The Sinocism China Newsletter 12.09.14

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

1. Shanghai Composite Index Tops 3,000 for First Time Since 2011 – Bloomberg Citic Securities Co. and Haitong Securities Co., the nation’s biggest securities firms, jumped 10 percent, adding to gains of at least 75 percent over the past month. Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. surged 9.6 percent…The Shanghai Composite climbed 2.8 percent to 3,020.26 at the close, the highest level since April 2011. The CSI 300 Index jumped 4.1 percent, extending gains to 28 percent during the 12-day advance.

Related:  Five Charts That Show China’s Stock-Market Boom Is Unprecedented – Bloomberg While the Chinese gauge is still 50 percent below its 2007 peak, the stock market’s boom during the past month has been unprecedented by several measures. The following charts show how the nation’s share-price momentum, trading volumes, margin debt, market capitalization and financial-industry outperformance have all reached record highs: // lots of leverage, but in danger zone yet? The market really needs a pullback, this is getting ridiculous

Related: 人民日报称股市迎来发展机遇,没必要对指数波动进行主动调控财富管理澎湃新闻-The Paper People’s Daily says investors and regulators need to approach the stock market “rationally” , but makes clear the desire for continued “healthy” appreciation of the market  //  在股市大涨之后,人民日报12月9日在6版要闻版面刊发了《理性看待股市热》一文,署名作者午言,近年来人民日报有关股市的评论均出自他手。   在该文中,人民日报重点强调的是理性,投资者、市场机构、监管层都要理性。其中关于监管者,文章重点提到“只要股市波动不产生风险溢出,不对整体经济运行带来威胁,就没必要对指数波动进行主动调控”。文章认为,股市当前正迎来一个新的发展机遇,各方要共同努力,让A股市场摆脱过去“牛短熊长”的怪圈。

2. China advisers recommend 7 percent growth goal in 2015 as leaders meet | Reuters Sources said government-run think-tanks, which are influential in the decision-making process but do not wield power themselves, are planning to recommend Beijing reduce its official GDP growth target in 2015 to seven percent, down from 7.5 percent this year.     “President Xi (Jinping) has already hinted at the growth target when he said growth of seven percent is the highest in the world,” said a senior economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), who declined to be identified. // best to get rid of the GDP target all together, that would be a positive sign for reform…but seems too embedded in the system, especially the cadre evaluation system

Related: 以习近平同志为总书记的党中央引领中国经济发展新常态述评-新华网 long Xinhua piece on the economy and the new normal, in advance of the Central Economic Work Conference that starts today, getting top billing across Chinese media  //  新华网北京12月8日电  引领大国经济,需要坚毅的战略定力与驾驭全局的智慧。 实现大国梦想,需要坚定的民族自信与坚持不懈的奋斗。  2014年,中国经济必将刻下鲜明的历史印记——以习近平同志为总书记的党中央准确把握新常态,面对风险挑战从容镇定,创新宏观调控精准发力,全面深化改革有序展开,全年经济平稳健康发展,经济结构不断优化,人民生活持续改善。     新常态,见证中国经济新成就、新亮点、新变化。 新常态,彰显中国经济新趋势、新高度、新作为。     在以习近平同志为总书记的党中央坚强领导下,中国经济正迎接新机遇,迈上新征程,走向新时代。

Related: 新常态下应树立提高发展质量导向 State Council DRC deputy director Li Shijin on page 7 of Tuesday’s People’s Daily, on improving the quality of economic development in the “new normal”, says the transition away from excessive dependence on investment, industry and external demand is making progress  //  以往人们在分析我国增长模式时,经常提到的问题是过多依赖投资、工业、外需和要素投入。过去一两年和当前,这种情况正在发生具有长远意义的转折性变化。具体地说,消费的比重已经超过投资,第三产业的比重已经超过第二产业,出口由过去20%以上的增速降到5%—10%,要素投入中劳动力总量开始减少,环境约束进一步加大。我国经济正在呈现更多地依靠消费、服务业、内需和要素生产率提升的新增长格局。 与此同时,经济发展基本稳定,有些方面还有所提高。

