Roundup - 27/01/2010

• Four more people have been sentenced to death for their roles in violent protests in Xinjiang last July. One other person was sentenced to death with a two year reprieve, usually commuted to a life sentence, and eight others received jail terms. The names of the four who received death sentences suggest that they are all ethnic Uighurs. 26 people have now been executed or sentenced to death in connection with the riots. Uighurs began to protest in response to the murder of two Uighur migrant workers in southern China. On July 5^th the protests turned violent and government figures say almost 200 Han Chinese were killed. Two days later gangs of Han Chinese were seen roaming the streets seeking revenge, the Uighur death toll has not been officially counted.
  
  
  
• Five pro-democracy legislators who resigned in an attempt to spark a referendum on democratic reform have been denied the chance to make their final speeches. Pro-Beijing legislators staged a mass walk-out before they were due to speak, forcing an adjournment until next week. The resignations take effect at the end of the week. Beijing has forced Hong Kong to slow its move towards democracy, its says that a fully elected legislature cannot come into place until 2020.
  
  
  
• China's State Council has set up a National Energy Commission to oversee China's energy security. China's energy need have grown enormously alongside its economic rise prompting the PLA to consider it a question of national security. The new commission will be headed by Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice-Premier Li Kaqiao will act as deputy.
  
  
  
• 14 people have been killed in an avalanche in Xinjiang. The avalanche occurred yesterday in Yili, a region mostly inhabited by ethnic Kazakhs. 13 other people have died in Xinjiang after a cold snap led to an increase in snowstorms and avalanches.
  
  
  
• At least five people have been killed in an explosion at an illegal fireworks factory in Inner Mongolia. The factory in Hohhot had been operating without a license, hoping to cash in on the demand for fireworks during the new year holidays which start on February 14^th. 10 more people were injured in the blast.
  

Roundup - 26/01/2010

• Five legislators in Hong Kong have resigned their seats in a bid to promote democratic reform. The legislators, from the League of Social Democrats and the Civic Party, hope that the five resulting by-elections will be viewed as a referendum on democratic reform in Hong Kong. Currently Hong Kong's legislature is only partly elected and its Chief Executive is elected by a committee appointed by Beijing. China has said that the chief executive should not be directly elected until 2017 and the legislature until 2020. However, the pro-democracy parties want the reforms to be in place by 2012.
  
  
  
• Envoys of the Dalai Lama are to meet Chinese officials in Beijing tomorrow for the ninth round of talks since 2002 on the future of Tibet. The talks have a continuous history of going nowhere. Chinese officials are expected to demand that the Dalai Lama renounce violent separatism while the Dalai's envoys will reaffirm his commitment to a peaceful road to semi-autonomy for Tibet.
  
  China is beginning a new ten-year plan for Tibet which will continue to further open up the plateau and develop the economy. Tibetan exiles say that this increases ethnic tensions due to the huge influx of non-Tibetan Chinese. However, China hopes that tensions will be diffused if it succeeds in its plan to raise the incomes of rural Tibetans to the national average.
  
  
  
• Associated Press has reported that the Obama administration has decided to continue with controversial arms sales to Taiwan. The new sale is said to include UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles. However, the sale will not include F-16 fighters as these were deemed to be too provocative. The sale of arms to Taiwan is a major thorn in the side of Sino-US relations.
  
  
  
• China's Ministry of Environmental Protection has announced that it will exceed its targets for the reduction of two key pollutants. The 11^th five year plan (2006-10) prescribed cuts of 10% of sulphur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand, a major indicator of water pollution. They say that, by the end of the year, they will have reduced an additional 400,000 tons of SO2 and 200,000 tons of COD.
  
  The 12^th five year plan (2011-15) will contain similar targets with the addition of nitrogen oxide and ammonia nitrogen to the list of chemicals set to be reduced.
  

Roundup - 25/01/2010

• China has said accusations that it was behind the recent attack on Google were 'groundless.' An official spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said that the accusations were designed to denigrate China and that the government had no explicit or implicit role in the attacks. He also pointed out that China is the largest victim of internet attacks with 42,000 website hacks last year and over a million IP addresses taken over by overseas attackers.
  
  Meanwhile the People's Daily has hit out at the US in an editorial accusing it of using the internet to stir up unrest in Iran. The editorial claims that unrest which followed elections last year in Iran only begun because of 'online warfare' via You Tube and Twitter.
  
  
  
• Three batches of products from three companies have been withdrawn from sale after it was found that they were tainted with Melamine. The companies, all of which sell their products in Guizhou, said that the contamination was due to a batch of powdered milk which they bought as an ingredient for their products in early 2009. A government official has suggested that this batch of powdered milk may have been left over from the 2008 Sanlu scandal. Sanlu's products caused illness in thousands of babies and six deaths.
  
  
  
• Four senior Communist party officials have signed an open letter criticising the trial of Liu Xiaobo. Liu was sentenced to 11 years in jail in December. He Fang, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Dai Huang, a former Xinhua senior reporter, and Li Pu, former deputy chief Xinhua were co-signatories on a letter written by Hu Jiwei, former editor of the People's Daily. The officials are all in their 80s and 90s, a fact which may allow them to get away with more than their younger counterparts.
  
  
  
• Xie Zhenhua, WenJiabao's special representative on climate change, has caused consternation by saying that more scientific research needs to be done to prove the global warming is man made. Speaking at a meeting of the Basic group (China, India, South Africa and Brazil) he said that while the mainstream view was that global warming was caused by unrestrained emissions of greenhouse gases, there were alternative theories and that governments should remain open to these theories. Xie later assured reporters that this would not cause any delay in responding to the threat of man-made global warming.
  
  The meeting of the Basic countries is meant to coordinate negotiating positions before the climate summit in Mexico City later this year. The delegates pointed to the delivery of US$10 billion of aid to the least developed countries in the world by the end of the year as a key indicator of developed countries commitment to combating climate change.
  

Roundup - 23/01/2010

• China has responded to US criticisms of its internet censorship by saying that the issue could hurt diplomatic ties and calling the internet a 'shot in the arm for US hegemony.' Hillary Clinton was unusually critical of China in a speech she gave on Thursday where she suggested that internet freedom could become a major plank of US foreign policy. However, she did stop short of issuing a formal diplomatic request for an investigation into Google's hacking claims.
  
  An article in China's state media calling the internet a tool for US hegemony has pointed to US control of the domain name server system and a plot by the CIA, uncovered by the British press in 2002, which planned to steal information from government organisations, banks and businesses, as a sign that the US is using the internet to boost its global position.
  
