Russia's arrest of a Chinese national charged for espionage actually occurred on October 28 of last year but the information was only released recently. The man in question, Tong Shengyong, allegedly tried to obtain documentation for Russian S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems on behalf of Beijing, all while posing as an interpreter for "official delegations." more ›

A mass email containing several amorous messages from Canada's foreign affairs parliamentary secretary Bob Dechert to Xinhua News Agency reporter Shi Rong, was leaked Thursday evening to more than 240 leading journalists, academics, politicians and entrepreneurs in Canada. more ›

Video has surfaced of a PLA General revealing information to an assembled audience on specific cases of espionage, in a frank and straightforward manner that one would expect in a private conversation taking place in a dark parking lot. Major General Jin Yinan (金一南), currently the academic head of the Strategy Institute at National Defense University in Beijing, revealed that the government will often give secret sentences to spies, or accuse them having 'economic' or 'financial' issues in the media, obfuscating the truth behind their treasonous acts in order to save face. more ›

Sir James Dyson, inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, has warned that Chinese students are spying on British universities to steal technological secrets, and have even planted software bugs that continue relaying the information to China long after they have graduated. more ›

Investigations by South Korea into the sex scandal at its Shanghai consulate which saw several diplomats exchanging fistpunches over a Chinese mistress have concluded. more ›

Yesterday the Chinese government officially denied that the Karmapa Lama, currently in exile in India, is a Chinese spy. The Karmapa (the third most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism) has been embroiled in controversy this past week after about $1.5 million in foreign currencies were found in his monastery in Dharamsala last Friday. Chinese yuan was among the cash found and subsequently sparked speculation that the Karmapa might be an agent for the Chinese government. more ›

We knew that some of the foreign Chinese-language students here were shady - but who knew they were actually being recruited as spies... for the Chinese government... against the United States?! A 28-year-old Michigan man named Glen Duffie Shriver admitted that he was recruited by the Chinese for spy work while studying at East China Normal University right here in Shanghai. more ›

In the build up to midterm elections in November, the American media has proffered up yet another gem of a quote, this time from wacky Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell. Turns out our favorite anti-masturbation, witchy Tea Party nominee knows (and has for some time) some super secret spy info about how China totally plans to invade America! more ›

• Whether or not you believe in this commentary about how China is like Apple - and we're pretty sure we don't because, well, your iPod can't force you to have an abortion and Jobs can't menace you for meeting with people it finds "unstable" - it's an interesting read. [A Product Guy]
• Like for instance, China has now explicitly said it opposes Obama meeting with the Dalai Lama and doing so would "seriously undermind the political foundation of Sino-U.S. relations." [AP]
• And then responding to the Taiwan arms sale, Beijing has said it will retailiate against the U.S. by suspending military ties and imposing sanctions on American companies involved. [The Globe and Mail]

• What is it with Slate columnists and inane articles about this country? First Daniel Gross of Slate can't find a chocolate bar in China, and now somebody's tricked him into writing an entire article based on Tiananmen slogans that were never there.
• East South West North picks the top ten Hollywood movies that suck up to China. Of course, 2012 makes top pick with its theme of the People's Liberation Army saving the world, but how did you feel about Dragonball Evolution's surprising Chinese twists?
• Alibaba, China's internet service for busineses to find and sell to each other has 45 million registered users and a market cap of over $17 billion. Forbes talks to the man behind the magic, David Wei.

