"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
Today’s Links:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
1. President Xi calls for “people-centric” reform – Xinhua The meeting approved a document regulating business operations by family members of officials, a practice which has been extended to Beijing, Guangdong, Chongqing and Xinjiang on the basis of a trial in Shanghai. Also approved were regulations on management of civil servants, regulations on administration of private schools, and regulations on the protection of judges and prosecutors, among others….The meeting approved the guidelines on speeding up the establishment of a social credit system. The attendees agreed that credit related information should be disclosed and shared across agencies and localities, so that an across-the-board mechanism can be established to punish the discredited and award the credit-worthy. The meeting approved the guidelines on strengthening the party’s presence in private schools, the regulations on the registrations of private schools, and the regulations on the supervision and administration of for-profit private schools. // 习近平主持召开中央全面深化改革领导小组第二十三次会议强调 改革既要往增添发展新动力方向前进 也要往维护社会公平正义方向前进
2. Xi stresses national security education – Xinhua Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the country to conduct national security education and enhance people’s national security awareness. Xi’s instructions were issued on Thursday, ahead of the first national security education day on April 15. The whole Party and society should be mobilized to jointly safeguard national security, consolidate the social basis for national security and prevent and defuse security risks, he said. // CCTV Evening News on Xi’s comments etc. [视频]全国人大常委会办公厅 中央宣传部 司法部在京举行贯彻实施国家安全法座谈会…not a joke, do not underestimate the paranoia that is being stirred up. Some of it is justified, as of course China is one of the top targets for many intelligence services. So far China has detained only a handful of foreigners for espionage in the last year or so, but do not be surprised if that changes. The combination of this renewed emphasis on national security and the purge of the intelligence services that left the survivors needing to prove their loyalty and their worth likely will not combine into a happy outcome for some foreigners going forward.
Related: 今天新闻联播的主要内容是：首个国家全民国家安全教育日获指习大大示，李克强会见澳总理，中美人权隔空对骂 根据习大大总体安全观的论述，国家安全是政治安全、国土安全、军事安全、经济安全、文化安全、社会安全、科技安全、信息安全、生态安全、资源安全、核安全等于一体的国家安全体系的总和。这里面放在第一位的，就是政治安全，里面所蕴含的含义和所指，自然也是非常明确。// Analysis of the CCTV Evening News report about national security education day, notes that “political security” is seen as key part of national security 习近平在首个全民国家安全教育日之际作出重要指示强调 汇聚起维护国家安全强大力量 不断提高人民群众安全感幸福感
Related: 北京国安局“猎狐高手”3年铲除核心区十多个内奸|王征|干警_凤凰资讯 在隐蔽的战线，他们从来都是隐姓埋名；在没有硝烟的战场，他们是敢于在刀尖上跳舞的勇士；在维护国家主权、安全、发展利益的重要时刻，他们是一支令隐蔽敌人胆寒的“天降神兵”。他们就是国家安全干警——党和人民的忠诚卫士。 北京市国家安全局某局副局长王征，就是这一群体的优秀代表。作为一名优秀侦察员、全国国家安全系统二级英雄模范，这位热血男儿与形形色色的间谍斗智斗勇25个春秋，践行着国家安全干警“坚定纯洁、让党放心、甘于奉献、能拼善赢”的核心要求。//on a Beijing MSS officer who has caught more than 10 spies in three years
Related: China Law Translate | Dangerous Love on National Security Education Day April 15 was China’s first annual National Security Education Day, observed with speeches and distribution of materials to raise awareness of security problems. The images below come from a two poster campaign called “Dangerous Love” (危险的爱情）that appeared in residential communities all over Xicheng in Beijing, warning of the dangers of dating a foreign academic who is actually a spy // the academic does look a bit sketchy…
Related: 男子偷卖90项国家绝密情报获利70万美元被判死刑新闻腾讯网 long video report about a convicted spy who received 700,000 USD for his services to a “foreign government”. He has been sentenced to death
Related: 间谍在身边：手把手教你抓间谍-20160414凤凰视频-凤凰视频-最具媒体品质的综合视频门户-凤凰网 nice animation on finding the spies among us, for national security education day
Related: China observes 1st National Security Education Day – Xinhua The campaign, following the passing of the National Security Law last summer, is spearheaded by lecture programs available on several new media platforms. They are led by a Tsinghua University professor. Pamphlets, posters and animations have been distributed in government organizations, schools, businesses and housing complexes, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Related: China is using Mr. Bean and Batman to help explain the importance of protecting state secrets — Quartz (April 15) is China’s first-ever National Security Education Day, a new “holiday” meant to publicize the importance of safeguarding state secrets, and by extension, promote the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party with regard to information security and human rights. To mark the occasion, the ministry of state security has produced a series of cartoon videos that mix abundant pop culture references with government sermonizing.
