Celebrities Join in on Animal Rights Uproar (Updated)

 With the recent uproar about the inhumane practices of harvesting bear bile, celebrities, such as Yao Ming, have begun to speak out against animal cruelty. Animal welfare groups claim that this support from celebrities represents a growing concern for animal rights in China. The Washington Post reports:
Jill Robinson, who established the Hong Kong-based Animals Asia Foundation in 1998, said she’s seen interest in animal rights snowball in China over the last few years, spurred by support from celebrities and shifting attitudes among ordinary people.
On Saturday, Yao visited one of Robinson’s bear sanctuaries in Sichuan province. The 7-foot-6 (2.29-meter) former NBA center clipped the nails of an anesthetized bear and shook its paw, then strolled around the facility with his wife, looking at the bear enclosures and a bear graveyard.
Yao has also campaigned against the weekly slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million sharks to make shark fin soup. The practice is taking some of the species close to extinction.
The change reflects both a growing environmental awareness and the increasing affluence of ordinary Chinese, who keep pets, travel overseas and are changing attitudes toward traditions they may not have questioned in the past.
Update: In a recent statement,… Read more

China Vows to Repatriate North Korean Refugees

Despite the protests by South Koreans, China plans to repatriate the North Koreans recently caught in Chinese territory. This announcement comes amid Kim Jong-un’s vow to punish three generations of family members of anyone who tries to leave North Korea. The Voice of America reports:
A spokesman for China’s foreign ministry says the detained North Koreans are not refugees. He says they crossed the border into China illegally and for economic reasons.
South Korean human-rights activists gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul Monday, where they heard a moving appeal from Soh Kyung-suk, co-chairman of a group called Christian Social Responsibility.
“If you listen to the screams of our North Korean defector brothers, you cannot listen to them without tears welling in your eyes. Therefore, if we stay silent and do nothing while watching them being dragged to the execution ground, we are living inhumane lives.”
 As China is planning to send back the North Korean defectors, Seoul has announced that it will seek global support at the UN meeting next week. AFP adds:
But a spokeswoman said Seoul has repeatedly urged Beijing not to repatriate at least 10 North Koreans arrested in the northeastern city of Shenyang… Read more

China ‘Detains Tibetan Writer’

 After the most recent wave of anti- Chinese protests and self-immolations, police have detained writer and cultural figure, Gangkye Drubpa Kyab. Following protests which began in 2008, there police have reportedly been detaining writers, singers, and artists who promote Tibetan national and cultural identity. AFP reports:
Drubpa Kyab’s disappearance comes amid a huge clampdown in Tibetan-inhabited areas following several bouts of deadly unrest, and ahead of the March anniversary of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s flight into exile.
A government official in Seda told AFP that he was unaware of the arrest of Drubpa Kyab. Police in the county did not answer phones on Sunday.
China has imposed virtual martial law in numerous Tibetan-inhabited regions as tensions have escalated, leading to the deaths last month of at least two people in clashes between police and locals in Sichuan, which borders Tibet.
Over the past year at least 20 Tibetans, many of them Buddhist monks, have set themselves on fire in protest at what they say is religious and cultural repression.
See more coverage on Tibet and recent protests via CDT. See also a report about the differences in relations between Han officials and Tibetans in areas of Qinghai… Read more

Chinese Labor, Cheap No More

 As Xi Jinping’s U.S. Visit came to an end, concerns remained over various issues in the bilateral relationship, such as the lack of enforcement of property rights. And China’s cheap labor, a mainstay of the U.S. consumer economy, may not be so cheap anymore. The New York Times reports:
Although nearly two weeks have passed since the Lantern Festival that officially marks the end of the 15-day holiday, cities across China are still facing a serious labor shortfall. In order to lure new workers and retain the old, some companies give employees sizable bonuses just for coming back to work, while others offer cash for every new employee they bring along with them. And in many areas, wage increases ranging from 10 to 30 percent have become the norm.
Despite all this, cities like Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are still short hundreds of thousands of migrant workers. Shandong Province is missing a full third of its migrant work force, and Hubei Province reports a loss of more than 600,000 workers. Last week, the Chinese government released a report describing this year’s post-Spring Festival labor shortage as not only more pronounced than in years past, but also longer-lasting and wider in… Read more

