New Year celebration showcases
the Games, just 180 days away for China
AFP Feb 6, 08 7:18 PM CST
(Newser)
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To kick off the Year of the Rat, celebrations in Beijing let revelers try various events that will be part of the upcoming 2008 Olympics. "That's hard work. Hats off to the athletes," said a 26-year-old after trying out a rowing machine. An Olympic committee exec says the fair is aimed at letting citizens experience the Games first-hand, AFP reports.
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Millions still still stranded in winter chaos
Reuters Feb 4, 08 4:56 AM CST
(Newser)
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First it was the snow, now it's the cold wreaking continued havoc in China, leaving millions stranded and millions more without power in the coldest winter in a century. President Hu Jintao chaired an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss rescue efforts in the nation where scores have died, as desperate migrant workers struggled in vain to return home to their families in time for the Lunar New Year.
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Inflation spirals as weather highlights precarious conditions
Associated Press Jan 30, 08 4:18 PM CST
(Newser)
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As more snow fell today across China, the unusual inclement weather continued to highlight how vulnerable the country's economy is to disruption. The snow has prevented deliveries of food and fuel—particularly coal—and dozens of factories remain closed. State television announced that the government would mount an "all-out war" on the weather crisis, the AP reports.
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British Airways 777 buckles after hitting grass short of runway
Associated Press Jan 17, 08 1:15 PM CST
(Newser)
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A British Airways passenger jet slammed into the ground at London's Heathrow Airport today, causing eight injuries but no deaths, the AP reports. The crash landing damaged the plane's underbelly and wings. The cause is still unknown; the 6-year-old Boeing 777 had never previously crashed, and was flown by "one of our most experienced" pilots, said BA's CEO.
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Party seeks reunification, while independence-seeking president reels from results
BBC Jan 12, 08 12:25 PM CST
(Newser)
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Taiwan’s China-friendly opposition party dominated parliamentary elections today, the BBC reports, dealing a blow to the hard-line president 2 months before his own poll. The KMT, which supports closer ties with Beijing, trounced the ruling DPP, winning 72% of the seats in the 113-seat chamber. President Chen Shui-bian, resigning as the DPP’s chief, said he was “shamed” by the outcome.
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Enraged by delay, democracy activists condemn decision
BBC Dec 29, 07 4:23 PM CST
(Newser)
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Reacting to years of pro-democracy rallies in Hong Kong, China agreed today to let the territory elect a leader in 2017 and a legislature in 2020, BBC reports. Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang had lobbied Beijing for elections by 2012, but hailed today's news as a "hard-earned opportunity." Activists, however, were outraged over the decade-long delay, AFP reports.
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Seeks investments to adjust yuan growth;
US official set for talks
Bloomberg Dec 10, 07 7:27 PM CST
(Newser)
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China, increasingly being called upon to more rapidly adjust the growth of the yuan against the dollar, is looking to expand its investment in US assets as a way to funnel its powerhouse currency out of the country, Bloomberg reports today. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson visits Beijing Wednesday for a third round of strategic trade talks, and will push yuan appreciation as a consumer price control measure.
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Youngest may vie for top spot in 5 years
Washington Post Oct 22, 07 7:05 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The Chinese Communist Party named its newest leaders yesterday, including the man favored to succeed current president Hu Jintao, reports the Washington Post . Xi Jinping, 54, is the son of a Chinese guerrilla leader who rose to the top of the Shanghai branch of the Communist Party, making him a "princeling" son of the revolutionary generation. Xi, who has a phD in economics, was ranked highest of four new members; Li Keqiang, 52, is considered another contender for the top spot.
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Govt. officials confirm plans for long-range cruise missile capable of hitting China
New York Times Sep 30, 07 11:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
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As China quietly stockpiles weapons aimed at Taiwan, the renegade island confirms it is developing its own cruise missiles capable of hitting the mainland, including Shanghai and many military bases. The controversial weapon, intended to "make China hesitate before launching any attack," is more likely to ramp up the arms race between the countries, reports the NY Times .
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Guardian (UK) Sep 25, 07 4:06 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Armed ballerinas and a song by former Chinese president Jiang Zemin today celebrate the opening of Beijing's controversial National Grand Theater, a $360 million modern arts complex built in the shadow of the Forbidden City. The Red Detachment of Women , however, is a traditional touch—it's one of eight plays permitted under the watchful eye of Mao's wife, reports the Guardian.
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After half a century, some movement in Beijing-Vatican standoff
Reuters Sep 21, 07 3:06 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Pope Benedict publicly approved the appointment of the new bishop installed today in Beijing, bringing some warmth to long-frozen relations between the Holy See and China’s government-controlled church, Reuters reports. In a critical test for future ties, Joseph Li Shan took over the highest-profile diocese in the atheist nation, which severed formal ties with the Vatican in 1951.
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Stop in Taipei canceled thanks to disagreement with China
BBC Sep 21, 07 11:00 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Add the Olympic torch route to the list of things China and Taiwan can’t agree on. After a month of debate, officials have canceled a stop in Taipei because the sides could not agree on the route, or the use of Taiwan’s national anthem and flag. Beijing said the move sets “a vile precedent,” the BBC reports.
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With exactly 1 year
to go, China scrambles to reduce pollution
BBC Aug 8, 07 12:53 PM CDT
(Newser)
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The air pollution in Beijing is so bad that some 2008 Olympic events may have to be postponed. IOC president Jacques Rogge is worried about participants in endurance events like cycling because air quality remains dismal despite government efforts, such as shutting down factories, to improve it. Construction for the Games has actually made the problem worse, the BBC reports.
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Pollution, human
rights, food safety issues all draw fire
Reuters Aug 7, 07 6:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
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As the one-year countdown to the Beijing Olympics begins tomorrow, activists and Olympic organizers alike have been vocal in their concerns about the host city. The government is under fire for press harassment: journalists were detained for several hours yesterday after a Reporters Without Borders conference, and six Free Tibet activists were arrested recently for unfurling a banner at the Great Wall.
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Chain 'respectfully' withdraws from historic site at heart of Beijing
Seattle Times Jul 14, 07 10:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Starbucks shuttered its store in Beijing’s Forbidden City yesterday, ending months of controversy over the American chain’s presence at the former imperial palace. The 600-year-old complex, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, is now a museum where the caffeine titan opened its doors in 2000, the Seattle Times reports.
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Government allows memorials for the first time
Associated Press Jun 5, 07 9:51 AM CDT
(Newser)
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As part of its campaign to attract Western visitors to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China allowed Tiananmen Square memorials this year for the first time since the protests of June 4, 1989. The government maintains that the uprising was a counterrevolutionary riot and refuses to release details; a security crackdown in the square normally prevents citizens from commemorating the event.
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