Blogs » Politics » U.S. Looking into China’s Business With Iran

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• U.S. Looking into China’s Business With Iran
• Two flights receive threatening messages in two days
• City Party Chief Fled with Money
• Dinosaurs and indoor pools – the lighter side of childhood in China
• Scholars Fight Back Against Roman Invasion
• Yahoo! Dissident Wang Xiaoning to be Released
• In Provincial Capital, Display of Police Force (Update)
• Dalai Lama: “Encouraging Signs” of Shift in China (Updated)
• New Series: From the Censorship Vault
• In China, Seeing the “Perfect” Guy, Then Running Away
• Controversial Tibet Theme Park Project Launched
• China’s Political Silly Season Arrives
• Flight Attendant Exposes Army Officer After Being Beaten
• Chinese Government Official Smiling at Tragic Accident Scene
• Why Foreigners and Chinese Themselves Are Leaving China
• Brothers of the US presidents all hide in China
• The Daily Twit – 8/30/12: RMB, Infrastructure & Labor Problems. Oh My.
• Tracking Counterfeit Medicines in the Developing World
• US: we don’t take position, but islets covered under US-Japan Treaty that protects Japanese territory
• Paralympics 2012: a stirring journey to enlightenment

U.S. Looking into China’s Business With Iran Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:07 PM PDT Following its investigations of HSBC and Standard Chartered in recent weeks, U.S. prosecutors now say they have discovered evidence that Chinese banks may have played a role in transferring money to Iran. From The New York Times: Information on how Chinese banks may have routed money on behalf of Iranian banks and corporations is more valuable than any monetary settlement the authorities could win from the global banks, law enforcement officials with knowledge of the cases said, because the United States could use the information to strengthen its efforts to choke off economic dealings with Iran. The United States has been ratcheting up its sanctions as Iran's nuclear ambitions raise the risk of military action from Israel and shocks to the global economy. The investigations of two London-based banks, HSBC and Standard Chartered, could prove especially fruitful, said the law enforcement officials, who declined to be identified because the cases are continuing. As part of their broader investigations, prosecutors are examining whether any money transfers originated from Chinese banks and moved through the British banks before being routed through their American branches. © Scott Greene for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: HSBC, Iran, money laundering, Sino-U.S. Relations, Standard Chartered Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Two flights receive threatening messages in two days Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:23 PM PDT Two flights in China received threatening messages within only two days, forcing them to divert their directions. On Wednesday evening, an Air China flight, flight CA981, returned to the Beijing Capital International Airport, about eight hours after it had departed for New York. The authorities announced that the flight was returned out of concern for passenger safety, as it received a threatening message, while rumors online suggested that a corrupt official was believed onboard with a huge sum of cash attempting to flee the country. However, nothing abnormal was found after it safely landed at the Beijing airport without prior notification to passengers, and it took off again hours later. On Thursday evening, a similar incident occurred to a Shenzhen Airlines flight, from Xiangfan city in Hubei Province to Shenzhen. The flight ZH9706 was diverted to an airport in Wuhan city after it received a threatening message too, according to authorities. Police have intervened to investigate both of the cases, but no results have been yet disclosed.

City Party Chief Fled with Money Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:17 PM PDT Wang Guoqiang, former party chief of a city in northeast China's Liaoning province, has fled to the United States with his family members and, reportedly, with millions of dollars too. From BBC: Local officials said Mr Wang, who was being investigated for corruption, had been removed from his post, it [the People's Daily] said. Several reports cited 200m yuan ($31.5m; £20m) as the amount taken. A report released by China's central bank last year said more than $120bn (£74bn) had been stolen by corrupt officials who fled overseas, mainly to the US. © Mengyu Dong for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: corruption, embezzlement, Liaoning, local corruption, United States Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Dinosaurs and indoor pools – the lighter side of childhood in China Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:05 PM PDT A few weeks ago I witnessed something that warmed the cockles of my typically icy heart. In China, when one pictures a middle school student, they picture a small child diligently studying behind a great wall of books. Outside of the classroom they are spotted in their uniforms around 5pm being brought back from school for several more hours of homework. These few minutes on the bus in Nanjing were almost always filled with a few rounds of Fruit Ninja or Angry Birds on their smart phones. In rural China, the students were boarded, and so had no chance of furtive gaming between school and study. In my two years at the hospital, I sat through dozens of chats between co-workers that focused on their children's progress in school, but I never heard them discuss other aspects of their children's lives with each other. Questions from them about life in America also focused on the scholarly instead of  the fun. This reinforces the stereotype that Asians are more studious than their American counterparts. For me this was confirmed a few weeks ago when I visited the Stanford campus and saw a handful of Chinese tour groups wandering the campus with their toddlers in tow (you can't plan too far ahead). For expats living in China, the conversation turns toward a concern over whether or not Chinese children ever actually get to enjoy their childhood. After all when a friend asked his students to recount their happiest memory, he was met with tales of passing tests, dog bites, and child abuse. So when I saw two boys, about 12 years old, roaring and running about like dinosaurs, I couldn't have been happier. It was wonderful to see them lost in their own world, completely ignoring the stares of working folks headed home. It's important to remember that even after years in China, there are large parts of people's lives you have simply missed. So much happens within the home or behind the walls of their apartment compound and if you live in the wrong neighborhood you may miss it all. It reminded me of a story one of my college students told me. He said that one night in the dormitory, when it was too hot to sleep, his roommates and him decided the only way to cool down was to go for a swim. The problem was they couldn't leave their room. So they came up with a way of converting their tiny bathroom into a pool. All it took were a few towels stuffed into the squat toilet and under the door and their shower turned on full blast for about thirty minutes. Somehow all eight of them fit in there, and splashed away in their "pool." The student, and his classmates hearing of it for the first time, giggled through the entire story, even though they had nearly destroyed their dorm room. With what feels like an unending stream of depressing news about China's human rights, food safety, and environment, it is easier to forget that more often than not it is a place of loving families and enduring friendships. Filed under: Life in China, Uncategorized Tagged: Arts and Entertainment, Asia, Beijing, China, Chinese culture, Chinese language, Nanjing, United States

