Monthly Archives: August 2020

2020-08-21: News Headlines

yenisafak (2020-08-21). What you need to know about the coronavirus right now. yenisafak.com Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: New, milder, virus variant foundResearchers in Singapore have discovered a new variant of the COVID-19 coronavirus that causes milder infections, a study published in The Lancet medical journal found.The study showed that COVID-19 patients infected with the variant of SARS-CoV-2 had better clinical outcomes, with a lower proportion developing low blood oxygen or requiring intensive care.The study also showed the variant elicited a more robust immune response.The variant, which likely came from Wuhan, China, was detected in a cluster of infections from J…

Conn Hallinan (2020-08-21). China and the US: the 21st Century's "Great Game" counterpunch.org From 1830 to 1895, the British and Russian empires schemed and plotted over control of Central and South Asia. At the heart of the "Great Game" was England's certainty that the Russians had designs on India. So wars were fought, borders drawn, and generations of young met death in desolate passes and lonely outposts. In

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-21). How does China plan to counter US sanctions? peoplesdispatch.org In the second part of the conversation on the US tech war on China, Charles Xu from Qiao Collective talks about the short and medium-term strategy of Huawei and China in general to deal with the US sanctions.

_____ (2020-08-21). Whose Century Is It? Don't Ask Donald Trump. strategic-culture.org Dilip HIRO | For the Trump administration's senior officials, it's been open season on bashing China. If you need an example, think of the president's blame game about " When it comes to China, in fact, the ever more virulent criticism never seems to stop. | Between the end of June and the end of July, four members of his cabinet vied with each other in spewing anti-Ch…

Andrew Korybko (2020-08-20). The Geopolitics Of The Belarusian Crisis: Anti-Russian, Neutral To China, Pro-Polish. thealtworld.com The Belarusian Crisis is an American Hybrid War against Russian interests in support of Poland's US-backed regional ones related to the "Three Seas Initiative", which won't harm China's interests even in the worst-case scenario despite Beijing's plans for the Eurasian Land Bridge to transit through the Color Revolution-beleaguered former Soviet Republic since the People's Republic has already pioneered several complementary East-West corridors that it could rely on instead. | Geopolitical Basics | The "

yenisafak (2020-08-20). Fourteen missing amid ship collision off Shanghai, China. yenisafak.com At least 14 crew members remain missing after two ships collided near the mouth of the Yangtze River early on Thursday, local media reports said.According to the Beijing-based daily Global Times, an oil tanker carrying 3,000 tons of gasoline collided with a gravel boat 1.5 nautical miles southeast of the estuary's lightvessel.The collision, which occurred near Shanghai, caused a major fire on the deck of the patrol tanker, while gravel boat sank.Rescue teams have so far saved three crew members of 17 who were onboard, while 14 are still missing, the newspaper reported.This was the first collision between ships ne…

Dilip Hiro (2020-08-20). Donald Trump is Losing His Tech War with China and Doesn't Even Know It. counterpunch.org For the Trump administration's senior officials, it's been open season on bashing China. If you need an example, think of the president's blame game about "the invisible Chinese virus" as it spreads wildly across the U.S. When it comes to China, in fact, the ever more virulent criticism never seems to stop. Between the end

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-20). The Hariri Assassination: Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Verdict. Fake Justice on Behalf of Israel. globalresearch.ca In May 2007, Security Council Resolution 1757 established the STL "on the outskirts of the Hague." | Ten SC members voted "yes," none "no," Russia, China, South Africa, Indonesia, and Qatar abstaining. | Five judges were involved in proceedings, Judge David Re…

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-20). Trump Regime Further Escalates War on China's Huawei. globalresearch.ca Chinese tech giant Huawei calls itself "an independent, privately-held company that provides information and communication technology (ICT)…connect(ing) over three billion people in (over) 170 countries." | The company is leading the race to roll out 5G technology, its market potential worth …

Finian Cunningham (2020-08-20). As US stalls on extension of New Start treaty seeking to gain control over China, the world is on verge of dangerous arms race. thealtworld.com After three rounds of talks with Russia wrapped up this summer, the US is still equivocating on …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-20). What's behind the US attack on China's tech sector. peoplesdispatch.org Charles Xu of the Qiao Collective talks about the context behind the US assault on China's technological sector, especially Huawei. He talks about the strategies of development deployed by China over the past few decades…

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-20). No right for US to request snapback of UN sanctions on Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (MNA) — China says the US has no right to request snapback of UN sanctions on Iran after pulling out from the JCPOA.

RT (2020-08-19). Trump demands full restoration of UN sanctions on Iran, as Pompeo warns Russia & China not to meddle. rt.com US President Donald Trump said the State Department will soon attempt to trigger a "snapback" of UN sanctions on Iran, as the top American diplomat threatened consequences for Moscow and Beijing if they try to block the effort. | "Today I'm directing the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to notify the United Nations Security Council that the United States intends to restore virtually all of the United Nations sanctions on Iran — it's a snap back, not uncommon," Trump told reporters during a White House press conference on Wednesday. | When the United States entered into the Iran deal, it was clear the United…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-19). Trade Wars Threaten Post-pandemic Global Economic Recovery. globalresearch.ca The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop U.S. protectionism and its trade disputes with the rest of the world, especially with China and the European Union. In actual fact, it deepened the conflict. This behaviour anticipates very complicated post-pandemic international trade, …

Dilip Hiro (2020-08-19). Trump Is Losing the Tech War Against China. thenation.com Trump Is Losing the Tech War Against China…

Paddy Colligan (2020-08-19). Le Kha Phieu °presente! workers.org On Aug. 7, another of the heroic and determined generation of revolutionaries who guided Vietnam's liberation movement passed away. Le Kha Phieu was born in 1931 in Thanh Hoa province in the northern part of Vietnam (then French Indochina). At 15, he joined the revolutionary struggle to gain independence from . . . |

Karin Leukefeld (2020-08-19). After explosion, imperialists pressure Lebanon; Iran, China send aid. workers.org From jungewelt.de, Aug. 18. The author has been covering Syrian, Lebanon and Palestine for progressive German-language publications for decades. Translation by John Catalinotto. It was only last January — in response to the street protests — that the technocratic government of the engineer and former university professor Hassan Diab was . . . |

Dilip Hiro (2020-08-19). China vs. America, Whose Century Is It? Don't Ask Donald Trump: "The Invisible Chinese Virus" globalresearch.ca For the Trump administration's senior officials, it's been open season on bashing China. If you need an example, think of the president's blame game about " When it …

WSWS (2020-08-19). Chinese prime minister: 600 million people earn less than $145 a month. wsws.org While almost half of its population earns less than $145 a month, China recorded 373 billionaires in 2020, the second highest figure in the world.

teleSUR (2020-08-19). China: Thousands Evacuated Due to Flooding in Sichuan Province. telesurenglish.net Over 100,000 people Tuesday were evacuated from their homes in the Sichuan province due to floods hitting the region, which has triggered the highest level of emergency response. | RELATED: | Continued rains caused 22 major rivers to exceed their flood alert threshold, flooding urban areas in cities such as Ya'an and Leshan. | In Yibin city, where 26,000 people have also been evacuated, it is feared that the rains will overflow the Min Riv…

yenisafak (2020-08-19). Brent oil price down with halt in US-China trade talks. yenisafak.com Oil prices eased on Wednesday after stagnant US economic stimulus talks, and with US President Donald Trump postponing US-China trade talks.International benchmark Brent crude was trading at $45.05 per barrel at 0614GMT for a 0.9% decrease after closing Tuesday at $45.46 a barrel.American benchmark West Texas Intermediate was at $42.56 per barrel at the same time, down 1.3% after ending the previous session at $43.12 a barrel.Trump on Tuesday said he postponed trade negotiations with China, commenting that he does not want to talk to China "right now."Scheduled talks between representatives from the US and China…

_____ (2020-08-18). Jimmy Lai Arrested, And Long Live Hong Kong. popularresistance.org The 71-year-old Lai, originally from Mainland China, owns a right-wing tabloid Apple Daily. He is known for dutifully echoing media salvos that are being fired by Western governments and media outlets, salvos against Beijing, and SAR administration, which in turn gained him, in the West, of course, various flattering and unreal titles such as 'an outspoken pro-democracy figure in Hong Kong who regularly criticizes China's authoritarian rule' (CBS News). Lies, of course. Obvious lies.

_____ (2020-08-18). 'What Happens If Julian Assange Dies In A British Prison?'. popularresistance.org For Assange however, justice delayed is not only justice denied. With global attention shifting from Wuhan to Washington, from Minneapolis to Lebanon, the father of two young children has spent another five months in incarceration without access to lawyers or family visitations. It follows what is approaching ten years of what the United Nations has repeatedly labeled arbitrary detention — the British government has so far failed to respond to three separate U.N. reports and correspondences on the matter. | Serena Tinari, a Switzerland-based investigative journalist, condemned Britain's handling of the case…

Anand Naidoo (2020-08-18). The Heat: U.S.-China Trade. america.cgtn.com Despite escalating diplomatic and political tensions between the United States and China, both sides remain committed to a trade deal. At the beginning of 2020 the U.S. and China signed Phase One of a bilateral trade agreement. It signaled a truce in their bruising dispute …

RT (2020-08-18). Australian police raid fishing boat and find 1 TON of cocaine, worth up to $180 MILLION. rt.com Australian law enforcement has seized around a ton of cocaine after dramatically raiding a moving vessel which had received the major transfer of drugs from another boat, about 200 nautical miles off the coast of Newcastle. | Saturday's raid followed an Australian border force investigation, which began last week after authorities spotted a ship moving in an unusual trajectory from the coast of China. A fishing vessel named the Coralynne approached the boat from China and allegedly performed an "at-sea transfer of illicit drugs bound for Australia," New South Wales Police reports. Police posted a video of the…

