HAARETZ, JERUSALEM POST (Israel), NEW YORK TIMES (U.S.), REUTERS, AFP, BBC Worldcrunch DAMASCUS – The situation in Syria has gotten both more dangerous and more complicated over the past 72 hours. On Monday, Chinese officials indirectly criticized Israel’s weekend strikes in Syria, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began a five-day visit to China. During a […]
Tag: china
BEIJING – China is busy in America’s backyard. Over the past five years, Chinese businesses have been expanding their footprint in Latin America in a number of ways, beginning with enhanced trade to ensure a steady supply of bulk commodities such as oil, copper and soybeans. At this year’s Boao Forum for Asia, for the […]
ZHEJIANG DAILY, ECONOMIC OBSERVER, HUBEI DAILY (China), CHINA TIMES (Taiwan) Worldcrunch BEIJING – Is Feng Shui a superstition or a true form of wisdom? A confessional article by a Chinese official published by the Zhejiang Daily recently sparked enthusiastic discussions among the Chinese public and press. “Put a screen at the entrance to block the […]
ROME – Italy is a place of culture, beauty, and a well-oiled style of life — crisis or not. Foreigners always return for more. But in order to make sure that the tourists keep coming back — and telling their friends — some guidelines are needed. According to data from the federation of hotels “Fedalberghi”, […]
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Look Who’s Coming To Cyprus Now
Real estate agents from the troubled Mediterranean country have identified potential buyers in China, looking for both cheap real estate, and EU residency. But buyer beware.
On April 15th, India announced that an “intrusion” of around 50 Chinese military personnel had crossed onto the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, and set up a tent camp. The Indian military immediately responded with tit for tat camp of tents nearby. Thus started the so-called “Tents Confrontation” standoff. The […]
-Essay- BEIJING – On April 10, Fenghuang, a popular tourist town that is on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list, started charging entry for visitors, triggering public outcry in China. Fenghuang is located in Xiangxi Prefecture, in China’s central Hunan Province, which is home to the Miao and Tujia ethnic minorities. Now, whoever wants to […]
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Stereotyping The World, Chinese-Style
-Blog- BEIJING – The world is big, and has all kinds of people. Given their various historical, cultural and environmental backgrounds, people from each country are naturally very different. Each nation is proud of its national character. And indeed, some people have a lot to be proud of, like those who pioneered science and democracy. […]
The sensational details surrounding the case of disgraced Liu Zhijun have captivated the public and media. But the real question is why is this the norm?
CAIXIN, XINHUA, PEOPLE’S DAILY (China) Worldcrunch BEIJING – More than 4,000 aftershocks have been recorded since the earthquake that struck Sichuan Province, in the southwest of China, last Saturday. The death keeps rising, with dozens still missing reports Xinhua. More than 11,470 people were injured in the 7.0 magnitude earthquake. While the relief effort continues […]
KIEV LAUNCHES NEW ASSAULT IN EASTERN UKRAINE The Ukrainian military launched an offensive against pro-Russian militants just outside the eastern city of Sloviansk, sending armored vehicles and a helicopter, according to RTÉ, with Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reporting at least five dead on the pro-Russian side. According to AFP, civilians in the town hall have been […]
XINJIANG.GOV, TIANSHAN.NET, XINHUA (China), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch BACHU – Twenty-one people, including police officers and community workers, were killed in violent clashes in the ethnically-divided Kashgar region in the western Chinese Xinjiang Province, reported local officials on Wednesday. The incident occured on Tuesday after three community workers found “suspicious individuals and knives in the home […]
BEIJING – Last month, more than 16,000 dead pigs were found in tributaries of the Huangpu River, not far from Shanghai, in eastern China. At the same time, scores of diseased pig carcasses were also found miles away in Liuyang River, in the south-central Hunan Province. The massive number of dead pigs discovered nationwide caused […]
SHANGHAI – For years, the People’s Republic of China has been carrying the German car industry through tough times. In 2012, German manufacturers sold a whopping 15.5 million motor vehicles in China, and no end to that record is in sight. In March 2013 alone they sold 1.4 million cars, a rise of 20%. The […]
SICHUAN RIBAO, CHINADAILY, XINHUA, GLOBAL TIMES (China) Worldcrunch LU SHAN – The death toll from this weekend’s earthquake in central China climbed to 188 on Monday, with thousands injured and forced from their homes, reports Xinhua. The quake’s epicenter was registered in Lushan County in the southwest of Sichuan Province at around 8 a.m. local […]
ECONOMIC OBSERVER (China) Worldcrunch BEIJING – With air pollution continuing to plague Beijing, there are increasing signs that it is pushing foreigners, often well-to-do expats, to leave the city. “It’s supposed to take up to a decade to solve the smog problem, but who knows what problems the pollution might have caused our bodies by […]
SHANGHAI – Times are tough for billionaires. In Italy, their tax returns are being tracked down. In France, their overseas accounts are being scrutinized. Brussels wants to ban bankers’ bonuses. Switzerland voted to outlaw golden handshakes. Even in the United States, billionaires – unless they are also philanthropists – have become suspicious characters. Fortunately, there […]
There are signs of historical insecurity in Russia’s move away from Europe and the U.S. But at the end of the day, China looms as the real threat for Moscow’s future.