3. In South China Sea Visit, U.S. Defense Chief Flexes Military Muscle – The New York Times With a mix of showmanship and concrete initiatives during a six-day visit to India and the Philippines, Mr. Carter left little doubt that the United States intended both to strengthen alliances and move more hardware and troops here to counter China’s growing military reach. On Friday, he rode a helicopter to a symbol of American power projection in the Pacific, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, as it cruised through the South China Sea near waters claimed by the Chinese.
Related: Senior Chinese Military Officer Visited Strategic Island – WSJ The Chinese Defense Ministry issued a statement on its official microblog saying that Gen. Fan recently led senior military and civilian officials on a visit to the islands in the Spratlys archipelago, which China calls the Nansha, to inspect work and greet military personnel and construction workers there. The statement said the work included weather stations, marine-research facilities and five lighthouses, four of which were operational. It didn’t say when exactly the visit took place or whether Gen. Fan had departed. The Pentagon declined to comment. // paving the way for a Xi visit to the Spratlys?
Related: 社评：范长龙登中国岛礁，卡特巡“势力范围”评论环球网 相比之下，美军在这一海域的频繁出现却是不正常的。美国离南海如此遥远，作为域外国家却比域内国家还高调。它已是南海紧张升级的决定性因素。 这里的根本差异在于，中国是在行使主权，南海即使存在主权之争，声索国也大多不希望搞高它的烈度。而美国却是在维护势力范围，这是一种战略性觊觎。而势力范围这个概念已经开始并且终将退出亚洲的历史舞台。对于美军的行动，范长龙去年在北京会见美军太平洋总部司令哈利·哈里斯时已做过明确表态。他提醒美方注意，美舰进入中国南沙群岛有关岛礁近岸水域，对中方的领土主权和岛礁安全构成了威胁，引起了中方的强烈不满。
Related: Australian Intelligence: China Poised to Take ‘Decisive and Provocative’ Action in the South China Sea | The Diplomat Two recent developments suggest that China is preparing to take preemptive action in the South China Sea in advance of the ruling by the Arbitral Tribunal at the Permanent Count of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague on claims against it brought by the Philippines. (That ruling is expected in late-May or June.) These developments include beefing up air defenses on Woody Island in the Paracels, and, moreover, leaked intelligence assessments that China may be planning major construction activities at Scarborough Shoal. // been rumored for a few weeks, what is the US response plan if this happens?
4. Q&A: Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei – WSJ Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei sat down with The Wall Street Journal in Washington on the sidelines of a Group of 20 gathering of finance chiefs that he co-chaired. In his first interview with a foreign news outlet in four years, Mr. Lou offered his views on China’s reform efforts, the economic relationship between China and the U.S., and comments about China from GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump. Here are excerpts of the conversation.
5. Public Opinion with Chinese Characteristics-Sinica Podcast The immense popularity of social media has afforded China watchers a terrific window onto public opinion in China. In recent years, a slew of English-language websites have emerged to interpret the various trends and phenomena, discourse and debates on the Chinese Internet for non-Chinese audiences, but for our money, the very best of the bunch is ChublicOpinion.com — public opinion with Chinese characteristics — written by Ma Tianjie. // I am a big fan of Ma and his Chublic Opinion site
6. China’s Vaccine Scandal Threatens Public Faith in Immunizations – The New York Times The faulty vaccines have become the latest lightning rod for widespread, often visceral distrust of China’s medical system, as well as a rebuff to what many Chinese critics see as President Xi Jinping’s bulldozing, top-down rule. The scandal is just the latest crisis to shake public faith in China’s food and medicine supplies, but it is the first big scare under Mr. Xi, who had vowed to be different. He had come into office promising to “make protecting the people’s right to health a priority.” // mess with people’s kids and they have nothing to lose. mess with enough of them and you have a real stability threat…
Related: China punishes 357 officials over vaccine scandal – Xinhua The State Council on Wednesday announced that 357 officials implicated in a case concerning the sale of improperly stored or expired vaccines would be penalized. They will face punishments including losing their jobs or demotion, according to a decision made at a State Council executive meeting. So far 192 criminal cases have been filed nationwide and 202 people detained over the scandal, according to a statement issued after the meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.
