Qin Gang; State secrets law; New Productive Forces 新质生产力; Consumption stimulus; Cyber power
Summary of today’s Essential Eight:
Qin Gang resigns as delegate to NPC and another general has fallen - The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) issued a notice listing 11 NPC delegates whose qualifications were terminated. Most of the people were listed as having been “罢免 dismissed”, including Lieutenant General Li Zhizhong, who was once head of the equipment department of the PLA ground force, so it looks like he is yet another senior officer caught up in whatever is sweeping through the PLA. The NPCSC notice stated that the “Tianjin Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee decided to accept Qin Gang's resignation from his position as a delegate to the 14th National People's Congress 天津市人大常委会决定接受秦刚辞去第十四届全国人民代表大会代表职务”, using the term “resigned 辞去” rather than dismissed, in what looks to be a sign that Qin is both still alive, contrary to some of the claims that have been going around, and will likely end up with a relatively lenient punishment.
Revised state secrets law goes into effect May 1 - The NPCSC also passed the revised “Law on Guarding State Secrets 中华人民共和国保守国家秘密法”. Much of the language looks like what you would expect from a sovereign nation intent on protecting its secrets, but one concept in particular may cause a lot of concern if not also confusion. The revised law includes the concept of “work secrets” that are not state secrets but might cause “certain adverse effects if leaked”. We will learn the definition of “work secrets” at a later date, but if it is a catchall term that can be used for anything the Party decides they don’t want to be public, including information and data gathered from research and due diligence work, that would be another worry for businesses and investors.
Two Sessions and new productive forces - It seems clear that New Productive Forces 新质生产力 (NPF) will be a big theme at the upcoming meetings. What are New Productive Forces? As I wrote in the February 1st newsletter, NPF is a concept that Xi first mentioned during a September 2023 inspection tour in Heilongjiang. What are new productive forces and why are they important? A Friday Xinhua commentary explains: “From the first mention of "new productive forces" in September last year to the deployment of "developing new productive forces" at the Central Economic Work Conference, and now to the systematic explanation during this group study session of the Political Bureau, General Secretary Xi Jinping's series of important expositions and major deployments on new productive forces represent an innovation and development of Marxist theory of productive forces. They further enrich the connotations of Xi Jinping Economic Thought and provide scientific guidance for us to promote high-quality development in the new journey of strengthening the country and rejuvenating the nation.” And a Beijing Youth Daily article on the meeting describes NPF as “New productive forces are dominated by innovation, moving away from traditional economic growth modes and paths of productivity development. They are characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, aligning with the advanced productive qualities of the new development concept. They are spurred by revolutionary technological breakthroughs, innovative allocation of production factors, and in-depth transformation and upgrading of industries. Their basic content is the leap in workers, means of labor, objects of labor, and their optimal combination, with a significant increase in total factor productivity as the core indicator. Their characteristic is innovation, the key is high quality, and their essence is advanced productivity. From the definition, several related terms are closely connected, such as "new productive forces dominated by innovation.” I know, it is still not really clear what it means in practice, but I expect we may learn more over the next couple of weeks.
Consumer goods upgrading the consumption stimulus? - Xinhua's Economic Information has an interesting article about replacing old consumer goods with new ones. This idea was a key theme of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission meeting last week. Is this the main thrust of efforts to increase consumption, through rebates and vouchers for specific product types, rather than cash directly into consumers’ pockets?
Car wars - Every day it feels like we are getting closer to significant trade actions against PRC cars from US and EU and now the UK governments. The PRC cars are very competitive, in terms of performance, fit and finish and of course price. The PRC government and carmakers say allegations of subsidies are unfair, but Shenzhen’s new “2024 Plan for Promoting Automobile Exports” probably will not help things.
10th anniversary of Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs - February 27th is the 10th anniversary of the first meeting of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs. That leading group is now the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, and the office of that commission has a long piece - "Stride towards a Cyber Power" - in the Tuesday People's Daily on the occasion of the anniversary. It of course highlights the successes of the policies over the last ten years and includes many things we have heard before. The article says that “building a cyber power is an inevitable requirement to consolidate the Party's long-term ruling position and improve the Party's governing capacity and leadership level under informatization conditions. Standing at the strategic height of ensuring the Party's long-term governance, General Secretary Xi Jinping accurately grasped the opportunities and challenges brought by the information revolution…Currently, for any country and political party, the internet is an important governing condition, cyberspace is an important governing environment, informatization is an important governing means, and the ability to govern the internet is an important aspect and manifestation of governing capacity…Adhering to the principle of uniting minds and forging souls, the mainstream ideology and public opinion online have been continuously consolidated and strengthened…The voice of the Party has become the strongest sound in cyberspace”. The article concludes with a call to “promote the construction of a cyberspace community with a shared future to a new stage. Vigorously promote General Secretary Xi Jinping's concepts and propositions on building a cyberspace community with a shared future, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to the global development and governance of the internet”. They have succeeded in controlling and harnessing cyberspace in ways that lots of outside observers assumed they could not (“like nailing jello on the wall” anyone?).
Research on the Construction of the Unitary State System and the Significant Contributions of Chinese Civilization to the Progress of Human Civilization - The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) has launched a major research and interpretation project on the significant innovations of the Chinese nation's modern civilization titled “Research on the Construction of the Unitary State System and the Significant Contributions of Chinese Civilization to the Progress of Human Civilization 大一统国家政体建设与中华文明对人类文明进步的重大贡献研究”. One of the scholars said at the launch event that “on June 2, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued a great call for the construction of the modern civilization of the Chinese nation at the Cultural Heritage and Development Symposium” and that this project is a response to that call.
VBA to play NBA exhibition? - An official working on the Guizhou village basketball tournament says that the winners “will have the opportunity to visit NBA franchises or even compete against NBA players in the US”. We discussed this in the episode of Sharp China we recorded earlier today. Is the NBA on board with this, or is that part of the detail “still under negotiation”? I hope it happens, and as Andrew and I discussed today the VBA champion would probably beat at least the Washington Wizards.
People’s Daily front page for February 28th:
Thanks for reading.
The Essential Eight
1. Qin Gang resigns as delegate to NPC and another general has fallen
China’s Ousted Foreign Minister Removed From Top Legislature - Caixin
The Tianjin Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee accepted Qin’s resignation from the National People’s Congress (NPC), the state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported, quoting an official notice issued by the national legislative body.
Qin’s demission was announced along with 10 other NPC deputies whose memberships were also terminated upon resignation or dismissal, according to the notice. It did not provide reasons for their departures.
The Standing Committee also announced that a lieutenant general, Li Zhizhong had been dismissed from the legislature.
Li’s command roles included serving as deputy commander of the Central Theatre Command, head of the equipment department of the PLA ground force and chief of staff of the Southern Theatre Command’s ground force.
天津市人大常委会决定接受秦刚辞去第十四届全国人民代表大会代表职务_手机新浪网
The Tianjin Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee decided to accept Qin Gang's resignation from his position as a delegate to the 14th National People's Congress. 天津市人大常委会决定接受秦刚辞去第十四届全国人民代表大会代表职务。
And "陆军军人代表大会决定罢免李志忠的第十四届全国人民代表大会代表职务 The Army Personnel Congress decided to dismiss Li Zhizhong from his position as a delegate to the 14th National People's Congress"
2. Revised state secrets law goes into effect May 1
China adopts revised Law on Guarding State Secrets-Xinhua
The law, which was passed at a session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, will take effect on May 1, 2024.
The law has codified effective measures and practical experience gained in work to guard state secrets since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), according to an official of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee.
The official emphasized that the law carries significant and profound implications for the promotion of the high-quality development of work to guard state secrets, and for the safeguarding of national sovereignty, security and development interests.
Full text of the law - 中华人民共和国保守国家秘密法_中国人大网
全国人民代表大会宪法和法律委员会关于《中华人民共和国保守国家秘密法（修订草案二次审议稿）》修改意见的报告_中国人大网
NPC report on the revisions of the state secrets law:
The second draft revision makes a principled provision for the management of work secrets in the "Supplementary Provisions." Some committee members suggested that it is necessary to take protective measures for work secrets, but considering that work secrets do not belong to state secrets, it is necessary to formulate separate management methods. After study, the Constitution and Law Committee recommends adding a provision that "the management methods for work secrets shall be stipulated separately."
