2020-08-12: News Headlines

Alan Macleod (2020-08-12). Former McCain Advisor and Iraq War Advocate Niall Ferguson Warns TikTok Is a Chinese Imperial Plot. mintpressnews.com Ferguson argued that Tiktok is brainwashing 100 million mostly Generation Z Americans who use the platform into "becoming soldiers of Beijing's new revolution."

yenisafak (2020-08-12). Beijing shuts tourist sites as precaution against heavy downpours. yenisafak.com A heavy rainstorm forecast in China's capital Beijing has forced authorities to shut parks and tourist sites, state-run media reported.The Beijing Gardening and Greening Bureau said the capital is expecting to receive "heaviest rainstorm" this summer, said Xinhua News Agency.Hence, authorities have closed parks, including the Summer Palace, Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) Park, and Beijing Zoo. The expected tourists who booked tickets are being given refunds.The bureau added that operations of almost all landscaping projects have been suspended, and workers shifted to safer places before the rainstorm hits the capital…

yenisafak (2020-08-12). Coronavirus deaths rise to almost 19,000 in Iran. yenisafak.com As many as 188 new coronavirus-related fatalities have raised the death toll in Iran to 18,988, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.A total of 2,510 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, pushing the tally to 333,699, according to ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari.She said more than 290,244 patients have recovered so far, while 3,940 are hospitalized in critical condition.Since appearing in China last December, the virus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions, according to figures compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Resource Center.More than 20.3 mil…

Justin Podur (2020-08-12). AEP 59: The American Trap sprung on Tiktok and Huawei, with Carl Zha. mronline.org Back with Carl Zha of Silk & Steel podcast, who we last saw in our episode on the India-China border conflict.

Eds. (2020-08-12). Leaked documents reveal what TikTok shares with authorities — In the U.S. mronline.org A glimpse at what the social media platform does in the U.S. underscores that data privacy issues extend beyond China.

_____ (2020-08-12). New Report Reveals U.S. Special Forces Active in 22 African Countries. strategic-culture.org While there is much talk, (or more accurately, condemnation) in Western media of China's imperialist motives in Africa, there is less discussion of the U.S.' continuing role. While China operates one base in the Horn of Africa and has greatly increased its economic role on the continent, the thousands of American troops operating in dozens of countries are overlooked.

Tony Cartalucci (2020-08-12). Exposing US Color Revolution in Thailand Aimed at China. globalresearch.ca Western media — after claiming recent protests in Thailand were "leaderless" and comprised of "students," decries arrest of US-funded lawyer leading them — never mentions US funding. | *** | The Western media was quick to decry the arrest of 34 year-old …

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-08-12). MSM Smear Merchants Target Critics Of Establishment China Narratives. thealtworld.com slow-motion third world war against unabsorbed governments continues to accelerate, narrative management campaigns are getting more and more frenzied. We see this exemplified in two recent smear pieces published by imperial spinmeisters about critics of the establishment-authorized narratives about what's happening in China. | The oligarch-funded Axios has published a new article titled " The American blo…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-12). Iran to set up pavilion at Chinese high-tech. fair. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 13 (MNA) — Iranian knowledge-based companies are planning to set up a pavilion at 22nd edition of China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF), which is going to be held on November 11 to 15 at Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Shenzhen, China.

WSWS (2020-08-11). Biden's blueprint for a right-wing presidency: Part two. wsws.org On China, the Democratic platform attacks Trump from the right, claiming that his trade war policies have not restored jobs in the United States and pledging to "stand up" to Beijing.

_____ (2020-08-11). China To Sanction US Senators, NED And NGO Chiefs Over Hong Kong. popularresistance.org China on Monday announced sanctions on a group of 11 Americans, including lawmakers and top executives of American NGOs, in retaliation for US sanctions on a group of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials. | Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular press conference that Beijing would impose sanctions on Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, all of whom are Republicans.

RT (2020-08-11). China extends Hong Kong legislature for a year. rt.com The top legislature in Beijing has extended the mandate for the current group of Hong Kong lawmakers for a year from its expiry date of September 30, after a scheduled election was delayed. | The decision by China's legislature means Hong Kong's 70-member Legislative Council, or LegCo, will continue to perform its duties for "no less than a year" and until the next LegCo starts its four-year term, the Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday. | Critics say the decision to postpone the election was political and came after China adopted new national security laws in late June that affect the city, Reuters said.

sputniknews (2020-08-11). Made in China: US Reclassifies Hong Kong Exports Amid Push to Alter Beijing's WTO Status. sputniknews.com Due to US President Donald Trump's recent executive order revoking Hong Kong's special status, exports from the special administrative region may be "marked to indicate 'China'" as their place of origin, according to a new memo issued by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

sputniknews (2020-08-11). POTUS Claims G. Washington 'Would Have Had a Hard Time' to Beat Him in Election, Ignites Twitter. sputniknews.com US President Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which started in China in late-December 2019, for his declining poll statistics, as his administration faces heavy criticism over its handling of a crisis where over 5 million Americans have been infected with the disease and at least 164,603 have died.

F. William Engdahl (2020-08-11). Towards a US-China War? The Creation of a Global Totalitarian System, A "One World Government"? globalresearch.ca If we step back from the details of daily headlines around the world and try to make sense of larger patterns, the dominant dynamic defining world geopolitics in the past three years or more is the appearance of a genuine …

Andrew Levine (2020-08-11). Trump and Biden, Two Ignoble Minds Here O'erthrown. counterpunch.org At the presidential level and perhaps down-ticket too, this year's electoral circus will be a spectacle well calculated to cause disgust and despair — thanks mainly to Donald Trump's unprecedented machinations, but also because, at least in the presidential contest, the main contenders, both of them, are embarrassingly unfit to serve. For kindness sake, one

Patrick Cockburn (2020-08-11). The Rise of Nationalism Has Led to the Increased Repression of Minorities. counterpunch.org We live in an era of resurgent nationalism. From Scotland to Sri Lanka, from China to Brazil, governments rely on nationalism as a source of communal identity and a vehicle for common action. In countries where religious identity appears to dominate, as with Islam in Turkey and Hinduism in India, religion has bonded with nationalism.

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-11). U.S. and China Will Not Go to War Before the Presidential Elections as Some Speculate. globalresearch.ca Wang Yunfei, a recently retired Chinese naval officer announced online that U.S. President Donald Trump could launch a "controlled" military conflict with China in the South China Sea to increase his chances in the upcoming presidential election. Some analysts …

Sholto Byrnes (2020-08-11). The Flaw in the US Plan to Rally Democracies Against China. globalresearch.ca US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called last week for "a new alliance of democracies" to fight what he called "the tentacles of the Chinese Communist Party". In a speech delivered at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in California, Mr …

WSWS (2020-08-11). Top US health official makes provocative trip to Taiwan. wsws.org With the visit by US Secretary of Health Alex Azar to Taiwan, the Trump administration is taking another step towards overturning the "One China" policy and breaking US diplomatic relations with China.

WSWS (2020-08-11). Philippines not to join wargames in the South China Sea. wsws.org Duterte's announcement that the Philippines will not participate in US naval exercises in the disputed waters comes amid a dramatic escalation of Washington's preparations for war with China.

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-11). Trump, Kushner promised money by MBS: Prof. Askari. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 10 (MNA) — Professor Hossein Askari, an expert on Saudi Arabia, believes that the US will be reducing its footprint in the Middle East and China will be poised to fill the vacuum.

_____ (2020-08-11). If Trump Wins, Russia Did It, If Biden Wins, It Was China And Iran. popularresistance.org Mass media throughout the western world are uncritically passing along a press release from the US intelligence community because that's what passes for journalism in a world where God is dead and everything is stupid. | The press release, from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and authored by National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina, claims that Russia wants Donald Trump to win re-election in November and is pushing to advance than goal, while China and Iran are doing the same with Joe Biden. What this completely unsubstantiated narrative means, of course, is th…

Katrina vanden Heuvel (2020-08-11). The Debate That's Needed on How to Engage With China—Before It's Too Late. thenation.com The Debate That's Needed on How to Engage With China—Before It's Too Late…

Staff (2020-08-10). Headlines for August 10, 2020. democracynow.org Lebanon Unrest Mounting as Death Toll from Catastrophic Port Blast Tops 200, Trump Signs Executive Orders After Coronavirus Bill Stalls, Dems Say They Are Unconstitutional , U.S. COVID-19 Cases Top 5 Million, with More Evidence of Infections in Children and Teens, Coronavirus Surging Across India, Brazil as Europe and Cuba Reimpose Containment Measures, Hong Kong Arrests Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai Under National Security Law, Protesters Take to Streets of Belarus, Accuse Officials of Fraud After Lukashenko Claims 80% of Vote, Mauritius in State of "Environmental Emergency" as Tanker Leeches Fuel into Protected Areas,…

Max Blumenthal (2020-08-10). Western media's favorite Hong Kong 'freedom struggle writer' is American ex-Amnesty staffer in yellowface. mronline.org A prominent Hong Kong pundit and anti-China activist named Kong Tsung-gan has become a go-to source for Western media. An investigation by The Grayzone confirms Kong as a fake identity employed by an American teacher who's a ubiquitous figure at local protests.

