November 2007 Archives

Ok, not to get overly sentimental here, but I feel I have to give a little something back to the guys who helped kindle my interest in putting my pedantic, and often times, pedestrian thoughts on the internet for all to read. Shortly after Zhongnanhai was launched by our faithful and studious leader Cam (you owe me a beer for this kind of language), an offer was made to become a contributor. Hesitant at first, mainly because I'm a lazy bastard, I eventually began offering up the occasional thought. But it wasn't until the good folks over at the China Law Blog took one of my entries and systematically picked it apart like a mid-40's migrant worker on an ear of corn that I finally began to realize that the blogging world has more than just a random collection of teenage angst and Trekkies. That being said, I'd like to take this opportunity to help those who have helped open my eyes. (place tearful sobbing sound here)

The guys over at China Law Blog have been chosen to be part of the American Bar Association's awards competition for law blogs. Click here to get the skinny about the contest from their blog.

Now, admittedly, when I hit a post on their site about tort and other such legal mumbo-jumbo, I tend to start contemplating the complexities of the Kirk-Spock relationship, and why Roddenberry didn't stick with the original Christopher Pike character as Captain. However, their site has provided me some great insight into the legal world here in China when it comes to business, and is written in such a way that a relative Cro-Magnon like me can understand (unless there are more than 2 syllables). So take a sec and give the guys over at Harris & Moure a shot at the title!

This is becoming an all too familiar trend here in China when it comes to my 'home and native land' trying to -- if it actually is -- fix what is rapidly becoming a tarnished public image in this country.

Since taking power in Canada, the minority Conservative government of Stephen Harper has not exactly endeared itself to the Chinese government. From strong comments about China's human rights record to the awarding of an honorary degree to the Dalai Lama, the current Canadian government has not done much to try to foster a friendly relationship with one of the world's most important trading nations. The latest failing came this week with Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement's visit to Beijing.

The Minister was here to sign a few agreements related to food and product safety. And given the recent fervor about tainted Chinese products in North America, one would have presumed that the Canadian government would want to get as much mileage out of the announcement in both the Chinese and Canadian media as possible. However, this was not to be.

Yours truly is on the Canadian embassy's email alert list. As such, whenever a Canadian delegation is in China for an event of one form or another, if the embassy is involved somehow, it will let the foreign and local media know.

Minister Clement's announcement on the food and product safety initiatives was on Tuesday morning at the famous Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where most foreign dignitaries go when they make joint announcements with the Chinese government. The first event was a Food Safety Forum at 8:30am, followed by an official signing ceremony at 10:45am, followed by an 11:45am 'Official launch of the Canada-China Joint Committee on Health.' The 'Notice to Media' from Health Canada, sent through the Canadian embassy here in Beijing, noted that the Minister would be available to answer questions from the media following his remarks. All this is standard stuff when it comes to news releases and events. However, what is interesting about all this is when the 'Notice to Media' was sent out. Yours truly received the email alert at 9:40am on Tuesday morning, the same day as the event. So, even if I would have checked my email the moment I received it, there's essentially no way that I could have arrived on time to question the minister about said announcements. Meantime, a telephone message sent to the Public Relations Officer at the Canadian embassy requesting an interview with the Minister was not returned.

Unlike Canada, journalists here in China require at least one day's notice if they're going to cover an event. It's just the way it works here. Spot news and breaking news are just not part of the deal here in China. And to be frank, events like this are neither! They require a significant amount of planning. And even if all the journalists were to scramble upon receipt of said media advisory to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, gaining access to the secure location requires advance notice. The Canadian embassy realizes this. As such, there have been a total of zero reports about Health Minister Tony Clement's announcement in the Chinese media. And back in Canada, only the CBC and CP picked up the story, and essentially took it verbatim from the subsequent news release that was put out following the announcements. So now, the question is why the Canadian government didn't want publicity surrounding this joint agreement with China?

I really have no inkling about the government's reasoning for wanting to keep this announcement low-key. And if there were to be any suggestion that it was a mistake to send out the media advisory so late, it just wouldn't wash. Public Relations 101 basically dictates that if you want the media's attention, you give them enough advance warning to be at said event, and if you don't want the media to scrutinize something in detail, don't tell them about it until it's too late. Hence why sometimes governments will send out negative or potentially damaging information to the media late on a Friday afternoon. By the time it's picked up in both the press and electronic media, the reader, viewer and listenership into the weekend will be at its low point. And by the time Monday rolls around, the story has become old news. It's a somewhat effective trick.

So yet again, the Harper government has forgone a chance to give itself some positive press in China. And I'm beginning to think its time that questions start being asked about what exactly the problem really is, and why.

The longer I speak to family, friends, and former media and PR colleagues in my home province, the more I learn that British Columbia is heavily targeting China, and the Pacific Rim in general, for business.

In a meeting Zhongnanhai conducted with B.C. Olympic Games Secretariat Annette Antoniak, we learned that the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games committee (VANOC) will open a promotional pavilion at the Beijing Urban Planning Museum near Tiananmen Square. As part of Vancouver's efforts in Beijing, they are offering 45 work-term positions in Beijing in the leadup to the Beijing games. Needless to say, these postings have generated immense interest among government employees and others in B.C.

Now we find out Premier Gordon Campbell will be coming back to China -- his fourth visit (this posting is from Public Eye Online):

Today, Premier Gordon Campbell will embark on his fourth mission to Asia - making stopoffs in the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou. A news release announcing the trip explains Premier Campbell will be promoting "B.C.'s expertise in green technology and life sciences, as well as opportunities in trade, education and investment." And it looks he may have his educational work cut out for him. According to documents posted yesterday on BC Bid, some of our province's "lesser known attributes" in China include "our cosmpolitan culture, our wealth of business opportunities, our unique geographical positioning and our wide array of tourism experiences." So what are British Columbia's better known attributes then? The documents are part of an attempt to find a contractor who can provide administrative support planning services for the B.C. Canada Pavilion at the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.

I often wonder how Canadian leaders are greeted when they come to China, considering the plethora of outstanding issues between the two countries. That being said, Annette Antoniak told us that Chinese leaders, and BOCOG, have been wonderful hosts and more than helpful in assisting VANOC with setting up the 2010 Pavilion in Beijing.

That's good news to us, and we look forward to visiting when it opens next May.

The following is a guest post from a good friend of mine, and current CCTV 9 news anchor James Aitken. We are posting it with his permission:

I thought about starting this piece with the phrase, "I'm no banking expert, but...", then this one came to mind: "I lost track long ago of how many times I've tried to give Chinese banks my money." Yeah, that works.

My latest adventure in China's financial industry started with a straight forward task: deposit money into someone else's account. As I traipsed into the bank branch, I headed straight to the get-ready-to-be-here-a-while ticket machine and pressed the button. 1282. I glanced up at the scrolling red computer numbers. The biggest number is 1254. Not bad. I park myself on a bench, and because this particular branch doesn't have a wall-sized TV screen running Tom and Jerry cartoons, I pull out my mobile listening device and begin my wait with the sounds of a scraggly-haired rock bank thumping in my ear drums.

Every time I make my way into a Chinese bank, I'm reminded of the massive transformations that have been going on behind the scenes. Besides my many personal adventures, I've read and heard a great deal about the challenges and changes that this country's banking system is facing. They've been going through immense restructuring. I don't know how the bottom line looks at the major banks these days, but I am quite aware of the problems they've been grappling with. Hundreds of millions of bank customers are reminded of this everyday. The poor customer service comes in many forms: interminable waits, grumpy, underpaid staff, or in my case, an Internal Technology system that is basically just Internal. Up till this point, customer service improvements at some banks have amounted to hanging up large TV screens to show cartoons. Other banks offer free cups of water.

