Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on disease control, CCP, Solomon Islands, El Salvador, Australia, Myanmar
News (1)
Yantai reports new Omicron variant offshoot BA.2.3
Image : CCP China has become another hotbed of BA.2 variants (Video Screenshot)
Recently, the cities of Suzhou and Dalian have reported new offshoots of Omicron BA.2. The latest city in China to report another BA.2 offshoot with no precedence in other countries and cities is Yantai.On 25 April 2022, Yantai, a port city of Shandong Province held a press conference on epidemic prevention and control to introduce the latest situation of epidemic prevention and control.
As of 12 am of 25 April 2022, 36 new infections were reported in Yantai, including 2 confirmed cases, both of which were common types, and 34 asymptomatic infections, all of which have been transferred to designated hospitals.
A total of 1,700 people in close contact and 3,179 people in sub-close contact were investigated in Yantai, and all isolation control measures were implemented. The whole genome sequencing of the virus was carried out for the first time. So far, the gene sequencing analysis of 16 local cases in 4 districts and cities has been completed. It is the same transmission chain. The genotype of the cases is Omicron variant offshoot BA.2.3, which is not found in Shanghai and other Chinese cities and in other countries.
News (2)
Omicron BA.2.3 variant strain found in Shandong for the first time in mainland China
Editor : Xu Meng'er / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/4/25/n13719828.htm
The epidemic situation in Shandong continues to heat up. A few days ago, the genotype of a case in Yantai, Shandong Province was Omicron BA.2.3 evolutionary clade, which was the first discovery in mainland China. Local officials said that the epidemic may have been spreading silently for some time.
On 25 April, the Chinese Communist Party of Shandong Yantai officially reported that the number of confirmed cases and asymptomatic infections in Yantai City has shown a rapid growth trend in the past two days. Combined with the characteristics of these cases, the epidemic shows obvious spatial clustering, and it may have been hidden for a period of time.
Up to now, a total of 16 local cases in 4 districts and cities have been genetically sequenced and analyzed, and they are in the same transmission chain. The genotype of the cases is Omicron BA.2.3 evolutionary branch, which has not yet been found elsewhere in China. It is more infectious and has a longer incubation period.
On 25 April, the topic of "Yantai discovered the evolutionary branch of Omicron BA.2.3" was listed on Sina Weibo's hot search list, attracting attention.
The netizen "Happy Xiao Xiaole 5262" said, "I will be really sad. The school has just been unblocked for two days, and it has been closed again when there is a home and can't go back. The child really wants to breathe the air outside."
"Boom TFBOYS" said, "What do you mean? That is to say, this is a new strain of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, CCP virus, covi), right?"
"Zhang Jiasen_Brother Lever" said, "Last week, I was still watching that BA.2 has a strong spread. The epidemic situation in Yantai, Shandong has reached BA, 2.3, and the virus version update was caught off guard."
"Lavender-waiting for blooming" said, "Every day except for nucleic acid to go downstairs for five minutes, all other times lie flat at home. It has been lying flat at home for three days, and everyone is going to lie down."
"cgjhhhhj" said, "I beg everyone to pay attention to the candidates who have been promoted to colleges in Shandong. The epidemic is serious, many places are closed and controlled, and many candidates are still unable to come back from other provinces. How can the exam be postponed!"
The CCP official announced on the 25th that on the 24th, Shandong Province reported 2 new local confirmed cases, both in Yantai. There were 49 new cases of local asymptomatic infections, including 34 in Yantai, 12 in Jinan, 2 in Linyi and 1 in Qingdao. As of 12 am of 25 on the 24th, Shandong has 65 local confirmed cases and 589 local asymptomatic infections.
Because the CCP is accustomed to concealing the truth of the epidemic, the outside world generally doubts that the official figures have shrunk significantly.
News (3)
Yantai's first new Omicron virus, rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases
Editor : Wen Hui /https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/04/25/a103409322.html / Image : Schematic diagram of the virus under the microscope. (Shutterstock)
The covid epidemic continues to spread in China. The official announced on 25 April that a new virus variant Omicron BA.2.3 variant was discovered for the first time in Shandong Province. Tthe number of confirmed cases in related areas has increased rapidly.
According to CCTV, Xinhua News Agency and other official media reports, Yantai, Shandong announced at a press conference on epidemic prevention and control inthe morning of 25 April that after gene sequencing analysis of 16 local cases from four districts and cities, it was found that these cases were In the same transmission chain, the cases were genotyped as the BA.2.3 clade of Omicron. This strain has not been found in the country before.
According to the report, the current round of the epidemic in Yantai started on 22 April. In just two days, the number of confirmed and asymptomatic infections increased rapidly. It was found that the epidemic showed obvious spatial aggregation, and it may have been hidden for a period of time.
Since the first covi outbreak in Wuhan, the virus has been constantly mutating, with multiple variants such as Delta and Omicron appearing all over the world. Research shows that Omicron is more contagious than Delta, and that Omicron has mutated into multiple branches.
It has been more than two years since the outbreak of the epidemic in China. Although the authorities have adopted strict "zero-clearing" measures, and many areas have adopted measures such as closing cities and districts to prevent and control the epidemic, the epidemic situation in various parts of China is still one after another.
According to the official website of the National Health Commission of the Communist Party of China, as of 24 April, the epidemic has spread to 18 provinces and cities across the country. It has been nearly a month since the outbreak of the epidemic in Shanghai,and it is still under strict lockdown.
At the same time, the epidemic situation in Beijing, where Zhongnanhai is located, has been heating up rapidly in recent days. Officially, from the 25th, Beijing Chaoyang District requires that all employees be tested for nucleic acid three times within a week, and all residents must participate.
Chaoyang District is the largest district in Beijing with a population of 3.45 million. As soon as the above news came out, it immediately caused local panic. Fearing that the city would be forced to close down like Shanghai, local people took to the streets to grab shopping supplies. The goods of many supermarkets in Chaoyang District were quickly swept away at night of 24 April.
News (4)
The covid patients in Shandong, beside Yantai
Among the newly infected people in Shandong on 24 April 2022, 2 confirmed cases and 22 asymptomatic infections in the city of Zhaoyuan were all detected in the centralized isolation personnel. Of the 9 cases in Penglai, 3 cases were detected in the centralized isolation personnel, of which 2 cases were close contacts of asymptomatic infected persons reported on 23 April, and 1 case was from Xiwutongkuang Village, Jinling Town, Zhaoyuan to Penglai; 6 cases were found in the nucleic acid screening of risk personnel in key areas. There were 2 cases in Zhifu District, 1 case was detected in the centralized isolation personnel, and 1 case was found in the nucleic acid screening of risk personnel in key areas, all of whom were asymptomatic infected people in Zhaoyuan at the same time. One case in Laizhou was detected in the centralized isolation personnel, and it was a co-resident of the asymptomatic infection reported on 23 April.
News (5)
The fainthearted are not suitable for the job. Details of the death cases in the Shanghai elderly care home are exposed
Reporter : He Yating / Editor : Hu Long / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/04/24/a103409056.html Image : On 21 April 2022, during the CCP virus (COVID-19) lockdown in Jing'an District, Shanghai, some residents near the entrance of the community were taken into a car by staff in protective clothing, ready to be transported to the shelter. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
Since the outbreak of the epidemic in Shanghai, the official has been slow to announce the death toll of the epidemic. It was not until mid-April that the official began to report new deaths. A few days ago, some American media further disclosed the details of the death of the elderly in Shanghai Donghai Elderly Care Hospital, saying that Shanghai has been overwhelmed.
Although the Shanghai government has repeatedly emphasized that the social dynamic clearing will be cleared in a short period of time, in addition to the daily number of new infections remaining at a high level, the number of deaths has to be announced, and the number of deaths is also on the rise.
An April 23 Wall Street Journal report revealed that at the end of last month, dozens of migrant domestic workers and nannies were applying for jobs at Donghai Elderly Care Hospital in Shanghai. The hospital does not require them to have work experience in nursing the elderly, and no professional certificate is required, as long as they have proof of vaccination.
When these newly hired personnel entered the hospital, they found that many doctors and nurses in the hospital had been quarantined due to covi infection. The hospital was in chaos. Life is in danger.
A middle-aged woman who has been at the nursing hospital for less than a week said she and three others were asked to transfer a swollen woman's body to the morgue in the middle of the night when she found it there. A total of 6 corpses were parked.
A new recruit to the hospital also said that the labour agency had told her that "timid people" were not suitable for the nursing hospital.
The report bluntly said the new details of virus-related deaths at elderly care hospitals in Shanghai reveal that the city is already overwhelmed.
Since the outbreak in Shanghai, the authorities have not reported the deaths of patients infected with covi. It was not until 16 April hat an investigative report published by the British media BBC revealed that at least dozens of elderly people in a Shanghai hospital died after contracting the virus.
According to the BBC, the media interviewed managers of a nursing hospital with about 300 beds in Shanghai and obtained communications between the hospital and the families of the deceased patients.
Official records obtained by the BBC show that at least 27 patients have died in this hospital alone. While officials have classified the cause of death as other underlying diseases, a family member of a patient told the BBC that doctors and nursing staff at the Shanghai nursing home where his relatives were staying had told him that all residents had tested positive. The hospital management also sent a letter to the family of the deceased apologizing, acknowledging the hospital's "lack of professionalism" and expressing deep guilt. At the time, however, Shanghai officials did not report any deaths from the virus.
The report also revealed that a 72-year-old woman died at Donghai Aged Care Hospital on 3 April. Her brother told the BBC that there were six people in the ward where his sister lived, and five of them were dead. He died of illness, and he refused to have her body cremated without a full explanation of the cause of his sister's death.
Another 99-year-old woman died on 1 April , and the granddaughter of the old woman said that her grandmother was transferred to the Jinshan Public Health Clinical Center on 27 March and was diagnosed the next day. She received some basic treatment and died after treatment of the disease. The official cause of death was that the CCP virus infection had worsened the underlying disease but the official claimed that her grandmother’s virus test the day before her death had been negative, so it was not considered a death from the epidemic.
The BBC has repeatedly contacted the relevant hospital for confirmation on these allegations but the hospital has not given any response.
In mid-April, freelance writer Yue Ge posted a letter on Twitter from the Pudong New Area Health and Health Commission to the funeral parlour on 2 April to apply for cremation of the remains, which showed that more than 30 corpses had abnormal nucleic acid tests (positive) before they died.
In recent days, although Shanghai has started to report daily new death data, there is still a big gap compared with the real death data disclosed by the private sector. These death data are compared with the at least 400,000 infected people in Shanghai. The proportion is also very abnormal, causing strong doubts about its authenticity by public opinion.
News (6)
Shanghai adds "2,472+16,983" on 25 April 2022, 51 new deaths
The Shanghai Municipal Health Commission announced on 25 April 2022 that as of 12 am of 25 April 2022, there were 2,472 new local confirmed covid cases and 16,983 asymptomatic infections were added in Shanghai, of which 846 confirmed cases were the return of previously asymptomatic infections, and 1,557 A total of 16,835 confirmed cases and 16,835 asymptomatic infections were found in isolation and control, and the rest were found in the investigation of relevant risk groups.
From 0 to 24:00 on 24 April, 51 new local deaths were reported. The average age is 84.2 years old, there are 37 elderly people over 80 years old, and the maximum age is 100 years old. 51 patients had serious underlying diseases, involving multiple organs, including acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, severe arrhythmia, hypertension grade 3 (very high risk), sequelae of cerebral infarction, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease symptoms, uremia, malignant tumours, severe malnutrition, electrolyte disturbances, etc. After admission, the patient died due to aggravation of the primary disease. The immediate causes of deaths are the underlying disease.
News (7)
Covid data of Beijing according to the National Health Commission
According to CCTV news, from as of 12 am on 25 April, Beijing added 14 local confirmed cases (confirmed cases 1 to 7 and 9 were reported yesterday) and 5 asymptomatic infections (all reported yesterday), no new suspected cases.
News (8)
Beijing: nucleic acid testing will be carried out for people living and working in Chaoyang from 25 April
Beijing Chaoyang District issued a notice on the 24th. From the 25th, nucleic acid testing will be carried out for people living and working in Chaoyang, and the test will be conducted once a day on the 25th, 27th and 29th.
News (9)
Beijing: People who have been to Huguosi Snacks (Guangmingqiao) should report immediately
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Chaoyang District, Beijing announced that people who have visited Huguosi Snacks (Guangmingqiao Store) from 5 pm on 16 April to 2 pm on 24 April should immediately take the initiative to report to their communities (village), work units, hotels or call the Chaoyang CDC hotline 87789709 to report.
News (10)
Shanghai announced that foreigners can return to their hometowns, netizens have mixed views
Reporter : He Yating / Editor: Zhu Xinrui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/04/25/a103409165.html /
Image : During the closure of the city in Shanghai, personnel wearing protective clothing were on duty in a residential area, and some residents were taken downstairs for nucleic acid testing. (Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)
Recently, Shanghai, the epicentre of the covid epidemic, suddenly announced that foreigners who wish to return to their hometowns can return to their hometowns, and the government will provide certain subsidies. This seemingly "abnormal" decision by the Shanghai government has sparked controversy among netizens when the epidemic situation in Shanghai is still high.
Recently, the number of infected people in Shanghai has started to rebound after a drop, and the number of deaths has been accumulating day by day. People in Shanghai, who have been trapped at home for nearly a month and are eagerly waiting for an early lifting of the lockdown, are also becoming increasingly frustrated or anxious. In this situation, on 17 April, a spokesman for the Shanghai Epidemic Prevention and Control Center publicly stated at a press conference that the Shanghai government supports the "orderly return" of foreigners in Shanghai, and can also leave those who meet the conditions and are willing to return home. Shanghai provides "subsidies" for returning home, calling on other regions to send special vehicles to Shanghai to pick up people for home quarantine, and will also arrange for residents who have a residence in Shanghai but are stranded outside to "close the loop to return home."
