Blogs » Politics » A Ten Year Old Girl For Sale
Blogs » Politics » A Ten Year Old Girl For Sale |
- A Ten Year Old Girl For Sale
- China as a Responsible Power: “Known by the Company You Keep”
- On the recent Diaoyu Islands Dispute
- Environmentalist Ex-NBA Star Visits Kenya on Anti-Poaching Tour
- Americans Not the Only Ones Outraged at U.S. Rep’s “Legitimate Rape” Remarks
- Does China need a new religion for the 21st century?
- MOOve Over Miss World
- Chinese Visa Plan Poses ‘Security Threat’
- Can One Woman’s Case Change a 70-Year Old System of Injustice?
- The Daily Twit – 8/21/12: The Two Chinas, Journalist Smackdowns, and Junk Patents
- Yang Rui Needs to Call the Atone Phone
- Mass Effect: Chinese Protesters Rack Up Another Win
- State Media Mixed About Myanmar Press Freedom
- Photo: Diaoyu Islands Dispute Goes Local…In Flushing, by flippy whale
- U.S. Looms Large Over China’s Sovereignty Disputes
- Concern at Abuse of Foreign Journalists in China
- Bo Supporters Drawing Battle Lines Within the CCP
- Anti-Japanese protests erupted in Chinese cities see some violence
- South China Sea Dispute Spreads to San Francisco
- “十送红军”
| Posted: 21 Aug 2012 09:16 AM PDT  Ten year old Jinxi was wiping her name from an advertisement of herself painted on the outside wall of her step father's house. She only wiped out her name, but dare not touch the words 'Good Price for Sale' and the contact phone number. August 10, 2012, Jinxi was dragged out of bed by her step father Mr. Wu Hainan to the local human trafficking market in Mile County of Yunnan Province. Wu hanged a big sign on Jinxi's neck, which read 'Good Price for Sale' and his phone number. When police was tipped to the scene, Wu was bargaining with a buyer. He insisted such as pretty and obedient girl worth at least 100 thousand Yuan ($1500). Police escorted Jinxi back to her home, a new government development ironically named 'Harmonic Garden'. Wu refused to let police and the Jinxi in. A local official came to persuade Wu to open the door. Police and local officials informed Wu it was against the law to sell children for money. The family had been receiving government vouchers for low income people of RMB 453 Yuan ($60) per month. They lives in a government subsidized low rent housing development. The government will help them in case of financial difficulties. In the end, Wu agreed to keep Jinxi, for now. 'Government voucher was not even enough to pay the rent for the 400 square feet apartment,' said Wu. Wu stated he was in his 50s, no longer fit to earn enough money for the family of three. Reporters visited the family in the afternoon on August 16, guided by local police. Jinxi was scared to see so many people because she was afraid Wu had made a deal with a buyer. Many advertisements of Jinxi could be seen all around the housing development complex.  Soon it was 6 o'clock. Jinxi made dinner, then work on her summer homework and calligraphy exercises. Her step mother Ms. Bi Sheng was disabled from Poliomyelitis. She told the reporters she found the girl when she was 3 days old on a roadside. She loved the girl. Bi said after the August 10 incident, she slept with Jinxi everyday. If Wu would sell Jinxi again, she would inform the police. She was worried she did not have strength to fight off Wu, and Jinxi would be sold one day. Wu was not at home that day. Here are the conversation between reporters and Jinxi: Reporters: 'What if your step father sold you?' Reporters: 'Do you hate your biological parents?' Reporters, 'Then do you hate your step parents?' Jinxi told reporters that the only thing she could do was to work hard on her schoolwork, grow up and find a good job so she can give her step parents a good life. Reporters made several attempts to contact Jinxi's step father, but Wu refused to answer the phone. When they left, they were not sure whether they would be able to see Jinxi again.  |
| China as a Responsible Power: “Known by the Company You Keep” Posted: 21 Aug 2012 02:05 PM PDT  Will Piekos is a Research Associate for Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. On August 3, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a non-binding resolution condemning the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad for its human rights violations against opposition rebels. The West, the Arab League, and most other UN member states voted to censure Assad's government, while China, Russia, and an array of authoritarian states—including North Korea, Belarus, Zimbabwe, Iran, Myanmar, and Cuba—voted against the resolution. Though China's vote is not unexpected, it does little to enhance Beijing's efforts to be considered a responsible power. China, along with a vocal Russia, has often stated that the Syrian conflict should be resolved diplomatically with as little external interference as possible. Just two weeks before the August 3 vote, China and Russia joined forces to veto a July 20 Security Council resolution that would have authorized economic sanctions under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter should the Assad government fail to implement former UN-Arab League mediator Kofi Annan's peace plan. There are several reasons behind China's current stance. For one, Beijing is adhering to its long-standing foreign policy principles of sovereignty and non-intervention. A recent People's Daily opinion piece reaffirmed that "External forces should not intervene in the regime change of a state…." By adhering to its policy of non-intervention, China has often found itself at odds with the West, supporting repressive regimes such as North Korea, Sudan, and Iran. Moreover, China's foreign policy principles appear to have gained increasing resonance in the wake of the NATO and Arab League intervention in Libya. Chinese international relations specialist Shi Yinhong, for example, has stated, "China's worry about the resurgent Western 'liberal interventionism' is playing a substantial part" in determining Beijing's stance on UN actions in Syria; part of China's insistence on non-intervention is likely due to its fear of possible international intervention to support separatist movements in Xinjiang and Tibet. Some analysts even suggest that China's support of Assad is rooted in fears that Iran would be in danger of Western intervention should Syria's regime fall. Finally, even when China acquiesces to Western precepts, as it did in Libya by abstaining from UNSC Resolution 1973, some Chinese experts contend that (pdf) Beijing's actions did not improve its image and led to sizeable Chinese economic losses. Thus, Beijing would gain little if it were to abandon its principled stand in Syria. China has argued it is following a different path than the West—pursuing the same goal of peace and stability but without the need for military intervention. The Chinese leadership has publicized its attempts to engage both the Syrian government and the opposition, and it has been supportive of Kofi Annan's six-point peace plan. Chinese analysts have praised Beijing's active diplomatic role in the Syria conflict, maintaining that their mediation efforts will help solve the situation if given enough time. As Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang has indicated, "To promote the political solution to the Syria issues, China has always actively balanced its work between the Syrian government and the opposition." Western news outlets, though, have been quick to dismiss these efforts, stating that they are intended "to defuse criticism of [China's] policy on Syria's violence…." Thus far, China's diplomatic entreaties have proven fruitless, and Beijing is likely to face an increasingly untenable geopolitical position. Its relations with Arab nations, most of whom support the anti-Assad rebels, may well suffer. Though these countries have not denounced China directly, they are clearly of a different mind on the issue; Syria's government has already been suspended from both the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Moreover, China is hurting its international image by opposing harsher measures against the Assad regime. For some time now, Beijing has taken great pain to be seen by the world community as a great power and earn the political respect that accompanies economic success. One such example is China's efforts to have the EU lift its arms embargo on China (initially a response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown). Ironically, China has argued that it is degrading to be put in the same category as other EU-sanctioned countries such as Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar—the same countries with which it often allies. Beijing cannot expect to be seen as a responsible world power while it associates with pariah states and defends a Syrian dictator engaged in a bloody civil war to keep power. By affiliating itself with countries on the edge of the current world order, China is undermining its own strategic aspirations. It will not be able to gain the respect of the international community or inject its ideas into the global conscience. China's leadership would be wise to remember the old adage, "You are known by the company you keep."
