Official love for platform companies; Chen Yixin on the counter-espionage law; German China strategy; Kerry to China; Hack
Summary of today’s top items:
Official love for platform companies - The crackdown is over, there is a regulatory new normal, but now that the economy is struggling and employment pressures are increasing the government has realized it needs to be much nicer to the platform companies and other tech firms and so has embarked on a bit of a charm offensive, including a meeting today between Li Qiang and Ding Xuexiang and several of the companies. Premier Li called on them to “actively fulfill their social responsibilities, accelerate the enhancement of international competitiveness, and show their skills in leading development, creating employment, and international competition”. The go-go days of crazy growth and fat margins for these firms are not coming back given the changed regulatory environment, but at least for the foreseeable future the political risk for them has receded.
Chen Yixin explains the revised counter-espionage law - The latest issue of the Democracy and Legal System m…