Essentially, these long-standing issues can be boiled down to a protracted case of misplaced priorities. When various high-level bank managers have been interviewed and asked to explain the poor levels of customer service, they've responded that customer service hasn't been important to the banks because, well, customers aren't that important. The banking sector is emerging from an imposed environment of extended isolation where the concept of competition has simply been non-existent. Another key factor is simple economics. The banks make huge sums of money from a few clients, ie. big companies, government agencies etc. The rest of us commoners, hundreds of millions of us commoners, really don't add much to the bottom line. Fair enough.

The banks I've dealt with, here and abroad, generally aren't in the habit of doing customer service surveys, and I guess I know why. But if I were ever asked by a Chinese bank how they could improve their service, my comment might be this: take money - don't give it away. You see, the red ink that China's banks have been swimming in for years, the reason they have been forced into massive restructuring schemes to look presentable for their IPOs, is because China's banks have been handing out non-performing loans for years (that's executive code for bad loans). The true extent of these bad loans is unknown, but clearing them off has been a painful undertaking. Many of these loans have gone to business people with little or no business experience and business plans likely scribbled out on a napkin in a hotpot restaurant. These aspiring business people are the ones who dream of selling snow shovels in Guangzhou. The money, and any hopes of collecting interest on it, vanishes almost as soon as these businesses open their doors. The bottom line is this: banks are supposed to make money. Making money begins with collecting interest on good risk loans or taking money from guys like me. End of story.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised when, after being escorted into a shorter lineup by a bank manager, I'm promptly told that the bank can't take my money. I mistakenly thought having the name of the account holder and their account number would have done the trick for the deposit. After all, I've mastered this task at another branch of the same name. My landlord's account is in another city, but as long as I have his name and account number, 'mei wenti' as they say here in China. Well today, at this branch, it is a 'wenti'. Today, in addition to needing the name of the account holder, and the account number, the bank also needs the name of branch where the account is held, which is in another city. I have no idea what that name is, so I point again to the account number I wrote down and tell the bank manager to simply type it into the computer. Should he do that, I assure him all manner of information about that particular branch will come up on the screen. "Not possible," I'm told. It's the kind of problem I've encountered before: branches of the same banks that can't - or simply won't - communicate with each other. Lot's of 'I' - not so much 'T'.

Deja Vu, as I walk out of the bank, pockets bulging with money that isn't really mine. My attempt to give money to another person was doomed by powers I can barely comprehend. I'm steamed, but not surprised. I've been on this ride before.

The service issue, of course, isn't just a gripe from a few impatient foreigners. I've written on this topic before and have received overwhelming response from Chinese readers with similar stories. I assume that this group is representative of an endemic nationwide problem. I also assume that those little plastic signs with the red customer service indicator lights next to each bank teller aren't all broken after all.

I'm encouraged to hear how successful some of the reforms are going in China's banking sector. Lots of hoopla about oversubscribed public offerings, record setting IPOs, and some banks are earnestly trying to shore up what little customer service they have. I've seen some progress. I generally don't have to wait as long as I used to in order to be told that the bank won't take my money.

But after this latest encounter, I'm struck by the enormity of the challenges these institutions must be facing. Competition for clients, setting oneself apart from that competition, and taking money instead of giving it away means a profound change in business philosophy - so does improving customer service on the front lines. I know it will take a while yet. I understand. My bank adventures aren't a total loss. They have, after all, given me plenty of writing material. In the meantime, I will keep my distance from the banks as much as possible. But on the next occasion, when a bank visit is unavoidable, I hope the branch I end up in has Tom and Jerry cartoons.

... in fact, you can probably read and understand the content here if you are in junior high! So says the Blog Readability Test. China Law Blog, which notified us of the site, is only slightly better, at a high school level. Ditto for Shanghaiist. Many other popular blogs are in the university and college levels.

We have our doubts that many junior high students read our pontifications on Zhongnanhai, as we don't post stories about vacuous subjects like Paris Hilton (oh.... wait.....).

The good news is Zhongnanhai remains above at least one other blog in reading level: Sinocidal. The five funny blokes, unfortunately, are apparently only writing at an elementary school level. (Which, I must wholeheartedly disagree with, considering the writing and creativity on that blog).

Our other site, China Media News, slides in at a university undergrad level.

Now, with this out of the way, please allow me to return to wasting my Tuesday afternoon....

China flexed its muscle this week, and reminded everyone who really controls Hong Kong, when it denied the USS Kitty Hawk from stopping there for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific said he's "perplexed and concerned" by China's last-minute decision to deny a U.S. aircraft carrier entry to Hong Kong for a previously scheduled port visit.

The USS Kitty Hawk and its escort ships were due to dock there for a four-day visit Wednesday until they were refused access. Hundreds of family members had flown to Hong Kong to spend Thanksgiving with their sailors.

"It's hard to put any kind of positive spin on this," Adm. Timothy Keating told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday while flying back to the U.S. after visiting troops in Iraq. "I'm perplexed and concerned."

The Kitty Hawk makes regular appearances in Hong Kong, and this was a last minute decision made by the Chinese government. One can only guess as to the reason, but perhaps George W. Bush's decision to award the Dalai Lama with the US Congressional Gold Medal had something to do with it.

Which reminds me that for all of China's bluster, it is taking shots at some foreign countries for their steadfastness in meeting with His Holiness. Year of Germany celebrations were to take place early next year in several cities in China, and all the events have been cancelled in connection with Angela Merkel's decision to meet the Dalai.

As a senior person in my company said: "20 years ago, China needed foreign investment. Now we don't, and we don't need to put up with foreign countries who make the Chinese people unhappy." She went on to say that trade with Germany could be easily replaced by trade with a country that adheres to China's values.

Is this attitude a sign of things to come?

America's most (in)famous socialite is in Shanghai this week for the MTV Awards, and Breitbart is reporting she likes what she sees:

American socialite Paris Hilton checked out Shanghai fashions, cuddled stuffed pandas and sauntered along the famous Bund waterfront on Thursday while visiting China's most style-conscious city for the MTV Style awards.

"Shanghai looks like the future!" Hilton said in a news conference at the Hyatt on the waterfront, one of the newest landmarks in a city teeming with new skyscrapers.

She's been hanging around the historic Yu Yuan Gardens, and, of course, doing plenty of shopping along Huahai Road.

Although she seems to like Shanghai, she isn't staying in her namesake hotel, instead choosing the much taller Grand Hyatt amid the skyscrapers of Pudong.

She's also picked out a traditional qipao from Shanghai Tang for her appearance on stage tonight.

Today being American Thanksgiving (2007 edition), I figured I'd drag out an old rant that I wrote two years ago during my first time here in China during the US holiday. I want to preface this post by saying that in no way do I hold any malice toward Americans (or Quebecois). I simply wrote this for the limited comedy value it provides:

OK...I'll try to keep this entry short, as I've been accused - and rightfully so - of drooling on like Cujo after eating a bar of soap. So today, being November 24th, (23rd for some folks back home as I'm writing this) it's American Thanksgiving. I stress the word AMERICAN. All of the Chinese staff, and even some of the laowai here at work, have been coming up to me all day long, and wishing me 'happy Thanksgiving.' That's fine. I appreciate the fact that they've taken the time to care. But, unfortunately, being over here, no one really knows that the United States and Canada have separate Thanksgiving holidays. So, just to help out my good friends here in China, I'm going to draw up a short list of the differences between Canadians and Americans when it comes to our holidays...just so there's no further confusion.

1. We, as Canadians, don't consider deep-frying a turkey a holiday tradition. Seriously, if you were to deep-fry a tire, I'm sure there would be a few Americans considering digging in!

