Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on disease control, covi traceability, CCP, Russia, U.S., Japan, Ukraine, Taiwan, Honduras
News (1)
Influenza A is raging, Beijing kindergartens fall, and the origin of the covid virus refers to Wuhan again
Reporter : Wang Yanqiao / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/03/22/a103673808.html / Image : Video Screenshot
The so-called H1N1 epidemic in China is raging, and many children in Beijing have been infected. The situation in many places is similarly not optimistic. At the same time, the international community is increasingly focusing on the origin of the CCP’s covid virus (covi, CCP virus, novel coronavirus), pointing directly at Wuhan.
People in Beijing: "Recently, because of influenza A, I haven't sent Yiyi to kindergarten for the time being. Last Friday, I sent them to a class of only nine children. Recently, influenza A in Beijing is quite fierce. Many friends and family members around me The children were all recruited."
On 20 March 2023, experts from the Chinese Communist Party said that the so-called influenza A flu began to rise in early February and reached its peak in mid-March, and admitted that the current infection rate is still high.
Guo Tantan, general medical manager of Beijing United Family Hospital: "I thought the influenza A epidemic was coming to an end. But I didn't expect that I saw all patients with influenza A today, and there was no decrease at all. This is really strange. It is now 21 March. This influenza A is still there, or I don’t know where else, anyway, in my clinic today, all I see are patients with influenza A, and it doesn’t seem to be decreasing at all.”
People in Shandong: "Now influenza A is very common in our place. Let me take my family as an example and talk about its symptoms. It is almost the same, that is, fever, fever for the first few days, and then coughing for several days. Even the cough was at night, and I was very suffocated and couldn’t breathe. Finally, I went to get injections for five or six days, but it still didn’t help.”
Due to the opacity of the CCP’s data, the epidemic situation in China remains a mystery. Many people have questioned the so-called “influenza A” because the authorities continue to cover up the “CCP’s covid virus”.
People in Hebei: "Recently, I always feel that we have reached the peak of influenza A virus infection. Influenza A occurs every year, but this year it is surprisingly severe."
The international community is increasingly focusing on the origin of covi. The CCP CDC once uploaded the sample data of the covi collected in the South China Market in Wuhan in January 2020 to the Global Influenza Sharing Database (GISAID), and then the Center deleted this data "again".
Recently, after analysis by some international experts, they found that the epidemic may have originated from an animal named "raccoon dog", in the animal market in Wuhan. On 17 March 2023, the WHO accused the CCP of concealing the data related to the epidemic three years ago, and now deleted it again, demanding that the CCP "immediately share the missing evidence with the international community."
In addition, on the day Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow, on 20 March 2023, US President Biden signed a bill requiring the declassification of intelligence related to the origin of the "CCP virus". Biden also stated in his statement that he would continue to review confidential information related to the origin of the pandemic. "Including potential links to the Chinese Communist Party's Wuhan Institute of Virology."
News (2) to (3) / Report by : Smirity Mallapaty / https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00827-2
News (2)
What scientists think about covid-origins study linking racoon dogs to Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market
Original title: COVID-origins study links raccoon dogs to Wuhan market: what scientists think
Image :Two raccoon dogs in a Chinese market. This species' DNA was found in positive COVID swabs taken from the Huanan market from where COVID is thought to have spread.Credit: Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
Some scientists say the analysis provides new evidence supporting the hypothesis that the virus that causes COVID-19 spilled over from an animal — but falls short of definitive proof.
Raccoon dogs, bamboo rats, palm civets are some of the animals whose DNA has been found in swabs taken from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, which has been linked to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. The swabs also tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease. The analysis — posted on 20 March to the research repository Zenodo1 — provides evidence supporting the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 spilled over from animals to humans at the market, say some researchers.
“Of course, this is not direct evidence,” says Leo Poon, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, “but this is the best we can get now, because all the animals have been eliminated from the market and we don’t have swabs of the animals.”
On 16 March, The Atlantic first reported on the analysis. The Zenodo posting, which has not been peer reviewed, is the first time that the full work has been released publicly — which could pave the way for follow-up studies, such as an investigation of where the animals in the market came from.
The swabs were collected in early 2020, after the market was shut down and cleared of animal products.
The researchers were specifically interested in looking for evidence of mammals, which could have been intermediate hosts of the virus. They identified near-complete mitochondrial DNA sequences — some 16,000-base-pairs long — for five species of wildlife, including raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura), Amur hedgehog (Erinaceus amurensis), masked palm civet (Paguma larvata) and hoary bamboo rat (Rhizomys pruinosus). “It’s remarkable to have a list,” says study co-author Alex Crits-Christoph, who is a computational biologist at a non-profit organization, and is based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Particularly notable was the raccoon dog mitochondrial DNA found in six samples from two stalls. Research has shown that raccoon dogs — small fox-like animals — are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, and can spread the infection to other raccoon dogs without showing clear signs of sickness. Raccoon dogs and masked palm civets have also been found with infections of viruses that are almost identical to the one that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which is related to SARS-CoV-2 and caused an outbreak in people in 2003. And work in palm-civet cells indicates that the creatures could possibly become infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Studies suggest that a progenitor of SARS-CoV-2 probably originated in bats, but how it passed from bats to people is not clear. Scientists suspect an intermediate host was involved, but they have not found strong evidence, which has led to speculation that the virus could have instead leaked — deliberately or accidentally — from a laboratory in Wuhan.
The new study does not confirm whether the animals themselves were infected with the virus. But establishing that the animals were present at the market supports the hypothesis that the pandemic had an animal origin, say some researchers.
The information could be used to track where the animals in the market came from, which could inform efforts to understand the pandemic’s start.
Others are more cautious about drawing conclusions on the origins of the pandemic from the analysis. The work confirms which animal species were at the market, but because it includes only samples that had tested positive, “there is no data in this work associating SARS-CoV-2 with the presence of any of these animals”, says Justin Kinney, a quantitative biologist at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York.
“These data do not provide a definitive answer to the question of how the pandemic began,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), at a press event on 17 March, after he had been briefed in advance of the report’s release. “But every piece of data is important in moving us closer to that answer,” he said.
