CDC: 34 out of 43 Omicron cases in the U.S. are "fully vaccinated"

 Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

News on disease control, CCP, Taiwan

News (1)

CDC: 34 out of 43 Omicron cases in the U.S. are "fully vaccinated"

Reporter : Andrew White, National File

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), only 20% of covid cases caused by the Omicron variant (Covi29) identified in the U.S. were in people who are unvaccinated. Out of the 43 cases attributed to the Omicron variant, 34 people infected with the virus had been “fully vaccinated.”

Out of the 34 vaccinated individuals who had contracted Covi29, one third of them had received a booster injection.

 

CDC said that of the 43 cases attributed to Covi29, 34 people had been fully vaccinated. Fourteen of them had also received a booster, although five of those cases occurred less than 14 days after the additional shot before full protection kicks in.

 

While the numbers are very small, they add to growing concerns that current covid vaccines may offer less protection against the highly transmissible new variant.

 

British scientists from the University of Oxford have indicated that “increased infections” in vaccinated people “may be likely” after their study found that the two-dose covid vaccine regimens induce lower antibodies against Covi2.

Refs: https://nationalfile.com/vaccinated-variant-20-omicron-cases-found-unvaccinated-people-cdc-says/, https://thenationalpulse.com/news/a-pandemic-of-the-vaccinated/

News (2)

People's Daily touted "reform and opening up" 4,000-word long article without mentioning Xi Jinping

Reporter : Zheng Gusheng / Editor : Xu Gengwen / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/12/13/a103292566.html

The communique of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China emphasized ten "persistence", but did not mention "persistence in reform and opening up." Recently, the central-level party media published a long article touting "reform and opening up", affirming Deng, Jiang, and Hu, and not mentioning Xi Jinping at all, which aroused concern.

On 9 December, the People's Daily published a commentary titled "Reform and opening up is a great awakening of the party" on the ninth page of the theoretical page, signed by Qu Qingshan. Qu is currently a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the dean of the Central Party History and Documentation Research Institute.

The article mentions Deng Xiaoping nine times, and mentions Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao each. They all affirmed their so-called "contributions" to "reform and opening up," but did not mention Xi Jinping.

In recent years, the party media has strongly emphasized "Xi's core", but this 4,000-word long article avoids Xi Jinping, and discusses the sensitive "reform and opening" topic, which has attracted public attention.

Radio Free Asia quoted Hong Kong current affairs commentator Lin Heli’s analysis as saying that this article does not mention that Xi Jinping is relatively rare. There are two possibilities. One is that the article only focuses on the history of "reform and opening up", and the other is that it hopes to imply Xi Jinping. Did not contribute to "reform and opening up" and expressed dissatisfaction with Xi Jinping's departure from "Deng Xiaoping's line."

Lin Heli also mentioned that this article only quoted the CCP’s “third historical resolution” at the beginning. He said that according to his observations, the top CCP leaders did not support the "third historical resolution" with "high profile and enthusiasm" as they did in the past, which violated the CCP's internal traditions.

In recent years, Xi Jinping has repeatedly quoted Mao Zedong’s statement and has continuously strengthened his overall control over society. In the communique of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in November this year, ten "persistences" were put forward, but there was no "persistence to reform and opening up", which caused heated discussions.

In the so-called "third historical resolution" adopted by the Sixth Plenary Session, although it talked about "fully deepening reform and opening up," it also mentioned "newly emerging" contradictions and problems after "reform and opening up", including "negative corruption within the party." "spread" and so on, have caused the Chinese Communist Party to "face a major test."

The alleged CCP’s external propaganda media’s Duowei.com posted an article saying that the above statement was tantamount to an “unnamed” criticism of the “accumulative drawbacks of reform and opening up,” which involved “the CCP’s own leadership issues at the time”.

Yuan Hongbing, a jurist in Australia, told The Epoch Times that there was internal information that Xi Jinping originally wanted to criticize Jiang Zemin by name in the "third historical resolution," but he gave up because of opposition from the party. He believes that the promulgation of this resolution will be the beginning of a new round of intense struggle within the party.

In addition to the long article in the "People's Daily" that does not mention Xi Jinping, overseas democracy activist Wang Dan also pointed out on Facebook that there have been many unusual signs in Beijing in recent days.

He mentioned that the official report of the Central Economic Work Conference of the Communist Party of China rarely tied Xi and Li and used the expression "Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang delivered a speech."

In addition, 13 December was the "National Memorial Day" of the Nanjing Massacre. On such a grand occasion of commemoration, Xi Jinping did not show up or speak.

Wang Dan also said that the recent official discourse on economic issues basically contradicts "Xi Jinping Economics."

He said that these may be just accidents, but he does feel that "the political atmosphere in China these days is a bit weird."

See also: https://staygate.blogspot.com/2021/12/omicron-has-claimed-at-least-one-death.html

News (3) to (4) / Editor : Chen Beichen / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/12/13/a103292454.html

News (3)

US ambassador responds to Solomon riots for the first time: The choice is obvious

Image : On 24 April 2019, after the Solomon Islands elected a new prime minister, protesters were dissatisfied. (Robert Taupongi/AFP/Getty Images)

The riots in the Solomon Islands in November 2021 were partly blamed on the corruption of the Chinese government's "aid", which caused dissatisfaction among the local people. The U.S. ambassador to the Solomon Islands warned the Pacific Islands not to accept "assistance that only benefits individual people, individual political parties, and individual bank accounts."

The U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, Erin McKee, said in a statement on Monday (13 December) that “Honiara’s tragic loss of life and property damage” should not occur again.

Protesters from Solomon's Malaita Province caused riots in the capital Honiara in November 2021. People there are dissatisfied with the failure of Chinese companies to provide local employment opportunities. Large areas of Chinatown were burnt down.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said that foreign forces who opposed his severance of diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 2019 and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Chinese Communist Party were behind the anti-government demonstrators in Malaita Province.

"Do you want assistance that benefits individual people, individual parties, and individual bank accounts, or assistance that can strengthen the overall family capacity, strengthen the entire community, and make the entire country rich?" the US ambassador said in a statement.

Sogavare was accused by opposition leaders in Parliament last week of using the CCP’s National Development Fund to strengthen his political power but Sogavare denied allegations of corruption against him.

"As a democratic and independent country, you can choose whom to cooperate with. And I believe that this choice is obvious." The US ambassador reminded in the statement.

News (4)

Polls: 80% of Solomon's people oppose the establishment of diplomatic relations with the CCP

The Solomon Islands was one of the few countries that had diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than with China. Sogavare became Prime Minister of Solomon in April 2019. On 16 September 2019, the cabinet decided to rush to recognize the CCP before 1 October 2019. In the morning of the next day, the people of Malaita Province, the most populous province of the country, marched peacefully in the capital to protest in support of Taiwan and questioned the authorities' disregard for the public opinion for money.

It is reported that the Chinese Communist Party spent 500 million US dollars to win Taiwan’s friendly Solomon Islands in the South Pacific through the One Belt One Road project. A poll conducted by the Prime Minister's Office of the Souk State on the social website shows that 80% of the people in Souk support the diplomatic relationship between Taiwan and Solomon. This is especially the case in Malaita Province, which not only bans the CCP’s construction and Chinese-funded enterprises there, but also accepts a US$25 million US aid program in 2020.

Ambassador McGee said in the statement that the U.S. aid project originated from the correspondence between Sogavare and the then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. The U.S. sent defense officials and aid contracts in August 2019 to the Solomon Islands.

The statement said that US aid contractors work with communities so that the latter can build and maintain local infrastructure, such as roads, "without external assistance."

However, the Solomon Islands severed relations with Taiwan in September 2019 and switched to establishing diplomatic relations with the Chinese Communist Party. As a result, US projects were delayed in the process.

During the riots, more than 200 police and soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji responded to Sogavare’s request to maintain order in Honiara.

The Solomon Islands has an important strategic position and is a country with strategic value located in the north of Australia.

News (5)

Beijing still hasn't approved Pfizer vaccine, Guo Guangchang bets on defeat

Reporter : Chen Beichen  / Editor: Xu Gengwen / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/12/13/a103292515.html

Shanghai Fosun Group, owned by the Chinese billionaire Guo Guangchang, and BioNTech of Germany have collaborated to import the covid vaccine, which has not yet been approved in China. Recently, Beijing has strongly supported domestic vaccines. This is not optimistic about whether the Pfizer vaccine produced by Fosun Group can be approved for use in China.

Last year, when the epidemic broke out, Guo Guangchang was supposed to bet the right thing-to cooperate with Germany's BioNTech to produce virus vaccines with Pfizer. However, in the past year, Pfizer’s BNT vaccine has not been approved in China. Instead, the authorities have allowed the mRNA vaccine developed by China’s Yunnan Walvax, which is still in clinical trials, as a third booster shot in recent weeks.

The third dose of the booster vaccine recently approved by the Chinese Communist Party was jointly developed by the Academy of Military Medicine of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, Suzhou Aibo Biotechnology and Watson Biotechnology. The results are expected to be released as soon as the end of this year.

According to Bloomberg analysis, signs of the CCP’s delay in approving Pfizer vaccines indicate that the political decision of the CCP highlights the vulnerability of Chinese corporate tycoons and foreign partners, as well as the uncertain prospects facing global drugmakers in China.

In China, more than 1 billion people have been vaccinated with Kexing or Sinopharm vaccines, although scientific research has found that they are not as effective as mRNA injections.

Analysts said that it is difficult to say when Pfizer and BNT vaccines will be approved in China because the Chinese regulators have not publicly stated why they were rejected.

Zhao Bing, a senior analyst at Huaxing Securities, pointed out that if the approval of vaccines and drugs becomes a political rather than an economic issue, international pharmaceutical companies will not be able to enter the relevant market at all. Even if Pfizer vaccine finally enters the Chinese mainland market, it will be because of China. The relationship between vaccine competition and restrictions on the use of vaccines.

At present, the "Fubitai" Pfizer vaccine can only be used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau.

"How much market share can Fosun capture?" Zhao said, "I don't know, but it certainly doesn't look optimistic."

Fosun Pharma’s current share price has fallen more than 40% from its August peak. Guo Guangchang's worth has also shrunk from a peak of US$4.6 billion last year to US$3.5 billion.

Fosun Pharma said that its cooperation with BNT has always been supported by relevant regulatory authorities, and that the clinical trials and approval process are carried out in accordance with the regulations of the Chinese Communist Party.

A BNT spokesperson stated that the application for the vaccine in mainland China is still ongoing.

The CCP’s regulatory agency, the State Administration of Pharmaceutical Products, and the State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

News (6) to (9) / Reporter : Zhang Ting / Editor : Li Yuan / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/12/13/n13435058.htm

News (6)

Analysis: Why did the CCP delay the approval of Western vaccines for domestic sales

When the highly contagious covi variant Covi72 (for Delta variant, B.1.1.572)  hit China in the summer, some public health experts hoped that China would soon use new German biotechnology The company's (BioNTech) high-efficiency mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) COVID-19 vaccine to enhance the Chinese people's ability to fight the epidemic. However, the vaccine has not been approved by Beijing for a long time after passing the review by experts of the Chinese Communist Party's regulatory agency.

Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has obtained the authorization of German BioNTech to produce and sell mRNA vaccines in Greater China. Fosun Pharma revealed that in July this year, the vaccine has passed the expert review of the Chinese Communist Party's regulatory agency and is in the administrative review stage. Fosun Pharma even plans to start domestic trial production before the end of August.

However, five months later, Covi72 has evolved into a more contagious variant of Omicron (Covi29), thus challenging the CCP’s covid clearing strategy. In addition, the effectiveness of domestic vaccines is relatively low. Under these circumstances, CCP officials still did not announce BioNTech. When the mRNA vaccine will be approved, or whether it will be approved.

CNN pointed out that although experts and official media have expressed confidence in containing this new variant, the CCP has not yet released a study on the degree of resistance of its domestic vaccine to Omicron.

News (7)

CCP Chinese inactivated vaccines are far less effective than Western mRNA vaccines

Nearly 80% of China's population has been fully vaccinated, most of which are vaccinated with inactivated vaccines developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group and Kexing Biological. According to CNN, the efficacy of these vaccines has been found to be far lower than that of mRNA vaccines, and studies have also shown that the immunity provided by Chinese vaccines will rapidly weaken.

According to the data of the World Health Organization, the effective rate of Sinovac vaccine CoronaVac in preventing symptomatic diseases of the original variant is 51%; the effective rate of Sinopharm Group is 79%. In contrast, the foreign-made Pfizer/BioNTech and Modena mRNA vaccines are as effective as 95%.

A Hong Kong study published in The Lancet in June found that health workers who were fully vaccinated with BioNTech's mRNA vaccine had about 10 times the amount of antibodies that were vaccinated by Kexing's inactivated vaccine.

CNN pointed out that the limited protection provided by Chinese vaccines is far from sufficient to meet the CCP's COVID clearing goal. In the past few months, the Chinese authorities have adopted increasingly stringent measures to contain the local epidemic-usually at a huge economic cost and disrupting people's daily lives.

In order to improve the weakening public immunity, the Chinese Communist Party has begun to introduce booster shots-but once again use inactivated vaccines. Some studies have found that the third booster uses mRNA the best.

Some studies have found that mRNA vaccines can produce better immune responses as boosters. For example, a recent study in the United Kingdom found that 10 to 12 weeks after the second vaccination, vaccinations with Pfizer/BioNTech or Modena-produced mRNA vaccine booster shots have the greatest increase in antibody levels.

The article stated that CCP officials are not unaware of the advantages of using mRNA vaccines. Last month, Zeng Guang, the former chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, admitted, “Real-world data shows that using mRNA vaccines or recombinant protein vaccines as booster doses of inactivated vaccines will achieve better results. Effect."

Zeng Guang cited data from countries such as Turkey, Thailand, and Lebanon, but at the same time said that the use of the same technology for enhanced needles would be more acceptable to the public.

