Xi Thought Leading Into The New Era, Wuzhen Win; China Scrum Down Under; Gas Shortage. #MeToo Not In China - Sinocism 12.05.17
Happy Tuesday….I neglected yesterday to wish everyone a happy five year anniversary of Xi’s eight regulations. No doubt they have the changed China experience for many of you. They certainly made things less fun the last year I lived in Beijing.
Speaking of less fun, US-China relations may be to heading towards a precipitous change. Beijing is concerned and its taking steps this week to try to forestall more nastiness.
Six days ago, soon after the most recent North Korean missile launch, President Trump tweeted:
Just spoke to President XI JINPING of China concerning the provocative actions of North Korea. Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!
So far nothing new has been announced. Beijing appears unwilling to move much more, and believes it has already done its part. That view does not sit well in DC and so expect Beijing to plead its case here, and especially to try to prevent sanctions against Chinese financial firms.
It could be an interesting week.
The Essential Eight
1. People's Daily Commentary On Learning Xi Thought Leading Into The New Era
Comment: The 12.5 People’s Daily has a massive commentary by the authoritative People's Daily pseudonymous commentator Ren Zhongping, on the spirit of the 19th Party Congress, Xi Thought and China's correct path towards perfecting Party governance, state governance and global governance.
中国的崛起和中华民族的复兴，是人类社会进入21世纪以来最伟大的历史事件之一。从历史的山巅回望，若干年后，将会更清晰地看到，我们写入历史的那些成绩，莫不源于点亮时代的思想光芒。
Reforming global governance is also the theme of the latest Zhong Sheng piece in People's Daily. This one makes it clear Xi does have big plans to change global governance to suit China's goals, notes that in the last 2 years the Politburo has held two study sessions on the global governance system-开辟共商共建共享的全球治理之道（钟声·推动构建人类命运共同体（11））--国际--人民网:
近两年，中共中央政治局就全球治理格局和全球治理体系变革进行两次集体学习，表明全球治理已成为中国与世界互动中的重要议题，全球治理层面的“中国自信”正逐步转变为“中国自觉”；国际舞台上，习近平主席孜孜不倦向世界全面阐释中国全球治理观的内在逻辑，使推动全球治理体系变革的中国主张收获更多共识，转化为国际社会的共同行动。第七十一届联合国大会通过关于“联合国与全球经济治理”决议，将中国提出的“共商、共建、共享”原则纳入其中，正是中国倡议转化成全球共识的最佳体现。
2. World Internet Conference Concludes, Foreign Firms Will Get Little For Their Participation
Remember, the Wuzhen World Internet Conference is a vehicle to promote the Communist Party’s vision to remake global Internet governance and therefore should be seen in the context of its overall efforts to shape global Internet governance in a way that gives space to China’s model of Internet management while gaining allies against what Beijing see as the American Internet governance “model” that threatens its cyber-sovereignty.
Apple, Facebook find something to praise China for amid internet clamp - Reuters
“I’d compliment the Chinese government in terms of leadership on using data,” Facebook Vice President Vaughan Smith said on Tuesday, citing government bodies such as the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
“The Chinese government, the CAC and MIIT are doing a fabulous job on that.”
Comment: I believe Mr. Smith is not so naive as to not understand how else Beijing uses the data it collects. Kudos to Facebook though, they have successfully avoided sending anyone more senior than Mr. Smith.
And this is why people continue to travel to Wuzhen to pay homage- World Internet Conference concludes in east China - Xinhua:
China's digital economy reached 22.58 trillion yuan (about 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2016, ranking second globally and accounting for 30.3 percent of the national GDP
3. Profile of Wang Huning
China's Crown Theorist - The Rise of Wang Huning | Foreign Affairs By Ryan Mitchell:
Wang’s support for Xi will be bolstered by the fact that Wang has likely risen to his current position not because of his personal authority, but rather mostly due to the machinations of elite politics. In particular, as someone who has worked closely with all three of China’s post-Deng leaders, he is likely the only Politburo member that Jiang, Hu, and Xi have all found unthreatening or inoffensive. Previous party theorists, or “pen shafts” (biganzi), who have ascended to positions of authority—including Chen Boda as well as the later reform skeptics, Hu Qiaomu and Deng Liqun—have similarly risen or fallen based on shifts in elite patronage. His awareness of these precedents provides Wang with yet another reason to ensure that his ideological contributions continue to justify unchallenged authority for the party, and for Xi.
