"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
Happy New Year!
Today’s Links:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
1. 党的十八大以来以习近平同志为总书记的党中央治国理政纪实-新华网 All Party Media leading with piece on governance by party center under leadership of Xi Jinping since 18th Party Congress…starting the year with a heavy jolt of “positive energy”
Related: 习近平发表2016年新年贺词(全文)_凤凰资讯 Xi Jinping’s 2016 New Year’s Greeting
2. China releases guideline on military reform – Xinhua According to the guideline, a new structure will be established in which the CMC takes charge of the overall administration of the People’s Liberation Army, the Chinese People’s Armed Police and the militia and reserve forces, battle zone commands focus on combat, and various military services pursue development. The overall goal is to achieve progress and concrete results before 2020 in military administration and joint operational command, optimizing military structure, enhancing policy systems and civilian-military integration, and building a modern military with Chinese characteristics that can win information age wars.
Related: China inaugurates PLA Rocket Force as military reform deepens – Xinhua Chinese President Xi Jinping conferred military flags on the general command for the Army of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force at their inauguration ceremony held Thursday in Beijing. Xi said the move to form the PLA Army general command, the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force is a major decision by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Central Military Commission (CMC) to realize the Chinese dream of a strong military, and a strategic step to establish a modern military system with Chinese characteristics. // 陆军领导机构火箭军战略支援部队成立大会在京举行 习近平向中国人民解放军陆军火箭军战略支援部队授予军旗并致训词
Related: 中央军委关于深化国防和军队改革的意见(全文)|中央军委|军改_新浪新闻 (一)总体目标。牢牢把握“军委管总、战区主战、军种主建”的原则，以领导管理体制、联合作战指挥体制改革为重点，协调推进规模结构、政策制度 和军民融合深度发展改革。2020年前，在领导管理体制、联合作战指挥体制改革上取得突破性进展，在优化规模结构、完善政策制度、推动军民融合深度发展等 方面改革上取得重要成果，努力构建能够打赢信息化战争、有效履行使命任务的中国特色现代军事力量体系，进一步完善中国特色社会主义军事制度。按照总体目标要求，2015年，重点组织实施领导管理体制、联合作战指挥体制改革；2016年，组织实施军队规模结构和作战力量体系、院校、武 警部队改革，基本完成阶段性改革任务；2017年至2020年，对相关领域改革作进一步调整、优化和完善，持续推进各领域改革。政策制度和军民融合深度发 展改革，成熟一项推进一项。// full text of guideline on the PLA reform
Related: 首任陆军司令员这么牛，看完彻底震惊 上世纪七八十年代，李作成作为作战英模报告团成员在全国巡回演讲，宣扬爱国主义和革命英雄主义精神。李作成这个名字，可谓家喻户晓。 以下，是他在上世纪八十年代在英模报告团所作的演讲（据当时的公开报道）。在那个年代，这个演讲曾经感动和激励了无数人。即便在今天，也依然让人无限感慨、肃然起敬。
Related: China appoints new military top brass in overhaul aimed at boosting professionalism | South China Morning Post Among the three top leaders is General Li Zuocheng , a decorated hero of the Sino-Vietnamese war and leader of disaster relief campaigns. He is the commander of the newly established army general command.
Related: 用习主席重要讲话精神汇聚改革强军正能量 – 中国军网 中央军委改革工作会议的召开，标志着我军具有里程碑意义的整体性革命性的变革全面实施展开。习主席在中央军委改革工作会议上发表的重要讲话，对全面实施改革强军战略作出系统阐述，对深化国防和军队改革作出全面部署，对各级职责任务提出了明确要求，为全军认清大势、凝聚改革力量、推进改革实施，提供了思想引领和根本遵循。 为帮助广大官兵全面系统地学习、理解和掌握习主席关于国防和军队改革重要论述，全面贯彻落实中央军委改革工作会议精神，我们邀请国防大学、军事科学院、国防科技大学的几位理论工作者，来到火箭军某旅、第38集团军某装甲团，与基层官兵面对面学习交流、答疑解惑，取得了良好收效。现将专家与官兵交流的部分内容分别摘录刊发，供读者学习参考。
3. CPC journal to publish Xi’s speech on development – Xinhua An influential journal of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will publish President Xi Jinping’s speech at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in October. Excerpts of the speech, which touched on China’s development, reforms and CPC governance, will be published in the January issue of Qiushi, which means “seeking truth.” In the speech, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, noted the need to guard against risks and proposed new development ideas, or “innovation, coordination, green development, opening up and sharing,” to achieve a moderately prosperous society.
Related: 《求是》杂志发表习近平总书记重要讲话-2015年12月31日 14:30:00 来源：《求是》2016/01 作者：习近平 在党的十八届五中全会第二次全体会议上的讲话（节选） 习近平 （2015年10月29日）
Related: China’s president warns that economic stimulus is ‘not the answer to nation’s challenges’ | South China Morning Post “Risks that arise as a result of the country’s development may continue to accumulate and be consecutively revealed over the next five years,” Xi was on Friday quoted in the Communist Party’s flagship magazine Qiushi Journal as saying. Xi was speaking at a meeting wrapping up the fifth plenum of the 18th party congress on October 29, according to the journal.
4. Structural reform to power China’s stable growth: finance minister – Xinhua | The supply-side structural reform to improve all-factor productivity will help China gather future growth steam, according to the country’s finance minister. Despite heavy downward economic pressure, the Chinese economy is still resilient with generally positive fundamentals and huge potential, Lou Jiwei, head of the Ministry of Finance wrote in the latest edition of the Qiushi Magazine, the flagship journal of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
Related: 中国经济最大潜力在于改革-2015年12月31日 14:30:00 来源：《求是》2016/01 作者：楼继伟 ■ 进入新常态以来，我国经济发展长期向好的基本面没有变，经济韧性好、潜力足、回旋余地大的基本特征没有变，经济持续增长的良好支撑基础和条件没有变，经济结构调整优化的前进态势没有变。但经济下行压力仍然较大，潜在风险不容忽视，从上中等收入国家迈进高收入国家行列任务艰巨。 ■ 无论任何国家，生产要素总量是相对有限的，资源环境和社会承载能力也是有限的，受要素边际效率递减规律制约，依靠增加要素投入数量推动经济增长总会遭遇瓶颈，经济增长、人均收入和财富水平提高最终要依赖全要素生产率的提高，特别是进入后工业化阶段经济增长将会更多依靠全要素生产率提升。 ■ 在“三期叠加”阶段，针对劳动力成本不断上升、资本边际效率下降、杠杆率较高等结构性问题，我国正在持续推进去产能、去库存、去杠杆、降成本、补短板的供给侧结构性改革。 ■ 当前和今后一个时期，要全面贯彻落实党的十八届五中全会精神，加快结构性改革激发经济增长潜力，使市场在资源配置中起决定性作用和更好发挥政府作用，加快推进国企改革，积极推进财税金融改革，深化社保制度改革，提高劳动力流动性和劳动力素质，加快科技体制改革，加快土地制度改革，加快新型城镇化和农业现代化发展。
Related: Time to unlock rights to rural land: China’s finance minister | South China Morning Post In an article published in Communist Party journal Qiushi (Seeking Truth) on the weekend, Finance Minister Lou Jiwei beat the drum for bold reforms on collectively owned rural land, saying it would be an effective way to speed up the country’s urbanisation drive.
5. Book of Xi Jinping’s remarks on Party discipline published – Xinhua The book includes 200 pieces of remarks of Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and president of China. They were selected from 40 of Xi’s speeches and articles from Nov. 16, 2012 to Oct. 29, 2015. The remarks touch upon several topics, including the significance of strengthening Party discipline, innovation of Party discipline and the role of leading cadres. Party organizations at all levels have been asked to organize CPC members to study Xi’s remarks in the book, which was compiled by the CPC’s Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection, and the Party Literature Research Center of the CPC Central Committee.
