China Readings for November 11th

"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner

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  • 苏越:我很抱歉-法制晚报 –   因创作歌曲《血染的风采》等走红的著名音乐人苏越,被控以投资迎奥运巡演等为由,骗取5746万余元。上午,二中院认定苏越犯合同诈骗罪,判处其无期徒刑,在庭上苏越称很抱歉。
    诈骗5746万 苏越被判无期
  • Devaluing the View China Is Undervalued: The Ticker – Bloomberg – It’s just how industrialization works. Europe and the U.S. had their share of crises as they built up global market share and raised living standards, and China will, too. In fact, China’s reckoning could be more serious given Beijing’s obsessive controls over information flows. Worries about an “Arab Spring” have China redoubling censorship efforts.
    The odds favor the yuan being stronger five years from now than it is today. Yet recent market activity suggests investors shouldn’t assume it’s a given.
  • Wanting Change, Chinese Get on Their Knees: Adam Minter – Bloomberg – What does a citizen in today’s China have to do to capture the attention and empathy of local government officials? He or she might organize a petition or a march. Or, following the recent example of a group of university professors in Hubei Province, the citizen can get on his or her knees.
  • A Couple of Depressing Data Points From Digging Into China’s Trade Statistics. – Overheard – WSJ – A couple of depressing data points from digging into China’s trade statistics.
  • Chinese millionaire turns island into game reserve – Telegraph – A Chinese millionaire has created an island game reserve off the country’s east coast in order to cash in on the country’s latest craze – hunting.
  • Analysis: China looks across Asia and sees new threats | Reuters – (Reuters) – Heads of government attending Asian summits hoping to fathom China’s foreign policy mood swings might spare a thought for Beijing’s own leaders, who fear their expanding influence is attracting a new circle of potential foes not fans.
    China’s diplomacy throughout 2011 has stressed the ruling Communist Party’s desire to set aside recent regional feuds as it focuses on a leadership handover next year.
  • China black jails prompt fears of wider security crackdown | Reuters – China’s campaign to stifle dissenters like artist Ai Weiwei through secret detentions could come cloaked in a thicker veneer of legality if proposed crime law changes go through, a prominent rights advocacy group said on Thursday.
  • 美德教育:身教胜于言传-中国青年报 – 在美德问题上,我们每个人都是接受者和示范者,不应简单地把社会道德
    的滑坡归咎于社会和他人,而应反躬自省,让自己成为一个实践的示范者
  • 河北3起中毒事件系嫌犯报复同行为转移视线所为–新闻频道–中青在线 – serial poisoner arrested in tangshan, killed 3, sickened 5 in 3 separate incidents//
    11月3日、6日和7日,河北唐山市滦南县连发三起中毒事件,小孩在吃了路边捡来的零食后中毒身亡。昨日,唐山市公安局发微博宣布投毒案告破,该起事件共造成3人死亡,5人中毒,犯罪嫌疑人涂某(男,39岁,滦南县扒齿港镇人)已被刑拘。据查,上述三起中毒事件都是涂某在投毒报复同行后为转移视线而故意所为。目前,案件正在进一步审理中。
  • The Most Considerate Thing the Chinese Media Establishment Has Ever Done for Me – James Fallows – International – The Atlantic – That’s China Daily in the light blue at left, next to Politico and the WaPo. I can see that I’ll have to get to the news box early to beat the rush.
  • Russia Orders Five Yasen Class Nuclear Subs | AVIATION WEEK– Russia announced plans to build five nuclear submarines and made $9 billion worth of orders for the navy on Wednesday as part of an ambitious program to modernize its army and fleet spearheaded by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.Putin, who will seek his third term as president next year, visited Alexander Nevsky, the new Borei class nuclear submarine, which will carry Bulava intercontinental missiles, and attended the signing ceremony at the Sevmash shipyard on the White Sea.
  • U.S. Calls for NetApp Probe on Syria Spy Tech – Bloomberg – U.S. lawmakers are calling for an investigation into NetApp Inc. (NTAP)’s role in an Internet- surveillance system that has been under construction in Syria throughout this year’s political crackdown.
    Senators Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, and Robert Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, will send a letter today to the State and Commerce departments requesting an investigation into two U.S. companies whose technology has been used to “monitor activities of Syrian citizens,” according to a draft of the letter. One of the companies is NetApp, whose role in the Internet surveillance system was detailed in a Nov. 3 article by Bloomberg News.
  • Renren Drops 12%: Q3 Revenue Misses, Q4 View Light – Tech Trader Daily – Barrons.com– Shares of Chinese social networking firm Renren (RENN), sometimes called the “Facebook of China,” are down 63 cents, or 12%, at $4.45 after the company this afternoon reported disappointing Q3 revenue and a disappointing Q4 outlook.Revenue in the three months ended in September totaled $34.2 million, missing the consensus $35.08 million.
  • E-Commerce is the Wal-Mart of China | iChinaStock
  • Chinese online sales, especially of electronics, stall-xinhua – Sales of computer, communication and consumer electronics (3C) products by China’s online retailers in the third quarter of 2011 showed a decline for the first time in three years, according to new statistics released Thursday. China’s total online retail sales by all sectors also remained level in quarter three.
  • Army meets on management of assets, properties-xinhua – BEIJING, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) — China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held a conference on the management of assets and properties Thursday in order to explore ways to carry out the Suggestions on Further Strengthening the Management of Army Assets and Properties, a newly-published roadmap issued by the Central Military Commission (CMC).
  • Chinese reporters urged to be impartial, stay away from rumors: regulation– Chinese journalists have been told to remain impartial and guard against using rumors as sources for their reports, according to a set of regulations issued by the government Thursday.The regulations, issued by the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), are aimed at increasing the credibility of Chinese news organizations. The reputation of some Chinese news media has been tainted by scandals involving inaccurate reporting, said a GAPP spokesman.
  • The China Beat · Red Rock: The Long, Strange March of Chinese Rock & Roll – An excerpt and then some from Campell’s new book, Red Rock: The Long, Strange March of Chinese Rock & Roll
  • 电商倒逼快递变革 光棍节考验包裹战争 – 产经 – 21世纪网 – 电商的高速发展正在倒逼快递行业的变革。此次“光棍节”的大考,恰好是检验这些公司内功的节点。
  • 洋奶粉退出医院“第一口奶”? – 产经 – 21世纪网– mooted ban on advertising baby formula and other products, selling them in hospitals. would be big blow to foreign formula providers如果监管到位,盘踞在一二线城市医院的洋品牌奶粉,多年经营的医务营销优势将随之瓦解。
  • 文化强国走中国道路_新闻中心_新浪网 – sina mini-site on building a stong culture nation
  • 微调查:上海五院原检验科主任落马 – 宏观 – 21世纪网
  • 新闻出版总署:新闻机构禁止使用未核实网络信息_新闻_腾讯网– GAPP bans news organizations from using “unverified” information from the Internet新华社电 新闻出版总署日前印发了《关于严防虚假新闻报道的若干规定》,要求新闻机构建立健全内部防范虚假新闻的管理制度、纠错和更正制度,完善虚假失实报道的责任追究制度。
    《规定》共分为五条,分别从新闻记者采访的基本规范、新闻机构管理的基本职责、虚假报道的处理规则和法律责任追究等四个方面对防止虚假报道做出规定。《规定》要求,记者必须持国家新闻出版总署核发的新闻记者证采访;必须坚持实地采访,不得依据未经核实的社会传闻等非第一手材料编发新闻;开展批评性报道至少要有两个以上不同的新闻来源,并在认真核实后保存各方相关证据,确保新闻报道真实、客观、准确。针对目前媒体未经核实使用网络信息编写报道造成严重虚假新闻等问题,《规定》要求,“新闻机构要严格使用社会自由来稿和互联网信息制度,不得直接使用未经核实的网络信息和手机信息,不得直接采用未经核实的社会自由来稿”。
  • 北京初冬灰霾污染严重成东方“雾都”_新闻_腾讯网 – [导读]每年初冬的北京,都烟雾缭绕。环保专家们每年都在呼吁全面修改《环境空气质量标准》,但回应寥寥。原因无非是,中国城市来之不易的空气达标天数将被砍掉一截,环保政绩又得推倒重来。
  • Surge in Rich Chinese Who “Invest” in U.S. Citizenship – The Wealth Report – WSJ– According to data from the Immigration Service, thousands of wealthy Chinese have applied for the EB-5 Visa, also known as the “green-card-for-money” program.Under the program, foreign investors must finance commercial projects in the U.S. by investing either $500,000 or $1 million and create at least 10 full-time jobs. The investors have to undergo a background check, identify the source of their wealth and create and sustain 10 full-time jobs. The investors and their families can get citizenship after five years if they fulfill the requirements.Lots of rich people around the world apply. But the Chinese have become far and away the biggest users and beneficiaries.