3. Report: Zuckerberg reads Chinese president’s book – The Washington Post “I bought this book for my colleagues as well,” Zuckerberg was quoted as telling Lu. “I want them to understand socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The photo shows a beaming Lu sitting in Zuckerberg’s work chair, with the Facebook founder smiling and standing next to him. “In that photo, Lu Wei looks the part of a boss,” Hu [Jia] said in a phone interview. “I feel ashamed for Facebook and sorry for Mr. Zuckerberg. When you yield to the executioners of the Internet, they will only become more arrogant.”  // Conveniently Zuckerberg had a copy of Xi’s “Governance of China” book on his desk when Lu Wei visited. Facebook US Public Affairs group will be very busy if FB ever launches operations beyond ad sales and developer support in China

4. 鲁炜考察Facebook 扎克伯格普通话进行讲解 新闻中心中国网 pictures from Lu Wei’s visit to Facebook// 中国网12月8日讯 正在美国展开密集考察的中央宣传部副部长、中央网络安全和信息化领导小组办公室主任、国家互联网信息办公室主任鲁炜,日前到访Facebook(脸谱)公司。 Facebook(脸谱)创办人马克·扎克伯格陪同鲁炜参观Facebook园区,并用普通话进行讲解。他指着办公大厅中的一个工位说:“这是我的。”鲁炜笑着问:“我可以坐下吗?”在扎克伯格工位上,鲁炜发现一本中国国家主席习近平的著作。扎克伯格解释说:“这本书我也给同事买了,我要让他们了解中国特色社会主义。” // this official report lists Lu Wei’s three titles in order of importance: 1. Vice Minister of propaganda; 2. Director of the Office of the Internet Security and Informatization Leading Group. 3. Director of the Cyber Administration of China. I wonder if Lu Wei has decided to take the same approach to US Internet companies that China has taken with Hollywood firms, who now bend over backwards to keep China happy? Having Facebook in China but with local operations properly controlled could give Beijing leverage over Facebook globally; i.e. if Facebook has operations and employees in China, what is Facebook going to say when it is asked to delete content on its global platform, or turn over info on certain users outside of China?

Related: Zuckerberg, Cook Meet China’s Internet Minister in U.S. – Bloomberg Baidu Inc. (BIDU) Vice President Zhu Guang accompanied Lu to the meetings, China.com reported. Kaiser Kuo, a spokesman for Baidu, confirmed Zhu attended the meetings. He declined to comment further. The website also posted pictures with Lu talking to Amazon CEO Jeffrey Bezos. It didn’t provide further details. Craig Berman, a spokesman for Amazon, said he wasn’t aware of the meeting. // Chinese reports said they also visited Baidu’s Silicon Valley outpost. Zhu is more than just a VP at Baidu, he is also secretary of the company’s Party Committee.

Related: Mark Zuckerberg loves Xi Jinping’s book, ‘The Governance of China’ the origin of the image showing Zuckerberg as a good Communist holding Xi’s book.

Related: Ten lessons Mark Zuckerberg can learn from Xi Jinping’s Big Yellow Book – Telegraph As Mark Zuckerberg reveals he is handing copies of Xi Jinping’s speeches to Facebook employees, we look at 10 pieces of wisdom they can acquire from the president’s latest tome.

Related: A Trip to California for China’s Internet Czar – NYTimes.com The disagreement between the United States and China on such critical issues may provide one answer to why Mr. Lu gave equal emphasis to the East and West Coasts on his trip to the United States. Meeting with United States tech companies provided the longtime propagandist with ample photo opportunities to show off back home. It also showed he could easily find eager partners in Silicon Valley, even as officials in Washington seek to play hardball. // remarkable that there was almost no coverage of Lu’s visits on Silicon Valley tech blogs

5. Report: ‘Gold-Obsessed’ Chinese Officer’s Graft Case Worth $5 Billion – Business Insider Phoenix Weekly, a magazine run by Hong Kong broadcaster Phoenix Television which has close ties with the Chinese government, said that total ill-gotten gains amounted to some 30 billion yuan ($5 billion), including about 600 million yuan in bribes accepted by Gu. Gu also loved gold, especially gold statues of Buddha, though he preferred receiving ground up gold rather than gold bars when he was taking bribes, the magazine added, in a story widely carried by mainland Chinese news websites.

