The Sinocism China Newsletter 07.07.13

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

A reminder that I am taking my two kids to Washington DC this afternoon so there will be a 2-3 day hiatus from publishing as we adjust to jet lag. If any readers have guanxi with United Airlines can you please ask them to make it a nice flight? Thanks…

There were 141 Chinese citizens aboard the plane that crashed at the San Francisco Saturday, including a teacher and 34 high school students, probably on their way to summer camp. If it turns out any are children of officials, what will be the reaction on Weibo?

The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos has written a terrific goodbye China post. He is heading to DC to be a national correspondent for the magazine, with a stop at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference. China is not well represented at the mass mogul meeting, as the only two China executives on the very exclusive guest list are Victor Koo of Youku and Martin Lau of Tencent.

A Billion Stories is a classy goodbye. He will be missed.

See you on the other side.

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

Why democracy still wins: A critique of Eric X. Li’s “A tale of two political systems” — blog.ted.com Earlier this year, economist Yasheng Huang (watch his 2011 TED Talk) sparred with Eric X. Li in the pages of Foreign Affairs on a similar topic to today’s TED Talk. The TED Blog asked Huang to expand on his argument in his ongoing conversation with Li.

China Pledges to Boost Financial Support After Cash Crunch – Bloomberg Misallocation of capital is hampering the restructuring of the economy and the financial sector must play a better role in helping the overhaul, the cabinet said in a seven-page statement (国务院办公厅关于金融支持经济结构调整和转型升级的指导意见– 国办发〔2013〕67号) released in Beijing today. The State Council said it will maintain its “prudent” monetary-policy stance while ensuring a reasonably supply of money and credit…“It shows that the State Council led by Li is urging ministries to carry out what’s already been decided — to make better use of existing credit resources,” said Ding Shuang, senior China economist at Citigroup Inc. in Hong Kong. “At the same time, it shows the government so far has no intention of boosting overall credit.”

Related: Beijing Sticks to Prudent Monetary Policies in Restructuring Economy: Guidance-Caijing The Guidance on Financial Support in Economic Restructuring and Upgrading, dated July 1 and issued today, said such a policy is line with China’s macro economic conditions at time when both growth and prices are stable. The government shall “deploy a combination of monetary policy tools…to unleash and activate money stock, and make better use of the new capital,” the Guidance said….Meanwhile, it warned that hidden financial risks should be “closely guarded against”, and stress tests should be conducted at a proper time, noting areas that deserve special attention including local financing vehicles and the real estate sector.

Related: China reiterates prudent monetary policy – Xinhua | English.news.cn According to the guideline, the government will use quantitative and pricing monetary policy tools to increase the money velocity and ensure that funds are used more efficiently. The central bank will also help financial institutions ensure that credit is available for the advanced manufacturing and information technology sectors, as well as labor-intensive industries, the guideline said.

Related: China signals will cut off credit to rebalance economy | Reuters In a statement from the State Council, or cabinet, Beijing laid out broad plans to ensure banks support the kind of economic rebalancing China’s new leadership wants as it looks to focus more on high-end manufacturing…The State Council said it would ensure credit kept flowing to businesses that it thought had competitive products, but it would work with banks to oversee a gradual winding down of other businesses…”The government will adopt differentiated policies based on the varied situations in the industries plagued by overcapacity,” it said.

Related: PBOC to Extend Cash Crunch as Zhou Discovers Flaws – Bloomberg China may have difficulty realizing its 7.5 percent annual growth target this year, the 21st Century Business Herald reported yesterday, citing Fan Jianping, chief economist at the State Information Center. A government report may show July 15 that China’s economy grew 7.6 percent in the second quarter, the slowest since the three months through September last year, according to a Bloomberg News survey of 22 economists…Economists led by Song Yu at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. predicted that the M2 (CNMS2YOY) measure of money supply rose 14.8 percent in June, the least in six months, because of tighter regulatory controls on interbank products, according to a report yesterday. The gauge has exceeded the government’s target of 13 percent in the first five months of this year.

Related: 南方周末 – 【“新政观察”系列报道】巴曙松:金融改革推进难度小于1997-1998年时 DRC’s Ba Shusong on financial reforms, says 97-98 reforms were harder //  最近,金融改革成为政界、学界、商界热议话题,在2013年6月19日国务院常务会议中,大部分内容围绕着金融改革展开,改革目标何在,又将通过哪些路径实现?如何看待金融改革和其他领域改革关系? 南方周末记者就金融改革中关键话题,对国务院发展研究中心金融所副所长巴曙松进行了采访。

China Allows Two More Local Governments to Issue Bonds -Caijing China has added two names to the list of a trial program which allows local governments to issue bonds directly, expanding the program to six regions in the country, said the Economic Information Daily.  Shandong and Jiangsu, two neighbor provinces in east China have been given the green light from the State Council to join four local governments which got approval for bonds issues in 2011, the paper published by the official Xinhua news agency said Friday.

Related China’s Local Debt Mystery – China Real Time Report – WSJ  “A very crucial task for this administration is to clearly determine exactly how much debt there is in local financing platforms,” he said, noting that the most recent estimate was a 2011 report by the National Audit Office that put total local government debt the previous year at 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.74 trillion) – equivalent to 27% of gross domestic product at the time. “I think this number is going to go up,” following a national survey, Mr. Zhu said

S China river polluted by thallium, cadmium – Xinhua Government authorities of Fengkai County, south China’s Guangdong Province, on Saturday warned that water in a section of the Hejiang River has been tainted by pollution upstream. An initial investigation suggests that the pollutants are thallium and cadmium, the county’s publicity department said in a statement.

中国梦与中国特色社会主义共同理想_2013/12_求是理论网–作者:侯惠勤 辛向阳 Red Flag keeps going // 用西方政治制度塑造中国人的未来之梦,在今天已是暗潮涌动,然而,背后隐含着的却是历史的颠倒和是非的混淆–(作者:中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院研究员)

军委副主席范长龙赴新疆 要求部队为维稳作贡献–军事–人民网 Fan Changlong goes to Xinjiang//  中共中央政治局委员、中央军委副主席范长龙近日到驻新疆部队检查指导工作,代表习近平主席和中央军委,向战斗在反恐维稳一线的广大官兵和民兵预备役人员,表示诚挚问候。他强调,各任务部队要坚决贯彻党中央、中央军委和习主席的决策指示,进一步增强政治意识、大局意识、忧患意识和责任意识,在地方党委的领导下,打好主动仗,保持高压态势,形成强大威慑力,为新疆社会大局稳定提供坚强有力保证。

Related: 新疆鄯善严重暴力恐怖袭击案件监控视频首度公布_网易新闻中心 CCTV video released of attacks in Shanshan county // 央视新闻:【央视独家:6·26新疆鄯善严重暴力恐怖袭击案件监控视频首度公布】“一部分歹徒已经冲到二楼,砸我们的门,门一打开,他们就拿刀砍过来,我们就开枪了。”鲁克沁镇派出所所长李常青回忆,随后,暴徒又对巡警中队、镇政府等地实施袭击。案发前,该团伙分工明确,连服装都做了统一。

Related: Scholar Slams China Repression of Ethnic Minority – ABC News The comments by Uighur scholar Ilham Tohti, as well as his allegations that 34 people, mostly Uighurs, remain missing after a previous crackdown, came on the fourth anniversary of massive ethnic riots that rocked the Xinjiang regional capital. His critique of Beijing’s policies was unusually bold for an activist based on the mainland, rather than overseas, at a time when authorities are on high alert and have responded to such critics with detentions.

Wukan: After the Uprising – Special series – Al Jazeera English Wukan: After the Uprising tells the story of the village’s journey following its extraordinary victory. This four-part observational documentary series looks at the challenges of a community’s transition to democracy, through the eyes of former rebels now entrusted with the task of leading the village and regaining lost land.   As the international press left Wukan after its historic vote, Al Jazeera stayed on to follow the newly elected village committee in action. Over the course of more than a year, filmmakers Lynn Lee and James Leong documented Wukan’s unique experience with democracy.

