"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
Is the mass line education campaign a throwback to Maoism and a sign that Xi is a neo-Maoist?
No, says Dr. Alice Miller in The Road to the Third Plenum:
Though the mass line campaign generically shares a tradition of party rectification campaigns that go back to Yan’an, it is more narrowly typical of the more carefully circumscribed intra-party campaigns of the post-Mao period to promote party solidarity ideologically and politically and to improve the party’s work style and public image than it is with the mass-driven criticism campaigns of the Mao era.
Campaigns in the era of Mao’s leadership were called mass “movements” (运动) and typically involved significant mobilization of broader society, not only to advance criticism of party members deemed ideologically and politically out of step but also to rally mass support for leadership goals. Mass campaign tactics of the Mao era were discarded following the 11th Central Committee’s Third Plenum in December 1978, which abandoned waging “class struggle” as the CCP’s foremost priority in favor of China’s economic modernization. That agenda prompted a return to a Leninist emphasis on discipline over Mao’s predilection for mass spontaneity and so has put a much higher premium on party regulations, the use of socialist law, and institutional order in managing the CCP’s relationship with the society it governs. Maoist mobilization of mass criticism of the party and its members is likely the last thing the Xi leadership—and before it the Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao leaderships—seek with respect to China’s restive society…
Nor is the focus on the CCP’s “mass line” particularly Maoist, if by that term is meant Mao Zedong’s ideological views during the last two decades of his leadership. The 1981 CCP resolution on party history under Mao Zedong celebrated the party’s “mass line” as an integral part of Mao Zedong Thought, but the resolution also redefined “Mao Zedong Thought” as “the crystallization of the collective wisdom of the CCP” to which “many outstanding leaders of our party made important contributions.” Hagiographic treatment of Mao Zedong from the Yan’an rectification campaign in 1942–43 until his death in 1976 appropriated the mass line tradition as one more example of his unique and pioneering contributions to the universal storehouse of Marxism-Leninism, one of the many distortions in CCP history that the 1981 resolution sought to correct. In any case, according to party historians, the earliest reference to the “mass line” in CCP documents appears to have come not from Mao, but rather in a Central Committee directive drafted by Chen Yi and approved by Zhou Enlai.
In this light, the mass line campaign launched under the new Xi Jinping leadership is of a piece in terms of goals and tactics with intra-party rectification campaigns of the past two decades, and not a startling throwback to the Mao years.
Interested readers should click here to read Dr Miller’s entire report as this brief excerpt does not do it justice.
Meanwhile Xinhua issued a terse story on October 1 declaring that reports of publication before year’s end of a new edition of Mao’s Little Red Book are incorrect-“新版《毛主席语录》或年内出版”纯属误传.
Regular readers know I have been fairly consistent in my skepticism of reports calling Xi “Maoist”. He looks more Dengist to me.
Today’s Links:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
Shanghai’s Careful Steps Forward – Caixin Hu Shuli’s editorial last week…too hopeful, or the more negative commentary to date a bit premature?// The significance of this development cannot be overstated. Over the past decade, the progress of Chinese reforms has been stalled by entrenched interest groups fighting against change. This year, however, there has been a decided push to reinvigorate reforms by opening up the economy, and the top-level support for the Shanghai plan has been widely welcomed. Clearly a major plank of the leadership’s reform drive, the Shanghai free trade zone could well mark the third major milestone in the liberalization of the Chinese economy, following the establishment of the special economic zones in the 1980s, and the country’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001…The 28.78 square kilometer free trade zone in Shanghai is only a start. Whether or not it succeeds will have huge implications for the nation. Meanwhile, its launch alone is sure to spur many more reformers to act. // I am willing to bet that the FTZ gets a visit from a very senior leader before the Third Plenum
Related: What Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone Bodes For China – Council on Foreign Relations The Shanghai Free Trade Zone, a new enterprise district that could spark wider economic reforms in China, is Beijing’s vision of a “full-blown, efficient marketplace,” says China expert Daniel Rosen. The eleven-square-mile area, which broke ground on September 29, promises convertibility of China’s currency and freer flow of capital, but many details are still unclear. Still, Rosen says that “for now, the most important element of the nascent zone is that it signals so clearly what Beijing thinks the new endpoint for regulatory conditions should look like.”