4. The China Scrum Down Under
Comment: Australia is awakening to the challenges from China and is moving to legislate measures to better control foreign and especially Chinese, interference in its political processes. Things have the potential to get quite nasty, on both sides.
Malcolm Turnbull announces biggest overhaul of espionage, intelligence laws in decades - ABC News:
The legislation will create a transparency scheme based on the US Foreign Agents Registry, which requires people to declare whether they are working for or acting on behalf of a foreign power...
The Prime Minister said the changes, which will be introduced in separate bills, represented the largest overhaul of espionage, counter-intelligence and political donations.
Attorney-General George Brandis said the legal definition of espionage would be broadened to make it a crime to possess sensitive information, rather than merely communicating it.
The legislation will also create a new offence of unlawful interference in Australia's political system, including behaviours that would harm the national interest.
Attorney-General George Brandis suggested Mr Robb as a former cabinet minister would have to register. Former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr, who is now associated with the Australia-China Relations Institute at UTS Sydney, is another ex-MP who may have to register...
Mr Carr said ACRI was now fully funded by the university and singled out other think tanks such as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and the United States Studies Centre for expressing "consistently pro-American positions" while receiving "funding from US corporations, including armaments companies".
China’s veiled threat to Bill Shorten on extradition treaty - The Australian:
Bill Shorten was issued a veiled warning from Beijing that Labor’s support in the Chinese community could be influenced if the party did not support an extradition treaty promoted by the communist government...
Sources have told The Australian the Labor leaders met China’s now former security tsar Meng Jianzhu about the treaty at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices on Sydney’s Bligh Street on April 22. A source with knowledge of the meeting said Mr Meng said it would be a shame if Chinese government representatives had to tell the Chinese community in Australia that Labor did not support the relationship between Australia and China.
Comment: No word on whether a horse head was included with the threat...
New Zealand is not quite there yet, and may never get there given its size and China's outsized influence.
China’s Political Influence Activities | ChinaPower Project:
This episode focuses on China’s political influence activities beyond its borders, as it seeks to shape both public opinion and domestic policy of countries around the world. Our guest, Anne-Marie Brady, discusses her new report from the Woodrow Wilson Center, titled “Magic weapons: China’s Political influence activities under Xi Jinping,” and how China has sought to influence both New Zealand’s domestic politics and its public perception of China. Professor Brady explores the history of the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Department, and the various methods it uses to influence policy in various countries.
5. Canada And China Don't Reach Free Trade Agreement
Canada's Trudeau says no rushing into trade talks with China - AP:
Rather than announcing trade talks, Trudeau instead touted an agreement with China on the importance of dealing with climate change and upholding the 2015 Paris agreement, despite President Donald Trump's aim to withdraw the United States from the accord to cap greenhouse gasses.
"Our shared concern for our environment will continue to be featured prominently in everything we do," Trudeau said. "Climate change is without a doubt one of the greatest challenges of our time, one we cannot and one we will not ignore."
China and Canada Fail to Agree on Launching Free Trade Talks - Bloomberg:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signaled one sticking point was Canada’s preference for sprawling “progressive” pacts, and that the countries only wanted to launch formal talks if they were more confident a deal could be reached. It’s the second time in a month that Canada has effectively left a trade partner at the altar.
6. Sorry State of State-Owned Enterprise Reforms
Comment: Short answer, not good. The increased role of the Party in the central SOEs is interesting. One very smart reader suggested that it is really about ensuring that the SOE leadership can't keep stripping assets from the firms.
State-Owned Enterprise Reforms: Untangling Ownership, Control, and Corporate Governance - MacroPolo:
Despite Beijing’s intent to push corporate governance change in SOEs, the central issue of imposing external supervision on SOE management has not been solved;
The China Unicom case may offer an example of how mixed ownership reform will proceed, but it may not be sufficient to improve corporate governance;
Delegating authority to SOE boards has proceeded slowly, however, with trial reforms taking place in only three central SOEs so far and no plans to expand;
Private investors aren’t likely to gain control of SOEs, but they could potentially get more seats on the board to effect modest internal change;
The latest push to revive Party committees as the ultimate authority within SOEs marks a regressive step that, if fully enforced, will offset the already limited progress made on empowering boards and incentivizing private investment.
