2020-07-18: News Headlines

Richard Horton (2020-07-18). [Comment] Offline: COVID-19 and the dangers of Sinophobia. thelancet.com One of the most productive experiences editors at The Lancet have had during the past 6 months has been the intense collaborations with medical and public health scientists in mainland China and Hong Kong. Cooperation began early in the pandemic. During the last week of January, The Lancet published five research papers from mainland China and Hong Kong describing the clinical presentation of patients with COVID-19, human-to-human transmission, genomic relatedness to the SARS coronavirus, and the risks of a global pandemic.

Andre Vltchek (2020-07-18). U.K. and Hong Kong: Mutually Reinforced Ignorance. dissidentvoice.org Three years ago, I visited Old Supreme Court Building in Hong Kong, also known as The Court of Final Appeal, together with my friend, an Afghan-British lawyer, who was on a personal mission of 're-discovering Asia.' Coming from a prominent, highly educated family in Afghanistan, my friend was extremely well aware that both the United …

WSWS (2020-07-18). US escalates economic warfare against Russia and China. wsws.org After securing a decision by the UK government to ban the Chinese firm Huawei from its 5G rollout, the US is pressuring the Merkel government in Germany to take the same decision.

Tony Cartalucci (2020-07-17). Hong Kong Security Law Is Common Sense, Not Controversial. globalresearch.ca China's special administration region of Hong Kong saw the passing of a security law outlawing acts universally recognized as criminal and threats to any nation's security and sovereignty. | Despite what would appear to be common sense legislation, the Western media …

WSWS (2020-07-17). Facing mounting crisis, US lashes out against China. wsws.org Confronted with an economic and social crisis at home and his own worsening election prospects, Trump is aggressively confronting China across a whole range of potentially explosive issues.

teleSUR (2020-07-17). Stop Harassing Chinese Enterprises, Diplomat Hua Asked the US. telesurenglish.net China's Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying Friday urged the United States to halt its unjustified and unilateral sanctions against his country's companies. | RELATED: | "Stop suppressing specific Chinese enterprises unreasonably, stop abusing the concept of national security, and stop smearing China maliciously," Hua said, as reported by Xinhua. | On Aug. 13, the U.S. will implement new regulations aimed at prohibi…

Danny Haiphong (2020-07-17). The great American firewall: On the question of censorship. mronline.org It should not surprise anyone that China would take protective measures against the threat of U.S. imperialism in the realm of cyber technology.

Richard Falk (2020-07-17). Will China be the New Russia? zcomm.org The Future of American Geopolitics…

Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya (2020-07-17). Geo-Strategic Chessboard: War Between India and China? globalresearch.ca New Delhi caught between alliances? An encircling military ring that involves India has been created around China.

teleSUR (2020-07-17). The United States Deploys Aircraft Carriers in the South China Sea. telesurenglish.net President Donald Trump's administration Friday deployed the USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carriers to the South China Sea when relations between the United States and China are becoming increasingly strained. | RELATED: | "Nimitz and Reagan Carrier Strike Groups are operating in the South China Sea, wherever international law allows, to reinforce our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, a rules-ba…

Peter Koenig (2020-07-17). China's Economy and Globalization: A Look into the Future. globalresearch.ca After the corona crisis, may the world be facing a monumental paradigm shift of power towards a more balanced civilization — more social justice and equity? The global almost total lockdown, chosen by most governments around the globe in response …

Scott Ritter (2020-07-17). America Declaring China's Territorial Claims Illegal Is All Bark & No Bite. The US Is Militarily & Economically Impotent. globalresearch.ca Mike Pompeo's statement that Beijing's claims in the South China Sea are unlawful was seen by some as a dramatic step toward war. But it's little more than bluster as the US knows it is not yet capable of taking …

_____ (2020-07-17). Modi's 'New' India: Notch Or Knot On China's Belt (And Road Initiative). popularresistance.org File it in the rapidly-brimming "biggest-stories-of-2020-you-haven't-heard-about" folder. | Amidst the madness merger of pandemic and protests — both of which Trump's minions have blamed on China — there's been scant attention paid to a brewing conflict between two of the world's nine nuclear-armed powers (accounting for some 430 warheads between them). One is a rather flighty proxy — India — that Washington has long pursued with the oft-hopeless passion of a smitten suitor. The other, an "enemy" of "freedom," America, and apple pie everywhere: a Chinese dragon to whom new cold war enthusi…

Anand Naidoo (2020-07-17). The Heat: China's economic recovery. america.cgtn.com China's GDP beats expectations and is the first major economy to record positive growth this year. We will take a look at the country's recovery and how it impacts the global economy.

_____ (2020-07-17). Why Laos, Vietnam & China Have Beaten the Virus and India, Brazil and the U.S. Have Not. strategic-culture.org Vijay Prashad explores the differences between the pandemic responses of a few countries with socialist governments and others in the capitalist order. | Vijay PRASHAD | Too little has been made of the fact that countries like Laos and Vietnam have been able to manage the coronavirus; there are no confirmed deaths from Covid-19 in either country. Both of these Southeast Asian states border China, where the virus was first detected in late December 2019, and both have thriving trade and tourist relations with China. India is separated from China by the high Himalaya Mountains, while Brazil and the United States ha…

_____ (2020-07-17). Losing the Plot Again… Trump's Anti-EU Rant Has Dangerous Implications for China. strategic-culture.org It was a barnstorming speech even by President Donald Trump's dubious standard when he gave a press conference this week from the White House Rose Garden. | In typical self-promotional style, he lashed out at everyone and everything under the sun, it seemed, from his Democrat presidential rival Joe Biden to China, from coronavirus to illegal immigrants, and much more besides. Here's the It would be charitable to call Trump's electioneering rant "entertaining" so replete was it with vitri…

Tyler Durden (2020-07-16). The Dollar "Has Us by the Throat": Chinese Party Official Urges Decoupling. anti-empire.com With all eyes on Trump's Tuesday evening Rose Garden speech which unveiled that he'll sign new and punitive measures indirectly targeting China — namely the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, a bipartisan measure to penalize banks that work with Chinese officials found to be interfering in Hong Kong affairs — it remains that arguably the most important recent statements out of China came not from current government officials, but from Zhou Li, the 65-year-old former deputy head of the Chinese Communist Party's International Liaison Department. He's considered an important voice who echoes the outside the box thi…

Gary Leupp (2020-07-16). Tweedledee, Tweedledum, COVID-19, and China in the U.S. Election. dissidentvoice.org Trump's Main Crime is Criminal Negligence Trump cannot turn back time and re-do February and early March. He cannot undo the damage caused by his inaction on the virus. The fact is, tens of thousands of people in this country became infected while the president pooh-poohed the problem. He showed ignorance and indifference, acting belatedly—as …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-16). Britain Caves to US, Bans Huawei from 5G Network Build-Out, More US Anti-China Sanctions Coming. globalresearch.ca Trump regime hardliners are pushing a diabolical full-court press to weaken and isolate China on the world stage — wanting its economic, industrial and technological development undermined. | I stressed these points in earlier articles, stressing as well the risk that …

Matthew Ehret-Kump (2020-07-16). The Fall of Oligarch Vlad. Plahotniuc. New Hope for Moldova? Towards a Multipolar Alliance with Russia and China? globalresearch.ca In June 2019, the small landlocked nation of Moldova found itself in a life or death struggle between two opposing futures: Oligarchs like the notorious Vladimir Plahotniuc had worked diligently for years to bring this nation into the hull of …

Do Thi Thu Huong (2020-07-16). Vietnam's Success Against COVID-19. globalresearch.ca While other countries are still lifting quarantine or planning to re-open public activities, Vietnam — a small, developing country that has about 1,400 km of land, river and stream and borders with China — has been opened up for more …

RT (2020-07-16). 'China's goal is to replace you': AG Barr warns Hollywood, Big Tech & US academia not to 'kowtow' to Beijing. rt.com Attorney General William Barr just hardened the Trump administration's line on China, accusing Beijing of wanting to replace the US as the dominant economic and political global power, with the help of America's own institutions. | China is engaged "in an economic blitzkrieg, an aggressive, orchestrated, whole-of-government — indeed, whole-of-society — campaign to seize the commanding heights of the global economy and to surpass the US as the world's preeminent technological superpower," Barr said on Thursday in a speech at the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in Michigan. | The Chinese Communist Part…

Alan Macleod (2020-07-15). Trump Fires Latest Salvo in US-China Sanctions War. mintpressnews.com Trump's new law, the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, places mandatory sanctions on officials or organizations (including businesses) that the White House views as helping Beijing clamp down on political freedoms.

