Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on Taiwan, disease control, aviation management,U.S. CCP, Russia
News (1)
Taiwan restores visa-free treatment for Singaporeans from 29 September 2022
Image of Taipei 101 Fireworks : Taiwan Tourism Bureau
On 12 September 2022, Taiwan restored visa-free treatment for visitors from the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and diplomatic allies. Beginning 29 September 2022, Taiwan will resume visa-free treatment to passengers from the countries previously afforded that privilege for essential and leisure travel.
This means including Singaporeans, nationals of Singapore, Malaysia and Dominican Republic that did not enjoy visa-free treatment from 12 September to 28 September 2022 are eligible for the Taiwan visa exemption program with a duration of stay of 30 days from 29 September 2022 onwards, the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has confimed.
Also from 29 September 2022, nationals of Japan, South Korea, Israel, Chile and Nicaragua can enter Taiwan visa-free with a duration of stay of 90 days.
Under the above categories, the Bureau of Consular Affairs advises, "Those who have entered Taiwan visa-free for
purposes that do not require a permit—such as engaging in tourism, visiting
friends or relatives, attending social events, conducting business, attending
exhibitions, and engaging in fact-finding missions or international
exchanges—who then intend to engage in activities that, according to the laws
and regulations of relevant agencies, do require a permit must still obtain
such a permit. Those who intend to enter Taiwan for purposes that require
qualifications, such as religious work, must obtain a visa from an ROC overseas
mission before entering Taiwan."
For more details, visit https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-149-4486-7785a-2.html.
News (2)
Su Tseng-chang: Taiwan to end quarantine, launch "0+7+ plan, raise weekly quota to 150,000, fully open borders, end tour bans on 13 October 2022
Source : Taiwan News / https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4665221, https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4665244 / Image : Executive Yuan President Su Tseng-chang said that the new "0+7" entry quarantine system is estimated to be implemented around 13 October 2022. (file photo)
Premier Su Tseng-chang on Thursday (22 September 2022) announced that the "0 + 7" system will be implemented on 13 October 2022 and at the same time, Taiwan will expand visa-free entry to more countries and the ban on tourists groups will be lifted.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Thursday presented a report at the Cabinet titled "The border will be lifted steadily and will move towards a normal life." Su pointed out that Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) head Victor Wang issued a proposal to open the border in stages which had the backing of CECC specialist advisory panel convener Chang Shan-chwen.
Su said that the first phase, which will take place on 29 September 2022, will include raising the weekly inbound passenger quota to 60,000. On that date, arriving passengers undergoing the "3 + 4" quarantine formula will be able to spend the entire seven-day period in a residence with others as long as they can follow the "one person per room" principle.
Also, on 29 September, the on-arrival saliva test will be discontinued, and passengers will instead be handed four rapid antigen test kits. Furthermore, visa-free entry will be restored to all reciprocating countries.
Su stated that after these policies are implemented, the situation with the local outbreak will be observed for a week. If conditions are deemed suitable as expected, the "0 + 7" scheme will be launched two days after the announcement of the policy is made, which he estimated would be 13 October.
According to Su, this second phase that starts on 13 October 2022 will see the weekly arriving passenger quota raised to 150,000, the "0 +7" plan, the opening of borders to travelers from countries not granted visa-free treatment, and the end of the tour group ban.
News (3)
From 29 September 2022, 60,000 people enter Taiwan every week! Su Zhenchang: 0+7 is expected to be implemented on 13 October 2022
Reporter : Li Xinfang / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4066119
Executive President Su Tseng-chang presided over the hospital meeting on 22 September 2022 to listen to the report of the Ministry of Health and Welfare "The border will be unblocked steadily, and we will move towards normal life." The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that the relevant border control measures will be gradually opened in stages. The first phase will increase the total number of entries to 60,000 per week from 29 September 2022, restore the reciprocal visa exemption of various countries, cancel the entry to collect deep throat saliva PCR test, and change to issue 4 doses of rapid screening reagents, open 3-day quarantine and the 4-day self-prevention unit is 1 person and 1 room, and rapid screening agents will be carried out on the day of entry and when the quarantine period expires on the third day. Although the date of entry and quarantine "0+7" new system has not been officially finalized during the meeting, Su estimates that it will be implemented around 13 October 2022.
