“The emergence of new viruses with the
potential to spark epidemics and pandemics is a fact of nature, and while
SARS-CoV-2 is the latest such virus, it will not be the last,” said Dr Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Understanding where new
pathogens come from is essential for preventing future outbreaks with epidemic
and pandemic potential, and requires a broad range of expertise. We are very
pleased with the calibre of experts selected for SAGO from around the world,
and look forward to working with them to make the world safer.”
Selected from more than 700 applications,
the 26 proposed SAGO members have expertise in a range of areas,
including epidemiology, animal health, ecology, clinical medicine, virology,
genomics, molecular epidemiology, molecular biology, biology, food safety,
biosafety, biosecurity, and public health. The composition of the
SAGO reflects geographic and gender diversity.
As per WHO processes, there will now be a
two-week public consultation period for WHO to receive feedback on
the proposed SAGO members and set in place the modalities for the SAGO’s first
meeting, which is planned to take place following this consultation
period.
The final membership to the SAGO is subject to the above-mentioned public consultation period and relevant WHO practices and procedures.
Functions of the SAGO
In its capacity as an advisory body to WHO, the SAGO will have the following functions:
- To advise WHO on the development of a WHO global framework to define and guide studies into the origins of emerging and re-emerging pathogens of epidemic and pandemic potential;
- To advise WHO on prioritizing studies and field investigations into the origins of emerging and re-emerging pathogens of epidemic and pandemic potential, in accordance with the WHO global framework described in point (1) above;
- To provide information and views to assist the WHO Secretariat in the development of a detailed work plan of the SAGO;
- In the context of SARS-CoV-2 origins:
- To provide the WHO Secretariat with an independent evaluation of all available scientific and technical findings from global studies on the origins of SARS-CoV-2;
- To advise the WHO Secretariat regarding developing, monitoring and supporting the next series of studies into the origins of SARS-CoV-2, including rapid advice on WHO's operational plans to implement the next series of global studies into the origins of SARS-CoV-2, as outlined in the Joint WHO-China Global Study of Origins of SARS-CoV-2: China Part report published on 30 March 2021 and advise on additional studies as needed; and
- To provide additional advice and support to WHO, as requested by the WHO SAGO Secretariat, which may include participation in future WHO-international missions to study the origins of SARS-CoV-2 or for other emerging pathogens.
- Mr Phillip Alviola is
an Associate Professor at the Animal Biology Division at the Institute of
Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines. He is originally from
the Philippines.
- Dr Abdullah Assiri is
an Assistant Deputy Minister for Preventive Health at the Ministry of
Health in Saudi Arabia. He is originally from the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.
- Dr Stuart Blacksell is
a Professor of Tropical Microbiology at the Nuffield Department of
Medicine at the University of Oxford. He is originally from Australia.
- Dr Inger Damon is
the Director of the Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology
at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is
originally from the United States of America.
- Dr Vladimir Dedkov is
the Deputy Director for Research at the Pasteur Institute in Russia. He is
originally from Russia.
- Dr Christian Drosten is
a Professor and head of the Institute of Virology at Charité in
Germany. He is originally from Germany.
- Dr Elmoubasher Farag is
a senior infectious disease epidemiologist and the Head of the
Communicable Diseases Control Programs at the Ministry of Public Health in
Qatar. He is originally from Sudan.
- Dr Thea Fischer is
a Professor of virology at the University of Copenhagen and Head of
Clinical Research at Nordsjaellands Hospital in Denmark. She is originally
from Denmark.
- Dr Raman Gangakhedkar is
the Dr C.G. Pandit National Chair at the Indian Council of Medical
Research in India. He is originally from India.
- Dr Nada Ghosn is
the head of the Epidemiology Surveillance Program and Medical officer for
the Directorate of Prevention at the Ministry of Health, Lebanon. She is
originally from Lebanon.
- Dr Maria Guzman is
the head of the Center for Research, Diagnostic and Reference at the
Institute of Tropical Medicine Pedro Kouri in Cuba. She is originally from
Cuba.
- Dr Christian Happi is
a Professor and director at the African Center of Excellence for Genomics
of Infectious Disease (ACEGID), Redeemer's University, Ede, Nigeria. He is
originally from Cameroon.
- Dr Marion Koopmans is
a Professor and the head of the department of the Viroscience at Erasmus
MC. She is originally from the Netherlands.
- Dr Sowath Ly is
the Deputy Head of Epidemiology and Public Health Unit at the Institut
Pasteur du Cambodge. He is originally from Cambodia.
- Dr Jean-Claude Manuguerra is a research Research Director of the
Environment and Infectious Risks Unit, as well as the head for the
Emergency Biological Intervention Unit at the Institut Pasteur in France.
He is originally from France.
- Dr Khin Myint is
the head of the Emerging Virus Research Unit at the Eijkman Institute for
Molecular Biology in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is originally from Myanmar.
- Dr Carlos M. Morel is
the Director at the Center for Technological Development in Health at the
Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and Ministry of Health in Brazil. He is
originally from Brazil.
