Today’s Links:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
Chinese premier calls for efforts to tackle urbanization challenges – Xinhua China’s urbanization needs to be supported by integrated reforms, said Li in a recent meeting with academicians and experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). More than 100 experts from the two academies have conducted research on different aspects of urbanization, and they recently shared the research findings with the premier.// 科学论证 周密谋划 让新型城镇化路子走好走顺–时政–人民网
Related: China premier calls for ‘human focus’ to urbanization plan | Reuters Li, who wrote a doctoral thesis on urbanization in the early 1990s, said the government should first identify areas of consensus, such as the redevelopment of slum communities on the edge of cities, as a base for further steps towards urbanization, the paper said. “Quality is the key and reform should be the impetus,” the paper quoted Li as saying. “We should be guided by ordinary people’s hopes, and be active and orderly in pushing the process forward.”
Related: Xinhua Insight: China should follow sustainable urbanization path – Xinhua Xia Bin, a counselor for the State Council and a former member of the monetary policy committee of China’s central bank, believed the old pattern of urbanization is not sustainable in the longer term. The new type of urbanization should be able to overcome the drawbacks of the old path, and a significant job is to solve the housing, education, health care and pension problems of rural workers to grant them the same treatment as urbanites, Xia said. China had 262.61 million migrant workers by the end of 2012, about a fifth of its total population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Related: Translation: “Resolutely Curb the Blind Building of Cities”, People’s Daily 9/3/13 | An Optimist’s Guide to China The wide build up of new cities, the indiscriminate construction of new districts, not only represents a departure from reality, but also violates natural laws, all while disregarding the voice of the people. In the midst of the collective craze to build cities, some places close deals despite lacking the requisite standards, blindly expand cities without regard for financial fundamentals, and compete in the chase after everything big and foreign. There’s no discussion of how much needs to be invested, how high the standards are, or how fast the speed is. On the surface the frenzy continues to build, but it hides unseen crises and brings with it countless troubles. From frail industrial support to lagging public infrastructure, from the enormous waste of resources to the heavy burden of debt, the artificial building up of cities has long gone contrary to the original intent of developing cities. It’s fallen into the cycle of inputs without outputs, investment without returns, and explosiveness without stamina.
Related: 发改委力挺棚改债券融资 鼓励“债贷组合”_财经频道_一财网 shantytown redevelopment debt financing mechanisms getting the “green light”, per a late August circular issued by the NDRC // 第一财经日报》获悉，国家发改委办公厅8月底下发了《关于企业债券融资支持棚户区改造有关问题的通知》（下称《通知》），要求对棚改项目债券融资“开绿灯”，并且棚改债券规模可以达到项目总投资的70%。与此同时，在国家开发银行推出首批两只“债贷组合”专项企业债之后，发改委首次明确鼓励将这一模式应用于棚改债券，这意味着“债贷组合”模式有望进一步铺开。
China Trade Rebounds in Further Sign Economy Stabilizing – Bloomberg Overseas shipments rose 7.2 percent from a year earlier, the General Administration of Customs said in Beijing today. That compares with the 5.5 percent median estimate of 46 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News and July’s 5.1 percent gain. Imports (CNFRIMPY) rose a less-than-estimated 7 percent from a year earlier, leaving a trade surplus of more than $28 billion. China’s economy is showing signs of picking up after the government announced support measures such as tax cuts for small businesses and extra spending on railways, and as confidence returns after the interbank cash squeeze in June. Improvements in developed nations may support exports in coming months, with the euro-area returning to growth in the second quarter after a record-long recession.
Related: Economists React: China Exports Up Again in August – China Real Time Report – WSJ The overall picture was of a Chinese economy benefiting from a progressive strengthening of demand in key export markets, and continuing to stock up on raw materials for its own industrial sector. Economists weigh in…
Beijing’s comprehensive new motor vehicle emission control plans « livefrombeijing I thought it would be worthwhile to translate and take a closer look at some of the specific actions related to motor vehicle emission control (Section 3 of the plan). The 22 measures described (#21-42) represent a truly comprehensive and world class approach to controlling air pollution from cars, buses, and trucks in the city. Beijing already has mainland China’s highest fuel quality (10 ppm S) and most stringent tailpipe emission standards (China V). Completing the following plan would cement Beijing’s position not just as a leader within China but as one of the world’s leading cities in terms of motor vehicle emission control.
Related: China’s Sinopec to produce cleaner gasoline from October | Reuters Except for two subsidiary plants that are undergoing maintenance, the top Asian refiner will cut sulfur in all its gasoline production from 150 parts per million (ppm) to 50 ppm from October 1, a company official said.
Apple Said to Be Close to a Deal With China Mobile – Bloomberg The Cupertino, California-based company is preparing to ship iPhones to China Mobile, said the person, who asked not be identified because the discussions are private. A deal with China Mobile won’t be announced at an Apple event on Sept. 10, during which the company is set to unveil new iPhones, said the person.
Related: Apple Needs A China Mobile Deal To Regain Momentum In The World’s Largest Smartphone Market-USA Today– A China Mobile deal is so important that it is hard to imagine CEO Tim Cook not coming to Beijing for the announcement. If Mr. Cook is at next week’s event in California, he will not have enough time to fly to Beijing for the satellite event, and it would then be very surprising that a China Mobile deal is imminent.
China buys into giant Kazakh oilfield for $5 billion | Reuters Under the Kashagan deal, Kazakhstan will sell 8.33 percent of the offshore oilfield in the Caspian Sea to China for about $5 billion. The sale and purchase agreement was signed by the heads of Kazakh state oil and gas company KazMunaiGas and China National Petroleum Corp CNPET.UL (CNPC) in the presence of the two presidents. “We suppose that the transaction will be closed by late September or late October,” a Kazakh official told Reuters.
Related: China Looks West as It Bolsters Regional Ties – NYTimes.com The strategy also has the advantage of countering, and complementing, American plans for a “new Silk Road” announced by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2011, said Wang Jisi, dean of the Center for International and Strategic Studies at Peking University. Mr. Wang is an architect of the “march westwards” policy, and an occasional adviser to the government on foreign affairs. Mrs. Clinton proposed the “new Silk Road” for postwar Afghanistan, and said the United States would foster private sector investment in transportation and energy infrastructure throughout the region. But there is no need to wait for the Americans, Mr. Wang suggested.
Related: Xi suggests China, C.Asia build Silk Road economic belt – Xinhua Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed here Saturday that China and Central Asia join hands to build a Silk Road economic belt to boost cooperation. In a speech delivered at Nazarbayev University, Xi suggested that relevant countries enhance communication and green-light regional economic integration in terms of both policy and law.
Alibaba board wrestles over listed future – FT.com For China too, the outcome would be difficult to bear. That is not only because one of its most successful private enterprises would be making its financial home elsewhere, but also because Alibaba has become the single most important repository of pricing and consumer information in the economy. If China wants to understand inflation, it often looks to Alibaba. The control that the Alibaba Partnership is seeking will be won only if shareholders approve its choice of directors – and Mr Ma’s view of shareholders does not mean Alibaba will not pursue value for them, according to people close to the group. // remarkable that stories on Alibaba corporate governance make no mention of the “Alipay Incident”
Related: Alibaba prepared to move HK listing plan to NY – FT.com Empty threats? Does Beijing really want Alibaba listed outside China? // Alibaba is prepared to scrap plans for a $60bn share sale in Hong Kong and switch its listing to New York if the senior management cannot nominate a majority of board directors, said people close to the company. Founder Jack Ma and other top executives own little more than 10 per cent of China’s biggest ecommerce company. But they still want to control the make-up of the board so they can defend Alibaba’s strategic direction and culture in the way US technology groups, such as Google, have done through dual-class shares.
Related: 网曝阿里金融向监管部门提交拟设立网络银行申请_证券时报网 Alibaba’s Alifinance subsidiary has applied for an Internet banking license, according to reports in Chinese media // 《中国经营报》记者独家获悉，近日，阿里金融正式向金融监管部门提交拟设立阿里网络银行的申请。相关部门已经听取阿里金融汇报，并开始着手研究网络银行。据悉，拟成立的阿里网络银行注册资本为10亿元，提供小微金融服务，业务范围涉及存款、贷款、汇款等业务。
中石油又有5人被有关部门带走 包括副总裁孙龙德_新闻_腾讯网 5 more CNPC executives taken away for investgation, including one, Sun Longde, who had just taken over one of the roles of the detained Li Hualin // 就在上周，中石油系统又有5名管理层人士被有关部门悄然带走。其中包括中国石油天然气股份有限公司副总裁孙龙德，他上月底刚刚接替被调查的李华林代行公司董事会秘书职责。 接近中石油高层的权威人士日前向《第一财经日报》记者透露，上周四晚被带走的5人来自中国石油天然气集团公司(下称“中石油集团”)、中石油股份，以及中石油旗下的华油集团，目前尚不清楚他们是新一拨的被调查人员，还是只是协助调查。
Related: Wu Bing, tycoon with HK ties, believed to be in detention | South China Morning Post He is believed to have been seized in Beijing on August 1, two major mainland news organisations have reported, quoting anonymous sources. In the past few months, overseas political gossip websites have been linking the 50-year-old with former security tsar Zhou Yongkang who is under Communist Party investigation for corruption.
Related: 知情人：中石油员工告蒋洁敏状 把中纪委邮箱都堵了_资讯频道_凤凰网 而据本报记者了解，中石油员工的上访和告状对揭发中石油“窝案”确实起到了重要的促进作用；但蒋洁敏在执掌中石油期间，露骨地维护企业垄断利益，不但造成企业内部严重腐败，还给中国能源安全带来了巨大隐患，是中央各层面达成共识整治中石油的根本原因。 “国内大量石油天然气以及非常规天然气资源都掌握在中石油手中，但中石油并未按照中央能源政策的要求去大力开采天然气资源。”上述消息人士告诉记者，比如中央布置开采页岩气，但中石油为了保护垄断利益，在企业内部下命令，要求所有企业不能和外资企业合作开采、招标。 记者同时获悉，蒋洁敏甚至在就任国资委主任期间，还在为了保护中石油的垄断利益，要求非石油类的其它央企不要搞页岩气。记者从电力系统内部了解到，蒋洁敏上任国资委主任后，五大电力集团就接到了国资委不要搞页岩气的要求。
Related: 工人日报：石油缘何存在“胜利帮”？–评论-人民网 Worker’s Daily on how the “Shengli Oil Field Faction” came about, SOE reforms // 在这样的背景下，“胜利帮”才得以顺利组建，并逐步壮大，且随着“帮主”在仕途的一路高升鸡犬升天，终对国家、公众的利益造成严重戕害，并对政府、央企的公信力造成双重重创，如此悲剧，除了蒋洁敏个人性格、用人随意性主观性问题之外，更深层的症结在于：谁提供了“胜利帮”成长壮大的沃土？内部的监督和外部的监管怎样一起失灵？在股民的利益严重受损、中石油的改革引起职工强烈反对、不断飙升的油价引起社会民怨升腾之际，为何有关部门没有及时引起警觉并采取防范措施？ 所幸新一届中央领导集体成立以来，将反腐倡廉工作提高到崭新的高度，习总书记明确要苍蝇、老虎一起打，号召将权力装到制度的笼子里，蒋洁敏和他的“胜利帮”才现出原形，灰飞烟灭，值得庆幸.不过，这次反腐胜利留下的央企改革命题却更值得决策者高度关注，并积极推进。 在管理体制不受法治制约、内外监督机制缺失、尤其是一把手的权力无法有效制衡的情况下，部门利益化、利益集团化往往成为一些部门难以摆脱的魔咒。后来独立王国一般的铁道部被分拆，目前正在向着法治化、市场化的轨道前进。 如此前车之鉴，是中石油乃至全部央企未来推动改革的后事之师。
A Scandal Involving Chongqing Officials Was a Web of Sex, Lies and Video – Caixin long piece on machinations that ended in Lei Zhengfu’s seconds of fame, trial // How a businessman whose company was struggling cooked up million-yuan scam that involved using women to compromise government figures
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
China May Cut 2014 Growth Target to 7%, State Economist Fan Says – Bloomberg China’s government may cut the country’s annual growth target to 7 percent next year, although the actual pace of expansion will be higher, said Fan Jianping, chief economist at a state research institute. The drop would be in line with the goal set in the country’s 2011-2015 five-year plan for annual average expansion of 7 percent, Fan, who works at the State Information Center under the National Development and Reform Commission, said in an interview in Shanghai yesterday…Fan said his forecast for a cut in the growth target was based on his own research. The country’s annual growth rate will stay in a range of 7 percent to 8 percent over the next few years and the government should use this window to speed up economic restructuring, Fan said at a conference in Shanghai yesterday.
Smithfield Receives U.S. Approval for Biggest Chinese Takeover – Bloomberg The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or CFIUS, approved the transaction and it will be voted on by Smithfield shareholders at the company’s annual meeting Sept. 24. The government of Ukraine also approved the deal, according to the statement.
啃金融：详解上海自贸区 First financial has put together a nice slideshow explaining the new Shanghai Free Trade Zone
自贸区初步“路线图”浮出水面：上海先行先试_财经频道_一财网 据《第一财经日报》从权威渠道获得的消息，在上海报送的自由贸易试验区总体方案设计中，重点提到要深化金融领域的开放创新，而这些改革内容在自贸区内将会更加市场化或者说完全市场化。被冠之以“中国”二字的上海自贸区，其肩负的是我国体制机制创新、转变经济发展方式、提高开放型经济水平的重要使命。
If China has a real-estate glut, why is Beijing more expensive than Manhattan? – Quartz As in any country, China’s real-estate market is actually a multitude of smaller markets, each of which has different supply-demand dynamics. Rigid demand in mega-cities like Beijing and Shanghai can probably absorb any excess supply. But oversupply is already hitting smaller cities, and as demand flags, prices have started to fall (link in Chinese).
