Still struggling to find anything interesting to say so no commentary today. Wednesday’s newsletter will be later in the afternoon as our kids have a school event in the morning.
Thanks for some of the suggestions for an Obama-Xi agenda, looks daunting.
Lots of links today, playing catchup from the Monday holiday:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
Donilon Tells Xi the U.S. Seeks Closer China Ties as Talks Near – Bloomberg President Barack Obama wants to build more cooperation and trust in the U.S.-China relationship, U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon told China’s President Xi Jinping weeks before the two leaders meet in the U.S. The two countries’ relationship is at a “critical juncture to build on successes and open up new dimensions for the future,” Xi told Donilon when they met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. The Chinese leader will meet Obama on June 7 and 8 in California.
Related: [视频]习近平会见美国总统国家安全事务助理_新闻频道_央视网 Xi’s meeting with Donilon number three item on Monday CCTV Evening news, after his meetings with Uruguay President and Russian Duma Chairman. Who was at the table on Donilon’s side? I recognize Amb Locke, Jim Brown the awesome interpreter, and Evan Medeiros…noteworthy that newly promoted Ding Xuexiang at the table? // 习近平指出，当前，中美关系处于承上启下、继往开来的重要历史时期。双方应该从两国人民和世界人民根本利益出发，共同致力于建设中美合作伙伴关系，走出一条前无古人、后启来者的新型大国关系之路。
Related: 人民日报-习近平会见美国总统国家安全事务助理多尼伦 nice picture of Xi Jinping and Tom Donilon on page 1 of People’s Daily. What is that painting in the background? // 习近平会见美国总统国家安全事务助理多尼伦
Confidential report lists U.S. weapons system designs compromised by Chinese cyberspies – The Washington Post There has to be some culpability on the American side for this..gross negligence at least. Yet will we see any punishments for the contractors who allowed their secrets to be stolen?// Designs for many of the nation’s most sensitive advanced weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, according to a report prepared for the Pentagon and to officials from government and the defense industry. Among more than two dozen major weapons systems whose designs were breached were programs critical to U.S. missile defenses and combat aircraft and ships, according to a previously undisclosed section of a confidential report prepared by the Defense Science Board for Pentagon leaders… said a senior military official who was not authorized to speak on the record. “This is billions of dollars of combat advantage for China. They’ve just saved themselves 25 years of research and development. It’s nuts.”
Related: HACKED! – Four Corners – ABC Four Corners reporter Andrew Fowler reveals that hackers, working from locations overseas, have targeted key Federal Government departments and major corporations in Australia. Their intention is to steal national security secrets and vital business information.
Chinese disciplinary officials told to discard VIP cards – Xinhua | English.news.cn According to a circular released Monday by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), officials and employees currently working in disciplinary and supervisory departments should discard “all kinds of membership cards received in various names” by June 20. The move targeting potential bribery attempts is the latest in the watchdog’s fight against corruption. “Those cards are small, but they point to profligacy and reflect a major issue concerning officials’ style,” said Wang Qishan, secretary of the CCDI, at a Monday meeting promoting the campaign.
Related: 人民日报-一些政府官员以“会员”身份出入高尔夫球场、会所，相对隐秘地奢侈消费—— 治理“会员卡”当出重拳 专家建议：工商税务加强监管高消费场所，“会员卡”购买使用实名登记
Related: 中纪委要求纪检监察领导干部带头清退会员卡|会员卡|中纪委|带头_新浪新闻 王岐山强调，这次会员卡专项清退活动，是纪检监察系统开展以为民务实清廉为主要内容的党的群众路线教育实践活动的“前奏曲”。纪检监察干部要以高标准要求自己，牢固确立凡要求别人做到的首先自己必须做到的意识，正人必先正己，在活动中“照镜子、正衣冠、洗洗澡、治治病”，增强宗旨意识和群众观念，自觉抵御各种诱惑，以实际行动深入贯彻落实八项规定，以改进作风的新成效积累“正能量”，以优异成绩迎接建党92周年。//Wang says prelude to mass line education campaign announced in April, said to start in second half of this year. Also to be known as a Party Rectification Campaign?
Related: 消息称王岐山要求高官留学子女毕业一年内回国_资讯频道_凤凰网 Phoenix TV claims reliable sources say Wang Qishan has announced [Correction: “will announce”, and story has been deleted from ifeng.com site] that all Minister-level and above officials with children studying overseas must have them return to china within one year of finishing their studies, otherwise their parents may lose their positions..that this rule will be expanded to vice ministerial rank in 2014 and bureau/office director level in 2015 // 另外，有可靠的消息透露说，中央现在的反腐工作将会有一个重大的突破。中纪委掌门人王岐山将会向全体党员宣布，正部级以上职务的干部，如果有留学海外的子女的话，在完成学业的一年之内必须要回国，如果不回国，他们父母的职位就会被调整。到2014年的时候，这个规定会扩大到副部级官员，2015年的时候，扩大到正厅级官员，以杜绝大家都非常关注的“裸官”现象。
CPC publishes rules to sharpen intra-Party management – Xinhua | English.news.cn The two regulations are considered an important move to improve the CPC’s internal management and sharpen intra-Party supervision. One regulation is about which party organs are authorized to draft, approve, publish, amend and abolish party regulations and what procedures they should follow. The other one details how party regulations should be put on records, reviewed, amended or abolished. The two regulations are the first formal documents to regulate the formation of CPC rules since the founding of the CPC in 1921. They will affect more than 82 million members and 4 million CPC organs. The newly published regulations are based on a temporary regulation on the formation of party rules issued in 1990.
Related: 人民日报-中国共产党党内法规制定条例
Related: 中共两部党内重要法规增写“清理制度”_中国_多维新闻网 中央社会主义学院教授甄小英说，这些做法有利于强化对党内法规的监督，解决“红头文件”打架等问题；有利于摸清“底数”，加快构建科学的党内法规制度体系；有利于督促党内法规的实施，维护党内法规制度体系的严肃性、权威性。
Europe and China Trade Talks End Bitterly – NYTimes.com Trade negotiations between the European Union and China ended on Monday with mutual recriminations. China called on the European Union to refrain from imposing tariffs on solar panels, and the European trade commissioner complained that China was pressuring individual countries to prevent Europe from reaching a consensus.
Related: EU duties on Chinese solar panels losing member: state support | Reuters A majority of EU governments oppose a plan to impose hefty duties on solar panel imports from China, a survey of member states showed on Monday, undermining efforts by Brussels to pressure Beijing over its trade practices.
Related: Merkel Vows to Avert China Trade Dispute as Li Rejects EU Duties – Bloomberg Merkel, speaking at a joint press conference in Berlin with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang yesterday, said that she’ll strive to ensure no permanent tariffs are imposed by the EU on China over its solar products and will work over the next six months for a solution to the dispute. Li said that he “decisively” rejected the imposition of EU duties
China struggles to find head for CIC sovereign wealth fund – FT.com China’s top leaders, including Premier Li Keqiang are involved in choosing CIC’s chairman, so the reluctant candidates have had to make compelling cases to turn the job down. One of the people familiar with the process said Mr Tu had argued that he had more work to do transforming Shanghai into a global financial centre, a goal that the central government has made a priority.
Related: Power struggle in Beijing leaves CIC leaderless | South China Morning Post Tu is regarded as being well qualified for the job, given his finance-focused background, and the Post has learned from its sources that he has been nominated for CIC’s chairmanship by several cabinet members. But a recent Standing Committee meeting of the Politburo, China’s top-level political decision-making body, chaired by President Xi Jinping, failed to reach an agreement on the appointment. It is not clear whether Xi himself opposed Tu’s nomination, but what is clear, according to the sources, is that the Communist Party’s Organisation Department, which is in charge of senior government hiring, was then told to put the entire process on hold.
Related: China Wealth Fund Appoints ICBC Executive to Key Post – WSJ.com China Investment Corp. said on Monday that Chinese leaders had appointed Li Xiaopeng, a vice president at Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. as head of the board, which is responsible for monitoring the behavior of the fund’s directors and executives. The CIC appointment announced on Monday was made by the State Council, China’s cabinet. He succeeds Jin Liqun in that position. Mr. Jin is likely to assume the chairmanship at investment bank China International Capital Corp. in the coming days, said people familiar with the matter. //but still no chairman
Shale Gas on the Intensity Scale – Caixin Precariously placed, the bulk of China’s shale gas reserves sit on interlaced earthquake fault lines in the country’s southern region. In a country with more shale gas reserves than the United States and Canada combined, plans to extract a high volume of shale gas from earthquake prone regions has researchers concerned such activity could have perilous effects. Worries have arisen from studies conducted on the effects of fracking, the most popular method for shale gas extraction, which have been correlated to an increase in seismic activity.
Mr. China Goes To San Francisco | TechCrunch A block from the Mariposa on-ramp and in the eye-line of 90,000 cars whizzing by on 280 sits an old warehouse that was home to the San Francisco Bay Guardian, a local alt weekly, and Digg. Most of the building is gutted, and inside they are working on the “greatest enabler of hardware on the planet,” according to PCH International head Liam Casey. It will be the new home of Lime Lab, a hush-hush design consultancy that Casey bought in 2012 for an undisclosed amount and, most important, the U.S. gateway to Asian PCH’s manufacturing might that allows hardware startups to access stem-to-stern services in design, coding, manufacturing, packaging and shipping.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
No further government stimulus measures likely: report – BUSINESS – Globaltimes.cn Senior officials and experts believe it is unlikely the central government will launch a new round of economic stimulus plans despite a slowdown in the country’s economy, the Economic Observer reported Saturday. “Enterprises need to close down backward production and upgrade their industrial structure, and should not expect further economic stimulus measures by the government,” an official from the National Development and Reform Commission, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Beijing-based newspaper.
中国经济刺激政策预期淡出 – 经济观察网 － 专业财经新闻网站导语：一个确定的信号是：尽管困难重重，但行业协会却并不希望政府再出台大规模的经济刺激计划。
China Leaders Signal Slowdown Tolerance as Policy Shift Planned – Bloomberg The country won’t sacrifice the environment to ensure short-term growth, Xi said during a study session of the Communist Party’s top leadership on May 24. His comments follow a statement issued on the same day that the State Council, which is chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, approved measures including tax reform to revamp the economy.
Rosy China growth forecasts fade on further signs of slowdown | Reuters As evidence mounts that China’s economy is losing momentum, economists are fast abandoning their rosy recovery forecasts and bracing for what could be the country’s slowest growth rate in 23 years.
Michael Pettis at the 2013 Wine Country Conference: Q&A with Jim Chanos – YouTube at 5:28 “the whole go west program is a complete waste”..Chanos and Pettis look to have a bromance going on
China’s social insurance funds revenue soars – Xinhua | English.news.cn By the end of last year, a total of 304.27 million working people, retirees and beneficiaries were covered in the basic endowment insurance for senior citizens, an increase of 20.36 million from a year earlier, according to the ministry. Among them, 45.43 million were rural migrant workers, an increase of4.03 million from 2011.
China’s migrant worker pay growth nearly halved in 2012 | Reuters The average monthly wage of migrant workers grew 11.8 percent in 2012 from the previous year to 2,290 yuan ($370). That marked a sharp slowdown from the annual 21.2 percent surge in 2011, according to the latest survey by the National Bureau of Statistics. The survey of China’s rural labor force showed the number of migrants working outside their home towns grew 3 percent in 2012 from the previous year to 163.4 million. The pace eased from 3.4 percent in 2011.
China Said to Study U.S. Property Investments With Reserves – Bloomberg The State Administration of Foreign Exchange began the study after seeing signs of a recovery in the U.S. property market, said the people, who asked not to be identified as they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter. China may acquire properties, invest in real estate funds or buy stakes in property companies, they said. The safety of the investments will be the top priority, said the people, who didn’t elaborate on a timetable or other details.
Dalian Wanda Group Dreams Big, Then Bigger – Caixin The company has expanded rapidly both at home and abroad. Last year, Wanda paid US$ 2.6 billion to acquire the U.S. cinema chain AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., giving it a foothold in North America’s film industry. This year, the company is reportedly in talks with two European cinema chains for potential acquisition. Wang Jianlin, Wanda’s chairman, told Caixin that the company wants to control 20 percent of the market share in the United States, Europe and China. Domestically, Wanda’s expansion focuses on property and the retail sector. The company plans to build 20 commercial complexes and 20 department stores across the country every year, and is constructing its business on four pillars: commercial property, luxury hotels, tourism and retail chains.
China profit growth quickens, no harbinger of recovery | Reuters China’s industrial profits growth quickened in April from the previous month, though the government noted that the pickup was due mainly to a low comparative base, indicating that the world’s second largest economy still faces slack domestic and external demand.
Li Says China Confronts ’Huge Challenges’ as Growth Levels Slow – Bloomberg Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said his country is confronted by “huge challenges” as it opens up the economy and that the new government’s reform measures will be accompanied by tapered-off levels of growth. Speaking in Berlin during his first trip abroad as premier, Li said the Chinese government will move forward with market-oriented reforms to generate stable growth after the economy unexpectedly slowed in the first quarter.
Chinese Firm Is Behind a Group Bidding for Club Med – NYTimes.com The Fosun-backed offer for Club Med, which trades on the NYSE Euronext in Paris, reflects the unusual nature of the relationship between the two companies. Many Western companies have expanded in China by setting up joint ventures with Chinese companies. Club Med chose a different route, allowing Fosun to buy a stake in the French parent company.
