Did James Mann nail Xi Jinping’s “Chinese Dream” in his 2007 book The China Fantasy?:

What if China manages to continue on its current economic path, yet its political system does not change in any fundamental way? What if, twenty-five or thirty years from now, a wealthier, more powerful China continues to be run by a one-party regime that still represses organized political dissent much as it does today, while at the same time China is also open to the outside world and, indeed, is deeply intertwined with the rest of the world through trade, investment and other economic ties? Everyone assumes that the Chinese political system is going to open up—but what if it doesn’t? What if, in other words, China becomes fully integrated into the world’s economy, yet it remains also entirely undemocratic?

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

[视频]《让改革旗帜高高飘扬——<中共中央关于全面深化改革若干重大问题的决定>诞生记》_新闻频道_央视网11 minutes at top of Monday CCTV Evening News on the Xinhua report on the drafting of Third Plenum Decision and its importance // 新华社今天播发长篇通讯《让改革旗帜高高飘扬——诞生记》。文章共分三个部分：肩负伟大使命　回应时代要求——确定党的十八届三中全会重点研究全面深化改革问题，充分体现了以习近平同志为总书记的党中央高举改革开放旗帜的坚定意志；充分发扬民主　深入调查研究——《决定》起草工作，始终在中共中央政治局常委会直接领导下进行，在亿万人民的伟大实践中寻找答案；切中时代脉搏　引领时代前进——《决定》体现了党中央全面深化改革的大思路、大战略、大举措、大突破，是指导我国改革发展里程碑式的纲领性文献。

Related: 让改革旗帜高高飘扬 –《中共中央关于全面深化改革若干重大问题的决定》诞生记-时政频道-新华网 no mention of Li Keqiang in this document, nor was he on the drafting committee. noteworthy? Standard Chartered said in a note Monday that Li would chair the reform leading small group (screenshot) but i have not found any official announcement of that. Xi, perhaps mostly through Liu He, really in charge of economic policy? // “制定出一个好文件，只是万里长征走完了第一步，关键还在于落实文件，真正把全会精神转化成改造现实世界的强大力量。”党的十八届三中全会第二次全体会议上，习近平总书记沉着雄浑的话语，向全党全国各族人民发出了全面深化改革的动员令。

Related: China details reform decision-making process – Xinhua abridged English summary of the Xinhua article…// Details about how decisions were reached on major issues of reform emerged on Monday. More than 300 reform measures were adopted unanimously at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Nov. 12. Published in full text on Nov. 15, the document plots the course of all aspects of China’s next round of reform.

Xi proves to be no Mao follower, but a disciple of Deng | South China Morning Post Robert Lawrence Kuhn says the third plenum should lay to rest speculation about whether Xi Jinping is a reformer; he is clearly a pragmatist, as was Deng Xiaoping

Related: Review & Outlook: In Deng Xiaoping’s Footsteps – WSJ.com On Monday we wrote that China’s new one-child and prison reform proposals were much less than met the headline. That doesn’t seem to be true of Friday’s impressive 60-point reform document, which promises a “decisive role” for the market. On Monday Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was up 2.7% and the Shanghai Composite Index rose 2.9% on the news. The reform outline from the 18th Central Committee’s Third Plenum includes expanded property rights, fair and transparent market regulation, and prices set by the market. At the same time, China’s new leaders are tightening political repression. This is the model pioneered by Deng Xiaoping, and new party chief Xi Jinping is showing that he intends to follow in Deng’s footsteps.

Related: Xi Jinping Refills an Old Prescription | ChinaFile–Orville Schell So, the dicta flowing out of the Third Plenum would seem to have a clear logic to Xi: Without a unified leadership, a strong single-party state, and a dynamic economy that can create wealth, there will be no power. And, without power, China will, as was the case for over a century past, remain weak, preyed upon by outsiders. Thus, the real thrust of the recent policy prescriptions is not to protect individual freedoms—except in so far as loosening the bonds a little bit may allow more innovation—but to keep the economic engines of China turning at high RPMs, and keep the Party enthroned as an even more powerful and effective custodian over the process of national rejuvenation. This was Deng Xiaoping’s goal during his heyday when “to get rich is glorious” became the watchword of the hour. It is still true today, albeit with a far greater emphasis on national, rather than individual, wealth

