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Dec. 5, 2023, 6 a.m.
Chinese spy balloon program linked to PLA's hypersonic missiles
Chinese spy balloon program linked to PLA's hypersonic missiles
['missile', 'hypersonic', 'balloon', 'command', 'report']

A new report by Chinese defense researchers has linked the communist nation’s high-altitude balloon program to the hypersonic missile program of its armed forces. This report was prepared by a group of researchers from the National University of Defense Techn…

Chinese spy balloon program linked to PLA's hypersonic missiles

Chinese spy balloon program linked to PLA's hypersonic missiles. A new report by Chinese defense researchers has linked the communist nation's high-altitude balloon program to the hypersonic missile program of its armed forces. According to the report, the PLA is trying to set up a proper military command structure to control the deployment of high-altitude surveillance balloons known as "Near Space Operations Command." Worse yet, this new command would also govern the use of hypersonic missiles. The PLA wants to combine the use of high-altitude spy balloons with hypersonic missiles so that when the spy balloons surveil high-value and heavily protected targets, they can direct hypersonic missiles toward them. The PLA's desire to combine its spy balloon fleet with its hypersonic missiles comes out of a belief by Chinese military theorists that future conflicts will take place and be decided in "Near space," which is essentially sovereign airspace out of the legal reach of nations and international regulations. Its first fully operational hypersonic weapon is the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle, designed to carry a DF-17 ballistic missile. China may have already deployed unstoppable hypersonic missiles capable of targeting American bases in the Pacific.

Dec. 5, 2023, 6 a.m.
Henry Kissinger: Realism in Foreign Policy
Henry Kissinger: Realism in Foreign Policy
['Kissinger', 'China', 'foreign', 'Mao', 'book']

Henry A. Kissinger died on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. And I bought my fourth Kissinger book, Diplomacy, at Half Price Books just the day before. I started buying Kissinger books in the middle of 2022 with the purchase of On China, according to ...

Henry Kissinger: Realism in Foreign Policy

Whatabout Mao Zedong? Kissinger says that Mao would frequently inject Confucian sayings into their negotiations. The other surprise from On China is that Kissinger has been visiting China regularly ever since 1971. "The Chinese people never forget their old friends, and Sino-U.S. relations will always be linked with the name of Henry Kissinger." Problem is, of course, that the foreign policy establishment is all-in on a Wilsonian foreign policy, bless its heart. That is why, almost a century before Kissinger's foreign policy service, Lord Salisbury conducted British foreign policy out of his back pocket and usually bypassed the British Foreign Office, according to Andrew Roberts in Salisbury: Victorian Titan. The one thing negative thing about Henry Kissinger is that he mentored WEF maven Klaus Schwab. One fine day, I pray, we'll see a smart Jewish kid like Kissinger come out of the woodwork and dig the economy out of the climate crisis the way that PFC Kissinger got Krefeld sorted in 1945.

Dec. 5, 2023, 5:11 a.m.
No, China Is Not Intervening in Myanmar's Civil War
No, China Is Not Intervening in Myanmar's Civil War
['Myanmar', 'China', 'ethnic', 'border', 'groups']

Contrary to some speculation, Beijing is not supporting the ongoing rebel offensive in Shan State.

No, China Is Not Intervening in Myanmar's Civil War

In late October, three ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance - Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, and the Arakan Army, initiated Operation 1027 against the junta. China must closely monitor the ongoing fight in northern Myanmar and take preventive actions to avoid air strikes and minimize the risk of Chinese casualties. China has consistently pursued a policy of non-interference in Myanmar's internal affairs and has never intervened militarily in the ethnic conflicts in Myanmar. Finally, China deems it unworthy to interfere in the civil war in Myanmar, as doing so could result in the loss of trade and investment and undermine cordial relations with Myanmar. Given that the trade volume from Yunnan to northern Myanmar constitutes half of the trade share between China and Myanmar, both sides would incur significant economic losses if border trade were to be suspended due to the civil war in Myanmar. China aims to avoid interfering in the civil war in Myanmar to quell the growing wave of anti-Chinese sentiments in the country. To conclude, China is more a victim than a beneficiary of the current ethnic conflicts in northern Myanmar.

Dec. 5, 2023, 5:02 a.m.
Chinese dumping affects many sectors but policy response slowest in specialty chemicals. Saurabh Mukherjea decodes
Chinese dumping affects many sectors but policy response slowest in specialty chemicals. Saurabh Mukherjea decodes
['cookie', 'agree', 'party', 'third', 'personalized']

Dumping adversely affects domestic producers in the target country and the government has been taking steps to check the imports of Chinese goods. However there seems to be a degree of variation in policy responses, says the founder of Marcellus Investment Ma…

Chinese dumping affects many sectors but policy response slowest in specialty chemicals. Saurabh Mukherjea decodes

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Dec. 5, 2023, 1:28 a.m.
US to deploy anti-ship missiles on subs in 2024 to counter China
US to deploy anti-ship missiles on subs in 2024 to counter China
['cookie', 'agree', 'party', 'third', 'personalized']

The “Maritime Strike” version of the Tomahawk, the RTX Corp. missile traditionally used as a ground-attack weapon, will be fielded after Oct. 1, program manager Captain Jon Hersey said in a statement.

US to deploy anti-ship missiles on subs in 2024 to counter China

We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site.

Dec. 5, 2023, 12:24 a.m.
In the Solomon Islands, a US agency's struggles hint at China's influence
In the Solomon Islands, a US agency's struggles hint at China's influence
['island', 'Solomon', 'China', 'Peace', 'Corps']

The Peace Corps has yet to return to Pacific island nation more than four years after Washington touted its return.

In the Solomon Islands, a US agency's struggles hint at China's influence

In the meantime, the Peace Corps continues to miss deadlines to secure funding from the US Congress to support its work in the Solomon Islands. "The Chinese influenced the Solomon Islands cabinet's decision to pause approval for the Peace Corps to return to the islands," a former US official, who is familiar with the negotiations to bring back the Peace Corps, told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity. "Initial euphoria over the US announcement that Peace Corps Volunteers would return was dampened by senior Solomon Islands officials as they introduced delay after delay in negotiating the Peace Corps agreement," the former official said. The Peace Corps declined to provide a comment, although its 2024 budget report released in March stated the agency was "Close to finalising agreements" with the Solomon Islands. The Peace Corps' apparent difficulties in the Solomon Islands point to the seeming limits of Washington's ability to stymie China's rising influence in the Pacific. Western officials fear such largesse is an example of China laying the groundwork for an expanded military presence in the Pacific, possibly including a naval base in Solomon Islands or another Pacific island nation. "Prime Minister Sogavare has no choice but to cleave to the People's Republic of China [PRC] for his political survival and legacy but not all Solomon Islanders support the Sogavare-PRC symbiotic relationship," US diplomats said last year in a cable obtained by Al Jazeera via a freedom of information request.

Dec. 5, 2023, 12:01 a.m.
U.S. authorities guide Taiwan firms on chip export restrictions
U.S. authorities guide Taiwan firms on chip export restrictions
['Taiwan', 'U.S.', 'China', 'export', 'technology']

Today, Taiwan’s economy minister announced that U.S. authorities are arranging a trip to Taiwan to provide in-depth explanations to local […] The post U.S. authorities guide Taiwan firms on chip export restrictions appeared first on ReadWrite.

U.S. authorities guide Taiwan firms on chip export restrictions

Today, Taiwan's economy minister announced that U.S. authorities are arranging a trip to Taiwan to provide in-depth explanations to local firms on the latest export restrictions affecting advanced chip shipments, mainly targeting China. As the global leader in semiconductor technology, Taiwan's industries play a crucial role in international trade, and maintaining a collaborative environment between the U.S. and the island nation is highly essential. Taiwan, home to TSMC, the largest contract chip manufacturer in the world, and numerous other semiconductor firms, has already established its unique set of limitations on exporting to China. Taiwan has managed to maintain its strong position in the global semiconductor market despite the ongoing territorial tensions with China. Taiwan's stringent export limitations continue to ensure that its advanced technology remains safeguarded while fostering research and development for future innovations. Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua highlighted that certain facets of the comprehensive new U.S. regulations necessitate further clarification. "We believe that having U.S. representatives visit Taiwan to elucidate matters for businesses, achieve a firsthand comprehension of the U.S. enforcement agencies' perspective, and engage in direct dialogue about the specifics is essential for Taiwan," Wang informed the press.

