China’s Relations with the Islamic World

China’s relations with the Islamic world, cultivated during the last few decades, could become negatively affected by Beijing’s policies on Xinjiang, Rebecca MacKinnon believes:

“Suppress the Tibetans however you like and your external economic relationships won’t suffer that much. Treat China’s restive Muslim minority in an insensitive, ham-fisted manner, and there could be all kinds of hell to pay.“

rconversation, Xinjiang Infowar, July 13 »

Kim Jong-il: Pancreatic Cancer?

Yonhap television news (YTN) reports that North Korea’s party and military chief Kim Jong-il is suffering from pancreatic cancer.  YTN is supposed to have gathered the information from unidentified Chinese and South Korean intelligence sources.

Early Monday, YTN’s Beijing-based correspondent said that doctors had diagnosed Mr. Kim with the cancer when he was being treated for a stroke. The Wall Street Journal‘s Evan Ramstad sees only little evidence that Mr. Kim is trying to keep his family dynasty going by pushing his third and youngest son into a position to succeed him when he dies.