26 February 2021 - China Special Weapons News

WHO Probing Another Wuhan Wet Market for COVID-19 Origins, Reports Say Sputnik 26 Feb 2021 -- World Health Organization (WHO) experts are investigating possible links between COVID-19 and a wet market in China's Wuhan, different from the one initially blamed for being the virus' origin, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
China to promote equitable global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines: foreign ministry People's Daily 26 Feb 2021 -- Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday said dozens of countries have approved the emergency use of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines, and China will continue to promote the equitable global distribution of vaccines.
Over 10,000 in Macao inoculated with mainland-made COVID-19 vaccines People's Daily 26 Feb 2021 -- A total of 10,691 people in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) have been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines produced in the mainland as of Thursday, according to the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center of Macao.

India, China Establish Hotline to Reduce Border Tensions VOA 26 Feb 2021 -- India and China have agreed to establish a hotline between their foreign ministers, days after they pulled back thousands of troops that were facing off along their common border since a deadly clash in June.
China, India vow to improve ties after deadly border clash Press TV 26 Feb 2021 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar discuss border control and other bilateral issues during a lengthy phone call.

China, Singapore wrap up joint naval drill PLA Daily 26 Feb 2021 -- The 36th Chinese naval escort taskforce held a joint naval drill with the Singapore navy in waters near Singapore on February 24. The joint drill lasted about eight hours and was successfully completed at 7 p.m. on the same day.
102nd Mekong River joint patrol completed PLA Daily 26 Feb 2021 -- The 102nd Mekong River joint patrol by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand concluded on Friday, with three Chinese law-enforcement vessels returning home to port.

China's defense budget to continue to rise in 2021, buttressed by economic upturn, strong fiscal foundation: experts Global Times 26 Feb 2021 -- Despite the impact of COVID-19 over the past year, many Chinese military analysts and observers believe that the country's defense budget for 2021 will continue to increase, likely at a higher growth rate than 2020, and they name China's positive economic growth, the tough military threats China is facing and China's own rightful needs to develop national defense capacity as the main reasons.
China Said to be Installing Missile Base Near Border with Vietnam VOA 26 Feb 2021 -- To the alarm of the Vietnamese government, China is apparently building a surface-to-air missile base 20 kilometers from its border with Vietnam, as a long-term precaution and near-term warning to neighboring countries, observers say.

Chinese Businessman Charged With Conspiring To Steal Trade Secrets US Dept. of Justice 26 Feb 2021 -- WASHINGTON – Chi Lung Winsman Ng, aka Winsman Ng, 64, a Chinese businessman residing in Hong Kong, was indicted yesterday for conspiring to steal General Electric's (GE) trade secrets involving the company's silicon carbide MOSFET technology worth millions of dollars.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on February 26, 2021 PRC MofA 26 Feb 2021

China Punishes Australia as Proxy for the West Radio Free Asia 26 Feb 2021 -- As China's ban on coal imports from Australia drags on, questions are rising about whether Beijing's political punishment of a major trading partner is worth the cost.

Hong Kong Police Could Charge Dozens of Pro-Democracy Activists Radio Free Asia 26 Feb 2021 -- National security police in Hong Kong look set to bring subversion charges against more than 50 opposition politicians and activists in a city-wide crackdown on dissent under a draconian law imposed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Hong Kong University Axes Support For Student Union Amid Crackdown Radio Free Asia 26 Feb 2021 -- Amid a city-wide crackdown on all forms of peaceful dissent, students at Hong Kong's universities are fighting a rearguard action over freedom of speech after the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) withdrew recognition for the student union.

UN Rights Chief Says Abuses in Xinjiang Must be 'Independently Assessed' Radio Free Asia 26 Feb 2021 -- The United Nations lead official for human rights called on Friday for a full and independent investigation of human rights abuses in northwest China's Xinjiang region, where reports say over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been held in a vast network of internment camps since 2017.
More hostility toward China over human rights seen within EU; bloc's leadership urged to act to maintain sound bilateral ties Global Times 26 Feb 2021 -- Some European countries have recently taken turns criticizing China for what they said "repressing" Uygurs in its Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, especially at the ongoing UN Human Rights Council. Against the backdrop of increasing China-EU trade exchanges, politicizing human rights issues may cast hurdles to ties, analysts said, noting that the EU should have more independence from the US and avoid being bound to the US' warship of attacking China in fields like human rights.
China hits back at Netherlands over 'genocide' claim Press TV 26 Feb 2021 -- China has hit back at the Netherlands for accusing Beijing of committing "genocide" against the Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang region.

Chinese Companies Buy up UK Private Schools, Sparking Fears of CCP Influence Radio Free Asia 26 Feb 2021 -- Chinese companies have bought up 17 U.K. private schools in the United Kingdom in recent years, sparking fears of expanding Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence in the country as the schools struggle financially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, British media reported.

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