By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
China's new leaders struck a populist tone Sunday as they got down to the painstaking work of governing, promising cleaner government, less red tape and more fairness to enlarge a still small middle class and help struggling private businesses.
President Obama called on China's new president, Xi Jinping, on Thursday and discussed the challenges posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, and the importance of addressing cybersecurity threats.
Facing public outrage over smog-choked cities and filthy rivers, China's leaders are promising to clean up the country's neglected environment _ a pledge that sets up a clash with political pressures to keep economic growth strong.
Chinese hackers have the New York Times in their crosshairs, as paper executives report numerous network attacks in recent weeks. The cybersecurity attacks coincide with a New York Times article that exposed a leading politician as wealthy — a public revelation that angered Beijing, according to the Voice of America.
Chinese hackers repeatedly penetrated The New York Times' computer systems over the past four months, stealing reporters' passwords and hunting for files on an investigation into the wealth amassed by the family of a top Chinese leader, the newspaper reported Thursday.
President Obama ended his three-day Asia trip Tuesday after a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in which tensions between the two nations simmered under the surface.
Southeast Asian leaders decided Sunday to ask China to start formal talks "as soon as possible" on crafting a legally binding accord aimed at preventing an outbreak of violence in disputed South China Sea territories, a top diplomat said.
The man in line to oversee China's massive but rapidly slowing economy for the coming decade speaks English and comes from a generation of politicians schooled during a time of greater openness to liberal Western ideas than their predecessors.
The man in line to oversee China's massive but rapidly slowing economy for the coming decade speaks English and comes from a generation of politicians schooled during a time of greater openness to liberal Western ideas than their predecessors.
Chinese dissident author Yu Jie says he has been granted asylum in the United States, and plans to start a website in support of his friend, imprisoned Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.
Chinese dissident and author Yu Jie said late Wednesday he was granted asylum in the United States last week and plans to start a website in support of his friend, imprisoned Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo.
China formally entered its first aircraft carrier into service on Tuesday, underscoring its ambitions to be a leading Asian naval power, although the ship is not expected to carry a full complement of planes or be ready for combat for some time.
China formally entered its first aircraft carrier into service on Tuesday, underscoring its ambitions to be a leading Asian naval power, although the ship is not expected to carry a full complement of planes or be ready for combat for some time.
Xi Jinping, who is expected to succeed Chinese leader Hu Jintao and take charge of the communist state for the next 10 years, went into hiding last week, instantly shifting China's rumor mills into high gear.
Germany's relationship with China has grown so close that Berlin now calls it "special," but the coziness has some Germans concerned about Chancellor Angela Merkel's refusal to bring up human rights with Asia's biggest power.
Outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao last week promised more spending on renewable energy, pollution control and cleaning up lakes and rivers.
China's cyber-spying efforts have excelled in part because of the government's "willingness to ignore international norms relating to civil society and media organizations," he said.
