"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
The Essential Eight
1. Liu Xiaobo
Comment: As I wrote in the June 27 issue of the newsletter, the last Nobel Peace Prize Laureate to be effectively killed by his own government was Carl Ossietsky, in Germany in 1938. Does Xi care that the the likely precedent here for Beijing will be pre-World War II Nazi Germany? This is going to be hard for even the most diehard of CCP apologists to spin away. And it is more fuel for a much harder line US policy. What about other Western leaders?
Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo very near to death, hospital says | South China Morning Post:
Family members sign documents acknowledging his condition, but refuse procedure for assisted breathing, according to officials
In Liu Xiaobo’s Last Days, Supporters Fight China for His Legacy – New York Times – Chris Buckley:
As the life ebbs from Liu Xiaobo, China’s most famous dissident and only Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a battle is shaping up over his life, his legacy, his words and maybe even his remains.
It is a battle that other countries are largely sitting out, even though Mr. Liu could become the first Nobel laureate to die in state custody since Carl von Ossietzky, the German pacifist and foe of Nazism who died under guard in 1938. The tepid international response to Mr. Liu’s case is a reflection of China’s rising power, and its ability to deflect pressure over its human rights record.
…the party has a history of intentionally denying or delaying adequate medical treatment to such critics, or people deemed “enemies of the state.” During the era of chairman Mao Zedong, many of China’s intellectual elites were sent to labor camps and jails, where harsh conditions and the denial of health care often led to poor health and early death. Those who survived suffered from chronic illnesses and mental trauma that lasted for the rest of their lives.
China’s propaganda war over dying Nobel Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo – BBC News:
According to a statement from the German Embassy, when one of the country’s doctors came to help, audio and video surveillance of this meeting was recorded despite prior written German requests that no such recordings be made.
Then this material was selectively leaked to Chinese state media in order to get out the message that his treatment had been humane.
2. Human Rights, Rule By Law
Jerome A. Cohen on human rights and law in China – Sinica Podcast:
Jerry sat down with Jeremy and Kaiser at the China Institute in New York on May 17, 2017, to discuss his long and distinguished career, to comment on China’s legal development and the state of rule of law in China, and to talk about his relationship with Chen Guangcheng, the blind self-taught lawyer who left China in 2012 with Jerry’s help — only to find himself used by conservative ideologues in the U.S.
China: On “709” Anniversary, Legal Crackdown Continues | Human Rights Watch:
The Chinese government should drop politically motivated charges against the lawyers and activists still being held in custody two years after a nationwide crackdown that began on July 9, 2015, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should also invite the United Nations special rapporteur on torture to investigate the detainees’ allegations that they were tortured in custody.
中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平近日对司法体制改革作出重要指示。11日，全国高级法院院长座谈会、大检察官研讨班、全国公安厅局长座谈会在贵阳召开，就进一步推动落实司法体制改革各项措施作出详细部署。
Comment: On Xi’s recent instructions about judicial system reforms.
3. The Trump-Xi Bromance Is Not Back
Comment: My sources tell me that the Trump-Xi meeting at the G-20 was not a happy one. Trump just appointed a China” hawk” as deputy head of USTR, the trade dialogue meets on July 19th and there should be no expectations of substantive breakthroughs, Beijing is very unlikely to change its strategic calculus on North Korea, and the more domestic political difficulties Trump has the more inclined he appears to be to turn to Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro to feed the base, and the base wants him to be “tough on Jina”.
U.S. Prepares to Act Alone Against North Korea – WSJ:
U.S. officials say they have been disappointed by Beijing’s response. The topic will be a focus of high-level U.S.-China talks next week in Washington
Trump nominates China critic as deputy U.S. trade representative | Reuters:
U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Dennis Shea, vice chairman of a congressional commission that has been highly critical of China, as deputy U.S. Trade Representative, the White House said on Tuesday.
China says ‘China responsibility theory’ on North Korea has to stop – Reuters:
“Asking others to do work, but doing nothing themselves is not OK,” he added. “Being stabbed in the back is really not OK.”
China’s North Korean Liability | Foreign Affairs – Zhu Feng:
Going forward, China has three options: it can work more closely with the United States on getting tougher on North Korea, continue to drag its feet and avoid rocking the boat, or reinforce its alignment with Russia and use North Korea as a piece in a geopolitical chess game against the United States and South Korea. Of these options, only the first choice aligns with China’s long-term interests to integrate with the international community. The question is how to ease Beijing’s hesitations regarding this choice. In other words, how can the hawks in Beijing be brushed aside to make way for a more decisive and progressive policy while continuing to save face for all decision makers?
Comment: Unfortunately Zhu is not representative of the group with most power in the North Korea policy debate in the PRC
Apology made for error in Xi’s title by White House staff – China Daily:
The White House issued a transcript on Saturday about the meeting between Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump during the G20 summit. However, the header described Xi as president of the Republic of China instead of president of the People’s Republic of China.
Comment: Better orange than expert, at least in the White House press office
6 Ways Trump Administration Putting Strong China Policy in Place – Breitbart:
Strengthened Ties to Japan, South Korea; Selling Weapons to Taiwan; Levering Trade Negotiations; Issuing Sanctions for Cooperating with North Korea; Expanding Military Presence in the South China Sea; Condemning Human Trafficking Situation in China
Comment: You have to pay attention to Breitbart’s coverage these days, even though in this case it is certainly overstating the importance of the Taiwan arms sales and the recent FONOP…
North Korea and China also interfered in U.S. election: Priebus – NY Daily News “The one thing that (Trump) also says, which drives the media crazy, but it’s an absolute fact, is that others have as well. And that’s true. China has, North Korea has and they have consistently over many, many years
Comment: Anyone have any more detail on this?
Tillerson blows up at top White House aide – POLITICO:
He’s also faced resistance to leaning on civil servants. Tillerson has expressed his desire to nominate Susan Thornton, a career foreign service officer now serving as the acting assistant secretary in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, to take over the job in an official capacity — a move White House staffers have resisted, saying they want a political person in the role.
Comment: No better candidate for this position, terrible news if the political commissars have blocked her appointment
4. National Financial Work Conference Starts Friday
China May Give Central Bank Key Role in Financial Oversight – Bloomberg:
The move, to be debated as part of the fifth National Financial Work Conference due to start on July 14, would create a new office for coordinating the nation’s three main regulatory bodies at the People’s Bank of China…
“It looks like an incremental reform, not a sweeping one, as policy makers try to avoid creating any kind of regulatory gap during a year when the Party congress will be convened”, said Ding Shuang, chief China economist at Standard Chartered Plc in Hong Kong. “Agency consolidation will cause personnel changes, which may lead to a temporary situation in which areas that used to be well covered are left uncovered now.”
China should reduce intervention in foreign exchange markets: state media:
Beijing should also take steps to widen the floating range of the RMB exchange rate, Financial News said in the commentary. 央行旗下媒体：下一步应扩大人民币汇率浮动区间
Comment: Not a coincidence this comes right before the National Financial Work Conference, and they must be feeling more confident they have capital flight and the RMB under better control
Major Decisions Afoot at China’s Upcoming Financial Work Conference – MacroPolo:
Beijing’s policy mandarins have kept mum on the agenda of this upcoming work conference. But from what I’ve gathered, it will most likely deal with two major issues: financial regulatory reforms and local financing and fiscal woes.China anti-graft official likely to head insurance regulator – sources – Reuters:
Yang [Xiaochao], 58, is an associate of Wang Qishan, the current head of the Communist Party’s CCDI, the country’s main anti-graft body. Wang is also a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the country’s top leadership body.
Yang, a native of the eastern city of Nanjing, headed the Beijing financial affairs bureau from 2008 to 2013, and was the city’s top auditor when Wang was mayor of Beijing. Yang was named the city’s vice mayor in 2013.
Comment: If this reporting is correct it would be seem to be a possible sign that Wang Qishan is not “in trouble” despite all the Guo Wengui claims…
5. Guo Wengui Stays In The News Even If His Impact May Be Waning
Comment: Beijing continues to attack Guo with more reports of his misdeeds, and another trial for his employees. Guo has promised more explosive revelations in his upcoming July 17 webcast, though frankly I think he is now throwing just about anything he comes across against the wall and hoping something sticks.
Fugitive Guo Wengui’s company on trial for fraud – Xinhua:
The procuratorate in Henan said that from May 2008 to April 2015, Guo instructed Ma Cheng, then deputy general manager of the company, and the three to set up 10 shell companies and fabricate contracts and projects to fraudulently obtain loans and for banks to accept financial bills, worth a total of 1.435 billion yuan (about 211.05 million U.S. dollars).
Reports by Xinhua and The Beijing News on Monday said Guo illegally obtained 561 pieces of information concerning 146 passengers of Hainan Airlines from December 2015 to this March through Song Jun, a well-connected civil aviation veteran. Song received the information through an employee named Ma Cong, according to Xinhua
China’s Spy Network in United States Includes 25,000 Intelligence Officers – Bill Gertz:
In May, two senior Chinese security officials traveled to the United States as part of a bid to pressure Guo into keeping silent, and not disclosing secrets about corruption among senior Chinese officials, as well as details of the intelligence activities.
The two officials, Sun Lijun, vice minister of the Public Security Ministry, and an aide, Liu Yanpang, also tried to convince Trump administration officials to forcibly repatriate Guo back to China amid claims of corruption.
Liu was arrested by the FBI for violating visa rules and his cell phone and laptop computer were confiscated before the Chinese official was allowed to leave the United States.
Comment: Interesting that Guo would grant an interview with Gertz. Is he trying to rally certain people in DC around the idea that he has tremendous intelligence value and so should be protected by the US government? He needs to have a lot more detail on names, places, dates than what he says here
The publication of the recordings on YouTube [ here] follows a slew of state media reports aimed at discrediting the Chinese businessman this week.
Fraudsters conned fugitive tycoon Guo Wengui out of US$3 million | South China Morning Post:
The two men, one posing as a military-chief-turned Buddhist master with blood ties to a party leader and the other as a senior colonel in the People’s Liberation Army’s General Staff Department, received the money from Guo in 2016 as a payment of gratitude for helping his secretary get out of detention, Xinhua reported on Tuesday, citing the police 花钱“围猎”权力 妄图摆平官司——“红通”逃犯郭文贵被骗2000万元始末
Comment: Recent anti-Guo Wengui propaganda themes are Guo is a crook and a sucker. Yes I know it is CCP propaganda, but is it incorrect?
While pricey by most standards, the penthouse’s US$78 million price tag represents only one twentieth of the claims piling up against Guo in New York state courts, and legal documents suggest plaintiffs won’t get much more out of the tycoon even if the courts rule in their favour.
Comment: Why is Guo selling?
Chinese Fugitive Guo Wengui And A Hedge Fund Battle Over His $78 Million Manhattan Apartment:
“New York is a wholly inconvenient forum for resolving this dispute between an investment fund headquartered in Hong Kong and a citizen of the People’s Republic of China over contracts signed in Hong Kong, governed by Hong Kong law, and relating to a real estate development in Beijing,” Guo said in a legal filing.
Comment: So Guo is telling a us court he is still a PRC citizen? This is confusing, as he has said repeatedly he is no longer one. So either he has been lying in the videos or is lying in a filing to a US court?
Two held in China for giving flight passenger data to fugitive tycoon Guo Wengui | South China Morning Post Reports by Xinhua and The Beijing News on Monday said Guo illegally obtained 561 pieces of information concerning 146 passengers of Hainan Airlines from December 2015 to this March through Song Jun, a well-connected civil aviation veteran. Song received the information through an employee named Ma Cong, according to Xinhua
More than 30,000 investors, policymakers, executives, analysts, diplomats, journalists, scholars and others rely on the newsletter for valuable insights into China. If you too want to get smarter about China, enter your email below to subscribe now.
[gravityform id=”1″ name=”p1 email” title=”false” description=”false”]
6. Sounds Like Beijing Will Let You Use VPNs If Authorities Approve Them
China Says Will Not Disrupt Legitimate Internet Access – Bloomberg:
“Trade or multinational enterprises, if they require leased lines or other methods to access the internet abroad, can turn to authorized telecommunications entities,” the ministry said in its brief statement. “The (January) notice will not affect normal operations.”
The ministry’s statement followed Bloomberg’s report Monday. China’s government has told telecommunications carriers to block individuals’ access to virtual private networks by Feb. 1, people familiar with the matter said, thereby shutting a major window to the global internet.
Comment: “Legitimate” is the key word, and who do you think defines it?
工信部否认要运营商禁止个人VPN业务：此前报道不实|运营商|工信部|互联网_新浪科技_新浪网:
Comment: MIIT responds to the Bloomberg report that VPNS will be banned, refers to a January circular that talked about better regulating them, sounds like PRC-registered/approved VPNs will be OK, still unclear what it means for all the overseas ones. They can of course be blocked at any time technically, I am not sure this MIIT “denial” clears much up
What you need to know about China’s VPN crackdown — Quartz:
At the local level, too, provinces and cities are taking new steps to stop VPN use. In March, the city of Chongqing published a notice that specified fines of as much as 15,000 yuan ($2,210) against individuals and organizations for establishing or using channels (link in Chinese) to connect to international networks. Although the notice did not specify VPNs, users of VPNs were targeted, reported state media Global Times.
7. CCTV, Authorities Now Wonder If Collapsing LeEco May Be A Fraud
Comment: LeEco founder Jia Yueting has an interesting political history. He disappeared at one point amidst rumors he was in trouble because of his relationship with Ling Jihua’s brother Ling Wancheng, reappeared in Hong Kong claiming he was undergoing cancer treatment, had a remarkable recovery, raised a tom more capital, now looks like everything is collapsing.
乐视网，是创业失败还是涉嫌欺诈？真相是… CCTV asks if LeEco, which I have been calling LeScammo for a while, is just a poorly run company or a fraud
Chinese Regulators Are Said to Start Reviewing Leshi Internet – Bloomberg:
China’s securities and banking regulators have begun probing the finances and disclosures of Leshi Internet Information & Technology Corp., the main listed business of the LeEco conglomerate, people familiar with the matter said.
LeEco Smartphone Out of Stock as Unpaid Suppliers Protest Outside Headquarters – Caixin:
Since June, dozens of suppliers and business partners of LeEco’s smartphone unit have been camping outside the company’s Beijing headquarters to demand payment of unpaid bills. Production of its smartphones has been at a standstill, and there is no timetable for resuming shipments.
LeEco-Linked Faraday Future Drives Away From Nevada Car Plant – Caixin:
Faraday Future has always been tied to LeEco through Jia’s connection, and the U.S. company was thought to be banking on those ties to help finance the Nevada plant. Jia appeared at the launch of the Faraday’s futuristic FF91 model at the start of this year, though cars weren’t expected to be available until 2018.
8. South China Sea Arbitral Award One Year Later, Sure Looks like China Still Winning
In fact, over the past year China has succeeded in transforming its legal defeat into a policy victory by maintaining its aggressive South China Sea policies while escaping sanction for its non-compliance. While the election of a new pro-China Philippines government is a key factor, much of the blame for China’s victory must also be placed on the Obama Administration.
Bill Hayton: Beijing changes tack after South China Sea ruling- Nikkei Asian Review:
Overall, the picture is of a China attempting to bring its vision of the rightful regional order (as the legitimate owner of every rock and reef inside the U-shaped line) within commonly understood international rules. Far from being “waste paper,” China is taking the tribunal ruling very seriously. It is still some way from total compliance but it is clearly not deliberately flouting the ruling.
President Duterte’s priority of regional peace and stability has led to the healthy environment of dialogue, cooperation, and development. The bold initiatives of the Administration in pursuing an independent foreign policy have become a game changer not only in the geo-political landscape in the region but more importantly in the lives of our people.
Chinese strategy in the South China Sea is expansionary in aim, incremental by design and realist in orientation.
