Hong Kong National Security Law is in effect; CCP turns 99; Gaokao
The Hong Kong National Security law has been promulgated and is now in effect. You can read the official versions here in simplified Chinese, here in traditional Chinese and here in English.
Some highlights:
Chapter III Offences and Penalties 第三章 罪行和处罚
Part 1 Secession 第一节 分裂国家罪
Part 2 Subversion 第二节 颠覆国家政权罪
Part 3 Terrorist Activities 第三节 恐怖活动罪
Part 4 Collusion with a Foreign Country or with External Elements to Endanger National Security 第四节 勾结外国或者境外势力危害国家安全罪
Article 38 This Law shall apply to offences under this Law committed against the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region from outside the Region by a person who is not a permanent resident of the Region. 第三十八条 不具有香港特别行政区永久性居民身份的人在香港特别行政区以外针对香港特别行政区实施本法规定的犯罪的，适用本法。
Article 54 The Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall, together with the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, take necessary measures to strengthen the management of and services for organs of foreign countries and international organisations in the Region, as well as non-governmental organisations and news agencies of foreign countries and from outside the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao of the People’s Republic of China in the Region. 第五十四条 驻香港特别行政区维护国家安全公署、外交部驻香港特别行政区特派员公署会同香港特别行政区政府采取必要措施，加强对外国和国际组织驻香港特别行政区机构、在香港特别行政区的外国和境外非政府组织和新闻机构的管理和服务。
There is talk of marches tomorrow, July 1, the 23rd anniversary of the handover. Perhaps there will be safety in numbers if tens of thousands or more take to the streets?
Expect the authorities to target a handful of people and cases to use as examples for the new law.
Xi and the CCP leadership were never going to back down from pushing through this law, no matter how much the Trump administration threatened. Now the US is in a bit of a bind, as the measures threatened so far look like they harm Hong Kong citizens and US interests more than they impact Xi and the CCP. Will the Trump administration blink, or will we see much more impactful moves like sanctions on major PRC financial institutions and senior Party/central government leaders and their family members? And will the US or any other Western governments do anything meaningful for Hong Kong residents?
I still stand by my comments from the May 28 newsletter:
The US runs the risk of having made a big deal about this law and then issuing a weak response that imposes relatively little cost on Beijing. I believe that is what Xi is betting on, and certainly the utterances from other governments have been fairly milquetoast, or non-existent as in the case of most of the PRC’s neighbors.
For Xi and the CCP, Hong Kong political security and the territory’s place in the Motherland trump whatever increase in US-China friction may come, and in the logic the two countries are now stuck in a harsh US response will only confirm to Xi and many in China that the US is hellbent on keeping China down, while a weak response from DC will add to the view already held by more than a few in Beijing that Trump and the US are paper tigers, as Mao liked to say, and Beijing can increasingly act with impunity. It is a toxic dynamic.
The new Hong Kong law will likely bring much more attention to the question of what if anything the US and its allies should or can do to protect Taiwan. There is no longer any reasonable prospect of “peaceful reunification” as the CCP calls it. Taiwan President Tsai tweeted a few hours ago:
Taiwan is the reddest of red lines for Xi and the CCP. It is also a democracy of nearly 24 million people that has won many more friends over the last few months with its stellar handling of the pandemic. How much longer can the status quo between Taiwan and the PRC, and the status quo between the PRC and the US over Taiwan, hold?
Today’s Essential Eight:
Hong Kong
US-China
The Chinese Communist Party turns 99 on July 1
Politburo study session
Central committee for deepening overall reform meets
India-China
Gaokao
New report on PRC’s efforts to influence global media
Housekeeping Note: I will be taking this Thursday off for the July 4 US Independence Day Holiday.
Thanks for reading.
The Essential Eight
1. Hong Kong
The law, formulated based on an NPC decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the HKSAR to safeguard national security, has 66 articles in six chapters, and is a comprehensive law with substantive law, procedural law and organic law contents.
The law clearly defines the duties and government bodies of the HKSAR for safeguarding national security; the four categories of offences -- secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security -- and their corresponding penalties; jurisdiction, applicable law and procedure; office of the central people's government for safeguarding national security in the HKSAR; and other contents.
Hong Kong Security Law Gives Beijing Broad New Powers - WSJ $$
It criminalizes secessionist, subversive and terrorist activities in Hong Kong, as well as acts of collusion with foreign forces that endanger national security—all of which can be punished with jail terms. Collusion offenses include espionage and efforts to impose sanctions against Hong Kong or the whole of China, and incite hatred against the local or central government.
The law also states that it would apply to any person who commits offenses defined by its provisions, even if they are outside Hong Kong and aren’t permanent residents of the territory. It wasn’t clear how this provision would be implemented...
According to the law, much of the responsibility for enforcing national security falls to a special council formed by Hong Kong officials and led by the city’s chief executive. Their work will be confidential, with decisions not subject to judicial reviews.
A special unit within the local police force will handle national-security cases, and it can hire personnel from outside of Hong Kong. Beyond the police’s usual powers in criminal investigations, the law allows the special police unit to put suspects under secret surveillance with authorization from the city’s chief executive.
A Government spokesman said, "the purpose of the legislation is to effectively prevent, curb and punish crimes, namely acts of secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security. It only targets an extremely small minority of offenders while the life and property as well as various legitimate basic rights and freedoms enjoyed by the overwhelming majority of citizens will be protected. There is nothing for Hong Kong citizens to worry about in exercising these legitimate rights.
China draws global condemnation for new Hong Kong security law | Financial Times $$
Eric Cheung, a legal expert at the University of Hong Kong, said the actual law is “much worse” than he had expected.
“The extraterritorial effect of this piece of legislation I think will really alarm all the foreigners and foreign investment and no one could now feel safe.” People who took a transit flight through Hong Kong risked being arrested, he said.
Xinhua wrote that in the past month officials in Beijing including vice premier Han Zheng, and Xia Baolong, head of the state council HK and Macau affairs office, “widely asked for opinions from all sides in HK” regarding the new law.
Draft law has firm legal footing - China Daily
Tian Feilong, an associate professor of law at Beihang University in Beijing, said the draft has three legal bases: the Constitution, the Basic Law－Hong Kong's miniconstitution－and the NPC's decision.
