Just links, today’s pollution has impaired my ability to think clearly:

 

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

Second Round of “Super Ministries” Reform Ahead -Caijing – Caijing learned that the new plan focuses on strengthening market regulation, improving people’s livelihoods, and consolidating administrative systems in major sectors such as transport and market supervision. Under the plan, the Railways Ministry will be merged with the Ministry of Transport, in a move which has won popular support. In addition, food and drug safety authorities will be integrated into a regulator dedicated to market supervision; and the powers of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the State Oceanic Administration will be expanded. However, consolidation of government agencies in the energy, cultural, and financial sectors, as well as the formation of a national organization which coordinates reforms in different sectors, though widely anticipated, have not been included in the plan. The draft plan, though basically completed, may be subject to changes before being put on the table of the central leadership, said an expert who participated in drawing up the plan. The version that comes out after the second plenary meeting of the 18th CPC Central Committee is expected to be final, said the expert… The expert also noted that the plan does little to limit the powers of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The NDRC, now in its 10th year, has sparked considerable criticism for wielding too much power. The commission manages both development- and reform-related issues, exercises macroeconomic control, examines and approves projects, and leads the institutional reform. As a result, any newly-created ministry will invariably overlap with the NDRC in terms of administrative functions… A source close to the NDRC said that strengthening the commission goes against super ministries reform. Super ministries reform has its basis in the market economy, whereas the model featuring a super-powerful NDRC is based on a planned economy, said the source.// // NDRC used to be known as the State Planning commission

Urbanization of the People Must Follow That of the Land – Caixin – Without plans to turn rural workers into urban citizens, urbanization can only become yet another round of massive land grabbing and city-building that has happened around the country for the last decade. This will create more people without roots who can neither integrate with their new urban environment nor return to their village. The next phase will no longer be only urbanization of the land, but of people.

China’s Frills and Posh Market Springs a Leak – Caixin – (Beijing) — Imagine a luxury goods shopper so confident and flush with cash that one day he walks into a Shanghai handbag shop, flashes 300,000 yuan, and waltzes out with almost every bag in stock. That’s what happened last year at a Prada store where Benny Lu worked as a clerk. The customer “entered the shop and pointed to the shelves,” he recalls. “Then he said, ‘Except this one and that one, pack all the others.'” This kind of price-is-no-object customer, however, is becoming increasingly rare at luxury retailers in Shanghai and across China. Sales of high-end jewelry, watches and handbags have been slowing lately, some five years after the world’s luxury goods makers embraced wealthy Chinese consumers as important drivers for global business growth…Gift-buyers are believed to account for up to 25 percent of all luxury product sales in China – a phenomenon that luxury retailers understand well and sometimes encourage through flexible invoicing. A manager for a luxury brand watch retailer told Caixin at his company “there are flexibilities granted to stores for invoice titles and contents.”..Many stores offer after-sales services to customers who can’t provide invoice. “A customer came in with a suit and asked to exchange it for a woman’s handbag because the size was wrong,” said a clerk at a luxury fashionwear store. “It obviously had been an unsuitable gift.“// surprised beijing has not gone after foreign luxury firms for the way they help facilitate corruption…or maybe just a matter of time

Mao’s $300 Red Army Liquor Suffers Before China Congress: Retail – Bloomberg -whither my Xi Jiu investment?//  “Demand for the most expensive liquors and cigarettes this New Year seemed to have just dried up,” said Kong, pointing to red boxes of cigarettes costing about $10 a pack, or more than six times the price of regular brands. “People are afraid to accept gifts.” The austerity campaign helped push down prices on some high-end spirits by about 30 percent over the holiday, the Ministry of Commerce said. Moutai’s shares have fallen 29 percent since Xi announced the clampdown in November, the biggest drop of 996 companies on the Shanghai Composite Index….Takings at high-end restaurants have fallen significantly since the government first encouraged austerity, the Ministry of Commerce said last week. Sales at luxury eateries in Beijing fell about 35 percent and 20 percent in Shanghai, it said, without giving exact dates. Demand for shark’s fin and pricey hampers of food plunged over the Chinese New Year season, the ministry said, attributing the drop to Xi’s policy.

