On Monday, August 23, 2010, ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza hijacked a bus full of tourists from Hong Kong in Manila. A botched Philippines SWAT team rescue after a prolonged standoff resulted in eight tourists killed, including the hijacker Mendoza. Media around the world are now focused on what went wrong. Here is China Daily's recent report, "Philippine leader vows … [Read more...] about Reactions to Hong Kong tourists killed in Philippine hijack
China – ASEAN trade increased 55%, expected to top $250billion in 2010
In this Op-Ed in China Daily, "FTA pushes ASEAN ties," an associate professor at the School of International Studies of Nanjing University had these interesting statistics about the trade volume between China and ASEAN countries: A much-anticipated free trade area (FTA) between China and the regional bloc was formally launched in early 2010, which, with a $4.5 trillion trade … [Read more...] about China – ASEAN trade increased 55%, expected to top $250billion in 2010
Armless Pianist Liu Wei, an inspiration for the world
Wow! This video is just inspiring. It is about Liu Wei, a contestant on "China's Got Talent." He is going to play "Marriage D'amour" without hands. He lost his arms at 10 from an accident. I like this take by Lyndsey Parker over at Yahoo Music blogs: "Armless Pianist Liu Wei Defies Odds On 'China's Got Talent'." I will try to not complain about anything in my life in the … [Read more...] about Armless Pianist Liu Wei, an inspiration for the world
“夜来香” (“Evening Primrose”), a scent of modern Chinese history
(If you are inside China, your may want the same version hosted on Tudou). This is 张燕 (Zhang Yan) performing "夜来香," a modern Chinese classic. I can't quite put my finger on why I think this video is really good - perhaps the confidence projected by 张燕. In English, "夜来香" means "evening primrose," a flower that opens in the evening. The Chinese characters literally mean … [Read more...] about “夜来香” (“Evening Primrose”), a scent of modern Chinese history
China explains why she is not that excited surpassing Japan as world’s number 2 economy
The latest buzz is the expected overtaking of Japan by China as the world's number two economy some time in 2010. I'll ignore the more polarizing perspectives from the likes of CNN and the NYT. Here are some decent takes on this "news": Bloomberg, BBC (video), and Japan Today). (I have recently subscribed to the power of "multi-sourcing," thanks to Newsy. See my previous … [Read more...] about China explains why she is not that excited surpassing Japan as world’s number 2 economy