Biden Signs Sexual Assault & Harassment Legislation | Mar. 4, 2022

 MARCH 3, 2022

President Biden Signs Sexual Assault and Harassment Legislation
​President Biden signs into law legislation aiming to make it easier for victims of sexual assault or harassment to file suit in court and not be forced to arbitrate their claims. The law passed the House 335 to 97 and the Senate by voice vote. No questions were taken from reporters. 

Remarks by Vice President Harris at Signing of H.R. 4445, “Ending the Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021”

MARCH 03, 2022•SPEECHES AND REMARKS
 
THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon everyone.  Good afternoon.  Please have a seat.  Good afternoon.  (Applause.) 
 
President Joe Biden, members of Congress, and my fellow Americans: Today, we are gathered to celebrate the passage of a law that will make our nation’s workplaces more safe and more just.
 
Forced arbitration silences survivors of sexual assault and harassment.  It shields predators instead of holding them accountable and gives corporations a powerful tool to hide abuse and misconduct.  And it compels the people of our nation — and most often the women of our nation — to sign away one of their most fundamental rights: the right to seek justice in court.

 
The legislation the President will sign today will end forced arbitration in all cases of sexual abuse...     more

03/03/22: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Mar 4, 2022

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, March 3rd, 2022

​MARCH 03, 2022•PRESS BRIEFINGS

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

MS. PSAKI:  Hi, everyone. 

Q    Hi.

MS. PSAKI:  It’s so nice to see everybody’s beautiful faces.  You too, Steve Holland.  David Sanger.  (Laughter.)  Just calling out some especially beautiful faces in the room.  Yes.  Handsome devils.  (Laughter.)  Okay.

Just wanted to note one thing before we get started.  As you all know, later today the President will sign the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act into law.  The bill amends the Federal Arbitration Act to make it easier for victims of sexual assault or harassment to go to court instead of being forced into arbitration by their employer. 
This law will affect the more than 60 million workers who are subject to mandatory arbitration clauses in the workplace, often without realizing it until they come forward with a claim against their employer...     more

Wide Range of Constituencies Applaud President Biden’s State of the Union Address

MARCH 03, 2022•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

In his first State of the Union, the President spoke directly to the American people about his vision to build a better America. He reminded the country that our best days lie ahead, and that his Presidency is about giving everyone a fair shot – because when given half a shot, ordinary people can do extraordinary things. The Biden-Harris Administration’s domestic agenda represents an historic shift from the old, outdated trickle-down approach to one that puts workers, families, and small businesses first.

The President also announced his unity agenda, consisting of four areas where we have historically been able to come together and find agreement regardless of party. He has called on Congress to send bills to his desk to deliver progress for the American people: to beat the opioid crisis, address mental health, support our veterans, and end cancer as we know it.

Over the next year, the Biden-Harris Administration will continue working to make communities safer, combat COVID, and create good-paying jobs through revitalized domestic manufacturing.

​A wide range of constituencies and community leaders championed the President’s remarks...     more

China on Ukraine| Feb. 25, 2022

 

普京获准在境外“动武”！俄乌大规模冲突一触即发？20220223 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Feb 24, 2022

     
China Offers Restrained Response to Russian Attacks on Ukraine, Refuses to Call it an ‘Invasion’
China instead pointed blame at the U.S. for fanning the flame of conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Feb. 25 - China on Thursday offered a restrained response to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, refusing to characterize the military action as an “invasion” and accusing the U.S. of fanning the flames.

​
In response to a question about whether China considers Russia’s actions an “invasion,” China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying said: “To make a suggestion, you may go ask the U.S. They started the fire and fanned the flame. How are they going to put out the fire now?”


After months of threats, Russia this week invaded Ukraine, with reports that its troops were approaching the outskirts of the capital city of Kyiv on Thursday.


Hua said that “China did not wish to see what happened in Ukraine today,” but she refused to characterize the attack as an “invasion.” She reiterated that China believes Russia and other parties have "legitimate security concerns.”


“As to the definition of ‘invasion,’ it brings us back to how we view the current situation in Ukraine,” Hua said at a press briefing, according to a government transcript. She noted that Ukraine has a “complicated historical background.”

“The current state of affairs is not what we would hope to see.” Hua said.

China is thought to be keeping a close eye on the situation and the Western response as it weighs its next move in its own increasingly contentious relationship with Taiwan, which it considers a breakaway province.

Hua also downplayed speculation that Beijing is secretly helping Russia.

