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THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
U.S.-China Summit Reveals Beijing’s Drive – WSJ.com People familiar with the preparations said that Chinese officials had been pushing for a meeting between Mr. Xi and Mr. Obama since around December to reinforce the new Chinese leader’s signature foreign policy initiative, which is to forge a “new-type great power relationship” with the U.S…But after visits to China by Secretary of State John Kerry and other senior administration officials, it became clear that Mr. Xi had moved more rapidly than anticipated to establish his authority and define policy priorities, said U.S. officials. In recent weeks, pressure on the Obama administration also mounted from China specialists and business leaders in the U.S. many of whom felt September was too late for a meeting with Mr. Xi, said people familiar with preparations for the meeting.
Related: A meeting of immense scope–China Daily–Ken Lieberthal In Beijing, Donilon said the two leaders should discuss the perceptions, interests and priorities guiding their respective approaches to bilateral, regional and global affairs. To be really valuable, this discussion should also specifically address areas in which deeper cooperation can yield disproportionate benefits, as well as candidly determine where fault lines will remain in place. This exchange should adopt a long-term perspective and lead to sustained, high-level dialogue on the core threats that will shape the world of the future – and the potential roles of the US and China separately and collaboratively in such a world. It is in the context of this type of truly strategic discussion that cooperation on specific issues can lead to greater trust of each other’s long-term intentions. The potential upside of this unprecedented US-China meeting is thus substantial if the two leaders are prepared to seize the moment – and if they are able to inspire confidence in each other.
Related: Chinese, U.S. Commanders Loosen Up at Shangri-La Dialogue – WSJ.com Tensions may be running high between U.S. and Chinese militaries over cyberspying and shows of force by both sides in the Pacific. But at a security conference in Singapore, American and Chinese commanders set the thorniest issues aside for the moment and embraced a new approach to break down the barriers between them: small talk—about their military careers, spouses and grandkids…Before the summit, U.S. officials say they have seen a marked change, at least in tone, in the new Chinese leadership’s approach to the U.S.–a change that was on display in private talks between U.S. and Chinese defense officials who met on the sidelines of the conference this weekend….”There is a lot more hope,” a senior Obama administration official said. “The previous government was more 20th Century. The new team seems to be more 21st Century.”
China’s Xi in Trinidad to Talk Energy, Bolster Ties – WSJ.com The Trinidadian government, which also hosted a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden earlier this week, billed Mr. Xi’s trip as the first ever by a president of the Asian nation to the English-speaking Caribbean….”In the past few years, there has been this sense that there was too much emphasis on large powers like the U.S.,” said Yun Sun, a fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. “China sees this whole thing as a chess board. If they could consolidate relationships in Africa, Latin America and Central America, it will boost their standing in the world and give them more bargaining power,” she added.
Related: China, Trinidad and Tobago pledge to bolster ties – Xinhua | English.news.cn During his stay in Trinidad and Tobago, Xi also plans to meet with a host of leaders of the Caribbean countries. Besides a meeting on Saturday with Baldwin Spencer, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Xi will hold talks on Sunday with leaders of other Caribbean countries having diplomatic ties with China, including Barbados, the Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Suriname and Jamaica.
Related: China-Costa Rica ties bear rich fruit|Politics|chinadaily.com.cn A free trade agreement between China and Costa Rica that came into effect on August 1, 2011, was the 10th such accord China has signed. Costa Rica, meanwhile, became the third Latin American country to sign such an agreement with China, Song said. .
Related: Raul Castro meets senior Chinese communist party official – Xinhua lots of Caribbean activity this week // Cuban leader Raul Castro met a senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Saturday afternoon and pledged to enhance communication between the two countries. Guo Jinlong, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that over the past 53 years since the two countries established diplomatic ties, China and Cuba have been offering understanding, sympathy and support to each other in building socialism, safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.
William Choong: China’s rhetoric falls short of realities | IISS Addressing delegates at the Fifth Plenary Session this morning, General Qi Jianguo – the deputy chief of general staff of the People’s Liberation Army – was all sweetness and light. Like his predecessors at the Dialogue, he said that China would adhere to key principles in its foreign policy – open development, win-win situations and cooperative relationships. He even put some meat on the bone. He made a ‘solemn pledge’ that China would never abandon its policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons. And he also dismissed recent commentary in the state-run People’s Daily, which had questioned Tokyo’s historical claim on the Ryukyu Islands. Delegates should ‘feel reassured’ that China’s position on the issue remains unchanged, he added….In his remarks, General Qi said that the fact that Chinese warships were patrolling the South China Sea and East China Sea were entirely ‘legitimate and uncontroversial’. Responding to my own question, he said it would be ‘wise’ – as late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping had suggested in 1978 – that the Diaoyu/ Senkaku dispute between China and Japan be deferred to future generations.
Related: New Trends in Asia-Pacific Security | IISS the prepared English translation of Qi Jianguo’s speech
Related: China Spurns Sea-Claim Arbitration Pushed by U.S. and Allies – Bloomberg Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff of the People’s Liberation Army, sought to reassure neighbors of China’s peaceful intentions while affirming sovereignty in areas of the East China Sea and South China Sea. He said a maritime dispute with the Philippines could be solved through “open-minded channels” rather than the United Nations. “We don’t see any necessity to resort to an international tribunal,” Qi told the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore today. Patrols by Chinese warships and surveillance vessels “within our own territory” are “totally legitimate and uncontroversial,” he said.
Related: China Affirms Japan Sovereignty Over Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands – China Real Time Report – WSJ China doesn’t dispute Japan’s sovereignty over Okinawa and other islands in the Ryukyu chain, a senior Chinese military official said, dismissing recent commentary on the matter by state-backed academics as scholarly musings. “Please be assured that China’s position has not changed [on Japan’s sovereignty over the Ryukyu Islands],” Lt. Gen. Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of general staff of the People’s Liberation Army, told the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security conference in Singapore, Sunday.
Is China ‘reciprocating’ US maritime surveillance?–Lowy Interpreter and why wouldn’t they when they have the capabilities? // it was striking to hear a Chinese military officer reveal in an open discussion at this conference today that China had ‘thought of reciprocating’ by ‘sending ships and planes to the US EEZ’, and had in fact done so ‘a few times’, although not a daily basis (unlike the US presence off China). This was news to me. It turns out, from discussions with several maritime security experts in the margins of the conference, that rumours have been circulating for some time of China sending ships on missions to waters off US territory – not the continental US, but probably Hawaii and possibly Guam too. Still, this is the first time any of us can recall this point being made on the public record.
Related: Chinese navy begins US economic zone patrols – FT.com “They are, and we encourage their ability to do that,” said Adm Locklear about China’s claim that its military was making forays into the US EEZ. He added that, as the exclusive economic zones of all coastal states account for about one-third of the world’s oceans, attempts to hinder or block free passage through them would cripple military operations. Adm Locklear declined to confirm how far exactly Chinese military vessels had come. But delegates said that, from what was known about the usual movements of the PLA navy, it was most likely that it had extended its radius of patrols and exercises to near Guam rather than Hawaii or the US mainland.
