FEATURED ARTICLES

Christianity in a Chinese workplace? For some (July 2, 2008, The Christian Science Monitor, by Carol Huang)
A spiffy corporate campus in China isn’t exactly where you’d expect to find a four-foot-tall wooden cross, let alone a church filled with Chinese singing hymns. But that’s what’s happening on the Beijing and other campuses of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Company (SMIC), whose founding CEO is an enthusiastic evangelical Christian. A leader in what Beijing considers a highly strategic industry, the chipmaking company has secured unusual leeway for free worship from a government that’s extremely cautious about organized religion.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0702/p01s05-woap.html

GOVERNMENT / POLITICS / FOREIGN AFFAIRS

US businessman freed from Chinese jail (July 3, 2008, AP)
A Chinese-born U.S. citizen sentenced to 16 years in prison on what his supporters called false tax evasion and fraud charges was released on parole after serving more than half the term, a human rights group said Thursday. Businessman Jude Shao left Qingpu prison in Shanghai on Wednesday to be with his family, the San Francisco-based Dui Hua Foundation said. Shao graduated from Stanford Business School and started a company in 1993 exporting American medical equipment to China. His supporters said he was arrested in early 1998 after refusing to pay a bribe sought by tax officials and was convicted in 2000.

Sarkozy not welcome at Olympics, say China media (July 3, 2008, Reuters)
China made a barely veiled swipe at French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday and state media warned he can expect a cold public shoulder if he attends the Beijing Olympics after he threatened not to go over Tibet. Sarkozy has said he will decide next week whether to attend the opening of the Games in August, with his choice depending on how talks go between Beijing and the Dalai Lama’s envoys. “The Olympic Games should not be politicized and that spirit should be respected by all the members of the Olympic family,” the spokesman Liu Jianchao told a news conference. “We absolutely will not accept any politicization of the Olympic Games, or linking the Olympics to political issues. Any attempts to meddle in China’s internal affairs will fail.” Official Chinese media were even blunter. “Chinese people do not want French President Nicolas Sarkozy to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics,” the China Daily said, citing an Internet survey by Sina.com.cn, a popular local website.

Taiwan to welcome Chinese tourists (July 3, 2008, AP)
Taiwan’s tourist attractions have a fresh coat of paint and restaurants are laying on special buffet lunches in anticipation of a surge in visitors from China when regular commercial flights between the old foes start Friday. An initial 36 weekend flights will connect major cities on mainland China with Taiwan’s airports, in the first direct service since the two sides split amid civil war in 1949. More than 600 Chinese guests are due to arrive Friday in weeklong package tours. Taiwan had barred direct travel to and from China for decades as a security measure, but it has allowed limited charter flights in recent years, during Chinese holidays, that stopped over in Hong Kong or other transit points. While the Chinese tourism push in Taiwan is in its infancy, traffic in the other direction is well established with about 4 million Taiwanese visiting the mainland annually. Taiwan hopes the commercial service will be extended to weekdays in coming months, with the aim of attracting 1 million Chinese tourists annually, up from just 80,000 last year, officials say.

China, Dalai Lama’s envoys resume talks (July 1, 2008, Reuters)
China resumed fence-mending talks with envoys of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Tuesday in a move that could burnish its international image weeks before the Chinese capital hosts the Olympics. A senior aide to the Dalai Lama confirmed the talks began on Tuesday morning, but China shrouded the meeting in secrecy declining to confirm or deny details.

China attacks Dalai Lama as talks continue (July 2, 2008, Reuters)
China launched another attack on exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday even as his envoys and Chinese officials had a second day of secretive fence-mending talks. Zhang Qingli, Tibet’s hardline Communist Party boss, repeated government claims that riots in Tibet in March were instigated by the “Dalai clique” — Communist jargon for his supporters — who were intent on causing a bloodbath. The Dalai Lama has denied the charge.

Chinese lawyers blocked from meeting US reps (July 1, 2008, AP)
Police blocked Chinese dissident lawyers from attending a meeting with two visiting U.S. lawmakers, the lawmakers and a human rights group said Tuesday. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., and New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, a senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had planned to dine with the group on Sunday night. Police either took the lawyers away or placed them under house arrest before the meeting took place, they said. The lawmakers and Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a network of activists and rights monitoring groups, identified those barred from attending Sunday’s dinner as lawyer Li Baiguang, who the network said was detained in a Beijing suburb for three days; lawyer Jiang Tianyong, who was confined to his apartment until after the meal ended; and Teng Biao, a lecturer at the China University of Political Science and Law, who was placed under house arrest.

Rice presses China on human rights (June 30, 2008, AFP)
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed China’s leaders Monday on sensitive human rights issues, but said she was encouraged by their decision to hold talks with the Dalai Lama’s envoys. n meetings with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing, Rice said she raised the cases of several dissidents detained by China as well as the ruling Communist Party’s controls on the Internet.

China leaders praise US help on quake (June 30, 2008, AP)
China’s top leaders said they were thankful for U.S. help after Sichuan’s devastating earthquake, with Premier Wen Jiabao saying Monday he was impressed that the first foreigners he saw providing help when he toured the province were Americans. “I would like to express our thanks to madam secretary and through you to the American people,” Wen told visiting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Wen said he was being driven to Beichuan in northern Sichuan, where at least 16,000 people died, when he saw three young people with backpacks. He asked his driver to stop, got out of the car and learned the three were Americans. “I was touched by their enthusiasm to help and I thanked them,” he said. Rice, who stopped in Sichuan on the first day of her two-day visit to China, said she “was very impressed with the spirit of the people” in the quake zone. “I think that the story you just told really does underscores what I have always thought, which is that it is good to have good relations, constructive relations between governments. But relations between peoples are what will really sustain the U.S.-China relationship,” Rice said.

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology inaugurated (June 30, 2008, People’s Daily)
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), one of the five “super ministries” approved by the National People’s Congress (NPC), the Chinese parliament in March this year was inaugurated on Sunday. he new ministry, transformed from the Ministry of Information Industry, will integrate the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)’s functions on industry and trade management, the functions of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense except that on nuclear power management, and the functions of the Ministry of Information Industry and the State Council Informatization Office, according to the NPC’s decision. A state bureau of science, technology and industry for national defence will be formed under the new ministry. The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration will merged into the new ministry. The Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense, the Ministry of Information Industry and the State Council Informatization Office will be dissolved.

EDUCATION / CULTURE

Students in quake-hit regions to take vital exam (July 3, 2008, CRI)
About 120,000 middle school students in the earthquake-ravaged regions in southwest China will take the delayed national college entrance examination on Thursday. Following the devastating earthquake on May 12, China’s Ministry of Education decided to postpone the examination by one month at 45 counties of Sichuan province and 17 counties of Gansu province, considering the influence from the earthquake damage and relief work. The China News Service reported Thursday that 78 percent of these students will take the three-day examination in the makeshift houses, 15 percent in earthquake-resistance classrooms, while some others will take the exams outside the two provinces.

SOCIETY / LIFE

Girl’s death sparks rioting in Chinese county (June 29, 2008, Reuters)
Thousands of rioters torched police and government office buildings in southwest China on Saturday, in unrest triggered by allegations of a cover-up over a girl’s death, residents and state media reported on Sunday. About 10,000 people mobbed government offices in Weng’an county, Guizhou province, on Saturday afternoon demanding justice over the teenager’s death after her body was found in a local river, a resident said. “Local residents were very angry about the injustice exercised by local authorities,” the resident, who is an official at a local government office, told Reuters by telephone. “About 10,000 people rushed to the site and totally burned down the county party office building, and burned other offices in the county government.” “They also burned about 20 vehicles, including police cars,” the official, surnamed Huang, said. Huang said residents were angered when authorities declared the girl had killed herself by jumping in the river. Residents believed the girl had been raped and murdered by a relative of a senior government official.

Chinese prisoners get terms cut for quake heroics (July 2, 2008, Reuters)
Hundreds of prisoners in China’s quake-hit southwestern province of Sichuan have had their jail terms reduced for courage shown in relief and rescue work when the disaster struck, state media said on Thursday. A total of 436 prisoners will be released from jail early and more than 1,000 have been praised for “protecting state property and/or rescuing survivors,” the official China Daily said.

Children ill after water poisoned in China school (July 1, 2008, Reuters)
More than 60 children fell ill after drinking water that may have been deliberately poisoned at a primary school in southern China, state media reported on Tuesday. Thirty-four were still in hospital, suffering from headaches and nausea, and the rest were under observation at their rural school in Guangxi province after drinking the water in their school canteen, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The water in the school’s storage tank smelled of pesticide and police found an empty bottle that they suspected of containing the poison, Xinhua said. While the investigation is continuing, local education officials have already accused the school of mismanagement, it added.

Man with knife kills 5 police in Shanghai (July 1, 2008, AP)
A jobless man bent on revenge and armed with a butcher knife stormed a police station in Shanghai on Tuesday, slashing and stabbing officers inside and killing at least five, authorities and local media said. The Shanghai Public Security Bureau said in a news release that a 28-year-old man with the surname Yang set a fire outside the building’s gate and then rushed inside and began attacking officers. Five officers died after being taken to a hospital, while four other police officers and a security guard were hurt, the statement said. Yang, who is from Beijing and unemployed, said he was seeking revenge after officers at the station in Shanghai’s Zhabei district investigated him last year for allegedly stealing bicycles, police said. He was taken into custody at the station.

Nearly 2 mln without livelihood after China quake: state press (July 1, 2008, AFP)
China’s devastating earthquake has left nearly two million people without a means to make a living, state press said on Tuesday. The 8.0-magnitude quake in the southwest has left 700,000 people unemployed and deprived 1.15 million farmers of their livelihood, Xinhua news agency said, quoting provincial vice-governor Li Chengyun. The number of jobless jumped after it was determined that the quake had cost 372,000 urban residents their jobs, the report said.

Taiwan to keep Chinese tourists from Falung Gong (July 1, 2008, AP)
Authorities will try to avoid confrontations between Falun Gong followers and Chinese tourists when charter flights between Taiwan and the mainland resume this week, a Taiwanese official said Tuesday. Falun Gong, a spiritual movement rooted in Buddhism, Taoism and traditional Chinese beliefs, has been persecuted in China, and Beijing banned it as an “evil cult” in 1999. But followers are allowed to practice freely in Taiwan and they have been promoting the movement at sightseeing spots popular with Chinese tourists. Last week, Falun Gong followers turned down requests by Tainan municipal government in southern Taiwan to stay away from several popular tourist sites. Taiwanese tour guides will explain to the Chinese about Taiwan’s unrestricted freedom of speech and will ask them to stay calm when facing any protesters, Tourism Bureau official Chang Shi-chung said.

ENVIRONMENT / SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

Bush eases equipment export ban for China Olympics (June 30, 2008, Reuters)
U.S. weapons restrictions meant to keep firearms and other equipment out of China were eased on Monday so that athletes and television crews can use them during the Beijing Olympic Games. President George W. Bush sent a notification to Congress that he had temporarily eased export restrictions to allow American firearms to be used by athletes competing in shooting events. Bush also eased restrictions on the military gyroscopes in high-definition television camera systems used by U.S. filming crews. Bush said the equipment would be returned to the United States after the games, which are set to take place August 8-24 in the Chinese capital.

2008 OLYMPICS

Beijing Olympic Forest Park opens to the public (July 1, 2008, Xinhua)
The Forest Park to the north of the Bird’s Nest stadium is one of the early stars of the Beijing Olympics. Opened to the public this week for five days to allow visitors to preview the facility, the park has been greeted with a huge thumbs-up. As big as the Summer Palace and the Yuanmingyuan combined, the park represents an investment of 7.7 billion yuan– that’s over 1 billion US dollars. In the future it’s set to become one of Beijing’s garden treasures.

Algae bloom is China’s latest Olympic nightmare (July 2, 2008, AP)
China’s latest Olympics nightmare is a vast algae bloom that covers one-third of the sea where the world’s best sailors are supposed to be competing in just over a month. Athletes call it the blob, the carpet, the fairway. Chinese officials are trying to make the stuff go away. Hundreds of soldiers cleaned it up by hand in a seaside park Wednesday. About 10,000 ordinary citizens were doing the same along the shore, while more than 1,200 fishing and other boats hauled it in by net, the workers smiling and flashing the two-fingered victory sign to journalists. Chinese officials promised at a news conference Wednesday that the Olympics competition area, all 19 square miles of it, will be clear of the algae before races begin Aug. 9. “Actually, we don’t have a backup,” Qu Chun, the sailing competition manager, said to a small chorus of groans from coaches. Chinese officials and some experts blamed it on a combination of factors including warmer seas, winds from the south and an “exotic” strain of algae from farther down the coast.

China says visa policy changes to ensure safe Olympics (June 30, 2008, Xinhua)
A senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official on Monday defended changes to the country’s visa policy, saying they were aimed at ensuring security for the Olympic Games and in line with international practice. Security of Beijing Olympic Games was vitally important for the entire international community, said Wei Wei, director of Foreign Ministry Consular Department. The Chinese government had always made security the top priority in preparations for the Games and that meant keeping “hostile forces” outside the national boundaries, he said. “Western countries have even tougher visa policies than China,” he added. The new procedures for visa applications, adopted in April, were in line with international practice and appropriate for the perceived security threats, while allowing regular personnel exchanges during the Games.

Fireworks, acrobats to highlight Olympics opening (July 2, 2008, AP)
Lavish fireworks, colorful dancing by ethnic groups and performances portraying 5,000 years of Chinese history are among the highlights of the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony, state media reported Wednesday. The extravagant 3 1/2-hour opening ceremony - designed in secrecy by the country’s most famous film director, Zhang Yimou - could include performances such as traditional Chinese opera, kung fu, pandas and acrobats representing China’s culture from ancient to modern times. The theme is “Civilization and Harmony,” the China Daily reported. Details for the opening ceremony of each Olympics are closely guarded by organizers. The process for lighting the Olympic flame at the Beijing ceremony has been fixed, according to Xinhua, but the torchbearer to light the Olympic cauldron at the end of the opening ceremony has yet to be announced.

China acts to preempt unrest as Olympics near (June 30, 2008, AFP)
China has ordered local officials to head off any protests that could tarnish the Olympics, the government said Monday, after a violent riot by 10,000 people threw the spotlight on deep social tensions. Local governments across the country were told in a weekend teleconference to go “all-out” to prevent regional grievances from escalating to the point that they mar the August 8-24 Beijing Games, various official accounts said. “Ensuring a smooth hosting of the Beijing Olympics has become a battle that all (government) levels and departments must win,” said one report of Saturday’s teleconference posted on the government web site of Deqing city in eastern Zhejiang province. “From now on, we must go on a war footing,” it added. As the teleconference, organised by the central government, was being held, about 10,000 residents of southwestern Guizhou province rioted over the alleged rape and murder of a local girl.

China sets forex cap of 50,000 USD for foreign visitors during Olympics (July 3, 2008, Xinhua)
Overseas tourists who come to China during the Olympics next month will reportedly be able to exchange no more than the equivalent of 50,000 U.S. dollars at Chinese banks. Thursday’s edition of the Shanghai Securities News quoted the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) as saying that the limit will remain in effect until a month after the conclusion of the Special Olympic Games for the disabled (Paralympics) in September. The limit is the same as that applied to Chinese citizens for a full year.

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS / TRADE

China to increase grain output (July 3, 2008, BBC News)
China’s cabinet has approved a plan to ensure grain production keeps pace with strong domestic demand and overcomes challenges such as climate change. China aims to reach and maintain annual grain output of 500 million tonnes by 2010, and to increase output to more than 540 million tonnes a year by 2020. Harsh weather and the development of arable land are hurting grain output. Despite this, the government said China would be self-sufficient in the future and could meet rising consumer demands. In order to achieve its goals, China has set out a “red line” defining 120 million hectares (296 million acres) of land as a necessary minimum to ensure at least 95% self-sufficiency in grain supply.

China quake spurs calls for private charities (July 2, 2008, Financial Times)
Chinese companies are calling for a new charities law in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan to allow them to set up private foundations, a move that could open up space for civil society in China. China’s new generation of wealthy entrepreneurs have made substantial philanthropic donations in recent years. However, under current regulations, private charitable foundations and non-governmental organisations can be established only in partnership with a government department. The ministry of civil affairs has for several years been working on a law to clear the way for companies to register foundations, but the bill has been held up by political disputes over the level of freedom to be given to private charities. In a rare public foray into such political debates, some entrepreneurs argue that the Sichuan earthquake has shown the need for much more freedom to establish private charities.

LINKS TO DETAILED ARTICLES AND ANALYSIS

For Hosts, Games Lose Some Luster (July 2, 2008, The Washington Post, by Maureen Fan)
The Aug. 8-24 Summer Olympics are supposed to mark a major celebration for China, an extravaganza that has ordinary citizens bursting with pride and excitement. Locals here are, by and large, proud to play host. But many are also increasingly feeling burdened by or disconnected from a billion-dollar spectacle for which expectations have been set so high.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2008/07/01/AR2008070103187.html

Pressure on the Press (June 27, 2008, Newsweek, by Jonathan Ansfield)
Beijing is cracking down on the media, but censors are finding it’s no longer so easy to control news.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/50179

Chinese Bloggers Scale The ‘Great Firewall’ In Riot’s Aftermath (July 2, 2008, The Wall Street Journal, by Juliet Ye and Geoffrey Fowler)
To slip past Internet censors squashing reports of a weekend riot in China’s Guizhou province, some bloggers have started writing backward.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121493163092919829.html (subscription required)

Quake Revealed Deficiencies of China’s Military (July 2, 2008, The New York Times, by Jake Hooker)
It was a gritty, hands-on effort, unfolding under the clear view of the public and the news media, and it offered analysts the best chance to assess the performance of the People’s Liberation Army in a crisis since the nation’s rising economy started pumping tens of billions of dollars into the military. It got good marks for public relations domestically, but the effort left some veteran P.L.A.-watchers underwhelmed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/02/world/asia/02china.html?_r=2&ref=world&oref=slogin&oref=slogin (free, but registration required)

Traditional Chinese medicine could be a remedy for failure at Olympics (July 1, 2008, Times Online, by Jeremy Page)
Chinese Olympic officials have advised national athletes not to take traditional remedies because some contain banned substances such as herbal ephedrine, a stimulant.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4245002.ece

China’s Energy Woes (June 2008, Far Eastern Economic Review, by Daniel Ikenson)
The process of creative destruction, Joseph Schumpeter wrote, is “the essential fact about capitalism.” The old is destroyed by the new and improved. But it is an essential fact that the Chinese leadership is unwilling to accept. Thus for 30 years, with great success, China has harnessed capitalism without embracing it.
http://feer.com/economics/2008/june/Chinas-Energy-Woes (subscription required)

Quake Shakes ‘Official’ Charities in China (June 30, 2008, Caijing)
Internet fund-raising, post-quake relief and a wary public are putting pressure on government-controlled philanthropy.
http://www.caijing.com.cn/20080630/72278.shtml
http://www.caijing.com.cn/20080622/71014.shtml (original Chinese version)

Pioneering Chinese City Offers a Peek at Political Ferment (June 30, 2008, The Washington Post, by Edward Cody)
When China decided to liberalize its economy back in the late 1970s, Shenzhen was chosen as the vanguard, the first “special economic zone” allowed to do business free of Communist-era restrictions. Three decades later, the city has set out to reprise its pioneer role, this time in the political arena.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/29/AR2008062901981.html?hpid=topnews

The Last Hero of Tiananmen (July 9, 2008 edition, The New Republic, by Philip Pan)
In the second half of 2003, Jiang Yanyong sat down to write a letter about what he had seen during the Tiananmen Square uprising and share it with the party’s new leaders. Jiang had had a unique view of the massacre, and the words came easily, in a flood of suppressed memory and emotion. “I am a surgeon at the PLA No. 301 Hospital,” he wrote.
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=c32313c1-e6d4-4fb6-919e
-ba90986eebb8

Battle Lines: Portraits of people seeking, and resisting, change in China (June 29, 2008, The Washington Post, by Andrew Nathan)
A book review: “Out of Mao’s Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of Modern China,” by Philip P. Pan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062603726.html

China seeks to muzzle quake victim parents (July 1, 2008, Financial Times, by Jamil Anderlini)
Chinese security forces are putting pressure on angry parents to abandon demands for a full investigation into why so many schools collapsed in the May earthquake in Sichuan province and have rounded up human rights workers in the earthquake-ravaged region.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/636573a2-479b-11dd-93ca-000077b07658
.html?nclick_check=1

Which way forward for Chinese NGOs? (July 1, 2008, China Dialogue)
New regulations on open government information have ushered in a new environment for the country’s NGOs. chinadialogue asked He Ping how green groups can best use their increasing influence.
http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/2156

BLOG POSTS

The Curious China Connection (July 1, 2008, Strategy Page)
A recent analysis of web sites pushing malware (software that helps hackers steal data) revealed that half of them are connected with just ten ISPs (Internet Service Providers), and six of those ISPs are in China.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htiw/articles/20080701.aspx