- Dr Hung Nguyen-Viet is
the co-program leader of Animal and Human Health Program at the
International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya. He is originally from
Vietnam.
- Dr Chinwe Ochu is
the Director of the Prevention Programmes and Knowledge Management at the
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. She is originally from Nigeria.
- Dr Masayuki Saijo is the Director of the Medical Planning Department
Sapporo City Health and Welfare Bureau in Sapporo, Japan. He is originally
from Japan.
- Dr Rosemary Sang is
an advisor and Chief Research Officer at the Centre for Virus Research,
Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kenya. She is originally from
Kenya.
- Dr Katharina Summermatter is the head of the Biosafety Center and Managing
Director of the Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory at the Institute for
Infectious Diseases at the University of Berne in Switzerland. She is
originally from Switzerland.
- Dr Marietjie Venter is
a Professor of the Zoonotic Arbovirus and Respiratory Virus Research
Programme at the Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology
at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She is originally from
South Africa.
- Dr Supaporn Wacharapluesadee is a researcher at the King Chulalongkorn
Memorial Hospital, The Thai Red Cross Society and a committee member of
Chula School of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn
University. She is originally from Thailand.
- Dr John Watson is
an Honorary Professor at the Faculty of Epidemiology and Population
Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, as well as a
Visiting Professor in the Research Department of Infection and Population
Health at the University College of London. He is originally from the
United Kingdom.
- Dr Yungui Yang is
the Deputy Director at the Beijing Institute of Genomics at the Chinese
Academy of Sciences in China. He is originally from China.
Pursuant to WHO’s rules and practices, and in
order to enhance WHO’s management of conflicts of interest, as well as
strengthen public trust and transparency in connection with WHO advisory groups
involving the provision of technical advice, the names and brief biographies of
the individuals selected for SAGO Membership are now disclosed for public
notice and comment.
Should you wish to comment on any of the
individuals, please send your comment to SAGO@who.int with subject, “Public
comments on SAGO members” by 27 October 2021.
WHO will treat the comments received through
this public notice and comment process confidentially. Comments and perceptions
brought to the attention of WHO through this process are an integral component
of WHO’s conflict of interest assessment policy and will, subject to WHO’s
rules, practices, and policies, be carefully reviewed by WHO. WHO reserves the
right to discuss information received through this process with the relevant
expert and otherwise within the Organization as appropriate, with no
attribution to the provider of the information. WHO, may, in its sole
discretion, take appropriate action in accordance with its rules, practices,
and policies, based on any information received.
News (6) to (8) / Sources : Nature, The National Pulse
News (6)
Finding the origin of a novel pathogen requires careful detective work
Maria Van Kerkhove, who heads the WHO’s emerging-diseases unit and helped design SAGO, explains that finding the origin of a novel pathogen takes careful detective work, and that this can be especially difficult at the start of an outbreak when affected countries are scrambling to curtail a pathogen’s spread. “Next time an outbreak is declared, the secretariat can pull this committee together,” she says, and ask for advice on what information researchers should collect immediately.
News (7)
A diverse line-up includes experts related to CCP and EcoHealth Alliance
Van Kerkhove says that the WHO selected the 26 unpaid advisers from more than 700
applicants. They all hail from different countries, have expertise ranging from
biosafety to wildlife biology, and applied to serve for a variety of reasons.
For Christian Happi, a genomicist at the
African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in Ede,
Nigeria, the appeal of SAGO was a chance to push for deeper investigations into
outbreaks in African countries. “When things happen in our part of the world,
not many people worry about the origin or try to prevent it from happening
again,” he says. “Africa needs to be at the table.”
Two of the 26 advisers have a background in
laboratory biosafety, an issue that rose to prominence during the COVID-19
pandemic as some questioned whether SARS-CoV-2 escaped from the Wuhan Institute
of Virology (WIV), in the Chinese city where the first cases of COVID-19 were
detected. Last July, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that
an audit into research at the WIV should be included in the next origins
investigation.
Jeffrey Sachs, an economist and policy analyst
at Columbia University and chair of a COVID-19 commission affiliated with
medical journal The Lancet, says he hopes that SAGO will assess
studies conducted on coronaviruses, and consider whether the type of research —
for instance, modifying the viruses — might shed light on the origin of the
pandemic. To do so, he says US research groups, including the US National
Institutes of Health and the New York-based organization EcoHealth Alliance,
must be more forthcoming about studies they fund, conduct and propose. Last
month, Sachs disbanded a Lancet commission team assessing
pandemic origins out of frustration with a lack of transparency from its
members.
Team member Christian Drosten, one of the 26
newly announced investigators, was a signatory on the infamous Lancet letter
on the origins of COVID-19, which was organized by chief Wuhan Institute of
Virology collaborator and Anthony Fauci-funded researcher Peter Daszak. The letter prematurely debunked the
possibility of COVID-19 counting lab origins and failed to disclose its
authors’ conflicts of interest.
Another individual appointed to the WHO team, Supaporn
Wacharapluesadee, is also tied to Daszak’s EcoHealth Alliance.