In China, Leaders Worry About Prospects for College Graduates – China Real Time Report – WSJ You don’t need an advanced degree to see that China’s policy makers are worried about job prospects for college graduates. In the last week or so top leaders have weighed in on the issue — including Communist Party chief Xi Jinping, who met with graduates at a placement center, and Premier Li Keqiang, who chaired a cabinet meeting zeroing in on the issue. The cabinet later announced an action plan and the nation’s media jumped on the bandwagon, giving the issue extensive coverage.
Chinese Banks Cut Back on Wealth-Management Products – WSJ.com New rules aimed at reducing risks in China’s financial-services industry have dented the appeal of high-yield alternatives to deposits and threaten to crimp profits for banks. Bank issuance of wealth-management products—retail investments that offer some of the security of deposit accounts but higher yields—dropped 8.8% in April from March, according to Cnbenefit, a research firm in the city of Chengdu. The average yield edged down to 4.3% in May from 4.4% in March, Cnbenefit said.
北京“准地王”遭叫停“国五条”细则难抑抢地潮？ | 每经网 Beijing halts a land auction near south 4th ring road that may have resulted in new land king…Municipal government under huge political pressure to repress land and housing prices, unclear they have enough fingers to plug all the holes in the dike // 昨日（5月27日），在距离北京丰台区花乡夏家胡同居住用地竞拍不到30个小时，北京市国土资源局突然发布公告称，现因故暂停北京市丰台区花乡夏家胡同R2二类居住用地项目 （配建“公共租赁住房”）挂牌出让活动。《每日经济新闻》记者从相关渠道了解到，就在该地块暂停出让之前，万科刚提交了报价。“这次参与的房企都是重量级的，如果开拍一定会是一场恶战。”一位参与该地块报价的开发商代表透露，包括李嘉诚旗下的和记黄埔、九龙仓、中粮、懋源在内的数十家大型房企交纳了保证金。
地方债广州样本：2414亿怎么还？_财经频道_一财网 各地房产价格都在涨，去年萧条的土地市场开始复苏。地价不断上涨，地方政府的偿债能力相应增强。
China’s Plans for Faster Urbanization: Show Me the Numbers – China Real Time Report – WSJ What the markets are really keen to know is how fast a pace is in the government’s blueprint and how much money will be thrown at urbanization. So far, Beijing isn’t saying
新型城镇化突破口：启动二次“土改”_财经频道_一财网 land reform the key to urbanization? // 在当前建设用地供给模式下，政府直接参与征地、卖地，一方面导致土地价格高企，房地产价格上涨；另一方面政府财政过度依赖土地收入，政府行为被土地“绑架”。
【舒立观察】牵农地一发 动城镇化全身_杂志频道_财新网 有关土地的消息总是格外惹人关切。日前，河南、湖北、四川等地相继发生农民因土地被征占而不幸身亡的事件，引起中央领导关注并作出批示。5月13日，国土资源部下发紧急通知，要求各地防止违法违规征地。另一方面，广东、重庆等地正在积极尝试承包地、集体林地抵押和宅基地等集体建设用地进入市场。好消息与坏消息均在昭示农地改革的迫切性和重要性。
中央政治局力挺生态文明建设 15股爆发在即 – [中国证券网] Shanghai Securities News looks at 15 stocks that should benefit from the Politburo’s recent comments on the environment // 日前中共中央政治局集体学习时，总书记习近平表示下决心把环境污染治理好，相关概念股值得市场密切留意。
Chinese Enterprises Struggle Overseas – Economic Observer Why do so many of these projects fail to take off? How does one choose an overseas investment that will see a reasonable return?
POLITICS AND LAW
Targets Of Disgraced Bo Xilai Still Languish In Jail | Minnesota Public Radio News This was July 2009, and Li Qiang’s arrest was one of the first in Chongqing party secretary Bo Xilai’s highly publicized campaign against the mafia. Now, 14 months after Bo was detained on suspicion of abuse of power and corruption, some victims of his campaign are going public for the first time with accounts of a process that flouted the law at almost every stage. Many others still languish in jail, despite the fall of those who put them there.
“授课”中南海 – 经济观察网 － 专业财经新闻网站 Economic Observer looks at who gives guest lectures to the leadership inside Zhongnanhai // 导语：谁在中南海给中央高层官员们上课？都讲些什么？中南海的集体学习课程在怀仁堂一上就是11年，至今共有140多名老师来到这里，给包括中共中央政治局委员在内的高层官员上了82堂课。
The Ultimate Resume-Booster: Communist Party Membership | Tea Leaf Nation has been this way for a long time // Despite a complex application process, some Chinese are quite eager to join the CCP. In large part, it is not because they believe in communist tenets..Instead, they join because becoming a Party member is a resume booster that can get a Chinese citizen promoted more rapidly, especially within government or state-owned-enterprises.
中共理论匮乏致政治乱伦 毛苏情结迫习左转_中国_多维新闻网 也正是因为如此，当此次党媒一齐“讨伐”宪政，所有的猜测都指向最高层之时，外界才对这种“左右反复”感到不解。事实上从目前的情况来看，较为准确的解读是包括习近平在内的整个中共领导层从未对“依法治国”产生摇摆，他们所担忧的是自由派借“宪政”之名动摇中共一党执政的合法性基础。这一点也在这批党媒文章中有所袒露，“坚持共产党领导是宪法确定的基本原则，共产党没有经多党竞选而上台执政有不容置疑的合法性。但以宪政理念为标准，就无共产党的领导地位”
Interpreting the Chinese Dream – CNN.com Senior diplomat Wu Jianmin, who has served as China’s ambassador to the United Nations among other posts, says: “If you look at President Xi Jinping’s speech, if you look at the Party Congress Report, you can see they talk loud about political reform.” “Xi Jinping was very clear on that. We need rule of law and democracy.”
China’s think tank urged to research “Chinese dream” – Xinhua | English.news.cn A senior Chinese official on Monday called for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), a leading think tank, to research the “Chinese dream.” With this reference to a great renewal of the Chinese nation dominating the zeitgeist, Liu Qibao, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the academy should conduct deep research on socialism with Chinese characteristics.
人民论坛：中国梦区别于美国梦的七大特征-财经网 seven differences between the Chinese Dream and American Dream // 中国梦是国家的富强，美国梦是个人的富裕；中国梦的目的是民族振兴，美国梦的目的是个人成功；中国梦必须由中国人自己来实现，美国梦可以利用其他国家的人才资源达到；中国梦是群体的和谐幸福，美国梦是个人的自由和快乐
破解法官腐败 建构更独立和公正的司法-财经网 司法改革并不完全在司法领域中完成，建构更独立和公正的司法触及方方面面。尤其离不开宏观层面的政治体制改革，司法改革是政治体制改革的一部分
法官腐败报告-财经网 Caijing report on 200 corrupt legal officials // 法官腐败并非单纯的道德和监督问题，200个样本组成的这份报告主要对法官腐败的特点、高发人群、寻租领域、司法生态等进行分析。而治理法官腐败的痼疾，亟待推进司法体制改革及政治体制改革，以消除体制性障碍
Kunming activists told to call off protest during China-South Asia Expo | South China Morning Post Kunming authorities have been put on high alert to thwart a third demonstration against a petrol refinery and maintain social stability in the run-up to the China-South Asia Expo.
Kunming restricts face mask and T-shirt sales ‘to prevent more environmental protests’ | South China Morning Post Kunming has banned bulk-buying of face masks and the sale of white T-shirts and has regulated photocopying in an effort to avoid another public protest after two demonstrations against a petrochemical plant had embarrassed the city’s government.
学习时报：建设服务型政党要有宪法思维_资讯频道_凤凰网 interesting Study Times on building a service-oriented government, constitution// 习近平总书记指出：“依法执政，关键是依宪执政。”党的十八大提出了建设服务型政党的战略任务。在法治时代，建设服务型执政党一方面需要从党发挥政治功能的角度，通过增强党组织服务力量、拓宽党组织服务空间、完善党组织服务网络和建立党组织服务机制等措施思考实现路径；另一方面也需要从宪法实施的角度思考实现路径；即建设服务型政党要有宪法思维，需要基于宪法理念、确立宪法权威、强化宪法意识。
媒体称涉法涉诉信访事项将一律改由政法机关处理_网易新闻中心 核心提示：据媒体报道，中国多省正在试点涉法涉诉信访改革，涉法涉诉信访事项将从普通信访体制中分离出来，由政法机关依法处理。媒体称此举意在避免信访推动诉讼程序的现象发生，以保证涉法涉诉信访完全在法治轨道内解决，改变目前上访者“信访不信法、信上不信下”的局面。
吴思：政改的预测框架_共识网政治改革的框架有四层，如同玛雅金字塔：塔尖是领导集团的政改动力，然后是影响政改意愿的三层力量：危机强度、社会上不同的行为主体、影响行为主体的重要变量。下边逐层讨论，最后推出几点观察。
揭秘“退休领导人出书”：副国级以上都需报告中办_资讯频道_凤凰网 on the process for retired leaders publishing books// 从工作文稿到“文艺作品”，中国“前国家领导人”出书越来越生动有趣，越来越贴近读者，而过去要求严格的送审程序也发生了一些细微的变化。
Corrupt Chinese officials turn to ‘black’ PR – Telegraph the manager at Yage Times said the company had never actually closed. “We just paused for a couple of days. How is it possible the police could arrest us?” he said. “In fact, that piece of news was leaked to Caixin by a rival in order to destroy the company
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
I’m sorry for China comments: ex – Fonterra head – Business – NZ Herald News Former Fonterra chairman Sir Henry van der Heyden has apologised to “China and its people and Government ” for warning New Zealand businesses not to trust the Chinese. Van der Heyden broke at lunchtime from his final board meeting as a Fonterra director to issue his public apology over comments made at a Tauranga business women’s conference. // who yelled at him first?
Premier Li says China, Germany could be economic ‘dream team’ | Reuters Li urged closer cooperation in manufacturing – an area where German firms increasingly see China as a competitor as it moves up the value chain – and he singled out logistics, education and healthcare as sectors for German investment. “China is willing to open up this space preferentially to Germany,” said Li, an economist, without elaborating. The European Commission in Brussels oversees EU trade ties with third countries and it was unclear how far Beijing could offer Berlin special access to markets denied to other member states
Closer Look: In Germany and Switzerland, Li Chooses His Friends Carefully – Caixin Switzerland was among the first Western countries to establish diplomatic relations with China, and one of the first European countries to recognize China’s market economy status. Since 2008, Switzerland’s policy towards China has become more practical, especially with its policy on Tibetans in exile. In 1960, Switzerland started to accept Tibetans seeking refuge. Today it has more than 4,000 Tibetans, the largest number of any European country. The Dalai Lama has a representative office in Switzerland and has been received by Swiss officials many times. In August 2008, however, the Swiss government for the first time in ten years decided not to meet with the Dalai Lama during his visit to the country. China’s closer ties with Switzerland demonstrated the Chinese government’s firm policy on its core issues.
PLA Navy fleet enters W Pacific for training – Xinhua | English.news.cn A naval fleet of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday passed through the Miyako Strait and entered the Western Pacific Ocean for a training mission. This marked the PLA Navy’s fifth high-seas drill this year.
PLA Navy’s three fleets meet in South China Sea for rare show of force | South China Morning Post China’s navy has carried out a rare joint exercise, involving its three fleets, in the South China Sea as regional tensions over territorial disputes mount. The combined drill was carried out in southern waters by warships, submarines and the naval air force from the People’s Liberation Army’s North Sea, East Sea and South Sea fleets, national broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday
As the US Naps, China Doubles Down on Caribbean Policy | Via Meadia China is beefing up its presence in the Caribbean and making it clear that the region is a strategic priority going forward. Over the past few months, Beijing has begun investing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure investment in countries very much in need of that money, still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. And in addition to the monetary aid, President Xi Jinping will be visiting Trinidad and Tobago next week as part of a tour of the Caribbean and Latin America. That visit will mark the first time a Chinese president will have toured an English-speaking Caribbean country…An absence of creative statesmanship in the region is one of the signs that America’s globalist foreign policy elite has lost touch with the country’s core interests.
China Builds EU Beachhead With $5 Billion City in Belarus – Bloomberg China is building an entire city in the forests near the Belarusian capital Minsk to create a manufacturing springboard between the European Union and Russia. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko allotted an area 40 percent larger than Manhattan around Minsk’s international airport for the $5 billion development, which will include enough housing to accommodate 155,000 people, according to Chinese and Belarusian officials.
Evaluating 3 key recommendations of the Blair-Huntsman IP Commission report | Transpacifica It’s worth keeping in mind that the individuals gathered independently over 11 months to produce a report on this particular problem. Thus, we should perhaps not be surprised to learn that they believe “the American response to date of hectoring governments and prosecuting individuals has been utterly inadequate to deal with the problem.” The resulting report is nonetheless carefully done, and it will be provocative both in the U.S. policy environment and in the ongoing trade and economic discussions between the United States and China.
Special Report: Why China’s film makers love to hate Japan | Reuters But decades of officially sanctioned hatred for Japan in China means Beijing is now caught in a propaganda trap of its own making. It has little room to negotiate or step back now that forces from both sides are circling in a potentially deadly standoff. Nationalism in Japan also makes concessions difficult for Tokyo.
INSIGHT: Japan looks to improve ties with Myanmar to contain China – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Along with its stated economic aims, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s three-day visit to Myanmar was also important from a political standpoint..The Japanese government sees enhanced economic cooperation with Myanmar as a good opportunity to lessen its heavy dependence on China. “The next member of a coalition to contain China must be Myanmar,” a senior government official said.
The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea – N.Korea Suggests Regional Basketball Tournament will Kim make Dennis Rodman an honorary DPRK citizen so he can play for his team? Or just invite The Worm as a VIP?// North Korea last month proposed to the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union an international basketball tournament involving both Koreas, China, and Japan. An informed source on Friday said North Korean state broadcaster KRT proposed to the ABU that they jointly host a basketball tournament among national players from the four countries.
The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Top Chinese Official ‘Sees No Special Relationship with N.Korea’ Senior Chinese official and roaming regional ambassador Wang Jiarui recently described his country’s ties with North Korea as merely “normal relations between states,” a lawmaker here said Monday. Yoo Ki-june of the Saenuri Party’s Supreme Council was speaking after he led a group of 10 ruling and opposition lawmakers on a visit to China last week.
China’s satellite data network reaches South China Sea – People’s Daily Online The station, in Sanya in south China’s island province of Hainan, was launched by the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. China will now be able to obtain satellite remote sensing data of the country’s southern territorial waters for civil use directly from its ground-based receiving facilities, according to an institute statement.
Japan urged to face history|Politics|chinadaily.com.cn Premier says order created after WWII must be safeguarded. Premier Li Keqiang urged Japan on Sunday to respect China’s territorial sovereignty and the order created after World War II, while offering to work with Germany to achieve more global peace.
Close view of Chinese female snipers – Xinhua | Pictures Just because
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
Official expelled from CPC after hotel molestation – Xinhua | English.news.cn An official in south China’s Guangdong Province has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) after an investigation showed he molested a hotel worker in Taiwan, local authorities said on Monday.
Taiwan to Unveil Economic Stimulus Plan by May 31 to Spur Growth – Bloomberg Taiwan plans to announce stimulus measures this week to boost the economy after lowering its forecast for expansion in 2013 as the global recovery falters. Premier Jiang Yi-huah is reviewing proposals from ministries for aiding growth before an announcement due by May 31, Cabinet spokeswoman Cheng Li-wun said by phone today
TECH AND MEDIA
移动互联网卡位战_杂志频道_财新网 long story in this week’s Caixin magazine on battle among China’s Internet giants for a winning mobile strategy
Beijing and Shanghai Ban Monetized Taxi-Finder Apps, But Free Ones are OK–TechInAsia Increasingly, it seems likely that taxi finder apps will be permitted in China, with a few caveats: they will not be allowed to charge users fees, and they will need to be approved by, and conform to standards set by, local government authorities
阿里牵头组建物流公司“菜鸟网络” _阿里巴巴集团（ALIBABA） _i美股 Alibaba joins forces with several investors, conglomerates and logistics firms, launches new company to build massive logistics network. Jack Ma will be chairman. Don’t believe reports of “retirement”?…//新浪科技讯 5月28日上午消息，由阿里巴巴集团牵头的物流项目“中国智能骨干网”(简称CSN)今日在深圳正式启动。阿里本次联合了银泰集团、复星集团、富春集团、顺丰、申通、圆通、中通、韵达组建了一个新公司，名为“菜鸟网络科技有限公司”，发布会同时公布了公司的产业定位和发展战略。
Jia Zhangke scoops Cannes Best Screenplay prize | South China Morning Post Mainland director Jia Zhangke won the best screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival for A Touch of Sin, a shocking look at rampant corruption and exploitation in his home country.