2. Our Thanksgiving holiday is not based on giving pox-filled blankets to unwitting natives. We just got ours drunk.

3. Our national day holiday is July 1st, not July 4th. We didn't bother fighting the British for our independence. We just pissed and moaned about it until the Queen got sick of listening to us!

4. Christmas in Canada is shared on the same day as it is throughout the entire world. But, of course, the actual North Pole being in Canada gives us dibs on the premium gifts that fat bastard and his reindeer have to offer!

5. We don't have holidays to honor our dead leaders. In Canada, our Prime Ministers just settle into obscurity after misappropriating federal tax dollars.

6. We don't have an Arbor Day. Seriously, what the hell is that anyway?

7. Martin Luther King is someone to be honored. Who the hell do we have? Rene Lesveque. I don't effin' think so!

8. Speaking of Quebec, they have their own separate holidays. But no one outside of Quebec really gives a crap about what Quebec does at this point anyway!

9. Easter is celebrated in Canada. But we try to limit our intake of chocolate bunnies to less than two pounds over the holiday duration, unlike our hefty neighbors to the south.

10. And yes, we do celebrate New Year's. And to be quite honest, Peter Mansbridge doing the countdown on the CBC is about as exciting as watching paint dry at an insurance seminar. Dick Clark - who I'm convinced is Disney animatronics at this point - is no screamin' hell either. But I still have to tip my hat to the Yanks on this one!

I'm dying to spill the beans on a television project I've been working on, which has resulted in some fairly interesting travel. Unfortunately until we get the A-OK, nothing is confirmed and it wouldn't be right to post the details here.

As a result of this program, I spent last weekend in the seaside city of Tianjin. Despite two years in Beijing, I had never made it the hour-or-so train ride to Tianjin. I'm actually not sure how long the train takes, as I missed it that morning due to some excessive sleeping, shall we say. So I nabbed a taxi instead (schedule was tight) and made it to the resort city of Jingjin in about an hour.

Jingjin is patterning itself as a bedroom community easily accessible to both Beijing and Tianjin. It features 2 and 3 level homes with 2 car garages reminiscent of something out of Leave it to Beaver. It also had a large golf course, all the amenities, and a brand new Hyatt Hotel. I can't help but think more and more Chinese will begin moving outside of the city for some peace and quiet, and property prices in places like Jingjin will skyrocket as a result. Currently, purchasing a beautiful 260 square meter home in Jingjin will only set you back RMB 9,000 per square meter, compared to RMB 30,000 in many parts of Bejiing.

Anyway, I attended a banquet at a famous Tianjin restaurant, witnessed quite a late-night scrap outside said restaurant, and went to bed for the night. The next day, it was off to KTV...

I know KTV is big business in China, but I was unaware of how popular it was. Even some alcoholics in Beijing resist digging to deep into the beer at noon on Sunday, but not so among the thousands of young patrons at one of Tianjin's biggest KTV joints.

As part of the program, I was tasked with singing some songs and looking like I was having a good time. I'm sure most people reading this blog have, at one time or another, been roped into going to KTV with workmates, business associates, college friends, or whatever. As an extremely untalented singer, I've managed to avoid it through three years in the Middle Kingdom. So here are some thoughts on my first KTV experience:

• KTV rooms could make for the ultimate house party: they have excellent sound systems, big screen TVs, private rooms, and waiters bringing drinks and food.
• Chinese people love to sing. It seemed like the biggest competition was for who could snag the microphone first to sing the next song.
• Chinese people are talented singers (yes, I already know this is a vast generalization). Two of the girls that had the opportunity to sing love ballads had amazing voices, and two of the gentlemen were able to confidently belt out rock tunes.
• I was surprised to notice an extensive catalogue of English-language songs. Which is why I found it unfortunate that the one they selected for me to sing was Take Me to Your Heart (for those not in China, and I've never heard this song outside of China, it's an drippy English love ballad with cheesy lyrics from a one-hit-wonder band called Michael Learns to Rock).
• I am a horrible singer. Although the Chinese language song they selected for me to sing, Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo de Xin, was do-able (despite the fact I had to read traditional characters, which added to the comedy factor).

In closing, KTV wasn't that bad - as long as the microphone stays in others' hands. That being said, KTV could be much, much better: All it needs to do is utilize the big screen and big sound to showcase Vancouver Canucks' hockey games. The food and drinks would go well with that, and I, for one, would be ready to pony up for the room rental.

A recent trip to the Beijing airport has shown me that racial profiling may be taking place here in the capital.

This past Friday I arrived at the airport at about 4:15 to pick up a friend who arrived here from Canada on his first trip to Asia. I was quite excited to see my friend, and waited patiently (with beer in hand) at the arrivals gate for him to come through. Given that he was on an Air Canada flight, there was an obvious delay. As such, I had nothing better to do than stand there and watch the comings and goings of my friend's fellow travelers that day. And what I began to notice was that the security at the exit point were systematically picking out black people who were coming through and taking them aside to search through their bags. In the span of no more than 15 minutes, at least 5 people who appeared to be of African decent were pulled aside and asked to open their suitcases for further inspection.

Now, to be fair, I didn't get an opportunity to speak to any of the people who were searched, as I had to stand and wait for my friend to arrive. And I also didn't get a chance to speak to any of the security staff about why they were conducting said searches (not as though they would have told me anything anyway) But, barring some insider information the security may have had about the people they were searching, it appears that they were specifically targeting black people for searches.

Being a white, Anglo-Saxon male, discrimination and racial problems were obviously something I didn't have to contend with living in my native Canada. However, upon coming here to China, I think I can relate to, with some modicum of understanding, the frustrations that minorities have to go through. But what was kind of surprising was the fact that people of African decent, the same Africa that China is bending over backwards to nuzzle into its bosom, were being targeted for searches. Ok, go down to Sanlitun on any given night and many an African gentleman will be trying to throw some 'poppa' your way. But the airport is not Sanlitun! Respectable people with legitimate jobs take flights. Sure, drug dealers take flights too. But I found it rather appalling that people of African decent were being singled out.

Of course, racial profiling is not a Chinese phenomenon. But as more and more people come to Beijing to witness the transformation of this city, I suggest that the authorities at the Beijing airport take a closer look at their policies if they do not want to be viewed as hypocritical.

I've considered writing about several of these items, but figured I'd just throw them all into one messy post. Here goes...

Doing business in the DPRK

I met last night with one Mr. Alejandro Cao de Benos. If you Google his name, you'll see he's rather well-known among North Korea-watchers. He's an interesting gentleman, and is certainly dedicated to the DPRK's cause. Some of his more interesting comments surrounded China's decision to "go capitalist". He said North Korea would never follow in China's footsteps, as they've sold themselves out, "cheap". There were many surprising revelations from our discussion as well, such as the fact many large companies are already doing business in the DPRK, and many household items that say "Made in China" are actually made in the DPRK. And who knew that Pyongyang hosted a trade fair each year? Mr. Cao de Benos traveled to the DPRK today with a business delegation, as North Korea realizes that trading with the outside world can be beneficial... even if it doesn't follow China's path.

Shep Smith lights it up at $7 mill a year

Okay, you caught me. I'm not one of the Fox News bashers out there. That doesn't mean I take their word as gospel, or believe it's strong journalism, though. I just think Fox News is what it is, and most times it's quite entertaining. I've had friends visit and we've turned on Fox for some chuckles. That same entertainment value just isn't there with CNN or BBC (although there can be plenty of chuckles -- embarrassed ones -- while watching CCTV 9).