In Okinawa, Talk of Break From Japan Turns Serious – NYTimes.com The talk of independence has grown enough that it is being heard in Tokyo, where some conservative newspapers have begun calling the Okinawan independence activists “pawns” of China. Whether or not the activists are pawns, there is certainly some discussion in China about using the independence movement. Recently, an editorial in The Global Times, a state-run Chinese newspaper, said China could pressure Japan by “fostering forces in Okinawa that seek the restoration of the independence of the Ryukyu chain.” Few believe China is about to pursue ownership of Okinawa.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

What Are Policy-Makers Up To? Likonomics, Expert Says – Caixin A weeks-long liquidity crunch that rocked China’s inter-bank market and the ensuing stock market slump have raised questions about the country’s economic and financial development and, more importantly, the leadership’s policy inclinations. Huang Yiping, chief economist at Barclays Capital Asia, said the authorities’ reactions and statements during the tumult reflect a new policy framework being built by Li. Huang and others at Barclays refer to Li’s policy approach as Likonomics and say it has three tenets: no large-scale stimulus packages, deleveraging and structural reforms.

Chinese government bond futures are back after 18 years | beyondbrics The move is part of efforts to encourage development of the government bond market and offers a hedge against market volatility. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said on Friday that a proposal to issue government bond futures had been approved by the State Council and that the futures would be publicly traded on the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) in two months’ time.

Alibaba’s Asset Securitization Product Approved – Caixin A new asset-backed securitization plan jointly developed by Alibaba’s financial arm and brokerage firm Orient Securities Asset Management Co. has won approval from the securities regulator and is expected to be offered to investors soon. A source close to the matter said on July 4 that the plan, which is operated by Orient Securities, will allow people to invest in loans that Alibaba has provided to small businesses on the Internet giant’s online platform. Investors can expect a 6 percent annual return on their investment, with money generated by repayment of the loans.

余额宝的另一面_杂志频道_财新网 “支付宝和淘宝都有非常完善的数据库,可以借力大数据优势,比传统货币基金更早、更准确地知道基金流动性需要,进行实时化处理。万一出现不可预见的大赎回,我们也可以通过回购、卖债或者提前支取存款等方式来满足赎回要求。”天弘基金副总周晓明回应。 一位基金公司的货币基金业务负责人则认为,天弘是否具备应付极端赎回的能力,仍需要时间考验

报告称我国民间借贷高达8.6万亿-搜狐财经 西南财经大学中国家庭金融调查与研究中心日前发布的《银行与家庭金融行为》调查结果显示,我国民间借贷参与率高,有33.5%的家庭参与了民间借贷活动,借贷总额达8.6万亿元。其中用于购房的民间借贷规模最大,达到3.8万亿元。此外,用于农业和工商业的民间家庭借贷达3万亿。还有少部分民间借贷用于车辆、教育等。

Closer Look: What to Do about the Huge Shortfall in Tax Revenue – Caixin In the first five months, the central government’s income was up by only 0.1 percent year on year. Meeting the annual target of 7 percent means that monthly growth rates for the rest of the year must average at least 13.3 percent, Lou said. The income of the central and local governments combined for the five months also fell short of the target. It increased by 6.6 percent from the same period last year. The goal was 8 percent. But expenditure has continued rising. A large chunk of it will be spent on renovating shantytowns across the country for about 10 million households….if the central government is bold enough to use one-third of the more than 3 trillion yuan in government deposits in the central bank, this will be more than enough to meet this year’s national fiscal revenue target of 942 billion yuan. Such a move would be better than 4 trillion yuan stimulus package rolled out after the 2008 global financial crisis, and the country’s economy could turn a new page.

China Names New CIC Chairman as U.S. Mulls Winding Down Stimulus – Bloomberg Ding, 53, was a deputy finance minister when he was appointed to his state council job three years ago after more than 10 years at the ministry, according to a resume published by Xinhua. He holds a doctorate in economics from the finance ministry’s research institute, according to Xinhua. Two candidates — Shanghai Vice Mayor Tu Guangshao and People’s Bank of China Deputy Governor Yi Gang — declined the position because of concerns they may be blamed for investments that end up poorly, the Financial Times reported in May, citing unidentified people

China Milk-Powder Investigation Risks Going Sour – China Real Time Report – WSJShaun Rein//  But are price fixing and unfair competition the real issue? There are three key issues that the government needs to go after.

