Severe weather has slowed the Chinese rescue missions for the earthquake victims but from the media accounts, you have to be impressed with the all out attempts to send in aid. Compare this to neighboring Myanmar or even Bush after Katrina. Between the devastation and the weather it may be days before we know how many people may have perished.
A massive rescue operation yesterday struggled with heavy rain and aftershocks in the search for tens of thousands of people who remained missing following the devastating earthquake which struck central China on Monday.
As President Wen Jiabao toured the disaster area to oversee rescue efforts, the authorities said the death toll had reached 12,000 people in Sichuan Province alone. In some towns, there were more people missing buried under collapsed homes, hospitals and schools than found alive, raising fears that the death toll could soon rise dramatically.
In Mianyang 60 miles east of the epicentrre, 18,645 people remained buried under debris and survivors spent a second night sleeping outside in the rain, some under striped plastic sheeting strung between trees. The government ordered them not to return home, citing safety concerns, and posted security guards outside apartment complexes to keep people out. At least 4,800 people remained buried in Mianzhu, local authorities said.
China said on Tuesday 18,645 people were buried under debris in the city of Mianyang, neighboring Wenchuan county, the epicenter of Monday's devastating earthquake. Some 3,629 people had been confirmed dead.
During the Today Show, NBC superimposed a map of the U.S. over China to give a sense of how far the effects of the quake would have extended. It would have been felt from Maine to Arizona.
Wow. As an aside, this BBC clip, below, talks about some town near Tibet that I've never heard of. It has a population of 10m. That's amazing. China's "other" towns, you know, the little ones we've never even heard of, are as large as our largest city. It reminds me of a story my old boss, Ted Stevens, used to tell (yeah, I worked for Stevens almost 20 years ago now, get over it). He tells how he had a meeting with the then-leader of China, Deng Xiaoping, and how Stevens asked what the population was of China. Deng said "around a billion, give or take 20%." Stevens replied, "Mr. Premiere, do you realize that your rounding error is the size of our entire population?" Deng replied, "yes, Senator, but do YOU?"
What strikes me about this article is the similarities to the US in 1929 after the crash. People in China are losing everything, throwing themselves out of windows and wondering how they will survive. Then there are a few choice comments by typically smug financial types (from Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley) who say "tough luck." It's not that I don't agree to some extent, but hey, look at Wall Street or City bankers in London and see how "tough luck" has worked out for them. Yea, they're really hurting with taxpayer bailouts as they continue to luxurious lifestyles on other peoples money. Hard times, indeed.
The small Chinese investors, much like American investors, have every right to be angry. The Chinese government (like in the US, UK and EU) loved the cash generated by the stock market and the prestige of a fast-growing market was an added bonus. Governments are always much too happy to feed a bubble and then when it goes 'poof' they run for the hills, so yes, the Chinese, the Americans and everywhere else have every damned reason to be angry. It's irresponsible for governments anywhere to promote bubbles and they ought to live with the consequences. Of course, this sad story also helps put the government outrage over the Olympic protests into proper perspective. (Hint, think Saddam Hussein if you want to see the American version of this old distraction.) China has many more problems to come and their stock market crash is only the beginning.
Another proud moment in modern Olympic history. The pro-screw-human-rights protesters refuse to give in to anyone who dares question the heavy use of violence by the Beijing government. These protesters really need to look back at the American footage of the Freedom Fries campaign so they can take this to the next level. Just as Republicans told the lapdog media about the cozy conditions on a Caribbean island (Gitmo) with great meals, if the pro-Beijing supports want people to really buy their story - and they will, just as Americans did with Iraq - it's high time they explain how much better the Tibetan people are under Beijing rule.
After all, this is the new China where ancient cultures are meant to go away so people can worship at the alter of hyper-capitalism and feed the party. So a few million people are left behind, sheesh, what do they want? No matter what you do there will always be a few complainers, right? Just give them a solid beating and keep the Olympic flame moving. Human rights are sooooo overrated.
Great news. Gambling on the long term future of Robert Mugabe is a losing bet. China already is unpopular in Zimbabwe due to previous arms shipments so if they want anything to do with the new government, this was a smart move.
"The Chinese company has already decided to send the military goods back to China in the same vessel, the An Yue Jiang," said the spokeswoman, Jiang Yu.
China's decision will be welcomed as a victory by the dockworkers, trade unionists, religious leaders, western diplomats and human rights workers who have been campaigning since last week to block delivery of the weaponry to Zimbabwe – weaponry they said could be used to carry out an even more lethal crackdown on Zimbabwe's political opposition, which is allied with that country's unionized workers.
China's strategic retreat in delivering the weapons also allows it to avoid further inflaming yet another protest over its human rights record before it hosts the Olympic Games this summer.
