Wandering China

AN 'OVERSEAS CHINESE' STUDENT'S JOURNEY INTO DISCOVERING THE IMAGINATION OF CHINA.

August 21, 2011 • 12:05 am 0

Vietnamese police crush anti-China protest [AP/Yahoo News]

For a glimpse of the anti-China protests, check out the AP youtube video below that comes complete with voxpops of protesters on the streets.

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Vietnamese police crush anti-China protest
AP
Source – Yahoo News, published August 21, 2011

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnamese police swooped in and crushed an anti-China rally Sunday, arresting dozens of protesters who refused to stop chanting and forcing them onto two buses that were driven away.

The move followed stern warnings last week that Hanoi would no longer tolerate the weekly demonstrations that have taken place in the capital for the past 10 weekends over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

About 50 protesters showed up at Hanoi’s landmark Hoan Kiem Lake, unfurling banners and shouting anti-China slogans. Main streets in the capital’s tourist district were quickly blocked off by police and the protesters were dragged onto public buses by security officers. Many clung to the windows and doors, still shouting from inside while holding up their signs. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AP, Beijing Consensus, Domestic Growth, Economics, Influence, International Relations, Mapping Feelings, military, Politics, Strategy, Territorial Disputes, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, Vietnam

July 25, 2011 • 1:20 am 0

Toddler pulled alive from China train crash wreckage [AP/The Age]

Unfortunate news. There had been talk earlier that corruption (Corruption Hits China’s High-Speed Railway, FT/CNBC March 24 2011) could put a grinding halt the high speed rail project with breakdowns as recent as this month - High Speed Rail breaks down again (China Daily, July 14, 2011).

58 trains have been suspended and the fault has been identified as lightning-triggered.  In Chinese fashion, the accountable will be hunted down and made an example of – Senior officials sacked after deadly train collision (China Daily, July 24, 2011).

Although this line from Hangzhou to Wenzhou which I have taken is another altogether, and older.

It looks like China’s ambitious high speed rail plans (see earlier posts – China’s rail expansion is on the fast track (Straits Times, November 8 2010)) hits a major multifaceted hurdle of engineering, corruption and people’s diplomacy. The official apology from the ministry – Ministry spokesman apologizes for deadly crash + China Daily’s updates [China Daily, July 25, 2011)

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Toddler pulled alive from China train crash wreckage
AP
Source – The Age, published July 25, 2011

Off track … carriages were derailed in the accident. Photo: AP

A toddler was rescued about 21 hours after a crash involving two high-speed trains in eastern China killed at least 43 people and injured more than 200 others, state media reported.

The unconscious child was found early on Sunday evening while rescuers were clearing one of the train cars just as the cleanup efforts were almost completed. It cited an unnamed firefighter.

“When we found him, he could still move his hands,” Xinhua News Agency quoted the firefighter as saying. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: 52 Unacceptable Practices, AP, Automotive, Beijing Consensus, Chinese Model, Civil Engineering, Corruption, Crime, Disaster, Domestic Growth, Economics, Environment, High Speed Rail, Infrastructure, Modernisation, Population, Social, The Age, Transport

June 15, 2011 • 12:14 am 0

Protesters burn police vehicles in China [The Age]

Associated Press: Guangdong, China’s hotbed of manufacturing and the province that should more accurately known as the world’s factory. Unrest seems to have become more frequent (or perhaps media scrutiny simply more intense) – eyewitness accounts speak of unrest against the authorities over ill treatment of migrant workers. None of such reports in either Xinhua or China Daily. An Al Jazeera article that might be interesting – Security tight in riot-torn South China city (Al Jazeera, June 14, 2011) which states – ‘Residents of Xintang said they had been told not to go out at night or transmit photos of the unrest online.’  More to investigate.

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Protesters burn police vehicles in China
AP
Source – The Age, published June 14, 2011

There are reports that Chinese police cars were smashed by protestors. Photo: AP

Protesters in southern China’s manufacturing hub torched emergency vehicles in an outburst of anger against police abuse of migrant workers, eye-witnesses said.

Sunday night’s rioting followed three days of steadily growing unrest in the town of Xintang in Guangdong province, the centre of China’s crucial export industry. Accounts of the violence have been sparse in state-controlled media, but the official Xinhua News Agency says a government team has been sent to the area to quell rumours surrounding the unrest.

While violent protests in China have become frequent over the past decade, recent weeks have seemed particularly turbulent. The vast region of Inner Mongolia last month saw its biggest street demonstrations in two decades, while a man angry over land seizures set off three home-made bombs at government buildings in a southern city, killing three people and wounding at least nine others. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Al Jazeera, AP, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Democracy, Domestic Growth, Economics, Human Rights, Migrant Workers, Migration (Internal), People, Politics, Population, Reform, Social, The Age, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities

May 28, 2011 • 11:50 pm 0

US does not brand China ‘currency manipulator’ [The Age/AP]

The value of the yuan comes into the spotlight again as the US Treasury concludes that China was allowing the yuan to appreciate against the dollar; rendering the term ‘currency manipulator’ now invalid.

