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Today’s must-read is Coming to America, Alex Pasternack’s long story in Foreign Policy about CCTV’s American operations. Some highlights from the piece:
“CCTV’s strategy is to find niches where other people have let down the global TV audience in the English sphere,” said Jim Laurie, a two-decade veteran of ABC who has consulted for new broadcast ventures around the world, and who is helping CCTV develop its American service. From the new U.S. headquarters on New York Avenue, less than a mile from the White House, Laurie and a team of producers and editors, as well as three Chinese managers who have relocated from Beijing, oversee 16 bureaus in North and South America, supplementing hundreds of Chinese and African reporters working at offices in Africa, Europe, and Asia. On another floor, some 40 Chinese journalists and technicians prepare reports for the domestic service….
The day begins with a morning pitch meeting, where the evening’s prospective stories are discussed. Nothing is off limits, but editorial decisions ultimately fall with Chinese news managers, led by Director General Ma Jing, who have relocated from Beijing. (Ma Jing and all Chinese staff contacted declined to be interviewed for this story.) “There’s vigorous debate about what stories will be covered on that day,” said Laurie. “It’s a process you see in every newsroom, wherever you are. But when there’s a lack of decision, then the managing editor who’s Chinese will step in.”
I argued a couple of years ago in Can China Successfully Build Soft Power Without A Global Internet Strategy? that a potential fatal flaw of China’s overseas media push is that the efforts are almost entirely focused on declining media like television, radio and print.
Can China really win hearts and minds when it is known as a country that blocks Facebook, Google, Youtube and Twitter? Will CCTV America mostly just be a boon for bureaucrats, western media consultants, unemployed journalists, cable channel and radio station owners, and advertising sales people, or does CCTV’s overseas expansion have a real shot at building credibility and influence?
Today’s links:
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Coke Hacked And Doesn’t Tell – Bloomberg – FBI officials quietly approached executives at Coca-Cola Co. (KO) on March 15, 2009, with some startling news. Hackers had broken into the company’s computer systems and were pilfering sensitive files about its attempted $2.4 billion acquisition of China Huiyuan Juice Group (1886), according to three people familiar with the situation and an internal company document detailing the cyber intrusion
China’s Non-Manufacturing Industries Rebound From 19-Month Low – Bloomberg – The purchasing managers’ index rose to 55.5 in October from 53.7 the previous month, the National Bureau of Statistics and China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in Beijing yesterday. September’s reading was the weakest since a new seasonally adjusted series of the gauge began in March 2011.
浙江楼市领跌 温州炒客被套转经营_财经频道_一财网 – housing price declines in Zhejiang, lots of (deserved) pain for Wenzhou speculators// 据悉，新一轮调控持续至今，
China’s coal stock piles up amid slowdown – Xinhua | English.news.cn– Their stocks soared 70 percent from a year earlier to 98 million tonnes as of the end of September, according to figures from the National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s top economic planning body.Meanwhile, coal stocks at major ports rose 53 percent year on year to 40.76 million tonnes as of the end of September, the figures showed.
China Builder Said to Seek Loan for Possible Contract – Bloomberg – can the managers commute to the work site from Vegas?// China Railway Construction Corp. (1186) is seeking a $100 million to $200 million loan from Chinese banks for a property development in Nevada, a precondition for it to win a contract to build part of the project, said three people with direct knowledge of the matter. The funding is being sought for the $1.6 billion Union Village project in Henderson City
POLITICS AND LAW
China’s Xi Jinping Would Be Force for U.S. to Contend With – NYTimes.com – some may take this as sign “reformers” will lose out. perhaps, but remember that the goal of reform is not so China can be “more like the US” but rather to strengthen the China and its “comprehensive national power”. foreign analysts need to move beyond the simplistic framework of “reformers vs conservatives” or “hardliners vs. softliners”. Many leaders may favor reforms to strengthen China and hardline positions against the US, Japan and other nations. So are they “reformist hardliners”?// In the last four months, China has forged an aggressive, more nationalistic posture in Asia that may set the tone for Mr. Xi’s expected decade-long tenure, analysts and diplomats say, pushing against American allies, particularly Japan, for what China considers its territorial imperatives. The son of a revolutionary general, Mr. Xi, 59, boasts far closer ties to China’s fast-growing military than the departing leader, Hu Jintao, had when he took office.
Concluding CPC Central Committee plenum issues communique – Xinhua | English.news.cn –
Chinese premier leaves for Asia-Europe Meeting, Laos visit – Xinhua | English.news.cn – back tuesday, 18th starts thursday. would he leave town if things were not set for the 18th?// Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao left Beijing Sunday afternoon for Vientiane, Laos to attend the ninth Asia-Europe Meeting from Sunday to Tuesday and pay an official visit to Laos.
CPC Central Committee endorses Bo Xilai expulsion – Xinhua | English.news.cn –
中国共产党第十七届中央委员会第七次全体会议公报 – 新华时政 – 新华网 –
Amendment to Party constitution approved |Latest News |chinadaily.com.cn– The communique did not release the details of the amendment.The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee worked out the amendment to the Party Constitution at a meeting in October, saying the Party Constitution should be updated to reflect the Party’s latest theoretical achievements in localizing Marxism and practical experience.
Xinhua–CPC works hard to guarantee success of leadership transition– no mention of Mao thought in 2002 release at close of 16th party congress. and no de-maoification in the ten years since..some bush league discussion recently. of course could happen, but nothing that has been released publicly so far supports that prediction// “As early as March, 2001, Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin had convened meetings of the Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee in the central government compound of Zhongnanhai, to discuss personnel arrangements for the 16th Party Congress and set down guidelines and basic principles,” he said…According to these guidelines and principles, those qualified for membership of the new Party central committee and the CCDI must be loyal to Marxism, have a steadfast faith in Communism and socialism with Chinese characteristics, always adhere to Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Party’s basic line and fundamental creeds,voluntarily maintain a high-degree of uniformity with the Party central committee with Jiang Zemin at the core, and play an exemplary role in implementing the important thought of Three Represents.
【舒立观察】如何理解改革顶层设计_杂志频道_财新网 – mo
十八大后的中国：挑战与变革（之一）-战略与改革网 – 一段时间以来，海内外的媒体和网络上，
胡德平：时代发展迫切需要的两个大课题 – 经济观察网 － 专业财经新闻网站 – Hu Deping’s commentary in Economic Observer// 导语：
Late China Party Chief’s Son Urges Reform on Eve of Power Shift – Bloomberg – “Reforms cannot be wasted, promises cannot be abandoned,” Hu Deping wrote in a commentary in yesterday’s Economic Observer, a Beijing-based newspaper. China’s current problems not only threaten the nation’s healthy development, they violate people’s rights and undermine the party’s ability to govern, he wrote.
The trial of Bo Xilai and what it means for the rule of law in China | East Asia Forum– The party’s handling of Bo’s case gives hope that things are moving in the right direction. Time will tell whether this landmark trial can provide the Chinese Communist Party leadership with the confidence to pursue bold and genuine political reforms and provide the Chinese public with renewed confidence in a reborn ruling party.Cheng Li is Director of Research and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center.
The Five Vermin 五蠹 Threatening China | The China Story– Geremie R Barmé – On 31 July 2012, the overseas edition of People’s Daily ran an analysis of what was called China’s three- to five-year ‘window of opportunity’. It claimed that this is a crucial moment in world history, one in which the Communist Party-led People’s Republic must continue to maintain stability, leverage its economic might and enhance its strategic options. The essay analysing this fortuitous period was written by Yuan Peng 袁鹏, head of the American Research Centre of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) in Beijing 中国现代国际关系研究院美国所所长. Titled ‘Where Are the Real Threats to China?’ 中国真正的挑战在哪里 Yuan’s essay offers a sobering analysis of the short- and medium-term factors influencing the wellbeing of the People’s Republic…For readers in- and outside China, Yuan’s essay offers an important insight into how one informed analyst is suggesting China’s incoming leaders should calibrate their policies in response to the perceived international and local situation. For this reason, we think it important to offer a translation of his essay, along with the original
新华社盘点反腐：十年查处薄熙来陈良宇等要案_网易新闻中心 – 昨天，新华社发表题为《常怀忧党之心，恪尽兴党之责——
对党说句心里话–专题报道–人民网 – Send your thoughts to the Party on the eve of the 18th, via People’s Daily Weibo.
Welcome to the party! – FT.com – from late september// Now, as the CPC prepares for a once-in-a-decade political transition – which will mostly involve replacing one set of grey-faced leaders with another – the Financial Times has set out to assemble an Everyman gallery of party members. When the party meets for its 18th congress in Beijing next month, most of these people will not be making any headlines. But they offer rare insights into what life is like as a member of one of the world’s most secretive political parties.
Premier Wen Jiabao calls for party probe into claims of family’s ‘hidden fortune’ | South China Morning Post – Premier requests top-level inquiry into claims of US$2.7b assets and is reported to be pushing for long-overdue ‘sunshine law’ to be put into effect
China moves toward registering citizens’ fingerprints – People’s Daily Online– The Ministry of Public Security on Thursday started to invite fingerprint reader manufacturers to bid for a list of recommended equipment to be used in the upcoming collection, said a report in the Beijing Youth Daily.According to a notice from the ministry, these manufacturers should be registered in China and have to be Chinese-owned or -controlled enterprises.
China’s ‘new Manhattan’ becomes censorship capital – FT.com – Meanwhile, some of China’s leading internet firms are relocating their censorship operations to Tianjin as they battle soaring labour costs. Tianjin’s tale illustrates China’s rapidly changing economic landscape but also puts a question mark over the reform and economic policy credentials of the country’s incoming leaders.
