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DC5m United States china in english 81 articles, created at 2016-12-13 22:56 articles set mostly neutral rate 0.0

1 0.0 China Is Trying To Teach Trump A Lesson On Deals

(8.99/9) The Chinese reminded President-elect Donald Trump Tuesday that Taiwan is a non- negotiable "core interest. " China is furious over Trump's recent attacks and moves that may upend decades of diplomat 2016-12-13 10:32 3KB dailycaller.com

2 0.5 Pa. Republicans withhold comments on Russian hacking

(6.83/9) It used to be easy to find out what Republicans thought about Russia. Four days after an airliner was shot down over the Ukraine in 2014, for example, Sen. Pat Toomey called Russian leader Vladimir Putin a “thug” who “suppressed dissent and crushed democracy.” Weeks... 2016-12-13 01:00 6KB www.post-gazette.com

3 2.3 China state newspaper warns Donald Trump over Taiwan: 'Pride comes before a fall' A Chinese state-run newspaper has launched an unprecedented attack on Donald (6.62/9) Trump, accusing the President-elect of having “no knowledge what he’s talking 2016-12-13 07:55 790Bytes article.wn.com

4 0.2 Carly Fiorina Says She Discussed China, Hacking With Trump During NY Meeting (4.99/9) President-elect Donald Trump met with former GOP rival Carly Fiorina today in New York, discussing China as an "our most important adversary" as well as hacking, according to the former Hewlett-Packard CEO. Trump tangled with Fiorina during the primary and drew criticism for comments made to... 2016-12-13 00:07 4KB abcnews.go.com

5 2.7 Chinese billionaire warns Trump about losing US jobs The billionaire owner of China's property-to-entertainment conglomerate Wanda Group

(4.80/9) has warned Donald Trump that over 20,000 US jobs would be put at risk if... 2016-12-13 04:00 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

6 0.0 Trump rewrites US foreign policy on the fly Donald Trump is already turning US foreign policy on two of the biggest challenges to (4.30/9) American power -- China and Russia -- on its head 2016-12-13 09:38 8KB www.cnn.com

7 1.9 Bill Gates hopes Trump won't get into a tariff 'tit for tat' with China (3.53/9) Billionaire Bill Gates tells CNBC that a deterioration in trade relations with China would not be a good deal. 2016-12-13 10:20 1KB www.cnbc.com 8 3.0 Japan, China, S. Korea summit postponed on Park woes (3.12/9) Japan is postponing a summit with China and South Korea, the government said Tuesday, after the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye... 2016-12-13 01:35 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk

9 0.0 Trump Targets Mexico and China Are Moving to Deepen Ties

"The China-Mexico relationship is back on again," says one expert. 2016-12-13 06:56 (2.16/9) 3KB fortune.com

10 0.3 How scientists finally solved the 1952 London fog mystery

(2.06/9) A new study may prove useful to authorities in China and other countries where coal- based air pollution remains a serious problem. 2016-12-13 06:27 3KB www.csmonitor.com

11 0.0 Asian Stocks Mixed Following Wall Street Losses Asian stocks were mixed Tuesday following Wall Street's declines while oil prices eased after two days of strong gains. KEEPING SCORE: The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.7 percent to 3,132.30 points and Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.4 percent (2.06/9) to 22,351... 2016-12-13 01:34 4KB abcnews.go.com

12 1.0 Trump's Tough Trade Talk Making American Firms Fear China Retribution They say they hear China is developing lists of U. S. interests against which it could (1.09/9) retaliate. 2016-12-13 05:51 5KB fortune.com

13 0.3 Trump’s tough talk of imposing punitive tariffs on Chinese goods worries US exporters (1.09/9) US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to slap punitive tariffs on Chinese goods is a worry for companies that trade with the country in the US Midwest – a decisive region in the Republican’s election triumph.... 2016-12-13 03:29 4KB www.scmp.com

14 3.8 With Fed looming, global shares remain buoyant Global stock markets rose Tuesday as oil prices gained for a third day and China reported relatively strong industrial output for November. The focus is increasingly (1.02/9) turning onto... 2016-12-13 09:06 3KB www.cbs46.com

15 0.0 London police search for disabled man who hit a baby in Newham McDonald's (1.02/9) Detectives have released a CCTV image of a witness they wish to trace after a baby was hit on the head in a McDonald's restaurant in the Gallions Reach shopping centre, Newham, east London. 2016-12-13 05:28 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk 16 1.8 Hong Kong stocks regain balance ahead of Fed meeting

(1.02/9) Dec 13 (Reuters) - Hong Kong stocks steadied after a tumble the previous day, though some investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of a U. S. Federal Reserve p... 2016-12-13 04:26 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk

17 0.6 Cologne ramps up New Year’s Eve police presence to avoid a repeat of mass sex assaults (1.02/9) The German city of Cologne on Monday announced a ramped-up police presence, more CCTV and a fireworks-free zone at upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations to avoid a repeat of last year’s mass sexual assaults.... 2016-12-13 04:01 2KB www.scmp.com

18 4.8 China Posts a Strong Month for Car and Retail Sales Consumers are rushing to buy cars as big luxury brands also report a pickup in China. 2016-12-13 03:16 5KB fortune.com (1.02/9)

19 0.6 Fijian man wanted to illegally buy military parts to sell to China, US prosecutor says (1.02/9) Two devices that a Fijian man tried to buy in the US to sell to China were designed to be used in space, military and missile applications, a federal prosecutor told a jury during opening statements Monday at the start of the man’s trial.... 2016-12-13 02:09 3KB www.scmp.com

20 2.9 Sino-Europe puts up another 100 million euros for AC Milan

(1.00/9) MILAN (AP) — The group of Chinese investors buying AC Milan has put up another 100 million euros ($107 million) for the purchase of the Serie A club. The com... 2016-12-13 08:50 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk

21 3.3 Zinc climbs after upbeat Chinese data but copper slips

(1.00/9) By Eric Onstad LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Zinc and other base metals gained on Tuesday after strong retail and factory data in top metals consumer China thou... 2016-12-13 07:14 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk

22 1.1 Territorial claims come from Tokyo, not Moscow, Putin tells Japanese reporters — RT News (0.03/9) Tensions between Moscow and Tokyo over the disputed Kuril Islands come from the Japanese side, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Japanese interviewers. He added that the example of China shows that such disputes can be resolved. 2016-12-13 10:56 4KB www.rt.com 23 0.0 The Biggest Loser's host Fiona Falkiner takes selfie with Shannan Ponton for Instagram (0.01/9) The Biggest Loser host shared a number of images to her Instagram, of herself on set of the show, as she filmed alongside trainer Shannan Ponton 2016-12-13 11:19 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk

24 0.7 Hong Kong trader seeks judicial review over hairy crab ban (0.01/9) Company says it lost about HK$2 million to HK$3 million in profit when food safety authority suspended import of crustaceans from two mainland farms 2016-12-13 09:30 3KB www.scmp.com

25 2.3 Hong Kong truck driver jailed for using vehicle as tool for retribution, causing HK$260,000 in damages (0.01/9) District Court judge says passengers in Mercedes-Benz were lucky to escape serious injury 2016-12-13 08:32 2KB www.scmp.com

26 1.8 Aguirre wants Duterte to sack 2 BI execs over alleged extortion Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday said he will sack two assistant (0.01/9) commissioners of the Bureau of Immigration who allegedly extorted money from gambling tycoon Jack Lam in exchange for the release of overstaying Chinese nationals. 2016-12-13 00:00 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

27 1.1 Chinese bidders walk away from Osram takeover - sources FRANKFURT, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Chinese interest in a takeover of lighting group Osram Licht AG has cooled amid signs of mounting political opposition to Chine... 2016-12-13 12:17 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk

28 0.6 Business as usual in other facilities in Fontana CLARK FREEPORT—Parts of a 300-hectare tourism estate rented by Jack Lam, a Chinese gambling financier accused of economic sabotage by the Duterte administration, remain open. 2016-12-13 00:00 4KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

29 3.0 In Subic, newly hatched sea turtles return to sea SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—With the help of tourists, 113 newly hatched olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) were released to their natural habitat at Subic Bay here last week. 2016-12-13 00:00 2KB newsinfo.inquirer.net

30 5.0 War of words erupts over Hong Kong air traffic control system Lawmaker claims manufacturer of Hong Kong airport’s embattled new system advised of faults months ago 2016-12-13 11:38 3KB www.scmp.com 31 4.3 W. H. Claims “China” Hacked Election, Calls Bolton “Conspiracy Theorist” Propagandists struggling to keep their storylines straight Propagandists struggling to keep their storylines straight 2016-12-13 11:38 2KB www.infowars.com

32 4.8 Beijing tightens its grip on live streaming industry Online performance sites face stricter registration rules as part of clampdown on a fast-growing sector 2016-12-13 11:25 1KB www.scmp.com

33 1.6 Video Special, Tuesday’s Take Your Best Shot: Rifle Mule Deer Scenario: Mule deer buck with bachelor bucks as rifle hunter spots and stalks Rifle: Bergara B-14, 6.5 Creedmoor Range: 175 yards Conditions: Sunny; 38 degrees; 20- mph wind, left to right These bucks are ravenous after an early winter storm has pounded the Wyoming landscape. You’ve… More » 2016-12-13 00:00 2KB www.outdoorhub.com

34 2.5 Hong Kong squatter residents to get better housing offer to pave way for new development Income and asset limits to be raised for public housing in Housing Society project in Fanling 2016-12-13 10:33 4KB www.scmp.com

35 0.0 Sergeant launches appeal over Hong Kong Police Force’s access to personal betting information During a disciplinary investigation into his own gambling activities, 53-year-old officer says his privacy was invaded 2016-12-13 10:22 3KB www.scmp.com

36 0.0 Have You Included Your Digital Assets In Your Estate Planning? When you sit down and write your will, you’re likely thinking about who should get your house or the heirloom set of china that has been passed down for three generations. It doesn’t occur to most people to include their online or digital data and accounts. But according to Daniel [...] 2016-12-13 09:56 7KB www.forbes.com

37 1.0 Hong Kong urged to think of ways to fund long-term elderly care Report by Our Hong Kong Foundation cites overseas study suggesting the social burden of an ageing society could be even bigger than the medical cost 2016-12-13 09:43 3KB www.scmp.com

38 2.3 Today: Trump Takes on the GOP, CIA and PRC. A Costly, Flawed Missile Defense System. I’m Davan Maharaj , editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today. 2016-12-13 09:00 7KB www.latimes.com 39 3.7 Hong Kong’s Ocean Park to spend HK$10 million on Christmas attractions, including stage show The showpiece will be Cyber Illusion Spectacular, a 30-minute extravaganza featuring finalists from reality TV show Australia’s Got Talent 2016-12-13 08:46 3KB www.scmp.com

40 2.6 Hugh Hendry: Europe Refused Financial “Chemotherapy” And Is Now In Fatal Condition Hugh Hendry’s Eclectica hedge fund latest letter to investors for December – some interesting commentary and while more bullish on America he is worried about China and Europe. See more below where he compares Europe to a patient dying of … 2016-12-13 08:16 7KB www.valuewalk.com

41 0.0 China's Sinopec weighs takeover of Gulf Keystone - Bbg Dec 13 (Reuters) - China's Sinopec Corp is weighing a takeover of Gulf Keystone Petroleum , an oil company operating in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Bloombe... 2016-12-13 07:57 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

42 2.3 Five-year-old boy walks tightrope at 30 feet high BLINDFOLDED on Chinese TV show The child, who started rope-walking at two and a half years old, performed on an online show on Dec 10. The little boy revealed on the show how his previous stunts had supported his family. 2016-12-13 07:39 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

43 0.0 Homeowner claims he caught a Parcelforce driver stealing a package from his house on CCTV and was offered £150 by the company to 'be quiet' CCTV footage shows the driver snooping inside the porch of James Harris’s house in Patchway, Bristol, when he arrives to deliver a massive parcel and doesn’t get an answer. 2016-12-13 07:31 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk

44 0.7 Spellbinding images reveal the magic of Hong Kong in the 1950s (and they were shot by a teenager) As a teenager in 1949, Fan Ho headed to the frenetic metropolis from Shanghai and with a deft hand and an artful eye, began snapping the vibrant street life he encountered. 2016-12-13 07:04 1KB www.dailymail.co.uk

45 1.4 Beijing lost its crown as the bicycle king. Some well- funded startups want it back They’re suddenly outside public toilets, tucked in side alleys, on bridges, near underpasses. 2016-12-13 07:00 9KB www.latimes.com 46 3.3 China offers Philippines weapons for drug war China is ready to give the Philippines weapons to help President Rodrigo Duterte wage his controversial war on drugs which has claimed over 5,000 lives, the... 2016-12-13 06:50 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

47 1.7 HK Electric to slash electricity tariffs by 17pc, while CLP Power will freeze charges Hong Kong Island and Lamma residents to be biggest beneficiaries, but environmentalist warns of higher charges down the road to meet gas targets 2016-12-13 06:45 3KB www.scmp.com

48 0.0 China opens WTO complaint about US & EU antidumping duties — RT Business Beijing says it will challenge the United States and the European Union over their approach in calculating punitive measures against Chinese exports. 2016-12-13 06:38 2KB www.rt.com

49 0.0 Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam turns up the heat on presumed chief executive rival John Tsang over report Race for city’s top job intensifies as Chief Secretary slams studies on ageing population by group formed by former finance chief 2016-12-13 06:29 2KB www.scmp.com

50 2.5 Two planes skid off icy airport runway in western China, airline staff removed No one was hurt in the incidents that occurred 40 minutes apart, but a Shanghai Airlines manager lost his job 2016-12-13 06:19 1KB www.scmp.com

51 0.0 China’s internet censors crack down on news portal over US election coverage Sources say website iFeng angered Beijing’s cyber guardians with its live coverage from a reporter in Washington 2016-12-13 06:12 4KB www.scmp.com

52 0.7 Hong Kong foundation proposes subsidies for health screening and chronic disease consultation for low- income elderly Our Hong Kong Foundation puts forward package of proposals to tackle increasing pressure on health services as population ages 2016-12-13 06:06 4KB www.scmp.com

53 0.0 US envoy nominee Branstad member of Masons, banned in China OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- If Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad becomes the next U. S. Ambassador to China, he may want to leave any Masonic symbols at home. That's because 2016-12-13 05:52 3KB mynorthwest.com 54 3.9 China holds National Day of Remembrance for Nanjing Massacre victims as thousands pay tribute to the 300,000 people killed in the WWII bloodbath Thousands turned out to pay their respects for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre on China's third official Day of Remembrance. The Nanjing Massacre killed 300,000 people. 2016-12-13 05:46 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

55 2.5 Pro-independence pair vow to fight on with appeal to Hong Kong’s top court over oaths Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang announce they will appeal against ruling disqualifying them from the legislature 2016-12-13 05:24 3KB www.scmp.com

56 7.9 Elderly man hit by minibus dies in Hong Kong’s sixth fatal traffic accident in four days Man knocked unconscious by minibus in Shau Kei Wan while trying to cross the street 2016-12-13 05:13 1KB www.scmp.com

57 0.9 Taiwan 'model': Is Trump diplomacy all about exploiting a top pressure point? When it comes to China, the new approach of the business-mogul-soon-to-be- president may be to use the highly sensitive issue of Taiwan and the 'one China policy' to extract more favorable conditions for the US. 2016-12-13 05:13 7KB www.csmonitor.com

58 1.7 German engineers warn of uncertain outlook for exports to U. S., China FRANKFURT, Dec 13 (Reuters) - German engineers expect muted growth in 2017, with an uncertain outlook for business in the United States and China offsetting... 2016-12-13 05:00 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

59 2.7 Smog-plagued Beijing may ban coal trucks, storage in Tianjin to tackle capital’s air pollution woes Area surrounding the capital and its neighbour, Tianjin, in Hebei province, is the most polluted in the world’s second-largest economy 2016-12-13 05:00 2KB www.scmp.com

60 18.5 Unlicensed Chinese acupuncturist jailed for 10 years after patient dies Man’s death in March was due to heart disease and only ‘indirectly caused’ by illegal traditional Chinese medicine treatment, Guangxi court rules 2016-12-13 04:30 2KB www.scmp.com

61 1.7 China Box Office Down for Third Month Running China’s theatrical box office recorded the third consecutive month of decline in November. That puts the full year on course for only a narrow single figure increase. Theatrical takings in November… 2016-12-13 04:01 2KB variety.com 62 3.0 Hong Kong finance chief quits; leadership bid expected HONG KONG (AP) -- Hong Kong's financial chief quit Monday, in what is widely seen as a prelude to a leadership bid for the southern Chinese city's top job. 2016-12-13 03:57 2KB mynorthwest.com

63 2.0 With headwinds from Fed and Trump, China’s modest economic recovery fails to disperse worries Despite signs of short-term stabilisation, latest economic data fails to impress investors and analysts 2016-12-13 03:39 4KB www.scmp.com

64 0.0 China suitor tightens grip on Curacao oil project By Chen Aizhu and Marianna Parraga BEIJING/HOUSTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - China's Guangdong Zhenrong Energy Co will submit a plan by April to revamp a century-o... 2016-12-13 03:39 4KB www.dailymail.co.uk

65 5.4 Baby boy abducted in China after ‘new friend’ persuades mother to try on clothes

Newborn rescued by police seven hours later 2016-12-13 02:42 1KB www.scmp.com

66 3.2 Compagnie des Alpes annual profits rise, keeps sights on China PARIS, Dec 13 (Reuters) - French ski resorts operator Compagnie des Alpes posted higher annual profits and said it needed powerful partners to accelerate its... 2016-12-13 02:36 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

67 0.7 China consumer group urges gov't to punish firms for 'fake' discounts on Singles' Day BEIJING, Dec 13 (Reuters) - A Chinese state-backed consumer group says almost 17 percent of discounts offered during the country's multi-billion dollar Singl... 2016-12-13 02:36 3KB www.dailymail.co.uk

68 2.4 China’s Huading Awards to be Held in Los Angeles Johnny Depp and Mel Gibson are among the Hollywood celebrities expected to turn up at China’s Huading Awards, which land in Los Angeles this week. The ceremony to be held at the Ace Hotel in Downto… 2016-12-13 02:30 2KB variety.com

69 2.9 How do Chinese pupils exercise in heavy smog? In a ‘blow-up’ sports hall Inflatable airtight structure in Hebei province – supported by air pumped inside – has badminton and tennis courts and can take up to 100 youngsters 2016-12-13 02:21 2KB www.scmp.com 70 2.9 Fewer Hong Kong firms plan to hire staff and pay rises set to be modest in early 2017 Survey finds companies looking to keep budgets under control but some sectors could see a boost over the Lunar New Year 2016-12-13 01:47 2KB www.scmp.com

71 3.4 Chinese data point to strength in the world's second largest economy Our live blog is tracking market reactions as Chinese retail sales and industrial output pick up, pointing to economic strength. 2016-12-13 01:43 952Bytes www.cnbc.com

72 4.0 Forty-six Chinese groups in Malaysia affirm support for China strategy The signing ceremony is a ‘declaration’ of support for ‘the Government’s efforts in pushing for’ the Malaysia-China bilateral cooperation’ 2016-12-13 01:21 4KB www.scmp.com

73 1.0 What does the future hold for China’s economic transformation as its first ‘reformists’ fade from prominence? After years of decision-making, retirements of market believers, such as Wu Jinglian, set to complicate China’s process of reinventing its economic model 2016-12-13 00:58 9KB www.scmp.com

74 2.8 China's Nov steel output grows at fastest in over 2 years -stats bureau By Muyu Xu and Manolo Serapio Jr BEIJING, Dec 13 (Reuters) - China's steel mills boosted their monthly output at the fastest pace in more than two years in N... 2016-12-13 00:58 2KB www.dailymail.co.uk

75 1.2 American teacher and Chinese farmer cross class, language and cultural divide to find love Tiffany and Cai Xiaohua may seem an unlikely couple at a glance, but they are a picture of bliss.... 2016-12-13 00:47 2KB www.scmp.com

76 1.5 China to Appoint 'River Chiefs' to Fight Pollution: Xinhua China will appoint "river chiefs" to prevent pollution in the nation's waterways, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday (12/12), in the latest step taken by Beijing to rein in environmental damage. ... 2016-12-13 00:44 809Bytes article.wn.com

77 0.6 Don’t sleep on it: Going to bed mad makes it worse AFP-JijiPARIS (AFP-Jiji) — A good night’s sleep may reinforce negative memories in the brain, researchers said on Nov. 29, lending scientific credence to the time worn caution against going to bed angry. Slipping into slumber while holding on to a freshly formed... 2016-12-13 00:17 842Bytes article.wn.com 78 4.1 What caused ‘snowball Earth’ to melt? Researchers find evidence in China

Acid rain that deluged planet linked to emergence of complex life forms 2016-12-12 23:21 4KB www.scmp.com

79 2.9 Masked pollution protesters in China held briefly by police Short-lived sit-in over smog problems in Chengdu quickly broken up by police, who continued to block access to square in city centre on Monday 2016-12-12 23:15 3KB www.scmp.com

80 3.2 How a snub of the one-China policy almost led Beijing and US into war in the 1990s Crisis sparked by Washington’s permission for Taiwan’s then leader Lee Teng-hui to make ‘private trip’ to US 2016-12-12 23:15 5KB www.scmp.com

81 0.9 Jollibee divests stake in China restaurant chain Homegrown fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. is trimming its interest in China with the sale of its 55 percent stake in local restaurant chain Guangxi San Pin Wang Food and Beverage Management Co. 2016-12-13 00:00 1KB business.inquirer.net Articles

DC5m United States china in english 81 articles, created at 2016-12-13 22:56

1 /81 0.0 China Is Trying To Teach Trump A Lesson On Deals

(8.99/9) The Chinese reminded President-elect Donald Trump Tuesday that Taiwan is a non-negotiable “core interest.”

China is furious over Trump’s recent attacks and moves that may upend decades of diplomatic practice regarding the separatist territory.

“As a veteran businessman who prides himself on his ability to make deals, U. S. president-elect Donald Trump should be well familiar with the phrase ‘deal-breaker,'” China’s Xinhua News Agency, a government mouthpiece, said Tuesday.

“Let’s try to make this issue crystal clear for the coming new administration of the United States: any deviation from the one-China policy will be a ‘deal-breaker.'”

“And just to make things even more clear, let’s reiterate the policy. There is only one China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government that represents China,” the news outlet added.

Trump has repeatedly angered Beijing in recent weeks by undermining the “one China” policy, a key component of U. S.-China relations.

The president elect shocked China when he accepted a phone call on Dec. 2 from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, something no U. S. president or president-elect has done since diplomatic ties were cut in 1979.

Trump rattled China again Sunday by questioning the value of the “one China” policy.

“I fully understand the ‘one China’ policy,” Trump said Sunday, “but I don’t know why we have to be bound by a ‘one China’ policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.”

“The U. S. president-elect claims to fully understand the one-China policy, but the fact that he is so eager to play with fire shows he clearly does not,” Xinhua wrote.

“The one-China policy is the cornerstone for any country, including the United States, to engage with China diplomatically, and is simply non-negotiable: no exceptions.”

“The president-elect has vowed to make America great again and we wish him well in that regard, but we see no benefit for the United States if he unilaterally and single-handedly puts the world’s two largest economies on a collision course,” Xinhua further explained.

“Taiwan sits in the center of China’s core interests. It is difficult to overstate how serious an affront to Beijing it would be if the incoming U. S. administration recklessly shook the foundations of bilateral ties.”

“If he tries to sabotage the One China policy or harm China’s core interests, ultimately he will lift a rock only to crush his own toes,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday in Switzerland.

The Global Times called Trump “ignorant like a child” and threatened to possibly arm U. S. enemies or militarily invade Taiwan in response to Trump.

“I don’t want China dictating to me,” Trump said Sunday.

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AP Explains: Why China Four lessons from Donald China warns Trump of After China’s Hubris, It’s sees Taiwan issue as non- Trump's US election victory 'crushing his own toes' on Trump’s Turn negotiable theguardian.com Taiwan wsj.com dailymail.co.uk dailymail.co.uk

Donald Trump: 'No new Trump pledges no 'new' Trump tough talk on China Trump says his sons will do business deals' during business deals while worries US exporters 'no new deals' once they presidency president newsinfo.inquirer.net take over his business article.wn.com dailymail.co.uk latimes.com

2016-12-13 10:32 Ryan Pickrell dailycaller.com

2 /81 0.5 Pa. Republicans withhold comments on Russian hacking (6.83/9) It used to be easy to find out what Republicans thought about Russia.

Four days after an airliner was shot down over the Ukraine in 2014, for example, Sen. Pat Toomey called Russian leader Vladimir Putin a “thug” who “suppressed dissent and crushed democracy.” Weeks after Russian troops invaded the country of Georgia in 2008, Congressman Bill Shuster, R-Bedford, cosponsored a resolution urging the 2014 Winter Olympics be moved to another country. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, told the Washington Examiner in June: “[I]t would be hard to sit back and look at China and Russia and think that they’re acting in the best interest of the United States.”

But most Western Pennsylvania Republicans were less vocal on Monday, three days after the Washington Post reported that the Central Intelligence Agency believes the Russians sought to help Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the presidential contest. Although intelligence agencies previously agreed that Russians had hacked Democratic Party emails that later appeared on the Wikileaks website, they hadn’t identified a motive. Russia and Wikileaks have both denied that Russia provided the emails.

Toomey spokeswoman E. R. Anderson said the senator was too busy Monday to comment. She said he is trying to learn more about the issue before commenting. Senators must vote to confirm executive branch appointees who have had dealings with Mr. Putin, including Rex Tillerson, whose nomination for secretary of state is to be announced this morning.

A spokesman for Mr. Kelly said he hadn’t reached the 3rd District congressman for comment. Mr. Kelly has previously backed expanded trade with Russia while also stressing cybersecurity concerns.

A spokesperson for 12th District Republican Keith Rothfus sent a statement: “This matter is within the purview of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and I will continue to look to Chairman Devin Nunes for updates.” Mr. Nunes, who is a member of the Trump transition team, said Monday that his committee would monitor investigations without undertaking its own.

Mr. Rothfus has previously warned about an “increasingly aggressive Russia,” but Monday said, “there is zero evidence that Russian intelligence influenced the outcome of the election.”

“We must be very careful to avoid any politicization of the intelligence community and its work; it was very unfortunate, for example, to hear the reports last year of how intelligence was doctored to paint a rosier picture of the fight against ISIS than was accurate,” he said.

Casey Contres, a spokesman for Mr. Shuster, said the Russians “are not a friend, and any effort of... breaching our cybersecurity should be taken seriously.” He did not answer additional questions about whether Mr. Shuster favored a congressional investigation into the matter.

Area Democrats offered more forceful responses, although they said Mr. Trump will be president regardless of any role Russia might have played.

“It’s not about changing the results of the election,” said U. S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills. “It’s about confronting Russia for what they’ve done. … Every American should be concerned that a foreign government is somehow interfering with our elections.” “A foreign power trying to influence our election is an attack on our democracy,” agreed Sen. Bob Casey, Mr. Toomey’s Democratic counterpart.

“I support the bipartisan calls for Congress to fully and completely review Russia’s attempts to interfere in our elections,” he added, citing calls for hearings by Republican leaders including John McCain and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“The Trump administration must stand up to Russian aggression and that is [an] area I will focus on” in confirmation hearings, he said.

Fox News viewers heard Republican Congressman Tim Murphy’s take during a Sunday interview about his signature mental health reform bill.

The 18th District representative speculated that Democrats put out the allegations “to discredit this election.” Although Mr. Trump could call for an investigation as president, he said, “I don’t think this is the time to continue going down that road. ... [W]e’ve got to move forward and work to make our nation great again.”

It is doubtful Mr. Trump would ask the intelligence community to investigate. His transition team responded to the Washington Post report by saying the CIA was “the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.”

That reaction has caused consternation among national security experts.

“A president-elect has every right to disagree with the CIA,” said Michael Hayden, a former CIA head during the George W. Bush administration. “But it should be a disagreement based upon data and facts. This is just an ad hominem dismissal of a conclusion because it’s inconvenient and inconsistent with [Mr. Trump’s] pre-existing worldview. That’s really bad.”

If the Russians did seek to elect Mr. Trump, Americans should “make the Russians regret they ever did this,” he said.

Phil Williams, a professor of public and international affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, said Mr. Trump’s dismissal of intelligence reports was “the height of hubris” and worried “We see a pro-Russian Cabinet starting to emerge.”

In October, Carnegie Mellon University professor Kiron Skinner told Fox News that the hacks of Democratic emails “violate the democratic and free way of life.” Ms. Skinner, who heads CMU’s Center for International Relations and Politics, said that although the documents confirmed doubts about Ms. Clinton, discussing them “plays into the hands of the Russians.”

Ms. Skinner, who is now involved in the Trump transition effort, declined to comment Monday.

Mr. Hayden said he’d suspected the Russians were meddling “to mess with our heads. And they are doing a great job. They got a president-elect to say his intelligence service is incompetent. That’s a pretty successful covert action in my book.” Electors call for intel briefing Obama Must Declassify Inside the Russian Hacking Why it's hard for the CIA to on Russian hacking Evidence of Russian Scandal and Trump's make its case on Russian msnbc.com Hacking Election hacking commondreams.org abcnews.go.com vox.com

U.S. intelligence officials Officials Are Disputing CIA's say Russian hacks Claims About Russian 'prioritized' Democrats Hacking nola.com dailycaller.com

2016-12-13 01:00 By Chris www.post-gazette.com

3 /81 2.3 China state newspaper warns Donald Trump over Taiwan: 'Pride comes before a fall' (6.62/9) A Chinese state-run newspaper has launched an unprecedented attack on Donald Trump , accusing the President- elect of having “no knowledge what he’s talking about” while warning that

" pride comes before a fall ".

AP Explains: Why China sees Taiwan issue as non- negotiable dailymail.co.uk

President-elect Trump, China warns Trump of Analysts weigh Trump’s China issues warning to playing chicken with China 'crushing his own toes' on negotiation style with China; Trump on Taiwan is a bad bet Taiwan Taiwan stays cautious post-gazette.com rss.cnn.com dailymail.co.uk cnbc.com China state media warn China says Trump’s Taiwan Donald Trump: 'Pride goes comments cause ‘serious before a fall' concern’ theguardian.com newsinfo.inquirer.net

2016-12-13 07:55 The Global article.wn.com

4 /81 0.2 Carly Fiorina Says She Discussed China, Hacking With Trump During NY Meeting (4.99/9) President-elect Donald Trump met with former GOP rival Carly Fiorina today in New York, discussing China as an "our most important adversary" as well as hacking, according to the former Hewlett- Packard CEO.

Trump tangled with Fiorina during the primary and drew criticism for comments made to Rolling Stone about her appearance. He later said he was referring to Fiorina's persona and said during a debate she's "got a beautiful face. "

After today's meeting, Fiorina said it was "an honor to meet" Trump, adding that they had a "really productive meeting. "

She and Trump “spent a fair amount of time talking about China as probably our most important adversary and a rising adversary," Fiorina told reporters after leaving Trump Tower. "We talked about hacking, whether it's Chinese hacking or purported Russian hacking. "

She also praised his Cabinet selections: "The high quality of people that he's named already says so much about his executive abilities,” she said.

Fiorina and Trump famously went toe-to-toe during the second Republican primary debate on Sept. 16, 2015. During the debate, Fiorina was asked about Trump's interview with Rolling Stone magazine in which he said of her: "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? "

"I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said," responded Fiorina, who was the only Republican woman running for president.

Fiorina dropped out of the 2016 race Feb. 10 after the New Hampshire primary. Then, before anyone was named the Republican nominee, she had a brief stint as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz 's running mate.

In a Facebook post in October, after the 2005 Hollywood Access video of Trump’s making lewd comments about women surfaced, Fiorina called on Trump to step down as the Republican nominee and for the Republican National Committee to replace him with Mike Pence.

"Donald Trump does not represent me or my party," Fiorina wrote. "I understand the responsibility of Republicans to support their nominee. Our nominee has weighty responsibilities as well. Donald Trump has manifestly failed in these responsibilities. "

After Election Day , Fiorina congratulated Trump and Pence on their win.

Congrats @realDonaldTrump and @mike_pence. The American people have spoken. Time for real change that unites us and carries us forward.

Trump also met with two other former rivals for the presidency: Rick Santorum and Rick Perry. This is Perry's second meeting with Trump, his first meeting was at Trump Tower in November. The former governor of Texas once called Trump's candidacy a " cancer on conservatism. " Santorum's history with Trump appears to be far more civil. Although the former Pennsylvania senator initially endorsed Sen. Marco Rubio for president, he later endorsed Trump for president " 100 percent. "

Back in January and before the Iowa caucuses , Santorum, along with Mike Huckabee , joined Trump at a fundraiser for veterans Trump scheduled at the same time as the seventh Republican debate.

Trump also met with Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin , a Democrat, and Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador , a Republican. Trump's meeting with Manchin was previously scheduled for Friday.

Manchin is a contender for secretary of state and secretary of energy, while McMorris Rodgers is a contender for interior secretary and agriculture secretary.

Kanye West meets with Kanye West, Donald Trump Trump meets with Kanye Kanye West meets Donald Trump in NYC Contact Meet In NYC At Trump West to discuss ‘life’ Trump at Trump Tower, WND Tower: What Did Rapper miamiherald.com discusses 'life' during trip to wnd.com And President-Elect New York City Discuss? feeds.nydailynews.com inquisitr.com

2016-12-13 00:07 By abcnews.go.com

5 /81 2.7 Chinese billionaire warns Trump about losing US jobs

(4.80/9) The billionaire owner of China's property-to-entertainment conglomerate Wanda Group has warned Donald Trump that over 20,000 US jobs would be put at risk if the US president- elect mishandles Chinese investment in the country. "I have over $10 billion investment in the United States and employ over 20,000 people," Wanda's CEO Wang Jianlin said in a forum over the weekend, according to a transcript posted Saturday to the company's official site. "If things are mishandled, they will have nothing to eat," he added. Wang said he had asked Chris Dodd, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, to deliver his message to Trump. He was responding to a question about US lawmakers' increasing scrutiny of Chinese acquisitions of American entertainment assets. "At least in the movie and TV industry, you have to realise that English- language films rely on their Chinese box office for growth," Wang added. Chinese firms have been on a high-profile overseas acquisition spree in recent years, snapping up leading film studios and television production companies. Some US lawmakers have said that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a government group tasked with assessing the national security implications of foreign investments, should examine the deals, including Wanda's. Wanda bought US movie theatre chain AMC for $2.6 billion in 2012, which in turn acquired the London-based Odeon & UCI cinema group this year in a deal worth around $1.2 billion. In January, Wanda spent $3.5 billion to purchase Legendary Entertainment, the company behind the "Batman" trilogy and "Jurassic World", as well as the upcoming "The Great Wall", starring Matt Damon and directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. In November, it acquired the maker of the Golden Globes awards show, Dick Clark Productions, for "approximately $1 billion". Wang said the attention from the US Congress reflected the Chinese company's growing influence in the country. "We still have to wait to see Mr. Trump's attitude towards Chinese cultural enterprises after he assumes office," he said.

China warns Trump of When Trump Meets Tech Trump fills top jobs for his Contenders for senior jobs in 'crushing his own toes' on Leaders, Jobs Will Be on the administration Trump's administration Taiwan Agenda dailymail.co.uk dailymail.co.uk dailymail.co.uk cnbc.com

Where Were Trump’s China issues warning to Communist Chinese Caught Votes? Where the Jobs Trump on Taiwan Influencing Election: Trump Weren’t post-gazette.com Must Go On The Offensive nytimes.com infowars.com 2016-12-13 04:00 Afp www.dailymail.co.uk

6 /81 (4.30/9) 0.0 Trump rewrites US foreign policy on the fly In just five weeks as President-elect, Trump has given the world a taste of what Americans know already after a tumultuous political year: He is unpredictable, doesn't play by the usual rules and will chart an idiosyncratic course.

Nowhere is this clearer than the nascent Trump administration's evolving policy on Russia and China, which is emerging from on-the-fly comments, tweets from the President-elect himself, and a controversial potential pick for secretary of state.

Already, the President-elect appears to be bent on pulling off a full reversal of Obama administration policy towards one historic rival and a rising one.

After initially seeking to reset relations with Russia, President Barack Obama's team moved gradually to a position of hostility towards the Kremlin once Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency -- especially after his annexation of Crimea in 2014.

But Obama sought to manage the highly delicate relationship with China with as little confrontation as possible, using the protocol-heavy formulations that have endured for 40 years. The policy was tested by President Xi Jinping's increasingly assertive and nationalistic leadership style and Beijing's aggressive pursuit of territorial claims in the South and East China Seas. But it also resulted in Beijing and Washington agreeing to join the Paris climate accord.

Trump has deliberately escalated a showdown with China -- calling into question the bedrock principles that have governed US relations with Beijing. He appears ready to use the "One China" policy that has ensured no open conflict between the US and China over nationalist Taiwan as leverage.

Trump picks ExxonMobil CEO Tillerson as choice for secretary of state

"I fully understand the One China policy, but I don't know why we have to be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," Trump said on "Fox News Sunday. "

As he hikes tensions with China, Trump is showing every sign of aligning American foreign policy closer to Moscow -- even at a time when Russia is threatening the post-World War II and post-Cold War settlement in Europe.

Trump named ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson -- who considers Putin a friend, as secretary of state Tuesday. He has also talked of working with Russia in Syria to jointly combat ISIS, even though Moscow is allied with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who the Obama administration considers a war criminal after presiding over the vicious civil conflict that has torn his country apart.

Russia rift with US intelligence agencies

Trump has wide latitude to shift US foreign policy priorities and examine and change the certainties that have underpinned Washington's global posture for decades. But his approach to managing great power relations -- even before he takes the oath of office -- is a clear sign of the global turbulence that could lay ahead.

Trump's position on Russia especially, has led him into a stunning showdown with American intelligence agencies, suggesting a fraught relationship between the White House and top spies once Trump is in the Oval Office.

The President-elect has repeatedly stoked a public feud with the Central Intelligence Agency, rejecting the conclusions of US spies that Moscow is behind a massive hacking operation targeting the presidential election.

His position has also put him at odds with some senior Republicans vowing to join a bipartisan effort to investigate the cyber incursion.

In a highly unusual scenario, his comments appear to place the President-elect closer to the position of Moscow on the alleged hacking operation than the entire American intelligence community.

Trump dismissed a conclusion by the CIA, reported by The Washington Post, that Russia intervened in the election to help him win as "ridiculous" in his Fox interview.

Conway: Trump won't interfere with Capitol Hill investigations into Russia hacking

Trump's transition team has also worked hard to make the issue a political one -- arguing that those who are disappointed by Trump's election victory are mounting an effort to tarnish his presidency.

"I think really clearly what this is an attempt to try to delegitimize President-elect Trump's win," Trump spokesman Jason Miller told reporters on Monday. "That really seems to be what's going on here. "

But Nicholas Burns, a former senior State Department official who supported Hillary Clinton in the presidential race warned that Russian election hacking represented a severe threat to US security and faulted Trump's response -- and questioned the wisdom of trying to improve relations with the Kremlin under the circumstances.

"If these allegations are true, this would be one of the most dangerous anti-American acts by a foreign power in a long time," Burns told CNN's "New Day" on Monday.

"I think that President Trump's reaction, which is to criticize the intelligence agencies and in a very weak way not Russia, I think that was inappropriate and unwise of him -- he has to lead these people. "

The rising drama around the transition, suggests that Trump's personality, reaction to slights and tendency to punch back hard when attacked will be key features of his presidential leadership style.

Putting basis of relationship with China in play

The reaction from China and elsewhere to his statements meanwhile underlines the vast difference from being a candidate -- where a potential president's comments are often taken by foreign powers with a pinch of salt -- and being President-elect whose comments have a huge impact around the world.

The controversy erupted after Trump accepted a congratulatory call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen -- contravening precedent under which presidents and presidents-elect have declined contact with Taiwanese leaders.

China reacted angrily to the call, after a measured initial first reaction, but Trump told Fox that he would not accept being told what to do by Beijing.

"I don't want China dictating to me and this was a call put into me. " he told Fox.

Trump's call with Tsai shocked many China watchers, but some observers in Washington suggested that it would not be a bad thing to put Beijing on notice that the relationship with Washington could not stay frozen in the past.

Trump appears to be putting the entire basis of the US-China relationship in play and seems willing to bring up an issue -- Taiwan -- which is of existential importance to Beijing.

Russian hacking and the 2016 election, explained

Yet while he is challenging China, Trump is giving no real indication of the framework of policies that he hopes to put in the place of enduring foreign policy principles followed by the United States.

That is causing deep disquiet among US allies in Asia and among foreign policy experts in Washington.

"Sending signals that he intends to make major changes in US foreign, security, and economic policy is one thing," said Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in a new commentary on Monday.

"Sending signals that undermine existing US policies without providing clear signals about the policies that will replace them is quite another. "

But Trump's hyper-active transition and determination to make clear he is planning a departure on foreign policy suggest that 2017 could be a turbulent year in geopolitics.

"The campaign is over, and for all practical purposes, the presidency has begun," Cordesman wrote. AP Explains: Why China Elon Musk could benefit Trump’s Dangerous Foreign How do Obama and Trump sees Taiwan issue as non- from Trump policies Policy Team: Discrimination, differ on concussion policy? negotiable rss.cnn.com Domination, and Destruction charlotteobserver.com dailymail.co.uk commondreams.org

2016-12-13 09:38 Stephen Collinson www.cnn.com

7 /81 1.9 Bill Gates hopes Trump won't get into a tariff 'tit for tat' with China (3.53/9) Billionaire Bill Gates told CNBC on Tuesday that a deterioration in trade relations with China would not be a good deal, but he does not see President- elect Donald Trump engaging in a trade war.

"I feel sure that he and the team he brings in around them, even as they tune things, they won't want the 'lose-lose' that you would get if you start to get large tariff walls," the Microsoft co-founder said on "Squawk Box. "

"The president-elect is very sophisticated. I hope he's thought through how he's going to get some adjustment there [in China] without that typical sort of tariff tit for tat. "

After talking with Trump, Bill After Talking With Trump, Bill Gates to meet with As Dow approaches 20K in Gates likens president-elect Bill Gates Likens Him To Trump Trump rally, stocks are to JFK JFK thehill.com expensive, Bill Gates says cnbc.com patdollard.com cnbc.com

Donald Trump And Bill Gates Had a Conversation About Clean Energy fortune.com 2016-12-13 10:20 Matthew J www.cnbc.com

8 /81 3.0 Japan, China, S. Korea summit postponed on Park woes

(3.12/9) Japan is postponing a summit with China and South Korea, the government said Tuesday, after the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye. The Asian powers were planning to hold an annual trilateral gathering this month in Japan, which is the rotating chair. South Korea's parliament voted Friday to impeach Park, who is engulfed in a scandal over her friendship with a long-time confidante who has been charged with meddling in state affairs. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, while not directly mentioning Park's impeachment, said "various factors" were behind the decision. "We decided to re-arrange it and hold the summit at an appropriate time next year," he told reporters after a regular cabinet meeting. Park has been relieved of official duties as president and is awaiting a decision by the country's Constitutional Court -- a process that could take months -- on whether she will have to permanently step down. She has been replaced in the interim by Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn. Leaders of the three countries met in November last year in South Korea for the first time since 2012. Summits had been on ice due largely to Tokyo's often thorny relations with Beijing and Seoul over territorial issues and history.

US, S. Korea, Japan Vow US, S. Korea, Japan vow U.S., S. Korea, Japan vow Cooperation Over N. Korea cooperation over N. Korea cooperation over N. Korea Sanctions sanctions sanctions abcnews.go.com mynorthwest.com rssfeeds.usatoday.com

2016-12-13 01:35 Afp www.dailymail.co.uk

9 /81 0.0 Trump Targets Mexico and China Are Moving to Deepen Ties (2.16/9) China and Mexico pledged on Monday to deepen ties at a meeting between their top diplomats following last month’s U. S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump, who has tested Washington’s relationship with both countries.

Before arriving in Mexico on Sunday, Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi met with members of Trump’s team in New York, including his pick for national security adviser, retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.

Mexico has been exploring ways to lessen its economic dependence on the United States out of fear that access to its No. 1 trade partner will be restricted by policies under Trump, who promises to protect American jobs from going outside the country.

Yang’s meeting with Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu included discussions of enhancing trade and investment ties, Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, as well as improving flight connections between the two countries.

“They agreed to deepen mutual trust and develop the bilateral dialogue about subjects of mutual interest via the Mexico-China Strategic Dialogue,” the ministry said, without giving more details.

Yang said in the meeting that China’s comprehensive partnership with Mexico was “flourishing” day by day, adding that China wishes to deepen cooperation on trade, investment, resources, infrastructure and financial services, according to a statement on the Chinese foreign ministry website.

After his meeting with Ruiz Massieu, Yang had a “courtesy visit” with President Enrique Pena Nieto.

The Chinese government has bristled at Trump’s moves in recent days , protesting his decision to accept a telephone call from Taiwan’s president and voicing concern after a weekend interview on Fox News Sunday in which Trump questioned whether the United States had to stick with a “one China” policy. China considers Taiwan a renegade province.

Mexico’s relationship with China appeared to cool after Pena Nieto scrapped high-profile rail and retail projects that were supposed to usher in a new era of business between the manufacturing rivals.

But Mexico last week awarded two deepwater oil blocks to China’s Offshore Oil Corporation during a historic auction that was part of the country’s energy reform.

“The China-Mexico relationship is back on again,” said Evan Ellis, a research professor at the U. S. Army War College who specializes in China’s presence in Latin America.

“The election of President Trump and the associated threat to NAFTA probably was one driver for (Pena Nieto) to position Mexico to diversify its foreign economic engagements,” Ellis added.

Trump has vowed to renegotiate or scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade deal important to Mexico, which includes the United States and Canada. After Donald Trump's win in After Trump's win, China After Trump's Win, China After Trump’s win, China US Election, China and and Mexico move to deepen and Mexico Move to Deepen and Mexico move to deepen Mexico move to deepen ties ties Ties ties article.wn.com cnbc.com article.wn.com article.wn.com

2016-12-13 06:56 Reuters fortune.com

10 /81 0.3 How scientists finally solved the 1952 London fog mystery (2.06/9) In 1952, a thick, toxic fog settled over London, and at least 4,000 people died, with another 150,000 hospitalized. Scientists think they’ve finally pinpointed the reason.

An international team led by Renyi Zhang, an atmospheric science professor at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, has published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that clarifies how sulfur dioxide released by coal burning – long known to be a main cause of the deadly fog – was converted into sulfuric acid.

The results had modern-day inspiration : They were obtained using lab experiments and atmospheric measurements from Beijing and Xi’an, according to Live Science. And Dr. Zhang says the study may prove useful to authorities in China – where conditions are similar to 1952 London – and other places where air pollution levels often pose a threat to residents’ health.

“Our results showed that this process was facilitated by nitrogen dioxide , another co-product of coal burning, and occurred initially on natural fog,” said Dr. Zhang in a statement. “Another key aspect in the conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfate is that it produces acidic particles, which subsequently inhibits this process.”

When fog particles containing diluted acid evaporated, it left an acidic haze that covered the city, he added. That led to the worst air pollution-related catastrophe in European history, and the impetus for Britain’s passage of the Clean Air Act in 1956.

Air pollution remains a serious problem in much of the globe. In February, researchers from the American Association for the Advancement of Science said that more than 5.5 million people die from air pollution every year, including 1.6 million in China and 1.5 million in India, reported The Christian Science Monitor’s Story Hinckley.

That’s not necessarily to say that they’re at risk of living a repeat of what happened in London. China’s haze, notes the team, is made up of much smaller nanoparticles, and the sulfate- formation process studied is made possible only by ammonia.

Still, governments in both countries seem to understand how urgent the problem of air pollution is.

“ A couple of great things are happening in China,” Dr. Michael Brauer, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health in Vancouver, Canada, told the Monitor then. “They have started to do measurements [of air quality] so we can track progress, and there is at least a leveling off of pollution levels – and maybe even a decrease, but it is too early to say for sure.”

“It looks like China is on the right path,” he added. “The issue is how quickly can the levels come down?”

Dr. Zhang says that a reduction in nitrogen oxide and ammonia emissions would likely disrupt the sulfate-formation process examined in the team’s study.

“A better understanding of the air chemistry holds the key for development of effective regulatory actions in China,” he said in the statement.

“The government has pledged to do all it can to reduce emissions going forward, but it will take time. We think we have helped solve the 1952 London fog mystery and also have given China some ideas of how to improve its air quality.”

Cause of 1952 deadly Mystery solved! Cause of London fog determined London's 1952 'killer fog' rssfeeds.usatoday.com revealed foxnews.com

2016-12-13 06:27 The Christian www.csmonitor.com

11 /81 0.0 Asian Stocks Mixed Following Wall Street Losses

(2.06/9) Asian stocks were mixed Tuesday following Wall Street's declines while oil prices eased after two days of strong gains.

KEEPING SCORE: The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.7 percent to 3,132.30 points and Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.4 percent to 22,351.43. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 added 0.2 percent to 19,200.39 and Seoul's Kospi gained 0.1 percent to 2,029.23. India's Sensex advanced 0.2 percent to 26,565.42 and benchmarks in New Zealand and Southeast Asia also rose. Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 shed 0.2 percent to 5,550.90 while Taiwan also retreated.

WALL STREET: Stocks pulled back following a record run, though a spurt in oil prices Monday helped push energy issues higher. Nine stocks fell on the New York Stock Exchange for every five that rose. The Standard & Poor's 500 has climbed 5.4 percent since the presidential election on expectations proposed tax cuts will lead to higher profits. The rise in energy stocks including Exxon Mobil and Chevron boosted the Dow Jones industrial average 0.2 percent to a record 19,796.43. The S&P, a broader measure, 0.1 percent, to 2,256.96. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.6 percent to 5,412.54.

FED WATCH: Investors expect the U. S. Federal Reserve to hike interest rates when it ends a policy meeting Wednesday. It would be only the second rise in a decade. The Fed has kept rates near zero since the 2008 global crisis but its leaders have indicated the U. S. economy is improving enough to start moving gradually toward normal policy. Low interest rates have helped to boost stock prices but are hurting savers who look for income from bank accounts and bonds.

ANALYST'S TAKE: "For Asia, things have perhaps been a little less optimistic," said Jingyi Pan of IG in a report. Pan cited uncertainty over China's monthly data and U. S.-Chinese tensions over Taiwan and Beijing's filing of a World Trade Organization complaint against the United States and Europe Union for failing to treat it as a market economy. "As each other's largest trading partner, the impact of a deteriorating relationship will be significant on both ends, commanding due concerns from the markets," Pan said.

ENERGY: Benchmark U. S. crude lost 18 cents to $52.65 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract surged $1.33 on Monday to $52.83 following last week's decision by major oil producers to cut output. Brent crude, used to price international oils, shed 10 cents to $55.59 in London. It jumped $1.36 on Monday.

CHINA: Economic data for November showed relatively strong activity. Industrial production grew 6.2 percent from a year ago, up from October's 6.1 percent. Growth in investment in real estate and other fixed assets held steady at 8.8 percent, though growth in private sector investment declined to 4.6 percent from October's 5.1 percent. "Another set of broadly positive data suggest that China is on track to end this year on a strong note," said Julian Evans- Pritchard of Capital Economics in a report.

CHINA'S TUMBLE: Chinese stocks have declined amid concern about tighter regulation, Fed action and U. S.-Chinese tensions. The Shanghai benchmark fell Monday by an unusually wide margin of 2.5 percent. Analysts blame unease after Chinese regulators visited insurance companies, which are major traders, and banned one from further investing in stocks. Analysts suggested investors also are waiting to see the Fed's decision on whether to raise U. S. rates.

CURRENCY: The dollar gained to 115.13 yen from Monday's 114.90 yen. The euro eased to $1.0632 from $1.0641.

Asian stocks mixed Asian stocks retreat following Wall Street losses following Wall Street losses rssfeeds.usatoday.com business.inquirer.net

2016-12-13 01:34 By abcnews.go.com

12 /81 1.0 Trump's Tough Trade Talk Making American Firms Fear China Retribution (1.09/9) U. S. President-elect Donald Trump’s challenges to China on trade and Taiwan are rattling American companies who have long benefited from stable relations between the two countries but now fear retaliation by Beijing if Trump were to act.

Trump jarred Chinese officials on Sunday by saying the United States did not necessarily have to stick to its long- standing position that Taiwan is part of “one China.” Beijing expressed “serious concern” about Trump’s remarks.

Four U. S. industry sources who follow China policy closely said they were unsettled by any suggestion of abandoning the “one China” policy, which they said had served the business community well for several decades.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, stressed the importance of stability for businesses. They said Beijing could retaliate against U. S. companies that do business in China if Trump takes his tougher line too far.

“The Chinese are deeply concerned and we hear now from reliable sources in Beijing who suggest the Chinese government, the Communist Party, are developing lists of U. S. interests against which they could retaliate, commercial interests, and obviously one merely has to look at top U. S. exports to China to get a quick sense of whose heads may be on the chopping block,” said one China trade policy expert who interacts closely with U. S. business.

The expert pointed out that more than 30 states have over $1 billion in exports to China and that there is over $500 billion in commercial engagements by U. S. companies in China. All of that would be at risk if China retaliated.

“That commercial engagement supports American jobs, many American jobs here in the United States,” the expert said.

Another source said there had been “quiet outreach” by the U. S. business community to Trump’s advisers but companies were wary of discussing their concerns about the China policy publicly for fear of becoming a target for the president-elect, who has singled out companies such as Carrier and Boeing .

From Detroit’s car makers to Silicon Valley’s technology champions, China is both a critical source of revenue and profits, and a vital link in global supply chains.

More than four decades after President Richard Nixon upset the status quo of his time with a surprise visit to Beijing, what’s good for U. S.-China relations is good for General Motors and Starbucks and Apple aapl and Wal-Mart Stores wmt .

China has hit U. S. goods with retaliatory tariffs in the past when disputes flared. China in 2011 slapped duties on U. S.-made large cars and sport utilities as part of a trade dispute.

The stakes are higher now.

More than one-third of the 9.96 million vehicles General Motors gm sold globally in 2015 were delivered to Chinese customers. Profits from Chinese operations, including joint ventures, accounted for about 20% of GM’s global net income of $9.7 billion in 2015. Ford Motor’s f China JVs represented about 16% of its global pre-tax profit of $9.4 billion in 2015.

U. S. retail giant Wall Mart Stores has 432 stores in China, while coffee chain Starbucks sbux has 2,500 stores there and outgoing CEO Howard Schultz told investors China will one day be a bigger market for the firm than the United States.

Aircraft maker Boeing ba plans to build a “completion” factory in China for its 737 jets, anticipating the country will need 6,800 new jetliners worth $1 trillion over the next 20 years.

“The United States and China are in a symbiotic relationship, we are wed to each other and do best when we grow together,” said Susan Aaronson, a professor at George Washington University who teaches corruption and good governance.

The total value of U. S. trade with China was $599 billion in 2015, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, of which $116 billion was exports to China from U. S. producers, while U. S. companies imported $483 billion in goods from China.

Alan Deardorff, professor of international economics and public policy at the University of Michigan, said that if U. S.-China trade tensions were to reach a boiling point, “the pain would be widespread and deep” for U. S. businesses.

Trump and his advisers have said the U. S.-China trade deficit reflects bad trade deals and currency manipulation by the Chinese government, which they said justifies a tougher response than in the past.

George Washington University’s Aaronson said that while Taiwan is a sensitive topic, if Trump pushes ahead with trade tariffs that is far more likely to translate into retaliation against U. S. firms in China.

“China’s leaders need stability and Trump is totally disruptive,” Aaronson said. “They will need to signal their strength in return.”

Trump tough talk on China worries US exporters newsinfo.inquirer.net

2016-12-13 05:51 Reuters fortune.com

13 /81 0.3 Trump’s tough talk of imposing punitive tariffs on Chinese goods worries US exporters (1.09/9) US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to slap punitive tariffs on Chinese goods is a worry for companies that trade with the country in the US Midwest – a decisive region in the Republican’s election triumph. Strong support across America’s “Rust Belt”, and frustration at lost industrial jobs blamed on globalisation, carried Trump to victory in November in key battleground US states, including Michigan and Ohio. But some companies in the region that benefit from global trade are worried about early signs that Trump plans to take a hardline stance with China. “We export a lot of products to China,” said David Shogren, president of US International Foods. “My fear is whatever changes Trump makes ... that China will retaliate in some ways.” His company depends on China as a key export market for peanut butter, mustard, nuts, cereals and other items. About 50 per cent of its revenues are tied to China, compared with only 5 per cent to its home market. “Our customers may switch from US products to other countries: Europe, Australia, New Zealand or Japan, or other exporting countries,” Shogren said. He said his company was trying to build markets in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. During the presidential campaign Trump threatened to impose 45 per cent tariffs on China, saying the world’s second biggest economy had stiffed the US with currency manipulation and illegal subsidies. “China will take a tit-for-tat approach,” said an editorial in , a Chinese newspaper that is close to the government. “A batch of Boeing orders will be replaced by Airbus. US motor car and iPhone sales in China will suffer a setback, and US soybean and corn imports will be halted,” it warned. “China can also limit the number of Chinese students studying in the US.” Beijing also and to suggestions he is rethinking the decades-old US one-China policy. The one-China policy was the “political bedrock” of relations with the US, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. If it was “compromised or disrupted” cooperation in major fields would be “out of the question”, Geng said Progressive Molding Technologies, in Ohio, imports tools from China that enables it to compete with Chinese rivals. “My fear is we will lose access to China’s cheap tools,” Laird Daubenspeck, the company’s president, said. “At that point, I will anticipate the our customers will start to slow down new product launches and we will see less growth.” Daubenspeck has written twice to Trump, once after he was elected and a second time after the Taiwan phone call. “My biggest fear is he doesn’t understand the impact his words have.” Among big manufacturers, Boeing is especially vulnerable. About one out of three Boeing 737 planes delivered in 2015 was destined for China. The company announced on Monday that it would reduce production of its 777 starting in August, which would have an impact on employment. General Motors could also see its business disrupted in a trade war. China is GM’s biggest market for cars, with 2.38 million vehicles sold in the first eight months of 2016, compared with 1.96 million in the US. GM also manufactures the Buick Envision in China, which is exported to the US and could suffer under US tariffs. A GM spokesman said it was too early to comment on any potential shifts in trade policy, but noted that GM chief executive, Mary Barra, agreed to participate in Trump’s strategic and policy forum, along with other top chief executives. The century-old National Foreign Trade Council said on Monday that it would work with the new administration, but would fight protectionism. “And we’re prepared to argue against the use of trade restrictions as a way of achieving greater economic growth – history has shown that really isn’t an effective way of doing that,” said Rufus Yerxa, head of the 300-company council, whose members export about US$3 trillion a year.

Trump tough talk on China worries US exporters newsinfo.inquirer.net

2016-12-13 03:29 Agence France www.scmp.com

14 /81 3.8 With Fed looming, global shares remain buoyant

(1.02/9) LONDON (AP) - Global stock markets rose Tuesday as oil prices gained for a third day and China reported relatively strong industrial output for November. The focus is increasingly turning onto Wednesday's policy statement from the U. S. Federal Reserve accompanying the central bank's anticipated first rate hike of the year. KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, Germany's DAX advanced 0.6 percent to 11,261 while France's CAC-40 was up 0.6 percent at 4,791. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.6 percent, too, to 6,930. Wall Street was poised to push onto further record highs, with Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures up 0.3 percent. FED WATCH: Investors expect the U. S. Federal Reserve to hike interest rates when it ends a policy meeting Wednesday. It would be only the second increase in a decade. The Fed has kept rates near zero since the 2008 global crisis but its leaders have indicated the U. S. economy is improving enough to start moving gradually toward normal policy. Low interest rates have helped to boost stock prices but are hurting savers who look for income from bank accounts and bonds. ANALYST TAKE: "The Fed's projections and dot plot combined with Chair Janet Yellen's comments in the press conference could be crucial in determining whether the Santa rally makes it to the new year," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA. "Investors haven't been easily spooked recently but the prospect of three or four rate hikes next year may be enough to do it. " DOLLAR ASCENDANT: With expectations growing that the Fed may outline a series of rate hikes next year, the dollar continues to remain in favor. A day ahead of the decision, the euro fell 0.3 percent to $1.0610 while the dollar rose 0.3 percent to 115.28 yen. CHINA: Economic data for November showed relatively strong activity. Growth in industrial production accelerated to 6.2 percent over a year earlier from October's 6.1 percent. Retail sales and investment in real estate and other fixed assets also rose. "Another set of broadly positive data suggest that China is on track to end this year on a strong note," said Julian Evans- Pritchard of Capital Economics in a report. ASIA'S DAY: Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 0.5 percent to 19,250.52 and the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.1 percent to 3,155.04. Seoul's Kospi advanced 0.4 percent to 2,035.98 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.1 percent to 22,446.70. India's Sensex gained 0.7 percent to 26,700.46. ENERGY: Oil prices rose further in the wake of last week's decision by non-OPEC producers to cut production alongside the previously announced OPEC reduction. Benchmark U. S. crude was up 55 cents at $53.38 a barrel while Brent, the international standard, rose 57 cents, to $56.26 a barrel. Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Global shares rise on higher oil prices, strong China data miamiherald.com

2016-12-13 09:06 www.cbs46.com

15 /81 0.0 London police search for disabled man who hit a baby in Newham McDonald's (1.02/9) Police are appealing for a carer to come forward after a man in a wheelchair allegedly gave a baby a head injury in a McDonald's queue. The seven-month-old girl suffered a small fracture and a bleed on the brain after being struck while in her mother's arms in the restaurant in the Gallions Reach shopping centre, Newham, east London. Scotland Yard said detectives are trying to establish whether the wheelchair user, believed to be aged 15-25, acted deliberately. They issued a CCTV image of a woman believed to be his carer and urged her to come forward as a witness to the incident between 2pm-3pm on June 18. The girl's parents believed she was unharmed at the time but later took her to hospital, where they called police, after noticing a bump on her head. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'The baby was kept in hospital overnight but discharged the next day. The baby has now fully recovered.' The wheelchair user is described as Asian and was wearing a foam cast on his right arm at the time of the incident. He is believed to be aged between 15 and 25 years. The woman believed to be his carer was described as black, aged around 40 and of large build. Any witnesses should call Newham CID on 07747 780 610. San Jose police search for suspect who targeted man with disability abc7news.com

2016-12-13 05:28 Richard Spillett www.dailymail.co.uk

16 /81 1.8 Hong Kong stocks regain balance ahead of Fed meeting

(1.02/9) Dec 13 (Reuters) - Hong Kong stocks steadied after a tumble the previous day, though some investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of a U. S. Federal Reserve policy meeting starting later on Tuesday. In the afternoon, stocks clawed back Tuesday morning losses and eked out a marginal gain for the day. The benchmark Hang Seng index added 0.1 percent, to 22,446.70 points, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index inched up 0.2 percent, to 9,719.94 points. On Monday, the Hang Seng dropped 1.4 percent. The Fed's two-day meeting is widely expected to bring the first U. S. interest rate hike this year, which could lure more capital away from emerging markets. Sector performance in Hong Kong on Tuesday was mixed, with strength in the energy and materials stocks countered by weakness among real estate developers. An index tracking the property sector retreated nearly 0.6 percent, dragged by concerns of rising borrowing costs, since Hong Kong's interest rates typically follow those of the United States. Energy shares were among the best performers, after OPEC's consensus over the weekend to cut output fuelled an expectation of a rising oil price. (Reporting by Jackie Cai and John Ruwitch; Editing by Richard Borsuk)

China's yuan firms as state US STOCKS-Futures higher China, Hong Kong stocks banks sell retreating dollar ahead of Fed meeting fall in cautious mood ahead dailymail.co.uk dailymail.co.uk of Fed dailymail.co.uk

2016-12-13 04:26 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

17 /81 0.6 Cologne ramps up New Year’s Eve police presence to avoid a repeat of mass sex assaults (1.02/9) The German city of Cologne on Monday announced a ramped-up police presence, more CCTV and a fireworks-free zone at upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations to avoid a repeat of last year’s mass sexual assaults. Hundreds of women that night described being mugged and groped in a crowd of men of mainly Arab and north African appearance, incidents that shocked Germany and fuelled criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s liberal refugee policy. Cologne police chief Juergen Mathies said 1,500 officers would be deployed on the streets of the western city this year, up from some 140 last year, when police came under fire for failing to properly respond to the chaotic events. Mathies told reporters he regretted that officers last year were “not there for people when they needed the police”. “This must never happen again,” he said at a presentation of the city’s security plan for New Year’s Eve. The city will also be stepping up its video surveillance, with hundreds more CCTV cameras and more officers wearing bodycams, Mathies said. Much of the increased security will focus on the square between the city’s iconic Dom cathedral and the train station where most of the assaults took place. Cologne mayor Henriette Reker said access to the square this year would be tightly controlled, with no firecrackers or other pyrotechnics allowed in the safety zone. The square will also be flooded with light as part of a video and light installation by German artist Philipp Geist that will be projected onto the Dom. Of the roughly 1,200 criminal complaints filed about last year’s New Year’s Eve incidents, more than 500 were for sexual assault, Cologne police reports showed. The majority of the perpetrators were never caught. Of the suspects who were identified, many were migrants from Morocco and Algeria. Similar assaults were reported during end-of-year festivities in other German cities. The ugly scenes in Cologne made global headlines and deepened concerns about how to integrate the nearly 900,000 newcomers who arrived in Germany last year.

Cologne to deploy 1,500 officers on NYE to prevent repeat of last year’s mass sexual assaults — RT News rt.com

2016-12-13 04:01 Agence France www.scmp.com

18 /81 4.8 China Posts a Strong Month for Car and Retail Sales

(1.02/9) China posted its strongest retail sales growth of the year in November, while surging steel production lifted factory output, but private investment began to slow again, leaving the economy more reliant on state spending and mounting debt.

After a rocky start to the year, China ‘s economy has performed better than expected and looks set to hit Beijing’s 6.5 to 7% growth target as higher government spending and a sizzling housing market fuel a construction boom.

The pickup in China ‘s manufacturing sector has helped spur a rebound in global prices of industrial commodities and other goods, adding a welcome reflationary pulse that is slowly being felt around the world.

But one of the Chinese economy’s key growth drivers this year — housing — is showing increasing signs of fatigue.

Growth in home sales slowed to the lowest rate in a year in November as more cities tried to cool red-hot prices, while the pace of new property investment also fell from recent highs. New construction starts rose just 3.3% on- year after climbing 20% in October.

“(The housing market) will continue to cool, and fall to negative growth next year,” said Zhao Yang, chief China economist at Nomura in Hong Kong.

“If the government doesn’t ramp up infrastructure spending, the expected decline in property will certainly drag on growth.”

Property sales growth slid in November to 7.9% from a year ago, its lowest since November 2015, and well short of October’s 26.4% increase.

While overall growth in fixed-asset investment held steady at 8.3% in the first 11 months of the year, the gap between state and private spending highlighted persistent imbalances in the economy.

Investment by private firms slowed in November, reversing a recent recovery from record lows. That is putting more pressure on state firms to pick up the slack and raising fears that this year’s economic momentum will not be sustainable.

Growth of private investment fell to 4.93% on-year in November from 5.9% in October, according to a Reuters calculation, suggesting private firms continue to struggle even as the broader economy gets back on steadier footing.

Indeed, state firms maintained strong spending, boosting investment by 20.2% in Jan-Nov, though the pace slowed slightly from Jan-Oct.

Government spending picked up 12.2% in November after falling in October, China ‘s Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday.

In order to meet growth targets, China may increase its budget deficit ratio to 3.5% next year, from a 3% target this year, a senior official at a government think tank said on Tuesday, to accommodate a further rise in government spending.

Top leaders are due to map out their economic and reform agenda for 2017 during an annual Central Economic Work Conference later this month. Growing debt and property risks have touched off an internal debate about whether China should tolerate slower growth in 2017 to allow more room for painful reforms aimed at reducing industrial overcapacity and indebtedness.

FACTORIES STEADY, RETAIL STRONG

China ‘s factory output grew slightly faster than expected in November, with steel output rising the fastest in two years and carmakers cranking up production.

Retail sales climbed 10.8%, the fastest pace since December 2015 and beating expectations for a 10.1% rise, buoyed by gains in auto sales, home appliances and cosmetics.

Auto sales in China surged for a sixth consecutive month in November, an industry association said on Monday, as consumers rushed to buy cars amid uncertainty over whether a tax incentive will be extended beyond the end of the year.

Big luxury brands also reported an improvement in China sales this year after a three-year downturn as Chinese shoppers are spending on luxury goods at home again. Burberry, Gucci- owner Kering, and Tiffany have all reported an uptick in their China earnings.

Part of that is due to the falling value of the yuan, which diminishes the appeal of spending abroad and encourages more domestic spending, said Wang Jianhui, an economist with Capital Securities in Beijing. The yuan has slid to more than 8-year lows against the dollar so far this year.

Other November data showed China ‘s imports grew at the fastest pace in more than two years in November, led by commodities from coal to iron ore and copper, while exports also rose unexpectedly, reflecting a pick-up in both domestic and global demand.

However, China ‘s trade outlook is being clouded by increasing fears of protectionism as U. S. President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.

Trump has threatened to label China a currency manipulator on his first day in office in January, and has threatened to impose huge tariffs on imports of Chinese goods.

China Nov retail sales strong but slowing property a key risk for 2017 dailymail.co.uk

2016-12-13 03:16 Reuters fortune.com

19 /81 0.6 Fijian man wanted to illegally buy military parts to sell to China, US prosecutor says (1.02/9) Two devices that a Fijian man tried to buy in the US to sell to China were designed to be used in space, military and missile applications, a federal prosecutor told a jury during opening statements Monday at the start of the man’s trial. Because the devices were classified as “defence articles,” they could not be exported from the US without a license from the State Department under the Arms Export Control Act, Assistant US Attorney Thomas Woods said. The restrictions, he said, are “designed to ensure that U. S. technologies and defense items remain in safe hands.” The defendant, William Ali, arranged to purchase them from a Homeland Security undercover agent at a hotel in Seattle where he was arrested in April despite warnings that buying certain accelerometers and gyroscopes in the US to sell to China violated federal law, Woods said. Ali lived in New Zealand before his arrest. “This trial will show that the defendant knew perfectly well that what he was doing was illegal,” Woods said. Ali’s lawyer, John Crowley, did not make an opening statement but said in court records that his client was a victim of entrapment because the federal agent induced Ali to commit a crime. The agent “first suggested the criminal activity of an illegal export” and Ali was “extremely reluctant to participate in the offence only to be persuaded to do so by Homeland Security Investigations,” Crowley said. Ali is an engineer who has worked for Air Fiji and Air New Zealand, court records said. He also started a small company called Aircraft Mechanics and Logistics that sells aircraft parts and had a customer in China who was interested in acquiring accelerometers, which are used to measure how fast something is accelerating or slowing down. Although the device was used in aircraft, satellites and missile systems, “Mr Ali has no knowledge of the utility of that part outside of its application to commercial aircraft and in particular the Chinese built Y-12” turboprop aircraft, Crowley said. After Ali sent emails to the company that makes the device seeking information about exporting them, the company alerted the Counter-Proliferation Investigations agency of the US Department of Homeland Security, Special Agent Christy Clerf testified. The agency tries “to prevent foreign advisories from acquiring sensitive weapons technology” and sent an undercover agent to determine if Ali knew that exporting the devices was illegal, and to find out where he planned to sell them, Clerf said. The agent warned Ali in emails that his plans violated US law, but Ali “laughed and joked” that he hoped his emails were not intercepted, Clerk testified. Ali flew to the US in April to meet the agent, who he thought was a broker, and was arrested. His trial is expected to last two or three days.

Fijian on trial for trying to sell China defense devices sacbee.com

2016-12-13 02:09 Associated Press www.scmp.com

20 /81 20 /81 2.9 Sino-Europe puts up another 100 million euros for AC Milan (1.00/9) MILAN (AP) — The group of Chinese investors buying AC Milan has put up another 100 million euros ($107 million) for the purchase of the Serie A club. The completion of the deal had been scheduled for Tuesday, but last week Silvio Berlusconi's holding company and Sino-Europe Sports agreed to a three-month delay, postponing the closing until March 3. The agreement required Sino-Europe to provide another 100 million euros by Monday — in addition to 100 million euros already paid — and on Tuesday a statement by the Chinese consortium confirmed the sum had been deposited. The deal with Sino-Europe, which includes the participation of a Chinese state investment fund, values Milan at 740 million euros (about $800 million). Berlusconi owns 99.93 percent of the club, which he purchased 30 years ago.

Chinese investors paid second deposit in AC Milan deal - source dailymail.co.uk

2016-12-13 08:50 Associated Press www.dailymail.co.uk

21 /81 3.3 Zinc climbs after upbeat Chinese data but copper slips

(1.00/9) By Eric Onstad LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Zinc and other base metals gained on Tuesday after strong retail and factory data in top metals consumer China though copper was weighed down by a further rise in inventories. Data showed that China posted its strongest retail sales growth of the year in November and surging steel production lifted factory output. "When we were in China in November we talked to some corporates and they were telling us that the on-ground situation has been improving. I think that showed up in today's data," said Xiao Fu, head of commodity market strategy at Bank of China International in London. Other data showed that growth in Chinese home sales in November slowed to the lowest rate in a year as more cities tried to cool red-hot prices and the pace of new property investment also fell from recent highs. Fu said the weaker data may have a silver lining for metals. "Our sense is that next year, with weakening property growth, there will be more expansionary fiscal policies, so infrastructure will be the main driver for 2017. Next year China will be relatively stable. " Benchmark zinc on the London Metal Exchange was up 1 percent at $2,760 a tonne by 1100 GMT after dipping 0.8 percent on Monday while sister metal lead rose 1.5 percent to $2,386.50. Zinc is the top performer on the LME this year with gains of 72 percent fuelled by fears of shortages after some major mines were closed or suspended. LME three- month copper was the only LME metal in the red, falling 0.3 percent to $5,751.50 and extending losses from the previous session after data showed another big inflow of inventories into LME- certified warehouses. More than 50,000 tonnes of copper has arrived in the space of two days, sending on-warrant copper stocks - those not earmarked for delivery - up 47 percent to 160,375 tonnes. The most-traded copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange dropped 1.6 percent to 46,920 yuan ($6,800) a tonne. "We're not seeing big moves in copper, it's more wait- and-see what comes out of the U. S.," said a commodities trader in Perth. The U. S. central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates for the first time in 2016 at the two-day gathering, which begins on Tuesday. Nickel rose 1.2 percent to $11,435 a tonne. "Given the down trend line from the Nov. 11 high is firmly in place, we expect resistance in the $11,650 area," Dee Perera at broker Marex Spectron said in a note. PRICES Three month LME copper Most active ShFE copper Three month LME aluminium Most active ShFE aluminium Three month LME zinc Most active ShFE zinc Three month LME lead Most active ShFE lead Three month LME nickel Most active ShFE nickel Three month LME tin Most active ShFE tin ($1 = 6.9005 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Additional reporting by James Regan in Sydney; editing by David Clarke)

China stocks rebound on solid retail sales and factory output data dailymail.co.uk

2016-12-13 07:14 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

22 /81 1.1 Territorial claims come from Tokyo, not Moscow, Putin tells Japanese reporters — RT News (0.03/9) “We believe that we have no territorial problems whatsoever. It is Japan who believes it has territorial disputes with Russia. We are ready to discuss this,” Putin said, referring to Japan’s claim over four islands in the Kuril Archipelago, an issue that remains a big stumbling block in the relations between the two countries.

“We are natural partners in the world and the Asia-Pacific, but the absence of a peace treaty deprives us of an opportunity to develop our relations in a multifaceted way,” the Russian leader told Kasuya Takayuki, CEO of Nippon Television Holding, and Takeshi Mizoguchi, editor-in- chief of Yomiuri newspaper. He added that the state of ceasefire between the two countries is an “anachronism” that “must be eliminated.”

The interview came ahead of Putin’s much-anticipated visit to Japan, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later this week. Finding ways to settle the decades-long dispute over the Kuril Islands and sign a peace treaty between Russia and Japan will reportedly dominate the meeting’s agenda, as it did in Putin’s interview to the Japanese media. Building trust between Moscow and Tokyo through humanitarian, cultural, and trade relations would lay the groundwork to a peace treaty, the Russian President noted, adding that Russia and China have taken this path, successfully settling their territorial issues as a result.

“We settled our border issue. This didn’t cause any significant problems, if any, in either China or Russia, even though both of us agreed to concessions and compromise. That was a compromise between two friendly nations,” Putin explained.

Russia and Japan may settle their historical conflict, Putin said, but Russia is uncertain how far Japan is prepared to go, considering its “obligations to its allies.”

“With China we have the highest volume of bilateral trade and continue to liberalize our trade relations. Meanwhile, Japan imposed economic sanctions against us. Do you see the difference?” he asked rhetorically.

“I am not the one to judge what Japan could and should have done. That is absolutely not my business; it is up to the Japanese leadership. But we have to understand how the totality of our agreements would fit Japan’s obligations to its allies and how independent it is in making such decisions,” the Russian leader added.

The Kuril Islands stretch between the southernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido and Russia’s Kamchatka. The entire archipelago is currently administered by Russia, which received them after WWII under the 1945 Potsdam Declaration. Japan claims sovereignty over the two southernmost large islands of Iturup and Kunashir, as well as the Shikotan and Habomai islets, citing their history as Japan’s northern territories.

In 1954, Tokyo and Moscow restored diplomatic ties and trade relations by signing a joint declaration, which also stated that the two islets would be handed over to Japan after the two nations sign a proper peace treaty. This never happened, as Japan aligned itself with the US during the Cold War and pressed its territorial claim over all four islands.

In the interview, Putin reiterated his earlier position towards US President-elect Donald Trump, saying that his intention to restore ties with Russia is welcomed in Moscow, but that he is yet to live up to expectations. He also repeated his criticism of US President Barack Obama and the notion of American exceptionalism.

“Certainly, the United States and the American people are a great country and a great people; there is no doubt about that. But calling them exceptional, I believe, is going too far. It creates problems in relations, and not only with Russia, as I see it,” Putin said.

