China in the headlines – 1 July 2008

In the latest wrap-up from news outlets and bloggers across the globe:

CHINA STEPS UP ARRESTS OF NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES, DEFECTORS SAY
Bloomberg – Chinese authorities are intensifying the search for North Korean defectors hiding in the country, offering as much as triple the usual reward for information that leads to their capture, defectors said …

THE OLYMPICS ARE COMING, IT’S TIME TO BEHAVE
New York Times Blogs – Ever consider using a national flag as a seat cushion? Or holler and whistle and make other unruly noises? Letting loose your inner demon on the Web? These are just some of the no-nos put out by Xinhua Web site in anticipation of the Olympics …

CHINA ACTS TO PRE-EMPT UNREST AS OLYMPICS NEAR
ABC – China has ordered local officials to head off any protests that could tarnish the Olympics, the Government said, after a violent riot by 10,000 people threw the spotlight on deep social tensions …

TORPROJECT.ORG BLOCKED BY GFW IN CHINA: SOONER OR LATER?
– We didn’t expect Tor wouldn’t be blocked for a long time before it became true days ago …

CHINA REBUFFS CRITICISM OVER STRICTER VISA POLICIES
Guardian – China has hit back at criticism over recently tightened visa policies ahead of August's Olympics, saying they were necessary to ensure Games security and keep out "hostile forces" …

WITH CHINA AND DALAI LAMA TALKING, SARKOZY SAYS HE MAY ATTEND GAMES
New York Times Blogs – French president Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday he might attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics if talks announced Sunday between the Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama make progress …

DALAI LAMA'S TIME BOMB
Salon – It takes a particular form of confidence to sit across a negotiating table, armed only with moral courage and wearing religious robes, facing representatives of one of the world's biggest armies …