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Just links today, enjoy your weekend:
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Canada Approves Both Cnooc-Nexen, Petronas-Progress Deals – Bloomberg – The deal by Beijing-based Cnooc is the largest ever takeover by a Chinese company, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It gives the state-owned company a stake in Canada’s largest oil-sands project and the biggest position in the Buzzard oil field in the U.K. North Sea.
China M&A: a bumper year | beyondbrics– If nothing else, the numbers from Thomson Reuters show that despite the economic slowdown, investor interest in China, in the country and around the globe, remains intense. Since investment is made with the aim of generating profits, and profits are best made in an expanding economy, that’s a serious vote of confidence.As the charts show, Chinese M&A levels have been sustained through the post-2oo8 global crisis by surging domestic deals. From 63 per cent of all deals by value in 2007, the domestic share has leapt this year to 77 per cent.
Fosun Head Addresses Bund Financial Center Dispute – Economic Observer – Summary：SOHO China announced that it was going to buy half of the stake in the Beijing Financial Center project from Zendai Group and China Greentown. The move triggered strong opposition from Fosun, which holds the other half of the shares and is claiming it had preemptive acquisition rights to buy the shares itself. Now, the heads of SOHO and Fosun are locked in an unprecedented legal battle.
华夏银行“飞单”纠纷_杂志频道_财新网 – 银行业员工私售“飞单”、产品违约、遭曝光的首个完整案例 Ca
中国富豪：中共大力反腐致贪官卖房_多维新闻网 – Huang Nubo says the corruption crackdown leading corrupt officials to sell their flats..could panic selling crash any markets? might pave way for rollout of property tax//【多维新闻】12月6日-8日，
Morgan Stanley No Boost for Yongye as Concerns Taint Buyouts – Bloomberg – Yongye, whose name means “forever business” in Chinese, has trimmed half of its 17 percent rally on the Nasdaq Stock Market since a group including Chairman Wu Zishen and Morgan Stanley’s private equity unit proposed a takeover Oct. 15. The stock trades at a 22 percent discount to the offer price, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
POLITICS AND LAW
Xi Jinping keeps things low key in trip to Shenzhen | South China Morning Post After arriving in Shenzhen at noon, Xi visited the Qianhai experimental zone, Tencent and Kuang-Chi Institute of Advanced Technology. Today, he is expected to visit Lotus Hill, which features a bronze statue of late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, and the former fishing village of Yunong, now a wealthy symbol of the success of Deng’s open door policy. ..Shenzhen propaganda officials said Xi had ordered a low-profile reception and there would be no red carpets, no extravagant banquets, no massive security precautions and no overly burdensome traffic controls during his visit.
习近平视察深圳现场未出现欢迎横幅_资讯_网易视频 – Pho
传习近平已到深圳视察 释放改革意愿_多维新闻网 – 12月7日，中国知名的网络公司腾讯发布内部通知，通知称，“
消息称国家领导人今日视察腾讯广州研究院 _原创_DoNews – looks like Xi visited Tencent and Qianhai his first day in Shenzhen. Low key so far…//分析人士对此指出，微信的发展速度和市场表现，
President Hu visits Guizhou – Xinhua | English.news.cn– showing his leftist preferences with his choice of destinations?// When visiting the historic venue of the Zunyi Conference in Zunyi City, President Hu said that “the arduous struggle and the great achievement made by revolutionary predecessors for the victory of the Chinese revolution should never be forgotten.” “We must carry forward the fine tradition of the Zunyi Conference and unswervingly follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics to create a more prosperous future for Chinese people and the nation.” Hu said.
In Bo Xilai’s City, a Legacy of Backstabbing –Caixin blockbuster – A deathbed plea brought an unexpected guest to Li Zhuang’s home one day last March, setting in motion a legal process that soon may clear the Beijing lawyer’s name, throw out a number of convictions, and close a sordid chapter of the Bo Xilai story. The visitor was Gong Ganghua, a businessman from the city of Chongqing, where Bo served as Communist Party chief before being deposed last spring on corruption charges in the run-up to China’s latest leadership transition. Gong and his brother-business partner Gong Gangmo hired Li as a defense attorney in 2009 after they were targeted during a Bo city government campaign to clear out organized crime.
