Freedom of expression was a hot topic during US President Barack Obama's recent visit to China.

Now, in the wake of that visit, it appears as though an editor at a top Chinese newspaper has been demoted for how his publication handled an interview with the US president while he was in China.

From Reuters:

The top editor of a Chinese newspaper that interviewed U.S. President Barack Obama has been demoted, sources said, in a move they described as fallout from Communist Party censors' anger over its handling of the story.

Xiang Xi, the top editor of the Southern Weekend weekly newspaper who interviewed Obama during his visit to China in mid-November, has been named as "executive" editor-in-chief and placed under a new top editor this week after pressure from the ruling Communist Party's propaganda department, said three employees of the paper.

As the article says, this move, however subtle it may be, could have a ripple effect. The US administration is sensitive to any perception that its visit negatively impacted hard-won freedoms in China. The symbolism of an editor who was demoted for his handling of an interview with the president may not sit well. That being said, it may not rate any higher than a mild grumbling from Washington.

Interestingly, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent visit to China stirred comparatively little discussion about freedom of expression. Well, allow me to correct that-- it did stir up discussions surrounding freedom of expression, but only as it relates to China's rebuke of Stephen Harper for taking so long to visit.

On a side note, but related to China, there has been much talk recently about China's growing role in China.

Following a $10 billion loan, discussions now suggest China could set up low-cost industrial zones in several countries across Africa. The World Bank has shown interest in the project as a way to stimulate a domestic manufacturing sector on the continent. Such funding may come free of ties (both good and bad) that much of European and North American economic support comes with. But in the end will the continent benefit? It's an interesting issue.

From the Financial Times:

Last month, Wen Jiabao, China's premier, pledged $10bn in low-cost loans over the next three years, an end to tariffs on 60 per cent of exports from the poorest nations and debt forgiveness for several countries.

Beijing's loans to governments that come free of western-style political conditions have attracted criticism for propping up unpopular regimes.

Some African leaders fear Chinese competition in areas such as shoes and textiles is undercutting Africa's weak industrial base. Chinese officials are also worried that their relationship with Africa could be seen as a new form of colonialism.

Mr Zoellick said African countries needed to put in place infrastructure - such as power, transport and efficient customs regimes - to attract the transformative Chinese investment.

"Some of these Chinese industries have the benefit of knowing how to do more labour intensive manufacturing and they have the marketing networks and this is always a challenge when you start an operation," the former US Trade Representative and deputy Secretary of State said.

But any plan to shift production to Africa that goes beyond the symbolic is likely to meet resistance. Beijing has opposed growing international pressure to appreciate its currency partly because of fears of job losses in export industries.

Provincial governments in the interior of China are also desperate to attract jobs to their areas as labour costs in the coastal regions increase.

Moreover, the prime motivation of the Chinese Marshall Plan has been to find ways to create new sources of demand for Chinese factories, not to shift their output elsewhere.

The Commerce Ministry in Beijing declined to comment.