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

China faces surging protests and riots in 2009 as rising unemployment stokes discontent, a state-run magazine said in a blunt warning of the hazards to Communist Party control from a sharp economic downturn.

The unusually stark report in this week’s Outlook (Liaowang) Magazine, issued by the official Xinhua news agency, said faltering growth could spark anger among millions of migrant workers and university graduates left jobless.

“Without doubt, now we’re entering a peak period for mass incidents,” a senior Xinhua reporter, Huang Huo, told the magazine, using the official euphemism for riots and protests.

“In 2009, Chinese society may face even more conflicts and clashes that will test even more the governing abilities of all levels of the Party and government.”

Reuters

China has used its trade surplus with the US to fund its military expansion and to pay for the 10% plus growth it claims for its economy. What happens when the money dries up?

China’s exports have dropped into their biggest decline in a decade.

Exports in December were down 2.8% from the same time last year, a bigger decline than November’s 2.2% drop, the China Daily said.

The numbers provided fresh evidence of a serious trade slump that has caused a wave of factory closures and staff layoffs, analysts said.

The communist leadership has expressed fears of social unrest as economic problems worsen.

BBC