Guizhou riot was a comprehensive attack on the CCP (July 2, 2003, Idle Scrawl, Paul Mason-BBC News)
The riot in Guizhou, China after students believed relatives of local officials were implicated in the death of a classmate, is now looking like a very major incident in Chinese terms.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/paulmason/2008/07/
guizhou_riot_was_comprehensive.html

We’re Sorry… Lines 8, 10, Airport Express DELAYED (Till Mid-Month) (July 1, 2008, City Weekend)
http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/articles/blogs-beijing/beijingologist/
were-sorry-lines-8-10-airport-express-delayed-till-mid-month/

Foreign Businesses in China and Illegality Per Se (July 2, 2008, China Law Blog)
http://www.chinalawblog.com/2008/07/foreign_businesses_in_china_an.html

FAQ#4: How Is Beijing Planning to Handle Political Protests during the Olympic Games? (July 2, 2008, The China Beat, by Susan Brownwell)
http://thechinabeat.blogspot.com/

FAQ#5: Why Can’t the Chinese Authorities Allow a Little Space for Protests during the Olympics?
(July 2, 2008, The China Beat, by Susan Brownwell)
http://thechinabeat.blogspot.com/2008/07/faq5-why-cant-chinese-
authorities-allow.html

The Medals Ceremony (July 3, 2008, China Journal)
With the Olympics fast approaching, officials from mining giant and Games sponsor BHP Billiton presented a crucial shipment to the Beijing Olympic committee Thursday: 6,000 gold, silver and bronze medals for the Olympics and Paralympic Games.
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/

“Information openness” a growing topic for China’s media (July 3, 2008, China Media Project, by David Burnanski)
http://cmp.hku.hk/2008/07/03/1086/

More photos from Weng’en (July 2, 2008, eastwestsouthnorth)
http://www.zonaeuropa.com/200807a.brief.htm#007

Wikipedia Chinese version unblocked (July 3, 2008, Danwei)
http://www.danwei.org/

Leo Horn: China developed by luck, not planning (June 27, 2008, Thomas Crampton)
Economist and Beijing-based national coordinator for the UK-China Sustainable Development Dialogue, Leo Horn-Phathanothai, attacks the notion that China offers a new model for economic development.
http://www.thomascrampton.com/china/leo-horn-phathanothai
-china-developed-by-luck-not-planning/

LINKS FOR RESEARCHERS

China National Knowledge Infrastructure
“China National Knowledge Infrastructure is a key national e-publishing project of China started in 1996. Approved by the Press andPublications Administration of PRC and backed by Tsinghua University, CNKI project started with a e-journal product and later further expand the product line to cover newspapers, dissertations, proceedings,yearbooks and reference works and etc.”
http://www.global.cnki.net/grid20/index.htm

FEATURED DOCUMENTARY FILMS

Young and Restless in China (June 16, 2008 PBS ‘Frontline’ Documentary)
“An intimate look into the lives of nine young Chinese, coming of age in a society that’s changing at breathtaking speed.”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/youngchina/
(Click on this link to watch the entire documentary online)

Jesus in China (to be broadcast on PBS’ ‘Frontline’ on June 23, 2008)
“A wave of Christianity is sweeping across China and the country’s Communist Party leadership is racing to control it. Frontline/World travels from rural villages to urban centers to go deep inside this underground movement.”
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/

GOVERNMENT / POLITICS / FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Japan navy plans first visit to China since WW2 (June 17, 2008, Reuters)
A Japanese warship is set to arrive in China next week in the first such visit since World War Two, Japan’s Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday. The trip is the latest in a series of events aimed at improving the relationship between the two Asian giants, long at odds over a range of issues, many relating to Japan’s invasion and occupation of much of China in the early 20th century. Japan’s ship, the Sazanami, is set to dock at a naval port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, from June 24-28, the ministry spokeswoman said.

Chinese dissident Huang Qi said missing (June 13, 2008, AP)
A Chinese dissident who posted essays on the Internet that criticized communist authorities has disappeared and may have been abducted by the security services, an advocacy group said Friday. Huang Qi, founder of the human rights Web site 64Tianwang, was forced to get into a car by three unknown men on Tuesday evening in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Reporters Without Borders said Friday. The Paris-based group said two other activists, whom it didn’t further identify, were abducted with Huang. RSF said Huang’s disappearance came one day after Zheng Hongling, a retired university professor, was detained after posting a three articles about the earthquake and the government’s response on a Web site hosted in the United States.

China, Taiwan agree flights at first talks in years (June 13, 2008, Reuters)
China and Taiwan signed a landmark deal on Friday to launch regular flights between the long-time rivals as politics was put aside in favor of practicalities in the first such talks in almost a decade. Apart from special holidays, there have been no regular direct flights since 1949, when China’s defeated Nationalists fled to the island amid civil war with the Communists. The first flights, limited for now to weekend charters, will start on July 4 and Taiwan media said the first Chinese tour groups to Taiwan would start arriving from July 18, two key election pledges of China-friendly Ma. As many as 3,000 China tourists, the number Ma first proposed, could come to the island per day, Taiwan media said. China’s Xinhua news agency said service would include 36 return flights for every weekend, from Friday to Monday, and the number would increase according to demand. Mainland and Taiwan airlines would operate 18 flights each.

Amnesty: More than 1,000 unaccounted for in Tibet (June 18, 2008, AP)
More than 1,000 protesters detained during anti-government riots in Tibet three months ago have not been accounted for, a human rights group said Wednesday. Amnesty International said a quarter of about 4,000 people detained by police during the riots in Tibet in March are unaccounted for. The others have been either released or placed under formal arrest. Amnesty International said police and security forces have confiscated mobile phones and computers from monasteries, nunneries and private homes in Tibet to stop people communicating with the outside world.

RELIGION

Bookstore owner due to appear in court (June 17, 2008, Compass Direct)
Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan, detained in a Chinese prison without his medication for diabetes, is due in court Thursday (June 19) to face as yet unspecified charges. As Shi’s health deteriorates, friends say his wife and two daughters are suffering extreme emotional distress as they are forbidden to visit or pass on the much-needed medication. Police initially arrested Shi on November 28, 2007, charging him with “illegal business practices,” but officials ordered his release on January 4, citing insufficient evidence. He was arrested again on March 19. Shi’s store, located near the Olympic Village, operated legally and sold only books for which he had obtained government permission. According to Compass sources, police have placed Shi’s wife, Zhang Jing, and their two daughters under constant surveillance; Zhang is suffering from depression and the two girls cry often. Police are also monitoring the movements of Shi’s lawyer, sources said, to ensure that he makes no contact with foreign human rights groups.

HEALTH

Bird flu outbreak confirmed in Guangdong (June 18, 2008, Xinhua)
An outbreak of bird flu in China’s southern Guangdong Province is under control, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The testing of dead ducks at Yashan Village in recent days detected the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, the ministry said in a brief statement, without saying when the outbreak began. A total of 3,873 ducks died and another 17,127 ducks were culled, it said. Emergency measures have been taken and the epidemic has been brought under control, the ministry said. The country has reported seven bird flu outbreaks among poultry since the beginning of 2008.

EDUCATION / CULTURE

Cheating in entrance exam drops (June 19, 2008, Xinhua)
Advanced technology has helped to significantly reduce cheating in this year’s national college entrance examination, held from June 7 to 9, sources with the Ministry of Education have said. More than 2,600 examinees nationwide, or 2.6 out of every 10,000, were disciplined for cheating in the exam this year, the lowest rate in the past decade. The authorities previously caught more than three candidates out of every 10,000 for cheating every year, ministry figures showed. New technology such as wireless supervision systems, electronic monitoring devices, mobile phone detectors and wireless signal screens have been used to curb cheating in the past two years, officials said.

SOCIETY / LIFE

China quake death toll rises to 69,176 (June 18, 2008, Xinhua)
The death toll of China’s massive earthquake increased by four overnight to 69,176 as of Wednesday noon, the State Council Information Office said. A total of 374,008 people were injured and 17,415 others were still missing after the 8.0-magnitude quake rocked southwestern Sichuan Province and neighboring regions on May 12, the office said in a statement. Hospitals had treated 95,858 injured people as of Wednesday noon, of whom 79,836 recovered and 13,391 were in hospital. By Tuesday midnight, a total of 1,426,656 quake survivors had been found and evacuated.

Quake-hit China province to re-open tourist services (June 14, 2008, Reuters)
China’s earthquake-hit Sichuan province will reopen some tourist services to the public from June 15, in a bid to revive its tourism industry, official media said on Saturday. Sichuan province is home to most of the world’s giant pandas and suffered serious damage in last month’s earthquake. The southwestern province’s tourism sector lost more than 50 billion yuan due to the earthquake which struck last month, Zhang Gu, head of Sichuan’s provincial tourism bureau, was reported by CCTV as saying.

Flood waters threaten millions in China, quake refugees evacuated (June 18, 2008, AFP)
Surging waters in southern China’s swollen Pearl river delta threatened millions of people on Wednesday as authorities raced to finish the evacuation of 110,000 people in the quake-hit southwest. Although a huge flood crest flowed past the Makou monitoring station close to the city of Guangzhou on Tuesday, water levels remained 0.45 metres (1.5 feet) above warning levels a day later, the state flood headquarters said on its website. The headquarters said the deluge of water that roared by the station was the biggest in 50 years and had prompted emergency measures to protect millions of people in the delta, home to China’s huge export industry. Up to 176 people have died and 52 have gone missing in flood-related incidents in China this year, with 51 dead or missing since June 6 in the provinces and regions of Guangxi, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Hunan, it said.

China said discouraging tourist travel to France (June 13, 2008, AP)
France seems to be falling off the itinerary of Chinese tourists, in a display of China’s pique at French support for protesting Tibetans and angry demonstrations against the Olympic torch on the streets of Paris. Some Chinese travel agents have stopped selling tours to France in recent weeks, in some cases removing offerings from their Web sites. Others said demand for such trips had plummeted by 20 percent or more. France’s Foreign Ministry said this week that Chinese officials had issued a verbal order to travel agents to remove France as a destination and stop offering package tours to the country. The China National Tourism Bureau declined comment, while the Beijing Tourism Bureau denied there was such an order.

