THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

1. Xi Stresses Reining in Systemic Risks as China’s Leaders Gather – Bloomberg Leaders will strive to improve the quality and efficiency of the economy and deepen supply-side structural reform, Xi said at a meeting of the Central Leading Group on Finance and Economic Affairs, Xinhua reported Tuesday. Xi also called for keeping the property market stable and promoting cuts in excess industrial capacity. // Comment: Meeting was the top item on the Tuesday CCTV Evening News-[习近平主持召开中央财经领导小组第十五次会议 听取关于中央财经领导小组工作报告 研究推动落实经济领域重点工作   Laying the groundwork for the NPC but also an upcoming National Financial Work Conference?

Related: China’s leaders still banking on ‘irreplaceable’ central bank chief | South China Morning Post International media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, have previously reported that Zhou was on his way out, and even the state-owned China Securities Journal reported wrongly in 2013 that Zhou was about to step down. // Comment: My speculation yesterday on the possibility of Liu He running the PBoC as a super-regulator is certainly out of the mainstream, the assumed move seems to be replacing Ma Kai as a vice premier in charge of finance/economy. We will see, Zhou Xiaochuan is very hard to replace. 

2. ‘The president always gets something’: Spicer suggests Trump gained concession from China | The Guardian Comment: So what exactly did he get in exchange for the backpedaling on threatening to reconsider One China? Trump proxies had previously argued the PRC gave something to Trump, now we have someone in the administration making this claim. So what was it? For an administration so eager to tout its “wins” and is so leaky why have we heard nothing specific? I am always happy to take tips anonymously through my Signal account 3012460858…

Related: Senate approves Ross for Commerce – POLITICO NEC STAFFS UP: Trump’s new special assistant on international trade, investment and development on the National Economic Council once helped guide negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Andrew Quinn, a former deputy chief negotiator of the TPP who was hired by the agency as deputy assistant USTR in 2012, joined the council on Monday. The pick by NEC Director Gary Cohn could be another sign that the former Goldman Sachs leader is putting in place a more conventional trade team that could act as a counterweight to the newly formed National Trade Council led by ardent economic nationalist Peter Navarro. //  Comment: Full list of recent NEC appointments in this announcement from the White House. Can Cohn fend off some of the nutty and destructive ideas of Navarro?

Related:  Ex-Ambassador Baucus Fears China Border Tax Retaliation – Bloomberg Max Baucus, former U.S. Ambassador to China and Democratic Senator from Montana, offers a warning against the border adjustment tax due to the potential for China to retaliate as the nation has second thoughts on President Donald Trump

Related: Why Trump’s trade threats can’t hurt China much: economist-CNBC Julian Evans-Pritchard, a China economist at Capital Economics, noted that even if U.S. President Donald Trump takes the hardest possible line on trade, the damage to China’s gross domestic product (GDP) would be relatively limited. “We estimate that if trade with the U.S. halted overnight, China would take a hit of 3 percent of GDP, taking into account knock on effects on employment and consumer spending,” Evans-Pritchard said at Capital Economics’ annual conference in Singapore on Tuesday.

Related: Secretary Tillerson’s Meeting With State Councilor of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Yang Jiechi United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met today with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and affirmed the importance of a constructive bilateral relationship and of regular high-level engagement between the United States and China. The Secretary and the State Councilor discussed the importance of improving and maintaining a mutually beneficial economic relationship between the two largest economies in the world. They also discussed areas of mutual concern, including North Korea’s nuclear programs. The State Councilor extended an invitation for the Secretary to visit Beijing, and the Secretary thanked the State Councilor and indicated an interest in such a visit in the near future. // Comment: Is a Xi-Trump summit in the cards? The handshake might be awkward…

Related: Tibetan women’s soccer players denied US visas for Texas tournament | The Guardian US embassy officials in Delhi told 15 players they ‘don’t have strong reasons to go to Dallas’, raising questions about Trump’s policy toward the contested region

3. Singapore could face choice between US or China, PM says – BBC News Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, told BBC’s Hardtalk that increasing tensions between the US and China pose a difficult problem for his country. “We will be coerced to choose between being friends with America and friends with China,” he said. // Comment: Xinhua on foreign minister’s recent visit to Beijing-China, Singapore vow more “Belt and Road” cooperation. Singapore is a vital and close American ally in Asia, Trump needs to be careful that he does not screw up that relationship

4. 中国国家安全理论与实践的重大创新-来源：《求是》2017/5　　作者：中央党校中国特色社会主义理论体系研究中心 在中国快速发展与世界深刻变化这两大历史性进程交织作用下，我国国家安全内涵和外延比历史上任何时候都要丰富，时空领域比历史上任何时候都要宽广，内外因素比历史上任何时候都要复杂。特别是各种威胁和挑战联动、交织、共振、转化效应比历史上任何时候都要突出. // Comment: Essay in latest Qiushi on “Major Innovations in China’s National Security Theory and Practice”, by Gao Zugui of the Central Party School 高祖贵，中央党校国际战略研究院副院长

5. China ‘anti-terror’ rallies: thousands of troops on streets of Urumqi | The Guardian More than 10,000 forces gather in capital of violence-stricken region of Xinjiang for second time in just over a week // Comment: Nothing can be allowed to happen between now and the 19th Party Congress if Xinjiang Party chief Chen Guoquan wants to have any upward career mobility after Xinjiang. 新疆上千武警持枪乘机赴反恐维稳一线 more pictures. And what will the US reaction be if China starts using armed drones in Xinjiang? Might be tricky given that the US is the inventor and world’s greatest practitioner of death by droning…

Related: Officials Ban Dozens of Religious Practices, Foreign Missionaries in China’s Xinjiang-RFA After officials confirmed a generalized ban on unofficial Christian churches last week, RFA has obtained a document believed to originate from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region religious and minority affairs department that details a very specific list of 26 types of banned religious activities. The new rules have been sent out to local governments, requiring them to explain them to local people, residents said.

6. Is China Succeeding in Its Efforts to Curb Smog? – Caixin Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei are home to nearly 10% of China’s 1.4 billion people — about six times the population of the New York City metropolitan area. And despite government efforts to cut emissions — including phasing out polluting industries, retiring old vehicles and replacing dirty coal with cleaner natural gas — the region is frequently smothered by chronic air pollution in winter. The average concentration of fine, cancer-causing PM2.5 in the air in the Jing-Jin-Ji area in November has not dropped in the past four years, hovering at around 100 micrograms per cubic meter, data from the Minister of Environmental Protection showed.

7. 张升民任中央军委纪委书记 杜金才不再担任_凤凰资讯 此次履新军纪委书记是张升民在2015底实施国防和军队改革后的第三次调整。新一轮中央军改启动后，张升民从原二炮政治部主任的岗位调任中央军委训练管理部政委。2016年11月张升民以中央军委后勤保障部政委身份亮相，晋升为正大军区级。 根据媒体公开报道，1958年生的张升民曾长期服役于原二炮部队，历任第二炮兵某基地政治部主任、政委，第二炮兵指挥学院政委，2014年12月升任第二炮兵政治部主任，跻身副大军区级 //  Du Jincai, a Guo Boxiong crony, replaced as head of CMC discipline inspection commission by Zhang Shengmin. Zhang made his career in the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (formerly the Second Artillery Corps)

Related: 军车送逾万老兵进京包围中纪委:军方向王岐山示威?-博闻社北京消息 Comment: video of protesting retired PLA at CCDI headquarters in Beijing, Boxun says they came in on buses with PLA plates so they would not be stopped. The 8 minute video includes a very interesting discussion between the representative of a group of the soldiers and someone from the Beijing PSB. All very orderly and civil…how many heads will roll over this, and is this an opportunity for Xi to better identify senior officers who are not on board with the program?  // 有参加请愿示威的老兵对博闻社透露，他们这次进京参加示威请愿，是由军方大巴送进北京，因为挂军牌的车辆在路上警察无法检查拦截。  消息人士分析，过去两年，中纪委带头反腐，在军队抓了200多将军级别的将领，军中对中纪委不满，此次包围中纪委，不排除是军队有人要给中纪委一个脸色。  消息人士指，老兵上访维权把目标转向中纪委，显然是搞错了目标，因为老兵的问题基本上与中纪委无关，但是为什么会这样，背后可能有人策划出主意，这是有关部门最为关注的原因之一。

8. China uses carrot and stick in Myanmar | Asia Times-Bertil Lintner China professes its support for Myanmar’s peace drive while simultaneously shipping weaponry to anti-government forces in a multi-layered policy …The differentiation between “government-to-government” relations maintained by China’s foreign ministry and the CPC’s “party-to-party” links with groups such as the UWSA — and with the CPC positioned above the government in Beijing as well as the PLA — explains why China can publicly praise Myanmar’s peace process while quietly providing the UWSA with heavy weaponry.

BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE

China Allows Foreign Bond Investors to Trade Derivatives for Hedging – Caixin The State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the country’s foreign exchange regulator, said Monday in a statement that foreign investors can now use derivatives such as forward contracts, swaps and options to manage currency risk on investments in China’s interbank bond market.

Mega-mansions in this L.A. suburb used to sell to Chinese buyers in days. Now they’re sitting empty for months – LA Times The turnaround in activity, industry officials say, is directly linked to policies in China. The San Gabriel Valley, long the destination of Chinese home buyers looking to provide their families a better living environment as well as safeguard their wealth in American assets, is feeling the effects of Beijing’s crackdown on capital flight. Chinese citizens, wary of a faltering economy, have been pouring money abroad, fueling a buying spree of overseas assets in recent years that has pumped up property values from London to Los Angeles.

China Lodging Buys Boutique Hotel Chain for 3.65 Billion Yuan – Caixin Global Its latest purchase will give it Crystal Orange’s portfolio of more than 100 hotels located in first- and second-tier cities throughout China. // Comment: Congrats: all-cash deal, Carlyle had become the biggest shareholder a few years ago. Congrats to Wu Hai (Wu is also famous for this encounter with Premier Li) and team, I was a tiny original investor but sold out years ago, should have been more patient

China’s ‘glass king’ to complete U.S. expansion despite Trump tensions | Reuters Cao, whose company is already the biggest investor in Ohio, said he planned to create about 4,500 jobs by setting-up plants in Ohio, Illinois and Michigan this year. The move has sparked outrage on Chinese social media, with netizens urging the government to stop Cao from “running away” at a time when U.S. regulators are stepping up scrutiny of Chinese buyers and new U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly criticized Chinese trade practices.

China issues five-year plan to expand transport network – Xinhua | By 2020, the country will have 150,000 kilometers of railway lines, 5 million km of roads, 260 airports and 2,527 berths for vessels over 10,000 tonnes. The country also plans to expand its high-speed railway network to 30,000 km by 2020, connecting more than 80 percent of cities with a population of more than 1 million. Minister of Transport Li Xiaopeng said that the country would channel 15 trillion yuan (2.17 trillion U.S. dollars) into transport infrastructure projects during the five years up to 2020, including 3.5 trillion yuan for railways, 7.8 trillion yuan for roads and 500 billion yuan for water transport. 国务院关于印发“十三五”现代综合交通运输体系发展规划的通知

Hong Kong highs signal China is coming in from the cold Hong Kong’s blue-chip Hang Seng index and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, which is more China-focused, are among Asia’s best performers in 2017. Their surprise rally marks the first positive start to a year for either index since 2012.

Trump Just Sold a $15.8 Million Condo to a Consultant Who Peddles Access to Powerful People | Mother Jones New York City property records show that Xiao Yan Chen, the founder and managing director of a business consulting firm called Global Alliance Associates, purchased the four-bedroom, six-bathroom condo in Trump’s Park Avenue high-rise on February 21. Before taking office, Trump signed documents removing himself from the board of directors of Trump Park Avenue LLC, the entity that sold the unit, but he remains the LLC’s owner. Chen, who also goes by Angela Chen, did not return multiple calls and emails requesting comment. Her company bills itself as a “boutique business relationship consultancy” for US firms seeking to do business in China. “For a select clientele,” the firm says that it “facilitates the right strategic relationships with the most prominent public and private decision makers in China.”

王健林地位不保：中国首富后天就换人？！ Comment: If SF Express stock is limit up Wednesday founder Wang Wei will be worth more than Jack Ma, and if it is limit up again Wednesday he will be richer than Wang Jianlin. And Wang Wei’s story is at least intereresting as Wang Jianlin or Jack Ma’s

China voices disquiet over new EU anti-dumping move on steel | Reuters 

央行外汇局：外资企业可正常办理利润汇出_经济频道_财新网

Support Sinocism

POLITICS AND LAW

Former Inner Mongolia senior political advisor sentenced to death in 2nd trial – Xinhua As the former vice chairman of the Inner Mongolia regional committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Zhao was found to have shot and killed a person, identified as Li, in Chifeng city, Inner Mongolia, in March 2015.  //  Comment: He killed his mistress

Xinhua Insight: “Xi political economy” renews China’s modernization drive – Xinhua More than 1,500 days into his helmsmanship, Xi has successfully imbued the country’s political and economic governance thought with his own thinking.

Former senior official sentenced to 9 years for bribery – China Daily He Jiacheng, former vice president of the Chinese Academy of Governance

Chinese Court Updates Marriage Law Loophole Abused by Ex-Spouses | Sixth Tone On Tuesday, the Supreme People’s Court, China’s highest judicial authority, added two clauses to the article. One stipulates that courts should not rule in favor of a creditor if they colluded with either spouse to purposely accrue debts. The other clause says that creditors should not win lawsuits if the borrowed money was used for illegal activities, such as gambling or buying drugs. 《最高人民法院关于适用〈中华人民共和国婚姻法〉若干问题的解释（二）的补充规定》

省委组织部长刚进京履新 副书记也调来了 _网易新闻 长安街知事APP此前曾介绍过，近期陆续有长期在中央机关任职的干部空降地方出任要职，而地方党政领导干部进京履新则与之相对应，体现了干部任用的双向交流。 双向交流，不仅是人的“双向”，也是岗位的“双向”。上文提到的夏杰离任河南省委组织部后，正是由中央空降的人社部副部长孔昌生补位。

震动中央的大案还没完 又一省部级官员落马_网易新闻 据中纪委官网消息，辽宁省人大常委会副主任李文科涉嫌严重违纪，目前正接受组织审查。 //  Li Wenke, deputy NPC head in Liaoning, under investigation. Li spent 8 years as an top official in Tieling

Editorial: Boosting Protections for Property Rights Is Need of the Hour – Caixin – Hu Shuli Editorial Entrepreneurs are the backbone of an economy and they should be encouraged and protected, although some of them might have violated rules in the days when China’s market and legal system were still being formed. Their cases should be viewed in context given the tumultuous times and deserve some tolerance. But financial predators now seeking illicit gains through murky business deals should be stopped because they harm markets. Cracking down on investors who break laws will not undermine efforts to promote property rights protections. Both are among the top priorities for China’s economic agenda this year. And it is only with this two-pronged approach that China can strengthen the rule of law.

旗帜鲜明地抓好高校思想政治工作 来源《求是》2017/5作者：金德水

牢牢把握稳中求进工作总基调 来源《求是》2017/5作者：本刊评论员

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

Senior North Korea envoy visits Beijing after China coal ban | Reuters The North’s Vice Foreign Minister Ri Kil Song arrived in Beijing at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and will hold talks with his host, the Chinese foreign ministry said. “This visit of the North Korean vice foreign minister is normal diplomatic contact and exchange between China and North Korea,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular briefin

Russia, China block U.N. sanctions on Syria over gas attacks | Reuters China backed Russia and cast its sixth veto on Syria. Russia had said the vote on the resolution, drafted by France, Britain and the United States, would harm U.N.-led peace talks between the warring Syrian parties in Geneva, which began last week.

China to build first underwater platform in South China Sea – Global Times Wang Pinxian, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said at a scientific forum in Shanghai on Saturday that construction work on a long-term observation network covering key areas in the South China and East China seas will be done with the help of Shanghai’s Tongji University and the Institute of Acoustics under the CAS.

China conducts seabed surveys in Japan’s EEZ without consent-The Japan News China conducted a total of 63 seabed surveys inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the East China Sea and elsewhere without consent over the five years from 2012 to 2016, according to a survey by the Japan Coast Guard.

China says it has received its largest foreign drone order: Xinhua | Reuters The order for the Wing Loong II was placed before the next-generation unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) successfully completed its maiden flight, Xinhua said late on Monday, citing the system’s developer Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute.

Man arrested for ‘spying on Tibetan refugees’ for unnamed foreign power | The Independent “The security police have been able to see over time how the man acted in and collected information about the Tibetan group in Sweden,” the country’s security police, Säkerhetspolisen, said in a statement.

China reacts with anger, threats after South Korean missile defense decision | Reuters Lotte should be shown the door in China, the influential state-run Chinese tabloid the Global Times said in an editorial on Tuesday. “We also propose that Chinese society should coordinate voluntarily in expanding restrictions on South Korean cultural goods and entertainment exports to China, and block them when necessary,” it said in its English-language edition.  // Comment: Surprised Beijing does not understand that South Koreans generally don’t react well to bullying, and Beijing is in full bully mode over THAAD now

MOFA says Lotte protests indicate Chinese opposition to THAAD – CGTN Spokesperson Geng Shuang said that recent protests against Lotte Group in China are an indication of the Chinese people’s stance towards South Korea’s deployment of THAAD. “The relative parties know well of the Chinese people’s stance in the deployment of THAAD, and I believe they have noticed their voices.”

Back to the Jungle? | ChinaFile Some analysts believe Trump will use military tensions over Taiwan or in the South China Sea as bargaining chips to force China to make trade concessions. He may expect that crises in these two areas will not reach the level of military confrontation because China will back down in the face of superior American military power. If so, this calculation is overly optimistic, both because the military balance between the two powers is less unequal than many observers realize, and because territorial issues near China’s shores are of more importance to Xi Jinping than to the new president of United States.-Zhang Boshu is Editor of the Chinese-language China Strategic Analysis and an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Columbia University

China donates 450 radios to PH | ABS-CBN News The Chinese government on Monday turned over 450 digital transistor radios to the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), as part of a cooperation agreement between Beijing and Manila.  //  Comment: How generous, how useful

GOP foreign policy adviser Robert C. O’Brien under consideration to be Trump’s Navy secretary | Washington Examiner Comment: Why not Randy Forbes? He is clear about the challenges from the PRC, understands the Navy and its needs

Philippines and China in diplomatic stalemate over SCS | DW.COM | 27.02.2017 As ASEAN leaders prepare to meet this week, tensions are simmering over China’s continued military build up in the South China Sea.

HONG KONG, MACAO AND TAIWAN

Taiwan Commemorates a Violent Nationalist Episode, 70 Years Later – The New York Times “In recent years, the quest to redress Feb. 28 has been a very important development,” said Su Ching-hsuan, the executive secretary of the Taiwan Association for Truth and Reconciliation. “It’s had a major influence on Taiwan’s democracy movement.”

Beijing’s Shadow Looms Over Hong Kong Elections – WSJ The acquaintance who called him “was a person deeply connected in China, whom I cannot name for obvious reasons,” said the 66-year-old Mr. Tien. “I was surprised by the boldness of the call, since I have been so public about supporting another candidate.” Mr. Tien said he was unpersuaded.

Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong gains new deputy head from Fujian province | South China Morning Post Chen Dong, who will be youngest deputy at 53, had a long and illustrious career in the province

228: PAST AND PRESENT: Feature: Victims demand justice 70 years after massacre – Taipei Times Official records say about 140,000 people were tried by military courts during the White Terror era, with between 3,000 and 8,000 executed. Many believe the actual numbers are higher. President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) government has promised to investigate the purges, but with the first report not due for three years, some activists are critical of what they consider a lack of progress.

Carrie Lam storms ahead in Hong Kong leadership race | South China Morning Post Former chief secretary secures 579 nominations from Election Committee, just 22 short of winning

TECH AND MEDIA

Are China’s Smartphone OEMs Falling Behind Apple On Features Upgrades? – Barrons.com And it is not just dual cameras –  Chinese OEMs are foregoing 3D glass, waterproofing, and haptic technology too as they preserve margins

Xiaomi Launches Its Own Chip, With an Assist From Beijing – WSJ The support is the latest sign of China’s push to develop its semiconductor industry, which has included attempts to buy overseas chip companies for their technology. Xiaomi is the second Chinese smartphone maker, after Huawei Technologies Co., able to develop its own processors.

China Censors Take Wolverine Claws to ‘Logan,’ Slice 14 Minutes Off Runtime | China Film Insider

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

In new year message, China’s Panchen Lama praises religious policy | Reuters A youth named by China as the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism, but reviled as a fake by many Tibetans, has praised the Communist Party’s religious policies in Tibet in a lunar new year message, saying they made him feel “very happy”.

| Freedom House-The Battle for China’s Spirit Tibetan Buddhism Resilience and resistance: Tibetans’ private devotion to the Dalai Lama has proved incredibly resilient despite over two decades of suppression efforts. The constant denunciation and vilification of the Dalai Lama by Chinese officials and state media remains one of the most offensive aspects of the government’s religious policy. The expansion of campaigns forcing monastics and lay believers to denounce him has been a key factor motivating protests, including 140 self-immolations since 2009. Many Tibetans also employ more subtle forms of resistance, creating avenues to discreetly engage in forbidden religious practices or share information.

LeSports Loses Broadcast Rights for Asia Champions League – Caixin Global Neither LeSports nor the AFC gave any reason for the confederation’s decision to terminate the four-year $100 million deal, but media reports said the company had failed to meet several payment obligations.  // Comment: LeSports and its parent look to be having a cash crisis. If you are working with them get your payments upfront, and start calling them immediately if they owe you anything.

LGBT groups demand apology from LeTV over gay rule definition – Global Times Beijing-based online video provider Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp, better known as LeTV, said in a statement on Friday that videos containing certain content are forbidden on the platform, including the “wrong concept of love, such as homosexuality and extramarital affairs.”

China’s New Multibillion-Dollar Target Market: LGBT Youth | Foreign Policy With social conservatism fading, tech firms and advertisers are scrambling to show their tolerant side.

China considering offering financial incentives for second child: China Daily | Reuters The potential move was revealed by Wang Peian, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission at a social welfare conference on Saturday

“痞子”妈妈和她的104个孩子_深度_新京报网 四霞子就是知名全国的河北武安市爱心妈妈李利娟，因为在家里是第四个女孩，当地人给她取了个江湖名号。21年来，她陆续收养了104名遗孤，创建了福利院。在武安之外，人们赞誉她大爱无边，在武安，很大一部分人称她为“痞子”。

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Pharmaceutical Giants Find Elixir in Updated China Drug Catalog – Caixin The new catalog lists 2,535 drugs eligible for government insurance programs, up from 2,196 in the previous version, published in 2009, according to a statement released late last week on the website of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People’s Republic of China.

China unveils leading research vessels to boost marine survey – Xinhua “The launch, one year ahead of schedule, will boost the fleet of long-serving ships,” said Zhong Ziran, head of China Geological Survey. The new ships are also a great boost to China’s marine exploration for oil and gas.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ISSUES

扎实推进农村扶贫供给侧结构性改革-来源：《求是》2017/5　　作者：严隽琪 切实加强新农村发展的规划引导和建设力度，有以下几个需要重点关注的问题：进一步明确行政村职能；大力发展村级集体经济，提高基层公共服务能力；积极实施农村基层人才工程；创新农村社会管理方式；重视文化的作用，倡导自立自强的传统美德和勤勉、自主、合作的村风。

Big-Data Technology Takes Root in China’s Farms – Caixin Global “From selecting seed varieties, determining planting density, to pest and disease control, effective fertilizer use, harvesting, and storage, farmers make 40 to 50 major decisions each year, and these decisions all shape the farm’s eventual output,” said Gao Yong, president of Monsanto China.

EDUCATION

Concern Rises Over Top-Tier Universities’ Rush to Grab Nations’ Best Brains – Caixin Global Triggering the battle was a draft plan published in January by three central government agencies, including the Ministry of Education, that calls for the transformation of a handful of Chinese universities into world-class institutions by 2020.

三个”事关”定调高校思政工作：培养社会主义可靠接班人–理论-人民网 中国社会科学院马克思主义研究院研究员朱继东等学者在接受人民网记者采访时谈到，高校思想政治工作必须解决好培养什么人的问题，高校思想政治工作是党的意识形态工作的重要组成部分，是高校意识形态工作的核心，是培养社会主义事业的合格建设者和接班人的关键所在。

中山大学关于印发《中山大学课堂教学 “十不准”》的通知 – 中山大学大气科学学院 >> 教学教务 >> 本科生教育 The “Ten Prohibitions” posted at Zhongshan University

BOOKS AND LITERATURE

努力筑就中华民族伟大复兴时代的文学高峰 来源：《求是》2017/5　　作者：中国作协党组

BEIJING

Beijing Middle School 80 Percent Responsible for Student’s Death | Sixth Tone Liu Yue, a partner at Haishang Law Firm in Shanghai and a former immunization specialist, told Sixth Tone that dividing responsibility like this is usually not the result of a precise calculation, but is done at the judge’s discretion. The report did not mention why the judge thought that the parents bore some of the responsibility for their son’s death.

And if you really like Sinocism, feel free to donate some money, with Bitcoin or a credit card. Thanks.