South Korea is closing schools in the Seoul metropolitan area as it copes with a nearly two-week surge in coronavirus infections. Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said Tuesday most students will attend online classes at least until September 11, but that high school seniors would continue to attend in-person classes to prepare for national college entrance exams. An outbreak in the southeastern region of South Korea delayed the start of the new school year for weeks before initiating phased reopenings in May. Government officials and volunteers disinfect as a precaution against the coronavirus at a subway station entrance in Goyang, South Korea, Aug. 25, 2020.South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control reported 280 new cases of COVID-19, increasing the 12-day total to 3,175 and the overall total to nearly 18,000. Guidelines for children
As millions of children head back to school, the World Health Organization has issued its FILE – Children wearing masks to protect from the coronavirus gather near mascots for Guagualong online app for children language learning during a promotion in Beijing, Aug. 21, 2020.Children 6 to 11 should wear masks, but what the experts call a “risk-based control” should be considered. This includes social and cultural environments, the child’s ability to comply, and the impact mask wearing has on disabilities or underlying diseases.
Kids 12 and older need to be treated like adults when wearing masks. But the WHO and UNICEF said no child should be denied access to an education if a mask is unavailable. While children who are infected with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, generally have mild or asymptomatic symptoms, they can still spread the virus to adults. Situation in the USSocial Worker Iris Trammel (C) hold a sign during a vigil to honor San Diego county employees who have lost their lives to the coronavirus (COVID-19) while working the frontline of the pandemic in San Diego, California, Aug. 24, 2020.In the U.S., which continues to lead the world in infections and COVID-19 deaths, the head of the Food and Drug Administration dismissed President Donald Trump’s accusation last weekend that the agency has “deep state” employees who are working to complicate efforts to test COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the November presidential election. “I have not seen anything that I would consider to be a ‘deep state’ at the FDA,” Dr. Stephen Hahn told Reuters on Monday. Hahn said he was completely confident that FDA employees were committed to act in the interests of all citizens during the pandemic. As of Tuesday, 5.7 million infections and over 177,000 deaths were reported in the U.S. by Johns Hopkins University, about one-quarter of the 23.6 infections worldwide and the more than 813,800 deaths throughout the world. Drop in cases in Hong KongThe Hong Kong government said Tuesday it will allow some movie theaters, beauty salons and outdoor sports facilities to reopen this week following a drop in coronavirus cases. There was a surge on coronavirus infections in Hong Kong in July, prompting the government to impose its most stringent social distancing measures to date, resulting in a gradual decline in infections. Security guards wearing face shields require people have their body temperature checked at an entrance of a shopping center in Hong Kong, China, Aug. 11, 2020.Meanwhile, scientists at the University of Hong Kong said they have found the first known case of someone who was infected twice with COVID-19. The popular belief is that catching the coronavirus once makes people immune to a second case. But the doctors say genetic tests on a 33-year-old male COVID-19 patient found that the strain he had after returning from a trip to Spain several weeks ago is different than the coronavirus strain he had in March. “It shows that some people do not have lifelong immunity” to the virus if they’ve already had it, microbiologist Dr. Kelvin Kai-Wang To said. “We don’t know how many people can get reinfected. There are probably more out there.”
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Category: East
East news. East is the direction toward which the Earth rotates about its axis, and therefore the general direction from which the Sun appears to rise. The practice of praying towards the East is older than Christianity, but has been adopted by this religion as the Orient was thought of as containing mankind’s original home
Australia Embraces Sweeping Bushfire Resilience Plan
An independent report into Australia’s Black Summer bushfires has recommended sweeping changes to land clearing practices and the creation of an international research center to investigate extreme fire behavior. The 2019-2020 disaster was unprecedented in scale. The Gospers Mountain fire north of Sydney was the largest forest fire ever recorded in Australia, burning more than 500,000 hectares. More aggressive hazard reduction, or controlled burn-offs that can reduce the severity of future bushfires, would make Australia safer, according to an independent panel.However, previous research has shown that as conditions get hotter and drier, it becomes less effective. But the report wants landowners in high-risk areas to increase prescribed burning. It also said that climate change was one of many factors that made last summer “so extraordinary”. The fires were fueled by record-breaking temperatures and a long drought across southern and eastern Australia. New South Wales state premier Gladys Berejiklian says global warming is making the country more vulnerable. “The next fire season is already upon us, so the government has taken every action we can already in response to the recommendations that we received. We do also have to also accept that in addition to the issues that have been canvassed this morning, our climate is changing and those who wrote the report actually acknowledge that our climate is changing,” Berejiklian said. The New South Wales state government has accepted each of the panel’s 76 recommendations. The report has called for more scientific research into fighting fires, including the use of artificial intelligence and drones to help put them out quickly. It said the answer was not more fire trucks or firefighters. Critics of the inquiry have reportedly said it was lackluster and contained no significant recommendations. The Black Summer fires killed more than 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes. For the first time ever catastrophic fire conditions had been forecast for Australia’s biggest city, Sydney. Ominously, the panel warned that Australia should expect to see similar conditions, or worse, to happen again.
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Families Confront New Zealand Mosque Shooter at Sentencing
Families and survivors had their first chance to confront the white supremacist who slaughtered 51 worshippers in a mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques as his four-day sentencing hearing began Monday. “You killed your own humanity, and I don’t think the world will forgive you for your horrible crime,” said a tearful Maysoon Salama, the mother of 33-year-old Atta Elayyan, who was killed in March 2019 attacks. “You thought you can break us. You failed miserably.” The gunman, 29-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, pleaded guilty in March to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism — the first terrorism conviction in New Zealand’s history. He could become the first person in New Zealand to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, the toughest sentence available. Tarrant was brought into the Christchurch High Court shackled and wearing a gray prison outfit. In the dock, unshackled and surrounded by five officers, he showed little emotion throughout the hearing. He occasionally looked around the room, tapped his fingers, and watched the survivors as they spoke. The courtroom was only half full due to coronavirus distancing requirements, while many others watched from adjacent courtrooms where the hearing was streamed. Survivors and family members occasionally wept and comforted each other. Two dozen victims and family members told the court about the pain of losing husbands, wives, sons and brothers. Some had family members around them for support, others spoke through translators or on pre-recorded videos from abroad. One of those was grandmother Saira Patel, who spoke from Melbourne in Australia and described the moment she thought she would die in the Linwood mosque. “I stretched both my arms toward my husband so we would die together,” she said.Saira Patel, who spoke on a pre-recorded video from Melbourne about her husband Musa Patel, who was killed in the 2019 mosque shootings, during the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant at the Christchurch High Court.But it was her husband of 36 years, Musa, who was shot in the back. When paramedics arrived, she said, they told her to push on the bullet hole to lessen the bleeding, but her hands kept slipping with all the blood. When they took over, she said, she held her husband’s warm hands until they dropped. He had died. “I’m still searching for my husband’s beautiful face in the crowds, but he’s nowhere to be seen,” she said. Some speakers raised their voices in anger when they addressed the gunman. One said nothing less than the death penalty would be fair. Janna Ezat, whose son Hussein Al-Umari was killed, looked at Tarrant and spoke softly. “I forgive you,” she said. “The damage is done, Hussein will never be here. I only have one choice and that is to forgive.” Monday’s hearing began with prosecutors outlining the attacks in a 26-page summary of facts, the first detailed account by authorities about what happened that day, including the revelation that Tarrant had intended to burn down the mosques. Crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said Tarrant moved to New Zealand in 2017 and began buying an arsenal of high-powered weapons, as well as 7,000 rounds of ammunition. Two months before the attacks, Tarrant flew a drone directly over the Al Noor mosque, recording an aerial view of the grounds and buildings and taking note of the entry and exit doors, Hawes said. Hawes said the gunman planned his attacks for when the maximum number of worshippers were present, and that 190 people were in the Al Noor mosque for Friday prayers on the day of the attacks. In his car, the gunman had six guns — two AR-15 rifles, two other rifles, and two shotguns, the court heard. He also brought with him four modified gas containers that he planned to use to burn down the mosques after he finished shooting, Hawes said. The gunman later told police he wished he had used them and that he wished he’d shot more people. Hawes also detailed the bravery of Naeem Rashid, who was killed at the Al Noor mosque. “He ran at the defendant from the southeastern corner of the room. When Mr. Rashid was approximately 1 meter from the defendant, the defendant swung the AR-15 around and fired four shots at point-blank range,” Hawes said. “Mr. Rashid crashed into the defendant and the defendant went down on one knee,” Hawes said, adding that Tarrant was able to get back up and shoot Rashid again. At the second mosque, Abdul Aziz chased Tarrant down the driveway screaming at him, prosecutors said, and threw a discarded rifle at his car, shattering a window. Aziz was not injured. Tarrant has dismissed his lawyers and is representing himself during the sentencing, raising fears he could try to use the occasion as a platform to promote his racist views. He can choose to speak once the survivors have spoken, although the judge will likely shut down any attempts he makes to grandstand. New Zealand abolished the death penalty for murder in 1961, and the longest sentence imposed since then has been life imprisonment with a minimum 30-year non-parole period. Justice Cameron Mander will decide on the gunman’s sentence at the end of the hearing. The attacks targeting people praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques shocked New Zealand and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. They also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook, where it was viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. Prosecutors said that after Tarrant left the Linwood mosque he planned to drive to the town of Ashburton and attack a third mosque. But he was rammed by two police officers, dragged out of his car and arrested. Gamal Fouda, the imam of the Al Noor mosque who survived the shooting, told the court that the gunman’s actions were misguided.”We are a peaceful and loving community who did not deserve your actions,” Fouda said. “Your hatred is unnecessary. If you have done anything, you have brought the world community closer with your evil actions.”
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Hong Kong Court Again Denies Bail for First Person Charged Under New Security Law
A Hong Kong court again denied bail on Tuesday to the first person charged with inciting separatism and terrorism under a new national security law in the Chinese-ruled city. Tong Ying-kit, 23, had carried a sign reading “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” and drove his motorbike into police officers, knocking several down on a narrow street before falling over and getting arrested, police have said. The government of the Asian financial hub has said the protest slogan connotes separatism or subversion under the new law, fueling concern over freedom of expression in the former British colony. Tong was among more than 300 demonstrators against the new law who were arrested by police on July 1, less than 24 hours after it was unveiled and took effect. He was denied bail last month, with the case adjourned to Oct. 6 as prosecutors sought more time to collect evidence. Tong then sought release from detention via a habeas corpus, which determines whether a detention is lawful, but that application was rejected on Friday. He again sought bail on Tuesday but his application was rejected by High Court Judge Alex Lee. Hong Kong’s common law has traditionally allowed defendants to seek release unless prosecutors can show lawful grounds for their detention. The burden is now placed on the defendant, under the new law drafted by Beijing, where the judiciary is controlled by the Communist Party. The national security law has drawn wide criticism in the West for jeopardizing basic rights and freedoms the special administrative region was promised when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Supporters of the law, which has jail terms for up to life for anything China considers to be secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces, say it would bring stability after a year of pro-democracy and anti-China unrest.
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Anonymous Classrooms: Professors Try to Protect Students from Beijing’s Snooping
With many American universities holding online courses this semester because of the pandemic, faculty members at Princeton, Harvard and other elite schools are looking for ways to protect the privacy and identity of students logging in from Hong Kong and China, where they are subject to China’s repressive rules on self-expression. The Hong Kong National Security Law that passed in June allows Chinese authorities to prosecute any foreign institution, organization or individuals, regardless of their location, if they are involved in any action deemed to be a crime. Legal scholars say the law opens the door for a wide range of political prosecutions. Samuel Chu, a Chinese American originally from Hong Kong, could be one of the first prosecuted. He faces an arrest warrant after he lobbied the U.S. Congress to punish China for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy. Faculty members at several top universities want to protect those taking their courses from ending up in a similar position. They are proposing options for students who may be concerned about being punished for their personal views. In a recently published article, faculty from Harvard University, Princeton University, Amherst College, Syracuse University and Texas University at Austin proposed allowing students to opt out of class discussions without affecting their grades and enabling students to participate anonymously in virtual classroom discussions. ‘Warning labels’Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that a professor at the University of Pennsylvania is considering incorporating “warning labels” for potentially sensitive information into the class syllabus. The moves are raising concerns that China’s new expansive security laws are eroding academic freedom in the United States. “I think it is very troubling that they would, for instance, place warning labels on classes that Beijing might consider sensitive,” said Christopher Balding, an associate professor at Fulbright University Vietnam who also taught in China for nine years. “That is indicative of a creepy censorship by Beijing. Even if it’s not explicit, even if it is not mandated by law, it is very clearly indicative of the influence that Beijing censorship is having in the United States,” Balding said. Aaron Ach, a member of the Princeton class of 2019, wrote a thesis on China’s foreign policy. He told VOA that that open conversations with his Chinese classmates were vital to his work. “So, while I don’t think it’s necessarily an overreaction, I am concerned that universities’ efforts to anonymize classroom participation in light of this national security object directive, rather, is a signal from highly respected, highly globalized elite U.S. universities to Beijing that Beijing can have its way,” Ach said. VOA contacted Harvard Business School, Amherst College and Princeton University about their official policies on protecting the identities of students and faculty but has not received a response. In an email to VOA, Meg Rithmire, an associate professor at Harvard Business School and one of the co-authors of the article, noted that the measures can be implemented in a targeted manner without disrupting non-sensitive classroom discussions. “The important thing … is not just letting anyone ‘opt out’ of any conversation,” she wrote. She said there should be ways to allow “conversations on issues the Chinese government (or other governments) deem out of bounds while protecting legal risks to students.” Missing opportunity?Some also argue that by taking the additional measures, universities may also be missing an opportunity to speak out against Beijing’s national security law, or even are giving tacit support to China’s censorship. “The U.S. government and U.S. universities have a unique opportunity right now … to condemn a Chinese foreign policy that not only threatens the well-being of Chinese students who are seeking an education in the U.S., but also that threatens to undermine the academic missions and the liberal arts foundations of elite U.S. institutions,” Ach said. Balding said that although the universities’ desire to protect their students is reasonable, the schools also have rarely spoken out against Beijing’s policies in the past, which makes their recent actions more troublesome. “(American) universities have absolutely no track record of speaking out about China. They have no track record about how they have sought to address historical concerns about Chinese behavior,” Balding said. “And they appear intent on engaging in a series of practices, such as accepting Chinese money and hiding it in violation of U.S. law, as well as other practices such as arguing against reasonable visa restrictions against PLA graduate students in science programs in the United States.” This year, the Department of Justice has announced a series of prosecutions against academics who hid ties to Beijing, as well as Chinese funding. Ach, now a cybersecurity professional, said the problem of protecting academic freedom from Chinese surveillance is becoming much bigger than just a few university courses. He said that ultimately, both the U.S. government and universities must keep China off their networks in the first place. “That will mean not only hardening cyber defenses and spending more on security, but it also means that the U.S. government and U.S. universities will have to work together and go to greater lengths to protect the Chinese, and frankly, other students who are apparently of interest to the Chinese state,” he said.
