China

US Company Spills Oil In Chinese Waters, State Disclosure Scrutinized

Zoe Schlanger | August 11, 2011, 2:00PM

More than two months since the first leak was discovered, U.S. oil giant ConocoPhillips announced Tuesday it was resuming its efforts to clean up the series of oil slicks spilled into China's Bohai Sea.

The spill, which contaminated about 460 square miles, came from two leaks on a well field run by Conoco in partnership with a state-run corporation. The problem was detected on June 4 but went officially unreported for a month, after a blog leaked the news on June 21, according to the Guardian. The Chinese government initially downplayed the extent of the accident, but confirmed the spill on July 6, announcing that the water quality in the affected area had fallen to the lowest of its four categories.

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Topics: China, ConocoPhillips, Oil spill, Shell

Ted Stevens

Feds Says More To Come From Ted Stevens FBI File

Ryan J. Reilly | February 16, 2011, 11:45AM

The release last week of the FBI file of the late Sen. Ted Stevens painted a colorful portrait of the long serving Alaska Republican. But noticeably absent from the file were documents from the federal corruption investigation that ended his political career. Not to worry -- the FBI says that part of the file is still in processing and will be released down the line.

An FBI spokesman told the Associated Press that the investigative files were still pending. The news service said it wasn't clear when the new investigative files would be released.

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Topics: Alaska, China, Drugs, FBI, Senators, Ted Stevens

Ted Stevens

FBI Director Asked Ted Stevens To Tell Them When He Met With Chinese Officials

Ryan J. Reilly | February 11, 2011, 2:30PM

The FBI told the late Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) back in the early 80s that they would appreciate a heads-up next time he met with the Chinese.

As Reuters reports, the FBI file posted by the bureau this morning included the senator's contacts with a diplomat from the Chinese Embassy in 1982. The FBI requested that he inform them when he met with the Chinese in the future.

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Topics: China, FBI, Intelligence, Ted Stevens

Barack Obama

Tea Party Nation Founder: Obama Wants China To Fund His Campaign Like Hamas Did In '08

Jillian Rayfield | January 19, 2011, 10:39AM

Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips thinks this week's state dinner with China has a much more sinister purpose than the White House would have us believe: "In 2008, Obama even received campaign contributions from Gaza (I.e. Hamas). So where does a corrupt, unpopular President from the party of treason go for reelection cash? China, of course."

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Topics: Barack Obama, Campaign Contributions, Campaign Donations, Campaign Finance, China, Judson Phillips, Tea Parties, Tea Party Nation

Campaign Finance

Reformers: Court Decision Creates 'Huge Opening' For Foreign Companies To Sway Elections

Zachary Roth | January 25, 2010, 1:03PM

Last week's Supreme Court ruling striking down the ban on direct corporate spending in elections could allow overseas corporations -- even those controlled by foreign governments -- to pour money into U.S. elections, supporters of campaign-finance regulation warn.

"Clearly there's a huge opening now," Stephen Spaulding of Common Cause told TPMmuckraker.

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Topics: Campaign Finance, China, Supreme Court

Google

Google vs. China: Is Google Screwed?

Justin Elliott | January 19, 2010, 2:49PM

Google's public ultimatum that it will halt operations in China unless it is allowed to stop censoring Google.cn got us wondering: what does a large multinational like Google have in the way of bargaining chips in its showdown with the Asian superpower?

According to a pair of experts we spoke to, the answer is: very few, if any. Let us explain:

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Topics: Baidu, China, David Drummond, Google, Google vs. China, Michael Cusumano, Ralph Cossa, Yahoo