On the Whim of an Idiot

Huawei advertising, 2018 (“2019 becomes big thanks to 6.21 inches display”)

Once in a while, I have to update myself, technically, to stay informed about current affairs. In the beginning of my share in the digital age, I had a website, but noticed that only few people would care to write an e-mail to discuss anything. So I switched to blogging, fifteen years ago. Then there were opportunities to take part in discussions and getting answers to questions – for a while. Then the English-language, China-related “blogosphere died down, and everyone moved on to Twitter and other “social media”. I followed the stream in 2020.

I find Twitter rather scary. My use of it serves its purpose, to stay informed about what keeps people busy, but it isn’t really about what they think, but about what they feel. The world according to Twitter is a jitterbug, and a pretty aggressive one at times. For a few months now, it has also had ownership issues (or Musk issues) which have led to a rather unpredictable future of that platform.

Once I had seen a pretty informative microblog from China hacked and all requests to Twitter to restore it ignored, I understood that the numbers of followers you have don’t matter – or shouldn’t, if you look at it reasonably -, because you can see it reduced to zero on the whim of just one idiot.

As far as I’m concerned, blogging on WordPress remains worthwile. Maybe it wouldn’t if I was looking for traffic, trying to make money on advertising, etc. But when you blog, you think. You study. You read. By reading, you “listen” carefully, often to people and messages you disagree with, but whose information is still useful.

You don’t get that on Twitter. It may give you the impression that it is a nice distraction from the daily grind – you can even abscond to your account there for a minute (or more) at your workplace. But you might as well have a few chocolate bars instead, also within a minute.

It would be about as healthy as tweeting.

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Related

The state of Taiwan, Sept 8, 2022
Radio or the Internet, both or neither, June 9, 2020
My first ten days on Twitter, Jan 30, 2020
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Chip War: Better Behavior, Enthusiastic Reactions

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“Under pressure from business, senators have rowed back on plans for an immediate moratorium on Chinese components as the chip war continues”, “Tech Monitor”, apparently a portal from the UK, wrote on December 7. Business, or the US Chamber of Commerce more specifically, may actually brought forward some technial arguments that were hard to deny, given an existing supply chain of “older, less-powerful chips used in a wide range of electronics”.

But what Alan Estevez, US commerce under-secretary for industry and security, reportedly had to say to add to the business side of the discussion, doesn’t look encouraging:

“We are seeing better behaviour. Mofcom has been more forthcoming.”

Estevez reportedly also said that “it’s not the first time we’ve seen such a change in attitude, so it depends on how long that is sustained”.
That’s easy to predict: as long as China remains dependent on cooperation with the West – and it would be surprising if Estevez wasn’t aware of that. And after that, the “wolf warrior diplomats” – or worse – will be back.

Meantime, the Netherlands and Japan appear to be coming around to America’s chip policies on China. While there have apparently been accusations against Washington of “strong-arm” policies and disregard for (Japanese) sovereignty. Resistence would probably have been futile, because U.S. technology is virtually everywhere across semiconductor supply chains, the United States has the power to authorize or block sales extraterritorially, a signed article published by “The Diplomat” said on Tuesday.

Meantime, China has sent technology scouts to Europe again, after a long Covid-caused ice age. But while travel restrictions are receding, the emissaries have encountered a colder atmosphere than what they had been used to, writes “Neue Zürcher Zeitung”‘s (NZZ)  tech correspondent. China is in dire need of a technological push, writes the correspondent, during the first nine month of 2022, GDP grew by only three per cent (according to official statistics) – “one of the lowest growth rates since Mao’s death in 1976”.

Success is imperative for China’s agents:  resolute prevention of a large-scale return of poverty (坚决防止出现规模性返贫) had to be carried out, a joint economic conference convened by the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the State Council, and led by Personality-in-Chief Xi Jinping, stated in its communiqué on December 17.

France and Germany appear to be important destinations for China’s technological sourcing – there may be no great chip industries there, but the business environment may be somewhat more welcoming than the Netherlands or Japan.

That said, one of the traveling tech scouts told NZZ that European interlocutors were “under pressure” when “cooperating with China”. Trying to explain his difficulties to his domestic audience on “WeChat”, he reportedly pointed to the many American military barracks in Germany.

