Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

1. U.S. Destroyer Challenges More Chinese South China Sea Claims in New Freedom of Navigation Operation – USNI News Unlike October’s FON op in the Spratly Islands — in which USS Lassen (DDG-82) conducted an innocent passage transit within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese artificial island on Subi Reef in deference to another feature that overlapped — there was no ambiguity to what excessive claim the U.S. challenged, Kraska said. “China has established unlawful strait baselines around all the islands — which is illegal,” he said. He added Wilbur’s passage is a “more sound assertion” of international rights of transit than the message sent after the Lassen passage past Subi Reef. Experts and lawmakers alike were confused when news of the Subi Reef innocent passage FON op broke as to what exactly the U.S. was challenging to the point where Senate Armed Services Committee chair Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked Secretary of Defense Ash Carter formally for an explanation of the operation’s intent.

Related: U.S. Challenges China’s Claim of Islands With Maritime Operation – The New York Times In a statement on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, a ministry spokeswoman, said, “The U.S. warship’s arbitrary entrance of China’s territorial water has violated the relevant Chinese law, and the Chinese side has taken relevant measures in accordance with the law including monitoring and warning. “We urge the U.S. side to respect and abide by the relevant Chinese law, and do more things that may contribute to the mutual trust between China and the U.S., as well as regional peace,” the statement added.

Related: PLA garrison ‘warns off’ US Navy destroyer sailing close to island in disputed area of South China Sea | South China Morning Post China’s defence ministry said on Saturday that a PLA garrison on an island in a disputed area of the South China Sea had taken action to warn off and repel a US Navy destroyer that had entered its territorial waters. Defence ministry spokesperson Yang Yujun said in a statement that China strongly opposed the “provocative move” by the United States.

Related: Commentary: The international-law irony of U.S. provocations in South China Sea – Xinhua citing seemingly lofty motives will not obscure the fact that the U.S. maneuvers in South China Sea threaten China’s sovereignty and security interests, endanger regional peace and stability and constitute a grave violation of the international law. As ironic as it is, Washington has always defended its arbitrary move by referring to international law, but it has so far not approved the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which establishes legal order and regulations on international waters. The calculation behind such a move is crystal clear: The United States is unwilling to be bound by an international treaty, which it claims as severely flawed, because the sole superpower has already controlled such maritime resources as oil and gas deposits through military power.

Related: 长安剑：怎么对付闯入美舰？我们可以理直气壮的合法撞击驱离舆论场澎湃新闻-The Paper 所以，对美国这次的行为，只能理解为：挑衅升级了。在南沙没捞到便宜，就想开辟西沙“第二战场”。也许是想围魏救赵、声东击西？小算盘打得挺响啊！ 事情一出，小伙伴们的愤怒可想而知。挂在搜狐首页的一篇文章《国防部对美闯西沙态度强硬 军方人士称可撞击》下面，留言无数。有人甚至用歌词中唱的“财狼来了有猎枪”来概括心情。

2. 多省党委首提“维护习近平核心”-正经君-观察者网 Several provincial leaders have started to refer to Xi as the “core”…all using the same expression, unlikely they would do this without some amount of coordination or direction from the center. Hu never got this, Jiang did but with a “third generation” descriptor…story keeps getting deleted from Chinese Internet, this is a google cached version…some jokes going around Wechat that Xi is preparing to “登基 ascend the throne”…  //  去年年初，正经君告诉过大家，中国政治生活中出现的高频词是“集中统一领导”。今年年初，“看齐意识”和“政治意识、大局意识、核心意识”一并成为新年的高频词汇。随之而来的是“习近平近平核心”的新提法，也开始在省级地方和中央部门相关党委学习传达“习近平在中央政治局‘三严三实’专题民主生活会上的重要讲话”会议上出现。 我国对最高领导人的称呼用语一向有严格规范和惯例。毛泽东、邓小平、江泽民分别是第一代至第三代领导集体的“核心”，胡锦涛以及习近平先后出任中共中央总书记后，均使用“以胡锦涛同志为总书记的党中央”及“以习近平同志为总书记的党中央”。 “坚决维护习近平总书记这个核心”这一表述会不会成为正式的提法还有待观察。

Related: 以江泽民为核心的第三代中央领导集体关于统一战线的基本观点–中国共产党新闻–中国共产党新闻网 以江泽民同志为核心的第三代中央领导集体  //  Jiang’s formulation as the “core” included “of the third generation”…Xi’s has no generational descriptor

