Old Issues but New Tricks: China uses the UNESCO Cultural Diversity Convention in a WTO dispute

Nicole Aylwin is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Communication and Culture Graduate Programme at York University. This past December the World Trade Organization appellate body ruled against China in a dispute with the United States. The US initiated the dispute in 2007 to address three concerns: 1) China was prohibiting foreign businesses from importing publications, […]

iPhones soon to find their way in China

Massive uncertainty looms around the future of Apple's iPhone as Apple hits a new pothole in its rough journey to release iPhones in the Chinese subscriber market. The reason behind this ambiguity is that the trade-mark "i-phone" for mobile handsets in China is already owned by a Chinese electronics firm Hanwang Technologies Co., thereby making […]

Is Online Censorship in China Weakening?

Currently, China has an estimated 70 million bloggers posting on a wide range of subjects.  In January, the country's number of internet users was estimated at 298 million, the most of any nation in the world.  Unfortunately, China's internet censorship is one of the most pervasive and sophisticated in the world.   Bloggers' freedom of expression […]

Potential of US Copyright Agenda to Endanger Freedom of Expression in China

One of the most prevalent criticisms leveled against China today is the lack of human rights afforded to its citizens.  This is particularly so in the area of civil and political rights, where China’s single-party unitary rule has made political prisoners of pro-democracy activists.  Western advocacy groups have applied political pressure to convince the Chinese […]

Tainted Information and Tainted Milk

A recent tainted milk disaster in China has killed at least three infants and made thousands of others sick. Several countries have banned or recalled Chinese dairy products in response. Economic and health experts are still trying to measure the impact of the melamine contamination. But with allegations of cover-ups and corruption, this catastrophe raises […]