Fake extra virgin olive oil is rampant, contains low-quality oil, and may pose a health hazard

Recently CNN.co.jp reported the following:

偽エクストラバージンオリーブオイル横行　低品質オイル混入、健康被害の恐れも

2023.12.11 Mon posted at 15:06 JST

 （ＣＮＮ） 「液体の金」とも呼ばれ、地中海料理には欠かせないオリーブオイル。エクストラバージンやバージンオリーブオイルは輸出価格が上昇し、オリーブオイル市場は今後１０年で飛躍的な拡大が予想されている。

一方で、人気の高いイタリア、スペイン、ギリシャ産のエクストラバージンオリーブオイルをめぐっては、ヒマワリ油やキャノーラ油、さらには灯油までを使い、米国でリットル当たり３０ドル（約４３００円）もの高値で売れる商品を製造して不正に利益を稼ぐ業者も横行している。

１１月下旬、スペインとイタリアは欧州連合（ＥＵ）の欧州刑事警察機構（ユーロポール）と連携して、そうした犯罪にかかわった１１人を逮捕したと発表した。当局が差し押さえた１２樽（たる）には、バージンオリーブオイルでもエクストラバージンオリーブオイルでもない粗悪品約２６万リットルが入っていた。

当局はさらに、輸出準備が整った市販用の製品５２００リットルも差し押さえた。ラベルには１００％イタリア産またはスペイン産という虚偽が記載されていたが、実際には「消費に適さない」商品だった。

当局は現金９万１０００ユーロ（約１４００万円）と高級車４台、偽ラベル、スペイン産およびイタリア産オイルと記載された書類も発見した。抜き取り検査の結果、このオイルはオリーブオイルの副産物を別のオイルと混ぜて作った商品だったことが分かった。

着色料の使用も

こうした不正商品の温床を生み出したのは、インフレや物価の高騰、オリーブオイル生産量の減少、需要の増大だった。

「残念ながらエクストラバージンオリーブオイルの偽造は普通に行われており、特に生産国では捜査当局が優先的に摘発している」とユーロポールは指摘する。

イタリアの農業団体コルディレッティによると、地中海産オリーブオイルの需要が高まる一方で、天候の過酷化によって生産量は減少し、高品質のオリーブオイルに質の低いオイルを混入する行為が横行するようになった。

オリーブオイルに特徴的な緑がかった黄色を出すために、クロロフィルやベータカロチンを使って着色する業者も増えている。

コルディレッティによると、２０２３年は地中海のオイル生産が４１％減少した。春の降雨量が極端に多かったことからオリーブの開花が減り、成長したオリーブの実も夏の猛暑で干からびた。

このため生産者が市場の需要に対応できなくなり、地中海のオイル産地にいわゆる「農業マフィア」が入り込んで、偽エクストラバージンオリーブ生産業を発展させた。

「消費用のオリーブオイルに質の低い代替品を混ぜることで、犯罪組織が合法的なサプライチェーン（供給網）に入り込んで価格競争力を高めた」とユーロポールは解説する。「こうした不正は健康リスクを生じさせるだけでなく、消費者の信頼を失墜させ、さらなる経済的反動を招く」

チェーンソー窃盗

犯罪組織が不正品を製造するためには質の高いオリーブオイルを必要とする。

そのためオリーブオイルの木や枝が丸ごと盗まれる事件も増加した。ギリシャやイタリアでは、オリーブの実をいっぱいにつけた木や枝がチェーンソーで切り落とされ、丸ごと盗まれる事件が頻発している。

ギリシャ、スペイン、イタリアでは、オリーブ倉庫への侵入事件や、収穫機を破壊して収穫を遅らせ、その間にオリーブを盗もうとする手口も増加した。

欧州委員会の２２年の報告によると、オリーブオイルは欧州でラベルの偽装が最も多い食品の一つとされている。

Translation

(CNN) Olive oil, also known as "liquid gold," was essential to Mediterranean cuisine. Export prices for extra virgin and virgin olive oil were rising, and the olive oil market was expected to expand dramatically over the next 10 years.

On the other hand, the popular extra virgin olive oils from Italy, Spain, and Greece were made using sunflower oil, canola oil, and even lamp oil, and could sell for as high as $30 per liter in the United States; and there were also many companies that manufactured them and made profits Illegally.

In late November, Spain and Italy, in collaboration with the European Union's Europol, announced the arrest of 11 people involved in such crimes. The 12 barrels seized by authorities contained approximately 260,000 liters of inferior quality products that were neither virgin oil nor extra virgin olive oil.

Authorities also seized 5,200 liters of commercially available product ready for export. The labels falsely stated that they were 100% Italian or Spanish products, but in reality, they were "unfit for consumption."

Authorities also found 91,000 euros (approximately 14 million yen) in cash, four luxury cars, false labels, and documents stating the oil was Spanish and Italian product. A sampling inspection revealed that the oil was made by mixing olive oil byproducts with other oils.

The use of coloring agents

Inflation, soaring prices, declining olive oil production coupled with increasing demand created a breeding ground for these fraudulent products.

Europol said that "Unfortunately, counterfeiting of extra virgin olive oil is common and is a priority for law enforcement authorities, especially in producing countries."

According to the Italian agricultural organization Coldiretti, demand for Mediterranean olive oil was increasing, but production was decreasing due to harsher weather, and the practice of mixing high-quality olive oil with low-quality oil is becoming rampant.

In order to give olive oil its characteristic greenish-yellow color, an increasing number of producers were using chlorophyll and beta-carotene to color their olive oil.

According to Coldiretti, Mediterranean oil production fell by 41% in 2023. Extremely high rainfall in spring reduced the number of olive trees blooming, and the intense heat of summer caused the grown-up olives to dry up.

This left producers unable to meet market demand and led to the infiltration of the so-called "Agricultural Mafia" in the oil-producing regions of the Mediterranean, developing a fake extra virgin olive production industry.

Europol said, "Criminal organizations have penetrated legitimate supply chains, and by mixing olive oil for consumption with lower-quality substitutes it increases price competitiveness". "These frauds not only pose health risks, but also undermine consumer confidence and lead to further economic backlash."

Chainsaw theft

Criminal organizations need high-quality olive oil to manufacture counterfeit products.

As a result, cases of whole olive oil trees and branches being stolen had also increased. In Greece and Italy, trees and branches full of olives were frequently cut down with chainsaws and incidents of whole tree being stolen were occurring frequently.

In Greece, Spain and Italy, there was also an increase in break-ins into olive warehouses, and attempts to destroy harvesting machines to delay the harvest so as to steal olives during that time.

According to a 2022 European Commission report, olive oil was one of the most common foods in Europe with label falsification.

              So, in Europe the export price for virgin olive oil is rising as oil production falls by 41% in 2023. Extremely high rainfall in spring and intense heat in summer has caused olive production to drop. This left producers unable to meet market demand and led to the development of a fake extra virgin olive production. Be careful when you are going to buy extra virgin olive oil next time.

中國現在還有另一個令人頭痛的問題：無法阻止通貨緊縮

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

China has another massive headache now: It can’t stem deflation

Laura He, CNN

Mon, December 11, 2023 at 5:47 p.m. GMT+8

While many central banks around the world are still trying to cool inflation, China is grappling with falling prices.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) dropped 0.5% in November on an annual basis, the biggest fall since the depths of the pandemic three years ago, according to data released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics on Saturday.

The drop marked an acceleration in the rate of deflation from October, when the CPI fell 0.2% from a year earlier, and prompted calls for urgent action from Beijing to boost demand and prevent a downward spiral of prices.

The data come days after Chinese policymakers vowed to strengthen fiscal and monetary support to boost the world’s second biggest economy, which is struggling with a real-estate crisis, high youth unemployment and subdued consumer confidence.

China has been fighting weak prices for most of this year due to the property market slump and weak spending. Deflation is bad for the economy because consumers and companies may put off purchases or investments in anticipation of prices falling further. That in turn could further slow the economy, and create a vicious cycle.

Consumer inflation began slowing in February and turned negative in July for the first time in more than two years. It returned to positive territory in August and was flat in September, but fell back below zero in October.

“China’s deflation situation is deepening with the triple whammy from domestic food prices, international oil price corrections and weak domestic demand,” analysts from Citi said in a Sunday report.

“Signs of price weakness are now spreading from goods to services,” they added.

Food prices were a major drag on the CPI, down 4.2% in November from a year earlier. In particular, pork prices plummeted 31.8%.

Gasoline prices declined after international oil prices hit their lowest level in months in November.

Services inflation also slowed. It was up just 1% from a year ago last month, compared with a 1.2% increase in October.

The Producer Price Index (PPI), which is mainly driven by prices of commodities and raw materials, dropped 3% in November, down for 14 months in a row.

More stimulus needed

The worsening deflationary pressure has cast further doubt over China’s economic recovery.

“There is no time for policy hesitation to prevent a vicious loop between deflation, confidence and activities,” the Citi analysts said.

Late last month, Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the People’s Bank of China, said in Hong Kong that China would keep monetary policy “accommodative” to support the economy, and expected consumer prices to rise in the coming months.

On Friday, China’s top officials convened for a Politburo meeting and vowed to do more to expand domestic demand and spur consumer spending.

The Politburo meeting, along with the annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) that is expected later this month, typically sets the tone for economic policy for the coming year.

Investors are awaiting for more details from the CEWC about economic policy for next year, the Citi analysts, adding that they expect “imminent” cuts to the reserve requirement ratio — the amount of money banks must keep in reserve — and interest rates.

 Translation

儘管全球許多央行仍在努力抑制通膨，但中國正努力應對物價下跌的問題。

中國國家統計局週六發布的數據顯示，11月份居民消費物價指數（CPI）年減0.5%，創三年前疫情嚴重以來的最大降幅。

這一下降標誌著通貨緊縮率自10月份以來有所加速，當時CPI較上年同期下降0.2%，並促使人們呼籲北京採取緊急行動來刺激需求並防止價格螺旋式下降。

這些數據, 是在中國政策制定者誓言加強財政和貨幣支持以提振世界第二大經濟體之幾天前發放，該經濟體正面臨房地產危機、青年失業率高企和消費者信心低迷等問題。

由於房地產市場低迷和消費疲軟，中國今年大部分時間都在與疲軟的物價作鬥爭。通貨緊縮對經濟不利，因為消費者和企業可能會因預期物價進一步下跌而推遲購買或投資。這反過來又可能進一步放緩經濟，形成惡性循環。

消費者通膨從2月開始放緩，7月兩年多來首次轉為負值，8月份恢復正值，9月持平，但10月份回落至零以下。

花旗分析師在周日的報告中表示， “受國內食品價格、國際油價調整和國內需求疲弱的三重打擊下，中國的通貨緊縮局勢正在加深。”

他們補充說： “價格疲軟的跡象現在正從商品蔓延到服務。”

食品價格是拖累CPI的主要因素，11月份較去年同期下降4.2%，其中豬肉價格下降31.8%。

國際油價在11 月觸及幾個月來的最低點後，汽油價格下跌。

服務業通膨也放緩，上個月僅比去年同期成長1%，而10月份的增幅為1.2%。

主要受大宗商品及原物料價格拉動的生產者出廠價格指數（PPI）11月份下降3%，連續14個月下降。

需要更多刺激

通貨緊縮壓力的加劇讓人們對中國經濟復甦進一步產生懷疑。

花旗分析師表示： “現在沒有時間去在政策上猶豫以防止通貨緊縮、信心、和經濟活動之間的惡性循環。”

上個月末，中國人民銀行行長 Pan Gongsheng 在香港表示，中國將保持「寬鬆」的貨幣政策以支持經濟，並預計未來幾個月消費者物價將上漲。

週五，中國高級官員召開政治局會議，承諾採取更多措施擴大內需並刺激消費支出。

政治局會議以及預計本月稍後召開的年度中央經濟工作會議（CEWC）通常會為來年的經濟政策定下基調。

花旗分析師表示，投資者正在等待 CEWC 提供有關明年經濟政策的更多細節，並補充稱，他們預計存款準備金率（銀行必須保留的存款金額）和利率將「即將」下調。

So, while many central banks around the world are still trying to cool inflation, China is busily dealing with falling prices. Some experts believe that China’s deflation situation is deepening. Investors are expecting “imminent” cuts to the reserve requirement ratio and interest rates. It seems that China has successfully created a socialistic economic system that performs differently and insulated from the free world.

