Today’s Links:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
1. Xi calls for effective self-discipline campaign, Marxist values – Xinhua Do cadres even remember the years that were fat under Hu? They must be exhausted from all the studying that is part of what is effectively a cadre cultural revolution // President Xi Jinping has called for Communist Party of China (CPC) organizations at all levels to work to ensure the effectiveness of a year-long campaign to instill rules and good values in Party members. Xi made the remarks in an instruction on the newly launched education campaign, which focuses on the study of the Party Constitution and rules, as well as the speeches made by Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. In the instruction read at a meeting held on Wednesday, Xi noted that the campaign is “a major ideological and political task” that is crucial for the “Four Comprehensives” strategy, especially in pushing strict Party management at the grassroots level. // [视频]习近平对开展“两学一做”学习教育作出重要指示强调 突出问题导向确保取得实际成效 把全面从严治党落实到每一个支部 Wednesday CCTV Evening News report…far more interesting if you ask me than the Panama Papers…
Related: 习近平：把全面从严治党落实到每一个支部–时政–人民网 突出问题导向确保取得实际成效 把全面从严治党落实到每一个支部 “两学一做”学习教育工作座谈会在京召开 刘云山出席并讲话
Related: 新华社评论员：确保“两学一做”学习教育取得实效-新华网 “两学一做”，基础在学，关键在做。不断增强政治意识、大局意识、核心意识、看齐意识，坚持以学促做、知行合一，把学习教育同做好改革发展稳定工作结合起来、同做好本职工作结合起来，我们就能凝聚起８７００多万党员团结奋斗的磅礴之力，在决胜全面小康的历史进军中不断取得新胜利。
2. Man who ran world’s largest army charged with taking US$12.3 million worth of bribes: source | South China Morning Post China’s former top general who used to run the world’s largest army has been charged with taking bribes totalling 80 million yuan (HK$96 million), a source close to senior military officials told the South China Morning Post. Guo Boxiong, the retired military chief of the People’s Liberation Army, had been under investigation for corruption since last year and was expelled from the Communist Party in July. // no doubt a fraction of the real total…
Related: 走上被告席的郭伯雄 新华社北京4月5日消息，根据最高人民检察院授权，中国人民解放军军事检察院依法对中央军委原副主席郭伯雄涉嫌受贿犯罪案立案侦查。日前，对该案侦查终结，移送审查起诉。 军事检察院依法查明，郭伯雄利用职务便利，为他人职务晋升或调整提供帮助，直接和通过家人收受贿赂，数额特别巨大。郭伯雄对涉嫌受贿犯罪事实供认不讳。 中国军网刊文《整肃纲纪固我长城》，文章表示，日前，军事检察机关对军委原副主席郭伯雄涉嫌受贿犯罪案侦查终结，移送审查起诉。郭伯雄集政治蜕变、思想堕落、经济贪婪、擅权妄为、失职渎职于一身，同此前被查处的徐才厚一样，违纲乱纪、身败名裂，完全是咎由自取、罪有应得
3. China in the Panama Papers | ChinaFile A ChinaFile Conversation by Andrew J. Nathan, Bill Bishop, David Wertime April 6, 2016…part of my comments: The China revelations in this leak so far do not seem to contain any huge bombshells, but Beijing’s blanket censorship of the Panama Papers crudely highlights the sensitivity and perceived dangers of the current and likely future disclosures. As usual, control is paramount for the Party and the C.C.P. is determined to wage its corruption crackdown on its terms rather than allow the Party’s agenda and target list to be determined by foreign media or activists outside the Party system. So of course there is censorship, but in the background I will wager that Wang Qishan and the CCDI are trying to pore over any of the documents they can obtain to add to dossiers on senior officials and their families to find any useful information.
Related: Leaked Files Offer Many Clues To Offshore Dealings by Top Chinese · ICIJ Another princeling who slipped though Mossack Fonseca’s vetting process without much attention was Jasmine Li, the granddaughter of a former Standing Committee member. Li was a Stanford student when she entered the offshore world…Had Mossack Fonseca employees checked more closely, they might have discovered a financial relationship between her and another of their customers, Zhang Yuping, the chairman and founder of Hengdeli, a Chinese luxury watch distributor. Zhang was the sole shareholder of a British Virgin Islands company called Harvest Sun Trading Limited. Public records show that Harvest Sun was used to buy shares in a publicly listed company in Hong Kong called China Strategic Holdings in April 2010. A few months later, in August, Harvest Sun sold some of the shares, and it then offloaded its remaining stake in September, according to filings with the Hong Kong Exchange. In December 2010, the law firm’s records show, Zhang transferred ownership of the now empty shell company to Jasmine Li, who was a freshman at Stanford University at the time, according to her LinkedIn page.
