Xi Jinping is in Shanghai. He conducted an inspection tour of the city, to emphasize some of the themes from the Fourth Plenum, hosted a dinner on the eve of the second China International Import Expo (CIIE), and met with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

According to the readout of the meeting with Lam, Xi told her that:

the Hong Kong SAR government, under your leadership, has made great efforts to stabilize and control the situation and improve the social atmosphere. The central government has high trust in you and fully recognizes the work of you and your management team. Stopping violence, curbing chaos and restoring order remain the most important task for Hong Kong.

But the readout gave no more details. Hong Kong saw another weekend of protests and violence.

Xi and the propaganda apparatus are making a huge deal out of the second CIIE, as it is a venue for messaging to the world that China is open for business, its market is huge and growing, and that China is a bulwark against rising protectionism and a guarantor of the global trading system. As People’s Daily commentator Zhong Sheng wrote in CIIE helps write a new chapter for world economy:

The CIIE demonstrates China’s consistent position of supporting the multilateral trading system and promoting trade liberalization and facilitation. It is a concrete action by China to advance an open world economy and build a community with a shared future for mankind...

It should be noted that against the background of rising trade protectionism and anti-globalization, to host a better import expo not only demonstrates China's firm determination to open wider to the outside world, but also boosts global trade demands and add new impetus to the world economy.

Thanks for reading.

The Essential Eight

1. Hong Kong

习近平会见林郑月娥

Xi met with Carrie Lam Monday in Shanghai, says the Party Center has confidence in her. Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi attended the meeting.

在听取了林郑月娥关于香港近期局势的汇报之后，习近平表示，香港“修例风波”已持续了5个月，你带领特区政府恪尽职守，努力稳控局面、改善社会气氛，做了大量艰辛的工作。中央对你是高度信任的，对你和管治团队的工作是充分肯定的。止暴制乱、恢复秩序仍然是香港当前最重要的任务。依法制止和惩治暴力活动就是维护香港广大民众的福祉，要坚定不移。同时，要做好与社会各界对话和改善民生等工作。希望香港社会各界人士全面准确贯彻“一国两制”方针和基本法，齐心协力，共同维护香港的繁荣稳定。

After listening to Carrie Lam's report on the recent situation in Hong Kong, Xi Jinping said that the Hong Kong SAR government, under your leadership, has made great efforts to stabilize and control the situation and improve the social atmosphere. The central government has high trust in you and fully recognizes the work of you and your management team. Stopping violence, curbing chaos and restoring order remain the most important task for Hong Kong. To stop and punish violence in accordance with the law is to safeguard the well-being of the Hong Kong people. At the same time, we need to engage in dialogue with all sectors of society and improve people's livelihood. We hope that people from all walks of life in Hong Kong will fully and accurately implement the principle of "one country, two systems" and the basic law and work together to safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.

Six wounded as bloody brawl caps day of Hong Kong mall chaos - AFP

A bloody knife fight in Hong Kong left six people wounded on Sunday evening, including a local pro-democracy politician who had his ear bitten off, capping another chaotic day of political unrest in the city.

Flashmob rallies erupted inside multiple shopping centers across the international finance hub over the afternoon, sparking frequent clashes with riot police.

The violence was less sustained than Saturday when police and protesters fought hours of cat and mouse battles after thousands took the streets for an unsanctioned march.

Hong Kong protesters attack Xinhua news agency - CGTN

Violence flared in anti-government protests in Hong Kong again this weekend, as protesters attacked the offices of China’s official Xinhua news agency building.

Hong Kong civil servants who support protests will perish with rioters, People’s Daily warns | South China Morning Post

“There is no middle ground on the issue of fighting against riots and unrest in Hong Kong … No matter whether they have given silent approval out of sympathy or connived to give support, there will be only one end to those civil servants who join the ‘black terror’. They will lose their careers and future,” the newspaper warned in the commentary published on Saturday night.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to meet Vice-Premier Han Zheng in Beijing for first official sit-down since protests erupted | South China Morning Post

Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has been called to Beijing for an unscheduled meeting with Vice-Premier Han Zheng on Wednesday, with sources saying this would involve key policy directives on the protest-hit city, amid discussions on the national security law.

It would be the chief executive’s first official sit-down with Han, the state leader in charge of Hong Kong’s affairs, since the mass protests broke out in June...

China Pushes to Integrate Hong Kong Through Patriotic Education, Security Overhauls - WSJ $$

In a Friday briefing elaborating on policies issued by the Communist Party elite, a senior official said Beijing plans to refine its mechanisms for governing Hong Kong, such as by revamping how the city’s leader and other top officials are appointed and removed, as well as upgrading its safeguards for national security.

Beijing will also support Hong Kong’s efforts to “strengthen law-enforcement capabilities” and inculcate in its youth a stronger sense of national identity and patriotism, as well as a deeper understanding of Chinese history and culture, said Shen Chunyao, a senior official at China’s parliament who oversees legislative work related to Hong Kong.

Trolls Renew Social Media Attacks on Hong Kong’s Protesters - Bloomberg

Researchers, including at the startup Astroscreen, have identified suspicious accounts that suggest take downs in August didn’t stop online activity targeting the protesters. Instead, some accounts with suspected links to the Chinese government that were removed have been replaced by different ones, engaging in similar types of tactics, the researchers said.

2. Second China International Import Expo (CIIE)

CIIE shares China’s development opportunities with the world - People's Daily Guo Jiping

The second China International Import Expo (CIIE) slated to kick off in Shanghai on Nov.5 will be a grand event witnessing in-depth integration of China into the world and win-win cooperation between China and countries across the globe...