November U.S. employment statistics showed 199,000 more people employed, steady growth due to strikes settled

Recently CNN News on-line reported the following:

１１月の米雇用統計、就業者１９万９０００人増　スト合意など背景に堅調な伸び

2023.12.09 Sat posted at 12:39 JST

ミネアポリス（ＣＮＮ） 米労働省労働統計局が８日発表した１１月の雇用統計によると、非農業部門の就業者数の伸びは１９万９０００人だった。俳優と自動車工場労働者のストが合意に至ったことなども背景に、前月に続き堅調な増加を記録した。

失業率は１０月の３．９％から３．７％に低下した。

労働省の元当局者で現在は雇用関連の非営利団体ワーキングネーションの最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）を務めるジェーン・オーツ氏は「経済は依然として好調だ」と指摘。２週間前から散々な数値になるとの予測が出ていたものの、ふたを開けてみれば格段に良い結果が示されたと語った。

金融情報会社リフィニティブによれば、エコノミストの間では１１月の雇用者数は１８万人の純増、失業率は横ばいになると見込まれていた。

労働参加率は０．１％増の６２．８％と、新型コロナウイルスのパンデミック（世界的大流行）が始まってからの最高水準に戻った。これは失業率低下に向けた望ましい状況だと、米企業レビューサイト、グラスドアのエコノミスト、ダニエル・チャオ氏は指摘する。

分野別の雇用の伸びを見ると、１１月は医療系が最大となる９万３２００人の増加を記録。政府系も４万９０００人増と大幅に伸びた。ストライキを行っていた自動車工場労働者が戻ってきた製造業でも増加が顕著だった。自動車及び自動車部品関連の雇用は３万人の伸びを記録している。

またハリウッド俳優などが加盟する全米映画俳優組合は先月、大手映画テレビ制作会社との間でスト終結に向けた暫定合意が成立したと発表。こうした動きは映画・録音産業での１万７２００人の雇用増につながった。

Translation

MINNEAPOLIS (CNN) - The number of non-farm employees grew by 199,000, according to the November employment report released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics on the 8th. It recorded a strong increase in sales that continued from the previous month, due in part to the fact that strikes among actors and auto factory workers had been settled.

The unemployment rate fell to 3.7% from 3.9% recorded in October.

Jane Oates, a former Labor Department official who was now CEO of an employment related nonprofit Working Nation said, "The economy remains strong". He said that although predictions made two weeks earlier said that the numbers would be disastrous, when the lid was open the results showed much better results.

According to financial information firm Refinitiv, economists had expected a net increase of 180,000 jobs in November, with the unemployment rate remaining flat.

The labor force participation rate rose 0.1 percentage point to 62.8%, returning to its highest level since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. This was a favorable situation for lowering the unemployment rate, said Daniel Chao who was an economist at Glassdoor at a US company review website.

Looking at employment growth by sector, the medical sector recorded the largest increase of 93,200 people in November. The number of government employees also increased significantly by 49,000. The increase was also notable in manufacturing, where striking auto factory workers returned. Employment related to automobiles and auto parts had increased by 30,000 people.

Last month, the Screen Actors Guild, which included Hollywood actors and other members, also announced that it had reached a tentative agreement with major film and television production companies to end the strike. These moves led to the addition of 17,200 jobs in the film and recording industry.

So, in the US the number of non-farm employees grew by 199,000 recently. It records a strong increase in sales that continued from the previous month. It seems that the US economic situation is far from going downhill.

最古老的蚊子化石帶來吸血驚愕

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Oldest mosquito fossil comes with a bloodsucking surprise

Wed, December 6, 2023 at 12:20 a.m. GMT+8

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are killed annually by malaria and other diseases spread through the bite of mosquitoes, insects that date back to the age of dinosaurs. All of these bites are inflicted by females, which possess specialized mouth anatomy that their male counterparts lack.

But it has not always been that way. Researchers said they have discovered the oldest-known fossils of mosquitoes - two males entombed in pieces of amber dating to 130 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period and found near the town of Hammana in Lebanon. To their surprise, the male mosquitoes possessed elongated piercing-sucking mouthparts seen now only in females.

"Clearly they were hematophagous," meaning blood-eaters, said paleontologist Dany Azar of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology and Lebanese University, lead author of the study published this week in the journal Current Biology. "So this discovery is a major one in the evolutionary history of mosquitoes."

The two fossilized mosquitoes, both representing the same extinct species, are similar in size and appearance to modern mosquitoes, though the mouthparts used for obtaining blood are shorter than in today's female mosquitoes.

"Mosquitoes are the most notorious blood-feeders on humans and most terrestrial vertebrates, and they transmit a certain number of parasites and diseases to their hosts," Azar said.

"Only fertilized female mosquitoes will suck blood, because they need proteins to make their eggs develop. Males and unfertilized females will eat some nectar from plants. And some males do not feed at all," Azar added.

Some flying insects - tsetse flies, for instance - have hematophagous males. But not modern mosquitoes.

"Finding this behavior in the Cretaceous is quite surprising," said paleontologist and study co-author André Nel of the National Museum of Natural History of Paris.

The delicate anatomy of the two mosquitoes was beautifully preserved in the fossils. Both displayed exceptionally sharp and triangle-shaped jaw anatomy and an elongated structure with tooth-like projections.

The researchers said they suspect that mosquitoes evolved from insects that did not consume blood. They hypothesize that the mouthparts that became adapted for obtaining blood meals originally were used to pierce plants to get access to nutritious fluids.

Plant evolution may have played a role in the feeding divergence between male and female mosquitoes. At the time when these two mosquitoes became stuck in tree sap that eventually became amber, flowering plants were beginning to flourish for the first time on the Cretaceous landscape.

"In all hematophagous insects, we believe that hematophagy was a shift from plant liquid sucking to bloodsucking," Azar said.

The fact that these earliest-known mosquitoes are bloodsucking males, Azar added, "means that originally the first mosquitoes were all hematophagous - no matter whether they were males or females - and hematophagy was later lost in males, maybe due to the appearance of flowering plants, which are contemporaneous with the formation of Lebanese amber."

Plenty of animals were present to provide blood meals: dinosaurs, flying reptiles called pterosaurs, other reptiles, birds and mammals.

The researchers said while these are the oldest fossils, mosquitoes probably originated millions of years earlier. They noted that molecular evidence suggests mosquitoes arose during the Jurassic Period, which ran from about 200 million to 145 million years ago.

There are more than 3,500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, found everywhere except Antarctica. Some become disease vectors transmitting malaria, yellow fever, Zika fever, dengue and other diseases. According to the World Health Organization, more than 400,000 people die annually from malaria - a parasitic infection - mostly children under age 5.