One of my favorite anchors on Fox News is, ironically, one of the most balanced: Shepard Smith. As a journalist, I've realized that high-speed, visually-appealing, concise news is what appeals to wide audiences, and Shep Smith's Fox Report is the best in the business at this. The show goes a mile a minute and, I'm sure for those vulnerable, may even cause seizures. Regardless, his delivery is professional and he's being rewarded for it -- to the tune of $7 million a year. That's higher than Lou Dobbs or Anderson Cooper at CNN, and is approaching the salaries made by anchors at the major networks. After dominating the 7pm Eastern time slot for six years, he deserves it.

Is Beijing's gritty bar scene vanishing?

Perhaps Beijing Boyce might be the best one to comment on this. But after reading a recent issue of That's Beijing, I've learned that the notorious Bus Bar has reopened in swankier digs, as has live-music joint Yugong Yishan. What happened?

When you think about it, Nanjie, which was as gritty as they came back in the old Sanlitun South Street days (which tells you I've been here too long), has also become more upscale since its location north of Gongti met the wrecking ball. These joints are going upscale, and are joining other news bars like Block 8, Lan, and Face. With the Olympics around the corner, Beijing's nightlife will likely take a few more steps up (as will the prices). Those that like to claim Beijing is more "real" than Shanghai might not be noticing what's happening around them.

Does the Kindle kindle your interest?

The announcement by Amazon regarding its new e-book reader has left me scratching my head. I am a news junkie, and I love reading anything I can get my hands on. As many of you are aware, this is difficult in China, where western newspapers and books are often hard to come by. It doesn't make it any easier that my areas of interest are politics and history, two disciplines home to books normally censored by the government.

The idea of an e-book reader that updates newspapers and periodicals automatically, overnight, without any internet connection fee or connection to a computer, is awfully appealing. Books on Amazon.com are starting at only $9.99. The eternal question with e-book readers is: do you feel comfortable reading off of a screen? I'm curious to know if the Kindle will push you into finally buying an e-book reader, and why.

Me, I'm still on the fence.

Those of you who hail from countries other than Canada may not be aware of the latest controversy hitting our shores (and no, it's not the Brian Mulroney 'envelope stuffed with cash' story).

The brief synopsis is this: On October 14, a 40-year old construction worker arrived to start a new life in Canada. Robert Dziekanski was making his first trip outside of his native Poland, and was coming to join his mother. Mr. Dziekanski arrived at Vancouver Airport and began going through the immigration procedures. He was held up for more than 10 hours when he began to get angry. Unable to communicate in English, and very "confused", as some have described him, he began to become unruly. He pushed a computer off a desk and was shouting for help.

That's when the Vancouver Police arrived and used a taser to subdue the man. Four officers descended on him as he was screaming in pain on the ground, and tasered him at least one more time. He died shortly thereafter.

For a good overview of the story, check out the video below, which comes from CTV in Vancouver.

The tasering of Mr. Dziekanski has become a national outrage. His mother demanded the police release a video of the shooting, which had been shot using a cell phone camera by witnesses. That was made available a few days ago, and is below. Viewer discretion advised.

The story, as we say in the news business, "has legs". In fact, the New York Times has picked it up, and a new group has sprung up on Facebook called "Stop the Abusive Use of TASER".

Police brutality stories have a way of galvanizing the populace, especially when one has video evidence. Who can not have sympathy for Mr. Dziekanski, a man who was confused and disoriented, pleading with somebody to be brought forward who can speak Polish and give him some help? Many readers of this blog have traveled extensively and are familiar with arriving in a new place -- and even for them, it can be challenging. But for a middle-aged man who had no previous travel experience, and who was stalled at immigration for 10 hours, one can understand has level of frustration, and even fear.

But on to my point...

I showed this video this morning to a Chinese person, and asked if China would ever air something on national television that showed the PLA, or Public Security Bureau, in such a bad light. Would Chinese television, radio, or newspapers ever discuss this openly? Would a video like this ever even see the light of day, even on private websites?

I know the answer to these questions, of course. Canadians and people in other countries boasting a free press have learned to be fearless when criticizing their own military, government, police, doctors, nurses, teachers, or whomever else makes a public mistake. That's because by making these events public, we can bring about change, and ensure a similar circumstance doesn't happen again in the future.

I often find that many of my Chinese colleagues and friends respond badly to criticism of their government, believing that westerners are criticizing China. But here is something to keep in mind: westerners are often critical of their own governments as well. There is a big distinction here (and I am going to make a generalization, my apologies in advance): Chinese people often view the Chinese government as China, whereas people in democratic countries view governments as temporary representatives of the state.

Of course, in PR, the goal of any political party is to become as closely associated with national pride as possible. In Canada, the Liberal Party won three consecutive elections after claiming to stand for "Canadian values". The implication being the other guys weren't Canadian.

In China, though, this is dangerous. Criticism of the government, the police force, the military, or other public office can often bring about change. When one criticizes the Chinese government, this should not be taken as a criticism of China -- they are two entirely different entities. Just like Americans would be loathe to consider Republicans and the United States as one and the same. (This is a discussion for another day).

I am a Canadian. I am proud to be Canadian, and I will stand up for my country if its values, traditions, and character are attacked. But that doesn't mean my government gets a free pass, and it doesn't mean it's perfect. In fact, it has many flaws, and so does the RCMP. It would be nice if this nuance was more pronounced in China, as well.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day has announced the government will now look into the incident, and the future use of tasers in Canada:

"I have ... asked for a review in terms of the use of Tasers," Mr. Day told the House of Commons. "We want to make sure that ... public safety is maintained and the answers are found on this particular issue.

"This is a tragic and grievous incident. We want to find out answers that can prevent these things from happening in the future."

It may seem obvious, but government intervention in this case is a direct result of the media's attention on this case. It's how countries move forward, develop, and progress positively.

The longer China holds out, the slower its own progression will be.

Not to be on the overly graphic side of things, but when I blow my nose, should the tissue there after look like a Rorschach Test? It is undeniable that there are massive pollution problems in China, not the least of which being the air quality issues. Yet, the Chinese government continues to pay lip service to the issue. Case in point, a good piece of journalism by Kandy Wong in Monday's business section of the South China Morning Post. (Unfortunately, the SCMP is a subscriber service, so the article is inaccessible unless you buck up some dough) But the crux of the article essentially says that a government advisor has told the automobile industry that this country is, yet again, going to delay implementing the fuel tax it has been humming and hawing about for over a decade. The rationale is that, because the price of oil is so high right now, it would not 'be in China's best interest' to institute this additional burden on the drivers at this time. The same article also points out that sales of more fuel-efficient vehicles in this country is on the decline!

So why is the government really delaying the fuel tax? Of course oil prices are high right now. But virtually every economist you talk with will tell you that oil prices are going to remain high. The days of a 20 dollar barrel of oil are long behind us. Yet, this government refuses to acknowledge this issue and deal with it. I submit that there are two factors behind this foot dragging. One: Domestic consumption of vehicles is on an unabashed pace. And this government has to mommy-coddle any sector of the economy that stimulates domestic spending. Two: Inflation. Despite what you may or may not hear about how well China is doing on keeping inflation in check, I have come to the conclusion that this issue is of significant concern within the walls of Zhongnanhai. Food prices are on the rise. And if you tack on a fuel price hike to this scenario, it may just be the catalyst for an inflationary snowball effect.

As much as Beijing will put on a 'Green Olympics,' don't for a minute believe that economic stability is going to take a back seat to giving Mother Earth a helping hand. Time to invest in a Michael Jackson mask!

Oh, and by the way, if you think the pollution is going to get better in China anytime soon, just read the latest report from the International Energy Agency and decide for yourself!

