Even in the face of the Weibo crackdown Chinese netizens can be funny. My favorite joke so far out of the upgraded crackdown on Internet rumors, “Big Vs” and the arrest of Xue Manzi (see the Essential Eight for details) is “微博生存第一法则：不传谣、不造谣、不逛窑. Weibo survival rule number one: don’t spread rumors, start rumors or visit brothels”. 窑 Yao4, a word for brothels, is a homonym of 谣 yao4, a word for rumors.
Just links today:
BO XILAI TRIAL
Wang Xiangwei–Myriad reasons behind transparency of Bo Xilai’s trial | South China Morning Post Before the leaders had set the trial date, Bo is believed to have written a lengthy letter to the Politburo, admitting to the three charges of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power. He is said to have acknowledged that his misdeeds had tarnished the party’s image. The leaders are believed to have allowed such transparency of the proceedings partly because of Bo’s influence. Unlike other senior officials jailed for corruption, Bo is different. He is not only a scion of an elite Communist Party family but also seen as a flag-bearer of the leftist movement on the mainland
Political Stagecraft in Trial of Fallen China Boss – NYTimes.com The spectacle, they say, is an effort by the party to convince his elite party allies and ordinary supporters that Mr. Bo, a populist politician and the son of a revolutionary leader, had his say in court, and that the long prison sentence he is expected to get is based on evidence of crimes committed, not political payback. State news media highlight daily the evidence presented against Mr. Bo. “The authorities hope to separate the Bo Xilai case from politics,” said Chen Jieren, a legal commentator. “They want people to think this was only an anticorruption struggle, not a political and ideological struggle.”…some liberal voices have expressed approval of the trial’s transparency and judicial procedure. Caixin, among China’s more independent media outlets, published a commentary on Sunday by Xiao Han, a legal scholar, who said officials deserved credit for steps toward openness // 财新评论：薄熙来案的程序意义_政经频道_财新网 China Politics & Law University professor Xiao Han writes on Caixin that the Bo trial shows positive steps towards rule of law
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
Outspoken Chinese American investor Charles Xue detained in Beijing in ‘prostitution’ bust | South China Morning Post Famous Chinese-American angel investor and social media celebrity Charles Xue has been detained in Beijing for suspected involvement in prostitution, the Beijing police said on Sunday. After a tip from local residents, officers from the Chaoyang District police department captured Xue along with a 22-year-old woman from Henan Province in a residential compound in northern Beijing, said a post on the official Weibo social media account of Beijing police.
Related: Chinese Police Detain Online Commentator – WSJ.com Earlier this month, the head of the State Internet Information Office, which monitors online content, called a group of “big V” users to a forum and urged them to be more constructive in their social media postings. The detention of Mr. Xue “isn’t a simple incident of administrative punishment,” said investment consultant and popular Weibo user Chen Zonghe. “It’s a struggle to overhaul the big V.” The clampdown comes as the new party leadership is trying to promote consensus within its ranks after a rocky transition last year. // this seems to imply that the crackdown is related to the transition and consensus building…it looks totally consistent with what came out of the 6th Plenum of the 17th party congress in late 2011. the Party is trying to seize the “commanding heights” of the internet and social media, as they set as a goal at that meeting almost two years ago
Related: 抓获薛蛮子 撕下网络伪君子外衣 _光明观察原创 _光明网 Guangming Daily piece on Xue manzi’s detention “tearing off the clothes of Internet hypocrite” // 抓获薛蛮子，撕下网络伪君子的外衣。网络文明当真诚，当阳光，当坦荡，那些伪君子行为，或许能够权倾一时，无限风光，但是，朗朗乾坤，天理昭昭，早晚会露出狐狸尾巴，口是心非，跳梁小丑的真面目就会暴露在大庭广众之下。网络文明，是真君子驰骋的美丽旷野，绝不是伪君子逍遥得意的天堂。抓获薛蛮子是警钟，震慑网络伪君子，也提醒我们网民，理智看微博，莫要盲目跟风，胡乱崇拜。
Related: 薛蛮子嫖娼被拘留 因入美籍关押至团河拘留所_网易新闻中心-网易新闻客户端 interesting that Kong Qingdong first put the news of Xue Manzi’s detention on Weibo, per this report // 昨天凌晨1点43分，北京大学中文系教授孔庆东发布微博称，薛蛮子因嫖娼被拘留。随后，这条微博被网友大量转发，很多人要求证实这条微博的真实性。昨天中午11点12分，北京警方通过官微“平安北京”在网上证实，…据知情人士透露，案发当天下午5点，朝阳区大屯派出所接到举报后，联合治安支队一起来到安慧北里逸园16号楼一房屋内，将薛某和张某抓获。由于证据充分，警方很快将二人口供做好。民警经审查确认薛某是美籍华人，随后将他送至大兴区团河拘留所。据了解，团河拘留所可关押外籍犯罪嫌疑人。
[视频]打击“网络大谣”：江苏警方侦破系列网络敲诈勒索案_新闻频道_央视网 CCTV Evening News Saturday segment 1 on the arrest of Zhou Lubao…what if Zhou Lubao really did take money to post or not post on weibo? that kind of behavior not unheard of. The Chinese Internet is a very dirty place, a crackdown on real rumors is needed// 全国公安机关集中打击网络有组织制造传播谣言等违法犯罪专项行动取得新进展。江苏警方近日成功侦破一起利用互联网实施敲诈勒索犯罪系列案件。多次利用网络发布负面帖文、施压获取“封口费”的网络爆料人周禄宝因涉嫌敲诈勒索罪已被批准逮捕。犯罪嫌疑人周禄宝2011年6月，以广西阳朔某寺庙存在欺诈行为为由，炮制《和尚吃人不吐骨头让谁蒙羞》等攻击性帖文，并借助自己是多个论坛的版主，在多家论坛发表并置顶，持续一个多月每天更新一两个帖子，以此向寺庙施压，提出需要4万元人民币方可摆平此事。
Related: [视频]打击“网络大谣”：网络“大谣”当严惩 法网底线不可破_新闻频道_央视网 CCTV Sunday evening news segment 2 on Big Vs, rumors and the arrest of Zhou Lubao// 网络大谣博眼球的同时借机敛财，而一些知名网站为追求经济效益也成为大谣的中转站，周禄宝的所谓维权帖就被多家网站一次次地置顶。连日来，网民们纷纷表示，网络是自由之网，也是法治之网。离开了法律保障，网络自由就无从谈起。无论是在网上还是在网下，任何犯罪行为必然要受到法律的严惩
Related: [视频]打击“大谣”是赢得社会共识的过程_新闻频道_央视网 CCTV Sunday evening news segment 3 on Big Vs, rumors and the arrest of Zhou Lubao //就打击网络造谣传谣的问题，接下来我们连线本台特约评论员杨禹。从秦火火到周禄宝，这些网络造谣传谣者的把戏被逐渐揭穿，网络造谣传谣也无疑给社会带来了诸多危害，您认为全社会该如何共同努力，来维护互联网平台的公信力？今天我们又认识了一位“大谣”。从秦火火到周禄宝，还有一些乐于传谣的网络大V，他们的行为有一个共同点，就是利用网络便利，借着造谣传谣形成所谓影响力，进而谋取不当利益。他们殊途同归，都成了危害社会的“大谣”。周禄宝更是把造谣传谣当成了敲诈勒索的工具。
Related: 《焦点访谈》网络“维权斗士”的真面目-视频频道-新华网 CCTV Focus on the “real faces” of online rights fighters // 再来看看周禄宝在这些案件中的一些手法。他精心选好目标对象后，就编造一些负面信息和耸人听闻的谣言，之后在网上发布，向对方施压，等钱到手后马上再为对方进行所谓“正面宣传”。这就可以看出来，造谣传谣这种行为，实际上已经成为了某些人敲诈勒索的一个重要的环节。互联网以及微博等媒体也成了某些人敲诈勒索的利器。源自网络的这种犯罪活动，不仅会给受害者带来经济、精神的双重损失，更会损害社会公信，影响公众判断，危害也更大。现在，公安机关正在对周禄宝这样典型的网络大谣，进行持续深入地打击。这种突破底线，违背公序良俗的犯罪行为，必定受到法律的严惩
Related: 谨防大V变大谣–Today’s People’s Daily Page 4 has 3 articles on Big Vs and fighting online rumors
Related: 人民日报评论员: 谨防大V变大谣–观点–人民网 “人生须知负责任的苦处，才能知道尽责任的乐趣。”只要人人都对自己的言行负责，人人都来传播正能量，网络生态就能不断净化，网络发展就能带来更多的社会进步。一个既有秩序又有活力的互联网，将是一片给人力量、令人振奋的乐土。
Related: Company boss arrested for creating online rumors – Xinhua Fu Xuesheng, 47, who was the chairman and legal representative of the “Shanghai LabInfo Technologies Ltd,” was suspected of creating online rumors to slander his competitors as retaliation, police said… After failing one of Sinopec’s biddings in Dec. 2012, Fu took revenge against the winning bidder via slandering that they were involved in sex bribes, police said. Police in Shanghai have solved more than 380 such cases.
Related: 整治网络谣言必须出重拳（笔谈）_2013/16_求是理论网 Red Flag weighs in on the upgraded campaign against Internet rumors // 编者按：近日，长期在网上造谣、传谣的秦志晖（网名“秦火火”）、杨秀宇（网名“立二拆四”）被抓获并刑拘，消息一经公开便引发了社会广泛关注，广大人民群众拍手称快。网络不是法外世界，恶意造谣、传谣必须要受到法律的制裁。那么，网络谣言的危害有多大？网络谣言泛滥的根源在哪里？如何才能彻底整治网络谣言？请看本期一组文章。
Eyes online, milk powder firms count cost of China probes | Reuters The stepped-up monitoring of microblogging site Weibo and local online forums reflects the outsized role social media plays in China, where access to information is restricted. Chatter about food safety scares spreads lightning-fast on Twitter-like Weibo, so companies are learning to keep constant tabs on their online brand reputation. “We work with a number of clients in this sector and we’ve been busy, very busy, over the last couple of weeks,” said a China-based senior executive at a social media analytics firm // how do the social media analytics firms deal with all the fake and paid for posts?
扛债3万亿 钢企破产警报 – 经济观察网 － 专业财经新闻网站 Economic Observer on massive debts in the steel industry…as of June 30, 2013 86 large and medium sized steel firms have total debt of more than 3 Trillion RMB…debt ratio of industry is 69.47%…how can this be good for the price of iron ore?// 导语：86家大中型钢铁企业总负债已超过3万亿，行业负债率达69.47%。破产，离钢铁业已经不远了？
China Rethinks Deals for Resources – WSJ.com China has plowed $226.1 billion into outbound mergers and acquisitions to grab a slice of global resources since 1995, about a quarter of which was in the mining sector, according to data provider Dealogic. But people inside and outside the government say Beijing is taking a more careful look at projects. “The government still encourages ‘going out,’ ” said Jin Bosong, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerce’s International Trade and Economic Cooperation Research Institute. “But now the emphasis is to make companies ask questions like: ‘Can the project make money?’ ” he said.
Charlene Chu: In 5 Yrs China Replicated Whole US Banking System Charlene Chu: A crisis is certainly not pre-ordained. China has some unique features that mitigate some of these risks and contribute to a more stable environment than in other emerging markets. Specifically, China’s financial sector is funded primarily by domestic deposits, so there isn’t that reliance on overseas or FX funding that exists in Eastern Europe or was present in some of the Asian countries in the ‘90s. China also has a closed capital account, which means that savings are captive in the domestic financial sector. In addition, we have a system dominated by state owned banks lending to state-owned companies. In that climate, everyone is part of one big family, so there’s more tolerance for non-payment, forbearance, etc. The Chinese government also is very active behind the scenes – both at the local and central levels – whenever small fires appear to prevent them from spreading, for example, a guarantee company blowing up or a trust product defaulting. In the end, all of this contributes to a more stable financial environment. That’s the advantage. The disadvantage is it allows this unhealthy, imbalanced dynamic to go on longer and further than it would in other countries.
The Chinese Migrants Who Shocked Singapore: A WSJ Investigation – China Real Time Report – WSJ This story of a strike by Chinese bus drivers in Singapore offers a close-up look at a major issue facing the Southeast Asian city-state today: The growing number of migrant workers who underpin Singapore’s economy and the social tensions that their presence can generate. What happened over two days in late November 2012 rattled the foundations of Singapore’s economic success – its business-friendly governance and industrial harmony – and prompted a robust response from the government.
Alibaba digs deep for Chinese banking treasure – FT.com “They are doing this online lending business through small credit companies. They have shells to make the business legitimate under the current system,” said a bank analyst, who asked not to be named since he was not authorised to speak to media. “The problem is how scalable their current model is. Regulators will pay more attention when they get bigger.”
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
发改委将从四方面推进药价改革-证券时报多媒体数字报刊平台 NDRC says more reforms coming to medicine pricing..all with goal of dropping prices // 探索以支付指导价格为核心的价格管理新形式
144地级市规划建200余新城新区_中国新闻·时事_新京报电子报 Central government survey finds that 144 prefectural level cities want to build more than 200 new urban districts…Beijing seems to be against this…// 据新华社电 近期，国家发改委城市和小城镇改革发展中心课题组对12个省区的调查显示，12个省会城市，平均一个城市要建4.6个新城新区；144个地级城市，平均每个规划建设约1.5个新城新区。中国究竟需要多少“国际化大都市”？记者在多地调研发现，一些地方贪大求快，却没有考虑到地方实际能力和民生服务配套，不仅造成了巨大资源浪费，更潜藏着系统性风险。
城镇化用地首重“盘活存量” 新华社——经济参考网 推进城镇化过程中面临着土地供需失衡、利用率低下以及地方政府过度依赖土地财政等难题，尤为关键的是对新增建设用地的大量需求。《经济参考报》记者获悉，国土部对于改革完善土地管理制度促进城镇化健康发展已形成初步框架，在化解用地需求矛盾上，未来将提高存量用地比重，建立起以“盘活存量”为主的制度体系。
万户平台贷 城商行占三成_财经频道_一财网 First Financial says it has exclusively obtained data on size of LGFV loans as of June 30…9.7 Trillion RMB…10,932 of the vehicles // 昨日，《第一财经日报》记者独家获悉的数据显示，截至2013年6月末，地方政府融资平台贷款余额为9.7万亿元，同比增长6.2%；地方政府融资平台客户数量达到10932家。城商行平台贷款客户3431家，占银行业金融机构平台贷款客户总数的31%； 9.7万亿元的融资平台贷款中，市、县（区）级平台贷款余额6.09万亿元，占比为62.74%。城商行平台贷款余额4840亿元，户均贷款余额仅仅为1.4亿元。 一直以来，国开行和四大行是发放地方政府融资平台贷款的主力军。目前的情况显示，大行的融资平台客户层级较高，贷款质量依然保持稳定。而规模占比较小的城商行，却持续面临着客户数量分散、层级较低的问题。
部分额度已用完 广州多家银行暂停房贷 | 每经网 Some banks in Guangzhou have used up their mortgage loan quotas, stop issuing new mortgage loans // 《每日经济新闻》记者近日走访了广州地区部分银行，发现确实有部分银行已暂停房贷，而还在做房贷的银行，首套房贷利率也基本维持基准利率之上。 业内人士认为，银行对房产都有固定预算，住房贷款年初把额度放完了，年底额度自然紧张。另外，“钱荒”之后银行风控意识加强，会更加严格地控制房贷的风险敞口。房贷利率打折时代可能会渐行渐远。
China Construction Bank Profit Growth Slows on Rising Bad Loans – Bloomberg “Chinese banks’ asset quality shows no sign of stabilization as the economy remains sluggish,” said Mu Hua, a Guangzhou-based analyst at GF Securities Co. “Bad loans is a lagging indicator therefore we expect the NPL balance to keep rising in the rest of year. The slowdown in loan expansion has also dragged banks’ profit growth and the trend will continue as the central bank keeps the lid on total lending.”
Sinopec Beats PetroChina as Refining Profit Boosts Net – Bloomberg Both Sinopec and PetroChina reported weaker demand for diesel, closely associated with industrial production, as China faces the slowest growth since the global financial crisis in 2008.
