Unsubstantiated rumors of defection have been burning up the internet all day involving the popular anti-gang Vice Mayor of Chongqing, Wang Lijun (王立军). Last night Weibo users reported that police cars had surrounded the US consulate in Chengdu. Combine that with the announcement this morning that Wang has been put on "vacation-style" medical leave and voila, you have a solid gold rumor generator! more ›

Gary Locke -- the US Ambassador who buys his own coffee AND flies cattle class -- gave an important speech yesterday in which he laid out his vision for the future of the U.S.-China economic and trade relationship. Here are a few excerpts: more ›

Just two weeks into his job, new US Ambassador to China Gary Locke continues to enjoy his honeymoon period with Chinese netizens. more ›

In an announcement to American citizens based in China, the US Embassy in Beijing said on its website: "Based on information from authoritative sources in the U.S. and throughout the region, there is currently no evidence to suggest that nuclear events in Fukushima, Japan will have any health impact on individuals residing in China. We will continue to monitor the situation." more ›

Well, this had to happen sometime. In the fallout to the video of US Ambassador Jon Huntsman spotted at the "Jasmine Revolution" protests in Beijing, Chinese internet censors have taken to filtering search results for the Chinese name of the ambassador. more ›

"While my father was bleeding and dying for China, your father was selling shoelaces." more ›

Beijing, like many Chinese cities, has not what we would ever dare call excellent air. So for the past several months, the US embassy in Beijing has been posting hourly updates on their measurements of air quality in the 'Jing via Twitter feed. Set up out of concern for the health of the embassy staff, the reports range from "good" to "very unhealthy" based on the levels of airborne pollutants (particles) that can enter a person's body. more ›

It seems that even in China, Americans cannot escape the strong arm of Osama bin Laden. According to the US Embassy in Beijing, "Chinese police advised hotels that Islamic extremist elements could be planning to attack four and five star hotels in China sometime over the course of the next week." And Shanghaiist thought that the local Xinjiangren only pawned assorted dried fruits and yangrou chuan down on the street corner. How can we have been so naive? more ›