"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
The May 1 holiday has started, lasts until Thursday so looks to be a slow news week.
I am short my April donation target. If you like this newsletter please consider supporting it. Thanks.
Just links today:
THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT
Sydney Morning Herald – Leader’s ploy more than naval gazing–John Garnaut–That’s where China’s rapidly escalating territorial showdown with Japan, still the world’s third largest economy, comes in. Claims that Xi has exploited or even orchestrated the brinkmanship with Japan might seem preposterous to outside observers, given that a miscalculation could lead to war. But the logic is compelling for those who have grown up near the centre of China’s endless and unforgiving internal struggles. But the spectre of war is not the only possible explanation for Xi’s saber rattling and demands for combat readiness. For even as Japanese leaders and US officials were publicising their concerns about a region on the brink of naval conflict, it became clearer that Xi and his close military confidants remained squarely focused on domestic politics. Indeed, Liu Yuan counseled that war with Japan would be disastrous. At the same time, another top-level document emerged: a speech in December by Xi, in which he gave thundering confirmation that the PLA’s primary function was to defend the regime, not China…On January 30, a PLA Navy frigate locked its missile-control radar on a Japanese Self-Defence Forces ship, according to Japanese accounts that were backed by the US but denied by China. Western military officials and diplomats have told me that they have evidence, including from electronic intercepts, that shows that the movements of Chinese boats and ships were micromanaged by the new taskforce chaired by Xi. // first time I have read about electronic intercepts confirming Xi chairing this task force. Lots of loose talk in some circles that PLA is out of control. Don’t believe those claims without real evidence, which so far no public reporting has provided.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying’s Regular Press Conference on April 26, 2013 Q: In a recent interview with the Japanese media, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin E. Dempsey said that during his visit to China, the Chinese side repeatedly stressed that territorial sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands is part of China’s core interests. Is this China’s official position? A: China’s Peaceful Development, the white paper released by China’s State Council Information Office in September 2011, made it clear that China firmly safeguards its core national interests, including national sovereignty, national security and territorial integrity. The Diaoyu Islands issue concerns China’s territorial sovereignty. // 2013年4月26日外交部发言人华春莹主持例行记者会 问：美军参谋长联席会议主席邓普西日前接受日本媒体采访时称，中方在其访华期间多次强调维护钓鱼岛领土主权是中国核心利益之一。这是中国官方立场吗？ 答：中国国务院新闻办公室2011年9月发表的《中国的和平发展》白皮书明确表示，中国坚决维护国家核心利益，包括国家主权，国家安全，领土完整等。 钓鱼岛问题涉及中国领土主权。// Diaoyu Islands a “core interest” since safeguarding sovereignty and and territorial integrity are declared core interests. Soe reporting Friday that this was a new “escalation” of the Diaoyus. Disagree, been claimed in this context before.
江苏餐桌下跪官员被免副处职位 仍任3个正处职位_网易新闻中心 Taizhou official filmed begging after being caught at a banquet only lost one of his 4 official positions, and it was the lowest ranking one// 21日，泰州市委连夜召开常委会议；泰州市、医药高新区两级纪(工)委成立调查组展开调查；22日上午，泰州市委宣布免去张爱华滨江工业园区管委会主任职务。张爱华身兼多职，出任医药高新区党工委委员、经济开发区管委会主任、出口加工区管委会主任兼滨江工业园区管委会主任等。其中，前3个是正处级，而遭罢免的，则是副处级职位。// Chinese official sacked after ‘citizen journalists’ expose extravagant banquet | World news | guardian.co.uk Zhang Aihua did what he could to appease the outraged mob that burst into his private party, shocked as they were to witness tables strewn with rare Yangtze river fish and imported wine. He knelt on a table, picked up a loudhailer, and begged for forgiveness. As the Communist party boss of an industrial zone in Taizhou City, in the south-east of Jiangsu province, Zhang probably knew that this revelation of official profligacy would cost him his job. “I was wrong tonight. Please forgive me. I’ll do anything if you let me go,” he pleaded, according to state media. // 江苏泰州官员吃天价工作餐遭民众围堵现场—在线播放—优酷网，视频高清在线观看 video of the mob that got taizhou official fired from one of his posts
Hollywood Studios Clash Over New China Tax – WSJ.com hollywood accounting meets chinese accounting…art buchwald would get a laugh// Executives from several studios including Fox are objecting to China Film’s approach to dealing with the tax. In other countries, value-added taxes are taken out of gross box-office receipts, before the money is divided between studios and theaters. Studio executives believe China Film’s new policy could reduce by 8% their theatrical revenue in coming years from the world’s fastest-growing movie market, potentially costing them millions of dollars. // Chinese-American Movie Co-Productions: Is Hollywood Fed Up?–Hollywood Reporter A top U.S. executive says he believes China’s primary intent is not to make money but “to create an industry equal to Hollywood, but in a way that reflects Chinese culture and sensibility and history.” And the goal is for those films to play globally, as American movies do. Given all this, plus a shifting political landscape that is opaque to most Westerners, one Hollywood exec sums up the situation bluntly: “China is way too big to ignore and way too f–ed up to expect anything.” // quote of the year so far
Military starts license plate revamp |Politics |chinadaily.com.cn A commentary carried by the PLA Daily said that, in an Internet era, military vehicles, once outside of the confines of barracks, are placed under the limelight of public attention, warning their drivers to mind their behavior. The transportation section of the PLA General Logistics Department said it will make greater efforts to crack down on luxury cars hung with military license plates, military vehicles entering luxury venues, and misuse of sirens and alarms by such vehicles.// full page in Sunday’s PLA Daily on new license plates, plus a page 1 article
Pinault Family Gives China $40 Million Disputed Bronzes – Bloomberg French billionaire Francois Pinault’s family has donated to the Chinese nation two bronze animal heads that were the subject of a $40 million disputed sale at Christie’s International (CHRS) in 2009. The 18th-century dynasty bronze rabbit and rat heads had been part of the decoration of a water clock at the Summer Palace in Beijing, which was looted by French and British troops in 1860. // China’s retrieval of lost relics needs time – Xinhua | English.news.cnLegal and diplomatic retrieval is based on a series of international conventions that China has signed, including the 1970 UNESCO convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, and the 1995 Unidroit Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects. But experts say the fact that these conventions can not be applied retroactively forms a major obstacle for legal proceedings. // The Metropolitan Museum’s Bishop Jade Collection 富不过三代
乡音苑 Phonemica very cool// Phonemica is a project to record spoken stories in every one of the thousands of varieties of Chinese in order to preserve both stories and language for future generations. We are a team of volunteers working within China and abroad. //Phonemica | Indiegogo To date we have about 50 recordings. Our goal is to have over 500 recordings up by this time next year. This is an astonishingly large undertaking, and we are working with crowd-sourced, volunteer-generated content.
UK pedophile suspect caught by Beijing police |china daily A former teacher at a Beijing international school, wanted by police in the United Kingdom in connection with the distribution of indecent images of children and the rape of a child, has been arrested in the capital, according to police in Beijing on Friday. The news has also been confirmed by police in Surrey, where the man was from. Neil Robinson, 47, joined Beijing World Youth Academy in 2008, but left the school in May last year for “personal reasons”. // 北京外教疑系英国性侵儿童逃犯被拘:已任教3年|英国|外教|儿童_新浪新闻 据新京报记者了解，近日，有多名中国网友展示其和尼尔的合影照，同时有消息称，尼尔曾在北京某国际学校任教。昨天傍晚，北京警方发布信息，英国人Neil Robinson因涉嫌在华非法居留被北京警方拘留审查。据知情人士透露，警方昨天在英驻华使馆附近将其控制。根据中国相关法律，该男子可能面临限期出境或驱逐出境的处罚。英国萨里警察局昨晚表示，已经获知Neil Robinson被控消息。
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
China’s Politburo Warns on Financial Risks as Recovery Falters – Bloomberg “The meeting delivered a strong message of stabilizing growth and the policy implications will be stronger than expected,” Xu Gao, chief economist of China Everbright Securities Co. in Beijing, wrote in a note today. He said this was the first time the Politburo Standing Committee held an economy-focused meeting in April since 2004 when it decided to step up efforts to control overheating investment.
China Industrial Companies’ Profit Growth Slows as Economy Cools – Bloomberg Growth in Chinese industrial companies’ profits slowed in March, adding to evidence the nation’s economic recovery is losing steam. Net income increased 5.3 percent from a year earlier to 464.9 billion yuan ($75 billion), down from a 17.2 percent pace in the first two months, the National Bureau of Statistics said on its website yesterday. Profit in the first quarter rose 12.1 percent to 1.17 trillion yuan, it said.
China’s economy: Perverse advantage | The Economist CHINA is the workshop to the world. It is the global economy’s most formidable exporter and its largest manufacturer. The explanations for its success range from a seemingly endless supply of cheap labour to an artificially undervalued currency. A provocative new book* by Usha and George Haley, of West Virginia University and the University of New Haven respectively, points to another reason for China’s industrial dominance: subsidies. Subsidies to Chinese Industry”, by Usha Haley and George Haley. Oxford University Press, April 2013
China’s Big Dilemma — Currency Reform–Reuters “It’s difficult to make the currency manipulation argument,” said Zhang Zhiwei, chief China economist for Nomura Securities in Hong Kong. “There are a lot of things that central bankers are doing nowadays that are not really regarded as best practice; we are in uncharted waters these days and everything is relative.” The yuan is a closely managed currency that is allowed to trade 1 percent either side of a midpoint set by the central bank each day. However, Beijing is steadily relaxing its tight grip on the currency as it tries to restructure the world’s second-biggest economy away from a reliance on exports and towards greater domestic consumption.
Breakingviews Tea Leaf Index Our index showed the economy a tad weaker in March – but that’s good news. The smog receded, and it seems Beijing’s curbs on luxury are having some effect: premium liquor prices are falling and Audi, maker of the elites’ favourite ride, also saw sales growth drop down a gear.
Piaget Sees China Sales Slowing as Stronger Yuan Boosts Travel – Bloomberg A government crackdown on extravagant spending is having a limited effect on sales, as rising wealth supports demand, Gouten said. Sales growth of more expensive watches — between HK$400,000 and HK$800,000 ($52,000-$103,000) — was better than demand for watches costing about HK$100,000 this year, he said. Total purchases by the Chinese, regardless of location, will still grow more than 10 percent in 2013, Gouten said.
POLITICS AND LAW
News Analysis: China cuts gov’t intervention to push reforms – Xinhua | English.news.cn In a gesture to push forward reforms in the world’s most populous nation, the State Council — headed by Premier Li Keqiang — introduced changes to itself by starting to cut intervention in investment and production activities. In an executive meeting on Wednesday, the State Council, or China’s cabinet, announced it would cancel or delegate power to lower levels concerning 71 items that were previously subject to central government administrative approval.
Political reform in China won’t be driven by crises, says theorist | South China Morning Post Yu Keping, deputy chief of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, told a forum yesterday organised by the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute that political reform driven by crises always produced inconsistent results or even social disorder, with the current state of affairs in Wukan an example.
Heckled by the left, again – China Media Project Chinese economist Mao Yushi (茅于轼), a public intellectual known as a strong proponent of political reform and a vocal critic of the legacy of Maoism, has become the latest liberal figure this year to be heckled by leftists during a public appearance. Mao Yushi was delivering a talk in Shenyang Thursday at the invitation of the Liaoning Association of Industry and Commerce when two scholars objected to statements they felt were slights against Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought. According to a post by Peking University professor Kong Qingdong (孔庆东), the scholars included Wang Xinnian (王新年), the deputy secretary of the provincial-level Party Historical Society (辽宁省党史学会).
河南死刑保证书案被告亲属:经过了才知上访之难_网易新闻中心 据新华社电 25日，河南省平顶山市中级人民法院依法宣判李怀亮无罪，不承担民事赔偿责任，当庭释放。平顶山中院查明，侦查机关和公诉机关指控李怀亮犯故意杀人罪的证据不足。此时距2001年8月7日李怀亮因此案被刑事拘留，已过去近12年。此前，因在案卷中发现了一份给被害人父母的“死刑保证书”，该案也备受舆论质疑。
Overcoming fear to build a courageous society in China – The Washington Post Ai WeiWei is an artist who was detained from April to June 2011 on charges of tax evasion; he remains unable to leave China. This column is adapted from a speech he is to present May 3 via Skype as part of the PEN World Voices Festival.
China prosecutes thousands for corruption in Q1 – Xinhua | English.news.cn China’s prosecutors handled 3,657 corruption cases, and 1,481 cases involving dereliction of duty and rights violations during the first quarter of 2013, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) announced on Saturday. All these violations had directly infringed upon peoples’ interests, according to an SPP statement, which added that 5,102 people as well as a total volume of 540 million yuan (87.5 million U.S. dollars) were involved in the corruption and bribery cases.
China’s Red Descendants dream on–Sydney Morning Herald ”We are ushering in hope,” said Hu Muying, president of the Children of Yan’an Fellowship, addressing perhaps a thousand Red Descendants in the theatre of the People’s Liberation Army’s August First Film Studio, in Beijing’s west. Her February address, at Spring Festival, is one starting point for divining the values and objectives that underpin the Communist Party’s pursuit of dominance at home and influence abroad: what Xi calls ”the China Dream”.
BBC News – Doubts over China government claims on Xinjiang attack We were heading east from the ancient trading city of Kashgar towards the little town of Selibuya, the scene this week of the worst violence to erupt in Xinjiang since major riots in 2009.
Being a Chinese Official: Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be – Lily Kuo – The Atlantic Chinese officials, like political dissidents or regular citizens, also suffer under a party that is accountable chiefly to itself and a government that arbitrarily enforces laws.
FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS
Japanese, Chinese defense officials meet to ease tensions over Senkakus – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Japanese and Chinese defense officials met April 26 to discuss ways to smooth communications between the two countries in the event of an emergency triggered by a confrontation over the disputed Senkaku Islands. Hideshi Tokuchi, director-general of the Japanese Defense Ministry’s Defense Policy Bureau, met with Guan Youfei, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of China’s Ministry of National Defense to discuss the issue in Beijing.。The Chinese side agreed to the meeting as a sense of alarm heightens with vessels and aircraft from both nations squaring off around the islands, according to a senior official with the Chinese Foreign Ministry. “A clash could take place any minute,” the official said, describing the volatile situation surrounding the islands, which are called the Diaoyu Islands in China.
China military planes ‘flew close to disputed isles’ | South China Morning Post Chinese military planes, mostly fighter jets, made more than 40 flights close to Tokyo-controlled islands at the centre of a territorial dispute on a single day this week, a press report said on Saturday. The flights took place on Tuesday, when eight Chinese marine surveillance ships entered the 12-nautical-mile territorial zone off the islands in the East China Sea, which Japan calls the Senkakus and China calls the Diaoyus, the Sankei Shimbun newspaper reported. // 国防部：中国飞机钓鱼岛巡逻遭日机跟踪_网易新闻中心 MOD on claims of 40 Chinese planes jut outside Diaoyu airspace// 国防部官员应询表示：4月23日，日方出动多批次F-15战斗机、P3C反潜巡逻机等，对中方正常战备巡逻的飞机进行跟踪、监视和干扰，影响中方飞机正常巡逻和飞行安全。中方对此坚决采取了应对措施。中国军队飞机在本国管辖海域上空进行正常战备巡逻，日方却颠倒黑白、倒打一耙，肆意渲染“中国威胁”。
Washington Post chides Abe’s historical remarks |Asia-Pacific |chinadaily.com.cn Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe showed a lack of respect for history in his recent controversial remarks to Japanese lawmakers, the Washington Post said in an editorial published on Saturday. After reviewing the “brave steps” taken by Abe to reform Japan’s economy, the article suggested his controversial remarks over Japan’s wartime aggression could put all the progress at risk.
Japan’s Abe says “restoration of sovereignty day” signals hope – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on April 28 for a renewal of a “sense of hope and determination” in marking for the first time the restoration of Japan’s post-war sovereignty, part of a drive to repair what conservatives consider dented national pride. Abe, who is riding a wave of popularity after being swept back into office in a landslide election last December, wants to revise the post-war, U.S.-drafted pacifist constitution and rewrite Japan’s wartime history with a less apologetic tone.
新华国际时评：安倍访俄的“小算盘” – 新华国际 – 新华网 Xinhua on Abe’s visit to Moscow // 新华网北京４月２８日电（记者郝薇薇）日本首相安倍晋三２８日启程前往莫斯科，开始对俄罗斯进行为期３天的正式访问。这是近１０年来日本首相首次正式访问俄罗斯。表面上，安倍本人近来频频向俄示好，热乎劲十足；私下里，安倍却在打着自己的“小算盘”。
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying’s Remarks on the Philippines’ Efforts in Pushing for the Establishment of the Arbitral Tribunal in Relation to the Disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea In accordance with international law, and especially the principle of the law of the sea that “land dominates the sea”, determined territorial sovereignty is the precondition for, and basis of maritime delimitation. The claims for arbitration as raised by the Philippines are essentially concerned with maritime delimitation between the two countries in parts of the South China Sea, and thus inevitably involve the territorial sovereignty over certain relevant islands and reefs. However, such issues of territorial sovereignty are not the ones concerning the interpretation or application of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Therefore, given the fact that the Sino-Philippine territorial disputes still remain unresolved, the compulsory dispute settlement procedures as contained in UNCLOS should not apply to the claims for arbitration as raised by the Philippines. Moreover, in 2006, the Chinese Government made a declaration in pursuance of Article 298 of UNCLOS, excluding disputes regarding such matters as those related to maritime delimitation from the compulsory dispute settlement procedures, including arbitration. Therefore, the request for arbitration by the Philippines is manifestly unfounded. China’s rejection of the Philippines’ request for arbitration, consequently, has a solid basis in international law.
Gao Says CIC Doesn’t Get Equal Treatment From U.S. – Bloomberg CIC faces challenges in the U.S. and is “singled out as a different investor,” CIC President Gao Xiqing said yesterday at a conference after meetings with officials in the U.S. capital. “We thought we were friends,” Gao said. “All of the sudden, you’ve got people slapping you in the face and telling you, OK, we don’t like you.” // how many US companies investing in china share his sentiments about treatment in China?
National Security Agency Tasked with Targeting Adversaries’ Computers for Attack Since Early 1997, According to Declassified Document “The Future of Warfare Is Warfare in Cyberspace,” NSA Declared–“Cyberspace and U.S. National Security” – New Archive Posting Explores Wide Range of U.S. Cyber Concerns, Experiences and Counter-Activities // China will find this document interesting/useful
Chinese tour ship sets sail to disputed Paracel islands | South China Morning Post The first Chinese tour ship to visit disputed South China Sea islands set sail on Sunday, state media reported, a move likely to stoke a long-running territorial row between Beijing and its neighbours. Plans to allow tourists to visit the Paracel Islands is the latest stage in China’s development of the territory, which has previously angered Vietnam and caused concern in Washington.
原军委副主席徐才厚为国防大学校长新书作序_网易新闻中心 Gen Xu Caihou in the news for writing the preface to a new book// 核心提示：据国防部网站消息，近日，中央军委原副主席徐才厚上将为国防大学校长王喜斌上将专著《从这里走向战场》作序并给予高度赞扬
France Opening Up to China – WSJ.com France is open to China buying some of its companies as Europe’s second-largest economy tries to foster more balanced trade relations with the Asian country and repair its wilting domestic economy, French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said. “Our first move will be to say welcome, and then we will have to consider” whether to oppose the deal, said Mr. Moscovici in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong, where he traveled after visiting Beijing with French President François Hollande.
Strategy, scenarios, and the global shift in defense power | McKinsey & Company Exploring these scenarios for individual countries again shows shifts in defense spending away from the developed economies. Consider the top five defense spenders in each scenario (Exhibit 6). The United States and China maintain their one-two positions in total defense spending in all scenarios. In those scenarios in which US economic growth remains sluggish throughout the coming decade, its defense spending falls more than 15 percent in real terms. The United States’s relative advantage in defense spending over China, however, declines significantly from 5.4x in 2011 to between 3.2x and 1.6x in 2022.
Sea Power and American Interests in the Western Pacific | RAND China sees American sea power in East Asian waters as threatening to itself, its regional aspirations, and possibly its global access. So it is mounting a challenge with anti-ship missiles, submarines, and a growing fleet of its own. However, the United States will not relinquish its sea power, which it sees as needed to maintain its influence and stability, despite China’s growing might, in this vital region. History shows that rivalries between established and rising sea powers tend to end badly, to wit: Britain versus Germany before World War I and the United States versus Japan before World War II. In this case, technology that enables the targeting of surface ships, especially aircraft carriers, favors the challenger, China. The United States can exploit technology more boldly than it has previously to make its sea power less vulnerable by relying more on submarines, drones, and smaller, elusive, widely distributed strike platforms. Yet, such a U.S. strategy could take decades and even then be vulnerable to Chinese cyber-war. Therefore, in parallel with making its sea power more survivable, the United States should propose an alternative to confrontation at sea: East Asian multilateral maritime-security cooperation, with China invited to join. While China might be wary that such a regional arrangement would be designed to contain and constrain it, the alternative of exclusion and isolation could induce China to join.
Carjack victim recounts his harrowing night – Metro – The Boston Globe The 26-year-old Chinese entrepreneur had just pulled his new Mercedes to the curb on Brighton Avenue to answer a text when an old sedan swerved behind him, slamming on the brakes. A man in dark clothes got out and approached the passenger window. It was nearly 11 p.m. last Thursday. The man rapped on the glass, speaking quickly. Danny, unable to hear him, lowered the window — and the man reached an arm through, unlocked the door, and climbed in, brandishing a silver handgun. // another Chinese directly affected by Boston bombing
TECH AND MEDIA
Closer Look: How Proposal on National Broadband Strategy Short-circuited – CaixinI t has been more than six months since the draft of a national broadband development strategy was submitted to the State Council for approval. Nobody knows how long will it take for the cabinet to approve the plan, which was jointly drafted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and other 10 government agencies. The fundamental reason is that the central government has not decided whether such a national strategy regarding broadband construction and development is necessary. Consensus among different ministries and industry players has been hard to reach.
[Updated]DiDi Rumored to Receive $15m from Tencent. Investors Start Chasing Taxi Apps in China. Taxi app DiDi Dache (namely DiDi Taxi) reportedly has received US$15 million, at valuation of US$ 60 million, from Tencent who will take 20% stake in it. Cheng Wei, CEO of DiDi Dache responded by saying that the news wasn’t confirmed with them.
China Mobile Corruption Scandal Continues to Unfold – Economic Observer Over the past four years, twelve high-level officials at China Mobile have been removed because of corruption charges following the 2009 arrest of Zhang Chunjiang (张春江), the former vice-chairman of CMCC and the former party head of China Mobile Communications, the state-owned parent of China Mobile…According to the CBN report, at an internal meeting of the State Council in January, several centrally-administered state-owned enterprises were criticized by name for “waste and extravagance” (奢侈浪费), “nepotism” (用人唯亲) and “mismanagement” (管理不严). China Mobile was one of the five companies to appear on this black list.
Police Arrests CEO of China’s No.1 Pirate Site, 30 Employees Face Detention -Caijing Siluhd.com, founded 10 years ago has grown into a leading blu-ray site in China gathering tens of thousands of blu-rays as well as quality music and games, with more than 1.4million members and daily average concurrent users of over 30,000. CEO of Siluhd.com, Zhou, a 45-year-old IT veteran, joined the site in 2003 and made it into a China’s No. 1 pirated movie website where users gain access to large amount of pirated HD bluerays after paying a monthly fee.
人民日报-阻击谣言 速度加快（求证·探寻喧哗背后的真相） 本报记者 沈小根 史鹏飞 付 文
Hollywood in China—What’s the Price of Admission? | ChinaFile It’s important to note, too, that the censorious Chinese state is not the only one to blame for Hollywood’s compromise. After all, affluent Chinese moviegoers like to see China in a flattering light. What’s missing from the incessant political narrative about censorship and control is the more complex commercial logic and cultural dynamic at work that makes the Sino-Hollywood courtship so intriguing.
SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY
轰动世界的北京舞蹈老师疯狂殴打辱骂学生 （震撼心灵！）—在线播放—优酷网，视频高清在线观看 video of a Beijing dance teacher abusing her students, with english subtitles
Forces for courses[1]|chinadaily.com.cn The China Golf Industry Report of 2012, published by Forward Management Group, a Chinese company that covers all golf-related businesses, says that last year the number of golf courses in the country rose to 587. That represents an increase of 39 courses on the previous year – with a course opening every 10 days – from the 45 courses completed the previous year, and 52 the year before.
Chinese Talk Show Host Apologizes to Mongolian Viewers Gao Xiaosong had made the disparaging remarks recently on his online video talk show “Xiao Shuo” (Morning Call), eliciting a hail of angry responses by ethnic Mongolians on Chinese social media sites, according to U.S.-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC).
Rhodes East: Why Is the Schwarzman Scholarship in China? : The New Yorker The fifth thing is that I thought a one-year program was better than a two. And the reason for that is that Tsinghua is not Oxford. Students might go a little off-course for one year, but they weren’t going to do two years here instead of three years at Yale Law. It’s an addition, not a substitute. I also thought it had to be taught in English. Because I wasn’t looking for people who were Chinese studies majors. I’m looking for people who could be from Little Rock, could go to Georgetown, could go to Oxford, and could go to the White House. I wasn’t looking for a kid who’s taken eight years of Mandarin.
ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
Six more H7N9 bird flu cases reported in China – Xinhua | English.news.cnSix more cases of H7N9 bird flu were reported on Friday in the Chinese provinces of Fujian, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang. Health authorities in southeast China’s Fujian Province confirmed the province’s first human case of H7N9 avian influenza. // Poultry wet market likely source of virus of H7N9 human infection: research – Xinhua | English.news.cn Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding the human infections with avian influenza H7N9 virus by finding out that poultry wet market might be the source of the deadly virus, according to a research published online on Thursday by the leading international medical journal The Lancet // Human infections with the emerging avian influenza A H7N9 virus from wet market poultry: clinical analysis and characterisation of viral genome : The Lancet // Chinese premier visits lab over H7N9 control – Xinhua | English.news.cn Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visited the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) on Sunday morning, calling for more efforts in fighting the new H7N9 bird flu and preventing epidemics in the country’s quake-hit area. Li came to the laboratory in China CDC to see how it monitors viruses and undertakes genetic sequencing analysis, endorsing the work of staff in controlling the spread of H7N9 by developing reagents in a timely way, and urging further monitoring of the H7N9 bird flu.
The Long Battle Over China’s ‘White Pollution’ | Tea Leaf Nation been a big story in Chinese media for several weeks, and gotten several Sinocism mentions. Glad to see it getting picked up// In the past weeks, Chinese citizens have learnt that the styrofoam boxes from which they eat their lunches will soon be legal. On February 16, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s highest economic policy-making body, changed the Industrial Restructuring Catalog (2011) and removed disposable foam plastic tableware from the list of banned products. On May 1, the fourteen-year ban will be formally removed.
China monitors air pollution with “eyes” in sky – Xinhua | English.news.cn Li Zhengqiang, a researcher with the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, “The new satellite Gaofen-1 is the first one of China’s high-resolution system for earth observation. And one of its purposes is to monitor air pollution.” The country plans to launch five or six such kinds of satellites before the end of 2015. “The satellite will be very useful in monitoring haze. Through it we can observe the distribution difference of haze in Beijing’s urban area, and we can find out more details of the haze,” said Li, who is researching atmospheric PM2.5 using high-resolution satellites data. // China launches high-definition earth observation satellite – Xinhua | English.news.cn China sent high-definition earth observation satellite “Gaofen 1” into space shortly after noon on Friday, marking the start of a program that will substantially improve its capabilities in disaster relief, resources and environment survey.
BEIJING
Structural revolution – FT.com Beijing’s ancient lanes, or hutongs, are under threat from developers. The FT’s Beijing correspondent, who lives in an old courtyard house, reports on the battle over preserving China’s heritage
Please help improve Sinocism by donating, forwarding this email to your friends, sending comments/ideas and following me on Twitter @niubi or Sina Weibo @billbishop.