People's Republic of China Nov 22, 2009

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 10 Jun 2010 05:55

Five year jail term for inciting subversion of state power

Environmental campaigner Tan Zuoren was arrested last year as he was investigating the deaths of thousands of children when their schools collapsed in the May 2008 quake in the southwestern province of Sichuan, which left nearly 88,000 people dead or missing. "The trial only lasted 12 minutes. The court confirmed the verdict handed down by the lower court," Tan's lawyer Pu Zhiqiang told AFP by telephone from the Sichuan capital Chengdu. Schools bore the brunt of the Sichuan quake, with thousands collapsing on top of students, fuelling angry charges from parents that corruption had led to shoddy construction.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 10 Jun 2010 07:04

Russia Lets China Tap Resources in Siberia

niran · Post by **niran** » 10 Jun 2010 07:25

All eez nat well, very a many wails

Dozens hurt in China labour unrest

Photos of the incident showed police and special security forces massed outside the gates of the facility, preventing workers from exiting.

"The police beat us indiscriminately. They kicked and stomped on everybody, no matter whether they were male or female," one female worker told the South China Morning Post, which said at least 30 people were arrested.

Workers were asking for hardship pay to compensate them for working in high temperatures, full workers' insurance, housing subsidies and a change to make work on Saturdays voluntary, according to postings seen in Chinese chatrooms.

Some of those postings were later deleted.

of course, it is false propaganda by evil bourgeois imperialist, China has been and will be a workers paradise.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 10 Jun 2010 20:18

A 'zhengyou' relationship with China

At the Asia Hotel in Beijing, Ma Jisheng, an official with the information department of the Foreign Ministry, was declaiming on millennia-old India-China relations. Suddenly he flung aside the prepared text and announced that he would speak straight from the heart: “Would the media on both sides please give India and China a chance to develop normal relations?”

The official's point was simple. Attitudes hardened when the media sensationalised issues, and the events of 2009, when bilateral relations reached a precipitous low following media frenzy and scare-mongering, proved as much. “This constant harping on border, visa and other things, is it not like eating the same food everyday?” Mr. Ma asked plaintively, adding, “I cannot help but think sometimes that China and India would solve their problems if only the media kept quiet a bit.”

While it may be difficult to locate the precise point when tensions began to ease up, analysts on both sides agree that India and China were well served by the “Copenhagen spirit.”

A top member of the Indian official delegation summed up India-China relations in terms of “pengyou” and “zhengyou.” “Pengyou” is a superficial friend. “Zhengyou” is a serious, real friend who will frankly admit to problems and work at overcoming them: “We have a zhengyou relationship with China.”

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 11 Jun 2010 06:41

biswas · Post by **biswas** » 11 Jun 2010 08:03

Sanjay M wrote:<snip>

Wow, kudos to the Chinese.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 12 Jun 2010 23:41

In China, unrest spreads as more workers rally

BEIJING -- A series of labor strikes continued to spread Friday across parts of China, as newly emboldened workers pressed for higher wages and better conditions, posing a fresh challenge to the government and the country's only officially sanctioned union.
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In Zhangshan, in southeastern China, about 1,700 workers at a Honda Lock factory..............................The workers walked off the job Wednesday, demanding more pay and the right to elect their own union representatives -- a direct affront to China's official union, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

Two other Honda plants in Guangdong province remain idle because of work stoppages.

Meanwhile, the unrest spread to China's other main industrial base in the Yangtze River Delta, when 2,000 workers at a Taiwanese computer parts plant walked off their jobs in Shanghai's Pudong district.

In Kunshan city, in Jiangsu, just outside Shanghai, workers striking at a Taiwanese-owned rubber factory earlier this week clashed with police who tried to break up their protest. Workers this week also walked off the job at a Japanese industrial sewing machine plant in Xian and at a Taiwanese sporting goods factory in Jiujiang, in Jiangxi province.

