Three Gorges Probe News

The large-scale construction that accompanied the building of the Three Gorges dam and its reservoir has increased the number of landslides―both new and reactivated―in the surrounding area. County seats recently built on land near the reservoir are now particularly prone to landslides. Local schools and residential buildings are already suffering cracked foundations and walls.  read more »

Beijing’s worsening water crisis is once again forcing its neighbouring province Hebei to sacrifice more of its dwindling reserves. According to a recent report from China Daily, Hebei is expected to open four of its reservoirs this year in an effort to help cover demand in the country's water-starved capital.   read more »

A Chinese law school graduate recently sued China’s Ministry of Finance for denying his right, as a taxpayer, to information about the Three Gorges Construction Fund. This is the first time a taxpayer has challenged the Chinese regime.  read more »

The fragile hilly ecosystem near the Three Gorges Reservoir has suffered a series of plights including geologic hazards, stone desertification and water pollution, said a vice-mayor of Chongqing municipality, the Beijing Times reported on Saturday.  read more »

The Nu River flows from the Tibetan highlands through China’s western Yunnan province, cutting between two mountain ranges before rushing through Burma into the Andaman Sea. It is home to a third of the country’s ethnic groups and a diverse ecosystem of 7,000 species of plants and 80 rare or endangered animals and fish. It's also one of only two major rivers in China yet to be dammed.

But that may not last.  read more »

In what might be a first, China's state media is telling the truth about migrants who were forced off their land to make way for the massive Three Gorges dam.  A recent China Daily story covered the painstaking details of a family trying to integrate in a new community after being forced to move to an east coast city from their home in the southwest.  read more »

It is a great pity that the government seems not to want progress; that it seems to have given up trying. The Chinese Constitution and the rights of its citizens have been recklessly trampled by the one-party system. There is no end to the number of cases of injustice, or miscarriages of justice that this system churns out. The case of Liu Xiaobo is just the latest warning sign: when economic conditions improve, the one-party dictatorship must not continue to keep us languishing in obscurity. We must decide that we want to join the community of universal values, and come out to fight for this of our own accord. The case of Liu Xiaobo and Charter 08 is not an isolated one, but it serves as a rallying cry.  read more »

Despite a number of concerns, China's involvement in Africa is welcome for a variety of psychological and pragmatic reasons.  read more »

China's engagement with Africa should be a boon. Its overall trade with Africa rose from $10.6 billion in 2000 to $75.5 billion in 2008, propelling Africa's growth rate to 5.8% in 2008, its best performance since 1974. China is now Africa's second-largest trading partner after the United States, importing a third of its crude oil from Africa...But China's engagement is increasingly being seen as odious, predatory and brutish. The initial enthusiasm that greeted Chinese investments in Africa has now cooled.  read more »

Tired of paying into a fund for the construction of Three Gorges dam without knowing how the money was being spent, Ren Xinghui took matters into his own hands. After his request for disclosure of the income, investment and expenditure for the dam was denied by the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Ren decided to take the Ministry to court, saying the government is violating its own disclosure laws. Now, he's become the most recent example of a growing number of Chinese citizens that are trying to make the government more transparent and accountable. Read about Mr. Ren's quest, in his own words, in this translated interview.   read more »