52 countries welcome China's adoption of law on safeguarding national security in HK - Xinhua
Speaking at the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, Cuba on behalf of 52 countries welcomed the adoption of the law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by China's top legislature.
Hong Kong leader says national security law won't undermine autonomy - Reuters
Lam’s video message to the Human Rights Council in Geneva came after an unprecedented joint call by U.N. experts for greater scrutiny of China’s record, including “moves against the people of Hong Kong”, and its treatment of ethnic minorities in the restive regions of Xinjiang and Tibet.
National Security Law protects ‘one country, two systems’ - Global Times Hu Xijin
Second, the National Security Law for Hong Kong is not retroactive and this legislative principle is universal. It means that July 1 is a watershed. No matter what some Hong Kong people have done in the past or whether they have jeopardized national security, they will be safe if they act wisely and change their ways. As you have seen, in recent days, some of the leading figures who had obviously jeopardized national security in Hong Kong have announced their quitting from politics or made a change of attitude. Several groups advocating "Hong Kong secession" were quickly disbanded within a few hours after the passage of the National Security Law today. These developments generally have room for positive interpretation, but they still need to be observed.
Hong Kong is one of China's special administrative regions and its affairs are China's internal affairs. The Chinese government is firmly determined to implement "one country, two systems" and oppose foreign interference in Hong Kong affairs. Nobody and nothing could shake the Chinese government and people's resolution and will to safeguard national sovereignty and security and uphold Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. Any attempt seeking to undermine China's sovereignty, security and development interests is doomed to fail.
China Passes Hong Kong National Security Law - The New York Times
Four senior members of Demosisto, a political organization in Hong Kong that has drawn disaffected young people, announced that they were quitting the group. They included Joshua Wong, a leader of the 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations known as the Umbrella Movement. The group later said it would disband.
“From now on, #Hongkong enters a new era of reign of terror,” Mr. Wong wrote on Twitter. Announcing his decision to leave Demosisto in a post on Facebook, he said: “I will continue to hold fast to my home — Hong Kong, until they silence and obliterate me from this land.”
EU says it is mulling a coordinated response over Hong Kong - POLITICO
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday she was "in touch" with international partners to weigh up a potential riposte to China's new national security law in Hong Kong.
“We deplore this decision,” European Council President Charles Michel said on Tuesday after the sweeping law was unanimously passed by Beijing’s top legislative body.
“This law risks seriously undermining the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong, and having a detrimental effect on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.”
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen added: “Many across Europe, including in the European Parliament, have made similar statements, so we remain in touch with our international partners on this matter, and will pay careful attention on how to respond.”
New China security law could stifle research in HK, say analysts | Financial Times $$
One economist at an international investment bank in Hong Kong said they were concerned about stepping “on a landmine” in the views they express on China after the new law comes in. Meanwhile, a bank analyst said the security legislation could make existing trends “exponentially worse” and cause financial research to become “irrelevant”.
Analysts already engaged in self-censorship to an extent in order to maintain relationships with mainland Chinese clients, the economist added, but the new law could “make it institutionalised”. Following the passage of the legislation, research reports written out of Hong Kong could be viewed as less credible by investors, they added.
False Reassurances | China Media Project
a closer look at the contexts in which “judicial independence” has been used in the official CCP discourse over the past few years reveals a great deal about how the Party seesaws in its portrayal of the concept in order to suit its domestic and international agendas...
This clearly professed antipathy toward “judicial independence” in the context of domestic political concerns should prompt extreme skepticism as China seeks to reassure Hong Kong over the question of autonomy.
Takungpao says Jimmy Lai has an American aide named Mark Simon, a former navy intelligence officer who was head of the Republican office in HK, & who received money from Jimmy Lai to distribute to the protester network.
“If the law is retroactive, I will be in hell. Not just jail,” he tells The Daily Telegraph in his office in suburban Tseung Kwan O. "This is definitely the death of Hong Kong."
“Nothing is the end of Hong Kong,” said the New York University law professor. “[But] this is the end of a Hong Kong of free speech and the end of a Hong Kong of due process of law.”..
“Of course I feel terribly sad, I feel terribly angry. I feel I have to do everything I can to increase public understanding of what’s about to take place. I have an obligation because of my knowledge and experience of 60 years,” he said.
The “Restructuring” of Hong Kong and the Rise of Neostatism - Tocqueville2 - Sebastian Veg - 1
The historian Matthew Johnson has recently discussed the rise of the “national security” paradigm in Chinese elite political discourse since the 1980s, and in particular since the establishment of Xi Jinping’s National Security Commission in 2014. He argues that the Mao-era anxiety about “peaceful evolution” (the sugar-coated bullets of the bourgeoisie) has been actively reworked by Xi Jinping’s close advisor and political scientist in residence Wang Huning under the new comprehensive framework of “cultural security,” encompassing ideology, information management, as well as domestic and foreign propaganda, with a view to reshaping global governance and pushing back against the dominance of liberal norms. In this context, while the repression enabled by the new national security law in Hong Kong may be less pervasive than in mainland China, it should undoubtedly be viewed within the same political, legal, and philosophical framework, in which sovereignty and party ideology (friend/enemy distinction) take precedence over liberal definitions of legality, as argued many decades ago by Carl Schmitt.
2. US-China
With the Chinese Communist Party’s imposition of new security measures on Hong Kong, the risk that sensitive U.S. technology will be diverted to the People’s Liberation Army or Ministry of State Security has increased, all while undermining the territory’s autonomy. Those are risks the U.S. refuses to accept and have resulted in the revocation of Hong Kong’s special status.
Commerce Department regulations affording preferential treatment to Hong Kong over China, including the availability of export license exceptions, are suspended. Further actions to eliminate differential treatment are also being evaluated. We urge Beijing to immediately reverse course and fulfill the promises it has made to the people of Hong Kong and the world.
The U.S. Commerce Department declared on Monday that it has revoked Hong Kong's "special status" and suspended "preferential treatment" of the Chinese city, including export license exceptions.
Washington's latest move under the disguise of worrying about the city's "autonomy" is but another example of flagrant interference in China's internal affairs, and has once again exposed the hegemonic nature of the world's sole superpower.
