"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
- 孙立平：有关重庆模式的两点看法_共识网 –
- Inside the Chinese Boom in Corporate Espionage – Businessweek – The AMSC technicians tapped into the turbine’s computer to get to the bottom of the glitch. The problem wasn’t immediately clear, so the technicians made a copy of the control system’s software and sent it to the company’s research center in Klagenfurt, Austria, which produced some startling findings. The Sinovel turbine appeared to be running a stolen version of AMSC’s software. Worse, the software revealed that Sinovel had complete access to AMSC’s proprietary source code. In short, Sinovel didn’t really need AMSC anymore…
Willy Shih, a professor at Harvard Business School who has testified before Congress about business dealings between the U.S. and China, takes a historical view of intellectual property theft. In the 1870s, American textile companies would send employees to work in British factories. They would take notes on textile equipment and bring back the information. The Russians and East Germans stole U.S. computer and chip designs during the Cold War. “And similar things have been true of Korean companies and Japanese companies,” says Shih. “I would argue that it’s a normal development pattern.” - The Five Friends of Spring – Five friends with a shared passion for the arts of the Chinese literati aesthetic past and present but each with a distinct expertise come together to present the spirit of the Chinese scholar through objects collected, contemplated and created
- Glowing Pork, Exploding Watermelons | Foreign Affairs – In 2009, a year after the melamine-laced baby formula scandal, Chinese authorities passed a comprehensive food safety law that created the National Food Safety Commission, a powerful body based in Beijing that coordinates five ministries. But there is still a long way to go when it comes to implementing safeguards and enforcing rules. With insufficient funding, there are far fewer trained inspectors than is necessary, and the inspectors that do exist are far too passive in their strategy for testing products.
What is more, there is only so much the central government can do. Local government officials are responsible for supervising food safety within their administrative regions, but they face pressure to encourage business activity and bring in tax revenues. Many companies even invite local officials to become silent partners in their corporations in return for political protection.
But Chinese bureaucrats are not solely to blame; many of the country's food safety problems can be traced back to the farm.
- The Useless Tree: Bo Xilai: The end of elite political unity in China? – For 20 years, says Peking University politics professor Zhang Jian, “there has been a basic consensus in the party … that factional struggles should never rock the ship. But the way the scandal unfolded and was managed may signal the beginning of the loss of that consensus.”
- Beijing on the Potomac | Washington Free Beacon – An advertising partnership between the Washington Post and a Chinese government propaganda outlet is raising questions about the propriety—and legality—of an American news outlet publishing foreign propaganda under its masthead.
At issue is the Post’s China Watch publication, a print and online advertising supplement that purports to deliver the news about China. The site hosts numerous articles and feature pieces that portray the Chinese government—particularly its human rights record—in a glowing light.
- 北京學者：重慶人事變動體現中央嚴肅問責 – 葉篤初表示，“王立軍事件”不利於社會穩定，也不利於改革發展有序向前推進。此次人事調動體現中央強調地方主要負責人承擔責任。至於責任多大，還需未來觀察。
葉篤初認為，此次人事調動還體現出中央對幹部的嚴格要求，比起一些地方敷衍了事、掩蓋矛盾的處理顯得更光明磊落。
14日溫家寶在兩會記者會上表示，王立軍事件發生以後，中央高度重視。現任重慶市委和市政府必須反思，并認真從王立軍事件中吸取教訓。
葉篤初認為，這一段表述應該是通過高層集體同意的，不可能是溫的個人表述，是“一個字一個字摳出來的”。 - Chongqing vice-mayor dismissed|Politics|chinadaily.com.cn – The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has decided to remove Wang Lijun from the position of vice mayor of Chongqing, a senior official with the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee confirmed Thursday.
- Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail | Politics News | Rolling Stone-Taibbi – The bank has defrauded everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed. So why does the government keep bailing it out?…
They're in deep trouble, but they won't die, because our current president, like the last one, apparently believes it's better to project a false image of financial soundness than to allow one of our oligarchic banks to collapse under the weight of its own corruption. - China Mobile’s Lu Resigns Board Amid Judicial Probe – Businessweek – China Mobile Ltd. (CHMOBZ), the world’s biggest phone carrier by users, said Lu Xiangdong resigned as an executive director and vice-president amid a probe into financial issues.