  
  
• China and Taiwan are engaged in a competition to give the most aid to Haiti. The PRC first sent a plane with US$2 million of medical supplies very quickly after the tragedy occurred, Taiwan then responded with US$5 million of aid. China has now added an additional US4.4 million. Taiwan and China have used aid and development loans to vie for recognition for decades. However, an informal truce was called after Ma Yingjiu came to power in Taiwan. However, fears that Haiti, one of the few remaining countries who still recognise Taiwan, may switch sides appears to have provoked a strong response from Taiwan.
  
  The conflict between China and Taiwan has also been used by many developing states, particularly those such as the Central African Republic which have very little source of income. By switching sides from time to time they can ensure that aid is always forthcoming from one side or the other.
  
  
  
• The dissident Gao Zhisheng is 'where he should be' a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official has said. At a press conference a spokesman, Ma Zhaoxu, said that he did not know exactly where he was but that 'relevant judicial authorities have decided his case.' Gao's brother said last week that a policeman had suggested that Gao had gone missing, raising fears tat he may have died in custody. Gao was previously arrested in 2007, during which time he has said he was tortured. He has consistently campaigned for political reform since he played a central role in demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
  
  
  
• An online poll to choose a date for a new 'national tourism day' has been plagues by widespread fraud. A total of 4.2 billion votes were cast, significantly more than the 1.3 billion strictly possible. Allegations have been made that many provincial governments sent in fake votes so that the day would fall on the particular days, for example, Hunan wanted it to fall on Mao Zedong's birthday. The poll has been rejected and the date will now be chosen by the state council.
  

Roundup - 21/01/2010

• China's National Bureau of Statistics has released above-target figures for GDP growth in 2009. They say that GDP rose 8.7% over the year with a 10.7% rise in Q4 compared with 2008. This means China is likely to replace Japan as the world's second largest economy by the end of the year. China has now declared itself the first major economy to recover from the economic crisis and PriceWaterhouseCoopers has released a report suggesting China could overtake the US as the world's largest economy as early as 2020. China has said that it will maintain its stimulus policies until demand or its exports recovers fully.
  
  However, statistics also showed a spike in inflation. While in November inflation was at 0.6% year on year, in December this rose to 1.9%. Attempts to reign in lending by the People's Bank of China are therefore likely to accelerate over the coming months.
  
  
  
• Compensation is still being sought for people infected with HIV after blood transfusions in the 1990s, it has emerged. More than 80 people in Daye, Hunan, were infected with HIV after being operated on at the Daye No.2 Hospital. In the 1990s it was common for rural Chinese to sell their blood to hospitals to supplement their income. Some victims are angry at the disparity in compensation offered. One victim who claimed compensation early on is said to have received 190,000RMB, a 500RMB monthly stipend and a promise to allow his child to work at the hospital. Now compensation usually amounts to 90,000-100,000RMB and life-long free healthcare. The hospital says the initially high compensation was offered before it was realised how many people had been infected.
  
  
  
• An additional 300,000 people will have to be moved from their homes due to the Three-Gorges Dam project. The government said that the moves were necessary to stop pollution from building up in the dam's reservoir and to protect the people from earthquakes. According to state media, 1.27 million people have already been moved to make way for the worlds largest dam. When the dam reaches full capacity, it is expected to produce 100 billion kilowatt hours a year of electricity.
  
  
  
• China has placed its J-10 fighter jet on the international arms market. The fighter, China's counterpart to the US's F-16, is likely to prove a popular choice among countries who cannot buy US fighters or who are looking for a cheap alternative. Pakistan has already put in an order for 36 fighters for US$1.4 billion. This puts the individual price at US$40 million per plane, half the price of an F-16, however, it is not clear whether this includes spare parts, maintenance, training, etc.. State media has named Iran and the Phillipines as likely future buyers.
  

Roundup - 20/01/2010

• In a move which many analysts suggest is linked to the Google affair, Chinese search engine, Baidu, is suing an American company for negligence after its site was hacked. Baidu says that Register.com, Inc. was guilty of gross negligence after Baidu was hacked by a group calling itself the Iranian Cyber Army on January 12^th.
  
  Baidu has been largely reported as being the dominant search engine in China. However, this dominance is in crisis as loss of market share and the loss of key managers are revealed. Analysis International has followed recent announcements by Statcounter.com by releasing figures that give Baidu a 58.6% share of China's online search market in the last quarter, a 5.3% drop on the previous three months.
  
  Baidu has also lost both its chief technology operator, Li Yinan, and its chief operations officer, Ye Peng, in the last ten days.
  
  
  
• Google has delayed the launch of two new phones using Google's Android software. The phones, made by Samsung and Motorola, were to have used the China Unicom network. Insiders have suggested that Google did not want to launch a product utilising its Gmail and web search functions if the companies presence in China was uncertain.
  
  
  
• China's banking Regulatory Commission has set China's lending target at 7.5 trillion RMB (US$1.1 trillion). In 2009 Chinese banks lent a total of 9.5 trillion RMB (US$1.4 trillion) and has led to fears over the creation of bubble in China's economy.
  
  Meanwhile, Chinese stocks fell 3% on Wednesday due to fears of further interest rate hikes.
  
  
  
• Zhou Yongjun, a former democracy activist, has been sentenced to nine years in jail on charges of fraud. Zhou came to prominence during the protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989 during which he knelt on the steps of the Great Hall of the People to plead with Chinese leaders.
  
  He was controversially handed over to China by Hong Kong after he attempted to enter Hong Kong on a fake passport. He was reportedly put on a money laundering watchlist by Hang Seng bank after the signature on a transfer for HK$6 million (US$773,000) did not match the original.
  

Roundup - 19/01/2010

• Reuters and the Wall Street Journal have cited unnamed sources saying that the cyber-attack on Google which has recently made headlines may have had inside help. Analysts have suggested that the reason the attack was so sophisticated was not because of the software used but because they knew exactly who to attack. Google has declined to comment on the reports.
  
  Meanwhile, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China has warned its members that the gmail accounts of at lest two reporters have recently been hacked into and their emails forwarded to an unknown address. Although the two accounts are not named the Associated Press has said that one was an account belonging to one of its journalists.
  
  
  
• The Irish company Statcounter has suggested that Google's market share in China was much greater than previously reported. Reports that suggest Google had barely more than 30% of he market are based on figures from last July. Statcounters new figures show that over the last few months Google has increased its share to 43% while Baidu has fallen to 56%. The figures suggest that Google's low market share in China compared with elsewhere is not a primary motivator for its recent actions.
  
  
  
• Huang Songyou, former vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, has been handed a life sentence for accepting bribes totaling 3.9 million RMB (US$571,000) and embezzling 1.2 million RMB (US$176,000). The sentence comes as part of major crackdown on corruption after Hu Jintao declared it to be a major threat to the legitimacy of the Communist party.
  