It is not the first time the current U.S. administration has sought to use Hong Kong to slow China's development and contain the Asian country. Yet no matter what, Washington will in no way shake Beijing's determination to safeguard China's national security interests.
U.S. Hong Kong Sanctions Risk $1.1 Trillion in China Funding - Bloomberg
China’s largest banks have $1.1 trillion in dollar funding at stake and face potentially steep fines from U.S. legislation that targets penalizing lenders doing businesses with Chinese officials involved in Hong Kong’s controversial security law, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
The bipartisan measure, which was passed by the U.S. Senate and still needs to go through the House and be signed by the U.S. President, bars financial institutions from providing accounts to sanctioned officials, many of whom may be assumed to use the services of China’s biggest banks, Francis Chan, a senior analyst at BI in Hong Kong, said in a June 30 note. Banks in violation risk being cut off from accessing the U.S. financial system, he said.
For any trade activity using the US dollar, SWIFT serves as an inevitable path. However, a complete economic "decoupling" from China is impossible for the US, as is isolating China from the global economic system, no matter what kind of restructuring is promoted by the US.
Moreover, any such move would backfire if the US intends to limit or block China's usage of SWIFT services, though the move could also cause some problems for China. Although America's superpower status will not be immediately at risk, the US dollar hegemony will collapse given that China is the second-largest economy, with huge dollar reserves and bonds.
The author is chief scientist of the Center for Country Risk Studies.
Pelosi urges U.S. sanctions after China passes Hong Kong security law - Reuters
“We must consider all tools available, including visa limitations and economic penalties,” the Democratic leader of the U.S. House of Representatives said in a statement.
“Based on the overwhelming weight of evidence,” the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said in a statement that it has identified the two companies as well as their parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries “as national security risks to America’s communications networks – and to our 5G future”.
“Both companies have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus, and both companies are broadly subject to Chinese law obligating them to cooperate with the country’s intelligence services,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.
U.S. politicians must stop smearing China: spokesperson - Xinhua
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks in response to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's statement over China's Xinjiang policy...
Zhao said ethnic minorities in the United States have long been suffering from bullying, exclusion and wide, systemic discrimination in economic, cultural, social and other aspects, citing examples from the killing of Indians through the Westward Expansion to the death of African American George Floyd.
"We urge U.S. politicians like Pompeo to reject bias and double standards, face up to the issue of racial discrimination at home, spend more time and energy on improving human rights conditions at home, and immediately stop smearing China and interfering in China's internal affairs by creating rumors under the pretext of Xinjiang," Zhao added.
人民日报钟声：诋毁中非关系的任何企图都是徒劳的 "Any attempt to slander China-Africa relations is futile"
People's Daily Zhongsheng attacks Pompeo for his comments about China-Africa cooperation and transparency around COVID-19 in the wake of the recent China-Africa virtual summit
CCTV commentary goes after Pompeo again, comparing his advocacy for sanctioning HK to “a cricket trying to shake a tree”. The commentary said the sanctions “are merely a toothless political farce”, and it accused Americans of double standards. “How do things in HK has anything to do with you Pompeo? As a matter of fact, the more people like Pompeo jump on their feet over HK, the clearer the world can see their ulterior motive to create chaos in HK so as to contain China.”
Tianfeng, the magazine affiliated with the state-run patriotic Christian church, reposted an article by China Daily, saying Pompeo is “a hypocrite politician with the pretense of a Christian”. It said Pompeo went against all the teaching in the bible, and repeatedly lied in his attacks against China.
Comment: The accompanying cartoon is brutal. They have really made it personal with Pompeo:
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 30, 2020
Global Times: On June 29, US Secretary of State Pompeo issued a statement on Xinjiang, saying that according to German researcher Adrian Zenz, the Chinese government is using forced sterilization, forced abortion, and coercive family planning against Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang, as part of a continuing campaign of repression. Does China have any comment?..
I also want to stress that it's not the first time that the US cites disinformation from the anti-China researcher Adrian Zenz. As revealed by The Grayzone, an independent news website in the US, Adrian Zenz is in fact a member of a far-right organization established by the US government, and a senior fellow in a research group set up by the US intelligence community on the vocational education and training centers in Xinjiang.
Comment: Grayzone seems to be getting cited with more frequency. And the personal attacks on Zenz are not new
US urged to do more for success of phase one trade deal: experts - Global Times
As of end-May, China had only bought about 19 percent of the total purchase target of more than $170 billion for goods in 2020. That leaves $139 billion by year-end to meet the terms of the agreement signed in January, Bloomberg reported, saying the figure was based on calculations from customs data.
China has bought more than Bloomberg calculated, said Gao Lingyun, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, and a close follower of the trade deal...
Gao noted threats by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said the US is ending "exports of US-origin defense equipment and will take steps toward imposing the same restrictions on US defense and dual-use technologies to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region."
It seems that the US is doing everything to cut China's options in its purchases from the US, said Gao.
Comment: I will repeat what I wrote yesterday. This is a very empty threat by the Chinese side, akin to holding a gun to one's own head and saying "do what I will say or I will shoot". There are some in the Trump administration who would like to see them do this, possibly including president trump depending on the day, as it would give him an easy pretext to declare the deal dead, killed by China, and open the way to a slew of tougher measures against China.
this week I highlight some of the key takeaways from an essay published by scholar Zhao Kejin in this month’s edition of the Chinese Journal of American Studies, who says that US-China relations are deteriorating, but disputes that the two countries are entering a new Cold War.
Abstract:On the basis of the empirical study of 596 Taiwan-related bills and resolutions from the 93rd to the 116th U.S. Congresses(1973-2020),this paper finds that the key external factor constraining U.S. congressional involvement in the Taiwan issue is the development of U.S.-China relations and cross-Taiwan Strait ties. The internal factor, in the same regard, is to what extent the White House can free itself from the interference of Congress, which is contingent upon not only partisan politics between the executive and legislative branches but also the President’s leadership authority and personality. In addition,Taiwan lobby activities on Capitol Hill are relevant to the increase in bills and resolutions. The simultaneous deterioration of U.S.-China relations and cross-Strait ties since 2016 have increased congressional incentives to expand Taiwan-related legislation. Impeached by the House of Representatives, President Donald Trump is more likely to give in to congressional pressure, which is expected to put forward more pro-Taiwan bills and resolutions. The strengthened relations between Washington and Taiwan have posed a severe challenge to peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Washington's 'narrative warfare' on Beijing - CGTN
The "narrative warfare" against China has become a core component of the Trump administration's China policy and it is launched with clear inter-agency coordination. At its core, it is an ideological attack against China, the perceived "enemy."..
At the forefront of the White House's smear campaign against China is U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The State Department's Global Engagement Center is engaged in fabricating and spreading misinformation on China.
时殷弘：两强关系稳定的条件与稳定终告倾覆的趋势：三大历史范例的动能透视
Shi Yinhong of Renmin Unviersity of China did an overview of the bipolar relations in history: The United Kingdom and France in the fifteenth to eighteenth century; Sparta and Athens; the Han and the Mongolian empire. Shi arrived in a sad conclusion that the bipolar relations usually ended in bloody war unless one of the polar collapsed or a third power rises.
3. The Chinese Communist Party turns 99 on July 1
A speech made by Xi Jinping...at a meeting summarizing a CPC education campaign themed "staying true to our founding mission," will be published Wednesday in the 13th issue of the Qiushi Journal.
Xi...delivered the speech at the meeting on Jan. 8, 2020...
The campaign has promoted unity in thought, political orientation and action within the Party, the article says, adding that it served as an effective mobilization for achieving the two centenary goals.
The article notes that the world is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, China is at a crucial stage of realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the CPC is leading the Chinese people to undertake a great struggle with many new historical features.
The speech - 在“不忘初心、牢记使命”主题教育总结大会上的讲话 - 求是网
Second, without forgetting the original intention and remembering the mission, we must use the latest achievements of Marxism in China to unify our thinking, unify will, and unify actions. The advanced nature of Marxist political parties is first manifested in the advanced nature of ideology and theory. Paying attention to building the party ideologically and strengthening the party in theory is the distinctive feature and glorious tradition of our party. Comrade Mao Zedong once said: "Mastering ideological education is the central link that unites the whole party in the great political struggle." The original intention of the Communists came not only from the simple feelings for the people and the persistent pursuit of truth, but also based on Marxism. On scientific theory. Only by insisting on ideologically building the party and strengthening the party with theory, and not forgetting the original intention, can we become more conscious and assume the mission to be more firm.
第二，不忘初心、牢记使命，必须用马克思主义中国化最新成果统一思想、统一意志、统一行动。马克思主义政党的先进性，首先体现为思想理论上的先进性。注重思想建党、理论强党，是我们党的鲜明特色和光荣传统。毛泽东同志曾说过：“掌握思想教育，是团结全党进行伟大政治斗争的中心环节。”共产党人的初心，不仅来自于对人民的朴素感情、对真理的执着追求，更建立在马克思主义的科学理论之上。只有坚持思想建党、理论强党，不忘初心才能更加自觉，担当使命才能更加坚定。
Here is a link to an unedited Google translation of the full speech, so a bit rough but you can get the gist
Communist Party of China has nearly 92 million members - Xinhua
The Communist Party of China (CPC) had more than 91.91 million members as of the end of 2019, representing a net increase of 1.32 million from the previous year, the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee announced Tuesday.
The number of primary-level Party organizations stood at over 4.68 million, increasing by 71,000 from the previous year. The primary-level Party organizations included 249,000 primary-level Party committees, the department said in a report.
In 2019, the CPC recruited over 2.34 million new members, 289,000 more than 2018.
Among those new members, 45.6 percent held junior college degrees or above, and 80.3 percent were aged 35 or younger
Comment: And I think it is safe to assume that each of those members supports N number of other family members, meaning that the number of people who are "bought into" the system is likely a significant multiple of that 92 million.
Xinhua's infographic on stats about CCP membership -数读2019年中国共产党党内统计公报-新华网
Xinhua's infographic on stats about CCP membership
任理轩：兑现向人民向历史作出的庄严承诺——写在中国共产党成立99周年之际
“Renlixuan”, the People’s Daily ideology and propaganda department, wrote a front-page commentary on Tuesday praising the CCP because it is about to fulfill its promise to the Chinese people, that it will “build a comprehensively well-off society” by 2021, the 100th anniversary of the founding of CCP.
新华社：砥砺复兴之志，永葆赤子之心——写在中国共产党成立99周年之际
“Keep in mind the goal of rejuvenation, and stay committed with an innocent heart,” Xinhua wrote an article praising the CCP and to celebrating the 99th anniversary of its founding. It talked about how the cadres should stay united under the leadership of Xi and show their great strength in the “great struggle” to make China great again.
PLA Daily “Xie Xinping” commentary on the 99th anniversary - 解辛平：砥柱人间是此峰——写在中国共产党成立99周年之际-中新网
4. Politburo study session
Xi stresses better implementation of CPC's organizational line - Xinhua
Xi also highlighted the construction of the Party's organizational system, urging Party organizations to enhance their ability to lead politically, guide through theory, organize the people and inspire society.
In selecting officials and deploying talent, both virtues and competence are important criteria, Xi said, stressing the need to improve officials' capacity for governance.
He called for further education and training of Party officials and deeper reform of the system and mechanism for talent development.