Eds. (2020-08-18). Oil spill threatens disaster for Mauritius. mronline.org The Japanese-owned (Mitsui-operated) MV Wakashio was en route to Brazil from China to fetch iron ore from a port owned by the notorious mining company Vale. Here the ship is seen having run aground near Blue Bay, one of the area's most pristine sites for coral, already threatened by bleaching due to the climate crisis. …

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-18). Trump Gives Chinese Parent Company 90 Days to Divest from TikTok. globalresearch.ca US cold war on China risks turning hot if bipartisan hardliners in Washington push things too far. | Their hostile actions are all about wanting China's development, growth, and prominence on the world stage undermined. | Since Trump took office, scores of …

Larry Wilkerson (2020-08-18). The Danger of War With China is Real and Insane. zcomm.org China and the U.S. must work together to solve the climate crisis, but the power of the militaries and national security states on both sides is making that impossible…

teleSUR (2020-08-18). China Demands US To Cancel Measures Against TikTok. telesurenglish.net China's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian rejected the announcement to ban TikTok and WeChat in the United States made by President Donald Trump's administration. | RELATED: | He said that TikTok follows the U.S. regulations, its managers are U.S. citizens, and its servers are outside of China. | Zhao also affirmed that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has confirmed that China…

2020-08-20: News Headlines

Andrew Korybko (2020-08-20). The Geopolitics Of The Belarusian Crisis: Anti-Russian, Neutral To China, Pro-Polish. thealtworld.com The Belarusian Crisis is an American Hybrid War against Russian interests in support of Poland's US-backed regional ones related to the "Three Seas Initiative", which won't harm China's interests even in the worst-case scenario despite Beijing's plans for the Eurasian Land Bridge to transit through the Color Revolution-beleaguered former Soviet Republic since the People's Republic has already pioneered several complementary East-West corridors that it could rely on instead. | Geopolitical Basics | The "

yenisafak (2020-08-20). Fourteen missing amid ship collision off Shanghai, China. yenisafak.com At least 14 crew members remain missing after two ships collided near the mouth of the Yangtze River early on Thursday, local media reports said.According to the Beijing-based daily Global Times, an oil tanker carrying 3,000 tons of gasoline collided with a gravel boat 1.5 nautical miles southeast of the estuary's lightvessel.The collision, which occurred near Shanghai, caused a major fire on the deck of the patrol tanker, while gravel boat sank.Rescue teams have so far saved three crew members of 17 who were onboard, while 14 are still missing, the newspaper reported.This was the first collision between ships ne…

Dilip Hiro (2020-08-20). Donald Trump is Losing His Tech War with China and Doesn't Even Know It. counterpunch.org For the Trump administration's senior officials, it's been open season on bashing China. If you need an example, think of the president's blame game about "the invisible Chinese virus" as it spreads wildly across the U.S. When it comes to China, in fact, the ever more virulent criticism never seems to stop. Between the end

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-20). The Hariri Assassination: Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) Verdict. Fake Justice on Behalf of Israel. globalresearch.ca In May 2007, Security Council Resolution 1757 established the STL "on the outskirts of the Hague." | Ten SC members voted "yes," none "no," Russia, China, South Africa, Indonesia, and Qatar abstaining. | Five judges were involved in proceedings, Judge David Re…

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-20). Trump Regime Further Escalates War on China's Huawei. globalresearch.ca Chinese tech giant Huawei calls itself "an independent, privately-held company that provides information and communication technology (ICT)…connect(ing) over three billion people in (over) 170 countries." | The company is leading the race to roll out 5G technology, its market potential worth …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-08-20). What's behind the US attack on China's tech sector. peoplesdispatch.org Charles Xu of the Qiao Collective talks about the context behind the US assault on China's technological sector, especially Huawei. He talks about the strategies of development deployed by China over the past few decades…

Finian Cunningham (2020-08-20). As US stalls on extension of New Start treaty seeking to gain control over China, the world is on verge of dangerous arms race. thealtworld.com After three rounds of talks with Russia wrapped up this summer, the US is still equivocating on …

Mehr News Agency (2020-08-20). No right for US to request snapback of UN sanctions on Iran. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Aug. 20 (MNA) — China says the US has no right to request snapback of UN sanctions on Iran after pulling out from the JCPOA.

RT (2020-08-19). Trump demands full restoration of UN sanctions on Iran, as Pompeo warns Russia & China not to meddle. rt.com US President Donald Trump said the State Department will soon attempt to trigger a "snapback" of UN sanctions on Iran, as the top American diplomat threatened consequences for Moscow and Beijing if they try to block the effort. | "Today I'm directing the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to notify the United Nations Security Council that the United States intends to restore virtually all of the United Nations sanctions on Iran — it's a snap back, not uncommon," Trump told reporters during a White House press conference on Wednesday. | When the United States entered into the Iran deal, it was clear the United…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-19). Trade Wars Threaten Post-pandemic Global Economic Recovery. globalresearch.ca The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop U.S. protectionism and its trade disputes with the rest of the world, especially with China and the European Union. In actual fact, it deepened the conflict. This behaviour anticipates very complicated post-pandemic international trade, …

Dilip Hiro (2020-08-19). Trump Is Losing the Tech War Against China. thenation.com Trump Is Losing the Tech War Against China…

Paddy Colligan (2020-08-19). Le Kha Phieu °presente! workers.org On Aug. 7, another of the heroic and determined generation of revolutionaries who guided Vietnam's liberation movement passed away. Le Kha Phieu was born in 1931 in Thanh Hoa province in the northern part of Vietnam (then French Indochina). At 15, he joined the revolutionary struggle to gain independence from . . . |

Karin Leukefeld (2020-08-19). After explosion, imperialists pressure Lebanon; Iran, China send aid. workers.org From jungewelt.de, Aug. 18. The author has been covering Syrian, Lebanon and Palestine for progressive German-language publications for decades. Translation by John Catalinotto. It was only last January — in response to the street protests — that the technocratic government of the engineer and former university professor Hassan Diab was . . . |

teleSUR (2020-08-19). China: Thousands Evacuated Due to Flooding in Sichuan Province. telesurenglish.net Over 100,000 people Tuesday were evacuated from their homes in the Sichuan province due to floods hitting the region, which has triggered the highest level of emergency response. | RELATED: | Continued rains caused 22 major rivers to exceed their flood alert threshold, flooding urban areas in cities such as Ya'an and Leshan. | In Yibin city, where 26,000 people have also been evacuated, it is feared that the rains will overflow the Min Riv…

WSWS (2020-08-19). Chinese prime minister: 600 million people earn less than $145 a month. wsws.org While almost half of its population earns less than $145 a month, China recorded 373 billionaires in 2020, the second highest figure in the world.

Dilip Hiro (2020-08-19). China vs. America, Whose Century Is It? Don't Ask Donald Trump: "The Invisible Chinese Virus" globalresearch.ca For the Trump administration's senior officials, it's been open season on bashing China. If you need an example, think of the president's blame game about " When it …

yenisafak (2020-08-19). Brent oil price down with halt in US-China trade talks. yenisafak.com Oil prices eased on Wednesday after stagnant US economic stimulus talks, and with US President Donald Trump postponing US-China trade talks.International benchmark Brent crude was trading at $45.05 per barrel at 0614GMT for a 0.9% decrease after closing Tuesday at $45.46 a barrel.American benchmark West Texas Intermediate was at $42.56 per barrel at the same time, down 1.3% after ending the previous session at $43.12 a barrel.Trump on Tuesday said he postponed trade negotiations with China, commenting that he does not want to talk to China "right now."Scheduled talks between representatives from the US and China…

WSWS (2020-08-18). Responding to US provocations, Chinese officials appeal for "peaceful coexistence" wsws.org Chinese Foreign Minister Wang warned that relations between the US and Beijing were facing "the gravest challenge since the establishment of diplomatic ties" in the 1970s."

_____ (2020-08-18). Jimmy Lai Arrested, And Long Live Hong Kong. popularresistance.org The 71-year-old Lai, originally from Mainland China, owns a right-wing tabloid Apple Daily. He is known for dutifully echoing media salvos that are being fired by Western governments and media outlets, salvos against Beijing, and SAR administration, which in turn gained him, in the West, of course, various flattering and unreal titles such as 'an outspoken pro-democracy figure in Hong Kong who regularly criticizes China's authoritarian rule' (CBS News). Lies, of course. Obvious lies.

_____ (2020-08-18). 'What Happens If Julian Assange Dies In A British Prison?'. popularresistance.org For Assange however, justice delayed is not only justice denied. With global attention shifting from Wuhan to Washington, from Minneapolis to Lebanon, the father of two young children has spent another five months in incarceration without access to lawyers or family visitations. It follows what is approaching ten years of what the United Nations has repeatedly labeled arbitrary detention — the British government has so far failed to respond to three separate U.N. reports and correspondences on the matter. | Serena Tinari, a Switzerland-based investigative journalist, condemned Britain's handling of the case…

Anand Naidoo (2020-08-18). The Heat: U.S.-China Trade. america.cgtn.com Despite escalating diplomatic and political tensions between the United States and China, both sides remain committed to a trade deal. At the beginning of 2020 the U.S. and China signed Phase One of a bilateral trade agreement. It signaled a truce in their bruising dispute …

RT (2020-08-18). Australian police raid fishing boat and find 1 TON of cocaine, worth up to $180 MILLION. rt.com Australian law enforcement has seized around a ton of cocaine after dramatically raiding a moving vessel which had received the major transfer of drugs from another boat, about 200 nautical miles off the coast of Newcastle. | Saturday's raid followed an Australian border force investigation, which began last week after authorities spotted a ship moving in an unusual trajectory from the coast of China. A fishing vessel named the Coralynne approached the boat from China and allegedly performed an "at-sea transfer of illicit drugs bound for Australia," New South Wales Police reports. Police posted a video of the…

RT (2020-08-18). More than 100,000 evacuated as southwestern China stricken by worst floods in decades (VIDEO). rt.com Authorities in China's southwestern Sichuan province have raised the flood emergency alert to the highest level for the first time on record as local rivers broke their banks and flooded the cities, sparking massive evacuations. | Continuous rainfall has caused the worst flooding in Sichuan in some 70 years. More than two dozen of the region's major rivers overran their banks with muddy swelling waters flooding urban areas. The streets of Leshan — a major provincial city located at the confluence of two rivers — have been almost entirely submerged by water. | Footage published by the Ruptly video…

Eds. (2020-08-18). Oil spill threatens disaster for Mauritius. mronline.org The Japanese-owned (Mitsui-operated) MV Wakashio was en route to Brazil from China to fetch iron ore from a port owned by the notorious mining company Vale. Here the ship is seen having run aground near Blue Bay, one of the area's most pristine sites for coral, already threatened by bleaching due to the climate crisis. …

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-18). Trump Gives Chinese Parent Company 90 Days to Divest from TikTok. globalresearch.ca US cold war on China risks turning hot if bipartisan hardliners in Washington push things too far. | Their hostile actions are all about wanting China's development, growth, and prominence on the world stage undermined. | Since Trump took office, scores of …

teleSUR (2020-08-18). China Demands US To Cancel Measures Against TikTok. telesurenglish.net China's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian rejected the announcement to ban TikTok and WeChat in the United States made by President Donald Trump's administration. | RELATED: | He said that TikTok follows the U.S. regulations, its managers are U.S. citizens, and its servers are outside of China. | Zhao also affirmed that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has confirmed that China…

Larry Wilkerson (2020-08-18). The Danger of War With China is Real and Insane. zcomm.org China and the U.S. must work together to solve the climate crisis, but the power of the militaries and national security states on both sides is making that impossible…

teleSUR (2020-08-17). China Announces Its First COVID-19 Vaccine Patent. telesurenglish.net China's National Intellectual Property Administration Monday granted the first patent to a COVID-19 vaccine developed in the Asian nation. | RELATED: | The Ad5-nCoV vaccine was co-developed by CanSino Biologics, the Beijing Biotechnology Institute, and a People's Liberation Army (PLA) team. | During the next year, the vaccine will be for the military forces' exclusive use. However, the military high command will be responsible for autho…

WSWS (2020-08-17). US-backed opposition in Solomon Islands opposes ties to Beijing. wsws.org A provincial administration in Malaita insists that it has the right to maintain its own relations with Taiwan and refuses to recognise Beijing.

Xinhua (2020-08-17). Xi's article on Marxist political economy in contemporary China to be published. mronline.org An article by President Xi Jinping on opening new horizons of the Marxist political economy in contemporary China will be published Sunday.

Finian Cunningham (2020-08-17). US Snapback From Humiliation. thealtworld.com American President Donald Trump has darkly warned of something big this week, vowing to apply "snapback" international sanctions on Iran. It would be a drastic move and likely to further isolate Washington in the eyes of the world. | But the real snapback is Washington's fury after the United States was subjected to a humiliating diplomatic defeat at the UN security council last week. | A proposal by the US for the United Nations to extend an arms embargo on Iran was decisively rejected by the security council comprised of five permanent members and 11 non-permanent members. Russia and China voted against the…

yenisafak (2020-08-17). US imposes further sanctions on China's Huawei. yenisafak.com US President Donald Trump's administration on Monday expanded restrictions on Chinese telecom company Huawei over the company's alleged ties with the Chinese Communist Party.Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business that Huawei's access to semiconductor chips is banned, and new limitations will further prevent it from getting around the bar."On May 20, we issued an order that prevented American technology from being used in Huawei-designed chips. That led them to do some evasive measures. They were going through third parties," Ross said. "The new rule makes it clear that any use of American software or Am…

2020-08-19: News Headlines

Dilip Hiro (2020-08-19). Trump Is Losing the Tech War Against China. thenation.com Trump Is Losing the Tech War Against China…

yenisafak (2020-08-19). Brent oil price down with halt in US-China trade talks. yenisafak.com Oil prices eased on Wednesday after stagnant US economic stimulus talks, and with US President Donald Trump postponing US-China trade talks.International benchmark Brent crude was trading at $45.05 per barrel at 0614GMT for a 0.9% decrease after closing Tuesday at $45.46 a barrel.American benchmark West Texas Intermediate was at $42.56 per barrel at the same time, down 1.3% after ending the previous session at $43.12 a barrel.Trump on Tuesday said he postponed trade negotiations with China, commenting that he does not want to talk to China "right now."Scheduled talks between representatives from the US and China…

WSWS (2020-08-18). Responding to US provocations, Chinese officials appeal for "peaceful coexistence" wsws.org Chinese Foreign Minister Wang warned that relations between the US and Beijing were facing "the gravest challenge since the establishment of diplomatic ties" in the 1970s."

_____ (2020-08-18). Jimmy Lai Arrested, And Long Live Hong Kong. popularresistance.org The 71-year-old Lai, originally from Mainland China, owns a right-wing tabloid Apple Daily. He is known for dutifully echoing media salvos that are being fired by Western governments and media outlets, salvos against Beijing, and SAR administration, which in turn gained him, in the West, of course, various flattering and unreal titles such as 'an outspoken pro-democracy figure in Hong Kong who regularly criticizes China's authoritarian rule' (CBS News). Lies, of course. Obvious lies.

_____ (2020-08-18). 'What Happens If Julian Assange Dies In A British Prison?'. popularresistance.org For Assange however, justice delayed is not only justice denied. With global attention shifting from Wuhan to Washington, from Minneapolis to Lebanon, the father of two young children has spent another five months in incarceration without access to lawyers or family visitations. It follows what is approaching ten years of what the United Nations has repeatedly labeled arbitrary detention — the British government has so far failed to respond to three separate U.N. reports and correspondences on the matter. | Serena Tinari, a Switzerland-based investigative journalist, condemned Britain's handling of the case…

Anand Naidoo (2020-08-18). The Heat: U.S.-China Trade. america.cgtn.com Despite escalating diplomatic and political tensions between the United States and China, both sides remain committed to a trade deal. At the beginning of 2020 the U.S. and China signed Phase One of a bilateral trade agreement. It signaled a truce in their bruising dispute …

RT (2020-08-18). More than 100,000 evacuated as southwestern China stricken by worst floods in decades (VIDEO). rt.com Authorities in China's southwestern Sichuan province have raised the flood emergency alert to the highest level for the first time on record as local rivers broke their banks and flooded the cities, sparking massive evacuations. | Continuous rainfall has caused the worst flooding in Sichuan in some 70 years. More than two dozen of the region's major rivers overran their banks with muddy swelling waters flooding urban areas. The streets of Leshan — a major provincial city located at the confluence of two rivers — have been almost entirely submerged by water. | Footage published by the Ruptly video…

RT (2020-08-18). Australian police raid fishing boat and find 1 TON of cocaine, worth up to $180 MILLION. rt.com Australian law enforcement has seized around a ton of cocaine after dramatically raiding a moving vessel which had received the major transfer of drugs from another boat, about 200 nautical miles off the coast of Newcastle. | Saturday's raid followed an Australian border force investigation, which began last week after authorities spotted a ship moving in an unusual trajectory from the coast of China. A fishing vessel named the Coralynne approached the boat from China and allegedly performed an "at-sea transfer of illicit drugs bound for Australia," New South Wales Police reports. Police posted a video of the…

Eds. (2020-08-18). Oil spill threatens disaster for Mauritius. mronline.org The Japanese-owned (Mitsui-operated) MV Wakashio was en route to Brazil from China to fetch iron ore from a port owned by the notorious mining company Vale. Here the ship is seen having run aground near Blue Bay, one of the area's most pristine sites for coral, already threatened by bleaching due to the climate crisis. …

Stephen Lendman (2020-08-18). Trump Gives Chinese Parent Company 90 Days to Divest from TikTok. globalresearch.ca US cold war on China risks turning hot if bipartisan hardliners in Washington push things too far. | Their hostile actions are all about wanting China's development, growth, and prominence on the world stage undermined. | Since Trump took office, scores of …

teleSUR (2020-08-18). China Demands US To Cancel Measures Against TikTok. telesurenglish.net China's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian rejected the announcement to ban TikTok and WeChat in the United States made by President Donald Trump's administration. | RELATED: | He said that TikTok follows the U.S. regulations, its managers are U.S. citizens, and its servers are outside of China. | Zhao also affirmed that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has confirmed that China…

Larry Wilkerson (2020-08-18). The Danger of War With China is Real and Insane. zcomm.org China and the U.S. must work together to solve the climate crisis, but the power of the militaries and national security states on both sides is making that impossible…

teleSUR (2020-08-17). China Announces Its First COVID-19 Vaccine Patent. telesurenglish.net China's National Intellectual Property Administration Monday granted the first patent to a COVID-19 vaccine developed in the Asian nation. | RELATED: | The Ad5-nCoV vaccine was co-developed by CanSino Biologics, the Beijing Biotechnology Institute, and a People's Liberation Army (PLA) team. | During the next year, the vaccine will be for the military forces' exclusive use. However, the military high command will be responsible for autho…

WSWS (2020-08-17). US-backed opposition in Solomon Islands opposes ties to Beijing. wsws.org A provincial administration in Malaita insists that it has the right to maintain its own relations with Taiwan and refuses to recognise Beijing.

Xinhua (2020-08-17). Xi's article on Marxist political economy in contemporary China to be published. mronline.org An article by President Xi Jinping on opening new horizons of the Marxist political economy in contemporary China will be published Sunday.

Finian Cunningham (2020-08-17). US Snapback From Humiliation. thealtworld.com American President Donald Trump has darkly warned of something big this week, vowing to apply "snapback" international sanctions on Iran. It would be a drastic move and likely to further isolate Washington in the eyes of the world. | But the real snapback is Washington's fury after the United States was subjected to a humiliating diplomatic defeat at the UN security council last week. | A proposal by the US for the United Nations to extend an arms embargo on Iran was decisively rejected by the security council comprised of five permanent members and 11 non-permanent members. Russia and China voted against the…

yenisafak (2020-08-17). US imposes further sanctions on China's Huawei. yenisafak.com US President Donald Trump's administration on Monday expanded restrictions on Chinese telecom company Huawei over the company's alleged ties with the Chinese Communist Party.Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business that Huawei's access to semiconductor chips is banned, and new limitations will further prevent it from getting around the bar."On May 20, we issued an order that prevented American technology from being used in Huawei-designed chips. That led them to do some evasive measures. They were going through third parties," Ross said. "The new rule makes it clear that any use of American software or Am…

sputniknews (2020-08-16). Israel Closer to US 'Clean Network' by Abandoning Chinese 5G Tech, Report Claims. sputniknews.com Reports suggesting that the Trump administration is urging Tel Aviv to block China from the development of 5G infrastructure in Israel emerged in late May, falling in line with Washington's confrontation with Chinese tech giant Huawei over its alleged connections with Beijing intelligence.

yenisafak (2020-08-16). China's local COVID-19 cases fall as Xinjiang cluster recedes. yenisafak.com China's new locally transmitted cases of the novel coronavirus fell to a one-month low as a cluster in the western region of Xinjiang receded, data released by the country's health authority showed on Sunday.The number of locally transmitted cases in China dropped to four on Aug. 15, all of which were in Xinjiang, the National Health Commission said in a statement. That compares with eight cases nationwide a day earlier and is the lowest since July 16.No new locally transmitted cases were recorded on Aug. 15 in the city of Shenzhen in southern Guangdong province after provincial authorities there reported fresh i…

teleSUR (2020-08-16). US: Trump Plans to Ban Alibaba, China's e-Commerce Giant. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday admitted he is considering banning from the U.S the activity of Alibaba, China's Internet e-commerce company. | RELATED: | "Besides TikTok, we are planning to ban the activities of other Chinese companies in the U.S., including Alibaba," Trump said at a press conference. | Trump previously banned the short video application TikTok, owned by ByteDance, and Tencent's WeChat messaging s…

_____ (2020-08-16). Belarus: Imperialists Run The Same Tired Old Script. popularresistance.org The Western establishment narrative managers always follow the same patterns. Just like they fixated on Hong Kong protests, while ignoring those in US-aligned France or Israel, now they're cheering on protests in Belarus. | Imperialist pundit and Obama administration Cold Warrior Michael McFaul recently tweeted the following: | "Belarusians, inside and outside of the country, have reached out to me this week to ask why the West is so indifferent to their courageous fight for democracy. I can't explain. Can you?" | I am not highlighting this tweet because it is remarkable…

Hasan Bayram, Nurdan Kà∂ktàºrk, Osman Elbek, Oƒüuz Kƒ±lƒ±nàß, Abdullah Sayƒ±ner, Elif Daƒülƒ±, Turkish Thoracic Society (2020-08-15). [Correspondence] Interference in scientific research on COVID-19 in Turkey. thelancet.com Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as it was later named, was first identified in Wuhan, China, on Jan 7, 2020.1 Over the following months, the virus rapidly spread throughout the world. The disease, COVID-19, was characterised as a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. On the same day, the Turkish Ministry of Health reported the first case in Turkey.2 According to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data platform, which analyses the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the disease reached Turkey mainly through Iran, with whom Turkey has strong commercial and touristic ties, and…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-08-15). COVID-19 Coronavirus "Fake" Pandemic: Timeline and Analysis. globalresearch.ca On January 30, a far-reaching decision was taken by the WHO without the support of expert opinion at a time when the coronavirus outbreak was limited to Mainland China. 150 confirmed cases outside China, when the decision was taken, 6 in the US, 3 in Canada, 2 in the UK, etc. In early March, 430 cases in the US.

Lin Liangduo (2020-08-15). China's Message to Donald: What Do You Want from Us? globalresearch.ca Translated from Chinese for Global Research; first published in January 2020. | Enough is enough. Enough hypocrisy for this one world. | What do you want from us, anyway? What Do You Really Want from Us? | When we were the sick man …

2020-08-18: News Headlines

Eds. (2020-08-18). Oil spill threatens disaster for Mauritius. mronline.org The Japanese-owned (Mitsui-operated) MV Wakashio was en route to Brazil from China to fetch iron ore from a port owned by the notorious mining company Vale. Here the ship is seen having run aground near Blue Bay, one of the area's most pristine sites for coral, already threatened by bleaching due to the climate crisis. …

Larry Wilkerson (2020-08-18). The Danger of War With China is Real and Insane. zcomm.org China and the U.S. must work together to solve the climate crisis, but the power of the militaries and national security states on both sides is making that impossible…

teleSUR (2020-08-17). China Announces Its First COVID-19 Vaccine Patent. telesurenglish.net China's National Intellectual Property Administration Monday granted the first patent to a COVID-19 vaccine developed in the Asian nation. | RELATED: | The Ad5-nCoV vaccine was co-developed by CanSino Biologics, the Beijing Biotechnology Institute, and a People's Liberation Army (PLA) team. | During the next year, the vaccine will be for the military forces' exclusive use. However, the military high command will be responsible for autho…

WSWS (2020-08-17). US-backed opposition in Solomon Islands opposes ties to Beijing. wsws.org A provincial administration in Malaita insists that it has the right to maintain its own relations with Taiwan and refuses to recognise Beijing.

Xinhua (2020-08-17). Xi's article on Marxist political economy in contemporary China to be published. mronline.org An article by President Xi Jinping on opening new horizons of the Marxist political economy in contemporary China will be published Sunday.

Finian Cunningham (2020-08-17). US Snapback From Humiliation. thealtworld.com American President Donald Trump has darkly warned of something big this week, vowing to apply "snapback" international sanctions on Iran. It would be a drastic move and likely to further isolate Washington in the eyes of the world. | But the real snapback is Washington's fury after the United States was subjected to a humiliating diplomatic defeat at the UN security council last week. | A proposal by the US for the United Nations to extend an arms embargo on Iran was decisively rejected by the security council comprised of five permanent members and 11 non-permanent members. Russia and China voted against the…

yenisafak (2020-08-17). US imposes further sanctions on China's Huawei. yenisafak.com US President Donald Trump's administration on Monday expanded restrictions on Chinese telecom company Huawei over the company's alleged ties with the Chinese Communist Party.Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business that Huawei's access to semiconductor chips is banned, and new limitations will further prevent it from getting around the bar."On May 20, we issued an order that prevented American technology from being used in Huawei-designed chips. That led them to do some evasive measures. They were going through third parties," Ross said. "The new rule makes it clear that any use of American software or Am…

sputniknews (2020-08-16). Israel Closer to US 'Clean Network' by Abandoning Chinese 5G Tech, Report Claims. sputniknews.com Reports suggesting that the Trump administration is urging Tel Aviv to block China from the development of 5G infrastructure in Israel emerged in late May, falling in line with Washington's confrontation with Chinese tech giant Huawei over its alleged connections with Beijing intelligence.

yenisafak (2020-08-16). China's local COVID-19 cases fall as Xinjiang cluster recedes. yenisafak.com China's new locally transmitted cases of the novel coronavirus fell to a one-month low as a cluster in the western region of Xinjiang receded, data released by the country's health authority showed on Sunday.The number of locally transmitted cases in China dropped to four on Aug. 15, all of which were in Xinjiang, the National Health Commission said in a statement. That compares with eight cases nationwide a day earlier and is the lowest since July 16.No new locally transmitted cases were recorded on Aug. 15 in the city of Shenzhen in southern Guangdong province after provincial authorities there reported fresh i…

teleSUR (2020-08-16). US: Trump Plans to Ban Alibaba, China's e-Commerce Giant. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday admitted he is considering banning from the U.S the activity of Alibaba, China's Internet e-commerce company. | RELATED: | "Besides TikTok, we are planning to ban the activities of other Chinese companies in the U.S., including Alibaba," Trump said at a press conference. | Trump previously banned the short video application TikTok, owned by ByteDance, and Tencent's WeChat messaging s…

_____ (2020-08-16). Belarus: Imperialists Run The Same Tired Old Script. popularresistance.org The Western establishment narrative managers always follow the same patterns. Just like they fixated on Hong Kong protests, while ignoring those in US-aligned France or Israel, now they're cheering on protests in Belarus. | Imperialist pundit and Obama administration Cold Warrior Michael McFaul recently tweeted the following: | "Belarusians, inside and outside of the country, have reached out to me this week to ask why the West is so indifferent to their courageous fight for democracy. I can't explain. Can you?" | I am not highlighting this tweet because it is remarkable…

Hasan Bayram, Nurdan Kà∂ktàºrk, Osman Elbek, Oƒüuz Kƒ±lƒ±nàß, Abdullah Sayƒ±ner, Elif Daƒülƒ±, Turkish Thoracic Society (2020-08-15). [Correspondence] Interference in scientific research on COVID-19 in Turkey. thelancet.com Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as it was later named, was first identified in Wuhan, China, on Jan 7, 2020.1 Over the following months, the virus rapidly spread throughout the world. The disease, COVID-19, was characterised as a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. On the same day, the Turkish Ministry of Health reported the first case in Turkey.2 According to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data platform, which analyses the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the disease reached Turkey mainly through Iran, with whom Turkey has strong commercial and touristic ties, and…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-08-15). COVID-19 Coronavirus "Fake" Pandemic: Timeline and Analysis. globalresearch.ca On January 30, a far-reaching decision was taken by the WHO without the support of expert opinion at a time when the coronavirus outbreak was limited to Mainland China. 150 confirmed cases outside China, when the decision was taken, 6 in the US, 3 in Canada, 2 in the UK, etc. In early March, 430 cases in the US.