Dec. 5, 2023, 12:01 a.m.
Biden-Xi Summit Opens "Window" For Collaboration In Cancer Fight – Kevin Rudd
Biden-Xi Summit Opens "Window" For Collaboration In Cancer Fight – Kevin Rudd
['cancer', 'President', 'China', 'trials', 'international']

China, U.S. combined account for approximately 40% of cancer deaths worldwide annually

Biden-Xi Summit Opens "Window" For Collaboration In Cancer Fight – Kevin Rudd

The "Stabilizing" summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC leaders gathering in San Francisco last month has opened a "Small window" between the two for collaboration in the fight against cancer, China policy expert and Australia's Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd told a forum held at the Asia Society in New York on Friday. "We must acknowledge the delicate nature of US-China relationship and geopolitics and the small window of opportunity opened by the stabilizing APEC summit between Presidents Biden and Xi," said Rudd, who is also president emeritus of the Asia Society. The event was held jointly with the 6th annual symposium organized by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and the Chinese Thoracic Oncology Group of China, which have worked together on cancer research. Fewer than 5% of approximately 20 million cancer patients per year around the world have access to clinical trials of new drugs; increased participation in trials and regulatory harmonization could save 1-2 million lives globally each year, experts say. MORE FOR YOU. "Most notably with China's absence, we miss the leverage of the world's largest cancer patient population accounting for more than 30% of global cancer deaths and as a critical partner in our collective endeavors to accelerate clinical trials," he said. China has the talent and will to boost its role in international collaboration to fight cancer, Wu said. Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Australia, welcomed the donation and lauded the collaboration between the North Shore campus and MSK, drawing inspiration from her late father President John Kennedy's moonshot and noting that this international initiative will contribute to President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot that aims to reduce the cancer death rate by half within 25 years and improve the lives of people with cancer and cancer survivors.

Dec. 4, 2023, 11:03 p.m.
A (troop / troupe of) dragon(s) tromping / flying
A (troop / troupe of) dragon(s) tromping / flying
['how', 'much', 'character', 'happy', 'Chinese']

This is the theme of the forthcoming CCTV Spring Festival Gala to ring in the new year of 2024: (source) The slogan reads: lóngxíng dádá ,xīnxīnjiāguó 「龍行龘龘,欣欣家國」 "The dragon(s) bound upward in flight, bringing joy to home and country." Since the repeated cha…

A (troop / troupe of) dragon(s) tromping / flying

Is anyone actually able to decipher the beautiful seal on the bottom left without knowing its meaning beforehand? Also, from a Western perspective, it is conspicuous how the whole phrase is symmetrical with the dragon corresponding to country. "Writing characters and writing letters" - please read carefully the remarks about swype typing of letters and entering characters with one's fingertip on the glass plate of a phone. Of course, despite the majority of patriotism- and national pride-infused eulogies on how complex hanzi could be and how this should make every Chinese excited about their culture's uniqueness, I still found some critical comments. "This dádá crap - whatever it is, there is an attitude reflected: The leitmotif artwork in China is already only for the benefit of certain interest groups instead of the public. Its end-products are not made for common people to enjoy, therefore they don't care about how common people would think." Let's face the reality how it's hated by all sides: the liberalists and even the pro-communist influencers within China, haha! As for the logo, which I believe to be in seal script, looks too much cramped. Chinese art values "Leaving blanks" very much and this logo is clearly the opposite of leaving any blank spaces for imagination - just like this jammed-up era with simply too much information for us to calm down and read for ourselves.

Dec. 4, 2023, 10:14 p.m.
Forest City: Inside Malaysia's Chinese-built 'ghost city'
Forest City: Inside Malaysia's Chinese-built 'ghost city'
['City', 'Forest', 'project', 'Chinese', 'property']

Built during the Chinese property boom, Forest City is a stark reminder of the crisis in the sector today.

Forest City: Inside Malaysia's Chinese-built 'ghost city'

China's largest property developer Country Garden unveiled Forest City - a $100bn mega-project under the Belt and Road Initiative - in 2016. Forest City was billed as "a dream paradise for all mankind." But in reality, it was aimed squarely at the domestic Chinese market, offering aspirational people the chance to own a second home abroad. Its selling prices were out of reach for most ordinary Malaysians. In reality, Forest City's isolated location - built on reclaimed islands far from the nearest major city Johor Bahru - has put off potential tenants and earned it its local nickname "Ghost City". Next door, in Country Garden's showroom, there is an enormous model city showing what a completed Forest City would look like. The current Malaysian government is supportive of the Forest City project but, to a prospective buyer, it is unclear how long that will last and to what extent. Without access to cash, it is hard to see how projects such as Forest City can be finished or how it will attract people to live there any time soon. Ultimately, the fate of Forest City - and hundreds of projects across China - depends on the Chinese government.

Dec. 4, 2023, 9:56 p.m.
Jonathan Turley Weighs In On Hunter News: 'None Of Us Have Seen The Likes Of This'
Jonathan Turley Weighs In On Hunter News: 'None Of Us Have Seen The Likes Of This'
['Biden', 'Hunter', 'bank', 'Turley', 'inquiry']

Jonathan Turley weighed in on a new report detailing Hunter Biden sending Joe payments from the account Chinese business associates sent him money.

Jonathan Turley Weighs In On Hunter News: 'None Of Us Have Seen The Likes Of This'

Fox News legal analyst Jonathan Turley weighed in on the newest report showing Hunter Biden sent his father, President Joe Biden, monthly payments from the bank account he reportedly used to receive money from Chinese business associates. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer released redacted bank records Monday showing direct payments to Biden from Hunter's Owasco P. C. bank account. Turley said Monday an impeachment vote into Biden was "Overdue" and there "Was ample evidence to justify an impeachment inquiry." "I can't imagine how anyone would look at this evidence and not believe that a formal inquiry should begin. There's been a litany of lies that have come out of the Biden family and the White House. The president denied knowing about any of these business arrangements. Even Hunter said that wasn't true," Turley said, listing other pieces of evidence. "We even have Joe Biden's house being listed for some of these payments by Hunter Biden," Turley continued. Comer subpoenaed Hunter Biden and his uncle James Biden's personal and business bank records in late September after the first impeachment inquiry hearing for the president. Comer has subsequently released bank records showing how funds originating in China resulted in a $40,000 check to Biden in September 2017.

Dec. 4, 2023, 9:40 p.m.
A New Chinese Fine Dining Spot Opens in Hell's Kitchen
A New Chinese Fine Dining Spot Opens in Hell's Kitchen
['restaurant', 'Chinese', 'dining', 'well', 'include']

Yingtao blends fine dining techniques with dishes that originate in Xi’an, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou

A New Chinese Fine Dining Spot Opens in Hell's Kitchen

First-time restaurateur Bolun Yao, who lived in San Francisco, New Zealand, and China, pays homage to his late grandmother in its cooking, and looks to Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants for inspiration. Yao comes from a restaurant family with businesses around China; his parents met working in a five-star Chinese hotel, he says. Yao points to New York's Korean fine dining scene as an example of the potential for its Chinese restaurants - the diversity of places like the trendy Ariari, along with Jungsik and Naro, Atomix and Atoboy, and deep dives in a genre, like soup destination Okdongsik or the bakery, Lysée. Looking to those restaurants, he says, "I want to do something innovative with Chinese restaurants in New York.". Yingtao will join the handful of dressed-up Chinese restaurants to open in the city in the past few years, others of which include the $500-per-person, 19-course restaurant Chef Guo in Midtown; as well as places like Shanghai-inspired Hutong, with an affordable $50 set menu as well as dishes that start at $50 a la carte. While Shanghainese Che Li and Sichuan Mountain House aren't necessarily fine dining, they, too, are expanding diners' expectations for New York's Chinese restaurant experiences. At Yingtao, the nearly 40-seat restaurant and garden also features five seats in the kitchen and nine at a bar that will eventually include a la carte dining.

Dec. 4, 2023, 9:20 p.m.
Chijet Announces Financial Results for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023
Chijet Announces Financial Results for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023
['June', '30', 'months', 'decrease', 'end']

YANTAI, China, Dec. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chijet Motor Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: CJET) (“Chijet” or “we”, “our”, or the “Company”), a high-tech enterprise engaged in the development, manufacture, sales, and service of traditional fuel vehicles and new ene…

Chijet Announces Financial Results for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023

Revenue from vehicle sales were $2,092,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2023, representing a decrease of 71% from $7,328,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Revenue from parts and others were $523,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2023, representing a decrease of 78% from $2,423,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Cost of revenues was $3,410,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2023, representing a decrease of 66.0% from $10,018,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Cost of revenues - idle capacity was $16,725,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2023, representing a decrease of 19.1% from $20,668,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The decrease in idle capacity was mainly attributable to reduction in depreciation expenses of machinery and equipment since some were fully depreciated on and before June 30, 2023, partially offset by the shutdown period for the six months ended June 30, 2023 of about 5.7 months compared to 5.5 months for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Interest expense remained relatively stable at $7,491,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 as compared to $7,349,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Net loss attributable to shareholders of Chijet was $39,826,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared with $32,211,000 in the six months ended June 30, 2022.

Dec. 4, 2023, 8:47 p.m.
The shift of manufacturing out of China is shaking up shipping
The shift of manufacturing out of China is shaking up shipping
['Vietnam', 'ship', 'Port', 'China', 'between']

Demand for shipping routes within Asia is rising as producers diversify supply chains

The shift of manufacturing out of China is shaking up shipping

Vietnam's rising importance in global shipping One country has emerged as a critical node amid the reshaping of global trade flows: Vietnam. To support that additional manufacturing activity, shipping companies have ramped up direct connections between Vietnam and the US, as well as around Asia. Asia, manufacturer of the world Shipping connections between Vietnam and its Asian neighbors are rising dramatically, too. China's "Port diplomacy" To fully capitalize on the increased demand for intra-Asia shipping Vietnam will need to invest in infrastructure. Already, China has significant ownership stakes in a number of ports across Asia, according to the China Overseas Ports tracker maintained by Zongyuan Zoe Liu at the Council on Foreign Relations. As the shift of manufacturing out of China raises the importance of ports around Asia, Beijing could see it as an opportunity to make more investments in regional ports. In 2021, China Merchants Port told Chinese industry outlet Shipping Exchange Bulletin that as global industry moves toward Southeast Asia, the state-owned port operator would "Cautiously grasp suitable investment opportunities" in the region.

Dec. 4, 2023, 8:06 p.m.
Wang Jianlin Net Worth – How Much is Jianlin Worth?
Wang Jianlin Net Worth – How Much is Jianlin Worth?
['Wang', 'Jianlin', 'worth', 'net', 'financial']

Wang Jianlin, a Chinese business magnate and the founder of Dalian Wanda Group, has achieved staggering wealth throughout his career. However, his net worth has fluctuated significantly over the years due to various factors such as the economic climate and th…

Wang Jianlin Net Worth – How Much is Jianlin Worth?

In the next section, we will explore the financial struggles Wang Jianlin has faced and how they have impacted his net worth. As he continues to navigate through these financial struggles, it will be interesting to see how Wang Jianlin adapts and explores new opportunities for growth and wealth accumulation. Forced to scale back his ambitious plans, Wang had to sell off assets, including hotels and theme parks, to alleviate the debt load. Furthermore, the economic conditions, particularly the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, adversely affected Wang's real estate and entertainment ventures, further impacting his net worth. As the table above demonstrates, the increasing debt burden and challenging economic conditions have resulted in a substantial decline in Wang Jianlin's net worth over the past three years. Wang Jianlin, the billionaire Chinese business magnate, has experienced dramatic fluctuations in his net worth throughout his career. As the global business landscape continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how Wang Jianlin adapts and navigates the changing tides. How has Wang Jianlin influenced the entertainment industry?

Dec. 4, 2023, 8 p.m.
ZHAO: The Left's War On Elon Musk Is Straight Out Of The CCP Playbook
ZHAO: The Left's War On Elon Musk Is Straight Out Of The CCP Playbook
['left', 'America', 'speech', 'advertising', 'Musk']

As a survivor of communist China's Cultural Revolution, I'd like to warn the leaders of American corporations and advertisers.

ZHAO: The Left's War On Elon Musk Is Straight Out Of The CCP Playbook

If the left applied their standards honestly, Elon Musk would be the environmental hero of the 21st century. Ever since Musk acquired Twitter in April 2022, the left has launched wave after wave of reckless assaults on him and the renamed X Corp. The propaganda machine of the left has published dozens of articles, all negative, to discredit Musk and the company he bought for $43 billion. Musk has the money and the will to transform Twitter - a cesspool of censorship - into "X," a platform that upholds free speech. In response to the Media Matters report - and to Musk's politically incorrect post regarding Jews, for which he apologized two weeks later - many major advertisers including Apple, Disney, IBM, NBCUniversal/Comcast either stopped or temporarily halted advertising on X. The left came inches away from totally destroying X, the only major social media platform in America free of censorship. At the recent DealBook Summit hosted by The New York Times, Musk rightly blasted the radical left for caring "About looking good while doing evil." The advertisers who cut ties with X care far too much about "Looking good" while they help the radical left "Do evil" by destroying free speech in America. After turning in the quotas, no food was left to feed the peasants. Some may argue that what the left mandates is just a "Benign" censorship that will root out "Disinformation." But the truth of the matter is, anyone who has the power of censoring "Disinformation" may abuse it and cause tremendous damage to society.

Dec. 4, 2023, 7:36 p.m.
Bank Records Show China-Linked Company Made Direct Payments to Joe Biden
Bank Records Show China-Linked Company Made Direct Payments to Joe Biden
['Biden', 'payment', 'Hunter', 'business', 'president']

A Hunter Biden business entity tied to China made direct monthly payments to Joe Biden in the months leading up to the former vice president’s... Read More The post Bank Records Show China-Linked Company Made Direct Payments to Joe Biden appeared first on The…

Bank Records Show China-Linked Company Made Direct Payments to Joe Biden

A Hunter Biden business entity tied to China made direct monthly payments to Joe Biden in the months leading up to the former vice president's announcement that he would run for president in 2020, according to newly released subpoenaed bank records from the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. This is at least the third example of a direct payment to Joe Biden that stems from a family-owned business entity. "Now, Hunter Biden's legal team and the White House's media allies claim Hunter's corporate entities never made payments directly to Joe Biden," Comer said. "Today, the House Oversight Committee is releasing subpoenaed bank records that show Hunter Biden's business entity, Owasco PC, made direct monthly payments to Joe Biden," the Kentucky Republican said. The committee subpoenaed the financial records of Hunter Biden and of James Biden in September. James Biden wrote two separate checks to Joe Biden for $200,000 and $40,000, respectively. An FBI confidential informant said in a formal document that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid a $5 million bribe to Joe Biden and another $5 million to Hunter Biden in 2016 when Biden was still Barack Obama's vice president.

Dec. 4, 2023, 7:31 p.m.
Caught in the crossfire: Can Australia straddle the east west divide?
Caught in the crossfire: Can Australia straddle the east west divide?
['China', 'rare', 'earth', 'Australian', 'ore']

The dust has barely settled after Australia and China reached an uneasy truce, but our abundance of critical minerals and China's stranglehold on them has us in the middle of a geopolitical tug of war between America and the Middle Kingdom, writes Ian Verrend…

Caught in the crossfire: Can Australia straddle the east west divide?

The uneasy truce between Australia and the People's Republic of China reached just over a month ago amid an outpouring of mutual goodwill in Beijing, has done little to alter the fundamental differences between the two nations. China has had a stranglehold on critical minerals for years, which puts us smack in the middle of a geopolitical tug of war between America and the Middle Kingdom. Australia's new trade battlefront with China The itinerary of Anthony Albanese's latest foreign excursions involved some incredible diplomatic U-turns that neatly sum up the dilemma and danger we face in our region, writes business editor Ian Verrender. The race now is on to, if not cut China out of the lithium and rare earths loop, to at least ensure adequate supplies are designated to "Friendly" countries and to reduce dependency on China. The Australia-China relationship has been tested in recent years as China's global power ambitions have seen it butt heads with Washington. Why China could be heading for a fall For much of the past 15 years, China has been developing a weapon that now has become increasingly unstable and that threatens to detonate from within, writes business editor Ian Verrender. For decades, we have straddled a military and diplomatic relationship with America and a trade reliance with China.

Dec. 4, 2023, 7:15 p.m.
China Brief – Much Cause But Little Recourse For Popular Discontent
China Brief – Much Cause But Little Recourse For Popular Discontent
['protest', 'out', 'Chinese', 'city', 'Bank']

The last quarter of 2022 saw an outburst of Chinese people power. Citizens in as many as 28 cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, and Chongqing staged spontaneous protests on their campuses or out on the streets. The underlying cause was Beijing’s draconian lo…

China Brief – Much Cause But Little Recourse For Popular Discontent

Citizens in as many as 28 cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, and Chongqing staged spontaneous protests on their campuses or out on the streets. In late November, these protests escalated dramatically, with the proximate cause being the deaths of a few dozen residents in an apartment building in Urumqi: Those trapped could not flee the inferno because city operatives were enforcing strict anti-pandemic policies, blocking the building's fire escapes. The protests quickly shifted from anger against China's "Zero Covid" policies to other grave errors of the Chinese Communist Party. One female student at Tsinghua University was filmed crying out, "If we don't dare to speak because we fear arrest, I feel that our people will be disappointed in us. As a Tsinghua student, I would regret that for the rest of my life!" and counterparts in Chengdu demanded an end to "One-man rule," the return of popular elections, and freedom of expression. Police arrested dozens of participants in the protests, which seemed to have run out of steam by early this year. The protest movements have undergone a marked re-orientation after Beijing succumbed to popular sentiment and scrapped all pandemic-related restrictions early December 2022. Most of the dissatisfied homebuyers have taken some sort of action in protest against either the developers or the local governments.