Looking into the future, China is full of confidence and strength to serve as an important promoter of opening-up across the world, a stable power source of global economic growth, a dynamic market for business opportunities benefiting various countries, and an active contributor to the reform of the global governance system.

China is ready to work with various countries around the world to share opportunities, boost common development, and promote the joint construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, so as to bring peace and development to the whole world.

(Guo Jiping is a well-known pen name used for People's Daily editorials meant to outline China's stance and viewpoints on major international issues.)

The original - 共享机遇共同发展——写在第二届中国国际进口博览会开幕之际-国纪平

Import Expo to change West’s opinion - Global Times

The holding of the CIIE is an important declaration of China's policy to further open up. It is China's true will and determination to actively participate in the wave of globalization and closely integrate its economy with the outside. And this has even become a belief in Chinese society. China's expanding consumer demand has laid the foundation for the country to continue increasing imports.

China is the only country to hold import expos on a national level, which is beneficial to foreign enterprises. Some Western public opinions do not take CIIE seriously and regard it as China's "political show." This reveals little understanding of China...

We should keep holding the CIIE. By doing so, we will see subtle changes in international public opinion and the attitudes of some countries toward China. These changes will be positive and constructive, which we must have confidence in.

As Shanghai gets ready to host second import expo, EU business chamber says half of deals signed last year were not executed | South China Morning Post

Survey by European Union Chamber of Commerce in China suggests 47 per cent of the deals closed by member companies last year were not realised

‘We expect this year’s event to be supplemented by concrete measures,’ chairman says

Macron moves to protect EU from Trump-China alliance – POLITICO

"We don’t want Europe to be a collateral victim of a U.S.-China trade deal," an Elysée official said. "Hence the necessity of moving forward on bilateral negotiations between the EU and China now."..

Europe sees Trump's more aggressive tactics in the trade war as an opportunity to expand cooperation with China. Europe, for example, viewed Beijing as a potential ally in reining back Trump's all-out assault on the World Trade Organization's court system. Brussels also wants to push ahead with its own agreement with China on the terms of investment.

China says no 'promise fatigue' on opening its economy - Reuters

“So the European side can rest easy. China will spare no effort in fulfilling its promises and commitments. There is no so-called fatigue issue.”

Yicai Global - China Assures It Can Reach President Xi's 15-Year, USD30 Trillion Import Goal

China imported more than USD2.1 trillion in goods last year, making up 10.7 percent of the global total, Assistant Minister of Commerce Ren Hongbin said on Nov. 2, at a press briefing for this year's CIIE. Imports into China grew 22.7 faster than the worldwide average, he added, saying this positions China as a major engine behind global economic growth.

Facebook and Instagram to Make Appearances at CIIE- PingWest

Besides the popular social platform, Facebook will also showcase virtual reality (VR) devices and an interactive project specifically themed on Shanghai at its booth.

An interactive screen has been installed at Facebook's booth, which will highlight features and services including "Instagram Stories" as products for advertisers.

China seeks to share development opportunities with the world through CIIE - People's Daily Online

The CIIE allows countries to exchange technological solutions, share knowledge and best practices, deepen mutual understanding and cooperation, and achieve sustainable development. The hosting of the CIIE indicates that sustainable trade and investment is conducive to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially for the least developed countries to achieve their development goals

Xi Focus: Xi hosts banquet for guests attending int'l import expo - Xinhua

The CIIE is designed to trade goods and services, exchange culture and ideas, welcome visitors from across the globe, benefit the whole world and respond to the aspirations of people from various countries to live a better life, Xi said...

Xi and Peng had photos with foreign leaders and their spouses, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.

Xinhua Headlines: Greater CIIE presence of U.S. businesses evidence of undamped passion for China market - Xinhua

The CIIE will have a greater spillover effect with positive participation and support of all parties, Chinese Assistant Minister of Commerce Ren Hongbin has said.

Tourk, the economics professor, pins his hopes on the "salient effects" that Chinese efforts to boost imports will have on "increasing global aggregate demand."

"With protectionist sentiments on the rise, Chinese facilitation of cross-border trade is one more indication that China stands up as a defender of globalization and open markets,"

Comment: Tourk is pitch perfect in disseminating the key messages China wants to send about the CIIE

China Fleshes Out New Law to Level Playing Field for Foreign Investors - Caixin

The release of the draft of the law’s implementation guidelines, published Friday by the Ministry of Justice, offers a glimpse into how far Chinese lawmakers are willing to go to address foreign companies’ complaints about unfair treatment, including forced technology transfers. That issue of technology transfers, in which foreign firms say they are railroaded into handing over valuable intellectual property to Chinese partners in order to operate in the country, is one of the thorniest issues behind the China-U.S. trade war.

According to the draft of the guidelines [司法部关于《中华人民共和国外商投资法实施条例（征求意见稿）》公开征求意见的通知], authorities will be banned from forcing foreign investors to transfer technology when registering businesses, giving permission for investment projects, undertaking inspections and meting out punishments. The draft is currently open to public comment and has been sent to foreign companies and chambers of commerce for feedback.

The Key to Electric Cars Is Batteries. One Chinese Firm Dominates the Industry. - WSJ $$

China is by far the biggest EV market, and to boost its standing in the fast-growing industry, China began pressuring foreign auto makers to use locally-made batteries in the country several years ago. One company—Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd., known as CATL—was the only shop capable of producing them at scale.