After studying with relevant departments, it is recommended that the implementation date of the revised Law on Guarding State Secrets be set for May 1, 2024.
修订草案二次审议稿在“附则”中对工作秘密管理作了原则性规定。有的常委委员提出，对于工作秘密采取保护措施是必要的，但是考虑到工作秘密不属于国家秘密，需要单独制定有关管理办法。宪法和法律委员会经研究，建议增加规定“工作秘密管理办法另行规定”。
经与有关部门研究，建议将修订后的保守国家秘密法的施行时间确定为2024年5月1日。
PRC Law on the Guarding of State Secrets - China Law Translate
Article 13: The following matters involving national security and interests, which if leaked might harm the nation's security and interests in fields such as politics, economics, national defense, and diplomacy and other fields if leaked, shall be designated as state secrets:
(1) Secret matters in major decision-making on state affairs;
(2) Secret matters in national defense construction and armed forces activities;
(3) Secret matters in diplomacy and foreign affairs activities, as well as secret matters that are subject to external confidentiality obligations;
(4) Secret matters in national economic and social development;
(5) Secret matters in science and technology;
(6) Secret matters in activities for preserving national security and the investigation of crimes;
(7) Other secret matters as designated by the state secrets administration department.
Secret matters of political parties that meet the requirements of the preceding paragraph are state secrets.
China Expands State-Secrets Law, Highlighting Risks for Foreign Businesses - WSJ
“This revision is the latest in a series of legal moves to strengthen the national-security state, which has been a key element of Xi Jinping’s approach to governance since taking power in 2012,” said Thomas Kellogg, the executive director of the Georgetown Center for Asian Law.
“We’re now at more than 20 state-security laws that have either been passed or revised in recent years—this is the latest in that stream, and probably won’t be the last,” he said...
One provision of the revised law establishes “work secrets” at government and party bodies that aren’t considered state secrets but could “cause certain adverse effects if leaked,” adding a potentially broad new category of restricted information...
The law, however, said implementation rules for “work secrets” would be released separately, leaving little clarity on how the new rules will be defined. The new law takes effect on May 1.
3. Two Sessions and new productive forces
Xi's theory offers path to innovation - China Daily
As the curtain is raised for China's most important annual political gathering next week, a key focus of deliberations among legislators and political advisers is how the nation can employ new productive forces to reinvigorate the world's second-largest economy.
The nation's top leadership has outlined plans to use new productive forces to underpin high-quality development, as policymakers seek to lift market expectations and strengthen the nation's self-reliance in science and technology amid external uncertainties...
Pan Jiaofeng, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institutes of Science and Development and a deputy to the National People's Congress, said the development of new productive forces will present key opportunities to transform traditional sectors and spur the growth of emerging industries.
Xi's latest theory will serve as a short-term and long-term guideline for China to beef up innovation in science and technology and various sectors, he said.
4. Consumer goods upgrading the consumption stimulus?
新一轮“以旧换新”撬动消费大市场 _ 经济参考网 _ 新华社《经济参考报》官方网站
The Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission's fourth meeting, recently held, made detailed arrangements for promoting the replacement of old consumer goods with new ones and emphasized that accelerating product upgrades is an important measure to promote high-quality development. This follows the Central Economic Work Conference, marking another significant meeting where the replacement of old with new was proposed and detailed plans were made. Relevant ministries and commissions have also clearly stated their commitment to addressing the difficulties and bottlenecks in facilitating the replacement of old goods with new ones.
近日召开的中央财经委员会第四次会议对推动消费品以旧换新作出详细部署，并强调加快产品更新换代是推动高质量发展的重要举措。这也是继中央经济工作会议之后，中央重磅会议再次提出以旧换新并作出详细部署。有关部委也明确将推动打通以旧换新的难点堵点。
Industry experts interviewed by reporters believe that there is a significant demand and potential for the replacement and upgrading of durable consumer goods in China. It is expected that specific favorable policies to promote the replacement of old goods with new ones will be implemented soon, which will effectively leverage both the incremental and existing markets, driving stronger consumption growth momentum.
接受记者采访的业内专家认为，我国耐用消费品更新换代的需求和潜力很大，预计近期将有推动以旧换新的具体利好政策落地，会有效撬动增量和存量两个市场，推动消费增长势头走强。
The Central Economic Work Conference held at the end of 2023, while deploying economic work for 2024, proposed to use the improvement of technology, energy consumption, emission standards, and other criteria as a lever to promote large-scale equipment updates and the replacement of consumer goods with new ones. The fourth meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, held on February 23, emphasized that accelerating product upgrades is an important measure to promote high-quality development, encouraging and guiding a new round of large-scale equipment updates and the replacement of consumer goods with new ones.
2023年底召开的中央经济工作会议在部署2024年经济工作时提出，要以提高技术、能耗、排放等标准为牵引，推动大规模设备更新和消费品以旧换新。2月23日召开的中央财经委员会第四次会议强调，加快产品更新换代是推动高质量发展的重要举措，要鼓励引导新一轮大规模设备更新和消费品以旧换新。
Related departments also mentioned the replacement of old with new when deploying this year's consumption promotion measures. The Ministry of Commerce stated that it would use the improvement of technology, energy consumption, emission standards, and other criteria as a lever to address the difficulties and bottlenecks in the replacement of old with new, stabilize and expand traditional consumption, and better meet the needs for the renewal and upgrading of consumer goods...
相关部门在部署今年促消费举措时也提及以旧换新。商务部表示，将以提高技术、能耗、排放等标准为牵引，推动打通以旧换新的难点堵点，稳定和扩大传统消费，更好地满足消费品换新、升级的需要
Feng Lin, a senior analyst at Orient Securities, expects that relevant departments will introduce specific measures soon, with policies expected to be implemented in the near term. Central and local finances are expected to provide a certain scale of fiscal subsidies, referring to the scale of subsidies in similar past policies, this policy will have a wider coverage and greater intensity, and the subsidy amount for this round of replacement may reach the level of hundreds of billions of yuan. Additionally, financial institutions are expected to introduce or upgrade related consumer loan products, and relevant manufacturers will also launch a series of promotional measures.
东方金诚高级分析师冯琳表示，预计接下来相关部门将出台具体措施，近期政策即可落地。其中，中央及地方财政有望提供一定规模的财政补贴，参考以往类似政策的补贴规模，此次政策覆盖范围更广、力度更大，本轮以旧换新补贴额度或将达到千亿元级别。另外，预计金融机构将推出或升级相关消费贷品种，相关厂家也会顺势推出一批优惠促销措施
Official translation of the readout from last Friday's meeting of the CFEA - Xi stresses promoting equipment renewal, trade-in of consumer goods, lowering logistics costs-Xinhua
It was stressed at the meeting that large-scale equipment renewal and trade-in of old consumer goods will effectively boost investment and consumption, benefiting economic and social development not only for the time being but also in the long run. A combination of policies should be employed to ensure that the proportion of advanced production capacity continues to increase, that more high-quality durable consumer goods enter people's lives, that waste resources are recycled, and that the quality and level of national economic flows are significantly improved. It is essential to uphold the principle that market plays the principal role and government provides guidance. The advanced must be encouraged while the backward eliminated, and standards must be abided by to regulate the development of industries, whose upgrading should be promoted in an orderly manner.
China International Capital Corporation (CICC) issued a report on Saturday discussing the economic divergences that have emerged between the two superpowers, presenting a case for demand-side measures as Beijing attempts to leverage domestic consumption to drive up growth and make its financial system more efficient in serving the real economy.
“The US had bigger fiscal expansion during the Covid years. China needs to crank up fiscal support in the near term to break the vicious spiral as weak economic fundamentals and weak confidence are feeding off each other,” said Kevin Liu, a managing director of CICC Research...
“In the US, money reached people’s hands, while in China, the money [came] from banks and ultimately flows back to banks,” said the CICC report.
CICC added that much of the 42.6 trillion yuan in new loans disbursed for businesses between 2020 and 2023 did not help spur the country’s economic recovery, as they became deposits or were otherwise used to service old debts.
5. Car wars
China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao on Monday said that China is highly concerned about the EU's trade remedy investigation targeting Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) and other products, while also expressing strong dissatisfaction regarding the investigation, which lacks a factual basis.
UK considers probe of Chinese EV subsidies – POLITICO
Britain is considering whether to investigate Chinese state subsidies for electric vehicle (EV) makers, two people familiar with the nascent plans told POLITICO...
British automakers are urging the U.K. government to speed up its own work amid concerns the U.K. will see a flood of Chinese-made EVs diverted into its market from the EU if the bloc slaps duties on imports when its probe wraps up later this year...
U.K. Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is preparing to instruct Britain’s trade watchdog, the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), to open an investigation, said a consultant familiar with the plans, since British manufacturers “are worried about putting their heads above the parapet” by filing a complaint themselves.
Caixin Commentary: BYD Price Cut Bombshell Tipped to Change Auto Market Landscape
With China’s massive production capacity, fierce domestic competition and price wars, the time might have come for Chinese-made cars to make a large-scale entry into overseas markets.
On one hand, the onset of price wars will reduce many companies’ profits compared with 2023, and they will urgently need to find more lucrative new markets; on the other hand, automakers increasing their technology and supply chain investments need massive production capacities to amortize the new technology expenses, and entering overseas markets is definitely a beneficial supplement to domestic market sales.
Moreover, after enduring and surviving a brutally competitive market, Chinese automakers are likely to possess great competitive strength in the global automotive market in terms of product and technology capabilities.
BYD rejects EU claims subsidies help reduce price of China-made cars - Financial Times
“Our success is not because of the subsidy, it’s because we have unique technology . . . and our management efficiency is high,” said Michael Shu, European president of BYD, one of China’s leading carmakers.
“It’s because we invested in this technology much earlier, and much more, than competitors. It’s not because of the subsidy,” he added in the company’s first public comment on the probe launched last year.
China’s Shenzhen rolls out plan to boost car exports - Financial Times
The municipal government of Shenzhen, where the world’s largest electric vehicle maker BYD has its headquarters, unveiled 24 measures including support for factory construction, opening new sea routes and allowing another 20 companies to export second-hand cars, according to a statement released by the city’s commerce bureau late on Monday.
The policy was crafted to “seize the opportunity from the development of car exports” and build an industrial cluster bridging car production, shipping and trade, the statement said, while aiming to turn Shenzhen into “a new generation world-class auto city”.
Local officials also said they would introduce services to support car exporters, including improving export insurance, speeding up tax refunds and encouraging Chinese banks to provide consumer financing for overseas car buyers. The plan also called for exporters to purchase more car-carrying ships to create a Chinese-owned fleet of roll-on, roll-off vessels.
Securities Times - 大动作！深圳发力“世界一流汽车城”，支持企业“买船出海，自建船队”
Recently, the "Shenzhen City 2024 Plan for Promoting Automobile Exports" (hereinafter referred to as "the Plan") was officially issued. The Plan proposes 24 specific measures from six aspects: increasing the export model production of local automobile manufacturers, advancing the coordinated development of automobile production and trade to explore overseas markets, expanding the number of high-capacity entities for used car exports, accelerating the efficiency of used car export procedures, enhancing the capability of automobile export transportation support, and strengthening the comprehensive service capability for automobile exports.
近日，《深圳市2024年促进汽车出口工作方案》（以下简称《方案》）正式印发。该《方案》从增加本地汽车制造厂出口车型产量、推进汽车产贸协同开拓海外市场、扩大二手车出口高能级主体数量、加快二手车出口手续办理效率、提升汽车出口运输保障能力、增强汽车出口配套综合服务能力等6方面提出了24条具体举措。
BYD Pitches Floating Luxury SUV to Win Over European Buyers - Bloomberg
The Yangwang U8 plug-in hybrid — which is also able to make a 360-degree “tank turn” on the spot — would compete with the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the Land Rover Defender and represents BYD’s push into the luxury market...
While the Yangwang U8 is meant to showcase BYD’s technological prowess, the manufacturer also is bringing more mass-market products to Geneva. They include a revamped version of the five-seater Seal SUV and the fully electric Tang, which can drive 530 kilometers (329 miles) on a charge.
Remarkable how much inspiration BYD took from Land Rover Defender for the U8.
6. 10th anniversary of Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs
It opens with:
On February 27, 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the first meeting of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs, clearly proposing to start from the international and domestic trends, make overall plans, coordinate all parties, innovate and develop, and strive to build our country into a cyber power. Over the past decade, General Secretary Xi Jinping has set the direction, steered the course, personally outlined the grand blueprint for a cyber power, deployed and promoted the high-quality development of the cybersecurity and informatization cause, systematically answered a series of major theoretical and practical questions on why and how to build a cyber superpower, forming General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on building a cyber power, guiding our country to stride from a major cyber country towards a cyber power...
2014年2月27日，习近平总书记在中央网络安全和信息化领导小组第一次会议上发表重要讲话，明确提出要从国际国内大势出发，总体布局，统筹各方，创新发展，努力把我国建设成为网络强国。十年来，习近平总书记举旗定向、领航掌舵，亲自擘画网络强国宏伟蓝图，部署推动网信事业高质量发展，系统回答了为什么要建设网络强国、怎样建设网络强国等一系列重大理论和实践问题，形成了习近平总书记关于网络强国的重要思想，指引我国从网络大国向着网络强国阔步迈进。
Building a cyber power is a major initiative to coordinate high-quality development with high-level security and to empower Chinese-style modernization through informatization. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "the strategic deployment of building a cyber power should advance in tandem with the 'Two Centenaries' goals," "without cybersecurity there is no national security, without informatization there is no modernization, cybersecurity and informatization are crucial to the Party's long-term governance, the country's long-term stability, economic and social development, and the welfare of the people," "the cause of internet information represents new productive forces and new development directions, and should take a step forward in implementing the new development concepts," "use informatization to cultivate new momentum, and use new momentum to promote new development," "adhere to the correct view of cybersecurity, and build a solid national cybersecurity barrier," "there should be rich and comprehensive information services, and a thriving online culture," "let hundreds of millions of people have more sense of gain in sharing the achievements of internet development," "build a cyberspace community with a shared future," etc. These important discussions profoundly explain the intrinsic relationship between informatization and Chinese-style modernization, cybersecurity and national security, a cyber power and a socialist modernized country, clarifying the significant position and role of building a cyber power in comprehensively advancing the construction of a powerful country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Currently, the internet brings a series of new opportunities and challenges, informatization has become a key engine driving and leading high-quality economic and social development, and cybersecurity has become one of the most complex, realistic, and severe non-traditional security issues. We realize more deeply that only by accelerating the building of a cyber power, closely revolving around advancing Chinese-style modernization, the greatest political task, strengthening the construction and management of online content, focusing on maintaining cybersecurity, accelerating the pace of informatization development, advancing informatization to benefit the people, expanding and deepening international exchanges and cooperation in cyberspace, can we enrich the practical paths, inject driving forces, and provide strong support for advancing Chinese-style modernization.
