The propaganda organs are busy this August as they ramp up attacks on the Hong Kong protestors and America, both for its role in fomenting protests that, as the Thursday People’s Daily page 1 commentary wrote, have “clear features of a color revolution” and for its bullying over trade and the RMB.

The propagandists are getting personal again, this time attacking Peter Navarro and Julie Eadeh, a US diplomat in Hong Kong photographed meeting with Joshua Wong and Nathan Law. One report described Ms. Eadah as a “mysterious, low-profile subversion expert” while another named her two children.

Meanwhile down under in Australia the Liberal MP Andrew Hastie compared the PRC to Nazi Germany in an OpEd and the response is as you would expect.

A reminder, the newsletter will publish on Monday and then will be on vacation until August 23.

Thanks for reading

The Essential Eight

1. Are the Hong Kong protests a “color revolution”?

人民日报：爱国爱港是香港社会主流

People’s Daily front page editorial saying the mainstream of the Hong Kong public loves China and have played their role in opposing the protesters who seek to “create chaos and destroy Hong Kong”. The article reiterated the talking points that the protests have “clear features of a color revolution”, and the top priority of the city at the moment is to “stop violence and stop chaos”.
需要特别指出的是，种种迹象显示，反修例事件已经变质。如香港不少人士所说，已经带有明显的“颜色革命”特征。如果香港局势进一步恶化，出现香港特区政府不能控制的动乱，中央绝不会坐视不管。我们正告各种“反中乱港”势力，切莫误判形势，把克制当软弱，切莫低估香港社会守护法治、维护安定的强大正义力量，切莫低估中央政府和全国人民维护香港繁荣稳定、维护国家根本利益的坚定决心和巨大力量。

新华时评：团结一致，止暴制乱

Xinhua editorial urges Hong Kong people to work together, to step out and oppose the “violent crimes” and the “thugs that seek to create chaos”.

[视频]人民日报评论员文章：稳定繁荣是香港市民之福

CCTV evening news broadcast the People’s Daily editorial coming Friday saying the two-month protests threatens to “destroy the hard-earned results by generations of Hong Kong public”, and the city must restore order and focus on development.

More Hong Kong protests planned as U.S. raises travel warning - Reuters

“The protests and confrontations have spilled over into neighborhoods other than those where the police have permitted marches or rallies,” said the advisory, posted on the website of the U.S. state department on Wednesday.

“These demonstrations, which can take place with little or no notice, are likely to continue,” it added. The advisory was raised to level two on a four-point scale

Police clarifies rumour - Hong Kong Government

Regarding an online post claiming that some Mainlanders have secretly joined the Hong Kong Police Force for reinforcement, a spokesman for Police stressed today (August 8) that the allegation was absolutely unfounded and was a complete fabrication.

China protests US official's meeting with HK separatists - China Daily

The statement came after it was reported that an officer at the US Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macao held a meeting with major "Hong Kong Independence" activists.

An official at the Commissioner's Office urgently summoned a senior official at the US Consulate General to lodge stern representations, expressing strong disapproval and firm opposition, and requiring clarification, according to the statement.

Global Times @globaltimesnews

China on Thursday summoned senior officials from the US Consulate General in #HongKong and lodged stern representations over the contact between consulate officials and Hong Kong secessionist forces. #香港

揭秘：面见“港独”的美国官员是个什么人？

Global Times goes after Julie Eadeh, the political unit chief at the US consulate in Hong Kong who was seen “secretly” meeting with Hong Kong “separatists” including Joshua Wong and Nathan Law on Tuesday. The article lays out the details of her resume, including her education, working experience and her husband who is also a diplomat at the consulate. The article suggests the meeting is evidence of the US “black hand” behind the Hong Kong protests.

中国新闻网：“港独”组织头目承认与美国驻港领事交流商议

China News described Julie Eadeh as a “mysterious, low-profile subversion expert” who started her career at the psychological warfare department at the state department and was involved “organizing subversion activities in the middle east using democracy as an excuse”.

