US-China trade; US visa restrictions on PRC science and tech students; Hong Kong's "high degree of autonomy"; RRR cut coming?; China carbon emissions; Mattis talks to the press on the way to the Shangri-La Dialogue
Happy Wednesday, I have a couple of housekeeping notes and then we get right into it.
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The Essential Eight
1. US-China trade
U.S. Tariff Threat Could Scuttle Planned Trade Talks With China - WSJ:
A U.S. advance team was scheduled to arrive in Beijing Wednesday afternoon, the people said, ahead of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s planned arrival on Saturday. Members of the U.S. team, consisting of staffers from the Commerce, Treasury, Agriculture and Energy departments and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, are set to meet with their Chinese counterparts to hammer out broad outlines of the talks, they said.
But if the two sides fail to reach accord about issues to be discussed, Mr. Ross’s trip could be canceled, the people said.
“If the working-level teams from both sides can’t agree on anything, there would be no point for Ross to take the trip,” one of the people said.
Question: Will China call Trump's bluff by either being so intransigent in these preparatory talks that Ross cancels, or by disinviting Ross?
A source close to the White House who has a keen understanding of the internal dynamics on China told me that this is an "initial move in a long negotiation that shows the Chinese Trump is very serious — and a move to balance the criticism that he was soft on ZTE.”
Another source close to the White House highlights these key takeaways:
This makes clear that investment restrictions, which were not vetted or ready at the time of the original announcement on tariffs, are part of the negotiating dance. In some ways, these are even more harmful to Chinese interests and a bigger deal in the negotiations than the tariffs.
The tariffs and the rest is what we already knew. What’s interesting is the timing. Trump is seeking to accelerate the negotiations even amidst the North Korea dance.
China slams surprise U.S. trade announcement, says ready to fight | Reuters:
Still hanging in the balance, however, is San Diego-based Qualcomm Inc’s (QCOM.O) proposal to acquire NXP Semiconductors NV (NXPI.O) - a $44 billion deal that requires clearance from China’s antitrust regulators. The recent easing in tensions had fuelled optimism that an agreement was imminent.
“On hold now,” a person familiar with Qualcomm’s talks with the Chinese government said on Wednesday, declining to be identified as the negotiations are confidential.
Beijing Lashes Out at U.S. for Backtracking on Tariff Cancellation - Caixin Global:
The official Xinhua News Agency berated the White House for undermining the country’s national credibility.
“The U.S. backtracking, regardless of whether it was intended to bolster the nation’s position in negotiations, win support from domestic voters, or to achieve other ends, is a wayward move that undermines the country’s credibility and will plunge the U.S. into an even more embarrassed and passive situation in international affairs,” it said in a commentary.
It urged the Trump administration to refrain from moving on a whim and “demonstrate sincerity” to negotiate a solution to trade disputes in a “pragmatic” manner.
“We hope the U.S. will stop acting on impulse. But we will not be afraid if the U.S. takes a tough line,” it said. “China will firmly defend the interests of the country and its people at all costs.”
The Xinhua commentary-新华时评：磋商，不等于反复折腾-新华网:
特朗普政府的变化，恰逢美国商务部长罗斯即将率团来华进行经贸磋商。美方的出尔反尔，不管是为了增加自身谈判筹码，还是为了争取国内选民支持，抑或是其他考虑，都是在用任性透支国家信誉，将让美国在国际道义上越发陷入尴尬和被动的境地。
我们期望美方不再冲动行事，但如果美方来硬的，我们也不怕。中方的态度一如既往：我们不想打，但也不怕打。尔欲战，我奉陪。对于美方声明，我们将听其言、观其行，美方出台任何举措，中方都将不惜一切代价，坚决捍卫国家和人民利益。
磋商，虽不是一帆风顺，但绝不等于反复折腾，而是要拿出诚意来务实沟通。中方将继续与美方代表团进行务实磋商，希望美方也能按照联合声明的精神相向而行，这是对两国人民最好的负责。
China Stocks Tumble on Renewed U.S. Trade War Fears - Caixin Global:
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was down 1.77% by the midday break, marking its worst percentage decline in more than three months. During the session, the index briefly touched a one-year low, taking it to even lower levels than those seen after Trump initially announced his plan for protective tariffs on Chinese goods on March 22.