Auto makers weren’t pleased, but they fell in line. During a visit to CATL headquarters in 2017, three Daimler AG executives displayed their irritation shortly after the meeting started, recalled Jiang Lingfeng, then a CATL project manager who prepared a technical briefing for the visitors.

One Daimler executive cut off his briefing, said Mr. Jiang. “We’re not interested,” the executive said, according to Mr. Jiang. “The only reason we’re here is that we have no choice, so let’s just talk about the price.”

Interview: China's market opening benefits all: U.S. business leader - Xinhua

Former Vice Chairman of the United Nations (UN) Business Council John W. Allen on Sunday highly commended China's market opening policy and practice, and slammed protectionism.

"China's market opening benefits all countries including China itself," said Allen, while commenting on the week-long China International Import Expo 2019..

"Protectionism is self-defeating. It creates short-term gain and long-term pain for those who practice it," he added.

Communists are fascinated by contradictions. China faces a big one - Chaguan - The Economist $$

The authoritarian turn that China is taking, in the name of saving one-party rule from itself, is hard to square with a quest for globally driven growth. Already foreign bosses privately admit to wondering, as never before, what it means when a Chinese business partner is a party member. Mr Xi seems to want a China that is open to foreign investors and inventions but closed to dangerously foreign (meaning liberal, Western) ideas. Communists are fascinated by contradictions. This one may prove hard to resolve.

3. US-China trade

Axios Markets - 1 big thing: It may be time to get bullish about the trade war

Goldman Sachs research analysts said in a note Sunday evening that they now believe "tariffs on imports from China have likely peaked" and are shifting their view thanks to "recent developments and apparent progress in US-China negotiations."

Chinese State Media Reiterates ‘Core Concerns’ After Trade Call - Bloomberg

“For China, removing all the additional tariffs is a core concern that has not changed and will never change; even if there is a first phase deal, this core concern should be reflected,” Taoran Notes, a blog affiliated with state-run Economic Daily, wrote Saturday. China’s insistence on a “realistic” value for U.S. purchases and a “balanced” text of the agreement remains, the post said, while the U.S.’s core concern is agricultural purchases.

The Taoran Notes piece - 陶然笔记：妥善解决核心关切是达成协议的前提|关税_新浪财经_新浪网 I did not read it as super-optimistic

China says Xi, Trump in continuous touch - Reuters

“As for a meeting between the leaders of China and the United States, what I can say is that President Xi Jinping and President Trump have maintained continuous contact through various means,” he told a daily news briefing, without elaborating

Trump Considers Iowa as Location to Sign Trade Pact With China - Bloomberg

Another person said an Iowa summit was discussed back in the spring, but people on the National Security Council and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer were opposed because they thought it might appear to be just an agricultural purchase agreement that lacks structural reforms.

Comment: It would also allow Trump to use Xi and the deal as a 2020 election prop, something I think the Chinese really want to avoid

American business community in China lacks confidence in ‘phase one’ trade deal, AmCham chief says | South China Morning Post

“For every government policy in China, there’s a contradictory policy,” he said. “The government says, ‘OK, we’d better do a bit more to help the foreigners’, but does that change industrial policies? Does it change that the state sector is dominant? No,” he said.

“As long as they have plans that Chinese enterprises should have more and more market share in China, in their sector and globally, we know that they will welcome us, but only with conditions,” he said.

China Wins WTO Case to Sanction $3.6 Billion in U.S. Trade - Bloomberg

China now can ask the WTO’s dispute settlement body to authorize retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Such requests are typically granted.

The next steps for the U.S. include amending its illegal anti-dumping restrictions on the Chinese products in question, or resolving the dispute directly with China -- a move that theoretically could happen as part of the broader trade-war talks between Washington and Beijing.

4. Small US reprieve coming for Huawei?

But issuing some licenses will not change the trajectory…

Wilbur Ross says licenses for US to sell to Huawei coming shortly - CNBC

The fact that no licenses have been approved yet has raised some speculation that the White House was withholding them as leverage in China trade negotiations. Ross said on Sunday that the government has gotten 260 requests, and assured that the licenses “will be forthcoming very shortly.”..

“Remember too with entity lists there’s a presumption of denial,” he continued. “So the safe thing for these companies would be to assume denial, even though we will obviously approve quite a few of them.”

US urges Taiwan to curb chip exports to China | Financial Times $$

Washington has over the past year repeatedly asked the government of president Tsai Ing-wen to restrain Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, from selling chips to Huawei, according to Taiwanese and US government officials.

Last month, a US official told Taiwanese diplomats in Washington that chips made by TSMC for Huawei were going straight into Chinese missiles pointing at Taiwan — a statement intended as a “metaphor” illustrating the risks of supplying China.

The move comes as Washington seeks to plug loopholes in its ban on selling to Huawei

Michael Esposito, Federal Advocates lobbyist, used dubious claims of Trump ties to build business - The Washington Post

Esposito has broken into the international market, landing top-dollar Ukrainian clients last year and collecting $1.65 million from Chinese tech giant Huawei in a three-month period this year, according to lobbying records..

Esposito has “an open line of communication to the President of the United States” and is in “regular” contact with the president, Federal Advocates wrote in three contract bids reviewed by The Washington Post. The same proposals say Esposito worked with the president’s son Eric Trump and son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner on real estate deals. And the firm’s website calls Esposito “an integral part of the senior-most leadership” of the Republican National Committee…

Some of those very people, however, told The Post that Esposito’s claims are greatly embellished — or simply not true.

