China's official 'The Paper' reported there was a telephone conversation beteen US Prresident Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on February 7, 2020. No further details are available yet.

Well-known Chinese news site Sina reported on January 27, that China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security had just released new regulations to relax certain labor laws for the period when the nation is combating the coronavirus.

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported (January 31) that, with the spread of the coronavirus across China, several high profile international companies have suspended their Chinese operations.

A notice issued on February 5, by the Cyberspace Administration of China, provides a glimpse not just of the actions being taken now by the authorities to control information about the coronavirus epidemic, but also of the platforms and activities that have threatened the Party’s dominance of information in recent days.

Caixin reported on February 6, that the patient count for the coronavirus rose to 24,421, and the death toll reached 493. however, Ten Cent posted far higher numbers and reported cases with . deaths. The posts were quickly taken down but not before some people had taken photographs.

South China Morning Post reported (February 6) that prominent Chinese intellectual Xu Zhiyong published an article on social media on February 3, in which he urged Xi Jinping to step down for his “inability to handle major crises”.

Well known Chinese Professor of Beijing's Tsinghua University, Xu Zhangrun, on February 5, posted a scathing criticism of Xi Jinping and the Chinese authorities in a 6246-character article captioned 'Angry People No Longer Fear', that has gone viral on China's social media.

CHINA-GERMANY: FREE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN CRITICISED BY GERMAN PARLIAMENTARIANS FOR ACCEPTING FUNDS WITH STRINGS ATTACHED
The Free University of Berlin (FU) has been criticised by German parliamentarians on the basis of a report by the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel for accepting terms stipulated by Hanban which runs the Confucius Institutes and which critics fear give the Chinese government leverage to prevent teaching about subjects such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and Tibet. On January 20, a group of FU alumni signed a joint letter expressing grave concerns about the university’s academic independence. Berlin’s Senate has said it will investigate the contract, which is worth almost €500,000 (£420,000) over five years, and is designed to train up to 20 Chinese teachers a year.

Taiwan Vice President-elect Lai Ching-te is scheduled to attend the National Prayer Meeting Breakfast in Washington DC on February 5-6, 2020. It will be the first time in decades for such a high level visit to the U.S. by a Taiwan official. He will be accompanied by, Bikhim Hsiao, a close confidant of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said the Pakistani side firmly supports China's efforts to combat the epidemic and expresses gratitude to China for providing help to Pakistani citizens in China.

The Politburo Standing Committee under the chairmanship of Chinese President Xi Jinping held a closed-door meeting on January 27, on the epidemic of new coronary methamphetamine in Wuhan and measures to combat it. Xi Jinping warned that those failing to perform their duties will be severely punished.

The corona virus continues to spread rapidly across China with 17,332 confirmed, another 21,558 suspected cases and 361 deaths in China by the 4th February. In a bid to tackle the epidemic, Chinese authorities have fast-tracked clinical trials by the pharmaceutical drug company Gilead.

Aircraft Spots, an aircraft monitoring website, disclosed on January 31 that a U.S. military B-52H bomber flew into the Taipei Flight Information District and entered mainland China and the East China Sea region of Taiwan. The bomber flew back to the U.S. Guam Anderson Air Force Base .

A number of U.S. Senators, including Cory Gardner, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific group of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee,Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, John Cornyn, James Inhofe, Mitt Romney, Ted Cruz, etc signed a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) Secretary-General Tan Desai, urging WHO to invite Taiwan to become an observer, and asking WHO to provide Taiwan with the information and assistance needed to respond to the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic.

The U.S. Treasury Departmen on January 31, deleted the COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co. from its sanctions list, but continues to blacklist the second unit - COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Seaman & Ship Management Co Ltd.of COSCO.

CHINA-US: US SECRETARY OF STATE POMPEO IN DISCUSSIONS WITH BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY DOMINIC RAAB POINTS TO CCP AS THREAT
US Secretary of State Pompeo, during discussions on the special relationship between the US and UK, stated that 'the Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our times. It is an enormous economy to which the American economy is deeply tied. There is huge opportunity for us to do really great, creative, innovative business work between our two countries. But the Chinese Communist Party, under President Xi, has made clear that they have an agenda that is not always consistent with the very values that Dominic and I have been speaking about this morning'.

On January 30, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said the coronavirus outbreak in China, which has killed more than 100 people and sickened thousands there, will help bring jobs back to the U.S. He said “The fact is, it does give businesses yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain. On top of all the other things, because you had SARS, you had the African Swine virus there, now you have this.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported (January 27) that, based on data from 2015 to 2017, China is the world’s second-biggest arms producer, behind the United States and ahead of Russia. It added that four Chinese companies had combined estimated arms sales of $54.1 billion for 2017, which would put them among the top 20 arms producers in the world. It said “Three of the companies would be ranked in the top 10”. Total U.S. arms sales in 2017 were $226.6 billion, and in Russia, $37.7 billion, according to the think tank’s Top 100 list for that year. Aircraft and avionics group Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) would rank as the sixth-largest arms producer, with estimated 2017 sales of $20.1 billion.

Xi Jinping has not figured on the front pages of the People's Daily since the 29th January and neither has he been seen on the state-owned CCTV telecasts.

The WHO declared a global health emergency on January 31, while the US promptly issued a travel advisory advising against unnecessary travel to China and suspended entry of foreign nationals returning from the center of the outbreak in China to be quarantined for two weeks.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council , was quoted by PLA Daily on January 16, as saying that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan secessionist forces have provoked a growing sentiment in the Chinese mainland of reunifying with the island of Taiwan by military force, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said on Wednesday.

Dr. Charles M. Lieber, the chair of Harvard’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, was charged on January 28, with making false statements about money he had received from a Chinese government-run program ( the Ten Thousand Talents Programme), as part of a broad-ranging F.B.I. effort to root out theft of biomedical research from American laboratories.

The US House of Representatives on January 28, 2020, voted overwhelmingly to approve a bill bolstering Washington’s support for human rights and environmental protection in Tibet. The Bill introduced and voted upon as a stand-alone piece of legislation, passed 392 to 22 and serves as an amendment to the Tibet Policy Act of 2002.

The State Council General Office has extended the holidays for schools and universities till February 2, because of the Coronavirus.

The U.S. State Department on January 22, appointed Mark Lambert as a new special envoy with a mandate to stall China’s growing influence at the United Nations and other international organizations. His mandate includes countering the BRI.

Fang Xiaozhi, a researcher at the BRI Institute of Strategy and International Security, Fudan University, wrote in the PLA Daily (January 21) that India 'has adopted the most conservative plan in all its anti- missile tests -- only intercepting a target whose launching spot, flying velocity and direction, altitude or ballistic parameters are all known and there is no actively maneuvering and changing trajectory. This testing approach of “hitting a fixed target” doesn’t comply with real combat situation, nor can it truly test the anti-missile system’s stability and reliability, so the testing results are hardly reliable. Besides, India heavily relies on developed countries for ballistic missile defense technology, and many parts of its homemade missile defense system use foreign technologies, which has seriously restricted the system’s combat capability.' He concluded that 'New Delhi has a long way to go before it can establish a truly effective ballistic missile defense system and fully exert its real combat force.'

An FATF meeting was held in Beijing this week. Indication is that Pakistan could be getting off the graylist. Pakistan's News International reports that the FATF was “showed satisfaction over

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to travel to Pakistan around May or June this year. The NDRC has asked Pakistan to convene the 10th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting under

The Global Times reported (January 20) that China had indigenously developed the world's first large, three-engine utility drone which recently made its first flight and can be used in transport and attack missions.

PLARF Major General Xue Jinfeng wrote in the PLA Daily (January 22) about the military training and sharpening of the battlefield in the background of Xi Jinping’s directive at the beginning of the year to train more and in harsh conditions.

China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) released a new Outline to strengthen the military at the primary level. The Outline, approved by Chinese President Xi Jinping, will take effect from February 1.

China's Administration of Food and Commodity Reserves announced (January 25, 2020) on its web site that the State Secrets bureau had awarded the Grain Reserve Bureau for its "secrecy work" in January 2019. The award given in January 2019 is a recognition of the bureau's work in maintaining secrecy that is given out only once every five years. The reserves administration is responsible for overseeing the procurement, storage and distribution of government grain and cotton reserves.

Reuters reported (January 22) that about two-thirds of China’s provinces, regions and municipalities have cut their 2020 growth targets from last year, despite easing trade tensions with the United States.

By midnight of January 25, Hubei Province had reported nearly 700 cases of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus infection; 31 patients have been discharged from the hospital; and 24 have died. At present, 494 patients are still being treated in the hospital.

The CCP CC Politburo Standing Committee met on January 25, on the prevention and control of the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus. CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping chaired the meeting. The meeting decided to set up a CCP Central Committee Leading Group to oversee the work.

A 20-year-old University of Minnesota student, Luo Daiqing, was arrested in in July 2019 in Wuhan, China and sentenced to six months in prison for tweets he posted while in the United States, according to an official Chinese court document dated November 5, 2019. Some of the tweets contained images deemed to be unflattering portrayals of a "national leader."

China News reported (January 17) that, according to newly released data of the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, Mainland China’s total population exceeded 1.4 billion in 2019.

Mao Weiming (毛伟明) was appointed Chairman of State Grid Corporation of China and Secretary of its Party group. Born in May 1961, Mao Weiming is Alternate Member of the 19th CCP CC.

Reuters reported quoting Taiwan's Ministry of Defence that People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force aircraft, including H-6 bombers and KJ-500 early warning and control aircraft, passed through the narrow Bashi Channel to the south of Taiwan on a long-range exercise on January 23.

On January 15, 2020, China’s Ministry of Education released the “Opinion on the Pilot Work of Basic Subject Enrollment Reform in Some Universities,”

The Discipline Inspection Commission of the Central Military Commission (CMC) convened in Beijing to discuss “resolutely implementing the requirement of comprehensively governing the Party strictly” and “providing a strong guarantee for advancing the cause of a strong army in the new era.”

The 4th Plenary session of the 19th CCP CC was held in Beijing from January 13 - 15, 2020 and presided over by CCP CC General Secretary and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

By 10.00pm on the 23rd January evening, China had confirmed 639 cases of coronavirus while the official death toll rose to 18. All recorded deaths were in Hubei, where there were 444 confirmed cases.

The Xinhua News Agency reported on January 16, that Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting of the Political Bureau to review the "Report on the Work of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central People's Congress Listening to and Studying the Work of the National People's Congress Standing Committee,

China's central People's Bank of China (PBoC) in an official statement on January 16, on the section of the phase one trade deal covering financial services stated, inter alia, that “[We want to] broaden market access for financial services…which is consistent with many opening measures introduced in China in the past two years.”

A firm of financial analysts assessed the US-China Trade Deal concluded on January 15 as follows: We are still in a trade war. Tariffs remain levied on hundreds of billions of USD worth of goods.

The South China Morning Post on December 14, scooped the terms of the long-awaited phase one trade deal between the US and China. According to several US sources, China will agree to purchase an additional USD 200 billion of American goods per year, including: USD 75 billion of manufactured goods; USD 50 billion worth of energy; USD 40 billion of agricultural goods; and USD 35-40 billion worth of services.

Global Times reported (January 16) that starting 2020 onwards China will increase the frequency of its military recruitment and retirement to twice a year, to maintain a smooth flow of troops, the military's high vigilance and to better train new recruits.

State-owned China Central Television (CCTV) disclosed (January 15) that the PLA Rocket Force conducted a nuclear attack survival exercise where troops in an underground missile facility had to endure extreme conditions and make sure they could still launch nuclear counterattacks.

China and Pakistan are holding their first nine-day (January 6-14) naval exercises featuring anti-submarine and submarine rescue training in the Arabian Sea titled “Sea Guardians 2020”. Chinese media reports state that PLA Southern Theater Command Navy troops are participating in the drills.

India's Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh travelled to China on a 5-day official (January 7-12) visit to China when he met the Commander of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) ground forces, General Han Weiguo.

The state-affiliated social media account Taoran Notes published (January 13) an op-ed commenting on the expected signing of phase one of the US-China Trade Deal by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on January 15.

A 6-member American delegation including Matthew Pottinger, the Deputy National Security Advisor, Robert Blair, Special Representative on International Telecommunications Policy, and Dr Christopher Ford, Assistant Secretary of State met senior British ministers on January 13, with discussions focusing on 5G.

China has 166 million seniors aged 65 and above, and 25% of the population is expected to be over 60 by 2030.

China's Vice Minister of Natural Resources Yao Huajun, said at a press briefing in Beijing on January 9 that effective May 1, all companies registered in China with net assets of 300 million yuan ($43 million), no matter whether domestically or foreign funded, will be allowed to apply for licenses to conduct oil and gas exploration and production.

China's official news agency Xinhua on January 11 reported DPP leader Tsai Ing-wen's victory in Taiwan's national elections, results of which came in on January 11 night, where Taiwan President secured an unprecedented win of nearly a million votes over her next rival.

CHINA-TAIWAN: FUDAN UNIVERSITY'S FORECAST POSTED ON OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF TSAI ING-WEN'S ELECTION VICTORY IN TAIWAN TAKEN DOWN
A study by China's Fudan University forecasting a decisive win for President Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan’s election on Saturday was been deleted from its website, hours after it was released.

China’s 79th army started its wartime political drills with newer equipment and weapons from January 1. PLA Daily said the leaders realised that the existing wartime political work equipment was of a single and relatively old type incapable of matching the pace of information warfare and they took the initiative to upgrade some existing equipment and innovate tactics.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported (January 12) that a commissioning ceremony for the domestically developed Type-055 destroyer Nanchang, was held on January 12, at Qingdao naval port, Shandong Province.

Rising financial star Zhang Xin has been appointed a new vice governor of Guangdong province. Zhang Xin has a PhD in Economics from Colombia Business School; in 1997-2001, Zhang Xin worked as a senior economist at the World Bank; in 2001, he returned to China to work at the China Securities Regulatory Commission; in 2004, he was promoted to People’s Bank of China (PBoC) where he worked until 2017; for the past three years, he was Vice Director of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

China Defence News Network publicised (January 1, 2020) that of national defense and the army will have been basically realised by 2020 and major progress will be made in informationization.

China's official Global Times reacted swiftly to the U.S. drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad and said (January 5) that it has raised concerns from Chinese netizens of drones being an increasingly dangerous instrument of war that could one day threaten China.

The official Global Times (January 6) reported that the PLA Tibet Military Command has begun major military exercises in the New Year in the high-altitude Tibet region bordering India.

South China Morning Post reported (December 25) that about 30 carrier-based fighter jet pilots were present on December 24 when Chinese President Xi Jinping commissioned the Shandong in Sanya, Hainan province, according to footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV.

The Global Times (January 1, 2020) reported that the latest upgraded version of the JF-17 Thunderbird co-produced by China and Pakistan completed its maiden flight last week.

The South China Morning Post quoted (December 25, 2019) that China’s state-owned CCTV as releasing a video on Christmas Eve of Hong Kong’s PLA garrison conducting live-fire sea drills in the South China Sea.

On January 4, the Chinese government announced that Luo Huining, born in October 1954, will be taking over as head of the Liaison Office in Hong Kong replacing Wang Zhimin.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is scheduled to visit Washington, US from January 13-16, 2020. Separately, US President Trump tweeted on December 31, that the US-China trade deal would be signed in Washington on January 15 by “high level representatives of China”.

The Pakistan Navy (PN) and PLAN Bilateral Exercise, code-named Sea Guardians-2020, kicked off at the Pakistan Navy Dock Yard in Karachi, Pakistan on January 6 morning.

The Czech Republic’s richest man Petr Kellner, owner of a domestic loans company 'Home Credit' is reported to be at the centre of a suspected foreign influence campaign by the Chinese government after one of his businesses financed an attempt to boost China’s image in the central European country.

Taiwan will hold its national elections on January 11, 2020 at a time when public sentiment is anti-China resulting in a boost to incumbent Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's chances of victory.

Reuters reported (January 6, 2020) that the U.S. government imposed new restrictions on exports of American-made Artificial Intelligence software.

Nikkei asia reported (January 4, 2020) that China's authoritative, official news agency Xinhua launched its Urdu service in Pakistan to promote cooperation with local media, ostensibly to counter criticism against the major projects under the BRI in the country, known as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

A China-built J-7P fighter jet in the Pakistan Air Force crashed in Mianwali on January 7, 2020 killing a Squadron Leader and Flying Officer.

On January 7, 2020, Jiangnan Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, built 4 new generation utra-large 84000 cubic meters of (ultra-large liquefied petroleum gas ship) VLGC for Singapore-based LPG trader PETREDEC HOLDINGS (EASTERN) PTE. The series ship is officially named.

