"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
Today’s Links:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
1. Is the Chinese dragon losing its puff?-Sydney Morning Herald Barme nails it about Shambaugh’s oped that has sucked up far too much attention, including here… // Nor is it just a Western thing. As a historian of China, director of the ANU’s Australian Centre on China in the World, Geremie Barme, points out: “The Communists themselves speculate internally about whether the party will collapse. They speculate about it constantly.”..Barme, a longstanding acquaintance of Shambaugh, laughs at his anecdotes of hollowing faith among officialdom: “Every political conference I’ve been to in China in 42 years, the officials are always bored. Everyone’s bored. The leader’s works never sell. They always have to give them away.” Barme suspects that Shambaugh’s conversion into the church of “collapsism” tells us more about today’s America than it does about China. “If this were written by a Spanish author or a Greek author or an Italian author, they’d say, ‘Yes, we have capital flight, corruption, a lack of reform, massive popular dissent – sounds like a normal day,” Barme argues. “However, we are looking at an American writing about Chinese collapse amid huge anxiety about US politics and its future. I agree that Xi’s China is uglier, more repressive and narrow, yet it’s more confident, more articulate and more focused than at any time since Mao Zedong. That’s why an American is worried.”
2. Xi meets with Kissinger, calls for more trust between China, U.S. – Xinhua For his part, Kissinger hailed the ongoing historic reform in China and said that the U.S.-China relationship is an important one involving global peace, progress and development. It is a far-sighted decision in the interests of both sides to build a new type of relationship between the two major countries, Kissinger said, wishing President Xi a successful visit to the United States.
Related: [视频]习近平会见美国前国务卿基辛格新闻频道央视网(cctv.com) Xi meets with Kissinger. the top item on the Tuesday CCTV Evening News, according to the CCTV report Kissinger endorses the “new type of major power relations” concept China is pushing…seems a disconnect from the White House? // 基辛格说，感谢习近平主席会见我这位中国的老朋友，中国正在进行着具有历史意义的改革大业。美中关系是事关全球和平、进步与发展的重要双边关系。构建美中新型大国关系符合双方利益，是着眼长远发展的远见之举。相信习主席今年对美国的国事访问将是一次历史性访问并预祝访问成功。 国务委员杨洁篪参加会见。
3. Party Investigates CNPC Executive Once Seen as Company’s Next Leader – Caixin An executive at China National Petroleum Corp. who oversaw the building of pipelines sending natural gas from the country’s west to its east and who was tipped to one day lead the oil giant has fallen afoul of Communist Party corruption busters. Liao Yongyuan, the general manager of CNPC and the vice president of its listed subsidiary, PetroChina Co. Ltd., is being investigated for “seriously violating discipline and laws,” the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on March 16.
Related: China Targets Big Oil In Wars On Corruption, Pollution-Huffington Post “Each [SOE] tends to be a mini empire,” professor Dali Yang, who researches Chinese politics at the University of Chicago, told The WorldPost. “They have become very powerful vested interests in the Chinese system, so anti-corruption is not only useful in fighting against corruption but … makes it possible for Xi’s agenda, for the agenda of the Communist Party, to be carried out, to be obeyed.” Academics have long debated the true motivation for Xi’s corruption crackdown. Is it a move to clean up the party from within? A front for knocking off political rivals? A strategy to clear the way for ambitious reforms? “All of the above and then some,” said Yang.
Related: China Promises Transparent Audit Of State Enterprises’ $690B In Overseas Investments China says it will appoint independent auditors to assess the value of overseas assets belonging to the country’s biggest state enterprises. According to a Xinhua News Agency report, the state assets department of China’s State Council (or cabinet) on Tuesday announced that accounting firms could bid for the opportunity to carry out an audit of approximately 113 of China’s largest state-owned enterprises (SOEs).// lots of petro oil money went into these deals
Related: 人民日报：央企反腐“油”和“车”都出事了 下一个会是谁？|徐建一|央企_凤凰财经 在国企中，一些高管对重大问题决策、重要干部任免、重大项目投资决策、大额资金使用这“三重一大”的议事规则规定熟视无睹、我行我素。绕开规则有时看似是为企业发展争取了时间机遇，取得了巨大效益。然而，这种以言代法的做法已为利益寻租、权力自肥埋下了伏笔。 回顾徐建一、廖永远二人的简历，无不是行业内的老人儿，有知识、有经验、懂管理，能走到今天的领导岗位也必然是做出过贡献的。 腐败的高管们也不要幻想少了自己企业就会裹足不前，事实上恰恰是因为能人太任性，腐败危害才更大。只有腐败的“车坏了、油停了”，国家发展的巨轮才能驶得又稳又快
4. Defying U.S., European allies say they’ll join China-led bank | Reuters bit of an embarrassment for the Obama administration // Germany, France and Italy said on Tuesday they had agreed to join a new China-led Asian investment bank after close ally Britain defied U.S. pressure to become a founder member of a venture seen in Washington as a rival to the World Bank. The concerted move to participate in Beijing’s flagship economic outreach project was a diplomatic blow for the United States, reflecting European eagerness to partner with China’s fast-growing economy, the second largest in the world.
Related: U.S. urges allies to think twice before joining China-led bank | Reuters Washington insists it has not actively discouraged countries from joining the new bank, but it has questioned whether the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will have sufficient standards of governance and environmental and social safeguards. “I hope before the final commitments are made anyone who lends their name to this organization will make sure that the governance is appropriate,” Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told U.S. lawmakers.
Related: China’s Finance Ministry welcomes new members of AIIB – Xinhua China’s Ministry of Finance on Tuesday welcomed the decisions made by France, Italy and Germany to apply joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The ministry website said that the three countries will become founding members in two weeks if other members approve.
Related: Australia changes mind on China-proposed Asian infrastructure bank – Xinhua Australian leaders have been lining up in the past few days to voice support on Australia’s joining of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a conspicuous U-turn from the cabinet’s previous stance. The latest wave of support came after the United Kingdom announced to join the discussion with China on the 50-billion-U.S. dollar development bank. Treasurer Joe Hockey was the first to say last Friday that Australia will consider joining the AIIB.
Related: Robert Kahn on China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank – Council on Foreign Relations The Beijing-backed bank appears to be gaining momentum for its expressed goal of addressing wide infrastructure gaps in Asia. But the bank also reflects Beijing’s dissatisafaction with existing global institutions and its desire to play a leading role in the Asia-Pacific, says CFR’s Robert Kahn. Though it would be a positive step for Washington to join the bank, Kahn says that there is little chance that Congress would approve U.S. participation.
Related: 社评：亚投行，中国的“和”赢了美国的“斗”评论环球网 多人担心中国的外交环境很大程度上受到美国力量的操控或渗透，亚投行事务的进展则告诉我们，中国是本国命运和道路的真正掌控者。我们需要做的是在有所作为的同时，充分调动自己的智慧，让自己更有心胸，更富弹性。 如果亚投行的起步比较顺利，说不准美国有一天会改变态度，也愿意成为该行的一个成员国。只要中国继续发展，走得足够平稳，这种可能性可不是不着边际的
Related: 习大大倡议的亚投行，为何令美国惴惴不安？ 2015-03-18人民日报 People’s Daily looks at why “Uncle Xi’s” AIIB makes the US uneasy
5. 郭正钢妻子请风水师给老爷子测字：吉人天相，没事_凤凰资讯 long Phoenix Weekly article on Guo Boxiong’s son and daughter in law, pretty clear Guo Boxiong is toast // 有消息源透露，郭被带走当日，军事检察院人员连夜搜查了上城区清波门省军区家属院内郭正钢的家。郭正钢是浙江省第十二届人大代表，在去年年末的军队人事调整中，由省军区政治部主任转任省军区副政委，少将军衔，成为大陆为数不多的“70后”将军之一。 “部队办案先期都有调查，取得证据，掌握了部分材料后再抓人。”文职三级、军队著名作家石祥告诉《凤凰周刊》记者，从目前情况看，郭正钢涉嫌违法的证据不能说已全部落实了，但应大致已有方向，还需要通过找他本人来深入侦讯。 知情人士向《凤凰周刊》披露称，郭被带走几天后，郭的司机也被带去协助调查。办案人员正告他，对郭正钢的监视已有5、6个月了，知道什么就说什么，检方还询问郭的司机，郭有无转移资产之类。
Related: 依法清风绝弊 净化政治生态–军事–人民网 马克思指出，“道德的基础是人类精神的自律”。法治精神离不开道德滋养，法治文化离不开道德支撑。只有让法治精神深入人心，让法治文化“浸润”官兵，才能强化坚定而持久的法治信仰。要按照习主席“绝对忠诚、绝对纯洁、绝对可靠”要求，进一步完善军人道德规范体系，大力培育当代革命军人核心价值观，提高官兵思想道德水平，为法治文化入脑入心搭建思想平台。
6. Without Committing a Crime, Five Female Activists Detained in China | China Law & Policy if you think detaining people for leafleting an issue we can all get behind is scary, here is the real frightening part: these five women – Wu Rongrong, Zheng Churan, Wei Tingting, Wang Man and Li Tingting – never actually committed a crime, even under Chinese law. By detaining these women prior to March 8 – when they were going to distribute their stickers and pamphlets – the women never caused a public disturbance as required by Article 293 of China’s Criminal Law. Pu Zhiqiang, Cao Shunli, Xu Zhiyong, all detained, arrested or jailed for “picking quarrels and provoking troubles,” were at least able to partake in their “public disturbance” before the authorities took them away. These women did not. At most, in their attempt to make this a nation-wide campaign, they amassed an online following, all eager to partake in the March 8 events.
Related: China detains women’s rights activists – CNN Video CNN’s Kristi Lu Stout talks with “Leftover Women” author Leta Hong Fincher about the arrests of five activists on International Women’s Day in China.
Related: The Education of Detained Chinese Feminist Li Tingting | ChinaFile One of the women who remains in custody, Li Tingting, is the subject of the following chapter excerpted from Eric Fish’s forthcoming book, China’s Millennials: The Want Generation
7. The Maoists and Modern China – China Studies Centre – The University of Sydney For the question of Mao and his continuing impact, the answer is partly that he continues to escape the boundaries that people claiming his name try to put on him. For this reason, understanding him and those that try to speak in his name even to this day, is important. I hope this study helps a little in understand just why the red sun of Mao Zedong is still very much alive in some Chinese people’s hearts, and why people as senior as Xi chose to appeal to Mao when they conduct politics in the era when China has become the sort of economic and political powerhouse that Mao could only ever dream about. Professor Kerry Brown
8. Questions Loom Over China’s Legal Reform Drive – China Real Time Report – WSJ Chinese leaders said throughout the proceedings that they were committed to “law reform,” yet the annual report submitted to the legislature by the Supreme People’s Court last week made it clear that those reforms will be limited according the party’s interests. “We must unify the three tasks of maintaining the leadership of the party, treating the people as masters and ruling the country according to law, unswervingly walking the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics,” the court’s chief judge Zhou Qiang said while delivering the report in the Great Hall of the People.
BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE
China Said to Mull Options to Extend Finance Chief’s Term – Bloomberg Business Keeping Lou in office would allow him to work longer with PBOC governor Zhou, who avoided retirement in 2013 thanks to his appointment as vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which advises the National People’s Congress legislature. That post qualified him as a state leader, pushing his retirement age back to 70.
China Stocks Rise to Highest Since 2008 Amid World’s Best Rally – Bloomberg Business The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 1.6 percent to 3,502.85 at the close, the highest level since May 2008, as airline and rail companies jumped. The gauge has risen 73 percent during the past 12 months, recovering from a retreat since August 2009 that had wiped out more value than any other equity market worldwide.
Evergrande Gets 100 Billion Yuan Credit Lines as Sales Decline – Bloomberg Business market rumors Tuesday that they had defaulted on a loan; most likely short seller trying to spread panic // The developer received a credit line of 30 billion yuan from Bank of China Ltd. and got lines from three other banks last month including Agricultural Bank of China Ltd., according to a statement on PR Newswire that was confirmed by the company.
Yuan in Hong Kong Jumps Most in Three Years as Euro Strengthens – Bloomberg Business The offshore yuan rose 0.36 percent, the most since January 2012, to 6.2533 a dollar as of 4:41 p.m. in Hong Kong, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The yuan in Shanghai strengthened 0.2 percent to 6.2499, the biggest one-day advance this year, China Foreign Exchange Trade System prices show. The yuan in Hong Kong is 0.04 percent weaker than the onshore spot rate, the closest in a month.
China is trying to reverse a real-estate crash by turning its unused properties into social housing – Business Insider As a note from Barclays makes clear, the government is finally starting to react to the ongoing weakness (emphasis added): Although a disorderly correction is not expected, given that the real estate sector is too important (to the Chinese economy) to fail, many look for a multi-year adjustment process and say that a gradual slowdown in property investment is their base case … The government’s latest plan to purchase unsold residential properties and convert these units into low-cost public housing is seen as a practical way to reduce inventory levels.
China land-sale revenue declines in Jan-Feb | Business Spectator Just over 455 billion yuan was raised via the long-term leasing of land over the two-month period, a fall of 36 per cent on the amount raised during the same period last year.
China February FDI grows at slowest pace in six months, outbound flows jump | Reuters Foreign direct investment (FDI) in China grew at its weakest pace in six months in February, but analysts caution that seasonality may explain the swings even as a weakening economy continues to dent investor confidence. February FDI rose just 0.9 percent from a year earlier, slowing sharply from a 29.4 percent jump in January, adding to mostly weak February data, which has raised expectations of further policy steps from Beijing to spur growth.
Morrison & Foerster Client Alert International IT Companies Face Continuing Headwinds in China (PDF) Chinese government generating a lot of business for service providers
Goldman Sachs | Podcast: ‘Exchanges at Goldman Sachs’ – Episode 5: The Future of the US-China Economic Relationship Mark Schwartz, a vice chairman of Goldman Sachs and chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific, discusses China’s growth, reform efforts, and prospects for an enhanced investment relationship with the United States.
China unveils new rules to boost local govt debt offers | Business Spectator In new rules governing local bond issuance, local governments now can offer bonds with maturities of one or three years, in addition to five, seven and 10 years, the finance ministry said in a statement on its website. The new rules, which are now in effect, apply to provincial governments as well as cities directly governed by the central government — Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing.
PLC – China releases new foreign investment catalogue On 13 March 2015, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce jointly released the sixth revision of the Catalogue of Industries for Guiding Foreign Investment. The catalogue lists out those industries in China in which foreign investment is prohibited, permitted with restrictions, or encouraged.
Retail Sales Exceeded 4.79 Trillion Yuan in Jan & Feb — China Internet Watch In the first two months of 2015, the national online retail sales of goods and services was 475.1 billion yuan, increased 44.6% year-on-year. Of which, the online retail sales of goods was 399.1 billion yuan, increased 47.4%, accounting for 8.3 percent of the total retail sales of consumer goods; the online retail sales of services was 76.0 billion yuan, increased 31.4%.
中豪集团董事长刘卫高辞职 与仇和关系密切公司频道财新网 Chairman of real estate developer Zhonghao resigns, linked to detention of Qiu He. If you have investment exposure to a Chinese real estate firm, do you have a detailed understanding of the political relationships of the chairman/main shareholders? If you do not, why do you have investment exposure to that firm? // 中豪商业集团（下称中豪集团）董事长刘卫高昨日（3月17日）宣布辞职。多位消息人士告诉财新记者，他与3月15日被宣布接受组织调查的云南省委副书记仇和关系密切。财新网当日的报道称，仇和牵扯昆明土地城建系统腐败问题，而刘卫高的中豪集团等公司在仇和任职过的江苏宿迁和云南昆明都有地产开发项目。
经济参考网 – 上海高通诉美国高通商标侵权 Shanghai Gaotong Semiconductor is suing Qualcomm (Gaotong in Chinese) for trademark infringement // 3月17日，上海高通半导体有限公司（以下简称“上海高通”）召开发布会，指控美国高通公司（英文名：QUALCOMM Inc.，在中国市场自称“美国高通”）涉嫌商标侵权和干预执法，并提起上诉。上海高通代理律师段和段律师事务所合伙人陈若剑表示，上海高通准备向国家工商总局举报美国高通的商标侵权行为，并要求国家工商总局根据“商标侵权将处罚4倍非法收入所得”的规定，对美国高通进行罚款。根据2013年在中国大陆地区的营收，美国高通可能面临近1000亿元的巨额罚款。
楼市迎两会后首个利好 公积金贷款政策松绑地产政策地产频道首页_财经网 more signs of support for housing market after the NPC // 中国证券网讯 近日，中央国家机关住房资金管理中心在官方网站上发布通知，为进一步加大对缴存职工使用住房公积金个人贷款解决基本住房问题的支持力度，个人贷款将做一定调整，其中，国管公积金贷款账户余额划定线调高至5万元。值得注意的是，这是今年两会后首个进行调整的房地产政策。
POLITICS AND LAW
China graft tsar plans US visit amid drive to extradite fugitives – FT.com Wang Qishan heads the ruling Communist party’s graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and has masterminded the unprecedented anti-corruption campaign that has come to define President Xi Jinping’s first two years in power.
Ex-security chief ‘had ties with other top graft suspects’ – People’s Daily Online Zhou Ruijin, former deputy editor-in-chief of People’s Daily, said, “In recent days, a number of graft issues have tended to become family-, faction- or group-oriented,” adding that the Zhou Yongkang graft case has involved many corrupt officials who allegedly formed a “huge corruption network”. // 皇甫欣平再论终结腐败：砍树救林 除恶务尽 标本兼治
One of China’s Most-Wanted Tries to Make a Final Deal – WSJ not just a crook but a dumb crook // A year later, in September 2014, standing in a green polo shirt with his ankles shackled, Mr. Li heard the court return guilty verdicts. He was sentenced to life in prison and all his assets were confiscated. “We could consider giving him a lighter punishment,” the verdict said about Mr. Li, citing his voluntary surrender. “But a lenient sentence is not warranted” because the bank fraud “was particularly severe.” His brother, who pleaded not guilty to fraud, was sentenced to 25 years. The court credited Mr. Gao with a full and truthful confession and sentenced him to 15 years.
China must pardon corrupt officials, says author dubbed China’s John Grisham – Telegraph China must pardon two million corrupt Communist Party officials to avoid falling into a “vicious cycle” of sleaze that could ultimately lead to the government’s collapse, He Jiahong, a leading legal scholar and author, has warned.
China Investigating Former Senior Official of Shanghai Free-Trade Zone – WSJ China’s antigraft agency said it was investigating Dai Haibo, a senior Shanghai government official and former deputy chief of the city’s free-trade zone. // 上海副秘书长戴海波被查 曾被前妻举报
‘Tigers and flies’ to ‘tigers and wives’: the other-halves of senior officials caught up in Xi Jinping’s anti-graft drive | South China Morning Post Although some are suspected of making huge fortunes through the influence of their powerful husbands, others have become wealthy by adopting other methods. And while some may have made their fortunes almost unnoticed, others have flaunted their money and power. Here we take a look at a few of the members of the “tigers’ wives club”. // seems to have drawn a bit from this recent piece in China Economic Weekly 盘点大老虎的夫人们以夫之名都干了什么 though doesn’t mention it
Xi Jinping’s inner circle: The mishu cluster I | Brookings Institution Cheng Li Mentor-protégé ties play an important role in elite formation in virtually all kinds of political systems. But arguably no country gives more prominent advantage in terms of later political career promotions to those who have previously served as personal assistants to senior leaders than China. This phenomenon of having a large presence of leaders with such experience in Chinese officialdom has led to the romanization of the Chinese term mishu (秘书) to refer to this group. At present, more than three-quarters of cabinet ministers and provincial governors have served as mishu. Of the current 25 members of the Politburo, 16 (64 percent) have served in such roles, and of the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, five (71 percent) have mishu backgrounds.
Guangdong party boss Hu Chunhua’s star is fading amid his lacklustre performance | South China Morning Post Once tipped to join the Politburo Standing Committee, Hu Chunhua’s lacklustre performance now makes that possibility seem remote
Detention of Rights Activists in China Soared in 2014, Report Says – NYTimes They are increasingly being detained, often without formal charges, amid growing suspicion of independent civic groups that lie outside the control of the governing Communist Party, according to the report by Chinese Human Rights Defenders. The group documented at least 955 rights advocates who were detained in China in 2014, almost as many as the 1,160 it counted in the previous two years combined.
律师钱列阳：刘志军不懂法 为何放弃辩护-20150310罗昌平对话 2015年是审判年，数十名大老虎会走上法庭。谁将为大老虎们辩护，他们会采取怎样的辩护策略，大老虎又将如何选择？罗昌平对话钱列阳律师，为您评说其中的玄机。 // Luo Changping talks with Liu Tienan’s lawyer Qian Lieyang about how you defend a tiger
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
Ex-General Who Served in Zhejiang ‘Is Target of Inquiry’ – Caixin A former high-ranking officer who ran a command in eastern China has become the subject of an inquiry by the military’s graft fighter, a source with knowledge of the matter says. Fu Yi, a 62-year-old former major general, led the military command in the eastern province of Zhejiang before retiring in November 2013.
[视频]张高丽会见美国前财政部长新闻频道央视网(cctv.com) Hank Paulson meets with Zhang Gaoli, third item on Tuesday CCTV Evening News // 鲍尔森表示，他本人和鲍尔森基金会将继续致力于开展同中方的交流与合作，进一步推动美中在经贸、环保等领域的合作向纵深发展。
South Korea, Japan, China to meet on three-way cooperation | Reuters The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan will meet on Saturday for the first time in nearly three years in a bid to restore cooperation between the three Asian economic powers, South Korea’s foreign ministry said.
China’s New Military Installations in the Spratly Islands: Satellite Image Update — Medium Recent high-resolution images show new areas of reclamation on Mischief and Subi Reefs, and intensive construction on Fiery Cross as well as several other reefs.
Chinese company pledged $2 million to Clinton Foundation in 2013 – CBS News One donor – Rilin Enterprises- pledged $2 million in 2013 to the Clinton Foundation’s endowment. The company is a privately-held Chinese construction and trade conglomerate and run by billionaire Wang Wenliang, who is also a delegate to the Chinese parliament. Public records show the firm has spent $1.4 million since 2012, lobbying Congress and the State Department. The firm owns a strategic port along the border with North Korea and was also one of the contractors that built the Chinese embassy in Washington.
Commentary: Former NSA chief’s irresponsible remarks on China reek of cyber McCarthyism – Xinhua To make his China-demonizing allegations more convincing, the former intelligence chief resorted to the power of details by listing areas in which the “Chinese are stealing”: “planning information for advanced concepts, windmills, automobiles, airplanes, space ships, manufacturing design, software.” As some of these areas happen to be the ones where China is rapidly catching up with the United States, McConnell seems to imply that China’s progress may come as a result of “cyber theft.” But again, he publicized accusations with insufficient regard to evidence. By hyping the threat of Communism with carefully-fabricated lies and ill-intended exaggerations, Joeseph Raymond McCarthy came to the height of his political career at the expense of a troubled society in the 1950s.
1969 Chinese atlas used ‘Senkaku Islands’ – The Japan News An atlas published by the Chinese government in 1969 identifies the Senkaku Islands by their Japanese name, new evidence that the group of islands in Okinawa Prefecture is inherently Japanese territory, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Chinese army strengthens corruption clean-up in staff housing – Xinhua The army must guarantee the welfare and interests of officers and soldiers while cleaning up corruption in staff housing projects, said Central Military Commission vice chairman Fan Changlong on Tuesday. At a meeting on malpractice in staff housing, Fan urged the army to come up with a better approach as soon as possible. While protecting officers’ rights, Fan said, “those who have gained advantage in staff housing should be dealt with, and those who have broken the law should be punished.” // 经中央军委主席习近平批准，总参谋部、总政治部、总后勤部日前印发《关于规范完善军队人员有关福利待遇的若干规定》。
Wow, China Has a Lot of Different Early-Warning Planes — War Is Boring — Medium New photos recently emerged of China’s KJ-500 airborne early-warning and control plane. It’s Beijing’s fifth unique fixed-wing AEW&C aircraft. Which is kind of a big deal.
China names new ambassador to N. Korea: source China appears to have appointed a vice minister of the Chinese Communist Party as Beijing’s new ambassador to North Korea, a diplomatic source said Tuesday.
South Korea Tells China Not to Meddle in Decision Over Missile System – NYTimes Tension between Seoul and Beijing over Washington’s desire to deploy a ballistic missile defense system in South Korea intensified on Tuesday as South Korea made an unusual public retort to China, asking it not to meddle in its defense policy.
China’s Secret Plan to Track Militants and Bring Them Home – Bloomberg Business Days after Indonesia arrested four Uighur terrorism suspects in September in the country’s east, China dispatched three intelligence officers to ask authorities to hand them over. While Indonesia initially demurred, China has now secured a preliminary agreement for the men to be returned after a trial in Jakarta, according to Irfan Idris, a senior official at Indonesia’s anti-terrorism agency. The four, who are yet to be charged, face potential execution if repatriated.
China’s Economic Ties with ASEAN: A Country-by-Country Analysis | U.S.-CHINA This paper assesses China’s relative significance for individual ASEAN economies. It starts with an overview of China’s trade and investment relations with ASEAN as a whole. The paper then provides descriptive statistics on each ASEAN country’s composition of foreign trade by product and top trade partner, as well as foreign direct investment (FDI) flows. It also provides a brief analysis of commercial disputes and bilateral cooperation with China.
U.S. Navy Urges Joint Southeast Asia Patrols of South China Sea – Bloomberg Business Countries could streamline cooperation on maritime security while respecting sovereignty and coastal space, as in the case of counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, Vice Admiral Robert Thomas said Tuesday at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Malaysia.
TECH AND MEDIA
The 10 commandments of Wechat: what you can and can’t post-TechInAsia An article from the WeChat Security Center says the service will “resolutely crack down on all kinds of illegal content and behavior.” The rules are pretty much what you would expect and are probably mentioned in some form within the app’s end user license agreement, although some are notably specific. WeChat states it has implemented a revamped complaint and reporting mechanism to find and punish abusers. // 微信出剑治理朋友圈 “杀鸡儆猴”净化社交生态
In China, one actor’s drug arrest can jeopardize an entire film – LA Times Simply cutting Wang from the film, or replacing him, seems difficult if not impossible. He played a major supporting role, and the interactions between Wang and the lead character — played by Chen — are key to the plot. Production concluded months ago, and reshooting scenes with snow would be particularly difficult.
U.S. Cloud Providers Face Backlash From China’s Censors – WSJ probably not helpful that this gets publicized // These cloud services run by Amazon.com Inc.,Microsoft Corp., Akamai Technologies Inc. and others are meant to help businesses improve their website speeds by storing their data on remote servers. But activists say they are using them to get around China’s so-called Great Firewall, which could draw the cloud providers unwillingly into the censorship clash. To stem the flow of prohibited content, authorities would need to block entire servers of these companies, disrupting hundreds of businesses, according to the activists.
联通“实名制”违规内幕：造业绩，防记者科技一财网 CBN looks at how and why China Unicom employees help customers get around the “real name registration” requirement
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
Gov’t Makes Hosting World Cup Part of Plan to Boost Soccer – Caixin The government says it will explore hosting the World Cup as part of China’s long-term goals for becoming a soccer powerhouse. The plan to turn China into a soccer power was published by the State Council, China’s cabinet, on March 16. Its release comes after a meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping late in February in which the country’s leaders linked success in the sport to “rejuvenation of the Chinese civilization.” Xi and many past leaders of China, such as Deng Xiaoping, have made no secret of their love for the sport
California grants posthumous law license to nation’s first Chinese-born lawyer California’s top court granted a posthumous law license on Monday to the country’s first recognized lawyer born in China, an immigrant who was denied the right to practice law in the state in 1890 because of his race. The California Supreme Court agreed with descendants of Hong Yen Chang and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) at the University of California, Davis School of Law who sought to have him admitted to the California Bar.
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
Nuclear Industry in China and Export Potential | The Energy Collective China’s major challenge is that it has not yet built and operated its flagship nuclear reactor design, the 1000 MW Hualong One, at home. And getting one built has to face the multiple competitive pressures for different reactors, foreign and domestic, within China for each new power station. A lot of construction of Gen III+ reactors is taking place with reactors designs from other nations. For more details see WNA’s country profile of China’s commercial nuclear program. No utility in a western nation is going to accept a Chinese reactor until China’s multiple state owned nuclear firms can prove that its components are of predicable quality and that the reactors built with them are safe. It could be a while before there is a track record that proves that point. Over the next five years many reactors which will be completed either won’t be of Chinese design or won’t be of Chinese design equal to western Gen III+ in terms of safety measures.
China Has Its Own Anti-Vaxxers. Blame the Internet. | Foreign Policy Misinformation and mistrust are endangering the country’s vaccination program.
腾讯新闻-山东3名人大代表非法养8只虎 illegally raising tigers a hobby for at least 3 Shandong local NPC delegates…too bad none were eaten..the delegates, not the tigers
BOOKS AND LITERATURE
Out Loud: Censorship in China – The New Yorker The staff writers Peter Hessler and Evan Osnos have both worked as New Yorker correspondents in China, and both have published books about the country. But, as he writes in his recent article “Travels with My Censor,” Hessler agreed to have a modified version of his latest book, “Strange Stones,” published in China, whereas Osnos chose against it for his 2014 book “Age of Ambition.” On this week’s Out Loud, Hessler and Osnos join Amelia Lester and discuss the decision about whether to comply with censorship in China. Hessler points out that the Western press’s coverage of the issue often overlooks a key question: “Do these books provide any value to people there, does it make a difference to them?”
BEIJING
Knife-Wielding Watch Thief Robs Cartier Store in Wangfujing, Caught After Chase | the Beijinger A masked robber stole 11 watches from a Cartier store in Wangfujing Monday, ran away from store clerks, and making a getaway by taxi and on foot before finally being apprehended by Beijing police // A Malaysian say reports 王府井劫案嫌犯系马来西亚籍 面临15年以上刑期
北京幼儿园“抢跑”将面临降级_国内_新京报网 Beijing to crack down on kindergartens that teach primary school cirricula // 下周起至4月中旬，北京市教委将成立市、区两级巡回检查组，检查全市各类幼儿园中是否存在教授小学内容，提前“抢跑”情况。一旦幼儿园被查出存在提前学习和强化训练小学内容的情况，院长会被严肃问责，幼儿园也将降级。
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