People's Republic of China, Dec. 27 2011

rsingh · Post by **rsingh** » 10 Oct 2012 19:32

Well there is only one solution...............MEASURE IT. I request all Brites to measure the vital distance (of GHQ,SHQ or neighbors)and report here tomorrow

.

Suppiah · Post by **Suppiah** » 10 Oct 2012 20:18

at least they never mandated that there should be breasts and that it should be slightly larger than lemons...because that would disqualify 99.999999% onlee.

jamwal · Post by **jamwal** » 11 Oct 2012 10:18

Chinese 'Eagle Dad' tries to make political statement. Gets an egg on his face

A Chinese father and his two children had to be rescued after ascending Japan's Mount Fuji with nothing more than a cup of water and a chocolate bar.

This is the same father that rose to notoriety earlier this year after filming and forcing his four-year-old son to do press ups in the snow and sail alone.

He Liesheng, or Eagle Dad, says he subjects his son to such activities in order to toughen him up because he was born premature. There was outcry over his former antics, with many saying his son He Yede, or Duoduo, should be taken into care.

In this latest act, He Liesheng took his son and daughter to Japan, determined to climb Mount Fuji and make a political statement - that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China, the Daily Mail reported.

When he was told that it was off-season and the 3776 metre mountain was not open, He Liesheng and his children reportedly climbed over the barrier and headed for the top.

Strong winds set in but they didn't deter Eagle Dad. It was only when Duoduo was crying and nearly collapsing from altitude sickness that his father admitted defeat, Daily Mail reported.

The strict father had only bought a cup of water and a chocolate bar, thinking there would be steps up the mountain and shops along the way.

They were not wearing water-proof clothing and were reportedly drenched when rescued by park rangers.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 11 Oct 2012 10:46

^^^

Only in China, do fathers do this to make a political statement.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 11 Oct 2012 12:00

Pratyush wrote:^^^

Only in China, do fathers do this to make a political statement.

Saar, given PRC's adored one-child policy and gender mismatch leading to empty brach syndrome by the 10s of millions, fatherhood itself is becoming a political statement only. What to do only.

member_23677 · Post by **member_23677** » 12 Oct 2012 04:25

Protests, real and fake : Of useful idiots and true believers

YEAR in, year out, the anniversary of the Mukden incident always arrives on September 18th. Anniversaries are like that, and yet the memory of September 18th, 1931 is subject to change within China, flaring up and settling down in an unpredictable pattern. It is the true story of a false bombing, plotted by the Japanese against a Japanese-owned railway near the north-eastern city of Shenyang as a pretext for the invasion of much of China. In Western press accounts it is barely remembered at all, and so tends to be potted and repotted with a numbing regularity. This year, with anti-Japan sentiment already at a high for what seem like unrelated reasons, the timing looks almost malevolent. Can such things be planned?

Anyone with much of a memory who has been watching the past few days of raucous anti-Japan demonstrations in Beijing and other Chinese cities might be feeling more than a touch of déjà vu. During China’s last big outbreak of anti-Japan protests, in 2005, and during the violent anti-American and anti-NATO protests that broke out after the deadly bombing in 1999 of China’s embassy in Belgrade, the scene was not dissimilar. Angry crowds of Chinese demonstrators marching and shouting as row after row of riot police watched passively—protecting embassies and consulates from hostile breach, and sometimes bearing the brunt when bottles, fruit or slashes of paint were sent flying.

Then as now, the protesters’ slogans, whether chanted or waved on signs and banners, ranged from assertions of simple patriotism and the “bullying” and “shame” China has endured over the course of its modern history, to harsh and racist messages urging violence.

The protesters are not the only ones repeating themselves. There is a whiff of déjà vu too when one turns to the reaction of onlookers. Especially with regard to the question of whether the demonstrations are genuine, passionate outpourings by ordinary Chinese citizens, or stage-managed pieces of political theatre put on by puppet-masters from Party central.

One long-time foreign resident on the scene of this weekend’s demonstrations in Beijing was convinced “the whole thing was a fake” and that “every single person with their fist in the air” was a member of the Chinese army or police forces “assigned to compulsory duty to fake the protest.”

