Tag Archives: China

Health, International, Podcast

Truth In Media with Ben Swann, Episode 15: Fauci’s NIAID Gave $3.7 Million To Wuhan Lab To Study Coronavirus in Bats?

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Chinese Wuhan lab received $3.7 Million From U.S. To Study #Coronavirus in bats. It also turns out that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the U.S. response, may have provided that funding through his department of NIAID.

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Foreign Policy, Government Accountability, International, Politics, US

Trump Praises Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Consolidation of Power

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Palm Beach, FL – During a private luncheon speech to Republican donors at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, President Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for his recent moves to consolidate power and extend his political tenure.

“He’s now president for life. President for life. And he’s great,” Trump said, according to a recording obtained by CNN. “And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot someday.”

Trump’s comments followed an announcement from China’s Communist Party that it will be voting this week to alter the country’s constitution to abolish term limits — a move that would theoretically secure Xi as president indefinitely.

In a report for Vox, Carl Minzner, a professor at Fordham Law School, explained:

With the removal of these term limits in the constitution, that also sets up the likelihood — the extremely strong likelihood — that going forward, Xi Jinping is likely to serve in all three roles [head of state, general secretary of the Community Party, and head of the military] indefinitely into the future, which of course would be a significant reversal from recent practice since the beginning of China’s reform era.

CNN reported that during his speech, Trump appeared to reflect that he’d received unfair treatment regarding the ongoing Russian collusion investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in comparison to the lack of legal scrutiny opponent Hillary Clinton received for her activities.

“I’m telling you, it’s a rigged system, folks,” Trump said according to CNN. “I’ve been saying that for a long time. It’s a rigged system. And we don’t have the right people in there yet. We have a lot of great people, but certain things, we don’t have the right people.”

Trump was possibly referring to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was recently chastised byTrump for opening an OIG investigation into alleged FISA surveillance abuses rather than a criminal probe; Trump described the situation as “DISGRACEFUL” regarding Sessions’ continued refusal to launch a criminal investigation into other potentially criminal activities carried out by Clinton in regards to Uranium One and her private email server.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/968856971075051521

[RELATED: Reality Check: GOP Memo and FISA Problems]

Trump’s remarks, which CNN illustrated as “upbeat, lengthy, and peppered with jokes and laughter,” also questioned whether Clinton could be a “happy person” after her loss to Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

“Is Hillary a happy person? Do you think she’s happy?” Trump asked. “When she goes home at night, does she say, ‘What a great life?’ I don’t think so. You never know. I hope she’s happy.”

Trump also took aim at former President George W. Bush and the intelligence community that provided false intelligence indicating Iraq possessed WMD’s, labeling the invasion of Iraq “the single worst decision ever made” and likening it to “throwing a big fat brick into a hornet’s nest.”

“Here we are, like the dummies of the world, because we had bad politicians running our country for a long time,” Trump proclaimed. “That was Bush. Another real genius. That was Bush,” he continued sarcastically. “That turned out to be wonderful intelligence. Great intelligence agency there.”

Featured, Technology, US

China Uses The Same Excuse As This CNN Analyst To Censor Social Media

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(DCNF) With fears of Russia soaring to new heights, a CNN national security analyst is employing a classic argument used by the Chinese government to support censorship, arguing that social media sites should be held accountable for the content their users post to protect national security.

“Social media firms are aiding and abetting our enemies, providing them a firing platform,” retired lieutenant general and CNN analyst Mark Hertling wrote on Twitter Monday. He called attention to a Twitter post by former CIA analyst John Sipher, who promoted an article asserting that social media sites have become tools for Russia’s information warfare campaign.

Hertling, advancing the argument that social media companies should take responsibility for the content of their users and tossing the first amendment out the window, suggested that social media sites are engaging in treasonous behavior.

Following Hertling’s argument to its logical conclusion, there are some serious problems.

China, an example of a country that decides what online content is acceptable, argues that the purpose of the Great Firewall of China, the country’s massive censorship apparatus, is to “maintain social stability and national security.” It removes posts that are deemed subversive or treasonous.

The American left strongly believes that Russian bots, disinformation, and fake news swayed the 2016 presidential election in President Donald Trump’s favor, but the intelligence community has yet to find hard evidence proving that Russian meddling in any way affected the outcome of the election. Others argue that the purpose of Russia’s activities is to sow discord.

Either way, there have been repeated calls from the left for social media sites like Facebook to censor user content.

It is worth noting that China was cracking down on “fake news” before the term was popular in the West. “All levels of the cyberspace administration must earnestly fulfill their management responsibility for internet content, strengthen supervision and investigation, severely probe and handle fake and unfactual news,” the Cyberspace Administration of China said in an official statement on the issue in July 2016.

Interestingly, China is believed to fabricate a few hundred million social media posts to promote pro-Chinese government content each year.

China has used its sweeping cybersecurity laws to censor prominent social media platforms, everything from the QQ chat service to WeChat and Weibo, Chinese versions of Twitter and Facebook, social media sites which are blocked in China because they, for the most part, are unregulated platforms for free speech.

Chinese internet companies are actually required to sign a pledge to self-regulate their online content to “carry forward the rich cultural tradition of the Chinese nation and the moral code of socialist spiritual civilization.” Five years ago, China reportedly had two million people policing the internet, and that number is believed to have grown substantially over the years.

Written by Ryan Pickrell Follow Ryan on Twitter

 

This article was republished with permission from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Economy, International, Politics

China’s Currency Approved as World Reserve Currency

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HONG KONG, December 2, 2015– This week, the Chinese Yuan, the basic unit of the Renminbi (RMB), was assigned the elite status of becoming one of the world’s reserve currencies. The decision to assign the Yuan reserve status, made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), highlights China’s increasing economic clout.

The Renminbi’s new status, however, does create uncertainty for China’s governing doctrine. In order to meet the IMF’s requirements to become a reserve currency, China is forced to loosen its communist control over the currency. This change has created market volatility throughout China in an already slowing economy.

The U.S. Dollar, Japanese Yen, British Pound and Euro remain reserve currencies. However, the addition of China into the reserve basket came at the expense of the Pound and Euro. Effective October 1, 2016, the Renminbi is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the Special Drawing Right (SDR) basket.

“The Executive Board’s decision to include the RMB in the SDR basket is an important milestone in the integration of the Chinese economy into the global financial system. It is also in recognition of the progress that the Chinese authorities have made in the past years in reforming China’s monetary and financial systems,” IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said in a statement in Washington. “The continuation and deepening of these efforts will bring about a more robust international monetary and financial system, which in turn will support the growth and stability of China and the global economy.”

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International, Politics

U.N. Security Council Unanimously Votes To Endorse Iran Nuclear Deal

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The 15 members that make up the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of adopting a deal between Iran and major world powers that intends to limit Iran’s nuclear ability, in exchange for lifting international oil and financial sanctions.

The deal, which was called “historic” by both the European Union’s foreign policy chief and Iran’s foreign minister, was settled on Tuesday between Iran, the United States, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom after 20 months of negotiations, four target dates and three extensions.

The Hill reported that the vote “sends a strong signal of international support for the agreement,” and that some U.S. lawmakers have criticized the Obama administration for “pushing for U.N. action before Congress has a to chance to weigh in.”

Reuters noted that the UN will be able to re-impose penalties “during the next decade if Tehran breaches the historic agreement” and that no sanctions relief can be implemented until the International Atomic Energy Agency “submits a report to the Security Council verifying that Iran has taken certain nuclear-related measures outlined in the agreement.”

U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power said that although the deal “does not address many of our profound concerns,” it would ultimately make the world “safer and more secure.”

Power also said that if Iran “abides by the commitments” that it agreed to in the deal, then it will find both the international community and the United States “willing to provide a path out of isolation and toward greater engagement.”

The nuclear deal, also called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will start lifting sanctions on Iran in 90 days, after the “respective capitals and legislatures have had a time to review the deal’s provisions,” according to Power.

While several members of Congress were irked at the fact that the U.N. Security Council was taking a vote on the nuclear deal before they had time to weigh in on it, Secretary of State John Kerry said that he felt it was their right to vote.

“I mean honestly, it’s presumptuous of some people to suspect that France, Russia, China, Germany and Britain ought to do what the Congress tells them to do,” Kerry said. “They’re individual countries and they have sovereignty. They’re members of the United Nations and they have a right to have a vote.”

Along with Republicans in Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been very critical of the nuclear deal, calling it a “historic mistake for the world,” and saying it will not stop “Iran’s aggression.”

Beginning Monday, Congress has 60 days to review the deal’s provisions before Obama can begin removing congressional sanctions. Obama has said that he will veto any congressional legislation seeking to block the agreement.

The Hill noted that President Obama, Vice President Biden and other officials have recently begun an “aggressive lobbying push to rally Democrats,” including a “rare golf outing” over the weekend between Obama and three Democratic House lawmakers.

Economy, International

As Stocks Plunge, China Enacts Six-Month Ban on Stock Sales By Major Shareholders

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As China’s stock exchanges plunge in a panic that has been likened to the 1929 US stock market crash that set off the Great Depression, Bloomberg is reporting that China’s Securities Regulatory Commission has enacted a six-month ban on sales of shares by investors who hold over a 5% stake in a listed company. Under the new policy, executives and directors of listed companies are also banned from selling their shares during the next six months.

“There is a mood of panic in the market and a large increase in the irrational dumping of shares, causing a strain of liquidity,” read a Wednesday statement on the new policy by the Securities Regulatory Commission.

Deltec Asset Management LLC money manager Gregory Lesko told Bloomberg, “[The policy] may have a small impact in the short term, but like all market manipulation, there will be a price to be paid later.”

Brian Jacobsen, chief portfolio strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management, said, “The extent to which they can apply this [ban] to foreign ownership interest remains to be seen.”

According to The Financial Times, the Securities Regulatory Commission has stated that it will “deal sternly” with investors who violate the ban.

Meanwhile, the government-run China Securities Finance Corporation has been purchasing stocks directly using funds injected into the market by the People’s Bank of China in an effort to artificially prop up stock prices. Also, some Chinese stock exchanges are allowing particular companies to freeze sales of their shares. Bloomberg estimates that at least 1,331 companies have stopped trading so far.

The Telegraph’s Jeremy Warner characterized the Chinese stock market’s near-30 percent slide in just one month as “a loss of value roughly equivalent to the UK’s entire economic output last year.”

Featured, Government Accountability, International, Technology, US

Cyber Attack Compromises Personal Data Of 4 Million Government Workers

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A pervasive security breach at a U.S. government agency has compromised the personnel data of at least 4 million current and former government employees.

The Washington Post reported that data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which was being stored at the Interior Department, was targeted by hackers late last year. The breach was discovered in April and confirmed in May. Government officials acknowledged that the data included personally identifiable information of government workers.

U.S. officials have blamed the most recently reported attack on China, an accusation quickly denied by Chinese officials. “We know that hacker attacks are conducted anonymously, across nations, and that it is hard to track the source,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Friday. “It’s irresponsible and unscientific to make conjectural, trumped-up allegations without deep investigation.”

China had been blamed by the U.S. for a separate cyber attack in March 2014 which had targeted an OPM system containing information about federal employees applying for clearances, including data regarding employee finances and information about family members.

The OPM said in a statement that following the latest intrusion, OPM has implemented more “network security precautions,” including “restricting remote access for network administrators and restricting network administration functions remotely; a review of all connections to ensure that only legitimate business connections have access to the internet; and deploying anti-malware software across the environment to protect and prevent the deployment or execution of tools that could compromise the network.”

“As a result of the incident, OPM will send notifications to approximately 4 million individuals whose PII may have been compromised. Since the investigation is on-going, additional PII exposures may come to light; in that case, OPM will conduct additional notifications as necessary,” read the statement. The OPM will begin notifying affected employees, and noted that there is a possibility of additional data exposure being discovered as the investigation continues.

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D- Calif.), a member of the House select intelligence committee, expressed concern over a “series of massive data breaches” occurring in the past several months and said that “It’s clear that a substantial improvement in our cyber databases and defenses is perilously overdue.”

Economy, International, Politics, US

Ben Swann Interviews Peter Schiff On China Overtaking U.S. As World’s Largest Economy

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The Chinese economy just pushed past the US to become the world’s largest economy (at least according to purchasing power parity). Although long expected by many experts, the Asian powerhouse’s snatching of the top spot has taken some by surprise.

Euro Pacific Capital President Peter Schiff speaks with Ben Swann on why the US is now number two.

US

NSA Director: China Can Damage U.S. Power Grid

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According to the director of the National Security Agency and head of U.S. Cyber Command, China and “one or two” other countries are capable of cyber attacks that could shut down the U.S. power grid and other critical systems in the United States.

Michael Rogers confirmed what was widely speculated.

According to ABC News, Rogers said at a hearing of the House intelligence committee that U.S. adversaries are electronic “reconnaissance” regularly in an attempt to give themselves the upper hand to disrupt the industrial control systems throughout the country.

“All of that leads me to believe it is only a matter of when, not if, we are going to see something dramatic,” Rogers said.

Experts say that the U.S. Cyber Command could also hack into and damage critical infrastructure of its adversaries, which acts as a deterrent.

Rogers said that the nuclear deterrence model did not not necessarily apply to cyber attacks since they could be easily disguised and could be carried out by criminals and individuals not countries.

In cyberspace, “You can literally do almost anything you want, and there is not a price to pay for it,” the NSA director said.

Last year, BenSwann.com reported that some power companies conducted “drills” to prepare for outages.

Our source told Benswann.com, “SCADA systems are the ones that control all the power plant systems.  It stands for “Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition”.  SCADA systems vary from product to product and company to company.  A virus could potentially be made to gain control of that system.  These can and are remotely controlled via the web in many cases.  For instance, I can log in and control a wind turbine across the country with my laptop.”

Read more here.

International, Politics, US

Egypt, China, Iran Criticize US Over Crackdown on Ferguson Protesters

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“The eyes of the world are watching,” said Missouri Governor Jay Nixon last Saturday when he announced a curfew in Ferguson, MO. Ever since the controversial officer-involved shooting death of unarmed African-American teen Michael Brown, police, National Guard troops, protesters, and a handful of violent agitators have clashed in scenes that remind viewers of footage from battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. The militarized police response in Ferguson has been widely criticized by American politicos, both on the left and the right, inspiring a national conversation over the militarization of domestic police forces.

According to ABC News, political figures from around the world have also piled on to condemn the harsh crackdown on protesters and journalists in Ferguson. Quite ironically, some of the voices calling for restraint come from Egypt, China, and Iran, nations that have often been criticized by US officials over human rights abuses. Though Russia did not join other nations in criticizing the US, anti-Putin activists in Russia did, fearing that Putin himself would point to police tactics in Ferguson to justify future escalations against demonstrators.

Grand Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, tweeted, “Today like previous years, African-Americans are still under pressure, oppressed and subjected to discrimination. #Ferguson.” The barrage of tweets from his account continued, saying, “Racial discrimination is still a dilemma in the U.S. #Ferguson,” and also pointing out, “Look at how US govt treats black community! It’s not about 50-100 years ago but it’s about today!”

China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency released an article condemning the US response to Ferguson protesters. “The Ferguson incident once again demonstrates that even if in a country that has for years tried to play the role of an international human rights judge and defender, there is still much room for improvement at home,” reads the op-ed. It also said, “…it is undeniable that racial discrimination against African Americans or other ethnic minorities, though not as obvious as in the past, still persists in every aspect of US social lives, including employment, housing, education, and particularly, justice.”

The Xinhua commentary also touched on the NSA controversy, “…the US human rights flaws extend far beyond racial issues. As revealed by famous whistleblower Edward Snowden, the US government has hacked into emails and mobile phones of ordinary Americans as well as leaders of other countries, including traditional US allies.” Criticism of US drone strikes came next in the commentary by China’s press agency, “What’s more, Uncle Sam has witnessed numerous shooting sprees on its own land and launched incessant drone attacks on foreign soil, resulting in heavy civilian casualties.” The piece concluded, “Each country has its own national conditions that might lead to different social problems. Obviously, what the United States needs to do is to concentrate on solving its own problems rather than always pointing fingers at others.”

Egypt’s foreign ministry also capitalized on the opportunity to criticize the US over Ferguson, saying it would keep an eye on the situation and urging restraint. A recipient of US aid, Egypt’s government was widely criticized, even by the US, for its own crackdowns on demonstrators during tumultuous protests in 2011 and 2013.

US State Department spokesperson Marie Harf defended America’s human rights record, claiming that the Ferguson crisis has been dealt with “openly and honestly” despite the realities on the ground that journalists have been jailed by police and authorities declared a no-fly zone over the protests, preventing news helicopters from providing coverage. She also slammed comparisons by reporters between the US and nations like Egypt, China, and Iran.

Additionally, a spokesman for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reminded American officials to respect the free speech rights of protesters in Ferguson, and Amnesty International responded to the controversy by deploying human rights observers to the US for the first time in world history.

International, Politics, US

China & Russia refuse nuclear agreement: Obama staff passed out drunk in hotel hallway

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands, March 26, 2014— President Obama declared Tuesday that a security summit took “concrete steps” in order to prevent nuclear material from falling into the hands of terrorists. Although, Russia and China failed to sign the agreement to beef up inspections.

According to Fox News, the trip was also plagued with embarrassment. The administration had to send home three secret service agents who spent a night out drinking before Obama’s arrival. One was so intoxicated he couldn’t get the hotel room key to work, so he passed out in the hallway by his room door.

Top officials claim to be furious this happened in the wake of the 2012 Obama administration’s secret service prostitution scandal in Colombia.

Follow Michael Lotfi on Facebook and on Twitter.

International, Politics, US

Michelle Obama Bans Media Questions During China Trip

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“The most transparent administration in history” isn’t being so transparent about Michelle Obama’s taxpayer-funded China trip.

Michelle Obama, her two kids, her mother, and numerous aides embarked on the trip today–they will not return to the U.S. until March 26. White House officials refuse to tell U.S. taxpayers how much they will shell out for the trip, likely due to inevitable media scrutiny. Simultaneously, the First Lady has banned any questions from media while she is on the China tour. It is unclear at this time if the prohibition of applies to just American journalists, or Chinese reporters as well.

Because the media is not allowed to report on what happens during the China trip, taxpayers are left with no idea as to what they are subsidizing.

Major media outlets received an email informing them of the ban. The subject of the email was “‘FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY / NOT FOR REPORTING,” and said there will only be two events in China that are completely open to press. During those two appearances, which are described as having “limited space,” Michelle Obama will not take any questions whatsoever.

One media outlet that received the email, The Daily Mail, reported, “Although she will make a few speeches with reporters in the room, the picture is largely one of an expensive, taxpayer-funded tourism exercise for Mrs. Obama, her two daughters, and her mother – not the official trip the White House has projected.”