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| On the recent Diaoyu Islands Dispute Posted: 21 Aug 2012 02:11 PM PDT There's been another round of commotion related to the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands (in Japanese it's called Senkaku) between China and Japan. It all started with a Tokyo mayor trying to 'buy' the island from some supposed private citizen who 'owns' it. We know these islands' administrative control was simply given to the Japanese by the U.S., and in the Chinese government's view, a violation of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, which stipulate that Japan must return all lands it usurped during the Second World War. In response, some activists from Hong Kong and Macau landed and was soon captured by the Japanese coast guard, though couple of days ago, were released. That sparked protests in Japan. In turn, some Japanese activists have landed on the Diaoyu Islands. That then sparked protests in China. At the moment, the U.S. is conducting military exercises with Japan, designed to deal with China in case China one day takes it by force. China's reaction to that exercise here. What now? I want to weigh in with couple of thoughts. First of all, I should point out that land and border disputes are very common on this planet. See my prior post, "On Territorial Disputes," where I examined some of the disputes involving U.S. and Canada. Not to mention, if Mexico is much more powerful than the U.S., perhaps she'd want California back! Secondly, the alliance between the U.S. and Japan is complex, and not without grief to the Japanese. Japan will ultimately look after her self-interest in the long run. Japan is in a heated dispute with South Korea for Dokdo. She is also unhappy with Russia for holding unto the Kuril Islands. Asians oppose her bid for more political power within the U.N. simply because Japan has failed to own up to history. Recently, Japan tried to claim an atoll in the Pacific Ocean as an island, and if successful, would allow Japan to claim exclusive economic zone to areas within. This effort was thwarted by South Korea and China. See my prior article, "China, Japan, and U.S., a case of 'paper, rock, and scissors'." Japan's destiny must include rapprochement with China, South Korea, and other Asian neighbors. The United States have the military might, so she will use it as a tool in her foreign policy. That's really what sets the country apart from China. But the order imposed by America today has allowed for somewhat a peaceful development to take place within the region. This is why China's foreign policy is one that to embrace the world institutions and try to change it from within – as oppose to try to confront them head-on. This is essentially recognizing America's hegemonic status in the world and demonstrative China's constructive policy in moving forward. So, what is there to do for China? To me, all road leads back to Confucius, and that's 中庸. China shouldn't get overly agitated. China should stay firm in defending what's rightfully hers. The long term arrangement within Asia is one where such disputes are settled amicably. People may lack imagination today on how that is done, but they must have faith that peace will prevail. That's why the diplomats between the countries are paid a lot. It's their career choice to be problem solvers of this sort. |
| Environmentalist Ex-NBA Star Visits Kenya on Anti-Poaching Tour Posted: 21 Aug 2012 08:51 AM PDT Since retiring from the National Basketball Association a year ago, Chinese star Yao Ming has become a committed environmentalist. He is currently working with WildAid to "promote wildlife conservation and to reduce the demand for products from endangered or threatened species". China is a significant market for products such as ivory and thus having Yao Ming lead the cause was a perfect fit for WildAid; well over half of illegal ivory ends up in China. From 11 August, 2012, Ming arrived for his first African tour and was hosted in Kenya's capital Nairobi – one of the few cities in the world with a national park. The Nairobi National Park plays host to the Kenya Wildlife Services' headquarters, which is the custodian of the country's national parks and most public conservation areas.  Yao Ming comes face to face with a poached elephant in Northern Kenya. Image by Kristian Schmidt from WildAid Facebook page. In response to the visit, DailyKenya blog says:
On his African travel blog, YaoMingBlog, Yao Ming himself has captured each and every step of this African tour along with great photos to tell the story further:
Nanyuki and the North blog captures Yao Ming's visit from a local's perspective in a brief post:
Written by Richard Wanjohi · comments (0) |
| Americans Not the Only Ones Outraged at U.S. Rep’s “Legitimate Rape” Remarks Posted: 21 Aug 2012 11:33 AM PDT  U.S. Representative and would-be U.S. Senator Todd Akin In American social media, politicians, journalists, and regular folks alike came out to voice condemnation of a recent statement by Republican Congressional Representative Todd Akin that women's bodies had ways of preventing pregnancy from "legitimate rape." The inflammatory comment, which led to pressure for him to withdraw from the race for one of Missouri's U.S. Senate seats, has made headlines in China as well, as when top official news source Xinhua summarized coverage of the incident by the Daily Telegraph. "Legitimate rape" also became a topic of heated controversy in Chinese social media. @微天下, a user of Sina Weibo, China's Twitter, posted a translation of this Jezebel article on the "legitimate rape" scandal. As of this writing, the article had been reposted 971 times, and 178 people had left comments. Many voiced sentiments similar to those of outraged Americans. Said @R-18Gal领悟掀裙子拯救世界的人, "When has rape ever been legitimate?" Another user, @鹿野夏, lamented, "Why are most people who hold these positions of power so stupid?" There was even someone willing to defend Akin. @陈乃章 wrote, "Although it's a little disrespectful to women, it's true that if the female body has no reaction, 99% of men can't carry out sexual intercourse." Still, outrage against the concept of "legitimate rape" and negative comments directed at Akin predominated. One of the top comments came from @李开复, or Kai-fu Lee, former head of Google in China and Weibo celebrity, as he reposted the article to his 15 million-plus followers. He stated, simply, "The US has 'legitimate rape.' China has 'patronizing an underage prostitute.'" His comment alone was reposted 738 times and commented on 316 times. In his comment, Lee refers to the Chinese law against 'patronizing an underage prostitute,' a crime seen by many Chinese as a loophole that allows those who have raped underage girls to avoid being tried for the rape itself. Whether in the U.S. or China, it appears that public support for laws that would do more to protect women and their rights is strong. Whether that support will lead to legal or political changes will say something about the responsiveness of both countries' systems of governance.         |
| Does China need a new religion for the 21st century? Posted: 21 Aug 2012 10:14 AM PDT (This will be a controversial post so let me explain in detail before throwing any cyber tomatoes) Hu Jintao and many other top ranking Chinese officials have spoken about the need for cultural influence and development of Chinese culture. But Chinese culture does not have as much influence in the rest of the world today and now even among Chinese, much of their traditional culture is being replaced with outside influences. I believe that as China becomes more wealthy and politically influential some level of cultural influence will come with that as well. But I don't think economic development alone will do the trick for seriously developing one's own cultural influence among one's own people and others people.
But for China to truly have their own modern culture and to influence its own people and others with its culture–that is, for there to be true cultural exchanges in the world and not just a mostly one way west-to-east cultural exchange–China would need to develop something new and fitting. I see nothing wrong with outside influences per se. Often it helps with developing society as whole. Tang China was influenced by outside cultures and it assimilated those outside influences to create a more nuanced and developed Chinese culture. But I also have sympathy for those who see outside influence as a kind of harm when it is mostly a one-way street and when aspects of a foreign culture is adopted uncritically. It's shocking how many westerners are hypocrites in this regard. When it comes to Chinese cultural, linguistic, political influence in, say, Tibet, westerners often throw a fit and see this as an evil act where there is a replacement of a native culture with a foreign influence. Yet they do not sympathize with Chinese peoples' wish for the development of their own culture instead of simply adopting outside influences. They wish to save all the world's religions (well, mostly just the Judeo-Christian ones and others palatable to western tastes such as some forms of Buddhism) but wish to abolish China's native religions. But there is good reason why I think many Chinese may want to further develop their own culture, that is, to develop something that is truly their own (even if it may be influenced or inspired by foreign sources as was the case in the Tang dynasty). That is because I believe collective self-esteem is a trait necessary for a happy and prosperous nation and such self-esteem heavily depends on cultural identity. A sense of cultural identity or a consistent, practiced, living tradition that the people can identify with and be proud to call their own gives people a sense of self and self worth. It also instilled a sense of purpose in life. Like it or not, religion provides much of the glue for society. A religion is the greatest vehicle for tying all these loose ends and packaging it in a way society accepts. It is also the vehicle that makes possible what Hu and others who wish for native development can only vacuously plead for. That sense of identity, I'm afraid might sound frightening to many outside China who have been raised with the racist thought that Chinese culture and people are evil and if they had any self-esteem, would conquer the world. Thus the world must keep Chinese people in a state of cultural/spiritual sickness like it has been kept for many years. The west would love for China to adopt religion but only if it is western religion. This is why I am more and more inclined to believe that Chinese people ought to develop a new religion. But won't the re-adoption old ones do? No, not if they are adopted without any necessary changes so as to be more conducive to modern life. Religions are large aspects of culture and a culture is a mode of living and believing which must be first of all conducive to the lifestyle of the people practicing them. When they are not so conducive, they go extinct. For many of our readers who are possibly enlightened and very secular people (as I am), the suggestion may conger up the thought that I am advocating a kind of retrograde systems of superstition to be adopted by the masses of Chinese people. No. That is not what I mean by 'religion.' A religion isn't necessarily bad. Likewise, a religion isn't necessarily superstitious advocating hocus pocus metaphysics and outdated moral systems though all of the Judeo Christian ones and many forms of Buddhism and other major religions (ahem, FG) certainly do. I have in mind a very broad meaning of religion. It is what Joseph Campbell emphasized. A religion is simply a mythical narrative or story about how a people came to be, what they have done, and where they are going. It supplies the context of their creation and of their historical struggles in a way that at the same time mythologizes those experiences and gives posterity a sense of cultural value. Such a mythical narrative, as Campbell made explicitly clear, need not be fictional. It may have large elements of truth (as well as metaphor). It also supplies rituals where people can come together to share those religious experiences with each other. But developing such a narrative is a collective effort. Just like no single person made the Christian or Jewish faith as we know it today, no single person made many of the other major religions including Buddhism and Hinduism. Rather the traditions are lived. They encompass many lives in many eras and is simply the collective wisdom of a people telling their own story passed down from one generation to the next with each contributing something special and meaningful. A truly Chinese religion, whether it be created ex nihilo, or created with the inspiration of its past religious, moral, philosophical, historical developments (as I hope it will be) will need the efforts of many Chinese people to contribute. It needs to be novel, it needs to be grand, inspiring and it needs to tell the story of us as Chinese people. It is also important that it be attractive to modern people's sensibilities and worldviews. This can be achieved by making the narrative relevant to their modern lives. Hopefully China's artists are up to this great task and they need all the encouragement they could get. I believe that artists, especially writers and people in the humanities, will contribute the most here in the development of a future Chinese identity, one in which future Chinese will proudly call their own and see as a continuation of the past linked by a profound, spiritually beautiful narrative which can also teach us about ourselves and give meaning to our lives.
