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

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Having a bit of writer’s block, just links (lots of them) today:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

U.S. secretary of state to visit China – Xinhua U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will pay a visit to China on April 13 and 14 as the guest of Foreign Minister Wang Yi. // Kerry Inherits a Drifting Relationship with China – All Things Nuclear Fan Jishe, Deputy Director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Studies in the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, is familiar with the conduct and evolution of several U.S.—China dialogs. In a recent article, Dr. Fan describes the current state of the relationship as having entered “a period of strategic drift.” His assessment deserves careful U.S. consideration.

Deadly Lessons from SARS Spur Global Reaction to Bird Flu – Bloomberg China’s government is pledging openness in divulging details of a deadly bird flu outbreak, saying it won’t repeat mistakes made during the SARS outbreak a decade ago that delayed response to the global contagion. Any doctors who fail to disclose cases promptly and accurately will be prosecuted, Liang Wannian, an official at China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission, told reporters in Beijing yesterday  //  China confirms 4 new H7N9 cases – Xinhua This has brought the total number of people infected with the bird flu virus in the country to 24, of whom seven have died // 中科院发现新型H7N9病毒为中韩“混血”_政经频道_财新网 H7N9 a Korean-Chinese mixed virus? so says Academy of Sciences– 新型H7N9型禽流感病毒基因来自于韩国野鸟和中国上海、浙江、江苏鸡群的基因重配 // Convincing Chinese Bird Flu Is Unrelated to Dead Pigs – Bloomberg Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of the public- opinion management over the first week of the bird-flu crisis is the hands-off approach to the Internet. //  Chinese Asked to Change Eating Habits as H7N9 Infections Rise – Bloomberg  // Bird flu scare in China: Bad news for KFC | Marketplace.org It’s noon at the KFC in the heart of Shanghai’s busiest shopping district on Nanjing Road. Half the tables are empty.

China’s Xi Says Fast Growth Over – WSJ.com Speaking before business leaders at the Boao Forum for Asia in southern China on Monday, Mr. Xi said “it’s not impossible to grow faster,” but added, “we don’t want to grow too fast.” “I don’t think China can sustain super-high or ultra-high-speed growth,” he said, citing the need to balance economic growth with other issues. He said China’s slowdown last year to 7.8% economic growth is “partially due to our efforts to control the speed of growth.” // Highlights of Boao Forum: President Xi Says China’s Market Environment “Fair”-Caijing Chinese president Xi Jinping told business executives on the sideline of the BFA on Monday that business environment in China is “fair”. He said companies registered in the Chinese mainland are all important components in the Chinese economy that they enjoy the same market competing rules and protection of laws. “China’s market environment will be fairer and more attractive,” he said. // 习近平会见博鳌论坛中外企业家 李小琳出席_新闻_腾讯网 who is the foreigner meeting with Xi Jinping?

MIT Press Journals – International Security – How New and Assertive Is China’s New Assertiveness? good article by Alistair Ian Johnston..also questions idea that online sentiment influences foreign policy decision making in any material way// There has been a rapidly spreading meme in U.S. pundit and academic circles since 2010 that describes China’s recent diplomacy as “newly assertive.” This “new assertiveness” meme suffers from two problems. First, it underestimates the complexity of key episodes in Chinese diplomacy in 2010 and overestimates the amount of change. Second, the explanations for the new assertiveness claim suffer from unclear causal mechanisms and lack comparative rigor that would better contextualize China’s diplomacy in 2010. An examination of seven cases in Chinese diplomacy at the heart of the new assertiveness meme finds that, in some instances, China’s policy has not changed; in others, it is actually more moderate; and in still others, it is a predictable reaction to changed external conditions. In only one case—maritime disputes—does one see more assertive Chinese rhetoric and behavior. The speed and extent with which the newly assertive meme has emerged point to an understudied issue in international relations—namely, the role that online media and the blogosphere play in the creation of conventional wisdoms that might, in turn, constrain policy debates. The assertive China discourse may be a harbinger of this effect as a Sino-U.S. security dilemma emerges.

Dangerous Waters: China-Japan Relations on the Rocks – International Crisis Group Without top leaders setting the tone for crisis mitigation, a tradition of back-channel diplomacy has disappeared. The relative weakness of China’s foreign ministry complicates bilateral relations and prevents effective crisis management, as it is the official – and often the only – channel open to Tokyo. Meanwhile, the “China hands” in Japan who traditionally helped manage the relationship have been sidelined. While there is little hope of a resolution of the sovereignty dispute in the near future, Tokyo and Beijing urgently need to work toward establishing communication mechanisms and strengthening crisis mitigation in order to avoid a larger conflict.

揭秘肖建华的明天系版图_财经频道_一财网 First Financial unravels some of the mysteries around Xiao Jianhua and his Tomorrow Group. Xiao was originally involved in Ping An-HSBC-CP transaction until Caixin outed his role// 当许多名噪一时的资本“系族”公司日渐式微的时候，肖建华麾下的明天系却走上了快速扩张之路。伴随着一系列的大手笔并购，这家中国资本市场最神秘的公司集团逐渐浮出水面。

Ordos: A Ghost Town That Isn’t – Eli Bildner – The Atlantic The thing that has amazed me about Ordos is how optimistic people are there, and how hopeful they are. // never underestimate the aspirations and ambitions of the people here // In the end, that’s the sense that we get — that despite challenges, people still really believe in this place, whether they have been relocated there by the government, whether they work for the government, or whether they have traveled there from another place to pursue new opportunities. //the bear meme about Ordos may ultimately need to be re-written…yes people lost a ton of money, but it is an old story, the losses are not material when compared to the overall economy, they are starting to be digested and the construction is slowly being absorbed…now when I hear someone opining about China’s economy and citing Ordos as an important example of big problems I tend to tune them out. 

Beijing won’t meet WHO air pollution standards until 2031 In addition, Beijing’s air pollution problem is, to a large extent, regional and trans-boundary. According to one study published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, an average of 39% of Beijing’s PM2.5 comes from emission sources outside the city. The same study also found that when there are sustained winds from the south, namely from Hebei and Shandong provinces, non-Beijing airborne pollutants can contribute 50-70% of the capital’s PM2.5 levels. A quick flick through China’s energy statistics book tells us just how coal-addicted Beijing’s neighbours are. In 2011, Shandong and Hebei collectively consumed nearly 700 million tonnes of coal, making them the first and fourth biggest consumers among China’s provinces. Each burned through more coal than Germany, Europe’s largest economy, and together they exceeded India’s total coal consumption. Putting it another way, more coal is consumed within 600 kilometres of China’s capital than in the entire United States.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

China’s March Consumer Prices Rise 2.1% From Year Earlier – Bloomberg China’s consumer prices rose 2.1 percent in March from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics said today in Beijing, compared with the 2.5 percent median estimate of 38 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. Producer prices fell 1.9 percent from a year earlier, the 13th straight decline, compared with February’s 1.6 percent drop and the median estimate of a 1.9 percent drop in a Bloomberg survey of 32 economists.

Beijing Further Tightens Home Controls-Caijing Second home buyers have to pay at least 70 percent in down payment as of Monday, compared with 60 percent previously

China Yuan Near Highs As State Media Talks Up FX Reform | MNI The economists said that the manner in which the People’s Bank of China sets the daily central parity needs reforming, with the Financial News suggesting that the fixing currently only adds to appreciation pressure. The central bank-backed newspaper cited unidentified researchers arguing that PBOC interventions have “caused price discontinuity and hurt the market’s price discovery and risk aversion function” “The government should further deepen yuan exchange rate reform,” it said.

China Export-Data Skepticism Deepens From Goldman to Nomura – Bloomberg Overstated exports would mean China is failing to get the boost from global demand that the data suggest as the new government under Premier Li Keqiang seeks to sustain an economic rebound. Theories include companies inflating the value of shipments to bring money into China, according to Nomura Holdings Inc., and exporting the same goods twice as local governments seek to boost data, Goldman Sachs says.“The recovery in exports is there, but the magnitude probably is much weaker than the official data has been indicating,” said Zhu Haibin, chief China economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Hong Kong.

Pettis: China not headed for disaster | | MacroBusiness Pettis argues that China’s economy is neither “averting a disaster or heading for one“. Rather, China will have a “decade or more of much, much lower growth” as the economy rebalances away from unsustainable levels of government investment and exports towards greater reliance on internal consumption.//also says he does not expect a debt crisis in China

Soros Sees China Shadow-Banking Risk Matching Subprime – Bloomberg Billionaire investor George Soros said China has a “couple of years” to control risks from nontraditional financing whose expansion has parallels with the cause of the global financial crisis….“I’m sure the authorities are aware of the dangers. They have both the skills and the resources to deflate an incipient bubble gradually.”

In China, off-balance-sheet lending risks lurk in the shadows | Reuters the key question is no longer how much risk banks are carrying. Rather, it’s how many risky loans have been shifted to the lightly regulated shadow banking institutions – mainly trust companies, brokerages and insurance companies…To be sure, not all the loans that banks transfer off-balance-sheet are high risk.

胡祖六：下一个债务危机爆发点可能在中国|胡祖六|债务危机|地方债_21世纪网 Fred Hu says the next debt crisis may be in China unless policymakers act in next several years// 中国现在特别是新一代领导人绝对不能因为我们看到欧洲的问题乱七八糟，美国的问题、日本的问题焦头烂额，我们可以盲目乐观、掉以轻心，项部长非常智慧之言，关键是可持续性。目前我们的情况非常好，但未来5年、10年、20年我们是不是可持续？我们不能掉以轻心，应该要很审慎。我给大家提供一个非常有挑衅性的回答，供大家思考。

胡舒立：应约束地方政府为债务违约任意埋单_经济频道_财新网 第三，应该允许出现正常的局部违约，以显示风险，控制道德风险。她认为，中国的债券市场到现在为止没有发生过一起违约，极不正常，这往往是因为政府干预拖延了违约时间，或是指挥其他国有企业来代为偿债，“现在不是大而不能倒，小也不能倒。”胡舒立主张，在不会引至系统金融风险的前提下，或可通过行政手段约束地方政府为地方企业债市违约任意埋单的行为，使市场出现真实的少量市场性风险事件，理顺市场风险溢价和利率架构，进而完善债市的评级制度。

CP Group CEO Denies UBS as Lender for Ping’An Buy From HSBC-Caijing Reuters said on Friday that UBS backed the deal with two financing facilities, citing people with direct knowledge. “The major piece of that package is a five year, roughly $5.5 billion loan, one of the largest loans of its kind ever extended in Asia, according to Thomson Reuters data.” “[We were] using our own money,” Charoen said in an interview with Tencent.

Gov’t Agencies Review Bond Futures Plan Again – Caixin There is no timetable for introducing the futures, but the China Financial Futures Exchange has been running mock trading with institutional investors since February last year. An earlier draft of the proposal reached the State Council in mid-2012, but did not pass the cabinet’s review. The main initiator, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), was required to revise the plan.