Dec. 4, 2023, 6:54 p.m.
Why You Shouldn't Be Panicking About Pneumonia Outbreaks
Why You Shouldn't Be Panicking About Pneumonia Outbreaks
['pneumonia', 'mycoplasma', 'year', 'infection', 'reports']

The reported rise of cases of childhood pneumonia and mycoplasma pneumonia in China and elsewhere is not another COVID-like crisis but rather part of a return to post-pandemic normal, according to infectious-diseases experts.

Why You Shouldn't Be Panicking About Pneumonia Outbreaks

Since the middle of October, there has been a surge of flulike respiratory illnesses in northern China, including a significant increase, compared with previous years, in the number of respiratory illnesses - such as pneumonia - among children. There have been reported increases in recent cases of childhood mycoplasma pneumonia not only in China but Singapore and several countries in Europe. Drug resistant mycoplasma can make rare, severe cases hard to treat, but drug resistance doesn't make it more transmissible or virulent, and it is not to blame for the current wave.7/. - Prof Francois Balloux December 1, 2023 Health authorities in Ohio's Warren County recently reported an outbreak of 145 cases of childhood pneumonia beginning in August without any resulting in severe illness or death. Widespread media coverage of a pneumonia spike in western Massachusetts was dispelled Friday by pediatrician John Kelley, whose comments to a local news outlet about how children with RSV sometimes develop pneumonia were inaccurately reported as confirmation of a second outbreak. Kelley told The Washington Post he is not seeing unusual pneumonia trends or any parallels to China in his office. The CDC said on Friday that it is monitoring the increases in respiratory illnesses around the world and reported that the current rates of pediatric pneumonia in the U.S. are roughly similar with previous years'. Any pneumonia appears as a white opacity on an x-ray or CT, which is partly how the diagnosis of pneumonia is made.

Dec. 4, 2023, 6:26 p.m.
OpenAI Takes On China: Company Files Trademarks For Future AI Models
OpenAI Takes On China: Company Files Trademarks For Future AI Models
['company', 'China', 'two', 'OpenAI']

U.S. artificial intelligence leader OpenAI is seeking entry into the Chinese market after filing trademarks for two future models. A report on Monday in the South China Morning Post said the company, backed by tech giant Microsoft Corp. MSFT, submitted applic…

OpenAI Takes On China: Company Files Trademarks For Future AI Models

U.S. artificial intelligence leader OpenAI is seeking entry into the Chinese market after filing trademarks for two future models. A report on Monday in the South China Morning Post said the company, backed by tech giant Microsoft Corp. MSFT, submitted applications for "GPT-6" and "GPT-7" in China. OpenAI OpCo, the primary entity of the San Francisco-based company, lodged two.

Dec. 4, 2023, 5:56 p.m.
Does Japan dread or desire its influx of international tourists?
Does Japan dread or desire its influx of international tourists?
['Japan', 'tourism', 'tourist', 'city', 'international']

Kyoto is bracing for another influx of tourists. Next to the rollout of the city administration’s ‘mind your manners’ campaign, Kyoto has terminated its popular one-day bus pass to discourage tourists from using the city’s busses. (East Asia Forum)

Does Japan dread or desire its influx of international tourists?

Japan closed its borders to inbound tourists from April 2020 to October 2022, bringing tourism industry to a complete halt. In 2023, Chinese tourists were largely absent from Japan during the Chinese October holiday season, despite the Chinese government lifting the ban on outbound group tourism in August. Kansai Airport opens new international area featuring Japan's largest duty-free shopNews On Japan - Dec 05As Osaka prepares to welcome visitors for Expo 2025, the largest duty-free shop in Japan has opened its doors inside the renewed international area of Kansai Airport. Does Japan dread or desire its influx of international tourists?East Asia Forum - Dec 05Kyoto is bracing for another influx of tourists. Historical 'castle stays' for only 1 million yenNews On Japan - Dec 04Castles in Japan have opened their gates to luxury tourism, offering guests a feudal experience with historical reenactments and bathtub-view illuminations. Intense cold wave hits Japan, snow to reach 1 meterNews On Japan - Nov 30Northern Japan witnessed its coldest temperatures of the season Thursday morning, as snow begins to accumulate rapidly, set to surpass 1 meter for the first time this winter. Severe weather continues in northern Japan, heavy snow forecastNews On Japan - Nov 29Unstable weather conditions continue in northern Japan on Wednesday morning, with further snowfall expected in Hokkaido and Tohoku by Thursday morning, Nov 30.

Dec. 4, 2023, 5 p.m.
Biden got recurring $1,380 payment from Hunter's firm starting in 2018
Biden got recurring $1,380 payment from Hunter's firm starting in 2018
['Biden', 'Hunter', 'Joe', 'receive', 'payment']

WASHINGTON — President Biden received a recurring payment of $1,380 from his son Hunter’s law firm beginning in late 2018 shortly after a bank money laundering officer warned that the same account was receiving millions of dollars in Chinese government-linked…

Biden got recurring $1,380 payment from Hunter's firm starting in 2018

WASHINGTON - President Biden received a recurring payment of $1,380 from his son Hunter's law firm beginning in late 2018 shortly after a bank money laundering officer warned that the same account was receiving millions of dollars in Chinese government-linked funds without "Any services rendered." A source told The Post that at least three payments were made - on Sept. 17, Oct. 15 and Nov. 15, 2018 - totaling $4,140 to the elder Biden from Owasco PC, according to the firm's bank records. The source of the funds used by Hunter to pay his father is murky, as records show that Hunter Biden was involved in two of his most controversial business relationships at the time, with Ukraine's Burisma Holdings and CEFC China Energy. At the time that the recurring payment was set up, Hunter also was at the tail end of disbursing millions of dollars received from CEFC China Energy - one of two major Biden family dealings with Chinese government-linked firms. On June 26, 2018 - less than three months before Joe Biden began to receive the monthly transfers - an internal Bank Secrecy Act expert warned colleagues that the financial institution should consider ending its relationship with Hunter as a result of Owasco PC seeming to receive Chinese funds without "Any services rendered." CEFC transferred $5 million to another Biden family-linked entity, Hudson West III, in August 2017 after Hunter warned a China-based associate of his father's wrath if a business deal was aborted, warning he was "Sitting here with my father." Much of the subsequent transfer later went to Hunter's Owasco PC. Prior bank records released by the Oversight Committee indicate that Joe Biden received payments of $40,000 and $200,000 from his brother James, who also was involved in the CEFC venture and other foreign-focused enterprises. James Biden paid Joe Biden $200,000 on March 1, 2018 - the same day that James received a $200,000 transfer from troubled rural hospital company Americore after pledging to use his political connections to secure a Middle Eastern investor, according to bankruptcy filings.

Dec. 4, 2023, 4:31 p.m.
Singapore's Role as a Neutral Interpreter of China to the West
Singapore's Role as a Neutral Interpreter of China to the West
['China', 'Singapore', 'Chinese', 'States', 'Taiwan']

If the growing West-China division is to be bridged, the Western world needs a more nuanced interpretation of China. Singapore can play that role.

Singapore's Role as a Neutral Interpreter of China to the West

Western reportage of China has long suffered from an inherent bias against China. Singapore's close relationship with both the West and China gives it a unique advantage as a more neutral interpreter of China for the Western world. After the Japanese invasion of China in 1937, Tan Kah Kee chaired the China Relief Fund, which raised money to defend China against the Japanese. Relations between Singapore and China eventually normalized when China opened up in the late 1970s and stopped supporting communist movements in the region. Singapore's perspective of China is primarily informed by its need to balance its relationship with both China and the West. As a result, Singapore's reportage of China does not suffer from the biases of seeing China as a competitor or an ally. Singapore wants good relations with both China and the United States.

