China Boosts Military Spending, Vows to Oppose Taiwan Independence
Analysts say the true defense budget may be considerably higher than the published version.
Slashing of Envoy Shocks U.S. and South Korea, Draws Praise from North Korea
While allies decry senseless act of violence, Pyongyang hails 'righteous punishment.'
'This War Has Been Disastrous For Civilians'
Myanmar lawmaker and ethnic Kokang He Shaochang says most residents of the region near China's border don't support the rebels.
China’s Great Wall Of Debt
China’s debt has surged in recent years. Can it handle it? By Anthony Fensom China’s great leap forward economically has now led the communist nation to join its developed rivals in the major debtors club. With growth slowing, is the world’s second-biggest economy heading for a crash? According to a new report by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), China’s debt has quadrupled from $7 trillion in 2007 to $28 trillion as of mid-2014, reaching 282 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) a...
Signs of Resistance to China’s Latest Ideological Crackdown
Forcing students to reject ideas from the West may just encourage them to live there instead. BY LIANG PAN The Chinese government is telling its educators and pupils to forswear Western ideas. But teachers and students aren’t sure they agree with the new, stringent policies designed to enforce the ideological shift, and they are voting with their feet. On Jan. 29, Chinese Education Minister Yuan Guiren summoned administrators from China’s top universities, including Beijing-based flagsh...
China's artificial Islands in South China Sea
By Amrita Jash Time-lapse satellite imagery taken by Airbus Defence and Space, a division of Airbus Group, shows the extent of Chinese progress in building an island at Gaven Reefs in the Spratly Islands. By Jan. 30 a pre-existing platform had been joined to the new island and at least one helipad built. China's steadfast construction of artificial islands on a series of disputed reefs in the South China Sea (SCS) has raised the concerns of a fresh China threat in the Asia Pacific - causing a...
Hong Kong to Chinese shoppers: 'Go home'
Hong Kong protests highlight rift between the city and mainland China Residents say massive influx of Chinese has disturbed peace, and driven up prices But the protests points at a deeper issue about Hong Kong identity By Naomi Ng and Wilfred Chan Hong Kong protestors shun mainland shoppers "Go back home!" "Locusts! You're not welcome here!" These were just some of the insults hurled at Chinese shoppers Sunday as hundreds of Hong Kongers surged through through the old neighborhood of Yu...
Apple's Betrayal: For a Few Renminbi More
Apple is giving China access to the underlying source code for the iPhone and other devices and services, which could allow Chinese officials to spy on users inside and outside of China. “Their selfishness and greed put their customers and everyone’s customers at great risk.” -- GreatFire.org Apple’s capitulation to China undermines Obama’s tough talk on snooping, and makes life even more difficult for other US tech companies. By Heather Timmons Worth a closer look. US president B...
Tibetans in Yunnan Give Up Wearing Animal Skins, Burn Valuable Furs
Exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has long urged Tibetans to protect wildlife and give up the wearing of furs.
‘I Was Under a Lot of Pressure And Had to Quit’
A former rights lawyer in Vietnam explains his decision to leave the profession.
Student Leaders Blocked From Parliamentary Hearing on National Education Law
Police keep student protestors bottled up in Letpadan, although they’ve pledged no violent crackdown.
Government Workers, Teachers in Tibetan Prefecture Called Back Suddenly From Vacation
Authorities urge vigilance as crowds gather for religious observances ahead of the anniversary of a failed revolt.
Standoff between police, students in Myanmar
Myanmar students and their supporters stage a sit in on the street in front of the Aung Myay Baik Mann Monastery in Letpadan on March 3, protesting a decision by the government not to allow them to march the remaining 140 kms (85 miles) to the commercial capital Yangon. Photos: RFA Yangon
Focus on Market Economy Could Spur Recognition of Vietnam’s NGOs
Experts say a successful shift will require growing a healthy civil society from today’s small, informal groups.
Muslim Villagers in China's Tianjin Come Out in Protest Over Alleged Graft
Campaigners want to bring pressure via the country's parliament in their complaint over land grabs.
North Korea Farm Policy Changes Point to Better Harvests
Farmers' response to rules allowing them to keep more of harvest could spur output growth seen in late-1970s China.
China Forces Thousands of Kokang Refugees Back to Myanmar
The authorities cut off relief supplies and tell everyone to leave, aid workers say.
