2021-02-02: News Headlines

Deirdre Griswold (2021-02-02). Electric cars and China: Another great leap forward. workers.org China is now the world's biggest market for automobiles, accounting for a third of global car sales. "It is bigger than the American and Japanese auto markets combined. GM and Volkswagen both sell more cars through joint ventures in China than in their home markets." (NY Times Business Section, Jan. . . . |

H.I. Sutton (2021-02-02). China's New Aircraft Carrier Killer Is World's Largest Air-Launched Missile. anti-empire.com Navies are racing to develop hypersonic missiles which may change the pace of naval warfare. Russia will deploy the Zircon hypersonic missile aboard warships and submarines. The US Navy has started down the path of the common hypersonic glide body (c-HGB) for its destroyers. Meanwhile China's latest hypersonic weapon is something completely different; it is air launched. | The massive new missile, labelled CH-AS-X-13, is probably the largest air-launched missile in the world. | The missile was first reported by Ankit Panda, the Stanton Senior Fellow at the Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for Internatio…

MEE staff (2021-02-02). UAE confident F-35 jets sale will go through despite Biden review, says ambassador. middleeasteye.net UAE confident F-35 jets sale will go through despite Biden review, says ambassador | UAE ambassador to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, says if US plans to pivot from Middle East to China it cannot 'take tools away from your partners' | Tue, 02/02/2021 – 15: 52 | The US agreed to sale of F-35 jets to Abu Dhabi following normalisation agreement between UAE and Israel (AFP) | The United Arab Emirates is confident t…

yenisafak (2021-02-02). Pakistan kicks off COVID-19 vaccination drive. yenisafak.com In line with the priority list, a doctor was the first person to be inoculated at a ceremony also attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan in the capital Islamabad.The premier in his address assured fair distribution of vaccines, and thanked Beijing for the support. He urged the masses to follow safety precautions, i.e. wearing a mask and social distancing, to contain the pandemic, which has claimed nearly 12,000 lives across the country. The overall caseload has reached 547,648.After health care workers, those above age 65 will be vaccinated, as another 1.1 million doses from China are expected to arrive later this…

Staff (2021-02-02). Headlines for February 2, 2021. democracynow.org U.S. Tops 26 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Shots, Surpassing Confirmed Coronavirus Cases , Biden Takes Executive Action to Reverse Trump Immigration Policies as Deportations Continue, Senate Republicans Meet at White House to Press Far Smaller Coronavirus Relief Bill, South Africa Receives First COVID-19 Vaccines; New Variant Linked to Reinfections in Brazil, WHO Team Probes Virus Origins in Wuhan; Australia Puts Perth on Lockdown After Single COVID-19 Case, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reveals She Is a Sexual Assault Survivor in Video Recalling Jan. 6 Capitol Attack, Trump Hires New Lawyers. One Declined to Prosecute Bil…

Jeff J. Brown (2021-02-02). China's Economy, Technology, and Military Is Racing Past the West? globalresearch.ca All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the "Translate Website" drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). | *** | The administration of former US President Donald Trump, escalated tensions …

Christopher Black (2021-02-02). US Pressure on China; The Thai Connection. asia-pacificresearch.com

RT News (2021-02-02). China Building Digital Silk Road Stretching from Asia Through Africa to Europe. asia-pacificresearch.com

RT (2021-02-01). Vaccine crime ring: Chinese police make 80 arrests & seize 3,000 saline-filled syringes. rt.com Dozens of people have been detained after Chinese police launched a crackdown on the manufacturing and selling of fake Covid-19 vaccinations. Authorities say the illicit trade has been going on for months. | Read more | | Law enforcement targeted crime rings in Beijing, as well as the eastern provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong, resulting in more than 80 arrests and the seizure of some 3,000 syringes filled with saline, state news agency Xin…