  Meanwhile, Chen Shaoyong, former secretary-general of Fijian's provincial party committee, was also given a life sentence for taking properties worth 8.19 million RMB (US$1.2 million) as bribes.
  
  
  
• Two criminal gang leaders, Yang Tianqing and Liu Chenghu, were executed today in Chongqing. Chongqing's campaign against organised crime has resulted in a number of high profile cases involving police and judges as well as gang leaders. The campaign has been a major boost to the career of Bo Xilai who is tipped to be a major player in the next generation of Chinese leaders.
  
  
  
• The China Film Group has decided to stop showing the 2D version of James Cameron's Avatar according to Hong Kong's Apple Daily. This is said to be a reaction to fears that it may encourage unrest. The film depicts a people whose local life is threatened when people arrive to exploit their planets natural resources, a situation which many in China could sympathise with. Due to the rarity of 3D cinemas in China, and their prohibitive ticket prices, the decision will mean that only China's urban middle class will be able to see the film in cinemas.
  

Roundup - 18/01/2010

• China has confirmed the deaths of eight missing officers in Haiti. The four members of the UN peacekeeping force and four officials from the Ministry of Public Security were killed after the UN headquarters in Port-au-Prince collapsed during last Tuesdays earthquake. 18 Chinese nationals are now believed to have been killed in the earthquake. It is feared that the total death toll may rise to 100,000.
  
  
  
• A small earthquake in south west China has triggered landslides which killed 7 people. The earthquake struck 100km south west of Guiyang, Guizhou on Sunday afternoon. One person is still missing and nine others are in hospital.
  
  
  
• Two Chinese engineers have been kidnapped along with four Afghans in northern Afghanistan. The team were working on a road project with a Chinese company in Qaisar district. Afghan Islamic Press has reported that the kidnapping was conducted by the Taliban. Qaisar was previously considered one of the safest areas of Afghanistan but the war has been spreading over the last year and in October the Taliban attacked the police station in Qaisar's Faryab, kidnapping eight police officers.
  
  
  
• Yahoo has been criticised by its Chinese partner, Alibaba, over its stated support for Google. Yahoo announced that it was 'aligned' with Google on the dangers of hacking at the weekend. Alibaba, which runs Alibaba.com and Taobao.com, said that Yahoo's statement was 'reckless.'
  
  Yahoo has, like all other foreign internet companies in China, bowed to the will of the PRC. A source for the Straits Times says that China knew about the cyber attacks on foreign companies before being told by Google, but had taken the decision to remain silent on the issue.
  
  
  
• Texting services have been restored to Xinjiang more than six months after riots left almost 200 people dead. The July riots led to texting, the internet and international phone calls in the province being stopped in an effort to prevent the organisation of mobs and the circulation of photos which could inflame ethnic tensions in the region. These service have finally been restored over the last few weeks.
  

Roundup - 16/01/2010

• Gao Zhisheng, a prominent advocate of religious freedom, has 'gone missing' his family have said. Gao Zhisheng was detained on the 4^th February 2009 and was believed to be in police custody. However, an officer told his brother that he 'lost his way and went missing.'
  
  Gao Zhisheng, a former soldier and coal miner, came to prominence as a dissident after representing underground Christian churches and helping to organise a hunger strike by Falun Gong supporters. He had previously been in custody in 2007 during which time he said he was tortured with electric batons and toothpicks through his testicles.
  
  Geng He, Gao's wife, said in her new home of New York that she was stunned by the news that the authorities did not know the whereabouts of her husband. She has asked the authorities, 'if he's alive, let us see him, if he's dead, tell us where the body is.'
  
  
  
• China has criticised the plans of five Hong Kong legislators to resign en-masse to provoke a 'referendum' on democratic reform. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council has said that any referendum would be a violation of the Basic Law. Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Donald Tsang, has also come out strongly against the move saying that the Hong Kong government would not recognise it.
  
  The legislators, members of the opposition Civic Party and League of Social Democrats, are heavily critical of the delays to universal suffrage which have been imposed from Beijing with the support of the Hong Kong government. They plan to resign on January 27^th.
  
  
  
• Police in Beijing shut down China's first gay pageant an hour before it was due to start. The Mr Gay China pageant was supposed to be a sign of China's gradual acceptance of homosexuals. Homosexuality was a crime until 1997 and classified as a mental disorder until 2001. Since then public homosexuality and gay bars and clubs have slowly been growing in China's cities. However, the closing of this pageant shows how far China still has to go.
  
  Police said that the event was cancelled because of inadequate paperwork, although they are said to have commented that the pageant was a 'sensitive issue.'
  

Roundup - 15/01/2010

• China's Ministry of Public Security has announced that its director of equipment and finance and deputy director of the international cooperation department are among eight Chinese missing inside the collapsed UN headquarters on Haiti. A total of four of the missing were officials from the ministry visiting the UN mission according to Xinhua. The other three men and one woman were police officers serving with the UN mission.
  
  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that a total of 22 peace keepers had been confirm dead but that figure is likely to rise as around 150 are still missing including around 100 in the collapsed headquarters.
  
  A Chinese rescue team is said to be working 24 hrs a day in an attempt to save as many lives as possible within the crucial first 72 hours.
  
  
  
• The US has responded to the response to the attack on Google has been hindered by a lack of concrete evidence according to a report in the International Herald Tribune. The reports shows that while most hold the opinion that the attacks came from the Chinese state, concrete evidence of this is not available. The White House did not ask for the Chinese government to investigate the attacks and President Obama has declined to personally take on the issue in public. However, the report quotes a senior official as saying that there would be greater diplomatic action in the coming days.
  
  The attacks have now been shown to have affected at least 33 different institutions including a research institute closely link to Washington and the US defence contractor Northrop Grumman.
  
  Meanwhile, Microsoft has admitted that it was a weakness in its Internet Explorer that allowed the attack to happen.
  
  
  
• The China Internet Network Information Centre reports that China's online population has grown to 384 million. The figure increased almost 29% since the end of 2008 when China already had the worlds largest online population.
  
  
  
• China has chosen a new governor for Tibet after the resignation of Qiangba Puncog. Padma Choling is an ethnic Tibetan who has served 17 years in the People's Liberation Army before becoming a government official. Although the Tibetan governor is often an ethnic Tibetan. The most powerful official, Secretary of the CPC Tibet Committee Zhang Qingli, is Han Chinese.
  
  No reason has been given for the sudden resignation of Qiangba Puncog. He was 62, three years shy of the mandatory retirement age of 65.
  