7. Natural Gas Prices Soaring On Bungled Reform And Beijing Directives
Economic Planner Moves to Rein in Rocketing Liquefied Natural Gas Prices - Caixin Global:
There has been an acute natural gas shortage this year after the government forcefully pushed forward a program to replace coal-fueled heating systems with natural gas- or electricity-powered ones, with a focus on both residences and industrial buildings across smoggy northern China. The NDRC’s Hebei province branch has warned of a natural gas shortage of around 10% to 20% starting Nov. 28.
Against this background, LNG prices have doubled in certain regions over the past three months. One Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region supplier had tripled the price to 6,300 yuan ($952) per ton by Sunday from early September, Everbright Securities analyst Qiu Xiaofeng said during an event Monday.
Comment: Partial, distorted top-down reforms breed messes. And local officials can't sell or burn coal if they are to meet their pollution control targets. So end users pay a lot more or freeze.
8. China Needs But Will Not Have A #MeToo Campaign
Comment: Considering how Beijing reacted to five feminists, any large-scale #metoo campaign would never be allowed.
When Chinese journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin started her first job at a national news agency after graduating, she never thought she would one day have to kick a senior colleague in the crotch to keep him from attacking her in a hotel room....
Huang calls the harassment of female journalists the “elephant in the room” within the industry. In her circle, five female journalists have left their jobs after experiencing harassment from male colleagues or superiors.
China needs its own #MeToo · TechNode:
Below is our translation of a recent post on Sophia’s ATSH WeChat Official Account detailing the assault and harassment of women in Chinese journalism. Many of them, however, chose to stay anonymous for fear of retaliation or being blackballed.
Leta Hong Fincher is the author of the book Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China and the upcoming book Betraying Big Brother: The Rise of China’s Feminist Resistance, and a regular commentator on the state of feminism and gender discrimination in China today. She joins Jeremy and Kaiser to discuss sexism and sexual harassment in China and why, she says, the government is complicit.
China’s sexual harassment problem - SupChina:
“There is more and more openness on the topic than there used to be, more news than before, and more and more people are daring to tell their experiences on the internet,” said Manman Lu 陆蔓蔓, editor of Feminist Voices 女权之声, a Beijing-based online magazine that focuses on women’s issues and monitors gender and the media. But when it comes to public opinion, there is still “stigma on the victims of harassment. I think deep down, most people still think it is shameful for the victims.”
It’s Not Just the Matt Lauers and the Mark Halperins - POLITICO Magazine - Shannon Van Sant:
So I moved to China to report and film documentaries, but the environment I thought I had left behind in the U.S. kept resurfacing. I experienced harassment from some of my Chinese bosses, Western cameramen and sources.
Business, Economy, Finance And Trade
Commentary: U.S. opposition to granting China market economy status disregards WTO rules - Xinhua As Liang Guoyong, economic affairs officer at the Investment and Enterprise Division of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said, the case is about "surrogate country approach," not "market economy status," which means the former is within multilateral trade rules, while the latter is regarded as a domestic law issue. The practice to mix the two things together, he said, apparently contradicts multilateral trade rules and also breaks some countries' international commitments and promises. Furthermore, it is clear that such behavior is a U.S. planned attempt to protect its trade with China and a part of its efforts to contain China's rise.
China central bank skips open market operations on sufficient liquidity - Xinhua China's central bank suspended open market operations Tuesday, citing sufficient liquidity in the banking system. The move meant a net cash withdrawal of 170 billion yuan (25.7 billion U.S. dollars) from the market as previous reverse repos matured Tuesday.// Comment: December setting up for a squeeze and a rate spike as 2 Trillion + RMB in negotiable CDs coming due, as banks need cash for year end regulatory exams?
China Services Activity Picks Up in November, Caixin Survey Shows - Caixin Global The Caixin China General Services Business Activity Index rose to 51.9 last month from 51.2 in October, marking the second month of acceleration and the highest reading since August. Even so, November’s reading was still significantly weaker than the historical average of 54.6.
Microlenders Face Funding Squeeze - Caixin Global Before authorities banned microlenders from raising funds through asset-backed securities (ABS) — nearly all of which are exchange-traded — industry heavyweight Ant Financial Services Group had tried its luck on the interbank market, but now appears to be hitting a wall too. One of its microlending units, Jiebei, had plans to sell 3 billion yuan ($453 million) worth of asset-backed notes on the interbank market on Nov. 30, but there have been no updates so far.
Lexinfintech delays U.S. IPO pricing as China reins in micro-loan sector - Reuters Chinese consumer lending firm Lexinfintech will delay the pricing of its planned Nasdaq IPO to conduct more due diligence, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said - a move that comes after Beijing issued new rules to tighten control of the micro-loan sector.
Executives of Shanghai P2P Lender Subsidiary Out of Contact - Caixin Global A major industry body overseeing asset managers says it is unable to contact executives of a key unit under Shanghai Kuailu Investment Group, a financially crippled P2P lender. The Asset Management Association of China (AMAC) said recently that Shanghai Oriental Hongqiao Financial Holding Group Co., a private equity firm controlled by Kuailu, is among the 17 asset management firms with which the association has lost contact.
China Is Said to Plan Extending Electric Vehicle Tax Rebate - Bloomberg China’s government will continue to exempt the 10 percent purchase tax on new-energy vehicles at least through 2020, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing information that’s private. The current tax rebate policy is due to expire at end of this year. The Ministry of Finance didn’t immediately respond to a fax seeking comments
Free trade studies agreed on as Li meets with Canadian PM Trudeau - China Daily China and Canada are willing to conduct feasibility studies toward a free trade agreement in an open and pragmatic manner, Premier Li Keqiang said after meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.
Over 100 Chinese A-Share IPO Applicants Have Asked to End Their Reviews This Year | Yicai Global This is mainly because the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has become more rigorous in its review of listing applications, forcing some problematic companies to give up.
Dalian Wanda chairman injects $460m into cash-strapped group - FT $$ Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda is planning to sell a majority stake in Wanda’s Hong Kong-listed arm to a privately held holding company wholly owned by the group’s chairman Wang Jianlin. The proposed sale is part of a reorganisation of Dalian Wanda led by Mr Wang that puts more of the group’s core assets directly under his supervision, while addressing cash flow problems.
Dalian Wanda sold major China ski resort in June: report - Reuters Control of the Changbaishan International Resort in northern China was transferred to the Dalian Yifang Group on June 16, The Paper said in a Nov. 29 article citing the resort’s registry.
Wary China Eyes U.S. Tax Cut as Currency Risk and Reform Chance - Bloomberg Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, stated in the overseas edition of the People’s Daily on Monday that the U.S. move shouldn’t "disturb" China’s own reform agenda, though pressure on the balance of payments, currency, foreign reserves and monetary policy was possible.
Chinese money will not fund 'dirty' Adani mine, says embassy The controversial Adani coal mine project in Queensland will not be funded by Chinese banks, the Chinese Embassy has confirmed, with former foreign minister Bob Carr and prominent opponent of the mine Geoff Cousins claiming partial credit.
Starbucks opens Roastery in Shanghai, China tour - Business Insider Slideshow On Tuesday, Starbucks opened the 30,000-square-foot Starbucks Reserve Roastery Shanghai. The location has gourmet drinks — like nitrogen-infused teas — and an 88-foot-long, hand-crafted coffee bar.
Alibaba Tech Underpins World’s Most-Interactive Starbucks | Alizila.com Starbucks is opening its biggest and most interactive location to date, in Shanghai, with help from Chinese technology giant Alibaba Group. The two-story, 30,000-square-foot Shanghai Roastery will be the company’s second roastery after Seattle, with small-lot Reserve coffee sourced from around the globe, including China’s Yunnan province, prepared for sale and onsite consumption
Growth in Steel Output, Consumption Expected to Be Flat in 2018 - Caixin Global The near-zero growth represents a sharp slowdown from industry statistics for this year, when China’s crude steel production was forecast to rise 3% to 832 million tons, according to a report published Monday by the government-backed China Metallurgical Industry Planning and Research Institute (MPI). The institute forecast 2017 overall consumption will grow by an even stronger 7.7% to 725 million tons.
