U.S. State Department Travel Alert

On April 25, 2008 the U.S. State Department issued a "travel alert" for China, advising "American citizens traveling or residing there to be alert to their surroundings and exercise caution at all times." The alert is in effect until October 31, 2008.

See: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_4180.html

The State Department webpage on current travel alerts (http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1766.html) defines a "travel alert" as follows:

"Travel Alerts are issued to disseminate information about short-term conditions, generally within a particular country, that pose imminent risks to the security of U.S. citizens. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, coups, anniversaries of terrorist events, election-related demonstrations or violence, and high-profile events such as international conferences or regional sports events are examples of conditions that might generate a Travel Alert."

Additional State Department information for U.S. citizens traveling or living in China is available at: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1089.html

For State Department information specifically about Hong Kong, SAR, see: http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1136.html

CCTV: "Your Window on China and the World"

CCTV International (CCTV-9) is an English-language website and television channel hosted by China Central Television, China's largest national TV network.

It includes news reports from within China, international news, business news ("BizChina"), sports, lifestyle & culture, and other documentaries and special reports including daily features on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It also includes critiques of how news about China is covered in other countries. CCTV International views itself as "China's contribution to greater diversity and more perspective in the global information flow." (Cited from http://www.cctv.com/english/about/index.shtml)

Motorcycles Banned in Guangzhou

How can a large city reduce street crime, minimize traffic congestion, and lower road accidents? Guangzhou's answer was to ban motorcycles.

Beginning January 2007, the Guangzhou government strictly banned motorcycle riding in the city. Police detain riders; riders are fined 200 Yuan, and their motorcycles are confiscated.

Within two weeks of the ban, traffic problems in Guangzhou were reduced by 50% and road accidents dropped by 40%, according to the Guanzhou traffic bureau.

Sources:

• The End of the Motorcycles Era (01-15-2007)
• The New York Times: In City Ban, a Sign of Wealth..." (01-15-2007)
  
• News Guangdong: A Week After Guangzhou Banned Motorcycles (01-10-2007)
  
• Guangzhou Life without Motorcycles (01-03-2007)
• Guangzhou Bans Motorcycles (01-02-2007)

Yuan's rise to boost outbound tourism

The article, "Yuan's rise to boost outbound tourism" by Xin Dingding (China Daily) (April 24, 2008) summarizes the rise of the Chinese Yuan against the U.S. Dollar as well as the Hong Kong Dollar. While Chinese tour groups are still not permitted to organize trips to the United States, the rise in the Chinese currency is likely to boost tourism to other countries and regions (such as Hong Kong) that use US dollars or peg their currencies to it.

Full Article: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-04/24/content_6640156.htm

Biodiversity loss leads to sick world: experts

China Daily (April 24, 2008) reports on the UN-backed Business for the Environment international conference held in Singapore. It cites various experts warning that "The world risks wiping out a new generation of antibiotics and cures for diseases if it fails to reverse the extinction of thousands of plant and animal species."

Full story available at: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-04/24/content_6640091_2.htm

Chengdu kicks off herbal medicine research project.

According to an INTERFAX-CHINA wire report (April 23, 2008), the local government in Chengdu, Sichuan Province announced the launch of a national project to develop traditional Chinese medicines. The three-year project will involve an investment of RMB 37.6 million ($5.38 million). The research aims to examine plantation standards and quality standards, to analyze the the chemical makeup of unibract fritillary bulb, dahuricae angelica root, and coptis root, which are bountiful sources for therapies, and to develop new medicines and nutritional supplements.

The research partners include: Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Institute, and Sichuan Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

Source: China Business News. CLICK HERE for full story. [Note: Webster University ID required.]

China's vaccine bill this year grows to over $71 per child.

China Business News (April 23, 2008) reports that an official from China's Ministry of Health announced at a press briefing on Monday that the "Chinese government will spend over RMB 500 ($71.43) in vaccines for each child in China as part of its expanded program on immunization (EPI)." CLICK HERE to view the full story. [Note: Webster University ID required to access database.]

Global Feminisms Project

The 'Global Feminisms Project' at the University of Michigan aims to document

" individual life stories of activists and scholars, and considering them in their particular historical and cultural contexts, the project records important differences in women's activism in specific local sites, and questions constructions of 'global' feminism that assume a common (Western) set of issues as universal to all women. In addition, the project questions conventional notions of global feminism as the "internationalization of the women's movement," which often assumes a transfer eastward of western feminist ideals." Citation from http://www.umich.edu/~glblfem/about.html

At the China Project location, the interviews:

"... illustrate the multi-dimensional development of feminist practices in China's transformation from a socialist state economy to a capitalist market economy since the mid-1980s, when spontaneous women's activism emerged." Citation from http://www.umich.edu/~glblfem/china.html

The interviews and transcripts with the women scholars are available (in both English and Mandarin) at http://www.umich.edu/~glblfem/china_e.html
There are 10 video interviews, including:

	Ai Xiaoming Professor from Zhongshan University; now at Sun Yat-Sen University, in Guangzhou. Playwright, documentary producer, videographer.
	Chen Mingxia Researcher in women's legal rights at the Institute for Legal Research of the China Academy of Social Sciences.
	Gao Xiaoxian Secretary General of the Shaanxi Research Association for Women and Family.
	Ge Youli Director for the Global Alliance for Workers and Communities in Guangzhou.
	He Zhonghua Professor of literature; researcher in ethnic minority women's health in poor areas to empowering women to participate in rural development and community management.