“Enthusiastic reactions”, CCTV, Dec 17, 2022

Meantime, people from all walks of life and nationalities are celebrating the economic work conference:

The Central Work Conference’s spirit has aroused enthusiastic reactions, and everyone says that we must unite our thought for common purpose, aggregate consensus, work industriously to get things done, put the party’s decisions and arrangements into place by taking practical aciton, make efforts to complete the objectives of economic and social development, and create a good starting point for the comprehensive construction of a socialist modern country.
中央经济工作会议精神在全国各地引起热烈反响，大家表示，要统一思想、凝聚共识、真抓实干，以实际行动把党中央决策部署落实到位，努力完成经济社会发展目标任务，为全面建设社会主义现代化国家开好局起好步。

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Sunday Press: “Resolutely preventing a Return of Large-Scale Poverty”

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1. Headlines

Let’s start with “Guanchazhe, a news portal from Shanghai that is frequently considered as not-so-politicized, but don’t buy into that, because it’s complicated.

New Normal:
Moving across Guanchazhe’s (Shanghai) wbsite top line, we are told that “the most important thing is to boost confidence” – a report on the economic conference held by the central committee and state council on Friday and Saturday – see details further down, under “Economic Work Conference”.

Another New Normal (or who knows):
Nucleic acid test station booths are advised to turn into service stations that provide feverish passerbys with “convenient” treatment and advice (through the booth window). That, the Chinese press and radio suggest, are ideas that had become “hot” among netizens in Suzhou.

“Guanchazhe” on Sunday

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Old Normal:

When Sino-U.S. relations are bad, it must be America’s fault. Will U.S. President Biden come to his senses and stop believing that he can win against China? That’s the teaser for an exchange of opinions between Professors Zhang Weiwei (张维为) and Fan Yongpeng (范勇鹏), both from Fudan University.

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Now, a few words ab out that “economic work conference, as promised. Let’s turn to an article published by CPBS, China’s nation-wide radio network.

2. Economic Work Conference

Reportedly held in Beijing on December 15 and 16. It’s an annual meeting … here’`s Wikepedia, as accessed on December 19:

held in the People’s Republic of China which sets the national agenda for the Economy of China and its financial and banking sectors. It is convened by the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the State Council[1] following themes, keywords, set by the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.[citation needed] As of 2012, the meetings, which are closed, were being held for 2 or 3 days during the 2nd or 3rd week of December.[1]

While closed, they do publish some details of what has been said (or what sounds plausible, etc.). The entire party, country and all nationalities have been up to the challenges, achieving that wasn’t easy and should be highly valued, and the foundations of economic recovery aren’t sound yet, as demand contraction, supply shocks and weakening expectations remain the three big pressures¹⁾. To blame were – who would have thought it – “a turbulent and unsafe environment outside China’s borders” (外部环境动荡不安，给我国经济带来的影响加深). A general upturn was expected for 2023, given the strength anbd potential of the Chinese economy.

The two unwaverings (两个毫不动摇) are going to stay with us, and so will the promotion of a policy of opening up to outside world on a high level (持推进高水平对外开放). The three safeguards (三保, people’s livelihood, safe wages, and operation of authorities) are also featuring, and so are greater efforts in attracting and using foreign investsment, and resolute prevention of a large-scale return of poverty (坚决防止出现规模性返贫). High-quality development (高质量发展) is mentioned a number of times.

Have a good pre-Christmas week.
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Notes

1)	demand contraction, supply shocks and weakening expectations

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President’s Double-Ten Speech 2022: Expect no Walk in the Park

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen looks ahead to her two remaining years in office. The following is an excerpt from her Double-Ten national day speech this morning (Monday), based on the presidential office’s Chinese text, and an English translation by CNA.

