"Sinocism is the Presidential Daily Brief for China hands"- Evan Osnos, New Yorker Correspondent and National Book Award Winner
Happy September. The summer is officially over here in DC, kids head back to school today…6th grade, I still remember the first day of nursery school like it was yesterday. Playing around with formatting again today, any feedback welcome. And as always would love tips and comments, either over email or even better via Signal at +13012460858.
The Essential Eight
1. North Korea: No Resolution In Sight
While the US and its allies press for more sanctions against North Korea after the recent nuclear test Kim Jong-un appears to be planning a new missile launch this weekend to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the DPRK.
What’s Next: The US will push for a shut off of Chinese oil shipments to North Korea and an end to North Korean overseas labor, a key source of foreign currency. Trump’s weekend threat to cut off trade with any country that trades with North Korea was directly aimed at Beijing, and the likely refusal of Beijing to halt oil shipments could lead the US to sanction a major PRC financial institution.
What South Korea Wants: No military action as Seoul is directly in the firing line but it is asking for more advanced US weapons and more reassurance from the US. Now is absolutely the worst time for the US to accuse South Korea of “appeasement” or threaten to withdraw from the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement.
What Beijing Wants: Use the UN to ratchet down tensions to avoid a military conflict on the Korean peninsula while also forestalling sanctions so harsh that they lead to a collapse of North Korea and a massive refugee and security problem for China. Beijing, well aware that many of its major cities are within North Korean missile range, is also concerned that pushing too hard could lead to blowback on China.
Don’t Forget: Beijing does have leverage over Pyongyang but it is less than President Trump appears to believe. The PRC-DPRK relationship has been fraught for years and there are many in the PRC government and policy community who are unhappy with Beijing’s support for North Korea. Kim does not trust Beijing and has systematically killed anyone he thought was too close to Beijing, including his uncle and his exiled half-brother.
Bottom Line: There is no foreseeable solution to the escalating crisis with North Korea. Kim will not give up his weapons, any military action by the US will likely devastate Seoul and China will not do anything to destabilize the Kim regime.
Trump agrees ‘in principle’ to scrap South Korean warhead weight limit: White House – Reuters:
During a call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Trump also gave “conceptual approval” for South Korea to buy billions of dollars of weapons from the United States, the White House said in a statement.
U.S. Urges Fuel Cutoff for North Korea, Saying It’s ‘Begging for War’ – The New York Times
The timing of North Korea’s nuke test could not be worse for China’s leader – The Washington Post
Putin says tougher North Korea sanctions senseless, warns of global catastrophe – Reuters
This edition of Dragon Eye will summarize Zhou’s survey in the hopes of contributing to enhanced U.S.-China mutual understanding on this most vexing, yet important issue for global security. Zhou’s initial estimate is both crisp and profound: “Chinese scholars do not agree” [中国学术界看法不一].
North Korean Crisis Reveals America’s Dangerous Economic Dependence on China – Breitbart:
Just as the weakness of subprime mortgage lenders and Bear Stearns illuminated the weakness at the heart of the American financial system, the crisis brought on by North Korea’s nuclear test has revealed an even deeper crisis for America. And just as we responded to our financial crisis by strengthening our banks and our financial safeguards to avoid ever again facing such peril, we should respond to this crisis by rebuilding America’s economic independence.
Remember: Breitbart and its chief Steve Bannon are pushing Trump to engage China in economic war.
2. Is Xi Jinping Purging Generals?
General Fang Fenghui, one of the most senior PLA officers is in trouble. Fang recently met with the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen Dunford in Beijing and was part of the PRC delegation at the Trump-Xi “Citrus Summit” in April.
Go Deeper: Reuters-Senior Chinese military officer questioned over suspected graft: sources
Quick Take: Turnover in the top ranks is expected before the October 19th Party Congress and in the last several weeks Xi has replaced three senior commanders.
What I am Hearing: Xi recently sacked en masse several of the generals of the 11 member the Central Military Commission.