According to official news, the so-called "eligible" people mainly refer to the following types of non-locals stranded in Shanghai:
1. Those who are unable to leave Shanghai and return to their hometowns due to the lockdown of the epidemic; 2. Those who are temporarily stranded in Shanghai after the closure of hotels and high-speed rail and public transportation; Those who continue to live in the place of employment; 4. Those who did not want to leave for the time being but are planning to go back; 5. Those who once belonged to the control area and could not go back to their hometowns, etc.
If the above-mentioned people are willing to accept them in the community where their hometown is located, and if they are willing to return to their hometowns, the government can provide them with funding and help arrange their return to their hometowns.
After the news was issued, it quickly aroused widespread public concern and social repercussions. It is reported that as soon as this policy was released, a large number of people who were trapped in a dilemma in Shanghai began to inquire about the return home policy, contact the railway stations and passenger stations, and try to find ways to return home.
Some netizens have raised some questions on the Internet in response to the above-mentioned policy of encouraging returning home:
First, the government has not clearly stated what the specific method of "subsidizing the return to the hometown" is? In the end is to give a certain financial subsidy, or should the government pay for the travel to return home and the cost of isolation? You must know that the cost of returning home for isolation in some areas is ridiculously high. For example, the cost of isolation in Suzhou is about 400 RMB per day, and it will cost 5,600 RMB for 14 days of isolation.
Second, what is the means of transportation to support the return home? It is very unrealistic to expect the hometowns to send cars to Shanghai to pick up people. The people in the hometown are so afraid of Shanghai now that they are unlikely to take the initiative to pick up people and return to their hometown. On feasibility, if people are allowed to find ways to return to their hometowns, I am afraid that it will not be "orderly", and it will easily lead to cross-infection and spread of the epidemic.
Third, a large number of people suddenly returned to their hometowns from Shanghai, and the government in their hometown is probably under "a lot of pressure". Can the local government be able to withstand it? Or is the hometown government willing to accept returnees?
In the comment area under related reports on online social platforms and websites, polarized opinions appeared and debated with each other. Some netizens analyzed that the pressure of epidemic prevention and control in Shanghai is now too great, and there is a serious shortage of materials. It is still risky to make such a decision despite the current high incidence of cases. It can be seen that Shanghai's capacity is close to the limit, and it has to seek other places to share the pressure. However, there are also many netizens who object to this, believing that it is irresponsible to rush people from other places to return to their hometowns when the epidemic is not under control at all. The risk of the spread of the epidemic is too high and leads to criticism or sarcasm against the Shanghai government.
Shandong netizen shmilyzhe sighed, "They (referring to the foreigners stranded in Shanghai) contributed to Shanghai but when they needed Shanghai's help to tide over the difficulties, Shanghai asked them to fuck (get out)."
Suzhou netizen 07jlNF ridiculed, "This is also a trick in the reset!"
Zhejiang netizen 0sfALa left a message questioning, "Shanghai needs more than 10 million people from other places to return to their hometowns to treat the epidemic. Has the city of Shanghai failed to fight the epidemic?"
Diligence, a netizen in Nanjing, commented, "Sooner or later, we must do this! There is no need for human beings to be too concentrated in one area! It is very unsafe! Because the world is not peaceful."
News (11)
Temporary control of some areas in Chaoyang, Beijing
In order to curb the spread of the epidemic and ensure the health and safety of the public, the following notices are given to enhance control measures in some areas of Chaoyang District:
1. Regional Scope
Temporary control area: east of East Second Ring Road, west of Xidawang Road, north of Huawei South Road and Songyu South Road, and enclosed area to the south of Guangqu Road.
2. Improvement measures
1. Residents in the area do not stay in the area. Residents in the community strictly implement prevention and control measures such as code scanning, temperature measurement, and registration, and do not leave the community unless necessary.
2. In principle, employees of units in the region work from home. The daily security personnel that are really needed in the office are subject to closed management.
3. Welfare institutions and elderly care service institutions in the region are subject to closed management. Catering companies, bathing, KTV, chess and card rooms, pedicure shops, Internet cafes, entertainment venues, indoor sports and fitness venues, cinemas, libraries, art galleries, museums, etc. are temporarily closed.
4. Urban operation service guarantee staff, community workers, medical and health personnel, etc. in the region shall provide services for community residents on the basis of strict personal protection and epidemiological history investigation.
5. Supermarkets, hospitals and other places that are basically necessary for daily life in the area are operating normally, and relevant epidemic prevention regulations such as code scanning, temperature measurement, and wearing masks are strictly implemented to prevent crowds from gathering.
6. Personnel in the area will undergo 2 nucleic acid tests on 25 and 27 April, and the temporary control will be lifted after negative results. On 29 April, he continued to participate in nucleic acid testing in accordance with social requirements.
