"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
1. Bookseller Lam Wing-kee details his detention on mainland, claims Lee Po told him he was “taken away from Hong Kong” | South China Morning Post As for his confession on mainland TV in February. “It was a show, and I accepted it,” he said. “They gave me the script. I had to follow the script. If I did not follow it strictly, they would ask for a re-take.” On Lee’s claim that he went to the mainland voluntarily, Lam said: “Obviously, it was exactly the same situation in which I was forced to make a televised confession.” // rendered for political reasons
Related Defying China, Vanished Bookseller Describes Custody – The New York Times “Lam Wing-kee has blown apart the Chinese authorities’ story,” Mabel Au, Amnesty International’s director in Hong Kong, said in a statement. “He has exposed what many have suspected all along: that this was a concerted operation by the Chinese authorities to go after the booksellers.” The booksellers were key players in an industry that produces racy, rumor-filled books focused on the sex lives and power games of China’s top leaders. Although such books are banned on the mainland, where the message about politics and politicians is tightly controlled, they are eagerly sought by visitors to Hong Kong, who return home to China with the books stowed in their luggage.
Related: Government response to media enquiries The government spokesman said that the HKSARG has all along been attaching great importance to the incident concerning a bookstore in Causeway Bay. The Police have already established a case for investigation and have also been making enquiries to and seeking assistance from the relevant Mainland authority through the existing mechanism. In view of what Mr Lam told the media today, the Police are now proactively contacting Mr Lam himself to understand more and will take appropriate follow-up action. // a Geoduck clam has more backbone…
2. Can Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign succeed? | China Power Project interviews with Chris Johnson, Minxin Pei and Kerry Brown
3. Arthur Kroeber vs. The Conventional Wisdom – Sinica Podcast In this episode of Sinica, we present an in-depth interview with Arthur Kroeber, the founding partner and head of research for Gavekal Dragonomics, an independent global economic research firm, and the editor-in-chief of its journal, China Economic Quarterly. // His new book: China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know
Related China Bear Warns Against Too Much Pessimism – Bloomberg Forget about the “precarious” state of China’s banking system seen by hedge fund manager Kyle Bass. And the George Soros notion that China resembles the U.S. before its 2008 subprime crisis. Long-time China bear Jim Walker says the biggest risk now is being too pessimistic. “The wheels don’t seem to be coming off,” says Walker, founder and chief economist of research firm Asianomics Ltd. in Hong Kong, who was voted the best regional economist in an Asiamoney magazine brokers’ poll for 11 years through 2004 when chief economist at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. “I was more worried about China four years ago than I am today.”
4. China shadows U.S. warships amid rising tensions in Asia-USA Today U.S. commanders said Wednesday Chinese warships closely followed the powerful USS John C. Stennis carrier strike group from nearly the minute it entered the disputed South China Sea on a regular patrol in early March. “We did see PLAN ships quite routinely throughout the South China Sea. In fact, we were in constant visual contact with at least one PLAN ship at any one time, 24/7,” said Rear Adm. Marcus Hitchcock, commander of the Stennis strike group. That’s a major departure from recent years and seems to provide further evidence of China’s increasingly assertive behavior in the region.
Related China spy ship shadows U.S., Japanese, Indian naval drill in Western Pacific | Reuters The Japanese government on Wednesday said a separate Chinese navy observation ship entered its territorial waters south of its southern Kyushu island. China said it was acting within the law and following the principle of freedom of navigation. “There is a Chinese vessel about seven to 10 miles away,” Captain Gregory C. Huffman, commander of the Stennis, told reporters aboard the carrier after it recovered its F-18 jet fighters taking part in the exercise. The Chinese ship had followed the U.S. vessel from the South China Sea, he added.
5. Wife and Son of China’s Ex-Security Chief Sentenced for Taking Bribes – The New York Times The Yichang City People’s Intermediate Court, about 800 miles south of Beijing, handed down a nine-year term to Jia Xiaoye, whose husband, Zhou Yongkang, was until 2012 one of China’s most powerful officials. His son by a previous marriage, Zhou Bin, received an 18-year prison sentence from the same court on Wednesday, China’s Central Television reported. The court’s official social media site announced Ms. Jia’s sentence on June 8, but it was reported by China’s state news media only on Wednesday. //what about Zhou Bin’s wife and their young son?
