Beijing denies US spying allegationsThe findings from last week's annual security report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission to congress has gotten China pretty angsty: the report states that China has been increasing cyber espionage attacks on the US in order to gain military information, and cites an increase in government involvement in these attacks. The foreign ministry department strongly denied spying, but as concerns over China's secretive military buildup grow we wonder if Beijing is sweating a little too hard from this extra pressure. Then again, we'd like to know how many of those 230 million hack attempts on China's new military website were conducted by American spies?
Two now executed over melamine milk scandalZhang Yujun and Geng Jinpin, who were both sentenced to death in January for their roles in the melamine milk scandal, are now executed. Both had tried to appeal their sentences, but had their appeals turned down in March. While the government has been gung-ho about throwing out harsh sentences against various players in the scandal - which sickened scores of infants across the nation and killed at least six - it's been less interested in investigating accusations that news of the tainting had been surpressed for fears of bad publicity during the Beijing Olympics.
China's auto industry booms as fuel demand dropsIn some of the more baffling news we've heard in a while, it seems that China has enjoyed a large increase in car sales this year while the demand for gas has fallen. How does that work, exactly? Some experts imagine newer, more gas efficient cars are replacing older, less efficient ones, while other question whether the government is buying cars up to pump up the industry. Then again, it seems that national gas consumption statistics only focus on figures from the two major state refiners, which makes the whole situation even more obfuscating. We're wondering: as this trend continues, does this mean there will be more or less traffic jams?
Big banquets should be against the lawChina spends up to 200 billion yuan a year on public wining and dining, a fat cat feast that may soon see its end if one Chinese legislator gets his way. National People's Congress delegate Zhao Linzhong wants to make lavish banquets a crime, calling them a "squandering of public funds" and "a waste of social assets." Not only that, it's incredibly unhealthy for the poor officials who have to drink and eat themselves to near bursting every time something important happens. We say huzzah and hurray to any attempt to pass this new law. If Zhongnanhai thinks that four dishes and a soup are good enough for President Obama, there's no reason why any underlings should feel differently.
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