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China’s Reaction to Trump’s Election Win

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Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

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Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

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CCP’s Coverup – Hebei Province Reported False COVID-19 Counts

Hebei Province is one of areas in China that has the highest infection of COVID-19. It is not clear how many people have been infected since the Chinese Communist Party is known for hiding such information and for reporting a much smaller count. However, even the government’s numbers show false reporting.

  • On January 14, Longrao County, Hebei Province reported that its massive test of the country residents was negative for everyone. However, on January 17, the country reported 2 confirmed cases and 1 asymptomatic case. The local government then blamed the company conducting the tests for reporting the result before receiving test results.
  • On January 16, Meng Xianghong, Deputy Governor of Heber Province, stated at a news briefing, that Shijiazhuang City had completed its second round of nucleic acid testing on January 14 and found 247 positive cases. However, on January 15, Hebei Provincial Health Commission reported that on January 14, the province had 90 newly confirmed cases, including 84 cases from Shijiazhang. The number 84 was much smaller than 247 – the number of positive cases that the Deputy Governor mentioned.
  • Netizens found that the Hebei Provincial Health Commission had been reporting the same infection count on three out of four consecutive days: January 12 – 90 count, January 13 – 81, January 14 – 90, and January 15 – 90. Some people posted under China Central Television microblog page: “Why did Hebei report 90 cases on each of those days? Is it a coincident or because they did not dare to report more?”
  • A netizen posted a list of COVID-19 patient names on January 3, including six confirmed cases in Shizjiazhang city. On that same day, the government reported only 1 confirmed case.

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Hot Topics | | |   Social Stability

Pandemic: U.S. Disclosed Three Possible Investigation Areas on Whether the CCP Generated COVID-19 Virus in Lab

The State Department of the U.S. issued a fact sheet that stated, “The U.S. government does not know exactly where, when, or how the COVID-19 virus—known as SARS-CoV-2—was transmitted initially to humans. We have not determined whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, China.” “The previously undisclosed information in this fact sheet, combined with open-source reporting, highlights three elements about COVID-19’s origin that deserve greater scrutiny.”

1. Illnesses inside the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV):

The U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in the autumn of 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses. This raises questions about the credibility of WIV senior researcher Shi Zhengli’s public claim that there was “zero infection” among the WIV’s staff and students of SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-related viruses.

2. Research at the WIV:

Starting in at least 2016 – and with no indication of a stop prior to the COVID-19 outbreak – WIV researchers conducted experiments involving RaTG13, the bat coronavirus identified by the WIV in January 2020 as its closest sample to SARS-CoV-2 (96.2 percent similar). The WIV became a focal point for international coronavirus research after the 2003 SARS outbreak and has since studied animals including mice, bats, and pangolins.

The WIV has a published record of conducting “gain-of-function” research to engineer chimeric viruses. The WIV, however, has not been transparent or consistent about its record of studying viruses most similar to the COVID-19 virus, including “RaTG13,” which it sampled from a cave in Yunnan Province in 2013 after several miners died of a SARS-like illness.

3. Secret military activity at the WIV:

Secrecy and non-disclosure are standard practices for Beijing. For many years the United States has publicly raised concerns about China’s past biological weapons work, which Beijing has neither documented nor demonstrably eliminated, despite its clear obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention.

Despite the WIV presenting itself as a civilian institution, the United States has determined that the WIV has collaborated on publications and secret projects with China’s military. Since at least 2017, the WIV has engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military.

Source: State Department website, January 15, 2021
https://www.state.gov/fact-sheet-activity-at-the-wuhan-institute-of-virology/

Hot Topics | | |   Social Stability

The Paper: North Korea’s Nuclear Plan Sent Signals to the U.S.

Well-known new Chinese news site The Paper recently reported that on January 9, North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, delivered a speech at the Eighth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea describing the current relationship with South Korea as “on the brink of collapse.” Coupled with the speech, North Korea has been publishing information about its plans for tactical nuclear weapons, nuclear submarines, multiple warhead technology and hypersonic missiles. The message to the outside world is that North Korea will continue its nuclear ambitions and the work is focusing on nuclear weapon reliability and the expansion of tactical options. Researchers from the American Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences indicated that Kim is trying to send signals to the new U.S. administration and to firm up North Korea’s “bargaining chips.” The intent is to mount pressure on the U.S. and to demonstrate that North Korea is not eager to go back to the negotiation table, especially when Biden’s previous position was not to meet with Kim unconditionally.

Source: The Paper, January 12, 2021
https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_10754474

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Swedish Court Rejected Huawei’s Appeal

Well-known Chinese news site Sina (NASDQ: SINA) recently reported that the Swedish court rejected a case filed by Huawei on participating in the nation’s 5G network construction process. Huawei was originally excluded from the bidding process for Sweden’s 5G spectrum auction. The country’s telecommunications industry regulator PTS (Swedish Post and Telecom Authority)   made the decision. Huawei requested the Swedish Administrative Appeals Court to block the PTS 5G spectrum auction before the court decides on Huawei’s eligibility. The Administrative Appeals Court later ruled in favor of PTS and lifted the injunction so that the 5G spectrum auction could proceed. However, Huawei then appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court in order to overturn the decision by the Administrative Appeals Court. The Supreme Administrative Court then rejected Huawei’s case and stated that the Appeals Court’s decision was final. Huawei did not respond to the media’s request for comments. In the meantime, out of fear of China’s retaliation, the CEO of Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications giant and one of Huawei’s top competitors, spoke out to support Huawei. He said Sweden, “though it was the soul and home base for Ericsson,” is now a “very bad nation” for Ericsson.

Sources:
(1) Sina, January 16, 2021
https://cj.sina.com.cn/articles/view/1704103183/65928d0f020023qj4

(2) Deutsche Welle Chinese Edition, January 5, 2021
https://bit.ly/3oSt9NN

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology

Pandemic: COVID-19 Spreading in China

In the past month, the COVID-19 virus has been spreading in China. Several cities have been locked down, with a total of 29 millions people impacted. Out of the total 32 provinces in China, 29 have asked people to stay where they are and not to travel during the Chinese New Year.

#1: As of January 18, 2021, the Chinese government announced 4 high-risk areas and 88 medium-risk areas, all in Beijing, Hebei Province, and the three Northeastern provinces – Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning.

The high-risk areas are:

  • Gaocheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province (河北省石家庄市藁城区)
  • Xinle City, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province (河北省石家庄市新乐市)
  • Nangong Shi, Xingtai City, Hebei Province (河北省邢台市南宫市)
  • Huiqi Township, Wangkui County, Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province (黑龙江省绥化市望奎县惠七镇)

The Medium-risk areas are in the following cities:

  • Beijing City (with 6 medium-risk areas)
  • Tonghua City, Jilin Province (20)
  • Changchun City, Jilin Province (11)
  • Langfang City, Hebei Province (1)
  • Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province (35)
  • Xingtai City, Hebei Province (1)
  • Dalian City, Liaoning Province (3)
  • Shenyang City, Liaoning Province (2)
  • Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province (4)
  • Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province (1)
  • Hehei City, Heilongjiang Province (3)
  • Tsitsihar City, Heilongjiang Province (1)

#2: By January 11, 29 out of the 32 provincial administrations in China have asked people to stay in their current location (do not travel or go back to your hometown) for Chinese New Year (February 12, 2021). Traditionally, Chinese people return to their hometown or go to their parent’s home to celebrate Chinese New Year. Beijing was the first to launch the “stay in current location” initiative. (Xinhua)

#3: Local governments provided different incentives to get people to stay where they, including rent reductions, subsidies, and offering of free bus rides, free data on the Internet, free movie tickets, and free entrance tickets to tourist sites. (VOA)

Related postings on Chinascope:

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Hot Topics | | |   Social Stability

More Verfication: CCP Harvests Organs of Live Falun Gong Practitioners

On December 29, 2020, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) released a report based on an interview made in October 2016 on how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was harvesting the organs of Falun Gong practitioners while they were still alive. The statement by the interviewee, Mr. Lu Shuheng, corroborates previous reports and allegations and confirms that those at the Shanghai Armed Police Hospital did not use anesthetics in the organ harvesting process.  


