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

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THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

1. Key MSCI emerging markets index rejects Chinese mainland stocks, again “International institutional investors clearly indicated that they would like to see further improvements in the accessibility of the China A shares market before its inclusion in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index,” Remy Briand, MSCI Managing Director and Global Head of Research, said in the release. “In keeping with its standard practice, MSCI will monitor the implementation of the recently announced policy changes and will seek feedback from market participants.” // the full release (PDF). Good for the MSCI, time for China to prove its seriousness about reforms, the IMF must be feeling even more embarrassed now about its RMB SDR inclusion decision…

2. Push to Widen College Access Suffers Setback–Caixin Provincial officials shelved a university admissions quota adjustment as the struggle for equal opportunity continues…Liu Chuantie, director of the Hubei education bureau, told reporters that the province’s seven, central government-backed universities would not change admission quotas as previously planned. Other universities had not been included in the proposed quota adjustment. An admissions officer at one of the seven universities who asked not to be named told Caixin that provincial officials had acted on an order from the central government that reversed a Beijing decision handed down less than a month earlier. Central government education officials did not respond to a Caixin request for comments on the university quota issue.

Related: The Death and Life of Middle Class Politics in China « China Change As public contention surrounding the death of Lei Yang’s continues to grow, something new is developing in China’s political scene: the middle class is speaking out and asserting its own demands, even as the rights defense movement continues to suffer a sustained crackdown….With all this in mind, we can safely predict that middle class political resistance is going to emerge as a major force in China. A political opposition may emerge out of the demand for equal rights to education, personal freedom, and civil rights, competing with the Communist Party for the role of middle class’ protector, thus influencing China’s political future.  // interesting piece though I think the conclusion is more likely wishful thinking…the middle class is actually one of the biggest support blocs for continued CCP rule, so long as the Party and government deliver the goods…Xi and the Party understand this very clearly, which is why one of its main goals is improving governance (he does have a book under his name about governance that is worth reading…) through building a more responsive and efficient authoritarian government, while also reminding everyone of the personal costs involved with pushing too hard against Party rule. If he and the Party fail all bets are off, but I would not put my money on the inevitability of the rise of the middle class leading to political liberalization in the PRC.

Related: 新华社打脸啪啪啪：我们情绪不稳定 北京实验二小白云路小学的“毒跑道”事件，舆情还在发酵，孩子们在流鼻血，家长们五内俱焚，但管理者却似乎若无其事，以至于日前公开回应：操场标准合格！ 真的合格吗？穿越得让常识都不够用了，以至于有几个微信群里，一些体制内的父母都焦虑发狠：真恨不得上街了…… 上街，肯定不是解决问题的办法。 人们迫切期待着政府的回应，但政府迟迟千呼万唤不出来的背景下，新华社的发声显得尤为重要，因为这是舆情监督，这是在倒逼真相。 不发声则已，6月13日，新华社一发声就是五问：

3. US to counter China uncertainty with combined Pacific Fleet- Nikkei Asian Review The increased integration of the 7th and 3rd Fleets should mean more 3rd Fleet vessels operating in the western Pacific, which is traditionally the 7th Fleet’s area. One such operation is the deployment of the Pacific Surface Action Group, under which the destroyers USS Spruance, USS Decatur and USS Momsen have embarked on a seven-month tour of Asia. The ships will conduct a broad range of operations in the 7th Fleet’s area, while remaining under the operational control of 3rd Fleet commander Vice Adm. Nora Tyson.

Related: 中国公开航母杀手东风21D 韩媒:回应美部署航母|航母杀手|东风21D|美军_新浪新闻 参考消息网6月15日报道 韩媒称，中国官媒中央电视台6月11日在军事频道中公开被称为“航母杀手”的“东风21D”反舰弹道导弹部队的训练情况。// CCTV 6.11 report shows training with the DF-21D, speculation that signaling to the US with a carrier group in the South China Sea?

Related: A Guide to Stepping it Up in the South China Sea-War on the Rocks failing to take stronger action also runs the very serious risk that the Chinese will gradually but inevitably gain control of this critical maritime region. That would weaken the regional position of U.S. allies and partners, but even more importantly, it would challenge the vital and longstanding U.S. interest in maintaining global freedom of navigation. We suggest six options that the United States and its partners should now consider, listed in increasing order of assertiveness.