China Detains Quake-school Critic (June 18, 2008, Reuters)
Chinese police have detained a retired teacher on subversion charges after she decried the state of many schools buildings that toppled during last month’s devastating earthquake, a Hong Kong-based human rights group said on Wednesday. The Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said police in southwest China’s Sichuan province detained Zeng Hongling for “inciting subversion” after she wrote essays arguing that corruption made a mockery of school building standards. The more than 70,000 people killed in the May 12 quake included thousands of children crushed in schools, which often collapsed even as nearby apartments and government offices stayed upright

Restored Qing Dynasty street not ready for Olympic tourists (June 17, 2008, AFP)
Beijing planners lifted the veil Tuesday on the city’s newest tourist attraction — a fully refurbished Qing dynasty street — then admitted that the project would not be open in time for the Olympics. Beijing city and local banks have poured 9.2 billion yuan (1.3 billion dollars) into restoration work on Qianmen Street, one of the capital’s oldest neighbourhoods, with the goal of restoring it to its former glory a century ago during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). “It won’t be finished in time for the Olympics,” Tian Yun, chairman of the real estate developers working on the project told visiting journalists. “But tourists will still be able to come and have a look.” Qianmen Street runs down Beijing’s historic central axis just south of Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City. Further to the north stands the new National Stadium, the main arena for the August 8-24 Olympics.

ENVIRONMENT / SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

China Increases Lead as Biggest Carbon Dioxide Emitter (June 13, 2008, The New York Times, by China has clearly overtaken the United States as the world’s leading emitter of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas, a new study has found, its emissions increasing 8 percent in 2007. The Chinese increase accounted for two-thirds of the growth in the year’s global greenhouse gas emissions, the study found. The report, released Friday by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, found that in 2007 China’s emissions were 14 percent higher than those of the United States. In the previous year’s annual study, the researchers found for the first time that China had become the world’s leading emitter, with carbon emissions 7 percent higher by volume than the United States in 2006.

5.4-magnitude earthquake hits Qinghai Province (June 18, 2008, Xinhua)
A 5.4-magnitude earthquake jolted northwestern Qinghai Province at 1:23 PM Wednesday, according to the China National Seismological Network. The epicenter is located at 35.3 degrees north latitude and 91.2 degrees east longitude in Zhiduo county in Hol Xil Natural Reserve, southwestern part of the province, with an average altitude of 5,000 meters. No report of casualty was available yet on this quake-hit area, which is home to Tibetan antelopes.

2008 OLYMPICS

Olympic torch relay cut to one day in Tibet (June 18, 2008, AFP)
China has scrapped its original plans for a three-day Olympic torch relay tour of Tibet and will send the flame there just for one day this weekend, a Beijing Olympic official said Wednesday. Zhu Jing, a spokeswoman at the Beijing Games organising committee, said the decision to cut short the relay and run it through the Tibetan capital Lhasa on Saturday was taken following last month’s earthquake in Sichuan province. The torch was originally scheduled to tour Tibet for three days from June 19 to 21 as part of its long international journey to the Games being hosted by the Chinese capital in August. The news came as the official Xinhua news agency said foreign tourists would be allowed back into Lhasa “very soon”, quoting the city’s vice mayor Chen Zhichang. A firm date would be announced after the end of the Tibet leg of the torch relay, it said, but it was unclear whether other parts of the Himalayan region would also be re-opened to foreign travellers.

Security heavy for Olympic flame in China’s Muslim region (June 17, 2008, AP)
Hundreds of security personnel lined the streets to head off any disruption as the Olympic torch relay resumed Wednesday in western China’s restive Muslim region of Xinjiang. Black-gloved security agents jogged alongside the torch as it wound through the streets of Kashgar, an ancient Silk Road city near the borders with Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Foreign journalists were not allowed along the route, where cheering bystanders shouted “Go China!” under sunny skies. The Kashgar relay began near a downtown mosque with several speeches praising China’s development over the last 30 years. Hundreds of militia and police lined the torch relay route and bystanders, who were bused in from their work units, had to go through metal detectors. Xinjiang officials accompanied foreign journalists on a bus to the relay and did not allow them to wander from the group.

China appoints Olympic terror expert (June 16, 2008, AP)
China has appointed a top terrorism expert to a leading public security post following a series of alleged plots against this summer’s Beijing Olympics, an official notice said Monday. Yang Huanning, 51, has worked for years in central government bodies dedicated to battling opponents in the restive western regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, according to his resume posted on official Web sites. Other past roles included managing China’s international image, often clouded by charges of human rights abuses, and working with the United Nations Office of Peacekeeping on deployments of Chinese forces.

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS / TRADE

Official thinktank: Quake costs US$73 bln (June 18, 2008, Xinhua)
Direct economic losses from last month’s Sichuan Province earthquake could reach 400 to 500 billion yuan (US$58-73 billion), according to a major state thinktank. The overall impact on the national economy, however, was likely to be minor, said the State Information Center, a thinktank under the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top planning agency. The center said in a report published Wednesday that the quake might reduce China’s economic growth by just 0.1 percentage point. And the losses well might be offset by the huge costs of rebuilding, which could raise fixed asset investment growth by 1.1 percentage points and help the economy grow 0.4 percentage points faster.

China’s yuan rises as talks begin (June 17, 2008, BBC News)
China’s yuan is at its strongest level against the dollar since the country scrapped its peg to the US currency in July 2005. The yuan rose to a high of 6.8918 per dollar - a gain of 20% since it ditched the fixed exchange rate. The rise comes as US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson prepares to meet with Chinese officials. China’s currency policy has dominated previous meetings. Analysts say China is letting its currency appreciate to cool inflation.

US presses China to open markets, faces dollar criticism (June 18, 2008, AFP)
The United States pressed China on Tuesday to advance market-opening measures but faced criticism over its weakening dollar as the two nations opened talks to address economic issues. At the start of discussions in Annapolis, Maryland, east of the US capital, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said economic difficulties facing both China and the United States should not lead to trade and investment restrictions. Wang, who led the Beijing team to the dialogue , warned against politicizing economic issues and moved to deflect any criticism by highlighting the US housing market crisis that has led to massive losses in the finance sector and a global credit crunch.

LINKS TO DETAILED ARTICLES AND ANALYSIS

Audio: BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures
The 60th anniversary Reith Lectures take China as their subject, and are given by the eminent historian Professor Jonathan Spence. Each of the lectures will be available after broadcast to listen again or download.
Lecture 1: Confucian Ways (June 3, 2008)
Lecture 2: English Lessons (June 10, 2008)
Lecture 3: American Dreams (June 17, 2008)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith2008/index.shtml

China’s massive postquake tasks (June 17, 2008, The Christian Science Monitor, by Peter Ford)
“The most difficult thing for the government will be resettling victims,” says Peng Zongchao, a crisis management expert at Tsingua University’s Public Policy Institute in Beijing. “They will have to rebuild 3 million houses at least.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0617/p01s02-woap.html

Central China on the Rise: Why Foreign Investment Is Pouring Inland (June 2008, China Briefing)
This issue examines China’s central provinces. With costs rising in the manufacturing centers of the South China and the Yangtze River Delta, more and more multinationals are looking at China, not only as an export platform, but as growing market that will play key role in global sales and marketing strategies.
http://www.china-briefing.com/

China earthquake: Teacher admits leaving pupils behind as he fled Chinese earthquake (June 5, 2008, The Telegraph, by Richard Spencer)
A secondary school teacher has set himself dramatically against the tales of heroism arising from the Sichuan earthquake by describing how he callously abandoned his pupils to their fate. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/2064945/China-earthquake-Teacher-admits-leaving-pupils-behind-as-he-fled-Chinese-earthquake.html

Why Did So Many Sichuan Schools Collapse? (June 17, 2008, Caijing Magazine)
A close look at five schools affected by the Sichuan earthquake helps explain why so many collapsed, and so many died.
http://www.caijing.com.cn/20080617/70077.shtml

In China, Fascination With Obama’s Skin Color (June 17, 2008, The Washington Post, by Edward Cody)
America may be discussing whether Barack Obama is tough enough to field a 3 a.m. phone call, but for the Chinese Communist Party’s official newspaper, the real issue is his race.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061602122.html

China’s Olympic Nightmare (July/August 2008, Foreign Affairs, by Elizabeth C. Economy and Adam Segel)
Yet even as Beijing has worked tirelessly to ensure the most impressive of Olympic spectacles, it is clear that the Games have come to highlight not only the awesome achievements of the country but also the grave shortcomings of the current regime. Few in the central leadership seem to have anticipated the extent to which the Olympic Games would stoke the persistent political challenges to the legitimacy of the Communist Party and the stability of the country.
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080701faessay87403/elizabeth-c-economy-adam-segal/china-s-olympic-nightmare.html

China’s Sports School: Crazy for Gold (June 12, 2008, Time, by Hannah Beech)
A year ago, a slender girl called Cloud had no idea she would dedicate her life to lifting disks of iron above her head. Then a stranger came to her remote village in eastern China’s Shandong province, took detailed measurements of her shoulder width, thigh length and waist circumference–and announced she would have the honor of serving her motherland as a weight lifter. The then 14-year-old daughter of vegetable farmers had little choice in the matter. She had been chosen to be a cog in China’s vast sports machine, a multibillion-dollar apparatus designed with one primary goal in mind: churning out Olympic gold medalists.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1813961,00.html

Chinese immigrants increase philanthropy in their new homeland (June 15, 2008, The Los Angeles Times, by Teresa Watanabe)
Instead, they are making more noticeable marks though gifts of $1 million or less. They are funding academic programs, such as retired banker Wilbur Woo’s Greater China annual economic conference and plastics entrepreneurs Shirley and Walter Wang’s new program on Chinese Americans and U.S.-China relations, both housed at UCLA. They are supporting medical institutions, such as air freight firm owner Ernie So’s annual monetary gifts at the City of Hope medical center.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chinagive15-2008jun15,0,5831739,full.story

BLOG POSTS

When will the right time come to ask the tough questions? (June 12, 2008, China Media Project)
http://cmp.hku.hk/2008/06/12/1072/

Beijing university students booted from dorms for Olympics (June 16. 2008, Truth Form Facts)
http://www.truthfromfacts.com/2008/06/16/beijing-university-students-booted-from-dorms-for-olympics/

FCCC gets an earthquake 101 (June 15. 2008, Zhongnanhai Blog)
Notes from a talk by earthquake experts at the Foreign Correspondents Club of China
http://www.zhongnanhaiblog.com/web/articles/220/1/FCCC-gets-an-earthquake-101/Page1.html

Bad Air in Beijing? (June 17, 2008, China Journal)
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/

China: Curse of the Olympic Mascots? (June 16, 2008, Global Voices Online)
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/06/16/china-curse-of-the-olympic-mascots/

Another Olympic Ticketing Headache? (June 16, 2008, China Journal)
http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2008/06/16/another-olympic-ticketing-headache/

“Chocolate City” - Africans seek their dreams in China (June 14, 2008, Blogging for China)
http://blog.foolsmountain.com/?p=22

ARTICLES IN CHINESE

网络上”震”出了一个司马南 (June 13, 2008, Caijing)http://www.xys.org/xys/ebooks/others/science/misc/wenchuan357.txt