微信 指尖上的警民对话（关注政务微信·网络问政新平台）–时政–人民网 微信，这一时下颇为流行的移动社交新媒介，凭借其独特的传播优势，受到一些政府机构的青睐。因为之前有“政务微博”的实践，那些具有政府机构后台身份的微信公众账号，被称为“政务微信”。 有关研究机构的数据显示，悄然兴起的政务微信，开始成为政务信息发布、互动沟通、便民服务的新平台。目前，微信已拥有超过3亿用户，而全国已开通的政务微信总量超过1000个。
CNNIC: China’s Smartphone Mobile Internet Users Reach 330 Mln | Marbridge Consulting According to a recent report from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), China had 330 mln smartphone-based mobile internet users as of the end of February 2013, up by 140 mln from December 2011, accounting for 79% of China’s mobile internet users. The number of mobile internet users rose by 18.1% YoY to total 420 mln users as of the end of December 2012, representing 74.5% of overall internet users.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
Ai Weiwei Dioramas Depict His Imprisonment – NYTimes.com What took shape this spring at an industrial space in the Chinese capital were six fiberglass dioramas that depict, at half-scale, his often banal daily existence as a captive of the vast government security apparatus. The dioramas were quietly transported out of China — Mr. Ai declined to say exactly how — to Venice, where they will be publicly exhibited starting on Tuesday in a Renaissance building on Giudecca, an island used as an art gallery by the Zuecca Project Space, in parallel with the 2013 Venice Biennale, though not officially part of it. // how did he get these out? will there be problems ahead for shipping company and workers on the project?
Residents Decry Beijing’s Closing of Taobao Online Doctor-Appointment Booking System – China Real Time Report – WSJ Citizens are writing letters to editors (in Chinese) and filling up social networking sites with calls for Beijing’s municipal government to return an online appointment system that Taobao — the e-commerce arm of Internet giant Alibaba Group — set up in Beijing, Shanghai and 18 other provinces to help consumers avoid long lines and pricey scalpers who have taken advantage of China’s hospital-appointment system
Accidental Mysteries, 05.26.13: Chinese Propaganda Posters: Observatory: Design Observer Bloomsbury Auctions in London held an auction last week of vintage Chinese propaganda posters, largely from the 1950s and 60
How the Invisible Hand Guides Traffic – Economic Observer Guangzhou has put purchasing restrictions on cars and may bar non-local vehicles from entering the city in an effort to control traffic. This proposal represents a typical planned-economy mindset that will cause more harm than good. It’s demand, not supply, that should be controlled through gentle mechanisms.
我们来自西安/We livin in Xi’an—在线播放—优酷网，视频高清在线观看 rap video made by foreigners living in Xian
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
Cadmium Scare Boosts Appeal of North China Rice, Thai Imports – BloombergDemand for Thai rice, which can cost as much as nine times local grain, is rising, said Wang Shutong, an analyst at commodity information provider Sublime China Information Co. The price of rice from northeast Heilongjiang province, which produces the short-grain japonica variety, has risen as much as 2.6 percent this month, according to data tracked by SC
兰州造城复工两部门“谦让”至今未立项 | 每经网 moving mountains, literally, in Lanzhou to build a new city…crazy the scale of some of these projects, surprised no TV reporters have tried to visit this project // 这场轰轰烈烈的造城运动去年10月26日开工，因太平洋建设集团首席顾问严介和抛出“半年推掉700座荒山”的言论而备受关注，没想到，却在今年4月24日突然被兰州市委市政府责令停工整顿。 近日，《每日经济新闻》记者赶赴兰州实地调查发现，该项目已经逐步复工。不过，5月下旬来自兰州市国土资源局的一份紧急请示上报兰州市政府，列举了该项目仍存在项目立项、环境影响评价、林地报批、土地征收报批等前置工作未完成的硬伤。
兰州削山造城不能承受之重：生态难题悬而未决 | 每经网 but concerns about the environmental impact of the lanzhou project // 彼时，太平洋建设集团首席顾问严介和曾放出豪言，未来6个月时间里将整体平移700多座山，平整土地约25平方公里，实现真正意义上的“移山造城”。. 然而，在造城过程中，生态环境本已脆弱的兰州，如何搞好生态建设，备受外界关注。如自然流域的现状会否因此改变？排洪会否引发滑坡、泥石流？更重要的是，如何协调好人与环境的关系，上述种种必须引起人们足够的重视。 除项目立项、环境影响评价、林地报批、土地征收报批等四大硬伤外，在项目建设过程中，“兰州造城”如何实现生态环境的和谐发展是一个十分值得思考的问题。
AFP: Million doses of fake aspirin from China seized in France French customs officers have seized 1.2 million doses of counterfeit aspirin from China, the biggest haul of fake medicines ever in France and the EU, the economy ministry announced Saturday.
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BEIJING
北京出租车企业高管称涨价越高越好 份钱没法降 新华社——经济参考网
JOBS AND EVENTS
China’s Superbank: Debt, Oil and Influence – How China Development Bank is Rewriting the Rules of Finance | Beijing International Society Thursday May 30, 7:30 PM, Embassy of Norway, 1 Sanlitun Dong Yi Jie