Boao and "Xiplomacy"; No Concessions To Trump; Declining US-China FDI; Forced Confessions on CCTV; Three Child Policy; Suppressing Global Dissent

XI's speech at Boao seemed underwhelming considering the hype. Perhaps I am obtuse but I read Xi's speech in the original Chinese and did not see any signs of concessions to Trump on trade.

The messaging was similar to that of Xi's 2017 speech in Davos, positioning China as a responsible stakeholder that is a leading guarantor of the global trading and multilateral governance systems and a key engine of global growth. There was also some emphasis on the idea of Asia for Asians, which is unsurprising both because that concept is part of the CCP’s diplomatic vision and this is the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA).

In his speech Xi made no mention of the Party 党, which may say something about the propaganda packaging and the target audience for this forum. 

As I told Axios this morning:

There is little new in this speech, these broad promises have been made before, and none of them go to the real heart of the U.S. angst over China ... Maybe this time the mooted reforms will be implemented, and mayb…