Criminal Boss and Senior Officials Form Corrupt Alliance-Caijing – abridged translation of remarkable story about Lian Zhuozhao 连氏无间道-财经网//   Over the following three weeks, Du employed all the resources within her reach to change her situation. Dejected and desperate, Du pinned all her hopes on Lian Zhuozhao, “the king of gambling on the high seas,” who had powerful connections at sea. At that time, relevant authorities had been notified to restrict Du and Lian from exiting the country either by land or air.However, the secret order that followed was intercepted and leaked to Lian separately from three different sources including Zheng Shaodong, the then assistant minister of Public Security and director of the Ministry’s Economic Crime Investigation Bureau, Xiang Huaizhu, the bureau’s deputy director, and Wang Huayuan, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and secretary of Zhejiang Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection…A recent investigation uncovered that Bogu Kailai, wife of former Chongqing Party chief Bo Xilai, and her family had economic connections with Lian’s casinos and money-laundering network. Perhaps only Lian himself knows how deeply intertwined his business is with the mainland’s chain of corruption.

中国今年将举行近40场军演 场合直指热点区域_新闻_腾讯网 – china planning 40 military exercises this year, focus on “hot spots”, real combat ability, protecting the country’s core security interests// 40场军演，突出国家核心安全利益 今年解放军和武警部队演习演练涉及陆空联合战斗、远海实兵实弹对抗等 盘点近期多场演习演练，内容普遍实战化

人民日报-信仰的能量 廖毅文 – most read story on People’s Daily Online so far this morning..”Faith and Energy”..on Deng Xiaoping and the example he set// 在邓小平同志三落三起的政治生涯中，有一栋小楼与他乃至共和国的命运有着不解之缘。一个阳光和煦的冬日，我利用赴南昌陆军学院讲课的机会，来到了这栋小楼。小楼原是学院一位领导的住宅，后作为因“一号命令”疏散到江西的“党内第二号最大走资派”邓小平的临时住所，他和家人在这里度过了三年多的谪居岁月。..人的一生，会遇到各种各样意想不到的困难和挫折。邓小平同志也一样。一生波澜壮阔，身经百战，历受磨难，几度沉浮。但正是因为他胸中有信仰，心中有人民，所以在逆境面前选择坚定，在是非面前选择正义，在风浪面前选择从容，在高压面前选择抗争……给人以星火者，必怀火炬。他一生信仰如炬，理想如帜，用实践演绎和诠释了中国共产党人价值追求的真谛和内涵，在人们的心中树起了一座丰碑。人生如旅，充满挑战。信仰如灯，指引航程。坚守信仰，必能披荆斩棘，必能克服艰难险阻。这，就是信仰的能量。

Open letter to NPC on human rights – China Media Project – In an open letter circulating on Chinese social media today, a group of more than 100 prominent individuals — including academics, journalists, lawyers, economists and former Party officials — call on China’s government to immediately ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, or ICCPR. The treaty, one of three main components of the UN’s International Bill of Rights, commits ratifying parties to a series of core individual civil and political rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and due process

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

China Prepares Detailed Policies on Property Controls -Caijing – The new rules mainly target at first-tier cities with faster housing prices growth than those in second or third tier cities where property markets are still recovering from earlier cooling measures.

China to tighten shadow banking rules – FT.com – a trial in shanghai only, but they are not unaware of the risks// The disclosure requirements will begin as a trial in Shanghai in late March or early April, according to a person who has seen the draft rules. Banks will be asked to register their wealth management products or WMPs – deposit-like instruments that offer higher yields and are mostly held off-balance sheet – with the local regulator. “The main thing is monitoring the risks of the WMPs,” the person said. “The disclosures will fully cover the size, the variety, the maturity and the interest payment information for the products.”

CBC Raises Deposit Rates, First Among Big State Lenders-Caijing – The significant move reflects building pressures even on the powerful state-owned banks as they scramble for deposits to meet regulatory requirement following a lending spurt at the beginning of the year.

Biggest Fund Sees Economy Reigniting China Stock Advance – Bloomberg – Gains this year in Chinese A shares, stock traded in Shanghai and the southern city of Shenzhen, “didn’t fully reflect the gradual economic recovery this year,” David Lai, a portfolio manager at the Hong Kong unit of China Asset Management, said by phone Feb. 25. “More projects or plans will be rolled out to support short-term growth after the government reshuffle next month.” China Asset Management is the country’s biggest fund manager with 246 billion yuan ($39 billion) of assets, according to fund tracker Howbuy. Lai manages the ChinaAMC CSI 300 Index ETF, a Hong Kong-listed exchange-traded fund that tracks the 300 biggest publicly traded companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

463号文60天调查：部分财政担保“由明转暗”|财政担保|信托|463号文_21世纪网 – 心提示：2月26日，记者调查发现，包括新华信托、方正东亚信托等机构正在发行的部分信托产品，增信措施里仍使用“财政出具承诺函、地方人大将债务纳入财政预算”等地方隐性担保措施。

万亿公积金入市研究启动 财富管理五规划利好A股|公积金|财富管理|私募股权_21世纪网 – 核心提示：证监会有关负责人表示，该会将积极配合有关部门研究改进住房公积金的管理和投资运营模式，尽快推动《住房公积金管理条例》的修订。据新华社报道，截至2011年底，全国住房公积金规模庞大，缴存余额高达2.1万亿元。

央企缘何退不出房地产_杂志频道_财新网 – Caixin on why central SOEs just can’t quit real estate…// 三年来央企在房地产市场逆市崛起，国资委“退房令”成一纸空文，背后是EVA考核导向的缺陷，以及土地、信贷等资源配置的失衡

3个月豪掷64亿 中投旗下公司频拿地_财经频道_一财网 – very connected state money, with blackstone, has spent 6.4B RMB on land in Beijing and tianjin the last 3 months// 3个月，64亿元，中投发展在“国五条”出台“前夜”，分别向天津和北京的土地市场豪掷重金。 这个成立不到两年的“投手”来头不小。资料显示，中投发展成立于2011年4月，由中国建银投资有限责任公司（下称“建银投资”）、黑石基金及绿城地产等组建。大股东建银投资是不折不扣的“国家队”，它是中央汇金100%持股公司，中央汇金则是中投公司的全资子公司。 中投发展的另一股东黑石基金与中投也“沾亲带故”，2007年5月，尚在筹建期的中投斥资约30亿美元购买黑石近10%的股票。

房价又涨新国五条或无用 专家称调控有缺陷_国内财经_新浪财经_新浪网–CCTV – 房价又涨，新国五条管用吗？ 从去年年底到现在，多地房价特别是一、二线城市的房价开始看涨，一月份有53个城市的新建商品住宅价格环比和同比都出现了上涨，占比超过了7成。20号，国务院出台了新的房地产调控的所谓国五条，这样的举措让A股市场地产板块连续几天雪崩。这两天，网上一则盘点十年房价的微博引起了各方热议，十年间，全国的城镇平均房价从2381元上涨到了5791元。那么当下的楼市呈现出了哪些新的变化？房地产再次调控，房价会降吗？央视财经频道主持人沈竹和特约评论员中国人民学院经济学院副院长刘元春、著名财经评论员刘戈共同评论。

多地确认做好房产税试点准备 新华社——经济参考网 – 　在国务院常务会议确定“扩大个人住房房产税改革试点范围”后，哪个城市将成为下一个“吃螃蟹的人”，受到各方关注。《经济参考报》记者26日向湖南、湖北、浙江等地了解相关信息后，得知湘潭、武汉、杭州已完成房产税技术准备工作。对此，专家表示，试点极有可能从已做好准备的城市中选出，但试点名单决定权仍在国务院及其相关主管部门。对此，记者26日联系住建部相关主管人士，但其未作正面回答。

Web China: Chinese manufacturers scramble to find workers – Xinhua | English.news.cn – 10% may not be enough// Factory workers, mostly rural migrants, usually go home for family reunions during the traditional holiday. But many take advantage of the break to find better jobs and therefore do not return to their former employers. Companies have raised salaries or offered financial incentives in an attempt to retain workers.”Although the whole industry is still mired in gloom, we still plan to raise the workers’ salary by 10 percent this year,” said Tian Chengjie, vice president of Silverman Holdings Ltd., a textile company in Zibo of eastern Shandong Province.