“By trying to limit the pace of appreciation, China is not allowing the exchange rate to serve as a tool to counter inflation in its own economy…” US Treasury

In other reports…

US says China yuan undervalued, but not manipulated (Reuters, May 27, 2011)

China Must Let Yuan Rise Faster, Treasury Tells Congress (Bloomberg Business Week, May 28, 2011)

China not manipulating currency: US Treasury (China Daily/Xinhua, published May 28, 2011)

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US does not brand China ‘currency manipulator’
Veronica Smith
AP
Source – The Age, published May 28, 2011

The United States on Friday called on China to speed up progress in making its currency more flexible, but refrained from branding Beijing a currency manipulator, a move that could trigger sanctions.

In a long-delayed report to Congress, the US Treasury said it had concluded that China was allowing the yuan, or renminbi, to appreciate against the dollar and had shown willingness to continue promoting exchange-rate flexibility.

The Treasury Department cited “the ongoing appreciation of the renminbi against the dollar since June 2010″ as well as “China’s public statements asserting that it will continue to promote RMB exchange rate flexibility.” Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AP, Beijing Consensus, Chinese Model, Domestic Growth, Economics, Finance, Influence, International Relations, Public Diplomacy, Soft Power, Strategy, The Age, U.S., Yuan

May 19, 2011 • 1:26 am 0

China’s premier to visit tsunami-hit area in Japan [Yahoo News/AP]

China’s Premier Wen Jiabao visit to Fukushima is pitched as a personal choice by Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue as  a personal choice to ‘express the concern and condolences of the Chinese government and people toward those affected by the disaster and to encourage their recovery and show Chinese support for the reconstruction.’

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China’s premier to visit tsunami-hit area in Japan
AP
Source – Yahoo News, published May 18, 2011

Premier Wen Jiabao will visit Japan’s devastated northeast this weekend to show China’s support for reconstruction efforts after the twin earthquake and tsunami disasters, a Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday.

Wen will be in Japan anyway to take part in a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Japan and South Korea and bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart.

Assistant Foreign Minister Hu Zhengyue told reporters at a briefing in Beijing that Wen himself decided to visit Fukushima and that the head of China’s Earthquake Administration, among other officials, would accompany him on the May 21-22 trip. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AP, Charm Offensive, Diaoyu Fishing Boat Incident 2010, Foreign aid, Influence, International Relations, japan, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Soft Power, Strategy, Yahoo 7 News

May 19, 2011 • 12:49 am 0

Melon ‘land mines’: China’s exploding fruit crisis [The Age]

‘Exploding fruit’ due to overuse of growth accelerator forchlorfenuron, a plant growth regulator registered (2004) for use on grapes raisins, and kiwifruit. Looks like it does not react well with the larger fruit.

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Melon ‘land mines’: China’s exploding fruit crisis
AP
Source – The Age, published May 18, 2011

Farmers clear out watermelons that exploded. Photo: AP

Fields of exploding watermelons are creating havoc in China, and farmers overdosing their crops with growth chemicals are getting the blame.

About 20 farmers around Danyang city in Jiangsu province have been affected, losing up to 45 hectares of melon, China Central Television said in an investigative report.

The broadcaster described the watermelons as “land mines” and said they were exploding by the hectare in the Danyang area. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AP, Domestic Growth, Population, Resources, The Age

May 18, 2011 • 1:36 pm 0

China our ‘best friend’: Pakistan PM [Straits Times]

Pakistan declares China its best friend as China was quick,and the first to show its support of Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin Laden by US Navy SEAL Team 6  in Operation Neptune’s Spear. ‘Both countries also see each other as an important counter-balance to India. To Pakistan, Beijing represents an uncritical friend, ready to provide aid, investment and military assistance.’

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China our ‘best friend’: Pakistan PM
Declaration comes amid tense ties with the US
Source – Straits Times, published May 18, 2011

Source - Straits Times

BEIJING: In an apparent dig at the United States, Pakistan’s prime minister declared China his country’s best friend as he began an official visit to China yesterday.

China, noted Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani, was the first country to show its support of Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces in the northern Pakistani city of Abbottabad.

His statement came amid soured ties with Washington over the raid, which is expected to nudge Islamabad even closer to Beijing, an old ally. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AFP, AP, Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, India, Influence, International Relations, military, Pakistan, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Straits Times, Strategy

May 8, 2011 • 12:27 am 0

China’s spying seeks secret US info [Yahoo/AP]

Comprehensive piece on a new breed of spies for China arising. It argues that China has been aggressively recruiting American citizens for secret US info and intel to further its own military and strategic development.

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China’s spying seeks secret US info
By PAULINE ARRILLAGA, AP National Writer
Associated Press
Source – Yahoo News, published Sat May 7, 2011

AP – This 2009 picture provided on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 by his family shows Glenn Shriver at a birthday … Photo: AP

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The young man stood before the judge, his usually neatly trimmed hair now long enough to brush the collar of his prison jumpsuit. Glenn Duffie Shriver had confessed his transgressions and was here, in a federal courtroom with his mother watching, to receive his sentence and to try, somehow, to explain it all.

When the time came for him to address the court, he spoke of the many dreams he’d had to work on behalf of his country.

“Mine was to be a life of service,” he said. “I could have been very valuable. That was originally my plan.” Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AP, Beijing Consensus, Chinese Model, Influence, International Relations, J-20, military, Spying, Strategy, Yahoo 7 News

February 11, 2011 • 1:20 am 0

China’s Internet cafes face clampdown [Straits Times]

According to this report, the $17.2 billion Internet Cafe industry services 135 million users in China. Beyond simply serving as a place to surf the Internet, this industry seems to be bastion of online freedom that the state seems keen to make history. The claim that ‘the management of these cafes is chaotic and that they have become hangouts for young Internet addicts and delinquents’ – is something I will have to go find out. It feels more like these ‘physical/virtual’ spaces may be sowing the seeds that threaten the stability China knows it has to upkeep; and China has a record and capacity of nipping things in the bud before they become out of hand.

For more information on the Green Dam, please visit this analysis by the University of Michigan.

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China’s Internet cafes face clampdown
Plan to tie them to franchises could mean more censorship, govt surveillance, say netizens
Source – Straits Times, published February 10, 2011

 

The chaotic management and popularity of the independently run cafes with young Internet addicts are cited as reasons for the clean-up plan. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS

In the middle of last month, Deputy Culture Minister Ouyang Jian announced that the government wanted to clean up China’s hundreds of thousands of independently run Internet cafes, many of which are adept at circumventing government rules.

According to Chinese state media, the main reasons for the move are that the management of these cafes is chaotic and that they have become hangouts for young Internet addicts and delinquents.

‘We will let more than 80 per cent merge into franchise companies, become professional and enjoy the benefits of branding and scale of operation by the end of 2015,’ Mr Ouyang told a meeting of officials, the Beijing Morning Post reported. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AP, Beijing Consensus, Chinese Model, Communications, Domestic Growth, Hong Kong, Human Rights, Influence, Internet, Media, Politics, Social, Strategy

December 20, 2010 • 12:44 pm 0

Facebook’s Zuckerberg starts China visit [Yahoo/AP]

Zuckerberg – “How can you connect the whole world if you leave out 1.6 billion people?”

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Facebook’s Zuckerberg starts China visit
AP
Source – Yahoo News, published December 20, 2010

BEIJING – Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg started a visit to China on Monday with a tour of the offices of the country’s top search engine, while his own social networking site remained blocked on the mainland.

Photos of Zuckerberg’s visit to Baidu Inc. were quickly posted online.

“Obviously I’m not going to deny what’s in the pictures,” Kaiser Kuo, Baidu’s director of international communications, told The Associated Press by telephone. Zuckerberg had lunch with Baidu CEO Robin Li, Kuo said, adding that he didn’t know what they talked about. He said the two had met before. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AP, Charm Offensive, Communications, Economics, Facebook, Great Firewall, Influence, Internet, Media

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Good Reads

A History of Hong Kong (Welsh, rev. 1997)

Behind the Open Door: Foreign Enterprises in the Chinese Marketplace (Rosen, 1999)

Beyond the Chinese Face: Insights from Psychology (Bond, 1991)

Charm Offensive: How China's Soft Power is Transforming the World (Kurlantzick, 2007)

China and the Chinese Overseas (Wang, 2003)

China Off Center - Mapping the Margins of the Middle Kingdom (Blum & Jensen, 2002)

China Wakes (Kristof & Wudunn, 1995)

China's Transformations(Jensen & Weston, 2007)

Chinas Unlimited (Lee, 2003)

China’s Security Interests in the 21st Century (Ong, 2007)

Chinese among others - Emigration in Modern Times (Kuhn, 2008)

Chinese Kinship (Chao, 1983)

Chinese Nationalism (Unger, ed. 1996)

Chinese Strategic Culture and Foreign Policy Decision-Making (Feng, 2007)

Dialetic of the Chinese Revolution (Ci, 1994)

Don't Leave Home - Migration and Chinese (Wang, 2001)

Integrating China into the Global Economy (Lardy, 2002)

Interpreting China’s Grand Strategy - Past, Present and Future (Swaine & Tellis, 2000)

Kinship, Contract, Community & State (Cohen, 2005)

Re Orient - Change in Asian Societies (Vervoorn, 2006)

The Gare of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and their Revolution, 1895-1980 (Spence, 1986)

The Great Chinese Revolution: 1800-1985 (Fairbank, 1987)

The Overseas Chinese of South East Asia (Witzel and Rae, 2008)

The Paradox of China's Post-Mao Reforms (Goldman and Macfarquhar, ed. 1999)

The Real Chinese Question (Holcombe, 1901) **

Understanding China: A guide to China's Economy, History, and Political Structure (Starr, 1997)

Understanding China and India - Security Implications for the United States and the World (Lal, 2006)

Weaving the Net: Conditional Engagement with China (Shinn, ed., 1996)

Where Underpants Come From: From Checkout to Cotton Field - Travels through the New China. (Bennett, 2008)

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