"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
Just links today:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
China Exclusive: “Like a king on the Internet” — celebrity blogger Xue’s story – Xinhua “Every morning I log on my weibo account, I see thousands of messages from followers. Even a minister would not receive so many invitations from 30 provinces and cities everyday,” he said, adding companies or places would soon benefit after his “recommendation.” Xue said he issued about 85,000 posts via his weibo account, including unverified information proven to be rumors later. He also posted some advertisements to make money. “My irresponsibility in spreading information online was a vent of negative mood, and was a neglect of the social mainstream,” Xue said. His sober demeanor was different from the arrogance of two weeks ago when he was taken into detention…He offered to appear handcuffed as a negative example to publicize the online rumors crackdown.
Related: [视频]“大V”薛蛮子的网络心路_新闻频道_央视网 Ten Minute CCTV News segment aired Sunday AM and throughout the day, though not on the CCTV Evening News…he needs a shave and a haircut, looks like a crazy old megalomaniac…and it works…mother in law mainly consumes PhoenixTV and CCTV, is convinced he is guilty of all sorts of things
Related: 网络大V“薛蛮子”坦承 网络需要秩序 本报记者 张 洋 an abbreviated version of the Xue Manzi confession on page 4 of Sunday’s People’s Daily
Related: 薛蛮子：做大V像做皇上 回复粉丝留言如批奏折|薛蛮子|粉丝|微博_新浪财经_新浪网 official media running excerpts from confession from Xue Manzi, who says his Weibo fame went to his head, said his influence on weibo made him feel like the emperor [does everyone have emperor-envy?]…says he was very interested in learning more about the recent judicial guidelines for online rumor punishment…the article concludes ominously by noting that recently the police have received many tips about Xue Manzi’s illegal online activities and have opened an investigation into them in accordance with the law…so he could be in for a while // “薛蛮子”以自己为例，“成为大V后，长期只听赞美，没有监督、批评、警示，就像现实社会中权力失去监督会导致膨胀一样，网络社会上缺乏制度和法律规范，一样会导致膨胀，肆无忌惮、为所欲为，这就是现在网络问题的深层次原因之一。” 与民警交谈中，“薛蛮子”不时流露出新的司法解释给他带来的不安，主动提出条件：“我了解媒体，这方面我有经验，你们找一个影响大的媒体，我们一起来设计设计，让带着手铐的‘薛蛮子’来说网络上的事儿，配合做好宣传，我也能早几天出去。” 记者从北京警方了解到，近期不断有网民向警方举报“薛蛮子”涉嫌网络违法犯罪活动，对此警方正依法开展调查。
Related: 薛蛮子的微博|新浪微博-随时随地分享身边的新鲜事儿 On January 5, 2013 Charles Xue wrote on his Weibo about that emperor feeling…// 严锋老师把玩微博的心理写绝了：每次看微博，很容易让人产生一种皇帝批阅奏章，君临天下的幻觉。国家大事潮水般涌来，需要迅速作出各种判断，提出各种建议，各种转发，各种忧国忧民，各种踌躇满志，万物皆备于我。每个人心中都藏着一个披星戴月上朝堂的皇帝，微博把人的这种情结激活了。您有这感觉吗?
Analysis: China eyes private funds to tackle bad-debt buildup, avoid bailout | Reuters analysts think the official non-performing loan ratio of less than 1 percent is a considerable understatement. Most analysts put it in the 3 to 6 percent range, but Reuters estimates based on official data shows that their current capital and loan-loss provisions would suffice even if more than a fifth of their loans went bad. But much of the potential risk lies outside of the official banking system. Goldman Sachs has said that under its worst-case scenario credit losses for the entire system could reach $3 trillion, or a fifth of forecast GDP in 2016, though actual losses would probably be considerably lower.
Related: China’s economy: Reasons to be bullish on Chinese banks | The Economist Ultimately, Chinese banks are very liquid today. As long as the economy is still growing, albeit at a much slower pace, the banks will continue to make more loans, and most loans will still bring back interest as well as principal, enabling the banks to keep lending. Savers will continue to put money in the banks. Time is a wonderful doctor and, in a few years, the Chinese banks will have enough retained earnings to replenish their equity base. In the meantime, neither the government nor the equity investors have to do anything but just sit back and relax. // really? because even the government appears to be far from relaxed about risks in the financial system. Joe Zhang is in the trenches but this seems a bit too sanguine
土改未突破_杂志频道_财新网 Caixin cover story this week on waiting for a breakthrough in land reform…hopes were raised with rumors september 2, dashed 2 days later by official denial // 9月2日，一则有关土地制度改革的报道激起轩然大波。消息称，中国将放开农村集体建设用地流转，相应的政府指导意见已经下发，允许18个省市、28地就集体建设用地使用权上市流转进行试点。市场反应迅速。第二天，股票市场演绎出一波强劲的“土改股”上涨行情。海南橡胶、辉煌股份、上实发展等十只土改概念股涨停。申银万国近期在一份研报中称，“土改”一旦突破，土地资源价值将被重估…未曾料到，冰火两重天。两天后，9月4日，土地主管部门国土资源部发布“辟谣”信息称，相关文件仍在调整完善中。据财新记者从国土部相关人士处了解，上述改革存在激烈争议，并未下发文件，且拟议中的方案恐怕会令不少人失望。
Petroleum and Purges–Sinica Podcast The Beijing rumor-mill is back on overdrive. With the trial of Bo Xilai only barely concluded and the country now openly speculating on the length of the disgraced politician’s likely sentence, factional battles targeting Bo’s remaining supporters have moved center-stage, as the government has launched an anti-graft probe into the country’s petroleum industry…Joining us to discuss these rumors are two outstanding observers of modern Chinese politics: Bill Bishop from Sinocism, and Jeremy Page from the Wall Street Journal.
Related: A Tiger Hunt in China’s Oil Patch | Brookings Institution–Erica Downs The investigations into Jiang and the quartet of CNPC executives (“the CNPC investigations”) have generated much speculation inside and outside of China about the purpose of the probe. Three of the leading hypotheses under discussion include cracking down on corruption, weakening vested interests and punishing recently retired Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) member Zhou Yongkang, another career oil man who oversaw China’s domestic security from 2007-2012. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive.
Corruption and the world’s biggest building – Telegraph The 50-year-old billionaire behind the project, Deng Hong, once one of China’s richest men, has vanished and is thought to be in police custody. “We don’t know where he is,” a spokesman for his company, Entertainment and Travel Group (ETG) said…The 50-year-old billionaire behind the project, Deng Hong, once one of China’s richest men, has vanished and is thought to be in police custody. “We don’t know where he is,” a spokesman for his company, Entertainment and Travel Group (ETG) said
践行党的群众路线 推进包容性金融发展 发布时间：2013年09月16日 08:00 来源：《求是》 期号：2013/18 作者：周小川 Zhou Xiaochuan essay in latest “Seeking Truth” on following the mass line, promoting “tolerant” financial development… // 包容性金融2005年由联合国提出，它强调通过完善金融基础设施，以可负担的成本将金融服务扩展到欠发达地区和社会低收入人群，向他们提供价格合理、方便快捷的金融服务，不断提高金融服务的可获得性。包容性金融包括几个目标：一是家庭和企业以合理的成本获取较广泛的金融服务，包括开户、存款、支付、信贷、保险等；二是金融机构稳健，要求内控严密、接受市场监督以及健全的审慎监管；三是金融业实现可持续发展，确保长期提供金融服务；四是增强金融服务的竞争性，为消费者提供多样化的选择…总之，人民银行将进一步贯彻落实党的十八大和中央关于党的群众路线教育实践活动的决策部署，围绕金融服务实体经济的要求，不断加强和改进金融宏观调控，深化金融体制改革，提升中央银行金融服务水平，切实推动包容性金融发展，让金融改革发展的成果惠及广大人民群众，促进国民经济持续健康发展。
Related: 周小川：加快推动我国包容性金融发展 _证券时报网 Zhou couching an aggressive reform agenda in the language needed for venues like Seeking Truth? // 周小川表示，要加快发展多层次资本市场体系，鼓励风险投资和私募股权基金等投资处于初创期的小企业。加快银行间债券市场发展，支持符合条件的小企业发行短期融资券、中期票据、中小企业集合票据等新型债务融资工具。稳步推动信贷资产证券化常规化发展，引导金融机构将盘活的资金向小企业倾斜。同时，进一步促进民间融资规范发展，发挥好民间融资在扩大小企业融资来源中的作用。 他表示，鼓励金融机构积极运用现代科技手段，改进账户开立、支付结算、存款和存款类产品、外汇兑换等基础型金融服务。采用网络银行、手机银行等新型支付工具和手段，向广大人民群众提供更加便捷、高效、优质的现代金融服务。规范和引导互联网金融健康发展。
转基因僵局-财经网 Cover package of latest Caijing Magazine is about GM foods in China // 中国农业生物育种显然走到了一个十字路口。转基因技术的争议，使其商业化前景模糊，企业会逐渐失去信心和耐心；没有市场的带动和指导，研究也无法深入。而进退失据的政府部门，既没能使民众远离转基因食品，也未能使企业获得市场先机
Related: 人民日报公布转基因食品名单 包括大豆玉米油菜_新闻_腾讯网 People’s Daily releases list of genetically modified foods approved in China // [导读]专家称我国只批准转基因棉花、番木瓜进行商业化种植，批准进口用作加工原料的有大豆、玉米、油菜、棉花和甜菜。目前市售圣女果、彩椒、小南瓜、小黄瓜都不是转基因食品。
来自审计前线的报告（报告文学） 蒋巍 People’s Daily report from the front line of the current local debt audit
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Shanghai FTZ Moves Closer to Launch – Caixin Queue the predictions that the FTZ will allow massive capital flight that will finally crash the economy..but do the people arguing that really think the regulators are that stupid? // “The government knows there is a tiger in the mountain and still wants to open a crack in the restrictions in the financial system,” Xu Bin, a financial professor at China Europe International Business School, said in a reference to a proverb that a brave man will climb a mountain in which he knows there is a tiger awaiting him. By tiger, Xu said he is referring to overseas speculative investors which have longed to enter the Chinese market but were largely held off by the country’s capital controls. Unlike the transportation of physical goods, the movement of financial resources is not restricted by boundaries drawn on the ground, he said when explaining the potential impact the FTZ may have beyond its geographic borders. Financial regulations in the FTZ will be looser than in other parts of the country and investors will take advantage of those differences, he said.
Shanghai Trade Zone Said to Open This Month as Li Tackles Reform – Bloomberg An opening ceremony for a Shanghai free-trade zone to test economic reforms is planned for this month, with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang set to officiate, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The event may be on a day from Sept. 27 to 29, depending on Li’s schedule, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter. The Shanghai Daily reported yesterday that the zone will officially open Sept. 29, citing Wang Xinkui, director of the city’s counselor’s office.
【国务院内刊】中国经济的未来方向 Professor Wu Jinglian on the future direction of China’s economy // 古今中外的历史证明，不论是“左”的极端主义还是“右”的极端主义，都会给社会带来灾难。中国改革虽然取得了显著成绩，但是，离建成富裕、民主、文明国家的目标还有很长的路要走。特别是近年来由于一些重要经济和政治领域的改革迟滞，一些社会矛盾变得尖锐起来。人们由于社会背景和价值观上的差异，往往对这些矛盾的由来作出不同的解读，提出不同的解决之策。 他们之间的分歧，完全可以通过自由和切实的讨论来求同存异和寻求共赢的解决方案。在这种社会矛盾凸显、不同政治诉求之间的争辩趋于激化的时刻，如何正本清源，重聚改革共识，防止各种极端思潮撕裂社会，避免“不走到绝路绝不回头”的历史陷阱，就成为关系民族命运的大问题。（作者为国务院发展研究中心研究员。本文仅代表作者观点）
明年全国试点以房养老 北京拟推以“租房养老”_财经频道_一财网 Beijing to experiment with reverse mortgages for people over 60 to allow them to unlock money to fund retirement // 作为金融养老、以房养老的方式之一，我国将试点开展老年人住房“反向抵押养老保险”，盘活老人住房资源，让老人快速获得更好的养老服务。
In China, the Dangers of Due Diligence – NYTimes.com Many investigators stopped seeking hukous after a subsidiary of Dun & Bradstreet was charged in September 2012 by the Shanghai public prosecutor with “illegally obtaining private information from Chinese citizens.” Four employees were sentenced to up to two years in jail. Mr. Humphrey appeared to be aware of the new limitations and wrote about them earlier this year on the Web site of the fraud examiners group. “In February 2013, the government issued strict new rules to restrict access to what it called ‘personal information,’ ” he wrote. “I find this a step backwards that will make due diligence and catching fraudsters harder. We will have to be even more creative from now on.”
China’s Steel Industry Gains Steam – WSJ.com Cement prices have rebounded since June. July and August sales were strong, in defiance of the normal lull in summer, when boiling temperatures suspend construction. That reflected frequent signals from the government on stabilizing growth and accelerating railway construction, said the China Cement Association. The construction-equipment industry also showed signs of escaping a two-year slump, with Chinese excavator sales for August up 12.9% on year, up from 9% growth in July and a slight decline of 0.8% in June, Sun Hung Kai Financial analyst Vik Chopra said in a note. “We think the real recovery of the machinery industry is better than what data has showed,” UBS industry analyst Fu Weiqi said. “Sales of lower-priced equipment and heavy trucks were strong and finished-products inventory is declining.” Mr. Fu expects machinery-equipment sales will gradually accelerate in the second half of the year.
UPDATE 1-Shanghai rebar hits 6-week low, posts 4th straight weekly loss | Reuters Chinese steel futures fell for a fourth straight session to a six-week low on Friday on concerns of slackening demand in the world’s largest consumer, while iron ore prices steadied near their lowest levels in about a month. Steel demand in China had unexpectedly picked up ahead of the traditionally brisk consumption season in September and October, and traders are concerned that end-users have replenished stockpiles and will hold back on purchases, weighing on prices.
温州人已将1万套房产丢给银行 四万亿催生疯狂借贷|温州人|房产|四万亿_21世纪网 Wenzhou housing market has crashed…so far more than 10,000 units have been turned over to banks or courts // 更触目惊心的是，越来越多的房主放弃了正在银行做按揭或者抵押给银行的住宅、经营性房产。一位不愿具名的房地产业内人士从多位银行亲友处核实的信息是，这个数字已经超过了1万套，如果按照每套100平方米来计算，100万平方米的量已经超过了2012年温州全年新盘供应量。
Flurry of Chinese plans to build aviation hubs raises concern | Reuters Developing an aviation hub is more than simply building an airport, said Wang Xiaohua, a senior consultant specialising in the aviation industry at Kent Ridge Consulting in southern Fujian province. It first of all requires minimum annual passenger flows of 10 million and cargo volume of 200,000 tons, she said. Only Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Kunming met that criteria at the end of 2012. “It’s hot. Many cities are crazy about the idea,” said Wang, who has advised cities in northern Inner Mongolia province and south-western Yunnan province on aviation-hub projects.
济南公积金挤提风波：“误读”还是“钱荒”？|济南公积金|挤提|钱荒_21世纪网 事情源于8月底济南公积金管理中心出台的《济南市住房公积金提取管理实施细则》（以下简称《细则》），限制两类人群在今年10月1日以后提取公积金账户余额。新政引发外界各种传言和恐慌，由此引发挤提风潮。 迫于压力，9月10日，公积金管理中心紧急出台公告，将上述两类提取公积金时间延至2014年3月31日，但前往提取公积金的人群在之后3天里仍然络绎不绝。公积金管理中心副主任王建敏出面解释和澄清，称公众对新政存在“误读”。// Jinan Savings Run – Caixin Slideshow With benchmark land prices expected to be raised on October 1, a number of residents in the Shandong Province city of Jinan crowded a housing fund branch to cash out / CFP
Hongyuan Securities Hit by Investigation Probe – Caixin The source said many of the employees in the department including Chen and Ye are believed to have improperly invested in wealth management products sold by Hongyuan Huizhi Investment Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hongyuan Securities… It was widely viewed by industry observers as an incentive mechanism created to motivate the parent company’s bond traders, who in general were less well-paid than their counterparts in private securities firms. Because Hongyuan is mostly owned by the state, the remunerations it is allowed to pay executives are capped by the Ministry of Finance at relatively low levels.
POLITICS AND LAW
Chinese police detain well-known entrepreneur as part of crackdown on political activism – The Washington Post Last month, Chinese police invited Wang Gongquan in for a “cup of tea,” often a prelude here to detention. He had launched a public petition calling for the release of arrested dissident Xu Zhiyong, and the authorities were not amused. But Wang effectively told the police to forget it — he had no time for tea, he was traveling, and he had said everything he wanted to say. Wang figured he could get away with defying the Chinese government. He was a respected businessman, a multimillionaire who had made a fortune in real estate and in Silicon Valley. He was a social media sensation, and he had been careful, as he saw it, not to break any laws. But he knew he was taking a chance.
Wang Gongquan said he was not afraid of being jailed — Commentary Made In China (beta) Wang gave an in-depth interview to the Chinese edition of Bloomberg Businessweek in which he talked extensively about the proper relationship between businessmen and politics. Wang believes the newly rich Chinese and corporate citizens have an responsibility champion good public causes and denounced Alibaba founder Ma Yun, Lenovo founder Liu Chuanzhi among others for their apathetic, if not amoral political stance. Full transcript of Wang’s last interview can still be viewed on BW China’s Weibo account. Only a small fragment of the interview was published in the print edition of the magazine.
社评：为王功权无条件背书有违法律精神_评论_环球网 目前自由派人士在强力塑造一种舆论：他们当中的人以任何原因吃官司，都是官方对他们的“政治迫害”。他们宣扬自己是民主、自由的追求者，必然遭到官方的忌恨，因此连薛蛮子因嫖娼被抓那样的事，都是官方对“言论自由”的打压，而忽视了在任何国家，言论自由都与守法不矛盾。 他们实际上把自己划成一个中国法律已“不能管”的群体，只能由舆论、而且是微博上的舆论对他们进行评判。他们在害自己。因为他们主观上将自己的权利特殊化，其中一些人有可能做事失去对法律应有的敬畏感。
中共打虎进行时 疑似周永康子媳被牵出_中国_多维新闻网 【多维新闻】被称为周家“白手套”的四川商人吴兵被查之后，手中企业“中旭系”关联公司亦进入人们的视线，其旗下能源科技企业“中旭阳光”两任董事周滨、黄婉，被指与前政法委书记周永康儿子及媳妇的名字相似。不过，目前尚无证据表明此“周滨”就是彼“周斌”、“黄婉”即“王婉”。
中石化河南10亿协解金迷局|中石化|协解金_21世纪网 但本报记者赶赴河南调查时发现，中石化河南石油分公司所属111个县石油公司的协解职工，所领到的协解金与上述补偿金相差甚远，无论工龄长短，大多数人协解补偿金不超过2万元，其中最高协解补偿金亦没有超过3万元。 本报记者从一位中石化集团高层人士处得知，中石化河南石油分公司全体协解人员总数达21330人，若以上述8万元一次性补偿款下限推算，此间差额至少达10亿元。那么，该笔巨款最终流向哪里？
隐秘的中旭系：拿下中石油8000座加油站项目|中石油|中旭能科_21世纪网 公司资料显示，出生于1942年的詹敏利是“中旭系”名义上的核心人物。詹敏利1967年毕业于北京经贸学院，“文革”时在国防科委七院工作，此后在中科院电工研究所和东方科学仪器进出口公司工作长达22年。 本报记者了解，詹敏利为中旭能科监事黄渝生之妻，而黄渝生为我国著名地质学家黄汲清之子。黄汲清祖籍四川仁寿，在我国石油发现史中贡献卓著，正是根据其陆相生油等理论，“中国是贫油国”的论断被打破。
江西村民挖出乌木或值数亿元 官方称属于国家_网易新闻中心 farmer digs up 7 massive pieces of ebony on land he has contracted for, the ebony is worth 10s of millions of RMB, local government says it belongs to the state, only gives him a 70k rmb reward. so he sues the local government…very interesting case //去年2月，四川彭州通济镇农民吴高亮无意中在自家承包地里，挖出了7根乌木，据专家鉴定，仅木材价值就在500万至700万之间，而7月初，彭州市国资委宣布对外宣布，乌木归国家所有，对发现者吴高亮奖励7万元，因为不满这个结果，吴高亮一纸诉状将彭州国资委告上法庭。彭州乌木案经过公开审理以及媒体的报道后，引起了社会各界广泛地关注，社会各界围绕着乌木的归属权展开了激烈地讨论。
Protecting Citizens’ Lawful Rights and Interests, Stimulating the Healthy Development of the Network | China Copyright and Media Relevant persons in charge from the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate Answer Journalists’ Questions concerning the “Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate Interpretation concerning Some Questions of Applicable Law When Handling Uses of Information Networks to Commit Defamation and Other Such Criminal Cases” This interview was posted on the Supreme People’s Procuratorate website on 10 September.
河南举办马克思主义新闻观培训班 着力澄清模糊认识-大河网 赵素萍指出，自觉坚持马克思主义新闻观，是保证社会主义新闻事业健康发展的必然要求，是妥善应对意识形态领域复杂变化的客观要求，是加强新闻队伍建设的迫切需要。只有确保马克思主义新闻观在党的新闻事业中的指导地位，才能保证党的新闻事业永远沿着正确的方向前进，才能保证新闻宣传在复杂的形势下不迷失方向、不缺位、不失语。
Liu Yunshan: Some Points of Understanding concerning Criticism and Self-Criticism | China Copyright and Media Originally published by Xinhua on 9 September–Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed that we must persist in the fact that the Party manages the Party, and to govern the Party strictly, he clearly put forward that we must straiten intra-Party political life, and use the sharp weapon of criticism and self-criticism well. Under new historical conditions, the reason why criticism and self-criticism is prominently stressed, where its practical significance lies, and how to engage in criticism and self-criticism well, all merit our deep consideration. I’d like to use this opportunity to talk about some points of understanding, for the comrades’ reference.
Revolutionary cemetery growing to meet cadres’ demand | South China Morning Post construction underway on something when I was there a couple of weeks ago // A 620-metre-long corridor will be built to provide an additional 10,020 urn niches, according to a document released by the Municipal Construction Commission for public consultation. Officials of the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery were not available for comment yesterday. While it is common for other countries to have cemeteries honouring national military heroes, such as the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in the US, the Revolutionary Cemetery at Babaoshan caters to a wide range of figures.
China’s Hu Jia: The Man Who Won’t Be Silenced Following arrangements made carefully, using foreign phones and encrypted email, we’ve agreed on a coffee shop in a suburb of Beijing. It is somewhere our contact knows he’ll be safe for a few hours with a foreign TV crew. We are meeting Hu Jia, a slight and softly spoken 40-year-old who knows the cost of speaking out in China. // foreign phones are safer? and helpful of the reporter to disclose how the meeting was arranged?