News (3)
Appearance and disappearance of the data
The swabs were originally referred to in a preprint paper by George Gao2, former director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control (China CDC) and colleagues, posted on Research Square in February 2022. Researchers have asked for that data to be made public on several occasions, without success.
But Florence Débarre, an evolutionary biologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, who is also a co-author on the latest report, discovered the data almost by chance on the public data repository GISAID on 4 March. “Basically, [they’re] the ones we’ve been waiting for, for a year,” she says.
In total, Débarre and her colleagues downloaded around half a terabyte of genomic data from some 50 samples. The data included almost all the swabs taken from drains, market stalls and the ground between January and February 2020 that had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. “We’re talking about millions and millions of sequencing reads,” says Crits-Christoph.
But soon after the researchers downloaded the data, it disappeared from public view on GISAID.
A spokesperson for GISAID told Nature in an e-mail that it does not delete records, but that contributors often update their records, and, during that time, records “become temporarily invisible”. The market-swab data “are currently being updated with newer and additional data as part of a manuscript currently under review”. (The Gao paper is marked as ‘under review’ at Nature Portfolio Nature’s news team is independent of its publisher Springer Nature, which publishes Nature Portfolio.)
Débarre and her colleagues say they reached out to authors of the preprint to collaborate on the analysis, but the China CDC declined. On 14 March, her colleagues, as well as members of the China CDC, presented their work to the WHO at a meeting of the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens, a body tasked with investigating outbreaks, including the origins of SARS-CoV-2.
At the WHO press briefing on 17 March, Tedros called on the China CDC researchers to be transparent in sharing data. “These data could have and should have been shared three years ago,” he said.
Gao did not respond to Nature’s requests for comment.
Débarre recognizes that it has taken a long time to share this data, but acknowledges the environmental sampling and sequencing work conducted by the China CDC. “They did what needed to be done,” she says. “We wouldn’t have this data, if it wasn’t for their work.”
Wild match
Previous studies have found that Chinese bamboo rats (Rhizomys sinensis) and raccoon dogs were sold at the Huanan market between May 2017 and November 20193, and that several stalls were probably selling live or freshly killed mammals or other meat products4. The data confirm that “exactly what we thought was there in the market, was there in the market”, says Joel Wertheim, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of California, San Diego, and another co-author of the analysis.
The area where most of the SARS-CoV-2-positive samples clustered was also where most of the samples containing wild-animal DNA were found, which Poon says “agrees with the hypothesis that maybe the virus came from animals”. Positive swabs from the eastern section of the market primarily contained human DNA — suggesting that there was some human-to-human transmission at the market in early 2020, says Poon.
In one sample from a cart used to move cages, the researchers found RNA and DNA that matched the raccoon-dog genome, and very little that matched the human genome. “The most logical hypothesis is that raccoon dogs were infected by SARS-CoV-2 and shed the virus,” says Poon.
But it is possible that the site was contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 RNA from other sources. “There is no evidence that the virus came from an infected raccoon dog; it could just as easily have come from an infected person,” says Kinney.
More data
Many more forensic insights could still come from the data if they were made public again, says Crits-Christoph. For example, by looking at the ratio of RNA to DNA for different animal species, researchers could determine how recently those animals were present at the market, because DNA typically persists in the environment longer than RNA does. But more details are needed about how the samples were collected, processed and sequenced, says Wertheim.
A close study of the RNA data could possibly determine whether the animals at the market were sick, adds Crits-Christoph. Does it seem like the creatures were in “a disease state, or a healthy state?” he asks. “There’s all sorts of wonderful, complex questions in the data.”
There are more data that have not yet been shared — including environmental swabs that were negative for SARS-CoV-2, and detailed virus data. Those data are important to analyse, to get a better picture of what was happening at the market, says Wertheim.
Ref.: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00827-2
Updates & Corrections
Correction 21 March 2023: This article originally stated that Debarre presented the group’s findings to the WHO. It was her colleagues Michael Worobey, Edward Holmes and Kristian Andersen. The text has been corrected.
References
Crits-Christoph, A. et al. Preprint at Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7754299 (2023).
Gao, G. et al. Preprint at Research Square https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1370392/v1 (2022).
Xiao, X. et al. Sci. Rep. 11, 11898 (2021).
Worobey, M. et al. Science 377, 951–959 (2022).
News (4)
The U.S. State Department’s Human Rights report exposes 25 Violations by the CCP
Editing : Zhong Yuan / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/03/21/a103673469.html / Image : Video Screenshot
On 20 March 2023, the U.S. State Department released the 2022 "Report on Human Rights by Countries", and the part about CCP China listed 25 human rights violations. U.S. State Department officials said the Chinese Communist Party's practice of live organ harvesting remains a concern for them.
The "Report on Human Rights by Countries" released by the US State Department named the CCP, Russia, Iran and other countries with poor human rights record.
The section on China is 87 pages long and lists 25 human rights violations committed by the CCP, including politically motivated killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture and ill-treatment, denial of open and fair trials, transnational repression, detention of political prisoners as well as severely restricting people's speech, religious freedom, and official corruption.
Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping: "From this report, it can be seen that its violations of Chinese people's human rights are all-round, and these years have become more and more serious. The CCP's human rights violations listed in the report are all corresponding facts, that is, there are characters and events, and many of them are my friends or lawyers."
Many political prisoners are still serving their sentences in prison or are still being detained after being released from prison, the report said, including human rights lawyers Xia Lin, Gao Zhisheng, Xu Zhiyong, Tang Jitian, Chang Weiping, and Li Yuhan. Activists Wang Bingzhang and Chen Jianfang, founder of 64 Tianwang Huang Qi, citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, Falun Gong practitioner Bian Lichao, etc.
The report pointed out that genocide and crimes against humanity are still continuing in Xinjiang. More than 1 million people have been arbitrarily detained or severely deprived of their liberty. They have also suffered mass abuse, forced birth control or abortion, and forced labor.
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken criticized the CCP for its continued human rights violations at the report conference.
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken: "Including genocide and crimes against humanity committed against the Uyghurs, the repression of Tibetans, the suppression of fundamental rights in Hong Kong, and the targeting of individuals exercising fundamental freedoms in mainland China."
"Despite this, we have seen people of courage and conscience, at great personal risk, stand up for human rights, the well-being of their communities and the future of their country," Blinken said in a statement.
The human rights report released by the United States also mentioned the issue of organ harvesting by the CCP, and included the latest evidence of the CCP’s live organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners and others.
Wu Shaoping, a Chinese human rights lawyer: "The human rights report released by the United States lists, including the CCP's persecution of freedom of religious belief, including the Falun Gong group, and specifically mentions the issue of organ transplantation, all of which are supported by detailed facts but the CCP never admits these things, and even treats the criticism of the United States in a backward way.”
The Epoch Times reporter asked at the press conference, "What measures will the State Council take to end this atrocity?"
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Barclay: "We're tracking this issue, and I'm aware of it, and organ harvesting has always been part of the human rights report. It's been mentioned in the report. We'll continue to use it as a broad human rights and population issue to pay attention to the issue of trafficking.”
Wang Zhiyuan, chairman of WOIPFG, said that governments of all countries should pay attention and take action to crack down on the CCP's crime of live organ harvesting.
Wang Zhiyuan, Chairman of WOIPFG: "The CCP's live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners, this large-scale massacre involving live organ harvesting spread across the country. It started at the end of 1999 and has continued until now. WOIPFG started in 2006. The systematic investigation started in March 2009, and has been conducted until now. It can be said that WOIPFG has obtained enough evidence to bring the CCP to court for its state crimes.”
In July 1999, the CCP launched a brutal suppression of the Falun Gong group who practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. In 2006, the CCP’s crime of live organ harvesting was exposed internationally. In recent years, the European Parliament and dozens of states and cities in the United States have issued resolutions condemning the act of live organ harvesting, and at the same time proposed bills aimed at holding the perpetrators accountable.
News (5)
Chinese young people are praying to God and worshiping Buddha more and more, the official media publishes criticisms but is refuted
Reporter : Li Jin / Editor : Li Qiong / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/3/21/n13955447.htm
In recent years, Chinese temple attractions have gradually become destinations for young people to check in on weekends. The CCP’s official media published an article criticizing young people for not “struggling for communism.” , Instead, the media criticize young people for entering temples to pray to idols and worship Buddha, but was refuted by netizens.
Recently, according to data from Ctrip, an online ticketing platform in mainland China, since February this year, the post-90s and post-00s accounted for nearly 50% of the people who booked tickets for temple scenic spots. Young people are becoming the main force of temple tourism.
Unlike the retirees, who have more flexible schedules, weekends are a popular time for young people to go to temples. Data from Ctrip shows that since the beginning of this year, the number of ticket orders for temple-related scenic spots has increased by 310% year-on-year.
In this regard, the CCP's official media "Beijing News" published a commentary on 21 March saying that young people are also facing a lot of pressure nowadays, such as taking postgraduate entrance examinations, finding good jobs, and getting rid of being single. Under pressure, the young people looked for channels to release stress and transfer anxiety, and chose temples full of incense and solemn treasures.
However, the article said, "It is unreliable to pray to God and Buddhas after all." Sesame lost watermelon."
The above-mentioned "Beijing News" commentary article caused many netizens to refute it.
Some netizens said: "If the price of a good life keeps rising but the rewards of struggle remain unchanged, can you get a good life by striving? If the price of a good life rises according to your savings, you save 5,000, good Life costs 50,000, you have worked hard to save 10,000, and a good life will give you 100,000, can you get a good life through hard work?"
"When the belief is shattered, you have to change to another belief. You can't force others to believe in yours, right? Do you really think you can control everyone's thinking?"
"Because young people have already understood that platform is more important than hard work, reincarnation is more important than struggle, and luck is more important than strength."
"People who are full come to tell those who want to eat, don't eat too much, but they haven't eaten yet? What right do the official mouthpieces have to judge others' beliefs and behaviour?"
"If it's really useful to go to school, what's the point of offering incense? Instead of thinking about why young people lie down and why they are passionate about idols and Buddhas, they criticize condescendingly. Are you embarrassed?"
The significance of "lying flat"
The so-called "lying flat" by netizens is an online term that has become popular in mainland China since 2021. It refers to the young people born in the 90s and 00s who, under the background of the continuous economic decline in China, the difficulty of social class mobility, and the intensification of social conflicts caused by the CCP’s extreme containment measures against the epidemic, made out of disappointment with the real environment. It is better to choose the attitude of "lying flat" and having no desires and demands" instead of following the social expectations and persisting in striving.
"Lying flat" is regarded as a way to fight against the "involution" of society. Its specific connotations include not buying a house, not buying a car, not falling in love, not getting married, not having children, low-level consumption, and maintaining the minimum standard of living, refusing to be money-making machines for Chinese capitalists and slaves exploited by Chinese capitalists.
News (6)
At that time, the police and the army were about to rebel, because they could survive
Editor : Fang Xun / https://www.aboluowang.com/2023/0321/1879931.html, https://t.co/7BVsqMSmeN pic.twitter.com/rwc8PRpK6p
Now, there is no money to pay teachers. In the future, there will be no money to pay the police. In the future, there will be no money to pay salaries to the army. The printing machine is used to pay wages, and the money paid in the morning can buy a bag of millet, but only half a bag of millet can be bought in the afternoon. At that point, both the police and the army rebelled, because they could still survive if they rebelled, and if they continued to hang out with the dictator, they would either be starved to death or beaten to death. Raise a bunch of dogs, point and bite, look majestic. When there is dog food, the dog helps the owner to bite the troublemaker. When there is no dog food, the dog is very hungry and will eat the owner.
News (7)
Ignoring International Arrest Warrant, Xi Jinping Invites Putin to visit China this year
Editor : Wen Hui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/03/22/a103673882.html
Xi Jinping, the leader of the Communist Party of China who is visiting Russia, invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Beijing this year, which has attracted attention. A few days ago, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
The Russian state news agency TASS reported that when Xi Jinping met with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on March 21, he said that he had invited Putin to visit China this year and attend the "Belt and Road" international forum.
In addition to Putin, Xi Jinping also invited Mishustin to visit Beijing to establish a "good interactive" relationship with the new Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
It is worth mentioning that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has recently issued an arrest warrant against Putin, accusing Putin of forcibly deporting Ukrainian children since his aggression against Ukraine, and demanding that 123 states parties around the world, as long as Putin appears In the territory, he must be arrested.
