Another look at Asian blogging...

Hong Kong, Taiwan and China

• Tom reports that my homeland is caving in to pressure from China on a refugee application. You can imagine the reception waiting for her when she gets back to China.

• China is facing a shortage of migrant labour for the first time in 20 years. ALN has plenty more, as does China Herald. ALN also says China is not just attracting investment, it is starting to become a big investor itself.

• Tom takes issue with a translation by ESWN. ESWN also translates the introduction to a book by Jiao Guobiao, the professor who wrote the polemic against the CCP's Propaganda Department.

• ACB says there may be an answer to China's growing power problems: the sun.

• ESWN follows the ongoing flap over Taiwanese singer Chang A-Mei and her concert in Beijing.

• Phil finds Tex-Mex in the middle of China. He also talks about the ups and downs of trains in China.

• ACB was looking at the build-up to this weekend's soccer final. Fumier congratulates Japan on their weekend soccer win but says China has won too. ESWN wraps-up the stories and photos of the weekend's Asia Cup soccer final between Japan and China. FY looks at the whole mess from Korea, saying it proves China's not ready for an Olympics. Jodi also has more. The Ruck has photos and also has some strongly worded thoughts on the hooliganism of China's fans. What is it about soccer that brings out the worst in people? Interestingly ACB has found a case where China ignored a chance at anti-Japanese rhetoric. The catch? It was attacking US nuclear ambitions instead.

• While we're on sport, Peking Dork notes that Taiwanese fans at the Olympics have been asked to not fly their own flag, but rather an "approved" version. PD also notes the double standards between Chinese fans burning Japanese flags (deemed acceptable) and the ban on Taiwan's flag. How will China deal with the Taiwanese at the Beijing Olympics?

• Joel looks at differences between Korea and Hong Kong and has some good pics and observations of the Big Lychee.

• Fumier's (via Hemlock) got a secret he doesn't want you to pass on. He's also got the shocking news that some lawyers in China can't be trusted.

• Fons reports on another trade fair in China: the adult toy expo. It includes this interesting bit: "In Australia we sell three million vibrators per year, mostly made in China," said Michael Rutner, of 'Next to nothing'. That means on average one vibrator for every sexual active woman." Now you know why Aussie women smile so much.

• ESWN has another photo montage of pictures of China.

• Dan Washburn, now in Hunan, talks about the ongoing Chinese fascination with Mao and visits the late Chairman's home town.

Korea and Japan

• I didn't realise but South Korea is trying to ban reporting on its deployment of troops to Iraq. South Korea's obviously not as democratic as it pretends, although Gord reports the blog blockage seems over.

• Oranckay says the UN has appointed someone to look at human rights in North Korea. The question remains: will he get out of the airport?

• Marmot and Cathartidae are covering the ongoing tussle between Korea and China over that most delicate of topics: history. Marmot goes through the background of this tiff here: it seems it all started when China deleted any references to Korean history before 1948 to solve the problem of dropping references to the kingdom of Koguryo in the 1st Century AD. So they're only missing about 5,000 years. Oranckay has more and thinks the spat will serve to cure those in Korea fixated with China. What all this (and the soccer debacle above too) is the wounds of wars are not healed in Asia, because there has not been acceptance and apologies. While Europe screwed the process up after WW1, it seemed to get it right after WW2 (perhaps because the start of the Cold War) and now Germany is accepted (mostly) at face value. While the rest of Europe may have reservations, Germany re-unified and has continued to be Europe's biggest economy without raising ire or causing political problems. In Asia this hasn't happened, mostly because of Japan's refusal to confront its past. Until it does these kind of problems are going to continue and sensitivities will remain fragile. And it will be to Japan's detriment.

• IA says goodbye to Korea, emphatically.

SE Asia

• The Sassy Lawyer talks about the plague of child prostitution in Philippines and across Asia.

• Happy Birthday, Singapore. Jodi talks about Singapore's dynastic succession this week and takes a look at its future.

• Jakartass looks at Indonesia's judicial system and finds it wanting.

Miscellany

• Now I never need to worry about being called hairy again.

• The alternative Big Mac index continues, with numbers in for HK.

Finally thanks to both Shaky and Gutrumbles for the links.