“The president-elect has his personal attitude to things,” he added. “His determination to ‘make the USA great again’ – we should see how he implements this, but we hope this wouldn’t pose a problem for our cooperation.” Putin’s ‘no-nonsense’ dog causes commotion at interview with Japanese media (VIDEO) — RT News rt.com

2016-12-13 10:56 www.rt.com

23 /81 0.0 The Biggest Loser's host Fiona Falkiner takes selfie with Shannan Ponton for Instagram (0.01/9) She recently enjoyed relaxing in the sun and showing off her bikini body poolside. But on Tuesday, it was back to business for reality TV star, Fiona Falkiner. The Biggest Loser host shared a number of images to her Instagram, of herself on set of the show, as she filmed alongside trainer Shannan Ponton. Scroll down for video In one story image, Fiona appears to be in a hair and makeup chair as she poses with her mouth open and making a shocked expression, as buff Shannan smiles next to her. Fiona captioned the shot: 'Morning rock trivia on set.' In another image, she looks glammed up in a plunging black dress and blazer, with her hair slicked back into a low bun. Fiona wrote underneath the image: 'Set life.' She also appeared to squeeze in a workout and posed for a mirror selfie clad in her workout clothes. The blonde beauty and model also shared to her page a shot of herself underneath an umbrella in a flowing khaki dress, saying she was 'trying to hide from Sydney's sun' while on set. The new series - that will air next year - is called The Biggest Loser: Transformed and also features a new trainer, Libby Babet. Fiona began filming as host of 2017's The Biggest Loser in November, and is simultaneously running her own home fitness challenge, Trimfit Bodies. She recently spoke out about her newfound body confidence after dropping from a size 20 to a size 10 on the reality weight loss show, before returning to a size 16. The former Biggest Loser Australia contestant shared a photograph of herself before the show and after the show with her extensive social media following. In the caption, she said returning to the Biggest Loser brought back vivid memories of who she used to be 11 years ago. 'The girl on the left believed that happiness was based upon the numbers on a scale,' she wrote. 'She used to be full of negative thoughts and self doubt, the words "I can't" were her favourite. 'The girl on the right does not even own scales. She realised she had to change her mindsets and started working towards self acceptance, believing in herself and being kind to herself. 'She now focuses upon being truly happy on the inside and that helps look after the outside. She is now strong and knows if she puts her mind to it anything is possible.' Biggest Loser: Transformations host Fiona Falkiner shares bikini selfie on Instagram dailymail.co.uk

2016-12-13 11:19 Chloe-lee www.dailymail.co.uk

24 /81 0.7 Hong Kong trader seeks judicial review over hairy crab ban (0.01/9) A trader which claims to have lost as much as HK$3 million in profit during the recent tainted hairy crab scare has mounted a legal challenge against the food safety authority over a ban on the crustaceans sourced from two mainland aquaculture farms. In a judicial review application filed at the High Court yesterday, the Hong Kong Tin Lung Trading Company claimed the decision announced by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department on November 1 to suspend the import of hairy crabs from two farms in Jiangsu province was “unfair” and “unreasonable”. The department urged local retailers to stop selling products from these two mainland farms after some were found to have been contaminated with cancer- causing chemicals. Two out of five hairy crab samples from three importers and two retailers contained excessive levels of dioxin and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls. Both are highly toxic chemical compounds that can cause cancer and damage the reproductive and immune systems, according to the Centre for Food Safety. In its submission, Tin Lung Trading, together with Hong Kong Hairy Crab I&E, accused the food safety authority of making an order without consulting them or any other hairy crab traders first. The companies noted that the department, under Section 30 of the Food Safety Ordinance, would have the power to make an order to prohibit the import and supply of any food for a specified period. But they claimed the authority had not invoked the law and that the claimants had been subjected to a “de facto food safety order of an unlimited duration”. “The department had acted in excess of its powers and committed serious procedural impropriety,” the companies said. “The decision is also so unfair as to amount to an abuse of power, and unlawful,” they added. According to their submission, there was no universal standard in relation to the presence of dioxins in food. There was also no statutory limits in relation to the presence of dioxins in food at the time, the crab traders argued. Tin Lung Trading claimed that its sales had taken a pounding because of the ban. It estimated its loss of profit for this year’s hairy crab season would be in the range of HK$2 million to HK$3 million. It could also be sued by suppliers on the mainland, the trader added. Tin Lung Trading asked the court to order the department to compensate the firm for its “unlawful decision”. In reply to an inquiry by the , the Centre for Food Safety said it was looking into the matter.

Uncertainty prevails in Hong Kong after Leung Chun-ying decides not to seek second term scmp.com

2016-12-13 09:30 Eddie Lee www.scmp.com

25 /81 2.3 Hong Kong truck driver jailed for using vehicle as tool for retribution, causing HK$260,000 in damages (0.01/9) A Hong Kong man who reversed his bright pink truck into a Mercedes-Benz in an act of retaliation was yesterday jailed for more than two years. Chung Yuk- po, 41, was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment for dangerous driving by District Court judge Frankie Yiu Fun-che. His sentence was then extended to 26 months because of a suspended sentence handed down last year for a drug-related offence. The court heard Chung, on July 1, zigzagged his vehicle across lanes while driving behind the white Mercedes-Benz on Castle Peak Road. Eventually, he sped past and in front of the vehicle and continued to zigzag. Soon after, when both vehicles had stopped, Chung reversed his truck back a number of metres into the Mercedes-Benz, and then sped off. Upon his arrest, Chung admitted he had collided with the Mercedes-Benz in retaliation for the driver not giving way. He also said he was due to meet his daughter that night in Yuen Long. Judge Yiu described the incident as very serious as Chung had used his vehicle as a tool for retribution, which could have resulted in serious injury. “It’s fortunate that there were no injuries or the defendant could face more serious charges,” he said. The damaged Mercedes-Benz was carrying four passengers, including a child, at the time of the incident. Twelve minutes after the first incident with the Mercedes-Benz, Chung collided with another car, which was also carrying two children. He again sped off. Neither accidents were reported to police within 24 hours, as required by law. Chung said he did not stop his truck or make a police report because he thought the collisions were only a small matter. The Mercedes- Benz required some HK$260,000 worth of accident repairs, while the vehicle involved in the second incident required another HK$8,000 worth of repairs. Chung pleaded guilty last month to seven counts, including dangerous driving, criminal damage, failing to stop after accident and failing to report an accident involving damage. He had previously told the court that he felt very remorseful for the incidents and that he had been cooperative with police.

Dangerous Hong Kong driver in three-car crash and skipped trial jailed 18 months scmp.com

2016-12-13 08:32 Jasmine Siu www.scmp.com

26 /81 1.8 Aguirre wants Duterte to sack 2 BI execs over alleged extortion (0.01/9) Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Tuesday said he will sack two assistant commissioners of the Bureau of Immigration who allegedly extorted money from gambling tycoon Jack Lam in exchange for the release of overstaying Chinese nationals.

In an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990AM, Aguirre said he would recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte the relief of Al Argosino and Michael Robles, who he said filed 30-day leave of absence.

“I will recommend to the President the immediate relief of these two as well as others who may be involved in the incident,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre said he personally talked to the deputy commissioners and claimed that they were “framed up,” adding that other officials were also possibly involved in the scandal.

Argosino and Robles are fraternity brothers of Duterte and Aguirre.

“They told me they were set up, framed up. ‘Yun ang kanilang depensa… Nakausap ko rin yung 2 commissioners, marami pang involved, kaya magfa-file sila ng complaint,” Aguirre said.

“Masama ang loob namin especially sa fraternity pero sapagkat nabahiran ng dumi ang aming fraternity and of course our relations with the President na nagtiwala sa kanyang mga ka-brod,” he added.

(They told me they were set up, framed up. That was their defense…I also talked to the 2 commissioners, there are many others involved, so they are filing a complaint.

We feel bad, especially in the fraternity because the name of our fraternity has been tainted and of course, so is our relations with the President who trusted his ‘brods’.)

Argosino and Robles were under probe of the National Bureau of Investigation following the allegations written by columnist Ramon Tulfo that two BI associate commissioners extorted P50 million from Lam in exchange for the release of 600 out of 1,316 arrested Chinese nationals working illegally in the country.

Sources from the Department of Justice also showed the Inquirer copies of camera footage in a Parañaque casino mall showing men identified as Argosino and Robles receiving five paper bags allegedly containing P10 million each from Wally Sombero, a former police colonel linked to Lam. CDG

Aguirre says he ‘felt betrayed’ by BI execs over bribery scandal newsinfo.inquirer.net

2016-12-13 00:00 Yuji Vincent newsinfo.inquirer.net

27 /81 1.1 Chinese bidders walk away from Osram takeover - sources FRANKFURT, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Chinese interest in a takeover of lighting group Osram Licht AG has cooled amid signs of mounting political opposition to Chinese acquisitions in Germany, two people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Sanan Optoelectronics and venture capital firm GSR Go Scale Capital Advisors have stopped pursuing a bid for the whole company, said the people, who declined to be named. "Resistance from labour representatives and from politicians has left an impression on the Chinese," one of them said. Osram declined to comment. Sanan and GSR Go Scale Capital Advisors could not immediately be reached for comment. A Chinese takeover of Osram, which has a market capitalisation of about 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), had already run into opposition from the IG Metall trade union. The sources said a takeover was also likely to face political obstacles following the blocking of the acquisition of German chip equipment maker Aixtron by Chinese buyers. China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund withdrew its bid for Aixtron after the United States blocked the acquisition of its U. S. division on national security grounds and German authorities withdrew their approval. The collapse of the Aixtron deal comes amid growing objections in Germany and the United States to China buying up firms with strategic technologies abroad without allowing reciprocal transactions at home. Osram is shifting its focus from light bulbs to lighting technology, investing in chips for LED lights and making it a potential target for chipmakers such as Sanan. Another source familiar with the matter said the Chinese buyers may settle for a stake of less than 25 percent in Osram. "Chinese investors are warming to the idea of taking a minority stake in Osram as that would not draw scrutiny under German law," the person said, adding that the Chinese bidders may settle for a 17.5 percent stake owned by Siemens. But Osram also makes components such as LED chips and alloys that are considered dual-use goods, meaning they can be used for civilian and military purposes. An investment in Osram by Chinese investors could potentially be examined by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), so a deal might need to be structured to exclude any sensitive technology. Earlier this year, Go Scale Capital was blocked from buying Lumileds, a lighting business in the United States owned by Philips, following CFIUS opposition. On Monday, Philips agreed to sell Lumileds to U. S. investor Apollo. ($1 = 0.9398 euros) (Reporting by Arno Schuetze, Alexander Huebner and Jens Hack; Additional reporting by Julie Zhu in Hong Kong; editing by Maria Sheahan and David Clarke)

2016-12-13 12:17 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

28 /81 0.6 Business as usual in other facilities in Fontana CLARK FREEPORT—Parts of a 300- hectare tourism estate rented by Jack Lam, a Chinese gambling financier accused of economic sabotage by the Duterte administration, remain open.

Although the government had shut down a hotel, convention center and casino at the Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino, parts of the tourism facility are still doing business.

Noel Manankil, Clark Development Corp. president and chief executive officer, said a nine-hole golf course, water park and several villas inside Fontana are still open as they are being managed by an affiliate of a company owned by Lam, Fontana Resorts Country Club Inc.

The Department of Justice is investigating Lam for running online gambling casinos without licenses and hiring Chinese workers illegally to work in these gaming facilities.

The alleged illegal online gaming operation was said to be run by Next Games Outsourcing Inc. (NGOI), which employed around 1,500 Chinese.

President Duterte had ordered Lam’s arrest for allegedly trying to bribe Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. Chair Andrea Domingo.

The Chinese workers have been detained at the convention center since the Nov. 24 raid by the Bureau of Immigration.

In Ilocos Norte province, the Laoag City government and the police inspected last week the Fort Ilocandia Resort, where Lam operated a casino.

Lawyer Jayson Perrera, Lam’s lawyer in Ilocos Norte, said the Macau-based businessman operated a casino, not online gaming.

But the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Laoag City said it has an account for NGOI, bearing the address of Fort Ilocandia in Barangay 37, Calayab, Laoag City, which has paid an annual tax of P500. It was not clear whether NGOI in Ilocos is the same outfit in Clark, or why it was paying this low amount of tax.

Earlier this year, advertisements for job openings for a casino were posted on an online job recruitment portal, as well as published in a community newspaper in Laoag.

On Thursday, an inspection team composed of members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Laoag government’s licensing, engineering and fire departments surveyed the premises of Fort Ilocandia to determine if a business processing outsourcing facility there had online gaming operations.

“We intend to establish a call center business here but online gaming is definitely not one in our line of business here,” Perrera said.

“We are only leasing our property to any prospective clients … What we own here is the Casino Filipino, [for which we have] a franchise,” he said.

Security has been tightened at the entrance of the hotel. The inspection teams were allowed to enter a room at the ground floor of the hotel, which was empty except for CCTV cameras installed on walls, a cabinet and steel brackets for television monitors.

The adjacent rooms were closed, and have signs that say, “Restricted.”

At the southern part of the old Fort Ilocandia building stood a relatively new three-story building which has thousands of chairs and computer tables, including a separate signal tower.

Perrera said the building is available for lease, and was outfitted for BPO operations.

Business operations at Fort Ilocandia serve mostly Chinese tourists who prefer to stay at the only five-star hotel in the province, where the casino operates. — TONETTE OREJAS AND LEILANIE ADRIANO

2016-12-13 00:00 Philippine Daily newsinfo.inquirer.net

29 /81 3.0 In Subic, newly hatched sea turtles return to sea SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—With the help of tourists, 113 newly hatched olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) were released to their natural habitat at Subic Bay here last week.

The turtles were born at the hatchery of All Hands Beach, a known nesting site for marine turtles inside this freeport. Edmond de Jesus, community development officer of SBMA ecology department, said an adult olive ridley laid 125 eggs in September. Twelve eggs did not hatch.

“The female sea turtles will return to this beach in the next 20 to 30 years to nest,” De Jesus said, adding that marine turtles have a unique memory that will help them find their way back to the place where they were born. Since 2011, the beach resort has released 3,256 baby sea turtles to their natural habitat, said Lutgarda Cortez, finance officer at All Hands Beach.

The resort is among seven major areas inside the freeport identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as nesting sites for sea turtles. Records from the community environment and natural resources office in nearby Olongapo City showed that three of seven species of sea turtles in the world can be found in Zambales province.

Last month, 96 newly hatched olive ridley sea turtles were released to Subic Bay from their hatchery at All Hands Beach. — ALLAN MACATUNO

2016-12-13 00:00 Philippine Daily newsinfo.inquirer.net

30 /81 5.0 War of words erupts over Hong Kong air traffic control system A lawmaker has claimed that the manufacturer of Hong Kong’s new air traffic control system was told about a fault with its system in July, but did not have time to fix the issue before it went into operation in November – a claim which the head of Pilot-turned- lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho made the accusations at the Legislative Council’s panel on economic development yesterday, saying the CAD was told by system manufacturer, Raytheon, that it would not be able to fix the fault before its full roll-out. According to Tam, the incident in question happened in July when the department was conducting a trial run of the HK$1.5 billion Auto Trac III system. He claimed CAD staff were carrying out system maintenance in retrieving and archiving data when one of the flight data processors ran into problems and so the system switched to a second processor. It remains unclear whether flight data had disappeared from radar screens in this incident, Tam said. However, when the flight data processors ran into troubles in later incidents after the system became fully operational on November 14, flight data had disappeared from the screens for up to 75 seconds. “CAD knew about the incident. It told Raytheon to follow up on it and give them an explanation,” Tam said. “Raytheon replied that if the CAD wanted the system to be launched as scheduled, they would not be able to find a solution.” Tam did not reveal his source for the information. However, Director-General of Civil Aviation Simon Li Tin-Chui, who was attending the same Legco meeting as Tam, said there was “absolutely” no such incident. “Before the system came into use, if we had run into any problems which could affect our operation, we would definitely have asked (Raytheon) to solve them,” Li said. Speaking to the later, Li insisted that Tam was “incorrect”. “I wasn’t aware of what he said. Actually I would welcome it if he could give me that piece of information so I can go to verify it. Anything that [compromises] the safety of the operation, I wouldn’t allow that to happen. I wouldn’t allow the system to be commissioned if I know there’s a problem with it, that is clear,” Li said. He hoped that the CAD can be given the time to focus on working with the contractor, suppliers and the expert panel to “get all these teething problems solved as early as possible”. Acting Secretary for Transport and Housing Yau Shing-mu said: “On the macro level, the feedback we received from the airlines is very positive. They are the actual user. Aircraft are worth millions, and crew and pilots are invaluable assets of the airline, so they find anything wrong I think they must raise (the problems)with us.”

2016-12-13 11:38 Phila Siu www.scmp.com

31 /81 4.3 W. H. Claims “China” Hacked Election, Calls Bolton “Conspiracy Theorist” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest declared that a cyber attack by “China” was responsible for disrupting the U. S. presidential election, before slandering former ambassador John Bolton as an “irresponsible conspiracy theorist” at a press briefing yesterday.

The impeccably coiffed and slick salesman of Obama administration lies seemed to get his propagandisms tangled while laboring through an answer regarding Donald Trump’s reactions to the supposed “Russian hack” of the election.

“I’ve tried to avoid responding to some of the charges from the President-Elect’s Twitter feed, and what I’ve tried to do is just present objective facts,” Earnest said. “I think that the objective fact that’s relevant here is the intelligence community, a month before the election, came forward and presented a unanimous view – a high-confidence assessment – that China was engaged in malicious cyber activity to destabilize our political system.”

A reporter in the audience immediately corrected Earnest, saying, “You said China, you meant Russia,” to which Earnest sheepishly concurred.

When a follow-up question was asked regarding former U. N. ambassador John Bolton’s proposition that the “Russian hack” narrative could potentially be an Obama administration “false flag,” Earnest labeled Bolton all who have similar concerns as “irresponsible conspiracy theorists.”

“I will rule out that the United States, in any way, engaged in the kind of false flag operation that a wide range of irresponsible conspiracy theorists have put forward,” Earnest said. “So we can dispense with that.”

The assertion of a ‘unanimous’ assessment of foreign interference – Chinese, Russian, or otherwise – flies in the face of a post-election report from a senior administration official from November 26, that states, “The Federal government did not observe any increased level of malicious cyber activity aimed at disrupting our electoral process on election day. As we have noted before, we remained confident in the overall integrity of electoral infrastructure, a confidence that was borne out on election day. As a result, we believe our elections were free and fair from a cybersecurity perspective.”

“That said, since we do not know if the Russians had planned any malicious cyber activity for election day, we don’t know if they were deterred from further activity by the various warnings the U. S. government conveyed.”

Facebook: Dan Lyman

2016-12-13 11:38 | Infowars.com - www.infowars.com

32 /81 4.8 Beijing tightens its grip on live streaming industry Beijing has tightened its grip over the live streaming industry by ordering stricter registration of the sector’s websites. The Ministry of Culture issued a document on Tuesday ordering that all online live-performance operators apply for a permit from the relevant provincial cultural affairs authority, with performers to register their real names and identity documents. Those operators that were not capable of censoring their own content could not open a live performance channel, the statement said. Overseas performers, including those from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, were to apply for approval with the cultural ministry before opening a live channel. The Cyberspace Administration earlier said about 300 entities were running live streaming content, and that some were “trying to catch eyeballs with vulgar content and engaging in news broadcasting without approval”. Displays of terror, cruelty, violence or human body defects are forbidden, as is secret videotaping that breaches others’ rights or the torturing of animals. Beijing has been trying to exert stricter control over the growing internet streaming sector this year.

2016-12-13 11:25 Zhuang Pinghui www.scmp.com

33 /81 1.6 Video Special, Tuesday’s Take Your Best Shot: Rifle Mule Deer Scenario: Mule deer buck with bachelor bucks as rifle hunter spots and stalks

Rifle: Bergara B-14, 6.5 Creedmoor

Range: 175 yards

Conditions: Sunny; 38 degrees; 20-mph wind, left to right

These bucks are ravenous after an early winter storm has pounded the Wyoming landscape. You’ve spent the better part of the morning maneuvering into position, and after a short crawl you finally found an open lane for a prone-based shot. Are you ready to snap-shoot, because this buck is about to disappear beyond a canyon corner? Which shot option below do you think is best: A, B or C? Or would you wait for a better shot?

A. Forget the pleasantries and put your point-of-aim right here. You’ll break the shoulder with your Hornady ELD-X bullet , drop the buck on the spot and lose little meat. Take a deep breath and. . ?

B. So you want to play it safe? This aiming point is a safe bet. By nudging the reticle a bit backward, you avoid bone and blow through both lungs. Remember how fast your party balloon deflated on your 5 th birthday when you accidentally let it go before tying it?

C. This shot will get the job done. You’re dropping the buck with the bone-busting energy of 1,800 foot-pounds of bullet. Unfortunately, you’ll need a follow-up shot somewhere to put this buck down for good. Is that a good idea?

Are you still indecisive? If so, wait for a better shot. That said, if you chose anything but option B, you and I are in disagreement. Watch the video below to see this buck head straight to the truck bed.

Images and video by Mark Kayser

2016-12-13 00:00 View Profile www.outdoorhub.com

34 /81 2.5 Hong Kong squatter residents to get better housing offer to pave way for new development The government is planning better relocation deals for residents affected by a controversial new town development plan in the northeast New Territories, the has learned. The unprecedented rehousing approach, which will see more relaxed means-test requirements for affected households in getting public housing, will be tested out by the Housing Society in a 1,500-flat development in Fanling. The proposal, submitted to the Town Planning Board last Friday, is the first detailed accommodation plan that has come to light for affected residents in Kwu Tung North and Fanling North. The trial is being launched amid opposition from displaced residents which has delayed housing projects aimed at easing the city’s housing shortage. If it proves successful, it may pave the way for future new town developments such as the New Territories North development plan. “The Housing Society prides itself as a housing policy experimenter,” a source said. “We are trying out a new form of rehousing for the households living in squatter homes affected by [the northeast New Territories development plan].” Under the government’s previous rehousing arrangement for these residents, those who did not meet income and asset limits of HK$10,970 and HK$242,000 respectively for a one-person household would not be given a public housing flat. The limits under the new arrangement would be raised for public rental housing to make more people eligible, according to the source. Those who wanted to buy a subsidised flat would not face any means test provided they had not owned any property before, but there would still be an asset limit, which would also be higher, the source said. But the arrangement would only apply to those who had been living in the affected areas for at least 10 years before the government conducted an official survey of the area in 2014, according to the source. The source said details would be worked out later following further discussion. The source added that residents living in the same squatter village could choose to move into the same housing estate so they would not be separated from neighbours. The Fanling project – on a 11,434 square metre government site on Pak Wo Road near Fanling MTR station – will include 510 public rental flats, 696 subsidised flats for sale, 261 units for the elderly and 206 elderly nursing home beds in three blocks. A spokeswoman for the society, a non-governmental and not-for-profit organisation, said if the planning board approved the proposal, the society would do its best to start construction late next year, with completion scheduled for about 2022. She said the estimated cost of the project was HK$4.3 billion at current prices. The new town development plan will displace an estimated 1,000 households. The government plans to build over 60,000 flats to house 170,000 people. But Lee Siu-wah, a member of North Kwu Tung Development Concern Group, said the proposal still could not provide an answer to where villagers could go before 2022. “[The project] is like sugar-coated poison,” he said. “The government is using this to cheat local residents and all Hong Kong people.” Lee Po-hang, who has been living in an affected village in Ping Che for almost 50 years, said she and many other residents, especially the elderly, would not want to leave their rural life for high-rise buildings even if the government gave them a flat for free. She added that even after getting a public housing flat, residents would need to pay rent, while the elderly, who were living on produce grown on their farmland, would have no income to pay the rent. “Can’t the government think of a better option than moving us into buildings?” Lee asked. “I think this kind of thinking is very shallow.”

2016-12-13 10:33 Shirley Zhao www.scmp.com

35 /81 0.0 Sergeant launches appeal over Hong Kong Police Force’s access to personal betting information A police officer, who accused the force of unlawfully obtaining his personal information, has taken his case to the government’s appeals board after the city’s privacy watchdog found no wrongdoing. Tsuen Wan station sergeant Lee King- man said the Hong Kong Police Force obtained an additional seven months of his gambling records from the Hong Kong Jockey Club while it was investigating the 53-year-old for bookmaking and placing bets during office hours. According to Lee, Tsuen Wan Court in late 2011 granted the force permission to obtain three months of records from the jockey club up to March 10, 2012. However, the force received ten months worth of records up to October 3, 2012. “If they needed extra personal data, they should have applied to the court for a warrant extension or issued a written request to the company in accordance with the (privacy) ordinance,” Lee said. “But they did not do so... The force and jockey club invaded my privacy.” Lee, who planned to retire in early 2018, was cleared of all criminal allegations, but faced 33 disciplinary charges as a result of the police force’s probe. A police source with knowledge of the internal investigation said Lee was convicted of eight disciplinary charges and the sergeant had been severely reprimanded and given a “warning of dismissal valid for three years”. A police spokesman insisted the force gathered evidence “in accordance with relevant legislation” based on the need when conducting disciplinary probe. Without commenting on Lee’s case specifically, the Hong Kong Jockey Club said it would “only disclose personal data in accordance with the personal data (privacy) ordinance”. Lee launched an appeal against the ruling of the police force’s investigation, and complained to the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data about the provision of the additional betting information. In a statement to the , the privacy watchdog however concluded there had been no breach of any rules. Lee has since launched another appeal against the watchdog’s decision with the Administrative Appeals Board. The case will be heard Thursday. Apart from securing a court warrant to seek one’s personal data, law enforcement agencies are also able to request information directly from the companies holding the information without first asking permission from the person who the information relates to.

2016-12-13 10:22 Christy Leung www.scmp.com

36 /81 0.0 Have You Included Your Digital Assets In Your Estate Planning? When you sit down and write your will, you’re likely thinking about who should get your house or the heirloom set of china that has been passed down for three generations. It doesn’t occur to most people to include their online or digital data and accounts. But according to Daniel McLennon, advanced planning attorney for Northwestern Mutual, it’s critical that people plan for their digital assets in their estate plans because more of the things we consider to be valuable are moving to a digital format.

