Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on CCP, South Korea, Cuba, Japan, Russia, U.S., Taiwan, Thailand, Poland, UK, disease control
News (1) to (2) / Host : Qin Peng / Publisher : "Qin Peng Observation" Team / Editor : Li Hao / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/15/n14182046.htm / Image : Videos of the coup are flying all over the sky. Chinese civil servants do one thing. Xi Jinping is in danger; Yi Huiman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission was arrested? The "brokerage butcher" took action, and the Chinese stock market got off to a good start thanks to this. (Provided by "Qin Peng Observation")
News (1)
"Spring of Seoul" goes viral, civil servants are doing this, Xi Jinping is in danger
Recently, I often see many people recommending "Spring of Seoul" on China's Weibo, WeChat groups and Moments. I find it incredible and even weird.
This movie is the box office champion of South Korean movies in 2023. The leading actors are all South Korean talents. The plot is thrilling and the acting skills are remarkable. Therefore, it is still being shown all over the world but I find it very strange because this is a movie about a coup, and it is adapted from real Korean history. What is even more bizarre is that when many Chinese netizens recommend it, their wording and tone are also very subtle.
Let’s talk about the theme first. In Chinese, the name of the movie is “Spring of Seoul”, which is inspired by the 1968 Czechoslovak coup “Spring of Prague”. However, this is a spring of hope and darkness. It tells the story of the assassination of South Korean President Park Chung-hee on 26 October 1979, ending the 18-year dictatorship. People expect that this will soon start the spring of democratization in South Korea. On 6 December, then Prime Minister Choi Kyu-ha succeeded as president, and on 28 February 1980, he announced a decree to restore citizenship. Anti-establishment democratic leaders Kim Dae-jung and Yun Bo-sun and others regained their freedom and were eager to run for the presidential election. The student and labour movements follow one after another. However, on 17 May 1980, the cold spring came. South Korea's security commander Chun Doo-hwan succeeded in the coup, and the short-lived spring of democratization came to an end.
Today, when Xi Jinping is worried about a coup and even holds the Lunar New Year's reunion for veteran cadres, he has to send Zhongnanhai security guards to sit nearby and watch the old guys one by one at the table. It is of course very strange that such a topic can be discussed and publicized with great fanfare. Weird.
Moreover, recent news from multiple channels has revealed that when people in the Chinese mainland's system pay New Year greetings this year, it is not popular to say "Happy New Year" as in previous years. Instead, they almost all say "Happy New Year's Eve", and they know each other well, will all like each other, "People are waiting for the arrival of 1976, and the vast majority of people think that this period of history is about to end."
This is a peculiar public opinion. When was 1976? After Mao Zedong's death, the ten-year Cultural Revolution that brought disaster to the country and the people came to an end, and the Gang of Four, Mao Zedong's cronies, was arrested. The whole country rejoiced, thinking that they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Moreover, we know that throughout the ages, what has the coup party been most afraid of? Undecided or give up halfway. For example, Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, Guo Boxiong, Xu Caihou, Ling Jihua, etc., who were accused by the Central Committee of Xi Jinping as careerists, wanted guns and people at that time but they were eliminated one by one by Hu Wen and Xi Jinping. Why? These people take chances and give up halfway. In the movie "Spring of Seoul", similar situations have appeared many times. Chun Doo-hwan (renamed Chun Dou-kwang in the movie) who was involved in the coup was in danger, and his subordinates retreated many times. However, relying on Chun Doo-hwan's ambition and heroic spirit, they finally persisted.
Some netizens lamented that when the two armies met, they were originally evenly matched, but they all became scared to death of the bold and timid, and those with no retreat forced those with retreat into retreat. The careerist Chun Dou-kwang looked up to the sky in the toilet and smiled, "People are still willing to find an authority to rule them."
Among them, there was actually a huge gamble. Seeing that the airborne brigade of the suppressing rebel side was going to arrive first, Chun Doo-hwan called and said that both sides would retreat in order to avoid the conflict. The suppressing side was fooled. In the end, Chun Doo-hwan's coup was successful. This section is also adapted from real history.
The CCP always pays attention to "positive energy" when doing literary and artistic propaganda, because it does not want information that is detrimental to itself to be conveyed. Now, such a film that nakedly declares the victory of the coup d'etat, fully presents to the audience the psychological conflict of how the coup d'etat overcomes fear, how can it be vigorously promoted in China, where people's minds are changing now? So, I say this is a big weird thing.
Moreover, it is not only the officials within the system who are looking forward to changes in China, many ordinary netizens also have very subtle psychology when writing their thoughts after watching "Spring of Seoul".
For example, this netizen said that the viewing process was very heart-wrenching, and even more sad after finishing it, "Aggrieved, why is the country of South Korea so dark? Heroes meet their end, and villains celebrate their achievements. When I think about it, this happened forty years ago, and it is exactly what has happened in South Korea." Only when changes have occurred can we photograph them in detail from the perspective of transformational justice." He hopes that social transformation will allow history to be written in the hearts of every participant on the page.
There are also many netizens who are recommending a series of movies about South Korea's democratization, including: "The Ministers of Namsan", which depicts Park Chung-hee being assassinated by his trusted intelligence minister, and "Spring of Seoul", in which Chun Dou-hwan took advantage of the chaos to stage a coup and brought democracy to an end. "Spring of Seoul", as well as "Gorgeous Holiday", a subsequent civil protest against the military government but was suppressed by the Gwangju Uprising, and the movie "Taxi Driver" in which witnesses of the Gwangju suppression mustered up the courage to preserve the evidence and spread it to the world, depicting the continued democracy. The prototype of the lawyer defending the protesting students is taken from "The Defender" by former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun. There is also the story of Chun Doo-hwan and his cronies succeeding President Roh Tae-woo before the Seoul Olympics, who finally gave up the dictatorship and ushered in the victory of democratization due to popular protests. "The Day Before Dawn 1987".
Each of these movies is a classic, but when compared with China's reality, each one is in sharp contrast, like a beam of light, illuminating the darkness of the CCP's rule and the longings in people's hearts.
There are also netizens, although they feel even sadder because of this, they are determined to "wait for that day soberly."
Therefore, "Spring of Seoul" is extremely popular. Is it because the censors of the authorities were belatedly aware of it, or is it because someone deliberately let it go? I canot be sure. However, there is no doubt that this movie brings hope to people and will also make up the determination of those coup d'etat who are hiding in the corner and waiting for opportunities.
Moreover, some recent international news may also promote the atmosphere of such a coup.
Not only did the news that former U.S. President Trump was returning send chills to dictators around the world, but Xi Jinping’s old friend Putin also told the United States in an interview with Tucker Carlson People, stop staring at Russia. CCP China is the biggest threat to the United States.
Putin’s statement dissatisfied many CCP pinks. Observer.com, one of the representative left-wing media outlets in mainland China, felt that Putin was very unreasonable.
It is estimated that coups outside this year usually occur when there are many conflicts in the court. Recently, in addition to Xi Jinping being frightened at the New Year's group visit, two other major events have also highlighted the instability within the CCP.
We know that Qin Gang was accused of being involved in the coup with the Rocket Army, and Putin added insult to injury at a critical moment. Why was Qin Gang exposed? Washington Post senior columnist David Ignatius recently interviewed a senior U.S. government official, a former official with ties to Beijing, and a diplomat, who revealed , Qin Gang has a "blood feud" with Wang Yi, the current top diplomat of the Chinese Communist Party, and the Biden-Harris administration has also investigated rumours about Qin Gang's mistress Fu Xiaotian.
Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, two military leaders of the CCP and vice-chairmen of the Military Commission, also revealed information about internal strife. Originally, Zhang Youxia was ranked ahead of He Weidong in the party. However, recently the CCP Military Daily and Xinhua News Agency ranked Zhang Youxia in front. However, when People's Daily reprinted it, they deliberately reversed the order of the two.
The party media has always had strict requirements on layout and every word in the title. Why did this change happen? It may be related to Xi Jinping’s continued purge of the Chinese Communist Party’s military: Li Shangfu, the former Minister of National Defense of the Communist Party of China, has a close relationship with Zhang Youxia, and he was Zhang Youxia’s subordinate when he was the Minister of General Armament Department of the military. Recently, nine military generals were exempted from their qualifications as National People's Congress representatives. They are mainly from the Rocket Force and the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission.
I have shared with you before that prophecies at home and abroad, both ancient and modern, have mentioned that Xi Jinping may encounter a coup, and the time is likely to be this year or next. So, against the background of internal and external worries and changes in public sentiment, will China's widespread broadcast of coup videos on the Internet trigger a more intense high-level struggle that is unfavourable to Xi Jinping? We will take a closer look!
News (2)
The stock market is in turmoil again, the media challenges the new chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission
Let’s talk about the Chinese stock market again. This is one of the biggest headaches for Xi Jinping after New Year’s Day. The stock market plummeted continuously in January, and investors actually flocked to the Weibo page of the U.S. Embassy in China to seek help from the "external forces" that the CCP has always been most afraid of. Xi Jinping personally took charge of finance. He replaced Yi Huiman, the former chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and replaced him with Wu Qing, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal and Legal Affairs Commission, who was known as the "broker butcher". He also temporarily stabilized the situation through the entry of the national team and other means. The stock market allowed Zhongnanhai to have a relatively stable traditional New Year.
However, after the New Year, bad news came out of the Chinese stock market:
On 13 February 2024, MSCI, which compiles the investment index for emerging market countries, announced that 66 companies would be removed from the MSCI China Index, the most in at least two years. The changes will officially take effect after the market closes on February 29. This is a heavy blow to the Chinese stock market. The Wall Street Journal and others believe that this represents a decline in the confidence of international investors in the Chinese stock market, and also makes some of the CCP’s recent efforts to restore confidence in the domestic market in vain.
MSCI was formerly known as Morgan Stanley Capital International, and later changed its name to MSCI. The MSCI index is an important investment reference for fund managers. The removal of 66 Chinese stocks means that Morgan Stanley's various investment portfolios will no longer flow to these companies, and it also means that a large amount of capital will flow out of the Chinese stock market.
In recent days, two more news have come out in mainland China. One is that Yi Huiman, the former chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, has been arrested, and six Jiangsu and Zhejiang companies have reported on his real name; the other is that Wu Qing has suspended more than 800 companies. IPOs of companies planning to be listed must be re-examined one by one, with heavy fines on the counterfeiting companies, the counterfeiting securities firms, and the counterfeiting accounting firms. Those that have already been listed must also be reviewed.
The intensity seems very strong, but I am not optimistic about the results, because just like anti-corruption, if we don’t start from the system, we will only become more corrupt. The problems of China's stock market and fraud and corruption are deep-rooted. Which Chinese company dares to say that it does not commit fraud? Which one doesn't have a lot of powerful families involved behind it? In the end, we will definitely not be able to investigate further, and we can only selectively hit a few for show.
Moreover, the famous financial website Caijing also came out to speak against the authorities. On 15 February 2024, an article was published, "Real money is needed to rescue the market, and we cannot rely on suspending the IPO." The article stated that IPO is an important exit channel for PE/VC investment. Suspension of IPO will increase the risks faced by PE/VC and other strategic investment industries, making strategic investors become more cautious when making investment decisions and reduce the scale of strategic investment. This will is not conducive to the incubation of high-tech companies and the development of China's high-tech industry. He also said that if the amount of financing in the stock market must be reduced, the scale of refinancing should be reduced.
The article also continued to pour cold water, saying: A-shares once used the method of reducing or suspending IPOs to save the market in an attempt to stabilize the market and alleviate downward pressure. It may be effective in the short term, but in the long run, the effect is not good, because it only temporarily slows down the market. The outflow of capital has not solved the source of the stock market's running water problem.
Then what should we do? The article suggests that, drawing on the experience of the financial markets of the United States and Japan, real money is needed to rescue the market, and the action must be fast and heavy. The central bank should release a large amount of liquidity into the financial market to prevent the stock market from drying up, and cut interest rates and reserve requirements; the government and funds affected by the government will directly enter the market, including but not limited to Huijin's increase in stock holdings, Huijin's subscription for ETFs, insurance funds entering the market, etc.; encourage listings Companies buy back shares to stabilize investor confidence in the stock market.
Will these suggestions work? I think it is useless, because the CCP is currently in financial crisis. In order to sell local government bonds, it needs to suck a lot of blood from the stock market, as much as 600 billion per month. Where can there be excess money to enter the market? As for encouraging powerful families to reduce refinancing or buybacks, it is even more like seeking the skin of a tiger.
Moreover, we all know that the root cause of China's stock market crisis is the arbitrary actions of the Xi Jinping administration and the pessimistic prospect that China's economy will be difficult to recover. If there is no skin left, how can the hair be attached?
Therefore, my conclusion is that China's stock market will only continue to decline in the foreseeable future.
News (3)
Japan’s former ambassador to China reveals the inside story of Xi’s transformation in 10 years since he took office
Editor : Li Enzhen / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/02/15/a103853599.html / Image : Xi Jinping, the leader of the Communist Party of China, has fallen into the biggest crisis since he took office, and everyone from all walks of life is waiting for something to happen to him. The picture shows a schematic diagram. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)
In his memoirs written this year, former Japanese Ambassador to China Hideo Tari criticized the CCP’s “Wolf Warrior” diplomatic approach for damaging Japan-China relations. He also disclosed the changes in Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping before and after he took office ten years ago, and said that Xi chose to take a dictatorial route. Even though the national security policy he pushed was contrary to China's economic model, he still insisted on his own way.
Hideo Tari has served as the ambassador to China since November 2020. He is regarded as a hardliner on China and has been hailed as "the most feared man in China." He will step down as ambassador to China in December 2023.
Entering 2024, Hideo Tari was invited by the well-established magazine "Literary Spring and Autumn" to write tens of thousands of words of memoirs in two consecutive issues. The article details the many rude treatments he received from the CCP during his four years in office, and also provides a detailed analysis of Xi Jinping's ten years in office. changes to China.
According to a report by Radio Free Asia on February 14, Hideo Tari described in his memoirs the scene when Xi Jinping, who was still the Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China, visited Japan in 2009 and met the King of Heaven for the first time. At that time, Hideo Tari, the then head of the China Mongolia Section, was responsible for arranging for the guests to attend the dinner at the Prime Minister's residence. He received 70 guests one by one and the time exceeded. As one of the guests, Xi showed no dissatisfaction on his face. At that time, he left a "humble" impression.
Six years later, in 2015, Hideo Tari brought an autographed letter from former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and accompanied Liberal Democratic Party General Affairs Chairman Toshihiro Nikai to visit China and held talks with Xi again. At that time, Hideo Tari felt that Xi's "aura had completely changed." He was protected by many guards, and the security guard was obviously higher than that of his predecessor Hu Jintao, making it difficult to get close to him.
