Caixin On Sun Zhengcai's Mistress; Rural Revitalization; US-PRC Contest In Latin America; New Era For Weibo; More Warnings Of PRC Influence Operations

Happy Monday...this is the first issue of the newsletter from the new Sinocism global headquarters. We are still in the middle of moving so things may be a little rough today. Thanks for your patience.

The Essential Eight

1. Caixin Looks At A Businesswoman And Her "Special Relationship" With Sun Zhengcai

Caixin's latest cover story is on Liu Fengzhou, whom the magazine says was Sun Zhengcai's longest tenured mistress. She was detained in May 2017 to “assist an investigation”. Art buffs may know her as she founded the Beijing Sishang Art Museum (寺上美术馆}, now shuttered.

They met when Sun was chief of the Shunyi district of Beijing.

There may fit the pattern of PRC media outlets, especially Caixin, doing big "exposes" as the prosecution of a tiger nears.

Keep in mind that Wen Jiabao’s family is believed to have significant financial interests in Shunyi, stemming from Sun’s days in Beijing. There have been consistent rumors that Wen and family are actually the real tiger target above Sun.

And i…