This is a government who has major problems across the board. It's no wonder the leadership likes the Tibet situation, because it helps stir up nationalism and divert attention from even larger problems. While the communist government has done a commendable job raising the living standards for millions of people, they have also left millions behind. When an economy grows, so do expectations. Overall it's a good problem to have provided a government is reaching out to everyone. (In the US, we can also relate since the broad majority of Americans have been left behind for the last three decades.)
Since the Shanghai market has lost half of its value since last October, Beijing has delivered a typically knee jerk response - much like our GOP - and lowered taxes on stock. Just like in the US the tax cuts are going to a slim minority at the top and so far this has been well received. Will the good times last? Probably about as long as the GOP good times lasted though the end result in China will be more ground shaking than the meek response we tend to see in the US. Leaving tens or hundreds of millions behind in a country that has never had a peaceful transition from one system to the next should be a real reason for concern within the communist leadership. Bubbles burst, it's just a fact of life. How a country bounces back is the difference maker.
If anything could make China forget about the Olympics, it's the fall of their stock market. This is actually serious and could cause much more significant changes in their system.
But China's stock market bubble has burst, leaving 150 million share investors waking up to their worst hangover ever. The combined effect of a vertigo-inducing rise in inflation, new regulations and a slowdown in the US economy has brought share prices down as quickly as they went up. Indeed, after further falls this week, Chinese shares are worth just half what they were last October, when the market peaked
One problem is the strength of the Chinese economy – and the inflationary pressures that has brought. Fears that government initiatives to tackle inflation will damage corporate profits has wiped $1.9 trillion off the value of Chinese companies since the beginning of the year. "The dive is the reflection of investors' mounting concern about the economic scenario," said Zhang Ling, a fund manager based in Beijing. "Runaway inflation is pretty bad for the economy and equities, raising costs and slowing earnings growth."
Nor does the outlook for the global economy help confidence in China, which has built much of its boom on exports, the demand for which may now dry up. The rising cost of global commodities also threatens profits.
More problems in Nigeria, Russia producing less oil, the weak dollar and China's demand shot up 8% from March 2007. In other words, same old, same old. And the dollar has hit an all time record low, trading at $1.60 to the Euro. Absolutely shameful.
Turned away from South Africa and Mozambique, the Chinese weapons ship stuffed with military equipment for Robert Mugabe, is heading towards Namibia or Angola. The US is reportedly asking countries to deny access or refuse unloading though the Bush administration has struggled with diplomacy, especially in Africa. Because the US does have a special trading status with Angola you would expect that might provide some leverage though when is the last time the US negotiated anything that threatened an oil business relationship? How often does the Bush administration stand up to China? Let's hope for the best.
Nothing says Olympic spirit quite like threats of violence. But of course, this is the Beijing Olympics that we're talking about and the rules have changed a bit different this time. Criticism is not allowed but blind approval will be gladly accepted if not encouraged.
Nepal has given its security personnel permission to shoot pro-Tibet demonstrators during China's Olympic flame climb to Mount Everest's summit early next month.
"About 25 soldiers and policemen have established camps on the mountain and they have been ordered to use force if necessary to stop any anti-Chinese activities," Mod Raj Dotel, spokesman for the home ministry, said Sunday. "This could mean shooting if necessary."
The people who won are now being rounded up by Mugabe. It's no wonder the opposition leadership is staying outside of the country. What is it going to take for Thabo Mbeki to realize that his 'quiet diplomacy' is a failure? Robert Mugabe never shies from using violence and detention yet Mbeki stays quiet. He should be ashamed of his actions and turning his back on the people of Zimbabwe who are suffering from the dictatorship. The people of South Africa including others in his own party as well as dock workers all see the obvious, but not Mbeki. His 'quiet diplomacy' defies all reality, much like his weird beliefs on AIDS.
The latest new on the Chinese weapons ship is that it's headed to Angola. The people of Angola are among the poorest people though the 'communist' leadership is among the richest in the world courtesy of oil money. Naturally the Bush administration promoted Angola to a high trading partner level a few years ago despite no sign of the government investing anything in its people. I traveled along the border of Angola a few years ago and was shocked at the extreme poverty of its people. The country is littered with land mines so they can't safely farm and the ocean fishing rights have been sold to the EU so they can't fish. Something tells me this is a government that won't say 'no' to supplies of military repression for a fellow dictator. Isn't it time the US speaks out on this with it's special trading partner or is oil too valuable? After all, they're just people in Zimbabwe and how will they help fuel our cars?
Nothing captures the Olympic spirit like controlling the press. Fortunately the American media is familiar with this routine, having given up their authority and independence to the Bush administration after 9/11 so this will be an easy process for them. Nobody, but nobody can provide government boot-licking like the US media. I'm smelling a few touching human interest stories about Hu Jintao and his love of puppy dogs and injured kittens. There is no low low enough for the American media when money is involved. Hooray for freedom and democracy! Hooray for GE, Nike and Coke!
Can yellow ribbons, lapel pins with the red flag and freedom fries be far away? While China and some in the West complain about unfair anti-China sentiment they always overlook the human rights issue and say "well what about the US and human rights?" Sure, it's an issue and yes, they ought to take notice that many Americans were and continue to be outspoken against US human rights abuses. They might also take note that when the US invaded Iraq and Bush's approval rating was still high, the rest of the world all criticized the US and rightly so. Was the world wrong to criticize the US? Absolutely.
Going back in history, British factory workers refused to work with American cotton from the south because they felt a moral obligation to rid the world of slavery. The issue of slavery was indeed an "internal issue" as China says of Tibet but it was also a moral issue for the world. During the apartheid years, the rest of the world viewed apartheid as morally repugnant and led boycotts against the former regime. Again, according to China that was an internal issue. The communist regime in Beijing needs to catch up with the rest of the world and show some flexibility if they want to be taken seriously. It's no skin off of my back if business abandons China and it's likely many Western businesses are looking at Plan B at the moment so go ahead and protest. Burn down more foreign businsses and attack more Western countries. Good luck with that strategy and let us know how it works out.
South African dock workers refused to unload the delivery for the desperate Robert Mugabe and the South African courts backed up the dock workers. The Chinese ship has since left Durban, South Africa and rumored to be heading for Mozambique. The shipment may unload in Mozambique (if dock workers again refuse) though it's a poor government so they may end up allowing passage. The problem there is that after decades of war, roads in Mozambique are difficult and drop off quickly outside of the city. Will the Chinese weapons make it in time to be distributed to Mugabe's thugs before his government folds or will the Chinese weapons be used to kill even more people?
Oh the Olympic spirit! Nothing says 'Olympic spirit' quite like a massive new arsenal of guns and ammo for a dictator to repress a nation who just voted him out. All of the critics of communist China should just understand that Robert Mugabe has the full authority to kill and torture anyone and everyone because it's an internal matter and has nothing to do whatsoever with human rights or the world community. The world should ignore such violations and mind their own business. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Thabo Mbeki is also doing the right thing by allowing safe passage of weapons because after all, the papers are all in order. That's fair, right?
A Chinese cargo ship believed to be carrying 77 tonnes of small arms, including more than 3m rounds of ammunition, AK47 assault rifles, mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, has docked in the South African port of Durban for transportation of the weapons to Zimbabwe, the South African government confirmed yesterday. It claimed it was powerless to intervene as long as the ship's papers were in order.
Why do the protesters hate human rights violations? Another proud moment in Olympic history.
Demonstrators lit their own torch at the spot where the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi, Indian pacifist, are buried, and they planned to mount a parallel, peaceful torch relay through the city's streets. Delhi police had granted permission for the protest but had warned that they would extinguish any torches being carried by protesters.
The communist regime is a bunch of absolute phonies but why stop now? They've been getting away with this for years and have everyone shaking in the boots, afraid of angering their discount business partners. Let China go ahead and cancel all of the European and US TV contracts for the Olympics and see how much money they make. Isn't it obvious that the Olympics mean much more to China than to others countries. (Nike, GE and Coke are another story.) Go ahead and cancel the whole thing. We'll survive.
CNN and other foreign satellite broadcasts can be seen only in hotels, offices and housing developments open to foreigners, meaning very few Chinese would have heard Cafferty's original comments.
Censors also block many foreign news sites on the Internet, pointing to an underlying irony of the ongoing protests — that they profess outrage over foreign media reports that their government does not permit them to view.
The entirely state-controlled media has joined in the vilification campaign, with the criticisms of CNN featuring prominently in Thursday's newspapers and TV shows.
So what did China's thugs do in response? They acted like thugs and went ballistic on CNN. Message to China's leaders: The reason you get so much bad press is because you are murderous communist dictator thugs, and the entire world knows it. The only reason any nation is nice to you is because you're big, not because you're nice, not because they like or respect you. They respect your size and your power. Don't confuse that with anyone having forgotten that at the end of the day, you're still dangerous petty dictators, and we all look forward to the day you're overthrown. Oh yeah, and your dog food stinks too. You can watch Cafferty's comments here.
Shanghai is down well over 5% (5.6% at the moment) with the rest of Asian markets falling as well. This is where products being sold to America and Europe are produced so they just may be on to something. The severe drop by GE on Friday is going to have markets looking for any positive news to prove that was an aberration and not an indicator for the future.
