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

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Just links today, on the road.

• Who’s afraid of Huawei? | The Economist new issue of The Economist, nice cover art

• 广电总局禁止网游改编电视剧 革命剧须敌我分明|广电总局|网游|电视剧_新浪新闻
  SARFT out with more rules on TV content. Interesting what they are worried about//
  【广电总局禁止网游改编电视剧 革命剧须敌我分明】广电总局人士证实，广电总局对电视剧创作提六项要求，其中包括革命历史题材要敌我分明；不能无限制放大家庭矛盾；古装历史剧不能捏造戏说；商战剧需要注意价值导向；翻拍克隆境外剧不能播出；不提倡网络小说改编，网游不能改拍。
• Migrants Exit Guangdong as China Powerhouse Turns Growth Laggard – Bloomberg The region that drove China’s rise after market barriers started coming down in 1978 is among the nation’s slowest- growing as faltering demand cuts exports and workers exit for the central and western areas powering the nation’s expansion.
• Kim Jong-un meets with senior Chinese officials – Telegraph
  Mr Kim received a Chinese delegation led by Wang Jiarui, head of the Communist Party’s international department, in Pyongyang, China’s Xinhua agency and the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
• Chinese Microblogs Have More Substance Than Twitter: Lee Kai-fu｜Culture｜News｜WantChinaTimes.com
  2011-－Asked about how web users could spot “fake news” on microblogs and on the internet in general, Lee said that the forwarding function in microblogs could weed out advertisements and “junk” information. “In order to maintain their reputation, most people would not [disseminate] something that is not good, let alone break the law,” he added.
• Amazon.com: Microblog Changes Everything (Chinese Edition) (9787564205027): li kai fu: Books
  Kaifu Lee’s 2011 book on Weibo–微博改变一切
• U.S. swim coach’s personal info crawls onto China’s Twitter | Technically Incorrect – CNET News
  so depressing. kaifu lee has been a great bridge between china and the us. this seems very out of character, as he is much better than this//
  Coach who is suspicious of absurdly fast Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen has his personal details posted on Sina Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, by the former head of Google China. Is this Guy Adams II
• USA Swimming Scandal — Worse Than Penn State? | Baltimore News | WBAL Radio 1090 AM
  grim. perhaps leonard cracking under the pressure?//
  According to multiple sources, among the damning facts regarding USA Swimming include making deals with coaches who have abused minors in order to keep the issue quiet; the influential leader of the coach’s association, John Leonard, stalling attempts
  by the organization to tighten sexual abuse policies; and USA Swimming creating its own insurance company (United States Sports Insurance Company) that did not include sexual molestation as part of its coverage until the USOC pressured it to on May 3, 1999.
• 明鏡新聞網: 明鏡獨家預報：北戴河會議再次推遲
  Mingjing News claims “exclusive”, Beidaihe meeting that was going to happen this weekend has been delayed. Love the rumors…
• China Central Bank to Maintain ‘Prudent’ Monetary Policy – Bloomberg
  China will conduct policy fine-tuning at an appropriate time and consumer inflation may rebound after August, the People’s Bank of China said in a quarterly monetary-policy report on its website yesterday. The yuan exchange rate will be kept “basically stable,” the Beijing-based central bank said.
• Corn’s 60% Surge Is More Dangerous Than Euro Mess – Bloomberg
  China has its own challenges as the era of cheap food ends. The recent 60 percent jump in corn to a record since June 15 is one problem. This year’s 35 percent surge in soybeans is another; China is by far the Asia-Pacific region’s biggest importer of soy. Wheat prices are zooming higher, too. China is already slowing rapidly as Europe’s mess depresses demand for its exports.
• 国务院督查风暴：楼市调控抉择时刻|国务院督查|楼市调控|地产股_21世纪网
  will china ban pre sales of new housing as a next step in real estate repression? would hurt developers cash flow…
  取消预售制度，正是专家建议中央加大房地产调控力度的备选方案之一。住建部也在评估和研究取消预售制度对市场带来的影响，和政策推出的时机。
• China industry body warns EU over solar duties | Reuters
  China could retaliate over a European anti-dumping complaint filed against Chinese solar companies, officials from a Chinese industry body said on Thursday in a protracted row over cheaper Chinese solar modules.
• U.S.-backed study exploited China prisoners: rights group | Reuters
  A medical study published in the weekly journal Science and partially funded by the U.S. government was conducted at detention centers in China that engage in severe violations of human rights, according to a letter published by the journal Thursday.
• Tough Fare After Floods for Beijing Hacks – China Real Time Report – WSJ
  The state-run China Daily reported earlier this week that Beijing city transportation officials have launched an investigation into taxi drivers’ overcharging and refusing to take passengers. The issue has steamed locals in recent days during and after the flood, as rain made getting around a slog. The city has set up hotlines for consumers to call in and complain.
• Yu Defends Herself as China Reacts – China Real Time Report – WSJ
  Disqualified former Olympic Chinese badminton player Yu Yang quit the sport on Wednesday in a very modern Chinese way: through her microblog. And she also offered a glimpse of the mind frame of the players who caused an international stir with their uninspired play.
• Typhoons set to wreak havoc along coast |Society |chinadaily.com.cn
  Two typhoons, set to hit eastern coastal areas almost simultaneously, caused widespread disruption to daily life.
• 人民日报-美国“长臂管辖”过于霸道(国际论坛)
  zhong sheng criticizes us for overreaching on iran with illegal actions, specifically against oil sales and financial cooperation..”excessive hegemony”
  联合国安理会没有禁止任何国家同伊朗进行石油贸易，也没有勒令任何国家完全中断与伊朗的金融合作，美国的“长臂管辖”具有明显治外法权性质，是借国内法推行国际霸权和强权政治。
• 人民日报-三一集团 自主创新志在一流
  Sany Heavy praised on page 1 of people’s daily for innovation. CEO a shoe-in for 18th Central Committee? 
• 北京日报：举国体制是好体制_网易新闻中心
  核心提示：8月3日，北京日报发表署名为长石的文章称，目前，有不少人声明对奥运“漠不关心”，指责举国体制是花纳税人的钱买国家的名，缺乏对人性的关怀。文章称，举国体制是符合中国发展阶段的选择，已被证明是卓有成效的，唱衰举国体制的论调，实为唱衰中国论的变种。
• Bo Xilai: The Unanswered Questions by Perry Link | NYRblog | The New York Review of Books
  Is it possible, I asked, that Bo’s wife is being targeted as a scapegoat for Bo, in order to leave the way open for an eventual return by Bo? I had seen speculation of this kind in the Western press, but from my friends in Beijing heard only a contemptuous response. “When has the Communist Party ever done this?” asked an eminent historian. “When has any struggle like this ever not ended in total victory for one side and total defeat for the other?” The book dealer said, “The only question now is the length of Bo’s prison term. Nothing can free Bo short of a collapse of the whole system.”In a larger sense, though, Bogu Kailai is still a scapegoat—not for her husband but for the whole Communist Party. By focusing all the blame on her, and “bringing her to justice,” the Party, in its tradition of maintaining decorous exteriors, can extend the fiction that everything is basically fine. We, the Party, the center of China, are fine. Shortly after Wang Lijun went to the US Consulate, a joke appeared on the Chinese Internet. Wang Lijun is an ethnic Mongolian, and Bogu Kailai is said to have permanent-resident status in Singapore. The joke said: “This whole case is about a Mongolian who ran to the Americans to expose a Singaporean who killed a Brit. Nothing to do with China.”
• Protecting the public 140 words at a time |Society |chinadaily.com.cn
  Millions of fans following police micro blogs
  Public security authorities are most influential of all the government departments with micro blogs on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter-like website, according to an analysis.
• Billionaire Li detained in Xiamen |Society |chinadaily.com.cn
  Li Baohua, chairwoman of a real estate investment group in Xiamen, Fujian province, has been detained by the local public security bureau on suspicion of obtaining funds illegally, the bureau told China Daily on Wednesday.
  The 36-year-old billionaire is being investigated for allegedly disappearing with a vast sum after deceiving investors.
• China will maintain labor cost advantage in foreseeable future – People’s Daily Online
  It is an exaggeration to say China’s labor costs will catch up with the U.S. and European countries in short term…Certain foreign chambers of commerce and financial institutions recently published reports saying that many foreign companies have felt pressures from increasing labor costs in China, and are considering relocating their production facilities to certain Southeast Asian countries where labor costs are much lower. The French bank Natixis forecast in a recent study that labor costs in China would match those of the United States within four years, catching up with eurozone countries in five years and with Japan in seven years.
• McKinsey launches leadership institute in Beijing – People’s Daily Online
  what could go wrong?//
  Global management consultancy McKinsey & Company launched the McKinsey China Leadership Institute or MCLI in Beijing on August 1, announced Haimeng Zhang, partner and leader of McKinsey’s Organization Practice, during a news briefing on Wednesday in Beijing…As the first center of its kind in China, the institute will be dedicated to helping Chinese companies build the capabilities to navigate the challenges they face home and abroad, as well as rise to the challenge of becoming world-class players.
• Foreign prostitutes solicit customers in Beijing – People’s Daily Online
  Yabao Lu. Russian/former USSR?
  The Security Administration Unit (SAU) and Chaoyang branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau recently arrested 15 people involved in prostitution at Qixingdao Bar, including four foreign prostitutes, according to information released on July 30. The foreign prostitutes solicited customers at the bar using gestures and simple Chinese, and then offered sexual services at a hotel or the apartment they rented.
• Inter Milan Said to Sell 15% Stake to China Railway – Bloomberg
• 中国铁建否认入股国米： “我们怎么会去投资足球？”|中国铁建否认入股|股价下跌|足球投资_21世纪网
  China Railway Construction denies it is investing in Inter Milan
• InitialView Bags Top US University Admissions Advisor
  Georgia Tech used InitialView, which conducts the interviews and then hosts them on its website, for a pilot program last year and is recommending the service to students from China for the coming round of applications.