^{Double-Ten speech 2022, click picture for video}

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疫情沒有擊倒我們，反而讓世界看見了臺灣的韌性。我們不只守住了疫情，更把我們往前推進了一步，成為我們心中更好的國家。	Instead of holding us back, the pandemic has helped the world see Taiwan’s resilience. Not only did we manage the spread of COVID-19, we helped Taiwan take a step forward, and made our country a better place.
但正如同棒球比賽一樣，這一局能夠化險為夷，並不代表，我們下一局就會風平浪靜。走過了上階段的疫情風暴，下一個階段我們挑戰更大，更需要我們沉著面對，共同解決。	But just as in baseball, being able to turn one inning around does not mean the next one will be a walk in the park. Having come through the outbreak of the virus, we know that our next challenges will be even greater, requiring a calm and collective response.
疫後的世界秩序，正在劇烈的變化。目前，歐美各國，正苦於通貨膨脹，和隨之而來的經濟衰退；臺灣的通膨，雖然還在可以控制的範圍，但我們仍然必須要因應，全球經濟衰退的變局。	The post-pandemic world order is in a state of rapid change. Countries across Europe and the Americas are suffering from inflation and the resulting economic downturn. While inflation in Taiwan is still at a controllable level, we must nevertheless prepare for the developments that might be triggered by a global economic contraction.
在此同時，全球供應鏈重組，仍在進行當中。臺灣雖然在半導體、以及資通訊軟硬體的領域，已經取得關鍵的地位；但在其他領域也必須要快步跟上，才能立於不敗之地。另外，極端氣候帶來的異常災變，也提醒我們，必須要建立更能夠快速應變的機制。	At the same time, global supply chains are still undergoing restructuring. Though Taiwan already holds a key position in the fields of semiconductors and information and communications technology hardware and software, we must quickly catch up in other fields to ensure our strong footing. In addition, disasters caused by extreme weather events remind us that we must build mechanisms for rapid response.
在經濟局勢的過程當中，我們還要面對的另外一個挑戰，那就是烏俄戰爭持續在進行；中國在南海、東海、以及臺灣海峽的軍事行動，衝擊印太地區的和平穩定。我們絕對不能忽視，軍事的擴張，正在挑戰自由民主的世界秩序。這些變局，都跟臺灣息息相關。	Aside from economic developments, Russia continues its war against Ukraine, while China’s military activity in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and the Taiwan Strait undermines peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. We absolutely cannot ignore the challenge that these military expansions pose to the free and democratic world order. These developments are inextricably connected with Taiwan.
臺灣正處在變局之中。我們不能抱著僥倖的心態。我們必須堅定民主立場，審慎的做出準備，隨時因應瞬息萬變的情勢。	With Taiwan a part of this changing landscape, we cannot leave things to chance. Instead, we must stand up for our democracy, and prepare prudently and sufficiently to respond to any possible contingency.
回顧過去，正是因為臺灣的韌性，我們才能夠度過疫情的挑戰。未來的兩年，在我任期的最後，我們不僅要持續站穩「四個堅持」的立場，更要在經濟產業、在社會安全網、在民主自由體制、在國防戰力，打造更精實的「四大韌性」。	Looking back, we can see that we were able to weather the challenges of the pandemic precisely because of Taiwan’s resilience. Over the remaining two years of my term, we will continue to resolutely uphold our Four Commitments. We will also enhance the resilience of four key areas: our economy and industry, social safety net, free and democratic government system, and national defense.
把中華民國臺灣，打造成為一個更強韌的國家，就是現階段國家發展，最重要的目標。	The work of making the Republic of China (Taiwan) a more resilient country is now our most important national development priority.

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Related

An Economy with new Bones, May 20, 2016
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CPC Economic Work Plan 2022: Manufacturing Chain Resilience, Discipline Inspection Regulations, and a warm Two-Festivals Season

The following Xinhua report was also broadly reported on Monday night’s (China local time)  main evening news, Xinwen Lianbo. “Stability” enjoys a preference among China’s leadership, and that also seems to be the case for “social development”, along with economic development (统筹疫情防控和经济社会发展).

In addition to the meeting described in the following translation, Xi Jinping also “solicited opinions and suggestions concerning economic work” from dangwais, also on Monday. Contrary to the Xinwen Lianbo report on the CPC politburo meeting, the coverage of the dangwai ceremony was accompanied by video footage.

Maome

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Not daring to speak

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Links within blockquotes added during translation.

Main link: Xi Jinping chairs politburo meeting, analyzes 2022 economic work

 

According to Xinhua, Beijing, December 6, the central committee’s politburo held a meeting on December 12, analysed and researched 2022 economic work, heard the central disciplinary national inspection and supervision work report, studied and arranged the 2022 clean-party-building and fighting-corruption work, and gave consideration to the “work regulations for the CPC discipline inspection commission”. CPC secretary general Xi Jinping chaired the meeting.

据新华社北京12月6日电 中共中央政治局12月6日召开会议，分析研究2022年经济工作;听取中央纪委国家监委工作汇报，研究部署2022年党风廉政建设和反腐败工作;审议《中国共产党纪律检查委员会工作条例》。中共中央总书记习近平主持会议。

The meeting believed that this year had had milestone historical significance for the party and the state. We have calmly esponded to situations with lasting effects and to the global pandemic, did our outmost to complete the enormous tasks of reform and development, and put the “14th five-year plan” to a good starting point. Our national economic development maintains a leading global position, th national strategic technological strength sees accelerated development, manufacturing chain resilience and advantages have been upgraded, reform and opening have been promoted in-depth, the people’s livelihood has been efficiently guaranteed, and construction of ecological civilizsation continuously promoted.

会议认为，今年是党和国家历史上具有里程碑意义的一年，我们从容应对百年变局和世纪疫情，奋力完成改革发展艰巨任务，实现“十四五”良好开局。我国经济发展保持全球领先地位，国家战略科技力量加快发展，产业链韧性和优势得到提升，改革开放向纵深推进，民生保障有力有效，生态文明建设持续推进。

The meeting demanded next year’s economic work to be done well, to be guided by Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and to fully implement the spirit of the Party’s 19th National Congress and the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth plenary sessions of the CPC’s 19th Central Committee. [The meeting demanded] that the spirit of the great construction of the party be enhanced, the overall main key of making progress while ensuring stability be persisted in, the new development concept be completely, accurately and thoroughly be carried out, the construction of the new development pattern be accelerated, reform and opening be comprehensively deepened, innovation-driven development be persisted in, high-quality development be promoted, the central line of supply-side structural reform be maintained, wholistic plans for epidemic prevention and economic as well as social development be applied, wholistic plans for development and security be applied, the good work on the “six stabilities” and “six guarantees” be continued, the hard work at stability be maintained, the economy be kept operating within reasonable ranges, general social stability be maintained, and the victorious 20th CPC national conference be welcomed.

会议要求，做好明年经济工作，要以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，全面贯彻落实党的十九大和十九届二中、三中、四中、五中、六中全会精神，弘扬伟大建党精神，坚持稳中求进工作总基调，完整、准确、全面贯彻新发展理念，加快构建新发展格局，全面深化改革开放，坚持创新驱动发展，推动高质量发展，坚持以供给侧结构性改革为主线，统筹疫情防控和经济社会发展，统筹发展和安全，继续做好“六稳”、“六保”工作，持续改善民生，着力稳定宏观经济大盘，保持经济运行在合理区间，保持社会大局稳定，迎接党的二十大胜利召开。

The following paragraph re-emphasizes the need for ” making progress while ensuring stability” (and putting stability first – “稳字当头”), for expanded domestic demand, a steady monetary policy, consumption recovery, supply chain resilience, and also it mentions affordable housing (including support for the commercial building industry), plus a “virtuous circle” of science & technology, industry, and finance. In Chinese:

会议强调，明年经济工作要稳字当头、稳中求进。宏观政策要稳健有效，继续实施积极的财政政策和稳健的货币政策。积极的财政政策要提升效能，更加注重精准、可持续。稳健的货币政策要灵活适度，保持流动性合理充裕。实施好扩大内需战略，促进消费持续恢复，积极扩大有效投资，增强发展内生动力。微观政策要激发市场主体活力。要强化知识产权保护。结构政策要着力畅通国民经济循环，提升制造业核心竞争力，增强供应链韧性。要推进保障性住房建设，支持商品房市场更好满足购房者的合理住房需求，促进房地产业健康发展和良性循环。科技政策要加快落地，继续抓好关键核心技术攻关，强化国家战略科技力量，强化企业创新主体地位，实现科技、产业、金融良性循环。改革开放政策要增强发展动力，有效推进区域重大战略和区域协调发展战略，抓好要素市场化配置综合改革试点，扩大高水平对外开放。社会政策要兜住民生底线，落实好就业优先政策，推动新的生育政策落地见效，推进基本养老保险全国统筹，健全常住地提供基本公共服务制度。

The meeting pointed out that the importance of doing good work concerning the turn of the year and making sure that the masses’ were going to have a good “two-festivals” season¹⁾. Maintain prevention of the coronavirus re-entering the country and causing a new epidemic, and do the prevention work precisesly and solidly. Have a wholistic plan for the arrangement of coal, electricity, oil and gas transportation guarantees, ensure that the laobaixing keep warm during winter. Payment of the migrant workerss’ wages need to be ensured. the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics work be well done, and a marvelous distinguished Olympic gathering be guaranteed.

