Known to shoot corrupt state officials, missing China’s defence minister stokes fears of execution
In the Chinese system, the Minister for National Defence is seen as significantly less powerful than the US defence secretary and many international equivalents. The position is essentially a diplomatic and ceremonial role without a direct command function.
India plays down Chinese President Xi Jinping missing G20 summit, says it won’t affect consensus
G20 groups the 20 major economies of the world but it has been divided due to differences over the war in Ukraine. The absence of Putin and Xi as well as divisions over the war mean it would be difficult to arrive at a consensus Leaders Declaration at the summit, analysts and officials have said.
Reality check: Economic experts doubt China’s 60-point plan, call the miracle boom a mirage
The 60-point agenda was meant to fix an obsolete growth model better suited to less developed countries – however, most of those reforms have gone nowhere leaving the economy largely reliant on older policies that have only added to China’s massive debt pile and industrial overcapacity.
China’s economy is headed in the red, economists fear the crunch will destabilise rest of the world
China’s economic growth is slowing down as policymakers try to fix a property market downturn, with troubles at major developer Country Garden in focus. Concerns are mounting over whether the world’s second-largest economy is coming closer to a crunch point: What is causing China’s economy to slow down? Unlike consumers...
After spell on sidelines, China looks to pull rug from under NATO in talks between Ukraine and Ukraine
Beijing’s latest move on the global diplomatic stage comes as President Xi Jinping grapples with a host of internal issues, including the unexplained replacement last month of Qin Gang as foreign minister, the abrupt replacement of the top brass at the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force and deepening woes for the world’s second-biggest economy.
Proximal Origin: The goal of this paper ‘was not to discover origin of Covid, but to supress the lab leak theory’
Throughout the process, the report states, “the authors of Proximal Origin were keenly aware of the influence of Dr Fauci, Dr Collins and Dr Farrar,” with drafts of the paper shared with the three officials – sometimes referred to in emails as the “Bethesda Boys” – on several occasions in early February 2020.
Indeed, the report states that Farrar would “push” for the publication of “Proximal Origin” in Nature Medicine later in February 2020, while Andersen testified that Farrar was the “father figure” of the paper.
US House Committee Report finds top US health official and ‘Bethesda Boys’ colluded to suppress Covid lab-leak theory
According to the US House of Representatives Select Subcommittee report, the “Proximal Origin” paper was used to “downplay the lab-leak hypothesis” and label as “conspiracy theorists” anyone who suggested the virus may have leaked from a lab. The report indicated Fauci and Collins were personally involved in the conceptualisation, drafting and publication of the paper.
After short-lived insurrection in Russia oil prices are firming up as stocks market remains wobbly
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets said one concern was the possibility of martial law in Russia and its effect on the workforce at ports and production facilities. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the turmoil in Russia could take months to play out, while Italy’s foreign minister said it had shattered the “myth” of Russian unity.
China’s President Xi Jinping pitches for ‘sound and steady China-US relations’ after meeting US Foreign Secretary Blinken
China has refused to entertain Washington’s bid to resume military-to-military communication channels, citing US sanctions as the obstacle. The two sides appeared entrenched in their positions over everything from Taiwan to trade, including US actions toward China’s chip industry, human rights and Russia’s war against Ukraine.
US foreign secretary Antony Blinken flies to Beijing in effort to sensibly manage tenuous US-PRC relations
In its readout of the Blinken-Qin phone call, China’s foreign ministry said Qin urged the United States to respect “China’s core concerns” such as the issue of Taiwan’s self-rule, “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop harming China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition.”