Related: Relatives of China’s Top Leaders Are Identified in Panama Papers – The New York Times Liu Lefei leads one of China’s leading private equity firms and is a vice chairman of Citic Securities, the brokerage arm of the country’s biggest financial conglomerate. Ms. Jia was a banker at Merrill Lynch until 2014, according to online records from the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong. A woman who answered a Chinese cellphone number listed for Ms. Jia on the alumni website of Yale University, where she obtained an M.B.A., hung up after the caller identified himself as a New York Times reporter. // Is Liu Lefei a US citizen? A juicy rumor going around is that he is a focus of the CITIC Securities investigation and is now prevented from leaving China, though as with most of these rumors there is no way to confirm. But do not be surprised if Xi has a very thick dossier on Liu Yunshan and his family, full of enough evidence to keep him in line if not actually remove him…
Related: Powerful force is behind Panama Papers – Global Times The Western media has taken control of the interpretation each time there has been such a document dump, and Washington has demonstrated particular influence in it. Information that is negative to the US can always be minimized, while exposure of non-Western leaders, such as Putin, can get extra spin. In the Internet era, disinformation poses no major risks to Western influential elites or the West. In the long-run, it will become a new means for the ideology-allied Western nations to strike a blow to non-Western political elites and key organizations.
4. No, Xi Jinping has not built a cult of personality. Jude Blanchette, blog’s author, is writing a book on Mao in China today// Perhaps the most unhelpful heuristic floating around right now is that Xi is reconstituting Mao’s cult of personality. indeed, this seems to have become the mainstream consensus. The Economist recently published a striking cover of Xi-as-Mao with the headline “Beware the cult of Xi.” In early March, the indispensable ChinaFile ran a conversation under the headline “Xi Jinping: A Cult of Personality?” The Nikkei Asian Review ran a piece entitled “Xi’s burgeoning personality cult stirs controversy,” while the venerable HK-based China watcher Willy Lam spotted the emergence of Xi’s cult more than one year ago. In fact, the latest cover story by The Economist shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as they ran a piece in September 2014 that argued “A cult of personality is growing around China’s president.” I respect these publications, but I think they’re wrong: we’re not seeing the return to a cult of personality, but rather the outcome of a authoritarian-communist system trying to get media savvy, which has the effect of looking like an incipient cult without actually being one. We’re also seeing foreign observers grasp for historical analogies to make sense of a rapidly changing political situation, but instead of finding the best analogies, we’re all too often reverting to the easy ones.
Related: Badges of Chairman Mao Zedong (毛主席像章), The Cult of Mao and The “Cult” of Xi Jinping | The Sinocism China Newsletter I wrote this for my Johns Hopkins SAIS Masters Thesis in May 1995. My advisor was Alice Miller. I decided to repost the paper given the current surge in media discussion about a growing “cult of Xi Jinping”. There are cults and there are “cults”, and so far what is going on with Xi Jinping looks absolutely nothing like what happened under Mao Zedong. Perhaps that will change and I am missing obvious signals, but so far I just do not see it. // still sticking with this general view, with the added possibility as some of the more conspiratorially minded suggest that some of the apparent “cult-building” may actually sophisticated smearing 高级黑 of Xi by political enemies.
5. Digital Paper in China Covers Contentious Issues, Now in English – The New York Times Shanghai United Media Group is overseen by the city’s Communist Party Committee, and it owns a clutch of other Chinese media outlets. The group is initially investing 30 million renminbi in Sixth Tone, which plans to make money from advertising, Mr. Wei said. // still a propaganda organ no matter how much lipstick is applied, even by foreign PR professionals…that does not mean it won’t have interesting stories (I link to some further down in this issue), just important to remember what its place is in the Party propaganda efforts to create more sophisticated digital media products, including ones that can “better tell China’s story” to the world.