Related: 知情者:谷俊山涉案300多亿 贪污受贿达6个多亿_凤凰资讯 Google cache version of one of the remarkable Phoenix Weekly articles on Gu Junshan’s corruption, was online for a bit but now deleted. This was one of two posted Monday// 核心提示:最新一期《凤凰周刊》的封面报道披露谷俊山案内幕。有知情人士向周刊记者透露,“谷俊山涉案案值300亿元,谷贪污受贿有6个亿。”这一贪腐数值可能在解放军有史以来未见。

Related: 谷俊山被曝曾威胁总后部长:别挡我的道新闻腾讯网 Google cache version of one of the remarkable Phoenix Weekly articles on Gu Junshan’s corruption, was online for a but but now deleted. This excerpt says the investigation of Gu was fully supported by two former chairmen of the CMC…who of course would be Hu and Jiang //  上述知情人士称,对谷俊山案的查办获得前后两任军委主席的全力支持。总后廖锡龙部长和刘源政委曾多次向习近平主席面汇案情,习近平在相关部门的呈批件上亦有十多次批示。中共十八大后,谷俊山案的查办渐趋明朗。2012年1月19日,困境中的谷俊山如常出入总后机关,他还参加了河南濮阳籍在京领导人新春团拜会。

6. Smog-hit Hebei ordered by government to draw up restructuring plans – Global Times The Chinese government has ordered its most polluted province, North China’s Hebei, to draw up fresh plans to “upgrade” its economy in a bid to ease its dependence on heavy industries like steel and cement production, Beijing-based newspaper the Economic Observer reported over the weekend. The local provincial government is now drawing up new economic restructuring plans which will eventually be passed on to the central government, the newspaper said, citing local officials…The province’s economy grew 6.2 percent in the first three quarters, behind a 2014 target of 8 percent, and in a speech delivered on November 26, Hebei Vice Governor Yang Chongyong called for more incentives for the province. “Hebei has paid a very big price, with its economy suffering grave injuries,” he told a forum. “If there are just widespread enterprise closures and layoffs, if there are no new projects or employment opportunities, then there’s no way of guaranteeing people’s incomes and livelihoods, so how can we maintain stability?” he said at the forum.

7. CSIS 2014 Freeman Chair newsletter analyzes President Xi Jinping’s recent address to the Central Foreign Affairs Work Conference (CFAWC) of the Chinese Communist Party, by Chris Johnson (PDF) best explainer of the recent CFAWC I have read  //  As noted above, Xi sees robust economic diplomacy as a key element in his overall diplomatic strategy….Signaling China’s neighbors through such initiatives that the economic health of the region is intimately tied to China’s continued growth and prosperity also serves to advance Xi’s seeming predilection for a more multidirectional foreign policy approach than that of his predecessors. In fact, the other noticeable feature of Xi’s remarks is their seeming ambivalence toward relations with the United States. U.S.-China relations received no direct references in Xi’s remarks, and there were only one or two passing mentions of strengthening ties with “major countries.”…This is not to suggest, however, that Xi is somehow downgrading relations with Washington. The outcomes of Xi’s second “shirt sleeves” summit with President Obama make clear that he continues to view U.S.-China ties as Beijing’s most important bilateral relationship. Instead, it probably means that Xi is less likely than his predecessors to be solicitous or desirous of pursuing relations with Washington at a substantial cost to building other important relationships.

Related: Xi Jinping’s Evolution of Chinese Grand Strategy | The Diplomat – Chen Dingding Overall, Xi’s speech shows lots of confidence on the part of Chinese leaders…What this means for the U.S. and its allies in Asia is that they will have to deal with a China that is more powerful, more ambitious, and more confident. Any underestimation of the determination and will on the part of Chinese leaders will lead to serious perception gaps and even potential conflict.

