Trump-Xi meet may be in December; Financial Stability and Development Commission meeting
Reuters is reporting that a Trump-Xi meeting to sign a phase one deal may be pushed into December:
A meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to sign a long-awaited interim trade deal could be delayed until December as discussions continue over terms and venue, a senior official of the Trump administration told Reuters on Wednesday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was still possible the “phase one” agreement aimed at ending a damaging trade war would not be reached, but a deal was more likely than not.
As I wrote in yesterday’s newsletter:
China risks overplaying its hand if they try to force too many of the existing tariffs into phase one. President Trump and General Secretary Xi clearly want a deal, so I still think the odds are good there is a phase one deal before the end of the year, but it may not be as done a deal as many seem to think.
Thanks for reading.
The Essential Eight
1. Hong Kong
Han said Lam is leading the Hong Kong government in undertaking the large and difficult task of handling the protests. He added that Beijing has expressed a high degree of trust in the embattled leader.
“[The central government] fully acknowledges the work done by [Lam] and the SAR government, and the dedicated performance of the Hong Kong police force,” he said.
“Stopping the violence and restoring order is still the most important task for Hong Kong society. It is also the responsibility of Hong Kong’s executive, legislative and judicial branches because I believe stopping violence and restoring order is the biggest consensus among Hongkongers,” he added.
China backs bolder action to counter roots of Hong Kong unrest: official - Reuters
“We firmly support the special administrative region government to adopt more proactive and more effective measures to solve the social problems,” said Han, speaking at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in the Chinese capital.
Han said the social problems included unaffordable housing in the city, which is classified as a “special administrative region” of China.
Comment: Han Zheng, a Jiang Zemin faction guy at least once if not still now, is directly responsible for Hong Kong policy. There is lots of talk that Xi has been blamed and weakened internally for the Hong Kong mess, but wouldn’t the bureaucratic blame, if there is some to be assigned, go to Han’s head first?
Vice premier stresses "one country, two systems" in Greater Bay Area development - Xinhua
Han, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the leading group for developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of the group in Beijing.
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam and Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region Chui Sai On, both members of the leading group, attended the meeting.
The meeting highlighted the study on the implementation of the spirit of the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, discussions of the roll-out of beneficial policies and measures for Hong Kong and Macao, and plans for the major tasks of the Greater Bay Area's next-stage development.
韩正在粤港澳大湾区建设领导小组会议上强调 全面准确贯彻“一国两制”方针 稳步推进粤港澳大湾区建设
Comment: Developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area clearly has as key goals binding Hong Kong closer to the mainland while diluting its importance as it gets subsumed into the Greater Bay Area.
韩正强调，中央政府始终是香港保持繁荣稳定的坚强后盾，坚定支持特区政府采取更积极、更有效的举措，解决好香港的民生问题，特别是中低收入家庭和年轻人的住房、就业等问题，使香港的发展更好惠及广大市民。
China’s latest warning to end the protests that have pummeled Hong Kong for 22 weeks was delivered by Han Zheng...
He cited a Chinese Communist Party announcement last week of planned national security measures for Hong Kong, and pointedly added that the idea had received support.
“I’ve noticed that the public is paying a lot of attention to this,” he said. “The reaction has been intense.”..
Regina Ip, a pro-Beijing member of Mrs. Lam’s cabinet, said she expected that Mrs. Lam would make little progress on national security legislation. Mrs. Ip was the security secretary for Hong Kong in 2003 when the government made an unsuccessful attempt to introduce such measures.
Patriotic education needs to improve in Hong Kong -China Daily OpEd - Mo Hong'e
The wish for Western-style liberal democracy is a malignant virus that infects places with weakened ideological immune systems. Countries like China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and a few others have shown the ability to withstand the disease and the demise such an infection often leads to. Others, like Venezuela or those caught in color revolutions and the Arab Spring, have not been so fortunate....