Why This Matters: Xi’s crackdown on PLA corruption has been ongoing for several years but going after several generals so close to the Party Congress may hint at problems beyond simple corruption And if much of the senior command of the PRC military is in some form of trouble, how will Beijing respond in the event of a crisis?
The air force announced on its social media account on Friday that Ding Laihang, 60, recently took over as commander of the 420,000-strong air force, replacing Ma Xiaotian, 68…
Meanwhile, Han Weiguo, who played a key role in a huge military parade showcasing the army’s latest weaponry, has been promoted as commander of the PLA’s ground forces.
The Sinocism China Newsletter provides commentary and curated links to the important English and Chinese news of the day. Bill Bishop, who is fluent in Chinese and lived and worked in Beijing for over a decade, publishes the newsletter several times each week.
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3. Will Xi Be Named Supreme Leader 最高领袖?
Xi’s power on parade as China party congress looms – Reuters:
The Central Party School, which is the top training ground for up-and-coming cadres and is influential in interpreting and disseminating party directives, has since the military parade used “lingxiu” in official party language to refer to Xi. The Study Times, the school’s official newspaper, referred to Xi as “lingxiu” for the first time on Aug. 21…
The military’s official PLA Daily also referred to Xi as “lingxiu” on Aug. 25.
However, the People’s Daily, the party’s official newspaper, has yet to call Xi “lingxiu”…
“This kind of title is essential,” a source with ties to the leadership told Reuters. “China at this juncture needs this kind of powerful man in control.”
What I Am Hearing: The “China needs a powerful leader” is something I have heard repeatedly since 2012 from several sources with ties to the leadership. That and sentiment along the lines of “Hu and Wen were leading China to ruin, Xi is our last hope or else chaos”
4. Wang Qishan Reappears
Wang Qishan has reappeared on an Inspection tour of Hunan-王岐山：推动从严治党向基层拓展 回应人民群众的期盼–新闻报道-人民网
Why It Matters: Wang had been out of Party media for over a month, prompting all sorts of speculation. He was in trouble, he is sick with liver cancer and so will have to retire, he is pulling another “disappearance” to prepare to take down a senior official…
Another Propaganda Mini-series: Starting September 7 CCTV will run a 5 episode miniseries “The Sharp Sword Of Inspection Tours” abut the CCDI’s anti-corruption work. This follows recent miniseries on “Major Power Diplomacy”, rule of law and reform.-五集专题片《巡视利剑》9月7日至11日在央视播出—中央纪委监察部网站
5. Xi’s War On Poverty
Transcript released on day Beijing announced date of upcoming party congress contains details of plan to wipe out poverty in China by 2020
“For the Communist Party, the campaign is vital to its ruling status because it promised to bring the good life to the poor who supported it back to the days when it was first established,” said Professor Hu Xingdou, a Beijing Institute of Technology economist.
“Now nearly seven decades after the founding the new China and three decades after the reform and opening up, some parts of country are still making little income.
“It matters for the Communist Party to show the public, especially the rural poor, that they will benefit from economic development after all.”
Govt releases guidelines to lower school dropout rates – Gov.cn:
The State Council issued a circular to prevent students, especially those in remote and poverty-stricken areas, from dropping out of school and enhance the enrollment rate of compulsory education.
6. Lawyers Warned Again
The four-day conference at the National Judges College in Beijing concluded on Thursday. It was attended by about 70 lawyers who specialise in criminal defence, as well as senior officials and industry regulators, including Minister of Justice Zhang Jun.
The event was an unprecedented gesture by the authorities to mend their relationship with the legal profession two years after the so-called 709 crackdown in which hundreds of lawyers and human rights activists were interrogated and detained. At least 10 of the 70 lawyers who attended the Beijing conference specialise in rights cases.
司法部部长：律师协会要“挺”在前面 – Gov.cn
7. China Bans Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)
Cryptocurrencies dived Monday after the People’s Bank of China and six other government agencies jointly issued a notice Monday banning ICOs.
