2020-07-22: News Headlines

calvin deutschbein (2020-07-23). Quick facts on China and COVID. workers.org This slightly edited talk was given at the July 16 Workers World Party webinar: "Why We Defend China." The webinar can be viewed at tinyurl.com/yxbbpwwy/. The U.S. ruling class has increasingly turned to misinformation and propaganda campaigns to maintain control of the country during the COVID-19 epidemic and to concoct . . . |

Dave Welsh (2020-07-23). 'Pivot to Peace with China and the World' says San Francisco labor. workers.org San Francisco The following is based on a webinar presentation given on the July 18 Workers World Party webinar: "Why We Defend China." It can be viewed on Facebook at tinyurl.com/y2fevsmx. Military veterans tend to have a deeper understanding of the human costs of war. So it was not surprising . . . |

WSWS (2020-07-22). Letter from a student in China on the COVID-19 pandemic. wsws.org "People are worried that on top of the hardship they have already gone through, they would face more unknown, long-term, and negative consequences from the pandemic."

Alvaro Rodriguez (2020-07-22). In provocative move, Trump orders shutdown of Chinese consulate in Houston. peoplesworld.org HOUSTON—The Trump administration has ordered the shut down of China's consulate in Houston. Consulate staff have been given a few days to close the facility and vacate all workers. The deadline for closing the consulate is Friday, July 24. The closure of China's consulate marks a sharp escalation of the Trump administration's attacks on China. …

WSWS (2020-07-22). Despite withdrawal of ICE ruling, international students in the US remain at risk. wsws.org Amid an intensifying anti-immigrant and anti-China campaign, Trump's tactical retreat from the July 6 ruling putting international students at risk of deportation is not any cause for celebration.

Caitlin Johnstone (2020-07-22). China, QAnon Censorship, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix. thealtworld.com QAnon is one of the most annoying things on Twitter and its followers are morons. And, also, it is dangerous and unacceptable that monopolistic Silicon Valley tech plutocrats are exerting more and more control over human communication. | I criticize QAnon constantly and find its acolytes intensely irritating. And, also, I don't want monopolistic tech billionaires paternalistically protecting my fragile little mind from them. | Twitter shouldn't be In a corporatist system of government, w…

Tony Cartalucci (2020-07-22). Washington's Anti-Chinese "Pan-Asian Alliance" globalresearch.ca One of Washington's reoccuring dreams is creating a "pan-Asian alliance" to encircle and contain China's economic and political rise. Unable to do this through regime change, economic incentives, military alliances, or even coercion and terrorism, it has drawn deeper and …

Bill Julian (2020-07-22). Weaponizing Intellectual Property: the Scientist and the Spy. counterpunch.org China is the latest in the long list of post-World War II villains who threaten the American way of life, or America's deserved spot at the head of the table, or the peace and prosperity of America's allies, or the values of the West. China's particular threat is its ambition to replace the US at

yenisafak (2020-07-22). China may shut US Wuhan consulate after U.S. orders its Houston mission closed. yenisafak.com China is considering ordering the closure of the U.S. consulate in the central city of Wuhan, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, after Washington told China to shut its consulate in the city of Houston.China's foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment, but at a media briefing earlier on Wednesday warned of possible retaliation over the U.S. decision.The U.S. embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

yenisafak (2020-07-22). Pompeo: China's behaviour was unacceptable in border clash with India. yenisafak.com India's recent border clash with China was the latest example of the Chinese Communist Party's "unacceptable behaviour," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday.He made the comment at the U.S.-India Business Council's India Ideas Summit, being conducted on line, adding: "I am confident that with our concerted efforts, we can protect our interest."India's relations with China have been strained after last month's deadly clash in the Himalayas, prompting calls in India for closer security ties with the United States and its allies including Japan.

sputniknews (2020-07-22). As World Split Over Huawei, Narendra Modi Invites American Businessmen to Invest in 5G Technology. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): Earlier in the day, Mike Pompeo urged New Delhi to remain cautious when dealing with China in technology, claiming that doing so involves security risks to Indians. US President Donald Trump had previously offered joint collaboration in 5G technology during his two day visit to India in February.

sputniknews (2020-07-22). Indian Def Minister Asks Air Force to Stand Ready, Despite De-escalation Efforts Along China Border. sputniknews.com New Delhi (Sputnik): A month after violent skirmishes involving the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh, the commanders of the Indian Air Force (IAF) met in New Delhi to "review the operational scenario and deployments" and to discuss "building the IAF capabilities in the next decade to tackle all emerging threats."

sputniknews (2020-07-22). France Tells Telecom Operators Licences for Huawei 5G Gear Will Not Be Renewed, Reports Say. sputniknews.com European nations, France included, have been pressed by the United States to ban Huawei from building their 5G networks. Washington has claimed Beijing uses the firm's equipment for spying. China has repeatedly denied the accusations.