Related: About Us | Sixthtone English-language sibling of Thepaper.cn launches // There are five tones in Mandarin Chinese. When it comes to coverage of China, Sixth Tone believes there is room for other voices that go beyond buzzwords and headlines to tell the uncommon stories of common people. Through fresh takes on trending topics, in-depth features, and illuminating contributions, Sixth Tone covers issues from the perspectives of those most intimately involved to highlight the nuances and complexities of today’s China. We are a team of writers, editors, and researchers from within China and abroad. We share our Shanghai-based offices with our sister publication, The Paper. On good days we have a nice view.
6. Heads of Big Four Banks Saw Pay Slashed in Half Last Year-Caixin op executives at China’s Big Four banks took a pay cut of about half last year – losing between 500,000 yuan and 600,000 yuan – as part of government efforts to rein in the salaries for top figures at state-owned companies. Jiang Jianqing, president of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), had his pay cut by 52 percent to 546,800 yuan last year, according to a financial report for last year that the bank released on March 31. Jiang, who has led the country’s largest bank by assets since 2005, had already seen his pay fall from nearly 2 million yuan in 2013 to 1.14 million yuan the next year. // Bernie Sanders would be proud
7. Say No To The Dress – BuzzFeed News Using images stolen from across the web, sketchy retailers are selling ultra-discounted clothes to women on Facebook. A BuzzFeed News investigation shows many are linked to one of China’s richest men. // nice reporting from Buzzfeed
8. The China Syllabi Project – American Mandarin Society These self-study syllabi contain targeted readings in English and Chinese and have been prepared by experts in their fields. Each should be able to be completed in one month, with a hour or so of reading per day, five days a week. We have made efforts to ensure that most readings are available online; where the authors have suggested books, it means that they think these are worth buying and owning. Below each syllabus you will also find a vocabulary list to help with specialized terms from the readings with which you may not yet be familiar. // I contributed to the politics syllabus
BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE
This Time, Let’s Get Debt-Equity Swaps Right-Caixin-Hu Shuli Editorial The value of swapping debt for equity has again become a hot discussion topic among government officials looking for a way to resolve the nation’s corporate debt problem. And investors like what they’re hearing. The stock market rallied after the State Council told government departments to work out guidelines for a new swaps program – some 12 years after the successful conclusion of a similar project. But many experts are raising red flags. Despite positive investor reactions to the latest government move, China’s next swaps program will not work unless it is based on market principles. These principles would, for example, prohibit government intervention in many matters that concern only lenders and borrowers
Banks Bracing for Debt-Equity Swaps Revival-Caixin A yet-to-be-finalized swaps program outlined March 25 by top officials in Beijing could mirror a successful 1999-2004 project through which banks took stakes in 580 companies in exchange for canceling 405 billion yuan worth of overdue loans. Premier Li Keqiang recently told the National People’s Congress that a new round of swaps could cut company leverage ratios and mitigate financial system risks. He reiterated the government’s interest in debt-for-equity swaps March 24 at the annual Boao Forum for Asia conference of government and business leaders in Hainan. But a lot has changed since 2004.
土地出让金降逾两成 地方财源受挫 _ 经济参考网 _ 新华社《经济参考报》官方网站 Xinhua’s Economic Information on the pain that the sharp decline in land sales is causing local government finances
Graphics: Revenue Reverse-Caixin Governments across the country saw their revenue from selling land-use rights drop by more than 20 percent year-on-year in 2015 as the property market cooled amid and the economic slowed, the Ministry of Finance said on April 5. Only four of China’s provinces, regions and major cities saw sales grow, with Shenzhen enjoying the biggest increase. Several cities were hit hard, with revenue plunging more than half. As a result of the falloff, the government’s spending on land-related matters, such as on compensation for requisitions, also declined, the ministry said.
China orders checks of enterprise bonds to assess default risks – Reuters China’s top planning agency has ordered issuers of so-called enterprise bonds and their underwriters to assess the risks of default and report back to the government in a nationwide campaign to limit systemic financial risk. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) ordered issuers to take stock of their ability to repay principal and interest and submit reports by April 15 every year, starting this month, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the notice and a copy seen by Reuters.