  • Morgan Stanley: Chinese Inflation Is Benign, And The Hard Leading Fears Should Be over – In a new note, Morgan Stanley’s Yuande Zhu looks at the latest data out of China and likes it:
  • China Likely to Ease Lending Curbs as Inflation Ebbs – WSJ.com – BEIJING—As China’s inflation problem begins to ebb, the government is widely expected to intensify measures aimed at propping up businesses and assuring that the nation’s economy doesn’t cool too quic
  • U.S. to Build Up Military in Australia – WSJ.com– WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will announce an accord for a new and permanent U.S. military presence in Australia when he visits next week, a step aimed at countering China’s influence and reasserting U.S. interest in the region, said people familiar with his plans.The agreement will lead to an increase in U.S. naval operations off the coast of Australia and give American troops and ships “permanent and constant” access to Australian facilities, the people said. While no new American bases will be built under the plan, the arrangement will allow U.S. forces to place equipment in Australia and set up more joint exercises, they said.
  • 央行:民间借贷有合法性 利率不得高于银行4倍_财经_腾讯网 – 今年以来,随着我国民间金融市场 的蓬勃发展,民间借贷成为舆论关注的焦点话题。民间借贷有何特点?发展中存在怎样的风险?政府将如何规范其发展,新华社记者就相关问题采访了中国人民银行有关负责人。
  • Chinese students, too qualified to be true? | Marketplace From American Public Media – China has hundreds of agencies that specialize in getting Chinese students into American colleges and universities. But their application materials may be as much fiction as fact. A two-part series.
  • Report says Chinese police shoot 3 soldiers dead – Yahoo! News – Chinese media say police in the northeast shot and killed three soldiers who fled their barracks with an assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
    Few details were available and almost all reports of the incident had been removed from official websites by Thursday with only their headlines remaining, a sign of China’s extreme sensitivity over military misconduct.
  • Economists React: China’s Trade Surplus Falls Short of Expectations – China Real Time Report – WSJ – China’s trade surplus widened in October to $17.03 billion, up from $14.5 billion in September, but was still much smaller than expected. According to customs data released Thursday, exports rose 15.9% from a year earlier, down from September’s 17.1% rise, while imports rose 28.7% from a year earlier, up from a 20.9% rise in September. Analysts give their take:
  • The Security Challenges of North Korean Collapse: A Conversation with Bruce Bennett and Jennifer Lind | 38 North: Informed Analysis of North Korea – This fall, International Security (October 2011) published Bruce Bennett and Jennifer Lind’s article about the collapse of North Korea. The article examines the problems that could result from a government collapse, the military missions that countries might take to stabilize the country, and the requirements of those missions. Bennett and Lind argue that stabilizing a collapsed North Korea could require 200,000 ~ 400,000 military personnel. Their analysis has implications for South Korean defense policy as well as regional diplomatic coordination.
  • Mars probes stranded as engine fails-global times– China’s first Mars probe is stuck in Earth orbit along with Russia’s Phobos-Grunt space-craft, which was sent into space Wednesday but failed to start its engine, leaving engineers with only three days to save the $161 million project.”The engine did not fire. Neither the first nor the second burn occurred. This means that the craft was unable to find its bearings by the stars,” Vladi-mir Popovkin, head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, said at a press conference Wednesday at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cos-modrome.