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Observers: Taiwan Positioned for Role in Wealth Management and Corporate Financing
Taiwan is well-positioned to seize potential capital outflows triggered by the enactment of a new security law in Hong Kong and the intensifying trade frictions between the United States and China, three analysts told VOA.This will pave the way for the island to create a niche as a regional corporate financing or high net worth asset management center, although mounting challenges lie ahead for it to deregulate its financial industry in achieving the goal, the analysts added.The goal is in line with President Tsai Ing-wen’s, who told local business tycoons last week that her administration plans to liberalize the local economy soon by becoming an Asian financial hub.Hong Kong’s capital flight “Under its new security law, Hong Kong’s role as a regional financial hub has been greatly weakened when it comes to its function in both wealth management and corporate financing,” said Hwang Dar-yeh, dean of the privately run Academy of Promoting Economic Legislation. “(Any capital flight), especially by Chinese-speaking investors, is likely to next go to Singapore or Taipei. So, now presents a great opportunity for Taipei to pursue that goal.”TaiwanTaiwan is unlikely to immediately compete with Singapore or Hong Kong — two major financial hubs in Asia that respectively ranked fifth and sixth in the latest Global Financial Centers Index.Lagging behind most of the world’s 108 financial centers, Taipei ranked 75th in the index, released in March by London-based consultancy Z/Yen Group and the China Development Institute, based in Shenzhen.Taipei’s geostrategic importance Hwang said Taipei enjoys a higher geostrategic importance than Singapore now that Taiwan and the United States seek to diversify and move away from their traditional reliance on trade with China.Under these circumstances, Taiwanese companies based in China may consider going public in Taiwan, or individuals with a high net worth may opt to exit Hong Kong and park their assets elsewhere, including Taipei, according to Hwang.Since 2019, Taiwan’s financial regulator has launched several relaxation policies, including deregulating offshore banking units and allowing more new products in financial institutions’ wealth management portfolios, for clients with a net worth of more than $34 million.It is also seeking to accommodate China-based Taiwanese companies, which have been impacted by the U.S.-China trade war and repatriated more than $340 billion to Taiwan as of the end of June, official statistics showed.More needs to be done Schive Chi, former chairman of Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation, said Taiwan needs to do more to catch up.“Insufficient product lines or capital flows, which aren’t totally free, will limit Taiwan’s scale (and scope) of developing (its financial market). There’s plenty of opportunity up for grabs, but whether you can seize (it) is another story,” Schive told VOA in a phone interview.Both Hwang and Schive said Taiwan should improve its financial infrastructure by attracting financial talent from overseas, introducing innovative policies and allowing the island’s currency exchange rate to free-float with no interference from the central bank — overall, an open, transparent and free market in which foreign investors will take an interest.Preferential tax rates Taiwan also needs to impose preferential tax rates, which are competitive enough to attract foreign investors, said William Lin, a professor of banking and finance at Tamkang University in Taipei.Lin said the size of assets under management in Singapore has greatly outgrown that of Taiwan in the past two decades after Singapore introduced a preferential tax regime, including having its withholding tax waived in 2000.Compared to Singapore, Taiwan has a number of upper-handed advantages should it try to boost wealth management businesses, he said.“We have many advantages. First of all, Taiwan’s size of local capital is bigger than that in Singapore. We’ve totaled an idle capital of NT$6 trillion ($340 billion), including NT$2.4 trillion ($81.6 trillion of excess savings) in the banking sector. With a small population of 23 million people, the local insurance sector’s annual premium income is the seventh largest in the world,” Lin said.Other than capital, Taiwan’s tech prowess, hardworking labor, and talent pool in innovation-oriented and biotech industries will prepare it to tap emerging opportunities from the region’s wealth management and corporate finance landscape, he said.Tsai’s administration has targeted seven innovative industries, including smart machinery, green energy and biomedicine, to help upgrade the local economy from contract manufacturing to a high value-added model.
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Uighur Activists Fear Ankara is Bowing to Beijing Pressure
Many of China’s Uighur minority have sought sanctuary in Turkey following China’s crackdown on the largely Muslim Turkic-speaking minority. Observers describe conditions of those detained by the Chinese government as akin to concentration camps. With Beijing stepping up pressure on Ankara, some Uighur refugees fear for their future in Turkey. Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul. Produced by: Rod James
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Abe Returns to Hospital, Fueling Speculation About His Health
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the hospital for the second time in a week, fueling speculation he may be facing a serious health issue.Following his visit to Tokyo’s Keio University Hospital, Abe, 65, told reporters he was following up on a previous visit and to undergo additional tests. He would not elaborate on why the tests were given. The four-hour visit follows an examination last week that took about eight hours. The hospital visit comes the same day Abe becomes Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, having served 2,799 days — breaking the previous record held by his great-uncle Eisaku Sato. Abe, whose government has been rocked by several political scandals in recent years, told reporters that “politics is not about how many days one has stayed in office, but what one has accomplished.” He also thanked the Japanese people for giving him strong support in elections.”I have fully devoted myself every day to realizing the pledges I have made to the people,” he said.Speculation about his health was initially triggered when a magazine reported he had vomited blood in July. Earlier Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, a top government spokesman, sought to dispel rumors of Abe’s ill health. He told a regular press conference, “I see him every day, and he’s been the same,” Suga said.Abe, whose first 2006-2007 stint as premier was abruptly ended by ulcerative colitis, has appeared healthy since returning to power in 2012.
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US North Korea Policy at a Crossroads as Election Nears
During his first term as president, Donald Trump met three times and reportedly exchanged at least 25 personal letters with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But those interactions could soon end, depending on the outcome of the November presidential election, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Seoul.
PRODUCER: Jon Spier
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New Zealand, S. Korea Toughen Coronavirus Restrictions
New Zealand is requiring everyone using public transport and traveling on airplanes to wear face coverings starting Monday, while enhanced restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of a coronavirus outbreak in Auckland are being extended through Sunday. Auckland, the country’s biggest city, has been dealing with a collection of cases after the country went more than 100 days since declaring no community transmission of the virus. Health officials reported eight new cases linked to the Auckland cluster Monday. “We know masks protect you and the people around you,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a briefing Monday. She said she understands the frustrations of people in other parts of the country where there are not any new cases being reported yet some restrictions remain in place. But she said with people allowed to travel between regions, the tradeoff in allowing such economic activity is requiring social distancing and placing limits on mass gatherings. In South Korea, where officials are also trying to get control of an outbreak centered in the Seoul area, the government imposed an order requiring masks in both indoor and outdoor locations on Monday.People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the coronavirus ride an escalator as they arrive at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 24, 2020.New restrictions banning in-person church services and closing nightclubs, buffets and cyber cafes are in effect throughout South Korea. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 266 new cases Monday, with 202 located in the Seoul area. There are also infections in other major cities such as Busan, Daejeon and Sejong. Mexico, which last week cited a sustained decline in its daily coronavirus toll, reported Sunday 266 new deaths, the lowest number it has seen in more than two months. The country has more than 60,000 total deaths, trailing only the United States and Brazil. U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday the Food and Drug Administration has given emergency use authorization for the use of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 patients. The antibody-rich plasma is taken from people who have already recovered from the coronavirus and transferred into patients suffering from COVID-19. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said the agency analyzed information from 20,000 of the 70,000 patients who had received the treatment, as well as other studies, and determined it was worth granting the emergency authorization. Some scientists have been more cautious about supporting the treatment, saying the results for it are mixed and that there is no proof yet that it works against COVID-19. As communities all over the world weigh how quickly to lift certain restrictions, including those that involved closing schools, the top medical officials in Britain issued a statement Sunday saying children were more likely to be harmed by remaining out of school than by being exposed to the coronavirus. “Very few, if any, children or teenagers will come to long-term harm from COVID-19 due solely to attending school,” the top medical officers in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales said in the statement. “This has to be set against a certainty of long-term harm to many children and young people from not attending school.”
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What Explains Vietnam’s Bid to Buy Russia’s Virus Vaccine?