McLennon, for example, stores all his family photos online and included them in his will because he doesn’t want his family to lose them should something happen to him.

“If you upload things like photos onto an online drive, your family might not know where they are or be able to access them when you die,” McLennon said. “These types of digital assets are extremely important to families, and losing them could be devastating.”

Digital assets that you might want to plan for could include Facebook accounts or cloud services that store files or family photos that are valuable for sentimental reasons, but these assets might also include things that have a financial value, like online businesses or Paypal accounts with money in them. One digital asset that McLennon believes is important to include in an estate plan is your email account since it often has a functional value to your estate in addition to any sentimental value it might have.

Free Download: Northwestern Mutual’s Guide to Keeping Your Estate Plan Private

“Email accounts are critical to plan for since more companies are now paperless,” McLennon said, “and so things like bills or insurance policies are often being sent out via email. An executor working to wrap up someone’s final affairs could need access to his or her email in order to close all the accounts.”

When it comes to planning for your digital assets, McLennon suggests three steps to take in order to ensure your digital assets will be dispersed and used according to your wishes.

1. Keep a list. McLennon recommends that you keep track of the digital assets you own and want to pass down so that nothing of sentimental or monetary value gets overlooked.

“Think about what you can access only via a computer or your phone,” said McLennon, “and write all of those accounts down.”

While there are computer programs that keep track of your accounts, the easiest way to do this is to keep a hard copy of the information and to store it with your will. Update your usernames, passwords and answers to security questions regularly so that the information is accurate.

2. Decide what you want to happen to your assets. The next step is to decide what you want to happen to these digital assets when you die and to include instructions in your will.

Perhaps you want some accounts deleted. Or maybe you want certain things published or memorialized. Facebook, for example, allows families to memorialize a Facebook page, delete it or leave it active, and you can state your preference in your estate plan. It’s also important to list whom you want to be given ownership of your accounts and to give them and your executor permission to access those accounts. This step is key since the laws around leaving digital assets to your heirs are still in their infancy.

“We have centuries of established law for passing down non-digital assets,” said McLennon, “but the law moves slowly, so the fact that digital assets are relatively new means we don’t have a lot in place to help people easily transition these assets if they are not included in a will.”

But even if you include your online assets in your will, your estate might still run into problems.

“That’s because,” said McLennon, “many terms of service agreements for things like email accounts don’t allow you to let others access your accounts — let alone allow others to assume ownership of these accounts.”

This problem got significant publicity when the family of a soldier who died overseas asked Yahoo for access to his email account. Yahoo refused, saying that their terms of service agreement required that they protect the soldier’s privacy. A court order later granted the family access.

Luckily, state law is working to address this and is granting executors, trustees and family members the ability to access digital assets should they have permission in a will. While only a few states have instituted legislation allowing for this, many more states are in the process of drafting new laws.

For this reason, McLennon suggests you discuss the best way to plan for digital assets in your state with your attorney when you’re making your will.

3. Speak to your family. Speaking to your family about your digital assets is the final step in planning for them.

“You might do this by speaking to them beforehand,” said McLennon, “or including this information in a letter that your executor gives them.”

This is important because your heirs might not understand how to access or use the services or accounts you’re leaving them for a number of reasons—like if they aren’t skilled at using computers or if they’re not familiar with the account.

Also, since not everyone understands the financial value of assets like domain names or Ebay seller accounts, it’s critical that you share the value of your assets with your heirs so that they can take advantage of them by selling or using them. If your online assets are extremely valuable, you might also decide to hire financial advisors and experts to help your heirs manage or sell them.

Planning Is Key

Since digital assets are new and the legislation around leaving them to heirs is still in the process of being created, it’s important that you work with your attorney to look into your state’s laws about including digital assets in estate planning. You should also read through terms of service agreements for your accounts before creating your will to help you understand what you can legally do with your accounts. Planning for your digital assets might require a bit more time and effort when you’re creating your will, but it is worth it for families who take the time to do it.

“Just knowing that all of your memories, your important information and your correspondence will be left to your heirs is incredibly comforting,” said McLennon. Get more insights like this at Northwestern Mutual Insights & Ideas.

The Northwestern MutualVoice Team is a group of professionals who share insights and opinions from experts and industry leaders across the enterprise. Our vision is to inspire others to take action and plan for their financial future through topics ranging from financial planning, retirement planning and distribution strategies, wealth accumulation and preservation, to leadership, philanthropy and innovation.

2016-12-13 09:56 Northwestern Mutual www.forbes.com

37 /81 1.0 Hong Kong urged to think of ways to fund long-term elderly care The government should think of ways to finance long-term care for the elderly, such as implementing a pre-paid insurance scheme so people could save up for long- term care and ensure a high standard of post- retirement living, a think- tank has suggested. A report by the Our Hong Kong Foundation also cited an overseas study which suggested the social burden of an ageing society could be even bigger than the medical cost. Rather than just providing elderly people with medical treatment, the goal of long-term care is to improve their functional ability, engage them in society and allow them to live independently. Providing subsidies for youngsters for home ownership could also help young people to accumulate assets and prevent them from falling into the safety net when they become old, it said. “Care should be provided in the community rather than at the institutional level so that older people can stay active in a familiar, meaningful environment for as long as possible,” said Professor Yeoh Eng-kiong, Chinese University’s director of public health and primary care, who led the study. The report warned that the city’s long-term spending on care would be 5 per cent of GDP by 2036 if society continued to rely on public hospitals to care for the frail. By then, the ratio of public spending would be the highest among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Currently, around 90 per cent of patients opt for public hospitals costing HK$52 billion this year – taking a huge share of the HK$57 billion earmarked for medical and health purposes. The burden is expected to increase as the ratio of elderly people increases from 15 per cent in 2014 to 33 per cent in 2064. The study cited UK research from 2000 suggesting that the social cost of the likes of nursing home and home care could be even more profound than the medical cost as people grow older. It said the government should provide community-based care such as programmes to prevent falls, exercise training and geriatric assessment to reduce admissions to nursing homes and hospitals. While admitting that an insurance scheme to fund long-term care services like the model adopted in Japan would be controversial, Yeoh said the government should still consider such a move. It made reference to overseas examples and suggested several funding models, such as the public-private partnership in Singapore, a tax-based model adopted by the UK. The researchers have yet to decide which model is the best way forward. They urged the government to further study the issue.

2016-12-13 09:43 Emily Tsang www.scmp.com

38 /81 2.3 Today: Trump Takes on the GOP, CIA and PRC. A Costly, Flawed Missile Defense System. I’m Davan Maharaj , editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.

Donald Trump campaigned on a vow of “America First,” but international affairs have taken the spotlight as Inauguration Day is just over five weeks away. He named Exxon Mobile Chief Executive Rex Tillerson as his pick for secretary of State this morning — despite the unease of some senators, Republicans included, over Tillerson’s close relationship with Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, concerns over Russia’s influence on the election continued to drive Trump and some GOP leaders apart , as he dug in against the CIA analysis of Russia’s role and more politicians announced support for a congressional investigation. And Trump’s hints that he might do away with the “one China” policy have drawn harsh words from Beijing.

-- Stay tuned: Trump tweeted that his sons will do “no new deals” once they take over his business, but he has postponed a “major news conference” to disclose how he would avoid conflicts of interest.

-- Lockheed Martin became the latest company to earn the Twitter wrath of Trump.

-- The Wisconsin recount? It increased Trump’s margin of victory there by 131 votes.

The Ground-based Midcourse Defense system is designed to protect the United States from a nuclear missile attack from a non-superpower like North Korea. One problem: It has performed poorly in tests, leading many experts to conclude it can’t be relied on. Yet Congress continues to spend money on the system, and three communities around the country are vying to be the home for an expansion of it. What keeps the money flowing? Read on.

In terms of industry recognition, the Golden Globes don’t come anywhere close to the Oscars, but the 85 voting members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. do play a part in the image- building business that is awards season. This year, the Globe nominations have made one thing clear, according to our awards guru Glenn Whipp: There can be no excuses for an #OscarsSoWhite three-peat. Here’s his look at why there is a more diverse slate of nominees. Plus: a complete list of film and TV nominations.

The Rams have sacked opposing quarterbacks two dozen times in their first season back in L. A., but the biggest one involved their coach, Jeff Fisher. It came after a loss to Atlanta, yet the trouble had been brewing long before then. Though fans in the stands have voiced their displeasure, Fisher “was very well liked, very giving,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “He treated us the right way.” Still, columnist Bill Plaschke sees this as a start to winning back the fans .

-- Cracking down on dangerous warehouses will take detective work, money and commitment from city leaders.

-- Simi Valley police say the man who stabbed a worshiper near a mosque is still on the loose .

-- A former JetBlue Airways flight attendant accused of smuggling nearly 60 pounds of cocaine into LAX has pleaded guilty.

-- The state Supreme Court decided that online travel companies such as Expedia Inc. are exempt from paying hotel occupancy taxes , a blow to local governments.

-- Dig deeper on our Golden Globes coverage , including nominee interviews, videos, reviews of nominated films and shows and more.

-- Hollywood studios have won a preliminary injunction against VidAngel, the streaming service for cleaned-up movies .

-- Don Henley, Jackson Browne and friends saluted Linda Ronstadt at a benefit for research on Parkinson’s disease.

-- Elton John and Bernie Taupin have launched a contest to crowd-source videos for “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer” and “Bennie and the Jets.”

-- Khizr Khan rose to fame by holding up the Constitution and speaking out against Trump. Now he’s targeting the “politics of fear.”

-- The Syrian military said it had gained control of 99% of a former opposition enclave in eastern Aleppo.

-- Refugees in Greece are receiving help but encountering attacks , and tension in the island camps is growing.

-- Beijing was once a city crammed with bicycles. Now, two bike-sharing start-ups are trying to make two-wheelers trendy.

-- The world could wipe out malaria. A new report shows why that isn’t happening.

-- California will investigate the sale of Prudential insurance policies through Wells Fargo.

-- After flirting with the prospect of bringing Viacom and CBS together as one company, the Redstone family abruptly pulled the plug on the proposed consolidation.

-- Dylan Hernandez: Re-signing Kenley Jansen and Justin Turner means the Dodgers can remain contenders .

-- A reinvigorated USC begins to prepare for Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

-- Trump, Russia and the CIA: a poisonous situation all around .

-- California has long wait lists for liver transplants , but not for the reasons you might think.

-- How Michelle Obama took on the role of first lady , part of a deep dive on President Obama’s legacy. (Washington Post)

-- Foreign Policy offers its list of 100 global thinkers, including an Egyptian artist essentially living in exile in L. A.

-- Polar bear fat and frogsicles: Here’s a look at how animals have different ways of coping with the cold . (National Geographic)

It was quite the spending spree: luxury cars, a golf club membership, season seats for the San Francisco 49ers and more. A Northern California man bought all of it with $4.8 million in money stolen from his employers, according to federal prosecutors. But the one purchase that stood out the most was $1 million spent on the addictive smartphone game “Game of War.”

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj .

Russian interference in the U. S. presidential election , the Ghost Ship fire has brought scrutiny to warehouses and unconventional living spaces , a massive office, residential and hotel development is being proposed for L. A.'s Arts District , and the Golden Globes nominations are in .

Video by Francine Orr / Los Angeles TImes

A man was arrested Saturday after a stabbing in Simi Valley.

Who’s to blame for one of the worst fires in California history , Dakota Access pipeline opponents have claimed a big victory for now , Beyonce leads today’s Grammy nominations with nine , Ben Carson is Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development , how will Hollywood speak to Trump’s America , meet Wilbur Ross, the man Trump has tapped him to lead the U. S. Department of Commerce , and John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died Thursday at 95.

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died Thursday at 95 , Al Gore might have gotten played, South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye, and the American Dream is more elusive than ever, a study finds .

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died Thursday at 95 , Al Gore might have gotten played, South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye, and the American Dream is more elusive than ever, a study finds .

2016-12-13 09:00 Los Angeles www.latimes.com

39 /81 39 /81 3.7 Hong Kong’s Ocean Park to spend HK$10 million on Christmas attractions, including stage show Ocean Park will be splashing out in excess of HK$10 million on Christmas attractions that will include a major stage spectacle to lure visitors during the holiday season, a week after reporting its in almost three decades. The park’s management denied a shift in focus to Southeast Asia after a sharp drop in the number of. They also said they were not worried that a 13.8 per cent entrance fee rise on January 1 would dent competitiveness. Announcing their Christmas plans on Tuesday, chief executive Matthias Li Sing-chung gave an assurance that Ocean Park was ready to accommodate extra visitors once the came into operation on December 28, connecting the venue to the city’s vast railway network. To usher in the festive season, the park will be rolling out Christmas-themed displays and performances starting this Saturday, with an iconic 12-metre-tall Christmas tree making a comeback near the entrance. But the showpiece this year will be Cyber Illusion Spectacular, a 30-minute stage extravaganza of illusions and daredevil acts, including finalists from reality TV show According to a spokeswoman, the gig comprises over 50 professionals and will last until February 12 to also cover the Lunar New Year. Those who wish to sleep alongside the animals would also have an opportunity with an overnight camp in the aquarium during Christmas at a fee of HK$1,580 for adults, and HK$1,380 for children. A revamped meet-the-panda programme is now available for children aged between three and eight, allowing them to experience the daily routines of a panda caretaker. Li added that more educational programmes and behind-the-scenes tours, some of which are free, will be rolled out next year to celebrate the park’s 40th anniversary. On bumping up the admission fee to HK$438 for adults and HK$219 for children from January 1, the park head said it was still value for money considering the scale of the venue, which will gradually evolve into a resort upon the completion of two hotels and an all-season water park. The price adjustment, announced earlier this month, drew mixed reactions from the public, with many linking it to a counter measure for the HK$241.1 million deficit recorded in the fiscal year ending June 30 – the biggest loss since the park ceased to be a Hong Kong Jockey Club subsidiary in 1987. Li also denied that the Chinese market was beginning to saturate after a 40 per cent plunge in the number of mainland tours visiting last year. “There is still potential for the middle-class mainland market. We are also targeting short-haul holidays across the border such as the “golden week” [national break], where Hong Kong is still an attractive destination,” Li added.

2016-12-13 08:46 Raymond Yeung www.scmp.com

40 /81 2.6 Hugh Hendry: Europe Refused Financial “Chemotherapy” And Is Now In Fatal Condition Hugh Hendry’s Eclectica hedge fund latest letter to investors for December – some interesting commentary and while more bullish on America he is worried about China and Europe. See more below where he compares Europe to a patient dying of cancer.

As you know, back in late 2014 we were more constructive on risk taking opportunities as Europe prepared to launch QE, finally resetting monetary policy on a necessary looser course. And by early 2015 European stock indices had rallied 30% from their October low, despite the pervasive market view that QE had passed its sell by date. But the momentum passed and the continent’s equities have performed woefully ever since, giving back their entire advance. We use the discipline of time to regulate our risk taking behaviour; our thinking was re-appraised over the summer and we were out of the position completely by October

Here is what I think happened…

My team and I have grown tired of the demonisation of QE. We believe that the timely adoption of this policy in the US back in early 2009 was successful in that it staved off the very real prospect that the US economy would endure the hardship and misery of an economic depression comparable to that of the 1930s. Nevertheless the shock therapy of this radical new policy intervention had nasty side effects. Think of it as the financial equivalent of chemotherapy where the side effects of treatment can initially make the patient feel worse before allowing them to live longer. It’s just that Europe, by steadfastly refusing treatment for so long, may have irreparably weakened itself to such an extent that the side effects might end up killing the patient, in this case the EU project.

Let me explain. Our interpretation of the miserable performance of risk-adjusted equities versus sovereign bonds over the last forty years can be construed as the hijacking of the market economy by creditors. The advent of hawkish inflation targeting by central bankers was a response to the exceptional inflation of the 1970s which had bestowed an embedded inflation risk premium into the term structure of interest rates. However, the disinflationary forces of globalisation and the internet a decade later arguably meant that interest rates were set too high for the period and creditors were overcompensated. This mispricing of credit effectively established an enduring rent transfer from the debtor constituencies of the household and corporate sectors to the rentiers, which is most clearly manifest in the outperformance of government bonds over the period (see our May 2015 Commentary for further explanation).

Following the crisis of 2008 the central bankers had no choice but to abolish this rent transfer, a challenge given the scope of their traditional role controlling short term rates. The advent of QE was an attempt to push the impact of monetary policy further along the curve, explicitly targeting lower 10-year rates. Many investors were and are sceptical as I believe they are largely ignorant of the policy objective: to eliminate the debilitating inflation premium embedded in real yields which was making it impossible for households and corporates to maintain spending and repay debts in the period from 2005 onwards. By driving 10-year rates close to zero the central planners hoped to re-price risk and thereby enable the debtors to keep spending whilst repaying more of their liabilities. The table below, comparing the real interest cost incurred by debtors in the economy with real GDP growth, demonstrates that this policy has succeeded: since 2010 real GDP growth in the US has exceeded the real interest cost, meaning that debtors have been able to earn enough from their economic activity over and above the cost of debt to reduce their liabilities. I wish a QE-sponsoring central banker would use this narrative to explain their policy intentions…

Regardless, the pinnacle of this policy was probably reached earlier this year when almost $11trn of sovereign 10-year money was priced at zero or negative nominal yields and the Bank of England’s benchmark ten year interest rate fell to its lowest level in 322 years. This much you know. What is less commonly understood is that this summer, in the aftermath of the surprise Brexit vote, nominal US Treasury yields converged with the rest of the world.

Real 10-year treasuries reached zero but this was nothing new as they had been deeply negative back in 2013 prior to the taper tantrum. The unreported and new factor was that nominal Treasury yields converged to the lower Japanese and European levels on a currency- hedged basis. That is to say international investors, who typically hedge their foreign exchange exposure, found they could no longer achieve a yield uplift relative to their domestic bond market by buying Treasuries as the widening of cross currency basis and dollar libor rates made hedging more expensive. This was probably the point when the great multi-decade bull market in bond prices reached its climax, when the economic ascendancy of the creditor class reached its high water mark and when the shackles on global macro performance were finally released.

For those fortunate to borrow at such low real rates the levy has reversed. Large businesses with solid ideas can now borrow money at the wrong price; creditors have no choice but to transfer their wealth to the economy’s entrepreneurial and household sectors. I think this is likely to persist. The benefits of this pivot have already taken root in the US where, with the wealth transfer now running in reverse as per the table above, economic growth has been superior to the rest of the world. which continues to defy the Brexit Armageddon naysayers. So I am beginning to think the world is healing and in 10 years’ time we will look back and see that stocks have outperformed government bonds on a volatility-adjusted basis, similar to what we saw with gold versus the S&P at the turn of the century.

“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

The Network (1976)

However I fear this may not prove the case in Europe in 2017 owing to the afore-mentioned harmful side-effects on the political economy. In reality few debtors have been able to access this wealth transfer in the shape of cheap credit, whilst other assets re-priced higher to reflect zero yields. So the rich got much richer and ordinary folk became really annoyed, setting in motion the (thankfully) bloodless revolution of Brexit and Trump.

Trump succeeded by seizing on this discontent. He has now set out an agenda of fiscal expansion, exploiting the low rates. In other words, America has just elected a debtor president who will direct the government to borrow on behalf of his household and corporate constituencies at the rates previously only made available to the privileged few and the Fed will be pushed into a slow and predictable series of rate hikes that keeps real rates very low for years to come. Spending on infra-structure and financing substantial

2016-12-13 08:16 VWArticles www.valuewalk.com

41 /81 0.0 China's Sinopec weighs takeover of Gulf Keystone - Bbg Dec 13 (Reuters) - China's Sinopec Corp is weighing a takeover of Gulf Keystone Petroleum , an oil company operating in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. Gulf Keystone shares were up 13.5 percent at 144.43 pence at 1041 GMT. Sinopec, Asia's largest refiner, is working with advisers and has made an approach to Gulf Keystone, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. http://bloom.bg/2gCidoz The company may also attract other bidders, according to Bloomberg. A spokesman for Gulf Keystone declined to comment, while Sinopec could not be immediately reached for comment. Gulf Keystone has been fighting to avoid insolvency after low oil prices and overdue oil export payments from the Kurdistan regional government crippled its balance sheet. The Kurdish oil producer's market value has tumbled to about 290 million pounds ($368 million) as of Monday's close from its peak valuation of 3.5 billion pounds in February 2012, according to Reuters calculations. Earlier this year, Gulf Keystone agreed to swap $500 million of debt for equity, wiping out some of the world's top funds as shareholders. In July, Norwegian energy firm DNO ASA offered to buy Gulf Keystone for $300 million, following the latter's junk bond deal. However, DNO's proposal lapsed as Gulf Keystone failed to meet certain conditions related to its financial restructuring. ($1 = 0.7880 pounds) (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain and Rahul B in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)

2016-12-13 07:57 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

42 /81 2.3 Five-year-old boy walks tightrope at 30 feet high BLINDFOLDED on Chinese TV show A little boy has carried out an impressive performance on a Chinese TV show walking a tightrope blindfolded at 30 feet high. The child, named Abdullah, comes from Western China and is already a veteran rope walker. At the tender age of five, he revealed on the show that he had already earned a car for his family with his tightrope-walking skill. The boy, from Kashgar city in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, appeared on a show named ' Wonderful kids ' produced by iQiyi, an online video platform. His episode aired on December 10. He told the host that he learned rope-walking when he was two and a half years old. Abdullah rope walked as high as 10 feet before the show. 'Are you paid well for your performance?' the host asked. 'They didn't pay me with cash, instead they gave me a car,' the shy boy answered. 'Is that a bicycle?' the host joked. 'Not, it's a very big car,' he replied. 'You are only a small child but you have already earned a car for your family!' the host was impressed by the answer. This time, he performed at a height of 30 feet, almost three storeys high. He had to walk a tightrope with a distance of 66 feet in a video posted by YiGuoShuiZhuYu to Miaopai. To make the walk more challenging, he blindfolded himself so he could only maintain the balance using other senses. After he finished the walk, he repeated the stunt with plates tied to his foot, making him the first child in China to accomplish such a daring feat.

2016-12-13 07:39 Julian Luk www.dailymail.co.uk

43 /81 0.0 Homeowner claims he caught a Parcelforce driver stealing a package from his house on CCTV and was offered £150 by the company to 'be quiet' A homeowner claims he caught a Parcelforce driver stealing a package from his house - and was then offered £150 by the company to ‘be quiet’. CCTV footage shows the driver snooping inside the porch of James Harris’s house when he arrives to deliver a massive parcel and doesn’t get an answer. He appears to steal a second smaller parcel left in the porch in Patchway, Bristol, by Royal Mail earlier that day before heading back to his van with both. The driver redelivered the bulkier parcel the next day but Mr Harris, 36, claims the smaller package - a £25 dress for his partner’s birthday - was never found. Mr Harris went to the depot to complain and claims a man claiming to be the manager called at his home and offered him £150 as a ‘bribe’ to keep quiet. But the auto electrician refused and called in police who have picked up his CCTV footage and are now investigating the allegations. Mr Harris said: ‘I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. I was expecting to see that some scallywag had taken it - not a Parcelforce driver. ‘These guys are in a position of trust and he has clearly abused that. And to make it worse I have seen him delivering parcels in the area every day since. ‘I feel violated that somebody in a trusted position can enter my property and steal from me.’ The father-of-one and his partner Tara Gleeson were expecting two deliveries on November 22 - one from the Royal Mail and another from Parcelforce. The House of Fraser dress - an outfit for Ms Gleeson’s birthday - arrived first and was left inside the porch, as pre-arranged, because nobody was at home. Two hours later the Parcelforce driver arrived with a huge parcel - a windscreen 37-year-old Ms Gleeson bought for Mr Harris’s Christmas present. Mr Harris said: ‘He opens the porch door, steps inside the porch with the big parcel, knocks on the front door again and there’s no answer. ‘He puts the big parcel down in the garden and proceeds to go into the porch. ‘He’s in there for the best part of a minute, looks around, picks up the black flappy package, tucks it into the lining on the big parcel then fills out a delivery card and shoves it in our door.’ The windscreen was re-delivered, but when the Royal Mail told James the dress was recorded as delivered he checked his CCTV. Mr Harris then took his footage to Parcelforce’s depot nearby at Patchway. He said: ‘The manager was like “oh dear” and said not to worry about this.’ Mr Harris said he was then told the driver had ‘picked the dress up by accident’ - but no longer had the package. The manager visited Mr Harris’s house to apologise on December 2 but ‘put £150 on the coffee table’. He added: ‘He said “this is out of the driver’s pocket, £25 for the dress and the rest is for the inconvenience”. ‘He proceeded to get a piece of paper out of an envelope to sign. I was expected to be quiet. I said “if you think I’m signing that, you can do one”. ‘He said “I will have to take the money back” and picked up his £150, his bit of paper and scurried out of the door.’ Avon and Somerset Constabulary are now investigating the allegations. Parcelforce, who are part of the Royal Mail group, said it could not comment while a police investigation was ongoing, but insisted it was cooperating fully.

2016-12-13 07:31 Mark Duell www.dailymail.co.uk

44 /81 0.7 Spellbinding images reveal the magic of Hong Kong in the 1950s (and they were shot by a teenager) Shafts of light illuminate a quiet back street, boats drift along the bay and children run beneath washing lines – these candid black-and-white images of everyday life in Hong Kong have been captured with a whimsical touch. As a teenager in 1949, Fan Ho headed to the frenetic metropolis from Shanghai and with a deft hand and an artful eye, began snapping the vibrant street life he encountered. His distinctive work shot on a Rolleiflex camera plays with light and by sandwiching negatives together he created haunting montages, such as Lost in central 1951, 2013 - which depicts walkers of all ages overlaid with a street scene to evoke the chaos and confusion of losing your bearings. Mr Ho, who passed away earlier this year, grew up to become an award-winning, internationally celebrated photographer. His re-visited his work from these formative years to create montages for an incredible new book, Fan Ho: A Hong Kong Memoir. MailOnline Travel has selected a few of the breath-taking highlights.

2016-12-13 07:04 Naomi Leach www.dailymail.co.uk

45 /81 1.4 Beijing lost its crown as the bicycle king. Some well- funded startups want it back They’re suddenly outside public toilets, tucked in side alleys, on bridges, near underpasses.