The Chinese trip will undeniably be expensive. But Ben Rhodes, the White House’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, insisted that the price tag is well worth it. He said, “The most powerful message we can deliver [to Chinese people] is one of the examples of not just the First Lady’s life story but of America and our values. That alone I think speaks to things like respect for human rights that are interwoven into the DNA of the United States of America.”

If the intended purpose of the trip is to affect relations with China, as White House spokespeople like Rhodes are conveying, the media ban is especially puzzling.

Michelle Obama’s top aide, Tina Tchen, will be joining on the trip. She said, “We are not discussing or disclosing information regarding the details of the logistics of the trip.”

Still, the aide did not try to conceal her excitement. She said, “I think we are all, here in the First Lady’s office, quite excited about the upcoming trip… I think the First Lady is very much looking forward to it.”

While in the country, the First Lady and her travel partners will visit numerous cities including Beijing.

Michelle Obama has come under fire in the past for taking expensive, tax-payer funded vacations. Major trips included her $487,000 tour of Spain and a $424,142 stay in Africa.

 Follow Kristin Tate on Facebook and Twitter. 

Politics, US

White House Refuses To Disclose Cost Of Michelle Obama’s Taxpayer-Funded China Trip

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Michelle Obama, her two kids, her mother, and numerous aides will enjoy a taxpayer-funded trip to China from March 19 to March 26. White House officials refuse to tell U.S. taxpayers how much they will shell out for the trip, likely due to inevitable media scrutiny.

Michelle Obama’s top aide, Tina Tchen, will be joining on the trip. She said, “We are not discussing or disclosing information regarding the details of the logistics of the trip.”

Still, the aide did not try to conceal her excitement. She said, “I think we are all, here in the First Lady’s office, quite excited about the upcoming trip… I think the First Lady is very much looking forward to it.”

The Chinese trip will undeniably be expensive. But Ben Rhodes, the White House’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, insisted that the price tag is well worth it. He said, “The most powerful message we can deliver [to Chinese people] is one of the examples of not just the First Lady’s life story but of America and our values. That alone I think speaks to things like respect for human rights that are interwoven into the DNA of the United States of America… The First Lady’s story itself sends a powerful message about the ability of someone of a disadvantaged economic background from a minority group to ascend to the position that she did in private life and now as First Lady.”

He added, “Everywhere that [Michelle] has traveled independently, she has had a tremendous reception and has been able to connect with audiences from Asia to Africa to the Americas… We have differences with China on a host of issues, so it’s a relationship that allows for both a constructive cooperation, and candor when we disagree.”

It is still unclear, however, why China was chosen for the First Lady’s most recent vacation. There are plenty of other countries that are arguably more important to travel to in the short term. At this time, only 110,000 U.S. citizens are living in China.

While in the country, the First Lady and her travel partners will visit numerous cities including Beijing.

Michelle Obama has come under fire in the past for taking expensive, tax-payer funded vacations. Major trips included her $487,000 tour of Spain and a $424,142 stay in Africa.

 Follow Kristin Tate on Facebook and Twitter. 

International, Politics, US

TATE: U.N. Report Blames Free Trade For Climate Change

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A new report from the United Nations claimed that as a result of increased international trade, rich countries are “outsourcing” carbon dioxide emissions to poor countries. This is driving global warming, the report argued.

The U.N. report said, “A growing share of CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion in developing countries is released in the production of goods and services exported, notably from upper-middle-income countries to high-income countries. A growing share of global emissions is released in the manufacture of products that are traded across international borders.”

According the to report, most of these emissions come from coal plants in China and other manufacturing countries that are producing electronic devices like “smartphones, cheap clothes and other goods.” These products are typically then bought and consumed in the United States and Europe. BenSwann.com’s Sonya Sandage wrote about the new U.N. report yesterday.

The U.N. continues to discourage free trade by lamenting carbon dioxide emissions. But the fact is that free trade benefits both consuming and manufacturing countries.