Related: Questions Arise About Beijing Support for Free-Trade Zone – WSJ.com Mr. Li’s no-show has raised questions about whether economic reformers in China really are back in charge again. Instead of flying down himself, Mr. Li sent his commerce minister—one of the least powerful members of his cabinet—a move that suggested to some that the zone had been effectively demoted or that it was a focus of top-level disagreement. The symbolism matters a great deal because the outlook for the world’s second-largest economy hangs partly on the free-trade zone’s success. And its opening comes just before a key Communist Party meeting in November that will set out the government’s economic agenda for the next 10 years.
Related: Foreign banks shun China’s Shanghai free-trade zone amid uncertain rules | South China Morning Post “One concern that many foreign banks have is whether we really need to make the free-trade zone branch completely separate from our existing branches in China,” said one banker, referring to the CBRC requirement that foreign banks in the zone have completely distinct systems of internal compliance, risk management and human resources from their operations in the rest of the mainland.
Related: [视频]上海自贸区今起受理业务 企业热情高_新闻频道_央视网 Tuesday CCTV Evening News reports on local firms registering companies in the new Shanghai Free Trade Zone. 10.8 was the first day they could register
Related: “客源”分流堪比国庆景点 谁在抢注自贸区？_财经频道_一财网 First Financial reports that on the first day of registration for companies in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone the FTX Management Committee Office handled 1480 inquiries and 577 “transactions” (do not want to assume this means completed registrations), even though many companies don’t have any clear plans for what they will do in the FTZ // 《第一财经日报》记者获悉，截至16时，服务大厅共接待咨询1480人次、接待办理577人次。多名企业人士和学者告诉本报记者，即便是自由贸易试验区的美妙前景激励了许多人，但也不得不承认，一些企业并没有明确计划也不了解自贸区业务，只是单纯地“抢跑道”。
Obama: China benefits from missed trip, U.S. credibility suffers | Reuters At a news conference on Tuesday, Obama said he should have been able to make the trip to help advance a trade agreement and present a counterweight to China. “I’m sure the Chinese don’t mind that I’m not there right now,” he said. “There are areas where we have differences and they can present their point of view and not get as much push back as if I were there.”
Related: Chinese media crow over Xi’s ‘star’ performance, Obama’s no-show – The Washington Post BEIJING — Chinese media gloated Tuesday over President Xi Jinping’s “star” performance at an Asia-Pacific trade summit in Indonesia that his American counterpart was unable to attend. After the U.S. government shutdown prompted President Obama to cancel plans to travel to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bali, Xi saw an opportunity to press his country’s credentials as a business partner to its neighbors. Although Xi did not mention Obama’s no-show during his public appearances, Chinese newspapers were not so circumspect.
Related: Obama must make amends after Asia trip cancellation | The A-List–Kurt Campbell Despite the disappointment stemming from the president’s absence in Asia, it is important to remember that the critical advantage that the US enjoys in Asia is a collective desire, among Asians and Americans both, for an enduring American role in the region. As such, Asians are inclined to overlook short-term setbacks in favour of a long-term historic trend that points the US squarely in the direction of what I consider the coming Asia-Pacific century. Consequently, there will be more focus on what the US does next rather than fretting over America’s most recent cancellation.
Related: Obama’s Canceled Trip to Asia: How Much Did It Matter? | ChinaFile A ChinaFile Conversation–WINSTON LORD, SUSAN SHIRK, ANDREW J. NATHAN
Related: Li Keqiang’s turn to play starring role in Obama’s absence | South China Morning Post Beijing is likely to take further advantage of the absence of US President Barack Obama from major Asian regional summits to bolster its influence in the region when Premier Li Keqiang attends the East Asia Summit in Brunei today. Li, who will also visit Thailand and Vietnam after the summit, will join the two top forums in Brunei – one between China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the other between China, Japan, South Korea and the Asean bloc.
Related: Full text: Premier Li Keqiang Gives Joint Written Interview To Media from ASEAN Countries – Xinhua
Related: Mind Your Own Business – By Shen Dingli | Foreign Policy Why America needs to fix its problems at home before messing around in Asia.
Bad Banks Turn Toxic China Debt to Treasure for Investors – Bloomberg China’s four state-owned asset-management companies, known as AMCs, set up during the banking crisis of the late 1990s to oversee 1.4 trillion yuan ($229 billion) of nonperforming loans, have been delivering profits. They did it by selling some loans and converting others into equity stakes. Now they’ve expanded into licensed financial firms doing everything from investment banking to trusts and real estate. “The AMC balance sheets are relatively clean at this point,” said Charlene Chu, Beijing-based head of China financial institutions at Fitch Ratings. “You can make a ton of money on NPL workouts if you do them right.”
In China, parents bribe to get students into top schools, despite campaign against corruption – The Washington Post with her daughter entering the anxiety-filled application process for middle school, Yang is questioning that principle. She has watched her friends shower teachers and school administrators with favors, presents and money. One friend bought a new elevator for a top school. His child was admitted soon after.
Related: How Resource Scarcity Constrains China – Businessweek good education among the scarcest of resources // China’s sheer vastness is arguably both its greatest strength and greatest weakness. China can harness the manpower and brainpower of 1.3 billion people, but it also has 1.3 billion people to feed, provide education and health care for, and supply energy to. In celebrating or bemoaning China’s rise, analysts can play up either side of the coin. Damien Ma, a fellow at the Paulson Institute in Chicago, and William Adams, a senior international economist for PNC Financial Services Group (PNC), have written a new book exploring the concept of scarcity in its many facets—from natural resources to implied political limits—and examining potential impacts on China’s future and the world’s. The authors of In Line Behind a Billion People recently shared their thoughts with Businessweek.
China Data Proves Doubters Wrong – China Real Time Report – WSJ The median forecast of nine economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal is for a 7.7% on-year rise in gross domestic product, comfortably ahead of target and up from 7.6% growth in the first half of the year. The third quarter GDP number is due Oct. 18 along with a batch of other data on September’s industrial production, retail sales, and fixed-asset investment. Export data is out Oct. 12
Related: IMF Cuts Global Outlook, Warns of U.S. Default Threat – Bloomberg The fund cut the forecast for China to 7.6 percent this year, from 7.8 percent in July and to 7.3 percent in 2014 from 7.7 percent. “Without fundamental reform to rebalance the economy toward consumption and stimulate productivity growth through deregulation, growth is likely to slow considerably,” the fund said of the world’s second-largest economy.
NSA’s hardware backdoors may still be a “problem from hell” – Salon.com U.S. officials and policy makers have also spoken strongly about the possibility that such tactics might be in use by China, citing that government’s attitude toward the U.S. and the fact that a large proportion of all computer hardware is manufactured in the country (see “Why the U.S. Is So Afraid of Huawei”). However, until the recent reports, including a major piece in the New York Times earlier this month, there had never been specific public claims that a government was inserting secret vulnerabilities into computer hardware. The Times report says, however, that the NSA inserted backdoors into some encryption chips that businesses and governments use to secure their data, and that the agency worked with an unnamed U.S. manufacturer to add backdoors to computer hardware about to be shipped to an overseas target.
