2021-02-08: News Headlines

Areeb Ullah (2021-02-08). Uighur speaks out against husband's 'deportation' from UAE. middleeasteye.net Uighur speaks out against husband's 'deportation' from UAE | Amanissa Talip said she has not seen her husband since 2018, after he was detained while obtaining paperwork in Dubai | Mon, 02/08/2021 – 18: 11 | Ahmad Talip's wife said he was detained by Emirati officials and deported to China despite committing no crime in UAE (AFP) | The wife of a Uighur man suspected of being deported to China from the Un…

yenisafak (2021-02-08). China puts US electric carmaker Tesla on notice. yenisafak.com China on Monday put US electric carmaker Tesla on notice, urging it to comply with local laws, according to Chinese media.China's market regulator and other government departments have summoned Tesla and raised questions over quality issues, CGTN reported."China urges Tesla to strictly abide by China's laws and regulations to protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers," the news channel cited the country's State Administration for Market Regulation as saying in a statement.Other government bodies, including the Industry and Information Technology Ministry, Cyberspace Administration, Transport Minist…

Dean Baker (2021-02-08). Intellectual Property, Inequality, and the New Cold War with China. cepr.net My diatribe in the Nation — the risk of a new Cold War gives us yet another good reason not to be fans of intellectual property.

_____ (2021-02-07). The Chinese 'Debt Trap' Is A Myth. popularresistance.org China, we are told, inveigles poorer countries into taking out loan after loan to build expensive infrastructure that they can't afford and that will yield few benefits, all with the end goal of Beijing eventually taking control of these assets from its struggling borrowers. As states around the world pile on debt to combat the coronavirus pandemic and bolster flagging economies, fears of such possible seizures have only amplified. | Seen this way, China's internationalization—as laid out in programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative—is not simply a pursuit of geopolitical influence but also, in so…

Paul Jay (2021-02-07). The Global Consequences of Jan. 6 and the Mass Base of Fascism — Gerald Horne. theanalysis.news How has the turmoil of Jan 6th and talk of coups affected American ability to control global events, especially as regards to China? The basis for fascism exists in the U.S. as a significant number of people who voted for Trump support a more racist and repressive state. Historian Gerald Horne on theAnalysis.news with Paul Jay.

sputniknews (2021-02-07). UAE's 'Hope' Probe to Become First Arab Space Mission to Attempt Mars Entry – Report. sputniknews.com The US and China launched missions shortly after the UAE's launch in July last year, taking advantage of the time when Earth and Mars are closest. "Hope," or "Al-Amal" in Arabic, will orbit the planet for at least one Martian year, 687 days.

WSWS (2021-02-06). Australian PM calls on New Zealand to "align more" against China. wsws.org The US and Australian governments are concerned that New Zealand's government is strengthening economic relations with Beijing while the US and its allies are preparing for war against China.

CGTN (2021-02-06). Interview with Martin Jacques on BBC Coverage of China. dissidentvoice.org The Chinese Foreign Ministry has demanded an apology from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for its recent coverage of COVID-19, saying the BBC used a clip about an anti-terrorism exercise, claiming it was for pandemic control. The BBC responded: it will continue to uphold the "principle of justice". For more on this, CGTN talked to …

Matthew Rozsa (2021-02-06). Lancet editor says inequality and COVID-19 have converged to create a "syndemic" salon.com Dr. Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, says we face a crisis that is biological as well as social…

Alan MacLeod (2021-02-06). Atlantic Council pens anonymously authored expose calling for regime change in China. mronline.org The report outlines a plan for the United States to pursue a China without Xi Jinping, with a weakened Communist Party, and operating in a region dominated by the US and its allies.

Caitlin Johnstone (2021-02-06). The Empire Must Die: Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com Q: What is a liberal? | A: A liberal is a violent white supremacist extremist who supports and participates in the mass slaughter of brown-skinned human beings overseas while tweeting that white supremacist extremists are bad. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is capitalism? | A: Capitalism is a wonderful economic and political system which has given us powerful technology, a wide assortment of breakfast cereals, and near term human extinction. | ‚ùñ | Q: What is China? | A: China is a large Asiatic nation which westerners use as an emotional punching bag for their capitalism-induced rage, p…

Eds. (2021-02-06). How the Gulf War sparked China's military revolution. mronline.org With the technology and firepower on show during the conflict — precision bombing, satellite guidance, missile interception, air-to-surface strike to eliminate tanks, electronic warfare, one-way transparency on the battlefield, stealth bombers — the Gulf War was a "psychological nuclear attack" on China, observers say.

Online News Editor (2021-02-06). China approves Sinovac jab for public use. laprensalatina.com Beijing, Feb 6 (efe-epa).- The National Medical Products Administration of China has approved the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac, the company said Saturday in a statement. The vaccine is safe for people from 18 years of age and is to be applied in two doses of 0.5 milliliters each at an interval of between 14 …

_____ (2021-02-06). NY Times' Pseudo-Expert Accusing China of Genocide Worked for Far-Right Cult Falun Gong's Publicity Arm. strategic-culture.org The New York Times recycled flimsy claims by a right-wing apocalyptic extremist to accuse China of "genocide," in an op-ed by an American with 1/8th Uighur heritage who worked for Epoch Times, a far-right, pro-Trump outlet backed by cult Falun Gong. | By Ben NORTON | 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, happen…

John Zarocostas (2021-02-06). [World Report] WHO team begins COVID-19 origin investigation. thelancet.com A WHO-led international mission has begun investigations in China to try to establish the origin of SARS-CoV-2. John Zarocostas reports on its activities.

Tings Chak (2021-02-06). The enduring legacy of China's Red Detachment of Women. peoplesdispatch.org On the eve of the Communist Party of China's centenary in July 2021, the story of the country's first women's military brigade in the 1930s continues to find life in popular culture and the imagination of the Chinese people…

Dean Baker (2021-02-05). Should People Who Want to Save the World from the Pandemic Be Demanding We Pay China to Produce Billions of Vaccine Doses? cepr.net I have written repeatedly on how we should have been looking for a collective solution to the pandemic, where countries open-source their research and allow anyone with manufacturing capacity to produce any treatment, test, or vaccine. (We pay upfront, like with Moderna, for those wondering why anyone would do the work.) Anyhow, we obviously did …

RT (2021-02-05). Climate change 'key' in Covid-19 spreading to humans — study. rt.com A study by researchers at the University of Cambridge has found that climate change played a key role in Covid-19 spreading from animals to humans, as the two groups were forced closer together as populations grow. | Scientists examined changes to temperature and rainfall over the last 100 years, specifically modelling bat populations against their habitat needs. They found that climate change had resulted in 40 species relocating during that time to areas in China, Laos and Myanmar. "Bats are the likely zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2," the study noted. | The university researchers outlined how t…

Ralph Nader (2021-02-05). The Struggle Inside Senator Mitch McConnell's Brain. counterpunch.org Since 2015, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has ruled the Senate with an iron hand, describing himself as "the Guardian of Gridlock." He was Senator "NO," except for confirming over 200 mostly corporatist federal judges. Now comes a new challenge for Mitch McConnell as he leads 49 other Republican Senators, twenty of whom are up

Alan Macleod (2021-02-05). Head of Strategic Command: US Must Prepare for "Very Real Possibility" of Nuclear War With China. mintpressnews.com In an era when international cooperation in the face of pandemics and climate change is essential, the world appears to be racing towards a new Cold War, and unfortunately, few except the military top brass are talking about it.

RT (2021-02-05). Biden Vows to Confront Russia, Enemy of Democracy, and China, Enemy of 'Global Governance'. anti-empire.com In his first major foreign policy address, President Joe Biden vowed to confront the enemies of 'democracy' globally, while seeking to reclaim America's 'moral credibility' and leadership in LGBT and climate change issues. | Speaking at the State Department headquarters in the nation's capital on Thursday, Biden outlined his foreign policy vision in a 20-minute address, laying out a sprawling list of priorities for his administration, among them countering supposed US "adversaries." | "American leadership must meet this new moment of advancing authoritarianism, including the growing ambitions of China to rival th…

RT (2021-02-05). China's Tianwen-1 probe beams back 1st PHOTO of Mars during historic mission. rt.com The space race is heating up once again after China's Tianwen-1 Mars probe beamed back its first image of Mars amid the country's historic first trip to the Red Planet. | The image arrived some six months after the craft blasted off from China's southern Hainan island in July 2020. | Also on rt.com | | The black-and-white picture was taken around 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Mars or around 184 million kilometers from Earth some…

The Canary (2021-02-05). Study suggests climate change may have played a role in the coronavirus pandemic. thecanary.co Climate change may have played a direct role in the emergence of Sars-CoV-2 — the virus responsible for the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, a study has suggested. | "Urgent wake-up call": | Global greenhouse gas emissions over the last century have made southern China a "hotspot" for many bat species that host coronaviruses, according to scientists from the University of Cambridge. The researchers said their findings, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, should be "an urgent wake-up call to reduce global emissions". | Dr Robert Beyer, a researcher in the University of Cambridg…

RT (2021-02-05). 'America is back!' Biden talks 'tough' on Russia and China, vows to reclaim 'moral leadership & defend democracy'. rt.com In his first major foreign policy address, President Joe Biden vowed to confront the enemies of 'democracy' globally, while seeking to reclaim America's 'moral credibility' and leadership in LGBT and climate change issues. | Speaking at the State Department headquarters in the nation's capital on Thursday, Biden outlined his foreign policy vision in a 20-minute address, laying out a sprawling list of priorities for his administration, among them countering supposed US "adversaries." | "American leadership must meet this new moment of advancing authoritarianism, including the growing ambitions of China to rival…

_____ (2021-02-05). Washington's Reckless Attitude Toward Nuclear War A Threat To World Peace. popularresistance.org Fox News reported that the head of US Strategic Command Charles Richard is calling on the US military and federal leaders to reimagine methods of deterring aggressive action from rivals such as China and Russia. He wrote in the February issue of Proceedings, the US Naval Institute's monthly magazine, that, "There is a real possibility that a regional crisis with Russia or China could escalate quickly to a conflict involving nuclear weapons." | It's not uncommon to hear the noise preaching so-called threats of China and Russia. Yet it's still shocking to see a US senior military official publicly urging leaders of…

_____ (2021-02-05). On The Critical Predation Of China. popularresistance.org Amidst the feverish critiques of China made by a growing cadre of "China scholars," "media watchers," and "think tank freelancers" across the Western world (the "free world," they might tell you), a virulent distaste toward China for supposedly ethical reasons has become the norm. We've woken up to find ourselves in a Twilight Zone where the precondition for engaging with Sinophobia is the performance of a different kind of Sinophobic antipathy—one that disavows the possibility of Chinese political legitimacy while it virtue signals the Western critic's own commitment to "justice." | Western critiques of Ch…

Conn M. Hallinan (2021-02-05). Biden's Top Foreign Policy Challenge: Avoiding a Cold War with China. juancole.com Taiwan and the South China Sea are the likeliest points of conflict — but conflict is not an option. ( Foreign Policy in Focus) — President Joe Biden's administration faces a host of difficult problems, but in foreign policy its thorniest will be its relations with the People's Republic of China. How the new administration …