房租，怎一个“涨”字了得！–财经–人民网 average residential rents in China have increased for 43 months now // 国家统计局公布的最新数据显示，7月份住房租金价格同比上涨4.4%，涨幅比6月高0.3个百分点；环比涨幅0.5%，比6月高0.2个百分点。值得一提的是，住房租金自2010年以来一直保持持续上涨的趋势，并已经连续43个月上涨。
Chinese Zombies Emerging After Years of Solar Subsidies – Bloomberg has this misallocation of credit benefited the world by driving down the cost of solar panels? // China’s backing for the solar industry has left at least one factory producing photovoltaic products in half of the country’s 600 cities, according to the China Renewable Energy Society in Beijing. Panel prices even after gains in the past six months are 60 percent lower than in November 2010 and have forced into bankruptcy dozens of those companies, including the largest unit of Suntech, once the industry’s biggest producer.
Ping An Bank to Raise $2.4 Billion Selling Shares to Parent – Bloomberg Ping An joins a round of fundraising by Chinese lenders, who this year have announced equity and bond sales seeking as much as 327 billion yuan as capital rules tighten. The sale may help Ping An Bank plug its capital shortfall and speed up branch expansion to cope with growing competition from rivals such as China Merchants Bank Co. (600036) and Industrial Bank Co. (601166)
Yum Store Sales Drop in China on Increased Competition – Bloomberg Sales at stores open at least 12 months fell 10 percent last month in China, an improvement from a 13 percent drop in July, the Louisville, Kentucky-based company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Analysts estimated a 7.7 percent drop, according to the average of eight projections from Consensus Metrix.
China to dictate tough terms on BRICS rescue fund – Telegraph “Currency intervention would not be a good use of money,” said Daokui Li, a member of the Communist Party’s upper chamber (CPPPC) and a key economic strategist. “China will only act together with the International Monetary Fund, which has the ability to impose strict conditions,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
Exclusive: U.S. prosecutors add China bribe allegations to GSK probe | Reuters U.S. authorities are investigating British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc for violations of U.S. anti-bribery laws in China after Chinese government officials accused the company of bribing doctors, three sources familiar with the probe said this week. The sources did not want to be identified because the matter is not public.
China Orders Re-education For Fund Management Co. « Dealbreaker: Wall Street Insider – Financial News, Headlines, Commentary and Analysis – Hedge Funds, Private Equity, Banks The China Securities Regulatory Commission said on Friday that it will suspend all approvals for new business and new products by Bosera Asset Management Co., the country’s fifth-largest fund-management company by assets under management, ordering the company to undergo a six-month “rectification” period…On Tuesday, the nation’s legal supervisory body said that Ma Le, a former fund manager at Bosera, had been arrested on suspicion of making improper profits by buying shares on insider information. The CSRC spokesman said Friday the amount of profit in question was 18.83 million yuan ($3.1 million).
U.S. firms’ enthusiasm for China cools as political, economic uncertainty deepens – The Washington Post American companies’ enthusiasm for investing in China has been dampened by a combination of policy uncertainty, an economic slowdown and narrowing profit margins, the head of the U.S.-China Business Council said Friday. Attacks on Western values and on foreign companies’ business practices this year have also unsettled some U.S. businesses operating in China, while barriers to foreign investment in many sectors of the economy remain substantial, escalating concerns about the extent to which the firms will be allowed to benefit from growth in the world’s second-largest economy.
POLITICS AND LAW
Corruption trials expose roles of the “white gloves” who manage the ill-gotten gains | South China Morning Post 白手套// The innocuous-sounding euphemism “white gloves” generally refers to a middleman or outfit that launders dirty or corrupt money under a seemingly legitimate front – dirty hands concealed by a pair of white gloves. The expression, coined by the Taiwanese, is catching up fast on the mainland as rampant corruption is exposed at all levels of the bureaucracy.
[视频]【贯彻习总书记8·19讲话精神高层访谈】翟惠生：牢固树立马克思主义新闻观_新闻频道_央视
新华时评：敢于发声 善于发声-时政频道-新华网 话语权不会从天而降，不会自然就掌握在谁的手中。增强责任感、使命感，在集中精力进行经济建设的同时，高度重视、不断加强意识形态工作，坚持“两手抓、两手都要硬”，使物质文明建设与精神文明建设相互促进、相得益彰，为实现中国梦汇聚团结奋进的强大力量。
明鏡新聞網: 习近平宣传思想领域“舆论斗争”新提法引关注 类似的“互联网已经成为舆论斗争的主战场”的说法，在中宣部《党建》杂志刊发的31位省委宣传部部长学习习近平讲话的文章中多次出现，应该是习的讲话原文。 对这一说法，上述媒体人评论认为，“经过这么多年的探索，中共执政党已经掌握了一套对传统媒体的行之有效的管理手段，但对以微博、微信等新兴媒体，自媒体的管理仍然在探索之中。” 最近针对网络大V的整治，抓捕网络谣言和假新闻推手等系列举动，显然并非国信办主任鲁炜或者公安部副部长所能独立推动，当有高层的指示。 据说，习还要求，在“舆论斗争”的“主战场”上，在大是大非问题上不能做“开明绅士”，不能独善其身，态度暖昧，不能含糊其词，不能退避三舍，不能东西摇摆，不能左右迎合。
Bo Xilai embezzlement charge linked to Jiang Zemin holiday home: sources | South China Morning Post But two separate sources with close ties to elite Dalian politics told the South China Morning Post that the General Office of the party’s Central Committee sent the money to the seaport city upon its completion of a holiday home for Jiang, who was then nearing retirement as president and party chief. The money was later allegedly funnelled to Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai , via a law firm with Bo’s approval, court papers said. Jiang visited Dalian in 1999 to mark the 100th anniversary of the modern commercial port. He stayed for about 10 days – an unusually long period for a presidential visit.
Details revealed on extortion through fake official websites – Xinhua Chinese police have captured 16 suspects for allegedly gaining millions of yuan as “hush money” by threatening to expose negative articles enterprises through fraudulent government-sponsored websites. According to a statement released Saturday by the Ministry of Public Security, these suspects branded themselves as Party and government officials or journalists, and their extortion activities left traces in 27 cities and counties in seven provinces.
You’ve Never Read: Hu Xijin–That’sMag Shan Renping, the acid-tongued Global Times columnist who has called Chen Guangcheng “a tool of… the West and its supporters” and Ai Weiwei “literally nothing…without the support of the West” has long been considered the newspaper’s Rottweiller, surpassing even chief editor Hu Xijin in his tireless Frisbee-fetching. Now a new book, Hu Xijin Talks about the Complex China (People’s Daily Press), reveals that Shan is, in fact… Hu Xijin.
什邡政府“食言”，钼铜项目卷土重来？_UGC精选 has Shifang restarted the project that was cancelled after protests in July 2012? // 编者按：2012年7月，“什邡钼铜”事件引发社会高度关注，7月3日什邡市宣传部召开新闻发布会称：“停止该建设，今后不再建设这个项目。”一年后，什邡项目又开始紧锣密鼓地“悄然”进行中。
罗昌平《打铁记》第13章：丑闻灭火队_UGC精选 enjoying Luo Changping’s serialized, revealing book about the Liu Tiennan case // 编者按：罗昌平提到，《中国式收购》写完，编辑部就是否上封面进行讨论，结果是文章清除了刘铁男的任何标签，不上重点版面，但此文还是在能源系统炸开了锅。刘铁男“左膀右臂”曾亚川和王勇，以一明一暗两条线启动一系列灭火行动。与此同时，刘铁男已派人调查文章参与者张鹭和罗昌平。
恢复体改委“拿不准”：经改部际联席会成立_财经频道_一财网 继金融监管的部际联席会议制度之后，9月6日，中央宣布成立经济体制改革工作部际联席会议（下称“联席会议”）制度，意在研究和协调重大的经济体制改革事项。 这个由发改委牵头、包括35个部门在内的联席会议制度凸显国家在中央改革领域加强工作决心。面对十八届三中全会后可能规划的一揽子经济体制改革任务，联席会议制度将有利于落实好中央的改革政策。
国土部：全面推进集体土地确权登记 新华社——经济参考网 据国土资源部网站6日消息，国土资源部近日下发通知，要求采取切实有效措施，进一步加快农村地籍调查，全面推进集体土地确权登记发证工作。 通知指出，农村地籍调查是土地管理中打基础、利长远的工作，是实现土地精细化管理，促进城乡地政统一管理的重要保障，是维护广大农民土地合法权益，促进社会和谐稳定的重要支撑。各地要充分认识这项工作的重要意义，通过组织开展农村地籍调查，全面掌握农村范围内每一宗土地的利用类型、数量、分布及权属、界址等产权状况，为当前开展的集体土地确权登记发证工作提供基础支撑，同时为下一步不动产统一登记奠定坚实基础。
打击网络谣言背后法律界定引关注_中国眼_新京报电子报 Top court working on legal grounds for online rumor crackdown // 在网络上发帖子，这个很多人都会做的事，到什么程度就构成了犯罪？甚至有人担心，动动鼠标转发一条微博，会不会就“犯罪”了？普通民众对此并不清晰，学界也有不同意见。无论如何，官方和民间的一个共识是，对网络上犯罪行为的惩治，不能偏离法治的轨道。据悉，最高法和最高检将对此类刑事案件的法律适用出台司法解释，明确在什么情况下构成犯罪。
Ding Shumiao, accused of collusion with jailed ex-railways minister, charged with bribery | South China Morning PostDing and her family made nearly 4 billion yuan on contracts for the high-speed railway network because of Liu’s help, prosecutors at Liu’s trial in June said. Her case has been referred to Beijing No 2 Intermediate People’s Court, although a trial date has not been set, nor have detailed charges been released.
