Showing posts with label Vol. 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vol. 1. Show all posts

Thursday, July 15, 2021

human infrastructure | July 15, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Definition for human infrastructure

Almost by definition, the basis for development is infrastructure - whether services for human infrastructure (health, education, nutrition) or physical infrastructure (transport, energy, water). Although the infrastructure sectors are diverse, what they have in common is that public policy has had a great deal to do with how these services are provided and financed in almost all countries. The author reviews the recent literature on two key aspects of that involvement: investment and pricing. While the quality of the econometric evidence varies, recent literature reinforces the view that human and physical infrastructure are critical for economic growth and the reduction of poverty... 

definition quoted from a book titled "Human and physical infrastructure : public investment and pricing policies in developing countries​"


Senate Democrats reach $3.5 trillion deal for Biden's 'human infrastructure' agenda, Medicare expansion

Jul 15 - Senate Democrats reached an agreement Tuesday night on a $3.5 trillion budget plan that would expand Medicare, fund climate change initiatives and fulfill other parts of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda that Democrats hope to pass on top of a bipartisan infrastructure bill.


After a lengthy meeting among Democrats on the Senate’s Budget Committee, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced the agreement for a budget reconciliation package that would fund what Biden has called "human infrastructure." 

Schumer said that when including $600 billion in new spending Biden has proposed in a separate bipartisan infrastructure plan, the amount of new spending comes in around $4.1 trillion – close to Biden’s full infrastructure and family agendas. 
“Every major program that President Biden has asked us for is funded in a robust way,” Schumer said...     

Related Articles:

Biden walks back veto threat of infrastructure deal amid intense pushback from Republicans
'We have a deal': Biden reaches $1.2 trillion infrastructure compromise with bipartisan group of senators
What is 'reconciliation,' and why is it holding up the infrastructure package?
Report: Bipartisan infrastructure deal would give a bigger boost to economy than Biden plan
'Human infrastructure'

Proposals include expanded caregiving for the disabled and elderly, universal prekindergarten, subsidized child care, free community college, national paid family leave and extended child tax credits. There's also an assortment of environmental initiatives, led by a new clean energy standard forcing power companies to gradually shift from emitting carbon monoxide and incentives for clean energy such as wind and power.

Schumer said Democrats also added a plan to expand Medicare – long a battle cry for progressives – including coverage for dental, vision and hearing. 


Biden met with Senate Democrats at the Capitol Wednesday to discuss the agreement.

"I think we're going to get a lot done," he told reporters as he left the meeting.

At the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki suggested there are not yet enough votes to pass the package. "If there were enough votes for each of these priorities, there would be a vote, and it would have happened," she said.

Biden will continue to reach out to Democrats and Republicans to help sell the package to the Senate and the public, Psaki said.

Senate Budget Committee chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had sought a $6 trillion reconciliation package, but he joined Schumer and other Democrats in a show of support for the compromise.

"This is, in our view, a very pivotal moment in American history," Sanders said. "The wealthy and large corporations are going to start paying their fair share of taxes so that we can protect the working families of this country."

Democrats hope to pass the legislation through reconciliation, which would allow them to pass the spending with a simple majority in the evenly divided Senate and avoid a filibuster – meaning they would not need to win 10 Republicans to push the bill through the chamber.

"We know we have a long road to go," Schumer said. "We're going to get this done for the sake of making average Americans' lives a whole lot better." 

Yet there's no guarantee Biden and Democratic leaders can unite all Senate Democrats in support of the package. Moderate Democrats such as Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a key swing vote, were noncommittal Wednesday about backing another trillion-dollar package.

Manchin told reporters he is “open to looking at everything they provided” – including Medicare expansion – but wants it completely funded. "We have to pay for all this.”

Biden has proposed increasing taxes on corporations and doubling the capital gains tax to pay for the "human infrastructure" and climate components. The president has said he won't raise taxes on any families earning less than $400,000 a year.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., a key negotiator for the legislation, told reporters Tuesday night that the package would be fully financed with offsetting revenue, but he provided no details. 

Previous bipartisan deal

In June, Biden and a group of 21 Republican and Democratic senators agreed to a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal aimed at modernizing America's aging transportation and public works systems. 

The roughly $1.2 trillion plan calls for $579 billion in new spending and focuses only on physical infrastructure structure such as roads, bridges, rail, broadband internet, water and sewer pipes and electric vehicles.

Biden has said he's pursuing a "dual track strategy" that involves seeking congressional approval of the infrastructure bill with Republicans and the "human infrastructure" with only Democrats. But after initially saying he would sign the bipartisan deal into law only if Congress passes the reconciliation package, he walked back that threat amid blowback from Republicans.

Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have said they hope to pass the bipartisan deal before the August recess.      source from
日新版《防卫白皮书》操弄涉华议题 中方提出严正交涉!20210714 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jul 15, 2021

Friday, July 9, 2021

China | July 9, 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

China’s Air Defenses Are Blowing Russia’s Anti-Aircraft Weapons Away

China is pulling ahead of Russia, especially in terms of sophisticated radars and sensors, according to a British expert.

Jul 7 - Here's What You Need to Remember: Not that Russia’s air defenses should be underestimated. The latest missiles for the S-400 and S-300VM (NATO code name: SA-23 Gladiator) have a range of 400 kilometers (249 miles).

While the West has been focusing on the power of advanced Russian anti-aircraft missiles such as the S-400, it should have been watching China.

China is pulling ahead of Russia, especially in terms of sophisticated radars and sensors, according to a British expert.

I’d say we should have been paying more attention to Chinese systems alongside the Russian ones,” Justin Bronk, a researcher at Britain’s Royal United Services Institute, told the National Interest. “Not because the latter aren’t still superior, but because of the threat trajectory of the former. China will eventually catch up to and then surpass Russian missile and sensor technologies; and with a much more capable air force and economy than Russia”...     more
Taliban delegation attends an "extended trio" (Russia, the US, China, Pakistan) meeting
Taliban delegation visits Moscow to assure that the movement poses no threat to Central Asian nations

Taliban political delegation led by Sheikh Shahabuddin Delawar visited Moscow on July 8 seeking to provide assurances that recent gains across Afghanistan do not pose a threat to Russia or Central Asia’s nations.

Date published on July 9, 2021

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the Kremlin’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov held talks with a delegation of the Taliban, urging the Islamist group to prevent the conflict in Afghanistan from spilling across borders.

"During the meeting, they discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the prospects of launching inter-Afghan talks.  The Russian side has expressed concern in relation to the escalation of tensions in the northern districts of Afghanistan, calling to avoid its spread outside of the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released after the consultations yesterday.

“We received assurances from the Taliban that they wouldn’t violate the borders of Central Asian countries and also their guarantees of security for foreign diplomatic and consular missions in Afghanistan," the Ministry said.

"They stressed the group’s firm resolve to fight the ISIL threat in Afghanistan and eradicate drug production in the country’s territory after the end of the civil war," the Ministry added.

Radio Liberty reports that Suhail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office, said the delegation discussed preventing drug trafficking and reiterated that Afghan territory under their control would not be used to threaten neighbors.

He reportedly also said all border crossings under the control of the Taliban would remain open and that the group’s fighters would not target diplomatic missions and nongovernmental organizations.

Taliban fighters have captured large swaths of territory in northern Afghanistan as government forces collapse with the U.S. troop exit from the country.  Earlier this week, Taliban advances forced hundreds of Afghan soldiers to flee across the border into Tajikistan, which hosts a Russian military base.  Tajikistan in turn called up 20,000 military reservists to strengthen its southern border with Afghanistan.

The Russian-led CSTO military alliance, which includes Tajikistan, reiterated on July 8 that it was ready to mobilize if the situation on Tajikistan's common border with Afghanistan deteriorated.     source from
Shahabuddin Delawar is a U.N.-sanctioned Taliban senior leader based in Qatar. Until September 1998, Delawar was the Taliban’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.* He has since led or participated in several Taliban delegations in other countries. Delawar is also sanctioned by Australia,* France,* the European Union,* and the United Kingdom.*

Delawar was the Taliban’s chief delegate during talks in Chantilly, France, in December 2012. According to an anonymous source present at the talks, “Delawar was surprised that everyone else was talking about coalitions and elections… They [the Taliban] still think they can win on the battlefield.”* At the same meeting, Delawar reiterated that the Taliban would not negotiate with the official government of Afghanistan under then-President Hamid Karzai.

Delawar has continued to act as a Taliban envoy since moving to Qatar, helping to set up the Taliban’s office in Doha. In April 2016, Delawar took part in a three-person Taliban delegation in Islamabad for “exploratory” meetings with Pakistani government authorities.* In March 2017, Delawar was part of a five-person Taliban team led by Qatar office chief Sher Abbas Stanikazai that visited China on the invitation of the Chinese government...     more
驻阿美军加速撤离 塔利班来势汹汹 俄欲强势出手能否助阿渡难关?20210708 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Jul 9, 202

Monday, April 12, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 12 , 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Delfin Negrillo Lorenzana (born October 28, 1948) is a retired Philippine Army general serving as the Secretary of National Defense in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte.[1] He served in the Philippine Army from 1973 to 2004.

US backs Philippines in standoff over South China Sea
United States is backing the Philippines in a new standoff with Beijing in the South China Sea, where Manila has asked a Chinese fishing flotilla to leave a reef

Apr. 12 - The United States said Tuesday it’s backing the Philippines in a new standoff with Beijing in the disputed South China Sea, where Manila has asked a Chinese fishing flotilla to leave a reef. China ignored the call, insisting it owns the offshore territory.