RT (2020-07-22). Trump says 'always possible' he'll shut down more Chinese consulates after Beijing vows retaliation for Houston facility closure. rt.com US President Donald Trump said he could shutter additional Chinese consulates following the closure of a diplomatic facility in Texas, leaving the door open for further escalation as tensions soar between the two nations. | The comment came during a White House presser on Wednesday, following the State Department's decision to order a Chinese consulate in Houston to shut down within 72 hours "in order to protect American intellectual property and Americans," according to a department spokesperson. | "I guess they were burning documents and burning papers," Trump said, referring to the Chinese consulate staff.

_____ (2020-07-22). UK Blinks in China Face-Off. strategic-culture.org The much-touted tough measures promised by the British government against China over alleged human rights violations turned out to be a damp squib. No doubt a sudden reality-check of the British economy's dependence on China had a sobering effect on Downing Street's reckless antagonism towards Beijing. | Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab made a much anticipated

Gary Leupp (2020-07-22). The Statue of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Milwaukee's Veteran's Park. dissidentvoice.org There is a statue of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Milwaukee, in Veteran's Park next to the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. It is a replica of the one at West Point. The general stands there arms akimbo, in that memorable pose he assumed next to the diminutive defeated emperor of Japan in the famous photo …

WSWS (2020-07-22). COVID-19 cases surging again in Japan. wsws.org As during the earlier stages of the pandemic, the government is refusing to make the necessary resources available to properly protect people and their livelihoods.

Johanna Ross (2020-07-21). By Rejecting Huawei, Britain Risks Being Swept up in the US' Next Ideological Crusade. globalresearch.ca 'Let China sleep, when she wakes, she will shake the world' Napoleon reportedly said. But China has been far from asleep in recent years — the West has. In the last few decades the East Asian country of around 1.4 …

Staff (2020-07-21). Stir Crazy! Episode #69: A Failed State? therealnews.com On today's show: Director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership Neill Franklin, Chinatown Collective founding member Leandro Lagera, and TRNN host Marc Steiner. Hosted by Kim Brown. If you have comments/questions/suggestions email us at stircrazy@therealnews.com

Patrick Cockburn (2020-07-21). The UK and US are Starting a New Cold War with Russia and China. zcomm.org What are These Governments Trying to Hide?>

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-21). Trump Regime Blacklists More Chinese Firms. globalresearch.ca Days earlier at the Economic Club of New York, Pompeo continued his all-out war of words on China. | Ignoring endless US wars by hot and other means against nations on its target list for regime change, he accused China of …

yenisafak (2020-07-21). Pentagon chief looking to visit China this year amid tensions. yenisafak.com U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday he hoped to visit China by the end of the year to discuss areas of mutual interest, even as he condemned Chinese maritime activity in the South China Sea."Before the year is out, I hope to visit the PRC for the first time as secretary in order to enhance cooperation on areas of common interest, establish the systems necessary for crisis communications and reinforce our intentions to openly compete in the international system," Esper said, using an acronym for the People's Republic of China.Esper also said that he had not given any orders to withdraw U.S. troops fr…

RT (2020-07-21). US indicts two 'state-backed Chinese hackers' for stealing military secrets & coronavirus data. rt.com The US Justice Department has accused two "Chinese hackers" of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of trade secrets, including defense data and research related to the development of a vaccine against coronavirus. | The indictment was rolled out on Tuesday, accusing two Chinese nationals, identified as Li Xiaoyu and Dong Jiazhi, of waging a massive worldwide hacking campaign. The investigation into their alleged activities was triggered back in 2015, when they broke into a network belonging to the Hanford Site, a decommissioned nuclear complex in the state of Washington. | The US Justice Department…

_____ (2020-07-21). Pandemic and Hair Trigger Flash Points: an Explosive Situation. strategic-culture.org As the Covid-19 pandemic continues its deadly march around the world, a number of relatively dormant conflicts, as well as several well-known flash points, stand ready to place the world on the edge of a major armed conflict. History shows us that during times of stress — economic depression, religious strife, vacuums of political leadership, and public health crises like that which is now plaguing the world — the chances for war increase commensurately. | India and China, which fought a border war in 1962, are against faced off at several key border locations stretching from Ladakh in the western Him…

RT (2020-07-21). Plastic battery that can withstand deep-sea pressures and RESIST FIRE is tested on Japanese mini-sub. rt.com Japanese firm Sanyo Chemical Industries is testing a rechargeable battery made entirely of plastic on board an unmanned submarine. Cheaper than lithium batteries to produce, they say it can withstand intense heat and depths. | The battery, which has electrolytes made from resin and lasts twice as long as traditional lithium batteries, has much greater resistance to fires and is cheaper to make. Sanyo Chemical Industries claims that it costs 90 percent less to produce than older batteries, due to the simplicity of its production process. | The chemical company says that the new type of battery should give the K…

