Beijing to reward informants on spying

Beijing citizens who provide useful information on spying are eligible for a cash reward of up to 500,000 yuan (US$72,460), according to a policy that went into effect Monday.

Informants can pass information to authorities through calling a hotline, sending letters or visiting the city’s state security bureau.

After collating the information, the bureau can offer rewards ranging from 10,000 yuan (US$1,448) to 500,000 yuan (US$72,460) based on the reports’ usefulness.

Personal information of informants will not be disclosed without their consent, and informants can also seek protection from security authorities if they or their close relatives are in danger due to informing.

However, informants will be punished if they deliberately slander others, or invent and spread false information.




Insurance official under investigation

Chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission Xiang Junbo [Photo/China.org.cn]

Xiang Junbo, chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, is under investigation by China’s top anti-graft authority, according to an online statement published on Sunday.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China said in its online statement that Xiang was being investigated for suspected serious violation of the Party’s code of conduct.

The investigation began after China’s top leadership vowed to contain systemic financial risks.

Xiang, 60, has headed the insurance commission and served as a member of the monetary policy committee of the Chinese central bank since 2011.

The insurance regulator under Xiang had stepped up the crackdown on the radical acquisition of listed companies by the insurers and their risky and highly leveraged investments using short-term proceeds from sales of high-yield policies.

Xiang told a news conference in February the insurance sector should not be the “club of the rich” or a “hideout for financial titans”.

He also warned that the regulator will “severely punish” short-term speculation by insurers and their hostile takeovers of listed companies’ stakes.

His agency also banned Chinese business tycoon Yao Zhenhua, chairman of the private conglomerate Baoneng Group, from the insurance industry for 10 years for illegal investments.

Xiang oversaw the rapid growth of China’s insurance sector, with total assets reaching 15.1 trillion yuan ($2.19 trillion) at the end of 2016, tripling since its assets reached 5 trillion yuan in 2010.

Xiang, one of the most prominent financial regulators in China, served as deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China between 2004 and 2007. Later he served as the chairman of the Agricultural Bank of China, one of the big five State-owned commercial banks. He oversaw the shareholding restructure of the bank, listed in Shanghai and Hong Kong in 2010.

Xiang also had extensive experience in auditing and served as the deputy auditor-general of the National Audit Office.

Separately on Sunday, the top anti-graft authority also announced the investigation of Li Changjun, former Party chief and president of the Beijing Branch of the Export-Import Bank of China, for suspected serious violation of the Party’s code of conduct.




Insurance regulator chief Xiang Junbo under probe

Xiang Junbo, chairman of China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC), is currently under probe, according to China’s top anti-graft authority.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China said in an online statement Sunday that Xiang was being investigated for suspected serious violation of the Party’s code of conduct.

Xiang is also Party chief of CIRC.




First original Tibetan cartoon to hit TV screens

Tibet’s first original cartoon series will hit TV screens in May, featuring stories about legendary Tibetan folk hero Agu Dainba, a Nasreddin-like figure.

The Tibet Tianli Company will produce the cartoon, which will be broadcast via Tibetan media, including Tibet TV Station and Lhasa TV Station, over 52 episodes. The series will use puppet animation and be dubbed in the Tibetan language.

Agu Dainba, or Uncle Dainba, is a household name in Tibet. In Tibetan folklore, he is noted for his intelligence and helping free the poor from their feudal rulers.

The cartoon will retell over 20 stories about the wise man, known for his funny stories and anecdotes.

The producer will also publish a series of cartoon books and other related products to roll-out nationwide.

The folk figure appeared in Tibet’s first comedy in 1983. Playwright Soinam Cering said that he had collected more than 200 stories about Uncle Dainba from local people.

Another cartoon production was launched in Tibet Autonomous Region last year, featuring Gesar, another Tibetan legend.

Based on “The Epic of King Gesar,” a World Intangible Cultural Heritage item listed by UNESCO, the cartoon is still under production.

The masterpiece of Tibetan folk literature has been preserved by local singers and storytellers since the 12th century.

Tibet started a census on intangible cultural heritage in 2006 to preserve and promote traditional cultural resources. Over 1,000 forms of intangible cultural heritage, including music, dance, craftsmanship,medicine and folkways, were recorded in the census.

“The Epic of King Gesar” and Tibetan opera were among 89 items recognized as national-level intangible cultural heritage.




Peking University to start enrollment for Oxford campus

China’s prestigious Peking University will start staff recruitment and student enrollment for its British campus in the city of Oxford in June, according to the dean of HSBC Business School of Peking University Sunday.

Peking University signed with the Open University in February to purchase the 15-acre campus in Oxford for 8.8 million pounds (10 million U.S. dollars). This was the first time that a Chinese university has used its own finance to set up and manage a school in a foreign country, according to Hai Wen, dean of HSBC Business School.

He said the school would enroll 100 international students when it opens in August 2018.

It will coincide with the 120th founding anniversary of the the elite Beijing university.

“The timing is monumental. In 1818, China’s first foreign-founded school, Ying Wa College, was set up by a British missionary. Now 200 years later, a Chinese university will set up its own school in Britain,” he said.

Hai said that in recent years, many foreign universities had opened schools in China. Peking University, as one of China’s top universities, should play a leading role for Chinese universities to go global.

He said HSBC Business School’s finance, management and economics courses will feature Chinese business cases to help students become better acquainted with the Chinese economy and reforms. Students will take the first year course in the Oxford campus and the second year at the school’s campus in the city of Shenzhen, southern China.

Students on the school’s Shenzhen campus will be allowed to select elective courses on the Oxford campus.