Top Story

The Chinese government strongly rebuked French President Nicolas Sarkozy for meeting with the Dalai Lama at a conference of Nobel Laureates in Poland over the weekend. Sarkozy's actions “severely undermined China’s core interest, gravely hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and sabotaged the political basis of China-France and China-EU relations,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Yafei in a statement.

 

An editorial in the People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece publication, accused Sarkozy of drumming up controvery to draw attention away from his political woes at home. Meanwhile, internet users have called for protests of French goods and stores, such as Carrefour markets, recalling similar protests earlier this year after activists disrupted the Olympic torch relay in Paris.

U.K. Prime Minister Gordan Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have also recently met with the Dalai Lama but without much consequence. Given that France currently holds the E.U. presidency, China is probably concerned at the visibility of French actions. Sarkozy will have to be careful where he sticks his neck out.

General News

Officials say upcoming reforms to China's fuel taxation and pricing schemes will lower gasoline prices, which have remained high despite plunging oil prices.

China has banned pork imports from Ireland due to dioxin concerns.

Direct flights between mainland China and Taiwan will begin Monday with a flight from Shanghai operated by China Eastern Airlines.

Politics

In China, arrests marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One well-known dissident, Liu Xiaobo, was detained for his involvement in drafting a public letter that demanded political reform and was signed by over 300 academics, lawyers, artists, and farmers.

Japan lodged a complaint with Beijing on Monday over Chinese ships that sailed near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea.

Business & Economics

Chinese exports fell for the first time in seven years as consumer demand continued to weaken elsewhere in the world.

The government urged domestic airlines to cancel or postpone aircraft orders to keep costs low during a period of weak demand for travel.

Science & Environment

The "taikonauts" from China's recent spacewalk mission are on a tour through Hong Kong and Macao where they are meeting with students, scientists, and the public at large.

Topping the United States for the first time, China published more scientific theses in 2007 than any other country.

China Moment

Perhaps it comes a surprise to no one, but a new report shows that more than 90% of China's richest people are the children of senior officials (Hat tip: WSJ China Journal).

Photo: ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP/Getty Images

Top Story

In a new tally, Chinese officials said Monday that six infants died and nearly 300,000 were sickened by melamine-tainted milk during the recent scandal. A Ministry of Health statement revealed that 860 babies are still hospitalized with urinary-tract or kidney problems, 154 of them in serious condition.

Confidence in China's dairy industry remains weak as year-on-year dairy exports dropped 92 percent in October. However, heavily discounted valuations for Chinese dairy companies prompted the U.S. private equity firm KKR to invest $100 million in one Chinese raw milk supplier, seeking to ride the $18 billion market back up as regulation strengthens and people return to consuming milk.

KKR's vote-of-confidence shows that industry experts believe the Chinese government is capable of implementing and enforcing effective regulations. The scandal, however, which involved large numbers of small milk suppliers, illustrates the difficulty the government has had in addressing agricultural and food-safety problems before they become crises. Prevention is the next step.

General News

Taxi strikes spread to the city of Foshan in Guangdong province. Three-hundred drivers are protesting exorbitant management fees and lax regulation of unlicensed cabs.

Inflation has eased with the slowing economy, prompting Chinese officials to drop food-price controls enacted earlier this year.

Charter flights have retrived the last of more than 3,000 Chinese citizens that were stranded in Thailand after protesters shut down Bangkok's main airports.

Politics

China's vice premier, Wang Qishan, called for more concrete measures to stimulate domestic demand as Chinese exports continue to fall.

Some 770,000 people took the national civil service exam on Sunday. They are vying for 13,566 government spots.

Business & Economics

The China National Petroleum Corporation signed a $3.29 billion deal to build an oil pipeline in the United Arab Emirates.

Coca-Cola submitted an application to Chinese anti-trust regulators, hoping to win approval for its acquisition of Huiyuan Juice Group, which commands half of China's juice market. 

Science & Environment 

China launched the "Yaogan IV" satellite, which will conduct land surveys and aid in disaster prevention and relief.

China Moment

Earlier this year, retired New York City subway cars were turned into underwater reef habitats off the U.S. coast. As for Beijing's old subway cars, many now house impressionable youngsters. Beijing sent 60 cars to quake-affected Sichuan province, where they were converted for use as student dormitories.

Photos: China Photos/Getty Images

Top Story

As the global economic environment continues to worsen, the People's Bank of China has cut its key one year interest rate by 1.08 percent to 5.58 percent. It has also lowered the required reserve ratio that banks must maintain. This comes as the World Bank lowers its forecast for China's 2009 GDP growth from 9.2 percent to 7.5 percent. China's cabinet announced that it was studying measures to bolster struggling automotive, steel, petrochemical, and textile businesses.