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It's everywhere. And all kinds of enterprises," said Xu Xiaonian, an economics and finance professor at the China Europe International Business School. "It's not confined to multinationals and joint ventures. And not just the South -- everywhere."
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But the underlying causes, they said, were China's growing income gap and mounting frustration by a younger generation of urbanized workers that their wages have stayed relatively meager even as prices all around them -- particularly for housing -- have soared.

"Their money is worthless because property prices keep rising," said Andy Xie, a Shanghai-based economist. "We're seeing this social tension building up." He added, "Every period of social instability in China has been driven by inflation."

Geoffrey Crothall, a spokesman for the China Labor Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based advocacy group, said the unrest "reflects accumulated pressure that's been building up for quite a long time. Wages have been kept low for many years."
lllllllllllllllllllllllllll'

Also significant, Crothall and other said, is that workers have made one of their central demands the right to elect their own union representatives, a rebuke of the official union that ostensibly represents workers in China but in reality has long acted as a partner of factory managers and local government officials to ensure labor peace.

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Some economists, however, have said that foreign firms might also decide to move their China operations away from the more affluent coastal regions to areas inland and farther west in the country,

ajit_tr · Post by **ajit_tr** » 13 Jun 2010 20:03

China's Xinjiang seethes a year after riots: Uighur activist
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Chin...ivist_999.html

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 15 Jun 2010 07:49

Could China Lose Its Cheap Labour Force?

What happens if the protest culture spreads? Will China's cheap labour force evaporate?
Will the protest culture spread to political protests as well? What happens when labour unions try to meddle in politics? What happens if the protesters eventually begin to target the regime?

Could we see the equivalent of Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement take shape in China?

How will it look if the Communist Party cracks down on labour movements on behalf of rich capitalists?

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 15 Jun 2010 12:34

Sanjay M wrote:Could China Lose Its Cheap Labour Force?

What happens if the protest culture spreads? Will China's cheap labour force evaporate?
Will the protest culture spread to political protests as well? What happens when labour unions try to meddle in politics? What happens if the protesters eventually begin to target the regime?

Could we see the equivalent of Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement take shape in China?

How will it look if the Communist Party cracks down on labour movements on behalf of rich capitalists?

Sanjay sir even if China's labour becomes bit more expensive it will still be cheaper than west.So manufacturing is safe in China for the time being.Another important point is that china's manufacturing is not just dependent on cheap labour.There are other reasons as well.Starting a manufacturing unit in US or europe is no longer easy especially with regards to environmental regulations.Also China is rapidly moving up the manufacturing chain by making high end products which is going to help them in the long run.

The protest culture might become political protests as well but as of now most of these protests are local in nature.They are not against Communist party but against corporate management and local leadership.Until unless all these protests unite against central leadership the communist party is in no trouble.

One important point to note is that most of these protests are result of economic or material grievances.The chinese are not seeking political freedom as of now and maybe they never will.

I also believe the chances of lech walesa type solidarity movement is very low in China.At the time when this movement took place in poland the power of polish communist party was declining.The economy of poland along with that of USSR and eastern europe was stagnant.Political oppression was high.The time was ripe for such kind of movement.

Now in China's case this is clearly not the case.Their economy is growing.China is ascendent and more importantly chinese are proud of their nation.Hence the pressure on chinese communist party is less.As of now chinese people care mostly about economic and material benefits and as long as CCP contnues to provide such benefits to the people it will survive.
In China you can be somewhat aspirational which was not possible at all in the eastern europe and USSR.These are the reasons why a common nationwide opposition to ccp will not materialise soon.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 15 Jun 2010 13:24

The growing naval threat from China.US report.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010 ... rom-china/

EXcerpt:

Naval challenge from China
Monday, June 14, 2010

Frank exchanges between Chinese and American defense officials in recent weeks may signal a long-term, rising threat to freedom of navigation in waters off the Chinese coast and to the security of Taiwan. If so, the United States should rethink its plans for downsizing the Navy as well as its East Asia policy.

Reconsideration of the plans for an ever-shrinking Navy may have already started. Last week, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., urged the Navy to slow its retirement of older ships and speed shipbuilding.

At 276 active ships, the Navy is smaller than at any time since before World War I. China, in contrast, has continued to expand its military.

Also last week, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he was "genuinely concerned" about China's growing "expeditionary maritime and air capabilities."

And China's growing assertiveness drew a rebuke from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, speaking at a meeting in Singapore.

The "South China Sea is an area of growing concern," he said. "We ... oppose the use of force and actions that hinder freedom of navigation. We object to any effort to intimidate U.S. corporations or those of any nation engaged in legitimate economic activity."

The Chinese side has been equally blunt. The Washington Post reports that in a May 24 meeting with U.S. officials in Beijing, Chinese Rear Adm. Guan Youfei accused the United States of viewing his nation as an enemy. He singled out President Obama's recent decision to sell more arms to Taiwan for particular abuse.

In 1994 and 2001, China tested U.S. resolve to defend Taiwan. This time, so far, it has broken off U.S.-Chinese direct military talks and issued strong objections. But a more determined test may come. China sees the military balance tilting in its favor.

The Post reports that the president of a think tank run by the Chinese military, Cui Liru, recently warned, "For years, China has opposed arms sales to Taiwan among other things, but we were never strong enough to do anything about it. But our national strength has grown. And it is time that the United States pay attention."

naren · Post by **naren** » 15 Jun 2010 13:27

darshhan wrote:The protest culture might become political protests as well but as of now most of these protests are local in nature.They are not against Communist party but against corporate management and local leadership.Until unless all these protests unite against central leadership the communist party is in no trouble.

One important point to note is that most of these protests are result of economic or material grievances.The chinese are not seeking political freedom as of now and maybe they never will.

China has 90,000 demonstrations every year, official figures, according to "People's Republic of Capitalism" (2008) documentary.

These are the reasons why a common nationwide opposition to ccp will not materialise soon.

Its been happening for a while. I came across similar figures for like 2005 some time back. 90,000 is no small number.

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 15 Jun 2010 13:42

naren wrote:
darshhan wrote:The protest culture might become political protests as well but as of now most of these protests are local in nature.They are not against Communist party but against corporate management and local leadership.Until unless all these protests unite against central leadership the communist party is in no trouble.

One important point to note is that most of these protests are result of economic or material grievances.The chinese are not seeking political freedom as of now and maybe they never will.
China has 90,000 demonstrations every year, official figures, according to "People's Republic of Capitalism" (2008) documentary.

These are the reasons why a common nationwide opposition to ccp will not materialise soon.
Its been happening for a while. I came across similar figures for like 2005 some time back. 90,000 is no small number.

I am not saying that protests are not happening.I have stated that most of these protests are local in nature against corporate and local leadership.Most of the protests are result of economic and material grievances.Also most of these protests are not linked to each other.Above all majority of protestors are not targeting the regime in beijing.

satyam · Post by **satyam** » 15 Jun 2010 14:24

Q&A: What's behind China's recent labour unrest?

http://www.business-standard.com/india/ ... t/97972/on

A string of strikes at foreign-owned factories in southern China, especially Honda vehicle plants and parts suppliers, has highlighted the rising demands of young Chinese workers from the countryside.

A series of suicides at Foxconn, an electronics maker with a huge plant in southern China, has intensified attention on discontent in China's labour force.

Here are some questions and answers about the unrest.
HOW SERIOUS IS IT?

The unrest has been localised and is likely to remain so, but its implications are broad.

The reported strikes since May have disrupted a few factories but barely dented production at Honda, the main company hit. But the disputes reflect the demands of younger migrant workers who expect better wages and conditions than their parents accepted, and who feel underpaid in the face of rising prices and living standards.

Labour unrest in the vast industrial belt hugging coastal China has grown in recent years.

