■ Piracy
Officials to patrol Silk Alley
Copyright watchdogs have opened a permanent office in Beijing's Silk Alley, a famous indoor market repeatedly accused of selling rip-offs of famous foreign brands, state media reported yesterday. The office, set up by the local bureau of industry and commerce, is staffed by eight officials equipped with digital cameras who will patrol the alley throughout opening hours from 9am to 9pm, the Beijing News said. The US government on Friday said China's enforcement continues to lag "far behind" promises made by the government on industrial-scale piracy of US goods.
■ Pensions
China fund to invest abroad
China's massive government-controlled pension fund has been given the green light to invest part of its money in overseas markets, state media reported yesterday. The State Security Fund, which has assets valued at 201 billion yuan (US$25.1 billion), can start investments abroad today after the go-ahead from the central bank and other agencies, the People's Daily said on its Web site. Initially, however, the fund will only be allowed to allocate a small portion of its huge assets in foreign markets, the paper said, citing a previously unveiled investment plan.
■ Internet
Chinese decry censorship
A coalition of Chinese Web activists has launched a petition decrying censorship of the Internet and challenging the legality of government information controls on China's more than 100 million Net users. Hundreds of citizens signed the petition along with representatives of 13 local Chinese Web sites recently closed or targeted by censors. It began circulating on Saturday via e-mail and overseas Chinese-language Web sites unaffected by domestic censorship. The e-mail's signatories said that China's Constitution grants its citizens freedom of expression and publication, and those rights "should be respected and protected, and should not be subject to any unlawful restrictions and obstructions." Beijing rights activist Chen Yongmiao (陳永苗), who helped organize the petition, said yesterday that he had been prompted to act by the March closure of the Aiqinhai (愛琴海) Web site, based in Zhejiang Province, that specialized in adventurous cultural commentary. Zhejiang officials said Aiqinhai had not sought necessary approval.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique