According to The Australian, Andrew Mackenzie, the new CEO of BHP Billiton, shunned a price cut plea from Premier Li Keqiang:

BHP Billiton’s new chief executive, Andrew Mackenzie, has stared down a request from the highest levels of China’s new leadership for lower iron ore prices.

Mr Mackenzie, chief executive of the world’s biggest miner since May 10, revealed to The Australian yesterday that the request came from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in June at a private meeting between China’s new leadership and chief executives from select foreign businesses important to the now slowing Chinese economy.

During the meeting, Mr Li side-stepped his interpreter and said to Mr Mackenzie: “Lower prices, lower prices.”…

Mr Mackenzie stressed that he believed that Mr Li’s opening request to him for lower prices was a friendly quip. “I met him privately later and he kind of said it with a cheeky grin,” Mr Mackenzie said.

In July China’s Iron Ore Imports Surged to a Record High (WSJ) and prices are now above $130 per ton (Reuters).

Given what Beijing has recently done to drive down prices set by foreign firms in health care and milk powder and the noises it is making about other industries, perhaps Premier Li was making more than a “quip”.

You are a CEO meeting with Premier Li Keqiang. He says to you: “Lower prices, lower prices.” Do you a) Think he is making a friendly quip and brush him off? or b) Take it as a warning that you should lower prices or they will be lowered for you? Tell me what you think in this poll and see the results here.

We are taking the kids on a road trip starting Friday. I may publish one or two issues next week but will not be back on a regular schedule until after we return to Beijing on the 23rd. In the meantime you can follow me on Twitter as I will still be tweeting.

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

China Trade Rebounds in Further Sign Economy Stabilizing – Bloomberg “Import growth really should be seen as a proxy for domestic demand,” said Helen Qiao, chief Greater China economist at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong. “Therefore a major surprise on the upside really suggests that domestic demand is in recovery.” Data showed exports from inland provinces rising at a faster pace than some coastal areas. Shipments from Shanxi more than doubled and Hunan’s were up 61 percent, while eastern Zhejiang’s exports gained 18 percent and Guangdong’s were up 3.9 percent. Shanxi’s mobile-phone exports rose 640 percent in the first half on a local Foxconn Technology Group plant’s production of Apple Inc.’s iPhone, the official Shanxi Daily reported Aug. 5

Related: Economists React: China’s July Trade Surprise – China Real Time Report – WSJ China’s July trade data was stronger than expected and the improved figures suggest upturns in global and domestic demand. Exports rose 5.1% from a year ago while imports chalked up an impressive  10.9% rise year on year. Imports and exports were down year-on-year in June…While monthly trade figures are volatile, some economists took the latest numbers to mean that the economy won’t show a serious deterioration in the third quarter from second quarter levels.

Related: China’s rebounding exports: a caveat | beyondbrics The pick-up was most apparent in exports to Hong Kong and Taiwan. This may suggest that the government’s crackdown on the over-invoicing of exports to evade capital controls has started to ease. Exports to both countries fell sharply in May and June when regulators tightened their oversight. But as policymakers have started to worry about the health of exports, official efforts seem to have eased.

Related: Brazilian stocks surge on China outlook | beyondbrics I would be nervous if had some significant China shorts on between now and the Third Plenum. Seems a crowded trade, sentiment so negative, not hard to see how any positive news could squeeze hard…and I would not bet on another quarter end liquidity crunch in September. Beijing unlikely to want any problems right before the October 1 National Holiday // Here’s another reminder of just how dependent Brazil’s economy is on China’s. Brazil’s Bovespa index surged 3.2 per cent to 48,948.38 on Thursday after China released stronger than expected trade data, fueling hope that the economy may be steadying after a rough start to the year… But one swallow does not a summer make. With China set to release a broader set of economic indicators on Friday, which will give a much more detailed picture of how the economy performed in July, the optimism seen in the market on Thursday could be short-lived if Friday’s data disappoints.

Former economic official expelled from CPC, public office – Xinhua Former economic official Liu Tienan has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and removed from public office, according to a statement released by the CPC’s discipline watchdog Thursday. The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said it has found Liu, former deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, “took advantage of his position to seek profits for others, and both Liu and his family accepted huge amount of bribes.” Liu has also been found to “seek benefits for his relatives’ businesses by breaking relevant regulations, accept cash and gifts”. Liu was also “morally degenerate”, reads the CCDI statement.

Related: 刘铁男被指养情妇 有25个银行账户25只罕见钻石_新闻_腾讯网 Liu Tienan had 25 bank accounts, 19m Australian dollars, 25 rare diamonds, says this account, along with requisite mistress(es) and other debauchery…// [导读]刘铁男被曝出涉及包养情妇和一系列色情活动，并被发现在25个银行账户中有存款1900万澳元，有超过9公斤的金条和25只罕见的钻石。

Related: UGC精选_作者_罗昌平 Luo Changping has serialized his book on the Liu Tienan takedown, up to chapter 10

Related: China Voice: Whistleblowers protection key to anti-corruption efforts – Xinhua A senior economic official’s expulsion from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and removal from public office on Thursday marked more success in tip-offs helping fight corruption. One lesson has to be noted: whistleblowers protection is key to real name tip-offs. Protecting whistleblowers is the best way to encourage real-name tip-offs, so that the public could contribute to anti-corruption efforts without fear, and corrupt officials would find nowhere to hide.

Austerity with Chinese Characteristics | Foreign Affairs With austerity the reigning buzzword in Beijing, it’s tempting to assume that China is finally joining the West’s ongoing debate about macroeconomics. In reality, China’s leaders are drawing on a vastly different intellectual history.–JOHN DELURY is an Assistant Professor at Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies, in South Korea.

Winners and losers in Snowden fiasco – OP-ED – Globaltimes Everyone knows the competition between China and the US is key to 21st century international relations. But China’s strength still lags far behind that of the US. As China’s comprehensive strategic partner, Russia took the initiative in the Snowden case and came to the forefront of the rivalry with the US, which shows multipolar flexibility in global geopolitics. Russia’s action deserves respect from China…China is not willing to engage in a head-on confrontation with the US, but it has already had the ability to unite with those who can restrict the US’ abuses of power. We did not confront the US directly, and this serves the long-term interests of China’s diplomacy…Washington ate the dirt this time, but it does not necessarily mean it is really awed by Moscow. In the same manner, Washington is unlikely to fear Beijing, and Beijing needn’t fear Washington. What Beijing should care about most is how to maximize its interests in its relations with Washington.

The Urban Grid Management and Police State in China: A Brief Overview « China change Dr. Wu Qiang (吴强) is a political science professor at Tsinghua University. The article is written specifically for ChinaChange.org. — From the limited cases discussed here, we conclude that, as China implements grid management for social management with the aid of the latest technology, geographic information systems and super computers, it has most likely tightened social control over the last ten years or so in the name of “stability maintenance.” In particular, following the breakout of the Jasmine Revolution in North Africa in 2011, the Chinese government responded with the so-called “innovative social management,” multiplying the grid management trial in Dongcheng District, Beijing, across the entire country as the core of this “innovation in social management.” The Party-state’s authoritarian control over cities and the society as a whole has thus been made more refined, more precise, more high-tech, and more systematic. Moreover, after comparing the cost and quality of grid management between cities and rural areas, the Chinese government has recognized the high efficiency of using urban grid management for social control. This in part lends confidence to Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang’s plan of urbanization. Down the road, if China remains devoid of real democratic checks and balances, there is little doubt that the continued development of grid management will only lead to a model of a contemporary police state.

China Tests Japan on Island Claims After Philippine Success – Bloomberg The latest moves are aimed at forcing Japan to recognize China’s claim to the islands, which the government in Tokyo has so far refused to do, according to analysts including Taylor Fravel, an associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Like Scarborough, China is trying to create a new status quo,” Fravel said in an e-mail. “Unlike Scarborough, however, China is seeking to demonstrate that it rejects Japan’s exclusive control of the islands, not gain effective control over them.” // and perhaps provoke Abe before the August 15 possible shrine visit?

Related: China confirms Diaoyu Islands coast guard patrol – Xinhua The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday that a fleet of ships from the China Coast Guard (CCG) recently patrolled the country’s territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands. “The Diaoyu Island and their affiliated islets are an integral part of Chinese territory and have been since ancient times,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, adding that the patrols are designed to exercise China’s inherent sovereignty. Hong said the Japanese side should face up to history and reality, stop all provocative words and deeds, and make substantial efforts to appropriately manage and resolve tensions over the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands.

News: Battlefield 4: new multiplayer videos show Siege of Shanghai – ComputerAndVideoGames.com August 7 updated videos//

Related: Watch EA’s epic 64-player Battlefield 4 ‘Siege of Shanghai’ demo – The Next Web missed this last month…somehow doubt will be approved in China, nice scenes from Shanghai // Today at the E3 event, Battlefield 4 was shown off in multiplayer mode. A 64 players live action game was shown, called the ‘Siege of Shanghai.’ The war, taken across the sprawling cityscape of a rendered Shanghai is frankly breahtaking.

