Xi on history; "The US is sick"; Winter just starting for tutoring firms?
“美国病了，病得不轻。七国集团还是给美国把把脉，开药方吧 The United States is sick. The G7 should feel its pulse and prescribe medicine for it.” - Zhao Lijian on the G-7 communique.
Today’s Essential Eight items:
Xi on history
Reactions to G-7 and NATO summits
Hong Kong, PRC
Covid-19 origins
New US naval task force for China?
Disappointing holiday consumption
Winter just starting for tutoring firms?
Trial of Tennessee academic
Thanks for reading
The Essential Eight
1. Xi on history
Xi's article on learning history to be published - Xinhua
The article by Xi...will be published in this year's 12th issue of Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.
Noting that history is the best textbook, the article stresses the need to know the histories of the Party and the country, draw experience from the past, have a correct view of major events and important figures in the histories of the Party and the country.
This will strengthen the confidence of the CPC members and the general public in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and further stimulate the people's tremendous passion for loving the Party, the country and socialism, the article says.
Through the learning of history, it is not difficult to find that without the leadership of the CPC, the country and the Chinese nation could not have made today's achievements and could not have obtained today's international status, says the article.
There must be no ambiguity or wavering on the important principle of upholding the Party's leadership, it says.
The article by Xi - "Use history as a mirror, use history to demonstrate one's convictions. Know history, love the Party, know history love the country"
Once again not actually an article but rather a selection of quotes by Xi on the importance of history, from 2013-2021. This is now the third consecutive issue of Qiushi to lead with an "article" by Xi that is actually a compilation of quotes over the years by Xi.
As I wrote in the June 1 newsletter:
Since the last issue of 2017, soon after the 19th Party Congress, the lead article in every issue of Qiushi is by Xi Jinping...the last two have just been a compilation of quotes by Xi on a specific theme. Interesting choice in the runup to the 100th anniversary of the CCP given the history of compilations of quotes?
What do we guess the topic of the Xi's lead article will be in the July 1 Qiushi?
Modern lore has it that Mao Zedong’s eldest son, who was killed in a United Nations airstrike during the Korean War, had given away his position by firing up a stove to make egg fried rice.
That story didn’t sit right with the Chinese Academy of History, launched two years ago by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to counter negative views of the ruling Communist Party’s past...
Some Chinese historians have criticized the new history academy’s methods, decrying them as undignified and unserious. Mr. Gao, though, has rejected conventional historians’ restrained detachment.
“History researchers shouldn’t be cold-eyed observers of times and trends,” he wrote in a newspaper commentary in late 2019. “Historical research must stand atop the commanding heights of our times” to “guide governance and nurture people.”...
Chinese and foreign historians say the messaging revives Marxist notions of history proceeding inexorably along a revolutionary trajectory. Burnishing Mao’s legacy, they say, also helps Mr. Xi justify his autocratic style and legitimize his expected bid next year for a third five-year term as party chief.
“The goal is to ensure the party’s survival and strengthen personalized rule at the time of dramatic changes in the global landscape,” said Gao Wenqian, a former Communist Party researcher who helped draft official biographies of Mao and Zhou Enlai before moving to the U.S. after Beijing’s deadly crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests.
2. Reactions to G-7 and NATO summits
NATO leaders see rising threats from China, but not eye to eye with each other – POLITICO
there didn’t seem to be much convergence when French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to reporters just minutes later.
“On China, as I said during the meeting, I think I can say we shouldn’t confuse our goals,” Macron said. “NATO is a military organization, the issue of our relationship with China isn’t just a military issue. NATO is an organization that concerns the North Atlantic, China has little to do with the North Atlantic.”
“So, it’s very important that we don’t scatter ourselves and that we don’t bias our relationship with China,” he continued. “It is much larger than just the military issue. It is economic. It is strategic. It is about values. It is technological. And we should avoid distracting NATO which already has many challenges.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the wealthiest European allied nation, stressed that Moscow still represented the biggest threat — a point evidenced by it being mentioned 62 times in the communiqué to just 10 mentions of China.
China firmly opposes accusations in G7 communique: FM spokesperson - Xinhua
Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks during a daily press briefing when commenting on the G7 communique that criticizes China on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other matters.
The Chinese side has noticed that the joint communique mentioned China-related issues, deliberately slandered China and interfered in China's internal affairs on issues concerning Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan, Zhao said.
"It runs counter to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the trend of the times of peace, development and win-win cooperation. It exposes the bad intentions of the United States and a few other countries to deliberately create antagonism and widen differences. China is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this," Zhao said...Under the current circumstances, it is more important than ever for the international community to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and practice true multilateralism, instead of engaging in "group politics" based on "small cliques," suppressing different development models with ideological division, confusing right and wrong and shifting responsibilities, Zhao said.
"The United States is sick. The G7 should feel its pulse and prescribe medicine for it," Zhao said.
外交部回应七国集团公报涉华议题：强烈不满、坚决反对 _中国经济网——国家经济门户
“美国病了，病得不轻。七国集团还是给美国把把脉，开药方吧。”
China dismisses NATO's claim as continuation of Cold War mentality, bloc politics - Xinhua
The Chinese Mission to the European Union (EU) on Monday rejected NATO's claim of presenting "systemic challenges," saying it is a slander on China's peaceful development and represents "a continuation of the Cold War mentality and bloc politics."
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Chinese mission said China is committed to a defense policy "that is defensive in nature," and its pursuit of defense and military modernization is "justified, reasonable, open and transparent."..
"The people of the world can see clearly who has military bases all over the world and who is flexing muscles by sending aircraft carriers all over the world," the spokesperson said.
06/15/2021 China MFA Press Conference
Reuters: NATO summit was held in Brussels and released a communiqué saying that China poses "systemic challenges" to the international order and to areas relevant to the alliance's security. Do you have any comment?
Zhao Lijian: There is only one system and one order in the world. That is, the international system with the UN at its core and the international order based on international law. It runs counter to the historical trend of peace, development and cooperation to form small cliques, pursue bloc politics and force other countries to choose sides between different ideology. Such attempt will never be supported by the people, nor will it succeed.
NATO urges its member states to increase their military spending to at least 2% of GDP, while criticizing China's normal defense development and military modernization. This is typical double standards. In fact, China's defense accounts for about 1.3% of its GDP, much lower than the standard of NATO countries. China's per capita military spending is below the global average and less than one-fifth of NATO's.
