News: July 2009 Archives

The mysterious detainment of four employees from Ozzie mining giant Rio Tinto on Sunday was finally explained today, when the Chinese government confirmed today that Stern Hu, GM of Rio Tinto's Shanghai office, and three of his underlings were alleged to have committed espionage and stolen state secrets.

• Will this stop the pandamonium? [Daily Mail] "It is a desperate cry - or rather a very loud trumpet - for attention. These elephants were painted black and white to look like the pandas who have stolen all their fans. The elephant is Thailand's national symbol, but the country has gone panda-crazy since the birth of a female panda cub to pandas Lin Hui and Xuang Xuang at Chiang Mai zoo in Bangkok."
• Who’s Who Among China’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Advisers [WSJ] "China Investment Corp., the country’s $200 billion sovereign wealth fund, has finally unveiled its long-planned International Advisory Council, which The Journal wrote about Monday (Call us petty, but we can’t help noting - given that that one of council’s stated missions (In Chinese here) is to advise CIC on “increasing transparency” - that it took four days from the group’s first meeting for CIC to disclose its membership)."
• Work resumes at Shaoguan toy factory [Danwei] "The fight at the Xuri toy factory in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province that has been called one of the causes of the current unrest in Xinjiang made the cover of today's New Express. A major fight broke out at the factory on June 26 between Han and Uighurs workers, leaving two men from Xinjiang dead, but according to today's paper, which features a big cover photo of smiling Uighur women working at the factory, production has resumed."

What is it with buildings in Minhang? First that notorious Minhang building collapse happened, and now it seems like another building in the district has serious construction problems too.

We've entered into the fourth day of the Xinjiang incident, and it seems that - at least for now - Chinese officials have finally gotten everything under some semblence of control. Wednesday was marked by sporadic violence as Han mobs continued their Tuesday front, arming themselves with meat cleavers, shovels and other makeshift weapons for - depending what side you're on - protection or revenge killings. The body count for the last two days has not yet been released.

• Why China might turn on North Korea [CSMonitor] "China has long seen its national interests served by the status quo on the Korean Peninsula. According to a cold-war perspective about strategic balance and a post-cold-war emphasis on internal development, Beijing prioritized maintaining a buffer state and preventing North Korea's problems from spilling over China's border. While Beijing retains these priorities, the chances of it getting tough with Pyongyang are low. However, the China of today is not the China that came to Pyongyang's aid during the Korean War - its national identity has evolved over decades of rapid development and international integration. The ideas of communist solidarity and laying low to focus on modernization are becoming obsolete."
• Beijing Always Wins [NYTimes] "THE riots in the Xinjiang region, the home of China’s Muslim Uighur minority, will affirm to many analysts outside the country that social unrest is a direct threat to the continued rule of the Communist Party. If officials don’t take a long, hard look at how to avoid such uprisings, this argument will run, the government could eventually fall. If only Chinese officials saw things that way."
• Shenzhen Mayor Under Investigation [eChinacities] "Xu Zongheng(许宗衡), 54, was removed from his post as mayor of Shenzhen and is under investigation into allegations of corruption and graft that have stretched to include a former Olympic gymnast and several actresses. Xu became mayor of Shenzhen in 2005, advocating changes in the city’s bureaucracy. Many view Xu as partially responsible for the subsequent collapse of Shenzhen’s real estate market. The allegations revolve around bribes received for awarding government posts and bids."

• An autopsy has been ordered on the bus driver who swerved into oncoming traffic on the Yangpu Bridge last week, killing three and injuring 27. [Shanghai Daily]
• Four employees of global mining giant Rio Tinto have been mysteriously detained for questioning by Chinese authorities. Nobody is sure why or how to reach them. [Reuters]
• The Financial Times talks about the importance of the Peace Hotel's restoration on the Bund. [FT]

• Johnny Depp images not spared by China's Internet porn filter [ABS-CBN] "What do Johnny Depp, Garfield, Paris Hilton and roast pork have in common? In China, the answer is that a new government-mandated Internet filter rates some pictures of all four of them as bad for your moral health. Beijing has ordered all personal computers sold in China from July 1 to be preinstalled with the Green Dam software, which it says is designed to block pornographic and violent images, and which critics fear will be used to extend censorship."
• China Flooding Kills 75 [VOA] "Heavy rains are causing severe flooding in areas of southern China. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee from their homes, and the government said as many as 75 people have died. As heavy rains continue in southern China, state television broadcast images of people rafting down flooded streets, in water reaching as high as the storefront signs on Monday."
• World's rich targeted in new model for carbon cuts [CNN] "Researchers in the U.S. have proposed a new way of allocating responsibility for carbon emissions they say could solve the impasse between developed and developing countries.A hypothetical scenario in the report controversially absolves China, currently the world's largest emitter of carbon emissions, from making cuts to C02 for the next decade. The scenario assumes that the world agrees to take action to cut global emissions from 2010, so that levels of carbon emissions in 2030 are similar to now."

Those hoping that the Xinjiang riot death count would be contained once the day was over are going to be incredibly disappointed. It's day two over there and it seems that, at least for the Han Chinese living there, the fear has given way to rage.

For those following the will they - won't they debacle regarding the United States pavilion at the 2010 Expo, the latest news is that the US will officially be attending. Not only are plans on track to sign a contract, but -what's this?- fundraising is right on target!

We're coming into the most dangerous time for sudden deaths of working people in Shanghai. According to Xinmin, the low atmospheric pressure and high humidity level of the damp spring weather will increase the number of sudden deaths of people from age 35 to 50. More than 70% of the patients will pass away before getting to the hospital.

Twitter has been blocked (as has Danwei, presumably because of their coverage) and Internet is allegedly down everywhere in Urumuqi - basically, it's information crackdown time since the proverbial shit has hit the fan.

• South China rains kill 20, force 700,000 from homes [Xinhua] "Torrential rains and floods in southern China have left at least 20 people dead and two missing. More than 700,000 people have been relocated as downpours have destroyed houses, flooded crops, cut power, damaged roads and caused rivers to overflow, according to the latest figures from the provinces of Hunan, Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. "
• SHANGHAI BUILDING COLLAPSE: Hundreds protest [Straits Times] "HUNDREDS of Chinese homeowners protested outside government offices in Shanghai demanding refunds after a 13-story apartment building in a complex under construction toppled over, newspapers reported on Sunday. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said the protesters marched on Saturday through central Shanghai, holding handwritten signs and chanting: 'Lotus Riverside, refund (our) homes!'"
• China apologizes to Mexico for tough swine flu stand [AFP] "China's Health Minister Chen Zhu Friday apologized to his Mexican counterpart for failing to warn him about the tough measures Beijing imposed on Mexicans to combat swine flu. "I regret that I did not talk first" to Minister Jose Angel Cordova, Chen said on the sidelines of a meeting in Cancun about the swine flu pandemic."

Recently, a famous recruitment website did a special survey of sexual harassment in the workplace. To our surprise, it seems that one third of the male respondants said that they had encountered forms of sexual harassment.

Update: BBC News is now reporting that at least 140 are dead and over 800 injured. It also has video, which may be disturbing for some to watch.

• Shanghai has decided to stop on-board aircraft passenger temperature checks, to the dismay of budding photographers hoping to document the bizarre hazard suit teams. [Shanghai Daily]
• Mudwrestling at Martini Bar? Those are two things we thought never would really mix, but it somehow happened. [SmartShanghai]
• What a load of bull. Shanghai's planning on building a bigger version of Wall St.'s charging bull statue to be placed on the waterfront. It'll mark the tail end of China's Year of the Ox and... we guess, be auspicious somehow. [The Age]

Shoppers in supermarkets across Europe will soon get the rare "treat" of watching short broadcasts from Xinhua while picking out their groceries.

In the latest addition to "brilliant ideas that China likes to try," Spring Airlines is now considering selling standing-only tickets to passengers on their flights. The budget airline currently has only 13 planes in their fleet and cannot meet growing demand for more flights from more passengers.

• Woah! Is the Shanghai Disneyland idea back on? A Disney news site reports that Bob Weis, Exec VP of Walt Disney Imagineering may have been hired as the creative lead for the "in-development" Shanghai Disneyland Resort. [AWN]
• An exhibition about Cartoon Games is starting on the 4th at the Shanghai Exhibition Center (that building across the street from the Portman). We're curious and entry's only 50RMB! [Xinmin]
• Oh no, signs the recession still isn't completely over! Rental prices for high-grade offices here continue to plunge. [China Briefing]