How Legal Eagles in Inner Mongolia Destroyed Each Other in Public Tit for Tat – Caixin A lawyer and a legal official were as close as father and son, but then their relationship broke down over the handling of millions of yuan in bribes // who needs fiction in China
浙江余姚城区70%被淹 政府发布告市民书_网易新闻 Pictures of terrible flooding in Yuyao, Zhejiang, from the typhoon…70% of the city underwater say reports
BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE
三中全会将助推资本市场顶层设计_证券时报网 Third plenum to push forward top-level design for capital markets–Securities Daily// 中国证券报记者发现，历次三中全会关注的资本市场议题均与实体经济紧密贴合。业内人士预计，十八届三中全会在资本市场发展方面有望更多着墨。在如何“稳增长、调结构、促转型”成为经济发展紧迫任务的当下，建设完善多层次资本市场，切实服务实体经济转型升级将成为资本市场重要课题。推进法制化建设，保护投资者利益以维护市场公平，以及防范金融风险等可能将成为此次会议关注的与资本市场的相关话题。 在此次会议后，市场高度关注的资本市场一系列改革措施有望推出，重点在支持小微企业、券业发展创新、期货创新、债券市场发展等方面取得突破，业内希望其成为支持资本市场新一轮繁荣发展的“新国九条”。
China Home Prices Rose for 16th Straight Month in Sept.:CIA-Caijing Prices of newly-built houses in 100 monitored cities across the country rose by an average of 1.07 percent from the previous month, an increase of 0.15 percent from that in August, according to data from the China Index of Academy released on Tuesday. This marks the 16th straight monthly rise since June 2012. The monthly gain was also the first above 1.0 percent since this May, CIA data showed, highlighting pressures on the government’s efforts to rein in the real estate sector where home purchase restrictions are still in place.
社科院:2012年底中国影子银行规模或达20.5万亿 新华社——经济参考网 CASS report says at end of 2012 size of China’s shadow banking system was 20.5 Trillion RMB // 中国社会科学院金融法律与金融监管研究基地10月8日发布的《中国金融监管报告2013》（下称《监管报告》）称，2012年底中国影子银行规模或达到20.5万亿元（基于市场数据），监管当局应进一步完善影子银行体系的监管，适应影子银行的蓬勃发展。《监管报告》称，中国影子银行体系自2010年以来发展迅猛，但无论是理论界还是实务界，对中国银子银行体系的界定都存在巨大分歧。最窄口径只包括银行理财业务与信托公司两类；较窄口径包括最窄口径、财务公司、汽车金融公司、金融租赁公司、消费金融公司等非银行金融机构；较宽口径包括较窄口径、银行同业业务、委托贷款等出表业务、融资担保公司、小额贷款公司与典当行等非银行金融机构；最宽口径包括较宽口径与民间借贷。
China Economic Watch | Are China’s local financing vehicles hoarding cash? Local government financing vehicles should not be confused with public institutions and government departments. LGFVs are not hoarding cash. They have invested most of their funds in infrastructure and are struggling to generate enough cash to pay off loans. What the reclassification shows us is that public institutions and government departments have plenty of cash on hand, while local government financing vehicles continue to struggle.
Young Chinese snubbing factory jobs, says billionaire boss – Telegraph “The young generation don’t want to work in factories, they want to work in services or the internet or another more easy and relaxed job,” Terry Gou, head of the Taiwanese firm Foxconn, said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on the Indonesian island of Bali. “Many workers are moving to the services sector and, in the manufacturing sector, total demand [for workers] is now more than supply.”
KFC parent Yum warns of delay in China sales recovery | Reuters Yum attributed its China woes to the December scare, but some analysts suggest that its problems are of a different nature. They say China’s middle-income diners – who flock to KFC – have cut their spending due to government austerity measures. KFC also faces stronger competition from local eateries and the company may have opened too many fried chicken restaurants in China, those analysts said. // Yum’s China problems run deep
21部委合推创新驱动发展战略 新华社——经济参考网 21 ministries and other government departments to push strategy for spurring innovation… // 创新驱动正成为各界谈论的热点话题。一方面，国家高层领导密集发声，强调实施创新驱动发展战略是大势所趋、形势所迫；另一方面，有关部委正在筹划相关政策。据记者了解，目前包括发改委、科技部、工信部、财政部、国税总局等在内的21个部委正在酝酿创新驱动发展的有关政策，这些政策包括落实企业主体地位、科技金融、人才评价、科研投入、经费管理、资源配置等。 专家表示，实施创新驱动发展战略的一个重要方面是充分调动市场的作用，落实企业的主体地位。
Ford comes from behind in China to stun Japanese rivals | Reuters Ford is fighting to change that picture and appears likely to sell more vehicles in China this year than two of its main Japanese rivals – Toyota and Honda. Its China sales are also zooming close to that of Nissan Motor Co (7201.T). Ford is likely to sell more than 900,000 vehicles, including passenger cars and commercial vehicles, in China this year thanks to its beefed-up product lineup, said a company official who spoke on condition of anonymity. New in the showroom since last year are a couple of small sport-utility vehicles and the redesigned Focus car.
