"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. IBM Project in China Raises U.S. Concerns – NYTimes so much for a united front among US tech firms…doubt this will end well for IBM, but when you are focused on the next quarter’s results it is hard to worry about the big picture… // Shen Changxiang, who once supervised the cybersecurity of China’s strategic missile arsenal and spearheaded computer security research for the navy, has warned of the perils of his country’s reliance on American technology. Yet in December, the 74-year-old former military engineer, one of China’s top-ranking cyberofficials, quietly started working with a company synonymous with American technological prowess: IBM. Mr. Shen’s task is to help a little-known Chinese company absorb and build upon key technologies licensed by IBM, according to a statement posted on a Beijing government website.
2. The Inspirational Backstory of China’s ‘Feminist Five’ | Foreign Policy The following narrative has been adapted from a Chinese-language article that first appeared in Hong Kong-based Asian Newsweek on April 15, two days after Chinese authorities released from custody five feminist activists who had been detained for over a month without formal charges. The author, a close associate of the released activists, relates the details of the women’s sudden detention, their previous activism, and how international and domestic scrutiny put pressure on Chinese authorities to release them. Newly incorporated into the following article, and exclusive to Foreign Policy, is an interview with one of the released feminists, conducted by the author. FP translates with permission, with edits for clarity and brevity, below.
3. Former China Security Head Spied on Leaders, Probe Said to Find – Bloomberg Business and a similar Reuters report last week, interesting that people “familiar with the probe” are starting to talk to foreign media, likely a sign a trial is imminent. There is no upside for people “in the know” talking to foreign media in the current information environment, have to wonder why these sources are talking now // China’s investigation of former security chief Zhou Yongkang found evidence that he ordered unauthorized spying on top leaders including President Xi Jinping, according to two people familiar with the probe. The investigation showed that Zhou used phone taps and other methods to gather information on the family assets, private lives and political stances of China’s leaders, according to one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential.
Related: Beijing Official Detained in Investigation of Former Security Chief – NYTimes February 21,2014 Chris Buckley and Jonathan Ansfield had this story over a year ago // Two people, a former security official and a policy adviser to party leaders, both speaking on the condition of anonymity, said senior officials had told them that Mr. Liang was suspected of aiding Mr. Zhou by illicitly passing on information gathered by the bureau’s network of agents, phone taps and informants in the Chinese capital. “The official message sent down was that Liang Ke was suspected of corruption,” the former security official said. “But as well, Liang Ke was detained because he is suspected of assisting Zhou Yongkang beyond approved means and channels.”
4. China launches campaign to improve official conduct – Xinhua China’s central authority is about to launch a campaign to improve the conduct of officials at county-level and above. A plan issued recently by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said the education campaign will be launched at the end of this month focusing on the “three strictness” and three solidness”. “Three strictness” refers to being strict in cultivating one’s morals, using power and disciplining oneself, while “three solidness” means solid planning, working and behaving. // the translation of 三严三实 in The Governance of China is “three stricts and the three earnests.”
Related: 中共中央办公厅印发《关于在县处级以上领导干部中开展“三严三实”专题教育方案》–时政–人民网 new education plan for county level cadres focused on the “three stricts and three earnests”, an “extension and deepening” of the mass line education campaign. The country cadres probably are not thrilled // 《方案》明确,“三严三实”专题教育作为党的群众路线教育实践活动的延展深化,作为加强党的思想政治建设和作风建设的重要举措,要融入领导干部经常性学习教育,不分批次、不划阶段、不设环节,不是一次活动。从今年4月底开始,在各级党政机关、人民团体及其内设机构县处级以上领导干部和事业单位、国有企业中层以上领导人员中开展,各级同步进行
Related: 学习习近平总书记关于“三严三实”的重要论述共产党员网共产党员网 a nice, illustrated explanation of the “three stricts and three earnests”. The study Xi app also has this topic as the top “micro-course”, gives a concise overview
5. China Central Bank Checks Europe Playbook on Credit – WSJ Zhou Xiaochuan and his team have had a lot of time to study the crisis responses from the US Fed and ECB, no one should be surprised that they have various approaches lined up to try to mitigate the stresses in the economy…they may fail, but any analyst who expects a financial crisis should be able to explain how the PBOC is likely to respond and why it would fail. If they can’t do that you should probably not waste a lot of bandwidth on that analysis // China’s central bank is considering taking a page from Europe’s financial-crisis handbook to free up more credit as growth in the world’s second-largest economy slows. The proposed strategy would allow Chinese banks to swap local-government bailout bonds for cash as a way to bolster liquidity and boost lending, said people familiar with the People’s Bank of China talks…The central bank is concerned about one issue in particular, according to Chinese officials and advisers to the PBOC: preventing a stranglehold on liquidity in the financial system at a time when local governments are about to begin a debt-for-bond replacement program to try to alleviate their repayment burdens.
Related: For the People’s Bank of China, Bond Buying Is Both Easy and Hard – WSJ China’s central bank has long been critical of the bond-buying programs adopted by its counterparts in developed countries. Now, it’s pondering its own version of such easing and a close look at its balance sheet shows it has room to do just that. Under deliberations at the People’s Bank of China is a proposal that could allow commercial banks to swap local-government bailout funds for cash as a way to bolster liquidity and boost lending, according to people familiar with the talks. Government bonds represented only 4.5% of all of the 33.8 trillion yuan (or $5.5 trillion) in assets held by the Chinese central bank as of the end of last year. By comparison, 55% of the assets owned by the U.S. Federal Reserve consisted of government securities.
6. 凝聚当代中国的价值公约数–—论培育和践行社会主义核心价值观–任仲平–人民网 very long page 1 essay by Ren Zhongping in 4.20.15 People’s Daily on building Socialist Core Values// 一是梁启超之问:郑和下西洋乃“有史来最光焰之时代”,为什么“郑和之后,竟无第二之郑和”?二是李约瑟之问:为什么近现代科技与工业文明,没有诞生在当时世界科技与经济最发达的中国?三是黄炎培之问:如何找到一条新路,跳出“其兴也勃焉,其亡也忽焉”的周期律? 三个问号,虽指向经济、文化、政治的不同维度,却有一个共同的内涵:在传统与现代、民族与世界的冲突与对撞、融合与再造中,中国人如何重建自己的精神世界? 中国的崛起——这个被称作“21世纪最激动人心的大事”,不仅是物质财富的积累、制度模式的创新,更是中华文化的弘扬、价值体系的重塑;不仅会书写举世瞩目的“中国故事”,更将铸造打动人心的“中国精神”。 经历了一个多世纪的现代化探索,创造了30多年经济腾飞的奇迹,站立在960万平方公里的广袤土地上,一个富强民主文明和谐的国家,一个自由平等公正法治的社会,亿万爱国敬业诚信友善的公民,一定能让古老的中华民族踏上豪迈壮阔的征途,迎来伟大复兴的前景。
Related: 培育和践行社会主义核心价值观是凝魂聚气强基固本的基础工程_《求是》2015/08 作者:本刊评论员 latest issue of Seeking Truth also has a commentary about cultivating and pushing Socialist Core Values // 培育和践行社会主义核心价值观,不仅是宣传部门的事情,更是全党全社会的共同责任。各级党委一定要贯彻两手抓、两手都要硬的方针,紧紧围绕“四个全面”战略布局推进精神文明建设,把培育和践行核心价值观摆在重要位置,加强统筹规划、加强工作指导,切实负起政治责任和领导责任。只有坚持全党动手,党员干部带头,全社会参与,才能形成人人践行社会主义核心价值观的喜人景象,更好地激励全体人民为实现中华民族伟大复兴中国梦而不懈奋斗。
7. 国务院印发福建、上海、天津及广东自贸区总体方案|试验区| 区内_凤凰资讯 State Council publishes overall plan for Fujian, Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangdong Free Trade Zones
Related: 经济参考网 – 国办印发自贸区负面清单 new FTZ negative list published // 记者20日从中国政府网获悉,《自由贸易试验区外商投资准入特别管理措施(负面清单)》已经国务院同意,国务院办公厅现予以印发。负面清单列明了不符合国民待遇等原则的外商投资准入特别管理措施,适用于上海、广东、天津、福建四个自由贸易试验区。 《自贸试验区负面清单》依据《国民经济行业分类》(GB/T4754—2011)划分为15个门类、50个条目、122项特别管理措施。其中特别管理措施包括具体行业措施和适用于所有行业的水平措施
8.【舒立观察】反腐何惧怠政财新周刊频道财新网 Hu Shuli uses this week’s Caixin editorial to address the problem of officials doing little work in the face of the corruption crackdown, argues that relaxing the crackdown would be far worse than working through the problem of official inaction…Beijing clearly worried about this phenomenon and its impact on the economy, though so far there are no indications that Xi is inclined to back off on the intensity or breadth of the crackdown to help the economy in the short-term // 两年多来的反腐风暴力度空前,成果显著,深得民心。然而,反腐斗争形势依然严峻复杂,对反腐的认识也须进一步统一。当前一些政府官员中出现不思工作、不愿揽事等消极现象,可统称为“怠政”;许多人将此夸大归因,进而质疑反腐的正当性。我们以为,执政党既然已痛下决心“全面从严治党”,就绝不可为怠政所惧。惟坚定不移地持续反腐、深化改革和推进法治,为德才兼备的勤政者开辟施展抱负的空间,中国未来才有希望…反腐败斗争是一场输不起的斗争。倘若对腐败分子心慈手软,对怠政现象束手无策,后果将不堪设想,腐败将变本加厉,已有的反腐成果也会前功尽弃。决策层对此有着清醒的估计,进一步反腐正有条不紊地展开,它必将也是怠政现象得到治理的过程,“把信心重塑起来、把精气神鼓起来”的日子终将到来
BUSINESS, ECONOMY AND TRADE
Economists React: China’s Aggressive Cut in Banks’ Reserve Requirement Ratio – WSJ t was the biggest such move since late 2008, according to analysts. However, the central bank wasn’t finished there, offering an array of targeted reserve requirement cuts aimed at helping small businesses and farmers. The central bank has cut the reserve requirement on deposits twice since February and trimmed interest rates twice since November.
China Stocks Drop on Record Turnover as Margin Curbs Trump PBOC – Bloomberg Business The Shanghai Composite Index dropped 1.6 percent to 4,217.08 at the close, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index in Kong Kong declined 2.9 percent. China’s securities regulator announced measures on Friday to clamp down on the use of shadow financing for equity purchases and increase the supply of shares available for short sellers. The Shanghai gauge trades at 21 times reported earnings, the highest since April 2010 and more than double last year’s low, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Turnover explosion at Shanghai stock exchange has too many zeros for software | Reuters The exchange’s trading turnover exceeded 1 trillion yuan ($161.28 billion) for the first time on Monday, but the data could not be properly displayed because its software was not designed to report numbers that high. “This is a software configuration issue, not a technical glitch,” the Shanghai Stock Exchange said in a statement, adding that trading and price quotes for individual stocks were not affected.
Li’s Wrist-Slash Vow Tested as First State-Company Default Nears – Bloomberg Business Baoding Tianwei Group Co., a unit of central government-owned China South Industries Group Corp., said on April 14 there’s uncertainty it can make an 85.5 million yuan ($13.8 million) interest payment Tuesday because of “huge losses” last year in its alternative energy business. The BB rated notes due April 2016 have dropped 6.8 percent this month to 85.62 percent of par, the most since they were issued in 2011. While two private firms have reneged on debts, no state-backed company has defaulted on an interest obligation in the nation’s domestic bond market as Li pledged to prevent a systematic fallout while allowing individual cases of financial risk
A Chinese concept of Internet Revolution: a Need for Traditional Industries to be Reborn with New Bones | Justrecently’s Weblog A CCTV op-ed, republished here by Enorth (Tianjin), picks up the official buzzword of “Internet plus”, or “互联网”+ in Chinese. The author is a frequently published commentator beyond CCTV, Qin Chuan (秦川).
Non-Chinese companies warm to renminbi – FT.com a survey of 150 senior executives from multinational companies found that more than half of non-Chinese companies had used the renminbi for payments outside mainland China, mainly to benefit from lower transaction and funding costs.
Global Central Bankers Don’t See Yuan Devaluation on Horizon – China Real Time Report – WSJ Weak demand has led to talk in financial markets about the broad risk of currency wars and the more specific possibility of currency devaluation by Chinese officials to boost exports. “I don’t think any country, including China, would pursue that kind of policy,” said Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor of the Bank Negara of Malaysia, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “That kind of strategy is not sustainable.” Her comments reflected views uttered by several central bankers this weekend in Washington at semiannual meeting of the International Monetary Fund.
央行曲线注资国开行、进出口银行金融频道财新网 Caixin reports that the PBOC is making large capital injections into China Development Bank, Export-Import Bank of China and Agricultural Development Bank of China using forex reserves…per Caixin report a CDB official said injection to give CBD long-term forex funds to support one belt one road // 中国政府网近日公布了国务院批复的国家开发银行(下称国开行)、中国进出口银行(下称进出口银行)、农业发展银行(下称农发行)改革实施总体方案。 财新记者从多个权威渠道获悉,此次由国务院批准,央行将以外汇储备委托贷款债转股形式,注资国开行和进出口银行;农发行由财政部追加资本金。其中,曲线注资国开行和进出口银行的金额分别为320亿美元、300亿美元。至2014年底,中国外汇储备总额3.8万亿美元。注资完成后,央行将一跃成为国开行的第二大股东、进出口银行的第一控股股东。在2008年中央汇金投资公司(下称汇金)向国开行注资200亿美元后,财政部和汇金各持有国开行50%的股权…“国开行和进出口银行要支持“一带一路”战略,需要有长期的外汇资金来源。如何解决长期外汇资本金机制,制度安排上如何理顺?外汇储备和财政的法律关系一直没厘清,外汇储备到底怎么管理运用?是否应有一个合理的法律约束机制明确下来?外汇储备属于负债,重大事宜应向人大报告审议,不能总是靠行政决定。”这位国开行人士表示。
PBOC Re-Capitalizes Policy Banks With Reserves Pile, Caixin Says – Bloomberg Business The Caixin report repeatedly uses the term “注资”, is that really “recapitalize”? // The plans to increase policy banks’ lending is a “more stimulative punch” than the 100 basis-point cut to banks’ required reserve ratios, Wang Tao, chief China economist at UBS Group AG in Hong Kong, wrote in a note. The PBOC lowered the ratio as policy makers increase support for the economy days after a report showed the slowest pace of growth in six years.
