Voices

Apple Labor Pact Could Ripple Across China

Manufacturers grappling with rising labor costs and increasing worker demands in China could face further pressure if a critical probe of a major Apple Inc. supplier sets a new standard for China’s factory workers.

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Apple's Glass Temple, Made in China

The tubular glass entranceway to Shanghai’s new Apple Inc. shop may be its most high-tech feature, considering the iPad hasn’t officially arrived in China. Twelve rounded glass panels stand over 12.5 meters (41 feet) to form the cylindrical dome. Inside, the computer maker’s distinctive bitten-apple logo is suspended above a glass stairway that corkscrews into the underground retail space

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China's Cyberwars

China’s military is under attack. At least its Web site is…from hackers. In a sign that China’s Ministry of National Defense faces the same kind of Internet security challenges that militaries around the world have reported, its new Web site was attacked more than 2.3 million times within a month of its August launch. The state-run People’s Daily newspaper reported that revelation Wednesday in an interview with the editor-in-chief of the Chinese defense department’s site, Ji Guilin.

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Disney Plans Get a Cold Reception Online

Walt Disney won’t make Shanghai the happiest place in the world. That’s the early reaction from a surprising number of netizens, or Chinese Internet users, to confirmation early Wednesday that plans for Shanghai Disneyland have the green light to proceed. Of the posts streaming into tianya.cn, a major portal, early Wednesday, the negative views were solidly outweighing positive views.

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Taxiing Advertising in China

Shanghai taxis transport 90 million riders per month. Passengers sit in traffic an average of 18 minutes. Shanghai-based advertising company Touchmedia says those are the ingredients that have helped it raise around $40 million from investors, including a just-completed funding round over $14.6 million in the midst of the young Chinese venture capital industry’s toughest period yet.