Republic of China Debts Recalled as US Senator Introduces Resolution Demanding China to Repay USD$1.6 Trillion Debt

US Republican Senator Martha McSally put forward a resolution on Thursday demanding China to repay its sovereign debt of more than USD$1.6 trillion (around HKD$12.5 trillion), interests included, to US bondholders.

McSally said, “China has repeatedly failed to honor its obligations to America, taking American families’ money and jobs… We are holding China accountable for its debt and for unleashing the coronavirus on the world. We demand China pay back the $1.6 trillion it owes to American families.”

The bonds were issued in 1912 by the Republic of China, which subsequently migrated to Taiwan. The People’s Republic of China established its sovereignty in 1949 and insists that Taiwan is part of China. According to international law, a successor state is responsible for the debts of its predecessor.

#PRC #MarthaMcSally #McSally #coronavirus #debt #sovereigndebt #ROC #Taiwan

Source: Apple Daily #Aug14

https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20200814/NUXWIHXV7NFZPI5J77CJ7IRGUM/

#Coronavirus #Society
#Story

More than just a COVID-19 case number

Besides his case number, little was known about the elderly man who visited his wife every day before he succumbed to the virus. A Stand News reporter takes on the heart-rending task of reminding us that each casualty from COVID-19 had a story and left behind loved ones. He entreats us to remember our growing pains from the previous year's protests and continue to thrive in spite of our struggles.

https://telegra.ph/He-is-not-case-1487-but-an-88-year-old-man-who-loved-his-wife-08-25

#Rumours

Over 600 PRC medical officers exempt from compulsory quarantine arrangements, checked in at Metropark Hotel Mongkok

(28 Aug)The Hong Kong Hotel Employees Union confirmed that more than 600 unqualified PRC medical officers would arrive in Hong Kong with exemption from mandatory quarantine rules.

Testing for the Wuhan Pneumonia virus will be the responsibility of the BGI Group. [The genome sequencing company] is well-known for its forcible collection of DNA samples from locals working under the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, which is sanctioned by the US for its human rights abuses and fostering terrorist groups.

The epidemic's third wave was a result of quarantine exemptions on travellers to Hong Kong, which led to difficulties in contact tracing. The relentless SAR government not only extended gathering restrictions [for social distancing] under the pretence of disease prevention, but it also began the rollout of a "health code" system to monitor and control Hongkongers' freedom of entry.

The HKSAR did not prioritise outsourcing these public services to local medical professionals and testing labs. Instead, they chose to deploy PRC officers with unknown qualifications and an endorsed company. The Chinese Communist Party's purpose in Hong Kong is obviously to make preparations for the monitoring and control of Hongkongers under the guise of disease prevention.

Hongkongers, are you ready for this?

Editor's Note:
The original source has since been deleted by Facebook. The Hong Kong Hotel Employees Union made a new post condemning its deletion. It explained the situation to maintain transparency, upholding its responsibility for keeping the public informed and advocating for truth and self-reliance among Hongkongers.
[Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=201620357976085&id=107866584018130]

Source: Hong Kong Hotel Employees Union
https://bit.ly/3lH64fJ
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

#HealthCode #surveillance #CCPHK #Coronavirus #unlicensed #BGIGroup #QuarantineExemption #PRCmedicine

WeChat Censorship Tightens with Chinese State Media Articles Containing Sensitive Words Blocked Too, Says University of Toronto Study

A report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab released this week shows that censorship on WeChat has been tightened. The lab tracked changes to WeChat’s list of censored words between this January and May. It was found that over 2,000 words relating to the pandemic have been marked sensitive and blocked. An article by the state media, too, would disappear from the platform if it contains any of those sensitive words, shwoing that the freedom of expression on WeChat is even more limited than that allowed by the state media.

As WeChat censors contents on a remote server, it was not possible for the researchers to understand how the censorship works by inspecting the codes. What they did instead was to create three dummy accounts with one Chinese and two Canadian numbers. They then started a group conversation where they shared Chinese-language articles from media organizations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. By observing which articles were blocked, they identified the words deemed sensitive by WeChat.

The study reveals that more than 2,000 words relating to the Wuhan virus pandemic were blocked by WeChat between this January and May, even if they came in an article by the state media. That WeChat banned certain topics allowed by the state-controlled media is a sign that it adheres to an even more stringent standard.

The investigation shows how WeChat has manipulated the narrative on the pandemic from the start. It was found that back when Wuhan was placed under lockdown, WeChat was already blocking texts containing the name of the whistle-blower Li Wenliang. Reports of the Chinese authorities informing the US of the outbreak as early as on 3 January were also blocked. Articles containing the terms “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” and “SARS-CoV-2”, too, were banned from being circulated.

As the epidemic spread to the rest of world in March, WeChat began blocking articles mentioning such international organizations as the WHO and the Red Cross and those that dealt with outbreaks in countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russia, and the UK. Articles containing keywords about the US and international relations were also banned.

#UniversityOfToronto #UofT #CitizenLab #China #WeChat #Censorship #Pandemic #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #LiWenliang

Source: Apple Daily #Aug29

https://bit.ly/3h3ftL4

#Interview

French-based Hongkonger, went through 51 hours of bitterness to fly back for voting

(16 Aug) As she wants to remain anonymous, we will call her Anonyme, a female artist who was born in Hong Kong.  The art industry is not appreciated in Hong Kong, but it is well perceived in France. At the end of February this year, she arrived in France and lived there for five months. The art village provided food and accommodation, and the government provided monthly living expenses.  What’s more exciting is that she met a local boy and they were flirting. However, she didn’t want to go into detail, “Maybe people are talking about me colluding with foreign forces.  I don't want to be accused of colluding with a foreign penis." She vowed that she would not leave unless there was an election. if there is, she will go through all the troubles to fulfill her civil duty - vote for the legislative councils.

//There were a lot of people at the line-up, and I begged every single one of them to let me go first.

//“You (Carrie Lam) said the Hongkongers are not cooperating? It seems that you are the one who doesn't want to cooperate. Look at me, how well I am cooperating and desperately risking my life to return to vote to fulfill my civic duty!”

//Carrie Lam takes away my legal rights!

//the Paris Municipales election at the end of June... Voting happened as usual during the epidemic, while the local government warned of health risks. 

//Whether or not to cancel should be decided by all Hong Kong voters and those who participated in the election.

//It took her 51 hours to go from her Paris residence to her home in Hong Kong.

//Seems like I went to outer space for five months and now my hometown was lost.

Full translation:
https://telegra.ph/French-based-Hongkonger-went-through-51-hours-of-bitterness-to-fly-back-for-voting-09-10

Source: Apple Daily
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

#LegcoElection2020 #Coronavirus #France

#Newspaper

Chinese media's disclosure that Wuhan Pneumonia vaccine may increase severity retracted in less than a day

(31 Aug) On 30 August, Yicai Media published a report titled "Exclusive evidence: COVID-19 vaccine may cause aggravated immune response". An anonymous expert from the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center told the media, "our latest study found that ADE [antibody-dependent enhancement] exists and its prevalence is not low. The results of relevant studies are awaiting publication."

The expert admitted, "COVID-19 presents a risk of ADE, which will be a challenge for the vaccine but it will depend on the specific antigen it uses." He also claimed that earlier this month, the Center for Drug Evaluation of the National Medical Products Administration released the "(Preliminary) Guidelines for the Clinical Evaluation of Prophylactic COVID-19 vaccination", which did not mention the risk of ADE in vaccines. The reality is that many countries have continually deliberated on the ADE issue in COVID-19. As of yet, no in-depth studies exist in the world. He is unsure if his team's findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals. The report from Yicai Media was deleted a day after [its publication].

ADE is the acronym for "antibody-dependent enhancement". The presence of ADE means that after inoculation, the immune response in a portion of the population would exacerbate the disease. As the second wave of the Wuhan Pneumonia sweeps the globe, a man from Reno*, Nevada in the US is re-infected with symptoms much worse than the first time. Although it is still uncertain whether the "ADE phenomenon" caused it, scientists warn that if the Wuhan Pneumonia virus produces ADE, the mortality risk of the second wave will be much higher.

Editor's Note:
* The original article incorrectly states that the man's name is Reno.

Source: Itn
Translated by: Hong Kong Echo

#ADE #ChineseVaccine #Coronavirus

Chinese Virologist: SARS-CoV-2 Genome is Genetically Manipulated; Coronavirus comes from Military Research Laboratories

Yan Meng-li, a Chinese virologist who used to work at the University of Hong Kong before fleeing to the United States, released a pre-print paper with her research team under the affiliation of Rule of Law Society & Rule of Law Foundation in New York.

The title of the paper is entitled "Unusual Features of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome Suggesting Sophisticated Laboratory Modification Rather Than Natural Evolution and Delineation of its Probably Synthetic Route.”

Yan told Fox News earlier that her colleagues at the University of Hong Kong ignored her research. Academic papers with similar topics have been effectively censored.

This non-peer-reviewed report of Yan and her team concluded the following:

// 1. If it [coronavirus SARS-CoV-2] was a laboratory product, the most critical element in its creation, the backbone/template virus (ZC45/ZXC21), is owned by military research laboratories.