Related: 习近平：没有免罪的“丹书铁券”，也没有铁帽子王-凤凰新闻 谈及党纪国法的严肃性，习近平说，没有“铁帽子王”：党纪国法不能成为“橡皮泥”、“稻草人”，无论是因为“法盲”导致违纪违法，还是故意违规违法，都要受到追究，否则就会形成“破窗效应”。明代冯梦龙在《警世通言》中说：“人心似铁，官法如炉。”意思是任人心中冷酷如铁，终扛不住法律的熔炉。法治之下，任何人都不能心存侥幸，都不能指望法外施恩，没有免罪的“丹书铁券”，也没有“铁帽子王”。
Related: Some questions should not be asked, China’s President Xi Jinping tells Communist Party members | South China Morning Post The comments were revealed in the latest book edited by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which collected previously undisclosed remarks made by Xi since the party’s 18th congress in November 2012. “There are some people spreading rumours, forwarding comments online or gathering groups of die-hard friends together to inappropriately discuss major party policies,” Xi told a CCDI meeting a year ago.
6. Missing Hong Kong booksellers ‘working on book on Xi’s love life’ – AFP Claims of mistresses in midst of morality campaign at least as damaging as reporting on his rich relatives // “Hong Kong people are very shocked and appalled,” Democratic legislator Albert Ho told a press conference…Ho, a customer at the publishing firm’s bookshop in Causeway Bay, said he had heard from other store regulars that the company was about to launch a book about Xi’s former girlfriend. “To my knowledge… the book concerns the story about the girlfriend…(from) some years ago,” he said. “There were warnings given to the owners not to publish this book
Related: 单仁平：少数港人不应动辄质疑“一国两制”评论环球网 Global Times on the case // 铜锣湾书店几乎专门出版、销售与内地有关的政治书籍，它们很多都包含恶意编造的内容，构成了对名誉权的严重侵犯。那些书籍通过各种渠道流进内地，成为一些政治谣言的源头，在一定范围内造成恶劣影响。 虽然铜锣湾书店存在于香港的环境中，但它实际上就是靠给内地社会捣乱维持生存的。它利用回归后内地人大量进出香港，把自己搞成向内地提供“禁书”的一个突出源头，不能不说它变相插足了内地的事情，损害了内地保持和谐稳定的重大利益。铜锣湾书店像是要刻意在香港与内地之间拱出一块灰色地带，以挑衅的政治方式为自己谋利。
7. How a Beijing Traffic Cop Lined His Pockets-Caixin Song’s letter may have vastly understated the depth of his illegal activities. In its conviction statement, the court said that Song had accepted payoffs from taxi services, art dealers, a property developer and other favor-seekers for at least eight years. Between the day Song pocketed his first bribe in 2004 and June 2012, the court said, individuals and companies slipped him a combined 8.6 million yuan. Song used his position at the Traffic Management Bureau, which oversees the license plate issuance, to secure special “Jing A” plates to individuals and companies. These plates are intended for certain high-level government and party-owned vehicles, and give their owners special driving privileges such as for parking in no-parking zones. // 宋建国的商人朋友圈 such deep, dark waters in Beijing
8. We Love Our FAI – YouTube This song, written back in 2010 at the start of China’s 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP), is still relevant today, at the start of the 13th FYP. It describes China’s intention to reform, restructure and rebalance its economy away from an investment-led, export-led growth model to a more consumption oriented economy. It also highlights the challenges of that process and the frustrations experienced by many along the way. Thus far, progress has been slow, but policymakers seem to be increasingly focused on the task of restructuring. Have we hit a turning point? Time will tell… // good things happen when financial geeks with musical and video talent meet China
BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE
【独家】十三五铁路投资拟达3.8万亿元公司频道财新网 Caixin reports “exclusively” that railway investment in 13th five year plan to top 3.8 Trillion RMB // 其中基建投资约3万亿元。至2020年，全国铁路里程15万公里，高铁3万公里。《征求意见稿》还首次提出，要向社会推出一批市场前景较好、投资预期受益较稳定的铁路项目
权威人士再度现身人民日报 谈“当前经济怎么干”-凤凰新闻 去年底召开的中央经济工作会议，对“十三五”开局之年的经济工作进行了全面部署，强调要着力推进供给侧结构性改革，推动经济持续健康发展。如何认真学习、深刻领会、正确贯彻中央经济工作会议精神，围绕推进供给侧结构性改革这条主线，做好新一年经济工作？近日，权威人士接受本报独家专访，对“供给侧结构性改革”作了解读和阐释。 // “Authority” takes to People’s Daily to explain the spirit of the recent central economic work conference
周小川定调2016货币政策 十五字方针稳增长居首_证券时报网 《证券日报》记者从央行获悉，央行行长周小川在新年致辞中为2016年货币政策明确了方向：即统筹稳增长、促改革、调结构、惠民生、防风险，继续实施稳健的货币政策，保持流动性合理充裕，加强风险监测和预警，切实防范化解各类金融风险。// Zhou Xiaochuan’s New Years comments