Tetra Pak Comes Under Scrutiny in China – NYTimes.com Chinese officials are investigating the Swiss food packaging giant Tetra Pak for “abusing its market dominance” in China, the latest in a growing number of multinational companies to come under regulatory scrutiny.

Temasek Looks to Expand in China as Crunch Is Under Control – Bloomberg “There is sufficient liquidity in the system over a prolonged period,” Chia Song Hwee, head of the investment group, said at a briefing in Singapore yesterday. “We’re actually looking at it as an opportunity to build on the portfolio rather than shrinking it.”…Temasek has amassed stakes worth almost $18 billion in China Construction Bank Corp. (939), Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. and Bank of China Ltd., according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Could poor planning turn China’s city centers into slums? | China Economic Review The government will have little interest in alienating the huge population of urban lease holders by putting their property rights into jeopardy. The prospect of decaying urban centers and cities that swallow the land into their dusty environs is sure to prompt Beijing to act. // hear the 70 year term will be dealt with in next year

Pressure Turns Up for Chinese Companies – MoneyBeat – WSJ Breaking down firms’ financial statements and using key financial measures over the past five years reveals a bleak picture. A study by CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets shows that return on equity among 428 Chinese companies listed offshore shows a decline to 11.3% last year from 19.7% in 2007, a sign that companies are generating less profit relative to their capital. Using DuPont analysis, a common tool employed by analysts which breaks down ROE into separate parts, shows other worrying increases in pressure for China’s corporate sector.

 

POLITICS AND LAW

神秘女借石油央企身份纵横圈内外 一顿饭10万直接签单_财经_凤凰网 fascinating story of corruption and guanxi in the oil industry // 来到上海后,善于交际的甄秀玉很快便有了另一个亲切的称呼——“老大姐”。在此后与经人引荐的政府官员、银行高管、私人老板、民营石油大亨等各界人士见面时,介绍人也往往会在客套的铺垫后加上一句,“这是石油系统里的老大姐,人脉丰富,与中石油、中石化高层以及退休领导的关系都非同一般。”…但是,在沪活动仅短暂两年后,2006年底,这个外人眼中能量惊人的“老大姐”却突然“携集资款”人间蒸发,没有人知道她的确切去向。

罗昌平打铁记六:开门查水表_UGC精选 获知能源局网站撤下刘铁男和王岐山的合影,我才如释重负。终于能睡安稳觉了!次日凌晨,距离举报微博20小时后,我打开手机,拍下天空,微博报平安。//Netease is serializing Luo Changping’s book on the fall of Liu Tienan. Luo a very outspoken corruption fighter. See this  screenshot of a Weibo from Luo Saturday about possible corruption inside the CDIC

副镇长网上发辞职感言:4个月维稳剩4个月干正事 – 新闻中心 – 新华网 deputy township head, resigns, explains why online, says spent 4 months a year on stability maintenance, only 4 months a year on “proper business” // 28岁的四川泸州市某副镇长7月1日正式辞职。他在网上发了一篇辞职感言,自称任副镇长两年来,每年平均有4个月在维稳,只有4个月在干“正事”。除工作压力大、收入低之外,还有“价值观”的问题。他至今都在思考:“有些维稳是真的维持稳定保持地方经济平稳发展,还是为了保帽子?”

住房信息联网停滞对“城镇化”不是利好-评论频道-和讯网 住房信息不透明还会造成一个问题:房地产发展与城镇化推进脱节。城镇化不等于“造城”,“造城”的前提是当地人居住房低于标准,房源不够。可如今,一些地方房源已经饱和,有人有多套房,有人比方说农民工在家乡城市已经购房却在外地打工,造成大量闲置房,而有些当地常住人口却没有住房产权,如此只要促进房产交易或在当地多创造就业机会吸引有住房产权的人从外地回来或进城工作居住,就可解决住房闲置浪费问题,并推进“城镇化”所需的人口增量问题。而如果不以详细客观的住房信息为依照,一味大搞房地产,岂不是与人的城镇化目标悖逆,造成更多的“空城“、“睡城”、“鬼城”?

武汉电视问政 居民给水务局长送套鞋(高清组图) -新华时政-新华网 On TV show to hold officials accountable, a Wuhan resident gives the head of the water works bureau a pair of boots, asks when issues will be fixed? // 7月4日,武汉市2013年治庸问责年中电视问政第三场,当晚主题是“问服务”,共有6位官员“应考”。本场重点关注两大问题:城市公共设施维护不及时;水电气公共服务企业工作流程不优、服务水平不高。汉阳玫瑰园东路大桥局社区居民给市水务局局长左绍斌送去一双套鞋,并当面质问何时能解决渍水问题。

虚拟社交时代考验干群关系:以微应微 用正能量冲抵负影响-时政频道-新华网 “virtual era” tests cadre ties with the masses //  党的群众路线教育实践活动,是十八大后我们党开展的一项意义重大、影响深远的政治活动,涉及党的建设从宏观到微观、从理论到实践的各个层面,引起国内外舆论高度关注。《半月谈内部版》本期开始推出“群众路线新观察”栏目,力图对这一重大活动的新背景、新挑战、新探索进行深度透析,供读者参考。

China prepares to close down its “city of the doomed” – Telegraph Founded in 1903 by British authorities and also dubbed “The City of the Doomed”, Tilanqiao is the oldest still-operating prison in China. But with Shanghai’s population set to rocket to 30 million by the end of this decade and the downtown jail occupying valuable land, officials now view Tilanqiao as an obstacle to development. One hundred and ten years after welcoming its first inmates, the prison is to close.

The Politics of a Slowing China by Minxin Pei – Project Syndicate why Xi has tightened control and is now rectifying the party, in advance of wrenching economic reform? // Slower GDP growth undermines elite unity according to a different political dynamic. The current Chinese system is a gigantic rent-distributing mechanism. The ruling elites have learned to live with each other not through shared beliefs, values, or rules, but by carving up the spoils of economic development. In a high-growth environment, each group or individual could count on getting a lucrative contract or project. When growth falters, the food fight among party members will become vicious. // from my 5.28 Dealbook column: President Xi inherited many challenges, including but not limited to: a troubled economy; a growing debt mess; widespread corruption in the party and society in general; and a huge environmental crisis. Combine those challenges with what looks to be a very significant economic reform agenda that will affect many powerful interests across society and it may be that the logical response from the party is to batten down the ideological hatches, rectify the party, strengthen control over the military, and increase oversight of the media (especially the Internet) and educational institutions before undertaking those jarring economic changes.

Wary Tibetans mark Dalai Lama’s birthday quietly in China | Reuters If China was to allow grassroots worship of the Dalai Lama in Qinghai and neighboring Sichuan, it would mark a reversion to the norm before 2008, according to Robbie Barnett, director of modern Tibet studies at Columbia University. It is unclear whether these adjustments were mandated by Beijing, but there are signs that the new leadership is becoming more pragmatic when it comes to policy on Tibet, Barnett said.

河南南阳疑为应付领导视察突击种近千棵无根树–社会–人民网 planting tress without roots to impress visiting leaders..in henan // 面对百姓质疑,负责广阳镇集镇发展的纪委王副书记却另有一番说法,他表示,去年8月,种树是因为镇政府要对广阳大道综合升级改造,提升形象。河南绿邦林业有限公司得到消息后,主动找到政府要求承接工程,同时承诺,无偿提供工程全部香樟苗木381棵,并提供技术指导。但当记者问到为何香樟树为何没有树根,王副书记却有些闪烁其词。

寒江钓雪:周天勇如此微博言论反映怎样的问题? – 红歌会网 – 唱响红歌 弘扬正气! 最近,周天勇因一则微博言论而驰名国内,迅速成为一时焦点人物,也从而引发大量的争议。由于周天勇所在单位性质,其身份背景导致,并由此产生对特色道路未来走向的揣测与观点争鸣。如果此轮放在以前,大概人们还会见怪不惊,因为党校叫兽精蝇反党早已不是奇闻,并且特共这样的一个大肚能容天下万物、汇纳百川的诡异组织,其理论宣传与研究的最高学府机构,经常会发出一些与GCD宗旨背道而驰的奇谈怪论,且莫论档内高层人士、普通党员怎么看待,即使一般非党平民也会惊诧莫名。原来特共思想解放与观念更新的步伐委实过快,它非但让人们跟不上脚步,连思想都无法望其项背了。 // Twitter / niubi: remarkable series of weibos from Zhou Tianyong responding to allegations of corruption and having mistresses

Guangxi official Li Daqiu is third senior cadre under scrutiny | South China Morning Post “Corruption has become perfectly normal for many cadres and the top leaders can only punish those with relatively little power,” said Professor Hu Xingdou, of the Beijing Institute of Technology. “The three officials investigated recently could hardly qualify as ‘tigers’.” // 广西政协副主席李达球涉嫌违纪被调查_网易新闻中心

新华网评多名高官被查:治标为治本赢得时间_网易新闻中心 【新华微评:治标为治本赢得时间】四川省原副省长郭永祥、内蒙古自治区党委统战部部长王素毅、广西壮族自治区政协副主席李达球,中纪委每周调查一个省部级高官,如此速度振奋人心。除了严惩,根治腐败还要靠制度把权力关进笼子里。但在目前,只有先遏制住腐败蔓延势头,方能为治本赢得宝贵时间。周英峰

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

A New Anti-American Axis? – NYTimes.com Gelb and Simes // This new approach appears based in part on a sense of their growing strength relative to America and their increasing emphasis on differences over issues like Syria. Both Moscow and Beijing oppose the principle of international action to interfere in a country’s sovereign affairs, much less overthrow a government, as happened in Libya in 2011. After all, that principle could always backfire on them. They also don’t like watching the West take action against leaders friendly to them

China Puts on Brave Face After Losing Key Ally in Egypt – China Real Time Report – WSJ Beneath China’s anodyne calls for dialogue and reconciliation in Egypt after this week’s military takeover lies glaring reality for Beijing: It had invested substantial political capital backing the country’s now-ousted president, Mohammed Morsi.

The Strategic and Economic Dialogue 2013: Stronger Engagement Between the U.S. and China | Brookings Institution Lieberthal gives an intro

China, US to discuss major issues in S&ED next week – Xinhua The dialogue will be co-chaired by Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who will be acting as special representatives of Xi, as well as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, who will be acting as special representatives of Obama. Delegates from more than 20 Chinese government departments will attend the dialogue, according to Zheng.

China, Switzerland sign free trade agreement | Reuters China and Switzerland on Saturday signed a free trade agreement in Beijing – a move that came amid escalating tensions between Asia’s economic giant and the European Union.

Submersible taps vast mineral deposits in South China Sea – Xinhua | English.news.cn Jiaolong, the manned deep-sea submersible, is helping the country tap a treasure of iron-manganese deposits that were first discovered in the South China Sea on Wednesday Tang Jialing, an oceanaut on the submersible, told Xinhua News Agency that although the exact area of the deposits was still unknown, he was sure that it was large.

Explore Sansha Island – Xinhua looks nice, too bad foreigners can’t visit

Sinica Podcast–Myanmar’s Uncertain Glasnost  Joining Jeremy Goldkorn for this closer look at China’s southern neighbor are guests Simon Montlake and Josh Gordon. The Beijing Bureau Chief for Forbes Magazine, Simon has been a frequent visitor to Burma since 1998, and is the recent author of a piece on General Electric and their Burmese dreams. Coming from a more academic background, Josh is an expert on Burmese-Chinese relations

Luo Yuan’s “real and fake” dove-hawk opera | southseaconversations 讨论南海 Am I getting this right? As far as the PLA’s most famous “hawk” is concerned, bellicose public statements need not reflect actual policy positions, for their purpose is not to influence policy, but rather to form part of a sideshow in the service of the national strategic interest as determined by “the highest level” of decision-makers?  Meanwhile, if a statement does happen to reflect a genuine-held policy position, that should only appear in public if that accords with the real decision-makers’ national strategic interest calculations? So, essentially, there is no hawks vs doves policy battle?  I’ll take this opportunity to not only welcome, but appeal for alternative explanations.

 

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

The End of Hong Kong’s Tony Chan Saga – China Real Time Report – WSJ On Thursday night, 53-year-old geomancer Tony Chan was found guilty of forging the will of Nina Wang, once Asia’s richest woman, whose bright miniskirts and Pippi Longstocking hairdo earned her the local nickname “Little Sweetie.”

 

TECH AND MEDIA

China Taps a Growing Phone Market – NYTimes.com Now more phones are being designed for consumers in emerging markets, who are expected to account for most of the growth in smartphone sales in the future. That presents an opportunity for the major Chinese phone makers, like Huawei, Lenovo, ZTE, Coolpad, Xiaomi and Oppo. While Samsung is the biggest smartphone vendor in China, with a market share of 20 percent in the first quarter of 2013, according to the research firm Canalys, several Chinese companies have surged past Apple, which holds 8 percent.

《赢在互联网》预告片-搜狐IT 中国首部互联网营销专题纪录片《赢在互联网》。央视纪录片频道(CCTV-9)7月5日(本周五)-7月7日(本周日)每晚20点 敬请期待!

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Chen Shi-Zheng’s Road to ‘Monkey – Journey to the West’ – NYTimes.com WHEN Chen Shi-Zheng began rehearsals with the two actors he had chosen to play the lead in “Monkey: Journey to the West,” a pop-inflected international opera with a Chinese cast that opens the Lincoln Center Festival, he knew he had to break them of their past training.

A Prelude to the Opera on Vimeo–Jonah Kessel Filmed in the winter of 2011, behind the scenes of Chen Shi-Zheng’s Farewell My Concubine. The veteran director, Chen Shi-Zeng, returns to China after a 12-year-absence to offer a bold re-interpretation of the traditional Beijing Opera.

Fired China Soccer Coach to Seek Arbitration, Xinhua Reports – Bloomberg A statement yesterday from Javier Ferrero, who represented Camacho in talks with the football association, said it failed to fulfill the contract and the two sides couldn’t reach agreement, according to Xinhua. “We will seek assistance from world football governing body FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” Xinhua cited the statement as saying.

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Chinese medicine plays by Western rules to gain acceptance | China Economic Review “What we wanted to do was really understand traditional Chinese medicine on kind of a molecular level,” Christian Hogg, CEO of Hutchison China MediTech, told China Economic Review. “[We wanted] to go beyond all of the folklore and all of the charlatans that existed in TCM and really understand what was the efficacy, what was the safety, what therapeutic areas is it highly effective in.”

Sinica Podcast–The Fate of Traditional Chinese Medicine not my favorite Sinica, but at least they were upfront that they were not going for any kind of attempt at balance.// Bill Bishop swears by part of it. Jeremy Goldkorn swears regularly at it. Chances are you’ve got strong opinions on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) yourself, which is why we’re delighted to be joined by James Palmer this week, author of The Death of Mao, and the mind behind two phenomenal China pieces in Aeon Magazine, one on the 1980s generation, and the most recent on the fate of TCM in modern China.

Sand-washing operation at Xiaolangdi Reservoir – Xinhua – Photos Tourists watch water gushing out from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir on the Yellow River during a sand-washing operation in Luoyang, central China’s Henan Province, July 5, 2013. The on-going operation, conducted on Friday, works by discharging water at a volume of 2,600 cubic meters per second from the reservoir to clear up the sediment in the Yellow River , the country’s second-longest waterway. Speeding currents would carry tons of sand into the sea.

 

BEIJING

July 5th Beijing Canine Prison Break–Facebook Page July 5th 2013, 8 previously captured dogs were successfully rescued, in secret, from a local police station in Beijing! One of WGAPC’s associated activists received an emergency phone call from a police officer detailing 8 dogs that he had secretly saved from the police station where he works. Yes, you heard it right – a police officer snuck 8 police-captured dogs out of the doggie jail!

京郊商铺涌现投资热潮 是否物有所值?-中新网 位于CBD区域的新城国际两年前的二手商铺价格在6万/平米左右,现在的价格已经超过10万/平米,两广路上富力广场前年有5万价格的二手商铺,现在价格涨到8-9万/平米。 从区域上来说,CBD区域的二手商铺价格现在普遍达到11-12万/平米,金融街商圈9-10万/平米,中关村商圈9-11万/平米,亚运村商圈6-9万/平米,燕莎板块10万元/平米左右,两广路周边7-10万/平米,望京地区5-8万/平米,个别商铺的价格因地理位置的原因差别很大,但是投资二手商铺在原先售价基础上还要增加转让费等一系列的费用。