Xi inspects Xiong'an; China Development Forum; Iran; Nvidia chip smuggling; SOE rules; Sleeping fish

Today’s top items in detail:

1. Xi inspects Xiong’an - Xi took three PBSC members - Li Qiang, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang - and three other Politburo members - He Lifeng, Yin Li, and Chen Min’er - to inspect Xiong’an, his fourth visit to the new city since 2017. It is an interesting signal to make this his first inspection tour after the Two Sessions and the launch of the 15th Five Year Plan.

There can be no doubts about the decision to build Xiong’an:

Xi…emphasized that under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and through the joint efforts of all parties, the construction and development of the Xiong’an New Area have achieved major phased results. Practice has fully proven that the Central Committee’s decision to build the Xiong’an New Area is completely correct, and the work in all aspects has been solid and effective.

More from the long CCTV report on his visit, which I have translated in full below:

During his inspection and hosting of a symposium on further promoting t…