4. Asean rebukes Beijing in South China Sea dispute | Bangkok Post: news In a rare diplomatic slap in the face for Beijing — issued on its own territory — the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) offered a sharp rebuke over China’s actions in the waterway. “We expressed our serious concerns over recent and ongoing developments, which have eroded trust and confidence, increased tensions and which may have the potential to undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea,” its communique said without mentioning China by name.

Related: ASEAN retracts South China Sea criticism: Malaysia – Channel NewsAsia Southeast Asian countries have reversed course on a statement that expressed deep concern over events in the South China Sea, where Beijing is embroiled in territorial rows, Malaysia said on Tuesday, adding that “urgent amendments” would be made. //pathetic

Related: China will reject any outside ‘disturbance’ to Southeast Asia’s peace and stability: foreign minister | South China Morning Post Wang Yi’s comments made at Special Asean-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting before court ruling on Beijing’s South China Sea territorial dispute with Philippines

Related: Related: China voices appreciation for support on South China Sea issue – Xinhua China Tuesday thanked countries for their support on the South China Sea issue. Sierra Leone and Kenya recently announced their approval of China’s stance. The number of countries that support China now amounts to 60.

5. How China Won the Keys to Disney’s Magic Kingdom – The New York Times Disney hired former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and mounted an intense lobbying effort. In October 1998, Mr. Eisner met Zhu Rongji, who had just been named prime minister, at China’s leadership compound in Beijing. Mr. Eisner apologized for “Kundun,” calling it a “stupid mistake,” according to a transcript of the meeting. “This film was a form of insult to our friends, but other than journalists, very few people in the world ever saw it,” Mr. Eisner said during the meeting. (“Kundun” bombed, taking in just $5.7 million against a production budget of about $30 million.) Mr. Eisner said the company had learned a lesson. And he introduced Mr. Iger, then Disney’s international president, as the person who would carry on negotiations for a theme park.

Related: China’s Content Crackdown Forces Western Media Concessions – WSJ Rules barring foreign media companies from licenses to operate video-streaming services in China, and from showing content online or via cable as stand-alone brands, have been in place for several years. Recently they have been more strictly enforced. China’s regulators in April unplugged two recent entrants, in moves that showed no company is immune: Apple Inc.’s online book and movie services and a smart-TV streaming service under the Walt Disney Co. brand. Disney started the Disney Life streaming service in partnership with China’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. People familiar with the matter said it was taken down in China primarily due to the ban on online or cable content under foreign brands

6. AP Interview: Chinese lawyer not giving up despite torture In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Gao Zhisheng, 52, who has been living under near-constant surveillance by Chinese authorities since his release from jail in 2014, said he wrote his book “to expose the truth and crimes of this regime.” The Chinese-language book, titled “Stand Up China 2017 — China’s Hope: What I Learned During Five Years as a Political Prisoner,” was launched in Hong Kong on Tuesday at an event attended by Gao’s daughter. “This book is my way of posing resistance,” Gao said in Monday night’s interview, which was conducted over a messaging app instead of by phone to circumvent surveillance and interruption. “I wrote it secretly because I had to hide from the minders who watch me around the clock.”

Related: Incendiary Memoir by Chinese Rights Lawyer Reaches Bookshelves Abroad – The New York Times Mr. Gao, 52, became increasingly critical of the Communist Party and renounced his membership. Detained in 2006, he recanted his confession upon release and described the abuse he received from the police. In early 2009, he disappeared, with the government providing no explanation of his whereabouts for more than a year, prompting international condemnation. After being briefly released from prison in 2010, he disappeared into police custody again, only to be released again in 2014 and transferred to house arrest. Mr. Gao’s imprisonment was a prelude to the far more extensive crackdown on Chinese human rights lawyers under President Xi Jinping.

Related: Police in China Want Rights Lawyer Prosecuted on Subversion Charge – The New York Times The Chinese police have recommended prosecution on a charge of subversion for Zhou Shifeng, a prominent lawyer whose arrest last year formed the focus of a campaign to discredit and dissolve networks of rights-focused defense lawyers who challenged the government, one of his former colleagues said on Monday.