Hong Kong should find a way to improve the patriotic education of its residents while accelerating its integration into the Greater Bay Area in order to improve Hong Kong's economic future. Only by doing so can the HKSAR government fulfill its third and most important responsibility.The author is a senior researcher at the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based independent think tank ["Independent"]
Effort in U.S. Congress to rein in China on Hong Kong protests faces obstacles | Reuters
China has threatened unspecified countermeasures, prompting the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong to warn of “counterproductive consequences” of the legislation that could hurt U.S. businesses.
That has given rise to speculation that some senators, especially those in agricultural states or with major China-dependent businesses, would prefer a go-slow approach and might even work behind the scenes to block the legislation.
There remain different versions over the cause of the incident, including one widely shared claim from a first aider that Chow was fleeing from police tear gas, which the force denies. Police also denied rumours that Chow was fleeing from officers chasing after him.
Link Real Estate Investment Trust, which owns the car park, said it would keep security camera footage of the night. But Link said that – since the cameras move, rather than maintaining a stable angle – they did not capture the moment when the student fell.
Pop star Joey Yung Cho-yee apologises for ‘supporting’ Hong Kong protests | South China Morning Post
Yung, 39, apologised on Tuesday for a now-deleted Facebook photo of herself wearing a surgical face mask while on a plane, along with a lyric about flying taken from her song Airport, which she posted on Sunday.
UK baking contest organizer disappoints netizens over HK riot-themed cake - Global Times
The two controversial cakes were removed from the "competition area" but not the competition itself, the organizer of the competition said in an email sent to the Global Times on Tuesday.
The response came after online photos showed two cakes, which were decorated with anti-Hong Kong government and police symbols including a Guy Fawkes mask, were shown at this year's Cake International baking competition in the UK on Friday.
Video footage showed the moment the unemployed Hong Kong resident lunged at the pro-establishment politician during an election campaign event in Tuen Mun on Wednesday morning...
The stabbing triggered speculation about whether the upcoming district council elections would be postponed, with the leader of the pro-establishment camp expected to meet Hong Kong’s acting chief executive to discuss safety concerns.
Video of the attack:
Lots of suspicions that this was set up, possible echoes of the 2004 assassination attempt on Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian?
Up to 88% of Hong Kong Population Exposed to Tear Gas Since June - Bloomberg
King Ng, once a healthy, 72-year-old retired mechanical engineer, now suffers from headaches so severe he often can’t sleep. He’s taken two weeks’ worth of antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection, yet his throat is still itchy and dry and he has a lingering cough.
Three months ago, Ng inhaled tear gas through the closed—but not airtight—windows of his second-floor apartment. Hong Kong police have used tear gas to quell pro-democracy protests almost every weekend and occasionally on weeknights since June 12. They’ve fired nearly 6,000 rounds in total, according to a tally of figures released in police briefings, in areas home to as much as 88% of Hong Kong’s 7.4 million residents.
2. More on the Plenum
Xi Focus: Xi's explanatory speech on CPC decision on system, governance released - Xinhua
Xi explained the background and considerations for focusing on how to uphold and improve the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advance the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance...
"First, this is a major task for delivering on the two centenary goals," Xi said....
"Second, this is the fundamental requirement for advancing reform and opening up in the new era," Xi said...
"Third, this is a strong guarantee for the country's response to risks and challenges and taking initiatives," Xi said.
In a world undergoing changes unseen in a century, the risks and challenges that the country is facing are more severe than ever, Xi said...
In more than six months, the drafting group discussed and revised the draft decision on multiple occasions. In September, opinions on the draft were solicited both within and outside the Party.
A total of 1,755 pieces of advice on the revision to the draft decision were put forward to the drafting group, according to Xi.
The original Chinese version of this explainer - 习近平：关于《中共中央关于坚持和完善中国特色社会主义制度 推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化若干重大问题的决定》的说明-人民网
Party leadership propels socialist system - Global Times
The documents summarized the strengths of China's state and governance systems in 13 aspects, which covered politics, military, diplomacy, education, health, environmental protection and the "one country, two systems" principle, and called for efforts to better turn institutional strength into effective governance.
