"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
Just links today:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
China plans revolution to head off fiscal crisis–The Age–John Garnaut China is drawing up a blueprint for sweeping reforms aimed at averting an economic crisis, sources with close ties to the leadership say. The reforms are aimed at revitalising the world’s second-largest economy amid deepening fears about a trend of rising corruption, wasteful investment and local government debt. Liu He, who leads the party’s Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs, has been given the task of preparing a seven-point blueprint for the Third Plenum of the 18th Communist Party Congress, which is due in about October, according to a source with close ties to several members of the Politburo Standing Committee. //Liu’s appointment to the NDRC was covered by Bloomberg in March, with experts saying his appointment very positive, so much hope now riding on the Third Plenum…
全国城镇化会议一再推迟 规划仍有修改空间_财经频道_一财网 First Financial reporting a national Urbanization conference has been delayed, leadership not satisfied with draft plans…how much are investors counting on urbanization to help commodities prices?// 时至5月，被喻为“最高规格”会议的全国城镇化会议召开时间一再推迟。 近日，接近政府人士向《第一财经日报》表示，会议一再推迟的原因可能是高层对已具雏形的城镇化发展规划不满意，草案可修改空间还很大。 媒体报道称，城镇化总体发展规划有望7月会审。记者从发改委人士处获悉，年内将出台一批城镇化的相关政策。其中，年中前后将出台总体规划，各相关部门在年末会推行一批配套政策。
国家酝酿重拳治理产能过剩 新华社——经济参考网 Economic Information says aggressive plan to deal with industrial overcapacity is imminent// 《经济参考报》记者从权威人士处获悉，化解部分行业产能过剩已经成为调整产业结构的重要任务，国家准备出台“关于化解产能过剩指导意见”，国家发改委同工信部等多部委正对此积极调研并制定相关意见，不久将以书面形式报送国务院。
China to Investigate Top Economic Policy Maker – NYTimes.com The Xinhua report did not detail the official allegations against Mr. Liu. But Mr. Luo, a deputy editor of Caijing Magazine in Beijing, said he was sure they were related to his accusations. “I know there’s a direct connection, but I can’t say any more,” Mr. Luo said in a telephone interview. “I had felt panicky before because nothing was happening, but I’ve breathed a sigh of relief now that this has happened,” he said, referring to the inquiry.
Related: 刘铁男落马内幕：情妇反目后提供关键举报信息_网易新闻中心 Liu Tienan’s jilted mistress turned on him, especially after he made death threats, called Luo Changping from overseas before he made his online accusations. Luo credits her with giving him important initial information// 核心提示：5月12日，监察部网站发布信息，国家发改委副主任刘铁男涉嫌严重违纪被调查。2012年12月6日，媒体人罗昌平曾向中纪委实名举报刘铁男，罗昌平称刘铁男情妇从日本打来越洋电话，因此获得重要的初始信息。据称刘铁男与情妇因利益关系反目后，多次对女方发出死亡威胁。
Disclosure delays help fuel online rumors |Society |chinadaily.com.cn this is the approach getting lots of play in official media recently…crackdown on one hand, be more responsive on the other// Official delays in releasing information on issues people find important is one of the main reasons rumors spread on the Internet, an expert said
Related: [视频]【本台短评】都不捧场 谣言难成气候_新闻频道_央视网 CCTV Evening News Saturday on online rumors// 互联网虚假信息能不能成气候，要看大家给不给它捧场。谣言止于智者，对于网民来说，这意味着不轻信不盲从，不带着成见偏见下结论。谣言更止于治理，对于各级政府来说，这意味着该公开的不捂着，该发布的手要快，不让公众猜疑，不让谣言发酵。公众有理性，政府有效率，谣言就不容易跑在真相前头。
互联网发展的难题与解题_观点频道_财新网 互联网既是技术产业的产物，亦是经济社会发展的投影。中国的互联网走到今天，新的管理层所负挑战与责任更大，其作为空间也更大–财新记者 杨大明
国信办开展规范互联网新闻信息传播秩序行动_网易新闻中心 SIIO launches 2 month action to standardize news and information dissemination online
每周舆评：舆情乱象根在哪里 网络时代信任何来-财经网 surprised most of the media has missed the coordinated new campaign to better manage online discussion and public opinion..series of steps announced and rolled out over the last few weeks, along with new Internet management leadership appointment (鲁炜任国信办主任、国新办副主任–组织人事-人民网)…// 当然，近期国家打击大V“故意传播谣言”的行动正在降温舆论场，近日即有“萧山君子”、“何兵”两个新浪微博客账号因“故意传谣”分别被注销和暂停。接下来，国家互联网信息办部署将在全国范围内开展为期两个月的规范互联网新闻信息传播秩序专项行动。
Popular Chinese Writer Murong Xuecun’s Microblog Scrubbed from Sina Weibo · Global Voices
Okinawa discussion aimed to show sovereignty over Diaoyu: academics – CHINA – Globaltimes.c“We wrote the article in order to reject the Japanese claim over the Diaoyu Islands. Japan asserted that it holds sovereignty over the islets because they were part of Ryukyu, but actually in history they were never part of that chain,” Li said… “It is not our intention to talk about ‘China’s claim’ over Ryukyu as they neither belonged to China or Japan. But Japan’s repeated provocation on the Diaoyu Islands made it necessary for us to clarify these historical points,” Li said.