NATO has a long history of poor records. It is up to its neck in debt morally, and has brought wars and instability to the world for many times. The international community will not forget the 78 days of indiscriminate bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO without the approval of the UN. The US, the UK and other NATO countries used a test tube of laundry powder and staged video as "evidence" to wage wars on sovereign states of Iraq and Syria. The Chinese people will never forget the historical tragedy of the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia. This is a debt of blood that NATO owes to the Chinese people. China does not pose "systemic challenges" to anyone and will firmly safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests.
Once a military crisis erupts in the Western Pacific, the US will use the NATO mechanism to mobilize more Western countries to help it exert more intensive, comprehensive pressure on China and expand the destruction of China’s rise. It is believed the US has no plan to conquer China militarily, as that does not work for China as a nuclear power. What the US wants is that as long as China-US tensions are further intensified, “Western unity” as well as their confrontation against China will be increased until they eventually crush an “isolated China.”
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 15, 2021
AFP: Two questions, the first is regarding US President Joe Biden's visit to the EU headquarters on Tuesday, where he is expected to seek the EU's backing on facing the rise of China. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this visit? The second question is, according to some news reports, there are some people who believe that Europeans have prevented NATO from coming up with an even stronger statement related to China. How does China view level of unity among Western countries and whether or not there are divisions between the US and the EU?
Zhao Lijian: Both of your questions are about the relationship among the US, the EU and China. Let me take them altogether.
China's policy on the EU has been consistent. China always sees the EU as a comprehensive strategic partner. We firmly support European integration, and support a united and strong EU playing a bigger role in international affairs. China believes that China and Europe are comprehensive strategic partners, not systemic rival. The two sides have far more cooperation than competition and far more consensus than difference. China-Europe cooperation is complementary and mutually beneficial. It brings tangible benefits to the two peoples. We always hope Europe can work with China toward the same direction in the spirit of mutual respect, equal treatment and win-win results to jointly promote sound and steady development of the bilateral ties.
As for the US attempt to form small cliques against China with ideology as the yardstick, I'd like to say that China and Europe are two important forces in a multipolar world. We believe the EU will continue to enhance strategic autonomy, and won't be hijacked by other country's wrong China policy.
The Beijing News - G7 summit: Twilight of Western power party
3. Hong Kong, PRC
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying will stand trial in the High Court, where the maximum sentence is life in prison, for allegedly breaching the national security law by colluding with foreign forces.
Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak on Tuesday ordered Lai to return to West Kowloon Court on July 27 for committal proceedings to transfer his case to the higher Court of First Instance for trial, upon the prosecutors’ request.
Lai did not apply for bail from So, a magistrate designated to handle national security law cases.
Under the Beijing-imposed legislation, foreign collusion is punishable by a prison term of not less than three years but not more than 10 years, while a grave offence carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment...
Prosecutors alleged that Lai used his social media platform and the Apple Daily newspaper, and conspired with Mark Simon, an American who was Lai’s right-hand man, Chan Tsz-wah, a legal assistant, activist Andy Li Yu-hin and a man called Lau Cho-dick, to call for foreign sanctions.
A 20th Procrastination: On Censorship - A Procrastination
These events, all occurring over just the past three weeks, give a glimpse of how quickly the environment in Hong Kong is changing.
The simple fact is that, one year ago Hong Kong was a free society, and now it’s not.
It still takes some getting used to.
JOE TSAI: I live in Hong Kong, right, so everybody is worried I still think it’s kind of funny that people call me up, you know, on these big zoom calls and say, Joe, where are you and I say I’m in Hong Kong and they say oh, are you okay, right? Well, over the last year, they impose the National Security Law. Hong Kong is one of the very few places that did not have national security legislation in place. What is this for? It’s against sedition, it’s against people that advocate splitting up Hong Kong as a separate country. These are things that are not allowed. You know why? Because Hong Kong used to be a colony, you know, a few 100 years ago, China lost Hong Kong to the Brits because of the Opium War. The British wanted to sell opium into China and as a result of some battles, China had to give, carve up Hong Kong, gave it up. This is a very scarring kind of history of China having foreign powers come in and carve up your territories. So, for, so if you put yourself in the Chinese people’s mindset, you know, if you’re a Chinese citizen, I look at this history, I want to make sure that we prevent foreign powers from carving up our territories. I think Hong Kong ought to be seen in that context, you know, I think there’s a lot of criticism of, you know, the democratic freedoms or freedoms of speech is being suppressed. But overall, since they instituted the National Security Law, everything is now stabilized. In 2019, when people were protesting on the streets, I was actually afraid to walk onto the street. You know why? Because I speak Mandarin and they were targeting every person that spoke Mandarin because they would assume that you come from the mainland. You know while I actually grew up in Taiwan where you know they speak Mandarin there. And so, I actually felt physically threatened with, with these protesters, right. So, I think now we have more stability. Hong Kong is going to be fine. You know why because it’s a free market economy.
4. Covid-19 origins
Last month, President Biden breathed new life into the origin mystery when he ordered intelligence agencies to redouble their efforts to determine whether the virus came from a lab and to report back to him in August...
Officials have said that the review will examine all intelligence, including information that may have been missed during various inquiries during the Trump administration. A senior Biden administration official said a large amount of information remains unexamined — leading many former officials, who said they had searched far and wide, to conclude that the United States may have obtained new material...
This account of the government’s search for the virus’s origins is based on interviews with 28 current and former officials and experts, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations and debates...
Biden’s decision to look again has left former officials feeling vindicated for forcing evidence, however inconclusive, into the public debate. And with time, skeptical scientists who avoided politics have entered the fray
“The Chinese government should be on notice that we have to have answers to questions that have not been answered about those people who got sick in November who worked in the lab and about those lab notebooks that have not been examined,” said Collins, the NIH director. “If they really want to be exonerated from this claim of culpability, then they have got to be transparent.”
Comment: The idea that it came from the lab is now mainstream in the US. Here is Jon Stewart last night on the Late Show:
Stewart - “I think we owe a great debt of gratitude to science. Science has, in many ways, helped ease the suffering of this pandemic, which was more than likely caused by science.”
More evidence suggests COVID-19 was in US by Christmas 2019 - AP
A new analysis of blood samples from 24,000 Americans taken early last year is the latest and largest study to suggest that the new coronavirus popped up in the U.S. in December 2019 — weeks before cases were first recognized by health officials.
Comment: This is going to get a lot of play inside the PRC, as evidence COVID-19 came from outside from China
5. New US naval task force for China?
Pentagon considering permanent naval task force to counter China in the Pacific - POLITICO
The Pentagon is considering establishing a permanent naval task force in the Pacific region as a counter to China’s growing military might, according to two people familiar with internal discussions.
The plan would also involve creating a named military operation for the Pacific that would enable the defense secretary to allocate additional dollars and resources to the China problem, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss pre-decisional plans...
The discussions grew out of work by the Pentagon’s China Task Force, which Biden commissioned in March to examine the department’s China-related policies and processes. The group, led by Ely Ratner, the nominee to serve as the Pentagon’s top Indo-Pacific policy official, recently completed its work and presented recommendations to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin...
The naval task force would be modeled on a construct NATO launched in Europe leading up to and during the Cold War, the Standing Naval Forces Atlantic, the people familiar with the discussions told POLITICO.
The Nanning, a new type of 052D guided missile destroyer made its public debut in a four-day real combat training exercise in the South China Sea after it entered service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), the PLA’s official website said...
So rapid is the Chinese navy’s expansion, it is running out of names for its new warships. According to PLAN ship naming rules, Type 052D and Type 055 vessels should be named after big cities, such as provincial capitals. However, Nanning, the capital of Guangxi province, was the last name available. Future ships will have to be named after smaller cities.
While in the South China Sea, the strike group is conducting maritime security operations, which include flight operations with fixed and rotary wing aircraft, maritime strike exercises, and coordinated tactical training between surface and air units. Carrier operations in the South China Sea are part of the U.S. Navy’s routine presence in the Indo-Pacific.
6. Disappointing holiday consumption
Holiday Tourism, Box Office Fall Short of Pre-Outbreak Levels Amid Covid Flare-Ups - Caixin
Compared with the same holiday period pre-pandemic in 2019, domestic tourism sales revenue was 74.8% and the box office rang up 59% of equivalent revenue.
Tourists made 89.1 million domestic trips during from Saturday to Monday, equivalent to 98.7% of the pre-pandemic level, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Vibrant holiday spending spurs hope for solid, even recovery in China - Xinhua
China saw more than 89 million domestic tourist trips during the holiday from June 12 to 14, up 94.1 percent from last year, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Tourism revenue reached 29.43 billion yuan (about 4.6 billion U.S. dollars), surging 139.7 percent from last year when the sector fell to the blows of the COVID-19 outbreak.
While the data was still below pre-epidemic levels, analysts predict recovery in the consumption market to pick up pace on a wave of spending-stimulating activities, such as tailored services to meet upgrading demand and the rollout of digital RMB red envelopes.
Comment: And unlike in 2019 no one travelled abroad, so all the spending was domestic, which makes the 2019 comparison look even worse
China's box office falls short of expectations, hits 8-year low amid crowded schedule - Global Times
According to Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan, China's box office opened low on Saturday, the first day of the three-day national holiday, with 136 million yuan ($21 million) excluding e-commerce service fees. That was about half of the equivalent period in 2019, despite the fact that more than a dozen film titles were scheduled for release.
The unexpected sluggish first-day performance also set an eight-year record low.
Red tourism flourishes during China's Dragon Boat Festival holiday - Xinhua
Red tourism, which refers to visiting historical sites with a modern revolutionary legacy, was the top choice for many domestic trips made during the holiday. Travel orders for such destinations grew by about 60 percent compared with the same holiday last year, said the platform.
Question: Is visiting sacred Communist revolution sights a drag on consumption?
7. Winter just starting for tutoring firms?
New department to supervise after-school training program - Xinhua
China's Ministry of Education on Tuesday announced the establishment of a special department for supervising after-school education and training programs.
The new department will take charge of the management of after-school education and training for pre-school kids, as well as primary- and junior-school students.
It will set out the standards for the content and duration of both online and offline training, the qualifications of tutors as well as the charges, and will oversee their implementation jointly with relevant authorities, according to the ministry
Comment: Good for Xi, a huge headache for parents and kids, and the private companies have corrupted normal education. The government has for years made noises about reining in the tutoring industry, but they have never really followed through. Too many interests, including normal teachers getting paid to feed students to the tutoring firms. This time though I think will be different, as it is tied in with reducing the pressures on parents to encourage more births, and it appears Xi himself is behind this, so good luck to the officials who waver in implementation. And bad luck for the companies offering these services, and their investors.
The Ministry of Education established the supervision department of off-campus education and training
According to the website of the Ministry of Education, on June 15th, the Ministry of Education held a kick-off meeting for the establishment of the supervision department of off-campus education and training. Chen Baosheng, Party Secretary and Minister of the Ministry of Education, Tian Xuejun, Party member and Vice Minister, attended the meeting, and Zheng Fuzhi, Party member and Vice Minister, presided over the meeting.
The meeting read out the "Notice of the Central Committee on Adjusting the Establishment of Responsibility Organizations of the Ministry of Education", pointing out that the establishment of this organization fully reflects that the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core attaches great importance to the supervision of off-campus education and training, and that caring for a new generation of children and adolescents is of great significance for deepening the reform of off-campus education and training.
教育部成立校外教育培训监管司
据教育部网站消息，6月15日，教育部召开校外教育培训监管司成立启动会。教育部党组书记、部长陈宝生，党组成员、副部长田学军出席，党组成员、副部长郑富芝主持会议。
会议宣读了《中央编办关于调整教育部职责机构编制的通知》，指出这次机构增设，充分体现了以习近平同志为核心的党中央对校外教育培训监管工作的高度重视，对新一代少年儿童的关怀，对于深化校外教育培训改革具有重大意义。
会议强调，校外教育培训监管司领导班子要坚持以机关政治建设为统领，深入开展党史学习教育，大力弘扬“奋进三部曲”，提振精气神，凝聚正能量。要增强“四个意识”，坚定“四个自信”，做到“两个维护”，坚决落实党中央决策部署，深刻认识新设司局的重要意义，不忘初心、牢记使命，以高度的使命感、责任感、荣誉感体现新担当、展示新作为，把校外教育培训监管司打造成更具人民情怀、更具斗争精神、更具法治思维、更具工作策略的司局，以“钉钉子”的精神推动“双减”工作落地见效，以优异成绩迎接党的百年华诞。
8. Trial of Tennessee academic
Trial of Scientist Accused of Hiding China Work Goes to Jury - WSJ $$
As the FBI began turning its attention to researchers with China connections, agents met with officials at the University of Tennessee to provide a fraud awareness briefing in 2018 and held three more meetings in 2019, according to testimony and documents from the trial.
Government agents briefed them about Mr. Hu’s alleged contacts connected to the Chinese military. They described evidence that appeared to show Mr. Hu had submitted a paper to a journal of a national defense university in China and that research he did in China was similar to a NASA-funded project on 3-D printing techniques that he was also working on.
Mr. Hu’s lawyer described the government presentations as being full of inaccuracies. FBI agent Kujtim Sadiku appeared to recognize at trial that some of the information wasn’t ultimately corroborated.
Federal agents falsely accused UT professor of spying for China - Knoxville News
Armed with a Chinese press release translated on the fly via Google, federal agents falsely accused an internationally-renown welding technology expert at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville of being a spy and brought him to professional ruin.
FBI Agent Kujtim Sadiku admitted last week in an ongoing trial in Knoxville that federal agents:
Falsely accused former UTK associate professor Dr. Anming Hu of being a Chinese spy.
Falsely implicated him as an operative for the Chinese military in meetings with Hu’s bosses
Used false information to put Hu on the federal no-fly list.
Spurred U.S. customs agents to seize Hu’s computer and phone and spread word throughout the international research community that Hu was poison.
Used false information to justify putting a team of agents to spy on Hu and his son, a freshman at UTK, for nearly two years.
Used false information to press Hu to become a spy for the U.S. government
Comment: The full text of the indictment
The reporting on the case does not make the FBI look good.
Business, Economy and Trade
Evergrande Slides After Caixin Reports Talks on Lender Stake - Bloomberg Authorities in the northeastern Liaoning province held discussions with Evergrande to inject state capital into Shengjing Bank Co. to dilute Evergrande’s stake, according to a report by WeNews on Sunday, citing unidentified people. Evergrande is the biggest shareholder of the bank headquartered in Liaoning. // Question: Is Evergrande the next tomorrow group, and the music is finally about to stop?
新一轮反不正当竞争执法风暴来袭 —新华通讯社《经济参考报》官方网站 China will target pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and education sectors in the next round of clampdown on anticompetitive behavior, the Economic Information Daily reported, citing unnamed sources. Between Jan and May, China’s market watchdog had investigated 1345 anticompetitive cases, issuing 122 million rmb in fines.
China’s closed borders ‘a real problem’ for foreign business operations amid coronavirus | South China Morning Post Ker Gibbs, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, said staff mobility is now the No 1 issue for many US companies based in China, and he reiterated that they are experiencing difficulties in both keeping existing employees and attracting new people to open positions.
China approves highest-ever outflows for mainland investors | Financial Times $$ China has approved record amounts of investment to flow out of the country through an official scheme as authorities liberalise the local financial system against a backdrop of a rallying renminbi. A cumulative $147bn of approvals have been added to the nation’s qualified domestic institutional investor scheme, which allows investors to access assets outside mainland China through banks and other institutions.
LinkDoc IPO Taps China’s Growing Demand for Specialized Medical Services - Caixin Money-losing medical services provider LinkDoc Technology Ltd. has filed for a New York IPO, becoming the latest in a new generation of Chinese companies trying to tap demand for higher quality health care services to supplement the basic care received under the country’s national health plan.
Yicai - Yang Huaiding, China’s First Stock Investor, Dies Aged 71 Veteran private investor Yang Huaiding, dubbed China’s First Stock Investor, has died at the age of 71. Widely known by his nickname Yang Baiwan, meaning Yang Million in Chinese, the former factory worker died on the morning of June 13.
Yicai - China’s Huaxin to Buy Cement Factories in Zambia, Malawi for USD160 Million Huaxin Cement plans to spend USD160 million to purchase cement factories in Zambia and Malawi to expand its presence in Africa, the company said today.
Luckin’s Ex-Chairman Lu Zhengyao Becomes Judgment Debtor for Third Time, Faces $188 Million Fine - Pandaily According to public information posted to China’s enforcement information disclosure website, Luckin Coffee’s ex-chairman Lu Zhengyao on Wednesday was listed as a judgment debtor by the Higher People’s Court of Beijing Municipality, obliging him to pay about 1.2 billion yuan ($188 million) in fines.
CNBC - Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai: Jack Ma is fine and 'lying low right now' - YouTube Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai joined "Squawk Box" on Tuesday to discuss Jack Ma's, co-founder and former executive chairman of the company, stepping away from public view.
Politics and Law
中共中央 国务院转发《中央宣传部、司法部关于开展法治宣传教育的第八个五年规划（2021－2025年）》————要闻——中央纪委国家监委网站 The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council forwarded the Eighth Five-Year Plan of the Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Justice on the Publicity and Education of the Rule of Law (2021-2025) — Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law is an important theoretical innovation that came into being in line with the requirements of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is the latest achievement of the sinicization of Marxist theory of rule of law, an important part of Xi Jinping's thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and a fundamental guide for comprehensively governing the country according to law. Xi Jinping's thought of the rule of law must be used to arm the mind and guide practice, so as to promote the integrity and innovation, improve quality and efficiency, and develop in an all-round way.
检察日报社评：从政治高度看待“三个规定”落实|领导干部_新浪财经_新浪网 The national education and rectification of political and legal teams listed the violation of the "three regulations" for preventing and intervening in the administration of justice as the first of the "six stubborn diseases" for special rectification. The reason why this problem is listed as the "first disease" is that this kind of problem is the most prominent and common, and it also hurts the judicial credibility the most. If it is not solved thoroughly and effectively for a long time, it will eventually hurt the people's confidence in fairness and justice and shake the ruling foundation of the party. 全国政法队伍教育整顿将违反防止干预司法“三个规定”问题列为专项整治的“六大顽瘴痼疾”之首。之所以把这一问题列为“首疾”，是因为此类问题最突出、最普遍，对司法公信力的伤害也最大，如果长期得不到彻底有效解决，最终将伤害人民群众对公平正义的信心，动摇党的执政基础。
The CCP's next century: expanding economic control, digital governance and national security | Merics In this MERICS Paper on China, MERICS experts Nis Grünberg, Katja Drinhausen, Mikko Huotari, John Lee and Helena Legarda look at three key aspects of CCP governance: The integration of the economy under politics, the role of digitalization and the securitization of international relations.
Uyghur Billionaire Jailed For 20 Years Over Charitable Donations — Radio Free Asia A Uyghur entrepreneur in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) was jailed for 20 years for “supporting terrorists” for donations he gave to the wives and children of Uyghur prisoners, sources in the region told RFA. Iminjan Rahmitulla founder of a shopping mall and one of the founders of the famous Grand Bazaar in Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) city, was one of four ethnic Uyghur billionaires tried and sentenced in Atush (Atushi) in April, the Norway-based “Uyghuryar” Foundation told RFA.
University releases investigation report on Xinjiang's cotton labor - CGTN China's Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SWUPL) released its findings on Tuesday after an extensive, prolonged investigation into Xinjiang's cotton industry, in the wake of the Western allegation of "forced labor" in one of the biggest industries across the far western land of China. // The report - 新疆棉花不容抹黑——新疆棉花生产是否存在“强迫劳动”的调研报告-文章推荐-西南政法大学
肩负起实现高水平科技自立自强的时代重任（深入学习贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想）--理论-中国共产党新闻网 Hou Jianguo, Party Secretary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, on page 13 of the Tuesday People's Daily - "Shoulder the important task of realizing the self-reliance and self-improvement of high level science and technology"
To achieve self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology at a high level, we must attach greater importance to cutting-edge basic research, substantially increase our capacity for original innovation, and work hard to consolidate the solid foundation for self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology. It requires us to proceed from the country's immediate and long-term needs, speed up breakthroughs in a number of key and core technologies, and make technologies in important fields and industries independent and controllable. We need to focus on core and basic areas of national security and overall national security, strengthen strategic and forward-looking layout of science and technology, and strive to seize the commanding heights of future science and technology and industrial development. We should speed up our efforts to adapt to the profound changes in scientific research paradigms and the new requirements of interdisciplinary integration, optimize the integration of innovation resources and the allocation of innovation factors, and improve the overall efficiency of the national innovation system. We need to accelerate the integration of science and technology with economic and social development, and make better use of the supporting and leading role of scientific and technological innovation.
实现高水平科技自立自强, 要求我们更加重视前沿基础研究, 大幅提高原始创新能力, 努力夯实科技自立自强的深厚根基; 要求我们从国家急迫需要和长远需求出发，加快突破一批关键核心技术, 实现重要领域和产业技术的自主可控; 要求我们瞄准事关国家全局和国家安全的基础核心领域，加强战略性, 储备性前瞻科技布局, 努力抢占未来科技和产业发展制高点; 要求我们加快适应科研范式深刻变革和学科交叉融合的新要求，优化创新资源整合和创新要素配置, 提高国家创新体系整体效能；要求我们大力促进科学技术和经济社会发展加速渗透融合, 更好发挥科技创新的支撑引领作用.
郭声琨在全国政法队伍教育整顿领导小组会议上强调 以钉钉子精神推进教育整顿 确保取得实实在在的效果--时政--人民网 Guo Shengkun, head of the central political and legal affairs commission, led a meeting on Wednesday urging the cadres to continue the good efforts in the legal system rectification campaign and start planning for the second phase of the campaign.
How century-old CPC appeals to youth today - Global Times The year 2020 gave Chinese youngsters a chance to witness how the Party led a country of 1.4 billion in successfully keeping COVID-19 at bay in a short time through its strong leadership, and also to see how Party members put people first with real actions, Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, told the Global Times. "Comparing the CPC's success and responsibility with some Western political parties' infighting, selfishness, or even using the pandemic to fight for political gains, has further consolidated Chinese youth's admiration of our Party," Su said...the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL) has done a prominent job in pulling youth closer to the Party. The organization's Central Committee has 16.11 million followers on China's Twitter-like platform, more than 8.38 million users follow it on Bilibili, one of China's biggest video-sharing sites and an online home for fans of anime, comics and games (ACG), and it has 1.05 million fans on Zhihu, China's Quora-like platform.
Anonymous Hacker-Turned-Political Blogger 'Detained, Tortured' in Shanghai — Radio Free Asia Authorities in China have detained the anonymous author of the Program-Think politics blog, who evaded government surveillance for around 12 years, subjecting him to brutal interrogations in a bid to gain a "confession," RFA has learned. "Program-Think's family is asking for help," a comment posted to his blog dated May 24 said.
Police in China's Jilin Detain Rights Lawyer Who Probed Prison Death — Radio Free Asia Chinese police detained prominent rights lawyer Xie Yanyi at the weekend, as he was investigating the sudden death of disabled petitioner Guo Hongwei in a prison in the northeastern province of Jilin. Xie was carrying out research at the home of Guo's parents in Jilin's Siping city on Saturday when dozens of police burst in and detained him, he told RFA on Monday.
黑龙江省委政法委副书记何健民接受审查调查————执纪审查——中央纪委国家监委网站 He Jianmin, deputy party secretary of the Heilongjiang provincial political and legal affairs commission, is under investigation
New People's Daily series on Party Building - 让信仰的旗帜高高飘扬（人民观点）--党建-中国共产党新闻网 In uniting the great struggle, the great project, the great cause and the great dream, what plays a decisive role is to advance the great new project of Party building. In striving for a new era and forging ahead on a new journey, how can we better leverage the strengths of our Party? How to make the Party stronger and more powerful? On the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), this edition has launched a series of comments to discuss with readers the secret code of our Party's eternal vitality and strong fighting ability.- Editors // 在统揽伟大斗争、伟大工程、伟大事业、伟大梦想中，起决定性作用的是推进党的建设新的伟大工程。奋斗新时代、奋进新征程，如何更好发挥我们党的优势？如何把党建设得更加坚强有力？在建党百年之际，本版推出系列评论，与读者共同探讨我们党永葆旺盛生命力和强大战斗力的密码。 ——编 者
People's trust in CPC on rise, surveys find - China Daily A survey conducted by the University of California's China Data Lab showed support for the government among the Chinese public has risen, with the average level of trust in the central government increasing from 8.23 in June 2019 to 8.87 in May last year, measured on a scale of one to 10. When respondents were asked whether they preferred living under China's political system compared with others, the percentage of respondents who preferred China's system increased from 70 percent to 83 percent over the same period.
China’s climate sincerity is being put to the test | The Economist Take the China operations of foreign multinationals. Responding to consumers and politicians back home, many such firms have promised to make their global businesses carbon neutral, and to seek big cuts in emissions from their supply chains. As a result, the China bosses of some well-known European companies have told officials, including in the north-eastern cities of Tianjin and Shenyang, that they will find it hard to expand or open new production sites if the electricity or heating on offer locally continues to come from coal. “In an energy-intensive industry, if the electricity is coal-based, you can’t build a new plant,” says Harald Kumpfert of the European Union Chamber of Commerce’s branch in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning province.
Foreign and Defense Affairs
‘CPC threat’ theory distorts reality - Global Times - Wang Wen More and more countries are attaching growing significance to, and learning from, the CPC due to its strong vitality and successful experience. The three volumes of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China have been distributed in more than 160 countries and regions, selling several million copies. Concepts such as "Belt and Road Initiative" and "a community with a shared future for mankind" have been recognized by most developing countries, and were written into the official documents of the UN and many international organizations. The CPC-founded schools and training systems for all Party cadres have been followed, as an example, by political parties in quite a few developing countries. The CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting, held in 2017, witnessed the participation of more than 600 delegates representing nearly 300 political parties. Various signs indicate that CPC's global significance and charm has gradually expanded over time. On the other hand, however, this has caused unprecedented anxiety and panic among some Western political elites in recent years
Is Joe Biden's policy towards China "Trump 2.0"? - CGTN John Mearsheimer, Professor of Department at Political Science at the University of Chicago tells Wang Guan that China's achievements, instead of ideological differences, lead to strategic competition between China and the United States…John Mearsheimer: I think there's no question that rhetorically, American policymakers and American elites, in general, will emphasize that the competition between the United States and China is about ideology. It's about two different political systems competing with each other. And this is analogous to what happened in the Cold War when we talked about the Soviet Union as a communist state and the United States as a capitalist democracy. Ideology was very important rhetorically in the Cold War, as it will be in the U.S.-China competition. Is this really a competition that's ideological at its core? The answer is no
The Clash of Systems? | Foreign Affairs - Thomas Pepinsky and Jessica Chen Weiss while it is important to affirm liberal values abroad, building U.S. grand strategy around fighting authoritarianism could backfire, provoking Chinese escalation on the ideological front—and pushing other countries closer to China. So far, the CCP has touted the superiority of its system and offered it as an example that other countries can learn from. But the more Beijing sees geopolitical competition as being fought along ideological lines, the more likely it is to prioritize taking steps to weaken democracies. // Comment: Xi and the CCP have made it very obvious they see it as a clash of systems/civilizations
Netizens commemorate Galwan Valley martyrs, warn India not to renew clashes - Global Times On the first anniversary of the Galwan Valley clash, Chinese netizens honored and expressed gratefulness on social media platforms to Chinese frontier soldiers and officers who had sacrificed their lives in the deadly military clash for defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, while warning the Indian government not to attempt to provoke fresh conflicts along the border as the South Asian country suffers from the epidemic.
南威哲、周波：印度负担不起和中国打一场全面战争，我们该怎么做？ On June 10, 2021, the Center for Strategic and Security Studies (CISS) of Tsinghua University hosted a webinar titled "Prospects and Challenges of China-India Relations", chaired by Zhou Bo, CISS researcher, special expert of China Forum and former director of the Center for Security Cooperation under the Office of International Military Cooperation of the Central Military Commission. // 2021年6月10日，清华大学战略与安全研究中心（CISS）举办“中印关系的前景与挑战”线上研讨会，CISS研究员、中国论坛特约专家、中央军委国际军事合作办公室安全合作中心前主任周波主持会议。
外交部领事司司长崔爱民会见美国驻华使馆官员 — 中华人民共和国外交部 Cui Aimin, head of the MoFA consular affairs department, on Tuesday met with a group of US diplomats led by minister counsellor Henry Hand and William Bistransky. They “candidly” discussed matters related to bilateral exchanges.
Greece is not abandoning China even though others are, ambassador says - CNBC Greece has no plans to end economic ties with China, just because other countries are reconsidering their own relationship with the country, Greece’s permanent representative to NATO told CNBC on Monday
How Sinophobia is instrumentalized in Kazakhstan as a form of oppositional politics · Global Voices Protests against the growing Chinese influence are increasingly being used as a pretext to oppose the government
ISD detains S'porean Dickson Yeo, who spied for China, for acting as paid agent of foreign state, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times A Singaporean man who had worked for China's intelligence services since 2015 has been detained for two years under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for being a threat to Singapore. Dickson Yeo, 40, had acted as a paid agent of a foreign state, said the Internal Security Department (ISD) on Tuesday (June 15). He was arrested by the ISD on Dec 30 last year, after he was deported to Singapore from the United States upon completion of a 14-month jail term for spying for China in the US. Yeo was issued an order of detention under the ISA on Jan 29.
Over 500 plant species recorded on China's Xisha Islands - Xinhua More than 500 species of plants have been recorded in China's Xisha Islands, a recent campaign to put name tags on the plants found out. The name-tagging project covers plants on over ten islands and reefs in Xisha Islands, including Jinqing Island, Zhaoshu Island, and Ganquan Island, said the Hainan provincial department of housing and urban-rural development
Australia's top exporting state calls for reset in China ties | Reuters "This isn't about kowtowing to other countries and giving in," Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said at Australia's biggest oil and gas industry conference, being held in Perth. "There needs to be a national reset in that relationship."
Hungary donates state-owned land to planned Chinese university | Reuters Hungary's parliament approved a government proposal on Tuesday to donate state-owned land to a planned Chinese university in Budapest, despite opposition criticism and a recent protest that accused the government of cosying up to Beijing.
ASEAN defense ministers urge quick work on South China Sea code - Nikkei Asia Defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Tuesday called for the early conclusion of a code of conduct for the South China Sea, as tensions rise in the region. The ministers gathered online for a meeting hosted by Brunei, this year's ASEAN chair. The 10-member bloc will also hold an expanded discussion on Wednesday with counterparts from eight key countries, including China, the U.S., Japan and India.
Op-eds in a Chinese state tabloid slammed U.S. policy. The author works at the Pentagon. - The Washington Post Franz Gayl isn’t just an American. He is a celebrated whistleblower — whose conduct was praised by then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) — and a retired Marine major working at the Pentagon...He even penned another piece for the Global Times, which the Trump administration had designated a Chinese government entity, a month later. Then the U.S. government launched a counterintelligence investigation, suspending the 64-year-old’s security clearances while it seeks to determine whether Gayl has been compromised.
US should look in mirror when talking about freedom of speech: FM - Xinhua Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday in response to reports about Franz Gayl, a retired US Marine serving in the US Department of Defense and his early exit from the civil service after being investigated by US military counterintelligence for two articles published in Global Times criticizing the US policy toward the Taiwan Straits.
