The editorial in this issue argues that the “birth control riots” in Guangxi underline the need for improved implementation of family planning rules which, despite the pain they have caused, have also played a key role in China’s social and economic transformation.

A feature article looks at the proliferation of gay support groups in China’s northeast and asks whether this a civil society success story or an opportunistic response to the influx of international funds.

A report on China’s new transparency rules for government notes that some progressive localities are ahead of the central government on this issue, and that national rules remain ambiguous as to how much the public has a right to know.

A review essay discusses some of the growing China-in-Africa literature.

Shorter items report on developments in EU-UNDP cooperation on civil society and biodiversity programs, on the rapid growth of a “Give2Asia” funding program, and on a WWF study that suggests China is not responsible for much of its “global footprint.”

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