It's hard not to pick on China these days. Outside of the United States, China has assumed the mantle of everyone's favorite punching bag. Chinese imports from pharmaceuticals to children's toys to the fish we eat have been tainted by dangerous substances of one kind or another. China is now the world's number one polluter and Steven Spielberg has pulled out of the Olympics in protest of China's refusal to pressure Darfur to stop the genocide. You'd think they'd have enough of a public relations problem on their hands besides making it worse, but totalitarian governments are by their nature...well, totalitarian.

A recent victim of Chinese heavy handedness is the actress Tang Wei, most recently seen in the US in Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution." AS has been widely reported:

"An internal memo from China's State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) was reportedly sent to all television stations and print media in China, stating that a new television commercial starring Tang for skin care brand Pond's was to cease broadcast immediately. All print ads and feature content using the actress also were to be pulled. The memo gave no reason for the ban."

Guess they don't need to state the reason, but in an earlier statement SARFT banned "lewd and pornographic content" that "show promiscuous acts, rape, prostitution, sexual intercourse, sexual perversity, masturbation and male/female sexual organs and other private parts." Ok. We get it! "Lust, Caution" is sexy and Tang Wei had a lot to do with its steaminess. But ban her from all work, even an innocuous Pond's commercial!

One question that keeps gnawing at me is how China expects to compete with the world while outlawing free speech and the free exchange of ideas. Sure they can undercut the competition by producing goods at a cheaper rate, but they will never compete as innovators unless they also allow the freedoms that facilitate creativity and allow ideas to sprout. An inevitable result of this will be more emigration, a brain drain that will ultimately benefit the countries that understand the relationship between democracy, innovation and building an economy that is not based on doing it cheaper.