The neon colored two-wheelers sit untethered — a reminder of the days when bicycles owned China’s streets, before their rusted remains become stand-in cones for drivers trying to keep a parking space.

These bikes are an attempt by two Chinese startups to fuel a cycling renaissance, one fit for a younger generation with Silicon Valley sensibilities. Mobike and Ofo Bicycle allow riders to unlock bicycles with a smartphone and drop them at their destination. While bike-sharing options exist around the world, few have made riding one this simple.

The rival companies, in just months, have turned Beijing streets into a blur of orange and yellow. They upend the copycat label bestowed on the country’s products and reveal how China, stunted by information barriers and bureaucracy, is also becoming one of the world’s most creative labs for innovation.

“We were looking at how cities have become filled with more traffic jams and pollution, and wondered what could we do and what should we do,” said Mobike co-founder Hu Weiwei.

Chinese officials are embracing companies like these as they try to revive a slowing economy by promoting innovation. Their goals are hampered by heavy censorship, an education system that stresses memorization over analysis, and insufficient intellectual property laws. The country still lags behind in science-related fields like pharmaceuticals.

But in the space where consumers and smartphones meet — from online payments to e- commerce — China is starting to dominate.

Both businesses launched last year, broadened to several Chinese cities, watched their staffs grow to nearly 300 people each and started planning international expansions. Mobike, short for mobile bike, aims to bring them to Singapore next year. Ofo — so-called because the letters look like a bicycle — expects to do the same, along with San Francisco and London.

China’s tech giants have chosen sides. Didi Chuxing — the ride-hailing behemoth that recently chased Uber out of China — is backing Ofo. Mobike gets support from Tencent, the country’s biggest Internet company, and is run by a former Uber Shanghai executive. Ofo has raised about $200 million. Mobike, according to China Business News, has pulled in more than $150 million.

So far, neither makes a profit.

Ofo’s headquarters, surrounded by skyscrapers in Beijing’s tech district, looks like a Palo Alto transplant. Bike tires dangle from the lobby’s ceiling, and engineers nap on couches. There’s a slide next to the steps. Everyone looks under 30.

The company’s five founders hatched their plan as students at Peking University, and started the service on college campuses. When riders come across the sunshine-yellow bikes, they unlock them with a code texted to their phone. A trip costs about 7 cents an hour, and requires a $13 deposit.

About 20,000 of its 190,000 bikes are ones owners offer to share.

“We want to be a whole new kind of bike-sharing platform,” said Li Zekun, Ofo’s 25-year-old public relations director. “We want bikes to be more than necessity, a lifestyle.”

A four-mile bike ride away, in an aging complex turned tech incubator, Mobike’s staffers plot their own development.

While Ofo’s bikes open via a small combination lock, Mobike uses a GPS system to track and secure its vehicles. A little locking mechanism attaches to the bike, which features airless tires and bright orange wheels. Riders pay a $50 deposit and twice as much per hour as Ofo. But they can find a bike in minutes through an app on their phone, scan a QR code on the bike to unlock it, and then scan it again to end the trip. About 100,000 bikes are scattered around five cities.

“We are using technology to create an experience that is easy, convenient, and for the good of all,” said Hu, a 34-year-old former journalist, slouched on an old couch in the office loft.

She’s fighting a downward trend. China counted 670 million bikes two decades ago, according to the Ministry of Transportation. By 2013, that number had dropped by nearly half.

During Mao Tse-tung’s rule, which ended with his death in 1976, bicycles suggested aspiration. People desired “three rounds and a sound:” a wristwatch, sewing machine, bicycle and radio. Bikes filled city streets and gave China the title “bicycle kingdom.”

But as the communist country’s economy ballooned and Chinese acquired new status symbols, people turned away from a cultural icon.

“You didn’t want to be associated with a lower level of evolution because you didn’t have a car,” said Lars Ulrik Thom, cofounder of Beijing Postcards, a company that focuses on modern Chinese history.

Mobike and Ofo bet society’s values are changing once again. They see these bikes as a sustainable alternative to congested cities doused with smog, either as a replacement for short commutes or in conjunction with public transport.

Both claim to have invented a new model, although they borrow liberally from traditional bike- sharing programs. About 600 are located worldwide, many run by local governments such as Velib in Paris and Metro Bike Share in Los Angeles. Hangzhou, a lakeside city in eastern China, boasts the world’s largest public fleet with 84,000 bicycles. While some city programs offer apps to find available bikes, they require riders to stash them at docking stations.

Social Bicycles, which operates a small fleet in Buffalo, N. Y., Hoboken, N. J., and a few other U. S. cities, allows riders to reserve bikes on their smartphones. But they must return them to specific locations.

Mobike and Ofo resemble car-sharing apps like car2go, a subsidiary of German automaker Daimler. A driver uses an app to find the car and deposits it in any legal parking space within the city. The service operates in nine countries, including the United States and in China’s southern megacity of Chongqing.

Like car2go, these bikes are trendy, accessible and simple to use, a perfect trifecta for Beijingers such as An Haifeng.

“Before Mobike, I thought only poor people rode bikes and the richer ones bought cars,” said the 27-year-old Beijing Film Academy graduate student. “Now I think riding is cooler than driving.”

Cellphones make it possible. Many Chinese never owned a personal computer and moved straight to smartphones as the country’s middle class grew. China now has 1.3 billion mobile phone users, according to a government report released last month. Many not only use them to chat and text, but to order dinner, hail a cab and pay their electricity bills.

“The Chinese mobile ecosystem may be the most innovative on the planet,” said Jeffrey Towson, a professor of investment at Peking University. “Not only are these mobile apps awesome, but they are outrunning the West.”

Yet Chinese consumers are fickle, he said, and trendy brands can fade fast. The companies struggle with bikes that disappear into locked courtyards or land on grumbling citizens’ front steps. International expansion efforts could face an array of regulatory hurdles.

But the bicycle, at least for now, is again big in Beijing.

These companies “are in great shape,” Towson said. “Those bikes are freakin’ everywhere.”

Russian interference in the U. S. presidential election , the Ghost Ship fire has brought scrutiny to warehouses and unconventional living spaces , a massive office, residential and hotel development is being proposed for L. A.'s Arts District , and the Golden Globes nominations are in .

Video by Francine Orr / Los Angeles TImes

A man was arrested Saturday after a stabbing in Simi Valley.

Who’s to blame for one of the worst fires in California history , Dakota Access pipeline opponents have claimed a big victory for now , Beyonce leads today’s Grammy nominations with nine , Ben Carson is Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development , how will Hollywood speak to Trump’s America , meet Wilbur Ross, the man Trump has tapped him to lead the U. S. Department of Commerce , and John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died Thursday at 95.

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died Thursday at 95 , Al Gore might have gotten played, South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye, and the American Dream is more elusive than ever, a study finds .

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, died Thursday at 95 , Al Gore might have gotten played, South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Park Geun-hye, and the American Dream is more elusive than ever, a study finds .

2016-12-13 07:00 Jessica Meyers www.latimes.com

46 /81 3.3 China offers Philippines weapons for drug war China is ready to give the Philippines weapons to help President Rodrigo Duterte wage his controversial war on drugs which has claimed over 5,000 lives, the Chinese ambassador to Manila said. Beijing has previously said it supports Duterte's bloody crime war, which has been slammed by the United Nations and human rights watchdogs over alleged extrajudicial killings. Beijing and Manila have experienced a rapprochement since Duterte's election in May, despite their conflicting territorial claims to the South China Sea. Ambassador Zhao Jianhua, in remarks late Monday, confirmed China was ready to supply the Philippines with weapons. "We're exploring the possibilities of providing arms, light arms," Zhao told reporters. "Arms for fighting against terrorism, (for the) anti-drug campaign. " The ambassador said talks were still in the initial stages, adding there was no agreement on price or the specific type of weapons, though they would most likely be rifles. Duterte, 71, won elections in a landslide on a pledge to kill tens of thousands of criminals to fight narco-politics in the Philippines. Since he took office the crackdown has claimed over 5,000 lives. The firebrand leader has also distanced the Philippines from longtime ally Washington, announcing his country's "separation" from the United States on a visit to the Chinese capital in October. The Chinese ambassador noted bilateral relations were "good" and were "going to be better" still, "because your president paid a very fruitful and historic state visit to China". Duterte has also hit out at US President Barack Obama and the State Department for criticism of his drug war. However, according to Manila, incoming US leader Donald Trump has taken a different tact from Obama, apparently praising the crackdown when he spoke to Duterte by phone this month. On Sunday, Duterte said China was ready to supply the Philippines with arms under generous terms. "It is a grant payable in 25 years so it is practically giving," Duterte said in a speech. He recently cancelled an order of about 27,000 assault rifles from the US after media reports that human rights concerns over his crime war would affect the delivery of the weapons.

2016-12-13 06:50 Afp www.dailymail.co.uk

47 /81 1.7 HK Electric to slash electricity tariffs by 17pc, while CLP Power will freeze charges Hongkongers will be spared higher electricity charges for , with HK Electric slashing its rates by 17 per cent and CLP Power freezing them. CLP Power, which supplies Lantau, Kowloon and the New Territories, will freeze its average net tariff at 113.2 cents and provide rebates, while HK Electric, which powers Hong Kong Island and Lamma, will cut its rates to 110.4 cents driven largely by a reduction in its fuel clause charge. The tariff review proposals were presented to the Legislative Council’s economic development panel on Tuesday. The proposals are submitted at the end of every year and are based on factors such as electricity sales, maximum demand forecasts, total capital expenditure, total operating expenditure and fuel costs. a member of the government’s energy advisory committee, said the two utilities would still come under pressure to raise charges after 2020 when they must generate half of the city’s electricity needs from natural gas – up from the current ratio of about one-third. Yu calculated that the newly added assets and a fuel mix that would favour more expensive natural gas would increase tariffs by about 10 per cent by 2021 based on this year’s levels. But he said potential increases over the next five years could be offset by injecting small amounts from the two firms’ massive fuel account balance surpluses to stabilise consumers’ power bills. According to his calculations, Yu said there was room for HK Electric to cut tariffs by 1 to 2 per cent annually in the next few years, while CLP could freeze tariffs until after 2020. The companies’ fixed asset bases are expected to expand as they invest in new projects ranging from additional gas- fired units to a floating liquefied natural gas receiving facility to meet fuel targets. Yu said a review of the “scheme of control” regulatory framework between the government and the two companies which will expire in 2018 could see permitted returns lowered from the current 9.99 per cent to 7.99 per cent. “The fuel clause charges account balance helps safeguard the public from the extreme volatility of the fuel market,” said Yu, who heads the World Green Organisation. “The remaining balance will be used to cover potential significant increases in electricity tariffs so rates can be stabilised every year.” HK Electric is estimated to have accumulated a surplus this year of about HK$3.5 billion, while CLP Power has about HK$3.3 billion. Under the current scheme of control, the fuel clause recovery account serves as a buffer to stabilise tariffs by mitigating fuel cost movements. In the pipeline for CLP is an additional HK$5.5 billion 550MW gas-fired unit at its Black Point Power Station, which it hopes to commission before 2020. It received approval from the Executive Council for the new unit on Tuesday. A government spokesman said the impact on CLP tariffs would be 0.2 per cent in 2017 and 0.4 per cent in the following year. HK Electric received Exco approval for a 400MW gas-fired unit at its Lamma plant in September. Both companies also plan to construct a floating liquefied natural gas terminal off the Soko Islands that will enable the city to tap more gas from international markets.

2016-12-13 06:45 Ernest Kao www.scmp.com

48 /81 0.0 China opens WTO complaint about US & EU antidumping duties — RT Business China's Ministry of Commerce said it is opening dispute-resolution procedures against the two trading partners under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

As a condition of joining the WTO, China agreed in 2001 that WTO members could treat it as a "non-market economy” until the agreement on membership expires. They had the advantage of using third country's prices to gauge whether China was selling its goods below market value.

The 15-year China’s WTO membership agreement expired on Sunday, and the country insists its trading partners must now drop their use of surrogate pricing.

“Regretfully, the United States and the European Union have yet to fulfill this obligation,” the ministry said. The US Commerce Department said the WTO agreement did not require members to grant market economy status to China automatically, and allowed continued use of "alternative antidumping methodologies. "

"The United States remains concerned about serious imbalances in China’s state-directed economy, such as widespread production overcapacity, including in the steel and aluminum industries, and significant state ownership in many industries and sectors," said senior official at the US Commerce Department. "China has not made the reforms necessary to operate on market principles. "

China produces nearly half of the world’s steel, and has been lobbying hard for market economy status which could potentially save it millions of dollars in antidumping tariffs.

However, the US and the EU have accused China of unfair trade practices in overseas markets. Steel producers complain that China is distorting the global market by exporting excess aluminum and steel.

According to the Chinese ministry, the antidumping measures have severely affected exports and employment at Chinese firms.

"China reserves the right under WTO rules to resolutely defend its legal rights,” said the ministry.

2016-12-13 06:38 www.rt.com

49 /81 0.0 Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam turns up the heat on presumed chief executive rival John Tsang over report Hong Kong’s No 2 government official Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has launched a pointed attack on a report conducted under the purview of former finance chief John Tsang Chun-wah, turning up the heat between the two presumed front runners for the city’s top job. At a forum on ageing population organised by a think-tank founded by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa on Tuesday, Chief Secretary Lamcalled attention to the studies by the Long Term Fiscal Planning Working Group. The group was formed in 2013 by Tsang, who stepped down as financial secretary on Monday. Lam – a day after Chief Executive – cited two passages from the report. One of it stated that “an expanding and ageing population will put pressure on social welfare and health services expenditure”. She also noted another paragraph: “With the population ageing, the size of the labour force is set to decline, posing a threat to, if not dragging, economic growth and putting pressure on government revenue.” Lam, who in recent months has highlighted her efforts to help elderly people, went on: “So the elderly somehow is associated with threats, and pressure and dragging our economic growth, which is most unfair.” Tung, who was present at the forum, had earlier that day also attended a event to commemorate victims of the Nanking Massacre. At that event, he gave Lam a warm hug in front of cameras and she returned it with a wide smile, sparking speculation that the seasoned statesman with connections to Beijing’s inner core might be backing the chief secretary in next year’s election. Tung, currently vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, is believed to be behind Leung’s 2012 victory, which saw the defeat of front runner Henry Tang Ying-yen. At the ageing population forum, Lam also praised Tung for still being in the workforce despite being well past the retirement age. On both occasions, Tung declined to comment on the chief executive race.

2016-12-13 06:29 Stuart Lau www.scmp.com

50 /81 2.5 Two planes skid off icy airport runway in western China, airline staff removed Two passenger planes skidded off an icy runway just before take-off at an airport in western China on Tuesday. No one was hurt in the two separate incidents at Urumqi Diwobao International Airport in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China News Service reported. The first incident occurred at 9.33am, when Shanghai Airlines’ flight FM9220 bound for Shanghai veered off the runway while making a turn. About forty minutes later, Shenzhen Airlines’ flight ZH9240 bound for Shenzhen slid off the taxiway. Shenzhen Airlines is a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines. The civil aviation authority’s Urumqi branch said no one was injured in either accident and both planes also did not suffer damage. Airport operations were briefly affected. After the first incident, Shanghai Airlines removed the company’s flight division manager from his post and urged employees to strengthen safety awareness, Xinhua news agency reported. The airport is investigating the incidents.

2016-12-13 06:19 Alice Yan www.scmp.com

51 /81 51 /81 0.0 China’s internet censors crack down on news portal over US election coverage China’s internet censors have penalised a leading news portal for its “unauthorised” news reporting, which sources said was linked to its live coverage of last month’s US presidential election. The Cyberspace Administration of Beijing said on its Wechat public account that it had “summoned” the editor-in-chief of iFeng.com, owned by Phoenix TV in Hong Kong, over the website’s “serious violations of laws and regulations”. The portal’s alleged offences include “gathering news information and editing news headlines”, using journalists before they had been officially accredited by the authorities, and providing an online news service without a proper licence from China’s media watchdog. While the administration did not list specific offences, sources close to the matter told the that iFeng.com was censured because it provided live coverage of the US presidential election, during which Beijing imposed strict censorship. While most Chinese websites complied with the restrictions, iFeng.com provided live coverage from its journalist in Washington. Three sections of the website containing a substantial amount of this coverage were shut down, the reported on Tuesday. Phoenix New Media, citing iFeng’s chief editor Zou Ming, said in an email to the that the company would comply with Chinese laws when it operated on the mainland. “IFeng respects and understands the guidance from related government departments on our content,” the email quoted Zou as saying. Zou added that the closure of three sections of the website had little impact on its overall content. China, which ranked 176 out of 180 countries in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters without Borders, has developed one of the world’s most extensive and intrusive systems for controlling the internet. It has a long list of published and secret regulations, an army of online censors and its increasingly sophisticated “Great Firewall” to keep unwanted information off limits to the country’s 680 million Web users. China has a very strict registration system for journalists, who must be accredited by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television before they can report “legally”. So far, only 14 websites run directly by official media like Xinhua and are licensed to have their own accredited journalists. The government refuses to accredit employees from China’s leading news portals, including Sina.com, Netease.com and QQ.com, as journalists even though the portals attract hundreds of millions of viewers. These websites are only permitted to republish news reports from accredited media, so they often operate in grey areas by editing and repackaging online material and even writing their own stories. The crackdown on iFeng.com raises the question of whether such grey- area operations, with their very limited freedom, will continue to be tolerated. The censors gave no indication if the crackdown would extend beyond iFeng.com to other websites. It is clear, however, that Beijing is stepping up its censorship of the country’s booming internet media, with dozens of news portals, social media channels and live-streaming sites being disciplined in recent months. After new regulations for online live streaming came into effect on December 1, more than 1,000 accounts were suspended. In July, Beijing shut down a group of news channels on prominent websites Sina.com, 163.com and Sohu.com. The cyberspace authority said iFeng.com’s coverage caused “extremely negative impacts” and that “iFeng must carefully study the spirit of [President] Xi Jinping’s important speech on internet information and stick to the right political direction”. One of the three sections closed at iFeng was “Serious News”, which billed itself as produced by the “best investigative team” at iFeng, and covered sensitive topics like forced demolition, corruption and sexual harassment. In November, it published an investigative piece about a petitioner and abused for 81 hours. The story was later removed from the channel.

2016-12-13 06:12 Viola Zhou www.scmp.com

52 /81 0.7 Hong Kong foundation proposes subsidies for health screening and chronic disease consultation for low- income elderly All low-income people aged above 45 should be given a one-off HK$1,000 voucher for health screening to prevent chronic diseases and minimise future medical and social costs, a think tank has suggested. The health voucher scheme, which is expected to cost around $580 million, is among a series of measures suggested by the Our Hong Kong Foundation to tackle a potential huge burden resulting from a rapidly ageing population. An annual subsidy of HK$3,040 should also be given to low-income patients with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes so they can consult private doctors.

The proposal will cost the public at least HK$250 million a year just to cover hypertension, but the move will free up valuable public sector resources.

Professor Yeoh Eng-kiong, Chinese University's director of public health and primary care and a former health minister, said the expenditure on both schemes should be seen as an investment to prevent patients from developing serious complications which will be more costly to treat in future. Other suggestions in the study included setting up a network to strengthen care for the elderly, building more smart facilities for older people, redefining the retirement age and establishing insurance for long-term health care. “Ageing is not a problem if we enable society to age in a healthy way,” Yeoh said. “[The proposed measures] will unleash the potential of our older generation, thus maximising social capital. We are therefore able to turn challenges arising from ageing into opportunities.” “Rather than improve the health of the population, we also need to engage older people to participate and contribute to society. We need to consider innovative policies to increase labour productivity and boost participation by older workers.” The proposals unveiled on Tuesday highlight the urgent need for the city to tackle age-related health care spending, which is expected to rise to 6 per cent of GDP in 2050 – about 1 percentage point higher than in 2005. By 2064, the medium age of the population is expected to reach 53.3 years, with 33 per cent of the city’s population being 65 years or older – up from 15 per cent in 2014. Yeoh said health screening should be offered to all persons aged 45 or above, as it is the age when patients usually start to develop chronic diseases. The risk for people in this group being diagnosed with at least one chronic disease is six times higher than for younger people. Those considered to be at high risk should be closely monitored by doctors, who should give advice on disease prevention and leading a healthy lifestyle. Yeoh said 70 per cent of chronic diseases could be prevented through lifestyle changes. The foundation said the HK$3,040 subsidy should initially be given annually to patients with hypertension and diabetes as the conditions would cause complications if not properly handled at an earlier stage. The scheme could later be expanded to cover heart disease. The study estimated that the cost of treating these three kinds of diseases would more than double by 2056 if nothing is done to prevent them. “These people are only targeted as a start. The government should continue to study the issue to see how to bring this forward,” Yeoh said.

2016-12-13 06:06 Emily Tsang www.scmp.com

53 /81 0.0 US envoy nominee Branstad member of Masons, banned in China OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — If Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad becomes the next U. S. Ambassador to China, he may want to leave any Masonic symbols at home.

That’s because the Freemasons group that Branstad belongs to has been banned in mainland China for decades.

Masonic lodges still exist in Taiwan, but not in China. All the other chapters were eliminated after the communist revolution there in 1949.

“Freemasons believe in freedom of thought, freedom of speech and freedom of action, and I don’t think that’s what the communist Chinese government is about,” said Tim Anderson, who is deputy grand secretary of the Grand Masonic Lodge of Iowa.

Masonic groups usually run into trouble in Communist countries because of their secret meetings, said Brent Morris, who wrote “The Idiot’s Guide to Freemasonry.” It doesn’t help that Freemasonry was brought to China by the British when they were colonizing the area.

“You’ve got a dual-edged problem: part of it is the residue of colonialism and part of it is the meeting in private,” said Morris, who is a Master Mason himself. He wrote his book partly to debunk conspiracy theories about the group that were highlighted in “The Da Vinci Code” book and movie.

Branstad accepted President-elect Donald Trump’s job offer Wednesday, but he’ll have to be confirmed by the U. S. Senate before taking the post.

The Iowa Lodge said Branstad is listed as a member of a chapter in Des Moines. His spokesman Ben Hammes declined to discuss Branstad’s membership in the Masons.

Branstad accepted the position days after Trump caused a diplomatic stir by speaking to Taiwan’s president on the phone. Taiwan split from China in 1949, but China still considers the island part of its territory and would consider it unacceptable for the U. S. to recognize Taiwan’s leader as a head of state.

Branstad isn’t new to China. He has led several trade missions there during his six terms as Iowa governor, and he has a relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping that began during a 1985 diplomatic trip Xi took to Iowa.

Xi returned to Iowa in February 2012 for stops in Muscatine and the Des Moines area.

Branstad, 70, is finishing up his 22nd year at the helm of Iowa government and is the nation’s longest-serving governor.

Don’t expect other Masons to discuss Branstad’s appointment at their next meeting because politics and religion are divisive topics that aren’t supposed to be discussed, said Simon LaPlace, executive secretary of the Masonic Service Association of North America.

Masonic groups focus on helping members improve themselves, and many chapters also undertake community service projects. Women are not allowed to join although they are permitted to join affiliated groups. LaPlace said each chapter and state organization varies.

“Masonry flourishes in those countries where freedom and individual rights are permitted,” LaPlace said. “That’s why in a lot of totalitarian countries, masonry is not permitted.”

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2016-12-13 05:52 By Associated mynorthwest.com

54 /81 3.9 China holds National Day of Remembrance for Nanjing Massacre victims as thousands pay tribute to the 300,000 people killed in the WWII bloodbath On this day 79 years ago, Imperial Japanese troops ransacked the city of Nanjing killing 300,000 people in a six week reign of terror. Today Chinese residents, survivors and government leaders stood in the rain to remember the dead for China's third official National Day of Remembrance of the massacre. Nearly 8,000 paid tribute at 7.00am local time at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall which is built on one of the execution grounds and mass graves. In 2014 the China's National People's Congress made the anniversary of the invasion an official national day of remembrance. On December 13, 1937 the Japanese invaded Nanjing which only had a few untrained auxiliary troops as their defense. Chinese soldiers and civilians were mercilessly slaughtered and women was raped and taken as 'comfort women'. Over the weekend people added 110 new names of those killed on the memorial wall also called the 'wailing wall'. People's Daily reports there are now 10,615 names inscribed. The Chinese People's Liberation Army stood guard of the thousands of people who stood in the rain in a moment of silence. A slew of government officials also paid respects such as Regina Ip, the chairwoman of the New People's Party and Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. Guards presented wreaths of flowers during the somber affair and Zhao Leji of the Central Committee of the Communist Party spoke to honour the fallen. Wish walls were built in Nanjing's busiest subway stations back in December and invite residents to pay their respects to the victims. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo is planning to visit Pearl Harbor this month. The Japanese government have not issued a formal apology for the Nanjing Massacre. The Japanese government did issue a apology to 'comfort women' of South Korea last year, but many thought it was far too little too late. There are only 108 living survivors of the Nanjing Massacre. Many were just children during the slaughterings which included mass executions.

2016-12-13 05:46 Kaileen Gaul www.dailymail.co.uk

55 /81 2.5 Pro-independence pair vow to fight on with appeal to Hong Kong’s top court over oaths The pro-independence pair booted out of the Legislative Council after an unprecedented legal bid by the Hong Kong government have vowed to fight until the very end. Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang, who earlier said they had reservations about a final appeal, announced on Tuesday they would take their legal battle against the government to the city’s top court. It adds to a growing pile of legal wrangles for the government, which has launched four more cases against legislators Nathan Law Kwun-chung, “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, Lau Siu-lai and Edward Yiu Chung-yim. The pair are expected to meet the press on Wednesday outside the High Court. They had earlier expressed concern about filing another appeal, saying further action could put the Court of Final Appeal in a difficult position and erode the city’s legal system if the case led to further legal interpretations by Beijing. The saga stems from Yau and Baggio Leung’s antics during their swearing-in at the Legislative Council on October 12, having been democratically elected on September 3. The four newly threatened legislators also took their members’ oaths that day. Yau and Leung used the term “Chee-na” instead of “China”, a variation of an offensive term the Japanese used during wartime. They also unfurled a banner that read: “Hong Kong is not China”. That prompted Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and his Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung to launch judicial reviews accusing the pair of flying in the face of the Basic Law, and calling for their disqualification. Before the Court of First Instance ruled on the case, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee interpreted the Basic Law’s Article 104 in a bid determine what constituted a valid oath. The court eventually ruled in favour of the government, saying the oath- taking ceremony wasn’t an internal Legco matter as the members hadn’t yet been sworn in. It said it would have reached the same conclusion “with or without the interpretation”. In unseating the pair, the lower court also ruled that the non-intervention principle – that the judiciary should avoid interfering with the legislature under the city’s common law – should not apply, as the Basic Law, which is “supreme”, had been breached. On November 30, Baggio Leung and Yau’s first appeal was defeated at the Court of Appeal, which reaffirmed the lower court’s ruling in a written judgment. The appeal court touched briefly on whether what Beijing had issued should be regarded as an interpretation or an amendment, saying that it did not have the jurisdiction to decide nor was it given enough evidence to make a ruling. In light of the appeal court’s decision, the pair softened their earlier rhetoric that an ultimate appeal would be a must. Instead, they said they would need to think about their next move, saying they feared it might put the Court of Final Appeal in a difficult position and thus damage the city’s legal system if the top court needed further interpretation from Beijing.

2016-12-13 05:24 Chris Lau www.scmp.com

56 /81 7.9 Elderly man hit by minibus dies in Hong Kong’s sixth fatal traffic accident in four days An elderly man died after being knocked unconscious by a minibus in Shau Kei Wan on Tuesday morning in Hong Kong’s sixth fatal traffic accident in four days. The man was trying to cross On Yin Street near a pedestrian crossing outside Oi Tung Estate when the incident happened shortly after 10.30am. “He was taken unconscious to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital [in Chai Wan] where he was later declared dead,” a police spokesman said. Officers from the Hong Kong Island traffic unit are investigating. About half an hour earlier, a taxi driver, 59, fell into a coma after being knocked down by a lorry in Kowloon Bay. The man had been trying to cross the street after stopping his car on Kai Fuk Road. He was taken with head injuries to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei where he was listed as in a critical condition. According to police, there were five other fatal traffic accidents between Saturday and Monday in Tseung Kwan O, Lantau Island, Sha Tin, Tai Po and Cheung Sha Wan. Police figures show 108 people died in 105 fatal traffic accidents in the first 11 months of this year. There were 103 people killed in 102 fatal traffic accidents in the same period last year.

2016-12-13 05:13 Clifford Lo www.scmp.com

57 /81 0.9 Taiwan 'model': Is Trump diplomacy all about exploiting a top pressure point? Washington — With five weeks to go before he takes office, president-elect Donald Trump is dedicating a good portion of his time to reassuring his supporters that he does indeed intend to do things differently –including in foreign policy.

Judging by Mr. Trump’s comments over the weekend, that different and apparently tougher stance the United States will take around the world come Jan. 20 will extend to US-China relations.

By doubling down on his notion that the US can get a better deal from China, primarily in the economic sphere, by using the sensitive issue of Taiwan and the “One China” policy as a bargaining chip, Trump may be offering a foretaste of how he intends to conduct relations with other powers.

The business-mogul-turned-president’s new approach: Find a country’s point of highest pressure, and use it to extract more favorable conditions for the US.

But China – which issued a calm but stern response Monday to Trump’s latest Taiwan pronouncements – is putting the president-elect on notice regarding its very different view: that placing a country’s core interests on the bargaining table is simply a recipe for rocky relations – or perhaps worse.

Noting that the issue of Taiwan “has a bearing on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese government is reaffirming Taiwan as a nonnegotiable national interest – and the “one China policy” as the foundation of US-China relations.

More broadly, the Chinese appear to be sending signals of their own, suggesting that Trump will face stiff global resistance if he attempts to open every issue to economic deal-making.

Trump set the Taiwan brouhaha in motion earlier this month when he took a congratulatory call from Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen – something no US president (or president-elect) has done since President Carter established full relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1978. Under the “One China” policy, the US recognizes Beijing as the sole government of China, yet it sells defensive weaponry to Taiwan – which China considers to be a renegade province of the one China.

Trump then took the controversy another step, dismissing criticism that he is playing with fire, while repeating his position that playing the Taiwan card could open the door to Chinese action on trade issues, monetary policy, and North Korea.

“I fully understand the ‘one China’ policy, but I don’t know why we have to be bound by a ‘one China’ policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade,” Trump told Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace.

“I mean, look, we’re being hurt very badly by China with devaluation,” he continued, adding other issues like North Korea and Chinese military activity in the South China Sea to a list the US could get a better deal on by using Taiwan as a bargaining chip. For some foreign policy analysts, Trump’s pronouncements are a risky needling that could potentially spiral to war. But others say that, while perilous, the approach has the merit of putting the Chinese on notice that Trump has a sharp eye on US core interests as well.

“I think what Mr. Trump is doing here is intriguingly creating a sense of a parallel concerning core interests and establishing a position that we have interests in this relationship as much as they do,” says Dean Cheng, research fellow in Chinese political and security affairs at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. “He’s saying, ‘Why do we have to respect China’s core interests, when here are America’s core interests that are not being addressed.' I think he’s calling that equation into question.”

This “may not be the best approach to China,” Mr. Cheng adds, but says it’s also important to realize that Trump is not yet speaking as president. “The good news is that these are statements from president-elect Trump,” he says. “Until Jan. 20 he’s a private citizen, and I see him using this interim period to question some of the assumptions about US-China relations that have just been accepted for more than 35 years.”

Some go further, saying Trump is demonstrating he won’t be a pushover.

Shaun Rein, founding director of the Shanghai-based China Marketing Research Group and author of "The End of Cheap China," gives Trump high marks for serving China notice of his expectations.

“Trump has not said that he doesn’t acknowledge the One-China policy, nor is he the actual president yet,” Mr. Rein noted in a recent commentary on the CNN website. But by invoking Taiwan before he does takes office, he says Trump “will have additional leverage to negotiate with China on more core American interests [such as] open shipping planes in the South China Sea, reduced cybersecurity risks emanating from China, and less protectionism and unfair competition for American business interests in China.”

Unlike some analysts who say upending the status quo could potentially lead to war, Rein believes it could actually prevent conflicts in the region by convincing China that a tougher America is afoot in the neighborhood.

But many analysts believe Trump is playing with fire in potentially alienating China over Taiwan. They note, for example, that Beijing has increasingly accepted and even joined international pressure on Pyongyang as its frustration with its troublesome neighbor has grown.

Last month, China went along with a new round of sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear activity, agreeing to cut its coal purchases from the North and thus curtailing one of Pyongyang’s few sources of income.

But China could reverse course on North Korea in the face of US pressure on Taiwan, some analysts say.

Heritage’s Cheng says it’s not necessarily a bad thing if Trump – in his new-kind-of-president way – is letting the Chinese know that the US has issues with the relationship that are as important as the Taiwan issue is to China. One problem he foresees, however, is that China is about to embark on a year of renewing the Politburo’s standing committee, and will be focused inward in much the same way the US has been for the past year with the presidential election.

“Perhaps Trump is saying nothing more than, ‘Maybe you should respect a little more what’s important to us, so that we can continue to respect what’s important to you,’ ” he says. “The question will be how the Chinese hear that, because there’s no question that their internal political context will affect how they respond.”

2016-12-13 05:13 The Christian www.csmonitor.com

58 /81 1.7 German engineers warn of uncertain outlook for exports to U. S., China FRANKFURT, Dec 13 (Reuters) - German engineers expect muted growth in 2017, with an uncertain outlook for business in the United States and China offsetting a recovery in exports to some markets such as Russia and India, industry body VDMA said on Tuesday. "A broad-based economic recovery would look different, and no real impulses for growth are in sight," VDMA President Carl Martin Welcker said, affirming a forecast for 1 percent sector output growth in 2017 after a flat 2016. Welcker warned it was unclear what path the United States, German engineers' biggest export market, would take after Donald Trump replaces Barack Obama as president in January. "The designated President's comments don't make us optimistic," he said. In China, meanwhile, there are still numerous risks such as overcapacity and high debt levels, the VDMA said, adding it could not rule out a continued decline in exports to the world's second-biggest economy. In the first nine months of 2016, the value of exports to the United States eased by 2.4 percent to 12.2 billion euros ($12.9 billion), while those to China dropped 11.5 percent to 10.6 billion. Exports to Russia could return to slight growth in 2017, after a 7.3 percent slide in the first nine months of 2016, the VDMA said, adding demand from Brazil could bottom out next year and that from India could recover. The VDMA, which represents large engineering companies such as Siemens as well as thousands of medium-sized industrial goods makers, sees sector sales edging up to 224 billion euros in 2017 from 220 billion this year. The engineering sector is Germany's largest industrial employer, with 1.02 million workers. ($1 = 0.9427 euros) (Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Tina Bellon and Mark Potter)

2016-12-13 05:00 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

59 /81 2.7 Smog-plagued Beijing may ban coal trucks, storage in Tianjin to tackle capital’s air pollution woes Beijing’s environmental watchdog is considering a ban on the use of trucks to transport coal and closing coal storage facilities in Tianjin, one of China’s busiest ports, a researcher with the agency said, in what would be a drastic move to tackle smog. The city’s Environmental Protection Bureau has not made a formal proposal to the municipal government of Tianjin, Zhou Yangsheng, researcher with the agency told a coal industry briefing on Monday. He did not give an estimate on when a decision might be made about the move. If the ban were to be implemented, it would be the latest in a series of extreme steps taken by the Beijing’s city government to cut air pollution in and around the smog-plagued capital. The area surrounding the capital and its neighbour, Tianjin, in Hebei province, is the most polluted in the world’s second-largest economy despite mounting efforts to control traffic and shut down coal-fired power plants and steel mills. Tianjin port, China’s second largest by cargo volume, is the key hub for trading 100-million-tonnes a year of seaborne coal and domestic coal, which flows south from Inner Mongolia. The proposal could cut coal volumes at Tianjin by as much as 43 million tonnes, incurring a loss of 400 million yuan (US$58 million) for the city, Yangsheng said, although ports in other parts of China would take the lost business. Closing storage facilities and banning trucks was also likely to force shippers and traders to find alternative routes and modes of transport, such as rail. The municipal government of Tianjin did not respond to a request for comment on the proposal.

2016-12-13 05:00 Reuters Reuters www.scmp.com

60 /81 18.5 Unlicensed Chinese acupuncturist jailed for 10 years after patient dies A doctor illegally practising traditional Chinese medicine without a licence in southwestern China was jailed for 10 years after his patient died while having acupuncture treatment, mainland media reported. A court in Guilin, Guangxi province, ruled that the victim’s sudden death was the result of heart disease caused by the narrowing of the coronary arteries and that his death was only “indirectly caused” by the doctor’s acupuncture treatment, the judicial news portal Jcrb.com reported. Because acupuncture was only a contributing factor in the patient’s death, the court said the doctor, convicted with practising without a licence, should receive a more lenient sentence. The patient visited the unlicensed doctor’s clinic last March after complaining of feeling unwell. Twenty minutes after the start of the acupuncture treatment, he said he was feeling even worse. His face turned blue and he started to vomit, the report said. Although emergency medical staff arrived at the scene quickly, he died soon afterwards. The incident is the latest case involving the death of patients following traditional Chinese medicine treatment. , which sees patients being slapped or slapping themselves repeatedly, that has been practised in China for thousands of years. The mainland authority recently issued a white paper on traditional Chinese medicine to push for its development around the world.

2016-12-13 04:30 Alice Yan www.scmp.com

61 /81 1.7 China Box Office Down for Third Month Running China ’s theatrical box office recorded the third consecutive month of decline in November. That puts the full year on course for only a narrow single figure increase.

Theatrical takings in November amounted to RMB2.54 billion, a 5% drop compared with RMB2.66 billion in November 2015. It follows a 19% drop in October and a 33% September on September decline, according to data from Ent Group.

For the year to end of November, Chinese cinemas have recorded gross revenues of RMB41.1 billion, a gain of 3%, compared with the first 11 months of last year. The full-year total was RMB43.9 billion in 2015. December is usually one of the two biggest cinema-going months of the year.

In admissions terms, the first 11 months of this year are 10% ahead of the same point in 2015. Ticket sales reached 1.25 billion, compared with 1.13 billion in January-November 2015.

Average ticket prices have declined by some 15%, from RMB34.9 to a mean RMB30.2. That reflects the weakening, more competitive, market. And it also reflects the expansion of cinema chains into third and fourth tier cities where the cost of living is lower.

China’s film industry regulators have warily allowed more imported films than the normal 34 revenue sharing quotas would suggest. That may give the Hollywood imports a narrow market share victory over China’s local films.

But the 6% weakening of the Chinese currency against the US dollar, spells a reduction in the value of revenues remitted to the stateside headquarters of the Hollywood majors. On Jan. 1 RMB6.49 bought $1. Today it takes RMB6.90 to buy one unit of the US currency.

2016-12-13 04:01 Patrick Frater variety.com

62 /81 3.0 Hong Kong finance chief quits; leadership bid expected HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s financial chief quit Monday, in what is widely seen as a prelude to a leadership bid for the southern Chinese city’s top job.

Financial Secretary John Tsang said he submitted his resignation to the current leader, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, who announced unexpectedly on Friday that he would not seek a second term in office.

Rumors and speculation have been swirling for months that Tsang would step down and put himself forward as a candidate to replace the deeply unpopular Leung, whose five-year term ends in June.

Tsang said he wasn’t ready to confirm whether he was interested in the job.

“Whether I will run or not is a serious and solemn matter,” he told reporters. “I shall think through this in the coming days and make an announcement once ready.”

Tsang, 65, has been dubbed “Mr. Pringles” because his mustache reminds many Hong Kongers of the potato chip brand’s mascot. Educated in the U. S., Tsang has been the city’s finance chief since 2007.

Tsang is Hong Kong’s second-most popular public official, with an approval rating of 62 percent, according to a survey last month by Hong Kong University pollsters. Leung, meanwhile, was last, with a 71 percent disapproval rating. About 1,000 people were polled for the survey, which had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Leung, who cited family reasons for not continuing in the job, is widely reviled for his hard-line stance against pro-democracy activists and lawmakers and because he’s suspected of having deep ties to China’s Communist leaders. Tsang, meanwhile, has a more easygoing public persona.

Hong Kong leaders are chosen by a 1,200-member panel of mostly pro-Beijing tycoons and elites, which is scheduled to make its pick in March. So far, one person, retired judge Woo Kwok-hing, has publicly declared his intention to run for the job of leading the city of 7.2 million.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

2016-12-13 03:57 By Associated mynorthwest.com

63 /81 2.0 With headwinds from Fed and Trump, China’s modest economic recovery fails to disperse worries China’s old economic engines of investment and production continue to do well, but analysts are shifting focus to the sustainability of state-led investment, trade uncertainties in Trump administration and financial fragility next year. China’s industrial output expansion accelerated slightly to 6.2 per cent in November, while fixed-asset investment increased 8.3 per cent in the first 11 months, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday. Retail sales growth speeded up to 10.8 per cent last month thanks to the “Singles Day” online shopping festival on November 11. The readings, however, failed to please market investors or assure analysts. In addition to a weakening yuan against the dollar, China’s stock markets had their worst day in many months on Monday – the benchmark Shanghai composite index dropped the largest in six months, while ChiNext, China’s startup board, fell the largest in 10 months. The government bond market witnessed the largest sell-off. The market retreat extended into Tuesday even after the National Bureau of Statistics released data showing a stable growth in the world’s second biggest economy. “There is a short-term stabilisation, but the economic data last month were not really good,” said Hong Hao, managing director of BOCOM International in Hong Kong. One worrying sign, he said, was the sharply rising producer price index – a slowdown in growth amid rising industrial inflation could translate into “stagflation” risks to trap Beijing in a policy dilemma. On one hand, the Chinese government can’t relax monetary policy because it would exacerbate capital outflows and yuan depreciation when Federal Reserve is set to raise rates; and on the other hand, China can’t afford to squeeze bank credit or cut off fiscal support to allow growth to slump. “Growth will continue to rely on policy support in the form of fiscal expansion and, especially, generous credit growth” in 2017, Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics at Oxford Economics, wrote in a note. As a result, Beijing won’t significantly slow the pace of credit expansion before the 19th Party Congress, a key Communist Party meeting to be held next autumn to decide the leadership for the next five years. Meanwhile, Beijing is on high alert as the Federal Reserve is highly likely to raise the interest rate on Thursday. China’s central economic work conference will start later this week and the Chinese leadership is expected to announce a package of economic policies for next year. Zhu Baoliang, a government economist with the State Information Centre, a think-tank affiliated with the National Development and Reform Commission, told the that China may boost its fiscal deficit to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product in 2017 but Beijing must lean towards monetary tightening because of the Fed rate hikes. At the same time, China, which has been benefitting from globalisation for 15 years following its entry into the World Trade Organisation, is bracing for a bumpy road ahead. US president-elect Donald Trump’s threats of a trade war against Chinese products, and his comments that the US does not need to honour the one-China policy – the basis of Sino-US ties for four decades, are bringing fresh uncertainty about China’s economy. China has already officially brought its disputes with the US and EU, about whether China should be treated as a normal market economy in anti-dumping cases, to the World Trade Organisation. “The Trump presidency in the US, the start of the UK’s Brexit process, and elections in major European countries will bring a high degree of uncertainty” for China in 2017, Ding Shuang, the chief China economist with Standard Chartered, wrote in a note.

2016-12-13 03:39 Frank Tang www.scmp.com

64 /81 0.0 China suitor tightens grip on Curacao oil project By Chen Aizhu and Marianna Parraga BEIJING/HOUSTON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - China's Guangdong Zhenrong Energy Co will submit a plan by April to revamp a century-old oil refinery in Curacao, as it seeks to secure a $5.5 billion project that will give China a foothold in the Caribbean's second-largest oil refinery. Guangdong Zhenrong, a commodity trader with strong backing from Beijing, signed a binding framework pact with Curacao's government on Nov. 19, Chen Bingyan, the firm's director and chief negotiator for the venture, told Reuters, moving past a memorandum of understanding in September. If the deal goes ahead, the Chinese firm would replace Venezuela's cash-strapped state oil firm PDVSA as operator of the 335,000 barrels per day (bpd) Isla refinery, tightening its grip on Venezuela's oil industry. China already takes about a quarter of Venezuela's exports, while its top state energy group China National Petroleum Corp has minority stakes in several joint ventures with PDVSA. Under the framework pact, Guangdong Zhenrong will provide this month a letter of guarantee from China Development Bank to finance up to 85 percent of the project, which includes building a new gas terminal and expanding oil storage on Curacao, a tiny island 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Venezuela. The Chinese firm will have until June to sign a new 40-year lease starting 2020 to operate the Isla refinery, although it is keen to work with PDVSA to secure crude oil for the refinery and market the fuel. "We are looking for a long-term partnership with PDVSA, in crude oil supply, fuel marketing as well as plant management," Chen Bingyan, the firm's director and chief negotiator for the venture, told Reuters. PDVSA did not respond to a request for comment. VENEZUELA OIL GIANT STRUGGLES Analysts said the deal could help PDVSA by keeping the refinery operating. "It may secure an asset that is important for PDVSA, particularly if Zhenrong can fund the needed upgrades to the refinery," said Robert Campbell of consultancy Energy Aspects. "On the other hand, it potentially increases China's control over the Venezuelan oil industry. " Chen said the Chinese firm was ready to spend $100 million before PDVSA's lease expires in end-2019, in a bid to tackle pollution from the plant, a sore point with the local community. The Curacao government turned to Guangdong Zhenrong after PDVSA struggled to maintain normal business at the plant, delaying paying for crude oil cargoes and unwilling to spend on the badly-needed plant revamp. However, the terminal attached to the refinery is highly strategic for PDVSA as it is used to blend its heavy crude with lighter oil and load supplies for shipment to Asia, as well as storage. The deal would transform Guangdong Zhenrong from a commodity trader into a full-fledged oil and gas company, boosted by an alliance with BP and its global marketing expertise. BP, one of the largest sellers of U. S. crude since a decades-long ban was lifted in late 2015, has been feeding Isla with U. S. light crude since April under a supply agreement with PDVSA. Guangdong Zhenrong, with 2014 revenues at $10 billion, has said it would lead the project and seek technical and operational support from the country's state energy giants. Longer term, Chen said Guangdong Zhenrong could consider relocating the plant from its urban location near the capital Willemstad to Bullenbay, with the Curacao government possibly becoming a minority partner. The plan will be raised with Curacao's new government, which is due to take office later this month, he said. (Reporting by Chen Aizhu in Beijing, Marianna Parraga in Houston and Alexandra Ulmer in Caracas; Editing by Richard Pullin)

2016-12-13 03:39 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

65 /81 5.4 Baby boy abducted in China after ‘new friend’ persuades mother to try on clothes Police have rescued a newborn baby from his abductors in southern China after he was taken from his mother who was busy trying clothes. The boy, who is about a month old, was abducted on Sunday afternoon while his mother was trying on a pair of trousers in a shop in Nanan, Fujian province, a news website affiliated with reported. The mother, surnamed Wang, was shopping with her young daughter, newborn boy and a new friend, who had been introduced to her by her midwife. The friend took the baby after persuading Wang to try on the pair of black trousers, and the child was then taken by a man who quickly fled the scene on a motorcycle, the report said. The baby was eventually rescued by local police in Nanping city some seven hours later, after they arrested one middle-aged woman and two men. Wang told reporters that the friend had previously advised her to sell her newborn to a fellow villager. Wang, a Guizhou native, has six other children, all daughters. Police are investigating the abduction case.

2016-12-13 02:42 Eva Li www.scmp.com

66 /81 3.2 Compagnie des Alpes annual profits rise, keeps sights on China

PARIS, Dec 13 (Reuters) - French ski resorts operator Compagnie des Alpes posted higher annual profits and said it needed powerful partners to accelerate its expansion abroad, notably in China. "The group wants to seize the opportunity of the development of the leisure and ski businesses in Europe and in new territories, notably China," the group said in a statement. Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) operates 11 ski resorts in France and 13 leisure parks in Europe, including Parc Asterix and the Grevin waxworks museum in Paris. The group told Reuters last month it was hopeful it could secure fresh investment by the end of the year as it discusses selling a stake to Chinese conglomerate Fosun and other potential investors. Compagnie des Alpes has said that Fosun's stake would not exceed 10 percent and a source close to the matter has said that British buyout firm Permira was also among potential investors but that no deal has yet been reached. Operating profits rose 9.2 percent to 73.1 million euros ($77.51 million) in the twelve months ended September 30. There were "good signs" for the current 2016/17 year with ski resorts bookings to date "slightly ahead" of last year's level thanks to early snowfall in November, while business at the leisure parks was above that of last year, the company added. ($1 = 0.9431 euros) (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)

2016-12-13 02:36 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

67 /81 0.7 China consumer group urges gov't to punish firms for 'fake' discounts on Singles' Day BEIJING, Dec 13 (Reuters) - A Chinese state-backed consumer group says almost 17 percent of discounts offered during the country's multi- billion dollar Singles' Day online sale event were fake, calling on the government to intervene and punish platforms and merchants. A report released by the Chinese Consumers' Association on Monday says companies, including Alibaba Holdings Ltd and Amazon Inc, were guilty of hiking prices before the shopping festival, held annually on Nov. 11, in an attempt to lure customers with sharp discounts. "There is a large number of false discounts and other price misleading behavior," said the CCA in an emailed statement. The group said it had referred the cases to relevant government departments and recommended "severe punishment for price violations and price dishonesty. " Chinese authorities have ramped up efforts this year to stamp out dodgy sales tactics as the country's top e-commerce firms take market share from traditional "brick-and-mortar" stores and look to improve their image in international markets. In November, China's top business regulator said it warned firms including Alibaba, Amazon and JD.com against falsifying figures and selling counterfeit goods ahead of the mass shopping event, which has become a yardstick for China's retail appetite. Alibaba recorded 120.7 billion yuan ($17.49 billion) in sales during Singles' Day in 2016. It is being investigated by the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission over accounting practices related to its 2015 figures for the event. The U. S.-listed firm, which denies any wrongdoing, is one of several local e-commerce companies hoping to tap buyers outside of China as growth in local markets begins to slow. "We have strict measures in place to crack down on false sales discounting," an Alibaba spokeswoman told Reuters, saying the company penalises merchants depending on the severity of the falsified discount. The CCA study recorded price changes on 12 platforms between Oct. 20 and Nov 25. Of all the discounted products surveyed, 35 percent of them on Amazon still cost more than regular non-sale retail prices, the highest of any platform, followed by JD.com at 26.8 percent. Almost 19 percent of surveyed discounted items on Alibaba's Tmall were above regular, according to the report. A JD.com spokesman declined to comment. Amazon did not respond to emailed requests for comment. ($1 = 6.9000 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Cate Cadell; Editing by Kim Coghill)

2016-12-13 02:36 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

68 /81 2.4 China’s Huading Awards to be Held in Los Angeles Johnny Depp and Mel Gibson are among the Hollywood celebrities expected to turn up at China ’s Huading Awards , which land in Los Angeles this week.

The ceremony to be held at the Ace Hotel in Downtown L. A. on Thursday (Dec. 15) will see prizes presented in 11 categories. These include best global picture, best global newcomer and best global action choreography.

The awards were set up by the Tianxia Yingcai Cultural Media company and are held more frequently than traditional annual events. This week’s event is the 21st Huading Awards since they were established in 2007. It is the second time that the awards have taken place in Hollywood’s home town, after a previous visit in 2014.

“Los Angeles is where film culture originated from. So being here helps us to build the authority of the Huading Awards,” said awards founder Wang Haige. “And besides, it is good to return after two years.”

The nominations are selected by a jury. The award winners are voted for by Chinese audiences voting online through the Huading website and major third party platforms such as Sina.com.

As such, they appear to reflect a Chinese view of western stardom. Matt Damon – who soon appears in upcoming Chinese-U. S. co-production “The Great Wall” — is nominated for “ The Martian .” The 2015 film, which portrays Chinese scientists helping to save the American astronauts and which secured finance from China’s Bona Film Group, receives nominations in five categories.

Other Western celebrities tipped to attend include Wiz Khalifa, Sylvester Stallone, Bryce Dallas Howard and Hilary Swank.