Wacharapluesadee
was listed as a co-investigator on a grant application led by Daszak from August 2020. The paper
focused on the emergence of zoonotic diseases in Southeast Asia with
experiments including the “building of chimeric SARS-like bat coronaviruses.”
The National Pulse has previously exposed Marion
Koopmans’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party,
including advising Chinese state-run scientific bodies and accepting grants
from the regime.
In an interview unearthed by The National Pulse,
fellow holdover Thea Fischer admitted that the
previous WHO investigation was not a “lab audit” but merely a
question-and-answer exercise with Wuhan lab personnel.
The WHO effort also features Yungui Yang, the
Deputy Director at the Chinese Communist Party-run Beijing Institute of
Genomics.
News (8)
SAGO candidates must disclose conflicts of interest
In the name of transparency, Van Kerkhove says
she’s asking all SAGO candidates to disclose any conflicts of interest that
might adversely affect their ability to take part in origin studies. Until 27
October, anyone can submit comments about the candidates. She and her
colleagues will review these confidentially and respond as they see fit —
potentially eliminating applicants.
For example, Marietjie Venter, a molecular
virologist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, studied the spread of
the H1N1 influenza virus among people and pigs during the 2009 pandemic, and
recently used genomic sequencing to show that zookeepers in South Africa
inadvertently infected tigers with SARS-CoV-2. She says she’s keen to hone the
WHO’s ability to rapidly determine when spillovers of new viruses have pandemic
potential.
Once the panel is confirmed, the group will
take stock of what’s already known about the origins of COVID-19, and outline
next steps. Currently, Van Kerkhove says the WHO is collaborating with Italian
researchers to analyse patient samples collected in Italy in November and
December 2019, that might contain remnants of SARS-CoV-2. Catching up on
studies in China is on the agenda as well, including analyses of people's serum collected in December 2019 and
stored at the Wuhan Blood Centre.
However, some researchers are sceptical that the WHO can make headway in China, where officials have fiercely rejected the idea that the outbreak stemmed from the WIV, which is at the centre of the lab-leak hypothesis but Van Kerkove expects collaboration from the country, and is hopeful the focus will be on science rather than geopolitics. She says, “We’re really running out of time with every day that passes, moving further away from the possibility of really understanding the origins” of COVID-19.
Refs: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02813-y, https://thenationalpulse.com/news/who-announces-new-compromised-covid-investigators/
Video
Origin of SARS-CoV-2, Mandates and Communism
News (9)
Preparing for "Disease X"
Essayists : Maria D. Van Kerkhove, Michael J. Ryan, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus / https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm7796
The past 30 years have exposed the global public health and
economic threats posed by the emergence of infectious pathogens with epidemic
and pandemic potential. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), middle east
respiratory syndrome (MERS), influenza, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, Nipah, Zika, and
now SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) each have been the “Disease X” of their
time. The risk of future emergence is driven by multiple forces, including
climate change, ecosystem changes, and increasing urbanization. The next
Disease X could appear at any time, and the world needs to be better prepared.
The newly established World Health Organization (WHO) Scientific
Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) presents an unprecedented opportunity to
better guide studies that specifically investigate high-threat pathogens. Its
mandate is to advise the WHO on developing a framework to define comprehensive
studies on the origins of such pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2—information that
is essential for developing policies and enhancing preparedness to reduce the
possibility of future zoonotic spillover events (transmission of a pathogen
from animals to humans) and the chance that those events become major
outbreaks.
This is not the first time that international studies on the
origin of a new virus have been conducted. Yet each time, scientists at the WHO
and elsewhere faced challenges—not only scientific, but also logistical and
political. These hurdles have also hampered efforts to understand the origins
of COVID-19.
Since the beginning of this pandemic, scientists from around the
world have worked together to understand the events that led to the first human
infections. In May 2020, WHO’s member states passed a unanimous resolution giving WHO a mandate to bring
together international experts for scientific and collaborative studies on the
virus origins. But it’s clear that the scientific processes have been hurt by
politicization, which is why the global scientific community must redouble
efforts to drive the scientific process forward. In forming SAGO, experts were
selected (from an open call for applicants) with diverse technical expertise from countries in all six WHO
regions.
Building on the March 2021 findings from the Joint
WHO-China study, as well as other findings published
since then, SAGO will quickly assess the status of SARS-CoV-2 origin studies
and advise WHO on what is known, the outstanding gaps, and next steps. All
hypotheses must continue to be examined and, as WHO has said from the outset, a
fully open and transparent scientific process is essential. Recent findings on
the potential for zoonotic spillover of SARS-CoV-2 to humans, either directly
from bats or through other animals, include, but are not limited to, studies of
wildlife sold in markets in and around Wuhan, China (where cases of COVID-19
were first reported in December 2019); studies of SARS-like coronaviruses
circulating in bats in China and Southeast Asia; studies on prepandemic
biological sampling around the world; and other animal susceptibility studies.
However, detailed investigations of the earliest known and suspected cases in
China prior to December 2019 are still urgently needed, including analyses of
stored blood samples from 2019 in Wuhan and surrounding areas and retrospective
searches of hospital and mortality data for earlier cases.
As well, laboratory hypotheses must be examined carefully, with
a focus on labs in the location where the first reports of human infections
emerged in Wuhan. A lab accident cannot be ruled out until there is sufficient
evidence to do so and those results are openly shared.
COVID-19 will not be the last Disease X. We need scientific
collaboration, data sharing, and implementation of a robust “one health”
approach that brings together the human, animal, and environmental spheres to
boost risk identification, reduction, and surveillance in animals and at the
human-animal-environment interface. This must be linked to early action to
investigate, characterize, and contain threats. In parallel, the world needs
systematic processes to study the emergence of these pathogens and their routes
of transmission from natural reservoirs to humans. Laboratory protocols around
the world must be monitored and strengthened.
Globally, at least 4.8 million people have died from COVID-19.
They and their families are owed answers as to where and how the virus
originated. It’s in everyone’s interest to better prepare for the next Disease
X.
News (9)
Biological Weapons Policy Act seeks crackdown on bioweapons, countries of concern
Reporter : Chris Galford, Homeland Preparedness News
A
bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), the Biological Weapons
Policy Act (S. 2912), seeks to quash further bioweapons development through
greater scrutiny of U.S. research collaborations, greater State Department
oversight and use of United Nations tools.
Specifically,
the bill eyes states like China and Russia, but it opens the door for greater
crackdowns on any nations deemed countries of concern. Risch seeks to prevent
misuse of scientific research for the advancement of such countries’ military
ambitions.
“The COVID-19 pandemic was a wakeup call — it’s time to take biological threats
more seriously,” Risch said. “We need stronger oversight of our collaboration
on biological research with countries of concern, including China and Russia.
The State Department has called out Russia for its offensive biological weapons
program, and noted serious concerns with China’s compliance with the Biological
Weapons Convention. We must ensure that our well-intentioned cooperative
efforts do not put the United States and our partners at risk.”
S.
2912 would strengthen the State Department authorities to prevent bioweapons
proliferation. It would also make a Country Team Assessment mandatory before
any further research could be conducted with China, Russia or other countries
of concern, while outright banning use of any federal funds for
gain-of-function research with these countries. Gain of function research
refers to medical research that genetically alters organisms to enhance the end
product’s biological functions.
As a follow-up, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) would also be
required to report on any concerns linked to national security, proliferation
and specific other nations when dealing with potential funding grants for life
sciences research. These reports would be supplemented by oversight reports on
research collaboration with China regarding pathogens, viruses, toxins,
biotechnology and synthetic biology. For those nations not in compliance with
Biological Weapons Conventions, the bill would also require the U.S. to use its
influence and voting power at the UN to bar them from any UN agency leadership
positions associated with global health.
News (10)
South Korea is expected to take the first step of "coexisting with the virus" from November, focusing on preventing death and severe illness
Reporter : Chen Chengliang / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3706913
Image : South Korea is expected to take the first step of "coexisting with the virus epidemic" in November 2021. (Photo by Reuters)
South Korea has lifted strict social gathering restrictions from 17 November 2021 when the complete vaccination rate for covid has reached 70%. According to the Yonhap News Agency, South Korea may take the first step of "coexisting with the virus" from the beginning of next month. In the future, it will focus on how to reduce severe illness and mortality.
Beginning on the 17th, the South Korean government allows up to 4 people who have not been vaccinated to gather, and relaxes the business hours restrictions on restaurants, cafes, and movie theaters. In the Seoul area, if a group includes 4 fully vaccinated people, A maximum of 8 people will be allowed to gather, while in other regions, a maximum of 10 people will be allowed to gather.
Yonhap News Agency pointed out that the South Korean government is expected to start a phased restoration model to restore daily order as early as 1 November. As of this weekend, the complete inoculation rate of the covi vaccine in South Korea has reached 70%, meeting the core conditions for the transformation of the epidemic prevention system.
According to the report, the South Korean authorities will gradually relax restrictions related to living facilities, large-scale events, and private gatherings in accordance with the vaccination rate in different periods, but the basic rules of "maintaining social distance" and wearing masks will still be maintained.
Although the number of new confirmed cases in South Korea in a single day may reach 4,000 to 5,000 in the future, the government will still work to restore daily order. As the rate of critically ill patients has fallen sharply, the South Korean government has also formulated a home treatment plan. If oral specific medicines are officially available, the rate of home treatment patients will further increase.
However, the biggest variable in restoring daily order is the emergence of new variants. Yoon Tae-ho, a professor at the Busan National University School of Medicine, said that if a mutant virus that spreads fast, has high vaccine tolerance, and has a high lethal rate appears in the future, and there continues to be a pandemic that is far beyond the tolerance of society, it is necessary to take extra preventive measures.
