Washington Post

choi

(1) Caitlin Dewey, China’s Disposable Chopstick Addiction Is Destroying Its Forests. Mar 14, 2013
http://www.washingtonpost.com/bl ... roying-its-forests/
("China uses 20 million trees each year to feed the country’s disposable chopstick habit, Bo Guangxin, the head of a major forestry group, told Chinese parliamentarians on Friday according to Chinese state media. At 4,000 chopsticks per tree, that’s roughly 80 billion chopsticks per year — far more than the 57 billion estimated by the country’s national forest bureau")

Note: The report is based on South China Morning Post.
(a) 港媒：木制餐具正令中国的森林承受沉重负担. 新华网, Mar 12, 2013.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/gangao/2013-03/12/c_124445503.htm

* BO Guangxin  吉林森工集团董事长 柏 广新
(b) Chris LUO, China's 80 Billion Disposable Chopsticks a 'Burden' on Forests. SCMP, Mar 11, 2013.
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/a ... icks-burden-forests


(2) Howard Schneider, On Think Tank Row, a China Critic From China. Mar 13, 2013.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/bu ... d70acad2_story.html

two consecutive paragraphs:

Min ZHU’s [朱 民; born 1952] address Tuesday at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies [on Mar 12, 2013] wasn’t focused on China. But in answering questions afterward, Zhu, deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, endorsed some of the chief complaints that US leaders — and the IMF — have made about the world’s second-largest economy.

"Capital and resource prices are too cheap, Zhu said, which has led to an unhealthy glut of investment and a 'risky' situation in which only 60 percent of the country’s industrial capacity is being used.

choi

(3) William Wan, Xi’s Election to Presidency Completes China’s Leadership Transition. Mar 14, 2013.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wo ... d70acad2_story.html

Quote:

(a) "'Internally, they [China's leaders] may believe they have found a way of maintaining governance without making these big changes,' said Zhang Lifan, a historian and political commentator in Beijing.

(b) "In one relatively surprising move on Thursday, the vice presidency was given to Li Yuanchao, an apparent reflection of a backroom power competition between Xi’s predecessors Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin to maneuver their allies into key positions.

"Li, an ally of Hu, was passed over in November for one of the seven seats on China’s most powerful body, the Politburo Standing Committee, which instead became dominated by Jiang allies. Giving the vice president spot to Li could be seen as a high-ranking consolation prize, potentially positioning him for another attempt in five years, analysts said. But if the position remains as it is, with no real power or defined portfolio, his chances could be harmed.

My comment: There is no need to read the rest.