"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
On the anniversary of Japan’s “nationalization” of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, the politician who instigated the purchase told the Asahi Shimbun in an interview that Prime Minister Abe should build a lighthouse on the islands. The construction of a lighthouse, or the landing on the islands of Japanese government workers, as suggested by another politician, would not be ignored by China.
The 82nd anniversary of the Mukden Incident is next Wednesday, so things could be even more tense than usual between Japan and China over the next few days.
SOHO China Chairman Pan Shiyi appeared on the Wednesday CCTV Evening News to voice his support for the government’s latest moves to bring order to the Internet. Pan, who has more than 16 million followers on Sina Weibo, was better dressed and seemed more comfortable than did Charles Xue in his recent CCTV appearance. Pan stuttered through the interview, eliciting mostly positive and sympathetic reactions from netizens.
Foreign Policy Magazine, owned by the Washington Post Company, has acquired the excellent China-focused e-magazine Tea Leaf Nation. Congratulations to TLN founder David Wertime and his team, and to the acquirers for picking up a terrific service. The price was not disclosed.
Today’s Links:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
Ishihara: Abe should build lighthouse on Senkakus to break deadlock – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Shintaro Ishihara got the ball rolling toward the eventual purchase of the Senkaku Islands by the central government when he said last year that the Tokyo metropolitan government was considering acquiring the islands from its private owner. At the time, Ishihara was the governor of Tokyo. He is currently co-leader of the opposition Japan Restoration Party. In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun, Ishihara, 80, said Japan should build a lighthouse or a shelter for fishing boats on the Senkakus to test China’s response as a way to break a deadlock in bilateral relations.
Related: Advantage China in Diaoyu dispute – OP-ED – Globaltimes.cn Yesterday was the one year anniversary of Japan “nationalizing” the Diaoyu Islands. In the past year, China and Japan almost completely turned against each other because of these islands. The economic and political relationship between both nations has stagnated and even regressed. To be honest, neither China nor Japan can regard it as a win-win situation. But it is also too arbitrary to judge that China and Japan are both losers in the last year. Japan has failed in its effort to consolidate its actual control of the Diaoyu Islands. It did not only underestimate China’s resolve to defend the integrity of its sovereignty, but miscalculated China’s assertive response to its aggressive action.
Related: 现场：中日8艘公务船在钓鱼岛海域展开一对一较量(图)_资讯频道_凤凰网 video/pictures of Japanese and Chinese ships operating near the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands…at least the weather is good…but clearly risk of accident not low
Related: 少将：日若向钓鱼岛派公务员 中国可登岛逮捕_资讯频道_凤凰网 Let’s really hope that Japan doesn’t send workers to land on the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands // 尹卓表示，我方曾多次向国际社会表明钓鱼岛是中国固有领土，同时也确定了领海基点、基线，维护钓鱼岛主权完全在合法范围内，针对他国登岛当然可以采取法制措施，甚至在必要情况下采取强制性措施。“你的公务员登岛，我们的也登岛，而且我方执法人员可以对日方人员逮捕、审判。”他说，“我们完全可以采取这些行为，而且必将采取，绝不示弱。”
Related: Toyota Showroom Rebuilt in China Underlines Lost Sales – Bloomberg It took Wang Chongwei almost a year to rebuild his Toyota Motor Corp. dealership in Qingdao, China, after a mob protesting against Japan’s purchase of a group of disputed islands burnt down the showroom. On opening day one humid Sunday morning last month, more than 100 local residents, some with toddlers in tow, showed up to play funfair games and watch svelte dancers performing South Korean pop star Psy’s new hit single “Gentleman.” That’s a stark contrast to the demonstrators last year, who also torched Wang’s other dealership by Honda Motor Co.