• Water Seepage, Hollow Bricks Found in Government Subsidized Houses-Caijing
  Along with questions over the city’s fragile infrastructure, the deadly rain which hit Beijing in late July has also raised safety concerns about the country’s subsidized houses, a public-housing project for low-income families.
  According to Chinese media, some house owners in Tongxin Homes in Fangshan district, one of such projects developed by Beijing Capital Development Co., Ltd., found water was seeping into the walls of their houses after torrential rains.
• The perils of private enterprise: There was blood | The Economist
  In rural China, a private oil boom became a state-owned one
• Review & Outlook: Alloys in China’s Gold? – WSJ.com
  The success of that machine has arguably made doping superfluous and self-defeating. The Communist Party has learned that it can win plenty of gold medals through a training apparatus that selects promising athletes at a very young age on the basis of physical aptitude and subjects them to an intensive regimen. Ms. Ye essentially became a professional athlete at the age of six, and trained at government expense in Australia with two of the world’s top coaches, Ken Wood and Denis Cotterell.
  Ms. Ye and others are the product of China’s drive for national greatness, and this is also a source of the resentment some Westerners feel at their gold medals and world records. As with doping, much of the joy at an individual’s success is lost when it is the result of a massive government program the scope of which goes far beyond anything the Soviet Union devised.
• TEENAGER KILLS 8 , WOUNDS 5 IN CHINA KNIFE ATTACK
  The official Xinhua News Agency said the attack took place Wednesday night in Liaoning province. Media said the 17-year-old suspect is from Fushun city and his surname is Li. The attack happened in Yongling town.
• China Cuts Transaction Fees for Share Trading – Bloomberg
• 北京暴雨处置不力 郭金龙触怒中央_多维新闻网
• In Olympics Outburst, Chinese Celeb Posts Personal Info of US Swim Official on Weibo
  Kaifu lee sends out john Leonard’s home address to his 15 million Sina Weibo followers
• Trusting in China’s Companies – China Real Time Report – WSJ
  China’s banks may be having trouble finding customers to lend to, but the country’s trust sector seems to be having no such problem.
• Zhang Weiying: Ideas Will Determine China’s Future – WSJ.com
  There’s no good reason for Beijing’s paucity of bold ideas. In the first two decades of China’s transition, such ideas trumped vested interests, which is why reform overcame interest groups’ opposition.
  However, in the past decade, it is the vested interests that have dominated the ideas. Various anti-reform policies have been implemented for protecting and strengthening interest groups. China’s future will depend upon whether free-market ideas again win out.
  Mr. Zhang is a professor of economics at Peking University. This article is adapted from the introduction to his latest book, “What Is Changing China,” and was translated by Jude Blanchette.
• How Chinese Smartphone Users Get Apps and Content
• For Chinese Olympians, Winning Is No Longer Everything – Bloomberg
  On Monday, shortly after winning an Olympic silver medal in men’s weightlifting, China’s Wu Jingbiao broke down during a live interview for the CCTV network. “I’m ashamed for disgracing the motherland, the Chinese weightlifting team and all those who supported me,” he sniffled. “I’m sorry!”
• Momo App Hits 10 Million Users, A Whole Lot of Flirting Going On
  For a startup to go from zero to ten million users in the space of a year, and to have done so very organically, is impressive. And so Beijing-based Momo, makers of the flirtatious location-based app for chatting up nearby strangers, can be forgiven for getting all excited about hitting that dual milestone last night
• 社评：给香港人“洗脑”，什么课这么神奇_评论_环球网
  成功收回香港主权是中国的骄傲，但对中国的现实政治，它同时意味着很多“麻烦”。真正落实、处理好“一国两制”，实际就是深刻触动中国体制和中国社会的过程，内地影响香港，同时不可能不接受一些反过来的影响，整个中国的改革理由和动力都会越来越多。..香港国民教育争议的最终结果只能是“中国的胜利”，那些抗议者们如果只追求他们自己的胜利，大概是不现实的
• U.S. model for a future war fans tensions with China and inside Pentagon – The Washington Post
  this seems like a hit job on Marshall, right on the eve of sequestration?//
  A former nuclear strategist, Marshall has spent the past 40 years running the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment, searching for potential threats to American dominance. In the process, he has built a network of allies in Congress, in the defense industry, at think tanks and at the Pentagon that amounts to a permanent Washington bureaucracy…While Marshall’s backers praise his office as a place where officials take the long view, ignoring passing Pentagon fads, critics see a dangerous tendency toward alarmism that is exaggerating the China threat to drive up defense spending….“The old joke about the Office of Net Assessment is that it should be called the Office of Threat Inflation,” said Barry Posen, director of the MIT Security Studies Program. “They go well beyond exploring the worst cases. . . . They convince others to act as if the worst cases are inevitable.”…Marshall dismisses criticism that his office focuses too much on China as a future enemy, saying it is the Pentagon’s job to ponder worst-case scenarios.

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