In The News

How Dangerous is the Bird Flu?

Laurie Garrett February 6, 2004
In recent weeks the avian flu has emerged as a matter of urgent concern for poultry farmers, health officials, and government leaders in Asian countries. Cases of infected poultry have been reported in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and seven other countries, with widespread culling and bans on chicken exports in many of these. But with fewer than twenty human deaths reported thus far, is this...

Interviews Deter Thousands of Chinese Brides

Cody Yiu February 5, 2004
In September, the Taiwanese government began interviewing Chinese citizens attempting to enter Taiwan on marriage visas. The program has successfully identified hundreds of fake marriages, and may have made the job of Chinese "snakeheads", or people smugglers, more difficult. Many snakeheads traffic in young girls, who have a harder time passing the entrance interviews. Some snakeheads...

Asian Central Banks Consider Alternatives to Big Dollar Holdings

Phillip Day February 5, 2004
South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, China and Japan say they plan to shift out of US treasuries. The reasons vary: for some bankers, Treasuries are not bringing the required rate of return, particularly with a depreciating dollar; for others, now is a good time to pay down debt or help finance domestic industry. But given their large holdings, Asian countries need to ensure that any sell-off does not...

Six-Way Nuclear Talk Prospects Unclear

Seo Hyun-jin February 4, 2004
North Korea's announcement that it is willing to proceed with six-way talks on its nuclear program is no guarantee that progress will be made when its representatives meet with those of the US and other countries in Beijing later this month. This article in The Korea Herald says that the future of the talks and Pyongyang's nuclear weapons development program depends on the resolution...

Chicken Exports: Watana Threatens Retaliation

February 4, 2004
As more humans are infected by the avian flu in Asia, Thailand's chicken exports are not faring well. Many countries, including Japan, are rejecting Thai chicken exports until they are assured that the avian flu is no longer a problem. Larger-scale commercial farms and some Thai officials are promoting the use of modern, covered chicken houses to contain the spread of the virus. But the...

Global Environmentalism Hits China

Guobin Yang February 4, 2004
Capitalism is not the only '-ism' flourishing in China today. Since the early 1990s, the country's battles against dust storms, deforestation, watershed pollution, and other problems have attracted the attention of both domestic groups and foreign environmental organizations. The government in Beijing signaled its official commitment to sustainable development after the 1992 Rio...

WTO Rice Import Talks

January 29, 2004
After much outside pressure and great internal dissent, South Korea has announced its willingness to consider liberalizing rice imports. The country currently allows only a small percentage of its domestic rice demand to be met by imports. Yet to comply with rules set by the World Trade Organization, the government in Seoul must either incrementally increase rice imports or liberalize the...