“I believe that as a strong country, Russia doesn’t need China or other countries to provide weapons to it,” Hua said.

China isn’t the only country offering a tepid response to the news. In a speech on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett similarly did not condemn Russia’s attack, instead offering prayer for “peace and calm in Ukraine.”

“These are difficult and tragic moments, and our hearts are with the civilians that through no fault of their own have been thrust into this situation,” Bennett said.

Israel's foreign minister, on the other hand, condemned Russia’s attack and called it a “serious violation of the international order.”     source from US News


Related Article
​Why Did Russia Invade Ukraine?

Russia Begins Invasion of Ukraine

Hua Chunying (Chinese: 华春莹; born 24 April 1970) is a Chinese official and former diplomat serving as spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China since 2012 and as the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2021.[2] Hua was the fifth spokeswoman and 27th spokesperson since the position was established in the ministry in 1983.[3]

Commentary
Hua has criticized the US plea to release Pu Zhiqiang saying "I think lots of people have the same feeling with me, that some people in the United States have hearts that are too big and hands that are too long. Washington should address human rights problems at home and stop trying to be the world's policeman or judge."[11]
In 2021, she compared the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol with the 2019 storming of the Legislative Council.[12]

Social media​
In February 2021, Hua said that many Western officials use Weibo and Wechat, and asked "Why can't Chinese people use Twitter or Facebook when foreigners can use Chinese social media platforms?"[14] Twitter and Facebook have been banned by the mainland Chinese government since 2009.[14]

quotes from Wikipedia

---

Why Biden Wants Taiwan/拜登支持台灣的理由
​

China says Taiwan is 'not Ukraine' as island raises alert level

​Feb. 23 - Taiwan is "not Ukraine" and has always been an inalienable part of China, China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday, as Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called for the island to beef up vigilance on military activities in response to the crisis.

​The comments come after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson flagged the risk for Taiwan in a warning last week about the damaging worldwide consequences if Western nations failed to fulfil their promises to support Ukraine's independence. 

​China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military activity near the self-governing island over the past two years, though Taiwan has reported no recent unusual manoeuvres by Chinese forces as tension over Ukraine has spiked.

Speaking in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying dismissed any link between the issues of Ukraine and Taiwan.

"Taiwan is not Ukraine," she said. "Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China. This is an indisputable legal and historical fact."

The issue of Taiwan is one left over from the civil war, but China's integrity should never have been compromised and never has been compromised, Hua added.

The defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war to the Communists, who set up the People's Republic of China.

Taiwan's government strongly opposes China's territorial claims. Tsai says Taiwan is an independent state called the Republic of China, which remains Taiwan's official name.

All security and military units "must raise their surveillance and early warning of military developments around the Taiwan Strait," Tsai told a meeting of the working group on the Ukraine crisis set up by her National Security Council.

Taiwan and Ukraine are fundamentally different in terms of geostrategy, geography and international supply chains, she added, in details of the meeting provided by her office.

"But in the face of foreign forces intending to manipulate the situation in Ukraine and affect the morale of Taiwanese society, all government units must strengthen the prevention of cognitive warfare launched by foreign forces and local collaborators," it cited Tsai as saying.

The statement did not mention China by name, but the country is the most significant military threat that Taiwan faces.

Tsai has expressed "empathy" for Ukraine's situation because of the military threat the island faces from China.  Source from Reuters​


Related Articles
​UK sees threat to Taiwan if West does not support Ukraine
​Taiwan president expresses 'empathy' for Ukraine's situation

Book review: Dispatches from a troubled region

This thoroughly researched book examines the marine degradation in the South China Sea and the major players who can do something about it

By Bradley Winterton / Contributing reporter

Taiwan is one of seven nations laying claims of one kind or another to islands in the South China Sea. “Islands” is hardly the correct term — they are in reality sand-banks, atolls, shallows and coral reefs, but they have many natural resources and lay astride major shipping lanes. China has claimed that they all lie within its territorial waters.

These islets are in two groups, the Paracels (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島) to the north and the Spratlys (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) to the south. Taiwan’s interest is largely in the Paracels, as is that of the Philippines, with Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia focusing on the southern region.

But this book isn’t primarily political in its focus. Rather, it’s concerned with marine degradation in the whole region as observed by the author from his experiences on a Vietnamese fishing boat, or “cruising yawl” to use a phrase mariners of Joseph Conrad’s generation would have been familiar with.

