Separatist Issues Strain Ties

CHINA'S strategic co-operation with Russia is showing the first signs of strain, after Russia formally recognised the independence of the former Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

China Strengthens Rio's Defences

THE potential for China's state-owned Chinalco to increase its stake in Rio Tinto from 9% to 11% has injected some much-needed pep into Rio's defences against BHP Billiton's hostile $175 billion takeover bid.

Bye-bye Beijing

Whatever misgivings others may have, the Olympics gave China renewed pride, writes John Huxley.

Count On Ore-important China

As long as China needs iron ore and coal, our over-leveraged economy may still have some life in it.

Reports On China Elitist, Says Keating

THE former prime minister Paul Keating has attacked the Western media's coverage of the Beijing Olympics as condescending, elitist and typical of the developed world's general disdain for China.

The Party's Over: Whither Beijing Now?

Post-Olympics China will continue to change, but on its own terms.

China Is Rising, Us Power Is Declining And Russia Is Again A Force To Be Reckoned With. Lasting Peace Depends On A New World Order, Writes Paul Keating.

SINCE the end of the Cold War, the world has enjoyed a globalisation of peace, along with a globalisation of economic growth. Is humankind capable of forging a second enlightenment? For the first time in human history, we now live in a global system. Aviation and telecommunications have underwritten a connectedness which past generations could only have dreamt of. No longer do we concentrate our affairs in our own parts of the world; rather, we calibrate all we do against the rest of the world as ...

Beijing Blur: A Head-spinning Journey Into Modern China

BEIJING BLUR: A HEAD-SPINNING JOURNEY INTO MODERN CHINA James West Penguin, $29.95

Golden Opportunities In China

The Olympic host nation will continue to shine, writes David Ciampa.

Faster, Higher, Stronger, Freer?

CHINA'S Olympic fairytale will come to a close tomorrow with a spectacular ceremony. The flaming cauldron that juts from the top of the Bird's Nest stadium will be extinguished along with the international scrutiny that many had, perhaps naively, hoped would encourage China to go for gold on human rights and liberalisation.

Spirited Account Of A Nation Coming Of Age

Socialism Is Great! A Worker's Memoir Of The New China By Lijia Zhang UWA Press, 388pp, $24.95

Hua Guofeng's Death Goes Almost Unnoticed

THE death of the second leader of the People's Republic China, Hua Guofeng, has passed with barely a ripple in Beijing.

Western Media Shows Its Ugly Face

The Beijing Olympics were always going to be about more than sport. They are the best opportunity for China to present its credentials as an emerging super-power and for the world to stand in judgment.

Buddha Bar Raises Tempo After Athletes Rock For Tibet

ACCESS to Apple's online iTunes Store has been blocked in China after it emerged that Olympic athletes have been downloading a pro-Tibetan music album in an act of solidarity with the Dalai Lama.

China's Dinky-di Coach Chairman Maher Buries Opals Past

FOR 40 minutes tonight, there will be no mixed emotions for Tom Maher. That, he says, would be "cheating". He is proudly Australian and one of the most successful women's basketball coaches the country has produced, but for the time being, the Melbourne-born coach is Chinese.

Minister Praises China Gas Deal

AUSTRALIA'S liquefied natural gas deal with China will reduce China's emissions by 7 million tonnes a year, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson will tell a business audience in Beijing tonight.

Paulson's Mind-boggling Hackery On China Shows He Doesn't Have A Clue

There is some important economic data the US Treasury Secretary should be reading, writes David Hirst.

Giant Profits From China

THE influence on Australia of the massive industrial and economic expansion of China has been nowhere better displayed than on the balance sheet of BHP Billiton. Thanks to China's seemingly insatiable demand for minerals and energy, the world's biggest resource group has produced a 2008 financial year profit of $17.8 billion, its seventh Australian corporate profit record in a row.

Painful Exit, New Resolve

AFTER four years of hard work and sacrifice had come down to eight frenzied final minutes - a blur of gut-busting effort, missed chances and frustration at China's time-wasting tactics - the Hockeyroos had failed to find the single goal that would keep their medal chances alive.

Beijing's City Police Clean Up Their Act

While many things have not changed in China, there is growing pressure on the Government for more public accountability.

It's The Overall Total That Counts

THE United States is poised to claim a stunning overall victory at the Games, even though the host nation China has won nearly double the number of gold medals.

The Great Bawl Of China

A nation of 1.3 billion weeps as Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang's Achilles injury robs China of its Cathy Freeman moment.

Hockeyroos' Fate Rests On China Game - As They Expected

ENTERING these Olympics, there remained some doubt whether the improving Australian women's team could handle the pressure of cut-throat competition. Facing an ever-improving China in front of a large, parochial crowd tonight, the answer could be provided.