Lin Liangduo (2020-08-15). China's Message to Donald: What Do You Want from Us? globalresearch.ca Translated from Chinese for Global Research; first published in January 2020. | Enough is enough. Enough hypocrisy for this one world. | What do you want from us, anyway? What Do You Really Want from Us? | When we were the sick man …

Michael K. Smith (2020-08-14). The "Lesser-Evil" Syndrome: Noam Chomsky's Fall Into Self-Contradiction. dissidentvoice.org In a recent interview Noam Chomsky declared that there "was a big difference" between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential elections, a difference "you could count in several million corpses in Indochina." But, Chomsky added, "a lot of the young people on the left said, "I'm not going to vote for Humphrey. …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-14). Trump Targets TikTok Social Media Platform, Escalates Trade War Between the U.S. and China. globalresearch.ca U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that could ban TikTok from the U.S. if it is not purchased by an American company. On August 6, Trump's executive order banned U.S. financial transactions with Chinese company ByteDance, owner …

teleSUR (2020-08-14). China Calls to Reject US Interference in 5G Cooperation. telesurenglish.net China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, has called on the international community to reject U.S. hegemonic interference in other countries' 5G cooperation and uphold a fair, just, open, and non-discriminatory business environment. | RELATED: | The pronouncement came after the United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed with the Slovenian foreign minister a joint declaration on 5G security durin…

Prabir Purkayastha (2020-08-14). Why 5G is the First Stage of a Tech War Between the U.S. and China. counterpunch.org The U.S. tech war on China continues, banning Chinese equipment from its network, and asking its Five Eyes partners and NATO allies to follow suit. It is a market and a technology denial regime that seeks to win back manufacturing that the U.S. and European countries have lost to China. International trade assumed that goods

Eva Lee (2020-08-14). Saturday 8/15: SF Chinatown Walkway Weekends. indybay.org Chinatown, Grant Avenue from California to Washington Streets…

_____ (2020-08-14). US Space Force Faults Russia, China For 'Militarizing Space'. popularresistance.org US defense leaders have firmly pointed the finger at Russia and China as the raison d'etre for the US Space Force (USSF), claiming the nations have "militarized space," requiring the US to respond. However, what is really threatened is US space superiority, as the Pentagon has tested space weapons for decades. US Space Command has raised warning bells about the challenging of US superiority in space since at least its 1997 "Vision for 2020," but it was only in December 2019 that the USSF was formally created by US President Donald Trump. | In February 2020, Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay"

sputniknews (2020-08-14). US Formalizes Sale of 66 F-16 Jets to Taiwan Amid Heightened China Tensions. sputniknews.com Taiwan has formally signed an agreement to buy 66 of Lockheed Martin's latest F-16 jets, marking the first sale of advanced fighter jets to Taiwan since 1992, when then-US President George H.W. Bush approved the sale of 150 F-16s.

WSWS (2020-08-14). Sri Lankan prime minister admits US is behind Colombo Port deal with India. wsws.org The Colombo Port workers' struggle has demonstrated that the US and India want Sri Lanka tied to their strategic and military moves against nuclear-armed China.

2020-08-17: News Headlines

teleSUR (2020-08-17). China Announces Its First COVID-19 Vaccine Patent. telesurenglish.net China's National Intellectual Property Administration Monday granted the first patent to a COVID-19 vaccine developed in the Asian nation. | RELATED: | The Ad5-nCoV vaccine was co-developed by CanSino Biologics, the Beijing Biotechnology Institute, and a People's Liberation Army (PLA) team. | During the next year, the vaccine will be for the military forces' exclusive use. However, the military high command will be responsible for autho…

WSWS (2020-08-17). US-backed opposition in Solomon Islands opposes ties to Beijing. wsws.org A provincial administration in Malaita insists that it has the right to maintain its own relations with Taiwan and refuses to recognise Beijing.

Xinhua (2020-08-17). Xi's article on Marxist political economy in contemporary China to be published. mronline.org An article by President Xi Jinping on opening new horizons of the Marxist political economy in contemporary China will be published Sunday.

yenisafak (2020-08-17). US imposes further sanctions on China's Huawei. yenisafak.com US President Donald Trump's administration on Monday expanded restrictions on Chinese telecom company Huawei over the company's alleged ties with the Chinese Communist Party.Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business that Huawei's access to semiconductor chips is banned, and new limitations will further prevent it from getting around the bar."On May 20, we issued an order that prevented American technology from being used in Huawei-designed chips. That led them to do some evasive measures. They were going through third parties," Ross said. "The new rule makes it clear that any use of American software or Am…

sputniknews (2020-08-16). Israel Closer to US 'Clean Network' by Abandoning Chinese 5G Tech, Report Claims. sputniknews.com Reports suggesting that the Trump administration is urging Tel Aviv to block China from the development of 5G infrastructure in Israel emerged in late May, falling in line with Washington's confrontation with Chinese tech giant Huawei over its alleged connections with Beijing intelligence.

yenisafak (2020-08-16). China's local COVID-19 cases fall as Xinjiang cluster recedes. yenisafak.com China's new locally transmitted cases of the novel coronavirus fell to a one-month low as a cluster in the western region of Xinjiang receded, data released by the country's health authority showed on Sunday.The number of locally transmitted cases in China dropped to four on Aug. 15, all of which were in Xinjiang, the National Health Commission said in a statement. That compares with eight cases nationwide a day earlier and is the lowest since July 16.No new locally transmitted cases were recorded on Aug. 15 in the city of Shenzhen in southern Guangdong province after provincial authorities there reported fresh i…

teleSUR (2020-08-16). US: Trump Plans to Ban Alibaba, China's e-Commerce Giant. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday admitted he is considering banning from the U.S the activity of Alibaba, China's Internet e-commerce company. | RELATED: | "Besides TikTok, we are planning to ban the activities of other Chinese companies in the U.S., including Alibaba," Trump said at a press conference. | Trump previously banned the short video application TikTok, owned by ByteDance, and Tencent's WeChat messaging s…

_____ (2020-08-16). Belarus: Imperialists Run The Same Tired Old Script. popularresistance.org The Western establishment narrative managers always follow the same patterns. Just like they fixated on Hong Kong protests, while ignoring those in US-aligned France or Israel, now they're cheering on protests in Belarus. | Imperialist pundit and Obama administration Cold Warrior Michael McFaul recently tweeted the following: | "Belarusians, inside and outside of the country, have reached out to me this week to ask why the West is so indifferent to their courageous fight for democracy. I can't explain. Can you?" | I am not highlighting this tweet because it is remarkable…

Hasan Bayram, Nurdan Kà∂ktàºrk, Osman Elbek, Oƒüuz Kƒ±lƒ±nàß, Abdullah Sayƒ±ner, Elif Daƒülƒ±, Turkish Thoracic Society (2020-08-15). [Correspondence] Interference in scientific research on COVID-19 in Turkey. thelancet.com Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as it was later named, was first identified in Wuhan, China, on Jan 7, 2020.1 Over the following months, the virus rapidly spread throughout the world. The disease, COVID-19, was characterised as a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. On the same day, the Turkish Ministry of Health reported the first case in Turkey.2 According to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data platform, which analyses the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the disease reached Turkey mainly through Iran, with whom Turkey has strong commercial and touristic ties, and…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-08-15). COVID-19 Coronavirus "Fake" Pandemic: Timeline and Analysis. globalresearch.ca On January 30, a far-reaching decision was taken by the WHO without the support of expert opinion at a time when the coronavirus outbreak was limited to Mainland China. 150 confirmed cases outside China, when the decision was taken, 6 in the US, 3 in Canada, 2 in the UK, etc. In early March, 430 cases in the US.

Lin Liangduo (2020-08-15). China's Message to Donald: What Do You Want from Us? globalresearch.ca Translated from Chinese for Global Research; first published in January 2020. | Enough is enough. Enough hypocrisy for this one world. | What do you want from us, anyway? What Do You Really Want from Us? | When we were the sick man …

Michael K. Smith (2020-08-14). The "Lesser-Evil" Syndrome: Noam Chomsky's Fall Into Self-Contradiction. dissidentvoice.org In a recent interview Noam Chomsky declared that there "was a big difference" between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential elections, a difference "you could count in several million corpses in Indochina." But, Chomsky added, "a lot of the young people on the left said, "I'm not going to vote for Humphrey. …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-14). Trump Targets TikTok Social Media Platform, Escalates Trade War Between the U.S. and China. globalresearch.ca U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that could ban TikTok from the U.S. if it is not purchased by an American company. On August 6, Trump's executive order banned U.S. financial transactions with Chinese company ByteDance, owner …

Prabir Purkayastha (2020-08-14). Why 5G is the First Stage of a Tech War Between the U.S. and China. counterpunch.org The U.S. tech war on China continues, banning Chinese equipment from its network, and asking its Five Eyes partners and NATO allies to follow suit. It is a market and a technology denial regime that seeks to win back manufacturing that the U.S. and European countries have lost to China. International trade assumed that goods

teleSUR (2020-08-14). China Calls to Reject US Interference in 5G Cooperation. telesurenglish.net China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, has called on the international community to reject U.S. hegemonic interference in other countries' 5G cooperation and uphold a fair, just, open, and non-discriminatory business environment. | RELATED: | The pronouncement came after the United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed with the Slovenian foreign minister a joint declaration on 5G security durin…

Eva Lee (2020-08-14). Saturday 8/15: SF Chinatown Walkway Weekends. indybay.org Chinatown, Grant Avenue from California to Washington Streets…

_____ (2020-08-14). US Space Force Faults Russia, China For 'Militarizing Space'. popularresistance.org US defense leaders have firmly pointed the finger at Russia and China as the raison d'etre for the US Space Force (USSF), claiming the nations have "militarized space," requiring the US to respond. However, what is really threatened is US space superiority, as the Pentagon has tested space weapons for decades. US Space Command has raised warning bells about the challenging of US superiority in space since at least its 1997 "Vision for 2020," but it was only in December 2019 that the USSF was formally created by US President Donald Trump. | In February 2020, Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay"

sputniknews (2020-08-14). US Formalizes Sale of 66 F-16 Jets to Taiwan Amid Heightened China Tensions. sputniknews.com Taiwan has formally signed an agreement to buy 66 of Lockheed Martin's latest F-16 jets, marking the first sale of advanced fighter jets to Taiwan since 1992, when then-US President George H.W. Bush approved the sale of 150 F-16s.