7. China bans reality shows featuring celebrity offspring – Xinhua The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) announced the ban, saying reality shows must be “strictly controlled.” Some local TV stations have already canceled programs starring celebrities and their children, including the popular “Dad! Where Are We Going?” and “Dad Came Back,” following the SAPPRFT’s announcement.
Related: Culture Ministry Probes Live Web Shows over Porn, Violence Worries-Caixin Several websites, including Douyu TV, Huya.com and Yy.com, are being probed for “allegedly providing content that contains pornography or violence and encourages viewers to break laws and harms social morality,” the ministry said in a statement on its website on April 14. Online live broadcasting has grown popular in China recently, offering the people behind the shows big profits and sometimes stardom. The websites provide platforms for hosts to air programs and interact with viewers.
Related: China Cracking Down on Children on Reality TV – The New York Times On Monday afternoon, the state-owned People’s Daily newspaper reported that a hugely popular online celebrity and comedian nicknamed Papi Jiang had been censored by the broadcast regulator for the frequent use of vulgar language in her satirical videos. On Monday evening, Ms. Jiang posted a response on her public WeChat account. “As an independent media worker, I will pay more attention to my language and image, resolutely respond and rectify and reform according to online video requirements so that I can transfer positive energy to all,” she wrote.
8. Leaked Email: ABA Cancels Book for Fear of ‘Upsetting the Chinese Government’ | Foreign Policy Teng Biao claims the American Bar Association decided not to publish his book because it was worried about Beijing’s reaction // too bad no one is keeping track of all the instances of American censorship to appease Beijing. I think people would be shocked…
BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE
More Property, Less Pork: What’s Behind China’s Robust Economic Figures – WSJ The property sector, which began cooling three years ago, has shown signs of warming up since the second half of last year. Property investments climbed 6.2% in the first quarter from a year earlier, more than doubling the rate of increase in the January-February period.
China’s Exports Jump Most in a Year, Boosting Growth Outlook – Bloomberg Seasonal factors aided the recovery. The week-long lunar new year holiday fell in February this year, closing factories and curbing shipments. That saw exports tumble 25.4 percent in U.S. dollar terms from a year earlier, the biggest decline since May 2009. “Figures around this time of year are enormously impacted by seasonal factors,” said Ben Simpfendorfer, founder of research firm Silk Road Associates in Hong Kong. “Exports are weak and likely to remain so over the coming months.”
China’s house prices surge as efforts to cool market fall flat – FT.com “The [nationwide] rate of increase in prices of new and existing residential buildings has significantly accelerated from the previous month, by 0.6 and 1.2 percentage points respectively,” wrote Liu Jianwei, an NBS statistician. New mortgage borrowing increased 60 per cent in the first quarter year-on-year, according to Faye Gao, analyst at Bernstein Research. The research house estimates new lending reached Rmb313bn ($48bn) in March, second only to this January over the past five years.
China GDP: Second Look Shows Slower Growth – MoneyBeat – WSJ China’s National Bureau of Statistics, which puts out gross-domestic-product numbers each quarter, delayed the release of its seasonally adjusted figures until a day after the main headline release on Friday. Those adjusted numbers showed growth from the fourth quarter of 1.1%, the slowest since the government started releasing seasonally adjusted quarterly figures in late 2010.
Sinology by Andy Rothman – This Should End Talk of a Hard Landing A modest credit stimulus and a housing market rebound led to a pick-up in investment and industrial activity during the first quarter of the year, and while that should end talk of a hard landing, the gradual deceleration of China’s economic growth will continue. Growth is driven increasingly by consumption and services as rebalancing proceeds, and that part of the economy—the largest part—continues to offer opportunities for investors.// but sustainable?
China’s Credit Engine Hasn’t Been So Powerful in a Decade – Bloomberg The latest evidence, from March credit data, shows that for all the People’s Bank of China’s challenges in adopting a new monetary policy structure, it’s proving effective in the basic mission of spurring new lending to support growth. The so-called money multiplier, a gauge of the extra credit that’s created by additional base money from the central bank, has climbed to the highest since 2006, data compiled by Bloomberg show
It’s All Suddenly Going Wrong in China’s $3 Trillion Bond Market – Bloomberg Spooked by a fresh wave of defaults at state-owned enterprises, investors in China’s yuan-denominated company notes have driven up yields for nine of the past 10 days and triggered the biggest selloff in onshore junk debt since 2014. Local issuers have canceled 60.6 billion yuan ($9.4 billion) of bond sales in April alone, while Standard & Poor’s is cutting its assessment of Chinese firms at a pace unseen since 2003.
World Bank to take lead on projects with China’s AIIB: Kim | Reuters The World Bank will likely take the lead on initial projects jointly financed with China’s new Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank, the head of the Washington-based multilateral lender said on Thursday. The two institutions on Wednesday signed a framework agreement to co-finance projects, and the World Bank said they were currently discussing nearly a dozen projects in sectors that include transport, water and energy in Central Asia, South Asia and East Asia
Investing in Chinese Stocks—投资大中华地区股市: Too Late: Wenzhou Sets Off The Housing Bomb In Wenzhou, the government sold land in the 1990s with 20 year usage rights attached. Those rights are starting to expire. The article below is an interview with Wenzhou City Land Resources Bureau, Land Use Management Department Director Zhang Shaoqing about the implications for home owners. The shocking revelation is homeowners are likely to pay full price for rights extensions. In which case, the land value component of a home’s value is a depreciating asset. The land value falls as rights tick down to expiration, at which time they must be repurchased. Homeowners may need to pay as much as 30-50% of a home’s transacted price. As the city officials puts it, if you pay full price for a home that has expiring land rights, it’s like paying full price for a 10-year old car. For uniformed buyers, this would be like walking into a luxury car dealership and paying top dollar for the latest models, only to be handed the keys to a used clunker.
China May Have $1.3 Trillion of Risky Loans, IMF Report Shows – Bloomberg Loans “potentially at risk” would amount to 15.5 percent of total commercial lending, the IMF said in its latest Global Financial Stability Report. That compares with the 5.5 percent problem loan ratio reported by China’s banking regulator after including nonperforming and special-mention loans. // just 1.3 Trillion?
POLITICS AND LAW
Top Legal Affairs Official in Hebei Is Subject of ‘Discipline’ Probe-Caixin Zhang Yue case // The investigation into Zhang, 55, is linked to his ties with Guo Wengui, a property tycoon who controls Beijing Pangu Investment Co., and Ma Jian, a former vice minister of state security, a person who has been briefed on the inquiry said. The source, who asked not to be named, told Caixin that Zhang introduced Ma, a long-time friend, to Guo around 2004. The group colluded to advance Guo’s business interests by taking advantage of Ma’s clout within the country’s domestic security apparatus and Zhang’s control of the political and legal affairs commission in Hebei, the source said. // more details in this The Beijing News report, calls Zhang Yue one of the “four Hebei tigers” recently taken down (the others are Zhou Benshun, Liang Bin and Jing Chunhua) “河北四虎”曾在习总面前如何自批与互批?
China Issues, Deletes Article Defending President Over Panama Papers-RFA China’s Internet censors deleted a favorable blog post analyzing the links between relatives of the country’s president, Xi Jinping, and papers leaked from the Panama-based Mossack Fonseca law firm. The blog post appeared on an overseas blog, and was later reposted by the Shanghai-based news website Jiemian, which is owned by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, and Internet portal Tencent, before censors deleted it. Media insiders said the post, which argued that Xi had “managed his relatives’ affairs well” before taking power as president, was likely penned by officials at the highest level. // Google Cache version of the now deleted article
China underscores CPC code of conduct in education on law – Xinhua Aside from understanding the Constitution and the laws of China, the new plan says the public should fully grasp the concept of rule of law, CPC regulations, and socialist core values, and how they relate to their day-to-day lives, according to the MOJ. The main targets of the campaign are leading officials and teenagers, said the MOJ, adding that civil servants must also enhance their understanding of law, and leading cadres should lead by example. The Internet was identified as a perfect platform to disseminate information in this regard //人民日报评论员：全民普法，经济社会发展的有力保障
TED Talks’ and ’Toons: A New Recipe for Party Loyalty | Sixth Tone In a bid to increase engagement with China’s young generation, the China Communist Youth League is turning to TED-style talks and animated propaganda pieces — including a new video on model online behavior released Tuesday. The forays into new forms of media come as the Youth League rolls out stricter rules on admissions in an effort to weed out hangers-on who enroll for the sake of a more attractive résumé. Watching the Youth League’s video lecture series “Qingke” — literally “Youth Class” — it is quite clear where the inspiration for the format came from. A spirited speaker talks to an attentive, small audience, while behind them the name of the video lecture series stands on stage in red, block lettering. This is TED, with Chinese characteristics.
