• Superiority complexes aside, being a vegan in China will do you no good. No sooner than the dust settles on the melamine milk scandal, "tons" of Hainan Island legumes have tested positive for isocarbohos, a "highly-toxic" pesticide. Sanya's government defends the contamination by explaining they value tourism over agriculture. [The New York Times]
• The latest spin from Beijing? Housing prices will "stabilize" this year after their "fast rise" last year. Can we say "euphemism"? [WSJ China Real Time Report]
• RE: Google, the U.S. is considering taking China to the WTO. The good news? The WTO has deemed the sentiment worthy! The better news? If China refuses, the U.S. may come out and name Chinese officials and individuals suspected of cyber-espionage.[Business Week]

Things aren't looking too great between China and the U.S. these days. While some say it'll all blow over (because it has to), a China with hurt feelings makes us bite our nails at least a little. Not to mention, the sheer amount of things annoying this country can get kind of confusing! So for your sake and ours, we've listed them out below: 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]