Sascha Matuszak

Taiwan had a chance to prove to the world, and most of all to China, that a free democratic election is a just and righteous method for choosing leaders. That chance was blown, and now with angry opposition protests raging across the island screaming “invalid” and “staged,” the stage is set for Beijing’s intervention to … Continue reading “Chinese and US Bluffs”

It’s ironic that the Mainland demands only patriots may rule in Hong Kong and Taiwan – patriots meaning real Chinese and not bastardized versions corrupted by Western interference; Chinese who support the Party. 5000 years of culture is a term used often here to describe the confusion that often arises when West meets East on … Continue reading “The 50-Year Communist Assault on 5000 Years of Chinese Culture”

In the weeks following Dr. Khan’s confession, the network he used to improve Pakistan’s military technology and enrich himself and his laboratory has led IAEA inspectors into a rat’s nest of businessmen from Malaysia to Colorado. Conspicuously missing from the discussions over who sold what to whom is the role of China’s significant military assistance … Continue reading “China: Whining Victim or Great Power?”

There is a story I have been hearing lately that goes something like this: “A Japanese Dairy Group opened a factory in China and began processing dairy products for consumption in Japan. The Japanese, being both fastidious and organized in character, kept the factory very clean and orderly in order to please the demanding market … Continue reading “Iron Stomachs”

A recent study by a Chinese Academy of Social Sciences claims the emerging Chinese middle class is a myth. All those interviewed who believe they are middle class, are actually deluding themselves or lying. Or are being lied to. A concurrent stream of research by the Henry Luce Foundation in cooperation with the Baker Institute … Continue reading “Can China Keep Up the Pace?”

There is an air of expectation drowning out the thumping disco music in the private room rented out to celebrate old friends meeting again. Three or four bottles of Chivas are scattered amongst the dice and glasses and plates of fruit and one of the girls is pouring two parts green tea and one part … Continue reading “Chinese Beats”

December 27, 2003 Another Christmas in China Christmas in Chengdu has reached great proportions. Shopkeepers have seen the frenzy with which people shop during the holidays and they therefore adorn their storefronts with Christmas trees, snowflakes and white-lettered exhortations to enjoy and buy. I even saw a Chinese version of the nativity scene at a … Continue reading “Another Christmas in China”

Except for maybe Sichuanese and (Inner) Mongolians, Chinese aren’t really the fist fighting type. Of course a fight breaks out every second in a country of 1.3 billion, but relatively speaking, most Chinese will yell and point and have the neighbors gather before they let fly with the fists and low-cut black dress shoes. But … Continue reading “Taiwan, the Errant Son”

I was the basketball coach at the First Annual Chengdu MBA Student Basketball Tournament last week. The four biggest universities in the city (and Sichuan Province for that matter) all fielded teams: Southwest University of Finance and Economics, Southwest Transportation University, University of Electronics and Technology and Sichuan University. I coached Sichuan University’s team and … Continue reading “China’s MBA Craze”

I think Americans would be surprised to know how conservative the views of many Chinese are concerning such “mutual” problems as Iraq, North Korea, terrorism and the whole world order as it is now. Of course, young Chinese males with internet access tend to rant on about the global conspiracy engineered by the US and … Continue reading “Anti-Fools of the World Unite!”