As for the opening of the second stage, it is expected to observe for another week before deciding to increase the total number of entries and other related measures. Su Zhenchang said that the new "0+7" system of entry quarantine in the second stage is expected to be implemented around 13 October 2022. Total entry controls will be eased to 150,000 per week.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that the measures that will be opened in the second phase include exemption from home inspection for immigrants (new entry quarantine "0+7" system), relaxation of total entry control from the current 50,000 people per week to 150,000 people per week, screening tests. The method is to distribute four Antigen Rapid Test/ART kits directly at the airport, and cancel the group restriction order for general social visits and sightseeing.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that the global epidemic has slowed down but it is still severe. The proportion of BA.5 mutant strains has reached more than 90%; the local epidemic has heated up, and BA.5 has gradually become the mainstream strain. It is estimated that the epidemic will continue to rise in the near future, and the authorities will continue to pay close attention. Actively implement relevant epidemic prevention and response work for groups at high risk of severe illness and follow-up epidemic trends, and strengthen the protection of vulnerable groups such as young children and the elderly to reduce the impact of the epidemic.
News (4) to (6) / Reporter : Wu Liangyi / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4065879, https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4065870, https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/4065906
News (4)
The country will open before mid-October, and the next step will be to avoid wearing masks
Image : Command center commander Victor Wang Bisheng. (File photo, provided by the command center)
In response to the local epidemic of Wuhan pneumonia (covid, COVID-19), Wang Bisheng (or Victor Wang), commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center, stated today that the time to unblock the border is likely to be before 15 October 2022, "after that, In the future, there will be basically no need to wear masks, except in exceptional cases, such as on public transport.
In an exclusive interview with the radio station today, Wang Bisheng said that wearing a mask is a relatively simple and effective way to prevent the epidemic, and the cooperation of the Chinese people is quite high. This will be lifted later after the border measures are loosened. He pointed out that in the future, after loosening, it will be mainly not necessary to wear it in principle but it should be worn in other situations.
☆In principle, don't need to wear mask other than on public transport☆
Victor Wang explained that when to wear a mask, he will definitely tell which areas to wear it. For example, it must be worn in a confined space on public transport. He called for wearing a mask to protect against both covid and influenza.
News (5)
Victor Wang: The opening of the country may be "before mid-October"
In response to the covid epidemic, the Republic of China has repeatedly discussed border unblocking and the number of days to lift entry quarantine; Wang Bisheng, commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center, pointed out for the first time today, The time point may be "before October 15". If the Executive Yuan meeting is finalized today, the detailed date will be announced.
In an exclusive interview with the radio today, Wang Bisheng said that if the Executive Yuan will meet this morning, if the final decision is finalized, it will be announced at the press conference after the meeting. Wang Bisheng said that originally, the BA.5 local epidemic must be gradually reopened after the peak of this wave, but it seems that last week may be the peak, and the next week will be an observation period.
Victor Wang said that, of course, the main change is that there are no quarantine days, but there are other relaxation measures. For example, you cannot dine out in the later self-management stage but if you cannot dine, it will be meaningless for sightseeing.
He said that the announcement will definitely be made in advance, so that the public and the tourism industry can prepare for action. The Expert Advisory Committee also agreed that the opening will be done after the domestic epidemic is under control. He also joked that the opening time has absolutely nothing to do with National Day.
News (6)
Inbound saliva screening PCR changed to 4 ART tests, Wang Bisheng: Free travel for foreign tourists will also be opened
In response to the local covid epidemic, the Republic of China will ease entry quarantine measures as soon as before 15 October 2022. Wang Bisheng, commander of the Central Epidemic Command Center, explained on 22 September 2022 that border saliva screening PCR will be changed to fast screening (Antigen Rapid Test or ART) starting next week, and inbound passengers will receive 4 kits of ART, which will be used during the 7-day self-management period, and free travel will also be opened but the schedule is yet to be confirmed.
In an exclusive interview with the radio station today, Victor Wang said that the loosening of the border will allow more passengers to enter the airport, and the number of people at the airport will increase very much. If the saliva PCR continues to be performed, the queue and waiting time will be too long. Inbound passengers will receive 4 doses of rapid screening to be used during a 7-day self-administration period.
Victor Wang said that the command center has already planned how to send quick screening to carry out screening measures when the saliva screening is cancelled. At present, only the implementation time is left to be decided. He pointed out that the quick screening obtained is used during the 7-day self-management period of "0+7", and it is recommended to use it before going out. If it is positive, it will be reported voluntarily.
Besides, "general social visits and sightseeing" will also be allowed, Victor Wang said, that is, free travel is open, and tourists from all over the world can come to Taiwan.
