News that caught our eye / The week ending September 9
NOTE: The news reports below are not in chronological order. There is often a time lag in their reaching the US and in gaining our attention. These reports reflect the opinions of a variety of news sources.
September 1-9
US climate envoy encourages China to reestablish talks / September 5, 2022
John Kerry, President Joe Biden’s top climate envoy, is “hopeful” that climate talks with China will resume after discussions stalled following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last month. Kerry said the world’s two largest emitters must restart talks “because that will shape the response of other countries around the planet” (Bloomberg).
China's Chengdu enforces strict lockdown despite earthquake / September 6, 2022
Authorities in southwestern China’s Chengdu have maintained strict COVID-19 lockdown measures on the city of 21 million despite a major earthquake that killed at least 65 people in outlying areas (Associated Press).
Pictures of China’s drought / August 29, 2022
Record-high temperatures and dry weather have been ravaging a vast swath of southern and central China in recent weeks. This post has gathered images, videos, and social media posts illustrating the severity of the searing heat wave (The China Project).
China’s People’s Liberation Army video / September 5, 2022
The official website of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has released a promotional video to demonstrate to the world that the Chinese PLA has always been a staunch force in protecting world peace (Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Union).
China’s Sichuan Hit by Deadly Earthquake / September 6, 2022
A powerful earthquake rocked China’s southwestern Sichuan province. Currently, the death toll stands at 66 with 253 injured. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck shortly before 1 p.m. local time on September 5, with the epicenter in Luding County, about 140 miles southwest of Sichuan’s capital of Chengdu (Wall Street Journal).
Dozens of relics discovered in South China Sea shipwrecks / September 5, 2022
Chinese research vessels have discovered 66 ancient relics among the wreckage of three ships in the north area of the South China Sea. The relics include porcelain fragments, redware pottery, and bronze coins. The treasures were found among three shipwrecks located 2,000 to 3,000 meters below the surface (Global Times).
Discovery In Chinese lab could stop Covid-19 / September 2, 2022
A Chinese research team has developed a nanomaterial that can find Sars-CoV-2 viruses in a living cell and remove them. Unlike most existing Covid-19 drugs, the material can inhibit infections from all major variants including Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron with high biosafety (Technology Times).
Typhoon Hinnamnor takes aim on eastern China / September 4, 2022
On Sunday, Typhoon Hinnamnor raged over Taiwan and the Koreas. Cities in eastern China suspended ferry services and classes and flights were canceled in Japan. Shanghai grounded ferry services and deployed more than 50,000 police officers to aid with rescues and guide traffic away from dangerous areas. The eastern business hub of Wenzhou ordered all classes suspended on Monday. Hinnamnor is the strongest global storm this year (Global News).
China to increase national defense education / September 1, 2022
A guideline on enhancing and improving national defense education for all people has been jointly issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission. The guideline urges improved education in national defense theories, knowledge, history, statutes, relevant contexts and tasks, skill training, and culture.
China’s game plan should Putin die / September 3, 2022
Wikistrat, a “crowdsourced consultancy,” has run a simulation intended to predict outcomes should Russia’s President Putin die. CEO Oren Kesler told Express.co.uk: “One thing that we found from carrying out the simulation was that there is a consensus among the experts that Russia’s dependency on China will increase over time unless there is a sharp change in strategy by Russia leaning to the West - which most experts don’t see happening.” The simulation also predicted that, after Putin’s death, China will see to make Russia depend on it and will consume Russia’s natural resources and trade ties (Express.co.uk).
Gorbachev showed authoritarian rulers what not to do / September 1, 2022
“In much of the West, Mikhail S. Gorbachev is hailed as the farsighted visionary who brought the Cold War to a peaceful conclusion. But for autocratic leaders in other parts of the world, his legacy stands as a cautionary tale of power discarded quickly and, by some estimates, cavalierly, with little or nothing in return” (New York Times).
US limits computer chips; China cries foul / September 1, 2022
The Chinese government on Thursday called on Washington to repeal its technology export curbs after California-based chip designer Nvidia said a new product might be delayed and some work might be moved out of China. American officials say they need to limit the spread of technology that can be used to make weapons (ABC News).
UN report on China’s Uyghurs / September 1, 2022
The United Nations High has released a damning report on China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. The report maintains that China may have committed “crimes against humanity” in Xinjiang. China has repeatedly and vehemently denied accusations of human rights abuses in the region (CNN).
Taiwan forces fire at drones flying over island near China / August 31, 2022
Taiwan’s military fired warning shots at drones from China flying over its outposts just off the Chinese coastline. Taiwan’s forces said in a statement that troops took the action on August 30 after drones were found hovering over the Kinmen island group. Dadan, one of the islands where a drone was spotted, lies roughly 9 miles off the Chinese coast (AP).
Taiwan shoots down commercial drone harassing guard post / September 1, 2022 (Newsweek)