2020-12-30: News Headlines

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). China's Sinopharm says its vaccine is over 79% effective against Covid-19. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- A vaccine developed by China's state-run Sinopharm is 79.34 percent effective in protection against the Covid-19, the company said on Wednesday, seeking approval from the government for its general public use in the country. The vaccine, developed by a unit of the China National Biotec Group (CNBG), an affiliate of …

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). Proud and patriotic, Wuhan boasts of virus defeat. laprensalatina.com By Jesús Centeno Wuhan, China, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- At 85-years-old, Korean war veteran Chen Jixian cannot hold back his emotions when he recalls the calamities that struck Wuhan when the new coronavirus first emerged a year ago and led to the deaths of 3,869 people, according to official figures. Chen was visiting People First, Lives …

Amandla Thomas-Johnson (2020-12-30). 'Sold out': Uighurs fear deportation as China ratifies extradition treaty with Turkey. middleeasteye.net 'Sold out': Uighurs fear deportation as China ratifies extradition treaty with Turkey | Uighur activists urge Turkish government not to abide by agreement that could put tens of thousands at risk of being detained in internment camps
| Wed, 12/30/2020 – 10: 17 | Supporters of China's Muslim Uighur minority protest in Istanbul against B…

Ulson Gunnar (2020-12-30). Russia-China Civilian Aviation Production Challenges Boeing-Airbus Dominance. globalresearch.ca For decades US-based Boeing and European aerospace giant, Airbus, have dominated global civilian aviation in what many in the industry describe as a duopoly. But as is the case in so many other industries as of late, China's economic and …

Online News Editor (2020-12-30). EU and China conclude negotiations on investment deal. laprensalatina.com Brussels, Dec 30 (efe-epa).- The European Union and China concluded negotiations on a long-awaited investment deal designed to lower business barriers to European companies in China and push toward leveling the playing field between the two economic powers. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: "The EU has the largest single market in the …

teleSUR (2020-12-29). China Beefs up Anti-COVID-19 Measures as Local Cases Emerge. telesurenglish.net Beijing has expanded its nucleic acid testing and tightened COVID-19 prevention measures following new reports of local COVID-19 infections. | RELATED: | "The city faces a grim and complicated situation with risks of further infections still present," Beijing municipal government spokesperson Xu Hejian said. | Several locally transmitted cases have recently emerged in Chaoyang, Xicheng and Shunyi districts of Beijing…

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). China say EU investment deal close after 'major progress'. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A Chinese official on Tuesday said "major progress" had been made in the negotiations for the business investment deal with the European Union and expected an agreement to be announced at "an early date." European diplomats have signalled that the deal, in talks since 2014, could be finalized on Wednesday. Negotiators …

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). China says EU investment deal close after 'major progress'. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A Chinese official on Tuesday said "major progress" had been made in the negotiations for the business investment deal with the European Union and expected an agreement to be announced at "an early date." European diplomats have signalled that the deal, in talks since 2014, could be finalized on Wednesday. Negotiators …

sputniknews (2020-12-29). Beijing Pushes 'National Team' of State-Owned Enterprises to Drive Industrial Growth. sputniknews.com After China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were the quickest firms to rebound after the country's COVID-19 related shutdowns earlier this year, Beijing has reconsidered their value in the coming year, especially in light of the self-sufficiency priorities of the new five-year plan.

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). Nearly 282,000 vaccinated against Covid-19 in eastern China. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- A province in eastern China has already inoculated nearly 282,000 people from risk groups who have received emergency Covid-19 vaccines so far, the official Global Times reported Tuesday. The region was the first to start the vaccination campaign in China. Regional authorities said hundreds of health workers have administered nearly …

Online News Editor (2020-12-29). Wuhan's seafood market, presumed Covid ground zero, tries to turn the page. laprensalatina.com By Jesús Centeno Wuhan, China, Dec 29 (efe-epa).- Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, the presumed ground-zero for the Covid-19 pandemic, remains sealed off, disinfected and tightly guarded by security a year on from the first reports of the outbreak but on the second floor of the establishment, some are trying to rebuild their livelihoods. The …

sputniknews (2020-12-29). Wuhan's COVID-19 Case Count May Have Been 10 Times Higher Than Reported, Study Finds. sputniknews.com The COVID-19 pandemic first broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the outbreak of the novel coronavirus was first reported there on December 31, 2019. Since then, the virus has spread to more than 200 countries and territories across the globe, infecting more than 81 million people.

WSWS (2020-12-29). One year into the pandemic, 65,000 deaths in the US in one month. wsws.org One year after the first cases of COVID-19 were identified in China, December was the deadliest month of the pandemic both in the United States and the world.

Ralph Nader (2020-12-29). Recidivist Criminal and Constitutional Outlaw Trump Rushes to Pardon Criminal Lawbreakers. counterpunch.org Serial lawbreaker Donald J. Trump is embarking on the most sordid presidential pardon spree in American history. He has already pardoned convicted crooks, thieves, and violent outlaws. Trump's pardon lawyers are frantically assembling more MAGA besotted individuals and groups to be pardoned wholesale. The number may climb into the hundreds. The queue is long. Trump

Ben Carroll (2020-12-29). After massive cyberattack, imperialist U.S. blames Russia — and China. workers.org U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts are calling it perhaps the most extensive and costly "cyberattack" in modern history. Revelations have come to light that in mid-December numerous U.S. government agencies and some of the world's largest corporations discovered they had been hacked over the course of several preceding months. U.S. . . . |

Uriel Araujo (2020-12-29). Tensions Between China and India May Soon Rise as Trump Approves Historic Tibet Act. asia-pacificresearch.com

Danny Haiphong (2020-12-29). US fearmongering on China not rooted in facts, but racism. zcomm.org Bipartisan mistrust of the world's emerging economic superpower rooted largely in bigoted tropes and stereotypes…

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-29). 1st solo exhibition of Iran handwoven carpets opened in China. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) — First solo exhibition of Iran handwoven carpets and handicrafts was inaugurated in historical-cultural city of Nanjing, capital of China's Jiangsu province on Tue. in presence of Consul General of Iran in Shanghai.

Mehr News Agency (2020-12-28). China ready to work with Iran in fight against terrorism. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Dec. 28 (MNA) — Chinese Ambassador to Iran voiced Beijing's readiness to work with the international community, including Iran, to jointly tackle terrorism under the new circumstances.

Online News Editor (2020-12-28). China court confirms prison sentence to human rights lawyer. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 28 (efe-epa)- A court in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu has confirmed a 4-year prison sentence to well-known human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng for inciting subversion against state power, his wife Xu Yan informed EFE on Monday. According to Xu, the defense attorneys she hired to appeal the sentence, Lin Qilei and …

RT (2020-12-28). Chinese expats coming home to get domestic Covid vaccine — media. rt.com Chinese expats are returning to their country of birth to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and are even bragging about it on the internet, according to Chinese state media. | China's Global Times "The journey costs a lot of money and time but many believe it's worth it," the Global Times reported, adding that their decis…

Online News Editor (2020-12-28). Gone but not forgotten, Wuhan a year after coronavirus first emerged. laprensalatina.com By Jesús Centeno Wuhan, China, Dec 28 (efe-epa).- The preventative measures enforced to curb the spread of Covid-19 are consigned to the memories of Wuhan residents a year after the first confirmed cases of coronavirus began to emerge in the Chinese city, but many questions remain as to how it grew into a pandemic that …

sputniknews (2020-12-28). One Year After First COVID-19 Report, Wuhan Doctor Who Filed Discovery Rejects 'Cover-Up' Narrative. sputniknews.com While the US government and mainstream media have attempted to rewrite the history of the opening stages of the COVID-19 pandemic to pin the blame for the outbreak on China, one of the central figures of that period has reaffirmed the speed and accuracy of the medical response in Wuhan.

Richard Gale (2020-12-28). A More Honest Perspective of the COVID-19 Pandemic. globalresearch.ca Since the first cases of the new coronavirus strain outside of China, every aspect of the pandemic's ever-changing amoebic narrative has been carefully controlled by the World Health Organization and major government health agencies. | High officials within a syndicate of …

sputniknews (2020-12-28). Biden Says US Needs Coalition for Confronting China. sputniknews.com WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President-elect Joe Biden earlier said that he would not immediately end the trade war with China and remove trade duties imposed by US President Donald Trump. During a press briefing on Monday, Biden addressed US-China relations, a COVID-19 relief package and transition problems with the Trump administration.

John Kendall Hawkins (2020-12-28). Doomsday ex Machina: Daniel Ellsberg and the Nuclear Gang. counterpunch.org You hide in your mansion While the young people's blood Flows out of their bodies And is buried in the mud You've thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled Fear to bring children Into the world — Bob Dylan, "Masters of War" (1963) October 15, 1969. That's the day the world might have

Andrew Korybko (2020-12-28). Political Instability in the Central African Republic, The Role of China-Russia Cooperation. globalresearch.ca The Chinese-Russian strategic partnership could be leveraged to stabilize the CAR after this Sunday's elections and might eventually become a model for them to apply towards their other African partners too. | The Central African Republic (CAR) has once again attracted …

Dean Baker (2020-12-28). China Has the World's Largest Economy, Get Over It. counterpunch.org It is more than a bit annoying to hear reporters endlessly refer to China as the world's second largest economy. It isn't. It's the world's largest economy and has been since 2017. Here are the data from the International Monetary Fund. As the chart shows, China's economy first passed the U.S. in 2017. It is

Vijay Prashad (2020-12-28). China — A Marxist Analysis. mronline.org Vijay on China: A Marxist Analysis…

