Nothing like a couple of B-52s to make the point that the United States is not going to abide by China’s newly declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea.
The US sent two of the bombers on a return trip from Guam through the zone. So far there has been no official reaction from Beijing and the online Chinese news reports have only cited foreign media stories about the flight. But it is still early Wednesday here in Beijing and it is hard to see how Beijing can ignore this. Its options beyond rhetoric appear limited however, as Washington appears determined to demonstrate.
We can’t know if Beijing wanted to create an incident so soon after the Third Plenum or if this were another ham-fisted rollout of a policy that, handled better, could have accomplished Beijing’s goals without an ensuing mess. But whatever warm and fuzziness the neighbors felt about the Plenum and the reform talk is gone.
Given the prevailing belief here that without American support the Japanese would no longer dare defy China, do not be surprised by a ratcheting up of anti-American sentiment in China. Perhaps today really is a good day for an American living in Beijing to stop publishing a daily newsletter on current events…
Yes, today is the last day of the regular daily version of The Sinocism China Newsletter. It will return in weekly form in early December. But I am having trouble saying goodbye so I expect there will be occasional daily versions as well.
I want to thank everyone for reading and supporting the newsletter over the last 18 months. Today’s issue is going out to 14,230 people. I hope you will all stay around to see if you find a weekly version useful.
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Today’s Links:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
U.S. Flies B-52s Into China’s Expanded Air Defense Zone – NYTimes.com American officials said the pair of B-52s carried out a mission that had been planned long in advance of the Chinese announcement last weekend, and that the United States military would continue to assert its right to fly through what it regards as international airspace. Pentagon officials said the two bombers made a round-trip flight from Guam, passing through a zone that covers sea and islands that are the subject of a sovereignty dispute between Japan and China. Officials said there had been no Chinese response to the bomber run.
Related: U.S. Tests Disputed China Air Zone With Flight of B-52s – Bloomberg The flight by U.S. bombers may have been designed in part to discourage Japan from taking any actions that could aggravate tensions further, said Anne-Marie Slaughter, president of the New America Foundation, a public policy institute in Washington. “We are saying to Japan, ‘Do not respond, we are here,’” Slaughter said at a forum yesterday held by the Center for New American Security. Robert Kaplan, a senior fellow at the center, called the U.S. flights a “show of force in defense of Japan” that underscores how seriously the U.S. is taking China’s action.
Related: 美轰炸机进入东海防空识别区未携武备未通知中国_国际新闻_环球网 so far Chinese media only reporting the B-52 flight in the ADIZ by quoting foreign media…this from the Global Times site//【环球网报道 记者 朱马烈】据法新社、美国《华尔街日报》、CNN等多家媒体11月26日报道，美国军方发言人斯蒂夫•沃伦上校称，美军两架B-52远程战略轰炸机在北京时间26日早晨8时进入中国新设立的东海防空识别区，并且飞入中日有争议的东海岛屿，事前没有通报中国。报道称，这两架B-52轰炸机没有装备武器，没有战机护航。
Related: Air defence zone in East China Sea to remain ‘forever’, say Beijing advisers | South China Morning Post Shi Yinhong , an international relations professor at the Renmin University and an adviser to the State Council, admitted the risks had increased, but China’s leaders were confident they could manage them. He and another central government adviser said the idea of setting up the defence zone had been in the pipeline for some time. They said the current tension with Japan over the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands gave Beijing good reason to announce the creation of the zone.
Related: How to Think About the Chinese Air-Defense News – James Fallows – The Atlantic Why risk getting involved, plus angering the Chinese, by sending B-52s through the new ADIZ? I think the Pentagon’s initial explanation is the right one—on the merits, and as a matter of public diplomacy. The United States is not taking sides in this Japan-China island dispute, but it is against either side unilaterally changing the status quo. Also, in continuing “routine training flights”—which is how the B-52 mission was described—it is underscoring the U.S. commitment to existing rules on access to international air space. It was (mildly) risky to send that flight, but it would have been riskier not to react in any way.
Related: Review & Outlook: The B-52s Reply to Beijing – WSJ.com The U.S., Japan and other nations also have air defense identification zones in which planes entering their airspace must declare themselves, but there is a key difference here. China declared its intention to challenge planes and demand that they follow instructions in the new zone regardless of whether they intend to enter Chinese airspace or are merely transiting through the area. This is an attempt to interfere with the normal rules of global navigation and assert de facto Chinese control over a huge chunk of the Western Pacific…By trying to use force to seize control over the Senkakus’ region, Beijing is edging closer to naked aggression. It has to be shown that such bullying won’t succeed.
Related: China air defense zone points to the long game – Yahoo News Washington, which has hundreds of military aircraft based in the region, says it has zero intention of complying. Japan likewise has called the zone invalid, unenforceable and dangerous, while Taiwan and South Korea, both close to the U.S., also rejected it…Beijing was also responding in kind to Japan’s strict enforcement of its own air defense zone in the East China Sea, said Dennis Blasko, an Asia analyst at think tank CNA’s China Security Affairs Group and a former Army attache in Beijing. The Japanese zone, in place since the 1960s, overlaps extensively with the newly announced Chinese zone. Japan, which keeps a public record of all foreign incursions into its zone, actually extended it westward by 22 kilometers (14 miles) in May.
Related: BBC News – Two Japanese airlines to disregard China air zone rules Two of Japan’s biggest airlines have agreed to abide by a government request not to implement China’s new air defence zone rules, officials say. All Nippon Airlines and Japan Airlines say that they will stop filing flight plans demanded by China on routes through the zone, set up on Saturday.
Related: Australia summons Chinese ambassador over airspace announcement | Reuters Australia summoned China’s ambassador to express concern over its imposition of an “Air Defence Identification Zone” over the East China Sea, the foreign minister said on Tuesday, decrying the move as unhelpful in a region beset by tension. “The timing and the manner of China’s announcement are unhelpful in light of current regional tensions, and will not contribute to regional stability,” Julie Bishop said in a statement.
Related: Asia Times Online :: China’s ADIZ undermines regional stability–Bonnie Glaser China may also be responding to recent Japanese warnings that it reserves the right to shoot down unmanned drones that pose a threat to Japanese airspace. By creating an ADIZ that includes the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, Beijing may believe it has established a basis for challenging and, if necessary, taking action against Japanese aircraft operating in this zone. The ADIZ may also signal a Chinese intention to increase flights in the territorial airspace around the disputed islands as a demonstration of its sovereignty and jurisdictional claim. China has only flown an aircraft in the territorial airspace around the island once, in February 2013, when a civilian maritime surveillance Y-12 aircraft entered the airspace. Beijing may also seek to collect and publish data on the number of times that Chinese jets scramble to intercept Japanese fighters that enter into its ADIZ. Japan already publishes data on “intrusions” by Chinese and Russian aircraft; China may see benefits in demonstrating to its domestic audience that the party and military are doing their utmost to defend Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Related: Imitation Is the Securest Form of Flattery – By Isaac Stone Fish | Foreign Policy Since taking office in November 2012, Xi has instituted a number of policies that demonstrate a solidification of control of the Communist Party and a streamlining of China’s bureaucracy. But, in doing so he’s liberally borrowing from the U.S. government’s institutional hierarchy and best practices, implementing a series of institutional changes that could be called American reform with Chinese characteristics. And for those concerned about a rising China challenging the United States, this is worrisome indeed.
Related: 中国划设东海防空识别区_网易专题 Netease special section on the new ADIZ
Exclusive: U.S. expands China hiring probe to Morgan Stanley | Reuters Apart from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, Reuters could not determine which other banks are under scrutiny. The SEC has asked firms across the global financial services industry to provide information about their hiring of the relatives of government officials in China, said the two people, who were not authorized to speak publicly…Authorities’ scrutiny of Morgan Stanley’s dealings in China comes after Justice Department officials repeatedly praised the bank’s “rigorous compliance program” to prevent corruption. In various speeches encouraging firms to better police for bribery, officials have pointed to Morgan Stanley’s vigilance as the reason why the bank did not face charges after its former top real estate dealmaker in China pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to evade internal controls to enrich himself and a Chinese government official.// Morgan Stanley and Garth Peterson got off easy for his corrupt real estate dealings, just 9 months in jail. Anyone know where he went after jail? Long backgrounder on his case from 2009
Tuberculosis Prize Gets Caught in Politics – WSJ.com While the Kochon prize-selection committee of TB experts chose the Tibetan program, according to people close to the selection process, the winner must be approved by the director-general of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan. A WHO spokesman confirmed this and said the WHO administration, which advises the director-general, didn’t approve the choice because the hospital has ties to the Tibetan government-in-exile. The Central Tibetan Administration, as that entity is known, isn’t recognized by the United Nations. The WHO is the U.N.’s public-health agency.