Earlier today President Trump weighed in:

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

Many people say they know me, claiming to be “best friends” and really close etc., when I don’t know these people at all. This happens, I suppose, to all who become President. With that being stated, I don’t know, to the best of my knowledge, a man named Michael Esposito.....

This may be an expensive lesson for Huawei and Joy Tan, who took over the US role in part to have Huawei be more aggressive in DC?

Meanwhile, the lesson from ZTE and Huawei is de-Americanize your tech as fast as you can-Gree Deepens Chip Drive With Involvement in Dutch Semiconductor Firm Deal - Caixin

Gree President Dong Mingzhu said in May last year that the company plans to spend 50 billion yuan over three years to develop its own microchips. The reliance of Gree and other Chinese firms on imported chips was brought into stark relief last year, when the U.S. blacklisted telecom-gear firms ZTE Corp. and Huawei Technologies Co. Lt

5. More US scrutiny of Chinese biomedical ties

Scientists With Links to China May Be Stealing Biomedical Research, U.S. Says - The New York Times

The scientist at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston was hardly discreet. “Here is the bones and meet of what you want,” he wrote in a misspelled email to researchers in China.

Attached was a confidential research proposal, according to administrators at the center. The scientist had access to the document only because he had been asked to review it for the National Institutes of Health — and the center had examined his email because federal officials had asked them to investigate him.

The N.I.H. and the F.B.I. have begun a vast effort to root out scientists who they say are stealing biomedical research for other countries from institutions across the United States. Almost all of the incidents they uncovered and that are under investigation involve scientists of Chinese descent, including naturalized American citizens, allegedly stealing for China.

Seventy-one institutions, including many of the most prestigious medical schools in the United States, are now investigating 180 individual cases involving potential theft of intellectual property...

Dr. Lauer and other officials said the investigations into biomedical research have uncovered clear evidence of wrongdoing. In one case at M.D. Anderson, a scientist who had packed a suitcase with computer hard drives containing research data was stopped at the airport on the way to China, Dr. Lauer and officials at the center said...

The F.B.I. has given research institutions tools to scan emails for keywords in Mandarin that might tip off administrators to breaches, according to Dr. McKinney.

“The effects this will have on long-term, trusting relationships are hard for us to face,” he said. “We just are not used to systematic cheating.”

China Revamps Undergraduate Studies, Tapping Controversial Talent Program - Caixin

China’s Ministry of Education called for a three-year revamp of the higher education system, aiming to devote vast resources to undergraduate studies, including the expertise of those who are part of the controversial Thousand Talents Program...

Those courses will be designed by “high level talent” such as scholars of the renowned Chinese academies of sciences and engineering, recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and Chang Jiang Scholars Program fellows. They will also draw on experts from the Thousand Talents Program, a government-backed recruitment project to lure scientific talent from foreign countries to work in China, and a similarly named Ten Thousand Talents Program.

Comment: Thousand Talents never went away, even if the propaganda organs downplayed it

Then there is this recent case, which given the Navy officer’s areas of expertise could be very bad if it is about more than just inflatable boats and firearms-U.S. Navy Officer, His Wife, and Two Chinese Nationals Charged with Conspiring to Smuggle Military Style Inflatable Boats and Evinrude Military Outboard Motors to China | OPA | Department of Justice

Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez for the Middle District of Florida announces the return of an indictment today of four individuals, including two Chinese nationals, an active-duty United States Navy officer [US Navy Lt. Fan Yang], and his wife, on charges relating to a conspiracy to unlawfully smuggle military-style inflatable boats, with Evinrude MFE military outboard motors, to the People’s Republic of China. The Navy officer and two other defendants have also been charged with conspiring to violate firearms law, and the Navy officer has been charged with an additional firearms-related offense and with making false official statements.

Detentions Ordered While Navy Officer's Role in Smuggling Case Probed | Military.com

Fan Yang, 34, is a Chinese-born U.S. citizen assigned to the Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Weapons School at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.

He holds a top-secret security clearance -- it was renewed in January -- and trained as a naval flight officer responsible for weapons and tactics aboard the P-8 antisubmarine aircraft, according to court filings.

6. Tick tock for TikTok in the US

TikTok declines to testify to Congress about China, in move that threatens to stoke lawmakers’ ire - The Washington Post

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) organized the session to explore privacy and security concerns posed by Beijing and that government’s strict rules that censor what users can say online and what happens to their data. The decision by TikTok not to attend as of Sunday night was confirmed by a source familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it on the record. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment. A Hawley spokesperson declined to comment.

U.S. opens national security investigation into TikTok - sources - Reuters

The U.S. government has launched a national security review of TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co’s $1 billion acquisition of U.S. social media app Musical.ly, according to three people familiar with the matter...

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews deals by foreign acquirers for potential national security risks, has started to review the Musical.ly deal, the sources said. TikTok did not seek clearance from CFIUS when it acquired Musical.ly, they added, which gives the U.S. security panel scope to investigate it now.

TikTok and Apple decline to testify over China - BBC News

"I've invited Apple and TikTok [US] to testify on Tuesday about their business in and with China and the risks to American consumers. So far, they are both refusing. Something to hide?" tweeted Republican senator Josh Hawley, who has organised Tuesday's session.

7. ASEAN Summit

Premier Li urges China, ASEAN to uphold multilateralism, free trade - Xinhua

Noting that the mounting downward pressure on the global economy brings new severe challenges, Premier Li said China and ASEAN countries should jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade, withstand risks and realize common development.