A lot of eyebrows were raised when Russia announced it was the first to approve a vaccine for the coronavirus, and even more so when Vietnam said it would buy up to 150 million doses. Not many were expecting the news, but if it comes to pass, a few factors would explain how Vietnam and Russia got here. The two sides have a long history, from founding father Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary years in Moscow, to their membership in a modern trade deal. Vietnam has also been more aggressive than most other nations in tackling COVID-19, and it needs an affordable vaccine as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns rich nations against “vaccine nationalism” and hoarding. The U.S., a key partner of Vietnam, has expressed doubt that Russia developed a vaccine so quickly. Other nations reportedly interested in the vaccine include the Philippines, Indonesia, India and South Korea. Cold War history Several nations have already put in pre-orders for other future vaccines, and there are more than 150 programs to research possible vaccines around the world, from silkworm cells in Japan, to new use of RNA instead of DNA in research. Russia announced this month it is in Phase 2 trial of a vaccine, which involves testing on hundreds of people, as opposed to tens of thousands in Phase 3. Vietnam could buy 50 million to 150 million doses by 2021, according to the state-run newspaper Tuoi Tre. “A vaccine that has been used in a foreign country may not require any more tests when it’s imported to Vietnam,” Dr. Tran Dac Phu, an associate professor at the Vietnam Ministry of Health’s Public Health Emergency Operations Center, said on the national VTV station. “However, its trials must still be applied on humans to test its safety and effectiveness.” Russia’s relations have frayed elsewhere, from interference in the U.S. presidential election, to its annexation of Ukraine territory which prompted European Union sanctions. By contrast, feathers are mostly unruffled in Asia, especially in Vietnam, one of the world’s last remaining communist nations, which had strong ties to the old Soviet Union. In addition to Ho Chi Minh’s studies of Lenin, many prominent Vietnamese spent their formative years in Cold-War-era Russia before coming home to found companies, such as Vietjet Air. ‘Negligent’ behavior The Southeast Asian nation was already conducting its own vaccine research before the Russia announcement, one of many trials globally because scientists need to test on a diverse array of volunteers. However, the first viable vaccine is likely to come from a nation with many resources, leading to fears at the WHO and elsewhere that instead of cooperating, developed nations could put themselves first when a vaccine emerges. Vietnam was also taking COVID-19 seriously before its peers, but the fight intensified in July when it reported its first ever death from the disease. It has now jumped on the possibility of a vaccine, following a pattern of attacking the pandemic aggressively. Still people need to keep taking safety measures and not pin all their hopes on a vaccine, said Vu Duc Dam, the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam who has been leading the pandemic efforts. “Because we controlled the disease well for a long time, people have become more negligent,” he said this month. “It’s time to remind ourselves that the pandemic is still going on and the vaccine will only be available to everyone in at least one year. We must strengthen measures to safely live together with the disease.”
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China Launches Advanced Warship for Pakistan Navy
China has launched the first of four “most advanced” warships it is building for Pakistan amid deepening defense and economic ties between the two allied nations.The development comes as both the countries are locked in border tensions with their mutual neighbor India.The Pakistan Navy said Sunday that Chinese state-owned Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai held the launching ceremony for the Type-054A/P frigate, with top officials from the service in attendance.The Navy said in a statement the vessels are state of the art frigates equipped with modern surface, subsurface and anti-air weapons and sensors. “These ships will significantly contribute in maintaining peace and security in our area of responsibility,” it added.The launching ceremony of Type-054 frigate built for Pakistan Navy was held at Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard, Shanghai, China. (Courtesy Image: Pakistan Navy)The statement did not mention the cost of military vessels, but reported estimates are more than $350 million each.Once constructed, the ships will be one of the largest and technologically advanced surface platforms of the Pakistan Navy fleet, boosting its capability to respond to future challenges, the service said.The Chinese builder is expected to deliver all four units to Pakistan by 2021, which Chinese media said could “double the combat power” of the Pakistan Navy fleet.Pakistani officials said the Type-054A/P frigate is in service with China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and recognized as its backbone.China and Pakistan are jointly producing various military-related hardware, including the JF-17 multirole combat aircraft, demonstrating the strong mutual defense ties. Economic tiesThe two allies in recent years have also cemented economic cooperation under Beijing’s global infrastructure Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).The BRI-related China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has brought nearly $30 billion in Chinese investment over the past six years, building Pakistani roads, ports and power plants.Critics, however, see the investments as a burden on heavily indebted Pakistan.U.S. officials have termed CPEC loans as a “debt trap” for Islamabad, though Pakistan and China dismiss the criticism, saying it has stemmed from “a lack of information and misunderstandings” about the collaboration.Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to visit Islamabad later this year that Pakistani officials say will boost the BRI-linked economic cooperation. Xi was expected to visit Pakistan in May but the trip was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week hosted his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, for a bilateral “strategic dialogue,” where the two sides agreed to push ahead with new mega projects under CPEC. They include a $6.8 billion railway program to improve Pakistan’s main railway line, known as Main Line 1 (ML1), which runs for nearly 1,900 kilometers.“Both China and Pakistan reaffirmed the vitality of the time-tested and all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries,” a post-meeting joint statement said.
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Timeline: Three Years on, a Look at the Rohingya Crisis
This month marks the third anniversary of the fleeing of more than 730,000 Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine State to Bangladesh after a military-led crackdown in response to an attack by Muslim militants on Myanmar security posts.Here is a timeline of events in the crisis: Aug. 25, 2017 – Muslim insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attack 30 police posts and an army base in the north of Rakhine State. Aug. 26, 2017 – As fighting spreads between the army and ARSA, thousands of Rohingya flee to Bangladesh. Sept. 2, 2017 – More than 2,600 houses are razed in Rohingya-majority areas in the week following the Aug. 25 attack, the government says. Sept. 11, 2017 – The U.N. human rights high commissioner calls the military operation “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” Sept. 19, 2017 – Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi vows to punish the perpetrators of rights violations but does not address U.N. accusations of ethnic cleansing. Oct. 12, 2017 – Rohingya Muslims are not natives of Myanmar, says the army commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, during a meeting with U.S. ambassador Scot Marciel. Nov. 2, 2017 – Suu Kyi urges people “not to quarrel” on her first visit to Rakhine since the crackdown. Nov. 27-Dec. 2, 2017 – Pope Francis visits Myanmar and Bangladesh, avoiding the word “Rohingya”, which is rejected by Myanmar, until meeting refugees in Bangladesh. Dec. 21, 2017 – The United States imposes sanctions on 13 “serious human rights abusers and corrupt actors” including the general who oversaw the crackdown against the Rohingya. Jan. 10, 2018 – The military says its soldiers murdered 10 captured Muslims in Inn Din village in Rakhine during insurgent attacks. Feb. 23, 2018 – Myanmar has bulldozed at least 55 Rohingya villages that were emptied during the violence, Human Rights Watch says. March 12, 2018 – Myanmar’s military is building bases where Rohingya homes and mosques once stood, Amnesty International says. April 11, 2018 – Seven Myanmar soldiers are sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for the Inn Din massacre. Sept. 13, 2018 – Suu Kyi says in hindsight her government could have handled the situation in Rakhine better. Nov. 15, 2018 – A Rohingya refugee repatriation effort stalls amid protests in camps. Jan. 4, 2019 – Rakhine nationalist Arakan Army insurgents kill 13 policemen as Myanmar marks Independence Day, setting off more conflict. March 18, 2019 – Myanmar’s army says it has set up a military court to investigate its conduct during the 2017 crackdown. May 27, 2019 – A military spokesman says Myanmar has granted early release to seven soldiers jailed for the Inn Din killings. June 22, 2019 – Authorities order telecoms companies to shut internet services in the conflict-torn west, an operator says, where government troops are fighting Arakan Army rebels. Aug. 20, 2019 – The U.N. refugee agency and Bangladesh authorities launch a new repatriation bid, but it fails after no refugees agree to return. Nov. 11, 2019 – Mostly Muslim Gambia files a genocide case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Nov. 14, 2019 – The International Criminal Court approves a prosecution request to investigate crimes against humanity against the Rohingya in a separate case. Nov. 26, 2019 – Myanmar begins a military investigation into killings of Rohingya at Gu Dar Pyin village during the 2017 crackdown. The army later announces soldiers have been punished. Dec. 11, 2019 – Suu Kyi appears at the ICJ in the Hague and rejects accusations of genocide against the Rohingya as “incomplete and misleading.” Jan. 20, 2020 – Government-appointed panel investigating allegations of abuse say they had found no evidence of genocide but war crimes were possible. Jan. 23, 2020 – The ICJ orders Myanmar to take urgent measures to protect the Rohingya remaining inside Myanmar. Jan. 25, 2020 – Two Rohingya women are killed and seven people wounded when shells hit a village. The army rejects accusations it was responsible from a lawmaker, a villager and Arakan Army rebels. Feb. 21, 2020 – Myanmar’s army says it will court-martial soldiers over abuses against Rohingya in two more villages during the 2017 crackdown. April 16, 2020 – Bangladesh rescues 396 Rohingya from a boat adrift for weeks after failing to land in Malaysia. At least 32 die on board. Several other boats adrift for months before landing in Indonesia and Malaysia. April 29, 2020 – The U.N. envoy to Myanmar says it is committing war crimes in Rakhine after civilians are hit with air and artillery strikes in the conflict against insurgents. Myanmar says the allegations are “biased.” May 25, 2020 – Myanmar files a report on its adherence to measures to protect the Rohingya to the ICJ. Details are not published.
