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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.”

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

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.

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.

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

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 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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.”

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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

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.

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.

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'.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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).

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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).

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.

POPULAR REACTIONS IN CHINA TO SINO-US TRADE WAR

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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".

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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.

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'.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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 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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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].

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.”

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

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.

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".

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

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

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.

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).

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.

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."

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

China's authoritative Xinhua News Agency said (March 8) that during the ongoing sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Chinese President Xi Jinping told the conference delegates that social science and the works of art and culture relate to the theoretical foundation and propaganda vehicles of the Chinese Communist Party’s ideology.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced on March 8 on the sidelines of the NPC, that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) in late April in Beijing and deliver a keynote speech.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, in his report to the NPC on March 5, 2019, stated that "In pursuing development this year, we will face a graver and more complicated environment as well as risks and challenges... that are greater in number and size."

NPC Chairman Li Zhanshu delivered the NPC’s annual work report, which laid out the body’s priorities for the coming year.

Biophysicist Rao Zihe, a CPPCC delegate, said on March 10, that research and development spending would hit 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product in 2019, citing Beijing’s medium and long-term plan for science and technology development for 2006 to 2020.

Hu Haifeng, the 46-year old only son of former President Hu Jintao is tipped to be elevated to Vice Ministerial rank and become the new Communist Party chief of Xian, China’s ancient capital and current capital of Shaanxi Province.

People's Bank of China (PBoC) Governor Yi Gang said China has cut the ratio of cash that banks must hold as reserves five times in the past year, in the face of the weakest economic growth in 28 years amid slowing consumption and the trade conflict with Washington.

Around 1am local time on March 9, Kazakh National Security Services (KNB) in Almaty raided the offices of human rights defender Serikjan Bilash, the founder of the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights organization.

Data compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reveals that more than half of the US$ 9.4bn invested in all 16 countries in 2016 and 2017 went to the five non-EU members namely, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Asia Nikkei reported on March 6, that Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies has asked Japanese companies including Murata Manufacturing and Toshiba Memory to increase supplies of smartphone components.

Britain's "Financial Times" published an exclusive interview on March 6, confirming that the Italian government is actively negotiating with Beijing to sign the "One Belt and One Road Project" agreement during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit on March 22, 2019.

A Chinese customs document dated March 1 revoked the registration of Winnipeg-based agricultural handler Richardson International to ship canola seeds to China.

TASS news agency on February 5, quoted a Russian government source as revealing that “About 100 military servicemen from the People’s Liberation Army of China will undergo instruction at a Russian training center in the operation and combat uses of the second regimental set of the S-400 system, to be provided to China in the second half of the year.”

Officers and men of the Daba border defense company "stationed in the hinterland of the Himalayas" at an average height of over 4,500 meters above sea level conducted tactical and physical training on February 18, 2019.

A recent Miami Herald report has sparked a controversy about latest Trump political donor Li Yang, also known as Cindy Yang , a 45-year-old Florida entrepreneur from China who founded a chain of spas and massage parlors that included the one where New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft was busted for soliciting prostitution.

At a news conference on March 8, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi endorsed Huawei and its chief financial officer for filing lawsuits challenging a U.S. ban on purchases of its equipment and the Huawei CFO's arrest by Canada.

China's expenditure on R&D is the world's second highest at 1.7 trillion Yuan.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

Xinhua reported that on March 1, 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed 800 mid-level officials who will undergo training at the Central Party School in Beijing for the next four months.

CPPCC Chairman and Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) member Wang Yang delivered the CPPCC’s annual work report to the 2158 assembled delegates.

Beijing and other cities have initiated stability-maintenance mechanisms for China’s national “Two Conferences” (the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference) that commenced in Beijing on March 5 and 3 respectively.

Speaking on March 3, at the first nationwide industry symposium since the Central Propaganda Department took jurisdiction over the National Film Bureau, Wang Xiaohui, Executive Deputy Director of the Central Propaganda Department and director of the National Film Bureau, exhorted filmmakers to turn the country into a “strong film power” like the U.S. by 2035 and called for the production of 100 movies a year that each earn more than RMB100 million ($15 million) as part of a push to increase China’s soft power.

The Central News Agency reported (February 27) that, in the past two months, the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission has closed more than 490,000 illegal accounts and thousands of websites.

Chinese experts announced that they are beginning to develop new types of weapons and plasma guns. Russian experts commented that they are not "revolutionary breakthroughs".

The Boxun site on November 7, 2018, posted a list of corrupt Chinese officials who have disappeared, fled overseas, or committed suicide.

The Chinese Embassy in Turkey announced on February 26 that the Chinese Consulate-General in Izmir, Turkey will be temporarily closed from the next day.

Shwe Kokko, an enclave on the Myanmar side of the Moei river that forms the border with Thailand some 500 kilometers northwest of Bangkok and 420 kilometers east of Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial capital, is fast becoming a Chinese town.

A picture of a Chinese fighter jet was recently publicized on social media featuring key technology systems developed for the American F-35.

An article in the Diplomat newspaper (February 15) said that recent pictures of Jiangnan shipyard have effectively confirmed that construction of China’s third aircraft carrier – 003, a conventionally powered carrier displacing about 80,000 tons full and equipped with electromagnetic catapults – is now underway.

According to a statement issued by the PLA Navy (PLAN) South Sea Fleet several of China’s newest warships including the guided missile destroyer the Hefei, guided missile frigate the Yuncheng, amphibious landing dock Changbaishan and the replenishment oiler Honghu took part in the 34-day long exercises that commenced on January 16, and included 20 drills by joint forces.

Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, deputy head and spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense announced on Mach 1, 2019 that China will host a multinational naval activity on April 23 in Qingdao, Shandong province, to honor the 70th birthday of the People's Liberation Army Navy.

China announced two development plans on China’s education on February 23, outlining blueprints for the sector’s modernization and development by 2035.

China's official news agency Xinhua on February 23 reported that Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CCP CC underscored that China should deepen supply-side structural reform in the financial sector and strengthen the sector's ability to serve the real economy.

Xinhua (February 22) reported that the CCP CC Politburo met on February 22, to discuss a draft report on the work of the government and deliberate several other documents.

The official Global Times published an article on March 3, a day prior to commencement of the annual plenum of the National People's Congress (NPC), pitching for an increase in the national defence budget.

The annual plenary meeting of the CPPCC, China's top advisory body, opened in Beijing on March 3 afternoon. The NPC session will commence on March 5. The CPPCC has approx 2200 delegates.

The communique issued after the 16th Russia, India and China (RIC) Foreign Ministerial Meeting held in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang Province on February 27, 2019, was the first following its surgical airstrike inside Pakistan on the previous day. The official Global Times reported that the RIC Foreign Ministers had "strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" and that "they also stressed that terrorist groups cannot be supported and used in political and geopolitical goals." The Global Times observed that the RIC meeting "gave New Delhi an apt platform to explain and engage China which is not only the closest friend of Pakistan but also seen as the world's second most important power." Another Global Times report of February 27, made no reference to the situation between India and Pakistan.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in its report issued on February 27, 2019, said that China has spent nearly $200 million on the Confucius Institutes. These programs have been instated in U.S. schools across the country with the mission of indoctrinating students and painting a sympathetic portrait of the Chinese Communist government. It said there are more than 100 Confucius Institutes currently operating in America—the most of any country—and China has plans to open many more. The report said "As China opened over 100 additional Confucius Institutes in the United States over the last 15 years, the Department of Education remained silent." It aded that the Chinese government also has plans to expand into the kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum. The report disclosed "The Chinese government also funds and provides language instructors for Confucius Classrooms, which offer classes for kindergarten through 12th grade students. Confucius Classrooms are currently in 519 elementary, middle, and high schools in the United States. Continued expansion of the program is a priority for China."

China'National Public Credit Information Centre reported that in 2018 China blocked 23 million “discredited” travellers from buying plane or train tickets last year as part of the country’s controversial “social credit” system aimed at improving the behaviour of citizens. It said 17.5 million people were banned from buying flights and 5.5 million barred from purchasing high-speed train tickets because of social credit offences.

Speaking at a seminar at the University of Hong Kong on February 23, Jin Canrong, Associate Dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University, said China had made great strides in expanding its military capability, but there was a lot more to come. He also said there would be "something new" at this years October parade, but did not clarify what it might be. Saying that China is gearing up for a possible conflict over Taiwan, he said over the next five or 10 years, Taiwan could provide the “biggest uncertainty” for Beijing, he said, especially if the US decided to “ignite” the situation.

The February 27 issue of the official Party newspaper People's Daily front-paged an article titled Participating in the transformation of the global economic governance system (参与全球经济治理体系变革).

A report released by the China Internet Network Information Center on February 28, revealed the following data of internet usage in China: (i) 829 million users at the end of December; (ii) 648 million short video users, 78.2% of China’s total Internet users; (iii) National Internet availability rate at 59.6%, with 26.7% of internet users or 222 million living in rural areas; (iv) Cumulative mobile internet traffic increased 189.1% to 71.1 billion GB (v) Average time people spent online of 27.6 hours per week; (vi) 610 million online shoppers, 592 million of whom used mobile phones to shop; and (vii) 600 million online payment users.

In a communique issued on February 28, China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) provided data on the demographic challenges for the country. Caixin reported that China's employment population has shrunk for the first time ever.

Xinjiang Daily reported on February 26, 2019, the appointment of Wang Junzheng, former Party Secretary of Changchun, as Party Secretary in charge of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Xinjiang. Official media reports state that Wang Junzheng would ensure the Party’s ‘absolute leadership’ in the autonomous region. He will be in charge of law and order and take responsibility for the security crackdown in which a reported 1 million Muslims have been interned.

Hongkong's South China Morning Post reported (Jan 30) that Washington plans to ask Tokyo to host its Homeland Defence Radar unit, which is designed to give the US military an early warning of ICBM launches by China, Russia and North Korea.

Negotiations in Washington were extended on February 23, for another 48 hours as the US and China try to reach a deal to end the tariff war. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said they have made ‘positive progress’ in areas including the trade imbalance, agriculture, forced technology transfers and financial services.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reportedNorth Korean President Kim Jong Un left Beijing by train on February 23, for the Vietnamese capital Hanoi for the second DPRK-U.S. summit.

An article in the US publication Politico on February 8, cited data from the Munich Security Conference stating that China is dominating research into technology that could allow missiles to travel five times the speed of sound and outmaneuver air defense systems.

Xinhua reported (February 1) that China has achieved real-time transmission of deep-sea data at 6,000-meter depth through its self-developed BeiDou satellites for the first time. It described this as essential to more secure, independent, and reliable deep-sea data transmission.

A report in the Diplomat (January 30) claimed that the China Coast Guard (CCG) has shown a lot of initiative in the new year, partly due to its incorporation into the People’s Armed Police Force (PAP) last year and partly associated with its new commander, Wang Zhongcai.

Xinhua reported (February 22, 2019) that among the 300 PLA officers charged with corruption following investigations into Fang Fenghui, former Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the CMC, at least six "military tigers" are under investigation and warned that "the “tiger” in the army has not been cleaned up". Fang Fenghui was sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of his political rights for life, all his personal property was confiscated and stolen goods recovered. The six senior military officials being investigated are: Xu Linping, He Qingcheng, Ding Guoxin, Wang Xixin, Zhao Yiliang and Pan Changjie. Of them Xu Linping, He Qingcheng, Diao Guoxin and Wang Xixin have been investigated and reduced in rank from a deputy theater level to a military position.

The New York Times reported (February 24) that 53-year old Chen Tianyong, a former judge and lawyer and now a Chinese real estate developer in Shanghai, boarded a flight to Malta last month with no plans to return anytime soon.

An article in the Nikkei Asia Review on February 28, claimed that 'Leftists' in China are angry that China is making concessions to the US in the ongoing tariff negotiations. It said that since they cannot directly attack Xi Jinping, they are focussing criticism against Chinese Vice Premier Liu

Nikkei news quoted Nepal's Transport Minister as saying (February 22) that Nepal will use Chinese gauge standards for a planned nationwide rail network.

An article in China's official Global Times (February 21) cautioned that "India and Pakistan need to avoid engaging in a trade war that will deal a blow to their own economies as well as that of China".

In an attempt to bring an end to the ongoing trade war between the US and China, CNBC reported on February 22, that Beijing has agreed to buy up to $1.2 trillion in goods from the United States. US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could also meet in late March in Florida. Meanwhile, Trump was scheduled to talk with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on February 22 afternoon, in the hopes of coming closer to a trade deal before March 1, when U.S. tariffs on a variety of goods are set to rise to 25 percent from 10 percent.

