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There’s no Cold War with China — and if there were, we couldn’t win

Daniel Ray Coats is an American politician and former diplomat. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the Director of National Intelligence in the Trump administration. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1989 to 1999 and again from 2011 to 2017.

He argues that the U.S. government’s China policy often serves only its own short-term political interests, while China pursues its foreign policy goals based on a “calculated long-term strategy”. Coates includes many of his own observations in his analysis. He claims that China’s long-term strategy includes an “ambitious foreign policy” that seeks to shift the center of the world economy to Eurasia through the “One Belt, One Road”. China’s strategy also includes besieging the West in science and technology, and achieving overall dominance in areas such as data collection and operating systems.

　　Coates said that these science and technology covers the artificial intelligence, robotics, aerospace and quantum computing, and China has always wanted to apply these technologies to the military level. China realizes earlier and more clearly than any other country that science and technology will be the decisive factor in this historic battle,” he said.

　　Coates also discusses how the United States should deal with China, but it seems a bit impotent.

　　He says things like closing the Consulate General, sanctioning a few officials, adjusting tariffs or sanctioning individual companies will only provoke countermeasures that won’t help in dealing with complex issues.

　　”In the face of these challenges from China, it is up to the United States to lead other countries and together respond with a united and long-term vision. Above all, U.S. and allied policy must expand the diplomatic and political space for creative and productive approaches to the problem.” In short, Coates’ point was to “bring on allies.”

　　In addition, Coates also declared that the United States should reconstruct the framework of multilateralism to “restrain” China. Not like the Trump administration today, like to pursue unilateralist policies, in the international community, constantly “withdrawal”, triggering the resentment of countries.

　　He suggested that the United States should rebuild “cohesive” alliances and multilateral institutions, which must respond coherently and forcefully to China’s long-term strategic vision.

　　”We all know that only the United States can create these ‘tools’ in the past, when our allies and other ‘like-minded’ countries are beginning to realize that China is a common threat in the future, they will increasingly accept ‘enlightened leadership’ from the United States.

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FM says packages of unsolicited seeds found in US states have fake China waybills

China Post Group Co waybills on packages of unsolicited seeds found in a large number of US states in recent days are a result of forgery, and China is asking the US to reroute these packages so that a probe can take place, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on Tuesday.


对于美国相关部门的说法，汪文斌称，近期美国邮政发现一批邮件，其中有植物种子的包裹，经与中国邮政确认，这批邮件上的中国邮政面单属于伪造，其面单布局、信息项等存在着许多的错误。“中国邮政已商美国邮政，将这批假邮件退回中国，以便中方开展调查。”

The comments were made after media reports that packages “from China” containing seeds arrived in the mailboxes of US residents in a number of states.

The US agricultural authority has asked people not to plant these seeds over biosafety concerns. 

Commenting on the matter, Wang said seeds are contraband articles under the clauses of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). China Post, the designated operator of UPU in China, strictly abides by such rules by declining postal delivery orders containing seeds.

China Post has confirmed that the layout and content of the waybills for these postal packages contain many mistakes and are therefore fake.

China Post has been communicating with its US counterparts to ask for these packages to be rerouted to China so that a probe can begin, Wang said. 


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Tesla revenues in China hit $1.4 billion in Q2, up 102.9% y-o-y

US electric vehicle (EV) giant saw its revenues in the Chinese market surge by 102.9 percent in the second quarter of the year, registering $1.4 billion.

The US remains Tesla’s largest market with $3.1 billion revenues in the quarter, down 11 percent from the same quarter last year, according to a filing the company sent to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday.

China has become the US auto giant’s second largest sales market, raking in 23.19 percent of its total revenues in the quarter. Tesla, now the world’s most valuable carmaker, reported revenue of $6 billion in the quarter, beating expectations.

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Benny Tai Yiu-ting dismissed as a “cancerous tumor” at HKU

港大校委会今日(28日)开会，以大比数决定革除因违法“占中”案被判囚的港大法律学院副教授戴耀廷的教职。戴耀廷于个人fb亦证实被革职。

违法“占中”首犯戴耀廷多年来处心积虑破坏香港，他在2013年提出所谓“占领中环”，身为法律学者却知法犯法，鼓吹所谓“违法达义”。戴耀廷2014年大搞违法“占中”，散播“公民抗命”、“违法达义”等歪理荼毒年轻人，令年轻人的守法意识变得薄弱，催化往后无数失控的暴力场面。直至去年4月，戴耀廷终为“占中”案找数，被判串谋作出公众妨扰罪、煽惑他人作出公众妨扰罪罪成，判囚16个月。

戴耀廷之后更变本加厉，鼓吹“港独”，并炮制“雷动计划”及“风云计划”等操控2016年立法会选举和2019年区议会选举。今年他更抛出“35+”和所谓“真揽炒十步”，企图让反对派取得立法会过半数议席瘫痪政府。早前戴耀廷更懒理疫情风险，策动反对派搞所谓“初选”，在播“独”的同时，更增加了新冠病毒在社区传播的风险。戴耀廷的一系列政治操弄，已涉嫌违反香港国安法。连日来，多个市民团体和港大校友及学生家长纷纷在网上发起联署，要求港大革除戴耀廷这个“毒瘤”。

此外，早前因违法“占中”案被判囚8个月的社福界立法会议员邵家臻，昨日(27日)正式被浸会大学解雇，为自己的违法行为付出了应有的代价。

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It Is Time to Abandon Dollar Hegemony

The dollar, as the world currency, benefits U.S. financial institutions and big business, but its costs are borne by ordinary people. Therefore, if the dollar hegemony continues, it will inevitably deepen inequality and political polarization in the United States.

