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Feb 24

I ran across this article today on Stratfor, the geopolitical global intelligence service. It discussed a side of China’s political and economic situation that we have touched upon here and there but never delved into that deeply. It highlights some of the intraparty differences within the CPC and expands on the philosophies of those factions.

I’d like to hear everyone’s comments, and especially those from our bloggers living in China, about how they view the two primary economic factions and their strategies within the party. There are several links within the article that take you to further analyses of those particular subjects.

Continue reading »

Feb 23

A few threads ago, we discussed the topic of who owns the Chinese imperial arts in the context of Taiwan vis-a-vis the Mainland.

Well – it may be timely to also discuss who should own the Chinese imperial arts in the context of China vis-a-vis great collections of art in the West looted from China during her century of shame. Continue reading »

Feb 22

New Star sinking near Russias far-eastern port of Vladivostok. Three Chinese crew members were rescued and 7 others were missing, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.

New Star sinking near Russia's far-eastern port of Vladivostok. Three Chinese crew members were rescued and 7 others were missing, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Four days ago, it was widely reported on the front page of almost every Chinese newspaper that Russian warships had sunk a Chinese cargo ship – New Star – off the coast of Vladivostok. According to an article from the People’s Daily, Continue reading »

Feb 18

Chinese President Hu Jintao ended his tour of four African nations this week, having promised to deepen ties with the continent.

A lot of chatter has surrounded China’s interests in Africa. Media have branded China’s role in Africa as an invasion or an era of neo-colonialism with ulterior motives of pillaging Africa’s raw materials. Rhetoric from Chinese and African leaders includes words like “friendship,” “partnership” and “brotherhood,” stressing a shared history and common experience.

This report was produced last summer when WorldFocus traveled to East Africa.

World Focus Radio Blog (Feb 18, 2009)

Continue reading »

Feb 04

In an interview to XinHua, Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson declared that he was wrongly portrayed to have laid blame on China for causing today’s global economic crisis. Continue reading »

Jan 30

President Obama has not exactly started out making a great impression that he will bring U.S.-China relations to a new high – what with unwelcomed vague belligerent references against communist and authoritarian governments in his inaugural speech, followed up by now Treasury Secretary’s Geithner’s sharp tone and use of the legally-loaded term “currency manipulation” in Geithner’s confirmation hearings (I don’t want to get into the “currency manipulation” debate here since we will have specific posts on those topics soon). Continue reading »

Jan 24

On January 19, 2009, Tibetan legislators endorsed unanimously a bill designating March 28 as Serfs Emancipation Day, a day designated officially to mark the freeing of 1 million serfs from serfdom 50 years ago.

For many ethnic Tibetans, this day represents a celebration of freedom (from cast and class based oppression), economic empowerment, and social and political liberation that has been a long time coming.  The day has been held hostage for so long partly because the government, in hopes of trying to convince the Dalai Lama to return back to China, had not wanted to mark the occasion while the Dalai Lama was still in exile.  But one cannot hold back a celebration of freedom forever, and fifty years has been a long time… Continue reading »

Jan 22

The money laundering saga of self-proclaimed son-of-Taiwan Chen Shuibian continues.

On Wednesday, Chen Shuibian’s son Chen Chih-chung and daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching both pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in exchange for leniency.

According to China Times, the main terms of the plead bargain includes: Continue reading »

Jan 19

The following article appeared in the BBC News Online today:

Serfs’ Emancipation Day for Tibet

By James Reynolds
Beijing

China has declared a new annual holiday in Tibet called Serfs’ Emancipation Day, to mark the end of what it says was a system of feudal oppression.

The local parliament in Tibet has passed a bill which declares 28 March as the new holiday.

The announcement comes in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of the escape into exile of the Dalai Lama.

The 49th anniversary a year ago led to widespread protests by monks and others in and around Tibet.

Continue reading »

Jan 14

ricemagnet

We covered China’s  underground music scene in a previous thread and with the new year approaching, I wanted to introduce some alternative artists from Taiwan.  I’m sure everyone already knows the most popular Mando-pop stars, so here are a few that are a little less known. Most of these musicians either made their debuts or saw an upsurge in their popularity over the course of 2008. An article I read recently in the Taipei Times was the initial catalyst in my search for finding newer artists.

Continue reading »

Jan 12

The recent tragedies in Gaza have reminded me again the mind-numbing role the sensationalistic use of emotionally charged words can play in international politics.

