Doing business in China: March 2008 Archives

By USA TODAY
March 23, 2008

Don't expect to turn on your TV during the Beijing Olympics and see live shots of Tiananmen Square, where Chinese troops crushed pro-democracy protests nearly two decades ago.

Apparently unnerved by recent unrest among Tibetans and fearful of protests in the heart of the capital, China has told broadcast officials it will bar live television shots from the vast square during the games.

A ban on live broadcasts would disrupt the plans of NBC and other major international networks, who have paid hundreds of millions of dollars to broadcast the Aug. 8-24 games and are counting on eye-pleasing live shots from the iconic square.

The rethinking of Beijing's earlier promise to broadcasters comes as the government has poured troops into Tibetan areas wracked by anti-government protests this month and stepped up security in cities, airports and entertainment venues far from the unrest.

In another sign of the government's unease, 400 American Boy Scouts who had been promised they could go onto the field following a March 15 exhibition game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres were prevented from doing so by police.

"It was never specifically mentioned to me it was because of Tibet that there were extra controls, but there were all these changes at the last minute," said a person involved in the Major League Baseball event who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The communist government's resorting to heavy-handed measures runs the risk of undermining Beijing's pledge to the International Olympic Committee that the games would promote greater openness in what a generation ago was still an isolated China. If still in place by the games, they could alienate the half-million foreigners expected at the games.

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By REUTERS | via (uncensored) Yahoo! News
March 07, 2008

China will tighten its controls over foreign singers and other performers after Icelandic singer Bjork shouted "Tibet! Tibet!" at a Shanghai concert last weekend, the Ministry of Culture said on Friday.

Bjork chanted the name of the Chinese-ruled Himalayan region after performing her song "Declare Independence," which she has used in the past to promote independence movements in other places such as Kosovo.

The performance "not only broke Chinese laws and regulations and hurt the feelings of Chinese people, but also went against the professional code of an artist," the ministry said in a statement quoted by the official Xinhua news agency.

"Any attempt to separate Tibet from China will definitely be opposed by the Chinese people and all righteous men across the world."

The ministry said it would investigate the concert and handle the matter according to the law. It did not elaborate.

Bjork said on her Web site that her references to independence were more personal than political, but she added:

"The fact that it has translated to its broadest meaning, the struggle of a suppressed nation, gives me much pleasure. I would like to wish all individuals and nations good luck in their battle for independence."

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By David Eimer | Telegraph (United Kingdom)
March 2, 2008

Performance-enhancing drugs banned in Olympic sport are being produced and sold in large quantities in China, close to the sites where the Games will be staged this summer.

Human growth hormone (HGH), regarded as the drug of choice for athletes, poses the greatest threat to the Beijing Games being drug-free because it is difficult to detect unless tested for within 24 hours of being taken.

Despite an attempt by the Chinese government to restrict its unlicensed manufacture, and a complete ban on its export, it took The Sunday Telegraph a little over a day to buy a week's supply - and then to find another company willing to dispatch much larger quantities to Britain.

China is the world's biggest manufacturer and supplier of anabolic steroids such as Stanozolol, and of HGH, which increases muscle growth, burns off body fat quickly and speeds up the healing of injuries.

Last year, Marion Jones, the American former Olympic gold medallist, became the most high-profile athlete to admit to injecting HGH when she pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about her drug-taking activities.

Others, including a Chinese swimmer and her coach, caught red-handed at Sydney Airport in 1998, have been discovered with the drug in their possession. With the Olympics approaching, China's role as a major producer of HGH is under increased scrutiny.

"Any country that is seen to be producing designer steroids and other substances that enhance performance is a concern," said Andy Parkinson, of UK Sport's drug-free unit. "We don't want the worldwide trafficking of these substances."

In November, China's own food and drug watchdog, the SFDA, promised to stop export of the drugs, which are legal in China.

However, last week The Sunday Telegraph contacted MaMaCF Imp & Exp Co Ltd, which until recently operated from an office in a housing development called Olympic Gardens, near the site of the Olympic village in Beijing. The clampdown forced it to relocate late last year to Qingdao, a port in eastern China's Shandong province - the venue for the Olympic sailing regatta.

A company representative named Mr Sun said it was still in the business of supplying HGH to buyers around the world, despite the SFDA's ban. "It's no problem to send samples, or even big quantities to the UK by courier," he said. "We've done it many times. We have lots of clients in the UK and USA."

The hormone is a controlled drug in Britain and its import is restricted. But Mr Sun said: "You don't need to worry. UK customs aren't strict at all. We describe these items on the customs form as healthcare products. If they get seized, we'll refund you."

Mr Sun offered to sell his company's HGH at 140 yuan (£9.90) per vial, each vial containing enough for five doses.

"I'll give you a cheaper price when you place a big order," he said.

Like many HGH suppliers in China, MaMaCF sells a counterfeit version of Jintropin, the most popular HGH product in China.

"I guarantee it is good quality. If you don't believe me, just try a sample," Mr Sun said.

He had no qualms about supplying a drug that athletes could use to cheat in the Beijing Olympics.

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