会议指出，要做好岁末年初各方面工作，确保人民群众过好“两节”。坚持“外防输入、内防反弹”，科学精准扎实做好疫情防控工作。统筹安排煤电油气运保障供应，确保老百姓温暖过冬。要保障农民工工资发放。要做好北京冬奥会、冬残奥会筹办工作，确保办成一届简约、安全、精彩的奥运盛会。

The meeting pointed out that under the strong leadership of the party central committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection had, at all levels, faithfully carried out the responsibilities assigned to them by the party constitution and statute. closely centered around the “four consciousnesses”, strengthen the “four confidences”, achieve strengthened political supervision of the “two upholds”, promote solid progress in political inspection, unremittingly pursue the promotion and implementation of the spirit of the central eight-point regulations, correct and punish the chronic “four winds” diseases, promote the struggle for the building of “party work style and clean government” without a single pause, resolutely bring problems with corruption and work style under control that affect the masses, unfold supervision and law enforcement in line with the rules and regulations, solemnly change the general attitude towards discipline, deepen the use of the “four forms”, deepen reform of the disciplinary inspection and supervision, increase the degree of self-constraint and self-purification, continuously improve the integrated promotion of effectiveness of not daring to, not being able to and not wanting to commit corruption, and to provide strong guarantees for a good start for the 14th five-year plan.
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会议指出，在以习近平同志为核心的党中央坚强领导下，中央纪委国家监委和各级纪检监察机关忠实履行党章和宪法赋予的职责，紧紧围绕增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”强化政治监督，扎实推进政治巡视，持之以恒推动落实中央八项规定精神，着力纠治“四风”顽瘴痼疾，一刻不停推进党风廉政建设和反腐败斗争，坚决整治群众身边腐败和作风问题，依规依纪依法开展监督执纪执法工作，严肃换届纪律风气，深化运用“四种形态”，深化纪检监察体制改革，加大自我约束、自我净化力度，不断提升不敢腐、不能腐、不想腐一体推进综合效能，为“十四五”开好局起好步提供了坚强保障。

The meeting pointed out that the courage to conduct self-revolution is a significant mark that makes our party different from other political parties. The sixth plenary session of the 19th central committee had comprehensively summarized the party’s one-hundred years of struggle, its successes and historic experience, so as to show the way to deepening and promoting the new-era party’s self-revolution, and to comprehensively and strictly govern the party. Discipline and supervision work must be guided by Xi Jinping socialism-with-Chinese-characteristics-in-the-new-era ideology, comprehensively implement the spirit of the party’s 19th national conference’s as well as its 19th central committee’s second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth plenary sessions, maintain the overall main key of making progress while ensuring stability, maintain seeking truth from facts, keep to the right path and innovate and, based on the new development phase, to completely, accurately and comprehensively implement the new-development concept, construct a new development pattern, promote high-quality development, make conscious use of experience from the party’s century of historic struggle, always maintain the spriit of self-revolution, keep to the strategic guideline of strictly governing the party, unswervingly carry the clean-party-building and fighting-corruption to the end, continue to deepen the integrated promotion of not daring to, not being able to and not wanting to commit corruption, integrated exercise of power to achieve awe through punishment, institutional constraints and improved awareness, efforts for the achievement of more institutional results and greater administrational efficiency, strengthen the standardization of inspection and supervision organs, the construction of rule of law and standardization, and bring the supervision, guarantee, implemantation and promotion of development still better into play.

会议强调，勇于自我革命是我们党区别于其他政党的显著标志。党的十九届六中全会全面总结党的百年奋斗重大成就和历史经验，为深入推进新时代党的自我革命、全面从严治党指明了前进方向。纪检监察工作要以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，全面贯彻党的十九大和十九届二中、三中、四中、五中、六中全会精神，坚持稳中求进工作总基调，坚持实事求是、守正创新，立足新发展阶段，完整、准确、全面贯彻新发展理念，构建新发展格局，推动高质量发展，自觉运用党的百年奋斗历史经验，永葆自我革命精神，坚持全面从严治党战略方针，坚定不移将党风廉政建设和反腐败斗争进行到底，持续深化不敢腐、不能腐、不想腐一体推进，惩治震慑、制度约束、提高觉悟一体发力，努力取得更多制度性成果和更大治理成效，加强纪检监察机关规范化、法治化、正规化建设，更好发挥监督保障执行、促进完善发展作用。

Before this, secretary general Xi Jinping chaired a meeting of the politburo’s standing committee, heard the central discipline inspection commission’s 2021 work report and 19th central discipline inspection commission’s sixth plenary session peparatory report.

此前，习近平总书记主持召开中央政治局常委会会议，听取中央纪委国家监委2021年工作情况和十九届中央纪律检查委员会第六次全体会议准备情况汇报。

The meeting agreed to next year’s 19th central discipline inspection commission’s sixth plenary meeting to take place from January 18 to January 20.

会议同意明年1月18日至20日召开十九届中央纪律检查委员会第六次全体会议。

The meeting pointed out that the central discipline inspection commission members at all party levels are the party’s internal organs with specific responsibilities, with the “work regulations for the CPC discipline inspection commission”, since the 18th national conference, deepening and summarizing the theoretical, practical and institutional results from comprehensively and strictly governing the party, promoting party work style and clean government & deepening discipline inspection institutional reform, having provided operational, duties and comprehensive standards for discipline inspection leadership systems at all levels.

会议指出，党的各级纪律检查委员会是党内监督的专责机关，《中国共产党纪律检查委员会工作条例》深入总结党的十八大以来全面从严治党、推进党风廉政建设和反腐败斗争、深化纪检监察体制改革的理论成果、实践成果、制度成果，对党的各级纪律检查委员会的领导体制、产生运行、任务职责等作出全面规范。在建党百年之际制定出台《条例》，彰显了我们党勇于进行自我革命的坚强决心。

The meeting emphasized the need to promote discipline inspection and supervision work to serve the party’s and state’s work better, to bring more effectiveness into play at organizational setups, to link discipline and law enforcement together into a new structure, to maintain systematic treatment of both causes and symptoms. There is a need for clear-cut limits of power, for strict internal control mechanisms by a rule-by-law line of thought and lawful methods strengthen supervision, for corruption prevention, to continuously build comprehensive organizational systems, operational guidelines and approval procedures, in accordance with supervisory work regulations. There is a need for the building of high-quality and specialized disciplinary inspection cadre units, a strengthening of achieving a political consciousness of the “two upholds”, for strengthening ideological training, political experience, practical training, professional training, continuous improve one’s self-immunity and ones’s sense of duty, fulfillment of duty, unity of sense and fulfillment of duty, and to be a model for respecting discipline and the law.

会议强调，要推动纪检监察工作更好服务党和国家工作大局，在组织体系上发挥新效能，在贯通执纪执法上形成新机制，坚持系统施治、标本兼治。要明确权力边界，严格内控机制，以法治思维和法治方式强化监督、防治腐败，不断健全符合纪检监察工作规律的组织制度、运作方式和审批程序。要建设高素质专业化纪检监察干部队伍，增强做到“两个维护”的政治自觉，加强思想淬炼、政治历练、实践锻炼、专业训练，不断提高自身免疫力，知责于心、担责于身、履责于行，自觉做遵纪守法的标杆。

Editor: Zhao Xi
Source: Xinhua News Agency

编辑 赵熹
来源：新华社

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Notes

1)	international and lunar new year / new year’s eve and spring festival
2)	formalism (xíngshì zhǔyì) bureaucracy (guānliáo zhǔyì), hedonism (xiǎnglè zhǔyì) and luxury (shēmí)

Xi Jinping in the Evening News

If you wonder why a discussion of a book about Xi Jinping in Germany was cancelled by the relevant Confucius Institutes, here’s the most likely answer: the book simply didn’t mention Xi frequently enough.
Learn from Chinese televion. The following are the first seven headlines (out of a total of 18) from Tuesday’s main evening news in China.

Already full of confidence:
CCTV News anchor Kang Hui

Main Link: CCTV Network News – “Xi Jinping visits National “13th-Five-Year-Plan” Technical Innovation Achievements Exhibition, emphasizes …”

习近平在参观国家“十三五”科技创新成就展时强调 坚定创新自信紧抓创新机遇 加快实现高水平科技自立自强	Xi Jinping visits National “13th-Five-Year-Plan” Technical Innovation Achievements Exhibition, emphasizes need to staunchly innovate and confidently grasp innovation opportunities, and to accelerate the implementation of self reliance in high-level science and technology
习近平对全军装备工作会议作出重要指示强调 全面开创武器装备建设新局面 为实现建军一百年奋斗目标作出积极贡献	Xi Jinping gives the all-army equipment conference important instructions, emphasizing the need for active contributions in the new situation to a comprehensive start into the building of weapons and equipment, to reach the [second]*) two-centenary goal
习近平致信祝贺人民出版社成立100周年强调 赓续红色血脉为推动社会主义文化繁荣发展 建设社会主义文化强国作出新的更大的贡献	Xi Jinping sends a letter to People’s Publishing House at its 100th founding anniversary, emphasizing that continuation of the red blood will drive the development of socialist culture and prosperity, and make new and still greater contributions to the building of a socialist and culturally strong country.
习近平致电祝贺米尔济约耶夫当选乌兹别克斯坦总统	Xi Jinping sends telegram to Shavkat Mirziyoyev to congratulate him on his election as president
习近平同巴基斯坦总理通电话	Xi Jinping has a telephone conversation with Pakistan’s president
习近平同巴布亚新几内亚总理通电话	Xi Jinping has a telephone conversation with Papua New Guinea’s prime minister
携手实现世界永续和平发展——习近平主席在中华人民共和国恢复联合国合法席位50周年纪念会议上的重要讲话引发与会中外人士热烈反响	Joining hands to achieve global sustainable peaceful development – Chairman Xi Jinping’s important speech on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the restoration of China’s legitimate seat at the United Nations meets with enthusiastic reactions among Chinese and foreign public figures

If this interests you, maybe that (24 hours later) interets you, too – CCTV News Network, Wed, Oct 27:

Xi Jinping has telephone conversation with French president / Xi Jinping has telephone conversation with Uzbek president / Xi Jinping has telephone call with president of Equatorial Guinea / Xi Jinping’s keynote speech, “Staying Connected with the World and Abreast with the Times And Making Big Strides on the Path of Sustainable Development”, held at the opening ceremony of the Second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference, now published as a single-volume edition / Under “Xi Jinping’s ideological guidance of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era”, organize the Winter Olympics well, ignite enthusiasm for winter sports, promote participation of three-hundred million people in winter sports / Secetary-general Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter to China Media Group on the launch of the CCTV Olympic Channel and the start of its digital platform meets with enthusiastic response.
(Only the first five, out of a total of 21 items.)
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Note

^*) I think that this must be the second “centenary goal”, because according to Xi, the first one has already been achieved.

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Xu Yuanchong, 1921 – 2021

Documentaries made during a man’s lifetime often do a better job at describing him, than obituaries. Here’s a good film on Xu Yuanchong (许渊冲) – unfortunately only in Chinese.
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Xi Jinping’s “Resisting U.S. speech”: a few remarks

Curt publication

What strikes me while translating Xi Jinping’s October 23 speech, commemorating the Korean War, is Beijing’s departure from seeking truth in the facts. Contrary to what Xi tells in his “majestic epic that scared heaven and earth and made supernatural beings cry” (驚天地、泣鬼神的雄壯史詩), China was involved in North Korea’s and Russia’s war preparations, although probably rather passively and not enthusiastically. China supported an enabled an aggression, rather than defending itself against one. Xi, in his speech, emphasized the need to be “brave to be innovative” so as to “advance further”, and to be “good at creating” so as to be “victorious” (勇于創新者進，善于創造者勝). And if being inventive enough seventy years later to win the Korean War after all (or at least make it useful), so be it, seems to be Xi’s line of thought.

But what is the use of it? The next batches of translation may turn out to be self-explanatory, though there is probably always room for different interpretations. In Xi’s view, China is in dire need of an army that will not only defend the country or to quash uprisings, but that will also be able to invade, for example, Taiwan.

To arouse a “spirit” that defies death, Xi rewrites history. Doing that has a long imperial tradition in China, but to lie as fundamentally as Xi did on October 23 marks a revival of faking the records that hasn’t been seen for decades.

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Related / Updates

Xi speech (1)
Xi speech (2)
Xi speech (3)
Xi speech (4)

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