Special Report: Hidden peril awaits China's banks as property binge fuels mortgage fraud frenzy - Reuters Mortgage fraud like the pair’s flouting of rules designed to protect banks is rampant in China’s roaring property market, according to interviews with buyers, sellers and dozens of property market insiders including real estate agents, lawyers, bankers, valuers and loan middlemen from three of China’s major cities and four smaller cities. Many of these people declined to be identified because they were familiar with or involved in “re-packaged” loan applications, the industry euphemism for these frauds. // Comment: Perhaps the scale is now different but this has been going on for years. It is an interesting Reuters report but data, not just anecdotes, would be useful. I had direct experience with some of the issues noted in both 2005 and 2015.
Politics, Law And Ideology
Senior official stresses study of Red Boat Spirit - Xinhua "The Red Boat Spirit, which highlights pioneering work, striving spirit and dedication, is the spiritual impetus for the Party to strive for development and growth," Wang [Huning] said. "It is also the spiritual treasure of the Party to rule the country and make it prosperous, and serves as the spiritual support for the Party to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics." Wang called for strengthening theoretical study and increasing publicity of the Red Boat Spirit and other revolutionary spirit, and educating the people with the spirit and guiding them with the spirit in practice. 王沪宁：大力学习弘扬“红船精神” 用伟大精神推动伟大实践--时政--人民网
Beijing’s Heavy-Handed Solution to Urbanization | The Diplomat While positioned as a way to make the capital safer, these moves are the latest in attempts to rein in unfettered urbanization. Even with measures in place to curb moves to urban centers, improvements in national rail service and transportation are making it easier than ever for millions of migrants to flock to China’s eastern megacities. This drains rural and provincial areas of talent that could contribute to regional development while straining scarce urban infrastructure, social services, and resources. Beijing must now carefully encourage more rural-to-urban white-collar migration while evening out patterns for blue-collar migrant workers. Playing with this delicate balance may have unintended consequences.
杨晓渡在宁夏、四川调研时强调 坚决贯彻党中央决策部署 高质量推动改革试点工作扎实有序开展——中央纪委监察部网站 杨晓渡强调，试点地区要充分借鉴北京、山西、浙江改革试点成功经验，并结合自身实际积极探索创新，为制定国家监察法、成立国家监察委员会提供更加坚实的实践支撑和更加丰富的经验积累。要做好过渡期工作衔接，妥善处理新老业务，确保党风廉政建设和反腐败工作力度不减、节奏不变。要抓好思想建设和人心稳定，通过做深做实思想政治工作，促进思想、理念、感情、人员、工作全面融合。要加强自身建设，着力培养一支政治上忠诚干净担当、业务上既精通党章党规党纪又熟悉宪法法律法规的纪检监察干部队伍。// Comment: Yang Xiaodu inspects supervision pilots in Gansu and Sichuan
Ideological Struggles and China’s Contentious Public Sphere - Ya-Wen Lei - Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies ideology has been a priority for Xi ever since he became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012. This focus is understandable, I argue, precisely given the rising influence of liberal ideology within China’s public sphere.
安监总局：死亡失联3人以上事故须30分钟内上报--财经--人民网 State Administration of Work Safety issues new circular requiring provincial and local officials to its central emergency command center within 30 minutes of occurrence if 3 or more people are killed or missing in a production accident
China Goes Online to Speed Up Traffic Accident Resolutions - Sixth Tone Last week, four government entities — the Supreme People’s Court, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Justice, and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission — jointly announced a plan to encourage drivers involved in traffic accidents in 13 cities and provinces to seek legal redress and obtain insurance payments online.
Foreign and Military Affairs
China’s Cable Strategy: Exploring Global Undersea Dominance | RealClearDefense China sees cable networks as an essential element of its One Belt, One Road initiative. Undersea cables will ensure that Beijing is well placed to influence media and psychological operations as part of its ‘three warfares’ strategy. In the military arena, such a cable network creates a strategic advantage in anti-submarine warfare for the Chinese navy. It will form an irreplaceable part of China’s underwater observation system in the South China Sea. This ‘underwater great wall’ includes a number of subsurface sensors connected through optical cables to a central processing and monitoring facility in Shanghai. The system will function much like America’s SOSUS network, which employs fixed sensor arrays to detect Soviet submarines. A Chinese system could erode American undersea warfare advantages in the South China Sea.
