The Sinocism China Newsletter 06.24.13

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

Edward Snowden has left Hong Kong, apparently heading to Ecuador via Moscow.

According to this statement from the HKSAR government Hong Kong let him leave because:

…the documents provided by the US Government did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law, the HKSAR Government has requested the US Government to provide additional information so that the Department of Justice could consider whether the US Government’s request can meet the relevant legal conditions. As the HKSAR Government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong.

The South China Morning Post, a paper which had remarkable access to Mr. Snowden during his stay in Hong Kong, reports that the US is disappointed by Hong Kong’s ‘troubling’ failure to arrest Edward Snowden:

“The US is disappointed and disagrees with the determination by Hong Kong authorities not to honour the US request for the arrest of the fugitive,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“The request for the fugitive’s arrest for purposes of his extradition complied with all of the requirements of the US-Hong Kong Surrender Agreement,” the statement said.

“At no point, in all of our discussions through Friday, did the authorities in Hong Kong raise any issues regarding the sufficiency of the US’s provisional arrest request,” it said.

So Hong Kong, or Beijing via Hong Kong, stuck a finger America’s eye?

The New York Times reports that China is said to have made call to let leaker depart:

The Chinese government made the final decision to allow Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, to leave Hong Kong on Sunday, a move that Beijing believed resolved a tough diplomatic problem even as it reaped a publicity windfall from Mr. Snowden’s disclosures, according to people familiar with the situation.

Beijing can declare victory in the Snowden affair. Mr. Snowden’s hacking exposes make the Obama Administration look hypocritical and his continued flight from US justice makes it look incompetent and impotent, almost like a paper tiger might appear…

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

Commentary: Washington owes world explanations over troubling spying accusations – Xinhua Latest reports from Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, which seems to have access to Snowden after he fled to the Chinese territory, revealed that Washington has hacked into the computer systems of major Chinese telecom carriers and one of the country’s top universities. These, along with previous allegations, are clearly troubling signs. They demonstrate that the United States, which has long been trying to play innocent as a victim of cyber attacks, has turned out to be the biggest villain in our age.

Related: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying’s Remarks Q: Edward Snowden, former contractor for the US National Security Agency, has reportedly left Hong Kong on today’s flight to Moscow. The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has released a statement on that. What is China’s comment? A: We have noted relevant reports but are not aware of the specifics. We will continue to follow its development. Hong Kong is ruled by law. On the basis of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the principle of “one country, two systems”, the central government always respects the HKSAR government’s handling of affairs in accordance with law. Q: As disclosed by the media, the US has hacked Chinese telecommunications companies and the Tsinghua University. How does China respond? A: We are gravely concerned about the recently disclosed cyber attacks by relevant US government agencies against China. It shows once again that China falls victim to cyber attacks. We have made representations with the US.

China’s conundrum – FT.com Interest rates on weekly interbank loans had approached 11 per cent on Thursday – up from only 3 per cent last month. Such rates, if sustained, could be lethal for many banks with businesses based on off-balance-sheet “wealth management products”…The PBoC’s initial refusal to ease interbank rates shows Beijing’s determination to stop the credit problem from becoming worse. But it was right to relent. If this is a ticking bomb, it must be defused not detonated.

Related: China PBOC Hints At Relief With Policy ‘Fine-Tuning’ Pledge | MNI The hint at a slightly easier policy stance follows an extraordinary week of trading in the interbank market in which the PBOC’s refusal to provide liquidity saw money market rates rise to record levels, fuelling global concerns about a financial crisis. The PBOC told the country’s banks early last week to cut their leverage ratios and shape up, MNI reported, while central bank officials said there are no plans to back down, despite mounting pressure to inject more funding. But monetary conditions are being tightened even as the economic slowdown appears to be deepening.

Related: 央行货币政策委员会要求继续实施稳健货币政策- 金融时报 本报北京6月23日讯 记者牛娟娟报道 中国人民银行货币政策委员会2013年第二季度例会日前在北京召开。  会议分析了当前国内外经济金融形势。会议认为,当前我国经济金融运行总体平稳,物价形势基本稳定,但也面临不少困难和挑战;全球经济有所好转,但形势依然错综复杂。  会议强调,要认真贯彻落实党的十八大、中央经济工作会议和国务院常务会议精神,密切关注国际国内经济金融最新动向和国际资本流动的变化,继续实施稳健的货币政策,并着力增强政策的前瞻性、针对性和灵活性,适时适度进行预调微调。健全宏观审慎政策框架,综合运用多种货币政策工具,加强和改善流动性管理,引导货币信贷和社会融资规模平稳适度增长。在保持宏观经济政策稳定性、连续性的同时,优化金融资源配置,用好增量、盘活存量,更有力地支持经济结构调整和转型升级,更好地服务实体经济发展,更扎实地做好金融风险防范。进一步推进利率市场化改革,更大程度发挥市场机制在资源配置中的基础性作用。继续推进人民币汇率形成机制改革,保持人民币汇率在合理均衡水平上的基本稳定

多重因素致银行体系流动性紧张–金融时报 Financial news makes it pretty clear no reserve ratio cut coming // 这意味着,整个银行体系的存量流动性依然处于高位,所谓的资金紧张是结构性的。市场所反映出来的流动性紧张,主要存在于少数杠杆化程度过度的商业银行中。这类商业银行由于激进经营,热衷于绕开监管防线无度发行理财产品、发放超出负债规模的信贷,一些资金甚至被挪作他用,因此一旦流动性收紧,从银行间市场难以拆借到资金时,流动性风险立即显现…国际著名评级机构惠誉日前表示,“中国信贷泡沫为现代世界史上前所未有”,国外投资大佬也警告,“中国存在着一个巨大的信贷泡沫,这个泡沫是不会善终的。”在越来越多的信贷增长,却得出越来越慢的经济增长时,下调存款准备金率这种“宽货币”政策思路并不是最有利于经济发展的选项。

Related: 【舒立观察】严把货币闸门是上策_杂志频道_财新网 Hu Shuli not too worried about last weeks’ interbank fun, says right move by regulators, as long as now followed by financial reforms, and followed quickly, as the window is narrowing // 应该承认,近来国内银行间市场资金面紧张、股债齐跌,确实带来了心理和现实的冲击,部分市场利益者希望央行大量注入流动性“救市”的呼吁也非常强烈。然而,只要理性分析,即可知中国目前的问题根本不出在总量上。至今年5月底,央行数据显示M2同比增长已达15.8%,高于去年底确定的13%的年度指标,显示货币供应总量并不低。此次国务院常务会议的基调表明:当前的资金面紧张是短期性、结构性的,要靠机构自身调整行为去适应。央行将继续执行稳定货币政策。这是理性而明智的决定。毕竟,货币政策实施事关全局,绝不可为部分市场利益者的短期利益所绑架。特别是在当前国内外复杂的经济局势中,中国更应冷静应对,着眼长远,严把货币闸门正是上策。 诚然,对货币政策的坚守还需与改革措施相配套。此次国务院会议提出,货币政策要为结构调整、稳增长和惠及民生发挥更大作用,即稳中求进;其中又明确提出,实体经济却没有出现符合外界期待的增长,充分表明金融体系的效率有待提高。这意味着市场建设、增加金融工具、开放市场等多个维度的改革…从国际到国内,机会的窗口已经非常有限。在守住货币闸门之后,改革一定要出真招

Related: 资金“地震”倒逼银行转变扩张模式 新华社——经济参考网 last week interbank tightening in part a “real time stress test” by PBoC, which knows it can’t trust made up stress tests? // 尽管存在短期因素,但专家认为,此次“钱荒”的更深层次原因,还是与银行业无节制扩张有关。而央行坚决不放水,则意在迫使银行进一步改进流动性管理,并给一些银行快速的同业业务扩张敲响警钟… 国务院发展研究中心金融研究所副所长巴曙松认为,“短期金融市场波动检验金融机构流动性风险管理能力。以目前的货币市场运行机制,央行要熨平短期利率波动应属举手之劳,但是,波动本身对金融机构的流动性风险管理能力是一个体检,预期近期一些对流动性盲目乐观、对流动性风险管理准备不足的金融机构,会付出学费,特别是近期在同业市场期限错配显著的机构。”

Related: “钱荒”不期而至 “惯性期待”落空–金融时报 so did the PBoC succeed last week in changing banks expectations of easy liquidity? // 一位不愿署名的业内人士对本报记者表示,今年前几个月社会融资总量一阵疯涨,所以央行必然要控制一下新增的速度。而以往央行对信贷的调控多是动用存款准备金率,这次从货币市场着手,通过货币市场来调节信贷,这也是美联储惯用的调控方式,只不过国内从来没有用过。“没有人想到,也没有人适应,大家还一如既往地期待央行宽松资金面,结果就傻眼了。”该人士说,央行在流动性管理上不顺应商业银行的要求,而是引导信贷增速缓慢回落,这符合政府稳健货币政策和防范金融风险的政策基调,这种方式有助于在激活存量货币信贷的同时,挤出金融市场的泡沫。

Related: 中国式钱荒背后:监管层剑指资金“空转”_财经频道_一财网 多位市场人士向本报记者透露,央行于6月19日召开了货币信贷形势分析会议,会议分析通报了近期全国货币信贷工作中出现的问题,提出下一步货币信贷工作要求,央行有关官员主持会议并讲话。 记者获得的一份会议纪要显示,央行官员在此次会议上指出,前一阶段,部分银行对宽松的流动性盲目乐观,对6月将出现的一系列影响流动性的因素估计不足(准备金补缴、税款清缴、假日现金投放、补充外汇头寸及外企分红派息、贷款多增等),措施不到位,一些大行未发挥市场一级交易商应有的作用,导致货币市场价格大幅波动。 “一些银行长期从事大规模的同业批发业务,期限错配相当高,给流动性管理带来较大压力。”上述官员说。上述纪要并称,由于一些银行认为政府会在经济下行过程中出台扩张性政策,提前布局占位;6月前10天,全国银行信贷增加近1万亿。央行数据显示,5月末我国广义货币(M2)余额104.21万亿元,同比增长15.8%,大大高于年初制定的13%的增长目标。 值得注意的是,前10日70%以上的新增信贷是票据融资。对此,上述官员强调:“一般性贷款增加不多,这被各方认为是信贷空转,银行支持小微企业、‘三农’等实体经济的政策没有落到实处。”

Related: 1.5万亿理财产品到期在即 流动性第二波冲击将至?_财经频道_一财网 1.5 Trillion RMB of WMPs coing dues by end of June, could be an interesting week…// 评级机构惠誉日前发布报告称,6月底前,中国商业银行将有1.5万亿元理财产品到期,银行间拆借利率将再度面临上升压力…前述券商研究人士认为,货币市场利率的高点已经过去了,再次超过原先高点的可能性很小。“税收集中上缴、准备金补交等因素叠加起来,再加上存款流失,是商业银行这次资金紧张的主要因素,但属于阶段性波动。这个时点过去后,情况应当会有所好转,而且如果资金面继续紧张到威胁金融安全的时候,央行肯定不会坐视不管。”他说。

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #71—“Counting Cars: Rising Private Automobile Ownership in Chinese Cities Paves Road for Gasoline Demand” | Andrew S. Erickson “Texas-sized” used to be the benchmark for large-scale car ownership, but “China-sized” is emerging as the new metric. We assembled statistical data for 36 cities that account for 30% of China’s 93 million-strong private passenger car fleet and found that Metro Beijing now has more than four million private passenger cars. That’s 45% more passenger cars than are registered in Harris County, Texas, home to car-crazy Houston and several of its major suburbs. At present, no Chinese metropolitan areas other than Beijing have attained Houston’s raw car ownership levels, but three Chinese metro areas now each have more private passenger cars than New York City, with its 1.8 million cars

Anti-graft campaign claims another big fish–Guo Yongxiang | South China Morning Post According to their official profiles, Guo and former security tsar Zhou Yongkang worked together for 12 years, until 2002, when Zhou became a member of the Politburo as head of the Public Security Ministry. In 1990, Guo was working at the Shengli Petroleum Administration Bureau, which was then affiliated with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), of which Zhou had already been deputy chief for two years.

Riot after Chinese teachers try to stop pupils cheating – Telegraph By late afternoon, the invigilators were trapped in a set of school offices, as groups of students pelted the windows with rocks. Outside, an angry mob of more than 2,000 people had gathered to vent its rage, smashing cars and chanting: “We want fairness. There is no fairness if you do not let us cheat.”

唱衰中国经济就等于否定改革–观点–人民网 在这个改革的历史时刻恶意唱衰中国经济实际是对历史的无知和对改革的否定。从历史观来看改革是实现科学发展的不竭动力,是奋发有为进取的力量源泉,而中国经济的改革正沿着科学的道路执着地挺进,片面放大发展中的问题,唱衰中国经济,实际就是否定改革。

《经济半小时》 20130622 张家口:GDP扬起的尘灰_经济_央视网 pollution so bad in Zhangjiakou, Hebei that some apple trees produce black apples, reports CCTV

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Amid China market stand off, calls for a more transparent central bank | Reuters Throughout, the central bank has remained silent. Several telephone calls from Reuters to the PBOC for comment went unanswered. To many market players, the episode highlights that it is time for the PBOC to shift away from its penchant for opacity in conducting its business. In the past that has included carrying out special market operations behind the scenes and announcing changes in policy interest rates out of the blue and with a minimum of explanation – often at odd hours of the day and at weekends.

各地出台措施促进毕业生就业(政策聚焦)–时政–人民网资料显示,今年我国高校毕业生达到699万人,创历史新高,就业压力加大,结构性矛盾十分突出。国务院办公厅日前发出关于做好2013年全国普通高等学校毕业生就业工作的通知,各省出台实施细则,积极创新举措力促大学生就业。

The Empty City – An FP Slideshow | Foreign Policy In 2003, officials in Kunming, the capital of southern China’s Yunnan province, decided they needed more space to expand. So they started work on the district of Chenggong, a roughly 41 square-mile plot of land 11 miles south of the city. Chenggong, which means to “submit tribute,” features a Central Business District dotted with dozens of office towers, a massive government compound, and 15 university campuses. Ten-lane highways crisscross the city, rolling over previously tilled fields, while farmers living in surrounding areas face eviction. Perhaps the only thing Chenggong lacks, as I saw on a trip to the city in February, is people. The municipal government claims that the population reached 350,000 in 2012, and expects one million inhabitants by 2020. Considering that the city features rows upon rows of empty buildings, that seems unlikely.

Inequality in China: An Overview by John B. Knight :: SSRN This paper provides an overview of research on income inequality in China over the period of economic reform. It presents the results of two main sources of evidence on income inequality and, assisted by various decompositions, explains the reasons income inequality has increased rapidly and the Gini coefficient is now almost 0.5. This paper evaluates the degree of income inequality from the perspectives of people’s subjective well-being and government concerns. It poses the following question: has income inequality peaked? It also discusses the policy implications of the analysis. The concluding comments of this paper propose a research agenda and suggest possible lessons from China’s experience that may be useful for other developing countries.

 

POLITICS AND LAW

李克强“百日维新” 筑梦人路仍艰辛_中国_多维新闻网 Duowei on Li keqiang’s first 100 days // 如今,失去制约的权力、渗入骨髓的腐败、官商勾结形成的特权阶级吞噬民间财富、公平正义缺失引爆的群体性事件等等正冲击着人民的社会道德基础,在这些危险组合的面前,现有的政府机器已被质疑难以安放中国梦。如何让中国这样一个庞大的国家机器适时调整到更为合适与现代的运转模式,是李克强未来十年难以绕开的。作为官僚机构的首脑,李克强似乎信心满满地要面对改革的各项挑战,但真的要直面这样一个庞大、甚至陈腐气息难逆的国家机器,他是否做足了热身,准备大干一场?

人民日报-牢抓住党的生命线 —— 一论学习贯彻习近平同志6月18日重要讲话精神 本报评论员 得民心者得天下,失民心者失天下。人心向背关系党的生死存亡,没有人民的支持,党将一事无成。这就是为什么中央反复告诫“马克思主义执政党的最大危险是脱离群众”,反复强调“必须始终保持党同人民群众的血肉联系”。“开展党的群众路线教育实践活动,是实现党的十八大确定的奋斗目标的必然要求,是保持党的先进性和纯洁性、巩固党的执政基础和执政地位的必然要求,是解决群众反映强烈的突出问题的必然要求”,习近平总书记强调的这“三个必然要求”,其最终的精神指向也正在于此。

广东陆丰”房爷”双规结束 称名下一套房都没有_网易新闻中心 广东陆丰被指“拥有两个身份证和坐拥192套房产”的房爷赵海滨,日前已结束两个月的双规,而举报人黄坤意则涉嫌参与斗殴被陆丰警方网上通缉。赵海滨受访称,自己名下一套房子都没有,“现在主要任务还是把身体治疗好。我也相信,组织一定会给我一个公道。”

媒体称山西“房媳”一家至少15人任公职_资讯频道_凤凰网 有两个户口、公公拥有十余套房产,山西运城纪委前工作人员张彦因此被称“房媳”。在张彦被停职调查后,她的背景也更多被关注。 记者调查发现,张彦的丈夫、原夏县公安局长孙宏军有过三个户口,他还涉嫌长期吸毒。他们生活在以运城市原财政局局长孙太平为核心的一个“官员家族”,孙家成员及其亲属,至少15人在运城市担任官员、公务员或国企领导。

[视频]国家巨资保护拉萨老城区重点文物_新闻频道_央视网 央视网消息(新闻联播):国家投入三亿多元,对古城拉萨的重点文物进行保护,让见证和承载着拉萨历史文化的文物古迹重现辉煌。有1300多年历史的大昭寺是吐蕃时期最有代表性的建筑之一。作为拉萨老城区文物保护工程的重要组成部分,大昭寺正门面前的三座石碑第一次以全新的方式对外开放。

Party school dismisses rumor — Shanghai Daily CHINA’S Central Party School has denied an online rumor that an official was supporting an 18-year-old mistress. An online post named Lu Guangnian, director of a committee affiliated to the school’s Scientific Development Theory Research Institute. However, the school said on its official website that it didn’t have any official of that name and there was no such institute.

消息称刘铁男秘书王勇被带走调查_网易新闻中心 Liu Tienan’s secretary under investigation // 记者从知情人士处获悉,刘铁男秘书王勇已被纪检部门带走接受调查,或与刘铁男严重违纪事件相关。据知情人士介绍,王勇一直在国家发改委工业司、产业司任职,跟随刘铁男多年,是他的大秘。2003年4月,刘铁男开始担任国家发改委工业司司长,这段时期王勇任工业司副处长、处长。

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

US ‘stole’ Chinese statistics | China Daily Cyberattacks on China that originate in the United States may be partly backed by the US government, Chinese experts have said, a situation they would like Washington to explain…”The scale and scope of US monitoring of China’s Internet information is shocking, it is beyond expectation,” said Jia Xiudong, a senior researcher of US studies at the China Institute of International Studies. “The US is the largest source of foreign cyberattacks on China. Now Snowden’s claims show that many such attacks may be backed by the US government.”

[视频]斯诺登披露美对华网络攻击更多细节_新闻频道_央视网 Sunday CCTV Evening News on SCMP revelations of US hacking into Qinhua and SMSs // 报道援引斯诺登的话说,美国国家安全局曾入侵多家中国电信公司,并盗取数百万条用户短信。报道还说,美国曾“持续、高密度、集中式入侵”中国清华大学的网络系统。仅在今年一月的一天中,美国就曾入侵63台清华大学的电脑和服务器。中国骨干网之一的“中国教育和科研计算机网”总控中心就设在清华大学,它支持和保障了多项科研、教育类的国家重要网络应用项目。此外,美国还曾入侵亚太地区最大的高容量海底光缆系统提供商——亚太环通的香港总部计算机。该公司拥有区内最庞大的海底光纤电缆网络。

South Korea’s Park set to charm China, show up the North | Reuters When the presidents of China and South Korea meet in Beijing this week, they will likely use a rapport that blossomed eight years ago to find common ground on North Korea as well as seek ways to boost already vibrant economic ties. With her self-taught Mandarin and interest in Chinese culture, South Korea’s Park Geun-hye will get a warm welcome during a four-day state visit that begins on Thursday.

President Xi vows bigger stride in space exploration in talk with astronauts – Xinhua | English.news.cn “The space dream is part of the dream to make China stronger. With the development of space programs, the Chinese people will take bigger strides to explore further into the space,” said Xi, making the video call at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

[视频]中国浓缩铀工厂首次亮相_新闻频道_央视网 Sunday CCTV Evening News visits a uranium enriching plant in Lanzhou, says can’t film the centrifuge area, whole plant is built with indigenous equipment// 央视网消息(新闻联播):中核集团宣布,我国核工业的关键技术——铀浓缩技术已经完全实现自主化,本台记者日前探访了首次向媒体开放部分厂区的兰州铀浓缩基地。群山环抱的厂区,巨大的厂房掩映其间。核电站所需的燃料浓缩铀就是在这里生产的。这是刚刚从生产装置里提取出来的浓缩核燃料,经过再加工,它们将被源源不断地运往各个核电站。

解放军内部开始全面清查房地产 军委强势支持_房产频道_凤凰网据中国军网记者频道报道,经中央军委批准,全军基本建设项目和房地产资源普查工作领导小组今天召开第一次全体会议,研究部署两项普查工作。中央军委委员、全军基本建设项目和房地产资源普查工作领导小组组长、总后勤部部长赵克石在会上讲话强调,基建项目和房地产资源,是军队战略资源的重要组成部分,是我军现代化建设的重要物质基础,是拓展深化军事斗争准备的重要保障依托,组织开展两项普查,具有基础性、开创性意义,需要周密筹划、准确把握、重点推进,合心合力抓落实。

 

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

Police probe Hong Kong International School over expulsions for drug use | South China Morning Post Police are investigating Hong Kong International School after it expelled 11 students and disciplined others for drug use. The school, in Tai Tam, did not inform police of its actions. Last month administrators of its high school conducted an inquiry into violations of school policy about drug use. It was initially thought just a few pupils were found selling and using marijuana. But as the inquiry progressed, the number of teenagers involved grew. HKIS would not confirm how many had been expelled but a source with knowledge of the situation put the figure at 11.

Chinese Dissident Arrives in Taiwan – NYTimes.com The activist Chen Guangcheng, who fled house arrest in China and later moved to the United States, arrived Sunday in Taiwan, where he is to give several speeches expected to attract the attention of Beijing.

 

TECH AND MEDIA

Lenovo Playing Games in China to Challenge Samsung Phones – Bloomberg To offset falling PC sales and reduce its reliance on ThinkPad notebooks, Lenovo Group Ltd. (992) is adding a gaming service that the computer maker says can help it overtake Samsung Electronics Co. in smartphones in China. Lenovo Game World will include social-networking features, software reviews and gameplay tips when it starts in the third quarter, offering popular titles like “Fruit Ninja” for devices such as the computer maker’s Ideaphone K900 that run Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Android operating system.

“备案门”背后:阿里金融前行阵痛_财经频道_一财网 面对证监会的点名提醒,支付宝方面明确表示“会在规定时间内完成主管部门的相应要求,余额宝业务不会暂停”。 “目前支付宝正在积极准备补充送报材料。”一位接近支付宝人士昨日对《第一财经日报》透露,“之前有过相关备案,但是材料可能不完整;接下来支付宝一定会在规定时间完成监管部门要求。”

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Soccer fans despair as coach dumped – Xinhua | English.news.cn In the aftermath of a humiliating loss to a young Thailand side, coach Jose Antonio Camacho’s controversial relationship with the national soccer team finally came to an end with the Chinese Football Association deciding to terminate its contract with the Spaniard on Friday night. However, instead of Camacho being blamed for the poor result, Chinese netizens have accused the soccer body itself of being responsible for the national team’s misfortunes.

Mountaineers killed in Pakistan attack|chinadailyTwo Chinese mountaineers and one Chinese American were killed in a pre-dawn terrorist attack that claimed 10 lives in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan area on Sunday…Early Sunday morning, a group of gunmen dressed as paramilitary police stormed a base camp for the 8,125-meter snow-covered Nanga Parbat peak…Yang Chunfeng, a 45-year-old experienced mountaineer from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was confirmed as one of the two dead Chinese climbers. He was on his dream tour conquering the 14 independent mountains that are more than 8,000 meters above sea level in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges…The Pakistani government and the Chinese embassy have not yet released the other Chinese victim’s name, but sources on the Internet indicate that the other dead was 48-year-old mountaineer Rao Jianfeng from Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

2013年高考状元 状元分数 北京高考状元 状元学校 全国高考状元报道_网易高考_网易 meet the top gaokao scorers from around china

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Scientists warn against complacency on deadly H7N9 bird flu | Reuters “The warm season has now begun in China, and only one new laboratory-confirmed case of H7N9 in human beings has been identified since May 8, 2013,” the researchers wrote in a study published in The Lancet medical journal. But they added: “If H7N9 follows a similar pattern to H5N1, the epidemic could reappear in the autumn.”

多家排污权交易所“零成交”恐摘牌 新华社——经济参考网 20年前,为应对酸雨肆虐和烟尘蔓延,我国建立了大气排污权交易机制。《经济参考报》记者近日从北京、浙江、江苏、四川、重庆等地了解到,由于环境违法成本低,试点企业无压力参与排污权交易,而试点地区相关部门试图靠“拉郎配”生造市场,致使多家市级排污权交易所出现“零成交”,面临摘牌风险。

China Solars Move Factories Overseas to Avoid EU Duties – Bloomberg Trina Solar Ltd., JinkoSolar Holding Co. (JKS) and Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ) are among Chinese companies preparing to shift manufacturing abroad, dodging penalties imposed by the European Union in the bloc’s biggest ever anti-dumping action. China is pivoting as the EU this month set provisional tariffs on solar goods of 11.8 percent, a rate set to quintuple in August.

人民日报-尽管X这个字母在西方文化中含有“未来”“未知”之意,但是在中国,“PX”正在被妖魔化—— 揭开PX的神秘面纱 People’s Daily tries to demystify PX, claims no more dangerous/carcinogenic than coffee…not getting a positive reaction on Weibo…//

 

FOOD AND TRAVEL

乳业新政短期或推高婴幼儿奶粉价格_财经频道_一财网 九部委联合发布的婴幼儿配方奶粉新政(《关于进一步加强婴幼儿配方乳粉质量安全工作的意见》)正在引起行业震动。 进口奶粉行业资深人士杨如(化名)坦言,表面上,新政下国内大量中小型婴幼儿奶粉企业将被整合并购,实际上,对洋奶粉打击更大,从这个意义上来说,国内婴幼儿奶粉将获得更多的发展机会。 杨如表示,首先,新的奶粉品牌进入中国的审批将更为严格,短时间内几乎很难进入中国市场,限制了新的进口品牌。

 

BEIJING

Beijing landmarks safe in “Transformers 4”: production company – Xinhua The head of a Hollywood production company on Sunday denied online rumors that upcoming action film “Transformers 4” will include the destruction of Beijing landmarks. “Pangu Plaza is an extraordinary and iconic building that will make a memorable visual in the movie, especially set against the beautiful National Stadium, National Aquatic Center and Olympic Green,” said Marc Ganis, president of Jiaflix Enterprises in a written statement.

LA Times – As Beijing air pollution worsens, some American expats clear out After nearly two decades in Beijing, David Wolf knew it was time for a change when his 11-year-old son, Aaron, somberly asked him, “Dad, when you were growing up, did you ever have PE outdoors?”…Later this month, when school lets out, Aaron and his mother will move to Southern California for good, and Wolf begins a new way of doing his consulting work, splitting his time between Beijing and their new home at Channel Islands Harbor.

Beijing Police Seek ‘Large and Vicious’ Suspects (With Wet Noses) – NYTimes.com in recent days, the police have been scouring the gated apartment complex where he lives, hunting for him and other fugitive canines in a campaign that is striking fear into the hearts of otherwise law-abiding Beijingers.

 

CORRECTIONS

Yesterday’s newsletter wrote that “The US has indicted Edward Snowden and asked for his extradition from Hong Kong.” It should have read “charged”, not indicted. i corrected it immediately on Twitter and the web site, but once the newsletter is sent there is no getting it back. Apologies.