Related: 江苏省委书记：坚决维护习近平总书记这个核心_凤凰资讯 交汇点讯 中国共产党江苏省第十二届纪律检查委员会第六次全体会议1月30日至31日在南京举行。江苏省委书记罗志军出席会议并发表讲话，要求全省各级党组织要切实增强政治意识、大局意识、核心意识、看齐意识，坚决在思想上政治上行动上与以习近平同志为总书记的党中央保持高度一致，坚决维护党中央权威，坚决维护习近平总书记这个核心，深入学习贯彻习近平总书记在中央纪委六次全会上的重要讲话精神，坚定不移推进党风廉政建设和反腐败斗争，为建设“强富美高”新江苏提供坚强政治保证。

Related: 习近平：党政军民学，东西南北中，党是领导一切的中南海澎湃新闻-The Paper “Party, Government, Military, People, Academia, East, West, North, South, The Party Leads everything”  //  一周时间，读懂三年。这是一次，不虚此行的思想之旅。读懂这三年，需读懂一党；读懂一党，需读懂一人；读懂一人，需读懂他的治国理政新思想、新理念、新战略、新境界。他就是习近平。本周一到周五，学习小组（微信号：xuexixiaozu）尝试和组员一起，读懂习近平这三年，乃至中国的这三年。此前，从周一到周四，我们分别推送了周新民谈“习近平治国理政秘笈”中的四大贡献、四大支柱、四大特征、四大核心能力。1月29日，学习小组（微信号xuexixiaozu）集合而成全文版，含4部分：四大贡献、四大支柱、四大特征、四大核心能力。因单篇微信字数限定2万字，本文有删节。完整的内容，大家往前翻看。本次推荐，到此完成。祝大家周末愉快。1月29日，习总主持政治局会议。会议强调，只有增强政治意识、大局意识、核心意识、看齐意识，自觉在思想上政治上行动上同以习近平同志为总书记的党中央保持高度一致，才能使我们党更加团结统一、坚强有力，始终成为中国特色社会主义事业的坚强领导核心。

3. 迈出大国经济铿锵步履（治国理政新实践）–时政–人民网 三年来，以习近平同志为总书记的党中央，以巨大的政治勇气、高超的驾驭能力，引领中国经济开始了一场深刻的变革：新常态下，我们不再简单追求经济增长的高速度，而是强调经济发展的质量和效益，更加关注经济发展的平衡、协调、可持续。掌舵沉稳自如，知难勇毅向前。转型发展中的中国经济正以全新的探索与实践迈向新的征程，书写新的时代答卷。// massive piece extolling economic success of Xi’s first three years getting top propaganda billing Monday 

Related: 盘点：十八大以来习近平关于重大经济问题论述摘编 –专题报道-人民网 学习路上按：进入历史新阶段，以习近平为总书记的党中央，进一步推动着整个经济领域的发展、改革和开放。党的十八大以来，习近平围绕经济问题发表了一系列重要讲话。习近平对当前中国经济发展作了系统阐述，对新常态下推动经济发展提出系统要求，为我国社会主义经济建设进一步指明了方向。“学习路上”盘点推出十八大以来习近平关于重大经济问题论述摘编，供网友学习考。 //compilation of policies and decisions since the 18 Party Congress, now getting play in some media as Xi Jinping Economic Thought

Related: 习近平经济思想：从经济新常态到供给侧结构性改革-搜狐新闻 原标题：盘点习近平经济思想：从经济新常态到供给侧结构性改革 　　学习路上按：进入历史新阶段，以习近平为总书记的党中央，进一步推动着整个经济领域的发展、改革和开放。党的十八大以来，习近平围绕经济问题发表了一系列重要讲话。习近平对当前中国经济发展作了系统阐述，对新常态下推动经济发展提出系统要求，为我国社会主义经济建设进一步指明了方向。“学习路上”盘点梳理习近平关于六个重大经济问题的论述，与网友一起领会“习近平的经济思想”。

4. Is George Soros Right that China’s Headed for a Hard Landing? | ChinaFile Coversation Arthur R. Kroeber, Stephen S. Roach, Orville Schell, Barry Naughton, Zhiwu Chen, Bill Bishop

Related: The Battle for the Yuan: How China’s Big Mama Hurt Speculators – Bloomberg Business “I can’t forget the date,” said Ryan Lam, the Hong Kong-based head of research at Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd. “January 12, 2016.” That was day two of a multi-pronged assault when the PBOC swept into Hong Kong’s money markets to hoover up yuan and shove interbank rates to record highs, forcing losses on speculators who were betting the currency would weaken. The message: take on Yang Ma as the PBOC is sometimes dubbed — loosely translated as Big Mama — at your peril.

