Chinese Theft o' the Day: Fake Hummer

Everyone knows the original Hummer was based on the Humvee, an off-road vehicle designed for the U.S. military to replace the old-and-busted "Jeep." The Chinese car company Dongfeng copied the Humvee for use by the Chinese military in 2003, a car called the Dongfeng Armor. But now Dongfeng is transforming their rip-off of the Humvee into a consumer vehicle, which is a RIP-OFF OF THE HUMMER. It goes on sale next year for $185,000 each, and is called -- wait for it -- the "Crazy Soldier."

Fake Communist Party Official Gets Big Bribes

There's nothing, it seems, that can't be counterfeited in China -- even Communist Party Leadership! A man named Huang was arrested this week for falsely posing as a very senior Communist Party official so he could COLLECT BRIBES. Huang reportedly took in some $2.6 million in payoffs before the real Communist Party caught up with him. To be more convincing, the man took pictures of real officials, Photoshopped himself into the pictures, then framed and hung them in his office.

Media Report Opposite Results On Beijing Smog

As part of a widespread program to avoid killing athletes with smog at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Chinese authorities tried forcing one third of city cars off the road for four days. The Washington Post reported in a story, "Beijing's Pollution Rises in 4-Day Test Of Restricted Driving," that pollution increased during the trial because of other environmental factors. But the Associated Press reported in an article, "Beijing: Traffic Ban Cleared the Air" -- an article also published by washingtonpost.com, that the trial successfully improved air quality. What's going on? The AP is just parroting the official communist party line, while The Washington Post is ACTUALLY DOING SOME REPORTING.

Fake Sweetner From China Had Metal Shavings

An ingredients distributor in Chicago is suing the Chinese company Changzhou Kelong Chemical Co. Ltd., saying that an 11,200-kilo shipment of aspartame artificial sweetener contained METAL SHAVINGS. Aspartame is trademarked as Equal, NutraSweet and others, and is "an ingredient of approximately 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide. It is commonly used in diet soft drinks, and is often provided as a table condiment. It is also used in some brands of chewable vitamin supplements and common in many sugar-free chewing gums," according to the Wikipedia entry.

Now Clothing From China Causes Cancer - Report

Are your clothes giving you cancer? A TV program in New Zealand will expose this week that "scientists found formaldehyde in woollen and cotton clothes at levels 500 times higher than is safe," according ton an article in the Sunday Star Times. The article said, "exposure to formaldehyde in concentrations of 20 ppm (parts per million) can cause eye, skin and nasal irritations, respiratory problems, asthma and CANCER." AgriQuality scientists tested kids clothing and adult clothing from China and found formaldehyde ranging from 230 ppm to 18,000 ppm. Some clothes tested have a reading "900 times the level that actually causes harm." Even clothes with a "Made in New Zealand" label but made with imported Chinese fabrics also contained chemicals such as harmful dyes that did not wash out or wear off the way formaldehyde did. That included clothes from top-end designer labels. Question: Is anyone testing clothes in the U.S. or elsewhere for cancer-causing substances?

Half of Chinese Toys in Russia Unsafe - Report

A consumer rights official in Russia told the media Thursday that "More than half of the toys of Chinese manufacture available on the Russian market fail to meet the applicable sanitary and epidemiological requirements. They contain lead, resins, formaldehydes, substandard dyes and unsafe tiny parts," according to a report from the ITAR-TASS news agency. The official said Russian tested 185,000 toys last year, and 93,000 of them were FOUND UNSAFE. The report appears to be part of a general global collapse in the reputation of Chinese goods. Thailand banned all food imports from China yesterday. Senator Chris Dodd called on President Bush yesterday to halt many exports from China. A bed seller in the Netherlands recalled Chinese mattresses over a discovery that they're toxic. Peruvian police last week seized 60 tons of toxic Chinese toys (and also toys from Malaysia and Taiwan) smuggled illegally into the country in a sting code-named "Operation Toys Against Death." And just about every country in the world is banning or recalling Chinese toothpaste.

(props to Status of the Chinese People)

Chinese Man Gets 4 Years For Blogging

A Chinese man named Chen Shuqing was sentenced to four years in jail (after already serving one) for "INCITING SUBVERSION" -- communist authoritarian code for writing about democracy. In Chen's case, he posted essays online advocating the rule of law and democracy and criticised the Chinese government. Chen's lawyer was disbarred for representing him. Chen is one of about 50 people currently in jail in China for posting opinions online. 30 Journalists are also serving time for raising issues the Chinese government didn't want raised.

Chinese Web Sites Spanked for Dirty Novels

Some 348 web sites based in China have been or soon will be SPANKED for "spreading 40 obscene novels that according to local media are harmful to teenagers' minds and bodies and may lure them to commit deviant crimes," according to an article on ChinaTechNews.com. "China's National Office of Anti-Porn and Anti-Piracy and GAPP have jointly issued an emergency notice, asking relevant government departments at all levels to stop the spread and publishing of "unhealthy" content online with a particular focus on online smut novels."

China Plagued by Rash of Fake Olympic Sites

FAKE WEB SITES claiming to be the Official 2008 Olympic Games site keep cropping up, and China keeps blacklisting them on their "great firewall of China," according to ShanghaiDaily.com. The fake sites generally offer participation in some kind of scam lottery.

25% of Chinese Cell Phones Counterfeit

Sohu.com says that 25% of all cell phones sold inside China are ILLEGAL COUNTERFEITS, according to ChinaTechNews.com.

Flashback: Chinese Store Features Train Ride

BoingBoing is finally getting around to covering the story of a grocery store in China that has a roller coaster-like train system that takes you down every isle. The story appeared on The Raw Feed in December.