Finian Cunningham (2020-07-20). China Has Whip Hand, Not UK. thealtworld.com Listening to British ministers bossing China around sounds like they're reliving the 19th century Opium Wars. That's when a globally powerful Britain humbled China for exploitation, including selling narcotics to that nation, as well as stealing the territory of Hong Kong. | Today, Britain is in no position to bully China — the world's second largest economy after the United States, and soon to be the first. Currently, China's economy is about six times China is a major foreign investor in the…

Kenny Coyle (2020-07-20). Hong Kong labor movement a target for U.S. manipulation and division. peoplesworld.org Hong Kong has always been a city of divided loyalties. Complex strands of class and national identities run through its labor movement just as they do elsewhere in Hong Kong society. In turn, these divisions have invariably reflected broader conflicts within the rest of China and between China and the outside world. Today, the two …

yenisafak (2020-07-20). UK suspends extradition treaty with Hong Kong. yenisafak.com The British government on Monday suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in the wake of China imposing a controversial and sweeping security law on the semi-autonomous region. | Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told parliament "we have agreed to suspend the extradition treaty immediately and indefinitely," describing the move as "a reasonable and proportionate response to China's failure to live up to those international obligations with respect to Hong Kong." | The move follows Canada and Australia already scrapping their extradition treaties with Hong Kong, with the US set to do the same in the coming day…

WSWS (2020-07-20). This week in history: July 20-26. wsws.org 25 years ago: "Taiwan Strait Crisis" between US and China On July 21, 1995, the People's Republic of China conducted the first in a series of missile tests in the Taiwan Strait, just 60 kilometers north of the Pengjia Islet, setting into motion what would later be known as the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis. The crisis reflected early fears within American ruling circles over the emergence of mainland China (People's Republic of China, or PRC) as a rival to US domination of the Asia-Pacific.

Peter Koenig (2020-07-20). China's Economy and Globalization: A Look into the Future. dissidentvoice.org 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 to mastering the Covid-19 crisis, devastated the world economy, as we know it, and hundreds of …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-20). US Sleepwalking Toward Confrontation with China? globalresearch.ca Are things today on a path similar to what Professor of Government Graham Allison called events in 1941 that led to war between the US and Japan? | Clearly the risk of confrontation between the US and China is real by …

Stephen Lendman (2020-07-20). US v. China: A Clash of Civilizations Escalates. globalresearch.ca Made-in-the USA irreconcilable differences define bilateral relations, things worsening, not improving. | Bipartisan US hardliners are waging war on China by other means — a futile attempt to undermine its growing prominence on the world stage that could escalate to direct …

Ajit Singh (2020-07-20). With U.S. support, Taiwan planted deception about warning World Health Org of COVID. mronline.org Taiwan's claim that it provided early warning to the WHO about COVID and "human-to human-transmission" has been exploited by the Trump administration to attack the multi-lateral body and turn up the heat on China. There's just one problem: it's totally false.

_____ (2020-07-20). With US Support, Taiwan Planted Deception About Warning WHO Of COVID19. popularresistance.org The Taiwanese government has claimed that it provided early warning to the World Health Organization (WHO) at the end of December about the novel coronavirus and the risk of human-to-human transmission but was ignored due to pressure from China. This claim has been paraded by Taiwanese authorities and the Donald Trump administration in order to slam the WHO as beholden to Chinese interests and advance the cause of Taiwanese separatism, pushing for Taiwan to be granted membership to the WHO independent of China. | However, there is no evidence any such warning was ever issued by Taiwan to the WHO. The confidential…

yenisafak (2020-07-20). Saudi Arabia records more than 2,400 new COVID-19 cases. yenisafak.com Over 2,400 people were diagnosed Monday with the novel coronavirus in Saudi Arabia, according to the Health Ministry.Officials said 2,429 more infections were registered in the last 24 hours and that the total number of cases climbed to 253,349.The death toll from the virus reached 2,523, with 37 additional fatalities, while a total of 203,259 patients have recovered so far.COVID-19 has claimed nearly 607,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since it originated in China last December.Over 14.5 million COVID-19 cases have been reported globally, with recoveries exceeding 8.1 million, according to figures compile…

yenisafak (2020-07-20). China reiterates opposition to ban on Huawei. yenisafak.com China on Monday reiterated its opposition to ban Huawei after the UK announced it will push the Chinese tech giant out of its 5G network by 2027.Addressing a news conference in the capital Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said: "We are opposed to any violations of market rules and principles of fair competition to exclude specific companies or using national security to suppress foreign companies and block cooperation," according to Global Times.On Sunday, the British government asked Japan to help build its 5G wireless networks without taking any help from Huawei Technologies.Last week, th…