Be Smart: The markets misinterpreted the ban as a broader regulatory attack on cryptocurrencies. It is more about the ongoing crackdown in China against financial fraud and illegal fundraising.
Go Deeper: Caixin-China Claws Back at Cryptocurrencies With Ban on Initial Coin Offerings:
“The central bank examined a large number of “white papers” submitted by ICO issuers that detailed the intent of new cryptocurrencies. The PBOC found that more than 90% may involve illegal fundraising or fraud”
Earlier, on Saturday, another document was sent to provincial governments by a PBOC-led cross-agency committee tasked with monitoring internet finance risk. They said ICOs may involve illegal public fundraising
The circular-中国人民银行 中央网信办 工业和信息化部 工商总局 银监会 证监会 保监会 关于防范代币发行融资风险的公告
Does anyone actually think most ICOs are legit?
8. News Assistant Alleges A Dutch Journalist In China Practices “Fake News”
A Correspondent’s Guide to Making Fake News in China – ChinaDataInsider:
My boss Oscar Garschagen is a correspondent for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad’s in Shanghai. In many ways, Mr Garschangen would be considered an old China hand – he has been reporting China for 10 years, attends Chinese class on a regular basis and speaks enough Chinese to carry out daily conversations.
And yet after two years of working together, I’ve found that a much more suitable job for him would probably be novelist or playwright – Mr Garschagen has a very impressive imagination which enables him to make up quotes, names, places whenever and wherever his stories need them.
Here I have 7 examples of his unmatchable mastery of faking news, which in my humble opinion would be very helpful for any aspiring young people who hope to make fame in faking their reportage of the Middle Kingdom:
The Other Side: In a Twitter direct message exchange Mr. Garschagen told me that: “a lot of untruths of a former newsassistent who has apparently an axe to grind because of my criticisms of his work recently and my intention to end the cooperation. It has a Cultural Revolution kind of feel this kind of attack”
When I asked him if the allegation were false he replied: “Mostly, except the allegation about the last sentence in the mistreated woman story where I understood from him that there was a agreement between the woman and her very aggresive husband while that was still in the works, we have corrected that in later publications and because of an editing mistake in a little newsstory about a courtcase in which a Dutchman played a rol the laywer a quote of a familymember looked like a quote of the laywer. Details, in short.”
Business, Economy And Trade
Services Sector Strongly Rebounds in August, Caixin Survey Finds – Caixin Global The Caixin China General Services Business Activity Index picked up to 52.7 last month from 51.5 in July. That was well above the “50” line, which divides expansion from contraction, and the best reading since May. The upturn, combined with acceleration in the Caixin China General Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) to a six-month high of 51.6 in August, provides signs that growth in the overall economy has stabilized after a disappointing performance in July.
Legend Holdings Buys Luxembourg Bank for $1.8 Billion – Caixin Global “The company sees the bank as a valuable investment in line with the company’s investment strategy of building a first-tier bank with core competence in financial service sector,” Legend said. “The company believes it can add value to the future business development of the bank as a long-term shareholder. The company sees great business opportunities in providing financial services to Chinese companies, especially those companies participating in the Belt and Road initiative,” it added, referring to China’s plan to promote infrastructure investment along the ancient maritime and land-based Silk Roads.
China’s property market is a major source of financial risk: central bank official – Reuters China’s property market has become a major source of financial risk and Beijing cannot rely on adjustments to monetary policy alone to resolve the “serious” problems caused by the sector, a central bank official wrote on Friday. Xu Zhong, head of the People’s Bank of China’s research bureau, said in an article in a central bank publication that there should be a property tax on homeowners nationwide as a way to help control prices.
Growth of Mortgages Tapers at Major Chinese Banks – Caixin Global Mortgage books at three of China’s four largest banks expanded more slowly in the first half this year, as the government continues to rein in the white-hot property market while lenders pursue higher-margin corporate lending more aggressively.