Recently, Israel railed against the Vatican when Cardinal Renato Martino, the president of the Council for Justice and Peace of the Vatican, characterized Gaza as a “concentration camp.”  According to the NY Times: Continue reading »

Jan 07

For many Chinese website operators, 2009 didn’t start very well. China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre, a semi-government agency, has published a list of websites which contain “vulgar and unhealthy information” deemed to be harmful to the country’s youth. The list (in Chinese) can be found here.

The interesting thing about this list is that it covered majority of the most popular websites in China. Google was ranked number one “vulgar” site (see, e.g., NYTimes article), followed by Baidu and Sina.

I’m very confident that every Chinese netizen have visited at least one of such vulgar websites. I myself must have visited at least 75% of the websites listed and would probably be diagnosed as psychotic under the Chinese guideline. Continue reading »

Jan 07

Later this month will mark the 45th anniversay of French’s diplomatic recognition of the People’s Republic of China.

I had not known that 45 years ago, France was the first major Western nation, despite stiff American opposition of that time, to recognize the People’s Republic of China.

I also had not known that – contrary to the faux paux spats that occurred between the two nations the last year – the modern relationship between France and China had actually started on a high note of mutual respect and admiration. Continue reading »

Jan 06

中国的2009年:毛泽东归来

2009-01-02    作者: 侨报评论员 

  

【侨报13日社论】新年伊始瞻望世界的2009年,中国必然还是超级焦点:经济学家仍将继续争论这个全球市场新星会否率先走出金融危机的阴影而引领世界经济复苏,政治学者则会观察万众瞩目的新中国六十周年庆典(一般预料会有大阅兵)之前,北京将如何应对从三月到七月的一系列政治敏感事件纪念日——中国的牛年,似乎并不比2008年轻松。

 

  如果说改革开放30年的记忆最终定格在邓小平的剪影上那么对新中国60年的图像重现难离毛泽东。在最近60年的世界当代史上,这个名字并不曾冷却:

 

  从政治符号上说,无论是天安门城楼那幅每年都要更换新作的毛泽东画像,还是对面的毛主席纪念堂,无论首都群众集会还是解放军大阅兵,历史场景必然重现天安门的象征——60年前,毛站在城楼上宣告“中国人民从此站起来了”。而今,面对动荡不安和风雨飘摇的世界,中国人的国家独立和民族复兴已经不再是遥远的梦想。

 

  从经济符号上说,带着毛泽东头像的人民币如今成为世界上最具看点、大受欢迎的货币。毛泽东时代制定的最严格的外汇管理制度,不仅“成功保护中国免受十年前的亚洲金融风暴”(上海财经闻人童牧野语),也在当前危机暗影里发出光亮,以至大陆民间学者有人戏言:2009年的世界经济,将是毛泽东(人民币)和华盛顿(美元)的对话。

 

  从社会符号上说,有谁会想到那本红色封皮的《毛主席语录》在台湾的书市已畅销三年,那只印有毛泽东书写“为人民服务”字样的绿色军用书包眼下已成外国游客在北京秀水市场最青睐的伴手礼……尽管在今天有宅男、有街舞、有互联网的时代谈到毛泽东看上去更像是一种时尚的象征,而无关信仰、思想、力量、革命甚或铁的纪律。

 

  事实上,中国的2009年无论是在政治、经济领域还是民生、社会方面,中国人都将面对一个比改革开放30年更长的历史梳理。特别是在中国尚无一部官修的、权威的《共和国史》的情况下,当代中国人那种避谈新中国开国之初公私合营、避谈人民公社、避谈文化大革命、总之避谈共和国前三十年史实的现象,将会面临着理性的拷问。这些省思尤其是在当前世界的资本主义危机和中国特色社会主义的对视中显得更为必要。

 

  历史当然不会是简单的轮回,中共更是在实践中通过不断的学习、反思、批评和修正才逐渐找到一条带领这个庞大国家走上民族复兴之路。虽然当年毛泽东发动的一连串内部政治斗争格局早已被一个新的经济增长时代所抛弃,但人们都不会忘记,追求独立自主建国的中国钢铁工业、纺织工业、化学工业、机械工业及军事科技(更包括成功造出原子弹和氢弹)如果没有毛泽东的时代,同样不会有未来甚至难以支撑改革开放30年。

 

  如果把共和国六十年历史分成前后三十年的话,毛泽东的三十年在追求“有饭大家吃”(尽管政治内斗搞得最终快没饭吃了),而邓小平的三十年则是在追求“大家有饭吃”——这两个在经济社会学者眼中分别代表公平和效率的词组,成为某种简约版的社会路径预测:或许未来三十年,中国需要重新强调公平化分配的制度体系。

