Authorities in Sansha City, which was established last week on Yongxing Island in China‘s southernmost province of Hainan, have decided to build 83 low-rent apartments for its residents, the People’s Daily reported on July 30, 2012. The island is currently… Read More ›

Month: July 2012
China’s state media advocates democratic decision-making
Foreign agencies report from Beijing, and SCMP says in its report entitled “Listen to protesters, authorities told” that after weekend riots, China’s “top Communist Party mouthpiece yesterday urged authorities to listen to people’s concerns about pollution, after fears over a… Read More ›
China’s nationalised Olympic team: the personal cost of winning and losing
While David Cameron promised to turn Olympics into gold for the British, the Chinese athletes vowed to bring back gold. Unlike Mr Cameron, who keeps surprising his tax payers with an increasing Olympics budget, the Chinese athletes are keeping their… Read More ›
China’s use of economic stick is troubling
Countries must push back against Beijing’s troubling tendency to use China’s ports, natural resources and overall economic strength to force rivals to bring policies in line with its interests. When the 10 member nations of Asean failed to reach agreement… Read More ›
China says Gu Kailai a mother protecting her son in Heywood murder
It was widely reported on July 29 that Bo Xilai’s wife Gu Kailai has accepted for her defence the two lawyers assigned to her by the government. Is the girl crazy? This is not a naive young girl. She is… Read More ›
China Aims to Drive Domestic Consumption
China is currently facing a spending crunch from Europe and the U.S., which is impacting the economy and threatening a possible “hard landing.” The superlative growth over the last decade has largely been fuelled by export demand for cheaper Chinese-made goods…. Read More ›
China’s rising pay decreases production competiveness
Labour costs in China would match those of the United States within four years, catching up with eurozone countries in five years and with Japan in seven, the French bank Natixis forecast in a study last month. China “will soon… Read More ›
China: Thousands of protesters occupied Qidong government office
Hong Kong’s Ming Pao reports, “A mass of people broke into Jiangsu Province’s Qidong City Government yesterday morning in protest of a waste water discharge project, which they claimed would cause pollution.” According to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, several… Read More ›
China: Democracy conspicuously missing in Xinhua commentary on Hu’s speech
China’s official media Xinhua published on Thursday “Commentary 1,” studying General Secretary Hu Jintao’s important speech on July 23. Since it is Commentary 1, there must be at least one more commentary to come on Hu’s swansong speech. The commentary… Read More ›
July 28 1976 Worst modern earthquake hits Tangshan, China
Originally posted on Craig Hill Consultancy Services:
On July 28th 1976, at 3:42 a.m., an earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 magnitude on the Richter scale flattened Tangshan, a Chinese industrial city with a population of about one million people.…
Beijing floods kill 77
The flood that drowned the Capital of China on 21st of July has killed 77 people, according to the government authority. This figure is twice as high as the initial death toll announced previously, which had been fiercely questioned by angry… Read More ›
Bodies in Motion (Chris H Lynn)
Bodies in Motion is a video in the “Reconstructing Seventeenth Century Chinese Landscape Painting” series, by Chris H. Lynn. Set in Nanjing.
