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

Subscribe Now

The new US Treasury Secretary was in town this week. Secretary Lew pressed China on cybersecurity and the yuan level (Bloomberg) and had a cheap dumpling lunch (Time) that got buzz on Weibo. Lew met with both Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang and per China Daily Li stressed that trust is a key element in the relationship:

China, Li said, will continue to attach the highest importance to relations with the US and is willing to contribute to the steady and healthy development of ties through cooperation, inclusion, and competition. Li’s meeting with Lew followed President Xi Jinping’s meeting with the treasury secretary on Tuesday. During that meeting, Xi stressed the importance China places on US relations, despite some differences, and that the new relationship will have core interests at its heart.

Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski gave an interview to The People’s Daily on March 7. The printed version of the interview omitted the section about foreign policy, which CSIS has posted on its website. Dr. Brzezinski’s comments are interesting, and here are some highlights:

So I am concerned about the rise of nationalism in China, and your military are the most nationalistic. What I read to you from the military journal is repeated over and over again. And don’t make the mistake that other countries have made a century ago. You are not going to be a global hegemon; we are not going to be a global hegemon, because the world is too complicated. But by working together, we can be partners in gradually overcoming the pressures toward turmoil and chaos which are becoming stronger everywhere in the world. And this is where historical and strategic responsibility creates a unique opportunity for America and China. And I think your leaders should think about what is being fomented, because statements like these are not going to influence President Xi—he is too intelligent for that—but they will influence a lot of people….

Also there is this negative drift in the atmospherics of the American-Chinese relationship. That has to be overcome, since atmospherics can become the beginning of epidemics of hostility. And that we have to avoid…

I’m still optimistic but when I see, for example, the Chinese military newspaper suggesting that China should link up with North Korea and Russia against America, I say to myself that if there was an American air force general or admiral saying that publicly, he probably would be fired.

Andrew Bacevich, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2007, has written a letter to Paul Wolfowitz, one of the main intellectual architects of the war. The whole letter is worth reading (and I enjoyed the comments about SAIS as I was a student there during the period Dr. Bacevich describes) but his discussion of Wolfowitz’s global hegemon aspirations have relevance to US-China relations today. In 1992 Wolfowitz drafted a Defense Planning Guidance that:

..announced that it had become the “first objective” of U.S. policy “to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival.” With an eye toward “deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role,” the United States would maintain unquestioned military superiority and, if necessary, employ force unilaterally.

That DPG was “disavowed”, to President George H.W. Bush’s credit. But Wolfowitz’s fantasy of total American dominance only grew between the H.W and W. Bush Administrations and ultimately manifested itself in one of the greatest and most expensive strategic blunders in US history.

My question to you readers is how much has China benefited from the Iraq disaster?

Please let me let me know in comments or by email.

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

China Vows Firm Defense as Japan-U.S. Plan Reported | Defense News | defensenews.com China on Wednesday vowed a “steadfast” military defense of its territorial integrity, after a report said Japan and the United States will draft a plan to counter any Chinese invasion of disputed islands.Japan’s Nikkei newspaper, citing an unidentified U.S. Pentagon source, said Japanese and U.S. officials will come up with the joint military plan on retaking the outcrops in the East China Sea if China seizes them.//Nikkei have this story right?

Signs Indicate New CSRC Head Is Reform-minded – Caixin (Beijing) – There has been much speculation as to whether the new chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission will be pushing for financial reforms as hard as his predecessor did. One reason for the uncertainty is Xiao Gang has not spoken to media as often as most of his peers. Caixin reviewed Xiao’s track record at the central bank and Bank of China and talked to people close to him. His consideration of international standards, role in increasing the number of women in management and effort to learn English so he could interact better with his foreign counterparts would suggest that he can be described as a reformist.

China’s Solar Billionaire Undone as Banks Push Suntech to Brink – Bloomberg remember trading this stock and feeling stupid when i sold it in the high 60s, just before it broke 80…// The company had about $1.44 billion of bank credit and a $50 million loan from the International Finance Corp., according to regulatory filings. China Development Bank Corp. is among its lenders. Suntech raised a total of $743 million from Wall Street in two separate stock offerings in 2005 and 2009. The bonds traded in New York. Shi started Suntech in 2001 after serving as research director at another solar company in Australia, Pacific Solar Pty. He received a bachelor’s degree in optical science from Changchun University of Science and Technology in 1983 and a master’s in laser physics from the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics in 1986.