Ruchir Sharma: China Has Its Own Debt Bomb – WSJ.com– So rebalancing requires China to cut back on investment and on the rate of increase in debt, which would mean accepting a rate of growth as low as 5% to 6%, well below the current official rate of 8%. In other investment-led, high-growth nations, from Brazil in the 1970s to Malaysia in the 1990s, economic growth typically fell by half in the decade after investment peaked. The alternative is that China tries to sustain an unrealistic growth target, by piling more debt on an already powerful debt bomb. Mr. Sharma is head of emerging markets at Morgan Stanley Investment Management and author of “Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles” (Norton, 2012)

 

POLITICS AND LAW

Xi bound by his ties to Mao’s ‘children’–Sydney Morning herald–John Garnaut– BEIJING: A rare photo has emerged showing China’s leader, Xi Jinping, at the centre of an informal gathering of powerful princelings, illustrating the complex webs of family, business and ideology he has to navigate. The group includes several of the titans of Chinese finance, two heavy-hitting generals and children of no fewer than five of the ‘‘Eight Immortals’’ of Chinese communism who came to ascendancy in the 1980s. The picture also includes a princeling who was previously jailed for embezzlement and a brother of Bo Xilai, the fallen politician who has been accused of myriad offences that range from corruption to involvement with his wife’s murder of an English family friend, Neil Heywood.

中国未来改革的走向和变数 – 张 鸣 – 名家博客 – 博客 – 财经网 – remarkable blog post on caijing from zhang ming//过去停滞的十年，造成了一种非改不可的形势，也积累了很多改革的负资产，但是中产阶层壮大了，人心变了，社会生态变了。虽然左派的声音还很响，中共党内的保守势力也在顽强地拉车倒退，但时代的确变了。十年前还是大逆不道的观念，现在已经在网上成为了常识。回到毛时代的最后一搏，随着薄熙来的倒下，已经成为明日黄花。中共新领导人明白，走出自身的困境，缓解危机的唯一途径，是继续改革。前面提到的三事，只是中共新领导人最方便做的，他们能做哪个，还是未定之数，但是有一点是可以肯定的：他们没有不做的本钱。做了之后，会产生很多变化，这些变化，没有人能够清楚的预测出来。但是有一点是可以肯定的，如果做到半途，改弦易辙，死路一条，除此而外，无论怎么变，中共的前途，都会比不变要好。尽管中共跟国民党比，包袱更多，历史的欠债也更多，但要争取一个好的前景，唯一能做的，还是尽力改革，做好事。历史上每个专制集团，都有欠债，都有包袱，若要新生，唯有脱胎换骨，从来没有过例外

赵本山否认空手操盘铁岭地块 正准备参加两会_新闻_腾讯网 – crosstalk mogul Zhao Benshan denies allegations of corruption around the Tieling subway..Tieling you may remember is a key city in the Wang lijun-Bo Xilai saga// 中新网沈阳2月26日电 近日有媒体报道“本山传媒空手操盘铁岭新城6.8亿元地块”。本山传媒艺术总监刘双平26日晚间在接受记者釆访时说：该报道是子虚乌有的。目前，赵本山的主要任务是正在准备参加全国政协会议。

专家:相关部门对官员“裸没裸”大体已掌握_财经频道_一财网 – 中国纪检监察学院副院长李永忠在接受本报记者采访时认为，随着对“裸官”记录和监管措施的逐渐加强，“裸官”现在想跑出去很难了。

习王反腐剑指官员亲属 直面中共“红色权贵”_多维新闻网 – 【多维新闻】北京时间2月25日，中国社会科学院发布《2013年法治蓝皮书》认为，公职人员隐性经商大行其道，他们的亲属也借助其权力在从事营利性活动过程中牟利。分析人士认为，这份报告比较隐晦地涉及到另一个问题：被外界称为“红色权贵”的中共党内重要领导的后代和亲属，往往凭借权力优势以不公正的手段聚敛国民财富甚至是贪污腐败等违法违纪现象。这是习近平与王岐山等中共高层以反腐重塑合法性保障中共持续执政必须面对、必须解决的难题。

习近平提依法治国 社科院倡政资分开_多维新闻网 – 【多维新闻】在中国官媒发表习近平把是否守法作为考察干部的指示翌日，中国社会科学院发表最新的《法治蓝皮书》，指中国司法舞弊枉法、冤假错案仍然时有发生，导致“信访不信法”的观念大有市场。中共今年将大力加强法治，社科院提议改革方向之一是要“政企分开、政资分开”等政治体制的改革要素

Promote Transparency Through Judicial Rules -Caijing – The SPC is promoting judicial mediation because of low integrity in China’s litigations and the difficulty in implementing court decisions.