George Mason University economist Donald Boudreaux said, “Free trade increases prosperity for Americans — and the citizens of all participating nations — by allowing consumers to buy more, better-quality products at lower costs. It drives economic growth, enhanced efficiency, increased innovation, and the greater fairness that accompanies a rules-based system. These benefits increase as overall trade — exports and imports — increases.”

Furthermore, manufacturing raised the living standards in countries with developing economies like China. Economic analysts at consulting company McKinsey & Company said, “China’s emergence as a manufacturing powerhouse has been astonishing… China not only overtook the United States in 2011 to become the world’s largest producer of manufactured goods but also used its huge manufacturing engine to boost living standards by doubling the country’s GDP per capita over the last decade.”

Sandage reported yesterday that the U.N. recommends “a shift to clean energy and a move away from fossil fuels such as coal.”

But living standards in poor countries have increased due to coal. Chief Executive of World Coal Association (WCA), Milton Catelin, said, “No other poverty alleviation strategy in modern history has been more effective than the one implemented by China and driven by an economy fuelled at over 70 percent by coal.” The WCA reported, “Coal has been vital to global development – almost half of this century’s incremental energy has come from coal alone. Virtually all of the world’s poverty reduction between 1981 and 2008 took place in coal-fuelled China.”

The U.N. report also pointed out that carbon dioxide emissions may cause global warming. China has doubled their yearly carbon emissions since 2000 — a sizable percentage of such emissions are from manufacturing goods for consumption in the U.S. and Europe. Given this fact, many U.N. diplomats are trying to force consuming countries to pay poor countries for the emissions. This means taxpayers in the U.S. would be made to fork over more cash to the U.N. for climate change in the form of “loss and damage” payments.

The Daily Caller reported, “The issue ‘loss and damage’ will be revisited in 2016… Rich countries feared that creating a new UN mechanism for the damages of global warming would saddle them with new financial obligations — which would be unpopular in a time of slow economic growth, high unemployment and growing government debt… China and other poor countries have demanded $70 billion a year in climate aid by 2016.”

Bottom line: while the new U.N. report makes valid points about the possible future of the environment, it should not be blindly accepted. Like most organized groups, the U.N. has an agenda of its own.

Follow Kristin on Facebook and Twitter.

International, Politics, US

Game Of Thrones: US Antagonizes China, Fighter Jets Scrambled

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jets

By Michael Lotfi,

On the foreign policy frontier a new development seems to be taking root. Japanese and US special forces have been ignoring China’s most recent air defense zones. The zones have expanded to include several islands at the center of dispute between Japan and China.

According to the official Xinhua news agency, quoting Chinese air force spokesman Shen Jinke, “Several combat aircraft were scrambled to verify the identities  of US and Japanese aircraft entering the air defense zone.” China has warned that if the US and Japan do not submit to the new air defense zone restrictions then both countries will face unspecified “defensive emergency measures”.

According to the US Government’s most recent U.S.-China Economic & Security Review Commission, China’s military activities and investments have been growing at an accelerating rate. China’s defense budget has increased 10% in the last 12 months alone. China has also invested in its first aircraft carrier with great success. Furthermore, China’s sea-based nuclear missile system is expected to have reached operation status. The report also cites that last May China successfully launched anti-satellite missiles into orbit. In retort, the Chinese government said that the launch was simply a scientific experiment.

Today the Pentagon responded saying that the US has no intention of altering operations, regardless of China’s latest move.

According to Shen, the Chinese  fighter jets, identified two US surveillance aircraft and 10 Japanese aircraft including an F-15 warplane. “We’ll continue to partner with our allies in the region and operate as normal,” Lieutenant-Colonel Erik Brine, a Pentagon spokesman, told AFP.

Modern warfare is unlike anything the world has known. The Game of Thrones is now one of not only brute force, but currency manipulation, technological warfare, trade restrictions, etc. As the world’s super-powers continue to antagonize one another and build their arsenals, the world remains watchful.

Follow Michael Lotfi On Facebook & Twitter: @Michael Lotfi