3. The prevention and control measures in the existing closed and controlled areas in the area remain unchanged.
News (12)
Covid data of Zhejiang on 25 April 2022
On 25 April 2022, Zhejiang held a press conference on the prevention and control of the covid epidemic. It was notified at the meeting: From 12 am to 3 pm on 25 April 2022, no new local confirmed cases were reported in Zhejiang Province; 15 new local asymptomatic infections were reported, including 3 cases in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, 3 cases in Gongshu District, and 3 cases in Linping District. There were 1 case in the district, 1 case in Yuhang District, 2 cases in Wucheng District, Jinhua, 1 case in Yiwu, 2 cases in Jiangshan City, Quzhou, and 2 cases in Tiantai County, Taizhou.
Since 3 March, a total of 539 local confirmed cases have been reported in Zhejiang Province, including 145 in Hangzhou, 60 in Ningbo, 7 in Wenzhou, 25 in Huzhou, 126 in Jiaxing and 17 in Shaoxing, 49 cases in Jinhua City, 98 cases in Quzhou City, 6 cases in Zhoushan, 2 cases in Taizhou, and 4 cases in Lishui.
There are 657 local asymptomatic infections, including 184 in Hangzhou, 10 in Ningbo, 12 in Wenzhou, 5 in Huzhou, 210 in Jiaxing, 3 in Shaoxing, 169 in Jinhua, and 48 in Quzhou, 1 case in Zhoushan, 8 cases in Taizhou and 7 cases in Lishui.
News (13)
The epidemic disposal in Gongshu District, Hangzhou has entered the control period, and the source of individual infection is not yet clear
Recently, a local clustered epidemic occurred mainly in Banshan Street, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, involving multiple transmission chains, and the infected people spread to 5 urban areas. Hangzhou immediately launched emergency response, dynamically adjusted the "three districts", quickly carried out flow traceability, nucleic acid testing, regional coordinated investigation and isolation control, and strengthened social control measures.
The Provincial Health and Health Commission immediately dispatched a working group and a disease control expert group to guide the work on the spot, and according to the needs of prevention and control, dispatched 1,250 provincial hospital sampling teams to urgently support the local nucleic acid sampling work.
Since 23 April, Gongshu District and other areas have carried out 3 consecutive rounds of nucleic acid testing for all employees. The number of newly reported infected persons and the Rt value (real-time reproduction number) have continued to decline, and new infections have been added in Banshan Street for 3 consecutive days. All of them were found in centralized or home isolation, the prevention and control effect is evident, and the epidemic disposal has entered the control period. However, considering that there have been multiple generations of transmission in the secondary transmission chain, and the source of individual infection is not yet clear, it is still necessary to strengthen the "three-zone" control, quickly and carefully check the risk sites and units involved in the trajectory of the infected person's activities, and take strict precautions to ensure that no one person is missed, no one is missed.
News (14)
Zhejiang has closed the loop to receive 35,801 Shanghai transfer personnel
As of 24 April, a total of 14,021 cases have been admitted to Shanghai-aid square cabin hospitals from Zhejiang Province, and more than 20 million nucleic acid samples have been collected in Shanghai, and they have been stationed in local hospitals to carry out the treatment of acute and critical cases. At the request of Shanghai, additional medical technicians will be dispatched to the square cabin hospital to carry out B-ultrasound, inspection and other work. At the same time, closed-loop reception of Shanghai transfer personnel has received a total of 35,801 people.
News (15)
Zhejiang strengthens standardized management of isolation points
All localities should strengthen the standardized management of isolation points in accordance with the requirements of the "Zhejiang Province Centralized Isolation Medical Observation Work Regulations (Third Edition)", and strictly set up "three districts and two channels" ” and centrally manage all staff.
News (16)
Frequency of encrypted nucleic acid detection for key populations such as takeaway and express delivery in Zhejiang
Zhejiang Province encrypted nucleic acid testing frequency for people with high mobility such as takeaway, express delivery, flash delivery, and key groups such as school teachers and students. On 24 April, more than 300,000 teachers and students completed nucleic acid tests for teachers and students in key regional schools in Linping, Yuhang and Shangcheng and 7.5% of the employees in the distribution services of Hangzhou, Meituan, Ele.me and other online platforms. Nucleic acid testing has been carried out by for 10,000 people while 53,000 express delivery workers in Hangzhou have completed nucleic acid testing.
News (17)
Triple vaccinated now up to 5 times more likely to be infected with covid than the unvaccinated as vaccine effectiveness falls to -391%
News (19)
Analysis: Chinese companies want to buy strategic islands, what are the CCP's attempts to hide?
Reporter : Wu Xin / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/4/19/n13715568.htm /
Image : El Salvador's parliament has banned the sale of islands to foreign investors, preventing CCP China's control of key areas along the Gulf of Fonseca. Satellite image of Fonseca Bay. (public domain)
The CCP has been expanding and infiltrating around the world. Foreign media found that companies from China have begun to look for strategic islands and islands for the CCP around the world in recent years. Land experts are hotly discussing the CCP’s attempts in it.