中纪委机关报：有人被喊局长很受用，被喊书记时好像与己无关舆论场澎湃新闻-The Paper 前不久，笔者参加某国企召开的党建工作会。会前恰好在走道里碰到这家企业的党委书记兼董事长，就上去打招呼：“书记好！”他愣了一下，直到我又冲着他喊了一遍，他才回过神来，然后不好意思地说：“大家平时都喊我董事长，我听习惯了，刚才还以为你喊别人呢。” 这种情况，现实中并不鲜见，国有企业有，党政机关、事业单位也有。很多党员领导干部，既兼有行政职务，又担任党内职务，在是“×长”的同时，还是党委书记、党组书记、党总支书记或者党支部书记。于是就有一些人，听到别人喊自己“局长”、“处长”、“主任”时很受用，而喊“书记”时却好像与己无关，俨然忘记了自己还担任着党内职务。
Party journal stresses study of Marxist values, improvement of governance – Xinhua Qiushi Journal, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has encouraged CPC members to study Marxist values and sharpen their governance capacity. In a commentary under the byline “Qiushi,” the journal called on CPC members to follow the example of members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, who continuously study Marxist values, update their knowledge about current economic and social issues and apply them to their daily work. Continuous study of Marxism will equip officials with firm faith and the correct political stance and enable them to make the right decisions, the article wrote.// 依靠学习走向未来—— 党的十八大以来中央政治局集体学习的新实践
改进党委会工作方法 巩固党的领导核心地位 ——学习习近平总书记重温《党委会的工作方法》重要批示的体会 2016年04月15日 08:00:00 来源：《求是》2016/08 作者：赵克志
China clarifies criteria for capital punishment in graft cases – Xinhua The new ruling set the minimum of “a large amount of money” at 30,000 yuan, for “a huge amount of money” the minimum is 200,000 yuan, while for “an extremely huge amount of money” the minimum was set at 3 million yuan. The 1997 version of the Criminal Law set the minimum standard for criminal prosecution at 5,000 yuan. Due to currency inflation and income increases, it was deemed too low a figure. The severity of the crimes is to be taken into consideration. For example, those who embezzle or accept bribes worth less than 30,000 yuan may face criminal prosecution if their crimes are serious and affect many people. The judicial document also clarified its stance on certain scenarios. If an official learns that a “person of interest,” such as a family member or close aide, has accepted bribes but does not return or report it, the official will be considered as complicit in the crime.
China recalls the values of the past to treat today’s ills – Xinhua Classical Chinese poetry has become the latest addition to the armory of frontline authorities in their war on corruption. This month, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) posted 40 traditional Chinese family aphorisms on their microblog as recommended reading for Communist Party of China officials. Written by poets, thinkers and philosophers, these classic texts, some more than 1,000 years old, have survived the test of time through both their wisdom and their literary grace. //I think this is the original on the CCDI site
纪检监察机关如何处置涉案款物?——中央纪委监察部网站 The CCDI attempts to explain how it deals with confiscated assets // 没收个人财产，收缴违纪所得，责令退赔相关费用……这些词，你是不是既熟悉又陌生？ 党的十八大以来，党中央坚定不移反对腐败，依纪依法清除了一批腐败分子。在处分通报和法院判决书中，关于涉案款物处置的表述，你真的读懂了吗？你是否也好奇腐败分子的违纪所得究竟何去何从了呢？今天，我们用6个问题，解答你的疑问。
Accessing Chinese criminal law legal developments via Wechat | Supreme People’s Court Monitor For the many persons inside and outside of China who are trying to understand China’s anti-corruption system, these public accounts provide valuable information on what happens as cases go from Party disciplinary investigation to the procuratorate to court, and the arguments defense lawyers are making on behalf of their clients,including the exclusion of evidence obtained by torture.