"On the other side, mosquitoes help to purify the water in ponds, lakes and rivers," Nel said. "In general, an animal can be a problem but also can be helpful."

(Reporting by Will Dunham, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

華盛頓（路透社）—全世界每年有數十萬人死於瘧疾和其他透過蚊子叮咬傳播的疾病，這種昆蟲的歷史可以追溯到恐龍時代。 所有這些咬傷都是由雌性造成的，雌性擁有雄性同類所缺乏的特殊口腔解剖結構。

但情況並非總是如此。 研究人員表示，他們發現了已知最古老的蚊子化石 - 在黎巴嫩 Hammana 鎮附近發現的兩隻雄性蚊子化石，埋在可追溯到 1.3 億年前白堊紀的琥珀中。 令他們驚訝的是，雄性蚊子擁有細長的刺吸式口部構造，而這種口部構造現在只出現在雌性身上。

本週發表在《當代生物學》雜誌上的這項研究的主要作者、中國科學院南京地質古生物研究所和黎巴嫩大學的古生物學家 Dany Azar 說， “顯然它們是吸血的” ，即食血者。 “所以這一發現是蚊子進化史上的重大發現。”

這兩種蚊子化石均代表同一已滅絕物種，其大小和外觀與現代蚊子相似，但用於獲取血液的口部比今天的雌性蚊子短。

 Azar說： 「蚊子是人類和大多數陸生脊椎動物中最臭名昭著的吸血動物，它們會將一定數量的寄生蟲和疾病傳播給宿主」。

Azar 補充道: 「只有受精的雌性蚊子才會吸血，因為它們需要蛋白質來使卵發育。雄性和未受精的雌性蚊子會吃一些植物的花蜜。有些雄性根本不吃東西」。

有些飛行昆蟲 - 例如采采蠅 - 有吸血的雄性。 但現代蚊子不是。

巴黎國家自然歷史博物館的古生物學家和研究合著者 André Nel說: 「在白堊紀發現這種行為相當令人驚訝」。

兩隻蚊子精緻的解剖結構在化石中完美地保存着。 它們都顯示出異常鋒利的三角形下顎解剖結構以及帶有細長齒狀突起的結構。

研究人員表示，他們懷疑蚊子是從不吸食血液的昆蟲演化而來的。 他們推測，進化至可獲取血液作餐的口部構造, 最初是用來刺穿植物以獲得營養液的。

植物進化可能在雄性和雌性蚊子之間的攝食差異中發揮了作用。 當這兩隻蚊子被困在樹液中並最終變成琥珀時，在白堊紀景山水環境中, 開花植物第一次開始茂盛生長。

Azar說: 「在所有吸血昆蟲中，我們認為吸血行為是從吸取植物液體轉變到吸血的」。

Azar補充說，這些已知最早的蚊子是吸血雄性，「這意味著最初的第一批蚊子都是吸血的 - 無論它們是雄性還是雌性 - 後來雄性的吸血能力消失了，可能是因為開花植物的出現，與黎巴嫩琥珀的形成在同時代發生。”

許多提供血餐的動物都出現：恐龍、翼龍、其他爬行動物、鳥類和哺乳動物。

研究人員表示，雖然這些是最古老的化石，但蚊子可能先起源於數百萬年之前。 他們指出，分子證據顯示蚊子出現在侏羅紀時期，距今約 2 億至 1.45 億年前。

全世界有超過 3,500 種蚊子，除南極洲外，到處都有蚊子的蹤跡。 有些成為傳播瘧疾、黃熱病、寨卡熱、登革熱和其他疾病的疾病媒介。 據世界衛生組織稱，每年有超過 40 萬人死於瘧疾（一種寄生蟲感染），其中大多數是 5 歲以下的兒童。

Nel 說: 「另一方面，蚊子有助於淨化池塘、湖泊和河流中的水」; 「一般來說，動物可能會帶來問題，但也可能會帶來幫助」。

So, researchers have discovered that two male mosquitoes entombed in amber dating to 130 million years ago possessed elongated piercing-sucking mouthparts seen now only in females. This fact indicates that originally the first mosquitoes were all hematophagous - no matter whether they were males or females - and hematophagy was later lost in males, maybe due to the appearance of flowering plants on earth.

香港：反政府抗議領袖周庭放棄保釋

Recently BBC News on-line reported the following:

Hong Kong: Protest leader Agnes Chow jumps bail

Vicky Wong - BBC News

Mon, December 4, 2023 at 10:06 a.m. GMT+8

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow says she is jumping bail and will not be returning home from her studies in Canada.

Ms. Chow was jailed in 2020 for taking part in the anti-government protests of 2019, and was released in 2021.

She is still under investigation for "collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security".

Local media reported that Hong Kong police "strongly condemns" the 27-year-old's actions.

It also urged her not to "take the road of no return by remaining a fugitive for the rest of her life", Hong Kong broadcaster TVB said in a report on Monday.

In two Instagram posts published on Sunday to mark her 27th birthday, Ms Chow revealed that she was admitted by a university in Toronto earlier this year. She left for Toronto in mid-September.

But in order to get her passport back, she had to go on a police-escorted trip to mainland China in August with five police officers - a trip she had no right to refuse.

"I felt as though I was under surveillance the whole time," she wrote.

She said she was shown an exhibition of China's achievements since the reform and opening up of the country since the late 1970s, as well as the headquarters of the technology firm Tencent where she was asked to pose for photos.

"If I stay silent, those pictures might one day become evidence of my "patriotism" - that fear is so tangible," she wrote.

Ms. Chow said when she returned to Hong Kong, she was also told to sign letters expressing remorse for all her past political actions, and also to thank the police for organizing the trip, so that she could learn of "the motherland's marvelous developments".

Ms. Chow was expected to report to the police again later this month as she is still under investigation in connection to pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai's trial on allegations of "collusion with foreign forces" to endanger China's national security. She has not yet been charged.

She said her decision was made after much consideration of "Hong Kong's situation, my personal safety, my physical and mental health".

"Maybe I won't return to Hong Kong for the rest of my life," Ms Chow added.

Ms. Chow was one of the most prominent faces of the city's pro-democracy movement and was even nicknamed "the real Mulan", in reference to the legendary Chinese heroine who fought to save her family and country.

In 2020, she was featured on the BBC 100 Women list, which names 100 influential and inspirational women around the world every year and tells their stories.

Authorities in Hong Kong have cracked down on pro-democracy activists in the city since anti-government protests broke out in 2019, culminating in the implementation of the controversial national security law in 2020.

