What Xi Jinping thinks about development economics — Andrew Batson

Must-read.

Note: Xi Jinping was trained as a chemical engineer.

Andrew Batson's Blog
What Xi Jinping thinks about development economics

Andrew Batson

M. K. Bhadrakumar — SCO summit: Inflection point for Indian diplomacy

When India applied for SCO membership or when observers like myself felt elated when India was finally admitted into the grouping in 2017, no one could have foreseen that the grouping held such potential in the very near term itself as a platform for the reset of regional politics — in particular, the India-Pakistan-China triangle.

New possibilities are opening up for Indian diplomacy at the two-day summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) at Bishkek on June 13-14....

India Punchline
SCO summit: Inflection point for Indian diplomacy
M. K. Bhadrakumar | retired diplomat with the Indian Foreign Service

Pepe Escobar — Finally! China's Xi Is Launching a 'Painful Restructuring' of Insane Debt Levels

Power is completely centralized in one man - Xi, and he is finally addressing China's out-of-control leverage. It may be a bumpy ride.

This problem is coupled with endemic corruption and excessive bureaucracy. A lot of that debt was siphoned off. Now President Xi apparently feels that power is now consolidated enough in his hands to clean house. It ain't gonna be pretty, but China will come out a lot stronger and more streamlined if he is successful.

This is very difficult. It affects many countries. Russia is a good example. Putin was complaining of it when he first took office and he is still complaining about. The West attributed magical powers to Putin but that is not the case. This problem goes back to Tsarist Russia and even the Tsars could not get a handle on it. The same can be said for China.

China was actually doing fairly well after the revolution. It was the Nationalist government (Kuomintang or KMT) under Chang Kai-shek and his wife Madame Chang (Meiling Soong), known as the Dragon Lady, that was nororiously corrupt. In fact, some argue that this was the reason that Chang lost to Mao even though Chang's forces outnumbered Mao's.

There is just about nowhere that government is not corrupt to some degree. As Bill Black has documented, debt is a prime tool in criminal extraction in addition to rent extraction.

President Xi will have to rise to the level of Hercules cleaning out the Augean stables.

Russia Insider
Finally! China's Xi Is Launching a 'Painful Restructuring' of Insane Debt Levels

Pepe Escobar

RT — Kremlin warns of planned ‘information attack’ against Putin. It's on. Xi, too. Getting personal.

The attacks on Putin and Xi in the Western "press" begin, just as Putin's spokesman said they were about to several days ago.

RT
Kremlin warns of planned ‘information attack’ against Putin

Russia Insider
Actual Foreign Policy Headline: "Pussy for Putin...and Now, Wendi Deng"

Originally appeared at Foreign Policy (registration required)

Foreign Policy is the press organ of the Council on Foreign Relations

From Russia Insider Daily Ticker

Wendi Deng rumoured to be dating Vladimir Putin after magazine links pair(Daily Mail). You know, the thought had occurred. But seriously, if this is the best they can manage, it’s risible, to say the least. Unless it’s an April fools’ joke.

Kremlin dismisses reports businessman provided home to women tied to Putin(Sputnik). Yeah but we wanna hear Peskov address rumours about Putin and Wendi Deng – not this complicated paper-trail stuff! Ah, but that may be the reason for the Wendi Deng story – to cater to those who’d easily get lost trying to follow the complicated paper-trail story about homes and women with pussycats and so forth. But seriously, one hopes Peskov won’t dignify the Deng rumours with a response.

Xi under attack, too. Story originates in the US. 

The Guardian
'Not fit to lead': letter attacking Xi Jinping sparks witch-hunt in Beijing

Stuart Leavenworth

The tell: "The letter was first published online by Canyu, a US-based Chinese-language website edited by Cai Chu, a human rights activist." Canu.org is registered to Whois Privacy Protection Service, Inc. to preserve anonymity. Cai Chu (@caichu88) is a Chinese dissident ex-pat judging from his Twitter feed. He lists his website as DemocraticChina.org.

Democratic China MissionThe mission of the organization is to promote democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of publication in China through the following educational and developmental activities: Highlighting and promoting public debate on the reform of China's legal system, especially the constitution, and practices that violate and undermine the bundle of rights related to the freedom of expression and publication . Providing an electronic platform to for Chinese citizens to practice their right to free expression as well as their right to access information. Providing a forum for the exchange of ideas among Chinese and the international activists who advocate the abolishment of the Chinese government's control over expression and publication, especially for those that criticize the Chinese government's violation of the rights of freedom of expression and other related rights. Bringing international attention and pressure on the Chinese government's practices that violate freedom of expression and publication in order to hold the government accountable for its promise to allow free expression. Research and publications on the theory and practice of democracy and freedom of expression and freedom of publication in China.

NEO
The Mysterious Letter: Is Washington Plotting Against Xi Jinping? 

Caleb Maupin

The anonymous letter, which is almost celebrated in the western press, may be completely irrelevant. The western press could be blowing it up into something far bigger than it is, hoping to discredit Xi and give the impression that he unpopular.
However, the letter could also indicate something more sinister. It is highly possible that Wall Street and the state department are maneuvering within China to depose Xi, and perhaps have allies within the party. It would certainly be to the benefit of many rich people in both the United States and China to replace Xi with more market-oriented leadership.

The letter and its trumpeting in western media could be a kind of call to rally the rightist factions, setting the stage for an attempted coup d’etat or intense confrontation within the party structure.

Chinese Communism is now facing many challenges, both on the international stage and among the Chinese people. As Xi continues to fight and restrict capitalism, strengthening “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” – and becoming more popular for doing so – the reaction from the rich and powerful is likely to grow more intense. The media fixation with the mysterious letter, the recent confrontations in the South China Sea, both coinciding with anti-China tirades from US Presidential candidates, all point to sharp confrontations ahead.

China apparently has a "fifth column" like Russia.

Ecns — Chinese peasants should share fruits of development: Xi

President Xi Jinping said China must strive to make breakthroughs on coordinated development between urban and rural areas to enable farmers to participate in the country's development on an equal footing and share the fruits of economic growth...

Rural development must fundamentally depend on peasants themselves, Xi said, noting reform and innovation should be promoted to boost farmers' initiatives and energy.

Xi urged advancing agricultural modernization, strengthening the position of agriculture, and ensuring food security and income growth.

Infrastructure and public service facilities in rural areas need to be improved, Xi said, and capital of the society should be encouraged to invest in these projects.

Social care for the left-behind rural population -- mostly children, women and the elderly whose fathers, husbands and sons have left for better-paying jobs in cities -- needs to be improved, Xi stressed.

Reform of the household registration system should be accelerated to ensure rural workers have the same job opportunities as urban workers and to let rural migrants settle down in cities, Xi said.

Governments at all levels should fully understand the importance and urgency of improving institutions and mechanisms for promoting the integration of urban and rural development, Xi said. Specific policies and effective measures should be rolled out to make progress on realizing integrated urban and rural development.

 China focusing on equitable distribution.

Ecns
Chinese peasants should share fruits of development: Xi

Kimball Corson — China's Developing Thoughts on Statecraft

A short summary of the Chinese history of statecraft and governance from ancient times to Xi Jinping. This is a should-read unless you are up to date on it already. It's short. I think that Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are pretty close on this. The US leadership not so much.

 Having studied Chinese martial arts and strategy for some time, I believe that Kimball gets it basically right. Kimball observes that the Chinese integrate various traditions into an ideology and worldview suitable for the contemporary context. Understanding this gives insight into their way of thinking.

Western people tend to adopt a single ideology based on a preferred historical view that they then interpret in contemporary terms. 

This makes Westerners seem simple to the Chinese, and the Chinese "inscrutable" to Westerners. A basic rule of strategy in the martial arts is to understand the opponent so that one knows what he is likely to do, whereas one should be invisible to the opponent, so that he does not know what you are likely to do. Hence, the Chinese have an advantage over Westerners in this regard, since Westerners send signals whereas Chinese don't.

While I am less familiar with Russian strategy, people who are familiar with it say that it is more similar to the Chinese than the Western. Additionally, Vladimir Putin has been a judoka for many years, so he presumably understands this very well.

Wandering the Oceans
China's Developing Thoughts on Statecraft
Kimball Corson