Chinese developer Sunac says to slash huge debt figures – Reuters Property developer Sunac China Holdings Ltd said on Friday it will slow the rate of land purchases to boost profit and slash its debt ratio, after massive acquisitions attracted attention from a government bent on reducing corporate debt. The Tianjin-based developer aims to cut net gearing to 70 percent by the end of 2019 from 260 percent at the end of June – a figure analysts said would be as high as 394 percent if Sunac re-classified perpetual bonds as debt rather than equity.
美国博士举报孙宏斌：涉嫌在美逃税隐瞒收入，FBI查实能奖亿元 Comment: An American Scholar says he has reported SUNAC Chairman Sun Hongbin, whom he claims is a US citizen, to the FBI for tax evasion…
My guide to the debate raging over China’s Northeast rust belt | Andrew Batson’s Blog the debate over what to do about the Northeast (aka Dongbei, aka Manchuria) involves fundamental differences over how to understand Chinese economic history and the development trajectory of countries and regions really develop. The debate over how to help such struggling regions is also one where conventional Western economic wisdom has little to offer, so the field is wide open. After doing some reading on both sides, here’s my guide to the debate
Editorial: Northeast China Must Shed ‘Big Government’ Mindset – Caixin Global The slogan of “Northeast China Rejuvenation” has been in place for more than a decade since the leadership at the time raised the idea in 2004. Numerous government documents have followed in the past years. But the region’s economy has been sluggish, with growth falling even more drastically since 2014. On the surface, it appears that the reason lies in limited range of industries and serious outflow of labor forces. But in essence, it is a matter of system: poor environment for businesses, lingering concept of “big government” inherited from the planned-economy era, and the unpredictable administrative interference.
China’s Reformist Central Banker Could Be a Tough Act to Follow – The New York Times One potential successor is Jiang Chaoliang, the leader of Hubei Province in central China. Mr. Jiang is a skillful bureaucrat within the Communist Party and has academic training as an economist, but he climbed China’s political ladder while steering clear of the party’s market reformers and skipping economic conferences with free-market themes. In a speech earlier this year, Mr. Jiang called for “spreading Marxist scientific theory with self-confidence, and persistently using Xi’s speeches to arm students’ and teachers’ minds.”
China’s Hubei Province Halts Some New Property Investments, Sources Say – Bloomberg The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission in Hubei has also asked province-backed companies to accelerate the construction or sales of current property projects and get money back as soon as possible, said the people, who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to comment on the matter publicly.
Unicom Slimming Down – Caixin Global Many employees will lose their jobs in a downsizing plan being crafted at telecom service giant Unicom Group as Beijing seeks to revitalize the bloated state sector, according to an internal document distributed this week. The number of administrative departments at local branches nationwide will be cut by 30% to 516 from 712, and staffing at provincial-level branches will be capped in line with profits, general workforce conditions, management and some regional factors, an executive who saw the plan told Caixin.
Politics And Law
Senior CPC official stresses improvement in political ability – Xinhua Liu, president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the school’s autumn semester. “Political ability is the primary criterion to assess an official,” Liu said.
Man jailed for selling VPNs to evade China’s ‘Great Firewall’ | South China Morning Post Deng Jiewei, a 26-year-old from Dongguan in Guangdong province, was convicted of “providing software and tools for invading and illegally controlling the computer information system”, according to court documents posted on a website run by the Supreme People’s Court.
Former HNA shareholder denies Beijing ties – FT $$ The Financial Times could not immediately reach Mr Guan by telephone on Monday to confirm his identity in the video. However, the voice and accent of the man in the video was similar to Mr Guan’s voice when he was previously reached by telephone. HNA executives had privately indicated earlier this summer that Mr Guan would soon come forward to explain his background. HNA did not comment on the video, which was professionally produced and uploaded to YouTube early on Monday morning.//Comment: The video on Youtube. 贯君刘呈杰孙瑶现身击碎郭文贵谣言
Face Recognition Spots Wanted Suspects at Qingdao Beer Festival – Sixth Tone The system also recognized people with histories of drug addiction, 19 of whom tested positive for drug use and were subsequently arrested, as were five people with previous convictions for theft who were found to have stolen phones and other items at the event. “This is the first time we have used facial recognition technology for such a massive security check,” Li Peng, head of the local police station’s publicity department, told Sixth Tone.
