Hao Hao ReportThe best China news and blog posts

The overall subject was how democracy was faring in the region and how that related (or not) to the lack of democracy. Larry Diamond from the Hoover Institution favored the more Modernization Theory approach and Big Bang aspect of turning around a country’s economy by quickly embracing democracy whereas Kishore Mahbubani noted that in fact what matters more is the role of good governance.

Roland from the EastSouthWestNorth blog has done a very good translation of an essay by a Chinese post-graduate student who reflects on the choices he and other Chinese students make in their lives.

ESWN has translated an excerpt from a recently published book by Yu Keping - deputy director of the Central Translation Bureau and a member of the think-tank for the Hu-Wen administration. It's title, then, might surprise some: "Democracy Is A Good Thing".

At first it seemed rather outlandish that the Party would allow such a piece to be produced, but upon completing the excerpted bit, it's easy to see why it was.

It had to happen. Hong Kong's policy of "positive noninterventionism" was too good to last. It went against all the instincts of government officials, paid to spend other people's money and meddle in other people's affairs. That's why it was sadly unsurprising to see Hong Kong's current leader, Donald Tsang, last month declare the death of the policy on which the territory's prosperity was built.

ESWN gives his opinion on the relevance of Hong Kong's July 1st march for democracy/universal suffrage. The post goes off of the insightful commentary of Chinese blogger Charles Mok (reprinted in translation) that illustrates how the march has become a dilluted mess of social interest groups all trying to be heard.

A creatively edited post over at the 88s makes a good point about the quick-to-rage Chinese netizens. Though the post uses a prank of a site to draw its conclusions, it's still a good read.

Here is an encouraging story about how the Chinese Supreme People’s Court has been rejecting a number of death sentences. So yes, the government is secretive as to how many executions take place. That could improve. But if this is one step at a time, this is quite a BIG one.

But I never expected that he can be so bad. He can be so ignorant of history that in a radio program, he cited China’s Cultural Revolution as an extreme case of democracy, while Cultural Revolution is in fact a good example of how dictatorship can destroy a whole country.

Short insight into why Hong Kong's cellular phone penetration rate is so high.