"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
Good Monday morning from swampy DC…today’s issue light on commentary, not feeling I have much to add today and figure sometimes less is more. I am testing another logo idea, honest comments always appreciated. Thanks for reading.
The Essential Eight
1. Politburo Meets, Preps For 19th Party Congress
Comment: The language is similar to what we saw before the 18th and 17th Party Congresses (I only looked up those two, would not be surprised if similar language was used before several other Congresses). At first glance it is hard to draw any conclusions about what this means for the early enshrinement of a Xi theoretical contribution.
CPC to amend party constitution – Xinhua:
The Communist Party of China (CPC) is expected to amend its constitution at the upcoming national congress.
The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee deliberated a draft amendment to the constitution at a meeting which was presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, on Monday.
会议听取了十八届中央委员会向中国共产党第十九次全国代表大会的报告稿在党内外一定范围征求意见的情况报告，听取了《中国共产党章程（修正案）》在党内一定范围征求意见的情况报告，听取了十八届中央纪律检查委员会向中国共产党第十九次全国代表大会的工作报告稿征求意见的情况报告，决定根据这次会议讨论的意见进行修改后将这3份文件稿提请党的十八届七中全会讨论。
【十八大·前瞻】党的十八大将修改党章 重大理论写入党章–理论–人民网-Similar language about revising the Party Charter issued by the Politburo meeting before the 18th Party Congress
中共中央政治局研究拟提请十七大修改党章等文件-Language from Politburo meeting before the 17th Party Congress
2. No Progress On North Korea
Likely Next Steps: Unless China cuts of oil exports to North Korea do not be surprised if the US takes the next step on unilateral sanctions to go after a major PRC financial firm, though ramifications would be significant and the Trump administration is clearly hesitant about taking such a step. Was there a logic to Trump referring on Twitter to Kim as “Rocket Man”, perhaps a CIA assessment that Kim loves Elton John and could be triggered to back down if associated with that famous Elton John song? (I am kidding…)
Trump’s dark view of North Korea options – Axios:
Trump hasn’t yet concluded that he needs to take extreme measures against China. The national security team still believes there’s room to bring more pressure to bear on North Korea and the clients supporting the state before launching a full-scale economic confrontation against China.
China Rebuffs U.S. Demand to Cut Off Oil Exports to North Korea – Bloomberg:
China will implement all United Nations Security Council resolutions, “no more, no less,” Cui Tiankai, China’s ambassador to the U.S., told reporters at a briefing in Washington when asked if China would cut oil shipments. Any further steps would need to be worked out with the agreement of the entire UN Security Council, he said.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying’s Regular Press Conference on September 15, 2017:
Second, the essence of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is the security issue and its core is the contradiction between the DPRK and the United States. China is not the focal point of the contradiction. China is not to blame for the escalation of tensions. China does not hold the key to resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, either. Those who tied the knots are responsible for untying it. We maintain that the parties directly concerned should assume their due responsibility and fulfill their due obligation. It is irresponsible and unhelpful for the settlement of the issue to unjustly blame others or shirk responsibilities in any form.
A Potent Fuel Flows to North Korea. It May Be Too Late to Halt It. – The New York Times:
“If North Korea does not have UDMH, it cannot threaten the United States, it’s as simple as that,” said Senator Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “These are the issues that the U.S. intelligence community has to answer: from which countries they receive the fuel — it’s probably China — and whether North Korea has a stockpile and how big it is.”
Transcript: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on “Face the Nation,” Sept. 17, 2017 – CBS News:
JOHN DICKERSON: China says if they cut off the oil it will lead to that collapse that they worry about. Is there anything the U.S. can do to allay their fears?
REX TILLERSON: Well we–what we’ve said to them is, “Look, you have the best information. You have your hand on the valve. You set the valve where you think it’s going to create the message that you want to send to this regime that they must change the path they’re on.” So we’re put–leaving it in China’s hands at this point
JOHN DICKERSON: And, and why not just start talks now? China, Russia, France have all said the U.S. should solve this with talks at the diplomatic table?
