Chinese Milk?

How do the Chinese process/pasteurize/irradiate/pickle milk?

I buy those little 250 ml tetra packs and understand how they give a long shelf life without refrigeration. What I don't understand is once they are opened, the milk still lasts 'forever' - I just came back from eight weeks holidays, and had left one (open) in the fridge. The milk was still good!
 

In theory, if all the spoilage organisms are killed and there aren't any floating around in the air in your fridge, it could last quite some time.  Eventually, oxidation would do something unpleasant to it.

So, sit back and drink up!

That makes sense. I never drink the milk out of the box - just poke in the straw (that comes out of its plastic package), and squeeze the box to push the milk out through the straw into my: coffee cup/mashed potatoes/casserole... whatever.

It still boggles my mind it can last so long without 'going off'.

It's a self preservation thing. The milk realizes it hasn't got a chance in competing with the filth and pollution in the air, so it gives up and stays fresh.

 

I thought it was the melamine. Plastic is forever.