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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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.
  

Roundup - 27/12/2009

• Two cousins of Akmal Shaikh, the british man awaiting execution in China, have arrived in Beijing to deliver a plea for mercy to President Hu Jintao. Akmal Shaikh was arrested in Urumqi, Xinjiang, in possession of 4kg of Heroin, his final attempt to appeal failed earlier this year. He was convinced by a Polish gang to carry a suitcase into China in return for achieving a hit single. His lawyers say that he is suffering from bipolar disorder but that evidence of this was not admitted prior to sentencing. According to Chinese criminal law, anybody suffering from a psychiatric condition should have this taken into account during sentencing. The Chinese authorities say that Akmal Shaikh insisted on his own sanity at his trial and therefore it was not necessary to admit the evidence. He is due to be executed on Tuesday.
  
  
  
• The National People's Congress has closed its final session of 2009, passing environmental and tort laws. The tort laws will take effect in July and are designed to cover liabilities for accidents and injuries involving such things as medical malpractice, pollution and work-related injuries. It will also provide legal recourse for those whose privacy has been infringed or reputation defamed.
  
  A new amendment to the renewable energy law is designed to increase China's use of renewable energy. Until now much of China's renewable energy production has been badly linked to the national grid and often priced out of the market by coal power stations. The amendment states that all energy from renewable sources must be bought before other sources can be used.
  
  
  
• Taiwan's President Ma Yingjiu has called on the People's Republic to 'tolerate those people who voice their opinions in a peaceful manner.' The call comes after China sentenced the dissident Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in jail for his part in Charter 08, a document which called on China to institute wide ranging reforms of its political system. President Ma has been accused of turning a blind eye to China's human rights record by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party. The DPP gained ground in recent local elections by rallying opposition to closer ties with the mainland.
  
  
  

Roundup - 21/12/2009

• As the dust settles on the Copenhagen summit China has lauded the Copenhagen Accord as an important first step. No nation was satisfied with the deal and all leading nations have been criticised. But none more so than China who many see as having been the main culprit in stalling the talks. Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said that Copenhagen was ‘not a destination but a new beginning.’
The next climate summit will be held in Mexico city in 2010. China has already indicated that it will not weaken its stance at the next summit. Foreign Ministry Official Yi Xianliang said that China saw the 2010 summit as a struggle over the ‘right to develop.’

• The President of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, Chen Yunlin, has arrived in Taiwan for trade talks. Taiwanese President Ma Yingjiu hopes that Taiwan and the mainland can sign a free trade treaty early next year. However, opposition to closer ties with the mainland led to defeat in recent local elections. Tens of thousand of protesters are already gathering to oppose the negotiations.

• President Hu Jintao has concluded his tour of Macao amid celebrations of ten years of ‘One Country, Two Systems.’ Macao switch from Portuguese to Chinese rule in 1999 on condition that the mainland would allow a large degree of autonomy to the territory.
The last ten years has seen Macao prosper, largely due to gambling. In October Macao’s casinos took in 12.7 Macao Patacas or US$1.57 billion, almost twice as much as the state of Nevada.

• Liu Xiaobo will be tried on charges of inciting the subversion of state power on Wednesday according to his wife, Liu Xia. Liu Xiaobo, who also participated in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, was detained a year ago after his involvement in the Charter 08 document which called for political reform. Liu Xia has said that she will not be allowed to attend the trial and she has little hope for the outcome. Liu Xiaobo is facing a sentence of up to 15 years.

• A government funded gay bar in Yunnan opened its doors for the first time on Saturday. The bar was supposed to open on World Aids Day on the 1st of December was remained closed amid fears that the publicity would discourage homosexuals who feared discrimination. The bar will provide information and advice on sexual health issues in addition to cheap drinks. Officials hope that it will help to control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. It is the first government funded project of its kind in China.

• An article in the China Daily, ‘Top 10 Darndest Things Officials Said in 2009,’ shows the continuing dismay at the attitude of officials towards housing demolition. 4 of the ten quotes are related to construction. These include a comment that ‘any action against the government is illegal,’ a comment made to Pan Rong who won wide spread praise on the internet after defending her home against demolition with Molotov cocktails. Number four on the list was a to a 66-year old who threatened to commit suicide if he did not receive compensation for his home being demolished. When he asked a local official, Shi Guozhong, for help Shi replied that he should go ‘straight to the fifth floor’ (to jump off).
Regulations over the demolition of housing have been a hot topic in China after the cases of Tang Fuzhen, who died after setting herself alight in protest at the demolition of her home, and Yue Xiyou who died trying to defend his fiancé’s apartment.

