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

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The Chinese Dream makes the cover of this week’s Economist under the headline “Let’s party like it’s 1793”. The lead editorial is China’s future: Xi Jinping and the Chinese dream and the accompanying article is Xi Jinping’s vision: Chasing the Chinese dream.

The new issue of “Seeking Truth” also has an essay about the Chinese Dream, by “Autumn Stone 秋石”. 中国梦为中国特色社会主义注入新能量 discusses how the Chinese Dream is injecting new energy into Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

Some in the US and Japan may worry that the Chinese Dream could become a nightmare for them as China’s continues to upgrade its military and increase defense spending. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is out with a terrific new report.  China’s Military and the U.S.-Japan Alliance in 2030: A Strategic Net Assessment – is “the first and only unclassified strategic net assessment of the future impact of China’s growing military power on Japan and the United States.” The New York Times got an early look at the report and summarized it in China Likely to Challenge U.S. Supremacy in East Asia.

Last night one of my oldest friends in Beijing celebrated a big birthday. The baijiu was flowing, far too freely. If Xi Jinping can really crackdown on excessive drinking by officials, the lack of hangovers may lead to a marked increase in official efficiency…

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

China waging war against online rumors – Xinhua | English.news.cn China’s State Internet Information Office (SIIO) said on Thursday that it is waging a war against rumors spreading online as they “have impaired the credibility of online media, disrupted normal communication order, and aroused great aversion among the public.” “An extreme minority of netizens had been spreading various rumors online, with some slandering others with fabricated pictures and some deliberately spreading rumors under the pretext of seeking others’ help to dispel these rumors,” according to an SIIO statement–国家互联网信息办部署打击网络谣言 – 新华时政 – 新华网

Related:  State Internet Information Office to Go After Big Names on Weibo – Economic Observer  An unnamed spokesperson from the regulator’s office for online news coordination told a journalist from Xinhua that it sometimes happens that a small minority of web users spread all kinds of rumors online. Some spread images aimed at slandering other individuals. While verified Weibo accounts with a lot of followers (“大V”账号) often use the method of writing “demand a denial” (求辟谣) or “ask for verification” (求证) to deliberately spread rumors. This causes some web users who are unclear about the facts of the matter to follow their lead and thus harms the credibility of online media and disrupts the orderly dissemination of information. The report goes on to say that the general public detests this kind of behavior

Border Dispute Between China and India Persists – NYTimes.com and not getting as much play in chinese official and social media as diaoyu islands or south china sea issues // As the dispute enters its third week, alarm in the Indian capital is growing. At a Thursday news briefing, Syed Akbaruddin, the spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, said, “There is no doubt that in the entire country this is a matter of concern.” But the prime minister has sought to play down the dispute.

Related: Chinese incursion leaves India on verge of crisis -AP China denies any incursion, but Indian officials say that for two weeks, the soldiers have refused to move back over the so-called Line of Actual Control that divides Indian-ruled territory from Chinese-run land, leaving the government on the verge of a crisis with its powerful northeastern neighbor. Indian officials fear that if they react with force, the face-off could escalate into a battle with the powerful People’s Liberation Army. But doing nothing would leave a Chinese outpost deep in territory India has ruled since independence.

China refuses to confirm Salman Khurshid’s visit to Beijing – The Times of India For the second time in a week, China refused to confirm minister for external affairs Salman Khurshid’s planned visit to Beijing on May 9 to discuss the border row. The Chinese foreign ministry also did not respond to a specific question about whether premier Li Keqiang would meet Khurshid.

Old Tensions, Big Stakes in China-India Border Dispute – Economic Observer  Summary：The “Tent Confrontation” may well wind up like previous incidents. Having flared up unexpectedly from nowhere, it may also disappear without warning. Both countries will remain vigilant, in any case, because there is no overstating how much is at stake.

Does Promoting “Core Interests” Do China More Harm Than Good? | ChinaFile By editing the spokesperson’s words, the Chinese government indicates that for the time being it isn’t prepared to extend the loaded term “core interest” to off-shore sovereignty claims beyond Taiwan. We should welcome the Chinese government’s caution. Let’s not play “gotcha” over Beijing’s confusing messages or get in the way of its climb-down.

人民日报-美国，少拿“国家安全”当幌子 钟 声 Zhong Sheng goes after the USA in today’s People’s daily for hypocrisy and discrimination against Chinese business, often under the pretense of national security..// 中美经济合作是两国关系的“压舱石”，其本质是互利共赢。美国针对中国企业的歧视性做法，不仅损害中国企业的正当利益，也损害美国自身的利益. 自诩奉行贸易自由主义的美国，经常言行不一。不久前，美国国会通过并由总统签署的“2013年合并与进一步持续拨款法案”第516条，限制联邦政府从与中国政府有关的公司购买信息技术设备，即是一个明证…中国政府重视中美双边经贸合作，多年来通过中美战略与经济对话、中美商贸联委会等机制，积极推动两国经贸关系稳定健康发展。美方不要将经贸问题政治化，应切实采取措施，摒弃对中国企业的歧视性措施，多做有利于中美互信和两国关系发展的事。更不要死抱“冷战”思维不放，玩“零和”危险游戏。

Related: 人民日报-在就业和增长压倒一切的形势下，美国吸引中国投资的热情和所谓的“国家安全”议题反差强烈—— 美国政治限制干扰中企投资步伐 尼古拉斯·拉迪对本报记者说：“说服中国人相信我们是真正开放的，正如我们所声称的那么开放，美国有很长的路要走。” 在这方面，美国的确有很长的路要走。

China tightens regulation over wealth management products – Xinhua | English.news.cn The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) said on Thursday that it would strictly control the direction of investment by wealth management products to ensure such investments are in line with the state’s macro and industrial policies and support the physical economy. The banking regulator vowed to closely monitor bank operations using money pooled from sales of wealth management products, short-term financial products yielding a much higher rate than bank deposits… The banking regulator also sounded the alarm over loans extended to local government financing vehicles (LGFVs), or financial entities set up by local governments to invest in infrastructure and other projects, which are considered another major source of risk for China. A CBRC spokesman warned that commercial lenders should calculate their loans to LGFVs that are due each month, make timely communications with local governments and take precautionary measures to prevent major default incidents.

Related: 人民日报-地方融资平台 银行不得新增贷款规模 银监会近日就地方政府融资平台贷款等热点问题接受记者采访。在谈及地方政府融资平台贷款时，银监会相关负责人指出，2013年，银监会将以控制总量、优化结构、隔离风险、明晰职责为重点，继续推进地方政府融资平台贷款风险管控。具体包括及时化解到期风险，严格控制总量风险，优化存量贷款结构，同时建立风险隔离制度。

China Economic Watch | China’s Bank-Centric Shadow Banking System Part of the problem with tracking the development of shadow banking in China is that there is no commonly accepted definition of what constitutes shadow banking. The closest thing we have to an official definition is from the Financial Stability Board (FSB), which was tasked by the G-20 to monitor and propose reforms to the global shadow banking system…The end result is that when viewed through the prism of activities rather than institutions, shadow banking in China is much larger than the FSB’s estimates. Instead of the $400 billion given for 2011, the total was around $2.5 trillion.

PBOC’s Move to Reform Bond Market Gains Ground – Caixin How much the bond market would be rattled depends on “the attitude of the party’s disciplinary committee and the extent to which it wants to pursue the cases,” a source familiar with the situation said. The corruption watchdog appears to be aggressively pursuing fraud. Several sources told Caixin that Wang Qishan, head of the Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, had personally ordered all concerned authorities to thoroughly investigate illegal bond trading and punish every perpetrator. On the other hand, the central bank has moved to calm jittery bankers by saying that bank wealth management plans can still invest in the interbank bond market, as long as they meet certain conditions.

Related: 债市风暴背后的债务隐忧_理财频道_一财网 而在近日监管机构采取行动控制金融系统风险的背景下，针对债券交易活动的调查进一步表明了政府在应对债务规模攀升（特别是非银行渠道债务）问题上的严肃态度。那么，中国当前的债务问题有多大？监管层又将如何应对？姑且从债市风暴入手，探讨一番中国债务的全局问题。

China Service Industries Expand at Slower Pace, Survey Shows – Bloomberg The non-manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index fell to 54.5 from 55.6 in March, the National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in a statement today in Beijing. Readings above 50 indicate expansion.

Poisoned yogurt kills two Hebei kindergarteners – People’s Daily Online there is true evil in the world// A preliminary probe found that the yogurt was tainted with rat poison. According to police, the head of the rival kindergarten to that attended by the girls confessed that she injected the poison into the yogurt, and asked a man to put it, together with some unused notebooks, on the road to the two girls’ kindergarten. Police told Xinhua that the poisoning was motivated by the two kindergartens’ competition for students in the same village.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Chinese Way of Doing Business – In Cash We Trust-New York Times–“I’m convinced the government doesn’t want a larger bill because of corruption,” said Nicholas R. Lardy, a leading authority on the Chinese economy at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, noting that it would help facilitate corrupt payments to officials. “Instead of trunks filled with cash bribes you’d have people using envelopes. And there’d be more cash leaving the country.” // that and the controversial question of who/what would be the face of a new bill

Pictures–Customers pack store to buy gold in Beijing – Xinhua | English.news.cn Customers select gold accessories in Caibai, one of best-known gold retailers in Beijing, China, May 2, 2013. Sales of gold reached 200 million RMB (32.44 million U.S. dollars), up 30 percent year on year during the three-day May Day holiday at Caibai due to recent abrupt price drop for the precious metal

Property prices are still rising[1]|chinadaily.com.cn Figures released on Thursday by China Index Academy, a Beijing-based real estate research institute, showed the average price of new homes in 100 cities monitored was 10,098 yuan ($1,600) per square meter during April, up 1 percent over the previous month.

国五条政策落空：仅北京征收住房20%个税|房地产|政策|细则_新浪新闻 so far only Beijing collecting 20% property gains tax//  截至5月2日，共有北京、上海、广州、深圳、杭州、石家庄、南京、厦门等35个城市发布了各自的地方细则。其中，对于“国五条”争议较大、影响较强的20%差额征税政策，多地采取回避政策。仅提及将严格执行国办发〔2013〕17号文(即“新国五条”)，并没有明确提出要执行房屋转让个人所得税按“转让所得的20%计征”。由于多地没有具体落实办法，也使新政落地难度加大。 除此之外，虽然北京、上海、重庆等地明确写到：“对个人转让住房按规定应征收的个人所得税，通过税收征管、房屋登记等信息系统能核实房屋原值的，应依法严格按照个人转让住房所得的20%计征。”但截至目前，除北京有实施实例外，其余地区并未开始执行。

北京20%个税名存实亡？_财经频道_一财网 and even then people in Beijing are finding ways to get around paying the 20% tax// 种种迹象表明，无论是地方还是夹缝中求生存的中介机构，都开始通过各种途径降低交易税费，力图挽回这部分市场需求。

A-share firms’ overall profits flat-lining[1]|chinadaily.com.cn According to 2012 annual statistics on the A-share market produced by Wind Information Co Ltd, a leading financial information services provider, total revenue of the 2,469 listed companies in the market topped 24 trillion yuan ($3.9 trillion), a growth of 8 percent, while net profits were unchanged at 1.95 trillion yuan, the worst performance since 2008 // and paid more in taxes than made in profit.