Among the 13 aspects, the first one is "Upholding and improving the system of institutions for the Party's leadership and improving the Party's capacity to practice scientific, democratic and law-based governance."Liu Chun, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said the decision is aimed at improving and reinforcing the Party leadership system so that the Party could have a broad view on the overall situation and be capable of coordinating different groups and forces.
筑牢中国长治久安的制度根基——《中共中央关于坚持和完善中国特色社会主义制度、推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化若干重大问题的决定》诞生记-新华网
Xinhua provides the story of how the Plenum Decision was written. Xi was head of the drafting group, chaired the first meeting of the group on April 3
全会文件起草组由习近平总书记亲自担任组长。
2019年4月3日，中南海怀仁堂。习近平总书记主持召开全会文件起草组第一次全体会议。自此之后的200多个日日夜夜，全会《决定》起草工作始终在习近平总书记直接领导下进行。
2次主持召开全会文件起草组全体会议，4次主持召开中央政治局常委会会议，2次主持召开中央政治局会议，无数次审阅批改文件稿；从提纲框架方案到送审稿，对上报的每一稿都认真审阅、提出要求……习近平总书记对全会《决定》起草工作倾注了大量心血。
CPC decision on system, governance released - Xinhua
The decision vowed to see that institutions in all fields are notably improved when the CPC marks its centenary before the modernization of China's system and capacity for governance is basically achieved by 2035 and realized in full as New China celebrates its own centenary.
Press conference on the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee- China.org.cn
transcript of last Friday's press conference
3. A worthwhile podcast
I always have time for Chris’ views on Xi and China.
Transcript: China expert Chris Johson on Xi Jinping, a possible trade deal and propaganda - CBS News
Chris Johnson, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former CIA senior China analyst, about the state of play in U.S.-China relations. Johnson offers a portrait of President Xi, who has consolidated power and alliances domestically and throughout the region, and discusses the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to make its own case globally. Johnson and Morell also discuss the latest on the emerging U.S.-China trade deal, Beijing's response to the Hong Kong protests, and the attention paid overseas to the ongoing impeachment inquiry in the U.S.
4. Financial Stability and Development Commission meeting
Financial Stability and Development Commission meets to "study and implement the spirit of the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, study how to deepen reform of small and medium-sized Banks, guard against and defuse financial risks, and plan key work in the financial sector".
Per the readout:
The meeting pointed out that it is necessary to deepen the reform of small and medium-sized Banks, improve the corporate governance structure and risk internal control system that adapt to the characteristics of small and medium-sized Banks, and solve the problems of the system and mechanism for the development of small and medium-sized Banks from the root. We should combine strengthening top-level design with stimulating endogenous forces, pay attention to the division of labor between the central and local governments and between the government and the market, rationalize the incentive mechanism, and fully mobilize the initiative of all sectors. We need to ensure that financial institutions are held accountable, local governments are held accountable, and financial regulatory authorities are held accountable. We need to improve the market environment and supporting policies for Banks to replenish capital, and improve the system and mechanism for sustainable capital replenishment. At present, we should focus on supporting small and medium-sized Banks to replenish capital through multiple channels, optimize capital structure, and enhance their ability to serve the real economy and withstand risks. Attention should be paid to the promotion of some small and medium-sized Banks in the management of good experience and good practices to improve the business model of small and medium-sized Banks.
The meeting stressed the need to improve financial policies and measures to support scientific and technological innovation, optimize financing methods for scientific and technological innovation, and improve the supporting policy environment. We should adhere to the principles of marketization and rule of law, give full play to the role of various industrial investment funds and venture capital funds in driving the growth of science and technology innovation enterprises, and better meet their financing needs. We should strengthen overall supervision and construction planning of financial infrastructure, promote connectivity of various types of financial infrastructure, and ensure its safety and efficiency.
China to deepen reform of smaller and medium lenders - Reuters
China will improve the legal environment where private economy and foreign investment firms will be supported, and to set up a punitive compensation system for intellectual property infringements, the government said following a meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Commission (FSDC) chaired by vice premier Liu He.