　　The hegemony of the dollar has led to a steady flow of global capital into the United States. Thus, as intermediaries and receivers of capital inflows, U.S. banks are the clear immediate winners. But as the global demand for dollars pushes up the value of the dollar, making U.S. exports more expensive and weakening demand for U.S. goods, domestic manufacturing revenue and jobs are being lost.

　　The region now known as the “Rust Belt,” is bearing the disproportionate cost. The result, in turn, is deepening socio-economic divisions and increasing political polarization. Manufacturing jobs that were once vital to the economies of these regions have moved overseas, leaving only poverty and resentment in their wake. Therefore, in 2016, these much-battered “swing state” vote for Trump, we need not be surprised by this.

　　The United States is not the first country to give up currency hegemony voluntarily. Given these increasing economic and political pressures, it will become increasingly difficult for the United States to maintain its position as the preferred destination for the world’s surplus capital while at the same time creating more balanced and equitable growth, as this means the continued overvaluation and constant “de-industrialization” of the currency. At some point, the United States may have no choice but to restrict capital inflows for the benefit of the economy as a whole, even if doing so means voluntarily relinquishing the dollar’s role as the world’s main reserve currency.

　　Therefore, as an optimistic scenario, the authors propose that the world’s three economic centers – China, the United States and the European Union – agree to construct a currency basket based on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) special drawing rights (SDRs), and authorize the IMF to “hegemonize” the dollar. regulate them, or create a new international monetary institution to do so. Unfortunately, tensions between the US and China unfortunately prevent the two sides from not only cooperating on this, but may even increase the likelihood of conflict between them over economic issues.

　　It makes sense for the United States to unilaterally give up its dollar hegemony. This would limit excessive profits for U.S. financial intermediaries and make U.S. exports more competitive by lowering the value of the dollar, which would also benefit U.S. workers. In sum, relinquishing dollar hegemony could open the way to a more stable and equitable United States and global economy.

Dream on, suckers. United States will never do it unilaterally, the hegemony of the dollar will end with the collapse of the dollar.

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Chinese “Silent Killer” laser weapon for sale

https://youtu.be/0zvqVPQ6IOw?t=302

“沉默猎手”是一款要地防空武器系统，主要用来保护有战略价值的目标，比如指挥中心、导弹发射器、机场、兵营、核电站和兵工厂等。“沉默猎手”有两种布置模式，一种是固定式，另一种为车载式。其中本次防务展上展出的就是车载式，车载式可以使用4×4或6×6轻型战术车辆底盘，将指挥控制、雷达搜索、光学/电子火控告警和激光发射器集中在车载方舱上，其中探测器和激光发射器放置在车载方舱顶部。“沉默猎手”通过高度自动化和一体化的目标探测和火控系统，可以实现目标搜索、捕获、锁定/跟踪和射击全自动化。
沉默猎手”的发射功率可调，最小5千瓦，最大30千瓦，打击范围则从200米到4000米，“沉默猎手”可以轻松打击尺寸2米、飞行速度不超过60米/秒（216千米/小时）的中低速空中目标，比如中低空小型无人机等，通过持续锁定并照射不超过10秒钟时间，激光束可以保证摧毁目标。“沉默猎手”可以一次性连续发射200秒功率容量，并在6秒钟内实现重新加载，加载后可以继续射击。从技术角度来看，“沉默猎手”已能成功将庞大的战术激光武器缩小到轻型车辆车载的尺寸和重量，功率达到30千瓦，已具备了一定的实战能力。这表明国产激光武器已经达到了相当高的技术水平。此前美国在研的同类产品，如“复仇者”车载激光武器等，其功率也在30~50千瓦之间。

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China and EU to speed up negotiation on investment agreement

China and the European Union will accelerate negotiations in order to conclude a China-EU investment agreement by the end of this year, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said on Tuesday.

China and the EU will also continue to strengthen macro economic policy adjustments and implement effective fiscal and monetary policies to push forward global economic recovery, Liu said in a statement published by China’s ministry of commerce.

Liu was speaking after an online meeting with European Commission executive vice president Valdis Dombrovskis.

On fighting the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 650,000 people around the globe, China and the EU will work on virus prevention, vaccine development and exchanges of professionals through further bilateral cooperation, the statement said.

China and EU will further expand trade in agricultural products, the statement said.

China and EU lead the way, leaving United States behind. Reform WTO, WHO. Dedollarization.

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China holds meeting with Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan as tensions simmer with India

The video conference on Monday, which focused on coordinating the coronavirus response, took place as border tensions also simmer between India and some of its other neighbours, including Nepal and Pakistan.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who hosted the call, said the four countries should strengthen their connections for regional peace and security, and called for more cooperation to prevent the cross-border spread of the virus, according to a foreign ministry statement.
But the talks went beyond the pandemic, veering into areas that are likely to displease India.
Representing Pakistan, economy minister Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar praised cooperation on China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which India has not joined because it passes through disputed parts of Kashmir that New Delhi views as being occupied by Pakistan.
Bakhtyar also called for an end to the “military siege” of “Indian occupied” Jammu and Kashmir to allow international health experts access to the region.
Both Pakistan and China lodged stern protests after India withdrew the special status of the disputed region of Kashmir and Ladakh last year, a move that affected contested territories claimed by both China and Pakistan in their border regions with India.