It's about time! Per Mark McDonald at the International Herald Tribune: Shortly after dawn Monday, a passenger plane took off from Shenzhen, China, bound for Taiwan. The 80-minute flight across the Taiwan Strait marked the first regular cross-strait traffic since the end of the civil war in 1949 and another dramatic step in the improvement of relations between the … [Read more...] about Direct Flights between China & Taiwan Begin
politics
The Xintai Mental Institute Scandal
A couple of days ago, the Beijing News reported how local officials in Xintai - a city in the eastern province of Shandong - locked up citizens in mental hospitals to prevent them from making journeys to Beijing to alert central government officials of local injustices going on in Xintai (see original story - and english version translated by Global Voices). … [Read more...] about The Xintai Mental Institute Scandal
The Partnership between Africa and China – a Force for Good or Evil?
We've had impassioned discussions about Tibet this year. But the controversies surrounding China has not just been about Tibet - they have also been about Africa. In anticipation of a series of posts on Africa, I thought I would put a few feelers out to see if people on this forum would be interested in discussing the topic, and if so, where people initially stand. … [Read more...] about The Partnership between Africa and China – a Force for Good or Evil?
Time for a More Equal Economic Partnership Between the U.S. and China?
Since China opened to the world some 30 years ago, China has witnessed unprecedented economic development and growth. However, the economic relationship China has with the West has been a decidedly subservient one. In the global economy, China would specialize in making high volume, low cost products in return for high value technology and services from the West. The profit … [Read more...] about Time for a More Equal Economic Partnership Between the U.S. and China?
Tibet: Turning over a new page
I've been resisting writing anything on Tibet recently because I think we've had more than our shares. But I think the time may be right on this board for one small, limited discussion. … [Read more...] about Tibet: Turning over a new page