28 October 2020 - China Special Weapons News

Infection through cold-chain industry prompts speculation over sources of Wuhan outbreak Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- Suspicions about the real source of COVID-19 are rising in China, with more cases being reported in which the live virus has been found on the packaging of imported frozen food. Such cases are believed to be the primary suspects in infecting cold-chain industry workers in Beijing and Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, later leading to local outbreaks. It is unclear if this was the case in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, earlier this year.
Cases of 3rd time COVID-19 infection in Bangladesh unlikely to happen in China: medical experts Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- Chinese medical experts said on Wednesday that the recent case that some people in Bangladesh was reinfected with the coronavirus for the second time or even the third time may be caused by patients' weak immune system or virus mutation and the situation is unlikely to repeat in China.
Live coronavirus can be imported through long-distance transportation and infect cold-chain workers Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- China has detected novel coronavirus on the packaging of frozen food, indicating that live coronavirus can be imported through long-distance transportation and infect cold-chain food industry workers who do not have effective protection, according to guidelines on COVID-19 prevention in the production and operation of cold-chain food issued by the National Health Commission.
Xinjiang's capital expands coronavirus testing after Kashi outbreak Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Kashi, residents of Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are being encouraged to get tested for the virus, in an expansion to the city's regular nucleic acid testing of city residents which began in mid-September.
China suspends imports declaration of 3 Russian fishing boats and one Netherlands cold storage on COVID-19 concern Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- China's General Administration of Customs has announced on Wednesday to suspend customs declaration from three Russian fishing boats and one Netherlands cold storage on COVID-19 prevention concerns.
Chinese mainland reports 42 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 22 in Xinjiang People's Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- Chinese health authority said Wednesday that it received reports of 42 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, including 22 that were domestically transmitted and 20 imported.
Xinjiang reports 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 19 asymptomatic ones People's Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region reported 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 19 asymptomatic ones on Tuesday, the regional health commission said Wednesday.
Hong Kong residents in mainland can return without 14-day quarantine from Nov. People's Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that Hong Kong residents returning from the Chinese mainland can be exempted from the 14-day quarantine requirement from November.
Xinjiang reports 5 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 19 asymptomatic ones People's Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region identified five new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 19 asymptomatic ones between 12 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday, a local health official said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Beijing launches tracing platform for imported cold-chain foods People's Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- Beijing has launched an online tracing platform to strengthen the supervision of imported cold-chain foods amid the COVID-19 pandemic, local authorities have said.

Communication channels on China-India border issues unimpeded, Indo-Pacific strategy outdated Cold War mentality: Chinese FM Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- China and India are properly handling the border issue through negotiations, and communication channels between them are unimpeded, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Chinese Embassy in India rejects US meddling in China-India border tensions Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- The Chinese Embassy in India has urged the US to stop meddling in China-India border issues and rejected anti-China comments made by US Secretary State Michael Pompeo during the India-US 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

US provocation may encourage Japanese right-wing forces to take action on Diaoyu Islands: analysts Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- US promise of military support to Japan on the Diaoyu Islands is war deterrence to China in accordance with the Trump administration's strategy to provoke regional disputes to contain China, Chinese analysts said, warning the Chinese military to prepare as some Japanese right-wing forces may be encouraged to take action over the issue.

Taiwan Company Pleads Guilty to Trade Secret Theft in Criminal Case Involving PRC State-Owned Company US Dept. of Justice 28 Oct 2020 -- The Department of Justice today announced that United Microelectronics Corporation, Inc. (UMC), a Taiwan semiconductor foundry, pleaded guilty to criminal trade secret theft and was sentenced to pay a $60 million fine, in exchange for its agreement to cooperate with the government in the investigation and prosecution of its co-defendant, a Chinese state-owned-enterprise.

FBI Arrests Five People in China's 'Operation Fox Hunt' VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- The FBI arrested five people Wednesday in connection with a scheme to force a former Chinese municipal official and his family residing in the United States to return to China, as part of China's "Operation Fox Hunt" anti-corruption campaign.
Eight Individuals Charged With Conspiring to Act as Illegal Agents of the People's Republic of China US Dept. of Justice 28 Oct 2020 -- PRC Officials Directed Multi-Year Campaign of Harassment and Stalking; Directed at U.S. Residents to Force Their Return to PRC
Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers Delivers Remarks Announcing People's Republic of China Related Arrests US Dept. of Justice 28 Oct 2020
FBI Director Christopher Wray's Remarks at Press Conference Regarding China's Operation Fox Hunt FBI 28 Oct 2020 -- FBI Director Christopher Wray delivered the following remarks during a press conference at the Department of Justice announcing charges against eight defendants in connection with their roles in a campaign to harass, stalk, and coerce certain residents of the U.S. to return to the People's Republic of China as part of a global, concerted, and extralegal repatriation effort known as Operation Fox Hunt. (Remarks as delivered)
Designation of the National Association for China's Peaceful Unification (NACPU) as a Foreign Mission of the PRC US Dept. of State 28 Oct 2020 -- The United Front Work Department (UFWD) is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organ tasked with co-opting and neutralizing threats to the party's rule and spreading its influence and propaganda overseas. The CCP regards this party apparatus as a "magic weapon" to advance Beijing's policies.

China strongly opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan: defense spokesperson PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- China firmly opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and has lodged solemn representations to the US side, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday.

China's second aircraft carrier ready to go to South China Sea to deter trouble-makers: expert Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- The latest training video for China's first domestically made aircraft carrier, Shandong, shows that the ship has obtained basic capacity and is ready to go to wider areas to improve its fighting capacity through practice, Chinese military experts told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Research and development process of new frontline patrol outfits explained PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- The PLA's frontline troops have been equipped with a number of new-type border patrol outfits recently. The upgrading of outfits reflects the improvement of the PLA's comprehensive and precise logistics support capabilities.
Postgraduate recruitment and self-study exam help foster military talents PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- The military academies and research institutes have recently rolled out their postgraduate recruitment plans for 2021, kicking off the comprehensive recruitment work for the next year. Candidates may apply to military academies and research institutes by the end of October 2020, and preliminary exams are scheduled for late December this year.
PLA Army debuts occupational qualification training and certification on UAV operation PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- Recently, the PLA Army (PLAA) launched its first occupational qualification assessment on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operation at the Ordnance Sergeant School of PLA Army Engineering University.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on October 28, 2020 PRC MofA 28 Oct 2020

US to Open Embassy in Maldives Amid Geopolitics Competition with China VOA 28 Oct 2020 -- The United States is opening an embassy in the Maldives to strengthen economic and security cooperation five decades after the two nations established diplomatic ties.
Trump Wants Putin To 'Join Forces' On China, Former Adviser Says RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- President Donald Trump would focus in a second term on getting Russian President Vladimir Putin to side with him in his confrontation with China, a former adviser said.
Trump Adviser Warns Of China, Says World Splitting Between Democratic, Authoritarian States RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- President Donald Trump's national-security adviser says the world is realigning geopolitically between democratic and authoritarian states as more countries realize the threat posed by China.

China to fix drawbacks COVID-19 exposed in new five-year plan Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, health institutes in China are committed to refining their health systems, such as enhancing surveillance and warning systems of contagious disease, and improving the quality of medical staff, which will prepare China's health system for future pandemics.
HK should join nation's 14th Five-Year Plan: advisor Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- Hong Kong should actively participate in the country's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), formulate a corresponding timetable and road map, and clarify the relationship between its own development and the country's overall strategy, political observers from the special administrative region (SAR) urged Wednesday.
China on track for ambitious climate pledge, carbon neutrality in 14th Five-Year Plan Global Times 28 Oct 2020 -- While global attention centers on China's economic targets as top officials meet in Beijing to map out blueprints for the country's development over the next five years and beyond, policies on environmental protection, specifically reducing carbon emissions, are expected to be highlighted in the new 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Chinese experts said.
China releases guidelines on national security education PLA Daily 28 Oct 2020 -- China's Ministry of Education has unveiled guidelines on national security education to foster students' awareness of safeguarding national security.

Hong Kong University Appointments Spark Fears of Chinese Communist Party Control Radio Free Asia 28 Oct 2020 -- The appointment of two mainland Chinese scholars as vice presidents of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has raised concerns that the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is taking control of the city's flagship institution.
China's Justice Ministry Orders Defense Attorneys to Drop Hong Kong 12 Cases Radio Free Asia 28 Oct 2020 -- Authorities in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen have issued a ban on lawyers appointed by the families of 12 Hong Kong activists detained by the China Coast Guard on Aug. 23 and currently being held in the city's Yantian Detention Center on suspicion of "illegally crossing a border."

Indonesia Mum on Fate of Uyghur Prisoners Reportedly Deported to China Radio Free Asia 28 Oct 2020 -- The fate of three Uyghurs allegedly deported by Indonesia to China after serving terrorism sentences is uncertain, with government officials in Jakarta tight-lipped about their whereabouts after they were released from prison.
U.S. Senators Introduce Resolution Declaring China Is Committing Genocide Against Uyghurs RFE/RL 28 Oct 2020 -- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation to declare that China is committing genocide against Uyghurs and other mainly Muslim ethnic groups in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

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28 October 2020 - China Special Weapons News