Denis Doherty, Hannah Middleton (2020-07-15). Australian government ramps up anti-China campaign, spends billions on weaponry. peoplesworld.org SYDNEY—In announcing $270 billion ($189 billion USD) for the military on July 1, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had the task of convincing Australians that the exorbitant spending was necessary. He turned to fear as his chief weapon, evoking the rise of Nazism and World War II and describing…

WSWS (2020-07-15). US secretary of state denounces China over South China Sea. wsws.org The Trump administration formally adopts the 2016 Hague ruling against Chinese claims in the sensitive, strategic waters, as it ramps up US naval provocations there.

yenisafak (2020-07-15). Coronavirus claims more lives in Oman, Bahrain. yenisafak.com Local health authorities on Wednesday recorded eight deaths from the novel coronavirus in Oman and another three in Bahrain. In a statement, the Omani Health Ministry said 1,679 additional cases were registered, raising the total count to 61,247, including 281 deaths, and 39,038 recoveries.In Bahrain, three people died from the virus over the past 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.The Gulf state's tally now stands at 34,078 cases, including 114 deaths, and 29,753 recoveries.Since first appearing in China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US, Brazil…

sputniknews (2020-07-15). Skin Rash Should Be Added to Official Coronavirus Symptom List, Researchers Say. sputniknews.com Study authors say that although COVID-19 is seen as a disease that primarily affects the respiratory system, rashes have been reported as symptoms in some severe cases in which patients were hospitalised in China and Europe. The Covid Symptom Study is the first to gather data about skin rashes in milder cases of COVID-19.

sputniknews (2020-07-15). Video: Chinese Jets Flex Aerial Combat Prowess in Rare Recording of J-10 Dogfight. sputniknews.com New air combat training footage from China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) provides viewers with a firsthand perspective of what it is like to operate a Chengdu J-10 single-engine, lightweight, multirole fighter jet during an aerial showdown.

RT (2020-07-15). Toying with China? Pompeo photo of dog & Winnie the Pooh teddy bear sparks online speculation. rt.com A tweet from Mike Pompeo has led to much speculation about whether the back and forth with China is now getting personal, as the picture includes a reference to a derogatory nickname for the Chinese president. | US Secretary of State Pompeo posted a photo of his dog, Mercer, surrounded by all her "favorite toys" to his Twitter page on Tuesday evening, kicking off numerous conspiracy theories thanks to the inclusion of a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal. | Mercer and all of her favorite toys! üê∂

The Canary (2020-07-15). Trump takes credit for convincing UK to ban China's Huawei. thecanary.co Donald Trump has appeared to take credit for having "convinced many countries", including the UK, not to use Huawei after Boris Johnson ordered a ban on the Chinese firm with the country's 5G network.The US president said, "I did this myself, for the most part", as he spoke of having worked to pressure nations to not use Huawei, adding: "If they want to do business with us, they can't use it." | In a major U-turn provoking criticism from China, the prime minister

Paul Huang (2020-07-15). Taiwan's Military Is a Hollow Shell. anti-empire.com As threats of military aggression from China Even as the military refits itself with flashy

Liu Xuanzun (2020-07-15). China to Sanction Lockheed Martin, Cut It Off From Its Rare Earths. anti-empire.com China will impose sanctions on US-based arms producer Lockheed Martin, the main contractor of the recertification of its Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) air defense missiles of the island of Taiwan. | The sanctions will likely feature the cut-off of material supply including rare earths, which are crucial to advanced weapons production, and business restrictions on Lockheed Martin's suppliers that have business in the Chinese mainland, Chinese aviation industry experts said on Tuesday. | The US on Thursday announced the approval of an arms deal to Taiwan involving the recertification of PAC-3 air defense mi…

_____ (2020-07-15). Deluded Britain Rows in Behind U.S. Gunboat Diplomacy on China. strategic-culture.org America's trusty British lieutenant has weighed in to stoke tensions in the South China Sea with reports that Britain is to deploy its two new aircraft carriers to the Pacific region. The carrier strike groups which include frigates, destroyers and nuclear-powered submarines, are to join with U.S. and Japanese warships to conduct naval drills. | Beijing has already

RT (2020-07-15). 'Fully committed': IOC determined to stage rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo next year. rt.com Olympic organizers remain committed to staging the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo next summer, and are currently working to prepare for a number of potential scenarios to ensure the Games can go ahead. | Japan and the IOC agreed to postpone the Tokyo Games scheduled for this summer until 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. | The Games, which were due to commence on July 24, will now undergo a simplification process that will strip down some elements of the events to help maintain athletes' safety. | Speaking on a conference call, IOC president Thomas Bach said there had been "very good work in…