Siberia Supplies Raw Materials for Beijing

Siberian Wasteland

Quite astonishing that on the Russian side of Siberia there are roughly 6 million people left, but on the Chinese side, the population is blossoming. What gives?

RAW MATERIALS

Reuters: Mirnaya was once a thriving garrison town with a movie theater, a kindergarten and a park. The Soviet army maintained a base here to keep an eye on neighboring China. Then the Soviet Union collapsed and the military left. To survive, those who stayed behind gradually dismantled and sold off what was left, piece by piece. First they removed the windows from the prefabricated buildings where the officers had once lived and sold them in Chita. Then they ripped radiators and pipes from the walls and sold them to scrap dealers, who then sold the metal in China. The buildings now stand like skeletons in the steppes,

Water is the MOST Serious Issue in Dragonland

Early morning in Beijing

Pollution vs. Economic Meltdown in 21st Century China.

So far the pollution is winning. The air is unbreatheable and the water undrinkable, not even suitable for farming as over half of the rivers are severely polluted too. Even the rain is polluted. It is past time the Chinese government fixes this or no one will be able to live there. Many expats I know have recently decided the price of success is not worth dying over, and they have been exiting 21st Century China in droves.

China Seeks to Change Global Monetary System

Reforming the International Monetary System by Making Yuan the Standard.

The Chinese government has been seeking to internationalize the yuan in two ways. First, China is continuously exporting yuan, which involves encouraging enterprises to use the yuan in transactions. Despite the global success of Chinese exporters, the yuan plays only a minor international role because it cannot be freely exchanged for other currencies. And official controls make it difficult to move the yuan in and out of China. But in July 2009, China successfully ran a pilot program of cross-border trade using the yuan.

All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2011

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2011 Donald E. Eads, "21st Century China." Unauthorized use and/or duplication of any material without express and written permission is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Donald E. Eads and "21st Century China Symposium" [http://21stcenturychina.blogspot.com/]

Rapid Change

Main Gate at Renda: Peoples University in Beijing

Whatever China you think you know it has changed, since last night. This is the nature of the Land of the Dragon. High tech companies are sprouting wings and flying away because labor is no longer cheap and abundant. To even begin to try to keep up is exhausting and usually unfruitful.

The best way to stay in touch is through a consortium of people who are on the scene and that is what we provide through the 21st Century China Symposium every year. Join us as we explore the Wild, Wild East.

Zhao Qizheng is on a diplomatic mission.

Purple Forbidden City at Night

Microsoft (Gates Foundation) and Baidu form Health Alliance.

Alliance for a Healthy China

Bill Gates (R), Microsoft Corp co-founder and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, laughs after he and Robin Li, founder and chief executive of Chinese search engine Baidu, put on shirts bearing the slogan: "Say No to Involuntary Smoking", during a media conference in Beijing June 11, 2011. Gates and Li signed an agreement to form an alliance between their charitable foundations called the "Alliance for Healthy China."