Today’s Essential Eight items:

1. Another day, another Xi Jinping Thought center

2. Perfecting offshore IPO approval process

3. Didi’s deepening doodoo

4. Hong Kong

5. PBoC official on virtual currencies and payment monopolies

6. China and Afghanistan

7. Evergrande may be a grande gray rhino

8. Vulnerable but not endangered Pandas

Thanks for reading, I hope to see many of you in tomorrow’s weekly discussion thread.