Translation

香港民主運動家周庭表示，她正在放棄保釋，不會從加拿大學業中返回香港。

周女士因參加2019年的反政府抗議活動於2020年入獄，並於2021年獲釋。

她目前仍以「勾結境外勢力危害國家安全」罪被調查。

當地媒體報道稱，香港警方「強烈譴責」這名27歲人士的行為。

香港無線電視週一在一份報導中表示，香港警方還敦促她不要「走上一輩子逃亡的不歸路」。

週日，周女士在 Instagram 上發布了兩篇紀念自己 27 歲生日的帖子，其中透露，她於今年早些時候被多倫多一所大學錄取。 她於九月中旬前往多倫多。

但為了拿回護照，她不得不在八月與五名警察一起在他們護送下前往中國大陸 - 她沒有權拒絕。

她寫道: 「我感覺自己一直受到監視」。

她說，護送者向她展示了中國自1970年代末以來改革開放所取得的成就的展覽，她也參觀了科技公司騰訊的總部，她並要求在那裡拍照。

她寫道： 「如果我保持沉默，這些照片有一天可能會成為我的 ‘愛國主義’ 的證據 - 這種恐懼是如此明顯」。

周女士說，當她返回香港時，她還被要求簽署信函，對自己過去的所有政治行為表示悔恨，並感謝警方組織這次旅行，讓她了解「祖國的偉大發展」。

周女士預計將於本月稍晚再次向警方報案，因為她仍在接受與民主媒體大亨黎智英因涉嫌「勾結外國勢力」危害中國國家安全而受審的調查。 她尚未被指控任何罪名。

她表示，她的決定是經過深思熟慮到「香港的情況、我的人身安全、我的身心健康」之後做出的。

周女士補充道: 「也許我這輩子都不會再回香港了」。

周女士是香港民主運動中最著名的人物之一，甚至被稱為 “真正的花木蘭”，指的是為拯救家人和國家而奮鬥的中國傳奇女英雄。

2020 年，她入選了 BBC 100 名女性名單，該名單每年都會選出全球 100 名有影響力和鼓舞人心的女性，並講述她們的故事。

自 2019 年反政府抗議活動爆發以來，香港當局一直在鎮壓該市的民主活動人士，最終於 2020 年實施了備受爭議的國家安全法。

So, Agnes Chow is jumping bail and will not be returning home from Canada probably for good. It is interesting to know that she has also been told to sign letters expressing remorse for all her past political activities. Signing a remorse letter is a strange thing to do in Hong Kong under the common law (but it is a common practice in mainland China). It seems that this document could be used to as evidence to prove that Chow has admitted to participating in political activities that is chargeable in law.

What frequency of exercise is recommended for each age group? Compilation of draft guide Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

年代別に推奨する運動の頻度は? ガイド案取りまとめ 厚労省

2023年12月2日 5時29分

新型コロナの影響などで、子どもの体力が低下する中、厚生労働省は年代別に推奨する運動の頻度を示したガイド案を取りまとめました。

スポーツ庁の調査では、小中学生の体力テストの合計点がここ数年低下していて、コロナ禍で子どもの運動機会が制限された影響などが指摘されています。

こうした中、厚生労働省は、年代別に健康のために推奨する運動量の目安を示したガイド案を取りまとめました。

ガイド案では、18歳未満の子どもは、WHOが推奨している参考値として、

▽通学なども含めて、1日60分以上少し息があがる程度の体を動かす活動を行うほか、

▽ジョギングなどより強度の高い運動を週に3日以上行うことを示しました。

さらに、スマートフォンなどの画面を見て過ごす時間や座りっぱなしの時間を減らすことも示しました。

一方、部活動などで激しすぎる運動をすると、体の故障につながる可能性があるとして、週に2日以上の休養日を設けるよう注意を促しています。

また、

▽18歳以上の成人は1日60分以上、

▽高齢者は1日40分以上、ウォーキングなどの活動を行うことを推奨しているほか、成人と高齢者ともに、

▽週に2日から3日、スクワットなどの「筋トレ」を行うことが望ましいとしています。

厚生労働省は、年度内にもガイドを作って自治体などに周知し、地域での健康づくりのための計画策定などに生かしてもらうことにしています。

Translation

As children's physical strength declined due to the effects of the new coronavirus, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare had compiled a draft guide showing the recommended frequency of exercise for individual age group.

According to a survey by the Japan Sports Agency, the total score on physical fitness tests for elementary and junior high school students had been declining in recent years, pointing to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in restricting children's opportunities to exercise.

Under these circumstances, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare had compiled a draft guide that showed the approximate amount of exercise recommended for health by age group.

In the draft guide, children under the age of 18 were subject to the reference values recommended by WHO that

▽in addition to engaging in physical activities for at least 60 minutes a day that allowed your body to the point where you caught your breath a little, including commuting to school,

▽ to do more intense exercise such as jogging 3 or more days a week, were indicated.

Additionally, it was shown to reduce time spent looking at screens such as smartphones and sedentary time.

On the other hand, people were urged to take at least two rest days a week, as doing too strenuous exercise such as in club activities could lead to physical damage.

Also,

▽ Adults over 18 years old it should have at least 60 minutes a day,

▽ to recommend older people to engage in activities such as walking for at least 40 minutes a day. In addition, for adult and old age people

▽ to recommend doing ``muscle training'' such as squats two to three days a week.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare planned to create a guide by the end of this fiscal year and to disseminate it to local governments and other bodies so that they could be used in formulating plans for promoting health in the communities.

              So, in Japan the government has compiled a draft guide showing the recommended frequency of exercise for individual age group. Basically, adults over 18 years old should have exercise at least 60 minutes a day in activities including walking while older people should have at least 40 minutes a day.

沃爾瑪轉向印度，削減中國進口 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Walmart shifts to India, cuts China imports (2/2)

Updated Thu, November 30, 2023 at 1:20 a.m. GMT+8

By Richa Naidu and Siddharth Cavale

(continue)

WORKFORCE, TECHNOLOGY ARE KEY DRAWS

Walmart is importing goods ranging from toys and electronics to bicycles and pharmaceuticals from India to the U.S., Albright said. Packaged food, dry grains and pasta are also popular imports from India, she added.

India, whose stock market has risen to record highs this year, is viewed as the country best equipped to outperform China in low-cost, large-scale manufacturing.

Its rapidly growing workforce and technological advancement were a draw for Walmart, Albright said. China on the other hand reported its first decline in population in six decades last year.

Walmart started its sourcing operations in Bangalore in 2002. Now, the company employs more than 100,000 people, including temporary workers, in the country spread across several offices under its Walmart Global Tech India unit, Flipkart Group, PhonePe and sourcing operations.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May this year, a meeting that Modi termed "a fruitful one."

"Happy to see India emerge as an attractive destination for investment," Modi wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on May 14. McMillon said Walmart would "continue to support the country's manufacturing growth and create opportunity."

Walmart rival Amazon said this month it is targeting merchandise exports worth $20 billion from India by 2025.

Freewill Sports, a small Indian supplier of soccer balls, is one company that has benefited, its Chief Executive Rajesh Kharabanda said in an interview.

The rising cost of shipping goods from China has also contributed to the switch to India, supply chain experts say.

"Sourcing from mainland China has become less competitive because of rising labor costs versus other manufacturing centers," said Chris Rogers, research analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence's supply chain analysis group Panjiva.

China's minimum wage changes from province to province and sometimes even from city to city, with a range between 1,420 yuan per month and 2,690 yuan per month ($198.52 - $376.08). Meanwhile, average wages for unskilled and semi-skilled workers in India range from about 9,000 Indian rupees to 15,000 Indian rupees a month ($108.04 - $180.06), according to central bank estimates.

SUPPLY CHAIN SNAGS

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in global supply chains, showing U.S. importers to be over-reliant on a small number of markets.

"Planning for a geopolitical event is like planning for a hurricane," said Albright. "What I can control is where my product is coming from and how do I make sure that Christmas still happens if something happens in our supply chain."

Pakistan and Bangladesh have also benefited from Walmart's strategy, expanding as suppliers of home and apparel products, Albright said.

Last year, at least eight Freewill shipments sailed to Walmart warehouses from Mundra Port in Gujarat, the largest private port in India, according to U.S. import data.

"There is a newfound confidence in the Indian manufacturing industry and also the availability of factory infrastructure," Freewill's Chief Executive Rajesh Kharabanda said in an interview.

India's central bank forecasts that the country's economy will expand 6.5% this fiscal year. China is expected to grow around 5% this year.

"In the last 12 to 18 months there has certainly been a bigger impact," said Shekhar Gupta, whose family business Devgiri has been selling floor rugs to Walmart for about a decade. "That's when Walmart started putting a true strategy behind how they wanted India at the center of their growth."

($1 = 7.1528 Chinese yuan renminbi)

($1 = 83.3050 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Richa Naidu and Siddharth Cavale; additional reporting by Casey Hall and Manoj Kumar. Editing by Matthew Scuffham and Sharon Singleton)

Translation

（繼續）

勞動力和技術是關鍵吸引力

Albright 說，沃爾瑪正在從印度向美國進口玩具、電子產品、自行車和藥品等商品。 她補充說，包裝食品、乾穀物和意大利麵也是從印度進口的熱門產品。

印度股市今年已升至歷史新高，被視為最有能力在低成本、大規模製造業方面超越中國的國家。

Albright 表示，其快速成長的勞動力和技術進步對沃爾瑪具有吸引力。 另一方面，中國去年報告了六十年來的人口首次下降。

沃爾瑪於2002 年在班加羅爾開始開展採購業務。現在，該公司在印度擁有超過10 萬名員工，其中包括臨時工，多個辦事處分佈於沃爾瑪全球科技印度組、Flipkart Group、PhonePe 和採購業務組。

沃爾瑪執行長 Doug McMillon 今年5月會見了印度總理莫迪，莫迪稱這次會晤「富有成果」。

5 月14 日，莫迪在X（前身為Twitter）上寫道：「很高興看到印度成為有吸引力的投資目的地」。McMillon 表示，沃爾瑪將「繼續支持該國製造業成長並創造機會」。

沃爾瑪競爭對手亞馬遜本月表示，目標是到 2025 年從印度出口價值 200 億美元的商品。

印度小型足球供應商 Freewill Sports 執行長 Rajesh Kharabanda 在接受採訪時表示，該公司是受惠者之一。

供應鏈專家表示，從中國運輸貨物的成本不斷上升也是導致轉向印度的原因之一。

標準普爾全球市場情報旗下的供應鏈分析集團 Panjiva 的研究分析師 Chris Rogers 表示： “由於與其他製造中心相比，中國大陸勞動力成本不斷上升，採購的競爭力已經下降。”

中國的最低工資因省份而異，有時甚至因城市而異，範圍為每月 1,420 元至 2,690 元（198.52 美元 - 376.08 美元）。 同時，根據央行的估計，印度非熟練和半熟練工人的平均工資約為每月 9,000 印度盧比至 15,000 印度盧比（108.04 美元 - 180.06 美元）。

供應鏈障礙

COVID-19 大流行暴露了全球供應鏈的弱點，顯示美國進口商過度依賴少數的市場。

Albright 說：「為地緣政治事件做準備就像為颶風做準備一樣 」; 「我能控制的是我的產品來自哪裡，以及如果我們的供應鏈發生問題，我如何確保聖誕節仍然會出現」。

Albright 說，巴基斯坦和孟加拉也受益於沃爾瑪的策略，擴大了作為家居和服裝產品供應商的規模。

根據美國進口數據，去年，至少有八批 Freewill 貨物從印度最大的私人港口古吉拉特邦蒙德拉港運往沃爾瑪倉庫。

Freewill 執行長 Rajesh Kharabanda 在接受採訪時表示： “人們對印度製造業以及工廠基礎設施的可用性有了新的信心。”

印度央行預測本財年該國經濟將成長6.5%。 中國今年預計將成長5%左右。

Shekhar Gupta 說: 「在過去 12 到 18 個月裡，肯定產生了更大的影響」，他的家族企業 Devgiri 向沃爾瑪銷售地毯已有大約十年的時間。 「從那時起，沃爾瑪開始製定真正的策略，以實現希望印度成為他們成長的中心。”

              So, Walmart is importing more goods to the United States from India and reducing its reliance on China. China's minimum wage for works is higher than that in India. India’s rapidly growing workforce and technological advancement are attracting buyers such as Walmart and Amazon while China on the other hand reported its first decline in population. It is interesting to note that India’s central bank forecasts that its country's economy will expand by 6.5% this fiscal year while expecting China to grow at around 5%. It seems that the title of “world factory” is shifting from China to India.