Being a lover of history, I have taken the opportunity to do a fair amount research into China's ancient and recent past. And what I find particularly interesting is that those in power around the world rarely take lessons from the past. And a glaring example of this is the southern African country of Zimbabwe.

As most are probably aware, the Communist Party of China swept into power in 1949 on a wave of support from the populace who wanted change, particularly the repressed peasants. But under the philosophy of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong ruled China until his death in 1976, taking this country through a complete term of chaos, from the economic disaster of the Great Leap Forward to the political terrorization of the Cultural Revolution, all the while systematically isolating China from the rest of the world until just before the end of his life. It was only after the Chairman shuffled off the mortal coil that China finally started, through Deng Xiaoping, to reform itself and open itself up to outside ideas. Mao's time in power, though fostered under the best of intentions (if you believe that he was truly trying to help out the repressed), systematically put China some 30 to 40 years behind the rest of the industrialized world. And during this time, his acolytes heaped praise on him and - for the exception of a select few - wouldn't dare to challenge his authority or half-baked economic ideals. Not exactly the best history to model one's country around. But yet, the exact same scenario is playing out in Zimbabwe.

Fast forward, if you will, from Mao's death in 1976 to 1980, when the former British protectorate of Rhodesia gained its full independence and flung into power one Robert Mugabe. Lauded by international leaders as a hero to the people of Zimbabwe (Much like Mao was to many when he first came to power), Mr. Mugabe's ZANU party, based on a Marxist-Leninist philosophy, sought to help out the poor people of Zimbabwe through land redistribution, along the exact same line as the CPC in the early 1950's. And, not surprisingly, this concept has turned Zimbabwe from one of the most productive and prosperous countries in Africa into one of the poorest. All the while, Mr. Mugabe continues to hold onto power and has isolated himself from the Western world thanks to his policies. And still, though the Zimbabwe of today appears to be the mirror image of China under Mao Zedong, Mr. Mugabe's acolytes continue to hold to his political and economic line. This hit home for me in a big way during a recent interview I conducted with three high-ranking members of the ZANU-PF government, who were here in China looking for this country's economic support.

I conducted a round-table discussion with Mr. Absolom Sikhosana, Youth Secretary for the ZANU-PF (the same position held by now-Chinese President Hu Jintao before he came into power), a Tourism official in the Zimbabwe government, and Senator Mandi Chimene. The language and tone of the interview was truly stunning. Zimbabwe has a lot of problems, but has a pretty close relationship to China, given their political ideologies and China's desire to suck up to all things Africa. As such, working for state-run media, there was no way I was going to ask legitimate, hard-hitting questions. However, I did try to couch them in a way that I could still talk about Zimbabwe's problems, by asking them how they were going to fix the situation they were in. But instead of describing how the ZANU-PF was going to solve the problems in Zimbabwe, Mr. Sikhosana set the tone for the rest of the interview straight away by adhering to Mr. Mugabe's anti-Western line. "And now that we are in the situation where the West has abandoned us, and they would want to see Zimbabwe go under, go down the drain, our leadership, our government, our party decided that we would go back to our old-time friends, our all-weather friends, and those are the Chinese." Fair enough. Given that Zimbabwe is under sanctions from the US and Britain, thanks to its land reform strategy and sketchy elections, why not look to China for help. But, unfortunately, I don't think the Zimbabwe government has realized that China has evolved beyond the Mao days.

The other thing that became glaringly evident in the continuation of the interview was the victim mentality that permeated through the entire discussion. The highlight, in my mind, of the Zimbabwean government's victim mentality was highlighted by one of Senator Chimene's comments while talking about how they were going to try to revive Zimbabwe's agricultural sector, suggesting there may be a western conspiracy to keep tractors out of the hands of black farmers. "Now that we are in our feud [British sanctions on Zimbabwe over expropriation of white-farmed land], resistance has come. We have been put to sanctions. We have no draft power. All tractors, even those that were in the same fields [white farmed fields] on that same land, they have been withdrawn. They have put them in warehouses. Some have been banned. Some have been moved to other countries. The reason being that Zimbabwe is known for its ability to use its land. So the only way of getting Zimbabwe back [under British rule] is to block the agricultural system." Ms. Chimene even suggested that the US and British were covertly monitoring the movements of the tractors that remain in the country.

The parallels between Mao's China and Mugabe's Zimbabwe are undeniable. Mao was constantly worried the western powers, and after the Sino-Soviet split the Russians, were trying to usurp the CPC's power in China. It's that conspiratorial nature that eventually led Mao launch the Cultural Revolution. And things don't appear to be too much different in Robert Mugabe's government in Zimbabwe, given Ms. Chimene's suggestions.

One of my closest colleagues spent two years living in Zimbabwe as a correspondent, and has nothing but praise for the people in that country, calling them some of the warmest people she has ever met. And while I've never been to Zimbabwe to witness this personally, something tells me that she's probably right. But as long as the people that govern that country continue to wallow in their victim mentality and see conspiracy around every corner, Mao's China will continue to live on in a small corner of southern Africa, with Mr. Mugabe as the protagonist in this latest saga of repeated history. Let's just hope Mr. Mugabe hasn't started writing a little red book!

Note: The appearance on Adler Online has been postponed until Monday at 3pm EDT (4am Tuesday in China). Details on when and how to listen are posted here.

The mixed joys of Beijing by bicycle; The air could kill you, but the sights of the city are worth it

Times Colonist (Victoria)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Page: D2
Section: Comment

I'm starting to like my bicycle. I mean, I didn't always like it. It sat inside the bicycle department of Carrefour, a French Wal-Mart, when I first laid eyes on it. I had heard horrendous stories of bicycles being stolen in Beijing, and everyone had advised me not to spend too much because I'd be back buying another one soon anyway.

That's when I saw "the one," a plain grey bicycle with spring-loaded seat that looked like it came out of the 1950s. Surely nobody would want to steal this, I thought. I paid my RMB 180 (about $25 Cdn) and loaded it into the trunk of the taxi.

When I passed word of my purchase to friends and family in Canada, they thought I was nuts. You see, traffic in Beijing is a mishmash of cars, buses, pedicabs, electric bikes, motorcycles, pedestrians and rickshaws, and they all go in every direction at once, making cycling a risky activity. Somehow, I still haven't witnessed a major collision (knock on wood).

I couldn't blame my friends at home for being concerned, but I figured I'd get a second opinion. That night I took my bike for its first ride, down a narrow street in my neighbourhood to a popular Thai restaurant. A few of my Beijing-based buddies came outside to catch a glimpse of my glimmering new purchase.

"Cam, that's a girl's bike," one of them said, with a wry smile. I looked at the bike carefully.

"Really?"

"Yeah, it is," said another one. "You see, the bar comes down like this. But it was cheap, so don't worry about it."

Since that day, and despite my bike's feminine qualities (there's nothing wrong with that, right?), it has served me well as I've traversed Beijing's crowded and polluted streets. Sure, it's no fun when Soviet-era buses blow sand and soot into my face on my morning commute, but cycling has also afforded me the opportunity to stop at countless parks, shops and restaurants that I would've never seen had I been one of the legions of taxi commuters.

Biking in Beijing is relatively easy, compared with Victoria or Vancouver. In those two cities, one has little space to move. Trying to thread your way between the curb and a roaring bus isn't easy. Conversely, some of Beijing's streets feature bike lanes as wide as two traffic lanes -- and they are often separated from the cars by a nice green boulevard.

Of course, as Beijing modernizes, fewer and fewer people are opting to get around by bicycle. Cars are the new status symbol, and Beijing is adding 1,000 new cars to its already congested arteries every week. Unfortunately, many of these vehicles are starting to use bike lanes, and at night they are becoming parking lots.

