Beijing is facing a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t scenario right now in southern Africa, and one that threatens to bring more heat on a central Chinese government already struggling to paint a positive image of itself in the midst... read more »
March 31, 2008 8:12 pm / 2 comments
With all the turmoil and controversy that’s been brewing in China’s southwestern regions as of late, I find it somewhat ironic that this week has seen a self-motivated decision of an autocratic leadership to endow its people with... read more »
March 26, 2008 4:11 pm / 8 comments
When I first arrived in China over two years ago, I was somewhat irked by the fact that I was unable to get my daily dose of news from the BBC. Now after using hundreds of Proxies, and investing in a VPN — What happens? You guessed it.... read more »
March 26, 2008 1:41 am / 1 comment
I find it difficult being on the edge of a knife at times. It is often difficult being a Western journalist who works for a state-run organization here in the Middle Kingdom. That being said, I do love my life here in China. The people are... read more »
March 23, 2008 6:53 pm / 4 comments
The Chinese government likes to put on a good (and I use that term loosely) show. Watching the closing ceremony of the National People’s Congress (repeatedly, and one full day after the whole thing was wrapped up!) on CCTV 新闻 (News),... read more »
March 19, 2008 2:51 pm / no comments
I’ve thought to myself in the past that I’d rather eat sand than watch a Chinese government news conference. Well… thanks to today’s sandstorm and the end of the NPC session, both have become a disturbing reality.
Beijing’s... read more »
March 18, 2008 2:42 pm / 11 comments
Reading the news items from my home country about a Parliamentary vote on Thursday has just reinforced my concerns that while we as Canadians consider ourselves open and ‘of the world,’ that in fact, a good percentage of the population... read more »
March 14, 2008 3:30 pm / 3 comments
This week’s work on the news beat (and I use the term ‘news’ somewhat sheepishly) has given me an opportunity to reflect on how the lines can often become blurred when it comes to politics, people and our perceptions of both.
Earlier... read more »
March 13, 2008 2:10 pm / 15 comments
Zhongnanhai (the blog) has been hearing many different versions of the changes that are occuring inside Zhongnanhai (the government compound).
We have speculated on this blog about the political future of one high profile official, and we are... read more »
February 26, 2008 12:24 am / 9 comments
Hosting an analysis show on state-run media here in China can be best described as an interesting experience. Coming here two and a half years ago, I had to sort of retrain myself and put myself in the Chinese government mindset when it comes... read more »
February 22, 2008 2:22 pm / no comments