信托风险监管“58号文”落地 配资杠杆不超2:1_金融_一财网 3月31日，《第一财经日报》记者获悉，3月18日，银监会已向各银监局下发《进一步加强信托公司风险监管工作的意见》(银监办发【2016】58号，下称“58号文”)，这是继去年《关于信托公司风险监管的指导意见》（下称“99号文”）之后又一重磅监管政策落地。 一位信托公司业务人士对《第一财经日报》记者分析称，从监管思路上看，“58号文”是对“99号文”的延续，符合了监管层自2013年以来提出的监管思路，“99号文”是对“八项机制”的政策落实，而其中大部分政策已经落实，此次出台的“58号文”是进一步对信托公司风险监管的补充和强化。
Winter has come: the state of steel in China | Andrew Batson’s Blog It’s hard to understand the Chinese economy without understanding what’s going on in the steel sector. I found the following short interview with Cai Rang, chairman of the China Iron & Steel Research Institute Group, to be one of the better recent summaries of the situation I’ve come across in domestic sources, and also useful as an indicator of what some insiders are thinking. Here’s my translation:
Coal: A Story of China | Sixth Tonedespite the human tragedies, the environmental cost, the unpaid wages, the strikes and protests, the individuals and families who have built their lives around the mines are reluctant to give up hope on the prospect of a return to the heady days of coal’s golden age. Between puffs of his cigarette and tortured coughs, Yin Fuqiang speaks of his hopes for coal’s future. “Whether coal will ever see spring again, that is a question only the state can answer.” A Chinese version of this article first appeared on the Oriental Morning Post, a sister publication of Sixth Tone.
Ivanka Trump’s Chinese-Made Scarves Are Recalled – First Draft. Political News, Now. – The New York Times The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on Wednesday that 20,000 Ivanka Trump-branded scarves are being recalled for violating the U.S. Federal Flammability Standard. The scarves, which are manufactured in China and made entirely of rayon, are considered a safety risk.
陈雨露：加强党校学习和党性锻炼 努力保持党员先进性纯洁性金融要闻中国金融新闻网 4月6日，中共中国人民银行委员会党校2016年春季处级干部进修班开学典礼在北京举行。中国人民银行党委委员、副行长陈雨露出席开学典礼并讲话，人民银行党校校务委员会成员单位有关负责同志参加。 陈雨露表示，本期进修班是在人民银行贯彻落实全国党校工作会议精神，进一步加强党员领导干部教育培训，推进党校事业新发展的形势下举办的 // politics in command, even at the PBoC?
POLITICS AND LAW
[视频]中央宣传部 中央组织部联合发出通知要求认真组织学习《习近平总书记系列重要讲话读本（2016年版）》CCTV节目官网-CCTV-1央视网(cctv.com) 《通知》指出，党的十八大以来，习近平总书记把握时代大趋势，回答实践新要求，顺应人民新期待，围绕治国理政新的实践发表系列重要讲话，深刻回答了新形势下党和国家事业发展的一系列重大理论和现实问题，提出了富有创见的一系列新理念新思想新战略，进一步丰富和发展了党的科学理论。讲话涉及改革发展稳定、内政外交国防、治党治国治军各个方面，涵盖经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设、生态文明建设和党的建设各个领域，是中国特色社会主义理论体系最新成果，是马克思主义中国化最新成果，是指导具有许多新的历史特点的伟大斗争的鲜活的马克思主义，为我们在新的历史起点上实现“两个一百年”奋斗目标、实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦提供了基本遵循和强大思想武器。
增强忧患意识 紧抓发展机遇-政治频道-求是网 党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为总书记的党中央准确判断国际环境和我国所处的发展阶段，提出了包括“我国发展仍然处于大有作为的重要战略机遇期”等在内的一系列与“机遇”问题有关的重大论断，并就如何抢抓机遇、推动发展提出了一系列举措，为我国发展指明了方向。下面就让“学习笔记”带您一起去梳理一下。
学习 | 习总书记在重庆说了什么？你需明白一个目标、两点定位、四个扎实 Sun Zhengcai in the latest Seeking Truth on Xi’s visit to Chongqing earlier this year
Chinese Journalist Gao Yu In Hospital After Demolition Raid on Home-RFA Veteran journalist Gao Yu was hospitalized on Tuesday when the 71-year-old fell ill after her garden and home office were demolished by Chinese authorities last week, sources told RFA’s Chinese Service. Police and urban management officials, known as “chengguan,” raided her Beijing home on March 31, tearing down what they claim was an illegal garden and structure while they roughed up Gao’s son Zhao Meng .
Mayor of major eastern Chinese city placed under investigation for graft month after being named in Hong Kong lawsuit | South China Morning Post Yang Luyu, the head of Jinan in Shandong province, was suspected of graft, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday, citing the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. He is also the city’s Communist Party deputy secretary. Yang was named in writ filed with a Hong Kong court last mont
研究解读-把握时代特征和规律 提高新时期调查研究水平——践行习近平调查研究观的媒体视角 文/李成 来源/《中国记者》
第二届中国舆论学论坛在京召开–舆情频道–人民网 人民网讯 (朱明刚 张力)3月26日上午，由中国新闻史学会舆论学研究委员会主办、人民网舆情监测室承办的第二届中国舆论学论坛在人民日报社召开。人民网总编辑余清楚，中国人民大学新闻学院教授、中国新闻史学会副会长王润泽，上海交通大学特聘教授、舆论学研究委员会会长谢耘耕出席论坛并分别致辞。论坛开幕式由人民网副总编辑、舆情监测室副主任、人民在线总经理董盟君主持。 // on the 2nd Forum for Chinese Public Opinion held in Beijing
人民观点：求关注别丢理性定力–评论-人民网 几十年前，国外一家电视台打出标语：让电视埋葬广播。如今，电视也成传统媒体，广播依旧生机盎然，这说明，比媒介形态更重要的，乃是传媒恒久的价值。处身传统媒体与新兴媒体融合发展的大势，任何类型的媒体都不应抛弃理性与良知，向点击或流量屈膝。捍卫事实真相、守望理想信仰、不忘责任担当，新闻媒体必将赓续优秀的媒介文化，不断培厚人类文明的河床。
做好党的新闻舆论工作的根本遵循（学习贯彻习近平同志在党的新闻舆论工作座谈会上重要讲话精神）–观点–人民网 党的新闻舆论工作是党的一项重要工作。在党的新闻舆论工作座谈会上，习近平同志从党的工作全局的高度，深刻阐述了党的新闻舆论工作的重要地位和作用，强调必须坚持正确政治方向，切实加强和改善党对新闻舆论工作的领导。这一重要讲话深刻回答了党的新闻舆论工作中一系列重大理论和实践问题，丰富和发展了党的新闻舆论工作理论，是一篇马克思主义的纲领性文献，为我们做好新形势下党的新闻舆论工作指明了方向、提供了思想武器和根本遵循。
强化网络舆论治理 打造清朗网络空间（学习贯彻习近平同志在党的新闻舆论工作座谈会上重要讲话精神）_网易新闻 开展集中检查和整治。这是优化网络舆论生态、净化网络空间的重要途径，也是强化网络舆论管理的主要抓手，必须抓住要害、实处发力、标本兼治。黑龙江省组织实施的“护苗2015·网上行动”，严厉打击变换域名、跳转IP地址、异地备案等违规违法行为，取得了良好效果。
辽宁省委常委、政法委书记苏宏章被查(图/简历)_凤凰资讯 Su Hongzhang, head of Liaoning Politics and Law committee, under investigation
Dui Hua Human Rights Journal: China State Security Trials Fell 50 Percent in 2015, Official Data Suggest Dui Hua estimates that Chinese courts concluded more than 600 ESS trials of the first instance in 2015, compared with about 1,300 ESS trials in 2014. Delivered to the National People’s Congress by SPC President Zhou Qiang on March 13, 2016, the annual work report includes ESS and endangering national defense (END) crimes in a category of “Other” trials. The category comprised 0.06 percent of first-instance criminal trials in 2015, compared with 0.13 percent in 2014. Based on an accounting of all of the crime categories in China’s Criminal Law and historical data on END trials, Dui Hua believes that the “Other” category is primarily populated by ESS cases—according to China Law Yearbook, only 243 END trials were concluded in 2014
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
US military cyber head questions Beijing’s spying activities In September 2015, President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping announced an accord under which neither the United States nor the Chinese government would conduct cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property. But Admiral Michael Rogers, who heads the US military’s Cyber Command, told lawmakers it was unclear if the Chinese government was holding up its end of the deal. “We continue to see them engaged in activity directed against US companies. The question I think we still need to ask is, is that activity then in turn shared with the Chinese private industry?” Rogers told the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington.
Rear Admiral’s Rally Cry to Youth Gets Lost in Laughter | Sixthtone In China, too, reality TV and the Internet can breathe new life into flagging careers. A once-lampooned military man who recently stumbled upon fresh fame thanks to new media is imploring his young fan base to love China more. Zhang Zhaozhong, a 64-year-old retired rear admiral with the People’s Liberation Army, has enjoyed a long career as a talking head on military matters. Unfortunately for Zhang, his analyses have tended to be not only outlandish, but also frequently wrong.
China’s Goldwater-Nichols? Assessing PLA Organizational Reforms | Andrew S. Erickson The Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs (CSCMA), part of National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies, has just published INSS Strategic Forum 294—“China’s Goldwater-Nichols? Assessing PLA Organizational Reforms.” Written by CSCMA Director Dr. Phillip Saunders and Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow, the new publication assesses the major reforms of the Chinese military announced earlier this year.
China launches Shijian-10 retrievable science satellite with ESA payload | gbtimes.com The mission is the second of four missions in China’s Strategic Priority Program on Space Science initiated in 2011 by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, following the launch of the Wukong (DAMPE) dark matter probe in December. The missions are being implemented by the NSSC in Beijing, with the other two – the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) and the QUESS, the world’s first space mission focussing on quantum entanglement – set to launch later in 2016.
How a federal spy case turned into a child pornography prosecution – The Washington Post The FBI had obtained a secret search warrant to enter the house, citing national security grounds. The agents were searching for evidence that Gartenlaub, an information technology manager at Boeing, had leaked computer information about the defense contractor’s C-17 military transport plane to people acting on behalf of China. But since the search in January 2014, no spy or hacking charges have been brought against him. Instead, seven months later, he was charged with the possession and receipt of child pornography. He has denied the charges, but a jury convicted him in December.
China announces restrictions on trade with North Korea-Reuters The ministry said it would also ban coal shipments from North Korea, although it made exemptions consistent with sanctions, including uses intended for “the people’s well-being” and not connected to nuclear or missile programs. North Korea delivered around 20 million tonnes of coal to China last year, up 27 percent on the year, overtaking Russia and Mongolia to become China’s third biggest supplier, behind Australia and Indonesia.
社评：发展中朝友好与坚决执行决议不矛盾评论环球网 中国商务部和海关总署5日共同发布了禁止进口朝鲜部分矿产品以及禁止向朝鲜出口航空燃油的公告，这被外界解读为中国大体完成了落实安理会对朝最新制裁决议的准备工作，开始正式执行该决议。 西方和韩日媒体上立刻出现了两种声音，一是欢迎中国按照自己的承诺实施安理会2270号决议，认为中国的行动将对该决议得到全面落实提供关键性支持。第二种声音则认为中国两部门公告中提到的例外情况“含糊并有弹性”，担心它们被“扩大化使用”。
“军民融合”这么火 你知道怎么梳理核心概念股吗？ 所谓“军民融合”：一是“军转民”，二是“民参军”。券商认为，这有望成为未来几年的跨年度大主题。国泰君安更喊出军工将是未来十年最具投资价值的行业之一。 何谓“跨年度大主题”？通俗理解，也是在一年中，该主题会反复出现市场热点，出现交易机会。即便不是板块的整体飙升，资产注入或民参军中也有黑马奔腾。 // on investment opportunities stemming for the intesified drive for military-civil integration…
Global hunt for the Chinese man behind one of Europe’s biggest ever illegal immigration rackets | South China Morning Post Chen Xiaomin helped more than 1,000 Chinese nationals to live and work in Portugal illegally, and has been convicted on 460 different counts
China switches on lighthouse on artificial island in South China Sea | Reuters China’s transport ministry held a “completion ceremony”, marking the start of operations of the 55-metre (180-ft) high lighthouse on Subi Reef, where construction began in October, state news agency Xinhua said late on Tuesday. The U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef in October, drawing an angry rebuke from China, which called it “extremely irresponsible”.
What Would China Do if America Sold Taiwan F-35s? | The National Interest What would happen if the United States decides to sell its new F-35 Lightning II fighter to Taiwan? The fictionalized scenario below, based on a careful analysis of the Chinese leadership, attempts to answer that question.
Donald Trump, Despite Bashing Beijing, Is Not Without Fans in China – The New York Times The reasons for Chinese interest in Mr. Trump vary. There are those who endorse his positions, such as those who, mindful of China’s own tense relations with some of its ethnic and religious minorities, voice support for Mr. Trump’s pledge to ban noncitizen Muslims from entering the United States. Some like his strongman politics, believing the world needs a stronger American president. Then there are those who root for him to win in the expectation that a Trump-led United States would antagonize other countries and hasten China’s rise.