Dubious Overseas Deal Puts Zhuhai Mayor Under Investigation – Caixin Global The investigation into Li is related to an overseas investment that led to millions of yuan in losses for a state-owned company where Li held senior positions, sources told Caixin. Details on the amount invested, as well as when and where it was made, were unavailable because the case is still under investigation.
陈敏尔：抓好“四个扎实” 开拓重庆发展新境界–新闻报道-人民网 Chongqing Party Secretary pens a piece for the September 4 People’s Daily in its welcoming the 19th party congress special section. Monday was Chongqing’s day, today sept 5 is Sichuan’s so Wang Dongming has a piece
Senior CPC official stresses strict Party governance at grassroots – Xinhua Liu Yunshan, a senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official, has called for the extension of the Party’s strict governance to the grassroots level. Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour in northern China’s Hebei Province from Sunday to Monday.
All the president’s men: China’s politburo line-up a measure of Xi’s power – Reuters Possible newcomers to the Politburo among Xi’s allies
China to unleash flood of TV dramas singing Communist Party’s praises | South China Morning Post With just over a month to go until the party’s five-yearly national congress, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television issued more than a dozen guidelines on TV content on Monday. The first of the 14 guidelines said the industry would ramp up production of “ a large number of TV dramas that sing the praises of the party, the motherland, the people, as well as its heroes”.
学习时报头版：中国共产党与当代中国治理之道|金砖国家|中国共产党|治国_新浪新闻 第三个时期，是始于党的十八大以来的全面深化改革时期。中国共产党作出全面深化改革的战略部署，大刀阔斧，励精图治，致力于完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度、推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化，推出一系列重大战略举措，出台一系列重大方针政策，推进一系列重大工作部署，解决了许多长期想解决而没有解决的难题，办成了许多过去想办而没有办成的大事，实现了治国理政在理论上、政策上、实践上的一系列重大突破，推动中国特色社会主义进入了新的发展阶段，不仅在治党治国治军各个方面取得举世瞩目的成就，还为全球治理作出重大贡献，丰富和发展了当代中国的治理之道。这个时期尽管时间还不长，但开启了一个伟大时期的新篇章，展现出一个伟大时期的新态势，取得的成就同样是开创性的、历史性的，是很了不起的。
Foreign And Defense Affairs
Full text of BRICS Leaders Xiamen Declaration – Xinhua Xiamen, China, 4 September 2017
China Merchants buys control of Brazil’s most profitable port – Reuters
‘A whirlwind of charisma!’: China propaganda blitz hails Xi, the Great Statesman | World news | The Guardian A six-part television extravaganza starring the president as he bestrides the world is designed to cement his role ahead of October’s party congress
How China Aims to Limit the West’s Global Influence – The New York Times – Eswar Prasad OpEd China’s strategy amounts to a systematic displacing of a multilateral system that was built on high ideals and trust, mainly of the United States but also of other advanced economies. Institutions like the I.M.F. and the World Bank were meant to improve national economies and global cooperation rather than propagate the power and influence of any particular country. While the United States benefited from its outsize role in these institutions, the values Washington espoused, such as free markets and democracy, were seen to benefit economic and human welfare around the world.
UN: China Blocks Activists, Harasses Experts | Human Rights Watch “China engages with the UN on human rights but often with the goal of aggressively silencing criticism and eroding access for activists who work on China,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “China is not the only country that acts terribly at the UN, but its Security Council membership, global influence, and fierce crackdown on civil society at home make it a model of bad faith that challenges the integrity of the UN rights system.” The 96-page report, “The Costs of International Advocacy: China’s Interference in United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms,” details China’s efforts to harass independent activists, primarily those from China.
U.S. Readies Plan to Increase Patrols in South China Sea – WSJ “I think regularized fonops are a good idea,” said David Shear, an assistant secretary of defense at the Pentagon under Mr. Obama. “I think they should be conducted in the context of a broader South China Sea and regional strategy, and it’s not clear to me that this administration has devised a strategy for the South China Sea or the region, so I’m not sure what purpose the fonops serve outside of that context.”
BRICS name Pakistan-based militant groups as regional concern – Reuters China is a close ally of Pakistan and has in the past sprung to its defense, especially when India tried to isolate its arch rival in international fora. India’s local media said naming the Pakistan-based groups in the BRICs resolution was an important win for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration which at last year’s summit called Pakistan the mother ship of terrorism.
Cambodian leader gets China’s backing as West condemns crackdown – Reuters One of China’s closest allies in the region, Hun Sen has increasingly ignored criticism from Western donors, whose budget support is no longer as critical as it during the early years of his rule, when Cambodia was little more than a failed state.
In a changing Arctic, a lone Coast Guard icebreaker maneuvers through ice and geopolitics – The Washington Post China also has arrived in the Arctic, sailing research and exploration vessels here while arguing that no nation has sovereignty over these waters and the natural resources below. Chinese military officials have said that sovereignty disputes in the Arctic could require the use of force, according to an assessment written for the Naval War College Review.
U.S.-China mission Rushes Nuclear Fuel Out of Africa | Pulitzer Center Chinese and U.S. nuclear experts spent a decade plotting out the Ghana operation, sharing expertise and working at each other’s labs. “No question, we were able to collaborate very, very well on the MNSR conversion,” says Ernest Moniz, CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a think tank in Washington, D.C., and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The process strengthened a bond that is quietly developing between nuclear scientists in the United States and China. “It’s very important for building trust,” says Hui Zhang, a nuclear policy analyst at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.
Hong Kong, Macao And Taiwan
Taiwan premier resigns to help shore up president’s falling popularity – Reuters Taiwan presidents often shuffle premiers in response to dips in popularity. Lin had faced mounting pressure to step down as Tsai’s popularity plummeted to 29.8 percent by August, a private foundation survey has shown.
Tech And Media
Above Avalon: Apple in China The narrative of Apple’s China problem boiling down to a brutal battle with Tencent (WeChat) or local smartphone manufacturers is inaccurate. Apple’s business in China is not imploding. Rather, it is experiencing growing pains. After more than a year of sales declines, positive signs are beginning to reappear in Apple’s China business. China continues to represent more of an opportunity than a risk for Apple.
Goldman says China has talent, data and infrastructure to embrace AI – CNBC In the report, titled “China’s Rise in Artificial Intelligence,” the investment bank said the world’s second-largest economy has emerged as a major global contender in using AI to drive economic progress. Goldman said the government and companies have identified AI and machine learning as the next big areas of innovation.
The Tale of 80 Million Fans and 3 Chinese Boys (Part I) – Elephant Room Over the past week, me and Yan immersed ourselves in the world of TFboys. We spent hours studying the their performances and stories, watching visual documents and tracing into their fans’ online communities. There were moments we felt we finally got the answers, and other times we felt even more baffled, unable to fully grasp on this idol-fans relationship that is so twisted yet so powerful. Having had enough TFboys time to ourselves, we now want to share this investigative journey with you through a two-part Elephant Room story. In part I, we’d walk you through the idol-manufacturing history of the three boys and sketch you a loose portray of their fans, and in part II next week we will dive deeper into the fans’ ecosystem to examine its impacts on both the Chinese entertainment industry and youth culture. // Comment: One of them, Wang Junkai, just started at Beijing Film Academy, and he arrived for registration with an entourage of assistants ad bodyguards
Oriental DreamWorks at centre of US-China split over strategy – Ft $$ Universal Pictures, the movie studio owned by Comcast’s NBCUniversal, is on course to offload its stake in Oriental DreamWorks, the animation group, following disagreements over strategy with one of the company’s other main backers, Li Ruigang’s China Media Capital.