- EastSouthWestNorth: The Case of Zhang Dejiang – Who is Zhang Dejiang (张德江)? Here is China Vitae's record:
- Youku-Tudou Merger Shows Sector in Trouble, Analyst Says – Caixin Online – The merger of China's two major video portals indicates the days of fast growth in the industry are gone, an analyst tells Caixin.
On March 12, Youku Inc. (NYSE:YOKU) and Tudou Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: TUDO) announced an all-stock deal expected to be worth more than US$ 1 billion.
A senior executive at a video website said most such sites in China will have to save cash this year to cope with increasing financing difficulty as capital lost interest in the sector. - Bo Xilai Ouster Insufficient to Say `He’s Finished,’ Shih Says – Bloomberg – “I emphasize that the way the party seems to be dealing with Bo Xilai is a much milder way than the way that Chen Liangyu was treated, so far.”
“You will hear other people say he’s finished. I’m not willing to say so at this point.”
“I don’t think it is by any means the end of his political future. Deng Xiaoping made numerous comebacks after even more serious setbacks.” - 前行须去“前”_主播杨蕾_新浪博客 – long blog post from tudou ceo gary wang's ex wife yang lei, after youku deal
- Hidden message in NetEase’s homage to “Chinese corporate conscience” amuses netizens | Ministry of Tofu 豆腐部 –
- Real-name policy clamps down on freedom to speak-global times – The real-name system will inevitably add an extra layer of caution in people's online communication. They can no longer talk freely as they used to, and this will weaken the power of public criticism of government officials and other people who hold power, as netizens will have to watch their mouths. We shouldn't forget that the freedom to criticize power is one critical characteristic of a modern democratic society.
- 薄熙来去职重庆 未来安排更接近“杨白冰模式”_多维新闻网 – speculates bo xilai with get the "yang baibing" treatment..soft landing, but career over
- » Bo Xilai, Be Well, And Godspeed Beijing Cream – At 11:43 am, a film producer with the Sina Weibo account “Billionaires” (柒月二十六) created a timeline of Bo’s life and career. As of this moment, it’s been forwarded more than 31,000 times and commented on more than 5,000 times on Weibo (both numbers are rising fast). You’ll see it after the jump, with English translations by Valentina Luo.
- Chinese power politics: Bo Bo, Black Sheep | The Economist – Readers of tea leaves will now be looking closely to see what becomes of Mr Bo: whether he is to be investigated, disciplined or prosecuted. The terse announcement of his dismissal provided few details, but did refer to him as “Comrade”, a sign that he has not been booted from the Party—or at least not yet.
It remains unclear also what this shake-up means for the delicate succession plans that have been laid for the rest of the country’s leadership. Mr Bo’s removal is one clear indication that the process is not entirely without turbulence. Should he be prosecuted, it would mark yet another sharp departure from tradition. Figures with family backgrounds like Mr Bo’s tend not to be treated that way; it would be the sign of a great rift at the highest level.
- Baijiu Maker Moutai At Center Of Beijing Luxury Debate « Jing Daily : The Business of Luxury and Culture in China – Last week, Moutai general manager Liu Zili added fuel to the fire of public debate on government official spending, saying at an event, “If Moutai was banned [from government functions], I would be confused what drink could be served at government receptions. Should it be Lafite instead?” Liu’s remarks have, since last Friday, touched a nerve among Weibo users, with the subject discussed in more than 2 million entries since the weekend.
- In China, Bo Xilai Ousted From Communist Party – NYTimes.com – One Beijing analyst with senior-level connections said he had heard that Mr. Bo would be investigated and charged with violations relating to Mr. Wang’s case and to evidence Mr. Wang had provided against him. But it was unclear how the case against Mr. Bo would be pursued, and the analyst said it could take months.
“For now, Bo Xilai has been hung on the rack,” the analyst said. “He has no power and no position.”
- Employee of U.K. Bank Detained in China – WSJ.com – SHANGHAI—In a case that could highlight the risks bankers face in handling the finances of China's superrich, Chinese authorities have detained an employee of Standard Chartered PLC on suspicion she aided criminal activity, which her fiancé says refers to work she did for a bank client who has fled the country.
Wu Yidian Eden, a naturalized Singapore citizen, was planning to get married this month.
Wu Yidian Eden, a naturalized Singaporean citizen, was formally detained last week after several rounds of police questioning, according to a March 6 notice to her family issued by the police department in the Chinese city of Wuxi
- 【两会观察】温家宝为何两提《决议》_观点频道_财新网 – 于上一代，“往事不堪回首”；于新一代，反思“文革”遥远而陌生。我们没有权利选择遗忘
- The future begins with remembering the past – China Media Project – In the face of a “collective amnesia” in our society, some have defended the Cultural Revolution. And as others have even called rancorously for another Cultural Revolution, this has found some measure of sympathy. When Premier Wen Jiabao said that the influence of the Cultural Revolution had not been entirely eliminated, this was in fact an important and accurate assessment on the part of the collective central leadership.
Older generations do not dare look back, while our younger generations don’t have the remotest inkling of the Cultural Revolution. But can we truly forget it? At the very least, the Premier, in his final press conference at the “two meetings”, suggested that we do not have the right to forget.
- Chinese Political Star Bo Xilai is Removed from Post | Global Spin | TIME.com – The state press announcement said that Bo will be replaced in Chongqing by Zhang Dejiang, the former party secretary of the prosperous coastal province of Guangdong and a graduate of Kim Il Sung University in North Korea. Cheng Li, an expert on Chinese politics at the Brookings Institution, said that like Bo, Zhang is also a “princeling,” the child of a former party official. More significantly both Bo and Zhang are proteges of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin. Thus replacing Bo with Zhang retains a balance of party factions, Li says. “Based on what happened, we do know a deal has been made,” Li says. “The person who replace Bo is also from the same faction.” Political analysts had previously speculated that Bo would be given an honorary position, possible at a political body such as the NPC. The Xinhua announcement gave no indication of Bo’s next position, but it is safe to say that he is not moving up.
Li, of Brookings, says he expects that the Communist Party will eventually announce an investigation and possibly charges against Bo. There is a chance that Bo could be removed from his position on the Politburo as well, Li says, something that hasn’t happened since former Shanghai Mayor Chen Liangyu was removed from office in 2006 and jailed for corruption. But Bo’s downfall is happening more suddenly, and under a more intense public spotlight. On Thursday after his removal was announced “Bo Xilai” become a top 10 trending term on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like service. “China has change a lot in these six years and that gives a tremendous burden for the national leadership to tell people what really happening,” Li says. “If they give an interpretation that does not satisfy the public there could be strong reactions and it will only embarrass the top leadership.”
- 张德江简历 –
- 薄熙来不再担任重庆书记 张德江兼任_资讯频道_凤凰网 –
- 土豆网少数派报告：CEO王微话语权危机早已显现_行业动态_投资界 – tudou ceo gary wang voted against deal with youku? $tudo $yoku 25% voting share not enough?
- Facebook Tibetan Protest Video – Thousands of Tibetans in Amdo Rebgong protested agains the Chinese government today. (Wednesday, March 14, 2012)
- China Auto Rental Holdings Inc. files for US IPO-F-1 –
- Google Adds (Even More) Links to the Pentagon | Danger Room | Wired.com – On Monday, the Defense Department’s best-known geek announced that she was leaving the Pentagon for a job at Google. It was an unexpected move: Washington and Mountain View don’t trade top executives very often. But it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. The internet colossus has had a long and deeply complicated relationship with America’s military and intelligence communities. Depending on the topic, the time, and the players involved, the Pentagon and the Plex can be customers, business partners, adversaries, or wary allies. Recruiting the director of Darpa to join Google was just the latest move in this intricate dance between behemoths.
- Why Is President Obama Keeping a Journalist in Prison in Yemen? | The Nation – And we expect China to listen to US on human rights?//
On February 2, 2011, President Obama called Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The two discussed counterterrorism cooperation and the battle against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. At the end of the call, according to a White House read-out, Obama “expressed concern” over the release of a man named Abdulelah Haider Shaye, whom Obama said “had been sentenced to five years in prison for his association with AQAP.” It turned out that Shaye had not yet been released at the time of the call, but Saleh did have a pardon for him prepared and was ready to sign it. It would not have been unusual for the White House to express concern about Yemen’s allowing AQAP suspects to go free. Suspicious prison breaks of Islamist militants in Yemen had been a regular occurrence over the past decade, and Saleh has been known to exploit the threat of terrorism to leverage counterterrorism dollars from the United States. But this case was different. Abdulelah Haider Shaye is not an Islamist militant or an Al Qaeda operative. He is a journalist.
- General Camp Information – The Levine School of Music – summer camp for my girls' us visit