  
  
• A court in Beijing has begun the trial of the most senior judicial official ever arrested. Huang Songyu was vice-president of the Supreme People's Court when he was dismissed after accusations of accepting bribes and embezzlement. Mr. Huang is now on trial for accepting more than 8 million RMB in bribes and embezzling 1 million RMB from a court in Guangdong. A Xinhua report also suggested that he was known for being 'sexually corrupt' with an interest in 'underage girls.'
  
  
  
• Kang Rixin, formerly head of the China National Nuclear Corporation, has been removed from the Central Committee and stripped of his Communist Party membership. Mr Kang was dismissed from his post at CNNC after suspicions of corruption. Although no charges have yet been brought he has been linked to bribes paid in return for construction contracts on China's nuclear infrastructure and also to an alleged multi-million dollar bribe from a leading French nuclear company.
  
  
  
• In economic news, China's FDI rose 103% year on year in December to reach US$12.1 billion. This brings FDI for 2009 to US$90.03 billion. A slight decrease of 2.6% compared with 2008.
  
  Meanwhile China's foreign exchange reserves grew 23.28% to nearly US$2.4 trillion.
  

Roundup - 14/01/2010

• China has issued its first official response to Google's warning that it may leave China if it is not allowed to publish uncensored search results. A statement on Thursday by Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Jiang Yu said that China was opposed to any form of internet attack and wanted further details so that it could investigate the matter. Ms Jiang also said that she would 'like to stress that China welcomes international Internet enterprises to conduct business in China according to the law.'
  
  Meanwhile Google chief legal officer and vice-president of corporate development David Drummond said that Google was 'not saying one way or the other whether the attacks are state-sponsored or done with the approval of the state.'
  
  Google users have by and large welcomed Google's decision. Flowers were left at the entrance to Google's offices in Beijing yesterday. One user on said on Twitter that 'it's not Google that's withdrawing from China, it's China that's withdrawing from the world.'
  
  
  
• Chinese police have shot and wounded at least five demonstrators at a land protest in Guangxi. The clashes, which also left 11 policemen injured, occurred in Longyatun village in Guangxi after police tried to arrest 12 villagers for obstructing public works. This charge is often brought against citizens who try to stop construction on government requisitioned land. China News Service reported that police fired in self defence after being attacked by villagers wielding rocks, knives and clubs.
  
  
  
• Hong Kong police have arrested two people on suspicion of carrying out an acid attack on a crowded market. The two men, aged 18 and 23, were arrested in connection with an attack on December 12^th on the Causeway Bay shopping district which injured six people. No comment was made as to whether the pair were suspected of carrying out other similar attacks.
  
  The latest in a series of such attacks came on Saturday when two bottles of acid were dropped on the Temple Street night market injuring at least 30 people.
  
  
  
• A poll by Taiwan's Common Wealth magazine suggests that nine out of ten Taiwanese corporate executives want a trade pact with the mainland. President Ma Yingjiu has placed the pact at the centre of his policy agenda but has received criticism from the opposition who fear that Ma will bring Taiwan too close to China. A previous poll suggested that the majority of Taiwanese voters opposed the pact and local elections, in which the pact was the central issue, delivered a defeat for Ma's Nationalist Party.
  
  Negotiations on the pact will begin next week and President Ma hopes to sign a deal in May.
  
  
  
• China's General Administration of Customs statistics show that China's oil imports continued to rise rapidly, reaching 204 million tons in 2009. China's oil imports now account for 52% of total consumption. Analysts believe that by 2020 nearly 65% of China's oil consumption will be supplied by imports.
  
  China is looking at ways to limit oil consumption by producing more fuel efficient cars and electric cars. However, with the number of vehicles on China's roads increasing so rapidly China's oil consumption is likely to continue to rise.
  

Roundup - 13/01/2010

• Google has said it is no longer willing to collaborate in Chinese censorship and will shut down google.cn if it is not allowed to publish uncensored results. The announcement comes after Google claimed that an attack on its servers, and those of up to twenty other companies, were primarily designed to hack into the email accounts of Chinese human rights activists. According to Google only the inbox and subject line of emails was taken, no actual emails were compromised.
  
  Although Google made no specific allegations as to who is responsible for the attack, it has reacted strongly against the Chinese state. It says that it is willing to negotiate the presence of an uncensored version of google.cn but that if negotiations do not succeed it will simply pull out of China altogether. In an apparent attempt to put pressure on China censored images were recently found to be available on google.cn. For example, an iconic photo of a man standing in front of a column of tanks, taken in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989, could be easily found on the search engine.
  
  Human rights activists have universally praised Google's decision. Arvind Ganesan of Human Right Watch said that Google's actions set 'a great example.' foreign internet companies in China have often been criticised for bowing to the Chinese state's wishes. Yahoo, for example, was willing to give private details of bloggers to China in exchange for access to the Chinese market.
  
  While Google's actions have been widely praised outside of China, its motives have been questioned. Google seemed to have no problem with censoring its results until now and has not linked the attacks specifically to the Chinese government. Some have suggested that this move is actually an attempt to head off future criticism. After all, Google's operations in China have managed to make little headway against China's Baidu search engine and China accounts for only US$300 million of Googles US$22 billion of annual revenue. Evgeny Morozov from Georgetown University said that it seemed as if Google was playing the 'innocence card.'
  
  
  
• 8 Chinese peacekeepers have been buried and are feared dead and another 10 are unaccounted for after Tuesday afternoons devastating earthquake in Haiti. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck at 16:53 local time and was Haiti's worst earthquake in two centuries. It is believed that the casualties may number in their thousands.
  
  On Wednesday China sent a rescue team of 50 earthquake experts, 3 dogs and machinery to aid in the crisis. China has 125 peacekeepers in Haiti as part of a several thousand strong UN presence. The UN headquarters is believed to be one of the buildings that was destroyed in the quake.
  
  
  
• China has raised the bank reserve ration by 0.5%. The ratio, the amount of money banks must keep in reserve compared to how much they lend out, has been increased in an effort to curb excess lending which could overheat the economy and lead to asset bubbles. China has already seen inflation begin to growth in recent months. China's stimulus package and lax lending policies led to a doubling in the the amount lent by banks in 2009 compared with 2008. Almost 600 billion RMB (US$87.7 billion) was lent in the first week of January. Many analysts had not expected such a move to come before the second quarter, however, it was expected to come eventually as China tries to rein in growth to sustainable levels. China has also raised the interest on one-year bills to 1.84% after raising that on three-month bills last week.
  
  
  
• China's restive province of Xinjiang is to up its security budget by almost 90% Xinhua reports. The budget proposal, to be decided on this week, suggests that spending on public security should be increased to 2.89 billion RMB (US$423 million) to combat the 'three forces' of terrorism, separatism, and extremism which the government says were behind the riots which left almost 200 dead last July.
  
  Xinjiang's regional government chairman, Nur Bekri, said that security forces should improve their response mechanisms to react quickly to 'mass incidents' and should find ways to prevent the use of new media, such as the internet and mobile phones, to coordinate these events.
  
  China denies that it is subjecting Xinjiang's 8 million Uighurs to religious and cultural oppression.
  
  
  
• In another sign of openness to homosexuality, China Daily's front page today bore a photo of China's first 'married' gay couple. Zeng Anquan and Pan Wenjie held a public ceremony at a gay bar in Chengdu. Although the marriage is not officially recognised by the state and there had been no official government response, Zeng and Pan hope that this is a first step in making same-sex partnerships a possibility. The couple have suffered a significant amount of predjudice since they announced their marriage. No family members attended the ceremony and Zeng's brother froze all the capital in Zeng's company when he heard the news.
  
  Discrimination against homosexuals is still extremely widespread in China. A survey by Zhang Beichuan of Qingdao University suggests that 8.7% of homosexuals are fired after revealing their sexuality, 4.7% feel their salary and chances of promotion are affected and 62% choose to keep their sexuality secret in the work place.
  

Roundup - 12/01/2010

• China has conducted a successful test of its missile interceptor technology, Xinhua says. China's HQ9 air defence system is designed to shoot down incoming missiles before they reach their targets in mainland china. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said that 'the test was defensive in nature and targeted at no country.' However, Al Jazeera quotes Shi Yinhong, Renmin Universities leading expert on Sino-US relations, as saying that there was a 'connection' between the test and the US decision to carry on with the sale of Patriot missile components to Taiwan. Taiwan says that there are approximately 1,500 missiles pointed at its territory and it relies on US arms imports to guarantee its security. Taiwanese media has suggested that President Ma Yingjiu will stop off in the US during a visit to Honduras this month in a move that is likely to provoke further anger from the mainland.
  
  
  
• China's leading internet search engine was down on Tuesday morning after being hacked by pro-Iran activists. Baidu's DNS was altered to redirect traffic to a page saying 'This site has been hacked by Iranian Cyber Army.' Below was a sentence in Farsi saying 'in reaction to the US authorities' intervention in Iran's internal affairs. This is a warning.' The name 'Iranian Cyber Army' was used by hackers who shut down Twitter last month.
  
  
  
• Google has apologised to 8,000 Chinese writers for scanning and publishing their books online without their permission. Google offered to publish a list of all Chinese works it has scanned in recent years. It also said that it would work to reach an agreement with Chinese authors by the summer. Currently more than 50 Chinese publishers have agreed to allow around 60,000 books to be published, Google said.
  
  
  
• China plans to build the world's highest airport on the Tibetan plateau state media reports. The 'roof of the world' project will cost 1.8 billion RMB (US$263.62 million) to build an airport at 4,436 meters above sea level. This will be 102 meters higher than Tibet's Bamda airport, currently considered the worlds highest. The new airport will serve the region of Nagqu in the centre of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. Nagqu currently has a mainly Tibetan population of 400,000 though this may change as it is further opened up.
  
  
  
• China has scrapped restrictions on the use of foreign parts in its wind turbines. The decision by the National Development and Reform Commission was taken last year according to China Business News, but has only just been announced. Previously, manufacturers of China's wind turbine had to source at least 70% of their turbines from domestic markets. However, it is hoped that this move will open up China's wind turbine producers to foreign technology. China's wind power capacity was forecast to reach 20 gigawatts by the end of 2009 making China the world's third biggest wind power producer behind the US and Spain.
  
  
  
• Beijing-based iResearch has reported that the growth of China's internet gaming industry slowed to a nevertheless formidable 30.2% a year reaching 27.1 billion RMB (US$3.97 billion).
  

Roundup - 11/01/2010

• China has overtaken Germany as the worlds largest export economy. A 13 month decrease in Chinese exports was ended in December when a sudden jump of 17.7% year on year sent Chinese exports over US$1.2 trillion.
  
  China's imports also soared in December, showing a 50% year on year increase. This was largely due to an increase in minerals such as iron ore for steel production and crude oil to meet China's energy needs. In December China imported an average of over 5 million barrels of oil a day for the first time.
  
  In spite of China's rapid recovery from the global economic crisis the government plans to keep its stimulus package in place throughout 2010. Finance Minister Xie Xuren said that ending the stimulus too early could damage the economy and could undo many of the gains China has made over the last year.
  
  However, Mr. Xie did say that the stimulus package would now 'give greater emphasis to expanding domestic demand.' Many analysts predict that China will overtake Japan as the worlds second largest economy by the end of 2010.
  
  
  
• Hong Kong police have announced that a man arrested on a rooftop after an acid attack that injured about 30 people had nothing to do with the crime. The attack, the latest in a series of attacks over the last year, occurred on Saturday night at the popular Temple Street night market. Large bottles of acid were hurled from a rooftop onto the crowd below.
  
  The 39-year-old man was initially reported to have been arrested in connection with the attack. However, police now say that he was simply arrested for missing a court date. Some have suggested that he was simply on the roof to hide from the police.
  
  Over the last 15 months there have been at least six attacks leaving more than 100 injured. So far nobody has been charged in connection with the attacks.
  
  
  
• A Chinese investigation into Australian Rio Tinto Ltd has been sent to prosecutors in Shanghai according to a statement by Australia's Department of Foreign affairs and Trade. Three Rio Tinto employees, including Stern Hu, an Australian citizen, have been detained since July on suspicion of illegally obtaining commercial secrets. It is now up to the Shanghai People's Procuratorate to decide whether or not to bring the case to trial.
  
  The case has caused tensions amid negotiations between China and a number of iron ore producers in Australia. China produced more than half of the world's steel last year and demand for Australian iron ore pushed bilateral trade to US%56 billion last year. A boom in Australian mining has helped Australia to recover from the economic crisis much faster than most Western countries.
  
  
  
• According to state media as many as 4,000 officials have fled China with more than US$50 billion in government funds over the last 30 years. In 2009 103 cases were investigated including that of Yang Xianghong, an official from Wenzhou, who fled to France and attempted to launder US$2.9 million. Officials are believed to use local criminal gangs in their destination country, usually Australia or the US, to arrange travel and to launder public funds.
  
  
  
• Local press in Taiwan reports that Taiwan is planning on buying 8 second-hand frigates from the US. The Perry-class frigates were designed in the 1970s but plans to equip them with the Aegis Combat System would turn them into a powerful force against China's air and missile forces. The report comes only a week after the US confirmed that it would go ahead with a controversial deal to sell Patriot missile equipment to Taiwan.
  
