Dear blog readers, forgive my absence. Since I got back to China last week I've been without an internet connection. Hopefully we'll get it fixed soon (I'm thinking tomorrow!). Until then.
THE US Consulate in Shanghai yesterday celebrated issuing its millionth US visa since 2004 and three Chinese residents won trips to Hawaii and Guam in a lucky draw. US Consul General Beatrice Camp described the occasion as "an important milestone" and said it was a reflection of the ever-growing cooperation in various fields between the United States and China. "As President Obama said during his 2009 visit to Shanghai, cooperation between China and the US is rooted in the studies we share, the business that we do, the knowledge that we gain and the sports that we play," she said yesterday during a brief celebration at the city's visa application office. "This growth in Chinese travel to the US is contributing to that cooperation," Camp said. In the past 12 months alone, the Shanghai consular section had processed more than 260,000 visas, the consul general said. She said more than 800,000 US visas were issued throughout China during that time, with ov...
When not to be spontaneous and vague: Swedish weddings Yesterday I met a Swedish girl who just got engaged, after her boyfriend proposed to her during the CNY. She was over the moon about everything: the romantic engagement (he proposed while they were scuba diving in Thailand and she almost drowned when she saw the ring, nodded yes! and forgot to breathe). They are planning to have the wedding this summer in Sweden and she told me that she was surprised by the lack of flexibility showed by her friends back home. As they live in China, they obviously had to pick a date during their summer holiday, so lets say mid July. All of their Chinese friends thought it was great and many of them are going to fly over just for the wedding. You would think that in Sweden, where 90% of the population is having a holiday around that time, it wouldnt be any problems when it comes to attending a wedding, but think twice, because apparently it is: -How can you pick a wedding date during the peek holida...
A Chinese sportswear company was ordered to pay 480,000 yuan (US$76,200) in damages to the US-based footwear manufacturer New Balance for unfair competition. The Huangpu District People's Court also ordered Niubanlun Sportswear Company in Quanzhou, Fujian Province to stop producing sports shoes with a logo similar to New Balance's "N" design. New Balance filed the lawsuit last November against Niubanlun for using a logo similar to its unique "N" design and had a Chinese brand name that sounds similar to "New Balance." The US firm said it registered its trademark in China in 1983 and accused Niubanlun of making and selling counterfeit shoes since 2007. Niubanlun argued that this was not an infringement case because its "N" trademark was legally registered. But New Balance said Niubanlun's trademark should not be used on sports shoes. The court ruled the Chinese company to pay for unfair competition, saying New Balance is a famous ...
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