Small and medium banks will be able to replenish capital through multiple channels, it said in the statement.
Fears over China's smaller banks trigger second bank run in less than two weeks - Reuters
The government of a Chinese city sought to assure depositors of a local bank’s financial health on Wednesday in the wake of the country’s second bank run in two weeks, triggered by fears over ill management and liquidity issues at smaller lenders.Yingkou Coastal Bank, a city commercial bank based in northern Liaoning province, received a large volume of over-the-counter requests from depositors to withdraw cash on Wednesday after “untruthful rumors about the bank’s deep financial crisis spread online”, according to a post by the police in Yingkou city on their official social media.
6. Bankruptcies increasing
And that is a good thing for China.
China Embraces Bankruptcy, U.S.-Style, to Cushion a Slowing Economy - WSJ $$
After years of pumping out financial support to keep the economy humming and workers happy, China has embarked on a debt reckoning. Beijing is building a bankruptcy system to take on a significant pickup in corporate defaults.
The country now has more than 90 U.S.-style specialized bankruptcy courts to help sort through a morass of corporate debt that, until recently, would have been swallowed by state banks and other creditors.
It is a sign that Beijing is worried about the number of failing companies and trying to find a fix. The system is helping, many lawyers, foreign investors and lenders say, as it takes some pressure off local governments that lack the resources for so many bailouts...
Courts nationwide accepted close to 19,000 corporate bankruptcy filings in 2018, more than triple the number two years earlier.
7. A new direction for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)?
Pakistan, China agree to expand CPEC scope | The Express Tribune
Pakistan and China on Tuesday agreed to set a new direction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for future cooperation in high economic impact areas by largely shifting away from infrastructure projects, except the $9 billion Mainline-1 projects...
The decisions to expand the CPEC scope to copper, gold, oil, and gas sectors were taken during the 9th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting that was co-chaired by Planning Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar and National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Vice-Chairman Ning Jizhe...
He said it was decided to expand the CPEC to copper, gold, oil, gas and affordable housing sectors.
Bakhtiar said that only the oil and gas sectors have the potential to attract $8 to $10 billion Chinese investment in the next three years
China, Pakistan agrees on further cooperation over CPEC - Xinhua
During the meeting, CPEC working groups in energy, transportation infrastructure, industrial cooperation, Gwadar Port and social-economic sectors reported progresses have been done in the areas and reached a series of agreements.
The two sides also signed and exchanged cooperation documents on health, youth exchanges and Gwadar Port development.
300 MW Coal-Fired Power Plant in Gwadar inaugurated - CPEC Latest News
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, Khusro Bakhtiar inaugurated the 300-Megawatt coal-fired in Gwadar. Ning Jizhe, Vice-Chairman National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani, senior officials and members of Chinese delegation were present in the ceremony.
Pakistan,China agree to take forward CPEC projects in various sectors - Radio Pakistan
Planning and Development Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar says Pakistani and Chinese sides have agreed to take forward the cooperation in various sectors under China Pakistan Economic Corridor...
He said discussion was also held in depth by both sides to enhance steel production capacity of Pakistan.
8. Two food things
Fresh Cantonese Rice Noodle Rolls Are Flourishing at Restaurants and Street Carts in NYC - Eater NY:
Stone mill noodle rolls, a Guangdong street food that’s underrepresented even across mainland China, are flourishing in Manhattan’s Chinatown..
This kind of cheung fun (or changfen 肠粉 in Mandarin), called stone mill noodle rolls (sek mo cheung fun, or shi mo changfen in Mandarin), is an iconic street-food form of what’s served in dim sum restaurants, and an everyday delicacy for Cantonese people. But what’s wild about these particular cheung fun is where they’re served: the streets of Manhattan’s Chinatown, 7,000 miles away from the Guangdong province of China, the hometown of the dish.
