A Hefei city court sentenced Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced Politburo member Bo Xilai, to death on Monday, but has suspended her execution by two years. This is the latest development in a scandal that’s shaken the ruling Communist regime ahead of a leadership transition later this year. There’s been no official word on what will happen to Wang Lijun, the former police chief who set off the string of political upsets that resulted in Gu Kailai’s suspended sentence on Monday. Rights groups have claimed that Wang Lijun was involved in the taking of organs from prisoners of conscience, though one analyst believes it’s unlikely these allegations will ever be made public by Chinese authorities. There is another twist in the dispute over the ownership of the Diaoyu—or as they are known in Japan, Senkaku—Islands group in the East China Sea. Ten or so Japanese nationalists swam ashore one of the islands and planted a flag saying “Japanese Territory.” The video of the action was released by nationalist-leaning Japanese internet video network, Sakura on Monday. Over the weekend (August 19), anti-Japanese protests erupted in several cities across China. The protests were sparked by the dispute over the Senkaku, or Diaoyu Islands—an island chain claimed by both China and Japan. If you are planning a trip to China, you might want to leave some extra time. Since December of last year the requirements for getting a visa from almost all countries have increased. The Chinese embassy in …