中日開發東海達初步共識 (June 19, 2008, Ming Pao News)
http://www.mingpaonews.com/

四川教会积极自救 协助安置灾民 (June 18, 2008, Gospel Times)
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/news/2008_06_18/2810.htm

LINKS FOR RESEARCHERS

Chinese Internet Research Conference (June 13, 14, Hong Kong)
China and the Internet: Myths and Realities
http://jmsc.hku.hk/blogs/circ/about/

Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), Delhi
http://www.icsin.org/index.html

FEATURED ARTICLES

China fears the power of its society (June 10, 2008, Sydney Morning Herald, by Mary-Anne Toy)
And in an unusual display of how China’s biggest natural disaster in more than three decades may change power structures, government officials are working side by side with non-government organisations and individual volunteers. The credibility of grassroots organisations has blossomed during this tragedy, along with an awareness that individuals can make a difference. But there are deep suspicions within the Government that NGOs and the strong civil society they are trying to create will threaten its power.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/china-fears-the-power-of-its-society/2008/06/09/1212863546382.html

New China Visa Rules Update: 24 Changes You Need to Know About (May 27, 2008, ChinaTravel.net)
Our first New China Visa Rules post update met with such a strong response that we realized it met a major need. So we’ve done more homework for you on the visa situation, reading through literally thousands of posts on various China travel forums, sifting through the reports on our favorite blogs, chasing down news articles and smoking out rumors, all so you don’t have to. We hope our work helps you out. Below, we’ve compiled everything we’ve learned into 24 changes you need to know about. Keep the comments and questions about Chinese visa requirements coming, and check back at ChinaTravel.net for more updates.
http://www.chinatravel.net/Forum/ForumTopicInfo.asp?Topic=403

GOVERNMENT / POLITICS / FOREIGN AFFAIRS

US Lawmakers say Capitol computers hacked by Chinese (June 11. 2008, AP)
Multiple congressional computers have been hacked by people working from inside China, lawmakers said Wednesday, suggesting the Chinese were seeking lists of dissidents. Two congressmen, both longtime critics of Beijing’s record on human rights, said the compromised computers contained information about political dissidents from around the world. One of the lawmakers said he’d been discouraged from disclosing the computer attacks by other U.S. officials. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., said four of his computers were compromised beginning in 2006. New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, a senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said two of the computers at his global human rights subcommittee were attacked in December 2006 and March 2007.

Taiwanese envoys arrive in China (June 11, 2008, BBC News)
Negotiators from Taiwan have arrived in China to resume formal talks after a gap of almost 10 years. The talks, set to last until 14 June, are expected to result in agreements on direct passenger flights and tourism. Dialogue was suspended in 1999 as Taiwan’s leaders began to lean towards formal independence, angering China’s government. But the election in Taiwan of Ma Ying-jeou earlier this year has led to a rapid improvement in bilateral ties. When he took office in May, Mr Ma said maintaining regional stability was his priority. He called on China and Taiwan to create “a new chapter of peace”. Shortly after that, Chinese President Hu Jintao met the head of Taiwan’s governing Kuomintang party in Beijing, the most senior meeting between the two sides since they split at the end of a civil war in 1949.

HEALTH

HK shuts down market after chicken tested H5N1 positive (June 7, 2008, Xinhua)
Hong Kong health authorities closed down a poultry market Saturday after egesta samples collected from hencoops in the marketplace were infected with the deadly strain of H5N1 avian influenza virus. Dr. York Chow, Secretary for Food and Health, announced at a press conference Saturday afternoon that the Po On Road Market in Kowloon an infected area of the H5N1 virus and ordered the immediate suspension of trading in the market. He said the Department of Food and Health had began slaughtering about 2,700 chickens in the market and all live poultry imports from the Chinese mainland were suspended.

SOCIETY / LIFE

China moves to quell protests in earthquake zone (June 12, 2008, AP)
Police cordoned off quake-hit schools and towns Thursday in an apparent attempt to quell protests by parents angry that probes of shoddy school construction have not begun a month after the disaster. Despite an official promise of unfettered media coverage, police barred entry to at least two towns where schools collapsed in the May 12 quake. In the town of Juyuan, a reporter from Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper was detained by police and forced to return to the provincial capital of Chengdu, about an hour away. About a dozen police and paramilitary troops guarded the gate of Juyuan’s destroyed middle school, where 50 people gathered. Outside the quake-flattened town of Beichuan, more than 200 parents blocked the valley’s sole road, angry that a memorial plaque to dead students had been smashed overnight. Dozens of armed police rounded up more than 20 volunteers from the Beichuan Middle School who had been planning a memorial service on Thursday, taking them to a police station in Wenchang town, said Chen Yan, 36, a volunteer from Chengdu. n Dujiangyan, across the quake zone, police and troops barred even parents from entering the ruined Xinjian elementary school.

China declares quake lake crisis over (June 11, 2008, AP)
Evacuees headed down from temporary camps Wednesday after Chinese authorities declared the flood threat over from an earthquake-formed lake that was successfully drained the day before. Soldiers dug a diversion channel and blasted away boulders and large debris with dynamite, bazookas and recoilless guns to speed up the drainage of the lake, created after last month’s devastating earthquake triggered a landslide of debris. On Tuesday, churning water poured through a man-made sluice and engulfed low-lying, empty towns but spared larger areas downstream. Sichuan province’s Communist Party chief, Liu Qibao, declared “decisive victory” after more than half the 66 billion gallons of water drained off by Tuesday evening, easing pressure on a dam formed when the quake triggered a landslide of mud, rocks and other debris, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. More than 250,000 people had moved to high ground due to concerns that the barrier holding back Tangjiashan lake could break. About 1.3 million people live downstream.

Ravaged China town flooded as quake lake drains (June 9, 2008, Reuters)
Muddy lake water from a dangerously unstable “quake lake” rushed into the devastated Chinese town of Beichuan on Tuesday, covering about a third of the settlement where the water level was rising fast. Brown water, clumps of trees and occasional vehicles pushing against buildings were moving quickly into low-lying areas of the town, washing away remains of buildings, bodies and valuables left under the rubble. The water level at the Tangjiashan quake lake formed by China’s most devastating earthquake in decades dropped by nearly two meters (seven ft) in one hour on Tuesday, after soldiers used explosives to widen a sluice, Xinhua news agency said. Beichuan was so thoroughly ravaged that authorities sealed it off after the tremor.

New database on legacy of Shanghai Jews (June 6, 2008, AP)
Shanghai’s Jewish community celebrated the launch Friday of a database that will document the stories of the thousands of refugees who found a safe haven in China’s commercial capital during World War II. So far the database lists the names of about 600 of the 30,000 Jews who fled to Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s to escape Nazi death camps and other horrors of the Holocaust. The database, supported by the Israeli and Chinese governments, is housed in a museum in the city’s former Ohel Moshe Synagogue. Donations from Israeli companies helped finance the creation of the database, which is just beginning to take shape. Those developing it have names and some other information on some 10,000 refugees. Shanghai was a major trading center long before the war and had a well-established Jewish community, making it a natural destination for many of those fleeing persecution in Europe. And while in many cases Jews were denied entrance to other countries, China was relatively open to refugees. As the Japanese invaded and occupied many regions of China during the war, growing numbers of Jews migrated to Shanghai.

Paper tickets fade out of Beijing subway (June 9, 2008, Xinhua)
Paper tickets, which were in service for 38 years at Beijing Subway, were phased out on Monday but would hopefully enter private collection. An automatic fare collection (AFC) system became operational at all Beijing subway stations on Monday, requesting passengers to produce their magnetic strip tickets or mass transit smart cards twice when entering and exiting the subway gates. The fare for a subway ride remains unchanged, at two yuan.

ENVIRONMENT / SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

Worst rainstorms in 50 years hit southeast China (June 8, 2008, Reuters)
The heaviest rainstorms in 50 years drenched parts of Guangdong province over the past two days, killing at least 1 student and causing widespread flooding, local media reported on Sunday. The Guangzhou Daily newspaper reported that one primary school student died after being swept away by a flood on Saturday in Maoming in the west of Guangdong province. It said another primary school student and a high school student were missing. The newspaper said more than 6,500 people had to be evacuated from their homes. Torrential rains have affected the province over the past two weeks, with rainfall in some areas measuring more than 400 millimeters (15.7 inches) in just the past two days, the paper reported.

Report says China consumes twice its supply (June 10, 2008, AP)
China consumes more than double what its natural resources can supply, a report by Chinese and international environmentalists said Tuesday. If China were to follow the U.S. in individual demand on natural resources, it would need the available capacity of the entire planet, the report issued by WWF in Beijing said. China uses 15 percent of the world’s total biological capacity - resources such as water, land and timber, the report said. “In the next 10 to 20 years, China’s consumption will likely continue to pose threats to China’s own ecosystems and place increasing pressures on global biocapacity,” it said. Water and electricity are priced below their market value in China, causing it to be inefficiently used by farms and industry, and China imports large amounts of its timber to meet rising demand.

Pollution Kills 10,000 A Year In Southern China: Study (June 11, 2008, AFP)
At least 10,000 deaths every year in Hong Kong, Macau and neighbouring southern China are caused by the area’s worsening air pollution, according to a study released Wednesday. Air pollution is also responsible for 440,000 hospital bed days and 11 million doctor visits each year, the Hong Kong-based think tank Civic Exchange said in its study. “We estimate that there are about 10,000 deaths occurring which are attributable to daily pollution, 10,000 deaths which are potentially avoidable,” said Anthony Hedley, a professor in the department of community medicine at Hong Kong University who worked on the study.

China’s 1st spacewalk mission to launch in October (June 12, 2008, Xinhua)
China’s Shenzhou VII manned space mission, which will include the first spacewalk by a Chinese “taikonaut,” is to launch in October, said a spokesman of the China manned space engineering office here on Thursday. He would not give the exact date of the launch, but said a day would be selected in October. A crew of six astronauts had been chosen for the mission, with three manning the spacecraft and three substitutes, said the spokesman. Two of the astronauts on board the spacecraft would prepare for the historic spacewalk, he said. The remaining taikonaut was expected to carry out scientific experiments, he said.

2008 OLYMPICS

Networks, Olympics Organizers Clash (June 8, 2008, AP)
Television networks that will broadcast the Beijing Olympics to billions around the world are squaring off with local organizers over stringent security that threatens coverage of the games in two months. Differences over a wide range of issues - from limits on live coverage in Tiananmen Square to allegations that freight shipments of TV broadcasting equipment are being held up in Chinese ports - surfaced in a contentious meeting late last month between Beijing organizers and high-ranking International Olympic Committee officials and TV executives - including those from NBC. In response to the complaints from broadcasters, Sun Weijia, head of media operations for the Beijing organizers, asked them to put it in writing, only to draw protests about mounting paperwork. “I think what I have heard here are just a number of conditions or requirements that are just not workable,” said IOC official Gilbert Felli, according to minutes of the May 29 meeting obtained by The Associated Press. “There are a number of things that are just not feasible.”