Dec. 4, 2023, 4:22 p.m.
US regulator threatens Nvidia's Chinese chips
US regulator threatens Nvidia's Chinese chips
['chip', 'Nvidia', 'Chinese', 'new', 'over']

The United States and China have a relationship that could be summed up in a single word as, “complicated.” Or “adversarial.” Or “contentious.” And if you want to use more than one word, “kind of like that video of two dogs growling at each other through a ga…

US regulator threatens Nvidia's Chinese chips

Nvidia is in hot water with the US Commerce Department over recent chips designed specifically for the Chinese market. Hence the introduction of new data center chips that aren't on the very specific ban list, and skirt under its 4800 TOPS limit. These chips, including the HGX H20, L20, and L2, are legal to sell to Chinese businesses, at least at the time of writing. Raimondo isn't taking the announcement of these new chips lying down. The Secretary had pointed words for Nvidia's strategy of designing new variations of chips to slide under the TOPS power limit. While the Chinese chip market isn't the only one on the planet, it's probably the biggest outside of US-based tech giants, possibly bigger by some metrics. Even redesigning chips based on existing hardware isn't free, and a sword of Damocles constantly hanging over new B2B product lines is enough to make even Fortune 500 CEOs lose sleep.

Dec. 4, 2023, 4:02 p.m.
Beijing Learns That What Goes Around Comes Around
Beijing Learns That What Goes Around Comes Around
['China', 'Australia', 'Australian', 'Beijing', 'Trade']

During the pandemic, Beijing decided to teach Australia a lesson. That decision has come back to bite them.

Beijing Learns That What Goes Around Comes Around

Trade relations between China and Australia during that time grew ever closer. Australia had powerful agriculture and mining sectors and China needed what Australia had to offer. Australian cotton fed China's burgeoning textile industry. Now China's economy is neither as powerful nor as prominent as Beijing thought it was three years ago when it set out to punish Australia. Trade between Australia and China will surely grow, especially if Beijing follows through and eases the tariffs it imposed three years ago. Unless all of Australia's managers suffer severe memory loss, they will take a long time to return to China and likely never reach the relative dependence of 2020. Beijing high-handed behavior has redounded to China's detriment many times in the past.

Dec. 4, 2023, 3:40 p.m.
Western Firms Should Leave China Now
Western Firms Should Leave China Now
['China', 'Russia', 'trade', 'Western', 'more']

Since the 1990s, Western companies have invested a fortune in the Chinese economy, and tens of thousands of Chinese students have studied in US and European universities or worked in Western companies. None of this made China more democratic, and now it is he…

Western Firms Should Leave China Now

US companies should be seeking to move their supply chains and other business away from China - while they still have the time. Standing behind Russian President Vladimir Putin is Xi. China is apparently ready to sell Russia anything and everything it wants, including missile components. Western sanctions are far from perfect, but China greatly facilitates the flow of goods into Russia. China could put decisive pressure on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine, just as it could push Iran not to support terrorists. It is ironic and appalling that China uses Western technologies to suppress dissent, spy on Western countries, and spread disinformation. According to the US Trade Representative, American direct foreign investment in China is valued at $126 billion. Whatever happens in the next US election cycle, expect further sanctions and myriad other restrictions on trade with China.

Dec. 4, 2023, 3:35 p.m.
EVs Are Losing Half Their Value In Just Three Years
EVs Are Losing Half Their Value In Just Three Years
['year', 'airline', 'percent', 'Price', 'vehicle']

Good morning! It’s Monday, December 4, 2023, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know.Read more...

EVs Are Losing Half Their Value In Just Three Years

1st Gear: Depreciation Is Hurting Used EVs Electric vehicles are starting to make a real splash on the used-car market, but EVs are having a much harder time holding their value than internal-combustion-powered vehicles. EVs have more than doubled their presence on the wholesale market in the past couple of years it's still a small sliver at just 1.7 percent of the market. That's down 70 percent from just a year ago, but it is up 33 percent from October 2019, probably because those early EVs were sort of terrible. Chinese rival BYD, with its Dynasty and Ocean series of EVs and petrol-electric hybrid models, saw passenger vehicle deliveries set another record at 301,378 vehicles in November, up 0.09% from October and 31% from a year earlier. The boards of both airlines have agreed on the deal, which is expected to close within the next year and a half. Continental, whose market value has shrunk some 40% in the past five years, is among German industry stalwarts facing a wrenching transition to a cleaner economy. Additional measures announced Monday include shrinking the number of the auto unit's 82 research sites to help cut the businesses' R&D expenses to 11% of sales in two to three years and less than 10% in three to five years, from an expected 12% this year.

Dec. 4, 2023, 2:52 p.m.
China's youth unemployment crisis has millennials quitting the city for the country and the farming life—that their parents escaped
China's youth unemployment crisis has millennials quitting the city for the country and the farming life—that their parents escaped
['rural', 'young', 'year', 'work', 'people']

“Whenever I get anxious and sad about my next step, I would tell myself: let’s lie flat a bit and just focus on the work now,” says 24-year-old Chen Bing.

China's youth unemployment crisis has millennials quitting the city for the country and the farming life—that their parents escaped

As the world's second-largest economy slows, young people are bearing the brunt of an unemployment crisis that's leaving one of five of them jobless. Rural China is now one place that is providing respite for young people. President Xi Jinping, who has for years exhorted young people to help "Revitalize the countryside," stepped up such calls in recent months, and Guangdong province unveiled a pilot plan in May to enroll 300,000 graduates in its rural regions by 2025. Some see Xi's rural campaign as more of a political move to mitigate the possiblility of youth resentment exploding into the open again, after last year's rare street protests against Covid lockdowns. Xi has recounted his seven years as a "Sent-down youth" in northern China with pride, writing in a 2002 essay that "By the time I left at the age of 22, I had a clear life goal and was filled with confidence." State media heavily promote his experience, and Xi has in recent years called on young people to serve the grassroots and "Eat bitterness," a common Chinese phrase meaning to endure hardship. Today's young people are not approaching their rural sojourns with Xi's youthful optimism. Ultimately, living in the countryside is a trade-off for many young Chinese - rural jobs pay much less but also provide stability and often other benefits such as free lodging and food.

Dec. 4, 2023, 2:48 p.m.
U.S. Should Work To Rebuild China Ties As Engagement Ends, Tension Flairs – Orville Schell
U.S. Should Work To Rebuild China Ties As Engagement Ends, Tension Flairs – Orville Schell
['China', 'Schell', 'engagement', 'world', 'U.S.']

Taiwan is "the most dangerous part of the puzzle," Schell said in an interview

U.S. Should Work To Rebuild China Ties As Engagement Ends, Tension Flairs – Orville Schell

The death last week of long-time China policy architect Henry Kissinger can "Be seen as an apt metaphor" for the end of the engagement policy the controversial statesman initiated in the early 1970s and that over the ensuing decades led to closer trade and culture ties between the two once antagonistic countries, long-time American expert on China Orville Schell said on Friday. With engagement gone, "The U.S. should now look to find whatever opportunities it can to build new bridges, while at the time working with allies, partners and friends to strengthen its military, as well as economic and cultural presence, as a form of deterrence in such contested hot spots as the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea and Senkaku Islands," said Schell, the current director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society in New York. The gathering highlighted collaboration among nations - including the U.S. and China - in the fight against cancer, and was held jointly with the 6th annual symposium organized by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and the Chinese Thoracic Oncology Group of China, which have worked together on cancer research. Engagement started - though without the name "Engagement" - in 1972 when Kissinger and Nixon went to China. Carter recognized China and "Engagement" then continued for decades. I first went to China in 1975 when Mao Zedong was still alive, and there was precious little friendship between the U.S. and China. Schell: The catalyst for a better tomorrow is for the United States and its various partners, allies and friends to be cautious and temperate, and build better connections where we can, but don't be unnecessarily provocative - don't give up Taiwan, don't give up the South China Sea, don't give up the Senkaku Islands and don't give up on Arunachal Pradesh in India that China claims as part of Tibet.

