As China Raises Fuel Prices, Tempers Rise Too

The Global Voices Online Blog (the best global blog aggregator, and it does more than just aggregate) has a post today, entitled, "China: Raising fuel prices, raising tempers."  What makes this post so interesting is that it translates a couple of Chinese language posts on China's two recent fuel price increases and it also translates a number of the comments to these posts as well. 

Not surprisingly, most of the Chinese who wrote on the issue are not very happy about the price increases, but one astute person noted that rising gas prices might serve to reduce "the gap between rich and poor:"

Car owners don't even make up 1% of the population [of China].  If prices are raised higher for them, the gap between rich and poor will be drawn a bit closer, make us a little more equal.  Just don't raise bus or taxi fares.

Most of the writers saw "big oil," in this case, big Chinese oil, as the source of the problem.  One reader, however, saw it as an American conspiracy to hobble China:

Somebody pointed out early on that high gas prices are part of an American plot to get China. By intentionally pushing up gas prices, on one hand it�s to benefit their own oil companies, and a weapon on the other, to break China, suppress the momentum behind China�s economic growth.

Despite these two recent increases, fuel in China continues to be government subsidized and a gallon of gasoline there sells there for around $2.10 a gallon. 

Interesting post here on the impact gas prices have on China's populace.