Oops of the Day: CCTV anchor He Jia mistakenly declares (at 1'35"): "As we all know, the Philippines is Chinese territory. China has unquestionable sovereignty over the Philippines." The video went viral shortly after it first appeared on Sina Weibo, and was quickly scrubbed off the CCTV website. more ›

The already testy South China Sea waters just got a little choppier. The US has proposed expanding its military presence in Southeast Asia with the pretty apparent (though undisclosed) goal of contesting China's clampdown in the region. The protocol calls for strengthening US alliances with Southeast Asian nations, and increasing its military operations in the area without establishing permanent bases in the region so as to avoid another Okinawa debacle. more ›

Chinese general Luo Yan has proposed that Beijing tighten its military control in the South China Sea by increasing the presence of the National Coast Guard in the region. Luo claims that clamping down militarily in the area will foster the growth of Chinese fishing and oil operations. more ›

In remarks made by Singapore's K Shanmugam on the conclusion of his back-to-back introductory visits as foreign minister to the United States and China, he noted that comments he made on the US-China relationship during his visit to Washington were warmly welcomed in Beijing. more ›

An expensive private kindergarten in Nanjing has been accused of hiring unqualified teachers from the Philippines who are allegedly mistreating kids and asking parents for more cash: more ›

Filipinos have hit the streets of Manila to protest against their own government for its failure in securing a stay on the execution of an unnamed drug trafficker yesterday. More on the Philippines here. more ›

We told you on Sunday how a Russian woman was sentenced to death in Zhuhai for heroin smuggling. A 35-year-old Filipino man is set to join her in the gallows for the same crime -- he was found carrying 1.495 kg of heroin in September 2008 at the Guilin International Airport, and his execution is set for December 8. more ›

Sigh, we've been down this road before. Both the Philippines and Vietnam are severely unhappy over China's maritime claims in the South China Sea including sovereignty over the Spratly Islands. In fact, the Philippines is so fumed, it just announced that it's not even going to call it the South China Sea anymore. From now on, President Benigno Aquino explained, it's going to be known as the West Philippine Sea. (Erm, right. Good luck with convincing Google Maps to change over to that one). The name switch in all likelihood was due to a Chinese ship reportedly harassing a Philippines oil exploration vessel which the Philippines didn't take so kindly to or...a Chinese ship which was only clearly exercising its sovereign rights in Chinese-owned waters, depending on which story you prefer. more ›

We'll have to add Unagi Don to the list of food to be leery of, alongside pork, beef and steamed buns: "A parasite that can cause epilepsy and lead to paralysis has been found in batches of eels imported from Indonesia and the Philippines, Shanghai authorities said yesterday. The city is to urge state-level authorities to ban eel imports from the two countries to ensure food safety. It was the first time the parasite, 'gnathostoma spinigerum,' had been found in China, officials with the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said. The bureau tested 26 samples of eels imported from Indonesia, and the parasite was found in 14 samples. It was also found in nine samples from Philippines." [Eastday] more ›

Did you know that Filipino maids are actually illegal in China? And now that Shanghai's biggest party ever has begun, the crackdown is underway:

EXPAT families newly settling down in Shanghai are likely to want Filipinos, renowned for their nannying skills, as housemaids. But finding one is getting harder these days. more ›

On a totally unrelated note to China, for those of you that are wondering what you can do to help victims of the tropical storm Ondoy (Ketsana), Red Cross Philippines is now accepting donations via Paypal at give@redcross.org.ph. And if you specifically wish to help children, donate online via UNICEF USA. more ›

Despite weather reports that Typhoon Morakot would swing by our way (which triggered a rush of preparation for floods and damage) it... simply didn't. Yesterday was rainy and gross, but not any rainier and grosser than Shanghai weather normally tends to be. The same could not be said for other areas around Asia. more ›

• Developers hope to avoid 'skyscraper curse' [China Daily] "Hoping to avoid the "skyscraper curse," China's cities continue to reach for the sky. While most of the world's major construction projects have been put on hold, new skyscrapers are under construction in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and several smaller cities, defying the global economic slowdown. Developers believe China will prove to be an exception to the "skyscraper index" - popularly known as the "skyscraper curse" - proposed by financial analyst Andrew Lawrence. In 1999, Lawrence noted that major financial crises often follow the construction of record-breaking skyscrapers."
• Grape Wall Challenge: Top ten white wines under RMB100 [Grape Wall of China] "On March 13, a dozen expert and consumer judges met in Beijing for the Grape Wall Challenge and tasted 23 red wines that retail for less than RMB100 in China."
• Prepaid card woes multiply in Shanghai [China Daily] "The Shanghai Committee of Consumers' Rights and Interests Protection yesterday urged consumers opting for prepaid cards to be on guard, in view of the rise in related complaints in the city. The committee said it received more than 4,000 complaints in 2008, up 14 percent than in 2007. Most of these complaints have to do with beauty and hair salons or fitness clubs that often shut down without notifying their clients, said the commission. The credit remaining on the cards issued by them thus becomes invalid."

A 33-year-old Filipino woman has just been arrested Tuesday for trying to smuggle an undisclosed volume of heroin at Pudong airport. This follows last September when a 25-year-old Filipino man was also arrested in Pudong for sneaking into Shanghai with 1.2 kilos of heroin in his hand-carry luggage (!!!). In both instances, suspects boarded Cebu Pacific flight number 5J678 which flies Manila-Shanghai. more ›

Fengshen, the tropical storm that ravaged the Philippines and capsized a ferry last weekend, has moved on to Taiwan and southeast China. The storm has caused schools, markets and businesses to close in Hong Kong, but thankfully no casualties. It is expected to move north to Guangdong, where meteorological experts anticipate eight inches (200 mm) of rain to fall. Fengshen was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm late last night. more ›

From Slate V: more ›

We who live in Shanghai have to have a soft spot for Filipino cover bands — there could be one waiting around just about every corner in certain parts of the city. And so despite having nothing to do with Shanghai (or China), we thought we'd post this tip we got from reader Ryan Martin this morning via email: more ›

Forgive us, but we enjoy watching a game of American football every now and then (yes, even after that ugly display in London). Last year, we got in the habit of watching the NFL's Sunday and Monday night games on Monday and Tuesday morning here in Shanghai while we answered emails, fed the dogs and did other important things (we watched on ESPN Asia via our Filipino satellite system). Right now, for example, we'd be... more ›