America's North Shore Journal » China
Chinese minorities attracting attention
Across the country, China is seeing a resurgence of local ethnicity and culture, most notably among southerners such as the Cantonese and Hakka, who are now classified as Han. For centuries, China has held together a vast multi-cultural and multi-ethnic nation despite alternating periods of political centralization and fragmentation. But cultural and linguistic cleavages could worsen in a China weakened by internal strife, an economic downturn, uneven growth, or a struggle over future political succession. The initial brawl between workers in a Guangdong toy factory, which left at least two Uighur dead on 25 June, prompted the mass unrest in Xinjiang on 5 July, which ended with 156 dead, thousands injured, and 1500 arrested, with on-going violence spreading throughout the region. The National Day celebrations scheduled for October 2009, seeks to highlight … Read entire article »
Filed under: China
Black Death Strikes China
Around a dozen cases, 3 deaths, as pneumonic plague kills up its heels in NW China. This is a disease that hygiene can help prevent. Get rid of the rodents and their fleas and plague disappears. Plague is spread in two main forms, pneumonic – which is the form reported in China, and bubonic. Pneumonic plague is spread like many respiratory diseases, by being coughed or sneezed on by a sick person. Bubonic plague can be found in the United States, almost entirely in the Southwest. It is spread by the bites of fleas, usually fleas from rats, mice or other rodents. The number of human cases varies with the natural increases or decreases in rodent populations. The NIH reports 10-20 cases of bubonic plague in the U.S. on average each year. … Read entire article »
Chinese Riot After Police Coverup
The crowd defended the body against waves of policemen. However, on Saturday, a fire was lit inside the hotel, but the corpse was saved. Tu’s cousin apparently armed himself with two barrels of gasoline and threatened to blow himself up if the body was taken. The police restored order yesterday, imposed a curfew and took the body to a funeral parlour. Today, the website of the local government has been defaced by hackers. What’s extraordinary is the speed in which the riot blew up, and the venom directed against the local authorities. Whatever was behind Tu’s death, there’s clearly something rotten in Shishou. But after months of calm, there have been a spate of reported riots recently. Is this because media restrictions have been lifted, allowing news of riots to spread, or has … Read entire article »
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Gang Issues in China
A Chinese soldier was shot dead outside a military garrison in the south-western city of Chongqing, state media have reported. The 18-year-old soldier, Han Junliang, was on sentry duty when he was attacked by one or more assailants, who shot him dead then stole his submachine gun. The police and military have launched a joint investigation, the report said. Private gun ownership is illegal in China. The government has acknowledged trouble in dealing with armed gangs. Analysts say there are tens of thousands of smuggled weapons or guns illegally manufactured inside China. BBC … Read entire article »
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China Increasing Patrol in S China Sea
China plans to step up naval patrols in disputed waters in the South China Sea to protect its interests, Chinese state media quoted an official as saying. The fisheries administration chief cited an increase in illegal fishing and other countries’ “unfounded claims” in seas that China claims as its own. China sent a fisheries patrol ship to the South China Sea last week, and said it could deploy more similar vessels. The patrols come after US and Chinese ships were involved in a confrontation. “Faced with a growing amount of illegal fishing and other countries’ unfounded territorial claims it has become necessary to step up the fishery administration’s patrols to protect China’s rights and interests,” the China Daily quoted official Wu Zhuang as saying. BBC … Read entire article »
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China Loans Russian Dollars for Oil
That trade surplus with the U.S.? China is using part of it to buy oil from the Russians. After the infrastructure is built, maybe the Chinese will just step in and take it. BBC Russia and China have signed a $25bn (£17.54bn) deal that will see Beijing supplied with oil from Siberian fields in exchange for loans to Russian firms. China Development Bank will lend $15bn to Russian state oil firm Rosneft, and $10bn to pipeline firm Transneft. In return Russia will supply 15 million tons – 300,000 barrels a day – of oil annually for 20 years. China is the world’s second biggest oil importer, and has looked to diversify its imports away from the Middle East. … Read entire article »
Filed under: China, China's Economy
China’s Exports Drop
China’s exports fell more than expected in January, down 17.5% from a year earlier, marking the biggest drop in more than 10 years, figures have shown. Imports were down 43.1% in the month compared with a year ago, as China’s economy continued to be hit by the global economic slowdown. Analysts say the slowdown could prompt more factory closures and job losses. China’s global trade surplus widened to $39.1bn last month, after recording a surplus of $39bn in December. BBC The Ponzi scheme that is the Chinese economy is gravely threatened. Exports cannot fall for any length of time or the cash flow necessary to keep the economy super stimulated dies. Commodity prices must remain low and supply high. And the tens of millions of rural Chinese who work in the “new” economy must … Read entire article »
Filed under: China, China's Economy
Fireworks Caused Blaze In Beijing
China Central Television says it’s sorry for causing chaos in Beijing’s business district during a massive fire that engulfed part of its new tower building. The broadcaster apologized Tuesday for the confusion and congestion caused by Monday night’s fire, which struck its new, still-unoccupied, 30-story building, being built to house CCTV’s television studios and the luxury Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the state-owned Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. One firefighter died and seven others were hurt battling the blaze, which authorities say was caused by an unauthorized Chinese lunar New Year fireworks display set off at the site, the news agency said. In a statement on its Web site, the broadcaster said it “feels sorrowful for the great loss that the fire inflicted on national assets. CCTV sincerely apologizes for the traffic congestion and inconvenience … Read entire article »
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China Drought Worst in 50 Years
Parts of China are experiencing their worst drought in half a century, threatening the water supply of millions of people and putting the winter harvest at risk, state media reported. The dry spell has spread rapidly across seven key agricultural provinces, triggering calls from President Hu Jintao and other top leaders to step up support for the affected areas. ”The duration, scope and impact of the drought are rare,” said China Meteorological Administration chief Zheng Guoguang. At least 3.7 million people and 1.9 million head of livestock are affected. About 9.5 million hectares of farmland, representing 43 percent of the country’s winter wheat supplies, are also affected. No rain has been forecast for the next 10 days. The Standard Newspaper … Read entire article »
Filed under: China, China's Economy
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