Hideo Tari said that this situation has become more obvious after serving as ambassador to China.
Before Hideo Tari became ambassador, he had already felt the speed of Xi's high degree of centralization of power. He said, "A few years before taking office, (I) already knew that the 'Political Bureau Standing Committee' must submit a report to the General Secretary (Xi Jinping) at the end of the year, and the special trains or special planes that the Politburo Standing Committee members have taken must be obtained from the 'General Secretary's Office' "Strict supervision, in other words, the Political Standing Committee is just a 'subordinate' to Xi Jinping."
Hideo Tari pointed out that although the political system of the Chinese Communist Party has not changed, it has actually undergone considerable changes. In the past, the CCP was a system of one-party dictatorship, but now it is a system of one-person dictatorship under Xi Jinping. In this sense, security around Xi is becoming increasingly strict.
Hideo Tari said that in addition to the increasingly serious corruption problem, China's current unemployment rate is estimated to be as high as 40%. Xi Jinping is at a fork. Deng Xiaoping's high-level economic development line has come to an end. Xi Jinping has chosen to return to Mao Zedong's authoritarian line between economic development and strong-power dictatorship, even though the national security policy he pushed is consistent with China's economic model. Despite the violation, he still insisted on going his own way, leaving ambassadors from various countries confused.
Zhang Tianliang, an expert on China issues, said in the "Dawn Hour" program that Xi Jinping's previous modest attitude towards others may be half-truth and half-false, and there is no way to verify it. Anyone who wants to climb up within the CCP is well aware of this secrecy and will not behave in a domineering manner.
There are various signs that Xi Jinping has fallen into an unprecedented governance crisis. Currently, China is in a huge economic and social crisis, and there are frequent scandals in the CCP officialdom. Although Xi has control of the highest power, both the people and the officialdom are waiting for something to happen to him.
Current affairs commentator Yuan Bin once wrote an article in The Epoch Times analyzing that the work pressure and difficulty of most middle and lower-level CCP officials are becoming increasingly high. Almost everyone is dissatisfied and full of resentment. Only by replacing the general secretary can there be hope for relief.
Yuan Bin said that not to mention the various anti-communists and ordinary people who were persecuted when Xi was in power. They are all waiting for something to happen to Xi. All in all, most Chinese people are sitting back and waiting for something to happen to Xi.
News (4)
South Korea and Cuba establish diplomatic ties, deepening North Korea's diplomatic isolation
Reporter : Jin Yan / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/02/15/a103853733.html
On Wednesday (14 February 2023), South Korea and Cuba announced the establishment of diplomatic relations. The South Korean government stated that the establishment of diplomatic relations between Seoul and Cuba would not only add another diplomatic country, but also deepen North Korea's international isolation.
On Wednesday, South Korea and Cuba reached an agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations through the exchange of official diplomatic letters through the two countries' representations to the United Nations in New York.
So far, Cuba has become the 193rd country with which South Korea has established diplomatic relations, leaving Syria as the only country that has not established diplomatic relations with South Korea.
Im Soo-seok, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, said, "The establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba, the only country in the Caribbean region of Central and South America that has not established diplomatic relations, is an important turning point for South Korea's diplomacy in Central and South America. We look forward to further expanding South Korea's diplomatic scope as a global hub country and contribute."
In 1949, Cuba recognized South Korea's status and supported South Korea during the Korean War. However, after Castro's socialist revolution in 1959, exchanges between the two countries were suspended.
Cuba, which became a communist country, established diplomatic relations with North Korea in 1960 and has maintained a special relationship ever since.
After Castro's death in 2016, his successors acknowledged the flaws of the socialist economic system and began to change course.
Before the CCP virus epidemic, 14,000 Koreans visited Cuba every year, while maintaining people-to-people exchanges.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Cuba will have a great impact on North Korea. North Korea and Cuba exchange ambassadors and call them "brotherly countries."
It is reported that South Korea and Cuba considered that North Korea might act as an obstacle, so they conducted secret negotiations.
Im Soo-seok: "Through the establishment of diplomatic relations this time, it is expected to expand economic cooperation between the two countries, lay an institutional foundation for Korean companies to enter Cuba, and at the same time provide systematic consular assistance for Korean nationals visiting Cuba."
South Korea and Cuba also plan to discuss follow-up measures such as establishing embassies in each other.
News (5)
Putin told Carlson: The CCP is the biggest threat, exposing the actual relationship between CCP China and Russia
Reporters : Yu Liang and Jiang Diya / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/02/15/a103853734.html
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently hinted in an interview with American media personality Carlson that the biggest threat to the West is not Russia, but the CCP. On Wednesday (14 February 2024), Putin told the Russian media that he hoped to maintain communication and cooperation with the West.
When American media personality Carlson interviewed Putin, he mentioned the United States’ consistent policy toward Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin responded by saying that Americans should not be worried about Russia after the Cold War, suggesting that the CCP is the real enemy of the United States.
Russian President Vladimir Putin: "The West is more afraid of the strength of the CCP than of the strength of Russia, because Russia has a population of 150 million and China has a population of 1.5 billion."
Putin: “China (CCP China) has become the world’s largest economy in terms of purchasing power and has caught up with the United States a long time ago.”
Putin also said that Russia actively chose to abandon communism and chose to let the Soviet Union disintegrate and end the Cold War because Russia has always wanted to cooperate with the United States to jointly safeguard the world's democratic values.
In an interview with Russian media on Wednesday, Putin once again stated that he still looks forward to developing normal relations with the United States.
Putin: "Biden is more experienced, he is predictable, an old-fashioned politician. We will cooperate with any American leader that the American people trust."
Putin also thanked Carlson for interviewing him and said he hopes to always maintain communication with the West.
Putin: “If today, for some reason, they are not able to talk to us directly, then we should thank Mr. Carlson because we can do it through him as an intermediary. I like that they (the West) see and listen to the facts. I don’t like them misrepresenting what I said.”
Putin said that as the world situation continues to change, perhaps the relationship between the United States and Moscow will also change.
Putin: “But if in the end everyone realizes that the world has changed under the influence of the objective environment, and can use the advantages that the United States still has today to adapt to (new changes) in a timely manner, then maybe things will change.”
News (6) to (9) / Publisher : Pinnacle View Team / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/16/n14182148.htm / Image : Why does Putin talk so much about Russian history? Has eastern Ukraine been part of Russia since ancient times? What kind of country is Ukraine? How should the Russo-Ukrainian war end? (Provided by "Pinnacle View")
News (6)
Putin hints that the biggest enemy of the United States is the CCP
The well-known American program host Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian President Putin at the Moscow Kremlin on 6 February 2024. The more than two hours of one-on-one conversation caused a lot of controversy around the world with big impact. In just one week, more than a billion people have watched the interview on the Internet. Putin talked about many issues in the interview, including history, geopolitics, various political conspiracies, and China. Of course, the most important discussion is about the causes of the Russia-Ukraine war and how this war will end. As the saying goes, benevolence sees benevolence and wisdom sees wisdom. Different people may see different contents in Putin's speech.