7. 我们党为什么总能战胜风险力挽狂澜（纪念中国共产党成立95周年）–时政–人民网 ——写在中国共产党成立95周年之际 欧阳淞-（作者为中国中共党史学会会长、中央党史研究室原主任）《 人民日报 》（ 2016年06月14日 07 版）

8. Sichuan Cuisine, Imperiled by Success – The New York Times along with all the pungent aromas, a whiff of panic is in the air here in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in southwest China. “Sichuanese cuisine really faces a crisis,” said Wang Kaifa, a 71-year-old chef who has been leading a campaign against what he sees as the creeping debasement of the region’s celebrated cooking. “The scene feels like it’s booming, but this is a chaotic boom that has had a lot of negatives,” he said, drawing out his vowels and emphasizing high notes in the region’s lilting accent  // with a video that will make you hungry and, if you are in a Chinese food desert like DC, frustrated…and gotta love the shot of the guy getting his ear cleaned

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE

Alibaba Trying to Shore Up Investors’ Confidence – The New York Times Mr. Ma at the conference also defended Alibaba’s effort to fight fakes, which he said was tough because fake goods are often well made. “The problem is that the fake products today, they make better quality, better prices than the real products, the real names,” he said, seeking to explain that many of the factories tapped by foreign brands have turned to websites like Alibaba’s to distribute fakes and sometimes their own brands. Mr. Ma said that Alibaba was the best in the world at combating counterfeiters but added that it was not the fake products, but the business model of selling those products directly online, that was the real threat to foreign businesses.

Former Head of Postal Savings Bank Found Dead in Custody-Caixin Tao Liming, the former president of the Postal Savings Bank of China who was arrested for corruption in 2012, died in custody on June 1, several sources with knowledge of the matter told Caixin. No official statement regarding the cause of Tao’s death has been released. A source from the PSB, who asked not to be named, said Tao’s family has demanded an autopsy.

China rows back on state-sector reforms – FT.com “All the major decisions of the company must be studied and suggested by the party committees,” according to an article by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission in the influential party magazine Qiushi, or Seeking Truth. “Major operational management arrangements involving macro-control, national strategy and national security must be studied and discussed by the party committees before any decision by the board of directors or company management.” // Link to original was in yesterday’s newsletter-国资委：国企重大决策须由党委讨论后董事会决定 

A Chinese Pharmaceutical Startup Acquires an American Firm to “Go Global” – Paulson Institute New investment case study tells the story of Wuxi Pharmatech, which first acquired a US medical device and testing firm then opened R&D operations in multiple states.

China Said to Seek Economic Summits for Bigger Global Voice – Bloomberg China is approaching global economic organizations including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to establish an annual meeting that would offer the nation a stronger policy voice on the world economic stage, according to a person familiar with the talks.

Merkel Says China Increasingly Becoming Germany’s Economic Rival – Bloomberg “It’s good for us that we can cooperate with one another — that secures jobs in Germany as well,” Merkel said after touring the BMW plant. “But one also sees that, step by step, competition is developing, because people in China also want to get ahead and make products of their own.” Merkel’s visit was overshadowed by a dispute over Chinese steel exports to the European Union and China’s demand to be granted market-economy status by the EU. There’s also resistance in Germany to Midea Group Co.’s bid for Germany robot maker Kuka AG, whose machinery is used in many foreign manufacturers’ plants in China. It was the German leader’s ninth trip to China in a decade as chancellor.

China’s cross-border ecommerce set to become $100b industry-TechinAsia ll that cross-border spending on the web will amount to US$85.8 billion by the end of 2016 – nearly triple the US$30 billion tally in 2014. It will soon surge into 12 digits, hitting US$110.7 billion in 2017. Then it will go as high as nearly US$160 billion in 2020, according to data released today by Emarketer.

China moves to halt slowing private investment – Xinhua China will take targeted measures to counter the slowdown in private investment, the top economic planner said Tuesday, including reducing fees and relaxing market access. The economic planner’s remarks follow a drop in private investment growth data, which rose 3.9 percent year on year in the first five months, slowing from a 5.2 percent rise in the January-April period.

China to abolish regulations hindering fair competition – Xinhua A statement by the State Council, China’s cabinet, said that China will ensure fair competition to protect market participants and promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation. Market access, exit and approval procedures must be reasonable and non-discriminatory, the guideline said. As of July 2016, concrete policies must provide fair competition scrutiny. From 2017, provincial governments should have policies and provide guidance to lower governments. // 国务院关于在市场体系建设中建立公平竞争审查制度的意见–国发〔2016〕34号 

Venezuela in talks with China for grace period in oil-for-loans deal – sources | Reuters what choice does China have?  //  Venezuela is in talks with China to obtain a grace period in its oil-for-loans deal that would improve the OPEC nation’s capacity to make bond payments amid an economic crisis, sources briefed on the proposal have told Reuters. Venezuela has borrowed over $50 billion from China under the financing arrangement created by late socialist leader Hugo Chavez in 2007, in which a portion of its crude and fuel sales to the world’s second-biggest economy are used to pay down loans.