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
中央军委联合参谋部作战局成立海外行动处 – 中国军网 杨宇军：近年来，随着我国力和军力的增强，中国军队多次开展海外军事行动，积极履行国际责任和义务。在这轮改革中，在中央军委联合参谋部作战局成立了海外行动处，负责全军和武警部队海外非战争军事行动的筹划、准备与实施。它的主要职能包括：统筹海外军事行动，协调组织国际维和、海外护航、国际救援、护侨撤侨以及相应的中外联演联训，建立与中央国家机关海外军事行动的协调机制，参与和组织海外军事行动领域的国际交流合作等。 需要说明的是，中国军队在参加海外军事行动中，一贯遵守《联合国宪章》和公认的国际关系准则，致力于与各国军队加强交流与合作，共同维护地区和世界的和平稳定。
China’s Island Building in the South China Sea: Damage to the Marine Environment, Implications, and International Law | U.S.-CHINA The building of these artificial islands will almost certainly lead to increased Chinese fishing in the surrounding waters, which could raise the risk of a clash between Chinese fishing boats and those of other claimant countries. Moreover, China’s island building activities may have violated some of its environmental commitments under international law; the ongoing case initiated by the Philippines at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague regarding China’s claims and activities in the South China Sea is considering this possibility.
Targeting Beyond China – The New York Times – Chang Ping OpEd These harsh acts are the offshoot of an ongoing attempt by Beijing to control the global conversation about China. Thousands of hackers backed by the Chinese government troll overseas websites and attack articles critical of Beijing. The Chinese government has invested in radio stations and newspapers in Western countries.
Full text: Human Rights Record of the United States in 2015 – Xinhua The use of guns was out of control in the United States, which severely threatened citizens’ right of life. The frequent occurrence of shooting incidents was the deepest impression left to the world concerning the United States in 2015. There were a total of 51,675 gun violence incidents in the United States in 2015 as of December 28, leaving 13,136 killed and 26,493 injured. — Citizens’ personal security could not be guaranteed with the excessive use of violence by police. Police shot dead 965 people last year as of December 24, and the abuse of power by the police did not result in discipline
Executive Summary – Maritime Awareness Project The National Bureau of Asian Research and Sasakawa USA have partnered on a new innovative platform for analyses and data on maritime security called the Maritime Awareness Project (MAP). The MAP portal combines exciting, interactive mapping technology with rigorous analyses from the world’s leading maritime experts to serve as the leading authoritative resource on maritime issues.
Why Xi is Purging the Chinese Military | The National Interest Another important question that we can probably put to rest, at least for now, is whether the PLA is a rogue actor in the Chinese system. Clearly, the military is more closely managed under Xi than at any time since Mao. And now that the general departments have been reconstituted and placed directly under the CMC, commanders may have to respond directly to a new joint staff or even the CMC itself.
China must see missile defense is ‘live or die’ for South Korea: Seoul official | Reuters The United States and South Korea earlier began talks on possible deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system after North Korea tested its fourth nuclear bomb on Jan. 6 and launched a long-range rocket on Feb. 7, but China firmly opposes the move. Shin Beomchul, director-general for policy planning at South Korea’s foreign ministry, told a seminar that more conversations were need with China on the issue. “I hope to ask China’s understanding of what (South) Korea is feeling about the North Korean threat,” he told the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
U.S. to give Philippines eye in sky to track South China Sea activity | Reuters Philip Goldberg, U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, said Washington would give Manila, its oldest Asia-Pacific security ally, $42 million worth of sensors, radar and communications equipment. “We will add to its capability to put sensors on ships and put an aerostat blimp in the air to see into the maritime space,” Goldberg said in an interview with CNN Philippines,
US to sail submarine drones in South China Sea – FT.com The initial function of sub drones is expected to be surveillance, however naval planners believe there are endless potential uses. One model is what one official calls a Russian doll approach — with a mother sub or surface vessel that can then release a series of much smaller drones that could be mines or used to track subs or even launch their own missiles. Small sub drones would be much harder to monitor using sonar systems that are designed to find large objects in deep waters. It might be possible, for instance, for a vessel to enter an enemy harbour unobserved.