2013年中国企业家论坛夏季高峰会_财经频道_新浪网 coverage of this year’s China Entrepreneurs Forum in Yabuli, lots of interesting comments
任志强:中国部分地方是伪城镇化 速度比越南低 |任志强|中国|城镇化_新浪财经_新浪网 “我们看邓小平推土地承包制，南巡讲话之后，我们的发展速度最快，1995年到2006年，(城镇化率)平均增长6个点，‘十二五’规定五年提高4个点，可想而知政府在这中间起到的基本是坏作用，没有干过好事，这次政府提出城镇化我认为基本不可能。”任志强说。那么中国政府应该逐步加快城镇化？他提出，应放开所有限制城镇化的资源和障碍。第一，实现市场化，政府如果不允许实行真正的市场化不可能有城镇化；第二，政府应把迁徙权利还给人民，光有户籍制度还不行。
王梓木：国企改革需解决以党代企问题|企业家|亚布力|企业家论坛_新浪财经_新浪网 “亚布力中国企业家论坛2013年夏季高峰会”于2013年8月23日-25日在合肥举行。泰保险董事长王梓木谈国有企业的制度产权问题，他认为到现在还没有得到根本性的改革。这么多年来国有企业改革取得了巨大的进步，但是仍然面临着许多障碍，根本问题依然是以党代政、以党代企的问题，这涉及到体制方面的因素。
Chinese investors are buying more than a quarter of London’s new homes – Quartz London property prices have surged this year—up 8.1% in June, compared with the same month in 2012. That’s enough to invite “bubble” talk among economists. One cause of rising prices: Chinese investors. They bought 27% of new homes sold in London (link in Chinese) in 2012, according to a report by Chinese Weekly, a UK-based paper, quoting data from Savills, a UK-based estate broker. Chinese demand for new housing amounted to about 17% of total residential real estate transaction value last year, says the report.
POLITICS AND LAW
狠刹境外招商奢华之风–本报评论员 《 人民日报 》 People’s Daily page 1 commentary goes after overseas trips to pitch investment and business opportunities as excuses for luxury trips on the public’s dime // 招待晚宴规模不厌其大，一顿早餐耗资数万；会展场地贪大求奢，参与人数多多益善；签约仅仅走个形式，招商引资成了公款旅游……在举国上下反“四风”之际，一些招商团的奢侈浪费之举，显得格外刺目。这种奢华之风，不仅使招商引资难有实效，更浪费公家钱财、损害政府形象，必须坚决刹住。
阵容庞大 一掷千金 竞相比拼 一些赴港招商活动奢侈浪费 《 人民日报 》 Hong Kong travel and F&B industries won’t like this, People’s Daily page 1 also goes after official trips to hong Kong to pitch business opportunities // 今年5月一个月，香港迎来6个省级招商团；6月，又有3个省级招商团赴港。此外，还有一些地、县级政府招商团。这些招商活动，一般包括启动仪式、集中签约、大型宴会等环节，都在香港顶级酒店和会场举行，耗资不菲。一个香港酒店业从业人士说，香港几家最高档的酒店，如金钟香格里拉、万豪和湾仔君悦，都是招商团最喜欢入住的酒店。这些酒店的普通标准间，都要2000元左右一晚。今年5月，某省招商团在香格里拉酒店举行早餐会。一位参会的香港企业家透露，参加者共约40人，花费约4万元，人均1000元。这位身为亿万富豪的企业家，宴会结束后特地向服务员要了账单，看后不禁感慨：“一顿早餐花1000元，我不掏钱都觉得心疼。”
Sales Of Chinese Seafood Delicacies Are Plummeting Amid Government’s Anti-Corruption Drive – Business Insider On Hong Kong’s “Dried Seafood Street”, the centre of trade in dried delicacies, shopkeeper Leung Wing-chiu told AFP sales were down 20 percent at a time when increased ethical awareness over shark fin and rising rents are pressuring business. “Beijing’s frugality campaign has driven money out of my pocket,” said the 94-year-old, who is also the Dried Sea Food & Grocery Merchants Association president. “Demand from mainland buyers, especially hotels and restaurants, has shrunk a lot. This is particularly true for high-end goods such as dried abalone, shark fins and bird’s nest.”
调查称官员出逃向冷衙门蔓延 出入境管控宽松_网易新闻中心 on lower level officials fleeing the country // 6月以来，广东、湖北、湖南3名官员离奇“失踪”，引发了社会对“官跑跑”现象的关注。记者调查发现，出逃官员呈现出级别由高向低、部门由“热”向“冷”发展的特点。层层关卡没拦住“官跑跑”，折射出我国的职务犯罪预警机制、官员出入境管理机制存在盲点。
新华社：官员“雷语”分狂妄型愚蠢型轻浮型等_新闻_腾讯网 Xinhua on the crazy things officials sometimes say // 据新华社电 “40年后，我们是不是还存在这个世界，不要考虑太长远了。”很难想象，如此漫谈人生的“警世之言”，竟是政府官网回复群众咨询房屋产权政策时的帖子。 最近，“神回复”接连出现，再次引发公众对官员“雷语”现象的关注。透视近年来出现的官员“雷语”可以发现，这其中既有互联网的放大效应，也反映出一些领导干部群众意识的淡漠和公共话语能力的缺失。
记者刘虎被羁押地系1级看守所 负责看押重大嫌犯_新闻_腾讯网Liu Hu being held in detention center that usually holds important suspects // 昨天凌晨，北京市公安局官方微博“平安北京”对外证实，《新快报》记者刘虎因涉嫌制造传播谣言已被北京警方刑事拘留。此前，刘虎曾在微博实名举报国家工商总局一名副局长，其代理律师表示，目前尚不清楚警方所认定的刘虎制造传播谣言是否与此事有关…在媒体的公开报道中，羁押刘虎的北京市第一看守所是我国一级看守所，负责看押重大刑事犯罪嫌疑人、涉外犯罪嫌疑人、危害国家安全的犯罪嫌疑人等
China’s former procurator-general Liu Fuzhi passes away – Xinhua Liu Fuzhi, China’s former top procurator, died of illness on Sunday in Beijing, according to a statement from the central authorities of the Communist Party of China. Liu, 96, is commended as an extraordinary Party member, a loyal communist and revolutionary, and an outstanding leader in the country’s political and legal work.
Knife-wielding man attacks 10 in SW China – Xinhua | English.news.cn A knife-wielding man hacked 10 people on Sunday evening in downtown Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, local police said. Three were killed and several were injured, China Central Television (CCTV) said on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social networking website.
Citizens movement leader Xu Zhiyong arrested | South China Morning Post Beijing activist Xu Zhiyong, arrested on Thursday, is one of the founders of a loose network of campaigners known as the New Citizens Movement, who, among other things, have called for people to get together on the last Saturday of each month for dinner to discuss China’s constitution and other legal issues
The death of independent cinema in China – Blogs – Time Out – Beijing After wrangling with the authorities all day yesterday, on what was supposed to be the opening of the festival on the rural outskirts of Beijing, this year’s Beijing Independent Film Festival has been cancelled. There were no melodramatics, no scenes of police clad in riot gear storming the cinema, no histrionic shouts of defiance; just festival director Wang Hongwei, getting progressively more and more drunk in the waning light beneath a banyan tree, pleading with two police officers to allow the festival to go ahead. Then a little after 10pm, an announcement was made.
New volume of Xi Zhongxun biography published – Xinhua | English.news.cn Volume two depicts the contributions made by Xi, also the father of President Xi Jinping, to the Chinese socialist revolution and the development of China. Volume one, which features the late revolutionary’s life experience and contributions in the period of China’s New-Democratic Revolution, was published in 2008.
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
[视频]经中央军委主席习近平批准 总政治部印发《关于深入学习宣传贯彻强军目标的意见》_新闻频道_央视网 央视网消息（新闻联播）：本台消息，经中央军委主席习近平批准，总政治部日前印发《关于深入学习宣传贯彻强军目标的意见》，要求各级坚决贯彻习主席和军委重要指示精神，进一步加大强军目标学习宣传贯彻力度，把实现强军目标贯穿到部队建设全过程和各领域。
China says no side should pre-judge Syria chemical probe | Reuters China said on Friday that no side should rush to pre-judge the results of any probe by U.N. chemical weapons experts in Syria, after Syria’s opposition accused government forces of using such weapons in an attack on civilians.
本台记者探访疑似化武受袭地区 – 高清在线观看 – 腾讯视频 CCTV News reporter visits area in Syria her Syrian military escorts told her was hit by rebel chemical weapons attack, is shot at by sniper…footage of her visit…
China, US conduct joint anti-piracy drill in Gulf of Aden – Xinhua Photos // Chinese and U.S. soldiers participate in the counter-piracy exercise on the missile destroyer “Harbin” of Chinese navy in the Gulf of Aden, Aug. 25, 2013. The Chinese and U.S. navies conducted a joint counter-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday and Sunday.
Foreign Policy by Whisper and Nudge – NYTimes.com “We now use 60 percent less energy per unit of G.D.P. than we did in 1973,” explained the energy economist Philip Verleger. “If the trend continues, we will use half the energy per unit of G.D.P. in 2020 that we used in 2012. To make matters better, a large part of the energy used will be renewable. Then there is the increase in oil and gas production.” In 2006, the United States depended on foreign oil for 60 percent of its consumption. Today it’s about 36 percent. True, oil is a global market, so what happens in the Middle East can still impact us and our allies. But the urgency is gone. “The Middle East is China’s problem,” added Verleger.
TECH AND MEDIA
Lenovo, Taking Page From Apple, Chases Samsung in China – Bloomberg Taking a page from the playbook of Apple Inc. (AAPL), a company it’s already beaten in China smartphone sales, Lenovo Group Ltd. (992) is counting on a chain of retail stores to help it surpass leader Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) The outlets offer the gleaming glass and wide counters found at Apple shops, with phones and tablets sitting on tables for customers to try out. Lenovo’s Solution Center takes the place of the Genius Bar, and staff look trim and neat in black polo shirts instead of Apple’s blue Tees…Apple inaugurated its first China outlet, in Beijing’s Sanlitun district, in 2008, and now has 11 stores in five Chinese cities. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook in April said he would double that number within two years.
Wedding Gown in-a-Box Slump Risks Cutting IPOs: China Overnight – Bloomberg American depositary receipts of LightInTheBox plunged below their June 6 debut level last week, after the Beijing-based company said sales will decline. The ADRs posted the biggest slump on the Bloomberg China-US Equity Index of the most-traded Chinese stocks…LightInTheBox, whose $80 wedding gowns and $2 iPhone gadgets are manufactured in China and sold in the U.S. and Europe, reported on Aug. 19 second-quarter sales that failed to surpass analysts’ estimates and said revenue will decline in the following three months. The earnings miss could reduce future IPO prices at a time Baidu Inc.’s travel unit Qunar.com and operator of literary websites Cloudary Corp. plan to sell shares in the U.S., according to IPOX.
USA TODAY–The perils of China for Google, Apple–John Shinal The reversal had more to do with the iPhone no longer being the hot phone, Android eating everything and Apple’s slow product development cycle // As noted in a previous column, Apple’s sales in China fell 14% during the most recent quarter, even while they climbed 15% during the first nine months of the fiscal year. The reversal of Apple’s sales momentum in China came after China’s state-run media ran critical stories about the company’s warranty policy in that country, the terms of which were less consumer-friendly than the one offered to consumers in the Americas. After government officials made critical comments of Apple in those stories, Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a public apology about the warranty policy. Will that apology make a difference to Apple’s fortunes in China? The answer is hard to predict.
China’s online shopping transactions boom – Xinhua China saw surging online shopping in the second quarter of 2013 with transactions totaling 437.13 billion yuan (about 70.8 billion U.S. dollars), showed new data on Sunday. The figure was a 24.2-percent quarter-to-quarter increase, and a 45.3 percent year-on-year increase, according to a research report released by iResearch, China’s leading Internet industry research company. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, total retail sales of consumer goods amounted to 6.03 trillion yuan nationwide in the period. This indicates that online shopping now accounts for about 7.3 percent of consumer retail in China.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
China to strengthen calligraphy education – Xinhua Chinese education authorities on Sunday called for providing better calligraphy education for the country’s primary and middle school students, according to the Ministry of Education. Calligraphy, which was a sort of time-honored handwriting art in China, was suspended for a period of time in school classes, an official with the ministry said at a prize-awarding ceremony of a national calligraphy competition.
《塬上》_大摄天下_刘朝晖_博联社 传说中的五龙圣母娘娘有姐妹三人，老大喜欢插花（戴花），老二喜欢吃肉，老三喜欢看戏。所以，每年的这一天，村民们都要宰杀一头生猪，供奉在龙王庙前，伴随祭祀的锣鼓，戏班和村民簇拥着圣母座驾，高举着五彩缤纷的纸扎绕村一周，回到庙院里，管社的就会按照全村人数，将宰杀的牺牲分掉，每家都会分得自己的一份供品。当然，唱戏是必不可少的了，照例是三天的戏场，铿锵的锣鼓，悠扬的丝竹，会让这个沟壑之中的村落犹如盛装的少妇一般，荡漾出奇特的风情！上庙的时候，会有马子出现。所谓马子，就是联系人和神之间的那个中间人。被神附体的马子，会用一根细钢签洞穿自己的两腮，然后赤膊上阵，手持钢鞭，嘴里念念有词~~这时候，现场的气氛开始高涨起来，人们围转着马子，跟随他的目光，肃穆、庄严、神秘的气氛伴随着《风搅雪》的锣鼓，袅袅香火夹杂着刺鼻的气味，纠首这时候会大喊一声，于是，所有的人会一起跪倒在圣母座驾面前，叩首祭拜！
晋城市第七届电视模特大赛——6(博联焦点)_冯利国_博联社 Photos from a TV Model contest in Jingcheng, Shanxi..if i were into page views i would definitely make slideshow out of this…
Bellator’s Vaughn Anderson on Chinese MMA: ‘The UFC is not as tempting for fighters here’ – Bloody Elbow As the coach of China’s top Sanda and MMA camp, Bellator fighter Vaughn Anderson talks about the state of Chinese MMA, the appeal of the UFC in the country, and the upcoming fighters to look out for.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
送检蔬菜镉超标：有机食品们隐藏了什么？|蔬菜|镉超标_21世纪网 are you really getting organic when you buy organic in China? recent tests would suggest testing before paying more // 继上海有机蔬菜配送商“天鲜配”和辽宁百味园相继落马之后，7月22日，江西德上科技药业有限公司的两款有机产品亦被查出部分指标超标，这使得有机产品的安全问题再度递到公众台前。 在广州，记者送检的两个蔬菜类产品中，同样被查出镉、亚硝酸盐等超标问题，而这两个产品的厂家分别为广州东升农场有限公司、广州市全兴汉华农业发展有限公司。 中国医学科学院药用植物研究所药用植物栽培研究中心副研究员徐常青博士对记者坦言，国内有机食品已逐步向规范体系发展，无论是在生产环境，抑或是监督环节如网上溯源体系，已多与世界标准同步，但仍有诸多问题。
BEIJING
重新定义产业升级 首都经济圈“破咒” – 经济观察网 － 专业财经新闻网站 on the imminient release of development plan for Capital Economic “Circle”–Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin // 经济观察报接触的区域经济专家透露，年底或将出台的《首都经济圈发展规划》重新定义了产业升级，平衡了此前京津冀三地关于产业定位的分歧。河北不愿意再做北京的“米袋子”和“菜篮子”，他们也要参与圈内的产业竞争。
北京购车摇号中签达到84比1 中签难度再创新高_网易新闻中心 now just a 1 in 84 chance of getting a license plate in the monthly beijing license plate drawing…
JOBS AND EVENTS
» 8-28: SH Outbound Investment Discussion Panel On Wednesday, August 28th, Emerging China and Angelvest Group will hold a panel discussion entitled “Chinese Outbound Investment: Opportunities and Challenges. The event is supported by the China-Arizona Alliance, the Chicago China Club, the State of Oregon China Office, and the State of Mississippi China Office. Date/Time: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Wednesday August 28th, 2013 日期/时间：2013年8月28日，晚上6:30点至8:30点. Venue: Le Sun Chine, No. 6 Lane 1220 Hua Shan Rd. (Near Hunan Rd) Tel: 021 5256 9977 地点: 绅公馆, 华山路1220弄6号 ( 近湖南路) 电话: 021 5256 9977