News (8)

Why the Beijing government is reluctant to approve western mRNA vaccines

In response to this issue, CNN quoted Yanzhong Huang, a senior researcher on global health issues at the Council on Foreign Relations, saying that politics seems to be the main consideration.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the CCP has launched vaccine diplomacy on a global scale, exporting hundreds of millions of domestic vaccines to help Beijing enhance its soft power and project international influence.

"When China develops its own vaccine, it uses it to showcase China's technological progress. Now switching to foreign vaccines is tantamount to admitting that its technological capabilities are not as good as other countries." Huang Yanzhong said.

In addition, Huang Yanzhong believes that the Beijing government may also be in order to protect the interests of the domestic vaccine industry.

"I believe that they (the existing Chinese vaccine manufacturers) will be very resistant to introducing external vaccine providers into this huge market." He said.

While the Chinese Communist Party's regulatory agencies postponed the approval of the BioNTech vaccine, domestic companies received the green light to continue developing their own mRNA vaccines.

Huang Yanzhong said that Beijing may hope to approve domestic mRNA vaccines before approving any foreign vaccines.

But there are signs that Chinese experts hope to cooperate more with their Western counterparts.

Last weekend, Zhong Nanshan, China's top respiratory disease expert and government consultant, urged China to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with other countries in vaccine research and development.

"We need to understand the good things of other countries, such as mRNA (vaccine)." Zhong Nanshan said at a forum in Guangzhou last Saturday (December 11).

"They spent several years researching and successfully developed the world's first mRNA (vaccine) in just a few months... We need to learn their technology in this regard," he said.

News (9)

The uncertain outlook for global drugmakers in China

According to Bloomberg, with Beijing’s vigorous support for the development of domestically produced mRNA vaccines in recent weeks, whether Fosun Pharma can distribute BioNTech’s mRNA vaccines in China has aroused concern. This also highlights the uncertain prospects of global drugmakers in China. China is the world's second largest pharmaceutical market and an important market for COVID-19 products.

Bloomberg quoted Zhao Bing, a senior analyst in charge of healthcare research at Huaxing Securities Hong Kong Co., Ltd., as saying that if the approval of COVID vaccines and drugs is treated as a “political issue, not an economic or biological issue,” then International Pharmaceutical The company may not be able to reach the Chinese market. He said that, given the domestic competition, even if the BioNTech vaccine that Fosun represents is finally approved for use in the mainland, its prospects in China may be limited.

"How much market share can Fosun capture?" Zhao said, "I don't know, but it certainly doesn't look optimistic."

Fosun Pharma’s share price is now more than 40% below its August high.

News (10)

The most terrifying opponent of the Green Camp! Two years ago, the prediction came true and "he" became the strongest man in the Blue Camp

Editor : Zhang Zhiqian 

Image : Hou Youyi Facebook

The referendum case entered the final countdown, and the New Taipei Mayor Hou Youyi, named by the KMT grassroots, finally made a statement at night of 13 December 2021. He believes that the true meaning of the referendum is the display of the people’s autonomous will and should be passed through inwardly. After debating the pros and cons of thinking, use free will to decide your answer.

In response to this, lawyer Lin Zhiqun said on 14 December 2021, “I said two and a half years ago that Hou Youyi is the most terrifying person in the KMT. I did not look at it. Time will prove Hou Youyi is correct.” 

Hou Youyi stated on Facebook yesterday that it was originally a referendum that started from professionalism, rationality, and science, and everyone could argue, calmly consider and judge, and respect the choices of the majority of the people. He questioned why there cannot be other arguments. It was supposed to be a matter of discussing the matter one by one, but how did it turn into a conflict between the people and the enemies? The conflicts and conflicts are like elections. Isn’t everyone tired? "I believe the people are bored and tired." 

Hou Youyi believes that the responsibility of opinion leaders is to clarify all the pros and cons for the people, whether they are in the opposition or in power. The problem is not just telling us to circle or cross. 

Although this is the first time Hou Youyi has expressed his stance on the referendum, he still does not clearly support the KMT’s "4 consents" "In this regard, Lin Zhiqun said on Facebook today that he had said two and a half years ago that Hou Youyi is the most terrifying person in the KMT. He did not look away. So far, Hou Youyi is the person who made the least mistakes in the KMT, even "Keeping a distance from the Kuomintang" is also the correct strategy, because the Kuomintang is now taking a slanted front, taking a slanted line, and it will not win the support of most people! 

Lin Zhiqun said that if you want to compete for the top position, you must never get too close to the KMT. The KMT chairman Zhu Lilun chose another path and he will definitely fail. Time will prove Hou Youyi is correct.

Ref: news.tvbs.com.tw/politics/1659651

Video Screenshots on Taiwan National Day

Omicron specializes on attacking young people, immune potential is very important

 Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

News on disease control, Taiwan

News (1) to (5) / Reporters : Li'er and Liang Zhen / Editor : Sun Yun / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/12/12/n13431834.htm

Image : Daily Mail

News (1)

Lin Xiaoxu: Omicron specializes on attacking young people, immune potential is very important

The covi variant Omicron is coming so aggressively, triggering countries to increase travel restrictions. What is so special about this virus? "True Words" invited Dr. Lin Xiaoxu, the former director of the Department of Viral Diseases of the Walter Reed Army Academy of the United States, an expert in virology, and a PhD in microbiology to analyze the current situation.

"The Delta variant that everyone was familiar with before in South Africa is the Omicron variant. This variant is different from the other familiar Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. The biggest difference is that it has accumulated a large number of mutations. There are 35 mutation sites. Others include the non-structural protein NSP6, and some structural proteins can be said to be mutation masters!"

"A large number of mutations appear on one variant, of course, everyone who is doing public health or virological research is shocked." Lin Xiaoxu said that no one thought that there would be an Omicron equivalent to the king of mutations in southern Africa.

For the international community, what is of greatest concern is what kind of impact mutations will have on the function of the virus. Does it increase its spreading power or enhance its pathogenicity? Is Omicron's relative immune escape function enhanced against vaccines or natural infections? The above and so on are the main problems.

News (2)

Omicron is the king of mutations and its communication power is significantly enhanced

Lin Xiaoxu pointed out that the spreading power of Omicron virus has been significantly enhanced from the current situation in South Africa. From the high-level areas with high incidence in South Africa, basically in the past 3 weeks, the number of confirmed cases of the virus has increased sharply. Compared with the Beta virus epidemic wave and the Delta virus epidemic wave that existed in South Africa before, the epidemic wave of Omicron variants has increased exponentially on a curve.

It has become the most mainstream variant in the local high-rise areas in just a few weeks. "Of course, no one expected such a trend to be so fast, because the previous Delta variants took about 90 days to become the most popular virus strain in the local area."

News (3)

Immune escape is inevitable, most of the infected are young people

"Now more than 30 countries have confirmed that the Omicron variant has been found. The virus spreads very fast. There is basically no doubt. There is actually not much doubt about the immune escape function."

Lin Xiaoxu mentioned that from the current mutation sites, it is clear that there are some very important sites involved in the immune escape function, including binding to the receptor and binding to the ACE2 receptor. There are currently at least 4 sites. A mutation has occurred.

There are also some mutation sites that have been involved in the immune escape function of Beta and Delta viruses in the past. Including mutations at positions 203 and 204 on the nucleocapsid protein, it is also involved in increasing the infectivity of the virus. There are also some important sites on the activator protein S2, which will also enhance the membrane and the surface of the virus. The ability of cell membranes to fuse enhances the infectivity of the virus and at the same time enhances its immune escape function.

"Involving so many mutations in the spike protein, basically immune escape is basically unavoidable."

Lin Xiaoxu said that a large number of vaccines said that a new generation of vaccines will be developed as soon as possible to deal with Omicron, which shows that people in the vaccine industry are also very worried about variants. In South Africa, there are indeed people who have been fully vaccinated and are still infected. Although the proportion of people diagnosed with Omicron infection is less than that of people who have not been vaccinated, it is clear that there are cases of breakthrough infection.

The biggest question is whether Omicron will cause serious symptoms. According to the latest data provided by several hospitals in Gauteng, South Africa, the proportion of inpatients who need to use ventilators is still relatively small, and the proportion of severe illnesses is relatively low, dozens of people. Only one person died in the case.

However, according to data from a few hospitals, what is more worrying is that among the hospitalized population, there are relatively high numbers of children aged 0 to 9 years old, 20 to 29 years old, and 30 to 39 years old. The proportion of people infected is far more than the previous Delta variant and this Beta variant.

"The number of severely ill people is very small now, but because so many young people are infected, instead of the basic diseases of the elderly over 60 years old, they can't withstand the virus attack and are prone to severe illness."

Lin Xiaoxu analyzed in the past that the elderly should be vaccinated first but now if this variant is very suitable for reproduction in young people, it will cause young people to have symptoms and be hospitalized, and even if there is no serious illness, it is a very dangerous signal.

If there is further mutation, or if you see the right people, will it also cause a larger area of ​​infection and more severe illness among young people? Lin Xiaoxu thinks that more complete case data and in vitro tests, including animal model tests, are needed to test Omicron variants, whether different organs, tissues, and humans will have changed pathology.

He feels that now is what the international community urgently needs, and hopes to see some more complete data in the next two weeks.

News (4)

CCP China-made vaccines are significantly less effective than other vaccines

"For China's domestic vaccines, whether they are Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines, they have relatively poor protection against past variants. They are basically recognized internationally. Even if the CCP itself does not recognize them, I think they actually recognize them indirectly, because The current so-called zero-tolerance anti-virus policy does not rely on vaccines at all, so China itself knows that China-made vaccines are inferior to the outsourcing Fubitai vaccine or AstraZeneca vaccine.

Of course, some Chinese scientists immediately came out to speak for the government, saying that China's inactivated vaccine may also have a good effect on Omicron, but there is no complete data to support their claim. "

News (5)

Chinese vaccine company hopes to make big money from the epidemic

Lin Xiaoxu said that although inactivated vaccines contain various viral proteins, after inactivation, the protein conformation has changed a lot. Therefore, it may not be said that the immune response is stimulated and it can be targeted against Omicron variants. He feels that there is no theoretical basis, saying that inactivated vaccines are better than other vaccines.

So this is why Western vaccine companies continue to develop new vaccines because huge conformational changes will bring about huge changes in antigenicity. Of course, CCP China is now actively promoting its vaccines, and CCP Chinese vaccine companies have to make a lot of money. Of course, the influence of the entire Chinese Communist Party in Africa and the influence brought about by their large-scale investment are beyond doubt. So at this time, it is a very good time for the CCP to quickly sell domestic vaccines.

Lin Xiaoxu also mentioned that in fact, many people in South Africa have been infected by Beta variants or Delta variants, and they already have the natural immunity brought about by natural infections. This immunity is not necessarily worse than the immunity brought by China's domestic vaccine.

So in fact, many people in South Africa do not need to be vaccinated with CCP Chinese-made vaccines. The core of the problem is just how pathogenic the Omicron variant is after infection. The Chinese vaccine cannot solve these problems.

News (6)

European countries have ordered a large number of vaccines, the third shot is an inevitable trend

"For the world, including Europe, Beta variants are still popular. For the governments of many countries, the promotion of vaccines has become an established policy. Many governments themselves have also purchased a large number of first batches of development from vaccine companies. The purchase of vaccines has already been promised. The government has placed orders for vaccines, and it also hopes that there will be a good way out for the government. Therefore, promoting booster injections is almost the only way for countries with vaccine policies."

Lin Xiaoxu's analysis pointed out that there is no direct evidence of how much effect the enhanced needle has on the Omicron virus. The basic scientific basis for the booster injection is clear, that is, the decay of the antibody energy is inevitable when the vaccine is injected for more than 6 months. Of course, this aspect will also bring about a considerable rebound in society. Many authoritative magazines published articles mentioning that in fact, the current virus should be blamed on people who are not vaccinated. There is not enough theoretical basis and it cannot be reasonable. Illustrative.

News (7)

Immune potential is more important than surface immunity

"I have always emphasized that immunity should be a problem of immune potential. It does not lie in the amount of antibodies in the body at that time. It will have a certain effect, but it is not entirely a decisive factor. The core is memory B cells and T cells. .When really infected, these memory cells can mobilize the immune system to produce the body's ability to deal with one-way attacks on the virus. This potential is the most effective. The core of immunity should actually be the immune potential, not the superficial immunity force."

Lin Xiaoxu believes that during the epidemic, there should be no excessive psychological burden. Whether it is Omicron or a new variant in the future, a positive attitude is good for maintaining and improving immunity. A normal, healthy diet and daily routine are very beneficial to the immune system. Appropriate nutritional supplements, including vitamin C, etc., as well as healthy beverages such as green tea, etc., are effective in improving human immunity. For the medical system, it should be equipped with some preventive drugs, including ivermectin, which should have a very positive effect on preventing the spread of the epidemic in different regions.

“Don’t wait for the patient to be seriously ill. After entering the hospital on a ventilator, you can think about how to treat the patient. This is more passive, and the most positive thing should be prevention. When the disease is mild, early treatment is actually immune to all countries. It's all the most important."

News (8)

WHO: Omicron is less likely to cause severe covid but weakens the effectiveness of the vaccine

The World Health Organization said today based on preliminary data, covi variant Omicron (Covi29) is more infectious than Delta variant (Covi72) and will weaken the effectiveness of the vaccine but it is less likely to cause severe illness. 

Agence France-Presse reported that most of the confirmed cases in the world are due to infection with Covi72. However, Omicron prompting countries around the world to implement travel bans against many countries in southern Africa, and to restart epidemic prevention and control to curb the spread of Omicron. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that as of 9 December, Covi29 has spread to 63 countries, and this variant has spread rapidly in South Africa and the United Kingdom. Delta did not have a pandemic in South Africa while Covi72 is the main virus in the United Kingdom. Strain. 

Despite this, the WHO emphasizes that the lack of data means that the WHO cannot determine whether Omicron's spread is less prone to immune response, Covi29 is more infectious, or both. 

The WHO stated that preliminary evidence showed that Covi29 "weakened the effectiveness of vaccines against infection and spread," and said, "According to the data currently available, Omicron may surpass Delta where community infections occur." 