Wen Says China is Ready for Deeper Involvement with EU

 After holding talks with European Union leaders in Beijing, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has announced that China is ready to increase its involvement with resolving the European debt crisis. EU leaders had originally approached China last year about a bail-out fund. The Times of India reports: Wen said China wanted to see Europe — its biggest trading partner — “maintain stability and prosperity”, a day after ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Italy, Spain and Portugal. The two sides also agreed during the talks to give fresh impetus to Beijing’s efforts to attain full market economy status (MES) for China in the European Union, according to a joint communique issued after the summit. “China is ready to increase its participation in resolving the EU debt problems,” the Chinese premier told journalists after meeting EU president Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso. China was considering using Europe’s bail-out funds to help address the continent’s fiscal woes, Wen added, without elaborating further on how the Asian power might be prepared to contribute.China’s involvement with the EU has been welcomed in the past, and EU leaders continue to welcome China’s investment. Business Week adds: Van Rompuy said he welcomed the… Read more

Arrest of North Korean Refugees Spur Protests

As the Chinese government has pledged support for new North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, China has arrested dozens of North Korean defectors. Activists have called on China to not repatriate the defectors. The Los Angeles Times reports: For years, human rights advocates have criticized China’s refusal to recognize North Korean defectors and its policy of returning, or repatriating, all escapees from the North captured on its soil. Beijing’s stance has taken on more urgency in recent weeks, after new North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to punish and even kill three generations of family members of anyone who tries to leave the impoverished North. On Tuesday, ringed by police officers, more than 100 people gathered across the street from the Chinese Embassy, waving banners that read “The Chinese government should stop pushing North Korean defectors toward the guillotine” and “Forced repatriation is a death sentence.” The most recent arrests took place last Wednesday, when at least 10 defectors were arrested at a bus terminal in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, according to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea. The arrests were the first involving a large group of North Korean defectors since Kim took control in Pyongyang…. Read more

China Vows to Balance Trade with US

As China’s vice president, Xi Jinping, prepares for his US visit, the vice minister of commerce, Gao Hucheng, has commented that China and the US should seek to fix the trade imbalance. Gao also suggested that China and the US should begin to address this problem with policy coordination. China Daily reports: Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama reached important consensus on establishing a mutually beneficial cooperative partnership in 2011, giving “clear direction on the development of Sino-US economic and trade relations in the new period,” the official said. In future, China will carry out a more positive opening-up policy, Gao said, noting China’s import scale will hopefully exceed $8,000 billion in the next five years and its trade partners including the US will share its business opportunities. Thirdly, Gao pledged to improve levels of two-way investment, promising, “We will continue to positively attract foreign investment, step up the opening-up of the market, and try to address US concern on IPR (intellectual property rights) protection, industrial policy and investment environment.” Fourthly, Gao vowed to expand bilateral industrial cooperation. “China will work with the United States to explore the feasibility of cooperation in the fields of energy saving,… Read more

China: Fast Food Nation, Too Fast Economy?

With the rise in food prices and labor inflation in China, fast food chains, such as KFC, are planning a rise in prices to offset these factors. Despite the rise in prices, the share price of Yum Brands Inc, KFC’s parent company, increased because this announcement quelled investors’ fears of China’s slowing growth. Reuters reports: As expected, cost pressures dragged fourth-quarter China restaurant margins down to 15.8 percent from 18.2 percent a year earlier. Yum wants to bring margins up to around 20 percent for all of 2012 and plans to use higher prices to offset inflation in food prices, labor costs and other items. Yum also plans to bolster growth by adding another 600 restaurants in China, where its brands include KFC, Pizza Hut, East Dawning and Little Sheep. The additions would bring Yum’s restaurant count to about 5,100. While Yum’s operations in China and other developing countries have made it a top pick for international investors, the company’s U.S. division has underperformed. Despite the growth of fast food’s popularity and an increase in consumer spending on things like KFC and Coca-Cola, there are also fears about China’s slowing housing market, which may lead to mixed messages on China’s… Read more