REX TILLERSON: Well, I’m waiting for the regime of North Korea to give us some indication that they’re prepared to have constructive, productive talks. We have tried a couple of times to signal to them that we’re ready when they’re ready. And they have responded with more missile launches and a nuclear test. All they need to do to let us know they’re ready to talk is to just stop these tests, stop these provocative actions, and let’s lower the threat level and the rhetoric.
Trump’s claim there were long gas lines in North Korea has residents puzzled – The Washington Post:
Residents in the North Korean capital are scratching their heads. Although there are reports of price increases, they’ve seen no queues at the few service stations in Pyongyang, a capital of some two million that has more cars than it used to but is still far from congested.
U.S. to send aircraft carrier to Korea next month: ministry – Yonhap:
South Korea and the U.S. will also conduct a combined missile alert drill joined by Japan between late September and early October, according to the ministry.
China’s state media blasts US handling of North Korea crisis | South China Morning Post:
The commentary published in the Communist Party newspaper’s overseas edition called on the US not to link the Sino-US trade relationship with attempts to halt Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme and to stop demanding China take responsibility to rein in North Korea.
3. Beijing Trying To Prevent Another Winter Airpocalypse
China will send out over 100 environmental inspection teams to more than two dozen cities around Beijing as part of a new campaign to tackle the smog problem plaguing its northern region.
Chinese capital bans winter construction to improve air quality – Reuters:
Beijing will suspend construction of major public projects in the city this winter in an effort to improve the capital’s notorious air quality, official media said on Sunday, citing the municipal commission of housing and urban-rural development.
All construction of road and water projects, as well as demolition of housing, will be banned from Nov. 15 to March 15 within the city’s six major districts and surrounding suburbs, said the Xinhua report.
Later the same day that Zhang made the post, a reporter with the Beijing Youth Report went to the park and independently verified Zhang’s claim. The reporter said the anti-smog truck was parked by itself in an enclosed courtyard with its equipment pointed at the air-monitoring station located just beyond the courtyard’s wall, but was turned off after the reporter arrived. By the next day, it was gone.
4. My Failed Bet On Bubbly Baijiu
Comment: A fun FT story over the weekend over the improving fortunes of Xi Jiu习酒, a liquor that has nothing to do with Xi Jinping expect a Chinese character, a connection that led to a massive marketing campaign and some misguided speculation before the 18th Party Congress..
Baijiu sales recover as China’s political winds shift – FT $$:
Rice wine maker that shares name with president tracks drink’s return to favour…
Bill Bishop, an independent China analyst, bought a case of vintage Xijiu as an investment in 2012, calling it a “baijiu bet on Xi Jinping”. Now with one bottle left, he said: “I lost money but gained a few hangovers. But it was fun — the liquor’s not bad.”
Background: My 2012 post on it Xi Jiu, A Baijiu Bet on Xi Jinping:
“I bought a case of 1988 Xi Jiu for a few thousand RMB and have all but one bottle, which already went out as a gift, sitting in my study, just waiting for the hoarding to start and the Xi Jiu bubble to blow, as this article 十八大后喝习酒 习酒被囤积炒高 suggests. Worst case? I have five bottles of decent Baijiu I can share with friends and/or readers of Sinocism who are in Beijing.”
5. Sad Plight Of Tibetan Mastiffs
Comment: During the height of the craziness of the Hu-Wen corruption frenzy some of these dogs sold for millions of RMB. Of course massive canine overcapacity ensued, and now they oversupply has caused a real tragedy. The video is heartbreaking.
More Tibetan mastiffs being abandoned in Tibet due to low prices – Global Times:
An anonymous Beijing-based dog seller told the Global Times on Wednesday that the price of Tibetan mastiff has dropped sharply recently.
“A dog [Tibetan mastiff] with excellent appearance could be sold at 3 million yuan ($457,700) at the peak time. But the average price now is between 3,000 yuan and 30,000 yuan,” she said.
Statistics from a Qinghai-based environmental protection organization showed that the number of homeless canines has increased sharply in 2013 when the Tibetan mastiff lost its market value.
This post introduces a new documentary by Dondrup Dorje of the Gangri Neichog (“sacred snowland”) Research and Conservation Centre that looks at the issue of abandoned Tibetan mastiffs. The film was screened and also won an award at the Shanghai International Green Film Week in August 2017…
a video subtitled in English and posted by The Third Pole for their profile of the film is included at the end of the post.
6. Another Amazing Rags To Riches Story
Liu Qiangdong, the ‘Jeff Bezos of China’, on making billions with JD.com:
Again, like so many of China’s new titans, Liu’s family was so poor that until he went to university aged 18 he only tasted meat once or twice a year. His family, peasant farmers in arid coal country, 700km south of Beijing, had a few rice fields but they also had to hand over the crop to the government; these were the dire days after the Cultural Revolution. “From June until September we were able to eat corn — cornmeal porridge for breakfast, corn pancakes for lunch and dry cornbread for dinner; cornbread so tough it made your throat bleed,” he tells me. “The other eight months we ate boiled sweet potato for breakfast, sweet potato pancake for lunch and dried sweet potato for dinner.”
7. Caixin Cover Story On A Sketchy Chongqing Firm
Comment: I have included the very abridged English translation, the paywalled cover story is much longer and more detailed. It is an expose of IZP, a firm that seemingly came out of nowhere and received significant local government support. There are clearly things the magazine is not saying about the two founders-Luo Feng and Huang Suzhi (Ecoh Huang)–and their connections. Waiting for the other shoe to drop…
How Did an Ambitious Firm’s Big Dream Turn Sour? – Caixin Global:
Separate sources told Caixin that Huang Suzhi, IZP’s legal representative and vice president, has been assisting investigators since April. Several sources close to IZP said Huang, also known as Ecoh Huang, who owns 38% of IZP after founder Luo Feng’s 42% is the mastermind behind IZP’S business strategy. But an IZP employee in Beijing told Caixin in late July that Huang and Luo have remained overseas for the company’s business. Caixin has been unable to reach either Huang and Luo for comment.
8. Detention For Running A VPN, Rule Of Law On Internet
Subscribers paid US$1.50 a month for the service, which provided access to virtual private networks
China extends rule of law on Internet – Global Times:
China has accelerated the development of cyber laws since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), by actively engaging the government, Internet service providers and netizens in creating a clean cyber environment, observers said.
This year’s China Cybersecurity Week begins on Saturday in Shanghai, with Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, invited to speak at its opening ceremony.
深入贯彻习近平总书记网络强国战略思想 扎实推进网络安全和信息化工作 Central Cyberspace Affairs Office Theoretical Study Center in latest Qiushi on studying Xi’s thoughts on building an Internet great power power
Business, Economy And Trade
知情人透露比特币平台负责人暂时不得离京 配合调查_科技_腾讯网 Bitcoin trading platforms execs banned from leaving beijing, investigated-The Beijing News
China PBOC to Draft Package for Financial Market Opening, Sources Say – Bloomberg The People’s Bank of China will convene an internal meeting on Tuesday to discuss its proposals and get feedback from Chinese institutions, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the matter is private. The meeting will also discuss the timetable for opening up the financial sector and the lessons learned from previous cooperation with foreign firms, the people added.
China’s Campaign to Cool House Prices Could Ease as Curbs Bite – Bloomberg Guangzhou, one of the nation’s biggest cities, finally joined Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen in reporting flat or declining prices. Guangzhou’s prices fell 0.7 percent after rising for 28 months. Values slipped 0.4 percent in Shenzhen, a bigger decline than a month earlier. Prices were unchanged in Beijing and Shanghai. The largest drop was in the southern tourist city of Haikou, on the tropical island of Hainan, where home prices fell 1 percent, after the city previously stepped up home-buying curbs to ease speculation.