China reforms: and the beat goes on | beyondbrics In the pantheon of financial news, China’s decision to open its interbank bond market to foreign investors may seem a small item. But the announcement, made on Wednesday, is a big one for two reasons. First, it gives foreign institutions access to a major asset class. Second, its timing signifies that China’s financial reform train is still very much in motion just a few days after the dust finally settled on the country’s leadership reshuffle.

中国房价唱空派屡次落空 部分人信专家损失惨重|房价预测|十年乱象|信专家_新浪财经_新浪网 Excellent Beijing News story on the battle between Chinese bull/bear pundits about Chinese real estate, and how wrong some of the bearish pundits have been for so long..names names, including Andy Xie, questions motivations and agendas, notes that there is no accountability for being wrong as pundit, concludes that the real losers are the Chinese people who believe the “experts”…hard enough to figure out the agendas of the foreign pundits, this piece useful in looking at the Chinese pundits. Bottom line, those have been bearish on chinese real estate (not stocks/related industries but actual, physical property) over the last 8+ years have been wrong. perhaps they will eventually be right, but…wish someone collected the track records of the foreign pundits// 董藩说，有些专家为搏出位甚至不惜去说一些反话、假话和说不着边的话。 除了技术因素外，在北师大房地产研究中心主任董藩看来，很多人在预测动机上“是有问题的”。董藩称，有些专家会刻意地去讨好官员和舆论，“讨好官员不会犯政治错误，讨好舆论则容易成名”。他说，有些专家为搏出位甚至不惜去说一些反话、假话和说不着边的话。..屡屡看跌落空的易宪容说，既得利益者总是希望用言论来左右整个楼市预期，来让过高的房价不下跌——过去十年间，多空双方总是相互指责、攻讦不断。 在一波又一波的论战和赌局中，除却名声，输家似乎毫无损失可言。如黄涛一样，那些信奉专家观点、没能踏准房价节奏的购房者，才是楼市潮起潮落中真正的输家。

人民日报-靠“愧疚”管不住吃喝的嘴（人民时评） 王石川 People’s daily page 5 commentary–relying on shame will not solve the problem of official gluttony…I think most foreigners overestimate the power of shame in China these days// 这就说明，要管住奢靡之风，除了加大惩处力度、曝光强度，还需从清理灰色官场文化、净化政治生态入手。通过树立正确用人导向、完善政绩考核机制等，使干部看到，成绩是干出来的，而不是招待出来的；升迁要靠真本事，而不是靠利益输送。只有这样，才能从根本上遏制公款吃喝玩乐的需求与冲动。治奢靡、倡勤俭，喊破嗓子不如甩开膀子。但这也是一场持久战。好比钉钉子，不奢望一下子到位，不追求一锤子就钉得牢，重在稳打稳扎、步步推进，常给力、不卸力，建立行之有效的长效机制。如此，干部清正、政府清廉、政治清明的目标可期。

Free online music deadline revealed – People’s Daily Online what about streaming? QQMusic is free, awesome and probably the largest streaming music service in the world// Chinese music producer Gao Xiaosong announced Tuesday that the music industry faces ‘earth-shaking’ changes as free online downloading will end after July 1. “Various record labels, music websites and the government are all doing the tail-end of the work. The Chinese online music market will step into an era of legal copies.” Gao said at a launch ceremony for the Top Chinese Music Awards, which are due to take place in April.

Rosneft deal to put China top of Russia’s oil customers | Reuters leverage, how long until Russia uses?// Russia will sharply boost oil supply to China, making Beijing its top customer, in a package of deals to be signed this week, industry sources said on Wednesday. Russia’s top crude producer Rosneft will increase exports to China by some 34 million tonnes to around 50 million tonnes (1 million barrels per day) by 2018, the sources told Reuters.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

China’s Manufacturing Expands at Faster Pace, Survey Shows – Bloomberg  CNY distorts everything// The preliminary reading of a Purchasing Managers’ Index was 51.7 in March, according to a statement from HSBC Holdings Plc and Markit Economics today. That compares with the 50.4 final reading for February and the 50.8 median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 11 analysts. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. The report may reduce concern that a rebound is losing steam after factory output and retail sales rose less than forecast in the past two months, in the weakest start to a year since 2009.