Analysts have responded positively for the most part to the rate cut. They've applauded Chinese authorities for taking extraordinary measures to ease the slowdown and have looked favorably on China's continued use of interest rate tools to stimulate the economy, instead of depending on investment spending. More rate cuts are probably in store.

General News

A man convicted of killing six Shanghai police officers has been executed. His sentence drew sympathy and protest from many netizens due to reports that he had been previously abused by the police.

More than 500 workers at a toy factory in Southern Guangdong province clashed with police after they were fired. Some had worked at the factory for more than 10 years.

An official says the government has released more than 1,000 rioters involved in the protests in Lhasa, Tibet earlier this year.

Politics

Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Greek leaders yesterday, pledging more cooperation on trade, energy, and tourism.

The Ministry of Finance earmarked another 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) for reconstruction efforts in earthquake-hit southwest China next year. This comes on a top of 70 billion yuan already committed for this year.

Business & Economy

Huang Guangyu, one of China's richest men and head of the Chinese retail electronics giant Gome, has been detained by police who are investigating stock manipulation charges.

China Eastern airlines saw its losses on fuel-hedging trades surge to 1.83 billion yuan ($268 million) as the price of fuel plummeted. Other Chinese airlines have seen similar losses.

Science & Environment

A new report says pollution has made a third of the Yellow River, China's second longest waterway, unsuitable for farming, fishing, or factory use, and 85 percent of it unsuitable for drinking.

China Moment

A panda bit a student after he broke into its zoo enclosure, seeking a hug.

Top Story

Chinese President Hu Jintao was in Havana, Cuba yesterday, where he signed more than a dozen economic agreements between China and Cuba. The deals included purchases of Cuban raw materials such as nickel and sugar, a $70 million pledge to help renovate Cuban hospitals, and the postponement of debt payments that Cuba owes China.

Hu also met with former Cuban President Fidel Castro, whom he praised for having struggled "to safeguard state sovereignty" and adhered "to the path of socialism, thus winning respect from people worldwide, including the Chinese people."

Granma, the Cuban Communist Party mouthpiece newspaper, imparted praise on China's economic reforms the day before the visit, but also criticized the income disparities that have arisen. It will be interesting to see which of the reform precedents set by China, arguably the most important of Cuba's communist brethren, President Raul Castro may deem appropriate for the island nation.

General News

Twenty-one people are dead after a subway tunnel under construction collapsed in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

Thousands of protesters clashed with police in northwestern Gansu province over a government plan to resettle residents. This latest in a string of unrest in western and southern China has officials concerned that forthcoming economic hardship could cause isolated incidents to spread into wider discontent.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration opened offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to prescreen Chinese goods bound for the U.S.

Politics

China rejects the possibility of sending troops to Afghanistan.

Despite warming relations between China and India, India has cast suspicion on China's growing presence in the region, especially in The Maldives.

Business & Economics

A long awaited fuel tax will soon come into effect. Proceeds are to replace road tolls as a means to fund highway construction.

China's internet-based economy grew by 52.2 percent in the third quarter, with advertising and games making up 72.7 percent of the total income.

Science & Environment

In a bid to reduce chemical residues in milk, Chinese scientists are using herbs in place of hormones to increase milk production in cows.

A new study finds that 12 percent of Chinese children and adolescents in big cities are overweight and notes a growing rate of diabetes.

China Moment

After catching a Ningbo teenager illegally posting advertisements, officials had the boy cover his body with those advertisements as punishment. Naturally, the pictures wound up online and have sparked debat. (Hat tip: WSJ China Journal.)

ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/Getty Images

Top Story

Analysts continue to weigh in on China's gargantuan stimulus package, announced Sunday. Many economists believe that China's economic growth will drop into the 7 percent range despite these latest measures.

One China scholar opined in the Wall Street Journal that the biggest potential for a stimulus package would be to pump funding into health and social services, which would ease burdens on consumers and promote domestic consumption. If the Chinese government chose to do this, it would be quite encouraging for the global economy. Unfortunately, the plan seems to be focused on infrastructure spending, the long-term effects of which are hard to predict. Some news outlets are even hailing this as China's "New Deal."

There is also growing discussion of possible motivations that Beijing may not have wanted to mention outright. Inklings of labor unrest have already begun to sprout up in cities across China, which have seen the closure of 67,000 export-producing factories this year. Plus, many of the country's five million college grads last year still have yet to find jobs. But overall, it's a waiting game until the government releases more details about the plan.

General News

Taxi drivers are on strike in the southern resort city of Sanya, adding to similar strikes in the past week in Gansu province and the city of Chongqing.