Dec. 4, 2023, 2:30 p.m.
China's Xi welcomes President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus to Beijing
China's Xi welcomes President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus to Beijing
['Belarus', 'Ukraine', 'president', 'China', 'Russia']

Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke of a “strengthened political mutual trust and international coordination” with Belarus after he met with the European country’s president in Beijing on Monday, according to official media

China's Xi welcomes President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus to Beijing

Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke of a "Strengthened political mutual trust and international coordination" with Belarus after he met with the European country's president in Beijing on Monday, according to official media. December 4, 2023, 1:43 PM. BEIJING - Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke of a "Strengthened political mutual trust and international coordination" with Belarus after he met with the European country's president in Beijing, according to official media. China has sought to make Belarus a core member of its "Belt and Road Initiative" to build infrastructure with nations from Malaysia to Greece. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has become increasingly isolated following a crackdown on political opponents and his support for ally Russia in its war on Ukraine. The heavily state-controlled economy of Belarus has dimmed possibilities for major economic cooperation with China. China "Opposes external interference in Belarus' internal affairs," Xi was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying, a reflection of China's unofficial alliance with authoritarian states from Cuba to Russia in opposition to the U.S.-led liberal democratic global order. Russia used Belarus as a staging ground for troops and equipment before Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Dec. 4, 2023, 2 p.m.
Chinese Firms Show Resilient Interest in U.S. IPOs Despite Regulatory Hurdles
Chinese Firms Show Resilient Interest in U.S. IPOs Despite Regulatory Hurdles
['financial', 'NEW', 'company', 'FinancialBuzz.com', 'any']

FinancialBuzz.com News Commentary NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite regulatory challenges and geopolitical tensions, there is a sustained interest among Chinese companies in listing on U.S. stock exchanges. This trend is indicative of the global …

Chinese Firms Show Resilient Interest in U.S. IPOs Despite Regulatory Hurdles

NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Despite regulatory challenges and geopolitical tensions, there is a sustained interest among Chinese companies in listing on U.S. stock exchanges. This trend is indicative of the global financial clout and reputation of U.S. capital markets, which offer Chinese firms access to a wider investor base and potentially higher valuations than domestic or other international exchanges. VCI Global Limited, Tencent Holding Ltd., Lufax Holding Ltd, Qifu Technology, Inc. This ongoing interest, despite regulatory and geopolitical headwinds, underscores the strategic importance and perceived benefits of U.S. listings for Chinese companies. As noted by Kobe Ge, head of China at the New York Stock Exchange, despite the negative impact last year from Covid-19 restrictions and U.S. regulatory uncertainty, many of those issues are now resolved and "We still see very strong interest from Chinese businesses for listing in the U.S.," he told CNBC's East Tech West conference in the Nansha district of Guangzhou, China earlier this year. "During the quarter, despite the macro uncertainty, we continued to improve our operational efficiency and drive for better economic returns. At the end of the third quarter, our total cash and cash equivalent was approximately RMB8.2 billion, and we generated approximately RMB1.2 billion cash from operations. Our strong financial positions not only enable us to drive quality growth, but also allow us to deliver attractive shareholder returns through dividend payout and share repurchase." FinancialBuzz. com, a leading financial news informational web portal designed to provide the latest trends in Market News, Investing News, Personal Finance, Politics, Entertainment, in-depth broadcasts on Stock News, Market Analysis and Company Interviews. FinancialBuzz. com is either original financial news or paid advertisements provided by our affiliates, FinancialBuzz. com, a financial news media and marketing firm enters into media buys or service agreements with the companies which are the subject to the articles posted on the Site or other editorials for advertising such companies.

Dec. 4, 2023, 1:41 p.m.
ByteDance: TikTok owner to allow users to create AI chatbots
ByteDance: TikTok owner to allow users to create AI chatbots
['company', 'TikTok', 'Chinese', 'platform', 'state']

ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant behind TikTok, is working on a new platform to enable users to create their own […] The post ByteDance: TikTok owner to allow users to create AI chatbots appeared first on ReadWrite.

ByteDance: TikTok owner to allow users to create AI chatbots

ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant behind TikTok, is working on a new platform to enable users to create their own artificial intelligence chatbots. It's a major play from the $220bn company as it seeks to elbow its way into the fiercely competitive generative AI space, reports The South China Post. It's the latest large technology company to dive into the AI chatbot scene in the wake of OpenAI's ChatGPT explosive growth since it launched one year ago. Founded in 2012, ByteDance is best known for developing popular social media platforms such as TikTok and Chinese news platform, Toutiao. TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon worldwide with around 1.2 billion users. "It's a private company," TikTok CEO Shou Zi said during a hearing of the U.S Congress' House Energy and Commerce Committee in March 2023. An additional twenty percent of the company is owned by ByteDance employees around the world.

Dec. 4, 2023, 1:32 p.m.
Start-ups seek to clean up rare earths refining and break China's grip
Start-ups seek to clean up rare earths refining and break China's grip
['apps', 'privacy', 'click', 'cookie', 'sites']

Filed under: Green Continue reading Start-ups seek to clean up rare earths refining and break China's grip Start-ups seek to clean up rare earths refining and break China's grip originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 4 Dec 2023 08:32:00 EST. Please see our…

Start-ups seek to clean up rare earths refining and break China's grip

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Dec. 4, 2023, 1:30 p.m.
Children All Over The United States Are Starting To Develop "White Lung Syndrome"
Children All Over The United States Are Starting To Develop "White Lung Syndrome"
['Health', 'new', 'lung', 'article', 'outbreak']

What in the world is going on?  Last week, we were getting reports that hospitals in China were being absolutely overwhelmed by sick kids that had developed a condition known as “white lung syndrome”.  Unfortunately, now we are learning that large numbers of …

Children All Over The United States Are Starting To Develop "White Lung Syndrome"

What in the world is going on? Last week, we were getting reports that hospitals in China were being absolutely overwhelmed by sick kids that had developed a condition known as "White lung syndrome". In many of these cases, "White lung syndrome" is being caused by "a bacterial infection that many antibiotics cannot fight". 'White lung syndrome' pneumonia - nicknamed due to how the lung damage shows up on scans - is caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacterial infection that many antibiotics cannot fight. In Ohio, there have been 142 child cases of "White lung syndrome" since August, and it is being reported that this "Meets the Ohio Department of Health definition of an outbreak". In Warren County, just 30 miles outside Cincinnati, there have been 142 pediatric cases of the condition - dubbed 'white lung syndrome' - since August, a figure health officials there described as 'extremely high'. In western Massachusetts, physicians are seeing 'a whole lot' of walking pneumonia, a milder form of the lung condition, which is being caused by a mixture of bacterial and viral infections. Michael's new book entitled "Chaos" is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.

Dec. 4, 2023, 1:28 p.m.
Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra with Intel Core Ultra 9 155H goes on sale before the official launch
Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra with Intel Core Ultra 9 155H goes on sale before the official launch
['content', 'service', 'activity', 'information', 'device']

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra hasn't been officially announced, but people in China can buy it through a third-party seller.

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Ultra with Intel Core Ultra 9 155H goes on sale before the official launch

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Dec. 4, 2023, 1:07 p.m.
A record 8.5 million Chinese borrowers are now blacklisted for not paying their debts, a report says. They're feeling the same financial pressures as Americans.
A record 8.5 million Chinese borrowers are now blacklisted for not paying their debts, a report says. They're feeling the same financial pressures as Americans.
['borrowers', 'loan', 'face', 'reported', 'economy']

Chinese consumers are defaulting on their credit cards, mortgages, and other debts in droves. Americans are also feeling financial pressures today.

A record 8.5 million Chinese borrowers are now blacklisted for not paying their debts, a report says. They're feeling the same financial pressures as Americans.

A record 8.5 million Chinese borrowers - about 1% of the country's working-age adults - are blacklisted by their government for failing to pay their debts, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The 8.54 million blacklisted borrowers, who are mostly aged between 18 and 59, are barred from buying airplane tickets, making mobile payments using apps like Alipay, working for the government, using toll roads, and engaging in many other activities, the paper reported. The surge in loan defaults speaks to the challenges facing consumers in many countries including the US, and widespread concerns about the global economy. The restrictions placed on the borrowers threaten to weigh on consumer spending in the world's second-largest economy, crimping global growth. While the US economy isn't faltering like China's, it faces the prospect of a wave of loan defaults thanks to high inflation and interest rates. The Fed's response has centered on raising interest rates from nearly zero to over 5% since early 2022, as higher rates encourage saving over spending and make borrowing more costly, which tends to cool demand. As a result, American households face a double-whammy of steeper living costs and larger monthly payments on debts such as their credit cards, car loans, and mortgages.

Dec. 4, 2023, 1 p.m.
TikTok's owner is working on a rival chatbot builder to OpenAI, a new report says
TikTok's owner is working on a rival chatbot builder to OpenAI, a new report says
['ByteDance', 'OpenAI', 'launch', 'GPT', 'company']

ByteDance is planning to build a platform that will let users create their own chatbots, per a report from the South China Morning Post.

TikTok's owner is working on a rival chatbot builder to OpenAI, a new report says

ByteDance is joining the AI arms race as it reportedly prepares to launch a rival to OpenAI's "GPTs.". The TikTok owner is planning to build a platform that will let users create their own chatbots, similar to the customizable versions of ChatGPT that OpenAI unveiled at its recent developer day, per a report from the South China Morning Post. ByteDance, which is working on an image-generating tool similar to Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, is reportedly planning to launch the "Bot development platform" as a public beta by the end of the month. It comes after OpenAI announced an update that allowed users to create customizable versions of ChatGPT that can be used for specialized tasks such as coding, tech support, and creative writing, known as "GPTs," in November. The company plans to allow developers to sell these "GPTs" through a "GPT store," although this new platform was recently delayed till next year following the chaotic firing and rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. ByteDance's pivot towards AI comes as calls grow for the company's most successful product, TikTok, to be banned in the US over national security concerns. ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider made outside normal working hours.