2. The genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 has likely undergone genetic engineering, through which the virus has gained the ability to target humans with enhanced virulence and infectivity.

3. The characteristics and pathogenic effects of SARS-CoV-2 are unprecedented.

The virus is highly transmissible, onset-hidden, multi-organ targeting, sequelae-unclear, lethal, and associated with various symptoms and complications.

4. SARS-CoV-2 caused a world-wide pandemic, taking hundreds of thousands of lives and shutting down the global economy. It has a destructive power like no other. //

The research team urges for an immediate independent audit of the P4 laboratories run by the Chinese government-controlled Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the laboratories of their close collaborators.

Source: Taiwan News; Zenodo #Sept14
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4009390

#Covid19 #WuhanPneumonia #WuhanLaboratory #Coronavirus #Pandemic #YanMengLi

======
Yan Limeng and team's Pre-print Academic Paper:
https://zenodo.org/record/4028830#.X2DPTWhKiUn

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

#Newspaper

Beijing hoses down its own vaccine propaganda

//mass vaccination would be unnecessary, as long as citizens keep wearing masks and maintain a safe distance from others in public venues.

//Beijing may have spread its propaganda too far and now must tell its people they would not need vaccines because their availability may not meet popular expectations.

//“Beijing may have realized that it can neither ensure absolute safety and effectiveness of its vaccines or ratchet up production in short order, so now it has to ask people like Gao to manage people’s expectations,”

//A colleague of Gao at CDC told state broadcaster China Central Television on Tuesday (September 15) that ordinary Chinese people can expect to get their shots as early as November.

//In August, Communist Party mouthpiece Guangming Daily quoted Liu Jingzhen, president of China National Pharmaceutical Crop (SinoPharm), as saying that the company, the largest state-owned drugmaker, could only turn out 200-300 million doses a year. 

//That output will fall short of domestic demand, not to mention Beijing’s pledges to donate vaccines to several Southeast Asian and African nations.

//in August Xinhua said in a feature story that the nation’s annual output would hit a billion doses.

//Hong Kong’s government has unveiled a scheme to procure doses for twice the entire city’s population. The city has reportedly budgeted more than HK$8.4 billion ($1 billion) for no less than 16.5 million doses from a wide swath of suppliers across mainland China and the West. 

Full article: Asia Times, (18-Sep)

#Vaccine #China #ChineseVaccine #Coronavirus

China’s Diplomatic Offensive Sees Major Setback as Discontent Grows in Europe, Says New York Times

With Sino-US relations having remained tense in recent years, Beijing has arranged for its foreign minister Wang Yi to visit Europe in August in what was said to be an attempt to show goodwill to Europe and strike a new balance in international relations. But a New York Times commentary said more and more European countries are voicing dissatisfaction at China’s trade tactics, policies towards Hong Kong and Taiwan, human rights record, and other issues. The growing discontent, it said, has seriously undermined China’s diplomatic offensive in Europe.

Steven Lee Myers, head of The New York Times’ Beijing bureau, pointed out that while China believes Europe, given its pragmatism, could play a stabilizing role as Sino-US relations deteriorate, Europe’s changing perception of China poses a major challenge for the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Myers wrote, “In the short term, it threatens to undermine the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery by stifling new investments as the United States restricts them, especially in high tech. In the longer term, it could blunt his ambitions for China to offer an alternative to the United States as the global leader dictating the rules for governance and trade.”

Myers sees China’s authoritarian system as representing very different political values from those of Europe, noting that the same goes for the new National Security Law in Hong Kong, which “has been used to crack down on dissent in the semiautonomous territory.” Janka Oertel, director of the Asian programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said similarly that “[i]t makes it really hard for [China] to convey a message of cooperation and peacefulness and harmonious society, if at the same time you see schoolgirls being beaten up by the Hong Kong police.”

Europe’s dissatisfaction at China’s policies has become even more pronounced amid the Wuhan virus pandemic. China’s attempt to conceal its mishandling of the outbreak in the beginning and its subsequent ‘mask diplomacy’, which exposed the poor quality of its protective gear and medical supplies, have had a knock-on effect on attitudes towards China, especially in the Netherlands and Spain. According to the results of last week’s ECFR poll, only 7% of Europeans see China as a useful partner in the fight against the pandemic with 62% of the respondents viewing China negatively.

Sources: Apple Daily #Sep18

#Europe #US #HK #China #NewYorkTimes #NationalSecurityLaw #NSL #WuhanVirus #Coronavirus #Pandemic #COVID19 #Diplomacy

https://bit.ly/309D5ID