China Broadcast Criticizes Foreign Autos – WSJ “There is a lot of resentment of the fact that the Chinese cannot compete with foreign auto makers,” said Greg Anderson, chief executive of political risk and business strategy consultancy Pacific Rim Advisors, and author of a recent book on China’s auto industry. “Foreigners have to be perfect or else the Chinese media is ready to pounce,” he added. McKinsey & Co. partner Axel Krieger said global auto makers should take the increased scrutiny by authorities as a sign of Beijing’s wishes. “Foreign auto makers need to be a bit more thoughtful about how they can contribute to China,” he said. “It’s not just about companies making profit. It’s about industrial policy—about helping China build its automobile industry.”

Web China: Investment bank report ridiculed as market bulls up – Xinhua | English.news.cn On March 18, JPMorgan released a report advising cutting Chinese stock holdings and betting against the nation’s biggest four commercial banks. It downgraded China and recommended bearish drivatives tied to the four banks. The report became a hot topic among Chinese netizens on Wednesday, especially among investors who use microblogs to discuss investment tactics. “It’s a slap in the face of JPMorgan,” microblogger “huayra” wrote on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like microblogging platform. Microblogger “zhongguoshiIPO” wrote “It may not be a plot, but it proves that foreigners really do not know China.”

券商资管通道业务疑遭阻击_金融频道_财新网 3月18日下午，一位中型券商人士透露，银监会下发口头通知，要求叫停银行的券商通道业务。所谓通道业务，指的券商提供通道，帮助银行资产调整资产负债表，为银行做资产从表内到表外的流动性搬运。券商通过帮助银行代持资产等方式，赚取资金收益。这样的业务不过是银信（银行和信托）合作的变体。伴随着监管当局对银信合作做出种种限制，券商资管业务放开，银行便开始用券商作为通道。

Revenue from Five Major Real Estate Taxes Has Soared – Caixin Data from the Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation show the figure rose from more than 90 billion yuan in 2003 to 1.01 trillion yuan last year. These taxes are on property, urban-town land use, land value-added, arable land occupation and property ownership transfers. They accounted for 4.5 percent of national – i.e. central and local governments combined – total tax revenue in 2003, but this jumped to 10.1 percent in 2012. Finance ministry data shows that total national tax revenue was 2 trillion yuan in 2003 and 10.06 trillion yuan last year.

Urbanites Expects Housing Prices to Rise, Survey Finds – Caixin A central bank survey of city dwellers has found that more than half of them think housing prices are “unacceptable,” while about one-third think prices will continue to rise. The central bank, which surveyed 20,000 urban residents in 50 cities in the first quarter, found that 34.4 percent of respondents said housing prices would continue to grow over the second quarter. The figure is 5.4 percentage points higher than in the previous quarter and 16.7 percentage points higher than in the first quarter of last year.

Firms Scramble to Get a Fix on Chinese Tycoon – WSJ.com SHANGHAI—Companies in business with Liu Han, a Chinese tycoon with resources investments in the U.S., Australia and Africa, said Wednesday that they are seeking information about his whereabouts following a media report here that he had been detained by Chinese authorities…His detention was reported Wednesday by Shanghai Securities News, one of three major Shanghai newspapers devoted to market news. The newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying the tycoon was detained along with his ex-wife before they returned to his home province of Sichuan, in southwestern China, after the conclusion of annual legislative meetings in Beijing. The 47-year-old Mr. Liu wasn’t a participant in those meetings.

“汉龙系”矿业版图面临危局 more on Liu Han case and pain for investors// 四川商人刘汉被传为警方控制。金路集团3月20日晚间发布公告，目前，公司与公司股东汉龙实业发展有限公司没有收到相关方面的消息；公司未能电话联系上董事长刘汉，公司目前生产经营一切正常。四川多位接近汉龙集团高层的人士20日告诉中国证券报记者，刘被控制源于澳门赌场，但具体细节尚待警方披露。对此，汉龙集团未作任何回应。四川某矿业公司负责人则直言“刘汉出事早有前兆”。

Wariness Precedes Earnings From China’s Big-Four Banks – WSJ.com While Chinese banks have long earned fat profits, investors are wary. China Construction Bank will be the first of the so-called “big-four” banks to report full-year results on Friday, giving the first glimpse of whether greater competition in the state-dominated banking system is eating into profitability.