沃爾瑪轉向印度，削減中國進口 (1/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Walmart shifts to India, cuts China imports (1/2)

Updated Thu, November 30, 2023 at 1:20 a.m. GMT+8

By Richa Naidu and Siddharth Cavale

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Walmart is importing more goods to the United States from India and reducing its reliance upon China as it looks to cut costs and diversify its supply chain, data seen by Reuters shows.

The world's largest retailer shipped one quarter of its U.S. imports from India between January and August this year, according to bill of lading figures shared with Reuters by data firm Import Yeti. That compared with just 2% in 2018.

The data shows that only 60% of its shipments came from China during the same period, down from 80% in 2018. To be sure, China is still Walmart's biggest country for importing goods.

The shift illustrates how the rising cost of importing from China and escalating political tensions between Washington and Beijing are encouraging large U.S. companies to import more from countries including India, Thailand and Vietnam.

In the U.S., shoppers face higher interest rates and high food prices, eroding household savings and prompting Walmart and other retailers to become cautious in their outlook for consumer spending.

"We want the best prices," Andrea Albright, Walmart's executive vice president of sourcing said in an interview. "That means I need resiliency in our supply chains. I can't be reliant on any one supplier or geography for my product because we're constantly managing things from hurricanes and earthquakes to shortages in raw materials."

In a statement, Walmart said the bill of lading data painted a partial picture of what it sourced and that creating redundancy "does not necessarily mean" it was reducing reliance on any of its sourcing markets. "We're a growth business and are working to source more manufacturing capacity," Walmart said.

India has emerged as a key component of Walmart's efforts to build that manufacturing capacity, Albright said.

Walmart has been accelerating growth in India since 2018, when it bought a 77% stake in Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart. Two years later, it committed to import $10 billion of goods from India each year by 2027. That is a target it remains on track to hit, Albright said. It is currently importing around $3 billion worth of goods from India each year.

(to be continued)

Translation

倫敦/紐約（路透社）— 路透社看到的數據顯示，沃爾瑪正在從印度進口更多商品到美國，並減少對中國的依賴，以降低成本並實現供應鏈多元化。

根據數據公司 Import Yeti 向路透社分享的提單數據，今年 1 月至 8 月期間，這家全球最大的零售商的進入美國的商品四分之一是從印度進口。 相比之下，2018 年這一數字僅為 2%。

數據顯示，同期其入貨量中只有60%來自中國，低於2018年的80%。可以肯定的是，中國仍然是沃爾瑪最大的商品進口國家。

這一轉變表明，從中國進口的成本上升,以及華盛頓和北京之間不斷升級的政治緊張局勢如何鼓勵美國大公司從印度、泰國和越南等國家進口更多產品。

在美國，購物者面臨更高的利率和高食品價格，侵蝕家庭儲蓄，促使沃爾瑪和其他零售商對消費者支出的前景變得謹慎。

沃爾瑪負責採購的執行副總裁 Andrea Albright 在接受採訪時表示「我們想要最優惠的價格」。 「這意味著我的供應鏈需要有彈性。我不能依賴单一供應商或单一地理位置的產品，因為我們不斷應對從颶風、地震到原材料短缺等各種問題」。

沃爾瑪在聲明中表示，提貨單數據描繪了其採購情況的部分情況，形成失業情況「並不一定意味著」它正在減少對其任何一個採購市場的依賴。 沃爾瑪表示： 「我們是一家成長型企業，正在努力尋找出更多的生產能力」。

Albright 表示，印度已成為沃爾瑪建設那生產能力的重要組成部分。

自2018年收購印度電子商務公司Flipkart 77%的股份以來，沃爾瑪一直在印度加速成長。 兩年後，它承諾到 2027 年每年從印度進口 100 億美元的商品。Albright 表示，這一目標仍有望實現。 目前，它每年從印度進口價值約30億美元的商品。

（待續）

在中國習近平將更多的權力授予他信任的二號人物 (2/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Xi Is Delegating More Authority in China to His Trusted No. 2 (2/2)

Bloomberg News

Wed, November 29, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. GMT+8

(continue)

In March, Xi continued on that path, creating the so-called Central Financial Commission to oversee the country’s banking, insurance and securities assets. Another body, the Central Financial Work Commission, was set up to manage party building in the financial sector in a bid to ensure political loyalty.

Vivian Zhan, a professor of government and public administration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Li’s appointment to lead one of those bodies was “a sign Xi is giving the premier more room for policy implementation, especially regarding economic issues that require technical expertise.” That doesn’t necessarily mean Li has decision-making power, she added.

Still, the body’s oversight by a Xi ally could streamline execution, if their close ties lead to clearer communication. With Xi now wearing so many hats, bottlenecks in the system could emerge, as Communist Party officials wait on word from the supreme leader before taking action.

Pressing issues at home this year could also heighten the need for Xi to delegate. China’s economy has struggled with a rocky pandemic exit, as a protracted property slump and a weak labor market weigh on growth. Xi also abruptly purged his foreign and defense ministers, after just months in their roles, suggesting serious personnel problems.

As those matters require his attention, Xi’s left China just three times in 2023, the fewest foreign excursions he’s made in a year outside the pandemic since taking power. That’s a marked change for a leader who traveled more on average than the US president, in the years before Covid closed borders.

The Chinese leader has also, at times, skipped giving speeches in person while overseas. In August, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao delivered a speech penned for Xi at an event in South Africa, where the other BRICS leaders spoke in person. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in California this month, Xi released a written speech to the CEO summit.

There’s no sign, however, that Xi’s sporadic deputizing means he’s willing to relinquish ultimate control. Even in economic affairs, the Chinese leader has ensured his trusted premier doesn’t have sole implementation rights.

The financial body he created to guide party building in the finance sector, the CFWC, is chaired by Vice Premier He Lifeng, another loyalist who worked with Xi in Fujian province.

Wen-Ti Sung, a political scientist at the ANU Australian Centre on China in the World, said Xi likely put two different men in charge of these bodies to “ensure checks and balances between the leadership.”

“Given that politics is the single most important yardstick nowadays, it’s actually unclear who actually calls the shots,” he said, on which of the two commissions was more influential. “This ambiguity means Xi will always get to play mediator and have the final decision.”

--With assistance from Tom Hancock and Fran Wang.