WSWS (2020-08-14). Sri Lankan prime minister admits US is behind Colombo Port deal with India. wsws.org The Colombo Port workers' struggle has demonstrated that the US and India want Sri Lanka tied to their strategic and military moves against nuclear-armed China.

sputniknews (2020-08-13). US 'Satisfied' With China's Progress on Trade Deal, White House Adviser Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States is satisfied with the progress made by China on the trade deal between the two countries, although Beijing's political actions were still a sore point for President Donald Trump, White House Adviser Larry Kudlow said.

yenisafak (2020-08-13). China says US' Pompeo spreading 'political viruses'. yenisafak.com China on Thursday slammed top US diplomat Mike Pompeo for spreading "political viruses and disinformation" as tensions between the two economic powers show no signs of abating.At a news conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the US secretary of state's persistent criticism of China and the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) stemmed from "a Cold War mentality and selfishness.""Wherever Pompeo goes, he brings political viruses and disinformation," he was quoted as saying by the daily Global Times.The reaction was in response to Pompeo's remarks on‚ÄØWednesday that…

Andre Vltchek (2020-08-13). Hong Kong Elections Postponed: And where aren't they? dissidentvoice.org Today, the Western press went absolutely mental again, radically schizophrenic. Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, declared that the September 6 elections in SAR would be postponed by one year. Right away, she offered a rational explanation: "We have 3 million voters going out in one day across Hong Kong, such flow of people would cause …

_____ (2020-08-13). Xinjiang And Uyghurs — What You're Not Being Told. popularresistance.org Like a few other provinces, Xinjiang is an "autonomous" region, which means it is run by Uyghurs for the most part. For example, the current "governor" is Shohrat Zakir, an Uyghur man who's been in charge since 2014. | Also to remember are two nuggets of information: Xinjiang is a really vast region — it's four times as large as California(!); and Uyghurs make up only about 40% of Xinjiang's population. Overall, Uyghurs account for only 0.7% of China's population. That's about the same percentage as the Native American population in the U.S. now.

John Ranson (2020-08-13). Until you've drifted a mile in their tiny dinghy, don't even think about criticising the Channel crossers. thecanary.co I can still remember the first bit of political graffiti I ever saw. It was in the 70s. I can't have been more than about four or five. Daubed scruffily on a bridge in Norwich were the words: "NO MORE BOAT PEOPLE". | Boat People: | Having no idea what on earth this meant, I asked my mum, who explained that it referred to people from countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia who were escaping war and trying to get into the UK. Well fair play to them I thought, dimly aware that those countries were somewhere near China and therefore a hell of a long way away. If they can make it all the way in a little boat (I…

2020-08-16: News Headlines

yenisafak (2020-08-16). China's local COVID-19 cases fall as Xinjiang cluster recedes. yenisafak.com China's new locally transmitted cases of the novel coronavirus fell to a one-month low as a cluster in the western region of Xinjiang receded, data released by the country's health authority showed on Sunday.The number of locally transmitted cases in China dropped to four on Aug. 15, all of which were in Xinjiang, the National Health Commission said in a statement. That compares with eight cases nationwide a day earlier and is the lowest since July 16.No new locally transmitted cases were recorded on Aug. 15 in the city of Shenzhen in southern Guangdong province after provincial authorities there reported fresh i…

_____ (2020-08-16). Belarus: Imperialists Run The Same Tired Old Script. popularresistance.org The Western establishment narrative managers always follow the same patterns. Just like they fixated on Hong Kong protests, while ignoring those in US-aligned France or Israel, now they're cheering on protests in Belarus. | Imperialist pundit and Obama administration Cold Warrior Michael McFaul recently tweeted the following: | "Belarusians, inside and outside of the country, have reached out to me this week to ask why the West is so indifferent to their courageous fight for democracy. I can't explain. Can you?" | I am not highlighting this tweet because it is remarkable…

Hasan Bayram, Nurdan Kà∂ktàºrk, Osman Elbek, Oƒüuz Kƒ±lƒ±nàß, Abdullah Sayƒ±ner, Elif Daƒülƒ±, Turkish Thoracic Society (2020-08-15). [Correspondence] Interference in scientific research on COVID-19 in Turkey. thelancet.com Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as it was later named, was first identified in Wuhan, China, on Jan 7, 2020.1 Over the following months, the virus rapidly spread throughout the world. The disease, COVID-19, was characterised as a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. On the same day, the Turkish Ministry of Health reported the first case in Turkey.2 According to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data platform, which analyses the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the disease reached Turkey mainly through Iran, with whom Turkey has strong commercial and touristic ties, and…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-08-15). COVID-19 Coronavirus "Fake" Pandemic: Timeline and Analysis. globalresearch.ca On January 30, a far-reaching decision was taken by the WHO without the support of expert opinion at a time when the coronavirus outbreak was limited to Mainland China. 150 confirmed cases outside China, when the decision was taken, 6 in the US, 3 in Canada, 2 in the UK, etc. In early March, 430 cases in the US.

Lin Liangduo (2020-08-15). China's Message to Donald: What Do You Want from Us? globalresearch.ca Translated from Chinese for Global Research; first published in January 2020. | Enough is enough. Enough hypocrisy for this one world. | What do you want from us, anyway? What Do You Really Want from Us? | When we were the sick man …

Michael K. Smith (2020-08-14). The "Lesser-Evil" Syndrome: Noam Chomsky's Fall Into Self-Contradiction. dissidentvoice.org In a recent interview Noam Chomsky declared that there "was a big difference" between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential elections, a difference "you could count in several million corpses in Indochina." But, Chomsky added, "a lot of the young people on the left said, "I'm not going to vote for Humphrey. …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-14). Trump Targets TikTok Social Media Platform, Escalates Trade War Between the U.S. and China. globalresearch.ca U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that could ban TikTok from the U.S. if it is not purchased by an American company. On August 6, Trump's executive order banned U.S. financial transactions with Chinese company ByteDance, owner …

teleSUR (2020-08-14). China Calls to Reject US Interference in 5G Cooperation. telesurenglish.net China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, has called on the international community to reject U.S. hegemonic interference in other countries' 5G cooperation and uphold a fair, just, open, and non-discriminatory business environment. | RELATED: | The pronouncement came after the United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed with the Slovenian foreign minister a joint declaration on 5G security durin…

Prabir Purkayastha (2020-08-14). Why 5G is the First Stage of a Tech War Between the U.S. and China. counterpunch.org The U.S. tech war on China continues, banning Chinese equipment from its network, and asking its Five Eyes partners and NATO allies to follow suit. It is a market and a technology denial regime that seeks to win back manufacturing that the U.S. and European countries have lost to China. International trade assumed that goods

Eva Lee (2020-08-14). Saturday 8/15: SF Chinatown Walkway Weekends. indybay.org Chinatown, Grant Avenue from California to Washington Streets…

_____ (2020-08-14). US Space Force Faults Russia, China For 'Militarizing Space'. popularresistance.org US defense leaders have firmly pointed the finger at Russia and China as the raison d'etre for the US Space Force (USSF), claiming the nations have "militarized space," requiring the US to respond. However, what is really threatened is US space superiority, as the Pentagon has tested space weapons for decades. US Space Command has raised warning bells about the challenging of US superiority in space since at least its 1997 "Vision for 2020," but it was only in December 2019 that the USSF was formally created by US President Donald Trump. | In February 2020, Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay"

sputniknews (2020-08-14). US Formalizes Sale of 66 F-16 Jets to Taiwan Amid Heightened China Tensions. sputniknews.com Taiwan has formally signed an agreement to buy 66 of Lockheed Martin's latest F-16 jets, marking the first sale of advanced fighter jets to Taiwan since 1992, when then-US President George H.W. Bush approved the sale of 150 F-16s.

WSWS (2020-08-14). Sri Lankan prime minister admits US is behind Colombo Port deal with India. wsws.org The Colombo Port workers' struggle has demonstrated that the US and India want Sri Lanka tied to their strategic and military moves against nuclear-armed China.

sputniknews (2020-08-13). US 'Satisfied' With China's Progress on Trade Deal, White House Adviser Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States is satisfied with the progress made by China on the trade deal between the two countries, although Beijing's political actions were still a sore point for President Donald Trump, White House Adviser Larry Kudlow said.

yenisafak (2020-08-13). China says US' Pompeo spreading 'political viruses'. yenisafak.com China on Thursday slammed top US diplomat Mike Pompeo for spreading "political viruses and disinformation" as tensions between the two economic powers show no signs of abating.At a news conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the US secretary of state's persistent criticism of China and the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) stemmed from "a Cold War mentality and selfishness.""Wherever Pompeo goes, he brings political viruses and disinformation," he was quoted as saying by the daily Global Times.The reaction was in response to Pompeo's remarks on‚ÄØWednesday that…

Jaime Chu (2020-08-13). Who Gets to Tell the Story of Wuhan's Lockdown? thenation.com Who Gets to Tell the Story of Wuhan's Lockdown?

Andre Vltchek (2020-08-13). Hong Kong Elections Postponed: And where aren't they? dissidentvoice.org Today, the Western press went absolutely mental again, radically schizophrenic. Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, declared that the September 6 elections in SAR would be postponed by one year. Right away, she offered a rational explanation: "We have 3 million voters going out in one day across Hong Kong, such flow of people would cause …

Margaret Kimberley (2020-08-13). Freedom Rider: TikTok and the War on China. mronline.org Every charge that Trump and his minions make against Chinese companies is true for US corporations, which have been spying on Americans and the rest of the world for decades.

_____ (2020-08-13). Xinjiang And Uyghurs — What You're Not Being Told. popularresistance.org Like a few other provinces, Xinjiang is an "autonomous" region, which means it is run by Uyghurs for the most part. For example, the current "governor" is Shohrat Zakir, an Uyghur man who's been in charge since 2014. | Also to remember are two nuggets of information: Xinjiang is a really vast region — it's four times as large as California(!); and Uyghurs make up only about 40% of Xinjiang's population. Overall, Uyghurs account for only 0.7% of China's population. That's about the same percentage as the Native American population in the U.S. now.

John Ranson (2020-08-13). Until you've drifted a mile in their tiny dinghy, don't even think about criticising the Channel crossers. thecanary.co I can still remember the first bit of political graffiti I ever saw. It was in the 70s. I can't have been more than about four or five. Daubed scruffily on a bridge in Norwich were the words: "NO MORE BOAT PEOPLE". | Boat People: | Having no idea what on earth this meant, I asked my mum, who explained that it referred to people from countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia who were escaping war and trying to get into the UK. Well fair play to them I thought, dimly aware that those countries were somewhere near China and therefore a hell of a long way away. If they can make it all the way in a little boat (I…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-12). Selective Maritime Rules: The United States, Diego Garcia and International Law. counterpunch.org 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 released a statement putting any uncertain minds at ease on where Washington stood on the matter. "We are making clear: Beijing's claims to offshore

Zhanwei Du, Emily Javan, Ciara Nugent, Benjamin J. Cowling, Lauren Ancel Meyers (2020-08-12). Using the COVID-19 to influenza ratio to estimate early pandemic spread in Wuhan, China and Seattle, US. thelancet.com The spread of COVID-19 in Wuhan and Seattle was far more extensive than initially reported. The virus likely spread for months in Wuhan before the lockdown. Given that COVID-19 appears to be overwhelmingly mild in children, our high estimate for symptomatic pediatric cases in Seattle suggests that there may have been thousands more mild cases at the time.

Pepe Escobar (2020-08-12). Lebanon should look East and abandon the West. thealtworld.com Post-blast Lebanon has everything to gain from rejecting the West's neoliberal demands and embracing China's Belt and Road | As much as Covid-19 has been instrumentalized by the 0.001% to social-engineer a Facing oh-so-timely color-revolution-style "protests," the current Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab has already resigned. | Even before the onshore portion of the port blew up, Beirut had requested a US$10 billion…

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…

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.

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.

_____ (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.

sputniknews (2020-08-12). Arkansas Man Planted 'Mysterious China Seeds', Drawing Concerns From USDA. sputniknews.com The United States Department of Agriculture has issued a warning against "questionable" foreign seeds, advising Americans not to plant them. The warning came after multiple reports emerged of US citizens receiving unsolicited packages from China and other Asian countries containing the seeds.

2020-08-15: News Headlines

Hasan Bayram, Nurdan Kà∂ktàºrk, Osman Elbek, Oƒüuz Kƒ±lƒ±nàß, Abdullah Sayƒ±ner, Elif Daƒülƒ±, Turkish Thoracic Society (2020-08-15). [Correspondence] Interference in scientific research on COVID-19 in Turkey. thelancet.com Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as it was later named, was first identified in Wuhan, China, on Jan 7, 2020.1 Over the following months, the virus rapidly spread throughout the world. The disease, COVID-19, was characterised as a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. On the same day, the Turkish Ministry of Health reported the first case in Turkey.2 According to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data platform, which analyses the genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, the disease reached Turkey mainly through Iran, with whom Turkey has strong commercial and touristic ties, and…

Michael K. Smith (2020-08-14). The "Lesser-Evil" Syndrome: Noam Chomsky's Fall Into Self-Contradiction. dissidentvoice.org In a recent interview Noam Chomsky declared that there "was a big difference" between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential elections, a difference "you could count in several million corpses in Indochina." But, Chomsky added, "a lot of the young people on the left said, "I'm not going to vote for Humphrey. …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-08-14). Trump Targets TikTok Social Media Platform, Escalates Trade War Between the U.S. and China. globalresearch.ca U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order that could ban TikTok from the U.S. if it is not purchased by an American company. On August 6, Trump's executive order banned U.S. financial transactions with Chinese company ByteDance, owner …

teleSUR (2020-08-14). China Calls to Reject US Interference in 5G Cooperation. telesurenglish.net China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, has called on the international community to reject U.S. hegemonic interference in other countries' 5G cooperation and uphold a fair, just, open, and non-discriminatory business environment. | RELATED: | The pronouncement came after the United States (U.S.) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed with the Slovenian foreign minister a joint declaration on 5G security durin…

Prabir Purkayastha (2020-08-14). Why 5G is the First Stage of a Tech War Between the U.S. and China. counterpunch.org The U.S. tech war on China continues, banning Chinese equipment from its network, and asking its Five Eyes partners and NATO allies to follow suit. It is a market and a technology denial regime that seeks to win back manufacturing that the U.S. and European countries have lost to China. International trade assumed that goods

Eva Lee (2020-08-14). Saturday 8/15: SF Chinatown Walkway Weekends. indybay.org Chinatown, Grant Avenue from California to Washington Streets…

_____ (2020-08-14). US Space Force Faults Russia, China For 'Militarizing Space'. popularresistance.org US defense leaders have firmly pointed the finger at Russia and China as the raison d'etre for the US Space Force (USSF), claiming the nations have "militarized space," requiring the US to respond. However, what is really threatened is US space superiority, as the Pentagon has tested space weapons for decades. US Space Command has raised warning bells about the challenging of US superiority in space since at least its 1997 "Vision for 2020," but it was only in December 2019 that the USSF was formally created by US President Donald Trump. | In February 2020, Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. "Jay"

sputniknews (2020-08-14). US Formalizes Sale of 66 F-16 Jets to Taiwan Amid Heightened China Tensions. sputniknews.com Taiwan has formally signed an agreement to buy 66 of Lockheed Martin's latest F-16 jets, marking the first sale of advanced fighter jets to Taiwan since 1992, when then-US President George H.W. Bush approved the sale of 150 F-16s.

WSWS (2020-08-14). Sri Lankan prime minister admits US is behind Colombo Port deal with India. wsws.org The Colombo Port workers' struggle has demonstrated that the US and India want Sri Lanka tied to their strategic and military moves against nuclear-armed China.

sputniknews (2020-08-13). US 'Satisfied' With China's Progress on Trade Deal, White House Adviser Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States is satisfied with the progress made by China on the trade deal between the two countries, although Beijing's political actions were still a sore point for President Donald Trump, White House Adviser Larry Kudlow said.

yenisafak (2020-08-13). China says US' Pompeo spreading 'political viruses'. yenisafak.com China on Thursday slammed top US diplomat Mike Pompeo for spreading "political viruses and disinformation" as tensions between the two economic powers show no signs of abating.At a news conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the US secretary of state's persistent criticism of China and the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) stemmed from "a Cold War mentality and selfishness.""Wherever Pompeo goes, he brings political viruses and disinformation," he was quoted as saying by the daily Global Times.The reaction was in response to Pompeo's remarks on‚ÄØWednesday that…

Jaime Chu (2020-08-13). Who Gets to Tell the Story of Wuhan's Lockdown? thenation.com Who Gets to Tell the Story of Wuhan's Lockdown?

Andre Vltchek (2020-08-13). Hong Kong Elections Postponed: And where aren't they? dissidentvoice.org Today, the Western press went absolutely mental again, radically schizophrenic. Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, declared that the September 6 elections in SAR would be postponed by one year. Right away, she offered a rational explanation: "We have 3 million voters going out in one day across Hong Kong, such flow of people would cause …

Margaret Kimberley (2020-08-13). Freedom Rider: TikTok and the War on China. mronline.org Every charge that Trump and his minions make against Chinese companies is true for US corporations, which have been spying on Americans and the rest of the world for decades.

_____ (2020-08-13). Xinjiang And Uyghurs — What You're Not Being Told. popularresistance.org Like a few other provinces, Xinjiang is an "autonomous" region, which means it is run by Uyghurs for the most part. For example, the current "governor" is Shohrat Zakir, an Uyghur man who's been in charge since 2014. | Also to remember are two nuggets of information: Xinjiang is a really vast region — it's four times as large as California(!); and Uyghurs make up only about 40% of Xinjiang's population. Overall, Uyghurs account for only 0.7% of China's population. That's about the same percentage as the Native American population in the U.S. now.

John Ranson (2020-08-13). Until you've drifted a mile in their tiny dinghy, don't even think about criticising the Channel crossers. thecanary.co I can still remember the first bit of political graffiti I ever saw. It was in the 70s. I can't have been more than about four or five. Daubed scruffily on a bridge in Norwich were the words: "NO MORE BOAT PEOPLE". | Boat People: | Having no idea what on earth this meant, I asked my mum, who explained that it referred to people from countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia who were escaping war and trying to get into the UK. Well fair play to them I thought, dimly aware that those countries were somewhere near China and therefore a hell of a long way away. If they can make it all the way in a little boat (I…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-12). Selective Maritime Rules: The United States, Diego Garcia and International Law. counterpunch.org 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 released a statement putting any uncertain minds at ease on where Washington stood on the matter. "We are making clear: Beijing's claims to offshore

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…

Zhanwei Du, Emily Javan, Ciara Nugent, Benjamin J. Cowling, Lauren Ancel Meyers (2020-08-12). Using the COVID-19 to influenza ratio to estimate early pandemic spread in Wuhan, China and Seattle, US. thelancet.com The spread of COVID-19 in Wuhan and Seattle was far more extensive than initially reported. The virus likely spread for months in Wuhan before the lockdown. Given that COVID-19 appears to be overwhelmingly mild in children, our high estimate for symptomatic pediatric cases in Seattle suggests that there may have been thousands more mild cases at the time.

Pepe Escobar (2020-08-12). Lebanon should look East and abandon the West. thealtworld.com Post-blast Lebanon has everything to gain from rejecting the West's neoliberal demands and embracing China's Belt and Road | As much as Covid-19 has been instrumentalized by the 0.001% to social-engineer a Facing oh-so-timely color-revolution-style "protests," the current Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab has already resigned. | Even before the onshore portion of the port blew up, Beirut had requested a US$10 billion…

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…

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.

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.

