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United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China to stop “aggressive actions” in the Indo-Pacific region as Washington looks to shore up alliances against Beijing. Blinken made the comments in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Tuesday as he began his tour of Southeast Asia. Talking about Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, Blinken said that the US would work with allies and partners to “defend the rules-based order” and that countries should have the right to “choose their own path.” “That’s why there is so much concern — from northeast Asia to Southeast Asia, and from the Mekong River to the Pacific Islands...

One year ago, the biggest vaccination drive in American history began with a flush of excitement in an otherwise gloomy December. Trucks loaded with freezer-packed vials of a COVID-19 vaccine that had proved wildly successful in clinical trials fanned out across the land, bringing shots that many hoped would spell the end of the crisis. That hasn’t happened. A year later, too many Americans remain unvaccinated and too many are dying. The nation’s COVID-19 death toll stands at around 800,000 as the anniversary of the U.S. vaccine rollout arrives. A year ago it stood at 300,000. An untold number of...

LIVERPOOL, England, Dec 12 (Reuters) - While Russian President Vladimir Putin keeps the West guessing over Ukraine, it was the might of Chinese President Xi Jinping that garnered the long-term strategic focus when the diplomats from the Group of Seven richest democracies met this weekend. The United States and its other G7 allies are searching for a coherent response to Xi's growing assertiveness after China’s spectacular economic and military rise over the past 40 years.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced back in July that it had achieved a complete “moderately prosperous society” and eliminated “absolute poverty” in China.However, recent research shows that the number of individuals from households with less than 500 yuan ($80) per capita monthly disposable income has exceeded 220 million in China, a sharp contrast to the statements proclaimed by CCP leader Xi Jinping in remarks for the Party’s 100th anniversary.In the “China Statistical Yearbook 2021” published by the National Bureau of Statistics, 20 percent of all households in China have a per capita monthly disposable income of 656 yuan (US$103),...

Republicans & Democrats have united to punish China. They've passed a bill to ban all goods that are made through forced labour of Uighur Muslims. Which brands could this bill spell trouble for? Versachi, Vuitton, etc.

Germany’s incoming government, led by the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), were pressed to clarify their foreign policy priorities at a press conference on Tuesday. Having officially signed a three-party coalition agreement, Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz and the rest of his Cabinet members are expected to take office on Wednesday after a vote and swearing-in ceremony in the German parliament. Scholz put Europe in focus as he fielded questions on Russia, China and the United States alongside Greens co-leader and incoming vice chancellor Robert Habeck as well as Free Democrat (FDP) chief and incoming Finance Minister Christian Lindner. Strengthening the European Union...

stunning new report claims that China has been “secretly developing Trojan Horse-style missiles hidden in shipping containers” at a time when shipping and logistics is a key global focus. The new allegations, raised in a report by The U.S. Sun, state that the missiles could be “unleased on enemy ports” and would be disguised amongst the country’s massive fleet of freighters and fishing vessels – which could then be “turned into warships” using the secret missiles. The missiles could “blend in seamlessly” with hundreds of other containers on board ships, the report says. The shipping vessels are tougher to pinpoint...

I had a chat with a friend this morning and in the course of the chat he mentioned how China has been quietly building up its forces in Shenyang province, which is adjacent to Russia and North Korea. He says the unusual thing is that the troops and equipment are not being moved into existing military bases but instead into so-called "Ghost Cities" like the Hunnan Xin district of Shenyang City. He says he first noticed this about two months ago when a number of empty buildings started to have lights in them at night and he could see military...

NEW intelligence from a US Space Force official confirms that China's hypersonic weapon system can stay in orbit for "an extended period of time." US intelligence and military officials have been keeping a close eye on the technology, which reportedly had its first test launch in August. In a forum event streamed online, information about the weapon was explained by Lieutenant General B. Chance Saltzman, Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear, United States Space Force. Saltzman clarified that China's mysterious new weapon reportedly uses fractional orbit technology, rather than a traditional suborbital method. That would allow...

BURBANK, CA—At the entertainment giant’s world headquarters, Disney Imagineers showed off new technology that uses artificial intelligence to scan the more than 700 episodes of “The Simpsons” and replace Bart Simpson’s probably-offensive catchphrase “Cowabunga!” with the much less problematic and more profitable catchphrase “Taiwan is not a sovereign state, dude!” Sam Carter, Disney’s Executive Vice President of Tyrant Placation, gushed over the technological achievement. “This new AI process is truly a great leap forward,” said Carter. “It allows us to instantly scan hundreds of hours of audio for Bart’s previous catchphrase, which is probably very offensive. We haven’t really looked...

US-listed Chinese microblogging platform Weibo is seeking to raise up to US$547 million in a share offer in Hong Kong, documents showed Monday (Nov 29), the latest China tech company to list closer to home as tensions with the United States rise. Several US-listed Chinese tech firms such as Alibaba have held initial public offerings in Hong Kong over the past two years as the United States has stepped up scrutiny of Chinese companies. Listing in Hong Kong is seen as a hedge against the risk of being removed from US exchanges and a way of accessing an investor base...

BBarbados is about to cut ties with the British monarchy, but the legacy of a sometimes brutal colonial past and the pandemic's impact on tourism pose major challenges for the Caribbean island as it becomes the world's newest republic. Famed for its beaches and love of cricket, Barbados will this week replace its head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, with her current representative, Governor General Sandra Mason. Ceremonies on Monday evening into Tuesday will include military parades and celebrations as Mason is inaugurated as president,... In October, Barbados elected Mason to become its first president, one year after Prime Minister...

China has beat the U.S. to become the world’s richest nation, according to a new report. -- Key findings: Global net worth soared from $156 million in 2000 to $514 trillion in 2020, making the world wealthier than it was at any point in history. China accounted for nearly a third of the increase, the report from management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company stated. McKinsey analyzed the national balance sheets of 10 countries that represented 60% of the world’s income. Of these nations, China accounted for 50% of the growth in net worth, followed by the U.S. (22%) and Japan...

Representative Liz Cheney’s husband’s law firm represents several Chinese Communist Party-linked clients – including firms tied to the regime’s military – and employs former party officials to undergird its massive China practice, The National Pulse can reveal. Phillip Perry – the husband of the House Republican Conference Chair who looks set to be ousted over her outlandish criticisms of her own party and its leader Donald Trump – serves as a Partner at Latham & Watkins. The firm, which has offices in Shanghai and Beijing, has worked with companies labeled “tools” of the Chinese Communist Party by the U.S. State...

CommentaryHow worried should we be about China’s economy? According to China expert Daniel H. Rosen, the answer is very.Rosen, an author and academic, warns readers that the end times for the world’s second-largest economy are fast approaching. Is Rosen right? And if so, what would a collapsing China mean for the rest of the world, especially the United States?When it comes to discussing China, there appears to be two schools of thought. Let’s call them System 1 and System 2.Disciples of System 1 view China as an unstoppable juggernaut, a geopolitical great white shark that will eventually devour everything in...

China is unlikely to use military force to seize Taiwan in the near future, but the country’s communist regime does pose a serious threat not only to the self-ruled island, but also to the United States, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Nov. 3.“Based on my analysis of China, I don’t think that it is likely in the near future—being defined as six, 12, maybe 24 months, that kind of window,” he said in response to a question about it.Milley made the remarks while speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, an annual three-day security...

US intelligence agencies say they may never be able to identify the origins of Covid-19, but they have concluded it was not created as a biological weapon. In an updated assessment of where the virus began, the Office of the US Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said an animal-to-human transmission and a lab leak were both plausible hypotheses for how it spread. But there was not enough information to reach a definitive conclusion. China has criticized the report. The findings were published in a declassified report which is an update of a 90-day review that President Joe Biden's administration released...

Conventional wisdom holds that best friends make the worst enemies. Should China keep this saying in mind regarding its relationship with Russia? Currently, enmity between the two partners seems a remote possibility, especially after President Vladimir Putin praised Beijing openly at the recent Russian Energy Week conference. However, despite the harmonious public pronouncements, Sino-Russian rapprochement may not be able to completely conceal the emerging irritation of Russian elites toward Beijing. Professor Alexander Lukin’s latest article in the Washington Quarterly notes this change. Back in 2018, his book “China and Russia: The New Rapprochement” discussed the promise of Sino-Russian cooperation. In...

Chinese leader Xi Jinping repeated calls for world peace and global cooperation on Oct. 25, in remarks that experts said were a veiled criticism directed at Washington and did little to dispel growing concerns over Beijing’s increasing assertiveness on the world stage.In a speech marking the 50th anniversary of the communist regime’s representing China at the United Nations, Xi said Beijing would always be a “builder of world peace” and a “defender of the international order,” according to a statement released by Beijing’s foreign ministry.His remarks came amid intensifying criticism in the West over a range of Chinese Communist Party...

BEIJING—As the arms race between the United States and China heats up, Beijing has unveiled its deadliest weapon yet: an ICBM that can be launched through space and then fly over America playing Dave Chappelle jokes. China tested the missile with a launch into U.S. airspace earlier this week. We would have shot it down, but our generals were too busy in a CRT training seminar led by four-star Admiral Rachel Levine. "We're doomed! Everyone run for your lives!" screamed one liberal in San Francisco as the missile flew overhead playing his latest special. "He's saying things that are off-color...