In China, there have been a range of reactions to the crises in Japan: smug satisfaction, heartfelt sympathy and, also, soul-searching. “Faced with that type of danger, I doubt I’d be able to behave so well,” said one blogger quoted by the Wall Street Journal. “The casualties from an 8.9 event in China would be hundreds of times higher …
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Global Briefing, Mar. 10, 2011: Broadcasters, Bordeaux and Big Change Afoot
Tibetan Transition — The Dalai Lama announced today that he will relinquish his political role. TIME’s Hannah Beech explains what’s next for the leader and his people.
Libya’s Long Haul — As Gaddafi settles in, rebel forces realize they need help from overseas, writes Andrew Lee Butters in a dispatch from Benghazi; in Tripoli, …
Chinese Writer Loses Facebook Account, While Zuckerberg’s Dog Gets Own Page
He’s known as Michael Anti to Harvard and Hillary Clinton, among others. But in January, Facebook deleted the account of the Chinese media commentator because he didn’t use his legal name, Zhao Jing. Anti says Facebook’s decision cost him a profile with more than 1,000 friends and professional contacts. At first Anti says he …
China Welcomes Home the New U.S. Envoy
China is a country where grand gestures play well. So when U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Republican pooh-bah Jon Huntsman Jr. as the American Ambassador to China back in 2009, Beijing was pleased to welcome such an august envoy to its shores. The excitement has since died down, particularly in recent days after Huntsman was …
In Shanghai, Barbie’s Dream House Crumbles
To me, it sounded like a nightmare: six-stories of jewel-encrusted plastic, all tied up in pink. But for Mattel, the iconic American toymaker, the opening of Shanghai’s Barbie superstore in Mar. 2009 was a dream come true. Here, in 36,000-square-feet of doll-drenched retail space, Chinese women and girls would fall headlong for the …
Renault’s Spy Caper: Industrial Espionage, Or Slick Ruse?
Is the dramatic mystery surrounding the spy scandal at French carmaker Renault deflating like a particularly gravity-prone soufflé? That seems to be the main conclusion of recent media reports contrasting earlier allegations that China, international espionage rings, and just about any other convenient suspect was behind the purportedly …
Hey, You Sitting in Beijing Traffic? Big Brother is Watching
The news was packaged innocuously enough. In order to alleviate Beijing’s horrible traffic jams, a new project called the Dynamic Information Platform for Public Travel would use residents’ cellphones to track where they were and figure out how to make traffic flow more smoothly. The People’s Daily, the Chinese government’s …
March 3: Happy Mistress Day!
Mark your calendars: March 3 is Mistress Day in China. How are you going to celebrate this special occasion? According to the Shanghai Daily and the Global Times, an Internet community of third wheels has decided to designate 3/3 as their exclusive day. Here’s the scoop from the Global Times:
“An online forum advocating
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Global Briefing, Mar. 1, 2011: Ten Stories to Start Your Day
The Latest on Libya — TIME writers ponder the possibility of American military intervention, wonder who is in charge and muster some thoughts on Gaddafi’s clothing.
Secret Service — The New Yorker asks if the Times was right to stay mum on Raymond David’s CIA ties.
Child Brides — The Economists ‘daily chart’ shows, quite …
Global Briefing, Feb. 28, 2011: Ten Stories to Start Your Day
Not in Bloom — TIME’s Austin Ramzy chronicles the ‘sad farce’ of China’s would-be Jasmine revolution.
The Palin Doctrine — Foreign Affairs asks what Tea Party populism means for American foreign policy.
The Right’s Might — A flagging Europe is at risk of a fascist renaissance, warns Ian Kershaw in the National …
In China’s “Jasmine” Crackdown, Image Matters
After the paranoid and sometimes violent response to yesterday’s thwarted “jasmine rallies,” a question hangs in the air: why would a government that seems so strong react with such fear? After all, few think that China will experience its own Middle Eastern-style “jasmine revolution.” The story from yesterday’s protest sites, at least …
China’s ‘Jasmine’ Crackdown, Animated Edition
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxd9J1MqkXw]
Taiwan’s Next Media Animation has a satirical take on China’s heavy-handed response to calls for anti-government protests. Keep an eye out for the panda goons, who you may recognize from their previous roles in ‘Hu Jintao Goes to Washington‘ and ‘Tiger Moms.’
Libya, China and the Myth of ‘No-Strings’ Investment
Beijing is scrambling to get tens of thousands of people out of Libya after a wave of attacks on Chinese oilfields, construction sites and work camps. As the state-run China Daily reported prominently this morning, about 12,000 Chinese nationals were evacuated by charter plane, ocean liner and bus. State media area playing up the …