** Japanese Embassy Under Tight Security in Beijing
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Security remains tight outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing as nationalistic fervor grips the country. The protests are in response to the detention of 14 Chinese activists by Japanese police forces. The activists landed on the disputed Diaoyu islands Wednesday and planted a Chinese flag. Japanese media said Thursday that Japan will deport the group if they have not committed any other crimes. This is not the only conflict that China has had of this nature. China is ramping up its military assets in the East China Sea, to defend the territory it sees as its own.

**** Syrian Government reaches out to China*****

While visiting China, a Syrian government envoy praised the CCP regime for not acting like “colonizers” in their response to the 18-month conflict, where current estimates say 21,000 people have died. The state-run China Daily newspaper on Thursday quoted Bouthaina Shaaban as saying that Syria will not share the same fate as Libya, where NATO-led airstrikes helped topple dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s regime last year. China and Russia have repeatedly used their veto power at the UN Security Council to block strong Western- and Arab-backed action against Mr. Assad.

** 12 People Missing After Ferry Sinks - Yangtze River, Anhui
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August 16, shortly before 2 am a ferry sank in the Yangtze river near Maanshan city in Anhui Province.
State-run media says 21 people were aboard and 12 people are missing. The ferry came to grief while crossing to Hexian county. All Maanshan ferry services are suspended at present.

** 16 Policemen Protest Judicial Corruption in China
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Sixteen police from all over China say they have been falsely convicted and are openly protesting judicial corruption by Communist Party authorities in Beijing. On Wednesday they put forward three demands in an open letter to the Chinese Communist Party’s top leadership. These policemen were former officers under the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee. They say they were charged with crimes they did not commit. After years of petitioning, most of them have become targets of Party authorities in their region as part of an effort to “preserve social stability.” They now face the risk of being sent to secret jails, forced labor camps, or even sentenced to prison.

***In China, cheap and cheerful phones outsmart Apple***

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Technology launched the successor to its popular MiOne (MI) smartphone in Beijing on Thursday (August 16), in the latest local challenge to the iPhone. Xiaomi is part of a host of little-known local firms producing cheap phones to squeeze market shares from U.S. giant Apple in China.
The MI2 has specifications that exceed those of the iPhone 4S and sells for less than half the price.
Smartphones from Xiaomi have proved so popular they sell out in minutes after going on sale online.
The MI2, which goes on sale in October at 1,999 yuan ($310), has a quad-core processor, 8 mega-pixel camera and a voice-assistant similar to Apple's Siri.