The following is based on reports in Chinese media: Singtao Daily says in its report today that at 1:30pm (11:30am according to SCMP), a group of terrorists threw explosives at, and hacked with knives and axes, innocent people at Meishi… Read More ›
Month: November 2014
Hong Kong: Pearl of China
Recent protests in Hong Kong caused me to reflect once more on my short stay in this Pearl of the Orient. If Hong Kong was dreading its return to mainland China in 1997 for political reasons, with the battle of… Read More ›
China seeks to expand free trade area to South Asia in quest to dominate all Asia
Geologically, the Himalayas are regarded as the boundary of South Asia. As China lies to the north of the Himalayas, it is certainly not a part of South Asia and it has never claimed that in history. However, a Reuter’s… Read More ›
Is this the end of China’s economic miracle?
Ma Jijiang and his once poor family are the flesh and blood of China’s modern economic miracle, living proof of how radically the country has been reshaped since the late Deng Xiaoping changed the world in 1978 by proclaiming that… Read More ›
China, Taiwan each making efforts to absorb the other peacefully
When I was young, there was serious tension between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. Mao even bombarded Taiwan’s islands near the mainland, and according to Henry Kissinger might have triggered a nuclear war. Deng Xiaoping stopped the bombardment and tried… Read More ›
Vietnam warships visit Philippines amid South China Sea dispute
Vietnam on Tuesday showed off its two most powerful warships in the first-ever port call to the Philippines, but an official said it was not trying to challenge China’s superior naval forces amid tension in the South China Sea. Hanoi… Read More ›
Philippines convicts Chinese poachers despite Beijing’s warnings
A Philippine court on Monday found nine Chinese fishermen guilty of poaching and environmental crimes for fishing in disputed waters, in a case that has strained relations with China. The nine, arrested in May, were fined $100,000 each for poaching… Read More ›
Interview with Wang Yanping, Chinese bar owner in Poland
I had the incredible pleasure to talk with the couple who runs the Chinese bar Chun Xiang in Wejherowo, Poland. Wang Yanping and Catherine Swist–Wang welcomed me with a hearty smile. Green tea on the table, we set down to… Read More ›
China building two aircraft carriers before 2017, as part of plan to infiltrate Indian Ocean
The following is based on reports in Chinese media: China’s qianzhan.com quoted a Russian military industry news website as saying that in early October, the Chinese shipyard at Changxing Island installed radar, electronic system and weapons on the aircraft carrier… Read More ›
Tibet: Train journey to Lhasa
This is the second in a series detailing a trip to Everest Base Camp (Tibet), which started in Beijing and an ass-busting walk along The Great Wall (1). My travelling companions and I, suitably chuffed from our successful exertions, flew to… Read More ›
China building South China Sea island big enough for airstrip
Satellite images show China is building an island on a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands large enough to accommodate what could be its first offshore airstrip in the South China Sea, a leading defence publication said. The construction has… Read More ›
China to build 18 naval bases in Indian Ocean
The following is based on reports in Chinese media: Sri Lankan website Colombo Page quoted a namibian.com.na report that China planned to build 18 naval bases in areas of the Indian Ocean including Sri Lanka, where China has built Hambantota… Read More ›
China could take down US power grid
China and “probably one or two other” countries have the capacity to shut down the nation’s power grid and other critical infrastructure through a cyber attack, the head of the National Security Agency told a Congressional panel Thursday. Admiral Michael… Read More ›
Many of China’s TV shows, films are rubbish, minister says
The CCP’s influential magazine Qiushi reports senior party official Cai Fuchao as saying that many of the huge number of TV shows, movies and publications produced in China each year are rubbish. He advocates banishing decadent themes and concentrating on… Read More ›
Hong Kong music: Clockenflap and PUSH collaborate on new project
Last Saturday marked the launch of a new dance music series titled ‘Electriq,’ birthed by the creative heads over at Clockenflap and Hong Kong’s leading dance music promoters PUSH. The project was set to launch last month but with the recent events… Read More ›
Why China will never be Asia’s dominant power
China may be Asia’s economic powerhouse but it won’t become the region’s dominant power, according to a new report. “In examining the factors that go towards the development of Chinese national power-and its ability to use it to achieve national… Read More ›
China claims corrupt officials have nowhere in the world to flee
China’s official government news agency Xinhua claims China has arrested 288 fugitives suspected of committing economic crimes as part of an aggressive anti-corruption effort aimed at individuals who have fled abroad, the official government news agency Xinhua said. The campaign,… Read More ›
Prelude to Conflict: Asia, November 17
The week of deliberation, choices, and ring around the rosy. Someone sets an unpopular policy, someone else finds a way around. World leaders came together. Rhetoric repeats, “China can grow; China must learn.” Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement continues to wane… Read More ›
Australia and China sign landmark free trade deal
China and Australia on Monday sealed a landmark free trade agreement more than a decade in the making, significantly expanding ties between the world’s second largest economy and one of Washington‘s closest allies in Asia. The deal, which Australia called… Read More ›
China: Little officials, giant corruption
In its report “China anti-graft watchdog finds gold, cash in official’s home” on Friday, Reuters says that according to Chinese state media, China’s anti-graft watchdog has discovered 37 kg (82 lbs) of gold, documents for 68 houses and 120 million… Read More ›
In veiled message to China, Obama renews commitment to Asia-Pacific pivot
President Barack Obama sought on Saturday to reassure Asia-Pacific allies about Washington’s strategic shift toward the region as he sent a veiled message to a rising China with a vow to “deepen our engagement using every element of our power”…. Read More ›
China’s Space Bus
The following is based on translations from Chinese media: China will showcase for the first time its new spacecraft that can send more than 10 objects into different orbits in one travel. It means one rocket can launch more than… Read More ›
Taiwan is playing on China’s clumsiness, and China doesn’t know what to do
China could just take Taiwan by force with its 2.29 million troops and 2,800 aircraft, ending debate about whether the democratic, self-ruled island is part of Chinese territory. But that move would park an enraged, rebellious population just offshore and… Read More ›
New China urges increased hostility towards the west
Even as his government was making red-carpet plans to host President Obama this week, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, praised a young blogger whose writing is best known here for its anti-American vitriol. In one widely circulated essay published by… Read More ›
China makes public its dream for Greater Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
In my post “China’s Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” on January 28, 2012, I said: “Decades ago, Japan shed lots of blood to fight for the establishment of its Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere but failed disastrously. However, it seems that… Read More ›
Massive spending won’t make China’s Asia dream come true; money can’t buy respect
After two years of waxing poetic at home about a “China Dream,” Xi Jinping wants to enchant the entire Asia region—and is dangling $1.25 trillion to make sure he does. “China’s development will bring huge opportunities and benefits to the… Read More ›
China’s president says risks to economy ‘not that scary’
China‘s President Xi Jinping was quoted as saying, “Some people worry that China’s economic growth will fall further, can it climb over the ridge? There are indeed risks, but it’s not so scary. Even at growth of around 7 percent,… Read More ›
Prelude to Conflict: Asia, November 10
After political defeat in the US, Obama looks to China. Taiwan’s Ma gets snubbed by China in the shadow of APEC. Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement inches toward the discovery that they weren’t shaping Beijing policy as much as they have… Read More ›
Taiwan resolves to resist China’s embrace; says no to unification
Hong Kong is a cautionary tale for Taipei: this is what happens if you get too close to Beijing. If you want a symbol of peaceful rebellion against the immovable force that is Beijing, your first thought might be the… Read More ›
China claims panic by US miltary over China’s drone-killing lasers
The following is a translation from Chinese media: According to [uncited] Russian media, China knocked down two satellites using a mysterious weapon that has reportedly caused panic among the US military. Major world powers have been making breakthroughs in drone… Read More ›
How much did Australia sacrifice to China in deal to export one million live cattle per year?
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott should reveal the negative impacts of free trade with China, Oposition Leader Bill Shorten says, accusing the government of “selective leaks to soften up the electorate” for painful concessions to Beijing. The Australian this morning… Read More ›
Degradation of farmland makes China more determined for control of disputed South China Sea
Due to land degradation, China worries that its limited farmland will not be able to feed its huge population. Reuters says in its report that, according to the Chinese government’s mouthpiece Xinhua news agency, more than 40% of China’s arable… Read More ›
Why the US may go to war in the South China Sea
It is no secret that the South China Sea is an area of conflict and controversy, but understanding the interests and role of the United States in that region is not intuitive. The situation centers on competing territorial claims by… Read More ›
India worries about activities of Chinese warships, submarines in Indian Ocean
While earnestly mending ties with India, China is trying hard to intensify its naval activities in the Indian Ocean to protect its trade lifelines. It is doing so to establish a silk road on the sea but has caused India’s… Read More ›
Prelude to Conflict: Asia, November 3
Disunity delayed Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement. A policeman turned pro-occupy, then called a retreat, but not after expressing his distaste for a recent swelling arrogance in the Hong Kong police force. And reality sets in that 2017 won’t look how… Read More ›
The two-cow theory: Capitalism in America, China and around the world
Traditional Capitalism: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income. American Capitalism: You have two cows. You sell three of them to… Read More ›
Why are China and East Asia unable to capitalise on their successes?
Asia needs ASEANisation not Pakistanisation of its continent Speculations over the alleged bipolar world of tomorrow (the so-called G-2, China vs. the US), should not be an Asian dilemma. It is primarily a concern of the West that, after all,… Read More ›
China building floating docks to exploit South China Sea on a large scale
The following is a translation from Chinese media: In addition to the construction of seven artificial islands on the reefs in the South China Sea, China is building floating docks for its exploitation of the sea areas. Jane’s Defence Weekly… Read More ›
Vietnam is becoming a proxy in efforts to contain China in the South China Sea
Vietnam is becoming a proxy against China in any future possible confrontation in the South China Sea or South Asia as a whole. On Oct. 28 India announced that it would sell naval vessels to Vietnam in exchange for an… Read More ›
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