Related: Currency War: U.S. Hedge Funds Mount New Attacks on China’s Yuan – WSJ Kyle Bass’s Hayman Capital Management has sold off the bulk of its investments in stocks, commodities and bonds so it can focus on shorting Asian currencies, including the yuan and the Hong Kong dollar. It is the biggest concentrated wager that the Dallas-based firm has made since its profitable bet years ago against the U.S. housing market. About 85% of Hayman Capital’s portfolio is now invested in trades that are expected to pay off if the yuan and Hong Kong dollar depreciate over the next three years—a bet with billions of dollars on the line, including borrowed money.

5. China charges Canadian with spying, stealing state secrets: Xinhua | Reuters A Canadian citizen detained by China since 2014 has been indicted on charges of spying and stealing state secrets, the Xinhua state news agency reported on Thursday. Kevin Garratt was detained in August 2014 near China’s sensitive border with North Korea where he operated a coffee house with his wife, who was also detained for months before being released last year.

6. Government Edges toward Promised Tax Reform-Caixin These expectations stem from interpretations of tax policy statements released in December at the Central Economic Work Conference, an annual policy-setting event attended by top central government and Communist Party officials, said Ji Dongsheng, deputy director of the Revenue Scientific Research Institute, a unit of the State Administration of Taxation. The work conference statements featured expressions never before seen in government tax policy documents. They replaced the more common wording repeated by conference reports in past years.

7. China’s latest crackdown on lawyers is unprecedented, human rights monitors say Sharon Hom, the executive director of Human Rights in China and a law professor emerita at the City University of New York, says the action has no analogues in modern Chinese history. “This mass crackdown on lawyers is the broadest in terms of location, and clearly coordinated because of the timing of the initial crackdown,” says Hom, who is based in the group’s New York City office. “It included more than 23 provinces. It was a combination of detentions, disappearances and targeting family members, together with a very clear propaganda smear campaign in the People’s Daily. This is clearly a mass attack on lawyers that’s misusing legal process, using propaganda and then bringing back the collective punishment of China’s past by targeting the families.”

Related:  China jails three activists for trying to start civil disobedience movement | World news | The Guardian Amnesty International says Tang Jingling, Yuan Xinting and Wang Qingying were jailed in Guangzhou for ‘inciting subversion of state power’

Related:  EU slams China’s on-air ‘confessions’ as unacceptable | Reuters The comments prompted a rebuke from China, which consistently rejects any criticism of its human rights record. In a statement on its website, the 28-member bloc’s delegation to China said the disappearance of several Hong Kong booksellers, including a British and a Swedish passport holder, was part of a “worrying trend”. //  talk is cheap, what is the EU going to do beyond issuing statements?

8. Chips on their shoulders | The Economist China wants to become a superpower in semiconductors, and plans to spend colossal sums to achieve this // why the US should use CFIUS to block the Micron deal, other semiconductor M&A

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE

China Factory Gauge Signals a Record Streak of Deterioration – Bloomberg The purchasing managers index dropped to a three-year low of 49.4 in January, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday. That compared with a median estimate of 49.6 in a Bloomberg survey of economists, and represents the longest stretch of readings remaining below 50 on record. Numbers below 50 indicate deterioration.

China Trade Shock for U.S. Workers Was Avoidable – Bloomberg View Is there some policy the U.S. could have used to protect more workers from Chinese competition in the 2000s, without inflicting undue harm on itself or on the impoverished masses of China? I think there might have been one: export subsidies to cancel out Chinese currency manipulation. For most of the 2000s, China kept its currency, the yuan, artificially undervalued, probably to stimulate exports. The U.S. refused to respond to this by officially branding China a currency manipulator, but in fact it was. China’s currency peg acted as a tax on U.S. exports to China and a subsidy to Chinese exports to the U.S. — according to some sources, the size of the tax reached as much as 40 percent.