47项职业资格许可和认定事项被取消–时政–人民网 新华社北京6月13日电  经李克强总理签批，国务院日前印发《关于取消一批职业资格许可和认定事项的决定》（以下简称《决定》），公布取消47项职业资格许可和认定事项。

Yuan Declines to Five-Year Low as Concern Over Outflows Deepens – Bloomberg The currency fell 0.19 percent to 6.5966 per dollar by the close in Shanghai, according to quotes from China Foreign Exchange Trading System. That’s the lowest for the yuan since February 2011, extending its drop over the past month to 1 percent. While the yuan’s losses have so far failed to ignite the volatility that swept global markets in August and January, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. strategists said June 2 that they shifted to an “outright negative view” on the currency and there’s a renewed risk of capital flight.

China Cracks Down on $1.5 Trillion Dark Corner of Fund Industry – Bloomberg The China Securities Regulatory Commission’s consultation document distributed last month stipulates that mutual funds can borrow $3 for every $1 of capital when investing in fixed income, futures and non-standardized products. For equity investments, they can leverage $1 for each $1 of funding. The rules state that net capital should be no less than 40 percent of net assets, with different weightings given to safer securities, the documents show. The CSRC has not replied to two e-mails.

POLITICS AND LAW

Senior Official in Southern Chinese Province Commits Suicide, Police Say_Caixin A deputy chief of staff to the governor of Guangdong has hung himself in his apartment in the provincial capital Guangzhou on June 12, police said. Liu Xiaohua, 57, was appointed as deputy secretary general of the General Office of Guangdong’s government, in-charge of coordinating activities of all senior provincial officials, in late March.

甘肃省地税局一副处长坠楼身亡国内新京报网 6月14日上午，甘肃省地税局附近发生坠楼事件，一女子坠楼后当场身亡。记者从甘肃省地税局工作人员处获悉，坠楼者系该局一副处长，税务局方面已报警并通知家属。当地媒体报道称，阳某跳楼前在办公室留有遗书。 // tax official in Gansu jumps to her death

For Chinese officials accused of graft, suicide is tempting lure | South China Morning Post For some officials, suicide might offer another advantage – protection for their families. The law specifies that the court, rather than the CCDI, is the only institution entitled to judge whether a suspected official is guilty. If the official dies before trial, the prosecution will be terminated immediately. “Once the suspect is pronounced dead, the judiciary organ will abandon the ­investigation of his or her criminal responsibility, close the file or ­terminate the trial,” the Criminal Law states.

Ideology Command Center Wages ‘Online Struggle’ in China’s Henan-RFA Revelations about the ‘command center’ first appeared in social media posts made by insiders to the projects, including the claim that some 100,000 primary, secondary and university students have been recruited as volunteers to support the party line, online. The project’s aim is to “resolutely and totally engage in a life-or-death struggle with harmful content and with those who propagate it,” the leaks quoted an official description of the project as saying. An official who answered the phone at the municipal Communist Party committee offices in Henan’s provincial capital Zhengzhou appeared to confirm social media reports of the taskforce’s existence on Tuesday. “Online struggle? Just a minute, the propaganda department is in charge of that,” the official said when contacted by phone. “Online struggle, yes, that project is being run by the propaganda department linked to this committee,” she said, but declined to give further details

Interpreting the Main Regulations of the Overseas NGO Law – China Development Brief After a period of concerted revision by the legislature, the law was finally passed at the 20th meeting of the 12th National People’s Congress and will go into effect on New Year’s Day 2017. The proclamation of the law once again drew the concerned attention of many people and raised a number of doubts. In light of this, it seems necessary to clarify these questions in the hope of contributing to the correct interpretation and implementation of the law.

China reviews 2012-2015 human rights progress, pledging greater effort – Xinhua The central government on Tuesday released a report reviewing China’s human rights progress from 2012 to 2015, accompanied by a commitment to furthering the cause. China launched the National Human Rights Action Plan (2012-2015) in June 2012, following the inaugural plan for the 2009-2010 period. The major targets and tasks outlined in the 2012-2015 plan had been fulfilled, as scheduled, by the end of 2015, according the report issued by the State Council Information Office. // Full Text: Assessment Report on the Implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2012-2015) 

[视频]《十八大以来重要文献选编》中册出版发行_CCTV 经中共中央批准，中共中央文献研究室编辑的《十八大以来重要文献选编》中册，已由中央文献出版社出版，即日起在全国各地发行。 《十八大以来重要文献选编》中册，收入自2014年3月十二届全国人大二次会议后至2015年10月党的十八届五中全会这段时间内的重要文献，共67篇，约51万字。其中，习近平总书记的文稿26篇，其他中央领导同志的文稿17篇，中共中央、全国人大、国务院的有关文件24篇。有14篇重要文献是第一次公开发表。// 《十八大以来重要文献选编》中册主要篇目介绍 

中共中央党校 – 学习时报网_努力在从严管干部上走在前列 来源：学习时报    作者：徐泽洲 (014年8月，任中共上海市委常委、组织部部长)   去年3月，习近平总书记在参加全国两会上海代表团审议时强调，上海要在从严管党治党方面继续走在前列。治党先治吏，管党先管干部。学习贯彻好总书记重要指示精神，就是要牢牢扭住从严管干部这个关键不放松，以抓铁有痕、踏石留印的精神，着力探索有效路径方法，努力走在前列。

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

China warns U.S. on visits by Dalai Lama, Taiwan president | Reuters China warned the United States on Tuesday to stick by its promises not to support any separatist activities, ahead of a U.S. visit by Taiwan’s new president and a possible meeting between the Dalai Lama and U.S. President Barack Obama. //  Obama is meeting the Dalai Lama on Wednesday, queue the histrionics

Poll: US power waning in Pacific, China rising – News – Stripes Among the countries surveyed, Australians were the most likely to report that China has the most influence in Asia today (69 percent) and the most likely to use the term “competitors” to describe the relationship between the U.S. and China (70 percent), according to the survey.

Testing the Waters: Charting The Evolution of Claims to and From Low-Tide Elevations and Artificial Islands under the Law of the Sea | South China Sea Research the legal status of and maritime claims associated with the LTEs and artificial islands such as those recently constructed in the South China Sea, should be viewed against this well settled international legal backdrop. In particular it can be concluded that where LTEs have been, as it were, elevated or built-up as a result of these activities, the original status of the feature on which the man-made above high-tide installation is located remains unchanged. In short, LTEs cannot be ‘upgraded’ to ‘full’ insular status. The man-made structures situated on LTEs in the South China Sea are necessarily artificial islands since they are clearly not “naturally-formed” as required by Article 121(1) of UNCLOS. Consequently, these artificial islands, installations and structures fall under the scope of Article 60(8) of UNCLOS and “do not possess the status of islands”.[94]

That Chinese Frigate in the Senkakus Was a Bad Move for China | The Diplomat If China believed its warships were “passing through waters under the country’s own jurisdiction,” they would not have so scrupulously avoided Japan’s claimed territorial waters around the Senkakus. By remaining in the Contiguous Zone, China showed either a de facto recognition of Japan’s claims or that it was unwilling to risk a militarized response from Japan and its ally the United States. In return, the Chinese have earned increased vigilance by Japan and confirmation of the U.S. security guarantee. While it may look like China was probing the Senkakus to escalate its dispute with Japan in the East China Sea, it actually revealed how weak its position in the dispute really is. Steven Stashwick is a writer and analyst based in New York City. He spent ten years on active duty as a U.S. naval officer with multiple deployments to the Western Pacific

China sending remodeled Navy warships near Senkaku Islands：The Asahi Shimbun It now turns out that China has been sending remodeled warships into territorial waters around the Senkakus for some time. The vessels were converted for use by the China Coast Guard, but at least one was found equipped with autocannons. Three ships operated by the China Coast Guard entered Japanese territorial waters around the uninhabited Senkakus on June 8. China chose to view matters differently, saying the coast guard ships were patrolling the waters off the Diaoyu Islands, the name used by Beijing to refer to the Senkakus.

军改再曝大动作：军校转隶稳步推进_中国-多维新闻网 日前一则军方消息透露，原隶属于总装备部的解放军装备学院已转隶至新组建的中央军委训练管理部。加上此前隶属于原总参的解放军信息工程大学、之前隶属于原总后的解放军后勤学院、解放军军事经济学院，以及之前隶属于原总装的解放军装备学院，原总参谋部、总后勤部、总装备部三总部所辖的解放军装备学院等多所军校转隶至新组建的中央军委训练管理部。

Mystery solved: famed PLA singer tied to senior officials emerges after vanishing five years ago | South China Morning Post After Tang Can inexplicably disappeared at the height of her career, some media reported she had died while in custody. It has now emerged she served a sentence for corruption and has been released  //shocker, reports in overseas Chinese media about her “execution” were wrong…

The U.S. Air Force’s Most Lethal Weapon of War Is Getting a Massive Upgrade | The National Interest Blog While Air Force officials emphasize that the upgrades will enable the drone to perform missions around the globe, the increased fuel capacity is expected to be of particular relevance in the Pacific.

Chinese defense company AircraftEngine Corp of China incorporated in Beijing with 50 billion in registered capital – People’s Daily Online Diffrent from the general state-owned enterprises with only one shareholder, AircraftEngine Corp of China has four corporate shareholders: the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd., the Beijing State-owned Assets Operation & Management Center, the State-owned Assets Supervision and the Administration Commission and Aviation Industry Corporation of China. Aero engines have been the “Achilles’ tendon” of China’s aviation industry, and the establishment of AircraftEngine Corp of China can be described as having a special mission.

U.S. sees progress in latest cyber talks with China | Reuters “A key element of the agreement is information sharing and establishing mechanisms.” She said the two sides had been setting up email addresses to share information. “We are very pleased to have temporary email addresses and very much appreciate” working to set up permanent addresses, Spaulding said. // any chance the US and Chinese already have each others’ email address, and emails? the group met with Meng Jianzhu 孟建柱会见第二次中美打击网络犯罪及相关事项高级别联合对话美方代表团 

China bans exports of more items to DPRK – Xinhua The ban, with immediate effect, follows UN Security Council resolutions, said the Ministry of Commerce website. The list names dozens of banned items including metal hydrides, laser-welding equipment and plasma cutting equipment. It also bans the exports of a dozen chemicals that could be used in the production of “chemical warfare agents”.

军报刊文谈变革：臂章番号变了，打仗使命没变 – 中国军网 准备打仗：每一名军人的主课主业 ——深化国防和军队改革之际关于战斗力建设的新闻调查与思考

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

Taiwan Bars Ex-President From Visiting Hong Kong – The New York Times seems like petty politics  //  Mr. Ma, who described his trip as a way to bring attention to Taiwan, questioned the move. “This decision has aroused a lot of debate in society,” he told reporters in Taipei on Monday. “Is this necessary? Is it fair? Is this reasonable? People nationwide are looking at this. I believe society has its own just appraisal.”

‘Missing’ bookseller returns to Hong Kong, seeks end to probe – Channel NewsAsia A Hong Kong bookseller who went missing in mainland China and re-emerged under detention returned to his home city Tuesday (Jun 14) and asked police to drop their investigation into his initial disappearance. Lam Wing-kee is one of five Hong Kong-based booksellers who published salacious titles critical of Beijing and disappeared at the end of last year, a case which fuelled growing fears Beijing was tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

Increase defense budget to 3% of GDP: McCain – The China Post In his opening remark, McCain said the U.S. has faith that Tsai will keep the status quo of cross-strait relations, and that Beijing has the obligation not to take actions that may jeopardize cross-strait stability, including measures that may impact Taiwan’s economy or global trade…Yesterday marked the first visit by a Senate Armed Services Committee chairman to Taiwan in 24 years, and the delegation also has the largest number of senators in the past 10 years.

TECH AND MEDIA

Baidu Plays Whack-a-Mole – Bloomberg Gadfly It all came to a head last month when regulators, and China’s state media, started pointing the finger at Baidu after one of its search-engine users died of cancer. The patient had used Baidu to find alternative therapies, which ultimately proved ineffective. Baidu was widely criticized, and quickly moved to clean up its advertising amid the investigation.The fact regulatory issues may be short-lived, and that better-quality advertisers should return once the dust settles, doesn’t change the reality that there are fundamental problems with Baidu’s business model.

涉赌APP横行挑战网络监管–舆情频道–人民网 为了一探赌博APP的究竟,《法制日报》记者展开了调查。

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Gay man sues Chinese psychiatric hospital over ‘sexuality correction’ | World news | The Guardian The 32-year-old, who uses the assumed name Yu Hu, claims he was held against his will at the Zhumadian No 2 People’s hospital in Henan province in October last year. There, he was forced to undergo what doctors called “sexuality correction therapy”. “During his confinement, Yu received coerced treatment, including medication and needle injections, as well as physical and verbal abuse,” Chinese media reported on Tuesday after a local court agreed to hear the fruit seller’s case.

Internet mogul Pony Ma named most generous Chinese philanthropist | South China Morning Post Tycoon tops annual ranking of charitable donors, after giving away US$2.15 billion in a year, Hurun report finds

“盲井案”背后的村庄深度新京报网 5月30日，内蒙古巴彦淖尔市检察院提起公诉，艾汪全、王付祥等74名被告人在山西、陕西等6个省区故意杀害17人伪造矿难，骗取赔偿款，涉嫌故意杀人罪、诈骗罪、敲诈勒索罪等。他们当中的大部分人来自位于云南西北部山区的昭通市盐津县石笋村。这个偏僻的山村，正在成为全国媒体关注的焦点。

EDUCATION

International Schools Experience Boom as More Students Vie to Enter Foreign Universities-Caixin Now more local families are using international schools, where they follow the A-levels or International Baccalaureates curriculum from Britain or take Advanced Placement programs from the United States, as a springboard to getting places in British or U.S. universities. The number of Chinese students who enrolled to study in a foreign university in 2015 rose by 14 percent to 523,700 compared to the previous year, data from the Ministry of Education showed. Data from the U.S. Institute of International Education in November shows that 124,522 Chinese high-school graduates went to study in colleges in the United States during the 2014-2015 school year, up 12.7 percent year-on-year.

Why ‘Kidults’ Are a Headache for Chinese Teachers | Sixth Tone In China, as in many other countries, 18 years old is the age at which a child is recognized as having become an adult. They are expected to behave like a grown-up and take full responsibility for their behavior. However, in most university campuses across China many of these 18-year-olds are only adults in appearance. These “kidults” indulge in their wants with no respect to others around them. The moment it looks like they may be subjected to a punishment they run to their parents for protection.

FOOD AND TRAVEL

A Guide to the Barbarian Vegetables of China – Lucky Peach The Chinese have a way of reminding foreigners that they’ll never quite fit in. Because certain vegetables, fruits, and spices were introduced into the Middle Kingdom at a time when the entire non-Chinese world was considered downright uncivilized, the plant names quite literally include the Chinese characters for “barbaric” or “exotic.” Many are now staples of Chinese cuisine, but are nevertheless forever branded linguistically as Western interlopers. Here, we take a quick tour of the origins of some of them, and the degree to which they’ve assimilated into modern Chinese cooking.

BEIJING

“新北京”与通州城市副中心建设 研读5月27日中央政治局公报，“北京”与“首都”或许已经分离，在目前北京城六区基础上打造首都特别行政区，届时，首都是首都，北京不再是首都，而只是中央政府的一个直辖市

北京下半年实施居住证制度 将不断扩大持证人享有权益范围-新华网 据了解，去年年底，北京市还公布了《积分落户管理办法（征求意见稿）》。作为拥有超过２１７０．５万人口的一线特大城市，北京在推进户籍制度有序放开的同时，努力实现户籍人口和非户籍人口同城待遇。通过居住证政策，解决在北京居住就业但未落户的人口在教育、医疗、就业、住房等方面的实际困难，防止积分落户申请者“千军万马过独木桥”。

JOBS AND EVENTS

Leaders Speak: National Security Advisors | National Committee on United States – China Relations DC, June 27  //  Every morning, the national security advisor briefs the president of the United States on the world’s most pressing security threats, from ISIS to the Zika virus. Our collective security is increasingly reliant upon cooperation between the United States and China, whether it is minimizing the risk of conflict in the South China Sea, dealing with North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, or responding to climate change. Join us for a program on these issues and more, featuring former National Security Advisors Thomas E. Donilon, Stephen J. Hadley and Robert “Bud” McFarlane, in conversation with National Committee President Steve Orlins.

 

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