Last week must have felt good for embattled Chinese patriots. Not only did the United States lose its coveted triple-A rating from Standard and Poor's, but months after unrest in the Middle East sparked renewed speculation about political disenfranchisement throughout Asia, riots in London suggest the West may have bigger problems closer to home. And China looks to be sitting quite pretty. Or is it?

This week on Sinica, Kaiser Kuo hosts a discussion of these issues and much more with Jeremy Goldkorn, Chinese media expert and founder of danwei.com. The two are joined in our studios by David Wolf, President of Wolf Group Asia and author of the popular China tech and economics blog Silicon Hutong. Also sharing her expertise is none other than Tania Branigan of the Guardian, who brings her usual erudition to our discussions of recent developments in China's western provinces.

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 said on
August 12, 2011
I have to eat some humble pie!

After my comments that people in Western countries would not consider clamping down on mobile phones and Twitter etc., the first thing I read this morning was "Cameron Exploring Crackdown on Social Media After Riots".

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/world/europe/12iht-social12.html
 said on
August 19, 2011
Can you please post the recommendations? Thank you.
 said on
August 26, 2011
Americans in Beijing have about as much insight into British society as the far-removed China commentators whose prejudices this podcast exposes so successfully. I'm not sure where David Wolf got the idea that Britain hasn't had an underclass for more than a century - presumably from books or articles - but, as Tania Branigan suggested, he sounds a little ridiculous presenting such opinions as fact.

Of course, it's interesting to hear how Chinese media cover events abroad, but, knowing the inadequacies of those reports, Wolf ought to realize how foolish people sound when they opine publicly on issues that they scarcely understand.
Mark Lesson Studied