Archive for July, 2009

With "Experts" Like These…

July 17, 2009
By C. Custer

…who needs ignorant masses? The Times of India (h/t CDT) reports that Bharat Verma, editor of the Indian Defence Review, has suggested that China is going to attack India before 2012. Not may, will: “China will launch an attack on India before 2012.” Interesting. We suspect this is the first China has heard of...
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Posted in International Relations, Opinions | 15 Comments »

Guest Post: Justice.cn

July 17, 2009
By K. Drinhausen

The following is a guest post written and translated by K. Drinhausen. The first few months of this year of “online politics” saw a tech-savvy Wen Jiabao chatting with the online community and a series of praise for netizens and their ability to uncover corruption as well as deficits in the legal system and...
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Posted in Guest Posts, Politics, Translations | 3 Comments »

“The 50th Spring: Free Tibet Concert"

July 15, 2009
By C. Custer
“The 50th Spring: Free Tibet Concert"

...At the concert a video was shown of the leader of Tibet's government-in-exile, the Dalai Lama, saying, "In the life of people, freedom, democracy, justice and the rule of law are we all benefit from." The entire audience erupted in thunderous applause. The Dalai Lama said, "The young people of Taiwan have a...
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Posted in Opinions, Politics | 28 Comments »

Discussion Section: Does Internet Censorship Work?

July 14, 2009
By C. Custer

Much has been said, on this site and others, about the recent spate of websites — even English ones — being blocked. Perhaps a more interesting question is what, if anything these blocks accomplish. Generally speaking, the Chinese government and supporters hold that the blocks contribute to national stability and security as well as...
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Posted in Discussion Section | 31 Comments »

Don't Expect Facebook Back Anytime Soon

July 10, 2009
By C. Custer

Facebook is blocked, and if you're the kind of person who lives in China and enjoys using Facebook, it might be time to finally get that VPN set up because it's looking like you're not going to see legal Facebook access for some time.
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Posted in Current Events, Housekeeping | 32 Comments »

Xinjiang Riots: The Two Extremes

July 9, 2009
By C. Custer

Much has been said here (and elsewhere) about the rioting in Xinjiang, where the situation remains unresolved and violent rioters/protesters/whatever have been threatened with the death penalty. Hu Jintao has ditched the G-8 summit and come back to China. It is undoubtedly the topic of choice, and you’ve probably already read a lot of...
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Posted in Current Events, Politics, Translations | 5 Comments »

Facebook Blocked in China?

July 8, 2009
By C. Custer

A brief update: some of our contacts are reporting the Western social networking site Facebook is down in China. Herdict confirms this, listing 40 inaccessible reports and one accessible one. If you currently live in China, give facebook a test and let us know the results. If Facebook is blocked, it would be the...
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Posted in Current Events | 18 Comments »

Ethnic Rioting in Xinjiang Gets Worse

July 8, 2009
By C. Custer

For those who aren’t already aware, the unrest in Xinjiang continues as Han mobs have been reported attempting to reach Uighur enclaves in Urumqi and elsewhere. Lifted straight from the New York Times: Paramilitary forces fired tear gas Tuesday at Han Chinese protesters armed with clubs, lead pipes, shovels and meat cleavers. The mob...
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Posted in Current Events, Opinions | 36 Comments »

The Urumqi Riots and Media Strategy

July 7, 2009
By C. Custer

Violent events in China tend to spark controversy. When details are vague — and they almost always are, at least at first — it’s up to individual news teams to make decisions about how their coverage is going to portray the events. The recent riots in Urumqi are no exception; thus far a couple...
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Posted in Current Events, Opinions | 30 Comments »

Ethnic (Separatist?) Riots in Urumqi

July 6, 2009
By C. Custer
Ethnic (Separatist?) Riots in Urumqi

One of our frequent commenters, Wahaha, pointed us to this very recent news story. Details are still a bit sketchy. According to the report, “On July 5th at around 8:00 P.M., incidents of rioting and beating occurred in Urumqi. People in People’s Square, Jiefang St., the bus station, Xinhua South Street, Outer Ring Road,...
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Posted in Current Events, Translations | 40 Comments »