News (7)
Taoyuan Aviation City is launched, and the production area attracts six major companies to enter
Reporter : Zhu Yuqiao / https://estate.ltn.com.tw/article/14800 / Image : The aviation city has entered the substantive development stage, allowing Qingpu to enjoy more benefits and blessings. (provided by the operator)
Aviation City is one of the three key points in the development of Taoyuan, with a total development area of 4,564 hectares, covering Dayuan District and Luzhu District. It has entered the stage of substantial development. The first priority production area is put up for auction. The area of 9 bases is about 52.89 hectares are located on the west side of Xinjie River, the west side of Puxin River and the east side of Nankan River. Six major industries will be introduced, including international logistics, aviation industry, green energy, biotechnology, cloud computing and smart vehicles. There will be seven bases in July this year. Successfully marked, the success rate of investment promotion is nearly 80%, attracting large enterprises to actively rush in.
The results of the bid opening included companies such as Unicom, Starlux Airlines, Yaohua, Dashu Pharmaceutical, Jiance, Zhonghua Trading, and Liou New Energy, with an investment scale of more than NT$20 billion. It is expected that more than 5,000 job opportunities will be created in the future, adding new momentum to the Taoyuan industry.
Chen Xizhen, chairman of Taoyuan Aviation City Company, said that there are two important purposes for setting up the priority production zone of the aviation city. One is to advance the infrastructure construction and development at the same time, so as to promote the advance development of the aviation city. Next is to reduce the burden on the city treasury.
The "Asia. Silicon Valley Innovation R&D Center", which is located next to the A19 station of the Airport MRT and in the Qingpu Special Zone, will integrate the domestic 5G and Internet of Things innovation industries, and will greatly increase the importance of Taoyuan in industrial R&D and industrial upgrading.
This plan is one of the leading plans of the National Development Council's "Asia. Silicon Valley". Currently, the "5G+ Innovative Application Team" is jointly formed by industry-academia organizations such as Chunghwa Telecom Group, Microsoft, Cisco, NTT and Beijing University of Science and Technology. There will be more in the future. The cooperation takes place in Taoyuan.
Chen Xizhen said that the Aviation City Company is actively promoting the new construction of the "Asia-Silicon Valley Innovation and R&D Center", with a total base of 3.81 hectares, which is designed in three phases. IoT showroom. Among them, the IoT exhibition hall will be completed next year and will serve as the World Expo World Pavilion in the World Hakka Exhibition Hall.
The Qingpu Special Economic Zone takes advantage of the core location of Taoyuan. It not only has the national sale development project in front of the high-speed rail station, but also has the blessing of the national aviation city plan. It has become the most potential rezoning area in northern Taiwan. As the development is gradually put in place, the available prime land will become scarcer, and the value of the segment will be further enhanced.
News (8)
The CCP said that after the reunification of the two sides of the strait, "one country, two systems" will be promoted. Chiang Wan-an: Resolutely oppose
Reporter : Cai Sipei / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4066015 / Image : Chiang Wan-an, a candidate for the mayor of Taipei from the Kuomintang. (Photo by reporter Luo Peide)
Ma Xiaoguang, the propaganda director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said on 21 September 2022 that "one country, two systems" will be implemented in Taiwan after the reunification of the two sides of the strait. Chiang Wan-an, a candidate for the Taipei mayoral election of the Kuomintang, said, "The Republic of China is a sovereign and independent country. We firmly defend Taiwan's democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, and we firmly oppose one country, two systems."
The implementation team for the new vision concept of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Park, which was formed spontaneously by the private sector, launched the "Taipei Prospective Mayor Forum" and issued invitation letters to 12 Taipei mayor candidates. Currently, 7 people including Chen Shizhong, Huang Shanshan, and Su Huanzhi are confirmed to attend. As of the Chiang family, the descendant Chiang Wan-an was not able to attend. Chiang attended the Kuomintang Legislative Practice Seminar on 22 September. He explained in an interview before the meeting that the municipality-related itinerary has been arranged that day. He believes that the citizens are more concerned about the specific municipal content, and the attitude is the same. The public is concerned about how to have better municipal services in the future.
The media also asked about the controversy over the bronze statue of Chiang Gong. Jiang Wanan emphasized that his attitude has always been the same, that is, he should not create opposition and hatred in society, but should seek social reconciliation. This is not the most urgent municipal problem to be solved at present, nor is it the public issue that everyone is most concerned about. .
News (9)
Is Victor Wang the younger brother of Chen Shizhong? Jiang Wanan: Both are DPP younger brothers
Reporter : Cai Sipei / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4065989
The Kuomintang continued to attack the DPP mayor candidate Chen Shizhong over the vaccine procurement controversy. Yesterday, he even sued Chen for dereliction of duty. The current commander of the command center, Victor Wang, also responded to the vaccine procurement many times, but was questioned by the outside world as Chen Shizhong's younger brother. Chiang Wan-an, a candidate for the Taipei mayoral election of the Kuomintang, said that both Wang Bisheng and Chen Shizhong's epidemic prevention policies had political considerations.
Chiang Wan-an attended the Kuomintang's legislative practice seminar this morning. In an interview before the meeting, he said that the epidemic prevention policy with political considerations has been the same from before to now, regardless of Wang Bisheng and Chen Shizhong. "It is not so much that Wang Bisheng is Chen Shizhong's younger brother, it is better to say that they are both DPP younger brothers." Chiang also said that if the procurement of vaccines has advanced subordinates and planning in advance, there is no question of whether it is expensive or not. The focus is whether it meets the needs of the epidemic and is reasonable compared with foreign countries.
Chiang Wan-an went to Bailan Market to encourage votes a few days ago, and Chen Shizhong also planned to visit Bailan Market today to encourage votes. As for whether he was worried about being poached, Chiang said that the market is an open field, and everyone can go to the market to pay homage and entrust, without excessive association.
News (10)
Tsai Ing-wen meets Czech delegation. Drajos: Hope for direct flight from Taipei to Prague and strengthen museum exchanges
Reporter : Su Yongyao / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4066042 / Image : President Tsai Ing-wen received a delegation led by the Chairman of the Czech Senate's "Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions Committee" this morning. (Picture taken from Tsai Ing-wen's Facebook video)
President Tsai Ing-wen met this morning with a delegation led by the Chairman of the "Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions Committee" of the Czech Senate. The President expects that Taiwan and Czech Republic will continue to watch each other and insist on defending the values of democracy and freedom. Drajos said the Czech Republic and Taiwan are true friends and share many values, including historical experience in dealing with unfriendly and non-democratic neighbours. Drajos also hopes to facilitate a direct flight route from Taipei to Prague, and the National Palace Museum and the Czech National Museum conduct exhibitions and exchanges.
Tsai Ing-wen said that this is the first visiting delegation from the Czech parliament and executive branch after the visit of the Czech Senate President Vedzi in 2020, which shows that the Republic of China (ROC/Taiwan) and the Czech Republic are countries with similar ideas and solid partners. She thanked Drajos for his long-term support for Taiwan-Czech relations, and the Czech Senate and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives for supporting Taiwan's participation in international organizations. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the Republic of China and the Czech Republic have jointly held epidemic prevention forums and exchanged respirators, masks, vaccines, etc., and are good partners for mutual support.
President Tsai also said that the Republic of China and the Czech Republic share the values of democracy and freedom, know each other, and work together to overcome the challenges of the epidemic. After China's military exercise around Taiwan, Chairman Drajos led a delegation to visit, which further demonstrated the firm concept of mutual support between countries with similar ideas. She also said that in the face of the continuous expansion of authoritarianism, Taiwan looks forward to continuing to watch each other with the Czech Republic, insisting on defending the values of democracy and freedom, bringing good forces to the world together, and making more efforts for global prosperity and development.
Drajos said in his speech, "It is an honour to visit Taiwan. The Czech Republic and the Republic of China are indeed good friends and share many values, including strong freedom and democracy, protection of human rights, attention to minorities, and unfriendly historical experience of dealing with non-democratic neighbours. These also make both countries cherish the value of democracy and freedom more. The great and late Czech President Javier once said that human rights and freedoms are indispensable elements of any meaningful world order. I believe that both the Czech and Taiwanese people resonate very much with this."
Drajos also thanked President Tsai for taking a firm stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, condemning Russia in the early days of the war, and selflessly providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie told him that the people of Taiwan actively donated supplies, so much that the storage space was full, which moved him deeply. The Czech Republic is a key supporter of Ukraine and has helped counter unprovoked and malicious Russian attacks. He is very grateful to President Tsai for her immediate condemnation of the war and her assistance in reconstruction, as Javier put it, indifference to others, that is, indifference to the fate of all people, "exactly opening the door to evil". The Czech Republic has accepted 400,000 Ukrainian refugees, most of whom are elderly and weak, women and children. He thanked Taiwan for providing financial assistance so that the Czech Republic could integrate them into Czech society in the best possible way.
Drajos also described the Republic of China's relationship with the Czech Republic as "the truth in adversity". He is also glad that Taiwan has become an important partner of the Czech Republic. He fully supports the Czech government's statement that Taiwan is the key democratic partner of the Czech Republic in the Indo-Pacific, and it is also the only country with a clear position in the EU. The cooperation between the Czech Republic and Taiwan can and should continue to be strengthened. Among them, the cooperation is aimed at the research and development of semiconductors. He thanked the scholarship for Czech master and doctoral students to study in Taiwan, and for helping to establish a semiconductor research and development centre.