China’s Urban Sludge Dilemma: Sinking in Stink – Caixin Promptly at noon on March 17, a heavy truck hauling a dark substance and on a dark mission pulled out of the Gaobeidian Wastewater Treatment Plant in eastern Beijing…A wastewater treatment engineer helped a Caixin reporter identify the unusual load, which jiggled in the truck’s bed like gelatin as the driver headed down a bumpy road…The substance was unprocessed sludge – a mucky, smelly and hazardous byproduct of the sewage treatment process. Anything less disgusting coming out of the Gaobeidian plant, the engineer said, would not have jiggled…Where do truckers take these gooey loads of organic materials, bacteria, heavy metals and micro-organisms? A Caixin investigation found sludge from Gaobeidian has been hauled two hours away to a Hebei Province farming area and renamed “fertilizer” before being dumped on fields where corn and watermelons are grown.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

In wake of cash crunch, PBOC commits to transparency but quietly tightens grip | Reuters Global and domestic investors reeled in late June when the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) engineered a cash crunch in the short-term money market that saw rates spike as high as 30 percent for some tenors. The squeeze appeared to be a blunt warning to some banks to curb riskier lending practices. The panic was short-lived as rates quickly fell back, but economists widely criticized the bank for failing to clearly communicate the reason for the move, which some misinterpreted as the onset of the long-feared liquidity crisis that would wreck the Chinese banking system and jeopardize the economy.

The changing debate over China’s economy | Credit Writedowns  A lot of very kind people have privately and publicly expressed their concerns that my site has been hacked for political reasons, perhaps because I am saying things that they think might anger important people in China. Although I have certainly been the target of sometimes hysterical attacks – more so in the past, when my analysis of the Chinese economy seemed more unlikely than it does now – I have no reason at all to think that my blog was hacked for anything other than commercial reasons having to do with the sale of excitable pharmaceuticals. Part of the reason for the concerns that my blog has been hacked for political reasons may be the wide-spread belief abroad that no debate is permitted within China about the urgent need for economic reform. In fact this isn’t true. The discussion within China is quite vigorous, and the misperception is probably fueled by the belief – spread often enough, it seems, by China bulls – that the debate about the weaknesses in the Chinese economy is largely a debate between foreigners and Chinese, with some bulls even arguing that it is a debate between those who wish China ill and those who wish it well. The implication, of course, is that only someone who is incapable of understanding China – i.e. a foreigner – could possibly believe that China has problems. // this is a strange piece from Michael Pettis

BMW Sales Growth Outpaces Mercedes-Audi in China Luxury Car Race – Bloomberg BMW has said China will probably surpass the U.S. as its top market this year as the brand enters more communities and wins buyers with its 3- and 5-series sedans. The Munich-based automaker, which trails Audi by total volume sales in China, has outgrown its competitor for at least three years.

Whistle-Blower Alleges Sanofi Bribed Doctors, Herald Says – Bloomberg A whistle-blower alleges that Sanofi (SAN) gave about 1.69 million yuan ($276,000) in bribes to 503 doctors in China, the 21st Century Business Herald reported. The whistle-blower, who provided materials to the newspaper based in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, used the pseudonym “bacon” and refused to give his identity, according to today’s report. The bribes were given as “research spending” in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou around November 2007, it said.

China’s Worst Nightmare Is Turning Japanese – Bloomberg William Pesek // There are troubling signs that Beijing thinks it has plenty of time to deal with the problem. For every pledge to cut excess production capacity, audit government borrowings and tolerate sub-8 percent growth, there are two others assuring markets that growth won’t be allowed to slow too much. It’s that kind of doublespeak that sounds eerily familiar to longtime Japan watchers such as Marshall Mays. “Even though Xi is reputed to have consolidated power quite quickly, there is still a lot of mess to clean up in the first year of formal rule,” says Mays, director of Emerging Alpha Advisors Ltd. in Hong Kong. “Li, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to have settled on a stable program of his own yet.” // …

支付宝下周有望推信用支付服务：额度最高5000|阿里金融|信用|支付_互联网_新浪科技_新浪网 Alipay to roll out credit service, up to 5000 RMB? // 新浪科技讯 8月8日上午消息，接近阿里小微方面的人士透露，继推出余额宝后，阿里金融计划在下周推出信用支付服务：用户使用支付宝付款不用再捆绑信用卡或者储蓄卡，能够直接透支消费，额度最高5000元，贷款资金全部由合作银行提供。

Giant Possibly Introducing Online Gaming Finance Product–Niko Research According to industry insiders, the “Quan’e Bao” service may be similar to Chinese third-party payment processor Alipay’s “Yu’e Bao” account balance investment service, adapted for the online gaming market. The “Quan’e Bao” service may also look to introduce other value-added services in addition to online gaming transactions.

Suning Plans to Offer Money Market Funds to Online Shoppers – Caixin The e-commerce platform of retail giant Suning Commerce Group Co. Ltd. said it will soon add a service to its payment system that allows shoppers to buy money market funds online. This follows Alibaba launching Yu E Bao, which lets users invest in money market funds offered by Tian Hong Asset Management Co. through their payment accounts with Alibaba. Suning’s Yi Fu Bao payment system could offer users more choice because it will provide access to more funds from different companies, said Min Juanqing, executive deputy director of Suning’s marketing department.

Goldman Sachs’ Lloyd Blankfein Says He’s Betting on China – Caixin Blankfein said of Goldman Sachs’s May sale of its shares of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China that his company needed to liquidate more assets in the face of pressure from international regulators. He emphasized that Goldman Sachs’ support of China and Chinese banks was stronger than ever, and its confidence in ICBC had never been higher. He expressed optimism over the country’s long-term future. “China has a fantastic population that is very educated, very dynamic, very ambitious and very commercial, so in the long term I put my bet on China.” However, he said expectations should be tempered. “Who knows from cycle to cycle? I would say that the 20th century was America’s century, but not every year is America’s year. You can have a century, but you can’t have every year. So it could be the century for China, but China cannot have every year.”

Chinese bank takes early step towards IPO – FT.com One of China’s top investment banks has taken a step towards going public with China International Capital Corporation preparing the early ground work for an initial public offering to raise capital. Levin Zhu, chief executive of the brokerage, has commissioned an internal study to look into the possibility of listing, said people familiar with the matter.

湖北仙桃30多亿建新区 政府造城还能走多远？_财经频道_一财网 First Financial looks at the problems of the government led urbanization construction in Xiantao, Hubei, discusses lessons, proper role of government in urbanization…//卖 掉旧楼移址大造新楼，湖北省仙桃市试图通过政府机关搬迁来撬动新城区建设，这样的城镇化模式效果如何，目前尚无法评说。 国家发改委城市和小城镇改革发展中心研究员易鹏对《第一财经日报》说，对城镇化建设，政府应引导而非主导。“政府全面主导的造城运动，正在因不计成本地盲目扩张、缺乏科学性而显现弊端”。

Why China’s ‘Dominance’ of Manufacturing Is Misleading – Derek Scissors – The Atlantic On Monday, The Atlantic wrote a story based on an International Business Times infographic that portrayed China’s enduring prominence in manufacturing. Remember, though; prominence is not the same as success. (Just consider this sentence: “Alex Rodriguez continues to be a very prominent baseball player.”) China will play a major role in global manufacturing for years — and probably decades — to come. But the country’s role is not a healthy one, and the weaknesses in Chinese manufacturing outshine the huge numbers displayed in the graph.

 

POLITICS AND LAW

Mine Deal Puts New Scrutiny on China’s State Industries – NYTimes.com The Zhongshe mine and two others, in Shanxi Province in northern China, are at the center of unusually public accusations of mismanagement and corruption afflicting one of the nation’s flagship state conglomerates, China Resources. Critics say that the $1.6 billion purchase was vastly overpriced and illegal and that large sums may have been squandered or, as some are claiming, improperly diverted.

上海法官嫖娼案牵出“司法掮客” 一律师被带走调查|上海法官|嫖娼|司法_21世纪网 a lawyer is under investigation in the shanghai court johns case…he may have acted as an intermediary for corruption…so this is in shanghai. imagine what is like in a 2/3/4/5 tier city? // 核心提示：知情人士透露，这名寿姓律师被怀疑充当“司法掮客”，多年来通过帮助多名律师结识因嫖娼案被“双开”的原上海高院民一庭副庭长赵明华，从中获取不菲的佣金。

上海建工卷入法官嫖娼事件 1.78亿招待费惹人注目|上海建工|法官嫖娼|1.78亿招待费_21世纪网 Shanghai Construction Group sucked into the whoring shanghai court officers case, 178 Million RMB entertainment budget gets attention // “法官集体招嫖事件”的组织者郭祥华，为上海建工（600170.SZ）旗下子公司四建集团的综合管理部副总经理，但是相关方面对此次事件是否涉及贪腐或渎职问题，尚无定论。

上海法官集体嫖娼背后：山寨法治体系的必然_UGC精选 Lawyer Si Weijiang on why the whoring shanghai court officials case was inevitable // 论待遇、权力、尊严，中国法官，都无法和法治国家的法官比。中国的司法体制是苏联式的，臃肿及庸众的法官队伍，想不出嫖娼事件都难。

Jailed China activist: Citizens should seek rights–AP Xu’s supporter and friend, Wang Gongquan, confirmed by phone that he had obtained the video and posted it on his microblogs. Wang said one of Xu’s lawyers, Zhang Qingfang, shot the video on Aug. 1. // can’t imagine Xu Zhiyong has a short stay in jail, esp after this video

涉贪腐脉络渐清晰 反腐刀锋逼近周永康_中国_多维新闻网【多维新闻】在被称为“周永康后院”的四川政商界集体陷落后，有关周永康“摊上大事儿了”的消息就不曾断绝。外间流传关于周永康涉贪涉腐的消息，多与其子周斌以及四川官商，乃至薄熙来等间接牵涉，然而，事实果真如此吗？据悉，周永康涉贪腐远非通过中间人这么隐秘，侍权妄为、目中无人的周，甚至明目张胆直接收受贿赂，肆无忌惮地卖官鬻爵。而随着四川官商的集体陷落，周永康涉贪涉腐的脉络已日渐清晰。// Duowei won’t let up on idea that Zhou Yongkang and family are connected to all the recent Sichuan executives arrests…lots of rumors, seems unlikely Zhou could ever be touched…but seems clear he can’t protect those once close to him

石油神秘女人甄秀玉被立案调查|甄秀玉|石油神秘女人|立案调查_21世纪网 “Big Sister Oil” Zhen Xiuyu may be under investigation…very interesting case // 冒用央企名片包装身份，在上海、广州、深圳等地四处集资借款，随后又多次失踪的神秘女人“甄秀玉” 再次在北京现身，以“电解铜”项目进行集资。 一名知情者在向本报透露上述消息时说：“甄秀玉在北京也有多个住处，平时接待来谈生意的人主要在位于王府井的凯悦大酒店，和在上海威斯汀大饭店一样，大摆排场。” 但甄秀玉在北京“重操旧业”之际，上海市公安局静安分局则已针对甄秀玉的社会活动展开调查，并对甄秀玉此前在上海的多个活动场所、人际关系网进行取证。

[视频]中央党的群众路线教育实践活动领导小组印发《关于认真学习贯彻习近平总书记在河北调研指导党的群众路线教育实践活动时讲话的通知》_新闻频道_央视网 央视网消息（新闻联播）：本台消息，近日，中央党的群众路线教育实践活动领导小组印发《关于认真学习贯彻习近平总书记在河北调研指导党的群众路线教育实践活动时讲话的通知》，要求各级党委（党组）认真学习贯彻习近平总书记重要讲话精神，推进教育实践活动取得实实在在的成效。

刘锋：当前意识形态的压力反应方式-财经网 在封闭的社会中，统治阶级的意识形态垄断了社会中几乎所有话语空间，构建和运转暴虐、非理性、不符合逻辑推理的话语体系成了当仁不让的“大事”。而在开放的社会，统治阶级的意识形态，必须随着多元化的社会各阶层话语空间的分享，随时应对、调整自己的话语体系，构建温和、理性、符合逻辑推理的话语体系，寻找各阶层都能接受的社会共识，并对整个社会的良性运转进行正面引导，无疑是当前一个需要集中全社会力量去办的大事。–刘锋为法学博士，独立学者，微博名“锋语彩虹”

Illegal Shanghai stay costs foreigner 10,000 yuan|Society|chinadaily.com.cn A foreigner who stayed illegally in Shanghai for 33 days has been fined 10,000 yuan ($1,600), the largest fine issued in the city and the maximum allowed since the Exit-Entry Administration Law took effect last month. The foreigner, identified by police only as Peter, was fined on Tuesday by the city’s immigration inspection authority.

王林旧事：经营宾馆涉黄赌被查 拎铁链冲进县委砸门牌_资讯频道_凤凰网 The Wang Lin case just gets better…of course it is unraveling all sorts of nasty local corruption // “大师”王林如何在他的老家芦溪经营生意？在芦溪，王林曾借款给政府，显示了自己雄厚的资金实力。2001年县政府将芦溪宾馆卖给王林并赠送百亩林地。2007年，王林将宾馆及林地以420万美元（约3400万元）转让，6年获利几千万。芦溪县政法系统内部人士表示转让过程未经过公开拍卖，为让王林拿到宾馆土地，两次虚假流拍，将拍卖价格从750万降至200万。 2013年8月3日，马云、赵薇拜访王林一个月后，“大师”王林豪宅前竖起了脚手架，鎏金的“王府”二字被铲去。

Asia Times Online: China, a new equality and the world A conversation with Wang Hui BEIJING – Wang Hui is one of the great contemporary Chinese scholars. Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, he is universally considered as one of the main representatives of the Chinese “new left”, a definition he doesn’t like, being too tied to old patterns and to a Western point of view. “Let’s go beyond old thoughts” definitely seems his new manifesto and in today’s China the equality issue happens to be a good start.

部分地区”问题”楼堂馆所回访记：有的继续顶风兴建-时政频道-新华网 Xinhua on how some local governmnts are already ignoring the order to stop building extravagant buildings // 新华网北京８月８日电　国务院８日公布各地落实“约法三章”情况。针对其中“政府性楼堂馆所一律不得新建”的严格要求，新华社记者近日回访了一些被舆论曝光的“问题”楼堂馆所，发现有的已经紧急作出处置，有的仍然置若罔闻、继续建设。有关专家表示，下大力气遏制楼堂馆所滥建风，体现了新一届中央政府“让人民过好日子，政府过紧日子”的决心，必须以严厉的监督问责机制加以保障。

多地暗渡陈仓滥建楼堂馆所 称豪装食堂为”吃饭安全“_大公资讯_大公网  安徽省某市市委市政府打着“商务中心”名义建设的行政办公大楼。中央出台八项规定和“约法三章”后，各地大张旗鼓兴建楼堂馆所现象已罕为人见，取而代之的是花样繁多的遁形之术。

Dui Hua Human Rights Journal: Petitioning Abuse Survivor Wins Forced Commitment Suit Some observers have compared Wu Chunxia’s use of the judicial process to clear her name to the efforts of petitioning mother Tang Hui, whose challenge to reeducation through labor (RTL) helped galvanize support for RTL reform. Intercepted in Beijing, kidnapped from a Henan courtroom, detained, sentenced to RTL, and forcefully institutionalized, Wu has successfully fought back with a series of lawsuits through which she has already received more than 145,000 yuan (nearly $24,000) in compensation and civil damages. Her story is told in an investigative report (translated below) by China Youth Daily….A survivor of domestic abuse, Wu was detained by police after seeking the assistance of provincial and central officials in a custody dispute with her ex-husband—a matter complicated by the man’s cozy relations with local police.

姜丰公司属大连实德旗下 被传曾傍地产商_中国_多维新闻网 who is Feng Jiang Dolby and what else does she know not just about Bo Xilai?And whi is her English husband, or ex-husband now as some suggest? // 【多维新闻】北京时间8月6日，即将受审的原中共重庆市委书记薄熙来在法国的别墅遭到曝光。别墅的第三任管理者姜丰（Feng Jiang Dolby）曾是中央电视台著名女主持，其创办的“杜比国际教育中心”隶属于大连实德集团旗下。8月8日，微博名为“心恒安住”的网友发信息称，听闻姜丰“傍上了薄”并不吃惊。该微博还透露，姜丰曾傍广州一地产开发商。

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

China’s Xinhua news agency falls for satirical Amazon report – Telegraph China’s official news agency, Xinhua, became the laughing stock of the internet on Thursday after it reprinted a satirical report claiming Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had purchased the Washington Post by accidentally clicking on the newspaper.

Chinese firm paid insider ‘to kill my company,’ American CEO says – Investigations Federal prosecutors call the alleged cyber theft  from American Superconductor (AMSC) in Devens, Mass., one of the most brazen cases yet of Chinese economic espionage in the United States. The techniques the Chinese used to rob the company of three quarters of its revenue, half its workforce, and more than $1 billion in market value were straight out of a “spy novel,” the firm’s CEO said in an interview with NBC News.

 

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

Hong Kong Ex-Minister Gets Suspended Sentence for Fraud – Bloomberg Hong Kong’s former development secretary Mak Chai-kwong received a suspended sentence for his role in defrauding the government of more than HK$700,000 ($90,249) of housing allowances during the 1980s.

Government lifts Philippines sanctions – Taipei Times The government has lifted the 11 sanctions leveled against the Philippines following a deadly dispute involving the death of a Taiwanese fisherman, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) announced at a press conference in Taipei yesterday. Three months after the death of Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成) at the hands of Philippine Coast Guard personnel, his family yesterday had their demands met when Manila’s emissary apologized at a press conference in Pingtung County’s Siaoliouciou (小琉球).

 

TECH AND MEDIA

Huxiu.me — Winners In Chinese Internet Feels Pressure In Mobile Market The benefits brought by the mobile device such as portability and fragmented reading have made it the main battlefield for online reading. Yet Cloudary (盛大文学, www.cloudary.com.cn) has not managed to duplicate its domination in desktop internet in mobile internet. Though Cloudary has claimed that its business still accounts for 80% of the market, it is hard to ignore the fact that it has slowed down its pace in the dawn of mobile reading. With the fierce rivalry and all the uncertainty in the market of mobile reading, there are a few things to ponder.

“马云化”给阿里带来的危与机_财经频道_一财网 First Financial on Jack Ma’s recent PR problems around Wang Lin and the SCMP interview, looks at the perils of the company relying too much on him // “大师王林风波”还在发酵，阿里集团创始人马云再次卷入“大师”风波中。 马云在微博上回应称：“人类很容易以自己有限的科学知识去自以为是地判断世界。科学不是真理，科学是用来证明真理的。”马云强调，过度沉溺信仰和迷失信仰都是迷信，“今天大家是后者”。 这番与舆论相悖的言论引发了更多的关注，实际上，就在不久之前，马云刚刚遭遇了一场与香港某媒体“矛盾公开化”的风波。

Former Alibaba Exec Sentenced to 7 Years for Corruption–TechInAsia wonder what his Alibaba options would have been worth at the IPO // It was almost exactly a year ago that former Alibaba GM Yan Limin was arrested by police on suspicion of accepting bribes. This morning, a Hangzhou court has ruled that Yan, who was once the manager of Alibaba’s Juhuasuan group-buying venture, is to serve seven years in prison as the result of two large bribes he accepted during his time at Alibaba. Several other former Alibaba employees from Juhuasuan and Taobao were implicated in the case were also found guilty of bribery and sentenced, according to Sina Tech.

Huawei’s Smartphone-Like Network Switch to Challenge Cisco – Bloomberg Huawei Technologies Co., China’s largest phone-network equipment maker, will offer a new line of switches that can be upgraded like applications on a smartphone as the company steps up its challenge to Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) The new S12700 series of switches, programmable by software enabling four times faster updates than hardware-based switches, will be released globally in October, William Xu, head of Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group, said in an interview in Beijing yesterday.

China Unicom Earnings Beat Estimates on Cheaper Smartphones – Bloomberg Chairman Chang Xiaobing has turned to low-cost smartphones from Chinese suppliers like Lenovo Group Ltd. (992)’s A66 or ZTE Corp. (000063)’s V790, both priced at 499 yuan ($82) to trim subsidy costs and reduce reliance on Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone to win users. Unicom, which lost exclusivity to offer the iPhone last year when China Telecom Corp. began selling the device, still sells the iPhone 5 for 4,699 yuan on its website, while offering it free with some service plans.

China Insider | South China Morning Post a new China news feature from the SCMP

M-commerce in China Surges More Than 40 Percent in Q2 [Charts] | Alizila Online shopping via mobile phones continues to be a hot growth segment in the PRC. The latest numbers from market-research firm iResearch indicate the total GMV (Gross Merchandise Value, an estimate of total sales) generated on mobile phones in China hit RMB 37.5 billion in the second quarter, up 40.7 percent compared with Q1 and up 181 percent year-over-year.

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

北京江苏等10省市流动人口生头胎“办证”简化_新闻_腾讯网 Beijing, 9 provinces simplify procedures for migrant workers getting permits to give birth

“文革”遗伤心理研究：寻找“文革”隐伤者_UGC精选 a psychiatrist trying to help with the emotional scars from the Cultural Revolution. I have a patient for her // 文革结束近四十年，但遗伤和暴力在代际间悄然传递。心理医生吴莉研究“文革”，学会重新面对亡父和历史隐伤。“我其实想治疗的是我自己。”

暑期两档汉字听写节目走红，国人书写能力普遍退化 你还会写多少汉字 《 人民日报 》 Two dictation shows were popular this summer? People’s Daily on knowledge of characters has regressed–“How Many Chinese Characters Can You Write?” I can write a lot so long as I have a smartphone or computer…// 传承了几千年的方块字，似乎正从“熟面孔”变成“陌生人”。两档暑期汉字听写类电视节目的走红，让不少国人惊呼自己已经“不会写字”！这一现象，再次引起人们对汉字文化传承的忧虑。从笔尖到键盘，汉字书写方式发生了本质的变化。相对于拼音文字，键盘时代的来临，对汉字书写能力的影响无疑要大得多。汉字文化的传承，是否会因此衰变？书写工具改变不可逆，当提笔忘字愈加频繁，对汉字的遗忘，又该如何抵挡？

Porsche Crashes into Maserati on Purpose–CRI A young woman in Chongqing municipality got into a Porsche Cayenne car after arguing with her boyfriend and proceeded to ram into the rear end of her boyfriend’s Maserati car which was parked ahead of her in front of the Nanping Civil Affairs Center on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. [Photo: weibo.com]

Leica Cameras Have Eye-Popping Prices, With Photos to Match – NYTimes.com surprised no one has done a story on rich chinese and their cameras, esp Leicas…// Leicas are in such high demand that there is a three-month wait to purchase several of the latest models.

In China, one-child policy compounds loss of child for parents – The Washington Post Little discussed and largely ignored, however, is a quiet devastation left in the policy’s wake: childless parents. A parent’s worst nightmare in any country, the deaths of children in China are even more painful because of the cultural importance of descendents, increasing financial pressures on the elderly and the legal limits on bearing additional offspring.

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Sufferers of Rare Bone Disorder ‘Have Trouble Getting Treatment’ – Caixin Most adult sufferers of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) – referred to as “porcelain dolls” in China – rely on their parents for care, the report by China-Dolls Center for Rare Disorders and the China Dolls Foundation for Rare Disorders says. The report was released at a national conference on OI held in Beijing on August 3. It also said OI sufferers had low family incomes, a lack of insurance coverage and employment obstacles. Nearly three-quarters are unmarried.

Particle Counting | More Comparisons But these results from Dr. Saint Cyr do use ambient air pollution in China (as do mine 1, 2). In tests with doors closed and the filters at their highest settings, Dr. Saint Cyr’s two Alen Air filters, Blueair, and IQ Air all got rid of at least 95% of PM .3. But the Alen Air A375 will set you back US$500 or RMB 5,000 imported in China. Here’s how to get the same results for 166 RMB.

 

FOOD AND TRAVEL

Baijiu consumption stimulates imports of US sorghum|Industries|chinadaily.com.cn Increasing alcohol consumption in China tied to the nation’s economic expansion is raising the imports of sorghum from the United States. The grain is used to make baijiu, a traditional Chinese spirit. The International Grains Council said China’s imports of US sorghum may be even greater than US farm officials thought. Agrimoney.com reported the council as saying that so far for 2013 to 2014 it has received orders for 400,000 tons of sorghum, most of which will be shipped through November to southern China.

 

BEIJING

北京要求地铁车厢空地每平方米最多站5人|车厢|地铁|北京_新浪新闻 Beijing says subway should have no more than 5 people per square meter, will increase train frequency on popular lines

 

JOBS AND EVENTS

CET Capital Conversations: The Internet in China-Updates & Forecasts with Gady Epstein August 11 in Beijing // The Internet in China is a moving target, morphing too fast for analysts to keep up with.  Gady Epstein, correspondent for The Economist, and one of the most savvy reporters covering the Chinese Internet, sits down with David Moser to explore the influence and trajectory of Chinese cyberspace, exploring questions such as: How has China changed the Internet, and how is the Internet is changing China?  How leaky is the Great Firewall, and is there a tipping point for censorship on the horizon?  And is the expanding Internet inherently destabilizing, or could it actually be a force for social stability?

 

CORRECTIONS

There were two bad links in yesterday’s email newsletter. I fixed them on the web site but once the email is sent there is noting I can do. Apologies to those who clicked to nowhere. //  Beijing’s residential real estate has struggled but its commercial property has boomed, and a Caixin columnist is again warning of a bubble in Beijing’s commercial property sector–Commercial Real Estate Is No Safe Haven. [CORRECTED LINK] …Last month well-known distressed property investor and China commercial real estate bear Jack Rodman announced that he is leaving Beijing. According to China’s ailing bad debt market cries for change  [CORRECTED LINK] ”veteran investor Jack Rodman has had enough. After waiting 11 years for China to sell its rising pile of bad bank loans, he is quitting and going to Spain instead.