THE CHINA READER

A terrific article from today’s NY Times on the Sanlu scandal as a litmus test for larger institutional problems in China… highly recommended.

Posted on September 26th, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: None

It appears my prediction has turned out to be correct, as today’s NY Times reports that Sanlu, the company at the heart of the tainted baby formula scandal, received complaints about its baby formula in December of 2007, a full 10 months before a formal recall this month:
“One of China’s biggest dairy producers received consumer [...]

Posted on September 23rd, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: None

From today’s Xinhua front page, Li Changjiang (李长江), the chief quality supervisor of China’s top inspection bureau, loosely comparable to the FDA in the U.S., resigned today amid pressure stemming from the tainted milk scandal that has paralyzed China’s food industry and left its reputation in tatters. The latest development is an indication [...]

Posted on September 22nd, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: None

Danwei has two interesting posts related to the tainted milk saga emerging in recent weeks in China. One post describes an effort by Chinese newspaper “Life Times” to deflect criticism of the scandal by pointing out similar milk scandals that have hit Western countries in the past. The post also contains a trenchant rebuttal [...]

Posted on September 20th, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: None

It looks as though the scandal involving Chinese dairy product company Sanlu (三鹿集团) is more serious than once thought: investigation into the melamine-laced baby formula has lead to 3 infant deaths, 50 in critical condition and over 6,000 children being sickened, according to today’s Xinhua report. A total of 22 brands of baby formulas, [...]

Posted on September 17th, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: None

Yesterday was the closing ceremony of the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, an event barely making ripples in the Western media. But as today’s NY times reports, the event was not only a major success for the paralympic movement, but an important positive development in China.
By all accounts, the organizers did an incredible job [...]

Posted on September 17th, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: None

China Law Blog has a very good article about the incipient effects of China’s newly-implemented Labor Contract Law.
The article, written by Dan Harris and Brad Luo, provides some interesting facts as to the law’s impact on labor relations, its impact on foreign multi-nationals, and most importantly, how effective the law is in carrying out its [...]

Posted on September 16th, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: None

毫无疑问，9/11不仅震惊美国而且还震撼了世界。9/11的结果让一些一直被掩盖着的问题显露出来。美国人害怕的是：这件事是否预示着世界永无宁日？这的确让很多美国人忧虑。
9/11 发生后，随着恐怖活动的策划被揭开，越来越多的专家发表了关于恐怖分子来源的文章。专家看法因人而异，但大部分都提出一个共同的理论：大多数恐怖分子都出生于落后地区。那么，恐怖分子出生于贫穷的国家跟他们将来沦落为恐怖分子有什么关系？这是一个关键的问题。专家提出很多原因，其中之一是因为恐怖分子的国家很穷，无法跟发达国家抗衡，所以容易让他们感到绝望，就像手脚被绑住一样。在心理一直笼罩着这种阴影的情绪之下，当地人易于被极端宗教组 织所鼓吹的“打击邪恶西方帝国国家”的宣传所迷惑。还有理论说是因为有些国家感到自己文化自从80年代遭到的外国“全球化”冲击和侵略而产生一种反叛感，使当地 人对西方国家，尤其是美国，有着鄙视味道。许多调查说明,有潜在制造恐怖分子的国家倾向于把外国垄断公司，比如麦当劳，和该公司国家政府的不良动机结合起 来。换句话说，把它看作一场“文化战争”。有调查说明，人一看到麦当劳或Nike的标志就潜意识的把它和破坏本国的文化传统联合起来。虽然这听起来有点 极端，但在不少落后国家这种思想确实存在。
另外一个引起许多中东国家火气的原因是：美英等国进军伊拉克,并且在全球推行强权政治。　因此，美军进行恐怖袭击, 既能获得伊斯兰极端教派的支持, 还能得到其他同情弱小的人们的理解。9／11事件发生之后，不少中东国家对那大悲剧幸灾乐祸. 可见，有些中东人的确恨美国。我承认伊拉克战争把美国能博得其他国家好感的能力给淡化了，而且激起了穆斯林国家的愤怒。但不管怎么样，我认为恐 怖分子是危害世界和平的一颗毒瘤,是全世界和平人士的共同敌人。不管为何成为恐怖分子，到最后，他们是以杀人来推动自己的极端想法。在这点，不管目的对他们来说多么有正义性，他们的行为已经把任何合理性给破坏。
我认为大部分恐怖分子的来源是跟经济有关的。许多调查说明，大多数恐怖分子来自经济落后的国家。因此，我有一个极端想法想向读者提出。我希望美国可以进行一场大规模的实验：美国政府对中东国家用一种及和平又宽容的态度来取代现在抱着即霸道又煽动的政策, 用经济援助来取代那些飞机投掷的炸弹。换句话说，不是用武器来压倒他们而获得胜利，而是用经济援助让有恐怖分子“潜在”的国家进一步摆脱贫穷，看将来会有什么样的效果，看能否殊途同归。这与美国政府现在的观点泾渭分明，而且我预料美国政府专家们会断然否认它的可行性。但谁能否定这不能好转现在的情况呢？要是一个国家能试着摆脱贫穷，同时加强教育，福利和医疗的制度，你觉得一些极端的宗教所鼓吹的“打击西方国家”的那套宣传还会跟以前一样有那么大的说服力么？
也许，在我这辈子中，我的这些想法只能是空中楼阁了。。。

Posted on September 16th, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: None

In the wake of one of the most violent years in China’s Muslim-dominated Xinjiang region, the Chinese government is imposing new restrictions on religious practices during Ramadan, a month-long religious holiday in which Muslims abstain from eating or drinking from dusk till dawn.
Xinjiang is home to the Uighers, a Muslim-Turk minority group who have a [...]

Posted on September 8th, 2008 under Uncategorized. Comments: None