Roundup - 12/12/2009

• 22,884 cases of officials holding public money for personal use have been uncovered since June. He Guoqiang, secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, said that the sums of money involved totaled 10.16 billion RMB, or about $1.49 billion. He said that 270 officials had received administrative punishments and 81 had been prosecuted.
  
  Nationwide sweeps between 1998 and 2006 found 140.6 billion RMB however, this is thought to be a very small percentage of the total amount of public money lost to corruption.
  
  
  
• The Chinese stance at the Copenhagen summit is continuing its previous course. Liu Zhenmin, deputy permanent representative to the UN, emphasised the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol, differentiated responsibility, and financial support and technology transfer from developed countries.
  
  Meanwhile, in Beijing, an influential think-tank, Chinese Economists 50 Forum, has published suggestions for an Inter-Country Joint Mitigation Plan to facilitate technology transfer from the developed to the developing world.
  
  
  
• Xinhua has announced that more than 3,470 people have been arrested this year in a crackdown on internet pornography. According to the Ministry for Public Security 1.25 million items of 'lewd content' and nearly 7,000 websites were shut down.
  
  Earlier this month authorities launched a crackdown on WAP sites with pornographic content. China maintains very strict control over the internet arguing that it must 'purify social environment and protect minors' mental health.'
  
  
  
• President Hu Jintao is currently in Kazakhstan. President Hu and President Nazarbayev will hold talks on strengthening their bilateral ties. Kazakhstan is also a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and a key ally and source of natural resources in the region. The 'Friendship Pipeline' is the longest oil pipeline in the world and is expected to begin operating fully next year.
  
  
  
• Chinese police arrested three people on Tuesday for selling milk contaminated with melamine. The three men worked for Shaanxi based Jinqiao Dairy Company. Only a few weeks ago two men were executed for their role in selling melamine-contaminated milk in a scandal which caused the deaths of six children and illness to some 300,000.
  
  
  
• Taiwan's Bureau of Foreign Trade is looking into allegations that Taiwanese companies sold specialised equipment which could be used to make weapons grade uranium to Iran. A report in the Daily Telegraph suggested that Iranian defense officials acquired pressure transducers from Taiwanese companies after being denied by American and European companies.
  

Roundup - 11/12/2009

• New economic data suggests China is recovering well from the economic crisis. Figures for November show that year-on-year growth in industrial output is at 19.2% while retail sales grew 15.8% compared with last year. The growth comes after the governments massive stimulus package help to increase investment in factories and construction by 32.1% in the first eleven months of the year.
  
  The vast amount of credit, combined with rising food prices as China settles in for a harsh winter, also led to the first growth in the Consumer Price Index this year. CPI rose 0.6% in November year-on-year. Some experts suggest that inflation could reach 3% in 2010, mostly driven by rising food prices. The government is attempting to increase food prices to stimulate production. The Producer Price Index continued to show decrease, prices for manufactured products are not expected to increase until demand for exports pick up as the global economic recovery catches up with China.
  
  
  
• China has continued to place responsibility on developed nations to combat climate change. Using the phrase 'promises must be kept; actions must be resolute' (言必信,行必果) three times Yu Xintai called on rich countries to honour their commitment, pointing out that few countries met their commitments made in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He also said that rich countries owed reparations to the developing world because of their past greenhouse gas emissions.
  
  The comment came after US Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern said that, though the US would pay into a climate fund, it was wrong to talk about blame.
  
  China's case was also supported by a letter from a 'Chinese citizen' published in the People's Daily. This said that, while it was terrible that so many foreign friends would suffer from climate change, some even losing their homelands, the citizen could not in good conscience ask families in his home village to remain poor for the sake of others. The letter compares the contrast between the developed and the developing world to hereditary rule.
  
  
  
• Execution by gunshot will no longer take place in Liaoning province. All cities in the province have now agreed to use lethal injections as the sole form of execution. The use of lethal injections has grown throughout China since they were first used in 1997. Beijing and Chongqing are expected to announce an end to execution by gunshot some time next year. The Higher People's Court of Liaoning released a statement saying that the exclusive use of lethal injections was a 'symbol of the progress of civilisation' while Wang Dawei, a professor from the Chinese People's Public Security University, said that it was 'a symbol of democracy and civilisation as it is the last form of respect for human life.' The numbers of people China executes is a state secret, according to an Amnesty International report this year at least 1,718 executions took place in 2008.
  
  
  
• A regulation allowing local governments to evict people from their homes and demolish them if the land is needed for other uses has been said to 'contradict the law' by the Law Committee of the 11^th National People's Congress. The National People's Congress is the country's top legislature. The committee announced that the regulation, which flamed public anger after the suicide by fire of Tang Fuzhen in Chengdu as authorities tried to demolish her home, should have been dropped following the 2007 Property Law.
  
  However, the State Council Legislative Affairs Office, in charge of administrative regulations, insisted that the rule was still in effect. Which group has greater authority is an unresolved issue in China's governmental structure but as long as there is a rift it is likely that the regulation will still be cited.
  
  
  
• Taiwan's parliament has passed a bill banning explicit images from print, TV and online media. The new bill comes after fines totaling T$1 million were imposed on the owners of the Apple Daily, a paper which has made a name for itself by animating crimes on its website. Taiwan's media is barely regulated and is one of the freest and most competitive media markets in Asia.
  

Roundup - 08/12/2009

• Seven boys and a girl, aged between, 11 and 14, have died in a stampede at a school in Hunan province. The accident occurred at about 9.10pm in Yucai Middle School in Xiangxian city, a private school considered one of the city's best. 26 other pupils were injured. The crush occurred as approximately 400 of the schools 3,500 pupils were leaving their evening lessons via a stairwell. Xinhua reports that the crush began when one student tripped on the stairs, toppling several others. However, some Chinese media has reported that the crush was due to a group of boys blocking the exit. An unidentified official told Associated Press that the Education Ministry had taken over the running of the school and was investigating the headmaster and chair of the board of governors.
  
  
  
• With the Climate summit in Copenhagen now underway, Chinese officials have been making statements emphasising China's contribution the the fight against climate change. Xie Zhenhua, Vice-Minister in charge of China's National Development and Reform Commission has claimed that China's recent announcement of cuts in carbon intensity has been a major boost to the summit. Mr Xie also reiterated the Chinese position that responsibility fell mainly on the developed world to combat climate change.
  
  Meanwhile, at the conference itself, it was the Sudanese delegation, as head of the G77, which did most of the talking. Ambassador Ibrahim Mirghani Ibrahim maintained that the Kyoto Protocol's differentiate responsibility should be continued at least until 2020.
  
  
  
• Taiwans opposition Democratic Progressive Party is pushing hard after its success in local elections at the weekend. It claims that a trade pact with China planned by President Ma Yingjiu will cost Taiwan 1.6 million jobs and up to 4 million may see their 'employment opportunities influenced.'
  
  President Ma is also being fined NT$500,000 for siting a voter survey before ahead of the elections.
  
  
  
• The Guardian(UK) has an article on Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese dissident. It says that his wife, Liu Xia, is losing hope for his release. He was detained in 2008 a day before the publication of Charter 08, a document calling for democratic reforms which Liu co-authored. In June he was formally arrested for inciting the subversion of state power, a crime that carries a sentence of up to 15 years.
  
  Human Rights Watch has said that Beijing is currently weighing up its options and that this may be a case where international pressure could have an effect. The US House of Representatives and internationally famous writers such as Umberto Eco and Margaret Atwood have led the calls for his release.
  
  Charter 08 was the most publicised dissident statement in recent years. Thousands had signed their name to it before all mention of it was removed from China's online community.
  
  
  
• Figures show that China has overtaken Britain and New Zealand as Australia's biggest source of migrants. 6,350 arrived in Australia in four months leading to October compared with 5,800 from Britain and 4,740 from New Zealand.
  
  
  
  

Roundup - 07/12/2009

• Delegations from around the world are meeting in Copenhagen for the climate summit this week. The Chinese media largely avoids discussing the treats that China faces from climate change. Reports are also consistent with their negotiating position that it is largely up to the West to deal with the problems they have caused. In cloned articles in the People's Daily and China Daily the US is criticised for announcing its emissions cuts too late, Japan for not stating how its cuts would be achieved, Russia for announcing cuts that were not actually cuts at all, and Canada for announcing what amounted to only a 2% cut on 1990 levels. Meanwhile Brazil, India, and, of course, China are praised for their independent actions to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
  
  The Chinese press is also boosting China's green image by announcing China's first electric-only powered vehicle and publishing articles on a 'Green Bank' project in Guizhou which aims to turn environmental assets into a source of profit for the local community.
  
  Meanwhile, in Copenhagen, Minister for Science and Technology Wan Gang has stated in an interview that China's carbon emissions will peak at some time between 2030 and 2040.
  
  
  
• The opposition Democratic Progressive Party has gained ground in local elections in Taiwan. There are now fears in the Nationalist Party that current President Ma Yingjiu, if current voting trends continue, will have difficulty winning reelection in 2012. While a slow reaction to Typhoon Morakot and the economic slump were major issues, President Ma's relationship with the mainland is believed to have been the biggest factor. The president has tried to forge closer economic ties with the People's Republic and to reduced military tensions. However, with fewer and fewer Taiwanese having any direct link to the mainland, the pro-independence DPP is winning popular support.
  
  
  
• Key Chinese leaders have stated at the Central Economic Work Conference that China will continue its current economic policies until the end of the current 11^th five-year plan in 2010. The policies, designed to counteract the global recession, will remain in place while experts monitor China's recovering exports, industrial output, and domestic consumer demand. Leaders expressed hope that these policies would allow for a solid economic basis to begin the 12^th five-year plan.
  
  
  
• Zheng Dajing, a Chinese activist who has spoken out against China's black jails, was detained on Friday. He and several other activists were held after planning protests to mark China's 'Legal Publicity Day.' Zheng, speaking to The Associated Press on Saturday through locked metal door in an alleyway in Beijing said he did not know when he would be able to leave. China has often denied the existence of a system of illegal jails meant to discourage petitioners from coming to Beijing. However, last month, the state-run Outlook magazine run a feature on the prison system detailing 73 prisons.
  
  
  
• Chinese regulators have announced that they have shut down hundreds of video-sharing sights in a new drive to control online content. 414 sites including the popular BTChina and Uubird sites have been ordered to close or to stop showing audio and video content.
  
  Meanwhile, a new reward scheme for reporting pornography has led to a surge in calls to the China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre. The rewards range from 1000 to 10,000 RMB and will be decided by a special committee.
  
  
  
  

Roundup - 05/12/2009

• Taiwanese voters in 17 cities and counties are heading to the polls in local government elections. Analysts say that the vote will be a crucial mid-term test for President Ma Yingjiu. Allegations have already begun to fly over voteybgef cxz`a-buying in many areas and some reports say that prosecutors have sued 76 people and detained 150 over voting irregularities.
  
  
  
• Another three people have been sentenced to death for their roles in riots in Xinjiang in July. Eight people have now been sentenced to death since Thursday in addition to the nine who have already been executed. Of the three new sentences two were given to ethnic Uighurs and one to a man with a Chinese name. One other person was sentenced to life in jail and three others received prison sentences.
  
  
  
• China's official death toll from the H1N1 virus has risen to 200. 194 of the deaths were recorded in November. The figure jumped recently after the central government warned local governments not to doctor figures in order not to improve their image.
  
  
  
• General Motors has announced that it is planning an new venture with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. to build cars in India. It also announced that it is reducing its stake in the Chinese company to 49%, thereby giving SAIC a controlling stake. The move comes after Chicago-based GM was was forced to go to a bankruptcy court during the economic crisis. SAIC will be the first major Chinese company to produce cars in India for the Indian market.
  
  
  
• Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, has said that China is interested in exporting some of its manufacturing to Africa. China's focus in Africa has so far been on acquiring natural resources. This has led to accusations that it is merely mirroring the colonialist economic system. However, Mr. Zoellick says that after meetings with Chen Deming, China's Minister of Commerce, he believes there may be opportunities for the World Bank and China to cooperate on developing Africa's industrial base.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Roundup - 02/12/2009

• China's official death toll from the A(H1N1) virus has tripled after the government ordered more accurate counting amid suspicions of a cover up. The figure jumped from 53 to 178 at the weekend.
  
  No official reason was given for the rise. Last month Zhong Nanshan, who helped to reveal the true extent of the SARS outbreak, wrote that he believed that some officials were under-reporting figures in order to convince their superiors that they had the situation under control. On November 19^th the Ministry of Health ordered more transparent reporting.
  
  Meanwhile, four have died after being vaccinated for A(H1N1). Of 26.18 million people vaccinated 2,867 had adverse reactions.
  
  
  
• An officially sponsored gay bar in Dali has had to delay its opening due to lack of customers. The bar was supposed to help break the taboo on homosexuality and to provide a location for education on AIDS and safe sex. However, it appears that Dali's homosexuals are shunning the limelight and sticking to the hang-outs where they feel safe. Health Minister Chen Zhu recently claimed that homosexual transmission of AIDS was now a major factor in the spread of the disease.
  
  Gao Yaojie, a respected campaigner on AIDS, has hinted that she may not return to China at the end of her current visit to the USA.
  
  
  
• Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is beginning a five day visit to China. The visit comes amid a thawing of relations. Canada's stance on China's human rights record, high tariffs on Chinese steel imports and Stephen Harpers audience with the Dalai Lama had led to tensions. However, the recession has force Canada to find new countries to invest in to end a reliance on the American markets. Stephen Harper called this his 'most important foreign visit.'
  
  
  
• Cross-strait talks between the People's Republic and the Republic on Taiwan will be held in mid or late December. The Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Assiciation will meet in Taizhong, Taiwan.
  
  
  
• An official in Guangdong has admitted to taking 650,000 RMB in bribes. Shen Zhiqiang, a former head of the salt administration, claimed that he was blackmailed into taking the bribes by his mistress. Shen's lawyer claims that the mistress was also the mistress of the briber.
  
  Six other officials are also to be tried for their involvement.
  

Roundup - 27/11/2009

• China's announcement that it will cut its carbon intensity by 40-45% by 2020 is still making news. Opinion is still divided on the announcement. Some disappointed that they did not go further, others impressed that they went so far. While the Chinese media is predictably positive about the cuts, the rest of the worlds media is divided, the International Herald Tribune and the Independent (UK) for example hold a fairly positive view while the Guardian (UK) and Al Jazeera English are more cynical.
  
  China has attempted to bolster its claims by releasing a declaration of commitment by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee which is led by President Hu Jintao.
  
  Meanwhile Isabel Hilton writes an interesting article in the Guardian(UK) about China's attempts to secure patents for green technology. She suggests that while China's commitment to international climate change deals may lack enthusiasm it does understand that newer, greener technologies are necessary for both combating climate change and developing the Chinese economy.
  
  
• An accident at a coal mine in Guizhou has left nine dead and one missing. While most global media is reporting this as an explosion Xinhua and other Chinese media are reporting it as a gas leak. 162 people escaped of whom three are being treated for minor injuries.
  
  The accident follows the catastrophic blast last Saturday at a coal mine in Heilongjiang which killed 108 miners. China's coal industry is the most dangerous in the world. 1,175 lives were lost in the first six months of this year although this does represent a drop of 18.4% on the previous year.
  
  
• Chinese media is carrying reports on China's lunar mission. The Chang'e 2 lunar probe will be sent into orbit around the moon in October 2010 as part of China's plans to send a probe to the moon by 2013.
  
  Chang'e 1 was heralded as a national success story when it was launched in 2007, even being praised in song during the following new year celebrations.
  
  
• Two Child traffickers were executed yesterday morning. Hu Minghua, 55, and Su Binde, 27, were convicted of abducting and trafficking 15 children between them as well as of other charges including theft and posession of heroin.
  
  Child trafficking is a growing problem in China where a preference for boys over girls, restrictions on childbirth, a large number of unmarried men and a rise in organised crime all contribute to make children a lucrative commodity. The government has stepped up efforts to combat the trade in recent years. They claim to have rescued around 2,000 children this year and have set up a website so that parents can identify and claim their missing children. According to Xinhua 1,714 people were punished for abducting and trafficking children in the first ten months of this year.
  
  
• Andrew Jacobs at the International Herald Tribune reports on an article published in the state-run magazine Outlook (瞭望Liaowang) about China's secret prisons. The report details a system of 'black jails' used to deter petitioners from bringing their complaints to Beijing.
  
  The article claims that at peak times as many as 10,000 retrievers roam the capital searching for petitioners to place in one of 73 secret prisons. The article also points out that it is turning into a 'chain of gray industry' as the whole affair can be quite lucrative.
  
  Although the right to petition to central government is enshrined in the constitution, it reflects badly on the local governments that are being reported on. It is these local governments who run many of the prisons.
  
  A Human Rights Watch report recently prompted the Foreign Ministry to deny the existence of black jails in China. Due to the officially backed nature of Outlook, some hope that the publication of this article is a sign of changing opinions within China's leadership as to the validity of these prisons.
  
  
• 6 in 10 Taiwanese oppose the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with China according to a poll by National Taiwan University. The trade treaty, supported by President Ma Yingjiu, is designed to improve trade and create jobs. However, popular feeling is running against China and this has been used by the opposition Democratic Progressive Party which claims that the agreement will reduce Taiwan to the status of a local government in future negotiations with China.