Forwarded from RTHK Latest News
Beijing flexes military might near Taiwan Strait
Beijing began combat drills near the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the same day a senior US official began high-level meetings on the island as Beijing denounced closer ties between Taipei and Washington.Beijing has watched with growing alarm the ever-closer relationship between Taiwan and the US, and has stepped up military exercises near the island, including two days of mass air and sea drills last week.Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said Friday's drills, about which he gave no details, were taking place near the Taiwan Strait and involved the People's Liberation Army's eastern theatre command."They are a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ren said.Taiwan is a purely internal Chinese affair that brooks no foreign interference, he added."Recently the United States and Democratic Progressive Party authorities have stepped up their collusion, frequently creating disturbances," Ren said, referring to Taiwan's ruling party.Trying to "use Taiwan to control China" or "rely on foreigners to build oneself up" is wishful thinking and doomed to be a dead end, he added."Those who play with fire will get burnt," he said.The drills came as American Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach began the first full day of his visit to Taiwan in a low-key way, with no open media events on his agenda.He is due to meet President Tsai Ing-wen later in the day, and on Saturday will attend a memorial service for late President Lee Teng-hui.Beijing had threatened to make a "necessary response" to the trip, straining already poor ties with both Taipei and Washington. Sino-US relations have plummeted ahead of November's US presidential election.Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait last month as the US Health Secretary Alex Azar was in Taipei, and last week Beijing carried out two days of large-scale drills off Taiwan's southwestern coast.The United States, like most countries, only has official ties with Beijing, not Taipei, but it is the island's main arms supplier and most important international backer. (Reuters)
2020-09-18 12:20:59
Beijing began combat drills near the Taiwan Strait on Friday, the same day a senior US official began high-level meetings on the island as Beijing denounced closer ties between Taipei and Washington.Beijing has watched with growing alarm the ever-closer relationship between Taiwan and the US, and has stepped up military exercises near the island, including two days of mass air and sea drills last week.Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said Friday's drills, about which he gave no details, were taking place near the Taiwan Strait and involved the People's Liberation Army's eastern theatre command."They are a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ren said.Taiwan is a purely internal Chinese affair that brooks no foreign interference, he added."Recently the United States and Democratic Progressive Party authorities have stepped up their collusion, frequently creating disturbances," Ren said, referring to Taiwan's ruling party.Trying to "use Taiwan to control China" or "rely on foreigners to build oneself up" is wishful thinking and doomed to be a dead end, he added."Those who play with fire will get burnt," he said.The drills came as American Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach began the first full day of his visit to Taiwan in a low-key way, with no open media events on his agenda.He is due to meet President Tsai Ing-wen later in the day, and on Saturday will attend a memorial service for late President Lee Teng-hui.Beijing had threatened to make a "necessary response" to the trip, straining already poor ties with both Taipei and Washington. Sino-US relations have plummeted ahead of November's US presidential election.Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait last month as the US Health Secretary Alex Azar was in Taipei, and last week Beijing carried out two days of large-scale drills off Taiwan's southwestern coast.The United States, like most countries, only has official ties with Beijing, not Taipei, but it is the island's main arms supplier and most important international backer. (Reuters)
2020-09-18 12:20:59
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#Newspaper
Southern Mongolian Herders Further Suppressed
//As the CCP’s drive to wipe out Mongolian culture intensifies, new measures are planned to ban livestock grazing—an integral part of the traditional nomadic lifestyle.
//the CCP declares that it aims to “recover the grassland ecosystem.” In reality, though, the end goal seems to be a complete eradication of the Mongolian nomadic way of life.
//We, ethnic people, can do nothing but graze. If we are forbidden from grazing, how is it different from slaughtering us?”
//“It’s wrong that grazing is prohibited in the name of restoring grassland ecology, shifting the blame onto five animals and Mongolians,”... “If mining is stopped, grassland ecology will restore its balance itself.”