Beijing bans fireworks during Olympics (June 9, 2008, AP)
Beijing has banned fireworks for more than three months this summer as part of a raft of new regulations designed to ensure strict security during the upcoming Olympic Games. Dealers will be forced to suspend sales in the capital and lock existing stocks in specially designated warehouses from July 1 to Oct. 8, according to an order posted on the Web site of the Beijing Administration of Work Safety. The rule tightens regulations that ban fireworks in the city center for most of the year to include all of Beijing’s sprawling suburbs. It was not known how the ban would affect the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, which have been planned in secret.

Beijing approves Olympics ‘cheer’ (June 5, 2008, BBC News)
Beijing Olympic chiefs are introducing an official cheer for patriotic spectators to spur on Team China at the Games, Chinese media reports. The authoritative, four-part Olympic cheer, accompanied by detailed instructions, will be promoted on TV, in schools and with a poster campaign. It involves clapping twice, giving the thumbs-up, clapping twice more and then punching the air with both arms. The cheer is accompanied by chants of “Olympics”, “Let’s go” and “China”. The Beijing Olympic Organising Committee has hired 30 cheering squads who will show spectators how it is done at Games stadia, reports Xinhua state media. A committee official said the simple chants and gestures were designed to help spectators cheer for their favourite athletes in a smooth, civilized manner. The Ministry of Education is also arranging special training sessions in schools for the 800,000 students who are expected to attend the Games. Li Ning, president of the Beijing Etiquette Institute, told the Beijing News that the cheer was in line with general international principles for cheering, while at the same time possessing characteristics of Chinese culture.

Chinese babies named ‘Olympic Games’ (June 11, 2008, BBC News)
More than 4,000 children in China have been given the name Aoyun, meaning Olympic Games, in the past 15 years. The rise in popularity of the name is seen as a sign of support for the Games being staged in August in Beijing. Officials in charge of identity cards say that more than 92% of the 4,104 registered Aoyuns are boys. It is not uncommon for Chinese children to be given names of common events and popular slogans - such as Defend China, Build the Nation and Space Travel. There are 290,798 registered Civilisations. The first surge in Aoyuns came in 1992, when China applied to host to the 2000 Games. About 680 Aoyuns were registered at the time. In 2002 another 553 Aoyuns were named, after China was chosen to host the 2008 Games. The BBC’s Chinese service says that in recent weeks babies have also been given names such as Hope for Sichuan, to show solidarity with earthquake victims.

Time Out Magazine Banned By China’s Censors In Run Up To Olympics (June 11, 2008, The Times of London)
Beijing has declared time out on Time Out. The English-language edition of the monthly magazine that gives foreign residents and visitors the latest lowdown on the coolest bars, the hippest shops and the hottest shows in the Chinese capital has disappeared. The June issue of Time Out Beijing has been banned from distribution by China’s censors, The Times has learnt. But the decision seems to have been taken not because of any racy or politically incorrect content. Time Out Beijing has fallen victim to the accelerating imposition of restrictions on any aspect of life in the capital deemed to pose a potential threat to a smooth Olympics. Tom Pattinson, the editor of the magazine, hinted that the timing - just two months before Beijing plays host to the Summer Games - was not coincidence. He told The Times: “The magazine has been impounded while officials look at licensing issues. But these have not changed in the past three and a half years and it is perhaps a strange time to question an issue that has not been a problem before.”

Olympic Visitors’ Data Is At Risk, Officials: China Targets Secrets In Laptops, PDAs (June 11, 2008, USA Today)
National security agencies are warning businesses and federal officials that laptops and e-mail devices taken to the Beijing Olympics are likely to be penetrated by Chinese agents aiming to steal secrets or plant bugs to infiltrate U.S. computer networks. Chinese government and industry use electronic espionage to “easily access official and personal computers,” says one recent report by the Overseas Security Advisory Council, a federally chartered panel comprising security experts from corporations and the State, Commerce and Treasury departments. Equipment left unsupervised for just minutes in a hotel or even during a security screening can be hacked, mined and bugged, adds Larry Wortzel, who chairs the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a federal panel that monitors China-related security issues for Congress. China’s government also controls Internet service providers and wireless networks, he says, so computers and PDAs can be monitored and planted with bugs remotely, too. “There is a high likelihood - virtually 100% - that if an individual is of security, political or business interest to Chinese…security services or high technology industries, their electronics can and will be tampered with or penetrated,” Wortzel says.

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS / TRADE

China’s monthly CPI rises 7.7% in May (June 12, 2008, Xinhua)
China’s consumer price index (CPI), the main gauge of inflation, rose 7.7 percent year on year in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday. The figure, compared with 8.5 percent in April and a nearly 12-year-high of 8.7 percent in February, was broadly in line with most forecasts.

Oil imports up 12.7% in first 5 months (June 11, 2008, Xinhua)
China’s oil imports posted double-digit growth in the first five months of 2008 as global crude prices more than doubled from a year earlier, the General Administration of Customs said Wednesday. The country imported 75.97 million tons of crude oil, up 12.7 percent from a year earlier, with average prices rising 64.1 percent to US$689.9 per ton. Imports of oil products jumped 17.3 percent to 17.34 million tons. Prices soared 66.9 percent to average US$709.6 per ton.

China’s yuan breaks 6.91-mark to hit new high (June 12, 2008, Xinhua)
China’s currency, the yuan, Thursday ended a short-lived downward adjustment to break the 6.91 mark, setting a new high against the U.S. dollar since the country depegged its currency from the greenback in July 2005. On Thursday, the central parity rate of the yuan, or Renminbi (RMB), was set at 6.9015 yuan against the dollar, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trading System. The reference rate was up 194 basis points from the previous trading day level. The yuan has risen more than 5.5 percent against the U.S. dollar so far this year, in comparison with the 6.9-percent gain last year, and has broken its own record high value 43 times.

Behind China’s Great Firewall (June 6, 2008, PC Magazine, by Brittany Peterson)
In light of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, more scrutiny is being placed on China’s Web-filtering practices. PC Magazine takes a closer look.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2317415,00.asp

Quake could signal a social change in China (June 9, 2008, Reuters, by Alan Wheatley)
It may seem callous when nearly 70,000 people lie dead to wonder whether anything good economically could emerge from the rubble of the earthquake in Sichuan Province last month. But as well as a short-term effect on economic output as reconstruction begins, there is a chance that the outpouring of civic spirit in response to the disaster may not only reshape Chinese politics but also strengthen its economic foundations.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/09/business/rtrinside10.php

China’s new celebrity culture (June 8, 2008, AP, by John Leicester)
In place of the cult of personality that the party built around Mao, the Chinese are embracing a new cult: that of fame and celebrity. Mao’s portrait still gazes out across Beijing’s vast Tiananmen Square. But the revolutionary who changed the course of history is being supplanted in Chinese hearts by a firmament of music, sports and movie celebrities.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080608/ap_on_re_as/china_cult_of_celebrity_ 1;_ylt=AihC2LjtBIEL9wLjj2_BVc9PzWQA

Spotlight on China, darkness in Tibet (June 11. 2008, The Christian Science Monitor, by Dan Southerland)
China’s media covered the country’s earthquake tragedy more openly than any past disaster. But the Chinese government still maintains a blackout over news from Tibet, which experienced its biggest uprising in decades this spring. The blackout explains why you probably haven’t heard about continuing sporadic protests by Buddhist monks and nuns in eastern Tibet, along with further arrests by the Chinese police.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0611/p09s02-coop.html

China’s Local Leaders Hold Absolute Power (June 10, 2008, The Washington Post, by Edward Cody)
Despite three decades of widely heralded economic reforms, the party has clung tenaciously to its Leninist-inspired monopoly on politics. As a result, most of China’s 1.3 billion people still live under the thumb of local party secretaries who are responsible only to the higher-level party officials who appoint them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/09/AR2008060902530.html?nav=rss_world/asia

Beijing: A Harder Line on Tibet? (June 10, 2008, by Simon Elegant)
If China does harden its stance or take other actions that threaten the talks, it will significantly increase the risk of renewed protests in Tibet, says a go-between, one of several informal intermediaries between the Tibetan government-in-exile and Beijing.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1813120,00.html

China’s Elite Eye Alumni Wallets (June 10, 2008, Forbes, by Tina Wang)
Fresh from visits to eight American universities, including Berkeley, Liu is part of a flood of Chinese university officials eager to learn from successful fund-raising models there. As a vice president of Fudan’s education foundation, which will rake in over $16 million in gifts by the end of the month, after operating less than a year, Liu is working to foster a heretofore nonexistent “donation culture” among Chinese university graduates, many of whom are increasingly affluent as a result of their country’s economic growth.
http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/06/10/shanghai-university-fundraise-oped-x_tw_0610china.html

China’s mobile revolution: the rise of 3G technology (June 8, 2008, The Times Online, by Michael Sheridanin)
The mobile phone came of age in China last month when a devastating earthquake ripped through Sichuan province. Its vital role showed why the Chinese government has recently ordered a radical restructuring of the telecoms industry to prepare for the next generation of technology. Victims used their phones to call for rescue, soldiers used civilian networks to organise supplies, families used text messages to exchange news of survival or loss and an increasingly angry group of citizens spread word of protests against corruption and lax building standards. The national conversation kept going thanks to a military-style logistics operation by the rival phone companies.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ business/industry_sectors/telecoms/article4087323.ece

The rise and rise of China’s Mr Tears (June 11. 2008, Asia Times Online, by Maochun Yu)
An unlikely star rising from the rubble of China’s recent devastations is Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Known alternately as “Grandpa Wen” or “Mr Tears”, Wen rose from a provincial geologist to China’s bureaucrat-in-chief, and was miraculously unscathed by his involvement in the infamous Tiananmen Square incident 19 years ago. Still, many wonder whether Wen’s primary concern is doing things right, or doing the right things.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JF11Ad01.html

Chinese leaders shift focus (June 7, 2008, Asia Times Online, by Willy Lam)
The Chinese government has failed to penalize cadres whose dereliction of duty, corruption and malfeasance exacerbated the damage of the killer earthquake in May. Instead, the leaders have made it their priority to uphold socio-political stability - and the Communist Party’s control over most aspects of political life.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JF07Ad01.html

Book Review: The people’s new opium: China’s New Confucianism by Daniel A Bell Reviewed by Sunny Lee (June 7, 2008, Asia Times Online)
Confucianism is resurgent in China, with its proponents aiming to re-enshrine moral standards for a nation undergoing dizzying change. Surprisingly, a Westerner is at the forefront and in this book he tackles issues ranging from why Confucianism is important today to the reason senior communist leaders always dye their hair black.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JF07Ad03.html