On the day (17th) when the arrest warrant was issued, the CCP officially announced Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Russia. On the first day of his arrival in Russia on the 20th, Xi Jinping held closed-door talks with Putin for four and a half hours, and issued a joint statement from the two sides the next day.
The Chinese Communist Party officially described Xi Jinping's visit as a "peace trip" and called for a ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine but international public opinion believes that Xi Jinping's trip has another purpose.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, "I don't think you can reasonably look at the impartiality of China in any way."
Kirby said at a news conference on Tuesday (21st) that "any ceasefire that does not address the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine will be tantamount to effectively authorizing Russia's illegal occupation."
The day before, US Secretary of State Blinken issued a more stern warning, emphasizing Xi Jinping's visit, saying that after the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin, China would not condemn the atrocities committed by Russia in the Russia-Ukraine war but would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit these crimes.
Zhang Tianliang, a Chinese historian and political commentator, believes that the purpose of Xi Jinping's visit to Russia this time is to build a "community with a shared future for mankind" with Putin and challenge the post-World War II international order maintained by the United States and the European Union.
Current affairs commentator Qin Peng analyzed in the program "News Talk" a few days ago that as long as the CCP does not condemn Russia's invasion and does not press Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, no matter how high-sounding the CCP's propaganda is, the so-called "persuading peace and promoting talks" and "Mediation" is all fake.
Video (1)
The CCP secretly sent drones to help Russia, and was exposed by the New York Times! Britain's "most powerful armor-piercing projectile" will help Ukraine fight back
News (8) to (12) / Editor: Tang Wei Ni / https://www.chinanews.com.cn/gj/2023/03-22/9976424.shtml
News (8)
The "arrest" that Trump was waiting for did not come...
Image : Thousands of Trump supporters demonstrated on the streets, New York police set up barricades to prevent riots. Source: China News Network
At this moment, US time has entered the 22nd. However, the big news that former US President Trump "spoiled" his "arrest" on the 21st did not happen.
However, the New York police have set up roadblocks in recent days to prevent their supporters from violently protesting again.
A notice caused a thousand waves. The courts are under pressure, 36,000 police officers are on standby in New York, and bipartisan criticism is tearing apart the United States again... Has Trump's "wishful thinking" come true?
News (9)
Must appear in court. It's not the 21st, will it be next week?
On the 18th, Trump posted on his own social media platform "Real Social" that New York prosecutors are investigating a case. He expects to be arrested on March 21, calling on supporters to protest and support him. "Take the country back".
Trump is referring to the case that prosecutors say he allegedly paid "hush money" to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. However, Trump has firmly denied this and called the related investigation a "witch hunt." .
The outside world has been paying close attention to whether he will be arrested on this day in the past two days. Now it seems that this major event did not happen.
According to Fox News citing sources from law enforcement agencies, the New York court jury plans to hear new witness testimony on 22 March, and it is unlikely to approve criminal charges against Trump in advance.
According to the report, "law enforcement agencies are not expected to read the charges against Trump before next week, because the Manhattan grand jury has been secretly studying the evidence for weeks and will hear another new witness on the 22nd."
In addition, the source also said that on the 20th, the New York court discussed behind closed doors how to arraign Trump, excluding the possibility of his remote participation. This means that Trump may have to appear in court to answer related charges.
News (10)
36,000 New York police officers on standby, Will the "Capitol Hill Riot" repeat itself?
The Manhattan prosecutor's office and relevant law enforcement agencies are conducting a security assessment regarding Trump's possible arrival in New York for criminal arraignment. At that time, they will seal off the area, activate generators, set up more roadblocks and police to fully guarantee logistics.
On the 21st, the New York City Police Department ordered 36,000 police officers in the city to wear uniforms and set up roadblocks around the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Trump Tower to prevent Trump supporters from Large-scale violent protests will be held again to avoid a repeat of the "Capitol Hill riots" in 2021.
On 21 March 2023, local time, New York police patrolled around the court.
In addition to the New York police, the Capitol Hill police in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, are also preparing for possible public disorder on the 21st, including setting up roadblocks and increasing police force.
According to Bloomberg News, if Trump is charged with criminal charges, he may need to go from his home in Florida to New York to undergo procedures such as fingerprinting and facial photography, but he may not be brought in front of the camera or locked up in handcuffs. In the detention room.
For Trump, who is again seeking to enter the White House in 2024, if he is criminally prosecuted, he will not only be deeply involved in the vortex of public opinion, but will also make him the first former president of the United States to be criminally prosecuted, which will make history .
News (11)
Bipartisan attacks tear America apart again. Has Trump's "wishful thinking" come true?
It is worth noting that when Trump released the news of his arrest, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office had not taken any action. Trump may have other "wishful thinking" in his eagerness to disclose the relevant news.
The US media pointed out that Trump seems to want to arouse the anger of supporters before the Manhattan District Attorney makes an official announcement, in order to win the support of public opinion and raise campaign funds.
According to Politico, about 200 members of the New York Young Republican Club, headquartered in Manhattan, planned to hold a rally near the court after Trump's "announcement" was issued.
On 20 March 2023, local time, Trump supporters protested in front of the New York City Criminal Court.
At the same time, on some ultra-conservative websites, some users even called for a "national strike" and called on "all patriots to stop America from functioning," expressing their protest against the possible prosecution of Trump by the prosecution.
In addition, Trump has also won the support of many Republicans on this matter. House Speaker McCarthy "shelled" prosecutor Bragg for "abusing power" and trying to "subvert American democracy," saying that the House of Representatives would launch an investigation. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan also organized a joint letter to put pressure on Bragg, saying the actions of the district attorney's office "will undermine people's confidence in the fairness of justice."
Bragg responded by saying, "If there is a threat against the prosecutor's office, our law enforcement officers will conduct a full investigation...We will not tolerate any attempt to intimidate the prosecutor's office or threaten the rule of law in New York."
Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi also lashed out at Trump. She said in a statement, "Trump not only disrespected the election, but also incited violence. He cannot hide his illegal behavior."
The American Cable News Network (CNN) pointed out that the political divisions caused by the trial of a former president may not be in the broader national interests of the United States and will lead to more divisions in society.