CCP Central Committee Resolution concerning Some Major Issues in Comprehensively Deepening Reform | China Copyright and Media //unofficial translation, doing yeoman’s work

Related: Explanation concerning the “CCP Central Committee Resolution Concerning Some Major Issues in Comprehensively Deepening Reform” | China Copyright and Media According to Xinhua, this is the speech Xi Jinping gave at the 3rd Plenum, providing a background to the Draft Resolution.  // //unofficial translation

Veteran Economist Says He’s Optimistic Plenum Made Progress – Caixin Preeminent Chinese economist Wu Jinglian says he is very optimistic about reform plans laid out in a document released after a major meeting of top Communist Party members. Wu, 83, helped formulate many of the country’s reform plans over the past 35 years. He said he has read the document listing decisions finalized after the third plenary meeting of the party’s 18th Central Committee several times.

Closer Look: Party’s Judicial Reforms Mean Giving Provinces More Say – Caixin One popular interpretation of this was courts would come under some sort of system of vertical management, perhaps under the Supreme People’s Court, the country’s top court, but this was wrong. A better interpretation of the changes is that the party wants to reduce outside influence on courts by having certain decisions made at the provincial level. Government in China has five tiers: central, provincial, city, county and village. There have been complaints in the past that courts are too easily influenced by government officials close to them. He Fan, a judge in the top court’s Judicial Reform Office, published an analysis article (in Chinese) in the people’s court newspaper on November 17 that said the goal of the reform is reducing the localization of judicial power. When court personnel and funding are both controlled by the local government, it is hard for them to operate independently and fairly, He said.

Property Prices Keep Rallying in China’s Big Cities-Caijing Housing prices in major Chinese cities continue sizzling, with year-on-year growths in four of the country’s largest cities exceeding 20 percent in October. Shanghai led the rally as newly-built home prices soared 21.4 percent in October compared with the same period last year, following by Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday on its website.

Related: China may Extend Property Tax in 2014: Paper-Caijing Analysts expect the piloted tax will still target newly purchased homes in the short time due to the lack of sufficient housing registration information, according to the newspaper, although many have grumbled over inequality.// can’t happen in a nationwide, comprehensive way without effectively forcing some form of asset disclosure..don’t hold your breath…corruption at the center of so many of the reform knots…from Sinocism in 2010-Will Declaring Chinese Officials’ Assets Cause ‘Chaos’? And Will That Delay The Introduction Of A Property Tax?

Related: 一线城市楼市调控全线收紧 新华社——经济参考网 expect tighter property repression rules in first tier cities in wake of latest data on price increases // 18日，广州发布《关于进一步做好房地产市场调控工作的意见》，指出广州将提高二套住房贷款比例至不低于70%，并将非户籍人口购房门槛从连续缴纳个税或社保1年提高至3年。至此，北上广深四个一线城市二套房贷首付比例全部升至70%，这意味着，一线城市开始进入新一轮调控阶段。与此同时，统计局发布数据显示，在一线城市收紧调控政策的影响下，10月房价涨幅有明显缩小之势，一线城市房价环比涨幅纷纷落入1%。对此，业内人士指出，新一轮调控大幕已经拉开，房地产市场将一改之前暴涨之势，进入小幅盘整阶段。

Related: 三中全会开3剂“药方”应对房价“越调越涨”_资讯频道_凤凰网 18日，中国国家统计局公布的数据再次印证了全国房价普涨的猜想：70个大中城市中，69个同比上涨，65个环比上涨。这是自2013年初国五条施行以来房价再创新高。面对行政化调控“越调越涨”的怪圈，刚刚结束的中共中央十八届三中全会开出的药方是：调控回归市场化，完善土地供应和房产税改革将成为调控楼价的主要手段。专家认为，在房价一路狂飙，房地产调控陷入僵局之时，三中全会提出的“明确市场对资源配置起决定性作用”，将成为房地产市场调控的新思路。

With visits to all 10 ASEAN nations, Abe’s China containment strategy complete – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Since his Liberal Democratic Party returned to power last December, Abe has made five round trips to visit all 10 ASEAN countries. It marked the first time that a Japanese prime minister has visited all ASEAN nations while in office. Abe put priority on discussing security issues during his visits, with the goal of containing China.