Mr. Lu, a former Shanghai native residing in California, called the Sound of Hope Radio station in September 2016 while a program on organ harvesting was on the air. On October 2, 2016, Mr. Lu came to the Sound of Hope Radio station and sat in the studio to have a telephone interview with the WOIPFG about his knowledge of the CCP’s policy of harvesting organs from live Falun Gong practitioners.

 

To protect Mr. Lu, the WOIPFG did not release information about the interview until December 29, 2020.

 

Mr. Lu has been in the United States for over 20 years. Several relatives of his in Shanghai had been involved in harvesting the organs of live Falun Gong practitioners.  

 

During Mr. Lu’s visit to China in 2002, one of his relatives asked Mr. Lu to refer those people in the United States that needed an organ transplant. This relative said, “You keep an eye on this. If you can get in touch with a person (to do an organ transplant), you can earn a lot more money than doing renovations!” On another occasion, Mr. Lu learned that another relative, a doctor, performed organ transplant surgeries at the Shanghai Armed Police Hospital and was paid for each operation. “Money can be earned very quickly and in large amounts (when you do organ transplants). So, you just go outside to get (business)!” “The organs are of very good quality and are all fresh, all alive!” 

 

While on the operating table, Falun Gong practitioners would shout out “Falun Dafa is Good” until they succumbed to the pain. The parts needed for organ transplants were not anesthetized because the fewer anesthetics used, the fresher and better the organs would be for transplant.  

 

Mr. Lu has another relative who was deputy director of the Shanghai Labor Reform Bureau and deputy director of the Judicial Bureau. Sometimes, the CCP central government in Beijing would request this relative to swap Falun Gong practitioners for some prisoners so that these prisoners could be released. For each Falun Gong practitioner arrested, the Shanghai police would receive 500 yuan in cash. No booking record would be maintained and the Falun Gong practitioner would be sent directly to a secret location in Pudong, Shanghai.

 

The first allegation of the CCP conducting organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners was made on March 17, 2006, when a nurse from the Liaoning Thrombosis Hospital in Sujiatun, Shenyang City, came forward in Washington, D.C. to disclose the CCP’s large-scale organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. From 2001 to 2003, the hospital held about 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners. More than 4,000 of them were directly burned in a “cremator” in the backyard of the hospital after their organs had been harvested.

 

On July 6, 2006, two Canadian lawyers published an independent report. After assessing 18 elements of evidence that the authors submitted were ‘‘verifiable and in most cases incontestable,’’ the report concluded that ‘‘there has been and continues today to be large-scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners.’’

 

On June 17, 2019, an independent tribunal sitting in London concluded that the killing of detainees in China for organ transplants is continuing, and victims include imprisoned followers of the Falun Gong movement.

 

Source: World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, December 29, 2020

https://www.zhuichaguoji.org/node/130426

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics Social Stability

HKET: U.S. Companies in HK Felt Pessimistic about HK’s Prospects

Hong Kong Economic Times (HKET), the leading financial daily in Hong Kong, recently reported that the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Hong Kong just released its findings from a study it conducted between December 11 and January 4. The survey was among the 1,400 members of the HK Chamber. The results showed that 61 percent of the respondents expressed the belief that Hong Kong’s business environment last year was unstable and had deteriorated over time. More than 40 percent of the respondents were pessimistic about the city’s outlook for 2021. The report also showed that around one third of the interviewees said Hong Kong’s competitiveness as a global business center has decreased in the past year. Experts widely believed the Pandemic and numerous social events, such as the movement calling for democracy and freedom and the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law, significantly impacted the business environment of Hong Kong.

Source: HKET, January 12, 2021
https://bit.ly/2XNMmnW

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend