Month: September 2020

(Global Times)15:30, June 15, 2020

USS Theodore Roosevelt transits the Pacific Ocean on April 7, 2017. Photo: US Navy

In a rare move, the US is sending three aircraft carriers to waters near China as bilateral tensions rise, a move interpreted by foreign media as a warning to China. Chinese military experts said on Sunday that the US move again exposed its hegemonic politics in the region, and China could counter it by holding military drills and showing its ability and determination to safeguard its territorial integrity.

China possesses aircraft carrier killer weapons like the DF-21D and DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missiles.

The three US aircraft carriers, namely the USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Nimitz and USS Ronald Reagan, together with other US naval warships and aircraft, are patrolling the Indo-Pacific waters, the Associated Press reported on Friday.

It has been nearly three years since so many US aircraft carriers have been simultaneously deployed in the region, the report said, noting this move comes as tensions between China and the US are rising over topics like COVID-19, Hong Kongs national security law and the South China Sea.

All three aircraft carriers were hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which left the US with no aircraft carriers in the western Pacific region for more than two months.

By massing these aircraft carriers, the US is attempting to demonstrate to the whole region and even the world that it remains the most powerful naval force, as they could enter the South China Sea and threaten Chinese troops on the Xisha and Nansha islands as well as vessels passing through nearby waters, so the US could carry out its hegemonic politics, Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, told the Global Times.

China could counter the US move by enhancing its own war preparedness and holding corresponding drills, telling the US that China is capable of and determined to safeguard its territorial integrity, Li said.

Naval and aerial forces of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) have expelled many US warships that illegally entered Chinas territorial waters off the Xisha and Nansha islands in the South China Sea this year, according to PLA statements.

In addition to standard naval warships, aircraft and missiles, China possesses a wide range of weapons designed to sink aircraft carriers, like the medium-range anti-ship ballistic missile DF-21D that can cover the First Island Chain, and the intermediate range anti-ship ballistic missile DF-26 that can reach Guam. These missiles can attack medium-sized to large surface vessels from above at very high speeds, making them difficult to intercept, according to publicly available information.

Li also cast doubt over US aircraft carriers combat readiness after their crews recovery from the epidemic.

Just as US President Donald Trump is pushing for domestic work resumption, the aircraft carriers were also pushed to the frontlines, Li said, noting that the US military only cares whether they are deployed rather than if they are ready to fight.

In this situation, it is also possible that another COVID-19 outbreak will take place on the US carriers, Li said.

(Global Times)10:48, June 27, 2020

China on Saturday expressed strong opposition to the US’ wrongful decision to impose visa restrictions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong-related issues, and vowed to continue taking strong measures to uphold national security.

A spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the US said in a statement on Saturday that China urges the US side to immediately correct its mistakes, withdraw the decision and stop interfering in Chinas domestic affairs. The Chinese side will continue to take strong measures to uphold national sovereignty, security and development interests.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Friday visa restrictions on current and former Chinese officials who were responsible for eviscerating Hong Kongs freedoms.” His announcement came just a day after the US Senate passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which calls for mandatory sanctions against any individuals responsible for “undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.”

The embassy spokesperson said legislating on national security is a power and obligation of the central government, and also an international practice, and that Hong Kong affairs are Chinas domestic affairs and allow no external interference.

The legal basis for the Chinese government to govern Hong Kong is Chinas Constitution and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), not the Sino-British Joint Declaration. No one has any legal grounds or right to make irresponsible comments on Hong Kong affairs citing the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the spokesperson said.

In response to the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, the HKSAR government on Friday night expressed strong opposition to its passage.

We urge the US Congress to immediately stop interfering in HKSARs internal matters. The Act and the so-called ‘sanctions’ are totally unacceptable and will only harm the relations and common interests between Hong Kong and the US,” read the Hong Kong government’s statement.

The implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle in the HKSAR falls entirely under the umbrella of the internal affairs of China. No other state or legislature has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, in those internal affairs.

Many of the Congress comments on HKSAR affairs in the Act are seriously misleading and absolutely unfounded, the Hong Kong government said.

Any sanctions imposed under the Act will not create an obligation for financial institutions under Hong Kong law. We, however, urge the US side to act responsibly by refraining from taking measures that may potentially affect the normal operations of financial institutions and the vast number of customers they serve,” the Hong Kong government said.

(China Daily)09:56, June 27, 2020

The actual number of people in the United States infected with the novel coronavirus could be over 20 million, nearly 10 times higher than what has been recorded, according to a new estimate from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Thursday, some states paused reopening as the number of COVID-19 cases surge.

The estimate is based on serological testing used to determine the presence of antibodies that show whether an individual has had the disease. It comes as the government noticed many new asymptomatic COVID-19 cases showing up in young people who may not know they have it.

The estimate of 20 million infected with the coronavirus is about 6 percent of the US population and nearly 10 times as many infections as the 2.3 million confirmed cases in the country.

Its clear that many individuals in this nation are still susceptible, Robert Redfield, CDC director, said during a call with reporters on Thursday. Our best estimate right now is that for every case reported, there actually are 10 more infections.

Previously, White House adviser and top scientist Anthony Fauci and CDC officials have said that as many as 25 percent of infected people might not have symptoms. As of Thursday, the US had reported 2,374,282 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 121,809 deaths from the virus, according to the tally kept by the CDC.

Globally, there were nearly 9.3 million confirmed cases and nearly 480,000 deaths as of Friday morning, according to the World Health Organization.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday put a halt to any further reopening of businesses in their states as cases of the novel coronavirus surged.

Abbott also issued an executive order suspending elective surgery in four counties hit hard by an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations. The counties are home to major cities: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and the state capital, Austin. More than 4,300 people with the virus are hospitalized across the state, more than double the number at the beginning of June.

Abbott, a Republican, has said repeatedly that rolling back the states reopening would be a last resort, and he repeated that on Thursday.

The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses, he said in a statement. This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.

He said that businesses already reopened can continue to operate and urged Texans to help contain the spread of the virus by washing their hands regularly, wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

Floridas DeSantis, who has repeatedly asserted that he didnt plan to stop the states reopening, said, We never anticipated necessarily doing anything different in terms of the next phase at this point anyways. We are where we are.

Florida reported 5,508 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to more than 114,000. Orange County, home to Orlando, is averaging 353 new cases a day, compared with 73 two weeks ago.

DeSantis, also a Republican, has pressed older people to stay home as much as possible. He has also pleaded with young people to be responsible, saying they account for the rising infection rate.

Since Wednesday, several states have mandated the use of face coverings in public, indoors and outdoors. They include Nevada, Washington and North Carolina, the first state in the South to do so.

North Carolina was supposed to move into phase three of its reopening plan on Friday, but Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said on Wednesday that the move is now on hold and the state will stay in the current phase for another three weeks.

Nevadas mask order by Governor Steve Sisolak, also a Democrat, came two days after the state saw a single-day record for cases, most of them in Clark County, home to Las Vegas.

Caesars Entertainment Corp said earlier on Wednesday that masks would be required at all of its properties nationwide, while rival MGM Resorts International said in a statement that it will require masks for all guests and visitors inside public spaces at its US resorts starting on Friday.

Mayors from nearly a dozen cities in Miami-Dade County announced this week that masks will be mandatory in all public spaces, including outdoors when social distancing isnt possible. Some mask orders have been met with legal challenges.

(Xinhua)16:19, June 27, 2020

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Xinhua) — A 5.1-magnitude earthquake jolted South Sandwich Islands region at 0718 GMT on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter, with a depth of 35.92 km, was initially determined to be at 56.1518 degrees south latitude and 26.7868 degrees west longitude.

(Xinhua)08:01, June 28, 2020

People wear face masks as they visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., the United States, June 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

NEW YORK, June 27 (Xinhua) — The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 2.5 million on Saturday, reaching 2,500,419 as of 4:35 p.m. (2035 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, the national death toll reached 125,434, according to the tally.

The state of New York reported 391,923 cases and 31,362 deaths, both topping the nation. But the states COVID-19 test positivity rate has dropped to around 1 percent, the lowest among the countrys big states, according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Other states with over 100,000 cases include California, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Florida and Massachusetts, the tally showed.

Several states such as California, Arizona, Texas and Florida have reported record spikes of new cases in recent days, prompting some local governments to backpedal on reopening policies.