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- China's secretive military launches Web site [AP] "China's Defense Ministry launched its first official Web site Thursday, part of an effort by the normally secretive military to be more transparent. The launch of the site — including an English version — comes as the U.S. Army's top general visits Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterparts. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey was to visit the headquarters of the People's Liberation Army on Thursday and meet PLA Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde."
- More parents protest against lead poisoning in China [Reuters] "The number of Chinese children found with excess lead in their blood near a metal plant in central China has reached 1,354, state media said on Thursday, with new clashes between police and parents over pollution. The rise in initial diagnoses of poisoning around the Wugang Manganese Smelting Plant in Hunan province adds to a recent rash of such cases, which have exposed growing tensions between local governments and residents over pollution, often by poorly regulated plants and factories with ties to local government."
- China bans petitioners in Beijing [BBC News] "The Chinese government has issued a new regulation to stop petitioners from travelling to the capital, Beijing. Legal officials from Beijing will now visit people with complaints in the provinces in order to hear their cases. Petitions can also be filed online and a response or solution is to be given within 60 days."
- Two Taiwan Ministers Offer to Quit Over Typhoon Response [New York Times] "The defense minister and the head of the cabinet in Taiwan reportedly offered to resign Wednesday as the government continued to reel under growing criticism of its lackluster response to Typhoon Morakot. Three television stations in Taiwan reported that Prime Minister Liu Chao-shiuan was considering resignation letters from Defense Minister Chen Chao-min and the secretary general of the cabinet, Hsieh Hsiang-chuan."
- Australia tries to halt slide in China ties [Reuters] "Australia tried to halt a slide in ties with China on Thursday by denying support for autonomy for the restive Chinese region of Xinjiang as Beijing media accused the country of leading an "anti-China chorus". Relations have soured over the grant of an Australian visa to Rebiya Kadeer, the exiled leader of China's Muslim Uighur minority in farwestern Xinjiang, and the arrest of an Australian Rio Tinto mining executive and three other Rio staff on allegations of espionage."
- Chinese Web post causes ire in India [Global Times] "While media around the world speculates on the origin of a controversial post on the Web calling for the collapse of India, some media contacted the Global Times with the aim of clarifying the identity of the author of the article. Lü Wenji, the editor who transferred the article from its previous site, www.club.xilu. com, a forum for public opinion, told the Global Times that she and her colleagues worked hard to find the identity of the writer, but said, “it’s too difficult to verify the identity and credentials, due to the anonymity of the Internet.” An article written by an Internet user named Zhanlue (which translates as ‘strategy’) on the iiss.cn website last week suggested that India’s sense of national unity was weak and “China can dismember the so-called ‘Indian Union’ with one small stroke!”"
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As for PLA Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde, I think the PLA would be wise to rename him "Bingo" as it could make for some very snappy conversation.
I heard the PLA will also have a "Page 3" girl like the British tabloids utilizing one of those underemployed PLA dance troupe hotties sleazing on a "PLA car of the week", usually one of their military registered Porsches, BMWs or Maseratis.