Delisting in China ‘Exists in Name Only’ – Deal Journal – WSJ State-owned shipping giant China Cosco Holdings’ sale of a key unit to its parent is the latest example, analysts say, of a company using creative methods to avoid a delisting and making a mockery of the delisting process for China’s main stock market. Cosco said last week that it would sell its profitable logistics subsidiary to its state-owned parent, China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co., “to improve 2013 financial results.” But by recording the sale as an exceptional gain, it will enable Cosco to avoid recording a third-consecutive annual loss and a suspension of its listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

新年买房记_财经频道_一财网 First financial on buying a house in the new year…not an easy process

 

POLITICS AND LAW

Provincial chiefs named as a new generation steps up | South China Morning Post Zhou Benshun, secretary general of the party’s Political and Legal Affairs Commission, has been appointed party chief of Hebei province, succeeding Zhang Qingli , who was made a vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference last week. Zhou, 60, is widely considered a protégé of retired security tsar Zhou Yongkang and a hard-line party official. In a 2011 article published in the party journal Qiushi, he described the concept of civil society as a politically dangerous trap that Western countries wanted to sell to China.

Achieving Real Progress in How Gov’t Functions – Caixin–Hu Shuli editorial If this reorganization is to succeed, the government must do much more than redraw the organization chart and spell out the new job scopes. To really serve the people, as their job demands, government agencies and officials must have self discipline, and their conduct be subjected to public scrutiny. It is the people that grant government its power; this is the view that government officials must take to heart. Only then can an exercise to limit government power succeed. Thus, political reform in fact goes hand in hand with government reorganization. Admittedly, the round of changes this time is much milder than expected. Like its continuing task to strengthen the country’s market economy, the government must keep making adjustments to its reorganization, to ensure slow but steady change. The restructuring of government is but a work in progress.

媒体称铁路总公司将定为正部级 直接隶属国务院_资讯频道_凤凰网 new State Railways Corporation to be Ministry-level body chairman to have ministerial rank// 原铁道部人士透露，铁道部分拆后成立的中国铁路总公司级别将定为“正部级”，直接隶属于国务院而非划在国资委麾下。而归口至交通运输部的国家铁路局定为副部级。上述人士透露，不出意外，原铁道部部长盛光祖将履任中国铁路总公司董事长一职，而总经理一职将由原铁道部副部长胡亚东担任，胡亚东此前在铁道部分管运输。而原铁道部副部长陆东福将出任铁路局局长一职。

人民日报-勤俭是梦想的孵化器（人民论坛） 简满屯 page 4 people’s daily–hardwork and frugality are the incubator of dreams…concludes by citing edgar snow’s description of 1936 yan’an// 1936年，美国作家埃德加·斯诺来到延安。在这里，他看到一种别样的生活方式：毛泽东住在十分简陋的窑洞里，周恩来睡在土炕上，彭德怀穿着用缴获的降落伞做成的背心……从共产党人极其简朴的生活中，斯诺发现了一种伟大的力量，他称之为“兴国之光”。今天，从实现民族复兴的中国梦到创造更美好生活，都更加需要我们用勤俭的孵化器滋养心神，用实干的“兴国之光”照亮前路。

人民日报-凝聚不可战胜的中国力量 ——　三论同心共筑中国梦 本报评论员 page 1–通向理想的道路注定不是坦途。经历发展阵痛、面临“惊险一跳”，就业、医疗、住房、养老……每个人都可能会与国家社会一起，经历追梦之旅的曲折和辛劳，可能会有抱怨、有纠结，但更要看到，我们可以共同享有人生出彩的机会，共同享有梦想成真的机会，共同享有同祖国和时代一起成长与进步的机会。有梦想，有机会，有奋斗，一切美好的东西都能创造出来。生活在这样一个时代和国家，是幸运的。我们比历史上任何时期，都更接近民族复兴的目标，都更有信心、有能力实现梦想。毫无疑问，完成这项伟大的事业，仍需一代又一代中国人共同努力。凝聚起不可战胜的中国力量，完成民族复兴征程上的接力，是我们这一代人的使命，更是我们这一代人的光荣。

共识在线：秦晖教授谈左右派争论中的问题与主义正在播出-共识网 而在秦晖看来，“左”“右”争执的很多问题是没有意义的，或者说根本就不是真“问题”，所以这些年来，他“对某些‘左派’与某些‘右派’都有批评”（秦晖语），而在新著中，他更是指出，知识界在谈论或者说争论这些问题和主义的时候，需要持守一些“共同的底线”。 本期共识在线，共识网特别邀请秦晖本人谈左右派对农民工问题，城市化，户籍、福利等中国现实问题的认识，以及这些政策争论背后的思想源流、主义之争，意识形态差异，以及对公正、平等、自由等价值概念的辨析等等。

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

U.S. Main Source of Attacks on China State Websites, Agency Says – Bloomberg The number of Chinese government websites targeted by hackers almost doubled last year to 3,016, with the largest number of attacks coming from the U.S., China’s network security agency said in a report. “Law enforcement agencies should increase punishment of network crime and strictly pursue violators in order to create an effective deterrent,” the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team Coordination Center of China, or CNCERT, said in the report posted to its website yesterday.