中纪委追“逃” – 经济观察网 Economic Observer says CDIC will step up measures to prevent corrupt officials from fleeing abroad, says US and China negotiating an agreement to extradite corrupt officials who have fled to the US? // 李永忠透露，目前中国正在与美国有关部门讨论如何遣返外逃至美国的官员具体事项，并将签署海外反腐统一战线，中美之间相关专家也进行了一次会谈。美国方面承诺，只要中方能证明出逃者是贪官，且转移的资金为赃款，就可以无条件遣返。…“在未来很长一段时间内，防逃追逃将会是纪委的首要工作，反腐的形势也将更加严峻。”西部地区一名纪检官员认为，由于近年来外逃和不归干部陆续增多，给中央和社会带来一定的负面影响，虽然中纪委已经启动省级协调机制试点，将防范腐败官员外逃端口前移，但依然屡禁不止。
Related: 地方来了巡视组_财经频道_一财网 CDIC Inspection teams heading out across China // 目前，5个巡视组对外公布了联络信息，分别都有座机号、手机号和邮政信箱，其中在江西和中国进出口银行的两个巡视组还公布了电子邮箱，后缀是中国监察部的网站。目前，各地都没有公布巡视组有多少工作人员。不过，他们会有不同的分工，有负责来电登记的，也有负责来访接待的。前述第一巡视组工作人员说，一般是群众来电反映情况，如果问题属于巡视组管辖范畴，那么可应群众要求见面。中央第八巡视组工作人员则称，群众可以先来电登记，有材料的话可以直接寄到对外公布的信箱。如果群众需要见面，他们也有接待组，地点就在江西南昌的滨江宾馆4号楼。
Related: 媒体称中储粮大火与中央巡视组进驻无关系_资讯频道_凤凰网 A China Grain Reserves Corp grainary burns down in Heilongjiang, sparking Weibo speculation the fire might be related to the visit of a CDIC inspection team…media says the two are totally unrelated…if it were, what kind of lightning would it be?
The Chinese Debate on Constitutionalism: Texts and Analyses (Part I) | China Copyright and Media This is the first of a series of posts translating and analysing different articles from the current debate on constitutional governance in China. This post contains a full translation of the Seeking Truth article “Comparative Study of Constitutional Governance and the People’s Democratic Regime”
京津冀燃煤总量零增长有望明确 新华社——经济参考网 Economic Information–plans coming for dealing with air pollution will mandate that Beijing/Tianjin/Hebei show zero and possibly negative growth in coal consumption // 《经济参考报》记者获悉，环保部、国家发改委、工信部、国家能源局等部门联合起草的《大气污染防治行动计划》及实施细则有望明确京津冀等城市群逐步实现煤炭消费零增长甚至负增长，并要求部分地区调整“偏重”的产业结构。国家发改委能源研究所相关专家表示，京津冀城市周边的燃煤锅炉将逐步改造为燃气锅炉，天然气替代煤炭将在上述文件中得到原则性支持。
In China, Concern of a Chill on Foreign Investments – NYTimes.com VIE fears to return with this ruling? // Chinachem soon had a falling out with the Chinese holding company over the ownership and dividends from the bank shares. The dispute ended up in mainland courts for 12 years — until a little-noticed ruling by the Supreme People’s Court, the top judicial body in China. In what appears to be the first time that high-ranking Chinese authorities have weighed in on the issue of foreign control agreements, the court ruled that the contracts Ms. Wang had signed were invalid. The court said the shares in the bank — by then worth about $700 million, compared with Ms. Wang’s original investment of $11 million — belonged to the Chinese holding company. Moreover, the court, in a 16-page judgment, ruled the contractual agreements between the Hong Kong and mainland companies had clearly been intended to circumvent China’s restrictions on foreign investment, and amounted to “concealing illegal intentions with a lawful form.”
Related: Smithfield Foods purchase exposes need for broader oversight – The Washington Post The United States and other Western nations that rely on open trade and investment badly need leverage to induce China — with its enormous state-dominated economy, vastly different business culture and potentially adverse strategic interests — to give up its protectionist practices and assume greater responsibility for the health of the global economic system. One of their few sources of leverage comes via regulation of China’s opportunities for investment in open-market Western nations. The world has changed enormously since 1988. The Exon-Florio law should be broadened to account for the new ways foreign investment can affect U.S. interests and the global economic system.–Robert Herzstein was undersecretary of commerce for international trade in the Carter administration and had responsibility for assisting U.S. companies to open trade with China in 1980
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
China May HSBC Manufacturing PMI – Business Insider China’s unofficial HSBC manufacturing PMI report is out and its disappointing. The headline number fell to 49.2 from 50.4 a month ago. This was worse than economists’ expectation fo 49.6.
China May Home Prices Jump, Defying Tightened Curbs, SouFun Says – Bloomberg The average price in the 10 biggest cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, jumped 9.7 percent from a year earlier to 17,202 yuan per square meter, up 1.1 percent from April, SouFun said. Guangzhou and Shenzhen in the southern province of Guangdong are rejecting some projects seen as too expensive, according to CEBM Group, an advisory company that covers industries including property. Beijing will probably cap home prices on a “large scale” in the second half of the year, 21st Century Business Herald reported on May 30, without citing anyone.
GM Building Stake Said to Sell to Zhang, Safra Families – Bloomberg good news is they can’t blight manhattan as they have blighted Beijing CBD// The families of Chinese real estate developer Zhang Xin and Brazil’s Safra banking empire bought a 40 percent stake in New York’s General Motors Building for about $1.4 billion, a person with knowledge of the deal said. Zhang is the billionaire founder and chief executive officer of Soho China Ltd. (410), the biggest developer in Beijing’s central business district. Her family and M. Safra & Co., the New York-based investment firm of the Safra family, bought the stake through an entity called Sungate Trust, said the person, who asked not to be named because the details are private.
Short Seller Seeks Valley ‘Pretenders’ – WSJ.com U.S.-based companies will test Mr. Block’s cloak-and-dagger tactics. In China, some investors say, the pickings were easier because of less regulatory oversight and more opaque companies. Andrew Left, a longtime short seller at Citron Research in Beverly Hills, Calif., praises Mr. Block’s research skills. In Silicon Valley, though, “you have valuation problems, you have other problems, but not as much fraud. It’s apples and oranges,” Mr. Left says.
国家信息中心专家分析称 地方债务规模总量仍在安全区 State Information center official tells Chinese Financial News that the overall scale of local debt is still in the “safety zone”// 国家信息中心经济预测部宏观经济研究室主任牛犁在接受本报记者采访时表示，地方政府的债务规模不是风险考量的唯一关键指标，识别真实债务数额以及投资项目的可持续性和还债能力十分关键。从目前看，资金需求与债务投向相匹配；财政与债务规模相匹配，财政税收能够支撑债务；信贷规模与融资环境匹配，债务规模总量仍在安全区。
挤压地方投资水分 国家统计局“打假”固投数据_财经频道_一财网 Statistics Bureau planning new measures to crack down on inflated investment data from local governments // 国家统计局将在去年实施企业一套表的基础上，进一步管控投资数据源头，从而大幅压缩地方投资数据的操作空间
POLITICS AND LAW
A High Horse in Dalian – Caixin In media reports, several people questioned why Zhao had waited until now to raise the issue. Zhao replied, the question of public spending for the project was brought up eight years ago, and then forgotten. The curious timing of the controversy remains a subject of discussion, despite Zhao’s frank response. Now that certain people are behind bars, it’s natural for maligning disputes to surface. Now we know the women’s mounted police force program never complied with all the relevant requirements. It was the administrator’s will. The social impact it has comes with wasted government resources. Surely such a costly project should have been approved by the local People’s Congress.
【舒立观察】把权力关进制度的笼子里_杂志频道_财新网 过往多年腐败现象不断滋生蔓延，令人生发“道高一尺，魔高一丈”之叹，足见既有反腐举措之局限，必须超越常规寻求大智慧。其实，答案并不玄奥，这就是推进包括政治体制改革在内的整体改革，创造条件实施“阳光法案”，借鉴举世一切行之有效的反腐制度安排。今年7月，在签署《联合国反腐败公约》七年之后，中国将首次接受国际审议，这会成为反腐治本的一个新契机。
“八项规定”影响消费需求是谬论-新闻频道-和讯网 我们承认，遏制公款消费，会在短时间内影响到消费市场的需求，影响到消费对经济的拉动。但是，这只是暂时的，各种刚性需求不会因为公款消费被遏制而受到影响。就像有的网友所说，如果公款消费真的能够被有效遏制，并将公款消费“节省”下来的资金用于发展社会公共事业，满足社会公共需要，我们愿意多掏一些钱购买商品，以弥补公款消费被遏制带来的消费需求短暂影响。
人民日报-打造制度之笼，从党内做起（新论） 王长江 当然，党内法规不仅仅是管党员干部、管执政骨干的，所有党员、党的各级组织，都应在约束之列，党内法规也理所当然地是权力约束的一个重要部分。从这个角度看，两个“党内立法法”的出台表明，打造约束权力的制度之笼，正在从党内做起。（作者为中央党校党建教研部主任、教授）
人民日报-社会主义是大海（思想纵横） 郑 剑 回顾中国历史可以看出，社会主义在经历着凤凰涅槃，在扬弃过去、开辟未来，只有社会主义才能救中国，只有中国特色社会主义才能发展中国。 把世界历史和中国历史结合起来可以看出，社会主义还年轻，社会主义在中国的时间还不长。它是博大深邃的海洋，澎湃着，包容着，化成着；它是长期艰苦的过程，前进着，曲折着，光明着。
叶海燕称私宅遭11人非法闯入 将起诉博白警方_资讯频道_凤凰网 京华时报讯（记者怀若谷）昨天，叶海燕代理律师王宇向广西玉林市博白县公安局提交了申请暂缓执行行政拘留的申请。王宇称，叶海燕在事发时录制的几段视频能证明，11名闯入者涉嫌非法入侵、寻衅滋事，律师将向博白县警方申请立案侦查；并将对博白县公安机关给叶海燕作出的行政拘留处罚提出行政诉讼。
罗昌平：我为什么实名举报 – 纽约时报中文网 国际纵览 New York Times Chinese site interviews Luo Changping. Hope this is translated into English // 罗昌平是我在《财经》杂志时的同事，一个以调查报道见长的记者。他有颇为广泛的人脉资源，调查风格则稍显激进和勇猛。他专注于反腐调查，曾利用业余时间写就《递罪——政商博弈的郴州样本》一书。他也是个特立独行的人。三年多前，当《财经》创始人胡舒立在和投资方“联办”谈判未果决意带整个采编团队离开“联办”另立门户时，包括我在内的大部分同事选择追随胡舒立加入财新传媒。昌平当时是法治组的骨干之一，也是舒立看重的一名记者——她为他的《递罪》作序，称昌平身上有“不少新闻人淡忘的正义感和责任感”。他本来是准备一起走的，但在最后时刻做出了一个令人惊讶的决定：留在《财经》。他说他对这个事件产生了很多疑问，遂开始进行调查（职业习惯），最终将天平倒向了另一边。换句话说，他并不依赖对某个人的忠诚。
长沙最贵酒楼关门的警示::长沙晚报数字报 Changsha’s most expensive restaurant closes after losing too much business since Xi launched the eight rules // 长沙“最贵酒楼”——鸿基酒楼悄悄关张退市了，此事经本报5月31日报道后，不少市民感到快慰。人们倒不是为一家餐馆的倒掉而幸灾乐祸，而是为中央出台的“八项规定”卓见成效而叫好。在这些年头，谁都明白，凡是跻身“最贵”宝座的，莫不与公款消费相关，有些甚至就是为公款消费量身打造的。
会员卡反腐波及上市公司–社会–人民网 a look at A share listed firms that are likely to be hit by the crackdown on membership cards // 新京报记者调查发现，在A股市场上，有数家上市公司涉及会员卡形式的业务，比如高尔夫会员卡、游艇会、马会等；同时，还有为数不少的上市公司多年来购置高尔夫等高端会员卡，成为其打理政商关系的利器。位于浙江的上市公司*ST九龙就是其中之一。
胡锡进暗批茅于轼 被指暗讽江泽民紧急改贴_中国_多维新闻网 Hu Xijin really stepped in it with a weibo about older people taking care to avoid involving themselves in politics… // 【多维新闻】北京时间6月3日，中国官媒《环球时报》总编辑胡锡进在其个人微博上发帖称中国一些老人过多的出现“容易被现实政治当枪使。需自重”。此贴一出，立刻吸引大批网民评论，虽然普遍认为胡锡进此帖中胡锡进所影射的“7、80”岁还出来说话的老人是指中国右派经济学家茅于轼，但是很多网民很自然的将其联想到中共政治中一直存在的“老人干政”，并直呼胡锡进在抨击已经卸任的中共老人如江泽民等人。随后胡锡进立刻对此贴进行了修改，称是“思想界老人”。而胡锡进这番想抨击异见人士却让中共元老“不幸中枪”的帖子也被网民一再转发，并称其“拍马屁拍错了”。
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
Obama’s China cyber strategy likely more talk, less action – Tony Romm – POLITICO.com Obama appears unlikely to threaten new punishments when he meets his Chinese counterpart this week in California — or else the White House might risk long-term progress on cybersecurity while hamstringing cooperation on issues like human rights and North Korea. Still, the Beltway’s biggest defense hawks are itching to strike. Members of Congress are weighing whether to limit Chinese visas or erect new market barriers for Chinese companies unless the country stymies its notorious hackers. It’s a stark contrast with the more diplomatic prelude to Obama’s face-to-face sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping — but one that might ultimately be to Obama’s long-term advantage.
Importance of China-US Summit | CHINA US Focus To steer China-US relations and improve the international environment in which China is, China should update and renew its international outlook and come up with a more realistic assessment of the outside world. What is crucial is that the academia and media in China should always give considerations to both the domestic and international situations. –Jin Canrong, Professor and Associate Dean, School of International Studies, Renmin University of China
China’s first lady Peng Liyuan steals the show in Latin America – Telegraph any plans for her and Michelle Obama? // “She’s a very beautiful person, very warm, and to chat with her in English was very wonderful,” gushed Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar after meeting Peng.
An Elizabethan Cyberwar – NYTimes.com At least they didn’t quote from Sun Tzu, 36 Stratagems or the Three Kingdoms…//Instead of trying to beat back the New World instability of the Internet with an old playbook, American officials should embrace it. With the conflict placed in its proper perspective, policy makers could ratchet down the rhetoric and experiment with a new range of responses that go beyond condemnation but stop short of all-out cyberwar — giving them the room to maneuver without approaching cyberconflict as a path to Defcon 1. In these legally uncharted waters, only Elizabethan guile, not cold war brinkmanship, will steer Washington through the storm.
China Matters: Japanese Bonds and China’s Shrinking Asymmetric Options Anyway, to bring this discussion full circle, Obama administration economic rollback has been quite successful in countering China’s asymmetric gambits in soft power. The facts that China is now also in confrontation with Shinzo Abe’s hostile administration in Japan, India is taking Japan’s side, and it looks like the RCEP will be sidelined in favor of the TPP, are probably making China’s strategists more than a little bit nervous. Beyond consoling themselves that in the long run, China will triumph in Asia as a matter of its sheer size, agreeing to cyberwarfare talks with the US, and reaching out to the United States and the detested TPP (see: China hopes for transparent U.S.-led TPP talks) , China’s strategists have to take another look at the short (and shrinking) list of asymmetric advantages it enjoys vis a vis its antagonists. What’s left as a possibility for the PRC to exercise leverage? Well, there’s China’s creditor status
Book review of China’s Silent Army | China Business Hand Cardenal and Araújo weaken their arguments by lacing their story with florid language, hyperbole and a conspiracy like approach that has “China Inc.” pulling all the strings worldwide. There is even a chapter about Taiwan in which the authors repeat discredited claims that corruption charges against former Taiwanese president Chen Shuibian were a frame up orchestrated by the PRC. This has nothing to do with what the book is purportedly about and distracts from solid investigative material presented elsewhere. Too much of the book reads like a diatribe. A more even-handed approach, including more interviews with experts who see the positive side of China’s activities, and a less strident tone would have made the case Cardenal and Araújo want to make against China much stronger. That said, China’s Silent Army is engaging and well worth reading for the sheer wealth of details it provides about the activities of China and Chinese people worldwide.
Insight: North Korean economy surrenders to foreign currency invasion | Reuters In the Chinese town of Changbai in Jilin province, just across the border from the hardscrabble North Korean city of Hyesan, one Chinese trader said North Korean officials he dealt with wanted yuan more than anything else, even food. The yuan they earned from doing business quickly gets circulated into Hyesan, a city of roughly 190,000 people whose industry-based economy has slumped since the 1990s.
Vietnam police swoop on anti-China protest, 20 detained | Reuters Police in Vietnam moved swiftly to break up an anti-China protest on Sunday, making at least 20 arrests in the latest sign of the communist regime’s tough stance on dissent, and even after it chided Beijing for aggression in the South China Sea. As crowds gathered in response to the recent ramming of a Vietnamese trawler by Chinese navy vessels, uniform and plain clothes police blocked off rallying points and quickly put protesters on to waiting buses, Reuters witnesses said.
ANALYSIS: Seoul, Beijing unconvinced after Japan denies tilt toward right – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Although Japan tried to dispel concerns that Tokyo is tilting toward the right under the Abe administration, labeling them “a total misperception” at a regional security meeting here, South Korea and China remained skeptical. Officials with South Korea and China said whether Japan can regain their trust hinges on Japan’s actions in the coming months and years, and not words. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera made the unusual attempt at the Asia Security Summit on June 1 in his address, touching on what is seen in the international community as Japan’s swing to the right.
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
Despite series of scandals, China backs Hong Kong leader | Reuters Local media said the police investigation of Barry Cheung, the latest scandal, could be the last straw. But the senior mainland Chinese official in charge of Hong Kong affairs made the unusual move last week of denying reports that Beijing was preparing to replace Leung.
Earthquake leaves two dead, 21 injured – Taipei Times Two people died, 21 were injured and one remains missing after the nation was hit by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake yesterday afternoon that was also felt more than 700km away in Hong Kong
TECH AND MEDIA
DigiTimes, The Tiny Paper From Taiwan That Breaks All The Tech News – Business Insider Despite a steady stream of scoops, nobody really trusts DigiTimes. In part, it’s because nobody has ever met a DigiTimes reporter. In part, it’s because DigiTimes has gotten a lot of stuff wrong. It appears to be getting better, and if it wanted, it could establish itself as a legitimate news source. The question that’s hard to answer, though: Is that what it wants? We emailed DigiTimes for an answer, and got no response. We’re not alone. The paper seems to rarely talk outside of its own pages. “They’re hit and miss,” says one analyst we spoke with about DigiTimes who asked to remain nameless. “The hit rate is 50-50, which I think is kind of the design of their model.”
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
央视暗访幼师资格培训机构：交费即可获资格证_资讯频道_凤凰网 CCTV report exposes how easy it is for someone to buy a qualification as a kindergarten teacher // 孩子接触的第一位老师应该是幼儿教师了，幼儿教师合不合格直接影响到孩子的身心健康和成长。幼教工作很重要，所以国家有严格规定，从事这一行必须取得幼儿教师资格。这几年幼儿教师紧缺，社会上的各类资格培训够就应运而生，那么这些培训机构到底怎么样呢？记者进行了暗访。
山东取消二胎生育间隔 准生证实行首接责任制|山东|二胎|准生证_新浪新闻 齐鲁网6月2日讯(山东广播电视台记者：赵国伟 摄像：王玉栋 潍坊台记者：李军) 据山东卫视《山东新闻联播》报道，《山东省人口与计划生育条例修正案》规定：今后，《计划生育服务手册》办理将实行首接责任制，杜绝户籍所在地和现居住地双方扯皮；取消二孩生育间隔成为修正案最大亮点。 从1988年出台《山东省计划生育条例》至今，山东省一直执行二孩生育女方需年满30周岁政策。随着社会进步和人口计生形势的变化，生育间隔政策可以适当放宽。
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
Kunming to release assessment of oil refinery|Society|chinadaily.com.cn A southwest China city will publicize the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a planned refinery that residents protested last month, the city’s mayor said Sunday. Li Wenrong, mayor of Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, said at a press conference that details of the EIA will be released to the public, subject to procedures…”Supervision will not be missing just because the operator is a major state-owned enterprise,” he said.
多点执业即将放开？医生，你准备好了吗？–医学界网站时间 significant health care reforms imminent? // 5月29日，北京清华医院CEO助理杨长青在其新浪微博上透露，“今天听说多点执业政策要放开，以后不用第一执业机构的主任、院长批准，直接第三方备案就可以了，第一执业机构不得干涉。”并称，“据说医疗责任由作为点的医院来承担，医院有医疗责任险提供保障，时间不限定，原因是管不住，同时倒逼医院改进管理机制，提供绩效意识，用足用好医师这一极度稀缺资源。”
Singapore’s water companies aim to quench China’s $850 billion thirst | Reuters do they have the tech to clean polluted groundwater? // Singapore has been experimenting with reservoirs, recycled water known as NEWater, and desalination as it aims to become self-sufficient in water by 2061, when a water supply agreement with Malaysia expires. “Singapore should be one of the world’s dominant players in water. It should be the Silicon Valley of water,” said Jim Rogers, who co-founded the Quantum Fund with George Soros and owns shares of Singapore’s biggest listed water treatment company, Hyflux Ltd (HYFL.SI).
FOOD AND TRAVEL
What China Can Learn From America’s Hot Dogs – WSJ.com Most American hog farmers won’t allow someone who has visited another hog farm to come inside theirs for at least 48 hours. Visitors have to wash their hands and suit up in boots and coveralls supplied by the farm. Delivery trucks have to be washed and sanitized before entering some farms. In a method known as all-in, all-out production, a barn that houses a group of hogs sent to slaughter is washed before another group of hogs enters.
Changing China Food Safety at Heart of Shuanghui Smithfield Deal – Bloomberg Wan Long, who helped turn a single hog processing plant into China’s largest producer, explains the reasons for his $4.7 billion swoop on Smithfield Food Inc. (SFD) as he adjusts six miniature porcelain pigs on his desk. The 72-year-old chairman of Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd., who last week won Smithfield’s acceptance for what would be the largest Chinese acquisition of a U.S. company, is not just reordering the pink and blue swines in front of him. He’s seeking to tap foreign expertise and technology to help reshape food safety and production in China’s pork industry.
BEIJING
北京房屋存违建将被冻结产权|北京|违建|产权_新浪新闻 Beijing declares that if your apartment or house has any illegal construction your real estate registration will be frozen until you remove the illegal construction; i.e no transactions can happen until the illegal construction is gone…how many people bribed the developer or property manager to add a little here and a little there ? // 新京报讯 (记者马力)一楼业主占用公共绿地建院子、别墅擅自搭出“阳光房”都将被认定为房屋存在违建而无法买卖、过户，昨日，记者从市严厉打击违法用地违法建设专项行动指挥部获悉，《关于查处居住区内违法建设工作的指导意见》(以下简称《意见》)已正式下发，全市16个区县启动针对居住区内违法建设行为的检查，查实存在违法建设的房屋，会被冻结房产登记抵押手续，直到违建拆除。
高考房源热度不减 北京部分酒店涨至千元_中国广播网 rates soaring for hotel rooms in the vicinity of Gaokao locations in Beijing // “近年来一到高考期间房间就很快被订光。”离人大附中仅700余米的燕山大酒店工作人员介绍道，从6月5日开始，网上预订价格攀升了20%，高考两天客房已上涨到928元/间，但在人大附中考点的考生还是最青睐此家，早早便来预订，目前已是满员状况。“我们会为考生提供最周到的服务，包括住宿和餐饮都充分为他们考虑，让考生在考试之余没有后顾之忧。”