_____ (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.

sputniknews (2020-08-12). Arkansas Man Planted 'Mysterious China Seeds', Drawing Concerns From USDA. sputniknews.com The United States Department of Agriculture has issued a warning against "questionable" foreign seeds, advising Americans not to plant them. The warning came after multiple reports emerged of US citizens receiving unsolicited packages from China and other Asian countries containing the seeds.

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.

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

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 …

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.

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…

2020-08-14: News Headlines

Michael K. Smith (2020-08-14). The "Lesser-Evil" Syndrome: Noam Chomsky's Fall Into Self-Contradiction. dissidentvoice.org In a recent interview Noam Chomsky declared that there "was a big difference" between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential elections, a difference "you could count in several million corpses in Indochina." But, Chomsky added, "a lot of the young people on the left said, "I'm not going to vote for Humphrey. …

Prabir Purkayastha (2020-08-14). Why 5G is the First Stage of a Tech War Between the U.S. and China. counterpunch.org The U.S. tech war on China continues, banning Chinese equipment from its network, and asking its Five Eyes partners and NATO allies to follow suit. It is a market and a technology denial regime that seeks to win back manufacturing that the U.S. and European countries have lost to China. International trade assumed that goods

Eva Lee (2020-08-14). Saturday 8/15: SF Chinatown Walkway Weekends. indybay.org Chinatown, Grant Avenue from California to Washington Streets…

sputniknews (2020-08-13). US 'Satisfied' With China's Progress on Trade Deal, White House Adviser Says. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States is satisfied with the progress made by China on the trade deal between the two countries, although Beijing's political actions were still a sore point for President Donald Trump, White House Adviser Larry Kudlow said.

yenisafak (2020-08-13). China says US' Pompeo spreading 'political viruses'. yenisafak.com China on Thursday slammed top US diplomat Mike Pompeo for spreading "political viruses and disinformation" as tensions between the two economic powers show no signs of abating.At a news conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the US secretary of state's persistent criticism of China and the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) stemmed from "a Cold War mentality and selfishness.""Wherever Pompeo goes, he brings political viruses and disinformation," he was quoted as saying by the daily Global Times.The reaction was in response to Pompeo's remarks on‚ÄØWednesday that…

Jaime Chu (2020-08-13). Who Gets to Tell the Story of Wuhan's Lockdown? thenation.com Who Gets to Tell the Story of Wuhan's Lockdown?

Andre Vltchek (2020-08-13). Hong Kong Elections Postponed: And where aren't they? dissidentvoice.org Today, the Western press went absolutely mental again, radically schizophrenic. Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, declared that the September 6 elections in SAR would be postponed by one year. Right away, she offered a rational explanation: "We have 3 million voters going out in one day across Hong Kong, such flow of people would cause …

Margaret Kimberley (2020-08-13). Freedom Rider: TikTok and the War on China. mronline.org Every charge that Trump and his minions make against Chinese companies is true for US corporations, which have been spying on Americans and the rest of the world for decades.

_____ (2020-08-13). Xinjiang And Uyghurs — What You're Not Being Told. popularresistance.org Like a few other provinces, Xinjiang is an "autonomous" region, which means it is run by Uyghurs for the most part. For example, the current "governor" is Shohrat Zakir, an Uyghur man who's been in charge since 2014. | Also to remember are two nuggets of information: Xinjiang is a really vast region — it's four times as large as California(!); and Uyghurs make up only about 40% of Xinjiang's population. Overall, Uyghurs account for only 0.7% of China's population. That's about the same percentage as the Native American population in the U.S. now.

John Ranson (2020-08-13). Until you've drifted a mile in their tiny dinghy, don't even think about criticising the Channel crossers. thecanary.co I can still remember the first bit of political graffiti I ever saw. It was in the 70s. I can't have been more than about four or five. Daubed scruffily on a bridge in Norwich were the words: "NO MORE BOAT PEOPLE". | Boat People: | Having no idea what on earth this meant, I asked my mum, who explained that it referred to people from countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia who were escaping war and trying to get into the UK. Well fair play to them I thought, dimly aware that those countries were somewhere near China and therefore a hell of a long way away. If they can make it all the way in a little boat (I…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-12). Selective Maritime Rules: The United States, Diego Garcia and International Law. counterpunch.org 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 released a statement putting any uncertain minds at ease on where Washington stood on the matter. "We are making clear: Beijing's claims to offshore

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…

Zhanwei Du, Emily Javan, Ciara Nugent, Benjamin J. Cowling, Lauren Ancel Meyers (2020-08-12). Using the COVID-19 to influenza ratio to estimate early pandemic spread in Wuhan, China and Seattle, US. thelancet.com The spread of COVID-19 in Wuhan and Seattle was far more extensive than initially reported. The virus likely spread for months in Wuhan before the lockdown. Given that COVID-19 appears to be overwhelmingly mild in children, our high estimate for symptomatic pediatric cases in Seattle suggests that there may have been thousands more mild cases at the time.

Pepe Escobar (2020-08-12). Lebanon should look East and abandon the West. thealtworld.com Post-blast Lebanon has everything to gain from rejecting the West's neoliberal demands and embracing China's Belt and Road | As much as Covid-19 has been instrumentalized by the 0.001% to social-engineer a Facing oh-so-timely color-revolution-style "protests," the current Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab has already resigned. | Even before the onshore portion of the port blew up, Beirut had requested a US$10 billion…

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…

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.

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.

_____ (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.

sputniknews (2020-08-12). Arkansas Man Planted 'Mysterious China Seeds', Drawing Concerns From USDA. sputniknews.com The United States Department of Agriculture has issued a warning against "questionable" foreign seeds, advising Americans not to plant them. The warning came after multiple reports emerged of US citizens receiving unsolicited packages from China and other Asian countries containing the seeds.

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…

2020-08-13: News Headlines

yenisafak (2020-08-13). China says US' Pompeo spreading 'political viruses'. yenisafak.com China on Thursday slammed top US diplomat Mike Pompeo for spreading "political viruses and disinformation" as tensions between the two economic powers show no signs of abating.At a news conference in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the US secretary of state's persistent criticism of China and the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) stemmed from "a Cold War mentality and selfishness.""Wherever Pompeo goes, he brings political viruses and disinformation," he was quoted as saying by the daily Global Times.The reaction was in response to Pompeo's remarks on‚ÄØWednesday that…

Jaime Chu (2020-08-13). Who Gets to Tell the Story of Wuhan's Lockdown? thenation.com Who Gets to Tell the Story of Wuhan's Lockdown?

Andre Vltchek (2020-08-13). Hong Kong Elections Postponed: And where aren't they? dissidentvoice.org Today, the Western press went absolutely mental again, radically schizophrenic. Hong Kong leader, Carrie Lam, declared that the September 6 elections in SAR would be postponed by one year. Right away, she offered a rational explanation: "We have 3 million voters going out in one day across Hong Kong, such flow of people would cause …

Margaret Kimberley (2020-08-13). Freedom Rider: TikTok and the War on China. mronline.org Every charge that Trump and his minions make against Chinese companies is true for US corporations, which have been spying on Americans and the rest of the world for decades.

Eva Lee (2020-08-13). Saturday 8/15: SF Chinatown Walkway Weekends. indybay.org Chinatown, Grant Avenue from California to Washington Streets…

_____ (2020-08-13). Xinjiang And Uyghurs — What You're Not Being Told. popularresistance.org Like a few other provinces, Xinjiang is an "autonomous" region, which means it is run by Uyghurs for the most part. For example, the current "governor" is Shohrat Zakir, an Uyghur man who's been in charge since 2014. | Also to remember are two nuggets of information: Xinjiang is a really vast region — it's four times as large as California(!); and Uyghurs make up only about 40% of Xinjiang's population. Overall, Uyghurs account for only 0.7% of China's population. That's about the same percentage as the Native American population in the U.S. now.

John Ranson (2020-08-13). Until you've drifted a mile in their tiny dinghy, don't even think about criticising the Channel crossers. thecanary.co I can still remember the first bit of political graffiti I ever saw. It was in the 70s. I can't have been more than about four or five. Daubed scruffily on a bridge in Norwich were the words: "NO MORE BOAT PEOPLE". | Boat People: | Having no idea what on earth this meant, I asked my mum, who explained that it referred to people from countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia who were escaping war and trying to get into the UK. Well fair play to them I thought, dimly aware that those countries were somewhere near China and therefore a hell of a long way away. If they can make it all the way in a little boat (I…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-08-12). Selective Maritime Rules: The United States, Diego Garcia and International Law. counterpunch.org 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 released a statement putting any uncertain minds at ease on where Washington stood on the matter. "We are making clear: Beijing's claims to offshore

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…

Zhanwei Du, Emily Javan, Ciara Nugent, Benjamin J. Cowling, Lauren Ancel Meyers (2020-08-12). Using the COVID-19 to influenza ratio to estimate early pandemic spread in Wuhan, China and Seattle, US. thelancet.com The spread of COVID-19 in Wuhan and Seattle was far more extensive than initially reported. The virus likely spread for months in Wuhan before the lockdown. Given that COVID-19 appears to be overwhelmingly mild in children, our high estimate for symptomatic pediatric cases in Seattle suggests that there may have been thousands more mild cases at the time.

Pepe Escobar (2020-08-12). Lebanon should look East and abandon the West. thealtworld.com Post-blast Lebanon has everything to gain from rejecting the West's neoliberal demands and embracing China's Belt and Road | As much as Covid-19 has been instrumentalized by the 0.001% to social-engineer a Facing oh-so-timely color-revolution-style "protests," the current Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab has already resigned. | Even before the onshore portion of the port blew up, Beirut had requested a US$10 billion…

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…

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.

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.

_____ (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.

sputniknews (2020-08-12). Arkansas Man Planted 'Mysterious China Seeds', Drawing Concerns From USDA. sputniknews.com The United States Department of Agriculture has issued a warning against "questionable" foreign seeds, advising Americans not to plant them. The warning came after multiple reports emerged of US citizens receiving unsolicited packages from China and other Asian countries containing the seeds.

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). 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.

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.

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,…

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

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.