Editor’s note for Tuesday, June 8, 2021

My thoughts today:

Some things to read today, aside from our news summaries below:

Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 has been visiting northwestern Qinghai Province where he learned about the lives of local Tibetan residents, stressed ethnic unity, and helped protect biodiversity.

At the end of last month, Xi gave a speech (in Chinese) on science and technology to a state institute. The Pekingnology newsletter translated it. Key message:

Science and technology have always taken a very important, strategic position in the cause of the Party and the people, and have played a very important, strategic role.

Meanwhile, “Nearly 200 Chinese intellectuals who took part in a Japanese government-affiliated exchange programme have been branded ‘traitors’ on Chinese social media,” reports the South China Morning Post.

“Notorious nationalists…are creating atmosphere of FEAR,” tweets @ititrulyknownchi1, an account that has in the past offered accurate insider’s views of media and politics in Beijing. As Bill Bishop notes in his excellent newsletter (free today):

nasty…and getting nastier.

Upcoming events:

• June 10: Is the China career dead? A live online debate.
• June 23: Chinese cross-border investing in developing markets with Haitou Global CEO Jerry Wang.

Our word of the day is the ASEAN (东盟 dōng méng), or in full, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (东南亚国家联盟 dōngnányà guójiā liánméng).

—Jeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief