- Australia is a nation once 'roamed by rascals and outlaws', says the Global Times. Well, at least Aussies are only regular rascals and not the 'mincing' variety seen in the US. The Global Times outburst was sparked by Tony Abbott's praise for Japan's World War II toughness, which earned a strong rebuke from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs .
- Julie Bishop was also hit by the Global Times salvo: 'Bishop's verbal provocation made her look more like one of the often pointless "angry youths" found in the Chinese cyber sphere than a diplomat.' Now China's Foreign Ministry is claiming Bishop never made her controversial remarks to Fairfax's John Garnaut. But Garnaut has defended his interview.
- Great interview with Rana Mitter on the legacy of World War II in current Japan-China disputes. (Thanks Brendan.)
- E-commerce companies and banks in China are scrapping hardware and uninstalling software for mainframe servers made by American suppliers in favour of homegrown brands.
- China to trial greater independence for some state-owned enterprises in making investment decisions and hiring top executives.
- New judicial reforms could stop local governments concealing illegal activities through control over local courts.
- Michael Pettis: Bad debt cannot simply be 'socialised'.
- Somewhat unsurprisingly, a Pew survey has found that large majorities in many Asian countries fear that China's territorial ambitions could lead to war:
China links: Rascals, Abbott, SOEs, legal reform, World War II and more
Published 16 Jul 2014
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