China: Fake beer, fake money, and fake milk powder

Police in Humen, Guangdong Province busted a fake beer producer yesterday, reports today's Dongguan Times. The article said that the producer replaced the labels and caps of cheap Shanshui-brand beer with those of the more expensive Tsingtao beer, creating three thousand fake Tsingtao beer bottles in a single day. The big photo on the front page shows the water tank which was used to remove the labels.

Beneath the big photo is a small photo of Luo Jing, the CCTV Network News anchor. The 46-year-old had been rumored to have contracted cancer. The article said that Luo himself admitted to the newspaper that he has "health problems," but he wasn't specific as to what kind of problems those were. CCTV's Network News is the most-watched TV program in China, and Luo is one of its most senior broadcasters.

Chinese Business View reported on a trial of three men in Chongqing that took place on September 8th. In 2004, The men withdraw 86,000 yuan from different ATMs after they deposited counterfeit banknotes with a face value of 120,000 yuan. They were put behind bars because of their own indiscretion: someone told their story to the police after hearing them talk about the crime.

In regard to the public's concerns about ATM safety, the newspaper said that new ATMs are much better at recognizing fake money.

Also in the Chinese Business View is a report on infants diagnosed with kidney stones in Gansu and Shaanxi Province. At least one of the babies, who were only a few months old, died of the condition. The disease is highly rare among that age group, and is suspected to have been caused by milk powder: all the affected babies had been drinking Sanlu brand powder.

In response, the company said the milk powder must have been a counterfeit product marked with their company label.
Links and Sources

* Dongguan Times (Chinese): Making a profit by repackaging cheap beer
* Yangtse Evening post via Sina (Chinese): Using fake money to withdraw real cash from ATM
* Xinhua: Baby dies of kidney stones in NW China, fake milk powder suspected