山西大同政府被指在前市长耿彦波离任时欠债百亿_资讯频道_凤凰网 – 2月7日，大同市市长耿彦波调任太原代市长。这次调任引发大同市民春节期间上街下跪挽留。市民为何不舍耿彦波？他究竟是什么样的官员？耿在大同主政5年，人们对他的评价截然不同。

人民日报-敢于向陋习开刀(人民论坛) 周奉真 – 事实证明，作风问题具有顽固性和反复性，抓一抓有好转，松一松就反弹。现在，从中央的八项规定到各地的具体规定，正在深入实施，已经初见成效，但改作风不是一阵风，而是持久战。面对陋习，不仅要有敢于说“不”的决心，更需要常抓不懈的恒心。

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

Cardinal Filoni: It’s time for a new high level Commission on China-Holy See relations – Vatican Insider – On the eve of the Chinese Communist Party Congress, the Prefect of Propaganda Fide has launched a concrete and influential proposal to kick start dialogue between the Holy See and China again

Chinese Cyber Attacks: Take Off the Kid Gloves–Heritage Foundation – Even now, the Administration is continuing to press for cooperation and employing the carrot instead of the stick. Under Secretary of State Robert Hormats thinks the solution is to convince the Chinese that it is in their long-term economic interests to stop hacking. The U.S. has not had much luck convincing China that its interests coincide with those of the U.S. President Obama also had the perfect opportunity to call out China’s bad cyber behavior in his State of the Union address, but he chose to pass. As long as China can get military and commercial secrets at low or even no cost, there is no reason to stop. By choosing not to confront the Chinese, the Administration has kept the cost of China’s cyber crimes all too low.

Journalists must accept national security limits – Globaltimes.cn –how does US treat foreign journalists who film restricted military sites? //  It’s common for journalists to have a curious instinct, yet they should first consider news value and media ethics when deciding what to report. They should not overstep the “warning line,” over which reporting is prohibited by law. Restricted zones are like a hot stove. Once the journalists overstep this warning line, they will not only be blamed for discarding journalism ethics, but also burned in a brush with the law. The US journalists’ behavior in Shanghai apparently violated this rule of news coverage, and exposed the lack of ethics of the news organization behind//troubles ahead for CNN?

中国军网_济南军区某师反躬自省检讨新装备战法训法 新装备为何报出“假情报” – 关键时刻，陈营长命令某新型综合频谱监测车开机，很快蓝方指挥所位置被确定。拿到坐标，陈营长如获至宝，想都没想，就呼唤远程火力实施打击……然而，正当陈营长暗自窃喜时，却接到报告：我方炮阵地遭“敌”摧毁！ “怎么回事？”陈营长一头雾水。原来，战前操作人员给电磁频谱管理系统的电脑安装了一款杀毒软件。没想到，这款杀毒软件误将系统的一个显示插件禁用，致使电磁态势图出现误差，呼唤的远程炮火不仅没有打到蓝方的指挥所，反而暴露了目标。

中央军委给第二炮兵某导弹旅记一等功庆功大会举行——国防部网站 –  国防部网北京2月26日电 据解放军报（魏鹏、特约记者李永飞）报道：中央军委给第二炮兵某导弹旅记一等功庆功大会25日上午举行。会上，宣读了中央军委主席习近平签署的通令，并向该导弹旅颁发了奖状。第二炮兵副政治委员邓天生出席庆功大会。

CNOOC takes over Nexen – Xinhua | English.news.cn – CFIUS approved, but did it have much choice since Canada had already approved? But CFIUS has approved several China deals recently // China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced Tuesday that it has closed a deal to acquire Canada’s Nexen Inc. CNOOC, China’s largest offshore oil and gas producer, said in a statement on its website that the company paid about 15.1 billion U.S. dollars for Nexen’s common and preferred shares.