Top blogger Pan Shiyi appears on TV amid internet crackdown | South China Morning Post State-broadcaster CCTV asked Pan Shiyi, who has more than 16 million followers on Sina Weibo, China’s wildly popular equivalent of Twitter, to describe the “social responsibility” of microbloggers. Pan, a wealthy real-estate developer who has become an influential leader of public opinion through his online comments, said that popular microblog users should be “more disciplined”. “If we are post completely casually … then the social impact and damage will be large,” he said. // [视频]“两高”司法解释：网络名人更需遵守网络秩序_新闻频道_央视网
Related: 潘石屹受央视采访时数次口吃 网友:小潘颤抖了_网易新闻中心-网易新闻客户端 Pan Shiyi stutters his way through the CCTV interview, netizens react, mostly positively // 一段潘石屹接受采访的视频在网络上疯传，在采访时，潘总说：““你的转发，可能有上千万人关注，上千万人背后还有关关关注的人……我我觉得作为大V吧，粉粉粉粉丝量比较高的人，他应该更严格的要求自己。更加有纪纪律性，不能特别的随随意。”一段话中数次口吃，引起网友围观，有网友调侃称：“小潘颤抖了！”
At Sina Weibo’s censorship hub, China’s Little Brothers cleanse online chatter | Reuters Reuters interviewed four former censors at Sina Weibo, who all quit at various times this year. All declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the work they once did. Current censors declined to speak to Reuters…Sina’s computer system scans each microblog before they are published. Only a fraction are marked as sensitive and need to be read by a censor, who will decide whether to spare or delete it. Over an average 24-hour period, censors process about 3 million posts…”The most frequently deleted posts are the political ones, especially those criticising the government, but Sina grants relatively more room for discussions on democracy and constitutionalism because there are leaders who want to keep the debate going,” said the first former censor. “But there hasn’t been any sign of loosening control on social media since Xi Jinping took power,” he added. “Not from what we could feel at work.” // where else besides Tianjin does Sina does this?
Li Keqiang’s speech at Summer Davos opening ceremony — full text (1) – China.org.cn The Chinese Economy: Reform and Innovation For Sustained and Healthy Development–Speech by Li Keqiang At the World Economic Forum– In terms of monetary policy, we stayed focused, responded calmly and met difficulties head-on. We did not relax or tighten the monetary policy in spite of the short-term fluctuation in the money market, and properly managed liquidity. We supported the real economy mainly by making good use of both the stock and the increment. At the same time, we strengthened supervision and improved regulation to prevent and defuse potential risks in the fiscal and financial sectors. Regarding the local government debt issue, which has become a source of concern, we are taking pertinent measures to regulate and address it in an orderly fashion. Here, I can say with certainty that the situation is on the whole safe and manageable.
Related: China premier Li Keqiang commits to financial reform – FT.com Li Keqiang, the Chinese premier, has vowed to overhaul state-dominated financial institutions, liberalise interest rates and eventually make the renminbi freely convertible in a sweeping restatement of the newly installed government’s economic reform agenda. Speaking to an international audience at the World Economic Forum in Dalian in eastern China on Wednesday, Mr Li, who took over as premier in March, also provided some more detail on financial sector reform.
Brighter Picture? China Has Record Power Output – China Real Time Report – WSJ If the back-of-the-envelope sensibilities of China’s premier are to be trusted, the news so far seems more than reassuring. China on Tuesday posted an all-time record-high electricity output level of 498.7 billion kilowatt-hours in August, rising 13% from a year earlier. Power-generation volumes have risen each month since April, the National Bureau of Statistics said. The year-on-year rate of growth has accelerated every month since May, and the August measurement is the fastest so far this year….Preliminary gauges show early-September power consumption has already fallen back to May levels, Ms. Tian said. “Once you take out the weather factor, it’s premature to say that the Chinese economy has completely rebounded,” she said.
Related: Shanghai rebar extends losses as Shagang cuts prices | Reuters Chinese steel futures extended losses on Wednesday as investors grew concerned about slower demand after Jiangsu Shagang, the country’s largest private steelmaker, cut prices for mid-September orders. Shagang, China’s biggest producer of rebar, will cut mid September booking prices of rebar and wire rod used for construction by 30 yuan ($4.90) a tonne. The mill’s pricing policies are considered a barometer for the rebar market. //leading indicator of slowing economic activity?