黄之锋罗冠聪承认与美领事会面见面翌日扬言策动罢课

The pro-Beijing Takungpao put out the name of the two sons of Julie Eadeh.

黄之锋：昨日跟美國駐港領事交流

Joshua Wong said on Facebook that the meeting was to urge the US to stop selling tear gas and rubber bullet to Hong Kong police. He said the meeting is nothing special given that the US consul had also met the pro-Beijing executive council members, and Wong himself had travelled to Washington to meet with Pompeo in May.

“这是一条不能逾越的底线”（记者手记）

People’s Daily writes that the US law and US public would support arresting anyone who violates the authority of police, and America’s accusation of other countries for excessive police force show double standards.

Netizens boycott pro-Hong Kong secession actors - Global Times

The protests in Hong Kong since June have drawn many public figures into the spotlight. Netizens launched a campaign to "boycott artists who support Hong Kong secession" on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo. The topic has attracted nearly 5 million views and thousands of comments as of press time.

Cathay Pacific attacked by Chinese state media over Hong Kong protests | Financial Times $$

Even though Hong Kong’s biggest airline did not take an official stance on the anti-government demonstrations that have rocked the former British colony, the state-owned English-language Global Times on Thursday warned Cathay that it would “pay a painful price” for “its actions”. The newspaper pointed to incidents in which some of the company’s staff appeared to support the anti-government protests.

Hongkongers create own harbourfront light show after activist arrested over laser pointer 'offensive weapon' | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Hong Kong policeman filmed aiming gun at protesters hailed as a hero by Chinese state media | South China Morning Post

Jailed Hong Kong democracy leader Benny Tai sent to solitary confinement over strike action | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

2. Economy

China surprises with best export growth since March, but imports remain weak - Reuters

July exports rose 3.3% from a year earlier, the fastest since March and more than the most optimistic estimate in a Reuters poll, customs data showed on Thursday. Analysts had expected a 2.0% drop after June’s 1.3% fall.

But imports remained weak, declining 5.6% and highlighting sluggish domestic demand as China’s economy struggles to get back on firmer footing. Still, the drop was less than an expected 8.3% and June’s 7.3%.

China Exports Grow at Highest Rate Since March - Caixin

China’s exports to the U.S. declined 6.5% year-on-year to $38.9 billion in July, customs data show. Its imports from the U.S. declined 19.1% year-on-year to $10.9 billion last month, the smallest drop since October..

Exports rebounded in July due to increased shipments to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union markets

China Big on Commodities Purchase Amid Shifting Trade War - Bloomberg

The increase comes as the nation’s overall imports shrank less than forecast while export growth rebounded, signaling some recovery in trade before new tariffs threatened by the U.S.

The nation’s total imports “look surprising,” with the strong commodity component driven by both rising prices and volumes, said Betty Wang, senior China economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. in Hong Kong.

Unit of China’s sovereign wealth fund takes over Xiao Jianhua-linked Heng Feng Bank in third case of nationalisation since May | South China Morning Post

Central Huijin Investment will invest in Heng Feng Bank to increase its capital adequacy ratio, improve its management and enhance its operational capability, according to a report by Shanghai Securities News

Heng Feng is among more than a dozen city-level and rural lenders that had been put on notice by the authorities for a shake-up

China A-shares inclusion factor to raise in MSCI indexes - Xinhua

Hiking the inclusion factor by 5 percentage points is likely to lead to around 22.7 billion dollars of incremental capital to the market, according to estimates from China International Capital Corporation Limited.

The inclusion will bring the weighting of China A-shares in the MSCI China index and MSCI emerging market index to 7.79 percent and 2.46 percent, respectively.

In Depth: The Inconvenient Truth About China’s Investment Funk - Caixin

The NDRC, the country’s economic planning agency, approved 94 FAI projects with a total planned investment of 471.5 billion yuan in the first half of the year, an 81% surge on the same period last year.

But several analysts told Caixin that despite the acceleration, local governments do not have a strong incentive to borrow unless regulations on debt are relaxed. On top of that, given that funds raised through SPB will have to be repaid from the projects themselves, local authorities will be reluctant to invest if returns are low.

Some provinces are running out of projects to invest in. A government official in one eastern province told Caixin that spending on building expressways is 40% lower than last year, and next year most spending will go to unfinished projects, with very few new ones getting off the ground.

China drawing up new measures to boost trade amid U.S. tariff war - paper - Reuters

China is drawing up new measures aimed at stabilising foreign trade, the official China Securities Journal reported on Thursday, to offset the effects of a bitter trade war with the United States.

The newspaper, run by the Xinhua agency, said several government departments were currently drafting policies and considering revising catalogues specifying what technologies should be imported. They were also looking at expanding cross-border e-commerce and launching new import trade demonstration zones.

[视频]【精准施策看“六稳”】多措并举稳外贸，动力强劲底气足

CCTV evening news reported that the policies to protect the trade sector have achieved great success and the economy is so powerful that the country is confident in dealing with any risks.

3. Currency manipulator designation struck a nerve

China Yuan-Fixing Drama Fades as PBOC Seen Pursuing Stability - Bloomberg

The currency rose as much as 0.3% after the People’s Bank of China set its daily reference rate at 7.0039 per dollar. While that was the first time since 2008 that the fixing was weaker than 7, it tracked earlier moves in the spot rate and was stronger than the 7.0156 average estimate of 21 analysts and traders surveyed by Bloomberg.

[视频]证监会：资本市场韧性增强抗冲击能力提高

China’s securities regulator said the currency manipulator designation is “extremely irresponsible” but it will not be able to disrupt China’s stocks market as the system is getting more resilient through reforms.

人民日报：乱舞“操纵汇率”大棒用心险恶

People’s Daily commentary by Jinsheping again said the US designation of China as currency manipulator is part of the evil efforts to contain China and will never succeed. Almost all of page 3 of Thursday’s of People’s Daily today is dedicated to lambasting the US for the designation.

极限施压注定徒劳（钟声）——评美国一些人的背信弃义⑤

5th in the latest seried from People’s Daily Zhongsheng’s column denouncing the US for the “extreme pressure” tactic on trade talks, and said it will never work on China.

[视频]新华社评论员文章：乱扣帽子是美式霸凌的惯用伎俩

CCTV evening news broadcasted the Xinhua commentary 新华社评论员：乱扣帽子是美式霸凌的惯用伎俩 saying the US designation is another trade bullying tactic that will never work.

[视频]国际锐评：污蔑中国“操纵汇率”是典型的双重标准

CCTV commentary said the currency manipulator designation is intended to smear China and it shows US double standards because America itself is manipulating the USD.

China’s new renminbi level set to pressure Asia currencies | Financial Times $$

in the longer term, the weaker renminbi exchange rate was likely to drive down other Asia-Pacific currencies more than during previous spates of devaluation, analysts said.

4. US-China

U.S. Rushes to Ready New China Tariffs as Companies Fret Damage - Bloomberg

President Donald Trump’s announcement last week on adding a 10% tariff as of Sept. 1 to virtually every Chinese import that’s not yet subject to punitive duties took U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer by surprise, people familiar with the discussions said. Lighthizer and his staff are now under pressure to revise an initial list targeting more than 3,800 Chinese product lines based on issues raised during a public comment period and hearings.

The USTR is planning to publish the final list this week or early next, the people said. In that meantime, companies are making a last-ditch attempt at convincing the Trump administration not to impose duties or to drop items they import from the tariff list.