Scholars Fight Back Against Roman Invasion Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:58 PM PDT More than 100 scholars have protested the inclusion of 239 English words and abbreviations including NBA and PM2.5 in the Contemporary Chinese Dictionary. From Global Times: In the letter, experts point out that including such terms breaches the Law on the Standard Spoken and Written Chinese Language and the Regulation on the Administration of Publication. The collection of terms using Latin or Greek letters in the dictionary violates the law, which stipulates that publications in Chinese should conform to generally-followed criteria and standards of the language. "Listing those terms and replacing Chinese characters with letters in such a dictionary, which is supposed to be an exemplary linguistic standard, deals the most severe damage to the Chinese language in a century," Li Minsheng, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Monday. 'NBA' was also among the English abbreviations proscribed by a 2010 directive from "a relevant Chinese government department" to national and local broadcasters. The ban apparently did not apply to the logo of state broadcaster CCTV. Xinhua's report on the petition points out that Chinese has already adopted many terms from Japanese, including 'dang' (political party), 'jieji' (social class) and 'douzheng' (struggle). But the scholars' complaint is less about foreign loans than the preservation of Chinese script, the defining expression of the Chinese culture. From Xinhua: Fu Zhenguo, a senior journalist with the state-run People's Daily and one of the organizers of the petition, said that if the Chinese people ignore the inclusion of words like "NBA" and "GDP" in their language and do nothing to exclude them from the dictionary, the language they use will end up as a bizarre mixture of Chinese and English. […] "If they keep growing, we could have over 10,000 English entries in 100 years," said Fu, who has instead proposed translating English words into their Chinese equivalents before including them in the dictionary. "When the English language absorbed the Chinese vocabulary, it used pinyin, the phonetic system that romanizes Chinese characters, instead of the Chinese characters themselves," he said. "So why do we take in these English acronyms and words without translating them into Chinese characters?" he asked. The protesters' vehemence echoes 20th century discussions of writing reform, in which a comprehensive shift to alphabetic script was proposed on grounds of efficiency and modernity. That argument is long dead, but those fighting to keep the Roman alphabet out of Chinese face an uphill battle. One major beachhead is technology and the Internet, where alien letters spill over from URLs and pinyin character entry into online slang and culture (from Ministry of Tofu, via Eveline Chao). From Didi Kirsten Tatlow at The New York Times: William C. Hannas, a linguist and author who speaks or writes 10 languages including Chinese, says the debate on going to an alphabetized writing system, which flourished into the 1950s, is over. "There is no debate in China — or anywhere today — on writing reform," he wrote in an e-mail. "We resent being asked to give up a tradition, or hearing from an outsider especially, that a piece of our identity is flawed." Nevertheless, something along those lines is happening unofficially, he says. Especially online, Chinese are experimenting with the Roman alphabet: government, "zhengfu" in pinyin, is often shortened to "ZF." An interpersonal competition is a "PK" (taken from video game terminology). To digitally alter images with a program like Photoshop is to "PS." To make love is to "ML." "Digraphia — the coexistence of character and alphabetic writing — is happening in China not by policy from the top down, but by default from the bottom up," Mr. Hannas wrote. See more on changing language and the eternal treadmill of dictionary updates via CDT, as well as our Grass Mud Horse Lexicon and Word of the Week series. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Chinese characters, Chinese language, English, GDP, NBA, online culture, PM2.5 Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Yahoo! Dissident Wang Xiaoning to be Released Posted: 30 Aug 2012 03:41 PM PDT Wang Xiaoning is to be released from prison on Friday following a ten-year sentence for "inciting subversion of state power" in a series of online essays. Wang was one of around 60 people prosecuted on the basis of information handed to Chinese authorities by Yahoo. From the Associated Press: Wang Xiaoning's wife Yu Ling said in a phone interview that the Beijing No. 2 Prison told her of his release Friday morning and that she should meet him at the prison gate. […] Rights groups said that passages from writings cited at his trial in 2003 included: "Without a multiparty system, free elections and separation of powers, any political reform is fraudulent." Others called China an "authoritarian dictatorship," and complained of continuing widespread corruption, poverty and workers exploitation. A lawsuit Wang and others filed in the United States showed that Yahoo's wholly owned subsidiary based in Hong Kong gave police information linking Wang to his anonymous e-mails and other political writings he posted online. Yahoo could not immediately be reached for comment. Yu told AFP that Wang's political rights will be suspended for another two years, and that he has been mistreated in prison but remains in reasonable health. Yahoo was also involved in the prosecution of journalist Shi Tao, who is still serving a ten-year sentence passed in 2005 for leaking state secrets. Wang and others later sued the US company, which settled in 2007 for an undisclosed amount. Yahoo founder and then-CEO Jerry Yang later urged the Bush administration to demand Wang and Shi's release. These cases illustrate the legal entanglements that come with a physical business presence in China. Google avoided storing sensitive user information on Chinese servers in order to avoid any similar predicament, but was still forced to filter search results and eventually left the Chinese mainland. Twitter alarmed users in January with an announcement that the service would selectively block posts in accordance with local laws, a move widely suspected of being a concession to allow entry to the Chinese market. CEO Dick Costolo quickly clarified, however, that "I don't think the current environment in China is one in which we can operate". See also a 2007 Wired article on Wang's case (via Isolda Morillo), and more on Wang and Yahoo via CDT. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: freedom of expression, Google, Internet companies, Jerry Yang, Shi Tao, Twitter, Wang Xiaoning, Yahoo Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

In Provincial Capital, Display of Police Force (Update) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 02:43 PM PDT An special police officer in Taiyuan. Update: Additional photos added at end of article. Mainland media outlet Hexun reports a display of police might in Taiyuan, Shanxi in preparation for this October's leadership transition: On the evening of August 22, 2012, the Taiyuan Municipal Police Department in Shanxi Province launched a "provincial capital public security and public incident prevention and control combined patrol demonstration" at the Taiyuan Coal Business Center. The combined patrol officially started at 8 p.m. Taiyuan's armed police, patrol police, special police, traffic police and all other divisions and units formed an all-weather, all-terrain 103-unit strong "golden shield" patrol squad. This high-density force has been set up to patrol public incident prevention and control activities and police checkpoints, as well to as aid the masses. It will maintain public order in Taiyuan during the Chinese Communist Party's 18th session of the National People's Congress. 2012年8月22日晚，山西省太原市公安局"省城治安防控联合巡逻启动仪式"在太原煤炭交易中心举行。 此次联合巡逻从8月22日晚20时正式开始，太原市的武警、巡警、特警、交警、各公安分局和派出所共同组成103支"金盾"巡逻分队，开展全天候、全方位、高密度的联勤联动、巡逻防控、设卡盘查和救助群众，保障党的"十八大"期间的太原社会治安稳定。 During the National People's Congress, new leaders will ascend to the Politburo Standing Committee, the presidency and premiership. Xi Jinping is expected to take over from Hu Jintao as president and general secretary of the Communist Party. A reduction in the number of Standing Committee members from nine to seven is also anticipated. Authorities are particularly wary of unrest during the Congress in the wake of the Bo Xilai scandal. Some of the images from this demonstration bear eery resemblance to Tiananmen. From Xinhua News Agency: Read more about the upcoming leadership transition from CDT. Translation by Harriet Xu. © Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Armed Police, CCP, Hexun, Hu Jintao, leadership transition, National People's Congress, NPC, police, Politburo Standing Committee, public security, Shanxi, stability maintenance, Taiyuan, Xi Jinping, Xinhua Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

Dalai Lama: “Encouraging Signs” of Shift in China (Updated) Posted: 30 Aug 2012 02:26 PM PDT Amid a stream of mostly bad news out of Tibet, including more than 50 self-immolations by protesting Tibetans, the Dalai Lama has now offered a ray of hope for Tibetans seeking more autonomy in their homeland. From Reuters: "I can't say for definite, but according to many Chinese friends, they say the new, coming leadership seems more lenient," the Dalai Lama, 77, told Reuters in his audience room in the Indian Himalayan foothills town of Dharamsala. "If their side … for their own interest are thinking more realistically we are ready for full cooperation with them." His comments were more upbeat than just a few weeks ago when he declared that resuming formal negotiations – frozen since 2010 – was futile unless China brought a more realistic attitude to the table and that it was useless trying to convince China that he was not seeking full independence for Tibet. The Nobel peace laureate said there had been a stream of visitors to Dharamsala from China, among them people who told him they had connections with senior Communist Party leaders. UPDATE: While the feelings of presumed incoming premier Xi Jinping toward Tibet are not known, some observers have looked to the policies and personal life of his father, former Vice Premier Xi Zhongxun, for clues. From Reuters: [Xi Jinping's] late father, Xi Zhongxun, a liberal-minded former vice premier, had a close bond with the Tibetan leader who once gave the elder Xi an expensive watch in the 1950s, a gift that the senior party official was still wearing decades later. The Dalai Lama, 77, recalls the elder Xi as "very friendly, comparatively more open-minded, very nice" and says he only gave watches back then to those Chinese officials he felt close to. "We Tibetans, we get these different varieties of watch easily from India. So we take advantage of that, and brought some watches to some people when we feel some sort of close feeling, as a gift like that," the Dalai Lama said in an interview in Dharamsala, a capital for Tibetan exiles in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Dalai Lama gave the watch to the elder Xi in 1954 during an extended visit to Beijing. Xi was one of the officials who spent time with the young Dalai Lama in the capital where he spent five to six months studying Chinese and Marxism. Read more about the the Dalai Lama and the dialogue process between Beijing and the Tibetan government-in-exile, via CDT. © Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Dalai Lama, Tibet Dialogue, tibet politics Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

New Series: From the Censorship Vault Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:00 PM PDT Editor's Note: From the Censorship Vault features previously untranslated censorship instructions from the archives of the CDT series Directives from the Ministry of Truth (真理部指令). These instructions, issued to the media and/or Internet companies by various central (and sometimes local) government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. CDT has collected the selections we translate here from a variety of sources and has checked them against official Chinese media reports to confirm their implementation. Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The original publication date is noted after the directives; the date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source. The series opens with the very first "directive" posted on CDT Chinese: Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China: All information concerning the Yuanhua case in Fujian must come from the Central News Office. Reporting must be unified. Do not produce "side stories" or distribute news through improper channels. Do not use this case as a soapbox for other matters. Do not spread news through unusual methods. Do not reprint news reporting from overseas or foreign media. (August 30, 2000) 中宣部：对福建省厦门远华案案情审理的报导，必须由中央新闻办审稿，作统一报导，不搞「小道」消息，及非正常渠道消息，不准搞借题发挥，不准以不正常手段取得消息外传，不准转载海外、外国传媒的有关报导。 Yuanhua Group, a foreign import business based in the Xiamen Special Economic Zone in Fujian Province, was once the darling of China's nascent capitalist economy. Founded by Lai Changxing in 1994, Yuanhua brought luxury cars, oil and cigarettes into the country. Lai also masterminded a smuggling ring that averted hundreds of billions of yuan in taxes. Lai eventually fled to Hong Kong, then Canada, where he remained from 1999 until April 2012. The Canadian government agreed to extradite him on the condition that he not receive the death penalty if found guilty. Lai is currently serving a life sentence. © Anne.Henochowicz for China Digital Times (CDT), 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: censorship, Censorship Vault, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, Fujian, lai changxing, media censorship, Ministry of Truth, propaganda, xiamen, Yuanhua, Yuanhua case Download Tools to Circumvent the Great Firewall

In China, Seeing the “Perfect” Guy, Then Running Away Posted: 30 Aug 2012 08:07 AM PDT "The very idea of an arranged date is a romance-killer in my eyes, destroying all the mystery of the unknown and exciting." Image via Wenwen.com It is a truth universally acknowledged in China that a single woman in her 20s—who has just gotten a job after graduating—must be in need of a boyfriend, i.e. a future husband. This is an inviolable belief firmly fixed in the minds of traditional Chinese families. And the boyfriend, of which we speak, must be of equal academic and economic status with said woman, and ideally from the same hometown. Following this sacred principle, my parents, a few days after reluctantly accepting my decision to move to Shanghai, cajoled me into meeting up with "the perfect guy."  "He has a master's degree, a decent job in IT, and an apartment in Shanghai, so this guy—from our hometown—should be the right one for you!" read a text message from my mom. Having just arrived in Shanghai I was in no mood for dates, and decided to ignore the message. The very idea of an arranged date is a romance-killer in my eyes, destroying all the mystery of the unknown and exciting. However, a few days later, I got a message from that same "perfect guy." I'm guessing his own parents were pushing him with the same story of a "perfect girl." "When are you going to meet up?" my mom enquired. "Is he cute?" I stalled. "Should be," she answered, "but that's not important to us. Our friends think he's the right one for you, so you should try to meet him." "Well, of course it's not important to YOU," I replied.  I remember trying to convince my whole family of this little detail: That children should be allowed to make their own choices with regard to their lives, and be allowed to enjoy their freedom before they consider settling down. I also pointed out the danger of relying solely on another person for one's own happiness. The response to this outpouring was a confused look from my grandma and a disappointed "you're so selfish" from my mother. She looked at me as if were an alien from another planet. So I gave up on this plan of attack. Instead, I adopted the strategy of "in one ear and out the other" to save time and energy all 'round. Pathetic as I thought the "blind date" idea was, I still decided to go through with it to settle the matter once and for all—for me as well as my parents. After all, they've been worried about me becoming a "sheng nu" (剩女, Chinese slang for an older single woman which literally means "leftover woman") ever since I turned 23. The extra one year tacked on to my Chinese age doesn't help matters either—Chinese ages are traditionally calculated from conception, not birth—nor does constant news about my parents' friends' children getting married and having babies.  It was eleven o'clock on a Saturday morning when I was dragged out of bed; my prospective date was on the phone. I remembered we'd agreed to meet for lunch. My roommate tried to console me: "At least you'll get a free lunch!"  On my way to a nearby temple to meet him, I chuckled to myself about the absurdity of the situation. How pathetic it is that I'd been reduced to finding a boyfriend in this manner. And deep in my heart, I knew it wouldn't work out—no matter how cute he was. On arrival at the busy rendezvous, I called him. I spotted a man answering his phone. There he was: A nerdy-looking guy wearing glasses and a suit, the traditional type of man who has probably never set foot in a bar or nightclub, never mind a sporting event; the type of man who drifts along with everyday life and social formalities. He was the type of bloke who would take a woman to dine in a famous Shanghainese restaurant with round tables where only senior citizens usually go; the man who would carry my purse and treat me like a proper "queen." Yep, that was him. I hung up quickly, almost as a conditioned response. Just to be sure, I walked away a few paces and called again. It was definitely him. Call me superficial, evil, or even a wimp. But I couldn't bring myself to have lunch with him. "Run" was the first and only word in my mind. So run I did, lightheartedly, smelling the uplifting air of freedom all the while.  I cobbled an excuse together and texted the guy. Sure, it was rude, but the idea of an arranged life scared the hell out of me, no matter how pleasant this guy might have been. My family's selfish and aggressive mission to push, goad, and pressurize me continues to this day. And my own defensiveness is a counter to them. I hope that one day they will either come to terms with my wishes, or simply give up out of fatigue or disappointment. My choice may be the path less travelled—but it is my choice.

Controversial Tibet Theme Park Project Launched Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:33 AM PDT Last month, the Chinese government announced that it will launch a RMB 30 billion (USD 4.7 billion) theme park project in Tibet to attract tourists. The park will first be used as a shooting location for the movie Princess Wencheng, a story about the niece of a Tang-dynasty emperor who married a Tibetan king. It is located on the outskirts of the city of Lhasa and will occupy 800 hectares of land. Tibetan dissidents have described the project as the "Disneyfication of Tibet" rather than a genuine sharing and preservation of Tibetan culture. Putting aside the political and ideological debates, even within circle of Han Chinese, the development project is highly controversial. Sina Weibo user @1690737580 posted some photos [zh] she took from the designated theme park construction site and confessed she felt great pity for the loss of such an environment to the development: Cijiaolin Village. Photos taken by Sina User @1690737580 次角林沟,距拉萨城区只有2公里，相传曾是文成公主进藏后随行人员的聚居地，是藏民过林卡的绝佳去处。有山有水，有大片平整的草地，可以远眺布达拉宫。三年内这里就要建什么文化旅游创意园，要建文成公主主题公园，还要盖四星级酒店~~发展旅游肯定有这样那样的好处，但其实我倒希望保持这样，该有多好。 Cijiaolin village is just 2 kilometres away from Lhasa city. According to the legend, this is where the Princess Wencheng and her servant settled down. This is a marvelous spot for Tibetans to take time out. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with a large piece of grassland. You can see the Potala Palace [formerly the chief residence of the Dalai Lama] from there. Within three years, such scenery will be replaced by a so-called cultural park, the Princess Wencheng theme park, with a 4 star hotel. Of course there will be some advantage in developing tourism, but I really hope everything remains the same here. At the Netease micro-blog, a forum [zh] has been set up to collect netizens' opinions on the issue. In support: 况勇 ：我支持下拉萨，必定是一个不错的投资项目，政府只是推动者不可能拿很多钱出来，这是招商引资啊，多好！不但对本地旅游很有帮助还可以围绕这工程建设很多相关配套的基础建设如：马路啊大桥啊，对人民也是不错的。还能为拉萨造势使其成为国际旅游圣地。 @0147739241: I want to express my support for Lhasa. This must be a good project. The government as a facilitator cannot invest all the money, this is a call for investment. It not only helps the development of local tourism, but also a lot of construction projects such as roads and bridges. This is good for the people. Lhasa will be promoted to be an international tourism site. bayniwffg ：提倡文化传承是好事，但是就不敢保证这些款项是否能落到实处，杜绝铺张浪费，因为我国还有很多孩子吃不饱，睡不暖，上不了学的。 @bayniwffg: It is good to provide heritage. Just not sure if the fund really will go to the right spot or will be wasted. We still have many kids who are starving and who can't afford education. Below are some opinions from netizens who are against the project: Potala Palace in Lhasa has always been a touristic attraction in Tibet. Photo by Flickr user Jamie Barras (CC: NC-SA) 行色匆匆 ：不应该建主题公园。拉萨本身就具有良好的原生态自然资源、民族风情和人文气息，不需要再搞神马主题公园这种人为景观、风情来招客，如果搞了非但招不了游客，还将拉萨、西藏原本在人们心目中的良好印象给破坏掉，游客反而会减少，而且还造成投资浪费。 @xsccld187: We should not build the theme park. Lhasa has rich natural resources, ethnic character and culture. No need to use theme parks and artificial constructions to attract tourists. If the project fails, it will ruin people's positive image of Lhasa and the number of tourists will drop. Eventually this will be a waste. 乌云遮不住太阳 ：做正事一分钱都没有，到处哭穷，乱七八糟的事，哪都不差钱 @410753237: when we need money for the right cause, you cry and say you are so poor. For a messy project like this, you have all the money. 老鼠皇帝首席村妇 ：去西藏是为了离天堂和灵魂更近一点，是希望感受那里的纯净的山水和执着的信仰，我们要看的是真实的活着的西藏，而不是这些打着文化的牌的恶俗的无风格不气质的人造景观。300亿？还是省下来为改善民生做点实在的事儿吧。 @ratpetty: The reason for us to travel to Tibet is to get closer to heaven and the spiritual world, to experience the purity of belief surrounded by mountains and rivers. We want to see the real living Tibet not the artificial and vulgar construction under the euphemism of culture and art. RMB 300 billion? Spend it on the people and improve their livelihood. Written by Oiwan Lam · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

China’s Political Silly Season Arrives Posted: 30 Aug 2012 09:29 AM PDT Election season in the United States is often called the "silly season" as a result of all the name-calling and heightened nationalistic rhetoric that it tends to produce.  China policy, while never a central focus of the campaign season, nonetheless is always raised, and this year is no exception. Both the Obama and the Romney campaigns have condemned Beijing for its weak adherence to global trade norms and its negative impact on the American economy, with Romney supporters threatening serious action if their guy is elected. I have generally thought of this silly season as an almost uniquely American phenomenon, or at least one limited to democracies. Now, however, it seems China is enjoying its own silly season as it prepares for its new leadership to assume office next spring. Of course, Zhongnanhai campaigning is rather different than the White House version. Most obviously, the elections are missing.  Still, there is jockeying for power and, as Bo Xilai's downfall indicates, no leader is a sure bet until his or her name is announced at the Party Congress. In addition, rather than monopolizing as much airspace as possible, China's political contenders are better served by not opening their mouths. After all, this is a collective leadership, and it is better to be less well-known than too well-known. Stand too tall and your head may get lopped off. Whatever the differences in how the U.S. and Chinese leaders get hold of the brass ring, Chinese scholars, analysts, and media commentators seem to be using their political transition time to limit their leaders' maneuverability in foreign policy by developing an overwhelmingly hawkish narrative concerning the U.S. approach to China: In his August 29th commentary "It is unwise for U.S. to contain China," Xinhua writer Wu Liming writes: the "core of the U.S. strategy is to defend its dominance and hegemony in the Asia Pacific region"; Washington has "resorted to diplomatic, economic and strategic means … to create disturbances in the Asia-Pacific region"; and "the U.S. has tried to alienate China from countries around the South China Sea." In a more nuanced but equally misguided Global Times interview, professor Wang Yizhou asserts that U.S. scholars are well-aware of the legitimacy of Chinese claims to the South China Sea, but are deliberately withholding information because it does not advance the U.S. goal of "contain[ing] China and maintain[ing] its leading role in the world." Well-known foreign policy analyst Yuan Peng adopts a more cautious tone but nonetheless assigns only self-serving and malevolent  impulses to U.S. foreign policy in Asia: "By relocating its military presence from Okinawa to the Guam Island and extending the command of joint US-South Korean military operations to 2015, the United States is overtly targeting China and covertly trying to keep control of its allies …." However, Yuan also argues that if China is patient, the United States will fail: "The history of the past 50 years has proved that the United States can never manage to reconcile the fundamental contradiction between its attempt to control its allies and the endeavor of the latter to get free." I tend to ignore all of the noise—in China and the United States—because it is just that—noise. During times of elections and transition, there is bound to be more than the usual political drama as candidates and commentators try to off-load complex domestic problems on convenient foreign scapegoats.  Both sides would do well to bear in mind the cautionary note concerning heightened U.S. election rhetoric from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences scholar Yuan Zheng: "No matter who is elected, he will find himself responsible for properly handling the US' relations with China. To accommodate specific groups and win more votes, a candidate may need to pretend to be tough in moments that can determine the fate of his campaign. But if he continues to ignore the common interests of China and the US after being elected, he will only succeed in shooting himself in the foot." Wise words not only for U.S. politicians and commentators but also for their Chinese brethren.

Flight Attendant Exposes Army Officer After Being Beaten Posted: 30 Aug 2012 08:04 AM PDT The PLA commissar Fang Daguo is accused of hitting a flight attendant over a dispute On China Southern Airlines flight CZ3874 from Hefei to Guangzhou on August 29, a couple of drunk passengers hit a flight attendant over an argument about luggage placement. The flight attendant, using the handle @花Money买毛豆, tweeted a description of the events on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter, and posted photos of her injuries. The effective "human-flesh search engine" of the Chinese social media quickly discovered that the offenders are Fang Daguo, a political commissar in the People's Liberation Army, and his wife. The story exploded on Chinese social media and immediately became the number one trending topic on Sina Weibo.  Responses to the incident exposed much underlying tension between Chinese civilians and the PLA, whose personnel enjoy immunity from civil prosecution and other privileges in the Chinese society. For example, all drivers in China can easily identify vehicles with special military license plates, because they often violate traffic rules with impunity.   Photos of the flight attendant's injury were posted on Chinese social media by her and her colleagues @花Money买毛豆 tweeted angrily after reporting the incident to the police, "He said he wants to settle the matter, but the police can't do anything if I don't settle, the police cannot detain him because he is in the PLA and he is a representative in the People's Congress, so he can hit people and no one can do anything about it. Is there no justice? What's the big deal about the military? Can they hit people? I will not settle. I don't want a cent of your money, I don't need it. I want to see if there is justice in this society and if the military will do anything to this kind of serviceman. Colleagues please retweet this" [1] Unfortunately, there is little oversight on the PLA from China's civilian law enforcement agencies. @栩楚 advises the flight attendant, "Maybe I can give you a bit of suggestion — you really cannot do anything to him by going to the police. Servicemen on active duty can only be sued in a military court and the police have no right to carry out any civilian orders on soldiers. Hope that helps you." [2] The vast majority of netizens expressed intense anger and indignation over the violence. @Parent小川 tweets, "If what we do is right, we shouldn't be afraid of officials, no matter what their rank is. Support you! Support you!" [5] @乐嘉的跟班 tweets, "Don't settle in any circumstances because we want to see your victory. I want to see justice. Dear, you don't represent yourself, you represent rights of citizens and whether ordinary people can defend their rights before the military!" [6] Other netizens, however, are pessimistic about the flight attendant's chances against the all-powerful PLA and worry that she will invite revenge by exposing Fang. @BabyYana媽媽 tweets, "I really suggest that you don't mess with these people. They are powerful and it's easy for them to make trouble for you. Try to settle if you can. You should only sue him if you have powerful backing. China has no justice or human rights. Maybe you will get angry at me for saying this but think about it, can he get to his position without strong support from powerful people? So what if he is wrong to hit you? This matter will just pass with a slap on the wrist." [3] Many note that civilian run-ins with PLA are common but the Chinese Internet has emerged as a court of public opinion that can help oversee powerful authorities.  @高雅萍Grace tweets, "Nowadays there are many incidents like this, but this flight attendant was able to get attention and support using the court of public opinion and perpetrator is widely condemned. This kind of conflict between civilians and the military is not new, and this kind of injustice happens quite a bit but most people just take it. This is not an isolated incident, but she is quite smart [to expose him]." [4] The flight attendant and her chow chow The PLA, unlike military forces in many other countries, is the military arm of the Chinese Communist Party and not the state, leading to discussions to whether the PLA should be "nationalized" and made answerable to the state and not its ruling party. @张玉洪 tweets, "The lack of oversight on the PLA causes such inequality of power, so it's right to advocate the nationalization of the PLA." [7]  The topic is a very sensitive one. The PLA Daily ran an editorial in May 2012 denouncing "frequent noises calling for the nationalization of the PLA" as a conspiracy, and pledged to follow Mao's doctrine of "the Party commanding the gun." The phrase "military nationalization" (军队国家化) is a banned search term on Sina Weibo.  Footnotes    (? returns to text) 他说要和解，不和解警察局也管不了，拘留不了他，因为他是部队的，是人大代表，所以敢打人，因为管不了他！太没天理了，部队的了不起吗？就可以打人吗？坚决不妥协，不要你一毛钱，我不缺，就要看看这社会有没有天理，部队管不管这种军人！是同事的帮我转? 有一点我也许可以给你一点建议，你报警确实无法对他怎么样 ，现役军人只能去军事法庭起诉。希望对你有用，公安无权对军人实施各类政令? 只要我们是做对的！再大的官都不怕！支持你！支持你！? 千万不要和解，因为我们想看到空妹胜利的结果！我想看到公平！亲代表的不是自己，代表的是公民的权益！代表广大人民在军方面前是否能得到自己的全力！? 我真心劝你别惹这些人！都是有权有势的！他要整你真的很简单！尽量能和解就和解吧！不同！如果你有个强大的后台的话哪你可以放心去告！这中国没有公道！没有人权！可能我说这话你会很气愤！你想想他趴到这位置没有高层去撑着吗？就算打你他错了又怎样！记过一下罚一下事情淡了就过去了！? 现在这样的事件其实很多的，只是这个空姐懂得利用社会舆论让这件事情得到了大众的关注和正义的声援，让打人者成了千夫所指万人唾骂的。因为军民矛盾也不是一天两天的了，这种仗势欺人的事也时有发生，不过大都多数都选择自认倒霉吃哑巴亏罢了。空姐的遭遇绝不是个案，她比较聪明? 军队最缺监督 这才导致地位之不平等。 所以倡导 国家化是有道理的?

Chinese Government Official Smiling at Tragic Accident Scene Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:27 AM PDT From Sina: Shaanxi Yan'an Sleeper Coach Fire After Rear-End Collision, 36 Dead Xinhuanet Xi'an August 26th news (Reported by Tao Ming, Shi Zhiyong) At 10 o'clock on the 26th, reporters learned from the scene that 36 people have been confirmed to have died in the terrible traffic accident that happened that morning within Yan'an city limits in Shaanxi province. reporters learned that the bus in the accident was allowed to carry 39 passengers, and was carrying 39 passengers. After the accident took place, 3 passengers escaped and survived. On the 26th at about 2am, a terrible traffic accident happened 200 meters away from the south exit of the Huaziping service area on Baomao Highway within the borders of Yan'an city of Shaanxi province. A double-decker sleeper coach with license plate number "蒙AK1475″ crashed into the rear of a tanker (containing methanol) with license plate number "豫RHD6962″, and setting the two vehicles on fire.   You might also like： At least 36 killed in NW China road accident Chinese people on the sleeper buses Smiling protestor throws plastic bottle at Japanese embassy Accident leaves dog in wheelchair Funny moment on the road: accident 无觅