  
  
• A report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has suggested that as many as 24 million men of marrying age will be unable to find a spouse by 2020. The report blames gender specific abortions, the traditional Chinese preference for boys and young people's unwillingness to have children for the problem. Across China 119 boys are born for every 100 girls, in some provinces the figures rise to as much as 130 boys for every 100 girls. The gender imbalance has been blamed for many social ills including forced prostitution and human trafficking which researcher say has become 'rampant' in some parts of the country.
  
  
  
• The contestants of the first Mr. Gay China Pageant have been unveiled. One of the eight contestants will go on to compete in the Worldwide Mr Gay Pageant in Oslo, Norway late this year. Mainstream Chinese language media have not bee invited to the event, due to take place this Friday, amid fears of police interference.
  
  Harassment of China's gay community is still widespread. Homosexuality was illegal until 1997 and considered a mental illness until 2001. However, there are some signs of change. A government funded gay bar opened in Yunnan in December for example.
  

Roundup - 09/01/2010

• 12 miners have been killed in a fire at a coal mine in Jianxi. The fire broke out at the Miaoshang mine in Xinyu city on Friday afternoon. According to a district government statement has suggested that the fire was caused by the short circuiting of underground cables. The Miaoshang mine was in the process of doubling its production capacity to 60,000 tonnes to meet China's rocketing demand. China's vast energy needs have led to rapid development of coal production at the expense of safety. At least 671 people died in accidents at coal mines in 2009.
  
  
  
• Fears of unrest in Xinjiang have risen after the stabbing of a Uighur man in Shenzhen. The unnamed man was stabbed to death at a Xinjiang restaurant by a Han Chinese man. Seven Han men were later arrested in connection with the murder. A row in a factory between Han and Uighur workers in nearby Shaoguan last June led to rioting in Xinjiang which left at least 197 people dead.
  
  
  
• Xie Zhenhua, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, has said that China had achieved its goals at the Copenhagen summit by ensuring that the aid of rich countries is not tied to external reviews of China's progress. He welcomed to US$100 billion in aid promised by 2020 as a stepping stone for negotiations, adding, 'next time, we can talk about when will they pay the money and how much each country will pay.'
  
  According to Mr. Xie, China is already well on its way to cutting its carbon intensity by 20% over the five years to 2010. He claims that at the end of 2009 carbon intensity had already been cut by 16%. China has pledged to cut carbon intensity by 40-45% on 2005 levels by 2020. The guidelines outlined in the next five year plan, covering 2011-2015, will be key to the achievement of this goal.
  
  
  
• Li Zhuang, previously a lawyer defending an organised crime boss, has been sentenced to two and a half years in jail. Gong Gangmo turned in his lawyer in the hope that he would receive leniency in his own case. He claimed that Li Zhuang told him to lie about being tortured in police custody.
  
  The case is causing a stir among China's legal community. The sentence, which comes amid a massive crackdown on organised crime, is aimed at discouraging lawyers from breaking the law in defence of their clients. However, there are concerns that, in the rush to secure prosecutions, the rights of China's defence lawyers are being eroded. Some are even concerned that defending a client is tantamount to collaboration in the crime.
  
  Li Zhuang is appealing his sentence.
  
  
  
• China has overtaken the US as the worlds largest market for cars. According to the China Passenger Car Association sales soared from 6.4 million units in 2008 to 10.26 units in 2009. This has been partly due to China's stimulus package, a car trading scheme provides between 3,000 and 6,000 RMB when replacing an old car. The government plans to enlarge this scheme in the coming year by providing between 5,000 and 18,000 RMB per vehicle.
  
  The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers has said that over 100 new models will be released over the coming year while Sinotrust, an automobile industry consultancy firm, has predicted further rapid growth with total vehicle sales reaching 15.13 million units in 2010.
  
  
  
• Taibei-based Next Magazine has claimed that a Taiwanese company sold sensitive nuclear material to Iran after a request from China. According to the report, a Taiwanese company bought 108 pressure transducers from Switzerland and then exported them to Iran after an online order from China on behalf of an Iranian oil company. The report quotes an unnamed source who says that China has 'secretly shipped critical components' to Iran in spite of its public claims to be unwilling to provide Iran with sensitive technology.
  

Roundup - 08/01/2010

• China Mobile's Vice-Chairman, Zhang Chunjiang, has been removed from his post. China Mobile said that the decision was made due to 'alleged serious financial irregularities.' According to Caijing magazine Zhang is suspected of hiding losses when he worked at another state-owned telecommunications company, China Netcom. This led to a merger with China Unicom which left Unicom to deal with the unexpected losses at Zhang's company.
  
  
  
• The family of Yuan Kuansheng have alleged that he was murdered by corrupt colleagues. Yuan Kuansheng, formerly deputy mayor of Wugang, Hunan, was officially said to have committed suicide. However, in Yuan's final phone call to his wife, Liu Yuehong, he warned that their apartment had been bugged and that they may be in danger. Liu, a doctor, found several inconsistencies in her husbands autopsy. She claims that it is simply not feasable that her husband suddenly decided to slash his wrists, electrocute himself and then jump of a balcony. The Guardian(UK) reports that Zhuo Xueqing from the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine cited unusual facial injuries, typical of trying to cover somebodies mouth, an unusual distribution of blood stains and a strange pattern of bone fractures. He said that 'we cannot rule out the possibility of murder.'
  
  
  
• Beijing's GDP has now exceeded US$10,000 per capita according to state media. Director of the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Committee, Zhang Gong, said that incomes for residents of urban areas of the municipality has risen 12% while those of the outskirts has risen by 9%.
  
  While this news is an achievement for Beijing it also highlights the growing divide between rich and poor. National GDP was expected to rise to only US$3,600 last year.
  
  
  
• China has said that it will offer free vaccinations for the (A)H1N1 virus to children aged between six months and three years. The announcement comes as China ramps up its vaccination programme before the Chinese new year. China has so far vaccinated almost 51.4 million people, 659 deaths from the disease had been reported by the end of 2009.
  
  
  
• Three factory officials have been arrested for covering up the true cost of an accident at a steel plant on Monday. The officials, from the Puyang Iron and Steel co., initially reported only seven deaths from a suspected gas leek at the plant. The death toll has now risen to 21.
  
  
  
• Analysts say the a key interest rate rise is a sign of things to come. Interest from the People's Bank of China's weekly sale of three-month central bank bills has risen by less than 0.05% to 1.3684%. However, analysts predict that this is only the first of many interest rate hikes designed to halt speculative investments and restrain the excess of credit for China's businesses. RBS's Ben Simpfendorfer called it a 'turning point.'
  

Roundup - 07/01/2010

• Cold weather is continuing to cause problems across much of China. Food prices are rising due to transportation issues and fears that the cold will damage crops, the price of vegetables has risen 10% in just a few days in some areas according to AFP.
  
  Industrial power usage has been rationed across much of central China. Disrupted delivery of coal to power stations and high energy demand due to the weather has meant that coal reserves are tight. Only ten days supply of coal is in storage rather than the fifteen days that government guidelines have set as a safe level. However, local governments have stated that residential power needs are primary and will be protected at all costs. So far fears of a repeat of early 2008 have been averted. In 2008 a similar cold spell combined with clumsy attempts to manipulate energy prices led to widespread power cuts across the country.
  
  
  
• Former Czech President and founding member of Charter 77, Vaclav Havel, has entered the Chinese embassy in Prague to protest the sentence of Chinese dissident and co-author of Charter 08, Liu Xiaobo.
  
  Charter 77 was launched 33 years ago yesterday and Mr. Havel and two other former dissident chose to mark the anniversary by handing a letter to the Chinese ambassador. However, the embassy did not open its doors to them and they were forced to use the letterbox.
  
  Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years on Christmas Day for inciting subversion of state power. He has appealed his sentence but campaigners say there is little hope of it being overturned.
  
  
  
• A Tibetan film maker has been sentenced to six years in jail. In a statement made in Washington his family said that Dhondup Wangchen was sentenced on Dec 28^th after a trial in which he was denied access to a lawyer.
  
  Dongdup Wangchen taught himself how to make films and set off on a journey across his native Tibet conducting a series of interviews and filming daily life. While there he was caught up in the violent protests in March 2008 during which he was arrested and charged with subversion of state power.
  
  According to Gyaljong Tsetrin, his exiled cousin, Dhondup has contracted Hepatitis B while in detention.
  
  
  
• China has offered a US$7.16 million grant to Kenya to assist with infrastructure development. China said in November that it would give US$10 billion in concessional loans over the next three years.
  
  The BBC has reported that China is offering to help develop a second port at Lamu. This port would provide a new route for the export of oil from Southern Sudan to China. Sudan will soon undergo a referendum as to the future of the country. It is possible that Southern Sudan may break away making a southern trade route to Sudan a key strategic goal for China.
  
  
  
• The US has confirmed that it will allow a controversial arms deal with Taiwan to proceed. Lockheed Martin will sell an unspecified number of Patriot air defense missiles to Taiwan in spite of strong protests from the mainland. The deal is part of a US$6.5 billion arms deal negotiated by the Bush administration. Patriot missiles are capable of shooting down most Chinese ground-to-ground missiles.
  

Roundup - 06/01/2010

• A Californian software company is suing the Chinese government for US$2.2 billion. Cybersitter claims that the Green Dam Youth Escort programme, designed to block pornographic and other websites deemed harmful by the government, contains more than 3000 lines of stolen code. More than 56 million copies of the software have been distributed in China.
  
  The government originally planned to instal the software on every computer sold in China but was forced to back-pedal after a massive public outcry.
  
  
  
• Hong Kong media is leading speculation about the removal of He Yafei from his position. Mr. He has been moved to a position at the UN from his post as Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. Commentators suggest that this is due to his handling of the Copenhagen negotiations which resulted in a PR disaster for China.
  
  While He Yafei cannot be personally blamed for the failure of the negotiations, his inability to take major decisions and the contrasting aims of China and the Western powers were the main causes, he was deemed to have handled the situation in a particularly undiplomatic manner. In particular his public insulting of US negotiator Todd Stern and his consistent vetoing of any climate deal, even one that did not include China, in the hectic final phase of negotiations, meant that China would inevitably come out of the summit looking the villain.
  
  Wen Jiabao managed to avoid being made the fall guy for the failure only by not turning up to many of the negotiations.
  
  
  
• 25 coal miners have been killed in a fire at a mine in Xiangtan, Hunan. More than 70 miners were in the shaft when underground cables caught fire on Tuesday afternoon. 43 managed to escape leaving at least 28 trapped. Nine bodies were retrieved on Tuesday and a further 16 on Wednesday morning. Hopes for the other trapped miners are failing as rescuers encounter the toxic fumes left by the fire.
  
  
  
• Public anger is rising as it emerges that a case involving the sale of melamine-tainted milk was withheld from public view for almost a year. Three people from the Shanghai Panda Dairy Co. were arrested in December, however, it seems that evidence that milk was contaminated emerged on Dec30 2008 and the investigation into the company began in February 2009.
  
  Some media reports claim that the tainted milk was actually made with the recalled products from the major 2008 scandal in which 6 children died and 300,000 were made ill but according to Xinhua all products involved in that scandal were destroyed.
  
  The reason given for not informing the public was that, when local authorities began investigating, they discovered evidence that a criminal case could be brought and so had to hand the investigation over to the Ministry of Public Security.
  
  
  
• A report in Faren magazine, affiliated with the Legal Daily, has highlighted corruption among the executives of China's state-owned enterprises. 35 executives face charges in 2009 of which 31 were convicted in cases involving an average of 110 million RMB (US$16.18 million).
  
  Among these, Li Peiying, former head of the Capital Airports Holding Company, was executed in August for taking 26.61 million RMB in bribes. Yang Yanming, once a senior trader with a securities company, was executed in December for embezzling 94.52 million RMB of public funds. Chen Tonghai was given a death sentence with two years reprieve for having taken almost 200 million RMB in bribes.
  
  Kang Rixin, former head of the China National Nuclear Corporation, is currently under investigation for taking backhanders in exchange for awarding construction contracts.
  
  Meanwhile a survey by the Horizon Research Consultancy Group says that 59.1% of people consider that corruption amongst China's officials is most damaging to China's image abroad. This was followed by counterfeit and shoddy products, pollution, uncivil conduct and industrial accidents.
  

Roundup - 05/01/2010

• Three counties in Shaanxi have warned their 850,000 residents to avoid drinking tainted water after a major oil spill. Up to 150,000 litres of oil leaked from an oil pipeline between Gansu and Henan. According to CNPC the accident was caused during construction work by a 'third party.' The oil spilled into two tributaries of the Yellow River, into which it is now believed to be seeping. However, authorities claim to have controlled much of the spill and hope to prevent it from reaching the major cities further downstream.
  
  
  
• The dissident, Liu Xiaobo, is appealing his conviction on charges of incitement to subversion of state power. Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Dec.25^th after a year in detention for his role in drafting the Charter 08 petition. Charter 08 called for far reaching democratic reforms and received more than 10,000 signatures before it was removed from the internet. Shang Baojun, a lawyer handling Mr Liu's case said that the appeal was submitted on Dec 29^th to the Beijing Supreme People's Court. The court must now consider the appeal within 45 days.
  