Related: 8月钢材出口创5年新高 低价促销或难持续 | 每经网 August steel exports at 5 year high. Price cuts helped, as average price dropped to $804/ton from $857/ton in July. Sustainable? // 不过，8月钢材出口均价下跌幅度明显，当月的出口804美元/吨的价格，与7月份857美元/吨的数值相比，下跌幅度明显。 有分析人士向记者表示，在成本压力下，近期钢材价格进入盘整期，国内厂商采取的压价促销策略，或难以持续。
Apple’s New iPhones May Underwhelm In China–USA Today Apple may have once had leverage with China Mobile, but no longer. The iPhone is a nice-to-have product for China Mobile but a deal with the carrier is now absolutely essential for Apple. Perhaps in addition to the new iPhones Apple will also have to show China Mobile an iKowtow? //from my USA Today “View From China” blog
Related: iPhone 5c的高价利好国产厂商 80% of respondents to a Sina IT poll think the iPhone 5c is too expensive, more than half say they will not buy either of the new iPhone models // 新浪科技讯 9月12日凌晨消息，苹果公司昨天凌晨发布两款新手机iPhone 5C和iPhone 5S。新浪科技发起的调查显示，有超过80%的网友认为iPhone 5C定价较高；超过一半的人表示，不会购买这两款新产品。同时，分析人士认为，iPhone5c的定价对于国产厂商而言是个利好消息。
NSA Spying Seen Risking Billions in U.S. Technology Sales – Bloomberg A congressional committee’s effective blacklisting of Huawei Technologies Co.’s products from the U.S. telecommunications market over allegations they can enable Chinese spying may come back to bite Silicon Valley. Reports that the National Security Agency persuaded some U.S. technology companies to build so-called backdoors into security products, networks and devices to allow easier surveillance are similar to how the House Intelligence Committee described the threat posed by China through Huawei. //It will become known as getting “Huawei’d”…
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Brighter Picture? China Has Record Power Output – China Real Time Report – WSJ If the back-of-the-envelope sensibilities of China’s premier are to be trusted, the news so far seems more than reassuring. China on Tuesday posted an all-time record-high electricity output level of 498.7 billion kilowatt-hours in August, rising 13% from a year earlier. Power-generation volumes have risen each month since April, the National Bureau of Statistics said. The year-on-year rate of growth has accelerated every month since May, and the August measurement is the fastest so far this year….Preliminary gauges show early-September power consumption has already fallen back to May levels, Ms. Tian said. “Once you take out the weather factor, it’s premature to say that the Chinese economy has completely rebounded,” she said.
Shanghai rebar extends losses as Shagang cuts prices | Reuters Chinese steel futures extended losses on Wednesday as investors grew concerned about slower demand after Jiangsu Shagang, the country’s largest private steelmaker, cut prices for mid-September orders. Shagang, China’s biggest producer of rebar, will cut mid September booking prices of rebar and wire rod used for construction by 30 yuan ($4.90) a tonne. The mill’s pricing policies are considered a barometer for the rebar market.
鄂尔多斯酝酿大规模人口迁移填“鬼城”_财经频道_一财网 Ordos working on a large migration plan to fill up Kangbashi? // 鄂尔多斯政府已经开始行动，一方面大规模引进非煤产业项目，另一方面酝酿启动庞大的人口迁移计划。
Investors Wary of Another China Cash Crunch – MoneyBeat – WSJ Investors are worried about another cash crunch in China this month following June’s unprecedented crisis, as the end of the quarter and two public holidays approach. But analysts say Beijing has enough financial resources and the resolve to avoid another credit crisis, though borrowing costs will almost certainly rise over the next two weeks due to banks’ need to meet capital requirements and consumers’ demand for cash to pay for holidays.
China August Fiscal Revenue Rises for 3rd Consecutive Month -Caijing Fiscal revenue for the Chinese central government jumped 12.1 percent year-on-year last month, accelerating from 8.8 percent in July.
China’s Richest Man Wang Hunts Hotel Management Companies – Bloomberg Dalian Wanda’s revenue will exceed $100 billion by 2020 with least 20 percent of sales coming from outside of China, he said. Wang is accelerating acquisitions overseas as the real estate market in China is overheating. China’s property market is “definitely” in a bubble, Wang said. At the same time, it is “controllable, not big,” Wang said. The Dalian Wanda conglomerate is owned by Wang and his son Wang Sicong. The 58-year-old has a net worth of $13.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
王健林：万达与薄熙来案无关 公司靠“走市场”做大_资讯频道_凤凰网 Wanda’s Wang Jianlin says his company had no connection to the Bo Xilai case // 王健林表示，欧美对中国的民营企业有一种偏见，认为民企一定跟政府走得很近，这是完全错误的思想。他称，在中国凡是在行业内的领军企业，都不是靠“走人脉”而发展壮大的，而是靠“走市场”。“万达、万科、联想、淘宝，一系列行业的领军企业，凡是规模大的都是走市场。走人脉的企业做不大。”他说，“不能跟政府的官员勾搭得太紧，不要把个人的利益和公司发展挂在一起。” 王健林此前曾在多个公开场合表示，他处理官商关系遵从“八字诀”，即“亲近政府，远离政治”，但他同时也承认，政商完全分开在当前的中国，实现颇有困难。他去年在清华企业家讲堂上表示，万达是少有的敢公开说不行贿的企业。
房价现失控风险 住建部下月将急查限购、限贷执行|房价|限购|限贷_21世纪网 the real estate repression rules are not working in many cities, government to send out inspection teams // 继住建部约谈7个房价上涨较高的城市后，本报记者独家获悉，住建部督察组下月将抵达地方急查限购、限贷执行情况。
POLITICS AND LAW
发改委：厘清政府市场角色或是三中全会最大改革-时政频道-新华网 Zhang Xiaoqiang, an NDRC vice-director, said at Davos that clarifying the government’s and market’s role may be the biggest reform to come out of the Third Plenum // 当日，国家发改委副主任张晓强在达沃斯论坛接受媒体采访时透露，十八届三中全会可能通过最大的一个改革措施，就是正确地处理好政府和市场各自的角色的区分。
天津燃气集团董事长被双规 疑涉中石油窝案_网易新闻中心-网易新闻客户端 Tianjin Natural Gas Chairman Jin Jianping reportedly detained by Party investigators (“shuang’gui’d”), assumed ralted to ongoing PetroChina investigations..report says he was picked while out buying breakfast near his home in Xianghe. Hebei // 9月10日，本报记者独家从天津市官方多个渠道获悉，天津燃气集团董事长金建平已被双规。 据天津市委组织部一位官员透露，金建平涉嫌经济问题被双规，但具体什么事他表示不清楚，并称是“天津市纪检委在办案”。天津市国资委也有官员向本报记者证实了金被双规的消息。 9月5日，一位接近当地官方的内部消息人士向本报透露，金前几天在河北香河家中，出门买早点时被控制。家中也查出一部分现金。
成都银行前董事长毛志刚被“双规”_金融频道_财新网 Caixin reports that the former Chairman of the Bank of Chengdu, Mao Zhigang, has been detained by party investigators // 【财新网】（记者 田林）成都银行股份有限公司（下称：成都银行）刚刚卸任的董事长毛志刚近日被“双规”。李捷接任成都银行董事长一职。财新记者从多个渠道获知，有多家成都机构内部都通报了这一消息。 毛志刚，2004年8月始任成都银行党委书记、董事长。今年7月31日，成都市政府官网称，经2013年6月21日市政府第7次常务会议决定，“免去毛志刚同志成都银行股份有限公司董事长职务”，“李捷为成都银行董事长人选”。
云南知名网友“边民”被刑拘 · 网眼 · 2013-09-12 ,南都网,数字报,电子报,南方都市报 Yunnan blogger Deng Rubiao, aka “bianmin”, arrested on suspicion of falsely reporting registered capital in his company… he became famous in the “duo maomao” and “primary students prostitution” cases // 云南知名网友“边民”被昆明市公安局五华分局刑事拘留的消息，这两天引发网友关注。拘留通知书显示，刑拘的理由是其涉嫌虚报注册资本。 作为在昆明“躲猫猫”、“小学生卖淫案”等事件中表现活跃的网络意见领袖，“边民”被刑拘遭到诸多猜测。就此，五华公安分局经侦大队尚未披露更多案件信息。
Expert Backs Law Officials on Net Rumors, But ‘5,000 Views Is Too Low’ –Caixin- Tong Zhiwei, a law professor at China University of Politic Science and Law, said it was easier for an item posted online to get 5,000 views than to be reposted by other Net users 500 times. He also said the authorities should take into account the real-world effects of online activity when deciding whether it is criminal, rather than just considering the number of views and reposts. He also said the standards set by the court and prosecutor broadened the legal definition of “social order” to include discourses in cyberspace. However, he said online disruptions have significantly fewer negative social consequences than other behavior, such as gang fighting.
China Law Translate | SPC and SPP Interpretation on Internet Speech Crimes The Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate Interpretation on Several Issues Regarding the Applicable Law in Cases of Using Information Networks to Commit Defamation and Other Such Crimes– Legal Interpretation No. 21 (2013)
张曙光花千万贿选院士以1票之差落选 _资讯频道_凤凰网 Zhang Shuguang spent 10m RMB trying to buy election to the Chinese Academy of sciences, missed by one vote
No fraud complaint about former Railways official: CAS – Xinhua The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on Wednesday said in a statement that it had not received any complaint about fraud in an honorary academic election involving a former railway official. The CAS, one of the country’s top think tanks, made the clarification in response to media reports that Zhang Shuguang, former head of the Railways Ministry’s transportation bureau and deputy chief engineer, confessed at the trial that some of the bribes he took were used to gain votes in the election for CAS membership, a lifelong academic title for natural scientific research.
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China ditches pointless awards in latest anti-waste push | South China Morning Post Government departments will, for example, no longer be able to award prizes for “excellent vocational education teaching materials” or “administration in accordance with the law” for tax collectors, according to the new rules. “In recent years, many government departments … have been obsessed with these kinds of awards and evaluations and formalism has run rampant,” the central government said in a statement on its website (www.gov.cn).
Foreigner arrested as death toll from Guangzhou explosion rises to 7 | Nanfang Insider The explosion caused by a truck unloading dangerous goods at a warehouse in Guangzhou’s Baiyun District yesterday has now killed seven and injured 36. The dangerous goods appear to have been illegal caps for toy guns and the Jordanian man who owned them is one of three people to have been detained by police, Southern Metropolis Daily reports. // he will be lucky to escape the death penalty
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
Chinese president calls for more trade between China’s Xinjiang, Kyrgyzstan – Xinhua | Stressing that his country welcomes Chinese investment, he said Kyrgyzstan is ready to work with China to properly carry out such big projects as the China-Central Asia gas pipeline. He also called for joint efforts to promote infrastructure cooperation and boost exchanges between the two countries’ border areas. Xi arrived here Tuesday for a state visit to Kyrgyzstan, the last stop of his ongoing overseas tour, which has taken him to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and a Group of 20 summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. The Chinese president will also attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit to be held here later this week.
China turns to stock market to fund navy – FT.com Launching what it described as the start of a new push to use capital markets to fund China’s defence industry, state-controlled China Shipbuilding Industry Co, the country’s biggest shipbuilder, said it would raise Rmb8.5bn ($1.4bn) through a private placement of shares to buy production facilities and equipment to make warships. Chinese investors cheered the prospect of being able to invest in their country’s military-industrial complex, driving the Shanghai-listed shares of China Shipbuilding up by the daily limit of 10 per cent. Shares of other companies expected to benefit, such as Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries, a maker of large steel structures, also surged.
Here Comes China’s Drone Patrols — War is Boring — Medium Little is known about this obscure UAV since its unveiling in 2006, except that it was designed by the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics with Harbin Aircraft Industry Group is believed to boast an endurance of 40 hours with a service ceiling of 26,000 feet. The type is known to be in service with the Chinese Navy, deployed with an unknown reconnaissance unit stationed in the nearby base of Huangyan-Luqiao.
US Warns of North Korean Chemical Weapons Threat – ABC News The United States is trying to enlist Beijing’s support for military action against Syria by arguing that it would help deter North Korea from using chemical weapons and threatening security in China’s neighborhood, a U.S. official said Tuesday.
China cool on French U.N. proposal for Syria weapons | Reuters Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei would not say explicitly whether Beijing would back or oppose the French proposal, but implied some reservations. “China supports the U.N. Security Council in playing an important role on issues of world peace and security and is willing to remain in touch with all sides on the next steps by the security council,” he told a daily news briefing. “We also believe that action by the Security Council must be based on consensus reached after full discussions by all sides, should help ameliorate the present tension in Syria, be helpful to maintaining peace and stability in Syria and the region and be helpful to a political resolution.”
Japan-based Chinese scholar missing, reportedly under investigation by Beijing | The Japan Times Zhu Jianrong, a Chinese scholar based in Japan who comments on Tokyo-Beijing relations is under investigation in China for alleged espionage, Chinese sources said Tuesday. Zhu, a professor of Chinese politics and diplomacy at Toyo Gakuen University in Tokyo, has been missing since he visited his hometown of Shanghai on July 17, sparking concern about his fate and whereabouts.
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
Taiwan’s Ruling Party Expels Legislative Speaker Over Ethics – Bloomberg A disciplinary committee yesterday expelled Wang Jin-pyng, 72, saying he damaged the party’s reputation when he allegedly told prosecutors not to appeal a not-guilty verdict in an opposition lawmaker’s breach-of-trust case. Ma, who beat out Wang for the party chairmanship in 2005, said the speaker was no longer fit to lead.
TECH AND MEDIA
Suning Clicks On the Future of Retailing – Caixin One of China’s biggest store chains is remaking itself as an Internet retailer, apparently just in time
China’s Banks Try to Curtail Alibaba’s Online Lending Ambitions – Bloomberg Four days after CCB’s meeting, Jiang Jianqing, the chairman of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, said at an analyst briefing that the banks are consolidating and utilizing data in their competition with Internet companies. Wang Zhenning, a spokesman for Beijing-based ICBC, declined to comment on Jiang’s main points and what new developments the bank is pushing. “Through collecting transaction data on its platforms, some e-commerce companies want to use this as a foundation to extend their businesses to banks’ payment and financing services,” said Jiang. “Like 18 years ago, banks will arise.”
阿里银行尚未申请牌照 新华社——经济参考网 Economic Information reports that Alibaba has not officially applied for an Internet banking license and is unlikely to receive one within the next year as the process takes from 9-12 months from application best case // 阿里银行的进展程度远非外界想象的那样顺利。9月11日，权威人士向《经济参考报》记者透露，阿里巴巴集团(以下简称“阿里”)就设立阿里银行一事仅刚刚完成和监管部门的初步沟通，尚未进入正式的牌照申请程序。目前政策和监管上存在的空白仍是阿里申请银行牌照时面临的一道难题，即便能够获得监管部门的特批，申请程序也会持续9个月到1年时间。因此，在未来一年内监管机构可能不会向阿里银行发放牌照。
声称“安全有保障，万无一失”，用户资金被盗却拒绝赔偿 余额宝，余额谁来“保”（阅报） 《 人民日报 》 People’s Daily on the potential risks of Alibaba’s Yu’e’bao in the wake of two customer hacking incidents, says Alibaba’s claims of absolute safety are exaggerated, that government needs to set up regulatory framework for internet finance // 余额宝是支付宝公司今年6月新上线的互联网金融理财产品。今年8月，两名用户因余额宝账户被盗，向支付宝提出索赔，支付宝自定义赔付规则巧妙卸责。支付宝“万无一失”的绝对化宣传，被指侵犯消费者的知情权。而在我国互联网金融法律体系尚不健全的情况下，消费者维权阻碍重重。
Ailing ex-Google China chief returns to Taiwan | South China Morning Post Lee Kai-fu, founder of Innovation Works, has returned to his birthplace of Taiwan to receive cancer treatment but says he will still take part in meetings by phone. The 51-year-old former president of Google China was in stable condition after being diagnosed with lymphoma, said Wang Zhaohui, co-founder of Innovation Works, a Beijing-based business incubator and venture capital fund for internet start-ups. Lee had about 20 tumours, mainly in his abdomen area, Wang said.
The IPhone’s Secret Flights From China to Your Local Apple Store – Bloomberg Once a forecast is made, millions of iPhones are manufactured, said the people with knowledge of the process. The handsets remain in China while Apple’s software team at headquarters finishes work on the iOS software that runs on the device, said a former Apple manager who declined to be named because the process is private. Once a final version is finished, the software is loaded on the phones. Before Apple’s formal unveiling on stage, iPhones are shipped to distribution centers around the world, including Australia, China, the Czech Republic, Japan, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S., said one of the people with knowledge of the matter. Security personnel are with the devices every step of the way, from truck depots, airports, customs and storage warehouses until the product is finally unveiled, two people said.
NQ Mobile: it pays to be less Chinese | beyondbrics In 8 years, NQ Mobile grew from a Chinese start up founded by family members and friends, to a global tech company with almost $200m in sales (doubling every two or three years), a ‘developed markets’ headquarters in Dallas, Texas, and a market cap of over $1bn on the NYSE. Along the way, NQ distanced itself ever more from its Chinese roots. It hired foreign employees in its overseas branches, appointed a non-Chinese co-CEO, and communicates as neither a Chinese nor American company on its English website. //and the stock has so far survived a late July report (NQ: Not At Any Price) from J-Capital. The company’s rebuttal of the report was fast and effective. I have no position in the stock
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
林彪的纠结_高清图集_新浪网 Interesting slideshow of Lin Biao, on the eve of the 42nd anniversary of his death in plane crash after an apparent failed coup…
广州黑人街_李东_博联社 Bishe has an interesting Photo series of Africans in Guangzhou
USA Today–Top 1% take biggest income slice on record a story like this about China would likely include the words “social unrest”…is that unthinkable in the US?// The top 1% of earners in the U.S. pulled in 19.3% of total household income in 2012, which is their biggest slice of total income in more than 100 years, according to a an analysis by economists at the University of California, Berkeley and the Paris School of Economics at Oxford University. The richest Americans haven’t claimed this large of a slice of total wealth since 1927, when the group claimed 18.7%. The analysis is based on data from Internal Revenue Service data.
Tea Leaf Nation Acquired by The Foreign Policy Group – Tea Leaf Nation Of course am curious about the price. // Today, FP Group CEO and Editor-at-Large David Rothkopf announced the acquisition of Tea Leaf Nation, an e-magazine that has become a leading source of insight and analysis for China experts worldwide. The purchase of TLN is part of FP’s commitment to bring enhanced Asia news content and coverage to its readers in the U.S. and across the globe. The FP Group is a division of The Washington Post Company.
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
China drug firm Gan & Lee investigating allegations it paid 800 million yuan in bribes | South China Morning Post Chinese insulin maker Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals said on Wednesday it was investigating allegations published in a newspaper that it spent around 800 million yuan (US$130.72 million) to bribe doctors to promote the firm’s drugs over five years. A sales representative for the privately held company, identified by the pseudonym Wu Dejiang, told China’s 21st Century Business Herald the bribes were aimed at raising sales ahead of a planned initial public offering in Shanghai.
Diabetes Ailing 114 Million Chinese Risks Ravaging Health Budget – Bloomberg Diabetes may consume $22 billion, or more than half of China’s annual health budget, if all those afflicted with the condition get routine, state-funded care. The disease is putting an “overwhelming burden” on the country, according to the International Diabetes Federation, which says China spent $17 billion, or about $194 a patient, on diabetes last year. A study released last week found China has 114 million diabetics or 21.6 million more than the Brussels-based federation estimated in November.
PetroChina, Shell’s $13 billion refinery stalls on land issue: sources | Reuters The PetroChina-led project, in partnership with Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) and Qatar Petroleum, also faces competition from petrochemicals using U.S. gas as feedstock, a change of strategy from PetroChina (0857.HK) and opposition from locals. The project partners began feasibility studies about 14 months ago in a bid to build the 400,000 barrels per day refinery and 1.2 million tonnes (1.1023 ton) a year ethylene complex in the coastal city of Taizhou in the prosperous manufacturing hub of Zhejaing province.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
More Than a Grain: Massive Debt Complicates SALT Dispute | The Beijinger Hundreds of thousands of RMB in unpaid bills are at the heart of a dispute over SALT, one of Beijing’s most highly-acclaimed, non-Chinese restaurants. Multiple food and beverage suppliers, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Beijinger that they were owed as much as hundreds of thousands of RMB, and that those debts dated back as much as six months. At least one indicated their company had been repaid by former SALT manager Wang Xiubo, also know as Lucy Wang, who reopened the Lido-area venue on Monday under the name Salt Spring….Alves is still in China, Eden confirmed, but has not been seen in Beijing since late July. Eden said she was concerned for the safety of Alves, her staff and herself, as she had received threatening phone calls, including on Tuesday. // so not the “poor Laowai screwed by evil Chinese partners” story the SALT PR person was trying to push? Never ate there, don’t like paying New York or San Francisco prices for Western food that would be considered mediocre at best in those cities
BEIJING
清华美院要在CBD建230米高楼-中新网 Qinghua University planning to build a 230m tall building on the former site of its Academy of industrial design, at Guanghua Lu and the Third Ring Road in Beijing CBD // 本报讯（记者 耿诺 实习生 李玲）清华大学光华路校区大楼项目设计方案日前确定，原本是清华美院原校区的地块，将建设出一栋高达230米的高楼，相当于摞起了两个国贸一期。市规划委网站昨日发布了这一信息，拟建项目规划建筑规模将是原校区规模的3倍。
今年北京豪宅成交创纪录-房产频道-和讯网 sales of luxury apartments in Beijing have set a record this year…highest priced so far was 113.5k/m for a 1625 m apt at the Diaoyutai #7 complex…total price 186m rmb. but high end beijing prices still far below top end shanghai prices // 统计显示今年单价超过5万的住宅类物业签约套数已经达到了1635套，总面积达到了35.7万平方米，成交量创历史新高。钓鱼台七号院的成交均价已达113573元/。资源稀缺是豪宅成交大增的一大原因。
Is the Air Quality in Beijing Worse Than Ground Zero’s After 9/11? – Emily Brill – The Atlantic “I would personally rather breathe the air at the World Trade Center,” said Thomas A. Cahill, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Atmospheric Science at the University of California, Davis, after reviewing the Beijing data I had tabulated. Cahill began monitoring PM2.5 levels a few blocks from Ground Zero starting in October 2001. He also conducted research on air pollution in Beijing in April of 2001. “It was bad then,” he told me. “It’s worse now.” “For the coarser particles,” Cahill explained, “Beijing is far, far worse than the World Trade Center. Beijing is full of really nasty stuff: mercury, lead, cadmium. And, when the wind blows, it resuspends dirt over roadways.”