蔡继明论道“新型城镇化”：优先发展大城市 | 每经网 interesting there is still much debate within China about how to proceed with urbanization, and what it really is// “在城镇化进程中，我建议优先发展大城市。”清华大学政治经济学研究中心主任，社会科学学院责任教授蔡继明昨日 （5月2日）向《每日经济新闻》记者表示。 此次他专程赴蓉参加由 《成都商报》、《每日经济新闻》执行，成都市经信委特别支持的“探索中国新未来——全球财经领袖对话财富成都”第二场活动。在昨日下午的主题演讲环节，他带来了自己在新型城镇化领域最新的研究成果，并以“以改革的最大红利实现发展的最大潜力：新型城镇化模式探讨”为题发表了演讲。

券商股权质押融资摇钱树_杂志频道_财新网 尽管监管层对风险加大了关注，券商创新热情并未减退，资本中介类业务创新成为焦点。　股权质押融资类业务和衍生类业务已经成为一些券商眼中的“摇钱树”

Closer Look: The COSCO Maelstrom – Caixin COSCO is not the only state-owned enterprise (SOE) which has failed to get out of the red. COSCO Chairman Wei Jiafu stated in early April at the Boao Forum in Hainan, “If the company is performing as badly as a few people say, how would it be possible for me to attend the BRICS Summit with government officials in Durban?” Wei went on to add, “I am not worried if the central government and the State Council supports COSCO.” His words sparked public acrimony. It’s not surprising that COSCO reflects the wills of the State Council given the company’s status as a centrally-administered state-owned enterprise. However, COSCO is also publicly-listed and beholden to the interests of shareholders. COSCO must seek to resolve this conflict of interest by delisting from the market and going private.

Wanda Suspends Takeover Talks with European Cinemas-Caijing Wang Jianlin, Chairman of Dalian Wanda Group Corp,said talks are now suspended after the European part/parts “failed to abide by confidentiality agreements” and leaked the news.

Long Live China’s Slowdown-Caijing–Stephen Roach But slower GDP growth is actually good for China, provided that it reflects the long-awaited structural transformation of the world’s most dynamic economy.

 

POLITICS AND LAW

China mourns first generation model worker – Xinhua | English.news.cn Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) condoles with a family member at the memorial service of Ni Zhifu, a former member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and former president of the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), in Beijing, capital of China, May 2, 2013. Ni died at the age of 79 on Wednesday last week

China says no foreign link in Xinjiang violence | South China Morning Post The statement from Xinjiang government spokesman Hou Hanmin diverges from the usual Chinese claims that violence in Xinjiang is connected to or directed by overseas-based separatists or insurgent groups. Beijing has consistently claimed that July 2009 rioting in the regional capital Urumqi that left almost 200 people dead was orchestrated by Rebiya Kadeer, an activist for Xinjiang’s native Uygur ethnic group based in the US Kadeer denies the accusation.

邓小平唯一的孙子邓卓棣任职广西平果县副县长(图)_资讯频道_凤凰网 Deng Xiaoping’s only grandson is now deputy county head of pingguo county in guangxi // 5月2日，从广西壮族自治区百色市平果县获悉，邓小平唯一的孙子，邓小平最小的儿子邓质方的独生子——28岁的邓卓棣最近被任命为该县副县长。 据悉，在广西平果县人民政府最近一次的领导分工中，邓卓棣负责发展改革、物价、政府法制、农业农村、扶贫和重大项目等方面工作。据当地干部群众介绍，邓卓棣给人们留下的印象是知识渊博、能力突出，但为人低调、谦虚谨慎、勤奋好学，从不接受记者采访

不雅视频曝料人：赵红霞或面临15年以上刑罚_新闻_腾讯网 Zhao Hongxia, the woman under Lei Zhengfu in the infamous video, may face up to 15 years in jail for her role in the blackmail scheme

雷政富们神隐于”立案调查” 引发舆论猜测_网易新闻中心 不过，这并非问题的关键。公众更关心的还是“雷政富们”的罪与罚。相比起赵红霞被移送起诉的公开与神速，“雷政富们”似乎还神隐于“立案调查”之