Transpacifica – Home of U.S.–China Week U.S.–China Week—a news and analysis brief delivered by e-mail each week. // don’t always agree with the author but this is a useful, consistent newsletter
Myanmar And China Reset Rocky But Key Relationship | China Bystander Little underlines China’s importance to Myanmar as much as Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi choosing to make a meeting with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi , seen above, her first with a foreign leader since her party historically took office on March 30.
TECH AND MEDIA
China’s ‘Great Firewall’ blocks its creator – BBC News Fang Binxing was giving a speech on internet security at the Harbin Institute of Technology when he tried to access a South Korean website, but was blocked by the system, according to the Hong Kong-based Ming Pao website. To continue with his speech, he was forced to set up a virtual private network (VPN) – a common practice used to skirt state censorship – in full view of the audience. Perhaps to avoid embarrassment, the university scrapped a scheduled question-and-answer session.
Alibaba Group Appoints Jennifer Kuperman as Head of International Corporate Communications – Yahoo Finance Kuperman, who will report to Alibaba Group Executive Vice Chairman Joseph Tsai, will replace Jim Wilkinson (current Head of International Corporate Affairs) who will be leaving Alibaba in the coming months to start a new entrepreneurial venture.
Alibaba Joins Momo Buyout Group, Sparking Record U.S. Rally – Bloomberg Momo surged 34 percent to $16.09 in New York on Wednesday, the biggest gain since its December 2014 initial public offering in the U.S. Trading volume of 15 million shares was more than 10 times the full-day average of the past three months. The American depositary receipts rallied after a regulatory filing showed that Alibaba affiliates are backing a buyout of Momo that Chairman and Chief Executive Yan Tang proposed last June, just six months after raising $248 million in the IPO.
Paywall down as Alibaba takes ownership of SCMP | South China Morning Post Starting from last night, SCMP.com is free to read. // but don’t look to the paper for any coverage of the Chinese elite who appear in the Panama Papers
網聚“朋友圈”的力量（新理念引領新實踐·共享發展）–時政–人民網 在騰訊公益平台負責人孫懿看來，要實現這種共享，“需要搭建把用戶、企業、公益組織都連接起來的網絡平台，讓每個人感到社會責任‘與你有關、在你身邊’”。在微信捐步數活動中，隻要用戶任意一天走路超過1萬步就能參與捐資兌換。5000步可兌換1元公益基金或者等額物品。你還可以看到是哪家企業代你出資捐贈。上線當晚，微信捐贈的總步數就達到了16.3億步，捐贈次數11.6萬。而兌換來的錢已經不斷流向各類精挑細選的公益組織，為貧困山區的兒童送去雞蛋、牛奶，為孤獨症孩子搶得黃金康復期……
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
Video of Assault on Woman in Beijing Hotel Causes Urban Safety Concerns Amongst Netizens – What’s on Weibo One Sina Weibo one user named Wanwan_2016 from Hangzhou posted a surveillance video on April 4 that showed her being attacked by a man in a hotel hallway in Beijing’s popular 798 Art District. The assault occurred on Sunday evening, April 3rd, just before 11 pm.
如家向遇袭女子致歉承认安保不到位综合新京报网 昨日，如家召开发布会，就女子在和颐酒店遇袭事件，对当事人及公众道歉。如家承认存在安保管理、顾客服务不到位的问题，并将追究酒店管理人员责任。但涉事女子弯弯微博回应称，“截至目前没什么进展，对此很难过。”
人民日报刊文评“女子酒店遇袭”：防险不能光靠自救舆论场澎湃新闻-The Paper 还要破除“家庭内部暴力，外人不该管”的观念误区。施暴者往往营造出丈夫打老婆的假象。负有安保职责的人员及在场者，但凡看到暴力强迫事件，应该先做“有事推定”，先假设这不是夫妻，制止了再说；再说了，发生在家庭内部的暴力也是暴力，在公共场合发生也该管呐！
Waking Up to the Threat of Domestic Violence | Sixth Tone On March 1, 2016, China’s first ever national law on domestic violence, known in China as “family violence,” came into effect. The law is surprisingly wide in scope. It covers physical and psychological violence against spouses, children and the elderly. It even covers unmarried partners — a big step in a country where having a live-in partner is still considered taboo. Same-sex couples aren’t mentioned, but LGBT organizations are advocating for an inclusive judicial interpretation. Though many provinces previously had domestic violence laws of their own, the national law unifies them and makes domestic violence a national talking point.
