Stories related to: Wen Jiabao

China's devastating earthquake has kept the country in an international spotlight that's been too warm for comfort following recent Tibet and Olympic-torch troubles, the New York Times reports—and the country might be having a defining moment as it deals with the catastrophe. The country's swift, aggressive rescue effort contrasts sharply with neighboring Myanmar's, and with China's own approach to earlier calamities. More »

Nearly 19,000 people are reported buried in rubble in just one Chinese town, the state media said today, as  the death toll from yesterday's 7.9 earthquake in Sichuan province climbed to 12,000. Overwhelmed rescuers worked frantically to rescue as many as possible, impeded by rain and mudslides, while hundreds of children still beneath a collapsed school have been given up for dead, reports the New York Times . More »

China may be running on less-than-full tank again as gasoline and diesel shortages spread to Shanghai and Beijing, the AP reports. Long lines are a common sight outside filling stations, which have been plagued by erratic shipments. “We have no diesel available at all,” said one gas station worker. “Once it comes, it will soon run out.” More »

Chinese paramilitary police in Lhasa have arrested almost 1,000 Tibetans over the past 48 hours as the fallout continues from last week's anti-Chinese riots, reports the London Times. "Many people have been taken away, but we don’t know how many," said one eyewitness. The crackdown comes as the Dalai Lama warned he would resign as leader of the Tibetans if the violence continued. More »

Markets in Tokyo had an up day, recovering some of yesterday's major losses as investors speculated that Japan will stand firm in the face of an economic slowdown. Insurers led the gains on the Nikkei, which rose 1.5%. Other Asian bourses also did well Tuesday, but China was an exception, reports Bloomberg: on fears of an interest-rate cut, the Shanghai-Shenzhen CSI 300 index slumped 5.2% to an 8-month low. More »

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. More »

In a 21st-century spin on Kremlinologists' dissection of May Day photos, the new makeup of the Chinese Communist Party's inner circle is under scrutiny—digitally. One of the  members to be announced Monday will almost certainly succeed Hu Jintao as president, and as always, the names are shrouded in secrecy. But the Times of London suggests they've already been revealed—through censored names on Chinese blogs. More »

Prices of dairy products are likely to rocket in the wake of a massive rise in global demand triggered by new consumer juggernaut China, the BBC reports. China's taste for milk and cheese is outpacing its domestic dairy industry's ability to keep up, and prices in other countries will rise as exporters scramble to satisfy China. More »