Liberal Super PAC Goes After Mitch McConnell’s ‘Chinese’ Wife | WFPL – Recently, the group turned its attention to McConnell’s wife, former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, with a focus on her race. In a Feb. 14 Twitter message, Progress says: “This woman has the ear of (Sen. McConnell)—she’s his wife. May explain why your job moved to China!” The Tweet links to a website run by conspiracy theorist and radio host Jeff Rense, alleging Chao, who was born in Taiwan, discriminated against American workers during her tenure.

Commentary: China expects closer ties with South Korea – Xinhua | English.news.cn– China also has a lot to offer to Park’s blueprint for another economic “miracle” for her country. China has a huge market for South Korea’s cars and telephones, and would be an important partner in nurturing a “creative economy” in South Korea. A fluent Chinese speaker who holds an honorary doctoral degree from a Taiwan university, Park has demonstrated extraordinary potential to surpass her predecessors in forging stronger China-South Korea ties. Her cultural ties with China and a more moderate stance on its northern neighbor, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), has rekindled hopes for more solidarity in Northeast Asia.

Corporate espionage: Who needs cyber-spying? | The Economist – “The easiest way to get intellectual property from a firm is by buying or renting an employee inside it,” says Kent Kedl of Control Risks, a consultancy. He frequently encounters cases in China of Western clients losing technology, sensitive sales data or, as with Mercury Cable, entire production lines. Some criminal tribes operate inside the target firm and misappropriate its resources, while others use purloined property and know-how to start rival businesses after (or even before) leaving the firm…The most dangerous local thieves are “PhD pirates”, says Peter Humphrey of ChinaWhys, a fraud-investigation consultancy. Such engineers and scientists may work quietly for years inside multinationals, especially in research-intensive industries like pharmaceuticals and chemicals, before striking. Mr Humphrey says there is a lively market for stolen intellectual property in China, and insists that “the massive expansion of Chinese patents is based on dubious ownership”.//Google China have any of these?

Christian missionaries threaten survival of Kaifeng Jews – Latest News on Israel & the Jewish World – JNS.org– After two centuries of slow decline, the Kaifeng Jews of Central China, who now number only in the hundreds, are again struggling to revive their community. Credit this to a moderately more open Chinese society, the Internet, and the intermittent presence of visiting, knowledgeable Western Jews. And, as in past centuries, Christian missionaries are also present, hoping to redirect the Kaifeng Jews along Christian paths. The chief player in the endeavor to convert the Kaifeng Jews is an American Judeo-Christian named Timothy Lerner, who founded the first Jewish school set up in Kaifeng in modern times. After studying in China in 2000, Lerner traveled to Kaifeng to open the Yiceleye (Israelite) School, instructing the Jewish descendants in Hebrew and gathering those interested for Shabbat dinners and festival celebrations.

A New Great Power Relationship? | CHINA US Focus Joseph Nye// Some experts worry that Chinese leaders’ sense of vulnerability at home will lead them to appeal to populist nationalism to increase their legitimacy and that could cause China to behave rashly in a crisis. The fact that China is not likely to become a peer competitor to the United States on a global basis does not mean that it could not challenge the United States in Asia, and the dangers of conflict can never be completely ruled out. But basically, Bill Clinton was right when he told Jiang Zemin in 1995 that the United States has more to fear from a weak China than a strong China. Thus far, the United States has accepted the rise of Chinese power and invited Chinese participation as a responsible stakeholder in the international system. Power is not always a zero sum game. Given the global problems that both China and the United States will face, they have much more to gain from working together than in allowing overwrought fears to drive them apart, but it will take wise policy on both sides to assure this future.

 

TECH AND MEDIA

阿里金融并入支付宝：马云的“大金融梦”_财经频道_一财网 – 阿里金融服务需要在支付宝的母体中进行，两者需要大量的工作沟通和数据配合；也只有紧密地借助支付宝的资源，金融服务才能有进一步的深化空间。

公告矛盾 西游发行方投资方陷利益纷争_财经频道_一财网 –investors fighting over profits from latest “journey to the west” movie blockbuster..Hollywood accounting meets Chinese accounting? which is worse?//  伴随着《西游》票房的节节高升，包括华谊兄弟、文化中国与比高公司在内的影片发行方、投资方却因为最终收益比例发生分歧。

What Lee’s `Life of Pi’ Oscar Says of Chinese Film – Bloomberg – What are those problems with Chinese filmmaking? An hour after the Oscars broadcast ended, Wang Ran, co-founder and chief executive officer of China eCapital Corp., a Beijing-based investment bank, offered what has become a fashionable answer: He pointed at the much-hated State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, China’s chief media industry regulator and censor. Tweeting to his 2.6 million Sina Weibo followers, Wang complained: “On the same day that ethnic Chinese director Lee Ang won another Oscar, SARFT announced regulations requiring that Chinese TV documentaries should pass a review just as movies and TV dramas do. While other people merely enjoy the excitement provided by Hollywood, only SARFT takes practical steps to help Hollywood maintain its dominant status in global film.”