陶然笔记：被操纵的不是人民币汇率是汇率操纵话题_手机新浪网

Taoran Notes says the Chinese side never officially agreed to more agriculture purchases at the Trump-Xi Osaka meeting. I had heard from the US side that Trump oversold the idea that Chinese had agreed at Osaka to buy more ag goods. It is possible the Chinese never did actually promise this

人民日报：中国有信心有能力有条件应对极限施压

People’s Daily says Chinese economists attending a trade war symposium in Beijing concluded that US trade bullying will only hurt the US. They said China has enough confidence in its economy and its policies to deal with the risks and it will not be bullied into a trade deal.

International rules shall not be challenged - People's Daily Zhong Sheng

No country in the international community can neglect the connections between rights and obligations. However, some people in the US are draining their brains to maximize their rights in the global market. As such egoism swells up, they completely forget about the international obligations that the US should assume as a major country.

US should not duck responsibilities as major country - People's Daily Zhong Sheng

By unilaterally provoking and constantly upgrading trade frictions with global countries, frequently withdrawing from international agreements and organizations, and continuing practicing protectionism and unilateralism, some US officials are maxing out their credibility in the international society and undermining the rule-based international order. What they did has placed huge negative impacts on global economic cooperation.

Commentary: Absurd remarks reflect typical U.S. hypocrisy - Xinhua

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday smeared China of "military aggression" and "predatory economics." Such absurd remarks are riddled with typical U.S. arrogance and hypocrisy.

The new Pentagon chief made the comments in a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his first overseas trip since taking office last month.

In today's world, which country is the promoter of peace and development and which country is the troublemaker that is causing turbulence around the world? Who is the defender of international order and who discards international rules willfully? Facts are the strongest evidence.

For US and Chinese regional officials, economic summit was a chance to heal frayed ties. For the White House, it rang alarm bells. | South China Morning Post

In May of this year, around 400 governors, mayors, government officials and business figures from the United States and China descended on Lexington, Kentucky...

Before this year’s summit, the Trump administration raised concerns about the event’s courting of Chinese investors and the involvement of an organisation believed to have ties to Beijing’s overseas propaganda wing – the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFCC), which co-hosted the conference along with the US National Governors Association (NGA).

From the July 29 Sinocism:

Influential Chinese scholar of America Huang Renwei in a March talk (中美进入战略相持阶段，持久战该怎么“打”？-黄仁伟-观察者网 ) looked to Mao's "On Protracted War" to analyze the state of the US-China relationship, says we are in a protracted period of stalemate before China can catch up and the US-China relationship rebalances, says China should deepen relationships at the US state level as a way to counterbalance the more hawkish policies coming from DC

Rubio, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Ban Chinese & Foreign Firms that Flaunt U.S. Laws from U.S. Exchanges - Press Releases

Today, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges (EQUITABLE) Act, which would increase oversight of Chinese and other foreign companies listed on American exchanges and delist firms that are out of compliance with U.S. regulators for a period of three years.

Republican senators target Google’s relationship with Chinese tech giant Huawei - The Hill

Republican Sens. Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton, and Marco Rubio excoriated Google on Wednesday for downplaying its activity in China despite a report last week that it had been working with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei to develop “smart speaker” technology.

In a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, the senators expressed their concern that such devices can “enable untrustworthy companies to listen in on Americans’ conversations.”

Peter Navarro, a hawk that 'lacks intellect and common sense' - Global Times

Navarro's distinguishing feature among White House staff and senior officials is likely not that he is more of a "hawk" than others, but that he lacks intellect and common sense. He is highly compatible with his leader in his use of irrational methods, a Chinese scholar told the Global Times.

White House to Move Forward With Ban on U.S. Government Business With Huawei - WSJ $$

The Office of Management and Budget is set to issue an interim rule this week that will lay out steps to ensure U.S. government agencies aren’t doing business with Huawei and several other Chinese companies, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

5. China-Australia tensions on the rise

We must see China - the opportunities and the threats - with clear eyes - Andrew Hastie - Sydney Morning Herald

It is impossible to forsake the US, our closest security and investment partner. It is also impossible to disengage from China, our largest trading partner. This is the central point: almost every strategic and economic question facing Australia in the coming decades will be refracted through the geopolitical competition of the US and the PRC...

