Mass murder by car in Zhuhai; Xi to Peru and Brazil; PRC-Russia meetings; Trump’s cabinet picks and China; NDRC on new development pattern

Summary of today’s top items:

1. Mass murder by car in Zhuhai - According to the official police statement a 62 year old man drove his car onto a track at a sports center in Zhuhai, intentionally mowing down almost 100 people and killing at least 35. The first version of the report said he was angry about the financial settlement in his divorce and his failure to win on appeal through the court system. At some point that first statement was replaced with one missing the language about his divorce settlement. Xi issued an instruction urging all out efforts to treat the victims, and “also emphasized the importance of resolving disputes in time, preventing the occurrence of extreme cases, and making every effort to safeguard the security of people's lives and social stability”.

That exhortation from Xi reminded me of this from the newsletter last Thursday - Social stability work the focus of another meeting - Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission Chen Wenqing cha…