Business, Economy And Trade
Beijing to Calculate All Provincial GDP After Fake Data Debacles The decision was made during a June 26 meeting of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform, a powerful Party group tasked with steering economic reform and led by Chinese President Xi Jinping, state news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday. The group also issued a document during its meeting that laid out how people responsible for incorrect statistics should be punished, but the report did not elaborate.
China Shows It Can Clean Up Credit Without Killing Off Growth – Bloomberg: A campaign against excess leverage has helped squeeze growth of M2, the broadest measure of money supply, to a record low in June even as new loans and aggregate financing exceeded expectations.
Ant Financial refiles for U.S. approval of MoneyGram deal – sources Ant Financial and MoneyGram refiled after they were unable to secure clearance from CFIUS within the maximum time of 75 days that is awarded for assessing applications, the sources said on Tuesday.
U.S. Should Not Block Chinese Chip Acquisitions: China Think-Tank – Reuters Acquisitions and joint ventures are becoming more difficult for Chinese firms, Hu Zhijian, president of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED), told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday. // Comment: Yes, it should
The Foreign Asset Position of Chinese Banks | Council on Foreign Relations – Brad Setser When China joined the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket it also committed, in principle, to disclose the PBOC’s forward book—forward purchases and sales are part of the IMF’s reserve disclosure standard. But, well, the disclosed forward book never really has convinced.
Rail Operator Back on Track for Growth – Caixin The latest data contained two major turning points for the freight division, including the first time in 21 months that the freight business revenue was greater than it was from the passenger business. It also marked the first revenue gain for CRC’s freight service since 2013. CRC’s rebound comes amid similar improvements from other freight haulers as the highly cyclical industry emerges from several years of downturn.
China allows local governments to issue bonds for toll road building – Xinhua Funding from the bond issuance must be used to build government-operated toll roads, prioritizing national-level road projects and these under the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development and Yangtze River Economic Belt plans.
New Details Emerge in Wanda’s Planned Asset Sales – Caixin Global As part of Dalian Wanda Group’s planned sales of its theme parks and hotels to Sunac China Holdings Ltd. for 63.2 billion yuan ($9.29 billion), the buyer agreed to pay an additional 13 billion yuan to Wanda to continue managing the parks. Regulatory filings from the companies also show that Wanda also agreed to secure almost half of the financing that Sunac needs to pay for the deal.
China’s Steel Sector in Good Health Despite Government Attempts to Cool Construction Fever – Caixin Central-government-controlled steel companies, including Baowu, have trimmed 5.95 million tons of excess production capacity in the first six months of 2017, hitting the annual target set by SASAC, Shen said on Tuesday.
China prepares fresh round of state-orchestrated megamergers – FT In fact, the mergers have been a key feature of SOE reform efforts for more than a decade. The central government owns 101 groups, down from 189 when Sasac was set up in 2003. Such continuity is why many critics doubt that mergers can address the root problems that have plagued SOEs for years.
习总的国企改革新思路 作者从三个方面回答了国企政治治理是什么，为什么，怎么做： 加强党的领导是国有企业政治治理的核心要义； 提升国有企业政治治理水平的必要性和紧迫性； 国有企业政治治理的主要内容。 // Comment: On Xi’s “new thinking” about SOE reform
Canadian Nursing Home Deal Spurs Questions About Chinese Money – The New York Times “When the Anbang house of cards finally collapses, who will gain control of these senior care facilities in B.C.?” Mark R. Strahl, a lawmaker with Canada’s opposition Conservative Party, asked at a parliamentary session last month, referring to the province of British Columbia. “Are seniors about to find out that their landlord is actually the People’s Republic of China?”
SOEs post 18.6% profits in first half of year, official says –China Daily Profits in June reached 159.67 billion yuan, hitting a record high since the statistics became available. Of the 102 central SOEs, 99 were in the black, 48 had profits grow by more than 10 percent and 29 had profits increase by more than 20 percent.
China to deepen reform to promote mass entrepreneurship, innovation – Xinhua China will deepen reforms in innovation-driven development to expand the scope and raise the level of mass entrepreneurship and public innovation, according to a statement released after the State Council’s executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.
Politics And Law
China: Labour activist jailed for four and a half years for publishing account of Tiananmen crackdown | Amnesty International On Friday, court in Guangzhou found Liu Shaoming guilty of “inciting subversion of state power”. He has already spent more than two years in detention, after he was taken away by police on 30 May 2015. His detention occurred five days after he published an article on US-website Boxun.com reflecting on his involvement in China’s 1989 pro-democracy movement.
Ex-Gansu Party Chief Falls to Corruption Charges – Caixin Wang Sanyun, who had served in senior posts in several provinces, including eastern China’s Anhui and Fujian, was Gansu’s party secretary from December 2011 until April, when he was appointed a vice chairman of the NPC’s Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee. 甘肃官场肃贪风暴升级 原省委书记王三运被查
习近平的“六立六破”-学习小组 立新发展理念，破简单以GDP增长率论英雄。 立清风正气，破“四风”积弊和腐败顽疾。 立明规则，破潜规则。 立公平正义，破特权思想。 立批评和自我批评精神，破“好人主义”。 立新型政商关系，破官商勾结、利益输送。 // Comment: On Xi’s “6 establish, 6 breakthorugh” exhortation
广电总局通知:重要宣传期禁播偶像剧等娱乐剧种 Comment: State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China (SAPPRFT circular lists recommended shows to air in the upcoming important propaganda period around the 90th anniversary of the founding of the PLA and the 19th Party Congress, mandates that TV series that have too strong an entertainment bent, like historical dramas, shows with famous idols, can not be shown…No date given for the Party Congress, but amidst the rumors that it may be help in September or October, instead of the expected November, is this a sign of preparation for an early than expected meeting? So far I have heard rumors that it may be in October or even September not the expected November.
Foreign And Defense Affairs
doklam: No reason why India, China can’t handle border differences this time: S Jaishankar – The Economic Times The foreign secretary was responding to questions on the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector following a lecture on ‘India-ASEAN and the Changing Geopolitics’. The lecture was organised by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the Indian High Commission.
U.S. bombers challenge China in South China Sea flyover | Reuters Two U.S bombers flew over the disputed South China Sea, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement on Friday, asserting the right to treat the region as international territory, despite China’s territorial claims in the busy waterway. // Comment: To little effect...
The only way to deal with the Chinese is directly, says former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon in interview with The Hindu – The Hindu As the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Bhutanese territory of the Doklam plateau enters its second month, former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, who is an old China hand, says Beijing is changing the status quo with its actions in the area, and it is time for a new “modus vivendi” between the two countries.
Everything We Know about China’s Secretive State Security Bureau | The National Interest – Peter Mattis The limited evidence available gives little doubt the SSSB is responsive to the global needs of the MSS and China’s central decision makers. A job announcement that accidentally circulated publicly around Shanghai universities in 2015 encouraged students who spoke English, Japanese, German, French, Russian, Taiwanese, or the languages of China’s recognized minorities to apply to the SSSB. The languages are suggestive of foreign-intelligence targets, counterintelligence coverage of foreigners inside China, and domestic intelligence work for monitoring the party-state’s internal enemies
Reform to downsize PLA Army, boost navy numbers – China Military The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will downsize its army to under one million, and evenly proportion the PLA army and other services, the PLA’s official media said. Jun Zhengping Studio, a WeChat account run by the PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese military, published an article on structural reform in the military on Tuesday, saying that “the old military structure, where the army accounts for the vast majority, will be replaced after the reform.”
China’s Foreign Policy Experiment in South Sudan | Crisis Group China, traditionally averse to intervening abroad, is testing the role of peacebuilder in South Sudan, where it has unique leverage. This could portend a growing global security role, but further Chinese engagement will likely be tempered by self-interest, capacity constraints and aversion to risk.
PLA base in Djibouti to help China better perform int’l obligations – Xinhua Ships carrying Chinese military personnel departed from Zhanjiang in southern China’s Guangdong Province on Tuesday, heading for the support base in Djibouti. Shen Jinlong, commander of the PLA Navy, read an order on constructing the base in Djibouti, and bestowed the military flag on the fleet.
Bond Revoked for Ex-CIA Agent Charged With Spying for China In the call, Mallory alternated fluidly between Mandarin and English as he spoke with his wife, son and daughter in turn. During the call, Mallory instructed his son to look for a device in a drawer in his bedroom and check to see if it appeared on an inventory sheet the FBI compiled after searching his Leesburg home.
Chinese students heed call of the party line – The Australian – Gerry Groot Importantly, the use of social media and student activism meant students bused to Canberra felt they had done so spontaneously and without any external support, though the Chinese embassy as co-ordinator knew how many were coming and from where. To think of them as manipulated misses the point.
Hong Kong, Macao And Taiwan
Muffled by China, Taiwan President Embraces Twitter as Megaphone – The New York Times Since her return to Twitter, Ms. Tsai has posted more than 100 times. Initial messages rarely broached sensitive subjects. But that has changed in recent weeks. In May, she wrote 13 times about Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health Assembly, which happened at Beijing’s behest. @iingwen
Intellasia East Asia News – Chinese Influence At The Asia Society: Elitism And Radicalisation In HK While the Hong Kong office of the Asia Society released a statement that said the decision to bar the democracy activist was “an error in judgment at the staff level”, several individuals with whom I communicated suspected Ronnie Chan’s influence to be behind the decision. That influence may or may not have been explicit. When a major funder shows a general preference against a class of people, for example democracy and freedom of speech advocates, then staff who counter that preference do so at the peril of their own organisation and jobs. // Comment: This article originally appeared on Forbes.com, since deleted. Ronnie Chan is an influential American billionaire in Hong Kong
Tech And Media
人民日报评王者荣耀：别让网游成为生活的全部|王者荣耀|游戏|沉迷_新浪新闻 Comment: People’s Daily goes after Tencent’s “Honor of Kings” game again
Xiaomi on Comeback Trail With Record-Breaking Quarterly Sales – Caixin The company’s quarterly smartphone shipments hit a record high in this year’s second quarter, said co-founder and Chief Executive Lei Jun. It shipped 23.16 million smartphones in the second quarter, a 70% increase from the same period last year.
Apple sets up China data center to meet new cyber-security rules The U.S. technology company said it will build the center in the southern province of Guizhou with data management firm Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry Co Ltd (GCBD)…”No backdoors will be created into any of our systems,” it said. // Comment: Have any Apple execs met with Chen Min’er?
At the Movies in China, Some Propaganda With Your Popcorn – The New York Times To make such abstruse fare more palatable to audiences, the videos, produced by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, feature A-list Chinese celebrities, including Jackie Chan, Angelababy and Kris Wu.
How Alibaba (BABA) is reinventing the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a 114-year-old newspaper in Hong Kong — Quartz This begs the question: at what point will Alibaba start to worry about the SCMP’s profitability? Not any time soon, according to Tsai.
Energy, Environment, Science And Health
Former Environmental Inspector Calls on Ministry Teams to Work With Businesses to Control Pollution – Caixin Many businesses that are on the inspector’s radar are small manufacturers that have been licensed by local governments to operate, the source said. They have been allowed to operate for years although local regulators have known about their pollution problems, he added.
Beijing
Beijing Has 850,000 Public Security Volunteers Watching Your Every Move | the Beijinger Charged with keeping a watch over every last corner of the city, Beijing’s “public security volunteers” continue to grow in massive numbers, illustrating how neighborhood representations of authority help preserve the city’s law and order.
Jobs And Events
Cross-Strait Relations Re-examined: Toward a New Normal? | Center for Strategic and International Studies Thursday, July 13, 2017 8:45 am – 3:30 pm CSIS Headquarters in DC
CSIS Careers-Research Assistant – China Power Project DC-based
Follow me on Twitter @niubi for updates between newsletters
Send comments/tips/complaints to bill@sinocism.com
If you like Sinocism please spread the word using this link.