I was impressed that according to his wife, the well-known folk song star Peng Liyuan, forty minutes after Xi Jinping met her, he decided to court her. At that time, he had no idea that she was very rich and… Read More ›
Month: November 2012
China to tighten laws on land grabs in rural stability push
China‘s cabinet vowed on Wednesday to tighten laws on the expropriation of farmland, warning that the problem risked fuelling rural unrest and undermining the country’s food security. “Rural land has been expropriated too much and too fast as industrialisation and… Read More ›
China considers changing one-child policy
China is considering changes to its one-child policy, a former family planning official said, with government advisory bodies drafting proposals in the face of a rapidly ageing society in the world’s most populous nation. Proposed changes would allow for urban… Read More ›
China gives police power to board and expel foreign ships in South China Sea
China has granted its border patrol police the right to board and expel foreign ships entering disputed waters in the South China Sea, state media reported Thursday. The move comes after Beijing issued new passports containing a map showing its… Read More ›
China attacks Sir Elton John for his support of dissident artist Ai Weiwei
China has attacked Sir Elton John for his support of dissident artist Ai Weiwei. A state-owned newspaper accused the veteran British singer of being ‘disrespectful’ and said his actions could lead to a ban on other Western performers putting on… Read More ›
China’s mafia-style hack attack drives California firm to brink
During his civil lawsuit against the People’s Republic of China, Brian Milburn says he never once saw one of the country’s lawyers. He read no court documents from China’s attorneys because they filed none. The voluminous case record at the… Read More ›
China’s People’s Daily falls for Kim Jong-un ‘sexiest man alive’ spoof
The online version of China’s Communist party newspaper has hailed a report by The Onion naming North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as the sexiest man alive – not realising it is satire. The People’s Daily ran a 55-page photo spread on… Read More ›
China: Intensive arms race causes stress on elite engineers
This year is a very busy year in China’s weapon development with a lot of achievements such as the completion of the part of the Beidou GPS system that covers China and its nearby areas, the commissioning of China’s first… Read More ›
US can’t squeeze China out of Myanmar.
That was the message that China sought to convey to President Barack Obama as he completed his eight-hour visit to Yangon (Rangoon) on November 19, 2012, during which he met President Thein Sein and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and… Read More ›
Li Keqiang’s roadmap on further economic reform in China
According to Singtao Daily’s comprehensive report, on November 21, just one week after being reelected into the Politburo Standing Committee that ensures his succession to retiring premier Wen Jiabao, Li Keqiang pointed out at a working conference on pilot projects… Read More ›
China: What the CCP can do for you!
Imagine a poster with headlines that read: “What the CCP can do for you!” It would capture all of the utopian Chinese communist promises from the early years of the civil war propaganda, through the first series of the five… Read More ›
“Flying Shark” J-15 flies for China
China has shown the world the navy fighter J-15, called the “Flying Shark.” The plane, a copy of the Russian Su-33, will soon be the strength of the Chinese military. On Sunday morning, it landed for the first time on… Read More ›
4-5 years for China’s aircraft carrier to be combat ready
In my post yesterday, I provided official Chinese media Xinhua’s photos of a J-15 fighter taking off from and landing on China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier. China’s official television station CCTV gave footage of the taking-off and landing yesterday which can… Read More ›
Western China’s rise set to ecplise that of the East; Chengdu seeks to become a global financial hub
Chinese development has always been a tale of two nations. There is the China we read about in the news, a booming 21st century metropolis primed to dominate the world economy and finance the expansion of the Communist Party. But… Read More ›
China: J-15 fighters successful take-off and landing on aircraft carrier
China’s official Xinhua News Agency published yesterday a report on the successful taking-off and landing of China’s homegrown J-15 carrier-based fighters on the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier. Xinhua said that the success fully proves the satisfactory technical capability of… Read More ›
Vietnam issues stapled visas to Chinese passport holders
Taking a leaf out of Beijing’s past practice of issuing stapled visas for residents of Jammu and Kashmir, Vietnam is issuing visas for Chinese passport holders on separate paper, to counter China‘s map on its new e-passports showing disputed areas… Read More ›
China: Fast-growth, antibiotic-fed chicken for KFC, McDonalds
Shanxi Suhai Group has recently attracted farmers to breed chicken for it, claiming in its advertisement that it provides them with technology for quick growth of chickens able to be used by restaurants in 45 days. They say that they… Read More ›
Premier Wen shows China’s best face to the world
SCMP reports: “The image projected by Premier Wen Jiabao on his many travels abroad, analysts say, fits in with China‘s attempts to project its soft power. “When Premier Wen Jiabao went overseas he would often seize the chance to show… Read More ›
The end of the “ASEAN way” as the South China Sea takes centre stage
The long-time jouanalists in this region have joked that it didn’t really matter if they missed out on covering ASEAN summits as nothing ever really happened at them anyway. The ten-member regional organisation composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,… Read More ›
Journalist taken away on ‘vacation’ for revealing trash bin deaths of five boys
SCMP reports: “A former journalist who broke the story of the deaths of five street children in Bijie, Guizhou, a week ago has been sent on ‘a vacation’ by local authorities trying to contain the fallout from the tragedy. “Li… Read More ›
Taiwan protests over new China passports
Taiwan yesterday protested against the mainland for printing maps and pictures of the island in its new passports, calling their inclusion not only provocative but harmful to cross-strait relations. President Ma Ying-jeou also urged Beijing to refrain from upsetting the… Read More ›
China puts Himalayan claims on passport map, India maps its own
India on Friday termed as ‘unacceptable’ China depicting Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as its territory in maps of the country on their new e-passports, a step that led to retaliatory action by New Delhi. China sprung the surprise on… Read More ›
China’s government hires people to distort web conversations
The Chinese government hires people to distort or deflect conversations on the web. Ai Weiwei persuades an “online commentator” to tell all. In February 2011, Ai Weiwei tweeted that he would like to conduct an interview with an “online commentator”…. Read More ›
Japan, China spat over Senkaku Islands
The recent spat between Japan and China, which erupted after the nationalisation of the Senkaku Islands, shows no signs of abating. In September 2012, the Noda Administration in Japan purchased three of the five Senkaku islands, Uotsurijima, Kita-kojima and Minami-kojima,… Read More ›
Did news story on riches of China’s Premier weaken reformists?
The hot pot of Chinese politics is still boiling madly after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party and the leadership transition that took place in Beijing on November 14, 2012. Many see the composition of the new Politburo… Read More ›
China angers neighbours with sea claims on new passports
The Philippines and Vietnam condemned Chinese passports containing a map of China‘s disputed maritime claims on Thursday, branding the new design a violation of their sovereignty. The map means countries disputing the Chinese claims will have to stamp microchip-equipped passports… Read More ›
A Chinese education, for a price
For Chinese children and their devoted parents, education has long been seen as the key to getting ahead in a highly competitive society. But just as money and power grease business deals and civil servant promotions, the academic race here… Read More ›
China: Henan city refuses to stop clearance of graves to make farmland
“A city in central Henan province says it will push ahead with grave demolitions after the levelling of millions of tombs sparked outrage. “Two million tombs in Zhoukou, one of the oldest cities on the mainland, have been removed over… Read More ›
China might be moving closer to ASEAN on South China Sea.
China’s new leaders may be moving closer to resolving disputes over the South China Sea through a regional alliance rather than through separate negotiations with each of its territorial rivals. This week’s summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations… Read More ›
Chinese Premier’s first public response to New York Times report
According to Singtao Daily, regarding the report earlier that his family has huge wealth, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao quoted Qu Yuan’s Li Sao (the greatest poem by one of the three greatest Chinese poets) “Stick to purity and die for… Read More ›
South China Sea dispute wrecks Asean unity
Asean unity yet again lay in tatters [Monday] night – thwarting a Chinese-backed effort to keep South China Sea territorial disputes off the agenda of [the] international leaders’ summit in Cambodia. Host Cambodia’s claim on Sunday that the 10 leaders… Read More ›
An arms-buying spree across South-East Asia as neighbours try to counter China
An arms-buying spree across south-east Asia will be the elephant in the room when almost 20 world leaders meet in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, on Tuesday. Defence spending across the region increased 13.5 per cent to US$25.4 billion (A$24.5… Read More ›
China: The real beginning of a little inner-party democracy?
Reuters reports from Beijing: “China‘s commerce minister was surprisingly blocked from a spot on the ruling Communist Party’s elite body during a conclave this week, sources said, a rare snub for an official that could raise questions about trade policies… Read More ›
Will China soon become a democracy?