人民日报海外版-美在南海耍横，绑架不了中国（望海楼） 苏晓晖 卡特在登上航母时宣称，美一直在“维护南海的和平与稳定”。奉劝美方言行一致，不要继续说一套、做一套。 （作者为中国国际问题研究院国际战略研究所副所长）
Race for Latest Class of Nuclear Arms Threatens to Revive Cold War – The New York Times The Chinese military, under the tighter control of President Xi Jinping, is flight-testing a novel warhead called a “hypersonic glide vehicle.” It flies into space on a traditional long-range missile but then maneuvers through the atmosphere, twisting and careening at more than a mile a second. That can render missile defenses all but useless. The Obama administration is hardly in a position to complain. It is flight-testing its own hypersonic weapon, but an experiment in 2014 ended in a spectacular fireball. Flight tests are set to resume next year. As part of the modernization process, it is also planning five classes of improved nuclear arms and associated delivery vehicles that, as a family, are shifting the American arsenal in the direction of small, stealthy and precise.
China May Be the Big Winner in the Pentagon’s Newest Spying Scandal | Foreign Policy The U.S. naval officer at the center of a burgeoning spy scandal may not have simply betrayed his country: He may have also helped China compromise Washington’s most-sophisticated tool for tracking Beijing’s submarines, ships, and planes. The surveillance aircraft potentially exposed in the espionage case are America’s high-tech “eyes in the sky” in the western Pacific, the EP-3E Aries II and P-8A Poseidon, which are equipped with sensors and radar that allow them to scoop up the electronic communications of Chinese forces and monitor their movements.
U.S. Defense official: China deploys 16 fighter jets to disputed Woody island | South China Sea Research China moved 16 Shenyang J-11 advanced fighter aircraft to Woody Island on April 7, said the defense official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly. He said such a large deployment was “unprecedented,” though it’s not the first time China has sent fighter jets to Woody Island, the largest landmass in the Paracel Islands, which are situated in the hotly disputed South China Sea region.
The Committee of 100 Survey Finds Rising Level of Distrust Undermining U.S.-China TiesCHINA US Focus | CHINA US Focus The survey found that views of China as a partner to the U.S. are at an all-time high since this question was first asked in 2007. Specifically,nearly two in three Americans (63%) say China is a very important partner to the U.S. Favorable views of China are similarly at an all-time high – 57% say they have a favorable impression, while 43% hold unfavorable views. The partnership between the two countries is, however, grounded in limited trust: three in four Americans (75%) call China a serious or potential economic threat. More than three in four Americans (77%) call China a serious or potential military threat.
Xi extends condolences over death of Chinese rocket expert – Xinhua Liang Qichao’s youngest son, Liang Sicheng’s brother. Quite the family, those Liangs. Xi’s condolences were the top of the news. likely another signal to the military about the importance of and support for technological innovation // Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered condolences to the family of rocket scientist Liang Sili, who died of illness at the age of 91 in Beijing Thursday. In his message, Xi deeply mourned the loss of Liang, who after the founding of New China, returned to the country and devoted himself tirelessly to China’s aerospace program.
U.S. Conspiracy Charges Spotlights China Nuclear Champion – Bloomberg A U.S. indictment on charges against China General Nuclear Power Corp. for conspiracy to illegally produce nuclear material is shining a light on one of the Asian country’s leading atomic energy companies and a key player in its effort to export nuclear technology. The state-owned company, part of a venture designing the country’s first homegrown reactor, was named as conspirator in an indictment unsealed by the U.S. government Thursday.
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
KENYA INCIDENT: Officials say Chinese action was legal – Taipei Times Officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said the government had expressed its concern to Chinese authorities about the rights of eight Taiwanese who were deported to China by Kenya. However, they said that Beijing acted in conformity with the principles on legal jurisdiction in having them deported to China, where the targets of the fraud schemes reside.
TECH AND MEDIA
Twitter’s new MD for China linked to Great Firewall – FT.com In a 2004 interview with Sohu.com, a Chinese internet portal, Ms Chen described CA Jinchen as behind antivirus software that she called an “email filtering gateway”. She said the technology was aimed at filtering “harmful information” in addition to viruses and spam. “There could still be information related to Falun Gong, information of political sensitivity and harmful information. We have filters for such content,” she said, referring to the banned Chinese spiritual movement. Twitter stood by its decision, telling the Financial Times in an emailed statement that Ms Chen’s own previous role did not include developing censorship technologies. // What are the odds that Twitter management was not aware of this part of her resume?