China embraces ‘British Model’, ditching Mao for Edmund Burke – Telegraph lots of study going on…but “ditching Mao”? whatever…// “We want to learn from the British model,” said Daokui Li, a member China’s upper chamber or `House of Lords’ (CPPCC) and a professor at Beijing’s Tsinghua University. “Today’s leaders in China are looking carefully at the British style of political change over the last 400 years, analysing the difference with France,” he told me at the annual Ambrosetti gathering of world policy-makers at Villa d’Este on Lake Como….Prof Li said the new team of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang — both singing from the same hymn sheet according to him, though not others // “others” who have offered no proof ..best I can tell this idea is pushed by those with a more bearish bent/book…happy to be corrected
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
U.S. government spied on Brazil’s Petrobras oil firm: Globo TV | Reuters The U.S. government allegedly spied on Brazilian state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, known as Petrobras, according to the web site of Globo, Brazil’s biggest television network. // this could be huge for China, if the Snowden docs show evidence of NSA conducting economic espionage and sharing with US firms. A big if…
3 Chinese ships, 680 officers and sailors visit Hawaii for rare exercise with US Navy – The Washington Post The guided missile destroyer Qingdao, a frigate and a supply ship were welcomed with performances by lion dancers and a children’s hula group. The ships carrying 680 officers and sailors will participate in the exercise on Monday with the USS Lake Erie in waters off Waikiki and Diamond Head.
New Report Explores Security and Chinese Cloud Computing | Defense News | defensenews.com“Red Cloud Rising: Cloud Computing in China” was written by the Center for Intelligence Research and Analysis (CIRA). Headed by China analyst James Mulvenon, the CIRA is under the Washington-based Defense Group, Inc. “Red Cloud Rising” surveys Chinese government support for creating domestic cloud computing industry and the security implications for the US government and businesses. The paper looks at the complex ecosystem of government institutions, research institutes, private sector companies, state-owned enterprises, and intelligence and military organizations that encompass China’s cloud computing industry.
A Goodbye to the Magistad–Sinica Podcast Sadly, recent developments indicate that further intimidation tactics may be necessary, as it has now come to our attention that none other than Mary Kay Magistad is also leaving China. One of the legends in Beijing journalism, Mary Kay got her start in 1993 when she began work as National Public Radio’s full-time Southeast Asia correspondent. She later took charge of opening NPR’s Beijing Bureau in 1996 before starting her decade-long involvement with The World. So clearly, we have quite a bit of debriefing to do….
China’s top admiral visits United States |Asia-Pacific |chinadaily.com.cn Wu Shengli, commander-in-chief of the People’s Liberation Army navy, will pay an official visit at the invitation of Chief of US Naval Operations Admiral Jon Greenert, the Chinese navy said in a news release on Sunday. His tour comes three weeks after Minister of National Defense Chang Wanquan visited the US. “During the visit, Wu Shengli will meet leaders of the US navy and discuss issues including building up a new type of China-US naval relations and constructively pushing up relations between Chinese and US navies,” said the document. Wu will also visit US naval and marine units, it said.
Chinese bombers prompt Japan to scramble fighter jets | The Japan Times Japan’s Defense Ministry said Sunday two Chinese H-6 bombers flew round trip from the East China Sea to the Pacific Ocean without violating Japanese airspace the same day after overflying waters between Okinawa islands. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter aircraft, the ministry said. It was the first time the ministry has made an announcement after confirming the passing of Chinese bombardment aircraft through a chain of islands off the southwest coast of Japan.
China moves in to rebuild Kenya’s lunatic line – Telegraph The Chinese are exploiting the rift between Britain and Kenya to revamp a delapidated colonial railway nework… A new standard gauge track will be constructed from Kenya’s coast on the Indian Ocean to its western border with Uganda. President Uhuru Kenyatta has struck a £3.2 billion deal with Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart
“例外论”损耗美国软实力 钟声 《 人民日报 》 Zhong Sheng in Monday’s People’s Daily on how American exceptionalism is wearing out its soft power // 一个国家，无论其经济和军事实力有多么强大，由着性子搞“例外论”，软实力终将是软塌塌的，内心世界也一定是空虚的。软实力受损、自信心缺失的大国，常常是问题制造者。不从思想上解决问题，这样的大国始终无法在国际关系体系转型过程中发挥建设性作用。和平、发展、合作、共赢，已成时代潮流。此乃历史的进步，也是美国这样一个守成大国的历史性机遇。如何把握，就看美国人自己的智慧了。
Longer wait for China residency permits irk foreign firms | ReutersDespite the maximum period detailed in the regulation, the length of time authorities will hold passports may vary by city, adding to confusion. A Ministry of Public Security official in Shanghai, China’s commercial capital, said applicants would have to wait “about seven working days”. Authorities in Beijing as well as the metropolis of Guangzhou in southern China said the 15-day policy was in effect.
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
Taiwan Justice Minister Resigns After Misconduct Allegations – Bloomberg Investigators with Taiwan’s Supreme Prosecutors Office yesterday accused Tseng of illegally interfering in a commercial crimes prosecution of an opposition party lawmaker. Tseng denied wrongdoing and pledged to prove his innocence, according to statement posted on the justice ministry’s website before the resignation.