Related: Abe Tempers Japan Nationalist Plans as Trade Revives With China – Bloomberg Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s failure to secure summits with the leaders of China and South Korea has masked a scaling down of Japanese nationalist proposals that’s allowing a nascent recovery in business ties.

Bloomberg News suspends reporter Michael Forsythe over alleged leaks – YouTube Another awesome NMA animation. Has Forsythe as tankman, Matt Winkler as tank driver, and much more…just a brutal mocking of Bloomberg and Winkler. Hope this does not make things harder for Mike Forsythe. A must watch//

 

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE

地方债“狡兔三窟” “史上最严”审计逼其现形_财经频道_一财网 China Business News reports that auditors in latest nationwide audit not dumb, discovered most of the tricks local governments have used to hide debt// 确实比以往严，而且审计部门太聪明了，我们以往增资产和藏负债的‘死角’，这次都被挖出来了。”某地城投公司一名资深财务管理人士对《第一财经日报》记者说。

Analysts Hail China’s Plan to Overhaul Economy – NYTimes.com ‘‘The breadth of the reform plan has certainly exceeded most expectations,’’ commented Wang Tao, chief China economist at UBS. The document, said the China economists at Goldman Sachs, ‘‘showed high reform conviction and lifted reform expectations and targets.’’ And Yao Wei, an economist in the Hong Kong office of Société Générale, said, ‘‘The new leaders really delivered and promised a number of concrete changes. China’s reform boat has finally set sail.’’// probably a bad sign if sell side so effusive?

China Leads as Foreign Treasuries Buying Climbs Most in 7 Months – Bloomberg U.S. government securities held by China, the largest foreign creditor to the U.S., climbed by $25.7 billion, or 2 percent, to $1.294 trillion, also the biggest gain since February. Holdings by Japan, the second largest overseas lender, rose for a third month. They increased by $29 billion, or 2.5 percent, to $1.178 trillion, the most on record. The data were released yesterday by the U.S. Treasury Department.

China’s Binhai New Area flourishes – Xinhua The GDP of Binhai New Area, a new growth hotspot near the Bohai Bay in north China, is expected to exceed 800 billion yuan (130 billion U.S. dollars) in 2013, a local official said Monday. It means the area will record an annual growth of 21.6 percent since 2009. The expected GDP will quadruple that of 2006 when the Binhai New Area, located in the northern port city of Tianjin, was established, said Yuan Tongli, the Communist Party chief of the new area.//what is its debt to GDP ratio?

Chinese Steer Billions Abroad in Quest for Safety: Real Estate – Bloomberg In exchange for relative safety, Chiway is prepared to settle for an internal rate of return of about 15 percent on U.S. projects, less than the 30 percent to 50 percent more common in China, Qian said in the interview in Los Angeles, the first stop on the tour organized by the China Real Estate Chamber of Commerce. “These types of returns are going to end in China too,” said Qian, whose company has built about 12 million square meters (129 million square feet) of mostly residential buildings in eastern Chinese cities including Shanghai. “They will have to level out at some point. But it’s hard to predict, and it makes business-planning for the future difficult in China.”//misleading headline based on what the story actually says

Credit-Driven China Glut Threatens Surge Into Bank Crisis – Bloomberg corporate debt is a much bigger risk than local government debt, and harder to resolve // The pain is being experienced by Rongsheng’s peers nationwide. A third of the country’s 1,600 shipyards may shut down within five years amid a global vessel glut, Wang Jinlian, secretary general of the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry, said in July. To Ji Fenghua, chairman of Nantong Mingde Heavy Industry Group Co., another struggling “Shipping Valley” builder specializing in high-end vessels, that’s an understatement. “I won’t be surprised if half of the shipbuilders fail, given the excess capacity,” said Ji, recounting the day in July 2012 that hundreds of his workers who hadn’t been paid in three months besieged his office building.