8. Girl at Center of Suspected Abuse Case Dies | the Beijinger An eight-year-old girl at the center of what authorities suspect might be child abuse died last night at 8pm, according to Chinese reports in The Mirror. The girl, known as Phoebe, was brought to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics on November 24. She stopped breathing on her own around 7pm Sunday night and passed away at 8. Suffering from an intestinal obstruction and kidney problems that began some time in September, this was her third trip to the hospital since the injury. // 被老外“收养”女孩去世 知情人否认其被打伤(图)新闻中心中国网 

 

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE

Retail Traditions Hit a Wall at Wal-Mart China-Caixin More Chinese consumers are shopping online, which is putting more pressure on Wal-Mart and it’s old-fashioned store model

China Steel Exports Rise to Record While Iron Ore Imports Slide – Bloomberg Shipments in November increased 14 percent from the previous month to 9.72 million metric tons, according to data from the country’s customs administration today. Total exports in the first 11 months of 2014 are 47 percent higher than the same period last year at 83.6 million tons. Imports of iron ore, the main material for steel making, fell 15 percent last month to the lowest since February. China’s steel exports have set records for three straight months as a slowing expansion and cooling construction sector damp demand.

Taiwan, China solar producers no threat to U.S., commission hears | Reuters Solar products from China and Taiwan do not compete with U.S.-made goods, foreign producers told the U.S. International Trade Commission on Monday, as they sought to avert import duties.

Grrr (2014)–Photos of Langfang Hebei Protest Over Underground Finance Blowup Langfang is just outside of Beijing  //  12月8日,河北省廊坊市金吉通投资管理有限公司、丹尼斯投资有限公司资金链断裂无法兑付本金,300余投资人堵路示威3小时,遭警察驱散,数名投资人被抓捕。

China’s Banks Press PBOC to Cut Reserve-Requirement Ratio – WSJ bet they drop more given the A-share surge  //  A rare drop in bank deposits—historically the main source of cheap funding for Chinese banks—is forcing lenders in the world’s No. 2 economy to curtail lending or look for more expensive types of financing, bank executives say. A planned deposit-insurance system could push up Chinese banks’ funding costs even more, they say, because it would lead to fiercer competition to attract savers. Even the central bank’s latest effort to jump-start growth—a cut in interest rates—has the potential to reduce banks’ profit margins.

人民日报批运营商霸王条款 People’s Daily criticizes China’s big three mobile operators for violating consumers’ rights  //  尽管我们有近13亿手机用户、8亿多手机上网用户,但在几乎垄断的强大的电信运营商面前,消费者却是名副其实的弱者。电信运营商对消费者的侵害很多都是暗中蚕食——如流量清零、电信增值业务乱收费等,几毛、几元或几十元地分而宰之,或以升4G后不能退回3G等“技术手段”,剥夺消费者的选择权。

佛山钢贸危机的担保圈拆解之谜_第一财经客户端 CBN looks at the loan guarantee mess among steel traders in Foshan

宝马经销商造反:索要60亿补偿_第一财经客户端 BMW China dealers are revolting, have written a letter to head of BMW China asking for 6B RMB in subsidies, more input in setting sales goals, other changes. business is bad, how much channel stuffing has there been?  //  宝马经销商向安格提交的请愿函提出了多想要求,其中包括宝马向经销商额外提供60亿元的补偿,以弥补今年的亏损;与经销商一起制定第二年的销售目标;不得强制要求经销商购入汽车附件,不应要求经销商购车和为零售销量垫付。

张维迎:改革最大阻力不是既得利益者,是理念 Professor Zhang Weiying says in a recent talk that special interests are not the biggest obstacle to reform, ideas are  //  由此来看,你再看中国的改革,过去30多年的改革,可以说就是一个观念的突破,一个理念的变革。邓小平发现改革是因为他不再相信计划经济能给中国带来富强,他更相信企业家精神、更相信市场的力量,所以从1978年开始,中国逐步走向了市场化的这样一个道路。同样,未来我们的改革能不能真正地顺利进行,我想并不仅仅取决于我们现在谈的最多的所谓既得利益的阻挠。我们必须承认,既得利益是改革的重大阻力,但是在我看来,可能更大的阻力恰恰是人们的观念,是人们的理念。

A股9149亿元成交天量背后 伞形结构信托有贡献-信托频道-金融界 always a way around the rules…this article on umbrella trusts allowing WMPs to get around ban on directly investing in the stock market  //  尽管成本相对较高,但杠杆也更高,伞形信托受到部分投资者特别是超大户的青睐 如果说涉及汇率换算问题,上周五A股市场7105亿元成交量刷新全球单个市场成交量第一还有争议的话,那么12月3日9149亿元的成交量,可以说是当之无愧的宇宙第一天量。

China’s Rate Swaps Surge Most Since June 2013 as Bonds Tumble – Bloomberg China has halted new corporate bond repurchase applications for debt with ratings below AAA, according to a statement posted to the China Securities Depository and Clearing Corp.’s website yesterday.

中证登发布加强企业债券回购风险管理通知- 21世纪网 8日,中国证券登记所发布《关于加强企业债券回购风险管理相关措施的通知》称,自本通知发布之日起,暂时不受理新增企业债券回购资格申请,已取得回 购资格的企业债券暂不得新增入库。按主体评级“孰低原则”认定的债项评级为AAA 级、主体评级为AA级(含)以上(主体评级为AA级的,其评级展望应当为正面或稳定)的企业债券除外。 同时,结算参与人应依据本通知规定采取相关措施,严格限制企业债券新增入库。如有新增入库的,将采取强制出库措施,结算参与人应严格防范欠库乃至透支风险。

 

POLITICS AND LAW

Zhou Yongkang Arrest Ratchets Up Pressure in Graft Purge – Caixin Before the arrest of the 72-year-old Zhou, at least 39 people with ties to Zhou have come under investigation for graft and at least 20 have been handed over to police. What they have shared in common is that these disgraced officials have either worked with Zhou in the country’s lucrative petroleum industry, or risen through the ranks in Sichuan Province and held positions in the powerful police force, considered Zhou’s three power bases.

China, U.S. reach consensus on combating corruption – Xinhua Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Monday that China has made headway with the United States on bilateral talks for tracking down fugitive corruption suspects. Hong told a regular press briefing that the two sides have reached important consensus on strengthening cooperation in the areas of combating corruption, bringing fugitives to law and seizing their illegal proceeds at the 12th meeting of the China-U.S. Joint Liaison Group (JLG) on Law Enforcement Cooperation, held in Beijing last week…William Brownfield, the U.S. assistant secretary for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs, said Friday that the two sides had identified a “finite number of individuals and agreed to develop a strategy to address each of those”.

刘金国:猎狐行动执行不力省份要赴公安部作检讨_凤凰资讯 Liu Jinguo, deputy secretary of the CCDI and vice minister of public security tells provincial officials that they will have to come to the ministry of public security for a self-criticism if they do not take seriously” operation fox hunt” against officials who have fled overseas //  日前,中央纪委副书记,公安部党委副书记、副部长刘金国在接受《中国纪检监察报》采访时表示,省级公安机关主管领导是第一责任人,对于“猎狐”行动不力的省份,要到公安部说明情况,作出检讨。

China Rails Against Pollution, of the Journalistic Variety – NYTimes.com a recent editorial in the state-run People’s Daily suggested. The editorial — titled “Using Morality to Disperse ‘News Smog’” — says that the latest contaminant to afflict Chinese society can be ousted by spending time among the grass roots. There, the article said, a great many people ridicule the “unhealthy phenomenon” that is news reportage and speak of its “moral decline” as well as its “soulless click-through rate.”

China sentences eight to death for knife, bomb attacks in west | Reuters China sentenced eight people to death for their roles in two knife and bomb attacks this spring in the country’s violence-plagued western region of Xinjiang, state media reported on Monday. In April, a knife and bomb attack at a train station in the region’s capital of Urumqi killed three and injured 79. In May, 39 people at a Urumqi market were killed when attackers hurled explosives out of the windows of two SUVs.

China Sentences Uighur Scholar’s Tohti Students to Up to 8 Years – Bloomberg China sentenced seven students of incarcerated scholar Ilham Tohti, a member of the country’s Uighur minority, to three to eight years in prison for separatism, Hong Kong government broadcaster RTHK said.

山西省省长李小鹏:信息公开,打造“阳光国企”–观点–人民网 Shanxi Governor, Li Peng’s son Li Xiaopeng in today’s People’s Daily on the need for more transparency from SOEs

文化部原中国录音录像总社社长王笑然接受调查|文化部|反腐_新浪新闻 据文化部信息:文化部原中国录音录像总社社长、党委书记(正厅级)王笑然涉嫌严重违纪违法,接受组织调查。(驻文化部纪检组监察局)

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

【独家】解放军南京政治学院副院长戴维民少将被查_政经频道_财新网 Caixin-Deputy Director of PLA Nanjing Political Academy Maj Gen Dai Weimin under investigation // 消息称,戴维民事发于南京政治学院上海分院的土地及工程基建问题

China angered by U.S. bill allowing Taiwan warship sale | Reuters The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the bill last week, authorizing the sale of four Perry-class guided missile frigates to Taiwan. China expressed anger in April when a similar bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

China Takes Nuclear Weapons Underwater Where Prying Eyes Can’t See – Bloomberg “China is going to have to reassure their adversaries that those submarines are under positive control at all times,” said Malcolm Davis, an assistant professor of China-Western relations at Bond University on Australia’s Gold Coast. “Positive control” refers to the procedures to ensure the CMC’s absolute control of its nuclear assets, such as the authorization codes it would send to submarines, where, after verification by the commander and probably two other officers, missiles would be launched.  //  where does the political commissar fit in?

Operation AURORAGOLD: How the NSA Hacks Cellphone Networks Worldwide Aside from mentions of a handful of operators in Libya, China, and Iran, names of the targeted companies are not disclosed in the NSA’s documents. However, a top-secret world map featured in a June 2012 presentation on AURORAGOLD suggests that the NSA has some degree of “network coverage” in almost all countries on every continent, including in the United States and in closely allied countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and France.

BBC News – Kenya breaks ‘Chinese-run cyber crime network’ The suspects had been living in “military-style dormitories”, and Chinese officials were shocked by the revelations, the Standard reports. The group had been preparing to “raid the country’s communication systems” and had equipment capable of infiltrating bank accounts, Kenya’s M-Pesa mobile banking system and ATM machines, according to Kenya’s privately owned Daily Nation newspaper.

State Councilor calls for upgraded overseas Chinese language education – Xinhua State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Sunday urged overseas Chinese language and culture workers to upgrade their education. Yang made the remarks when meeting with representatives of the third World Chinese Language and Culture Education Conference. Yang said overseas Chinese language and culture education should be improved to play a greater role in promoting the Chinese culture and the friendship between Chinese people and the people of other nations.

“和而不同”的文化追求-国际频道-新华网 People’s Daily’s Zhong Sheng not happy with American criticism of Confucius Institutes  //  但令人遗憾的是,西方总有一些人挖空心思,要给这和谐美好的乐曲混入刺耳的杂音。几天前在美国国会听证会上,美国众议院外交事务委员会成员克里斯托弗·史密斯要求国会调查中国孔子学院是否限制了美国大学的学术自由。一派牵强附会的说辞,实则狭隘偏见的作祟。

中国航天也卖皮草 每年1000件_第一财经客户端 The China Aerospace and Technology Corporation has a growing side business selling high-end furs… //  当杨利伟在太空挥舞着五星红旗的时候,在感慨太空服制作精良的同时,你可曾想过有一天你也可以穿上他那样高品质的衣服在人群中穿梭?12月4日,中国航天低调做了三年的皮草品牌六度正式面向市场。这一皮草服装品牌的母公司的主要任务,是负责航天系统火箭和卫星的运输工作。

中航工业董事长:歼-31上天就能把F-35干掉-凤凰新闻 AVIC chairman Lin Zuoming says the J-31 can take out the F-35

What China has to do with the mysterious death of an indigenous leader in Ecuador – Quartz Last week the leader of an Ecuadorian indigenous group, José Isidro Tendetza Antún was found by his son in an unmarked grave. The outspoken critic of a controversial Ecuadorian mining project had been due to speak at the United Nations climate talks in Lima this week. Authorities said that the circumstances of his death are still unclear, but it is certain to draw more attention to Chinese-funded resource extraction in the Andean nation.

China develops new rocket for manned moon mission: media The first launch of the Long March-9 will take place around 2028, said the China Daily, which also cited experts saying the rocket’s development is at the research stage. It will carry a load of 130 tonnes, the newspaper added, equal to what NASA is aiming for with its Space Launch System (SLS), which aims to blast off for the first time in 2018 with an initial test payload of 70 tonnes.

 

TECH AND MEDIA

‘Gone With The Bullets’ Premiere Postponed – NYTimes.com The world premiere of the 3-D gangster film “Gone With the Bullets” has been abruptly postponed because of last-minute issues with censors, according to a statement posted on the official WeChat social media account of the film’s Chinese producers. The film by Jiang Wen, an acclaimed Chinese director who also stars in the movie, was scheduled to debut Monday evening at the Olympic Sports Center in Beijing, which had reportedly built an Imax screen in just four days especially for the screening.

鲁炜访苹果公司,要求必须维护中国的国家安全和用户信息安全澎湃国际澎湃新闻-The Paper Lu Wei also visits Apple, meets with Tim Cook. Cook tells him that Apple never shares user info with third parties or builds in backdoors. Lu Wei emphasized to Cook that all new Apple products need to go through an evaluation by China’s network security body.

苹果否认“只修不换”传闻:主板损坏仍可换整机_TechWeb Does Apple have a new China PR problem brewing? The company denies claims online it only fixes, does not replace iphones // 12月8日消息,近日有传言称,苹果在售的国行iPhone将采用“只修不换”的售后服务方式。据了解,从苹果全国售后客服得到的回应是“只修不换”这一说法主要针对屏幕损坏的iPhone,而并非涉及到主板等部件。

TD-LTE leads advancement of China’s telecom technologies – Xinhua China’s homegrown fourth-generation (4G) telecommunications technology, the TD-LTE, is poised for user numbers to hit 70 million by the end of the year. “After almost a year of commercial trials, both networks and user numbers have grown considerably,” said Yang Hua, secretary-general of the Telecommunication Development Industry Alliance (TDIA).

TD式创新新世纪周刊频道财新网 Caixin cover story this week on the effective commercial failure of TD-SCDMA and by extension this kind of top-down ordered indigenous innovation  //  2000亿元永远收不回的投资,换来一张五年就停止发展的TD-SCDMA网,而所谓自主知识产权比例饱受争议。蛮力改写科技产业路线,失败作结

Dan Grover | Chinese Mobile App UI Trends This summer, I packed up all my things and moved from San Francisco to Guangzhou, China for work. Through an unlikely chain of coincidences that I don’t entirely recall, I’ve become a product manager on WeChat, a popular messaging app in China…One day, for the fun of it, I started writing a list in my notebook of all the things that are different between apps here and those I’m accustomed to using and creating back in the US. When I finished, I was surprised by how long the list was, so it seemed fitting to flesh it out into a post.

党媒批动画架空国史:说嫦娥奔月迷信,变形金刚登月却成科学舆论场澎湃新闻-The Paper 北京电视台在拍摄历史题材动画片《戚继光》之前,做了个“戚继光是谁”的调查。回答“堵枪眼的”“炸碉堡的”“收复台湾的”,不乏其人。 今天(12月9日)出版的人民日报在文化版“新语”栏目以《别让戚继光继续堵枪眼》为题刊文批评架空历史的危害。文章说,历史被架空后的危害,并不仅仅是知识的欠缺,而是不知来路之艰难险阻,便只能孤立地认识当下现象,易从一种理想化的概念出发建立认识,不易有立足实际的“理解之同情”,每每把不合水土的乌托邦,当做自己的桃花源。架空本国史的危害尤烈:没有长期的文化亲近和熏染,便没有价值认同。同样是凭空凌虚,嫦娥奔月是迷信,变形金刚登月便成了科学。 文章说,改变应该从别让戚继光堵枪眼开始。戚继光、文天祥乃至孔子、老子,拍好了,更能成为孩子们的好玩伴,还能成为孩子一生的好老师。

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Documentary on the 1994 Karamay Fire The 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival is underway right now and one of its ’10-not-to-be-missed’ films is “Karamay” by director 徐辛 (Xu Xin).  It is a film about the 1994 Karamay fire that the director readily admits won’t be screened in mainland China and had to be filmed under a shroud of secrecy. It’s the story of the 323 people who lost their lives in a tragic Karamay fire on December 8, 1994, and unfortunately it is best remembered by the line that caused all the ensuing controversy: “Everybody keep quiet. Don’t move. Let the leaders go first.”

青海省委原书记黄静波遗体告别仪式在北京举行_凤凰资讯 黄静波同志逝世后,中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平向黄静波同志表示沉痛哀悼,并向家属表示深切慰问。中共中央政治局常委李克强、张德江、俞正声、刘云山、张高丽,中共中央政治局委员李源潮、张春贤、赵乐际以及胡锦涛、李鹏、李瑞环、温家宝、宋平、吴官正、李长春、罗干、杨晶、王刚、吴桂贤等同志敬献了花圈。

三女生文革时揭发老师奸污 40年后承认诬告_凤凰资讯 3 woman who accused their teacher of rape during the Cultural Revolution admit they made it up

沈阳城管开公车打CS 回应称系临时工已被开除图片频道财新网 Shenyang Chenggaun caught using official vehicles to play real-life CS, reply that they were “temporary workers”, have been fired. slideshow

人民日报推筑梦足球重磅系列报道:13亿人为何选不出11人运动家澎湃新闻-The Paper People’s Daily asks why a country of 1.3 Billion people can’t have a decent football team //  为何13亿多人选不出11人踢球?今日(12月8日)起,人民日报将陆续推出“筑梦足球2014”系列报道。人民日报发布的预告称,记者历时3个月走访了体育界、教育界以及社会各界各方人士,就足球从青少年抓起等问题展开采访、研讨、座谈,整理出这组系列报道。今日刊发第一篇文章,题为《人才短缺,难成大事》。以下为全文:

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Chinese tests find quarter of drinking water ‘substandard’: Shanghai Daily | Reuters The China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) found excessive bacteria in purified water products from China’s biggest drinks maker, Wahaha Group, as well as C’estbon Beverage Co Ltd and Danone SA’s Robust brand, the newspaper said. In a statement posted on the official Xinhua news agency, Wahaha said it had recalled the affected products and cut its supply relationship with the water station where it said the contamination had occurred.

精神病人遭警方及家人等多方遗弃 疑饿死家中(图)|医生|诊断_凤凰资讯 The Beijing News on neglect and mistreatment of the mentally ill…such a huge issue in China

北京“名医”杜撰享受国务院津贴并谎称上央视,涉事医院被查绿政公署澎湃新闻-The Paper Psychiatrist at a Beijing Hospital caught fabricating education, awards…was a “famous doctor”, could charge up to 3000 RMB per visit  //  “抑郁症”等精神类疾病近年趋高发,一些人趁机打着精神科名医的旗号敛财。央视新闻12月7日曝光精神科名医的治疗乱象引发关注:北京永安中医院“崔海岩教授”杜撰自己是精神学科带头人、博士生导师、享受国务院特殊津贴,并移花接木伪造接受央视采访,看病时不等患者描述病情直接下结论,收取的医药费单次就高达3000元。

 

AGRICULTURE

东北粮食稳产增收遭瓶颈 黑土地一年退化一厘米新闻腾讯网 Dongbei is losing its famous black soil at the rate of 1 centimeter a year, may thwart efforts to increase grain production  //  “东北黑土地正面临日趋板结、可耕性变差的问题。东北黑土地原来有一米厚土层,现在只有40厘米至60厘米,松辽平原上一锹下去见黄土的‘破皮黄’地已经有很多。”中国工程院院士、沈阳农业大学教授陈温福说,“要知道形成一米厚的黑土层需要3亿年,而现在的退化速度是一年一厘米,如果再不注意提高耕地质量,农业可持续发展将受到严重威胁。”

 

JOBS AND EVENTS

Amcham Beijing event- Young Professional Career Development and Leadership December 10 7:30 PM Bill Zarit, former Minister Counselor for Commercial Affairs at the US Embassy and incoming governor on the AmCham China board, and Jeremy Goldkorn, Managing Director of Danwei, will speak to our young professionals on developing their careers in China.

Follow me on Twitter @Niubi