Why Foreigners and Chinese Themselves Are Leaving China Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:01 AM PDT From NetEase & iFeng: American Media: Foreigners Gradually Leaving China Due to Social Changes United States' New York Times Chinese Online Edition article, original title:Why do they want to leave China? Not long ago, an Englishman who has lived in China for a long time, married a Chinese wife, and has had a very successful business in China named Mark Kitto published on English-language media an article titled "You'll never be Chinese — Why I'm leaving the country I loved". He says in his text that after having studied, worked, and lived nearly over 10 years, China's changes have made him ultimately decide to leave China taking his entire family. There is more than just one Westerner like him who loves China yet wants to leave. Mark Kitto with wife and children. Not only "forever unable to become Chinese" laowai have begun to consider leaving China, even Chinese people themselves are one after another beginning to emigrate overseas. According to Hurun's 2011 survey of the multimillionaires in 18 Chinese cities, 14% of the rich have already emigrated or are currently in the process, while 46% of the rich are currently considering emigrating abroad. Although it is unknown whether or not this data is accurate, at least it reveals a trend, a phenomenon that cannot be ignored. 30 years of economic reforms have benefited many people, with overall national living standards being much higher than 30 years ago. At the same time, the original model and system of putting the country's modernization and development first is increasingly facing questions and challenges from various levels [or demographics of society] and interest groups. Every level has its own dissatisfaction, all believing the government does not take care of them enough, their discontents increasing. This isn't just the grassroots [lower class] or the urban middle class, even vested interest groups and the rich are losing confidence in the current social contract. For the former, the injustice and unfairness in front of their eyes is the biggest dissatisfaction, while their method of expressing their discontent is to individually or cooperatively petition and protest. For the latter, their biggest concern is by and large the unpredictability and uncertainty of the future, while one of their ways of expressing their lack of confidence is to vote with their feet — "running away [emigrating abroad]". This uncertainty lies in the prevalence of unwritten rules in Chinese society, while the former rules are often twisted. The arbitrary administration of government departments is also very prevalent. With 30 years of reforms have also seen many rounds of government administrative reforms, but the people still do not have confident or trust in the government. Mark Kitto lives in seclusion in Moganshan, engaged in the business of cafes and hostels as well as managing a top-selling magazine at the same time. He says every 3 years when he needs to renew his business permits/leases, he has to worry, not knowing when the local government will refuse to renew his licenses. For a businessman, this kind of money-wasting, time-wasting, energy-wasting, even unstable business operating and investment environment is what gives him a headache [troubles him]. What makes people unhappy and even "leave" also includes the rapidly economically developing social environment. Over 30 years of development, Chinese people's material standard of living has greatly risen. But simultaneously one of the consequences it has brought is a money-centric "materialism". This is a pervasively materialistic society. This high-speed development has environmental destruction and substandard quality as its costs. Materially-rich, spiritually-poor, lacking in ethics and values. Source When researching why Chinese people want to emigrate overseas, one thing that is often brought up is education for their children. This is very much related to China's education system. In China, educational opportunities remain less than abundance and even lacking, and many children owing to economic and institutional reasons are unable to get an education. The quality and educational methods of schools also cause many parents concerned with their children's educational prospects. Kitto criticized China's primary and middle school education as not learning knowledge but rather learning how to take tests. Although this is a little exaggerated, there's also a lot of truth in it. Although higher education has gone through over a decade of expansion, [high school graduating] exam takers still have to exhaust themselves preparing for the gaokao college entrance examinations in order to get into college. The quality of university education too has not risen along with the growth in the number of college students. This too is why many people would rather spend large sums of money to send their children abroad for their children's education. Moreover, environmental pollution, food safety and quality, traffic, and other things that impact quality of life also cause many Chinese people and foreigners living in China to want to leave. Comments from NetEase: 网易美国手机网友： Let's do a survey, those who want to emigrate/immigrate, ding [this comment]. [Note: At time of translation, this comment had 49,305 upvotes, making it the most highly voted netizen comment on the article.] candtrae [网易加拿大网友]： For my child's future, so my entire family can have a better life, I've luckily already immigrated to the beautiful Maple Leaf country. Here life isn't so filled with anxiety, vexation, annoyance, pain, nor do you have to worry about not being able to afford medical care, schooling, or retirement. May everyone have the opportunity to come here. You will discover a different world. 网易河南省郑州市手机网友： (responding to above) Are you in the Maple Leaf country washing dishes for retirement? Or sweeping the streets? Do you know English? Have you passed the 4th Level [of English proficiency test]? 网易陕西省手机网友： (responding to above) This… above, do you dare not be so embarrassing? 敏感的国 [网易四川省绵阳市网友]： Openly asserting that the United States affects world safety, that Western hostile forces are continuously trying to subjugate our country, while secretly their relatives and assets have already been moved over there. A wonder of China, a wonder of the world! 骑马o过海 [网易广东省广州市网友]： The poor get poorer, the rich get richer, the corrupt become even more corrupt, society is unjust, materialism overflows, harboring ulterior motives, the more developed, the more angry everyone is, those below unable to live in peace and work happily, those above unable to see a way out of the predicaments, so leaving is the best choice. 网易美国网友： To get to the point, the government is arbitrary! Think, why is business becoming harder and harder to do? Having to get renew certifications or business licenses every 3 years, various kinds of "eating, taking, obstructing, demanding" [referring to people with power working for themselves and their own interests rather than truly serving the people], where failure to pay the right respects [to those with power] means your so-called right to legally operate a business is lost. Whereas those who know people or have connections, regardless of whether or not their qualifications are up to standard, regardless of the hidden dangers, can all get the right to legally operate to compete with those honest and lawful companies. With this, how can malignant competition possibly be avoided? 网易四川省内江市网友： Those with the means to leave and those who have embezzled/cheated enough have all TM left. Those who are left are all the miserable cunts. If I TM could go, I'd also go, but I simply can't. MD. 我用脚投票 [网易加拿大网友]： My friends who several years ago went back to be sea-turtle returnees [ethnic Chinese who grew up abroad or went abroad to study that have decided to return to their ancestral home country], are you guys still okay? 緈鍢冭遙逺 [网易山东省青岛市手机网友]： If I had money, I'd also emigrate.             Source：ChinaSMACK You might also like： Letters: Thinking about a New Foreigner's Fiction on China Foreigners Who Have Found Success In China Adopt a Chinese baby, move to China China's allies Most Popular Foreigners In China 无觅

Brothers of the US presidents all hide in China Posted: 30 Aug 2012 04:58 AM PDT An employee gives finishing touches to an eye on a rubber mask resembling US president-elect Barack Obama at the company's factory SHENZHEN: The news release didn't say who Mark Ndesandjo was. Nor did the posters and e-mails promoting the concert. But the 200-odd people who showed up over the weekend for the fundraiser at a posh hotel resort in this boomtown knew who he was. The man in a Chinese-style brown silk shirt who played piano to raise money for orphans was the half brother of Barack Obama. The guests had a rare encounter with Ndesandjo, and they knew it. After all, he has been dodging the media since his family ties were made public last summer. Ndesandjo has lived in Shenzhen, for the past seven years. And not surprisingly, the announcement for his piano concert identified him as a strategic marketing consultant, for he has also helped start a chain of eateries     in China called Cabin BBQ.   Ndesandjo has a thin mustache, shaved head and a gold stud in his left earlobe. He has a slight resemblance to the US president-elect and shares the same trim, athletic physique. But he speaks Mandarin, is a vegetarian and practices Chinese calligraphy. On Friday, the day of the concert, he said he had just finished a novel called Nairobi to Shenzhen, but was yet to find a publisher.     He uses the surname of his mother, Ruth, the third wife of his father who died in 1982. He was born in Kenya and moved to the US when he was a child was all that he said.       SOURCE: CHINA DAILY You might also like： Obama's half-brother lectures in Beijing Xi Jinping meets with Obama Obama visited Rolls-Royce Black and white photographs: China in the 1980s. Obama knew about Lin ahead of Linsanity 无觅

The Daily Twit – 8/30/12: RMB, Infrastructure & Labor Problems. Oh My. Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:32 AM PDT Today's news managed to be both boring and negative, which is probably unsurprising given that it is the end of the summer and absolutely nothing is going on. Here in Beijing, the weather is hot, the air unbreathable, and everyone is just hanging around and killing time. But The Daily Twit must go on: Reuters: Yuan now China's problem too — The RMB is no longer a guaranteed bet, and some have pointed to recent capital outflows as a sign of things to come. Bloomberg: China's Bridges Are Falling Down — Corruption, mismanagement and a whole lot of infrastructure failures. We're going to be living with these mistakes for a long time. Wall Street Journal: Chinese Firms Warm to Private Equity — Sounds like good news, but the reason many companies are turning to private funds is that institutional financing for private firms is very difficult to obtain. FT: China-bashing and the GOP — Gideon Rachman looks at the China-related pledges made by Mitt Romney. Depressing and amusing at the same time. Global Times: Govt defends college policy favoring boys — Gender discrimination in China? Not exactly breaking news, but I did find the Ministry of Education's defense of this policy ridiculous. I responded with this:  "Acceptable" Gender Discrimination in Chinese Universities. China Economic Review: The human factor — A worsening job situation in China. Forbes: Chinese Auto Factory Bows To Striking Workers' Demands — Not exactly a "bad news" story, but coupled with the above article on problems with the labor sector, we might start seeing a lot more of this. OK, not everything out there in the press today was a bummer: Stephen Roach: China is Okay — Another high-profile pushback against the "hard landing" crowd. China Daily: Environmental assessments go online — A large number of environmental protests have occurred in the last few years, and this is a move towards more transparency and dialogue. The big questions are what information will be posted, will it be accurate, and what will happen if folks are concerned about a project? East Asia Forum: Upgrading China's economy through outward investment — some of the strategic aspects of Chinese ODI. Reuters: China considers downgrading domestic security tsar in next line-up — The speculation about security honcho Zhou Yongkang and what will happen to his position later this year may be starting to get clearer. © Stan for China Hearsay, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags:

Tracking Counterfeit Medicines in the Developing World Posted: 30 Aug 2012 12:33 AM PDT According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), counterfeit medicines are found everywhere in the world. They include mixtures of toxic substances, and inactive, ineffective preparations; 700,000 people die annually from fake malaria and tuberculosis drugs alone. The WHO also reports that the annual earnings from substandard or counterfeit drugs stand at about $200 billion USD. Many innovative solutions are being proposed to help tackle the spread of counterfeit drugs in developing countries. Technological innovations to track counterfeit drugs  Ashifi Gogo from Ghana is an entrepreneur with an innovative solution involving mobile phones. In simplified terms, the idea is to place a scratch-off label on the products; the label contains a unique code, which the consumer sends via SMS and then receives a reply as to whether the product is authentic or not. In this TEDx Boston talk, Ashifi Gogo explains how his solution works by combining cell phones, community, and the cooperation of governments and pharmaceutical companies: After the Duo-Cotecxin incident in Kenya, Holley-Cotec, the company that manufactures the antimalarial, introduced a new technology to make the tablets tamper-proof. James Nyikal, director of Medical Services in Kenya explains : New packets of the drugs will have three-dimensional hologram seals and other features to indicate the drugs are authentic. "Is this drug real or counterfeit? SMS text with Pharma Secure to find out." Image by Wayan Vota on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay reviews the solutions currently available to identify genuine medicines. He shares some surprising anecdotes: The screening first consists of a close visual inspection. Inspectors scrutinize the packages, because they need to be certain that an intention exists to deceive the consumer. "If you just have the tablets or the capsules, even if they have no active ingredient, it still could have been an innocent mistake in the factory. […] Some of the packaging errors on counterfeit drugs are quite comical. On one, the expiry date was before the manufacturing date, so we knew something wasn't quite right!" He also mentions the challenges of screening in poor settings: Challenges in developing countries mean that investigators have to think creatively and come up with effective analytical techniques that cost pennies and are robust. "We found out that many of the fake artesunates, posing as a particular brand produced in China, contained calcium carbonate," says Green [Michael Green from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. Since the authentic brand did not contain calcium carbonate, he and his colleagues were able to distinguish counterfeits from the genuine tablets by adding vinegar to bits of the tablets. A growing challenge for the developing world More important than their economic impact, counterfeit medicines pose a significant global public health problem. Not only do they endanger the lives and the well-being of patients, they also undermine confidence in healthcare systems and health professionals. The following chart by the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI) details the geographical distribution of confirmed counterfeiting incidents in 2011; the issue is increasingly challenging to tackle for the developing world because of the growing volume of fake drugs and the required  infrastructure. Total counterfeit drug incidents by year. Graph by PSI (available in public domain). To the point, PSI notes: The regions that are more frequently linked to incidents are not necessarily those with weak enforcement and inspection programs. Rather, countries in these regions are effectively identifying pharmaceutical crime through law enforcement activity and inspections by drug regulatory agencies. Despite the innovation mentioned earlier, detecting counterfeit drugs is still a very difficult task and requires both advanced technology and the capacity to strictly enforce international regulations. For instance, many defective and counterfeit antimalarials were reported in developing countries [fr] this year but only after patients had been treated. In 2012, a study showed that one-third of antimalarial medications in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa failed chemical analysis, packaging analysis, or were falsified. In 2007, the Ministry of Health in Kenya issued a warning about counterfeit antimalarial medication Duo-Cotecxin being sold in Nairobi and how to detect it. Lawrence Evans, a researcher who has conducted a study in Guyana and Suriname on the quality of antimalarial drugs says: Besides the presence of medicines not included in the World Health Organization malaria treatment guidelines, the ease with which medications were procured without accurate diagnosis poses another major risk to patients' safety. In addition, this could have serious implications for the development of drug-resistant strains of Plasmodium parasites, particularly Falciparum, as novel treatments are not foreseeable in the near future. Prisca in Madagascar explains [fr] why people do not go to pharmacies anymore and venture into the informal market:  des personnes n'hésitent plus à revendre des produits pharmaceutiques sans ordonnance. Selon Fara, propriétaire d'un commerce prospère " Les médicaments que nous vendons sont les mêmes qu'en pharmacie, puisque je les achète chez un grossiste agréé. Mais comme je n'ai pas autant de charges qu'une pharmacie, ils sont deux fois moins chers ". Le problème des consommateurs est donc le prix. Many convenience stores do not hesitate to re-sell medicines without prescription anymore. Fara, the owner of one such successful store, says: "The medicines that we sell are the same as the ones in pharmacies since I purchase them from a certified distributor. But my fiscal charges are much smaller than the pharmacies so I can sell drugs twice as cheap." For consumers, the issue here seem to be the cost of the medicines. While it is important to determine the circuit of counterfeit drugs to fight efficiently against this trafficking, many countries warn that this cannot overshadow the need to innovate in other areas as well to fight diseases. Henry Neondo writes for African Science News that malaria must be fought more effectively in Kenya, including the search for a vaccine: Kenya has been selected among nine other African countries that will benefit from a new multi-billion shillings drive in search for an anti-malaria vaccine. [..] "New malaria drugs and a vaccine are urgently needed in Africa, where malaria has grown resistant to the cheapest and most widely-used treatments. As several promising new drugs and vaccines move through the research pipeline, there is a need to build African capacity to conduct large-scale clinical trials of these drugs and vaccines over the next decade," said Prof Binka [Indepth Network Executive Director]. Written by Lova Rakotomalala · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper

US: we don’t take position, but islets covered under US-Japan Treaty that protects Japanese territory Posted: 29 Aug 2012 06:51 PM PDT The following video excerpted from the U.S. State Department's daily press briefing on Tuesday in Washington about the Diaoyu Islands has gone viral on Chinese websphere and aroused public outcries. The State Department Spokesman, Victoria Nuland, when questioned by a Chinese journalist, confirmed that the U.S. takes the Japanese name, Senkaku, as the official name for the island group in East China Sea, and that the Islands are covered under the US−Japan Security Treaty though reaffirming its neutral position over them. The tensions between Japan and China have risen, as anti-Japan protests have flared in China after 10 nationalists from Japan landed on the Diaoyu Islands, and a Chinese protester blocked an official car carrying Japanese Ambassador to China and ripped the Japanese flag from the car in Beijing. The U.S. intervention no doubt makes the matter worse. Though China has seen more and more pro-U.S. Chinese people for its freedom, when it comes to the country's territory and dignity its people stand together to fight by the strong sense of affinity. Amid anti-American sentiment, some netizens commented, "It doesn't matter what other people do, but what matters is what we do. If we do nothing, but just verbal protests, it is no help even if they all call it Diaoyu Islands." Transcript: QUESTION: What is the official name for the Senkaku Islands for the United States? Is it Diaoyu Islands or Senkaku Islands, or both are okay? MS. NULAND: Our – I'm going to go to my special little rocks cheat sheet here, because this is getting quite complicated with lots of – QUESTION: Yes. Do you have one? MS. NULAND: — different things here. So let me make sure I get it right here. So the one – yeah. So as we've said, we call them the Senkakus, so if that's the question that you're asking. We don't take a position on them, though, as I've said all the way through. QUESTION: So you don't take a position on them, but on the other hand you think the islands is covered by the Defense Treaty between Japan and the United States, right? Is that correct? Do you think that those two things are contradictory, because – MS. NULAND: Yes. We've consistently said that we see them falling under the scope of Article 5 of the 1960 U.S.-Japan Treaty. QUESTION: Do you think that is contradictory? Because for me, it sounds like contradictory. You said you don't have a position on the sovereignty of the islands, but on the other hand you said it's covered by the treaty, which only protects Japanese territories. MS. NULAND: But this is because the Senkakus have been under the administrative control of the Government of Japan since they were returned as part of the reversion of Okinawa since 1972. QUESTION: So let me rephrase my question. Do you regard the islands as Japanese territory? MS. NULAND: Again, we don't take a position on the islands, but we do assert that they are covered under the treaty. QUESTION: So you think these islands is under the administration of – MS. NULAND: I think I've answered the question. Let's move on. QUESTION: No. You don't have – MS. NULAND: Nicole. Nicole.

Paralympics 2012: a stirring journey to enlightenment Posted: 29 Aug 2012 11:46 PM PDT Featuring everything from athletes "flying" on golden wheelchairs to amputees performing gravity-defying acrobatics, this was a worthy sequel to Danny Boyle's Olympic opening ceremony. Professor Stephen Hawking during the opening ceremony Photo: Action Images       The Paralympics curtain-raiser steadfastly refused to allow the performers' disabilities to restrict the breadth of its ambition – with 141 disabled performers taking part, including 27 wheelchair users. Like Boyle's acclaimed show, it also drew from Shakespeare's The Tempest, featuring Sir Ian McKellen playing Prospero and the disabled actress Nicola Miles-Wildin as Miranda, while Prof Stephen Hawking narrated. Miranda Setting out the theme of the show, Sir Ian sent Miranda on her journey of discovery, asking her to "go out into the world … be for all of us gathering here our eyes, our ears and our hearts" and "shine a light on the beautiful diversity of humanity". A glowing, celestial sphere descended from the sky before a "big bang" created with fireworks and 600 performers holding illuminated umbrellas — a recurring prop throughout. Prof Hawking, speaking through his voice synthesizer, urged Miranda to "look up at the stars, and not down at your feet … be curious". Among the objects around the stadium were Sir Isaac Newton's apple, a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and a ball of energy representing the Higgs bosun, all of which would recur later in the evening. The opening segment also included a representation of present-day London, with a performance by the street dance troupe Flawless to the Rihanna song Umbrella, together with acrobats swaying on 13ft poles, some of whom were among 42 deaf and disabled people who attended a two-month circus school to prepare.   (Getty Images) Spirit in Motion A fanfare heralded the arrival of the Queen, in rather more sedate circumstances than her "parachute jump" at the Olympic opening ceremony. The Union flag was raised to Benjamin Britten's arrangement of the national anthem, sung by a 430-strong choir including 77-year-old Eve Stephens, who attended every day of the athletics at the 1948 London Olympics. Then it was time for the parade of the athletes from 164 countries, who entered the stadium to a mash-up of global music created by three London-based disc jockeys. The joyful procession took considerably longer than planned, overrunning by a full 50 minutes. It was followed by a performance of the newly commissioned song Spirit in Motion by Denise Leigh, the blind soprano who won the Channel 4 talent show Operatunity. Once the athletes were seated in the centre of the stadium, and following speeches from Lord Coe, chairman of the Games organisers Locog, and Sir Philip Craven, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, the Queen declared the Games open and the Paralympic flag was raised by members of the Armed Forces. The Paralympics grew from the Stoke Mandeville Games held at the Buckinghamshire hospital in 1948 by Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a doctor who had escaped Nazi Germany and also wanted a new challenge for servicemen who had suffered spinal injuries in the Second World War. Brave New World Miranda returned to the stadium, now dominated by a giant library, as "Prospero" told her: "Books are humanity in print". The biggest book of all displayed the text of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed in 1948 as a common standard of achievement for all nations and championing equal opportunities for disabled people. (Getty Images) Then, as six Paralympians including Baroness Grey-Thompson in a golden wheelchair "flew" on wires towards her, Miranda recited her famous speech from The Tempest: "How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in't!" The creators of the show said Miranda's words embody equality and enlightenment because she does not judge anyone by their appearance. The dancer David Toole, who has no legs, stole the show by dancing on his hands before flying around the stadium on a wire performing an aerial ballet. Following her speech, Miranda boarded a boat made from an upturned umbrella as "Prospero" urged her to "sail out and discover new worlds" and Prof Hawking reminded her that "there should be no boundary to human endeavour". On her voyage, she was caught up in a storm of ideas, before taking flight and landing back in the centre of the stadium. Landing on a maze made out of books, Miranda, urged by Sir Ian McKellen to "immerse yourself in these wonders of science and the stars", learnt about Sir Isaac Newton's discovery of gravity in his garden in Lincolnshire and his three laws of motion from Prof Hawking. Finding an apple in the maze, she bit into it, together with the 62,000 spectators in the stadium, each of whom had been given an apple as they arrived to represent the falling fruit which is said to have inspired Newton's discovery of gravity. The scene culminated with a giant golden apple rising up from the stage. Empowerment Having explored the discoveries of the past, McKellen and Miranda walked together towards the present day and a representation of the Large Hadron Collider at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland, which "will change our perception of the world", according to Prof Hawking. Red illuminated tents, representing atoms being smashed together, recreated the search at CERN for the Higgs particle, or Higgs boson, named after the British physicist Peter Higgs, as Miranda noted that "the greatest adventure is what lies ahead". Miranda used her knowledge to act as a champion for human rights, joining placard-bearing protesters as singers performed Ian Dury's disability anthem Spasticus Autisticus. Then, rising from the stage, came a 40ft reproduction of Marc Quinn's famous sculpture of a woman born without arms, Alison Lapper Pregnant, the original of which was on display in Trafalgar Square from 2005 to 2007. The organisers described the statue as a symbol of London's reputation for inclusivity. Miranda completed her journey by breaking a symbolic "glass ceiling" with a walking stick, representing the barriers that Paralympians have to break through to reach their goals. Enlightenment In a fitting and spectacular ending, Royal Marines Commando Joe Townsend, an aspiring Paralympian who lost both legs after stepping on an explosive device in Afghanistan, descended on a zip wire from near the top of the 350ft ArcelorMittal Orbit tower to the base of the Paralympic cauldron, holding the torch. He handed the torch to David Clarke, one of the GB visually impaired football team, who passed it to the final torchbearer, Margaret Maughan, Britain's first gold medallist at the inaugural Paralympic Games in Rome, 1960. Thomas Heatherwick's cauldron of petals, first seen during the Olympics, rose up from the ground to unite in a single flame. With fireworks detonating around the stadium, the singers Beverley Knight, Lizzie Emeh and Caroline Parker performed the finale, singing I Am What I Am.               You might also like： Mr. Bean-London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony Playing for Opening Ceremony of London Olympic Games 2012 London Olympics Officially Over, Chinese Netizen Opinions Liu Xiang falls on London Olympic debut Vigorous basketball cheerleaders at London Olympics 无觅

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