Japanese Rare Earth Consumers Set Up Shop in China

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Home comfort for divorcees’ folks

Mainlanders whose parents buy them property when they marry will keep it if they divorce

Banks told to tighten grip on property market loans

Expected impact from Beijing’s efforts to cool an overheated market prompts regulator to urge lenders to protect themselves from price plunge

Deadly accident exposes government fault lines

Differences in public statements about high-speed trains reveal divisions over the national system

A truly open government is one that welcomes public involvement

Beijing’s latest circular on transparency will have bite only if channels are in place to give voice to people’s views and seek their support

Beijing puts brakes on railways

High-speed trains will be ordered to slow down and approval for new lines suspended as investigation into fatal Wenzhou disaster continues

Into uncharted waters

Yesterday’s maiden sail of reconditioned Varyag seen as major step towards PLA’s decades-long ambition to have a naval force capable of projecting Chinese strength

Uncertain times for Asian Markets

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China awash with counterfeit vintage wine

“There is more Lafite 82 in China than was produced in France. So you really have to be wary if you find any of that in China,” he told AFP.

China launches first aircraft carrier on maiden sea trial

China launched its first aircraft carrier for a maiden run on Wednesday, a step likely to boost patriotic pride at home and jitters abroad about Beijing’s naval ambitions.

Hard landing may be good medicine

Short-term crisis, while painful, could give policymakers a chance to steer mainland economy onto a healthier growth path for the long term

Business blooming in China risk detection

Agricultural firms are trying to get buyers back on their side, while investors turn to investigators to verify the claims companies make about their assets

Beijing housing woes eased by state subsidy schemes

More people getting homes at a fraction of market rate

The latest fake - Shanxi’s famed mature vinegar

Producers omit fermented vinegar, use additives and even industrial acetic acid to make condiment

Red Cross health project ‘a scam to sell insurance’

Carers at community service stations were working undercover for China Life, TV investigation reveals

Military spending cause of US debt: China

The United States must rethink its huge military outlays, big footprint abroad and summon the courage to defuse debt woes, Chinese state-run media said on Monday, reflecting the political pressures on Beijing with its big stash of dollar assets.

Drive to close illegal golf courses flops

Just 10 of 600 clubs on the mainland have full government approval, and many take water illegally, but crackdown efforts have been distinctly under par

Lessons from China’s deadly train accident

The deadly train collision near Wenzhou underlines the incongruous fact that despite China’s soaring economy, vestiges remain of the ultra-left ideology behind the Great Leap Forward campaign more than 50 years ago.

More secret ‘black jails’ exposed in the capital

More secret prisons locking up petitioners in Beijing have been exposed by mainland media, after several similar facilities were revealed to the public in the past couple of years.

Mainland soy milk drinkers up in arms

Consumers angered to discover restaurant chains and fast-food giant are serving powdered drinks

All eyes on the PLA’s new guard

All eyes on A reshuffle of the Central Military Commission will see veteran officers replaced and some ‘princelings’ expected to follow in the footsteps of famous fathers

Ouch! U.S. booted from Triple-A debt club

The Triple-A debt club just got even more exclusive: Late Friday, the United States was booted out of a prestigious group of countries that boast a spotless credit rating.

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Thailand gets first female Prime Minster

Yingluck Shinawatra became politically turbulent Thailand's first female prime minister yesterday after parliament endorsed her crushing election victory.

China mulls new regulator for state financial sector

China is considering a proposal to create a ministerial-level body to manage its state-owned banks and non-bank financial enterprises, two sources with knowledge of the plan said, a move that would strengthen Beijing’s grip on its lenders.

Wenzhou crash response exposes rot in political system

Calls grow for overhaul to restrict unlimited power and prevent its abuse after accident reveals flaws

Made for China

Chinese faces are different from Westerners and most sunglasses are created according to Western facial features. But help is at hand, Gan Tian finds out.

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Home Sweet Home - Motley Crue

Skyscraper boom in China

China is in the midst of a skyscraper boom.

Taxi driver protests hit two Chinese cities

Thousands of taxi drivers in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou went on strike Monday over high petrol prices and traffic congestion, while drivers in Shanghai also protested over benefits.

Critics denounce ban on rail disaster reports

Decision by propaganda authorities’ to restrict unfavourable coverage shows that a ‘decades-long habit of muzzling’ is still in force, say analysts

Families may sue railways ministry

Frustrated by the handling of their demands, relatives of victims of the Wenzhou disaster say they may have to resort to court action for justice

18 killed in 2 attacks in troubled NW China

A city government said Monday that six more civilians died and five “terrorist” suspects were killed by police in one of China’s most troubled ethnic regions, raising the death toll from weekend violence to 18.

Aquanauts take one giant step for China

The captain of the Sea Dragon submersible compares his job to an astronaut’s as he and his crew test the limits of Chinese technology in the dark ocean depths

Press points finger at greedy and callous railways officials

Ministry faces barrage of questions about its overconfident attitude to the high-speed-train crash that took 40 lives

10 days’ training, long hours for drivers in focus

Many drew attention to a state media report late last year about a driver who was given just 10 days to learn how to drive the first Chinese high-speed train. His German instructor had expected a training period of several months.