Recently, Kathrin Hille, a senior reporter for the British "Financial Times", published a signed article, exposing how the CCP takes a long-term view of using Chinese companies to search for important footholds around the world in order to expand its global power. She believes that the way Chinese companies act in concert with the CCP’s geopolitical ambitions is complex, and Western people and governments need to be vigilant.
News (20)
Again and again, the purchase of the island is not a success
The first island buyer mentioned by Xi Jialin in the article is the Chinese Morita Enterprise Group. The conglomerate first attempted to buy Tulagi, a natural deep-water port in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, three years ago, but the 75-year lease was declared illegal by the Solomon Islands attorney general, she wrote.
Soon, the company made a comeback and was registered as a foreign investor in the Solomon Islands. Afterwards, the company, along with AVIC International, launched an attack on another province in the Solomon Islands, and they wrote that they were looking for opportunities for the CCP's military to "lease land with 75-year exclusivity." In July 2021, the letter was leaked on social media and the local government was forced to deny that any agreement had been reached.
In March, new leaked documents revealed that CCP China had drafted a security agreement with the Solomon Islands that would allow the CCP navy to visit Solomon Islands ports for logistical replenishment and personnel rotation. The Solomon government subsequently denied it.
Although the island purchase agreement has not been reached, Xi Jialin believes that the security agreement and the efforts of Morita Corporation reveal two points: Firstly, the CCP is looking for a naval foothold in the South Pacific to challenge the dominance of the United States and its allies in the region; Secondly, In the search for a foothold, Chinese companies act in tandem with the CCP’s geopolitical ambitions in complex ways.
News (21)
Who do you deal with? The CCP is fishing Chinese companies as bait
Xi Jialin pointed out that Morita Enterprise Group's attempt to buy the island is not the only one. The FT investigated dozens of cases that were characterized by the Chinese investors offering long-term leases or trying to buy large parcels of land, often in strategic locations, such as those close to the US and allies military installations, on islands along major maritime traffic routes, or overlooking important straits and waterways.
She believes that Western countries have already formed an initial impression of these Chinese investors that these so-called private companies are clearing the way for the ensuing Chinese state interests.
News (22)
El Salvador bans sales of islands to foreign investors
In El Salvador, Chinese conglomerate Asia Pacific Xuanhao proposed in 2018 to lease the port of La Union for 50 years and expand it. The business then expanded its proposal to include a series of special economic zones that would require 100-year-old lands on nearly one-sixth of the country's territory and half of its coastline, according to a presentation by Asia-Pacific Xuanhao reviewed by the Financial Times on the lease. The ambitious plan quickly ran into trouble. El Salvador's parliament has banned the sale of islands to foreign investors, preventing China's control of key areas along the Gulf of Fonseca.
Xi Jialin also mentioned Yang Bo, a Chinese trader and investor who came to El Salvador after the June 4th Movement. According to government documents and local news reports, Yang Bo acquired more than half of the land on Isla Perico, which is close to the port involved in the ban.
News (23)
Chinese companies have close ties with the CCP
The Financial Times and open source intelligence firm Janes conducted a more detailed investigation of nine projects proposed or implemented over the past four years. They found that these Chinese companies are very "entrepreneurial" and have close ties with Chinese government departments. For example, Yatai Xuanhao provides night vision goggles, binoculars and monitoring equipment for the Chinese military and paramilitary police. China Jingan, a subsidiary of Morita Group, is a private security contractor with a license to import and export weapons, including firearms, ammunition, armoured vehicles, robots, drones and explosives.
News (24)
Overseas Chinese may be dragged by the CCP to betray the countries where they live
Claire Chu, a senior analyst at Zhan Information Group, also pointed out that in addition to Chinese companies, overseas Chinese may also be dragged into the water by Beijing, she said: "Another pattern we see is that members of the local overseas Chinese community are being dig, and can play a key role.”
News (25)
Experts and scholars analyze the behavior of Chinese enterprises, the public wakes up
Xi Jialin said that Chinese companies continue to push for long-term control of large tracts of land, a phenomenon that has sparked discussions among Western experts and scholars.
Evan Ellis, a professor at the Institute of Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College, is concerned about the CCP's engagement with Latin America. He believes that both Yatai Xuanhao and Yang Bo are part of the CCP's strategic plan. He said: "We see China's non-state actors come together to help China gain economic and political influence in Central America.”
Australian National University researcher Graeme Smith is building a database of Chinese companies active in the Pacific. He sees the CCP’s approach as a form of “reverse engineering,” where these private Chinese companies propose a deal locally that may attract a host country, and once the host country is interested, the companies can seek Beijing’s support, and the CCP will provide a lucrative deal with funds for overseas development projects.