The WHO said so far, Omicron's confirmed cases have "mild" or asymptomatic infections but the data currently obtained are still insufficient to determine the clinical severity of this virus strain. 

South Africa notified the discovery of Omicron on 24 November although it originates from Botswana. The US pharmaceutical company Pfizer and German BioNTech said last week that three doses of BNT vaccine can still be effective against Covi29. Countries such as the United Kingdom and France where the vaccine supply is unreliable have encouraged local people to inject booster anti-Covi29. (Central News Agency)

Ref: news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1658786

News (9)

Tracking down the P3 laboratory infection incident

   

Reporter : Qiu Zhirou / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/3766768

Image : Liao Junzhi, Dean of the Academia Sinica, made a special report to the Social Welfare and Sanitation and Environment Committee of the Legislative Yuan on 13 December, explaining that the preliminary investigation found six major mistakes. (Photo by Qiu Zhirou)

Former assistant of the P3 laboratory of the Genomic Research Center of the Academia Sinica was diagnosed with covid. The Central Epidemic Command Center initially assigned a laboratory infection case to the Academia Sinica President Liao Junzhi on 13 December gave a special report to the Social Welfare and Sanitation and Environment Committee of the Legislative Yuan, explaining that the preliminary investigation results found six major mistakes.

Liao Junzhi pointed out that based on the preliminary investigation results, there are 6 missing items, including "no SOP notification of rat bite accident", "failure to operate mice in a biological safety cabinet", "non-compliant SOP for putting on and unloading personal protective equipment," and "suspicious newcomers. Insufficient operation training", "The laboratory operation process is suspected of no management or senior personnel monitoring in the central control room" and "The unit and the hospital should strengthen supervision and re-examine the supervision mechanism."

Liao Junzhi explained that the confirmed case served as a research assistant at the branch of the hospital from 17 February to 16 May 2021, and as a research assistant at the P3 laboratory of the Genome Research Center from 17 May to 3 December. She has voluntarily resigned. The case was bitten by laboratory rats twice in mid-October and mid-November, but the date of the person’s statement was inconsistent with the laboratory entry and exit records, and videotape verification is still to be obtained.

Liao Junzhi said that after the case was bitten for the first time, the direct laboratory manager was not on the scene, so he directly notified the biosafety officer of the Genome Center, and the person in charge judged it as a low-risk event. Therefore, he instructed the case to self-administer health care and did not report to the case. On 16 October, she was screened negative at his own expense. When she was bitten for the second time, the case did not receive a positive response to the first bite notification and was not notified again.

In addition, after reviewing the video tape, it was found that on 24 November, 3 people including the case entered the P3 laboratory to operate the mice, but the video tape showed that the operation process was not carried out in the biological safety cabinet as required, and when 3 people left the laboratory to remove personal protective equipment, the procedure was not followed. Only one of the three was correct. In addition, three people were suspected of not wearing shoe covers. According to the interview records, the individual cases only wore single-layer gloves during the mouse experiment. None of them meet the SOP.

Liao Junzhi also confessed that the case was a newcomer who was still in training and suspected that she had not received operation training. After the investigation is completed, if there is indeed a violation of the regulations, it will be punished according to the identity of the person.

Liao Junzhi emphasized that the P3 laboratory of the Academia Sinica was shouldering important national missions and under heavy pressure during the epidemic, but it should still adhere to biosafety as the primary consideration. This accident highlighted that the institute’s insufficient supervision of biosafety management has caused social unrest. He is sorry and will try his best to clarify the truth as soon as possible, and give the public a complete explanation.

News (10)

CCTV said that young people in Taiwan ate "junk food" and they were overweight. The Ministry of National Defense spoke 

Reporter : Lin Enru 

Image : A new system of 14-day education convening will be implemented on a trial basis. (Picture/TVBS data screen) 

The Ministry of National Defense has promoted the reform of the reserve combat capability and increased the number of days for education call (teaching) for 14 days. The official media in mainland China recently reported that young people in Taiwan ate a lot of junk food in a short period of time in order to escape military service. Excessive weight is exempt from recruitment. In response to this, General Wang Xinlong, the Deputy Minister of National Defense, said in an interview that it is a common tactic of mainland China to attack and slander young people in Taiwan.

Image : Wang Xinlong was invited to the joint meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense, Justice and Legal Affairs Committee. In the morning, he reviewed the letter from the Executive Yuan to consider the case of deleting the draft Article 21 of the Regulations on Disrupting Military Service. Question. General Wang Xinlong, Deputy Minister of National Defense. (Picture/Retrieved from the National Assembly Affairs Broadcasting Channel)

According to the National Defense Reserve Command recently issued the "Nation Army 111 Annual Mobilization Proposal", which increased the number of training days by 14 days, etc. However, mainland Chinese media such as "CCTV" questioned if the war broke out, it was difficult for Taiwan to recruit a large number of people, and claimed that Taiwan continued to revise the qualifications for conscription. It also said that many young people in Taiwan ate junk food in a short period of time in order to avoid military service, so that they would be overweight and avoid being recruited. In response, Wang Xinlong responded, "This is cognitive warfare, attacking and slandering our young people. Everyone knows that this is its usual trick."

Ref: news.tvbs.com.tw/politics/1658906

News (11)

Tang Feng’s briefing "a picture" blows up the video of the White House Democracy Summit, and the video screen disappears

Editor : Liu Yiting 

Image:  Tang Feng delivered a speech on the Summit for Democracy on the second day. (Video Screenshot) 

US President Joe Biden held a two-day democracy summit last week. Taiwan was invited and represented by Xiao Meiqin, the representative to the United States, and Tang Feng, the political committee member, but an unexpected episode happened. According to reports, Tang Feng marked Taiwan and China in different colours in the briefing files. This scene shocked US officials on the spot. The White House also requested that the release of the film must be deleted, leaving only the voice of Tang Feng's speech. 

According to a report by Reuters, people familiar with the matter revealed that Tang Feng marked China and Taiwan in different colours in the briefing file, which meant that the two belong to different countries. About 1 minute after this scene appeared, US officials panicked. After a few minutes, Tang Feng’s video was no longer seen on the screen, only her voice was left. The screen was replaced with a title card. After that, a disclaimer appeared on the screen, indicating that it is purely the personal opinion of the guest and does not represent the position of the US government. 

An unnamed source pointed out that the removal of Tang Feng's picture was at the request of the White House. When China coerced Taiwan, the United States invited Taiwan to attend the democracy summit to show its support for Taiwan. However, the White House worried that if there were scenes that separated Taiwan and China into different countries during the meeting, it might be regarded as the United States’ "One China policy" shaken. 

The White House did not comment on this but the State Council stated that the "chaos" caused by the sharing of images during the meeting led to the removal of Tang Feng's images, saying it was only an "unintentional fault".

The spokesperson also stated that "we value the participation of Tang Feng's political commissar, which highlights Taiwan's world-class experience in issues such as transparent governance, human rights, and combating false information." 

Image : Tang Feng’s briefing at the time showed a colourful map of South African non-governmental organization CIVICUS ranking according to the degree of openness of citizenship of each country. Among Asian countries, only Taiwan is painted in green, which means "open" countries, and the others are "oppressive", For "obstructed" or "restricted," mainland China, Laos, Vietnam, and North Korea are painted in red to represent "closed" countries. (Photo/Retrieved from The Summit for Democracy YouTube) 

According to sources, as soon as the "sensitive picture" appeared at that time, the White House National Security Council immediately contacted the State Department and later expressed dissatisfaction with the Taiwanese government about this, believing that this was related to pre-arrangements, "The content is different, We think Tang Feng deliberately did it." However, Taiwan turned it around, expressing anger at the removal of the picture. This person believes that the US has overreacted because the original intention of the map in the briefing is not to illustrate the differences in national borders. Tang Feng herself stated that she did not believe that the disappearance of the screen was related to the CIVICUS map or the United States' Asian allies. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed this on "technical problems."

Ref: news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1658893

News (12) to (14) / Source : Daily Mail / Image credit : Reuters

News (12)

Boris Johnson: Omicron has claimed at least one death in the UK

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed on 13 December 2021 that at least one British patient has died from the Omicron covi variant / B.1.1/529 (Covi29). 

The Prime Minister said Covi29 was also causing hospital admissions and the "best thing" people could do was get their booster jab.

Mr Johnson warned against being complacent about the new strain amid claims by doctors in South Africa that Covi29 is milder than past variants.

Speaking during a visit to a vaccination clinic in Paddington, West London, Mr Johnson said,  "Sadly yes Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Covi29.

"So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that's something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters." 

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said the news underlined "the seriousness of the situation". 

He tweeted, "The awful news of the UK's first Omicron death underlines the seriousness of the situation and my heart goes out to their family and friends.

"This is why the booster rollout is so vital and public health measures are necessary to reduce its spread."

Earlier, the Health Secretary Sajid Javid revealed that at least 10 people have been admitted to hospitalised with Covi29 in England and more in Scotland.

News (13)

Omicron patient deaths came as booster booking system crashed

It came as Boris Johnson's pledge to dish out a million booster jabs a day to beat Omicron descended into chaos on its first day, with vaccine centres warning stocks are running low and Britons left standing in 'two hour' queues. 

Hundreds of thousands of people were rushing to get their third dose less than two weeks before Christmas, hours after the Prime Minister revealed that the booster programme would be opened to all UK adults.

But Britons faced lines stretching at least 300 yards at vaccination centres, that started forming almost an hour before they even opened. 

The NHS booking system crashed as thousands tried to secure a top-up dose, with health service bosses now urging people to 'try again tomorrow'. 

In another sign of chaos, a 37-year-old in Bicester, Oxfordshire, who lives two miles from a vaccination centre was told their nearest appointment was 26 miles away.

The Government also ran out of lateral flow tests, with the website reading, "Sorry, there are no more home test kits available right now'. From tomorrow, vaccinated people who are close contacts of a covid case will be asked to swab themselves once a day. Experts have urged people to test themselves repeatedly in the run up to Christmas.  

NHS bosses warn that scaling up the booster programme now will be "incredibly difficult" and inevitably have "consequences", with patients once again facing the threat of cancelled operations.

In a massively ambitious move last night, the Prime Minister brought forward the deadline to offer all over-18s a booster jab by New Year’s Day as he warned the country, "There is a tidal wave of Omicron coming."

The Army and thousands of extra volunteers will be drafted in to achieve the target, and clinic hours extended to help dish out up to 20 million jabs over the next two-and-a-half weeks.

The drive will also see 42 military planning teams across every region, additional vaccine sites and mobile units, an extension of opening hours for clinics so they run seven days a week and thousands of extra volunteer vaccinators trained.

However concerns about whether the Government could even hit the goal were raised almost immediately after Mr Johnson’s 8 pm announcement at night of 12 December 2021. Even at the height of the NHS’s vaccine drive in March, the health service never managed more than 850,000 jabs a day.

GPs fumed they found out about the goal at the same time as the rest of the nation, and NHS bosses warned it would take ‘time’ to get the scaled up programme "fully up and running". 

News (14)

Crumbling is the vaccine wall of defence 

Former Cabinet minister David Davis and Labour MPs slammed the Government for failing to ramp up the booster drive in September, and warned the "vaccine wall of defence was crumbling". 

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that patients waiting for elective surgery such as hip replacements could see their treatment postponed as the NHS races to roll out a million jabs a day. He promised, however, that critical care for cancer patients would be unaffected. 

The PM's intervention last night comes amid the ever-growing threat of tougher restrictions in January, with the potential for a new lockdown if Omicron cases surge out of control after the UK's covid alert level was raised from Level 3 to Level 4.

Both Scotland and Wales have dangled the possibility of having to go even further in bid to ward off the highly-transmissible variant.

Refs: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10304283/Boris-Johnson-reveals-Briton-died-Omicron.html, https://staygate.blogspot.com/2021/12/omicron-specializes-on-attacking-young.html

News (15)

Omicron enters Tianjin

The mainland epidemic prevention unit confirmed tonight (13 December 2021) that the first case of the Omicron mutant strain (Covi29) occurred in the mainland. The case entered Tianjin and belonged to an asymptomatic patient. It was confirmed that it is Covi29 and the case is currently being treated in isolation in the hospital.

Ref: news.tvbs.com.tw/world/1659531

See also: https://staygate.blogspot.com/2021/12/cdc-34-out-of-43-omicron-cases-in-us.html

Inflight Pictures : AirACT Cargo

 Pictures, Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

AirACT Cargo Airlines is a freight charter flight operator with its headquarters in Istanbul. It only operates B747-400 jets. It arrives in Singapore from Istanbul on Mondays.

Advocates of human rights condemn CCP's abuses on 10 December 2021

Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

News on International Human Rights Day, Honduras, Taiwan

News (1)

On International Human Rights Day Chinese across the U.S. call for "No human rights, No Olympics"

Reporter : Xu Lihui / Editor : Jialian / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/12/11/n13430557.htm

Image : In the afternoon of 10 December 2021, the Los Angeles China Democracy Party held a "No Human Rights, No Olympics" International Human Rights Day in front of the Hollywood Walk of Fame to indict the CCP for crimes. (Provided by Jie Lijian)

On 10 December 1948, the United Nations adopted the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights", which was also designated as International Human Rights Day. In the past 73 years, the human rights situation in China under the CCP’s rule has become more and more worrying. On Human Rights Day, Chinese people in the United States gathered one after another to call on all countries to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics and demand that the authorities stop violations of human rights.

In the morning of 10 December 2021, more than a dozen Hong Kong people and supporters in exile held up the slogan "No Rights No Games" in front of the Louisiana State Government Building to protest the Beijing Winter Olympics. (Provided by Zheng Cunzhu)

At 9 am on 10 December (Friday), more than a dozen Hong Kongers and supporters gathered in front of the Louisiana State Government building, holding up the slogan "No Rights No  Olympics" and calling for a global boycott Beijing Winter Olympics. Li Shiyong, the organizer of the event, said that although there are not many local Chinese, everyone wants to stand up and speak out, "No matter how many people there are, there will always be people around the world who will stand up against the CCP's brutality."