The Evolution of Augmented Reality (AR) in China – with Alibaba AR Lead Jiang Jiayi – The Harbinger Today, we sit down with Dr. Jiayi Jiang (蒋佳忆), a top AR expert at Alibaba, to elaborate on the development of augmented reality technologies and use cases in China
Researcher Finds Real-Life Relationships at Heart of Blockbuster Game’s Success – Caixin Global the game’s knack for getting incorporated into players’ real-life relationships has been the key to its success. A lot of the game’s die-hard players form larger groups called “clans.” According to Tian, these groups are usually based on real-life communities a player is already a part of. These established relationships help clan members work better together in the game, which in turn strengthens their relationship in real life.
Google Continues to Hire in China Even as Search Remains Blocked – Bloomberg At least 20 positions based in Beijing are advertised on the company’s careers site, spanning engineering and marketing to product managers. Multiple listings are shown in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Society, Art, Sports, Culture And History
Pregnant woman kills herself after husband refuses C-section – China Daily “She walked out of the delivery room twice to tell her family member that she could not bear the pain and wanted a C-section,” Huo said. The staff members also explained the situation to Ma’s husband, but the husband insisted on vaginal birth and signed a form saying that he understood the situation and possible consequences. The woman jumped out of the delivery room at around 8 pm that day.
Energy, Environment, Science And Health
【特写】中国志愿者的非洲反盗猎之旅|界面新闻 · 中国 Comment: Interesting Jiemian story about 5 PRC activists and their 46 day trip in Africa as anti-poaching volunteers
Chinese Ship Accused of Ecuador Shark Smuggling Linked to Fujian Fishing Giant – Caixin Global Caixin had previously reported that the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999, the ship detained by Ecuador, belongs to Fujian-based firm Fuzhou Honglong Ocean Aquatic Products Co. A further investigation by Caixin shows that Fuzhou Honglong has close links to NASDAQ-listed Chinese fishing giant Pingtan Marine Enterprise Ltd., and that the largest stakeholders of the two companies are husband and wife.
Agriculture And Rural Issues
China’s Aging Farm Villages Need Reform Now, USDA Economist Says – Bloomberg The decades-old collective landholding system needs an overhaul to modernize the agricultural industry, said Fred Gale, a senior economist for China at the USDA’s Economic Research Service in Washington.
Food And Travel
北京市旅游委回应五星级酒店不换床单不擦马桶：开始约谈5家酒店 Comment: Beijing Tourism Commission calls out the W Hotel, Sanlitun Intercontinental Hotel, Beijing Hilton, JW Marriott, Shangri-la Hotel and a few dozen lesser hotels for hygiene issues, including not changing sheets or cleaning toilets.
Beijing
Beijing Told to Cut PM2.5 by One-Fourth This Winter – Caixin Global It is the first time the Chinese government has set emission-cut targets for cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and nearby areas for the winter season, Liu Bingjiang, a senior official in charge of air pollution prevention with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, told the media on Friday. Authorities released a detailed accounting system that holds a city’s mayor or even its top official — the party secretary — responsible for failing to achieve emission-reduction targets.// Comment: Cai Qi and Chen Jining will make this happen..even if it means the heat has to get turned off at times…
Beijing’s well-to-do angry as housing law forces them to mingle with poorer neighbours | South China Morning Post “We pay eight to nine yuan per square metre per month as a property management fee, while they [the poorer residents] pay three yuan. How can it be fair that we all get to use the same facilities?” said a resident of Jade Mansion, who would only give his surname, Fang, citing the sensitivity of the matter.
蔡奇:首都核心区不只是东城加西城 要保障政治中心_网易新闻 Comment: Cai Qi’s vision of urban planning for Beijing
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