Trump’s gift to the US
United Virus 2019
American study finds signs of coronavirus in US before China outbreak
US CDC says blood samples taken in nine states before cases were reported in Wuhan tested positive for antibodies for the pathogen.
Results indicate that infections might have happened in the western US earlier than previously thought, scientists say.
Iconic Arecibo Observatory telescope collapses
Sanctions on four Americans
Chinese FM announced sanctions on four Americans as countermeasures against earlier US sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong, including NED senior director John Knaus and NDI regional director Manpreet Anand, Rosario, Director of the Hong Kong Chapter, and Xue De-Oo, Director of Programs and urged US to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs. 中方决定对在涉港问题上表现恶劣的美国国家民族基金会亚洲事务高级主任约翰·克劳斯，美国国际事务民主协会亚洲项目负责人阿南德、香港分部主任罗萨里奥、项目主任薛德敖等4人实施制裁。
Scale of China’s Wuhan Shutdown Is Believed to Be Without Precedent
Biden coronavirus advisor says 6-week national shutdown could save US economy
https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/11/biden-coronavirus-advisor-says-6-week-national-shutdown-could-save-economy.html
Coronavirus: Biden rules out ‘national shutdown,’ opts for face mask mandate
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-biden-rules-out-national-shutdown-opts-for-face-mask-mandate/a-55670306
China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia
Americount democracy
Win-win situation
Sink China fleet in 72 hours
The next Pentagon chief could cement the US’ already hard defence line on China, with one contender suggesting that American forces could bolster deterrence with the ability to “sink all” Chinese vessels “within 72 hours” in the South China Sea.
Michele Flournoy, an undersecretary of defence in the Obama administration, has been touted as a possible defence secretary in the cabinet of US president-elect Joe Biden.
In an article in the journal Foreign Affairs in June, Flournoy said that as Washington’s ability and resolve to counter Beijing’s military assertiveness in the region declined, the US needed a solid deterrence to reduce the risk of “miscalculation” by China’s leadership.
Covid Is Increasing America’s Lead Over China
With good vaccines apparently on the way, it’s now possible to imagine a new post-pandemic world order. One question is whether China has overtaken the U.S., and on that there is good news: In terms of ideas and relative influence, America may have opened up its lead.
Start with the vaccines themselves. China has done surprisingly well, and some of its vaccines are likely to prove sufficiently effective and safe. But the U.S., working with the German BioNTech company, has produced an entirely new kind of vaccine platform, namely mRNA vaccines. They can be quickly manufactured and hold the promise of combating many future viruses. The China vaccines are mostly based on older methods, with the Chinese doing their utmost to scale up production quickly.
That difference in products might represent an efficient international division of labor. But it hardly shows China at the forefront of progress.
The point stands in other areas of technology as well. If you are wondering whether China or the U.S. with its allies is more likely to make a big breakthrough, in, say, quantum computing, ask yourself a simple question: Which network will better attract talented immigrants? The more that talent and innovation are found around the world, the more that helps the U.S.