After overtaking the U.S. as the world's largest CO2 emitter last year, China has now overtaken them in energy use as well. According to the International Energy Agency, " China's rise to the top ranking was faster than expected as it was much less affected by the global financial crisis than the United States." more ›

• Gosh they're getting them while they're young - elementary school students in Shaoxing now have a chance to join the Chengguan Youth Special Forces and enact justice on street vendors. [Chinasmack]
• Daniel Gross, eat your heart out. Lawrence L. Allen, who worked for both Hershey and Nestlé in China, talks about the chocolate market's rise in China. [Danwei]
• Perhaps they misinterpreted what the public meant when they said they wanted officials with a more "beautiful image"; nearly one-fourth of one plastic surgeon's clients are male officials and their wives. [China.org.cn]

• Xinjiang Info-War [RConversation] "Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer mistakenly made prominent use in interviews of a photo that turned out to be from riots in Shishou, Hubei province, in late June. Roland Soong at ESWN has a full account of how the photo came to be misconstrued and misused. Apparently, the source of the error was Reuters, who had sourced the photo from Twitter and put it out on the wire before recalling it."
• China's Urumqi tense after police shooting [AFP] "URUMQI - A mosque was closed and many businesses were shuttered near where police shot dead two Muslim Uighurs, as ethnic tensions simmered in China's restive Urumqi city."
• Drawing Critics, China Seeks to Dominate in Renewable Energy [NewYorkTimes] "BEIJING - When the United States’ top energy and commerce officials arrive in China on Tuesday, they will land in the middle of a building storm over China’s protectionist tactics to become the world’s leader in renewable energy."