News (11) to (14) / Reporter : Li Yixin / Editor : Wang Yuyue / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/17/n13310188.htm
News (11)
Public Governors League: Anti-Communists only get votes, pro-CCP becomes box office poison
Image : It is not only in Taiwan that "anti-communism can get votes." Last year, the Czech Senate President Miloš Vystrčil (former), who visited Taiwan and said that "I am a Taiwanese", led the "Union League". The Senate was re-elected in October 2020 and won all seats. The picture is a data photo. (Central News Agency)
The CCP has expanded its military to foreign countries in recent years, and its diplomacy with wolf wars has aroused disgust from all countries. Scholars said that "anti-communism" is the mainstream public opinion in democratic countries, and that dealing with the "China problem" has become a prominent study in various countries. Including Taiwan, any politician who wants to vote must conform to the will of the people in order to get votes. Going against the trend of the world will not only be ridiculed and embarrassed by totalitarian tyranny. Pro-China is a vote poison and no market.
The American think tank "Pew Research Center" released a poll at the end of June, targeting more than 18,000 respondents in 17 advanced countries, and their negative feelings for China (total) reached a record high, with an average of 69% hating China. Among them, 76% in the United States and 73% in Canada; an average of 66% in Europe hate China, of which 80% in Sweden, 66% in France, 63% in the UK, and 60% in Italy hold a negative view of China; the Asia-Pacific region hates China's average 73% %, of which 78% in Australia, 77% in South Korea, 69% in Taiwan, and 88% in Japan are the countries most disgusted with China in Asia. Of course, there are also a few people in the survey who have a better view of China based on race and ethnic identity, such as Singaporean Chinese and Malays.
Against the background of cultural attacks and military threats from foreign forces, Taiwan’s presidential election at the end of 2020, although the opposition parties ridiculed the Green Camp for operating "a sense of national subjugation" as a political cash machine, as much as 80% of the people in Taiwan opposed the CCP’s suppression of Taiwan’s international space, and 90% of the parties were harassing Taiwan. Full of ill feelings, the DPP succeeded in gaining power as a result of the general election, showing that it is indeed a good strategy for the party to follow the good and the "anti-communist card".
It’s not only in Taiwan that "anti-Communists have votes." Last year, the president of the Czech Senate, Vedzy, who visited Taiwan and said that "I am a Taiwanese", led the "cooperative alliance". It also defeated the pro-China ruling party and became the largest party. It is worth mentioning that the Czech Republic voted "the Communist Party was completely driven out of the Congress". In addition, in the recent general elections in Germany, the CDU/CSR coalition that abdicated Chancellor Merkel retreated to second place. The leading Social Democratic Party may cooperate with the Green Party. The outside world is concerned about whether the political situation in Germany has changed. The hardliners came to power.
News (12)
Japan and South Korea's public opinion against communism promotes the shift of pro-CCP policy
In the recent election of the President of the Liberal Democratic Party in Japan, the Japanese people are concerned about the candidate's "pro-China (CCP)" attitude. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's pre-election policy will be asked, "Will you become a pro-China prime minister?" Will be tougher. After Kishida came to power, the Liberal Democratic Party deleted the "One China Policy" as an excuse and opportunity to prevent the CCP from attacking Taiwan. Some experts believe that the result of the Liberal Democratic Party election means that the pro-CCP faction in Japan's political arena has collapsed.
In South Korea, the anti-communist sentiment of the younger generation is reflected in the elections. The Chosun Ilbo reported on the 12th that Shin Ki-wook, director of the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies at Stanford University in the United States, said in an online seminar that anti-China sentiment is spreading in democratic countries. South Korean youth support the importance of the US-South Korea alliance and China. Negative politicians, the "anti-communist sentiment" of the 20-39-year-old ethnic group may influence the direction of the South Korean presidential election next year.
News (13)
The CCP's self-inflicted crimes will eventually suffer
Since the former US President Trump launched the US-China trade war, countries have begun to realize that the CCP has not fulfilled its promise to join international organizations, and it has also infiltrated and stolen technologies from other countries. The dream of China's peaceful evolution in the world has been awakened. In an interview with The Epoch Times, the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Governors League Zhang Honglin said that in the past, the CCP used market economic incentives to export communist socialist values. However, since the Hong Kong "return to China" incident, the CCP has forced the "National Security Law", and countries have begun to be alert to the CCP's ambitions. At the same time, the international community has also found that Taiwan is in a difficult situation and is more willing to support Taiwan. For example, in the free diving competition a few days ago, athletes from 10 countries including Japan and South Korea stood up to the Taiwanese flag, which shows that the CCP has been strongly resisted by the international community and has spilled over to non-governmental activities.
"Responding to the 'CCP problem' has become a prominent study in a democratic country," Zhang Honglin said. When the people are generally disgusted with the CCP's evil deeds, the nationally elected representatives and party "politicians who want to get votes even pretend to be tough against CCP," It must be practiced.” Once the “anti-communist public opinion” is greater than the pressure on politicians by businessmen, the domestic policy of appeasement on China must be revised, and any pro-China politicians must also constrain. Taste the bitter fruit.