China Spent 820 Bln Yuan on Rail Infrastructure This Year-Caixin China invested 820 billion yuan in railroad infrastructure in 2015, bringing the total investment for the last five years to more than 3.5 trillion yuan, data released by the China Railway Corp. (CRC) on December 30 show. The annual figure included both government and private investments, an official from the CRC said. He said the firm would announce the breakdown before Spring Festival, the holiday also known as Chinese New Year, which begins on February 8. This is the fourth straight annual increase in rail investment and the second biggest in history, ranking after the record 840 billion yuan in 2010, official data show.
China’s Crash Course: How a Turbulent Year Derailed Reform – WSJ The year doesn’t look so bad when measured from beginning to end: The Shanghai Composite Index was up 9.4% in 2015. The small-cap Shenzhen market was up more than 63%. But the middle of the year was a mess.
China’s logistics sector slows – Xinhua In the January-November period, the total value of goods carried by the logistics sector rose 5.8 percent year on year to 202.4 trillion yuan (31.17 trillion U.S. dollars), the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement. Although the growth picked up from 5.7 percent in the first 10 months of 2015, it was 2.5 percentage points lower than the same period in 2014, data showed.
“官二代”赵晋楼盘遗祸重重 津济业主饱受煎熬政经频道财新网 随着“赵衙内”去年6月落马，其在天津、济南等地开发的楼盘，因擅改规划设计、偷面积等重重问题，不管是否交房，都留下问题如山，积重难返
China’s non-ferrous metal output slows in November – Xinhua China’s production of 10 major non-ferrous metals in November grew at a slower pace than a year ago, the top economic planner said Sunday. Output of non-ferrous metals grew 1.4 percent year on year in November, down by 6.5 percentage points from the growth posted last November, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement.
A Door Opens to U.S. for Chinese Investors – WSJ target rich environment for SEC to look for insider trading?
China’s Two-Speed Economy Stays Intact as Factories Slump, Services Gain – Bloomberg Business The official purchasing managers index edged up to 49.7 last month from a three-year low of 49.6 in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday. That compared with a median estimate of 49.8 in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The non-manufacturing PMI rose to 54.4, the highest since August 2014. Numbers below 50 indicate deterioration.
POLITICS AND LAW
37 ministerial level Chinese officials investigated for graft in 2015 – Xinhua According to the website of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), authorities looked into the conduct of new provincial and ministerial level officials every month of 2015, with 7 investigation cases begun in November, the most. The 37, including 10 from central government and 9 from centrally-administered state-owned enterprises, came from 31 provinces, municipalities and regions, said the CCDI.
China punishes 270 court officials in three years – Xinhua he Supreme People’s Court (SPC) said on Sunday that 270 court officials have been punished for violating the Party code of conduct in the past three years. Among those punished, 42 were Party chiefs and court presidents, while eight were discipline inspection officials accredited to the courts, the SPC said in a statement.
China Grants Courts Greater Autonomy on Limited Matters – The New York Times Judge Jiang of the Supreme Court said he had been pushing for this separation of local government and courts for 20 years. Now, he said, the government has taken this step for the first time. “You can’t imagine how this feels for someone who has been working inside the system for this long,” he said. Other measures are being tried as well. The government has set up two pilot projects to establish circuit courts, which allow judges from one province to hear cases from others, further reducing the risk of local influence. Dockets are also being made public for the first time, and 50 courts have been allowed to experiment with an “assessor” system that is similar to a jury.
中纪委怒了！省级纪委查处官员超8成没有通报曝光 十八大以来，纪检监察机关加强检查监督，铁面执纪，对顶风违纪者坚决查处并不断给予曝光，向全党释放执纪必严的强烈信号。梳理31个省区市和新疆生产建设兵团纪委官方网站通报曝光数据，2015年共通报曝光问题6110起，占查处问题的五分之一左右。从通报曝光干部的级别来看，通报曝光的地厅级干部占处理人数的19%，县处级为17%。
忠诚党的事业 服务职工群众-——深入学习贯彻习近平总书记关于工人阶级和工会工作的重要论述 2015年12月31日 14:30:00 来源：《求是》2016/01 作者：李玉赋 政治性是群团组织的灵魂，是第一位的，包括工会在内的群团组织要始终把自己置于党的领导之下，在思想上政治上行动上始终同党中央保持高度一致；必须把保持和增强先进性作为重要着力点，组织动员广大职工群众为完成党的中心任务而共同奋斗；群众性是群团组织的根本特点，开展工作和活动要以职工群众为中心，让职工群众当主角。
中共新党纪条例细化“搞封建迷信”处罚措施新闻腾讯网 据新华社电 2016年1月1日，新修订的《中国共产党纪律处分条例》(简称条例)正式实施，该条例一个显著特点，是对党员干部组织、参与迷信活动作出明确的纪律处罚规定。而在2015年底，中央纪委通报党员干部“长期搞迷信活动”，称宁夏回族自治区政府原党组成员、副主席白雪山严重违反政治纪律，党员意识淡漠，对抗组织审查，长期搞迷信活动，被立案审查。
福建宣传部长李书磊任北京市纪委书记(图/简历)_凤凰资讯 Head of Fujian Propaganda Office Li Shulei appointed Discipline Inspection Secretary for Beijing.
Xinjiang Seethes Under Chinese Crackdown – NYTimes.com Surveillance, too, has been increased. Since 2014, Uighurs seeking to travel outside their hometowns have been required to carry a special card that lists phone numbers for the holder’s landlord and local police station. Many Uighurs complain that these “convenience contact cards,” as they are called, single them out for scrutiny. “The state’s ability to penetrate Uighur society has become increasingly sophisticated and intrusive,” said James Leibold, an expert on China’s ethnic politics at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. “But while these new measures allow the party to nip a lot of problems in the bud, they also foster new forms of alienation and violence that ultimately weaken the party’s legitimacy and rule.” // Beijing can’t expel Andy Jacobs as he has already left…
China says extremism losing grip in restless Xinjiang | Reuters The religious atmosphere in China’s violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang became markedly less radical last year and the government was broadly successful in maintaining stability, the top official there was quoted as saying on Friday.
“国师”曹永正的摇钱树：靠周永康空手攫取8.7亿深度新京报网 曹永正，年代系公司控制人。周永康密友，当年在政法、石油系统高官维系的名流圈里，曹永正被称为“国师”。新京报记者调查获悉，曹永正以周永康“好朋友”身份违规获得多块油田“合作开发权”，以空手道形式攫取8.7亿。目前，曹永正已归案，另案处理。相关案件已进入司法程序 // The Beijing News looks at the dealings of Zhou Yongkang crony/ fortuneteller/ “immortal” Cao Yongzheng. Why this story now? Last week there was a story on one of ZYK’s mistresses. Trials imminent?