China’s economic transformation: Is the glass half full?-Stephen Grenville Michael Pettis is irritated that I have criticised his pessimism on China’s growth prospects and accuses me of revising my forecasts without acknowledging any change. But the two linked posts he offers in evidence seem to be standing up pretty well. The first, posted in early 2012, forecast 7-8% growth for that year. Growth came in at 7.8%. The second post talked of a sustainable growth rate of 7%. That, too, still looks fine to me. As for Pettis’ own forecasts, his bet with The Economist that average annual growth for this decade would ‘barely break 3%’ is looking more outlandish with each passing year.

Mid-tier Chinese banks piling up trillions of dollars in shadow loans | Reuters The size of this ‘shadow loan’ book rose by a third in the first half of 2015 to an estimated $1.8 trillion, equivalent to 16.5 percent of all commercial loans in China, a UBS analysis shows. For smaller banks, the rate is much faster. This growing practice, which involves financial structures known as Directional Asset Management Plans (DAMPs) or Trust Beneficiary Rights (TBRs), comes at a time when some mid-tier lenders, under pressure from China’s slowest economic growth in 25 years, are already delaying the recognition of bad loans.

Former ABC President Punished by Party for Corruption-Caixin Zhang Yun, the former president and deputy party secretary of the country’s third-largest lender by assets, was being demoted within the party and placed under two years of probation, the CCDI said in a statement on its website. Probation is the second-most severe punishment after expulsion under the party’s constitution. Officials on probation cannot vote at meetings or be promoted.

China Bears Miss Worst Selloff Since 2008 After Cutting Short Bets – Bloomberg Business Short sellers abandoned their bearish bets against the biggest A-share ETF listed in the U.S. just as mainland stocks tumbled the most in January since the global financial crisis. Shares borrowed and sold on expectations of a decline in the exchange-traded fund fell to a one-year low of 4.2 percent of stock outstanding on Jan. 11, down from a record of 38 percent on Dec. 9, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Markit.

警方通报e租宝非法集资案：一年半非法吸收500亿新闻腾讯网 eZubao turns out to have been at least a 50B RMB fraud  //  一年半内非法吸收资金500多亿元，受害投资人遍布全国31个省市区……1月14日，备受关注的“e租宝”平台的21名涉案人员被北京检察机关批准逮捕。其中，“e租宝”平台实际控制人、钰诚集团董事会执行局主席丁宁，涉嫌集资诈骗、非法吸收公众存款、非法持有枪支罪及其他犯罪。此外，与此案相关的一批犯罪嫌疑人也被各地检察机关批准逮捕。

POLITICS AND LAW

Another Official [Li Dongsheng] Tied to Zhou Yongkang Is Handed Jail Term-Caixin Prosecutors said that nearly three-quarters of the bribes Li took came from Li Ming, the former head of Beijing New Remington Advertising Co. Ltd., who Li came to know during his time at CCTV. In 1996, Li Ming’s advertising company wanted to buy airtime from the prime time program News 30 Minutes, but CCTV turned it down. Prosecutors said Li later got to know Li Dongsheng through a college friend who worked at CCTV, and a deal for airtime was reached. For the next 19 years, Li Ming’s ad agency dominated the program’s airtime, selling ad slots to other companies and profiting from commissions, prosecutors said.//a friend used to work for Li Ming, what I heard is that the first CCTV ad deal for Li was payback for not ratting out classmates after June 4 1989 when Li Ming was arrested and went to jail. Li died in custody a couple of years ago, heart attack some say, beaten badly others say //…Prosecutors also said Li took bribes from Cao Yongzheng, a fortune teller who has also been linked to Zhou. Between 2010 and early 2011, Li mentioned several times in front of Cao that he wanted to buy a house for his daughter in Britain. Cao agreed in 2011 to have his daughter, Karmia Chan Cao, who was studying at Stanford University, to transfer US$ 370,000 to Li’s daughter.

Mochi’s 15 Most Influential Undergrads: Karmia Chan Cao, Creative Social Activist Ten seconds after chatting with Karmia Chan Cao, I became one of her many admirers. Originally from Xinjiang, China and now a senior at Stanford University majoring in English with an emphasis in creative writing, Karmia is one of the most incredibly articulate people I’ve ever spoken with—which I guess shouldn’t come as surprise, as her writing talent and success in the theater realm at Stanford has garnered her great acclaim from critics. Karmia writes, scores, directs and performs her own musicals—which include Forgetting Tiburon, a play about a man who endures the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and most recently Abraham Niu and the Friendly Fires about a Chinese-Canadian soldier in Afghanistan who dies from friendly fire.