The Premier said China and ASEAN countries should stick to the principle of shared benefits and win-win outcomes, and speed up the work to upgrade economic and trade cooperation.

He called for an early conclusion of the negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) so as to lay the foundation for East Asia's economic integration, and the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Upgrade Protocol to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.

ASEAN, China dovetail development plans to facilitate all-round connectivity - Xinhua

According to the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Synergizing the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), both sides recognized that synergies between MPAC 2025 and the BRI will contribute to regional connectivity, peace and stability, economic prosperity and sustainable development.

US, China spar at Southeast Asian regional summit - AP

The war of words took place at the annual summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, hosted this year by Thailand...

Washington, however, found itself handicapped as President Donald Trump did not attend the meeting, sending in his place neither Vice President Mike Pence or Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, but his recently appointed national security adviser, Robert O’Brien.

Other major powers sent their heads of government. Those attending as guests of ASEAN included Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Washington’s diplomatic move was underlined when seven of the Southeast Asian leaders skipped an important meeting with O’Brien, sending instead their foreign ministers..

During the meeting, O’Brien read a letter from Trump, who invited ASEAN leaders to a “special summit” in the U.S. early next year.

US apathy for EAS will unite Asian countries - Global Times

Premier Li's visit and words of enthusiasm show the importance the Chinese government attaches to ASEAN. It demonstrates Beijing's confidence in cooperating with the bloc and other East Asian countries to build a prosperous Asia. In contrast, Trump's continuing unilateralism and the display of a Cold War mind-set will surely be cast aside by East Asian countries, promoting unity in this region. The US contempt for the East Asia Summit will promote the unity of Asian countries and make them work together for a peaceful, stable and prosperous future.

The author is deputy director of the Military Diplomacy Research Center of the College of International Relations, National University of Defense Technology

Release of the United States’ Report on the Implementation of the Indo-Pacific Strategy - United States Department of State

On the occasion of the 2019 Indo-Pacific Business Forum and the East Asia Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, the U.S. Department of State is pleased to release a progress report on the implementation of the U.S. whole-of-government strategy for the Indo-Pacific region. “A Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Advancing a Shared Vision” details two years of diplomatic, economic, governance, and security initiatives that show the United States’ continuing commitment to the Indo-Pacific and how we have strengthened people-to-people and bilateral ties.

Meddling in East Asian affairs has become some countries' "routine": senior Chinese diplomat - Xinhua

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng made the remarks shortly after the 14th East Asia Summit concluded here. The summit is an annual regional event gathering 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

He criticized certain extra-regional countries for attempting to make waves and sow discord in the South China Sea although the region has been peaceful all the time.

Question: Anyone have a transcript of a recent fiery speech Le gave to American visitors in Beijing? All I can find is this brief summary 乐玉成：中国对争霸和权力游戏不感兴趣 — 中华人民共和国外交部

US backs infrastructure scheme to rival China’s Belt and Road | Financial Times $$

The Blue Dot Network — named after the astronomer Carl Sagan’s observation that Earth looked like a “pale blue dot” when viewed from space — will initially be led by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, in co-operation with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The plan was announced by OPIC, the US agency that promotes investment in emerging markets, at an American-sponsored Indo-Pacific Business Forum held alongside the south-east Asian regional grouping Asean’s annual leaders’ summit.

Asean Summit: China committed to supporting Asean centrality, says Li Keqiang - The Straits Times

Mr Li also highlighted progress made on drawing up a code of conduct for the South China Sea, which has been the subject of competing territorial claims...

The [Singapore] prime minister also welcomed China's proposal to conclude the COC in three years. "But it is even more important to get the outcomes right, and to have an effective and substantive COC."

EXCLUSIVE: Chinese ‘naval warship’ harasses Filipino-crewed ship near Scarborough Shoal - Rappler

China has wielded de facto control over Scarborough Shoal since June 2012, after a nearly two-month standoff with Philippine government vessels. Chinese coast guards have since restricted Filipinos’ access to the shoal.
The incident reflects what former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio called China’s “double standard” in restricting innocent passage in areas it claims as territory. In July, the Philippines called out China for having its naval warships pass unannounced – with their AIS turned off – through Philippine waters. China claimed innocent passage, despite the fact that it tends to restrict innocent passage through waters it claims to own.

Vietnam Told China to Get Out of Its Waters. Beijing’s Response: No, You Get Out. - WSJ $$:

“China wants to become the whole decision maker in the South China Sea,” said Nguyen Hung Son, director general of the Institute for South China Sea Studies at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, which is managed by the country’s foreign ministry. “It has rules it wants to impose and it is acting to enforce the rules.”...
To sustain its monthslong mission, the ship relied on one of China’s nearby artificial islands called Fiery Cross. The ship left its area of exploration on three occasions and sailed to the island for short breaks before returning to its task. That way, it didn’t have to make the long journey to a port back home for rest, refueling or repair.

16 Asia-Pacific nations fail to seal RCEP trade deal - Nikkei Asian Review

The decision is seen as another blow to governments that favor free trade and a setback for Beijing in particular, as it was eager to expand its partnerships amid soaring tensions with the U.S.

Sources have said that although 15 of the 16 nations had agreed to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, India resisted. All RCEP member nations except India intend to proceed with the legal processes necessary for signing the deal in 2020, while working with India to resolve the outstanding issues.

8. Fourth Plenum

Reforming Control | China Media Project

That’s right, the Fourth Plenum is about reform. But now, this is not about political reform as liberalization. This is about political reform as the continued and renewed consolidation of Party control of all aspects of Chinese society around the central authority of Xi Jinping.

Notice how the bulletin talks about the “Party leadership system,” or dang de lingdao zhidu (党的领导制度). This phrase was used by Deng Xiaoping in his August 18 speech in 1980 (八一八讲话), in which he referred to “the leadership system of the Party and the country” (党和国家的领导制度). The speech was a review of the Party’s governing history since 1949, and he especially addressed the lessons of the Cultural Revolution.

It was from this speech and its discussion of “the leadership system of the Party and the country” that the debate emerged in the 1980s about so-called “political system reform,” or zhengzhi tizhi gaige (政治体制改革). The chief direction of reform was to deal with the painful excesses of the Cultural Revolution and the early decades of CCP rule, and Deng harshly criticized the problem of “over-concentration of power” (权力过分集中)...

In the most direct sense, we can say that the Fourth Plenum is reform in the opposite direction, as a re-consolidation of the power of the CCP, and about finding new means to consolidate and exercise CCP power at all levels of Chinese society — given the challenges of the “new era.” While Deng Xiaoping’s objective was the deal with “over-concentration of power,” Xi’s objective is to address the problem of insufficient concentration of power.

Xi stresses efforts to improve governance of modern socialist international metropolises - Xinhua

Xi...made the remarks during an inspection tour in China's economic hub Shanghai from Saturday to Sunday.

Xi stressed in-depth study and implementation of the spirit of the fourth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, upholding the underlying principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully implementing the new development philosophy, accelerating the reform and opening-up, and speeding up the development of a modernized economy.

习近平在上海考察时强调深入学习贯彻党的十九届四中全会精神提高社会主义现代化国际大都市治理能力和水平_CCTV

Sunday CCTV Evening News report on Xi's inspection in Shanghai took up the first 16 minutes.

Transcript of the Fourth Plenum press conference on Friday - 中国共产党十九届四中全会新闻发布会_新闻发布_中国政府网

Three so far in a series of "interpretations" of the Fourth Plenum in the People's Daily - 如何理解“中国之治”？四中全会公报这些要点应知应读--人民网

This first one "How to understand "China's governance"? These points in the communique of the fourth plenary session should be known and read"

不忘初心、牢记使命的制度……四中全会这些提法值得关注--理论--人民网

The second one - A system for staying true to the founding mission... These Suggestions in the fourth plenary session deserve attention

遵循共建共治共享原则建设社会治理共同体--理论-人民网

The third one - We will build a community of social governance in accordance with the principle of co-construction, co-governance and sharing

Rumors Swirl in China After Death of Top Chongqing Party Official - RFA

Ren Xuefeng was deputy party secretary of Chongqing...

Reports indicated that Ren died on Oct. 31, the closing day of the fourth plenary session of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee in Beijing...

Independent scholar Wu Zuolai said Ren’s death was likely a suicide linked to a behind-the-scenes political purge by Xi, who continues to consolidate his power at the helm of the ruling party.

“This is quite something, because this guy came up through the ranks under the auspices of [former Politburo standing committee member] Li Ruihuan,” Wu said. “He jumped to his death from the roof of the hotel, right there, during the big meeting,” he said.

Forget the trade war and Hong Kong. Beijing just showed everyone that Xi Jinping is more powerful now, not less | South China Morning Post - Wang Xiangwei column

the meeting has reinforced the message that President Xi Jinping, already dubbed China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, has continued to tighten his grip on power, contrary to constant speculation that his leadership was under increasing pressure, both internally and from outside the party, because of the slowing economy, the US-China trade war, and the anti-Beijing protests in Hong Kong.

Business, Economy and Trade

Surging Offshore Yuan Heads For 7 After Breaching Key Level - Bloomberg The currency strengthened as much as 0.27% to 7.0227 per dollar on Monday, at one point breaking through its 100-day moving average for the first time since May -- when tweets by President Donald Trump sent the yuan plunging after threatening further tariffs.

New EU Trade Chief Looks to Push China Investment Deal on First Visit - Caixin Fan Gang, vice president of the government-affiliated think tank China Society of Economic Reform, said China is looking to strengthen its relationship with other partners, including the EU, regardless of what happens with its trade war negotiations with the U.S.

In Depth: China’s Booming $5 Billion E-Cigarette Industry at a Crossroads - Caixin Regulators in the world’s largest tobacco market issued China’s first blanket ban on all online sales and marketing of e-cigarettes Nov. 1. Following other global governments in imposing controls, Beijing ordered manufacturers and sellers to shut down sales websites and mobile apps and to withdraw online e-cigarette ads. The clampdown will particularly affect Shenzhen in southern China, the home to more than 1,000 makers of e-cigarette equipment and components. Small factories around the Bao’an district produce 90% of global vaping devices and 80% of the liquids used in them.

PBoC's Digital Currency Research Institute signs a deal with telecoms giant Huawei for fintech research - The Block Announcing the news on its official WeChat account on Monday, Huawei said that the "strategic cooperation" agreement is for financial technology (fintech) research, without disclosing further details. The agreement was signed during PBoC vice president Yifei Fan's tour of the Huawei headquarter. Fan also praised the firm's achievement in developing distributed databases and computing chips, according to Huawei's WeChat post.