No scruples about using navy against China, Japanese Prime Minister says
Radio Television Hong Kong reports early this morning “Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda says that if Chinese vessels break into Japanese maritime territory near Senkaku Islands, Japan will have no scruples about sending Self-Defence Forces to deal with them.” It… Read More ›
Warming-up between Taiwan’s pro-independence DPP and mainland China
Hong Kong’s Singtao Daily reports, “Since its defeat in the presidential election, pragmatism in dealing with the cross-strait issue has become the mainstream view in Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).” It decided to bring back its China Affairs Department that… Read More ›
China says Bo’s wife indicted for homicide
China has indicted Gu Kailai, the wife of deposed Communist Party politician Bo Xilai, for intentional homicide, in the latest development in a political scandal that has shaken the Party’s once-in-a-decade succession. Gu and family employee Zhang Xiaojun will be… Read More ›
Successor ignores Hu Jintao’s call for democracy
China‘s official media CCTV reports in its prime-time news on Tuesday that Hu Jintao’s designated successor, Xi Jinping, gave a speech at the closing ceremony of the seminar of provincial and ministerial-level officials in Beijing on July 24, 2012. In… Read More ›
Hu Jintao’s swan song on economic, political reform in China
Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered a speech at a seminar of provincial and ministerial level officials in Beijing on July 23, 2012. The speech was regarded as his swan song before retirement as all the top leaders attended the seminar,… Read More ›
U.S. Losing Canadian Oil Sands To China
Some U.S. politicians come down hard on the Obama Administration for what will no doubt be described as driving Canada’s energy sector into the arms of China: Cnooc Ltd. (883)’s $15.1 billion cash takeover bid for Nexen Inc. (NXY) signals a Canadian… Read More ›
$1,189 Billion Chinese Wealth Hidden Abroad
Hong Kong’s Ming Pao reports today, the Tax Justice Network, an independent institute established by the British parliament, published a report stating, according to its conservative estimate, by the end of 2010, “global super-rich elite had at least $21 trillion… Read More ›
Made in China, Created in Shanghai
Forbidden opulent, provocative yet elegant. With that as their motto, Mary Ching, a Shanghai based shoes and accessories brand show case a blend of their owner’s, Alison Yeung, Chinese and British heritage. Mary Ching is proud to be “made in… Read More ›
Aquino urged to tackle South China Sea dispute
Philippine President Benigno Aquino will deliver his annual “state of the nation” speech to Congress on Monday, with legislators hoping he will tackle an escalating South China Sea dispute. Senator Francis Escudero, who does not belong to Aquino’s ruling Liberal… Read More ›
‘Miracle’ China train crash survivor refused entry to kindergarten
The “miracle girl” survivor of last year’s Wenzhou high-speed train crash, Xiang Weiyi , has been turned away by Shanghai kindergartens because of her injured leg. Nicknamed Yiyi, she was the last person to be pulled alive from the wreckage… Read More ›
China Strives for Full Coverage of Medical Insurance
Through a few years of effort, China has established a medical insurance system covering over 95% of its population. However, people still have to pay a part of their medical bills. A serious sickness is still too expensive and may… Read More ›
adidas closes its factory in China; move to Myanmar
Hong Kong’s Singtao Daily reports today, “World sports clothing leader adidas confirms that it has decided to close the only factory directly under it in China and may move it to Myanmar. The company explains that the closure is its… Read More ›
Can China extend its colonisation to Africa?
It seems that no Western power has succeeded in their colonisation in the past, and their influence in their previous colonised countries is limited now. However, Chinese people were extraordinarily successful in their colonisation in South East Asia when China… Read More ›
Night Bridge (Chris H Lynn)
Night Bridge is a video in the “Reconstructing Seventeenth Century Chinese Landscape Painting” series, by Chris H. Lynn
Clampdown in China on Corporate Sleuthing
Even as the latest doubts over accounting at a Chinese company sent investors fleeing from its shares, investors who specialise in ferreting out dodgy businesses say that a crackdown by Beijing is making their work more difficult and in some… Read More ›
China steps up building military facilities on Nansha Islands
Ming Pao says, according to Philippine Daily Inquirer, China is stepping up the construction and development on Mischief Reef and Subi Reef. The radar on Mischief Reef has been completed; while a radar and helipad are being built on Subi… Read More ›
China: Sansha capital Yongxing Island under strict military control
Hong Kong Ming Pao’s reporter has recently been on Yongxing Island and found that the island is under strict military control due to the rising tensions in the South China Sea. The reporter says the scenery on the island is… Read More ›
The grievances of Chinese farmers; an endless story
More than six decades after the end of feudalism in China, land-rights still remains the number one problem facing Chinese farmers, despite the law implemented in 1990 articulating that “agricultural land must be formally contracted to farmers who will have limited… Read More ›
Intel: NASDAQ No Chinese Safety Net
Safety Net? Intel, the world’s largest semiconductor maker, beat predictions for its second-quarter earnings, but forecast third-quarter sales that were lower than analysts had estimated, as an economic slowdown in China erodes demand. For the second quarter, the company reported… Read More ›
Frenchman goes to China as Bo Xilai witness
A Frenchman who was being held in Cambodia because of his alleged links to Beijing’s biggest political scandal in two decades has been flown to China, where he is wanted as a witness in the case, Cambodia’s information minister said… Read More ›
China: War with Philipinnes or Japan?