Beijing annouces a 240 billion RMB ($34 billion) plan to expand transportation infrastructure. The city's plan to quadruple the amount of subway track by 2012 comes after an already feverish period of development in the lead up to the Olympics.

An angry mob of 400 people attacked police in the southern city of Shenzen to protest the death of a motorcyclist who crashed when an officer tried to hit him with a walkie-talkie.

Politics

China reacted with criticism to a comment made by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee claiming that the disputed border region of Arunachal Pradesh belongs to India.

Former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian was arrested as prosecutors prepared corruption charges.

Business & Economy

The Pearl River Delta, a major manufaturing region that includes the southern city of Shenzhen, saw 1,300 companies close their doors in the first nine months of the year.

Chinese CPI, the main indicator for inflation, dropped to 4 percent in October from 4.6 percent in the previous month, signaling a reigning-in of price increases but also an economic slowdown.

Science & Environment

Infectious diseases caused 1,000 Chinese deaths in October. The top culprits were AIDS, rabies, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and neonatal tetanus, which together accounted for 90 percent of the deaths.

China unveiled its first complete map of the lunar surface.

China Moment

A slew of reactions to Barack Obama's victory speech appeared on China's Internet forums, many of them positive:

So touching! I approve! I continuously supported him and he did not let me down! ... I hope he can really help bring change to America, and also peacefully coexist with China, giving the world positive change!

Read other opinions here.

Photo: China Photos/Getty Images

Top Story

A historic meeting between Chinese and Taiwanese officials continues in Taipei today. The five-day visit by the top mainland official on cross-strait relations, Chen Yunlin, marks the highest-level talks between Taiwan and the mainland since the two split in 1949. The talks have already yielded an agreement on expanded cross-strait flights, trade, and mail links, and is slated to address greater cooperation in the financial industry.

Taiwan's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which favors independence, is keeping up the pressure with mass protests in Taipei. DPP spokeswoman Cheng Wen-tsang has complained that "people's rights, personal liberties, freedom of speech and judicial rights were seriously violated" by the signing of the agreements.

However, recent DPP measures promoting independence, including a referendum earlier this year that sought the public's approval for Taiwan applying for U.N. membership, have fallen flat. With some 1 million Taiwanese businessmen working on the mainland, more agreements liberalizing trade and travel will likely be the norm.

General News

Flooding and landslides caused by torrential rain kill 51 in southwestern China.

Striking taxi drivers in Chongqing smashed 103 cabs and three police vehicles while protesting the high fees that taxi companies extract from drivers.

A newly proposed regulation could make Aug. 8, the anniversary of the opening of the Olympic Games, a national fitness day and require public sports facilities to admit the public for free.

Politics

President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao congratulated Barack Obama on his election victory.

A panel of Chinese experts foresee China becoming a full welfare state with universal health care and old age pensions by mid-century.

Business & Economy

China and other Asian countries are eager to see whether a President Obama will follow through on protectionist campaign promises.

Bright Dairy & Food Co., a major name in the tainted milk scandal, posted a third quarter loss of 277 million RMB (US$41 million), compared to 390 million RMB in profits (US$57 million) a year ago. Other major dairy producers expect similar results.

Science & Environment

China plans to take to the skies with its own commercial jumbo jet before 2020.

In preparation for the 2010 World Expo, Shanghai has enacted new green policies that seek to reduce pollution and stimulate investment in environmental protection.

China Moment

Release the hounds! Er. . . the Chinese public, I mean. A swarm of Chinese Internet users tracked down and humiliated an official accused of assaulting a girl.

Photo: PATRICK LIN/AFP/Getty Images

Top Story

At least three kidnapped Chinese oil workers were killed in the South Kordofan region of Sudan on Tuesday. An unidentified group had been holding nine workers of the China National Petroleum Corporation hostage since Oct. 18. The killings apparently took place after a helicopter flying overhead spooked the kidnappers. Chinese and Sudanese officials are now searching for the other hostages.

The Sudanese government has blamed rebel group the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which has fought with government forces in neighboring Darfur for six years, for the violence. While JEM has previously accused China of abetting government-sponsored brutality through oil investments, the group has denied responsibility for the killings.

China has called the incident an "inhumane terrorist deed." However, it seems unlikely the country will use its petroleum agreements to pressure the Sudanese government into ending the Darfur conflict, as many international diplomats have hoped, unless such incidents become commonplace and severely disrupt production.

General News

A new source of concern has emerged for uneasy Chinese consumers as Hong Kong authorities discover excessive amounts of melamine in mainland eggs.

China opened the 6th National Farmers' Games in Fujian province on Sunday. Events include many familiar sports but also tire-pushing, food-carrying, kite-flying, and tug-of-war.

Politics

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao spoke at the China-Russia Economic and Trade Summit in Moscow Tuesday, praising the strength of economic ties between the two countries.

The government ageed to another round of talks with the personal representatives of the Dalai Lama. However, the Dalai Lama admitted that he has given up on trying to convince Beijing to grant Tibet more autonomy.

Business & Economy

The People's Bank of China cut the benchmark interest rate by 27 basis points to 6.66 percent. This marks the third time China has cut rates in the past six weeks.

Net income at PetroChina, Asia's largest oil producer, jumped 30 percent in the third quarter on record oil prices. Meanwhile, Sinopec, Asia's largest oil refiner, suffered a 39 percent drop in profits. The Chinese government's caps on consumer fuel prices prevented the company from offsetting higher oil costs.

China signed a much anticipated oil pipeline deal with Russia on Tuesday. The deal grants China access to Russian oil in exchange for sizeable loans to Russian energy firms.

Science & Environment

Authorities have discovered a series of iron and gold ore deposits in eastern China that may be worth more than 20 billion RMB ($2.92 billion). 

Workers brought the final power-generation turbine online at the Three Gorges Dam, edging the project towards completion a year ahead of schedule.

China Moment

It's the 21st century. Who better to look over your shoulder than your fellow netizens? Thomas Crampton reports on China's freelance Internet censors.

Photo: Isam Al-Haj/AFP/Getty Images

Top Story

China's GDP growth dipped to 9 percent in the past three months, the slowest rate in five years. The economy has been dragged down by a slump in the real estate market, weak exports, and a softening of consumer spending, in addition to increased pressures from the global financial crisis.

President Hu Jintao and U.S. President George W. Bush spoke over the phone Wednesday about the ongoing crisis. Hu seems to be growing more concerned about the condition of the U.S. financial system. Some analysts believed that resiliency in the Chinese economy could head off a worldwide recession, but slowing domestic demand will make China more vulnerable to decreases in investment from abroad.

The government has taken such measures as waiving fees on real estate transactions and offering export rebates to bolster the economy. The recent slowdown, however, has not necessarily been unwlecome. China's economic planners have spent years enacting measures to prevent the economy from overheating. The question is: Is economic growth now down to a sustainable level, or were these moves too heavy-handed?

General News

Pro-Taiwan activists assaulted an envoy from the mainland on Tuesday in southern Taiwan.

President Hu Jintao met with the Vietnamese prime minister in Beijing Wednesday. They pledged more high-level contacts between the two countries.

Officials are taking measures to ease a drought in Hunan Province that has led to shortage of water for 78,000 rural people.

Politics

Former Beijing Vice Mayor Liu Zhihua received a suspended death sentence this week for taking 6.97 million RMB (US$1.02 million) in bribes while in office.

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou vowed no war will break out with the mainland while he is in office.

Business & Economy

PetroChina announced it may acquire overseas oil companies that have been hurt by the global financial crisis to meet growing domestic demand.

Microsoft Windows users got an unwelcome surprise with their latest software updates. In an effort to crack down on pirated copies of Windows in China, the new patch from Microsoft turns users' screens black and admonishes them for using pirated software.

Science & Environment

Beijing's government plans to award companies up to 2.3 million RMB (US$336,500) for cutting high-pollution production.

In an interview with Science, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao commented that future economic growth in China is to be accompanied by a 4 percent annual decrese in energy consumption.

China Moment

Too many people, not enough beds? German photographer Bernd Hagemann has a collection of photos showing Chinese people taking naps on any surface, in all manner of contorted poses.

Top Story

A $6.5 billion U.S. arms deal with Taiwan has soured relations between the U.S. and China. In reaction to the deal, which includes the sale of Apache helicopters, Patriot missiles, and F-16 fighter jet parts to Taiwan, China has canceled several high-level visits and military exchanges.

A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense called the actions "reckless" and accused the United States of ruining years of Chinese efforts to build mutual trust on military matters. China views U.S. support of Taiwan as meddling in its domestic affairs.

As this AP report points out, though, the deal marks a certain return to normalcy for the U.S.-China-Taiwan military balance. Sales of defensive arms to Taiwan is longstanding U.S. policy. The Bush administration's eagerness to do the deal had been diminished in recent years by the provocative, pro-indepedence stance of former Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian. But the election of Kuomintang leader Ma Ying-Jeo, who favors greater cooperation with the mainland, has eased tensions.