Reuters reported (February 22) that China is stepping up its diplomatic outreach over controversial camps in its heavily Muslim region of Xinjiang by inviting foreign diplomats. It said since December, China has taken at least three groups of foreign diplomats to visit the re-education and training facilities. A fourth group is scheduled to visit this month. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said ( February 16) that Geneva-based diplomats from Pakistan, Venezuela, Cuba, Egypt, Cambodia, Russia, Senegal and Belarus were visiting Xinjiang on a trip that ended on February 19.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on February 7, that ethnic Uyghurs held in political “re-education camps” in northwest China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region (XUAR) have been sent to prisons in Heilongjiang, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and that officials in the XUAR and Heilongjiang had confirmed the reports came in the same month that XUAR chairman Shohrat Zakir confirmed to China’s official Xinhua news agency the existence of the camps, calling them an effective tool to protect the country from terrorism and provide vocational training for Uyghurs.

A Chinese scholar, Shen Yanxin, on April 25, 2017, disclosed that discussions were underway on 'how to ensure that both the strategic military-civilian integration and the “One Belt and One Road” work hand in hand to achieve coordinated progress and mutual reinforcement'.

Hongkong's South China Morning Post reported on February 7, that Japan has lodged another protest with China through diplomatic channels over its continued deployment of a drilling ship at a gas field in a contested area of the East China Sea. Tokyo said that the drilling ship had moved in January to a location a few kilometres northeast of where it was in mid-November.

The Financial Times reported (February 7) that China has started inviting mainland-based Taiwanese businesspeople and students into “brainstorming” sessions on the future of the de facto independent nation.

During his visit to Kathmandu, Nepal in April 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to sign the Trade and Transit Protocol allowing Nepal the use of the four Chinese seaports of Tianjin, Shenzhen, Lianyungang and Zhanjiang as well as the dry ports of Lhanzin, Lhasa, Xigatsê for third-party trade.

BBC Chinese reported (January 31, 2019) that, entering the year 2019, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is steering into high political risk zones.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on February 8, that residents of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) had told RFA that officials had invited them to celebratory dinners marking the Lunar New Year at which pork was served, then threatening to send them to a "re-education" camp if they refused to take part.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV released a report on the morning of February 6 summarising the viewership and audience response to the 2019 Spring Festival Gala.

The Department of the United Front Work of the CPC Nangchen County Committee and the County Ethnic and Religious Bureau issued a two-page notice on 25th December of prohibiting any initiation of Tibetan language classes or tuition during the winter vacation in and around the monastery.

Quoting data from China’s General Administration of Customs the Chinese news site Sina reported (January 25), that Russia was China’s largest oil supplier in 2018, reaching 1.49 million barrels.

Hongkong's South China Morning Post quoted Chinese sources as saying that Xi Jinping and Trump will meet in Danang, Vietnam on February 27 and 28.

The Epoch Times (October 17, 2018) reported that Wu Sikang, Director of the Policy Research Office of the Shenzhen Municipal government wrote an 'internal' document after a study visit to the U.S. in August 2018, and that Wang Weizhong, head of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee, and Ai Xuefeng, Deputy Mayor, reviewed the document and gave some instructions.

20-year old Zhao Qianli, who says he’s a musicology student from North University of China (Taiyuan, Shaanxi) and was visiting Key West as a tourist after completing a summer exchange program, got caught by Key West police for trespassing onto the high-security Naval Air Station. He later told federal authorities that he lost his way on the tourist trail and did not realise it was a military base.

Data released by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and National Supervision Commission’s (NSC) on their website on the results of the 2018 'Operation Skynet' shows that 1,335 fugitives were arrested and 3.54 billion RMB was retrieved in 2018. Of the arrested fugitives, 307 were Party members and state functionaries, and 5 were on China’s Interpol Red Notice List.

Ren Zhifei, the founder of Huawei, according to a Chinese media report (January 21) issued two letters to Huawei employees in which he warned them not to be too optimistic about the prospects for Huawei and that they should prepare for bitter days. Ren Zhifei stated that, if they assess that certain business units are not providing much value, they should be cut or the work reduced so as to focus on more valuable segments.

The PLA Daily reported on January 30, that the Central Military Commission recently issued the "Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening Force Management", which aimed to "thoroughly implement Xi Jinping's strong military thinking" and strengthen and improve the management of troops in the new era.

China's top economic decision-making body, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) accelerated its review process and approved 27 infrastructure projects with a total expected investment of 1.48 trillion yuan (US$219.43 billion) since the start of 2018. Of these, 16 worth around 1.1 trillion yuan were approved since the start of November. Despite concerns over a return to the debt-fuelled infrastructure investment policy halted in 2017, the new infrastructure projects were necessitated by the need to stabilise the economy and took precedent. Each of the top 10 infrastructure projects costs over 50 billion yuan (US$7.41 billion).

While former Chinese President Hu Jintao has kept low-key, his son Hu Haifeng has appeared in public several times recently. On January 15, the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee’s “Zhejiang Daily” published Hu Haifeng’s “Working hard to build a clean and beautiful water of Haiyan River Qing”. The article said that it is necessary to continue the anti-corruption campaign and officials should live simply. On January 30, Hu Haifeng, who is Secretary of the Lishui Municipal Party Committee of Zhejiang Province, expressed his condolences to the provincial military region.

China's official news agency Xinhua on February 4, publicised that "Overseas Chinese were attentive to the speech of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the festival reception" held in Beijing on February 3, where he spokehighly of China's achievements in the past year and expecting a brighter future. Xi Jinping said "In the past year ... we have made efforts and achieved a lot." It noted that Xi Jinping had extended greetings to Chinese nationals of all ethnic groups, compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese on behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

Executive Vice-Chairman of TAR Party Committee, Party Secretary of TAR CPPCC and President of the TAR Party school, Ding Yexian (Ethnicity: Han) went on an inspection tour to Drepung and Gaden Monasteries in Lhasa.

According to an announcement by the TAR Public Security Bureau, the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa will be opened only on 1st day of Tibetan New Year(Losar), Earth-Pig year (February 05-07) at 7am for a brief period of time for religious rituals and ‘tourists’. On other days of Losar, i.e on 6th -7th, the Jokhang will be closed.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress on January 30, that FBI is investigating Chinese economic espionage in nearly all of its 56 field offices around the country.

A White House map that excluded Taiwan from Chinese territory has caught the attention of internet users on the self-ruled island.

National Post (February 1) quoted Yuval Shavitt, an electrical-engineering expert at Tel Aviv University, as saying that China Telecom, a state-owned internet service provider that has two legally operating “points of presence” on Canadian soil had in 2016 secretly diverted Canadian internet traffic to China, particularly from Rogers subscribers in the Ottawa area says an Israeli cybersecurity specialist.

The China Great Wall Industry Corp. signed an agreement with Satellogic, a company based in Argentina and backed by Chinese financing, to launch 90 commercial Earth observation nano-satellites or micro-satellites by the end of 2020, via 5 or 6 dedicated Long March rocket flights. Satellogic has launched 8 satellites till now.

The CCP CC and State Council jointly approved the 2018-2035 master plan for Xiongan New Area, stressing that its creation is significant to high-quality development and the building of the modern economic system.

According to one official PRC estimate, Chinese citizens have US$ 21 trillion stashed overseas.

Human Rights Watch reported on February 1, that Qinghai’s Nangchen county in December 2018, published a ban notice entitled “Urgent notice concerning stopping illegal study classes in monasteries”, which describes informal classes run by monks as “ideological infiltration among the young,” “dangerous,” and “harmful” and calls on local officials and Chinese Communist Party cadres responsible for managing monasteries to “understand the harmful nature of monasteries running open schools,” and to stop them from doing so.

A constitutional law textbook written by Zhang Qianfan, a professor at Peking University known for his advocacy of constitutionalism and judicial reform and one of China's best-known reform-minded legal scholars, has been pulled from book shops.

The People’s Daily and the PLA Daily separately published commentaries praising Xi Jinping’s speech on January 25, on media integration and the Party’s news and public opinion work since the 18th Party Congress.

Han Zheng, PBSC member and Leader of the Leading Group for Promoting the Construction of the "Belt and Road", hosted a meeting of the "One Belt, One Road" Initiative in Beijing on January 31, when he claimed 'the principle of sharing has been highly recognised by countries along the route' and it is necessary to 'effectively respond to the challenges brought about by changes in the external environment'.

Xi Jinping, CCP CC General Secretary, presided over the meeting of the Political Bureau on January 25 to review the Reports of the Standing Committees of the CCP CC Political Bureau and of the National People's Congress.

Xinhua reported (February 1) that China has punished 3,021 people in a crackdown on organised crime and the local “protective umbrellas” that allow it to operate. It said China ordered 10 regions to take action against organised crime following a three-month inspection campaign last year.

The Hongkong based 'Mirror' reported on January 31, that Chinese scientists have launched a rocket from an unmanned submarine for the first time in history.

Wang Yang, PBSC member and Chairman of the CPPCC, chaired the 19th Bi-weekly Consultation Symposium of the 13th National Committee on January 28. Xinhua said the topic was IPR protection.

The South China Morning Post reported (January 29) that Li Chunsheng, head of the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, disclosed that President Xi Jinping will visit Macau later this year for the 20th anniversary of the city’s reunification with China.

Keeping up the annual tradition, on January 28, Chinese President Xi Jinping met and extended Spring Festival greetings to leaders from non-Communist parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and personages without party affiliation.

South China Morning Post reported on January 22, that remarks by Giriraj Singh, India's Minister of State for Small Enterprises, at an investor summit in Gujarat that those countries did not have places where people were able to “gather to protest against the policies of the government” elicited a strong reaction in China after the media picked up on the story a few days later.

The South China Morning Post reported (January 25) that between the start of April and the end of December, 758 foreign aircraft that flew close to Japanese airspace were intercepted, an increase from 736 incidents in the same period a year before and the second-highest total on record.

Australian author Yang Hengjun, an Australian citizen and author, was reportedly seized on January 19 during a visit to China, as he attempted to board a flight from Guangzhuo to Shanghai.

The US financial news news service, Bloomberg reported (January 25) that a Chinese delegation including Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen and Vice Finance Minister Liao Min will arrive in Washington on January 28 to prepare for high-level trade talks led by Vice Premier Liu He.

On January 26, the South China Morning Post publicised that Professor Zhang Yongming from the State Key Laboratory of Controlled Shock Waves at Xian Jiaotong University in Shaanxi province, had released details of a new “energy rod” that China is planning to use to access its massive shale gas reserves in Sichuan province.

Alarmed at the policies of the US and West restricting Chinese companies from purchasing microchips, switches and semi-conductors, the Nikkei Asian Review reported (January 25) that “To address this risk, President Xi Jinping aims to increase China's semiconductor self-sufficiency to 40% in 2020 and 70% in 2025 as part of his ‘Made in China 2025’ initiative to modernize domestic industry.”

Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT.O) Bing search engine has officially been blocked in China on January 23, making it the latest foreign technology service to be shut down behind the country’s Great Firewall.

A document to guide reforms in Xiong’an New Area was issued by central authorities on January 24. The proposed new city of Xiong’an is in Hebei, 100 km south of Beijing.

PBSC member and Chairman of the CPPCC, Wang Yang, addressing the conference on Taiwan affairs on January 23, said the basic policy on Taiwan remains unchanged and called for efforts to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties and the process toward peaceful reunification of the motherland.

An editorial in the Central Party School magazine 'Study Times' on January 23, by top Party theoretician Xin Ming elaborating on Xi Jinping's thinking said that the Party faces numerous risks to its rule on multiple fronts.

Xi Jinping wrote an article titled 'Strive to create a team of high-quality cadres who are loyal and clean', which was published in the January 15, 2019 issue of Qiu Shi (Seeking Truth).

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ended a four-day study session, attended by hundreds of top officials from across the country, on January 25.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was on a three day visit to Beijing, said Chinese President pledged 4 billion Yuan (US$ 588 million) as aid to be spread over 2019-2021.

Reuters reported that on January 17, Kyrgyz police detained more than a dozen people as they dispersed a hundreds-strong anti-Chinese rally in the capital, Bishkek, the biggest public protest to date in Central Asia against Beijing’s growing influence in the region.

Reacting to Canada's confirmation on January 22, that the US plans to proceed with a formal request to extradite Huawei chief financial officer Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China will take action in response to measures taken by the US.

The Party Secretary and President of the Supreme People's Court Zhou Qiang on January 17, attended a meeting of the Presidents of the National High Court and delivered a speech where he stressed that it is necessary to adhere to the spirit of Xi Jinping's socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

China’s official news agency Xinhua in a feature article reported on January 20, that the Chinese military has significantly boosted its navy, air force and new strategic units and downsized its land-based army as part of a strategic shift designed to transform the People’s Liberation Army into a comprehensive modern force.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned China's central and provincial leaders who had assembled in Beijing for a meeting on January 20, to be on high alert for “black swan” incidents amid a “complicated and sensitive external environment”.

A new assessment of China’s military power published by the department’s Defense Intelligence Agency suggests that Beijing is building up its military capabilities so that it will have a range of options to attack Taiwan if it decides to—and potentially the United States if it intervenes militarily.

With the completion of the US$ 1.9 billion Colombo Port City Development project, Sri Lanka handed over two-thirds of the new 269-hectare reclamation project, which is envisaged as the site of a new financial district, to China on a 99-year lease.

Mukesh Sharma, described as an editor with the People's Daily-owned Global Times on January 16, published an article recommending close India-China ties at a time when Sino-US ties are strained and "The US has almost declared China an enemy in its national defense strategy by calling it a strategic competitor."

Citing data released by China's Ministry of Commerce on January 14, the 21st Century Business Herald reported that China’s foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2018 hit a record high of US$134.97 billion, an increase of 3% from a year earlier.

Local media and Chinese military analysts were quoted by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (January 2) as saying that in December 2018, at least 38 Senior Colonels were promoted to the rank of Major General.

A specialised US Defence publication on January 8 described the next-generation cell-network technology, popularly called 5G, promises high speed, low latency, and high throughput and is a new frontier of rivalry in U.S.-China relations.

The Jamestown Foundation brief (January 18, 2019) reported on a recent 'key' change in the PLA Academy of Military Science (AMS) as part of Xi Jinping urging (Xinhua, July 19 2017) AMS, and other PLA Institutes, to adapt to the “new requirements of military scientific work” and to build a “world-class military scientific research institution”.

The Chinese military is expected to ramp up training in 2019, a year of rising geopolitical challenges and several key anniversaries.

76-year old Hu Deping, son of the late popular CCP CC General Secretary Hu Yaobang and former member of the CPPCC till 2013, spoke at a seminar in Beijing on January 16, hosted by the Hongfan Institute of Legal and Economic Studies mark the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up to and attended by former economic and policy advisers and academics.

The Asahi Shimbun on January 18, reported that the official website of China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) reported on January 15, that Public Security Minister Zhao Kezhi had on January 15, cautioned China's police to "stress the prevention and resistance of 'color revolutions' and firmly fight to protect China's political security."

In a one-sentence statement on January 14, the Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) announced the dismissal and arrest of Zhao Zhengyong, former Party Secretary of Shaanxi province, saying he is the biggest “tiger” to be caught this year.

Reporting Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Tianjin, Xinhua (January 18) reported that he visited a service and administration station for veterans in the community and stressed that setting up institutions for veteran affairs is to enhance the management of veterans and better protect their welfare in order to make military service a publicly respected occupation.

Separately, on January 27, the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. government announced it is blocking some of Huawei's exports from its U.S. R&D operations.

The National Cyber and Information Security Agency (Národní úřad pro kybernetickou a informační bezpečnost, NÚKIB) of the Czech Republic on December 17, called the use of software and hardware products of Huawei, ZTE, and their subsidiaries a “threat against information security.”

Polish public broadcaster reported (January 11) that Poland's counter-intelligence service has arrested Weijing Wang, @ Stanislaw Wang, a Chinese Sales Director of tech giant Huawei and a Polish former senior intelligence agent in Warsaw on suspicion of spying.

The U.S. and China deputy-level trade talks that concluded in Beijing on January 27, lasted one day longer than planned with both sides issuing vague but mildly positive official statements about the discussions.

Admiral John Richardson, US Chief of Naval Operations, was on a 3-day (January 13-15, 2019) visit to China.

Reuters, quoting 'policy sources', said China plans to set a lower economic growth target of 6-6.5 percent in 2019 compared with last year’s target of “around” 6.5 percent.”

The official Global Times reported (January 11) that Qizhala, Chairman of the TAR Regional Government said in his government work report to the second session of the 11th People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region on January 10, that TAR's GDP in 2018 was estimated to have exceeded 140 billion yuan (US$ 21 billion).

The CDIC announced on January 12, that Chen Gang, a former Vice Mayor of Beijing in 2006, has been arrested for corruption. He had headed the municipal urban planning committee, which approves and supervises construction projects, since 2002.

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee and Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, while addressing the third plenary session (January 11-12, 2019) of the 19th Central Discipline Inspection Commission Inspection (CDIC) called for consolidating and developing a "sweeping victory" in the fight against corruption.

The Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry press office, in an email response to the Wall Street Journal on January 9, confirmed Kazakh media reports in December that China has agreed to let 2,000-plus ethnic Kazakhs leave. It did not say who could leave or why. It said they will be allowed to apply for Kazakh citizenship or permanent residency after their arrival in Kazakhstan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

The CCP's official newspaper People's Daily reported that former Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was named the Chairwoman of the Shantou International Container Terminal in Guangdong province. The brief article said she was also appointed the firm’s legal representative.

CHINA-TAIWAN: RETIRED PLA GENERAL HE LEI WARNS TAIWAN 'INDEPENDENCE SEPARATISTS' WOULD BE CLASSIFIED AS 'WAR CRIMINALS' IF THEY DON'T PULL BACK
Former Vice President PLA Academy of Military Science and retired General He Lei said at a press conference of the State Council Information Office that "The very few "Taiwan-independence" separatists would be classified as war criminals that must be punished if the Chinese mainland is forced to deal with the Taiwan question by force.

70-year old Liu Yongtan, a Professor with the Department of Electric and Information Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology, received China’s top science award from President Xi Jinping at a national ceremony on January 8.

Commodore Zhang Junshe, a member of the Naval Research Institute, was quoted by Japan's Jiji press on January 9 as saying that China needs “at least three aircraft carriers” to protect its extensive coastline and its interests abroad.

China's official Global Times quoted the state--broadcaster CCTV on January 9, as publicising that the 4500-kms range anti-ship ballistic missile the DF-26 has been deployed to Northwest China's plateau and desert areas.

Global Times reported on January 7, 2019 that a notice issued by the public security bureau in Shaoguan, Guangdong province, on December 28, stated that a man, surnamed Zhu, was fined 1,000 yuan ($150) for using a virtual private network — a tool for encrypting online data traffic.

CHINA-INTERNAL: PEKING UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR CALLS FOR CCP TO FADE OUT OF POWER WHILE ANOTHER QUESTIONS XI JINPING'S SPEECH ON TAIWAN
Radio France International reported on January 8, 2019, that Peking University Professor Zheng Yefu, had in a recent article pointed out that the interests of the Communist Party of China are inconsistent with the fundamental interests of the Chinese people in most cases. He said he firmly believes that "the only hope that the leaders of the Communist Party of China can make in the future is to lead the party to decently fade out of the historical arena." Zheng Yefu said to his colleagues: "If we don't make a sound and don't exert pressure, we shouldn't, we don't deserve to see the end of the autocratic regime.

The ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, affiliated with the Singapore government, recently polled 1,008 respondents from all ten nations of the ASEAN grouping across different sections of society to gauge attitudes towards the BRI.

The China-India Yoga College was jointly created by China’s Yunnan Minzu University and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

Vice Ministerial level talks between China and the US began today and are being led on the US side by Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish.

The official Global Times reported (January 7) that China lodged a protest against the US guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell conducting FONOPS near the Xisha Islands on January 7, 2019.

China's authoritative official news agency Xinhua and official newspaper Global Times on January 8, reported that Kim Jong-un is visiting Beijing from January 7 until January 10, 2019 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China Military News on January 4, reported Pakistani spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor announcing on January 2 & 3, that the Pakistan Army had shot down a UAV used by the Indian military for the second time in two days on the Pakistani side of the Satwal area.

The WeChat account of the Chengdu Aircraft Research and Design Institute, a design facility of the Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Co, announced on January 7, 2019 that China's home-grown turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine system has completed its design and development stage and entered the aircraft-engine integration test phase.

The Central Military Commission (CMC) General Office released “Opinions on the Implementation of Further Encouraging Military Cadres to Take on New Responsibilities and take New Actions in a New Era” (关于进一步激励全军广大干部新时代新担当新作为的实施意见).

A People’s Daily editorial on December 30, 2018 on the Central Rural Work Conference said it had concluded that it is necessary to adhere to the development of agriculture and rural areas, deeply implement the rural revitalization strategy, resolutely win the battle against poverty, and earnestly do “three rural issues” (agriculture, rural areas, and farmers) work well.

Following the annual Central Economic Work Conference last month, the government said it will “channel more energy into weak areas, including infrastructure.”

People’s Daily published an editorial on the first day of 2019 that reflected the achievements of 2018 and outlines the challenges of coming year.

In an article in the January 1, 2019 issue of the Party theoretical journal Qiushi (Seeking Truth), Central Propaganda Department Head Huang Kunming (黄坤明) discussed strengthening propaganda and ideological work in the new year, specifically by strengthening the “four forces” (四力) of propaganda work: the foot, the eye, the brain, and the pen.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1979 “Open Letter to Taiwan Compatriots.”

Xi Jinping chaired a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) convened on January 7, 2019, to hear work reports from the Party’s Central Secretariat, as well as Party groups from the: State Council; National People’s Congress ; Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); Supreme People's Court ; and Supreme People's Procuratorate.

International Department Vice Minister Qian Hongshan on December 8, met a delegation of political parties of western Pakistan led by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) Secretary General and Senate Committee on Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony Chairman Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.

The People’s Daily used its Zhong Sheng column, which authoritatively transmits the opinions of the People’s Daily on matters of international affairs, on December 9, to denounce Canada’s detention of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou at the behest of the United States.

Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) Party Committee Executive Deputy Secretary Ding Yexian (丁业现) led a CCP delegation to Austria on December 8, 2018, to meet with Austria-China Friendly Association President and former President of Austria Heinz Fischer.

The official Global Times on January 3, published an article by three Mainland Chinese scholars on the best way to realise reunification with Taiwan.

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) elected Mr Cho Jung-tai, a consensus candidate backed by major party figures, as its new Chairman on Jan 6, thereby choosing a moderate to fill up the post vacated by President Tsai Ing-wen after the party’s disappointing performance in recent polls.

A People’s Daily commentator article on December 10, addressed protests by Chinese veterans this year against the lack of job prospects for retired soldiers and inadequate services.

General Xu Qiliang, CMC Vice Chairman and Executive Deputy Head of the CMC Leading Group for Deepening Reform on National Defense and the Armed Forces, presided over the fourth meeting of the leading group on December 18.

The official Global Times reported on January 6, that China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and 11 other government agencies, have said China will step up its supervision on the rare-earth sector and vows to impose severe penalties on those illegally mine, produce or export rare-earth materials and fully realize the "strategic support" from rare-earth materials.

The annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from December 19-21, 2018. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered important speeches at the conference.

CCP CC General Secretary and Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated the opening of the Academy of Chinese History Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in a letter on January 3, 2019. Huang Kunming, PB member for Propaganda attended.

Global Affairs Canada spokesman Guillaume Bérubé said (January 4) in a statement to The Globe and Mail that the government is aware that 13 Canadians have been detained in China, excluding Hong Kong, since December 1, 2018.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeff Gerrish, who will be 50 years old this year, will next week lead a delegation that includes U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs David Malpass and other officials to China for the first round of face-to-face talks since President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on December 1, to a ceasefire in a trade war that has led to tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of U.S. and Chinese goods.

The People's Daily and Xinhua on January 2, 2019 publicised a statement issued by China's Ministry of Natural Resources announcing that China had set up ecological protection facilities on three reefs of the Nansha Islands, namely the Yongshu, Zhubi and Meiji reefs.

An article jointly authored by Dr Zha Daojiong, Professor of International Political Economy at the School of International Studies, Peking University and Dr Dong Ting, Post-Doctoral Fellow at the School of International Studies, Peking University, was published on January 3, 2019 by the South China Morning Post to mark the 15th anniversary of the Asean-China strategic partnership.

Radio Free Asia reported on December 31, 2018 that China has imprisoned 879 'prisoners of conscience' in its jails in 2018.

The South China Morning Post reported on December 31, that the closure of three mosques in the villages of Huihuideng, Sanjia and Mamichang in Weishan County was coordinated by the Weishan County Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee to “protect harmony and stability in the religious domain”.

The South China Morning Post reported (January 2) that the number of children born in China in 2018 is expected to have dropped to the lowest level since 2000 after a year that “will be remembered as a historical turning point for Chinese population”, signalling a “demographic crisis” that threatens already struggling economic growth prospects.

Beyondsoft' is a Beijing-based tech services company that, among other businesses, takes on the censorship burden for other companies.

The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) on January 4, announced a 1-percentage-point reduction in the required reserves for commercial banks to stall flagging growth.

Reuters reported that on December 29, 2018, the social network circulated that "China's 100 public intellectuals published "Reform and Open" for 40 years".

The Global Times (January 4) reported that Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) Xi Jinping had on January 4, 2019, signed a mobilization order for the training of the armed forces, the CMC's first order in 2019, which demands all PLA units to welcome the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China with "excellent performance."

China's official 'The Paper' on December 28, reported that Xi Jinping chaired a Political Bureau meeting on December 27, and reviewed the “Regulations on the Political and Legal Work of the Party.”

The PRC State Council announced (December 28, 2018) the appointment of 61-year old former Vice Commerce Minister Fu Ziying as Director of the central government’s Liaison Office in Macau.

An article in the Washington Post on December 27, highlighted the efforts of Chris Smith, a Republican, representing New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives, to dissuade the Vatican from seeking a form of accommodation with Beijing despite its ongoing anti-religion campaign.

In an article published in the latest issue of World Affairs, a journal controlled by the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang Jisi, President of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies at Peking University, observed that a clash of civilisations was at the heart of the bitter geostrategic competition between the world’s top two economies.

The official Global Times on January 1, 2019, reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump 'exchanged congratulations on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations' on January 1.

The BBC reported (December 31) that China is set to overtake Japan as the United Nations' second biggest funding country for the next three years and the development is fuelling nationalistic opinions in the media of both countries.

Chinese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu said at a work conference said on December 30, that China will produce at least 600 million tonnes of grain in 2019.

The South China Morning Post reported (December 31) that Chinese President Xi Jinping had on December 18, summoned a grand gathering to mark the 40th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s landmark reform and opening up, which was attended by the most important Communist Party cadres, entrepreneurs and Olympic champions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's New Year message telecast (January 1, 2019) on the state-owned CGTN was devoted to listing China's achievements including the number of counties and people lifted out of poverty.

Asahi Shimbun reported on December 27, that Wang Jianfeng, President of Huawei Technologies Japan KK, in an exclusive interview with The Asahi Shimbun on December 27, disclosed that Huawei Technologies Co. is holding talks with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and is cooperating with the Japanese government and bolstering purchases of parts in Japan to ease concerns that its products could be used in espionage or cyber-attacks by Beijing.

Chinese Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, at a press briefing on December 25, criticised France for siding with its “allies”, as the list of countries calling for the release of two Canadians detained in China continues to grow.

Global Affairs reported on December 29, that Sarah McIver of Alberta who was detained over a work permit issue related to her teaching job has been released and she has returned to Canada.

Korea's JoongAng Daily said on December 29, that Seoul lodged a protest after a Chinese PLA Air Force (PLAAF) Shaanxi Y-9JB electronic warfare and surveillance aircraft flew through South Korea’s air defense identification zone (Kadiz) without notice three times over the course of five hours on December 27.

The official newspaper 'The Paper' reported (December 27) that China has made major breakthroughs in important indicators for measuring overall national strength, namely the scale of social net wealth and GDP.

On November 25, China's official CCTV Channel 9 released a 42-minute documentary captioned "Human, Our Story", publicly acknowledging "Jesus, the process that affects the entire history".

BBC reported on December 25, that the Chinese authorities have issued a notice prohibiting traders from using Christmas decorations and students in many Chinese universities and primary and secondary schools from discussing Christmas-related content on social media.

Qiu Zhanxuan, head of the Peking University Marxist Society, was grabbed and forced into a black car outside the east gate of Peking University by a group of heavy-set men who identified themselves as police, according to students quoted by Reuters on December 28.

Xinhua on December 27, disclosed that China's 25 Politburo members "were asked to conduct criticism and self-criticism in light of work experience" during two sessions of the Politburo on December 25 and 26 both of which were chaired by Xi Jinping.

The state-owned Global Times on December 27, quoted runsky.com, a website run by the Dalian Radio and Television Station which reported that Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian citizen, will be put on trial by Liaoning Provincial High People’s Court on drug smuggling charges.

Gallup’s 2018 Most Admired Man list showed that Americans love the Dalai Lama and he ranks eighth on the list of the most admired men in the world.

Taiwan's Central News Agency reported (December 23) that Retired PLA Navy Rear Admiral Luo Yuan, who is presently Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, while speaking at a meeting in Shenzhen on December 20 on the current Sino–U.S. relationship, claimed the US-China trade war “is definitely not a simple economic and trade friction” but an “important strategic issue.”

The official Global Times published (December 26, 2018) a year-end roundup of China's foreign policy. It claimed "China went through a warm year in 2018 as there was no crisis-level conflict between China and its neighbouring countries. Those who once had tense relations with China are now moving closer to Beijing."  

The South China Morning Post (December 28) reported that 59-year old Chen Hongtian, a self-made Chinese billionaire, Chairman of the Cheung Kei Group and member of the CPPCC, warned a group of about 150 tycoons mostly based in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, that a winter “colder and longer than expected” is arriving for China’s private business entrepreneurs and Beijing’s supportive rhetoric has yet to translate into concrete policies that will help the private economy.

On December 16, Prof. Xiang Songzuo (向松祚) of Renmin University School of Finance and former Chief Economist of China Agriculture Bank, gave a 25-minute speech during a CEO class at Renmin Business School , which was immediately censored over the Chinese internet.

Xinhua reported on December 23, that a draft law on foreign investment was submitted to a bimonthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee on December 23.

China officially announced (December 27) that after four years in detention, Ma Jian, former Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of State Security and head of China’s counter-espionage operations, was tried on December 27, at Dalian Intermediate Court where he was fined 50.5 million yuan.

China issued a second travel advisory in three months warning tourists against visiting Sweden because of “the security situation in Sweden”.

South China Morning Post reported (December 22) that RoK Foreign Ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk had the previous week confirmed that Seoul plans to overhaul its diplomatic focus on China by establishing a separate bureau in its foreign ministry entirely dedicated to China affairs.

Quoting sources the Yomiuri Shimbun on December 23, disclosed that China's Minister of State Security Chen Wenqing visited Japan in late October through early November to meet secretly with senior Japanese officials from the Public Security Intelligence Agency and intelligence authorities, as well as the Foreign Ministry.

Xinhua reported on December 21, that Chinese President Xi Jinping had sent a congratulatory message on the holding of the first meeting of China-India high-level people-to-people exchanges mechanism in India's capital New Delhi.

China’s Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) concluded on December 21, in Beijing.

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Mao Zedong’s speeches, the state-run People’s Publishing House decided to republish the collection of speeches that Mao Zedong gave in 1938.

President Xi Jinping’s speech at the grand gathering in Beijing on December 18, to mark China’s 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, belied expectations that he would announce substantive measures to defuse the trade war with the United States and outline plans to overhaul the economy.

The Japanese Nikkei newspaper (December 21) reported that Sharpe, a subsidiary of the Hon Hai Precision Industry and the Zhuhai Municipal Government of China's Guangdong Province are constructing a semi-conductor factory a a 1 trillion yen state-of-the-art semiconductor plant.

The Maritime Executive on December 20, disclosed that in a recent report Kenya's Auditor General had warned that Kenya runs the risk of losing control of the Port of Mombasa if it should default on loans from state financial institution China Exim Bank.

The Asahi Shimbun reported on December 21 that Nippon Express Co., a leading Japanese shipping firm conducted a trial run on December 20 on the exclusive China Railway Express freight train as a pilot program. The train cars used in the trial run are about 12 meters long.

Writing in the New York Times (December 19, 2018) Maria Abi-Habib said that according to the undisclosed proposal drawn up by the Pakistani Air Force and Chinese officials at the start of the year, a special economic zone under CPEC would be created in Pakistan to produce a new generation of fighter jets.

The state-owned Global Times on December 20, castigated the 'Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018', signed into law by US President Trump on December 19.

The Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York, Director Christopher A. Wray of the FBI, Director Dermot F. O’Reilly of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) of the U.S. Department of Defense, and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers on December 20, unsealed an indictment charging Zhu Hua (朱华), aka Afwar, aka CVNX, aka Alayos, aka Godkiller; and Zhang Shilong (张士龙), aka Baobeilong, aka Zhang Jianguo, aka Atreexp, both PRC nationals with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The Catholic News Service on December 17, reported that a group of Vatican officials led by Pope Francis' chief China negotiator, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli had recently visited Beijing for talks regarding joint recognition by the Vatican and CCP-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association of a group of Vatican-appointed bishops from the so-called underground church.

The Chinese economic journal Caixin reported that the government of Heze , a fourth-tier city in Shandong province, announced on December 18, that that it will relax property controls from the following day.

On December 20, Liu Guoqiang, Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China (PBoC) and Deputy Director of the Office of the Financial Stability Development Committee of the State Council, presided over symposiums of some commercial banks, securities companies, insurance institutions, trust companies and fund companies to listen to the views on the current capital market reform and development.

China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has ordered authorities in Guangdong province to stop producing a regional Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector as it seeks to control the flow of sensitive economic data.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's wife Qian Wei's application for a visa to Canada was reportedly not accepted by the authorities.

A Global Times editorial on December 16, said "By calling on its allies, the US has gradually formed a collective encirclement and suppression of Chinese high-tech enterprise Huawei" and described it as "a wicked precedent."

Hu Xijin, editor of the Global Times, said in a video posted on December 12, that Canada can expect retaliation “far worse” than the detainment of a former diplomat if Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou isn’t released.

AsiaNews reported on December 13 that Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli went to Beijing as special envoy of Pope Francis to “accept” the resignations of the bishops of the Underground Catholic Church for the dioceses of Mindong, Mgr.

An unconfirmed report from Bowen news claimed (November 30) that the Fourth Plenum of the 19th CCP CC was postponed due to tension in the military. It said Wu Shengli, Cai Yingting and Wang Hongyu were arrested on the same day.

In a statement after its meeting on December 13, the party’s top 25-member decision-making body, the Politburo, said “the fight against corruption has achieved a crushing (overwhelming) victory” since the 19th party congress late last year. At the same time it warned that the situation ahead was still tough and the fight must go on.

Reuters reported (December 12) that on December 12, China purchased Soybean worth at least US$ 180 million. This was the first purchase after US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a trade war truce at the G-20 at Rio.

Reuters quoted China's premier auto industry association as acknowledging on December 13, that China's automobile sales fell about 14 percent in November from a year earlier, marking the steepest such drop in nearly seven years in the world's largest auto market. The drop in sales to 2.55 million vehicles, a fifth straight decline in monthly numbers, comes against a backdrop of slowing economic growth and a crippling China-U.S. trade war. It was the steepest decline since January 2012, when the timing of the Lunar New Year holiday hurt auto sales.

According to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce on December 13, Foreign Investment in China fell sharply in November as concerns over the tariff battle between China and the United States hit investor confidence. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the month fell 27.6 per cent year on year to US$13.6 billion. The slide came despite Beijing making the stabilisation of foreign investment one of its top economic policy priorities. Although even before November, the FDI growth rate had being slowing for the past three months, hitting a four-month low of 7.3 per cent in October.

Indications are that the 'Made in China 2025' plan for upgrading China's technological capabilities is being reworked ahead of the Central Economic Work Conference scheduled for December 19. The US pressure appears to be responsible.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Hao said at the regular press briefing on December 13 that "two Canadian citizens have been subject to compulsory measures by the Chinese side because they are suspected of engaging in activities that endanger China's national security". She said Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor "are suspected of engaging in activities that endanger the national security of the People's Republic of China."

Data released by AI Index on December 12, revealed that more than 87% of the world’s AI research comes from academia, and that new initiatives in China have dramatically increased the amount of research directly affiliated with the Chinese government.

National Interest cited a recent PLA Daily report on November 24, 2018 as saying that Chinese pilots are training for urban warfare. It added this suggests that the People's Liberation Army is reorienting itself toward a different kind of warfare.

The official China Military Online quoted Dai Xu, President of China's Institute of Marine Safety and Cooperation, as saying in a discussion on December 8, during a discussion on the topic 'What Lies ahead for the South China Sea Issue and the Taiwan Question' that, if a US warship illegally enters into Chinese territorial waters again, two Chinese warships should be sent, one to stop it and the other to bump against and sink it, adding, "In China's territorial waters, we won't allow US warships to run amok."

South China Morning Post reported (December 14) that PLA Major General Meng Xiangqing, who specialises in national security at the PLA’s National Defence University, said at at a rare media briefing organised by China's National Defence University (NDU) in Beijing on December 13, that China will not let nationalist sentiment hijack its policymaking as it continues its peaceful rise.

The Global Times (December 12) in another article said while Canada has freed Meng Wanzhou on bail, but the Huawei executive deserves to be given back her freedom by the courts, bringing closure to the fraught legal saga. It pointed out that the Canadian judge had observed that Meng Wanzhou has no criminal record in China and elsewhere adding that her release should depend also on Canada's obligations to China.

The authorities have taken severe action for committing a "serious violent crime" against 10 of the hundreds of People's Liberation Army (PLA) veterans who protested in Pingdu City, Shandong Province during the National Day holiday this year to fight for post-retirement treatment. The official identified the case as a “serious violent crime” and took criminal enforcement measures against ten of them. The official media condemned the veterans involved in affecting social stability.

Li Wei, a professor at the National Defense University, in a report published in the China Youth Daily revealed on November 29, 2018 the first details of China's new armed reconnaissance drone, the GJ-2, following its debut at the Airshow China 2018 earlier this month. Made by the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the GJ-2 is a medium-to-high altitude armed unmanned reconnaissance aerial vehicle intended to to enhance China's border patrol and counter-terrorism efforts. Installed with a turboprop engine, the aircraft can reach a top speed of 370 kilometers an hour at an altitude of 9,000 meters, and can stay in the air for 20 hours.

An article in Epoch Times (December 6) claimed that much of China’s innovation is in areas that it can’t effectively steal or reverse engineer technology. Much of its own breakthroughs have been with rockets and missiles.

The New York Times reported on December 10, that Chinese police on December 9, arrested Wang Yi, a prominent pastor and head of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu along with 100 members of hIs congregation. (Comment: The Early Rain Covenant Church has about 500 followers. It attracts more than 800 church-goers on a weekly basis and also has about 100 seminary students and a primary school catering to about 40 children.)

A young man in his 20s named Drugkho was reported by Radio Free Asia on December 9, to have self-immolated on December 8 in Ngaba county. The self-immolator belonged to Soruma Village in the same county. (Comment: This is the third instance of self-immolation by a Tibetan in Tibet this year.)

The Office of the Central Commission on Comprehensively Deepening Reform and the CCP CC Propaganda Department have produced a political documentary, the first episode of which ran on December 11 night. It is called 'The Only Path' (必由之路).

Xinhua on December 9, quoted the latest report by Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) saying that China's core AI industry could exceed US$ 145 bn by 2030 with that of AI-enabled industries more than 10 trillion yuan. Titled "China's great tech leap forward", the report said that China's push to commercialize AI technologies, supported by the rollout of the world's biggest 5G network, could position the country as a global leader for technology and innovation. The report said "Based on the growth trajectory in the past decade, China may overtake the U.S. in global technology-patents share by 2025". AI-related industries may exceed 6 percent of China's GDP by 2030. According to Tsinghua University, private funding for Chinese AI-related companies in 2017 totaled 27.7 billion dollars, equivalent to 70 percent of global investments in the industry. Data showed China's cumulative venture-capital investments in AI startups had already caught up with the United States by 2016.

General Wang Ruilin, former Deputy Head of the People’s Liberation Army’s General Political Department, passed away at the PLA’s General Hospital in Beijing on December 8, 2018 morning. He was a close aide of Deng Xiaoping.

An article in the Journal of Higher Education highlighted that by 2016, Hanban, a propaganda arm of the Chinese government, had successfully established Confucius Institutes (CIs) at 15% of the largest institutions of higher education, including some of the most prestigious institutions, and in almost every state across the United States.

China's state-owned Global Times on December 9, observed that the bail hearing of 46-year old Ms Sabrina Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer of Huawei Technologies and daughter and possible successor of Huawei’s founder Ren Zhengfei, had been deferred, but cited a source as saying "she has been subjected to rude and degrading treatment", was handcuffed and that the Canadian detention facility is not offering her the necessary health care.

The International Campaign for Tibet reported on December 3, that in a nationwide campaign in China against so-called “illegal content,” Chinese authorities are offering rewards to those who inform on others suspected of reading or speaking about, for instance, foreign newspaper articles or broadcasts about Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

A World Bank report released (December 8) stated that India will retain its position as the world’s top recipient of remittances this year with its diaspora sending $80 billion back home and it is followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each) and Egypt ($26 billion).

The People's Daily on December 6, publicised on the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, the statement of the International Anti-Corruption Coordination Group's Office of International Pursuit and Recovery, which claimed that the “Skynet” operation, launched since March 2015, has netted more than 4,833 people from more than 120 countries and regions, including 995 national staff and more than 10.3 billion yuan of assets. It also said that China has signed 54 extradition treaties and 63 criminal justice assistance treaties with 71 countries.

According to Duowei News (December 5, 2018), in October 2018, the hometown of the Chinese Communist Marshal Lin Biao put up a statue in his honour in Baiyang Mountain, Huilong Town, Tuanfeng County, Huanggang City, Hubei Province.

The South China Morning Post on November 11, said a referendum is to be held in Taiwan on November 24, asking whether Taiwan should compete in the next Summer Olympics -- 2020 Games in Tokyo -- and other international sporting events under that name, rather than “Chinese Taipei” – a title that has been used since 1981. The referendum is among 10 such votes being held alongside the island’s local government elections on November 24, but is the only one so far condemned by Beijing as a prelude of the island’s attempt to declare independence and change the cross-strait status quo – a move the mainland has said would lead to its attack.

Taiwan police recently arrested eight members of the pro-Beijing China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP). Reports suggest the PRC is channeling significant amounts of money through some fringe organizations such as the China Unification Promotion Party (CCUP), led by former Bamboo Union gagster Chang An-le.

A Haaretz report of November 9, recalled it had reported two months ago that, at a conference with their Israeli counterparts, retired American Admirals warned that Washington was simply astonished at Israel’s decision to award major infrastructure projects, including the construction of a civilian port in Haifa, to Chinese companies. Somebody even suggested that the U.S. Sixth Fleet might steer clear of the Israel Navy base in Haifa because of the Chinese involvement in building a civilian port there.It said based on conversations with ministers and other top officials, it now turns out that the Israelis were amazed at the intensity of their American counterparts’ ire on the matter.

President Donald Trump's daughter and senior advisor, Ivanka Trump, last month won initial approval from the Chinese government for 16 new trademarks, covering a wide range of products that include "voting machines".

Xinhua reported (November 11) that Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan met with former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger on November 10, calling on the two nations to properly solve differences and further promote bilateral ties in the future. During their meeting at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in downtown Beijing, Wang Qishan said the China-U.S. relationship has had its share of ups and downs since the two countries forged diplomatic ties nearly four decades ago, yet it has generally moved forward.

The U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue (D&SD) is meeting in Washington, D.C. on November 11. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis are hosting two key diplomats, Yang Jiechi and Wei Fenghe. Yang Jechi is the Director of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Central Commission of the Communist Party of China and Wei Fenghe is the Minister of National Defense.

Reuters reported on November 12 that at least 12 Chinese labor activists have gone missing in recent days, in what sources close to them believe was a coordinated effort by authorities to silence the vocal group. Most of them are university students or recent graduates. Authorities took away at least nine activists in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen on November 9, and three more activists were taken away on November 11 in the city of Wuhan. At least five are graduates of Peking University.

Lin Rui has been appointed Vice Minister of Public Security. Lin Rui spent most of his career in Fujian, including as police chief and Deputy Mayor in Xiamen, and moved to Beijing in June as an Assistant Minister, a member of the ministry's Communist Party Committee, and head of the Cybersecurity Bureau. Lin Rui is regarded as one of Xi’ Jinpings trusted allies, having worked for many years in southeast China’s Fujian province, where the president spent 17 years during the earlier stages of his political career.

According to a statement issued on its website on November 5, the Fairbank Center of Harvard University said a visiting delegation of leading scholars from the Unirule Institute of Economics — China’s top independent think tank, based in Beijing — which it planned to host for a series of roundtable discussions this week had been prevented from coming.

Alexander Mikheev, director general of Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms seller, said it signed three more weapons contracts with China during the Zhuhai Airshow in China’s Guangdong province. He said “Rosoboronexport expects that participation in the exhibition will give further impetus to the positive trend in Russian-Chinese relations in the field of military-technical cooperation".

Ma Jian, a US-based exiled Chinese writer was debarred from giving two lectures at the International Literary Festival in Hongkong on November 8.

A Taiwanese e-sports team competing against a Japanese team in the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2019 was disqualified on November 8, 2018, because they declined to play under the nomenclature "China region".

A 23-year old Tibetan man, Dorbe from Jakorma (Chinese: Xiakunma) village in the pastoral Choejema (Chinese: Qiujima) township of Ngaba county (Chinese: Aba) Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, set himself on fire on November 4 in Amdo, saying “May the Dalai Lama live long! May we soon behold his golden countenance!” Images that emerged depicted the young Tibetan man beside a nomad tent in traditional Tibetan dress.

The Financial Times published a photograph of Mao Yongqing, Head of the 28th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group, which develops electronic warfare technology for the People’s Liberation Army and Yin Shiming, Vice President of Cloud Computing at Baidu, one of China’s privately owned internet groups at a conference in Nanjing.

The South China Morning Post reported on November 8, that the Beijing Institute of Technology has recruited 31 ‘patriotic’ youngsters straight from high school to begin training as the world’s youngest AI weapons scientists in a new AI weapons development programme.

The Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies, an institute affiliated with the Cyberspace Administration of China, said in its second annual World Internet Development Report released on November 8, that China’s comprehensive internet development ranked No 2 in a group of 45 countries. Yang Shuzhen, the head of the academy, said at a press conference on November 8, at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China, that China has become a big country in terms of internet development but its development is still imbalanced. the Chinese report said while the US leads the world in innovation, industry development and security, it took eighth place in internet governance, behind countries like the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.

Professor Gan Li of Chengdu’s Southwestern University of Finance and Economics said a nationwide study on November 9, which is soon to be published, will show roughly 22 percent of China’s urban housing stock is unoccupied. He said that adds up to more than 50 million empty homes. He added “There’s no other single country with such a high vacancy rate.”

China’s Customs data showed (November 8) that crude oil imports rose to all-time high on a daily basis in October, supported by record demand from private refiners and healthy margins. Data from the General Administration of Customs showed that imports in October surged 32 percent from a year earlier to 40.80 million tonnes, or 9.61 million barrels per day (bpd), climbing from 9.05 million bpd in September.

Also on November 8, the State Council General Office released the "Notice on Implementing Policies to Improve the Operating Environment and Focus on the Concerns of Business."

Guo Shuqing, Chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, spoke to the media on November 8 after People's Bank of China (PBoC) Governor Yi Gang did the rounds of the media on November 6. Caixin reported that Guo Shuqing, well known as a firebrand who speaks his mind, outlined an ambitious plan which "suggested a goal that no less than 50% of new corporate loans go to private companies in the next three years"; and "at least a third of big banks’ new corporate loans and at least two-thirds of small and medium-sized banks’ new corporate loans should go to the private sector." Separately, Liu Shiyu, Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, is also trying to step up support and called the chief economists of China’s major brokerages to a meeting and told them to talk favourably about the economy.

With an eye on India's fast growing white goods market expected to grow at an annual rate of 6 percent to 7 percent and reach 700 billion Indian rupees by 2019, Fang Hongbo, the Chairman of China's Midea Group said India is "a key market for our global strategy" and the group will invest 13.5 billion Indian rupees ($185.1 million) in Supa Parner, Pune to set up a 270,000-square-meter technology park there. Once put into production, it will have an annual production capacity of 500,000 units of refrigerators, washing machines, water purifiers and water heaters.

On October 27, 2018, the People's Daily's Zhong Sheng column said on the basis of "mutually partnering with each other and not posing a threat", China and Japan will further tap potential and strengthen cooperation, which will bring more benefits to the two countries and their peoples.

At the first China International Import Expo, which opened in Shanghai on November 2, Sina.com reported that 10 companies affiliated to China Aerospace Science and Technology Group Co., Ltd. and 13 companies from 11 countries and regions around the world signed 16 projects worth nearly 5 billion RMB. The procurement contract or agreement covers a wide range of fields including aviation logistics, new materials, advanced sensing, new energy, and special equipment.

On November 6, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met leaders of six multilateral economic bodies namely, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim; International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde; World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevedo; OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria; Financial Stability Board Chairman Mark Carney; and International Labor Organization Deputy Director-General Deborah Greenfield.

China convened its Fifth World Buddhist Forum Convened in Putian, Fujian on October 29, 2018. CPPCC Chairman and PBSC member Wang Yang sent a letter of congratulations.

People's Daily on November 5, announced that restructuring plans of 29 provinces had been approved by the central authorities. Almost all of China’s 31 provincial governments have announced re-organization plans.

China Digital Times reported on November 7, that Yang Kai and Zhu Shunqing, both members of the unofficial student Marxist group at Nanjing University, were among the leaders of protests on campus which drew a crowd of more than 100 people, according to video footage. Yang Kai, a fourth-year software engineering major at Nanjing University, was shoved and dragged on the ground before being bundled away by unidentified men, according to a classmate and fellow member of Nanjing’s Marxist student society who requested anonymity.

The People's Daily on November 2, reported that the CCP CC released its 2018-2022 plan for National Cadre Education and Training (2018-2022年全国干部教育培训规划). A People’s Daily commentator published an article praising the plan as “being of great and profound significance to thoroughly implementing the Party’s construction and organizational line in the new era, cultivating a team of high-quality and professionalized cadres who are loyal, clean, and responsible, and ensuring the Party has successors to carry on its undertaking.”

South China Morning Post reported on October 30, that 74-year Deng Pufang, the crippled son of Deng Xiaoping and Chairman of the China Disabled Persons Federation, had on September 16, delivered a speech in the presence of all 7 PBSC members where, after praising Xi Jinping, he said “The reform and opening-up policy brought about earth-shaking changes to China – comprehensive changes in politics, economy, society and culture.

The following appointments were announced between October 27 and November 2, 2018: Ma Yongsheng (马永生) was appointed President of Sinopec; Xu Qiang (徐强) was appointed a board member of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation and Deputy Secretary of its Party leadership group; Gong Bo (龚波) was appointed a Deputy General Manager of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation and a member of its Party leadership group; and Shen Yueyue (沈跃跃) was elected chairwoman of the All-China Women’s Federation.

The New York Times reported on November 5, that China, the largest market for Soyabeans, has all but stopped buying soyabean from the US. The Chinese government imposed a tariff on American soybeans in response to the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese goods. The latest federal data, through mid-October, shows American soybean sales to China have declined by 94 percent from last year’s harvest.

In an article published in Hongkong's South China Morning Post on October 27, Zhou Bo, an honorary fellow at the PLA Academy of Military Science, said "the US believes it is exceptional". He went on to say "If Brexit is costing Europe in no small way, then America’s withdrawal from the international system and its undisguised contempt for the United Nations are far more consequential. In terms of morale and credibility, the US has fallen off the hill. On Trump’s decision to end the Iran nuclear deal and impose trade tariffs on Europe, president of the European Council Donald Tusk put it this way: “With friends like that, who needs enemies?”He said in conclusion that "After all, the US is no more than a member of the international community, like the rest of us. When it admits that, it is the start of its walk down the hill towards the plain, where the weather is certainly less chilly there than on a hill".

America's Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, has on October 29, 2018 severed ties with its Chinese partner institution, Renmin University of China, on the ground that they had punished, surveilled or suppressed students who supported workers’ rights in a labor conflict that erupted this past summer involving workers trying to unionize at Jasic Technology in Shenzhen -- or who have otherwise been supportive of workers’ rights.

The state-run 'The Paper' on October 29, reported that the World's Leading Scientists Forum with the theme of “Science and Technology for the Common Destiny of Mankind”opened in Shanghai on the banks of the Shanghai Lingang Lake. 35 leading scientists of the world including 26 Nobel Prize winners, many world-renowned academic award winners, nearly 40 academics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and outstanding young scientists from China and abroad attended the forum. Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.

Xinhua reported on November 5, that Chinese President Xi Jinping said on November 5 in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai, that China's imported goods and services are estimated to exceed 30 trillion US dollars and 10 trillion US dollars, respectively, in the next 15 years. He said measures announced in April to relax market access have been so far implemented.

An article authored by Xu Lejiang, Executive Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), on Party building in all enterprises was published in the Study Times on November 2, 2018. He said Party building work must be promoted with the goal of administering the party strictly.

The NPC Standing Committee had a special 'study session' after its bi-monthly session on October 26, when they heard a presentation on artificial intelligence from Tan Tieniu, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Senior Colonel Wu Qian, the Director General of the Information Office of China’s Ministry of National Defense, said China expects the U.S. Navy to send warships through the Taiwan Strait in November, an action Chinese officials say infringes on their national sovereignty.

In an article published in Bloomberg News on October 30, former Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade and presently Chief Expert of the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and adjunct professor of the Tsinghua University, Ms Fu Ying, acknowledged that "China-U.S. relations have deteriorated faster than almost anyone could have expected" and asserted that "the U.S. is driving this process and should reflect carefully whether it’s in Americans’ best interests to continue down this path".

Xinhua reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation on November 2, 2018 when they spoke of bilateral trade and the Korean Peninsula issue while agreeing to meet bilaterally during the upcoming G20 summit in Argentina. It said that during the conversation Trump said he looks forward to meeting Xi Jinping during the G20 summit so that they can have an in-depth discussion about some major issues. The US president added that he hopes their two countries will make joint efforts to prepare for the meeting and that the United States attaches importance to US-China economic and trade cooperation and would like to continue to expand export to China. He said the economic teams from the two sides need to enhance exchanges and consultations.

Figures of the purchasing managers’ index of the National Bureau of Statistics and the China of Logistics and Purchasing -- an industry group -- showed that China’s manufacturing activity fell to a two-year low in October as domestic demand weakened, adding to pressure on Beijing to shore up economic growth amid a tariff war with Washington. The figures fell to 50.2 from September’s 50.8 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 show activity expanding. Export orders weakened but the biggest impact was from cooling domestic demand.

The Politburo meeting on October 31, held a 'study session' on Artificial Intelligence. Observing that the external environment is experiencing "profound changes”, or that the United States is restricting China from buying technology or investing in high-tech companies abroad, Xi Jinping said AI is core to China’s future.

Xinhua reported that Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CCP CC presided over a meeting of the CCP CC Politburo in Beijing on October 31, to analyze and study the current economic situation and deploy current economic work.

Xinhua reported (November 2) that Chinese President Xi Jinping convened an unprecedented “symposium” on November 1, to hear the views of dozens of representatives from the private sector – including Robin Li of Baidu and Pony Ma of Tencent.

On October 22, China and ASEAN held their first joint maritime naval exercise, the “Joint Maritime Exercise-2018” in Zhanjiang city, Guangdong.

Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum on October 24, Retired US Lt General Ben Hodges said "I think in 15 years --it’s not inevitable – but it is a very strong likelihood that we will be at war with China.” He also said that in Europe, China owns more than 10 per cent of the ports.

Japan's Nomura Holdings will jointly set up an investment fund with Chinese state-run investment fund China Investment Corp., Nikkei learned on October 23, 2018.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, accompanied by approximately 500 Japanese businesspeople arrived in Beijing for a three-day official visit on the first formal bilateral visit by a Japanese leader to China in nearly seven years on October 25, 2018.

Xinhua reported on October 17 that the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security on Monday announced a name list of 6,019 people who had the most points among over 124,000 applicants for a Beijing hukou. in the pilot period, Beijing's quota for new hukou holders is set at 6,000 each year based on the city's development planning and population capacity, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security. By the end of 2017, the number of people holding a Beijing hukou reached 13.59 million, while the city's permanent population totalled 21.7 million. Beijing plans to cap its population at 23 million by 2020 and also in the long term, as it seeks to address "big city diseases" such as traffic congestion and pollution.

Caixin Global reported on October 25, 2018 that two central financial committees on October 24 released the new “Comprehensive Report on the Management of State-Owned Assets in 2017.”

The U.S.-China Commission released a contracted report written by SOS International on China’s Internet of Things on October 25, 2018. The Report says that since 2009, China has taken steps to catalyse domestic IoT research and development (R&D) and infrastructure development through robust planning initiatives and extensive financial support.

The 14th China Science and Technology Periodical Development Forum co-sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology and the National Press and Publication Administration, was held on October 23-24, in Wuhan, Hubei Province. More than 600 experts, scholars and scientific journal workers from all over the country attended the forum.

Yi Lianhong was appointed the new Governor of Jiangxi on October 23. He has been acting governor since August. Yi Lianhong was born in 1959 in Hunan.

Addressing the 17th Congress of the 300-million All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) on October 22, Politburo member Wang Huning said the "country’s worker class should….unswervingly follow the Party’s leadership.”

Chinese President sent a congratulatory letter to China’s annual high-level security eighth 'Xiangshan Forum' being held in Beijing. According to Xinhua, in the letter he said “The global governance system and international order are changing at a faster pace.” Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe who read out the letter quoted Xi Jinping as expressing in the letter 'China's sincere willingness to increase strategic mutual trust and security cooperation with countries around the world and demonstrated China's resolve to stay on the path of peaceful development and cooperate with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.'

The Washington Post reported (October 26) that meeting Shinzo Abe on October 26, during the first formal visit by a Japanese leader to Beijing in nearly seven years, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the two countries are “sharing more common interests and concerns".

A report reveals that China is rapidly advancing efforts to acquire factory robots. In 2017, China bought 36% of all factory robots in the world last year, more than any other country including the U.S., and intends to ramp up its own production of them in its attempt to become the pre-eminent technological superpower.

The Vice President of the People's Bank of China (PBoC) and the Director of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), Pan Gongsheng, introduced the establishment of a private enterprise bond financing at a briefing on the policy of the State Council at the State Council Information Office held a briefing on the policy of the State Council on October 26, 2018.

China’s banking regulator (CBIRC) released new draft regulations on October 25 inviting comments until November 25 and opening the financial sector wider.

The fourth edition of the UBS/PwC Billionaires Report reveals that China now has a total of 318 billionaires while the U.S. has 563 and Europe 637. It also claims the average age of a Chinese billionaire in 2016 is 55, compared to 66 in Europe and 67 in the U.S.)

A new 2018 Forbes China Rich List released on October 25, showed that some of China's richest entrepreneurs had their wealth shrink substantially over the past year, but also included new faces. According to the summary, more than 75 percent of the 400 richest Chinese people on last year's list saw their fortunes shrink, with 93 of them dropping out of the ranks this year. Of those who reappeared on this year's list, 229 saw their fortunes drop and nearly one third saw a decline of 20 percent or more.

The Deputy Minister of the Organization Department Zhou Yi, Minister of Education Chen Baosheng and the head of the Beijing Municipal Organization Department Wei Xiaodong, announced the appointment of Qiu Shuiping, former Party Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of State Security, as the new Party secretary for BeiDa.

While on a Latin America tour at the end of last week, US Secretary of State Pompeo told reporters during the trip on October 18, in Mexico City that “when China comes calling it’s not always to the good of your citizens.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning confirmed to reporters during a press briefing on October 22, that “in the Taiwan Strait, earlier today, USS Curtis Wilbur and USS Antietam conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit in accordance with international law”.

Global banks including Citigroup, Standard Chartered, BNP Paribas and JPMorgan have asked their private banking staff to postpone or reconsider travel to China after authorities there prevented a UBS banker from leaving the country.

According to the latest Investment Trends Monitor published on October 22, by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), China has become the largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first half of 2018, attracting an estimated US$ 70 billion in inflows.

The International Campaign for Tibet reported (October 19) that on October 11 when Chinese work crews arrived in Choeje village in the Tsolho (Chinese: Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture’s Chabcha (Chinese: Gonghe) county, according to a source and reported by Radio Free Asia (October 17), Tibetans were attacked for protesting the intrusion of a Chinese work team into a grassland area of Amdo (Qinghai) to set up a solar panel installation.

South China Morning Post reported (October 20) that as the battle over political ideology intensifies on mainland Chinese campuses where students are being mobilised to monitor and report “radical” political views, in the past three months, several professors and schoolteachers have been sacked or disciplined for “out of line” opinions.

The Chinese media announced on October 15, that the newest long-range strategic bomber will be unveiled during a parade as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in 2019.

In an unprecedented move, China's Ministry of Finance (MoF) on October 20, announced unveiled draft revisions to the Individual Income Tax Law detailed tax deductions in six different areas.

The State Council's Financial Development and Stability Committee (FSDC) held its 10th special meeting -- the 10th time in two months -- on October 20. The meeting said that financial risks are under control.

Xinhua on October 21 published Chinese President Xi Jinping's 'open' letter to owners of China's private businesses saying Beijing will continue to value and protect them to ensure a "better tomorrow.’”

CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping, has called on General Offices of Party committees at all levels to resolutely safeguard the authority of the CCP "Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership".

In a recent (October 18) interview with FT, the Dean of the Institute of International Strategy, Peking University Wang Jisi commented that 'the trade war is an omen and a manifestation of the deterioration of Sino-US relations.

The New York Times reported (October 19) that US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis tried to lower the temperature on the array of hostilities between Washington and Beijing, saying it is up to the militaries of the two competing global superpowers to act as a stabilizing force amid rising political tensions.

The State Statistical Bureau released monthly economic data for September which shows an economy that continued to decelerate.

There is obvious nervousness about the state of China's economy, indicated also by China's four top economic officials all releasing statements on October 19 apparently in a coordinated attempt to project confidence and calm.

BEIJING, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for a stronger sense of mission for deeper military-civilian integration.

A source close to the military revealed that more than 300 military personnel were implicated in the case involving former PLA General Fang Fenghui who, the CDIC said has been stripped of Party membership for corruption.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported (October 19) that Chinese President Xi Jinping is to soon embark on what he hopes will be a confidence-boosting tour of Guangdong province.

The party’s official mouthpiece 'People's daily' has made an attempt to visually project the Chinese President’s thoughts.

AFP reported that Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic, refused asylum to 41-year old Sayragul Sauytbay, an escaped Chinese national whose court testimony helped expose a secretive network of re-education camps in China’s restive Xinjiang region.

A former Pakistani Ambassador to the US shared a Times article suggesting that authorities "demand" muslims in Xinjiang to eat Pork.

The Global Times (October 10, 2018) 'advised' India not to over react to the sale of 48 Wing Loong-II drones by China to Pakistan and sought to justify it by saying "Combating terrorism is a priority for Pakistan, but it is also a big concern for India.

According to data released on October 14 and compiled by the Pew Research Centre, 73 per cent of Asian respondents – represented by polls taken in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia – favoured the United States as the leading global power versus 12 per cent for China.

Xinhua published at least 8 responses attacking the speech. The Central Propaganda Department’s Theory Bureau, writing under the pen name "Zhongxuanli 钟轩理," published 2 commentaries attacking Pence's comments in People's Daily in the week ending October 13.

On October 9, China released a new three-year action plan to restructure the transport sector. Briefly, it provides for more investment in railway freight and shipping and less reliance on long-distance road freight.

China's National Statistical Bureau estimates the number of China's middle class at nearly 400 million, less than a third of the population. It defines a middle-class household as one making 25,000 yuan (US$3,640) to 250,000 (US$36,400) yuan a year – a fairly low threshold.

China's National Statistical Bureau released national R&D spending data for 2017 on October 9.

An article in the Taipei Times on October 14 disclosed that 33 Taiwanese are among the 8,000 experts and academics so far recruited under the Recruitment Program of Global Experts -- known as the 'Thousand Talents Programme' till China’s National Natural Science Foundation banned usage of the term -- launched in 2008 to attract overseas talent to boost development in China’s key technologies, the high-tech industry and emerging technologies.

An article in the Diplomat (October 12) reported that the People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) has acquired Xian-H-6J anti-ship cruise missile-carrying bombers, according to satellite imagery taken on September 7.

At the 4th Exhibition of High-tech Equipment Development of Military-Civilian Integration and Development held on October 13, in Beijing, 176 Military Units signed 154 High-Tech Product Cooperation Projects valued at an estimated 2 Billion RMBs.

The Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) said in a statement on its website on October 19, that Lai Xiaomin, former Chairman of China Huarong Asset Management, has been expelled from the Communist Party and will be prosecuted for suspected corruption.

Xinhua (October 14) reported that You Quan, Member of the Secretariat of the CCP Central Committee and Head of the CCP CC United Front Work Department visited Urumqi and Hotan in Xinjiang from October 11 - 14, 2018.

The state-run Global Times on October 9, 2018 claimed that India was learning from China's reform and opening-up. It noted that the US chipmaker Qualcomm has announced plans to build a US$ 400 million plant in Hyderabad, India, which will be its largest facility outside the US.

Responding to the letter addressed on August 31, by US Senators, and publicised on October 12, about Google collaborating with China on sensitive technologies and products like 'Dragonfly', Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote: “We hope to stay at the forefront of technology developments and believe that Google's tools could help to facilitate an exchange of information and learning that would have broad benefits inside and outside of China.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are likely to hold bilateral meetings during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Japan's Prime minister Shinzo Abe is scheduled to visit China from October 25-27, 2018.

According to data released by the company Friday, overall sales in China fell 43% in September compared with the same month last year and were down 30% through the first nine months of 2018 compared with the same period in 2017.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met Harald Kruger, Chairman of the board of management of BMW Group, in Beijing on October 10.

The government of Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), vowed on October 8, to launch a campaign against the pan-halal tendency, and require officials and Party members to firmly believe in Marxism and Leninism and speak Putonghua in public.

In an article posted on Urumqi city’s official WeChat social media account on October 8, party cadres were told to post the same oath on their social media accounts, which read: “My belief is Marxism-Leninism… I must fly the flag high and battle (the) ‘pan-halal trend’ to the end, resolute in my beliefs, even to death!”

One month after attending the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, who took office in April, has cancelled a loan agreement signed by his predecessor for China to build a new $400 million international airport at Mamamah on the ground that the project is “uneconomical” given that the only existing international airport is “grossly under-utilized.” The new airport was supposed to be completed by 2022.

The New York Times publicised on October 10, that Yanjun Xu, a Deputy Division Director in a regional office of China’s Ministry of State Security (MoSS) was arrested in Belgium and brought to the United States to face espionage charges.

The bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) on October 10, issued the Commission’s 2018 Annual Report which proposed several new joint initiatives to protect U.S. citizens and residents from intimidation and address possible crimes against humanity occurring in China.

Well-known Chinese news site Sina reported (October 6) that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the level of U.S. oil exports to China dropped to zero in August. Also in August, U.S. oil exports dropped significantly overall.

Chinese stocks registered a major drop on October 8 as traders returned to work after a weeklong holiday. Losses on major indexes in mainland China were as high as 4.8% in a major market rout, with the China A50, which includes major companies from both the Shenzhen and Shanghai indexes, as the biggest loser.

The online news sites including Phoenix Satellite TV, one of the most influential Chinese-language media based in Hong Kong and the mainland, and 'i.feng' were issued notices on September 26, stating that networks must undergo a shake-up.

On October 8, the CCP's official newspaper People’s Daily's online edition carried an article by two researchers from the Hunan University School of the Communication and Arts of Film and Television, about China’s propaganda practice in the world entitled “Precision Communication is the inevitable choice for International Communication.”

Epoch Times between October 5-8, 2018 published three reports with embedded videos on the suppression of veterans in Pingdu City, Shandong Province. The veterans were protesting that they should receive a fair retirement settlement from the government.

A report in China Digital Times on October 9, 2018 claimed that Muslims in India and Bangladesh have condemned China for its ill-treatment of Muslims and incarcerating almost a million Muslims in 're-education' camps.

Xinhua reported (October 5) that three Chinese nationals were killed on October 4, in the Central African Republic (CAR).

Wu Jinglian, the 88-year-old Dean of pro-market Chinese economists, at a forum last month said to Liu He, China’s economic czar, said that “unharmonious voices” were now condemning private enterprise. Wu Jinglian added “The phenomenon is worth noting.”

China on Sunday announced a big cut in the amount of cash commercial banks have to put aside at the central bank, a move that will make an extra US$110 billion available for lending as Beijing works to shore up confidence in its economy and markets.

Radio Free Asia reported (October 1, 2018) that the Chinese government issued a notice before the October 1 National Day holiday requiring local schools to strengthen their control over elementary and middle school teachers’ travel abroad. The regulation also applies to kindergarten and retired teachers.

A Report released on September 12, 2018 by the Centre for a New American Security stated that China is positioning itself as a powerhouse in quantum science and in the past several years, Chinese researchers had achieved consistent advances in basic research and development of quantum technologies, including quantum cryptography, communications, and computing, as well as reports of progress in quantum radar, sensing, imaging, metrology, and navigation.

In accordance with the guidelines issued by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the PLA Daily disclosed (October 4) that the think-tank of the PLA Rocket Force recently recruited 13 Chinese technicians from private companies.

Michele Geraci, Undersecretary at the Ministry for Economic Development, said in an interview at his Rome office, that Italy’s government is scrapping the previous administration’s efforts to limit Chinese investment in strategic sectors in favor of fostering relations with Beijing.

One of CCTV's main reporters in London, Lin Lin Kong was arrested for assaulting a volunteer at a Conservative Party Conference Fringe event on human rights in Hong Kong on September 30. She was later released without charge on October 2.

US prosecutors on October 3, filed a 32-page document in New York charging former Hong Kong Minister Patrick Ho Chi-ping with bribery and illegally selling weapons to Libya, Qatar and possibly South Sudan in 2015.

In a special 150-page Report prepared by the US DoD on weaknesses in core US industries vital to national security, China represents a “significant and growing risk” to the supply of materials vital to the US military.

US Vice President Mike Pence's speech at the Hudson Institute, Washington, scheduled for October 4, 2018 will had a far tougher line on China than till now.

The Hong Kong authorities have rejected an application to renew the work visa of Victor Mallet, Asia News Editor at the Financial Times and Vice President of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC), after he chaired a controversial talk by an independence activist in August.

64-year Meng Hongwei, head of Interpol and a Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS), has been reported missing from Paris and, according to Hongkong's South China Morning Post may be under investigation in China and was “taken away” for questioning by discipline authorities “as soon as he landed in China” last week.

Politburo Standing Committee Member and Central Commission for Discipline Inspection head Zhao Leji met Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on September 22 while on an official goodwill visit.

The Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG-73) was approached on September 30, morning in the South China Sea by a PLAN Luyang-class destroyer in what Navy officials are calling an "unsafe and unprofessional maneuver".

A special clause in the new US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement gives Washington a near-veto over any attempt by Canada or Mexico to agree to a free-trade deal with a “non-market economy”.

The Deputy Head of the CMC Office for International Military Cooperation Huang Xueping on September 22, 2018, “lodged solemn representations and expressed opposition” to the Acting US Defense Attache David Menser in China and said that the United States’ action is a “flagrant violation of the principles of international relations and a full demonstration of hegemonism which seriously damaged the relationships between the two countries and the two militaries.”

The CCP's authoritative official newspaper 'People’s Daily' under its “Zhong Sheng” column criticised the US decision to impose sanctions on the military department.

China's state media reported on October 3, that 37-year old Fan Bingbing, one of the world's highest paid actresses, has been ordered to pay nearly 892 million yuan (about $130 million) in fines and back taxes.

Xi Jinping presided over the Eighth Politburo Collective Study Session in Beijing on September 21, where he pointed out that “without modernization for agriculture and rural areas, there will be no modernization for the whole country.”

Xi Jinping presided over a Politburo meeting on September 21 on reviewing trial regulations for CCP branch work and a 2018-2022 plan for national cadre education and training.

On September 9, 2018 Myanmar and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for establishing the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, in the last week of September set out the Europe-Asia Connectivity plan providing for the construction of transport links, as well as development of human, energy and digital networks. It needs to be approved by the EU Parliament and the European Council.

The South China Morning Post reported that flight bookings from China to the U.S. for the upcoming golden week holiday are down by a dramatic 42 per cent compared with last year’s holiday week.

Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor Wang Yi met Dr Henry Kissinger in New York on September 25, when he urged the US to stop viewing China with a cold war mentality to keep the Sino-US bilateral ties on a healthy track.

Chinese students are forming study groups to study Chinese communist ideology and discuss the progress of socialism.

The state-run China Daily reported (September 27) that Chinese President Xi Jinping was on tour in Heilongjiang province since September 26, where he stressed the importance of self-reliance in food security, the real economy and manufacturing.

A new edition of eighth grade Chinese history textbooks printed by the Government-owned People's Education Press carries an amended version of Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution.

The official Global Times on September 25, 2018 quoted experts as saying the ongoing Sino-US trade dispute will provide a chance for China and India to strengthen their agricultural trade, which will help to address the trade imbalance between the two countries.

27-year old Ji Chaoqun, a Chinese citizen living in Chicago was arrested on September 25, 2018 for allegedly spying, including by helping with the recruitment of U.S. engineers, defense contractors and scientists for intelligence services in China.

The Chinese Consulate in Hong Kong in a statement on September 26, 2018 stated: “The Chinese government did not approve a request for a port visit to Hong Kong by the USS Wasp.

People's Daily reported on September 25, 2018 that the Nanjing Research Institute of Electronics Technology in Jiangsu province, a major State-owned defense contractor, has designed and built a cutting-edge quantum radar which will eventually be able to detect stealth aircraft from great distances.

The CCP CC and and the State Council issued a top-level policy document on September 24,, called “Opinions on Comprehensive Implementation of Budget Performance Management.”

On September 5, 2018, Dorje Rabten, aged about 23 and a monk of Kirti Monastery in Tibet, was arrested by police for staging a public protest in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) county town, shouting pro-Tibet slogans, according to Kanyag Tsering and Lobsang Yeshe, from the Kirti Monastery in Dharamsala, India. Dorjee Rabten is from Me’uruma township.

Newly revised regulations on Party disciplinary action that will take effect in October, stipulate that members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will be expelled from the Party if they openly adhere to bourgeois liberalization online.

Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) member and Vice Premier Han Zheng visited Russia and met Russian President Vladimir Putin. Han Zheng said that “China is willing to work with Russia on … implementing the important consensus reached by the two countries’ leaders in all respects and promoting bilateral investment and energy cooperation.”

The official Party newspaper 'People’s Daily' on September 15, 2018, under its “Zhong Sheng” column, which authoritatively transmits the official positions of the People’s Daily on matters of international affairs, praised Sino-Russian regional cooperation. It observed "in 2017, China’s trade with the Russian Far East Federal District exceeded US$7.7 billion.

South China Morning Post on September 22 reported that stocks of major surveillance equipment suppliers to the Chinese government have tumbled since the start of the trade war earlier this year.

China's State Council Information Office issued a White Paper on China-US trade in September 2018, which was released on September 24. The 68-page White Paper criticised the US for flouting WTO provisions and instead of "free trade" advocating "fair trade".

The China Economic Daily on September 16, quoted the State Grain and Reserves Administration in conjunction with eight other departments jointly issuing a notice on conducting well the acquisition of grains in autumn 2018 and requiring local governments to organize and guide market transition from policy-based purchases and storage to market-based acquisitions and purchases.

China Economic Daily reported on September 15, that the spokesman of the National Bureau of Statistics, Mao Shengyong said that throughout this year China’s macroeconomic indicators have remained “stable” and there is no danger of stagflation.

