd livestock.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Some Mongolians are striking out on their own. This kind of mining is technically illegal, but many Mongolians do it in order to supplement their incomes. A prospector in the South Gobi shows off the results of two days of labor — a good-sized palmful of pure gold nuggets.
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Originally published on Wed May 30, 2012 5:18 pm

Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan and nomadic herders, is in the midst of a remarkable transition. Rich in coal, gold and copper, this country of fewer than 3 million people in Central Asia is riding a mineral boom that is expected to more than double its GDP within a decade. The rapid changes simultaneously excite and unnerve many Mongolians, who hope mining can help pull many out of poverty, but worry it will ravage the environment and further erode the nation's distinctive, nomadic identity.

Third of four parts

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Asia
3:21 am
Tue May 22, 2012

Mongolia's Dilemma: Who Gets The Water?

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Credit John Poole / NPR
Amin-Erdene Galkhuu pumps well water to her family's Bactrian camels in Mongolia's South Gobi region. Herders and mining firms both need water in this arid area.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
South Gobi is made up mostly of herders who graze their animals in this arid land. The herders fear too much water will be lost to mining.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Mijiddorj Ayur (right) sits with his extended family outside his house in South Gobi. He wears traditional clothes, including boots with curled-up toes.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A construction crew works on a section of an underground water pipe and wellhead the Oyu Tolgoi mine is building along the dirt "highway" in South Gobi.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Ex-herders work at a makeshift truck stop for mining trucks. Most say their water supply dried up, leaving them no choice but to sell their animals.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
These roads lead to Oyu Tolgoi's mine (visible in the distance). Within five years, the gold and copper mine is expected to be the third-largest in the world.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Khishigdelger Adiya surveys the land around her home. She stands near what she described as a "sacred well" that has recently gone dry.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A camel stands at a dried-up sacred well near the house of herder Khishigdelger Adiya. There's white salt where water used to flow.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
This small lake, which has recently receded, is one of the few permanent bodies of water in South Gobi. The government recently reversed a ban on using the aquifer underneath.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Herder Bat-Erdene Badam's mother. Khishigdelger Adiya, surveys the land around her home. She stands near what she described as a "sacred well" that has recently gone dry.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Amin-Erdene Galkhuu pumps well water to her family's Bactrian camels in Mongolia's South Gobi region. Herders and mining firms both need water in this arid area.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Once a wetland — one of the very few in the Gobi — this area has been drying up over the past several years, thanks to rising temperatures and lower rainfall.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Herder Mijiddorj Ayur, 76, stands outside his home in South Gobi, Mongolia. He worries about the effects a local mine will have on his livelihood.
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Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 10:47 am

Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan and nomadic herders, is in the midst of a remarkable transition. Rich in coal, gold and copper, this country of fewer than 3 million people in Central Asia is riding a mineral boom that is expected to more than double its GDP within a decade. The rapid changes simultaneously excite and unnerve many Mongolians, who hope mining can help pull many out of poverty, but worry it will ravage the environment and further erode the nation's distinctive, nomadic identity.

Second of four parts

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Asia
2:59 am
Mon May 21, 2012

Mineral-Rich Mongolia Rapidly Becoming 'Minegolia'

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Credit John W. Poole / NPR
The mine at Oyu Tolgoi, Turquoise Hill in Mongolian, will be one of the world's largest copper mines in about five years. An employee holds up a small sample of the oxidized copper that gave the mine its name.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
The country's mineral riches — copper, gold and coal — are bringing new wealth to Mongolia. The illuminated storefront at the bottom left is a Louis Vuitton shop in downtown Ulan Bator.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Passengers wait for trains at Ulan Bator's central station. Mongolians are flocking to the mines in search of better-paying jobs.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
The mining industry is also fueling new construction. Laborers work on a construction site on the outskirts of Ulan Bator.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Oyu Tolgoi, a massive mine in Mongolia's South Gobi province, begins producing copper ore in June, 2012. Within five years, it's expected to become the world's third largest copper mine. An employee at Oyu Tolgoi — which means "Turquoise Hill" — holds up a chunk of oxidized copper.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Even while it was under construction, Oyu Tolgoi accounted for about 30 percent of Mongolia's GDP, according to mine officials. But many Mongolians are wary of how the mining explosion has begun to affect their country, where two out of every five people are herdsmen.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
In South Gobi province, a local politician (right) and a herder sit inside a traditional yurt, or ger, and discuss the lack of water in the area. Herdsmen worry that mines — which require massive amounts of water to process ore — will deplete already diminishing supplies.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Most Mongolians live in gers, traditional housing that can be taken down and reassembled in under an hour. Many have solar panels and satellite dishes.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
The cowboys in Mongolia — where horses were first domesticated — are considered some of the best horsemen in the world. Mongolian horses are shorter and furrier than Western versions. It's another part of traditional Mongolian life that is fading away.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
For centuries, Mongolians have relied on herding for their livelihood, depending on animals such as these cashmere goats and sheep for food, fuel and income.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Mutton is a staple of the Mongolian diet. A woman buys meat from a butcher in Ulan Bator's central market.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
The herdsmen's livestock also supply Mongolia's cashmere manufacturers, traditionally one of the country's main industries. At the Gobi cashmere factory in Ulan Bator, workers sort through newly arrived piles of goat fur, sorting by color and texture.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A seamstress performs delicate work on a piece of cashmere cloth at the Gobi factory. The cashmere industry is also feeling the effects of mining — as inflation has driven up the cost of raw materials, and water shortages and shrinking pastureland threaten herds.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
The circular machines on the factory floor are used to make ribbed cloth and sweaters.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
So-called ger villages — actually a mix of yurts and more permanent shelters — spread out onto the hills surrounding Ulan Bator. Some plots are legally purchased; others are occupied by squatters. Most residents have left lives as herders to look for jobs in Mongolia's capital. One-third of Mongolia's population lives in Ulan Bator.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
A ger district resident walks the dusty streets on the outskirts of Ulan Bator. As Mongolia's mining industry continues to grow, the future of the country's traditional ways is unclear.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
The Central Asian nation of Mongolia is undergoing vast change, thanks to a booming mining industry. A guard in Ulan Bator, the capital, surveys central Sukhbaatar Square; behind him stands a giant statue of Genghis Khan, the country's founder.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Horses were first domesticated in the area that is Mongolia today. The original cowboys, Mongolians ride on wooden saddles and are some of the best horsemen in the world. They're a part of Mongolia's traditional culture, which is under pressure from the mining boom.
Credit John W. Poole / NPR
Clothing designer Ariunaa Suri works in her office at the Gobi cashmere company in Ulan Bator. Before mining, cashmere was Mongolia's main export.
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Originally published on Wed May 23, 2012 10:47 am

Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan and nomadic herders, is in the midst of a remarkable transition. Rich in coal, gold and copper, this country of fewer than 3 million people in Central Asia is riding a mineral boom that is expected to more than double its GDP within a decade. The rapid changes simultaneously excite and unnerve many Mongolians, who hope mining can help pull many out of poverty, but worry it will ravage the environment and further erode the nation's distinctive, nomadic identity.

First of four parts

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Asia
3:01 am
Wed April 25, 2012

Carmakers In China Rev Up As Industry Shifts East

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Credit AP
China is now the world's largest market for cars, and the Auto China 2012 car show is now taking place in Beijing. Here, the Denza electric car, a joint creation by Daimler and Chinese manufacturer BYD, is unveiled Monday.
Credit Peter Parks / AFP/Getty Images
A mechanic works on a Buick at a General Motors dealership in Shanghai last December. GM just announced it plans to open 600 additional dealerships in China. The company now sells more cars in China than it does in the United States.
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Originally published on Wed April 25, 2012 6:24 pm

The Beijing auto show runs this week in what is now the world's largest car market, and a crucial one for Detroit companies.

General Motors just announced it will open 600 more dealerships in China, where it sells more cars than it does in the U.S. Last week, Ford announced construction of its fourth Chinese assembly plant.

For longtime American auto executives in China, witnessing the shift in the global auto industry is dramatic.

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Business
5:20 am
Tue April 24, 2012

GM To Add 600 Chinese Dealerships In 2012

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Originally published on Tue April 24, 2012 8:29 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

General Motors is making a bigger effort in what's become the world's biggest car market. At the Beijing Auto Show this week, GM said it plans to open 600 new dealerships in China this year. GM is trying to grow Chinese sales while they still can.

NPR's Frank Langfitt reports from Shanghai.

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Movies
3:01 am
Wed April 4, 2012

'Shanghai': A Rom-Com Look At Americans In China

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Credit Americatown, LLC
In Shanghai Calling, Chinese-American attorney Sam Chao (Daniel Henney) relocates from New York to Shanghai at the behest of his law firm. He develops a relationship with Amanda (Eliza Coupe), an expert on relocation and local customs and culture.
Credit Americatown, LLC
Alan Ruck plays Marcus Groff, a billionaire technology executive from Texas who travels to China in search of a new invention.
Credit Americatown, LLC
Director Daniel Hsia (right) talks with Henney on the set of Shanghai Calling.
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A growing number of American professionals have moved to China in the last decade to ride the economic boom. While much of the news coming out of the country is serious stuff — political repression, trade disputes, tainted food — for American expatriates, day-to-day life in China can be chaotic, exciting and often funny.

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