We must be intellectually honest and take the Chinese leadership at its word. We are dealing with a fundamentally different vision for the world. Xi Jinping has made his vision of the future abundantly clear since becoming President in 2013. His speeches show that the tough choices ahead will be shaped, at least on the PRC side, by ideology – communist ideology, or in his words, by "Marxist-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought"...

Xi’s view of the future is one where capitalism will be eclipsed and "the consolidation of and development of the socialist system will require its own long period of history … it will require the tireless struggle of generations, up to 10 generations".

Andrew Hastie is the federal member for Canning and the chair of the parliamentary joint committee for intelligence and security.

China denounces Liberal MP Andrew Hastie's Nazi Germany analogy | The Guardian

In a statement on Thursday the Chinese embassy said: “We strongly deplore the Australian federal MP Andrew Hastie’s rhetoric on ‘China threat’ which lays bare his Cold-War mentality and ideological bias.

“It goes against the world trend of peace, cooperation and development. It is detrimental to China-Australian relations.

“History has proven and will continue to prove that China’s peaceful development is an opportunity, not a threat to the world.

“We urge certain Australian politicians to take off their ‘colored lens’ and view China’s development path in an objective and rational way. They should make efforts to promote mutual trust between China and Australia, instead of doing the opposite.”

We need to talk about China: why Hastie was right to sound the alarm - Anne-Marie Brady - Sydney Morning Herald

Hastie’s comments were immediately denounced by the embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Canberra. Since 2009 the Chinese Communist Party has invested billions to shape a positive global image for China. Any critical commentary faces an attempt to shut it down with accusations of being “anti-China”, “demonising China”, “Cold War thinking”, “McCarthyism” “xenophobia” or “[racial] prejudice”.

Thus, predictably, Hastie was accused by the embassy of raising the spectre of the “China threat” and having “Cold War thinking” and an “ideological bias”.

Radical Western extremists threaten global security - Global Times

Australian Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, an infamous China hawk, on Thursday warned Australia against underestimating China, comparing the West's attitude to China to France's inadequate defense against Nazi Germany in the 1930s. He also argued that the West has ignored the role of Communist ideology in China's foreign policies.

The explosive comments show Hastie's strong ideological prejudice against China. China and Australia have no major conflicts of interest. Instead, the two countries have maintained a close economic relationship. It's perplexing why some Australian political elites are so fearful and paranoid about China. In the US, Kiron Skinner, the State Department's director of policy planning, trumpeted China is an "ideological competitor" that seeks a kind of global reach. It's obvious some Westerners, especially some ideological extremists, are misreading and misinterpreting China.

China has no strategic motive to export ideology or values, nor does it have the will to subvert the existing international order. China pursues a defense policy that is purely defensive in nature. It has expanded global footprints through developing win-win cooperation with other countries. The warnings against communist ideology in China's foreign policies are totally redundant. China has long insisted on that foreign policies serve the domestic economy, trying to avoid ideological differences which may affect foreign relations.

Australian government unconvinced by Cambodia's denials over Chinese military base The Sydney Morning Herald

An intense diplomatic effort is under way to overturn "seriously disturbing" plans for a new Chinese military base after repeated public denials of the deal by Beijing and Cambodia failed to convince the Australian government.

China hawk to be next cabinet secretary - 9News

Office of National Intelligence deputy director-general Andrew Shearer is likely to take over from acting cabinet secretary Simon Atkinson from next month, The Australian reported on Thursday...

"Australia needs to be ready for a long struggle, as do the US and other democracies targeted by China's political influence activities - tackling covert, corrupt and coercive practices head-on," Mr Shearer wrote in 2017.

‘Lennon Wall’ dismantled at the University of Sydney - Honi Soit

Honi has also seen screenshots of a WeChat post made by a senior member of the Chinese Students Association (CSA). The post suggested that Pro-Hong Kong activity on campus should be resisted by mainland students and indicated the proposed protest had been reported to the Chinese Consulate. That post has since been deleted.

A Chinese international student told Honi “lots of HK and mainland students are afraid and threatened to keep silent.”

6. Chinese firm to fix Venezuela’s refineries

China Comes to the Rescue of Venezuela’s Run-Down Oil Refineries - Bloomberg

A Chinese contractor has agreed to shore up Venezuela’s derelict refining network to ease fuel shortages, potentially complicating the Trump administration’s push for regime change in the oil-rich country.

Wison Engineering Services Co., a Shanghai-based chemical engineering and construction company that is using China’s ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure program to expand overseas, agreed last month to repair Venezuela’s main refineries in exchange for oil products including diesel, according to people with knowledge of the deal.

U.S. financial sanctions aimed at starving the current regime of revenue contributed to the decision to revive a domestic refining industry crippled by years of mismanagement and under-investment, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential.

Wison has an interesting history. 2014 - WSJ: Wison Engineering Says Chinese Police Arrested Chairman; Hua Bangsong Is Accused of Bribery, According to Oil-Services Firm

China slams US for 'bullying' Venezuela - AFP

On Tuesday, US National Security Advisor John Bolton urged China and Russia to avoid doing business with the Maduro government, after President Donald Trump ordered a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the US and barred transactions with its authorities.

Bolton's comments are "a wanton interference in Venezuela's internal affairs," said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying in an online statement.

7. DNA collection program going nationwide?

Guangdong Police Take Saliva Samples Amid Fears of Nationwide DNA Program - RFA

An officer who answered the phone at the Danzao police bureau also confirmed that the samples were being collected.

"Yes, that is happening," the officer said. "We have arranged for police to go out and collect samples of saliva from anyone going to the bus station as a way of preventing unexpected incidents."

"Everyone will have to do this, because we have had orders to do it," he said. "We have to collect samples from these people to prevent incidents such as robbery from occurring."

8. Reuniting twins separated by the one-child policy

Grab some tissue before you read this. As the father of twins I can’t even imagine how painful this must be for the parents and the sisters.

One is Chinese. One is American. How a journalist discovered and reunited identical twins - Los Angeles Times - Barbara Demick

In 2009, as a Beijing-based correspondent, I traveled the backwaters of central China to learn more about the origins of the more than 80,000 girls who had been adopted in the United States...

One of the families I met in a village wedged between rice paddies in Hunan province had lost one of their twin daughters. Twins are normally permitted, but this family already had two older daughters...

I had envisioned tears, hugs, perhaps somebody fainting or even collapsing. That’s what happened when I covered a reunion of a birth family and adoptee years earlier. But histrionics were not in the style of the Zeng family...

Marsha gave the speech that she had in effect practiced for nearly 10 years, ever since she found out Esther had been stolen from her family. “Esther’s name means star. She has been a bright star in my life,” she began. “But I would never have adopted her if I knew she was stolen from you. It gives me pain knowing that my gain was your loss.”

Business, Economy and Trade

Platform economy to be promoted - Gov.cn The State Council released a circular on Aug 8 to promote the stable and healthy development of the platform economy. The platform economy, as a new growth engine and way of organizing production, has contributed to the optimization of resources, upgrading of industries, expansion of consumption, and the creation of jobs, the circular said.

Yicai Global - Two New Star Market Listees Nearly Quadruple in Debut Amlogic [SHA:688099] closed nearly 272.4 percent higher at CNY143.36 (USD20.35) to give it a market cap of CNY58.9 billion (USD8.36), while Shanghai Friendess Electronics Technology [SHA:688188] ended 255.6 percent higher at CNY243.88, with a market cap of CNY24.4 billion.

As Trade War Runs Hot, China Grabs More Gold for Reserves - Bloomberg China’s central bank expanded gold reserves again in July, pressing on with a run that stretches back to December. The People’s Bank of China raised holdings to 62.26 million ounces from 61.94 million a month earlier, according to data on its website.