The U.S. Embassy said it shared the concerns of the Philippines and accused China of using “maritime militia to intimidate, provoke, and threaten other nations, which undermines peace and security in the region.”

“We stand with the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in Asia,” the U.S. Embassy in Manila said in a statement.


Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday demanded about 200 Chinese vessels he said were militia boats leave the Whitsun Reef, a shallow coral region about 175 nautical miles (324 kilometers) west of Bataraza town in the western Philippine province of Palawan.

Philippine officials said the reef, which they call Julian Felipe, is well within the country’s internationally recognized exclusive economic zone, over which the Philippines “enjoys the exclusive right to exploit or conserve any resources.”
The Philippine coast guard spotted about 220 Chinese vessels moored at the reef, which Beijing and Vietnam also claim, on March 7.

On Monday, a surveillance aircraft spotted 183 Chinese vessels still at the reef, said Philippine military chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, who released aerial pictures of the Chinese vessels in one of the most hotly contested regions in the strategic waterway.     more
美使离间计再搅南海 别有用心 20210410 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 11, 2021


In this photo provided by the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea, Chinese vessels are moored at Whitsun Reef, South China Sea on March 27, 2021. The Philippine government said Wednesday, March 31, that more than 250 Chinese vessels it believes are operated by militia have been spotted near six Manila-claimed islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea and demanded that China immediately remove them.

US-Philippines officials discuss concerns over China’s ships


Apr. 12 - ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday discussed with his Philippine counterpart China’s recent positioning of “militia vessels” near the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Austin spoke by phone with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana while Austin was flying from Washington to Israel to begin an international trip.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Austin and Lorenzana discussed the situation in the South China Sea and the recent massing of Chinese vessels at Whitsun Reef, which has drawn criticism from Manila.

China has said its vessels are there for fishing.

In their phone call, Austin proposed to Lorenzana several measures to deepen defense cooperation, including by “enhancing situational awareness of threats in the South China Sea,” Kirby said. He did not elaborate.
Kirby said earlier this week that the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group, as well as the amphibious ship USS Makin Island, are operating in the South China Sea.

The U.S. has no military forces based permanently in the Philippines but sometimes rotates forces to the country under the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement.

The recent gathering of Chinese vessels near the Philippines is among moves the United States has criticized as efforts by Beijing to intimidate smaller nations in the region.     source from


\

A resident shops in Manila.
Philippines Eases Movement Curbs in Manila Region, Surrounds

Apr. 12 - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte relaxed a lockdown in the Manila region and four neighboring provinces, as hospitals added capacity for patients infected by the coronavirus.

The national capital region and Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite provinces will be placed under so-called modified enhanced community quarantine until the end of April, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Sunday. Hospitals have added 3,156 beds for Covid-19 patients, he said.

The area -- the nation’s economic engines -- were placed under the most-stringent enhanced community quarantine for two weeks through April 11, as a record surge in infections filled hospitals.

Read more: Worst Covid Surge in Southeast Asia Hammers Philippine Hospitals
Under loosened restrictions, most people are still required to stay home but more businesses will be allowed to operate while limits on those that have remained open will be eased, according to previous government guidelines. A nighttime curfew will be shortened.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index erased earlier gains Monday, and was down 0.1% as of 12:10 p.m. in Manila.    more

Thursday, April 8, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 8 , 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)


Taiwan - Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ)

​An Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) is an area of airspace beyond a country’s sovereign territory within which the country requires the identification, location, and air traffic control of aircraft in the interest of its national security. Maintaining ADIZ becomes fundamentally relevant from the perspective of international law when such a zone extends into airspace suprajacent to international waters. e, In international airspace the state of registry generally enjoys exclusive jurisdiction with respect to the aircraft carrying its national mark, but the ADIZ is deemed as exercising d quasi-territorial jurisdiction over extraterritorial acts by the state maintaining ADIZ. There is no international law that specifically governs ADIZs, although various norms pertain, especially freedom of navigation. The Convention on Civil Aviation advises that all nations refrain from the use of weapons against civilian aircraft. The United States was the first country to establish an ADIZ, which it did in 1950 during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Canada, India, Japan, Pakistan, Norway, United Kingdom, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States are some examples of countries currently maintaining air defense identification zones.     continue to read


On Monday, China's aircraft carrier Liaoning led a naval exercise near Taiwan, an ally of the US
US warns China over ‘aggressive’ moves on Philippines, Taiwan


US State Department raises concerns over presence of Chinese vessels near Philippines and entry of Beijing’s jets into Taiwan’s air defence

Apr. 8 - The United States has warned China against what the Philippines and Taiwan see as increasingly aggressive moves, reminding Beijing of Washington’s obligations to its partners, as the two rival powers step up their naval activities in the South China Sea.

