« September 23, 2007 - September 29, 2007 | Main | October 7, 2007 - October 13, 2007 »

October 5, 2007

China's media cautious on Myanmar

At Asia Times, Dinah Gardner looks at how the Chinese media reported the Burma protests:

Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis News was one of the few mainland papers that printed photos of a dying Nagai. But even the paper, one of China's boldest publications, did not dare show the whole photo. The image carried on their website was carefully cropped to cut out the armed soldier....

And while a small number of papers did print the uncropped photo–the Beijing Times, for example, published both versions - the Nanfang Daily's treatment reflects the country's overall timid media response to the momentous events that unfolded on its doorstep last week.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 1:23 PM |

What's the retirement age for the Politburo again?

Dave at the Mutant Palm examines Politburo arcana:

OK, I give up. Is it formal? Informal? 68? 70? Was it set during the 14th, 15th or 16th Party Congress? And if we can't get this basic rule clear, what's the point of placing bets on who's in and out based on age?

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 1:19 PM |

October 3, 2007

Gome buys out Beijing Times Suning advertisement

Suning placed a thick advertising supplement in the 1 October issue of the Beijing Times. Gome agents bought up all the copies for twice the cover price, and distributed the papers, sans-Suning ad, for free at their own stores. ESWN translates an account from Tianya.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 1:45 PM |

October 2, 2007

What the Chinese are reading about Burma

Beijing Newspeak has published a translation of a Global Times article about the situation in Burma.

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 10:41 AM |

French company gets huge fine for patent infringement

While most IPR infringements are punished with laughably small fines in China, a court in Wenzhou has ordered France's Schneider Electric to pay Chint Group of Wenzhou $45m in damages for infringing its patent, the largest amount ever awarded in an intellectual property case in the China. The Financial Times reports:

The Intermediate People's Court in Wenzhou city, eastern Zhejiang province, told Schneider to stop making five types of miniature circuit-breakers, which it ruled were based on patents held by low-voltage equi­p­ment maker. The court also awarded Chint Rmb334,869,872 ($44.6m) in damages.

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 10:29 AM |

New roads in Beijing

A new blog called Beijingology has details of several new roads opened in Beijing during the last few days.

Posted by Jeremy Goldkorn at 10:20 AM |

Chinese readers buy into Rothschild conspiracy

The Financial Times looks at the success of Currency Wars by Song Hongbing, an exploration of the shadowy hand behind the Federal Reserve Bank. The truth? Or just a rehash of western conspiracy theories?

Even today, claims author Song Hongbing, the US Federal Reserve remains a puppet of private banks, which also ultimately owe their allegiance to the ubiquitous Rothschilds.

Such an over-arching conspiracy theory might matter as little as the many fetid tracts that can still be found in the west about the "gnomes of Zurich" and Wall Street's manipulation of global finance.

But in China, which is in the midst of a lengthy debate about opening its financial system under US pressure, the book has become a surprise hit and is being read at senior levels of government and business.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 10:02 AM |

October 1, 2007

China's 58th birthday party

Liuzhou Laowai has pictures a video of a local banquet to celebrate National Day.

Posted by Joel Martinsen at 7:50 PM |