China Renaissance hires former CIC private equity head Wang Ou - Reuters Wang, also a former official at China’s securities regulator, will concurrently serve as a board director of China Renaissance’s onshore securities joint venture - Huajing Securities, the investment bank said in a statement on Thursday.

Politics and Law

《关于第一批主题教育单位开好“不忘初心、牢记使命”专题民主生活会的通知》The Party center issues another instruction on the recent study campaign, telling local governments to have a new round of “democratic life meetings” in which the officials and leaders would have to do self-criticism and criticize each other.

Beijing customs seize record amount of drugs - Xinhua Beijing Customs said Thursday they had captured one suspect for drug smuggling and seized 24.1 kg of cocaine, a record amount of drugs seized for a single case. On July 30, customs officers at the Capital International Airport found two pieces of checked baggage from a CA908 flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil, filled with milk power cans when conducting X-ray inspection

Foreign and Defense Affairs

China and Japan revive ‘big picture’ vice-ministerial dialogue after seven years | South China Morning Post Chinese vice-foreign minister Le Yucheng will meet his Japanese counterpart Takeo Akiba in Japan on Saturday for the first Sino-Japanese Strategic Dialogue since 2012, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday.

India and Pakistan to send envoys to China as hostilities flare over Kashmir | South China Morning Post Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a parliamentary session on Wednesday that he might “dash off to Beijing”, according to Pakistan’s Express Tribune. And his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, is scheduled to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday.

Chinese president appoints new ambassadors - Xinhua Sun Weidong was appointed ambassador to India, replacing Luo Zhaohui. Zhou Jian was appointed ambassador to Qatar, replacing Li Chen. Li Yan was appointed ambassador to Georgia, replacing Ji Yanchi. Guo Min was appointed ambassador to Azerbaijan, replacing Wei Jinghua. Lu Shaye was appointed ambassador to France and Monaco, replacing Zhai Jun. Zhang Jun was appointed China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, replacing Ma Zhaoxu

Japan accuses ethnic Chinese of spying over sale of ‘highly detailed’ 3D map to buyer in China | South China Morning Post Japanese prosecutors have opened a case against an ethnic Chinese employee of a trading firm in Tokyo amid allegations he leaked a highly detailed three-dimensional map of the country to a third party in China, possibly as part of an espionage operation.

South China Sea: Chinese ship leaves Vietnamese zone, but is it only refuelling? | South China Morning Post Citing ship tracking data, Ryan Martinson, an assistant professor from the China Maritime Studies Institute at the Naval War College in the United States, said the Haiyang Dizhi 8 ship had left Vanguard Bank and was at Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea on Wednesday.

The Future of the PLA – Foreign Policy there is no better way for China to demonstrate its peaceful rise than by helping with global governance as a responsible power. Unlike in the past when Beijing talked about “establishing a fair and reasonable new international political and economic order,” which was a thinly veiled dismissal of the current order, Chinese leaders now admit that the country benefits from the existing international order and vows to be a “builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a guardian of international order.” To that end, ever since the dawn of the 21st century, China has gradually given up some time-honored defense policies—such as prohibitions on joining military exercises with foreign countries, on stationing of troops overseas, and on establishing military bases overseas—to meet the changed situation. - by Zhou Bo, the director of the Center for Security Cooperation in the Chinese Ministry of National Defense’s Office for International Military Cooperation.

In China's gateway to North Korea, traders wait for break in the sanctions - The Washington Post Such predictions of a boom in everything from consumer goods to construction may have seemed fanciful a few months ago, after the second summit between Kim and Trump collapsed. But now, after Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang in June and Kim and Trump’s meeting on the border between the Koreas, hope was rekindled for some kind of progress. Neither Beijing nor Washington seems to be letting the recent spate of North Korean missile tests get in the way of that.

