Two news items caught my eye in the paper this morning. First of all, the Shanghai city government shows that it doesn't really understand what an "auction" is by modifying the license plate auction system to warn users when they bid an amount that is "too high". The article mentions that "too high" will be determined an unspecified algorithm involving last month's winning bids and the "current situation". The other is that the US and China have signed a legally non-binding agreement to loosen visa restrictions for Chinese tour groups to visit the US. Supposedly, the US will now go on China's Approved Destination Status list, the 中国公民自费出境旅游目的地国家名单. Tours are expected to start by the Chinese New Year and start at RMB 20,000, or USD 2700.