Dec. 4, 2023, 12:50 p.m.
Dr. Peter McCullough: Mystery Chinese Pneumonia Strikes America
Dr. Peter McCullough: Mystery Chinese Pneumonia Strikes America
['medical', 'medications', 'Wellness', 'Company', 'Kit']

The Wellness Company and their doctors are medical professionals that you can trust, and their new medical emergency kits are the gold standard when it comes to keeping you safe and healthy.

Dr. Peter McCullough: Mystery Chinese Pneumonia Strikes America

In his position as Chief Scientific Officer for The Wellness Company, Dr. Peter McCullough is conducting investigative scholarship to ascertain what medications are the most safe and effective for conditions such as the pneumonia now circulating in northern China. Our ultimate objective is to ascertain if already available, FDA-approved medications could be useful in treating this pneumonia in the event it spreads to the United States. The Wellness Company is also offering Home Medical Kits to treat a range of infections, including COVID-19, bronchitis, urinary tract infections, cellulitis, yeast infections, and tick bites. The Wellness Company and their doctors - like Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Drew, and Dr. Jim Thorp - are developing actual solutions to keep Americans safe. The Wellness Company and their doctors are medical professionals that you can trust and their new medical emergency kits are the gold standard when it comes to keeping you safe and healthy. The medical emergency kit provides a guidebook to aid in the safe use of all these life-saving medications. From anthrax to tick bites to COVID and even pneumonia like we're seeing emerge from China the Wellness Company's Medical Emergency kit is exactly what you need to have on hand to be prepared.

Dec. 4, 2023, 12:12 p.m.
US gov fires a warning shot at Nvidia: 'We cannot let China get these chips... If you redesign a chip that enables them to do AI, I'm going to control it the very next day'
US gov fires a warning shot at Nvidia: 'We cannot let China get these chips... If you redesign a chip that enables them to do AI, I'm going to control it the very next day'
['export', 'China', 'redesign', 'Nvidia', 'restriction']

The chipmaker has been quick to redesign its products to pass the current restrictions, but US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo seems to have had enough.

US gov fires a warning shot at Nvidia: 'We cannot let China get these chips... If you redesign a chip that enables them to do AI, I'm going to control it the very next day'

Nvidia's penchant for redesigning its GPUs to get around US export restrictions has seemingly been directly called out by the US Commerce Secretary, with a warning that when such redesigns are created "I'm going to control it the very next day." Since 2022, US chip sanctions have continued to make life somewhat difficult for manufacturers looking to export their products to certain countries, chief among them on the list being China. "We cannot let China get these chips, period" she said. Then more pointedly: "If you redesign a chip around a particular cut line that enables them to do AI, I'm going to control it the very next day". Nvidia in particular has been quick to redesign its products to beat the sanctions, including what appears to be a hamstrung RTX 4090 designed to get past the restriction on total processing performance and performance density, the two metrics currently used to judge whether a consumer GPU can be exported to restricted markets. Of course, it's not just China that chipmakers are currently restricted from exporting to, but it appears clear from these comments that stopping the supply here is the focus for the US Department of Commerce. It wasn't long ago that it was reported that Chinese companies are buying up US chipmaking equipment to make advanced semiconductors of their own, so it seems that one way or the other China will eventually be able to supply itself with powerful hardware capable of handling heavy AI workloads regardless.

Dec. 4, 2023, noon
Albemarle And Other EV Vendor Stocks Are Having A Tough Year. What Lies Ahead?
Albemarle And Other EV Vendor Stocks Are Having A Tough Year. What Lies Ahead?
['stock', 'over', 'S&P', 'market', 'supply']

In the U.S. sales of battery-electric vehicles have risen by about 49% over the first nine months, to 873,082 units per data from Cox Automotive.

Albemarle And Other EV Vendor Stocks Are Having A Tough Year. What Lies Ahead?

Our theme of EV Supplier stocks - which includes companies such as Albemarle stock and TE Connectivity stock that supply components and raw materials used in the manufacture of electric vehicles - has been a weak performer this year, declining by about 7% year-to-date, compared to the S&P 500 which has gained over 18% over the same time frame. Price cuts in the EV space by bellwether Tesla over the last two quarters have triggered a price war, particularly in the sizable Chinese EV market. This could be weighing on supplier stocks to an extent, as lower selling prices could mean more stringent component cost management on the part of OEMs. ALB stock has seen a decline of 15% from levels of $150 in early January 2021 to around $125 now, vs. an increase of about 20% for the S&P 500 over this roughly 3-year period. The decrease in ALB stock has been far from consistent. Returns for the stock were 58% in 2021, -7% in 2022, and -43% in 2023. Consistently beating the S&P 500 - in good times and bad - has been difficult over recent years for individual stocks; for heavyweights in the Materials sector including LIN, RIO, and SHW, and even for the megacap stars GOOG, TSLA, and MSFT. In contrast, the Trefis High Quality Portfolio, with a collection of 30 stocks, has outperformed the S&P 500 each year over the same period. Unlike the EV market, which has low barriers to entry, with competition mounting, top EV component suppliers should stand to benefit irrespective of which automakers eventually win the market share battle in the EV space.

Dec. 4, 2023, 11:49 a.m.
Is UN One World Government 2030/Agenda 21 & Corona Pandemic linked?
Is UN One World Government 2030/Agenda 21 & Corona Pandemic linked?
['World', 'people', 'Dr.', 'control', 'plan']

The UN was created in 1945 following the end of World War 2 promising to ensure no future world wars, to respect individual state sovereignty and to not interfere in internal affairs of sovereign states. Since 1945, only 10 countries …

Is UN One World Government 2030/Agenda 21 & Corona Pandemic linked?

The UN was created in 1945 following the end of World War 2 promising to ensure no future world wars, to respect individual state sovereignty and to not interfere in internal affairs of sovereign states. The UN wishes to create a 'New World Order' with a 'One World Government' by 2030 as part of its Agenda 21 Goals set out in 1992. These were all incremental "CHANGE" goals to reach the ultimate One World Government goal. The 1992 New World Order listed terms "One world", "Currency" "Military" "Family", "5G" "Private transportation" "Air travel" "Synthetic drugs" are not mentioned in the 2030 Agenda. "Covid-19 is a false pandemic created for political purposes. This is a world dictatorship with a sanitary excuse". "According to Peter Koenig, the real danger is the 'Digital ID". What is important to note is that the People of the world are all victims, whether they are US citizens, European citizens, Chinese citizens or any other global citizen. The 99.9% of the People of the World need to realize the bigger plan concocted by 0.001% or even less.

Dec. 4, 2023, 11:16 a.m.
The White House unveils new rules to try and keep China out of the US EV market
The White House unveils new rules to try and keep China out of the US EV market
['China', 'new', 'battery', 'electric', 'market']

The US government announced plans to make it more difficult for US-made electric vehicles with Chinese parts to qualify for tax breaks.

The White House unveils new rules to try and keep China out of the US EV market

China is well and truly winning the EV race - and now the White House has unveiled new rules to try and keep Chinese companies out of the US electric car market. The US government announced plans on Friday to make it more difficult for US-made electric vehicles with Chinese parts to qualify for crucial tax breaks, as it seeks to challenge China's EV dominance. The IRA blocked all foreign-made electric vehicles from receiving tax breaks in an attempt to try and protect the US EV market - and now, the White House has introduced new regulations to prevent US car companies from using materials and parts from China and Russia in their EVs. The new restrictions could be a headache for US auto manufacturers, which have traditionally relied on China for their battery technology. Morgan Stanley estimated that 90% of the global EV battery supply chain runs through China, with the Asian superpower having cornered the market on crucial materials like \u200b\u200bcobalt, lithium, manganese, and nickel. China's electric car market has boomed and now accounts for 64% of global EV production. The New York Times reported that the electric carmaker said in submissions to the government that restrictions should apply only to major battery parts, not to smaller components and minerals mined in China.

Dec. 4, 2023, 11:15 a.m.
Philippines Calls Out China For 'Swarming' Disputed Reef
Philippines Calls Out China For 'Swarming' Disputed Reef
['Philippine', 'vessel', 'reef', 'Chinese', 'China']

The incident is the latest in a string of assertive Chinese actions in waters claimed by Beijing and Manila.