Related: Ryukyu issue offers leverage to China – Global Times if Japan seeks to be a pioneer in sabotaging China’s rise, China can carry out practical input, fostering forces in Okinawa that seek the restoration of the independence of the Ryukyu Chain. If Japan, binding itself with the US, tries to threaten China’s future, China should impose threats on the country’s integrity. This is a fair game. Japan is the most active provoker in China’s international strategic environment. Friendly relations with Japan can barely be realized through China’s repeated tolerance. Japan must be forced to give up its role as a political pirate and stop its endless disturbance and confrontation.
Exclusive – Airbus to China: We support you, please buy our jets | Reuters China’s decision to ease a boycott of some $11 billion in Airbus jet orders followed a high-level appeal from the planemaker urging Beijing to recognize its support over a trade row with Europe, a letter seen by Reuters shows. It gives a glimpse into the intensity of the lobbying in the dispute, which helped persuade the European Union to freeze a law on regulating international aviation emissions.
China to simplify foreign exchange rules on foreign direct investment | Reuters The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) will abolish 24 regulations regarding foreign exchange registration, account openings, remittance, and conversions, the agency said in an announcement posted to its website on Saturday. The move inches China closer to making its currency, the yuan, convertible under the capital account, and follows a previous round of FDI-related deregulation by SAFE in November last year.
Related: Xinhua Insight: China ready to free capital flows? – Xinhua | English.news.cn China’s cabinet pledged on Monday to steadily introduce market-oriented interest rate and exchange rate system reform measures, permitting individual investors to buy foreign equities and mapping out “operational” plans to make the Chinese yuan convertible under the capital acccounts. “It’s not a surprising move. The regulators have been inching towards an opened capital account,” said Yao Wei, China economist with Societe Generale. “An opened capital account will make China’s financial market more efficient, more transparent, and up to international standards.” Since China’s cabinet did not provide a roadmap regarding easing control over the yuan, analysts believed the authorities will deal with the currency cautiously.
Analysis: Bullish yuan herd leaves China fundamentals in the dust | Reuters Investors and companies have been pouring funds into China in recent months, helping send the yuan to a series of record highs. But with evidence of a slowdown mounting, investors thinking of joining the rush into yuan would do well to remember 2011 and 2012, when fears of a Chinese hard landing sent the yuan, or renminbi, tumbling.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
China April New Yuan Loans, Money Supply Exceed Estimates – Bloomberg Lending was 792.9 billion yuan ($129 billion) in April, the People’s Bank of China said in Beijing. That compares with the median estimate of 755 billion yuan in a Bloomberg News survey and 1.06 trillion yuan in March. M2 money supply rose 16.1 percent from a year earlier, compared with the median economist forecast of 15.5 percent. Aggregate financing, a broader measure of credit, was 1.75 trillion yuan compared with a record 2.54 trillion yuan in March.
China’s new loans drop, reinforcing monetary prudency – Xinhua The country’s social financing, a measure of funds raised by entities in the real economy, amounted to 1.75 trillion yuan in April, an increase of 783.3 billion yuan from last year. By the end of April, the broad measure of money supply (M2)…increased 16.1 percent year on year to 103.26 trillion yuan, the figures showed. //above 2013 target
China issues new rules targeting wealth management fund pools: sources | ReutersChina’s bond market regulator closed off a loophole on Friday that allowed banks that sell high-yielding wealth management products (WMPs) to evade regulatory requirements by moving money between the WMP accounts they manage and their own proprietary accounts, bond traders at four Chinese banks told Reuters.
China Baosteel Cuts June Prices, First in Seven Months-Caijing China’s leading steel maker Baoshan Iron & Steel (Baosteel) has announced to cut its main steel product prices for June by around 3 percent in its first reduction in nine months. The cut, although modest, has reflected a worsened supply glut and concerns of the recovery strength in the country. Analysts are expecting its domestic peers such as Anshan Iron and steel and Wuhan Iron and Steel to follow suit, with prices moves by Baosteel, the country’s largest steel producer, usually setting the tone for the wider steel sector in the country.
Yum’s China Sales Slump 29% in April on Chicken Safety Concern – Bloomberg Analysts projected a 27 percent drop, the average of five estimates compiled by researcher Consensus Metrix. Sales dropped 36 percent at KFC while gaining 5 percent at Pizza Hut, the Louisville, Kentucky-based company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday. Yum’s same-store sales fell 13 percent in March in the Asian nation.
China’s Import Data Doubted by Nomura as Tariff Revenue Slumps – Bloomberg China’s “surprisingly strong” import growth in the first four months may have been inflated by fake invoices as companies circumvented capital controls to move funds into China, according to Nomura Holdings Inc.