Some Chinese are similarly sceptical “about the real situation of the ‘patriotic’ anti-Japan demonstrations.” They offered up as proof the identification one man, who was photographed leading protesters in Xi’an with megaphone in his hand and anti-Japanese slogans on his shirt, as a senior local police official. (Which the local public-security bureau has since tried to debunk.)

Your correspondent has learned that to ask demonstrators in these situations whether they have been put up to being there, or even helped along, is a risky thing to do. (The lesson comes from personal experience, though common sense might have sufficed.) It invites anger and indignation for suggesting that they have been manipulated—or insincere.

Given that the answer to this question of whether such demonstrations are stage-managed or spontaneous actually does matter a great deal, is it not worth noting that the two possibilities are not mutually exclusive? And that in some measure both are likely true?

Despite the presence of some officials in the mix, and what may be their significant role in guiding the proceedings, there should be no doubting that there are also plenty of ordinary people joining in, expressing real passion and anger.

Fierce anti-Japanese attitudes are widespread in China, across lines of region, class and age group. For anyone with even the slightest passing knowledge of 20th-century history, it is not hard to understand the roots of these feelings. Still it is disconcerting to see them cultivated and encouraged across all the platforms of China’s state-controlled media.

That they have been cultivated is beyond dispute. There may be surprising diversity of opinion in the new and quite wild world of the Chinese blogosphere, but the mainstream channels of discourse are still managed directly by the Party. And there—in the news, academic publishing, educational materials, television dramas and more—the anti-Japan drumbeat can ever be heard. Sometimes faster or louder, sometimes slower or softer, but never absent when the subject ranges towards Japan. The Chinese government takes very seriously the business of using media to “guide public opinion”.

To cite the role of those efforts in shaping views that are commonly held in China is not to deny that the views are themselves sincere. People are genuinely passionate about the disputed islands, as they are about the rest of the sorry modern history of Sino-Japanese relations. And Japan has done its share to keep the story in the news in recent weeks. China’s state-run media have chosen to emphasise it.

So now there are people who really do want to march, chant and throw plastic bottles at Japan’s embassy. And the authorities—either because they are afraid of angering people by denying them the opportunity or because they like the idea—are allowing it, up to a point. Since it would be riskier to let protesters march long distances across Beijing and pick up steam as they went, it makes a good deal of sense to provide the masses with buses. And since they are loth to pass up any opportunity to guide public opinion, they are probably also handing out flags and signs with approved messages.

In short, officials are allowing the demonstrators to do their thing, and at the same time doing their best to channel them. To credit the object of their manipulations as the real passion of real people is not to deny that there is some manipulating going on. Likewise to acknowledge that protesters may have been bused in, handed a sign to wave and a bottle of water (either to drink or to hurl over an embassy wall) is not to say that their passions are fake.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/analects ... l-and-fake

member_23677 · Post by **member_23677** » 12 Oct 2012 04:29

World Bank warns on China slowdown

The World Bank cut its economic growth forecasts for the east Asia and Pacific region on Monday and said there was a risk the slowdown in China could worsen and last longer than many analysts have forecast.

"Unlike the rest of the region, China is experiencing a double whammy – the growth slowdown is driven by weaker exports as well as domestic demand, in particular investment growth," World Bank chief economist for the region, Bert Hofman, said at a briefing in Singapore.

He stressed, however, that the World Bank, like many economists, still expects China to have a soft landing as seen from the bank's revised 7.7% growth forecast for this year and 8.1% for next year.

The World Bank released its latest East Asia and Pacific Data Monitor, warning that China's slowdown could accelerate.

In the report, the international lender said that ambitious investment plans announced by several local governments in China could face funding constraints, "not least because governments are feeling the pinch of a cooling real estate market, which lowers land sales revenues".

The World Bank said the central government was unlikely to come up with a major fiscal stimulus package as policymakers were concerned about a rebound in home prices and a possible reversal of hot money flows.

Nevertheless, the bank expects growth in China to pick up in 2013, helped by monetary policy measures introduced earlier this year and an acceleration of central government investment spending.

The World Bank had earlier this year forecast 8.2% GDP growth for China in 2012 and 8.6% in 2013.

For the region as a whole, the World Bank now expects developing East Asia to grow by 7.2% this year and 7.6% in 2013, down from earlier estimates of 7.6% and 8.0%, respectively.

"This is the slowest growth rate in the Asia Pacific region since 2001. It's even slower than the peak of the financial crisis in 2009," Hofman said.