Defense.gov Speech: The Rise of Asia and New Geopolitics in the Asia-Pacific Region As Prepared for Delivery by Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter, Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 20, 2013

China and Japan Spar Over War Trials, More Than 6 Decades On – NYTimes What would international reaction be if Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, were to publicly cast doubt on the fairness of the Nuremberg Trials, which condemned top Nazis at the end of World War II? Something quite similar may have happened recently in Japan, where, according to media reports, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cast doubt on the Tokyo Trials there (these found about two dozen prominent Japanese guilty of war crimes; seven were sentenced to death).

中国军网_深入学习贯彻胡锦涛国防和军队建设思想 ——二谈学习贯彻习主席在解放军代表团全体会议上的重要讲话 本报评论员 习主席在解放军代表团全体会议上的重要讲话，高度评价了近些年来国防和军队建设取得的巨大成就，深刻阐明了胡锦涛国防和军队建设思想的重大意义和指导作用。这对全军坚持科学的军事理论指导，始终保持国防和军队建设的正确方向，具有十分重要的意义

Lawmakers launch new effort to pass China currency bill | Reuters Representative Sandy Levin of Michigan, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced the currency bill with fellow Democrat Tim Ryan of Ohio and Republican lawmakers Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania and Mo Brooks of Alabama.”Currency manipulation by our trading partners has been going on for far too long, with American workers feeling the impact through lost jobs and lower wages,” Levin said.//is there a bill against Japan too?

South Korean banks, others hit by cyber attack – latimes.com Although it appears the attack, which began about 2 p.m., was designed more to frighten than to destroy, it highlighted the vulnerability of one of the world’s most wired, tech-dependent countries. Some banking operations were virtually paralyzed during the afternoon. Newly installed President Park Geun-hye formed a crisis center to investigate the exact cause of the computer crashes. “We cannot rule out the possibility that this was North Korea’s deed, but it’s hard to judge in advance,” said Defense Ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok.

中美需要消除 彼此间的隔阂_21世纪经济报道多媒体数字报刊平台– Dr. Robert Kapp 两国都面临艰巨的政治任务，美国人民也意识到美国政府无力直接有效解决紧急的国内问题，无论是财政瘫痪还是不可控制的“枪支暴力”等问题。不管怎样，我们都必须学会“一边嚼口香糖一边走路”——也就是说，同时处理并解决好多个问题。在此也希望，全国人民代表大会结束后，中国和美国的领导人将采取更为大胆的行动措施，加强他们的私下交往，并经过一段时间深化感情，消除合作的不确定性，我们要重视合作关系，并为之注入新的活力。

人民日报-时刻准备上战场(时代先锋) ——记广州军区某特战旅二营一连连长刘珪 page 1 people’s daily

 

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

China Policy Institute Blog » How Ma Ying-jeou shot himself in the foot 51.6, 13 and three. Those are probably the only numbers one needs to know when examining Taiwanese politics a year or so on from President Ma Ying-jeou’s re-election in January 2012. Ma, who won the fiercely-contested presidential election in 2012 with 51.6 percent of the votes, six percentage points ahead of his rival Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has seen his approval rating plummet to 13 percent with three years still left in his second term.

Hong Kong Film Festival: A film that deals with memory (and Macau) – latimes.com  There is a moment in “The Last Time I Saw Macau” — which plays Wednesday at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and is being distributed in the United States this summer by Cinema Guild — in which the camera captures the city through the backseat of a cab. The small screen attached to the back of the driver’s seat plays news footage of the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. But the image is upside down. The shot drolly observes Macau’s new identity as a Chinese city. Beyond this, it shows the topsy-turvy world as envisioned by the Portuguese filmmaking duo João Pedro Rodrigues (director of “To Die Like a Man”) and João Rui Guerra da Mata.

 

TECH AND MEDIA

陆兆禧：马云看家人_杂志频道_财新网 Caixin profile of new Alibaba CEO Jonathan Lu// 无论从阿里文化传承还是既定战略执行的角度，他都被视为“稳定系数最高”的接班人

ZTE Denies Bribe Investigation Rumor-Caijing According to anonymous but knowledgable sources, China’s IT Business News reported, Mongolian anti-corruption officials received a report and investigated ZTE’s office as well as the residence of some executives and confiscated documents in addition to detaining upper management personnel. Exactly how many were detained is not specified in the report, but according to the sources, Mongolian authorities have already uncovered proof of bribery in connection with a Mongolian national digital education project.