China Tightens Security in Tibetan Areas of Gansu, Qinghai Provinces
Armed police monitor crowds during Lunar New Year celebrations and ahead of a politically sensitive anniversary.
China censors curb discussion of pollution documentary
China maintains a multi-layered censorship apparatus that includes both explicit directives to media organisations from the Communist party’s propaganda department, self-censorship by news organisations and social media platforms, and outright blockages of foreign websites. By Gabriel Wildau in Shanghai Chinese censors have moved to tamp down discussion of a hard-hitting documentary on air pollution that sent the country’s blogosphere into overdrive, highlighting political sens...
Invasion of the Chinese Snatchers
Federal Agents Raid ‘Maternity Tourism’ Businesses Catering to Chinese. Investigations likely to result in criminal cases against booming ‘anchor baby’ industry By MIRIAM JORDAN Agents from multiple agencies enter an apartment complex in Irvine, Calif., on Tuesday, as part of a continuing investigation targeting birth tourism. LOS ANGELES—Federal agents Tuesday executed search warrants at several Southern California sites they say are connected to three multimillion-dollar birth-to...
China's big chess move against the U.S.: Latin America
China is making friends right under America's nose. By Patrick Gillespie Latin America is China's latest business buddy. Chinese banks increased investments in Latin America by 71% last year, and the country plans to double its trade volume with the Central and South American region over the next decade. This comes as U.S. power in the Americas is starting to erode. U.S. cash is actually fleeing the region as investors see better deals at home or elsewhere. China doesn't app...
US, China space rivalry grows as race for orbital commerce takes off
By Chris Zappone Mobile phone communication. Point-of-sale transactions. Just-in-time supply chains and the GPS screen in your car. Consider for a moment how much satellite-dependent technology has become embedded in our lives. Much of a modern economy, in fact, relies on the peaceful, almost routine nature of the business of satellite launches and communication, while science has come to expect open international collaboration. That's why the space community held its breath ...
CHINA, WAR, AND LOGISTICS IN THE INDIAN OCEAN
By Christopher Yung Professor James Holmes and I are in the middle of the usual public back and forth that takes place between academics who disagree strongly. In a January piece here at War on the Rocks , Holmes took issue with an article I wrote that was published in the Diplomat , which itself was a rejoinder to his article criticizing our National Defense University (NDU) report , “Not An Idea We Have to Shun: Chinese Overseas Basing Requirements in the Twenty First Centu...
Lao Authorities Require Gun Re-registrations to Reduce Illegal Firearms
The move comes as gun-related crimes in large cities are on the rise.
Cambodian Authorities Replace Rotten Rice For HIV/AIDS Families
Villagers say the Red Cross donation wasn’t fit for pigs to consume.
China's Threat: In South China Sea Row, Top US Commander Roots for India
China has no right in opposing Indian naval operations in the South China Sea. Byy Vishnu Som Navy Chief Admiral Robin Dhawan with Admiral Harry Harris Jr of the United States Navy NEW DELHI -- Less than two months after the release of the US-India Joint Strategic Vision statement for the Asia-Pacific region during President Barack Obama 's visit, one of America's top military commanders has made it clear that China has no right in opposing Indian naval operations in the South China Sea. Admi...
Preparing for China's Collapse
China could be on the brink of collapse. Here's how Washington can leverage that to its advantage. By Peter Mattis A couple of weeks ago, AEI scholar Michael Auslin published a column for the Wall Street Journal about a quiet dinner in Washington where a senior China scholar declared the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had reached the final stage before collapse. The political collapse of the world’s second-largest economy and a nuclear power is no small thing. What should Washingto...
For the U.S. and China, a Test of Diplomacy on South Sudan
By SOMINI SENGUPT A United Nations camp for displaced people in Bentiu, South Sudan, where civil war has forced two million people from their homes. Peace talks are underway, but are not seen as promising. UNITED NATIONS — The United States may have midwifed the birth of South Sudan , the world’s youngest nation. But China has quickly become among its most important patrons, building its roads and pumping its oil. Now, more than a year after South Sudan ’s leaders plunged their co...