The Chinese are getting richer – but not necessarily democratic. Hu Jintao, the outgoing President of the Republic of China, has had few surprises in his farewell address. The core message was: continued rapid economic growth and one-party rule. And… Read More ›
Citibank forecasts a reversal in China commodity, growth patterns
In his latest note Citi‘s Edward L Morse writes “the commodity super cycle is over.” That is a monumental call, given how popular the long commodities trade has been. Why the turn? Basically, it’s all got to do with China…. Read More ›
Six Politburo Standing Committee members are not technocrats
In a noticeable break from the past two decades of Communist Party leadership, dominated by technocrats, six of the seven members of the new China Politburo Standing Committee, the party’s top decision-making body, trained in social sciences and the humanities…. Read More ›
Asean demands maritime talks on South China Sea
Southeast Asian nations displayed a rare show of unity yesterday against China‘s sweeping maritime claims, calling for the first formal talks with Beijing over a sea dispute that has raised tensions and exposed deep divisions in the region. As Chinese… Read More ›
China CAN choose freedom: Hong Kong economy is proof
I said it three years ago. New York’s entrepreneurial spirit is in Hong Kong… and lo! The results are starting to show. It’s not being British or American or Spanish or French or Chinese that makes one prosperous—it’s one’s commitment to freedom… Read More ›
Radioactive coal ash from mines near uranium deposits falls on China cities
Huge newly discovered reserves of much-needed uranium are in danger of being destroyed amid a row over digging it up. And as China‘s nuclear and coal sectors battle over the sites where the radioactive heavy metal lies buried, experts say… Read More ›
China: America’s Asian pivot misguided and dangerous; trust and economic cooperation better
Today the freshly re-elected President Obama is heading for Asia, taking in Cambodia, Burma and Thailand. His trip, the first since he won the election, is clearly aimed to secure friends in a region that is increasingly important. Sadly the… Read More ›
China: Interesting messages from top non-democratic election
SCMP reports: “Ling Jihua, Hu’s former top aide, overcomes scandal of son’s death, and ‘no’ votes, to join Central Committee, the party’s ruling body” perhaps due to his mentor Hu Jintao’s efforts. “However, 94 delegates voted against his re-election, showing… Read More ›
Cambodia for sale on China’s Alibaba.com
From large tracts of rural land to sand from the country’s rivers to human hair, a host of Cambodia’s natural resources are on display in the shop window of China’s largest online trading website. Alibaba.com—which claims more than 80 million… Read More ›
China: Jiang Zemin’s conspicuous absence
The Chinese Communist Party’s national congress is the most important occasion for powerful retired leaders to show how powerful they remain after their retirement. In spite of his age of 86, Jiang Zemin insisted on attending the opening ceremony of… Read More ›
China weighs on Obama’s trip to South East Asia
U.S. officials are not saying it directly but President Barack Obama’s first overseas trip following his re-election, to Southeast Asia, appears intended to blunt China’s growing clout in the region. Obama will leave Washington on Saturday for a visit to… Read More ›
China: Jiang Zemin proves his core status by winning the game of thrones
Jiang Zemin has again proved his dominance as the core of the party’s third collective leadership by obtaining a much bigger majority in China’ new Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). In its report Jiang Zemin faction wins in China’s game of… Read More ›
Anyone expecting big China reforms is in for a massive disappointment
China has wrapped up its 18th Congress and it is now clear who will be leading the world’s second largest economy.Xi Jinping was named the Head of China’s Communist Party (CPC) and chairman of the country’s Central Military Commission. In… Read More ›
“Chinese Carla Bruni” and English teacher; the two new most important women of China
Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, who in March will take on the offices of president and prime minister respectively of China, are very different from each other. Even more contrast with are their their wives, known across the country as… Read More ›
China names conservative, older leadership
China’s ruling Communist Party unveiled an older, conservative leadership line-up on Thursday that appears unlikely to take the drastic action needed to tackle pressing issues like social unrest, environmental degradation and corruption. New party chief Xi Jinping, premier-in-waiting Li Keqiang… Read More ›
China’s stopgap leadership
The unveiling of China’s new leaders is a great disappointment to those hoping to see real reform. Neither of the two reform minded candidates Wang Yang and Li Yuanchao was promoted from the Politburo to the Standing Committee. However, the ultra… Read More ›
Chinese leadership transition; don’t hold your hopes too high
“Inside the party, there are many problems that need be addressed, especially the problems among party members and officials of corruption and taking bribes, being out of touch with the people, undue emphasis on formalities and bureaucracy and other issues,”… Read More ›
China News 