河南男子遭冤案自尽 其母曾拦温家宝车队_网易新闻中心 more chinese media reporting on tragic cases of wrongful convictions// 发生在河南南阳的一起乡村邻里纠纷，在随后的处理中，出现了“人情”的较量，“批捕任务”考核体系下的警察造假，执行过程中公权力过度作为、不作为甚至懈怠等等现象。小纠纷最终走向了死亡事件，数个家庭的生活被彻底改变。

只有去中国才能看到未来_2013/09_求是理论网 今天的中国处于1840年以来最好的时期，今天的中国有1840年以来最好的制度，今天的中国是全球各主要国家中发展最好的国家。这三个事实判断，就构成了“道路自信、理论自信、制度自信”的坚实基础。

多省份晒部门预算 “三公”经费“缺位”多_财经频道_一财网 《第一财经日报》记者浏览所有预算报告后也发现，各部门的公开信息详略差异较大，但涉及金额都是以“万元”为单位，最小数额从几十万到数千万不等。另外，在57个部门中，仅仅有两三家公开了更受关注的“三公”经费。《湖北日报》也引用中南财经政法大学教授、省统计局副局长叶青的话说，省级部门公开的预算仍需改善。“内容不统一，深度不够，只有预算数，没有执行数。”尤其，今年是中央各部门推进部门预算公开的第四个年头，将“三公”经费预算随同部门预算一并公开，湖北应朝这一方向努力。

人民日报-中国特色社会主义的根本依靠 —— 二论学习贯彻习近平4月28日重要讲话 本报评论员

铁道系统行贿成风 高管为方便行贿随身带大面额欧元_财经_凤凰网“我真的不能说，希望你们能理解。”请求不要继续追问的李汝军此时并非在接受记者采访，坐在他对面的是铁道部窝案专案组。面对专案组的询问，李汝军说，工程企业在招投标过程中行贿拿项目是潜规则，他因此给很多人送过红包，“真的不能说出这些人是谁，说了我就没法做人了，以后谁还敢和我们企业打交道。”

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

Washington claims neutrality over islands |Americas |chinadaily.com.cn Washington on Wednesday insisted that it maintains a neutral stance on the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands, following a warning from the Chinese ambassador to the United States over the issue. Patrick Ventrell, acting deputy spokesman at the US State Department, said the US does not take a position on the sovereignty of the islands.

China a firm force in maintaining peace, stability in South China Sea: Wang Yi – Xinhua | English.news.cn JAKARTA, May 2 (Xinhua) — China is a staunch force in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, and it will continue its efforts in strengthening coordination and cooperation with the ASEAN to make contributions to the peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Thursday.

Banyan: Thunder out of China | The Economist FOR an emerging power that makes much of the peacefulness of its rise, China is engaged in what looks suspiciously like aggression on an alarming number of fronts. India says Chinese soldiers have set up camp 19km (12 miles) on its side of the “line of actual control” (LAC) that separates Ladakh in its state of Jammu & Kashmir from China, in the absence of an agreed border. Japan reports that Chinese maritime surveillance vessels are every day circling the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea. And on April 26th China demanded that the Philippines “withdraw all its nationals and facilities” from a number of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, where they have been, in some cases, for decades. In all these cases China can with some justification claim it is responding to provocation. That, however, is scant comfort to its increasingly anxious neighbours.

图解中国新式军车牌照：南京军区政治部为“NB”_资讯频道_凤凰网 new license plate code for part of Nanjing Military district start with NB, as in niubi…// 现在看来，新军牌是在技术上加强了，但在体制上如旧，我们来看这次新军牌很多的车牌，其实我们知道，在总部是V，各个军种，比如海军H，空军是K，北京军区就是B，南京军是，依次类推是大写字母排头，A代表司令部参谋部，B代表政治部，C代表联勤部，D代表的是装备部，所以比如说南京军区政治部就是“NB”。

中央军委给驻疆某部记一等功庆功会举行——国防部网站 解放军报乌鲁木齐5月2日电  张雷、特约记者王传锋报道：中央军委给驻疆某部记集体一等功庆功会今天上午举行。会上宣读了中央军委主席习近平签署的通令，颁发了一等功奖状。    这个部队常年担负国家和军队重点课题攻研任务，近年来先后攻克多项重要课题和关键技术，产生良好科研效益，为国防建设作出了重大贡献。在近10年来的历次课题攻研中，该部先后有3人荣立一等功、6人次荣立二等功。

Military denies expensive vehicle had new plate |Society |chinadaily.com.cn The Volkswagen Touareg caught in photos driving on a highway in Beijing is not specified as among the types of cars that are banned from being used by the military, the Beijing Military Area of the People’s Liberation Army said in a statement released on the website of PLA Daily, a newspaper owned by the PLA, on Thursday. The Volkswagen Touareg was among the vehicles bought for senior military officers in the past and will continue to be used to avoid waste, and military forces will not buy any vehicles costing more than 450,000 yuan ($73,000) in the future, the statement said.

中国军网-强军梦，在铸魂中起航 ——空军工程大学开展“坚定信念、铸牢军魂”主题教育活动新闻调查

中国军网_总政通知要求全军和武警部队认真组织学习《深入学习贯彻党的十八大精神军队领导干部学习文件选编》 坚定强军信心 献身强军实践本报讯 经中央军委批准，总政治部组织编印的《深入学习贯彻党的十八大精神军队领导干部学习文件选编》下发部队。总政近日发出通知，要求全军和武警部队认真组织学习。

中国军网_许其亮在军队参加和支援西部大开发领导小组第八次全体会议上强调 深入贯彻落实党的十八大精神和习主席决策指示 在新的起点上为西部大开发作出新贡献

Chinese ambassador calls on young British business people to seize opportunities in China – Xinhua | English.news.cn Young business people in Britain are encouraged to seize the opportunities brought by the “Chinese Dream,” and to contribute to a brighter future of China-Britain relations, Chinese ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said on Thursday. Speaking at a celebration activity of the fifth anniversary of the Young Icebreakers, an unit under the 48 Group Club, an independent business network in Britain, Liu said the “Chinese Dream” mainly evolves around national and individual prosperity, good governance and a beautiful environment.

 

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

China Policy Institute Blog » Taiwan’s Anti-Media Monopoly Movement: Achievements and the future The beginning of Taiwan’s anti-media monopoly youth movement dates back to July 31, 2012, when we started the first series of protests against the emerging media monopoly in Taiwan. We, mostly young Taiwanese, launched a movement called “I’m a student, I don’t want WantWant-China Times” (我是學生，我反旺中), with the clear message to say no to the WantWant-China Times media group. We came forward with two demands: firstly, we opposed WantWant’s takeover of CNS cable TV operator. Secondly, we wanted CtiTV to apologize for its smear campaign against Professor Huang Kuo-Chang (黃國昌) and Chen Wei Ting(陳為廷). While Professor Huang was accused without evidence of paying students to attend earlier protests against WantWant’s CNS takeover, Chen faced lawsuit threats by China Times editor-in-chief Lin Chao-hsin (林朝鑫) for exposing a snapshot showing Lin among the protesters, raising suspicions about whether he was behind accusations against Prof. Huang.

 

TECH AND MEDIA

An Upstart Holds Its Own – Caixin   current round rumored to value xiaomi at $10B, a real competitor to any Apple plans for a cheap iPhone in China. I have played around with new Xiaomi phone, tempted but have not yet pulled the trigger. 2300 RMB for top end model// Xiaomi sold 7.19 million smartphones and had operating revenue of 12.65 billion yuan in 2012, Lei Jun, founder and chief executive officer of the company, said on April 9. He did not reveal a profit figure, but said the market valuation of his company was more than US$ 4 billion…Industry insiders say that back in 2010, when Xiaomi was established, many young companies were attempting to follow in the footsteps of Apple, which is known for merging software and hardware to make crowd-pleasing products. The experts say that Xiaomi is the last upstart company standing in the marketplace.

