News » Politics » Song lyric ban as China's censors keep the 'party' in party congress

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• Song lyric ban as China's censors keep the 'party' in party congress
• New service center for Chinese visa opens in Berlin
• Beijing plans RMB70bn support plan for solar industry
• LG Electronics launches new Nexus smartphone with Google
• Wal-Mart seeks to restructure supply chain, raise stake in Yihaodian
• Debt/assets ratio of Wuhan Iron & Steel reaches record high
• Blackstone will step up investments in Asian realty market
• Japanese vessels expelled from Diaoyutai island waters
• Top China Stories from WSJ: Rag Trade Slows, Marriott, Baidu Profit
• Reporter attacked while covering accident at construction site
• Tropical storm Son-Tinh hits Chinese mainland
• US Diplomat Visits Restive Pagoda
• Beijing steps up security measures for upcoming CPC Congress
• Nissan denies suspend auto export to China
• Together, China and Europe will be stronger
• Rukhsana Hasib: Sex Slavery and the Throwaway Girls
• Handcuffed suspect escapes from court during trial
• What's Behind the NY Times Exposé on Wen Jiabao?
• 2nd International Conference on Tibetan Medicine concludes in Dharamshala
• David Fagin: Facebook Sued Over Allegedly Allowing Chinese Counterfeiters to Sell Fake NFL Jerseys

Song lyric ban as China's censors keep the 'party' in party congress Posted: 31 Oct 2012 04:35 AM PDT Inauspicious words such as "dead" or "down" may not be used in the lyrics of songs released during the Chinese Communist Party's 18th National Congress, citizen journalism website Boxun News reported ...

New service center for Chinese visa opens in Berlin Posted: 31 Oct 2012 04:35 AM PDT A new process to apply for a Chinese visa was launched in Berlin on Monday, whereby ordinary passport holders may submit their application documents to a service center instead of to the Chinese embas...

Beijing plans RMB70bn support plan for solar industry Posted: 31 Oct 2012 04:23 AM PDT Beijing plans to invest 70 billion yuan (US$11.2 billion) in a series of initiatives to save China's troubled solar energy industry which has been hit hard by the introduction of US tariffs and a depr...

LG Electronics launches new Nexus smartphone with Google Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:19 AM PDT South Korean handset maker LG Electronics launched on Monday its new Nexus smartphone in collaboration with Google, enhancing its product mix amid fiercer competition in the global mobile industry. ...

Wal-Mart seeks to restructure supply chain, raise stake in Yihaodian Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:19 AM PDT After encountering several confidence crises relating to the quality of its products and a slew of management changes, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the world's largest retailer, is considering repositioning...

Debt/assets ratio of Wuhan Iron & Steel reaches record high Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:19 AM PDT Wuhan Iron and Steel Corp in the first half of this year was laden with a 63.8% debt/assets ratio, a five-year high. Although the state-owned steelmaker still had credit lines 82% unused as of the...

Blackstone will step up investments in Asian realty market Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:19 AM PDT For Stephen Schwarzman, founder and CEO of Blackstone, the world's largest private equity fund, Asia, China, and realty are the investment focuses of the fund at present. Two weeks ago, Blackstone j...

Japanese vessels expelled from Diaoyutai island waters Posted: 31 Oct 2012 03:19 AM PDT China's marine surveillance fleet has expelled a number of Japanese vessels illegally sailing in waters around the Diaoyutai islands on Tuesday morning, according to a statement issued by the State Oc...

Top China Stories from WSJ: Rag Trade Slows, Marriott, Baidu Profit Posted: 30 Oct 2012 06:53 PM PDT China's slower economic growth is making its way to Nike and other apparel makers; Marriott International plans to double its hotel outlets in Asia; Baidu said its third-quarter profit rose nearly 60%.

Reporter attacked while covering accident at construction site Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:25 PM PDT Guangdong, China - A reporter's arm was broken when he was attacked on Monday while covering a fatal industrial accident in Guangzhou's Baiyun district. Zhu Chunyu from Guangzhou's Southern Television said he had also received death threats from the person in charge of the construction site. Zhu and other reporters arrived at the site after a worker was killed and another seriously injured after falling from a 10-meter-high shed in Yunchengxi Road, Baiyun, at about 11 am on Monday. The shed suddenly collapsed as three workers were on top of it removing a billboard. Zhu and his colleagues were prevented from covering the accident when they arrived at the scene. The man in charge of the site also said he would beat Zhu to death if he reported on the incident. He tried to grab Zhu's camera and clutched Zhu's neck when the reporter refused to leave. Zhu's right arm was seriously injured and he was taken to the First Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine where an X-ray showed the arm was broken. The man in charge of the site was detained and taken to a police station by officers who arrived at the scene. Police sources say he comes from East China's Jiangsu province. The investigation is continuing. /China Daily

Tropical storm Son-Tinh hits Chinese mainland Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:53 PM PDT Beijing, China – Tropical storm Son-Tinh has made landfall in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after sweeping across Hainan Island. Local authorities in Guangxi have recalled shipping and reinforced port facilities. Some flights have also been cancelled or delayed. The National Meteorological Center says the tropical storm combined with a cold front moving from the north is likely to cause rain until Tuesday evening. It has advised local departments to guard against landslides and flooding. The Ministry of Civil Affairs said Son-Tinh had left one person dead and 5 missing as of 5 p.m. on Monday. 126,000 people have been relocated. Son-Tinh has affected around 1.26 million residents in Guangxi. It has destroyed houses and damage crops, leading to huge economic losses. /Xinhua

US Diplomat Visits Restive Pagoda Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:35 PM PDT A U.S. diplomat has made a rare visit to a pagoda of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), which has been the target of consistent harassment by authorities in the one-party communist state, the group said Tuesday. Kathleen Peoples, a political outreach officer of the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, made the trip to the Giac Minh Pagoda in Danang last Thursday in an apparent attempt to highlight religious freedom in the country. "This is the first visit by a U.S. diplomat to the Giac Minh Pagoda," according to the Paris-based International Buddhist Information Bureau (IBIB), which represents UBCV abroad. The pagoda is the central office of the UBCV's Buddhist Youth Movement as well as the head office of the UBCV Quang Nam-Danang Provincial Committee and has been "the target of consistent government harassments and repression for several years," the IBIB said in a statement. Peoples was received at the pagoda by Thich Thanh Quang, the 75-year-old head of the Quang Nam-Danang Provincial Committee, who the IBB said was brutally beaten by youths believed to be plainclothes police in August. She had asked questions about the pagoda's activities, such as, "Was it able to conduct activities normally like other Buddhist pagodas, could it receive financial support and offerings, what access to medical care did the monks and nuns at Giac Minh Pagoda have," according to the statement. Surveillance temporarily lifted Quang said that police surveillance outside Giac Minh Pagoda was lifted on the day of the U.S. diplomat's visit for the first time in several years. "Nevertheless, he showed Ms. Peoples the office of the civil defense police just opposite, where plain-clothed officers could be seen behind the windows filming their meeting," the statement said. He reported that police resumed their surveillance immediately after the visit, with four or five officers posted permanently outside the pagoda's gates. Quang asked Peoples to urge the U.S. government to support the Vietnamese people in their quest for religious freedom, human rights and democracy, and to press Hanoi to guarantee the rights enshrined in the U.N. treaties that it has signed, the statement said. Rights groups have asked the U.S. State Department to place Vietnam back on a blacklist of top violators of religious freedom, citing various actions taken by Hanoi.   'Increased awareness' In his report to UBCV, Quang said that he hoped this first visit from a U.S. diplomat was "a sign of an increased awareness from the United States on the situation of the repressed UBCV." The Giac Minh Pagoda had come under harassment since 1981, when the state-sponsored Vietnam Buddhist Church was created and the independent UBCV was effectively banned. However, the "repression became significantly more intense" from 2007 after the octogenarian UBCV leader Thich Quang Do, who is now under de facto house arrest, began criticizing China. He had held protests against Chinese encroachments on the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands and Bauxite mining by Chinese firms and launched an appeal to boycott Chinese products. Since then, and particularly over the past two years, the authorities had intensified repression, Quang said, citing round-the clock surveillance on the pagoda, banning monks from celebrating Buddhist festivals and preventing Buddhists from entering the pagoda to pray. "Young monks from Giac Minh Pagoda who went to study in Saigon were denied residence permits on their return, and thus became illegal citizens." The pagoda also could not receive donations and offerings because police threatened Buddhists with reprisals if they showed support for the "reactionary monks," the statement said. Medical treatment Police also prohibited doctors from coming to the pagoda, obliging monks who fell ill to seek treatment outside, it said. Even animals were denied treatment. Quang said he had a sheep-dog which kept guard on the pagoda but fell ill and died because police refused to let the veterinary doctors into the building. "The state says it will take care of everything", said Quang, "but the dog died anyway." U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has repeatedly called on Vietnam to address human rights concerns, although it has also pushed ahead with greater cooperation with Hanoi including in military exchanges. Vietnam has jailed dozens of journalists and bloggers who spoke out about corruption, and detained other dissidents for associating with the opposition. The U.S. House of Representatives last month passed legislation which would make improvements in human rights a condition for increases in non-humanitarian aid to Vietnam. It also adopted a resolution condemning what the House said was Hanoi's abuse of vague national security laws used to silence dissent. The legislation still needs passage by the Senate. The House has approved the bill twice in previous sessions, but it has died in the Senate. Reported by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.

Beijing steps up security measures for upcoming CPC Congress Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:22 PM PDT A picture taken on Beijing Taxi shows the rear window lock is removed to prevent passengers from rolling down window to pass out flyers. Beijing, China – According to Xinhua News, Beijing authorities have beefed up security and logistics support ahead of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The municipal government on Tuesday initiated an emergency response program, asking relevant departments to ensure water, electricity, gas, heat, transportation and fire control services in the event of an emergency. The program requires emergency response teams to restore normal operations within 15 minutes in case of an emergency, such as a technical malfunction. Vehicles carrying toxic or dangerous chemicals will not be allowed to enter the municipality from Nov. 1 to 18. The valid term for vehicles registered outside Beijing to stay in the city will also be shortened to three days from seven days, according to the city's traffic management bureau. The municipal fire department started a campaign in mid-October to check and remove fire risks at venues that will serve the congress and the central government compound, as well as hotels, hospitals, schools, markets, stores, cinemas, clubs and Internet cafes. Sanitation workers have been asked to strengthen food safety and cleanliness inspections in hotels and restaurants. The CPC's 18th National Congress will be convened on Nov. 8, with more than 2,000 CPC delegates gathering for the meeting, which occurs every five years. /Xinhua

Nissan denies suspend auto export to China Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:07 PM PDT Beijing, China – Japanese media previously reported that Nissan will suspend its auto export to China until 2013. According to Beijing Youth Daily, Nissan China responded on October 29, and denied the news. "We have not yet received any message on the export, our import vehicle business department is still in operation", Nissan China said. It was reported the export suspension was decided mainly over the disputed Island issue between China and Japan. Japanese car sales decreased dramatically and remains in the doldrums. Although Nissan China profit mostly from the high-end models, it still affects the whole corporate profits. In addition, Toyota China also made a denial when rumor said the company was to stop exporting Lexus autos to its Chinese Market. However, Toyota confirms the company has made adjustments on the imports of certain models. FMN

Together, China and Europe will be stronger Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:45 PM PDT Understanding and trust lie at the heart of a great strategic partnership, says Song Tao This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Rukhsana Hasib: Sex Slavery and the Throwaway Girls Posted: 30 Oct 2012 10:34 AM PDT In many parts of the world, young girls are lured with promises, or simply carried off to be sold as sex slaves. Born in poverty, they are condemned to live a sad and hopeless life. The cries of these throwaway girls have been largely ignored until recent years. Read more: Prostitution, Gender Equality, Violence Against Women, Sex Slavery, Slavery, Cambodia, Women's Rights, Hillary Clinton, China, Sierra Leone, Suppression of Women, Sexual Slavery, World News This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Handcuffed suspect escapes from court during trial Posted: 30 Oct 2012 01:26 PM PDT Hunan, China – A suspect in Shaoyang, Changsha Province tried to escape during his trial. Zhou Wenkai, accused of knife-wielding robbery, suddenly ran out of the courtroom on the second floor when the prosecutor was reading the indictment. Zhou, wearing handcuffs at the time, has successfully climbed over the fence outside the court building and escaped. Unfornately, he was arrested from his escape. Local police in Shangyang started an investigation, but no details revealed of how the suspect was captured. FMN

What's Behind the NY Times Exposé on Wen Jiabao? Posted: 30 Oct 2012 02:02 PM PDT

2nd International Conference on Tibetan Medicine concludes in Dharamshala Posted: 29 Oct 2012 10:59 PM PDT The 2nd International Conference on Tibetan Medicine concluded yesterday in the exile Tibetan headquarters of Dharamshala after three days of in depth discussions and presentations on various aspects of the ancient Tibetan medical system.

David Fagin: Facebook Sued Over Allegedly Allowing Chinese Counterfeiters to Sell Fake NFL Jerseys Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:20 AM PDT The suit claims, because of Facebook's insatiable desire to break into the still untapped Chinese marketplace, it has aligned itself with a Chinese marketing firm that has been repeatedly accused of doing business with counterfeit entities in numerous countries across the globe. Read more: Sports, Social Media, Nfl, Twitter, Mitt Romney, Facebook Privacy, Mark Zuckerberg, Business News, Facebook, China, Barack Obama, Business News This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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