  • Official in northeast China executed for corruption — Shanghai Daily – A female official in the northeast province of Liaoning, convicted of graft, was executed yesterday after the supreme court approved her death sentence.
  • Heard on the Street: China’s Trusts Not Safe as Houses – WSJ.com– Still, while the trusts may pay a price for predatory lending to cash-starved developers, the impact on the rest of the financial system should be ring fenced. Relative to the banking sector, the trusts are small, and the regulators have been taking steps to separate the two. Funds channeled by the banks to trust products at the end of the third quarter equaled 1.67 trillion yuan, little changed from the level at the end of 2010 and equal to 2.9% of banks’ total loan book.A protracted slowdown in real estate will expose the weakness of small developers and the trusts that have lent to them. But even if the trusts are reduced to rubble, the banks will still be standing.
  • Ningbo man becomes first in nation to own an island all to himself– A businessman from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, has become the first person in China to own an island after buying an uninhabited one in Zhejiang Province for 3.44 million yuan ($540,000) on Tuesday. He will own the property rights for 50 years, China National Radio (CNR) reported.Huang Yimin, the head of tourism company Xiangshan Marine Travel In Holiday, was granted the certificate of use right for Danmenshan Island in Ningbo by officials from both the State Oceanic Administration and the Zhejiang Province Ocean and Fisheries Bureau on Tuesday. He said he would develop the island into a tourism resort, according to CNR.
  • Pentagon’s Air Sea Battle-Inside the Ring – Washington Times– The Air Sea Battle concept grew out of concerns beginning in 2005 that the Navy and Air Force were not equipped and organized to deal with China’s new weapons – anti-satellite missiles, cyberwarfare attacks and anti-aircraft-carrier missiles, among other capabilities.According to defense officials, one of the key players in turning around the military’s view of China’s future forces was Michael Pillsbury.Mr. Pillsbury, a former Reagan administration defense policymaker working in the middle of the previous decade for Office of Net Assessment Director Andrew Marshall, helped change the way military services conduct war games against future Chinese forces.
  • Pentagon battle concept signals Cold War posture on China – Washington Times– Military officials from the three services told reporters during a background briefing that the concept is not directed at a single country. But they did not answer when asked what country other than China has developed advanced anti-access arms.A senior Obama administration official was more blunt, saying the new concept is a significant milestone signaling a new Cold War-style approach to China.“Air Sea Battle is to China what the maritime strategy was to the Soviet Union,” the official said.

    During the Cold War, U.S. naval forces around the world used a strategy of global presence and shows of force to deter Moscow’s advances.

  • GUEST COMMENT: Read this very carefully before deciding to work for a Chinese bank | News | www.eFinancialCareers.co.uk– Having worked in Chinese companies in Hong Kong for four years, I have faced some situations that made me ask: “What’s wrong with this firm?”.For those of you who want to join a Chinese bank, please ask yourself: “Are you ready for the Chinese working culture?”
  • Fight for Chinese consumers buoys CCTV ad auction | Reuters – Excited bidders pushed advertising rates on China’s state television to new highs on Tuesday as domestic firms crowded out foreign brands in the battle to reach ever more Chinese consumers.
  • Green group accuses China of climate blackmail | Environment | guardian.co.uk – An environmental group has accused China of climate blackmail after threats to vent powerful greenhouse gases if Europe cuts off carbon credits next year. The row over hydrofluorocarbon-23 offsets – which have a much greater warming effect than carbon dioxide and linger in the atmosphere for 200 years – has intensified before international climate negotiations in Durban this month.
  • China News Headlines | Hong Kong’s premier newspaper online | SCMP.com – Top US naval official confirms US forces’ chief and PLA brass have direct line of communication and calls recent advances very encouraging
  • Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Rebecca MacKinnon Named Hearst Professional-in-Residence
  • U.S. and China on Brink of Trade War Over Solar Power Industry – NYTimes.com
  • Analysis & Opinion | Reuters-China’s Tencent slows as new Internet models bloom
  • U.S.-Born Chinese, Back in China to Set Up Shop – Scene Asia – WSJ
  • 宏源涮肉城(日坛路店)电话,地址(图)-北京-大众点评网 – best mutton hotpot in beijing