解读中纪委新班子团队：几乎全部具备反腐经验 – 新华人事 – 新华网– xinhua looks at the new leadership of the CDIC led by Wang Qishan// 据《廉政瞭望》报道 随着中国共产党十八届一中全会落幕，
尚方宝剑在手 王岐山反腐“清雷”显铁腕_多维新闻网 – 此轮反腐风暴中，人们可以看到不同与以往的特点：首先，
Closer Look: Net Users Make Good Anti-Corruption Campaigners, But More Can Be Done – – Li Tuo, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, says the phenomenon shows that people at the grassroots level have good knowledge about corruption cases.”The recent campaign on the Internet has many advantages, including directly exposing corrupt officials via pictures and videos, and can provide clues for official investigators,” he said.However, Li said this approach to cleaning up dirty officials has its limitations.
Weibo’s anti-graft role merits reflection – Globaltimes.cn– People on Weibo generally believe that most officials are corrupt. It is due to China’s complexity that such misjudgments are made. Although China ranks low in the global clean politics index, the number of corrupt officials exposed and punished has been among the highest in recent years. It reflects the country’s determination in its anti-corruption efforts. It will be difficult to require all to be objective on Weibo. Weibo’s relevance in terms of corruption is more significant than ever. It encourages people to be whistle-blowers in the campaign. Such exposure should be encouraged while society should be able to assess how reliable and accountable this information is. The significance of fighting corruption has deeper meaning in China than it does in other countries. It is the key to China’s political reform process.
太原公安局长之子酒驾打交警 交警被要求作假证_网易新闻中心 –police chief in Taiyuan goes down, ostensibly due to coverup over son’s DUI-fueled assault on a police officer,video of which went viral online though report leaves open possibility there are other reasons// 核心提示：近日，
Chinese police to minimize traffic controls for officials’ trips – Xinhua | English.news.cn – China’s Ministry of Public Security has ordered the country’s police “not to arrange road closures in general” and to “minimize time for traffic controls” arranged for officials’ trips.
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
Review & Outlook: China’s Nationalist Wave – WSJ.com – Perhaps most important is the revival of nationalism as a major theme in Chinese rhetoric. Mr. Xi has adopted “revival of the nation” as his first major slogan, signaling his intention to be a reform-oriented nationalist. Last week he led the Politburo Standing Committee on a visit to an exhibition on foreign imperialism at the National Museum, and his remarks suggest he wants to harness patriotic feeling to overcome political opposition.
South China Sea Code of Conduct Stranded in Distrust-Caijing –
Chinese ships conduct Diaoyu Islands sea patrol – Xinhua | English.news.cn– The fleet declared the Chinese government’s stance regarding the Diaoyu Islands to Japanese ships that had illegally entered the waters, the SOA said. The four vessels asked the Japanese ships to leave the waters and collected evidence of infringement on China’s sovereignty, it said.
Nationalism rears head ahead of poll | The Japan Times Online– A recent government survey found that a record 81 percent of those polled expressed a negative view toward china, and only 18 percent voiced friendly feelings, down more than 8 percentage points year on year. Meanwhile, just 2 in 5 felt positively about South Korea, plunging 24 percent from 2011 and dipping below the 40 percent mark for the first time in 15 years. And ahead of the Dec. 16 general election, mainstream political parties are rushing to accommodate this rising hawkishness and rightism.
The “Long Pole in the Tent”: China’s Military Jet Engines – The Diplomat – China is increasingly recognizing that aeroengines represent the “long pole in the tent” of military aircraft production, but has a long way to go before it can remove this as a limiting factor. Even with China’s existing resources and growing expertise, this process is likely to take time to even approach the accomplishments that the Big Three, secondary Western European, and Russian aeroengine manufacturers have achieved after many years of arduous development.
Don’t Fear the Tiger: Huanqiu Shibao, Chinese Delegations, and Netizen Responses to the North Korean Rocket « SINO-NK– The Chinese version of the paper is the real deal, and most of the paper’s most interesting content doesn’t even make it into English. In short, it’s a great place to watch a more “hand-to-hand combat” kind of approach to China’s North Korea policy. Through its coverage of the leadup to the missile launch, Huanqiu is making it immediately clear that average Chinese reader-netizens — and even some prominent PRC scholars who must retain good relations with North Korea, such as Lü Chao (吕超） – are closer to getting fed up with the DPRK, or at least less and less worried about voicing their criticisms of Kim Jong Un’s policies
U.S. now ‘totally unified’ in opposition of U.N. Internet governance | ZDNet– ITU member states continue to argue over proposals from a range of countries, most notably oppressive regimes — including as Russia and China — which could impose levies on Internet traffic and adopt standards, making it easier to track Internet users’ activities. The proposals would give governments more effective control over citizens’ access and use, as well as establish standards for telephone-style fee collection for Internet use.
China slams ‘disgusting’ US stance on human rights in Tibet | South China Morning Post– Maria Otero, United States Special Co-ordinator for Tibetan Issues, said in a statement on Wednesday that tensions in Tibetan areas, including self-immolations, had been exacerbated by tough Chinese policies and controls. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, using unusually harsh language, said the Tibet issue had nothing to do with human rights, ethnicity or religion.
Time to leave China?–Sinica Podcast – That is why this week on Sinica we are delighted to be joined by none other than Will Moss of Imagethief, whose own valedictory post earlier this week made for surprisingly sentimental reading, being not the least negative about China and we think it’s worth talking about why. Also up for discussion: what if anything does Xi Jinping mean in his public remarks on China’s coming “restoration”
HONG KONG AND TAIWAN
Chinatrust Chairman Jeffrey Koo Dies in New York City at Age 79 – Bloomberg – Koo used his wealth to help promote Taiwan’s international presence, organizing social events with dignitaries during meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, according to “The Rich and Powerful Families in Taiwan – the Koos of the Koos’ Group,” by Sima Xiaoqing, published in 1998. Jeffrey Koo also served as adviser to three Taiwan presidents — Lee Teng-hui, Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-jeou — advocating for closer economic cooperation with China. He was a board member of Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation, according to a 2011 government publication.
Chinatrust chairman Jeffrey Koo dies in New York at age of 79 – Xinhua | English.news.cn– Jeffrey Koo, chairman of Taiwan-based Chinatrust Financial Holding Co., died in New York aged 79 on Thursday after suffering from Parkinson’s disease, according to a corporation statement. Born on Sept. 8, 1933, Jeffrey Koo was a leading Taiwan entrepreneur with global influence.
TECH AND MEDIA
Telecoms Firms Ready for Mobile Payment Services Next Year –Caixin – China Mobile, China Unicom expect millions of people to begin buying things such as bus tickets through their cell phones
Squabble between Filmmakers and Cinemas Shows Industry’s Immaturity –Caixin – Production companies recently asked for a bigger cut of box office revenue, but their seeming defeat shows the market still has some growing up to do
ZTE Guns for Alcatel With Development Bank Funds – Businessweek – ZTE Corp. (763) plans to use its biggest funding yet from China Development Bank to become one of the world’s top-three suppliers of wireless network equipment in the next two years, surpassing France’s Alcatel-Lucent SA. (ALU)
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
The Stakeholders in China’s Hospital Reforms | Asia Healthcare Blog – As 2012 draws to a close, the two most impactful reforms China has set in motion within the healthcare space are the ongoing expansion of the country’s insurance plan and attempts to reform its hospitals. The latter is one of the more complex and multi-faceted aspects of China’s overarching objectives as part of its 2009 investment and 12th 5 Year Plan (5YP). Hospital reforms in China draw together several different stakeholders with many times differing objectives. As one example, the Ministry of Health’s desire to change how hospitals generate revenue (away from drug prescriptions) has not been matched by increased funding by the Ministry of Finance.