US on track to oust China as Malaysia’s No. 1 investor | Malaysia | Malay Mail According to analysts speaking to The Straits Times (ST), US firms viewed Malaysia as the region’s “sweet spot” in terms of cost, infrastructure, and regulation.

Gov't to set up special channel to facilitate Chinese investment - Malaysiakini Putrajaya will set up a special channel to help Chinese investors solve any problems they may face when doing business in Malaysia, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng announced today.

Uyghur Arrived in US Cites Deportations, Frozen Assets in Pakistan as Impetus For Asylum Bid - RFA A Uyghur man facing deportation to China from Qatar last week said Wednesday that his decision to flee Pakistan was prompted by claims that nine members of his ethnic group had been forcibly returned home from the South Asian nation, where he ran a company with ties to a Beijing-backed infrastructure plan. Ablikim Yusup, 53, arrived safely in the U.S. on Tuesday with the help of U.S. Embassy officials

Police investigating China flag hung at Choa Chu Kang HDB block - CNA The National Emblems (Control of Display) Act states that displaying any flag or national emblem that is not that of Singapore in public is considered an offence.

China tells Philippines to tackle abuses in online gaming 'slavery' - Reuters hina took aim at the Philippines on Thursday for undermining its crackdown on cross-border gambling, saying many of its citizens lured to work in online gaming firms were being cheated, extorted and exposed to "modern slavery".

中吉"合作-2019"联合反恐演练研讨交流现场见闻 Chinese and Tajikistan special force are having anti-terrorism exercises in Xinjiang, and they discuss the different tactics they use.

“Opaque, huge, ill defined, politicized”: Beijing’s foreign press corp grapples with BRI – Panda Paw Dragon Claw Beijing foreign correspondents talk about the challenges of reporting the Belt and Road

Winning Without Fighting: Chinese and Russian Political Warfare Campaigns and How the West Can Prevail | CSBA

Tech and Media

Lagging Sales Force Game Studios to Shoot for Overseas High Score In the first half of this year, sales of Chinese-made games — including mobile games, PC games and web games — in the overseas market rose 20.2% year-on-year to $5.6 billion, according to a report released by the official China Game Publishers Association. That’s higher than the 15.4% recorded in the domestic market.

ChinaJoy 2019: A roundup of the top trends – Niko

9-Fingered Rapper Hit With 5-Year Streaming Ban - Sixth Tone Li Jingze had hoped to dispel sex scandal rumors by severing his finger during a video broadcast, to the shock and horror of his live viewers

Africa’s top mobile phone seller Transsion to list in Chinese IPO | TechCrunch Chinese mobile-phone and device maker Transsion will list in an IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market, Transsion confirmed to TechCrunch. The company—which has a robust Africa sales network—could raise up to 3 billion yuan (or $426 million).

Society, Arts, Sports, Culture and History

Opinion | Reading Toni Morrison in Beijing - The New York Times Her novels offered more than an education in literature. They showed me how language protects history.

Energy, Environment, Science and Health

China’s Wildlife Conservation List To Undergo Historic Revision - SixthTone An official surnamed Yin who works at the wildlife conservation department under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration told Sixth Tone on Thursday that the newest version of the list is scheduled for release by the end of the year. The draft is currently under official review, but leaked images of the document, verified by the official, show that more species have been added to the list, which gives certain animals priority for state-sponsored conservation efforts.

Big Battery-Maker's Market Share Surges as Bus-Makers Race to Place Orders - Caixin China’s largest lithium-ion battery-maker, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), has further entrenched its dominance — this time on the back of China’s electric bus boom. The Shenzhen-listed company increased its market share to 67% in July, up from 49% the previous month, while the share held by its nearest rival BYD Lithium Battery Co. Ltd. fell to 12.5% from 16.8%.

China building "world's biggest dam" in Africa - and SA will benefit - The South African

China reprimands 130 people during second round of environmental audits: Xinhua - Reuters

Propaganda rage about HK and the US gets per…

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