Even though I may be "losing face" by biking to work with the other less fortunate, I still enjoy it much more than my usual taxi or subway ride. I like it so much, in fact, that I'd like to replace my girl's bike with a manly bike -- maybe a black bike with flames painted on it; I'm not sure. I've promised myself I'd buy a half-decent bike and an excellent lock, and I'll explore even more exotic corners of Beijing.

Since I've made this decision, I've stopped locking up my bike. Foolish, you might say. Perhaps. But seeing as it's a girl's bike anyway, and I don't really like it, and it's cheap, and I want a new one, why not?

Well, it's not going so well. In a city where most people have had four or five bikes stolen, mine seems to stick around no matter how much I neglect it. I even leave it unlocked outside my apartment when I arrive home each night. I came down a few mornings ago and saw it locked to a chain-link fence. I asked the guard to unlock it for me. As he rustled through his pockets looking for the key, he berated me for leaving it unlocked and told me I was lucky nobody had taken it.

The other day I stopped at a Starbucks for my morning brew before I got to work. I kicked out the kickstand and started walking in through the revolving door. A girl in front of me noticed I hadn't used a lock. "You take care of your bike," she said, "or it will be stolen!"

"Thank you," I said, "but I'm only going to be a few minutes."

On the same day, I stopped by an office where I had a short meeting. I left the bike, unlocked, conspicuously placed around the corner of the building. Maybe two minutes had passed when a man came running to tell me my bike was unlocked. And while I was inside the meeting, a guard came bursting in to say I had "forgotten" to lock my bike. I could feel my cheeks go red with embarrassment.

I'll say this much about Beijingers -- they care. Rather than ruthlessly stealing my girl's bike in the dead of night, they seem more concerned with making sure I don't lose it! Even in a booming, urban environment of 16 million people, there are still people who look out for one another.

Of course, this hasn't affected my quest for a new bike -- as I write this, my bike remains unlocked downstairs. I might not have liked it at first, but I admit it's growing on me, albeit slowly. It clearly likes me, anyway. I have a feeling the day I decide to keep the bike will be the day I notice it's finally gone.

There are many discussions out there comparing Beijing and Shanghai. I've even written briefly about this myself, although it's a cliched argument. Yes, Shanghai is glitzy, modern, glamorous, etc. Beijing is gritty and "artistic" and "cultural". So be it. People can choose whichever one they like.

Often lost in the discussion is the Pearl River Delta region, which boasts a little bit of Beijing and a little bit of Shanghai, all in one place. I spent the weekend in Shenzhen shooting a television program, and it was nice to be back in the area. As regular readers of this blog will know, I lived for nearly a year in Guangzhou working for the Guangzhou English Channel. I spent many weekends exploring Guangzhou and other cities in the Pearl River Delta, and there are many of them: Dongguan, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Macao, etc.

I definitely enjoyed my time in the region, and I met many other foreigners who had lived in either Shanghai or Beijing before making the move to sunnier climes. 100% of them -- no exaggeration -- say their lives are far better in the south, and they have no intention of moving back.

I share their enthusiasm. Unfortunately, I am a 20-something slave to opportunity and career-growth. That means, at this point, Beijing is the place to be. In fact, the longer I live here (I lived here for a year and nine months the first time, going on six months this time around), the more I think, perhaps, I could stay. I like cycling around, the weather isn't that bad, things are relatively cheap. Lots of culture, history, and character people.

Then I go to the south and realize that I'm maybe I'm starting to believe my own PR spin.

Beijing will always have a special place in my heart, no doubt. But for lifestyle, nothing beats either Shenzhen or Guangzhou; and you can choose to live in either, because they are so close you can easily go between them anyway. I spent Saturday night in Shekou, in Nansha District, in Shenzhen. Shekou boasts a beautiful square featuring an old cruise ship that has been turned into a restaurant on one end. The other sides feature everything from western retail restaurants and cafes to excellent nightlife options. There was no hustle and bustle, no fancy cars, no talk about the Olympics or politics or business... it was relaxing. Couples walked around the square, kids were rollerblading, and others were enjoying drinks on the patio (drinks, by the way, which were much cheaper than Beijing's). And it seemed so, so far away from what's important in Beijing.

Like Shanghai, the weather is good in the south, the fashion is upscale, the nightlife is above average. Like Beijing, it is unpretentious, gritty (in Guangzhou's case), and historic. It's a good mix of the two.

Imagethief mentioned in one of his excellent blog posts (and he has many) that he left his heart in Beijing. After this weekend, sometimes I wonder if I didn't leave mine in Guangdong.

As mentioned previously, I will be appearing live on the Charles Adler show to discuss the date-rape-laced beads that kiddies are swallowing in Australia and New Zealand.

The show will air in Toronto at 3pm EDT Friday, which is 4am Saturday in China (meaning I'm tasked with making the difficult decision of staying up extra late, or waking up extra early). You can listen live by going here and clicking "Listen Live" in the top left-hand corner. If you miss it, it will be available at flagship station CJOB's Audio Vault. (Just click 2pm Friday November 9th - Winnipeg has a one-hour time difference from Toronto).

Adler Online is also heard on these stations for others listening in Canada:

• Vancouver CKNW
• Kelowna AM1150
• Kamloops NL Radio 610AM
• Saskatoon 650 CKOM
• Regina 980 CJME
• Calgary AM 770 CHQR
• Edmonton 630 CHED
• Winnipeg CJOB 68
• London AM980 CFPL
• Cornwall AM 1220
• Wingham CKNX 920
• Hamilton AM900 CHML
• Toronto AM640
• Montreal AM940

I'm heading out of town for a few days, off to the sunny climes of Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Most of the time will be spent in Shenzhen, where I'm assisting with the production of a new television program (hopefully much more on this to come).

I've always enjoyed Shenzhen. It's a border town (next to Hong Kong) and has a real pulse. People in Shenzhen come from all over China, and very few speak Cantonese as a native language despite the city's location in the heart of Guangdong. In fact, in one of our few email exchanges (and I don't mean to name drop), Da Shan told me Shenzhen and Zhuhai are the only two cities he really visits in Guangdong, because they are the two cities filled with Mandarin-speaking people who are most familiar with him. Conversely, people in Guangzhou are too busy watching TVB Pearl and Phoenix to care.

Anyway, posting this weekend (and likely early next week, when I return to work) should be sporadic. Unless Paul decides to do something useful, of course! Before I head off to fight with crowds at Beijing's horrendous airport (the new terminal can't open soon enough), I thought I'd leave you with some thoughts about Shenzhen, written by a colleague of mine based in Hong Kong. If you're depressed already though, you might want to give this a pass...

See ya when I return.

in shenzhen on the weekend joe told me he was on the edge of the planet, SZ gives you that feeling, a border town if ever i saw one, the tattered edges of the world, brimming with god's unwanted children, god's lonely men.

the alley joe sits and drinks beer in is lined with whores from all the corners of china, sitting on stools for endless hours, eating bird seed or chewing sugar cane, their empty faces staring blankly ahead, their over-made-up eyes with fake MK lashes like the glassy balls of some doll you'd see in your grandmother's house. there was some new ones this time, some looked 13 and change, others had a few more years under their belt, but not many.

i often wondered how joe ended up in SZ, what f*cked up moment of inspiration drove him to the shit hole of a whore house he lived in where he was driven insane by the whores he fell in love with and tried to "rescue," or more precisely, tried to make his sole partner.

mae mae was the latest, he was in love, and now he wanted to put another god dammed child into china. he felt he could die happy if he had a chinese baby. i didn't know what this meant to joe, except struggling with what he was doing in life, having lost himself, he wanted to leave a piece of himself in SZ, in the city he has spent so many years in, the city in which he was certain he would die. i still found it amazing to think he used to own two houses in LA and live on mulholland drive.

since the first time i met joe he told me he was on "over time" and every day was extra beyond the point he was supposed to live. that much seemed true. i remember the time joe slipped down some stairs and couldn't leave bed or move for several days. i tried to bring him some pain killers but the stubborn motherf*cker refused, instead insisting on drinking himself back to health.

joe only drank beer these days, and whisky when i bought it at the border. "my brother said, 'die young and leave a good looking corpse'," joe told me, for the first time talking about his family. "well, he died young but he didn't leave a good looking corpse." joe's brother drank himself to death, a gallon of vodka every day until his body was so ravaged that his liver burst, his eye balls burst, and he bled and bloated everywhere for 13 hours until he finally died.

joe was loosing the fucking plot in SZ, but there's not much i can do about it, he's got to live his own life. it's a mix of feelings i get from him, and whilst his I Ching (易經) readings are invigorating, the whole city itself is a f*cking downer and after joe dies i don't think i ever want to go back.