U.S. and China Satellite Cooperation Means Better Service for Civilian GPS Users The United States and China have negotiated compatible signal characteristics that will both protect and enhance service for users of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) and the equivalent Chinese system. The achievement resulted from several years of discussions between U.S. and Chinese experts in global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). The consensus to make the systems compatible and interoperable at the user level will mean better service for users of both systems worldwide.
China to allow more private capital in military industry - Global Times China will allow more private capital in the shares of military enterprises to deepen military-civilian integration, according to a guideline issued by the State Council. The guideline proposes that China should enhance the sharing of military and civilian resources, and step up the integration of major military experiment facilities.
China dismisses Japanese mayor's proposed name change of Diaoyu Islands - Xinhua Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama plans to submit a proposal to the city assembly Monday to change the islands' name from "Tonoshiro, Ishigaki City" to "Tonoshiro Senkaku, Ishigaki City," according to Japanese media.
CMC says armed forces should study Xi's second book on governance - Xinhua "Studying the book helps deepen the understanding of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC)," the notice said. It said that Xi's thought is a guiding ideology the Party must follow for a long time to come.中央军委办公厅印发《通知》要求全军和武警部队认真组织学习《习近平谈治国理政》第二卷
China’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy Poses a Credible Threat to U.S. Tech Leadership | Council on Foreign Relations Gregory C. Allen is an adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security. He is the co-author of “Artificial Intelligence and National Security,” a study on behalf of the U.S. Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)
Chinese Military Strategy: A Work in Progress - Union of Concerned Scientists What I learned in my conversation with the authors of The Science of Military Strategy is that when they wrote that China “can” launch on warning of an incoming attack they were not saying China has the technical capability to do so, nor were they announcing the intention to implement a launch on warning policy. They were simply declaring that, in their view, China could launch on warning—before their missiles were destroyed—without violating China’s no first use pledge.
Mapping the Third Offset: Australia, the United States and future war in the Indo-Pacific — United States Studies Centre The Third Offset strategy is perceived as a solution to matching the US defence budget with US strategic ambitions — to find means of sustaining its military-technological advantage in this new era of great power competition. For Australia, the Third Offset’s success or failure will have profound implications for the United States’ future military posture in the Indo-Pacific.
China, Russia to join in military exercises - China Daily The two militaries will conduct anti-terrorism drills in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region from Dec 2 to 13, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, the ministry's spokesman. Several Chinese pilots are in Russia learning to fly the Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet, Wu said. The Su-35 is Russia's most advanced fighter in use. Four of the planes were purchased by China and delivered last December.
Chinese air force holds drills in ‘new routes and areas’ near Korean peninsula | South China Morning Post Beijing-based military expert Li Jie said the drills were intended to show that the People’s Liberation Army Air Force was making strides in joint operations, which are an important part of modern warfare. He added that Monday’s announcement was also aimed at sending a message to the United States and South Korea. “The timing of this high-profile announcement by the PLA is also a warning to Washington and Seoul not to provoke Pyongyang any further,” Li said.
Behind China’s Attempt to Ease the Rohingya Crisis - The New York Times Op Ed China has the diplomatic, humanitarian and economic resources to make a real difference in the lives of the Rohingya. But its current maneuvering — which seeks to intervene only to preserve impunity for horrific crimes — is putting them to dangerous use. This is hardly the sort of behavior worthy of a great power that in the words of Mr. Xi, aspires to make “greater contributions to mankind.” - Nicholas Bequelin is the East Asia director for Amnesty International.
Winston Peters says western world is too hard on China over freedom issues | Stuff.co.nz Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the West is often too tough on China over freedom issues, given the country is lifting millions out of poverty. In his first major foreign policy speech in this new Government, delivered to the Confucius Institute of Wellington's Victoria University on Tuesday morning, Peters indicated no major shift in New Zealand's policy towards China.
China adds new precursor chemicals to its catalogue - Gov.cn The State Council has agreed to add five precursor chemicals to the Catalog of Classification and Types of Precursor Chemicals affiliated with China’s Regulation on the Administration of Precursor Chemicals, according to communication sent to related departments. // Comments: Looks like ones related to related to fentanyl and methamphetamines
What China Can Teach Developing Nations About Building Power - The New York Times Op Ed Since the late 1970s, China has been able to achieve dynamic growth through a combination of strong leadership and pragmatism. With continued foresight and openness, China is positioned to resume its historical role as a leading power in the world. Justin Yifu Lin is director of the Center for New Structural Economics and dean of the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development at Peking University
Hong Kong, Macao
Liaison Office legal chief Wang Zhenmin: 'Hong Kong is part of red China' | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP At an event celebrating National Constitution Day on Monday – the first commemoration of the day in Hong Kong – Wang, an official for Beijing’s office in Hong Kong, said: “Since July 1, 1997, Hong Kong’s political colour undoubtedly became red, meaning it has become part of red China.” “So there is no question of whether Hong Kong is ‘becoming red’ because Hong Kong has already been red since 1997, when it came under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party,” he said.
