Beijing wants greater sway over global public opinion. Instead, its propaganda outlets make Chinese leaders look like bullies. As protests continue to roil Hong Kong’s streets, China’s state-led propaganda machine has gone into overdrive to persuade the world that radical… Read More ›

Social Issues
China hypocritically attacks US over human rights violations
China lashed out at the United States for its “terrible human rights problems” in a report on Thursday, adding to recent international criticism of Washington on issues ranging from violence inflicted on minorities to U.S. immigration policies. The U.S. State… Read More ›
Hong Kong police should have shot rioters if necessary, says outspoken lawyer
Officers must do whatever is necessary to maintain public order, claims Junius Ho Police should have used tear gas and if necessary shot protesters during the Mong Kok riot, says outspoken lawyer and district councillor Junius Ho Kwan-yiu. Speaking on… Read More ›
Earthquake in Taiwan
Saturday morning I awoke at 4:00 am to my apartment shaking. I had a feeling nothing would fall. So, I went back to sleep. I was right, about my own apartment, that was. In fact, I was right about most… Read More ›
Great Firewall rising: How China wages its war on the Internet
In April, the police came for Li Gang. It was a visit he had been dreading for almost six months, since he began working on a tool to help Chinese Internet users get around the vast censorship apparatus known as… Read More ›
China praises UK chancellor for ignoring China’s human rights abuses
British Chancellor George Osborne has been praised by Chinese state media for not mentioning allegations of human rights abuses during his visit to the country. An editorial published in the Global Times English-language daily on Friday said Osborne had shown… Read More ›
Why India should reject China’s obsession with bigger, denser megacities
The world is in awe of China’s relentless capacity to produce gargantuan cities, each outdoing the most recent superlative that describes its predecessor. If Shenzhen and Shanghai are megacities, and the Pearl-River Delta a sprawling urban agglomeration, then what should… Read More ›
Cadence of Conflict: Asia, July 27, 2015
Propaganda. Taiwanese students protest “rewriting” history curriculum. Taiwan’s Ministry of Education responded on cue: police to arrest protesters—as well as three reporters. Notwithstanding Mark Twain’s “Never argue with people who buy ink by the barrel”, taking action against the students… Read More ›
Baby gender inequality set to improve in India and China
The simple selfie stick is turning into a wand of prophetic political propensities due to untiring efforts of its major user…the present Prime Minister of India. In his latest social message to his country people, Narendra Modi, urged parents to… Read More ›
Hong Kong’s elderly homeless sleeping at ATM centres cause alarm for customers
The following is based on a translation from a report in Chinese media: Hong Kong’s recent hot and wet weather makes it hard for the elderly homeless to sleep in the open. Fortunately, banks provide air conditioning at their ATM… Read More ›
June 4, 1989 is not just the date of the Tiananmen massacre but of many other bloody crackdowns across China
In 1989, pro-democracy protests took place not just in Beijing but in cities across China, and they too were savagely suppressed On June 4, 1989, China’s Communist Party unleashed the People’s Liberation Army on protesters camped in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen… Read More ›
Taiwan’s leader uses term “Republic of China” to mainland China’s leader Xi Jinping, despite threats by China to invade Taiwan if they ever use that name
The following is based on a translation from Chinese media: Taiwan’s United Daily News says in its report on the meeting between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping and Taiwan’s KMT leader Eric Chu today that Zhu mentioned the “Republic… Read More ›
China teaches its 100 million tourists some travel etiquette
This year may go down in history as the moment when the global balance of economic power shifted dramatically towards China, after Beijing humiliated Washington over the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. But let’s face it, tectonic shifts in the global… Read More ›
What it means to be Chinese – nationalism and identity in Xi’s China
What does it mean to be Chinese? A strong tradition in premodern China held that it meant thinking, behaving, and living in a society in accord with heaven-sanctioned principles exemplifying the best way to be human. Other peoples could learn… Read More ›
China tells it citizens to stop hiring funeral strippers
In China, friends and family of the deceased may have to do without a special form of funereal entertainment: strippers. According to a statement from the Ministry of Culture on Thursday, the government plans to work closely with the police… Read More ›
China risks social conflict if war on pollution lags, researchers warn
Any failure to tackle China’s huge pollution problems in the coming years could stoke public discontent and create “social conflicts,” government researchers warned, underlining political concerns driving Beijing’s war on smog. With pollution identified as a major source of unrest,… Read More ›
NGO weighs legal action after Chinese police raid its offices
An anti-discrimination civic group said on Friday it was considering legal action over a police raid on the group’s offices that was apparently prompted by its advocacy for five women’s rights activists whose detentions have drawn international scrutiny. Beijing Yirenping… Read More ›
China’s Xi Jinping comes up with a new political doctrine, the ‘Four Comprehensives’ – a strategic blueprint for China’s future
The following is partly a translation from Chinese media, with commentary: Jiang Zemin put forth his Three Represents, and Hu Jintao put forth his Scientific Outlook on Development. Both are regarded as the legacy guidelines they left for the Chinese… Read More ›
United States succeeds in pitting India against China
Some people regard the territorial disputes between India and China as a major issue to exploit in pitting India against China. In fact, the disputed areas give neither China nor India advantage to attack the other as their geological layout… Read More ›
Twice as many expatriates leaving China than arriving, as China loses its appeal
For years, China was a promised land for expanding multinationals and manufacturers, drawing hordes of expatriate employees eager to capitalize on the country’s billion-plus consumers. Could those days be over? A new study by UniGroup Relocation, which moves over 260,000… Read More ›
China warns Hong Kong not to confront Beijing
In its report titled “Zhang Xiaoming: Dissemination of views on Hong Kong independence not tolerated”, Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily says that Zhang Xiaoming, Director of the Central Government’s Liaison Office, summed up for the first time the 79-day Occupation Movement…. Read More ›
China ‘has the power’ to introduce tough security laws in Hong Kong
Former Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa said on Tuesday tough Chinese national security laws could be introduced in Hong Kong, stoking fears China may tighten control in its southern financial hub after last year’s pro-democracy street protests. Pro-Beijing politicians and… Read More ›
2014 Protests in Asia
I was in Hong Kong a few weeks before the Umbrella Movement broke out. And I made a prediction: The protests would change nothing, China would do nothing, there would be a lot of noise, then it would fizzle out… Read More ›
China to expand unemployment benefits to lure migrants to cities
Urbanisation is now one of the key issues of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s further thorough economic reform. It will greatly expand domestic market and thus boost substantial economic growth, but the resistance of vested interests is very strong in opposing… Read More ›
China wants to isolate the Dalai Lama – and it’s working
If the Pope had met the Dalai Lama, Chinese Catholics would have been made to suffer. What a pity the Pope did not be meet the Dalai Lama when the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism was in Rome for a… Read More ›
China blames terrorists for deadly Xinjiang attack; 15 dead, 14 injured
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 ›
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 rejects UN call for political rights in Hong Kong
China rebuffed a U.N. call for full political rights for Hong Kong on Friday, saying that an international covenant on such rights was not a “measure for reform” in the Chinese-ruled territory. The U.N. Human Rights Committee on Thursday said… Read More ›
Chinese school’s ridiculous claim of family relationship with US Nobel Prize winner
Soon after US Scientist Eric Betzig won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2014), Bangbu No. 1 Secondary School in Anhui Province, China celebrated the event and posted a conspicuous announcement of congratulation on its son-in-law winning the Nobel Prize. How… Read More ›
The Thugs of Mainland China
Last Friday, as the Occupy Central protests convulsed Hong Kong, James Bang, a twenty-eight-year-old digital-strategy consultant, found himself holding down the front line in the district of Mong Kok, his arms linked with other young protesters as they fended off… Read More ›
Hong Kong pops the China bubble; the “China Dream” is a hoax
The Hong Kong protesters know that what’s hailed in the West as ‘the China dream’ is a hoax. Whatever comes next with the demonstrations in Hong Kong, they’ve already performed a historic service. To wit, they remind us of the… Read More ›
China warns of ‘unimaginable consequences’ if Hong Kong demonstrations continue
China’s Communist Party has warned of “unimaginable consequences” if demonstrations by pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong continue. The threat, made in the party-run People’s Daily, came as China’s government appeared to be losing patience with the protesters, who have threatened… Read More ›
An open letter to the Chinese Communist Party regarding the Hong Kong protests
Recent events in Hong Kong present the Chinese Communist Party with an unprecedented opportunity to consolidate power in the territory. After the teargas used on the first night backfired, figuratively and at least once, literally, it’s time to reassess your options…. Read More ›
Protests in Hong Kong caused by China failing to honour its promises
If China had honoured the political commitments it made before taking control of Hong Kong from Britain in 1997, it is likely there would be no protests in the city streets and no crackdown over the weekend by riot police… Read More ›
Is China’s basic education a success, or does it destroy the morality of society?
Chinese educators and education experts believe China has extraordinary basic education. They think this education gives millions of students solid knowledge and basic skills, which is the point why our education is good. The experts think the only failure of… Read More ›
Observations from Tibet: Part 2 Chinese rule
The Chinese invaded Tibet in 1950 with the Dali Lama fleeing in 1959: I am not going to go into the rights and wrongs of China‘s involvement in Tibet other than to state the Chinese have had cultural and political links with… Read More ›
Japanese people hate China more than ever
People in Japan overwhelmingly have a poor opinion of China and vice versa, according to new polls, although Chinese views of Japan have become slightly less chilly. The percentage of Japanese respondents who said they had a negative impression of… Read More ›
Do the Chinese love China?
The following are the views of a Chinese netizen: Do the Chinese love China? For this question, the answer is easy – no! Perhaps you are shocked by seeing my answer because you may think the Chinese are really united… Read More ›
China’s new education reform will fail again
China‘s Education Department published the new rules of the college entrance examination. Shanghai and Zhejiang provinces are going to be the experimental regions of the new system. Unfortunately, no matter how the Chinese government acts on the education system, all… Read More ›
The Uighur people: In defence of the minority, their identity and autonomy
I am writing to bring to the attention of the world the horrible condition of the Uighur people and to highlight the persecution and oppression that they are undergoing under the Chinese Empire. Who are the Uighurs? According to the… Read More ›
Pope tells Asia’s communist nations not to fear Christians
Pope Francis, in remarks clearly intended for communist-ruled countries such as China, North Korea and Vietnam, said on Sunday that Asian governments should not fear Christians as they did not want to “come as conquerors” but be integral parts of… Read More ›
China: Rich man walks free after killing a pretty girl in a joke
According to Guangdong popular daily Xinkuaibao, a rich owner of two property companies, He Feng, 35, is fond of playing jokes on people. Judging by the report, he is certainly rich enough to enjoy such pranks. Perhaps due to his… Read More ›
Stop spreading hatred between Chinese and Japanese people!
I described the prospects of a thaw in Sino-Japanese relations in a previous post due to Japanese Prime Minister’s verbal message to Chinese President Xi Jinping expressing his hope for a summit meeting with Xi in Beijing in the period… Read More ›
Chinese people’s bad behaviour causes poor image in Africa, negative international rating
It’s perhaps coincidence, but Reuters’ report on China’s Xi Jinping not making global impact comes on the same day when Hong Kong newspapers SCMP and Ta Kung Pao report on China’s poor image in Africa due to Chinese people and… Read More ›
The battle against China for Hong Kong’s soul
Hong Kong was regarded as a goose that laid gold eggs when it was handed back to China. The “One Country Two Systems” policy aims at maintaining the goose’s ability to lay golden eggs for China. It has never been… Read More ›
Chinese government’s further attack on Islam as Ramadan fasting is banned
A number of government departments in China’s Xinjiang province have banned Muslim staff from observing the fast during the month of Ramadan in yet another attack on the rights of the country’s religious minorities. Activists have accused Beijing of exaggerating… Read More ›
China’s last foot-binding survivors
Foot binding, the cruel practice of mutilating the feet of young girls, was once pervasive in turn-of-the-century China, where it was seen as a sign of wealth and marriage eligibility. For a millennium—from the 10th to 20th centuries—the practice flourished… Read More ›
On day of Hong Kong mass protests, China shows military strength by opening barracks to public
As tens of thousands gathered in Hong Kong on Tuesday to demand greater democracy and freedom from Beijing’s control, China’s military garrison stationed in the freewheeling capitalist hub launched its own offensive – to charm them. The People’s Liberation Army… Read More ›
Huge crowds turn out to call for democracy in Hong Kong
Tens of thousands of Hong Kongers have joined pro-democracy protests on the streets of the Chinese territory in a massive show of defiance against Beijing’s vision for the city’s political future. Pro-democracy protests on July 1 — the anniversary of… Read More ›
Top China official met by protests in Taiwan, called “communist bandit”
China’s top official in charge of relations with self-ruled Taiwan said on Friday that he understood and respected the choices of its people, as he was met by noisy protests in the traditionally anti-China far south of the island. Zhang… Read More ›