CHINA VAULTS PAST USA IN NUMBER OF INTERNET USERS

This headline is reported by multiple sources. See:

• Benton Foundation (Last updated: February 21, 2008 - 7:15am): http://www.benton.org/node/6565
• USA Today (Apr 21, 2008, p1A): http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20080421/1a_bottomstrip21.art.htm
• Information Week (July 13, 2007 03:49 PM): http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=201001379

See also the following related story:

"China’s Online Population Explosion
What It May Mean for the Internet Globally… and for U.S. Users"
By Deborah Fallows, Senior Research Fellow, Pew Internet & American Life Project available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/China_Internet_July_2007.pdf

The Battle of China (Frank Capra) (1945)

"The Battle of China" (64 minutes) is part VI of the 1945 documentary series Why We Fight, produced by Frank Capra. It explains why the Japanese Empire aimed to dominate China. But the Japanese invasion of Nanking in which 40,000 civilians were killed, resulted in unifying and galvanizing the Chinese people against the Japanese. The Chinese construct the 7,000 mile Burma Road in less than 12 months to keep the Chinese armies well supplied. As a result, Japan is unable to conquer China. The video is available for sale or rent, as well as free streaming on various web sites. Play the video below or see http://www.archive.org/details/BattleOfChina to download or stream the video.

Jeffrey Sachs

Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and author of Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet, discusses the role of China, India, the U.S. and International Bodies (U.N.) in addressing climate change.

• CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO
• CLICK HERE FOR TRANSCRIPT (Webster University ID Required)
  

http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2008/04/16/1/a-conversation-with-jeffrey-sachs

William McDonough: The wisdom of designing Cradle to Cradle

William McDonough (who grew up in Hong Kong) believes that green design can prevent environmental disaster -- while also driving economic growth. He practices green architecture on a massive scale. He is involved in building 12 new and entirely green cities in China in collaboration with the Chinese government.

• Video from TED.com: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/104
  


• Cradle To Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things By William McDonough & Michael Braungart, North Point Press, 2002


• China-U.S. Center for Sustainable Development: http://www.chinauscenter.org/

BBC World Service: "China's Long Arm"

Originally broadcast in October 2007, audio downloads & podcasts of this 4-part program are available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/7041971.stm

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CHINA'S LONG ARM

PART ONE
New arms race?
US government concerns about rising defence spending in China



PART TWO
Taiwan
Would China use its military power to reclaim Taiwan, and clash with the US?



PART THREE
Angola's oil
The impact of China's insatiable appetite for natural resources, in Angola



PART FOUR Minnesota's iron
China has turned its attention to the US in its search for natural resources




SPECIAL SEASON:
Ruling China

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Pangea Day: May 10, 2008

Pangea Day is a live global event involving films, live music, and visionary speakers. The program will be broadcast – in seven languages – to millions of people worldwide through the internet, television, and mobile phones on May 10, 2008. See: http://www.pangeaday.org.

"The 24 short films to be featured have been selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from over one hundred countries. The films were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and allow us see the world through another person's eyes...

The program will also include a number of exceptional speakers and musical performers. Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova are among those taking part.

What Will Happen After Pangea Day

People inspired by Pangea Day will have the opportunity to participate in community-building activities around the world. Through the live program, the Pangea Day web site, and self-organized local events, everyday people will be connected with extraordinary activists and organizations.

Many of the films and performances seen on Pangea Day will be made available on the Web and via mobile phone, alongside open forums for discussion and ideas for how to take social action.

A Pangea Day documentary will be created to catalyze future activities, and dozens of talented filmmakers will make strides in their careers."

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Yochai Benkler: Open-source Economics

In this video from TED.com, law professor Yochai Benkler describe how the new "open-source economics" changes human organization and interactions, locally and globally.

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Live Radio Programs from China

A colleague at Webster University informed us of the following pertinent discussion on "onpointradio":

"...A week of live programming from China -

Heard part of the program on human rights & dissent coming home from class.

A memorable line - what you can't talk about or only with extreme care - Is called the three Ts - Tibet, Taiwan, Tinneman (sp)

The other programs look good too

http://www.onpointradio.org/

http://www.onpointradio.org/china/


Other shows during the week on business, etc."

The topics discussed are listed as follows:

• Monday, 4/14
• The Olympics
• Young China

• Tuesday, 4/15
• American Business in China
• China at the Movies

• Wednesday, 4/16
• China’s New Politics
• City Life with Hong Huang

• Thursday, 4/17
• China’s Environmental Crisis
• Dissent: China’s Third Rail

• Friday, 4/18
• China’s Week in the News
• The U.S. & China

Power One

Webster University's Director in China notes that Power One, a company in the solar energy stream, is located in Shen Zhen.

"... I just visited their booth in Shanghai at the Solar/Wind Trade Show. I was collecting materials for my current class that uses Solar ETF and Mutual Funds as working models for the class. Teams are putting together their own portfolio of ten companies.

I noted your interest in alternative energy, and looked through my materials for a Shen Zhen company. It turns out that Power One is in Shen Zhen, and we have already graduated four Webster MBAs from that company.

So, Serene is working on the task of putting your students into Power One when you are here.

The piece below is from today and I’ll use it this weekend for my class for the teams that are assembling their own ETF/mutual funds on alternative. Rick

See: http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080415/20080415005884.html