Taiwan Goes High-Tech to Bust Poachers of Whales, Dolphins – China Real Time Report – WSJ Taiwan has gone high-tech in its efforts to crack down on dolphin and whale poaching. Last week, police and other officials completed training for a new litmus-paper test that speeds up the process for identifying dolphin or whale meat, with conclusive identification available within 10 minutes, versus four to five days through DNA testing, said Taiwan’s Forestry Bureau conservation section head Kuan Li-Hao
TECH AND MEDIA
Oriental DreamWorks revamps China strategy | Variety Describing Oriental DreamWorks as a “Chinese content company,” the outfit’s head of production Joe Aguilar this week laid out a substantially expanded production mandate for the one-year old joint venture…Aguilar announced that Oriental DreamWorks now intends to be involved in animated TV production, live action films, live action TV – including reality formats, as well as mobile and Internet content.
Xiaomi Turns Profit as Sales of IPhone-Beating Handset to Triple – Bloomberg Sales in the first half more than doubled to 13.2 billion yuan ($2.16 billion), and may rise to 28 billion yuan for the full year, from 12.6 billion yuan last year, President Bin Lin said in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Beijing today. Handset sales may jump to 20 million units, from 7.19 million last year, he said. He didn’t supply a figure for profit. The three-year-old company, which was valued at $10 billion in its latest round of funding, is expanding its product offerings after selling handsets priced at about a third of the cost of Apple’s iPhone 5 in China. Xiaomi, which yesterday said it will sell Internet-ready televisions, will focus on developing new devices and has no plans to sell shares to the public in the next five years, founder and Chief Executive Officer Lei Jun said…The company had 20 million yuan of software sales in July, double the monthly revenue four months earlier, he said. By the end of next year, software sales are projected to hit $20 million annually // so next year software will be less than 1% of total revenue?
China Telecom Takes the Offensive in Messaging App Wars – Caixin our kids’ teachers use fetion, so I do as well..not a bad product, just amazing how China Mobile bungled it and let WeChat dominate…Xiaomi had a WeChat-like product before weChat launched. But Tencent destroyed Xiaomi’s Miliao // WeChat and Fetion are dominating the battlefield, but telecom giant and NetEase have partnered to develop an offering they hope gives them a fighting chance…After years of sifting out the losers, the instant messaging market has basically been set. The two clear winners are Tencent, which operates mobile QQ and WeChat, and China Mobile, with a self-developed messaging app called Fetion. Statistics from Analysys International show that in the first quarter of 2013, mobile QQ held 38.07 percent of instant messaging market accounts, WeChat had 27.97 percent and Fetion claimed 18.37 percent.
小米宣布取消wifi密码分享功能 销毁已存储密码-财经网 @范典_小米 我们十分愿意倾听大家的声音，已经停止MIUI WiFi分享功能，并已销毁服务器上存储的所有用户分享的WiFi密码（该功能目前只在开发版上小范围测试，功能已经停止，界面下周五更新）。我们会继续探索商家和用户双赢的方案，推动更美好、便捷的上网体验！更多讨论 // rare PR mess for Xiaomi
The Price Of The iPhone 5C – Business Insider In China, a $300-$400 price range is considered the middle-range smartphone market, compared with the high-end market segment which is dominated by Apple, Samsung, Sony and other foreign brands. Local brands such as Xiaomi, Lenovo, Huawei, ZTE, Coolpad, Meizu, Vivo, etc. view this segment as their high-end smartphone segment, compared with Apple’s and Samsung’s flagship products retail price above $700. The middle range smartphone market focuses more on price competition, production launch speed, as well as channel/carrier relationships/commissions. Therefore, China local brands have an advantage over foreign brands, as they give higher commission fees to retail channels than foreign brands and prices are very competitive.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
Scenes From 21st-Century China – In Focus – The Atlantic The People’s Republic of China, the most populous country, and the second-largest economy, in the world, is a vast, dynamic nation that continues to grow and evolve. In this, the latest entry in a semi-regular series on China, we find a tremendous variety of images, including an earthquake in Gansu province, a massive rubber duck in Beijing, a narrow five-story nail house, and a replica of Paris — complete with an Eiffel Tower. This collection offers only a small view of people and places across the country over the past few months
“怪人”何芳江收藏记 -齐鲁晚报数字报刊 因为敬仰,他将收藏毛泽东像章作为纪念这位伟人的一种方式；因为热爱,他跑遍中国大江南北,只为寻找中意的藏品。他叫何芳江,痴迷于收藏毛泽东像章,是人们口中经常谈起的“怪人”。30余年收藏生涯,何芳江共收集毛泽东像章4万余枚,红色摆件3000余个,解放初到“文革”时期的红色宣传画1万余幅以及6000多本毛主席经典语录和书籍,他的藏品足可以“装备”一个小型博物馆。拥有一个红色教育展览馆,将藏品展示他人,是何芳江最大的梦想。偶然机会让他痴迷30余年,收藏毛泽东像章4万余枚
Those Big Fat Chinese Weddings – Businessweek One significant change Chen has noticed since Galatea opened in 2006: China’s urban brides have become much more selective. Each month, the chain’s three locations (two in Beijing and one in Shanghai) sell about 300 dresses, ranging in price from 2,000 renminbi to 50,000 renminbi ($325 to $8,100). Seven years ago most brides would obediently listen to the staff’s “expert” advice on dress selection. (For instance, Chen advises that women with angular faces wear plainer fabrics; those with rounder features can pull off floral embroidery or busier patterns.) But “today’s brides come in with their own opinions,” she says, adding that the rapid growth in Chinese wedding magazines and bridal websites has fast refined tastes and stoked desires.