Goldman link to China corruption probe – FT.com A Chinese education company co-founded by Goldman Sachs is at the centre of a corruption probe that has ensnared the head of a leading Chinese state-owned corporation. Lei Yi, chairman of Yunnan Tin, the world’s largest producer of the industrial metal by volumes, has been charged with accepting bribes worth Rmb20m ($3.3m), according to a state media report on the Yunnan provincial government’s website.
China Money Rate Drops to a 3-Week Low as PBOC Adds Cash – Bloomberg The People’s Bank of China sold 65 billion yuan ($10.6 billion) of seven-day reverse-repurchase agreements at 3.9 percent today, according to a statement on the website. The authority added a net 150.1 billion yuan in the week ended Sept. 27 to stabilize rates and help banks meet quarter-end funding demand before the Oct. 1-7 National Day holiday. “There will be 80 billion yuan of reverse repos maturing this week, and given the new issuance of government bonds in the next few days, it’s not strange the central bank decided to improve the liquidity,” said Gao Hui, an analyst at Founder Securities Co. in Beijing.
POLITICS AND LAW
With New Website Features, Party Watchdog Seeks Public Input – Caixin China’s party disciplinary watchdog has added initiatives on its website to engage the public, while also offering a rare glimpse into reforms made since the country joined the United Nations Convention against Corruption….In the book review section of the CDDI website, the watchdog recommended the book “The U.S. Constitutional Experience: 25 Landmark Cases which Shaped Modern America,” along with the book’s preface. The book was published in 2004 by the state-run China Legal Publishing House. // site
Transfer of Collectively-Owned Rural Land Revisited-Caijing As the Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee approaches, the transfer of collectively-owned rural land has once again come under the spotlight. It was reported in early Sept. that China would soon lift restrictions on the transfer of collectively-owned rural land and allow certain provinces and cities to launch pilot programs, a claim immediately denied by the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR). The central government is worried that the transfer of collectively-owned land may lead to social instability as it could render a large number of farmers landless. Most local governments strongly oppose free transfer of collectively-owned land, which is bound to undermine their dominance in the domestic land transfer market.
China, the Reverse Mortgage and the Emergence of Private Property? | China Law & Policy One major hurdle to the success of the reverse mortgage is the fact that people in China do not own their land – they only have a 70 year land-use right to the piece. What happens when that land-use right expires in 70 years is unclear, giving the banks or insurance companies major pause in issuing reverse mortgages, especially for land-use rights that are approaching the 70 year mark. So what is the Chinese government to do? It realizes that it has a ballooning senior population and insufficient funds to support it. A reverse mortgage – especially with China’s increasing housing bubbles – can be an important private financing tool of one’s later life. But banks and mortgage companies don’t want to lend in an environment with such uncertainty. Does the State Council’s Opinion signal a possible change to the current land-use rights system?
Debating Constitutional Government | Hoover Institution by Joseph Fewsmith–Rather than pull public opinion together, Xi Jinping’s call for realizing the “China Dream” seems to have revealed the depth of cleavage among China’s intellectuals. The newspaper Southern Weekend set off a drama when it responded by writing a New Year’s editorial calling the China Dream the dream of constitutional government, only to have provincial propaganda authorities rewrite it beyond recognition before publication. Subsequently, Xi Jinping authorized a sharp attack on “Western values,” including constitutionalism. This internal talk, written into the now infamous “Document No. 9,” prompted several publications to run articles against constitutionalism, provoking liberal intellectuals to defend the idea. This deep divide suggests there is increasingly little middle ground left among China’s intellectuals, while the backing of different views by different officials reflects a politicization of seemingly intellectual debates. These debates are ultimately about the legitimacy of the government and thus reflect fragility in the political system.
China’s Bo Xilai Formally Appeals Corruption Conviction – WSJ.com Bo Xilai, the former Communist Party heavyweight sentenced to life in prison last month, has formally filed an appeal against his conviction for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power, according to a person with direct knowledge of the case. An appeal had been widely expected as Mr. Bo vigorously denied all charges during his trial in August. It is unlikely to affect the outcome, which is almost certain to have been decided by the party’s top leadership, according to lawyers and party insiders.
探访薄熙来北京寓所：参观者络绎不绝(图)资讯频道凤凰网 on a continuous stream of gawkers to Bo Xilai’s Beijing residence…does Bo actually own it or does it belong to the state? // 8月22日，薄熙来案庭审现场的文字记录中，谷开来的证词提到了她和薄熙来之前在北京的一处住宅，地址为北京市东城区新开路胡同71号。图为北京市东城区新开路胡同71号住宅的一道大门
“十一”假期，各地纪检监察部门对不正之风明察暗访，典型案例节后通报 清扫“四风” 假日不歇（深阅读·抓党风 促廉政） 《 人民日报 》（ 2013年10月09日 04 版） no rest for discipline inspectors over the Holiday, and bad times ahead for those violators mentioned in the People’s Daily
铺张办婚礼村官被免职 暂未发现其用公款办婚礼_网易新闻中心 local Beijing official removed from post over the “local tyrant” wedding extravaganza for his son, even though he blames the inlaws // 国庆节期间，来广营乡清河营村村委会副主任马林祥为儿子连摆三天婚宴，4、5日的“流水席”邀请了“刘老根大舞台”的丫蛋、星光大道选手等演员现场助阵。据观看的村民评价，歌曲、舞蹈、魔术、杂技、二人转等节目都有相当水准。6日新人还在国家会议中心一层宴会厅内摆了约40桌婚宴。有媒体估算，这场讲排场的高调婚礼预计花费160万元，被网友直呼为 “土豪婚礼”。
央视网：夏俊峰案推手无节操 假照片忽悠网友_网易新闻中心 CCTV questions the sympathy for Xia Junfeng…media and Xia’s wife used a photo of a different defendant crying in court?// 编剧仿佛失去了“操纵”剧本的能力，夏俊峰被执行死刑后的剧情，正在以惊人的方式演绎。与案发之初夏俊峰一方受到普遍同情不同，现如今质疑者似乎越来越多，质疑声越来越高，甚至到了“不近人情”的地步。目前的质疑集中在两点：
Bo Xilai, Li Keqiang, Wang Juntao: United by uni, separated by fate – CNN.com When I enrolled at Beida in the fall of 1977, the university was steeped in the political ferment that followed Chairman Mao’s death and the start of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms. My classmates, many of whom had worked on farms or in factories during the Cultural Revolution, were viewed by many as China’s crème de la crème. They belonged to the storied “Class of ’77” who passed the first college entrance exams held after the Cultural Revolution.
BBC News – Eskdalemuir monastery founder Akong Rinpoche killed in China A statement from police in the Chinese city of Chengdu said Choje Akong Rinpoche, his nephew and his driver were killed in a residential area. It said three suspects – all of whom were Tibetan – had stabbed the men to death in a dispute about money. The Chinese police said: “The three suspects have confessed to the crime and the case is still under investigation.”
Uighurs in China Say Bias Is Growing – NYTimes.com After a summer of violence that claimed at least 100 lives, analysts, human rights advocates and even a handful of Chinese academics are raising alarms over what they call repressive policies that are fueling increased alienation and radicalization among Uighurs, many of whom subscribe to a moderate brand of Sunni Islam. These policies have been tightened since ethnic rioting four years ago left at least 200 people dead in Urumqi, the regional capital.
Xinjiang police target online ‘jihad’ talk amid rumour crackdown | South China Morning Post Xinjiang police were investigating 256 people for spreading “destabilising rumours” online, the Xinjiang Daily newspaper said. Of those, 139 spread rumours about jihad, or Muslim holy war, or other religious ideas. More than 100 had been detained. “Our local public security bureaus are strongly cracking down on those who engage in illegal activities online,” the newspaper said. “Xinijang must not allow the internet to become a platform for crime.”
Audit Finds Rampant SMF Irregularities -Caijing The findings of a recent audit by the National Audit Office (NAO) of the management and usage of social maintenance fees (SMFs) were published Sept. 18, which is a first since SMF came into being 11 years ago. The partial audit of one municipality, eight provinces and 45 counties took stock of SMFs local governments collected from 2009 through May 2012, which totaled US$ 2.81 billion.
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
Three Sage Points About China – James Fallows – The Atlantic Earlier this year I had the pleasure of interviewing Sidney Rittenberg, in Seattle, about his six-plus decades of involvement in U.S.-Chinese affairs, including the 16 years he spent in solitary confinement in prisons of Mao’s China. This week, also in Seattle, he received at age 92 a “Lifetime Achievement” award from the Washington State China Relations Council . In a terse four minutes, from time 17:00 to 21:00 below, he offers what I consider several sage points for stable and productive relations between the countries.
Influx of Students From China Puts University to Unexpected Test – WorldWise – The Chronicle of Higher Education a significant share of the students on the floor where she served as a resident assistant were Chinese. And this past spring Ms. Sobolewski was getting on a plane for the first time—to Beijing. The spring-break trip was the brainchild of Kathy M. Collins, who heads residence education and housing services at the university. With the influx of Chinese undergraduates on the Michigan State campus, Ms. Collins wanted to help some of her residence-hall staff better understand the issues that this cohort of students faced.
HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN
Taiwan Warns That China Could Mount Successful Invasion by 2020 – Bloomberg China may be able to successfully invade Taiwan by 2020 as it develops technology to prevent allies such as the U.S. from coming to the island’s aid, the Taiwanese defense ministry said. A military modernization campaign has seen China’s People’s Liberation Army enhance its ability to make long-range precision strikes and develop so-called area-denial technology, the ministry said in its 2013 National Defense Report.
TECH AND MEDIA
Coursera Blog • A new partnership to bring Coursera to the hundreds of millions of Chinese learners across the world Working with NetEase; one of China’s largest internet companies and a major distributor of open educational content — we’re embarking on an initiative to break down the language and technical barriers that have existed for our students in China. As part of this initiative, we’re proud to announce the launch of Coursera Zone, a Chinese-language portal to Coursera.org hosted on NetEase’s popular open education website open.163.com.
4G Construction Poses Challenges for Big Three -Caijing But in China, network operating licenses are government-issued, not auctioned off which is the common practice overseas. This has forced telecom operators into passive positions as to which technical route they can choose. The Chinese 4G mobile standard TD-LTE led by China Mobile, of which China has independent intellectual property rights, holds great significance for China’s independent innovation. Decision-making departments giving priority to support the development of the TD-LTE industry is not only in line with normal decision thinking, it also fulfills state-owned carrier obligations. Authorities are expected to grant the three telecom operators dual licenses for TDD and FDD. But it is still uncertain as to whether the TDD license or FDD license will be issued first, or whether both licenses will be issued at the same time.
Alibaba faces bumpy road in US flotation after abandoning Hong Kong offering | South China Morning Post Ma’s problems with a US listing for Alibaba goes beyond the partnership structure. The bigger concern would be rebuilding his credibility on Wall Street after a 2011 dispute with Yahoo, one of Alibaba’s early investors and major shareholders, on secretly transferring one of the most valuable assets of the group to a third party. Ma shocked Wall Street in May 2011 when investors realised he had transferred Alipay, a leading online payment system created and owned by Alibaba, to a private company held by Ma outside the group. Yahoo was outraged and some US fund managers even threatened to sue Ma in the US. Yahoo and Alibaba later resolved their differences.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
CCTV interviewed Chinese on streets: “What is patriotism?” | Offbeat China “What is patriotism? What kind of behaviors do you consider to be patriotic?” These are the questions that many Chinese were asked by China Central Television (CCTV) during this past National Day holidays. In the current China where the word “patriotism” has more negative connotation than positive, some of the “unexpected” answers unsurprisingly went viral.