The PLA Daily on September 18, 2018 reported that the Propaganda Department of the CCP CC, Retired Military Affairs Department of the CCP CC and Department of Veterans Affairs issued a "Notice on Carrying out the "The Most Beautiful Retired Soldiers" Learning and Publicity Activities" stressing study and propaganda activities to "fully implement the spirit of the Party's 19th and 19th Central Committees and the 3rd Plenary Session, and take the approach of Xi Jinping's new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics as the guide, implement the spirit of the National Propaganda and Ideological Work Conference" to fully demonstrate "the excellent quality and good spirit of retired military veterans".

The People’s Daily published four more commentaries between September 15 and 19, 2018, on Xi Jinping’s speech at the National Education Conference held in Beijing on September 10, 2018 where Xi Jinping stressed that “our education must treat cultivating the builders and successors of socialism as its fundamental mission” and “lead the students to love and support the CCP and to be determined in listening to and following the Party.”

South China Morning Post reported on September 22, that China and the Vatican have reached a historic agreement on the appointment of Chinese bishops, with Pope Francis recognising seven clerics ordained by Beijing without the approval of the Holy See.

In an interview with China’s state news agency Xinhua published September 19, the Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.executive chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Jack Ma backed out of his commitment to then President-elect Donald Trump in January 2017 to create 1 million jobs in the US.

The Pakistani newspaper 'Nation' on September 20, reported that Pakistan Federal Minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri while meeting Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing demanded that China soften restrictions on Chinese Muslims living in Xinjiang province.

China’s Ministry of Justice recently held a National Party Development Work Conference in Kunming on September 17, to promote the Party’s development work among all lawyers across the nation.

Zhuang Rongwen, the new Director of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) wrote an article in the latest issue of Qiushi on the need to deepen controls over the internet, following Xi jinping's directions at the Aug. 21–22 National Conference on Publicity and Ideological Work.

Xinhua reported on September 20, that Chinese President and General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee Xi Jinping chaired the fourth meeting of the Central Committee for Deepening Overall Reform, which he heads, on September 20.

The Central Discipline Inspection Commission (CDIC) said in a brief statement September 21, Nur Bekri, Deputy Chief of the National Economic Planning Agency, has been placed under investigation for “serious violations of discipline and law.”

A signed People's Daily commentary, under the pen name “Zhong Sheng”, on September 9, 2018 stated that PBSC Member Li Zhanshu’s visit to North Korea as Xi Jinping’s special representative “fully demonstrated the great importance China attached to China-North Korean relationship under a new situation,” and that this arrangement “is helpful in safeguarding the region’s peace and stability.”

The state news outlet 'The Paper' reported (August 30, 2018) that an unmanned aerial vehicle base, the first compound in which the country officially allows drones to carry out multi-scenario testing and applications, officially opened in Shanghai's Jinshan Industrial Zone.

In keeping with Chinese President Xi Jinping's directives, 4,038 patents were declassified in April to aid military-civilian integration.

The annual China World Economic Forum meeting opened in Tianjin on September 18, 2018. Speaking at a session on 'China's financial opening', Liu Shijin, Vice Chairman of the China Development Research Foundation and Member of the Central Bank's Monetary Policy Committee, implied a loosening of monetary policy to further support economic growth by saying that the central bank will provide a reasonable and sufficient supply of funds for the economy.

PBSC Member and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee Wang Yang attended the 3rd collective study session of the CPPCC Party leadership group in Beijing on September 10.

The People's Daily reported (September 11) that Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a National Education Conference on 10 September in Beijing.

A report in an Israeli newspaper claimed The Shanghai International Port Group's management of the newly expanded Haifa port is due to be inaugurated in 2021.

The latest diplomatic incident between China and Sweden that erupted in the media related to a Chinese tourist, Zeng, travelling with his parents and who were denied admission to a Generator Hotel in Stockholm.

At the launch of its new new model of iPhones in California on September 12, the background screen prepared for the event showed the individual flags of Hong Kong and Taiwan, and used the flag of the Republic of China for the latter.

The US Justice Department ordered Xinhua News Agency and China Global Television Network—known as CGTN now and earlier as CCTV -- to register as foreign agents.

According to a report, a variety of sources reported that Chinese authorities sent out an urgent notice on September 14 to work units, companies, government departments, universities and more, across the country, demanding that they watch the September 15 nightly Network News Broadcast on CCTV, as well as CCTV’s September 15 and 16 “Focus Talk” programs, and also study the detailed reports due to be published on September 16 on Global Times online, as well as its the September 17 print edition.

Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa began a three-day visit to China on September 16, 2018, days after a Pakistani Minister stirred unease about Chinese Silk Road projects in the South Asian nation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s top economic adviser, Vice Premier Liu He attended the 20th anniversary conference of the Chinese Economists 50 Forum, a club he helped co-found when he was a government adviser, on September 16, and met a group of pro-reform economists in a show of support for a liberal vision of the country’s economic future.

A major convocation of overseas Chinese, overseas Chinese returnees and their families, was held in Beijing from August 29 to September 1. All seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) attended the opening ceremony.

A high-level delegation from CWE Investment Corporation, a subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation which had in 2012 undertaken to execute the project in a memorandum of understanding (MOU), told the Nepalese authorities in the last week of August 2018 that the 750-megawatt West Seti hydropower project is financially unfeasible because of the steep resettlement and rehabilitation costs.

Russia's Vostok-2018 military exercises in the Far East and Siberia is the largest military drill in post-Soviet history. Beijing has sent a contingent of 3,200 troops, 30 aircraft, 900 tanks and armored vehicles.

Citing official figures Asia times reported on September 15, that the total length of China’s railway network reached 127,000km by the end of last year.

Writing in the Washington Post on August 23, 2018, China's Tsinghua University Professor Yan Xuetong observed that U.S.-China trade tensions this year have bolstered protectionist forces in both countries that support a tit-for-tat trade war, posing a serious threat to China’s development.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported on September 13, that nearly 3,000 Uyghur children from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), whose parents have been taken to political re-education camps, are being held in so-called 'Little Angel Schools', where they take classes.

Chinese diplomat traveled to Lhasa on August 21 to attend a meeting on promoting the Party’s talking points on Tibet through China’s global influence operations.

In his keynote address at the opening of the Forum on China-African Cooperation (FOCAC) on September 3, 2018 Chinese President Xi Jinping promised that China’s aid to Africa comes with no strings attached.

The state-owned Global Times on September 5, publicised that the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) announced on its WeChat account on September 4, that it has started building a Type S26T submarine for the Royal Thai Navy.

Reacting to India's proposed US$ 60 billion plan to build 100 airports in the next 10-15 years, China's state-owned Global Times on September 5, again recommended that India "embrace the China-proposed Belt and Road (B&R) initiative as it would help the South Asian country's massive airport plan."

National People’s Congress (NPC) Chairman and PBSC Member Li Zhanshu will represent Chinese President Xi Jinping at the DPRK’s 70th anniversary celebrations on September 9, 2018.

Reacting to reports that the US is poised to impose previously announced tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods as early as september 7, Gao Feng spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) warned on September 6 that China will take necessary countermeasures to protect its own economic interests if the US imposes new tariffs on Chinese goods.

The official news agency Xinhua reported on September 5, 2018, that China installed its first independently-developed atmosphere observation system known as APSOS in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The People's Daily reported on September 4, 2018 that China has now signed an information sharing agreement with 100 other countries to makes sure that Chinese citizens are paying their taxes abroad, as well. The agreement is called the Common Reporting Standard (CRS).

The Wall Street Journal (September 3) reported that 'Zhang Ming, an economist with state-run Institute of World Economics and Politics, estimates that “hidden debt” totaled 23.57 trillion yuan ($3.45 trillion) at the end of 2017, greater than the 18.58 trillion yuan of local government debt acknowledged in official data.

People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Commander Vice Admiral Shen Jinlong plans to visit the US in the middle and end of September 2018.

Japan's Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera on September 3, warned that Japan faces a tough security environment, with China and Russia stepping up military activity and North Korea posing "imminent threats".

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Sankei Shimbun in September that “Premier Li Keqiang visited Japan in May and the Japan-China relationship has completely returned to a normal track,”and he hoped to visit Beijing in October 2018.

Xinhua on September 2 publicised that the PLAN had successfully carried out a submarine rescue drill in the East China Sea the previous day. It added that Chinese military experts had described it a "worldwide challenge." The drill involved frigates, submarines, rescue vessels and anti-submarine aircraft from multiple PLA Navy forces.

PLAA Major General Zhang Xuejie was recently promoted as Political Commissar of the Tibet Military Region. The appointment was revealed on August 3, 2018. He was earlier the Deputy Director of the Political Work Department of the PLA Eastern Theater Command.

On August 26, 2018 the CCP CC issued new revised 'Regulations on Disciplinary Actions of the Communist Party of China'.

Xinhua reported (August 26) that PBSC Member and CPPCC Chairman Wang Yang 'inspected' Tibet from August 24 to 26, 2018 and visited Changdu and Lhasa.

China's official news agency Xinhua reported on August 24, that CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping, who is also the Director of the Central Committee for Comprehensive Ruling by Law, hosted its first meeting and delivered an important speech.

CCP CC General Secretary Xi Jinping addressed the National Conference on Propaganda and Ideological Work held in Beijing on August 21-22, 2018. Politburo Standing Committee (PBSC) and Central Committee (CC) Secretariat member Wang Huning presided over the conference.

As Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrives in Beijing for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which starts on September 3, 2018, China’s mission to the African Union in Addis Ababa said on its website in July that “The intensifying repayment risks from the Ethiopian government’s debt reaching 59 percent of GDP is worrying investors.”

In a commentary in the People's Daily on August 26, Long Guoqiang, Vice President of the PRC State Council’s in-house think tank, the Development Research Center, voiced what is quickly becoming the consensus view on American motivations for a trade war.

The South China Morning Post on August 28, 2018 quoted the Afghan Embassy in Beijing as saying that China is helping Afghanistan to set up a mountain brigade in the country’s north to boost counterterrorism efforts.

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) with 170,000 employees and annual revenue hovering around the US$34 billion-mark, is one of China's bigger SoEs and its core is the nation’s space program and missile development and an array of hi-tech defence projects from devastating ‘wave-riders’ to nuclear-powered space shuttles and micro rockets.

As part of the downsizing of the PLA, the staff and circulation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily is also being reduced and restricted.

Since the 2-week long Beidaihe meetings, Chinese President Xi Jinping has held at least 4 high-level Party meetings. He first convened a meeting on August 18 of China's top generals and demanded that the military show absolute loyalty to the party.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun on August 24, 2018 reported that an agreement on a Japan-China hotline aimed at averting military clashes between the Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese military in the East China Sea and other areas includes a provision that allows for a moratorium of up to 48 hours from the breakout of a volatile situation to the start of communications.

The Voice of America (VOA) Chinese-language service on August 24, cited a Chinese-American Christian minister Liu Yi as having tweeted online that in parts of Henan Province some Christians are required to renounce their Christian beliefs and to sign a document to that effect.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on August 24, chaired the first session of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Ruling the Country by Law, which was established in March 2018.

Hongkong's South China Morning Post reported on August 24, 2018 that General Wei Liang, Political Commissar of the PLA Southern Theatre Command and General Xu Fenlin, a former deputy chief of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department and former Commander of the now defunct Guangzhou Military Area Command, which was absorbed into the Southern Theatre Command, were demoted to deputy regimental officer as a result of unspecified disciplinary action.

The PLA Daily published a series of commentator articles propagating Xi Jinping’s speech at the CMC Party construction conference. The first article emphasized that “the key to strengthening the military is the Party” and that “the Party leads everything.”

An article in the reputed Chinese financial magazine Caixin on August 24 said new Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2016 rejected bids by two Chinese companies in the sale of Australia's largest power grid and as a Cabinet member took a "skeptical view" toward G5 network equipment vendors with ties to foreign governments.

China's PLA Navy’s guided missile corvette 'Huangshan' with a helicopter sailed from Guangdong on August 21 to participate in Australia’s premier multilateral naval war games, Exercise Kakadu.

On August 23, after the US announced tariffs on an additional $16 billion worth of Chinese goods, China's Ministry of commerce announced that China has filed a complaint with the WTO against the US levies.

At a press conference after meeting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on August 20, 2018 on his first visit to Beijing since his election in May, 93-year Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad said he supports free trade as long as it’s fair.

Buzzfeed’s China bureau chief, Megha Rajagopalan has been denied a visa by Chinese authorities.

China's official news agency Xinhua on August 22, 2018 published a report on the opportunities created by the Belt & road Initiative in the Five Years since 2013.

Over the weekend of August 18-20, a post by Chinese blogger Ming Na and headlined “This Generation of Young Chinese, Brace for the Bitter Days Ahead,” by Ming Na, a blogger, received more than 300,000 views on the social media platform WeChat.