News (12)
Is a blessing or a curse? The 2024 presidential election is harder to predict
Regardless of whether Trump is ultimately prosecuted or arrested, Agence France-Presse pointed out that this case that has caused a storm of public opinion has marked an "explosive" and "unpredictable" development in the 2024 presidential election.
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has said that if Trump is arrested, it may increase his approval rating, which will win him a lot of "sympathy." Twitter CEO Elon Musk also tweeted that if Trump were indicted, he would win "by a landslide".
However, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll results, about 44% of Republicans believe that if Trump is indicted, he should withdraw from the presidential race.
Since there is no law in the U.S. Constitution that a person who has been criminally prosecuted or convicted cannot participate in the election or become the President of the United States, even if Trump is eventually criminally prosecuted, he still has the right to continue to participate in the election.
However, in addition to the "hush money" case, the former president was also involved in the Mar-a-Lago confidential documents case and the "Capitol Hill Riot" case.
According to "USA Today" statistics, Trump and his companies have been involved in more than 4,000 lawsuits and judicial investigations in the past 30 years. Among them, Trump was named in at least 169 lawsuits in federal court.
Although the lawsuit-ridden Trump was not "arrested" on the day he predicted, the outside world believes that the day when he will be prosecuted may not be far away.
News (13)
New York Manhattan court receives bomb threat ahead of Trump case
Editor : He Luman / https://www.chinanews.com.cn/gj/2023/03-22/9976271.shtml
According to U.S. media reports, on 21 March 2023, a Manhattan court in New York received a bomb threat call—just before the court was preparing to hear a lawsuit against former President Trump.
According to reports, court spokesman Lucien Chalfin confirmed to the media that the police had launched an investigation into the threat and a search was carried out after the court was closed, but the police did not find the bomb mentioned.
New York State Attorney General Zhan Lexia previously filed a civil lawsuit accusing Trump, his company and family of inflating the value of their real estate assets.
After the bomb threat came out, Trump publicly attacked James on social media, saying Congress should investigate her and slamming the lawsuit as "completely bogus."
Image : Web Screenshot
Trump said on his social media "Real Social": "While Congress is doing this, they should look at the corrupt New York Attorney General Lexia , who only has one "I will bring Trump down" slogan and she didn't know anything about me." He went on to say the lawsuit was "completely bogus."
The bomb threat comes as law enforcement prepares for potential protests that day as Trump expects to be "arrested in Manhattan" over his alleged "porn star" Stormy Daniels payment for "hush money".
Trump said on the 18th that he expected to be arrested on the 21st. He called on supporters to protest against it, raising fears of possible violence. He had previously called on his supporters to protest the results of the 2020 U.S. election, followed by violent riots in the Capitol.
News (14)
DeSantis: Can beat Biden in 2024 presidential election
Reporter : Li Xin / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/3/21/n13955467.htm / Image : Florida Gov. DeSantis said he is confident he can beat Biden in the 2024 race. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, Kathy DeSantis, speak during an election vigil at the Tampa Convention Center on 8 November 2022. (Giorgio VIiera / AFP)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Ron DeSantis) said he is confident that he can defeat the incumbent President Biden in the 2024 election .
In an article published by the New York Post on Tuesday (21 March), British journalist and television personality Piers Morgan wrote that DeSantis made it clear in an interview that if he participated in the 2024 Presidential campaign, he is confident of winning.
"If I ran," he said confidently, "I'd run against Biden. Like we (him and Trump) were running for the Republican Party, potentially. I get that, but in the end you know I'm going to be the one who is concerned is Biden because I think he has failed the country. I think the country needs to change. I think they want a fresh start and a new direction, so we're going to speak up about that."
"Do you think you can beat Biden?" Morgan asked.
"I think so," DeSantis replied without hesitation.
He plans to build on his success in last year's midterm elections.
"I won the independents by 18 points," DeSantis said, "so it's going to be the same formula that we want to use, honestly, forget me, I think anybody should adopt such a formula within the national scope."
"Republicans alone can't win." DeSantis continued, "You have to win the support of independents, you need to convince some of these Democrats, I did it in Florida, because they are not awakened (woke) faction, they don’t like some of the stuff that’s being bullshit. They want their streets to be safe, they want a high-quality education. So I think you can appeal to all of them.”
"One of the interesting things about my election," DeSantis said, "is that voters in Florida overwhelmingly think the country is on the wrong track but they think Florida is on the right track. So, they saw a difference in how it was governed."
DeSantis did not say much about his ambitions for the 2024 campaign. He has repeatedly declined to answer questions about whether he will seek the White House next year, despite his active campaign preparations.
He is widely expected to make a formal decision in late spring after the Florida Legislature wraps up its annual session.
News (15)
The investigation of the China Eastern Yunnan crash failed for a year, it is said MU5735 black box recordings are "State Secrets"
Editor : Li Chengyu / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/03/21/a103673616.html / Image : Left: On 21 March 2022, the families of the victims of the China Eastern Yunnan Airlines crash wiped tears at the airport. Right: The CCP has listed the black box recordings as "state secrets". (Getty Images/Network/Composite Images)
It has been a full year since the China Eastern Yunnan Airlines crash that shocked China and abroad, and the CCP’s investigation is still fruitless. According to official documents posted on the Internet, some Chinese citizens applied to disclose the black box recordings but the Civil Aviation Administration of China refused on the grounds that it "belongs to state secrets."
21 March 2023 is the first anniversary of the crash of China Eastern Yunnan Airlines flight MU5735. The official website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China reported on the 20th that the crash that resulted in the death of 132 people is still inconclusive. Although the official has carried out "a large amount of investigation work", because the accident is "very complicated and extremely rare", the investigation is still "continuing to deepen" and "in progress".
The report did not announce the reading of the contents of the black box (cockpit voice recorder) of China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735.
However, a document affixed with the official seal of the Civil Aviation Administration of China was released online, showing that the black box recordings may have been listed as a "state secret" by the CCP.
The document was signed by the General Affairs Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and was issued on 1 March 2023. The content is a response to a Chinese citizen's application for government information disclosure. The document stated that the cockpit voice recording of the China Eastern Yunnan crash and its recorded text information "belongs to state secrets" and "decided not to make it public according to law".
