10 Chinese Cities to Watch

Of all the Chinese cities, Chengdu is considered to have a booming economy

It's interesting to discover Chengdu is considered to have the most successful economy in China, according to a US-based think tank, considering such factors as job growth, foreign investment and high value-added industries.

Shanghai and Tianjin were second and third respectively, while the Chinese capital was 13th in the Milken Institute study.

Shanghai is in second place in the Milken Institute study

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province was praised for its "human capital, central government support, established industries in high-end aerospace and aircraft design, and a more recently developed electronics manufacturing sector".

The study said mainland cities were developing in two ways: For Shanghai and Tianjin it is about urbanization, industrial clustering and infrastructure investment bolstering larger regional economies.

The other way, due to the slowdown in economic growth, was the focus on technology, private investment and consumption.

This is the first time the institute has ranked mainland cities, assessing 266 at the prefecture level and above, and divided them into two categories -- 34 first and second-tier cities, and the rest as third-tier cities.

Tianjin comes in third with lots of potential for growth

The study didn't just look at economic growth, but also job and wage growth, gross regional production, foreign direct investment and the strength of high value-added industries.

Chengdu may have done well in the study due to having several respected universities and has lower labour costs.

Interestingly Shenzhen just made number 10 on the list, and seven of the top 10 third-tier cities were in Jiangsu province, which has a strong transportation network of airports, highways and high-speed rail links.

The top 10 cities are:

1. Chengdu

2. Shanghai

3. Tianjin

4. Dalian

5. Nanjing

6. Hefei

7. Xiamen

8. Changchun

9. Chongqing

10. Shenzhen

There should be lots of information to be gleaned from this study and potential investors and entrepreneurs should take note.

Trying to Clear the Air

Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen spent the last two days clearing the air...

Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung set the record straight regarding the the status of Hong Kong's chief executive, after remarks made on Saturday by Zhang Xiaoming, head of the liaison office here.

Yuen said the CE would never be "an emperor", as the Basic Law is "unequivocal" in stipulating he must be accountable to legislative and judicial jurisdiction, like everyone else.

He added it was not Zhang's intention to elevate the chief executive to an emperor-like position. "The chief executive is the same as any other member of the public in obeying Hong Kong's laws," Yuen said today.

Then what did Zhang mean then?

... on comments Zhang Xiaoming made on Saturday...

Or is Yuen trying to backpedal on the Chinese official's behalf?

On Saturday Zhang stated the CE was above the law and legislative council that resulted in an uproar in the pro-democracy camp.

To try to be more diplomatic, Yuen said on Sunday in an interview with Xinhua that the Basic Law had to be seen from both the mainland and Hong Kong perspectives.

"It has to be read both from Hong Kong's angle, as well as that of the central government, otherwise it is impossible to safeguard the co-existence of the 'two systems' under the 'one country' framework," he said.

It was unclear if Yuen said this before or after Zhang's remarks, but it still did not clarify anything, which is probably why the justice minister had to come out today and say outright that the CE, or in this case, Leung Chun-ying, did not have an emperor-like position.

We can only shake our heads and wonder what is really going on behind the scenes.

Again we ask - why did Zhang say what he did on Saturday? Did he purposely say this to rile up pro-democracy leaders and activists two weeks short of the one-year anniversary of the Occupy Movement? Or does he think Hong Kong people have no clue what's written in the Basic Law so he thinks he can whitewash it with his own version?

With regards to the role of the CE, it's written pretty clearly in the Basic Law -- there is no room for misinterpretation.

And so it was left to Yuen to try to clear the air, first saying that the Basic Law should be considered from both mainland and Hong Kong perspectives, which doesn't mean anything, and then today he finally put his foot down and said Leung was not like an emperor.

Sometimes the job of underlings is to clean up messes their bosses make -- if Zhang is his boss...

Hong Kong's chief executive would never be "an emperor" as the Basic Law is "unequivocal" in stipulating he falls under legislative and judicial supervision just like anyone else, the justice secretary says in the wake of controversial remarks by Beijing's top man in the city.
Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-keung also asked Hongkongers not to take the words of Zhang Xiaoming, director of the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong, out of context.
He believed it was not Zhang's intention to elevate the chief executive to an emperor-like position.
"The chief executive is the same as any other member of the public in obeying Hong Kong's laws," Yuen said today.
"It is impossible for him or her to act in breach of the legal or judicial systems."
Yuen spoke after Zhang said on Saturday the chief executive possessed a power above the executive, the judiciary and the legislature – which would effectively end any notion that the separation of powers applied to the city.
The mainland official's comments – made at a symposium celebrating the 25th year of the birth of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution – sparked an outcry among local pan-democrats who feared Beijing was trying to redefine the city's constitutional model.
But Yuen said: "The Basic Law is clearly designed. The fact that the chief executive, as head of the executive and of the Hong Kong special administrative region, is subject to legislative and judicial supervision is unequivocal."
Yuen further highlighted another point Zhang made during the speech, that the chief executive did not enjoy any dominant power.
In an earlier interview with Chinese state media Xinhua, Yuen said Beijing and Hong Kong must look at the Basic Law from each other's perspective, or risk facing "negative effects" on cross-border cooperation.
He warned that without such mutual understanding, the coexistence of "two systems" under the governing principle of "one country, two systems" would be at risk.
It was unclear whether Yuen's interview took place before or after Zhang's Saturday speech.

One Cool Pole Dancing Granny

Dai is very happy to have taken up pole dancing for fun and fitness

We love this story about a 69-year-old grandmother from Chengdu, Sichuan province, who's also a pretty damn good pole dancer.

Dai Dali has made a name for herself, performing on CCTV, and even represented China in Asia's Got Talent, where she made it to the semi-finals. In June she won an award for a pole dancing competition, and since then has had lots of media attention.

Dai attends classes regularly and even has a pole at home

After she retired from working in a bookstore, Dai liked to practice folk dancing in a gym. It was next door to a pole dance studio. She always passed by but never really thought about it. Then one day five years ago, she walked into the studio and asked the instructor if she could learn. The answer? "Of course you can."

She says she didn't know much about pole dancing -- especially its sexual connotations -- she just thought it would be a good way to exercise.

"I'd never danced on a pole before so I wanted to give it a try," Dai says. "When the instructor let me have a go I started to learn. Gradually I learned how to climb the pole and turn around on it. I was very happy to be able to do that."

When asked what her family thinks about her pole dancing, she says they are all supportive. "My husband minds his own business. He likes to play mahjong and we rarely interfere with one another's hobbies," Dai explains. "My 12-year-old grandson is a very loyal fan of mine. I'll show him the new poses I've learned and he always takes pictures of me dancing. My sister used to think it was too dangerous and asked me to stop practicing. But after seeing my performance, she was very excited and also very proud of me."

Check her out in this Asia's Got Talent clip:

Dai has seen a lot of benefits from pole dancing, reporting that the inflammation and swelling in her left wrist has gone down considerably, thus improving her health and fitness level. She loves pole dancing so much that she's even installed a pole in her home to practice every other day for about 10 minutes.

Two to three times a week Dai has pole dancing lessons that are about 90 minutes long. While the vast majority of the students are young women, she doesn't mind, saying: "I don't feel any different from them. I can learn some moves very quickly. I always forget my age."

We love Dai's attitude. She'd rather be dancing -- doing something she enjoys -- than waiting to die, she says. She'll be turning 70 in December, and one thing's for sure, Dai will continue swinging around the pole and having fun.

Attempting to Change the Goalposts

Leung Chun-ying and Zhang Xiaoming at today's Basic Law symposium

If Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying needed a morale booster, he got a big one today.

Central People's Government liaison office chief Zhang Xiaoming said that the chief executive is above the executive, legislature and judiciary.

He made the remarks during a Basic Law symposium on Saturday, thus effectively ending any notion that the separation of powers concept was applicable to Hong Kong.

This naturally sparked fears over whether Beijing is redefining the function and status of the chief executive of Hong Kong, who is already selected by a 1,200-pro-Beijing committee.

Leong asks if Leung should be treated "like an emperor"

"The chief executive's dual responsibility [to both Hong Kong and Beijing] means he has a special legal position which is above the executive, legislative and judicial institutions," Zhang said during a 26-minute speech.

He also said Hong Kong is directly under the jurisdiction of the central government, and that the CE is not only head of the Hong Kong government but also the Hong Kong special administrative region. "He has responsibility towards both the Central People's Government and to Hong Kong," Zhang said.

He added: "Hong Kong is not a political system that exercises the separation of powers; not before the handover, not after the handover." Zhang said separation of powers "is usually established in sovereign states" and so it is "at best" only a reference for Hong Kong.

Basically Zhang is saying is that Leung and successive chief executives of Hong Kong are above the law. By the way how can he say there was no separation of powers before then handover when China did not have jurisdiction over Hong Kong?

Lee asks why interpretation of the Basic Law "keeps changing"

Civic Party leader Alan Leong Ka-kit interpreted these comments as Beijing sending a message that Leung should be put on a pedestal "like an emperor", and that legislative and judiciary systems cannot keep his power in check or keep him accountable.

Lee Cheuk-yan, chairman of the Labour Party said, "In the long run, how would Hong Kong people have faith in the Basic Law, whose meaning keeps changing?"

Lau Siu-kai, vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, a top pro-Beijing think tank, sought to play down Zhang's comments. "From the mainland's perspective, it is a separation of powers under the leadership of the executive. The three powers are not equally important and do not share the same status," he said.

"Under the Basic Law, the executive, legislature and judiciary have their own powers and duties. But the chief executive's position is supreme," Lau said.

Lau plays down what Zhang said... then what does he mean?

When one reads the Basic Law, the chief executive is "accountable to the Central People's Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law".

Article 64 states the executive branch "must abide by the law and be accountable to the Legislative Council of the region", while Article 85 says Hong Kong courts "shall exercise judicial power independently, free from any interference. Members of the judiciary shall be immune from legal action in the performance of their judicial functions".

And finally with regards to the Legislative Council, it has the power to file a motion charging the chief executive with serious breach of law or dereliction of duty in a process that can lead to impeachment after an investigation by the judiciary.

So what is Zhang talking about then?

How can he re-interpret the Basic Law when the three institutions' functions are pretty clearly spelled out?

Is this Zhang's way of giving Leung a major ego boost, or tipping his hand for 2017? Or is he making these incorrect statements to rile up the pro-democracy camp to prove who's got the upper hand?

He should really check his facts before making such potentially explosive statements...