The Struggle for Hong Kong
on September 4, 2014
The territory’s citizens must not give up demanding full democracy—for their sake and for China’s.
‘Transformers 4’ May Pander to China, But America Still Wins
on September 4, 2014
Hollywood made news this summer with the China triumph of Transformers: Age of Extinction, which broke all previous Chinese box office records. The Chinese box office even outsold the North American box office. But jubilation over the film’s monetary success has been dampened somewhat by jeers from major news outlets in the West that Transformers 4 was yet another example of Hollywood’s selling out to China.
Iraqis Identify Prisoner as Chinese Islamist Fighter
on September 4, 2014
Chinese officials have in the past expressed concerns about citizens’ venturing abroad to join ISIS or other jihadist groups in the Middle East, or of their being influenced by such groups to carry out attacks within China.
China to Limit Foreign TV Shows on Video-Streaming Sites
on September 4, 2014
Regulators expected to cap amount of imported television content at 30 percent.
Alibaba Founder Shoots Himself in the Foot with UK Hunting Trip
Jack Ma, One of China’s Richest Internet Tycoons and Best-Known Conservationists, Snared in Hunting Scandal
on September 4, 2014
Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce platform Alibaba and chairman of The Nature Conservancy’s China Program, has drawn hostile fire from environmentalists after a British newspaper recently reported he hunted stags in Scotland in 2012. What’s more, Ma has confirmed the story, and TNC issued a statement backing the shooting trip as a way to learn about European wildlife conservation strategies.
China Website Editors ‘Held for Extortion’
on September 4, 2014
Eight people from the 21st Century financial news website and public relations firms were being investigated, Xinhua news agency said.
Beijing Must Address Claims of Anti-Foreign Bias
Editorial by Hu Shuli
on September 3, 2014
Once mocked as a “toothless tiger,” China’s anti-monopoly law is finally demonstrating some bite, six years after it took effect.
The three agencies responsible for enforcing it—the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce—recently launched a wave of antitrust investigations mainly targeting multinationals. While some people approve of such strict enforcement, the crackdown has nevertheless raised questions about bias and whether foreign companies were being singled out.
Xinjiang Unsettled
on September 3, 2014
My first trip to Xinjiang was in 1995; it was also my first trip to China. The UN’s World Conference on Women was taking place in Beijing and I could only manage to secure a visa for China on the condition that I would not go to Beijing (the authorities were getting nervous over the mass influx of foreigners in the capital). Since I couldn’t go to Beijing I decided to head west instead, with no clue about what to expect and little knowledge of the region.
One of the most significant moments from that trip was the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Xinjiang as an “Autonomous Region” in Urumqi. I managed to sneak into the stadium to attend the commemoration. It was a mix of speeches and choreography, with thousands of kids waving banners—not unlike the North Korean mass games. I was sitting at the edge of the stadium and I could see dozens of kids outside holding hydrogen balloons waiting for their turn to enter the stadium. Suddenly, one balloon burst and all the other balloons caught fire with it, sending a huge flame up into the air behind me. A soldier stood up and prevented me from looking at what was going on. I could hear shouts and cries and minutes later the sirens of ambulances. Meanwhile, the speech continued as if nothing had happened. More choreography, more speeches, more applause.
The Danger of China’s ‘Chosen Trauma’
on September 2, 2014
When we see young Chinese people at a state event collectively chant, “Do not forget national humiliation and realize the Chinese dream!” we may be tempted to dismiss it as yet another piece of CCP propaganda. But we may also find ourselves pondering what “national humiliation” has to do with “the Chinese dream.”
Anti-Vice Click-Bait Spawns Popular Govt. Social Media Feed
on September 2, 2014
The Chinese government institution with the biggest social media following goes to...the nationwide anti-vice campaign called "Strike the four blacks, Eliminate the four harms." Da Sihei, Chu Sihai in Mandarin, the four blacks and four harms are: workshops that make counterfeit or tainted drugs and food; factories that produce fake or pirated goods; black markets that sell stolen products; and black dens of gambling, prostitution, and drugs.
