An online shop offered a version of the jacket worn by leaders at the APEC summit meeting in Beijing.Credit
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in Beijing had barely concluded when copies of the outfits worn by the leaders at the event’s opening began appearing for sale in China.
Several vendors produced copies of the mandarin-collared jacket and matching accessories and offered them Wednesday on Taobao.com, the online marketplace owned by the e-commerce giant Alibaba, for prices ranging from 320 renminbi, about $52, to 2,999 renminbi.
By midday Thursday, the items had disappeared from Taobao. Alibaba did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Chinese media coverage of the items raised questions about whether the copied garments were a violation of the intellectual property rights of the original designers. Read more…
According to news reports, the official had stashed more than 80 pounds of gold in his home, as well as $19.6 million in cash.Credit Reuters
Recently, some Chinese officials have been accused of such ravenous corruption that, like finalists in a hot dog eating competition, they inspire a kind of appalled bafflement: Just how could they cram so much in?
Even with seemingly intense competition, though, one lowly official appears to be in a class of his own. If state news reports are to be believed, investigators found 120 million renminbi, or $19.6 million, in cash in his home. As well as 37 kilograms, or 81.6 pounds, of gold. And ownership documents for 68 homes.
Xinhua, the state news agency, mentioned the details of the official’s home booty on Wednesday, almost in passing, in a report about anticorruption investigations in Hebei Province, in northern China.
“Like a rat that fell into a rice bin, he swallowed as much ill-gotten wealth as his appetite allowed,” one commentary said. Read more…
The latest tiger that has reportedly crossed into China appears to be following in the footsteps of Kuzya, above, which left Russian territory last month.Credit International Fund for Animal Welfare
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia drew attention at an economic summit meeting in Beijing this week when he draped a blanket over the shoulders of China’s first lady and awkwardly clapped President Obama on the arm. But while Mr. Putin has now left China for meetings in the Russian city of Vladivostok, his legacy remains.
On Wednesday, a Russian official said that a Siberian tiger that Mr. Putin had personally released into the wild in the Russian Far East had crossed into China, the Russian news agency Tass reported.
The tiger, named Ustin, appears to be following in the footsteps of another of the three tigers Mr. Putin released in May. In October, 23-month-old Kuzya crossed the Amur River into northern China, triggering concerns that he might be killed by poachers, who can bring in as much as $10,000 from selling tiger parts on the black market. Read more…
President Xi Jinping appeared to state as policy something long hinted: a link between unfavorable news coverage and denials of reporters’ visas, Ravi Somaiya reports. Read more »
The relationship between the United States and China has been in the spotlight this week as President Obama and President Xi Jinping dined with each other in Beijing, took short walks in the wintry night air and announced agreements on climate change, trade and military cooperation. On Wednesday, after eating his fill of Peking duck during the visit, his second to China since taking office, Mr. Obama flew to Myanmar, while Mr. Xi returned to the business of governing the world’s most populous nation.
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Ely Ratner, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, believes the Obama administration wants to remain focused on concrete initiatives with China.Credit Courtesy of Ely Ratner
Observers have offered their insights throughout the week to The Times. Among them is Ely Ratner, senior fellow and deputy director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. Before that, Dr. Ratner served with the United States State Department as the lead political officer covering China’s external relations in Asia. He has also worked at the RAND Corporation and as a staff member on the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His recent writings have focused on competition over resources and territory in the South China Sea.
Following are Dr. Ratner’s thoughts on the state of United States-China ties: Read more…
Analysts and policy advisers wonder if the climate accord reached by the U.S. and China goes far enough, and how Beijing will meet its targets, Edward Wong reports. Read more »
The editorial board of The New York Times writes that the newspaper will not alter its coverage to suit the whims of the Chinese leader or any other government. Read more »
The emissions targets announced by the U.S. and Chinese leaders are expected to be at the heart of a 2015 international climate treaty, Coral Davenport reports. Read more »
Analysts said the United States and China should both be able to meet the stated goals by aggressively pursuing policies that are largely underway, Henry Fountain and John Schwartz report. Read more »
The Chinese president’s idiom appeared to warn foreign journalists that if they want to avoid visa difficulties, it is up to them to satisfy Beijing, Patrick J. Lyons explains. Read more »
