Wow. Looks like Apple CEO Tim Cook is here to do some serious networking on his first trip to China. On Tuesday, Cook met with Li Keqiang, the man widely believed to be the next Prime Minister of China after Wen Jiabao finishes his term. more ›

Being great buddies with the fastest growing power in the world carries a number of perks...as Spain can most recently attest to. Relations between the two countries have warmed considerably this week with Vice Premier Li Keqiang announcing that China has committed to buying up more of Spain's debt and working together on a number of fronts. more ›

• Jeffrey Wasserstrom writes: in a world full of China experts, it's sometimes nice to sit back with a book about experiences in China, rather than one about proclamations about China. [Time]
• Perhaps because of all the recent protests regarding demolitions of homes, China is drafting new regulations that plan on giving urban residents more rights... and changing that 拆 (tear down) character with the much more friendly sounding 搬迁 (relocation). [WSJ]
• This isn't going to help us curb our fast food habit: McDonalds is planning on opening 150 to 175 new restaurants all over China. [Reuters]

China issued a sweeping denunciation of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian on Thursday, accusing him of stirring animosity between the sides to divert attention from his personal scandals. more ›

... and the rumor-mill is running in overdrive. Recent reports suggest that Shanghai Party Chief Xi Jinping's (习近平) recent entry into the race - apparently at senior leader Zeng Qinghong's (曾庆红) insistence - has shaken things up; forcing Hu Jintao to make some last-minute maneuvering. more ›

Shanghai is back in Beijing's good books. Or so an article published by the People's Daily two weeks ago indicates, claims the Associated Press. The article, titled "Glad to hear the new good tidings from Shanghai", lavished praise on Shanghai for it's recent successes. "A golden breeze refreshes Shanghai; one important, auspicious event after another" gushed the lead article. It is a sign, claims AP, that the fallout from last year's pension scandal has started to settle. As AP points out:

...such propaganda is a cue that top communist leaders have come to a consensus that the scandal was confined to a few "bad elements" and that China's biggest and richest city has Beijing's support.