News (7)
Carlson's top interview gives the world a glimpse into Putin's inner thoughts
Guo Jun, editor-in-chief of The Epoch Times, said in the "Pinnacle View" program that Putin gave him the impression this time: Regardless of whether you agree with Putin's views and analysis of the world, he is indeed talking about his own thoughts. The conversation between him and Carlson was interactive but there was no prepared transcript, no fixed transcript like interviews with CCP officials. Therefore, we can see Putin’s true thoughts. His conversation with Carlson had a complete exchange and a complete communication at the same logical level, which is rarely seen in typical autocratic systems and autocratic systems. If you are interviewing a senior official of the Chinese Communist Party, the usual situation is that you ask your questions and he tells his, and neither of them are communicating on the same level. It is difficult for us to imagine that the leader of the Chinese Communist Party can talk to a challenging media person like Carlson on an equal footing and on the same logical level.
Guo Jun said that when talking about the Russia-Ukraine war, Putin basically did not think that Russia was starting the war, but was ending the war. Because he believed that the war started in 2014, he believed that Ukraine had already started a war of ethnic cleansing in the Donbas region and Crimea. These areas used to belong to Russia and were allocated to Ukraine after World War II. So, Russia has an obligation to protect the local ethnic Russians.
Putin talked a lot about the history of Ukraine and Russia. We are all familiar with this formulation, which is "an inseparable part since ancient times." However, a closer look shows that Putin did not insist on this "since ancient times", nor did he just shout slogans of nationalism or patriotism. He talked about a lot of real politics, such as the issue of NATO's eastward expansion. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Europe wanted to reshape the European security system, and indeed it promised that NATO would not expand eastward but the world is not shaped by agreements. It is fundamentally shaped by strength. Therefore, NATO subsequently expanded eastwards in five waves. Most of the countries in the former Eastern European Group, including the three former Soviet republics in the Baltic Sea, joined NATO. So in 2008 and 2014, when NATO expressed its willingness to accept Ukraine, Putin believed that it had crossed a red line.
Of course, Russia also has some basic judgments when taking military actions. For example, Putin talked about the decline of the Roman Empire, the changes in the global economic structure, and so on. I think Putin believed that the United States and Europe were declining and losing strength, so he took military action in 2022 but this judgment may not be consistent with reality. Russia may have believed that the Ukrainian problem can be solved in three to four weeks, or two to three months. It underestimated Ukraine, underestimated the Western world, overestimated its own power, and even overestimated the help from the CCP.
News (8)
Putin warns that the CCP is the real threat to the United States and Europe
Current affairs commentator Yokogawa said in "Pinnacle View" that Putin and the Chinese Communist Party basically have the same view on one issue, that is, they believe that U.S. hegemony is declining. He cited the example of the BRICS countries, saying that the economic aggregate of the BRICS countries is increasing and their weight in the world economy is increasing, so he believes that U.S. hegemony is declining. He believes that at this time, CCP China and Russia can take the opportunity to develop their own power and occupy a more important position in the overall layout of the world.
Yokogawa said, "I personally feel that this is not entirely the case here. The trend of westward decline is very obvious. The United States and Europe are actually declining. Economically speaking, its overall size and weight are decreasing. The influence and appeal are also decreasing, but falling in the west does not mean rising in the east. This is not a question of me falling and you rising, but both can fall. In fact, the East does not have a very strong upward momentum. Especially in the past few years, we have seen that the illusion of rapid development of the CCP has suddenly been shattered, while Russia’s economic growth rate is even less, and Russia relies largely on energy, which is not a characteristic of a developed country. It is impossible for a developed country to rely mainly on selling energy. Therefore, neither Russia nor the Chinese Communist Party can reflect their upward trend. If they do not decline, they will be considered good. Therefore, Putin and the CCP misjudged the situation in this regard, and many of their affairs were based on misjudgments."
Yokogawa said that Putin talked about history for half an hour. The border changes in history basically included most of the powerful countries in Europe, including Germany, Poland, Lithuania, etc. He cited a few examples illustrating his reasons for taking this military action include NATO's eastward expansion. Putin's earliest military operations were not limited to the Donbass, but expanded to four regions, and then actually went all the way to Kiev to encircle Kiev. In other words, his war methods transcended the borders of the Russian ethnic group. I think the reason he mentioned for the Russian ethnic group is not sufficient. Strictly speaking, the three countries Russia, Ukraine and Belarus all come from the same ethnic group. They were later separated. At the earliest, they all came from Kiev, expanded and then divided. Therefore, historical issues are in conflict with reality. Reality is international law. If you want to talk about history, you cannot talk about current international law. If you want to talk about current international law, you cannot talk about history. Why? Because when it comes to history, most countries in the world have reasons to claim territory from neighbouring countries. Because the borders have changed so much in history, current international law must be used to separate them.
When it comes to the alliance between CCP China and Russia, Putin is very clear-headed. He knows that the CCP is not of the same mind as him, so he said that he cannot choose his neighbours. He has thousands of kilometres of borders. This is a helpless mood. He said in the interview helplessly. He said that the West should not be afraid of Russia, but should be afraid of China (CCP China) because Russia only has 1.5 billion people and CCP China has 1.5 billion, and China’s economy is so huge, with an annual growth rate of 5%. It turned out to be even higher, so he thinks that the West should be more afraid of China.
Russia is actually a regional power, not a global power, and the CCP is already a global power to a large extent. Strictly speaking, Putin's statements are correct, because the CCP has the ambition to replace the United States, and Russia does not. Russia only wants its interests not to be violated but Putin has extended Russia's interests to history. A few years, 13xx and 14xx respectively. It expanded to that time, but he never said that he would compete with the United States in the global region. So what Putin said is right, and his reminder is also right. He just said that it is not convenient for him to express these thoughts because he and the CCP are now allies and stand on the same side.
News (9)
Allying with the CCP, Putin chose the wrong side to bring down Russia, and the United States used clever tricks
Guo Jun said in the "Pinnacle View" that Putin's policies towards the CCP revealed in this interview are very true. First, he said that he did not like the CCP but he could not choose his neighbours. This hint is very clear. In addition, he actually told the American elite that they made a mistake in international geopolitics and the Ukraine issue. Because he made it very clear that in the global competition, from an ideological point of view, the enemy of the United States is the Chinese Communist Party.
He asked why the United States is targeting Russia in particular. From the Clinton era, to the George W. Bush era, to the current Biden era, the United States has specifically targeted Russia because it has a large number of geopolitical experts and strategic experts, experts on the Soviet Union during the Cold War, who have spent their entire lives studying how to solve the problem of Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, these people still had an inertia of thinking, that is, how to continue to solve Russia later. This is what Putin means. I think there is some truth to that.
In fact, I also think that there is indeed a group of elites in the United States who want to solve other problems faced by the United States by solving the Russian problem. So after the Russia-Ukraine war started, I did have a feeling that the United States wanted to hold Russia back through this war, or even bring it down. Some say the United States has spent $200 billion but think about it, the United States spent four trillion dollars to solve Iraq and Afghanistan, and the problems have not been completely solved. If Americans spend 100 billion US dollars a year and solve Russia in a few years, it is actually very cheap.
Guo Jun said that Putin’s discussion of history is actually different from that of some CCP officials. When he talks about history, he talks about the formation process of a national sentiment. He does not regard this history as the premise for real political operations. This is completely different. Putin is a man from the old era, and he has a great sense of conflict with the most popular ideology in the West. Putin is nationalist, not globalist. His way of thinking is traditional and he has deep religious feelings. He is not of the the so-called modern consciousness. He is incompatible with the radical thinking of today's globalization. So relatively speaking, even in the United States, there are many traditional Americans who are very sympathetic to Putin, including the right wing of the Republican Party. However on the other hand, Putin's Russia has inherited some Eastern despotism. Putin himself said that Russia is capitalism and is a market economy. He himself does not like the Communist Party or communism but he is very realistic. In the United States, In this confrontation with the Western world, he chose to form an alliance with the CCP. I think he is in the wrong camp.
