27th November 08

Sydney Morning Herald

Outbreak of transparency
John Garnaut in Beijing

A WAVE of protest and riots has spread across China, igniting debate over whether it shows rising political instability or a new tolerance for democracy. Official media, predominantly the Government's flagship Xinhua news agency, have promptly and prominently reported violent protests that began with thousands of taxi drivers in China's largest city, Chongqing, on November 3. The nationwide coverage appears to have encouraged taxi drivers, disgruntled land owners and laid-off workers to take to the streets in at least eight provinces.

The Australian

China in biggest rate cut in 11 years

CHINA slashed interest rates last night in an emergency bid to shore up a faltering economy, less than a month after rolling out a massive 4 trillion yuan ($940 billion) economic stimulus plan. The cuts - the sharpest in around a decade and following smaller rate reductions in late October - should give a fillip to modest domestic demand in China and provide a much-needed boost to sagging market sentiment around the world.

The International Herald Tribune

China's industrial muscle weakened by slowdown

"Demand is definitely shrinking," Wang Wei, an investor relations manager, said as he toured one of the brand-new plants. "Everyone is cutting back capacity." It is happening faster than most anyone predicted: China's economy, long the world's fastest-growing major economy, is slowing down. Economists are forecasting that after growing nearly 12 percent last year, China's economy could slow to 5.5 percent in the fourth quarter of this year — a stunning retreat for a country accustomed to boom times.

Asia Times Online
SPEAKING FREELY
China's cyber warriors a challenge for India
By Abanti Bhattacharya

Speaking Freely is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest writers to have their say. Please click here if you are interested in contributing.

NEW DELHI - India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in a speech to the National Defense College in New Delhi on November 3, said China posed a new set of challenges to India with its growing capabilities in outer space and its frenzied search for new resources. But an equally potent and dangerous challenge the minister overlooked is the new threat of Chinese cyber-nationalism.