Collectors give Xi’s China Dream their stamp of approval | South China Morning Post The successes displayed on the stamps, issued just before the national holiday, are the Shenzhou X spacecraft, the Beidou satellite navigation network, the Liaoning aircraft carrier and the Jiaolong deep sea research submersible. According to the Beijing Morning Post, the market price of a small sheet of the series, which consists of four stamps set against a backdrop of outer space and deep ocean, has risen from 6.60 yuan in face value to 23.50 yuan, while the full sheet version has been pushed up from 70.40 yuan to more than 330 yuan.
China Animal Carnival Canceled in Jinan After Online Protests by Animal-Rights Advocates – China Real Time Report – WSJ Photos of a dress rehearsal of the Jinan animal performance posted to a Shandong provincial news site showed, among other planned acts, a tiger riding a horse and a goat balancing on a wire with a monkey doing a handstand on his horns. While animal rights activists say they are beginning to see sparks of change in the country, they face an uphill battle. A little more than a week after the shutdown of the Jinan show, they found themselves up in arms again, this time over video from a zoo in central China’s Hunan province showing patrons playing tug-of-war with an Amur tiger.
Chinese Buying Frenzy Helps Sotheby’s to $540 Mln Record – Bloomberg “We haven’t seen the room so full or so positive or so buoyant for a while,” said London-based dealer Daniel Eskenazi. Eskenazi, who was outbid on a Chenghua-era “Palace” Bowl that sold for $18.2 million, said more mainland buyers show up each season, and now that China’s new political leadership is established, they feel more comfortable buying. Property developer Zheng Huaxing bought the Buddha, a Yongle Gilt-Bronze seated figure, setting a record for a Chinese sculpture at auction.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
Three Sage Points About China – James Fallows – The Atlantic Earlier this year I had the pleasure of interviewing Sidney Rittenberg, in Seattle, about his six-plus decades of involvement in U.S.-Chinese affairs, including the 16 years he spent in solitary confinement in prisons of Mao’s China. This week, also in Seattle, he received at age 92 a “Lifetime Achievement” award from the Washington State China Relations Council . In a terse four minutes, from time 17:00 to 21:00 below, he offers what I consider several sage points for stable and productive relations between the countries.
Influx of Students From China Puts University to Unexpected Test – WorldWise – The Chronicle of Higher Education a significant share of the students on the floor where she served as a resident assistant were Chinese. And this past spring Ms. Sobolewski was getting on a plane for the first time—to Beijing. The spring-break trip was the brainchild of Kathy M. Collins, who heads residence education and housing services at the university. With the influx of Chinese undergraduates on the Michigan State campus, Ms. Collins wanted to help some of her residence-hall staff better understand the issues that this cohort of students faced.
BEIJING
雁栖湖APEC会场紧张施工 所用玻璃全部防弹-财经网 slideshow of the site for next year’s APEC meeting in Beijing..in Huairou, by Yanxi Hu, drove by it about a month ago, looks very nice, still under construction…But a local official who said APEC’ choice of Beijing shows the success in combatting pollution has spurred mass derision online…
北京1名警察做钉子户3年：战战兢兢防拆迁者|民警|钉子户|北京_新浪新闻 Beijing cop been fighting relocation for three years, now a “nail house” protester who has been harassed and beaten…in Fengtai // 3年前，北京市丰台区卢沟桥乡岳各庄民警家属院面临拆迁。因为没有达成拆迁协议，他和另一位邻居至今没有搬走，成为院子里最后的住户. 他是一名警察，也是个“钉子户”。
河北赤城开闸向北京送水 9年已输水1.9亿立方米_网易新闻中心 Hebei’s water lifeline to Beiijing // 新华网石家庄10月9日电 记者从河北省赤城县政府了解到，赤城县云州水库7日上午开始提闸为北京集中输水，此次预计放水总量为1500－2000万立方米，至11月15日结束，历时40天。 赤城县是北京重要的饮用水源地，境内三条河流全部流入北京市的白河堡水库和密云水库，其中密云水库来水总量的53％来自赤城县。