Will clearing the air for the Olympics work? Time magazine says yes. Wired says no.

SCMP reports Beijing police telling bars on Sanlitun (三里屯) Beilu to ban blacks. Police deny the ban exists. Beijing Boyce confirms similar requests have been made in the past, but observes black patrons, without incident, in 8 out of 10 bars in the Sanlitun area. Black China Hand wrote in 2005 that “no person is an island and the same is true in China as anywhere else… however if you’re black and in China being an island is what you will be more often than not.” Sanlitun and Beijing are making better headlines for the arts & music scene, and for welcoming the first Chinese Apple store, opened last week.

Yum! brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, announced higher profits in its last quarter, largely because of growth in China: “the company’s China division—with more than 2,200 KFC stores—contributed 24% of Yum’s operating income and is targeted to rise 20% this year.” All this comes despite protests and boycotts after the May earthquake, when many Chinese thought the company gave too little in donations.

Rules, rules… A new citizens’ anti-terrorist handbook from the Public Security Ministry, which advises: “What to do if you are kidnapped by terrorists? Stay calm; do not resist; do not stare the kidnapper in the eyes.” And a new set of legal guidelines for foreigners entering, exiting, and so on, assembled by Human Rights in China. Not surprisingly, “crossbows, daggers, and other similar implements are controlled items, which cannot be carried without authorization,” and visitors need permission before setting up a radio station.

Nanchang A-5 Fantan fighters at Nyala Airport in southern Darfur.

China announced it will take a step forward in North Korea’s disarmament, just a day after the BBC revealed that China is supplying weapons and training to Sudanese forces. The Sudan Tribune reports an encounter with a Chinese fighter jet: “‘We start running near the well,’ she said. ‘We hid behind a big rock. Something that looks like an eagle started coming from over there. It looked like an eagle but it made a funny noise.’ When the plane unleashed two bombs Kaltam’s five-year-old daughter, Nura, was dismembered from the chest up.” The planes are model Nanchang A-5 Fantan.

Chinese police reported breaking up 12 terror cells in Xinjiang this year. And a Soviet émigré wrote last week that China’s nano-weapons are beyond US capabilities and have tipped the balance of Mutually Assured Destruction maintained throughout the Cold War.

Foreign Policy’s list of the world’s top 100 intellectuals, published last month, included 5 Chinese, representing both the criticism of Minxin Pei and Wang Hui and the nationalism of Yan Xuetong. Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people included both the Dalai Lama and Hu Jintao. Henry Kissinger writes of President Hu, “Having met with Hu on many occasions, I invariably found him thoughtful, extremely well prepared and very courteous. His mastery of the subject matter seems to make small talk unnecessary to him.” ❑