RT (2020-07-20). Trump endorses wearing a MASK against Covid-19 after weeks of criticism, is immediately blasted for being too late. rt.com After weeks of pundits criticizing the president for not promoting or wearing a mask to protect against the coronavirus pandemic, Donald Trump took to Twitter to endorse the act because "there is nobody more patriotic" than him. | "Many people say it is patriotic to wear a face mask when you can't socially distance," Trump tweeted on Monday along with a black and white photo of him wearing just such a mask. "There is nobody more patriotic than me, your favorite president." | The president also took the opportunity to once again blame the worldwide pandemic on China. | "We are United in our effort to defeat the…

RT (2020-07-20). Chinese authorities blow up dam in eastern province amid flood pressure. rt.com China blew up part of a dam in its eastern Anhui province to relieve flood pressure, as heavy rains continue to swell rivers across parts of the country, the AFP news agency reports. The dam on the Chu river was demolished on Sunday as water levels inched close to historic highs. | Rising waters across central and eastern China have left more than 140 people dead or missing, and floods have affected almost 24 million since the start of July, the Ministry of Emergency Management said. | Authorities have adopted measures such as diverting water into back-up reservoirs to keep levels manageable as major rivers an…

The Canary (2020-07-20). TikTok denies claims that user data could be accessed by China. thecanary.co TikTok has insisted that China's Communist Party does not have access to the personal information of its users. | US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has previously claimed that people should only use the social media app if they are happy for their data to be accessed by the Chinese state. | Asked about such claims, TikTok's head of public policy for Europe, Theo Bertram, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the allegation is "completely false". | "TikTok is not available in China. TikTok data is stored in the US," he said. | "TikTok is a company incorporated in the US. | "There is zero truth to the accusations…

_____ (2020-07-20). The UK and U.S. Are Starting a New Cold War With Russia and China, So What Are These Governments Trying to Hide? strategic-culture.org Patrick COCKBURN | The new Cold War launched by the West against China and Russia is escalating by the day. In a single week, the Kremlin has been unmasked trying to discover the secrets of Britain's pursuit of a vaccine against coronavirus and revelations are promised about covert Russian interference in British politics. Boris Johnson made a U-turn on Huawei, announcing that it is to be kicked out of participation in the 5G network because it poses a threat to British security, though a curiously slow-burning one since they will only be evicted over seven years. | The US may put the widely-used Chinese video ap…

Dean Baker (2020-07-20). Debt Worries: The NYT's Oped Page Has Not Heard of a Country Called "Japan" cepr.net Ruchir Sharma had a New York Times column today telling readers that Germany will likely emerge from the pandemic as the world's leading economic power. Part of his story is based on Germany's robust pandemic stimulus package, which he puts at 47 percent of GDP. (This is somewhat misleading since it includes the nominal value …

Tony Cartalucci (2020-07-19). US Targets Thailand with Attempted "Color Revolution" globalresearch.ca US seeks to disrupt growing Thai-Chinese relations. US-funded protesters seek to remove elected government and rewrite constitution, or at the very least, cause Hong Kong-style chaos. | *** | The Western media is claiming "pro-democracy" protests are taking place in Thailand. | English-language …

yenisafak (2020-07-19). UK's Raab says clear Uighurs in China suffered human rights abuses. yenisafak.com British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Sunday it was clear the Uighur minority in China had suffered abuses of their human rights."It is clear that there are gross, egregious human rights abuses going on, which is why in Geneva at the UN we raised this with 27 partners … to call out the government of China for its human rights abuses of the Uighurs, also of Hong Kong," Raab told the BBC's The Andrew Marr Show.Beijing's ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming told the same programme that most Uighurs were living happily and that ethnic minorities in China were treated as equals.

_____ (2020-07-19). The Human Cost Of Nuclear Tests. popularresistance.org July 16 – Seventy-five years ago today, the United States conducted the Trinity test, the world's first nuclear detonation. In the ensuing years, the U.S. ultimately conducted more than 1,000 nuclear tests, half of all known tests conducted by the world's nine nuclear nations since 1945. Now, on the 75th anniversary of the nuclear age, the United States is contemplating the resumption of live testing for the first time in nearly three decades. | A nuclear test, the Washington Post reported in May, could be used as leverage in negotiations with China and Russia. The news provoked widespread criticism, not only fro…

WSWS (2020-07-18). US moving to ban China-based TikTok social media app. wsws.org There is bipartisan support in Congress for the Trump administration's aggressive efforts against the Chinese app.