The China Thread

[Jacob]

Lust will destroy you!

Chinese Officials Fired Over Sex Scandal

'China's state news media reported on Friday details of a sex extortion ring that brazenly operated "honey traps" in the southwest metropolis of Chongqing for several years. The widening scandal, which first emerged late last year, has led to the dismissals of at least 11 officials of the Communist Party, government or state-owned companies for having sex with women in the ring and then being blackmailed by the men who had set up the snares.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/world/asia/chinese-officials-fired-over-chongqing-sex-scandal.html

I think it's "honey trap," singular. This is the picture going around purporting to be of the woman who brought down Zhengfu Lei and the 10 other officials:

[Monoriu]

Well that's just stupid.
Take what you can get till you get what you want.

"I have never and will never consider a factory job — what's the point of sitting there hour after hour, doing repetitive work?" he asked.

I've read Mono's stories and......

You don't understand me.  I *want* to do repetitive work.  It is just that I don't get it.

[CountDeMoney]

She doesn't even do full nude.  Only showed her breasts at most, I think.  She is actually an accomplished dancer, so her trademark move is to do the splits.  The newspapers like to make fun of the fact that her upper lips are abnormally thin.  She has a habit of using lipstick to cover that up.

Who gives a shit.  I'd give her a squirt of my duck sauce right between those lips, lipstick or not.

[Ed Anger]

Well, I can never eat duck again.

[garbon]

I think Seeds might need to get his pipes checked.

[CountDeMoney]

My pipes froze and burst many winters ago.   

[Syt]

[Jacob]

Fresh rumor: Zhou Yongkang is said to have committed suicide.

[Jacob]

Big in Chinese media right now: some people who were falsely accused of rape and murder where set free when it came to light there was no evidence against them and their confessions were brutally tortured. The policewoman in charge of their case was previously lauded as a hero for solving so many cases so quickly; there's some sort of back and forth whether this was simply "one mistake" or a pattern.

In any case, she is seen as a protege (if somewhat down the line) of Zhou Yongkang who was known for that sort of brutal tactics in his career (and as the powerful Minister of Public Security). Whether Zhou has committed suicide or not, it seems that his star - and hopefully his approach - is waning.

[Phillip V]

Wary of China, Companies Head South

'Manufacturers are flocking to Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia, below, as a way to limit their reliance on factories in China, where blue-collar wages have surged.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/09/business/global/wary-of-events-in-china-foreign-investors-head-to-cambodia.html

[Valmy]

The race to the bottom continues!

Some day they will run out of countries to flee to.  Then people might get paid again....or the robots will have fully taken over.

[Neil]

The race to the bottom continues!

Some day they will run out of countries to flee to.  Then people might get paid again....or the robots will have fully taken over.

That day will be a dark day for public order in the West.

[HVC]

The race to the bottom continues!

Some day they will run out of countries to flee to.  Then people might get paid again....or the robots will have fully taken over.

they'll get paid but won't be able to afford anything

[The Minsky Moment]

The Chinese textile sector still dwarfs its neighbors (about 10x larger than Vietnam).  The sheer size of the workforce and operations means that change will be incremental.  China also had infrastructure and transport advantages and productivity levels are higher so they can get away with somewhat higher wage levels for some time. 

[Josquius]

Industry leaving China for SE Asia has been happening for some time. Something which China's international behaviour has really been helping along.