Trade war response; Talking up the stock market; Party influence on overseas Chinese newspapers; Does your Air China pilot smoke in the cockpit?

So France-Croatia it is...I have to admit I was hoping England would get through to the World Cup final but Croatia earned it.

Some of the things about China I am watching today:

• China official media's relative restraint towards the trade war escalation may signal concern and a desire to talk, or it may signal that the speed of the escalation surprised Beijing and the response strategy has not yet been fully formed;

• Regulators are working to prop up the stock market and propaganda organs are doing their part to fluff the markets;

• The sudden descent of an Air China flight from Hong Kong to Dalian may have suddenly dropped nearly 20,000 feet because the pilots were smoking in the cockpit and pushed the wrong buttons.

Thanks for reading.