Arhama Siddiqa (2020-08-10). The rise of the Middle Kingdom in the Middle East: China's Belt and Road Initiative. zcomm.org China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) stands as the most prominent example of the pivotal shift in Chinese foreign policy from Deng Xiaoping's "bide and hide" philosophy to the current ambitious endeavors…

Finian Cunningham (2020-08-10). Hong Kong: 'Freedom'… to Subvert. thealtworld.com The arrest of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai has sent Western news outlets into a tizzy. We are told that "free speech" is under attack by the Chinese authorities who are supposedly rolling back democracy on the semiautonomous island city. | Lai was

Finian Cunningham (2020-08-09). Washington Signals End of One China Policy Towards War Footing. thealtworld.com A Washington Post Azar, a senior cabinet member in the Trump administration, is scheduled to meet Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen in the capital Taipei. The visit has sparked fury in Beijing which views Taiwan…

Ed Yong (2020-08-09). A Virus Has Brought the World's Most Powerful Country to Its Knees. zcomm.org COVID 19 is but a harbinger of worse plagues to come. The US cannot plan for these inevitable crises if it returns to normal. Normal led to this. To avert another catastrophe, the US needs to grapple with all the ways normal has failed us.

yenisafak (2020-08-09). Hong Kong reports 72 new coronavirus cases. yenisafak.com Hong Kong reported 72 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, of which 63 were locally transmitted, as authorities continued efforts to contain a resurgence of infections in the global financial hub over the past month.More than 4,000 people have been infected in Hong Kong since January, 51 of whom have died. Sunday's figure was slightly up from Saturday's 69 cases.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-09). Selective Maritime Rules: The United States, Diego Garcia and International Law. globalresearch.ca There are few more righteous sights than the paunchy US Secretary of State savaging the People's Republic of China with his next volley on Chinese territorial aspirations. In July, Mike Pompeo

yenisafak (2020-08-09). France to host fundraising conference for Beirut. yenisafak.com France's President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday will bring the international community together to raise funds for Beirut in the aftermath of the deadly blast earlier this week.The virtual conference will be held at 1200GMT with Macron hosting the conference from his vacation home in the south of France.The conference is backed by the United Nations and will involve major world leaders, including Lebanon's President Michel Aoun and US President Donald Trump.Leaders from the EU, Britain, China, Russia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE are also expected to participate.Two massive explosions tore through…

Tony Cartalucci (2020-08-09). Australia: Willing Pawn in US Conflict with China. globalresearch.ca Upon reading Australia's new defense strategy, one might think its authors believe they are surrounded by nations invaded and destroyed by China with Australia next in line. | News headlines declare, "

RT (2020-08-08). Goodbye, greenback! As they abandon dollar in trade, Russia & China could create 'financial alliance,' leading Russian expert says. rt.com Moscow and Beijing's ditching of the US dollar could result in the creation of a "financial alliance," according to a top Russian analyst. Alexey Maslov believes the partnership is approaching a "breakthrough moment." | Maslov, director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, predicts that Russia-China "de-dollarization" could lead to the two nations forming a de-facto fiscal alliance. | "The collaboration between Russia and China in the financial sphere tells us that they are finally finding the parameters for a new alliance with each other," he said, speaking to Japanese p…

Anand Naidoo (2020-08-08). The Heat: U.S. targets China. america.cgtn.com No deal yet. Talks still in limbo over an economic rescue package providing financial relief to millions of Americans as the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge across the United States.

Eds. (2020-08-08). The filthy hypocrisy of America's "clean" China-free internet. mronline.org The Trump administration wants to keep other countries from weaponizing technology the way the U.S. and its allies already have.

WSWS (2020-08-08). Former Australian PM: Beware the Guns of August in Asia. wsws.org Kevin Rudd argues that the danger of war between the US and China is greater than at any time since the 1950s and warns the risk "will be especially high" in the lead-up to the US presidential election.