Related: Former senior legislator stands trial for graft- China.org.cn Bai Enpei, a former senior official with the top legislature, on Thursday stood trial on two counts of corruption-related charges. Bai, formerly deputy head of the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of the National People’s Congress, was accused of taking advantage of his various official posts and other perks associated with his posts from 2000 to 2013 to seek benefits — in regard of project construction, real estate development, obtaining mining rights and personal promotions — for 17 companies and individuals. In exchange, he personally, or through his wife, accepted bribes worth over 246 million yuan (37.4 million U.S. dollars).
6. China’s Response To Terrorism | U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission The report, prepared for the Commission by Murray Scot Tanner and James Bellacqua at CNA, examines the Chinese government’s efforts to combat terrorism by analyzing China’s definition and perception of its terrorist threat, its institutional infrastructure, strategy, and policies for combating terrorism, international counterterrorism cooperation efforts, and the opportunities for, and challenges of, U.S.-China cooperation on countering terrorism.
7. David Roy, Chinese scholar who spent 30 years translating 16th-century work – Chicago Tribune Roy, who retired in 1999 from the Department of East Asian Languages and Culture at the University of Chicago, worked from 1982 to 2012 translating “Chin P’ing Mei,” or “The Plum in the Golden Vase.” The late 16th-century novel by an unknown author, first published in 1618, is considered a masterpiece of Ming-era Chinese literature…Roy’s parents were American educational missionaries working in China when he was born. His father was a professor at what was then the University of Nanking. “We were a close-knit family unit,” said Roy’s younger brother, J. Stapleton Roy, who served as U.S. ambassador to China from 1991 to 1995.
Related: Amazon.com: The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P’ing Mei: Vol. 1, The Gathering: David Tod Roy amazing life’s work, all five volumes worth reading
8. Groundwater Pumping Sinks Beijing Region at Increasing Rate – Circle of Blue According to satellite measurements, the Beijing region is sinking at an increasing rate as the soil of the North China Plain, like a sponge wrung dry, compacts around depleted aquifers. The data were published earlier this month in the journal Remote Sensing.
BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE
China’s Bank Lending Rebounds; Good for Growth, Bad for Risk – Bloomberg New yuan loans rebounded to 985.5 billion yuan ($150 billion) in May, the People’s Bank of China said, ahead of all 35 economists estimates and beating the median for 750 billion yuan in a Bloomberg survey. Aggregate financing was 659.9 billion yuan last month, missing all but one of 28 forecasts and below the median for 1 trillion yuan, as short-term bill financing slumped and net issuance of corporate bonds turned negative. The two-speed data illustrate the tightrope being walked by the central bank: on the one hand it’s seeking to curb financial and debt risks, while on the other it needs to keep credit flowing so that economic growth isn’t derailed. Mortgages led the bank lending increase last month amid a recovering property market.
重庆：集聚新动能 提升含金量-聚焦供给侧结构性改革主线 Chongqing gets some page 1 People’s Daily love in a look at “supply side structural reform”…so is Huang Qifan getting a promotion to Beijing? Weren’t there some western media “exclusives” to that effect a few months ago?
Dalian Joins Real Estate Subsidy Train, as Land Sales Tumble-Caixin The northeastern city of Shenyang and the provinces of Shandong and Sichuan announced similar measures for home buyers earlier this year, including cash payouts. Maintaining strong property sales is critical to local economies and finances, since related land sales for new development are a key source of government income. In Dalian, college students and graduates who graduated less than five years ago can receive a government subsidy when they buy or rent apartments in any of the city’s four central districts, according to a policy released last week by the northern coastal city.
湖北副省长撰文谈楼市，传递了什么信息？|政府|房价_新浪新闻 candid comments from a Hubei Vice Governor on the role of real estate in the economy // 文章指出：“地产开发贷、住房按揭贷、政府平台公司贷款，以及各类企业贷款的抵押物有多少是跟房产、土地有关，这个比例非常惊人。过去我们担心房地产价格上涨，今天更应该担心房地产价格下跌。泡沫一旦破裂，银行贷款的重要基础垮了，后果很严重，甚至会引发金融危机，这比单个企业甚至单个行业的危机要严重得多！” 这段话强调的是房价下跌的系统风险，相当于一次风险预警。
The FCPA Corporate Investigations List — China Edition (June 2016) – The FCPA Blog – The FCPA Blog The volunteer researcher who compiles the FCPA Blog’s Corporate Investigations List also tabulated the companies that have mentioned China as part of an ongoing FCPA investigation. There are 24 companies on this China Edition of the Corporate Investigations List.
Ericsson faces U.S. corruption probe: Swedish newspaper | Reuters Swedish mobile telecom gear maker Ericsson is being investigated by U.S. authorities over possible corruption related to its business in China, Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) reported late on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. SvD said on its website the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are investigating Ericsson, whose shares are listed in Stockholm as well as on Nasdaq.
Maturity Dagger Hangs Over China’s Bond Market in Second Half – Bloomberg Non-financial Chinese firms have to repay an unprecedented 2.2 trillion yuan ($341 billion) of debt, including 43 billion yuan of notes rated below AAA by China Lianhe Credit Rating Co., Bloomberg-compiled data show. That’s up from 2 trillion yuan in the first half. Five-year notes with A+ ratings, which are considered junk in China, yield 463 basis points over top-graded ones, near the highest since 2014, even after corporate bonds rebounded from an April rout.
央企集体被约谈 抢“地王”告一段落？ – 经济 – 中国经营网_中国经营报 据澎湃新闻报道，一位不愿具名的开发商近日透露，包括国资委在内的多家监管机构，对央企开发企业约谈，口头下发通知，要求收敛在土地市场的追高拿地行为。上述开发商表示，各家企业不同，被约谈的央企、国企开发企业都有，主要由所属的监管机构约谈。// Central SOEs again told to stop non-core real estate investments…how many times have been told this, how many times have they ignored the center?
China Post issues special stamps about Shanghai Disneyland – Xinhua China Post issued a set of special stamps about Shanghai Disneyland on June 16, 2016. The patterns on the stamps are Disney classic cartoon characters Mickey and Minnie and the Fantasy Fairy Tale Castle //nice to go with the opening of Shanghai Disney
说好的涨养老金呢？只有上海真涨了综合新京报网 中央公布今年上调企业退休人员养老金6.5%后，各地迟迟未出台相关文件。近日，记者调查发现，除上海市已从6月15日起将涨幅略高于6.5%的养老金发放到位外，全国其他的省、市、自治区至今未明确落实时间，此前“网传”各地养老金上涨的版本也并不符实。 // so far only Shanghai as increased pension payout in spite of central government announcement that it was going up 6.5% everywhere…
Uber Rival’s $28 Billion Valuation Shows Size of China’s Ride-Sharing Market – The New York Times The Chinese car-hailing app Didi Chuxing said on Thursday that it had brought in $7.3 billion in its latest round of fund-raising, which included Apple, Alibaba, and SoftBank as investors. The new funds give the company a total of $10.5 billion in disposable funds, and put its valuation at $28 billion, according to a person familiar with the fund-raising.
Anti-Corruption Drive, Frugality Campaign Sap Banks of VPs-Caixin A growing tide of vice presidents at Chinese banks are leaving due to corruption probes against them or for better private sector pay, causing headaches for their employers
POLITICS AND LAW
Worries Flare Over Yang Maodong, Jailed Chinese Dissident on Hunger Strike – The New York Times One of China’s best-known imprisoned dissidents, Yang Maodong, is putting his already fragile health at risk after weeks on a hunger strike, his wife and sister said on Wednesday, after his sister said she had unsuccessfully asked the prison authorities to be allowed to see him and beg him to stop fasting. Mr. Yang, better known by his pen name, Guo Feixiong, has been among China’s most persistent and combative campaigners for expanding democratic rights, and he has continued his resistance while confined in Guangdong Province in southern China.
西方民主化理论存在致命缺陷-来源：《求是》2016/12 作者：上海市中国特色社会主义理论体系研究中心 20世纪70年代以来，国际政治生活中出现了一股转型浪潮，涌现出100多个所谓的“民主国家”。一些人一度对“民主化”的发展前景欢欣鼓舞，甚至喊出了“自由主义民主全面胜利”的口号。然而，多年之后，曾被视为圭臬的西式民主并没有取得期望中的“胜利”，相反很多转型国家却面临着残酷的现实。自2000年至今，全球至少有22个国家出现了“民主崩溃”。不仅如此，最近发生的美国“民主之春”运动和法国“黑夜站立”运动进一步表明，西式民主在其原产地也遭遇了前所未有的危机。西式民主之所以会陷入这样的困境，正是由于指导“民主化”实践的理论本身存在着致命的缺陷。
The Rules and Norms of Leadership Succession in China: From Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping and Beyond: The China Journal: Vol 76, No Under Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese Communist Party started to institutionalize leadership succession in the 1980s. Peaceful and orderly succession of the top political offices, however, only started to take shape in the early 1990s. We identify three sets of rules and norms formed since then to govern elite replacement and power succession. These concern top leaders’ exit from power, selection of successors, and the transition of power between outgoing and incoming leaders. We trace the evolving process in which these rules were made and accepted by the Party elite between 1992 and 2012. Incidents, however, also showed the malleability of some of these rules and the potential rise of ambitious rule challengers. Into Xi Jinping’s era, uncertainty still threatens the revision or abandonment of some of these rules, and continuous attention is needed in order to understand the likely trajectories of the Chinese political system. //looks interesting but do not have a subscription
Chinese gov’t to invalidate outdated documents to boost efficiency – Xinhua China’s State Council announced Wednesday that it will invalidate hundreds of outdated documents to tackle conflicts between policy and regulations or between previous and present policy documents, in a bid to further improve administration efficiency. The decision was made at the State Council’s executive meeting on Wednesday, which was chaired by Premier Li Keqiang. “Our goal, by invalidating these outdated documents, is to get rid of outdated regulations that hinder market potential, entrepreneurial spirit and innovation,” said Li.
三年不升出邪念？ 党媒敲打“有的人”_中国-多维新闻网 月15日，《人民日报》刊发题为《学会“重用”自己》一文，文章认为，每个人都是最优秀的，差别就在于如何认识自己、如何发掘和重用自己。不能总活在别人的评价中，应知道自己的禀赋和志趣所在，执着地成为最好的自己。有的人，活在社会某种预设的期许里，总觉得到了某个年龄段，就应该有相应的平台，得之则喜，不得则忧，最终迷失了自己。
Government agencies, SOEs required to hear more from legal counsels – Xinhua | English.news.cn China’s central authorities has ordered the adoption of a legal counsel system at governments and Communist Party committees above the county-level as well as state-owned enterprises (SOE) before 2017, a major step to promote rule of law. Such legal counsels, either hired from outside or converted from the previous public office lawyers within the government, will play a bigger role in government functions and SOE operations, according to a guideline released by the general offices of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council. // 为政府国企配好参谋助手——专家解读《关于推行法律顾问制度和公职律师公司律师制度的意见》
媒体:坊间传闻称李云峰与杨卫泽是”连襟”关系_网易新闻 在杨卫泽李云峰季建业三人中，李云峰与杨卫泽关系最为密切，也最为神秘。两人同属江苏籍官员，江苏坊间传闻称，李云峰与杨卫泽是“连襟”关系，但这一传闻并未得到官方信息源佐证。曾与李云峰共过事的江苏省委一位退休官员称，没听说过李和杨是连襟，他也是最近才听到了这种说法。
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
What does China really spend on its military? | China Power Project Although China provides official estimates of defense spending each year, outside estimates of China’s defense budget are often significantly higher than Beijing’s official numbers. Furthermore, China provides limited information on the distribution of its military spending, which obscures spending patterns that may indicate the relative importance of a particular branch of the Chinese military, how China might be responding to perceived external threats, and where China is investing in new technologies. Nevertheless, even modest estimates reveal that Chinese defense spending is on the rise. China now spends more on its military than any other country in the world save the United States. This question explores both the issues in calculating Chinese defense spending and China’s spending relative to other regional actors.
Arbitration Support Tracker | Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative A final ruling is expected soon from a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague hearing Manila’s case against Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea. How many countries recognize the decision as legally binding on both parties and call for it to be respected will determine its ultimate value, as international pressure is the court’s only enforcement mechanism. In an effort to deflect that pressure, Chinese officials and state media have been trumpeting the number of countries that have voiced support for Beijing’s position that the tribunal lacks jurisdiction in the case and the ruling is therefore invalid. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that number has climbed to 60, but has not provided a list of the countries or, in most cases, evidence for their support.
Return to prior China yuan policy would reignite tension: U.S. | Reuters “Any reversion to the foreign exchange policies and export-led growth model of the past, within the current context of weak global growth, would trigger a new round of tension between our two countries,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in remarks to the American Enterprise Institute.
Navy sends Growlers to Philippines amid continuing sea tensions – Stripes Four Navy E/A-18G Growler aircraft and 120 personnel arrived at Clark Air Base on Wednesday to help the Philippines patrol its sea borders amid heightened tensions over territorial rights in the South China Sea.
戴旭：组建整体亮剑的网络主力军_环球之音 与崛起中华同航 内容摘要：党是人民的党，国是大家的国，意识形态斗争的本质是带有整体性的民族征服和反征服，是世界政治斗争、大国博弈的主要形式，党团员和各级党团组织应和战争年代一样，要责无旁贷地发挥模范带头作用。
How Historical ‘Humiliation’ Drives China’s Maritime Claims | Asia Society In 2014, BBC journalist Bill Hayton, formerly based in Southeast Asia, published the book The South China Sea: The Struggle for Power in Asia, which gives historical and contemporary context to the disputes in the region. In an interview with Asia Blog, Hayton discussed the thinking behind China’s claims, and how Beijing might be rethinking part of its strategy in enforcing them.
In China, Venezuela Default Talk Is Front-Page News – Bloomberg On June 11, the People’s Daily — the mouthpiece paper of China’s Communist Party — published an article in its overseas edition with the headline “Will Venezuela Default?” After considering its willingness and ability to pay, the author concludes the answer is no and chalks up all the talk about default to media speculation. The article also makes the case for China, whose $3.2 trillion of foreign reserves are the world’s largest, to maintain its support to Venezuela. “From a long-term perspective, it makes emotional and rational sense for the Chinese side to provide aid within our capacity for partners stuck in economic difficulty like Venezuela,” the article said.
The rising star in China’s military tipped as future air force leader | South China Morning Post A rising star in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force has reported for duty as deputy commander of the South Theatre Command, making him the youngest PLA officer of his rank and paving the way for further promotions. “The [newly formed] South Theatre Command is now just like a little boy who is not yet strong enough for fighting for the time being,” Major General Chang Dingqiu told the PLA Daily newspaper on Tuesday.
Xi visit raises eastern Europe investment hopes – FT.com Chinese president Xi Jinping’s second trip to eastern Europe in four months is raising expectations of an investment surge, as Beijing seeks to increase geopolitical influence and trade access amid western concerns of a potentially divisive influence on the continent. Mr Xi travels to Serbia and Poland this weekend, following a trip to the Czech Republic in March. At each stop he is expected to dangle the promise of Chinese capital and increased traffic via China’s One Belt, One Road policy, despite a patchy record on delivering previous pledges.
Important Political Documents to Be Signed During Putin’s Visit to China – People’s Daily Online The Assistant Foreign Minister has given a brief regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming state visit to China. Liu Haixing said on Wednesday the two countries are working on details of cooperation documents expected to be signed during the meetings, “China and Russia are busy preparing for the visit. During his visit in China, the two sides will sign and publish important political documents, as well as a series of documents on practical cooperation fields. Now our two sides are stepping up negotiations in this regard.”
南海仲裁案公道自在人心–军事–人民网 不过，明白人稍加分析就会发现，上述诬蔑与诽谤十分无端、无理和无力。菲方执意推进的仲裁案从本质上看是一出披着法律外衣的政治闹剧，无论如何也绕不开主权争议，仲裁庭在明知自己没有管辖权的情况下仍然受理和认可了菲方诉求，显然有违《公约》精神，不可避免地要陷入“葫芦僧乱判葫芦案”的尴尬。中国依据《公约》规定采取不接受、不参与、不承认的立场，完全有法可依。国际社会对此表示理解和支持，正是基于对国际法的尊重，基于维护国际法和国际秩序的真诚愿望。- (何胜 作者系中国现代国际关系研究院海洋战略研究所所长）
Reported Chinese Efforts to Conceal Maritime Militia Reach Intelligence-Insulting Level | Andrew S. Erickson Xi Jinping’s visit in 2013 to Tanmen Township, and the designation of its Maritime Militia as a national model, has made this the leading unit for other seaports to emulate. Yet earlier this month, as the Al Jazeera article below documents, a local propaganda official told foreign reporters that a contingent of 40-50 fatigue-clad militiamen drilling was “part of a film crew.” Moreover, Wang Shumao, the Tanmen Militia’s deputy commander and a veteran of its involvement in the Scarborough Shoal Standoff with the Philippines in 2012, “denied knowing anything about the militia.” Amazingly, Wang further claimed that his deeply-tanned comrades were simply fishermen who “chose to wear camouflage to protect themselves from the sun”! Unfortunately, we’ve seen this movie before—one of confirmed Maritime Militia involvement in a series of international maritime incidents and skirmishes, including the 1974 Battle of the Paracel Islands, the 2011 sabotage of Binh Minh 02 and harassment of Viking II, the 2012 Scarborough Shoal Standoff, and the 2014 HYSY-981 Oil Rig Standoff.
China Now Has a Flying Propaganda Machine – The Daily Beast The Chinese military has a new warplane with an unusual purpose: to beam propaganda and disinformation into hostile territory. In that way, the new, four-engine Y-8GX7 psychological operations plane—also known by its Chinese name, Gaoxin-7—is analogous to the U.S. Air Force’s EC-130J, which it says “conducts military information support operations and civil affairs broadcasts in F.M. radio, television and military communications bands.”
对战略对话的几点思考（人民要论） Dai Bingguo on page 7 of 6.17.16 People’s Daily writing about “Strategic Dialogues”
福建省人民政府办公厅关于印发福建省“十三五”海洋经济发展专项规划的通知农林水渔政策文件中国福建–福建省人民政府门户网站 各市、县（区）人民政府，平潭综合实验区管委会，省人民政府各部门、各直属机构，各大企业，各高等院校： 《福建省“十三五”海洋经济发展专项规划》已经省政府研究同意，现印发给你们，请认真组织实施。 福建省人民政府办公厅 -2016年5月17日
Arms and Influence… and China | The Scholar’s Stage Given these existential stakes at play, I am extremely skeptical that our rhetorical nicties will make any difference in the Party’s calculations. They have decided that our order and their regime are fundamentally incompatible. This judgement is probably correct. Our choice then, is simple: we can change the nature of the international system we have built so that it has space for illiberal regimes within in it, or we can try to actively oppose the rise autocratic powers who wish to overturn the order. Compromise or containment. From the perspective of Asia, the “China choice” rhetoric furthers neither end. Where it might make a difference is inside the United States itself. As mentioned earlier, America could lose her entire alliance system in East Asia and still live without fear of foreign invasion, and Chinese salami slices in the South China Sea are far less dramatic than a disaster of that scale. Thus even without the growing isolationist sentiment in American politics, regional allies have good reason to doubt whether America is actually committed to the international system she has built. This doubt substantially strengthens the Chinese position. If United States wishes to maintain a credible presence in the Western Pacific, then its own people need to be sold on the project. // The Party is the problem, it is fundamentally and essentially incompatible with the current rules-based international system the West leads, and for too long there has been wishful thinking in the West that if only it could enable and engage the mythical “reformers” all would turn out well…
Full Text: China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (1) – Xinhua The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China published a white paper titled “China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System” on Thursday. Following is the full text of the white paper:
China urges U.S. not to interfere in domestic affairs on Tibet issues – Xinhua hina on Thursday reminded the United States to maintain the overall bilateral relationship, and urged it to refrain from interfering in China’s domestic affairs, such as Tibet-related issues. U.S. President Barack Obama held a closed-door meeting with the 14th Dalai Lama at the White House Wednesday. “Tibet affairs are China’s domestic affairs and no foreign country has the right to interfere,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told a daily news briefing.
军报刊文谈共产党领导军事工作变革创新启示 – 中国军网 中国共产党95年的奋斗历程，承载着几代中国共产党人坚持以深沉的民族理性和无畏的探索创新精神，奋力实现民族独立自强的光辉足迹。党领导人民军队在战火硝烟中刷新中国军事、再造军人品质、展现军队力量，谱写了一部以强军梦支撑中华民族伟大复兴中国梦的英雄史诗。这95年，不管时代怎样风云变幻，不管实践怎样起伏跌宕，始终贯穿着一条图强进取、变革创新的鲜明主线。
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
China rescinds invite to patriotic children’s choir – Taipei Times China has rescinded an invitation to the Puzangalan Children’s Choir, in an apparent retaliation to its performance of the Republic of China (ROC) national anthem at President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inaugural ceremony, sources said yesterday.
TECH AND MEDIA
The Dual Roles of Jia Zhangke-Caixin Jia Zhangke is one of the most critically acclaimed directors working in China today known for movies like the emotional drama Mountains May Depart, which competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in France. But in the eyes of a small circle of film industry insiders and friends, the 46-year-old is more of a savvy investor with a diverse portfolio that includes businesses in the entertainment industry, hotels, restaurants, spirits distilleries and even coal mines. Jia said in a Caixin interview that he will sit for a national accreditation exam for fund managers later this year. // invested in coal mines? Before or after he did the short for Greenpeace?
Entire buildings are being deleted from China’s ‘Street View’ and no-one knows why “It’s a bit peculiar,” added Johan Lagerkvist, professor of Chinese language and culture at Stockholm University. “It’s like shouting, ‘Hey, we’ve got something secret over here!'” Rather than national security, the deletions could be an arrangement intended to protect industrial or commercial secrets, says Lagerkvist. “It doesn’t have to be the government – although that cannot be ruled out.”
Digging Under the Great Firewall, Steve Mushero, Co-Fouder of ChinaNetCloud | The China Startup Pulse his week, Tudou’s first foreigner CTO, Steve Mushero, tells us how he uprooted from the Valley, moved to China, and co-founded China’s 1st and leading cloud service, ChinaNet Cloud
Reuters to scale down Chinese language news site, editorial staff to be redeployed | Hong Kong Free Press “We are reorganizing our Beijing editorial consumer operation to deploy more translation and editing resources to our professional news products from Reuters.cn,” the email from Digital Executive Editor Dan Colarusso said.
Bad Boy Cop Goes Against the Grain in Web Drama ‘Yu Zui’ | Sixth Tone The show’s first season debuted on video-streaming platform iQIYI, the co-producer and exclusive broadcaster of “Yu Zui,” on May 23, and a second season was released on Sunday. Both feature 12 episodes of Shameless Yu — the lead character’s nickname — fighting crime in his own imperfect way. Added together, the episodes had racked up more than 900 million views as of Wednesday.
China’s First CGI Film: L.O.R.D It Looks Bad | Sixth Tone Netizens mock trailer of new movie by blockbuster director Guo Jingming.
Lackluster Sales Signal Xiaomi’s Growing Pains-Caixin Sales dip comes amidst saturation in Chinese smartphone market and the rise of rivals nibbling away at leading group’s share
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
What Sparked the Yan Zhou Unrest? China’s Information Deficit in the Spotlight · Global Voices The video below shows angry crowds turning over two police vehicles while police officers from Yan Zhou city in Shandong province escorted a woman from a crime scene June 8. What made hundreds of people so angry? Why was their rage directed towards police? The Shandong police released a report via their official Weibo and major state-affiliated media outlets, saying the uproar was caused by a misunderstanding related to a quarrel between two women, while the majority of Chinese netizens had a different explanation of events.
Language Log » Spelling with Chinese character(istic)s Michael Meng, China curator at the Yale University Library, discovered several rare books in Yale’s Medical Historical Library that provide important evidence for the development of phoneticization of Chinese characters in the transcription of country names and personal names of foreigners. The books are by Thomas Staunton (1781-1859), son of George Staunton (1737-1801), who was George Macartney’s (1737-1806) right-hand man on the famous first British diplomatic mission to China, referred to as the Macartney Embassy or Macartney Mission (1792-1794).
Yulin pledges to ban slaughter of dogs in public as controversial food festival draws near | South China Morning Post The Yulin government has vowed to ban the slaughter of dogs in public ahead of its controversial dog meat festival next week. The move came after Michael Tien Puk-sun, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress, wrote a letter to the NPC Standing Committee in March urging the mainland government to take steps to put an end to the event which has attracted international condemnation.
Good Good Study: Laowai Translator Finds Joy In Chinese Literature | the Beijinger As part of the Beijinger’s daily Mandarin Month series ahead of our June 25 Mandarin Mixer, we are profiling some of the capital’s most fluently bilingual laowai. The star of today’s installment: Eric Abrahamsen, literary translator and founder of Paper Republic, who shares his love of poring over Chinese script below.
Father who beat baby daughter and sent pictures of her injuries to ex-wife arrested in China | South China Morning Post Man assaulted child and threatened to kill her if mother asked for custody, according to news website report // Evil
Traditional Chinese Opera Plots to Charm Politicians | Sixth Tone Competing with a booming movie industry and diversifying TV content, Chinese traditional operas face a crisis of dwindling audiences. While some operatic forms, like Peking opera originating in northern China and kunqu in the country’s south, still enjoy devoted, if small, audiences, many local traditional operas like qinqiang have been left fighting for survival. In this situation, many local opera troupes have given up on the market, turning instead to the government for help. The strategy is simple: Create plots that follow the “main tune” — a euphemism for eulogizing the Communist Party, and, by extension, the government.
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
Study Finds China’s Ecosystems Have Become Healthier – China Real Time Report – WSJ China’s skies may be toxic, and its rivers fetid and prone to sudden infestations of pig carcasses. But according to a new study, the country’s environmental battle has also been making quiet, measurable progress. The paper, a collaboration between U.S. and Chinese researchers published in this week’s issue of Science, found that China’s ecosystems have become healthier and more resilient against such disasters as sandstorms and flooding. The authors partly credit what they describe as the world’s largest government-backed effort to restore natural habitats such as forests and grasslands, totaling some $150 billion in spending since 2000.
Beijing PM2.5 density down by 19.3 percent Jan.-May – Xinhua Air quality in Beijing has improved in the first five months of this year, with the density of PM2.5, a major pollutant particles down by 19.3 percent year on year, local environment watchdog said on Thursday. The capital saw 96 days with sound air quality during the five months, 21 days more than in the same period last year.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
‘Heroic’ bystanders lifted bus, saved tourists trapped after horrific crash – The Washington Post The “heroic” efforts of passersby helped save injured Chinese tourists after a shuttle bus and a car collided head-on on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Virginia on Tuesday, U.S. Park Police said Wednesday. Authorities said good Samaritans lifted the shuttle bus after it tipped on its side and helped treat the victims of the crash until emergency crews arrived. The crash, which occurred about 5:10 p.m. in the Mount Vernon area, claimed one life, injured 15 and shut down the busy thoroughfare for hours Tuesday.
BEIJING
7区确定“疏功能减人口”方案 簋街列入名单 故宫周边重点疏解、簋街将疏功能控人口、动批众合市场年底完成疏解、锦绣大地果品肉类水产蔬菜市场今年关停、潘家园列入5年疏解方案年内腾退千个摊位……在今天上午召开的“疏解非首都功能”会议上，东城、西城、朝阳、海淀、丰台、石景山及被定为“北京城市副中心”的通州一一拿出了疏解方案
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