Shi Shan, senior editor and chief writer of The Epoch Times, said in the "Pinnacle View" that we can all understand some of Putin and Russia's inner thoughts through this interview. Of course, it also involves a lot of political conspiracies, but then again, when has there been no political conspiracies in this world or in human history? They are operating in various political conspiracies all the time. So who can escape this conspiracy? Those who can truly look at this issue from the perspective of benevolence and righteousness, from humanistic care, or from a higher realm are what we call great men but it seems that Putin cannot do it now.
News (10)
NATO Defense Ministers' Meeting debuts, Poland, UK urges US to pass aid bill to Ukraine
Reporter : Yi Jing / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/02/16/a103853830.html
On Thursday, NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels for a meeting to focus on how to strengthen national defense and assist Ukraine.
The NATO Defense Ministers' Meeting was held in Brussels on Thursday. NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg said on the same day that this meeting was a continuation of the Vilnius Summit last July and hoped to improve command and control, streamline logistics, and develop new plans. and strengthen air and missile defense capabilities.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg: "We will solve the problem of our defense industry capabilities. To ensure the security of Ukraine and NATO, we are stepping up the production of much-needed weapons and ammunition."
When talking about defense spending, Stoltenberg said that it is expected that 18 of the 31 NATO allies will spend 2% of their GDP on defense in 2024.
On the same day, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that France would achieve this military expenditure target this year.
French Defense Minister Le Corny: "(France) will increase its budget from about 30 billion euros in 2017 to 69 billion euros. I can say with certainty that France will reach the NATO GDP target of 2% this year, in 2024."
Stoltenberg also said that NATO and Ukraine will establish a military training centre in Poland.
Stoltenberg: "This will allow Ukraine to share lessons learned from the Russian war while giving Ukrainian troops the opportunity to learn and train with their allied counterparts."
Stoltenberg also emphasized the importance of the United States as an ally to NATO and expressed confidence in the U.S. Congress passing the aid bill to Ukraine.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate passed a $95.3 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, but the bill's prospects in the House of Representatives are unclear.
On the same day, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also jointly called on the U.S. Congress to pass an aid plan for Ukraine.
British Foreign Secretary Cameron: "People are paying attention to what the United States does. China is paying attention, Iran is paying attention, and every country in the world is paying attention. Let's see if we Western countries are reliable for each other ally."
On Thursday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Munich, Germany, preparing to attend the Munich Security Conference that will open on Friday.
It is expected that the United States will discuss defense security and aid to Ukraine with its allies.
News (11)
U.S. and allies disrupt Russian government-controlled hacking operation
Reporter : Li Haoyue / Editor : Ren Zijun / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/15/n14181982.htm / Image : On 15 February 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a statement stating that it had disrupted hacking operations carried out by hacker organizations controlled by the Russian government against the United States and its allies. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a statement on 15 February 2024 stating that the United States and its allies disrupted the latest hacking operation controlled by the Russian government.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement that the court-authorized operation was aimed at disrupting botnet operations controlled by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation (GRU), as well as spear phishing and similar attacks against targets of Russian intelligence interest. Credential collection activities.
Targets of Russian hackers include U.S. and foreign government, military, security and corporate organizations.
The United States and its allies have cut off a Russian government-sponsored hacking group's access to "more than a thousand home and small business routers," FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed on Thursday. Routers are used for criminal and intelligence purposes.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Wray said the FBI was successful in driving a hacking group affiliated with Russian intelligence known as "APT 28" or "Fancy Bear" from routers and "locking in behind them." At the door", disrupting the operation of Russian hackers.
Wray said the Russian agency was "attached" to a hacked network of internet-connected devices (a botnet) and "conducted cyber operations against countries around the world, including the United States and its allies in Europe."
The Justice Department said the operation differed from past activity by Russian state-backed hacking groups in that it used malware known as "Moobot" linked to criminal groups rather than self-built malware.
"Cybercriminals installed the Moobot malware on Ubiquiti Edge OS routers that still used publicly available default administrator passwords," the statement said. "The hackers then used the malware to install their own files and repurpose the botnet, turning it into a global Cyber espionage platform.”
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said, “The Department of Justice is accelerating its efforts to disrupt the Russian government’s cyber activities targeting the United States and our allies, including Ukraine.”
The Justice Department said it will continue to dismantle the Russian government’s malicious cyber tools that harm the security of the United States and its allies.
News (12)
White House: Russia has developed “disturbing” anti-satellite weapons
Reporter : Chen Ting / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/16/n14182137.htm / Image : On 15 February 2024, White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby delivered a speech at the White House regular press briefing. He mentioned new details about Russia's emerging anti-satellite device. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The White House confirmed on 15 February 2024 that Russia is developing a "disturbing" anti-satellite weapon. The White House emphasized that the weapon has not yet been put into use, cannot directly cause "physical damage" to the earth, and does not pose a direct threat to anyone's safety.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that U.S. intelligence officials have information that Russia has acquired this capability but the weapon has not yet been put into use. U.S. officials are analyzing the information they have and consulting with allies and partners.
"First of all, this is not a deployed, active capability, and while Russia's pursuit of this particular capability is troubling, it does not pose a direct threat to anyone's security," Kirby said.
"We are not talking about a weapon that could be used to attack humans or cause physical damage to the planet," Kirby said.
On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, issued a vague warning urging the Biden administration to declassify information about "significant national security threats."
Kirby said the process of reviewing and declassifying Russian capabilities was ongoing when Turner made his statement.
He added: "We have been very careful and deliberate about what content we decide to declassify and share with the public."
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talk of new Russian military capabilities was a ruse to get the U.S. Congress to support aid to Ukraine.
"Obviously, Washington is trying every possible means to force Congress to vote on the aid bill," Peskov said. "Let's see what tricks the White House will use."
Kirby said such a capability, based in space, would violate the international Outer Space Treaty signed by more than 130 countries, including Russia.
He declined to comment on whether the weapon had nuclear capabilities. The treaty prohibits the deployment in orbit of "nuclear weapons or any other type of weapons of mass destruction" or the "any other means of deploying weapons in outer space."
The White House said it would seek direct dialogue with Russia to resolve the issue.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan briefed lawmakers on the Russian threat in Congress on Thursday.
After the meeting, Turner said the government was taking the issue very seriously and had plans in place. "We look forward to supporting them as they implement their plans," he said.
"This is not a threat today, tomorrow, next week or next month," said Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
Himes said he respected Turner's decision to warn Congress about the threat, but he had expressed concerns beforehand about making it public on social media.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who also attended Thursday's briefing with Sullivan, said lawmakers had raised concerns about the weapon with the Biden administration last month and requested a meeting with Biden to discuss it. One question.
He said Thursday's meeting was "informative" and said Sullivan assured lawmakers that the White House would be in close contact with them on the matter.
"This cannot be delayed. This is something we must address seriously and immediately, and we are addressing it," Johnson said.
White House officials say the U.S. intelligence community is concerned about the widespread declassification of intelligence. The United States has been aware of Russia's pursuit of anti-satellite capabilities going back at least several months, if not years. Biden's national security team is regularly briefed on the issue, including Thursday's briefing.
Kirby said intelligence officials initially assessed that private engagement might be a more effective approach against the Russian anti-satellite threat. The White House agrees.
