In Chinese Murder Mystery, Take 2 for Big Scene

In the chill of late January, around the time Chinese were celebrating the Lunar New Year, the police chief of this foggy south-western metropolis pressed Bo Xilai, the ambitious Communist Party official who ruled the area, with evidence that Mr. Bo’s wife had been involved in a murder.

Consensus on two fewer seats at the top table

There has long been debate about what is the right number of seats on the Politburo Standing Committee, and some sources say the leadership has recently reached a consensus on reducing this from nine to seven.

Battle for power

The downfall of Bo Xilai has opened up the competition in the most important leadership change in decades - and maybe even cleared the way for a dark horse

Nation’s auction houses take on the big players

For centuries the art world was dominated by establishment auction firms such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s, but now the mainland has five in the top 10 by revenue

Louis Vuitton passe for China’s super chic

Daisy Liu epitomises China’s obsession with luxury brands: her shoes are Guiseppe Zanotti, her brooch Chanel, a floral Hermes scarf is stylishly knotted over one shoulder. She won’t, however, tote a monogrammed Louis Vuitton handbag ever again.

Crunch time for rule of law in China

Jerome A. Cohen says the outcome of one of China’s key challenges in the next stage of its development - the moulding of a society ruled by law - may well hinge on the selection of security chief Zhou Yongkang’s successor

Calls for June 4 rethink grow in party ranks

Some mainland scholars see signs of support, possibly at a high level, for a vindication of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protesters; others not so sure

Bubble alert: Watch this (industrial) space

Investors rush in, seeking huge rentals, but big supply in pipeline may hit yields

Beijing anti-graft team on trail of casino losses

Beijing has major Macau casinos in its sights as it seeks hard evidence of bribery and money laundering amid a snowballing investigation into a senior banker and a secretive businessman on the mainland.

Aussies red-faced over secret war plan against China

On the eve of his first visit to China as Australia’s Defence Minister yesterday, Mr. Stephen Smith was forced to deal with the embarrassing revelation that his country’s 30-year security blueprint included a secret plan for war with China.

No Arguments - Ajahn Brahm

Chinese Drivers Pose Fresh Risks for Foreign Insurers

"People like us who buy Ferraris don't care too much about insurance because we buy cars for speeding," said Li, in his twenties and the son of a Pearl River Delta factory owner, as he took delivery of a new 5 million yuan ($787,500) 458 Spider, his fourth red Ferrari. "If we crash, we just throw them away."

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Odd twist in China stock index evokes crackdown

In an unlikely coincidence certainly unwelcome to China’s communist rulers, the stock benchmark fell 64.89 points Monday, matching the numbers of the June 4, 1989 crackdown in the heart of Beijing.

Robots lift China's factories to new heights

The giant orange robotic arms that swiftly weld together car frames at the Great Wall Motors factory in Baoding might seem like the perfect answer to China's fast-rising labour costs - they don't ask for a raise, get injured or go on strike.

Nick Bartman’s investigation of fake wine, other IPR issues in China

In March of 2010, I met Nick Bartman twice in Beijing to talk about wine and intellectual property rights (IPR) in China. At that time, Bartman was investigating the scale of IPR infringements, including fake wines, in China and had started The Wine Protection Group in an effort to get major industry players to pool their resources.

Retired SPH Editor: The problem with Singapore’s media

I am publishing this post, dear reader, because I believe that Singaporeans place too much trust in our mainstream media to deliver “the truth”. It really irks me that Singapore’s media keeps patting itself on the back, when it suffers from several problems, not least a pro-government bias. So, I have decided to show six very clear examples of poor journalism. Each one is different, but together they highlight everything that is wrong with our media. Please scroll to the middle of this post to see them. Or, if you permit some preliminary yakking, then read on here….

Exploration ambitions reach new depths

Manned deep-sea submersible heads off in attempt to set a Chinese record for the deepest dive - 7,000 metres down in the West Pacific’s Mariana Trench

Hints of a Rift Between Myanmar’s Political Reformers

The first trip abroad in more than two decades by Myanmar’s opposition leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, appears to have strained her crucial relationship with President U Thein Sein, who is leading the country’s transformation from military dictatorship to embryonic democracy.

911 In Plane Site - ALL MEDIA LIED ON 9/11!

Dark chocolate cuts heart deaths

Australian researchers have found that eating a block of dark chocolate daily over 10 years has "significant" benefits for high-risk cardiac patients and could prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Beijing Exhibiting New Assertiveness in South China Sea

In tropical waters off the coast of the Philippines, a standoff between half a dozen Chinese fishing boats, two Chinese law enforcement vessels and an aging Philippine Navy ship recently attracted a lot of attention in Washington, Beijing and other capitals across Asia.

China's wine industry: the numbers

Part of his role as a lecturer at the Beijing University of Agriculture has Li Demei casting his eye over how the wine industry in China is developing, and he said Thursday he thought that, in the forseeable future at least, the country would continue to rise as an importer of wines rather than an exporter.

Experts say Chinese wine industry still needs time to mature

The wine industry itself would have us believe that China will soon be the "largest vineyard" in the world but a group of wine experts told a seminar Thursday they remained unconvinced by the claim.

Which way now for China?

Brahma Chellaney says the Communist Party’s sudden about-face on Bo Xilai and rising popular discontent are signs that China is at a political crossroads, with five potential scenarios

Is China’s culture holding back its scientists?

The nation produces research faster than Western nations, but little of it is top-quality, and it loses some of its best minds to freer countries

Hong Kong wine traders try to offset export drop

A dramatic slowdown in the growth of wine exports to the mainland is forcing traders to come up with new business strategies to maintain Hong Kong’s position at the centre of the trade in Asia.

Another mainland owned supercar crash

   It's one of the rarest and most expensive cars in the world and the favourite marque of British superspy 007 James Bond.
   The top-of-the-range racer has a massive 750 horsepower and a top speed of more than 320km/h.
   It is thought to be owned by a mainlander, and has a list price in the UK of £1.4 million (HK$16.7 million).
   Only 77 of the One-77 model have been built and they have all been sold, making the car one of the most sought-after on the planet.
   A spokesman at Aston Martin's headquarters in Britain confirmed that an Aston Martin One-77 crashed in Hong Kong.
   "This type of supercar is made for the track, not for normal road use," he said. "Many drivers who buy them can't handle the car, as it has too much horsepower for them.
   "They don't have the skills or experience to control them. It's more than likely this was the reason behind this crash."

Copy of Alpine Hamlet opens to jibes

A group of Austrians whose scenic mountain village has been copied down to the statues by a Chinese developer attended yesterday’s opening in China for the high-end residential project. But they were still miffed about how the firm did it.

Asia to be base for 60 pc of U.S. fleet

Defence chief Panetta says majority of America’s warships will be in Asia-Pacific by 2020 but China has nothing to fear; it’s no big deal, PLA general says

Clinton won’t comment on spy case

Secretary of state refuses to discuss the detention of Chinese aide accused of passing information to US

Homebuyers just want a fair deal

Angry about losing up to 30pc of their investments as Beijing’s property curbs force down prices, rallies turn violent as protesters demand compensation

Another banker caught in ABC graft probe's net

Officer from mid-sized mainland lender arrested for indirect links to corruption suspect Yang Kun