In China, political ambition comes at a monumental cost | Reuters– The towers in Tianjin’s Yujiapu Financial District, and two dozen others on the opposite side of the river, are monuments to the transformation of this once-rundown northern city of 13 million into the country’s fastest growing region last year.They are also a testament to Tianjin’s political boss, Zhang Gaoli, whose economic record has marked him out as a rising star of China’s communist leadership, a leading candidate to join its supreme decision-making body, the Politburo Standing Committee
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
China Keeps Up Pressure on Japan Over Disputed Islands With Patrols – NYTimes.com – While Chinese ships have sailed near the islands before, this is the first time since a recent flare-up began that they have plied the waters so consistently. Analysts say that suggests China is trying to wear down Japan’s resolve in the dispute, and possibly even trying to chip away at Japan’s claim of having effective control over the uninhabited islands established in part by its own maritime patrols.
China Names Fan, Xu to Military Commission Amid Leadership Shift – Bloomberg –
Feature: Chinese VP tells story of American couples’ attachment to China – Xinhua | English.news.cn– nice, symbolic gesture for us-china relations at start of xi reign?approval for a 50m rmb budget movie of story of american couple in guling that xi jinping told on his recent us trip// “In 1992 when I worked in Fuzhou City of China’s Fujian Province, I myself witnessed a moving story,” Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who was on a visit to the United States, told friendly groups at a luncheon Wednesday. Xi recalled how he facilitated a trip for an American lady who was trying to fulfil her late husband’s wish of revisiting his childhood home in China.
习近平所讲“鼓岭故事”将拍成电影 投资5千万_新闻_腾讯网 – news of the 50m budget for the guling movie// 记者日前获悉，由国家广电总局批准立项、
亲历中印战争_历史频道_凤凰网 – long look back at reasons Mao launched Sino-Indian war, including to distract from domestic issues, lots of angry commentators// 毛泽东最后决定以武力反击印度，
The problem with claims about Chinese nationalism « southseaconversations 讨论南海– the impression that Ross and others like John Lee and Susan Shirk seek to create — a tottering Chinese regime trying desperately to appease its nationalist critics in order to cling on to power — is a potentially dangerous one, for it implies that the PRC could at any time make war on a whim for reasons that defy logic. Rather than favouring mutual confidence-building and coexistence, as Ross seemingly wants to argue for, this view of Chinese foreign policy leads logically to the conclusion that trust with China is impossible, and an ever-greater China-directed military buildup the only viable option.Thankfully, Ross’s analysis is far from the mark. Hawkish nationalist sentiment is not out of control in China.
Alarm over imprint of Chinese telcos in Nepal – Hindustan Times – Security agencies have raised an alarm over increased imprint of Chinese telecom firms in neighbouring Nepal’s communication set up and asked for immediate intervention of the External Affairs Ministry for providing a suitable alternative to the Himalayan nation.
Analysis: Romney is likely to break day-one China currency pledge | Reuters – “If you look at the law it is not the President that has that authority, it’s the Treasury Secretary. And on day one he is not going to have a Senate-confirmed Treasury Secretary,”
人民日报-“金钱政治”砸不出变革动力（国际论坛） 钟 声 – Zhong Sheng in People’s Daily on US presidential election–“money politics” wont bring change
Hanban releases funds for sinology |Society |chinadaily.com.cn– Confucius Institute Headquarters, also known as Hanban, announced on Saturday that it will be providing funding to international graduate students and young sinology scholars to conduct researches and study in humanity fields in China.The details were outlined in the Confucius China Study Plan, which was presented at the Third World Conference on Sinology at Renmin University of China in Beijing.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
人大附中否认小升初择校费超50万 将用法律维权–法治–
Putting down roots | China Economic Review – China Economic Review spoke with several current and former overseas students on what they learned about their home in their time overseas and why some chose not to go back.
Chinese prodigy Guan Tianlang, 14, wins US Masters berth | News.com.au – The youngster held on for a one-stroke win at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship yesterday.
Looted relics removed from auction |Europe |chinadaily.com.cn – Two Chinese relics that were looted from Beijing’s Old Summer Palace, or Yuanmingyuan, in 1860 have been withdrawn from auction at Bonhams auctioneers in London.
Chinese-born Eurasian writer Han Suyin dies aged 95｜Culture｜News｜
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
Elephants: Brought to tusk | The Economist – “Many Chinese don’t even know that elephants are killed or that not all ivory is from natural deaths,” says Peter Knights of WildAid, an American NGO working in China. The first response has been encouraging. Zhuo Qiang, a Chinese wildlife researcher, says that mainland television crews have flocked to the Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya.
湘鄂赣：核电的失落_中国经营网_中国经营报 – 内陆核电审批大门的关闭，
China Diabetes Triples Creating $3.2 Billion Drug Market – Bloomberg – and affects some rich and powerful people// Prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, a disease linked to inactivity and excess calories, has more than tripled in China over the past decade, fueling 20 percent-a-year growth in drug sales and straining health services. It’s also stoking need for newer, costlier medications from Merck & Co. (MRK), Novo Nordisk A/S (NOVOB) and Sanofi that help avoid blood-sugar spikes and complications such as heart attack and stroke.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
茅台今日外派30名“王海”赴全国打假–《证券日报》 – M
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