人民日报刊文：有人认为反腐是权力斗争系因落马官员级别高打虎记澎湃新闻-The Paper 一些人之所以认为反腐败是权力斗争，一个重要原因是落马高官级别之高超乎他们的想象。一些人仍然秉持“刑不上大夫”的旧观念，认为高级别官员肯定不会因为腐败而落马，要落马肯定就是权力斗争的结果。再加上当前反腐败斗争中客观存在“发现一个、揪出一窝”的情况，更让一些人自作聪明地认为这是派系斗争的结果。

CPC leadership reviews top state organs’ work – Xinhua The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Friday reviewed the work of the top legislative, governmental and judicial organs. Attendees of the meeting, which was presided over by Xi Jinping, Chinese president and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, deliberated a report by the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on relevant issues. // ]中共中央政治局召开会议 审议《中央政治局常委会听取和研究全国人大常委会、国务院、全国政协、最高人民法院、最高人民检察院党组工作汇报和中央书记处工作报告的综合情况报告》 中共中央总书记习近平主持会议 

油画中的习近平-中新网 油画家们广泛搜集习近平各时期的历史资料和照片，研读习近平在各个场合的讲话，创作了多幅巨幅油画，全方位、立体式地展现了习近平在时间跨度长达数十年，领域涉及政治、军事、教育、文化、外交等各个层面的场景。图片来源：军报记者官方微博 // interesting oil paintings of Xi

“猎狐2015”专项行动共抓获外逃人员857名 为进一步加强境外追逃追赃工作，根据中央决定部署，公安部正式成立“境外缉捕工作局”（Department of Overseas Fugitives Affairs）。公安部有关负责人表示，将以此为契机，继续开展“猎狐2016”专项行动，强化措施，健全机制，进一步推动境外追逃追赃工作常态化、专业化和精细化，不断扩大境外缉捕战果，以“永不放弃”的工作精神，筑牢防逃控逃和反腐败斗争的“铜墙铁壁”。

Xi urges grasp of China’s strategic focuses – Xinhua Xi made the remarks during the 30th group study by the Political Bureau members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Friday. ..The country will follow the “Four Comprehensives” strategy — comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society; comprehensively deepening reform; comprehensively advancing the rule of law; and comprehensively strictly governing the CPC. “The ‘Four Comprehensives’ is the Party and the nation’s overarching strategy for long-term development,” Xi said, calling for better coordination among the four aspects.  //  when will the 4 comps be enshrined as Xi’s ideological contribution

“三个进一步解放”如何促进改革-新华网 cartoon explaining the four comprehensives…

China’s Great Media Wall: The Fight for Freedom: IFJ  The outlook for 2016 is even worse, as the Communist Party prepares to pass more oppressive laws in the mainland. As Hong Kong goes to elections next year the party is also using its considerable wealth to consolidate its influence over the region.

NW China province probes arrests of reporters – Xinhua The provincial procuratorate told Xinhua they had sent an investigation team to Wuwei City, where the reporters were arrested, and would make the results known to the public.

Leading China pastor probed for suspicion of embezzling funds – church authorities One of China’s leading Christian pastors Gu Yuese is being probed for suspicion of embezzling funds, state-backed church authorities in Zhejiang province said, a move that comes after the pastor opposed a campaign to remove crosses from atop churches. “We feel deeply shocked and filled with regret,” the government-backed Hangzhou Christian Council said in a statement on its website regarding Gu’s investigation, adding that the investigation was due to his individual conduct. The Council gave no further details of the charges or evidence against Gu in its post late on Friday night.

呼格案追责结果：27人被处分 专案组长另案处理新闻腾讯网 另外，时任呼和浩特市公安局新城区公安分局副局长冯志明因涉嫌职务犯罪，依法另案处理。

捍卫英雄就是捍卫我们的价值观-来源：《求是》2016/03　　作者：张明仓 洪超印 我们崇尚的英雄既可以是个人，也可以是群体，既可以有名，也可以无名。在中国革命史上，有姓名的英雄不到200万，绝大多数都是无名英雄。由此看来，崇尚英雄与个人崇拜不仅不同，而且根本对立，只有剔除个人崇拜，才能更好维护英雄形象，真正捍卫英雄。

中纪委：派驻中央一级机关纪检组负责人就位-中国法院网 近日，经党中央同意，中共中央办公厅印发了《关于全面落实中央纪委向中央一级党和国家机关派驻纪检机构的方案》的通知。中央纪委共设置47家派驻机构，实现对139家中央一级党和国家机关派驻纪检机构全覆盖。全面派驻纪检机构怎么派？如何驻？中央纪委副书记杨晓渡接受中央纪委监察部网站专访。