China Studies New Ways to Measure Size of Economy – WSJ.com China is studying new ways to measure the size of its economy to reflect ambitious reform plans that will make it easier for farmers to sell their land and to take into account property values. The new methods, which dovetail with a blueprint for reforms agreed on at a key meeting of Communist Party leaders last week, are likely to increase the size of China’s economy, already the world’s second largest, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Why Mao’s Favorite Liquor Brand is Buying Paris Real Estate | Mingtiandi China’s luxury liquor-maker, Kweichou Moutai, which produces the hard-edged baijiu favored by government officials last week announced that it will invest $11.76 million to buy real estate in Paris to open new distribution outlets for its incendiary distillate.

China cake millionaire at home in his six castles – Yahoo News As the greatest urbanisation drive in history swells China’s cities with ranks of identikit apartment blocks, one culinary businessman is indulging his architectural appetite with a visual feast of extravagant, outlandish castles. “I don’t have any hobbies, except for planting trees and building castles,” said Liu Chonghua, standing on a crenellated turret atop the largest of the six he has constructed. Liu, who made millions from feeding China’s growing appetite for cakes and bread, now plans to make his home in the grey stone structure, which resembles Britain’s Windsor Castle and towers above the surrounding rice fields.//wish every cakemaker in China made enough money to buy six castles…

It’s OK if your kid isn’t fluent in Chinese yet—that’s the bottom line of Larry Summers’ new research – Quartz Earlier this month, the former US Treasury Secretary and Harvard economist Lant Pritchett warned the San Francisco Federal Reserve that “Asiaphoria”—as they dub it—can’t last. Now the text of that paper is out, complete with the charts and analysis that form their argument. It’s 35 pages of riveting reading, especially when you consider everything these days, from office expansions to investment decisions to foreign-language instruction, is based on the idea of continued growth from China and India. The economists conclude: “Hitching the cart of the future global economy to the horse of the Asian giants carries substantial risks.”

FTZ’s ‘Negative List’ Policy to Be Modified-Caijing The “negative list” policy being tried out in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone won’t be expanded nationwide immediately as expected, as modifications are needed, a senior official said on Friday. Liu Dianxun, director of the investment promotion agency at the Ministry of Commerce, said at a forum that China launched the FTZ in Shanghai to carry out activities in particular fields such as the services trade. Related policies will be disseminated gradually throughout the country, Liu said.

A Conversation with Jing Ulrich | Claudine Ying | People | HongKongTatler.com is the DOJ all over her as they dig into JP Morgan’s sketchy China behavior? Would not be fun for her, local team should not bear the brunt if JPM found to have violated the FCPA  // People asked; she spoke. Ms. Jing Ulrich, who many describe as “our voice of China,” has served as Managing Director and Chairman of Global Markets – China at JP Morgan Chase & Co since 2005 and is now the Vice Chairman of Asia Pacific. Born and raised in Beijing and educated in the US (graduating from both Harvard and Stanford), she has helped build a bridge between the west and east.

 

POLITICS AND LAW

More than 16,000 punished for violating frugality guidelines – Xinhua | A total of 16,699 people have been punished for violating the frugality guidelines of the Communist Party of China (CPC) amid anti-corruption efforts, the Party disciplinary watchdog said Monday. Among them, 3,721 had received Party or administrative punishment by the end of September, according to the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

加强和改善党对全面深化改革的领导–时政–人民网 a long one on page 3 of today’s People’s Daily from Liu Yunshan on strengthening and improving the party’s leadership of comprehensively deepening reform

人民日报评论员：发挥经济体制改革牵引作用–四论认真贯彻落实十八届三中全会精神-时政频道-新华网    全面深化改革是一项复杂的系统工程，需要深入研究各领域改革关联性和各项改革举措耦合性。新的历史条件下，全面深化改革之路已经开启，只有坚持以经济建设为中心、发挥经济体制改革的牵引作用，才能推动生产关系同生产力、上层建筑同经济基础相适应，推动经济社会持续健康发展，让“中国号”巨轮驶得更稳、行得更远。

What are Xi’s plans for China’s media? – China Media Project This passage tells us that the leadership is deeply concerned about the challenges it faces to its dominance of public opinion as new technologies bring new possibilities. But of course it is also up to the challenge, determined to “strengthen online legal building and public opinion channeling.” There is only one other aspect of this passage I find noteworthy. The explanation says that new media have presented challenges to “online information order” and “national security.” One of the biggest stories coming out of this plenum has been the creation of a new National Security Commission. So I just want to put this question out there . . . How might the Party re-tool and redefine its approach to the internet and social media in light of its shifting approach to national security?

Official residence system – Xinhua To “explore how to implement an official residence system” was among the decisions at the Third Plenary Session last week. Although there have been no details of when and how this will be implemented, it has caught the attention of the public. A signed article in Jinghua Times says this would be a concrete measure to restrict the power of cadres so that the housing benefits they enjoy will be transparent and based on rules.

央企一把手拟实行市场化选聘 新华社——经济参考网 changes mulled in hiring of senior executives in central SOEs..some may no longer be government/Party appointed? really? but would have to be government/Party approved at a minimum…says govt-appointee salaries would be set by govt, those hired from the “market” would have salaries set by the market…sounds like might be a good way to get around possible salary caps, or am I being too cynical?《经济参考报》记者日前从权威人士处获悉，为了更好地提高国有企业活力和竞争力，国资委等相关部门正在酝酿相关政策，逐步增加国企高管的市场化选聘比例，这意味着央企、国企的“一把手”或更多地从市场中产生，同时将国企高管薪酬与其选聘方式挂钩，即政府任命的由政府确定价格，市场选拔的由市场定价。

央企一把手炼成记：53掌舵人31人有从政履历_网易新闻中心 本报梳理发现，53家国有重要骨干企业的现任“一把手”中，31人有过从政履历，占比约为58%；17位有或曾有中央委员(含候补)、中纪委委员(含候补)的身份。//31 of 53 central SOE chiefs have served in government says this survey

n+1: China’s Constitutional Crisis On the one hand, China’s liberal reformers argue for an independent judiciary, free from Party interference, and respect for individual rights such as freedom of speech and the press, all of which are explicitly in the text of the constitution. Emboldened by the government’s official greenlighting of constitutional debate, they furthermore have called for a system of checks and balances on the Party, a radical proposal that previously had only been discussed very quietly. This in turn has alarmed Party conservatives. They too want a strong legal infrastructure, but they fear that the price would be the end of Communist hegemony. So they have accused the liberals of subverting the government and trying to “westernize” China.

The Transparent Chinese – NYTimes.com As an outspoken writer, I have become paranoid. I often suspect that I am being followed and videotaped, but I have no way of proving it. I occasionally turn around to see if the police are nearby. When I sit down at a café with friends, I often cannot help checking under the table for a listening device.//Murong Xuecun

党棍横行 中共固化媒体宣传进入死胡同_中国_多维新闻网 【多维新闻】刚刚结束的中共十八届三中全会再次将世界的目光聚焦于此，洋洋洒洒数千字公报换来了众网友“不明觉厉”（网络用语，意为虽然不明白在说什么，但是感觉很厉害的样子）的点评。随后公布的《中共中央关于全面深化改革若干重大问题的决定》令世界为之一振，中共固化媒体宣传如若进入死胡同，可能再次将《决定》带来的新风毁于一旦。

观察站：开启强权时代 三马拉车嫡系掌权_中国_多维新闻网 对于十八大后中国政坛，尤其是在二中全会前后，曾一度出现了四大政治力量重新整合、再平衡的局面。“太子党”出身的习掌控中央大权，以李克强为首的共青团系统出身的官员大批上位，掌握中央和地方实权。在本届政府矢志推进的改革过程中，几位曾是朱镕基时代的“重臣”、有丰富经验的职业官僚再次被重用，而在过去二十年间是政坛重要力量的、由江泽民提拔的官员则纷纷因为年龄原因离开，“老人干政”、地方帮派结党现象也随着胡锦涛的“裸退”逐步告别中国政坛。而在接下来的半年时间里尤其是三中之后，又出现了新的政坛局面。一是习近平、李克强、王岐山“三马拉车”的势头愈来愈强，二是习近平的“嫡系”纷纷从浙江、上海等地调入中央，进入宣传、党务各个部门开始掌权。

Chinese official shamed over adultery ‘contract’ that fines bad behaviour – Telegraph A Communist Party official is relieved of his duties after a contract between him and his mistress leaked onto the internet revealing how the pair had agreed binding terms for their illicit affair

Paranoia from Soviet Union collapse haunts China’s Communist Party, 22 years on | South China Morning PostSteve Tsang,  director of the China Policy Institute  at the University of Nottingham,  said Xi was clearly setting out his “policy line”, which is to strengthen the party’s capacity and determination to adhere closely tight to the existing system, and resist any demand for democratisation or constitutional rule as understood in the West.

Yaan party chief removed from post amid graft allegations | South China Morning Post The statement said the decision was made by the Communist Party’s Sichuan committee but did not mention the reason for Xu Jengjia’s removal. Xu will be replaced Ye Zhuang, secretary general of Sichuan provincial government and director of the general office of Sichuan provincial government. Many mainland media organisations circulated the report on Monday, highlighting recent rumours that Xu may be involved in corruption.

Police Give New Meaning to ‘Taped Confession’ – NYTimes.com After catching 23 alleged members of a sophisticated and prolific home burglary gang over the weekend, the police at the Chenjiang Police Station in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, feared that the suspects, who spoke an unfamiliar Chinese dialect from Guizhou Province, would collude on their statements before they could be interrogated. Their solution was to swaddle at least some of the suspects’ mouths and heads in masses of newspapers and adhesive tape

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

Xi Jinping meets PLA logistics representatives – Xinhua Monday’s meeting was devoted to PLA logistics work to meet the requirement of “being able to combat and win battles” through modern logistics.

To win battles: PLA newspaper – Xinhua China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is striving to maintain its glorious wartime reputation by advancing military reform and putting paid to the ethos of decadence. The people have noticed that certain army cadres have only a vague understanding of their mission after a long break from combat, and have become lazy in their primary tasks. A Monday article in the PLA Daily criticized some army officials for lacking the “awareness of always being ready to fight.” Soldiers under their command have not been trained hard enough and the quality of military training is not good enough. They are just not up for the fight, the article said.

PLA staging large night-landing drills in Bohai, Yellow Sea | South China Morning Post “Nearly 20 combat units – more than 5000 troops – took part in the exercise, which focused on joint reconnaissance, maritime transport, information and live fire attacks, assault landings and other military exercises,” the official news service said. “Such large-scale drills have seldom been staged,” Beijing-based military analyst Li Jie , said. “The military might need to extend the duration of the drill because they have included a lot of new items.”

China’s new warcrafts conduct air refueling training – Xinhua Slideshow

Chinese nuclear forces, 2013 | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists The number of weapons in China’s nuclear arsenal is slowly growing, and the capability of those weapons is also increasing. The authors estimate that China has approximately 250 warheads in its stockpile for delivery by nearly 150 land-based ballistic missiles, aircraft, and an emerging submarine fleet. China is assigning a growing portion of its warheads to long-range missiles. The authors estimate that China’s arsenal includes as many as 60 long-range missiles that can reach some portion of the United States. The US intelligence community predicts that by the mid-2020s, China could have more than 100 missiles capable of threatening the United States.

The Biggest Little CIA Shop You’ve Never Heard Of – Newsweek And that’s another reason NR stays in regular contact with top Wall Street and other corporate executives. It also knows some titans of finance are not above being romanced. Most love hanging out with the agency’s top spies – James Bond and all that – and being solicited for their views on everything from the street’s latest tricks to their meetings with, say, China’s finance minister. JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sach’s Lloyd Blankfein, one former CIA executive recalls, loved to get visitors from Langley.

Chinese president meets former U.S. president Clinton – Xinhua

 

TECH AND MEDIA

Lightspeed Venture Partners » Here is why we invested in BTCChina A large driver of the run up has been growing demand for Bitcoin in China. BTC China has always been the biggest Bitcoin exchange in China, and is now the biggest Bitcoin exchange in the world. //did they make the investment in dollars or Bitcoin? Chinese government far more likely to be concerned about Bitcoin and the speculation than the US government

Tencent to launch international version of free 10TB storage service. New photo-sharing app coming soon to US | PandoDaily In a speech at MIT’s China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum in Boston over the weekend, Peter Zheng, the Shenzhen-based vice president of Tencent’s social network group, said the free storage offering and Story Camera, an English-language version of a photo app that has already proven popular in China, will soon arrive in the US. // how many Americans will want to store their documents with a Chinese internet firm?

Chinese media ‘ordered to ignore celebrated director Jia Zhangke’ – Telegraph propaganda chiefs in Beijing appear unimpressed with Jia Zhangke’s latest creation – a £2.48m film called “A Touch of Sin” – and have reportedly instructed media outlets to shun it.//Hollywood will shun him and his movie too now? 

Huxiu — Huawei’s Phantom Shares: Let It Be or Let It Go? Huawei’s growth is a mirror image of China’s economic development. The company took off when China’s economy was in a moment of enormous transition and telecommunication was flourishing like never before. Yet it still remains to be seen whether Huawei are able to hold its 30% plus compound growth rate longer. “Telecom equipment industry is not what it was anymore,” A 17-level worker, who got the maximum allotted shares, told your correspondent, ”no one denies it.”

China market: Huawei, Gionee to take on Xiaomi through Internet China-based smartphone vendors Huawei and Gionee Communication Equipment will follow the steps of fellow company Xiaomi Technology to market smartphones online with aggressive pricing, a move which is expected to heat up competition in China’s smartphone market in 2014, according to industry sources.

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Highlights From Caijing Annual Conference 2014 (Day One)-Caijing didn’t hear Clinton but got to go to the nice dinner monday night. Interesting crowd, very good event

中国公益论坛2013-财经网 Caijing’s special site for the forum. Wang Boming does not get the western media love that Hu Shuli does but is at least as interesting a media figure

Tibetan Monastery’s Prayer Hall Lost in Fire – NYTimes.com The monastery, also known as the Lithang Monastery (or Litang, in Chinese, after the town in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province where it is located), possesses what the prominent Tibetan writer Woeser has called “a special meaning in the history of Tibet.” Founded in 1580 by the Third Dalai Lama, it is known for being the site of a pivotal standoff in 1956 between Tibetans and the People’s Liberation Army as part of the Tibetan resistance movement to Chinese Communist rule.

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Plenum Document Gives Experts in Energy Industry Reason for Hope – Caixin Among the 60 tasks the party said it wanted to accomplish by 2020 was establishing market-oriented pricing systems for water, crude oil, natural gas, electricity, transportation and telecoms. The government “will give the market the right to set prices” and only keep controls on prices for public utilities and services, the document said. These statements are the cause for hope that long-stagnant price reforms in the power industry can be achieved. Experts see these steps on prices as key if progress is to be made on overall reform of energy industries. The country’s wholesale power prices and tariffs for residential and industrial usage are set by the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planner.

复旦项目负责人:雾霾使鲜肺6天变黑报道不实|报道|雾霾|鲜肺_新浪新闻 Fudan says a report that lungs turn black after just 6 days of pollution is not true…// 新京报讯 (记者邓琦)“太恐怖，雾霾能使鲜红色的肺6天就变黑，若形成黑肺，逆转几无可能。”昨天，一则触目惊心的新闻在网上引发热议，这让谈PM2.5色变的公众又一次陷入恐慌。昨天下午，该报道中的项目负责人、复旦大学公共卫生学院环境卫生教研室主任、博士生导师宋伟民教授对新京报记者称，该报道中的描述与事实不符，其本人没有接受过相关采访，也从未说过“若形成黑肺，逆转几无可能”的言论。另有专家表示，公众不必恐慌，针对老鼠的实验效果不能直接移植到人类身上。

Role of Smoking Cited in China’s Rising Lung Cancer Deaths – NYTimes.com The number of deaths from lung cancer in China has increased by 465 percent over the past 30 years, doctors said at the Sixth China North-South Lung Cancer Summit, which brought together 300 experts. The theme of this year’s meeting: “Controlling tobacco and promoting the early detection and treatment of lung cancer,” according to CCTV, the state broadcaster.