WHO: 80% of China Deaths from Non-Communicable Diseases – China Real Time Report – WSJ – WHO presence in China not what it used to be// World Health Organization officials are urging China to reduce the country’s high rates of non-communicable diseases, warning that medical costs and productivity losses stemming from those diseases will amount to significant economic losses for the world’s second-largest economy.
Green activists spend 100,000 yuan on NY Times ad aimed at Xi | South China Morning Post– Titled “Congratulations to the new generation of China’s leaders,” the quarter-page advertisement was published on page A24 of the newspaper’s national section last week.”We hope the promise is kept to protect the environment,” the advertisement said, in English and Chinese. Veteran environmentalist Wu Lihong, from Wuxi, Jiangsu, and another peasant activist, Chen Faqing, from Zhejiang, jointly paid more than 100,000 yuan (HK$123,000) to place the advertisement.
Official Worried About Gaps in Regulation in Shale Gas Development -Caijing – Environmental concerns, along with possible monopoly, both of which call for a sound regulatory system, could also cloud the prospect of the new energy.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
好宝有机庄园–中国有机食品最大的网上商城 – organi
BOOKS AND LITERATURE
莫言发表诺贝尔奖演讲《讲故事的人》_网易新闻中心 –Vide
Nobel laureate Mo Yan takes swipe at critics in lecture | South China Morning Post– “The announcement of my Nobel Prize has led to controversy. At first I thought I was the target of the disputes, but over time I’ve come to realise that the real target was a person who had nothing to do with me,” he said on Friday. The best way for a writer to speak was through his work, he argued, adding that everything he needed to say could be found there. “Speech is carried off by the wind; the written word can never be oblitreated,” he told the audience.
The Nobel Prize Winner Mo Yan and the Hazards of Hollow Words in China : The New Yorker– As Mo prepared to leave China for Stockholm this week, his publisher ,Chen Liming, said that he believed “the writer’s speech will be historic.” The publisher may have meant those to be hollow words, but Mo did say things of consequence. When he reached Sweden, he distinguished himself by standing up for censorship as a matter of security. “When I was taking my flight, going through the customs… they also wanted to check me—even taking off my belt and shoes,” he said. “But I think these checks are necessary.” He said defamation and rumors “should be censored,” but he opposed censoring the truth, adding, “I also hope that censorship, per se, should have the highest principle.” Mo dodged questions about Liu Xiaobo, referring back to a comment he once made that he hoped Liu would be freed soon—a statement that had left people wondering just what he meant.
Amazon: In the Name of Justice: Striving for the Rule of Law in China (The Thornton Center Chinese Thinkers Series): Weifang He, Cheng Li, John L. Thornton: Books – n the Name of Justice presents a critical assessment of the state of Chinese legal reform by He Weifang, the country’s leading liberal law scholar. Professor He has been at the forefront of the country’s bumpy path toward justice and judicial independence for more than a decade. His bold remarks at the famous New Western Hills Symposium in 2006, including his assertion that “China’s party-state structure violates the PRC Constitution,” are considered a watershed moment in the centurylong movement for a constitutional China. In addition to a selection of the author’s academic writings, the volume also includes many of Professor He’s public speeches, media interviews, and open letters, which provide more insight into his dual roles as thinker and practitioner in the Chinese legal world.
He Weifang and China’s Path to Legal Reform Without Revolution – China Real Time Report – WSJ – Few people have pushed for the narrowing of that gap as persuasively or courageously as He Weifang, an outspoken and well-known legal scholar at the Beijing University Law School who has been urging legal reform for almost 15 years through journals, the media and public lectures. Now, for the first time, English speakers have the pleasure of being able to access He’s work in a single, carefully translated volume.