Global Times Weighs In On Shifang, And Weibo Censors Stir

Baby and riot police, a study in contrasts
You can almost picture the central government official from the propaganda bureau or wherever penning this editorial before sending it over to GT. It sure does seem like Beijing is making an example out of Shifang’s local leaders, with this message to everyone else: buck up or fuck off. Quoth GT: Only erroneous site selections, unqualified... Read more »

Shifang Government Cancels Plans For Copper Factory

Shifang victory?
Wow. So protests in China work? At 5:58 pm today, the official Weibo page of the Shifang, Sichuan municipal government posted a message stating that plans for a proposed molybdenum copper plant, which caused protests that began Saturday and escalated yesterday, have been permanently shelved. Perhaps local leaders read the writing on the wall when the term... Read more »

Riot Police And Protestors Clash In Shifang, Sichuan Province [UPDATE]

Shifang
In Shifang, Sichuan province, hundreds, possibly thousands of people have taken to the street to protest a molybdenum cooper project (run by HTC?) that people fear will be harmful to their environment and health. Netizens on Weibo are currently discussing the incident as it relates to riot police skirmishing with residents and setting off tear gas in the middle of a huge crowd, which they say was unnecessary. Also, several pictures have emerged, which appear after the jump.