The World Bank last week cut its 2012 growth forecast for sub-Saharan Africa to 4.8% from 5.2%, and lowered its outlook for Latin America to 3% from the previous 3.5 to 4%, citing the global economic slowdown.

"Economic projections for EAP (east Asia and Pacific) are surrounded by considerable uncertainties, and a variety of risks continue to loom over the global and regional economy," the bank said.

"Although recent policy moves have reduced the risk stemming from the eurozone, financial market disruptions still constitute the main risk to this outlook, followed by the 'fiscal cliff' risk in the United States," it added, referring to the sharp cuts in US government spending that could be triggered next year if lawmakers fail to reach a new agreement.

The World Bank was bullish about south-east Asia due to strong domestic demand, and noted investment spending in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia was booming. For Indonesia, the ratio of investment to gross domestic product has now returned to pre-Asian financial crisis levels.

The multilateral lender kept its 2012 GDP forecasts for Indonesia and Thailand at 6.1% and 4.5%, respectively, and raised its 2012 growth outlook for Malaysia to 4.8% from 4.6%.

The 2012 forecast for the Philippines was increased to 5.0% from 4.2%.

"In the Philippines, the acceleration of government infrastructure spending has contributed to the strong growth performance in the first half, while revenue growth is supported by tax administration reforms as well as strong GDP growth," the World Bank said.

Most developing east Asian economies were well positioned to weather troubles in the global economy as they enjoyed current account surpluses or only modest deficits and held high levels of foreign exchange reserves relative to their international payment obligations, the World Bank added.

Hofman said the latest round of quantitative easing by western central banks will not be as disruptive to east Asia as previously, as weakening exports coupled with still strong imports mean overall inflows to the region were not as large as they had been in the past.

"It was a problem almost two years ago and even one year ago but it seems less of a problem now," he said.

The US Federal Reserve last month unveiled a third round of quantitative easing, whereby it will inject new money into the system by buying mortgage securities. The European Central Bank has also announced plans to buy the bonds of trouble eurozone countries such as Spain to bring borrowing costs down.

The World Bank, however, warned that countries such as Mongolia, Laos, Timor Leste, Fiji and Papua New Guinea could experience a sharp terms-of-trade shock in a major slowdown, as commodities accounted for at least 80% of total exports.

It added that the recent spikes in global food prices were less of a risk to the east Asia and Pacific region as rice markets had not been affected.

"Rice prices have been relatively stable, with most of the price risks on the downside as stocks in Thailand continue to build as a result of the new floor price policy, and good crops in Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines," it said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012 ... a-slowdown

paramu · Post by **paramu** » 12 Oct 2012 06:48

Long Alex Jones Video. It says that after setting west-asia on fire, the next target is PRC.

Keep appropriate amount of salt onlee.

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 12 Oct 2012 14:28

Sick Chinese at it again.

We all know that the Chinese hate other species, especially if they happen to be endangered. They have consumed innmerable tigers, rhinos and many other endangered species because of their strange fetishes and beliefs. They have bear farms where they collect bile from bears' livers while they are kept in small cages.

A couple runs a deer farm in Nanjingwhere people come to drink deer blood in the belief that it will prolong their life. Posting a link here, but all animal lovers, please beware of the pictures posted in the link. There are such farms in other parts of China as well.

“What are you scared of? Deer blood the essence of heaven and earth, the most precious kind of blood! It can fortify your body and health, promote metabolism, and help you live longer… Not everyone can get a chance to drink it!”

Shaashtanga · Post by **Shaashtanga** » 13 Oct 2012 01:29

CBS News

Huawei probed for security, espionage risk

Chinese telecom giant's pursuit of building the next generation of digital networks in the U.S. prompts outcry in Washington. Steve Kroft reports.

clicky

Kukreja · Post by **Kukreja** » 13 Oct 2012 20:36

Vasu wrote: We all know that the Chinese hate other species, especially if they happen to be endangered. They have consumed innmerable tigers, rhinos and many other endangered species because of their strange fetishes and beliefs. They have bear farms where they collect bile from bears' livers while they are kept in small cages.

No amount of tiger penis, deer penis, turtle penis or rhino horns are going to cure you of cancer, make your women any more attractive, or make your limp little noodles any more erect.

Kukreja · Post by **Kukreja** » 13 Oct 2012 20:36

Vasu wrote: We all know that the Chinese hate other species, especially if they happen to be endangered. They have consumed innmerable tigers, rhinos and many other endangered species because of their strange fetishes and beliefs. They have bear farms where they collect bile from bears' livers while they are kept in small cages.

No amount of tiger penis, deer penis, turtle penis or rhino horns are going to cure you of cancer, make your women attractive, or make your limp impotent noodles erect.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 15 Oct 2012 05:08

Changing China seen from the 'hard seats' of a train

Travelling with a cheap rail ticket provides a snapshot of any country's underbelly. Doing it twice at an interval of 26 years, in a country like China, provides a fascinating snapshot of the country's rapid development.

It had started to go wrong when I got to the ticket booth in China's capital Beijing and found a queue snaking round the corner.

When I asked for a ticket to Wuhan, an all-night journey south, the young sales girl snorted her derision. Tickets were sold out for the next three days.
"Ying zuo," she said, and looked up as if throwing down a challenge.

China's nominally classless Communist Party splits its trains into four classes, from the relative comfort of a four-bunk cabin, to the most basic and cheapest, ying zuo, or hard seat.

Most ambitiously, China assembled the world's longest high-speed rail network, buying technology from Germany and Japan, and building specialised lines which now levitate above the sprawling suburbs and squeezed agricultural land between its major cities.

The crash was eventually blamed on signalling equipment, which was China's own technology.(? not copied) For many Chinese, the accident seemed to confirm what they had long suspected, that the country was developing too fast, cutting corners to catch up with the world, whatever the risks.

Almost overnight, the sleek-nosed white trains which had swept aside concerns about their cost, rationale or environmental impact became symbols of new doubts about the very model of China's development.

But that was one of the few things that were familiar. Inside the train, a different world unfolded.

This was not one of the speedy new services, mine was an all-stations rattler. But even so there were no goats or chickens. People were packed into every corner but no-one boarded through the windows - these had been sealed. The carriage had air conditioning instead.

They were young and middle-aged workers, people who lived in Beijing but did not have the much-prized residency permit that would allow them to settle with their families.(no freedom)

They included a cook, a shoe saleswoman, a student and a bottle factory driver. They grumbled about Beijing's rents and food prices, but they also knew they were doing all right - at least compared to people in their home towns.

Of course it was a snapshot, as unreliable as it is unrepresentative. Half of China's population still lives in the countryside and the gap between them and the cities gets wider every year.

But as we finally trundled into Wuhan, overtaken by yet another sleek-nosed high-speed train, I asked a fellow traveller about China's upcoming leadership changes. He did not want to talk about politics - that had not changed either.(no freedom)

But he said whatever happened in the coming years, and of course there would be setbacks, he was optimistic about his own and China's future.

Best part is chinese people are hardworking and optimistic whereas communist party is paranoid and keep scr*wing chinese day in out.
sad for chinese people. wonder when ccp will be uprooted.

arun · Post by **arun** » 17 Oct 2012 22:03

In response to the question “Please tell me if you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of: s. India”, 24% of P.R. Chinese respondents saying their view was “Very Unfavorable” while 38% stated their view was “Somewhat Unfavorable”.

See the 6th Page of below linked PDF file which is marked as Page 30

Further in response to the question “Overall, do you think that India’s growing economy is a good thing or a bad thing for our country?” 25% of P.R. Chinese respondents said it was a “Bad Thing.”

See the 16th Page of below linked PDF file which is marked as Page 40 :

Pew Globa – China Reportl

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 20 Oct 2012 19:28

India's soft spot is economy, not military: Chinese daily

Beijing : India's "soft spot is economic, not military", said a state-run Chinese daily which made it clear that though India's military strength may help defend its border, China's influence "cannot be avoided".
:
:

arun · Post by **arun** » 20 Oct 2012 22:24

P.R. Chinese government mouth piece Global Times:

India war not likely: poll

nakul · Post by **nakul** » 20 Oct 2012 22:28

This seems to be a reply to this

http://www.pewglobal.org/files/2012/10/ ... 0-2012.pdf

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 26 Oct 2012 13:17

All lies!