治国理政新实践时政频道新华网 bit of a propaganda push around “The Three Years” detailing Xi’s accomplishments

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

Clinton e-mail: U.S. asked Japan to talk with China before buying Senkakus – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun The e-mail, dated Sept. 3, 2012, was written by Kurt Campbell, then U.S. assistant secretary of state, and sent to several high-ranking U.S. government officials. One of the officials forwarded the message to Clinton. The e-mail suggests that the United States was concerned that the purchase of the islands, located in the East China Sea, would worsen relations between Japan and China, which also claims them. It also described a high-ranking Japanese Foreign Ministry official as telling Campbell that China would likely eventually accept Japanese state ownership of the islands.

The 10 Young Chinese Foreign Policy Scholars You Should Know | The Diplomat by Chen Dingding

Not Top Gun yet: China struggles with warplane engine technology | Reuters Some sources said China had hired several foreign engineers and former air force personnel to work on engine development, although this could not be independently confirmed. The Chinese Defence Ministry declined to comment. “In 20 to 30 years time, given the amount of work they have done and the effort they are putting into it, they should have a viable military engine,” said Greg Waldron, Asia Managing Editor at Flightglobal, an industry publication.

Bombing in Central Laos Kills 2 From China – The New York Times Radio Free Asia, which is financed by the United States government, reported on Thursday that the attack had taken place at a road construction site and that work on the project stopped afterward. The blast was the third in the area in a month, the report said, and soldiers defused a roadside bomb in the area on Dec. 30. One witness reported driving past the bomb site shortly after the attack and seeing about 10 soldiers inspecting a damaged truck with the dead and wounded Chinese inside, Radio Free Asia said. The report also quoted an official with the road construction company saying it was removing its equipment from the construction zone.

Now Hear This – Greater Cooperation Is Needed Between China and the United States | U.S. Naval Institute The military is merely another tool for diplomacy, and the more peaceful overall relations are, the less likely war is. This is not to say the United States should not prepare and train for conflict with the Chinese; that would be strategically negligent. But to refuse to cooperate and attempt to work together is equally so. Lieutenant Billings is a surface warfare officer and an Olmsted Scholar. He is currently studying Chinese politics and diplomacy at Fudan University in Shanghai, China

Ex-security head in China takes on new political job | South China Morning Post Major General Liu Xunyan paid a visit to a police school in Beijing, marking his first public appearance after taking on the new position in the politics and law commission formed as part of the recent PLA military overhaul, according to the website of the People’s Public Security University.

为互联网的国际治理贡献中国方案-来源：《红旗文稿》2016/02　　作者：支振锋 2015年12月16日，中国国家主席习近平在乌镇出席第二届世界互联网大会开幕式所发表的主旨演讲中，强调互联网是人类的共同家园，各国应共同构建网络空间命运共同体，推动网络空间互联互通、共享共治，为开创人类发展更加美好的未来助力。这个演讲，既是我国关于互联网日新月异发展美好愿景的一脉相承，也是对我国当前应如何认识国际互联网领域问题和挑战的最新阐释；不仅提出了推动国际互联网治理体系变革的框架目标，还以四项原则与五点主张共同构成国际互联网治理体系构建的有力支撑。在互联网使人类生产生活发生巨大而深刻变化并滋生重重问题、带来严峻挑战的今天，习近平主席提出了互联网全球治理的中国方案，贡献了国际互联网治理新体系的中国思想与中国智慧。- 　　（作者：中国社会科学院法学研究所副研究员、《环球法律评论》杂志副主编）

强化“三种意识” 在举旗亮剑中打好主动仗-来源：《红旗文稿》2016/02　　作者：朱继东 习近平总书记在视察解放军报社时强调，新形势下办好解放军报，必须坚持军报姓党。要强化政治意识、政权意识、阵地意识，勇于举旗帜、打头阵、当先锋，当好意识形态领域斗争的生力军。军报要为巩固和壮大主流思想舆论竭尽全力，要利用互联网的特点和优势推进理念、内容、手段、体制机制等全方位创新。认真学习贯彻好习近平总书记重要讲话精神，宣传思想战线的同志应切实担负好应担负的重任，在勇举旗帜、敢于亮剑中体现出应有的责任感、使命感和战斗力。- [本文为中国博士后科学基金特别资助项目“习近平意识形态思想及其理论创新”[项目编号：2015T80105]