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South Korea Warns It’s on Brink of Nationwide Pandemic
“We’re on the brink of a nationwide pandemic,” the director general of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday. Jung Eun-Kyeong said “new cases are increasing in all 17 regions” across South Korea. The 397 new COVID-19 cases reported late Saturday represented the highest daily jump in cases since March. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo said Saturday that new nationwide restrictions, which begin Sunday, followed nine days of triple-digit increases in coronavirus cases. A man reads posted directions to receive the COVID-19 testing at a makeshift clinic in Seoul, South Korea, Aug. 20, 2020.South Korea’s nationwide ban on large gatherings closes churches, nightclubs, beaches and stops fans from attending professional sports events. Jung said 841 new cases could be traced back to an anti-government rally held this month by a right-wing preacher who heads the Sarang Jell Presbyterian Church. Another group of cases in South Korea has been traced to a Starbucks, officials say. FILE – A pick-up truck passes a sign for free COVID-19 testing, in San Antonio, Texas, Aug. 14, 2020.Johns Hopkins University reported 23.2 million COVID-19 cases worldwide early Sunday, with more than 800,000 deaths. The U.S., as it had for months, leads the world in the number of COVID-19 infections with 5.6 million, followed by Brazil with 3.5 million and India with more than 3 million. Health officials in the U.S. believe the number of infections in America may be 10 times greater than reported because of a lack of testing and reporting. COVID-19 cases are starting to emerge from the massive 10-day motorcycle rally held earlier this month in Sturgis, in the U.S. state of South Dakota, authorities say.Thousands of bikers rode through the streets for the opening day of the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle rally, Aug. 7, 2020, in Sturgis, S.D.Health officials in Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota say they have identified infections connected with the rally. Authorities warn, however, that the full extent of infections from the rally will not be known for some time. Children age 12 and older should wear a face mask in the same situations an adult should, while 6-year-olds to 11-year-olds should wear them as risks require, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said, to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Older children could play more of a role in virus transmission than younger children, the two organizations said, adding that more information is needed to help understand how children of all ages may help spread the virus, which causes COVID-19. The situations in which older children should wear a face mask include when a distance of 1 meter from others cannot be guaranteed and when there is widespread transmission in the community, the WHO and UNICEF said in a document dated August 21. For younger children, parents should consider their children’s access to a mask and ability to use it, the intensity of transmission in the area, and adequate adult supervision, the two organizations said. Children younger than 5 should not be required to wear masks, the WHO and UNICEF said. U.S. President Donald Trump, without evidence, Saturdaty accused employees of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of working to slow testing of COVID-19 vaccines until after the November presidential election. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House, Aug. 19, 2020, in Washington.In a tweet, Trump said the slowdown is the work of the so-called “deep state,” a conspiracy theory suggesting federal workers constitute a hidden government entrenched within the legitimate government. Trump’s comments came after Reuters first reported on Thursday that a senior FDA official said he would step down if the Trump administration approved a vaccine before it was declared safe and effective. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Saturday on Capitol Hill that Trump made a “dangerous statement” about FDA employees and added Trump is “beyond the pale.”
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Malaysia Deports Bangladeshi Man who Criticized Treatment of Migrants in Documentary
Malaysia has deported a Bangladeshi worker who criticized the government’s treatment of migrants in a documentary made by broadcaster Al Jazeera, the country’s director general of immigration confirmed on Saturday.Mohammad Rayhan Kabir was deported to Bangladesh late on Friday, Khairul Dzaimee Daud told Reuters. He did not respond to further queries on why Rayhan was deported.Accompanied by immigration officers, he was seen waving and giving a thumbs-up to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Friday night, state media outlet Bernama reported.Malaysia arrested 25-year-old Rayhan and blacklisted him from entering the country last month, after Al Jazeera’s July 3 documentary on Malaysia’s treatment of undocumented foreign workers during the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a backlash in the Southeast Asia nation.At that time, Qatar-based Al Jazeera said it was disturbing Rayhan had been arrested “for choosing to speak up about some of the experiences of the voiceless and the vulnerable.”Rights groups have accused the government of suppressing media freedom after authorities questioned Al Jazeera’s journalists, raided their office, and opened into alleged sedition, defamation and violation of a communications law.Malaysia arrested hundreds of undocumented foreigners, including children and Rohingya refugees, after the country imposed a lockdown to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.Malaysian officials said the arrests were necessary to prevent the spread of the virus, which human rights activists have condemned as inhumane.Activists have also voiced concerns that the nearly 6-month-old administration of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is stifling dissent amid a series of clampdowns, an accusation the government has denied.
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Will US Make Clear-cut Commitment to Defend Taiwan From China?
For almost 70 years, the United States has never explicitly committed itself to the defense of Taiwan against Chinese invasion. Now, with U.S.-China relations at a historic low, worries over a Chinese assault on Taiwan are growing, and the fundamental U.S. policy may be changing.An increasing number of military analysts and members of Congress now argue that it is time for the United States to revisit its policy of “strategic ambiguity” for Taiwan’s defense, which for decades has supported billions of dollars in arms sales despite no formal diplomatic relations.Critics of the policy point out that as the region’s military balance moves in China’s favor, strategic ambiguity is increasingly unsustainable.”It might actually make war even more likely, emboldening Xi Jinping and the CCP to undertake military action against the island by deluding themselves into thinking the U.S. might remain on the sidelines,” Michael Hunzeke, a professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, told VOA in an email.”We need to change things on Taiwan to improve the deterrent and make clearer where we stand, especially by ending any remaining ambiguity about how we’d react to the use of force and altering our military force structure and posture,” Elbridge Colby, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, wrote in The New York Times early this week. Colby was an author of the Trump administration national defense strategy, which emphasizes competition with China and Russia.A Taiwan Navy S70 helicopter takes off from the stern of a Perry-class frigate during a navy exercise in the bound of Suao naval station in Yilan County, northeast of Taiwan, April 13, 2018.Few scenarios worry American strategists like a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Two former high-ranking U.S. officials argue it could happen as early as next year. In an article published this month by the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell and retired U.S. Admiral James Winnefeld described a nightmare scenario for the U.S. military where strategic ambiguity fails to halt a Chinese invasion.Congress leading the callTaiwan supporters in Congress have largely embraced the Trump administration’s approach to the island, including the recent historic visit by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and new sales of F-16 jets last week. But some legislators believe the president should do more to have a clear and firm commitment to defend Taiwan.FILE – In this March 28, 2017, file photo, Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., leaves a closed-door strategy session at the Capitol in Washington.Last month, Florida Representative Ted Yoho said he would introduce a Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act, which would authorize military force if China were to invade Taiwan. “The U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity towards Taiwan, initially implemented to avoid provoking Beijing to attack Taiwan and encourage peaceful relations, has clearly failed,” said Yoho, who is ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Asia subcommittee.Prior to Yoho’s announcement, Senator Josh Hawley introduced the Taiwan Defense Act on June 11, with Representative Mike Gallagher introducing a similar bill in the House on July 1. While the bills do not directly address the question of strategic ambiguity, they do require the Department of Defense to maintain the ability to defeat a Chinese invasion.”It’s long past time to end strategic ambiguity and draw a clear red line through the Taiwan Strait,” Gallagher said in a July 1 press release. “Taiwan’s liberty is a vital national security interest of the United States, and the Taiwan Defense Act helps ensure our military has the capabilities it needs to block CCP aggression.”A core element in U.S.-China relations is the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. While it obligates Washington to provide weapons of a “defensive character” to Taiwan, it intentionally set forth a vague commitment about Washington’s obligation to help Taiwan defend itself.Clarity or ambiguity?A war between the U.S. and China over Taiwan undoubtedly would be a global disaster. War games modeled by U.S. military planners do not always result in American victories against Chinese forces in the region.If passed, the proposed laws could impose serious legal obligations that would demand U.S. action in the case of a Chinese invasion. Some analysts wonder if the U.S. has the resources to meet the obligations.FILE- In this May 25, 2017, file photo, a line of U.S. M60A3 Patton tank fire at targets during the annual Han Kuang exercises on the outlying Penghu Island, Taiwan.Daniel L. Davis, a foreign policy fellow at Defense Priorities, argued that the U.S. perhaps could eventually repel China’s assault on Taiwan. But in addition to the cost to America in lives lost, the U.S. would then have to build a huge military presence on Taiwan to prevent the next Chinese attempt to retake it, Davis, a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, wrote in The National Interest this month.”As much as the U.S. values and commends freedom for people everywhere, involving ourselves in a war between Taiwan and China could cause catastrophic harm to our country – and might not even ensure Taiwan wins,” Davis wrote VOA in an email.Analysts say Americans might fairly ask why Washington should defend an island thousands of miles away with seemingly high human and economic costs. So far, opinion polls indicate that the American public remains tepid on this key element in the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, an independent and nonpartisan organization that provides insight on critical global issues, has been asking citizens since 1982 about whether they favor the use of U.S. troops to defend Taiwan. A poll taken last October by the organization revealed only 35% of Americans would support U.S. military action if the island was attacked.Although the Trump administration has been taking a very strong stand on China in recent months, there have been no moves from the administration to suggest it is preparing to do away with strategic ambiguity.In April 2001, former President George W. Bush said that the United States would do “whatever it takes” to defend Taiwan. Given the sensitivity of the issue, Bush quickly walked back this statement hours later.FILE – Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden.Then-Senator Joseph Biden, now the Democratic presidential nominee, criticized Bush weeks later by saying the U.S. has not been obligated to defend Taiwan since Washington abrogated the 1954 Mutual Defense Treaty signed by President Dwight Eisenhower and ratified by the Senate. “There is a huge difference between reserving the right to use force and obligating ourselves, a priori, to come to the defense of Taiwan,” wrote Biden in a Washington Post opinion piece titled “Not So Deft On Taiwan.”Over the years, China had an opportunity to put the question of whether the American soldiers would fight for Taiwan directly to the U.S. In 1995, right before China fired ballistic missiles near Taiwan’s coast, a Chinese military officer raised the question with Joseph Nye, then assistant secretary of defense.“We don’t know and you don’t know; it would depend on the circumstances,” Nye said.
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China Video Ad Calls for 100 Uighur Women to ‘Urgently’ Marry Han Men
A video clip asking 100 Uighur women to “urgently” sign up for intermarriage with Chinese men has been circulating on social media platforms in recent weeks, with observers and Uighur human rights activists calling it another attempt by the Communist Party of China (CCP) to Sinicize the Turkic-speaking ethnic groups in Xinjiang region.The 30-second video advertisement first appeared on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, but was later deleted following a social media campaign by Uighur human rights activists abroad. Uighur activists have since posted the video on other platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, saying it sheds light on Beijing’s policy to eradicate the Uighurs’ distinct culture.#CCP Advertising for 100 #Uyghur Brides to be married off to #Chinese men.pic.twitter.com/illmkmeXkr
— Arslan Hidayat.ئارسلان ھىدايەت (@arslan_hidayat) Ethnic Uighur women are seen during a protest against China near the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Dec. 15, 2019.Intermarriage videosYears into the announced policy, Uighur activists on social media have shared dozens of videos, reportedly showing Uighur women “forcefully” wedded to Chinese men. The videos sometimes show the gloomy Uighur brides appearing to begrudge their grooms.However, in a rare video posted July 12 on its official Twitter account, China’s state media outlet, the People’s Daily of China, displayed the story of a Uighur man dating a Chinese woman.The man, the People’s Daily of China said, was “one of numerous young people in NW China’s Xinjiang who pursue love earnestly.”Demographic changeWhile Chinese authorities say intermarriage in Xinjiang could promote tolerance and peace in the region, Uighur diaspora leaders call it a part of CCP’s effort to erode the Uighur identity and change the demographics of the region.Home to more than 13 million Muslims such as Uighur, Kazakh and other ethnic groups, Xinjiang has witnessed a dramatic increase in Chinese population, from just more than 200,000 in 1949, when the CCP’s Liberation Army took over the region, to almost 9 million in recent years.“This CCP policy is also an attempt to solve the problem of the massive surplus of Chinese men, compared to the number of women. It appears they are advertising Uighur women as a solution to find Chinese men wives,” Dolkun Isa, president of Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, told VOA.Because of China’s one-child policy and widespread use of abortion targeting female babies in preference of male babies, there are reportedly far more men in China than women.Isa said that China is trying to “rewrite history” by assimilating Uighur minority female members into the dominant Han Chinese community.In this Sept. 20, 2018 photo, Uighur women look at their smartphones near restaurants and shophouses operated by Uighurs at the Unity New Village in Hotan, in western China’s Xinjiang region.Forced intermarriageSome Uighur activists claim that Uighur women are often coerced into those marriages. If they refuse, authorities in Xinjiang could label them and their families as extremists.Zumrat Dawut, 38, a Uighur female activist, told VOA that her neighbors, the Nurehmets from Mekit, Xinjiang, had to agree to wed their 18-year-old daughter to a Han Chinese out of fear that they could be sent to internment camps.Dawut was held in an internment camp in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, in 2018 before her husband helped secure her release and moved her to Woodbridge, Virginia.She told VOA that after her neighbors returned to Mekit, the father, Nurehmet, was sent to an internment camp on charges of religious extremism for growing a beard. The daughter, Ayjamal, had to work in a factory where a Chinese man approached her and took a picture with her.“Later the mother, Guljamal, was visited by local government officials. The officials showed her the picture of her daughter with the Chinese man as a proof of them dating and demanded that she should give her consent to the intermarriage,” Dawut said, adding that the mother and daughter agreed to the demand to avoid incarceration.Intermarriages ‘theory’Beijing in the past has launched similar intermarriage campaigns, targeting other ethnoreligious minorities in the country. The government announced such measures in Tibet in 2010.Vanessa Frangville, a China studies professor at the University Libre of Brussels, said China’s intermarriage is a part of “ethnic blending theory” that has been developed by Hu Angang and Hu Lianhe from Tsinghua University since early 2000s. The theory calls for measures such as co-residence, intermarriages and mixed-ethnic schooling as a way to enforce a more united Chinese identity.“The end goal of such policy is clearly to enforce or accelerate ethnic fusion — minzu ronghe, in their words,” said Frangville, adding “the idea is that, to create a cohesive and united China, it is necessary to encourage people from various ethnic backgrounds to mix together.”
