Zhejiang employees demand pay after bankrupt boss flees

Among the protestors bringing traffic to a standstill in Wenzhou were previous employees as well as creditors who had loaned money to Zhejiang Center Group.

Subprime crisis sweeps Wenzhou as bankrupt bosses flee

The east China city of Wenzhou is battling its own subprime crisis after seven local business owners fled recently, leaving thousands of employees in a state of shock and enormous unpaid loans in hundreds of millions of yuan.

Hidden hazards in China’s role as potential saviour

Flush with trillions of dollars in cash, possible Beijing bailout of a battered Europe carries great risks

Tankers outstrip crude orders

Shipbrokers face surplus when new vessels launch and those relying on mainland demand will need to rethink strategy

Pilot property tax likely to go nationwide

A pilot programme to levy property taxes, the first of its kind in China, is helping cool price rises in Chongqing and will eventually be extended to the rest of the country, the mayor of the country’s biggest municipality told reporters.

Brakes on property boom impact borrowing costs

Local authority debts also a concern as trends point towards deepening of mainland economic slowdown

Hong Kong agents end flat-buying tours from mainland

Brokers halt ‘golden week’ visits as buying interest dives amid lending curbs and economic gloom

Blunt talk from China ex-premier stirs reform pot

Crumbling flood dykes in China decried as "tofu dregs" built by "parasites". Erring bankers lashed as "half-wits" and crime "accomplices". Special hotels for Communist Party elite dismissed as wasteful piles of "golden splendour".

Read on...

Semen Proven to Increase Life Expectancy

Women who make regular contact with semen live longer and age less than women who do not, scientists have discovered.

Read on

Once a Redoubt Against China, Taiwan’s Outpost Evolves

KINMEN, Taiwan — Burrowing just a few feet beneath the surface of this island in the Taiwan Strait turns up remnants of what was once the most militarized zone on earth.

Malaysia to abolish unpopular security law

Malaysia will abolish an unpopular, colonial-era security law allowing detention without trial and relax other measures curbing the media and the right to free assembly, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced Thursday.

Historians on mainland give credit to KMT

New book telling story of Republic of China highlights Chiang Kai-shek's role in Second World War - a reversal of previous accounts

Developers likely to cut prices 15pc

Agents predict reductions to entice reluctant buyers during what should be a busy season

Wary home buyers keep rents buoyant

Demand boosts rental market as flat seekers put off buying in the hope the central government’s cooling measures will cut prices further

Why Wealthy Chinese Are Fleeing China

Many wealthy Chinese are ditching their Chinese passports according to a recent survey by China Merchants Bank and Bain & Co. The report found that 27 percent of Chinese with more than 100 million yuan ($16 million) in investable assets have already migrated and 47 percent are thinking about leaving China.

 Read

The good old days of Good Samaritans are gone for good

Death of an elderly man as people looked on without helping him has sparked intense debate

The man in the party machine

Zhu Rongji’s latest book offers a unique glimpse of life at the top for the former economic tsar

Forget the bluster, DPP is treading softer line on ties

Taiwan’s opposition is preaching stability and harmony, but critics see policy contradictions

Condominium developers upping the stake

It is no longer enough for condominiums to boast a pool, gym, clubhouse and tennis court. Developers are adding fancy facilities such as a spa, sports bar, rock-climbing wall, luxury dining room and even a bird-watching tower to make their projects stand out.

Assets of corrupt officials on the run to be seized

Mainland courts may soon have the power to confiscate ill-gotten gains under a new law