Analysis: $58Bln Hot Money Channeled into Mainland From Hong Kong Disguised as Trade Payments-Caijing Assume China’s export growth to Hong Kong was normal last year, cash flows disguised as trade payments into the mainland could reach around 58 billion U.S. dollars so far this year, accounting for 8.3 percent of overall export, according to a calculation by the China Securities Journal.
Swiss Watches Unworn as China Tackles Graft: Chart of the Day – Bloomberg The CHART OF THE DAY shows Chinese imports of Swiss-made watches tumbled 24 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier for a third straight decline, while shipments to Hong Kong sank 9.3 percent, according to trade data from Switzerland. The lower panel compares shares of Hengdeli Holdings Ltd. (3389) and Emperor Watch & Jewellery Ltd. (887), the biggest watch retailers traded in Hong Kong, versus the Hang Seng Index, Swatch Group AG and Cie. Financiere Richemont SA, the owner of the Cartier brand.
Bloomberg Used Private Data To Spy On Ben Bernanke And Tim Geithner – CNBC will be interesting to see how China reacts to this. How many terminals are in official offices, beyong state owned banks and financial institutions? Did/does Wang Qishan have one, for example?// Both the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury Department are examining the extent to which Bloomberg-terminal usage by top officials might have been tracked by Bloomberg journalists, CNBC has learned.
新国五条逃税暗道：三种方式省掉40%应缴税额|地税局|中介|避税_新浪财经_新浪网 nice look at three ways to get around the new real estate taxes// 《财经国家周刊》记者经过长期调查发现，实际上在北京市二手房市场也有类似黑市交易。只要政策“风平浪静”，这种逃税生意就会满街兜售，成为某些房产中介公司为购房客户提供的“增值服务”。
涨了31亿！上海一终止出让地块“重现江湖”_财经频道_一财网 price for a plot of land in shanghai’s Qingpu district 3.1B RMB higher than it was 4 months ago// 上海青浦一地块在终止出让四个月后又重新挂牌出让，但与前一次的挂牌价格相比，重出江湖的身价飙升了31亿元
POLITICS AND LAW
薄熙来未能出席恩师丧礼 被指和薄一波很像_中国_多维新闻网 sounds like an interesting funeral sunday for one of Bo Xilai’s primary school teachers, Guan Minqing..BXL did not attend…Duowei says his sister Bo Jieying and first son Li Wangzhi attended the ceremony at Babaoshan//【多维新闻】据大陆媒体报道，中共前政治局委员薄熙来的恩师、北京第二实验小学特级教师关敏卿遗体告别礼于12日上午在北京八宝山举行。薄熙来的二姐薄洁莹、长子李望知代表薄前去送别并敬送花圈。据悉现场另有很多曾接受关敏卿教育的中共元老子弟出席.
央视今晚将播出大型历史文献纪录片《苦难辉煌》 Tonight CCTV starts showing the 12 part historical documentary “Suffering and Glory” (trailer) based on 2009 book by a National defense University professor…national rejuvenation and the Chinese Dream // 12集历史文献纪录片《苦难辉煌》根据国防大学教授金一南原著改编而成，是一部成功再现党的历史的精品力作。它多维度、宽视野、全景式再现了中国共产党自成立至长征胜利和全面抗战爆发这一历史阶段，中国共产党团结和带领人民英勇奋斗的壮丽征程和革命精神，重点刻画了从大革命失败到土地革命战争兴起、从第五次反“围剿”失败到抗日战争兴起的两次历史性转变。
党报：胡耀邦指导真理标准讨论邓小平支持_网易新闻中心 Friday was 35th anniversary of “practice is sole criterion of truth” article, symposium held, interesting historical discussion// 本报讯 经中央党校校委批准，由中央党校报刊社主办的“解放思想、改革开放、凝聚力量、攻坚克难——纪念《实践是检验真理的唯一标准》发表 35周年座谈会”于2013年5月10日在中央党校举行。
央企隐性福利：中移动发数千万健身卡 中版集团贴659万交通费 | 每经网 Audits expose some of the great benefits central SOEs give their employees…many even better than in the iron rice bowl days, no wonder people want to work at these firms, and people who don’t work there tend to not like them…// 近日，审计署公布了针对10家央企的审计报告，除了查出多起重大经济案件线索，央企名目繁多、五花八门的隐性福利也纷纷遭起底曝光，部分央企虚列开支项目、违规给员工发放福利，资金动辄千万甚至上亿元.此前，
人民日报官微：新闻发言人怎会沦为“家奴”？-搜狐滚动面对实名举报，相关政府部门将作何反应，则更令公众关心。人们注意到，刘铁男被实名举报后，国家能源局新闻办负责人不但立即否认，更声言要“报案、报警”。对此，@人民日报 昨日作出严肃批评： “从被实名举报，到新闻办负责人否认严斥，再到今天证实接受调查，刘铁男的”剧情”跌宕起伏。实名举报在先，组织调查在后，这再次说明，创造条件让公众监督，是反腐制度化不可或缺的正能量。同时也要警醒：新闻发言人本是公职，怎会沦为”家奴”，为个人背书？”
The Son also Rises: nepotism doesn’t disappear in China, it just gets a promotion | South China Morning Post There have been more reports that children of senior officials have been asked to quit their lucrative banking or private equity jobs and join state firms or government departments. That probably helps explain the surge of reports about children of officials riding the family rocket to promotion.
