National SOE conference; Xi and Putin cook together; Abe to visit Beijing; India wobbly about the Quad; Fan Bingbing's disappearing act; Chinese scientist criticizes US NIH; Bitcoin futures bust

If you are in the path of Typhoon Mangkhut or Hurricane Florence please stay safe. DC and Sinocism HQ look to be out of Florence’s impact zone so the newsletter should publish as normal.

There is some confusing reporting about whether or not the Chinese government will play nice with US firms as the trade war intensifies.

The Wall Street Journal says China Woos U.S. Companies Again, Dropping Trade Threats:

Beijing is offering a reassuring message in its outreach to American companies. At a meeting last month, Liu He, President Xi Jinping’s economic-policy chief, told visiting American business representatives that U.S. companies’ China operations won’t be targeted in Beijing’s trade-brawl counterattacks. “We won’t allow retribution against foreign companies,” Mr. Liu said, according to people briefed on the event..

Because China imports so much less from the U.S. than the U.S. does from China, that has forced Beijing to threaten “qualitative” steps to retaliate.

Chinese officials effecti…