Xinhua (January 2, 2020) published a commentary on the visa issues Chinese students face in the U.S. The commentary disclosed statistics showing that the U.S. issued a total of 78,100 student visas in fiscal year 2018.

The South China Morning Post quoted Chinese military sources (January 4, 2020) as saying that China has accelerated development of its most advanced submarine-launched nuclear missile, a weapon capable of striking the US mainland.

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported (December 31) that China saw its lowest level of overseas acquisitions in 2019, with a total value of US$41 billion.

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said that a directive issued on December 31, 2019 by the Lhasa Chengguan Haicheng Elementary School contained 7-point guidelines on winter break school tasks and projects, healthcare and forbidden behaviour, including religious activities.

People's Daily on December 22 quoted China’s official news agency Xinhua to report that the completion ceremony for Kenya’s “10,000 Villages Connected” project was held at the Kinyanjui Primary School in Nairobi, Kenya, on December 20, 2019. The “10,000 Villages Connected” project is an African aid project that China launched in 2019. The plan was to install satellite receiving antennas, set-top boxes, digital televisions, projection televisions, solar systems, and other facilities in 800 villages in 47 counties in Kenya.

A UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter purchased by Taiwan from the United States in 2010 and carrying 13 people crashed in a mountainous region in the northern part of the island on January 2 morning.

On the evening of December 31, 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a congratulatory message for the New Year 2020, where he referred to many topics such as poverty alleviation, the situation in Hong Kong, and the Sino-US trade war.

The Epoch Times reported (December 14, 2019) that "a person" has been instrumental in helping some top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials and their families move their money out of China. It said he remains low-key, rarely interacting with Chinese and hiding behind those transactions, so very few people know about him.

Xinhua (November 26) and Radio France Internationale (Dcember 23) reported that the Ethnic Group and Religion Committee of the Chinese National People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) recently had a discussion forum on religion.

Bloomberg reported (December 31) that China’s bureaucracy is undergoing a rare large-scale regional reshuffle with new appointments and job swaps offering hints of potential future leaders being groomed by Beijing. It said at least 32 new mayoral-level officials have been appointed since December 21, with 29 of them being relocated to a new province for the first time. The other three are being moved for just the second time.

Sina.com on December 8 published economic data posted on the Internet by Tuozhanlaogou (拓展老狗, WeChat account name) which has been widely disseminated across the internet in China. Using data and charts, the author explained that China’s economy is at its most difficult time.

China's state-owned CCTV disclosed on December 31 that a group of medical experts had arrived in the city of Wuhan on December 31 morning to investigate a suspected outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

The official newspaper Global Times (December 30) reported that Huawei founder and ex-PLA Engineer Ren Zhengfei and his daughter Meng Wanzhou, who is also Huawei's Chief Financial Officer, stepped down from their positions on the Board of Huawei. Meng Wanzhou has quit her position as a member of the board of directors of Hangzhou Huawei Enterprises Communications Technologies Co, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shenzhen-based Huawei Tech Investment Co, data from corporate information search platform Tianyancha showed.

Global Times claimed (December 31) that Huawei's rotating chairman Xu Zhijun had said the overall 2019 revenue of Huawei Technologies is expected to reach 850 billion yuan (US$ 121.72 billion), surging by 18 percent year-on-year, but lower than its earlier projection amid the US government's crackdown on China's largest smartphone and telecom manufacturer.

CHINA-JAPAN: JAPAN PRESSURES EL SALVADOR AGAINST ALLOWING CHINESE COMPANY TO GET OPERATING RIGHTS AT PORT
Japan Times reported (December 31) that the Japanese government prevented a Chinese corporation from getting operating rights at a port in El Salvador to be built with a concessional loan from Tokyo. Citing diplomatic sources it said Japan warned of withdrawing its plan to provide ¥11.2 billion (US$ 102 million) in official development assistance after Washington took issue with the Chinese company’s interest in the project and pressured the El Salvadoran government into suspending a tender. Japanese Prime Minister Abe cautioned El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele over China’s intentions when he visited Tokyo last month, citing U.S. concerns about Beijing’s potential attempt to use ports in Latin America for military purposes.

Hongkong's South China Morning Post reported (December 15) that Chinese President Xi Jinping had the previous week promoted more than 170 senior military officers as part of an ongoing reform of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The South China Morning Post also reported (December 15) that large scale promotions have taken place in China's People's Armed Police Force (PAPF).

The first annual conference for optimising the PLA Military training bases and Simulated Blue Forces (mock enemy armies) was held in Sanya, Hainan Province. Over one hundred officers-in-charge and experts related to military training gathered in a Naval Joint Training Base to talk about the macro-design on the building of Chinese military training bases.

Discussing that expressways could be used as back-up runways for China's latest four and half generation J-20 'stealth' fighter, China's military media (December 9) cited precedents and asserted that more than 10 such special runways have been built nationwide since the Ninth Five Year Plan. China's total highway mileage has exceeded 4 million kilometers, of which more than 150,000 kilometers are expressways. In the event of an attack on a military airfield making it impossible to operate, China's 100, 000 kilometers of highways would be another runway for fighter jets to take off.

The PLA Daily said (December 18) that induction of the first China-made aircraft carrier Shandong (Hull 17) to the PLA Navy on December 17, 2019, marked 5 breakthroughs. It listed these as, briefly: (i) it was independently designed by China, which realizes the historic leap from renovation to self-development of aircraft carriers and is a major milestone in China's warship construction history.

Senior Bangladeshi Navy officials received two second generation Chinese Type-053H3 frigates, Jiaxing (Hull 521) and Lianyungang (Hull 522), in Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard on December 18.

The People's Daily front-paged (December 20) a report that Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Trump spoke on the telephone on December 20 after the first phase trade agreement negotiations concluded.

Bloomberg reported (December 20) that Hong Kong’s police arrested four people for suspected money laundering linked to ongoing pro- democracy protests and and froze money from a fund that’s raised millions to help support the demonstrations.

A Bloomberg (December 20) report said after examination of hundreds of Hong Kong Land Registry documents, it found that China's Liaison Office owns properties in more than 20 buildings across the city, with an estimated value of more than $1.5 billion. It described the figure as conservative.

Asia Nikkei reported on December 20 that Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec accused China of illegally copying a broad range of Russian weaponry and other military hardware.

Sweden’s former Ambassador to China was on December 9, formally indicted with arbitrariness during negotiations with a foreign power.

Reuters reported (December 7) that U.S. President Donald Trump on December 6 called for the World Bank to stop loaning money to China.

Chinese investors invested U.S.$ 1.4 billion into U.S. commercial real estate in the 12 months through September, a 76% plunge from a year earlier, according to a report from Real Capital Analytics.

The Hongkong Free Press reported (December 5) that the capital of the Czech Republic will sign a sister city agreement with Taipei in January 2020 after previously breaking off its relationship with Beijing, its Mayor Zdenek Hrib said.

An article in the South China Morning Post by Wang Xiangwei, a former Editor-in-Chief and currently Beijing-based Adviser to the newspaper, reported that latest data from Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior revealed that approx. 4,352 Hongkongers received residency approvals in the first 10 months of 2019, up 20.6 per cent from the same period last year.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) said that the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Robert Grieves, and the President, Tara Joseph, were denied entry to Macau.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government at 9.15 pm on December 6 "expressed deep regret over the spreading of untrue claims overseas in recent days by several members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and political figures who urged foreign governments or legislatures to interfere with the affairs of the HKSAR".

The South China Morning Post reported (December 8) that Hongkong police conducted city-wide raids in the early hours of the morning and seized weapons including a new Glock semi-automatic pistol ahead of a planned anti-government march that day. 11 persons between the ages of 16 and 63 were arrested.

A 3-year-old state-backed memory-chip maker signed two deals with a Canadian patent-licensing company that will give China access to the technology it needs to produce the widely used chips domestically.

The Belgian media reported that the Belgian Trade Delegation, which visited Beijing and Shanghai from November 17 to 22, experienced severe cyberattacks that were as high as 135 times per hour, while visiting Beijing.

The Financial Times reported (December 9) that an internal Party directive issued earlier this year ordered all Party-State institutions to remove all foreign computer equipment and software in the next three years.

On December 5, China's official The Paper reported that the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) is ramping up its work on the National Medium- to Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan (2021-2035) to specify China’s scientific and technological development priorities until 2035.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a Politburo meeting in Beijing on December 6, to analyse and study the economic work for 2020 and make plans for improving conduct and building integrity as well as fighting corruption.

People’s Daily reported on December 2 that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a ban on U.S. military vessels and aircraft.

Hongkong Police on December 9 night said they recovered and defused two home-made bombs near the Wah Yan College, a Jesuit high school, in Wan Chai.

The People’s Daily published a seven-part series of commentator articles condemning the United States for signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (HKHRDA) into law on November 27.

The PRC's State Council Information Office held a press conference on December 9, with senior officials from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region to discuss Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism re-education camps.

In its Report of December 2019, the Centre for Security and Emerging Technologies estimated China's R&D spending on AI. Acknowledging that these were estimates based on 2018 data, it estimated China's spending on AI under civilian S&T as between approx. US$ 90 million and US$ 2 billion. It estimated military spending on AI-related R&D at US$ 2.7 billion.

BBC Chinese reported (December 6) that starting in December, whenever the Chinese people had to register their new mobile phone numbers, they also had to undergo facial scanning.

In an approx. 2900-word sharply worded article posted on her public Wechat account on October 31, 2019, Tsinghua University Professor Lao Dongyan (劳东燕) expressed her worries about facial recognition technology. She called for stricter regulations on facial recognition.

State Ethnic Affairs Commission Director and United Front Department Deputy Head Bagatur, published an article in Qiushi (No. 2019/23 dated December 1, 2019) about Xi Jinping’s speech in late September at a national meeting that honoured national role models for ethnic unity and progress in Beijing.

On November 28, Guo Shengkun, head of the CCP's Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC), published an article in People’s Daily calling for the firm defense of “national political security,” which is “the lifeline of the Party’s and the nation’s security, and an unshakable bottom line.”

The People’s Daily published (December 5) a commentary under the Zhong Zuwen (仲祖文) byline, which is used to convey the views of the Central Organization Department, to summarize the “Outline of the 2019-2023 National Party and Government Leadership Body Construction Plan”, which was recently published by the CCP Central Committee General Office.

Xinhua (December 9) reported that Xi Jinping had made important comments on retired military cadre work at a teleconference on the subject.

The PLA Daily reported (December 12) that the second round of training for military discipline inspection and supervision cadres on two party regulations regarding discipline inspection and law enforcement work had begun.

The Central Economic Work Conference was held from 10 to 12 December in Beijing. Xi Jinping attended the conference and offered a summary of the economic work in 2019 and an analysis of both the current economic situation and future economic activity in 2020. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang discussed the specifics of next year’s work on the economy.

Students at the prestigious Fudan University in Shanghai are outraged after “freedom of thought” was removed as a core value from its charter.

Authorities in China’s Gansu province have, according to a report (December 10) issued by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), detained three Tibetans, including a painter of traditional religious art, apparently for sharing politically sensitive information on the social-media messaging platform WeChat.

Jewher Ilham, daughter of jailed Uighur intellectual Ilham Tohti, received the European Parliament’s top Sakharov Prize prize on his behalf on December 18, saying she did not even know if he was still alive. She hoped the award of the Sakharov Prize would help her father, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for “separatism”.

Speaking at the Doha Forum on December16, Japan's Defence Minister Taro Kono said Japan “is also concerned about China’s rapid enhancement of its military power without transparency, including its nuclear and missile capabilities.”

The Confucius Institute will close in January of 2020, according to an email distributed December 16 night to faculty and staff from University of Kansas interim Provost Carl Lejuez.

The People’s Daily published (December 5) a commentary under the Zhong Zuwen (仲祖文) byline, which is used to convey the views of the Central Organization Department, to summarize the “Outline of the 2019-2023 National Party and Government Leadership Body Construction Plan”, which was recently published by the CCP Central Committee General Office.

CHINA-SECURITY: HEAD OF CHINA'S POLITICAL AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION ASKS PEOPLE TO 'STRENGTHEN DEFENCE LINE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY'
On November 28, Guo Shengkun, head of the CCP's Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC), published an article in People’s Daily calling for the firm defense of “national political security,” which is “the lifeline of the Party’s and the nation’s security, and an unshakable bottom line.”

State Ethnic Affairs Commission Director and United Front Department Deputy Head Bagatur, published an article in Qiushi (No. 2019/23 dated December 1, 2019) about Xi Jinping’s speech in late September at a national meeting that honoured national role models for ethnic unity and progress in Beijing. The article generally reiterated the main talking points of the speech.

BBC Chinese reported (December 6) that starting in December, whenever the Chinese people had to register their new mobile phone numbers, they also had to undergo facial scanning. However, a survey showed that Chinese respondents were very concerned about the security of facial recognition.

In its Report of December 2019, the Centre for Security and Emerging Technologies estimated China's R&D spending on AI. Acknowledging that these were estimates based on 2018 data, it estimated China's spending on AI under civilian S&T as between approx. US$ 90 million and US$ 2 billion. It estimated military spending on AI-related R&D at US$ 2.7 billion.

CHINA-XINJIANG: XINJIANG OFFICIALS SAY REGION'S ANTI-TERRORISM EFFORTS SUCCESSFUL AND 'RE-EDUCATION' CAMPS WILL BE USED FOR OTHER PURPOSES
The PRC's State Council Information Office held a press conference on December 9, with senior officials from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region to discuss Xinjiang’s anti-terrorism re-education camps.

The People’s Daily published a seven-part series of commentator articles condemning the United States for signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (HKHRDA) into law on November 27.

Hongkong Police on December 9 night said they recovered and defused two home-made bombs near the Wah Yan College, a Jesuit high school, in Wan Chai. Officers said the "bombs" were complete and ready to be used.

People’s Daily reported on December 2 that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a ban on U.S. military vessels and aircraft.

Xinhua reported on December 4, that the General Office of the Party Central Committee has issued an outline of the 2019-2023 national plan for the construction of leadership groups in Party and state organs.

In an unusual report the South China Morning Post (December 4) quoted a source and publicised that the measures targeting Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang have triggered “widespread discontent among Han Chinese officials and citizens”.

At a ceremony in Beijing on November 29, the Communication University of China formally announced the creation of the “Institute for a Community with Shared Future” — a new think tank paying homage to Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy concept.

Radio free Asia reported on December 4, that the Chief Economist of China’s Essence Securities, Gao Shanwen, delivered a speech at an internal annual strategy meeting on November 27, when he predicted that China’s economic slowdown will last several years and that the average annual economic growth between 2020 and 2030 will stay below five percent.

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported (November 27) that, based on the data that the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics just released, China’s large-scale (officially classified as “Above Designated Size”) industrial companies’ total profits declined by 9.9 percent, year-over-year.

China's financial news service Caixin reported (December 3) that the Deputy Governor of Jiangsu Province is to be appointed President of the Bank of China Ltd. The post has been vacant for nearly 18 months.

On November 21, the Guangzhou Lawyers Association convened a meeting of all law firm directors and disseminated the following orders issued “from higher authorities.”

Guancha.cn said that, with immediate effect, U.S. diplomats based in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and Wuhan should notify the foreign ministry five working days before any meetings with local government officials and educational and research institutes. The instructions were issued on December 5.

The Associated Press (AP) reported (December 5) that an investigation into the trafficking of more than 600 Pakistani girls and women, who were sold as brides to Chinese men and taken to China in the space of 18 months, was halted over fears it would harm ties with Beijing.

Xinhua reported (December 2) that the 8,000 km Power of Siberia gas pipeline linking Russia and China began operation.

The China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) announced (June 19) that China has finished building the outer safety dome at its first overseas “Hualong One” nuclear reactor in Pakistan, with the project scheduled to be finished by the end of 2020.

In a sharp criticism of the US "Uyghur human rights act" passed by the US House of Representatives on November 4, the Commissioner of Counter-Terrorism commissioner of China's Ministry of Public Security, Liu Yuejin "slammed it for wantonly smearing Chinese policies and counter-terrorism measures as well as misrepresenting the human rights situation in Xinjiang".

Referring to an an article titled "India, China spar over legacy of Tibetan medicinal system" by the Press Trust of India (PTI) on November 24, the Global Times said (November 27) an anonymous Indian official said that "India has approached UNESCO, seeking the enlisting of the Sowa Rigpa as its intangible cultural heritage."

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on December 2, that China would suspend reviewing applications for US warships and aircraft to make port calls in Hong Kong and will impose sanctions on five NGOs, including the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and Human Rights Watch.