China’s Top Video Sites Reveal Hundreds of Millions of Mobile Users, Start Race to Monetize Them–TechInAsia China’s top two mobile sites (in terms of time spent viewing) have recently revealed their mobile user-base. The leading company, Youku Tudou (NYSE:YOKU) says it has 150 million million daily mobile users, while Baidu’s (NASDAQ:BIDU) iQiyi has 200 million monthly mobile viewers.

票房成影视股股价风向标–中国证券报·中证网光线传媒总裁王长田2日发布消息称，截至5月1日下午5点，赵薇导演的电影《致我们终将逝去的青春》自4月26日上映以来，短短5天票房已超过3亿元。而光线传媒股价提前反应，自4月16日以来10个交易日股价已上涨50.4%。事实上，票房已成为影视公司股价涨跌的风向标。有券商人士表示，单部影片票房只反映短期内股价，若跟风追涨，风险较大。

China claims top spot in global PC market[1]|chinadaily.com.cnChina became the world’s largest personal computer market for the first time on an annual basis last year amid weaker global demand, a research firm said, adding that the nation is likely to retain the position in the coming years. The nation’s PC shipments in 2012 hit 69 million units, surpassing the United States, which had annual shipments of 66 million, according to IHS iSuppli.

Lenovo, IBM Talks on Server Deal Said to Break Down – BloombergLenovo Chief Financial Officer Wong Wai Ming, who was in the U.S. this past week for the talks, left for Hong Kong without an agreement, said the person, who declined to be identified because negotiations are private. The talks could resume later, the person said. James Sciales, a spokesman for IBM, and Jeffrey Shafer, a spokesman for Lenovo, both declined to comment.

Alibaba Said to Close $8 Billion Loans With HSBC, 8 Other Banks – Bloomberg  The Hangzhou-based company will use $4.8 billion of the loans to refinance older borrowings at lower interest rates, $800 million to pay back preferred shares to Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), and the rest for corporate purposes, the person said.

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

Salman Rushdie on Chinese Censorship – Matt Schiavenza – The Atlantic An interview with the award-winning author about freedom of expression, the People’s Republic, and how literature can thrive under repressive governments.

跨界与融合（下）：四川美院时装发布之个体美_峥嵘岁月_刘增荣_博联社 pictures of an interesting recent fashion show at the sichuan arts academy

Examining the effort to establish football in China – Grantland How does one begin to explain how unlikely NFL China is? Anything you want to assume about a nation that constitutes nearly 20 percent of the world’s population is probably true. China is whatever you want it to be: Massive and diverse and black-hair sameness, ancient and postmodern and blink-of-an-eye changing, it requires a different scale of description. But it’s probably not the riskiest generalization to suggest that China does not conform to anyone’s vision of a hotbed for American football.

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

19 H7N9 cases reported on Chinese mainland last week – Xinhua | English.news.cn From 4 p.m. April 24 to 4 p.m. May 1, 19 people were confirmed to have been infected with the new type of bird flu, bringing the total H7N9 cases on the Chinese mainland to 127, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Bird Flu Eases as China Shuts Poultry Markets – Bloomberg Transmission of bird flu to humans slowed after China restricted live poultry sales in cities with the most H7N9 infections, with no new cases in Shanghai since April 13, a week after the financial hub ordered markets to shut.

