An article by Dan Rabkin at FrontPage shows further evidence that China’s economic liberalization doesn’t necessarily translate into political liberalization:

On July 13, 2001 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Beijing had beaten out Toronto and Paris for the rights to host the 2008 Summer Games. Joy immediately spread across the Mainland, first and foremost amongst the members of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). Plans were being set in motion to “dump sand” at Tiananmen Square for a beach volleyball arena, the site where 12 years prior Chinese tanks rolled in and brutally extinguished a blossoming democracy movement. Seven years after the IOC’s announcement, the decision to host the Olympics is turning into a colossal strategic blunder that is “dumping sand” on China’s hopes of shedding its police state label.To be honest, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) deserves a lot of credit. In the late 1970s the communist grip over the economy started to ease and the shift to an open-door and reform policy has led to a period of real and substantial economic growth. With the highest growth rate in the world, averaging about 10% a year over the last few decades, the PRC is rapidly climbing up in the world’s economic power rankings.

In light of China’s achievements, it is not surprising that they want to show their progress off to the rest of the world. However, does China really need the world’s spotlight shining into its closet — a closet that has the skeletons of Tibet, “re-education camps,” Darfur, and Burma lurking inside?

Read the rest here.

An article from the Christian Science Monitor highlights how China is making strides in becoming a modern, humane society… or at least pretending to if a foreigner is watching:

On a Beijing street a few weeks ago, a man began to beat his wife. A small crowd gathered, but nobody intervened until an American leaned from his apartment window overlooking the scene and began to shoot photos.

Noticing him, a spectator stepped up to the assailant and told him to stop. “There’s a foreigner taking pictures,” he pointed out. Read the rest of this entry »

The Honolulu Advertiser, 1/19/08 p C7 reported that its internet population has increased to 210 million, when represents a 53% growth over last year at the same time. Censorship failed to slow growth. China is only 5 million users behind the United States and should pass it sometime this year. Whereas 75% of American adults (higher to include teenagers) are Internet-connected, only about 16% of China’s population (6 yrs and older) is connected

By Tom Petruno and Walter Hamilton
Los Angeles Times

Asian stock markets opened sharply lower today, continuing a plunge that spread worldwide yesterday on worries that U.S. economic woes could turn global boom times to bust. Japan’s Nikkei-225 share index was down about 4.4 percent two hours into the trading session in Tokyo. That followed a 3.9 percent slide yesterday.

Stocks also were down nearly 5 percent in Australia, where they had tumbled 2.9 percent yesterday.

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On a patch of land just one-sixth as large as Washington, D.C., Macau surpassed sprawling Las Vegas last year in gaming revenues, thanks to a growing deluge of mainland Chinese tourists. They are transforming this place faster than imperialism and organized crime ever did.

Read the Honolulu Advertiser article by clicking here