Alibaba Options for Mobile Growth Include Acquisitions, Ma Says – Bloomberg “We also invested heavily, but we are not that lucky and not creative, so creative like Tencent, which has WeChat, such a powerful thing,” Ma said. Alibaba’s options to compete include “mergers and acquisitions, hiring more people,” he said. Ma is focusing on strategy as chairman of Alibaba after naming Jonathan Lu to replace him in May as chief executive officer. The billionaire said in June the company could sell shares in an initial public offering within five years

Tencent Earnings Beat Estimates as Ads Counter Cost Rise – Bloomberg Sales at the Internet Value-Added Service unit, which includes online games, rose 32 percent to 8.5 billion yuan from a year earlier, representing almost 70 percent of the company’s revenue. Online advertising revenue increased 58 percent to 947 million yuan, the Shenzhen-based company said. WeChat has the potential to reach at least 400 million users by the end of 2013 and earn annual revenue of as much as 2.16 billion yuan, Alicia Yap, an analyst at Barclays Plc in Hong Kong, wrote in a March 13 report. //earnings release here (pdf)

马云：支付宝VIE问题即将得到解决_互联网_科技时代_新浪网 已宣布退任阿里巴巴集团行政总裁的马云，却高调在国际投资者面前亮相了。昨日(3月20日)马云在中国香港称，支付宝VIE(可变利益实体，也称“协议控制”)的解决即将有结果，并表示当阿里巴巴上市时，投资者便会知道阿里巴巴的盈利状况。

腾讯无线事业群再拆分 多部门并入互动娱乐事业群 | 每经网 Tencent reorganizes several mobile business into its Interactive entertainment group (IEG), sets up new mobile games studio// 昨日 （3月20日），《每日经济新闻》记者从腾讯内部获悉，腾讯无线事业群旗下的无线游戏产品部、无线增值产品部、无线运营部、无线研发部多个部门正式并入互动娱乐事业群（IEG），并成立“五彩石”工作室，负责无线游戏自营业务产品和开发。 在《每日经济新闻》记者得到的腾讯内部邮件中，腾讯公司COO、腾讯互动娱乐事业群负责人任宇昕在邮件中确认了上述事实。

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Beckham arrives in China as CSL ambassador – Xinhua | English.news.cn where is he staying in Beijing? // Football superstar David Beckham arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to start his role as an ambassador for the Chinese Super League (CSL) and the Youth Football Program in China. The 37-year-old, who was named the first global ambassador of the CSL in February, launched into his duties immediately after his arrival in the Chinese capital, visiting two local schools to promote football.

Outcry at preferential treatment for athletes |Society |chinadaily.com.cn A Shanghai hospital and the city’s sports authority on Wednesday denied claims they provide free medical services and preferential treatment to the city’s elite athletes. Huashan Hospital and the Shanghai Sports Bureau have been under fire since they supposedly reached an agreement last week under which 23 world champions, including 110m hurdler Liu Xiang, and four outstanding coaches, will be entitled to a lifetime of free medical services and exempted from paying medical insurance.

Rare Chinese bowl, $3 at tag sale, sells for $2.2M – Yahoo! News A rare Chinese bowl bought at a tag sale for $3 has sold at a New York auction for more than $2.22 million. The 1,000-year-old bowl was part of the opening session of Sotheby’s fine Chinese ceramics and works of art auction Tuesday.

China’s first president for life: Present at the miscreation | The Economist Whether the republic would have survived were it not for Song’s assassination and Yuan’s feverish grasping is a difficult question. The tumultuous events of 1913 have since become Exhibit A for the historians who argue that electoral democracy is somehow incompatible with the Chinese experience.

Finding (and Documenting) Love in China – China Real Time Report – WSJ After a decade shooting news stories in China for National Geographic, CNN and CBS News, American cameraman and director Nathan Mauger decided to find out how people in contemporary China view love and marriage, the topic of his documentary, “The People’s Republic of Love.” The film is far from a touchy-feely examination of romance, instead exploring Internet dating, cheating husbands, lesbian and gay issues, communist matchmakers and the Happy Wife School, where new and prospective brides are offered an “MBA in love.” Mr. Mauger, 36 years old, recently completed editing the film and expects it to release later this year.

Online Youth Communities Go Offline in China, Calling for Real-Life Change | Tea Leaf Nation On March 16, inside an old house hidden in a traditional Shanghai nongtang, or alleyway, a meet-up event was in full swing. Dozens of young people gathered and sat around the loft-style room, listening attentively to the speakers sharing lively stories. Most of the speakers came from the fields of education and design, as a perfect fit in to the day’s topic –“Open Education and Public Youth Social Space”. It sounds a bit like just another TEDx, yet the event, organized by an online youth organization, was dubbed a “Meet-up with Purpose.”

Why the One-Child Policy Has Become Irrelevant – Leslie T. Chang – The Atlantic The Chinese government, which is good at transmitting edicts from Beijing down through the provinces to counties and villages, isn’t set up for people who don’t respect borders. Married migrant women are required to send home a certificate every year confirming that they are not pregnant; Min has never done this. Her older sister, who works in nearby Shenzhen, also has two children. The owner of an apartment that I rented in Dongguan from 2005 to 2006 had two children; so did a businessman who gave me a tour of the city’s karaoke bars. “Most of my friends have two children, except the ones who have three children,” Wu Chunming, a migrant who has lived in the city for nineteen years, told me. “In the villages now, having two children is standard.”

Sotheby’s Plans Beijing Art Fair – WSJ.com Sotheby’s plans to organize a major art fair in Beijing next year, a first for a global auctioneer and a reflection of the growing reliance of the international art market on Chinese buyers. The event would be modeled on the annual European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht, the Netherlands, known as Tefaf, which is regarded as Europe’s pre-eminent Old Masters fair. Tefaf, which plans to team up with New York-based Sotheby’s for the Beijing fair, announced the plan on Tuesday. Sotheby’s confirmed the announcement, saying it is in “exclusive discussions” with fair officials.

Watch: Extreme cyclist jumps up all 2,754 steps of the Shanghai WFC, breaks world record: Shanghaiist It took only 1 hour, 21 minutes and 53 seconds for Polish cyclist Krystian Herba to hop up all 2,754 steps of the Shanghai World Financial Center. Pausing only for quick breaks on some landings, Krystian accomplished this impressive feat without touching the ground or the wall during the ascent. Krystian was accompanied by a team of personal trainers, friends, family, and even his pregnant girlfriend who followed him on his way up as she monitored his heart rate. Herba’s new record solidly beats out the previous record of 2,054 steps, set by a Columbian cyclist.

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

Pressure grows in Shanghai over dead pigs in Huangpu River | South China Morning Post Shanghai, the pork chop of the Orient// Shanghai authorities are under increasing pressure to release detailed information about tests on water in the Huangpu River, from which more than 10,000 dead pigs have been retrieved. Officials from the water, environmental protection, health and agricultural authorities will meet today to discuss possible publication of test results.

“复原乳”的秘密：酸奶原料存监管盲区_财经频道_一财网 sounds like a lot of yoghurt in China has safety problems, per this first financial expose// “现在不光是酸奶，包括大量的灭菌乳，几乎一半以上都用的复原乳。”黑龙江乳品工业技术开发中心高级工程师李涛说。

中药材领域造假利润惊人 新华社——经济参考网 lots of profits in fake ingredients for traditional Chinese medicine// 中国中药协会的数据显示，2012年前三季度，根据工业和信息化部统计，我国中成药产值达2882亿元，同比增长20.8%；饮片产值692亿元，同比增长27.1%。而与行业规模迅速膨胀不匹配的是，产品质量良莠不齐，劣质饮片大行其道已成顽疾。国家药监局最近发布的案例显示，2012年，广东、江西等各地查处了多个销售中药或中成药假药犯罪团伙，涉案金额都在千万元以上。而尽管近年来，国家药监局不断加大对中药材市场的整顿力度，取得了一定成效，但业内专家指出，由于中药材种植较为分散，中药材造假现象并未根治，应从种植源头把控中药质量。

Drought continues to wreak havoc in SW China |Economy |chinadaily.com.cn have China’s weather patterns shifted moisture north as part of a 30 year cycle, as caixin claimed in a story a couple of months ago?// Little rainfall over the winter and into the spring has left many areas across southwest China facing a severe drought.As of Wednesday, nearly 2.6 million people and more than 1.33 million heads of livestock in southwest Chins’a Yunnan Province were facing a drinking water shortage, the provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said Wednesday.