Court orders retrial in intl purchasing case|Society|chinadaily.com.cn On Monday, a higher court in Beijing overturned the original ruling over a former flight attendant who bought goods overseas to sell in China and handed down an 11-year sentence, and ordered a retrial of the case, Beijing News reported.
媒体揭秘中宣部中组部干部推荐书目_网易新闻中心 从推荐书目的内容来看，后几批的推荐书目逐渐向强实践性与通俗性发展。其中甚至还出现了纪录片等影视作品，如《复兴之路》、《国情备忘录》等。
Feng Shui Grows in China as Officials Seek Success – NYTimes.com According to a 2007 report by the Chinese Academy of Governance, 52 percent of the nation’s county-level civil servants admitted to believing in divination, face reading, astrology or dream interpretation.
The Supreme People’s Court: Reforming the Chinese courts the Party Way | Supreme People’s Court Monitor In April 8, 2013, the Supreme People’s Court announced that its Communist Party (Party) Committee was implementing an “educational movement to improve judicial work style” (judicial work style movement) in the second quarter of 2013.[i] Zhou Qiang, the newly appointed president of the Supreme People’s Court, is also the head of its Party Committee. This clunkily named announcement, written in densely packed Party jargon, is has critical implications for the Chinese court system and all those affected by it, domestic and foreign. Unpacking the announcement requires a Chinese political jargon decoder and a strong cup of coffee. This posting will explain why the announcement is so important by highlighting:
成都数百公务员身份莫名消失 疑被李春城占用_网易新闻中心 这一切都发生在成都市前市委书记李春城主政期间。一位四川地方法制局人士对南方周末记者称，李春城主政成都期间，破格快速提拔了不少领导干部，占用了大量公务员名额。据《新京报》一篇报道称，在随李春城来到成都之前，其妻曲松枝只是某医院勤杂人员，成都市卫生局专门设置一个科教处并以处长职位委任之。据《南方周末》
Cultural Revolution Redux? Economist Ruffles Feathers of China’s Hawks – China Real Time Report – WSJ Liberal economist Mao Yushi is used to ruffling feathers on occasion. But lately he has made some of China’s hawks even more agitated than usual. In a campaign that some have likened to the political persecution that took place under the Cultural Revolution, the 84-year-old scholar has been the target of abusive, late-night phone calls, a wave of attacks on microblogs as well as disruptions of his lectures. He has been denounced as a traitor and targeted by demonstrators.
‘Don’t teach freedom of press or Communist Party mistakes’, Chinese academics told | South China Morning Post Wang Jiangsong, a philosophy professor at the China Institute of Industrial Relations in Beijing, said that on Tuesday he had seen the receipt of notice sent to his university’s leadership, instructing it to forbid lecturers from mentioning seven controversial issues in their classes. The seven topics were freedom of the press, a civil society, civic rights, historical mistakes committed by the Communist Party, elite cronyism, and an independent judiciary.
江青拍摄的毛泽东坐像拍得34万元(图) _资讯频道_凤凰网 340k rmb for jiang qing’s picture of mao at lushan// 中新网北京5月10日电(鲍文玉) 华辰2013春季拍卖会影像专场今日在京举行，江青作品《世界人民心中最红最红的红太阳毛主席》照片，以34万元价格成交。
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
Israel Pushes for China Investment as Xi Focuses on Peace – Bloomberg Before Netanyahu and Abbas arrived in the country, China offered to host a meeting between them to break a stalemate in peace negotiations deadlocked since 2010. Though the two didn’t take up the idea, the suggestion marked a new assertiveness in a region where Xi may also be trying to ease a standoff between Israel and Iran, a source of Chinese oil. “Beijing is certainly upping its game in the Middle East,” Willy Wo-Lap Lam, an adjunct professor of history at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, wrote in an e-mail. “China is a major importer of Middle-East oil, yet its clout there has so far been limited. The Xi administration hopes that it can exert more influence in defusing the Iranian crisis given China’s huge investments in oil facilities in Iran.”
China offers subtle signals of encouragement for Netanyahu | The Times of Israel By granting the PM plenty of leadership face-time, a web chat, and the rare privilege to address future leaders, Beijing indicates to Israel that it seeks to be an honest broker with a greater Middle East role
Taiwan asks Philippine response to fisherman killing in 72 hours – Xinhua | English.news.cn Ma demanded the Philippines to apologize, clarify the truth and punish people held responsible, offer compensation for the death and the damage to the fishing boat, and start negotiations with Taiwan on a fishery agreement as soon as possible, according to a statement posted on the website of Taiwanese authority.
China’s navy forms 1st carrier-borne jet force – Xinhua | English.news.cn A carrier-borne aviation force has been formally established as part of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, military sources said on Friday. The forming of the force, approved by the Central Military Commission (CMC), demonstrates that the development of China’s aircraft carriers has entered a new phase, the sources said. The force comprises carrier-borne fighter jets, jet trainers and ship-borne helicopters that operate anti-submarine, rescue and vigilance tasks.
