What’s happening in China today? All in Inkstone

View in browser Hi , From political intrigue to the unprecedented rise of homegrown internet giants, we're translating what's really happening in the Middle Kingdom every day in Inkstone, brought to you by the South China Morning Post. Here are some of our top picks of today for you. TILLERSON DISS That is, of course, China. China has been assiduously courting African countries for decades. Under Mao Zedong, it was to gain political recognition. But for the past 20 years, China has grown from a small investor in Africa to its top trading and investment partner today. (We include some useful charts courtesy of McKinsey in our story.) Tillerson's criticism isn't new. There is a genuine debate about China's growing links with Africa. And we at Inkstone hope to bring you much more on China-Africa ties in the coming months. 'RAMBO MOVIE' There's a new genre of films going gangbusters at the Chinese box office: high-octane military propaganda. At the moment, it's Operation Red Sea, following in the footsteps of Wolf Warrior II from last year. Our intrepid reporter Xinyan Yu spends two hours watching it, so you don't have to. There was a lively debate in our office over whether to call it a 'Rambo movie.' Xinyan argued that Rambo was a maverick fighting according to his own moral code, while the Chinese special ops team in Operation Red Sea were just taking orders from the government. Sorry Xinyan. I thought the excessive, macho violence and jingo-ism promoted in the film did put it in the category of a Rambo movie. CASINO SETTLEMENT? We also have the latest on a story that we've been following for awhile. Thousands of Chinese workers had been taken to the US territory of Saipan to build a casino there owned by a Hong Kong company. The former head of the firm, Mark Brown, was a protege of President Trump. But US officials say the workers weren't paid the legal US minimum wage, and have ordered back wages to be paid. Some of the workers have told us they will fight on, as the amount of settlement money they are told they will get won't be enough to pay extortionate fees that they paid to secure the jobs in the first place. All that and much more in Inkstone. EXPLORE NOW South China Morning Post Publishers Limited, 19/F., Tower 1, Times Square, 1 Matheson St., Causeway Bay, Hong Kong You have received this email because you have opted to receive South China Morning Post Publishers Limited's newsletter and marketing messages. Unsubscribe Copyright@2018 South China Morning Post Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy | Terms of Use