Battle breaks out over game approval
Hu Yinan and Wang Xing, China Daily, November 4, 2009
A conflict of interest over online gaming rights has sparked a battle between the Ministry of Culture (MOC) and the General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP). Recently, the GAPP has pulled the plug on World of WarCraft, a popular online video game that has massive fanfare worldwide. The MOC has complained, saying that GAPP did not have the authority to block the video game, that anything online is fully administered by the MOC. GAPP has argued that online games are published material, and therefore well within its jurisdiction. As vaguely defined government agencies battle it out, this turf war is greatly impacting China’s 217 million online gamers, with an estimated one million tuned in to World of WarCraft. --posted by Ryan Dalton
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World Bank raises forecast for China’s economy
Bettina Wassener, New York Times, November 4, 2009
The World Bank predicts the Chinese economy will grow 8.4 percent his year, up from the 7.2 percent it predicted in June. The bank readjusted its earlier forecast after China’s rapid rebound this year, following the large stimulus package of 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion). Domestic demand has also been boosted and export growth is likely to resume. The World Bank predicts the economic growth for China in 2010 to be 8.7 percent. ---posted by Ying Jia Huang
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China approves Disney theme park in Shanghai
Brooks Barnes, New York Times, November 4, 2009
Beijing has finally approved plans to build a Disneyland-style theme park in the Putong area of Shanghai after 20 years of on-off negotiations. This landmark deal marks a significant milestone, as the infrastructure is expected to exceed the size of the Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and would be on par with the parks in Paris and Tokyo. The theme park is expected to cost $3.5 billion, making it one of the largest-ever foreign investments in China. The cultural implications for China are enormous—where previously the country has aggressively refrained from introducing anything that is uniquely Western in an attempt to protect its own culture.--posted by Ying Jia Huang
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