RT (2021-02-01). China rolls out carbon trading scheme in a bid to meet its ambitious 2060 neutrality goal. rt.com Beijing has officially rolled out its repeatedly delayed Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), aimed at reducing its greenhouse gas output. Beijing is expecting its emissions to peak before 2030 and become "carbon neutral" by 2060. | The scheme officially entered into force on Monday, covering some 2,260 power plants across the nation. Said plants contributed to around 40 percent of all the carbon dioxide emissions China produced last year. | At later stages, the ETS will also include other enterprises that produce a minimum of 24,000 tons of carbon equivalent a year. | The ETS scheme is founded on a market-based app…

RT (2021-02-01). China slams Canadian Embassy after staff member ordered customized shirts featuring Wuhan and bat patterns. rt.com Beijing has lodged an official complaint with the Canadian Embassy in China after reports emerged that a staff member ordered customized shirts featuring Wuhan and bat patterns in July 2020. | Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin urged the Canadian authorities to investigate the reports on Monday and take immediate action. Wang stressed that diplomatic and consular personnel stationed abroad in any country in the world should strictly abide by the Vienna Convention and local laws. | The Chinese side was shocked by this and has lodged solemn representations with the Canadian Embassy in China, reque…

RT (2021-02-01). As EU falls behind on supplies of Covid-19 vaccines, German health minister entertains possibility of using Russia's Sputnik V. rt.com German Health Minister Jens Spahn has revealed that Berlin would be open to importing Covid-19 vaccines from Russia and China as the government looks to find ways to overcome the country's shortage of doses. | "Regardless of the country in which a vaccine is manufactured, if they are safe and effective, they can help cope with the pandemic," Spahn told Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. | The German minister's comments came before Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's permanent representative to the EU, revealed that Moscow is not only open to selling its Sputnik V vaccine but will also share information about how…

Peter Koenig (2021-02-01). China: Peacefully Forward into the Great Change. dissidentvoice.org On 25 January, during the first session of the virtual World Economic Forum (WEF), President Xi Jinping, in his address, stated clearly that China's agenda was to move forward in the World of Great Change, with its renewed policy of multilateralism, aiming for a multi-polar world, where nations would be treated as equals. China will …

Mustafa Abu Sneineh (2021-02-01). Chinese investment in Haifa port could compromise US-Israel intelligence sharing: Report. middleeasteye.net Chinese investment in Haifa port could compromise US-Israel intelligence sharing: Report | A pro-Israel think tank expressed concern over Chinese investment in Israel, including proximity of Chinese company to US Sixth Fleet in Haifa | Mon, 02/01/2021 – 14: 15 | A general view of the city of Haifa and an Israeli military ship sailing in the Mediterranean Sea on 17 July 2019 (AFP)…

Mehr News Agency (2021-02-01). Beijing criticizes US sanctions against Syrian nation. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Feb. 01 (MNA) — Chinese Foreign Minister criticized US sanctions against Damascus in a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Faisal Mekdad.

Online News Editor (2021-02-01). WHO investigators visit disease control centers in Wuhan. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Feb 1 (efe-epa).- A team of global investigators on Monday visited two disease control centers in Hubei as part of a World Health Organization (WHO) probe to trace the potential source of origin of the coronavirus in the central Chinese province where the virus was detected first last year. The state-run CGTN broadcaster said …

_____ (2021-02-01). NY Times' Pseudo-Expert Worked For Far-Right Cult Falun Gong's Publicity Arm. popularresistance.org The New York Times published a factually challenged op-ed accusing China of committing "genocide" against its Uighur minority. The article sourced its spurious accusations to a right-wing operative who insists his research is part of a divine "mission" against Beijing that is "led by God." | The author of the New York Times op-ed, Amelia Pang, happens to be a former employee of the Epoch Times, a far-right propaganda arm of a fanatical anti-China cult called Falun Gong. The extremist group preaches that race-mixing, homosexuality, feminism, and science are Satanic plots, and reveres Donald Trump as a God-like fig…

Jim Naureckas (2021-02-01). NYT Scrutinizes Coronavirus Response in China Where Less Than 5,000 People Have Died in One Year While US Loses 3,250 People Per Day. commondreams.org Eighty-seven times as many people have now died from Covid-19 in the U.S. as in China, but in a puzzling attempt to undermine the notion that China's pandemic response has been better, the Times has recently highlighted that country's "efforts to hide its missteps"—and criticized it for sending excess vaccines to other nations. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/wuhan_2021.jpg

RT (2021-02-01). Russia ramps up natural gas supplies to China via Power of Siberia mega-pipeline. rt.com Russian energy major Gazprom pumped more gas to China in January via the Power of Siberia pipeline than it had initially planned, boosting daily supplies by as much as 2.5 percent. | "The export of gas to China through the Power of Siberia gas pipeline continues to grow. Supplies regularly exceed Gazprom's daily contractual obligations," the company said in a statement, adding that the volume of gas delivery last month "was 2.9 times higher than in January 2020." | The 3,000km (1864 mile) cross-border pipeline started official deliveries of Russian natural gas to China in 2019. The so-called eastern route's ca…

oneworld.press (2021-02-01). The Strategic Consequences Of Myanmar's State Of Emergency: The Quad vs. China & Russia?>. oneworld.press The Tatmadaw's decision to impose a year-long state of emergency in response to the formerly ruling National League for Democracy's refusal to seriously investigate the military's accusations of fraud stemming from last November's contested elections will temporarily revert Myanmar back to its prior regional pariah status, one which will be exposed to multidimensional pressure from the US-backed Quad while China and Russia seek to stabilize the country in support of its political transition towards new elections in twelve months' time.

oneworld.press (2021-02-01). The Strategic Consequences Of Myanmar's State Of Emergency: The Quad vs. China & Russia?>. oneworld.press The Tatmadaw's decision to impose a year-long state of emergency in response to the formerly ruling National League for Democracy's refusal to seriously investigate the military's accusations of fraud stemming from last November's contested elections will temporarily revert Myanmar back to its prior regional pariah status, one which will be exposed to multidimensional pressure from the US-backed Quad while China and Russia seek to stabilize the country in support of its political transition towards new elections in twelve months' time.

Areeb Ullah (2021-01-31). Why the UAE adopted China's Covid-19 vaccine. middleeasteye.net Why the UAE adopted China's Covid-19 vaccine | Despite the absence of reliable trial data, the wealthy Gulf monarchy is set to become a regional hub for producing and distributing Sinopharm's BBIBP-CorV vaccine | Sun, 01/31/2021 – 14: 10 | Dubai's ruler and UAE vice president Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum receiving an injection of a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine on 3 November 2020 (AFP) | When Dubai relaxed…

David Soll (2021-01-31). Democrats, You PROMISED Survival Checks NOW! realprogressives.org On January 5 there was a special election held in Georgia where the two running Democrats ultimately won. How were they able to pull it off? No, the election was not stolen by Russia, China, Venezuela, or little green men. It was won because the Democrats promised the American people relief in the form of immediate distribution of $2000 survival checks! | These words were verbatim, by then Senate candidate Jon Ossoff, during an interview just days before the election,"We will be able to pass $2,000 dollar stimulus checks for the people next week when we win these races in Georgia and get economic relief direct…

WSWS (2021-01-30). Brazilian Workers Party, pseudo-lefts use COVID-19 vaccination disputes to cover up herd immunity policy. wsws.org Brazil's vaccination debacle has fueled ruling class divisions regarding the attitude towards US imperialism and China as all factions rally behind a herd immunity policy.

Sonali Kolhatkar (2021-01-30). The COVID-19 Pandemic Can't Be Managed—It Has to Be Eradicated. zcomm.org Americans are unlikely to return to the pre-pandemic normal that Chinese residents now enjoy simply because we are not trying to eliminate the virus like China did…