China probe may be aimed at Qualcomm’s 4G royalties | Reuters The probe by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s top economic planning body and price regulator, is a likely pre-emptive measure that will allow China’s telecom providers to gain leverage in royalty negotiations ahead of the rollout of new high-speed mobile networks, analysts said. China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom are investing more than 100 billion yuan ($16.4 billion) in system equipment for the next-generation wireless networks, which are expected to be introduced nationwide over the coming year.
New York Times CEO says Chinese language site under review | Reuters New York Times Co Chief Executive Officer Mark Thompson said the publisher is going to keep all its money losing operations under review – including those in China – as he seeks to negotiate the newspaper’s increasing shift towards a digital landscape… “The fact that we can’t be seen officially inside China means the revenue is not as large as we would have wished it to have been,” he said. “If it’s a loss-making operation, they are all under constant review.” // is the Wall Street Journal Chinese site now blocked?
Record Spread Blowout Sparks Mini-Crisis Warning: China Credit – Bloomberg The extra yield investors demand to hold three-year AAA corporate bonds instead of government notes surged 35 basis points last week to 182 basis points, the biggest increase since data became available in September 2007, Chinabond indexes show. That exceeds the similar spread in India of 120 basis points. The benchmark seven-day repurchase rate has averaged 4.45 percent in November, the highest since a record cash crunch in June and up from 3.21 percent a year earlier.
Special Report: How China took control of an OPEC country’s oil | Reuters Shunned by most lenders since a $3.2 billion debt default in 2008, Ecuador now relies heavily on Chinese funds, which are expected to cover 61 percent of the government’s $6.2 billion in financing needs this year. In return, China can claim as much as 90 percent of Ecuador’s oil shipments in coming years, a rare feat in today’s diversified oil market…A small OPEC exporter, Ecuador pumps around 520,000 barrels per day (bpd), or 5 percent as much oil as kingpin Saudi Arabia. But China’s role in the Andean country shows how the Asian giant’s oil firms are becoming powerhouse traders in energy markets far from home. The oil that Ecuador sells to Chinese firms can be traded anywhere. Yet less than 15,000 bpd is being shipped to China this year, down nearly 40 percent from 2012. Most is sent to the United States.
习近平考察曲阜孔府 称要细看孔子家语(图)_新闻_腾讯网 Xi Jinping visits Confucius ancestral home in Qufu, says nice things about Confucius // 习近平26日来到曲阜孔府考察，并来到孔子研究院。桌子上摆放着展示孔子研究院系列研究成果的书籍和刊物，他一本本饶有兴趣地翻看。看到《孔子家语通解》《论语诠解》两本书，他拿起来翻阅，说：“这两本书我要仔细看看。”
BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE
Goldman Says Buy China, Russia Stocks on Valuation to Reform – Bloomberg Goldman Sachs Group Inc. recommended buying Chinese (SHCOMP) and Russian stocks as a pick up in growth in developed countries and government reforms boost prospects for the “least-expensive” emerging markets.
Chow Tai Fook Profit Almost Doubles on Higher Gold Demand – Bloomberg Retail sales of gold in China jumped between April and June as global bullion prices plunged, aiding Chow Tai Fook and smaller competitors such as Luk Fook Holdings International Ltd. (590) The Chinese economy is showing signs of resilience and demand for jewelry continues to be strong, the company said in its statement, citing government data.
Global Free Trade Talks Collapse – ABC News Negotiators came tantalizingly close but failed to clinch a global free trade deal after more than a decade of talks that could have boosted the world economy by $1 trillion, the head of the World Trade Organization said Tuesday. Roberto Azevedo said diplomats from the WTO’s 159 members tried hard but “cannot cross the finish line here in Geneva” ahead of a summit where ministers were to have signed the deal in Bali, Indonesia next week.
国税总局：“房地产公司欠税3.8万亿”是误读_网易新闻中心 State Administration of Taxation says the CCTV report claiming 3.8 Trillion of unpaid land appreciation tax misunderstood and misrepresented the issue, but the SAT declines to say that the developers do not have any LAT issues// 针对媒体日前调查报道称国内多家知名房地产公司拖欠土地增值税超过3.8万亿一事，国家税务总局昨日回应称，有关人员对土地增值税欠税的巨额推算，是对税收政策和征管方式的误解和误读。但对于当前市场比较关注的土地增值税是否存在大面积没有清缴的问题，国税总局并没有给出明确答案。
Mogul’s tax ‘excuses’ rejected – BUSINESS – Globaltimes.cn Property mogul Ren Zhiqiang’s rebuttal of a China Central Television (CCTV) report revealing a huge amount of unpaid land appreciation tax (LAT) by major real estate firms was rejected Monday by the lawyer who calculated the unpaid taxes. “Ren’s arguments are nothing but bad excuses used by property developers to blindfold the public,” Li Jinsong, a Beijing-based lawyer and certified tax agent, told the Global Times on Monday. Li, who previously worked for tax authorities in East China’s Jiangxi Province for over 10 years, found that 45 major listed property companies in the country had failed to pay 3.8 trillion yuan ($623.58 billion) in LAT between 2005 and 2012. Li said his calculations were based on official data.
China c.bank says to rely on reform, not loose policy, to underpin growth | Reuters China will rely on market-based reforms to unleash fresh growth drivers to support the economy, not ultra-loose policies, central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan said on Tuesday. China’s economic growth is within a “reasonable range” while inflation and employment remain generally steady as the government pushes structural changes, Zhou said in a speech at a financial forum.
China Said to Plan Crackdown on Banks’ Evasion of Lending Limits – Bloomberg China has drafted rules banning banks from evading lending limits by structuring loans to other financial institutions so that they can be recorded as asset sales, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The rules drafted by the China Banking Regulatory Commission ban borrowers from using resale or repurchase agreements to move assets off their balance sheets, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorized to discuss the rules publicly.
In China, Stabilizing Producer Prices Signal a Turning Point – China Real Time Report – WSJ PPI is next released Dec. 9 and if it stabilizes, it could be an indicator that China’s economy is in better shape. The PPI is closely correlated with gross domestic product, according to Andrew Batson of research firm GK Dragonomics, and a good barometer of the overall health of the manufacturing sector. Firmer prices would be a signal of higher demand, whether domestically generated or driven by a pickup in exports as the world economy staggers back toward normality
传腾讯拟参股国金证券 新华社——经济参考网 rumor going around that Tencent may invest 1B RMB in Sinolink Securities // 腾讯向金融领域的渗透或许还将进一步深入。26日，又有市场传言称，腾讯未来可能会以约10亿的价格参股国金证券，相关事宜正在沟通洽谈中，尚未有最终定论，而此前腾讯也与国内其他券商有过接触。对此，记者向腾讯和国金证券方面求证，而双方均未有明确回复。
Chinese Cities Unveil New Property Cooling Measures amid Pressure-Caijing At least 10 Chinese cities have come out with their own property cooling measures so far in the recent two months, in response to sizzling housing prices in major cities across the country. Nanjing, the capital city of Jiangsu province in east China, is the latest to join the rush into tighter regulation, saying it will the raise the minimum down payment ratio for second-home purchases while increasing supplies of affordable homes.
住建部约谈引发二线城市“加码”调控 新华社——经济参考网 so much for the market playing the decisive role in the real estate markets // 《经济参考报》记者获悉，上述城市集中发布调控新政源于住建部日前对房价涨幅过高的城市再次施压。 据权威人士透露，上周南京、武汉、厦门等涨幅居前的二线城市再次被住建部约谈。“此次约谈与8月底那次不同的是，此次住建部要求涨幅较高的城市房管部门相关领导，甚至有的城市是副市长带队，亲自到住建部进行汇报。”
临时股东会傅成玉默哀缄口 事故殃及炼厂300亿可转债延期_21世纪网 how much pressure is Sinopec chairman Fu Chengyu under in wake of Qingdao disaster, and could he lose his job over this? // 大会结束后，傅成玉再次在众人的簇拥下匆匆离开会场。从会场走出后，傅成玉面对追问未做任何表态，只是说“现在国家正在调查，我不能说任何话，说了就干预调查了”，“有人说可以说，我不能说”。
China seeks to boost trade with ex-communist Europe | Reuters China wants to double trading volumes with central and eastern members of the European Union in the next five years, Li Keqiang said on his first visit to the former communist bloc as premier… “China-CEE trade accounts for one tenth of China-EU trade,” said Li. “We need to strive to double our trade volumes … in next five years … We need to work together to build large scale infrastructure projects.”
China Exclusive: China to open up wider: minister – Xinhua | English.news.cn Faced with a complex development environment, China needs to promote reforms at home and open up wider to the outside world, Chinese Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng has told Xinhua in an exclusive interview. A plan, unveiled by the Communist Party of China Central Committee earlier this month, vows to build a more open economy and make arrangements for further opening up, Gao said. Arrangements and measures, if implemented, are set to provide new vigor and momentum for further development, the minister said
新能源车首批试点城市名单出炉 新华社——经济参考网 28 cities/areas selcted for alternative energy vehicle pilots // 财政部26日发布消息称，近期财政部、科技部、工信部和发改委组织专家对各地申报的新能源汽车推广应用方案进行了审核评估，确认北京、天津、河北省城市群等28个城市或区域为第一批新能源汽车推广应用城市。
三中全会后首份金改方案落户滇桂_证券时报网 国家选择在沿边地区实验金融改革，扩大金融领域的对外开放，是人民币国际化的重要战略部署。方案中“适时推动个人境外直接投资试点”的表述，意味着滇、桂两省也将成为个人境外直投试点的热点地区. 作为十八届三中全会后的首份区域金改方案,《云南省广西壮族自治区建设沿边金融综合改革试验区总体方案》（下称“方案”）经国务院同意，并由央行联合十部委于11月20日正式印发。
Bitcoin, you have a China problem | PandoDaily Bitcoin bulls are eager to see the currency spread and gain broader global adoption, and thus may not view this as a problem. But for a currency touted for its independence from government interference, the growing concentration of Chinese influence over this cryto-currency wealth creates a single point of failure for the system. The same would be true if you replaced China with any other country (assuming it could generate similar trading volumes), but the fact that it is the notoriously unpredictable China doesn’t inspire confidence.
Hugo Boss drops 2015 profit target on China slowdown | Reuters “A particular concern is China,” Hugo Boss chief executive Claus-Dietrich Lahrs told investors at an event in Hong Kong, adding there was little sign of the country returning to the double-digit percentage sales growth of recent years. Analysts estimate luxury industry sales will rise around 4 percent in China this year, Lahrs said.
Rémy Cointreau went on a bender in China and now it has a hangover – Quartz As if the company didn’t have enough China headaches, it’s also struggling with its 27% stake in Dynasty Fine Wines, a Chinese winemaker that has failed to cough up paperwork after warning shareholders in Feb. 2013 of a loss for 2012. Rémy Cointreau recognized an impairment charge of €10.9 million for Apr.-Sep. 2013, adding to the €15.9 million it accepted for the prior half-year. The company says it hasn’t been able to see Dynasty’s financial reports for 2012, nor its 2013 interim results. ”So we can’t do anything. We’re in there, we can’t get out, we can’t get in. We have to wait until the investigation is complete until the results of the audit will be published,” said a company representative said in the call, according to an unedited FactSet transcript. “[W]e don’t have access to the accounts because everything is blocked by this investigation.”
POLITICS AND LAW
Court rejects Li Tianyi appeal, upholds 10 year sentence for gang rape | South China Morning Post A court in Beijing has rejected Li Guanfeng’s appeal against a guilty verdict on charges of participating in the gang rape of a woman earlier this year, confirming the prominent son’s 10-year jail sentence. The Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court announced its decision in a weibo post on Wednesday.
进一步强化权力运行制约和监督体系–时政–人民网 long essay on page 6 of today’s People Daily by the CDIC’s Zhao Hongzhu 赵洪祝// 党的十八届三中全会强调，必须构建决策科学、执行坚决、监督有力的权力运行体系，形成科学有效的权力制约和协调机制。这突出了权力运行制约和监督体系建设的重要性和紧迫性，并且从顶层设计的高度提出了明确的改革方向和具体要求，对于我们深化政治体制改革，着力规范权力行使，从源头上防治腐败，保证人民赋予的权力真正用来为人民谋利益，意义重大。
习近平考察菏泽给官员念对联：莫以百姓可欺(图) _资讯频道_凤凰网【习近平给市、县委书记念对联】习近平给市、县委书记们念了一副对联：“得一官不荣，失一官不辱，勿道一官无用，地方全靠一官；穿百姓之衣，吃百姓之饭，莫以百姓可欺，自己也是百姓。”他说，对联以浅显的语言揭示了官民关系。封建时代官吏尚有这样的认识，今天我们共产党人应该比这个境界高得多。
Closer Look: Reform Aimed at Official Cars Seen as Positive Step – Caixin The plan calls for official cars to be limited to specific government needs like policing and emergency services, and for other needs to be met by rentals or taxis. The reform also says officials must keep public records of who used what cars, why and how much it cost the government. Furthermore, government agencies that need cars must sign contracts with rental or taxi companies and state the responsibilities and rights of involved parties. Officials are to secure the contracts through public bidding. The government spent more than 9 billion yuan on receptions, vehicles and official trips in 2011 – a trio of expenses that is commonly known as “sangong.” Of that, 6 billion yuan went toward cars. Many in the public associate black Audis as the official car of officialdom.
China Takes Away Civil Servants’ Official Cars in Anticorruption Crusade – China Real Time Report – WSJ Cars no longer needed because of the new rules will be disposed of via a public bidding process or other forms of auctions, the guidelines said. In the future, civil servants will be allowed to select their preferred mode of travel and will be reimbursed under a transportation-allowance system. UBS Securities estimated the value of auto sales to governments in China at about 120 billion yuan, or roughly $20 billion, a year, which looks set to decline given the ongoing fleet-reform regulations, said Andreas Graef of management-consulting firm A.T. Kearney.
做好网上舆论工作的时代指引 ——深入学习贯彻习近平同志在全国宣传思想工作会议上的重要讲话精神 马 利 《 人民日报 》 习近平同志在全国宣传思想工作会议上的重要讲话，强调要根据形势发展需要把网上舆论工作作为宣传思想工作的重中之重来抓，并对如何做好网上舆论工作提出了新要求、作出了新部署。这一重要讲话高屋建瓴、与时俱进，具有很强的战略性、前瞻性和针对性，体现了马克思主义新闻观的时代精神和理论创新品质，是我们在新形势下做好网上舆论工作的时代指引和行动纲领–（作者为人民日报社副总编辑）。
卢永春：做好“改革舆论场”的政策解读–舆情频道–人民网 interesting look from People’s Daily Online Opinion Monitoring Center at propaganda efforts around Third Plenum and reform // 阅读背景：十八届三中全会召开掀起的改革暖风，吹彻网络舆论场；舆论普遍认为，党的十八届三中全会是在我国改革开放新的关头召开的一次具有特殊历史意义的重要会议。11月以来，关于“改革”的微博（新浪+腾讯）词频高达700万条，改革成为当下中国主旋律。会议结束后，广大网民围绕《公报》 《决定》 《说明》等重要文件提及的各项改革要点，纷纷发表看法；各大媒体也相继推出大型专题，开展各类访谈，掀起一股探讨相关政策的舆论浪潮。
传中海系多名高管被查 航运业或成反腐严打领域-中新网 据媒体报道，继中远系多位高管被带走调查后，中海运旗下上市公司中海发展的子公司中海油运前任总经理茅士家、中海油运生产运营部副总刘厚平，以及曾在中海集团和大新华物流担任过高层的贾鸿祥，也陆续被带走调查。 关于上述高管被查一事，记者致电及短信中海运集团宣传部及新闻发言人，均未有回应。但多位业内人士称在上周已经听闻此事，恐怕与贪腐有关，但上述几人是否属于“窝案”不得而知。
Dui Hua Human Rights Journal: China’s State Security Arrests Up 19% in 2012 China arrested 1,105 people for “endangering state security” (ESS) crimes in 2012, up 19 percent from 2011, according to official statistics released in China Law Yearbook 2013. The number of people indicted rose 8 percent to 1,049
Social media will drive Chinese liberalisation – Google’s Schmidt | Reuters The most interesting thing about talking to the government, from the president all the way to the governors, is that they are obsessed with the Internet, which is why they passed these laws,” Schmidt told the conference, which was organised by independent policy institution Chatham House….”You simply cannot imprison enough Chinese people when they all agree to something,” he said. “You won’t be able to stop it even if you don’t like it, and it will cause a liberalisation.” // and people wonder why Beijing worried about the Internet and foreigners, when so many keep saying how it will be used to change the political order, and why China has effectively de-Googled its internet and mobile phones?
On Xia Yeliang… | Sinostand This post is in regards to an article I published in The Atlantic on October 22 about dismissed Peking University Professor Xia Yeliang. After receiving excessive scorn, I wrote this post a few days later, but ultimately decided it was too long-winded and canned it after I was invited on Sinica to discuss the issue. However, even more than a month later, people continue to misrepresent what I actually wrote and said. Given the gravity of the case, I decided to go ahead and publish it
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
Senior official stresses military secrecy – Xinhua A senior official with the Central Military Commission (CMC) has called for tightened military secrecy as the foundation for the army’s capacity to join and win a war. “We should clearly realize the austere situation of the current secrecy work and research to solve problems and weak spots,” said CMC vice chairman Fan Changlong at a meeting on military secrecy on Tuesday.
Helicopters to ‘protect’ government–Phnom Penh Post As political deadlock continues, Minister of Defence Tea Banh yesterday used the unveiling of 12 Chinese-made military helicopters to announce that the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces stand “ready to protect” the government and constitution, following what he called “free and fair” elections in July. Speaking in the presence of the Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, Bu Jianguo, at a ceremony to show off the Z-9 helicopters – acquired as part of a $195 million deal with China inked in 2011 – Banh said the current one-party National Assembly had legitimacy and thus the support of the military.
Media Figures Stand Behind Bloomberg In China Scandal–Buzzfeed Bloomberg is under fire for, according to reports in the New York Times and Financial Times, killing an article that reportedly focused on China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin, “and his financial ties to the families of party leaders.” (Bloomberg News chief Matthew Winkler said the article was delayed only because it wasn’t fully reported.) Doctoroff, in a brief speech, appeared to refer obliquely to the controversy. “We face tough chokes and second guessing every day,” promising to “listen to different opinions” and to “keep shining that disinfecting light.” // except where that light might hurt terminal sales?
Spies worry over doomsday cache stashed by ex-NSA contractor Snowden | Reuters It is unclear whether U.S. or allied intelligence agencies-or those of adversary services such as Russia’s and China’s- know where the material is stored and, if so, have tried to unlock it. One former senior U.S. official said that the Chinese and Russians have cryptographers skilled enough to open the cache if they find it.
China Gets Ready to Send ‘Jade Rabbit’ Rover to the Moon – China Real Time Report – WSJ The name is a reference to a mythical hare said to live on the moon along with the moon goddess Chang’e. Yutu is sometimes depicted using a mortar and pestle to mix an elixir of immortality, a task that earns him a mention in “Old Dust” by celebrated Tang dynasty poet Li Bai: “One brief journey between heaven and earth/Then, sadly, we are the same as the dust of ten thousand ages/The rabbit on the moon mixes his medicine in vain.”
China’s Arctic Mining Adventure Left Out in the Cold – Caixin the progress of cooperation between Greenland and Chinese businesses have been slow as challenges over distance, environmental concerns and local infrastructure have hindered Chinese investors.
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
Taiwan’s BMD Radar Gives Unique Data on China | Defense News | defensenews.com “It’s more of an intelligence collection system than a ballistic missile defense warning system,” said one US defense industry source. “Taiwan can see almost all of China’s significant Air Force sorties and exercises from this radar.”..The question many are asking, of which no one can agree, is whether the US military, via the US Air Force’s Defense Security Program (DSP), has access to the data collected by the facility. DSP monitors ballistic missile launches and nuclear detonations. One US defense industry analyst with close ties to Taiwan’s military said the DSP has access to it.
Macau’s junket operators prowl Asia to expand VIP business | Reuters “The junkets are very aware and are looking all over Asia to expand. It’s the biggest expansion phase ever right now,” said Ben Lee, Asian gaming consultant at Macau-based consultancy IGamiX. Offshore expansion is just one way the junket operators – which earn commissions from casinos to attract “big whale” gamblers – are responding to pressures at home as Beijing strives to turn Macau into a mass-market tourist destination.
TECH AND MEDIA
Surviving Chairman Ma: Life in the shadow of China’s Alibaba | Reuters Shenzhen-based Suning Commerce Group Co Ltd is looking to tap Silicon Valley nous to help it with a formidable challenge: succeeding in China’s booming e-commerce market in the face of the behemoth that is Alibaba…”We don’t believe the market can be dominated by one company in e-commerce in China – namely Alibaba. The Chinese market is very wide and deep, with a huge population,” Zhang Jindong, CEO and chairman of Suning, told Reuters in an interview at the firm’s new Palo Alto base.
3Q决战能否助推行业良性竞争 新华社——经济参考网 尽管庭审当天，最高法没有公布该案审理结果，但作为2010年“3Q大战”的延续，各界对此案仍给予高度关注。多数互联网业内人士指出，本案判决结果不但会对360和腾讯两家公司产生深远影响，还将决定能否破除正在形成的互联网垄断，直接影响未来互联网产业的竞争格局。法律界人士则认为，本案的最高法终审判决，有望从司法角度划清正当竞争与垄断之间的界限，为互联网行业确立竞争规则，促进其良性竞争。
Tencent vs. Qihoo case: which do the people support? Which do the people support? A poll answered by more than 14,000 people as of press time on Sina Tech shows overwhelming support for Qihoo. 69 percent voted in favor of Qihoo, 81 percent said Tencent abused its monopoly position, and 61 percent said monopolistic behavior has intensified unfair competition over the last three years.
Insurance Firm Sells Policies for Taobao Vendors – Caixin A scheme operated by Taobao allows shop owners to make the same promise to customers but requires them to deposit a sum, perhaps 1,000 yuan, into a fund from which money is drawn to cover customer refunds, Li Jian, Zhong An’s product manager, said. By contrast, they need to pay only yuan with Zhong Le Bao. This will free part of the money locked up in the seller’s margin deposit and improve the efficiency of capital usage, he said. For customers, it will serve as a guarantee of speedy refund.
‘Gravity’ Thrills, ‘Catching Fire’ Chills as China’s Box Office Tops $3 Billion | chinafilmbiz 中国电影业务 Gravity scored the PRC’s fifth best opening of the year with a nearly $36 million liftoff, as U.S.-made films grabbed the top four box office spots and six of the top seven in the week ending November 24th…The fourth quarter has so far been a good one so far for Hollywood, with American movies capturing a 55 percent share of the market during the period from October 1st through November 24th. U.S. films are now at their peak market share for 2013 with over 47 percent of all China box office revenue, though that figure will ebb back to about 42 percent as local Chinese releases dominate the calendar throughout December.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
Wang Leehom is Taken | Cfensi this was the top topic on Sina Weibo for a while this AM, not the ADIZ or B-52s// The past few years your comments here have often been about “hope you find your Forever Love”. I’m lucky to have met a girl to hold hands with and share my future. She’s not in the entertainment business so you don’t know her, but I also don’t want to create the opportunity for rumors so… her name is Lee Jinglei, she’s 27 years old and a graduate student at Columbia. Wang Baba & Mama love her and I hope you will too.
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
Industries closed over key reservoir’s pollution – Xinhua Select restaurants, tourist attractions and construction projects have been shuttered around the pollution-plagued Danjiangkou reservoir in central China, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Tuesday. The reservoir, the water source of China’s mega south-to-north water diversion project, is expected to supply water through canals and pipelines to the parched northern regions, including Beijing, from 2014. However, sewage has been discharged untreated into the five rivers flowing into the reservoir, prompting local authorities in the concerned Henan, Hubei and Shaanxi provinces to take pollution control measures.
《焦点访谈》 20131124 滥挖草药 毁了草原_新闻频道_央视网(cctv.com) CCTV focus report on harvesting of wild herbs for Chinese medicine destroying grasslands // 央视网消息(焦点访谈)：呼伦贝尔大草原风景优美、物产丰富，它养育了生长在这里的牧民兄弟，也吸引着来自四面八方的游客。可是记者最近却在呼伦贝尔来到了这样的场景，一片绿油油的牧草中间出现了一个又一个坑和洞，这对草原的危害可不小。这是怎么回事？是谁干的？他们又为什么要这么干？
FOOD AND TRAVEL
全国假日办关于法定节假日调休安排的调查问卷 –旅游频道_权威全面报道旅游–人民网 another State Council Holiday Planning Office survey on scheduling official holidays// 根据《全国年节及纪念日放假办法》，为使我国法定节假日调休安排更加科学合理，汇总此前问卷调查社会各方面提出的意见，现提出3个调休方案，再次公开征求意见，欢迎参与。
China loosens requirements for private pilot licenses – Xinhua The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced on Tuesday that it will ease requirements for gaining a private pilot license (PPL), a move that should allow more Chinese to fulfill their flying dreams. The requirements on theory tests, practice tests as well as physical examinations will be loosened for those applying for a PPL, with previous standards almost as high as those for acquiring commercial pilot licenses, according to the CAAC statement.
BEIJING
Beijing to monitor health effects of smog |Hot Issues |chinadaily.com.cn The city’s center for disease control and prevention will set up monitoring stations in 11 communities to monitor air quality, and will dispatch professionals to test air samples on a regular basis. Also, the city’s authorities will collect data from hospital medical records to determine the relationship between the smog and the health of residents.
北京的“活死人墓” 在世村民被建墓立碑-财经网 新京报消息，2013年11月14日，北京，昌平崔村镇龙苑华夏龙苑，麻峪村多位在世村民被建墓立碑。这个尚未完工的墓园墓碑林立，约有一千多个，有几百个上面都写着已故麻峪村民的名字。该墓地之所以出现活死人墓和空墓，是为了凑数满足本村村民埋葬率，以取得农村公益性公墓证。在公认的风水宝地昌平，一个墓穴动辄炒到10万元，暴利使得只允许安葬本地人的公益性墓地，也加入了分羹的行列。图为工人在还未建成的墓园里施工。