• Shishou official speaks out about riot [China Elections] "A blog entry posted by an official in Shishou has shed more light on the recent events in Shishou city, Hubei province. The blog is maintained by an official named Liu Guolin and details his perspective on the government's containment efforts in Shishou and lessons that can be learned from the handling of the incident. The blog entry marks a surprising break from usual government silence concerning such incidents and tight control usually asserted over official reports."
• China's smart grid ambitions could open door to US-China cooperation [needigest.com] "China’s largest electric transmission company has announced an ambitious plan to develop a national smart grid by 2020 that would help utilities and their customers transport and use energy more efficiently. The sheer size of the project raises some intriguing questions. First, about whether China has the capital and technology for such an extensive upgrade. And second, whether the project could provide an opening for U.S.-China cooperation on technological improvements that could benefit both."
• China launches first direct flight linking Beijing, Lhasa [People's Daily Online] "Air China, the nation's biggest carrier, said Wednesday it will launch the nation's first direct flight between Beijing and Lhasa, the capital city of southwestern Tibet Autonomous Region, beginning July 10 to promote tourism. The three-hour-fifty-minute flight will be operated by the Airbus A330. Previously, travelers had to transfer through Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province neighboring Tibet. The transfer added two hours to the flight."

The planned protests against the Green Dam Youth Escort turned into celebrations on Wednesday, when Chinese authorities suddenly postponed their order of the infamous censorware program. In turn, Lots of young Chinese netizens gathered to turn their Green Dam anger into a feast.

A flurry of recent activity regarding the US Pavilion at next year's Expo has resulted in US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirming the United States' participation in the Expo after the USA Pavilion organizers announced PepsiCo signing on in a US$5 million deal.

   

Who says that sleeping cannot be creative? A German photographer focused on Chinese people sleeping on the street for the six years he was in China, shooting over 750 photos in all. His photos attracted both media and netizen attentions. This photographer, known only as Bernd, said he hoped that people will not misunderstand him and explained that these photos are not to humiliate anyone, but rather to show Chinese culture in another perspective.

Tickets for the World Expo officially went on sale at 9am yesterday and already, peak-day tickets (tickets for the first three days and for the National Day holidays) had completely sold out.

• Sichuan peppercorns: "There's a war in my mouth." [Boing Boing] "Sichuan peppercorns, oh yeah! Raven of Made with Molecules after eating them wrote, "There's a war in my mouth." They create a riot of numbing and tingling sensations, particularly if you can get relatively fresh ones (i.e. not stale from sitting around in a Whole Foods bulk bin). Raven links to an abstract about the particular anesthetic-sensitive potassium channels inhibited by hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, one of the components of sichuan peppercorns that make them so exciting."
• Death of a Dystopian: The life and legacy of J.G. Ballard [Reason Magazine] "J.G. Ballard is best known for Empire of the Sun (1984), a largely autobiographical coming-of-age novel based on his upbringing in Shanghai, where his father was a businessman, and his internment in a World War II prison camp during the Japanese invasion. For those with darker tastes, there is the cult classic Crash, a wild, transgressive 1973 novel about a community of car-crash fetishists that was eventually made into a Cronenberg film. His writing is obsessed with the territories where the organic meets the inorganic; it is absurdist, bleak, vivid, and awake to the psychological effects of media and manmade landscapes. In the words of the novelist Martin Amis, “Ballard is quite unlike anyone else; indeed, he seems to address a different—a disused—part of the reader’s brain.”
• Life in jail for killing Chinese student [News.com.au] "THE killer of a Chinese student who was left to die after being raped and choked on a roadside verge has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Danny Adam Wright, 36, was found guilty of the wilful murder and sexual penetration of Chinese student Jiao Dan, 22, in the Perth suburb of Inaloo on October 8, 2007. Justice Michael Murray told the court in sentencing Wright today that it was a dreadful incident for which Wright had failed to show remorse. He sentenced him to life in jail with a minimum non-parole period of 18 years."

When summer comes, everyone wants to dive in the water to cool down. Recently, many hotels and high-end clubs in Chongqing posted ads in a BBS claiming that they offer beauties at the pool to "play with" as a deal to attract male customers.

Beijing, like many Chinese cities, has not what we would ever dare call excellent air. So for the past several months, the US embassy in Beijing has been posting hourly updates on their measurements of air quality in the 'Jing via Twitter feed. Set up out of concern for the health of the embassy staff, the reports range from "good" to "very unhealthy" based on the levels of airborne pollutants (particles) that can enter a person's body.

Today marks the 12 year anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China and to commemorate it, they're holding their annual protest rally led by the Civil Human Rights Front (a tradition that has gone on since 1997).