There is unlikely to be much news out of China over the next ten days as the country is going on vacation to celebrate the National Day Holiday.

Sinocism, along with our kids, will also be on vacation during that period.

We are staying in Beijing and given the domestic tourist hordes that descend on the city during this break we will likely not venture far from home.

Thanks for the support over the last few days.

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

Criticism campaign leading CPC officials to improve style – Xinhua In an effort to listen to people’s voices and find their own shortcomings, Zhou, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Hebei Provincial Committee and other local officials, each stayed with locals for over three days — before CPC leader Xi Jinping came to listen to them relay criticisms and self-criticisms in life and work style. Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, participated in special sessions held in north China’s Hebei Province between Sept. 23-25 for local officials to discuss their own problems as part of the ongoing “mass line” campaign.

Related: 河北省委常委写检查稿：越写越出汗几次想流泪|习近平|民主生活会|批评和自我批评_新浪新闻 more details from the Hebei Provincial Party Committee self-criticism sessions with Xi Jinping

Related: 批评和自我批评是一剂良药_UGC精选 据《党的建设辞典》：1953年2月28日，中共中央批转劳动部《关于检查官僚主义的决议》。毛泽东写下这样一段批语：“中央人民政府和军委各部门必须尽速召开会议，发动批评和自我批评，深刻揭发领导方面的官僚主义，并规定改正的具体办法。中央以为在很多部门中极端缺乏思想领导和政治领导的状况是完全不能容忍的，这是官僚主义存在和发展的主要原因，因此必须在反对官僚主义的斗争中研究和加强思想领导和政治领导的办法”。

Shanghai Free-Trade Zone Splits Analysts on Benefits to Economy – Bloomberg Eight of 17 respondents to a Bloomberg News survey said the so-called free trade zone will have no effect or a negligible impact on growth, while eight said it will boost annual expansion by 0.1 percentage point to 0.5 point over the next five years. One economist in the survey, conducted from Sept. 18 through yesterday, said growth would increase by 0.5 point to 0.9 point.

Related: China Seeks to Repeat Deng’s Shenzhen Success in Shanghai Zone – Bloomberg Li and President Xi Jinping are seeking new growth engines as rising wages and a shrinking workforce erode the returns of policies that transformed China into the world’s biggest exporter. The challenge for Deng’s successors will be to control Shanghai’s free-trade zone enough so that side effects don’t derail the broader economy, while ensuring the experiments aren’t so constrained as to be ineffectual. “The new leaders have staked their credibility on the zone,” said Willy Lam Wo-lap, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Related: Shanghai’s new zone: lots of hype, little detail – FT.com Even if the investors may have gotten ahead of themselves, they are in good company. Li Ka-shing, the Hong Kong tycoon who is Asia’s richest man, has predicted the zone will help Shanghai eat into Hong Kong’s business. And others too concur. “I’m on the optimistic side. There is vision here and strategy on the part of Beijing to do an end-run around some of the bureaucracy,” said Stephen Green, an economist with Standard Chartered. “Reformists are very excited and this is a good thing.”

Related: 中国不会在网上设置“政治租界”-法治频道-新华网 Ministry of Commerce researcher writes in People’s Daily Overseas edition that there will be no GFW-free Internet zone in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone // 　冷静、客观审视被某些人口诛笔伐为“原罪”的互联网防火墙。不难看到，这一工具至少在中国和其他一些国家是大大提高了国际社会的公正。经历了席卷整个阿拉伯世界的“茉莉花革命”的血腥冲突，经历了十几万人丧生、数百万人流离失所的叙利亚内战，网络信息战的杀伤力已经展现无遗；而经历了“棱镜门”风波，哪个人要是仍然声称网络是什么“自由”之地，声称网络不受西方霸权国家控制，不是美利坚霸权手中足以攻城灭国的利器，那也实在是太傻太天真。在这样的互联网技术强势国家重压之下，希望保持自卫能力、维护主权的国家可谓多矣。但不是所有国家都具备这样的能力，幸运的是，中国就是少数具备这一能力的国家之一。13亿中国人民得以继续享受着和平生活，而不至于如同苏联一样土崩瓦解，如同利比亚、叙利亚人民一样下场，互联网管理能力功不可没。。

国家审计署摸底发现：地方债务较两年前几乎翻番 新华社——经济参考网 Economic Information says has learned from someone famiiar with current nationwide debt audit that local debts have nearly doubled since the 2011 audit…so that would be 19 Trillion RMB or so// 国家审计署摸底全国政府性债务从8月至今，收官在即，备受瞩目。《经济参考报》记者获悉，目前，各省正在抓紧汇总数据上报审计署各地特派办。而据审计人员透露，地方政府性债务规模较2011年的审计结果增长较多，几乎翻番，而BT等新举债方式成为拉动债务规模扩大的重要推手。业内人士称，尽管债务增长较快，但若在摸底之后，政府稳定地方融资平台的债务增速，强化对融资平台债券发行的控制，债务风险不至于失控，也不大可能发生系统性风险爆发。而要根本解决地方政府债务问题，健全地方财政体系、实现中央与地方政府财权与事权的基本平衡才是良药。

China to Allow Interbank Trading of Certificates of Deposit – Bloomberg China said it will allow trading of certificates of deposit between banks, another step toward loosening state control over interest rates. Trading will be permitted in the “near term” as the central bank aims to “create conditions for steady and orderly promotion of deposit-rate liberalization,” Hu Xiaolian, a People’s Bank of China deputy governor, said in a Sept. 24 comment in Beijing posted today on the authority’s website.

Related: Deutsche Bank：Deposit Rate Liberalization: A Breakthrough-Caijing In conclusion, we believe that following the removal of the lending rates floor in July the timing is now right for China to make a key breakthrough in deposit rate liberalization by introducing CDs later this year. Should this happen, we would expect this to be followed by the establishment of a deposit insurance scheme, the removal of control over deposit rates and eventually a transformation of China’s monetary policy framework to one that will use both a short-term monetary policy rate and a broader monetary aggregate to maintain price stability in the short term and the balance between price stability and money aggregate over the medium to long term. The key market impacts of deposit rate liberalization are upside risks on China’s long-term interest rates  and improving accessibility of market-based funding to corporations which collectively should lower the  funding cost for good credit quality borrowers and reduce the excess premium  on borrowers who previously had no alternative access to capital other than  in  the unregulated “shadow banking” market.

Related: 同业存单近期有望推出 存款利率放开前缓冲？_财经频道_一财网 中国利率市场化将迎来进一步实质性的推进。 “近期将从银行间市场上发行同业存单入手，逐步扩大负债产品的市场化定价范围，进一步丰富金融机构市场化负债产品，从而为稳妥有序推进存款利率市场化创造条件。”近日，央行副行长胡晓炼表示。

Translation: New Round of Reforms has Already Begun with PetroChina Corruption Crackdown | An Optimist’s Guide to China Below is my translation of an article by Qiu Feng, the head of research at the Unirule Institute of Economics. The article appeared in the Economic Observer (H/T Sinocism), and discusses how the recent corruption crackdown on PetroChina is really the first move in major economic reforms to come. Qiu gives a very harsh judgment on economic reforms under Hu-Wen (saying they stalled and then even regressed), but he seems optimistic about what Xi and Li will push at the 3rd Plenum and beyond.

Yu Guangyuang, the economist who inspired Deng Xiaoping’s reforms | South China Morning Post Yu Guangyuan, a renowned economist who helped late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping launch his market reforms in late 1970s, died yesterday. He was 98. Yu, who also once advised liberal former party chiefs Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang , co-wrote a keynote speech delivered by Deng at a crucial party meeting in 1978. Deng’s speech to the Third Plenum of the Communist Party’s 11th Central Committee that year is seen as heralding the era of market reform and openness. The plenum is now remembered as a watershed in modern Chinese political history.

Related: 经济学家于光远去世 曾与胡耀邦同起草重要报告|于光远|邓小平|胡耀邦_21世纪网 于光远是较早主张在中国实行社会主义市场经济体制的学者之一，曾与胡耀邦共同起草邓小平在十一届三中全会上的主题报告。该报告被称为“开辟新时期新道路、开创建设有中国特色社会主义新理论的宣言书”。

IPhone 5c Sells at Discount in China As Sales Lag Far Behind 5s -Caijing IPhone 5c with 16 G storage is sold at 3699 yuan (about $604) Thursday at a store on Tmall, the country’s largest B2C retail platform, down from the original price of 4488 yuan (about $733). Information on the webpage showed the store has sold 45 devices following the launch last Friday.

Related: 苹果公司可能即将与中移动达成合作协议|苹果|中国移动|iPhone_通讯与电讯_新浪科技_新浪网 China Mobile ads for Apple’s new iPhones discovered? // 新浪科技讯 北京时间9月27日凌晨消息，据Unwiredview.com网站周四曝光的海报显示，苹果(486.22, 4.69, 0.97%)公司可能即将宣布与中国移动达成iPhone经销协议。从曝光的海报来看，中国移动将经销苹果公司的新款iPhone 5s和iPhone 5c手机，并正在为iPhone筹备一项广告宣传活动。海报还提到，使用中国移动网络的iPhone将是中国市场上“最强大的iPhone”，可支持3G和4G网络

江苏扬中7000万建地标河豚塔 正申报吉尼斯纪录–财经–人民网 Yangsha, Jiangsu builds 70 million RMB, 15 story tall neon puffer fish, will submit to the Guinness Book of World Records…fun pictures

 

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE

NDRC Lets Firms Pay for Shantytown Work with Bonds – Caixin Rebuilding shantytowns is a major part of the government’s urbanization plans. A notice published on the website of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on September 25 said that companies involved in shantytown projects can issue corporate bonds. The notice encouraged local government-backed financing platforms and private companies to participate in these projects and said they can use various financing approaches, including direct investment, joint-stock, build-and-transfer and corporate bonds.

Why China Will Disappoint the Pessimists Yet Again – Bloomberg If you ask me, China’s economy hasn’t finished impressing the world with its strength. The changing foundations of that strength may make the prospects harder to read — but the fact that the underpinnings of Chinese growth are indeed changing is all to the good. (Jim O’Neill, former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, is a Bloomberg View columnist

Securities Regulator ‘Will Restructure to Improve Efficiency’ – Caixin It will set up four new departments to regulate privately offered funds, refinancing, bonds and innovative financial products, the source said. Meanwhile, the department in charge of initial public offerings on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange’s ChiNext Board will be merged into the one regulating IPOs on the main board. The department regulating financial institutions and investment fund companies will be integrated with the one supervising financial futures market. Also, the two departments, both regulating listed public companies, will be combined.

国庆期间网上支付跨行清算系统将暂停运行_网易新闻中心 PBOC payments system getting an upgrade over next week’s holiday, may be down at times during that period// 为满足银行业金融机构、金融市场、企事业单位和人民群众日益增长的跨行支付需求，适应信息化系统生命周期的客观要求，人民银行计划于2013年国庆节假期期间组织各银行业金融机构，对目前运行的大额实时支付系统、小额批量支付系统和网上支付跨行清算系统进行升级，并迁移支付系统处理中心。届时，小额批量支付系统和网上支付跨行清算系统将暂停运行。现将有关事项公告如下：

Debt-Laden Homeowners Bolt in Chinese City – WSJ.com Homeowners in the city have abandoned 580 homes and there are another 15 cases of mortgages in default, according to a national state-radio broadcast citing a local official in charge of investigating mortgage defaults. The broadcast, which followed local-media reports of more widespread defaults, didn’t give a timeframe for the cases cited, and the official numbers are hardly staggering. // 温州银监局回应楼市崩盘传闻：弃房仅580户_网易财经 据中国之声《全国新闻联播》报道，有媒体报道称温州有15000套房屋出现断供，记者专访了温州市银监局负责“断供”调查的工作人员黄坤。黄坤表示，“断供房”和“弃房”现象的确存在，但实际总数为595套。

China to join talks on trade in services|Economy|chinadaily.com.cn “Consensus has been reached at home on joining the talks. It won’t be long before China participates in the negotiations, and ministers from China and the United States have already consulted each other on the issue,” Yao Jian said during a news briefing. But he added it’s hard to say when the pact can be reached. The Trade in Services Agreement was led by the United States and the European Union, along with more than two dozen economies. The talks were launched last year to break the stalemate in the World Trade Organization talks.

北京多银行”额度用完了”收紧房贷 新华社——经济参考网 Economic Information says many banks in Beijing have used up their quotas for mortgage loans so have stopped giving them // 记者近日走访北京市多家商业银行营业网点了解到，商业性房贷业务整体收紧，有的银行甚至早就暂停了房贷业务，部分尚在经营房贷业务的银行表示“额度用完了”，还要等一等。购房者面临的资金压力急剧增加。业内专家表示，银行对于房贷业务投入有限，全年贷款额度的不平衡的问题存在多年仍未能很好解决。房贷收紧容易造成“刚需”购房者积压，不利于房地产市场的稳定。相关部门还需加强引导，给予政策支持，避免误伤“刚需”。

China Prepares Big Bang Financial Reforms | Asia Confidential There’s little doubt that these are challenging times for China. The consensus seems to be that China should be ok in the short-term but its long-term growth trajectory is in jeopardy. I lean the other way, thinking the short-term pain is likely to be greater than expected given the popping of a credit bubble. However, structural reforms this year and beyond could put the country on a more sustainable economic footing, albeit at a lower economic growth level than today.

SEC.gov | SEC Charges China-Based Executives With Fraud and Insider Trading The SEC alleges that ChinaCast Education Corporation’s former CEO and chairman of the board Chan Tze Ngon illicitly transferred $41 million out of the $43.8 million raised from investors to a purported subsidiary in which he secretly held a controlling 50 percent ownership stake.  From there, Chan transferred investor funds to another entity outside ChinaCast’s control.  Chan also secretly pledged $30.4 million of ChinaCast’s cash deposits to secure the debts of entities unrelated to ChinaCast.  None of the transactions were disclosed in the periodic and other reports signed by Chan and filed with the SEC. The SEC further alleges that Jiang Xiangyuan, ChinaCast’s former president for operations in China, avoided more than $200,000 in losses by illegally selling approximately 50,000 ChinaCast shares after participating in the ownership transfer of one of company’s revenue-generating colleges before it was publicly disclosed by a new management team.

Former Qualcomm Executive Charged in U.S. with Insider Trading – Caixin Wang Jing, a 51-year-old native of China, was the former president of Qualcomm’s global business operations and an executive vice president. U.S. prosecutors said on September 23 that Wang had been indicted for insider trading, money laundering and obstruction of official proceedings… Wang was once one of the most promising Chinese executives working in a multinational. //idiot, just couldn’t help himself…

Shandong Shipyard’s Lesson: Don’t Rock a Bank – Caixin What was initially billed as a lucrative order from a European customer has pushed a Shandong Province shipbuilding company to the brink of bankruptcy and ruined its relationship with one of China’s biggest banks. Rushan City Shipbuilding Co. is fighting for survival after filing a lawsuit recently against the Rushan branch of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) – the latest in a series of ugly legal battles involving the bank and shipping companies that began in 2010.

China’s tequila sunrise | East Asia Forum On 30 August 2013, nine containers filled with 52,000 litres of 100 per cent-agave tequila were shipped to China by five Mexican distilling companies…The shipment was possible only after President Xi Jinping visited Mexico in early June and signed an agreement with President Enrique Peña Nieto whereby the more limited partnership that had been in place between China and Mexico was upgraded to an Integral Strategic Partnership, a deeper cooperation arrangement that China sets up with its most important economic and political partners

[视频]向莆铁路开通 打造中部出海新通道_新闻频道_央视网 High Speed rail expansion in Fujian Province, interesting implications for trade with Taiwan, says CCTV Evening News

 

POLITICS AND LAW

Xi stresses good values – Xinhua President Xi Jinping on Thursday called for promotion of social ethics and traditional virtues among Chinese people. Xi made the remarks when meeting with China’s ethics role-models and nominees following a vote nationwide. A total of 54 national ethics models were selected this year based on hundreds of millions of votes. “These winners are excellent representatives of the many beautiful people who have emerged from our long-term campaign to boost ethics and our country’s traditional virtues,” Xi said.// [视频]习近平在会见第四届全国道德模范及提名奖获得者时强调 深入开展学习宣传道德模范活动 为实现中国梦凝聚有力道德支撑_新闻频道_央视网 9.5 mins at top of CCTV Evening News on Xi meeting new “ethics models”, and Xi’s “important speech”

习近平会见第四届全国道德模范及提名奖获得者-高层动态-新华网 习近平在会见第四届全国道德模范及提名奖获得者时强调. 深入开展学习宣传道德模范活动 为实现中 梦凝聚有力道德支撑

南方周末 – “党籍不再是保险箱” 地方清退“不合格党员”渐成气候 “Party Membership is no longer a safe deposit box”– Southern Weekend on how local governments are weeding out unsuitable members, party central has set a limit on annual growth of membership to 1.5% net // 湖南溆浦将“欺行霸市、不讲诚信”列为不合格党员标准，深圳、东莞将违规上访党员列为不合格。 党员规模越来越大的另一重要原因，是很多岗位提拔干部必须是党员，导致机关党员越来越多。 中央提出“年均净增1.5%”的要求之后，各地相继减少了今年发展党员的数量。

多管齐下治理网络谣言 柴艳茹 《 人民日报 》（ 2013年09月27日   07 版） President of the Beijing Police Academy writes in People’s Daily on the need for a comprehensive approach to dealing with online rumors // 互联网的广泛运用，在使信息交流更为便捷的同时，也使网络谣言得以产生和传播。特别是近年来，我国互联网发展迅猛，而网络文化还相对滞后，网络谣言时有发生，有的甚至引发社会不安，危害公共安全，影响社会稳定。为此，有必要深入研究网络谣言的成因与危害，切实加强网络谣言治理。

最高法:诽谤信息转发500次入罪执法出现偏差|最高法|诽谤信息|转发_新浪新闻 　据新华社电 《最高人民法院、最高人民检察院关于办理利用信息网络实施诽谤等刑事案件适用法律若干问题的解释》出台后，对于规范网络管理、净化网络环境起到了积极的推动作用，但也出现对执法过程中存在个别偏失现象的质疑。

What books do Chinese leaders read? | South China Morning Post A top 10 reading list published by the State Organs Work Committee of CPC Central Committee offers a rare glimpse into one of the intellectual pursuits of China’s ruling elite.. The books voted to the top 10 list were chosen from among 103 titles, mostly non-fiction, recommended to party leaders and high government officials by the State Organs Work Committee over the past five years, a Beijing News report revealed on Thursday.

大山网宅 | Dashan.com — Li Tianyi & His Father Some time around 1996, I can’t be sure when, Mr. Ding showed me a photo of Li Shuangjiang as a proud new father with his baby son. Li would have been almost 60 years old. With a sly smile on his face, Mr. Ding explained that Li was crazy about his new son and asked me what I thought of the picture. // and a crazy picture it is, can’t describe for fear of spam filters

朱令案进展:清华高层与朱令父母开始接触_网易新闻中心 Qinghua officials have started to have contact with Zhu Ling’s parents// 今晚9点22分，作为朱令的代表律师李春光在其微博上发布了案件的最新进展。从通报中，记者获悉，清华大学校方已收阅此前发出的《律师函》，并且校方高层开始与朱令父母接触。律师团也已启动向国务院法制办申请信息公开事宜，目前，北京警方与朱父母仍保持沟通中。

网友称朱令家人收到来自美国爆料信 已交警方|朱令|铊中毒|下毒_新浪新闻 Person on Weibo claims that earlier this year Zhu Ling’s family received an anonymous letter from the US claiming that Zhu was poisoned by her roommates…interesting that this case is back in the news? // 同在昨日，网友@ Fang_2014[微博]在微博发布了“一封奇怪的来信”。据称，“今年6月底，朱令家人收到一封写自美国洛杉矶、寄自拉斯维加斯的信件”，落款“冬冬”的作者在信中称，如果不是朱令影响别人休息，“也不会被同宿舍人集体毒残”。南都记者未能联系到“@ Fang_2014”求证信件照片的来源。

广州原公安局副局长何靖因受贿一审被判无期徒刑_网易新闻中心 life in jail for corruption for former deputy Guangzhou police chief He Jing // 中新网深圳9月26日电   深圳中院26日下午对原广州市公安局副局长何靖受贿一案进行公开宣判。被告人何靖因受贿罪被判处无期徒刑，剥夺政治权利终身，并处没收个人全部财产，扣押在案的款项中赃款人民币626万元、港币67.4万元、美金1万元依法予以没收，其余部分作为何靖的个人财产依法予以没收，上缴国库。

Court media officers get greater say|Politics|chinadaily.com.cn Court media officers have been given greater autonomy to release case details, a source close to the matter said on condition of anonymity. The change in the publicity department of the Supreme People’s Court is expected to ensure better access to judicial information, including hearings. The source said the upgrade is part of internal restructuring, although the top court is still seeking final approval from the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, which could “take some time”.

Chinese Provinces Collected Billions in Family-Planning Fines, Lawyer Says – NYTimes.com Nineteen province-level governments in China last year collected a total of $2.7 billion in fines from parents who had violated family-planning laws, which usually limit couples to having one child, a lawyer who had requested the data said Thursday.

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

Philippines-US drill raises concern|Politics|chinadaily.com.cn China urged regional countries not to act recklessly with the support of parties outside the region, referring to recent joint exercises between the United States and the Philippines near the South China Sea. “Peace, stability and prosperity are desired by people in the region and need to be maintained by all relevant parties,” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Geng Yansheng said on Thursday at a monthly news conference.

国防部：日本考虑击落中国无人机是蓄意挑衅_新闻_腾讯网 Defense Ministry not pleased with Japanese comments that it might shoot down Chinese drones over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands

日媒:自卫队军官假结婚牵出中国酒吧小姐间谍案_网易新闻中心-网易新闻客户端 Japan Self-Defence forces officer arrested in Kyoto for sham marriage with woman from China, met her at hostess bar run by a woman from China, suspicions in Japan that the hostess bar a front for PRC intelligence // 由于自卫官和中国人小姐涉案身份特殊，因此，京都府警察本部怀疑是否涉及军事谍报工作。调查结果显示，这位自卫官并没有向中国人小姐透露什么军事情报。但是，警方继而怀疑这些中国人小姐收集日本企业技术情报，充当技术间谍。

Chinese Firm Wins Big Turkish Air-Defense Deal | Defense News | defensenews.com In a multibillion-dollar deal, Turkey agreed Thursday to buy a Chinese-made long-range air- and missile-defense system — a move that could prevent the system from being integrated with Turkey’s existing NATO architecture. A contract valued at a reported $3 billion was awarded to the China Precision Machinery Export-Import Corp. CPMEIC, maker of the HQ-9 long-range air-defense and anti-missile system.

直击解放军万人千车陆空协同高原大对抗_图片频道_新华网 Pictures of PLA combined forces exercise in high mountain area, Indians will enjoy these

 

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

Taiwan’s Navy Launches Surface-to-Air Missile | Defense News | defensenews.com Taiwan’s navy launched its premier surface-to-air missile from the deck of a warship Thursday, its first test of the weapon in six years, destroying a drone simulating a Chinese air attack. The US-made Standard II missile, fired from the Kidd-class Makung destroyer, soared into the skies over the ocean dozens of miles east off Hualien, eastern Taiwan, hitting the drone, according to the navy.

China lodges representations to U.S. over arms sale – Xinhua China has lodged solemn representations to the United States for selling anti-submarine aircraft to Taiwan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday. Hong called on the U.S. to comply with the One-China policy and the three China-U.S. joint communiques at a daily news briefing after the U.S. delivered Taiwan 12 anti-submarine aircraft on Wednesday .

 

TECH AND MEDIA

Chinese internet: BAT hunting | beyondbrics Fuelling the competition is China’s en-masse entry into the mobile internet era. A report by internet research group iResearch says mobile phones have replace the PC as the main point of access to the internet in China and the BAT’s activities are driving O2O towards becoming a trillion yuan business.

China white-box makers likely to face rising DRAM costs China-based white-box smartphone and tablet manufacturers will have to encounter rising costs of buying DRAM chips if SK Hynix’ fire-damaged plant fails to restore full production in the short term, according to industry sources.

China August mobile phone users grow to 1.196 billion, says MIIT China had 1.196 billion subscribers to mobile communication services as of the end of August 2013, growing 0.88% on month and 11.51% on year. Of the subscribers, 351.29 million (29.38%) were 3G users and 827.79 million (69.24%) mobile Internet-access users, according to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Alibaba’s Tsai Criticizes Hong Kong Bourse as IPO Talks End – Bloomberg Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Executive Vice Chairman Joseph Tsai acknowledged that IPO talks with Hong Kong’s stock exchange are over, and said the failure shows the bourse should “adapt to future trends and changes.” While Hong Kong was the first choice for an initial public offering, Alibaba couldn’t proceed because the exchange wouldn’t accept a company proposal to let its partners nominate a majority of the board, Tsai, a company co-founder, wrote in a commentary dated Sept. 26 on Alizila, a website run by Alibaba.

Foreign suppliers dominate as chip use hits new high|Industries|chinadaily.com.cn China’s semiconductor use has hit a record high and accounts for more than half of the global market, but the country is overly dependent on foreign suppliers for relevant products, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report issued on Thursday. With an 8.7 percent growth in 2012, China’s semiconductor use was 52.5 percent of the total worldwide, said a PwC report titled China’s Impact on the Semiconductor Industry – 2013 Update.

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Closer Look: Clarifying the Role of Private Educational Institutions – Caixin On September 5, the State Council, the country’s cabinet, announced in a guidance document that it intends to promote the growth of private education. The guidance called for across-the-board revisions to four education laws to clarify issues such as how private institutions should be run. The overarching Education Law implemented in 1995 stipulates that privately run schools “cannot be for profit.” In 2003, the country issued the Promotion of Privately Run Schools Law, which allowed “reasonable economic return” for private schools. However, the law did not clarify what a “reasonable” return is. These contradictions prevented private schools from delivering dividends to investors, thus hindering the sector’s development. Meanwhile, some private schools enjoy preferential policies meant for non-profit organizations while making huge profits by taking advantage of the vagueness surrounding “reasonable economic return.”

Christie’s sells $25 million of goods in its first China auction | Reuters Christie’s sold $25 million worth of art, jewelry, watches and wine on Thursday at its first auction in China, as it became the latest international auction house to operate on the mainland

The Strangers | ChinaFile One of the most striking differences between the Uighur and other Chinese minorities is the lack of inter-marriage. Han-minority marriages are common, and many of my Chinese friends I thought were straightforwardly Han have turned out to be half-Hui or half-Miao. In Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, all areas with heavy minority populations, between ten and fifteen percent of households are bi-ethnic, mostly Han-minority marriages. In Xinjiang, the rate is two percent, and most of those are marriages between Uighur and other minorities

Forbidding City: Trouble in China’s Imperial Residence | ARTnews Along with the Great Wall, the Forbidden City is the most iconic structure in all of China. The sprawling, 178-acre complex, officially known as the Palace Museum, was once home to the imperial Chinese court and is now one of the world’s largest open-air museums. But after nearly 90 years as Beijing’s most popular public attraction, the museum is facing accusations of poor management, with many observers and insiders calling for dramatic changes. Some of these are already underway, like the decision, effective since April, to adopt shorter visiting hours for easier upkeep. And Palace Museum director Shan Jixiang recently declared the premises smoke-free. Still, other adjustments may require addressing more deeply underlying issues, which do not seem easily tackled.

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Fossil fish find in China fills in evolutionary picture | Reuters An international team of scientists in China has discovered what may be the earliest known creature with a distinct face, a 419 million-year-old fish that could be a missing link in the development of vertebrates. The fossil find in China’s Xiaoxiang Reservoir, reported by the journal “Nature” on Thursday, is the most primitive vertebrate discovered with a modern jaw, including a dentary bone found in humans.

 

BOOKS AND LITERATURE

Letter from Beijing–Getting Around The Censors We sat together in silence. There was more frustration than surprise in her voice. A long-time Editor-in-Chief of a state-owned publishing house, she is no stranger to the capricious censorship rules from above.