Behind China’s Spree Killers – Economic Observer frequently to ”报复社会“ // Random senseless attacks on bystanders seem to be happening with increasing frequency in China. A criminal psychologist explains what these spree killers have in common and how a mix of psychological and societal factors are to blame.
再见,北京·2013成长季(九)—在线播放—《季录》—资讯—优酷网，视频高清在线观看 Like this series on a Cuban boy’s life in Beijing. And now he has left. Wonder how quickly he will lose his awesome Beijing chinese? // 法博是一个自懂事起就在中国生活学习的古巴小孩，11岁。4岁时来到中国，老师同学朋友基本全是中国人，他的中文流利，西语生疏。但是他的父母都不会说中文，在与父母交流时，法博甚至时常需要谷歌翻译的帮助。他爱玩，喜欢文艺，擅长表演魔术，会唱京剧，今年6月底离开中国回到…查看全部
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
中国人年输液超百亿瓶 每年10万人因输液丧命_网易新闻中心 China administers 10 Billion IV bottles a year….100k people a year die because of IV issues…someone died recently at Beijing’s Tiantan hospital because the nurse hooked up the wrong bottle…got a lot of coverage
过度医疗黑金链|医疗|黑金链_21世纪网 【编者按】你知道你手中长长的诊疗费、药费单据中，有着多少可被压去的水分？答案也许比你想象的还要惊人。近段时间，记者通过对医生、医药代表们的暗中采访，试图尽可能还原出目前医院中存在的过度医疗的现状和诱因。
Chinese scientists publish new findings on deadly H7N9 – Xinhua The research titled “Structures and receptor binding of hemagglutinins from human-infecting H7N9 influenza viruses”, jointly authored by a team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was published online on Sept. 5 by Science, a leading journal.
毒蛇泡酒3个月突然蹿出咬伤农妇手指 此前或正休眠__海南新闻网_南海网 Woman got a friend to get her a bottle of medicinal liquor infused with a poisonous snake. The snake was in the bottle for three months, and assumed dead. But when she opened the bottle it jumped out and bit her…// 黑龙江双城居民刘女士为治病托朋友弄到一条活着的“土球子”蛇泡在酒缸里。近日，当刘女士打开酒缸时，这条被泡了三个月、本被认为已经死了的“土球子”却猛然蹿出来咬住了她的手上。
FOOD AND TRAVEL
URGENT: SALT in Lido has been stolen – it is NOT 盐SALT. Dear friends, 盐SALT Contemporary Cuisine has just become aware that ex-employee Lucy Wang (who had been working for SALT for 7 years until she quit in February) and landlord Mr Xin (who forced us to leave our location by doubling the rent and previously demanding extra payments for the past 3 years) will open their own restaurant today at 9 Jiangtai Xi Lu, pretending to be 盐SALT Contemporary Cuisine. Please be aware that this restaurant is not 盐SALT Contemporary Cuisine. We closed our Lido branch two weeks ago.
Smoothies and fruit juices are a new risk to health, US scientists warn | Society | The Guardian All sugars are equal in their bad effects, says Popkin – even those described on cereal snack bars sold in health food shops as containing “completely natural” sweeteners. “The most important issue about added sugar is that everybody thinks it’s cane sugar or maybe beet sugar or HFC syrup or all the other syrups but globally the cheapest thing on the market almost is fruit juice concentrate coming out of China. It has created an overwhelming supply of apple juice concentrate. It is being used everywhere and it also gets around the sugar quotas that lots of countries have.”
BEIJING
北京数十辆跑车深夜聚集被扣 十余警车封路(图) Pics of Beijing police cracking down on drag racers on the road just north of the Olympic Stadium
JOBS AND EVENTS
Meet the Board: Elizabeth Knup | ATLAS-China During her career in China, Elizabeth Knup has led some of the most influential nonprofit organizations in U.S.-China relations as well as successful multinational companies. In addition to her many professional accomplishments, Elizabeth is a renowned community leader and mentor. Read on for her reflections on China career development and her advice to young professionals getting started today