Boundary tensions challenge Li Keqiang’s visit – The Hindu With Chinese Premier Li Keqiang telling Indian officials on Friday that his decision to make India the destination of his first overseas visit was “carefully thought out,” both countries, officials say, are facing an increasingly difficult challenge to ensure that the visit, in nine days’ time, will meet expectations amid lingering boundary tensions. While External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid wrapped up a two-day visit here on Friday evening, Indian officials will stay on in Beijing for an additional day of talks with Chinese officials in charge of boundary affairs and with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to resolve outstanding issues.
China’s Evolving ‘Core Interests’ – NYTimes Editorial The right-wing nationalists who took power in December may be equally unwilling to put Japan’s past behind it, although the government of the new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, took a positive step on Tuesday when it said it would abide by official apologies that the country made two decades ago to victims of World War II. China and Japan have strong economic ties and are critical to regional stability. Both will lose if they stumble into war or otherwise cannot resolve this escalating dispute. Though efforts are under way to find a mutually face-saving solution, using loaded phrases like “core interests” to describe the islands only adds to the political and emotional sensitivities and will not advance that goal.
New Komeito to back postwar Constitution: policy draft – The Japan Times New Komeito, the junior member of the ruling coalition, will pledge to protect the pacifist Constitution for the Upper House election, opening a rift with nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party, a policy draft showed Sunday. The draft, obtained by Kyodo News, also said New Komeito will try to re-establish regular meetings between Japanese and Chinese leaders to mend diplomatic relations frayed by Japan’s nationalization of a tiny set of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea last September and by historical disputes.
A Dangerous Rift Between China and Japan – WSJ.com–Ian Burama Things, in short, are back to square one: Pax Americana containing China, with Japan as Washington’s loyal vassal. This might seem a stable, even comfortable, position from the U.S. point of view. In fact, it isn’t. For a long time, the Chinese put up with the U.S. being the policeman of East Asia, because the prospect of a more independent, fully rearmed, even nuclear Japan would be worse. But Japan’s role as a kind of cat’s paw of American dominance, with Japanese nationalists compensating for their subservience by indulging in bellicose talk, will be the source of ever greater tensions, which are bad for everyone, including the U.S
INSIGHT: Abe stands firm on definition of ‘aggression’ amid international outcry – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Government officials thought they had found a way to quell the international criticism that erupted after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suggested that Japan’s wartime actions should not be defined as “aggression.” Abe, however, did not follow their script. Although he says Japan caused much damage and suffering before and during World War II, he has refused to acknowledge “aggression” on the part of the Japanese military.
Why the world is reading Gillard’s defence paper–Sydney Morning Herald In the world of words, symbols and psychology that is occupied by Chinese military strategists, the Gillard white paper is an exemplar of their success. Sun Tzu has been validated and a victory has been won. In the minds of those who steered the Australian white paper, in contrast, the new conciliatory language was a costless concession for the sake of other aspects of the relationship, but the basic strategic settings remain unchanged. The two sides are playing in the same strategic contest but by different rules.
Pentagon’s China guru David Helvey: friction is “inevitable” but mil-mil relations are “as good as its been” | The E-Ring Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia David Helvey sat with the E-Ring on Wednesday for a rare on-the-record interview about the state of relations between the Pentagon and the PLA, and their joint role in managing the North Korean nuclear standoff of the past two months…”The Chinese war-fighting commands, if you were to call it that, are reflected along military regions which are organized along interior lines. So it doesn’t go outside of China,” he explained. Most militaries, in fact, do not have officers directly comparable to U.S. combatant commanders, who command troops deployed over vast regions of the globe. Instead, the United States has tried to engage with several parts of the PLA in lieu of “a direct fit” by talking to regional commanders…
Is this China’s First Killer Drone? | Danger Room | Wired.comIt’s worth noting that China is the last major aerospace power to debut a jet-powered, low-radar-signature killer drone prototype. The U.S. has led the pack, test-flying no fewer than five UCAVs since the late 1990s and even bringing one unarmed variant, the RQ-170, into frontline service. Europe has the Neuron and Taranis models in development and Russia is working on a version of the MiG Skat.
PIX & PUBLISH Prince Charles’s man in China offers to help David Cameron improve relations with Beijing – Telegraph Sir David Tang, who leads the Prince of Wales’s charity in China, offers to help improve relations between David Cameron and the Communist regime.
China, Vietnam pledge closer bilateral ties – Xinhua | English.news.cn The sixth meeting of the China-Vietnam steering committee on cooperation was held in Beijing on Saturday, with the two sides agreeing to further advance bilateral ties.The meeting was co-chaired by Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi and Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Thien Nhan.
Melting Ice Opens Fight Over Sea Routes for Arctic Debate – Bloomberg When the U.S., Russia and six other major stakeholders of the Arctic Council meet May 15 in the northernmost Swedish city of Kiruna, they’ll be joined by nations with observer status, including China and the European Union, that are angling for an elevated status in the diplomatic club and a greater say in the region’s future.
Clashes likely to delay Myanmar-China pipeline start-up: official | Reuters The official said operations were likely to be delayed due to recent clashes between government forces and ethnic militia fighters in Shan state, as well as “fierce fighting” with the Kachin Independence Army in Kachin, a northern state that borders China. The pipeline will be a conduit for gas from the Shwe fields off the coast of Rakhine, a western state bordering Bangladesh, to China’s Yunnan province
Around China: Jiaolong poised for South China Sea mission – Xinhua | English.news.cnThe crew are expected to leave Qingdao, a port city in east China’s Shandong Province, for the 103-day mission on June 5. As the first oceanauts for the country’s independently developed sub, the crew are aged between 29 and 34 and have helped in the development of the vessel. Among the three, only the eldest, Ye Cong, has had overseas training. He took a short course on Alvin, the U.S. manned deep submersible, in 2005.
Despite its extravagance, Chinese aid not always welcomed in Africa – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Plans are in place to construct a new port 65 km to the north. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) initially considered providing assistance. But word of China’s funding surfaced abruptly around the time Xi’s latest visit was proposed. Chinese media reports said a Hong Kong enterprise will undertake the project, which is said to be worth $10 billion, or 40 percent of Tanzania’s gross domestic product.”..Japan nowadays cannot afford to lay out such a big sum,” a JICA official said.
With an Eye on College, Chinese Students Enroll in New York Private Schools – NYTimes.com New York City private schools have always been the province of the city’s young and wealthy, students whose home lives and educations can inspire both disdain and envy. But these students are the children of Shanghai real estate magnates, shipping giants, luxury hotel owners and doctors from coastal regions bordering the East China Sea. They are also part of a small, but growing, cadre of teenagers from wealthy families in China who are attending school in New York City. According to the Department of Homeland Security, 638 Chinese students with visas attended high schools in the city in 2012, up from 114 five years earlier. // one enjoys the tasting menu at Per Se, possibly after a tiring shopping session at Bergdorf Goodman…
去年8万中国人获美国绿卡 入籍人数连降四年_特色频道_财新网 2012年，全球又有103万人获得美国绿卡，虽然中国仍是美国新移民的第二大来源国，但人数却出现三年来的首度下滑，入籍人数也连续第四年下降。
TECH AND MEDIA
Alibaba Shows Net Profit of US$ 642 Mln in Q4 – Caixin Alibaba Group turned a net profit of US$ 642 million in the last quarter of 2012, up more than 170 percent compared to the same period a year earlier…It was the first time that a single quarter’s net profit of the e-commerce giant exceeded that of Tencent Holdings Ltd., the largest internet company in the country…Tencent had a net profit of US$ 565 million in the fourth quarter of last year, a company financial report shows, and the figure for rival Baidu Inc. was US$ 449 million.
李开复对 Facebook们曾提的那些入华建议-看点-@虎嗅网 good Huxiu interview with Kaifu Lee// 对于海外互联网公司的入华问题，或许这句台词用在创新工场CEO李开复身上再合适不过。一方面，李在微软、谷歌期间多年的中国拓展经验使其深谙中国特色与国情，另一方面，李一直保持着与硅谷最热门互联网公司（Facebook等）高层的频繁往来，熟悉美国人的诉求与心里。事实上，这些年，他对微软、谷歌、Facebook、亚马逊等都提过一些在华发展或者入华建议——不过遗憾的是，这些公司除了微软，最终都并未付诸实践。
Audit office criticizes China Mobile’s anti-graft system – People’s Daily Online China Mobile, China’s largest telecom operator, was found to have had problems in bidding and investment involving billions of yuan, according to an audit report released by the National Audit Office on Friday.
人民日报：移动终端传播色情信息 应强化监管|移动终端|监管|人民日报_互联网_新浪科技_新浪网 采访中，一些市民表示，视频播放软件、微信等新技术为公众带来了诸多便利，但涉黄漏洞要引起警惕。多位学生家长忧心，利用无线宽带和移动终端浏览“黄网”隐秘性强，家长、老师不易监管。现在中小学生都加着多个QQ群、微信群等，对智能手机运用娴熟。但未成年人自控能力差，难以抵御不良诱惑，且很容易扩散感染。
The Significance of Amazon Appstore’s Launch in China — [contextChina] / 太平洋中国通 Regardless of whether the Amazon Appstore turns out to be a harbinger of the Kindle’s release in China, its establishment is an important development on its own account.
Weekend Confidential: Jack Ma of Alibaba – WSJ.com Mr. Ma says his first order of post-CEO business will be “to sleep for three months.” He may not have that much time. He will still direct strategic and leadership development of the company, which includes helping U.S. businesses use Alibaba’s platforms to sell to customers in China and abroad. On the side, he plans to open a tai chi club with the actor Jet Li, build an entrepreneurship university in Hangzhou and continue to work on several social and environmental initiatives, including one with the Nature Conservancy.
马云李连杰建太极禅院：会员制服务 私塾授课(图)_科技频道_凤凰网 Jack Ma’s Tai Chi club looks nice
Alibaba Billionaire Ma Steps Down as CEO Before Likely IPO – Bloomberg Billionaire Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., said he plans to focus on environmental protection and education as he steps down as chief executive officer of China’s largest e-commerce company before an initial public offering.