Chen Guangcheng: Hilary Clinton “Gave In” to China, Sold Out My Freedom to Chinese
By SARAH ZAGORSKI In 2005, Chen Guangcheng came to prominence after he began to investigate reports of forced abortions and sterilizations in villages in eastern China. Chen, who’s also known as “the barefoot lawyer,” decided to file a class action lawsuit on behalf of women who had suffered brutal and illegal enforcement under China’s one-child policy. Last September was the 34th anniversary of the inhumane policy, which has resulted in over 400 million abortions and 37 million sex-sel...
The West: Source of All Evil, Including Chinese Scion’s Boob Joke
It's now fashionable to blame the West for all manner of social (and personal) ills. BY ALEXA OLESEN When China’s second-richest man Wang Jianlin , a real estate mogul worth $29.4 billion, sat down with state media for an Oprah-style interview this week, he was clearly in crisis-management mode. A little over a week earlier, his son, Wang Sicong , had sparked a scandal by telling reporters at a Valentine’s Day charity event in Beijing that what he looked for in potential dates was a “bi...
Xi Jinping’s ‘Four Comprehensives’ Give Shape to a Crowded Agenda
By CHRIS BUCKLEY Slogans studded with numerals and abstract exhortations are central to the dramaturgy of the Chinese Communist Party, intoned like spells to exalt leaders, cajole citizens and malign enemies. Yet as Xi Jinping ’s latest contribution shows, the magic of a party slogan often works through its supple vagueness. In comments made in mid-December, Mr. Xi spelled out his four big priorities, and lately party media have acclaimed his “Four Comprehensives” 四个全面 as a p...
Why China's Consumers Are Flying To Japan To Buy Toilet Seats
By Gordon G. Chang China's world-class toilet. “World-class toilet seats are not what Chinese manufacturers aspire to make,” the nationalistic Global Times sniffed on Thursday. The Communist Party paper was reacting to reports that China’s tourists were eagerly snapping up Japanese goods, especially electronic personal hygiene accessories, during the just-completed Lunar New Year holiday. Lunar New Year sales in China were up 11% according to the Ministry of Commerce. ...
Ass Passion
Chinese shoppers are angry that their luxury Japanese toilet lids are made in China By Lily Kuo Chinese tourists flocking to Japan to buy high-tech “smart toilet lids,” which come with built-in bidets, heat and other functions, are shocked to learn that many of these prized commodes are actually made in China. A weaker yen has boosted Chinese spending in Japan and recently a lot of that money is going to Japanese appliances like toilet lids as well as rice cookers, believed by mainland s...
Mankind's Curse
Chinese Are The World's Worst Behaved Tourists By James Burke I’m currently based in Bangkok and I wasn’t surprised to read in a local newspaper about another Chinese mainlander causing an uproar here due to his bad behavior in northern Thailand. Mainlanders, especially those traveling in bus loads, are becoming quite infamous for it in the Kingdom. For the last couple of years they’ve been the biggest number of tourists to Thailand (i.e. 4.6 million visited in 2014) but they’re testing the p...
Countering China’s Maritime Coercion
How to impose costs on coercion, deter intimidation, and offset unilateral changes to the status quo. By Patrick M. Cronin Is China-U.S. competition for primacy in Asia this century’s greatest threat to peace? Some analysts think so. But in leaping from Sino-American competition to potential world war, they miss the obvious: Chinese leaders probe, seize opportunities, and challenge the international system with creeping assertions of sovereignty in the East and South China Seas.&n...
China's double standard on corruption
By Virginia Marantidou and Brad Glosserman The Xi Jinping government knows well the dangers of corruption: it considers this "social pollutant" an existential threat to the Chinese Communist Party. And yet, China turns a blind eye to the corrosive effects of the substantial flows of its aid, assistance, and investment funds on recipient nations, all in the name of 'noninterference.' If China is sincere about wanting to aid nations with its monies, it should be equally forthcoming with s...
Israel Put Chinese Money Over Justice
By Roger Cohen ON April 17, 2006, a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 11 people near the old Tel Aviv bus station. Among the victims was Daniel Wultz , a bright and determined 16-year-old from Florida who fought for his life for 27 days before succumbing to severe injuries. His father, Yekutiel, who was wounded in the attack, watched the terrorist detonate himself. “I decided to do anything and everything I could,” he told me, “never again to have that helpless feeling.” But ...
