Latest posts by John Kennedy
China: If This is Neocolonialism, Bring It
The new US ambassador to China Gary Locke's public appearances since his appointment in July have shown him to be a man with class that Chinese government officials just can't compete with. Or so most Chinese netizens say. It's actually just an elaborate scheme aimed at making China lose face.
China: Now With America's Attention Back
Not all netizens took this past weekend—a holiday in China—as a chance to confess a feeling of shame at things they said upon learning of the attacks on the United States ten years ago, but many did. Writer Yang Hengjun, who has written New York and the USA into his novels, shares something similar.
China: Who Could Have Known The Libyans Hate Gaddafi?
One of China's top military analysts at home, has turned the official line on Libya into something of a joke, and abroad, China's nominal support for Gaddafi may end up costing the country oil contracts and much more. Netizens look at the lessons Beijing could stand to learn.
China: Large NIMBY Protest Erupts in Dalian
A Sunday morning sit-in protest in downtown Dalian, Liaoning province, against a chemical factory located in the city turned into a large-scale procession through the streets. Police were out in full force, but so too were the microbloggers.
China: Tweets Didn't Start the Fire
China's main state television station has launched a second offensive against microbloggers and users of other social media, this time on the back of the recent British riots. The attack has left netizens guessing at the true motivation at play.
China: Prominent ‘Independent Candidate’ Denounces Upcoming Elections
Nearly 100 people have now declared themselves independent candidates in upcoming legislative elections in China, but this week alone has seen one of the more prominent would-be politicians announce his withdrawal, and another accuse one city of trying to keep voters away from polls.
China: Independent Candidates Busy Building Up Support
Amid a crackdown on a small but nationwide movement that has seen Chinese citizens from all walks of life declaring themselves candidates in their upcoming local district-level legislative elections, a few have pressed on, with ads, videos and endless tweets.
China: Lawyers Back Candidates Barred From Recent Election
Amid the growing number of people announcing their candidacy in district-level People's Congress elections this year, one story which continues to generate interest is that of Liu Ping in Jiangxi who, along with two other candidates, was prevented from standing in her local election.
China: Sudanese President Bashir's Visit Raises Eyebrows
In the same week that China voices support for an International Criminal Court warrant out on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, it rolls out the red carpet for another ICC fugitive, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Online, it's a much different story.
China: Lawyers for Murder Suspects Detained Under Controversial Law
After four defense attorneys were recently detained for challenging confessions to a murder in Guangxi province which their clients are presumed to have given following the use of police force, a legal dream team has assembled and flown in from across the country to defend their colleagues.
China: Attack on a #netfreedom Blogger
For all the talk of Internet freedom, little of it takes into account the bleaker reality of inhabiting Chinese cyberspace. Influential tech blogger William Long addresses this with a post criticizing the destructive bent to China's hacker communities, which then brought on a multi-front attack against Long.
China: Lawyer Li Zhuang Released From Prison
One of the defense lawyers in the case against Li Zhuang, the lawyer who has just been released after serving a prison sentence of 1.5 years for defending a mob boss in a politically-motivated crackdown on corruption, Chen Youxi, updates us on Li's situation, and more.
China: First ‘Jasmine’ Sentence Handed Down
In China the first of at least eight trials was held today, following a massive crackdown on dissidents which began in February 2011. After dismissing legal activist Li Shuangde's lawyer and switching his trial date, Sichuan authorities have sentenced him to four months in prison on the charge of credit card fraud.
China: Netizens Declare Candidacy In Upcoming Elections
Their chances may not be good, but a small and growing number of Internet celebrities and microbloggers have decided to run in grassroots elections this coming September in constituencies around the country.
China: Rejected Self Defense Plea A Green Light For Deadly Demolitions
Villager Tong Yihong says a demolition crew drove a bulldozer onto his property, and he acted in self defense. Police say the bricks Tong threw down from his roof left one man with a serious head injury. Tong, now sentenced to four years in prison, still has public opinion on his side.
China: Red Culture Fever
2011 is turning out to be a year for 'red culture' revival, mocked fiercely online but taken seriously by courts, prisons, universities, television stations and police departments in a growing number of areas throughout the country. Is it all for political show, or does it signal a pending culture war in China?
China: The Rich Are Fleeing
A new survey conducted in part with one of China's biggest banks suggests that large numbers of wealthy Chinese have over the past two years begun moving their assets overseas, and gaining foreign citizenship in the process. If China is so bad, some wonder, now having lost all this capital and talent, is it about to get even worse?
China: Sunday Night Political Chat
Chinese academic and Internet celebrity Yu Jianrong found time during a recent visit to the United States to talk about China's current political climate amid the long string of recent arrests, and the country's future direction, bringing the discussion onto his microblog account late Sunday night.
China: Everybody Can Become Ai Weiwei
A fellow filmmaker and activist, Ai Xiaoming, herself under heavy surveillance, tries to sum up the significance of detained Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's work: "Ai has managed to greatly legitimize the act of citizen filming, showing people that they have the right to film and record, as well as the right to scrutinize."
China: The Interrogation (A Tale of AI and Revolution)
Stainless Steel Mouse, aka Liu Di, has seen many of her peers arrested or disappeared over the past several weeks. Looking at the unusual way in which China's failed Jasmine Revolution began, she has imagined a scenario which mixes fact with fiction.
China: Panic buying continues
Following panic buying of salt earlier this month, the last few days have seen residents of Shanghai buying up laundry detergent, soap, toothpaste and shampoo out of fear that companies...
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