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| Posted: 21 Aug 2012 09:58 AM PDT While Miss China took the Miss World 2012 title, cows in Shanxi Province also had the opportunity to be crowned the winner in the Miss Dairy Cow Pageant, from The New York Daily News:
Aside from the cows, the models that appeared alongside the competitors have stirred up some controversy. The Wall Street Journal reports:
© Melissa M. Chan for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us  |
| Chinese Visa Plan Poses ‘Security Threat’ Posted: 21 Aug 2012 09:50 AM PDT The United Kingdom's Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, is trying to 'turbo-charge' tourism to the UK by capitalizing on fervor surrounding the Olympics. According to The Guardian, despite the high demand for Chinese tourists, many obstacles still prevent tourists from visiting Britain:
While some are trying to boost tourism to the UK, Theresa May, the Secretary of State for the Home Department and Minister for Women and Equality, warns of the security threat from the impending Chinese visa plan in a letter. The letter written by Katherine Hammond, May's private secretary, can be read in its entirety on The Telegraph. From the BBC:
As Chinese tourists are being courted by the UK, tourists going to China may run into some additional red tape. This change to the visa rules comes amid concerns about foreign journalists' safety in China. The Los Angeles Times reports:
All of the new requirements for the visa can be found on the English website for the People's Republic of China. © Melissa M. Chan for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us  |
| Can One Woman’s Case Change a 70-Year Old System of Injustice? Posted: 21 Aug 2012 12:24 AM PDT  Tang Hui, mother of rape victim, after her hard labor sentence was repealed The story of Tang Hui, a mother sentenced to hard labor through the "re-education through labor," or RTL, program when seeking justice for her raped daughter, may have created new impetus for legislative change. Among the voices urging Tang's release (Tang was finally released on August 10), some stepped even further to question the whole RTL system. As writer Cui Jinsheng (@雾满拦江) argues: "Reeducation through Labor is the most typical extra-judicial punishment. No court, no attorneys, and the police can strip citizens of their freedom at will. Have a look at Tang Hui's case: the daughter was raped, and the police sent the mother to hard labor. Why does such injustice exist? Because of the 'reeducation through labor' system. The terrible system put all people, including police officers, at great peril. Is there any reason for such an unjust, inhumane system to continue?" [1]
The RTL system traces its origin back to 1950s. Officially speaking, it is an administrative measure, rather than a form of judicial punishment, applied to the people who have committed misdemeanors in order to "ensure social security, prevent and reduce crimes". The program combines restriction of freedom, forced labor and ideological brainwash and is run by a bureau affiliated to the justice department. The program gives government the right to deprive one's freedom for years without trial. Due to the lack of transparency and due process, limited avenues of appeal, and poor oversight, the program has an infamous history of abuse and being used to persecute people who challenged the authority.  Text on banner: "Chen Qiufang was sentenced to 18 months of labor for illegal petitioning" Petitioners like Tang Hui and outspoken netizens are often targeted. In April 2011, a Chongqing netizen with the handle @方竹笋518 was sentenced to one-year hard labor after tweeting about the Li Zhuang case. Five months later, a Chongqing RTL committee sent a young cadre, Ren Jianyu, to hard labor because he published and shared politically sensitive tweets. It seems that RTL has become one of the favorite weapons for local governments to clamp down on China's social media. Despite the release of Tang Hui, many worry that the notorious program would make China less likely to become a country ruled by law. @莫道周公's comment is representative. "Under intense pressure from media, lawyers and citizens, the government repealed the hard labor decision [of Tang], which is a success. However, people cannot help but ask: when ordinary people can lose freedom or even life at the whim of one official, where is the rule of law and the rule of virtue? What's the difference from the old China ruled by an emperor centuries ago?" [3]
Yet, all of the attempts failed. The National People's Congress planned twice, in 2005 and 2010, to pass a new law, Legal Violation Correction Act (违法行为教育矫治法), to replace the current program. The law did not get passed because of opposition from the police department and the justice department.
The Guangdong Branch of Xinhua News Agency (@新华广东快讯) calls for systemic progress: "Could Tang Hui be the second Sun Zhigang? In 2003, the loss of life of a university graduate resulted in reflection on and correction of the repatriation system. Today, progress could happen if we reflect on the RTL system and correct it. Reflections shouldn't always come at the cost of a life." [5]  Sun Zhigang's grieving family In March 17, 2003, university student Sun Zhigang was mistaken as a vagrant because he did not have a residence permit and was put under custody to be repatriated to his hometown. Three days later, he was found dead after being tortured. The case led a public outcry against the system of detention and repatriation of those without residential permits. Five months later, the system was abolished. Sun Zhigang case was regarded as one of the most prominent examples of an individual case leading to institutional change in China. In Tang's case, as in Sun's, those aching for reform are using specific cases to push for changes in a whole system. Footnotes (? returns to text)
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| The Daily Twit – 8/21/12: The Two Chinas, Journalist Smackdowns, and Junk Patents Posted: 21 Aug 2012 06:58 AM PDT What, still with the Gu Kailai stories today? Yeah, still a few dribbling out here and there. Media organizations can't just let the Trial of the Millennium go without milking it for all it's worth, can they? Two standouts from the New York Times: Memo From Beijing: In China, Gu Kailai's Reprieve Reinforces Cynicism — Some folks aren't too thrilled that a murderer might get as little as a decade or so in jail while others get life or execution. A Look Inside China's 'Club Fed' — The obligatory "where will she stay" piece. Elsewhere in the world of China news: Wall Street Journal: China Says US Clean-Energy Projects Violate WTO Rules — Dumping, subsidies, this industry has it all. Almost as contentious as the chicken trade. China Daily: Experts say 'fake' porcelains at exhibit are actually real — One of those "Only in China" stories. Exhibition on fake vs. real porcelain scandalized because the "fakes" accused of being real. Even if it isn't true, wow. Damien Ma: The Two Chinas at the Olympics — Nice concept, comparing the significance of "made in China" stuff at the Olympics to the contributions/participation of the national team. AFP: Foreign journalists 'intimidated' in China: press groups — This seems to be getting worse. You can also read up on another incident in this Guardian article: German TV crew attacked while filming at Chinese factory. Global Times: Dependence on confessions persists despite legal reforms — Efforts to prevent prisoner abuse continue, albeit slowly. Caijing: Motorola Adds More to Layoff Compensation Package Following Protests in China — Apparently a little labor unrest does wonders for wages and compensation. Too bad Americans forgot that lesson a couple decades ago. Xinhua: Satellites to help Beijing expose fake afforestation — Hey, not everything about the surveillance state is bad. Reuters: China's patent targets mask weak innovation – study — Not exactly news that there are a lot of junk patents out there, but here's additional evidence. © Stan for China Hearsay, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us |
| Yang Rui Needs to Call the Atone Phone Posted: 21 Aug 2012 04:44 AM PDT
Oy, so many things to say. I'm perilously close to being farklemt here. As to Yang's specific words, I'll limit myself to four items. First, is Yang actually using the "I have a black friend" excuse? It's a classic, I'll give him that, but it has been so overused that it is now a cliche. Someone should tell Yang he's crossing over into self-satire. Second, um, the "contributions they have made to the world of commerce" — WTF? Seriously, someone needs to stop this guy from digging this hole. Maybe Sina could put a temporary "pity hold" on his weibo account? Third, Yang is taking credit for what China did for Jews in WWII? Nice. Does that mean I can take credit for the Marshall Plan? How about the polio vaccine? Viagra? Fourth, "I respect their unity"??? Since when have Jews been united about anything? Hell, we can't even agree on a good recipe for lokshen kugel. (I'm partial to ricotta cheese myself.) I understand that most Chinese would not consider these remarks anti-Semitic, and indeed might see Yang's post as complementary to Jews. News flash: it isn't. Just stop trying, for God's sake. I think Yang is getting dangerously close to hurting the feelings of the children of Israel. If he keeps this up, someone a lot more Jewish than me is going to open up a big can of kvetch on his ass. Yang's whole shtick is his ability to communicate with foreigners. But as I've said many times, language skills are not the same thing as communication skills, particularly when one's ego and arrogant attitude get in the way. I dislike using terms like douchebag and gaping asshole when criticizing goyim, particularly if it's a macher like Yang Rui, so I won't go there in this post. I wouldn't want to be accused of being foreign trash, or Jewish trash, or just plain meshuga. Suffice it to say, though, that someone at CCTV needs to do an intervention and get this guy to a cultural sensitivity course. If not, he'll end up doing the Lou Dobbs downward career spiral of shame. © Stan for China Hearsay, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us |