Philippines Calls Out China For 'Swarming' Disputed Reef

In the latest sign of brewing trouble in the South China Sea, the Philippines has accused China of "Swarming" a disputed reef off the coast of Palawan island. Neither China nor the Philippines currently occupies the reef, but it is claimed by both countries, as well as by Vietnam. In its statement, the PCG added that it "Maintains its unwavering commitment to safeguarding maritime security, safety and the marine environment in the course of protecting the territorial integrity, sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea.". Whitsun Reef is just the latest flashpoint for the growing tensions between the Philippines and China, which claims large parts of the Philippines' SEZ under its maximalist "Nine-dash line" claim. The primary partner, of course, is the United States, its long-time security ally, which has on several occasions recently stated that it is treaty-bound to come to the Philippines' aid in the event of any attack on its forces in the South China Sea. The Philippines has expanded U.S. access to Philippine military facilities under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and last month held joint patrols in its waters with the U.S., followed shortly after by a similar joint patrol with Australia. Under Marcos, the Philippines has also pledged to deepen its defense relationship with Japan, which has its own suite of maritime and territorial disputes with China.

Dec. 4, 2023, 10:45 a.m.
China Evergrande Avoids Liquidation With Yet Another Last Chance
China Evergrande Avoids Liquidation With Yet Another Last Chance
['Evergrande', 'debt', 'property', 'restructure', 'High']

The world’s most indebted property developer was unexpectedly given more time to reach an agreement with creditors to restructure its liabilities.

China Evergrande Avoids Liquidation With Yet Another Last Chance

China Evergrande Group was given another two more months by a Hong Kong court to come up with restructuring plan to stave off bankruptcy. High Court Judge Linda Chan decided to adjourn the petition to liquidate Evergrande until January 29 after the property developer's lawyers had argued that its creditors were not "Actively seeking" to wind up the company. The decision came as a surprise to many because Judge Chan had warned Evergrande in late October that today's hearing would be the last before she would reach a decision on winding up the company. With total liabilities of $327 billion, Evergrande has come to embody the liquidity crisis that has spread across the country's vast real estate industry, which accounts for 25% of China's GDP. Since defaulting on its debt obligations in 2021, the property giant has been locked in negotiations with creditors and regulators to come up with a plan to restructure its offshore debt. The winding-up petition was filed 18 months ago by Samoa-based investor Top Shine Global after Evergrande failed to honor an agreement to repurchase shares in one of its units worth $110 million. If Evergrande fails to convince the judge that it has a "Concrete" debt restructuring plan, the company could be ordered into liquidation, which would increase pressure on a property sector that's already reeling from high debts and a lack of liquidity. Evergrande said in late September that its chairman, Hui Ka Yan, had been placed under police surveillance on "Suspicion of illegal crimes." The statement didn't provide further details.

Dec. 4, 2023, 10:45 a.m.
Internal memo: ByteDance plans to release a "bot development platform" in beta by the end of December, to let users create their own AI chatbots (Coco Feng/South China Morning Post)
Internal memo: ByteDance plans to release a "bot development platform" in beta by the end of December, to let users create their own AI chatbots (Coco Feng/South China Morning Post)
['Spotify', '17', 'cut', 'layoff', 'staff']

Coco Feng / South China Morning Post: Internal memo: ByteDance plans to release a “bot development platform” in beta by the end of December, to let users create their own AI chatbots  —  ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, is working on an open platform t…

Internal memo: ByteDance plans to release a "bot development platform" in beta by the end of December, to let users create their own AI chatbots (Coco Feng/South China Morning Post)

Spotify jumps after saying it will cut 17% of workforce - read the full memo from CEO Daniel Ek. Spotify cuts more than 1,500 jobs amid rising costs. Spotify to lay off 17 percent of its workforce in latest round of job cuts. Spotify to lay off 17% of employees - read the full memo CEO Daniel Ek sent to staff. Spotify announces its third layoffs of the year, reducing its headcount by 17%. Spotify to cut 1,500 jobs in latest round of layoffs. Spotify layoffs: Music streaming giant to cut 17% workforce, says CEO Daniel Ek. Spotify lays off 17% of staff to reduce costs and adjust for a slowdown. Read the full memo Spotify's CEO sent employees announcing it would cut 17% of its staff: 'Being lean is not just an option but a necessity'. Spotify banked a €65m.... Spotify CEO: "These investments generally worked" They did? Kinda doubt it if you have to fire 17% of your employees now [image].

Dec. 4, 2023, 9:42 a.m.
Hong Kong activist Agnes Chow skips bail, refuses return
Hong Kong activist Agnes Chow skips bail, refuses return
['law', 'Kong', 'Hong', 'Chow', 'police']

Chow, who played a leading role in the 2019 pro-democracy protests, is the latest dissident to flee Beijing's crackdown.

Hong Kong activist Agnes Chow skips bail, refuses return

A prominent Hong Kong activist who played a leading role in the 2019 antigovernment protests has announced she will not return to the city amid fears for her safety. Agnes Chow, who has been studying in Canada, announced in a social media post on Sunday night that she will not meet bail conditions requiring her return. List 2 of 4 Hong Kong denies visa to prominent Tiananmen Square scholar. List 3 of 4 Trial of Hong Kong activists under China-imposed law enters home straight. List 4 of 4 Hong Kong journalist reported missing after trip to China. In a statement issued on Monday, Hong Kong police condemned Chow for "Challenging the rule of law". Nathan Law sought refuge in the United Kingdom, and a reward of 1 million Hong Kong dollars was offered by the police in July for information leading to his apprehension.

Dec. 4, 2023, 8:08 a.m.
Europeans flock to China with visa-free access
Europeans flock to China with visa-free access
['China', 'policy', 'country', 'travel', 'people']

BRUSSELS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Under a visa-free entry policy effective from Friday, ordinary passport

Europeans flock to China with visa-free access

BRUSSELS, Dec. 4 - Under a visa-free entry policy effective from Friday, ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia are now able to enjoy visa-free travel to China for up to 15 days. The policy, with a trial period from Dec. 1, 2023 to Nov. 30, 2024, was widely viewed as a boost to inbound tourism for China and a bridge for people-to-people exchanges, particularly with more Europeans planning their trip to this exotic country. Italian resident Sebastiano Brusco told Xinhua that he has a China visit on his agenda, and this "Good" and "Necessary" policy helps people "Visit China very easily." "China has various aspects that attract me, both its urban and rural landscapes as well as its political life. Traveling to China offers the opportunity for firsthand experience and observation. And now, with the visa exemption, it's even more accessible," a fourth-year school student surnamed Jan told Xinhua in Berlin. In the view of Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a business-led international digital association in Brussels, the visa exemption for travelers from the major European economies will also facilitate managers of small and medium-sized enterprises to travel to China for business, exhibitions, and so on, which will also enhance confidence in investing in China. "People need to gain first-hand experience to have a real understanding of a different country and a different culture. Many people's visits to China have changed their stereotypes of China," said Gambardella. According to China's National Immigration Administration, 2,029 people from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia entered China without a visa on Friday, Day One of the visa-free policy.

Dec. 4, 2023, 7:58 a.m.
Second SCMP reporter dropped out of contact in China last year, sources say
Second SCMP reporter dropped out of contact in China last year, sources say
['Reports', 'SCMP', 'journalist', 'Chan', 'China']

Minnie Chan second reporter at Hong Kong newspaper to be subject of safety concerns, people familiar with matter say.

Second SCMP reporter dropped out of contact in China last year, sources say

Taipei, Taiwan - A Hong Kong reporter who has been unreachable since travelling to China more than one month ago is the second journalist at her newspaper to have a lengthy unexplained absence from work in as many years, according to multiple people familiar with the situation. Minnie Chan, a reporter with the South China Morning Post, has been out of contact with friends since travelling to Beijing in late October to attend the Xiangshan Forum, Japan's Kyodo News reported on Thursday, raising fears she may have been detained by Chinese authorities. Chan's absence comes after another SCMP reporter dropped out of contact in China for a number of months in 2022, raising concerns among colleagues that they may have been detained, four people familiar with discussions in the newsroom told Al Jazeera. The reporter, whose work was not published at SCMP for a period of nine months, later returned to work at the newspaper, but in a different section covering less politically sensitive news. The reporter has not written for SCMP for a number of months and it is unclear if they are still employed at the newspaper. The SCMP declined to comment on "Speculative reporting" about the second reporter, citing privacy considerations. China is among the world's worst jailers of journalists, with at least 43 reporters in custody in 2022, according to the CPJ. Last month, Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist who worked with Chinese state-run CGTN, was released after spending three years in custody on national security charges.