2. US to impose visa restrictions on PRC science and tech students
AP sources: US to impose limits on some Chinese visas:
The State Department did not provide specifics. But a U.S. official said that according to instructions sent to U.S. embassies and consulates, Chinese graduate students will be limited to one-year visas if they are studying in fields like robotics, aviation and high-tech manufacturing. China identified those areas as priorities in its "Made in China" 2025 manufacturing plan.
The instructions also say that Chinese citizens seeking visas will need special clearance from multiple U.S. agencies if they work as researchers or managers for companies on a U.S. Commerce Department list of entities requiring higher scrutiny. Those clearances are expected to take months for each visa application, the official said. The official wasn't authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.
MoFA reaction - 美国将对中国留学生实施签证限制 中方回应_凤凰资讯:
大家都知道，人员往来是促进各国之间包括中美两国之间各个领域交流与合作的重要基础。中美签证便利化是对等、互惠的事情，符合两国人民的共同利益。”华春莹说。
“我们认为，中美双方都应该采取更加积极的措施，使两国人员往来更加便利，进而为两国各个领域的交流合作创造更好的条件，而不是反其道而行之。
People's Daily App runs a list of 18 "golden phrases" from Xi's speech to CAS and CAE on building a tech superpower and ending reliance on foreign technology - 核心技术买不来讨不来!习近平院士大会这些金句振聋发聩
But will the restrictions stop at just PRC citizens whose areas of study and/or work support the PRC's tech race with the US?
Review: A New Film Investigates the Time America Banned an Entire Race - The New York Times:
The filmmakers and their cast of mostly Asian-American historians frame the Exclusion Act as part of a long national narrative of racism, xenophobia, predatory capitalism and political calculation. The China trade and the Opium Wars, the Civil War and the collapse of Reconstruction, and cycles of economic depression and labor unrest all figure into a story that doesn’t begin to turn until well after World War II. It’s also a cautionary tale, reminding us that open ideas about immigration and citizenship that are now under attack have only had currency since the 1960s.
3. New American Institute in Taiwan building ceremony to attract senior US official?
Why a new office building in Taiwan is heightening U.S.-China tensions - Brookings - Richard Bush:
On the morning of June 12, Taipei time, there will be a ceremony to mark the opening of a new office building in Taiwan’s capital city. But it is not just any office building. It is the new building of the American Institute in Taiwan. With the opening looming, there has been much speculation whether the Trump administration would send of senior official to Taiwan to mark the occasion. That idea has also evoked strong opposition from China
Comment: It is less than a 5 hour flight from Taipei to Singapore, a US official could be in Taipei in the morning and Singapore in the afternoon in time to join the meeting with Kim...just saying...
What It Means To Be Taiwanese And Why It's Different Depending On Generation : NPR:
The island of Taiwan, about a hundred miles off China's southeastern coast, has its own democratically elected government, its own flag, its own military. Yet most of the world, including the U.S., won't recognize it as an independent country for fear of upsetting China, which insists it owns Taiwan. Caught in the middle are the island's citizens. They are constantly at odds over national identity, even in their own households. NPR's Rob Schmitz brings us this report.
4. How much longer will Hong Kong maintain "a high degree of autonomy"?
US State Department May 29, 2018
Key Findings:
The United States continues to have deep economic and cultural interests in Hong Kong. Cooperation between the U.S. government and the Hong Kong government remains, in many areas, broad, effective, and mutually beneficial;
Certain actions by the Mainland Central Government during the period covered by this report were inconsistent with China’s commitment in the Basic Law to allow Hong Kong to exercise a high degree of autonomy;
Hong Kong still generally maintains a high degree of autonomy under the “one country, two systems” framework in most areas – more than sufficient to justify continued special treatment by the United States for bilateral agreements and programs per the Act.
The US Department of State said in an annual report issued on Tuesday in Washington that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor turned down an extradition request “at the behest” of the central government in October.
The detainee was released into mainland Chinese custody on the basis that Beijing was “pursuing a separate criminal action”, the Hong Kong Policy Act Report read.
“This was the first such instance since 1997,” it said of the refusal. “The central government has provided no information as to the disposition of its own case against the individual.”
Hong Kong urges foreign governments not to interfere in its affairs - CGTN:
China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Tuesday slammed a report made by the US Department of State, saying foreign governments should not interfere in its internal affairs in any form.
Criminalizing the opposition in Hong Kong – Kong Tsung-gan / 江松澗 – Medium:
A review of the major prosecutions of pro-democracy leaders and activists and a discussion of their impact on rule or law
The Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government are using the courts to drive their agenda of criminalizing and marginalizing political opposition as part of their wider crackdown on the pro-democracy movement and the mainlandization of Hong Kong.
This article follows up on a January preview of some of the cases and an article started in April 2017 monitoring specifically the cases against pro-democracy leaders. In both, additional information on the cases can be found.
5. Required Reserve Ratio (RRR) cut coming?
MNI: China May Cut Banks' RRRs To Boost Liquidity: Newspaper | MNI:
The People's Bank of China (PBOC) may cut required reserve ratio (RRR) for banks to ease expected tight liquidity in June and July, the official China Securities Journal said Tuesday in a front-page commentary.
"It's expected that the PBOC would increase OMO injection and money supply for banks to smoothly go through inter-quarterly period" when banks face various regulatory examinations such as macro-prudential assessment and liquidity coverage ratio requirement at the end of every quarter, said the newspaper.
The $457 Billion Reason for China to Cut Its Reserve Ratio Again - Bloomberg:
Chinese banks racked up 2.93 trillion yuan ($457 billion) in medium-term loans extended by the PBOC scheduled for repayment during the rest of 2018. That has prompted some analysts to raise bets the PBOC may soon repeat a tactic used in April: cutting the Reserve Requirement Ratio to hand lenders liquidity so they can pay back the debt.
6. So much money to be made in the surveillance-industrial complex
At Beijing security fair, an arms race for surveillance tech | Reuters:
“We are actually using these kinds of scanners in Xinjiang already, but I am interested in this one as it claims to be more successful with iOS phones than other brands,” said the policeman, surnamed Gu, who traveled 3,000 kilometers to attend the fair. He declined to provide his given name.
The iPhone’s iOS system is seen by many analysts as the most secure operating system. A handful of firms in Israel and the United States have been able to crack into the iOS system, according to media reports. That ability is often shrouded in secrecy, however.
“The ability to crack iOS has been around,” said Matthew Warren, the deputy director of the Deakin University Center for Cyber Security Research in Melbourne. “What’s different in this situation is that Chinese authorities are admitting that they have the capabilities to do that.”
7. China carbon emissions surging?
Dramatic surge in China carbon emissions signals climate danger -Greenpeace:
Led by increased demand for coal, oil and gas, China’s CO2 emissions for the first three months of 2018 were 4% higher than they were for the same period in 2017, according to an Unearthed analysis of new government figures.
Analysts have suggested the country’s carbon emissions could rise this year by 5% — the largest annual increase in seven years, back when the airpocalypse was at its peak.
This latest uptick in carbon emissions was unexpected. Many thought the government 2016 stimulus – which kicked off a construction surge fueled by coal-burning industries – was a temporary state of affairs, following years of falling coal use and carbon emissions.
But big spending on energy intensive industries persisted through 2017, meaning China has been backsliding on its climate progress earlier this decade and the rest of the world must redouble efforts to simply to ensure global CO2 emissions don’t climb dramatically...
China’s coal use remains well below its peak in 2013. Total CO2 emissions could be lower or higher depending on which time series you look at.
Note though that there are major uncertainties about short-term data – calculating back from recently published data, coal output in 2016-2017 seems to have been recently revised down by 5-10%, without explanation, which means that the recent increase is just coal demand reaching the level that we thought it was on in 2016. The revisions mean that the statistics initially understated how fast coal use and emissions were falling.
China’s carbon emissions set for fastest growth in 7 years - FT $$:
The rise in China’s emissions during the first quarter follows increases in Chinese carbon emissions that began in the second quarter of 2016, after the country pulled out of an unacknowledged slump in economic growth that had lasted from about 2013 until early 2016. Chinese steel output, which had appeared to have peaked in 2013, hit a new record in 2017.
“The way they are growing is not by retooling the economy but by going back to the old playbook of just building lots of stuff,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, analyst for Greenpeace, the group whose data analysis revealed the increase in emissions during the first quarter.
8. Defense Secretary Mattis heads to the Shangri-La Dialogue
Press briefing by Secretary Mattis enroute to PACOM > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Transcript View:
SEC. MATTIS: You know, I'm -- on the FONOPs, they're freedom of navigation operations. And you'll notice there's only one country that seems to take active steps to rebuff them or state their resentment of them. But it's international waters, and a lot of nations want to see freedom of navigation.
So we'll continue that. There had been a promise in 2015 by the -- President Xi, in the Rose Garden -- the White House meeting where he stated they would not be militarizing the Spratly Islands. We have seen -- the last month, they have done exactly that, moving weaponry in that was never there before.
U.S. Navy: Chinese warships maneuvered in "unprofessional" manner - CBS News:
The Navy considers the actions of Chinese warships that warned two U.S. Navy ships away from the Paracel Islands over the weekend to have maneuvered in a "safe but unprofessional" manner. That assessment means the ships maneuvered erratically but not in a way that posed a risk of collision, CBS News' national security correspondent David Martin reports.
The US should release the videos of the encounter.
China's delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue will be led by Gen He Leizhong, deputy head of the Academy of Military Sciences - 国防部新闻局就中国军队派团参加2018年香格里拉对话会答记者问 - 中华人民共和国国防部:
中方一贯重视参与国际和地区多边安全对话。今年，中国人民解放军军事科学院副院长何雷中将将率团参加香格里拉对话会。有关会议期间活动安排，中方正在与有关方面进行沟通。
Business, Economy, Finance And Trade
Murky Picture Behind China’s Bond Defaulter - Caixin Global Beijing-based China Energy Reserve and Chemicals Group said in a Sunday regulatory filing that a subsidiary failed to repay $350 million of three-year dollar bonds that matured May 11. The incident fanned fears of further default risk for U.S. dollar debt and drew investors’ attention to the defaulter’s opaque ownership. The missed payment triggered cross defaults of other debt securities that were due to mature in 2021 and 2022, including two Hong Kong dollar bonds. Bloomberg data showed that China Energy Reserve has $1.8 billion of offshore debts outstanding, which will be affected by cross-default provisions. Underwriters of the bonds include Barclays Bank, Bank of Communicati
Shenzhen Workers at Lithium Battery Factory Protest Unpaid Wages | Sixth Tone Hundreds of workers in Shenzhen demonstrated outside Optimum Nano, one of China’s largest lithium battery manufacturers, on Friday to protest unpaid wages and social insurance. Customer service employee Ruan Bin told Sixth Tone that staff had not been paid since March, and had organized the rally after promised payments on May 10 failed to materialize.
China's Cross-Border E-Commerce Nearly Doubled Last Year to USD14 Billion | Yicai Global The total value of China’s cross-border e-commerce transactions surged 81 percent annually to CNY90.2 billion (USD14 billion) last year as online retail grew in significance as a means for domestic firms to expand into overseas markets. Of the cross-border transactions, China’s online imports surged 120 percent to CNY56.6 billion, while exports rose 41 percent to CNY33.65 billion, the country’s commerce ministry said at the 2018 China E-Commerce Convention in Beijing.
In Portugal, trust in China is the art of the deal | Reuters Links between Portugal and China stretch back centuries to when the European nation controlled the port of Macau. In recent years, Lisbon has embraced Beijing’s belt and road initiative to invest in infrastructure linking Asia to Europe. Chinese firms now own 25 percent of Portugal’s national grid, 27 percent of its largest listed bank, and all of its largest insurer and biggest private hospitals operator. Prime Minister Antonio Costa also told parliament last week that the change to Portuguese takeover law last year was made with Chinese investors in mind. “It was my initiative and aimed to ensure that Portugal would offer the same conditions to foreigners, namely Chinese, as Europeans,” Costa said.
China's Hebei province targets $23 billion 'ice and snow' industry by 2025 | Reuters Smog-prone Hebei, which surrounds the capital Beijing, is looking for new and sustainable sources of economic growth to reduce its dependence on polluting heavy industries like steel and chemicals. It has also promised to clean up as it prepares to host events for 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing.
Chinese province Zhejiang jumps on the Greater Bay Area bandwagon with its own ambitious regional blueprint | South China Morning Post The eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang is aiming to follow in its southern counterparts’ footsteps by setting up a “Greater Bay Area” to double economic output in a zone centred on its capital Hangzhou.
IMF Says China Should Open More to World, Ease Trade Tension - Bloomberg China has made progress on reforms but should allow market forces to play a more decisive role and accelerate its opening up to the rest of the world, the International Monetary Fund said. While credit growth has slowed, it remains too fast, and policy makers should de-emphasize growth targets and focus on higher-quality growth, the fund said in a statement released Wednesday in Beijing at the conclusion of its mission for the 2018 Article IV Consultation.
CBIRC Commits to Higher Foreign Investment Ceiling for Chinese Financial Institutions - China Banking News Speaking at the 2018 Financial Street Forum in Beijing on 29 May, Huang Hong (黄洪), vice-chair of CBIRC, said the regulator would “firmly and unwaveringly advance the external opening of China’s banking and insurance sector, ensure the implementation of key measures to raise foreign investment equity thresholds, encourage banking and insurance institutions to introduce overseas specialist investors, and expand the business scope for foreign-invested institutions.
CDRs set to debut on China bourses - China Daily Chinese tech companies listed overseas will soon issue Chinese Depository Receipts on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, China Securities Regulatory Commission Vice-Chairman Fang Xinghai said on Tuesday. Fang said the move would effectively combine Chinese tech companies with Chinese capital as "red-chip" enterprises, which operate in China but are registered and listed overseas, return to the A-share market by issuing CDRs.
$1.7 Billion Bet Shows Hong Kong Developers’ on Hunt for Land in China - Bloomberg Hang Lung Properties Ltd. paid 10.7 billion yuan ($1.7 billion) for a prime plot in southern Hangzhou, more than double the asking price after a seven-hour competition on Monday featuring 336 bids. That’s a record price tag in the burgeoning regional hub, according to Cushman & Wakefield Inc. Even across China, the unit cost of 55,285 yuan per square meter ($800 per square foot) is “unprecedented” for a commercial land parcel, said Yang Kewei, Shanghai-based research director at China Real Estate Information Corp.
Chinese firm's promises on Tasmanian dairy farm 'not legally binding' | The Guardian The promises that helped a Chinese firm secure government approval for the controversial purchase of Australia’s largest dairy farm were not “legally binding”, according to Treasury officials. The sale of the Van Diemen’s Land Company to Moon Lake Investments attracted controversy in 2015, because it allowed foreign ownership of the dairy farm in north-western Tasmania.
China’s Deal Factory Eyes U.S. — The Information $$ JD Capital, the Chinese equivalent of Blackstone, is looking for acquisitions in the U.S. in what will be a big test for one of China’s most unusual private equity behemoths.
The firm is little known internationally but within China is famous for its benchmark-beating profits and its aggressive fundraising tactics that have drawn the attention of Chinese regulators. Now, Wang Qingfeng, head of research and strategy at JD Capital, told The Information in an interview, the firm plans to raise a new fund to look for acquisition targets that could fit with Chinese companies in which it has invested. The amount of the fund isn’t determined but it will be at least $200 million.
Politics, Law And Ideology
Uyghur Student Missing, Believed Detained After Return From Malaysia University - RFA A young Uyghur woman has gone missing after returning to her home in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) from studying abroad in Malaysia, and is believed to be detained in a “political re-education camp,” according to her Germany-based sister. Gulgine Tashmemet flew home to Ghulja (in Chinese, Yining) city in the XUAR's Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture on Dec. 26 last year after completing her master’s degree at the University of Technology in southern Malaysia’s Johor state, her sister, Gulzire recently told RFA’s Uyghur Service.
Proper Reverence | China Media Project In recent days in China, a seemingly routine human resources document arising from a new media training conference at a Party newspaper has feverishly made the rounds on the Chinese internet. The notice, dated May 22, is from Shaanxi Daily, the official Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece of Shaanxi province. It reports that on May 18, the newspaper held a conference on new media during which the director of the newspaper’s theory and commentary division (理论评论部), Wei Yan (魏焱), “whispered in another’s ear while a principle leader of the newspaper was speaking, showing lack of reverence consciousness [my emphasis], in violation of conference discipline.” A decision had been taken, the notice said, to garnish 50 percent of the director’s performance-related pay for the month.
Man Sentenced to 6 Months for Desecrating Chinese Flag | Sixth Tone A man in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province, has been sentenced to six months in prison for dishonoring the national flag, the Zhaoqing city government announced Tuesday. The man, surnamed Zhong, had held an opening ceremony for his new martial arts hall on Feb. 7, during which he laid the flag on the floor as a red cloth on which he placed offerings
CPC adjusts regulations to suit institutional reform - Xinhua The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has moved to sort out its rules and regulations to make them comply with the reform of Party and state institutions. Three rules and regulations will be abolished and 35 others revised, according to a decision of the CPC Central Committee, made public on Tuesday. The move helps solve the problem of contradictions between Party rules and the reform, smoothing its implementation.
Anbang’s jailed chairman Wu Xiaohui appeals against fraud conviction | South China Morning Post “Wu has appealed for innocence. The Shanghai High People’s Court has formed a collegial court to review the appeal,” said Chen Youxi, one of China’s most renowned lawyers, famous for defending controversial businesspeople, in his personal WeChat and Weibo accounts at about 6am on Wednesday. The post on Weibo was later removed but when contacted by the South China Morning Post, Chen confirmed the content was true, without providing any further details.
Man faces 10-day detention for wearing wartime Japanese military uniform - SHINE A man in north China will be detained for 10 days for wearing a wartime Japanese military uniform, and another man will face the same punishment for taking pictures and videos of it and uploaded them online, Tianjin police said on Tuesday. One of the duo, a 36-year-old surnamed Liu, is a member of a CJ750 motorcycle club. He rode a CJ750 motorcycle on his way to the wedding ceremony of a club member in Hedong District of Tianjin on the afternoon of May 27.
《十八大以来重要文献选编》下册主要篇目介绍--时政--人民网 All of page 2 of Wednesday's People's Daily is devoted to an introduction to the contents of the recently published second volume of key documents since the 18th Party Congress
China Spikes In-Depth Section of Top Legal Newspaper - RFA The ruling Chinese Communist Party has dismantled the in-depth features department at a major newspaper in Beijing, after sending in a top official to make sweeping changes that led to the resignations of dozens of editorial staff, RFA has learned. Four journalists have left the Beijing-based Legal Evening News since the in-depth section of the newspaper—which had won a reputation for cutting-edge investigative reporting and in-depth features on crime and social issues—was abolished earlier this month, according to various sources in the industry. One media source told RFA on Tuesday that the rumors were true, but declined to give any further information, owing to the shroud of official secrecy around the story.
Foreign and Military Affairs
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Announces Maurice R. Greenberg Chair - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is pleased to announce the establishment of the Maurice R. Greenberg Director’s Chair at the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing. The chair is made possible by the generosity of The Starr Foundation and its chairman, Maurice “Hank” Greenberg. Paul Haenle, director of the Carnegie–Tsinghua Center, is the inaugural holder of the Greenberg Chair.
University warns research deals with China and others are at risk | The Guardian Changes to laws governing collaboration between Australian and overseas research organisations could damage the increasingly lucrative trade in research partnerships, the University of NSW has warned. The university has cautioned that amendments to the Defence Trade Controls Act could hinder the growth of a booming source of revenue for the tertiary sector and damage Australia’s economy.
Nepal says to scrap hydropower deal with Chinese firm | Reuters Nepal’s government said on Tuesday it will build a 750 megawatt hydroelectric plant that was earlier cleared to be developed by China’s state-owned Three Gorges International Corp, in a surprise announcement made while laying out the annual budget. “We will mobilize Nepal’s internal resources and build the West Seti hydroelectric project,” the country’s Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada said while unveiling a $12.18 billion annual budget in parliament on Tuesday.
[视频]王岐山访问白俄罗斯_CCTV节目官网-CCTV-1_央视网(cctv.com) CCTV on Wang Qishan's meeting with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko...Wang looks like he really enjoys his new role...and love the sneakers...
German father urged to apologize for son's drone injury to Chinese baby - ECNS The mother of a 23-month-old baby seriously injured by a drone flown by a German teenager in a Beijing park has urged his father to apologize while seeking a legal solution. Qi Liying (alias) said her son was hit by the drone at Xiaotaihou River Park in Beijing’s Chaoyang District on May 9. Local police later confirmed the 14-year-old drone user is a German and his father, known only as Daniel, is an engineer at Mercedes-Benz in Beijing.
Chinese Military Innovation, with American Characteristics? - Battlefield Singularity Although the concept of civil-military integration or military-civil fusion (军民结合, 军民融合) has a long history in China, this approach has taken on renewed relevance as the PLA prepares to confront the acceleration of this RMA. To support military innovation, Xi Jinping has called for China to follow "the road of military-civil fusion-style innovation," such that military innovation is integrated into China's national innovation system. Within the past several years, military-civil fusion (军民融合) has been elevated to the level of national strategy, guided by of the Central Military-Civil Fusion Development Commission (中央军民融合发展委员会), established in January 2017 under the leadership of Xi Jinping himself. This concept is recognized as particularly impactful in the context of dual-use emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence.
Tech And Media
Sexist Comments Flourish on Airbnb in China - Bloomberg Airbnb bans trolling, discrimination and profanity. Yet if you’re a female user, expect a few choice remarks about your looks while using it in China. Once regarded as a fun social aspect of online services in China, the proliferation of reviews talking about women’s looks -- from guests being called “a babe” to comments on a host’s sex appeal -- is now drawing fire as a potential safety hazard. While China has long tolerated sexism, recent scandals in the sharing economy have triggered a backlash.
Society, Art, Sports, Culture And History
Translation: The Story of Ma Hu (Part 1) – China Digital Times (CDT) Beijing-based women’s rights activist Xiao Meili recently shared part one of a two-part profile of her friend Ma Hu. This profile, shared on Xiao’s WeChat account, tells the story of Ma Hu’s childhood, and how she dealt with her gender and sexual identity in a culture that offered serious pressure for conformity on both fronts. CDT has translated part one in full, and will translate the second half shortly after Xiao Meili posts it
Can't We Just be Friends?: WeChat Launches Convenient Divorce Registration Feature | the Beijinger Whatever happened to good old-fashioned romance? That’s what many a WeChat user will surely ask as they open the “public services” folder on the ubiquitous social media platform, and come across an eyebrow-raising new feature that serves as the nadir of today's cutting-edge app services: a mobile divorce registration function.
To some Chinese women, the family planning policy saves them from becoming ‘breeding machines’ - Global Times "When there is the family planning policy, women who don't want to have a second or third child can use the policy as an excuse. But if the policy becomes invalid, they would lose this line of defense and have to directly confront their traditional families and society at large," Wei Tingting, founder of the Guangzhou Gender and Sexuality Education Center, told the Global Times.
大陆书吧 Weiboscope: Father: From rural rogue to secretary of municipal committee> A memoir article written by famous Chinese scholar Yu Jianrong (于建嵘) is removed due to 'violation of law' on Wechat.// 本文是中国社会科学院农村发展研究所于建嵘教授对父亲的回忆录，一篇真实的传记。此文表现了一位学者对于历史和人物的客观态度，哪怕是对于自己的父亲，于父的一生，在这一代党员官员中具有相当的代表性，这是一个难得的真实标准模板。
China Won’t Play in This World Cup. It Still Hopes to Profit. - The New York Times Even as the World Cup audience has grown, the last time FIFA signed a Western sponsor was in 2011, when the corruption investigation began coming to light. The struggle to find sponsors, combined with huge legal bills, led to a $369 million loss for the organization in 2016, and the worst seemed still to come. In Brazil, FIFA said the sponsorship roster was “sold out” more than six months before the tournament began. This year, it has been unable to fill more than a dozen sponsorship positions, with the most glaring absences in the lower tier of “regional supporters,” whose rights are limited to the Russian market. Russia and the next World Cup host, Qatar, each offered up a top sponsor. But FIFA’s real lifeline came from a cluster of Chinese companies willing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars and save the day.
Education
China denies giving foreign students more funds, vows to raise aid requirements - Global Times The education ministry is mired in controversy after a We-media article criticized the ministry for spending only half the money on Chinese primary and high school students, a total of 1.64 billion yuan ($255 million) in the ministry's 2018 budget, than on foreign students, who have a budget of 3.32 billion yuan.
In China, Thousands of 'Minban' Teachers Stage Protests Over Lack of Pay or Benefits - RFA Laid-off teachers who worked for years on non-civil service contracts have protested across China in recent weeks over a lack of redundancy pay, pensions, or new job opportunities. On Sunday, around 200 former teachers gathered outside government offices in Lu'an city, in eastern Anhui province. They were ordered to leave by police, who detained 16 people. "Sixteen teachers have been detained by police, which I think is an inappropriate use of the law, because they used violence, in particular on the large number of women," a source close to the protests surnamed Yao told RFA on Monday. "There were three or four police officers to one person."
Food And Travel
Capital Airlines flight turns around in China after cracks appear in window: Xinhua | Reuters A Capital Airlines flight from China to Vietnam was forced to turn around after cracks appeared in a window, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday. Flight JD421 from the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou to Nha Trang on Vietnam’s coast turned back one hour into the journey on Tuesday afternoon, the official Xinhua news agency said.
As Chinese ‘Crepe’ Catches On Abroad, a Fight to Preserve Its Soul - The New York Times But in the Chinese city of Tianjin, a local trade association sees the snack’s soaring popularity — and variety — as a threat. Over the weekend, it imposed rules that attempt to standardize the jianbing, apparently as a way of saving the soul of northern China’s quintessential street food.