Asia Cast

Asia Cast for Sunday 7th February

In this Bulletin…

- Unpaid wages spark protests among China’s migrant workers;
- Vietnam accused of jailing activists to silence dissent; and
- Google dragged into Asian border dispute.

But first we have our Shen Yun quote of the day

[audio]

For more information please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.

Our SOH focus on China is next

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Beijing has seen a hard winter this year, but that hasn’t dampened consumers’ spirits, especially with the Chinese New Year holiday fast approaching.

According to an economist from the Asia Development Bank, retail sales figures for December were already up by 17 per cent on last year. And the spending trend is expected to last through to the New Year.

But while sales boom, the mass migration of China’s workforce back to their hometowns causes a lull in production. Many of China’s migrant workers return home just once a year. As they stay for several weeks it can take a while for things to get going again.

Watch NTDTV to find out more about China’s New Year celebrations.

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In related news, there have been waves of protests by migrant workers in China trying to recover unpaid wages.

It’s estimated that only six per cent of migrant workers in China receive their wages on time. The desire to return home with some money for the family over Chinese New Year has made things worse.

Sound of Hope has heard of several such protests, most involving workers from the construction industry. According to the Nanfang Daily, the construction industry accounts for over 70 per cent of the $120 billion US dollars in unpaid wages in China.

One problem the workers face is that some of the Communist Party officials they are asking for help have interests in the construction industry.

You can read our full report on The Epoch Times website.

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And now for the rest of today’s Asia Cast

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A writer and democracy activist in Vietnam has been jailed over an assault she says she was the victim of.

The author was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for attacking two men during a parking dispute in Hanoi. She denied the charges, saying her and her husband were the victims of the attack and not the perpetrators.

Rights groups have accused the authorities of trying to silence a known critic of Vietnam’s government.

Human Rights Watch said Vietnam’s intolerance for different opinions had recently reached a new low in the run-up to next year’s party congress.

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Google has been an unlikely target in the ongoing border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.

Cambodia is upset that a Google map places almost half of an ancient temple in Thailand. In a letter seen by AFP, Cambodia accused Google of being ‘professionally irresponsible’.

Cambodia said the map was radically misleading and asked for it to be removed.

Although the main entrance lies at the foot of a mountain in Thailand, in 1962 the World Court ruled the temple belonged to Cambodia. The exact boundary through the surrounding grounds remains in dispute. And landmines left over war in Cambodia have prevented the border from being fully demarcated.

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“You’re listening to Asia Cast on the SOH Radio Network”

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An Australian company has just signed the country’s biggest ever export deal. It’s to supply China’s power industry with 30 million tonnes of coal annually for 20 years. And it’s worth $60 billion US dollars, that’s $69 billion Australian.

China is heavily dependent on coal to meet its growing energy needs. Fulfilling the contract will involve the construction of a huge new mining complex. Hundreds of kilometres of railway will also have to laid to transport the coal to the coast.

Analysts say it’s another example of Australia’s economy benefiting from China’s need for resources. Environmental groups are likely to be far from happy however.

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Milwaukee, in the US state of Wisconsin, is the unlikely location where a company from Beijing wants to open a Chinese-style mega mall.

Wu Li, president of Toward Group said the cost of doing business there was very low. His company recently acquired a dormant shopping complex in northwest Milwaukee.

Wu said the new mall will represent the best in Chinese manufacturing. Although Wu and parts of the region’s commerce sector were optimistic, some local consumers were not so sure.

The recent health scandals resulting from lax manufacturing in China have made many Americans think twice before buying Chinese.

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“Asia Cast… keeping you across the top headlines from Asia and the World.”