 

  邓小平属于中国,毛泽东也属于中国。把毛邓相对立,相排斥,既不符合历史,也不符合逻辑,正如把追求公平和追求效率相对立会行不通。如果说过去60年的历史离不开毛泽东,中国的明天也需要重新发现毛泽东。因此,必须站在今天而不是昨天的坐标上,重新认识毛泽东的谬误和价值。而且,必须寻找和厘清从毛泽东到邓小平的历史逻辑。

 

  中国充满希望,信心重过黄金。 2009年的中国又将在人类当代史上写下什么样的字句,的确是一个见仁见智的有趣话题。当前国际形势的深刻变化特别是国际金融危机的不断扩散和蔓延,很有可能会成为中国实现民族复兴图景的一个历史性机遇。本报相信,只要中国增强忧患意识,始终居安思危,就能抓住机遇,更上层楼,“沧海横流,方显英雄本色 ”。

 

  已经来临的2009年,中国故事引人关注。如果毛泽东还活着,他会做些什么?

本文来源于侨报网,转载请以链接形式注明出处 www.usqiaobao.com

Jan 04

An entry by Steve in late December discussed a petition signed by over 2000 Chinese people calling for democracy and human rights in the PRC. At least some of these prominent citizens were subsequently arrested, like Liu Xiaobo

What is interesting is how another critic of the Chinese government, former high-ranking official Bao Tong, has been treated. The Times reports that the fact he has not had any action taken against him (so far) is a sign that he can still be protected by reformists within the CCP. A translated version of Bao’s essay can be found on the Radio Free Asia website. Continue reading »

Jan 03

A recent article in the NY Times with excerpts below, talks about the continued deepening of China’s economic slowdown. When calculated in China’s own currency for a true local effect, the situation is worse than expected even a few short weeks ago. There is recession in the USA, recession in Japan, cancelled orders and lack of re-orders hitting the Chinese businesses dedicated to export markets.

The Chinese government’s plan is to stimulate the local economy and encourage its people to lower their savings rate. But with the lack of a health care plan or retirement programs, people seem to be saving more, not less. What is the best way for China to head off a recession? Should they establish a rudimentary health care plan for their citizens? Or is the money better spent in other areas? Continue reading »

Dec 31

Yesterday’s  Associated Press article featured below might indicate movement between China and Taiwan in terms of closer military cooperation and inclusion in some international organizations. The language seems softer than in the past and no date for reunification was set forth by Hu.

Now that the three links have been established, what should the next step be? Would it be membership in the WHO, demilitarization between the island and mainland, or something in the economic realm? Continue reading »

Dec 26

China’s Charter 08

Written by: Steve | Filed under:culture, education, General, media, News, politics | 408 Comments » newest

Recently, over 2000 Chinese citizens signed the document below, released on December 10th, calling for human rights and democracy with an eventual end to one party rule. I’ve used the translation from the New York Review of Books with sections of their Postscript included. This document was signed by Chinese citizens living inside China, not expat dissidents living abroad. The Postscript gives some information concerning the status of a few of the 303 intellectuals who had signed the document. The blog Global Voices  also has an in-depth look at the current status of the more prominent signatories.


What do you think of this document? Should it be discussed or dismissed? Should the signers be arrested and jailed? Is there room in the current China for this type of discussion? Continue reading »

Dec 24

Yesterday, the pair of Giant Pandas Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan finally arrived in Taiwan.  More than just normal “diplomatic pandas,” Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan’s represents the culmination of much political wranglings between the Mainland and Taiwan that included formal rejections of the pandas in 2005 by ex-President Chen Shui Bian (now formally indicted for  graver crimes, including embezzlement). Continue reading »

Dec 20

China’s journey of reform and opening up over the last the last 30 years have definitely been, if nothing else, colorful and eventful.  Last week, Chinese officials marked the 30 year anniversary of China’s reforms and opening up with a series of meetings and speeches. Continue reading »

Dec 16

Chinese Foreign Ministry recently described French President Sarkozy’s meeting with the Dalai Lama as an act that would “gravely hurt the feelings of the Chinese people”.

It is the kind of phrase you are looking for in every Chinese official indignation – ok, feelings hurt, this isn’t something good. However, this is the first time I actually didn’t let it just pass, and asked myself: what does this phrase actually mean? Sure some countries have hurt our feelings, so what? You expect an apology or something else from the other side to compensate your “hurt feelings”? Continue reading »