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Chinese Tycoon Linked to Bannon Accused Xi Government of Corruption
The self-exiled Chinese tycoon on whose 150-foot (45-meter) yacht President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was arrested is a high-profile irritant to the ruling Communist Party.
Guo Wengui left China in 2014 during an anti-corruption crackdown led by President Xi Jinping that ensnared people close to Guo, including a top intelligence official. Chinese authorities have accused Guo of rape, kidnapping, bribery and other offenses.
A former civil servant turned real estate developer, Guo has rankled the ruling party by launching accusations of corruption on social media. From his base in a Manhattan luxury apartment, he has been especially critical of Vice President Wang Qishan, a Xi ally and key figure in the party’s anti-corruption drive.
Bannon, who was arrested on Thursday, was charged along with three others with defrauding online donors in the name of helping build Trump’s southern border wall. Bannon pleaded not guilty at a hearing Thursday in Manhattan.
In June, Guo and Bannon announced the founding of the “Federal State of New China,” an initiative to “overthrow the Chinese government.”
Guo, also known as Miles Kwok, was one of China’s richest businesspeople, with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $1.1 billion in 2015. His most prominent asset was Pangu Plaza, an office-and-hotel complex overlooking Beijing’s Olympic Stadium.
Guo paid $67.5 million in 2015 for his 9,000-square foot (850-square meter) apartment above Central Park and joined Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The status of Guo’s fortune is unclear. Assets in China have been frozen or confiscated. He is trying to sell his Manhattan apartment; the asking price was cut this year to $55 million. His yacht, the Lady May, is for sale for nearly $28 million.
Guo told The Associated Press in 2017 his goal was to win the release of family members, employees and assets in China, not to undermine the Communist Party.
Also in 2017, however, his lawyer said Guo had applied for political asylum in the United States. Even if the claim is ultimately rejected, that might let Guo stay in the country for years while it is reviewed and during possible appeals.
That came after Beijing asked the international police agency Interpol to issue a “red notice” asking other governments to arrest Guo.
In the first criminal proceeding stemming from accusations against Guo and his companies, three employees were sentenced to prison in 2017 on charges they carried out Guo’s orders to falsify financial documents in order to obtain loans from a state bank.
The official Xinhua News Agency said other Guo-related businesses were suspected of bribery, embezzlement, illegal detention and forced transactions.
The former deputy chief of the Chinese intelligence agency, Ma Jian, was convicted in December 2018 of taking bribes to help Guo. The charges included conspiring to blackmail a Beijing city official who blocked a Guo development project.
In 2017, Chinese developer SOHO sued Guo in New York after he accused the company of improperly obtaining regulatory changes to boost the value of its properties. Guo countersued. SOHO dropped its complaint in 2018. A judge dismissed Guo’s suit the following year.
A separate lawsuit filed by a Chinese woman in New York accused Guo of raping her and holding her prisoner for three years after hiring her as his assistant. Guo denied the allegations.
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Bannon’s Chinese Host Sought to Overthrow Xi Government
The self-exiled Chinese tycoon on whose 150-foot (45-meter) yacht President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was arrested is a high-profile irritant to the ruling Communist Party.
Guo Wengui left China in 2014 during an anti-corruption crackdown led by President Xi Jinping that ensnared people close to Guo, including a top intelligence official. Chinese authorities have accused Guo of rape, kidnapping, bribery and other offenses.
A former civil servant turned real estate developer, Guo has rankled the ruling party by launching accusations of corruption on social media. From his base in a Manhattan luxury apartment, he has been especially critical of Vice President Wang Qishan, a Xi ally and key figure in the party’s anti-corruption drive.
Bannon, who was arrested on Thursday, was charged along with three others with defrauding online donors in the name of helping build Trump’s southern border wall. Bannon pleaded not guilty at a hearing Thursday in Manhattan.
In June, Guo and Bannon announced the founding of the “Federal State of New China,” an initiative to “overthrow the Chinese government.”
Guo, also known as Miles Kwok, was one of China’s richest businesspeople, with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $1.1 billion in 2015. His most prominent asset was Pangu Plaza, an office-and-hotel complex overlooking Beijing’s Olympic Stadium.
Guo paid $67.5 million in 2015 for his 9,000-square foot (850-square meter) apartment above Central Park and joined Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
The status of Guo’s fortune is unclear. Assets in China have been frozen or confiscated. He is trying to sell his Manhattan apartment; the asking price was cut this year to $55 million. His yacht, the Lady May, is for sale for nearly $28 million.
Guo told The Associated Press in 2017 his goal was to win the release of family members, employees and assets in China, not to undermine the Communist Party.
Also in 2017, however, his lawyer said Guo had applied for political asylum in the United States. Even if the claim is ultimately rejected, that might let Guo stay in the country for years while it is reviewed and during possible appeals.
That came after Beijing asked the international police agency Interpol to issue a “red notice” asking other governments to arrest Guo.
In the first criminal proceeding stemming from accusations against Guo and his companies, three employees were sentenced to prison in 2017 on charges they carried out Guo’s orders to falsify financial documents in order to obtain loans from a state bank.
The official Xinhua News Agency said other Guo-related businesses were suspected of bribery, embezzlement, illegal detention and forced transactions.
The former deputy chief of the Chinese intelligence agency, Ma Jian, was convicted in December 2018 of taking bribes to help Guo. The charges included conspiring to blackmail a Beijing city official who blocked a Guo development project.
In 2017, Chinese developer SOHO sued Guo in New York after he accused the company of improperly obtaining regulatory changes to boost the value of its properties. Guo countersued. SOHO dropped its complaint in 2018. A judge dismissed Guo’s suit the following year.
A separate lawsuit filed by a Chinese woman in New York accused Guo of raping her and holding her prisoner for three years after hiring her as his assistant. Guo denied the allegations.
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Indigenous Rappers Warn Australians of COVID-19 Threat
Indigenous rappers have been brought in to help protect some of Australia’s most vulnerable people from COVID-19.Throughout the pandemic, there’s been a concerted effort to protect remote Aboriginal communities, which already have high rates of heart, liver and respiratory diseases, as well as diabetes and cancer, from the coronavirus. However, 80% of Indigenous Australians live in towns and cities, and measures to prevent the spread of infection have been boosted by a new awareness campaign.
“It is our job, young mob. You got this, little sis. Keep it up,” are just some of the lyrics of the song “One Point Five.” It is about safe social distancing at 1½ meters, and it’s a message for Australia’s urban Aboriginal communities.
It was co-written by Mi-Kaisha Masella, a young Indigenous singer from Sydney.
“For us it was about creating a song that would encourage community to continue to stay COVID-safe and also bring a little bit of fun and pride back into isolation,” Masella said.FILE – A woman walks past a sign urging people to stay home, in Melbourne, Australia, Aug. 14, 2020, as the city battles an outbreak of the coronavirus.Melbourne remains under a strict lockdown after a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases. The situation in Australia’s second-biggest city is gradually improving and, so far, Indigenous groups have avoided large numbers of infections.