(This article refers to relevant reports from the Associated Press)
News (13)
Opponent-bashing effect? Haley trails Trump by 36% in South Carolina polls
Reporter : Li Xin / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/15/n14181963.htm / Image : A latest poll shows that Haley, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, trails Trump by 36 percentage points in South Carolina. The picture shows Republican presidential candidate and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley speaking at the Fox Business Channel Republican primary debate held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on 27 September 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A newly released poll shows that former President Trump leads the 2024 presidential primary in South Carolina. The state’s former governor, Nikki Haley, had 36 percentage points.
With just 10 days left until South Carolina's Republican presidential primary, 64.9% of likely voters in the state said they were more likely to support Trump election, according to a Winthrop Poll released on 14 February 2024. In contrast with Trump, only 28.7% of likely voters said they would support Haley, his former governor and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Among Republican voters, Trump has an absolute advantage, with an approval rating of 72% but among purely independent voters, the two candidates received almost the same support, with 42.6% supporting Trump and 42.3% supporting Haley.
The Winthrop Poll is run by Winthrop University's Center for Public Opinion & Policy Research in South Carolina, whose director, Scott Huffman, provided the latest update. The poll results provide some analysis. He believes that one of the most striking findings of the poll is that Haley's support has dropped sharply in her home state, where she has previously enjoyed high approval ratings among Republicans.
"When we look at her approval ratings among South Carolina Republicans in Winthrop polls from November 2023 to the present, we see a significant drop in approval and an increase in disapproval," Huffman said. It seems to correspond with her increasing attacks on Trump. It seems to suggest that in South Carolina, obviously like across the country, the Republican Party is very much the party of Trump."
In the poll, the number of registered voters who have a favorable opinion of Haley dropped from 71% in November 2023 to 56% now. Echoing this, the number of voters who think she is unpopular is also increasing, rising from 16% in November 2023 to 33% in February 2024.
The poll also showed that if the presidential election were held now and the candidates were current President Biden and Trump, 50% of all registered voters in the state would vote for Trump and 35% would vote for Biden; If the candidates are Biden and Haley, then 47% of people will vote for Haley and 29% will vote for Biden.
The latest public opinion poll, conducted between 2 and 10 February 2024, surveyed 1,717 registered voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.36 percentage points.
News (14)
Trump will become the first former U.S. president to be tried in New York hush money case
Reporter : Ren Hao / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/02/16/a103853841.html
A New York judge announced on 15 February 2024 that Trump’s hush money case would be heard starting from 25 March 2024. This makes Trump the first former president of the United States to be tried in a criminal case.
On Thursday (15 February), New York Judge Juan Merchan took only 10 minutes to reject the application of former President Trump’s team to dismiss the case during a hearing in Manhattan, announcing that the trial would begin on 25 March. The hush money case is expected to be decided at the end of April or early May.
The case was initiated by Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg, accusing Trump of paying $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels through his personal lawyer in 2016 in exchange for her concealing their extramarital affair in 2006. During the payment process, Trump was suspected of falsifying business records.
Trump came to New York on Thursday for a hearing where he maintained his innocence. Even if the court convicts him, it will not prevent Trump from running for office and taking office. But the trial could affect voters' views of Trump and take up time from his campaign.
Former U.S. President Trump: "I will be here (trial) during the day and build momentum for the campaign at night. Biden (President) should do the same thing (trial during the day, campaign at night), but he will be asleep."
Since Trump announced his candidacy for president in November last year, he has been involved in four cases. Trump accused Democrats of weaponizing the judiciary and interfering with his campaign.
If the New York hush case goes to trial, Trump will become the first former president to be tried for a criminal case in U.S. history.
The latest polls show that Trump and Biden are neck and neck in support.
News (15) to (17) / Reporter : Xu Manyuan / Editor : Fang Ping / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/15/n14181501.htm / Image : On 27 January 2024, after four years, Samp (middle), Chairman of the Taiwan Hong Kong Association, once again participated in the symposium held by the Los Angeles Hong Kong Forum in Los Angeles. (Xu Manyuan/The Epoch Times)
News (15)
Samp in Los Angeles talks about Taiwan's general election. Why didn't the Democratic Progressive Party win more than half of the votes?
Lawyer Samp, who visited Los Angeles again after four years, shared with the Epoch Times reporter his journey of telling the "real Hong Kong" story in Taiwan, and upon talking about his views on Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election. Samp hopes that the Taiwan government and people can learn from Hong Kong, truly realize the threat of the CCP, and establish national defense, civil defense and psychological defense.
News (16)
Samp: Leftist social issues are causing internal conflict in Taiwan
Samp is currently the chairman of the Taiwan Hong Kong Association. He believes that the results of Taiwan's presidential election prove that the DPP has been in power for eight years and there are indeed some problems; but the 40.05% vote rate of Lai Ching-de and Hsiao Meiqin does not represent Taiwan's nearly 60% Voters may support the CCP or have no interest in Hong Kong issues—not to mention, as the Taiwan Affairs Office of the People’s Republic of China put it, “the common desire of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to get closer and get closer and closer.”
Samp believes that although the Taiwanese people generally feel sorry for what has happened in Hong Kong and remain vigilant, they also hope that the government can effectively solve the problems of low wages and high housing prices and create more opportunities for young people to be self-reliant; therefore, compared with Taiwan four years ago, during the presidential election, Hong Kong has become a hot topic, and now Taiwanese people may choose a more pragmatic political party. People who vote for Ko Wen-je or Hou Yu-ih are not necessarily "rebellious" pro-Communists; nor can they simply equate "opposing the CCP and supporting Hong Kong" with "voting for the DPP".
Samp believes that there are very few Taiwanese people who have truly "rebelled". The reason why a large number of voters want to "replace others" is because they feel the economic recession and many controversial policies of the Democratic Progressive Party. The government formulates so-called welfare policies and "distributes sugar" everywhere, which cannot solve the fundamental economic problems. Samp questioned whether the DPP will continue to internalize Taiwanese society on non-nuclear homeland and gender issues. Adhering to and indulging in Western leftist social issues may cause more unnecessary divisions and divisions in Taiwan. He hopes that the new rulers of the Democratic Progressive Party will spend more time and deeply deal with Taiwan's internal economic problems and reduce people's living burdens.
News (17)
Douyin and Xiaohongshu penetrate and influence the younger generation
There is a popular jingle in Taiwan: "When Douyin starts, parents raise money in vain." This can well explain the crisis that Douyin is bringing to Taiwan. Samp believes that short audio and video videos controlled by the CCP such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu are a kind of spiritual opium, which will not only affect people's hobbies for things and make personal hatred one-sided, but also cause sequelae such as short memory. , seriously affecting the growth of young people.
These videos are detected, filtered, and sent according to the user's preferences, so it is easy for people to self-hypnotize and feel good about themselves. Samp lamented that today's young generation can hardly read articles of more than a few thousand words, let alone calm down and read a full-length novel. The content of such short videos is full of all kinds of remarks that the CCP needs to promote. Most of them start with sensual remarks, but in the end they inevitably mention the great achievements of the CCP. Under the brainwashing of the concept of "great unification", people are gradually numbed. Cognition.
Samp suggested that the Taiwanese government should change young people through education and concepts; it could give specific examples to make it easier for the public to understand the harm of these short videos. We must let everyone clearly understand the "CCP" elements contained in Douyin and Xiaohongshu; we must use facts to explain the problem, rather than sit back and ignore it or directly ban it. For example, the United States has also begun to "detoxify" and ban military personnel and civil servants from using TikTok (International version of Douyin).