A November 26 editorial in the Huanqiu (Global Times) attributed the results of the November 24 Hong Kong District Council election to the influence of Western countries. It said “In the past week, some Western forces have worked at full steam to assist the Hong Kong opposition in the District Council elections.

Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily reported on November 16, 2019, that Special Forces of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have shown up in Hong Kong.

Xinhua (June 8) reported that the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has been tasked with setting up a list system which will “more effectively forestall and defuse national security risks.”

China's Governor of the People's Bank of China Yi Gang published a lengthy 4365-word article on monetary policy in the Party’s most important theoretical journal on December 1.

Reuters reported (December 4) that Chinese diplomats have been instructed to promote Beijing's view more aggressively in the backdrop of the trade war with the United States, anti-government protests in Hong Kong and other crises that could dent its image.

On December 3, National People's Congress (NPC) Chairman Li Zhanshu spoke at a symposium commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Basic Law of Macau where he said “National identity has a broad and deep foundation in Macau society” and, more importantly ,that“The chief executive and key government officials, as well as the principals of the legislature and the judiciary are all patriots.”

Lou Yangsheng has taken over as Party Secretary of Shanxi Province from Luo Huining, who stepped down due to reaching retirement age.

The Chinese Edition of Deutsche Welle reported ton November 29, that Deutsche Telekom’s management had decided to discontinue the use of Huawei products.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng on November 28 summoned U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad to lodge 'stern representations and strong protest' against the United States signing of the so-called Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 into law.

Separately, 'Southern Daily' confirmed that a Taiwanese man, Lee Meng-Chu, was also arrested by police in Shenzhen city on October 31, for allegedly stealing state secrets for foreign forces after he made a trip to Hong Kong in August to support "anti-China" activities.

The official Guangdong Communist Party newspaper 'Southern Daily' reported on November 30, that China has arrested Lee Henley Hu Xiang, a Belizean businessman who lives in China, for allegedly colluding with people in the United States to meddle in the affairs of Hong Kong.

China’s Caixin.com reported on November 22 that an emergency response group of the provincial government of Inner Mongolia in northern China issued a “Work Plan for a Firewall for Exiting Inner Mongolia and entering Beijing” to prevent the spread of the plague.

Chinese military analysts were quoted by Global Times on November 28 as saying the development of four or more aircraft carriers is only natural in order to satisfy China's burgeoning national security needs.

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, reported on November 17, 2019 that China’s first fully domestically made aircraft carrier led a fleet to enter the Taiwan Strait.

The Guardian reported (November 30) that hundreds of residents in Wenlou, a township in Guangdong province about 60 miles from Hong Kong, protested on November 29 against plans for a large crematorium in an area that officials had previously said would become an “ecological park”.

The Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on November 15, 2019 claimed that between November 11th and the 14th, the '25th Beijing TV Program Market & Exhibition', which was previously the Capital TV Program Promotion Fair, was held at the Beijing Convention Center.

Radio France International disclosed on November 22, 2019, that New York University Shanghai has disclosed that since 2018, its students of Chinese citizenship have been forced to take a “civic education” course which covers the history of the Communist Party and China’s socialist path.

Xinhua (November 12) publicised the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and the State Council's new guidelines titled, “Outline for Promoting Patriotic Education for the New Era”.

On Wednesday, the big man Delivering the opening address for a training session at the PLA National Defense University in Beijing on November 27, Chinese President and CMC Chairman Xi Jinping called for a new type of military talent, possessed of both unimpeachable moral rectitude and impeccable professional ability.

A Japanese government source said on November 27 that a Japanese man in his 50s has been detained since July in Changsha, Hunan province with access to consular services possibly for alleged spying.

The elections over the weekend of November 23-24, 2019, saw a record voter turnout of over 71 per cent of eligible voters (2.94 million voted out of 4 million registered voters) who ensured that pro-Beijing candidates won just 58 seats compared to the 300 they previously held.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on November 25, chaired a meeting of the State Council to discuss China’s 14th Five Year Plan (FYP), which will run from 2021 to 2025.

The 2019 China Financial Stability Report published on November 25 by the People's Bank of China (PBoC) reported that China’s banking sector is showing signs of strain, with more than 13% of 4,379 lenders now considered “high risk”.

Reports indicate that Inner Mongolia's emergency management authority is trying to prevent the further spread of pneumonic plague, including by establishing a “firewall” for those leaving the region, after reports earlier this month of two pneumonic cases and a bubonic plague case originating in the region sparked panic.

According to information given by Dharamshala-based Kirti Jhepa Monastery's monks Lobsang Yeshi and Kanyag Tsering, a Tibetan youth named Yonten died after committing self immolation in Ngaba town situated in Ngaba county in TAR’s Amdo region, Sichuan Province on November 27, 2019.

The 3-day 14th Tibetan Religious Conference that commenced in Dharamsala on November 27, on its opening day declared "The authority of decision concerning the way and manner in which the next reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama should appear solely rests with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama himself."

Newly revealed, confidential documents have revealed that 61-year old Zhu Hailun, as head of the CCP's powerful Political and Legal Affairs Commission in the Xinjiang region in 2017, played a key role in planning and executing a campaign that has incarcerated a million or more Uighurs into detention camps.

Hong Kong residents turned out in unprecedented numbers, with more than 1.5 million people at polling booths exceeding the total ballots cast in the 2015 elections, for local elections that many in the city are treating as a proxy referendum on months of anti-government protests.

In a statement issued on November 19, 2019, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed "deepening concern" at the situation in Hongkong and "increasing violence by groups of young people engaging in the protests who are clearly very angry, with deep-seated grievances".

Federal prosecutors filed fraud charges against seven current and former employers of the New York-based Aventura Technologies in early November.

Bloomberg reported on November 22, that Huawei Technologies Co. is suing critics in France who alleged it has ties to the Chinese state.

A report released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in November states that more than 73 cities in 52 countries around the world have entered into “safe city” agreements with Huawei.

Addressing a gathering of executives and researchers from Japan's top companies and universities at a luxury hotel in Tokyo on November 21, Huawei Technologies Chairman Liang Hua spoke of technology and collaboration.

The Argentine Agriculture Ministry in Buenos Aires stated on November 21 that it had sent its first shipment of 26 tons of chilled pork cuts to China.

Xinhua (November 5) publicised Xi Jinping’s explanation of the Fourth Plenum Decisions released by the Party. The 4th Plenum decisions went through an exhaustive process.

54-year old Ren Xuefeng, Deputy Party Secretary of the centrally controlled Chongqing Municipality, died on October 31, the last day of at the 4th plenary meeting of the CCP CC, by jumping from Jingxi Hotel in Beijing.

Xinhua carried (October 27) the full text of the report by the CCP Central Committee and State Council aimed at enhancing China’s public morality and establishing guidelines specifying what constitutes good citizenship in the eyes of the Communist Party.

Xinhua reported (October 27) that CPPCC Chairman and PBSC member Wang Yang inspected Zhejiang province to meet local cadres on October 26 and 27.

Key central appointments were announced during the past week

Pakistan's 'Dawn' reported on November 6, that Pakistan had on November 5, asked China to finance the US$ 9 billion Main Railway Line (ML-1) and other road and infrastructure projects to expand the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Euronews-1 reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping has spent a lot of time with French President Emmanuel Macron over the past 24 hours.

In wide-ranging interview with The Wall Street Journal (November 6), Huawei’s 75-year-old founder, Ren Zhengfei, struck a defiant tone on the Trump administration’s recent moves against the company, while also praising the U.S.’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Addressing PLAAF personnel on November 8, at the China Aviation Museum on the outskirts of Beijing on the occasion of the the Air Force’s 70th anniversary, Chinese President Xi Jinping was quoted by the state-owned CGTN saying"We must…strive to build the People's Air Force into a world-class air force."

Xinhua reported that the CCP Central Committee and the PRC State Council published an outline for implementing "patriotic education." It declared “The essence of patriotism is to adhere to the high unity of patriotism, love for the Party, and love for socialism.”

On Tuesday, Premier Li Keqiang, along with other top officials, sat down with economists and businessmen to discuss the economy.

Chairing the third meeting of the State Council Leading Group on State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) Reform on November 12, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He praised officials for the improvements made in recent years. Liu He tasked policymakers with drafting a three-year action plan for SOE reform with “clear targets, timelines, and road maps.”

China's financial news service Caixin reported (November 9) that China’s foreign exchange reserves rebounded to US$ 3.11 trillion in October, rising by 0.4% from US$ 3.09 trillion the previous month, according to official data.

Following her 12th visit to China in September 2019, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated that Germany would consider Huawei's 5G for its network.

Various signs indicate that the Hong Kong government could go ahead with a large-scale crackdown on the anti-extradition bill protests as early as this evening (November 13, 2019, Hong Kong time).

Science and Technology Daily also quoted Zhang Yulin, former chief of the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO), as saying that Beijing plans to launch a Mars exploration mission in 2020 and a Mars landing in 2021.

The official newspaper of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Science and Technology Daily, quoted Bao Weimin, Director of the Science and Technology Commission of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), as saying China is considering the development of an economy outside of the Earth’s perimeter and is planning to establish an Earth-Moon economic zone by 2050.

According to a report (November 4) from mainland Chinese media China Business Network, China State Railway Group Company, Ltd. (China Railway, CR) for the first time announced the profitability of its subsidiaries.

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that an individual named Deeran Kumar submitted a petition on Change.org asking the government of the United Kingdom to revoke the citizenship of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s husband and her two sons.

On November 9, 2019, Zhang Xiaoming, Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council, the official agency coordinating Beijing’s ties with Hong Kong, published an article entitled, “Adhering to and improving the ‘one country, two systems,'” in a way to interpret the decision out of the recently concluded Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

Six prominent Chinese-language newspapers in Hong Kong on November 13, ran the same ad on their front page calling for people to “oppose rioting,” a day after intense clashes between protesters and police at a university campus.

The Apple Daily reported (November 14) that Taiwanese students are being helped by their government to return to Taiwan.

Xinhua reported (October 28) that the CCP 19th Central Committee’s Fourth Plenum began on October 28 morning in Beijing.

The CDB on October 24, announced the appointment of Ouyang Weimin, a Vice Governor of China's Guangdong province. Ouyang worked 20 years at the PBOC before he was transferred to local government positions in Guangdong in 2011.

The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) announced on October 25 that a Chinese team has been kicked out of its own Military World Games after other countries alerted judges to "extensive cheating" by the hosts.

A report containing the second annual review of the condition of state assets submitted by China's State Council to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress stated that the total assets on the books of the Chinese government at the end of last year came to 474.7 trillion yuan ($67 trillion), equivalent to almost 80% of global GDP for 2018.

Nasdaq-listed Pinduoduo's share price rose more than 12% on October 24, reaching a record high of $39.96.

A Charoen Pokphand Group-led consortium signed a contract with the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) on Thursday to build the high-speed train route linking three major airports, which is expected to boost economic development and create more than 100,000 jobs.

The New York Times (October 23) reported that the Trump Administration is divided over which technologies can be shared with China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said (October 23) that a Chinese delegation had wanted to take part in the ongoing International Astronautical Congress being held in Washington.

A South China Morning Post report (October 21) said the USS Ronald Reagan is carrying out drills above the South China Sea.

Xinhua reported (October 24) that the Politburo met on October 24 and set the dates for the Central Committee’s long-awaited Fourth Plenum for 28 to 31 October in Beijing.

Xi Jinping presided over the 18th Politburo collective study session on October 25, on the topic of blockchain technology development.

CPPCC Chairman and PBSC member Wang Yang spoke on October 21 at the conference organised by the United Front Work Department (UFWD) to commemorate continuation of the “Guangcai Program”, which was “launched in 1994 by China's private enterprises in a bid to aid the country's poverty-relief efforts.”

The General Offices of the CCP CC and State Council jointly released opinions on “comprehensively, deeply, and enduringly implementing the work on pursuing ethnic unity and progress to consolidate a sense of community for the Chinese Nation” and issued a notice requesting each region and department conscientiously implement the opinions.

Reiterating its support to Pakistan at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) platform, the Daily Pakistan said on October 29 that China has 'categorically announced that it did not want the forum to be politicised as some countries are pursuing their political agenda in a bid to blacklist Pakistan'.

Song Xinning, former Director of the Confucius Institute at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), in Brussels has been barred from entering the Schengen Area for eight years after being accused of espionage.

Speaking to Taiwan's Central News Agency on the siddelines of the annual Xiangshan Forum meeting in Beijing on October 21, Jin Canrong, a scholar at Renmin University of China, stated that China and the United States should show transparency to each other and that both countries ought to avoid a hot war.

Singapore's Chinese-language Lianhe Zaobao newspaper reported (October 21) Huang Kunming, head of the CCP CC Propaganda Department and Politburo member, as saying in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 6th World Internet Conference, that “Some countries have used national security as an excuse and have restricted and attacked other countries and enterprises.

25-year-old Murager Alimuly and 30-year-old Qaster Musakhanuly, both ethnic Kazakhs from China, entered Kazakhstan on October 1 and on October 9 appeared in video testimonies posted to Facebook recounting their experiences in Xinjiang.

The Science and Technology Daily, a newspaper affiliated with the Ministry of Science and Technology, reported (November 1) that Bao Weimin, Chief of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.’s Science and Technology Commission, said at a forum in Beijing on October 30, that China plans to set up the economic zone in "cislunar space" — the area lying inside the moon’s orbit — within the next few decades.

China’s Ministry of Education has called for a three-year revamp of the higher education system, aiming to devote vast resources to undergraduate studies, including the expertise of those who are part of its controversial Thousand Talents Program.

The Caixin China General Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) said China’s manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in nearly three years in October as output and new orders grew at a pace not seen in several years.

China’s coal imports are likely to exceed last year’s tally, negating predictions that the government would cap purchases at 2018’s levels. This year, a slowing economy and the attraction of cheaper overseas coal are likely to steer policymakers away from a repeat of 2018’s curbs.

An official Chinese media report said that Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is understood to be "using the 295 FN-16 portable air-defense missiles to strengthen its low-altitude air defense in Kashmir, where India has begun deploying advanced apache helicopters".

In a letter dated November 1, written by Rt Hon Nicky Morgan MP Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the UK's decision on going in for Huawei's 5G was put on hold till installation of the next government due to "the market uncertainty caused by US action to place Huawei on its Entity List for restricted trading on national security grounds".

Global Times on October 31, said 'China slammed India's unilateral move to change administrative status of Kashmir and Ladakh, saying the move challenges China's sovereignty and is illegal and invalid'.

Chinese President travelled to Shanghai for the Second China International Import Expo (CIIE) where French President Macron is the guest of honour. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Michael Holness and Serbian Prime Minister Anna Brna Beach (Ana Brnabić) are also attending the opening ceremony of the second Expo.

The official Xinhua news agency reported (October 27) that the CCP CC's Institute of Party History and Literature published CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping’s new book 'Ensuring the Party’s Leadership over All Work' .

The official website of China’s Ministry of Education on October 21, 2019, published a “Notice on Launching a Special Campaign to Examine and Cleanse Books in Nationwide Elementary and Middle School Libraries.”

Aboluowang reported (November 4) that, on October 1, China’s National Day, Buddhist temples were required to put on patriotic performances while monks and nuns had to participate in the ceremony to pledge allegiance to the communist party.

The Central News Agency (October 30, 2019) quoting the mainland Chinese paper 'The 21st Century Business Herald' said China's real estate industry has been the first to bear the brunt of the Chinese government’s actions to tighten corporate finance and citing court data said that at least 408 real estate firms have declared bankruptcy.

The sale of Chinese goods has witnessed a major drop in the run-up to Diwali as about 60% less Chinese products were sold this year. However, Indians still purchased Chinese goods worth about Rs 3,200 crore while items worth Rs 8,000 crore were sold in the country during the Diwali last year, industry body CAIT said in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron travels to Beijing on November 4, as a guest of honour of the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

Reuters cited three unidentified sources as saying that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has started a national security review of Chinese-owned TikTok’s $1 billion acquisition of U.S. social media app Musical.ly. TikTok didn’t seek clearance from CFIUS when it acquired Musical.ly, which gives the U.S. security panel scope to investigate it now.

The CCP CC Politburo decided at its meeting on October 24 that the Fourth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) will be held from Oct. 28 to 31 in Beijing.

China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), announced on October 24 afternoon that Wang Dongjin, a Vice Chairman at one of the petroleum SoEs is to replace Yang Hua, who resigned as CNOOC’s chairman in early September.

New Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu speaking at a reception in Ottawa to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China cited the case of 104-year old Isabel Crook, a Canadian anthropologist and teacher who has been a supporter of the communist cause for many decades, and continues to live in China.

U.S. cybersecurity research and consulting firm Crowdstrike on October 15 released a report that claimed officials from China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), underground hacking groups and personnel, cyber security researchers, and employees (moles) of multiple companies in many countries were involved in cyber theft operations to assist development of the C919 commercial aircraft by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (Comac).

Voice of America (VoA) reported (October 16) that a new railway built by China at a cost of US$ 1.5 billion was put into operation in Kenya on October 16. It connects the capital city Nairobi with Naivasha, a small town in the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta hosted the opening ceremony of the railway.

Hong Kong Economic Times (HKET), the leading financial daily in Hong Kong, on October 10 reported that Apple once again unlisted the popular app HKmap.live from its AppStore.

The 3rd China-Pacific Island Countries Development and Cooperation Forum opened in the Samoan capital of Apia on October 21, with Vice Premier Hu HUAWEI TO representing the PRC.

An article published in China's official Global Times (October 14) said that the "significant relaxations" announced in visa policy by the Indian embassy is sure to boost Chinese tourism to India.

The German government appears poised to put in place newly drafted security requirements that do not set clear limits on the Chinese telecommunications firms Huawei and ZTE supplying technology for German fifth-generation cellular networks.

Reports said (October 20) a 19-year old boy was stabbed in the neck and stomach at Tai Po 'Lennon wall' by an assailant who shouted "Hongkong is part of China'?

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China’s auto sales in September were 2.271 million.

Quoting from recruitment notices recently issued in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said (October 16) that Tibetan college graduates looking for work in Tibet’s public sector are being forced by Chinese authorities to denounce exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama before they are given jobs.

Chinese large transport aircraft Y-20 and stealth fighter J-20s gave demonstration flights on the opening of a five-day air show held to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force.

On October 19, the CISM World Military Games commenced in central China’s Wuhan. Chinese President Xi Jinping, attended the games where, according to Xinhua (October 19) he said:“Let the ‘sunshine of sports’ dispel the shadow of war, foster communications between different cultures, and bring together people's hearts for peace.”

China's Sam Enterprise Group, a State-owned Enterprise, set up in 1985 has singed a renewable 75-year lease agreement with the provincial government of Tulagi whose terms have not been publicly released.

The South China Morning Post (October 17) reported that according to a notice issued by Guangdong courier company PHXBUY on July 11, mainland Chinese customs required courier companies to halt delivery of a list of products.

The Wall Street Journal (October 16) reports that Beijing has begun to selectively target pro-democracy activist. 35-year old Stanley Ho Wai-hong of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions was severely beaten on September 29 resulting in injuries including three broken fingers and a thumb.

An article critical of India published in the official Global Times (October 16) commented "How many shades of grey fits India's fantasy? It seems that India makes too much fuss about whether Pakistan will be moved to the "dark grey" list from the "grey" list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) while China is presiding over the Paris-based terrorist financing watchdog".

The Chinese financial news service Caixin on October 18 reported that China’s economy grew by 6% YOY in the third quarter, hitting the bottom of the government’s 2019 target range and the weakest pace in almost three decades, reflecting sluggish domestic and global demand exacerbated by the ongoing trade war with the U.S. It said for the first nine months, GDP rose 6.2% YOY, within this year’s target range of 6% to 6.5% announced by Premier Li Keqiang in March.

China Merchants Industry Holdings Co. Ltd. (CMIH), a wholly owned subsidiary of China Merchants Group, initiated a mixed-ownership reform, a campaign promoted by Beijing to diversify shareholding structures of major state-owned enterprises.

Addressing the "2019 National Manufacturing Powerhouse Construction Expert Forum (Ningbo)" in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province on October 15, Zhou Ji, President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), said that the CAE had recently assessed the value chains of 26 manufacturing sub-sectors.

The People's Daily reported (October 15) that efforts to get a CCP branch in every enterprise, including private enterprises, are succeeding. It observed that technology companies particularly have taken the lead in establishing Party branches in their companies.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's daughter, Xi Mingze (習明澤) who previously completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard in 2014 has re-enrolled in Harvard University in 2019.

The ashes of late CCP CC General Secretary Zhao Ziyang and his wife were buried in a cemetery north of Beijing on October 18.

Ta Quang Dong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was quoted as saying by Vietnam's Thanh Nien newspaper as saying “We will revoke (the film’s license).”

China emerged with wins in this week’s trade talks, with the U.S. shelving new tariffs against Beijing while leaving many demands to be worked out later in return for an assurance of increased agriculture purchases.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a 20-hour visit to Kathmandu, becoming the first Chinese President to visit Nepal in 23 years.

The second 'informal' summit meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping was held on October 11-12 at the ancient coastal town of Mammalapuram (Mahabalipuram).

Radio HongKong quoted the HongKong Police as saying on October 14, that a remote-controlled improvised explosive device, similar to those used in terrorist attacks in foreign countries, was detonated at Nathan Road on October 13.

People’s Daily (October 5) published its first Commentator's article on the Hong Kong protests in 5 weeks, expressing the central government’s support for the Hong Kong government’s 4 October decision to invoke the Emergency Regulations Ordinance to enact anti-mask regulation.

Data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics on October 15, stated that surging pork prices had pushed China’s consumer inflation to a near six-year high in September, complicating Beijing’s effort to stimulate growth but also giving it an incentive to buy more agricultural goods from the U.S.

The Chinese government on October 14, released a white paper on food security, which stressed it produces enough grain to feed its 1.4 billion people, but projected a rise in medium- to long-term grain demand.

In a hard hitting expose the New York Times on October 15 front-paged details of bribes and gifts given by the Deutsche Bank over the past 15 years to over a 100 past and present top ranking Chinese communist cadres.

The Wall Street Journal reported (October 6) that the China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) has pulled out of a $5 billion natural-gas project in Iran as escalating tensions threaten to sever Beijing’s trade with Tehran.

The US Commerce Department on October 7, added 28 Chinese companies and government agencies to its Entity List over human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing on October 9.

Taiwan on 8 October deported a Chinese tourist, Li Shaodong, for engaging in “criminal activities” for damaging a “Lennon Wall” that was put up in support of Hong Kong’s democracy movement.

A Bloomberg report of October 9 stated that China's broader economic slowdown and trade war with the US has ended the boom that saw the emergence of big IT/ CHINA BACKS giants like Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Group Holdings Ltd.

On September 28, the United Front News published an exclusive interview with the Eleventh Panchen Lama.

The People's Daily (September 20) reported that the Central Leading Group for the “Remain True to Original Aspiration, Keep Mission Firmly in Mind” Education Campaign issued a notice on September 29 stressing the importance of strengthening patriotic education and promoting patriotic spirit through the education campaign.

Publishing an article on China's 70th National Day on October 1, the People's Daily quoted Xi Jinping in describing China’s journey of the past 70 years as “a deeply moving saga of struggle both in the history of the Chinese nation and the history of the world.”

Financial times (October 2) reported that the China Yangtze Power International has agreed to buy Peru’s largest electric company Luz del Sur from US-based Sempra Energy for $3.6bn.

Statements issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Nepal from September 8-10, and meetings with the Prime Minister, Ministers and senior leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties, clarified that the U.S. strategy was discussed.

Radio France Internationale reported (September 29) that the number of U.S. officials who attended the 70th National Anniversary cocktail reception that the Chinese Embassy held in Washington, DC significantly decreased this year. Fewer attendees appeared from the U.S. side.

Photographs of PAP/PLA personnel in trucks at various locations in Hong Kong and marching alongside hedges through lanes are being circulated by hong Kong residents on Twitter and social media since October 4 evening. Reports also claim that between 10,000 to 15,000 PAP personnel are already in Hong Kong.

China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recently stated that wholesale pork price in the third week of September was up 81 percent from a year earlier.

BBC Chinese published (September 25) an analysis on the growth of China’s Navy after the Cold War.

The CDIC announced (October 4) that the former head of the China Securities Regulatory Commission Liu Shiyu, has been removed from his post of Deputy Party Chief at the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives.

Police in Anshan City, Liaoning Province, announced on its official Weibo account on October 2 that a 37-year-old man surnamed Gao would be detained for 15 days, after commenting adversely about the October 1 parade on WeChat.

Xinhua (Beijing - August 26) reported that the 12th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) decided on August 26 to approve the "Extradition Treaty between the People's Republic of China and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka".

The Senate Special Committee on the Project of China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) discussed in detail SMEs and SEZs, uninterrupted power supply along CPEC routes, delaying of tariff determination by NEPRA for Coal based energy project in Gwadar and the Second Phase of Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Commenting on the recent success of TCS, the official Global Times (September 26) observed that "Nevertheless, while China's stock market pales in comparison to India's, China's top tech companies are far ahead of their Indian counterparts.

Japan released its Defence White Paper on September 24, 2019. It is 415 pages in length and China figures prominently in it.

Despite heavy rain on September 29, hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in Taipei and other cities in Taiwan in support of the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

US academic Dan Garrett was barred from entering Hong Kong on September 26, a week after he testified at the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) in Washington DC about the ongoing protests in the city.

The student union at Canada's McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, has revoked the club status of the school’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) after an appeal by students seeking to decertify the group over concerns about alleged links to the Chinese government.

CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Politburo on September 24 to consider "a new era of patriotic education Implementation Outline" and the "Chinese Communist Party School (Administration Institute) Regulations."

The official Global Times (September 27) publicised the issue by the State Council Information Office on September 27 of a new White Paper entitled "China and the world in the New Era" which, it said, comprehensively reviews China's development in the past 70 years, its contribution to the world and the country's role in an evolving world.

On September 20, CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke at the CPPCC Central Work Conference in Beijing on promoting a greater exchange of ideas, broader consultation in decision-making, and the need of finding consensus.

China openeD its first visa application service center in Lahore, Punjab to facilitate applicants wishing to visit China. Yao Jing, the Chinese Ambassador to Islamabad, inaugurated the centre on September 23. China’s Consul General in Lahore Long Dingbin, Deputy Consul General Peng Zhengwu and officials from the Punjab government also attended the ceremony.

A Reuters special report (October 1) citing unidentified Chinese military officers claimed that between 10,000 to 12,000 well trained PLA/PAPF personnel have been quietly inducted into Hong Kong.

The South China Morning post (October 1) reported that a protester had been shot in the chest by a live round fired by police on Hoi Pa Street, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong.

Some unidentified persons have announced a "HK Provisional Parliament" with its own website where a "Draft Civil Charter of HK" in either Cantonese or English versions is available.

The MTR Corporation of Hongkong has announced the closure of 3 MTR stations, namely Wan Chai, Admiralty and Prince Edward on October 1. The airport express will not stop between Hong Kong station and the airport.

At a meeting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 29, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the Chinese people will not forget foreign experts' support and assistance to China's development over the 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).

China Daily announced on September 30, 2019 that National honorary titles had been given to individuals who have made great contributions and have achieved recognition in various fields, including national defense, diplomacy and education.

Thousands of monks and laypeople across Tibet were made to participate in a series of major staged performances to mark the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on October 1.

Amidst heavy security which allowed entry to Beijing's Tiananmen Square only to invitees, China's leaders held a massive parade -- China's largest ever till now -- on October 1, to showcase China's military might.

Global Times (September 11) recently reported that, according to the Defense Ministry of Serbia, Serbia will purchase armed unmanned aircraft from China. This was announced after a Chinese military delegation visited Serbia.

The Petroleum Economist disclosed (September 3) that Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif visited his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at the end of August 2019 to present a road map for the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership, which was signed in 2016.

A FedEx Corp. pilot, who is an American citizen, was temporarily detained in Guangzhou after authorities found hundreds of air-gun pellets in his luggage prior to boarding a commercial flight to Hong Kong, marking the delivery firm’s latest setback in the country.

Nikkei Chinese Edition reported (September 5) from Hong Kong that, according to statistics provided by a U.S. market research leader, Chinese overseas acquisitions saw a significant decline in the first half of this year.

In a notice issued on September 17, the China Merchandise Reserve Management Center (CMRMC) announced it will release 10,000 metric tons of frozen pork from its national pork reserve through auction.

As China tries to fill a pension shortfall, the government ordered SOEs to stop dragging their feet on the mandated transfer of equity to the national social security fund.

China's State Council and the CCP Central Committee released a new outline on September 19, stating that by 2035 China wants a transportation system that allows citizens to Commute within any metropolitan area in under one hour.

Ye Xuanping, elder son of Ye Jianying, one of the ten founding Marshals of communist China, died on September 17 at the age of 95. Ye Jianying and his family were very close to that of Xi Zhongxun.

The Chinese Communist Party’s leading theoretical fortnightly Qiushi published (September 16) a speech that Chinese President Xi Jinping gave five years ago emphasising that copying the political system of another country will not work and will ruin China’s future.

Xinhua (September 18) reported that during his tour of Henan province from September 16 to 18, Chinese President and CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping, accompanied by Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee Wang Guosheng and Governor Chen Runer, visited Xinyang, Zhengzhou and other places to "deepen the revolutionary old areas, rural areas, enterprises, etc., on economic and social development" and “not forgetting the original heart.

Iran.com reported (September 17) that Chairwoman of the Money and Capital Market Commission of Tehran’s Chamber of Commerce Farial Mostofi said on September 17 a US$ 400 billion credit line has been launched for trade between Iran and China. She added that the credit line has allowed Chinese investors to undertake projects in Iran without bidding.

According to a September 13, article by Estonian news site Delfi, Paul Rikk, Estonia’s national cybersecurity policy director, said the country’s 5G network shouldn’t be equipped with Huawei equipment.

Associated Press (September 17) reported that the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a compromise resolution extending the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan, dropping a Chinese demand to include a reference to China’s $1 trillion “belt and road” initiative.

Xinhua reported (September 17) the arrival of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in St. Petersburg on September 16, for a three-day official visit to Russia. During the visit, Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will co-chair the 24th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government.

A Hong Kong news report (September 9) said that China Unicom Global Limited (CUG), the subsidiary of China Unicom, announced that it has invested a cumulative RMB 2 billion along the Belt and Road countries in 200 projects.

Caixin Daily reported (September 17) that China is contemplating increasing purchases of pork from overseas, including the U.S. and the EU, as the government grows increasingly concerned about soaring prices.

China’s Caixin Daily (September 17) said that China's major economic indicators posted a worse-than-expected performance for August as growth of fixed-asset investment and value-added industrial output further slowed to multi-month, even multi-year, lows.

PBSC member and CPPCC Chairman Wang Yang delivered a speech at a united front symposium celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Approximately 160 united front representatives and heads of relevant departments at party and state organizations attended.

Xinhua (September 10) reported that Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) member and CPPCC Chairman Wang Yang conducted an inspection and research tour on religious work in Jiangxi Province.

The South China Morning Post reported (August 28) that China and Russia are forging stronger ties in space technology.

The database released by the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) shows that Chinese entities have provided more than US$ 17 billion for Digital Silk Road projects completed since 2013.

The stand-off between the Beijing and its HKSAR government has recently got accentuated with the official China-owned 'China Daily' posting a notice on Facebook on September 10 morning warning that protestors in Hong Kong have decided on secret plans to escalate protests from September 11 with "massive" terrorist attacks including blowing up gas pipelines in Hong Kong and attacks on non-Cantonese speaking people.

Space News reported (September 11) Xing He, Executive Vice President of the China Great Wall Industry Corp., a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. as saying at the World Satellite Business Week conference (September 10) that China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. is likely to resume flights of its heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket this year.

According to the South China Morning Post (August 29) China has named Huawei Technologies and Hikvision Digital Technology as new national champions in artificial intelligence (AI).

Asian-Pacific Security and Maritime Affairs published in June 2019 an article titled 'Trade and Science and Technology Wars and the “Paradigm Shift” in Sino-U. S. Relations' by Prof Zhu Feng, Dean at the Institute of International Relations at Nanjing University and Executive Director of the China South China Sea Research Center of Nanjing University.

Qiu Shi (Seeking Truth) in its issue 17/2019 published an article by Politburo member and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office dated September 1, on “thoroughly studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Shuang said (September 5) that “Relations between China and Canada have encountered serious difficulties, and the responsibility lies entirely with the Canadian side.”

Reuters reported (September 5) that the Solomon Islands intends to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan and align itself with Beijing. The switch still needs to be formalized.

China’s vision of profiting from the driverless economy is being clouded by intellectual property debates, as two Chinese suppliers of a key self-driving technology are accused of stealing IP from a Silicon Valley company.

The day Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of HKSAR, withdrew (September 4) the Extradition Bill in an attempt calm the situation in Hongkong, the home of pro-democracy media tycoon and publisher of Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai was firebombed in the early hours of September 5.

The South China Morning Post reported (August 23) that Chinese scientists have successfully tested a satellite positioning technology called pulsar navigation, catching up to the United States, which was the first to do so last year.

A Nikkei analysis (August 19) of satellite orbit data from leading U.S. receiver maker Trimble highlighted BeiDou's rapid growth. China launched 18 satellites for the system in 2018 alone.

The South China Morning Post (August 22) reported that pictures taken by Chinese military enthusiasts earlier this week appear to show that construction of China’s first Type 075 amphibious helicopter assault ship is moving quickly.

The Chinese Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Security held an urgent teleconference and ordered all schools nationwide to enhance safety measures on September 4, two days after eight pupils died in an attack at a school in Enshi, Hubei Province.

Mingpao (September 1) disclosed that the Chinese government is assessing the dependency level that Chinese domestic high-tech vendors have on U.S. technologies.

CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a speech (September 3) at the CCP CC's Central Party School in Beijing.

The Africa China Research Initiative shows that Africa’s trade deficit with China was USD 27.91 billion in 2018, as trade between the two sides rose to USD 170 billion.

Japan Times (September 6) reported that Japan’s National Police Agency has in the 2020 budget requested a new unit dedicated to protecting the Senkaku Islands.

Speaking (September 5) to the Editorial Board of the Toronto Star, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Beijing of using “Using arbitrary detention as a tool to achieve political goals, international or domestic, is something that is of concern not just to Canada but to all our allies.”

BuzzFeed News reported (September 7) that Nonlethal Technologies has been supplying hundreds of canisters of tear gas to Hongkong police.

Zhang Dinghuai, a Professor of Hong Kong and Macao Studies at Shenzhen University and a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Strait Times (September 6) that common elements of colour revolutions include strong specific political demands, interference by external forces, attempts to motivate the public, social standoff and turmoil, huge pressure upon the authorities, and pursuit of power transfer through purportedly "nonviolent" approaches.

Chinese and US negotiators agreed on September 5 to hold the 13th round of China-U.S. high-level economic and trade consultations in early October in Washington and maintain close communication before that.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has formalized a new law that reduces the resource tax on heavy rare earths from 27 percent to 20 percent, which Chinese analysts say is a move that shows China's resolve to support the industry's development amid a heated trade war.

Qian Han, a Professor at the Wang Yanan Institute for Studies in Economics, Xiamen University, in an article published by East Asia Forum claimed that China's official Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR) launched on June 13, 2019, as part of its capital market reform, has been quite active since its debut on 22 July 2019.

The ICT reported on August 6, 2019 that 36-year old Lobsang Dorje, a Tibetan monk from the influential Kirti monastery was sentenced to three years in prison on September 3 this week after being arrested in his room in mid-July 2018.

The head of the Shanxi Public Security Bureau issued (September 5) a "wartime" order banning alcohol consumption by all provincial PSB employees from September 15 to October 4, to ensure nothing goes wrong during the 70th anniversary celebration period around October 1.

Xinhua reported that in his speech to a training session for young leaders at the Central Party School on September 3, Chinese President and CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke of the immense challenges facing the country and the Chinese Communist Party.

On August 22, as China marked the 115th birthday of Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader who led China into the reform era, a post sent to “People’s Reading” (人民阅读) and “People’s Daily Press” (人民日报出版社), both official WeChat public accounts operated by the People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, dealt with the now very sensitive issue of term limits for national leaders and reproduced a front-page article of the People's Daily captioned “Deng Xiaoping Abolishes the Lifelong Tenure System for Leaders” (邓小平废除领导职务终身制).

An article in China's official Global Times (August 28) said the Viettel Group, Vietnam's largest mobile telecom operator, has reportedly excluded China's Huawei from its 5G rollout.

The South China Morning Post (August 28) reported that the US Navy Burke-class guided missile destroyer, Wayne E. Meye, with the DDG-108 sailed into the South China Sea, Yongshu Reef and Meiji breaking the 12-mile range of China's South Island Reef on August 28.

Reports from Hongkong state that China rotated troops in its People’s Liberation Army garrison in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on August 28, days before protesters planned to hold a march calling for full democracy for the HKSAR.

Wang Xiaohui, Executive Deputy Director of the CCP CC Propaganda Department announced (August 29) that it will hold a conference to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, when CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping will deliver an "important" speech.

The China-owned US-based news outlet Duowei News reported with the caption 'The situation in India and Pakistan is escalating.

The China Democracy Party and Falungong jointly staged a protest on August 18 in New York's Times Square in support of the protesters in Hongkong.

The state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said on July 18, that it has started construction of China's first demonstration SMR at the Changjiang nuclear facility in Hainan as part of efforts to diversify the nuclear sector.

At a time when China is becoming increasingly assertive, South Korea said (August 23) it will scrap an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, drawing a swift protest from Tokyo.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Beijing on August 22 to discuss a potential trade agreement between their countries.

During the first seven months of this year, pledges of foreign direct investment(FDI) in Vietnam from China jumped 134% to $2.48 billion, moving China up to the third-biggest FDI source from fifth in 2018, data from the Foreign Investment Agency of Vietnam showed. The FDI total reflects only investment commitments.

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of Hong Kong Edward Yau said (August 23) the number of people visiting the Hongkong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has dipped in the last two months, taking a toll on its tourism and retail sectors.

On August 20, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei put the company on a war footing in the face of mounting US pressure. On August 19, the US gave Huawei a 90-day reprieve to continue to do business with US clients, but also put 46 of the company’s affiliates on the Entity List.

The official China Pictorial disclosed on July 22, that pilots of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) have tested the sea warfare capabilities of their advanced Su-35 fighter jets over the South China Sea.

In an article posted on Sina.com and published in the Global Times on August 8, retired PLA Lt. Gen. Wang Hongguang, who was formerly Deputy Commander of the Nanjing Military Region, commented on the United States announcement (August 2) that it has officially withdrawn from the "Guidelines on the Treaty" signed in 1987 with the Soviet Union.

China’s Ministry of National Defense issued a 27,000 word, 6 chapter White Paper on July 24, 2019 released a white paper titled "China’s National Defense in the New Era," disclosing that, before 2017, its military spending accounted for 1.28 percent of its GDP and that from 2012 to 2017, China’s defense expenditure increased from US$98 billion to $152 billion.

Apparently underscoring his exhortation to the people to prepare for another 'Long March', while touring Gansu province on August 19, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to the martyrs' cemetery of the West Route Army of Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in Zhangye.

China Daily (August 23) published a Xinhua report of August 23 reporting the remarks made by China's Ambassador to the EU on August 22. He said 'A major power outside the region is trying to turn the South China Sea into an arena for major-power wrestling, which is the source of tensions in the region'.

UK Embassy staffer Simon Cheng was released by the Chinese authorities on August 24 after 15 days of detention. China's official Global Times reported on August 22 that a staffer at the British Consulate General in Hong Kong, who has been detained by police in the Luohu district of Shenzhen City, is being held for solicitation of prostitution.

UK Embassy staffer Simon Cheng was released by the Chinese authorities on August 24 after 15 days of detention. China's official Global Times reported on August 22 that a staffer at the British Consulate General in Hong Kong, who has been detained by police in the Luohu district of Shenzhen City, is being held for solicitation of prostitution.

Commander Reann Mommsen, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, told Reuters (August 23) that the United States sent the 'Green Bay', an amphibious transport dock ship of the US Navy through the 122-mile wide Taiwan Strait on August 23.

On August 23, U.S. Representative James McGovern (D-MA) and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Chair and Cochair respectively of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), released a letter dated August 13 written by them to World Bank President David Malpass expressing concern and raising questions about a World Bank loan that funds technical and vocational training projects in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

China’s State Council announced (August 23) that it will impose tariffs of 5% and 10% Chinese tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. goods.

The HSBC Bank, Standard Chartered and Bank of East Asia on August 23 placed full page advertisements in the Wen Wei Po, Ta Kung Pao and Sing Tao Daily condemning the violence in HongKong and calling for a peaceful resolution.

Huanqiu (August 17) published an article that condemned a list of leaders of those in Hong Kong who have been involved in the protest against the proposed extradition bill and warned them not to use democracy as an excuse and not to portray students as victims.

According to The Epoch Times, after the anti-extradition movement had continued for more than two months in Hong Kong, the CCP’s media repeatedly released the film, “A Large Number of Armed Police Convoys in Shenzhen” to intimidate protesters.

On August 23, China’s first domestic aircraft carrier returned to Dalian shipyard after completing the seventh sea trial.

Inspecting a PLAAF Base in Gansu on August 22, Chinese President Xi Jinping used a tele-conferencing facility at the combat command center, to inspect the troops including personnel at a radar station on a plateau over 3,600 meters above sea level and a transport and rescue regiment, and called on the air force to enhance its capability to win and greet the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) with great achievements.

The Hongkong Free Press on August 16, reported that several Hongkong protesters had received death threats from anonymous persons.

The nationalist official daily 'Global Times', on August 15, criticised Amazon for challenging China’s sovereignty by allowing the sale of T-shirts with slogans like “Free Hong Kong Democracy Now”, written in English, or “Go Hong Kong”, written in traditional Chinese characters.

The State Department told Congress on August 15 night, right after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had signed a memo approving the $8 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan.

On August 14, the U.S. added four Chinese nuclear entities to a trade blacklist, accusing them of helping to acquire advanced U.S. technology for military use in China.

Reporting an exercise in March by 12 H-6 strategic bombers, the official Global Times (August 6) disclosed that the main mission objective of China's H-6K bomber is to strike key strategic points deep within enemy territories.

The Diplomat (August 16) published an analysis that a recent officially released photo of China's 5th generation fighter J-20 with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) bore a serial number indicating it belonged to a frontline combat unit.

Caixin (August 16) quoted state-owned China Central Television as reporting that Xing Yun, former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Inner Mongolia, was charged with corruption.

China's official news agency Xinhua on August 6, reported the abolition of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution "which guarantees a "special status" to Indian-controlled Kashmir" and claimed "as soon as the proposal was made, there was a pandemonium in the house."

The Director of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Arms Control Department, Fu Cong, said on August 6, that China “will not stand idly by” and will take countermeasures if the U.S. deploys intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region.

A notification issued by the US Treasury Department on August 6, stated that "under Section 3004 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, US Secretary of the Treasury Mnuchin, under the auspices of President Trump, has today determined that China is a Currency Manipulator."

Defying stern warnings from both the local government and Beijing, people in seven districts in Hong Kong—most notably teachers, airport workers, and civil servants—participated in a general strike on August 5, shutting down portions of the territory.

A Reuters report ( August 6) said that approvals issued by the Chinese government for new coal mine construction in China have surged in 2019.

BBC's monitoring service on July 25, reported that former Chairman of the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region and subsequently Director of the National Energy Administration, Nur Bekri was put on trial in Shenyang.

China's official Xinhua news agency (July 31) reported on the 16th collective study on the reform of the military policy system held by the Politburo on July 30. In his remarks, Xi Jinping stressed that the military policy system "is an important guarantee for our party to govern the country".

Xi Jinping presided over a Politburo meeting on analysing the current economic situation and making a plan for economic work in the second half of the year.

Confirmation that the annual Beidaihe 'informal' retreat of senior veteran CCP leaders is underway was visible in the issue of a traffic control ordinance on June 29 announcing special vehicle inspection from July 13 to August 18, by the Qinhuangdao City that administers the Beidaihe resort.

China on August 9, accused Washington of applying “gangster logic” after US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus described Beijing as a “thuggish regime”.

The Bundestag has appealed China's travel ban on a Green party politician, apparently over her criticism of its human rights record.

In an unexpected move on August 6, Qatar refused to bow down to requests from China by rejecting the deportation of Ablikim Yusuf, a Uighur man who had fled China. Ablikim Yusuf only days ago was stranded in Doha’s Hamad International Airport expecting the Qatari authorities to deport him back to China.

Replying to a question at the routine Foreign Ministry briefing in Beijing on August 6, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said: China is always opposed to India's inclusion of the Chinese territory in the western sector of the China-India boundary into its administrative jurisdiction.

Reuters (August 6) reported that two sources privy to internal discussions in New Delhi said India's Ambassador in Beijing, Vikram Misri, was called to the Chinese foreign ministry on July 10 to hear China's concerns about the U.S. campaign to keep Huawei out of 5G mobile infrastructure worldwide.

The South China Morning Post (August 9) reported that the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) told the Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific that from August 10, staff who had taken part in “illegal protests”, “violent actions” and “overly radical activities” in the city would not be allowed on services to or from the mainland.

China Daily (August 6) reported that the 9,240-meter Bukamu Tunnel, located in Manling county of the region's eastern Nyingchi city, has been completed.

Citing military observers the South China Morning Post (August 6) reported that the 65,000-tonne Type 001A, China’s first home-grown aircraft carrier, is undergoing another sea trial, straight after four days of testing, suggesting that the PLA Navy may have identified technical problems requiring immediate attention.

Separately, The Paper (August 5) published a commentary analyzing the meaning. It said “It reflects a big change in China’s currency policy. It will no longer attempt to keep the exchange rate below 7. From the short-term perspective, under the pressure of Trump’s new tariff on over $300 billion of Chinese goods and the downward pressure on China’s economy this year, devaluing the Renminbi will help the economy.”

China’s central bank set the midpoint of the yuan’s daily trading range at 7.0039 to the U.S. dollar on August 8, the first time it has set the rate above the psychologically important 7-to-the-dollar mark since 2008.

Voice of America (VOA) Chinese edition recently published an article stating that, according to a report that a large Chinese investment bank CICC (China International Capital Corporation) just released, China’s manufacturing industry has lost around five million jobs.

The French newspaper Le Monde reported (August 3) that Beijing has announced it would stop all cooperation between its police services and French counterparts.

TASS news agency reported (July 31) that “About 100 military servicemen from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army who will maintain the second S-400 regiment set, completed a training course to use the S-400 systems in July and returned to their home country.”

Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hongkong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on August 5 announced she would not be stepping down and warned that the city of Hong Kong, which is now "full of bullying and maltreatment," is on the verge of a "very dangerous situation."

Vice Admiral David Kriete, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, at a press briefing reported in The Beacon (August 1, 2019), expressed concern at China's rapidly growing nuclear arsenal when combined with other alarming activities in the South China Sea and elsewhere.

China for the first time revealed the historical composition of its massive forex reserves and the return on investments it made with the money, as part of what regulators called efforts to improve transparency and confidence in the country’s economic and financial position.

The Cyberspace Administration of China released (July 22 ) a draft regulation released for public comment that proposes restricting the internet access of users and providers of online information services that “fabricate, publish, or spread information that violates public morality, business ethics, or good faith,” or deliberately provide technological assistance to those who do so.

Xinhua on August 3 indicated that the secretive annual conclave of China's senior veteran leaders had commenced at the seaside resort.

Deutsche Welle Chinese reported on July 19, that the friendly relationship between the City of Prague and the City of Beijing is changing.

The China Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association on July 31, 2019 posted a notification on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Government portal suspending travel to Taiwan by Mainland residents of 47 cities with effect from August 1, 2019 for an undetermined period. 　 　　

BBC Chinese reported (July 19) that, over the past month or so, Hong Kong has had several major protests against the “Extradition Bill.” More protests are expected in the coming days.

The Financial Times (July 28) reported that tens of thousands of Hong Kong protesters besieged traditional villages in the territory’s northern district of Yuen Long in defiance of police on 27 July afternoon as the city’s worst political crisis in decades took a dangerous turn.

Radio Hongkong (RTHK) on July 31 reported that former Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa on July 31, blamed “foreign forces” in Taiwan and the US for the ongoing social unrest in Hong Kong.

Radio Free Asia (RFA - 27 July) quoting unnamed Tibetan sources reported that authorities in western China’s Sichuan province have begun a campaign of large-scale demolition at the Yachen Gar Tibetan Buddhist center, with Chinese work crews tearing down over a hundred dwellings of nuns evicted from the complex in recent weeks.

Xinhua July 18, reported that PBSC Member and Chairman of the CPPCC Wang Yang while on an inspection visit to Qinghai, praised recent achievements in Qinghai’s ethnic, religious and anti-poverty work, and stressed that doing a good job in ethnic and religious is important to maintaining social and long-term stability in Tibetan areas.

Two large-scale military drills close to the Taiwan Strait commenced on July 28 in waters off the coast of eastern China’s Zhejiang province and another set of military exercises are being held from July 29 till August 2., 2019.

China's Economic Daily (July 16) published a commentary under the byline “Ping Yan” (平言), which is likely a pen name used by the Economic Daily Theoretical Commentary Department (经济日报理论评论部), arguing that China’s 6.3% GDP growth rate for the first half of this year fell within a "reasonable interval and actually showed China’s success in maintaining stability in the face of unstable and uncertain external conditions".

Asia-Nikkei news reported (July 27) that top Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei Technologies is offering salaries of up to 2 million yuan ($291,000) per year to new graduates with advanced degrees, to bolster in-house research and development in the face of U.S. sanctions.

Liu Junchuan (刘军川) was appointed Deputy Director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office.

The Party's official mouthpiece 'People’s Daily' published (July 15-18, 2019) a series of articles under the byline “Ren Ping” (任平), which is likely a homophonous pen name standing for “People’s Daily Commentary” (人民日报评论), each of which warned party officials to not become a certain negative archetype of official, as identified by Xi Jinping.

People’s Daily on July 22, published a commentator article that strongly condemned “extremist protestors” for “surrounding the Hong Kong Liaison Office of the Central People's Government, damaging its facilities, defacing the National Emblem, and spray-painting expressions insulting the country and people” on 21 July.

The Redwood City, California-based startup Cape Productions Inc., an American supplier of drone technology to dozens of state and local law enforcement and public safety agencies said it will stop working with Chinese drone manufacturers, citing security concerns.

China’s holdings of U.S. Treasuries dipped in May to the lowest in two years amid an escalation of the trade war, falling by $2.8 billion to $1.11 trillion, according to Treasury Department data released in Washington on July 16.

Epoch Times (July 14) reported that a group of Chinese soldiers had "recently crossed the border into India and tried to prevent local Tibetan residents from hosting an annual birthday celebration for the Dalai Lama".

China's National Bureau of Statistics said July 15, that China's agricultural planting area for the high-protein food crop increased in the first half of the year.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun disclosed (July 20) that China fired six DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles on July 1 from different points in southern China which landed almost simultaneously in the sea north of the Spratly Islands.

The chief spokesman of China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) Senior Col. Wu Qian, warned on July 24 that “The behavior of some radical protesters challenges the central government’s authority, touching on the bottom line principle of ‘one country, two systems.’” He asserted “That absolutely cannot be tolerated.”

More than 100 rural doctors have resigned in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province over unpaid public health subsidies and alleged unfair treatment, following a first wave of departures in the central Henan province over similar issues.

On July 18, the National People’s Congress held a symposium in Beijing to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of standing committees at local people’s congresses.

Former Chinese Premier Li Peng died on 22 July 2019 in Beijing at the age of 90.

On July 22, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates met Xi Jinping in Beijing.

The Nepal Rastra Bank granted a license on July 24 for the payment system operator to Chinese company--UnionPay International to provide its services in Nepal recently.

A compilation of Chinese language articles in PRC state and Party media that directly or indirectly attack the "Stay the Course" letter

Reuters reported (July . ) that US US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will be in Shanghai on July 30, to reopen trade negotiations with their Chinese counterparts Vice Premier Liu He and Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan.

The Nikkei-Asia index reported (July 26) that US Senator Marco Rubio last month introduced legislation that would increase oversight of Chinese companies listed on American stock exchanges, delisting those that fail to comply with the new requirements. =

The Asia-Nikkei news service reported July 23, quoted the Wall Street Journal report that China and Cambodia have signed a secret agreement that allows Beijing to use Ream for 30 years.

On July 23, for the first time Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and the Russian Air Force jointly conducted a long-range aerial patrol in the Indo-Pacific region to “strengthen global strategic stability.”

Conservative Party MP Tim Loughton said as he submitted the Reciprocal Access Bill on July 23, 2019 in the House of Commons.

The state-owned CCTV reported (July 16) that PBSC Member and Chairman of the CPPCC Wang Zhen had attended a three-day conference in the Hetian district of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous where PB Member and Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo was among those present.

The ninth meeting of the Central Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reform (CCCDR), which was established in March 2018 as part of the massive restructuring of the CCP and chaired by Chinese President and CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping on July 24, stressed that grassroots officials need to be given more leeway to craft solutions to fit their own circumstances.

The CCP leadership is due to travel to Beidaihe shortly for the usual summer conclave.

Responding to Radio Free Asia reports on July 18, that about 10 Hong Kong protesters had arrived in Taiwan and of Apple Daily that about 30 had arrived on the island and 30 more were planning to follow.

A 2018 study by Oxford Economics and the CIMB ASEAN Research Institute was quoted in mid-July to say that BRI projects in ASEAN countries amount to more than US$739 billion.

A Financial Times report of July 18 detailing the links between the Want Want China Times Group, a major Taiwanese media group, and various PRC entities was publicised recently.

President Trump met with a number of relatives of political prisoners in the White House including Ilham Tohti and Tenzin Delek's daughters.

The Party journal 'China Comment' (13/2019) recently stated that village-level elections are flawed with a large bottle of cooking oil being the going rate for securing a single vote in one specific village.

A report on July 17 disclosed that according to Hong Kong's "Ming Pao", the Deputy Director of the Equipment Development Department of the CCP Central Military Commission Qian Weiping, was arrested and investigated by the Chinese military for being involved in espionage in early July.

Nikkei Research reported on July 18, that a year into the trade war with Washington, more than 50 global companies, including Apple and Nintendo, have announced or are considering plans to move production out of China.

China's top political advisory body, the CPPCC, held a symposium on the economy on July 15. Nine CPPCC members shared their views, including former top Party and state economic advisors Yang Weimin and Liu Shijin.

On July 16, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang discussed the economy with top officials and invited economists and business leaders to give their thoughts on the current economic trajectory.

Xinhua reported the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Inner Mongolia on July 15 and 16, his third to the region since the 19th Party Congress, when he highlighted the need to carry out the theme education of “not forgetting the original heart and keeping in mind the mission”, which is a party internal rectification campaign.

On July 18, Chinese President Xi Jinping met Chinese ambassadors from all over the world at the 2019 Annual Overseas Diplomats Work Conference.

Kurt Tong, the outgoing US Consul General in Hong Kong was barred by the U.S. State Department from giving a tough valedictory speech because of fears criticism of government actions could offend Beijing and derail a trade war truce agreed by Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at last month’s G20 meeting in Japan.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in the US on July 11 while on a visit to four Caribbean allies. Tsai will go to New York on her way there, and then is expected to stop in Denver on the way back.

In an article in the Atlantic (July 2019) Didi Kirsten Tatlow mentioned that there are at least 230 groups in Germany linked to China’s United Front in addition to 20 Confucius Institutes.

Caixin Daily (July 12) reported that China’s best and brightest are struggling to land prestigious jobs as the lowest level of economic growth in a decade and a prolonged trade war with the U.S. drive down job openings.

The American Enterprise Institute in a report in July 2019 stated that China’s investment and construction around the world plunged in the first half of 2019 and is unlikely to return to 2016–17 levels in the foreseeable future.

The International Campaign for Tibet reported (Global Times - June 18, 2019) that a nationwide political campaign in China against “black” and “evil forces” has intensified in Chinese-occupied Tibet with a strong emphasis on cracking down on “separatism in the name of religion” and loyalty to the Dalai Lama.

Xi Jinping convened a meeting of leading Party, Government and PLA cadres, excluding representatives of the other democratic parties and All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, who attended the opening ceremony of the January seminar on July 5, 2019. e.

Chinese President and General Secretary of the CCP convened a high-level meeting (July 9) to discuss Party-building in central Party and state institutions.

China News reported on June 10, that in mid-May, a Chinese Buddhist delegation headed by the Panchen Lama, Vice President of the Chinese Buddhist Association went to Thailand to attend the celebration of the closing ceremony of the United Nations Welcome Day and made a friendly visit to the Thai Buddhist community. This is the first time the Panchen has gone abroad.

China Daily reported (June 17) that Peng Yuxing, a former Vice Governor of Sichuan Province and head of the Military Civil Integration Working Group, is under investigation by the CDIC.

Former central bank chief Zhou Xiaochuan, speaking on a panel at the Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai on June 14, expressed concern over the impact of a protracted trade war.

Bloomberg business news reported (June 14) that the World Bank on June 12 announced a 15-month debarment of China-based Dongfang Electronics Co. Ltd. (Dongfang) in connection with fraudulent practices while bidding on a power project in Liberia.

The CCP CC's ideological theoretical journal Qiushi on June 17, asserted that China would not give way on major principles in its negotiations with the US on ending the dispute.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced at a press conference on June 15, that she has suspended indefinitely efforts to pass a controversial new extradition law, after a week of unprecedented mass protests and street violence.

Hu Zhaoming, spokesman for the Chinese Communist Party’s International Department, Xi Jinping would visit North Korea on June 20-21, 2019 , at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

June 17, marked the 60th consecutive day that China Coast Guard vessels operated within 24 nautical miles (nm) of the Senkaku Islands. This is the longest stretch of continuous Chinese activity in those waters since Japan started tracking it.

The official Global Times published (June 16) an article by Long Xingchun, Director of the Center for Indian Studies at China West Normal University, which argued that while the US is trying to sell more weaponry to India it has not been a reliable partner in the past and Russia is still India's main supplier.

Prior to the all-important Xi-Trump meeting next week, a group of five US CEOs including the heads of the chemical giant Dow Inc., United Parcel Service Inc., drugmaker Pfizer Inc. and Honeywell International Inc., are set to meet with Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing.

The Nikkei Asian Review reported on June 19, that Apple has asked its major suppliers to weigh the costs of moving 15% to 30% of their production capacity from China to Southeast Asia as it preps for a fundamental restructuring of its supply chain.

The People's Daily reported on June 21, that China's unmanned helicopter, the AV500, has successfully conducted its first night operation under challenging conditions, demonstrating its any-time, all-terrain capabilities.

On June 6, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued 5G commercial licenses to four state-owned telecommunication companies. China Mobile is keen to get rolling with its 5G build out.

Top Chinese leaders appear to be increasingly worried about the deteriorating economic picture.

Qu Weiguo, Head of the English Department of the prestigious Tsinghua University in a speech to the Class of 2019 on June 19, praised the importance of fighting for individual liberty, talking with the world outside and thinking independently.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang announced on June 22 that Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend the 14th Group of 20 (G20) summit in Osaka, Japan from June 27 to 29, at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The People’s Daily launched a new series of Zhong Sheng articles on the US-China trade war focusing on “clearly seeing the true colours of US politicians.”

A front page People's Daily article on June 1, noted that the Chinese government had from that day begun to raise tariffs on US goods worth about 60 billion U.S. dollars "as a counterattack against the U.S.’s move to raise the tariff of 200 billion U.S. dollars to China’s exports to the United States".

The United States Senate on June 13, confirmed former Air Force Brig. General David Stilwell as the U.S. Ambassador to China.

Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement on June 12, that a collision between a Chinese and a Philippine vessel, the FB Gimver 1, was reported by Filipino fishermen near the Recto Bank in the South China Sea on the evening of June 9, with the collision sinking the vessel.

The People's Daily on June 6, publicised Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia this week and meting on June 5 with Russian President Vladimir Putin to commemorate 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Tencent Holdings' restructuring takes place as the company posted its first quarterly profit drop in 13 years in Q2 2018. The move will eventually affect the company’s 50,000 employees and at least 30 VP-level executives.

Proposed by Chinese President in November 2018, China's new high-tech board called the SSE Star Market, opened in Shanghai on June 13.

The Global times reported (May 13) that China has launched two new Type 052D guided-missile destroyers at the Dalian shipyard. The report said “China now has 20 Type 052Ds either in active service or being fitted out for service soon.”

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held a forum on 4 June, for experts of the rare earth industry to promote the “high-quality development of the industry.”

The People’s Daily published a series of Commentator articles from June 2 to June 6 to stress the importance of “building the Party based on ideology” and implementing the goals set by the education campaign with “high standards” and for Party Committees (Party Leadership Groups) to take on the responsibilities to lead and supervise the implementation of the campaign.

Xi Jinping wrote a signed article titled "Working Together for a Brighter Future of China-Tajikistan Friendship" published on June 12, by the Tajik media on the eve of his state visit .

The China-sponsored Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has ramped up the pace of its lending since late last year, approving eight new projects in countries ranging from Indonesia to Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka over the last six months, according to its website.

Taiwan confirmed on June 6 that it has asked to purchase more than 100 tanks from the United States, along with a letter of request for 108 cutting-edge M1A2 Abrams tanks, 1,240 TOW anti-armor missiles, 409 Javelin anti-tank missiles, and 250 Stinger man-portable air defense systems.

Since late last year, amid rising U.S-China tensions and unwelcome climate, venture firms with China ties have held back their U.S. investments. U.S. startups in the Silicon Valley also prefer to look for funding to U.S. Government entities and push their Chinese investors out to avoid scrutiny.

The Russian News Agency TASS, on June 5, said that the experimental team of the Chinese People's Liberation Army will test the second batch of Russian-made S-400 missiles delivered to China in the first 10 days of June. This test will continue to test the anti-missile capability of this type of missile.

China inflation hit a 15-month high in May as swine fever pushed Pork prices nearly 20% over last year.

Official Chinese date quoted on June 5, by the business news journal Caixin revealed that average wholesale prices of several fruits climbed as much as 42% as of June 3 compared with the start of the year most likely because of cold snaps in several fruit-producing regions.

The South China Morning Post (May 14) reported that Regulators in Hong Kong are increasingly nervous about the accelerating pace of capital outflows from China after the collapse of trade talks, fearing a wave of financial turbulence that could jeopardize the hub's longstanding dollar peg.

Well-known Chinese news site Sina reported on May 31, that China’s National Bureau of Statics just released its May Manufacturing PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) number.

Amidst concerns about a weakening Chinese economy, the PBoC Governor Yi Gang said in an interview on June 7, that no hard limit existed for the dollar exchange rate, indicating that the tightly controlled onshore renminbi could drop further against the US Dollar.

The official CCP newspaper People’s Daily launched a new Zhong Sheng series on the US-China trade war. Each article focused on a particular reason why US actions will result in “inevitable failure”.

China's State Council on May 29 announced the appointment of the former Chinese Ambassador to India, 62-year old Luo Zhaohui (罗照辉) as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Xinhua reported (may 27) that CPPCC Chairman and PBSC member Wang Yang (汪洋) conducted an inspection tour of Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province from May 25 to 27, 2019.

According to statistics from China's Education Ministry released on June 3, among the more than 10,000 Chinese whose studies in the US were sponsored by the Chinese government in 2018, 331 people were unable to do so because of a visa issue.

CNN citing three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said (June 5) that the US government has obtained intelligence that Saudi Arabia has significantly escalated its ballistic missile program with the help of China.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported (June 4) that Australian Intelligence officials believe China may have been behind a massive data breach which compromised the personal details of thousands of Australian National University students and staff.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid his eighth visit (and fourth state visit) to Russia from June 5 to 7, when he will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. which is due to kick off Thursday.

China's Global Times published (June 6) an article by Ding Gang, Senior Editor with the Party paper 'People's Daily' and currently also a Senior Fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, asserting that Nepal's "strategic position" is the cause for increased US interest on Nepal in its Indo-Pacific Strategy.

The official Global Times (June 4) publicised that the new Type-055 Destroyer, the 'Nanchang' (Hull No: 101) took part in the recent International Fleet Review at Qingdao. It said the warship will join the PLAN's North Sea Fleet.

Excerpts from a recent interview by Asahi Shimbun with Retired PLA Colonel and Professor at China's National Defense University, Liu Mingfu, who wrote the 'China Dream' are reproduced below.

The leading Chinese business magazine Caixin quoting China's official news agency Xinhua reported that “Pfizer Upjohn, Pfizer's generic drug unit, opened its global headquarters in Shanghai on May 30, marking the first time any multinational drug company has placed its main office in China.

Gao Feng, spokesman for China's Ministry of Commerce, stated during a briefing in Beijing on May 30, that “The U.S. keeps escalating the trade tensions, and makes various tricks, which has severely hurt the trade talks.” He also said “Whether the China-U.S. trade talks can make any progress largely hinges on the U.S. attitude and sincerity.”

The official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, the People's Daily, warned on May 30 that China might ban export of rare earths — which are crucial in much high-performance modern technology including Circuit boards, batteries, sensors and thrusters.

China’s imports from Iran of Iranian crude oil surged to a five-year high in April as it gorged itself ahead of the return of U.S. sanctions.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping pays a state visit to Russia from June 5 to 7, China and Russia are expected to sign joint communiqués that will propel bilateral ties to a higher level.

Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe arrived in Singapore earlier this week combining attendance at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue with meetings with Singapore Government officials.

The official Global Times on May 28 said that there had been wide spread and heated discussion following an interview with Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei.

