This week on Sinica, Chinese economic growth is on the rocks, ASEAN tensions are breaking through the facade of East-Asian political unity, a major Chinese telecom company is implicated in an international trade scandal, and man-eating fish have escaped into the wilds of Guangxi, prompting a profusion of local get-rich-quick schemes and threatening our plans to take a break from it all with a swimming vacation in southern China.

Joining host Jeremy Goldkorn for this week's wide-ranging show is public relations expert and amateur ichthyologist Will Moss, a frequent Sinica guest you might also recognize through his other life as a blogger on Imagethief and Rectified.name. We're also delighted to be joined by Tania Branigan, Beijing correspondent for The Guardian and now-connoisseur of fish-eats-man stories.

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 said on
July 20, 2012
Hi Jeremy!

Nice one. I've read so much garbage on this piranha story, but you guys nailed it. The story was amusing on one level, but I'm glad you followed up with the whole invasive species issue.

But I still haven't seen anyone mention the real reason the local government panicked. It was certainly not out of concern for the welfare of octogenarian swimmers, but more about the upcoming 2nd International Water Sports Carnival in which they have invested millions. The city has been promoting the river as a major international sports centre for the last few years, with some success, and I'm sure they saw all of that (and their careers) being chewed up by the piranha.

Ken (Liuzhou Laowai)

http://www.liuzhou.co.uk/wordpress
 said on
July 21, 2012
Ken, great perspective on the story. The Guardian needs you on the Liuzhou beat!
 said on
July 24, 2012
Can you list the recommendations again? I couldn't catch Ms. Branigan's. Thanks.
 said on
July 28, 2012
MENTIONS

GDP growth dips below 8%, China Real Time Report

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/07/13/chinas-economy-the-second-quarter/

South Africa: Chinese Account of Attacks on Foreign-Owned Businesses, Global Voices

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/07/09/south-africa-chinese-account-of-attacks-on-foreign-owned-businesses/

Meltdown for Asean over South China Sea, Asia Sentinel

http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4706&Itemid=175

~Piranhas in Liuzhou~

Chinese piranha attack leads to fish hunt, The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/11/china-piranha-attack-reward

Attack of the Eat People Fish, Liuzhou Laowai

http://liuzhou.co.uk/wordpress/2012/07/09/attack-of-the-eat-people-fish/

¥1000 Bounty per Piranha, Liuzhou Laowai

http://liuzhou.co.uk/wordpress/2012/07/11/%C2%A51000-bounty-per-piranha/

Piranhas on Probation, Liuzhou Laowai

http://liuzhou.co.uk/wordpress/2012/07/13/piranhas-on-probation/

Piranhas become get-rich-quick scheme, Global Times

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/721425.shtml

NO LINKS, PAPER REFERENCES

China’s Booming Economy Is Sparking and Accelerating Biological Invasions by Jianqing Ding, Richard N. Mack, Ping Lu, Mingxun Ren, And Hongwen Huang (BioScience, April 2008 / Vol. 58 No. 4 )

Invasive species in China – an overview by Xie Yan, Li Zhenyu, William P. Gregg And Li Dianmo (Biodiversity and Conservation 10, 2001)

~ZTE Iran gate~

Coverup? Huawei Should Send Its PR Bill to ZTE, Rectified.name

http://www.rectified.name/?p=956

RECOMMENDATIONS

Jeremy's recommendation

Hadrian's Wall - Melvyn Bragg 'In Our Time' podcast

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio4/2012/07/editors_note_in_thursdays_prog.html

Tania's recommendation

From the Ruins of Empire by Pankaj Mishra – review by Julia Lovell

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jul/19/from-ruins-empire-pankaj-mishra-review

Will's recommendation

Hamish McKenzie's China reporting for Pando Daily

http://pandodaily.com/author/hamishmck/

Mark Lesson Studied