My kids love these, and grandma just got us a changfen maker, along with many bags of the correct flour
Hairy Crabs Are Delicious. So Why Can’t You Get Them in the U.S.? - YouTube:
…in the United States, they’re considered a pest, and when you find one in the water, you’re not supposed to leave it alive. How did a crustacean considered a delicacy in one country become a pariah in another? And how do you eat one anyway? We went to Yangcheng Lake, the center of hairy crab production in China, to find out.
Business, Economy and Trade
China and France sign deals worth $15 billion during Macron's visit - Reuters Deals were struck in the fields of aeronautics, energy and agriculture, including approval for 20 French companies to export poultry, beef and pork to China. They also agreed to expand a protocol for poultry exports reached this year to include duck and geese as well as foie gras, and to work on a protocol allowing France to export pig semen to China, said a statement from Macron’s office.
EU-China landmark Geographical Indications agreement - European Commission The EU list of GI to be protected in China includes products such as Cava, Champagne, Feta, Irish whiskey, Münchener Bier, Ouzo, Polska Wódka, Porto, Prosciutto di Parma and Queso Manchego. Among the Chinese products, the list includes for example Pixian Dou Ban (Pixian Bean Paste), Anji Bai Cha (Anji White Tea), Panjin Da Mi (Panjin rice) and Anqiu Da Jiang (Anqiu Ginger).
ASML awaiting Dutch approval for advanced machine export to China - Reuters ASML Holding NV (ASML.AS), an equipment supplier to major semiconductor manufacturers, said its license to export one of its most advanced machines to a Chinese customer had expired and it was awaiting approval for a new one from the Dutch government. Spokeswoman Monique Mols said the Dutch company expected approval from the government for the “Extreme Ultraviolet” lithography machine, estimated to cost 100 million euros.
Motorola, Hytera in Court Over Tech Used in California Wildfires - Bloomberg Motorola Solutions, based in Chicago, contends that Hytera, its former distributor, hired away workers as part of a plan to steal technology and compete in the market for digital radios. The systems enable two-way communications even in dire situations like the wildfires in California or other disasters where radio towers are not working properly.
China’s Housing Market Is Finally Cooling. Some Homeowners Are Furious. - WSJ $$ At the sales center at Sunac China Holdings Ltd. in Tianjin, over the sound of upbeat electronic pop music, buyers crowded around a customer service representative demanding to know why the company had substantially lowered sales prices. “You promised me the house price wouldn’t drop,” one woman yelled. “I am bankrupt because of this home.” Yu Xi, the customer-service representative, remained impassive, telling home buyers there was little he could do. //Comment: Sadly this is an evergreen story
Aramco IPO News: China Considers $10 Billion Stake in Saudi Oil - Bloomberg The Beijing-based Silk Road Fund is among parties that have been in discussions to buy stock in the offering, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Some other Chinese funds or state-owned enterprises may also join, the people said.
Impossible Foods Is Creating Plant-Based Pork as It Eyes China - Bloomberg “We already have very good prototypes of plant-based pork,” Chief Executive Officer Pat Brown said in a Bloomberg TV interview at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Wednesday. “It’s really just a matter of commercializing and scaling that.”
China enjoys bumper demand for euro-denominated bonds | Financial Times $$ Beijing’s Ministry of Finance sold a trio of bonds on Tuesday, raising a total of €4bn. There were close to €20bn of orders from investors, according to figures shared with the FT. The issuance will set a new price benchmark after the maturity of the last euro-denominated sovereign bond, which was issued in 2004.
PR Firms’ Staff Jailed for Online Post Deletion Racket - Caixin In the case heard by the Shashi District Court in Hubei province’s Jingzhou city, four PR firms’ Beijing branches, including specific staff, were accused of deleting, blocking or suppressing negative information about big-name clients such as Amway China, Buchang Pharmaceuticals and Furen Pharmaceuticals Group...
Chinese Delivery Companies Add 400,000 Extra Staff for Double 11 - Caixin The industry expects to deliver 2.8 billion parcels both domestically and internationally during the festival’s peak period, which runs from Nov. 11 to Nov. 18, Bian said. During that time, China’s couriers will deliver roughly 350 million parcels per day, more than twice its normal workload, he added.