​This important book appears just as 100 nations agreed at the Brest Summit to take action to curb illegal fishing and the plastic pollution of the world’s oceans.

​Shao Kwang-Tsao (邵廣昭), a retired researcher at Academia Sinica’s Biodiversity Research Center, has studied the “coral cathedrals” beneath the Spratleys, prompting former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to propose a “Spratley Initiative,” which would have recognized the entire area as an environmental protection zone...     click to read more

Taiwan Foreign Minister Calls US Help Critical to Deterring War with China 

Feb. 24 - As Taiwan continues to face a military threat from China, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said this week the Taiwanese government continues to focus on its “asymmetric defense” capability — including U.S. assistance — to make it an unattractive target, despite its limited military power.

Taiwan’s current strategy is to make certain “China will understand it will pay a very heavy price if it initiates conflict against Taiwan,” Wu said during a virtual event hosted by the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University.

Speaking with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Wu argued for continued U.S. support of Taiwan through arms sales, military exchanges, shared intelligence, and freedom of navigation exercises in the Taiwan Strait.

​“We want the people here in Taiwan to be able to defend themselves if China is going to launch a war against Taiwan,” Wu said.
Taiwan has lived under the threat of military action by China since China’s Nationalist Party, the Kuomintang fled the mainland after losing the Chinese civil war in 1949. While the conflict has remained largely a stalemate since then — with Beijing continuing to claim Taiwan as a province — an aggressive military modernization campaign by China means it could be able to attack Taiwan as early as 2027, according to the U.S. Defense Department.,,     click to read more

South China Sea | Yinggehai Basin

 Date published on April 11, 2019

​Vietnam verifying location of Chinese oil rig in Gulf of Tonkin

​Vietnam is trying to determine if a Chinese oil rig is located in its territorial waters.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Thursday that authorities were trying to confirm whether China’s Dongfang 13-2 CEPB oil rig is functioning within Vietnamese waters in the Gulf of Tonkin in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea.

On Sunday, the Xinhua news agency reported that "Dongfang 13-2 CEPB," the second largest offshore oil production and processing platform in China, was completed for shipment and would be shipped to the Yinggehai Basin on Wednesday.
Yinggehai Basin lies at the southern end of the Red River fault zone, between the Vietnamese coast and China's Hainan Island.

Hang said the Sino-Vietnamese Agreement on Maritime Boundary Delimitation in the Gulf of Tonkin (2004), which clearly defines the areas and legality of China and Vietnam’s territorial waters, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

"The two countries have the responsibility to seriously follow the agreement in terms of managing, utilizing and protecting resources within each country’s exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, for the benefit of each country and for peace and stability within the South China Sea," she said.

Dongfang 13-2 CEPB oil rig was built by China's Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. with a floating weight of more than 17,000 tons and covers an area of a football field, according to Xinhua. It is expected to go functional in June.


Related Info.
​Learn about some key points on the Gulf of Tonkin incident leading to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, 1964

TRANSCRIPT

The Gulf of Tonkin incident was a naval event off the coast of Vietnam that ultimately gave President Lyndon B. Johnson the power to greatly escalate the U.S. military’s direct involvement in Vietnam in 1964. Encyclopaedia Britannica presents some key points on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.


​Vietnam was divided into two halves, north and south. U.S. naval vessels were sent to the Gulf of Tonkin in support of South Vietnam to observe and intercept communications from communist North Vietnam. In late July 1964, South Vietnamese commandos attacked North Vietnamese military installations on the islands of Hon Me and Hon Ngu in the Gulf of Tonkin.

The destroyer USS Maddox saw North Vietnamese torpedo boats sent out in pursuit of the South Vietnamese vessels, and it retreated, but it returned to the area on August 1. The following day, the Maddox was approached by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats. The Maddox fired warning shots, but the torpedo boats continued to follow and proceeded to open fire.


The Americans believed that North Vietnam had targeted the Maddox unprovoked, so the destroyer USS Turner Joy was sent in as reinforcement. Unbeknownst to those aboard the Maddox, the North Vietnamese believed that the Maddox had been involved in the South Vietnamese attacks on Hon Me and Hon Ngu.


The U.S. military intercepted communications on August 4 that led them to believe North Vietnam was planning to attack the Maddox and Turner Joy. That night, with a storm raging, both ships reported that they were being approached by unidentified vessels and requested air support. The plane piloted by James Stockdale came to assist the destroyers but saw no torpedo boats.