China labor watchdog SACOM says Apple failing to monitor work conditions at suppliers | 9to5Mac – Hong Kong-based labor watchdog Student & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour released a report on Tuesday that criticizes Apple for failing to properly monitor the labor practices of its suppliers. Despite performing a 72-percent increase over the number of audits it performed in 2011 following FLA audits, SACOM’s report claimed interviews with 130 workers from three Apple suppliers showed the company is failing to meet basic humane labor practices.

Huawei Technologies UK CEO Speaks on Internationalisation and Innovation by Chinese Multinational Companies | TMDC Oxford University – On 7 February the Oxford Department of International Development (ODID) and the TMD Centre co-hosted the Distinguished Guest Lecture delivered by Victor Zhang, the CEO of Huawei Technologies (华为) UK. The lecture was entitled “Huawei Story: Embraces Challenges and Improvements Never Ends”. Professor Valpy FitzGerald Chaired the Lecture and Professor Xiaolan Fu, Director of the TMD Centre, introduced Huawei Technologies and Mr Zhang.

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Zhang Yaxin: Documenting China’s model operas during the Cultural Revolution (PHOTOS). – Rare Color Photos of 1960s Chinese Operas

【正月 ● 平遥】_…………….._梁喜兵_博联社 – cool pictures from Pingyao on the lantern festival

Flowers of the Motherland | ChinaFile – School uniforms have been a hot topic in the Chinese media since last Thursday. On February 20, 2013, on a new satirical TV news talk show akin to the Colbert Report, but with a pre-recorded laugh track instead of a live audience, host Jin Yan of Shanghai’s Dragon TV-produced Talk Tonight, disclosed the result of a recent random audit of school uniform suppliers in Shanghai conducted by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision. Of the twenty-two manufacturers selected, six of them failed to meet minimum quality standards. For the past three years, one of the six, the Ouxia Clothing Company, manufactured uniforms containing aromatic amines (which are used in dyes) believed to cause cancer, while continuing to fill orders for more than thirty schools in the Pudong district. In the 48 hours after the talk show aired, video clips of the school uniform episode generated more than 6 million tweets on China’s microblog site Sina Weibo. But the scandal itself is not why the video went viral. Most of the Weibo comments focused on one elementary schoolboy’s response to the Talk Tonight reporter’s questions. While it was his wiser-than-his-years answer that spawned the meme that went viral (more on this later), all of the interview responses in the Talk Tonight episode are noteworthy.

Demographics, not curse, cuts marriage — Shanghai Daily – CITY civil affairs officials have predicted a decline in marriages this year, but said it is because of a decline in the number of marriage-age people, not due to the Chinese folklore belief that this year is a “widow year.” An ancient Chinese tradition says it is a bad or unlucky year to wed when li-chun, one of the 24 solar terms officially marking the start of spring, falls before the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Why China is sitting on fashion’s front row – CNN.com – But the rising fashion credentials of the country’s consumers is not the only reason people are talking about China on the sidelines of this season’s runway shows in London and Paris. A new, young generation of Chinese fashion designers is causing a stir within stylish circles.

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

多名大学生申请公开发改委上调油价依据_资讯频道_凤凰网 – university and grad students request NDRC publicly disclose reasons for the recent gasoline price increase// 新京报讯 （记者魏铭言）昨天，华东政法大学在读研究生赵东海通过特快专递，向国家发改委申请公开成品油“涨价”的法律依据。同日，广东两名大学生也向发改委提出同样的申请。 国家发展改革委2013年2月24日发布《国家发展改革委关于提高成品油价格的通知》，决定提高成品油价格，2013年2月25日零时起执行。

Tough Truths From China on CO2 and Climate – NYTimes.com – I’m way overdue to post excerpts here from an extraordinary recent China Dialogue with Zou Ji, the deputy director of China’s National Center for Climate Change Strategy…The interview is blunt and crystal clear in laying out the demographic and economic realities that will, for many years to come, slow any shift from Chinese dependence on coal.