中央组织部秘书长胡金旗同志就这个问题进行了讲解，提出了意见和建议。
Hu Jinqi, Secretary General of the Central Organization Department, was the lecturer
习近平指出，要抓好坚持和完善党的领导、坚持和发展中国特色社会主义。加强党的组织建设，根本目的是坚持和加强党的全面领导，为推进中国特色社会主义事业提供坚强保证。现在，第一个百年奋斗目标即将胜利实现，我们即将开启全面建设社会主义现代化国家、实现第二个百年奋斗目标的新征程。面对复杂形势和艰巨任务，我们要全面把握世界百年未有之大变局和中华民族伟大复兴战略全局，有力应对重大挑战、抵御重大风险、克服重大阻力、化解重大矛盾，进行具有许多新的历史特点的伟大斗争，实现中华民族伟大复兴，最根本的保证还是党的领导。要教育引导全党自觉在思想上政治上行动上同党中央保持高度一致，保持坚强政治定力和正确前进方向，充分发挥各级党委（党组）、各领域基层党组织的政治功能和组织功能，把广大党员、干部和各方面人才有效组织起来，把广大人民群众广泛凝聚起来，形成为夺取新时代中国特色社会主义新胜利而团结奋斗的强大力量。
Xi Jinping pointed out that we must do a good job of upholding and improving the party's leadership, and uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics. The fundamental purpose of strengthening the party's organizational construction is to uphold and strengthen the party's overall leadership, and to provide a strong guarantee for advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Now, the goal of the first century of struggle is about to be successfully achieved, and we are about to start a new journey to build a socialist modernized country in an all-round way and achieve the goal of the second century of struggle. In the face of complex situations and arduous tasks, we must comprehensively grasp the unprecedented changes in the world in a century and the overall situation of the great rejuvenation strategy of the Chinese nation, effectively respond to major challenges, resist major risks, overcome major resistance, resolve major contradictions, and carry out the great struggle that as many new historical characteristics. The most fundamental guarantee for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is still the leadership of the party. It is necessary to educate and guide the entire party to consciously maintain a high degree of ideological and political action with the Party Central Committee, maintain strong political determination and the correct direction of development, and give full play to the political and organizational functions of party committees (party groups) at all levels and grassroots party organizations in various fields. To effectively organize the broad masses of party members, cadres, and talents from all walks of life, and to bring the broad masses of the people together to form a powerful force for unity and struggle to win the new victory of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
习近平强调，要抓好用党的科学理论武装全党。要加强马克思主义特别是新时代中国特色社会主义思想的理论武装，使各级党组织和广大党员、干部特别是领导干部掌握马克思主义理论武器，提高马克思主义理论水平和运用能力，共同把党的创新理论转化为推进新时代中国特色社会主义伟大事业的实践力量。各级党委及其组织部门要自觉用党的科学理论指导党的组织建设，结合新的实际推进改革创新，使各项工作更好体现时代性、把握规律性、富于创造性，为实现新时代党的历史使命提供坚强组织保证。
Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to properly arm the entire party with the party's scientific theory. It is necessary to strengthen the theoretical armament of Marxism, especially the socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics in the new era, so that party organizations at all levels and the vast number of party members and cadres, especially leading cadres, master Marxist theoretical weapons, improve the level of Marxist theory and the ability to apply them, and jointly transform the innovative theory into a practical force to advance the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. Party committees and their organizational departments at all levels should consciously use the party's scientific theories to guide the party's organizational construction, promote reform and innovation in light of new realities, and make all work better reflect the times, grasp the rules, and be creative to achieve the new era. The historical mission of the party provides a strong organizational guarantee.
5. Central committee for deepening overall reform meets
Xi stresses breaking new ground amid changes through reforms - Xinhua
Xi...specified the requirements in a speech at the 14th meeting of the central committee for deepening overall reform...
The meeting reviewed and approved a series of reform plans and guidelines on state-owned enterprises (SOEs), the integrated development of new generation information technology and the manufacturing industry, the rural homestead system, the integrated development of media, the education evaluation system, and the state-owned art troupes.
It also heard a report on reform progress of the medical and health care system since the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee.
The next three years will be crucial for the country's SOE reforms, the meeting noted, stressing efforts to optimize the layout and structure of the state-owned economy to make it more competitive, innovative, controllable, influential, and more able to withstand risks...
The meeting urged efforts to deepen the integrated media development and mechanism reforms, and cultivate talent in the all-media sector to build a set of competitive, strongly influential new types of mainstream media.
CCTV Evening News on the reform meeting - 习近平主持召开中央全面深化改革委员会第十四次会议强调 依靠改革应对变局开拓新局 扭住关键鼓励探索突出实效
会议强调，推动媒体融合向纵深发展，要深化体制机制改革，加大全媒体人才培养力度，打造一批具有强大影响力和竞争力的新型主流媒体，加快构建网上网下一体、内宣外宣联动的主流舆论格局，建立以内容建设为根本、先进技术为支撑、创新管理为保障的全媒体传播体系，牢牢占据舆论引导、思想引领、文化传承、服务人民的传播制高点。
The meeting emphasized that in order to promote the in-depth development of media integration, it is necessary to deepen the reform of the system and mechanism, increase the training of media talents, create a batch of new mainstream media with strong influence and competitiveness, and accelerate the construction of an online and offline integration, domestic propaganda and foreign propaganda joint mainstream public opinion structure, establish an all-media communication system that is based on content construction, supported by advanced technology, and guaranteed by innovative management, firmly occupying the commanding heights of public opinion guidance, ideological guidance, cultural heritage, and serving the people.
6. India-China
India Ban Disrupts TikTok Users and China’s Digital Ambitions - WSJ $$
Kevin Mayer, TikTok’s new chief executive officer, said in a letter to staff viewed by the Journal that TikTok is “working with the government to better understand the issue and explore a course of action.” He also said he had personally reached out to authorities in India to initiate a dialogue. The social-media platform complies with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law, Nikhil Gandhi, TikTok’s India head, said in a statement Tuesday.
Comment: The more the PRC government protests the ban on TikTok the harder it will be for TikTok to argue in India, the US or other countries that is not a PRC firm. That could be very expensive for TikTok and its investors, which are trying very hard to find a structure and a story to persuade the US government that is independent of itsRC parent Bytedance
India’s TikTok Ban Latest Overseas Setback for China Tech - Caixin
At least 120 million people in India use the service each month, according to the company..
Along with mobile app services, Chinese companies also control a significant share of India’s electronics market, particularly that of mobile phones. China-based brands hold almost 80% of the country’s handset market, according to Navkendar Singh, an analyst at consultancy IDC. Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Realme make up four of the country’s top five handset-makers.
Top ministers discuss ‘ban’ on Chinese 5G equipment - Times of India
The government has begun consultations at the highest level to decide on the use of 5G technology, which is seen as a precursor to a possible bar on the use of equipment from Chinese companies, such as those sold by Huawei, when India rolls out the high-speed network
Behind massive build-up at LAC is the IAF’s never-seen-before airlift capability : The Tribune India
The induction of assets like the C-17 Globemaster, C-130 Super Hercules and CH-47 Chinook over the past few years has enormously enhanced the Air Force’s ability to ferry troops and equipment
Video published by state media on Douyin over the weekend shows Lt. General Wang Haijiang, commander of the PLA Tibet military command, visiting a military outpost on the border with India for a regular patrol and repainting a border marker there.
