CSG news update -- 2007-07-16

From China Study Group <chinastudygroup@gmail.com>
Date Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:00:31 -0700



China Study Group news update

Impact of China inflation spurs concern
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/22fcd90c-32ef-11dc-a9e8-0000779fd2ac,dwp_uuid=9c33700c-4c86-11da-89df-0000779e2340.html
FT | 2007-07-16
Richard McGregor
Like tens of millions of shoppers across China, Zhou Benqi has had to change her buying habits to cope with sharply rising prices of pork and eggs, staple foods for any Chinese family.  "Because of price hikes, an ordinary meal is a big constraint on us, as my pension has already been eaten into b...

China workers start to win rights
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22080226-30538,00.html
The Australian | 2007-07-16
Rowan Callick
  THE single main reason why so many foreign investors are pouring money into China (though not so many Australians), and why global retailers are sourcing so much of their products from there, is the country's cheap, flexible labour force.  Business has long taken for granted that there is ...

China's roaring economy set to overtake Germany
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/288255/1/.html
Channel News Asia | 2007-07-15
SHANGHAI : China's economy grew so rapidly in the first half of 2007 that it is likely to overtake Germany as the world's third-largest by the end of this year, analysts say.  The release Wednesday of January to June figures for Asia's second biggest economy will provide fresh evidence...

China takes steps to curb passion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6899437.stm
BBC | 2007-07-15
Sports officials say they will now encourage students to dance in large groups or by themselves.  Some parents had expressed fears that if boys and girls danced hand in hand they might fall in love and put their studies at risk.  The lessons will start in September amid concerns over physical in...

China jails man who burned national flag at school for 6 months
http://cbs2chicago.com/worldwire/China-FlagBurning/resources_news_html
AP | 2007-07-15
BEIJING (AP) A man who burned a school's Chinese flag after a fight with students there has been jailed for six months for ``insulting the national flag,'' a news report said Sunday.  The man, identified only by his surname Zhao, got into a fight with two students at a school in Datong...

Official warns of major algae outbreak
http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?aid=11008
China Daily | 2007-07-14
Li Fangchao
The top environmental official has called for improved measures to protect the country's lakes, warning that a major outbreak of blue-green algae may hit the nation's three major water systems.  Addressing a meeting of environmental officials in Hefei, East China's Anhui Province, on T...

In China, There's Priceless, and for Everything Else, There's Cash
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1643445,00.html
Time | 2007-07-13
KATHLEEN KINGSBURY
Shenzhen may be a lovely place to visit, but I wouldn't know. Like many tourists to this southern Chinese boomtown, I barely got past the first shopping mall after the border crossing, Luohu Commercial City, an emporium of counterfeit goods at bargain prices. On its six floors, you can purchase ...

Chinese farmers protest toxic gas leak: report
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSPEK12481120070713
Reuters | 2007-07-13
EIJING (Reuters) - Hundreds of farmers in southwest China protested against a gas leak that damaged crops, a human rights group said on Friday, at a time when the government is seeking to ease public anger over environmental threats.  Farmers near Mount Emei in Sichuan province blocked a highway t...

China's recycling saves forests
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6897231.stm
BBC | 2007-07-13
The nation's paper industry imported almost 20 million tonnes in 2006, primarily from the US, Europe and Japan, according to NGO Forest Trends.  The group said about 60% of the fibre used in producing paper was recycled.  But it warned that timber from illegal logging was probably still bein...