Blogs » Society » CCTV’s extensive coverage of Hurricane Sandy gives fodder for satire

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• CCTV’s extensive coverage of Hurricane Sandy gives fodder for satire
• Tall Tales from Shanghai Chefs
• Three military officers arrested in Taiwan on suspicion of spying for China
• Corrupt official worth $1.2 billion still not sure how to spend it all
• Sky and ITV reporters grabbed by police while covering Ningbo protests
• The Festival: Shanghai’s Harvest Festival Chain Restaurant Goes Upscale
• 1 year in prison for Hunan gaokao examiner who rang bell 5 minutes early
• Get Your Creep On At The Jim Boyce-Inspired Momo Party At Fubar Next Monday
• ‘Illicit Financial Flows From China And The Role Of Trade Misinvoicing’: Global Financial Integrity
• Mahjong’s Best Compete In World Mahjong Championship In Chongqing
• Two More Instances Of Kindergarten Abuse: Needle-Jabbing As Punishment And Horrific Sexual Abuse [UPDATE]
• Judicial Reform In China And Its Impact On Foreign Investment
• Petit George: Homey cafe serving tasty burgers and salads
• Bloomberg reporter received death threats after Xi Jinping story
• Jetstar crew held hostage for 6 hours by angry Chinese passengers
• Watch: CNN retraces Chen Guangcheng's escape from house arrest
• Chinese companies using “illegal” permits for large-scale logging in the Congo
• Real estate billionaire Wang Shi leaves wife for sexy young girlfriend Tian Pujun
• Two foreigners arrested in Shenzhen with 2.25 million RMB worth of heroin in them
• Trailer: When China Met Africa, documentary from the front lines of China's foray into Africa

CCTV’s extensive coverage of Hurricane Sandy gives fodder for satire Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:39 PM PDT As the East Coast of the United States braces against the superstorm Sandy, which is said to have cut power supply for millions of people, claimed dozens of lives and taken huge economic toll on the nation, Chinese state broadcaster, China Central Television, has dispatched a cohort of reporters to cover the calamity and reserved a significant part of its news program for its coverage. However, instead of focusing on how American people have suffered, most Chinese netizens took the television network to task. Many net users were furious at CCTV's benign neglect of civil protests at home (in Ningbo) and attempt to divert attention by giving priorities to situations abroad. @总裁聚焦: #Media Focus# The entire world is aware of things in Ningbo, except that CCTV is not. But CCTV knows clearly about any single disaster in the United States. It seems CCTV aims to serve the United States. We can infer from it that it is a stooge for the Imperialistic America! (2,522 shares, 306 comments) A political cartoonist going by the pen name "Murong Aoao," who enjoys much popularity on Chinese social media, did not let go the chance of mocking the establishment. @慕容嗷嗷: CCTV is a U.S. news organization with great conscience. (37,760 shares, 10,168 comments) But others' scathingly scornful remarks pointe to the inconvenient truth that many senior Chinese officials have sent their families and especially their children to the United States. @记者刘向南: CCTV has sent so many reporters to the (disaster) scenes to cover the hurricane in the U.S. Some netizens wonder: why we did not see them work so hard on the thing in Ningbo! But others explain: (the news) is actually aired for leaders, because their kids are all there! (15,099 shares, 3,635 comments) @fen1234: Why did CCTV reporters travel across the ocean and risk their life to report the hurricane in the U.S. from the very front? A few guesses ventured by netizens: 1, To materialize their noble belief in internationalism. 2, Due to their lofty journalistic ideals. 3, They have money to burn before going over this year's budget. 4, They are balls-achingly bored. 5, They want to tell Chinese people that the Imperialistic America is suffering in deep water and scorching fire. 6, They want to show this to the leaders, because the wives and children of the leaders are all there. (19,980 shares, 4,910 comments) Some netizens wrote up their own fake news stories by parodying CCTV's stilted and propagandist reporting style, although some elements of their stories are unmistakably and painfully familiar to Chinese people. @假装在纽约: After the United States was hit by the once-in-a-century hurricane, 1, President Obama hurried to the disaster area and wrote in tears "An abundance of disasters will only make the nation stronger" at Brooklyn Middle School. (An allusion to Chinese premier Wen Jiabao's visit to an earthquake-hit school in 2008, where he wrote the aforementioned words on a blackboard, a gesture widely believed to be more show than substance.) 2, Washington Post raises the New York Municipal Government and City Committee for their effective management and success in leading party members to play important roles and minimize the harm. 3, The Heart-to-Heart Art Troupe from CNN went to the disaster-hit area and gave consolatory performances. 4, A number of ordinary citizens reported they had received a text message: "In the face of the disaster, a united people is like a fortress. The New York Red Cross calls on everyone to extend their helping hand. Bank account number: ****." (An allusion to Beijing authorities' solicitation of donations following a rainstorm to the fury of Chinese netizens.)  @那个野和尚: After the hurricane, President Obama rushed to the disaster-hit area in no time to mobilize rescue efforts and console the people. President Obama, with his shaky hands, wrote down on a blackboard, "Many disasters will be the country more strong" (sic.), and said to the people, "You should have faith in the Democratic Party and our government." People affected (by Sandy) held tight to President Obama's hands, their eyes teary, and chanted in unison, "With President Obama and the government on our side, the hurricane cannot destroy America!"

Tall Tales from Shanghai Chefs Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:57 PM PDT Date: Oct 31st 2012 11:20a.m. Contributed by: chefhu

Three military officers arrested in Taiwan on suspicion of spying for China Posted: 30 Oct 2012 09:00 PM PDT A retired Lt. Colonel in the Republic of China Navy has been arrested in Taiwan on suspicion of "spying for officials at the Communist Party in China" and "bribing other officers in the navy for illegal gains" while working at the Naval Meteorological & Oceanographic Office. [ more › ]

Corrupt official worth $1.2 billion still not sure how to spend it all Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:03 PM PDT By LUO GUAN Corruption Correspondent Du enjoys a rare moment of downtime after molesting a nine-year-old girl GUIYANG (China Daily Show) – Surrounded by stacked bills amounting to several million dollars, corrupt Guizhou rail official Du Guan admits he's no longer quite certain why he needs that much money. "At the time, accumulating hundreds of millions in dirty money seemed like an important thing to do," Du reflects, fingering a packet of rotting 100-yuan notes. "But now I've got so much, it just seems kind-of obscene and pointless. I do sometimes wonder what the point of it all is," he says, gesturing at a large pile of diamond-encrusted dog collars. Over his years riding the greasy pole to become a senior official in the Ministry of Railways, 58-year-old Du has taken bribes, received sweeteners, skimmed commissions, pocketed finders' fees, looted public funds and accepted lavish gifts totaling around $1.2 billion. But as he negotiates his way around towers of shrink-wrapped iPads and steps over a crate of Omegas watches still in their original boxes, Du says the countless riches have brought him little in the way of personal enjoyment, professional satisfaction or long-term familial security. "As the way of these things go, I will likely get caught in a few years' time and my family will be stripped of all wealth, status, assets and holdings," Du says. "It would be really great to look back from my cell at a life lived richly and to the full – but, sadly, that is in no way the case." Suffering from an array of health problems brought on by a working lifestyle that necessitates excessive smoking, drinking, cheating and lying, Du's high blood-pressure, bronchial problems and heart condition mean he can no longer properly enjoy the few hours' of tawdry extramarital sex that is his sole pleasure and birthright. Instead, most nights, Du slips sadly home from another desultory banquet, counts up more dirty money in his garage and then endures a brief, terse exchange with his estranged wife before collapsing into the spare room. Du confesses he has no hobbies or interests, cannot invest any ill-gotten gains legally in stocks or shares, and is limited in how he even flaunts his wealth by excessive public scrutiny. He owns 235 empty apartments, some of which may already have been demolished; Du isn't sure. "Accumulating enormous stacks of cash has become an end in itself," admits a tear-stricken Gu. "I stick it under my bed, bury it, hide it – almost anything, except do anything meaningful with it." China Daily Show often covers stories Western media ignores. Stay focused with @chinadailyshow on Twitter

Sky and ITV reporters grabbed by police while covering Ningbo protests Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:00 PM PDT Reporters from Sky News were "violently" dragged away by plain-clothes police as they tried to interview protesters in Ningbo who are continuing to gather outside government offices in order to ensure local politicians keep their promise to halt plans to expand a petrochemical plant (More after the jump). [ more › ]

The Festival: Shanghai’s Harvest Festival Chain Restaurant Goes Upscale Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:45 PM PDT Date: Oct 31st 2012 10:36a.m. Contributed by: miss_ng_in_action

1 year in prison for Hunan gaokao examiner who rang bell 5 minutes early Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:00 PM PDT The gaokao, China's ultra-competitive national college entrance exam, is serious, serious business. A teacher in Hunan has been sentenced to a year in prison for ringing the bell to end the exam five minutes early. [ more › ]

Get Your Creep On At The Jim Boyce-Inspired Momo Party At Fubar Next Monday Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:00 PM PDT Beijing-based hookup app Momo and its 16 million users are about to get a bit less cool. Local nightlife blogger Jim Boyce, as he tells it on Beijing Boyce, has convinced the owner of Fubar to hold a Momo Party next Monday. No, really: Last week, I found myself sitting next to a group of women in Fubar. They were rather demure until I asked if they knew anything about Momo / 陌陌. That did it: They got out their phones, showed their accounts and explained it to me. That led to an idea with Kevin Zhang of Fubar to throw a Momo Party next Monday, November 5, with specials on Momojitos and more. Zhang also says he can help the linguistically challenged expatriate who wants to set up a Chinese-language account, although there is also now an English version. This is simply too rich. Jim Boyce, proprietor of the wine consultancy Grape Wall of China, bon vivant, this guy –  – is responsible for a Momo Party. What a perfect intersection of professional and hip, foreign and local, middle-aged and young, said nobody. The big news surrounding the app, of course, is that it's getting an English version. But why wait? Head on over to Fubar on Monday and learn how to do it like the Chinese do. One quick word of advice though: when you "toss the bottle" in Momo, you're not fishing for the perfect wine. Unless wine is a metaphor for sex. In which case, totally.

‘Illicit Financial Flows From China And The Role Of Trade Misinvoicing’: Global Financial Integrity Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:25 PM PDT When I lived in Taiwan in 1980s and 1990s, I first learned about 'misinvoicing' firsthand from Taiwanese exporters who were friends of mine. They had all parked considerable assets overseas, avoiding Taiwanese taxes and currency controls. Although often complex in practice, misinvoicing essentially works like this. An exporter sells a widget for $100 to a foreign buyer; at home, he files an invoice for $90; he then deposits the difference, $10, in an offshore bank account. Later, I similarly learned that the Chinese were as adept at misinvoicing as their Taiwanese compatriots. I just had no idea how adept they were. According to the Global Financial Integrity's report 'Illicit Financial Flows From China And The Role Of Trade Misinvoicing': Over the period 2000 to 2011, cumulative illicit financial flows from China totaled a massive US$3.79 trillion, if one were to exclude the country's intra-regional trade with Hong Kong and Macao. We found that if adjustments for such trade were not made, the resulting outflows due to trade misinvoicing were significantly understated due to trade data distortions. The sharp rise in illicit outflows, from US$172.6 billion in 2000 to US$602.9 in 2011,…. And, what are the Chinese doing with those trillions?: A significant part of the illicit outflows from China round-trip back to the country as recorded foreign direct investment (FDI). Such round-tripped FDI is given preferential treatment vis-à-vis domestic capital such as tax concessions, government guarantee of loans extended by foreign corporations to domestic firms, land and other facilities at concessional rates, etc. Have a look at the press release, especially the notes: Click here [PDF] to download the full report, "Illicit Financial Flows from China and the Role of Trade Misinvoicing." Click here [PDF] to download the executive summary. Click here [XLSX] to download Excel spreadsheet with report data tables. Click here to read the article in The Economist, "Capital Outflows: The flight of the renminbi." Click here to read GFI's most recent global report on illicit financial outflows from all developing and emerging economies, "Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries over the Decade Ending 2009," published in December 2011. Click here to read more about the 2012 Pew Global Attitudes Survey. For a bio of GFI Lead Economist Dev Kar, click here.  For a bio of GFI Economist Sarah Freitas, click here.  For a bio of GFI Director Raymond Baker, click here. Astonishing.

Mahjong’s Best Compete In World Mahjong Championship In Chongqing Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT The best mahjong players from around the world, representing 13 countries, have converged in Chongqing for a four-day tournament that ends later today. According to Sina: The first Eight sessions will determine the team and country rank. For these sessions, efforts will be made to ensure that players from different countries will have an opportunity to face each other. For the Ninth, and Tenth sessions, the players with the highest scores will be grouped together. The final rankings will use the cumulative scores from all ten sessions. The keys to winning are "focus, patience, and knowing when to and not to chase after the big pot," says BJC contributor Alicia, our go-to expert on all things mahjong. There is also "offense," "defense," and "psychology — learning how to read your opponents," apparently. So there you have it: Zol zayn mit mazel, mahjong competitors. More pictures after the jump.

Two More Instances Of Kindergarten Abuse: Needle-Jabbing As Punishment And Horrific Sexual Abuse [UPDATE] Posted: 30 Oct 2012 11:18 AM PDT When it rains, it pours. Following revelations of child abuse by this terrible kindergarten teacher, who took hundreds of pictures of herself tormenting her students, and this kindergarten teacher, who was caught on tape slapping kids, and this kindergarten teacher, who nearly killed a child by flinging her to the ground, we have two more cases of abuse to report. First, the slightly less shocking of the two: in Shandong province recently, a child reportedly told his parents to leave the lights on at night so that his teacher doesn't jab him with a needle. If that seems like an irrational fear for a child to have, you'll be disconcerted to learn that it's not just a nightmare: his teacher actually abuses him by jabbing him with a needle. The teacher has been using this punitive measure for as long as three years, and on multiple children. A parent says in the newscast that the needle was the teacher's go-to punishment, which is very disturbing. The second case is much more worse. Via Guangzhou Daily, translated by The Nanfang, you may want to prepare yourself for this: Yesterday, Guangzhou Daily reported that a 3 year-old girl identified as Keke had been sexually abused by her 61 year-old teacher. See correction below On Oct. 25, Keke's mother was bathing her when the toddler said the lower part of her body was in severe pain. It was later discovered that her teacher had sexually abused her. He was arrested by police in Haizhu District and later confessed to taking the girl into a toilet cubicle and committing obscene acts. Three years old. Goddamnit, humans. UPDATE, 2:41 am: It wasn't her teacher, but a doorkeeper. According to China Daily: He was dismissed shortly after the girl's parents reported the alleged harassment to the kindergarten, Liu said. The girl, aged 2 years, 11 months, told her parents of the incident, which happened when she was taking a shower, according to the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily. The girl's parents and her uncle went to the kindergarten and got in a fight with the doorkeeper after watching a surveillance video provided by the kindergarten. "My daughter now doesn't dare go to the kindergarten. She is too frightened and always wakes up at night," her father said. Here's the Youku video of the top newscast:

Judicial Reform In China And Its Impact On Foreign Investment Posted: 30 Oct 2012 10:39 AM PDT By: Steve Dickinson The PRC State Council Information Office just published  a White Paper on Judicial Reform in China. The purpose of the White Paper is to provide a snapshot view of the progress of legal reform in China over the past ten years. Readers who are interested in the current state of the Chinese legal system and the projection of future trends should take a look. Even for those who do not fully agree with the assessment will benefit by seeing what the top level of the Chinese government believes is important about China's legal system and its future development. Four issues raised in the White Paper are of particular interest to foreign investors in China: 1.  The number of lawyers and lawsuits is rapidly increasing. This is contrary to what many foreign investors believe and the implications of this must be understood. The White Paper provides the following basic statistics: There are currently 18,200 law firms in China, up 31.6% from 2000 There are 210,000 lawyers registered in China. In 2011, Chinese lawyers acted as counselors for 392,000 clients, up 24.6% from 2008. Chinese lawyers handled 2.315 million litigation cases in 2011, up 17.7% from 2008. The White Paper does not mention that the number of judges in China has remained static at about 200,000 over this same period.  This has meant an increasing workload for the judges and has negatively affected the quality of decisions. Nonetheless, Chinese people are still making active use of the court system to resolve disputes. Most foreign business people are unaware of the large amount of litigation that occurs in China and tend to believe that they will never be sued. They therefore do not prepare for lawsuits and, when sued, they do not take the matter seriously and often do not respond promptly and effectively. This is a mistake. As the numbers above show, there are a lot of lawyers in China and they make their money suing people. When a dispute arises, the likelihood of being sued in China is actually quite high. Far higher for example than in Japan or in Korea. 2. China has made major progress in the administration of civil justice. The improvements fall into four areas: 1) The functions of case filing, trial and execution have been clearly separated. The major change here is in the substantial improvements in executing on judgments. Though this may sound like a purely technical issue, it actually has important practical consequences for foreign companies doing business. Criticisms of the Chinese legal system often center on the difficulty in enforcing judgments. As a result of recent reforms, most Chinese courts have a created a department that focuses exclusively on enforcement. This has resulted in substantial improvement in the enforcement of monetary awards in most major jurisdictions. In addition, pre-judgment attachment of assets has become much more effective, adding a major tool for enforcing monetary awards. For foreign investors, this change cuts both ways. It has made litigation against Chinese companies more attractive since the Chinese company now has a real fear that any judgment will be enforced against it by seizure and sale of assets. On the other hand, it means that where the foreign party is a defendant, there is now a substantial risk that an adverse decision will have a strong negative impact. We are already seeing the impact of this in the willingness of Chinese companies to settle our clients claims against them. 2) The application of the law has been clarified through legal guidance. China is a civil law system, meaning that decided cases are not binding. This lack of case law precedent is often cited as a weakness of the Chinese system, since the laws are written in a sketchy and often vague manner. The Chinese themselves have recognized that weakness and have filled the gap in two ways. First, the Supreme People's Court regularly issues binding guidelines on the interpretation of important statutes. Second, the SPC and local high courts regularly publish authoritative cases with extensive commentary. These measures have been well received by Chinese lawyers and judges and have substantially improved clarity in the interpretation of Chinese laws. This too has led to Chinese companies focusing on settling claims so as to avoid being sued and losing. 3) Standardization in awards. The Supreme Court has worked to achieve greater certainty and predictability in damage awards in civil cases. This removes much uncertainty in the litigation process and it also decreases opportunities for local judges to engage in bribery or other unacceptable practices. 4). Case management has been improved. China's major courts have installed modern case management systems. Many courts now use an on-line management system that allow parties to independently monitor the progress of a case. In many jurisdictions, streamlined case systems have been adopted that allow for quickly resolving simple matters and small claim matters. The result of all this is that Chinese lawsuits proceed to trial much faster than is common elsewhere in the world. This speed can take foreign parties very much by surprise. A Chinese lawsuit can be filed and tried in the time it takes merely to provide an answer in North American and European courts. From my experience, Chinese courts are not concerned about the thorough preparation of a case. They are more concerned that a case be heard quickly. The Chinese court motto seems to be "Justice delayed is justice denied." Foreign investors need to take this into account. When service of a lawsuit is received, the defendant must respond immediately. There is no room for delay. In part two, we will discuss the impact of China's legal reforms on criminal cases.

Petit George: Homey cafe serving tasty burgers and salads Posted: 30 Oct 2012 09:15 AM PDT Smooshed between a Coco and a convenience store underneath a freeway might seem a peculiar spot to find a snug little Western cafe. But take one step inside Petit George, and the raucous squawks and neon lights of Shanghai immediately evaporate, leaving you wondering if you're still in Asia. [ more › ]

Bloomberg reporter received death threats after Xi Jinping story Posted: 30 Oct 2012 09:00 AM PDT Leta Hong Fincher (previously), who is married to Bloomberg reporter Mike Forsythe, has revealed on Twitter that their family received death threats after Forsythe's dramatic Xi Jinping expose, which also resulted in Bloomberg being harmonised off the Chinese internet. [ more › ]

Jetstar crew held hostage for 6 hours by angry Chinese passengers Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT A mob of angry passengers held a Jetstar pilot and crew hostage for over six hours after their flight was diverted from Beijing to Shanghai due to bad weather. [ more › ]

Watch: CNN retraces Chen Guangcheng's escape from house arrest Posted: 30 Oct 2012 07:00 AM PDT CNN's Steve Jiang visits blind human rights activist Chen Guangcheng's childhood home in Shandong Province, the setting of Chen's dramatic escape from house arrest last year that led to a diplomatic stand-off between China and the US eventually resulting in Chen, along with his wife and children, flying from Beijing to New York City. [ more › ]

Chinese companies using “illegal” permits for large-scale logging in the Congo Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:28 AM PDT An investigation by Global Witness has revealed how foreign companies are exploiting Congolese forests to feed Chinese demand for tropical hardwood. Researcher Colin Robertson spoke to chinadialogue from DRC. See the full report from Global Witness: "The art of logging industrially in the Congo" Olivia Boyd: What have you found is happening on the ground?   Colin Robertson: There's a moratorium on logging concessions in place in the Congo – a freeze was put in place because there were so many bad contracts handed out in the 1990s. But logging is still being done by certain big companies. There is still a big demand for wood from the DRC, in particular for a tropical hardwood called Wenge, which is actually banned for export from, for example, Cameroon.   So people want to come to DRC to export this species. Because they can't get new concessions, the solution that has been found is to give out what are called artisanal permits to industrial loggers. These permits are intended for communities who want to log in their forest on a small scale, but in reality they are being given out to companies, to foreign investors, often from China, from Lebanon, sometimes from Europe, who are coming to DRC to do industrial-scale logging.   The DRC government has not respected its own laws when it has been giving out its own permits. The law is quite clear about how many permits should be given out and to whom. But these rules are not being respected at all levels.   OB: Why not?   CR: Obviously logging is one of the few things that drives inward investment in DRC. This is one thing that foreign companies are keen to come here to do. It is economically driven.   Our researchers found that what logging leaves behind in terms of development is actually very small. The taxes paid by the companies are actually very small – a few thousand dollars for a permit. It's not a huge input, but it's seen as something that can benefit the state, or the officials allowing the logging.   OB: What are the environmental impacts of the logging?   CR: Genuine artisanal logging doesn't necessarily have a huge impact because the people involved don't have the ability to open up new roads into the forest. But with the way these permits are being used industrially, the companies often bring in bulldozers and other machinery. They're opening logging roads into the forest, and after that the forest becomes degraded quite quickly. It also allows for illegal loggers and poachers to follow them in. It has a very serious environmental impact on the ground.   In the DRC, forest is actually quite well preserved now, but we don't think it will stay that way forever because there is so much pressure on the forest for logging.   OB: How about the impacts on local people?   CR: We've seen that the foreign companies will give something to the community. There are lots of agreements signed. But what we find is that often these end up being things like gifts to the local chief, such as a motorbike, or cigarettes or alcohol. There isn't really anything in terms of social contribution by the company, like building a school or a clinic.   There's also a legal problem in DRC: according to the law, communities should have the right to create a community forest, which they can manage themselves and where they can make their own choices about whether to log or not to log. There's a decree which has been on the desk of the prime minister for the last two years and that would provide the basis for communities to make decisions about forest management in their own interests. But at the moment, foreign companies are coming and taking the logging permits, and the communities aren't able to have any control over what's happening to their forest.   OB: What has this got to do with China?   CR: China has two roles. It's becoming the biggest market for tropical hardwood from the DRC. Even the Lebanese players are, more and more, exporting to China, where there is a growing demand for luxury furniture and flooring. 2012 was the first year where more wood has gone to China from DRC than to the EU – it is now the main destination.   But it isn't just about servicing the luxury furniture market in China. Our analysis shows that 20-25% of what is produced in China in terms of luxury hardwood flooring, for example, goes to North America and Europe. China increasingly does the processing. It's a long supply chain.   This is important because in the EU, for example, you have legal regulations coming in next year on the trade of illegal timber, which say that you can't put illegally harvested timber or wood products on the European market. This means European companies buying in China need to be more aware of where they're buying from, to look more closely at the supply chain and make sure that there aren't any grey areas.   In terms of the loggers themselves, there are more and more Chinese people here in DRC involved in logging activities, using these kinds of permits. It isn't just China – there are also Lebanese and some Europeans – but the majority are Chinese. In Bandundu Province, where we did our research, the two biggest logging companies we visited were Chinese. The main one is called TERCO. It's a registered Congolese company but it's a partnership between a Chinese businessman and a Congolese businessman. Quite a lot of companies here work in that way, through partnerships.   OB: Are these companies actually breaking the law, given they've been granted permits?   CR: The way the companies see it, which is in some ways understandable, is that they have a permit signed by someone in authority. They don't feel like they're breaking the law.   But we would say that all sorts of companies working here have the responsibility not just to go to the authorities, get a piece of paper signed by someone and start working. They need to actually look at the law and make sure they are completely within the law. In a lot of countries, you can get a permit signed by an official, but it doesn't necessarily mean you are following regulations.   OB: What would you like to see happen next?   CR: Our main recommendation to the DRC government is to respect their own laws. We feel there should be a freeze on logging permits to foreign companies. And the community forest decree should be passed – that's very important because communities will be able to have artisanal logging permits themselves, to benefit from and to manage their forests. We feel artisanal logging should be for these loggers, and not for foreign companies to come. The government should say publically that they're going to stop granting logging permits to foreign companies.   There's a new environment minister here. All of the permits were signed by the old minister. Now there's a chance to bring in a new approach and make sure permits are signed in line with the law.   OB: Is there anything Chinese consumers can do?   CR: For the Chinese consumer, it might be quite difficult. But for Chinese buyers of timber – companies which are buying tropical hardwood from DRC – if they want to be able to make sure they can sell to Europe and North America, then they need to make sure they can track back to the level of concession where their timber comes from. If they can't do that, there's a strong chance that they are buying timber with a permit which hasn't been issued in line with the law.

Real estate billionaire Wang Shi leaves wife for sexy young girlfriend Tian Pujun Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:00 AM PDT Front pages across China are currently reporting that 61-year-old real estate billionaire Wang Shi has divorced his wife for his 31-year-old girlfriend Tian Pujun. Chinese netizens are naturally shocked as rich old men have never demonstrated a propensity for young sexy women ever before. [ more › ]

Two foreigners arrested in Shenzhen with 2.25 million RMB worth of heroin in them Posted: 30 Oct 2012 05:00 AM PDT The Shenzhen Daily reports that two men have been arrested at Shenzhen International Airport after being discovered in possession of over 3,000 grams of heroin, worth an estimated 2.25 million RMB. [ more › ]

Trailer: When China Met Africa, documentary from the front lines of China's foray into Africa Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:00 AM PDT When China Met Africa is a documentary focusing on three characters at the forefront of the Sino-African relationship. "Mr Liu is one of thousands of Chinese entrepreneurs who have settled across the continent in search of new opportunities. He has just bought his fourth farm and business is booming. In northern Zambia, Mr Li, a project manager for a multinational Chinese company is upgrading Zambia's longest road. Pressure to complete the road on time intensifies when funds from the Zambian government start running out. Meanwhile Zambia's Trade Minister is on route to China to secure millions of dollars of investment." [ more › ]

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