Billions in Hidden Riches for Family of Chinese Leader

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/26/busin ... d=all&_r=1&

So banned,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20091675

nakul · Post by **nakul** » 26 Oct 2012 14:21

^^^

"Some reports smear China and have ulterior motives," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said when asked about the story in a daily press briefing. On the blocking, he said the internet was managed "in accordance with laws".

What's wrong with it? They are following the law. BRF is becoming more and more imperialist day by day. It poses a threat to peace in South Asia.

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 29 Oct 2012 04:27

Plans to expand a petrochemical plant in eastern China have been shelved after days of protests.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20116546

On Friday, crowds opposed to the expansion attacked police in the city of Ningbo in Zhejiang province. Officials from Ningbo's city government announced on Sunday evening that work on the project would now not go ahead.
Environmental protests have become more common in China. They come ahead of a once-in-a-decade change of national leaders in Beijing.

Protesters gathered again in Ningbo on Sunday, marching on the offices of the district government. They are opposed to the expansion of the plant by a subsidiary of the China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation. "There is very little public confidence in the government," protester Liu Li told the Associated Press. "Who knows if they are saying this just to make us leave and then keep on doing the project," she added.

On Saturday, police dispersed more than 1,000 protesters in Ningbo.

Witnesses described scuffles and said a few people were arrested. Local police accused protesters of throwing stones and bricks at officers. Residents, however, said the violence came after police used tear gas and made arrests. Local officials met demonstrators later on Saturday to hear their demands.

The huge growth in China's economy has come at a huge environmental cost. Many Chinese are becoming more environmentally aware and are deeply concerned about pollution, correspondents say.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 01 Nov 2012 06:40

The crazy ruling has taken place in China and started after Jian Feng and his wife (who’s still unnamed despite her picture being beamed across websites around the world) got pregnant with their first child. The man described his daughter as ‘incredibly ugly’ when she was born and said she resembled neither him nor his wife. And so Jian began to accuse her of cheating on him. After months of false accusations, Jian’s wife couldn’t take the strain any more and decided to come clean – no, she hadn’t had an affair, but the reason their daughter looked nothing like her was because in fact she’d spent $100,000 on dozens of plastic surgery procedures to transform her looks. Only she’d never told her husband about her little makeover.

So naturally, what would a loving husband and father do? Divorce his wife of course and win the whopping payout (awarded by a male judge, surprise surprise). Hmm, you’ve got to wonder what kind of man would shun his own child because he thinks she’s too ugly – one who was shallow enough to only love his wife for her looks, perhaps?

kish · Post by **kish** » 01 Nov 2012 12:33

Can China Be Described as 'Fascist'?

BEIJING — Chinese politics is controlled by the Communist Party and its powerful families and factions, so when the son of a former party chief says the state is virtually “fascist,” it’s worth listening.
‘National Rejuvenation’? Or Chinese Fascism?

That’s what Hu Deping, son of the late Hu Yaobang, the party general secretary forced to resign in 1987 for being too reform-minded, said to a group of mostly Chinese businesspeople and environmentalists in late 2005, in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square. (Because of his father’s fall, Mr. Hu is outside the mainstream of power, dubbed a “nonprinceling,” but his pedigree still makes him a party aristocrat.)

Seven years later, with pressure for political reform mounting and a new generation of leaders to be announced in that same Great Hall of the People at the 18th Party Congress, which starts next Thursday, Mr. Hu’s words continue to reverberate. What is China today, and where is it headed?

Here’s what Mr. Hu said, according to my notes: “No matter how authoritarian this society is, even fascist, the people of this country still want justice. One thing they seek is profit, and the other is justice.”

Is today’s China fascist?

To cite a few characteristics, starting with the one-party state: Since the economic reforms that followed the death of Mao Zedong, it has grown immensely wealthy through its state-owned companies, some of which rank among the world’s richest. What was once a poor, authoritarian state has become a rich, authoritarian state.

The rights to speak and associate freely remain tightly hobbled despite some relaxation, and some top officials openly scorn democracy. The courts obey the party’s directives.

Official slogans increasingly exhort nationalism and “national rejuvenation,” a concept rooted in a mystical sense of nationhood popular with fascist thinkers in the last century.

“The signs have long been there,” said Wang Lixiong, a prominent writer and scholar. “I feel there is a very clear trend toward fascism, and the source of fascism comes from the ever-growing power of the power holders.” China is “a police state,” he said, where power rules for power’s sake.

The passing of Mao did not lead to power-sharing, it just stripped China of its Communist ideology, and no convincing value system has filled the gap, he said.

“Power has become an interest group,” Mr. Wang said.

“Today the interest groups have no ideology,” he said. “Their goal is to protect their own profit and power. They can only rely on power to rule, because they have no goal that convinces the people. So the state relies on power to suppress society and attain its objectives. I think there’s no other route the power holders can go.”

These are large issues. On a more human scale, I was reminded of Mr. Hu’s words on Monday when five men, several of whom said they were police officers, came to our Beijing apartment to check our passports, visas and residence permits, almost certainly part of the stepped-up security before the Party Congress.

Seconds after they left, a loud argument erupted in the corridor outside. Through the spy hole I watched a Chinese neighbor loudly berate the police for meddling. The checks are intimidating and resented — and people increasingly are not afraid to say so.

For sure, terms other than “fascism” are also used to describe what’s going on. Xu Jilin, a leading intellectual and history professor at East China Normal University, in Shanghai, for example, writes that “statism” has grown dominant in the past decade.

In an essay last year, Mr. Xu warned that in an atmosphere where the Communist Party and the state claim the sole right to represent the “universal interest,” China may “re-tread the broken road of 20th-century Germany and Japan.”

For John Delury, a professor at Yonsei University, in South Korea, there are important differences between classic fascism, such as Nazi Germany’s, and what is happening in China today.

“Absolutely the critical thing is how to define fascism,” he said by telephone from Seoul.

“One of the strongest objections to using the word fascism is that a central element of fascism was mass mobilization,” which included the symbolism and choreography associated with, for example, Hitler’s rallies at Nuremberg, Mr. Delury said. While Mao did that, the current leadership does not, he said, a sign that the term does not exactly fit.

“I think still this leadership is very post-Mao, if not anti-Mao,” said Mr. Delury.

Yet for Mr. Wang, fascism is a threat, even without Mao’s charismatic leadership. He points to rising nationalism at home, increasingly directed overseas.

Does it surprise him to hear what was once a taboo word, an epithet to be hurled at the enemies of Communism, used by a member of China’s elite — even if a critical member — to describe China’s political direction?

“I’m not surprised to hear it, because they know, the people in these ruling circles, they don’t think it’s strange, they know what’s happening,” he said

kish · Post by **kish** » 01 Nov 2012 12:39

Raft of office-buying fuels disgust from Chinese

XILINHOT, China (AP) — In a small town in northern China's Inner Mongolia where sheep and cattle easily outnumber humans, Fan Chen paid a Communist Party boss three times an average urban resident's annual salary to become a local police chief.

The scheme was exposed and fell apart, but it was hardly explosive news. It received just a one-line mention in state media. And a friend of Fan's defended him by saying that by current standards, his misdeeds were insignificant.

"What he paid was simply a drizzle," said Xu Huaiwei, a 68-year-old retired engineer. "It's too common in China, and people have paid far more — millions, or tens of millions of yuan — for a government job."

kish · Post by **kish** » 01 Nov 2012 13:03

China powerless to prevent rising tide of Tibetan self-immolations

As China’s Communist Party prepares for its leadership transition, a wave of self-immolations has spread and accelerated across Tibet, in the most sustained protests against Beijing’s rule there in five decades.

Most of those who have set themselves afire are in their late teens or early 20s, activists said. Exiled Tibetan political leaders and scholars described the actions as an emphatic rejection of the economic development and material gains that China is offering the Tibetan people and an anguished call for independence and the return of the region’s religious leader, the Dalai Lama.

“Almost all of them were born after the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the Cultural Revolution,” Lobsang Sangay, the political leader of the refugee community’s India-based government-in-exile, said of the protesters. “They have grown up in the Chinese system, received Chinese education. They are the primary beneficiaries of whatever the Chinese government gave them. They are saying, ‘This is not what we want.’ ”

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 01 Nov 2012 14:04

Is that photo from Tibet? Doesn't seem likely. Carton says Himachal Apples

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 01 Nov 2012 14:56

JE Menon wrote:Is that photo from Tibet? Doesn't seem likely. Carton says Himachal Apples

It has a free Tibet flag in the background, certainly cant be Tibet.

Agnimitra · Post by **Agnimitra** » 02 Nov 2012 00:29

In the present and future world of protracted uncertainty, fans of China cite the stability of the command economy versus the clumsy inefficiency of India's democratic system as a definite and decisive advantage. But...

Scandals lay bare China's insecurities

Scandals pulling in China's highest (and not so high) officials before the Communist Party's National Congress next week undermine confidence in the "Beijing Model" of economic progress. Endemic inequality and corruption also fuel insecurity at a time when the United States is doubting its own future. Each country would do well to attend to its own needs rather than highlight the other's shortcomings.

Even our very own Maoist MKB had to clear his throat and say a few words:
Ningbo challenges the wise men in Beijing

Shankas · Post by **Shankas** » 02 Nov 2012 03:54

Sanku wrote:
JE Menon wrote:Is that photo from Tibet? Doesn't seem likely. Carton says Himachal Apples
It has a free Tibet flag in the background, certainly cant be Tibet.

What about the SDRE in Hawai Chappals.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 02 Nov 2012 17:44

Shankas wrote: What about the SDRE in Hawai Chappals.

That too of course

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 02 Nov 2012 18:25

Indeed...

It would have been useful if I had clicked the link

, where the photo caption says:

An exile Tibetan prostrates and drags a coffin to show solidarity to those who self immolated in Tibet during a protest in New Delhi, India, on Oct. 17, 2012. Activists have reported 55 self-immolations since February 2009.

Judging by above answers, looked like no one else did either

wig · Post by **wig** » 02 Nov 2012 18:45

A week before the party's all-important congress opens, China's stability-obsessed rulers are taking no chances and have combed through a list all possible threats, avian or otherwise.

It isn't just the usual suspects like activists who have ruffled the party's feathers.

Their list includes handles for rear windows in taxis -- to stop subversive leaflets being scattered on the streets -- balloons and remote control model planes.

The goal is to ensure an image of harmony as President Hu Jintao prepares to transfer power as party leader to anointed successor Vice President Xi Jinping at the congress, which starts on Thursday.

Li Zhonghe, 65, a retired construction worker, told Reuters he would have to keep his 40 to 50 pigeons in their coops when the congress starts.

"There are currently some extra restrictions, so we are not supposed to let the pigeons out to fly," Li said, adding he did not know the reason why. "It's this way every time there is a congress. I'm accustomed to it by now."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/ ... 5720121102

kish · Post by **kish** » 04 Nov 2012 20:11

U.N. Rights Official Faults China on Tibetan Suppression

GENEVA — The top human rights official of the United Nations took China to task on Friday over the suppression of Tibetans’ rights that she said had driven them to “desperate forms of protest,” referring to about 60 self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule that have been reported since March 2011, including seven since mid-October.

kish · Post by **kish** » 04 Nov 2012 20:18

U.N. rights boss chides China over Tibet protests

GENEVA (Reuters) - The top U.N. human rights official urged China on Friday to address deep-rooted frustrations that have led to desperate forms of protest by Tibetans, including some 60 self-immolations since March.

"Social stability in Tibet will never be achieved through heavy security measures and suppression of human rights," U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said in a rare statement critical of China.

kish · Post by **kish** » 07 Nov 2012 01:24

Neil Heywood: Briton killed in China 'had spy links'

A British businessman who was killed in China had been providing information to the British secret service, the Wall Street Journal newspaper claims.

Neil Heywood had been communicating with an MI6 officer about top politician Bo Xilai for at least a year before he died, the paper said.

The UK Foreign Office said it would not comment "on intelligence matters".

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 08 Nov 2012 08:28

Ministry of Truth: Flights and Floods

The following examples of censorship instructions, issued to the media and/or Internet companies by various central (and sometimes local) government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to those instructions as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.” CDT has collected the selections we translate here from a variety of sources and has checked them against official Chinese media reports to confirm their implementation.

Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The original publication date is noted after the directives; the date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.

Central Propaganda Department: No media will report, comment or republish information on the vice-governor of Jiangxi Province who arrived late for his scheduled flight, causing the flight to leave after its scheduled departure, and who fought with passengers. (October 26, 2012)

中宣部：对网传江西一副省长因迟到致航班延误并与乘客发生纠纷一事，各媒体不报道不评论不转载。

Central Propaganda Department: All media must use Xinhua wire copy in relation to the 70 boats lost in a flash flood in Guangxi Province. Do not sensationalize the story. (October 30, 2012)

中宣部：对广西因山洪爆发致70条船失踪一事，各媒体一律采用新华社通稿，不炒作。

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 08 Nov 2012 18:13

Twitter Accounts Attacked as 18th Congress Begins

In the last few hours, a number of China-watchers have received warnings about attempts to compromise their Twitter accounts:

Patrick Chovanec@prchovanec
Wow, my Twitter account just got hacked. Party Congresses are such fun.
8 Nov 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite
China Media Project@cmphku
Hmm. Just notified by Twitter that others were attempting access to cmphku account.
8 Nov 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite
Adam Minter@AdamMinter
Count me among those reporting their twitter accts were hacked/compromised in the last hour. also @cmphku @prchovanec
8 Nov 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite
Tulle Tilsynet@Tulletilsynet 8 Nov 12
@prchovanec @AdamMinter What did it look like? How could you tell?
Patrick Chovanec@prchovanec
@Tulletilsynet I got kicked off Twitter with a message that account had been compromised, sent me an email link to reset password
8 Nov 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite
Offbeat China@OffbeatChina
And me. Should I feel proud? @AdamMinter: Count me among those reporting twitter accts were hacked in the last hour also @cmphku @prchovanec
8 Nov 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite
Christina Larson@larsonchristina 8 Nov 12
@prchovanec @OffbeatChina @AdamMinter @cmphku Also had Twitter password reset
Mara Hvistendahl@MaraHvistendahl
@larsonchristina @prchovanec @OffbeatChina @AdamMinter @cmphku Me too. And I'm not even in Beijing this week.
8 Nov 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite
At The Next Web, Josh Ong has posted a screenshot of the warning sent to China Media Project, as well as background on similar cases and other current disruptions.

Twitter’s support pages offer suggestions for keeping your account secure, including the following basics:

Use a strong password.
Watch out for suspicious links, and always make sure you’re on Twitter.com before you enter your login information.
Don’t give your username and password out to untrusted third-parties, especially those promising to get you followers or make you money.
Make sure your computer and operating system is up-to-date with the most recent patches, upgrades, and anti-virus software.

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 09 Nov 2012 04:59

Why India needs to maintain ties with China cleverly

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 09 Nov 2012 06:59

China: Worse Than You Ever Imagined

x-post

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 09 Nov 2012 08:01

Why China is worse off than it was a decade ago

Their(Hu, Wu and Wen) decade leading the People’s Republic of China should be viewed largely as one of lost opportunities, even failure. Bad decisions made early put China in its current, unnecessarily weak position—a position that will not improve for the next several years.

Hu, Wu and Wen cost China dearly in the economic realm. In 2002, China boasted sustainable growth above 8 percent. Investment and consumption were balanced, so continued growth did not require a wrenching change in the development model. Income equalities at least appeared quite manageable. The banking system had been strengthened throughout the previous five years. Coal consumption was barely higher than 1998, for example, and the same for many other natural resources.

In 2012, Chinese GDP growth will be lower than it was in 2002,

The problem is the economy is now massively unbalanced and will require painful rebalancing to continue to prosper, a shift that should not be necessary. The problem is that income inequality, especially in the form of extreme wealth for top Party cadre and their families, has become politically and socially destabilising. The problem is that progress in banking was undone by the 2009 lending splurge. The problem is that coal, water, and other resources have been used in gigantic and wasteful amounts that made only minor contributions to growth. All this is due in large part to the policies of the Hu regime.

In the security realm, China’s foreign policy position is arguably also weaker, as its neighbors take measures to balance against it. From South Korea and Japan, along the entire first island chain, and westwards to India, China is increasingly seen as an antagonist and potential adversary, even as states continue to trade with it. In particular, recent riots against Japanese ventures, as well as the 2010 rare earths embargo and this year’s decision to downgrade participation in an IMF meeting (held in Japan),raise questions about China’s reliability as an economic, as well as diplomatic, partner.

This is the legacy of Hu, Wu and Wen: a weaker economy and unhappier neighbours.

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 09 Nov 2012 22:42

Tibetans vs China's Xi Jinping: Gangnam Style