Saturday, April 24, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 24 , 2021

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

Singh was born in Olney, Maryland and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina.[3] His great-granduncle was the first Asian American elected to Congress, Dalip Singh Saund.[4] Singh earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and public policy from Duke University, followed by a dual Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Administration in international economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Kennedy School.

Singh has worked as executive vice president and head of the markets group at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He was also deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury for international affairs and acting Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Markets in the Obama administration.[7][8][9]
It was reported he would be appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor at the National Security Council and deputy director of the National Economic Council to take office in mid-February 2021.[10][11]
     from Wikipedia
EXCLUSIVE-Biden will push allies to act on China forced labor at G7 -adviser

China has been accused of detaining at least 1 million Muslims, mostly Uighurs, in camps in Xinjiang province, but Beijing says they are vocational training centers

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - The United States will urge its Group of Seven allies to increase pressure on China over the use of forced labor in its northwestern Xinjiang province, home to the Muslim Uighur minority, a top White House official said on Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden will attend a meeting of the G7 advanced economies in person in Britain in June, where he is expected to focus on what he sees as a strategic rivalry between democracies and autocratic states, particularly China.

Daleep Singh, deputy national security adviser to Biden and deputy director of the National Economic Council, said the G7 meeting in Cornwall would focus on health security, a synchronized economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, concrete actions on climate change, and "elevating shared democratic values within the G7."

"These are like-minded allies, and we want to take tangible and concrete actions that show our willingness to coordinate on non-market economies, such as China," Singh, who is helping to coordinate the meeting, told Reuters in an interview.

"The galvanizing challenge for the G7 is to show that open societies, democratic societies still have the best chance of solving the biggest problems in our world, and that top-down autocracies are not the best path," he said.

Singh said Washington has already taken strong actions against China over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, but would seek to expand the effort with G7 allies. Joint sanctions against Chinese officials accused of abuses in the province were announced last month by the United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada.

​China denies all accusations of abuse and has responded with punitive measures of its own against the EU.
Singh said details were still being worked out ahead of the meeting, but the summit offered an opportunity for U.S. allies to show solidarity on the issue...     mere
美欲推“反华法案” 中美关系面临更大风险? 20210423 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 24, 2021
Chinese and U.S. flags flutter outside the building of an American company in Beijing, China January 21, 2021.
U.S. lawmakers intensify bipartisan efforts to counter China


Apr. 24 - ​A bipartisan U.S. congressional push to counteract China picked up steam on Wednesday as a Senate committee overwhelmingly backed a bill pressing Beijing on human rights and economic competition, while other lawmakers introduced a measure seeking billions for technology research.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee backed the "Strategic Competition Act of 2021" by 21-1, sending the bill for consideration by the 100-member Senate, even as committee members voiced a need to do even more to counteract Beijing.

The committee added dozens of amendments to the bill. One would force a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Olympics by U.S. officials, not athletes, which was also recommended by the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom. read more
Separately, a group of Senate and House of Representatives lawmakers introduced the "Endless Frontier Act," calling for $100 billion over five years for basic and advanced technology research and $10 billion to create new "technology hubs" across the country. read more

Both bills have strong support from both political parties and are expected to become law. The desire for a hard line in dealings with China is one of the few truly bipartisan sentiments in the deeply divided U.S. Congress, which is narrowly controlled by President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats.

​The Biden administration supports the measures.

"With this overwhelming bipartisan vote, the Strategic Competition Act becomes the first of what we hope will be a cascade of legislative activity for our nation to finally meet the China challenge across every dimension of power, political, diplomatic, economic, innovation, military and even cultural," said Senator Bob Menendez, the Democratic chairman of the Senate panel.     more

Related Articles:
​U.S. lawmakers back $100 billion science push to compete with China

Top U.S. Senate Democrat directs lawmakers to craft bill to counter China

Panel recommends that U.S. officials not go to China's Olympics

Friday, April 23, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 23 , 2021

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

Modi called for “concrete action at a high speed, on large scale, and with a global scope” to combat climate change, adding he and US President Joe Biden are launching the “India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 partnership” to help “mobilise investments, demonstrate clean technologies, and enable green collaborations”.
Modi calls for quick action to save world at Leaders’ Summit on Climate 2021

Modi said that humanity is battling a pandemic and that it is a timely reminder that the grave threat of climate change has not disappeared

Apr. 23, New Delhi - Addressing the US-convened Leaders’ Summit on Climate 2021 in virtual format on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for “concrete action at a high speed, on large scale, and with a global scope” to combat climate change, adding he and US President Joe Biden are launching the “India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 partnership” to help “mobilise investments, demonstrate clean technologies, and enable green collaborations”.