It is currently difficult to determine the authenticity of the document. According to the official website of the CAAC, the responsibilities of the General Affairs Department of the bureau include "responsibility for government information and e-government work of civil aviation administrative agencies" and "government disclosure work of bureau agencies".
On 21 March 2022, China Eastern Yunnan flight MU5735 flew from Kunming to Guangzhou. On the way, the Boeing 737-800 suddenly dropped almost vertically from a high altitude and crashed in Wuzhou, Guangxi. All 123 passengers and 9 crew members on board were killed.
After the incident, officials first covered up the fact that they found the black box, and then were forced to admit it. The black boxes were then sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) laboratory in Washington for analysis.
On 8 April, news from China's civil aviation industry indicated that the black box had been sent back from the United States and arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport. This shows that the black box has been deciphered.
However, the Chinese Communist Party has not yet released the contents of the black box. The black box is used to record the conversations of the pilots in the cockpit, which is crucial for analyzing the cause of the crash.
At that time, the Chinese Communist Party’s Internet Army was frequently dispatched to interpret the official “objective reasons” for not publishing black box recordings, including “involving personal privacy”, “avoiding psychological trauma to the public”, “avoiding social panic and misinterpretation”, and “not relying on recordings can Investigate the cause of the accident" and so on, were accused of "washing the ground against conscience".
On 17 May 2022, the "Wall Street Journal" quoted two people familiar with the matter as revealing that the black box flight data showed that someone in the cockpit of China Eastern Yunnan Airlines plane deliberately put the plane into a fatal dive state, resulting in the crash. People familiar with the matter said that the investigation focused on one pilot but did not rule out the possibility that someone else broke into the cockpit and operated maliciously.
The flight landed in a nearly vertical dive from high altitude. At that time, industry insiders pointed out that this did not conform to the common sense of flight, and the possibility of "human factors" was the greatest.
Afterwards, a large number of unconfirmed news came out that a pilot may have committed suicide and buried him the crew and passengers onboard in retaliation for the suppression and persecution of China Eastern and the CCP authorities.
News (16)
Xi Jinping said that peace talks will resolve the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Yu Maochun: it will not succeed
Reporter : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/3/21/n13955356.htm / Image : Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping leave after talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, March 21, 2023. (Grigory Sysoev/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)
As the Ukraine war enters its 13th month, Beijing is trying to present itself as a neutral and mediator. Yu Maochun said that the CCP will not succeed because it has no credibility and is dishonest.
On Tuesday (21 March 2023), Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who are visiting Moscow, signed a joint statement emphasizing that "the Ukrainian crisis should be resolved through peaceful talks." "The Russian side reaffirmed its commitment to resuming the peace talks as soon as possible, and China appreciates that," the statement said.
The statement again referred to Beijing's previous 12-point position paper. This position paper is considered pro-Russian and has been rejected by European and American countries. The 12-point peace deal proposed by Beijing is seen as a diplomatic cover for Russia at the expense of Ukraine.
Yu Maochun, former chief adviser on China policy at the US State Department and director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute, said in an interview with US TV program News Nation on Tuesday that Xi Jinping’s move is to become a global leader in peace and grab the spotlight for himself.
Above all, he said, Mr. Xi aimed to undercut the importance of the United States in key global affairs.
"In the end, it will not succeed because China (the CCP) does not have the credibility to take this position." Yu Maochun said, "The prospect of Beijing serving as a peace mediator in the Ukraine war is like the weather in Moscow—cold."
First, the first of Beijing's 12-point plan is to urge Russia, Ukraine, and all to respect sovereignty. Yu Maochun analyzed that China under the CCP lacks the credibility of respecting other countries. It has sovereignty disputes with at least six neighboring countries/regions, and it has been in a long-term tense situation.
Second, Beijing is divided over the wording of the so-called peaceful settlement of Ukraine. Most countries in the world point to Russia as the chief culprit of this war but Beijing is saying another set of rhetoric, accusing the US and NATO of having a Cold War mentality and that they caused the war.
"This is why Xi Jinping has no credibility to act as a middleman, because the middleman must be honest, and Beijing is not an honest middleman." Yu Maochun said.
In addition, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin before Xi arrived in Moscow. Yu Maochun said that this has indeed brought Xi Jinping a very serious dilemma. First, he went to Moscow to deal with an alleged war criminal. Second, according to past tradition, Putin should pay a return visit to Xi Jinping in Beijing. If Putin goes, will China arrest him and extradite him to The Hague?
Like the United States and China, Russia is not a member of the International Criminal Court.
"Can you imagine if Putin showed up in Beijing? Was arrested and extradited to The Hague, I can't imagine that would happen. But that would have an impact on international geopolitics," Yu said.
News (17) to (21) / Reporter : Li Zhaoxi / Editor : Lin Qing / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/03/22/a103673979.html
News (17)
Peace is a pretense? Xi's farewell words to Putin are disturbing
Image : On 21 March 2023, after the talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping bid farewell. (Pavel Byrkin/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
On Tuesday (21 March 2023), Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping concluded his visit to Russia and left Moscow in the evening. When bidding farewell to Russian President Putin, he told Putin that "a change that has not happened in a century is coming" .
“A change that has never happened in 100 years is coming. We are driving this change together,” Xi told Putin through his interpreter.
"Please take care, dear friend," he added, warmly shaking Putin's hand, while Putin wished Xi "a safe journey."
The two leaders were peaceful during their talks, signed a series of memorandums and agreements aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation, were photographed drinking champagne together in the Kremlin, and Xi invited his Russian counterpart to visit China later this year.
However, Xi's farewell message is disturbing. Experts said that the Xi-Putin meeting has nothing to do with peace. If the status quo of the war in Ukraine continues, China will be the biggest beneficiary.
Overall, the CCP and Russia have further strengthened their bilateral relations as both Xi Jinping and Putin believe it is important for the two sides to support each other on issues concerning their core interests and to “jointly resist the interference of external forces in internal affairs.”
Some experts said the meeting had emboldened Xi and Putin as they found more common ground as they deepened their "unrestricted partnership".
News (18)
CCP still does not object providing support to Russia during the war
One outcome of the talks, analysts say, is a change in the power dynamic between Russia and China. Moscow is increasingly dependent on Beijing economically and politically, and China has no objection to providing support to Russia.
"China (the Communist Party) wants to maintain its image as a peacemaker, but tilts towards Russia. This shows that Beijing is not ready to give up on Russia, and it is willing to support Russia to a certain extent," said Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore.
News (19)
CCP wants to ensure Putin governs Russia or it would be disastrous to China
Despite Xi's efforts to portray himself as a peacemaker amid war, some observers say Beijing's priority is not ending the war. Instead, the most important thing for China is to ensure that Putin remains in power.
Temur Umarov, a researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an American think tank, told DW: "The collapse of the Russian regime and the establishment of a pro-Western regime in Moscow would be disastrous for China. At the same time, China (the Communist Party) does not want the war to escalate into a bigger war."
News (20)
CCP wants to prolong the Russia-Ukraine war and benefits from the war
Umarov added that Beijing could accept the continuation of the war because it would leave Russia with no choice but to tilt towards China. Additionally, an ongoing war would distract the United States from its confrontation with China. "Beijing will be the biggest beneficiary of the current situation."
News (21)
A growing risk of a "nuclear collision" if uranium bombs are used but UN differs
Hours before Xi bid farewell to Putin, who vowed to respond to Britain's plans to send Ukraine munitions containing depleted uranium, Moscow warned of a growing risk of a "nuclear collision".
Putin blasted Britain's decision to supply Kiev forces with Challenger 2 battle tanks and depleted uranium bombs, which he said marked a step towards the use of weapons with a "nuclear component".
However, according to the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, depleted uranium munitions cannot be considered nuclear weapons and do not meet the legal definitions of nuclear, radiological, toxin, chemical, poison or incendiary weapons. It is used in weapons because its density and other physical properties allow it to penetrate tanks and armor more easily.
Responding to the Russian leader's comments, the MoD said the British Army had been using depleted uranium in artillery shells for "decades".
"This is a standard ingredient and has nothing to do with nuclear weapons or capabilities," the Ministry of Defense said. "Russia knows this and is deliberately spreading disinformation."
News (22)
Japanese Prime Minister makes a surprise visit to Zelenskyy! Japan-Ukraine joint statement: "Taiwan Strait stability" is of vital importance to the world
Editor : Zhang Yanci / https://news.tvbs.com.tw/world/2075895 / Image : Zelenskyy and Fumio Kishida mentioned the Taiwan Strait issue. (Photo/Dazhi Image Associated Press)
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida made a surprise visit to Ukraine. According to the joint statement issued by the Ukrainian presidential palace, the two sides not only condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine and will pursue it in accordance with international law, but also emphasized that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are crucial to global security and prosperity. The two countries have also upgraded to a "special global partnership".
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Ukraine on 21 March 2023 to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to a joint statement issued by the Ukrainian Presidential Office on the same evening, the two sides confirmed the "unwavering unity" between the two countries and strongly condemned Russia's illegal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, and will be held accountable in accordance with international law.
The two leaders again demanded that Russia "cease hostilities and immediately and unconditionally withdraw all troops and equipment from all parts of Ukraine", and condemned Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons as a "serious and unacceptable threat".
The two also emphasized that "peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are critical to global security and prosperity" and encouraged peaceful solutions to cross-Strait issues. The two are also seriously concerned about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and strongly oppose any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force or coercion.
Kishida and Zelenskyy reiterated that Russia's illegal and unprovoked aggression undermines the foundations of the international order based on the rule of law and poses a direct threat not only to the security, peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, but also the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
For countries such as China that have not yet imposed economic sanctions on Russia due to the war, the leaders of the two countries said that to curb Russia's war behavior, it is necessary to maintain and strengthen sanctions against Russia, and hope that the third country will not evade and undermine these measures.
According to the statement, Japan reaffirmed its commitment to Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and recovery, a process that Kishida and Zelenskyy agreed should offer the two countries "opportunities to further expand cooperation" in which the private sector can play a key role.
The two also understood the huge potential for further expanding bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade and economy, infrastructure construction and green transformation, and decided to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a "special global partnership".
Regarding the situation in North Korea, they strongly condemned North Korea's development of missiles and nuclear weapons, and reiterated their commitment to implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Kishida's rare and secretive visit to home highlights Japan's support for Ukraine. It also promotes Kishida as the first Japanese prime minister to enter a war zone after World War II and the first Asian leader to visit Ukraine. For Japan, the leader is of great significance, and it is expected to lay the foundation for more "firsts" in the future.
The reason why Kishida chose to go to Ukraine at this time, Japanese media person Akio Yata pointed out on Facebook on 21 March 2023 that there are two reasons behind it: One is that Japan will hold the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Kishida’s hometown Hiroshima in May 2023. Kishida wants to show at home and abroad that Japan is not behind in supporting any way of invasion that changes the status quo.
Another reason, Yata said, was that CCP President Xi Jinping was visiting Russia at the time. The combination of these two evil neighbors of Japan will put a lot of pressure on Japan. Kishida wants to prove through his own actions that Japan will not succumb, will not bow to power, and resolutely opposes aggression that unilaterally changes the status quo by force.
Akio Yata said that Kishida has long been positioned as a "dove" politician in Japan. "Unexpectedly, after the death of his ally, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he would resolutely take up the banner of protecting freedom and democracy. This visit will undoubtedly make his name in history." (Central News Agency)
News (23)
Honduras opened a lion's mouth to negotiate on both sides, asking CCP China for 6 billion, and asking Republic of China for 2.5 billion
Reporter : Lu Yixian / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4248129 / Image : Honduran President Xiomara Castro said on Twitter on Tuesday that she had instructed Foreign Minister Reina to handle formal relations with China. (Reuters, synthesized by Liberty Times)
Honduras plans to establish diplomatic relations with CCP China. Its Foreign Minister Reina has recently made frequent claims to the outside world that the content does not match the facts, belittling Taiwan for failing to provide assistance. People familiar with the matter said bluntly today that Honduras has neglected righteousness for profit, and now it is time to let the outside world know the whole story.
Since the Castro government took office last year, it has never stopped communicating with CCP China. As soon as it took office, the Castro administarion proposed a construction plan of 6 billion U.S. Dollars to China. At the same time, it proposed a number of financial aid requests for the Republic of China in the name of hospitals and dams, with a total of nearly 2.5 billion U.S. Dollars but postponed the negotiation, "Obviously just wandering on both sides, very insincere."