Although he was deeply dissatisfied with the totalitarian rule and martial law in Taiwan during the Chiang Kai-shek era, Samp praised Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo for their clear understanding of the CCP. He said: "The current Taiwan government needs to come up with the secret and anti-espionage methods of the Chiang Kai-shek era with a spirit of caution." Because Taiwan is a place that the Chinese Communist Party is eager to take over and invade and annex, the vast majority of Taiwanese and journalists rarely face this issue.
Samp believes that "CCP" is an enemy of Taiwan, the Republic of China, and the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution cannot be used to praise the CCP. The CCP military has never given up its use of force to conquer Taiwan; Taiwanese people cannot regard the CCP as an ordinary neighbour.
In this Taiwan election, the Chinese Communist Party maliciously criticized specific candidates; it sent Communist military aircraft and ships to harass Taiwan, creating a dangerous atmosphere of war in the Taiwan Strait, and suppressed and strictly investigated specific candidates and their investment companies in the mainland; it even used the Internet to intervene and influence the situation with the election is very serious. Samp gave an example. Douyin and Xiaohongshu are full of short videos with the concept of "peace", which affects primary, middle and primary school students' understanding of war, and finally extends to the absurd conclusion that they choose to surrender because they do not want to fight. He called on the Taiwan authorities to truly realize the threat of the CCP and establish national defense, civil defense and psychological defense in all aspects.
News (18)
Thailand considers tax on cheap Chinese goods
Reporter : Zhang Ting / Editor : Lin Yan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/15/n14181925.htm / Image : Cheap Chinese-made elephant pants hit the Thai market, causing concern. The Thai government said it would impose tariffs on cheap Chinese goods. The picture shows a store selling elephant print clothing in the ICONSIAM shopping mall in Bangkok on October 4, 2023. (Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images)
Thailand is considering imposing value-added tax on Chinese Communist goods passing through the free trade zone to protect local manufacturers from the impact of a large number of cheap imported goods.
According to Bloomberg, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin ordered officials on 15 February 2024 to consider imposing value-added tax on goods priced below 1,500 baht ($41) passing through the duty-free zone to prevent fraud. Srettha said cheap Chinese goods also enter Thailand through e-commerce platforms and smuggling.
The Thai Prime Minister issued a statement on social media platform. The prime minister also said that besides being cheap, Chinese goods lack standard certification from government agencies and often infringe on intellectual property rights.
A surge in imports of cheap goods from Thailand has prompted the country's main business group to seek intervention from the prime minister. According to the Bangkok Post report, Thailand's Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that the customs department recently received an order to ban the import of Chinese-made "elephant pants" into Thailand because Thailand has registered the pattern with copyright.
The Commerce Secretary said the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) is currently investigating whether imports from China are still ongoing.
The "elephant pants", which are printed with elephants and have a light texture, have always been one of the most popular products in Thailand but cheap elephant pants made in CCP China are flooding into the Thai market. Many wholesalers and retailers are asking the government to take action against Chinese-made trousers.
Thai Prime Minister Saitha Thakur said in early February that the issue surrounding the "elephant pants" made in China reminded the government to resolve copyright issues.
When asked about planning and manufacturing expansion, the Prime Minister said that instead of focusing on these issues, some fundamental issues such as copyright protection should be prioritized.
"Little things like elephant pants made in China reflect the need to move faster in our national conservation efforts," he said.
Sanan Angubolkul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said importing low-cost Chinese goods will have an impact on local small and medium-sized enterprises as their sales may be severely affected. Data from Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce shows that China is Thailand’s largest trading partner in 2023, with total trade reaching US$105 billion and a trade deficit of US$36.6 billion.
News (19) to (20) / Reporters : Ning Haizhong and Luo Ya / Editor : Li Renhe / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/2/14/n14180865.htm
News (19)
Qin Gang’s case is exposed again. Experts analyze the CCP’s terrifying “spider web”
Image : File photo of former Chinese Communist Party Foreign Minister Qin Gang. (Terje Pedersen/NTB/AFP via Getty Images)
Qin Gang, the former foreign minister of the Communist Party of China, suddenly disappeared and was dismissed last year, and the inside story of the incident is still unfolding. The US media recently repeated old news about Qin Gang's extramarital affair and espionage case, and added some details such as Qin Gang's affair with Peng Liyuan and his sworn enemy with Wang Yi. Sheng Xue, an expert on China issues living in Canada, believes that some rumors may be based on embellished analysis, but the CCP's internal strife is so ugly, and in its huge and terrifying "spider web", no one can escape a tragic end.
The Washington Post published an article on the 12th by senior columnist David Ignatius, who reportedly interviewed a senior U.S. government official, a former official with ties to Beijing, and a diplomat.
The article first mentioned the already reported extramarital affair between Qin Gang and Chinese Communist Party propaganda reporter Fu Xiaotian. Fu gave birth to a child through an American surrogate mother. It is alleged that Fu may have been an agent for British intelligence and that her espionage activities may have threatened Qin. Former U.S. officials said that Russia’s Federal Security Service had previously warned the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of State Security about this.
As for another reason for Qin Gang's loss of power, U.S. officials said that Qin's rapid promotion within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aroused dissatisfaction among his colleagues, and he had a "bloody feud" with his predecessor Wang Yi.
It is said that Qin Gang established a strong relationship with Xi Jinping, thanks to the help of Qin's wife Lin Yan. Qin's wife makes mooncakes for Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan, almost like a member of her family. Qin's close ties to the Xi family may have helped him skip the common promotion ladder in China and rise to the rank of foreign minister at a relatively young age.
Officials are promoted and demoted based on their close relationship with leaders, which conforms to political logic.
Sheng Xue, a Chinese-Canadian writer and expert on China issues, told The Epoch Times on February 14 that the inside story of Qin Gang’s case has been hotly debated. This time, it is said that his rapid promotion in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was due to his personal relationship with Xi Jinping and his wife's relationship with Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan. This kind of thing is very common and logical in the power structure of the CCP.
"The CCP's power system does not have any fairness, justice, openness or any reasonable and legal procedures. Everyone is fighting for relationships, and it is bound to be full of intrigues and life-and-death struggles. Other officials or officials from previous generations of the CCP, A lot of things are similar."
Sheng Xue gave the example of Zhu Xiaohua, the former chairman of China Everbright Group, who was known as the favorite general of then-Premier Zhu Rongji. He fell due to internal strife because he rose too fast.
"In 2001, I had an exclusive interview with Zhu Xiaohua's case. Zhu Xiaohua was originally an educated youth who jumped in the queue, and later worked as a small cadre in a bank in Shanghai. By chance, Zhu Rongji appreciated him very much and promoted Zhu Xiaohua all the way. Zhu Xiaohua was 44 years old At that time, he was appointed as the deputy governor of the People's Bank of China and also the director of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. He was then promoted to the chairman of the Everbright Group and was stationed in Hong Kong. This is a very young and promising leader. But he was soon reported from within, something happened, and he was sentenced to 15 years for accepting bribes.”
Zhu Xiaohua was investigated in 1999 and sentenced to 15 years in prison in August 2002. His wife committed suicide in Chicago in 2002 after hearing about it.