Aha, you might say, that is ridiculous! Well, maybe not.

I was deep in a slumber last night when my mobile phone started ringing. I am not one for answering my phone when I'm asleep (in fact, I don't even like to answer my phone when I'm awake unless I absolutely have to). However the phone kept ringing and ringing. I looked at the number, and it was from overseas. I considered if it was a family emergency, and in my half-sleeping state, decided that if it was, they'd leave a message or call repeatedly. Plus, I just didn't think it was an emergency.

After I turned off the ringer, I checked the phone for new email. Sure enough, an email had been sent from the Charles Adler Show in Canada, on which I occasionally appear when a China-related news story rears its ugly head. I half-expected to be invited on a few weeks ago to talk about the 17th Party Congress, but there was no email or phone call. No, Canadians aren't interested in Chinese politics. But when it comes to Chinese toys tainted with the date-rape drug, then all bets are off. Here is an excerpt from today's International Herald Tribune:

Toy beads from China were not under suspicion when an Australian biochemist began trying last month to figure out why a 2-year-old boy had fallen into a shallow coma with seizure-like movements and been rushed to the hospital.

Clinicians treating the boy suspected an inherited metabolic disorder. So Dr. Kevin Carpenter, a biochemical geneticist at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, in a suburb of Sydney, began checking urine samples for certain chemicals. What he found instead was gamma hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, a banned "date rape" drug that can be life-threatening.

Four weeks of medical sleuthing led Carpenter to the conclusion that the boy had eaten Bindeez toy beads coated with a glue compound that the boy's digestive system had converted into GHB. At least four other children have been temporarily hospitalized in Australia and New Zealand in the past three weeks after eating the beads.

From a news perspective, this is pure gold. Writing about tainted products from China has become run-of-the-mill. So when that happens, reporters need a new perspective! And usually a much more sensational one, too.

Well, they got it. There's really not much more to say, as it's yet another black eye for China's manufacturing industry, and won't make foreign consumers any more comfortable buying "Made in China". The good news is the distribution company in Australia has ordered a product recall.

It will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the latest gaffe in the public service in British Columbia. It's known (practically everywhere in the world, but especially here in China) that public servants often aren't hired on merit, but rather through who they know. Even in democracies featuring labor boards and tribunals, governments still find a way to hire who they want.

That doesn't mean they won't try and appear fair, however -- and most of the time, they succeed (in appearing fair, that is).

This brings our attention to a job ad posted with the British Columbia provincial government. Below is the text of the first part of the ad:

SELECTION CRITERIA Education Bachelors degree in a related discipline and two years related experience(Julie does not have 2 yrs yet); or a Master's degree and one year of related experience; or an equivalent combination of related experience, education and/or training.

Huh? "Julie does not have 2 yrs yet"? Oops.

This is the official response from ministry spokesperson Lara Perzoff:

The posting in question was published on the B.C. Public Service's website containing an error. The error was noticed shortly after publication and the posting was immediately removed from the website. Ministry staff are following up on the matter. Every competition held in the B.C. Public Service is fair and open, and all hiring at the Ministry of Education is done based on merit. The Merit Commissioner ensures that all competitions in the B.C. Public Service are conducted in a fair and open manner.

This is far cry from a ground-breaking revelation, and her response is pretty much all she could've said. We've all known that job ads are often tailored to fit the applicant, especially in the public service. It's just that now we have proof.

Beijing pollution of Olympic proportions; Health of athletes threatened by city's growing air-quality problems

Times Colonist (Victoria)
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Page: C2
Section: Editorial

'We've kind of adapted to it now," said Annette Antoniak, the president and CEO of Vancouver's Olympic Games Secretariat. She was referring to Beijing's horrific pollution problem during her visit here last week: "But BOCOG has several sustainability measures dealing with pollution."

BOCOG is the acronym for the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games, and they do, indeed, have their work cut out for them. But sadly, Antoniak is right: People here are adapting to it, despite its incredibly negative impact on the health of Beijing residents. On the day I met her, Beijing's sky was clouded by a thick grey coat of dust -- an event which is quite common in the capital.

Trying to articulate Beijing's pollution problem to those who have never visited is difficult. There isn't a slight haze in the sky, as can occasionally be seen lingering over Vancouver. Pollution has been so thick in the capital that the airport has been closed and visibility reduced to a few hundred metres. I'll never forget my first few days in the city, when one of my friends said she couldn't wait to get back to Los Angeles to "breathe clean air."

But such is the problem facing Beijing: it's now the second most polluted city in the world, and despite repeated efforts to clean up the problem, it seems to be getting worse.

Beijing has promised that next year's Olympics will be "green," and clearing the muck out of the air has been a priority since Juan Antonio Samaranch awarded the Games to Beijing back in 2001. China has toyed with reduced-car days, has introduced thousands of new, cleaner buses and taxis, and has even moved several coal-burning plants outside of the city. Still, this past June was the most polluted in Beijing in seven years.

How bad is it? Just ask Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, an American Olympian who recently took part in a men's mountain biking test event: "About a half an hour into the race, I had a lot of trouble breathing," he says. "I got to a point where I tried to relax and take a deep breath, and then I started getting nauseous." He threw up halfway through the race. Only eight of the 50 competitors even finished.

If this happens next year, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said some events might have to be postponed, or even cancelled.

Me, I'm not sure there is any reason to worry about the air during next year's Olympics. China is masterful at controlling whatever it wants to, and the air is no exception. It was noteworthy that during the grand one-year countdown ceremony in Tiananmen Square in August, award-winning pianist Lang Lang and others were able to perform outside under a crystal-clear night sky.

The same occurred during this month's "Big 17" -- the 17th Communist Party of China National Congress -- when the skies were blue and stars were out at night. It's clear (no pun intended) that the government can ensure the air is clean when it wants to (the unique advantage of a Communist country is it can order all factories to close whenever it chooses), and I'm willing to bet the skies are blue above Beijing from next year's opening ceremony until the last Olympic visitor flies out of Beijing's new Capital Airport.

But what does this mean for Beijing residents? Unfortunately, not much.

The government is ready to suffer some economic losses by restricting car use or closing factories when VIPs are in town or national "face" must be gained. But for regular Beijing residents, well, the government seems to let the rest of us suffer. The day after the Big 17 ended, it was difficult to see more than a block or two thanks to the thick particulates in the air, leading one Internet poster to write: "OK, fun's over -- turn the factories back on."

The United Nations says Beijing's small-particulate matter is eight times World Health Organization standards -- a nice thought when going for a morning jog. (In fact, many trainers advise people not to exercise outdoors due to the air quality.) Because of the problem, some Olympic committees have already announced that their athletes will be based in nearby South Korea or Macao and flown in the day before their events.

