Category: Politics & Society

China’s National People’s Congress endorsed Li Keqiang as the first-ranked vice-premier, the South China Morning Post reported. This makes Li the most likely successor to Premier Wen Jiabao when Wen’s second term expires in five years. Li, a protégé of President Hu Jintao, joined the Standing Committee of the Politburo last October, and formerly worked […]

Ministers and officials from the European Union (EU) said that any violence in Tibet should not be linked to the Olympics in Beijing, and that they would not boycott the summer games, the Financial Times reported. After a scheduled meeting of representatives of the 27 states of the EU, the head of the European Olympic […]

Tibetan riots similar to those that broke out in Lhasa last week have been reported in Tibetan-populated areas of nearby provinces including Qinghai and Sichuan, the South China Morning Post reported. Thousands of People’s Liberation Army soldiers have been sent to the areas to restore order. State media said 10 civilians had been killed in […]

Premier Wen Jiabao is to name new appointees to the State Council today, including the heads of the five new "super-ministries," the South China Morning Post reported. Wen, who was re-elected for his second and final five-year term at the National People’s Congress, is expected to signal change with his appointments of relatively young and […]

Chinese security officers were out in force in the streets of Lhasa on Thursday, as the Tibetan capital prepared itself for further protests from Buddhist monks and ethnic Tibetans against Chinese rule, the Financial Times reported. The demonstrations were timed to mark the 49th anniversary of the uprising which saw the Dalai Lama flee to […]