The End of China’s Long View — The Bridge With an aging populace, a slowing economy, and a rising middle class desirous of individual freedoms, China no longer has the luxury of pursuing gradual global hegemony. The realization that continuous unfettered growth is ending helps explain the sense of urgency China is exhibiting through the rapid military growth and global economic outreach of the past few years.  China no longer finds comfort in an infinite event horizon; rather they are coming to a recognition that decline is imminent. China’s power is still rising, but the slope of that line is rapidly flattening, and China knows that if it doesn’t reach its objectives soon the opportunity may be lost. This suggests China is likely to become more aggressive in achieving their objectives in the coming decade. The best answer the West has to prevent Chinese ambitions in the near term is to ensure a level of deterrence strong enough to demonstrate that the additional costs to China just isn’t worth it. Captain Robert N. Hein is a career Surface Warfare Officer, and member of the Military Writers Guild. He previously commanded the USS Gettysburg (CG-64) and the USS Nitze (DDG-94).

社评：朝鲜“两弹”只会让自己的危险更迫近评论环球网 朝鲜切不可高估自己驾驭危险的能力，以为无论自己搞多大动作都能有惊无险的逻辑牢不可破。平壤或许认为自己的核弹和远程导弹越接近实战能力，就越能在抵消它们所带来的风险方面占据优势，从而最终形成平壤压倒性的战略主动，让美韩日最后接受现实，为结束这场战略博弈“打出白旗”。 朝鲜的总实力有限，它的战略主动权只能是相对的，小心翼翼的，而不可能成为绝对的。它越接近自己认为的“胜利”就越可能接近真正的危险。美国有力量断然改变游戏规则，如果朝鲜的行动让华盛顿确信“维持现状”对它意味着不可承受的危险时，它为改变局面而采取激烈冒险行动就是很难阻止的。

A comprehensive timeline of China’s ‘hurt feelings’ | Hong Kong Free Press s a nation of 1.3 billion really so sensitive? Why must it resort to such petulance?

经常主动坚决向党中央和中央军委看齐 习主席在接见调整组建后的军委机关各部门负责同志时强调，“要强化看齐意识，经常、主动、坚决向党中央和中央军委看齐。”这是习主席在不到一个月时间内第三次强调要增强看齐意识。习主席的这一重要指示，是对全军各级党组织、各级领导干部提出的政治要求，为全军践行“三严三实”要求，打造“四铁”机关和部队，指明了正确方向和方法路径。

建强主体力量立起政治工作威信 “为威不强还自亡，立法不明还自伤”。我军政治工作威信一度受到伤害，问题不在政治工作本身，而在抓政治工作的人上。当前，紧要的是扭住政治机关和政治干部这一主体力量，在整风整改中提振信心、提升形象、提高能力、提纯作风，切实为“生命线”重焕威力提供坚强的组织保证和力量支撑。

How China’s New Russian Air Defense System Could Change Asia The strategic influence of the S-400 becomes even clearer when the system is viewed through the lens of potential military crises or contingencies along China’s periphery. Although open-source information about the deployment of this system in China remains unclear, there are several plausible candidate locations. U.S. and allied leaders should not be surprised if China deploys the S-400 to support operations against Taiwan, near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, along the North Korean border for peninsula contingency operations, and in the South China Sea to support operations to defend sovereignty claims.

TECH AND MEDIA

Famous Chinese blogger Han Han’s startup just raised $9m – Tech in Asia The investment comes from VC firm China Growth Capital (which, coincidentally, is also an investor in this cool Chinese smart bike startup). ONE plans to use the money to become a broader media platform, with the biggest changes being adding support for audio and video content. Among other new features, readers will soon be able to listen to ONE’s stories, audiobook-style. The company is also putting increasing emphasis on the development of IP, and it hopes to sign a hundred new authors become a content channel for book and television publishers over the next couple of years.

As Xiaomi struggles, a smaller Chinese rival is booming – Tech in Asia But not every young Chinese brand had such a bad time in 2015. One that you might have forgotten – or never even heard of – had a stellar year. Oppo. It sold 50 million phones last year, the company states, which is a lot more than the approximate 30 million it got rid of the year prior.

‘I Don’t Want to Think About Activating Change’: NYT’s David Barboza on Reporting in China | Asia Society You said in a previous interview that your job as a journalist is not to be an activist, politician, or prosecutor, and that “if you do not admit you have biases, it is pretty hard to move ahead.” Do you think there are many journalists covering China that fall short of this? I think there are reporters everywhere that fall short of this, including myself. When I say you shouldn’t have any biases, I’m including myself in that I do have biases. I mean, I think there’s a lot of great reporting everywhere, and especially in China there are a lot of brave reporters, including my colleagues, who do amazing work. But I do think the reporters in China and elsewhere should think a lot more about this issue — not in terms of the Chinese government claiming we’re biased, because even the U.S. government says this. But I think it’s something we should keep constantly in mind as a reporter — to think about your biases, think about your coverage, think about your balance, about being a fair and balanced journalist.

‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ China Opening Leaves Bamboo on the Table – Forbes relative to expectations that had been building since 2011—when predecessor Kung Fu Panda 2 grossed a then-stunning $92.5 million in China—the new picture’s opening day felt underwhelming to some analysts. In a market that has quadrupled in size during those four years, anything less than a $250 million final gross for Kung Fu Panda 3 will be deemed a disappointment. And given that the current pre-holiday week is expected to be one of the year’s slowest for movies, with heavy competition slated to arrive in a week’s time, the new panda pic will need a huge performance boost if it’s to reach anywhere near that quarter-billion dollar total. The widely followed Chinese box office commentator “Firedeep” called the picture’s opening day “a tragedy,” seriously questioning Dreamworks’ choice of a release date just prior to the Chinese New Year holiday.

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Lunar new year migration gets underway in China | Reuters The annual mass migration this year started on Jan. 24 and will last till March 3, with passenger volumes expected to reach more than 2.91 billion, according to China’s National Development and Reform Commission.

Chinese miners rescued after 36 days trapped in collapsed mine – video | World news | The Guardian Rescuers lift the last of the four miners who had been trapped underground for 36 days in a collapsed gypsum mine in east China’s Shandong province on Friday. A total of 29 people were working underground when the mine collapsed on Christmas Day, killing one and leaving 17 missing Source: Reuters Friday 29 January 2016 12.49 EST Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Google+ Shares 4 Save for later

Honing Skills in U.S., a Group of Teenagers Is Fueling China’s Hockey Shift – The New York Times Song, who turns 19 on Sunday, is a major force in driving hockey interest in China. In June, he became the first Chinese-born player drafted by an N.H.L. team when the Islanders selected him in the sixth round. “When Misha Song got drafted, it just blew up,” said Wei Zhong, 17, a senior at Hinsdale Central High School in Illinois, who plays for the Chicago Mission, a top youth club. “He inspired all these kids to start playing, and some of my friends who were with hockey before to dust off their skates and start playing again.” // mostly rich kids who could afford lessons and skating at places like China World then overseas high school? Does the drafted kid really have a shot in the NHL, or more of a marketing ploy for the NHL and the Islanders?

Before Europe’s Intrusion | The Nation  A 17th-century map reinforces what few other than historians of China have known: It was an open and diverse world with a long tradition of maritime commerce.

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Alibaba Gets Bitter Pill as Gov’t Said to Scrap E-Drug System-Caixin China’s drug safety body will stop cooperating with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. on a system intended to ensure medicines are authentic from production to patient, a person with knowledge of the matter says.

2016年国家中医药局新闻媒体座谈会召开，王国强指出，尊重传播规律，讲好中医故事 座谈会上，北京厚朴中医学堂堂主徐文兵希望为中医记者量身定做中医培训的发言引起了在场媒体的热烈反响。王国强对此表示支持，并提出“只有媒体自身接受中医药、热爱中医药，才能将中医药理念内化于心、外化于行，为中医药振臂一呼”。

Grim news for bears, tigers under proposed new wildlife law in China – The Washington Post A draft amendment to China’s wildlife protection law has infuriated conservationists by confirming that it is legal to breed endangered species in captivity for commercial use and for performances — and even for body parts to be used in traditional medicine, health-care products and food.

FOOD AND TRAVEL

China makes new rules on blacklisting misbehaved air passengers – Xinhua Passengers who threaten or assault airport staff and cabin crew will be blacklisted, according to an industry regulation to take effect on Monday. The regulation issued by the China Air Transport Association lists ten forms of misconduct such as blocking and attacking check-in counters, security check passages and boarding gates.

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