坚定不移推进生态文明建设_2013/09_求是理论网–马 凯 党的十八大把生态文明建设放在突出地位，纳入中国特色社会主义事业总体布局，这是我们党又一次重大理论创新和实践深化，具有重大的现实意义和深远的历史意义。

煤炭“黄金十年”终结 煤电格局大逆转 | 每经网 Coal’s “ten golden years are over”, may never come back…// 2012年下半年至今，煤价已经延续18周连续下跌，这个曾被高利润、高增长笼罩的行业，已经告别“黄金十年”。产能过剩、下游电企钢企拉动需求乏力、进口低价煤冲击……煤炭企业的日子从来没有这么难过，与此相应，煤炭企业的利润亦大幅缩水，煤炭销售人员也告别了过去“电找煤”的优越时代。

进出口乳品检验新规实施 洋奶粉不能再”由着性子”了 新华社——经济参考网 今后，洋奶粉不能由着性子“吹牛”忽悠中国消费者了。新版《进出口乳品检验检疫监督管理办法》从5月1日开始正式实施。根据新规，进口乳品标注的国外奖项、荣誉、认证标志等内容，须提供经我国驻外使领馆或外国驻中国使领馆等外交途径确认的有关证明文件。同时，我国将对进口乳品商建立黑名单制度，包括婴幼儿奶粉在内的进口乳品进入中国市场将通过更严格的检疫，提高准入门槛。

Nobody’s Hero: Foreign Formula Runs Afoul | Buy Buy China  Does this latest scandal hurt the underlying health of foreign formula? Short answer: not really. Although Chinese media has been on the offensive against foreign dairy, planting doubt about safety and authenticity of imported products, the negative press won’t affect a government-sponsored drive for greater foreign presence in China’s agricultural sectors. Chinese industry can gain valuable technological and managerial insights; they will also have a useful scapegoat when things go wrong (think Fonterra in 2008). Domestic manufacturers remain dominant in dairy, but the trade-off is more than worth it for foreign players: China’s baby food industry totals USD 30 billion, and success in formula will open doors into other mother/child product categories

 

FOOD AND TRAVEL

Over 900 arrested in China for meat-related crimes – Xinhua | English.news.cn A total of 904 people in China were captured during a three-month campaign involving meat-related crimes such as producing fake beef and mutton made from rat and fox, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said on Thursday.

北京桶装水销售协会通知下架农夫桶装水-财经网 Nonfgu water to be pulled from shelves in beijing over concerns about quality? // 鉴于近日由农夫山泉股份有限公司生产的农夫山泉品牌饮用水，由媒体曝光出现了多重质量标准问题，不仅涉嫌违反《国家标准化法》的相关规定，还涉嫌虚假宣传、误导消费者，从而造成了极大社会反响。

Beijing’s Big Cheese |Food |chinadaily.com.cn Liu Yang is Beijing’s premiere cheese maker. He learned how to make cheese in France, and has been developing his cheese making skills in China for over a decade. His cheese shop, Le Fromager de Pekin, located in northwestern Beijing, offers a variety of French and other international cheeses

 

BEIJING

车行Beijing的微博 新浪微博-随时随地分享身边的新鲜事儿 a weibo claiming plans to tear down and rebuild large part of Beijing’s shichai hai area

北京“年龄控”政策低调出台:严控非京籍毕业生?_21世纪经济报道多媒体数字报刊平台 北京“年龄控”政策低调出台:严控非京籍毕业生? 根据新政策，应届毕业生本科生不超过24岁、硕士生不超过27岁、博士生不超过35岁，超过这个年龄限制的非北京生源毕业生，将不能够留京。有不便具名的专家称，此项规定涉嫌“年龄歧视”。

Beijing acts on complaints against airport cabbies |Society |chinadaily.com.cn A taxi company could be fined as much as 28,000 yuan($4,540) if the number of complaints filed by passengers against its drivers in six months is three times, or higher than the average.

 

JOBS AND EVENTS

A Passion for Jade: the Bishop Collection at the Metropolitan Museum | Hong Kong | Asia Society Event Details–23 May 2013 12:15pm – 2:00pm 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, Hong Kong // An industrialist and entrepreneur, Heber R. Bishop was an active patron of the arts and a Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum. His collection of more than a thousand pieces, primarily Chinese jades of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as jades from Mughal India (1526-1858), was formed in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and bequeathed to the museum in 1902. These refined works in this renowned collection represent the sophistication of Chinese jade carvers of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) and the extraordinary accomplishment of the Mughal lapidaries.

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