重启电力改革_杂志频道_财新网 This week’s Caixin cover story on reforming the electricity industry, including plans to split up the State Grid// 新一轮电力体制市场化改革方向已定，国家电网有望一拆为五

不能半途而废——专访国家电力监管委员会前副主席邵秉仁_杂志频道_财新网 今年68岁的邵秉仁从1993年起担任国家经济体制改革委员会秘书长，后长期担任国家体改办副主任，2002年出任国家电力监管委员会副主席，亲身经历和参与了中国社会主义市场经济体制提出和建设的全过程，也亲身经历了中国多个垄断行业的改革。在此次机构改革方案公布之后，财新记者专访了这位当年的改革干将。 在政府与市场的关系问题，他表示中国必须坚持市场化的方向，最终解决在市场经济条件下政府如何定位和行使职能的问题。对于垄断行业的下一步改革和监管，他直言，必须把对国有企业的重新定位和改革结合起来，在能够引入竞争的领域充分竞争。

China’s State Grid denies rumored dismantling – Xinhua | English.news.cn The State Grid Corporation of China, the country’s largest power transmission company, on Wednesday said that contrary to some media reports, it has not received any notice of being dismantled. “Based on our information from the institutional reform department under the National Development and Reform Commission, there have been no words so far about splitting up the State Grid in the State Council’s preliminary plans to boost economic restructuring in 2013,” said Jia Fuqing, head of the institutional reform office of the State Grid.

人民日报-用法治擦亮美丽中国（名家笔谈） 吴建民 Wu Jianmin commentary on page 5 of today’s people’s daily on using rule of law to deal with china’s environmental problems//

Knock on wood: Chinese caught in disposable tableware panic – People’s Daily Online Online complaints targeting low-quality disposable tableware have raised health and environmental concerns among Chinese netizens once again. Well-known actor Huang Bo recently posted a picture of a pair of throwaway chopsticks soaked in plain boiled water on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter. “Within several minutes, the clean water turns into a dark yellow mixture, releasing a pungent smell,” Huang wrote.

 

FOOD AND TRAVEL

An Insider’s Tour of Chongqing Yields Frugal Gems – NYTimes.com

Britain’s oldest wine merchant puts new Chinese wine on sale | Reuters Berry Bros. & Rudd, which dates back 314 years and is a supplier to the royal family, said it was the first major British retailer to put Chinese wines on sale alongside some of the world’s finest wines. The four wines on offer, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend and three ice wines priced from 19 pounds to 65 pounds ($28 to $98), are from Chateau Changyu in eastern Shandong province which is China’s oldest and largest winery.

Wine makers in China: Mihalis Boutaris finds a ‘sweet spot’ for grapes in Gansu | Grape Wall of China Shandong, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Hebei, Yunnan. A short list of spots where people are pinning their hopes for the future of China’s wine industry. For his part, Mihalis Boutaris — a fifth-generation wine maker who has practiced his craft in France, Chile and at his family’s Kir-Yianni Estates in Greece — says he has found a sweet spot in Gansu province in north-central China. Boutaris, who graduated from University of California at Davis with a Master of Science in Horticulture, talked about that and other projects.

 

BEIJING

Beijing Favors The Fake Over the Authentic in Architecture – NYTimes in late 2012, the government posted new notices ordering local businesses and residents to vacate by Feb. 24. .. Many residents have already left; those who have stayed are demanding more compensation. The government’s latest plan is to restore the square to its original appearance, as laid out on 18th-century Qing Dynasty maps.

北京今年公共安全预算近33亿 因涉密未公布明细_新闻_腾讯网 新京报讯 昨日，北京市公安局、交管局公开部门预算。数据显示，市公安局2013年预算总额38.66亿元，其中公共安全支出近32.8亿元。市交管局预算23.61亿元，其中公共安全支出21.23亿元。 去年，北京市公安局并未在时限内公布预算信息，因此，没有被媒体报道，记者查询发现，去年市公安局预算支出总额为32.18亿元，其中公共安全支出27亿元。

北京超7成三公经费预算系公车开支|三公经费|公车开支_新浪新闻 新京报讯 昨天，北京要求公开部门预算的88家预算单位中，共公开预算总额近900亿，其中安排的2013年“三公”预算总额为79779.88万元，将近8亿元。 其中，过半部门的“三公”预算和去年持平或下降。和去年相比，88个单位共压缩“三公”经费50.79万元。

Please help improve Sinocism by donating, forwarding this email to your friends, sending comments/ideas and following me on Twitter @niubi or Sina Weibo @billbishop.

Subscribe Now