Baimiao village government in Bazhong City, Sichuan Province publicized all of its expenses in detailed records in January of this year, including “spending 1.5 yuan buying stationary” and the cost of purchasing cigarettes and alcohol for accommodating and entertaining their superior officers. Thus the netizens called it “the first case of naked government”.
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Sri Lanka is currently a hotbed of espionage; the place is teeming with US, British, Australian and Israeli spies operating, almost at will, under cover as journalists, aid workers, tourists and people with various business interests.
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In addition to providing a fair amount of empty political theater, China’s legislative season also allows a rare opportunity for high-ranking officials and delegates to the National People’s Congress to speak somewhat frankly, and on occasion, a bit clumsily. - This is hilarious
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As China and other large developing nations became more prosperous, it was always assumed that they would become more like the suburbs of Washington or London—liberal, democratic, market-friendly bastions not only of Western-style consumerism but also of political liberty. With time and wealth, "they" would become just like "us."
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A common stumbling block in discussions of divisive issues involving China (as well as those that don’t) is the moral absolute, the black and white perspective.
read more »Here's an instructive thought experiment. Let's read Akio Toyoda's comments about his company's problems, and substitute China as the frame of reference: "I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick. I would like to point out here that Toyota's priority has traditionally been: first, safety; second, quality; and third, volume. These priorities became confused.
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Last week, China "summoned" U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman over President Barack Obama's meeting with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. This week, Ireland and Britain "summoned" their respective Israeli ambassadors due to the recent revelation that Israel might have forged their countries' passports for its agents to travel to Dubai to assassinate a leader of Hamas.
read more »It's become apparent from recent events that America's political, business and scholarly elites have fundamentally misjudged China. Conflicts with China have multiplied.
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Sitting in cell eight at Beijing’s Number One Detention Centre on Christmas Eve, China’s richest man received some bad news. Government prosecutors claimed to have discovered new evidence that under Chinese law allowed them to restart the clock on an investigation that has already cost him more than 14 months of freedom.
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Twenty years ago, Francis Fukuyama forecast the final triumph of liberal democracy and the ‘end of history’. As pro-democracy movements falter from Ukraine to China, he revisits his thesis — and asks if history has a few more surprises to spring.
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