Zheng Cunzhu, a pro-democracy activist from Los Angeles, who participated in the protests, said that in the past three decades, mainstream Western countries have adopted an acceptance method to integrate the mainland into the world through economic exchanges. At the same time, he hopes that the Chinese Communist government will take the initiative to implement political reforms along with economic development and marketization and finally transformed into a democratic country but things went counter-intuitive. After economic development, the CCP used financial resources and technology to not only perverse domestically and follow the old path of the "Cultural Revolution" but also export communist totalitarian ideology to the world in an attempt to subvert the foundation of Western democratic systems.

Zheng Cunzhu believes that "Hong Kong is the Communist Party's test of the Western world. By suppressing Hong Kong's anti-transmission movement, it deprives Hong Kong people of judicial independence, democracy and freedom."

He also said that the authorities' suppression of the Hong Kong democratic movement in 2019 has allowed Western democracies to recognize the nature of the Communist Party. Therefore, the major democracies have expressed their resistance to the Beijing Winter Olympics. He believes that more countries will continue to stand out.

From 9 to 10 December, the United States convened 110 countries to hold the World Democracy Summit. The organizers invited representatives of the government of the Republic of China and Hong Kong people in exile to participate but the CCP was excluded. Zheng Cunzhu believes that this means that the Western democratic camp has finally realized the danger of communist totalitarianism infiltrating the West and the need to be united and have a clear attitude to hold high the banner of human rights and declare war on the dictatorship.

At 3 pm on the 10th, the Los Angeles China Democracy Party also held the "No Human Rights, No Olympics" International Human Rights Day indicting the CCP’s crimes in front of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Many people took the stage to speak.

One of the organizers Jie Lijian said that under the rule of the CCP, people in Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang and other places have been deprived of their human rights. Recently, many Chinese human rights activists and their families have been banned again. Human rights activist Guo Feixiong was unable to leave the country, and citizen journalist Zhang Zhan suffered, sentenced and detained. Jie said, "The CCP has committed countless crimes, and the accusers are very active, and everyone is very passionate."

China is still one of the countries with the worst human rights record. "Such a human rights disaster is not worthy of hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics. We must boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics." Jie Lijian said.

Jin Xiuhong, the vice chairman of the "Front for a Democratic China", said: "International Human Rights Day is a day to defend freedom. We must not forget the dark methods of the CCP; democracy is not to eliminate the voices of others and cannot be used." She reminded that the CCP not only organizes the international  activities and the use of the media to "cleanse" themselves, and they are still using various methods to penetrate overseas in order to achieve their untouchable goals. She thinks that we should no longer believe in the specious statement that "the CCP will reform". Many spies and pro-communists are "helping out with a small scolding" in an attempt to confuse the public.

According to Jin Xiuhong, in response to Biden’s Democracy Summit, International Human Rights Day and boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the "FDC" recently released related videos, hoping that more people can learn about the CCP’s abuse of human rights through the Internet. 

News (2)

On International Human Rights Day U.S. Embassy in China: Accountable to the CCP for trampling on human rights

Editor : Xia Yu / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/12/10/n13430057.htm

Friday (December 10) is International Human Rights Day. The Chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in China issued a statement condemning the CCP’s violations of human rights in many ways; and that the United States and its partners have responsibility to promote accountability for the violation of human rights by China (the Chinese Communist Party).

At the same time, the United States held the global "Summit for Democracy" (The Summit for Democracy) from 9 to 10 December, inviting about 110 national and regional leaders and civil society organizations. Taiwan was invited to participate, but China and Russia were excluded.

This year marks the 73rd anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in China David Meale wrote in a statement that the United States is committed to fulfilling its commitments in the declaration and recognizes that it is a solemn task for the United States to promote respect for human rights at home and abroad. The United States is hosting a democracy summit. Democracies from all over the world are working with the United States to resist authoritarianism, fight corruption, and promote respect for human rights.

Mild said that since taking office in Beijing, he has seen China (the CCP) and its official media talk about the domestic challenges of the United States. "We welcome these discussions and call on China (the CCP) to accept criticism in the same way."

"If there is to be a genuine and vibrant democracy, its governance model must be able to guarantee the freedom of public debate and expression-even when expressing criticism of the government of the country, freedom of the press and the people through free and fair elections The right to express political will is vital to democracy," Mild said in the statement.

The statement subsequently listed the CCP’s various acts of trampling on human rights.

"I have witnessed China's progress in many areas, but I have also seen China (the CCP) falsely claim that it supports human rights and democratic values ​​in China, in the international media, and in the United Nations. On the Xinjiang issue, Secretary of State Blinken has confirmed China (the CCP) has committed genocide and crimes against humanity, endangering Uyghurs, the majority of which are Muslims, and other ethnic and religious minorities. The United States reiterates its call to China (the CCP) to stop atrocities and release those who have been improperly committed. Detainees and allow independent investigators to travel to the area unimpeded. We call on China (the CCP) to allow Tibetan Buddhists to believe in their freedom of belief and stop violating their right to self-determination. On the Hong Kong issue, we remain extremely concerned about national security. The collapse of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy under the law, and the continued deterioration of the rights and freedoms of its residents under protection," the statement read.

Meale then mentioned the CCP’s violations of the human rights of Chinese citizens who exercise human rights and fundamental freedoms in a wider range of areas, including the exercise of freedom of expression. He stated in the statement that according to reports, China (the CCP) imprisoned them, tortured them, and made them disappear. In order to obscure facts and suppress freedom of the press, journalists face personal and digital threats and harassment. As NGOs’ ability to operate and receive support faces greater constraints, the space for civil society continues to shrink. Lawyers cannot perform their basic functions to defend the rights of citizens, because they themselves face intimidation from the police, continue to face the risk of being disqualified as lawyers, and severe restrictions on speech.

The statement also emphasized that human rights have no borders and are not internal affairs.

Mild quoted Secretary of State Blinken as saying: "The United States does not claim to be perfect but we are committed to improving every day, taking responsibility for ourselves, and becoming a more complete federation. We openly and transparently face our own challenges and let the world can see it all."

"I hope that China (the CCP) can fulfill its commitments and obligations, trust its citizens, conduct transparent governance, and protect human rights. In this case, China (the CCP) can begin to align its actions with its responsibilities to the Chinese people and the international community. Be consistent. Until then, the United States and our partners have a responsibility to promote accountability for China's (CCP) violations of human rights." The statement said at the end.

News (3)

U.S. imposes human rights sanctions, Chinese Communist Party officials and companies blacklisted

On 10 December, the US Treasury Department announced that it would impose sanctions on entities and individuals that severely violate human rights. Two CCP officials and a company were blacklisted.

On 10 December, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against 15 individuals and 10 entities in 8 countries for their human rights violations and repression.

Among them, SenseTime Group, a Chinese artificial intelligence company sanctioned by the United States, is accused of cooperating with the Chinese government to use facial recognition technology to monitor Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

This sanction will prohibit American individuals or companies from investing in SenseTime. SenseTime's initial public offering in Hong Kong was immediately affected. It is said that the company had to postpone its listing plan.

In addition, the Acting Chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Government, Alken Tuniyaz and the former Chairman, Sheklaiti Zakr, were directly responsible for the detention of more than 1 million Uyghurs and were sanctioned by the United States. 

Ref: https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/12/10/a103290733.html

News (4) to (7) / Reporter : Li Lan / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/12/10/a103290755.html

News (4)

Speeches at the Summit for Democracy Summit

On 10 December, the democracy summit involving hundreds of countries around the world entered the second day. The representative of the Republic of China Tang Feng and the former Hong Kong legislator Nathan Law delivered speeches separately for the freedom of Taiwan and Hong Kong. Democracy speaks.

News (5)

Nathan Law urges Hong Kong people to persist

On International Human Rights Day on 10 December, former Hong Kong legislator Nathan Law, wearing a black T-shirt with the iconic pattern of Hong Kong protesters, appeared at the Global Democracy Summit convened by the United States.

Former Hong Kong Legislative Council Member Nathan Law said, "Beijing implemented the National Security Law in Hong Kong in the summer of 2020, destroying Hong Kong’s civil society. My experience has highlighted how a city once hailed as the freest city in Asia is under our watch, sinking into an authoritarian police city."

Nathan Law, who was persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party and went into exile in the United Kingdom, described the reality of Hong Kong's democracy retreat under the suppression of the Chinese Communist Party through personal experience, and bluntly stated the reasons for this situation.

Nathan Law added, "For a long time, the international community has embraced the rise of China (the Communist Party), but has not established a mechanism to check and balance it. Maybe some people are afraid to offend General Secretary Xi Jinping, maybe some people don’t want to give up the Chinese market, maybe some people don't recognise the threat to democratic values. This is exactly why we failed, and this is why we must change."

The entire summit only set up two midfield speech sessions, one is Venezuelan interim president Juan Guaidó, who does not recognize the current dictatorship, and the other is Nathan Law. Nathan's speech was arranged between the two discussion sessions of "protection of human rights" and "consolidation of democracy and confrontation with authority".

Former Hong Kong Legislative Council Member Luo Guancong said, "In order to see hope, we must first persist. It is also because of persistence that we see hope."

Finally, Nathan Law spoke his thoughts about Hong Kong people in Cantonese.

News (6)

Taiwan's critical role in  promoting global freedom, democracy and human rights

Tang Feng (above), one of Taiwan's representatives who has received much attention, and a member of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China, also gave a video speech on the same day.

Tang Feng, Political Committee Member of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China: "At a time when Taiwan’s democracy is in the ascendant, we have always stood firmly at the forefront of the global fight against authoritarianism, and played a leading role in promoting global freedom, democracy, and human rights."

Tang Feng announced that Taiwan, in response to US President Biden’s initiative, has pledged to fund independent media and combat transnational corruption projects.

In addition, in response to Nicaragua's choice to suddenly sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan during the democratic summit under pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, Tang Feng responded that Taiwan would never bow to authoritarian forces.

President Tsai Ing-wen of the Republic of China also responded on the 10th, stating that no matter how much pressure the mainland exerts, it will not change Taiwan's determination and efforts to uphold democracy and freedom.

News (7)

There is a long way to go to strengthen democracy

At the end of the two-day democracy summit, Biden said that the road to strengthening democracy is difficult and there is a long way to go.

U.S. President Biden said, "When we conclude this democracy summit, the final message I want to convey is: Democracy is everywhere. Autocratic regimes will never be able to extinguish the spark of freedom burning in the hearts of all regions and people around the world."

News (8) to (9) / Reporter : Qiao An /  https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/12/10/a103290591.html, https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2021/12/10/a103290595.html

News (8)

Four-nation joint statement to curb the export of high-tech to authoritarian countries

The four governments of the United States, Australia, Denmark and Norway who attended the "Democracy Summit" signed a joint statement to jointly launch the "Export Control and Human Rights Initiative."

On 10 December, the governments of the United States, Australia, Denmark, and Norway stated in a joint statement that “advanced technologies are an important part of global economic growth and communications”, and that “the legal trade and responsible use of these technologies will affect future generations. Well-being is essential". But at the same time, "authoritarian governments are increasingly using surveillance tools and other related technologies to severely violate human rights within their borders and international borders, including during transnational repression, censoring political opposition and tracking dissidents. Through this approach the benefits of advanced technology to the people of all countries will be wiped out."

The four countries promised that in the "year of action" after the Democracy Summit, they will work hard to establish a voluntary written code of conduct, based on which like-minded countries can make political commitments, "using export control tools to prevent serious violations of human rights. The diffusion of software and other technologies (to authoritarian countries)."

Canada, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, that also attended the "Summit for Democracy", have all made clear their stances and expressed their support for this joint statement.

News (9)

The U.S. military officially ends combat operations in Iraq

Iraq announced on 9 December 2021 (Thursday) that the US military officially ended its anti-terrorism operations in Iraq. In the future, the coalition forces headed by the United States will transform into an advisory role.

Ma An, Director of Media Affairs of the Iraqi Ministry of Internal Affairs, said, "According to the agreed result, the coalition forces will all end the transition to non-combat missions by the end of this year."

The U.S. military officially ends its military combat missions in Iraq, which means that the Iraqi military will bear all the responsibility for combating the terrorist organization of the Islamic State in the future, and the U.S. will only act as an advisor and technical support.

The Pentagon said on Thursday that there are still about 2,500 US troops stationed in Iraq.

News (10)

The pro-CCP attitude of the new president has reversed! The new government of Honduras: Maintain relations with Taiwan

   

Image : Reuters

Nicaragua suddenly announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) on 10 December, and immediately resumed diplomatic relations with China. People from all walks of life are concerned about whether there will be a domino effect. Among them, Honduras, another friendly country, just held a presidential election last month. The new government’s attitude towards us has attracted attention from all walks of life. Today foreign media reported that two members of the Honduras post-election power transfer team revealed that the new government will maintain its relationship with the Republic of China.

Honduras held a presidential election on 28 November 2021. The elected leftist president-elect Xiomara Castro showed her willingness to establish diplomatic relations with CCP China during the election campaign. In this regard, Honduras' Quasi-Vice President, Salvador Nasralla, emphasized after the election they consider the United States is both in terms of trade or history is very important. The close ally Honduras will maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan for 80 years and will not develop relations with CCP China.

According to comprehensive foreign media reports, on the second day after Nicaragua switched to resuming diplomatic relations with China, two senior members of the Honduras regime transfer team stated that the country would maintain relations with Taiwan. Gerardo Torres, Secretary of International Relations of the Liberal Party and a member of the Castro team, said that the new government will not sever ties with Taipei. Castro has made it clear that these relations will continue, and no one in the party wants to alienate the government from the United States.

However, another member of the power transfer team, Rodolfo Pastor, is open to the possibility of Honduras' future recognition of China, and calls China the "new superpower", Honduras The matter is being studied. He also said that he hopes that Honduras will have diversified international relations in the future but he emphasized that relations with Taiwan will not change immediately like Nicaragua.   

Ref: https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/3764954