Citic Group Executive to be Named BoC Chairman: Media-Caijing A high-ranking executive at China CITIC Group is likely to be named as the new chairman of Bank of China (BoC) after its former governor took position as the country’s top securities regulator, the Wall Street Journal quoted an source with direct knowledge of appointments at the bank as saying. If proved to be true, Tian Guoli, who has been Chairman of the Board and Non-Executive Director of the group since July 2011, would take the top spot at one of China’s largest four state-owned banks, marking a big step in his career.

IPO Bankers Become Frogs in Hot Water Amid China Market Halt – Bloomberg Nine years after winning the license that proved to be a “crucial turning point” for Shen, China’s worst IPO market in seven years has hastened the end of fat payouts and fast-track careers for the country’s more than 2,300 baodai. Securities firms are cutting or ending allowances that were as much as three times salaries and firing licensed bankers who aren’t on deals, while the pool of qualified people expands.

猪肉价格暴跌却引暴涨担忧 各地启动冻猪肉收储 新华社——经济参考网 China to use its strategic pork reserve? pork prices plunging sparking fears pig farmers will cut size of herds leading to pork price spikes…welcome to China’s annual pork cycle, though much mitigated by things like the strategic pork reserve// 　近期，昔日“威风八面”的猪肉风光不再，价格从暴涨转入暴跌，养殖户陷入亏损。7日，发改委启动预案，开展冻猪肉收储，以稳定生猪市场价格。值得注意的是，虽然现在价格暴跌，但人们却担心暴跌之后猪肉价格将暴涨。对此，分析指出，实现生猪规模化养殖，加大供需对接力度，猪肉才能逃出暴涨暴跌的怪圈。

Sundance Scraps Hanlong’s $1.18 Billion Iron Ore Takeover – Bloomberg The collapse of the deal, first agreed in October 2011, comes after Hanlong’s billionaire Chairman Liu Han, 47, was reported to have been detained last month by police in China. Buying Sundance would have given Hanlong control of the $4.7 billion Mbalam iron ore project that straddles the Republic of Congo and Cameroon.

53度飞天价格跌了近6成 茅台欲打出亲民牌自救|飞天|茅台|价格_新浪财经_新浪网 Moutai prices collapsing, may start targeting mid market baijiu drinkers?// 茅台酒的售价为何急剧跳水？吕先生道出缘由，受塑化剂风波和“三公消费”政策的影响，一线高端白酒出现滞销现象，而茅台和五粮液(的售价更是明显下滑。以53度的飞天茅台酒为例，去年开春零售价高达每瓶1960元，如今零售价仅为920元。一位酒类分析人士指出，白酒产业外围环境的突变，高端白酒面临着一场“跳崖”寒冬，如何自救便成为企业走出困境的关键。

Exclusive: Princeling-backed firm eyes $500 million China buyout fund – sources | Reuters who leaked the fundraising docs?// He Jintao, the son of He Guoqiang, who used to be in charge of Communist Party discipline, has quickly raised $200 million from investors despite a tough fundraising climate, and is expected to reach a target of as much as $500 million by the mid-year, two people with knowledge of the plans told Reuters…Four of the best-known funds with a history of high-level princeling involvement have raised a combined $10.4 billion for investments, according to Thomson Reuters and Preqin data. Their ranks include Liu Lefei, CEO of CITIC Private Equity Funds Management and the son of politburo standing committee member Liu Yunshan…// Forbes reported last month that Liu lefei has left PE for an SOE 

 

POLITICS AND LAW

Insight: The backroom battle delaying reform of China’s one-child policy | Reuters Former State Councilors Song Jian and Peng Peiyun, who once ranked above cabinet ministers and remain influential, have been lobbying China’s top leaders, mainly behind closed doors: Song wants them to keep the policy while Peng urges them to phase it out, people familiar with the matter said.

观察站：习近平善待胡锦涛三大智囊_多维新闻网 在这其中，对于那些曾在胡温十年受到重用，至今仍有能力和余温的胡锦涛“旧臣”，却远非中国传统历史叙事中“一朝天子一朝臣”的境遇，而是依然得到了习近平的重用，这其中犹以被称为胡锦涛“三大智囊”的原中办主任、现统战部部长令计划，原胡锦涛办公室主任陈世炬和中央政策研究室主任王沪宁为代表。如果说十八大的人事安排是共青团系统官员和原来江泽民时代遗留政治力量的博弈结果的话，那在习近平上任之后，中国政坛的人事调整在“两会”之后则更加靠近这位强势的总书记本人的想法，这也许是观察习近平能否不为政治派系所左右、重塑中国政坛风气、“任人唯贤”的重要观察角度。

曝公车私用转地下 为官员”献车”成企业公关重点_网易财经 companies “donating” cars to officials to allow them to get around restrictions on using official cars for private activities…// 是政府官员真的减少了应酬吗？一位国企司机高师傅向《中国企业报》记者道出了其中的玄机：“国家一直在监督查处公车私用问题，但现在的政府官员用车已经由地上转移到地下了，政府的公车虽然入库了，但企业的公车却在快速增加——用车的是政府官员，买车养车的却是企业。”