The President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, announced on Twitter last Tuesday that she would seek to establish diplomatic relations with CCP China. People familiar with the matter said today that looking back at the interaction between the two sides over the past year, the Republic of China have always wanted to negotiate seriously but Honduras's attitude has been ups and downs, and it is actually wandering on both sides of Taiwan and China.
During the 2021 general election, Castro declared that she would establish diplomatic relations with CCP China after being elected. After active communication between Taiwan and the United States, she changed his mind and said that establishing diplomatic relations with CCP China was not a top priority, thus stabilizing relations with the Republic of China.
However, people familiar with the matter pointed out that Honduras contacted China a few days after Castro took office, and proposed large-scale infrastructure, technological equipment, etc., with an amount as high as US$6 billion. CCP China did not immediately respond. The two sides have continued to interact through third places, international conferences and other occasions. CCP has also continuously proposed financial aid plans to Honduras, hoping to win the Central American country over.
News (24)
Taiwan proposed to negotiate a bilateral cooperation structure but Honduras delayed and is unwilling to sign memorandum of cooperation to build a dam
At the same time, the Republic of China proposed to negotiate a bilateral cooperation structure after Castro took office but Honduras has been delaying the negotiation with Taiwan, and is unwilling to sign a memorandum of cooperation to build a dam with 300 million US Dollars, and buy 2 billion US dollars of national debt from Honduras. People familiar with the matter said that these demands are far beyond Taiwan's capabilities, and it is not the way the Republic of China hopes to cooperate with her allies. Let's be transparent, responsible and benefit the local people.
However, the Republic of China still showed sincerity. High-level officials went to Honduras to propose that they could moderately increase the amount of bilateral cooperation, and promised to build a hospital, using Guatemala as an example, and find countries with similar ideas to help build dams together.
News (25)
Reina agreed to deferment of debt repayment but did not follow up
Honduras's unpaid US$489 million loan to Taiwan can also be adjusted by deferring repayment and other methods. However, when Taiwan proposed these proposals, the Honduran foreign minister only agreed but did not follow up. "It seems that there is no serious discussion as if they are traveling on both sides of the strait and selling to China."
News (26)
Sudden increases in amounts for the hospital and dam wihout real negotiation
The insider was even more shocked. On 13 March 2023, the day before Castro's tweet, wethe Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a letter from Honduras Foreign Minister Reina who proposed again (the letter was written on 7 March) the amount of the hospital project mentioned in the letter was directly increased to 90 million U.S. Dollars, and the dam project was raised to 350 million U.S. Dollars. They also asked Taiwan to undertake Honduras's 2 billion U.S. Dollars in national debt. The person said that the amount is very clear, like an ultimatum, without real negotiation, and it seems that it may be part of the process of establishing diplomatic relations with CCP China, or to sell to CCP China.
News (27)
Reina distorts the facts on hospital construction
While Taiwan was still studying the letter from Reina, Castro announced on Twitter that she was seeking relations with CCP China. The Republic of China sincerely hope to benefit the people but Reina also made statements in the media that are inconsistent with the facts. For example, he said that Taiwan is unwilling to build a hospital. In fact, the Chimaltenango Hospital that Taiwan assisted to build has been completed. Honduras has stated that it wants to build such a hospital but they "value the money rather than the actual construction".
News (28)
Taiwan embassy protected Castro's family during the Honduran coup but Castro forgot the relationship after becoming President
The person also lamented that during the coup in Honduras in 2009, President Castro’s husband-in-law Zeraya was the president at the time and was overthrown. At that time, the Taiwan embassy protected their family. The first family also thanked Taiwan for the most difficult time and help. However, after Castro took office, she left behind the relationship that Taiwan had provided her with assistance.
News (29)
Taiwan continues to work hard on the ties with Honduras
Has the diplomatic relationship with Honduras come to an end? The person said that the "warning signal is quite clear" at present, and it can be said that "the matter has reached a final stage" but until the last moment of no hope, "we will continue to work hard."
News (30)
Wu Zhaoxie: If I pay money that should not be paid for the stability of the country, I am sorry for the country and the people of heaven and earth
Reporter : Yang Chengyu / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/4246234 / Image : Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie (or Joseph Wu) (pictured left) responded to a question from KMT legislator Chen Yixin (pictured right) in the Legislative Yuan today (21). (Extracted from the Congress Channel live broadcast)
The Legislative Yuan continue to conduct general inquiries on the policy report on 21 March. Executive Premier Chen Jianren led the heads of relevant ministries to attend and prepare questions. In response to KMT legislator Chen Yixin's bombardment of Honduras' diplomatic crisis, Chen Jianren emphasized that we should not compete with China in "money diplomacy"; Foreign Minister Jospeh Wu emphasized in his answer that if a country with diplomatic relations asks us for an amount of we shouldn't have paid but the government has paid this money in order to consolidate diplomatic relations, "I am sorry to the sky, I am sorry to the land, I am sorry to the country, and I am sorry to the people."
Chen Yixin questioned why President Tsai Ing-wen "skipped" Honduras during her visit. Is it because she knew that diplomatic relations would be severed so she did not arrange it? Wu Zhaoxie explained that because a very high-level vice president was sent to visit Honduras last year, all the itinerary was also very complete. There are some restrictions on the time of this trip, so the arrangements for the president's visit are mainly based on the other two Central American friendly countries, Belize and Guatemala. Chen Yixin criticized "too careless" for this, while Joseph Wu emphasized that there is no "carelessness" issue. All colleagues in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked hard and had a good grasp of all situations.
Chen Yixin questioned that it "doesn't matter" if the president goes to visit for two more days. Wu responded that diplomacy cannot do this. Chen Yixin mentioned that in the past, former President Ma Ying-jeou visited as much as possible to maintain relations with allies. Although there are many grievances in diplomacy, we must always do our best. "If you just pass through the door and don't enter, of course people think you don't give him face."
Chen Yixin also asked, "Do you have any idea about the US President Biden sending a special envoy to Honduras?" Wu responded that the Republic of China embassy in Honduras reported relevant information in the morning of 21 March but because it involves the relationship between the United States and Honduras, it should be explained by the United States.
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