Japan can be regarded as China’s long-term enemy in quite a few Chinese people’s mindset, though since the 1970s, Sino-Japanese relations have been quite satisfactory until now. Tension between the two countries has intensified in their disputes over the Diaoyu… Read More ›
Suzhou Silk Factory (Chris H Lynn)
A video of production at the Suzhou Silk Factory
Large military hospital built for South China Sea actions
A large military hospital, newly built on Hainan Island, indicates that China’s hard-line attitude in the South China Sea is not merely bluffing. Hong Kong’s Ming Pao says that the Chinese military’s PLA Daily quoted Major General Li Shuzhang, President… Read More ›
WTO: China discriminates against foreign card companies
The World Trade Organisation has ruled that China discriminates against foreign credit-card and debit-card providers. A panel of the trade body said China maintains a monopoly on yuan-denominated payment cards which breaks WTO rules. Only one company, China UnionPay, is… Read More ›
China’s top leaders attach importance to petition handling
SCMP reports, “Zhou Yongkang, the top mainland official in charge of law and order, yesterday called for better handling of people’s complaints and urged officials to take a preventive approach before people’s discontent turned into radical action.” SCMP says, “Speaking… Read More ›
China’s Catastrophic Deleveraging Has Begun
1. The frustrated and aggressive central bank If one wants to know how bad the health of China’s economy has gone, look no further than the PBOC‘s composure, which seems rather frustrated and aggressive as of late. On 5th July,… Read More ›
China Faces Pension Crisis
Study predicts a USD 2.8 trillion pension shortage in China next year. By the year 2013, China will face a pension gap of RMB 18.3 trillion (about USD 2.8 trillion), says Ma Jun, chief economist and investment strategist of Deutsche Bank Greater… Read More ›
China Weibo can’t handle the truth
On the Internet in China, the “truth” has vanished. The truth is not out there. The Chinese word for “truth” (真相) has been blocked from Sina Weibo, China‘s leading social media site. It might seem like a bad Orwellian joke,… Read More ›
Post-90s generation dare to rise up; China’s future hopeful
Thousands of students, supported by their parents and teachers and mobilising through online social media, played a central role in the recent protests against plans for a heavy-metal plant in Shifang , Sichuan province. Now some people are asking whether… Read More ›
Business Week Reports China Economic Slowdown Despite Stimulus
Amid growing concerns that China’s growth figures may be overstated, the National Bureau of Statistics announced July 13 that gross domestic product grew 7.6 percent in the second quarter, its slowest pace in three years. A slowdown in investment, including… Read More ›
China’s Taobao offers bizarre items for sale
If I were asked the question “what is it that has changed the life of common Chinese the most during the past five years,” my answer would definitely be Taobao.com. Taobao is an online market place similar to E-bay. Since it… Read More ›
Large Chinese fishing fleet sets out for Nansha disputed territory
According to various Chinese media including Xinhua, yesterday morning a fleet of 30 fishing boats held a setting sail ceremony at Sanya, Hainan Province. Among them was a 3,000-ton master ship and 29 fishing boats with tonnage of more than… Read More ›
Sino-Japanese tension over islands escalating
According to Hong Kong’s Singtao Daily, Japanese media report that Tokyo Metropolitan government has made 6,000 posters to appeal to Japanese people to respond to its call for the purchase of Diaoyu Islands (named Senkaku Islands by Japan). Against the… Read More ›
July 14 1963 Rupture between USSR and China grows worse
Originally posted on Craig Hill Consultancy Services:
On June 14th 1963, according to a public statement made by the Chinese government, a much more militant and aggressive policy was needed in order to spread the communist revolution worldwide. There could…
Chinese media slam Clinton for rights comments
SCMP says, according to Reuters report from Beijing, “China‘s top newspaper slammed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday for comments she made lauding democracy and implicitly criticising restrictions in China, saying those Asian countries that ape US democracy… Read More ›
Morning Fisherman – Nanjing, China (Chris H Lynn)
Morning Fisherman is a video from the “Reconstructing Scenic views from Seventeenth Century Chinese Landscape Painting” series, produced by Chris H. Lynn Location: Xuanwu Lake, Nanjing, China
Hong Kong: Paradise Lost
I visited Hong Kong in 2011. After forty minutes of entry formalities at customs, I stepped into Hong Kong, a land of ridiculous housing price, luxury hotels and restaurants, fast walking people, and a touch of freedom that as a… Read More ›
China: Downturn pressure unexpectedly great in Guangdong
Guangdong, a pioneer province for reform, is now under unexpectedly great economic downturn pressure. In its report yesterday, China’s official media chinanews.com reported that “Guangdong Governor Zhu Xiaodan was at a meeting to analyse the economic situation in the first… Read More ›