Dark secrets of female labour camp revealed | South China Morning Post A rarely seen report by a Chinese monthly has exposed some of the dark practices of a Liaoning labour camp including torture and inhuman treatment of female prisoners..The claims, reported by Lens, part of the leading SEEC Media Group, are based on accounts of provincial procurators, former camp officials and former and current prisoners.// 还原女子劳教所真实生态：坐老虎凳 缚死人床-搜狐新闻 Caijing’s Lens magazine on experiences in the laojiao system// 　廉价劳作、体罚、蹲小号、被电击、上“大挂”、坐“老虎凳”、缚“死人床”……通过劳教人员讲述、相关物证、文字材料、诉讼文书和知情人士的叙述，此文试图还原一座女子劳教所内的真实生态，为时下的劳教制度破冰立此存照。//辽宁官方调查“马三家女子劳教所酷刑”事件_资讯频道_凤凰网 针对一些网站对“辽宁马三家女子劳教所：坐老虎凳绑死人床”的报道，辽宁省高度关注，迅速成立了由省司法厅、省劳教局和驻地检察机关组成的调查组，并邀请相关媒体和部分人大代表、政协委员参加。对该报道涉及的内容进行客观、公开、公正地调查。据实公布调查真相和处理结果。–Liaoning says will investigate this report

浙江奸杀冤案当事人受访称遭逼供7天7夜|冤案|浙江|当事人|逼供_新浪视频 CCTV’s “one on one” on the case of the uncle and nephew who got ten years for a hangzhou murder they did not commit and were just released, discussing how they were tortured into confessing// 十年前，张高平、张辉叔侄被认定为强奸杀人案的凶手。七天七夜，他们为何没抗住突击审讯；入狱后，狱友如何帮他们写认罪书让他们抄下；石河子原检察官张彪怎样一次次给浙江方面寄送材料……是谁让他们付出十年的等待，又是谁让这等待终有了结果。 2013年4月7日CCTV《面对面》播出以上视频内容。

河南5名官员车祸亡被疑公费旅游 当地称“因公殉职” – 新华时政 – 新华网 5 local officials in Henan die in car accident, netizens question claim they died in line of duty, suggest they were using the vehicle for personal activities…// 包括陕县政协主席、政法委书记等；网友质疑其清明期间公费旅游，当地回应“因公殉职”.  昨日凌晨，河南新密市发生车祸，事故造成包括5名官员在内的6人死亡。他们分别是陕县政协主席李会斌，县委常委、政法委书记曹冠军，副县长伍春生，住房和城乡建设局局长张中平，旅游局局长杨秀琴。国土资源局纪检组长水铁军受伤，司机遇车祸身亡。

人民日报-民族复兴路 灿烂中国梦 ——《复兴之路》的一种解读 张 霞　有一本书，让人们可以从中探寻这一过程。 2007年11月，一部由中国电视人用影像梳理中华民族近代历史的六集历史政论片《复兴之路》在中央电视台二套黄金时段首播，2008年3月，央视一套重播，由此引发了人们关于中华民族复兴的思考与探索。一个关注大国崛起、期盼民族复兴、探求强国富民之路的时代课题引起人们强烈的共鸣。　当年与纪录片同名同步推出的系列图书出版后，社会影响广泛。2010年11月被中宣部理论局、中组部干部教育局列入“向党员干部推荐的第三批学习书目”。

Former Shandong official on trial for US$1.97m bribes — Shanghai Daily The former deputy governor of Shandong Province went on trial for bribery in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, yesterday. Huang Sheng was charged with receiving more than 12.23 million yuan (US$1.97 million) from 21 companies and individuals, in exchange for his “help.”

中编办理出600余项审批权 部委“割肉”讨价还价_财经频道_一财网 中央机构编制委员会办公室已经清理出涉及多个部门的600多项审批权，正在与部委密集沟通，以期按时砍掉这些审批权。

陈志武：国企的存在破坏了规则的公平性-财经网 Chen Zhiwu says SOEs a risk to rule of law and fairness//  国有企业的存在威胁法治精神、破坏规则的公平性，因为在法律、规则和政策面前，国企和民企是不平等的。国有企业的私有化不仅是一个经济效率的问题，更是一个事关民主宪政的问题

Foreign Hopes – Frontpage – CHINA – Globaltimes.cn The street outside of the State Bureau for Letters and Calls seems like a market. Petitioners aged between 2 and 90 are out on the street, sitting, chatting, eating, searching, complaining, teaching newcomers how to write letters, for a price, and selling the phone numbers of foreign correspondents. Petitioner Hu Cheng from Chongqing has bought the phone numbers of several Beijing-based foreign news organizations, at 100 yuan each. He calls them repeatedly.

Written notice required for forced detoxification – Xinhua | English.news.cn A written notice must be given to relatives of drug addicts within five days of them being admitted to a mandatory detoxification center, according to a regulation released by the Ministry of Justice on Monday. The 65-article rule designed to regulate the practice of compulsory detoxification, will take effect from June 1, said the ministry.

正道沧桑 社会主义500年 在线观看 – 酷6视频正道沧桑，社会主义的500年历程，即将开播。// 梦想(《正道沧桑——社会主义500年》 主题歌)—在线播放—优酷网，视频高清在线观看 电视系列片《正道沧桑——社会主义500年》宣传阐释中国特色社会主义的真谛要义，全面反映中国特色社会主义的生动实践，充分展示中国特色社会主义的发展前景，增强广大干部群众坚持中国特色社会主义道路、理论体系、制度的自觉性坚定性，增强理论自信、道路自信、制度自信，为全面建成小康社会、夺取中国特色社会主义新胜利，实现中华民族伟大复兴的“中国梦”提供强大的精神力量//documentary extolling Socialism w Chinese characteristics and its role in National Rejuvenation and the Chinese Dream..

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

Full text of Xi Jinping’s speech at opening ceremony of Boao Forum – Xinhua | English.news.cn Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening plenary of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2013 Sunday in Boao in south China’s Hainan Province. The following is the translated version of the full text of his speech: Working Together Toward a Better Future for Asia and the World

With No Mention of Korea, China Warns of ‘Chaos’ – NYTimes.com Two senior senators also criticized China on Sunday for not doing more to press North Korea to tone down its confrontational stance. “The Chinese hold a lot of the cards here,” Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, said on the CBS News program “Face the Nation.” “They’re by nature cautious, but they’re carrying it to an extreme. It’s about time they stepped up to the plate and put a little pressure on this North Korean regime.” Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, appeared on the same program and said China could use its economic leverage over North Korea, cutting off support entirely “if they want to.” Mr. McCain said China’s failure to push North Korea was “very disappointing.”

U.S. Media Exaggerating Chinese Shift on North Korea – All Things Nuclear U.S. officials have argued for years that China would eventually change its position on North Korea, largely because of the U.S. belief China’s unwillingness to pressure their neighbor would lead to adverse security outcomes, such as a nuclear armed Japan. In Japan and America’s Nuclear Posture, UCS presented strong evidence to the contrary. Nevertheless, the idea that China would change its policy on North Korea because of security concerns is so well-entrenched in the minds of U.S. officials and reporters that this “subtle change” in China’s thinking about North Korea was taking place in a 2003 episode of The West Wing.

China Leader Gives Warning as Korean Tensions Rise – WSJ.com Still, there was no clear evidence that Mr. Xi had North Korea specifically in mind in a wide-ranging speech that sought to establish the tone of his new administration’s relationship with countries in the region that are reliant on China for their prosperity but wary of its military ambitions. A senior editor at a Communist Party newspaper said Mr. Xi deliberately used vague language. “You can’t say for sure that his comments were directed against any single country,” he said. “It could be the U.S. It could be Japan,” said the editor, who declined to be identified. “China is also angry with the Philippines.”

人民日报：谁有搞乱世界之心“一己之私”就指谁_新闻_腾讯网 中国国家主席习近平在博鳌论坛发表主旨谈话时说：“国际社会应该倡导综合安全、共同安全、合作安全的理念，使我们的地球村成为共谋发展的大舞台，而不是相互角力的竞技场，更不能为一己之私把一个地区乃至世界搞乱。”在这段讲话中，最后一句无主语论述最引人关注，中外媒体纷纷猜测，谁怀有“一己之私”？谁又在试图搞乱“一个地区乃至世界”？　其实，这样的猜测并没有太大的意义。原话的主旨是倡导一种新的国际安全理念，反对狭隘的、孤立的、绝对的一国安全观。如果硬要说意有所指，那就是阿Q头上的虱子，谁有谁知道，谁有搞乱世界之心，谁有搞乱世界之举，就是谁。

Anticipation Over China Visit by Iceland’s Leader (and Her Wife) – NYTimes.com Proponents of gay marriage here plan to watch closely how the state broadcaster, CCTV, handles coverage of the Icelandic visit, since gay marriage is not legal in China but there is pressure from some parts of society to legalize it.

MIT Press Journals – International Security – First Things First: The Pressing Danger of Crisis Instability in U.S.-China Relations Avery Goldstein Since the mid-1990s, much has been written about the potentially disruptive impact of China if it emerges as a peer competitor challenging the United States. Not enough attention has been paid, however, to a more immediate danger—that the United States and a weaker China will find themselves locked in a crisis that could escalate to open military conflict. The long-term prospect for a new great power rivalry ultimately rests on uncertain forecasts about big shifts in national capabilities and debatable claims about the motivations of the two countries. By contrast, the danger of crisis instability involving these two nuclear-armed states is a tangible near-term concern.

Taylor & Francis Online :: The Development of the Debate Over “Hiding One’s Talents and Biding One’s Time” (taoguan yanghui) – Asia-Pacific Review – Volume 18, Issue 2 China’s diplomatic policy has—at least in the view of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs—remained consistent since the time of Deng Xiao-ping. It is a policy based on concepts such as peace, development, and the Five Principles for Peace, and has been expressed in terms of “hiding one’s talents, biding one’s time, and seeking concrete achievements.” ..This article has attempted to demonstrate that wide-ranging debate is taking place in China over the consistent principle of “hiding one’s talents and biding one’s time.” Although it is in the form of this expression that the principle is perpetuated, these discussions are probably influencing the government to a certain degree with regard to its substance.

China Fund Chief Says U.S. Isn’t Welcoming – WSJ.com During the financial crisis, “we were sort of welcome” in America, said Gao Xiqing, head of China Investment Corp., in a panel discussion on Sunday at the Boao Forum for Asia. Since then, “somehow we’ve become stigmatized,” he said, adding that “there have been quite a few cases where the U.S. says ‘go away.'”

Pangang Group Summons Blocked in U.S. Trade Secrets Case – Bloomberg China’s Pangang Group Co., facing criminal allegations by the U.S. that it conspired to steal secrets about titanium dioxide technology from DuPont Co. (DD), won a court ruling that prosecutors failed to serve a summons. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White in San Francisco rejected prosecutors’ arguments that they had properly served the company and three of its units with court papers.