On the United States' part, this paradoxical game of distancing itself when cross-strait tensions rise and providing military support when cross-strait relations are good recalls the Cold War era. But as Taiwan's economic dependence on the mainland grows, China has probably realized that the most effective reunification strategy will be economic, not military. U.S. leaders may need to reassess their approach accordingly.

General News

A 6.6-magnitude earthquake hit Tibet Monday. At least 10 people are confirmed dead and 191 homes destroyed. Seven hundred rescuers are on the scene.

The central government granted emergency subsidies to dairy farmers last week, who are suffering from a plunge in demand for their products. More arrests have been made in the tainted-milk scandal and regulators have revised the amount of the industrial chemical melamine that is permissible in dairy products.

Chinese citizens celebrated National Day on October 1, marking the 59th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The week-long celebrations are a chance to spend time with family, especially for the millions of laborers who work far from home. Many who missed the Olympics also took the chance to visit Beijing.

Politics

Japan's new Prime Minister, Taro Aso, plans to meet with Chinese leaders later this month.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry voiced opposition to the prospect of imprisoned human rights activist Hu Jia receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, to be announced Friday.

Pro-Beijing politician Jasper Tsang Yok-sing has been elected president of the fourth term Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Economy

The People's Bank of China cut interest rates along with other central banks Wednesday to loosen up lending markets and stimulate economic activity.

Chinese financial firms are snapping up ex-Wall Street professionals.

Science & Environment

After 10 days of filling, the water level behind the Three Gorges Dam has reached a target of 156 meters. During this second phase of the project, the dam's flood control, power generation, and navigation functions are to be realized. The project will be completed in 2009.

A new study finds that HIV transmission in China has moved beyond cases related to drug addicts and blood transfusions. Gay men and prostitutes are increasingly at risk.

China Moment

In a sign that traditional values may be eroding, a young Nanjing woman adamantly refused to give up her seat on a bus to an elderly woman, citing her affiliation with an online "never give up your seat group."

Top Story

Four children have died and 13,000 have been hospitalized after drinking tainted milk formula. Thousands of tons of milk products have been pulled from shelves after inspections revealed that a wide range of products, including liquid milk, yogurt, and ice cream may contain the industrial chemical melamine. The scandal has forced the resignation of China's top food quality official and the dismissal of a provincial party chief.

Dealers that collect milk from farmers and sell milk to major companies stand accused of using melamine to increase the protein count of watered down milk. Sanlu, the company most implicated in failing to ensure product safety, is said to have received complaints as early as December 2007 but ignored the problem until the recent death of an infant put its products under the microscope.

As more and more countries place import bans on Chinese dairy products, government officials have sent hundreds of inspection teams across the country to shore up the dairy industry and develop an overhaul of safety measures.

For more on this scandal, check out this week's FP's photo essay.

General News

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is in New York for several days this week to attend a high-level U.N. meeting on the Millenium Development Goals.

Eyes will turn towards the sky Thursday evening as China's "Taikonauts" blast off in the Shenzhou VII spacecraft. China will attempt its first spacewalk.

Forty-three people were killed and 88 injured in a nightclub fire in Shenzhen. Firefighters suspect that fireworks used onstage were to blame.

Politics

Venezuelan Pres. Hugo Chavez paid a state visit to Beijing Tuesday, signing an accord that lays out several plans for oil cooperation between China and Venezuela.

Shanxi Gov. Meng Xuenong resigned on Sunday over his handling of last week's mudslide that killed over 250 people. Incidentally, he was also the mayor of Beijing during the 2003 SARS outbreak and was dismissed for mismanaging that crisis.

Economy

Fears of an economic slowdown have prompted Chinese officials to cut interest rates. Weakness on exports and sagging real estate prices are top culprits.

Chinese banks and financial entities, flush with cash, are cautiously eyeing expansion opportunities as the United States's financial woes continue.

Environment

The Beijing Olympic and Paralympic games are history, but so are the driving bans. Gridlock returned to Beijing's streets this week, causing frustration among commuters and prompting more debate on possible ways to alleviate the traffic problem.

A once-endangered species of monkey that is steeped in local myth is found to be thriving in Guangxi.

China Moment

People would gladly pay a premium on safe milk these days, so why not pay that premium to a wet nurse? One Wenzhou company is offering a wet nurse service that pays its top employees 18,000 RMB a month.

Top Story

The Beijing Olympics roused spectators around the world this summer -- if not with athletic spectacles, then certainly with a few controversial highlights.

But the Paralympics and their inspiring opening ceremonies on Saturday may have outdone anything else that has taken place in China's new arenas. The emotion of the night peaked when the final torch bearer, Hou Bin, a wheelchair-bound competitor in the high jump, pulled himself (and his wheel chair) up a rope to the top level of the stadium.

Thanks in part to these games, Beijing now boasts more wheelchair-accessible facilities than ever before. Until recently, China's disabled lived under a stigma left over from the days of Mao, when the word "disabled" was synonymous with "useless." For the disabled community in China, the 2008 Paralympics, which will run through Sept. 17, have delivered a new sense of pride.

General News

The first orphan of the remaining 88 children left without homes from the May 12 earthquake was adopted. The official death toll from the earthquake is holding fast at 69,116.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Monday's mudslide that struck a mine warehouse in Shanxi province has climbed to 128.

The first Chinese tour group to head to Israel to visit Jerusalem and the Dead Sea will depart later this month, Israel's tourism minister announced. 

Politics

Hong Kong's pro-democracy opposition maintained control in elections on Sept. 7, holding onto their veto power over possible reforms to the territory's constitution by securing 24 of the city legislature's 30 electable seats.

Representatives from China, Japan, and South Korea's nuclear regulatory bodies gathered in Tokyo to discuss ways to share information on nuclear safety.

Economy

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics Wednesday showed a surplus in August trade, while inflation dropped for a fourth straight month.

Sichuan province has received only $180 billion of the estimated $240 billion still needed to repair and rebuild damage left by the May earthquake, according to the province's vice governor.

Chinese troops were deployed to Hunan province to quell protesters demonstrating in front of government buildings. Those gathered were victims of illegal investment schemes run by legitimate real estate and mining companies.

Environment

The two satellites launched to monitor China's environment in an effort to provide more efficient forecasting have begun to send back data.

Beijing city officials apologized to about 30 dozen environmental protestors who demonstrated against the Gaoantun landfill in August.

China Moment

In an attempt to curb nearsightedness and other eye problems so common among young people, a daily curriculum detailing restrictions on font size, teachers' handwriting, and the amount of homework assigned will be implemented in Beijing schools.

Top Story

Violence continues in Xinjiang province (in pink on the map), where a gang of Uighurs killed two police officers and wounded five others last Wednesday. Police responded by shooting six suspects Saturday.

The officers killed Wednesday were also Uighur, underscoring the division in Xinjiang between Uighurs on both sides of the conflict. A perceived failure to share the fruits of an oil boom in the region has fueled Uighur resentment toward Beijing, but some have sought employment in security forces or local government.

The death toll in the spate of attacks has reached 39, and the thousands of security troops deployed in Xinjiang to keep peace during the Olympics are not likely to be leaving any time soon.

General

An earthquake in southwestern China killed at least 38 people and downed 180,000 homes Saturday. Officials say it was not an aftershock of the May 12 earthquake in the same region. Premier Wen Jiabao warned of further hardship in Sichuan as winter approaches.

China plans to launch its third manned spacecraft by the end of the month.

Politics

Village laws for the recall of local officals, an experiment in democracy, are proving difficult to enforce.

Police in Beijing have reportedly harassed the 73-year-old mother of an Olympic protestor.

Economy

Iraq's cabinet approved a $3 billion oil-service deal with the Chinese National Petroleum Company.

Cheap Chinese lanterns are catching on in Egypt during Ramadan, to the dismay of local craftsmen.

Chinese officals say the appreciation of the renmibi does not need to be accelerated, to the dismay of the United States.

A jury in Las Vegas convicted two former Bank of China officials on charges of racketeering and fraud.

Environment

Enjoying blue skies and clear roads, Beijing residents want the emergency pollution measures enacted for the Olypmics to stay for good.

Taiwan

Thousands marched in Taipei Saturday to protest President Ma Ying-jeou's efforts to improve relations with the mainland.

China Moment

Beijing's Central Propaganda Department banned criticism of China's soccer team, which had a disappointing showing during the Olympics.

Top Story

China passed the Olympic torch to Britain Sunday, bringing an end to a controversial Olympics marked both by spectacle and suppression. On the sporting field, China achieved its goal of winning the gold medal count. The United States, however, dubbed the games a "missed opportunity" for progress on human rights, and expressed disappointment that the Olympics didn't bring more "openness and tolerance" to China. In the face of diplomatic pressure, Chinese authorities freed eight Americans who had been detained for pro-Tibet demonstrations during the games. 

China now faces uncertainty over its economic future, hoping to avoid the infamous Olympic hangover. 

Politics

President Hu Jintao visited South Korea Monday, agreeing to expand ties between the two countries. 

Authorities blocked, then reinstated, access to iTunes because of an album titled Songs for Tibet.

The Dalai Lama alleged that repression worsened in Tibet during the Olympics. The spiritual leader canceled trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic because of exhaustion.

Economy

Facing increasing costs, manufacturers are beginning to look outside China.

China overtook the United States as Japan's largest export market. 

Chinese companies are exploring ventures for oil in Iraq and copper in Afghanistan. 

The Bank of China is fighting allegations of supporting terrorism.

Environment

Air quality in Beijing is the best in 10 years, and a top environmental official expects the blue skies to continue.

The Olympics diverted water from thousands of farmers, causing a man-made drought that cost locals in Hebei province their homes and land. 

Taiwan

Prosecutors ordered the son and daughter-in-law of Taiwan's former president, Chen Shui-bian, not to leave the island. The former president, his wife, son, daughter-in-law and brother-in-law are all facing investigation for alleged money laundering. 

General News

Explosions at a chemical plant in Guangxi province killed 20 Wednesday. 

Tropical Storm Nuri showered Shanghai with its heaviest rains in 100 years.

Top Story

Remember how China promised to play nice and at least let protestors demonstrate in three specially approved parks? Authorities revealed that 149 people had submitted 77 applications to demonstrate during the Olympics. None were approved.

Chinese officials blamed the matter on technicalities ("The applicants have been told to apply again according to the proper procedures set down," a spokesperson said. "It does not mean their applications have been rejected.") Yet two elderly women who applied to protest were ordered to a year of reeducation through labor. One Hong Kong resident received word that he could protest once the Olympics were over.

Five Americans were arrested Tuesday after spelling out "Free Tibet" with LED lights in Olympic Park. Three others were detained in a seperate incident. On Friday, five Americans were detained then deported after hanging a 375-foot "Free Tibet" sign on the side of the state-run television headquarters.

More Olympics

As of Wednesday afternoon, China led the gold medal count with 45, but trailed the United States overall, 79 to 82. Chinese women have been key to their country's Olympic success.

Officials confirmed what FP readers already knew: the Beijing games are the most-viewed in Olympic history.

State media scrambled to massage the surprising withdrawal of superstar hurdler Liu Xiang. Liu, perhaps the most popular athlete in China, pulled out of the 100-meter hurdles after he said his foot "didn't feel right."

Environment

Environmental officials say pollution levels have met expected standards during the Olympics. Independent observers agreeed, but said the success was largely due to favorable weather.

U.S. consumers may feel the fallout of Beijing's efforts to curb smog, which made manufacturing more expensive.

Economy

The Olympics haven't been a boon for China's stock market, which has tumbled 15 percent since Aug. 8.

Business is good, however, for Tsingtao beer.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said China is moving in the "right direction" on currency reform.

Rebuilding costs from May's Sichuan earthquake may total $147 billion.

Politics

Hua Gofing, who briefly ruled as Mao's successor, is dead at 87.

Things aren't looking good for ethnic unity.

Taiwan

Former president Chen Shui-bian, under investigation for money-laundering allegations, has been barred from leaving the island.

The Taipei zoo will receive two pandas as a gift from the mainland. The names of the two pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, mean "unity" when put together.

China Moment

Chinese media speculate that Michael Phelps is actually Korean.

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Beijing's opening ceremonies lifted off without a hitch Friday, bringing awe to spectators in China and around the world -- or so it seemed. The squeaky-clean ceremonies, however, were too good to be true in some respects, as reports emerged of lip-syncing and computer-generated fake fireworks.

Violence, too, interrupted the first few days of competition. Attacks continued in the western region of Xinjiang, while a Chinese man attacked an American couple with a knife at a popular tourist destination on Saturday, killing the man and wounding his wife before killing himself. The couple was related to an American Olympic volleyball coach.

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China’s strategy for focusing on events that award more medals appears to paying off. As of 3:30 pm Wednesday afternoon, China led the gold medal count with 17, while the United States had the most medals overall at 29. Check out Google's nifty map for updates.

Seats at the Olympics are surprisingly empty.

Less surprisingly, so are the "protest pens."

A British journalist was detained Wednesday, covering a protest led by eight U.S. pro-Tibet activists.

The first U.S. president to attend an Olympics on foreign soil, President Bush used his presidential-record fourth visit to prod China on religious freedom, inaugurate a new U.S. embassy in Beijing, and cheer on America's athletes.

Politics

Religous leaders describe a government crackdown. One religious dissident, detained on his way to visit a service with President Bush, has escaped, however.

The Dalai Lama is in France, but will not meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Economy

Thanks to a rapidly weakening U.S. economy, China is set to become the world's largest manufacturer, four years earlier than predicted.

China's trade surplus grew in July to $25.3 billion, its highest level in eight months and a 4 percent increase from July 2007.

Wholesale prices, however, rose even more, up 10 percent from July 2007.

Overall, inflation is down and growth is "set to stabilize."

Environment

Is China's Olympic cleanup actually bad for global warming?

Taiwan

Taiwan plans to seek "participation," but not a "return" or membership, in the United Nations this fall.

Taiwan's coast guard is holding a former Chinese soldier who swam eight hours across the Taiwan Strait to defect.

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With just over a week left to go before the Olympics, strong wind and rain have helped improve air quality in Beijing. But the Chinese government isn't taking any chances, eyeing "emergency measures" that still may not be enough to clear the skies. On the ground, officials are hiding buildings and areas considered to be Olympic eyesores behind newly erected walls.

Despite increased security measures, violence broke out among some 50,000 people waiting in line when the final batch of Olympic tickets went on sale Friday. Olympic organizers apologized for a scuffle between police and reporters in Hong Kong.

For more on China's run-up to the Olympics, check out FP's photo essay and list of five ways the Beijing Olympics will be the "biggest, baddest ever."

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China's anti-doping officials are planning the toughest drug-testing program in Olympic history.

What's more, a new sex determination lab will test female Olympians suspected to be males.

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback suspects the Chinese government is planning to spy on hotel guests during the games.

Politics

Authorities detained a teacher who had posted images of schools that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake on the Internet.

Vice President Xi Jinping expressed concern over the ICC's case against Sudanese president Hassan al-Bashir, as Sudan's finance minister visited Beijing Tuesday.

The Dalai Lama met with John McCain in Colorado Friday. China's Foreign Ministry was not pleased.

Economy

An unlikely alliance between China and India helped spur this week's breakdown in the Doha trade talks.

An anticipated coal shortage may spark an electricity crisis.

China is spending an estimated $40 billion on fuel subsidies this year, while also accounting for 40 percent of the world's recent increase in demand for oil.

With 253 million users, China is now the world's biggest Internet market.

Hong Kong and the mainland agreed to further enhance economic ties. Hong Kong Disneyland is expected to benefit.

China moment

Aerobic pole dancing is a hit in fitness clubs.

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Bombs exploded in two public buses Monday in the southwestern city of Kunming, killing at least two passingers and injuring 14. Officials refuted reports that bizarre text messages had preceded the bombings, and said Tuesday that no evidence had been found linking the bombings to the Beijing Olympics.

On Wednesday, officals tripled the reward for information related to the bombings to 300,000 yuan (around $43,500). Meanwhile, the city of Beijing said it would step up bus-security measures, and Shanghai, which is hosting Olympic soccer matches, announced it will install security cameras on 1,600 buses.

Olympics

Western TV networks are pushing back agianst constraints on Olympic coverage.

Hotels in Beijing are slashing prices as the anticipated tourist onslaught fails to materialize.

Some U.S. Olympians may wear masks in Beijing to protect their lungs from pollution, much to the chagrin of their hosts.

The opening ceremonies will employ "green fireworks" designed to limit pollution.

Guess who's not invited?

Politics

Officials will allow approved protests in designated city parks during the Olympics; the crackdown on Internet dissent, however, continues. Entertainers deemed a threat to China's sovereignty are no longer welcome, either.

China and Russia ended a decades-long border dispute.

Although 86 percent of Chinese are happy with their country's overall direction, more than a third see Japan and the United States as enemies.

A Tibetan living in Beijing is suing the Chinese government after being denied a passport for three years.

Economy

One new report says China's economy has averted the threat of overheating, while another argues the government needs to temper "hot money" inflows to stave off inflation and stabilize markets.

U.S. companies are keeping a wary eye on a new Chinese antitrust law.

Other News

A coal mine flooded in southern China, trapping 36 miners and killing at least seven.

China has more smokers than the United States has people. Unsurprisingly, China's anti-smoking campaign is not having the desired effect.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President George W. Bush resisted calls to boycott next month's opening ceremonies in Beijing, saying that to do so "would be an affront to the Chinese people." Bush reaffirmed his positions on human rights and religous freedom in China, but said he did not want to endanger his ability to "speak frankly" with Chinese leaders.

In a reversal, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office announced Wednesday he would in fact attend the opening ceremonies. Chinese officals responded by warning Sarkozy against meeting with the Dalai Lama in France next month.

Economy

A new report by Carnegie Senior Associate Albert Keidel finds that the Chinese economy will surpass that of the United States by 2035 and be twice its size by midcentury.

China and Russia are leading the opposition by five developing countries to the emissions targets endorsed earlier this week by the G-8. Still, the 15 "major economies" committed to long-range emissions cuts in principle.

China signed an agreement with the government of Niger to help improve power supplies to the African country, which has re