Citibank Gets the Nod From China

The US-based Citibank announced that China has approved of the bank offering credit cards in China. Citibank will launch the program later this year, and it is the first non-Asian bank to offer credit cards in China. BBC reports: “This approval represents a significant milestone in the continued expansion of Citi’s business in China, a priority market for Citi,” said Stephen Bird, chief executive officer for Citi Asia Pacific. Until now, Hong Kong’s Bank of East Asia was the only ‘foreign’ bank to offer credit cards in China. Citi has offered ‘co-branded’ credit cards with Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB) since 2003. Citibank has branches in 13 Chinese cities. Citibank has already established a strong position in China with their consumer and corporate banking options. With the popularity of credit cards on the rise, there is speculation that China’s recent approval may signal an opening in the banking market. Business Week adds: The announcement yesterday came as the WTO, acting on a U.S. complaint, probes the legality of China’s refusal to let foreign companies issue their own bank cards denominated in its currency, or to permit companies such as Visa Inc., American Express Co., MasterCard Inc., Discover Financial Services and… Read more

Seven Fired Over Toxic Metal Spill

 Seven officials in southern China have been fired because of their failure to report the recent cadmium spill in Guangxi. When the spill first occurred, people in the region continued to use the contaminated water. This spill contaminated the drinking water for millions of people and affected the fish in the region. The New York Times reports: The spill, which affected 200 miles of the Longjiang River in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was caused by two companies that accidentally released tons of cadmium into the river last month. The contamination was not reported for at least two weeks, during which people continued to use the water for drinking and cooking. According to the official Xinhua news agency, among those fired from their jobs was the head of environmental protection in the city of Hechi, which failed to report the spill and then botched the attempted cleanup. Several other officials, including the city’s deputy mayor, were reportedly disciplined. The police have also arrested six people at the Hongquan Lithopone Factory and the Jinhe Mining Company, which are blamed for the spill. Four other managers at the companies have fled, Xinhua reported. During a news conference in Hechi on Friday, officials… Read more

Premier Calls for Better Land-Right Protections

After recent protests by residents in Wukan village due to anger over farmland confiscations, Premier Wen Jiabao called for better protection of farmers’ land rights on a visit to Guangdong province. Wen did not mention the Wukan protests. Reuters India reports: The Chinese premier, who retires later this year, said he understood why villagers were often angry about land losses, and vowed to give real bite to protections that in theory give farmers a collective say in land development. What is the widespread problem now? It’s the arbitrary seizure of farmers’ fields, and the farmers have complaints about this, and it’s even sparking mass incidents,” Wen said in Guangdong on Saturday, according to the Xinhua report. “The root of the problem is that the land is the property of the farmers, but this right has not been protected in the way it should be,” said Wen. Wen, who has cast himself as a defender of the struggling farmer, also vowed to make village committee elections — seen by many residents as an empty formality under the thumb of officials — into an authentic channel for public opinion. Wen’s comments did not change the policy regarding land rights, but his statements… Read more

One Country, Two Systems? Not Really.

With the recent argument between mainland tourists and Hong Kong locals on the subway and Professor Kong Qingdong’s comments in a TV interview, tensions seem to be rising between Hong Kong and the mainland. As China’s economy has risen in the past few years, Hong Kong residents have been less than welcoming to Chinese tourists and investors. The New York Times reports: The local pastime of “Spot the Mainlander” has long been an amusing diversion in Hong Kong, although it often smacks of arrogance or chauvinism. Everyone seems to have a story — almost certainly apocryphal by now — about a mainland mother holding her naked child by the wrists over a trash can to make toilet. These stories are often set in one of Hong Kong’s marbled, gleaming and obsessively clean shopping malls. And there are other giveaways, according to Hong Kongers: The mainlanders smoke furiously, talk too loud, ignore traffic lights at crosswalks and roughly elbow their way through Hong Kong’s orderly queues. The women wear too much makeup. And the men sit funny, back on their haunches, like rural peasants. And so the profiling goes. As China’s economy has soared in recent years, visitors from the north are… Read more

