The United States gave China 72 hours to close its consulate in Houston amid accusations of spying, marking a dramatic deterioration in relations between the world’s two biggest economies. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-consulate/china-says-u-s-told-it-to-shut-its-houston-consulate-idUSKCN24N0UW
Pelosi calls coronavirus the ‘Trump virus’ 7-21-20
saying if he had acted months ago, more people would have followed his lead and lives could have been saved. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/508449-pelosi-refers-to-coronavirus-as-the-trump-virus
https://ash.harvard.edu/publications/understanding-ccp-resilience-surveying-chinese-public-opinion-through-time?fbclid=IwAR24xJYv1aPd-D4G_I8uKQ_-m0UN7u4bjrSmeBKdOnRkA54ZB1A8TJ01jtg We find that first, since the start of the survey in 2003, Chinese citizen satisfaction with government has increased virtually across the board. From the impact of broad national policies to the conduct of local town officials, Chinese citizens rate the government as more capable and effective than ever before. Interestingly, more marginalized groups in poorer, inland regions are actually comparatively more likely to report increases in satisfaction. Second, the attitudes of Chinese citizens appear to respond (both positively and negatively) to real changes in their material well-being, which suggests that support could be undermined by the twin challenges of declining economic growth and a deteriorating natural environment.
While the CCP is seemingly under no imminent threat of popular upheaval, it cannot take the support of its people for granted. Although state censorship and propaganda are widespread, our survey reveals that citizen perceptions of governmental performance respond most to real, measurable changes in individuals’ material well-being. For government leaders, this is a double-edged sword, as citizens who have grown accustomed to increases in living standards will expect such improvements to continue, and citizens who praise government officials for effective policies may indeed blame them when such policy failures affect them or their family members directly. While our survey reinforces narratives of CCP resilience, our data also point to specific areas in which citizen satisfaction could decline in today’s era of slowing economic growth and continued environmental degradation.
US announces visa restrictions for employees of Huawei and other Chinese tech companies 7-15-20 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/15/politics/pompeo-presser-july-15/index.html
Can Taiwan survive a second Trump term? Another bullshit report from WP https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/14/can-taiwan-survive-second-trump-term/
The answer might lie in the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November. A free Taiwan might not be able to survive a second Trump administration.
President Trump’s policy of international retreat and disregard for allies, alongside Xi’s growing assertiveness and expansionism, put Taipei at the intersection of the two ominous trends.
A key crossbench senator wants at least 100 Chinese diplomats and consular staff kicked out of Australia.
Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick argues the number of Chinese representatives must be “radically reduced” on national security grounds.
“The Australian government should bite the bullet and take long overdue action,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The aggressive move would undoubtedly spark immediate retaliation from Beijing, but Senator Patrick believes it would be worthwhile.
He argues Australian ministers and diplomats are already routinely ignored by their Chinese counterparts.
China says it will impose sanctions on three U.S. lawmakers and one ambassador in response to similar actions taken by the U.S. against Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses against Muslims in the Xinjiang region
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-07-08/China-will-not-join-U-S-Russia-arms-control-negotiations-RXADOSEvIY/index.html China has no interest in joining the US-Russia negotiation on nuclear arms reduction given the huge gap between the nuclear arsenal of theirs and China’s, and China has the need to improve its military capabilities.
China on Wednesday stressed that it has no plans to join the U.S. and Russia in their talks to renew a nuclear arms control treaty.
Recently, U.S. officials have been making a lot of noises about China joining the U.S.-Russia negotiation on nuclear arms. They even went so far as to tweet a staged photo.
Washington and Moscow began talks last month to try to extend the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), which they signed in 2010. It will expire next year.
Fu Cong, Director-General of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated China’s position during a press conference to share China’s policy mainly on arms control issues, noting that China has no interest in joining Russia and the U.S. in their bilateral negotiations.
Given the huge gap between the nuclear arsenal of China and those of U.S. and Russia, it is unrealistic to expect China to join the two countries in a negotiation aimed at nuclear arms reduction, Fu said.
JT declines WH invite for trade deal celebration 7-7-20 https://nypost.com/2020/07/06/justin-trudeau-declines-wh-invite-for-trade-deal-celebration/ Why not? Trump won’t be happy.
A bullshit conversation:
Join Hudson Institute for a conversation with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray on the pernicious influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the United States and how the Bureau is responding to curtail Beijing’s far reaching influence.
From manipulating Fortune 500 companies and stealing intellectual property to subverting U.S. universities and sowing disinformation, the CCP is employing a multipronged approach to distract Americans while filling its coffers and expanding its vision for a communist world.
How is the FBI responding to Beijing’s incursions into American businesses and in the U.S. financial sector? What strategies is the CCP employing to coopt American institutions? How can U.S. businesses protect themselves from Chinese data and monetary theft?