建设网络强国是统筹高质量发展和高水平安全、以信息化赋能中国式现代化的重大举措。习近平总书记强调，“建设网络强国的战略部署要与‘两个一百年’奋斗目标同步推进”“没有网络安全就没有国家安全，没有信息化就没有现代化，网络安全和信息化事关党的长期执政，事关国家长治久安，事关经济社会发展和人民群众福祉”“网信事业代表着新的生产力和新的发展方向，应该在践行新发展理念上先行一步”“以信息化培育新动能，用新动能推动新发展”“坚持正确网络安全观，筑牢国家网络安全屏障”“要有丰富全面的信息服务，繁荣发展的网络文化”“让亿万人民在共享互联网发展成果上有更多获得感”“构建网络空间命运共同体”，等等。这一系列重要论述，深刻阐述了信息化与中国式现代化、网络安全与国家安全、网络强国与社会主义现代化强国的内在关系，明确了网络强国建设在全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业中的重要地位作用。当前，互联网带来一系列新机遇新挑战，信息化已成为驱动引领经济社会高质量发展的关键引擎，网络安全已成为最复杂、最现实、最严峻的非传统安全问题之一。我们更加深刻认识到，只有加快建设网络强国，紧紧围绕推进中国式现代化这个最大的政治，加强网络内容建设和管理，着力维护网络安全，加快信息化发展步伐，推进信息惠民为民，拓展深化网络空间国际交流合作，才能为推进中国式现代化丰富实践路径、注入驱动力量、提供有力支撑。
Building a cyber power is an inevitable requirement to consolidate the Party's long-term ruling position and improve the Party's governing capacity and leadership level under informatization conditions. Standing at the strategic height of ensuring the Party's long-term governance, General Secretary Xi Jinping accurately grasped the opportunities and challenges brought by the information revolution, making the significant judgment that "failing to cross the internet "pass" means failing to maintain long-term governance," emphasizing "we must unequivocally and unwaveringly adhere to the Party's control of the internet, strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over internet information work," "leaders at all levels, especially senior officials, must actively adapt to the requirements of informatization, strengthen internet thinking," "walk the online mass line well, improve the ability to organize, publicize, guide, and serve the masses through the internet," "scientifically understand the laws of online communication, improve the level of internet governance, turning the internet, the biggest variable, into the biggest increment for career development," etc. These important discussions reflect General Secretary Xi Jinping's concern and historical responsibility for our Party to withstand governance tests, improve governing capacity, and fulfill the governing mission, deepening our Party's understanding of the laws of governance in the information age with a new perspective. Currently, for any country and political party, the internet is an important governing condition, cyberspace is an important governing environment, informatization is an important governing means, and the ability to govern the internet is an important aspect and manifestation of governing capacity. We realize more deeply that only by accelerating the building of a cyber power, continuously exploring and grasping the laws of Party governance under new circumstances, walking the Party's mass line well under informatization conditions, consolidating the Party's governing foundation, can we improve the Party's governing capacity and leadership level under informatization conditions, ensuring the flourishing century-old Party always stands at the forefront of the information age...
建设网络强国是巩固党的长期执政地位、提高信息化条件下党的执政能力和领导水平的必然要求。习近平总书记站在确保党长期执政的战略高度，准确把握信息革命带来的机遇和挑战，作出了“过不了互联网这一关，就过不了长期执政这一关”的重大论断，强调“必须旗帜鲜明、毫不动摇坚持党管互联网，加强党中央对网信工作的集中统一领导”“各级领导干部特别是高级干部要主动适应信息化要求、强化互联网思维”“要走好网上群众路线，提高通过互联网组织群众、宣传群众、引导群众、服务群众的本领”“科学认识网络传播规律，提高用网治网水平，使互联网这个最大变量变成事业发展的最大增量”，等等。这一系列重要论述，体现了习近平总书记对我们党经受执政考验、提高执政能力、完成执政使命的忧患意识和历史担当，以全新的视野深化了我们党对信息时代执政规律的认识。当前，对任何国家和政党来说，互联网是重要的执政条件，网络空间是重要的执政环境，信息化是重要的执政手段，用网治网能力是执政能力的重要方面和体现。我们更加深刻认识到，只有加快建设网络强国，不断探索和把握新形势下党的执政规律，在信息化条件下走好党的群众路线、巩固党的执政基础，才能提高信息化条件下党的执政能力和领导水平，使风华正茂的百年大党始终勇立信息时代潮头。
Adhering to the principle of uniting minds and forging souls, the mainstream ideology and public opinion online have been continuously consolidated and strengthened. With dedication, emotion, and effort, the online promotion of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has been effectively carried out, ensuring the Party's innovative theories are widely disseminated and deeply understood. Online promotion of major themes has been emphasized with great vigor, and the struggle in the realm of online ideology has been forceful and effective. This has fundamentally reversed the previous situation of chaos online, loss of positions, and being passively targeted, making the positive energy in cyberspace stronger and the main melody louder. The voice of the Party has become the strongest sound in cyberspace...
坚持凝心铸魂，网上主流思想舆论不断巩固壮大。用心用情用功做好习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想网上宣传，党的创新理论网上传播入脑入心，网上重大主题宣传浓墨重彩，网络意识形态斗争有力有效，根本扭转了过去网上乱象丛生、阵地沦陷、被动挨打的状况，网络空间正能量更加强劲、主旋律更加高昂，党的声音始终成为网络空间最强音。
Persist in seeking cooperation for mutual benefit, and promote the construction of a cyberspace community with a shared future to a new stage. Vigorously promote General Secretary Xi Jinping's concepts and propositions on building a cyberspace community with a shared future, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to the global development and governance of the internet. Participate fully in the global digital governance process, deeply engage in the formulation of international standards and rules, construct a high-level World Internet Conference international organization, and promote the establishment of a more just and reasonable global internet governance system. Around the fields of digital economy, data security, technological innovation, and cultural exchange, deepen practical cooperation in the field of internet and information, making the internet better benefit the people of all countries in the world.
坚持谋合作图共赢，推动构建网络空间命运共同体迈向新阶段。大力宣介习近平总书记关于构建网络空间命运共同体的理念主张，为全球互联网发展治理贡献中国智慧、中国方案。全方位参与全球数字治理进程，深度参与国际标准和规则制定，高水平建设世界互联网大会国际组织，推动建立更加公正合理的全球互联网治理体系。围绕数字经济、数据安全、技术创新、文化互鉴等领域，深化网信领域务实合作，让互联网更好造福世界各国人民。
Reading the CAC piece, I got a cognitive dissonance headache thinking about the influence that TikTok has on so many young minds in so many countries around the world. - TikTok Shakes Up Executive Ranks, Giving CEO More Oversight of Content Moderation — The Information
TikTok has shaken up its senior ranks, replacing several senior executives including the person running its trust & safety unit, which handles content moderation, and appointing a protege of CEO Shou Zi Chew to oversee that part of the business, according to people at the company and a memo distributed to staff. The shakeup comes weeks after Chew testified before Congress about how TikTok deals with content that could be harmful for children, and suggests the executive is trying to take more control of content moderation, a contentious issue for all social media apps...
Adam Presser, operations head of the app who reports directly to Chew, will now oversee trust and safety, according to people who have seen a memo distributed by TikTok on Tuesday morning. The unit previously reported to Erich Andersen, ByteDance’s general counsel. Andersen reports to ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo, as does Chew.
Question: Why do senior executives of a self-proclaimed non-PRC company report to the head of a PRC company?
Leaked Hacking Documents Show China’s Focus on Tracking Ethnic Minorities - WSJ
The trove of documents suggest I-Soon had a range of targets, but a number of examples point to a focus on ethnic minorities. The files show I-Soon was pitching its hacking capabilities to local security officials in Xinjiang. Chat logs also indicate the firm was offering to monitor Tibetan exiles in India.
I-Soon didn’t respond to a request for comment. China’s Ministry of Public Security didn’t respond to a request for comment.
“The hackers were focused on domestic threats that migrated abroad,” said Drew Thompson, a senior research fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. “Their clients were keen on data from government bureaus, telecommunication providers, airlines, so they could monitor and access individual emails, phones and keep track of dissidents abroad,” added Thompson, a former senior official at the U.S. Defense Department who was stationed in Beijing.
Question: Where does I-Soon fit into the “a cyberspace community with a shared future”?
7. Research on the Construction of the Unitary State System and the Significant Contributions of Chinese Civilization to the Progress of Human Civilization
Report on the project launch - 中国社科院重大项目 | 研究阐释中华民族现代文明重大创新项目“大一统国家政体建设与中华文明对人类文明进步的重大贡献研究”开题
Excerpts:
The project, with Researcher Xie Yang serving as the chief expert, was successfully approved, which is a full affirmation of the work of the Institute of Ancient Chinese History by the Party Group of the Academy. Holding the project launch and review meeting today is crucial for the advancement of the project. We sincerely hope that the expert review group will provide guidance and oversight to ensure that the research maintains both political and academic rigor from the start.
由解扬研究员担任首席专家的项目成功立项，是院党组对古代史研究所工作的充分肯定。今天举行开题论证会，对项目推进至关重要，诚恳希望评议组专家把关把脉，使课题研究从启动之日就既保持政治高度，又凸显学术高度。
Xie Yang reported on the background, research approach, and overall framework of the project, believing that the construction of the "unitary" state system in ancient China is an important institutional contribution made by Chinese civilization to the progress of human civilization. The overall historical process of ancient China presents a situation of diverse integration among various ethnic groups, interdependence, and joint development, which is closely related to the political pattern and state practice of "unitary" governance. The political structure of the "unitary" state and its institutional practice fundamentally adapted to the historical development environment of Chinese society, thereby creating a highly developed material and spiritual civilization in ancient China. This has become an important historical resource for the construction of the socialist path with Chinese characteristics today, providing a solid cultural foundation for the development of Chinese civilization.
解扬报告了项目选题背景、研究思路和总体架构，认为中国古代“大一统”政体建设是中华文明为人类文明进步作出的重要制度贡献。中国古代历史进程整体上呈现为各民族多元一体、互相依存、共同发展的态势，这跟“大一统”的政治格局与政体实践有紧密关系。“大一统”国家政治结构及其制度实践，在根本上能够适应中国社会历史发展环境，由此创造了中国古代高度发达的物质文明和精神文明，成为今天中国特色社会主义道路建设的重要历史资源，为中华文明发展提供了坚实的文化根基。
Professor Liu Linhai, Deputy Dean of the School of History at Beijing Normal University, stated that studying the historical institutions of an ancient civilization has significant importance for understanding the development of world civilization. The "unitary" governance in Chinese history, different from the historical development trajectory of the West, is explored in this project from the perspectives of political practice, institutional design, and conceptual support. Researching the construction of the unitary state system in Chinese history and its significant contributions to the progress of human civilization holds great academic value. During the project's advancement, it is important to highlight civilizational comparisons, consider both domestic and international perspectives, compare the Chinese historical path with that of the Ottoman Empire, and appropriately compare "unitary" governance with the "orthodoxy" of Western civilization, selecting appropriate cases for illustration
北京师范大学历史学院副院长刘林海教授表示，研究一个文明古国的历史制度，对理解世界文明发展具有重大意义。中国历史上的“大一统”，与西方历史发展轨迹不同，本项目从政治实践、制度设计以及观念支撑的角度探讨中国历史上的大一统国家政体建设，研究其对人类文明进步的重大贡献，具有十分重要的学术价值。项目推进过程中，要突出文明比较，内外兼顾，将中国历史道路与奥斯曼、土耳其进行对比，将“大一统”和西方文明的“正统”进行适度比较，选取恰当的案例进行说明。
8. VBA to play NBA exhibition?
Inaugural Village BA national championship to tip off in March - Global Times
The inaugural national grassroots basketball tournament known as the Village Basketball Championship will tip off on March 22 in Taipan village, Taijiang county of Southwest China's Guizhou Province, with the champions having the opportunity to play against NBA franchises in the US, according to organizers of the event on Tuesday...
This year, the grassroot tournament has established regional competition areas across the country with an expanded format. The top three contestants of each region will advance to the next round of group matches. A total of 10 teams, including the top eight from the group qualifiers, along with the host team from Guizhou and one wildcard team, will participate in the finals in November, Cen Jianglong, head of the Taipan VBA, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The champions of the tournament will have the opportunity to visit NBA franchises or even compete against NBA players in the US, with the details to be announced at a press conference in March, Yang Shengwen, an official with the tournament's organizing committee, told the Global Times."The exchange program with the NBA franchises is part of the partnership between the Guizhou authorities and their US counterparts. The detail of the partnership is still under negotiation and will be released soon," said Yang.
Business, Economy and Trade
Exclusive: StanChart suspends new offshore channel investments by China clients | Reuters Standard Chartered (STAN.L), opens new tab has suspended new investments by its clients in China into offshore products via a quota-based channel, the bank said, amid a surge in demand for overseas investments due to weakness in the local market and currency. The London-headquartered bank, in a statement to Reuters, cited "commercial reasons" as its explanation for the suspension of new investments under the qualified domestic institutional investor (QDII) programme. It did not elaborate. // Comment: Given the demand it seems that "commercial reasons" would lead them to push even harder on these products. Unless of course by "commercial reasons" StanChart really means "political and regulatory reasons"?
China props up renminbi ahead of leadership summit in March - Financial Times Strategists and analysts said the People’s Bank of China was focused on fending off short-term pressure from the interest rate differential between Chinese and US government debt, which has widened this year as expectations of an imminent rate cut by the US Federal Reserve have faded.
Xi Crackdown on ‘Hedonistic’ Bankers Has Finance Workers Changing Careers - Bloomberg “I see a new Chinese economy coming into shape soon in which the financial sector will have only two types of players: government-run banks and government-run insurance companies,” said Zhiwu Chen, a professor in finance at University of Hong Kong. “While it will not totally go back to its pre-1978 planned-economy mode, it will be close. Thus, China’s financial sector will not need so many professionals and many will have to find jobs elsewhere, whether there are other options or not.” // Comment: I would like Chen is being a bit too dark “While it will not totally go back to its pre-1978 planned-economy mode, it will be close” but he is a close observer and so this is a worrying quote.
Yicai - China Rejects New Subway Projects in Harbin, Other Cities to Prevent Local Gov’t Debt Risks The State Council, China’s cabinet, has rejected the applications of multiple cities, including Harbin in northeastern Heilongjiang province, to build new subway lines to prevent local government debt risks. The application for the second construction phase of the Harbin underground railway system, which was proposed in 2017, has been rejected and has not been reviewed again as the city failed to meet the debt ratio requirements, Yicai learned.
Yicai - Shanghai Takes China's Income Tax Crown From Guangdong Province Shanghai earned CNY95.3 billion (USD13.2 billion) in personal income tax revenue last year, up by 6 percent from a year ago, but Guangdong province was hard on the heels of the eastern megalopolis with CNY94.6 billion, a 4 percent decline, according to Yicai's compilation of annual budget reports released by various provinces. Most regions logged shrinking sums due to policy adjustments so Shanghai's boost was exceptional.
Shein Considers Switching IPO to London From New York Amid US Scrutiny - Bloomberg Shein, which was founded in China but is now headquartered in Singapore, is in the early stages of exploring the London option as it has judged it unlikely that the US Securities and Exchange Commission will approve its IPO, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information.
McKinsey website touted its advice to Chinese government ministries - Financial Times McKinsey claimed in marketing materials that it had advised the Chinese central government on boosting domestic consumption and reforming healthcare policy, raising fresh questions over the consulting firm’s denial that it ever worked for Beijing. A McKinsey China website that was shut down in 2019 said that about 10 per cent of its clients in the country were government agencies or non-profit groups.
央行召开座谈会：加大对五大重点领域的资金支持 At a Feb 26 meeting, China’s central bank vowed to step up financing in five areas: tech financing, green financing, inclusive financing, senior care financing and digital financing. 科技金融、绿色金融、普惠金融、养老金融、数字金融. Representatives from major Chinese banks were present at the meeting.
31省份如何化债：7省份完成或超额完成任务，多地探索新化债模式 - 21财经 The 21st Century Business Herald article on local governments' efforts to tackle invisible debt. One source at a unnamed county in southern China told the newspaper that other debts — like operational debts — have grown since 2018 even though the invisible debt has not. 南方省份某区县债务办人士表示，对比2018年8月建立债务监测系统时，隐性债务虽未增长，但关注类债务和经营性债务增长较快。In 2023, seven provinces — Tianjin, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Qinghai, Ningxia, Henan, Hunan — have met the task of “resolving invisible debt” or even exceeded the original target. So far all 31 provinces have released their budget plans for 2024, and many have explored various ways to reduce invisible debt.
China to make housing development plans for 2024, 2025-Xinhua Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development on Tuesday requested local authorities to make housing development plans for 2024 and 2025. The ministry issued a circular asking local authorities to estimate housing demand on the basis of demographic changes, scientifically arrange land supplies and channel funds to these property projects in line with housing demand. Such an approach is adopted to secure the equilibrium of supply and demand and a reasonable structure in the real estate market, and to prevent drastic fluctuations in the sector, it said.
The Circular - 住房城乡建设部关于做好住房 发展规划和年度计划编制工作的通知
Housing development planning and annual plans are crucial for establishing a linkage mechanism between people, housing, land, and money. Localities must fully recognize the importance of properly preparing and implementing housing development plans and annual plans. Plans should be scientifically prepared and meticulously implemented, determining housing needs based on population changes, scientifically arranging land supply according to housing demand, and guiding the allocation of financial resources. This approach aims to base housing on people, land on housing, and finances on housing, promoting a balanced supply and demand in the real estate market, a rational structure, and preventing significant market fluctuations.
住房发展规划和年度计划是建立“人、房、地、钱”要素联动机制的重要抓手。各地要充分认识做好住房发展规划和年度计划的编制实施工作的重要性，科学编制规划，认真组织实施，根据人口变化确定住房需求，根据住房需求科学安排土地供应、引导配置金融资源，实现以人定房，以房定地、以房定钱，促进房地产市场供需平衡、结构合理，防止市场大起大落。
单价从4万降至2万多？深圳一楼盘陷降价风波！开发商回应 In Shenzhen, a property developer is reportedly said to have almostly halved its unit price recently, prompting anger from some buyers who bought at a higher price. Citing market information, Securities Daily said the unit price of a housing property in the city has been lowered to 23,800 rmb / square meter from close to 40,000 rmb / square meter between 2020 and 2022. The developer issued a statement on Feb 27, saying it has not broken rules and has not lowered price below the 85% threshold of the official price filed with the government. // Comment: Good luck to the governments that try to buy empty flats at a discount in projects that have already sold some units to end users at higher prices.
Evergrande Founder’s Ex-Wife Sues Son Over $128 Million in Loans - Bloomberg The lawsuit was filed in Hong Kong by Ding Yumei, who was listed as the spouse of Hui until August. She claims that the defendant Peter Xu failed to make payments for loans borrowed in June 2020, according to court filings. Xu, who once ran Evergrande’s wealth management unit, was taken into custody last year along with some other staff at the division after the developer allegedly failed to pay people who invested in its investment products. // Comment: I believe Peter Xu is a Harvard grad.
Tesla's Shanghai Factory: The Golden Goose that Became a Geopolitical Bargaining Chip Tesla’s disclosures are the worst in the auto industry, but they do disclose “domestic” and “foreign” pre-tax profits in their annual 10-K reports. Tesla also discloses revenues by region, albeit, only for the US, China & “Others” (“Others” is over 30% of 2023 revenues). Both the revenue and pre-tax profit numbers are based on point of sales recognition. Figure 1 shows my estimates of the weight of China given Tesla’s disclosures and it’s roughly 73% of profits over the last 3 years.
Hunt urges Shein boss to pursue blockbuster London float | Business News | Sky News Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor has met Shein chairman Donald Tang in a bid to persuade the online fast fashion behemoth to float in London instead of New York, Sky News learns.
Yicai - German Gov’t Rejects Evonik’s Request to Set Up JV With China’s Avic Aviation The German government has rejected the application of German specialty chemicals manufacturer Evonik Industries to set up a new materials joint venture with Avic Aviation High Technology, the composite material business unit of Aviation Industry Corporation of China. Avic Aviation and Evonik’s subsidiary in China have terminated their agreement to set up a JV in Shanghai dedicated to the development of polymethacrylimide
China boosts reforms of local financial regulatory system-Xinhua Since the central-level moves were made, local agencies have emerged one after another. So far, more than 20 provincial-level regions have set up local agencies of the central financial regulatory authorities. According to Dong Ximiao, a researcher at the Institute for Financial Studies, Fudan University, the establishment of the local financial regulatory branches will strengthen the leadership of the Communist Party of China on financial work at the local level.
United States DOT To Allow Chinese Airlines To Operate 50 Weekly Flights On Monday, February 26, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced that passenger airlines based in China will be allowed to boost their weekly flights to the United States. Currently, Chinese passenger airlines can operate up to 35 weekly round-trip flights to the US. However, beginning on March 31, the USDOT will boost the weekly flights to 50 total flights.
Caixin In Depth: China Intensifies Efforts to Curb Risk in Troubled Trust Sector An updated regulatory ratings system has been introduced, switching the focus to risk management and supervision of how businesses are run rather than profitability and revenue, metrics that are no longer included in the ratings system. The rules also, for the first time, allow financial regulators to evaluate the systemic importance of large trust firms and impose stronger oversight on the most important ones. “The direction of the regulatory ratings system has obviously shifted from fostering development to preventing risks,” a trust firm executive told Caixin.
突发！RIO鸡尾酒母公司董事长，被立案调查并留置！他身家170亿，律师：若定性，将无法继续任职|酒业|百润|rio|刘晓东|威士忌_网易订阅 Shanghai Bairun Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd. recently received a notice issued by the Supervisory Committee of Nanzheng District, Hanzhong City, regarding the initiation of an investigation and detention of Mr. Liu Xiaodong, the company's chairman, legal representative, and general manager, on suspicion of bribery.
China National Team, State-Backed Funds, Bought $57 Billion of Shares, UBS Says - Bloomberg UBS strategists said the national team added 1.24 trillion yuan of shares over July to September 2015, when the stock market was tanking. The current year-to-date flow of 410 billion yuan is “well below the historical level, with the potential to rise further under extreme conditions,” they wrote.
Politics and Law
Provincial Vice Governor Booted, Resigns From Legislature - Caixin The vice governor of North China’s Shanxi province, Liu Yang, has been dismissed from his official position, the provincial legislature announced during a meeting Monday, according to a state media report...The 56-year-old also spent nearly eight years in East China’s Jiangsu province, where he served in roles including vice governor, provincial police chief and director of the provincial state security bureau. In July 2017, he took over the post of the party chief of Jiangsu’s public security bureau from Wang Like, who was convicted for graft in 2022. Previously, Liu worked for two decades in the Ministry of State Security, including its foreign affairs and international cooperation bureaus
Former supreme court chief judge expelled from CPC - Xinhua Zheng Xuelin, former chief judge of the No. 1 Civil Adjudication Tribunal of China's Supreme People's Court (SPC), has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) over serious violations of Party discipline and laws..Zheng was disloyal and dishonest to the Party, and he had resisted investigation, undertaken superstitious activities, engaged in activities that violated the Party's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct, and accepted money and gifts against regulations as well as banquet invitations that might affect the fairness of his performance of public duties, according to the statement.
China’s top court launches new database of verdicts amid fears over declining transparency | South China Morning Post A Supreme People’s Court spokesman told reporters in Beijing on Tuesday that the public could now access the new database [首页 - 人民法院案例库] of court verdicts from its website. The database – with more than 3,700 rulings currently archived – was introduced to help make verdicts “more standardised, timely, systematic and consistent” and to make it easier to search for cases, the spokesman said. It will be a supplement to the existing China Judgments Online, or CJO, another website run by the Supreme People’s Court.
New textbook ‘Community of the Chinese Nation’ promotes new discipline studies - Global Times
A new textbook on the subject of the community of the Chinese Nation has been released by China's Higher Education Press and the Ethnic Publishing House. The Outline of the Community of the Chinese Nation was completed under the guidance of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission to fill the gap on theoretical education concerning the subject of the community of the Chinese Nation...
With a large amount of archaeological and historical materials, especially the fact that various ethnic groups in ancient China interacted, exchanged and integrated with each other, the textbook illustrates that the formation of the community of the Chinese nation was the inevitable result of the historical development. It uses the formation and development of the Chinese nation to refute erroneous historical views in the West that attempt to deconstruct the Chinese nation, said Tan Fangzheng, editor-in-chief of the Higher Education Press.
As Chinese academic circles are already preparing to establish the discipline Community for the Chinese Nation Studies, the textbook is a pioneering work on this subject.
National Ethnic Affairs Commission on the textbook《中华民族共同体概论》教材出版发行
The "Introduction" textbook is the first unified textbook that comprehensively and systematically explains General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work. It is a public course textbook with ideological and political education attributes and is an important achievement in constructing the historical material system, discourse system, and theoretical system of the Chinese national community. The compilation, publication, and distribution of the "Introduction" textbook are of great significance for better using the Party's innovative theory to nurture souls and educate people, to build a modern civilization of the Chinese nation, to guide young students to establish a correct historical view of the Chinese nation, and to root in the community concept of sharing weal and woe, honor and disgrace, life and death, and destiny together.
《概论》教材是第一部全面系统阐释习近平总书记关于加强和改进民族工作的重要思想的统编教材，是一本具有思想政治教育属性的公共课教材，是构建中华民族共同体史料体系、话语体系、理论体系的重要成果。《概论》教材的编写出版和发行使用，对于更好用党的创新理论铸魂育人，建设中华民族现代文明，引导青年学生树牢正确的中华民族历史观，根植休戚与共、荣辱与共、生死与共、命运与共的共同体理念具有重要意义。
National conference on combating pornography, illegal publications held in Beijing-Xinhua Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the conference and delivered remarks. The conference noted the achievements made on this front over the past year and outlined efforts to focus on the tasks of maintaining security, preventing risks, nurturing a good social ethos and boosting development, as well as efforts to enhance systemic, law-based, comprehensive and source-targeted governance. 全国“扫黄打非”工作会议在京召开 李书磊出席并讲话-新华网
Getting China Right: A Conversation With David Rennie - YouTube
Late last year, the Economist asked an intriguing question: How scary is China? President Joe Biden’s administration clearly considers China a peer competitor to the United States and many in Congress view Beijing as a mortal threat. There’s no doubt that China poses serious challenges, even dangers in some areas, for America. But is Washington overlooking China’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and misunderstanding what China wants from America and the world? Are we getting China right? Join Aaron David Miller as he sits down with David Rennie, the Economist’s bureau chief in Beijing, to discuss these and other issues
The video:
特稿｜“生死判官”刀文兵的生死劫_政经频道_财新网 Caixin on a crazy corruption case in the legal system: For decades, Dao Wenbing had sat countless times on the high bench of the courtroom, solemnly judging the crimes and punishments of others. However, his life took a drastic turn four and a half years ago, after one midnight. In January 2023, the Yuxi Intermediate People's Court in Yunnan Province found Dao Wenbing, the former deputy chief of the First Criminal Division of the Kunming Intermediate People's Court who specialized in handling major criminal cases, guilty of intentional homicide, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and concealing and disguising the proceeds of crime. He was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for the combined crimes. In June of the same year, the Yunnan Provincial High Court issued a criminal ruling, upholding the original sentence in the final judgment.
Total Trust BBC4 — terrific and terrifying documentary about Chinese surveillance These arresting snapshots are captured in Total Trust, a terrific, frequently terrifying documentary about Chinese surveillance and censorship. Following the paranoid, claustrophobic daily life of the aforementioned — all deemed or related to “subversive” individuals — the film brings home the extent to which China uses invasive technologies, social initiatives and media propaganda to supervise and subjugate its people
Wife of jailed free speech activist Wang Aizhong on 'no fly' list — Radio Free Asia Wang Henan, the wife of jailed press freedom activist Wang Aizhong, says her employer is trying to get her to quit her job due to her husband's status as a political prisoner, and has barred her from working further shifts as a flight attendant. She says the move means she is effectively being punished by association with her husband
Chinese Filmmaker Charged Over Documentary on Protests, Reports - Variety Chinese activist filmmaker Chen Pinlin has been formally charged in Shanghai with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” according to human rights NGOs and media sources in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based NGO, said on Thursday that on Jan. 5 police in Shanghai arrested Chen, who produced and released a film called “Not the Foreign Force” in English and “Urumqi Road” in Chinese, in November. Chen, who also uses the name Plato, has been held at the Baoshan Detention Center ever since and was charged on Feb. 18.
Foreign and Defense Affairs
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on February 27, 2024
The Paper: It’s reported that in its recent report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Nvidia included Huawei in its current competitors in AI, chips and various areas for the first time, and said that its competitive position may be further harmed if there’re further changes in the US government’s export controls. What’s your comment?
Mao Ning: What has happened shows that “small yard and high fence” will not stop China’s innovation-driven development, nor will it do any good to US companies or the entire semiconductor industry. Open cooperation is the core driving force for the growth of the semiconductor industry. China is one of the major semiconductor markets in the world. To fragment the market, destabilize global industrial and supply chains, and stymie efficiency and innovation serves no one’s interests. The US needs to follow the principles of market economy and fair competition, and support companies around the world in advancing science and technology through healthy competition.
Reuters: The US-China Science and Technology Agreement was set to expire today after the US extended the pact originally expiring in August 2023 by six months for re-negotiations with China. Please could you tell us whether the pact has been renewed now while the expiration date has passed?
Mao Ning: China-US exchange and cooperation in science and technology is mutually beneficial in nature. What I know is that the two sides have been in communication on the renewal of the agreement. For the specifics, I’d refer you to competent Chinese authorities.
Saudi Arabia has yet to decide on joining BRICS, South African envoy says - World - TASS Saudi Arabia has not yet made a final decision to join BRICS, as Riyadh is still going through certain processes toward accession to the grouping, South African Ambassador to Russia Mzuvukile Geoff Maqetuka said in an interview with TASS.
Why isn’t China letting Russia take out yuan loans in their ‘no-limits’ partnership? | South China Morning Post In an interview with the state-run RIA Novosti news agency on Monday, Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov said that his nation’s budget laws would allow for it to issue loans in yuan, and that “negotiations with Chinese partners have been ongoing for quite some time” but no decisions had been made.
刘建超会见塞浦路斯劳动人民进步党代表团 On February 27, Liu Jianchao, the Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, met in Beijing with a delegation from the Progressive Party of Working People of Cyprus
刘建超会见土库曼斯坦议会三党代表团--新闻报道-中国共产党新闻网 On February 26, Liu Jianchao, the Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, met in Beijing with a delegation from Turkmenistan led by the Chairman of the Democratic Party. They had an in-depth exchange of views on implementing the consensus of the highest leaders of the two countries, strengthening inter-party exchanges and cooperation, deepening the exchange of experiences in governance and administration, and promoting the development of China-Turkmenistan relation
Living outside China has become more like living inside China - The Economist Western governments have long hoped that the flow of Chinese abroad might foment democratic change in China. Instead, the party’s effort to control them may be stunting their opportunities in the West. People of Chinese ancestry are more likely to be viewed with suspicion and regarded as the party’s allies or even agents...The party’s actions perpetuate a vicious cycle. As fear grows about the power of the state abroad, diaspora groups become more insular, further fuelling distrust of them. The result may be that some Chinese abroad are driven back into the arms of the party. That, of course, could be precisely what it wants
Hong Kong
Xia says investments in HK will be protected - business chamber - HongKongFP Betty Yuen, chairperson of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), addressed reporters after a meeting on Monday with Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), local media reported. “[Xia]… said Hong Kong’s ‘One Country, Two System’ has been effective and that there was no need to change it,” Yuen said
Taiwan
Mainland China’s coastguard ships no threat if they stay clear of land forces, Taiwan military says | South China Morning Post Taiwan’s military will not consider the presence of mainland Chinese coastguard vessels in its restricted waters a threat, the island’s defence minister said on Tuesday, as he sought to ease rising cross-strait tensions that could escalate into a potential conflict. “As long as the [mainland coastguard vessels] do not come close to our land forces, we do not see them as a threat,” Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters ahead of a legislature meeting in Taipei.
Skirting the Shores: China’s New High-Tech Research Ship Probes the Waters around Taiwan In late 2023, a cutting-edge Chinese research vessel circumnavigated Taiwan in a rare move that went largely unreported. The Zhu Hai Yun (珠海云), which bristles with advanced monitoring and surveillance equipment, charted a course that appears intended to challenge Taiwan and probe the environment around the island. Chinese sources insist the ship is meant solely for civilian research. However, satellite imagery and other open-source information show that the lines separating the Zhu Hai Yun and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are exceedingly blurred.
Tech and Media
Ultraman AI IP infringement victory - 南方财经网 - 南方财经全媒体集团
On February 26, the 21st Century Business Herald exclusively learned from multiple sources that the Guangzhou Internet Court recently issued a judgment that has taken effect concerning a case of generative AI services infringing on someone else's copyright. This is also the first effective judgment worldwide on copyright infringement by generative AI services...
2月26日，21世纪经济报道从多渠道独家获悉，广州互联网法院近日生效了一起生成式AI服务侵犯他人著作权判决，这也是全球范围内首例生成式AI服务侵犯他人著作权的生效判决。
The plaintiff discovered that when requesting the Tab website to generate images related to Ultraman (for example, by entering "generate an image of Dyna Ultraman"), the Ultraman images generated by the Tab website were substantially similar to the plaintiff's Ultraman images. The AI drawing function of the Tab website is an exclusive feature for members, and generating each image consumes "computing power," both of which require users to recharge separately. The plaintiff believes that the defendant, without authorization, used the plaintiff's copyrighted works to train its large model and generate substantially similar images. Moreover, by selling memberships, recharges, and "computing power" purchases as value-added services, the defendant illicitly profited. Such actions have caused severe damage to the plaintiff, who thus filed a lawsuit to protect their legitimate rights and interests.
原告发现，当要求Tab网站生成奥特曼相关图片时（如输入“生成一张戴拿奥特曼”），Tab网站生成的奥特曼形象与原告奥特曼形象构成实质性相似。Tab网站的AI绘画功能系会员专属功能，且每次生成图片需消耗“算力”，无论会员还是“算力”均需用户额外进行充值。原告认为，被告未经授权，擅自利用原告享有权利的作品训练其大模型并生成实质性相似的图片，且通过销售会员充值及“算力”购买等增值服务攫取非法收益，前述行为给原告造成严重损害，遂起诉，维护自身合法权益。
Daring Fireball: The European Commission Had Nothing to Do With Apple’s Reversal on Supporting RCS why did Apple do a 180° turn on RCS? I can’t say for certain, alas, but after spending the last few months periodically poking around the trees inhabited by little birdies, I do have good news for fans of coercive government regulation. Apple’s hand was effectively forced. But by China, not the EU. Chinese carriers have been proponents of RCS for years, and last year, the Chinese government began the process of codifying into law that to achieve certification, new 5G devices will be required to support RCS.
Yicai - China’s East Buy Drops After Hit Streamer Deletes All Weibo Posts Shares of East Buy Holding, the livestream e-commerce unit of China's New Oriental Education and Technology Group, fell after its popular salesman Dong Yuhui emptied his Weibo account of all posts...Dong became a trending topic on the Chinese social media platform after refusing to describe an underwear product during a livestream, despite the requests of many viewers.
社科院报告显示网络文学用户已超5亿-新华网 The Literature Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recently released the "2023 China Online Literature Development Research Report" in Beijing. The report shows that by the end of 2023, the number of online literature users in China reached 537 million, a year-on-year increase of 9%, and the market size of online literature reading has exceeded 40 billion yuan 中国社会科学院文学研究所日前在京发布《2023中国网络文学发展研究报告》。报告显示，截至2023年底，中国网络文学用户数达5.37亿，同比增长9%，网文阅读市场规模已突破400亿元
China's state broadcaster CCTV puts on air AI-generated animation program - Global Times China's first artificial intelligence-generated animation Qianqiu Shisong 【千秋诗颂】 was put on air via CCTV-1, part of China Media Group (CMG) on Monday, which illustrated scenes and figures described in China's ancient poems and verses done by generative AI, the Securities Times reported...Qianqiu Shisong includes 26 episodes in total, each lasting about seven minutes in length. It was made by the generative-AI model co-developed by Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the CMG, under the brand of CMG Media GPT and launched in July 20, 2023.
An episode on Youtube:
US, allies set out 6G principles as tech rivalry with China heats up | South China Morning Post In a joint statement on Monday, the nations set out their principles for 6G communication systems, including that they are developed with “trusted technology that is protective of national security”. The statement was released by the US, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
‘Shining on international stage’: Chinese developers of OpenAI’s text-to-video generator Sora receive acclaim at home | South China Morning Post Two of the 13 members of the Sora development team, Jing Li and Ricky Wang Yu, were recently singled out on the mainland for their efforts. Jing was praised by alma mater Wuhan No 2 High School in central Hubei province for “shining on the international stage”, according to a post on Monday in the school’s official WeChat account. Wang graduated in 2013 from NSFZ, the high school affiliated with Nanjing Normal University in eastern Jiangsu province
Baidu Apollo's Former Technical Leader, Luo Qi, Joins Nvidia's Automotive Business Unit - Pandaily The overall software architecture and regulation of the vehicle-side intelligent driving L2+ business at Baidu, Inc., led by Luo Qi, responsible for vehicle interaction technology, has recently joined the automotive division of NVIDIA as an engineering director. He is in charge of forecasting, planning, and control, reporting to Wu Xinzhou, head of NVIDIA’s automotive department. Luo Qi joined Baidu in 2016 and worked at Baidu‘s US research institute. In 2022, he was promoted to Senior Chief Software Architect
Caixin - Four Charged in China’s First Case of Livestreaming Money Laundering Between 2018 and mid-2020, the hosts accepted illicit funds worth over 50 million yuan ($6.9 million) through rewards given during livestreaming and then transferred the money back to the tipper, helping a suspect surnamed Yu launder the proceeds from his criminal activities, according to the article. Such activities were made possible by the unspoken rule within the industry of “cashbacks,” which involves collusion between the host and the tipper. At first, tippers pay large amounts to boost the host’s popularity and traffic, with the money eventually transferred back to the tipper at a later time.
Alibaba Leads Record Deal to Mint $2.5 Billion China AI Firm - Bloomberg Alibaba joins Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Silicon Valley peers like Microsoft Corp. in placing big bets on generative AI, the technology that powers ChatGPT. It led a $1 billion funding round in Moonshot AI with existing backer Monolith Management, boosting the year-old firm’s valuation eight-fold to some $2.5 billion, people familiar with the deal said. They joined previous backers including food delivery giant Meituan’s investment arm Long-Z and Hongshan, formerly Sequoia China, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private transaction.
Society, Arts, Sports, Culture and History
China sex scandal teacher suspended after husband exposes affair with 16-year-old student, 2.5 billion view story of forbidden love online | South China Morning Post The story of a woman secondary school teacher in Shanghai who was suspended after her husband exposed her alleged affair with a 16-year-old student in her class has gone super viral on mainland social media. In the space of just 19 hours, the hashtag for the story topped Weibo’s trending list and had attracted 2.5 billion views and nearly 5 million shares by February 19...A lawyer at Jiangsu FDDH Law Firm, Lan Tianbin, told the mainland media outlet Modern Express that the teacher had not broken the law if the student was over 16 years old.
Messi Mess Highlights "Fragile" Psyche of Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese Nationalists In a humorous article, WeChat author @麻雀商业评论 argued that netizens’ enduring anger—despite Messi’s apology—reveals Messi’s PR team’s failure to understand China’s national psyche. Instead of sharing the mundane truth (that Messi was injured), the author argued that the Messi team should have made Messi consult with a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Rare copy of Mao’s Little Red Book expected to fetch more than £30,000 | Mao Zedong | The Guardian Schiller started collecting CCP memorabilia on a visit to China in 1998, where he picked up artefacts from flea markets for as little as 60 cents. He said he paid more than $15,000 for rarer items, such as the prototype editions. Many items in his collection – which take up 15 rooms of his house in upstate New York – were obtained when a specialist dealer in Beijing sold him her whole shop for $40,000 on the advice of a fortune teller in the early 2000s, Schiller said. It took three shipping containers – sent from different ports over several weeks to avoid scrutiny from the Chinese authorities – to transport them back to the US. // The book sounds interesting. There was a huge surge in reproductions of anything Mao-related in 1992-1993 into the 100th anniversary of his birth. I would love to know how all these items were authenticated. // A CULTURAL REVOLUTION Literature, Sculpture, Objects & Posters of the ‘The Maoist Movement’ (NY)
Energy, Environment, Science and Health
The Central First Ecological Environmental Protection Inspection Team provided feedback on the inspection to Fujian Province on the 27th. The inspection pointed out that Fujian Province has resolutely taken on the glorious mission of building a "new Fujian with dynamic mechanisms, superior industries, wealthy people, and beautiful ecology," persistently advancing the construction of an ecological province and a pilot zone for ecological civilization. The province has high standards, strong efforts, and good results, with the quality of the ecological environment ranking among the top in the country. However, in comparison with the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments for advancing the construction of a beautiful China, as well as the new expectations of the people for a better ecological environment, further efforts are still needed, and prominent issues in some areas urgently need to be addressed.
Some of the areas listed:
There is a gap between high-quality development and high-level protection. Some officials are blindly optimistic about environmental quality and lack a clear understanding of ecological and environmental issues in their regions and industries
Marine ecological and environmental protection issues remain prominen
There are shortcomings in water pollution prevention and water environment protection
"Their basic content is the leap in workers . . ."If memory serves me well, the last time the word "leap" was used by the CCP in this way, things didn't turn out so well.