After the event, Captain John Herrick of the Maddox sent a message: “Review of action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes fired appear doubtful. Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonarmen may have accounted for many reports. …Suggest complete evaluation before any further action taken.” Despite the uncertainty, President Johnson informed the United States Congress that the two naval destroyers had been attacked by the North Vietnamese.

This prompted Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave the president the right to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the United States. This resolution and the Gulf of Tonkin incident resulted in the U.S. getting directly involved in Vietnam. The resolution was later repealed, as many members of Congress believed that it gave the president a blanket power to wage war.

South China Sea Oil Fields

The Yinggehai-Song Hong Basin is located on the northwest of the South China Sea, between Hainan island and the coast of northern Vietnam.[1][2] It is a large extensional pull-part basin in extensional continental marginal setting, developed along the Red River fault zone,[1] which located at the suture of the Indochina Plate and Yangtze Plate (South China Plate).

---

Date published on April 19, 2019

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Thursday that authorities were trying to confirm whether China’s Dongfang 13-2 CEPB oil rig is functioning within Vietnamese waters in the Gulf of Tonkin in the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea. On Sunday, the Xinhua news agency reported that "Dongfang 13-2 CEPB," the second largest offshore oil production and processing platform in China, was completed for shipment and would be shipped to the Yinggehai Basin on Wednesday. Yinggehai Basin lies at the southern end of the Red River fault zone, between the Vietnamese coast and China's Hainan Island. Hang said the Sino-Vietnamese Agreement on Maritime Boundary Delimitation in the Gulf of Tonkin (2004), which clearly defines the areas and legality of China and Vietnam’s territorial waters, exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. "The two countries have the responsibility to seriously follow the agreement in terms of managing, utilizing and protecting resources within each country’s exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, for the benefit of each country and for peace and stability within the South China Sea," she said. Dongfang 13-2 CEPB oil rig was built by China's Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. with a floating weight of more than 17,000 tons and covers an area of a football field, according to Xinhua. It is expected to go functional in June.

Date published on Feb. 2017
​Seepage system of oil-gas and its exploration in Yinggehai Basin located at northwest of South China Sea
​
Abstract

Seepage systems of oil-gas in Yinggehai Basin are divided into two types, namely: “micro-seepage”, which is presented by gas chimneys and pockmarks; and “macro-seepage”, which is also called oil-gas outflow; and, in addition, the combination of the two basic types. Among the oil seepage systems, the combined seepage system at Yingdong Slope of Yinggehai Basin is the most eye-catching, and gas chimneys and pockmarks micro-leakage systems in mud diapir zones in the central part of the basin are very common. Both the indications of large-scale oil-gas outflow at Yingdong Slope, which have been booming for a hundred years; and the occurrence of pockmarks at the central mud diapir belt, along with the chaotic seismic reflection of widely-distributed shallow gas chimneys—have shown that hydrocarbon in this area is sufficient and oil-gas is now in dynamic equilibrium of the processes of accumulation, migration, gathering and dispersing. It builds up good conditions for the accumulation, migration, gathering and reserving of oil and gas. However, it must be noted that the results of oil-gas exploration at Yingdong Slope didn't turn out to be satisfactory, despite the presence of oil-gas outflow and gas chimney combined seepage systems. So, strengthen synthesized analysis and study on oil-gas seepage systems and on the conditions for accumulation, migration, gathering and dispersing; the forecasting and evaluation to the advantageous conditions for enriched oil and gas zones; and trap preservation in accordance with the dynamic balance theories; are of significant importance for purposes of exploration.

China Calles on US To Stop Selling Weapons To Taiwan

 Both Sides of Taiwan Strait Are Closely Watching Ukraine’s Crisis

​Taiwan knows what it’s like to have an overbearing neighbor. China wonders how forcefully Western powers might react to a Russian invasion.

Feb. 7 - With Russia massing troops along Ukraine’s borders, President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan felt compelled to act.

She ordered the creation of a task force to study how the confrontation thousands of miles away in Europe could affect Taiwan’s longstanding conflict with its larger, vastly more powerful neighbor.

“Taiwan has faced military threats and intimidation from China for a long time,” Ms. Tsai told a gathering of her national security advisers late last month, according to a statement by her office.

Perhaps more than people in any other place in the world, Taiwanese know what it is like to live in the shadow of an overbearing power, with China claiming the island as its own. Ms. Tsai added, “we empathize with Ukraine’s situation”...     more on New York Times

实锤！F-35C坠海视频曝光 美再次对台军售 中国三部委回应！20220209 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际​
Feb 10, 2022

China Calles on US To Stop Selling Weapons To Taiwan

Feb. 8 - On Tuesday, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that China condemns the United States' plan of selling 100 million U.S. dollars in armament to Taiwan, calling for immediate cancellation.

​Zhao Lijian spokesperson noted that the current selling traffic of the U.S. to Taiwan severely infringes the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communique, especially the August 17 Communique.

"Such acts seriously undermine China's sovereignty and security interests and gravely harm China-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," exposed Zhao.

China appealed to the United States to stay bound to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint arrangements and instantaneously stop the arms-sale plan and quit the military ties with the Taiwan region.     quoted from teleSUR

Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared,[1] visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collectively known as stealth technology.[2] The F-117 Nighthawk was the first operational aircraft specifically designed around stealth technology. Other examples of stealth aircraft include the B-2 Spirit, the F-22 Raptor,[3] the F-35 Lightning II,[4] the Chengdu J-20,[5] and the Sukhoi Su-57.     quoted from Wikipedia

What Happens When a Stealth Jet Ends Up on the Ocean Floor?
​Here’s how the Navy might recover a $94 million F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that crashed in China’s backyard.

Feb. 10 - On Jan. 24, one of the U.S. Navy’s most expensive warplanes crashed as it tried to land on an aircraft carrier and sank to the bottom of the South China Sea. The $94 million F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is now the subject of a salvage operation.

In a statement issued on the day of the incident, the Navy said seven sailors had been injured when the jet suffered a “landing mishap” on the aircraft carrier, the Carl Vinson. It did not mention that the plane had ended up in the ocean.

​The Navy has said little publicly since then about the incident. In response to questions from The New York Times, the Navy’s Seventh Fleet said last week that the service had “begun mobilizing units that will be used to verify the site and recover” the F-35 involved in the crash...     more on The New York Times

Why Biden Wants Taiwan/拜登支持台灣的理由
​

What’s behind the South China Sea dispute? | Start Here
Nov 22, 2020

Hunter Biden sought ‘forever’ deal with China military-tied firm: emails
​
Feb. 8 - Hunter Biden tried to strike an exceedingly lucrative, “forever” business deal with a state-owned Chinese energy company that’s since been sanctioned by the US over its ties to the Chinese military, according to the latest emails unearthed from his infamous laptop.

​The plan would have apparently also involved the then-prime minister of Kazakhstan, who was arrested on suspicion of treason last month following his ouster as head of the country’s intelligence service.

The emails date to April 2014, when Biden’s dad, President Biden, was vice president and about a year before father and son apparently posed for a photo with the Kazakhstani official, Karim Massimov, in a Washington, DC, restaurant.

The correspondence shows Hunter Biden and then-business partner Devon Archer — who has since cooperated in a tax probe of the first son — discussing an offer to help find “investment opportunities” for the China National Offshore Oil Corp.

That same month, both men were appointed to the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings — which paid Biden as much as $1 million a year — and Archer suggested that a deal involving the two overseas firms would set them up for life.

“If we can connect the dots here between CNOOC and Bursima we can do only that, forever,” Archer wrote on April 8, 2014.

Less than 10 minutes later, Biden responded: “Thinking the same thing, fraught with many land mines- but…”

“Many…don’t even know if we could pull it off but it’s a major option,” Archer wrote back...     more on New Your Post

US imposes sanctions on China's CNOOC oil company over South China Sea

​The US said the sanctions were a response to China's increased naval activity in the region. The move comes just days before Joe Biden is set to take over as US president.

​Date published on Jan. 2021

The US government on Thursday slapped more sanctions on Chinese firms and military officials over Beijing's actions in the South China Sea.

At the center of the wide-ranging sanctions was China's state-owned oil company, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), which was added to a US Commerce Department blacklist forbidding business with US citizens.

However, a US official said the sanctions on the CNOOC do not target hydrocarbon exploration or joint ventures outside the
South China Sea.

"The United States stands with Southeast Asian claimant states seeking to defend their sovereign rights and interests, consistent with international law," said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. "We will continue to act until we see Beijing cease its coercive behavior in the South China Sea."

Pompeo said the sanctions were directed against those "responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or (China's) use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources in the South China Sea"...     more on DW


​

Why China and the US are at odds over Taiwan | Start Here​
Nov 8, 2021