Earlier, opening the summit, President Biden said: “The United States sets out on the road to cut greenhouse gases in half — in half by the end of this decade. That’s where we’re headed as a nation ... The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. But the cost of inaction keeps mounting... I see an opportunity to create millions of good-paying, middle-class, union jobs.”

Prime Minister Modi, pointing out that “we, in India, are doing our part” and that India’s per capita carbon footprint is 60 per cent lower than the global average “because our lifestyle is rooted in sustainable traditional practices”, said: “Sustainable lifestyles and a guiding philosophy of ‘back to basics’ must be an important pillar of our economic strategy for the post-Covid era.”

​Thanking President Biden for “taking this initiative”, Mr Modi said that “humanity is battling a global pandemic right now and, this event is a timely reminder that the grave threat of climate change has not disappeared”. He added: “In fact, climate change is a lived reality for millions around the world. Their lives and livelihoods are already facing its adverse consequences”...     more


How India Can Throw China Back Across the Line of Actual Control
By essentially using the same tactics that China successfully used to fight the United States in the Korean War in 1950-53.

Date published on Apr. 23, 2021
Here's What You Need to Remember: Dougherty faults India’s current defense strategy, which calls for defending India’s long, mountainous Himalayas border with China with light forces, and then counterattacking into the Chinese-occupied Tibetan plateau to seize key terrain and bring China to the peace table.

How can India defeat China in a war, even though China has a larger and more technologically advanced military?


By essentially using the same tactics that China successfully used to fight the United States in the Korean War in 1950-53. Hit-and-run tactics in which Indian troops lurk in the Himalaya mountains, and then swooping down to surprise Chinese troops in the valleys below.


That’s the argument of an American defense expert who believes that India and America face parallel threats. While America is concerned about the security of the Western Pacific, India must worry about its disputed Himalayas border with China – over which the two nations fought in 1962 – as well as a growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean.     more
普京放狠话划红线 十万俄军布阵 俄乌边境告急?20210422 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 23, 2021
Russian invasion of Ukraine is 'imminent,' warns senior British lawmaker

​Apr. 22 - Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military deployments around the borders of Ukraine suggest “an invasion is imminent,” according to a senior British lawmaker.

“Half of Russia's land capability, military land capability, now have moved to surround eastern Ukraine,” House of Commons Defense Select Committee Chairman Tobias Ellwood said Wednesday. “I hope it isn't the case, but I fear that an invasion is imminent, and that is concerning.”

Russia’s mobilization around Ukraine exceeds even the levels reached in 2014, when Putin annexed Crimea from its neighbor and led to a conflict in eastern Ukraine. Putin’s intentions with the latest buildup have stoked alarm in Kyiv and Western capitals, although his next steps remain a subject of debate.

But Ellwood is inclined to think that Moscow is planning a rerun of Putin’s previous efforts to carve political satellites out of former Soviet vassal states — such as the Crimea crisis and the 2008 intervention in Georgia.

​“This is all because Putin wants to look strong and reignite that idea that it is a superpower,” Ellwood told the Council on Geostrategy, a British think tank. “And now, he's taking advantage of a disunited West”...     more

Related Article:

US AND NATO WARN RUSSIA NOT TO BLOCKADE UKRAINIAN PORTS

Thursday, April 22, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 22 , 2021

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

APRIL 21, 2021
President Biden on COVID-19 Vaccinations
President Biden delivered remarks on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic as the U.S. reached 200 million vaccinations. The president called on employers to provide paid leave for employees to get vaccinated and take time off if they experience side effects. He also announced the IRS will be providing reimbursements for employers who provide the paid time off. 
What would the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 do to local police departments?

Apr. 22 - ...It would create a national registry for data on complaints and records of police misconduct and direct the Department of Justice to “create uniform accreditation standards for law enforcement agencies and requires law enforcement officers to complete training on racial profiling, implicit bias, and the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force.” 


​The 137-page bill also created framework “to prevent and remedy racial profiling by law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels.” The bill also limits unnecessary use of force, restricting specifically the use of “no-knock warrants, chokeholds and carotid holds”...    quoted from



APRIL 21, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held a briefing of the Biden administration’s agenda. The press secretary took many questions on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act saying it is one of the president’s priorities to get it passed. She was also asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent comments about western countries' interference saying it will not deter the U.S. holding Russia accountable for its actions. 


A Ukrainian soldier digs a trench near Horlivka in the Donetsk region.
U.S. Senate Committee Advances Bill To Increase Military Support To Ukraine


Apr. 22 - The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has unanimously advanced a bill to deliver military assistance to Ukraine, including lethal weapons, to help the Eastern European country counter Russian aggression.

The Ukraine Security Partnership Act would provide Ukraine with up to $300 million per year in military assistance until 2026, $150 million of which is subject to conditions. It needs to be passed by both the House and Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden to become law.

Kyiv is asking the West for more support amid a Russian military buildup near Ukraine's border and in occupied Crimea.
The United States and NATO say the Russian troop movements there are the largest since 2014, when Moscow illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and backed separatists holding parts of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people.     more

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 21 , 2021

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

APRIL 20, 2021
President Biden Delivers Remarks on Verdict in Derek Chauvin Trial
President Biden and Vice President Harris delivered remarks from the White House on the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. President Biden said the verdict “can be a giant step forward in the march towards justice in America.” Vice President Harris said that the guilty verdict cannot “take away the pain. A measure of justice isn’t the same as equal justice.” A jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd. 

Minneapolis jury convicts ex-policeman Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd

Apr. 21 - The jurors remained still and quiet as the verdict was read. Chauvin, wearing a gray suit with a blue tie as well as a light-blue face mask, nodded and stood quickly when the judge ruled that his bail was revoked. He was taken out of the courtroom in handcuffs and placed in the custody of the Hennepin County sheriff.


The conviction triggered a wave of relief and reflection not only across the United States but in countries around the world.

“It was a murder in the full light of day and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism,” President Joe Biden said in televised remarks. “This can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America.

​Outside the courthouse, a crowd of several hundred people erupted in cheers when the verdict was announced - a scene that unfolded in cities across the country. Car horns honked, demonstrators blocked traffic and chanted: “George Floyd” and “All three counts”...    quoted from

APRIL 20, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held a briefing on the Biden administration’s policy agenda. After making brief announcements, Ms. Psaki answered questions on several topics, including on the upcoming climate policy summit, COVID-19 vaccination efforts, marijuana legalization, and immigration. Much of the briefing was focused on comments President Biden made regarding the Derek Chauvin trial, referring to it as “overwhelming,” and that he hoped the “right verdict” would be made. When asked if he was trying to influence the result, the press secretary said, “he is certainly not looking to influence, but he has been touched by the impact on the family.” 

‘History has been made today:’ Nation reacts to guilty verdict in George Floyd’s death
Ex-cop Derek Chauvin found guilty on all 3 counts

Apr. 21 - ...“Today’s guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin shows that he is being held accountable for his criminal actions. His actions were against the fundamental ethics, code of conduct, and the oath we take to both serve and protect. As a profession, it is important that we continue to advance and modernize how we police, and that we must continue to create real, meaningful relationships throughout our communities,” Sheriff Lemma said...     quoted from

APRIL 20, 2021
Congressional Black Caucus Chauvin Derek Chauvin Trial Verdict Reaction
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Joyce Beatty (D-OH) led a press conference with members of the CBC following the guilty verdict in the trial for Derek Chauvin, accused in the death of George Floyd. “This verdict, we certainly agree with - guilty on all charges - but we want our message to be very clear that this is just the first step. We know clearly that justice has been delayed,” said the CBC chair. “We are hopeful that today will be the catalyst to turn the pain, the agony, the justice delayed into actions that go far beyond today.” Speaker Pelosi said she spoke with the family of George Floyd earlier in the day and called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The Minneapolis jury found Mr. Chauvin guilty on all three counts: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. 

A celebration at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis after Derek Chauvin, a former police officer, was found guilty of murder on Tuesday.
What Is Your Reaction to the Verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial?

Do you feel that justice has been served? Does the verdict mark a turning point in American history, or is there much work still to be done?

Apr. 21 - ...Do you agree? Do you think that teachers all over the country should be raising these issues, even if they are complicated to discuss? How should conversations about race and policing take place in school, in your view? Why?

  • How do you view your own role in terms of these issues? What can you, as a young person, do to make positive change? Are there actions you can and want to take in your school or your larger community?     quoted from

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 20 , 2021

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


Xi Jinping: “What we need in today’s world is justice not hegemony.”

‘Stop bossing others’: Xi Jinping’s not-so veiled rebuke to the US

Apr. 20, Beijing - Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for greater global economic integration and warned against decoupling while calling on the US and its allies to avoid “bossing others around.”

“International affairs should be conducted by way of negotiations and discussions, and the future destiny of the world should be decided by all countries,” Xi said on Tuesday at the Boao Forum on Asia, without naming the US specifically. “One or a few countries shouldn’t impose their rules on others, and the world shouldn’t be led on by the unilateralism of a few countries.”

In a veiled critique of US efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese supply chains and withhold exports of goods like advanced computer chips, Xi said “any effort to build barriers and decouple works against economic and market principles, and would only harm others without benefiting oneself”.

​“What we need in today’s world is justice, not hegemony,” Xi said, adding that China would never engage in an arms race. “Bossing others around or meddling in others’ internal affairs will not get one any support.”     more
俄美反制报复升级 俄乌冲突再起 20210418 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 19, 2021
Russia created a Black Sea large landing fleet with Marines
Apr. 20, WARSAW, (BM) – The Russians have created a large landing force in the Black Sea, which is officially to show Russia’s strength in repelling enemy strikes and readiness to attack any place in the Black Sea with the use of a sea landing. Due to the lack of an adequate number of units in the Black Sea Fleet, Moscow drew additional ships from the Northern Fleet, the Baltic Fleet, and the Caspian Flotilla, Defence24 reports.


The Russian defense ministry announced on April 17 that a large group of ships of the Caspian Flotilla passed under the Kerch Bridge that connects Crimea with Russia. A group of fifteen vessels left the Sea of ​​Azov and entered the Black Sea. According to the official announcement, the operation is carried out by the approved military training plan for 2021 as part of a control check during the winter training period for the Southern Military District of the Polish Military Organization. The exercise aims to “increase the combat level and operational training of troops and POW forces, improve the forms and methods of carrying out the exercises, taking into account the changing situation within the limits of responsibility.”    more



美日联合声明重提台湾 中方:别搞小圈子!20210417 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 19, 2021


Biden preparing 1st arms sale to Taiwan with 40 self-propelled howitzers
US reportedly planning to sell 'Paladin' self-propelled howitzers to Taiwan


Apr. 20 - ​TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Biden administration is reportedly preparing its first arms sale to Taiwan in the form of 40 self-propelled howitzers.

Monday (April 19), UDN cited sources familiar with the matter as claiming that the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) had notified the Taiwanese government that the Pentagon will soon inform the U.S. Congress of the sale of 40 M109A6 "Paladin" self-propelled howitzers to Taiwan. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) is expected to announce the procedure for notifying Congress in the near future.

The Army plans to take delivery of the artillery vehicles in batches from 2023 to 2025. This year, the military will commence preparatory operations, such as the construction of ancillary facilities.

During a Judiciary and Organic Laws committee meeting at the Legislative Yuan on Monday, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said that the case had been promoted for a long period of time, reported CNA. Chiu said he had not yet received formal notification of the deal's approval, but he confirmed that Taiwan had placed an order for self-propelled howitzers.

Taiwan had originally been in talks on purchasing the howitzers with the Trump administration as early as 2019. According to UDN, the sale has been delayed because the precision ammunition that was to be included, the M982 Excalibur, is restricted by Sweden, one of the countries involved in the R&D and one that has restricted intellectual property rights and opposed the sale.

The Army’s current artillery arsenal includes the older M109A2-A5 series of the weapon, the M114 155 howitzer, and the M110A2 self-propelled howitzer. The newest of these, the M109A2-A5, was purchased from the U.S. during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1996, was delivered in 1998, and has been in service for 21 years.

The M109A6 weighs about 27.5 tons and is 9.1 meters long, 3.1-m wide, and 3.3-m tall. The main armament is a 39-caliber 155mm M284 cannon, which is fitted with an M182 gun mount.

​It has a range of 24 kilometers with unassisted rounds and 30 km with assisted rounds. The cannon can achieve a firing rate of up to eight rounds per minute, three rounds every 15 seconds, and a sustained firing rate of one round every three minutes.
The A6 variant is equipped with an automatic fire control system, global positioning/navigation system, and single-frequency ground-to-air radio system. The vehicle has a Kevlar-lined chassis and a pressurized crew compartment to guard against ballistic, nuclear, biological, and chemical threats.     source from

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