Caroline Kell, an Aboriginal health official, says communities have worked hard to keep safe.
“We are not seeing a great amount of transmission in and between families unlike the broader population, so that means that people are self-isolating and quarantining effectively and stopping the spread in between families, which is a really positive thing considering a lot of our community do live in pretty overcrowded and, sort of, transient accommodation,” Kell said.
Public health campaigns are also helping Indigenous Australians in remote settlements, who already suffer high rates of chronic disease in areas with limited medical facilities, cope with the mental stress of the pandemic. A recent study by the University of Western Australia found the coronavirus had put many First Nation people at risk of severe psychological distress.
Australia’s Indigenous peoples make up about 3% of the national population.
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New York’s Pandemic-hit Chinatown Gets Reboot
New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood is struggling to get back on its feet as New York City reopens. Now, thanks to an outdoor dining project, restaurants in the neighborhood are gradually getting their customers back. VOA’s video journalist Jiu Dao reports in this piece narrated by Lin Yang.
Camera: Jiu Dao
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Malaysia Loosens Migrant Labor Ban After Business Blowback
Malaysia is relaxing new rules that bar most industries from hiring migrant workers after business groups warned the move could cripple efforts to revive an economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic.A months-long lockdown has helped keep COVID-19 cases low but pushed the country’s unemployment rate higher than it’s been in decades, knocking more than 300,000 Malaysians out of their jobs. In late July, in a bid to help get locals back to work, the Human Resources Ministry announced that all but construction and agriculture firms would have to stop hiring migrants.Business groups were caught off guard but soon panned the new rules, warning they would leave other industries that also draw heavily on foreign workers — to fill low-paid jobs, most locals don’t want — starved for labor. Analysts add that migrants rarely compete with locals for work and are more likely to create jobs for skilled Malaysians than steal them.Taking heed, Human Resources Minister Saravanan Murugan announced last week that all industries could continue to hire foreign workers but added a few potentially stifling caveats.”Employment of foreign workers must involve those still in the country,” he said in a statement reported by local media, adding that they must still have valid work permits and stick to jobs in the same sector they left.’We still need the migrants’With firms still barred by the lockdown from bringing new migrant workers into Malaysia, the minister’s reprieve fell short of the U-turn many businesses were asking for. But Michael Kang, president of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association, welcomed it nonetheless.”Especially the Malaysian economy, we still need the migrants,” he said.Even so, employers warn that the caveats the minister added will dull the reprieve’s impact and would like to see them relaxed as well. They say the lockdown has made it harder to get work permits renewed and that firms in the industries that need migrant workers most right now are the least likely to have laid them off recently, leaving them with few eligible migrants to hire back.”In that kind of situation there is no way that they are able to employ any of the foreign workers because anyway the employers in the same sector would not retrench them,” said Shamsuddin Bardan, executive director of the Malaysian Employers Federation.”That’s why we suggested that they should be allowed to employ foreign workers from other sectors that may not be required by their [previous] employers,” he added.Shamsuddin said Malaysia’s palm oil industry, the world’s second largest after Indonesia’s, was facing the greatest labor shortages at the moment and would suffer most so long as migrants are barred from crossing sectors.PPE factories straining to keep upOn the bright side, he said factories making personal protective equipment — straining to keep up with a spike in global demand during the pandemic — were likely to pick up migrant workers let go by other struggling firms within the manufacturing sector. Malaysia makes roughly two of every three pairs of disposable rubber gloves in the world.But even they are expected to struggle to keep production and packing lines staffed for long if they can only draw on migrant workers already in Malaysia. In last week’s statement, the human resources minister made no mention of letting new migrants into the country to fill jobs outside of the construction and agriculture sectors once borders reopen.If that rule stands, said Kang, “I think there will be a lot of companies in manufacturing that will shut down.”Laurence Todd, research director at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, a local think tank, said the widespread rebuke from business groups and the economy’s larger-than-expected Q2 slump likely convinced the government to relax its originally sweeping ban on migrant workers.Malaysia’s central bank says the economy shrank 17.1% from April through June year on year, its largest contraction in more than 20 years.’A question of tactics’But Todd doubts the government has abandoned its longstanding goal of weaning the economy off of foreign labor eventually and believes that even with the new rules relaxed authorities have signaled their intent to stick with it.”They’ve succeeded in sending a signal to businesses — and to the public, indeed — that this is the direction they want to take, and that will have some effect, I’m sure. Businesses will be thinking about the risk of having a high exposure or dependence on foreign labor,” he said.”As it became clear that the economic situation was going to be quite bad and the business reaction was as strong as it was, I think they just judged that this was not the right time to have this battle. But I still think it’s their instinct that this battle should be had, and it will be had, but it’s just a question of tactics.”The Human Resources Ministry did not reply to VOA’s requests for an interview.
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Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Won’t Be Compulsory, Australian Government Says
International visitors to Australia may be required to have a vaccination against COVID-19 under government plans. Canberra says it has secured the rights to the Oxford University vaccine in the United Kingdom, which is thought to be one of the front runners in the global race to find an effective treatment.The Oxford University study is among a crowded international field of teams racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine. Usually scientific work of this complexity would take years, but research is being fast-tracked at unprecedented speed.Australia has signed a deal with British drug maker AstraZeneca to produce and distribute the Oxford vaccine if it works.All Australians would be offered doses, but a medical panel would determine a priority list of recipients, including health workers and the elderly.“We have signed a letter of intent with AstraZeneca, which will enable Australia to access should it be successful the vaccine for COVID-19 here in Australia, manufactured here in Australia, distributed free for 25 million Australians in the event that those trials prove successful,” said Prime Minister Scott Morrison.Morrison backtracked after earlier suggesting vaccinations against the coronavirus could become mandatory for Australian citizens. However, government officials have said the vaccine could be compulsory for anyone travelling to Australia if that was the advice from medical experts. Australia’s borders are currently closed to foreign nationals.Paul Kelly, the nation’s chief medical officer, believes uptake of any vaccine in Australia would be high.“The first will be a voluntary call for people, and I am sure there will be long queues, socially distanced, of course, for this vaccine, and will be incredibly welcomed by many,” he said. “It will be the absolute ticket to get back to some sort of normal society and the things that we all love and enjoy.”The aim is for 95% of the population to be inoculated, although experts doubt that figure could be achieved because of concerns in Australia about any new coronavirus drug and the speed at which it has been developed.Australia was also looking to sign deals with other vaccine developers. Human trials on a potential treatment have started at the University of Queensland. Experts there believe a vaccine will be available for emergency use by the middle of 2021.Officials in Canberra have said they were in discussions with Australia’s neighbors, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, about supplying a vaccine.Australia has recorded about 450 coronavirus deaths, most from an outbreak in the state of Victoria.
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US Ends Trio of Legal, Financial Pacts with Hong Kong
The Trump administration has suspended or terminated three bilateral agreements with Hong Kong in its latest response over the new national security law imposed on the semi-autonomous city by China.The U.S. State Department issued a statement Wednesday saying the agreements covered the extradition of fugitives and convicted persons, and tax exemptions on income from international shipping.The administration has taken a series of steps against Beijing since it imposed the new law in June, which calls for punishing anyone in Hong Kong believed to be committing acts of secession, subversion, terrorism or colluding with foreign governments. The law was in response to last year’s massive and often violent pro-democracy demonstrations in the financial hub.The U.S. and other Western nations say the measure effectively ends the “One Country, Two Systems” policy under which Hong Kong was promised a high degree of autonomy after the handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order last month ending Hong Kong’s preferential trade and diplomatic status and has followed up with such actions as imposing sanctions on current Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and other officials in Hong Kong and mainland China.“These steps underscore our deep concern regarding Beijing’s decision to impose the National Security Law, which has crushed the freedoms of the people of Hong Kong,” State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
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