“An armed attack against the Philippines’ armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea, will trigger our obligations under the US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Wednesday.


“We share the concerns of our Philippine allies regarding the continued reported massing of PRC maritime militia near the Whitsun Reef,” Price said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

More than 200 Chinese boats were first spotted on March 7 at Whitsun Reef, about 320 kilometres (200 miles) west of Palawan Island and within the Philippines’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Since the first reported sighting, the vessels have scattered across a wider area of the South China Sea within Manila’s EEZ as defined by the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague.

China – which claims almost the entirety of the resource-rich sea – has refused, insisting they are fishing boats sheltering from bad weather and are allowed to be there.

In response, Manila warned that the presence of the vessels could ignite “unwanted hostilities” between the two nations.

Taiwan Relations Act
Tensions have also risen with Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of China, with the self-governing democracy on Wednesday reporting that 15 more of the mainland’s planes crossed into the island’s air defence zone.
Taipei warned that it would defend itself “to the very last day” if necessary.
On Monday, the Chinese carrier, Liaoning, also led a naval exercise near Taiwan, and Beijing said that such drills will become regular occurrences.


Price, the US spokesman, voiced “concern” about the Chinese moves, saying: “The United States maintains the capacity to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardise the security or the social or economic system of the people on Taiwan.”

​He was using language from the Taiwan Relations Act, under which the US is obliged to provide the island with the means to defend itself against Beijing.     continue to read


Related Articles:
US, Philippines discuss Chinese ‘swarming’ in South China Sea
Philippines, Vietnam press China over South China Sea activities
Taiwan boosts South China Sea deployments, gets submarine nod


FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2020, file photo and released by the Republic of China (ROC) Ministry of National Defense, a Taiwanese Air Force F-16 in foreground flies on the flank of a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) H-6 bomber as it passes near Taiwan. (Republic of China (ROC) Ministry of National Defense via AP, File)
Suga-Biden Summit Should Reaffirm Japan, U.S. Commitment to Indo-Pacific and the Quad

Taiwan should be at the top of the list as a Chinese military takeover is much closer to us than most think.

Apr. 8 - While the cherry blossoms at the Potomac River are in full bloom as usual despite the pandemic, the prime minister of the country of sakura, Yoshihide Suga, would be the first foreign guest of United States President Joe Biden.


After the longest-serving prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe and his best buddy among world leaders President Donald Trump left their positions, the incumbent two leaders, who both are pragmatic and served as shadows for younger bosses — Abe and Barack Obama, respectively — will meet face to face and exchange their views on a wide range topics.

Owing to the two leaders’ shared interests, the discussion is expected to be lively and fruitful. Mr. Biden should consult with Japan about his new team’s ongoing review of North Korea policy, and the two should work closely together to achieve the denuclearization of North Korea — not the Korean Peninsula — in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

All Eyes On China
That said, the top priority is decisively China. The Biden administration has paved the way for the upcoming summit between the largest and third-largest economies in the world through top-level ministerial meetings with key allies, partners, and even with its most serious competitor, China. 

​Related Articless:
From Trump to Biden: Where Will the U.S. Be Amid Asia’s Shifting Power Balances?

Alliances Remains A Pillar of the United States’ Indo-Pacific Strategy

Mr. Biden, A Free and Open Indo-Pacific is in the Common Interest of the U.S., Japan, India and New Era of Japan-U.S. Ties Must Be Tailored to Respond to China


Crouchin Tiger: What China's Militarism Means for the World

Will there be war with China? This book provides the most complete and accurate assessment of the probability of conflict between the United States and the rising Asian superpower. Equally important, it lays out an in-depth analysis of the possible pathways to peace. Written like a geopolitical detective story, the narrative encourages reader interaction by starting each chapter with an intriguing question that often challenges conventional wisdom. Based on interviews with more than thirty top experts, the author highlights a number of disturbing facts about China's recent military buildup and the shifting balance of power in Asia: the Chinese are deploying game-changing "carrier killer" ballistic missiles; some of America's supposed allies in Europe and Asia are selling highly lethal weapons systems to China in a perverse twist on globalization; and, on the U.S. side, debilitating cutbacks in the military budget send a message to the world that America is not serious about its "pivot to Asia."In the face of these threatening developments, the book stresses the importance of maintaining US military strength and preparedness and strengthening alliances, while warning against a complacent optimism that relies on economic engagement, negotiations, and nuclear deterrence to ensure peace.Accessible to readers from all walks of life, this multidisciplinary work blends geopolitics, economics, history, international relations, military doctrine, and political science to provide a better understanding of one of the most vexing problems facing the world.     source

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Mischief Reef |Mar. 25

  WH keeping public in dark on what Biden demanded of China’s Xi over arming Putin​ Mar. 18 - The White House was tight-lipped Friday about ...