World

An interesting OP Ed piece in today’s Washington Post re Tibet, on how the lack economic opportunity for Tibetans has fueled the unrest there. Also good, interesting descriptions about what Lhasa was like just five or six years ago versus what it is now. Link is here:

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Here’s a selection of clips from my trip. And yes, there is a theme. We spent three days on the only road to the town of Litang (and on to Tibet and Lhasa) watching these army trucks roll by endlessly. As I say in the story (see previous post) these guys were ready for a full scale fight: full combat kit, supported by field kitchens, …

Just back from a long trip into far west Sichuan province to see what the situation is like in the Tibetan areas of China. Many of my colleagues have been turned away from Tibetan regions of China bordering Tibet. I was lucky enough to get into the town of Litang. My report of what we found is on the Time.com website. I also paste it …

Although news is still sketchy it is clear that there have been fresh and much more serious demonstrations in the Tibetan capital Lhasa today. Activists, academics and residents said the protests, which had been peaceful until now, turned violent. Unconfirmed but credible reports spoke of police vehicles and a large market in flames. …

The hijack story is fading fast, partly because of other stories replacing it in the news cycle and also because the lack of new information or coverage (the People’s Daily never did mention it at all) is killing it, presumably as the government wishes. However, in the interests of updating –and fairness (having been skeptical and still …

Here’s a link to some tourist video and stills from Tibet, where the three days of protests by monks have been contained but the security situation remains extremely tense, with the three main monasteries cordoned off and reports beginning to surface of possible hunger strikes or even suicides. This is a nightmare scenario for Beijing. A …

Well, as expected, the inflation bear is coming out of hibernation and has a very sore head indeed. February’s rate was 8.7 per cent, the worst for 11 years. As we noted recently, this is a huge issue the Communist Party and is a major problem for ordinary people. Interestingly enough, the announcement about inflation was matched by one …

So Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer says the whole supposed hijacking incident over the weekend was a sham:

“It’s completely untrue. All these allegations are falsified,” the separatist figurehead, who joined her US-based husband in 2005 after six years in a Chinese jail, told AFP through an interpreter. “The real goal of the Chinese

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Over the weekend I visited 798, Beijing’s booming art enclave that was once an East German built factory area. I was looking for an exhibition by a friend, artist Zhao Gang, but had a tough time, what with the crowds, traffic and plethora of new galleries. Anyway, here’s a video:

Last week we mentioned the development of the Beijing airport, which will be the main entry point for the athletes, journalists and visitors coming to town this summer. My friend and fellow Iowan Josh Kucera recently took a road less traveled to the Chinese capital. His series of reports has been running this week on Slate. An excerpt …

Premier Wen Jiabao opened the National People’s Congress on Wednesday with the usual “work report” to the delegates. t took two and half hours but there was no question then and in subsequent comments by senior officials that inflation is very much on their minds. Wen said their target for the year is 4.8 per cent, which seems optimistic …