• Prepare to fight China, Qaeda figure tells Uighurs [Washington Post] "A prominent al Qaeda militant urged Uighurs in Xianjiang to make serious preparations for a holy war against "oppressive" China and called on fellow Muslims to offer support. Abu Yahya al-Libi, in a video posted on an Islamist website on Wednesday, warned China of a fate similar to that of former communist superpower, the Soviet Union, which disintegrated some two decades ago."
• Inside the Ring [Washington Times] "China's most senior military intelligence official, a veteran of spy operations in Europe and cyberspace, recently made a secret visit to the United States and complained to the Pentagon about the press leak on the Chinese submarine that secretly shadowed the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier in 2006. Maj. Gen. Yang Hui said senior Chinese leaders suspected the Pentagon deliberately disclosed the encounter as part of a U.S. effort to send a political message of displeasure to China's military."
• A Beautiful Life: Mean Streets and Meaner People [NYTimes] "It takes nerve to award Bai Ling a singing role in a serious drama, but nerve may be the one thing “A Beautiful Life” does not lack. Set among the mean streets and meaner people of downtown Los Angeles, this laughably clichéd dive into sexual masochism and hardscrabble survival replaces story with outline and characters with place holders. No wonder Ms. Ling’s breasts are the most animated objects on screen."

• Chinese mainland to hold television fundraiser for Taiwan typhoon relief [Xinhua] "Five TV stations in the Chinese mainland are organizing a televised fundraiser on the coming Thursday to raise money for victims of Taiwan's deadliest typhoon in half a century. A number of the country's biggest names in the entertainment industry will be invited, such as directors Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Feng Xiaogang, actors Jackie Chan and Jet Li, actresses Zhang Ziyi and Zhou Xun, as well as sports stars Yao Ming and Guo JingJing. The close-to-four-hour fundraiser are organized by the Shanghai-based Dragon TV, Jiangsu Satellite TV, Zhejiang Satellite TV, Hunan Satellite TV, and Shenzhen Satellite TV. The event will be broadcast live beginning 7:35 p.m. Thursday."
• Chinese Espionage: Britain's MI5 reports epidemic in spying [Examiner] "The almost legendary MI5 British counterintelligence service is said to be deeply concerned over an increase in spying by Chinese operatives in the United Kingdom. Although intelligence experts aren't certain how widespread the problem is, they believe the espionage is rampant and a serious consequence of the global economy."
• Rainwater collection projects gather 24.5 million m3 of rainwater in Beijing [CCTV] "One rainfall may create a new “Kunming Lake” in Beijing. Although rainfall for 2009 has been relatively less than that of prior years, rainwater collection projects across urban and rural areas have been playing a big role. According to statistics from Beijing Water Authority, until August 13, 24.5 million cubic meters of rainwater, equivalent to 21 “Kunming Lakes” had been stored in Beijing. Rivers and lakes in urban areas also stored 18.04 million cubic meters of rainwater, creating a fresh and beautiful sight in Beijing."

Three Chinese men have been sent to federal prison in the U.S. for attempting to leak military tech to China. In separate cases, two men - Tah Wei Chao and Zhi Yong Guo - were charged with trying to export thermal-imaging cameras, and the third - William Chi-Wai Tsu - was charged with illegally sending hundreds of military radar systems circuits to Beijing. In the case of exporting circuits, a catalog from Tsu's Beijing company had pictures of military craft and stated a goal of "facilitat[ing] the building of athe national defense of China." He was given a 40-month sentence. Chao was ordered to serve 20 months and Guo was sentenced to five years. Source: Straits Times more ›

• When China is no. 1 [McKinsey: What Matters] "Less tangibly, we should expect to see a Sinicization of global culture through the influence of Chinese consumers’ tastes. Clothing styles, food flavors, the design and packaging of global brands, music, sports, and entertainment will respond to the draw of the Chinese market. More and more, we should expect to see our youngsters studying Chinese from elementary school. Moving to Shanghai or Beijing to start a career will no longer be an exotic adventure."
• China Rises Again - Part I [YaleGlobal] "The Chinese will continue to treat the economic global as means to a greater end and subordinate to what they consider their primary goal: a prosperous and powerful China that enjoyed respect and influence in the world. They also see the need to redefine universalist values for China and accept whatever is necessary to sustain civilized living, and integrate modern ideas with the best of its own heritage."
• China's irrepressible modern art scene [csmonitor.com] "China sits atop a gold mine of contemporary art that few people have ever seen, either inside or outside the country. An exhibition near Boston unveils an unexpected side of China - colorful, winsome, and touched with a subversive kind of humor."