News (26)
CCP is fishing everywhere
Smith believes that the CCP is fishing everywhere, and sometimes it will get hooked. "Chinese companies will find local politicians or senior bureaucrats to pitch the project," he said. "They make the project look like it's for local interests. Then they go back to the Export-Import Bank of China, big state-owned enterprises or the government for support, and sometimes things will work out.”
Cigarin believes that Chinese companies' proposals are increasingly difficult for governments in many developing countries due to the complex mix of participants.
News (27)
Some Solomon MPs have been brainwashed
Solomon MP Matthew Wale, the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, said some MPs "have been bought by Chinese companies", adding that "we are in elite control".
Cigarin said the reaction from some Solomon Islanders was even stronger. A member of a local anti-corruption group on Facebook expressed shock at news that China's Morita conglomerate came back last year with another proposal for a 75-year land lease. "Are they thinking about turning the Solomon Islands into a colony? What does that mean for our future and our children?" she wrote on Facebook.
News (28)
Australian Defence Minister: Prepare for war to preserve peace
The Solomon Islands and Beijing signed a security agreement that has raised concerns that CCP China may build a military base on the doorstep of Australia. Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the only way to maintain peace in the Pacific was to prepare for war.
On the eve of Anzac Day, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned that China's establishment of a military base in the Solomon Islands would hit a "red line" between Australia and the United States.
On 25 April, as Anzac Day observances were held across Australia, Dutton told Nine News that Australians needed to recognise "the realities of our time" as tensions in the Pacific Ocean rise amid heightened tensions. The threat of conflict in the region is imminent.
"We shouldn't take it for granted that the sacrifices made by Anzac, or those in World War II, in every conflict in Vietnam, in the Middle East, etc., can in some way make a difference in the region. There will never be another conflict. We have to be realistic that people like Hitler do not exist only in our imaginations or in history," he said.
Afterwards, Dutton cited Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the CCP's coercion in the region.
Asked how Australia could stop this, Dutton said: "The only way to keep the peace is to prepare for war, the country needs to be strong, not on its knees and weak, that's the reality. Curl up and pretend something. Nothing happens, nothing is said, it's not in our long-term interest, and we should be very honest about that."
When asked if "preparing for war" was a provocative statement, Dutton countered that it was just a lesson in history.
"If we look at the 50,000 Anzac soldiers in Gallipoli, 8,700 were killed and 18,000 wounded. They represent some of the values we commemorate and celebrate today, and we do it because we stand On the shoulders of those who are fighting for national security," Dutton said, "if we think (peace) will last forever, then we are repeating the mistakes of history. We are now in a situation very similar to the 1930s. period, I think there were a lot of people in the 1930s who felt they should have said something earlier."
April 25 this year marks the 107th anniversary of the ANZAC's participation in the Gallipoli campaign. The Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915 is known as one of the bloodiest battles of World War I. In the hearts of Australians, the war has become a cornerstone of contemporary national identity, and every year on this day, Australians and New Zealanders hold large-scale commemorations.
Before the commemoration, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told The Australian, "(Whether the CCP builds military bases) is a matter of common concern, not just Australia, but the governments of Australia and countries in the region, especially countries like Fiji and Papua New Guinea (also a concern)."
"Working with New Zealand, our Pacific partners and of course our U.S. partner, I have the same red lines as the U.S. when it comes to these issues."
Morrison said the Solomon Islands Prime Minister has made it clear that CCP China will not be allowed to build military bases, and Solomon Islands also agrees with such a red line.
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Concerned about Asia-Pacific security, Japanese deputy foreign minister visits Solomon
Reporter : Xu Jian / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/4/25/n13720147.htm / Image : Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday that the security agreement signed by CCP China and Solomon may affect the security of the Asia-Pacific region. The picture shows Lin Fangzheng's file photo. (Con Chronis-Pool/Getty Images)
After the Solomon Islands signed a "security agreement" with the Chinese Communist Party, it has raised concerns that Beijing may increase its military influence in the region. Following a visit by a high-level US delegation to the Solomon Islands, Japan on Monday (25 April) sent a deputy foreign minister to the island to express concern.
Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Kentaro Uesugi paid a three-day visit to the Solomon Islands. The White House coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs Kurt Campbell, who led a delegation to the country last week, warned that Washington would respond if a security deal with China posed a threat to the United States or its allies.
The so-called "security deal" confirmed by China and the Solomon Islands last week has alarmed neighbors and Western allies, including Japan, who are concerned about China's military buildup in the region.
Uesugi is expected to convey Japan's concerns about the security treaty and discuss bilateral and regional issues during his visit to the Solomon Islands, the Associated Press reported.
"We believe that the agreement may affect the security of the entire Asia-Pacific region, and we are monitoring developments," Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Friday.
On Saturday (23 April), Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after a meeting with Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano that Japan is closely monitoring the security of Pacific island countries, "We are closely monitoring China's actions in the Pacific Islands region," he said.