Full article: Bitter Winter, (15-Sep)
https://bitterwinter.org/southern-mongolian-herders-further-suppressed/
Further reading:
A Thousand-Year-Old Tibetan Buddhist Temple Destroyed in Shanxi
https://bitterwinter.org/a-thousand-year-old-tibetan-buddhist-temple-destroyed-in-shanxi/?fbclid=IwAR3pTY5wVA0u3VT7Shh-_wrvRYKYIpLuIrla4qGxjozGb5VYjeqYFtJ19e0
#Mongolian #GrazingBan #CultureGenocide #CCP
Southern Mongolian Herders Further Suppressed
//As the CCP’s drive to wipe out Mongolian culture intensifies, new measures are planned to ban livestock grazing—an integral part of the traditional nomadic lifestyle.
//the CCP declares that it aims to “recover the grassland ecosystem.” In reality, though, the end goal seems to be a complete eradication of the Mongolian nomadic way of life.
//We, ethnic people, can do nothing but graze. If we are forbidden from grazing, how is it different from slaughtering us?”
//“It’s wrong that grazing is prohibited in the name of restoring grassland ecology, shifting the blame onto five animals and Mongolians,”... “If mining is stopped, grassland ecology will restore its balance itself.”
Full article: Bitter Winter, (15-Sep)
https://bitterwinter.org/southern-mongolian-herders-further-suppressed/
Further reading:
A Thousand-Year-Old Tibetan Buddhist Temple Destroyed in Shanxi
https://bitterwinter.org/a-thousand-year-old-tibetan-buddhist-temple-destroyed-in-shanxi/?fbclid=IwAR3pTY5wVA0u3VT7Shh-_wrvRYKYIpLuIrla4qGxjozGb5VYjeqYFtJ19e0
#Mongolian #GrazingBan #CultureGenocide #CCP
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
#Newspaper
In Shanxi more than 200 private properties confiscated by the government
Property owners: the ownership certificate clearly showed that these were privately owned.
Lawyer: The county government may have broken the law.
(8 Sep) "Since we have the ownership certificates, they just came to lock our properties by force and robbed us." Recently, 30 or more private houses and guesthouses were force to close down and seized by the police in Pingyao city in the Shanxi province, this caused strong oppositions among residents. Some were forcefully dragged out from their houses.
The Pingyao city government sent out notice to the residents and owners of more than 200 private properties, telling them that under socialism, it was absolutely necessary and correct to renovate private properties, and therefore the government was about to confiscate theirs, and was giving them half of a month to relocate.
The ownership dispute on ancestral homes began in 1958. It was the time of transforming to socialism and the government used the idea of "government as agent managing and renting houses on behalf of people' to rent out properties which were idle and vacant. Until the opening up of the country in the 80s, the owners re-obtained what belonged to them and got ownership certificates.
And now, the government voided the certificates.
An owner, whose certificate was void, claimed that he/she only redeemed the family siheyuan (traditional four building courtyard houses), "We paid 162 thousands and bought 18 rooms. I have bought the ownership of them back. Those properties are a private ones. This is clearly written in black and white. Since it is claimed that this is a lawful society, this country should help to safeguard our private property and rights, and this Pingyao governmemt has violated both the party's policy and the law.”
Lawyers also doubted that the county government may have broken the law by confiscating and voiding the ownership certificates without paying any compensation.
The historical Pingyao county has over 2700 years of history and mainly relies on tourism as major source of income. The citizens estimates that the properties confiscated value over 10M on the market.
#PingyaoTheHistoricalTown
#Nationalised
#Socalism
#ICableChinaNews
Source: i-Cable China News
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#PrivateProperty #China #Pingyao
In Shanxi more than 200 private properties confiscated by the government
Property owners: the ownership certificate clearly showed that these were privately owned.
Lawyer: The county government may have broken the law.
(8 Sep) "Since we have the ownership certificates, they just came to lock our properties by force and robbed us." Recently, 30 or more private houses and guesthouses were force to close down and seized by the police in Pingyao city in the Shanxi province, this caused strong oppositions among residents. Some were forcefully dragged out from their houses.