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
China begins building its second aircraft carrier as it ramps up military spending | Daily Mail Online China is designing and building its second aircraft carrier, the nation’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed on Thursday. The new vessel, with a displacement of 50,000 tonnes, is being built entirely with domestic technology in port city of Dalian in northeast China, reported the People’s Daily Online. // 中国正在自主开展设计和建造第二艘航空母舰
中国特色大国外交全面拓展之年-2015年12月31日 14:30:00 来源：《求是》2016/01 作者：王 毅 面对世界经济增长乏力、各国宏观政策和经济走势明显分化，中国提出创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享的新的发展理念，通过全面深化改革、扩大开放为世界创造更多发展机遇。中国成为“亚健康”的世界经济中拉动增长的强大动力，“不平衡”的世界中促进均衡的可靠支撑。 ■ 当今世界，各国社会制度和价值观念不同，文化传统和发展水平各异，历史纠纷和现实摩擦交织，冷战思维和强权政治在国际关系中仍不时显现。中国顺应时代发展潮流，积极倡导构建以合作共赢为核心的新型国际关系，走出了一条“对话而不对抗，结伴而不结盟”的国与国交往新路。■ 习近平主席出席联合国成立70周年系列峰会，倡导构建以合作共赢为核心的新型国际关系，提出“五位一体”打造人类命运共同体的总布局和总路径，为维护和完善国际秩序和国际体系开辟了美好愿景，注入了强劲动力。 ■一年的外交实践，有力提升了中国的国际地位，展示了中国的大国风范，拓展了中国的全球影响，强化了中国的负责任形象，同时充分表明，中国外交有着自己鲜明的特色，那就是不搞国强必霸，而是坚持和平发展；不搞零和博弈，而是奉行合作共赢；不搞强权政治，而是倡导国际关系民主化；不搞唯利是图，而是践行正确义利观。// Wang Yi in latest Qiushi on China’s foreign policy in 2015
全面把握战略机遇期中“变”和“不变”的辩证法-来源：《求是》2016/01 作者：石 平 “知其事而不度其时则败。”准确判断国际国内形势，紧紧抓住形势变化所带来的战略机遇，科学谋划并推进发展，是我们赢得主动、赢得优势、赢得未来的关键。党的十八届五中全会深入分析了“十三五”时期我国发展环境的基本特征，明确指出：“我国发展仍处于可以大有作为的重要战略机遇期，也面临诸多矛盾叠加、风险隐患增多的严峻挑战。我们要准确把握战略机遇期内涵的深刻变化，更加有效地应对各种风险和挑战，继续集中力量把自己的事情办好，不断开拓发展新境界。”这是党中央审时度势作出的战略判断，充满着唯物辩证法。在“十三五”时期，我们要全面把握战略机遇期中“变”和“不变”的辩证法，既要看到机遇仍在，认清大势，坚定信心，继续抓住和用好我国发展的重要战略机遇期，又要看到战略机遇期内涵的深刻变化，自觉用“五大发展理念”引领新的发展实践，主动适应环境变化，有效化解各种矛盾，夺取全面建成小康社会决胜阶段的伟大胜利。
Son of China’s ex-defence minister Qin Jiwei appointed chief of staff of military’s armed police | South China Morning Post Major General Qin Tian, son of former defence minister and revolutionary veteran Qin Jiwei, has been appointed chief of staff of the People’s Armed Police, ThePaper.cn reported, citing unnamed sources. The appointment came months after Qin, 57, was named vice-president of the People’s Liberation Army’s Academy of Military Sciences in August.
中央军改进行时 六名正大军区级将领履新政经频道财新网 成立陆军领导机构、火箭军、战略支援部队，习近平授予军旗并致训词；六名正大军区级将领履新，包括三名上将、三名中将，成都、兰州、北京军区各有一名高级将领上调
方向少将任火箭军政治工作部主任政经频道财新网 曾任总政治部办公厅副秘书长、组织部部长，解放军选举委员会委员，2015年夏季升任武警部队政治部主任，跻身副大军区级将领之列
刘源退休无愧军旗 反腐功高德昭日月-搜狐 retirement of Liu Yuan confirmed, wonder what sort of “advisory” role awaits him
China’s test flight to Yongshu Jiao “within sovereignty”: FM – Xinhua Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China has finished building an airfield on Yongshu Jiao of China’s Nansha Islands. The Chinese government used a civil aircraft to conduct the flight in order to test whether the airfield facilities meet civil aviation standards, she said, in response to reported objections of Vietnam’s foreign ministry.
Release of reporter’s brothers shows China does heed foreign pressure – The Washington Post This week, China unexpectedly released from detention two of three brothers of a reporter for Radio Free Asia (RFA) who is based in Washington. All three brothers had been held since the summer of 2014, and their case had attracted significant attention abroad, especially in the United States. It is the fourth time this year that China has appeared to respond to an international outcry and pulled back from exacting the harshest possible punishments on prominent dissidents.
习近平亲自批准刘源退役意味着什么？-新闻频道-和讯网 最近，关于刘源上将退役的传言甚嚣尘上，由出口转内销。12月31日，国防部网站刊登了当天例行记者会的内容，证实刘源已在近期退役实有其事。发言人杨宇军称，刘源担任正大军区职务已满十年，年龄已达上限，所以从领导岗位上退下。他还披露了一个鲜为人知的细节，那就是刘源退下是经过习近平主席亲自批准的。
陆军首任领导班子11位成员亮相 均曾任职集团军新闻腾讯网 [摘要]作为解放军最早组建、规模最大的陆军部队，此次军改中成立了专门的领导机构。陆军领导机构成立后，首任陆军领导班子成员经由官方报道得到确认。
Bringing U.S. Presidential Debates to a Chinese Audience – The New York Times Mr. Yin said that the Republican debates appeared to be getting more attention in China thanks largely to Mr. Trump, whose often unbridled remarks have earned him the nickname “big mouth” in China. He is also known as “broken bed,” a homonym for part of his name in Chinese: “Chuangpo.”
专家:雷克主观恶意评价毛泽东构成违法 雷克在引发网友愤怒的长度为4分43秒的视频中透露,录制该视频时,自己正在家中过圣诞节。有网友疑问,“如果雷克不是在中国境内录制这段视频、表述这些言论,他的行为适用于中国法律吗?”朱巍给出了肯定的答复。朱巍指出,“即使雷克身在德国,或者是中国以外的其他国家,其行为的网络延伸、网络环境发生在中国,虚拟性主体和现实就算存在时空的差距,但是因为他的影响情况和网络行为发生在中国,所以仍旧适用于中国的法律。” // Politics & law Uni official says German Cristopher Rehage can be prosecuted under Chinese law for his video mocking Mao even if he is overseas. Really?
任老外亵渎领袖是网民耻辱-新华网 正如评论所说，“对于郭玉、雷克这种浅薄无知张狂的外国人，我们不指望能改变他，但我们有权利选择朋友。依据法律，我们必须对他们关门。”同时，我们更要让这些人有所敬畏，改掉他们肆无忌惮无知张狂的习惯。
陈晓晨：2015，中国重塑国际规则的“起步之年”_人大重阳网|中国人民大学重阳金融研究院 2015年就要过去了，在此首先向圈内朋友说声辛苦了！参加工作后，差不多每年我都要写“20XX年中国外交回顾”之类的年度总结。对即将过去的一年，历史将给予怎样的评价？如果只用一个关键词总结今年的世界政治与中国外交，那么我认为这个词是“规则”。
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
Taiwan Elections 2016: Essential Electronic Resources | Taiwan in Perspective Comprehensive list of electronic resources relevant to forthcoming January 16 legislative and presidential elections in Taiwan. This list is a collaborative effort of Jonathan Sullivan (University of Nottingham/China Policy Institute), James Smyth, Ben Goren (Letters from Taiwan) and Michal Thim (Taiwan in Perspective).
TECH AND MEDIA
Nostalgia and Surrealism Infuse Works of Chinese Animation Artist – The New York Times His next film, “Sakya,” which together with “Mist” was shown at the Venice Biennale in 2013, is named after a Buddhist monastery in Tibet. It uses 3-D modeling software to create a celestial mood of pilgrims and Tibetan mandalas, and won praise for its exploration on the limitations on freedom of religion. For his next venture, Mr. Zhang plans to leave the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and take the helm of a Beijing gallery, the Kylin Center of Contemporary Art. There, he said, he will show art from around the world and send Chinese art abroad.
震惊❗| 记者暗访线下游戏陪玩，女孩二话不说进门就脱衣服…… 这名线上游戏陪玩女孩介绍说，她们自己不会主动揽活，游戏陪玩网站会帮她们联系游戏玩家，并从她们的收入中提成，吸引玩家的重点则在于照片。另一位线上游戏陪玩女孩坦言，除了线上陪玩，她也接线下陪玩的活，就是和玩家面对面接触，这中间，其实有着不为人知的猫腻。
‘We were locked into interrogation chairs and they kept the hood on us’: the ‘bad boys’ of China’s rap scene banned from the internet | South China Morning Post Straight in at number one on the Chinese government’s banned songs chart is IN3, a trio of brash, tattooed rappers who mix the earthy language of Beijing’s streets with classic hip hop beats. And number two. And three. And so on, down to number 17. They have played packed houses in Beijing for a decade, but all three were detained after China’s culture ministry published the list of 120 songs barred from the internet for “trumpeting obscenity, violence, crime and harming social morality”.
China’s Tech Sector Likely Faces Tougher Sledding in 2016 – WSJ “The huge swings in the public markets have spilled over into the later-stage venture investment market,” says Richard Ji, founder of All-Stars Investment Ltd., an investor in Chinese startups like $46 billion smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. and ride-sharing company Didi Kuaidi Joint Co. “Valuations overall have softened and companies are offering better terms to investors.” // has Ji marked down his Xiaomi investment?
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
China’s Homeless Find Shelter Under McDonald’s Golden Arches – The New York Times Every night across East Asia, in major cities like Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo, an invisible class of people — shut out of shelter systems, scorned by their families, down on their luck — turn to a beacon of Americana for a warm, dry place to sleep.
A sign of disaffection, rural worship of Chairman Mao is treated with caution – Global Times Today, many villagers in China’s rural areas nostalgic for the era of people’s communes and collective farming regard Mao Zedong as their god and spiritual leader. Such Maolovers seek to establish December 26, Mao’s birthday, as a public festival to celebrate the former leader. But as China drifts ever further away from Maoism, these voices, while persistent, are complaining of becoming increasingly marginalized.
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
“网络医托”微信QQ招揽患者 到诊提成高至数百深度新京报网 北京两家公司员工600余人假扮成医生，通过微信、QQ、商务通等软件，为至少20家民营医院“招揽患者”，患者到诊可提成40-300元/人。在一线城市，医院通过“网络医托”，平均从每名患者身上“开发”诊疗费用达6000元，其中一半被用来竞价，以占据搜索引擎排名前几位。
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ISSUES
Dim Sums: Rural China Economics and Policy: China Pushes Reform, Puzzles Over Grain Glut China’s top leadership plans to push ahead with deep structural reforms of agriculture and the countryside next year, but the most pressing matter is how to deal with its huge stockpile of surplus grain. At their annual conference for rural work China’s top leaders held December 24-25, 2015, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang sent a signal to the rest of the communist party that they intend to push forward with their ambitious overhaul of the countryside.
EDUCATION
深陷体制无法自拔——浙大人文学院院长徐斌的震惊离职演说 为什么不适应？我置身其中，越卷越深，深感高校行政化、权力化日趋严重，尤其在本科教学评估中的作为，公然全体造假，已丧失了最起码的大学精神。
China’s Message to Its Professors: Get Back to the Classroom – Bloomberg Business Until recently, university professors at state universities had thought themselves exempt from a 2013 ban on high-level government officials and Communist Party members holding corporate jobs, a restriction installed as part of the nation’s anti-corruption drive. That changed in November, when the education ministry threatened disciplinary action against higher-ranked academics who fail to register their corporate assignments.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
The Dawn of the Chinese Cruise Market The Chinese government has defined cruise vessels as “strategic equipment” for the nation, which means that development support and subsidies are high on its list of priorities. With government help, ports are working hard to upgrade their infrastructure for new tonnage and more ships. The Wusongkou International Terminal in Shanghai now claims to be the largest of its kind in Asia. In May, Royal Caribbean said it was looking into building Chinese dry dock facilities and developing logistics centres to supply its ships sailing in the region.
BEIJING
是谁割裂了北京CBD？原创频道财经网 – CAIJING.COM.CN 即使是在北京的三环之内，即使北边的CBD商业区一片繁华，南边的CBD住宅区一片祥和，二者之间的铁轨及配套机房看起来却像是与这个世界脱节，CBD就此被切为两半。
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