LEXIE TUCKER WRITER – Even as all eyes were on Singapore and the blanket of Sumatran smoke choking the island, mainland China’s State Council was taking steps to help clear that country’s air. According to local media reports, the council approved several specific measures to fight further air pollution, a…
Category: China
TAIWAN: Modelling After China’s Great Firewall?
BRIAN CANAVE WRITES – Will Taiwan follow suit in building its own version of China’s unique Internet censorship policy known as the “Great Firewall”? China is infamous for its Internet services blocking international websites. For Taiwan, the country’s Intellectual Property Office says for now it will only target international websites…
CHINA: Local Media Demands Justice for Angel of Death
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – Nurses. We trust them to take care of the sick and, as their name suggests, nurture their patients back to health. But what happens when they shirk their duties and instead harm the very people they are supposed to be watching over? On May 31, local…
JAPAN: From Shrines to Tanks, Abe’s Cabinet Faces Criticism
JEREMIAH FARJADO WRITES- Will the Japanese government ever learn? Once again, Japanese tension with the Chinese and South Koreans have flared up due to a recent visit to the Yasukuni Shrine by over 150 Japanese politicians, including members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet. As Bloomberg and Kotaku, a…
TAIWAN: Two Way Street for Television in China and Taiwan
BRIAN CANAVE WRITES- Taiwanese government fears losing influence over their citizens to China. With all of the talk about increasing cross straits dialogue, former Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung suggested introducing international news programs such as Hong-Kong based Phoenix TV and Beijing’s state-run China Central Television (CCTV) satellite channels…
LAOS: Worries for Laos
E.J. DE LARA WRITES- Recently, the Laos National Assembly approved the construction of a $7 billion railroad that would extend to the China border in Luang Namntha province. The railroad was supposed to be a joint project between Laos and China until China dropped out last year fearing a lack…
CHINA: The Creation of an Internet Security Powerhouse
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES- Cyber security has always been a hot concern with Americans, but what we fail to realize is that it is also a global problem. According to the director of the security research team at a web security company Beijing Rising Information Technology Co Ltd , Liu Siyu,…
CHINA: Heritage of Destruction
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – Many Chinese Buddhists are up in arms over the planned destruction of buildings in a well-known ancient temple in the city of Xi’an. Last month, these Buddhists urged an investigation into the matter and various media sources reported that several buildings in Xingjiao Temple were to…
TAIWAN: China Sings its Way into Taiwanese Media
BRIAN CANAVE WRITES – Recently a Chinese singing competition, “I Am a Singer”, captivated social, television, and news media attention in Taiwan. “I Am a Singer” features seven Chinese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong singers — former stars, whose stars had faded — who vie for another chance to make it…
CHINA: Dollars Make China Holler
LANI LUO WRITES – With China’s booming economy and increasing standard of living, cell phone use has grown exponentially. Folks across the country are using stylish smart phones and all their fantastic features. One of which is the WeChat application offered by Tencent, a social media outfit that until now…
CHINA: Baby Food Blues
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES – It’s bad enough when regular food is messed with, but it’s even worse when the food is meant for babies. After a media report exposed safety problems, the Chinese subsidiary of Hero Group, a major Swiss baby formula producer, has been suspected of purposely mislabeling milk…
South Korea: Making Nice Via More Trade
RYAN LIPPERT WRITES- South Korea, China, and Japan are making progress in efforts to create a free trade zone that would potentially tower over the combined European Union and North American economic hulk. Despite successfully setting aside their otherwise tension-ridden relations to start such discussions, any hope of advancement may…
CHINA: Judgments Need to be Made Now
On March 15, Beijing’s National Library of China (NLC) said it will speed up work compiling historical files on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, aka the “Tokyo Trials.” For the uninitiated, the IMTFE is where alleged Japanese war criminals were put on trial for acts committed during…
LAOS: Not Even Faint Praise for the Dams
Resources and Environment has also entered a partnership with the International Finance Corporation to create more sustainable ways to promotes socio-economic development. With this new partnership, the Vientiane Times has reported that Laos has the potential to build more than 100 dams on the Mekong River. Vientiane Times also interviewed…
JAPAN: The New PM Steps Boldly Into the Trade Morass
Pursuing avenues for economic revitalization has been an integral part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s agenda since he took office. Amongst the most contested options has been Japan’s recent decision to commit to negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s more liberal dailies, argued that…
VIETNAM: Beijing Ultra-Nationalist Acts Like a Bow-Wow
Maritime disputes are heating up between China, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, all because of a sign. In February, an international outrage surged when a Beijing restaurant manager refused to apologize after removing a racist sign that excludes citizens of states in maritime disputes with China, and dogs. The sign…