BEIJING – The city of Xi’an in central China is known for its army of Terracotta Warriors. Local authorities have decided to apply for UNESCO World Heritage status for a number of historical sites in Shaanxi Province along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linking many points west to China. In their proposal to […]
This supposed “wonder drug” is rolled out anytime authorities fear a health crisis can spark a national panic. But are placebos a good approach to government policy?
Setting limits on having children has meant an army of Chinese civil servants systematically employing kidnapping, torture, forced sterilization and abortions. And for what?
KHADICHAUR – Araniko Highway, connecting Kathmandu to the Nepal-China border, doesn’t look much like a highway. It is narrow strip of roadway sometimes covered in asphalt, sometimes just dirt. This 115-kilometer road, winding between mountains and ravines is also deadly. Or it would be, without the incredible dexterity of the truck and bus drivers who […]
More Michelle Obama or Carla Bruni? Peng Liyuan is breaking new ground in Chinese political life. It’s also another chance for retailers to practice the fine art of imitation.
BEIJING – On April 6, China’s new Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the North Korean situation on the phone with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Wang made China’s stance quite clear: it will not allow “troublemaking” at its doorsteps. This is the toughest talk to date from the Chinese government, and its intention is clear: to […]
The onus is on Washington and Beijing to forge a new, much deeper diplomatic bond to stop the Korean Peninsula and Japan-China conflicts from sliding into open war.
BEIJING – Last month, President Xi Jinping told the mayor of Suzhou, who had outlined a plan to make improvements on the water quality of the city’s lakes, that for China’s netizens, the best measure of acceptable water quality would be to see whether the mayor dared to jump in and swim. In February, a […]
BEIJING – Last month Shandong University announced that 97 of its students wouldn’t be granted their diplomas due to “poor academic performance after frequent warnings.” Ninety-seven is a drop in the bucket next to the school’s 43,000 undergraduates; and even of those 97, all but 16 have been given a reprieve allowing them to graduate […]
Look at the numbers, both environmental and economic, and the solution is clear: slower growth.
CHINA TIMES, ECONOMIC DAILY (Taiwan); XINHUA (China) WUHAN – In a booming economy, even the dead can help you turn a profit. Friday was Tomb Sweeping Day, or the Qingming Festiva, in China. Set officially as a national holiday on April 4 or 5, this has traditionally been a family day on which people pay […]
XINHUA (China), BBC NEWS (UK), BLOOMBERG, REUTERS Worldcrunch SHANGHAI – Chinese authorities slaughtered more than 20,000 birds and closed a poultry market in Shanghai on Friday, due to the new H7N9 bird flu outbreak that has already killed six people over the past week. State news agency Xinhua said the Huhuai market for live birds […]
After several high-profile miscarriages of justice, could a Chinese movement take root to abolish capital punishment? But public outrage cuts both ways.
Nuclear arms are more shield than weapon, so long as no one is suicidal.
SINA (China) MASHABLE (US) Worldcrunch BEIJING – Internet giant Baidu has made billions following in Google’s footsteps in China’s emerging online market. Now, after coming to dominate the Chinese online search business, Baidu is right on the heels of the rollout of Google Glass, with its own interactive eyewear, reports Sina Tech. Though still in […]
An interview with Zhang Xianmin, founder of one of the many independent cultural events that were banned last year by the Chinese government.
BEIJING – On March 9 and 10, many Chinese families were disappointed. It was on those two days that American private high schools announced their admission results for foreign students. For those who have just been through the one to two year enrolment process that includes cramming for tests, sending application forms and recommendation letters, […]
CHINA NATIONAL RADIO, XINHUA, CCTV (China), CENTRAL TIBETAN ADMINISTRATION Worldcrunch LHASA – Rescuers have recovered 21 bodies three days after a massive landslide in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region that buried more than 80 mine workers, China National Radio reported on Monday. The landslide occurred three days ago in Maizhokunggar County, about 68 kilometers from the […]
New Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has big economic ambitions for his country — and it may require a slap to its largest regional trading partner.
CAIXIN MEDIA (China), REUTERS Worldcrunch BEIJING – It wasn’t so long ago that its booming spending power and growth potential were calling all the world’s retail giants to set up shop in China. But according to Caixin media, a relative economic slowdown and the rapid rise of its e-commerce is prompting many of those foreign […]
Food shortages are almost always a problem of supply, not demand, but don’t tell that to some top Chinese officials maintaining a tight grip on national family planning policy.