Beijing Unveils Shared-Bike Regulations, Says Operators Shall Buy Personal Accident Insurance for Users | Yicai Global Shared bikes distributed in the city shall have satellite positioning devices and shall not bear advertisements, the draft said. Regulators will restrict bike rollouts of groups whose activities have severe problems with unregulated and substandard operations. Operators shall own or rent parking spaces to meet the needs of vehicle in use. Children under 12 cannot use bicycle-sharing services, the document said. Operators shall purchase personal accident insurance for their users, and those collecting deposits shall open a special account in the city.
Rail Operator Launches Streamlining, Promises No Layoffs – Caixin Global Several CRC executives told Caixin the guarantee of no layoffs or benefit cuts is a crucial part of the plan, aimed at preventing labor unrest, a sensitive subject for Beijing as it tries to make its biggest state-run entities more efficient. CRC has been closely following worker sentiment as it crafts the plan in order to avoid interruptions to its business operating a huge network that includes the nation’s state-of-the-art high-speed rail service, the CRC sources said.
China to Foil Speculators With More-Flexible Fixing Mechanism – Caixin Global After the yuan jumped more than 2% against the dollar in the last two weeks alone and more than 7% this year, Lu Lei, Deputy Administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), said Wednesday the flexibility of the Chinese currency will be increased, the state-run Shanghai Securities News reported. Doing so will likely discourage investors who made one-sided bets on or against the yuan, amplifying the exchange rate’s volatility, the report cited Lu as saying.
G.M. Chief, in China, Challenges Planned Bans of Gasoline Cars – The New York Times Speaking in Shanghai on Friday, Ms. Barra said her company was making a big push to develop electric cars but that consumers, not government dictates, should decide how cars are powered. “I think it works best when, instead of mandating, customers are choosing the technology that meets their needs,” she said.
GM and China joint venture to recall more than 2.5 million vehicles over airbags, watchdog says The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators produced by troubled Japanese manufacturer Takata, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ).
China-Backed Rail Project Steams Ahead in Russia – Caixin Global A China-backed plan to build a high-speed railroad between the Russian cities of Moscow and Kazan is set to get Moscow’s approval by the end of this year, a source close to one of the plan’s main participants told Caixin. The Russian government is satisfied with the design created by China Railway Group Ltd., the state-controlled firm specializing in railroad survey and design, the source said. Construction could begin by the first half of 2018, he added.
As China’s Bond Market Opens, Global Funds See Watershed Moment – Bloomberg Overseas investors increased their China onshore bond holdings by 62 billion yuan ($9.5 billion) in the second quarter, according to central bank data. Foreign holdings may exceed 1 trillion yuan this quarter, according to an estimate from Becky Liu, head of China macro strategy at Standard Chartered Plc in Hong Kong. Citigroup, which obtained a bond underwriting license in China in July, said there may be “significant” inflows into China’s debt market.
Former PBOC Deputy Governor Delivers Strongly-Worded Warning Against Government’s Implicit Financial Guarantee China’s government has used too many resources on maintaining financial stability, while failing to resolve the underlying causes of instability, Wu Xiaoling, vice-chairwoman of the National People’s Congress Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, said at a government conference Friday.
China will step up supervision of overseas investment risks – insurance regulator The China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) will step up supervision over the use of insurance funds, with focus on “chaos” such as irrational stock market fundraising and overseas acquisitions, said Guo Jing, vice head of the finance and accounting department of the CIRC.
China Scrambles to Catch Up With Runaway Boom in Fintech Investment – WSJ A surge of Chinese investment—possibly more than $600 billion in the past two years—has gone into these so-called retail products, according to data from online platforms, financial information aggregators and cryptocurrency research houses.
‘The China Hustle’ Review | Hollywood Reporter The movie’s main conflict is between the fraud-exposers (David, Carson Block’s firm Muddy Waters, et al) and the American firms that made so much money on all the trading that they stayed happily blind to it. Those would be firms like the fratboyish Roth Capital Partners and the upper-crusty Rodman & Renshaw, whose CEO was retired general Wesley Clark. Clark is presented as a figurehead-for-hire here, happy to sell his prestige to the firm but unwilling to take any responsibility for its failings. Interviewed for the film, Clark puts on a dignified face before seeming to realize nobody’s buying it: “I don’t think I want to be in the film,” he says uneasily. “Let’s just cancel this session, okay?”
China’s Camel-Milk Mogul – Roads & Kingdoms: A decade ago, he estimates, there were 3,000 camels in the whole of Fuhai county, a 13,000-square mile expanse just bigger than the state of Maryland. Their milk was drunk as a medicine, given to the elderly, children, sick people, and very important guests, according to according to Hayrat Haleymolla, the chief of the Kazakh Pharmaceutical Research Institute, and an important part of traditional Kazakh medicine.. Today, there are 20,000 milking camels in Fuhai and the camel milk industry is booming. Xinjiang Wang Yuan Camel Milk Co Ltd is the reason.
Politics And Law
坚决打赢反腐败这场正义之战（砥砺奋进的五年）–时政–人民网 ——党的十八大以来反腐败斗争成就述评// Comment: The latest propaganda declaration of victory of the 18th Party Congress is a long piece in Monday’s People’s Daily on the success of the corruption crackdown, says 1.409 million officials have been punished for discipline violations, 92.9% of PRC citizens satisfied with the corruption crackdown
How could a con artist rise to the heart of China’s justice system? | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post He was found to have provided fake information about his age, his family members, his education, employment background and application documents for joining the party, according to official media reports. He was also accused of using bribery to “buy official positions and honorary titles along the way”, and then using his power to benefit his business interests, according to the announcement from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the country’s top anti-graft watchdog.
What Fallen Officials Did To Get Ahead and Avoid Getting Caught – Caixin Global The documentary’s second episode showed how a former glass-factory owner named Lu Enguang in eastern China’s Shandong province bribed his way to a position as director of the political department of the Ministry of Justice.
China’s new campaign to instil official historical narrative in Xinjiang | South China Morning Post “[We should] eliminate the influence of incorrect ideas about Xinjiang’s history, culture, ethnicities, religions and other aspects,” the report quoted Yu as saying. He went on to stress the party’s efforts to win public trust and fight separatism. Yu also urged local governments in Xinjiang to step up propaganda activities to promote the key points of the meeting to the public, and to improve training of party cadres, intellectuals and religious leaders.
坚持和完善民族区域自治制度 奋力实现中华民族伟大复兴中国梦 2017年09月15日 09:00:00 来源： 求是 作者： 向巴平措
China Probes Defense Attorney in Case of President’s Banned ‘Steamed Buns’ Nickname – RFA Authorities in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong have threatened the defense attorney of a social media user jailed for two years after he called President Xi Jinping by a forbidden nickname on social media. Zhu Shengwu, who represented defendant Wang Jiangfeng after he used Xi’s nickname “steamed buns” online, said he has been told he is under a disciplinary investigation, meaning that his license to practice law could be revoked at a hearing on Sept. 21.
China’s Communist Youth League opens Twitter account amid crackdown on internet access | South China Morning Post Shanghai-based political commentator Chen Daoyin said the opening of the account was the latest indication that Beijing wanted to expand its “ideological battlefield” beyond national borders. “Beijing is no longer satisfied with just exporting Chinese culture. Now it wants to be able to influence public opinion overseas,” he said.
Foreign And Defense Affairs
China’s missile forces get a new tech-focused commander | South China Morning Post Lieutenant General Zhou Yaning, 59, has taken over as chief of the Rocket Force, replacing General Wei Fenghe, who retired. The Rocket Force was known as the Second Artillery Corps until 2015 when it was renamed as part of President Xi Jinping’s sweeping military overhaul. Zhou made his first public appearance as its new commander this week when he attended a ceremony paying tribute to Xiang Shouzhi, a Chinese general who died early this month, Thepaper.cn reported on Saturday. 执掌火箭军的年轻司令员啥来头？- 新京报政事儿
Space official to take charge of Chinese military equipment development programme | South China Morning Post People’s Liberation Army Daily said Lieutenant General Li Shangfu, 59, a senior military official on China’s space project, had taken over the post in an announcement that coincided with his attendance at the third China Military and Civilian Integration Export fair in Beijing…The report did not say what future role Li’s predecessor General Zhang Youxia would take. 李尚福接替张又侠任中央军委装备发展部部长_网易新闻
Five things to look out for when Singapore’s leader Lee Hsien Loong visits China | South China Morning Post His visit follows an invitation by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and is seen as a signal of how the relationship between China and Singapore is developing following a series of hiccups in recent months.
China’s BeiDou-3 satellites get new chips – Xinhua The chip supports the new generation of BeiDou-3 satellites for high-precision navigation and positioning. The positioning accuracy of the chip reaches the sub-meter level without ground-based augmentation. The chip, developed by Shenzhen-based Allystar Technology, also has uses in unmanned driving systems, wearable devices, precision agriculture and smart logistics.
New Chinese embassy a sign of stronger ties between China and Panama – CGTN Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China’s new embassy in Panama City would promote mutually beneficial cooperation and achieve common development for China and Panama, during the building’s inauguration in Panama on Sunday.
Interview: Panama can be strategic point to bring Belt-Road Initiative to Latin America – Xinhua Panama could be a strategic bridge to extend China’s Belt and Road Initiative to Latin America, said Francisco Carlo Escobar, the Panamanian ambassador to China appointed after the two countries established diplomatic ties in June.
Japanese citizen arrested in northern China on suspicion of spying | South China Morning Post The suspect, Ken Higuchi, was being investigated by the Dalian City National Security Bureau on suspicion of spying against China, the report said, adding that prosecutors had approved his arrest.
China and India water ‘dispute’ after border stand-off – BBC News China and India may have defused a potential border conflict but the stand-off seems to have led to dispute over another contentious issue: water. Delhi says it has not received any hydrological – the scientific study of the movement, distribution and quality of water – data for the Brahmaputra river from upstream China this monsoon season, notwithstanding an agreement.
PLA Newspaper stresses remembering war history for justice – Xinhua The flagship newspaper of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) ran a commentary stressing remembrance of the history of WWII to better safeguard world peace and justice. The commentary, published under the byline of Tan Lin, ran in the PLA Daily on Monday, the 86th anniversary of the “Sept. 18 Incident,” which marked the beginning of Japan’s invasion of China.
Hong Kong, Macao And Taiwan
Mainland Chinese student in Hong Kong apologises for independence poster comments | South China Morning Post A mainland student at a Hong Kong university has been forced to apologise publicly twice and pledge allegiance to his country after he criticised another mainland student who spoke out against the idea of independence for the city.
Top Chinese think tank sets up in Hong Kong in bid to boost Beijing’s understanding of city | South China Morning Post The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, which advises the top leadership, says its purpose is to ‘enhance communications’, and analysts say it may be tasked with looking into the reasons for tensions between the city and the mainland
Liaison office chief Zhang Xiaoming to leave Hong Kong for post in Beijing, source says | South China Morning Post Zhang will oversee city’s affairs from capital while Wang Zhimin to become new director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong
Tech And Media
Ranting and Rapping Online in China, and Raking In Millions – The New York Times Not long ago, Li Tianyou was a scrawny junior high school dropout struggling to make a living in China’s dreary industrial northeast. Now, he is one of China’s best-known internet personalities, commanding a fan base of 22 million people for his live video streams and earning more than $2 million a year in payments from his fans.