The CCP CC General Office in a circular issued on May 27, instructed that the Party collective should have absolute control over promotions, taking away decision-making power from individuals.

The U.S. Commerce Department on May 13, banned six Chinese technology entities, one Pakistani firm and five based in the United Arab Emirates from exporting sensitive U.S. technologies and other goods.

Nikkei reported (June1) that China's exports to U.S. dropped by US$ 15.2 billion, or 12%, in the first quarter of Jan-March 2019.

China declared on June 2, that the U.S. must withdraw its latest round of tariffs before a deal can be reached.

Speaking at the annual Shangri'la Dialogue in Singapore on June 1, Chinese Defence Minister Lt. General Wei Fenghe dressed in full military uniform asserted that “Building facilities on one’s own territories is not militarisation.”

Duowei, an official Chinese news outlet in North America, reported that, “China, in the face of the unreasonable demands that the United States has made on China in trade negotiations, emphasized its ‘core interests’ and showed that it has the will never to yield to the United States.

On May 31, the CCP launched a new campaign with the theme "staying true to our founding mission" among all Party members, especially officials at or above the county and director level.

Reuters reported (May 23) that a planned US$10 billion port project in Tanzania has hit an impasse, with China and Tanzania disagreeing on terms of the infrastructure investment. Deusdedit Kakoko.

Emory University fired two neuroscientists after they were accused of failing to disclose foreign research funding and connections with China.

Threatened by African Swine Fever that is cutting across Asia, the Chinese government has banned the use of non heated swill and doesn't allow swill feeding at all in provinces with ongoing outbreaks.

The South China Morning Post on May 26 reported, quoting an unnamed Chinese military source, that “The escalating tension between China and the United States has reminded Beijing’s leaders that they need to be careful how much they spend on new warships.”

China's Banking regulators issued a statement (May 24) stating that the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) have taken over the management of Baoshang Bank for two years.

A Washington Post report on May 25, disclosed that 21-year Qiu Zhanxuan, leader of the Marxist student association at the elite Peking University, had released a scathing video in February of the inhuman treatment meted out to him by China's security authorities during his four days of detention.

Inspecting the Infantry Academy of the PLA Ground Force in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province on May 21, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered military schools to 'move forward in the correct political direction' and asserted that their training must be focussed on what the military needs to win wars and that they must provide capable human resources to support the effort of building a strong military.

On May 20, CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping visited a 'revolutionary base' in Jiangxi province to commemorate the 12,500 kms 'Long March' that lasted from October 1934 to October 1936.

Associated Press reported (May 28) that Australian Navy helicopter pilots were hit by lasers while exercising in the South China Sea, forcing them to land as a precaution. It quoted Euan Graham, who was onboard the Royal Australian Navy flagship HMAS Canberra on a voyage from Vietnam to Singapore.

Taiwan’s official Central News Agency disclosed on May 25, that Taiwan National Security Chief David Lee met White House National Security Adviser John Bolton during David Lee’s visit to the U.S. from May 13 to 21.

In seven trading days through May 13, foreign investors sold a net 3.7 billion yuan ($530 million) of shares in Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. Ltd. through the stock connect program between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, according to data compiled by financial data provider iFind from Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd.

Asia Nikkei reported on May 29, that China's largest chip foundry, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., will delist from the New York Stock Exchange.

The South China Morning Post (May 27) reported that food prices in China jumped 6.1 per cent in April due to higher pork and fruit prices, with pork price increases accelerating to 14.4 per cent from 5.1 per cent in March.

China's leading business news service reported that on May 22 a new high-level “small leading group” was set up to work on employment. This followed the surveyed urban unemployment rates for the first four months of this year showing that these were all higher than last year's rates.

The New York Times reported (May 28) that on the eve of the anniversary of the "Tiananmen incident" on June 3-4, 1998, 66-year old former PLA Lieutenant Ms. Jiang Lin called for a public reckoning because generations of Chinese Communist Party leaders, including President Xi Jinping, have expressed no remorse for the violence.

South China Morning Post disclosed (May 28) that the CCP CC's United Front Work Department issued a news release on May 27, stating that China has begun five-day Confucian culture immersion courses for religious leaders in the sage’s hometown as part of a campaign to extend government control over faith communities through a process of Sinicisation.

Since 2016, Pakistan has allocated 1.3 billion rupees (US$9.1 million) for CPEC security, on top of the efforts of the Balochistan provincial government and created the 15,000-man SSD.

The Trump administration on May 15, imposed an extreme penalty on Huawei that bars U.S. companies from using telecommunications equipment made by Chinese company Huawei and its 70 subsidiaries.

According to a recently leaked letter from He Tingbo, President of Huawei's chip unit HiSilicon, the Chinese smartphone giant anticipated years ago that the U.S. government might “suppress” the company and cut channels for it to acquire chip-related technology from the U.S., and has developed “alternative chips” for just such a scenario — though it did not expect the situation to actually happen.

A report publicised by ZDNET. on May 14 and released by cybersecurity professionals from the BlackBerry Cylance Threat Intelligence team on recent Chinese hacking activity based on research was made public in December by Area 1 Security.

On May 16, the General Offices of the State Council and Central Committee released new guidelines to promote "digital villages."

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on May 17, that while the nationwide spread of the deadly African swine fever has sent live pig and pork prices soaring, it will not have a major impact on consumers due to the stable supply of other protein sources including poultry, aquaculture products and eggs.

On May 17, the official Chinese Communist Party (CCP) newspaper 'People's Daily' published a commentary captioned 'No power can stop the Chinese people from realising their dreams'.

An article by CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping entitled "Deepening Understanding of the New Vision of Development," was published on May 16 in the 10th issue of the Party theoretical journal Qiushi.

Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’’s crown prince, on May 10, defended China’s use of concentration camps for Muslims, saying it was Beijing’s “right”.

The 90-second rhetoric tirade against the US by anchor Kang Hui on the 13th May evening edition of the Party's flagship news program, Xinwen Lianbo on the state-owned CCTV was strong and has become an internet sensation in China.

Two Chinese Vice Premiers, Sun Chunlan and Hu Chunhua, chaired a National Conference on Employment in Beijing on May 13, to which Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent instructions.

In a statement on its website on May 13, the Chinese Ministry of Finance announced an escalation of the trade war on May 14 and said it would raise tariffs on US$60 billion of US goods from June 1, by “25, 20 and 10 per cent” respectively.

Prominent intellectuals including children of veteran leaders have called for review and change in Beijing's policies towards the US, while stopping short of directly criticising existing policies.

Lou Jiwei, a former Chinese Minister of Finance and till recently Chairman of China’s Social Security Fund, told South China Morning Post in early March that the Made in China 2025 plan had “wasted taxpayers’ money.”

Xi Jinping chaired a Politburo meeting on May 13, where the Party decided to launch a “Stay true to the Party’s founding mission” education campaign from June 2019.

The official Party newspaper People's Daily on May 6, publicised that NPC Chairman and PBSC member Li Zhanshu (栗战书) presided over a study seminar focusing on Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thought and Xi’s important speech at the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF).

Agence France-Presse reported that a panel of experts reported to the UN Security Council that it examined photographs of the debris and identified a Chinese-made Blue Arrow air-to-surface missile.

Asia Times (May 5) citing the Pentagon’s recently released 2019 China Military Power Report said the PLA Marine Corps is scheduled to expand from its current 20,000 to upwards of 30,000 Marines – and quite possibly a lot more.

Between May 2 and May 8, 2019, warships from the United States Navy, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Philippines Navy, and the Indian Navy sailed together for the first time in a four-way event demonstrating presence and cooperation.

Amnesty International, which had recently moved its headquarters to a building in New York, was asked on May 10 to vacate the building as it had been purchased by a Chinese SoE and they didn't want Amnesty International as a tenant.

POPULAR REACTIONS IN CHINA TO SINO-US TRADE WAR

As Chinese Vice Premier and Xi Jinping's trade envoy Liu He arrived in Washington on May 10 to continue negotiations, US President Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods from 10 to 25 percent claiming that will garner around US$ 300 billion for the US.

Huawei CFO and daughter of Huawei founder Ren , Ms. Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, who is presently in detention in Canada awaiting completion of extradition proceedings, wrote a letter on May 13, to all 188,000 personnel of Huawei which was published on the Xinsheng Community (Huawei's internal online forum).

The US Economic and Security Review Commission (USESRC) has assessed that China's military spending will increase between 2015 - 2021 by 55 % from US$ 167.9 billion to US$ 260.87 bn. The PLAN's spending, it said, will increase by 82% from US$ 31.4 billion to US$ 57.1 billion.

By May 2019, China had launched two more new Type-052 Destroyers bringing the total in service to nine. The report said the 20th Type-052 Destroyer will be ready in three years.

Pharmaceutical billionaire Zhao Tao, owner of Shandong Buchang Pharmaceuticals Co., paid US$ 6.5 million to college counselor William “Rick” Singer for his daughter, Yusi's admission to Stanford University.

On April 15, Japanese Self Defence Force fighters scrambled to intercept Chinese H-6K bombers and a Y-8G ECM near Okinawa entering the East China Sea.

Two USN destroyers the USS Stethem and USS William P. Lawrence conducted a "routine Taiwan Strait transit" on April 28-29, 2019.

Zhang Jiadong, a Professor at the Center for American Studies, Fudan University, in an article published in Global Times on April 29, claimed that the U.S. announcement that it would not extend sanctions waivers for Iran oil importers "will highly likely affect US-India ties".

The South China Morning Post (May 4) quoted Adam Ni, China researcher from Macquarie University in Sydney, as saying that China has set up two major research organisations focused on AI unmanned systems and present trends suggest that the gap with the US will narrow as China is moving quickly to develop its military AI capability.

The South China Morning Post on April 22 said that the 'Made in China-2025' plan was authored by the Chinese Academy of Engineering in August 2013 and was to counter the reforms announced at the Third plenum in 2013.

South China Morning Post (April 15) reported that former Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming, speaking at a seminar organised by the Beijing-based Centre for China and Globalisation, cautioned that China would remain in the "primary stage of socialism for long" and said its economic size did not give it leeway to dictate global rules.

The Globe and Mail on April 28 reported that theTrudeau government through its Ambassador in Washington has delivered a message to the White House: Don’t sign a trade deal with China while Canadians are being held hostage in that country.

The Washington Examiner (April 30) said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s team is developing a strategy for China based on the idea of “a fight with a really different civilization” for the first time in American history.

Well-known Chinese news site Sina on April 26, reported that the Netherlands’ largest telecommunications company, Royal KPN NV, announced recently that it will select a European supplier for its core 5G mobile network.

China Military Online, citing the Pakistan media, reported (April 29) that Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of Pakistan, visited Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. in Shanghai and the Wuhan Shuangliu Base of Wuchang Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., and met with heads of the relevant Chinese shipbuilding corporations.

The official Global Times (April 29) quoted Chinese military experts as saying on April 28 that 'India's military culture cannot keep up with its ambitious weapon and equipment development, which might be the reason behind its aircraft carrier's fatal fire' on April 26.

China’s largest trading partners, the U.S. and India, were absent from the summit. None of the leaders from the U.S. G7 industrial countries including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Britain, and Germany were present at the summit.

Voice of America reported (April 12) that in the past few decades, the fiscal income of the top groups has grown at an alarming rate and their proportion of the national income has almost doubled.

The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) said on April 21, that the Long March 5B carrier rocket is expected to make its maiden flight in the first half of 2020.

The Epoch Times reported (April 18) that Beijing made April 15 the “State Security Education Day for All People.”

Possibly because of the sensitive May 4 anniversary, the subway stations at Tiananmen in Beijing were closed from May 1 to 4.

Reuters reported (April 29) that China has recently targeted other Canadian exporters. It has already blocked Canadian canola from Richardson International and Viterra, two of Canada’s biggest farm exporters, saying that shipments had pests.

Reuters cited two U.S. military officials as saying that the French frigate ' BEIDOU ' (F734) navigated through the Taiwan Strait on April 6.

CNN reported (April 30) that China's Jiangmen Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong province on April 30, sentenced a Canadian, whose name is translated as Fan Wei and a US national Mark Swidan, to death in China for producing and trafficking a large amount of methamphetamine.

The reputed Chinese financial newspaper reported (April 25 ) that China Unicom will be the first Chinese carrier to offer 5G wireless telecom services to the public in selected cities this year, putting China among the global frontrunners in rolling out next-gen mobile internet networks.

Zhang Quande, Secretary General of China’s Association of Global Navigation System Applications and Location-based Services, said at a conference in Shenzhen on April 14, that China's home developed Beidou navigation system will generate a services market of over US$ 298 billion by 2020.

China's official Global Times (April 9, 2019) disclosed that Zhang Xuetong, leader of the research team from the Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, had said they will continue to research stealth and camouflage materials that can hide from a broad spectrum of electromagnetic waves, after they successfully fabricated a material that can hide a hot object from heat-sensing infrared cameras.

The reputed Chinese financial newspaper Caixin (April 23) said that a recent report from a research group said that many Belt and Road Initiative port projects have suffered from a “premature mentality,” in which investors jump in without adequate research, and could “stimulate regional political conflicts”.

Xi Jinping delivered the keynote address at the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) on April 25, 2019. Compared with the inaugural 2017 event, Xi’ Jinping's speech was shorter and contained fewer concrete proposals.

A Communist Party document revealed recently (April 11) that China's Communist Youth League (CYL) has promised to despatch more than 10 million students to 'rural zones' by 2022 in order to 'increase their skills, spread civilisation and promote science and technology'.

Zhang Yuzhen, widow of Mao Zedong’s personal secretary has filed a lawsuit IN Beijing’s Xicheng district court to prevent the publication of his diaries, which are held by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and could shed invaluable light on the inner workings of the Communist Party.

Xinhua said that addressing heads of foreign delegations invited to participate in the events marking the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on April 22, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for 'concerted efforts to safeguard maritime peace and build a maritime community with a shared future'.

One hundred years after thousands of Chinese students marched on Tiananmen Square on May 4, 1919, to protest against Western colonialism, President Xi Jinping on April 22, reiterated the Chinese Communist Party’s determination to control the legacy of the movement.

International Monetary Fund data shows that collectively, Japan owned $1.667 trillion in foreign assets in the third quarter of 2018, while China owned $1.542 trillion in the second quarter, the most recent available data for each country.

China's official news agency Xinhua on April 19 reported that India's indigenous stealth destroyer INS Kolkata and fleet tanker INS Shakti will participate in the international fleet review in Qingdao, China, as part of the celebrations of the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

An article in the official Global Times on April 21, by Lu Yang, a research fellow with Institute of the Belt and Road Initiative, Tsinghua University, said "There is little doubt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will emerge as the largest party in parliament.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing after a day's discussions with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou on April 22, 2019.

The official Global Times (April 22) said data shows there is an increasing number of overseas Chinese students coming back to China to work.

The Emirates News Agency on April 22, reported that the UAE had been elected Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Organisation..

The South China Morning Post (April 23) revealed that China has launched at least 10 experimental "scavenger" satellites into space in the last decade.

The South China Morning Post on April 22, reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping replied to a letter written by group of 40 US high school students from the Niles North High school in Illinois saying he is impressed by USA's "beautiful landscape, hospitable people and diverse culture" and has made many friends.

The Hongkong District Court on April 23, sentenced four 'pro-democracy' leaders for terms varying from eight to 16 months over the 2014 Occupy protests, while sparing another four custodial sentences.

China's State Council Information Office, last week took Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" and eight other Chinese and foreign media to visit two 'Education and Training Centers' in Xinjiang province for on-site interviews to counter western criticism.

Xinhua (April 19) reported that the CCP CC Politburo met on April 19 to discuss the Party’s propaganda work and deliberate new Party regulations that govern work of the propaganda system.

On April 22, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting of the the CCP’s most important economic policymaking body, the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs (CCFEA). The agenda was to discuss ensuring that China achieves the goal of becoming a “moderately prosperous society” by 2021.

Asia nikkei news on April 18, 2019, reported that "Japan hand" Kong Xuanyou, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister is soon to arrive in Tokyo to serve as Ambassador.

The state-owned CGTN announced on April 3, that more than 200 Chinese and Arab officials, experts and business people attended the second China-Arab States BDS Cooperation Forum two-day forum in Tunis to discuss the wider application of China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) in the Middle East.

Xinhua reported on April 1, that China had launched a new data relay satellite, the Tianlian II-01, into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on March 31. It was launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket.

China displayed new lightweight, remote sensing platforms at the 2019 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition recently with China's Ministry of National Defence hinting that they may be deployed for military application in the South China Sea to aid protecting island construction and contested areas.

The Jamestown Foundation (Vol 19, Issue 7) reported that in early 2019, PLA Senior Colonel Li Minghai (李明海), Director of the National Security Studies Institute at NDU, and Deputy Secretary of NDU’s Communist Party Committee, published a pair of articles that offered a new set of terms and theoretical ideas related to the incorporation and operationalization of emerging technology by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

A document circulated on China’s social media showed that the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top industry policy-setting body, proposed relaxing controls on the issuance of car licenses in major cities, a move designed to expand auto consumption.

Caixin reported (April 18) that the state-owned China Railway Corp. (CRC) has slashed the price of transporting coal and ore along certain routes in northern China, as growth in its cargo business shows signs of slowing.

A report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) on states that China’s pension funds will fall to zero in 2035 after peaking in 2027 at 6.99 trillion yuan ($1.04 trillion).

China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi announced at a media briefing on April 19, that China will host the second Belt and Road Forum from April 25 to April 27 in Beijing. He said it will be the “most important” diplomatic event in China this year.

Bloomberg reported that ever since Xi Jinping came to power, the criteria for bureaucrats to continue in office and for promotion has become tougher with social conduct being emphasised over competence.

Hongkong's South China Morning Post (April 18) reported that China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) had confirmed that the sale of 20.47 million plane tickets and 5.71 million train tickets were stopped by the social credit management system.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s official theoretical fortnightly journal 'Qiushi' on April 1 2019, republished a speech that Xi Jinping delivered in 2013, in which he discussed 'socialism with Chinese characteristics'. Xi’s speech identified several problems or confusions in people’s understanding of the Chinese system.

Over the past three months, an armada of Chinese paramilitary vessels has swarmed around the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island, marking a dramatic escalation in the two countries' maritime disputes.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) conducted a long-range military drill involving Xian H-6K bombers, a Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AWAC) aircraft, a Shaanxi Y-9JB (GX-8) electronic warfare and surveillance plane, as well as Su-30 and J-11 fighter jets near Taiwan and Japan on April 15.

Japan’s National Institute of Defence Studies said on April 17, that Japan scrambled fighter jets 999 times as Chinese sorties increased last financial year. The number of interceptions is the second highest figure on record.

China and Japan held the China-Japan High-level Dialogue in Beijing on April 14. The meeting was chaired by State Councilor Wang Yi on the Chinese side and Foreign Minister Taro Kono on the Japanese side.

Canada was reported on April 16, to have rejected the visa and appeal of a People's Daily reporter who was an MSS officer, according to the court documents.

China on April 16 with held issue of visas to Michael Pillsbury, a former US Defence Department official and currently advisor on China to US President Trump and Ms Wendy Cutler, former USTR.

The Washington Post reported (April 13) that U.S. Senators have proposed legislation that stipulates it would approve 10 more years of critical federal funding for Metro, but only if the transit agency agreed to not buy its next generation of rail cars from China.

Well-known Chinese news site Sina reported (April 11) that Viettel, Vietnam’s largest telecommunications company has developed a plan to provide its 5G high-speed wireless services in 2021.

A report released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on April 15, predicted that the pension funds collected in 2019 will not cover expenses of the same year. The shortfall is appearing much earlier than expected.

Caixin Daily reported (April 16) that the China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, seen as a barometer of the vitality of China’s international trade, apparently has struggled to attract buyers to its spring session.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang co-chaired the 21st China-EU Summit in Brussels with European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

Radio Free Asia reported (April 10) that Zhang Pancheng, a former security guard at Peking University, was arrested because he posted a video on the Internet last November criticizing China’s human rights situation and Xi Jinping for giving out generous foreign aid to 3rd world countries.

Xinhua reported (April 8) that Chinese President Xi Jinping accompanied by the entire CCP CC Politburo Standing Committee went to Tongzhou, Beijing to participate in a tree-planting activity at a site formerly occupied by chemical plants, signaling their resolve to tackle China’s environmental problems.

South China Morning Post on April 4, reported that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is ending its funding ties with Chinese telecoms equipment makers Huawei and ZTE, citing the risks that such arrangements might cause in the light of US federal investigations of the two companies.

The MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, has ousted three senior researchers after the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, informed it that the scientists had committed potentially “serious” violations of agency rules involving confidentiality of peer review and the disclosure of foreign ties.

The South China Morning Post, quoting the Toronto Star, on April 18, disclosed that the Chinese Consulate-General in Toronto had in August 2018 hired the services of a private lobbying firm, Solstice Public Affairs.

Ex-General Prabowo Subianto who is challenging Indonesian leader Joko Widodo for the Presidency has demanded a review of all BRI projects.

Malaysia a signed a fresh deal to proceed with the stalled China-backed East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) on April 12, 2019.

According to Baker McKenzie, Chinese government statements indicae that 50 state-owned firms have invested or participated in almost 1,700 projects in countries along Belt and Road’s path over the past three years.

The Offshore Oil 981 drilling platform, a sixth-generation ultra-deepwater rig that was developed by state-owned shipbuilder China State Shipbuilding Corp for CNOOC, has started deepwater operations in the South China Sea, which officials said would supply liquefied natural gas to the “Greater Bay Area”.

People’s Daily reported on April 10, that since 2018, Yunnan province has been vigorously promoting the construction of big data centers for the police force.

China's official Global Times (April 2) published a commentary after Chinese PLA warplanes flew over the “Taiwan Strait Line” recently, threatening that the mainland will not exclude the possibility of wiping out the targeted Taiwan military base.

Asia Times reported (April 12) that more than 510,000 overseas educated Chinese students chose to return to their home country in 2018, representing a record high over three decades.

A report on April 10, stated that the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Youth League (CYL), membership of which is for young people between the ages of fourteen and twenty-eight, recently announced that over the next three years it will send ten million college students to the countryside, in order to implement president Xi Jinping’s “important thoughts on youth work” and his Strategic Plan for the Vitalization of Rural Areas.

April 15 is the popular CCP CC General Secretary Hu Yaobang's death anniversary.

Bloomberg News reported (April 10) that the U.S. sent the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship outfitted last year with F-35B jets, to join the annual Exercise Balikatan with the Philippines this month.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) dispatched two Xian H-6G maritime strike bombers and one Shaanxi Y-9JB (GX-8) electronic warfare and surveillance aircraft through international airspace between the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako in the East China Sea on April 1.

China's state-owned Global Times reported (April 1) that on March 31, two People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) J-11 fighter jets crossed the middle line on the Taiwan Straits forcing Taiwan to scramble its own fighters.

Asia Nikkei reported on April 7, how a mounting string of allegations from the US paint a damning portrait of how China's advanced technology sector has rapidly grown due to corporate espionage at a near-systemic level.

On April 3, Xinhua announced that Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will visit Europe to "intensify cooperation between China and European countries and provide new impetus to the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership".

US Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) on April 9, strongly rejected the Chinese government’s claim that it will decide the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet.

Caixin Global reported (April 10) that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its 2019 China growth forecast to 6.3% from 6.2% on April 9, but warned of “more subdued” momentum next year.

A World Bank Report has said that China is at the second spot with remittances from abroad totalling US$ 67 billion.

The South China Morning Post reported (April 9) that Sina, owner of the Twitter-style microblog Weibo and one of China’s leading social media platforms, announced on April 8, that it had suspended or shut down more than 50 accounts which published “politically harmful information”, including of Yu Jianrong, a popular outspoken liberal intellectual with more than seven million followers.

Caixin reported (April 8) that China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) had instructed local governments to lift household registration restrictions for people who live and work in some second- and third-tier cities in an effort to advance reform of the residency system for migrants.

China is holding an international fleet review on April 23 at Qingdao to mark the 70th anniversary of founding the PLA Navy.

Peng Chun (彭纯), former chairman of "Big Five" state-owned lender Bank of Communications Co. Ltd., is the new chair of China Investment Corp. (CIC), the world’s second-largest sovereign wealth fund.

AFP on April 4, reported that Beijing has dismissed reports that it sent 120 soldiers to Venezuela along with a shipment of humanitarian aid as reported in some sections of the media earlier.

The International Campaign for Tibet reported (April 3) that a Member of Parliament from Nepal’s Communist Party, Khaga Raj Adhikari, asserted at a public event that the use of the khata in Nepal “hurt the feelings of the Chinese people,” connecting it to Tibet issue and giving political color to a fundamentally spiritual and cultural tradition.

Wu Shicun, head of the government-affiliated National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan on March 29, that the US would step up what it called freedom of navigation operations in the area with more frequent and wider-ranging manoeuvres this year.

A statement issued by the Chinese foreign ministry said that meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on March 28, his Kazakhstan counterpart Beibut Atamkulov said his country “understands and supports the measures taken by China’s Xinjiang region” to rein in terrorism, separatism and extremism.

Xu Zhangrun, a law professor at Beijing’s Tsinghua University who has penned a series of essays critical of policies of the Chinese Communist Party and of its current leader, Xi Jinping, was banned from teaching, relieved of his academic duties, and put under investigation.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) on March 27 claimed that netizens after viewing foreign media films of Xi Jinping, during his European tour commencing March 22, reported that Xi Jinping was swinging on both sides while walking, his feet were not balanced, and his movements were a bit stiff.

Associated Press reported on March 27, that China says Canada should make moves to "correct the mistakes it made earlier".

The Inter-American Development Bank is calling off its general assembly next week in China amid a dispute over the participation of a Venezuelan representative opposed by Beijing. The IDB did not say in its press release the reason for canceling the meeting, planned for March 28-31 in Chengdu.

Foreign Policy reported on March 24, that this month, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) will present the cabinet with its recommendations on foreign investments in Israel.

Writing in the Asia Nikkei Review on March 20, Adnan Amir stated that the Pakistani government has diverted around 24 billion Pakistani rupees ($171.6 million) in funds meant for joint infrastructure development projects with China into other construction plans, as Islamabad distances itself from Beijing.

The Apple (Ulanqab) Data Center Project held a groundbreaking ceremony on March 15 in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

On March 19, the 83-year old Dalai Lama told Reuters news agency that “In future, in case you see two Dalai Lamas come, one from here, in free country, one chosen by Chinese, then nobody will trust, nobody will respect [the one chosen by China].

31-year old Wei Zili, editor and co-owner of the Shenzhen-based online labour news portal Xinshengdai, was reported to have been taken from his parents’ home in Baiyun district in Guangzhou by police at about 1pm on March 20.

Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on March 21, for state visits to Italy, Monaco and France.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to finalise a BRI Memorandum of Understanding during his official visit to Italy on March 22-23. Beijing sees Italy as a priority for its Maritime Silk Road, considered vital to China’s ever-growing wealth maritime strategy, including greater access to Northern European markets.

China Central Television reported (March 17) that PLAAF J-10 fighter jets of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF)'s Bayi Aerobatic Team had arrived in Pakistan to a warm welcome as local children greeted them with bouquets.

The reputed Chinese financial magazine Caixin (March 15) reported that Beijing has announced big tax cuts for businesses. It calculated that half of the proposed RMB 2 trillion in tax cuts will be borne by local governments.

At the conclusion of its annual session on March 15, the National People’s Congress (NPC) passed the Foreign Investment Law (FIL).

China's approx 10,000-word White Paper released on March 18 noted that "some of the most notorious terrorist attacks" that have taken place in the world in the course of which it referred to "the Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008 that killed 195 and injured close to 300 people in India".

Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a symposium in Beijing on March 18, of teachers of politics and ideology from around the country where he delivered an "important" speech. Speaking at the symposium, the official news agency quoted Xi Jinping as saying education is all about training good Communists.

Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a Politburo study session on propaganda in the age of the internet in January.

The General Office of the CCP CC released a “Notice on Resolving the Outstanding Problems of Formalism to Reduce the Grassroots Burden” and identified 2019 as the “Year of Reducing the Grassroots Burden.”

Over the weekend, the party released revised rules for selecting top officials. This is the second revision under Xi Jinping.

Quoting Reuters, the Asahi Shimbun on March 16, disclosed that a "technical" delegation from China will visit Argentina this month to discuss construction of a nuclear power plant, reportedly worth up to $8 billion.

The Nikkei Asian Review (March 16) said the European Union will revise its official approach to China in summit meetings here next week, after its executive body named Beijing a "systemic rival" and outlined 10 suggested points of action on China, including ensuring security for the fifth generation of mobile networks and thoroughly screening foreign direct investment in the EU in a memo on March 12.

Associated Press reported on March 16, that the U.S. Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Cohen told the UN Security Council after the vote that "China held the resolution hostage and insisted on making it about Chinese national political priorities rather than the people of Afghanistan."

China's official news agency Xinhua reported on March 16, that China's PLA Air Force Ba Yi Aerobatics Team was invited to participate in the Pakistan National Day aerobatics demonstration to be held on March 23 and flew to Pakistan on March 16, 2019.

The Hong Kong based newspaper Ming Pao published an article by Bruce Lui, a senior lecturer in the Department of Journalism at the Hong Kong Baptist University, claiming that the Chinese government’s “stability maintenance” expenditure last year was 1.37 trillion yuan (US$200 billion).

Yin Zhongqing, Deputy Director of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), was quoted by Beijing News as saying that the total amount of all local GDP added together is greater than the national GDP due to data fraud.

In the run up to the anniversary of Tibet's 10th March uprising, China’s state-run media, The Tibet Daily, on March 8, began a series of articles on “Recognizing the Reactionary Essence of the 14th Dalai Lama,” directly attacking the Dalai Lama as the “head of the feudal serfdom system of the old Tibet’s joined politics and religion.”

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CDIC) said in a statement on March 17, that the former former Director of the National Energy Administration and former Governor of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Nur Bekri, who was placed under investigation last September and removed from his post a month later, has been expelled from the CCP because he engaged in “family-style corruption”, illegally accepting property directly or through his relatives.

The official Party paper People’s Daily on March 16, 2019, reported that the CCP theoretical fortnightly journal Qiushi had published an article that Xi Jinping wrote, titled, “Accelerate the Development of Media Integration and Build a Communication Pattern for Omnimedia.”

A report published by the China Institute of International Studies in April 2017, stated that since Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Oli’s Beijing visit in March 2016, China and Nepal have accelerated cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and have strengthened interconnection through trade, transportation, and telecommunications.

Global Times (March 13) said that An Ran, a professor at South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, who is also a deputy to the National People's Congress, had proposed that the country allow residents in the border area with India to trade to improve China-India relations, reduce military confrontations and benefit the local inhabitants.

In a statement issued on March 12, the spokesman for the PRC State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office An Fengshan accused Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen of harming relations between the sides and using the welfare of the Taiwanese people as a "poker chip" for the sake of electoral gains.

According to a report in the Guardian of March 7, 2019, urban planners in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, have drawn up proposals to pipe water into the chronically parched region from Russia’s Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake on earth.

Xinhua reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, at a press conference on March 8 on the sidelines of the NPC, said China and India should be each other's partner in pursuing their respective dreams and each other's important opportunity for growing respective economies.

The South China Morning Post reported (March 8) that at a press conference on the sidelines of the NPC on March 8, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi claimed Beijing had played a “constructive role” in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan over the terrorist attack on Indian security forces in Pulwama.

China's official Science and Technology Daily says the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation hopes to be operating a commercially viable solar space station by 2050. It is working to develop a solar energy plant in space that could one day beam enough power back to Earth to light up an entire city.

The State-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) is preparing to launch the Kuaizhou-11 (KZ-11) a new solid propellant launch vehicle in the first half of the year as part of a multiplatform commercial space strategy.

The Global Times reported (February 27) that the PLA Navy deployed a new vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing drone on a guided missile destroyer during a three-day exercise in the South China Sea in late February.

The crash of a PLA Navy Aviation JH-7A fighter-bomber aircraft during training in Ledong, Hainan, was announced on March 12, by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense.

Fox Business News reported (March 8) that China has removed a planned trip to President Trump's Mar-a-Lago, Florida, property planned for late March from Xi Jinping's calendar.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's nearly 100-minute speech to the NPC on March 5, very surprisingly omitted any reference to “Made in China 2025,” a government-led industrial program at the center of the contentious U.S.-China trade dispute.

Speaking at the NPC meetings on March 6, in Beijing, Go Khok, the Mayor and Deputy Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) stated that the TAR government had restricted religious activities in Tibet.

Commenting on debts incurred by nations participating in the BRI, China's Vice Minister of commerce, Qian Keming, said at a press conference in Beijing on the sidelines of the NPC on March 9, said the trade and infrastructure strategy was not a “one-way street”.

The Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Group on March 8, 2019, said that Lu Tingge (卢廷阁) is a lawyer based in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province.

Wang Jiangping, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, while speaking o CPPCC delegates at the 'Two sessions' on March 7, disclosed that China has a secret program to support the microchip and software industries.