Translation

（繼續）

今年三月，習近平繼續沿著這條道路前進，成立了所謂的中央金融委員會來監管中國的銀行、保險和證券資產。 另一個機構是中央金融工作委員會，負責管理金融部門的黨的建設，以確保政治忠誠。

香港中文大學政府與公共管理學教授 Vivian Zhan 表示，李強被任命領導其中一個機構， “表明習近平正在給予總理更多的政策執行空間，特別是在需要技術專業知識的經濟問題上” 。 她補充說，這並不一定意味著李擁有決策權。

儘管如此，如果習近平盟友的密切關係能夠帶來更清晰的溝通，該機構的監督可以簡化執行。 由於習近平現在身兼數職，體制中的瓶頸可能會出現，因為共產黨官員必須等待最高領導人的指示才能採取行動。

今年國內的迫切問題也可能增加習近平放權的必要性。中國經濟在克服疫情過程中舉步維艱, 房地產市場持續低迷和勞動市場疲軟拖累經濟成長。 習近平也突然清洗了上任僅幾個月的外交部長和國防部長，顯示有嚴重的人事問題。

由於這些問題需要他的關注，習近平在 2023 年只離開中國 3 次，這是他上台以來除疫情之外的一年中出國次數最少的一次。 對於一位在新冠病毒關閉邊境前幾年平均出行次數超過美國總統的領導人來說，這是一個顯著的變化。

中國領導人有時在海外也不會親自作出發表演講。 8月，商務部長王文濤在南非舉行的活動上發表了為習近平撰寫的講話，其他金磚國家領導人則親自發言。 本月在加州舉行的亞太經濟合作論壇上，習近平在執行長高峰會上發表了書面演講。

然而，沒有跡象表明習近平的零星代理意味著他願意放棄最終控制權。 即使在經濟事務上，中國習領導也確保他信任的總理不擁有单獨執行權。

習為指導金融領域的黨建而創立的金融機構 -中央金融工作委員會 (Central Financial Work Commission) CFWC，由副總理何立峰擔任主席，他是習近平在福建省的另一位忠實擁護者。

澳洲國立大學澳洲中华全球研究中心的政治學家 Wen-Ti Sung 表示，習近平可能會讓兩個不同的人負責這些機構，以「確保領導層之間的制衡」。

關於這兩個委員會中哪一個更有影響力他說: 「鑑於政治是當今最重要的衡量標準，實際上並不清楚誰真正發號施令」; 「這種模糊性意味著習近平將始終扮演調解人的角色並擁有最終決定權」。

       So, Chinese Premier Li Qiang is overseeing the Central Financial Commission created in March and this has surprised analysts who expected Xi to take the job. According to some experts, there is no sign, however, that Xi’s sporadic deputizing means he is willing to relinquish ultimate control.

在中國習近平將更多的權力授予他信任的二號人物 (1/2)

Recently Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Xi Is Delegating More Authority in China to His Trusted No. 2 (1/2)

Bloomberg News

Wed, November 29, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. GMT+8

(Bloomberg) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping spent his first decade in office accumulating power at the expense of the Communist Party’s No. 2 official. Now that he’s installed a trusted loyalist as premier, China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong is getting more comfortable delegating authority.

Last week, state media revealed Chinese Premier Li Qiang is overseeing the Central Financial Commission created in March — surprising analysts who expected his boss to take the job.

Xi — who has been called the “Chairman of Everything” for the sheer amount of titles he’s accumulated — leads all of the seven central commissions set up before he further consolidated power at a leadership congress last year.

The break with precedent to appoint Li was the latest example of Xi giving his No. 2 more leeway, now the role is occupied by someone he shares a past with. Li served as the Chinese leader’s top aide in Zhejiang province in the early 2000s, and his political ascent has closely tracked Xi’s own trajectory.

His loyalty is being rewarded. In September, Li became the first Chinese premier to represent his nation at a Group of Twenty leaders’ summit, as Xi skipped the meeting amid a geopolitical rift with the host, India. The Chinese leader also dispatched his second-in-command to the Boao Forum for Asia in March, despite attending the event in previous years.

Xi’s decision to disperse his workload is a sign he trusts Li, and wants to test his No. 2’s ability, according to Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

“The delegating is dynamic, it really depends on Xi Jinping’s needs,” added Wu. “He does not want to engage personally in every single front-line battle.”

Premier Position

During Xi’s first two terms, China’s premier was Li Keqiang, a trained economist considered to hail from a rival faction of the Communist Party to his princeling boss.

Xi embarked on a massive restructuring mission to move policy areas traditionally overseen by the premier in the State Council into Communist Party organs that he controlled. That included creating central commissions on deepening reform, national security, economic and financial affairs, and cyber security.

(to be continued)

Translation

（彭博）—中國國家主席習近平在執政的第一個十年裡，以犧牲共產黨二號人物為代價來累積權力。 現在，他任命了一位值得信賴的忠誠者擔任總理，這位自毛澤東以來中國最有權勢的領導人

，官方媒體上週透露，中國總理李強正在監管 3 月成立的中央金融委員會，這讓原本預計他的上司會担當這一職位的分析師感到驚訝。

習近平因其積累的頭銜之多而被稱為 “管一切的主席”，在去年的一次領導大會上進一步鞏固權力之前，他領導著所有已成立的七個中央委員會。

打破先例任命李強是習近平給予二號人物更多迴旋餘地的最新例子，現在這個職由一位與他有共同過去的人擔任。 2000年代初，李強擔任中國領導人在浙江省的高級助手，他的政治崛起與習近平本人的軌跡密切相關。

他的忠誠正在得到回報。 9月，李強成為首位代表中國出席二十國集團領袖峰會的中國總理，習近平因與東道主印度存在地緣政治分歧而缺席了會議。 儘管習近平往年都參加博鰲亞洲論壇，今年三月，亦派出第二把手出席博鰲亞洲論壇。

新加坡國立大學李光耀公共政策學院副教授 Alfred Wu 表示，習近平決定分散工作量，顯示他信任李克強，並想測試他的二號人物的能力。

Wu 補充道「授權是動態的，這實際上取決於習近平的需要」; 「他不想親自參與每一場前線戰鬥」。

總理地位

在習近平的前兩屆任期內，中國總理是李克強，他是一位訓練有素的經濟學家，被認為來自與他的太子黨老闆相反的共產黨派別。

習近平開始了一項大規模的重組任務，將傳統上由國務院總理監督的政策領域轉移到他控制的共產黨機構。 其中包括成立中央委員會，負責深化改革、國家安全、經濟和金融事務以及網路安全。

（待續）