2016-12-13 02:30 Patrick Frater variety.com

69 /81 2.9 How do Chinese pupils exercise in heavy smog? In a ‘blow-up’ sports hall An elementary school in China has come up with an innovative way to protect its pupils from the increasing problem of air pollution while playing sports – an inflatable sports hall, mainland media reported. The 1,000-square-metre building, in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, is large enough to accommodate badminton and tennis court and up to 100 pupils, the China News Service reported. The hall has been particularly well used by children since the start of December because the province has been badly affected by persistent heavy smog. Its airtight plastic walls and roof are inflated and supported only by warm air pumped in through vents that keep it continuously circulating inside. The temperature, humidity, lighting and speed of the air circulating inside the hall can all be precisely adjusted, the report said. On December 4, central and southern areas of Hebei saw the density of PM2.5 particles – the finest pollutant particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that can cause the greatest harm to public health – recorded at more than 500 micrograms per cubic metre of air, while the visibility was reduced to less than 200 metres, National Meteorological Centre reported. The World Health Organisation recommends average 24-hour exposure to PM2.5 at just 25 or below. Schools in Beijing and Shanghai have also built similar inflatable sports halls to combat air pollution. Air pollution has been growing worse throughout the country – particularly in northern areas – following the rapid pace of industrialisation in recent decades. Many major cities, including Beijing, Tianjin and Chengdu, regularly experience days when pollution levels far exceed the WHO’s safety limits.

2016-12-13 02:21 Jane Li www.scmp.com

70 /81 2.9 Fewer Hong Kong firms plan to hire staff and pay rises set to be modest in early 2017 Fewer companies in Hong Kong are looking to hire in the next three months compared to a year ago, although certain sectors are bucking the trend with plans to increase staffing levels over the Lunar New Year holiday. Employees in the city can also expect a modest pay rise of 2 to 4 per cent as larger firms look to keep budgets under control. The findings by human resources consulting firm ManpowerGroup are part of a survey carried out four times a year covering companies around the world. The latest edition, released on Tuesday, covers about 59,000 employers from 43 countries and territories. Participants were asked how they anticipated total employment to change in the coming quarter. Out of 728 respondents in Hong Kong, 17 per cent said they would hire more people, 4 per cent said they would cut headcounts, while the remaining 79 per cent were not planning to make any adjustments. The net employment outlook of 13 per cent was the same as the figure for the fourth quarter of 2016, although year on year it was down by two percentage points. A figure above zero indicates a favourable outlook. Bright spots included the wholesale and retail sectors which returned a net employment outlook of 12 per cent, three percentage points up on the October-December period and four percentage points higher than a year ago. Lancy Chui Yuk-shan, senior vice- president for China at ManpowerGroup, said high turnover rates and long working hours had piled pressure on retailers to recruit staff. “One of the solutions is to hire temporary workers during festive seasons such as the Lunar New Year holiday,” she said. Meanwhile, employees could see a pay hike of between 2 and 4 per cent next year, although the increment may be lower at larger corporations and even zero for executives and managers. Global human resources consultants Mercer put average pay rises at 4.2 per cent in an annual survey released on Monday, but Chui believed that figure was overly optimistic. “Our prediction of 3 per cent this year was already lower than the 3.5 per cent from a year ago,” Chui said. “Many companies have even admitted they would offer less.”

2016-12-13 01:47 Raymond Yeung www.scmp.com

71 /81 3.4 Chinese data point to strength in the world's second largest economy Our live blog is tracking market reactions as Chinese retail sales and industrial output in November pick up, indicating strength in the world's second-largest economy.

We'll bring you the latest analysis below.

(App users please click here ).

2016-12-13 01:43 David Reid www.cnbc.com

72 /81 72 /81 4.0 Forty-six Chinese groups in Malaysia affirm support for China strategy Forty-six Chinese guilds and associations in Malaysia have signed the Belt and Road Declaration initiated by MCA to show their support for the ambitious strategy from China. The signing ceremony at Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur, was witnessed by party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, his deputy Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and China’s ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Huang Huikang. Among others, the declaration expressed their commitment to promoting peaceful co-existence and a win-win cooperation in strengthening existing friendly Malaysia-China ties. They also voiced their support for the Belt and Road Initiative and believed that it would open up new opportunities for development as well as greatly contribute towards regional stability and prosperity. Encouraged by the warm response, Liow said this was proof that the local Chinese community valued the Malaysia-China ties that had been formally established in 1974. “Through this declaration, we can affirm that the Malaysia-China bilateral cooperation is built on frankness and equality for mutual benefit. We insist on the principle of moderation, peace and openness, and strongly oppose any extreme and malicious comment or action that undermines our bilateral friendship,” he said. In his speech, Liow also decried the irresponsible and negative remarks over the Prime Minister’s recent visit to China, which saw the highest investments from China, adding that this would create unnecessary hate and conflict. MCA leaders, think-tanks and professionals, he added, had immediately refuted such claims with facts and figures. “But that is not enough. We need to unite the strength of all Chinese groups to support the Government’s efforts in pushing for the bilateral cooperation. Hence, the declaration was born,” he said here yesterday. MCA, said Liow, was not competing for fame or fortune but was only aspiring to remain steadfast in helping the Chinese community reap economic benefits. Dr Huang said trade between Malaysia and China currently hovered around US$100 billion, with November figures showing positive growth. “According to Chinese customs data, trade in November recorded a 19.6% increase to US$8.47 billion. Imports from Malaysia to China rose 25.8% to US$4.78 billion,” he said, adding that they were confident of achieving a historical high in bilateral trade next year. Citing an online shopping festival in China yesterday, Dr Huang said Malaysia was also commemorating another kind of “Double 12” by “shopping for Belt and Road treasures”. During the event, the MCA Belt and Road Centre (Mbrace), located on the sixth floor of Wisma MCA, was also launched, serving as a platform for consultation, education and information exchange as well as business matching. MCA China affairs committee chairman Datuk Seri Chuah Poh Khiang said Mbrace would operate like a “mobile charity clinic” to “listen to the pulse” of small-and medium-sized enterprises nationwide to help them transform and expand overseas. Mbrace, he said, would be working closely with the Secretariat for the Advancement of Malaysian Entrepreneurs under the Prime Minister’s Department, local Chinese associations, China’s governmental departments and others. Five memorandums of understanding (MoU), including one between Mbrace and Eurasia Trade, Culture and Exhibition Centre to set up an office in Guangzhou, were also signed. Copyright © 1995-2016 (ROC 10894D)

2016-12-13 01:21 Star Digital www.scmp.com

73 /81 1.0 What does the future hold for China’s economic transformation as its first ‘reformists’ fade from prominence? In 1989, after Deng Xiaoping crushed the democracy movement in Beijing, it seemed that an age of liberal and pro- market experiments were over. In the compound of Zhongnanhai, the walled community of the Chinese leadership, a small office with the task of studying how to dismantle China’s command economic system for a market-based one was closed down. But unlike political reform advocates and researchers, who were later jailed or expelled by Deng, those involved in designing an overall market-based economic system in China, without challenging the absolute power of the Communist Party, were largely protected and assigned to other government jobs. The market reform researchers in the late 1980s and early ’90s published many articles detailing their thoughts on the country’s economic future. Many climbed China’s bureaucratic ladder over the following years, becoming Beijing’s most capable hands on economic, financial and monetary matters and wove their early views into state policies that fundamentally shaped the economic landscape of China and also the world. They are known as China’s reformists, a vaguely defined group that played an instrumental role in framing the country’s “socialist market economy” – a hybrid of a free market economy and an authoritarian government. Their intellectual leader is Wu Jinglian, an 86-year-old renowned economist, who led research teams and advised China’s top leadership. Many of Wu’s early colleagues also became reformists, such as Zhou Xiaochuan, the People’s Bank of China governor; Lou Jiwei, China’s recently retired finance minister, and Guo Shuqing, governor of Shandong province. However, after a quarter of a century of push and pull, many prominent reformists are fading from China’s policy decision arena as they approach retirement age. When China’s most powerful cadres gather at Beijing’s Jingxi Hotel this month to chart economic policies for next year, one of their top agenda items could be finding replacements for this pool of talent. The pro-market generation is departing at a time when China needs such reform- minded officials to complete the nation’s half-completed economic liberalisation and to steer the world’s No 2 economy into its next phase. “People such as Lou and Zhou are liberals and reformists ... They were among the first batch of China’s technocrats to grasp the fundamentals of Western economics,” said John Wong, a professorial fellow at the East Asian Institute of the National University of Singapore. Lou, praised as being “uniquely at home with the market economy and also having a strong international outlook”, helped design a centralised fiscal and tax system in 1994, which channels a large share of tax revenue into central coffers and compensates local losses through a transfer payment system. It helped Beijing weather the Asian financial crisis and state-owned enterprise reform, but the new tax system also forced local governments to rely on financing vehicles and land sales to fund local spending, sowing the seeds of local debt crises. Zhou was bestowed the role of financial regulator. He designed the revamp of China’s state banking sector, created the interbank bond market, liberalised interest rate controls, and developed a Chinese central banking scheme that, on the surface, is on a par with the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan. The reformers began to emerge on China’s decision-making stage after Deng’s Southern Tour in 1992 when he urged the country to embrace markets. As paramount leader and general architect of China’s reform and opening up, Deng cleared the ideological obstacles for Beijing to officially pursue things that were once derided as capitalist. At a key Communist Party gathering in the autumn of 1992, it was decided that China would pursue a market economy where resources would be allocated by market forces, instead of state orders. Under Zhu Rongji, who was a vice-premier in charge of economic works before he was named premier from 1998 to 2003, deregulation and liberalisation were rolled out aggressively. Thousands of state businesses were shut down, a trading account for the yuan was opened in 1994, private businesses became active players, and China became a member of the World Trade Organisation in December 2001. Within a decade, China’s image turned from a repressive communist behemoth into an emerging economic powerhouse, and the reformists were behind many of the changes. Zhu had worked with many of them in the 1980s, including Lou, and Zhu’s aide, Li Jiange, another member of the group. A group of talented, overseas-educated Chinese returned to the country and assumed important offices. They included Fang Xinghai, vice- chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), and Gao Xiqing, a former general manager of China’s sovereign wealth fund. Laura Cha Shih May-lung was appointed by China’s cabinet as a CSRC vice-chairwoman in 2001, the first person outside the mainland to assume a vice-ministerial rank. “These people have been instrumental in China’s age of reform. They really did do things that changed the system,” said Fraser Howie, director of Newedge Financial in Singapore and an co-author of. While they are eager to learn from mature economies about running a market economy, they are doing so without challenging China’s one-party, bureaucratic system, an opaque and secretive decision-making process, or largely vested interests in China’s state monopolies. For instance, while Lou is trying to set up a fiscal system where officials will be accountable for public spending, it’s a big question whether this can be achieved in a country where external checks on government budgets barely exist and where government officials’ assets are strictly guarded as confidential information. “The ‘black box’ fiscal system has not yet been changed. All are decided by administrative officials,” Hu Xingdou, an economics professor at Beijing Institute of Technology, said. “Reformists stress economic liberalisation but cannot address justice, fairness and the interests of the weak.” Even with purely economic decisions, their ideas are often subject to political winds. After a poorly handled stock market rout, a new initial public offering system was shelved indefinitely so that officials could continue to examine which companies should be entitled to sell shares to the public. The weakening yuan has also prompted Beijing to adopt unannounced capital account controls, holding back the opening of the capital account and the yuan’s global ambition – which have been Zhou’s long-term goals. The influence of liberal pro-market ideas have declined in the past decade as the state’s hand became increasingly intrusive in economic activities to create a situation known as “the advance of the state sector and the retreat of the private sector”. President Xi Jinping, who came to power four years ago, has pledged to let the market play “a decisive role” in economic activities, but state control over the markets for securities, property and foreign exchange market has increased. “This government talks of reform, but protects poorly operated state-owned enterprises and remains hostile to market-based competition,” said Derek Scissors, a researcher at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank. “The 2013 third plenary meetings offered grand words but the results have been disappointing.” At the same time, Xi’s top economic aide, Liu He, is the organiser of the China 50 Economists Forum, a club of renowned pro-market economists, including Zhou, Lou and Guo. An article by an unidentified “authoritative person” in the in May blasted excessive state investment in the economy and designated bank lending, and argued that China’s economic growth would follow an “L-shape” trajectory, or low growth. “The thinking of Liu He, the ‘authoritative person’, is definitely behind the economic exposition of Xi,” said Henry Chan Hing Lee, an adjunct research fellow at the National University of Singapore. The question is whether Xi really will pursue market reforms – which would come at a price – or retreat to Soviet China 2.0 ,where reformers are no longer needed. “Political reform isn’t a cure-all. What is needed in China is greater accountability and responsibility at all levels of the system,” Howie said. “Yet that isn’t happening.”

2016-12-13 00:58 Frank Tang www.scmp.com

74 /81 2.8 China's Nov steel output grows at fastest in over 2 years -stats bureau By Muyu Xu and Manolo Serapio Jr BEIJING, Dec 13 (Reuters) - China's steel mills boosted their monthly output at the fastest pace in more than two years in November, data showed, as robust infrastructure demand spurred producers to expand production for a ninth straight month even as coking coal prices bite. Output rose 5 percent to 66.29 million tonnes year-on-year, the fastest growth since June 2014, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. Although soaring costs of key raw materials, like coking coal and iron ore, have eroded margins, steel mills were still making a profit of between 200-600 yuan ($28.98-86.95) per tonne, said Wang Yilin, senior steel analyst at Sinosteel Futures. "Steel mills want to increase production because of the big profit margins," she said. "The steel market has also been driven by strong infrastructure demand, as Beijing has approved more projects this year. " The spike last month showed mills in the world's top producer were chasing rising prices, said Richard Lu, analyst at CRU consultancy in Beijing. Shanghai rebar futures have surged 95 percent this year. Strong demand and rising prices of raw materials have enabled steel mills to increase their prices and pass on the cost to end- users, said Lu. "Because of the strong market sentiment, physical traders are buying steel in hopes of making money with the price continuing to increase," he added. Compared with October, output dropped 3.24 percent to its lowest level since February ahead of a seasonally slowest period for steel sales from the infrastructure and construction sectors during the colder winter months. Analysts expect output to decline in December as mills undertake annual scheduled maintenance. Total output for the first 11 months of 2016 edged up 1.1 percent to 738.94 million tonnes. In 2015, China's output dropped for the first time since 1981 as weak metal prices and a government clampdown on excess capacity forced plants to shut or suspend operations. This year, most of the capacity that has been closed for good was already shuttered. "Some of them have been idle for years, so it won't largely impact steel output," said Lu. ($1 = 6.9005 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Writing by Josephine Mason; Editing by Richard Pullin)

2016-12-13 00:58 Reuters www.dailymail.co.uk

75 /81 1.2 American teacher and Chinese farmer cross class, language and cultural divide to find love Tiffany and Cai Xiaohua may seem an unlikely couple at a glance, but they are a picture of bliss. Tiffany, an English teacher from the United States, and Cai, a farmer from rural China, have crossed the class, language and cultural divide to be together, according to the. The couple met nine years ago in Guangzhou, southern Guangdong province, when Tiffany was teaching in an international school and Cai was a security guard there. Cai, 44, who is from a poor family in central Henan’s Runan county, holds only junior middle school qualifications. When he met Tiffany in 2007, he couldn’t speak English and had never travelled overseas before. Tiffany, 35, a university graduate from New Jersey, regularly chatted with him in fluent Chinese when she saw him in school. It wasn’t long before they fell in love and started dating. Tiffany said she was impressed by Cai, who took his job seriously and made an effort to smile to each teacher and pupil he met. His smile won the heart of Tiffany, who was grappling with loneliness being on her own in a foreign land. “He is goodhearted and pure,” Tiffany told reporters of her husband, who is nine years older than her. Cai, meanwhile, described his wife as “outgoing and considerate”. When the unlikely couple decided to get hitched in 2008, they held their wedding in Cai’s hometown, a small hamlet in Henan. Tiffany said her parents were fully supportive of her marriage and that both her brother and sister were interested in Chinese culture as well. Following their marriage, the couple soon quit their respective jobs and moved to Zhengzhou, the capital city of Henan. Tiffany found another job teaching English at the Zhengzhou University of Light Industry while Cai regularly returns to his hometown nearby to care for his father’s crops. The couple, who now have a six-year-old daughter, said that even after almost a decade together, they sometimes still have to resort to drawing or body language to communicate with each other. They were still constantly learning from each other about their respective languages and cultures, the report said.

2016-12-13 00:47 Alice Yan www.scmp.com

76 /81 1.5 China to Appoint 'River Chiefs' to Fight Pollution: Xinhua China will appoint "river chiefs" to prevent pollution in the nation's waterways, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday (12/12), in the latest step taken by Beijing to rein in environmental damage. ...

2016-12-13 00:44 system article.wn.com

77 /81 0.6 Don’t sleep on it: Going to bed mad makes it worse AFP-JijiPARIS (AFP-Jiji) — A good night’s sleep may reinforce negative memories in the brain, researchers said on Nov. 29 , lending scientific credence to the time worn caution against going to bed angry.

2016-12-13 00:17 system article.wn.com

78 /81 4.1 What caused ‘snowball Earth’ to melt? Researchers find evidence in China Acid rain might have deluged the entire globe for hundreds of thousands of years after the melting of “snowball Earth” more than 600 million years ago, according to a new geological discovery in China. But the “hellish” event might also have spurred the emergence of complex life forms in the “Cambrian explosion”, researchers said. The discovery of ancient relics of massive glaciers in similar geological stratums around the world led scientists to suspect that ice has covered our planet almost entirely at least twice. Each episode lasted for millions of years, with ice sheets up to 2km thick extending from the poles to the equator. The most recent “snowball” episode, known as the Marinoan glaciation, gripped the planet from 650 million years ago to 635 million years ago. The ice and snow reflected sunlight like a mirror, causing temperatures to plunge dramatically. But that led to a question: what caused the snowball to melt? One popular theory was that an enormous amount of greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide, built up in the atmosphere due to volcanic activity. The greenhouse effect eventually overcame the icy reflections, leading to a rapid temperature increase and the melting of nearly all the ice in as little as 2,000 years. All that was missing was evidence. Today’s global warming is generally blamed on human activity, but carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere at the end of the Marinoan episode were more than 500 times greater than present levels. That would have led to acid rain and the erosion of exposed landscapes due to chemical reactions called weathering. However, no evidence of chemical weathering in the Marinoan period had been found. An international research team led by Professor Shen Bing, from Peking University’s school of earth and space sciences, said they might have found the long-sought evidence in a rocky layer above a Marinoan glacial deposit in Hunan province’s Nantou formation. Analysis of magnesium isotopes from the site, which acted as chemical “fingerprints”, revealed intense chemical weathering during the melting of Marinoan glaciers. The erosion was “extremely strong”, the researchers said in a paper published in the journal in the United States on Tuesday. The melting increased vapour in the air, which helped the formation of acid storms. Huge floods devastated every ancient continent, sweeping huge amounts of debris into highly acidic oceans, where most of it dissolved. Only a few sites were buried, among them the deposits discovered in China. The researchers said the acid rain might have continued for hundreds of thousands of years. “Fortunately nothing lived out there ... no plants, certainly no animals, just some micro-organisms in the ocean,” Shen told the . “But it was warm,” he added – the only similarity to the world today. The global warming following the snowball episode was believed to have paved the way for the Cambrian explosion, a short evolutionary event about 541 million years ago in which complex animal life forms appeared on Earth for the first time. The Peking University study found new evidence for that hypothesis, too. The researchers found that chemical weathering on the ancient continents might have consumed up to 99 per cent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, with the debris washed into the oceans reducing their acidity too. The reduction in carbon dioxide enabled the formation of a special layer of rock called cap carbonate on ocean floors, which was also discovered by the researchers at a site in the Duoshantuo formation in neighbouring Guizhou province. The cap carbonate was formed by “dust” falling from the surface of the oceans, and the researchers said the same process might also have carried the nutrition crucial for the development of larger and more sophisticated animal life forms in the oceans.

2016-12-12 23:21 Stephen Chen www.scmp.com

79 /81 2.9 Masked pollution protesters in China held briefly by police Police in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu stepped up security amid mounting public complaints about smog, after briefly taking away eight mask- wearing protesters for questioning on Sunday night. The protest came as pollution problems worsen in China, forcing the government to be extremely sensitive about social unrest over environmental issues. The demonstrators were artists staging a brief sit-in after a mass protest over the pollution – planned for the weekend – was pre-empted by police. Police had closed the square where it was to be held. Photographs and posts on social media by the artists’ friends and relatives showed that they were taken away from a busy shopping area in Chengdu, Sichuan province, where they had been sitting in a row for about 10 minutes with their masks on. They were taken to a nearby police station and released a few hours later, according to the posts. The city’s Tianfu Square, where the mass weekend protest had been planned, was still closed on Monday, with parked police cars and officers preventing people from entering. The capital of Sichuan province has experienced severe smog during the past week, but city authorities have issued only a yellow alert – the lowest in a three-tier system. This led to public suspicions that the authorities were trying to cover up the seriousness of the problem. The smog had cleared up on Monday and a result of growing winds. Chengdu city government said yesterday that it would “wage a war” to tackle the problem of pollution. It also launched a media campaign publicising official pollution-control efforts. University students received notices on their mobile phones banning them from wearing masks or sharing smog-related articles on social media. Many locals blame the Pengzhou petrochemical project, 40km from the centre of Chengdu, for the city’s worsening air quality over the past few years. The project triggered widespread criticism during its preparation stage and fierce local protests when construction of the plant began in 2013. Police also detained one man for sharing photos that purportedly showed a huge crowd protesting about the smog, but it was actually taken in 2012, the reported. There have been protests about industrial projects in mainland cities, but mass demonstrations about smog are rare, even in the hard-hit Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area.

2016-12-12 23:15 Li Jing www.scmp.com

80 /81 3.2 How a snub of the one-China policy almost led Beijing and US into war in the 1990s The one-China policy, which maintains that Taiwan is part of China, has been the bedrock of Sino- US relations for four decades. Beijing considers it has sovereignty over Taiwan, and that issues related to the island are part of its core interest. It has issued furious responses to any moves by the US that are regarded as supporting Taiwan’s independence, including selling weapons to the self-ruled island. In the past it has threatened to reunify Taiwan by force if necessary. The two nations almost engaged in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait between 1995 and 1996, which is known as the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis. During the crisis, Beijing carried out a series of the missile firings and combined military exercises near Taiwan, while Washington dispatched its largest size of combat forces to Asia since the Vietnam War, with two carrier battle groups – two aircraft carriers and its escort warships – to confront China. The prelude to the crisis began in June 1995, when then-US president Bill Clinton granted Lee Teng-hui, Taiwan’s president at the time, a visa so he could make a “private trip” to accept an invitation to attend Cornell University’s alumni reunion. It was the first visit to the US by the top leader of Taiwan since Washington had shifted its diplomatic recognition from the Taipei-based Republic of China (ROC) government to the Beijing-based People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1979. Beijing claimed Clinton’s decision had violated the one-China policy and threatened retaliation, including punishing US businesses in China, or offering nuclear cooperation with Iran. On June 9, 1995, Lee gave a speech in English, titled, Always in My Heart, to the Cornell alumni on campus, during which he praised the island’s democratisation. Her also used the phrase “the Republic of China on Taiwan”, when he said “ultimately, I know that the world will come to realise that the Republic of China on Taiwan is a friendly and capable partner for progress”. This was seen by Beijing as shifting away from his own earlier position of “one China”, and moving towards independence. In July, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried out an eight-day “missile test”. The guided missiles landed 65km away from the Taiwan-held islet Pengchiayu, less than 160km north of Taipei. The PLA also conducted several amphibious assault exercises military exercises in Fujian province opposite the Strait, which lasted until late November. In December the US government sent the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its Carrier Group Seven sailing through the strait. And the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Independence and its carrier group were also present in waters to the east of the Taiwan. The presence of the US warships was considered a warning to mainland China against attacking Taiwan, while the US was accused of interfering in Chinese internal affairs by Beijing. With the self-ruled island holding its first ever direct presidential election on March 23 1996, Beijing warned that voting for Lee would mean war. It began another set of missile tests and live- ammunition military exercises shortly before the election, which continued until two days after polling, when Lee was successfully re-elected. In March USS Nimitz and its escort warships sailed rapidly from the Persian Gulf, where they were taking part in military operation, and arrived in Taiwanese waters before the Taiwanese presidential election. Beijing, having realised that it was unable to deal with the threat of the presence of the US Navy warships, finally softened its stance. On March 28 then US defence secretary William Perry announced that the crisis was over. Beijing’s attempts to intimidate Taipei were ineffective and counterproductive. Rather than diminishing support for Taiwan’s then-president Lee, their efforts sparked more anger than fear, and seemed only to help solidify Lee’s support. He won the election with about 54 per cent of the vote supporting him. The crisis also strengthened arguments about the need for further US arms sales to the island. Taiwan’s military ties with Japan also received a boost. For Beijing, the crisis highlighted the shortcomings of its military power and the need to modernise and improve its military powers, especially those of its navy and air force.

2016-12-12 23:15 Kristin Huang www.scmp.com

81 /81 0.9 Jollibee divests stake in China restaurant chain Homegrown fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp. is trimming its interest in China with the sale of its 55 percent stake in local restaurant chain Guangxi San Pin Wang Food and Beverage Management Co. Ltd. (San Win Pang).

The stake will be sold back to Jollibee’s partner in San Pin Wang, Guangxi Zong Kai Food Beverage Investment Co. Ltd. (GZK) for 90 million RMB (P649.87 million). In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, Jollibee said it decided to focus on building its flagship Yunghe King business in China. This is now its largest business in this territory with 315 stores as of end-November.

“JFC’s divestment of its shareholdings in San Pin Wang is part of its intention to concentrate its resources on businesses with greater potential,” the Jollibee disclosure said.

San Pin Wang is a local restaurant chain with stores mostly located in Guangzi province in the southern part of China. Its menu is centered on low-priced beef noodle. As of end-November, it had 71 stores.

The Jollibee group bought 55 percent of San Pin Wang from GZK in 2012, during which the chain had 34 stores and the network was already profitable.

2016-12-13 00:00 Doris Dumlao business.inquirer.net

Total 81 articles.

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Created at 2016-12-13 22:56