China's GDP increased 8.9 percent for the third quarter, moving closer toward the goal of 8 percent growth for the year. Criminal trials are underway following months of police investigation. Details of murky cases are trickling out. Among those on the dock is Xie Caiping, a portly woman believed be the "mama san" of one of Chongqing's notorious triads. Xie is accused of operating gambling dens, drug trafficking, giving and collecting bribes and terrorizing people, including policemen who had tried ...

The Supreme Court tentatively agreed Tuesday to accept an appeal from a group of native Chinese Muslims who had asked to be released into the United States from American military custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The case may soon dissolve, however, because nearly all the men have been or are expected to soon be sent voluntarily to other nations. The Pacific island nation of Palau has agreed in recent weeks to take in 12 of the 13 remaining prisoners, U.S. ...

A few drinks in the People's Republic of China led me to discover European delights and other unexpected finds in modest Qingdao. Another round of toasts and exclamations of "hajiu" sounded out around me. I took a sip and set down my small glass of Tsingtao beer as my new friends downed theirs and refilled. Our seafood dinner, perched on the single cluttered table of a tiny antique shop, was punctuated regularly by such moments. I joined in happily, although ...

When Jimmy Wales visited the headquarters of Hudong.com last month, he had one question for its founder: is it possible for Wikipedia to be the number one online encyclopedia in China? "Absolutely not," was the response of Pan Haidong, head of Hudong.com, the world's largest Chinese encyclopedia website. "Because there is Hudong here in China. Of course we are a copycat of Wikipedia but we have a lot of innovations, and we do a lot of ...

The brother of a convicted British drug smuggler facing imminent execution in China has pleaded for authorities to show compassion amid concerns over the man's mental health at the time of his arrest. Akmal Shaikh was arrested carrying a suitcase containing 4 kilograms of heroin at Urumqi airport in northwestern China after arriving on a flight from Tajikistan in September 2007. The 53-year-old claimed he was given the suitcase to carry by another man who had duped him into believing ...

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held talks with Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao in Beijing Tuesday, as the two countries agreed bilateral economic and trade deals worth $4 billion, Chinese state Media reported. Wen hosted a welcome ceremony for Putin at the Great Hall of the People at the start of a three-day visit, before their private talks and a larger session involving ministers from both sides, Xinhua said. "Russia and China have become genuine and comprehensive strategic and cooperative partners ...

Marian Cilic will face second seed Novak Djokovic in the final of the China Open on Sunday after handing world No. 2 Rafael Nadal his first defeat in Beijing. Top seed Nadal, who won the tournament in 2005 and also claimed the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, lost 6-1 6-3 to the eighth-seeded Croatian wildcard entry to end his 14-match winning run in the Chinese capital. Djokovic defeated French Open finalist Robin Soderling 6-3 6-3 to set up a ...

"This better be good." It was 5:45 a.m. and like many West Wing staffers on Friday, Deputy White House Spokesman Bill Burton had been awoken by a phone call, in this case from an ABC News correspondent, Yunji De Nies, who told Burton that President Obama had just won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. "That is good," quipped Burton. A few minutes later, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called the President to wake him up with the news, which ...

An imperial "dragon" throne owned by a Chinese emperor set the world auction record for Chinese furniture Thursday, selling for about US $11 million. There was frenzied bidding among mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan collectors at the Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong. Thirty-six bids came in 10 minutes, with tension building as a new telephone bidder jumped into the competition. "These mainland (China) buyers, mainland collectors are ready to pay the premium it takes to secure an object of ...

One of the Internet's great promises is that it's the ultimate democratizer. It's open to everyone and allows all people to communicate. But, so far, there have been several hitches in that plan. Not everyone has access to a computer and a broadband connection. Some governments still censor the Internet. And of course, we don't all speak the same language. For the World Wide Web to be truly global, shouldn't Chinese speakers be able to chat online with people who ...