The Pingyao city government sent out notice to the residents and owners of more than 200 private properties, telling them that under socialism, it was absolutely necessary and correct to renovate private properties, and therefore the government was about to confiscate theirs, and was giving them half of a month to relocate.
The ownership dispute on ancestral homes began in 1958. It was the time of transforming to socialism and the government used the idea of "government as agent managing and renting houses on behalf of people' to rent out properties which were idle and vacant. Until the opening up of the country in the 80s, the owners re-obtained what belonged to them and got ownership certificates.
And now, the government voided the certificates.
An owner, whose certificate was void, claimed that he/she only redeemed the family siheyuan (traditional four building courtyard houses), "We paid 162 thousands and bought 18 rooms. I have bought the ownership of them back. Those properties are a private ones. This is clearly written in black and white. Since it is claimed that this is a lawful society, this country should help to safeguard our private property and rights, and this Pingyao governmemt has violated both the party's policy and the law.”
Lawyers also doubted that the county government may have broken the law by confiscating and voiding the ownership certificates without paying any compensation.
The historical Pingyao county has over 2700 years of history and mainly relies on tourism as major source of income. The citizens estimates that the properties confiscated value over 10M on the market.
#PingyaoTheHistoricalTown
#Nationalised
#Socalism
#ICableChinaNews
Source: i-Cable China News
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo
#PrivateProperty #China #Pingyao
Facebook Watch
有線中國組
【山西200多戶私有民房被收歸國有】 【業主：房產證上白紙黑字寫是私產】 【律師：縣政府很有可能違法】 「房產證在我們手裡，就過來鎖房，強行搶奪私人財產」 ──山西平遙古城近日有30多戶民房和客棧被公安查封，引起居民強烈不滿，部分人被公安由房屋中強行拖走。...
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
Unscientific and Unethical, Says US Expert as Chinese Pharma Pushes Wuhan Virus Vaccine Not Fully Tested
The Chinese pharmaceutical CanSino was reported to have been negotiating with several countries for urgent approval of the use of its Wuhan virus vaccine, which is still in phase 3 trials. Public health experts have voiced concerns as the vaccine has yet to be fully tested for its safety and effectiveness on a mass scale. They stressed that the experimentation and the trials must be transparent and that CanSino must disclose data concerning the vaccine’s trials in the Chinese military.
A senior manager at CanSino revealed to The Wall Street Journal that the pharma was negotiating with several countries, requesting emergency approval for the use of its experimental Wuhan virus vaccine before its phase 3 trials are completed. If approved, the early-stage vaccine will be in use globally for the first time, with health professionals and essential workers like soldiers and police officers being the first to get the shot.
Public health experts worry that despite the new evidence indicating the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety, it is highly risky to put it to public use before large-scale trials are completed. Dr Amesh A. Adalja, a senior expert at the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, said there is some data showing the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety following its trials in the Chinese military. “It is crucial, however, to use the vaccine in accordance with the data obtained at Phase 3 clinical trials,” he added. “Its effectiveness can be determined only in an environment where many people are exposed to the virus, and it is necessary to look into a better sample group to know if the vaccine is safe.” CanSino, he said, should disclose the data obtained at trials in the military to reassure the public.
Pierre Armand Morgon, Senior Vice President for International Business of CanSino, said giving several million people the vaccine before the clinical trials conclude helps ascertain its safety and effectiveness and create a database of safety information. Morgon declined to name all of the countries the pharma is in talks with, saying only that they include Pakistan, Latin American countries and a number of developed countries. None of them has approved the vaccine for use, he said.
Source: Apple Daily #Aug29
#China #CanSino #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #COVID19 #Pandemic #Vaccine #Ethics
https://bit.ly/2RqheYn
The Chinese pharmaceutical CanSino was reported to have been negotiating with several countries for urgent approval of the use of its Wuhan virus vaccine, which is still in phase 3 trials. Public health experts have voiced concerns as the vaccine has yet to be fully tested for its safety and effectiveness on a mass scale. They stressed that the experimentation and the trials must be transparent and that CanSino must disclose data concerning the vaccine’s trials in the Chinese military.
