People's Daily "Manifesto" Calls For Grasping The "Historic Opportunity"; CCDI Second Plenum; PRC Influence Concerns Kill University Donation; US Government Worried Wendi Deng May Be PRC Agent; A 70 Billion RMB Ponzi Scheme

Hello everyone, this week's publishing schedule is a bit different. I will not publish on Tuesday DC time because we are finally taking delivery of our stuff we shipped from Beijing in August 2015. We are moving in to a new house (and Sinocism HQ) over the next few weeks and tomorrow I will spend the day starting to unpack. I am curious to see what of our stuff has survived the three month PRC customs impoundment and inspection, the journey to Baltimore, and the nearly two years in storage there.

I will be back to the normal schedule Wednesday, assuming this cold/flu thing that has ruined my weekend doesn't do me in.

Thanks for reading.

The Essential Eight

1. People's Daily "Manifesto" Calls For Grasping The "Historic Opportunity" To Build A "Great Modern Socialist Country" And Expand The PRC's Global Influence

The long page 1 article was signed by "宣言 (manifesto or declaration)", a pseudonym I have not seen before. It is a striking expansion on the ideas of the 19th Party Congress report …