Drajos also said that he understands that participating in international organizations is an important channel for sharing experience. He supports Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations such as the World Health Organization, and participates in the International Civil Aviation Organization, and hopes to facilitate direct flights from Taipei to Prague. Direct flights can bring traffic back to or surpass pre-pandemic levels. At that time, more than 200,000 Taiwanese tourists visited Prague each year, which also had a positive effect on promoting business cooperation. He also appreciates Taiwan's cultural heritage. The Forbidden City is the best museum, and he hopes it will have an exhibition exchange with the Czech National Museum.
News (11)
Biden's speech at the UN General Assembly reiterated that he seeks peace in the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo
Image : Biden delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly, discussing issues such as the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the Taiwan Strait. (AFP)
U.S. President Biden delivered a nearly half-hour speech at the United Nations General Assembly on the 21st. In addition to focusing on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, he also talked about competition with CCP China and the situation in the Taiwan Strait, reiterating that the United States seeks peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and opposes either side changes the status quo unilaterally.
Biden mentioned the competition between the United States and China in his speech, "The United States will pretend to be a rational leader. We do not seek conflict, we do not seek a cold war, and we will not ask other countries to choose between the United States and other countries. The United States, regardless of honor or disgrace, will promote a free, open, secure and prosperous world in our view.”
Biden emphasized that the United States will work diplomatically to reach peaceful resolutions for conflicts around the world. "We seek peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We value the commitment of the one-China policy, which has allowed us to avoid conflicts for 40 years. We also oppose any one-sided change of the status quo.”
In a recent interview with the media, Biden responded affirmatively to questions such as "Whether the U.S. military will defend Taiwan once China invades Taiwan by force?" This is the fourth time Biden has put forward the expression "protecting Taiwan" since last year, and it is also the first time since the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
News (12) to (13) / Reporter : Guan Shuping / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/paper/1541571
News (12)
Biden's speech on Taiwan's protection, US congressmen praised "We are completely standing by Taiwan's side"
On the 20th, the White House once again stated that US President Biden said in a recent interview that the United States would help defend Taiwan. National Security Adviser Sullivan said that Biden's remarks did not reflect the U.S. policy toward Taiwan and any changes. However, a number of US congressmen reiterated their support for Taiwan at a think tank seminar on the same day, "We absolutely need to stand by Taiwan's side to ensure Taiwan's security."
News (13)
Sullivan reiterates: Taiwan policy has not changed
Sullivan pointed out at the White House press conference that Biden's words in his "Sixty Minutes" interview to help defend Taiwan were in response to "hypothetical questions." "When the President of the United States wants to announce a policy change, he will announce it but he did not do so". Sullivan said the U.S. continues the one-China policy, and Biden "reaffirms these fundamental commitments every time he talks about Taiwan, including clearly and unequivocally emphasizing and reiterating the one-China policy during this interview."
Sullivan said that Biden was also asked a similar question in Tokyo in May, and his answer was similar to this time. When asked afterward whether to announce major policy changes, Biden clearly said, "No, I am answering a hypothetical question and did not announce any policy change". As for whether Biden is sending a clear message to China by answering hypothetical questions, Sullivan said Biden was a straight, straight talker.
According to Radio Free Asia and the Central News Agency, Rep. Xia Bo, a member of the "Taiwan Connection" in the U.S. Congress, said he supports Biden's clear statement that if CCP China uses force against Taiwan, the United States will help defend Taiwan and make Taiwan ready. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Xue Ruifu believes that after speaking four times to protect the stage, it is difficult to say that Biden has no such meaning or feeling. "Sometimes the president will speak his mind, no matter how much his staff wants to take it back." As for whether to adjust the U.S. one-China policy, Schriver believes that it is not feasible because it is a bilateral commitment between the United States and China but he also said that considering CCP's behavior and ignoring its own commitments, the significance of the one-China policy is diminishing.
News (14)
Junta soldiers defect, lose ground in Rakhine
Source : Dhaka Tribune
Several Myanmar army soldiers have recently surrendered to the Arakan Army (AA) as the Rakhine-based ethnic armed group gains the upper hand in battles across northern Rakhine and southern Chin states, AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha said on Monday.
He told a press conference that the military is “struggling” as their forces are spread across multiple fronts nationwide, reports Myanmar Now.
“They are not able to use as much force as they did before in battles in Rakhine State,” he explained.
Fighting between the Myanmar military and the AA has intensified in recent weeks, with the junta sending in hundreds of reinforcement troops and the AA seizing multiple military bases and taking control of strategic transportation routes.
Hostilities between the forces resumed earlier this year following an informal ceasefire that began in late 2020 after two years of fierce fighting.
The AA spokesperson claimed on Monday that as a result of the AA advances, an undisclosed number of junta soldiers had also abandoned their posts.
