Rural unrest in China – Economist

The Economist reports on the recent riot in Yongzhou, Hunan Province:

The protest in Hunan was apparently sparked by a sudden doubling of public-bus fares during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, when many people travel to visit their families. In the resulting clashes, several police vehicles and public buses were torched, at least one person was reportedly killed and many protesters were arrested.

The protest is the most recent manifestation of widespread discontent in the Chinese countryside, which is being fuelled by poverty, inequality, corruption, rising healthcare costs and illegal land requisition. [Full text]

- See also a related Human Rights Watch report “China: Repression Spikes as People’s Congress Closes.”