A senior manager at CanSino revealed to The Wall Street Journal that the pharma was negotiating with several countries, requesting emergency approval for the use of its experimental Wuhan virus vaccine before its phase 3 trials are completed. If approved, the early-stage vaccine will be in use globally for the first time, with health professionals and essential workers like soldiers and police officers being the first to get the shot.
Public health experts worry that despite the new evidence indicating the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety, it is highly risky to put it to public use before large-scale trials are completed. Dr Amesh A. Adalja, a senior expert at the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, said there is some data showing the vaccine’s effectiveness and safety following its trials in the Chinese military. “It is crucial, however, to use the vaccine in accordance with the data obtained at Phase 3 clinical trials,” he added. “Its effectiveness can be determined only in an environment where many people are exposed to the virus, and it is necessary to look into a better sample group to know if the vaccine is safe.” CanSino, he said, should disclose the data obtained at trials in the military to reassure the public.
Pierre Armand Morgon, Senior Vice President for International Business of CanSino, said giving several million people the vaccine before the clinical trials conclude helps ascertain its safety and effectiveness and create a database of safety information. Morgon declined to name all of the countries the pharma is in talks with, saying only that they include Pakistan, Latin American countries and a number of developed countries. None of them has approved the vaccine for use, he said.
Source: Apple Daily #Aug29
#China #CanSino #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #COVID19 #Pandemic #Vaccine #Ethics
https://bit.ly/2RqheYn
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
The University of Southern California Suspended a professor because of speaking "that" in Putonghua, discriminating against African-Americans
(North American News) A Communication Professor at the University of Southern California (USC) used a Chinese vocab "nèige" (meaning "that") with a Putonghua pronunciation, has led to a petition from a group of angry African-American. They said that it sounded like a word with discrimination or defamation to Africans, requesting an apology from the professor and the teaching suspension to have an investigation.
Professor Greg Patton has taught at USC Marshall School of Business for 20 years. During the online teaching of MBA related curriculum last month, Patton used Putonghua as an example, saying "nèige" replaces some meaningless words, like errs and umms, in China. He repeated "nèige" thrice.
Nevertheless, some students thought that the accent of the professor for "nèige" was similar to "nigga", a word that insults Africans. They pointed out that the professor had offended all African students in the class and had affected their mental health. The school said that another speaker will take over the curriculum at this moment, during the investigation period for Patton.
#US #USC #nèige #nigga #Chinese #Putonghua #Mandarin #African #AfricanAmerican #GregPatton
Source: Apple Daily #Sep05
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20200905/2N2BECNXYJCNFNUOIFM3NQ5AXA/
(North American News) A Communication Professor at the University of Southern California (USC) used a Chinese vocab "nèige" (meaning "that") with a Putonghua pronunciation, has led to a petition from a group of angry African-American. They said that it sounded like a word with discrimination or defamation to Africans, requesting an apology from the professor and the teaching suspension to have an investigation.
Professor Greg Patton has taught at USC Marshall School of Business for 20 years. During the online teaching of MBA related curriculum last month, Patton used Putonghua as an example, saying "nèige" replaces some meaningless words, like errs and umms, in China. He repeated "nèige" thrice.
Nevertheless, some students thought that the accent of the professor for "nèige" was similar to "nigga", a word that insults Africans. They pointed out that the professor had offended all African students in the class and had affected their mental health. The school said that another speaker will take over the curriculum at this moment, during the investigation period for Patton.
#US #USC #nèige #nigga #Chinese #Putonghua #Mandarin #African #AfricanAmerican #GregPatton
Source: Apple Daily #Sep05
https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20200905/2N2BECNXYJCNFNUOIFM3NQ5AXA/
Forwarded from RTHK Latest News
Taiwan scrambles fighter jets 'over intrusion'
Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Friday as 18 Chinese aircraft buzzed the island, crossing the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, in response to a senior US official holding talks in Taipei.Beijing had earlier announced combat drills and denounced what it called collusion between Taiwan and the US.American Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach arrived in Taipei on Thursday for a three-day visit, the most senior State Department official to come to Taiwan in four decades to which Beijing had promised a "necessary response".Beijing has watched with growing alarm the ever-closer relationship between Taipei and Washington, and has stepped up military exercises near the island, including two days of large-scale air and sea drills last week.With a US presidential election looming in November, Sino-US relations are already under huge strain from a trade war, American digital security concerns and the coronavirus pandemic.Taiwan said 18 Chinese aircraft were involved on Friday, far more than in previous such encounters."Sep. 18, two H-6 bombers, eight J-16 fighters, four J-10 fighters and four J-11 fighters crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwest ADIZ," the defence ministry said in an English-language tweet."ROCAF scrambled fighters, and deployed air defence missile system to monitor the activities." The ROCAF, Taiwan's air force, has scrambled frequently in recent months in response to Chinese intrusions.The ministry showed a map of the flight paths of Chinese jets crossing the Taiwan Strait mid-line, which combat aircraft from both sides normally avoid passing through.Taiwan's Liberty Times newspaper said Taiwanese jets had scrambled 17 times over four hours, warning the mainland air force to stay away.It also showed a picture of missiles being loaded onto an F-16 fighter at the Hualien air base on Taiwan's east coast.In Beijing, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said Friday's manoeuvres, about which he gave no details, involved the People's Liberation Army's eastern theatre command."They are a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ren said.He said Taiwan was a purely internal Chinese affair and accused its ruling Democratic Progressive Party of stepping up "collusion" with the US.Trying to "use Taiwan to control China" or "rely on foreigners to build oneself up" was wishful thinking and futile. "Those who play with fire will get burnt," Ren said.Taiwan's presidential office urged China to exercise restraint, and urged the Taiwanese not to be alarmed, saying the military had a grasp on the situation.Government officials in Taiwan, including President Tsai Ing-wen, have expressed concern in recent weeks that an accidental military encounter could spark a wider conflict.Hu Xijin, editor of the state-backed Global Times tabloid, wrote on his Weibo microblog that the drills were preparation for an attack on Taiwan should the need arise, and that they enabled intelligence-gathering about Taiwan's defence systems."If the US secretary of state or defence secretary visits Taiwan, People's Liberation Army fighters should fly over Taiwan island, and directly exercise in the skies above it," he added.Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait last month while US Health Secretary Alex Azar was in Taipei, and last week Beijing carried out two days of large-scale drills off Taiwan's southwestern coast. (Reuters)
2020-09-18 18:21:27
Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Friday as 18 Chinese aircraft buzzed the island, crossing the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, in response to a senior US official holding talks in Taipei.Beijing had earlier announced combat drills and denounced what it called collusion between Taiwan and the US.American Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach arrived in Taipei on Thursday for a three-day visit, the most senior State Department official to come to Taiwan in four decades to which Beijing had promised a "necessary response".Beijing has watched with growing alarm the ever-closer relationship between Taipei and Washington, and has stepped up military exercises near the island, including two days of large-scale air and sea drills last week.With a US presidential election looming in November, Sino-US relations are already under huge strain from a trade war, American digital security concerns and the coronavirus pandemic.Taiwan said 18 Chinese aircraft were involved on Friday, far more than in previous such encounters."Sep. 18, two H-6 bombers, eight J-16 fighters, four J-10 fighters and four J-11 fighters crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's southwest ADIZ," the defence ministry said in an English-language tweet."ROCAF scrambled fighters, and deployed air defence missile system to monitor the activities." The ROCAF, Taiwan's air force, has scrambled frequently in recent months in response to Chinese intrusions.The ministry showed a map of the flight paths of Chinese jets crossing the Taiwan Strait mid-line, which combat aircraft from both sides normally avoid passing through.Taiwan's Liberty Times newspaper said Taiwanese jets had scrambled 17 times over four hours, warning the mainland air force to stay away.It also showed a picture of missiles being loaded onto an F-16 fighter at the Hualien air base on Taiwan's east coast.In Beijing, Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said Friday's manoeuvres, about which he gave no details, involved the People's Liberation Army's eastern theatre command."They are a reasonable, necessary action aimed at the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ren said.He said Taiwan was a purely internal Chinese affair and accused its ruling Democratic Progressive Party of stepping up "collusion" with the US.Trying to "use Taiwan to control China" or "rely on foreigners to build oneself up" was wishful thinking and futile. "Those who play with fire will get burnt," Ren said.Taiwan's presidential office urged China to exercise restraint, and urged the Taiwanese not to be alarmed, saying the military had a grasp on the situation.Government officials in Taiwan, including President Tsai Ing-wen, have expressed concern in recent weeks that an accidental military encounter could spark a wider conflict.Hu Xijin, editor of the state-backed Global Times tabloid, wrote on his Weibo microblog that the drills were preparation for an attack on Taiwan should the need arise, and that they enabled intelligence-gathering about Taiwan's defence systems."If the US secretary of state or defence secretary visits Taiwan, People's Liberation Army fighters should fly over Taiwan island, and directly exercise in the skies above it," he added.Chinese fighter jets briefly crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait last month while US Health Secretary Alex Azar was in Taipei, and last week Beijing carried out two days of large-scale drills off Taiwan's southwestern coast. (Reuters)
2020-09-18 18:21:27
Forwarded from RTHK Latest News
US moves against TikTok and WeChat
The Trump administration will ban WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok from US app stores starting on Sunday night, a move that will block Americans from downloading the Chinese-owned platforms over concerns they pose a national security threat.Current TikTok users will see little change on Sunday and U.S. Commerce Department officials said they will not bar additional technical transactions for TikTok until November 12, which gives the company time to see if owner ByteDance can clinch an agreement over the fate of its US operations."The basic TikTok will stay intact until November 12," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network on Friday.The ban on new US downloads of the widely popular app could still be rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect.ByteDance has been in talks with Oracle Corp and others to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address US concerns about the security of its users' data.ByteDance still needs Trump's approval to stave off a US ban.The Commerce Department order bars Apple Inc's app store, Alphabet Inc's Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform "that can be reached from within the United States," a senior Commerce official told Reuters.The department said the actions will "protect users in the US by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality."Oracle shares fell 1.6 percent after the news in pre-market trading.The order will not ban US companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to US firms like Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChat's embedded 'mini-app' programmes to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China, officials said.The order will not bar transactions with WeChat-owner Tencent Holdings' other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on August 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps' data collection poses. China and the companies have denied US user data is collected for spying.Ross said in a written statement "we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations."Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge “untrusted" Chinese apps from US digital networks and has called TikTok and WeChat “significant threats.”TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and is especially popular among younger Americans.WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, ex-pats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China.WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines services similar to Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Venmo. The app is an essential part of daily life for many in China and boasts more than 1 billion users.The Commerce Department will not seek to compel people in the United States to remove the apps or stop using them but will not allow updates or new downloads. "We are aiming at a top corporate level. We're not going to go out after the individual users," one Commerce official said.Over time, officials said, the lack of updates will degrade the apps usability."The expectation is that people will find alternative ways to do these actions," a senior official s (1)
The Trump administration will ban WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok from US app stores starting on Sunday night, a move that will block Americans from downloading the Chinese-owned platforms over concerns they pose a national security threat.Current TikTok users will see little change on Sunday and U.S. Commerce Department officials said they will not bar additional technical transactions for TikTok until November 12, which gives the company time to see if owner ByteDance can clinch an agreement over the fate of its US operations."The basic TikTok will stay intact until November 12," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network on Friday.The ban on new US downloads of the widely popular app could still be rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect.ByteDance has been in talks with Oracle Corp and others to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address US concerns about the security of its users' data.ByteDance still needs Trump's approval to stave off a US ban.The Commerce Department order bars Apple Inc's app store, Alphabet Inc's Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform "that can be reached from within the United States," a senior Commerce official told Reuters.The department said the actions will "protect users in the US by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality."Oracle shares fell 1.6 percent after the news in pre-market trading.The order will not ban US companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to US firms like Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChat's embedded 'mini-app' programmes to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China, officials said.The order will not bar transactions with WeChat-owner Tencent Holdings' other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on August 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps' data collection poses. China and the companies have denied US user data is collected for spying.Ross said in a written statement "we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations."Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The Trump administration has ramped up efforts to purge “untrusted" Chinese apps from US digital networks and has called TikTok and WeChat “significant threats.”TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and is especially popular among younger Americans.WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, analytics firms Apptopia said in early August. It is popular among Chinese students, ex-pats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China.WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines services similar to Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Venmo. The app is an essential part of daily life for many in China and boasts more than 1 billion users.The Commerce Department will not seek to compel people in the United States to remove the apps or stop using them but will not allow updates or new downloads. "We are aiming at a top corporate level. We're not going to go out after the individual users," one Commerce official said.Over time, officials said, the lack of updates will degrade the apps usability."The expectation is that people will find alternative ways to do these actions," a senior official s (1)
Forwarded from RTHK Latest News
aid. "We expect the market to act and there will be more secure apps that will fill in these gaps that Americans can trust and that the United States government won't have to take similar actions against."Commerce is also barring additional technical transactions with WeChat starting on Sunday that will significantly reduce the usability and functionality of the app in the United States.The order bars data hosting within the United States for WeChat, content delivery services and networks that can increase functionality and internet transit or peering services."What immediately is going to happen is users are going to experience a lag or lack of functionality," a senior Commerce official said of WeChat users. "It may still be usable but it is not going to be as functional as it was." There may be sporadic outages as well, the official said.Commerce will bar the same set of technical transactions for TikTok, but that will not take effect until November 12 to give the company additional time to see if ByteDance can reach a deal for its US operations. The official said TikTok US users would not see "a major difference" in the app's performance until November 12.Commerce will not penalise people who use TikTok or WeChat in the United States.The order does not bar data storage within the United States for WeChat or TikTok.Some Americans may find workarounds. There is nothing that would bar an American from travelling to a foreign country and downloading either app, or potentially using a virtual private network and a desktop client, officials conceded. (Reuters)
2020-09-18 20:42:28 (1)
2020-09-18 20:42:28 (1)
Forwarded from Tommy Robinson News
China has enriched itself through multiple abuses of the free-market, IP theft and it close relationship with a globalist elite.
China’s “capitalism” is now taking a Maoist turn, maybe because Trump has exposed them on the world stage.? China are finding it harder and harder to lie, thieve and cheat the bankrolling of the CCP.
Now China are set to crush private enterprise and entrepreneurs with more government control.
The ultimate goal is for the party to have ideological leadership of private enterprise.
A statement from the CCP states..
"We must also see that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, [as] the scale of the private economy has continued to expand, risks and challenges have increased significantly, the values and interests of the private economy have become increasingly diverse, and the united front work of the private economy is facing new situations and tasks," https://api.parler.com/l/KFasq
China’s “capitalism” is now taking a Maoist turn, maybe because Trump has exposed them on the world stage.? China are finding it harder and harder to lie, thieve and cheat the bankrolling of the CCP.
Now China are set to crush private enterprise and entrepreneurs with more government control.
The ultimate goal is for the party to have ideological leadership of private enterprise.
A statement from the CCP states..
"We must also see that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, [as] the scale of the private economy has continued to expand, risks and challenges have increased significantly, the values and interests of the private economy have become increasingly diverse, and the united front work of the private economy is facing new situations and tasks," https://api.parler.com/l/KFasq
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