“Many of them have deserted and are on the run now. Many others have already contacted us to either flee or to surrender to us. We are planning to help them,” Khaing Thukha said, adding that his forces would “welcome” such troops.
At the time of reporting, at least 10 Myanmar army soldiers, including officers, had recently surrendered to the AA in Paletwa, Chin State, following battles there.
In June, the AA estimated that more than 100 junta troops had surrendered to them.
Myanmar Now is unable to independently verify the AA’s reports of junta defection.
According to locals, a Myanmar army soldier left his post in Kyauktaw Township in May, followed by two more in early September, along with three officers from a junta border police outpost in Rathedaung Township.
Khaing Thukha speculated that the international isolation of the regime and its failure to gain ground within Myanmar against the resistance were causing members of its armed forces to lose faith in the institution.
The military recently came under criticism by the Bangladesh government, which said it would inform the UN if Myanmar does not cease shelling along its border with Rakhine state. According to a September 17 report in the Dhaka Tribune, the junta has ignored the country’s concerns.
News (15) to (17) / Reporter : Luo Tingting / Editor: Wen Hui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2022/09/22/a103534073.html
News (15)
China's flights were suddenly cancelled on a large scale, 8 airlines lost 380 million RMB a day
In the evening of 21 September 2022, screenshots of large-scale cancellations of flights at airports across China circulated on the Internet, causing concern. Mainland Chinese media said that the large-scale cancellation of flights is not an accident, but the norm since the covid outbreak. In the first half of this year, eight Chinese airlines lost nearly 70 billion RMB or 380 million Dollars a day.
News (16)
Sudden large-scale cancellation of Chinese flights sparks heated debate
According to the screenshots posted on the Internet, a large area of flights across the country were canceled that day, and relevant information can be found on Fei Changzhun, but the reason for the cancellation is unknown.
Image : Screenshot of Weibo
Some screenshots posted by netizens show that 218 flights were cancelled at Nanjing Lukou Airport, 381 at Shanghai Pudong Airport, 145 at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, 108 at Fuzhou Changle, and 41 at Changzhou Benniu Airport.
The news of the sudden and large-scale cancellation of flights across China has appeared on Weibo, and netizens have asked, what happened?
Flight cancellations become the norm under the epidemic, airlines suffer huge losses, and flight attendants also lose their jobs
At 0:00 on 22 September, “First Finance and Economics” responded to the matter and said that after checking the actual flight execution data of the flight steward on 21 September, it was found that as of 10 am on 21 September, the cancellation rate of flights nationwide reached 59.66%.
The report said that the mass cancellation of flights was not sudden, which has been the norm since the covid outbreak.
According to last week's flight statistics released by Flight Manager, the number of flights operated by China's civil aviation is nearly 40,000, a year-on-year decrease of 46.4% in 2021 and a 60.7% decrease from the same period in 2019 before the epidemic. The flight execution rate is only 35.9%.
In the earlier two weeks, the flight execution rate was only 31% and 39.9%, which means that more than 60% of flights were cancelled.
Image : Web Screenshot
According to the report, in the first half of 2022, civil aviation is expected to complete nearly 120 million passenger trips, a year-on-year decrease of 63.4%, a year-on-year decrease of 20.0% in 2020, and a year-on-year decrease of 52.0% in 2021.
According to flight steward data, in the first half of 2022, there were only 1.183 million civil aviation passenger flights, a year-on-year decrease of 54.3%, a year-on-year decrease of 17.0% in 2020, and a year-on-year decrease of 43.0% in 2021.
From March to April 2022, the epidemics in Shenzhen, Shanghai and other places broke out and the cities closed. The number of flights and passengers in April hit the lowest level in the first half of the year, down 78.5% and 85.2% respectively compared with 2019.
The report pointed out that the sharp drop in flight volume and the increase in the cost of fuel oil caused the eight listed airlines to lose nearly 70 billion RMB in the first half of the year, which is equivalent to a loss of 380 million RMB per day.
However, the media's explanation for the large-scale cancellation of flights across the country not only failed to quell public opinion, but also triggered fierce criticism from mainland netizens for the "dynamic clearing" epidemic prevention measures: "If it is normal, explain it." I feel sad." "How to refute the rumour that flights have been cancelled on a large scale? A: We have been canceling large-scale cancellations, so large-scale cancellations are normal."
"Our media is actually unprofessional, pacing is their main purpose, and it doesn't matter what the facts are."
"The sharp drop in the number of flights, combined with the increase in the cost of oil prices, has caused the eight listed airlines to lose nearly 70 billion in the first half of the year, which is equivalent to a loss of 380 million per day. This is the impact of the normal situation of the epidemic. If you fly, there may not be that much. For passengers, there may be more losses.”