Experts Say Beijing’s New Auto Emissions Standards to Ripple Through China | Asia Pacific content from WardsAuto – Enacting the stricter emissions standard is something of a watershed moment for China, which long has stalled in implementing the new rules due to the obstacles it faces in enforcing them in areas where the China 4 standard currently applies. “The issue lies in the fact (cars that meet) the China-5 standard are more expensive and local Chinese auto makers will see a drop in sales as a result, as many of their vehicles do not meet these standards,” automotive-consulting firm IHS Automotive analyst Namrita Chow says in a recent note to clients. Yet, as long as the standard remains confined to Beijing, analysts suggest its impact will be limited.

别急！“国家机密”环保部一定会公布_专题策划_21世纪网-21cbh.com – 21CBH on likelihood MEP will reverse states secrets excuse for not realsing soil survey…just like with PMI data // 2月20日环保部以”国家机密＂为由，拒绝了北京律师董正伟要求公开土壤污染数据的申请，一石激起千层浪，对环保部此举的质疑如潮水般袭来。但为什么说环保部一定会公布数据？且看03年非典事件前期的保密，导致问题愈发严重；且看近年试图掩人鼻息的PM2.5在阵阵呼吁中最终公开~~ 所以，作为“国家机密”的土壤污染数据一定也会公开的，只是，和过往的教训一样，公布之日，或许早已是危难之时。

“酷抠族”的低调生活 | 每经网 – expect some english stories about this trend/group over the next few weeks// 所谓“酷抠”，也就是“酷酷地抠”，把钱花到该花之处，花出质量和效益，更好地配置有限的资源.. Coolcarl，酷抠族，是悄然崛起于当今“族”语境下的一群时尚达人。人如其名，他们身上既有“酷”(cool)的超逸，也有“凡人”(carl)的简约。

China to expand organ donor system nationwide |Society |chinadaily.com.cn – Zhao Baige, executive vice-president of the Red Cross Society of China, said on Monday that it will urge all provinces and regions not covered by the program to add it by the end of the year.Led by the Ministry of Health and the society, the organ donation program aims to establish viable systems to share the information of deceased organ donors and people waiting for donations, and to match donations between the two across the country.

Will Chinese Hospitals Allow Treatment First and Payment Later? Not So Fast | Tea Leaf Nation – One day after the report came out, China’s Ministry of Health announced that while a very limited pilot program is underway, there is no timetable for a national rollout of the treat-now-pay-later scheme. Most Internet users declared themselves unsurprised by the reversal. Indeed, many questioned whether the news was an April Fool’s joke to begin with. User @Coo刘油茶 tweeted, “They got me once again!”

Medical reform in crucial stage |Society |chinadaily.com.cn – As China has nearly achieved universal healthcare by covering about 95 percent of the population under some form of health insurance, reforms to public hospitals will be on top of the working agenda, he said. The essence of the reform is to cut public hospitals’ financial dependence on drug sales, a mechanism that easily results in excessive examinations and prescriptions, health policy experts said.

Intense acupuncture may improve Bell’s palsy | Reuters – Patients with facial paralysis saw greater improvements in function after a more intensive form of acupuncture in a new study from China that compared the treatment to standard acupuncture.

 

FOOD AND TRAVEL

Panda-themed hotel opens–Xinhua – furries will like// A new panda-themed hotel has opened at the foot of Emei Mountain, Southwest China’s Sichuan province, Feb 25, 2013. The hotel is reportedly the first panda-themed hotel in the world.

 

BEIJING

故宫筒子河变“垃圾河”–社会–人民网 – moat around the forbidden city–tongzi river–becomes a “trash river”// 晨报讯（记者 王歧丰）故宫外围的筒子河里，被游客丢弃了大量垃圾，让人看了心里很不舒服，也有损紫禁城的整体面貌。昨天，故宫等管理部门表示，待天气回暖，冰面解冻后即将进行清理，同时呼吁游客爱护文化景观，维护文化遗产的尊严。

 

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