News (14)
Expert: Political parties are the crisis
Zhang Honglin believes that the CCP’s ambitions towards Taiwan are clearly revealed. The biggest problem in Taiwan’s security is that there are still people bending their arms outwards to vote for the communists and to favor the communists. The “unity and consensus” differences have caused foreign democratic allies to mistakenly believe that Taiwan’s own will is not strong. We must jointly deal with the threat of foreign hostile forces. As a result, the new KMT Chairman Zhu Lilun responded to the congratulatory message from the Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, but blamed the Taiwan Strait instability on the fault of the Taiwan ruling party, and jointly attacked the cause of the disturbance in Taiwan. Such a Taiwanese party is really absurd.
Attitude toward China will be a must-test question in the election of political figures in various countries. Akio Yaita, the director of the Taipei branch of Japan's Sankei Shimbun, said in an interview with The Epoch Times that in the past, many people depended on China for food, so they did not dare to offend the CCP. Today, CCP diplomacy is making enemies on all sides. Domestic human rights suppression, the "painted skin" of China's reform and opening up and economic growth has been broken, China's economic charm has diminished, and fewer people want to go to China to make money; in addition, the CCP's military threat to the surrounding countries has become more and more severe. Therefore, criticizing the CCP will get votes.
Akio Yaita pointed out that the Kuomintang certainly has no votes by relying on the pro-China route, but it can get a portion of the banknotes. The CCP will let Taiwanese businessmen donate to it. Therefore, the Kuomintang is different from others. Others want votes. He wants banknotes and thinks about votes. The two contradictory, the future Kuomintang election road will only become narrower and narrower.
News (15) to (24) / Reporter : Lin Yan / Editors : Li Yuan, Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/15/n13307574.htm, https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/16/n13308035.htm
News (15)
Former Indian diplomat: The CCP’s internal and external difficulties are not optimistic
Image : On 26 September 2021, in Shenzhen, China, a worker walks past the Evergrande headquarters building. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)
Former Indian diplomat Deepak Vohra wrote in FirstPost on Friday (15 October 2021) that China (CCP) situation is not optimistic. It has found itself in a state of internal division and global isolation.
"Economically, strategically, and even politically, China (the CCP) finds itself in a difficult situation now. If it does not make up for it, it will soon find that its dream of a superpower is dashed," he wrote.
He summarized the various crises facing the CCP from both domestic and foreign aspects. Vohra said that the CCP’s usual strategy is to use external aggressive behavior to divert domestic attention. This article introduces China's domestic issues.
News (16)
Uncontrolled CCP government investment brews economic bitterness
He cited, for example, that in May 2020, the National People's Congress of the Communist Party of China did not set an economic growth target for the first time in its history. China’s debt is estimated to be three times the gross domestic product (GDP).
After the 2008 global financial crisis, the CCP Chinese government released $2 trillion in new loans to the financial system.
The investment of Chinese households in real estate accounts for about 40% of the average household wealth. In less than ten years, China was known as the country with the highest debt ratio among developing countries.
Vohra said that China’s economic growth is driven by uncontrolled government investment, resulting in overcapacity in metals, cement and other industries, vacant apartment buildings, and low use of infrastructure such as subways, oil pipelines and ports.
Economists have warned that China’s local governments and state-owned companies have huge shadow debts. Goldman Sachs stated in its September 2021 assessment that China’s hidden local government debt is more than half of its GDP.
China's largest real estate developer Evergrande is also experiencing a huge debt crisis, with debts exceeding US$305 billion. The root cause of China's real estate crisis can be traced back to the tax reform in 1994. Since then, real estate has become an important source of income for the central treasury. Several large real estate developers such as Evergrande have also become cash cows for local governments.
Because of this, even a recent article published in the official Communist Party magazine "Qi Shi" called for high-quality "real growth", and the economic basis should be consumption (driven by the increase in household income rather than the increase in household debt) , Exports and business investment.
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A collapsed population structure, get old before getting rich
Population is a factor that affects the long-term growth rate of a country/region.
The history of modern economic development in Europe and Japan shows that when the average age rises, economic and political pressures increase. The potential GDP growth of any country is a function of population and productivity growth.
Due to the CCP’s reckless one-child policy (1979-2015), China is now getting older quickly. By 2050, the proportion of the population over the age of 65 will increase from 15% in 2020 to 33%, more than doubling in 30 years, and the corresponding figure in India will increase from 5.6% (2020) to 14.2% (2050) ), the United States will increase from 14.6% (2020) to 23.2% (2050).
By then, China will need to spend a lot of money on health, social welfare, and pensions; at the same time, it will have to face another challenge from a declining savings rate.
Vohra said that in other words, China will grow old before it reaches the level of wealth in countries such as the United States, Singapore, and Japan.
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Industrial activity in CCP China slows down
Goldman Sachs estimates that perhaps half of China's industrial activities have been affected by the ongoing energy crisis. The factory was closed and millions of families had to spend time in the dark due to power outages, and some even had to climb more than 10 stories high.
At the same time, China's supply chain also affects the global market. Rising prices and decreasing production may bring more trouble to the global supply chain that is already under tremendous pressure.
"The rising prices of products made in China, coupled with large-scale delays in global shipping, may also increase inflationary pressures in the United States and other Western countries, because these countries are also dealing with the problem of soaring oil and gas prices." The Wall Street Journal The report on Thursday (14th) said.
Citibank analysts in the United States wrote in a report on Thursday that as China "supply shocks affect global supply chains," global inflation may continue to rise.
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Agriculture collapses, food prices soar
In August 2021, the CCP called for an end to food waste (the liquidation campaign), which was a follow-up to the 2013 emptying operation. According to a survey, Chinese consumers waste about 17-18 million tons of food each year, enough to feed 50 million people each year.
Vohra said that the CCP's movement shows that China is in a food crisis.
The CCP has been facing an arduous task to feed 20% of the world’s population with 7% of the world’s arable land. It had considered leasing agricultural land in Africa, but due to its strong memory of colonial expropriation, no African country was ready to accept this approach.
China’s food prices have soared in the past year, and imported barley, corn, sorghum and wheat have doubled in 12 months.
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Water shortages are also frequent floods
In 2005, then Premier Wen Jiabao said that water shortages threatened the survival of the Chinese nation. China's per capita water consumption is already a quarter of the global average. Coupled with inefficient water management and extensive water pollution, China is the place where chemical fertilizers are used most per hectare in the world.
According to the Chinese government's own statistics, since 2000, more than half of China's rivers have disappeared. However, officials accused that this was caused by statistical errors and climate change, and they never blamed themselves! The four-month drought experienced in 2018 is unprecedented in Chinese history.
A recent study by Greenpeace shows that by 2030, when China reaches its "peak of water use", China's water consumption will exceed its water supply.
At the same time, China is also facing large-scale floods every year. The floods encountered in Zhengzhou this year and the unwarned flooding of reservoirs in various places have made residents choose to save themselves and cannot expect timely government rescue.
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"One Belt One Road" loan accused of ripping off
Vohra's article also said that CCP China is delighted that its "One Belt, One Road" initiative has found participants in dozens of resource-rich countries that are in urgent need of funds. The “Belt and Road” initiative has found a profitable way out overseas, which can solve China's domestic excess capacity and the employment of millions of people. CCP China also provides loans at "extortionate" interest rates (three times the OECD interest rate) and is happy to provide off-book loans.
Vohra said that the CCP side brought a checkbook and said to overseas countries that they can get how much money they need for their projects (including for their families) without due diligence and no need to check their income. There are no strings attached. If they cannot repay, no problem, take their houses, clothes and land (loan-for-land scams).
Both Sri Lanka and Tajikistan have the same experience.
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Huge contract wins and loses of CCP China
According to Aid Data's October 2021 report, dozens of countries owed China US$400 billion in off-book business, and 42 countries owed more than 10% of their GDP.
Vohra said that not long ago, an Indian company operating in Africa sought a large number of project loans from an Indian bank, saying that the loans would be repaid by the government of the beneficiary country.
The Bank of India asked, "Has the beneficiary country borrowed money from China?"
After some questioning, the answer finally came out. "Yes, but due to the confidentiality clause, we cannot tell you how much money or the content of the terms."
China recklessly lends overseas and now finds it is in a "credit trap" because a large part of its loans are to countries in debt distress. The money is like a ditch, and will never be recovered.
For example, Venezuela, which is rich in oil resources, was once the darling of Latin America cultivated by the CCP. Now it has become a huge debt to China, and it has been unable to repay the huge loans it borrowed from China.
"The validity period of a win-win situation has passed. Now it is a two-loss situation." Vohra said.
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CCP's broken global reputation, verbal abuse replaces cooperation
Vohra said that 9 out of every 10 people in the world believe that the worst public health crisis in 100 years (the CCP virus epidemic, COVID-19) originated in China.
"When asked to confess, China (the CCP) reacted like a dog forced into a corner, replacing cooperation with verbal abuse. Under verbal abuse and threats, it showed a (fear) mentality of being besieged." Write.
When Australia offered to conduct an independent investigation into the source of the virus, the CCP turned to vilify Australia as "poor white trash in Asia" and "chewing gum" and tried to stifle Australia's exports to China.
"Such language may bring emotional satisfaction to the Chinese, but it does not win them support." Vohra said.
Earlier this year, "U.S. News and World Report" interviewed 20,000 people in 36 countries on national credibility. China's ranking is very low.
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Military fragility, the retired general said he had never fought a war
Vohra stated that after the CCP agreed to withdraw from some disputed Sino-Indian border areas in August 2021, and frequently replaced its force commanders on the India-Tibet border, it explained its weaknesses.
Because of the low wages and the reluctance of Chinese recruits to stay at high altitudes to fight against Indian soldiers, however, this will not reduce the CCP’s propaganda at all. They claim to have built seven-star residences and provide world-class hot meals. In fact, these Chinese soldiers were found to have difficulty adapting to the plateau climate.
It is reported that a Chinese general who is about to retire once lamented that his regret was that he had never fought a war in his entire life.
Vohra said that he revealed the biggest weakness of the CCP army, how the CCP army will deal with the outdated command system, rampant corruption, and conduct practical training.
In October 2020, Xi Jinping asked the CCP troops to be absolutely loyal, absolutely pure and absolutely reliable.
Vohra said that the CCP’s usual strategy is to use external aggressive behavior to divert domestic attention.
Once the domestic (contradictory) needs are transferred, trouble will be caused externally. It is also against the background of China's internal division and external isolation that the CCP will attack India in 2020 and become aggressive in the South China Sea.
Vohra said that CCP found itself completely isolated today. If it does not remedy it as soon as possible, it will soon find that its dream of a superpower is shattered.
News (25) to (27) / Reporter : Xia Yu / Editor : Hua Ziming / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/16/n13309299.htm
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The U.S. replaces China as India's largest trading partner
Image : According to Indian government data, thanks to the rapid growth in the first nine months of 2021, the United States has surpassed China to become India's largest trading partner. The picture shows on September 24, 2021, US President Biden and Indian Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks at the White House. (Photo by Jim Watson / AFP)
The Times of India reported on 16 October that data compiled by the Indian Ministry of Commerce showed that from January to September this year, India-US bilateral trade volume increased by 50% to 28 billion U.S. dollars, ranking first. The trade growth between India and China was relatively slow, reaching 46%, which increased bilateral trade to US$25.3 billion, ranking second.
However, according to data not yet compiled by the Indian Ministry of Commerce, China barely managed to hold the top spot in the first four months of this fiscal year. Between April and July, India’s trade with China was estimated at 36.6 billion U.S. dollars, while its trade with the United States was at 365 U.S. Dollars.
In the first nine months of 2021, due to a low previous base and a rebound in demand after being suppressed, India's overall trade increased by 50% to US$231 billion. Trade between India and Australia, the UAE, and Belgium has increased even more.
Data compiled by the Indian Ministry of Commerce showed that among the major trading partners, South Africa had the largest increase, with an increase of 91.4% to US$5.9 billion. Similarly, as far as Australia is concerned, the value of trade has jumped by more than 85% to US$6.4 billion. Trade with Belgium increased by nearly 80% to US$6 billion, while trade with the UAE increased by 67% to US$20 billion.
For some Asian trading partners, growth has been relatively slow. From January to September this year, India’s trade with Indonesia increased by 48.4% to 6.1 billion U.S. Dollars, while its trade with Thailand increased by 60% to 3.8 billion U.S. Dollars. A large part of the increase in trade is due to rising commodity prices, especially metal prices, and soaring oil prices in recent months.
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Tensions between India and China and rising relations between the U.S. and Australia
The United States and China have always been India's largest trading partners. But since June 15 last year, the deadliest conflict between China and India broke out at the border in 45 years. 20 Indian soldiers died. This caused anger across India, protests broke out, and a wave of boycotts of Chinese goods was set off. On October 10 this year, the latest round of high-level military talks between China and India failed to reach an agreement, and the two sides passed the responsibility for the collapse of the meeting to each other.
On the other hand, the relationship between India and the United States is heating up. On 24 September, the heads of state of the United States and Japan, India and Australia held their first face-to-face "Quad Security Dialogue" (Quad) summit at the White House. Before the Quad Summit, Biden and Indian Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks. Biden said, "I have always believed that U.S.-India relations can help us solve many global challenges."
"Today, we will open a new chapter in the history of U.S.-India relations and work together to address some of the most severe challenges we face together. First of all, we will work together to end the covid pandemic." Biden said.
While India’s relations with China have deteriorated, it has rapidly strengthened its relations with the United States and its allies. At the end of September, Indian Prime Minister Modi came to Washington to attend the first face-to-face summit of the Group of Four (QUAD).
The relationship between India and Australia is also strengthening. Before QUAD, Australia and India signed a sharing agreement to share low-emission technologies.
Australian Prime Minister Morrison and Modi also held bilateral meetings during the QUAD. The two sides stated that the two countries are expected to reach a temporary trade agreement before the end of this year. In April this year, Australia exported a record coal to India.
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Scholar: Trade growth is crucial to enhancing the US-India strategic partnership
Mark Linscott, a Washington-based Atlantic Council researcher, wrote an article that the growth of U.S.-India trade is crucial to maintaining and enhancing the U.S.-India strategic partnership.
Lin Scott believes that when the U.S. and India are unable to promote multilateral trade agreements due to domestic political factors, expanding bilateral trade between the two countries, or even promoting some kind of bilateral trade agreement, is helpful to enhance bilateral strategic partnerships. It is very important to strengthen cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
The article read, "Although it is impossible to reach a (US-India) free trade agreement in the short term, trade officials should at least lay the foundation for it first. Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal (Piyush Goyal) has urged the United States To establish some form of trade agreement, his meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai at the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum later this year may be an excellent opportunity to chart a route to strengthen trade and investment relations."
Video
The supply chain crisis, the hidden purpose behind it, the truth is shocking! U.S. ports are congested with ships but shops are empty. Is it really a labor shortage? The Biden administration said one thing, did another thing, and took the opportunity to launch a leftist discussion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNBLoqJ2jXo
News (28) to (30) / Editor : Li Ling / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/10/17/n13310082.htm
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