The US Senate has passed a controversial currency manipulation bill that would allow the government to put in place countervailing duties if the Commerce Department determines that a foreign government is subsidising exports by undervaluing its currency. While the bill doesn't actually point fingers at the People's Republic, China was at the top of the minds of the senators who were drafting it. The bill's fate now hangs in the balance in the House of Representatives. more ›

Is this what Mugabe came over to Shanghai for? Rumors are rising that Zimbabwe may be considering using the Chinese yuan as legal tender, rather than their now completely useless Zimbabwe dollar (officially stopped in 2009). Allegedly, tourist department head Hon. Walter Mzembi told , "I hope that in the future, people in Zimbabwe will be able to use Chinese bank cards and the yuan to make purchases, even take out RMB loans." more ›

• There aren't many of them still alive, but China still has women who went through and are willing to talk about “lotus feet,” that hundreds-year-old tradition of warping women's feet that was thankfully abolished after the revolution. [Wall Street Journal]
• Paul French talks to author Martin Jacques, who recently published the book When China Rules the World, about Chinese investment and business in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere, as well as the future of Sino-US relations. [China Rhyming]
• China will finally begin separating suspects arrested for minor offenses from violent criminals as it announces possible reforms to its detention system. The fact that they didn't before gives us the most unimaginable chills. [Time]

Counterfeit money in Asia is not just a fantasy fictionalized by that Jackie Chan atrocity film Rush Hour 2. It is a real situation. Very real.. and usually very problematic. One reason why you won't find denominations over 100RMB here: the government hasn't found a way to make sure it'll infiltrate the population without getting counterfeited up the wazoo. more ›