China Paying For Olympic 'clean Air'

CHINA'S growth is cooling and may spur the Government to ease lending restrictions, provide more export tax rebates and stall appreciation of the currency, analysts said after seeing economic reports last week.

Further Struggle On The Cards

A pioneer in China has taken a beating, writes David Potts.

Hockeyroos Face Deep Dig Without Wells

HAVING the world champions and then China at their home Olympics blocking your semi-finals path was always going to be daunting, but the challenge increased yesterday when the Hockeyroos lost to the Netherlands and possibly lost captain Melanie Wells for tomorrow's showdown with the hosts.

China. A History

China. A History John Keay HarperCollins, $35

China Heading For A Fork In The Road

The West made a huge strategic bet in deciding to engage China rather than contain it. The punt? That the world would change China faster than China could change the world.

Traveller's Tale

Greg Foyster finds the colour of China's mining metropolis unforgettable.

The Olympic Ideals Come Up Against Hard Reality

It was a miscalculation by the West and the IOC to expect China to conduct the Games as they would expect other hosts to conduct them.

Upstarts Frustrate China's Titans

PLAYING China in table tennis is the Everest of these Games. Even with eight matches running concurrently, there is nowhere to hide when 6000 sets of eyes are on your table and, other than your mum and dad, they'd be ecstatic if you didn't win a point.

Censors Make News

CHINA may be losing the public relations battle to control the international media at the Beijing Games, but within its borders the extensive controls on the local media have been exposed starkly.

China Beam As Teary Us Floored

THIS is the story of little girls, suspicious birthdays and a missing tooth, of a dramatic and emotional women's team final that has a history of being both. It is a tale of China's first gold medal in a cherished event, the failures of one American star and the marvellous gesture of support from another, as Australia inconspicuously achieved their best Olympic result.

Stunning Policy Switch In Taiwan Plan To Open Manufacturing Sector To China

TAIWAN is planning the biggest step yet in its stunning policy reversal to draw closer to China - opening its manufacturing sector to Chinese investment.

Controls On China Media Exposed

AS CHINA loses the battle to control the international media at the Olympic Games, its extensive controls on the local media have been starkly exposed.

China Is The Unfolding Drama, Says Rudd

THE Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has framed "the rise of China" as the great drama and international policy challenge of this century.

China Is The Story Of This Century, Declares Rudd

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has framed "the rise of China" as the great drama and international policy challenge of this century.

China Story Of This Century, Says Rudd

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has framed "the rise of China" as the great drama and international policy challenge of this century.

A Great Call For China

Five words sent Beijing into a frenzy of celebrations, writes Anne Fawcett.

Beijing Gets Ready To Shine

If Sydney's experience is anything to go by, it is a good time to be in China, writes Sam North.

Rudd Polishes Up Some China For His Resource-full Olympic Lunch

THE men who are shaping Australia's corporate future took time out from the Olympic Games on Saturday to tuck into some West Australian rock lobster with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the Australian embassy in Beijing. Together, the assets controlled by the men at the table added up to more than Australia's gross domestic product.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

There's a sinister nationalist subtext to China's Olympics that the world ignores at its peril, writes Mark Mordue.

All Cynicism Aside, A New China Dawns

It was a time for suspending cynicism and embracing spectacle, but to truly understand the symbolism of the Olympics opening ceremony, the mix of old and new, Westerners need to consider the recent history of China in broad and less biased terms.

One Dream One Nightmare One World

Around the world, millions celebrate as athletes start competition in China. Meanwhile, in a small part of eastern Europe, more than 1600 people are dead as two countries go to war.

Tripping The Night Fantastic

IT WAS the night China demanded the world pay attention.

The Spell Of The Games Masks The Critical Questions

The ceremony was astonishing, but perspective is needed - for China and Australia.

World Holds Its Breath, Daring To Dream

It was a time for suspending cynicism and embracing spectacle, but to truly understand the symbolism of the Olympics opening ceremony, the mix of old and new, Westerners need to consider the recent history of China in broad and less biased terms.

Cuddly Lambs With Baggy Bottoms

Monday: At this time of the year one's thoughts invariably turn to ethical investment, and in particular the case for buying China.

Australia Lobbies For China Push

IN cricket, China is the next India. At least, that is the view of Cricket Australia, which is taking a leading role in teaching the Chinese to play the game and sees the world's most populous nation as a vital frontier in the sport's expansion plans.

Dazzling Spectacle Could Only Be Made In China

FOR one unforgetable night, China ruled the world.

Promises, Promises, Promises

THE CAULDRON has been lit, the fireworks so sensationally exploded. And now the Chinese Government and International Olympic Committee can sit on the edge of their seats watching how the next fortnight pans out. Their lofty global reputations are firmly on the line. China wants to erase the images of tanks staring down protesting students, of Mao's Little Red Book. The Olympic movement desperately wants to be seen as an important catalyst in this historic change of world perception.

Love And Socialism On Revolution's Factory Floor

The author of a frank new memoir of life in 1980s China still laments some aspects of her life, writes Dan Edwards. Lijia Zhang,

Political Sensitivity? Got It Beat, Says Dream Team

It might not be the most diplomatic team, but the Dream Team knows the value of its match against China. AS YOU might expect from a nation that refers to the winners of its domestic sporting competitions as "world champions", American athletes generally possess the global vision of an earthworm with cataracts.

Olympics Or Not, China Loses If The Us Is Off Its Game

The US economic crisis should be worrying the Chinese Communist Party, writes David Hirst.

Bush Rebuked For 'interference'

CHINA has issued a stern warning to US President George Bush not to interfere in its human rights affairs on the eve of the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

Bush Chides China - From A Safe Distance

KEVIN RUDD yesterday raised the Olympic and then the Australian flag in the athletes village in Beijing, as expectations grew about how the Prime Minister would address the human rights issue after the US President, George Bush, delivered a reprimand to China on the issue.

Bush Attacks China - From A Safe Distance

KEVIN RUDD yesterday raised the Olympic and then the Australian flag in the athletes village in Beijing, as expectations grew about how the Prime Minister would address the human rights issue after the US President, George Bush, delivered a reprimand to China on the issue.

Faster, Higher, Stronger. Let The Games Begin.

Tonight's the night. After years of preparation, China unveils its Olympic dream to the world.

Rudd: Shine The Light But It Won't Overshadow Record

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd believes it's important for world leaders to keep pressing China on human rights but doesn't expect it to have a significant impact.

The Great Pall Of China

TO SOME it is smog. To others, thick haze. Qiao Lin, of the China Meteorological Administration, says it is a combination of summer heat and humidity producing cloudy, overcast conditions.

Oarsome. Tomkins Embodies The Spirit

The annointing of five-times Olympian James Tomkins as Australian flag bearer is a moment of personal triumph. For China, tonight's opening ceremony, likely to surpass all before it, is also a seminal moment. IN BEIJING, as always at Olympic Games, the prelude consists of a series of ceremonies and formalities of escalating grandeur. For Australia yesterday, there were two, the raising of the Australian flag at the Olympic village, and the announcement of rower and five-time Olympian James ...

Human Rights On Opening Agenda

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd yesterday raised the Olympic and then the Australian flag in the Athletes Village in Beijing as expectations grew over how he would tackle the human rights issue - especially after US President George Bush delivered a reprimand to China.

Loan Crisis Tipped To Spook China

OPENING China's economy to the world will be a slower and even more politically fraught project than previously thought, thanks to the US housing crisis.

To Make Its People Happier, China Has To Ease Back On Growth

Chinese people are choking on their country's success.

China's Mines Lie Eerily Quiet For Olympics

Forget pollution - the real reason is to stop embarrassing reports of underground disasters.

Meet Liu Xiang At 21 He Is China's Cathy Freeman, A Young Man Carrying A Nation

LIU XIANG will rise from the starting blocks at the Birds Nest Stadium in less than three weeks, carrying more pressure than any athlete in any sport has ever known.

Gosper's Stand May Cost His Job

AUSTRALIA'S International Olympic Committee member, Kevan Gosper, may struggle to retain his position as the committee's press commission chairman in the fallout of China's internet censorship row.

Strive For Peak Performance

Simone Brandon goes for gold while trekking in the mountains of China's Shaanxi Province. At 5.30am the sunrise is spectacular.

This Man Carries The Hopes Of 1.3 Billion Chinese On His Shoulders. Meet Liu Xiang, Hurdler, And Symbol Of The New Self-assured China.

WHEN Liu Xiang rises from the starting blocks at the "Bird's Nest" stadium less than three weeks from now he may be carrying more pressure than any athlete has ever known.

This Man Carries The Hopes Of 1.3 Billion Chinese On His Shoulders. Meet Liu Xiang, Hurdler, And Symbol Of China's Great Expectations.

WHEN Liu Xiang rises from the starting blocks at the "Bird's Nest" stadium less than three weeks from now he may be carrying more pressure than any athlete has ever known.

World Holds Its Breath As China Takes The Stage

China's censoring of websites was a disaster narrowly avoided.

The Rules That Are Eating Into China

There are three classes of traveller in the Olympic country, writes John Garnaut.

There Are Three Types Of Tourist: Two Can Go Home

China welcomes the world, but not its own, writes John Garnaut.

China And The West Moving In Parallel Worlds

WITH one week to go before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, host nation China stands in the centre of a global diplomatic storm, sparked by its insistence on strict internet censorship, but broadening yesterday to include human rights abuses.

China Lied About Press Freedom And Ioc Is Complicit In The Deceit

The IOC has lost control of the Olympic Games to a leadership determined to impose censorship, writes Jacquelin Magnay in Beijing.