I have no doubt that next year's Games will be a roaring success with beautiful, clear blue skies. But a two-week Olympic Games can't mask the real problem: Beijing's pollution is bad, and it's not getting any better.

Ok, we admit, this is not Shanghai cuisine. It's actually from a Korean restaurant in Shanghai, and our attention was drawn to this video by Dan Washburn at the Shanghaiist.

If you've ever wondered what it's like to eat a small, live octopus, wonder no longer...

Aren't you glad YouTube is back?

I am rarely surprised by the state-run media apparatus here in China. Working in the 'happy fun sunshine factory' myself, I get a first-hand look at the hypocrisy on a daily basis. However, today takes the cake when it comes to the coverage of Dr. Margaret Chan's China visit. The good doctor, a Hong Kong native, has graced China's presence to -- among other things -- talk about the state of China's rural health care. What is delightfully interesting today is the interpretation of her comments yesterday. Here is how Xinhua, via China Daily, interpreted her chat:

WHO chief lauds China's efforts to improve health services
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-11-01 21:25

BEIJING -- World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan praised Chinese government's efforts to improve public medical and health care services on Thursday. She said she had noticed that the six tasks on improving people's well-being in the report by Chinese President Hu Jintao at the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China included the basic medical insurance systems for urban workers and dwellers and a new type of cooperative medical care system in rural areas. "The public health service should put the stress on social equality and fairness," she said at a forum on China's rural health care services, organized jointly by the WHO and the Chinese Ministry of Health. She appreciated the Chinese government's efforts and plans to build medical systems for all people, saying "when fair and accessible public health services become the clear targets of a country's public health policy, people's health will be improved". Chen Zhu, Chinese Health Minister, said the Chinese government stressed harmonious development and valued the fairness of public health services. He said the Chinese government will continue to improve health services in rural areas aiming to enable rural residents to enjoy the benefits of China's reform and development. "The Chinese government will commit to build a fair public heath system in line with social and economic development," he said. He said "China has made remarkable achievements in the improvement of public health care services", but also admitted "there are still many challenges for the health care services in rural areas such as inadequate medical resources". China started the medical service reform in the early 1990s to abolish the system in which governments and state-run enterprises covered most medical expenses of urban Chinese. However, rural people found it rather hard to get access to medical care. Now medical insurance has been introduced and promoted in urban areas, and cooperative medical care has been experimented in the countryside. In this sense, all Chinese people will be able to enjoy an affordable medical service. The cooperative medical care system in rural areas, initiated in 2003 to offer farmers basic health care, covered 720 million rural residents, or 82.8 percent of the country's rural population, by the end of June this year.

Sounds like China's gettin' the job done. Way to go!!! So let's go get some confirmation about China's wonderful efforts in the rural health care sector from the foreign media who attended the same event:

Health in rural China worsening, costs rising-WHO

Thu Nov 1, 2007 12:56am EDT

BEIJING, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Health in parts of rural China is deteriorating despite rising incomes, and commercialised care has ratcheted up costs for those who can least afford them, the head of the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.
Hong Kong-born Margaret Chan said the cost of health care in China was outstripping income growth and that poor health was a major cause of poverty among China's hundreds of millions of rural residents.
"The payment of providers and fees charged for services has commercialised health care, compelling providers of care to focus on profit rather than the most efficient health services," she told a conference in Beijing.
"Health education and preventive services are neglected. Why? Because these activities do not guarantee income. As a result, simple conditions are often treated at very high cost."
The costs of seeing a doctor or staying in hospital are out of reach for many in the world's fourth-largest economy, and the lack of access combined with corruption has made the issue a source of social unrest.
China has pledged to provide its population with basic medical care by 2020, but Chan said the government was receiving little return in the form of better health for its investment in the sector.
"When ability to pay determines access, many rural residents will not seek care until a disease has reached an advanced stage when treatment is more complex and costly, if not impossible," she said.
"In short, the health system in rural areas has been given multiple incentives to operate with great inefficiency."
That could undermine China's efforts to expand care through its Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme, a plan under which subscribers are funded at a level of 50 yuan per person -- 20 yuan from the central government, 20 from the local government and a 10 yuan contribution from the individual.
Chinese Vice-Minister of Health Chen Xiaohong said nearly 85 percent of counties in China were participating in the plan but the funding level paled to that of wealthy coastal cities.
China was also facing new pressures in the health sector, from an ageing population and environmental risk factors, as well as the challenge of drawing doctors to practise in its rural interior.

Now, I have no qualms about talking about the positive aspects of any given subject. As a journalist, you are trained to see all sides of the equation. And I know for a fact that journalists working for Xinhua are also trained in the same fashion as western journalists, as I have come to know a couple of journalism teachers here in China who have illustrious backgrounds in western journalism. However, for reasons that are becoming far too obvious and convenient in the media world in China, the state-run organs are sucking the life out of young and aspiring journalists, who otherwise would probably have a solid career in a non-state run environment. News, like everything, has an interpretation. Fox News has its view. CNN has its view. However, a journalist is supposed to see things from all sides, good and bad. Any event that one covers is supposed to be looked at from every angle, and reported as such. Now, I will admit that I was not in attendance at Dr. Chan's speech. And I don't doubt that what Xinhua is reporting is accurate, as far as the single quote (she's cited twice, but you can tell it came from the same sentence) of Dr. Chan is concerned. (though I can't vouch for the context of which the quote was gleaned) But I can, without a shred of doubt, tell you that the Reuters interpretation of her talk was just slightly closer to the mark than what Xinhua pulled out of it, given the vast amount of direct quotes from her! As a former journalism instructor myself, I really feel bad for the reporter who carved out the Xinhua story. Thankfully for him or her, there is no by-line.

The longer the state-run media continues to screw up its propaganda, the longer this country is going to suffer in the eyes of the rest of the world.

I have been reading, with interest, the series of articles written on the Dalai Lama's high-profile visits to Germany, the United States, and most recently, Canada.

We all know that he still maintains immense control in Tibet, despite the fact he hasn't set foot on Tibetan soil since 1959. When he announced that it was inappropriate to wear fur, thousands of Tibetans threw their traditional fur clothes on the ground in a mass-burning ritual. Even though he's not there, they still obey - even decades later.

There's no doubt that this scares the Chinese government, for Tibetans will always answer to a higher power (no pun intended) than the Communist Party. In China, this is blasphemy. Thus, he Dalai Lama finds himself on the outside looking in.

Despite the fact many people, in both China and western countries, believe the Dalai Lama is calling for Tibetan independence, he is not. I refer you now to some of the Dalai Lama's quotes, in his own words. Some of them are quite surprising:

On Tibetan Independence:

We are not seeking independence. We are trying to gain genuine autonomy, which [the] Chinese constitution itself provided that status. But in reality, all the decisions are in the hands of Han Chinese [an ethnic group accounting for more than 90% of China's population,] who have no knowledge about Tibetan culture, Tibetan spirituality, Tibetan ecology, all these things. In fact, many of these Chinese leaders, in particular the party secretary in the Autonomous Region of Tibet [the T.A.R., which is part of historical Tibet], they consider Tibetan religion, firstly, as Communists. They consider it opium [after Karl Marx, who called religion the "opiate of the people"]. Chairman Mao also personally told me religion is poison.

On the benefits of keeping Tibet as part of China:

Tibet is a backward country, materially. Materially backward, spiritually very, very advanced. Meantime, every Tibetan wants a modern Tibet. So, as far as material development is concerned, if we remain within the people of China, we get greatest benefit. [That is the]main reason we are not seeking separation.

On the controversial train across the Qinghai-Tibet plateau: