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☆ Labor Day isn’t the holiday it once was for China’s workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Chris Lau | Hassan Tayir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —Like hundreds of millions of workers in China, Hao Zeyu, an algorithm engineer at an electric vehicle maker, is getting five days off this week for the Labor Day holiday. So, why has a decades-old policy caused so much upset in a country whose Communist Party leadership pays annual homage to International Workers’ Day? Trending topicIn recent weeks, complaints about this year’s Labor Day leave arrangements have exploded on Chinese social media. Tourists visit the Qiansimen Jialing River Bridge during the May Day holiday on May 1, 2023 in Chongqing, China. Labor Day isn’t the only holiday to get the adjusted rest policy.

Persons: Hao Zeyu, Hao, “, ” Hao, ”, Yao, Max Teng, it’s, Yaer Tuerdi, Pang Dong Lai, Yu Donglai, Yu, Teng Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Labor, CNN, Communist Party, International Workers, Workers, Weibo, Tourists, China News Service, University of Wellington, “ Workers Locations: China, Hong Kong, Chongqing, United States, United Kingdom, Kentucky, Henan

☆ Strained Chinese cities struggle to pay home buying subsidies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chinese cities have promised subsidies and other incentives to prop up the ailing property sector but have failed to deliver, frustrating potential homebuyers. The 30-year-old now pays 6,000 yuan of her 8,000 monthly salary on the mortgage for the 1.1 million yuan apartment and another 1,800 yuan to rent another one, relying on her parents for other basic expenses. Weifang, with a population of more than 9 million and an economy larger than Croatia's, and dozens of other Chinese cities, have promised subsidies and other incentives to homebuyers to prop up the ailing property sector. But the real estate downturn also affects the ability of cities to lease land to developers, a key revenue source. This meant some local governments were unable to raise funds to pay the promised subsidies, frustrating buyers and casting doubts over future support measures.

Persons: Amy Wang, Wang, Christopher Beddor, Gavekal Organizations: People's, Communist Party Locations: Hangzhou city, Zhejiang province, China, Weifang, Shangqiu

☆ Musk's visit to China was a much-needed win for both sides — and a snub to India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

And Musk notably skipped a recent visit to India, underscoring how important China is for Tesla. AdvertisementElon Musk's two-day trip to Beijing looks like a mutually-beneficial win for Tesla and for China — and a snub for India. AdvertisementMusk needs China — but China also needs Musk, as a sign that the country is open for business with high-profile US companies. Musk's visit was going to include an announcement about Tesla entering India, Reuters reported. AdvertisementMusk's India visit would have been a win for Modi, who is seeking to boost India's status as a manufacturing hub, especially as businesses leave China.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Elon Musk's, China —, Premier Li Qiang, That's, Tesla, Dan Ives, Ives, India Musk, Janet Yellen, Antony Blinken, Musk, crackdowns, Bain —, Narendra Modi, Musk's, Modi Organizations: Tesla, Service, India, Premier, Baidu, Reuters, EV, FSD, Financial Times, China, Communist Party, Gucci, Apple Locations: China, Beijing, India, Shanghai

☆ TikTok employees are reportedly being asked by US border patrol agents if they're part of the Chinese Communist Party
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

US border patrol agents have interrogated more than 30 ByteDance and TikTok employees, per Forbes. They're being asked about ties to the CCP, and the security of American user data. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementUS Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have interrogated more than 30 ByteDance and TikTok employees traveling to the US from China, according to a report by Forbes.

Persons: They're, Shou Zi Chew, — Organizations: Forbes, CCP, Service, Border Protection, Forbes . Employees, Chinese Communist Party, Business Locations: China

☆ In a Communist Stronghold, Capitalists Become an Economic Lifeline
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( David C. Adams | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A modern grocery store whose shelves are packed with everything from pasta to wine fills a spot in central Havana once occupied by a drab state-owned flower shop, its ceilings and walls repaired and repainted. A former state glass company in a Havana suburb now houses a showroom for a private business selling Cuban-made furniture. And at the Cuban capital’s port, forklifts carefully unload American eggs from a refrigerated container. The eggs are bound for an online private supermarket that, much like Amazon Fresh, provides home delivery. These ventures are part of an explosion of thousands of private businesses that have opened in recent years across Cuba, a remarkable shift in a country where such enterprises have not been permitted and where Fidel Castro rose to power leading a communist revolution determined to eliminate capitalist notions like private ownership.

Persons: Fidel Castro Locations: Havana, Cuban, Cuba

☆ Tesla Reaches Deals in China on Self-Driving Cars
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tesla had faced a couple hurdles to offering the latest level of autonomous driving, which it calls supervised Full Self-Driving. It has needed approval from Chinese regulators, who questioned whether the company took adequate precautions to protect data. The government-linked China Association of Automobile Manufacturers later announced that Tesla and five Chinese automakers had obtained approval from authorities and the association for their data security precautions on dozens of car models. The rules bar automakers in China from using software that would identify the faces of anyone outside their vehicles, and include many other restrictions. Self-driving systems use cameras to guide vehicles.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, Musk, Li Qiang, Xi Jinping, Li Organizations: Sunday, Communist Party, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers Locations: Beijing, China, Shanghai

☆ The red flags that will tell us when China's actually ready to invade Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

"I don't think they lack for anything that they need," Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at Defense Priorities, said of China's forces. Military forces are being deployed nearer to Taiwan than ever, effectively shortening Taiwan's reaction time. Stockpiling of China's rocket force, too, suggests it would have more than enough missiles and rockets to target Taiwan. One common concern is that as China's military exercises around Taiwan have grown in frequency and size, the line between exercise and potential attack is becoming blurred. Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty ImagesExperts, as well as US and Taiwan lawmakers and military officials, have long debated about the readiness of the People's Liberation Army as China's military is known.

Persons: —, Lyle Goldstein, Stringer China, Xi, Thomas Shugart, who's, Shugart, Goldstein, Mike Studeman, Xi Jinping, Dean Cheng, haven't, Cheng, Xie Huanchi, There's, Kyle Amonson, Dane Egli, Annabelle Chih, Getty Images Goldstein, Joe Biden Organizations: Service, Business, Defense, REUTERS, Taiwan's, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense, US Department of Defense, China Economic, Security, PLA, Patriot, US, Center, New, New American Security, Marine Corps, China Coast Guard, Scarborough, ROSA, Military, of Naval Intelligence, Pacific Command, US Institute of Peace, of, People, Getty Images, People's Liberation Army, CCP, Soviet, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Japan, US Coast Guard, Chinese Communist Party, Democratic Progressive Party, Kyodo, Stills Locations: China, Taiwan, Asia, Liaoning, Beijing, New American, AFP, Hong Kong, Xinhua, DoD's China, Cuba, US, Tainan, Japan, Philippines

☆ Xi shakes up China’s military in rethink of how to ‘fight and win’ future wars
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Chinese leader Xi Jinping oversees the inauguration of the Information Support Force of the People's Liberation Army at a ceremony in Beijing on April 19, 2024. The Information Support Force will be led by top generals from the now-defunct SSF. These functions will now be supervised at his level and not through the Strategic Support Force, which served as a middleman,” Wuthnow said. Though US intelligence officials said the balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program run by the Chinese military, Xi may not have been aware of the mission. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has scrapped the People's Liberation Army's Strategic Support Force, a branch he founded in 2015.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, ”, Wu Qian, SSF, Bi Yi, Li Wei, Ju Qiansheng, Joel Wuthnow, ” Wuthnow, Joe Biden, didn’t, Xinhua News Agency James Char, Char Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Strategic Support Force, Support Force, PLA, China’s Defense, Aerospace Force, Cyberspace Force, Central Military Commission, Logistic Support Force, Information, Force, People's Liberation Army, Xinhua News, Information Support Force, Xinhua, Pentagon, National Defense University, Aerospace Systems Department, Network System Department, Xinhua News Agency, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, SSF’s Aerospace Systems Department, “, Communist Party, Taiwan Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington, United States, Singapore, Ukraine, Taiwan Strait, Taiwan

They call it an encirclement of their nation and say the United States is trying to constrain its main economic and military rival. The United States also has a new security agreement with Papua New Guinea. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden signed a $95-billion supplemental military aid and spending bill that Congress had just passed and that includes $8.1 billion to counter China in the region. In addition, the United States continues to send weapons and Green Beret trainers to Taiwan, a de facto independent island and the biggest flashpoint between the United States and China. A swarm of Chinese militia and Coast Guard vessels chased a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea last year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Yuri Gripas, ” Ely Ratner, Xi, ” Kurt Campbell, Joseph Wu, ”, “, Samuel J, Paparo Jr, Mr, Paparo, Carl Vinson, Richard A, Brooks, Trump, Lloyd J, Austin III, Chen Jining, Jes Aznar, David H, Berger, Obama, Tony Mcdonough, United States —, Admiral Paparo, China’s “ revanchist, we’re Organizations: Australian, U.S, Marines, United, Pentagon, Corps, Mr, White House, White, The New York Times, American, Marine, Green, China’s, Liberation Army, Seoul SOUTH, Pacific Command, People’s Liberation Army, Agence France, Nuclear Forces Treaty, Defense, Communist Party, Tokyo Okinawa, U.S . Navy, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army, Philippines Luzon Partner, Australia Darwin Potential, NATO, Tomahawk Locations: Beijing, United States, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Asia, Pacific, U.S, China, Shanghai, South China, South Korea, Guam, Washington, Manila, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Palau, West Papua, Seoul, Tokyo JAPAN CHINA Taipei TAIWAN Hong Kong, GUAM philippines MALAYSIA INDONESIA JAPAN CHINA TAIWAN, philippines GUAM, INDONESIA Seoul, GUAM philippines, MALAYSIA INDONESIA, Philippine, Moscow, Tokyo, Ryukyu Islands, South, Philippines Luzon, Luzon, Spratly, Australia, Canberra, Singapore, Darwin, Australia’s, . North Carolina, Virginia, Perth, United Kingdom, Navy’s, America

☆ Choose between stability and ‘downward spiral’ China’s foreign minister tells Blinken during Beijing trip
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Beijing CNN —China and the US face a choice between stability and a “downward spiral,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told counterpart Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing, as the American diplomat kicked off a day of meetings with top Chinese officials. “Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral? Or engage in rivalry and confrontation – or even slide into conflict, which would be a lose-lose for all?” he said, speaking through an interpreter. Wang’s comments come as Chinese officials bristle at actions Washington has taken in the name of national security, which Beijing sees as meant to suppress its development. Officials from both nations suggested ahead of the trip that the visit would be focused on managing the relationship and communicating concerns.

Persons: Wang Yi, Antony Blinken, China –, ” Wang, Blinken, ”, Washington, Joe Biden, Wang, ” Blinken, Biden, Xi Jinping, White, China’s, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Russia, Ukraine, Foreign Ministry, “, Communist Party, Taiwan Locations: Beijing, Beijing CNN — China, American, China, Russia, South, Taiwan, “, United States, Diaoyutai State, California, Moscow, Iran, East, Ukraine, Korean

☆ How TikTok’s Chinese parent company will rely on an American right to keep the app alive
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In recent months, the company has foreshowed it plans to challenge the law on First Amendment grounds. Krishnan said even the national security argument will not withstand legal scrutiny because the Chinese government could easily purchase the same data on Americans through the open market. TikTok’s looming legal challenge will be one of several that could eventually reach the US Supreme Court that could completely redefine online speech. Other high-profile cases that will determine whether social media companies can moderate content on their platforms are also likely to be decided this year. “The rules for online speech are being written by the Supreme Court this year,” Persily said.

Persons: CNN —, Joe Biden, ”, Shou Chew, TikTok, Ramya Krishnan, Nate Persily, Persily, “, Christopher Wray, ” Wray, ” TikTok, ” Persily, Krishnan Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Columbia University, Stanford, Stanford Cyber Policy, American, FBI, NBC, Supreme Locations: China, Montana, TikTok, American

☆ Tommy Tuberville misses Ukraine aid vote after railing against it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAhead of a final Senate vote to send Ukraine aid to President Joe Biden's desk, Sen. Tommy Tuberville made one last stand against it. Paul has long been an opponent of Ukraine aid, while Scott said in a statement on Tuesday that he supports the bill. The more than $61 billion in Ukraine aid was wrapped up in a larger $95 billion package that included more than $14 billion for Israel, $9 billion in humanitarian aid, aid for Taiwan, and a bill to force a sale of TikTok. AdvertisementThe Alabama senator has long been an opponent of Ukraine aid. In May 2022, he was one of just 11 Republican senators to vote against a $40 billion aid package for the country.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Tuberville, It's, Sens, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Tim Scott of, Paul, Scott, Katie Britt, Tuberville's, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, Alabama Republican, Republican, Business, Democratic Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Tuberville's Alabama, Israel, Taiwan, Alabama, Soviet Union

The top US diplomat landed in Shanghai where he is expected to meet local officials and business leaders, and he will then travel to Beijing for meetings with senior Chinese officials. “We are in a different place than we were a year ago when the bilateral relationship was at an historic low point,” a senior State Department official said. “Russia is no longer kind of on its back foot,” a second senior State Department official said. Blinken will make the case that China should weigh in “more directly” with Iran to be less provocative in the region, the second senior State Department official said. “In both cases the Chinese have taken some early steps,” said the second senior State Department official, adding that there is still “much more” that needs to be done on both fronts.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, Biden, Xi, ”, “, ” Blinken, Matthew Miller, Leah Millis, China’s, ” Xi, Blinken, ” Miller, it’s, Mark Swidan, Kai Li, David Lin Organizations: CNN, State Department, Ukraine, US, Foreign Ministry, of, People, Biden, Chinese Foreign Ministry, ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Beijing, Party, Taiwan, Communist, Taiwan Relations, White Locations: China, Ukraine, Shanghai, Beijing, California, Russia, Moscow, Italy, “ Russia, ”, Europe, United States, South China, Philippine, Washington, Philippines, South, Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, East, Iran

☆ The TikTok divest-or-ban bill is a First Amendment disaster, but it may still stand up in court
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Maybe…Earlier attempts to ban or force a sale of TikTok often haven't stood up in court. Other parties, like TikTok creators, may launch separate legal challenges in the coming weeks, as they have done in the past. AdvertisementTrump's 2020 order to ban TikTok was halted by a federal judge who said it likely exceeded executive authority. While the bill is framed around forcing US ownership of TikTok, it's likely to result in a ban, which strengthens the free-speech argument. Congress hasn't proven that an outright sale or ban of TikTok is the only way to protect national-security interests.

Persons: Joe Biden, ByteDance, TikTok, haven't, TikTokers, Matthew Schettenhelm, Hans, Lena Shapiro, Ramya Krishnan Organizations: Service, Business, ACLU, Bloomberg Intelligence, Cornell Law School, TikTok, University of Illinois College of Law, Chinese Communist Party, Intelligence Law, CCP, Columbia University Locations: Montana, Texas, Washington, China

☆ TikTok creators fear for their livelihoods after U.S. lawmakers pass bill that could lead to ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Zach Vallese | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"TikTok allows small businesses and creators to find their people in their community," Nichols told CNBC, ahead of the bill's signing. watch nowNichols joined a number of other TikTok creators in traveling to the Capitol to oppose a potential ban. TikTok creators and influencers, living far out of the realm of politics, have a very different concern. Tony Youn, a plastic surgeon with 8.4 million TikTok followers, said finding a big audience is difficult. WATCH: Senator Markwayne Mullin talks passage of Tiktok ban

Persons: Craig Hudson, Ophelia Nichols, Nichols, Biden, TikTok didn't, Shou Zi Chew, TikTok, Markwayne Mullin, CNBC's, Mullin, they'll, Zi Chew, Sen, John Fetterman, Anna Moneymaker, livestreams, Adam Mosseri, Tony Youn, Youn Organizations: Foreign, Capitol, Washington , D.C, CNBC, Oxford, TikTok, America Survey, Lawmakers, Communist Party, Russell Senate, ByteDance, Getty, YouTube, Meta, Facebook Locations: Washington , U.S, Alabama, Washington ,, Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, It's, American, U.S, TikTok, United States

☆ A major headwind for TikTok could be the ultimate tailwind for Meta's Facebook and Instagram
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Paulina Likos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

META mountain 2022-11-03 Meta's stock performance since Nov. 3, 2022, which marked its lowest close during its dramatic sell-off that year. In a recent Wedbush consumer survey, 60% of TikTok users who responded said either Facebook or Instagram were their top alternatives if TikTok were to be banned. That was followed by 19% of TikTok users who said they would go to YouTube. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank said Meta's stock could see more upside in light of a potential TikTok ban. After initially being a drag on revenue, Meta has said Reels is now a positive contributor across its apps.

Persons: Jim, Joe Biden, ByteDance, Shou Zi Chew, TikTok, –, FactSet, monetization, Philipp Schindler, We'll, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Avishek Das Organizations: Facebook, Chinese Communist Party, CNBC, Street, Meta, YouTube, Google, Wedbush Securities, Deutsche Bank, Getty Locations: U.S, Washington, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, China

☆ Opinion: Right now, I’d rather raise my child in Taiwan than America
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Opinion Clarissa Wei | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

My dad still remembers the anxiety that engulfed the island when the United States cut off diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in favor of the People’s Republic of China in 1979. My parents considered America a safe haven and wanted me to grow up with all its comforts. Of course, comparing the United States and Taiwan this way without acknowledging the nuanced socio-political contexts can be misleading. Clarissa WeiThe biggest shift, then, has been how the people of Taiwan perceive the United States. The United States, on the flip side, is the 131st.

Persons: Clarissa Wei Editor’s, Clarissa Wei, “, ”, Annabelle Chih, there’s, Tyrone Siu, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, “ Wei, Ting Yen, I’m, nodded, Billy H.C, Kwok, It’s, Republican —, Xi Jinping, “ Trump Organizations: Taipei CNN, CNN, America, Metro, Trump, Taiwan, Franklin & Marshall College, 131st, San Francisco Bay Area, China’s Communist Party, Republican Locations: Taiwanese American, Taipei, Taiwan, China, United States, People’s Republic of China, America, Los Angeles, Taiwanese, Kaohsiung, San Francisco Bay

☆ Read the full memo TikTok sent to staff as Congress stepped up its ban threat: 'This is the beginning, not the end'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"We'll continue to fight, as this legislation is a clear violation of the First Amendment rights of the 170 million Americans on TikTok." This divest-or-ban bill is the culmination of years of political attacks on TikTok. Trump, Biden, Congress, and even the state of Montana have unsuccessfully pushed to divest or ban TikTok from its China-based owner ByteDance. Latest UpdateToday (Saturday, April 20), the bill has passed the House and is expected to pass the Senate by early next week. Are you a TikTok or ByteDance employee with insight to share?

Persons: Michael Beckerman, Beckerman, We'll, TikTok, Trump, ByteDance, Biden, Dan Whateley Organizations: Business, TikTok, Chinese Communist Party, Biden, Congress, Foreign, Republican, Wednesday's Global Locations: Washington, Americas, China, Montana, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, dwhateley@businessinsider.com

☆ China sees foreign threats ‘everywhere’ as powerful spy agency takes center stage
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

But among the crowds you and I together are protecting national security,” the narrator concludes. Chinese soldiers look at a poster promoting national security in the southwestern city of Beihai on National Security Education Day on April 15, 2024. CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesAccording to the MSS, foreign spies are omnipresent and infiltrating everything – from mapping apps to weather stations. But China’s spy agency has gradually stepped out of the shadows as Xi makes national security a key priority. “Shenyin Special Investigation Squad” is a comic series based on real-life counterespionage operations, according to China's spy agency.

Persons: –, “, ”, Xi, Xuezhi Guo, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Xi Jinping, Greg Baker, Mao Zedong, Greitens, Chen Yixin, Chen, “ Chen, ” Greitens, Xi –, denigrate, Bain, Alex Plavevski, Guo, influencers, China’s, can’t, James Zimmerman, Perkins Coie, Zimmerman, ” Zimmerman Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Security Education, “, Ministry of State Security, National Security, Publishing, CIA, National, Education, Capitol, Guilford College, Asia, University of Texas, Getty, Communist Party, FBI, National Security Propaganda, CCTV, Ministry of State, China’s National Security Commission, Group, China Development Forum, Perkins Coie LLP, ”, MSS Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beihai, British, American, Beijing, Austin, AFP, Zhejiang province, Shanghai, New York, overreaching

☆ After my brother tragically died, I knew I wanted to pursue adventure. Now my family and I live on a catamaran.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

We're pretty sure Kerry was executed there exactly two months later, in October 1978. So we had a memorial for Kerry, and then a few months later, John took his life. Rob Hamill rowing. Rob Hamill with Phil Stubbs, his teammate in the inaugural Atlantic rowing race in 1997. We got married about six months later, in 2001.

Persons: —, Rob Hamill, Pol Pot, Kerry, Kerry Hamill, Rob Hamill Kerry, Stuart Glass, Stuart, John Dewhirst, John, Hamill, who'd, Phil Stubbs, Phil, Comrade Duch, Pot, Rachel, Finn, Declan, Ivan, Rob Hamill's, Renee Whitaker, Hamill's, Finn didn't, We've Organizations: Service, Business, Navy, Atlantic, New Zealand, Pacific Locations: New Zealand, Khmer Rouge, Communist, Cambodia, Australia, Darwin, Khmer, Malaysia's, Kerry, Phnom Penh, Asia, Tenerife, Barbados, Ireland, New, Thailand, Angkor Wat

☆ Xi Jinping’s Green Leap Forward - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Jacob Dreyer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He has brushed aside Deng Xiaoping’s maxim “To get rich is glorious” in favor of centralized planning and Communist-sounding slogans like “ecological civilization” and “new, quality productive forces,” which have prompted predictions of the end of China’s economic miracle. In recent years, the transition away from fossil fuels has become Mr. Xi’s mantra and the common thread in China’s industrial policies. It’s yielding results: China is now the world’s leading manufacturer of climate-friendly technologies, such as solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles. Last year the energy transition was China’s single biggest driver of overall investment and economic growth, making it the first large economy to achieve that. This raises an important question for the United States and all of humanity: Is Mr. Xi right?

Persons: Jinping, Deng, Xi Locations: China, United States

☆ Microsoft invests $1.5 billion in AI firm G42 which faces U.S. scrutiny for China ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

G42 will run its AI applications and services on the Microsoft Azure cloud service, as well as deploy Microsoft's cloud offerings. The U.S. and UAE governments appeared to be heavily involved in the deal. "Both companies will move forward with a commitment to comply with U.S. and international trade, security, responsible AI, and business integrity laws and regulations," Microsoft said. Gallagher alleges that G42 maintains relationship with blacklisted Chinese firms, such as Huawei, and that it works with China's military and intelligence services. G42 itself has reportedly invested in Chinese firms, including TikTok owner ByteDance.

Persons: Brad Smith, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahya, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, ByteDance Organizations: Microsoft, United Arab, U.S, UAE, U.S ., Chinese Communist Party, Commerce Department, Huawei Locations: Bellevue , Washington, United Arab Emirates, U.S, UAE, China

☆ For U.S. Cuban claims holders, spy Manuel Rocha's plea deal raises fresh questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Michelle Caruso-Cabrera | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Raul Rubiera | Miami Herald | Getty ImagesWhen Carolyn Lamb saw news of Cuban spy Victor Manuel Rocha's arrest on the news last December, she recognized him immediately. The lower the value of the claims, the less the Cuban government would have to pay in any future negotiated settlement. Ashby assumed Rocha's paranoia about eavesdropping was in response to the George W. Bush administration's opposition to the Cuba claims buying business. But according to the Justice Department, by that point Rocha was already in his third decade as a Cuban agent. File photo of former US ambassador to Bolivia, Manuel Rocha, talking to the press on the 11th of July 2001.

Persons: V, Manuel Rocha, Steel Hector, Davis, Raul Rubiera, Carolyn Lamb, Victor Manuel Rocha's, Rocha, Lamb, Lamb's, Castro, Justin Solomon, CNBC Castro didn't nationalize, of Rocha, Fidel Castro's, It's, Jason Poblete, Poblete, John Kavulich, Sears Roebuck, Timothy Ashby, Ashby couldn't, Ashby, George W, Bush, Little, Covert, Gonzalo Espinoza Organizations: Miami Herald, Steel, Cuban, US State Department, National Security, Cuban Telephone Company, " Beverage Company, CNBC, Pepsi, General Electric, Century Fox, Cuba Trade, Economic Council, Justice Department, Citizen, State Department, National Security Council, DOJ, Cubans, FBI, AFP, Getty Locations: America, Omaha, Bolivia, Cuba, Havana, United States, Cuban, Rocha, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Argentina, Miami, Chile

☆ Election 2024 Trump plays the victim card at Pennsylvania rally ahead of his Monday trial.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Michael Gold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The case, which Mr. Trump also called a “communist show trial,” was brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and has nothing to do with Mr. Biden. As he often does, Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, cast himself as a victim of political persecution who is protecting his followers from a similar fate. Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that he backed Israel’s right to defend itself after a Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7. Mr. Biden won Pennsylvania in 2020 by more than 80,000 votes. “They cheat like hell,” Mr. Trump said of his political opponents, an allegation of voter fraud that has not been supported by evidence.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ” Mr, Biden, ”, “, Trump’s, Israel’s, Mr, Israel, Joe, “ They’re, I’m Organizations: White, Biden, Pennsylvania Locations: Manhattan, New York, Pennsylvania, York, Schnecksville, Pa, Iran, Israel, Gaza

☆ In Final Rally Before New York Trial, Trump Again Casts Himself as Political Victim
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Michael Gold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Two days before his first criminal trial was set to begin in Manhattan, former President Donald J. Trump on Saturday again framed the charges he faces as a broad attempt by Democrats to keep him from the White House, and he criticized a gag order placed on him by the judge in the New York case. “Two days from now, the entire world will witness the commencement of the very first Biden trial,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in eastern Pennsylvania, alluding to his frequent and false assertion that President Biden orchestrated the New York case. The case, which Mr. Trump also called a “communist show trial,” was brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and has nothing to do with Mr. Biden. As he often does, Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, cast himself as a victim of political persecution who is protecting his followers from a similar fate.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ” Mr, Biden, ” Organizations: White, Biden Locations: Manhattan, New York, Pennsylvania, York

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