Sheng Xue said that looking at Zhu Xiaohua's bribery crime today, it can be said that it cannot be convicted at all. She has seen a letter written by Zhu Xiaohua's daughter to Zhu Rongji, calling her "Grandpa Zhu", which shows that they do have an unusual relationship. But it was precisely this unusual relationship that aroused the jealousy of the outside world and drove him to death.
News (20)
Internal strife in the CCP creates an ugly situation, and officials are all caught in the spider web of terror
The Qin Gang case, like the case of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu, has caused a lot of speculation because the information is not transparent.
Sheng Xue said that in the past, when senior CCP officials were dismissed, the authorities would generally give a reason. Although some of the reasons were fabricated or specious, they would always give an explanation to the outside world. Now, no official explanation has been given about what happened to Qin Gang, Li Shangfu and others, that highlights Xi Jinping's willful and perverse and suspicious characteristics. He does not care about procedures, let alone ethics.
"The CCP's internal fighting has continued, and today it has formed a very ugly situation. Anyone may be attacked. The two commanders of the Rocket Force established by Xi Jinping himself have disappeared, one deputy commander has been arrested, and the other The deputy commander committed suicide, and now I hear that dozens of mid-level and high-level generals are under review.”
Rumours that Qin Gang was involved in spies are also rampant. Sheng Xue believes that some people say that Qin Gang is a Russian spy, while others say that Fu Xiaotian is a British spy or an American spy. Some of them may be based on people's interpretation of the facts through some superficial phenomena but one thing is that the CCP itself is an extremely strict gang system. Once someone becomes a traitor, the CCP will definitely be more ruthless.
Sheng Xue said that over the past few decades, the ideology that the CCP previously adhered to has completely collapsed. Nowadays, except Xi Jinping himself, no one takes communism seriously. People are more pursuing power, money, status and interests.
"Now the CCP has formed a new ideology from the inside out, from top to bottom, that is, as long as this benefit can buy me, spies are no longer a problem for the CCP members. So. It shouldn’t be particularly surprising if one day there is evidence proving that Fu Xiaotian is a British spy or that Qin Gang is a Russian spy.”
She concluded that the CCP itself is a huge, foul-smelling spider web of terror. Once you get stuck on it, it will be difficult to escape. This is a tragedy. “Now that all the CCP officials are on top, whoever Xi wants to purge, many people do not have any power to control their own destiny.”
News (21)
Epidemic heats up during Chinese New Year, young adults suddenly die without warning
Reporters : Tang Rui and Xiong Bin / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/02/16/a103853831.html
During the Chinese New Year, the epidemic in China escalated again. Hospitals in many places were full and the death toll was also rising. Even young adults were not spared. It is heartbreaking and shocking but the authorities are still covering up the truth.
Online videos show that around the New Year, hospitals of all sizes in CCP China have become the busiest places. There is an endless stream of patients, outpatient clinics have to queue up, and beds in wards are hard to find.
Chinese interviewee: "Look, today is New Year's Eve, and the health care hospital is busier than the wet market. There are queues for water bottles."
Chinese interviewee: "Let me show you this hospital. What does it mean to be crowded? There are too many people. There are so many people every time we come here."
Mr. Zhang, a citizen of Ankang, Shaanxi Province: "The hospital is overcrowded and the queues take a long time, two or three hours. There are few beds and there are extra beds in the corridors."
On 14 February 2024, mainland China media reported that "mixed doubles" of influenza A and B are sweeping across the country. Recently, many children have been infected with influenza A on their front feet, but have been infected with influenza B on their back feet. Adults and elderly people have also been infected.
Ms. Sun, a citizen of Baoding, Hebei: "It was a family of children and adults, all with fever and cough. My sister had a fever and cough for more than a month, and she never felt well. Many people didn't know why, but this person left (died). Some are older, some are in their 40s."
Some people said that in fact, the covid epidemic has broken out in China since last year but the authorities have been using names such as "Influenza A, Influenza B, and Influenza" to conceal the truth.
Mr. Zhang, a drug dealer in Inner Mongolia: "It's covid, basically concealed." "Generally, hospital diagnosis certificates or death certificates won't write these things, so we should treat it as H1N1."
People revealed that this wave of the epidemic is different from the previous ones. Not only does it take a long time to recover after infection, but the death rate is also very fast.
Chinese citizen: "Recently, one of my husband's colleagues passed away. Actually, a few colleagues arranged to play basketball after work. After the game, the colleague felt uncomfortable. Within a few minutes, he died suddenly." "This colleague is about the same age as us, both in his forties." "He caught influenza B a week before his death. After he recovered, he still had a little cold, but he did not take it seriously. After strenuous exercise, he developed sudden myocarditis, which was very scary because he had no warning signs before."
Currently, CCP China's economy is in the Great Depression, and coupled with the epidemic, once someone dies, it will bring huge pain and pressure to the family.
Chinese interviewee: "For families, it is not only a mental and psychological trauma, but also a huge economic trauma."
News (22) to (25) / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2024/02/16/a103853832.html
News (22)
Zhongnanhai’s “National Advisor” admits the four major gaps between China and the United States and calls for a clear understanding of reality
Zhu Feng, a well-known international relations scholar at Nanjing University, said in his New Year's speech that the United States is far ahead of China in four major areas, including: technological innovation and sophisticated manufacturing, currency and financial dominance, 47 iron-clad allies, and a global presence. Have the right to speak. He analyzed that the fundamental reason for China's poor economic performance last year was the lack of support from the United States, including a 21% drop in Sino-U.S. trade and an 87% drop in U.S. investment in China. Zhu Feng called on Chinese youth to view China and the world objectively and soberly, and urged the improvement of Sino-US relations.
News (23)
SMIC spends a lot of money to produce Huawei chips. Experts analyze China's industrial dilemma
SMIC, China's largest and most technologically advanced chip manufacturer, was revealed to have spent a lot of money to build a 5-nanometer production line in Shanghai to produce chips for Huawei's future flagship mobile phones. SMIC's chips are 40 to 50% more expensive than TSMC's products of the same level, and their yield rate is less than one-third that of TSMC. Due to export restrictions from various countries, China cannot buy 5 nanometer and more advanced chips. Lin Hongwen, a senior financial media person in Taiwan, analyzed that SMIC’s 5-nanometer chips may cost one at a loss and have no commercial value. However, for the sake of the CCP’s propaganda, they can only bite the bullet and do it.
News (24)
Famous genetics journal retracts 18 Chinese papers due to human rights violations
The journal Molecular Genetics and Genomic Medicine (MGGM) retracted 18 papers from China this week due to human rights issues. These papers all use DNA samples from Chinese people, and many of the authors of the papers are related to the Chinese Communist Party’s public security department. The sampled statements of some papers are inconsistent with the content of the article. According to industry insiders, Chinese scholars are suspected of forcibly collecting biological samples from people in Xinjiang and Tibet, and international forensic genetics magazines have become stricter in reviewing Chinese papers.
News (25)
This year's New Year is very different. People in CCP China say "Happy New Year's Eve" instead of saying New Year's greetings
The Chinese Communist Party does not have a holiday on New Year's Eve, so the slogan "get rid of Xi Jinping" on New Year's Eve is widely publicized. Commentator Cai Shenkun revealed that people within the CCP system all said "Happy New Year's Eve" when greeting the New Year this year because everyone "knows it well." On overseas social platforms, a couplet "Eliminate bad habits and the world celebrates" and "Eliminate bad habits and bring spring back to the earth" were widely circulated. Some people also painted a New Year painting "Eliminating bad habits on New Year's Eve and everyone is happy" to express their feelings.
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