Censors slap ban on crash coverage

Newspapers forced to ditch pages of reports at last minute after propaganda chiefs issue sudden order, despite premier’s pledge of transparency

China lawyers told not to take train crash cases

Chinese authorities have apologized after lawyers were told not to help victims of a deadly train crash file lawsuits without permission, state media said.

Knife attack in China’s Xinjiang leaves seven dead

Seven people were killed and 28 others wounded by two knife-wielding assailants in China’s ethnically-tense Xinjiang region, authorities said Sunday, in the latest bout of unrest to hit the area.

China ‘forced papers’ to scrap rail crash coverage

China imposed a widespread ban on coverage of last week’s high-speed train crash, forcing newspapers across the country to scrap pages of stories, a Hong Kong newspaper reported Sunday.

China forced papers to scrap rail crash coverage

China imposed a widespread ban on coverage of last week’s high-speed train crash, forcing newspapers across the country to scrap pages of stories, a Hong Kong newspaper reported Sunday.

Contract makers review business model

Contract manufacturers rolling out an array of gadgets such as Apple’s iPad, Dell’s PCs and other devices in China are re-examining their business models as they grapple with surging costs and shrinking margins.

China defends carrier plans, neighbours fret over

China’s neighbours are worried its aircraft carrier program may in time intimidate regional rivals but its military on Thursday defended the plan as vital for maritime security.

U.S. says cooperating with China to repatriate graft fugitives

The United States is cooperating with China to repatriate Chinese fugitives facing corruption charges, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday, a move that could pave the way for the return of hundreds of government officials wanted for graft.

Panasonic to Sell Sanyo White Goods Units to Haier

Panasonic will sell its Sanyo Electric unit's washing machine and refrigerator operations in Japan and Southeast Asia to China's Haier Group for about 10 billion yen ($130 million), three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

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China says equipment flaws caused train crash

Design flaws in signal equipment and human error caused last weekend's high-speed train crash in China that killed at least 39 people, a railway official said Thursday.

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Shanghai tightens property market rules

Shanghai authorities will inspect home sale plans from real estate developers and may reject applications if they find prices to be “unreasonably” high, in its latest effort to fight rising house prices.

China’s investments are not as wasteful as the bears believe

Stories of wasteful infrastructure projects abound across the mainland, but the anecdotes don’t prove that Beijing’s investment binge is money down the drain

Whither this speed?

When a high-speed train was stalled, allegedly by a bolt of lightning, common sense dictated that later trains waited. Tragedy struck when a second train rear-ended into the stalled one, derailing several carriages and killing at least 39 passengers. It could be the result of a technical glitch or human error, or a combination of both. But before the investigation report comes out, a lot of people are asking: “Why so fast?”

China state paper accuses authorities of ‘arrogance’

One of China’s official newspapers on Wednesday accused the authorities of “arrogance” in their handling of a deadly high-speed train crash, joining a rising chorus of public fury.

Chinese officials close 2 of 5 fake Apple stores

Chinese Officials looking into the illegal sale of Apple gadgets say they are waiting for the electronics company to respond before they decide whether to close three more possibly unlicensed stores.

Warnings about lightning ignored

Transport experts alerted rail authorities to the risks, but preventive measures were considered too costly

Furious relatives demand answers

Grief gave way to anger in Wenzhou yesterday as relatives of the victims of Saturday’s high-speed train crash protested outside the municipal government offices, demanding railway officials meet them face to face.

Yes, there’s a property bubble in China

Its bursting can harm the real economy and can cause negative spillovers to other nations

China’s effort to muzzle news of train crash sparks outcry

Government directives demanding journalists not question official accounts of a deadly high-speed train crash in eastern China are fuelling public anger and suspicion about conflicting details of the accident, such as the death toll.

Kunming discovers two more fake Apple stores

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China outraged by rail crash

Chinese media and public reacted with anger on Monday to a fatal high-speed train crash, with even official newspapers saying safety controls on the rapidly-expanding network may have been too lax.

Local government debt poses risk to growth, says PBOC advisor

China has at least two years to sort out its mountain of local government debt, which poses a ‘very serious’ risk for the fastest-growing economy over the longer term, People’s Bank of China adviser Zhou Qiren said.

Train crash could curb China rail equipment exports

A deadly train crash in China over the weekend has raised concerns about the safety of the country’s fast-growing rail network and threatens to undermine its plans to export high-speed train technology.

China sacks 3 railway officials after train crash

China sacked three senior railway officials yesterday after a collision between two high-speed trains killed at least 43 people and raised new questions about the safety of the fast-growing rail network.

China Train Wreck Raises Questions

“China, please stop your flying pace, wait for your people, wait for your soul, wait for your morality, wait for your conscience! Don’t let the train run out off track, don’t let the bridges collapse, don’t let the roads become traps, don’t let houses become ruins. Walk slowly, allowing every life to have freedom and dignity. No one should be left behind by our era.”