高校现”网络红客”监控舆情 家长联名致信反对_网易新闻中心-网易新闻客户端 9月11日，河南郑州11名高中家长联名向教育部、四川大学等高校寄出“关于呼吁高校勿设置网络红客监督言论自由”的联名信，希望高校废除”网络红客”。 高校中的“网络红客”，专指高校为监控网络舆情、抵制错误舆论而设，主要工作成员以学生为主，每天对学校的BBS、贴吧、学生微博及QQ群进行监控和跟踪了解。 “网络红客”存在于高校中已经不是秘密。媒体报道，天津大学、四川大学、成都理工大学、西南财经大学、南开大学等高校，都成立了类似组织，引导学生参与校园舆情管理。
网络名人于建嵘赴贵州贫困村挂职 称自带干粮_新闻_腾讯网 CASS Scholar Yu Jianrong takes up a temporary post as an assistant to a vilage head in a very poor part of the very poor Guizhou Province…Yu’s research is on rural issues, says will be there for two years…admirable, and a good time to get out of Beijing? // 昨天上午，知名学者、中国社会科学院农村所社会问题研究中心主任、教授于建嵘从北京出发，奔赴贵州省兴义市则戎乡纳具村任村主任助理，指导乡村建设。他的行动，在网络上引来很多赞扬和祝福。于建嵘昨天向京华时报记者表示，暂定挂职时间为2年，他和他的团队将在纳具村建立培训基地，培训当地的农民制作手工艺品、种植环保的农产品等，但任职期间“绝不会要当地一分钱”。
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
China navy chief says operational aircraft carrier a few years away | Reuters “We talked in great detail in San Diego with our aviation people and Admiral Wu’s aviation people,” said Admiral Jonathan Greenert, the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, who hosted Wu. “It was great and inspiring to see two professionals talk about a common challenge – aviation from an aircraft carrier.”
China military tells U.S. not to encourage Japan over isles | Reuters Wang Guanzhong, Deputy Chief of General Staff of China’s People’s Liberation Army, said during scheduled talks with U.S. counterparts in Beijing that China was determined to defend its territory, but had all along exercised restraint. This issue should not become a problem between China and the United States, and China hopes that the United States does not become a third party in this issue,” the Defence Ministry quoted Wang as telling U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James Miller. “The United States should maintain a consistent stance and policy, not send wrong signals nor support and connive with the relevant country to do as they please,” Wang added.
China-Arab States Expo opens in Ningxia – Xinhua | English.news.cn The first China-Arab States Expo, a key platform to promote the relationship between China and the Arab states, kicked off on Sunday morning in northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, attended the exposition, which runs until Sept. 19 in the Ningxia capital, Yinchuan. Foreign leaders, including King Abdullah II Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-khalifa of Bahrain and Vanuatu Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil attended the opening ceremony. //If the US tried to hold a US-Arab States Expo, how many of the invitees would actually get visas, and if they did, how many would be humiliated by DHS/TSA?
务实推进“南海行为准则” 钟声 《 人民日报 》 Zhong Sheng on the code of conduct for South China Sea // 磋商“准则”有利于化解南海地区潜在冲突。“准则”不是为了解决争议，也不影响一国的主权和海洋权益声索，而是为了继续增进互信，促进合作，为有关国家通过双边磋商和平解决争端奠定基础和创造条件。在这一点上，中国与东盟国家有着高度共识。“准则”的未来方向和最终目标是确保和平、加强合作、增进友谊。这和《宣言》一脉相承，符合本地区国家和人民的共同利益。磋商“准则”是中国倡导海洋规则制定的主动作为。南海规则的制定权，必须牢牢掌握在本地区国家手中。与东盟国家磋商“准则”，是中国继签署《宣言》之后在南海规则外交上的又一重要行动，体现了中国愿意参与规则制定、主动引导规则和善于运用规则的思维和风范。
越南查禁中国邮票 称西沙群岛为“越南领土”_新闻_腾讯网 Vietnam not happy with a Chinese stamp of the Xisha/Paracel Islands, banning/confiscating them as Vietnam says those islands are Vietnamese, not chinese, territory
India tests nuclear capable missile with range as far as Beijing | Reuters India successfully test-fired for a second time a nuclear-capable missile on Sunday that can reach Beijing and much of Europe, bringing a step closer production of a weapon designed to strengthen its nuclear deterrent.
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
Hong Kong Leader Rejects Foreign Help for 2017 Election Reform – Bloomberg Hong Kong doesn’t need assistance from British or other foreign governments to bring in universal suffrage to elect its next leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying told reporters in the city yesterday. Leung was responding to comments by Hugo Swire, a minister in the U.K.’s Foreign Office, which were published in the South China Morning Post’s opinion page Sept. 14. Swire wrote that his country offers its support, and that it is important that the city’s people have a “genuine choice.”
中方：外国政府或官员不应对香港政制指手画脚_新闻_腾讯网 Another official admonition that foreign governments and officials should not interfere in Hong Kong // 中新社香港9月16日电 中国外交部驻香港特别行政区特派员公署发言人表示，对于香港政制发展问题，任何外国政府或官员都不应指手画脚，妄加评论，更不得干预。 外交部驻港特派员公署发言人作出上述表示之前，英国外交国务大臣近日在香港报刊撰文，称香港普选“任何方案应予香港人一个真正的选择，让他们能真正主导自己的未来”，“英国随时准备提供任何支援”。
China makes clear full democracy not on cards in choosing Hong Kong leader | Reuters Zhang Xiaoming, the head of Beijing’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong, said open nominations for the leader, or chief executive, would not be allowed. Zhang’s open letter, sent to a major pro-democracy group, the Civic Party, quoted the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, as saying that all candidates could only be nominated by a “broadly representative nominating committee”. “There is no other option,” Zhang said in the letter.
Hong Kong Bans Shark Fin From Official Menus to Save Species – Bloomberg Hong Kong’s government will drop shark fin from menus at its entertainment functions and bar officials from eating the product at events organized by others amid global calls to protect the species. The ban will extend to blue fin tuna and black moss and is part of the city’s plans to adopt sustainable food-consumption habits, the government said in a press release dated Sept. 13. More than 73 million sharks’ fins are sliced off every year globally, according to a June 20 statement from Korean Air Lines Co. citing research data. The Seoul-based carrier joined Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Air New Zealand Ltd. in refusing to transport the commodity.
Floating Casinos From Hong Kong Stealing Macau Gamblers – Bloomberg Surging demand from mainland China has made Macau the world’s largest gambling hub, pushing hotel prices above those in Las Vegas. Lower costs, less government scrutiny and easier visa requirements are encouraging some China bettors to turn to gambling boats as an alternative to Macau’s glitzy casinos, which drew $38 billion in revenue last year….Nelson Wang, a businessman from the southeastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, said he took an overnight trip on a gambling boat while in Hong Kong because he didn’t have time to travel to Macau and didn’t want to apply for a visa to go there. “It’s a work trip after all — if I get a separate visa to Macau it looks a bit odd,” Wang said at a Hong Kong pier on a recent Tuesday. With the government on the alert for people gambling too extravagantly, he said, he’d rather be discreet.
Security tech firms hit jackpot in Asia casino boom | Reuters Tens of thousands of security cameras, including some of the most advanced commercially available, have been installed in the southern Chinese territory of Macau alone in the past five years, and many thousands more are on order for the multi-billion-dollar hotel-casino resorts still in the pipeline. “It’s big business. The camera market here has started to get very big … It’s probably the most demanding environment for a video surveillance system anywhere in the world,” said Craig Graham, Dallmeier International general manager for Asia.
Ma’s approval rating plunges to 9.2 percent – Taipei Times President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) approval rating hit a new low of 9.2 percent, the first time the rating has dipped to to single-digits, in a public opinion poll released yesterday amid widespread public dissatisfaction with Ma’s role in ongoing political strife within the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
河南游客阿里山吐痰 台湾男子劝阻遭围殴_台湾频道_凤凰网 Taiwan man admonishes a Hunan tourist in Alishan to not spit, gets beaten up by the mainland tour leader and two other tourists…// 台海网9月15日讯 （海峡导报记者 薛洋）据台媒报道，台北市民陈立伦日前到阿里山游玩时，遇河南陆客团喧哗、吐痰，陈男上前劝阻，引起陆客团领队王磊不满，和其他两名陆客出手围殴陈男，双方因此受伤互控伤害。这则新闻在网上引发热议，很多网友痛批一些陆客的不文明行为，让全体大陆人蒙羞。
TECH AND MEDIA
There are 42 million iPhones on China Mobile already. All of them stuck on GPRS/EDGE, no 3G | Unwired View So iPhone 5S and 5C, with TD-SCDMA and TD-LTE support on China Mobile, will be a very big deal. Just current China Mobile iPhone owners upgrading, may number in tens of millions within first six months from launch. Add to that China Mobile contract subsidies and various promotions for new customers, and iPhone 5C’s crazy price doesn’t seem so crazy anymore. That iPhone was never really meant for the worlds biggest smartphone market anyway. China Mobile’s customers flocking to iPhone 5S alone, should make Apple’s numbers for Q4/Q1. // perhaps, but i am skeptical. How many of them also have another phone on Unicom and use that for 3g? I do, and i know several people (not foreigners) who do as well in Beijing.
Filmmaker Jia Zhangke Giving Voice to Acts of Rage in Today’s China – NYTimes.com Why did the censors go so light? Mr. Jia said he suspected it was because the news articles on which the film was based had already made the rounds on microblogs. The narratives had entered the public consciousness in a way that might never have happened 10 or even five years ago, before the Internet became such a social force in China. “These stories are a sort of record that cannot be taken back,” he said. “It’s a record of reality.”
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
Faye Wong announces her divorce – Xinhua Fans reposted her Sina Weibo micro blog announcement more than 100,000 times in the first hour. The post read: “Our destiny as husband and wife ends here. I’m well. You take care, too.” The 44-year-old pop diva also attached a smiling emoticon. Li later confirmed the news on his micro blog, posting: “I wanted a family, but you are a legend. I miss the good days we spent together over the past 10 years.”
The China Studies Twitterati 50 | Jon Sullivan’s Research Pages
曝姚明身家超30亿人民币 真实身份是金融大师？-新华网 Yao Ming is worth 3B RMB, or just under $500m USD? How many other NBA players are worth that much?
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
China to invest 80 billion yuan in oil and gas exploration this year | Reuters Oil and gas investment in China has risen from 19 billion yuan in 2002 to 67.3 billion yuan in 2011, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing Ministry of Land and Resources figures. More than 5 billion tons of petroleum reserves and 2.6 trillion cubic meters of natural gas were discovered between 2008-2011, Xinhua said.
China Tests New Strategy to Curb Coal Demand, Reduce Pollution, and Conserve Water | Circle of Blue WaterNews One of the nation’s premier science divisions, the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy (PRCEE), a unit of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, is developing a distinctive set of scientific and industrial management practices — called “co-control” — to reduce China’s dependence on coal. The idea is to identify and implement cost-effective strategies that simultaneously reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, limit conventional air pollutants, and lower demand for coal.
John Dennis Liu inspires people to save Earth’s ecosystem – CSMonitor.com What the Beijing-based ecologist and filmmaker is “on” is the fervent belief that our planet is heading toward environmental disaster. But it is a disaster that can be averted. He argues that humans can stop the ecological destruction of the planet, and that they have a moral obligation to do so.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
Passengers on Chinese cruise ship left stranded in South Korea amid cash row | South China Morning Post Beijing can not be happy to have a domestic dispute be taken to a foreign court…but very clever of Jiangsu Shagang, at least in the short-term // China’s largest cruise ship, with about 2,300 passengers and crew on board, was held at South Korea’s Jeju Island for more than 24 hours after a local court prevented it from leaving. HNA Tourism, the Beijing-based operator of the Henna, said in a statement the liner had been barred by a court from sailing to Incheon on Friday after a claim was filed against it by shipping services firm Jiangsu Shagang International.
Nearly 300 climbers to ascend mountains in Tibet this autumn – Xinhua Some 254 foreign mountaineers from Nepal, Austria, the United States, Britain, Spain, France, South Korea and other countries have intentions to climb mountains in Tibet this autumn. The majority of them will attempt Mount Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world at 8,201 meters above sea level, or Mount Shishapangma, the fourteenth highest mountain at 8,012 meters above sea level.
US man goes missing after Chinese bus crash – Telegraph Steve Leavenworth, a 48-year-old who was until recently the senior legal counsel for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Beijing, has not been heard from since a bus he is believed to have been travelling in fell into a river in Yunnan province on September 8. Mr Leavenworth, who is originally from San Diego but has lived in China for 17 years, is thought to have been among 34 passengers who were travelling on a night bus between the towns of Fugong and Dali last Sunday evening.
Why Do People Hate Chinese Tourists?–The Awl what a misleading headline…most of the world welcomes them, and their money // Of all China’s frighteningly fast advances, international travel is, in light of history, maybe its most stunning. Two decades ago, not only did most Chinese citizens have no means to get a passport, almost none had an inkling to want one. Today, state-run China Daily publishes photo galleries under the headline “一起去看世界十大奇观!”—”Together let’s see the ten wonders of the world.” Glossy, kilogram-heavy travel magazines, including—Condé Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure—call out to passersby from China’s streetside magazine stands. Samsonite’s China sales grew by a fifth last year. After a half-century when the rest of the world did not encounter a single Chinese citizen on holiday, annual outbound Chinese travelers will soon number 100 million, if not this year, then likely the next. And the world is having a hard time getting to know the Chinese.
BEIJING
北京本周早晚高峰将严重拥堵 每日下午2点开始_新闻_腾讯网 Expect horrible traffic this week in Beijing because of the mid-Autumn festival, afternoon rush hour may start at 2PM // 京华时报讯（记者黄海蕾）昨天，记者从市交通委获悉，随着中秋节来临，本周将迎来全年的最堵周，每天早晚高峰均达到严重拥堵的水平。预计16日-18日将出现高峰交通拥堵强度大以及拥堵持续时间延长的节前特征。
Concrete Flux–Issue 1: Beijing From analysis to satire, video to poetry, the first issue does, as we had hoped, encompass a very broad range of media and perspectives on the urban spaces of Beijing.
北京地铁拟加强视频监控：乘客正面被拍至少3次_网易新闻中心 Beijing subway system to strengthen video surveilance // 本报讯 因为监控录像缺失，大学生马跃地铁死亡案三年来一直没有定论，质监部门近日发布《城市轨道交通安全防范技术要求》地方标准征集意见，车站的出入口、站台层、没有屏蔽门的站台层轨道侧、车站内的公共通道等都强制要求安装视频监控系统，此外，站台层还强制要求设置拥挤度检测设备。
北京近期很火的20家人气美食 are these the 20 hottest restaurants in Beijing right now? I have only eaten at a handful
BOOKS AND LITERATURE
Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan talks about censorship, taboos and price of fame | South China Morning Post Nobel Prize winner tells Post that authors have been motivated to challenge taboos and reveals standpoint on social issues and price of fame