Guangxi’s Battle for Clean Water

After detection of high levels of cadmium in the tributaries of the Pearl River, officials claim that the levels of the poisonous chemical found in batteries has been successfully diluted. The chemical spill threatened the water supply of 1.5 million people, including residents in Hong Kong and Macau. This report comes amid concerns about environmental contamination that has been the result of rapid industrialization and expansion. Business Week reports: Crews in the city of Liuzhou used ships to spread canvas across the Longjiang River and stop the cadmium, China National Radio reported today. Tests done at 6 p.m. yesterday at Liuzhou’s water plants met national standards, it said. The cadmium spill, first detected Jan. 15 upstream in the city of Hechi, has killed fish and prompted panic buying of bottled water, the official Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. Hechi Mayor He Xinxing issued a public apology after the incident, China National Radio reported. The city’s Communist Party Chief Huang Shiyong pledged to “severely crack down” on polluting companies, the China News Service reported. Environmental contamination has fueled social unrest in China as three decades of growth transformed the nation into the world’s second-biggest economy and its largest polluter. Lead poisoning… Read more

China Calls For ‘Stability and Peace’

With growing tensions over disputed waters in the South China Sea, China is calling for stability and peace after the Philippines agreed to allow more US troops onto their soil. There are plans from Manila to hold more joint military… Read more

China Holds Off Reserve Ratio Cut

Despite speculation about a drop in the bank reserve ratio due to high money demand for the Lunar New Year, China held off a reduction in the bank reserve requirement. Prior to this speculation, there was one cut in the… Read more

Chinese Academic Puts the Bite on Hong Kong

Chinese professor and descendant of Confucius, Kong Qingdong, recently said in an interview that people from Hong Kong are ”dogs” and ”bastards” in response to a video of a mainland tourist and Hong Konger fighting on the subway. His statements have sparked a heated reaction… Read more

China ‘Protecting Kim Jong-nam’

With the recent handover of power in North Korea to Kim Jong-un, his older brother is said to be under China’s protection in case Kim Jong-un’s regime collapses. Kim Jong-nam lives in exile in Beijing and Macao. The Telegraph reports:… Read more

China Comes Clean on Air Pollution

As a response to public pressure, Beijing officials have begun to release detailed data on pollution. While there were expectations of the report detailing how bad the air quality was, the first day figures were lower than the data that… Read more

China Suffers Second Bird Flu Death

A death from bird flu was reported in Guizhou, making it the second fatality within a month. This fatality follows reported deaths in Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. The Telegraph reports:The latest victim, 39, fell ill on January 6 and… Read more

China’s Growth Rallies Global Stocks

For the first time in two and a half years, China’s GDP a registered single digit growth in 2011 due to the global financial crisis and a decline in exports. Despite the drop in GDP, the numbers were still higher… Read more

China’s Gold Imports Hit Record Highs

According to the Hong Kong government’s statistics on gold sales, gold imports to China have hit a record high due to investors looking to protect their wealth from the property slump and economic slowdown. The price of gold has increased… Read more

China’s Nuclear Plant on Track

Following the Japan earthquake and nuclear crisis, China had suspended plans for nuclear energy until a new draft for nuclear safety was approved. There are now reports that China will launch a third generation of nuclear plants in 2013 that… Read more

China Halts Unapproved Stem Cell Treatments

As the industry for stem cell research grows, the Health Ministry has shut down unapproved stem cell treatments. The ministry is attempting to regulate the industry through this order and a year-long campaign against unauthorized stem cell therapy and trials…. Read more

China Sees Increase in Trade Surplus

Amid reports of increased manufacturing, China’s export rate has increased in December, showing a widening trade surplus. Economists see this widening gap between imports and exports as an indicator of a slow patch in the economy. CNNMoney Reports:
Chinese exports… Read more

Manila Protests Chinese Ships Presence

After accusing China of intrusion into the Philippine maritime jurisdiction in May 2011, the Philippine government is again accusing China of trespassing into their jurisdiction in the South China Sea. This area is believed to be rich in deposits of… Read more

Page suivante »