RT (2021-01-30). US Navy berates 'destabilizing' Chinese activity as pro-NATO Atlantic Council publishes blueprint for Cold War with Beijing. rt.com The US accused China of ramping up tensions in the South China Sea amid new drills. The statement came shortly after a notorious pro-NATO lobby group published an anonymously-authored proposal for long-term conflict with Beijing. | PACOM (United States Indo-Pacific Command) announced on Friday evening that the Chinese military flights over the past week "at no time" posed any threat to US Navy ships, sailors, or aircraft, according to a statement cited by Reuters. | An official speaking on condition of anonymity said the Chinese warplanes never came within 250 nautical miles (463 km) of the USS Theodore Roosev…

sputniknews (2021-01-30). By Giving Citizenship to BNO Passport Holders the UK Wants to Be in Sync With the US, Analyst Says. sputniknews.com Earlier this week, China announced that starting 31 January it will no longer recognise the passports of British national overseas citizens. This came shortly after the UK launched its scheme to grant citizenship to up to 3 million of Hong Kong's residents, citing concerns over Beijing's introduction of a National Security Law.

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). A year of coronavirus in India, the second worst affected country. laprensalatina.com By Mikaela Viqueira New Delhi, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- Exactly a year ago from Saturday, India confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus after a student of the University of Wuhan tested positive. Now, more than 10.7 million cases later, the country has finally received a glimmer of hope of putting behind a pandemic which …

Richard Horton (2021-01-30). [Comment] Offline: The case for No-COVID. thelancet.com As many countries continue to struggle with a third wave of COVID-19—Hong Kong is suffering its fourth wave and is contemplating a fifth and sixth—all governments and public health authorities will need to remain open to new ideas for controlling the pandemic. This past week, Ilona Kickbusch, founding director of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, shared a proposal being widely discussed in Germany. The approach devised by a group of clinicians and academics, which in addition to Kickbusch includes Melanie Brinkmann, Michael Hallek, M…

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). Taiwan's economy grows 3% in 2020 thanks to virus response. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- The economy of Taiwan was one of the few in the world to end the first year of the coronavirus pandemic in positive numbers, growing by 2.98 percent over 2020. This official estimate, published Friday night by the General Directorate of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the Taiwanese government, marks …

Mehr News Agency (2021-01-30). Chinese bombers simulates attack on US Navy aircraft carrier. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jan. 30 (MNA) — Following Washington's move to send a navy fleet to the South China Sea, the Chinese bombers simulated an attack on the US Navy aircraft carrier.

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). Xiaomi sues US government over blacklist inclusion. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- Chinese technology firm Xiaomi has filed a lawsuit against the United States' defense and treasury departments over its inclusion on a blacklist of companies with alleged links to the Chinese military. In the move confirmed by Chinese state media Saturday, Xiaomi joins other Chinese technology companies such as ByteDance and …

Online News Editor (2021-01-30). China's first Hualong-1 nuclear reactor begins commercial operation. laprensalatina.com Shanghai, China, Jan 30 (efe-epa).- China's first nuclear power unit using a third-generation reactor named Hualong-1 began commercial operations Saturday at the Fuqing power plant, state media reported. Fuqing's No. 5 unit in Fujian province is now generating electricity for commercial use after a week's trial, and will pave "the way for mass production and …

yenisafak (2021-01-30). Despite new Biden administration, US-China friction could remain high. yenisafak.com Chinese-US relations during the Donald Trump years went from bad to worse, but experts believe friction could climb even higher under new President Joe Biden.Besides an ongoing trade war, conflict of interests continue over a range of issues including human rights abuses against China's minority Uighurs, the status of Taiwan, national security legislation in Hong Kong, and military expansion in the South China Sea.Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a Pakistani senator for the capital Islamabad, said there would be no drastic change in the US perception of China as a competitor, but that the new president would like to engag…

yenisafak (2021-01-30). China launches new warship for Pakistan. yenisafak.com China launched a second advanced warship built for Pakistan on Saturday.A launch ceremony for the Type-054 Class Frigate was held at Hudong Zhonghua (HZ) Shipyard in Shanghai with senior Chinese and Pakistani naval officials in attendance, said a statement from Pakistan Navy.Fitted with latest "surface, subsurface, and anti-air weapons," the Type-054 frigates will be one of the most technologically advanced surface platforms in Pakistan's naval fleet, it said.The ships have a "range of electronic warfare, air and surface surveillance, and acoustic sensors integrated through a state-of-the-art Combat Management Sy…