Reuters reports, "China lodged a rare diplomatic protest with Pyongyang after a North Korean man reportedly killed four Chinese citizens, in the latest sign of strained relations between the two governments...the man, believed to be a runaway soldier, crossed into China in search of food and either shot or beat to death the four people on Dec. 28 in the border city of Helong. The newspaper said Chinese authorities had captured the alleged perpetrator. China's foreign ministry didn't directly confirm the killings but when asked about the reports a spokeswoman said Beijing had 'launched representations' with Pyongyang. 'China's public security department will handle this case in accordance with the law.'" 

"Even as China's president ordered an investigation into a New Year's Eve stampede in Shanghai that killed 36 people, the nation's censors and police were hard at work - restricting independent reporting of the incident, curtailing interviews with relatives of the victims and intimidating critics. Shanghai police have admitted they failed to deploy enough officers to control a large crowd that had collected on the city's waterfront Wednesday night, after underestimating the number of people who would turn up. Nevertheless, with some officers fearing they could lose their jobs, the force did not take kindly to criticism," writes Reuters. 

Reuters reports, "China has protested to the United States after Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington hoisted a Taiwanese flag on New Year's Day, calling on the United States to respect the 'One China' policy, the foreign ministry said on Monday. Taiwan's China Post newspaper reported on Saturday that it was the first time the Taiwanese flag was raised in the United States in 36 years since the United States switched recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 1979."