Uyghur Nation: Reform and Revolution on the Russia-China Frontier: David Brophy: Amazon The meeting of the Russian and Qing empires in the nineteenth century had dramatic consequences for Central Asia’s Muslim communities. Along this frontier, a new political space emerged, shaped by competing imperial and spiritual loyalties, cross-border economic and social ties, and the revolutions that engulfed Russia and China in the early twentieth century. David Brophy explores how a community of Central Asian Muslims responded to these historic changes by reinventing themselves as the modern Uyghur nation.
Sotheby’s sets two new records with Chinese painting and rare diamond in Hong Kong auction | South China Morning Post At a Sotheby’s sale at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Zhang Daqian’s 1982 hanging scroll, Peach Blossom Spring, sold for a record HK$271 million. After more than 100 bids in 50 minutes in a jam-packed room, the painting was snapped up by Shanghai’s Long Museum. The private museum was founded by China’s art power couple, Liu Yiqian and Wang Wei, who have been making aggressive acquisitions around the world including Amedeo Modigliani’s Reclining Nude for a record US$170.4 million at Christie’s New York sale last year.
A New Quarterly on Chinese Labour, Civil Society, and Rights – ISSUE 1 With this first issue, we are pleased to announce the launch of Made in China, a quarterly on Chinese labour, civil society, and rights. This project stems from our previous experiences as editors of a newsletter on Chinese labour // looks useful
诵经卖萌传播佛法 龙泉寺机器僧贤二走红综合新京报网 now there is a sutra chanting robot
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
Signing Up Organ Donors in China Can Be an Uphill Battle – The New York Times Before 2010, the state extracted organs from death-row prisoners — thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, since organ transplants began in the 1970s. And the voluntary donation system has been slow to take off, hampered by cultural beliefs that a person’s body must be buried intact. The first year, only 34 people donated, said Hao Lin’na, deputy chairwoman of the Red Cross Society of China. Among the reasons people gave Ms. Cao as they declined: “If we donate, he won’t find his way home.” “We’re already so pitiable, why are you making us donate, too?”
China to further deepen reform of healthcare system – Xinhua The State Council, the country’s cabinet, convened a regular executive meeting Wednesday and determined that healthcare reform should benefit more people. Key sectors for healthcare reform this year were decided at the meeting, which was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang. Plans discussed included expanding the number of cities piloting urban public hospital reform from 100 to 200, implementing a tiered medical care pilot project in 70 percent of the country’s prefectural-level areas, and improving the compensation system in a bid to abolish the drug price addition policy of public hospitals in new pilot cities. // 国务院：今年推进医保全国联网和异地就医结算
EDUCATION
人民大学院长送孩子去美国读书，感觉挨了一闷棍…-凤凰新闻 高钢，访美学者、中国人民大学新闻学院院长。本文源于其访美时将他9岁儿子送进美国小学，由此遭遇美国教育……我常常想到中国的小学教育，想到那些课堂上双手背后坐得笔直的孩子们，想到那些沉重的课程、繁多的作业、严格的考试……它让人感到一种神圣与威严的同时，也让人感到巨大的压抑和束缚，但是多少代人都顺从着它的意志，把它视为一种改变命运的出路。这是一种文化的延续，它或许有着自身的辉煌，但是面对需要每个人发挥创造力的信息社会，面对明天的世界，我们又该怎样审视这种孕育了我们自身的文明呢？
BEIJING
北京土地出让再现“９０／７０”政策 有利于缓解房价上涨压力-新华网 日前，北京市国土资源局在挂牌的两宗昌平区南邵镇土地公告中明确指出，除建设保障房外，该地块上９０平方米以下住房面积所占比重需达到７０％以上，沉寂许久的“９０／７０”政策又重新被列入北京市购地条款中。业内人士认为，优化商品住房土地供应，增加中小套型的供应，将有利于缓解市场房价上涨压力。
北京常态化限流地铁站增至75座国内新京报网 Beijing’s subway is so overcrowded the city has to limit entrances at certain times at 75 stations, or more than 20% of the total. Beijing is still way under-invested in public transportation infrastructure, no matter how many foreign pundits argue that China is too poor to have nice infrastructure…
JOBS AND EVENTS
Three on the bund-The End of Copycat China – China Book Launch The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia Monday, 25 Apr 2016 From 3pm-5pm, registration starts at 2:30pm Space by Three, 1F, No.3 Zhong Shan Dong Yi Road, Shanghai
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