Qin Gang's new job?; US business advisory for Hong Kong; Yi Gang on deflation; Xi on education

I have been called to DC jury duty so I will not be able to work Monday. This is an abbreviated note with a few interesting things, I hope to be back to normal by Tuesday.

The Washington Post reports that the rumors that former Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang is now working at the World Affairs Press, a publishing house under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are true. From the Post:

Wild rumors abounded: He’d been imprisoned. Killed himself. None was true.

In fact, Qin is alive but, according to two former U.S. officials, in a position very diminished from his once-lofty perch close to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Qin has been nominally assigned to a low-level job at a publishing house affiliated with the Chinese Foreign Ministry, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.

From the July 18 Sinocism:

There were several surprises around personnel issues. The communique stated that "it was also decided that Comrade Qin Gang's …