Cashing in on China’s thirst for university training (June 11, 2008, Toronto Globe and Mail, by Marcus Gee)
A booming economy. A growing skills shortage. A culture that cherishes education. More than 250 million students in school…Universities and colleges around the world are starting to recognize that potential, stepping up their efforts to lure Chinese students to study abroad while offering degrees in China in association with Chinese institutions.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080610.wasia0611/ BNStory/robColumnsBlogs

At Home In Old Beijing (June 16, 2008 edition, Newsweek, by Jeffrey Wasserstrom)
Amid the wrecking balls, hutong residents cling to a traditional way of life.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/140431

BLOG POSTS

Earthquake Zone - Kids in Baocun (June 10, www.fiferis.com)
The kids who remain in the village have nothing to do. Their school has collapsed, their houses are gone. They were shy at first but as they got to know us - and especially when we started handing out toys - they were delightful and happy.
http://www.fiferis.com/

A Volunteer’s Account: Thirty Six Hours of a Daring Rescue (4) (chinadigitaltimes.net)
This is the continuation of “A Volunteer’s Account (1), (2) and (3).
http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/06/a-volunteer%e2%80%99s-account-thirty-six-hours-of-a-daring-rescue-2-2/

ARTICLES IN CHINESE

中国基督教已为地震灾区捐款一亿一千九百多万元 (June 3, 2008, Gospel Times)
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/news/2008_06_04/2727.htm

高考试卷升为国家绝密 23日12时后可查高考分数 (June 4. 2008, Xinhua)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/edu/2008-06/04/content_8311619.htm

奥运期间外国人入境出境及在中国停留期间法律指南 (June 2. 2008, BOCOG)
http://www.beijing2008.cn/news/official/bulletin/official/n214387789.shtml

LINKS FOR RESEARCHERS

The Centre for the Study of Christianity in China - Oxford (牛津中華基督教研究院)
http://www.cscic.com/

Center for Central Asian Literatures in Translations (CCALT)
Central Asian Studies Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, US
CCALT’s aim is to provide access to high-quality translations of literature from throughout the Central Asian region, focusing on Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Tuva, Uzbekistan, and Xinjiang, as well as developing a cross-linked online database of relevant supplementary information.
http://depts.washington.edu/ccalt/

FEATURED ARTICLE

Playing With the Old Blood Rules (March 17 edition, Newsweek, by Melinda Liu)

China’s one-child policy is broken. After years of public grumbling, international scandals over forced sterilization and government tinkering, that’s a truth of which most Chinese are aware.The most pressing problem is a breakdown of filial piety, the sense of loyalty and shame that drove generations past to protect their elders no matter the cost. Chinese experts say the nation of only-children is increasingly self-centered, more and more inclined to abandon old obligations. Drawn to the booming big cities, many young people are also throwing themselves into the newly rich urban lifestyle (and helping to save for retirement) by opting to have no children themselves.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/120100

GOVERNMENT / POLITICS / FOREIGN AFFAIRS

China announces ’super-ministries’, including one for environment (March 13, 2008, AFP)
China announced Tuesday it would set up five new “super ministries”, including its first one dedicated to environmental protection, in an effort to streamline the government and fight corruption. The reshuffle of the nation’s cabinet will also see the health ministry upgraded to oversee food and drug safety, according to a copy of the plan given to journalists that will be approved at the ongoing session of parliament. The five new ministries will be: the Ministry of Industry and Information, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction, and the Ministry of Transport. A National Bureau of Energy will also be set up to oversee energy policy across all ministries.

Chinese lawyer missing after criticising human rights record (March 7, The Guardian)
A prominent human rights lawyer has gone missing, according to his family, in what is feared to be a move by the authorities to silence critics ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Teng Biao - who has defended Aids activists, Falun Gong practitioners and farmers fighting for their land - was last seen yesterday evening, being bundled into a black car outside his home in Beijing. He had been recently warned by police that he would be detained unless he stopped talking to the foreign media and writing about human rights abuses in the run up to the Olympics.

China dissident Hu Jia to stand trial: lawyer (March 8, 2008, Reuters)
Prominent Chinese dissident Hu Jia will soon face trial after prosecutors decided to press subversion charges, his lawyer said on Saturday, as another human rights lawyer close to Hu was freed from brief detention. Hu, a 34-year-old Beijing-based advocate for AIDS sufferers, Tibetan autonomy and many other causes, was detained by police in late December on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power.” Local and foreign human rights campaigners have urged his release ahead of Beijing’s 2008 Olympic Games, when the country wants to display its economic and social progress. But on Friday, officers in the Beijing city procuratorate, or state prosecutor, told Hu’s lawyers they had accepted the police case against him and would take him to court.

US drops China from list of top human rights abusers (March 11, 2008, AFP)
The United States dropped China from its list of the world’s worst human rights violators, but added Syria, Uzbekistan and Sudan to its top 10 offenders in an annual report released Tuesday. Despite removing Beijing from its top blacklist, the State Department’s 2007 Human Rights Report said China, which has raised hopes internationally that it would improve human rights by hosting the 2008 Olympics, still had a poor record overall. This year China was classified among authoritarian countries that are undergoing economic reform and rapid social change, but which “have not undertaken democratic political reform,” the report said.

Tibetan protests ripple across mountain region (March 13, 2008, Reuters)
The biggest protests by Tibetan monks in nearly two decades have rippled into Chinese provinces populated by Tibetans, as the government’s tough response draws condemnation from international groups. The demonstrations over past days have followed marches around the world to mark the 49th anniversary of an uprising against Communist rule in the remote, mountainous region that has become a focus for protest ahead of this year’s Beijing Olympics. On Monday, 500 monks from Drepung monastery defied authorities by staging a rare march in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, an act that the Chinese government called “an illegal activity that threatened social stability.” About 2,000 Chinese security personnel fired tear gas to try to disperse 600 monks from Sera monastery taking part in a second day of street protests in Lhasa, a source told Reuters. They demanded the release of about a dozen fellow monks from Sera detained this month for waving a Tibetan flag and shouting pro-independence slogans, the source said. Another rights group said about 400 monks from Lutsang monastery in the northwestern province of Qinghai, known in Tibetan as Amdo, protested on Monday and shouted slogans for their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to return. About 100 monks from Myera monastery in the neighboring province of Gansu also protested on Monday, the rights group said, adding that police were investigating who was involved. A source with knowledge of the protests quoted monks and witnesses as saying the sound of gunfire was heard outside the walls of monasteries. But no casualties have been reported.

China plane incident called ‘terror’ act (March 13, 2008, AP)
An alleged attempt to crash a Chinese airline during a domestic flight last week was an act of terrorism organized by a still-unnamed group, an official newspaper said. The Global Times said Thursday that a 19-year-old woman from western China’s Turkic Muslim Uighur minority group had been seized after trying to set a fire in a bathroom aboard the China Southern flight on Friday. “This was a well prepared, meticulously planned, tightly coordinated, terror attack activity,” the paper reported, quoting an unidentified official with knowledge of the investigation. Police were investigating the “terrorist organization backing her,” the report said. No damage or injuries have been reported in the incident. The Global Times is published by the Communist Party’s official People’s Daily and is considered authoritative on security and military issues. Chinese authorities, who waited more than a day to confirm the incident, have not so far characterized it as a terrorist act. However, its announcement on Sunday came at a forum in Beijing dominated by discussion of terrorism and the Beijing Olympic Games in August, including the revelation of an alleged terror plot uncovered in January that targeted the event. It was not clear if there was a link between the incident aboard the plane and the January raid on an alleged terrorist den in Urumqi in which the Olympics plot was reportedly discovered. Authorities said the plotters were allied with a radical Islamic Xinjiang independence group, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or ETIM, saying homemade bombs and guns were found alongside jihadist literature. East Turkestan is another name for Xinjiang.

HEALTH

China: Food poisoning deaths up in 2007 (March 9, 2008, AP)
Food poisoning deaths in China rose by about one-third in 2007, the state-run news agency reported Sunday amid ongoing scrutiny over the safety of the country’s food production chain. Citing figures from the Ministry of Health, Xinhua News Agency said 258 people were killed last year, up 32 percent from the previous year. The report said that while the number of deaths rose in 2007, overall cases of food poisoning fell to 506, 26 percent less than the previous year. “Most of the fatal food poisoning incidents were caused by toxic seafood, meat and produce,” Xinhua said.

US says contaminated blood-thinner came from China (March 6, 2008, AFP)
Batches of the recalled blood thinner heparin, which contained an unidentified contaminant and has been linked to 19 deaths, have ingredients that came from China, the US government said Thursday. The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which added that Germany has announced its own recall of heparin due to allergic reactions, has yet to prove that the contaminant was the cause of the deaths as well as other adverse health effects. But the FDA said that all the US batches of heparin linked to health problems and deaths were made with ingredients that came from China.

EDUCATION / CULTURE

College grads in Beijing to leave campus earlier (March 9, 2008, Xinhua)
College graduates in Beijing will leave campus roughly a month earlier than the usual time this summer due to the Olympics which is scheduled to start on August 8 in the city. Beijing municipal education authorities required all colleges located in Beijing to have their graduates leave campus at least one month earlier than they are usually asked to do. Therefore, career service offices in local colleges sped up their paces in job counseling for would-be graduates. The majority of graduating students might find jobs before the end of April.

Foreign artists still welcome despite Bjork incident (March 13, 2008, Xinhua)
Icelandic singer Bjork’s offending support to “Tibet independence” at a Shanghai concert earlier this month won’t affect China’s policy on inviting foreign artists to come and perform in the country, a senior cultural official said on Thursday. “It was just an individual case. I don’t think it will affect our invitation of artists from all over the world to come to China and perform, particularly during the Olympic Games,” Vice Minister of Culture Zhou Heping told a press conference held on the sidelines of the ongoing parliament session. On March 2, Bjork chanted “Tibet! Tibet!” at her Shanghai concert after singing a song “Declare Independence”, a move that Zhou said had made the Chinese audience “very upset”. “Foreign artistic troupes and artists should voluntarily observe relevant laws and regulations of China when they come to perform on the Chinese soil. It should be a part of an artist’s professional ethics to avoid violating Chinese laws or hurting the feelings of the Chinese people,” said Zhou.

SOCIETY / LIFE

Population policy will stay for now (March 10, 2008, China Daily)
The nation’s top population official has ruled out any drastic change to the family planning policy, including the one-child rule, for at least the next decade. Zhang Weiqing, minister of the State Population and Family Planning Commission, said a policy change, if needed, would come only after the end of a new birth peak that will last for the next 10 years. “The current family planning policy, formed as a result of gradual changes in the past two decades, has proved compatible with national conditions,” he said in an interview with China Daily. “So it has to be kept unchanged at this time to ensure stable and balanced population growth.” He said the one-child rule, as an indispensable part of the family planning policy, should be maintained for now. The country faces a new birth peak in the next 10 years, when nearly 200 million people enter childbearing age. “Given such a large population base, there would be major fluctuations in population growth if we abandoned the one-child rule now,” he warned. “It would cause serious problems and add extra pressure on social and economic development.”

China not ready to end death penalty (March 8, 2008, AP)
China will not abolish the death penalty because it suits the country’s current level of development and is needed to deter criminals, a senior judge was quoted as saying. Supreme People’s Court Judge Huang Ermei said in comments posted on a government Web site that the death penalty accorded with China’s need for social order. “Abolishing the death penalty is an international trend in punishment, but this trend cannot be divorced from a country’s own conditions,” Huang said in an interview on the China Peace Web site dated Friday. “Currently our country does not have the conditions to abolish the death penalty and will not have those conditions for a considerable period of time.” Chinese courts execute more people a year than any other nation. Although the exact number is treated as a state secret by the communist government, rights groups estimate that anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 executions are conducted each year. Among the more recent estimates, Amnesty International says at least 1,770 people were put to death in 2005.

China plans ‘most luxurious train in the world’ to Tibet: report (March 9, 2008, AFP)
China will launch “the most luxurious train in the world” to ply the route from Beijing to Tibet’s capital Lhasa, state media reported Sunday. However, a ride on the train, which will begin operations on September 1, will be about 20 times more expensive than the ordinary fare of about 2,000 yuan (280 dollars), Xinhua news agency said. “The interior of the train will be decorated according to the standards of a five-star hotel, making it the most luxurious train in the world,” said Zhu Mingrui, general manager of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corporation. “Such a train can only seat 96 passengers. The fare would be about 20 times the normal price and also much more than an airline ticket,” he said. There will be three trains, which will head from Beijing to Lhasa every eight days. The luxury journey will take five days. Each train will have 12 passenger cars, two dining cars and a sightseeing car. Each passenger car will have four ten-square-metre (108-square-foot) suites featuring a double bed, a living room and bathing facilities.

ENVIRONMENT / SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY

China to divert more Yellow River water for Olympics: official media (March 6, 2008, AFP)
China has begun diverting water from the Yellow River towards Beijing for the second time this year as part of a major effort to supply the capital ahead of the Olympics, state press said Thursday. The diversion of up to 156 million cubic metres (41 billion gallons) of water from the already parched Yellow River to Lake Baiyangdian near Beijing began on March 1 and would continue for 20 days, the China News Service reported. A nearly equal amount of water had already been diverted along a 399-kilometre (250-mile) canal between the river and the lake in late January and early February, it said. The amount of water in each diversion is the equivalent of roughly 17 days worth of water to the capital, based on Beijing’s average water use of about 9.4 million cubic metres a day in 2005, the latest official figures.

China-made bullet train to link Beijing, Tianjin in Aug (March 9, 2008, Xinhua)
The first China-made bullet train designed to run at 300 kilometers per hour has completed a test run and will be in service between Beijing and Tianjin in early August, a railway official said on Sunday. “A train prototype rolled off the production line in December and has completed a test run,” said Shao Liping, director of the railway authority in Nanning, capital of the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The new train is expected to be running along a 117-km intercity railway beginning August 1, a week before the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games. It will reduce the travel time between Beijing and Tianjin to around 30 minutes from the current 70 to 80 minutes, said Shao on the sidelines of the annual session of China’s parliament.

2008 OLYMPICS

Beijing steps up preparations for Olympic Games (March 13, 2008, Xinhua)
Beijing is gearing up preparations for the Summer Olympics in appointing a state-level agency to ensure security and roping off more than 280 km of roads exclusively for the Games. The security agency groups the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of Public Security and the armed forces, Beijing Vice Mayor Liu Jingmin said here on Wednesday, 149 days before the start of the August Games. China has also drafted plans for emergencies during the event, enhanced exchanges and coordination with foreign security organizations, and stepped up training for security staff as well other people involved in the Games, said Liu, also executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG). The host city has completed construction of 37 of the 38 Olympic venues and 44 of the 45 Beijing-based Olympic drill facilities, he said. The Olympic Village will open on July 27 and close on September 20 after the Paralympics. Preparations are now in full swing for the opening and closing ceremonies. The first group of participants started rehearsals in August, said Liu.

No traffic ban before July: Official (March 13, 2008, Xinhua)
The traffic ban for the Olympics will not be imposed until July, one month before the opening of the Games, a senior city official said Wednesday. “The traffic ban will not be imposed too early it should be in July,” Ji Lin, vice-mayor of Beijing and NPC deputy, said. To ensure smooth traffic for the Beijing Games, which will open on Aug 8, the host city has promised to order vehicles to stay off roads every other day, according to even- and odd-numbered vehicle license plates. Some vehicles belonging to government departments and State-owned enterprises will also be affected. “As for imposing the ‘even and odd numbers’ rule on a large scale, it will be conducted before the opening of the Games,” Ji said. Owners of private cars will receive financial compensation, Ji said. He gave no details of the plan.

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS / TRADE

Official: Iraq, China nearing oil deal (March 6, 2008, AP)
Iraq and China are close to re-signing a $1.2 billion oil deal that was called off after the 2003 U.S. invasion, an Iraqi Oil Ministry official said Thursday. Saddam Hussein’s government signed a deal with the state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. to develop the billion-barrel al-Ahdab oil field, despite U.N. sanctions that barred direct dealings with Iraq’s oil industry. Beijing was waiting for the sanctions to end when the U.S. invasion overthrew Saddam. The two countries restarted talks in October 2006. The field could produce an estimated 115,000 barrels a day, the Iraqi official said. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it had no information about the talks. Officials with CNPC and China’s Commerce Ministry could not be reached for comment.

LINKS TO DETAILED ARTICLES AND ANALYSIS

China’s Curious Olympic Terror Threat (March 11, 2008, Time, by Simon Elegant)
The dramatic news came in the midst of China’s staid and boring annual legislature: a terrorist hijacking plot, perhaps meant to mar the coming Olympic Games, had been stopped.The news however has been met with considerable skepticism outside China, particularly since details of the incident remain confusingly murky.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1720909,00.html

Like The Real Thing (March 8, 2008, Newsweek, by Wang Zhenru)
Elderly Chinese are adopting grown children to keep them company in their twilight years. One man’s experience with his three “daughters.”
http://www.newsweek.com/id/120184

A New Home Away From Home (March 17 issue, Newsweek, by Melinda Liu)
In China-where Confucian tradition and the communist Constitution still require sons and daughters to look after their parents-adult children risk losing face if they allow strangers to do the job. Yet mass migration and the one-child policy mean that more than half of China’s elderly city dwellers are now empty-nesters. And often it’s impossible for those who need it to find professional help. While 48.5 percent of aged urbanites surveyed by the China National Committee on Aging (CNCA) last year expressed a need for home nursing, only 16 percent said they had access to such services. And those few willing to live in institutions were hard-pressed to find adequate space.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/120101

China’s rising inflation could hurt U.S. consumers (March 6, 2008, McClatchey Newspaper, by Tim Johnson)
To understand why China’s leaders are jittery about the political fallout from rising inflation, it helps to wander city markets and listen to Chinese consumers grumble about rising prices. “The price of everything has just gone mad,” griped Zhou Qiongfang, a housekeeper, as she looked over slabs of raw pork at a wholesale market. “At every meal, I eat less,” she added.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080306/wl_mcclatchy/2871130

26 Prominent Overseas Chinese Rights Activists Signed Open Letter for China Human Rights Improvement Before Olympics (March 8, 2008, Assist News Service)
Responding to the dramatic declining situation in China recently, CAA today released an open letter to the international community calling upon the international community to help China improve its worsening human rights situation before the Beijing Olympics.
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08030051.htm

Picky Chinese workers spell end of cheap labor (March 10, 2008, Reuters)
For decades, China’s massive workforce of factory hands and construction workers had little choice but to work long hours in often poor conditions for pitifully low salaries. But a mushrooming of factories, even in the country’s sluggish interior, mean that these days workers have more clout than ever when hunting for jobs. Wages are being pushed up and firms’ margins are being squeezed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080310/lf_nm/china_economy_labour_dc

Chinese hackers: No site is safe (March 7, 2008, CNN, by John Vause)
“Xiao Chen” is his online name. Along with his two colleagues, he does not want to reveal his true identity. The three belong to what some Western experts say is a civilian cyber militia in China, launching attacks on government and private Web sites around the world.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/03/07/china.hackers/

Solar Energy Firms Leave Waste Behind in China (March 9, 2008, The Washington Post, by Ariana Eunjung Cha)
In China, a country buckling with the breakneck pace of its industrial growth, such stories of environmental pollution are not uncommon. But the Luoyang Zhonggui High-Technology Co., here in the central plains of Henan Province near the Yellow River, stands out for one reason: It’s a green energy company, producing polysilicon destined for solar energy panels sold around the world. But the byproduct of polysilicon production — silicon tetrachloride — is a highly toxic substance that poses environmental hazards.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/08/AR2008030802595.html?wpisrc=newsletter

LINKS FOR RESEARCHERS

NPC and CPPCC Sessions 2008
http://english.people.com.cn/90002/93244/index.html

From Harmonious Society to the Five Haves pt. 1-Education (March 3, 2008, The Economic Observer Online)
The Chinese government’s oft-stated goal of constructing a “harmonious society” has given way to increasing focus on five core issues, or the “five haves”, closely tied to the livlihoods of Chinese–that is, universal access to education, employment, housing, social security and healthcare. In the 17th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, these new focus areas were enshrined by President Hu Jintao’s Party report, and are expected to be widely discussed and pursued during the top legislative sessions thereafter.
The two sessions (lianghui or 两会 in Chinese) refer to meetings of the Eleventh National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from March 3 to 18. In view of this, the EO published a five-part special focusing on each of the “five haves”, including case studies and interviews. In this first part, we cover China’s education system.
http://eeo.com.cn/ens/biz_commentary/2008/03/06/93381.html

The End of China’s Low-Cost Labor? (March 6, 2008, The Economic Observer Online)
The controversial Labor Contract Law, which came into effect this year, has affected laborers and businesses in both expected and unexpected ways. Meanwhile, legislators are still debating about how China can maintain competitive advantage if its labor costs increase, and how best to keep unemployment, a potentially major source of instability, low and incomes rising with inflation. This is part three of a five-part series.
http://www.eeo.com.cn/ens/biz_commentary/2008/03/06/93440.html