Tech And Media
What Hollywood Looks Like From China - The New York Times - Zhang Yimou Like an ocean that refuses no rivers, China’s movie industry will continue to influence and allow itself to be influenced by its international counterparts. China needs the United States, and the United States needs China. But at the moment, a large discrepancy exists in that very few Chinese movies are able to enter the American market and attract a significant audience. Chinese audiences provide Hollywood with huge profits, but what does China’s film industry gain in return?
Society, Art, Sports, Culture And History
Laoximen treasure map #1: avezink - Demolition in Shanghai Wechat has brought sad news that the neighborhood west of Laoximen is headed toward demolition...The old town's Laoximen area is more layered and visually diverse than any other corner in Shanghai.
David Shoemaker to step down as CEO of NBA China - Xinhua Shoemaker, 46, who has been in his current role since June 2011, will continue to lead NBA China through the season and will play an active role in the recruitment of his successor. He intends to return home with his wife and young children from Beijing to the United States.
Energy, Environment, Science And Health
Scientists mull using robots on lunar research station - China Daily Chinese scientists are discussing the possibility of building a lunar research station with robots on duty, a senior official from the China National Space Administration said recently. The unmanned lunar surface infrastructure should have long-term energy supply, with robots carrying out scientific research and technical experiments, the official said, according to a report on thepaper.cn.
Agriculture And Rural Issues
Kentucky hopes to benefit from renewed horse sales to China - AP State Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles on Monday touted a new trade accord lifting a ban on U.S equine exports to China. The deal was signed by U.S. and Chinese officials last month. The racing industry remains in its infancy in China, where betting is not allowed on horse races, Quarles said. But with the market now reopened, he predicted buyers will attend equine sales in Kentucky with an eye toward boosting racing and breeding operations in China
Education
Schwarzman Scholars » Scholars 2019 Announced 142 Schwarzman Scholars were selected from over 4,000 applicants. The Class of 2019 is comprised of students from 39 countries and 97 universities with 41% from the United States, 20% from China, and 39% from the rest of the world. (Pending approval by Tsinghua University.) //Comment: Has Tsinghua ever not approved one?
Food And Travel
Turf War Takes Off at Beijing’s New Airport - Caixin Global According to a construction plan approved by the State Council in July 2016, the new Daxing airport will be designated as the hub for members of the SkyTeam alliance, a global group of airlines that includes China Eastern, China Southern, Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM. Under the plan, China Southern and China Eastern will each account for 40% of the airport's passenger traffic and move their existing operations away from Beijing Capital International Airport. Meanwhile, facilities at Beijing Capital will be left mainly to Air China and its fellow airlines in the Star Alliance, such as Air Canada, Lufthansa and United Airlines.
Beijing
MAD architects completes beijing's chaoyang park plaza complex MAD architects, the chinese firm led by ma yansong, has completed ‘chaoyang park plaza’ on the southern edge of the largest park in beijing’s central business district. the development includes the 220,000 square meter ‘armani apartment complex’, which comprises ten buildings that have been designed to ‘unfold as a classic shanshui painting on an urban scale’.
Beijing targets housing affordability, nearly quadruples land release to boost flat supply | South China Morning Post Recent data shows that Beijing’s residential land supply is on course to hit a four-year high in 2017, or nearly quadruple last year’s level. In January through November, Beijing offered 9.45 million square metres of residential land for sale, compared with 2.5 million sq m in 2016, according to Centaline Property, which based its calculations on data from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
Jobs And Events
Journalist Needed for $20M Business Media Startup in Hong Kong Job at Mingtiandi - Asia real estate intelligence in Hong Kong | LinkedIn Mingtiandi is a three-person media startup that has been valued at US$20 million, and we are looking for our next team member.