Western allegation of genocide in Xinjiang hardly convincing: Singaporean newspaper - Xinhua The Western allegation of so-called "genocide" in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region lacks solid evidence and is therefore hardly convincing, said an opinion piece by Singapore's Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao on Wednesday. Despite the overwhelming firepower of the Western propaganda war against China, the so-called "evidence" available to the West is very limited, consisting of only a few so-called leaked documents and one-sided statements by what Beijing calls separatists, said the article by Wu Jungang, a former member of Parliament of Singapore.
Pulitzer-winning story on Xinjiang refuted by netizens, local residents - Global Times One of this year's Pulitzer Prize winning stories from the US' Buzzfeed News has drawn attention from Chinese netizens over its claim from one year ago "revealing" that more than 300 locations were being used in an "internment program" in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and has been refuted by netizens and local residents. By not even verifying facts in the so-called report from Buzzfeed News before giving the award, the Pulitzer Prize, which is seen as the highest honor in journalism, has become a tool used to promote anti-China reports without professionalism or authenticity, analysts said.
Meeting between Liu Xiaoming, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs and Andrey Denisov, Russian Ambassador to China On June 15, Liu Xiaoming, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Korean Peninsula Affairs, met with Andrey Denisov, Russian Ambassador to China. They spoke highly of the development of China-Russia relationship and two countries' cooperation on the Korean Peninsula Affairs. Liu and Denisov agreed to stay in close contact and enhance coordination and collaboration in an joint effort to promote the political settlement of the Peninsula Issue.
Putin slams attempts to sour Russia-China relations - Xinhua "We are pleased with the unprecedentedly high level of our relationship as it has evolved over the last few decades. We cherish it just like our Chinese friends do, which we can see," he said. Putin praised "a high level of trust and cooperation in all areas" between the two countries, from politics and economy to technology and military. "We do not believe that China is a threat to us. China is a friendly nation. It has not declared us an enemy as the United States has done," he said.
Hong Kong and Macao
Stanley Ho’s youngest son Mario launches firm to help family offices tap investment opportunities in Greater Bay Area | South China Morning Post MSI Finance Management has attracted about 40 wealthy families, says co-founder and vice-chairman Mario Ho Hong Kong government wants to turn the city into a family office hub for the Greater Bay Area
Ottawa warned to not assume Hong Kongers are innocent of charges - The Globe and Mail Canadian immigration officials warned the federal government in an internal memo last year against assuming protest-related charges faced by Hong Kongers seeking entry to Canada are bogus accusations fabricated by the city’s Beijing-backed authorities.
Taiwan
China sends record 28 fighter jets toward Taiwan - AP Taiwan’s air force deployed its combat air patrol forces in response and monitored the situation in the southwestern part of the island’s air defense identification zone with its air defense systems, the Ministry of National Defense said. The planes included various types of fighter jets including 14 J-16 and six J-11 planes, as well as bombers, the ministry said.
“假防疫、真挑衅”的政治把戏当休矣（钟声）--理论-中国共产党新闻网 A Zhong Sheng commentary in the Tuesday People's Daily attacking the recent visit to Taiwan by three US Senators - "The political trick of "fake epidemic prevention and real provocation" should be put to rest"
Biden's Asia nominee says U.S. should develop Taiwan ties in every sector | Reuters Daniel Kritenbrink said it was important for Washington to demonstrate its resolve and commitment to meet its "rock-solid obligations" towards Taiwan in the face of pressure from China, which claims the island as its own territory.
Tech and Media
China launches rectification campaign on ‘fan circles’ to crack down on cyberbullying and rumor spreading - Global Times The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) launched a two-month "Clear and Bright" campaign on Tuesday to rectify China's "fan circles" as fan clubs' behaviors of cyberbullying and spreading rumors on the internet have adversely affected adolescents' physical and mental health...Five categories of behaviors are targeted during this "Clear and Bright" rectification including inducing minors to raise funds, excessively consuming and voting, exchanging insults, spreading rumors and invading privacy, and agitating fans to flaunt their wealth and extravagant lives.
CAC announcement of the crackdown - 中央网信办启动“清朗·‘饭圈’乱象整治”专项行动-中共中央网络安全和信息化委员会办公室 此次专项行动将针对网上“饭圈”突出问题，重点围绕明星榜单、热门话题、粉丝社群、互动评论等重点环节，全面清理“饭圈”粉丝互撕谩骂、拉踩引战、挑动对立、侮辱诽谤、造谣攻击、恶意营销等各类有害信息，重点打击以下5类“饭圈”乱象行为：一是诱导未成年人应援集资、高额消费、投票打榜等行为；二是“饭圈”粉丝互撕谩骂、拉踩引战、造谣攻击、人肉搜索、侵犯隐私等行为；三是鼓动“饭圈”粉丝攀比炫富、奢靡享乐等行为；四是以号召粉丝、雇用网络水军、“养号”形式刷量控评等行为；五是通过“蹭热点”、制造话题等形式干扰舆论，影响传播秩序行为。期间，将关闭解散一批诱导集资、造谣攻击、侵犯隐私等影响恶劣的账号、群组，从严处置“饭圈”职业黑粉、恶意营销、网络水军等违法违规账号，从重处置纵容乱象、屡教不改的网站平台。
Alibaba Falls Victim to Chinese Web Crawler in Large Data Leak - WSJ $$ A Chinese software developer trawled Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ’s popular Taobao shopping website for eight months, clandestinely collecting more than 1.1 billion pieces of user information before Alibaba noticed the scraping, a Chinese court verdict said. The software developer began using web-crawling software he designed on Taobao’s site starting in November 2019, gathering information including user IDs, mobile-phone numbers and customer comments, according to a verdict released this month by a district court in China’s central Henan province.
Kai-Fu Lee’s Sinovation bets on Linux tablet maker Jingling in $10M round | TechCrunch Jingling was founded only in June 2020 but has quickly assembled a team of 80 employees hailing from the likes of Aliyun OS, Alibaba’s Linux distribution, Thunder Software, a Chinese operating system solution provider, and China’s open source community. The majority of the startup’s staff are working on its Linux-based operating system called JingOS
Society, Arts, Sports, Culture and History
Karma’s a Fish: The Bizarre World of Tianjin Angling - SixthTone I quickly noticed the river in my neighborhood was special. Although the river is short, it contains an amazing variety of fish: perch, loach, and even several types of goldfish. Occasionally, you’ll see fishers pull huge bighead carp out of the water. There are also many other creatures, including Brazilian tortoises, soft-shelled turtles, and snapping turtles. The reason for this, I later discovered, is that many locals come to release fish into the river. According to local traditions, setting the creatures free brings good karma.
Energy, Environment, Science and Health
China Nuclear Drama May Be Less Alarming Than Politics Behind It - Bloomberg An issue discovered inside China General Nuclear Power Corp.’s Taishan Unit 1 reactor, in which presumably damaged fuel rod casings leaked inert gas, has happened enough times in the industry that operators know how to manage it and it’s usually “not any kind of threat,” according to Jeff Merrifield, a former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner.
China Nuclear Plant Under Scrutiny Was Built to Showcase Nation’s Prowess - WSJ $$ EDF said the plant was operating within safety parameters according to available data. Authorities in China and Hong Kong also said there have been no radioactive incidents threatening public safety or the environment.
In Depth: Perverse Incentives Plague Environmental Impact Reporting in China - Caixin Selling qualifications has a history in China’s EIA industry that goes back to at least 2014. However, the practice really took off after changes to the law in 2018 made it easier to start an environmental assessment company, but not any easier to get accredited as an EIA engineer, creating perverse economic incentives that spurred companies to sell their qualifications. “For example, it is cheaper for an EIA company to buy a qualification than to actually employ an EIA engineer,” said Li Zhiqing, director of the Research Center on Environmental Economics at Fudan University.
China-Backed Coal Plant Omitted Pollution Data, Group Says - Bloomberg A Chinese-backed coal-fired power plant in Bangladesh that’s been the site of deadly crackdowns on protests has now been accused of failing to ensure proper environmental inspections. The Environmental Impact Assessment on S. Alam Group’s coal plant in Chattogram omitted the potential impacts of mercury and some air pollutants and made misleading claims about the baseline air quality in the area, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
China unveils logo for upcoming crewed space mission - Global Times China's Manned Space Agency unveiled the logo for the upcoming Shenzhou-12 crewed mission on Tuesday. The logo shows the Shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft docking with the Tianhe core module and Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, with the three forming a linear structure in orbit right above Earth.
Shortages in Electric-Vehicle Battery Industry Play Havoc With Cell Prices, Executive Says - Caixin The ongoing supply squeeze in the electric-vehicle (EV) battery sector is making cell prices less predictable, the head of a major Chinese battery manufacturer has said, raising doubts about the EV industry’s short-term competitiveness with conventional fuel-powered vehicles.
China guarantees safety of Taishan Nuclear Power Plant - CGTN Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday said that the radiation level of the surrounding environment at Taishan Nuclear Power Plant is not abnormal, and safety is guaranteed. The current situation of the power plant meets the requirements for the technical specifications, he said, adding that China's nuclear power plants have maintained a good operational record so far, with no incidents affecting the environment or public health.
Debris from carrier rocket drop safely - China Daily A small proportion of debris from a Long March 7 carrier rocket fell back to waters in the southern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday afternoon, said the China Manned Space Agency. According to analysis of tracking data, most of the debris burned out during the atmospheric re-entry that started around 4:49 pm, the agency said in a brief statement.
Over 900 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in China - Xinhua China announced on June 3 that it had administered more than 700 million doses of vaccines, and has since administered another 200 million doses in less than two weeks' time
Jobs and Events
Program Manager - Freeman Chair in China Studies | Center for Strategic and International Studies The Freeman Chair is recruiting a program manager to assist in the administration, operations, and management of a new open source project, to be housed at CSIS and under the administration of the Freeman Chair. The open source project aims to curate, translate, and provide analysis on relevant and important primary source Chinese documents, with the ultimate goal of transforming how outside observers understand China’s ambitions, behavior, and trajectory.
Education
Study Abroad Agency Accused of Exploiting Research Subjects - SixthTone A Chinese study abroad agency in Shenzhen has been accused of encouraging research that exploits marginalized groups by allowing prospective students to enroll in such field research only as a means to embellish their college admissions essays and resumes. On June 8, HEC unveiled a program in which students, for a fee of 15,800 yuan ($2,500), would be able to study the lives of the city’s female factory workers through a five-day field research trip alongside a Ph.D. candidate. Students would leave the experience with an academic report, as well as a recommendation letter and certificate of participation, which they could then use for college admissions.
Rural and Agricultural Issues
China’s Buying So Much Corn That Its Ports Are Getting Clogged - Bloomberg China’s embarked on a record corn-buying spree this year and some vessels have been delayed for as long as a month outside southern ports because of congestion, incurring hefty demurrage fees.
Am I the only one who doesn't find these COVID-origin investigations to be terribly necessary? Even if the true origin was natural, that doesn't preclude the need to improve bio lab safety and oversight. Even if the true origin was from a lab, that doesn't preclude the need to regulate wet markets, wildlife trade, and human activity in natural areas.
Even if Covid's origin was proven to be from a lab, the PRC is extremely unlikely to acknowledge the fact, and extremely unlikely to pay any sort of reparations. The reputation damage to the PRC will be disappointing to those that want to brand China a pariah because those who hate China have already convinced themselves of a lab origin. And if it turns out that it really was a natural origin, that's gonna be massive egg-on-the-face for a lot of people involved in the new push for the lab leak hypothesis. A lot of people pushing the theory are motivated by a genuine desire to find the truth, but it's pretty obvious that many other people are pushing it to find a way to poke at China, or appeal to domestic audiences. The latter category of people are very unlikely to ever acknowledge a natural origin for Covid, which would make the supposed "search for truth" a farce.
And of course, there's the fact that it's very possible that even a transparent and comprehensive investigation might not be able to pinpoint a smoking gun for either origin. One part of this is that tracking disease origins is difficult, which is why the origins of many epidemics are never uncovered despite extensive investigations under more permissive political environments than the PRC. The other part of this is that local officials could have destroyed evidence pertaining to the early days of the spread of Covid, in fear of punishment from 中央. If this is the case, the origin of the pandemic might be known to no-one and impossible to ascertain.
On a practical level, these Covid investigation consume significant amounts of time, money, and political capital, which could be better spent on stopping the pandemic and putting in place measures to defend against future pandemics. In an ideal world these goals would not be incompatible with carrying out an investigation, but we don't live in an ideal world, and I find that prioritizing actions which directly benefit people currently hurting and prevent future harms from coming to people is a better use of limit resources.
I know that many won't agree with my position, and there's plenty of valid counterarguments to points I made. This is just my personal position, so I welcome those with a different viewpoint to respond, so people can see the many sides of the debate and come to their own informed position.
Dickson Yeo was detained under Singapore’s Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without the suspect being charged or given a trial. We will not get more than these terse ISD statements. With terrorism suspects, they sometimes only announce a Detention Order months after the fact. This are probably all the details they will share until his release.