  
  
• China has reiterated its preference for negotiation over sanctions in deal with Iran's nuclear issue. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Jiang Yu, said that 'dialogue and negotiations are the right ways of properly solving the Iran nuclear issue, and here is still room for diplomatic efforts.'
  
  The statement comes as the US considers organising sanctions on Iran. The US imposed an end of year deadline for Iran to agree to a US scheme for exchanging nuclear fuel which demanded simultaneous exchange within Iran. Iran has now set and end of month deadline for an agreement on its own terms. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that after a month Iran would continue to enrich uranium itself if the deal was not agreed and declared this to be 'an ultimatum.'
  
  
  
• Eight steelworkers have died in an accident in Dalian, Liaoning. According to Xinhua, the eight men fainted suddenly while repairing an electrical device in an underground pumping station. Traces of carbon monoxide were found in their blood but doctors have suggested that they could have died for oxygen deficiency as the pumping station had been sealed for some time.
  
  
  
• Police in Shenzhen have launched an investigation into a wedding which has caused public outrage because of its size. Liu Shenqiang, deputy director of the Shenzhen airport police, said that he was forced to throw such a lavish banquet for his daughter's wedding because they had so many friends. However, media reports and public opinion have questioned whether it was really necessary to spend US$88,000 on over 1000 guests. Wedding guests are traditionally expected to give gifts of cash to cover the costs of weddings. However, as nobody knows the amounts given, this is often a convenient way to give cash to officials.
  
  
  
• Harsh weather conditions have continued to cause problems in Northern China. A train heading from Harbin to Baotou was trapped on Sunday evening after running into snow more than 2m deep. Other long distance trains and internal flights were also disrupted.
  
  Beijing however has managed to clear the roads and keep traffic running after the worst snowfall in 60 years. More than 20,000 workers were dispatched with snow-dissolving agents between Saturday night and Monday morning to ensure that people could get to work at the start of the week.
  

Roundup - 04/01/2010

• A major oil spill in Shaanxi province is threatening to contaminate the Yellow River. 150,000 litres of diesel oil leaked from a pipeline belonging to the China National Petroleum Corporation on Wednesday. Reports of the spill only came out on Sunday when water quality monitors at the Sanmenxia resevoir began detecting small quantities of diesel. It is not known whether local authorities were informed before this.
  
  More than 700 workers are trying to contain the spill and have been told by Vice-Premier Li Keqiang that they must contain the spill before it contaminates the Yellow River. The Yellow river is a source of drinking water for approximately 140 million people along its 5,500 km stretch.
  
  
  
• Cold whether and snow have caused chaos across northern China. 90 per cent of flights to and from Beijing's Capital International Airport were canceled on Sunday as Beijing received its heaviest snowfall since 1951. Temperatures in the capital are expected to drop to -16C, further disrupting air and ground traffic.
  
  China's Central Meteorological Station issued a third orange alert on Sunday evening predicting that some areas could see a temperature drop of up to 18C. Agricultural experts have been sent out to major wheat producing regions to help protect crops.
  
  
  
• China's Central Military Commission has released guidelines on strengthening party building in the People's Liberation Army. The guidelines, approved by CMC Chairman and President Hu Jintao, focus on developing grass-roots party organisations, strengthening measures against corruption and helping the party with ideological work. A CMC statement stressed the importance of “the absolute leadership of the Communist Party of China over the armed forces.”
  
  
  
• New officials have been appointed by the State Council, including three new vice-foreign ministers. Cui Tiankai, Fu Ying, and Zhai Jun each have their own specialities. Cui Tiankai has spent many years with the Chinese delegation to the UN before heading the Policy Research Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fu Ying has served as Ambassador to the UK since 2007. Before that she was Ambassador to Australia, she has also led negotiating teams in nuclear talks with North Korea. Zhai Jun's focus is the Middle East and North Africa. He was Director General of the Department of West Asian and North African Affairs 2003-2006 and Ambassador to Libya 1997-2000.
  
  
  
• The family of executed Briton, Akmal Shaikh, has written to British Foreign Secretary David Miliband asking for an inquiry into the death. Akmal's brother, Akbar said that the lack of information given them was the cause of “incredible grief and torment.” According to Clive Stafford Smith, the lawyer and head of Reprieve, “nobody told the family how or where he would be killed. No family member or independent observer was allowed to witness his death, view his body or verify his burial. We have only the word of a press release that he was even killed.”
  

Roundup - 02/01/2009

• Thousands of protesters have been marching through Hong Kong demanding full democracy. Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a constitution which guaranteed that Hong Kong's Chief Executive and Legislature should eventually elected democratically. However, in 2007 China postponed the change, the Chief Executive will now be elected from 2017 and the legislature from 2020.
  
  Reports on the size of the demonstrations vary from 4,600 to 9,000. While the protests are a boost to democratic campaigners in Hong Kong, the numbers fall far short of previous protests. In 2003 a national security bill was shelved after 500,000 took to the streets in protest.
  
  Although the democratic movement has been weakened in recent years, it is hoped that the resignation of five pro-democracy legislators later this months will provoke elections which could be interpreted as a referendum on democratic reform.
  
  
  
• The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area has now come into effect. The agreement, initially prompted by the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s, covers a region which contains 1.9 billion people and and combined GDP of almost US$6 trillion. ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan has said that the Free Trade Area will benefit both China and ASEAN and help to lift the global economy out of recession.
  
  
  
• The Shanghai Panda Dairy Company has been shut down and three of its executives arrested for selling milk products contaminated with melamine. Authorities are currently overseeing the recall of its products from other parts of China. In 2008 six children died from drinking milk containing melamine. Several people were jailed and two executed for their role in that scandal. However, cases of melamine contamination continue to be discovered. Last month three people were arrested in Shaanxi for producing milk powder containing melamine.
  
  
  
• Apple has followed Google's lead in self-censorship in China. Applications for the iPhone relating to the Dalai Lama and Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer are not available from the Chinese app store. Apples runs different app stores for each country and has the final say on what applications are available in which stores. Reports suggest that searches on iTunes only find apps relating to the Dalai Lama if the search is in English but not in Chinese.
  
  
  
• Nine people have been killed and another eight injured after an explosion at a fireworks factory in Shaanxi. On Friday afternoon a massive blast destroyed all seven workshops of the Xinping Firecrackers Co. Ltd. Police are looking for Qu Pingxing, the factory boss, who is believed to have fled following the explosion.
  
  
  
• 606,100 tourists from the mainland visited Taiwan last year according to the Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits. Restrictions on mainlanders visiting Taiwan have been relaxed by both sides since commercial flights resumed between the two territories in July 2008. The visitors brought an estimated US$1.13 billion to the Taiwanese economy.