Some netizens described their experience of flight cancellations, "The tickets I bought from September 1 have been cancelled every day, and they have been changed more than 20 times, and I haven't traveled yet." "Me too, the tickets from 28 August to Beijing have been cancelled continuously. It took four days, five times and two difficult turns."
A netizen wrote a joke to ridicule "dynamic clearing": "Virus, I am asymptomatic, what do you want me to do, become probiotics?"
Image : Screenshot of Weibo
Netizens responded, "No, you have to continue to destroy you if you become probiotics." "The jokes are endless, who knows who suffers. The three years of tourism, film and catering industries have been severely damaged. I don't know when it will recover?" "Economic development is facing severe challenges. The challenge!" "The flight attendants are also unemployed, and the flight attendants have changed careers."
Some netizens said bluntly, "If the epidemic is not over, there will be no improvement. It is not bad to be able to export now. In two years, there will be epidemics in China, and many production capacity will go abroad. It is too late to remember that the epidemic is over. "
Another netizen replied, "There are not many goods out now, I don't know how Shanghai Port is, Yantian is already dead, and it is the first time I have seen the cabinet without queuing..."
With the 11th week-long holidays approaching, many places across the country once again called on citizens to "celebrate the festival in place". Netizens lamented, "Don't travel unless necessary, don't fly unless necessary, don't live unless necessary."
Image : Screenshot of Weibo
News (17)
China still under lockdown, Biden declares epidemic over
While China is still carrying out a large-scale lockdown and zero epidemic prevention, US President Biden said in an interview with CBS on 18 September 2022 that the epidemic in the United States is over.
In the U.S., where the pandemic seems to have been forgotten, masks are almost gone in public places such as airports, trains and subways, as well as in some indoor venues.
U.S. public health policy and epidemiologists have warned the Chinese authorities that the “zero-covid” policy will exacerbate the “immunity gap” between China and the rest of the world, causing “dynamic clearing” to become a continuous and repetitive operation.
News (18) to(19) / Reporter : Lin Yan / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/9/22/n13829972.htm
News (18)
What information did Yang Jiechi and Wang Xiaohong reveal after meeting with Russian officials
Nikkei Asia columnist Katsuji Nakazawa wrote an analysis on Thursday (22 September). In many ways, Xi Jinping is keeping a distance from Putin.
The summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was in stark contrast to the February 24 meeting in Beijing. At their last meeting, Xi and Putin said there were no limits to their cooperation. At the same time, Yang Jiechi and Wang Xiaohong subsequently invited Putin allies and Russian officials to China for talks, which also revealed the same signal.
"The shift in China's stance reflects Beijing's urgent need to distance itself from Putin's war of aggression, especially as Russian troops fall in eastern Ukraine," Nakazawa wrote. "It needs to change course while maintaining Xi Jinping's prestige."
He said how to handle Putin's Ukraine invasion has been a challenge for Xi, who will seek to stay in power at the 20th Party Congress on Oct. 16.
"Meeting with Putin will not be a problem," Nakazawa said. In the foreseeable future, in the face of fierce competition with the United States, Beijing wants to maintain cooperation with Russia, a country that is also a military power.
"However Beijing also needs to remove the downside that it fully supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which clearly violates the sovereignty of smaller countries."
Well-designed opening remarks
Nakazawa said that the opening remarks of the conference were designed to prevent Beijing from touching the content of the Ukrainian war in official announcements, and to give Putin a way to explain the Ukrainian war situation in a way that the world can understand.
"This may not be Putin's ideal playbook, but the Russian leader has little influence at this stage, and compromise is inevitable," he said.
Li Zhanshu, a close aide to Xi and chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress, is the party's No. 3 figure, and he visited Moscow before the general meeting to pave the way for a meeting between the two leaders.
Li Zhanshu held talks with Putin on 7 September in Vladivostok in the Russian Far East.
"(Li Zhanshu) made various arrangements in advance for the China-Russia summit, including in Vladivostok," a source from a country participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit told Nikkei Asia.
Afterwards, before attending the SCO meeting, Xi Jinping flew to Kazakhstan to receive a red carpet welcome.
Then Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov warmly welcomed Xi Jinping at Samarkand Airport.
When Putin arrived at Samarkand airport, he was only greeted by Prime Minister Aripov. Nakazawa said it was clearly an asymmetrical reception.
In addition, when taking a group photo with the leaders of the SCO summit, Uzbekistan President Mirziyoyev first politely expressed his respect for Xi Jinping before talking to Putin. This is seen by the outside world as an intentional behaviour.