Japan is particularly concerned about CCP China's military and coast guard activities near the Diaoyu Islands, which it sees as China's increasingly assertive military activities in the East and South China Seas, posing a threat to some of the world's busiest sea lanes.
New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern said during a visit to Tokyo last week that Japan and New Zealand are negotiating a deal to share classified information "seamlessly", a move that could help Japan move closer to a "Five Eyes" intelligence partnership, considered a two-way deal in view of countermeasures against CCP influence.
Japan and New Zealand also highlighted "growing strategic challenges" in the Pacific region and opposed "unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force" in the East and South China Seas, referring to China's efforts to build artificial islands for military use, as well as occupation practices in disputed territories.
In recent years, Tokyo has significantly stepped up security cooperation with allies and expanded joint exercises with the United States and other Western partners, including Australia, India, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, all of whom worry about the CCP's growing military influence.
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Ethnic Armed Groups reject Min Aung Hlaing's peace talks
Source : The Irrawaddy
Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has invited the leaders of ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) for talks to end armed conflict in the country. Observers said only a few EAOs would attend.
In his televised address on the junta’s mouthpiece Myawady TV on Friday (22 April 2022), Min Aung Hlaing proposed face-to-face talks with EAO leaders.
However, the invitation for peace talks excludes the country’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and its armed wing, the people’s defense forces (PDFs), as Min Aung Hlaing has previously refused to talk to either group. On Armed Forces Day last month, he vowed that the regime would crush the PDFs.
The Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), which is engaged in heavy fighting with junta troops in Kayah State, rejected the invitation.
KNPP secretary Khu Daniel said: “It is very likely that we will not join the talks. The population is revolting against the junta. We have nothing to discuss after it has committed many arbitrary killings. There are clashes every day in Kayah State.”
Padoh Saw Taw Nee, the Karen National Union’s (KNU) head of foreign affairs, said the regime must first withdraw its troops from Karen State and leave Myanmar’s politics before the KNU will hold talks.
“There must also be justice. We called for transitional justice in previous talks that we attended. The military didn’t accept it then. But this time, there must be transitional justice. We can’t just forget that they killed so many. We must ensure justice and truth,” said Padoh Saw Taw Nee.
Colonel Naw Bu, spokesman for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which is also fighting the regime, said the central executive committee of the KIA’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization, has not decided whether to attend peace talks, but he said dialogue with the regime was pointless.
“They have held talks with the EAOs for more than 70 years and there were never good results. And there won’t be good results this time too,” he said.
The KIA has not attended talks with the regime since the 2021 coup and senior KIA figures have delivered addresses at the events organized by the NUG.
Vice-chairman of the Chin National Front (CNF) Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong said the group condemns the regime and would not attend talks.
“We will consider attending talks if Min Aung Hlaing and his regime admit it was wrong to have staged a coup and that they will honor the 2020 general election results and transfer power to the winning party and that they want us to help with the transfer of power. But even if they say so, will they keep their promise?” Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong said.
“They must admit that they were wrong to kill civilians and destroy property and that they want to compensate. But if they want to bluff to maintain their grip on power, the ethnic armed revolutionary organizations and international community will not accept them,” he added.
Any individual and organization that attends the peace talks will go down as national villains along with the regime, Salai Lian Hmung Sakhong said.
“The National Ceasefire Agreement was signed between the government and EAOs and not between the military and EAOs. Min Aung Hlaing does not have the authority to implement a peace process. He has unlawfully seized power. He has seized power from the people and he has also seized peace,” he added.
By proposing talks with the EAOs the regime is buying time to crush the PDFs, said observers.
An analyst said: “It is unlikely that EAO leaders will accept his invitation and join the talks. The regime is under growing military pressures and if it does not have to fight the EAOs, it will halve its military pressures.
“But the problem is the EAOs and PDFs are not operating separately in Kachin, Chin, Karen, Karenni [Kayah] and Shan states. The regime is wrong to think of the EAOs and PDFs as separate forces. Its offer of talks is unlikely to succeed.”
Some members of the Peace Process Steering Committee, whose leaders recently received honorary titles from the regime, are likely to join the talks, said analysts.
Colonel Khun Okkar, the patron of the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO), said the group’s committee will meet on Monday to discuss whether to meet the junta boss.
By inviting EAOs for dialogue, the junta chief has admitted that he is losing, said Bo Nagar, the leader of the Myanmar Royal Dragon Army resistance group in Pale Township, Sagaing Region.
“He has publicly admitted he is being defeated. He excluded PDFs from talks because he previously called for their annihilation. His statement means his defeat will come soon,” he said.
He urged EAOs to reject the junta chief’s invitation and to continue fighting until the junta is defeated and all ethnic groups can enjoy political equality.
“Then we will know it was worth taking up arms in the revolution,” said Bo Nagar.
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