Red Star Over the Indian Ocean? | Flashpoints Attack submarines from the Chinese navy are becoming increasingly active in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and could pose a “grave threat” to Indian interests there, a report by the Indian defense ministry said last week. Using subsurface contact information reportedly shared by the U.S. military, the report, prepared by the Integrated Defence Staff, said that at least 22 contacts had been made in the IOR in the past year alone, with the latest incident occurring in February.

Japan stimulus will start currency war, say Chinese economists | South China Morning Post These economists, including Tsinghua University professor Li Daokui and ANZ Bank’s Liu Ligang, see Japan’s plan to double its monetary base within two years as “blackmail” and have criticised the Japanese central bank’s decision to open the liquidity floodgates to bump up the economy.

New H7N9 Bird Flu is a U.S. Conspiracy, Chinese Military Official Says – China Real Time Report – WSJ While Chinese and World Health Organization experts continue to search for the source of a new strain of bird flu that has infected at least 23 and led to seven deaths in eastern China, one senior Chinese military official says he knows what’s going on. According to Dai Xu, a Chinese Air Force colonel and military strategist, the H7N9 virus is part of a U.S. conspiracy to sow panic in the world’s most populous nation that Chinese authorities should simply ignore. // Dai digging in–戴旭微博回应质疑：网络是上甘岭 假美国鬼子扑上来了_资讯频道_凤凰网 “一个月前，上海复旦大学的假日本鬼子已经发起对罗援和我的围攻，现在，一群假美国鬼子又扑上来了！我说过，网络就是捍卫国家利益的上甘岭，我不会后退半步的！”近日，知名军事评论者戴旭微博上放出狠话。 不否认，网友们的部分言论过于刻毒，甚至流于恶骂，但毕竟有不少人在心平气和地讲道理，以暴制暴，难免殃及无辜。况且，言语粗鄙更可能是修养问题，未必就是“假美国鬼子”，把网络比喻成上甘岭，实在不伦不类。

 

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

Xi Jinping accepting of Siew’s ‘three-point vision’ – Taipei Times Former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) yesterday received positive feedback from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) over his three-point vision for cross-strait development during the pair’s closely-watched meeting on economic, trade and industrial cooperation between both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

人民日报-习近平在会见萧万长一行时强调 两岸同胞要共同为实现中华民族 伟大复兴的中国梦而努力奋斗 萧万长表示，过去５年两岸关系开启和平发展的崭新局面，获致极为丰硕成果，我们应该倍加珍惜，巩固互信，深化合作，推动两岸关系在和平发展的正确道路上取得更大成就。两岸应加强政策协调和经济战略共同探讨，形成更紧密的联系和合作。希望两岸共同面对全球经济新局，共同构筑两岸愿景，共同参与区域经济整合，携手合作，互利共荣，振兴中华。王沪宁、栗战书、杨洁篪、张志军、罗保铭等参加会见。

Diary from Taiwan: The island nation grapples with nuclear and clean power — Tech News and Analysis Taiwan and Japan are dealing with similar energy challenges as they boost clean power production while debating the merit of nuclear power.

New China policy needed: Hsieh – Taipei Times the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should take a good, hard look at its “failed” China policy, which had alienated the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Beijing and Washington and which, if it remains unchanged, will hinder it from returning to power, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said yesterday.

Taiwan Plans To Expand Pier In Disputed Islands | Defense News | defensenews.com Taiwan plans to expand a pier on one of the disputed Spratly Islands, officials said Sunday, as the rest of the claimants beef up military deployment in the South China Sea. The Coast Guard Administration has budgeted Tw$19 million ($640,000) to evaluate the project, which is part of its efforts to boost defense capabilities in the disputed area this year. “The fund will mainly be used to do an environmental impact study near Taiping Island,” a coast guard official told AFP

Hong Kong nets only small fry for laundering illegal Chinese money | Reuters “What’s really going on is that Macau, and Hong Kong in support, are assisting in a vast haemorrhaging of cash from the mainland using gaming junkets and underground banks,” said Steve Vickers.
TECH AND MEDIA

Out of 300 Million Total, Tencent’s WeChat Has 40 Million Overseas Users – Yahoo! News Yesterday at Boao Forum For Asia 2013, Tencent’s President Martin Lau revealed on stage that WeChat has over 40 million overseas users. That’s out of a total user-base of just over 300 million.

Tencent CEO promises free service for WeChat[1]|chinadaily.com.cn The app’s large user base will offer room for cooperation with telecom operators, Liu said, adding that there will be no need to charge people for using the app. Liu’s announcement came after Miao Wei, minister of industry and information technology, said last weekend that telecom service providers may be allowed to impose charges on the WeChat service.

王建宙：微信为运营商所增成本远高于收入|微信|中国移动|王建宙_通讯与电讯_科技时代_新浪网 China Mobile Chairman says increase in costs from Wechat far outpace increase in revenue from it// 新浪科技讯 4月7日消息，在今天出席博鳌论坛时，中国移动原董事长王建宙表示，微信等OTT服务虽然为运营商带来了大量的流量，同时也确实大幅提升了运营商对网络投资的成本，运营商因此加大的投资成本远大于在流量方面的收入。

人民日报-飞信为何飞不起来？（微经济·小故事　大视野 People’s Daily ask why China’s Mobile Fetion is failing in the face of Wechat// 从火爆到衰败，飞信的变迁充分证明了这是一个变革的时代，一个商业模式重构的时代。事实上，各个行业的大佬们都在面临各类创新的冲击，如果固步自封不改换心态、加速转身，必然要遭遇更多的挫折与失败

E-commerce takes a big toll |Industries |chinadaily.com.cn As the size of China’s big-spending class continues to expand, the country’s e-tailing market may reach $420 billion to $650 billion in sales by 2020, equaling the size of today’s United States, Japanese, UK, German and French markets combined, according to a report by McKinsey Global Institute, the research arm of global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

网络支付7企业占98%份额：多元化成扩张新手段|支付|互联网|多元化_互联网_科技时代_新浪网 7 firms control 98% of online payments market, Alipay has 46.6% according to new report…how many of these top 7 have VIE structure, foreign investors and a payments license? Is Alibaba a special case or did Jack Ma dissemble about a PBOC ruling disallowing foreign ownership (which I have not heard anyone else saying they have seen) and his reasons for expropriating Alipay?// 2012年支付宝、财付通、银联网上支付分别以46.6%、20.9%和11.9%的市场份额占据市场前三位。其后四家企业的市场份额分别为：快钱6.2%，汇付天下占6%，易宝支付占3.5%，环迅支付占3.2%。其余公司合计占比1.7%。

In a Challenge to Groupon, Alibaba Takes Daily Deals to Hong Kong and Taiwan Centered around a new overseas site at hk.ju.taobao.com, the number of offers right now is very limited, but that will expand over time. The main Juhuasuan deals site has over 800 million product listings at any given time, so it might be a while before relevant deals are made available to new users in Hong Kong and Taiwan..

电子书市场能否“咸鱼翻身”？_网易新闻中心 最近有消息称亚马逊Kindle将在四月中下旬进入中国市场。这也使得一大批“Kindle”粉丝激动不已，电子书阅读器市场真的会“咸鱼翻身”吗？

人民日报-工商总局—— “苹果”不遵守中国法律就要承担责任 People’s Daily-Apple may have apologized but SAIC not letting Apple off hook yet// 据悉，对苹果公司的违法行为，工商部门将继续依法采取有效措施，将其营销行为控制在中国法律允许的范围内。

苹果或将备战内容审查 – 纽约时报中文网 国际纵览 4 月3日，中国消费者协会（以下简称“中消协”）表示，虽然苹果的《维修条款和条件》进行了较大程度的修改，“但仍有一些不足之处”。随后国内科技博客网站虎嗅网在其微博上称“接到线报”：有关部门将会对App Store的相关问题展开调查。虽然这一条微博未透露信息来源，也未获得中国政府确认，但至少意味着，市场认为苹果中国的公关危机远未结束，焦点或许已转变为内容审查。 实际上就在库克道歉信发出的当天上午，《通信信息报》就刊出报道称，工信部正在制订《移动互联网黑白名单规范》，该规范将“对智能手机应用程序、内置软件进行评估和抽查”。这篇报道对具体执行方式的描述为，将第三方平台纳入管理，成立要备案，运行要监管。尤其对个人应用开发者要纳入管理体系，如实名认证等；长远目的则要“建立一个长效的评估体系”。// well known Chinese tech blogger writes in NYT Chinese about continuing risks to Apple in China, especially around App store

Huawei Defends Equipment Security Amid Spying Concerns – Bloomberg Huawei network equipment sales will fall to 60 percent of revenue by 2017 from 73 percent in 2012, said Guo, who is one of the company’s three rotating chief executive officers… “There has been no material impact from this report on Huawei’s business” Guo said, referring to the U.S. congressional committee’s findings. While it had “difficulties” in the U.S., he said Huawei is “fully confident” about its growth.

Chinese M-Commerce | Mobile Shopping in China vs. USA [Infographic] | China Internet Guru In China, more people are already shopping on their mobile than with fixed-line computers, according to figures by the China Internet Network Information Centre. Alibaba made this infographic to have a look at how M-commerce in China stacks up against the USA. Some key outtakes are:

Is Hollywood Doing Too Much to Gain Access to China? Robert Downey Jr. Weighs In – China Real Time Report – WSJ Is Hollywood doing too much to gain access to Chinese audiences? Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr. says maybe so. In an interview this weekend with China Real Time, the star of the upcoming film “Iron Man 3” said, “If businesses are involved, probably too much, if personal interests were involved, you can’t do enough.”

人民日报-骗眼球、骗转发、骗钱财，甚至混淆是非、蛊惑人心 当微博遭遇假信息，咋办？（走转改·一线调查）People’s daily on what to do when you come across fake information on Weibo

xkcd: Externalities cartoon mocking Baidu US recruiting…ouch

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

The ‘Breaking of an Honorable Career’ by Roderick MacFarquhar | The New York Review of Books—China Hand: An Autobiography by John Paton Davies Jr.  — In the 1950s, the late John King Fairbank, the dean of modern China studies at Harvard, used to tell us graduate students a joke about the allegation that a group of red-leaning foreign service officers and academics—the four Johns—had “lost” China: John Paton Davies, John Stewart Service, John Carter Vincent, and John King Fairbank himself. What the McCarthyites had forgotten, Fairbank said, was to finger the fifth “John”: John Kai-shek. Fairbank was the “John” I knew best. When I heard the joke, the topic was still raw for Fairbank, who had had to testify before Senator Pat McCarran’s Subcommittee on Internal Security and before a Pentagon loyalty-security board

Zou Shiming needs to tame wild ways | The Li-Ning Tower Did 300 million people in China really stay up till midnight on Saturday to watch double Olympic boxing champion Zou Shiming make his professional debut, as ring announcer Michael Buffer claimed? The fight had impressive broadcast coverage in China, but given the relative lack of buzz on Weibo, 300 million seems about 250 million too high…