Debt-Ridden Smartphone-Maker’s Eccentric CEO Placed on ‘Restricted Consumption List’ - Caixin Debt-ridden Chinese smartphone-maker Smartisan Technology is betting on a deal with Bytedance to dig it out of trouble. But its founder and CEO Luo Yonghao is already feeling the pinch. The eccentric entrepreneur has been placed on a so-called restricted consumption list after a Smartisan subsidiary he controls failed to complete a payment of an undisclosed sum to an electronics company

State Council praises practices of local governments - Gov.cn The circular was the result of the sixth nationwide inspection by the State Council, which is aimed at promoting the implementation of major policies made by the central government...Those local governments have set great examples by cutting taxes and fees, stabilizing and expanding employment, optimizing business environments, promoting innovation-driven development and expanding effective investment, according to the circular. 国办通报表扬国务院第六次大督查发现的32项典型经验做法

New Nets Owner Joe Tsai’s Views on China Bring U.S. Backlash - WSJ $$ A 55-year-old married father of three, Tsai was born in Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China considers its territory, but holds the passports of Hong Kong as well as Canada, via his parents...Tsai said his parents left the mainland for Taiwan in 1948, a year before the Communist takeover of China. When a reporter mentioned his “Taiwanese” heritage over coffee in September, well before Morey’s tweet, Tsai stopped the conversation and said: “I’m Chinese.”

Politics and Law

Xi's article on Party building in central Party, state institutions published - Xinhua The article is a transcript of a speech by Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, at a July meeting on Party building in central Party and state institutions. In the article, Xi urged central Party and state institutions to become exemplary ones which the CPC Central Committee trusts and people are satisfied with, and comprehensively improve the quality of Party building. Party building in the institutions should be a priority with the Party practicing strict self-governance in every respect and carrying out self-reform, the article read. 在中央和国家机关党的建设工作会议上的讲话 - 求是网

Outspoken Human Rights Lawyer Detained, Office Sealed in China's Guangxi - RFA Authorities in the southwestern Chinese region of Guangxi have detained outspoken rights attorney Tan Yongpei, whose license to practice was revoked last year. Tan was detained on Thursday by officers of the Nanning municipal police department during a raid on his Baijuying legal consultancy company.

China issues guideline on setting limits in territorial spatial planning The document, jointly issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, stressed the importance of ecological protection, farmland protection and economical use of land. The limits, as red lines for the adjustment of economic structure, planning of industrial development and advancement of urbanization, will consolidate the foundation for the sustainable development of the Chinese people, the guideline said... By the end of 2020, the defined limits for the three aspects will be incorporated into the national unified information platform for land and space, so as to achieve information sharing and stricter control.中共中央办公厅国务院办公厅印发《关于在国土空间规划中统筹划定落实三条控制线的指导意见》

CPC issues work regulation for Party schools - Gov.cn The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has issued a work regulation for Party schools, as well as a circular on the regulation's implementation. Calling the Party school work an important part of the cause of the Party and the country, the circular said the regulation serves as the basic guidelines for the work in the new era. 中共中央印发《中国共产党党校（行政学院）工作条例》

Chinese Professor Files Landmark Suit Against Facial Recognition - SixthTone Guo Bing, an adjunct professor at Zhejiang Sci-Tech University’s School of Law and Politics, filed a lawsuit against Hangzhou Safari Park last week after the tourist site introduced mandatory facial recognition registration for its annual members, Qianjiang Evening News, a local paper, reported Sunday. Guo accused the zoo of violating China’s consumer rights protection law — one of its clauses pertains to obtaining consumer consent — and is demanding a full refund for an annual membership he bought in April.

Professors, Beware. In China, Student Spies Might Be Watching. - The New York Times The use of student informers has surged under Mr. Xi, China’s most powerful leader in decades, with hundreds of universities now employing the practice, according to interviews with more than two dozen professors and students, as well as a review of public records. “Everyone feels they are in danger,” said You Shengdong, a longtime economics professor at Xiamen University in eastern China who was fired last year after students reported him for criticizing one of Mr. Xi’s favorite propaganda slogans.

时刻把群众冷暖挂在心上 - 看得,挂在,为人民,惠民,心系 - 人民法院报 - 汉丰网 "People's Leader" in the People's Court Daily - “始终要把人民放在心中最高的位置，始终全心全意为人民服务，始终为人民利益和幸福而努力工作”，习近平总书记深情讴歌我们伟大的人民、伟大的民族、伟大的民族精神，传递着人民领袖深厚的人民情怀。In the last few days Tianjin Party Secretary Li Hongzhong has referred to Xi as "People's Leader", article on Xiamen Net did too. Dribbling out like "core" did, when will the appellation for Xi become official? Xi has been asking "人民是谁 who are the people"? They need a leader...

Foreign and Defense Affairs

Defaming China only exposes hypocrisy of some U.S. politicians - People's Daily Zhong Sheng When it comes to China, Pompeo never fails to give negative remarks that are totally inconsistent with reality and the truth. He is active to stir up ideological confrontations and couldn't tolerate China choosing a development path suitable to its actual conditions.Pompeo claimed that he hopes to see China prosper and advance, and that the U.S. doesn't seek to confront China, but the reality is that he has never stopped lodging groundless accusations against China's domestic affairs.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Regular Press Conference on November 1, 2019 With a view to promoting the sustained, sound and steady development of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership and enhancing exchange and practical mutually-beneficial cooperation in various fields, the Chinese government has decided to set up the position of Special Representative of the Chinese Government on European Affairs and appointed Ambassador Wu Hongbo to assume this new role.

Chinese premier calls for intensified SCO cooperation - Xinhua Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday called on member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to intensify cooperation in areas of security, openness and trade, connectivity, innovation and the sharing of development achievements in order to further promote the SCO cooperation. Li made the remarks here as he attended the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the SCO in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan.

New rocket launcher shows versatility, superiority: report - Global Times China's new multiple rocket launcher, which debuted at the National Day parade on October 1, not only fires rockets, but also tactical ballistic and anti-ship missiles, Chinese media reported, with experts saying on Monday the weapon could give the Chinese military an overwhelming advantage over enemies. The new multiple rocket launcher, still not known by its official designation, was developed based on the PHL-03 long-range multiple rocket launcher.

BRNN media workshop concludes in Beijing - People's Daily Online The second short-term media workshop for the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN) concluded in Beijing on Nov. 2. Thirty-nine senior editors and journalists from Arabic and Russian-speaking countries attended the closing ceremony.

China, New Zealand welcome conclusion of FTA upgrade negotiations, pledge to enhance cooperation - Xinhua China and New Zealand on Monday welcomed the conclusion of the negotiations to upgrade the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and pledged to expand cooperation in various fields. The pledges were made during a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the sidelines of a series of leaders' meetings on East Asian cooperation.

Beijing confirms establishment of hotline between Chinese and South Korean naval and air force commands | Jane's 360 The Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) confirmed on 31 October that a direct military hotline has been set up between the adjacent Chinese and South Korean naval and air force commands.

India, China coordinate patrolling of disputed area - Hindustan Times India and China are for the first time patrolling Fish-Tail II, one of the 13 disputed areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in south-east Arunachal Pradesh, in coordination with each other in an attempt to build mutual confidence and maintain peace along the border, a senior official in the security establishment said on condition of anonymity.

PLA Reform, a New Normative Contest, and the Challenge for ASEAN - The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) - by Angela Poh and Weichong Ong This article examines how reforms of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) since 2015 have enhanced China’s ability to more effectively challenge the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific, both through military operations and through contesting international and regional norms that China perceives as contrary to its interests.

In China, every day is Kristallnacht - The Washington Post OpEd -Fred Hiatt Eighty-one years ago this week, in what is also known as the “Night of Broken Glass,” hundreds of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in Nazi Germany were damaged or destroyed, along with thousands of Jewish-owned businesses. It was in a sense the starting gun for the genocide that culminated in the extermination camps of Auschwitz, Sobibor and Treblinka. In western China, the demolition of mosques and bulldozing of cemeteries is a continuing, relentless process.

China plans to hold summit with Japan, South Korea in Dec. - Nikkei Asian Review hinese Premier Li Keqiang told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday that China is planning to hold a trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea next month in the southern city of Chengdu, according to a senior Japanese government official. The summit, held annually on a rotating basis by Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul, has occasionally been suspended

Taiwan

Beijing extends sweeteners for Taiwanese weeks before Taipei election | South China Morning Post The latest 26 measures drawn up by 20 government departments, including the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office and the National Development and Reform Commission, are designed to attract more Taiwanese to live and work in mainland China, despite worsening cross-strait relations. But Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council criticised the move as an attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to “divide Taiwan internally, and was a further reflection of attempts to try to interfere in and influence Taiwan’s election”.

Mainland criticizes Taiwan authority's denigration of new preferential policies - Xinhua When businesses and people on both sides welcome the new measures, Taiwan's mainland affairs authority is eager to make irresponsible remarks to denigrate and discredit them, further exposing their dark mentality of being enemies of the interests of Taiwan compatriots, said Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office. Ma said that the same slander came from Taiwan's mainland affairs authority and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities more than a year ago when the mainland announced the "31 measures" to promote cross-Strait economic and cultural ties.

PFP leader James Soong explores Taiwan presidential bid | Taiwan News Soong, 77, was considering another bid and had met with influential economics commentator and publicist Hsieh Chin-ho (謝金河), CNA reported Saturday.

Tech and Media

Is Club Factory the Wish for India?- PingWest On October 11, low price e-commerce company Club Factory announced that it had raised 100 million dollars in the latest Series D led by Qiming Venture Partners...Recently, the Hangzhou, China-based company eclipsed Snapdeal to rank among the third-largest e-commerce shopping apps in India, next to Amazon and Flipkart

Society, Arts, Sports, Culture and History

'It is not hopeless': China's #MeToo movement finally sees legal victories | The Guardian Over the course of proceedings, Liu Li, who uses an alias, saw her life scrutinised inside and outside the court. The defence argued that online posts she made about the play the Vagina Monologues suggested she was “open” to sexual advances. Friends and acquaintances, not realising Liu Li was involved, said they thought the claimant was a fame-hungry liar. But she carried on, helped by women’s advocacy groups and a lawyer. Then, on 11 July, a court in Chengdu ruled in her favour and ordered her former boss to publicly apologise.

Energy, Environment, Science and Health

Alzheimer's drug to go on sale this year - China Daily China's National Medical Products Administration approved the market launch of the drug, GV-971, on Saturday, making it the only Alzheimer's medicine out of more than 320 developed by pharmaceutical companies around the globe to survive clinical trials, despite the investment of hundreds of billions of US dollars over the past two decades. Extracted from brown algae, the orally taken drug is the world's first multi-targeting and carbohydrate-based drug for Alzheimer's, the administration said. It can treat mild to moderate forms of the disease and improve cognition, it said.

Xi inspects Shanghai, meets Carrie Lam; Chin…

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