| Mass Effect: Chinese Protesters Rack Up Another Win Posted: 21 Aug 2012 03:46 AM PDT There are a lot of reasons for public protests in China, and they'll continue until certain big ticket items are fixed, like pollution and land dispossession. But in addition to the underlying dissatisfaction, I'm starting to wonder whether we're seeing an uptick in mass incidents simply because they seem to be very effective. Think about it. Just recently, quite a few NIMBY protests have been successful, although some just temporarily. From Shifang to Qidong, it seems as though this is a good tactic. And when it comes to labor relations, making a scene in public looks like a good idea these days as well:
If a little complaining achieves results like that, why not do it? Granted, protesting against a company that is now owned by Public Enemy Number One (i.e., Google) is not exactly fraught with danger, at least compared with going up against a powerful factory out in the sticks where the owner is in cahoots with local government. So when you wonder why these folks are putting themselves out there, it's not just because they're pissed off at Problem X, Y or Z, but rather that they believe that protesting might actually achieve some results for themselves and their community. © Stan for China Hearsay, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us |
| State Media Mixed About Myanmar Press Freedom Posted: 21 Aug 2012 03:55 AM PDT Myanmar ended press censorship on Monday, and The Wall Street Journal reports that Chinese state media presented conflicting views of the news:
© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us  |
| Photo: Diaoyu Islands Dispute Goes Local…In Flushing, by flippy whale Posted: 21 Aug 2012 03:40 AM PDT © Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us  |
| U.S. Looms Large Over China’s Sovereignty Disputes Posted: 21 Aug 2012 03:36 AM PDT As tensions between China and Japan hit a new recent high this week over the disputed Diaoyu Islands, and with Japanese forces joining U.S. marines in the west Pacific today for the start of a month-long military drill, Xinhua News warned the Americans to stop adding fuel to the diplomatic fire:
Whether China likes it or not, however, the U.S. is entrenched in Asia Pacific's brewing maritime sovereignty storm. For The Wall Street Journal on Monday, U.S. Senator James Webb puts the latest round of tensions in context:
What if China and Japan did trade naval blows, as they did during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895? While unlikely, James Holmes of the Naval War College handicaps the fight for Foreign Policy:
See also a People's Daily piece from Tuesday in which Peking University professor Liang Yunxiang details the legal basis of China's sovereignty claim over the Diaoyu Islands. © Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us  |
| Concern at Abuse of Foreign Journalists in China Posted: 21 Aug 2012 03:04 AM PDT Three China-based Foreign Correspondents' Clubs have issued a joint statement condemning "alarming" recent episodes of harassment against foreign reporters. From the Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong:
While the organisations expressed particular concern that "a number of these incidents have involved members of the official security forces and associated elements", the German reporters in Henan were rescued by police from an angry mob. From Tania Branigan at The Guardian:
According to the Hong Kong Standard, other police also intervened and took away the plain-clothed officer who assaulted the Asia Television cameraman in Hefei. He was covering the trial of four officers later sentenced to prison terms of between five and eleven years for hiding Gu Kailai's murder of Neil Heywood. CNN's Steven Jiang was involved in a separate scuffle with Hefei police while reporting Gu's own trial the previous day. Asahi Shimbun's Atsushi Okudera was beaten while photographing environmental protests in Qidong. According to his follow-up report for the newspaper, many of the officers who assaulted him had removed ID numbers from their uniforms, shielding themselves from any later repercussions. The attack on Okudera and the theft of his camera were likely a further attempt to escape identification, as he "had taken hundreds of digital photos by then of police attacking protesters." (Protesters in Qidong also drew criticism for resorting to violence, which Baixing.com CEO and blogger Jian Shuo Wang wrote "seriously crossed the line".) Kathleen McLaughlin was one of the journalists "chased out of Ordos" during the politically sensitive Miss World pageant. She described her experience on Twitter:
© Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us  |
| Bo Supporters Drawing Battle Lines Within the CCP Posted: 21 Aug 2012 02:44 AM PDT With Gu Kailai's murder trial and conviction yesterday, leftist allies of disgraced former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai remain adamant that he and his wife are victims of a conspiracy to curb his political rise and have dug in for an ideological battle over the future of the Chinese Communist Party. From Reuters:
Bo now awaits his own fate, writes The Australian's Michael Sainsbury, along with former right-hand man Wang Lijun. From Bo to Wang to Neil Heywood, The Globe and Mail's Mark MacKinnon details the characters filling out the cast of China's latest and greatest drama. Even Xi Jinping, China's president-in-waiting, has a part to play:
© Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us  |
| Anti-Japanese protests erupted in Chinese cities see some violence Posted: 20 Aug 2012 06:35 PM PDT A picture (above) featuring a woman who wept after she came back from an anti-Japanese demonstration to find her Nissan-branded car (a Japanese-made car) smashed by her compatriots has gone viral online, prompting Chinese public to urge protesters to choose smart ways and avoid irrational acts against fellow Chinese in protests. Tens of thousands of protesters took on streets across China to protest against Japan, after 10 Japanese rightwingers landed on one of Diaoyu Islands and raised Japanese flags on Sunday. The anti-Japanese sentiment has quickly spread in Chinese cities from northern Harbin to southwestern Chengdu, and from the first tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen to the second and third tier cities, seeing masses of angry demonstrators waving Chinese flags and banners and shouting slogans, to defense China's territory and call for a boycott of Japanese products. Some rabid groups were even seen attacking Japanese cars and businesses violently, which raised opposition online among many netizens who criticized the acts to cause damage to fellow countrymen "do the Japanese a favor." The Sunday's protests are the largest flare-up of Chinese public anger over Japan in years. As Japan continues to escalate the feud between the two countries, by arresting Chinese nationalists, claiming Diaoyu islands as their own and visiting the controversial shrine to honor the war dead, it is for sure the resentments deep in Chinese hearts toward Japan for the invasion and atrocities committed during the Second War burst out. |
| South China Sea Dispute Spreads to San Francisco Posted: 21 Aug 2012 01:18 AM PDT
Wow, interesting. Asian-Americans going after a Chinese bank for discriminating against racial minorities, including other Asians? Definitely a legal dispute worth my time, I'd say. But wait, that's not really what's going on here. You might have noticed that these allegations include the financing of China military actions in the South China Sea. Huh? What does that have to do with racial discrimination? The answer, of course, that it doesn't. This entire kerfuffle, which I suspect is entirely bollocks, stems from the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines (and almost everyone else in Asia at this point). No, really. I'm not making this stuff up. The two groups who ginned up this whole thing are the The US Pinoys for Good Governance (US4PGG) and the National Asian American Coalition (NAAC) and reported by the Asian Journal, which calls itself "The Filipino-American Community Newspaper." The Asian Journal's coverage of this "protest" is inflammatory, as you'd expect. It goes back at least a year, too. Here are a couple of representative bits:
These folks certainly are motivated, but in the end, I can't say I'm a fan of what they're doing. Going after ICBC is a clever move, seeing as how they (and the Philippines) don't have a hell of a lot of leverage. Gotta love that asymmetric warfare, Ho Chi Minh kind of thing. But mucking about with the U.S. banking regulatory process is a bit much. They're going to meet with (and waste the time of) Ben Bernanke? Come on. As to the charge that ICBC finances military action, give me a break. All the SOE banks here indirectly finance government activity, but that doesn't persuade me that the U.S. should shut its doors to all Chinese banks. Moreover, who do these guys think finances U.S. weapons sales around the globe? The World Bank? The South China Sea dispute sucks, I get that. And the Philippines has very limited options. But these Asian-American groups are not making me feel very sympathetic with this brand of activism. We've already got nationalist lunatics running around planting flags in soggy clumps of coral. This doesn't help the dialogue. © Stan for China Hearsay, 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us |
| Posted: 21 Aug 2012 12:34 AM PDT 刀郎和云朵的声音太美了! 下面是他们唱的老歌: "十送红军." 我小的时侯听过这首歌. 不知道是那一年代的. 你认识吗？长征时候的红军真正了不起. |
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