Alibaba, JD.com to Sell Homes During Singles' Day Shopping Festival- PingWest Companies including Alibaba, JD.com and Suning will sell authentic residential properties during the shopping festival--at discounted price--in attempts to increase sales revenue and bring vitality to the country’s real estate sector.
Beijing court finds son of China's richest man in default - Global Times Wang, 31, the only child of Wang Jianlin, chairman of property giant the Wanda Group, whose net worth was estimated by Forbes to $12.5 billion, was listed on Monday by the second Beijing Intermediate People's Court as failing to repay a debt of 150 million yuan ($21.4 million), the Shanghai-based media outlet thepaper.cn reported on Wednesday. The report quoted the court as saying it had not included Wang Sicong on bad social credit list or restricted him from high consumption."
China Focus: China issues euro-denominated sovereign bonds in Paris - Xinhua China's successful issuance of 4 billion euro-denominated sovereign bonds in France is an important move to support Paris in building it into an international financial center and deepen China-France and China-Europe financial cooperation, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
Gusto Cools on New Tech Board as Shares Slump Below IPO Price - Caixin Reality now appears to have taken hold — first-day dealings of newly listed companies are seeing much smaller gains and only eight of the 46 stocks now listed on the STAR Market closed higher on Tuesday. Many investors and speculators have left the market and the volume and value of trading have slumped since the initial surge in July and early August. The daily value of shares changing hands hasn’t topped 12 billion yuan since mid-August.
Kim Kardashain to peddle perfume on Chinese internet - Inkstone The US reality TV star will appear live on the online marketplace Taobao on Wednesday night to promote her KKW Fragrance line.
China mobile payment giants Alipay, WeChat open to international cards - Reuters The moves come during a major import fair in Shanghai aimed at showcasing the country’s free trade credentials. Tencent, the parent company of WeChat Pay, said it was opening up in a statement on one of its official websites, while Alibaba-backed Alipay touted the change on its official media service platform.
Who visits Khorgos, the trade zone on China-Kazakhstan border — Quartz The two countries conceived the cross-border development in 2011 to transform Khorgos into a major trade and transport hub. It sits on the New Silk Road, a section of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, creating an over-land trade route linking China to European sea ports through Central Asia. Eight years in, the town hasn’t become a global-trade nexus. Nonetheless this 5.3-square-kilometer (2-square-mile) shopping zone, formally called the Khorgos International Center of Cross-Border Cooperation (ICBC), has lured entrepreneurs hoping to get rich and shoppers trying to get a bargain.
Politics and Law
中国政法实务大讲堂走进清华大学 最高人民法院院长周强为师生作专题讲座-中国长安网 Zhou Qiang gives a lecture at Tsinghua, discusses judicial reforms, highlighted some of the uses of high-tech in the judicial system //这次讲座，依托信息技术积极创新PPT形式，充分运用高科技、智能化的融媒体演示手段，将现代科技与司法工作深度融合的成果进行了可视化展示，以案例、视频、连线、大数据分析图表等方式，增强了授课内容科技感、互动性，拓展了讲座内容，便于师生更加全面把握党的十八大以来司法体制改革和智慧法院建设成果。讲座还演示了最高人民法院信息中心、北京互联网法院、北京市房山区人民法院诉讼服务中心的科技应用场景，令人耳目一新。同时，也让广大师生更加全面了解了法治中国建设新成就。授课前，最高人民法院还面向法学院校专门开展了在线问卷调查，主动了解老师和同学们对人民法院工作及本次授课的关切，反馈非常踊跃。
Court Orders Man To Return Misused Crowdfunds - SixthTone A court in Beijing has ordered a man to return the donations he received through an online crowdfunding platform in a landmark ruling on such disputes, Sixth Tone’s sister publication The Paper reported Wednesday. In its verdict Tuesday, the Chaoyang District People’s Court asked the man, surnamed Mo, to return the more than 153,000 yuan ($21,800) he had raised through medical crowdfunding platform Shuidichou after he was found using the donations for other purposes.
China's New Era in Techno-Governance | Center for Strategic and International Studies oin the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies and the CSIS Human Rights Initiative for a discussion of how technology is changing the way the CCP governs China. The event will feature panelists Josh Chin and Kate O’Keeffe of The Wall Street Journal, and Christina Larson of the Associated Press.
Foreign and Defense Affairs
Xi holds talks with Macron, pledging for enhanced China-France ties - Xinhua He said France is ready to advance the alignment of the BRI with the EU's Euro-Asian connectivity strategy and jointly promote the green development of the Belt and Road. Macron called on the two sides to expand people-to-people exchanges, promote mutual learning between civilizations, jointly safeguard multilateralism, strengthen strategic communication and coordination on anti-terrorism and Iran nuclear issues, and advance the progress of the WTO reform
Vietnam mulls legal action over South China Sea dispute - Reuters Speaking at a conference in Hanoi, deputy foreign minister Le Hoai Trung said Vietnam preferred negotiations but did have other options for the disputed waterway. “We know that these measures include fact-finding, mediation, conciliation, negotiation, arbitration and litigation measures,” Trung said. “The UN Charter and UNCLOS 1982 have sufficient mechanisms for us to apply those measures,” he added, referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), an international treaty defining maritime territorial rights.
Huawei threat uncovers enemy within UK spy agencies | Financial Times $$ “China has embarked on a major exercise to reshape the planet in accordance with its own interests,” said Nigel Inkster, a former director of MI6 and a senior adviser at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a security think-tank. For the UK’s spymasters weighing technological risk with geopolitical strategy, perhaps the bigger question is whether banning Huawei from 5G would actually make any difference to China’s ability to spy in the UK and cause disruption.
US military needs help from private firms and universities to beat China in AI race, says Defence Secretary Mark Esper | South China Morning Post The United States military needs help from private firms and universities to win the artificial intelligence race against its main “strategic competitor” China, according to Pentagon chief Mark Esper. The US defence secretary warned that the US could not let China dominate the field because “whichever nation harnesses AI first will have a decisive advantage on the battlefield for many, many years”...
China resume pork imports from Canada amid dispute - AP The move comes almost five months after Beijing suspended all meat imports from Canada over a dispute over Canada’s detention of a top executive at the Chinese tech company Huawei. “Good news for Canadian farmers today: Canadian pork and beef exports to China will resume,” Trudeau said on Twitter.
Partial Disengagement: A New U.S. Strategy for Economic Competition with China - The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) This final report of the Taskforce on Transforming the Economic Dimension of U.S. China Strategy outlines a four-part strategy for an effective U.S. response to the economic challenges presented by China.
Philippines to resume stamping Chinese 'Nine-Dash Line' passports - Nikkei Asian Review The territorial dispute, however, is likely to go forward in the pages of Chinese passports. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. in August said the Philippines' visa stamp will feature a map showing the country's exclusive economic zone "to its widest extent."
Can China’s Government Advance Its Case on Twitter? | ChinaFile he increasing presence of Chinese officials and state media on overseas social media is a continuation of China’s “media going-out” policy, which dates back to as early as 2000. Their presence today is part of the current administration’s pledge to “tell the China story well,” which, among international audiences, has produced mixed results at best. // I am building list of PRC officials on Twitter. https://twitter.com/niubi/lists/prc-officials please suggest any I am missing
Chinese and US defence chiefs push for stable military ties and to improve cooperation | South China Morning Post “[Wei indicated to Esper that] win-win cooperation is the only correct option for China and the US in working together … The two militaries must do a good job in implementing the consensus of the two leaders and continue to promote the military-to-military relationship as a ‘stabiliser’ in our bilateral ties,” Xinhua reported. A Chinese military insider told the South China Morning Post that the talks between Wei and Esper were designed to improve cooperation and avoid “mishaps” between the two militaries.
Transnational Shi’ism in Southern China and the Party-state’s “Hawza” Diplomacy | Middle East Institute This article seeks to transcend the Sunni-centered narratives that often inform the discussions on Islamicate interactions with China.[1] Following a cursory historical view of Shi’ism’s influences on Chinese expressions of Islam, the article presents a rough sketch of the contemporary transnational Shi’ite communities that have emerged in southern China over the past few decades, most notably those of Guangzhou (Guangdong) and Yiwu (Zhejiang). It then considers the simultaneous and closely-linked phenomenon, dubbed “hawza diplomacy,” of the Chinese party-state’s growing engagement with the custodial authorities of the Shi’ite shrines of Iraq.
Tech and Media
科技部：我国6G研发正式启动_腾讯新闻 The Ministry of Science and technology announces that it has set up a 6G research working group
Alibaba Pictures’ Zhang Wei: China’s Role in Hollywood is Changing – Variety n LA, we are focused on finding the right partners and the right films to bring over to the Chinese market. Our partnerships are not just about getting a few extra American movies into China, it’s more about finding a way to bring the best content to global audiences in tandem. We work with Hollywood studios in a number of different ways. With Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, we made an investment in them because of the importance they put on the development of the China market, and we work with them on their business in China.
Didi to pilot relaunch of carpooling service Hitch - TechInAsia According to a statement, the trial relaunch of Hitch will be conducted in Harbin, Taiyuan, Shijiazhuang, Changzhou, Shenyang, Beijing, and Nantong. It will start with trips under 50 kilometers in metro areas between 5 am and 8 pm for female users, and 5 am and 11 pm for male users. // An earlier curfew for female riders?
Explaining TikTok's Approach in the US - Newsroom | TikTok By Vanessa Pappas, General Manager, TikTok US
Society, Arts, Sports, Culture and History
‘Museum Diplomacy’ as New Pompidou Center Opens in Shanghai - The New York Times Called the “Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum Project,” the new outpost is housed in the newly built West Bund Museum. Designed by the British architect David Chipperfield and featuring more than 27,000 square feet of exhibition space, the museum consists of three exhibition halls clad in a jade-like glass and linked by a central atrium.
Chinese Academy of Sciences suspends foreign worker over racist social media comments | South China Morning Post Mark Kolars describes colleagues on LinkedIn as ‘dirty yellow guys, talking trash all day long’ Visual effects designer later admits to posting comments that were ‘inappropriate and racist in nature and hurt the feelings of my Chinese friends and colleagues’
Energy, Environment, Science and Health
Doctors call for tighter control of traditional Chinese medicine | The Guardian The Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM) and the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council will issue a joint statement on Thursday urging the WHO to clarify how traditional Chinese medicine and other complementary therapies should be used. Earlier this year, the WHO decided to add a chapter on traditional Chinese medicine to the International Classification of Diseases, which lists treatments available globally for medical conditions. The ICD is influential with governments, which look at its recommendations when deciding how to spend health budgets.
China’s Quest to Create a National Park System - Pandaily Former Director of the United States National Park Service under President Obama, Jonathan Jarvis, recently took a research trip to Qinghai province in China to observe China’s national parks. Over two weeks he traveled throughout China’s midwestern region, meeting with provincial and local governments to discuss their efforts to develop the National Park system...I spoke to John Jarvis to get more insight on his recent work in China, and his impression of the country’s developing park system...The point I would like to make is that China has said politically that they want to have a complete national park system by 2030. Of course China is hosting the convention of biodiversity next year in October 2020, and I would anticipate that China will be announcing sometime in 2020, this sort of trajectory towards having a complete system with actual designation of at least the first slate, and then another slate and then another. They are trying to do what the US did over 100 years, starting in 1916, in just 10 years.
Rural and Agricultural Issues
Yicai Global - China's DJI Eyes Bigger Fields With Agricultural Drone T20 DJI is looking to squeeze the unreasonable profit margins of the sector, Chen Tao, sales director of the firm's agricultural department, told Yicai Global. As a result, the company has expanded relatively fast in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, and it is also selling in Latin America. In Japan, over 70 percent of locally registered multi-rotor agricultural drones are made by the Chinese firm, according to Chen.