China Watch

China really can't help being in the news. It's a huge country and has more people than any other country in the world. The Middle Kingdom has looked inward much of its existence, but is now a major trader. Marco Polo and the Silk Road was the starting point for me in learning about it, beyond the made in China label of the last half century or so.

The world looked on in awe at the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It was a hopeful beginning, though clouded by the arrest of human rights advocates, religious figures and bloggers. China is still a communist country, and its dictators make dictatorial decisions. Who could not be outraged by those old men telling a little girl in front of the world that she had a beautiful voice but was not pretty enough to show her face for the honor of China?

Before the Olympics the world witnessed the unbearable horror of parent after parent losing their only child in the collapse of school after school during the earthquake in Sichuan. Why did this happen so systematically? Why do you think? Because the schools were approved and built by corrupt officials.

This is a country with no recourse for a wrong.

When the government controls everything no one is responsible.

Last week we received news of the collapse of a polluted holding area, poised over a village:

The accident occurred around 8 am on Monday in a warehouse holding waste ore
dregs of the Tashan Mine in Xiangfen County, Linfen City, which was soaked by
torrential rain.

But rough terrain, poor telecommunications and continuous rainfall hampered the rescue effort.

The mud-rock flow also destroyed a three-story office building, a market and
some villagers' houses in the valley.

Witness said the flow roared down the valley and washed away the market and the houses in a few minutes.

The specific number of the people trapped underneath the rubble is still under
investigation.

We have since learned people died:

The governor of Shanxi resigned as the death toll from a mudslide triggered by the collapse of an illegal mining dump in the northern Chinese province rose to 254, official media have reported.

Meng Xuenong became governor only eight months ago - a rehabilitation that came five years after he was sacked as mayor of Beijing over the handling of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak.

Gee, where will they rehabilitate him next?

Could this have happened here? Not anything this blatant, no. And why not? Because we are an open society, a democracy, and people would have noticed and raised holy hell about it. But the likelihood of it happening in the first place is much less. I think it has to do with morality and individual responsibility and worth being given more respect in this country. And human life.

Now this week starts with the story that 2 babies have died, so far, of contaminated infant formula.

I suppose we should be thankful things have improved since the exposure of China's dying rooms, but exposure was delayed by an official cover-up during the Olympics. It cost at least 2 babies their lives.

Americans study and work in China, and many Chinese have emigrated here. China is an issue this election season. We will doubtless keep trading, but we need to keep watch as well.

--crossposted at BlogHer