China now steps up activity near Arunachal - Rediff.com
With Chinese and Indian troops eyeball to eyeball at seven places inside India's claimed territory in Ladakh and Sikkim, China's People's Liberation Army has begun stepping up activity opposite Arunachal Pradesh as well.
Indian government sources say PLA troops are reinforcing their posts in large numbers, increasing their patrolling and stepping up violations of the Indian border, which in Arunachal Pradesh runs along the McMahon Line.
The two sectors that are seeing the most PLA activity are Tawang and Walong -- both of which bore the brunt of the Chinese offensive in 1962
Amid Sino-India border along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, Indian intelligence agencies have recently noticed activities of the Chinese Air Force at Skardu Airbase in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Indian newspapers, websites not accessible in China - Times of India
Amid ongoing border tension between China and India following the June 15 standoff, the Indian newspapers and websites are not accessible in China.
Though Chinese newspapers and websites continue to be accessible in India, people in China can only access the Indian media websites with Virtual Private Network (VPN) server.
7. Gaokao
Try, Try Again: The Students Who Keep Retaking the ‘Gaokao’ - SixthTone
The 18-year-old is part of a small, but growing group of ultracompetitive high schoolers choosing to fudu — or repeat a year — in an attempt to get a gaokao score high enough to attend China’s elite universities.
These students consider an extra year or two spent cramming to be a worthwhile gamble, as the benefits of a super-high score can last a lifetime. But the trend is fueling concerns that China’s exam culture is becoming even more extreme, with students forced to make ever greater sacrifices for success...
Gaokao advocates champion the test as a great equalizer that gives even the most underprivileged students a shot at an elite education. But the exam can also cause students enormous stress, with many believing the results could define their careers for years to come.
And research indicates there is some truth to this assessment. When Chinese companies hold on-campus recruitment events, a candidate’s university background is among the two most important criteria recruiters scrutinize, according to a 2018 survey by the ChinaHR Research Institute.
Many blue-chip employers label a degree from the Project 985 or Project 211 — two Ivy League-like groups of elite Chinese universities — as an essential requirement for applicants. Recent graduates from those colleges, meanwhile, expect to earn over 27% more on average than peers from other universities, according to a 2019 survey by Chinese recruitment platform Boss Zhipin.
Comment: This year's test is next week
8. New report on PRC’s efforts to influence global media
Inside China’s strategy to influence the world’s media - IFJ
China’s sophisticated and systematic strategy to embed itself in the global news landscape and build its discourse power beyond borders is one of the key findings of a new report launched today by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). The China Story: Reshaping the World’s Media explores the results from quantitative and qualitative survey data from 58 journalist unions spanning the Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Middle East and casts a new light on the multilayered approach that China is taking to reshape the global news agenda.
The global research was undertaken with IFJ’s affiliated unions and journalist representative associations around the world and indicates the significant and wide-ranging impact of China’s moves to extend its influence through initiatives including journalism exchange programs, union cooperation, content sharing, training programs, media acquisitions and promulgation of China’s grand infrastructure scheme, the “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI).
Business, Economy and Trade
China’s Economic Recovery Picks Up Further Momentum - WSJ $$ China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers index climbed to a three-month high of 50.9 in June from 50.6 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday. The separate nonmanufacturing PMI, a gauge of services and construction activity, jumped to a seven-month high of 54.4, from 53.6 in May. June’s readings came in better than economists’ forecasts and suggested a durable and broad-based improvement in China’s economy. Both indexes have now logged four consecutive months of readings above 50, indicating expansion.
China central bank to cut re-discount, relending rates from July 1: sources - Reuters China’s central bank will cut the re-discount and re-lending rates by 25 basis points as of July 1, two sources with direct knowledge told Reuters on Tuesday, in a move that will reduce funding costs for smaller firms and rural sectors. The Securities Times first reported the rate cut
Why Beijing Has Resisted Raising the Retirement Age - MacroPolo The short answer is that the Chinese government cannot afford to delay retirement at the moment. In the near term, postponing retirement will actually be negative for the economy. For one, since job creation is paramount amid the post-Covid recovery, Beijing needs retirees to vacate their spots that can then be filled by the unemployed, including many of the nearly 9 million recent college graduates.
Yicai - Famed Chinese Chilli Sauce Maker Laoganma Denies Wrongdoing in Tencent Court Case Guiyang Nanming Laoganma Food has denied any malpractice in an ongoing court case with Tencent Holdings over alleged unpaid advertising fees. The tech titan has been duped and the firm never signed a contract with Tencent, the well-known chilli sauce maker told Yicai Global today.
Zoom investment shines light on woman behind Li Ka-shing’s tech bets | Financial Times $$ Solina Chau, Mr Li’s long-term companion and head of a group that invests his money, has for years been the force behind many of the technology bets credited to Hong Kong’s “superman”, as 91-year-old Mr Li is known.
Politics and Law
Third volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" published - Xinhua The newly-published volume collects 92 articles, including speeches, conversations, instructions and letters of Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, between Oct. 18, 2017 and Jan. 13, 2020, said a statement Tuesday
中新网：国家移民管理局组织开展国门边境实战对抗演练和应急拉动检验 The national administration of immigration had a massive drill Tuesday in Jilin, Shanghai, Yunnan and Xinjiang involving more than 2100 local officials, police officers and PLA soldiers, simulating terrorist attack, cross-border crime, and “organized destructive gathering”.
Foreign and Defense Affairs
UK government hints at U-turn on Huawei role in 5G technology | The Guardian The government may be close to announcing a U-turn on its controversial decision to allow Huawei to supply 5G technology, the culture secretary has hinted by saying US sanctions appear likely to affect the Chinese company. Oliver Dowden told members of a special defence select committee scrutinising Huawei that an emergency review ordered last month was close to running its course and that a change in policy would probably be necessary.
Scott Morrison shoulders arms to China in 10-year $270bn plan - The Australian In the most significant shift in the nation’s military posture in decades, Scott Morrison on Wednesday will announce a $270bn 10-year defence plan including “lethal” naval and air warfare capability as well as the first land-based long-range missile defence systems. It will include the development with the US of a missile defence shield against ballistic missile attack as well as potential long-range missile technology of up to several thousand kilometres to protect shipping lanes across the region.
China the unspoken threat at centre of new defence strategy - Sydney Morning Herald The updated plan throws open the way to everything except nuclear weapons. The new policy accepts that high-intensity war in our region is more likely than was envisaged by the defence white paper of 2016...What Canberra imagined might happen in 2030 has already happened in 2020. So Australia will now buy long-range ballistic missiles capable of striking enemy ships that might be blockading trade or coercing Australia or its regional friends.
Stalled South China Sea code stokes fears of China power grab - Nikkei Asian Review Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc acknowledged the standstill after a virtual summit last Friday of Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders. Some observers now question whether the code can be agreed on by the 2021 target date proposed by Chinese Premier Li Keqian
Canberra to enlist ASEAN in China row - The Australian Australia will step up co-operation with Southeast Asian nations to counter rising strategic threats from China, vowing to work with them to fight disinformation and strengthen regional stability. As Beijing ramped up its propaganda war on Australia, Foreign Minister Marise Payne met with Association of Southeast Asian Nations counterparts to discuss growing threats.
China Puts Huge Warship at Woody Island Ahead of Naval Exercise - RFA China has docked what looks to be a Type 071 warship in service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy at Woody Island, China’s main administrative center and military base in the South China Sea’s Paracel Islands.
Chinese President Xi Jinping: Heart always with soldiers - CGTN - YouTube Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Chinese President Xi Jinping has conducted several inspections of the PLA's grassroots units. August 1 is China's Army Day, and soldiers are the deepest concern in the heart of President Xi
Watch China’s Unconventional Levers of Power in World Affairs – The Diplomat - Robert Sutter However, recent reports by various foreign specialists and media show existing foreign assessments are insufficient in determining the full extent of China’s actual influence. Those disclosures and investigations highlight unconventional Chinese government actions and levers of influence abroad that were heretofore disguised, hidden, denied, or otherwise neglected or unappreciated in foreign assessments of China’s foreign relations. If successfully employed, those unconventional actions and levers of influence foreshadow major changes in the world order averse to preserving the international status quo...
China now claims Bhutan's territory, Bhutan rejects Chinese claims - World News In yet another new move to claim land in Bhutan, China at the 58th meeting of the Global Environment Facility Council tried to "oppose" funding to a project for the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary situated in Bhutan saying that it was "disputed" territory.
Chinese National Guilty of Laundering Millions for Mexican Drug Cartels | OPA | Department of Justice According to court documents, Xueyong Wu, 40, cultivated relationships with Latin American drug trafficking organizations to transport and launder their United States-based drug proceeds. Wu is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29
Japan's strategic adjustment releases disturbing messages - China Military - Chen Lufan The neighboring countries don’t have to put themselves in Japan’s strategic adjustment, but the message of “ally itself with the U.S. to contain China” released by the adjustment cannot be overlooked. The fact that the Abe administration revised the security strategy in advance is in itself regarded as targeting China. - The author is deputy director and researcher with the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
China's Yun-20 large transport aircraft holds great potential - China Military Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, China's domestically developed Yun-20 large transport aircraft has carried out missions abroad for many times, successively delivering anti-epidemic supplies to Pakistan, Thailand and other countries. Recently, it made its maiden flight to Russia to transport the PLA Guard of Honor to participate in the military parade staged in Moscow's Red Square. Military expert Chen Hong said that in the future, the Yun-20 transport aircraft is sure to significantly improve the combat capability of the PLA troops.
New Zealand’s Quiet China Shift – The Diplomat - Anne-Marie Brady The Ardern government is using deliberately ambiguous tactics to deter an increasingly aggressive partner while (so far) avoiding punishment.
Changing Australia’s conversation about Chinese economic coercion - COVID-19 Recovery – Lowy Insitute Australia should have more confidence in its ability to withstand China’s punitive measures. The overwhelming narrative of ‘dependence’ leads the national conversation in unhelpful directions. Rather than dependence, the Australia–China relationship is mostly one of interdependence — which means that Australia’s exposure to, and ability to resist, economic threats from China is far more manageable.
The silencing of mainland Chinese international students - Lausan Caught between the geopolitical cross-fire of China and the West, mainland Chinese international students have nowhere to turn.
Narrowing the U.S.-China Gap on Missile Defense: How to Help Forestall a Nuclear Arms Race - Carnegie-Tsinghua Center - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - Tong Zhao What have not been as thoroughly examined are the sources of the perception gap and practical ways to bridge it. Significant ambiguities on both sides over their respective technical capabilities and policy deliberations are a main cause of this perception gap. This report identifies three main sets of ambiguities and analyzes how and why they have arisen, so as to provide actionable recommendations on both cooperative and unilateral ways the two countries can tackle them.
Jiangsu Party School Prof: Looking at the “Belt and Road” Initiative from the Perspective of Global Governance with Chinese Characteristics | 高大伟 David Cowhig's Translation Blog Professor Niu Weigan of the Jiangsu Province Provincial Communist Party Committee’s Party School examines the development of PRC views on global governance and China’s changing role in the world.
Axios China - 3. China's influence operations are getting harder to hide A case study: The China-United States Exchange Foundation, a Hong Kong-based organization headed by Tung Chee-Hwa, the former chief executive of Hong Kong, has long sought to sway the U.S. political environment in China's favor. According to FARA filings, its activities have included: Crafting a "short-medium term U.S. campaign to influence key constituencies (politicians, academics, and experts) as well as general public opinion regarding China's true efforts and intentions in Tibet," including analyzing how "four leading United States high-school textbooks" portrayed Tibet and China, and then writing up recommendations for "countering the tide of public discourse."; Sending former U.S. government officials on trips to China and then facilitating these "third party supporters" to write "positive opinion articles on China" in national media outlets. // Comment: In the wake of the new HK Law "The China-United States Exchange Foundation, a Hong Kong-based organization headed by Tung Chee-Hwa" will likely be toxic here in dc. It has spread money widely
The John Allen Show - Trusted Catholic News From Rome: The Vatican's Relation to China and Hong Kong, COVID 19 Recovery, and Milestones on Laudato Si on Apple Podcasts In this episode, John brings us the latest news about the Vatican's relationship with China and Hong Kong.