出梁庄记/梁鸿-简介 书评 试读-图书-亚马逊《出梁庄记》内容简介：2010年《中国在梁庄》出版，它是梁庄人留守在梁庄的故事。但是，这并不是完整的梁庄，“梁庄”生命群体的另外重要一部分，进城农民，还没有被书写。梁庄的打工者在城市打工时间最长的有超过30年，最短的才刚刚踏上漂泊之程。《出梁庄记》主要人物有51位，51位中，外出务工时间长达20年以上的有26个，外出务工时间10年以上的有15个，平均外出打工时间为16.7年。

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

Pig carcasses found floating in Hunan river |Hot Issues |chinadaily.com.cn Authorities have been pulling the carcasses from Liuyang River in Hunan province since Saturday. More than 70 pigs had been retrieved as of Sunday, but an official figure has yet to be released. The carcasses were probably dumped by pig farmers upstream and were carried along the river due to recent rainstorms, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported on Monday, quoting an unnamed agriculture, forestry and water resources official for Changsha’s Kaifu district.

Fishery resources in Yangtze River exhausted- China.org.cn Flowing some 6,300 km eastwards, the Yangtze River is the largest river in China and the third longest in the world. Its total drainage area exceeds 1.8 million square km, accounting for 18.8 percent of China’s total area. However, over the past few years, fishery resources in the river have witnessed a severe decline, with the river’s ecological system currently on the verge of collapsing, according to Zhao Yimin, head of a fishery resource office with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Why China is doubling down on nuclear power – Fortune Features Andrew Brandler, the CEO of CLP Group, Hong Kong’s biggest utility, talks about how Asia plans to balance its soaring energy demands with the planet’s need to wean itself from fossil fuels.

中国式水危机：发电面临断水|水危机|中国|发电_21世纪网 water shortages a huge risk to China’s hydropower industry// 核心提示：水与经济之间有一组潜在的逻辑关系。没有水，就没有电。而缺水已经是中国不能够逃避的话题——中国有世界20%的人口，但淡水供应量只占世界的7%，是全世界最缺水的经济体。

农夫山泉自订产品标准 允许霉菌存在|农夫山泉|产品标准|浙江_21世纪网 careful drinking nongfu spring water…// 名律师对21世纪网表示，农夫山泉广东公司弃用广东标准，采取浙江标准的行为已涉嫌违反食品安全规定。

发泡餐具利益链：年利润1.5亿 回收成本高达9亿_网易财经 核心提示：厂家长期地下生产销售发泡餐盒，“白色链条”14年来从未间断。按环保回收需投6分钱每只计算，每年所需资金共计9亿，谁来埋单？

[视频]红水“红人”红牌！_新闻频道_央视网 Bai Yansong CCTV commentary on why people should thank the “Red Bean Water” environmental bureau chief in Hebei…i’ll keep saying it, Bai yansong is a very interesting commentator to pay attention to, especially given his place “inside the system” //   “环保局长”今年为什么这么火？ – 新华时政 – 新华网 ：前段时间，全国多地环保局长被网友邀请下河游泳，有的网友甚至出价30万悬赏，被邀请的局长们大多选择了沉默或拒绝，“环保局长”这个职务就这样火了起来，再到近日的“红水局长”便更火了。环保局长今年为什么这么火？这个职务如此火又折射出什么？–Xinhua on why “environmental bureau chiefs” are so hot this year

Chinese Genome-Sequencer Leads World Autism Research – Economic Observer The world’s largest genome-sequencing facility is at the Shenzhen-based BGI. In 2011, it partnered with a U.S. advocacy group with the goal of unlocking the genetic mysteries of Autism. Preliminary results suggest a stronger genetic role than previously estimated. This could mean diagnosing the disorder will become more routine and the potential for targeted medicine and treatments will increase.

 

FOOD AND TRAVEL

Chinese spend less on hotels, still flash the cash[1]|chinadaily.com.cn Chinese travelers came fifth among the biggest spenders abroad with an average outlay of 1,069 yuan ($172) a night, according to the report based on bookings made on the website and prices paid by each customer per room per night in 71 cities. The Japanese again spent the most away from home at 1,177 yuan followed by the Australians on 1,098 yuan and US citizens on 1,079 yuan.

 

BEIJING

北京即日起严查中国式过马路 将严处“带头”者_时事_京报网 Beijing to crack down on “Chinese-style street crossing”, violators who cross when light is red to be fined 10 RMB..haha this could solve all local government budget issues if actually enforced…// 在路口凑够一拨人就走，与红绿灯无关。这种行人无视交通法规过路口的现象被称为“中国式过马路”。即日起，交管部门将依法严管此类违法行为，“带头”闯灯的行人将面临罚款，对于态度蛮横、拒不服从纠正，有妨碍民警执行公务甚至是袭警行为的人员，公安机关将依法严肃处理。行人闯红灯罚款10元

 

JOBS AND EVENTS

CNN seeks financial reporter [China] | IJNet CNNMoney is seeking a reporter to write and/or edit business news articles in the following core areas of CNNMoney coverage: markets, technology, small business, personal finance and economy. The successful candidate will engage in reporting, writing and finding stories that surprise readers.

April 10 – Speaker Series with Kaiser Kuo (北京) | ATLAS-China TIME: Wednesday April 10, 7:30pm LOCATION: Guomao neighborhood – RSVP for details FORMAT: Presentation to be followed by Q&A and reception RSVP: rsvp@atlas-china.com

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