3rd July 2010

The Lion Awakes 

News at a Glance

今天的中国新闻

A compilation of Headlines + Brief Summary from Chinese & International Publications relating to China.

Just 5 Minutes each day to be up-to-date on the News of China

Combined with Kaixin’s boutique SITE SEARCH ENGINE, it is a unique source of knowledge about China"

China News Archive

From 2008

China Daily

Strive for emancipation of mind

Many scholars have praised the book and its author for an insightful account, which they say has never before been attempted by others.

That is not quite correct.

The well-known Chinese thinker and scholar Lin Yutang touched upon precisely this topic in his book, My Country and My People, which was published sometime in the 1930s.

Chu is essentially right in claiming that something is shackling the Chinese mind. It is imperative that our educational system is overhauled to encourage creative and independent thinking.

Our thinking is much more pluralistic when compared to what it was three decades ago, yet the space for creative and independent thinking is being squeezed out to make room for the will of power.

Gradual political reforms are needed to create an environment conducive to creative thought.

Kaixin: See the Dialogue Series - 30 Years of the New Long March  "Emancipation of the Mind"

China Daily

No cheap labor? China increases minimum wages

At least 18 provinces, including big cities like Beijing and Shenzhen, have increased the minimum wage by an average of 20 percent from Thursday as officials hint cheap labor may no longer be considered China’s sole competitive edge.

Jiangsu province was the first to increase its minimum wage this year, ushering in the beginning of a nationwide wave that will be followed by 27 provinces and municipalities by the end of this year, the First Financial Daily reported.

China starts building 1st carbon capture project

China, the world's second-biggest energy user, started construction of its first carbon dioxide capture and storage project in Ordos in Inner Mongolia to reduce emissions.

The project will cost 210 million yuan ($30.9 million) and will be able to hold 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, China National Petroleum Corp, the country's biggest oil producer and the plant's designer, said in a statement on its website today. The facility will start operations by the end of the year, it said.

Treat top Gaokao scorers with a cool head

With the Gaokao results being announced, competition for Gaokao zhuangyuan, or top scorers, is in full swing among universities, schools, business and media in almost all provinces. Top Gaokao scorers become instant celebrities, worshiped by millions of people around the country.

Global Times

Home, sweet second home

In July 1971, on the eve of the establishment of US-China diplomatic relations, a future US ambassador to China, 11-year-old Jon Huntsman Jr, accompanied his father, then an aide to President Richard Nixon, to the White House where the boy was asked to carry Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's briefcase to a waiting car. According to family lore, young Huntsman asked Kissinger where he was going. Kissinger replied, "Please don't tell anyone. I'm going to China."

Chinese-Americans break their long political purdah

Chinese people often hide their opinions on everything from the weather to government policies, leaving reporters as well as decision-makers scratching their heads. Even when they become victims of crime, they usually do not report it to the police but swallow the bitterness on their own, only hoping to be more alert the next time.

This can be partly attributed to traditional Chinese culture, which doesn't always nurture independent thinking, and is even less tolerant of public expression of individual views. Proverbs like "the gun always aims at the leading bird" or "more talking is a guarantee for mistakes" have warned generation after generation about the risks of speaking up one's mind.

I was at the victory party when Taiwan-born John Liu, a former councilman, was elected last November the comptroller of the city, the highest ranking position ever held by an Asian in New York. The black security guard greeted me in Chinese and the guests, many of whom were Chinese, cheered passionately like fans in the World Cup soccer games.

I could see the silence of the community had finally broken.

Kaixin - An interesting insight into the Chinese mind

International News Sources

Caixin Online

Sina's Microblogging Power

Microblogs, brought to China by Sina.com, have the makings of an explosive business model, but it will take a lot of tweaking to get there

For nearly ten years under an unchanged strategy, Sina.com's basic range of services lost the sheen of savvy, despite laying claim to being China's largest web portal. But this year, the flare of the microblog trend, known as “weibo,” catapulted Sina.com back into the spotlight.

The Wall Street Journal   China RealTime Report'

Immelt on China: They Won’t Let Us Win

Jeffrey Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, has become the latest high-profile U.S. business leader to sound off about China.

Kaixin – Think about it. What does G.E. or any of those other large multinationals do? They sell things manufactured in China. China obviously has the labour resources and skill to manufacture the products. They now have the all the other skill required to develop the products from scratch where necessary. They have the wealth and international reach to market and sell the products internationally.

They have the patience to build up viable market share internationally.

The large western multi-nationals are going from providing business to China to being competitors to China’s own multi-nationals.

Which company do you think a western country would favour, local or Chinese?

The Great Mung Bean Conspiracy

The mung bean is a humble commodity: tiny, green and unfortunately named.

So it was reassuring when the state-run Xinhua news agency ran a story Thursday that put the little guy in the limelight as the latest victim to be rescued from yet another of China’s price-collusion scams.

Stanley Lubman: Are Strikes the Beginning of a New Challenge?

Stanley Lubman, a long-time specialist on Chinese law, teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law and is the author of “Bird in a Cage: Legal Reform in China After Mao,” (Stanford University Press, 1999).

The recent wave of strikes in foreign-owned enterprises in China may surprise many foreigners, but it is really another chapter in the history of the struggle by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1949 to define its role in the organization and control of the labor force.

China’s GDP: Still Number Three

With China’s government publishing revised figures on the nation’s economic output, it’s time once again to check in on a closely-watched statistical horse-race with Japan.

Chengguan Killer Gets Public Sympathy

The case of Xia Junfeng, a street vendor in northeastern China who killed two urban security officials, is provoking a flood of outrage from online forums. But most of it isn’t directed at the convicted murderer.

Kaixin - As a lawyer I know not to take sides until all the facts are known (which they very seldom are). I do know that if you think dealing with western bureaucrats and officials is frustrating, then try dealing with Chinese ones. Particularly ones that remember fondly the days of the Cultural Revolution. On the other side, flouting government regulations is a time honoured tradition, particularly if it improves your business. That doesn't excuse the excess used by both sides, it would appear, in this incident, however it does help to understand it.

 

The New York Times

China Puts Best Face Forward With News Channel

SHANGHAI — The Xinhua News Agency, China’s dominant news service and the propaganda arm of the Communist Party, introduced a 24-hour English-language news channel and is preparing to open a prominent newsroom in Times Square, part of an expensive push to increase the reach and influence of the Chinese news media overseas.

THEMES

A selection of News and OpEd reflecting the main themes for

contemporary China starting from August 2008

Green China  

Insights into China

Economic China

FOLLOW THE DEBATE

Yuan Revaluation & Internationalisation

China & Taiwan

China Real Estate

Search Kaixin for a specific Date or Topic

(For date use 2010 or 09, 08)

China News Archive for daily News on China starting August 2008

If you found Kaixin interesting, please SEND AN EMAIL and tell a friend.