2 arrogant Chinese pick on 'wrong' guy in Philippines

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Customs looks at car pricing tactics

The Government may be clamping down on pricing tactics that have made some cars cheaper but the taxman poorer.

Taxpayers finally get to See where the money goes

The 100 million yuan spent on banquets at the Academy of Sciences may prove hard to swallow as government departments finally divulge their expenditure

Lai’s return expected to worry corrupt officials

Before being deported from Canada, the fugitive, who fled with a fortune, vowed to take many other officials to prison with him if he was convicted

上海灘 - 葉麗儀

Mainland home prices heading for a fall

Despite enticing smiles from attractive sales agents beckoning visitors to an exhibition for a new property launch, the cavernous hall in suburban Beijing remained virtually empty for hours at a stretch.

Canada deports fugitive Lai Changxing back to China

One of China’s most-wanted fugitives has arrived back in Beijing after a Canadian court cleared the way for his deportation.

You are so beautiful - Joe Cocker

72 super rich in China dead before their time since 2003

Since 2003, 72 billionaires on the Chinese mainland have died an unnatural death, the Changchun-based New Culture News reported Friday.

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Government denies mass SME bankruptcy

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology acknowledged Thursday that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face serious financing difficulties after the government tightened liquidity, but rejected claims of a wave of SME bankruptcies.

China Chamber Warns Beijing of Mass Bankruptcies

The All China Federation of Industry and Commerce, the official chamber for non-state-owned enterprises in China, has urged the central government to take action concerning what it regards as a serious likelihood of major bankruptcies among small to medium-sized businesses in China.

陈丹青：中国最要紧就是混饭吃，管它什么文化

You're Beautiful - James Blunt

Harder for foreign couriers to deliver the goods in China

China is the world’s third-largest express delivery market and growing, but it has yet to deliver the goods for global giants such as DHL Express.

California Dreaming - The Mamas & The Papas

Top China newspaper shuts down investigative unit

One of China’s leading newspapers has shut down its respected investigative unit, an editor said Tuesday, an apparent victim of a broad clampdown on political dissent and the media.

Thaksin rules out serving jail term

In his latest interview, former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ruled out serving jail term, saying he will have to “stand for justice” by not accepting “unfair” legal action against him.

Singapore property crash: When and how serious?

This property-crazed city of five million seems hell-bent on disproving the old theory that what goes up must come down.

Chinese city wises up to sage’s fame

Xiangyang claims to be where legendary strategist Zhuge Liang met warlord Liu Bei

Motivation - Ajahn Brahm

I Found Someone - Cher

Unhappy endings

Expat divorces are on the rise here, and can get nasty because of cross-border legal issues

China switching on to the power of deep heat

Geothermal power is China’s most plentiful, reliable and environmentally friendly renewable energy, and its most neglected - but that may be about to change

Starbucks, Ai Ni to turn Yunnan into coffee capital

Companies agree to set up joint venture to buy and export top-quality Arabica beans from the province

Fears of a mainland housing bubble are wildly inflated

The rise in property prices might sound like the precursor to a spectacular collapse, but the argument doesn’t pan out when you take a closer look

Female bodyguards for Thailand’s next prime minister

When Yingluck Shinawatra takes up her post as leader of the new government, Thailand won’t just have a female prime minister. Her bodyguards, too, are likely to be drawn from the fairer sex.

Chinese women learn to snag rich men

Want to marry rich? Then the unlikely named Beijing Moral Education Centre for Women is for you.

Tan Jee Say decides to run for presidency

He says many Singaporeans want president with no PAP links

A moron Manure fan

Da Vinci Furniture importer under fire

A retailer of international brand furniture, which has recently been suspected of selling poor-quality fake foreign products at high prices, has insisted it does not play foul with buyers but has admitted “faults” in its employees’ sales tactics.

Smuggler Lai Changxing nears extradition

The possible repatriation of Lai would mark the end of a 12-year dispute between China and Canada over the issue and justify their partnership in fighting crime, analysts said.

Support staff for Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong

Government says it will help them go about their official duties

Hikaru Utada - Flavor Of Life - Ballad Version

宇多田光-First Love

Red Cross stuck in the firing line

Lack of transparency appears to lie at the heart of bizarre saga the major charity is caught up in

Singapore survey: Ruling party losing credibility

Fewer Singaporeans consider the ruling People’s Action Party to be credible after the party’s worst election results since independence, a survey showed Friday.

Beijing halts sales of tainted bottled water

Authorities in Beijing have halted the sale of 31 brands of bottled water after they failed safety tests, the government reported, in the latest such scare to hit China.

China accused of rushing bridge opening

Chinese officials have been accused of rushing construction of the world’s longest sea bridge to open for the Communist Party’s 90th anniversary, with nuts left unfastened, state media said on Thursday.

China Said to Discuss Letting SEC Probe Mainland Companies

U.S. and Chinese officials will meet next week to discuss giving American securities regulators the right to investigate companies within China for the first time, said two Chinese officials with direct knowledge of the plans.

Macau’s side-betting may be worth US$235b

It’s 10 times reported revenues; Macau disputes US report