Documentary on Air Pollution Grips China
By CHRIS BUCKLEY Chai Jing said she was prompted to make her documentary, “Under the Dome,” by concern over the threats pollution posed to her daughter’s health. Over the weekend, many millions of Chinese watched, gripped and outraged, a 104-minute video that begins with a slight woman in jeans and a white blouse walking onto a stage dimly lit in blue. The woman, Chai Jing , shows the somber-looking audience a graph of brown-red peaks with occasional troughs. “This was the PM 2.5 ...
China's Threat: US Starts Flying Its Most Advanced Spy Planes Over South China Sea
Sputnik International The P-8A Poseidon is one the United States’ most advanced surveillance planes. It’s capable of both anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare, and is currently flying over the South China Sea. The US plans to use the aircraft to share “real time” details about activity in Philippine waters. “It was a remarkable opportunity to work alongside the members of the Filipino armed forces,” US Navy Lieutenant Matthew Pool told Reuters. “Sharing this aircr...
My Life as a Communist Stooge: Working in China’s Ministry of Truth
China's propaganda machine employs hundreds of foreigners-stooges as writers, editors, performers, and news anchors By Alex Hill Every morning, my workday begins with a selection of stories. "Human Rights Advancing in China" is a typical headline. "Building Prosperity in Tibet" or "A Step Up for Chinese Democracy" are other possibilities. There is usually at least one blistering denunciation of Japan, along with a few promising economic forecasts. I am a journalist, and not ...
Saying “No” To Better Serve Patients
Commentary: The retina allows physicians to look into the vascular and nervous systems of the body. These sometimes allow the physicians to make diagnosis of neuro-vascular diseases sooner. From: Tây Sơn News Wire
Vietnamese Singer Viet Dzung Honored With Highway Naming
Commentary: It is a rare honor that a Vietnamese American get the streets to be named after. Viet Dzung, multi-talented entertainer of the Vietnamese diaspora, who suddenly passed away last year, was honored by the California State Legislature with the … Continue reading → From: Tây Sơn News Wire
Promotion Ceremony of Brigadier General Viet Luong Celebrated By Vietnamese Community
This morning, Colonel Viet Xuan Luong made history by becoming the first Vietnamese-born to get promoted to Brigadier General of the U.S. military, the world’s most powerful military. Not too long ago, Vietnamese military men’s competence and aptitude were usually questioned by … Continue reading → From: Tây Sơn News Wire
Bon 14 Juillet! Happy Bastille Day!
From: Tây Sơn News Wire
Happy Independence Day!
From: Tây Sơn News Wire
UN pledges to support Vietnam in guaranteeing human rights - GlobalPost
UN pledges to support Vietnam in guaranteeing human rights GlobalPost 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) pledged to support Vietnam in ensuring and promoting human rights through the 2012-2016 UN One Plan, said UN Resident Coordinator Pratibha Mehta on Tuesday. Addressing the launching of the Universal Periodic ...
UN Experts Condemn Detention of Vietnamese Blogger Le Quoc Quan - Global Voices Online
Global Voices Online UN Experts Condemn Detention of Vietnamese Blogger Le Quoc Quan Global Voices Online A UN group of human rights experts has found that the detention of Vietnamese blogger and human rights defender Le Quoc Quan stands in violation of his right to freedom of expression and a fair trial. Le Quoc Quan was arrested in December 2012 on ...
Kindness One: Motorcycle causes a heap of travel trouble in Vietnam - Los Angeles Times
Kindness One: Motorcycle causes a heap of travel trouble in Vietnam Los Angeles Times As I tried to enter Vietnam from Cambodia, things were not looking good. I had encountered border troubles before. The Thai border guards didn't seem to know what to make of me and my bright yellow motorcycle. I spent six hours at the border trying to ...
Children in Vietnamese commune received beans instead of vitamin A - UPI.com
Children in Vietnamese commune received beans instead of vitamin A UPI.com CAM TRUNG, Vietnam, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A population coordinator in a rural Vietnamese commune distributed beans to children he claimed to be vitamin A, health officials said. Parents brought their young children to a Cam Trung commune clubhouse Sunday ...
Vietnam Vet Wins $12 Million Malpractice Settlement From VA Hospital - CBS Local
Vietnam Vet Wins $12 Million Malpractice Settlement From VA Hospital CBS Local CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago-area Vietnam veteran will get a $12 million medical malpractice settlement from the federal government. John Johnson was a Vietnam Veteran and heart patient. He went in for oral surgery at the Hines V.A. Hospital in 2007, ...