For Putin, Samarkand must be a bed of nails, Nakazawa said.
CCP media focus on Putin's situation this time
Chinese state media did not report what Putin said to Xi about the war in Ukraine during the SCO summit but some Chinese media reported that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Putin that "this is not the time for war".
Nakazawa said that the CCP media’s official announcement showed the change in the CCP’s diplomatic stance by introducing Putin’s current situation.
This may be related to the fact that the CCP's propaganda has maintained a pro-Russian stance in the past seven months. If it suddenly turns around, it may be difficult for people to accept.
It is also worth noting that Xi Jinping did not attend the SCO dinner with other leaders.
Although it is said that taking precautions against the COVID-19 virus before the convening of the 20th Party Congress is the reason for his absence from the dinner, not wanting the smiles of him at dinner with Putin to spread around the world may also be another reason.
News (19)
Yang Jiechi and Wang Xiaohong meet Putin allies and release new signals
Four days after attending the General Conference on 15 September 2022, Yang Jiechi, China's top diplomat, met Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council and a close ally of Putin, in Fujian to discuss strategic security.
It is worth noting that the Chinese side said in a statement after the meeting that the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on Ukraine and other issues. At the same time, the statement said, this is to implement the consensus reached by the heads of state of China and Russia during the SCO Samarkand summit.
However Xi Jinping did not publicly mention the situation in Ukraine during his meeting with Putin in Samarkand. According to a statement from the Chinese government, Xi said that China is "willing to work with Russia to reflect the responsibility of a major country, play a leading role, and help the chaos intertwined. The world infuses stability". Some experts said the statement sounded like blaming Moscow for the destabilization of the invasion.
Equally important, Wang Xiaohong also attended the meeting between Yang Jiechi and Patrushev. Wang, a close aide to Xi Jinping, was recently promoted to minister of public security and deputy secretary of the Communist Party's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
On the same day, Patrushev also held Russia-China consultations with Guo Shengkun, secretary of the Central Political and Legal Committee, on issues of public security, justice and public order.
"What China wants to say is that its security cooperation with Russia focuses on public security and counter-terrorism, not military affairs," Nakazawa explained.
News (20)
The Department of Justice is planning to create an "October Surprise"? Trump: FBI has been "weaponized"
Reporter : Zhong Xuan / Editor: Zhang Lili / https://www.soundofhope.org/post/655992 / Image : Zach Gibson/Getty Images
On 20 September 2022, Raymond Dearie, the special prosecutor selected by the Trump team, met with Trump's legal team and the Department of Justice in New York. The prosecutor held a hearing and outlined his plans for an independent review of the files seized during the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ordered Derie to complete an independent review of the files seized by the FBI from Mar-a-Lago by 30 November. These include categorizing and marking files, which are personal, which are protected by the attorney-client privilege, and which are classified documents.
Derie met with Trump's lawyers and government attorneys for the first time in federal court in Brooklyn and said he had little time ahead of the court-imposed deadline with 11,000 documents to review.
During the nearly 45-minute hearing, Derie will confirm that by Friday (23 September), the Trump team and the Justice Department have been designated companies that can scan seized files and that lawyers for both parties can begin to discuss a certain whether these documents have administrative or attorney-client privilege.
The Justice Department is now appealing to the 11th Circuit to dismiss Judge Cannon's stay of their investigation. Trump's lawyers also appealed to the 11th Circuit, asking the judge to reject the Justice Department's request to uphold Judge Cannon's decision. Trump's lawyers also objected to Derie's immediate sharing of declassified details of documents seized by the FBI.
The 11th Circuit's chief justices are pro-life conservative Justice William Pryor Jr. and conservative Justice Clarence Thomas.
According to Alina Habba, one of Trump's lawyers, with the November election just around the corner, Democrats want to give the nation an "October surprise," so they have wanted to appeal and look at the documents at the same time as the special prosecutor. It can hurt Trump and the Republican Party before the midterm elections.
Special Prosecutor Derie said he was reluctant to look at the unclassified documents and Trump's lawyers said thse documents were declassified but the Democrats said they were not declassified. Hiring special prosecutors is mainly to distinguish between what is declassified and what is not declassified. If Derie does not want to see it, it is really troublesome.
Trump's lawyer, James Trusty, believes that Trump can declassify any files he wants while he is president of the United States. Under the Presidential Archives Act, the president does have unrestricted access.
Trump told Newsmax on 20 September, "I did nothing wrong", "The Presidential Archives Act should have a process but the Department of Justice and the Biden administration are trying to make a big fuss about these documents. The leadership of the Department of Justice has "weaponized" the Justice Department and the FBI, which has never happened in the United States."
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