The strike organisers at the Honda plants have shown that a younger generation of workers -- with their higher expectations and savvy use of the Internet and cell phones to mobilise -- could present a tougher challenge to managers and officials.

Demography could also give workers more bargaining power.

The number of Chinese between the ages of 15 and 24 has held at around 200 million to 225 million for the past 20 years. That number is likely to fall by a third in the next 12 years, according to Arthur Kroeber of Dragonomics, an economic consultancy in Beijing.

WHAT ARE THE WORKERS DEMANDING?

Mostly they want pay rises, but they have also been sensitive to any hints that managers are threatening their cohesion.

Workers at the Honda-associated plants have complained of long hours, including forced overtime, for pay that often totals 1,000-2,000 yuan ($146-$292) per month. They have demanded pay rises of several hundred yuan a month.

Some of the recent disputes have brought sizeable pay increases, including a 66 percent raise for workers at Foxconn, and 20 percent or more for workers in the first Honda strike at a vehicle assembly plant. Vehicle parts makers have offered workers smaller rises.

In many of China's private factories, state-run trades unions are either non-existent or shells controlled by management. Some striking workers have said they want to form their own independent unions, but that demand has not taken hold widely.

COULD THE UNREST SPREAD?

It could, especially in factories around Shenzhen and Dongguan in southern China where migrant worker discontent about conditions runs deepest.

But even there, the vast majority of factories continue production as usual. The most common response of workers to unsatisfactory conditions remains quitting, not striking.

The example of Honda, however, could bolster demands at other manufacturers for wage rises and better conditions. State media have barely mentioned the unrest, but word travels quickly among workers connected by the Internet.

Beyond China's far southern manufacturing zone, worker protests have been common for years, but the latest unrest appears very unlikely to escalate into nationwide stoppages.

Chinese workers in state-owned factories and mills have their own complaints about wages, conditions and dismissals, especially when those plants have been privatised, prompting claims of corruption and profiteering. Some of them may feel emboldened.

But these workers tend to be older and have little to do with migrant labourers from the countryside. No alliance is likely.

In many big state-owned companies, the booming economy has boosted profits and wages. Their workers are not spoiling for confrontation.

WHAT WILL THE GOVERNMENT DO?

Expect a piecemeal response, not a thunderclap of policy changes.

The Chinese government faces contending pressures over how to deal with the workers' demands, and that means the official response is likely to be low-key and vary from place to place.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao have said that improving the incomes and welfare of farmers and ordinary workers is a cornerstone of their policies.

But much of the country's exports have long relied on cheap labour. Local officials in particular will be reluctant to risk losing investment by allowing a rapid rise in industrial wages.

Chinese leaders have so far avoided direct comment on the strikes, perhaps because they are reluctant to fan word of the unrest that could embolden other unhappy workers.

In recent years, the Chinese government has shifted from treating all worker unrest as a threat to its control. It has opened up channels for employees to lodge complaints and pulled back from using police against strikers.

Workers often say the formal complaint procedures are useless and tilted against them. The government may try to make those procedures more effective.

If worker demands spread and become more political by embracing calls for independent unions, the government response is likely to harden to include more arrests and detentions of strike organisers.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jun 2010 07:26

Ignore North Korea, offer Beijing a choice

http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2 ... g_a_choice

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 17 Jun 2010 07:28

The reality of the 'China Fantasy'

http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2 ... na_fantasy

derkonig · Post by **derkonig** » 18 Jun 2010 12:35

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/vide ... 061635.cms
Chinese troops occupy Indian territory in Ladakh while MMS & the uber-patriotic family sleep soundly.....

Venkarl · Post by **Venkarl** » 18 Jun 2010 16:10

Pakis talking about dialogues
IWT offering "Face Savers" to Pakis
Chinese occupying our lands..and our institutions denying it..and pass it on as common phenomena
US not walking the talk w.r.t its so called "strategic" partner in South Asia
MMS & Co chooses to be silent instead of assuring its citizens of their and their territories' safety?---could not find a word in dictionary to describe them

Why does our Govt hint its citizens that their establishments are sitting ducks & impotent?

I am so angry.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 19 Jun 2010 09:05

China warns G20 currency critics

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/314f97f0-7a05 ... abdc0.html

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 19 Jun 2010 09:06

Does strategy even matter in foreign policy?

http://drezner.foreignpolicy.com/posts/ ... ign_policy

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 20 Jun 2010 02:59

Jayalalithaa warns Centre against presence of Chinese convict labourers in Lanka

Chennai, 18 June: AIADMK general secretary Miss J Jayalalithaa today warned the Centre against the presence of a large number of Chinese-convict labourers in Sri Lanka’s north and east purportedly employed to take up the work of building the region’s highways and railways.

“My information is that the Chinese labour force in Sri Lanka has been infiltrated with Chinese spies and Intelligence personnel, with a specific mandate to commence anti-Indian surveillance and espionage operations from India’s hitherto safe southern flanks. After all, Sri Lanka is hardly 20 kilometres from the southern coast of Tamil Nadu,” Miss Jayalalithaa in a statement here said.

India should act tough before it is too late as reports have it that over 25,000 convict-labourers from China have arrived in Sri Lanka to execute contracts awarded by the Sri Lankan government to China.

“The Indian Government has sanctioned Rs. 1,000 crore towards reconstruction of the war-ravaged Tamil areas of Sri Lanka. The reconstruction contracts have now been awarded by the Sri Lankan Government to China. So the Indian tax-payers’ money, sent for the benefit of the Tamils of Sri Lanka, is ending up in China’s kitty. The flight of Indian money to China is the least of my concerns,” Miss Jayalalithaa said.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 20 Jun 2010 08:17

China Signals a Gradual Rise in Value of Its Currency

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/busin ... 0yuan.html

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 20 Jun 2010 19:54

Nuclear reactors supply to Pak: India raises issue with China

India has raised with China the issue of its supply of two more nuclear reactors to Pakistan as part of its pre-2004 deal for civil nuclear cooperation with Islamabad.

Besides China, India was also "in touch" with a number of its partner countries from NSG through dialogues and discussions to seek more information on the cooperation between China and Pakistan, official sources said here today.

However, the sources maintained that an official "demarche" has not been done with China.

"They (Chinese) have told us that it is for peaceful purposes," the source said.

The sources also maintained that the issue, which was of "interest and concern" of India was very "much or radar" of government and it was in touch with other countries on the matter.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 20 Jun 2010 23:24

China Buys Up Assets in Greece on the Cheap

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 21 Jun 2010 08:28

As China Aids Labor, Unrest Is Still Rising

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/world ... labor.html

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 21 Jun 2010 08:29

Rise in Value of Currency to Be Slow, China Insists

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/busin ... 1yuan.html

kshirin · Post by **kshirin** » 21 Jun 2010 17:16

China signs 3.5b yuan currency swap agreement with Iceland(Xinhua)
: 2010-06-10 15:48
BEIJING: China's central bank has signed a bilateral currency swap agreement totaling 3.5 billion yuan ($513 million) with the Central Bank of Iceland.
Bears watching, a strategic toehold is acquired.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 21 Jun 2010 17:41

kshirin wrote:China signs 3.5b yuan currency swap agreement with Iceland(Xinhua)
: 2010-06-10 15:48
BEIJING: China's central bank has signed a bilateral currency swap agreement totaling 3.5 billion yuan ($513 million) with the Central Bank of Iceland.
Bears watching, a strategic toehold is acquired.

Is it China buying all the assets or is it proxy move of the uncle behind the scene directing the global move of PRC

ajit_tr · Post by **ajit_tr** » 21 Jun 2010 20:19

Indians view China as friend, but Chinese don't: survey

Majority of Indians regard China as a friend and partner in sharp contrast to feeling among Chinese who consider Pakistan a better partner and place India next only to the US and Japan in the list of nations that threatened their country the most, according to a new survey.

A series of surveys conducted between 2000 and 2009 in India and China gives a glimpse of how people of the two countries living in divergent systems perceived each other in the period when both posted good growth rates.

The surveys conducted by Beijing-based Horizon Research Consultancy was released the 2nd India-China Forum meeting here today.

About 43 per cent Indians interviewed consider China as a partner, while 23 per cent regarded it as an enemy.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Indians-v ... 44090.aspx

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 22 Jun 2010 09:05

China's tightrope walk

http://drezner.foreignpolicy.com/posts/ ... trope_walk

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 22 Jun 2010 09:06

To gloat or not to gloat?

http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2 ... t_to_gloat

Pretty good article

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 23 Jun 2010 07:33

China Sends Mixed Signals on Currency

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/busin ... 3yuan.html

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 23 Jun 2010 10:08

China’s workers raise the stakes

http://eurasia.foreignpolicy.com/posts/ ... the_stakes

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 23 Jun 2010 14:49

India happy over China's currency move: Pranab

ajay_hk · Post by **ajay_hk** » 24 Jun 2010 02:11

X-post

India foils Chinese bid to patent 'pudina'

derkonig · Post by **derkonig** » 24 Jun 2010 08:48

^^^
They are pathological thieves aren't they?

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 25 Jun 2010 10:21

The politics behind China’s surprise

http://eurasia.foreignpolicy.com/posts/ ... s_surprise

Kailash · Post by **Kailash** » 25 Jun 2010 15:00

China gives 257 military trucks to Cambodia

The 257 Chinese vehicles, including 200 transport trucks, were presented to the Cambodian military in a ceremony on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

"China has helped Cambodia for quite a long time. What Cambodia has requested, China has always provided us whenever it could," said Moeung Samphan, Cambodia's deputy minister of defense.

Chinese President Hu Jintao offered Cambodia the trucks along with 50,000 military uniforms during a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen in Shanghai in May. The offer came less than a month after the U.S. cancellation.

China's influence in Cambodia is considerable despite Beijing's strong backing of the former Khmer Rouge government that caused the deaths of some 1.7 million people in the late 1970s.

It has provided millions of dollars in aid to Cambodia over the past decade, agreed to write off debts and granted it tariff-free status for some 400 items.

But Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told journalists Wednesday that Cambodia welcomes aid from other countries as well.

"China has no influence on Cambodia at all. We accept all foreign aid if it is given without conditions," he said.

You got to give it to the Chinese - they know how to make new friends. For all we know all these trucks may be second hand. The tariff exemption would have been for some 400 low cost products or raw materials.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 26 Jun 2010 05:29

Coming to think, China's doctrines have caused so much misery..Maoism, support to Khmer Rouge, Pakistan, the Junta, NK. While India's doctrines have tried to soothe, pacify, bring peace these regions throughout history..Buddhism, non violence, compassion, meditation, introspection..

Ironically exceptions to the rule are taken as rule for India, while the rule is considered an exception for China and exceptions to the Brutality and support for dictators and terrorist regimes is considered great strides in China moving forward..***sigh***

krithivas · Post by **krithivas** » 27 Jun 2010 21:15

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... topstories

Tell that to Mathis Xu, 26, a manager at a Chinese state construction company I met last year. As a languages student in Beijing, Xu took French to be different — and different is what he got. In April 2008, he was picked to translate for the Congolese government and the state-owned China Railway Engineering Corp. (CREC) in negotiations over a $9 billion deal. CREC and others would build thousands of kilometers of roads and railways, 32 hospitals, 145 health centers and two universities, an investment of $6 billion in the kind of infrastructure Congo desperately needs. As part payment, China would receive $3 billion in concessions to mine the copper and cobalt essential to its growing industries. When the deal was struck that month, Xu found himself posted to Kinshasa as CREC's liaison with the government. "We will transform this city," he exclaimed, watching CREC's giant road builders level a hillside in Kinshasa next to the Congo River. "It will be fantastic!"