Short Video and Live-Streaming as a Platform – with Yixia Technology Divisional Head Spencer King I studied computer science at Stanford, both undergrad and for my masters. After graduating, I joined Operator, which was founded by Robin Chan and Uber co-founder Garrett Camp. I was the founding engineer there. After working there for more than a year, I saw a void in the video mobile space in China. I subsequently founded Tian Tian, which is a video-based social platform. It was acquired by Yixia Technology in just eight months.
Tencent tried to buy Spotify earlier this year | TechCrunch Tencent is said to have approached Spotify with a view to acquiring the company to extend its burgeoning music business outside of China and Asia, a source with knowledge of discussions told TechCrunch.
Copyright Authority Takes Aim at Exclusive Licenses for Music – Caixin Global The National Copyright Administration (NCA) met this week with representatives from 20 music companies, including heavyweights like Universal Music Group and the China Record Corp., according to a statement on the NCA’s official WeChat account. The NCA, part of China’s State Administration of Press, Publications, Radio, Film and Television, asked music companies to promote the “widespread dissemination” of music and the “healthy development of the industry.”
China’s Most-Discussed Love Triangle: Wang Baoqiang, Ma Rong and Song Zhe | What’s on Weibo It is a story that just keeps trending on Weibo; the separation between actor Wang Baoqiang and his estranged wife Ma Rong due to an illicit love affair with Wang’s manager Song Zhe. With Ma allegedly regretting the split and Song having been arrested for embezzlement, many netizens say that “justice has been served.”
Facebook Navigates an Internet Fractured by Governmental Controls – The New York Times Chinese state media outlets have used ad buys to spread propaganda around key diplomatic events. Its stodgy state-run television station and the party mouthpiece newspaper each have far more Facebook “likes” than popular Western news brands like CNN and Fox News, a likely indication of big ad buys. To attract more ad spending, Facebook set up one page to show China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, how to promote on the platform, according to a person familiar with the matter. Dedicated to Mr. Xi’s international trips, the page is still regularly updated by CCTV, and has 2.7 million likes
Baidu Hires Former Weibo CFO Herman Yu As CFO – China Money Network Yu replaces Jennifer Li, who stepped down as CFO of Baidu in April to become CEO of Baidu Capital, an artificial intelligence-focused investment vehicle under the company.
Society, Art, Sports, Culture And History
The dystopian vision that Westerners have about China is pretty backward — Quartz A growing community of Chinese journalists are working for non-Chinese publications. I’m part of a group on Wechat called “the China Storytellers.” It is a group made up of 168 young, passionate Chinese journalists, most of whom have studied in the US. Most of us grew up reading English articles about China, usually written by people who are not Chinese themselves.
Energy, Environment, Science And Health
Chinese fishing boats with ‘thousands of sharks’ caught in Timor-Leste waters – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Timor-Leste authorities inspected the 15 boats in February, after a video from Portuguese news agency Lusa showed shark hauls on board. The inspections revealed more than 40 tonnes of shark, which the Government said could contravene Timor-Leste law and the fishing licence conditions.
Water diversion benefits more than 11 mln Beijing residents – Xinhua China’s south-to-north water diversion project has benefited more than 11 million people in Beijing, authorities said Monday. The middle route of the project has pumped 2.6 billion cubic meters of water into Beijing, according to the project office.
Education
Why an aspiring US secretary of state chose to study in Beijing | South China Morning Post Schwarzman Scholars from 26 countries to form a foreign bridge to China in terms of politics, business and culture
Beijing
Beijingers Bemoan Loss of Discount Shopping Amid Wave of Wholesale-Market Closures – Caixin Global It looks like Lunar New Year has come early to Beijing, with locals scrambling for discounts at dozens of migrant-run wholesale markets scattered around the city. But this buying frenzy has actually been triggered by the imminent closure of more than 100 markets for clothes, toys and household items by the end of the year, as the city government cracks down on migrants who have done business in the Chinese capital for decades.
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