ONE would think that Asian equity markets would be happy at the news that China’s economy, the regional powerhouse, is growing even faster than expected.
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Chinese intellectual property officials rejected US criticism of Beijing's anti-piracy efforts, insisting Tuesday they are cracking down and saying countries such as Canada are worse offenders.
Life in China's orphanages can be bad enough, but life thereafter can be tough too. In much of China, children in state care are given unusual surnames that clearly identify them as orphans. Common choices are Dang meaning “party” (the Communist one, naturally), or Guo meaning “country” or “state”. Those saddled with these names face a lifetime of funny looks, or a bureaucratic quagmire trying to change them.
Chinese President Hu Jintao wrapped up his eight-country, twelve-day African tour this month in the midst of controversy regarding China’s role in the continent. Government officials from the countries that received China’s leader expressed gratitude for their guest’s generous offers of aid, cancellations of debt and promises of trade and investment. Critics, however, charge that China’s actions in Africa are no less than neocolonialism, as it seizes a new sphere of influence, grabs oil and…
Over the past 10-15 years, China has placed increasing emphasis on the development and improvement of its special operations forces [1]. According to the 2000 U.S. Department of Defense report on Chinese military power, “Particularly since the 1991 Persian Gulf conflict, the PLA has devoted considerable resources to the development of Special Operations Forces (SOF).” Moreover, the PLA identified the further development of these elite units as “an integral element of ground force modernization”…
One less brick in the wall - Beijing relaxes media controls for the Olympics. A rare piece of good news about news-gathering in China.
Leadership ascension in China has long been an opaque and unpredictable process. The 17th Party Congress, due to convene this year, will present another opportunity for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to reshuffle its top leadership. Included in this will likely be new members of the Central Military Commission (CMC), China’s most powerful military body. It is expected that any changes of CMC membership will correspond with recent efforts to include representation from all four branches of…