Sina Weibo Will Monetize Through E-Commerce, Not Ads, Alibaba CTO Jian Says | TechCrunch “Weibo is pretty mature right now,” said Alibaba CTO Wang Jian in an interview. “It’s not in a fast growth period.” “I think the best way to monetize Weibo is through e-commerce, not by ads,” Jian said. “That’s what I believe. That’s my personal thought. Weibo has a very good chance to integrate with the Alibaba business.”
Apple accused of tax evasion and spreading pornography by mainland legal group | South China Morning PostT he China Association of Consumer Protection Law, in a report published by the Legal Daily newspaper, accused Apple’s online stores in China of not paying import taxes for software that they sell to mainland consumers… “Apple uses the internet to by-pass Chinese customs and reach Apple iPhone users directly,” said He Shan, the head of the association, in the report. “Apple must pay customs duties to our nation.”
Rare Move: Chinese Telecom Rivals Team Up For App Payments – WSJ China Unicom is joining up with China Mobile — and in the future possibly China Telecom— to offer a single standardized payment plugin that could be used by the country’s many app developers and app stores.
Chinese Angel Investor: ‘Mr President, Tear Down This Wall’ – Forbes change is coming, says Xu Xiaoping, an entrepreneur-turned-angel investor in digital startups. And not a moment too soon, so that China’s Internet companies can start to take on the world. “Mr President, tear down this wall,” he says, with a grin. When might the Great Firewall be dismantled? Within five years, Xu predicts. Otherwise, he warns, China will forever lag behind in innovation, one of the government’s favoured slogans.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
Sinica Podcast–Humor in China This week on Sinica, hosts Kaiser Kuo and Jeremy Goldkorn are delighted to invite guests David Moser and Jesse Appell on our show for a discussion on the differences between Chinese and American senses of humor, asking why these two cultures feel so different and where – if anywhere – they meet?
Laowai Style! Foreigner in Beijing’s Gangnam Style Parody! 《老外Style》江南style模仿版 – YouTube
Jesse Appell: Connect China and the west through humor CCTV News – CNTV English “Laowai Style” received one and a half million views on the internet, and that number is still rising. But Jesse said he himself hasn’t really felt any changes in his life from the video’s immense popularity.
人民日报-拉萨老城“大拆大建”不实（求证·探寻喧哗背后的真相） 正在进行老城区保护工程，淡化其商业功能 本报记者 韩俊杰 People’s Daily denies rumor that hit Weibo May 4 that Lhasa’s old city to be torn down, rebuilt // 5月4日，有微博称“我们的拉萨快被毁了！救救拉萨吧！”并贴出“大拆大建”的照片，指责拉萨老城被过度商业开发。大拆大建老城文物、建筑等内容是否属实？拉萨被过度商业化了吗？带着这些疑问，人民日报“求证”栏目记者走进拉萨市老城区的核心——八廓街区一探究竟。
三成剩女愿意接受二婚男 53%自己解决性生活_时尚频道_凤凰网 interesting survey by a fashion magazine of 35,500 single women on what they want in a husband// 导语：凤凰时尚一项涉及35500多位单身女人的调查显示：有3成的单身女性愿意接受二婚男人。其中调查还涉及为何单身，理想伴侣是什么？以及个人生活时间如何分配，和如何自行解决性生活。
Oversight of foreign experts to improve[1]|chinadaily.com.cn “We will also ask foreigners to sign a declaration that they do not have a criminal record, with a promise to strictly obey laws in China, before issuing them the work permit required for a working visa.” Xia said the administration will also require educational institutions and intermediary agencies that are qualified to hire foreigners to set up special posts to verify the applicants’ curriculum vitae, making full use of the Internet and information provided by child protection organizations in the applicants’ countries of origin.
Ancient Buddhist temple in China bogged down by fake monks and debt | South China Morning Post A provincial city’s ambitious plans for turning an ancient Buddhist temple near Xian into the world capital of Buddhism and listing it on a stock exchange have stagnated, leaving the temple surrounded by fake monks and sham Buddha statues.
Chinese mourn for Wenchuan Earthquake victims – Xinhua | Pupils mourn for victims who died in a massive earthquake five years ago in the old county seat of Beichuan, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, May 12, 2013. A memorial event was held in Beichuan on Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of the deadly earthquake which havoced Sichuan on May 12, 2008
Author unravels mystery of plot that toppled China’s last emperor – Telegraph in 1912, as China boiled with revolution, his own adoptive mother, the Empress Dowager Longyu, signed abdication papers forcing him from the Dragon Throne. Ever since, students of the end of the imperial dynasty have puzzled over why she appeared so willing to do so. Now Jia Yinghua, a 60-year-old historian and former government official, has discovered the answer: she was bribed with 20,000 taels, or 1700lb, of silver, and warned she might end up being beheaded if she refused.
In China, Vulnerable Women, Unwritten Rules : The New Yorker In both cases, the essential dynamic was similar: a sudden perception that a woman of modest power was being abused by others in a position of authority, and the true nature of things was being covered up. Very few of the people commenting on the case had ever met either of the women in question, and yet their cases resonated with a broadly felt sense that a deeper set of unjust principles underlie the way that crime, punishment, and power are handled. Those principles have come to be known as the qian guize—the “unwritten rules”—and to fall victim to them is to be, as they say in Chinese, “unwritten ruled.” Not long ago, I asked the man who coined the term how it came to be. His name is Wu Si, and he is the editor of Yanhuang Chunqiu, a pugnacious magazine devoted to history and politics
Monkey ‘survived bear mauling’ in animal Olympics show – Telegraph The monkey that was attacked by a bear when an animal Olympics event in China went badly wrong was apparently not injured and both creatures have resumed performing the same act, a zoo official claimed.
OF COURSE Radicals | Sinosplice I bring this up because over and over again, I run into claims of a “secret” to or a “new method” for learning Chinese: radicals. Yes, it’s a bit of information you might not know when you first take an interest in Chinese, so it’s definitely worth stating explicitly to any new learner. But it’s not a “revolutionary way” to learn Chinese. It’s one of the fundamental building blocks of the Chinese written language. In fact, the Chinese themselves coud not possibly commit to memory the huge quantity of characters that literate adults know if the system did not somehow build on itself
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
人民日报-广东以环保责任考核破解执法怪圈 市长治污不力 将被一票否决 本报记者 邓圩 Guangdong mayors to be penalized now if they do not deal with pollution? so says People’s Daily
环境污染治理市场望扩容 涉三大领域 – [中国证券网] what are some us or hk listed forms that would benefit from unannounced policy moves and investments to address china’s environmental crisis?// [编者按]目前国务院已责成环保部牵头，就全国大气污染防治、全国水污染防治和全国农村环境保护三项内容，拟定有关行动计划。业内人士认为，我国大气、水和农村环境污染防治领域的市场空间，将在政策刺激下进一步扩容。
China Policy Institute Blog » NGOs, Adaptive Capacity, and Hydropower Politics in China The increasing environmental protests in China are testimony to the fact that the environment has become a hotbed of popular discontent..The enormous improvement of Chinese environmental and resettlement legislation since the beginning of the reform period means that the Chinese central government has recognised this link at least in theory, has learnt from past policy failures, and has become responsive to nation-wide discontent.
Biohit Targets China as Key Market for Cancer-Prevention Product – BloombergA genetic mutation common among east Asian people inhibits their ability to process acetaldehyde, Korpela said. Half the world’s stomach cancer cases occur in eastern Asia, mainly in China, according to the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Shanghai Residents Protest Battery Plant Over Potential Pollution · Global Voices Several thousand miles away to the east, in the Songjiang district of China’s financial hub Shanghai, angry protesters ventured out on a weekend with banners in hand, and one goal in mind—to drive out any plant project that could damage their livelihood. Residents worry the lithium plant would cause heavy metal pollution in an area that provides much of the drinking water to the city of 200 million.
BEIJING
安徽女孩北京坠亡续：京温商城赔偿死者家属40万_网易新闻中心 400,000 RMB compensation for the Anhui woman who died in a fall at Beijing’s jingwen Building. Jingwen management paid, reason being they had a security lapse that allowed her to enter the building after hours// 人民网合肥5月11日电 近日，安徽庐江籍女子袁某在北京京温服装商城内坠楼引起社会各界关注。据最新了解，5月10日，该案双方就赔偿已达成协议，京温服装商城在停止营业后未能及时清理闲杂人员，让袁某深夜能够逗留在商城内，存在管理上的疏漏，赔偿死者家属各项损失共40万元。
北京簋街 汉族餐饮店与藏族摊贩群殴 – YouTube video of Han Chinese restaurant workers and Tibetan (or Qiang?) peddlers brawling on Beijing’s “Ghost street” Sunday, uploaded to Youtube by Ai Weiwei
BOOKS AND LITERATURE
Enigma of China: An Inspector Chen Novel (Inspector Chen Cao): Qiu Xiaolong: Amazon Zhou Keng—a trusted princeling, son of a major party member—was head of the Shanghai Housing Development Committee when a number of his corrupt practices were exposed on the internet. Removed from his position and placed into extra-legal detention, Zhou apparently hanged himself while under guard. While the Party is anxious to have Zhou’s death declared a suicide, and for the renowned Chief Inspector Chen to sign off on that conclusion, the sequence of events don’t quite add up.
Publisher’s Weekly Review: The Enigma of Crime: An Inspector Chen Novel by Qiu Xiaolong The dilemmas of being an ethical cop in a police state have rarely been as neatly delineated as in Qiu’s superb eighth novel featuring Chief Insp. Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau
JOBS AND EVENTS
Kaiser Kuo Meet the Media Guru is hosting an event in Milano the 30th of May in which Kaiser Kuo will recount the development of Baidu and and its international strategies.He will highlight the key elements to understand the ecosystem of social media in China, as well as how the Internet is changing the civil society and how digital technologies are impacting the economic system of the Middle Empire.