China’s Nationalist Wolf Warriors Want More VPNs to Fight on Twitter - Foreign Policy Plenty of others, including Chinese think tankers, media professionals, nationalist trolls, and even the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are pushing for their own opportunity to be part of the experimentation. Each group is jostling for the chance to demonstrate its fealty to the party and its willingness to take the fight to Western imperialists. But that means allowing ladders over the firewall, which the authorities aren’t eager to offer, especially in a climate of paranoia at home where signing off on contact with foreignness has become dangerous in itself.
观察者网：《纽约时报》驻港记者推特封面，竟是第二次鸦片战争英法舰队集结香港 The nationalist news outlet Guancha attacked Austin Ramzy of NYT for using a picture of the opium war as his Twitter background.
Taiwan
Natl security law for HK to cut off the ‘dark hands’ of Taiwan DPP creating trouble in HK: Taiwan Affairs Office - Global Times The Taiwan separatist authority, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), made irresponsible criticism of the national security law for HK, and this has revealed its toxic purpose - making trouble in Hong Kong and realizing its separatist goal: Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council
U.S. military aircraft flies near Taiwan for 10th day - Focus Taiwan A United States warplane flew over waters near Taiwan on Tuesday, the 10th consecutive day American military aircraft have been active in the area at a time when China forced through a highly controversial security law for Hong Kong. At 11:50 a.m., a P-8A maritime patrol aircraft took off from the Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan and flew over the Taiwan Strait on a mission to the South China Sea, according to a tweet by the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) under the Peking University Institute of Ocean Research.
Taiwan looks to tighten investment rules for China | Financial Times $$ The government is compiling an “inventory” of legal and illegal Chinese stakes in the economy and is planning to close loopholes that threaten national security, senior government officials told the Financial Times. The push mirrors the US’s recent move to tighten national security review procedures of foreign investments to guard against China. Legal experts have long advised the Taiwanese government to follow Washington’s example. The effort has gained urgency as Tatung, a Taiwanese group that handles sensitive government and military data, is mired in a fight for board control with investors who management and activists believe are backed by Chinese money.
Tech and Media
Yicai - Alibaba, NetEase, Others Ally on Internet Exchange Point JV Alibaba Group Holding, NetEase and China Mobile are among nine firms cooperating to set up an internet exchange point joint venture through which web service providers and content delivery networks can connect with each other and swap traffic.
Huawei alternative takes root in Idaho - The Washington Post The new approach, known as an open radio access network, or OpenRAN, uses U.S. software to connect network hardware made by a variety of companies. Backers say the ability to pick and choose hardware from different suppliers makes it cheaper than the complete equipment-and-software packages sold by Huawei and its two major rivals, Ericsson and Nokia.
Society, Arts, Sports, Culture and History
Revisiting Stalin’s and Mao’s Motivations in the Korean War | Wilson Center China's leading historian of the Korean War, Shen Zhihua, explains how Stalin and Mao saw the conflict on the Korean Peninsula and the lasting implications of the war for the Sino-Soviet alliance.
Why China’s Cities Need Wet Markets - SixthTone The outbreak has cast an unflattering light on the weak links in China’s agricultural supply chain, but the rational approach to dealing with the crisis is not to stigmatize them, but rather to target sellers with fine-tuned policies. In addition to upgrading market infrastructure, regulators should force market managers to make use of modern warehousing and distribution technologies and improve daily monitoring of their supply chains. These changes will help farmers markets shuck their bad reputations and allow Chinese people to enjoy cleaner, safer dining options.
9 Chinese Language LGBTQ+ Films Tackling the Diversity of Asian Queerness The list below is a selection of films you can find online today. They represent a diversity of lives and stories, from mythical romances to tales of the city, subverting the tropes that dominate Western LGBTQ+ cinema to reveal the queer possibilities of Chinese storytelling. Dig deep, laugh and cry, discover intense expressions of art, of memory, of passion and of love. Happy Pride.
Energy, Environment, Science and Health
Experts reassure public over risk of pandemic caused by swine flu - Global Times Despite wide concerns, an expert on veterinary medicine close to the research team who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Tuesday that the new virus is not very different from other swine flu viruses that are prevalent in pigs, and it is preventable. The new virus, considering it has a similar genetic sequence of the 2009 pig flu virus, has the potential to jump to humans. But the chance of human-to-human transmission is minor, the expert noted.
Swine Flu Infecting Humans Raises Fears of Pandemic Potential - Bloomberg A strain of flu virus spreading in Chinese pigs has shown it can also infect humans, suggesting that another pathogen with pandemic potential waits in the wings behind the coronavirus. The flu strain that jumped to humans has become predominant among pigs across China since 2016, according to a team of researchers that includes George Gao Fu, head of China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers based their findings on surveillance studies conducted in 10 provinces from 2011 through 2018.
Number of Solar Projects Awarded National Subsidies Plummets - Caixin A total of 434 new industrial distributed solar projects and dedicated solar power stations have been granted subsidies after the closure of annual auction bids, according to a Sunday notice from the National Energy Administration (NEA). That’s down nearly 89% from 3,921 last year.
中华民族永续发展的千年大计--理论-人民网 - 孙金龙 生态文明建设是关系中华民族永续发展的千年大计。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记站在坚持和发展中国特色社会主义、实现中华民族伟大复兴中国梦的战略高度，亲自谋划部署、亲自指导推动生态文明建设和生态环境保护，发表一系列重要讲话，作出一系列重要指示，形成习近平生态文明思想，指导我国生态文明建设和生态环境保护取得历史性成就、发生历史性变革，开辟了生态文明建设理论和实践的新境界。
Rural and Agricultural Issues
Yicai - China Approves Import of Home-Developed GM Soybeans Grown Abroad for First Time China, the world’s biggest buyer of soybeans, has approved for import for the first time domestically-developed genetically modified soybeans that have been grown overseas.// Comment: They had to be grown overseas because China still won't allow them to be grown in China?