经济参考网 – 大房企或组团拉高北京五环外房价:东坝房价或达十万 Are some large property developers colluding to drive up prices of real estate outside Beijing’s 5th ring road? // 摘要:随着首开、恒大、保利、龙湖等多个品牌开发商的扎堆入驻,东坝地价也水涨船高。从北京市国土资源局公布的土地交易信息来看,近两年区域内地块成交楼面价几乎均在3万元以上,而2013年年底恒大在南区拿下的地块已接近五万元,更以51.35亿元刷新了当年总价地王记录。
China mulls draft law to ease regulation on securities – Xinhua The draft amendment to the Securities Law was read by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) for the first time during its ongoing bimonthly session, which began on Monday and will run until Friday. The draft amendment outlined a stock issuance registration system that would replace the current examination and approval system. This would mean the stock issuance examination committee under the Securities Regulatory Commission will dissolved. The registration system would strengthen the market’s decisive role in distributing resources, said Wu Xiaoling, deputy head of the NPC Financial and Economic Affairs Committee.
河北融投危机调查:摸底排查仍在进行 暂停个人业务 | 每经网 more from NBD on the Hebei Finance Investment Company black hole // 随着时间推移,“河北融投”危机持续发酵,市场的关注点已从简单的官方公告转向拥有国资背景的担保平台自身经营风险。那么,作为河北省最大、全国第二大的担保平台,河北融投担保集团有限公司(以下简称河北融投)自身经营平台到底隐藏着什么样的风险? 据了解,在河北融投的业务中,银行占主要地位。某股份制银行石家庄分行人士透露,河北融投问题肯定和银行抽贷有一定关系,而河北融投自身经营的融投不分、管理层风险意识淡薄或是另一重要原因。此外,债务重组可能是河北融投的首选出路。
谁拖垮了河北融投? – 经济观察网 - 专业财经新闻网站 Economic Observer also looks at the Hebei Finance Investment Company mess // 今年1月份,全国第二大、河北省最大的国资担保平台,获AA+评级资质的担保机构河北融投,交由河北建设投资集团有限公司托管,且对外暂停了所有担保业务。4月份,河北融投公告称,已制定计划保证所发债券2015年付息。但是,这场危机仍在发酵当中。这一大型国资担保公司因何被拖垮?其曾被称道的“河北融投”模式又存在哪些潜在隐患?
96%县市不动产登记整合未完成 96% of counties and cities have not made progress on new guidance to register real estate
The greying economy: Bang goes retirement | The Economist Under China’s household-registration system, known as hukou, rural connections, even if inherited, determine the kind of welfare benefits individuals may receive. Some of the first generation of migrant workers, who arrived in urban areas in the late 1980s, have reached retirement age. Most people can qualify for a state-supported or employer-backed pension scheme at 60; some women can do so at 55 or even 50. For city-born workers, that means nearly 2,070 yuan a month. But workers of rural origin receive far less—not nearly enough, in most cases, to sustain them in the cities in which they have been working. Many have little choice but to carry on with their jobs or, in some cases, to return to the countryside to live on their farms, if they have them. Chinese officials talk of reforming the hukou system. But changes have been painfully slow.
Foreign Companies at Risk From Proposed Chinese Law – WSJ According to Mr. Zhang, “It is time [for companies] to consider restructuring the VIE.” On the one hand, Chinese regulators may decide to open to foreign investment some sectors that are currently restricted, in which case entities operating in those sectors through a VIE structure could eliminate the contractual complexity by restructuring. On the other hand, if their sector remains on the negative list, they might have the opportunity to apply for a grandfathered status, or to bring in Chinese investment in order to bring control into line with the provisions of the law. “It’s not a cause for panic,” he said.
POLITICS AND LAW
人民日报人民论坛:领导干部的家风不是私事–观点–人民网 People’s Daily on “family” corruption in Zhou, Ling, Su Rong et al cases and on importance of leading cadres making sure their family stays clean // 不良的家风,如同鲜花掩映的陷阱;错位的亲情,好像温柔软滑的绞绳。周永康、苏荣、令计划等“大老虎”落马的背后,都呈现家庭式甚至是家族式贪腐的特征。正是因为家教不严、家风不正,让他们把家庭当成了权钱交易所,把家人当成了利益共同体。“一人得道,鸡犬升天”“前门当官,后门开店”,结果,人前“同气连枝”、狱中“同病相怜”。 家教,因为是关起门来话短长,有的人便脱掉面具,说一些歪道理,授一些潜规则,传一些关系哲学,谋一些不义之财。刘铁男就教育儿子“要学会走捷径”。徐其耀也在家书中教育儿子,“做人就是把自己作为一个点编织到上下左右的网中,成为这个网的一部分。”这种变味的亲情教育,与党纪国法相背离,与崇德向善相脱节,名为爱子顾家实为害子累家。
Disciplinary violations rise in March – Xinhua The disciplinary watchdog of the Communist Party of China (CPC) uncovered 1,931 cases of anti-graft rule violations in March, an increase of 422 cases from February, according to an announcement on Sunday. A total of 2,673 people involved have been punished, 1,486 of whom have been given Party or administrative punishment, said the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).
Discipline watchdog holds seminar on accrediting inspection agencies – Xinhua Wang Qishan, head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, said at the event’s opening ceremony that the Party must be strictly governed if China is to achieve the “great rejuvenation” that its leaders are targeting. Accrediting inspection agencies is held to be a big part of this. Earlier this month, the CCDI accredited agencies tasked with inspecting seven central authority organs. The seminar was attended by about 200 officials.
奏响“四个全面”的时代强音——专访新华网总裁田舒斌-新华网 Xinhua head Tian Shubin on “playing the ‘four comprehensives’ strong note of the times”, interesting discussion of how the 4 comps propaganda was rolled out, likely another sign that the concept may enter the pantheon as Xi’s theoretical contribution // “四个全面”战略布局是中国特色社会主义事业新的顶层设计,也是中国在新的历史阶段主动的战略选择。“四个全面”战略布局的提出,使当前和今后一个时期,党和国家各项工作的关键环节、重点领域、主攻方向更加清晰,内在逻辑更加严密,以习近平同志为总书记的党中央治国理政总体框架更加完整、成熟。新华网作为中央重点新闻网站的排头兵,如何在今后一段时间面向海内外受众传播好,解读好“四个全面”思想?中国网信网记者近日采访了新华网总裁田舒斌。
Is Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Book of Speeches Really a Best Seller? | TIME wait isn’t this supposed to be a key plank of the supposed “Cult of Xi” building? // Xi’s speeches and other musings are not included among this year’s top 100 best sellers on Dangdang, a leading Chinese online bookstore. (The book, however, is listed as the 53rd most popular book on Dangdang over the past 30 days.) Currently, Dangdang’s top-selling book is a Chinese translation of The Kite Runner. While China-watchers, like Zuckerberg, may be poring over Xi’s tome, the reaction at home, where the book sells for roughly $13, may be different. At the Beijing Xidan bookstore, a store manager surnamed Yang said her shop was offering a deal in which people who purchased more than 1,000 copies could receive a 15% discount. But Yang admits Xi’s book isn’t selling very well. “The book is not cheap,” she says.
黄守宏:不少好政策停留在纸面上政经频道财新网 【财新网】(记者 杨哲宇)“简政放权是新一届政府上任以来的先手棋,采取了一系列举措。但是,现在从调研和企业反映的情况来看,有很多的措施改革还没有到位。” 4月18日,国务院研究室副主任黄守宏在2015中国城镇化高层国际论坛开幕式上作出表示。
中纪委机关报:有干部没把自己当组织的人,对抗调查死不承认舆论场澎湃新闻-The Paper 党员干部不正常心理产生的原因,多数是对纪委的认识和定位存在偏差。一些党员干部没有认真学习党纪和国法,凭借主观定性思维不自觉地把公检法和纪委画上等号,用相同的思维和方式对待两者,没有把自己当成组织的人,反而把自己当成“小偷”,与组织玩“躲猫猫”。在接受调查过程中,对抗到底、死不承认,伪造篡改证据、串供翻供,耍各种伎俩和把戏。甚至在一开始接到纪委谈话通知的时候,就先入为主地对抗起来,用强势语气回应:“我有什么问题?找我干什么?”有的把组织调查视为政治生命中的污点,怕背处分,影响前途,逃避、对抗;有的一接到通知就万念俱灰,仿佛天塌下来,政治生命走到了尽头,惶惶不可终日……这都是缺乏刮骨疗毒勇气和自我革新魄力的表现,反映出了错误认识和不健康的心理状态
武长顺案被约谈者从天津转移到北京 一路三换车牌|巡视| 巡视组_凤凰资讯 CCDI publishes interesting details of the intrigues and efforts it went through to take down former Tianjin police chief Wu Changshun // 核心提示:中国纪检监察报刊文披露武长顺案细节:中央巡视组对武长顺的调查斗智斗勇,为了拿到第一手证据、保护被约谈人员的安全,将约谈地点从天津转移到北京,而被约谈者‘一路上换三次车牌’的表现更加印证了巡视组的判断。”
高劲松被指与仇和等肮脏一气 当场10多秒被控制|高劲松|仇和|白培恩_新浪新闻 Legal Daily with more details on the downfall of the Kunming Party Secretary, fits the pattern, called to a meeting a provincial headquarters, no leaks beforehand, put under control with “10 seconds” so couldn’t destroy evidence or harm himself…CCDI seems to be getting more efficient with each case // 多位省、市干部透露,据他们了解,高劲松被有关部门“控制”是在4月9日。当天,高劲松接到通知去省委开会,待其赶到后,有关部门当场宣布其因涉嫌严重违纪违法接受组织调查,随即被办案人员“控制”,全程用时仅十多秒钟。 一位昆明市委退休老干部向法晚记者透露,10日早晨不到7点,他接到了在省委工作的一个老朋友打来的电话,告诉他高劲松人在省委,已被“双规”了。 “听到这个消息后感觉很意外,因为之前没听说他有什么负面。”这位老干部马上给在市政府工作的亲属打电话,对方回复为这个消息已经在机关一部分干部中传开。当天下午,官方宣布消息证实。
人民陪审员改革试点:重大案拟3名以上陪审员参加合议庭法治中国澎湃新闻-The Paper 4月20日上午,最高人民法院向第十二届全国人大常委会第十四次会议提起审议《关于授权在部分地区开展人民陪审员制度改革试点工作的决定(草案)》(以下简称《草案》),拟在北京等10省开展人民陪审员制度改革试点工作。 《草案》还提出探索重大案件由3名以上人民陪审员参加合议庭机制,并健全人民陪审员提前阅卷机制。在案件评议过程中,人民陪审员可独立就案件事实认定问题发表意见,不再对法律适用问题发表意见。
怎样才能做到真正的历史清醒_求是网 lead essay in latest Red Flag Manuscript on historical nihilism // 习近平总书记十分重视历史和历史经验对治国理政、以史为鉴的作用,他说:“历史是最好的清醒剂”。他特别强调:“历史就是历史,事实就是事实,任何人都不能改变历史与事实。”这不仅是对我国治史、学史、用史的史学传统的弘扬,而且有很强的现实针对性。多年以来泛起和泛滥的历史虚无主义思潮,打着“反思历史”、“还原历史”的旗号,按照自己的政治诉求,任意歪曲历史事实,颠覆科学的历史结论,制造思想混乱,危害至深。因此,在当前各种社会思潮相互激荡的格局中,如何做到真正的历史清醒就成为一个重要问题。
China’s Buzzwords and Hot-Topics: A Post-2015 “Two Sessions” Analysis This presentation analyzes the personality of Xi Jinping and the many opaque political buzzwords of the Chinese Communist Party under Xi’s administration, especially since the conclusion of this year’s “Two Sessions” (两会). Topics include: the Four Comprehensives (四个全面), the Chinese Dream (中国梦), One Belt One Road (一带一路), the New Normal (新常态), Smash the Tigers and Flies (一起打老虎苍蝇).
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
China ‘decides to investigate’ retired general Guo Boxiong | South China Morning Post Beijing has decided to launch an investigation into retired military chief Guo Boxiong and has briefed serving top brass on the general’s alleged problems, two independent sources close to senior military officials said. Speculation over Guo intensified early last month after his son, Major General Guo Zhenggang, was detained in a graft probe, amid President Xi Jinping’s high-profile crackdown on corruption in the People’s Liberation Army.
Xi Jinping Heads to Pakistan, Bearing Billions in Infrastructure Aid – NYTimes.com Mr. Xi, making his first overseas trip this year, and the first by a Chinese leader to Pakistan in nine years, will arrive fortified from the robust reception to the new China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and is looking to show that China can make a difference in a friendly, neighboring country troubled by terrorism. Pakistani officials say that Mr. Xi will be signing accords for $46 billion for the construction of roads, rails and power plants to be built on a commercial basis by Chinese companies over 15 years.
President Xi Jinping visits Pakistan, attends meetings in Indonesia Xinhua microsite for Xi’s visits to Pakistan and Indonesia
[视频]习近平抵达伊斯兰堡开始对巴基斯坦进行国事访问新闻频道央视网 Monday CCTV Evening News on Xi’s arrival in Pakistan
America’s China consensus slowly unravels-Hugh White This brings us to point where Blackwill and Tellis converge with Rudd. Both reports evade the fact that strategic rivalry between America and China is ultimately caused by their fundamentally incompatible aims in Asia. America’s primary aim is to retain leadership in Asia, and China’s is to displace it. Rudd assumes America will abandon its aim, while Blackwill and Tellis assume it will be China that steps back. Rudd at least assumes that China will also be willing to compromise, whereas Blackwill and Tellis seem to think that America need make no substantial concessions to enjoy a peaceful relationship with China. The big risk, of course, is that neither side will be willing to make concessions, because each expects the other to blink first. That leads straight to escalating rivalry and an ever-higher risk of war. Both these reports downplay that risk, because they seem to assume China does not want to change the regional order enough to risk a military confrontation with the US.
中央军委印发《关于建设对党绝对忠诚、聚焦打仗有力、作风形象良好政治机关和政治干部队伍的意见》–时政–人民网 《意见》强调,要以马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想、邓小平理论、“三个代表”重要思想、科学发展观为指导,深入贯彻习主席系列重要讲话精神,着眼践行军队政治工作时代主题,坚持以思想建设为根本、能力建设为核心、作风建设为重点、制度建设为保障,突出整风整改、着力除疴祛弊,弘扬优良传统、锐意改革创新,把理想信念、党性原则、战斗力标准、政治工作威信牢固立起来,不断提高政治机关和政治干部队伍建设水平,为推进新形势下政治建军提供坚强组织保证和力量支撑。
Philippines seeks Southeast Asian unity denouncing China reclamation | Reuters “The president will raise…definitely the reclamation issue,” Foreign Ministry official Luis Cruz official told reporters. “We would aim for a collective statement, this time on the issue of the reclamation of some features in the South China Sea.” Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak hosts the 26th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit which begins on Friday.
China’s new silk roads tie together 3 continents | Brian Eyler – China Dialogue China’s ‘new silk roads’ will have huge environmental consequences in Asia and Africa as giant infrastructure projects open up remote areas and build links reaching as far as Europe
TECH AND MEDIA
Leaked emails: Sony’s experience shows how Hollywood studios walk the line in China – Quartz But the trove of internal Sony emails—released by hackers and now available via WikiLeaks—reveal some stumbles as Sony Pictures expanded there in recent years. According to the contents of the emails, there were deals with partners who weren’t properly vetted, concerns that service companies might be faking invoices, and questions about potential payments to employees of state-owned companies. The US Securities and Exchange Commission subpoenaed several studios in 2012 regarding possible violations of US bribery laws in China, as Reuters previously reported, and the emails show Sony was part of that inquiry. Sony’s internal investigation connected to the SEC inquiry raised several potentially troubling situations, the emails show.
China Film Group Takes Role in Hollywood – WSJ Implicit in those deals, though never explicitly promised, is that the release of any movies in which China Film invests would get “preferred dating” in that country, said one of the executives. The investments could result in a conflict of interest: China Film’s state-backed parent sets release dates for all imported movies; now that China Film is considering ownership stakes in some of them, it could have an incentive to give its own films preferential treatment. That would add one more wrinkle to the already convoluted politics of U.S. studios looking to earn money from China, the world’s fastest-growing and second-largest box-office market.
LeTV Changing Channels, Pushing for Investors – Caixin An Internet media company controlled by one of China’s richest men is eagerly seeking investors to back new and dramatically different forays into smartphones and electric car manufacturing. Billionaire Jia Yueting’s Leshi Internet Information & Technology Corp., the Shenzhen-listed media and TV-video-movie content integrator better known as LeTV, needs investor support for a business overhaul now that the government has refused to license its television-through-Internet-platform services.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
T.H. Tsien, Scholar of Chinese Written Word, Dies at 105 – NYTimes T. H. Tsien, a scholar of Chinese books and printing who in 1941 risked his life to smuggle tens of thousands of rare volumes to safety amid the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, died on April 9 at his home in Chicago. He was 105. His death was announced by the University of Chicago, with which he had been associated since the late 1940s. At his death, he was an emeritus professor of East Asian languages and civilizations there and an emeritus curator of the university’s East Asian library.
Visa complexity vexes parents of dual nationality Chinese children – LA Times The law says that a child who has one Chinese parent automatically receives Chinese citizenship, no matter where the child was born. But the law also prohibits Chinese citizens from having dual nationalities. This means that Chinese authorities will not recognize a child’s passport from the home country of one of his parents until the parents make a formal — and complicated — application to “cancel” their child’s Chinese citizenship. The process can take a year.
An American Hero in China by Ian Johnson | The New York Review of Books One night in September, three hundred people crowded into the basement auditorium of an office tower in Beijing to hear a discussion between two of China’s most popular writers. One was Liu Yu, a thirty-eight-year-old political scientist and blogger who has written a best seller explaining how American democracy works. Her fans call her “goddess”—for her writings and her stylish looks.1 But this evening, Liu was just a foil for the other writer: Peter Hessler, a low-key New Yorker journalist
Bail for lawyer’s wife who ‘whipped stepson’ prompts criticism of Chinese prosecutors | South China Morning Post been all over the Chinese news for over a week, can’t even look at the horrible pictures // Case has gained huge nationwide interest after photographs allegedly showing huge scars on the child’s body, legs and feet went viral after being published online
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH
U.S., China top dumping of electronic waste; little recycled | Reuters The United States and China contributed most to record mountains of electronic waste such as cellphones, hair dryers and fridges in 2014 and less than a sixth ended up recycled worldwide, a U.N. study said on Sunday. Overall, 41.8 million tonnes of “e-waste” — defined as any device with an electric cord or battery — were dumped around the globe in 2014 and only an estimated 6.5 million tonnes were taken for recycling, the United Nations University (UNU) said.
China considers ban on infant formula ads | Reuters China is considering a ban on advertisements for infant milk formula in a bid to tackle low levels of breast feeding, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday, a potential headache for firms targeting the country’s near $18 billion market. The draft would ban adverts in mass media or public places for dairy products, drinks and other foods that “claim to partly or completely substitute mother’s milk”, Xinhua said.
China Adds Solar Power the Size of France in First Quarter – Bloomberg Business China’s solar installations in the first quarter were almost equal to France’s entire supply of power from the sun. China connected 5.04 gigawatts of solar capacity to grids in the three months ended March 31, the National Energy Administration said in a statement on Monday. The Asian nation now has a total 33 gigawatts of solar-power supply.
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ISSUES
经济参考网 – 资源环境领域价改提速 农业水价改革方案或下月出台 Economic Information reports that a plan to reform agricultural water prices should be released next month // 《经济参考报》记者日前获悉,针对农业水价改革的意见和方案或将于5月份推出。作为水价改革的其中一个重要环节,中国水权交易中心今年内也将挂牌。业内人士分析,2015年,类似水价和电价的改革将持续提速,资源环境价格形成机制将获进一步完善。 据了解,目前先期试点的80个县农业水价改革工作正紧锣密鼓地推进。改革的目标是在保证农民基本用水需求的同时,建立多用水多花钱,少用水少花钱,不用水得补贴的机制。既不在总体上增加农民负担,又促进节约用水。按照相关文件,改革主要有两大工具,一是用水总量控制和定额制度,二是水权流转制度
China’s rotten grains highlight troubled policy – FT.com Chinese state television has shone light on the taboo topic of poor quality grains held in bulging government warehouses, in one of the first official acknowledgments that the country’s vast agricultural reserves may have badly degraded. Undercover footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV this weekend, in a report entitled “Rats in the Granary”, documented officials at state grain warehouses in northeast China buying old or inferior grain for discounted prices, while filing paperwork to show they were buying new grain at the state-set price and rotating out old stocks. Grain prices are subsidised by the government, which guarantees a minimum price. // 中储粮吉林16000吨稻谷遭查封 官员批是内外勾结
EDUCATION
Higher Education Initiatives to Bring More from Countryside to Colleges – Caixin A total of 100 Chinese universities, including some of the country’s best colleges, joined a Ministry of Education initiative to reserve at least 2 percent of their admissions spots for students from rural areas in poor regions in central and western provinces. By April 17, 46 of them, counting the elite Peking and Tsinghua universities, had unveiled their plan and selection criteria for candidates in rural areas. Eligible rural students will be able to receive up to 60 bonus points on top of the national college entrance exam in applications at participating universities.
FOOD AND TRAVEL
添加剂变粘肉胶 组装“包油”腰子深度新京报网 careful eating sheep kidney skewers in Beijing, there may be some unwanted additives keeping the fat stuck to the kidney… // 夏季临近,烧烤渐火,烤羊腰子成为很多食客必点美食。记者探访发现,北京市场上出现“包油”腰子,用食品添加剂将羊油和无油净腰黏合,烤后真假难辨,价格仅“原油”腰子1/4。其主要来自河北,多是家庭作坊生产,且无资质。
BOOKS AND LITERATURE
Contemporary Chinese literature top dozen | the Anthill Here are a dozen books curated as an open sesame, all by living authors, published in the last few decades and available in English. It’s selective and subjective, of course – just a few books I think are a good introduction to new Chinese fiction in translation – and there are plenty of fantastic titles I’ve missed. I deliberately left out Chinese writers overseas – Gao Xingjian, Ha Jin, Ma Jian, Guo Xiaolu, Amy Tan, Yiyun Li – to focus on novelists and short story writers living in the mainland. Part of the point is to show that there’s more to mainland authors than Mo Yan and Cultural Revolution scar literature. I prefer an urban to a rural focus, as it’s so much more relevant to the China around me, and this list likely shows that bias. I’ve also favoured less well known and younger authors where I can.
BEIJING
北京市首条低速磁悬浮线预计明年底开通 全程10分钟|工程量|开工_凤凰资讯 Construction underway for Beijing’s first Maglev commuter train, should be in operation by end of 2016, on the West side of town // 新京报快讯(记者郭超)4月20日上午记者获悉,北京市首条中低速磁悬浮交通线路S1线已基本全线开工建设,按照规划将于2016年底开通,届时从门头沟石门营到苹果园仅需10分钟左右。根据北京市规划部门发布的6号线西延工程最新规划方案,S1线未来将与6号线西延实现换乘。
JOBS AND EVENTS
活动 | 与CNN前北京分社社长 – 吉米·弗罗库兹的对话 A Talk With Jaime FlorCruz On the evening of April 24, this Friday, Yale Center Beijing will host a talk and reception with Jaime FlorCruz, to thank him for his support of the Yale community over the years and celebrate his four decades of life and work in championing world-class journalism in China. The event is free of charge thanks to the support of Yale alumnus Colm Rafferty, and the discussions will be moderated by Carol Li Rafferty, the Center’s Managing Director, and Zhou Qing’an, Deputy Director, Center for Global Media Studies, Tsinghua University. Space is limited
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