WeChat’s competitor to Slack has arrived-TechinAsia WeChat Enterprise includes a number of features that are familiar territory to those who have used business chat apps. But it also has some welcome innovations. The service can essentially replace group email, and make quick chats between colleagues easier. It has useful add-ons like the ability for an employee to mark when they are on a break, hold group voice/text chats, and allows for companies to build in specific features like automated forms for reimbursements, vacations, and the like.
Awards — International China Journalists Association The 2016 ICJA Awards Contest is now open. Please send your submissions to icja@icja-china.org. Reporting on China is increasingly important, as the country takes on a larger role in regional and global affairs. Yet journalism in China faces growing challenges. The International China Journalists Association (ICJA) is dedicated to promoting and recognizing excellence in journalism about China through an annual awards contest and other initiatives.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
Shanghai Says People Who Fail to Visit Parents Will Have Credit Scores Lowered-Caixin Eastern city unveils rules that require people to “visit or send greetings often” or suffer the consequences of bad credit
读陈永发史著断想-炎黄春秋 “红太阳是怎样升起的？”读高华的书，觉得是在延安整风中“升起的”。读陈永发的书得知，从1927年以后，中共内部“国际派”和“地方派”（以毛为首）在关键时刻都有不同的主张。中国共产主义革命的实践证明，国际派的主张是错误的，毛的主张是正确的。国际派把中共一次又一次引向失败，而按毛的主张，中共才取得胜利。“红太阳是怎样升起的？”是毛同国际派在实践较量中升起的，延安整风只不过是总结和清算而已。
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
Chinese Parents Outraged After Illnesses at School Are Tied to Pollution – The New York Times Students and parents at the Changzhou Foreign Languages School had complained since December about pollution in the area, after dozens of children came down with rashes and nosebleeds and a foul stench surrounded the school. But local officials dismissed their concerns, saying that the air, soil and groundwater met national standards. On Sunday, the government’s powerful national broadcaster, China Central Television, aired a scathing report documenting the illnesses and finding that toxins in the soil and water far exceeded national limits. // mess with people’s kids and they have nothing to lose. mess with enough of them and you have a real stability threat…
‘Think of Our Children,’ Say Parents at Center of Pollution Scandal | Sixth Tone Zhang Manzhu’s daughter is a seventh-grader at Changzhou Foreign Languages School. Last December, her daughter’s face broke out in a rash, and lumps appeared on her neck. “I thought it was just the arrival of spring that caused it,” Zhang said. “But other parents said their children had similar symptoms.” Zhang’s daughter is one of many students who came home from school with various illnesses. Of the 641 students who have gone in for medical tests, 493 had illnesses varying from eczema, bronchitis, and headaches, to a lack of white blood cells, and in a few cases even lymphoma and leukemia, according to media reports.
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ISSUES
Syngenta Within Reach, China Signals Speed on GMOs – China Real Time Report – WSJ It’s an issue that has vexed many in the nation, from pundits on China’s microblogs worried about the uncharted effects of GMOs on human health, to military officials who want to ban GMO imports as a matter of strategic defense. China hasn’t allowed any GMO staple foods to be commercially produced on its soil; the last major policy move, taken in 2009, was to certify the biotechnological safety of a handful of homegrown rice and corn strains. This week, China’s agriculture ministry appeared to say: buckle up.
China to step up regulation on GM crops – Xinhua Agricultural authorities at all levels should strengthen the control of testing, production, processing, labeling and marketing of GM seeds and crops, according to a statement posted on the ministry’s website. Conducting GM crop research or breeding secretly must be strictly prohibited, the statement said, adding that all experimental material should be traceable.
JOBS AND EVENTS
ChinaFile Presents: The End of China’s Economic Miracle? A Discussion with ‘Financial Times’ Writers | New York | Asia Society Wed 20 Apr 2016 6:30pm – 8:00pm 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY
CHINAWEEK California-China Business Summit | CHINAWEEK May 11 in LA
Jobs and Internships | Brookings Institution |Fellow and Director of Research, Brookings Tsinghua Center, China Center Advanced degree in policy- related field required; advanced degree in urbanization, economics and finance, social equality, or public health preferred. Minimum of two years strong experience working on public policy issues in policy research or policy implementing organization required. Strong research skills and computer skills required.
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