No. 335-6, Oct 9(3)

Investigating the Suspended Broadband Deals in Philippines
Corporation, page 25
The EO investigates the reasons behind what has been called an overpriced deal between Zongxin Telecommunication Equipment (ZTE) and the Philippine government involving broadband equipment. Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had suspended the ＄329 million deal amidst allegations of bribery made against her husband, who is accused of influencing the Government to award the contract to ZTE despite its quoting a higher price than other bidders. Our article shows that the issue is highly politicized, and that the price may have been higher because the Phillipine government was given a soft, low-interest loan and full ownership over the facilities, whereas other bids did not allow for the government to assume ownership.

China Needs Land Reform
Observer, page 41
The Chinese Government should undertake land reform and allow farmers to trade their land in the market directly. In an interview with Observer, US-based Wen Guanzhong, an economist researching land reform policy, says the rule to place all farm land under property of the collective has led to a monopoly by the Government in acquiring land cheaply, putting farmers at a disadvantage. Recently, some farmers have bypassed the authorities and collectively signed contracts with developers to construct houses for sales on their farm land. Wen says if the Government takes action, as prescribed by the law, to demolish the houses or penalize those involved, the farmers and lower-income groups would be hurt first and hardest.

Female Writers of the 1940s
Lifestyle, page 51
We review "Collections of Little Misses", a book highlighting several unsung Chinese female writers of the 1940's. The book contains the works of the eight writers, all of whom were contemporaries of Zhang Ailing, the iconic female writer of modern Chinese literature. Their lives were no less dramatic than their own literary creations; some were oppressed during the Cultural Revolution and committed suicide, some abandoned writing under political pressure, and some vanished without a trace. Of the eight-- Tang Xuehua, Si Jimei, Yu Zhaoming, Xing Heli, Zheng Jiahuan, Yang Yifu, Lian Yuanxiu and Cheng Yuzhen-- only two survive, one now residing in New York, the other in Shanghai.