RT (2020-12-28). Suspect detained in Shanghai poisoning of Netflix producer & 'Game of Thrones' games developer, Yoozoo billionaire Lin Qi. rt.com Lin Qi, a Chinese video game tycoon who was co-producing a new Netflix sci-fi series with the 'Game of Thrones' showrunners, died from alleged poisoning on Friday. Shanghai police now say they've detained a suspect, a co-worker. | The 39-year-old, who is the founder of Chinese entertainment company Yoozoo, was rushed to hospital in Shanghai on December 17 after he felt unwell; he died a week later. Local media have speculated that his tea had been spiked after a dispute among the executives. | "According to investigations on site and further interviews, the police found that a suspect surnamed Xu, who is a co-…

Bertil Lintner (2020-12-28). China Building Great Wall on Its Soft Southern Underbelly. asia-pacificresearch.com

teleSUR (2020-12-28). China: Alibaba Under Further Scrutiny as Regulations Tighten. telesurenglish.net Chinese authorities ordered on Monday that the financial technology company Ant Group scale back its operations as part of an investigation into e-commerce giant Alibaba group. The move comes amidst a wider strategy to regulate Internet companies in the country. | RELATED: | During an interview, the deputy governor of China's central bank Pan Gongsheng said that "the company's governance mechanism is not sound; the legal awarene…

Online News Editor (2020-12-28). Alibaba ups stock buyback plan but shares continue to dip. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Dec 28 (EFE).- Alibaba on Monday said it had upsizes its share repurchase program from $6 billion to $10 billion. In a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the embattled Chinese e-commerce giant said the expanded repurchase program approved by its board of directors began earlier in the last quarter of 2020 …

Online News Editor (2020-12-27). China records highest locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in 2 months. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 27 (efe-epa).- China on Saturday detected 12 cases of Covid-19 that were transmitted locally, seven of them in the northeastern province of Liaoning and five in the capital Beijing, the National Health Commission reported, marking the largest transmission within its borders in two months. The last time the country detected a similar number …

Online News Editor (2020-12-27). China's industrial profit grows 2.4 percent in first 11 months. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 27 (efe-epa).-The industrial profit of China increased 2.4 percent year-on-year in the first 11 months of 2020, according to data published on Sunday, indicating continued recoveries from the Covid-19 slowdown amid fast improving production and sales. The National Bureau of Statistics said earnings in November alone at Chinese industrial firms rose 15.5 percent …

teleSUR, CE (2020-12-27). China to Overtake U.S. Economy Way Faster Than Expected. telesurenglish.net Five years earlier than previously estimated, China will overtake the United States to become the world's largest economy in 2028, due to the contrasting recovery of the two countries from the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of experts has said. | RELATED: | "For some time, a dominant theme of the global economy has been the economic struggle between the United States and China," the Center for Business and Economic Research (CEBR) s…

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-12-27). Europe's Lack of Confidence Hampers Signing of Trade Agreement with China. globalresearch.ca After seven years of tough negotiations, the European Union and China were close to signing an investment agreement. However, at the last moment, it hit a road block as it faced pressure from those wanting Washington's involvement, or those wanting …

Alena Peryshkina (2020-12-27). Multicultural Cooperation between BRICS Member States: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. globalresearch.ca In this interview, Alena Peryshkina, Co-Chair of the BRICS Civil Forum, Director of the AIDS Infoshare Foundation, Co-Chair of the BRICS and G20 CSOs Working Group, discusses some aspects of multicultural dimensions, especially the need to institutionalize cultural ties and …

teleSUR, CE (2020-12-27). Venezuela's State Airline: A Symbol of Sovereignty in 2020. telesurenglish.net Venezuela's state airline Conviasa transported 1,300,000 kilos of air cargo in 2020, flying distances as far as China and Russia to bring medical supplies and equipment for the public health system and other necessary items whose acquisition and transport are made complicated under the criminal US-led blockade. | RELATED: | In December alone, the airline repatriated hundreds of Venezuelans from around Latin Amer…

Online News Editor (2020-12-26). Beijing district declares emergency after new Covid-19 outbreak. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Dec 26 (efe-epa).- A district in northeastern Beijing has declared an emergency after five new Covid-19 cases were detected in the area, following two local infections on Christmas Day, health authorities said Saturday. Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention's deputy head Pang Xinghuo told reporters that five patients tested positive after 5,000 people …

RT (2020-12-26). China lowers liability for 'abominable' crimes to bring offenders as young as 12 to justice. rt.com Beijing has decided to lower the age of criminal responsibility, making children as young as 12 years old liable for "abominable" crimes, such as murder, grievous bodily harm and other extreme violence. | China's National People's Congress Standing Committee voted for the new provision on Saturday. The changes to the country's criminal code are set to take effect on March 1 next year. | Also on rt.com | | Until now, China's age of criminal liability for…

Aaron Maté (2020-12-26). Veteran diplomat: US confronts China to protect supremacy, not security. thegrayzone.com Veteran US diplomat Chas Freeman says that despite talk of a New Cold War between the US and China, the US in reality is reacting aggressively to a rising Chinese power whose economic gains threaten US global supremacy. "We've become accustomed over the past 75 years to be the overlord in East Asia," Freeman says. Chas Freeman, who served in top State Department positions and as Richard Nixon's chief interpreter on his historic 1972 visit to China, discusses the state …