Today’s News 25 April 2021 (Sunday)

A. NAVY NEWS/COVID NEWS/PHOTOS Title Writer Newspaper Page NIL NIL NIL NIL

B. NATIONAL HEADLINES Title Writer Newspaper Page EU: China Endangering Peace in S. China PDI A1 1 Reuters Sea 2 Phl sees’accelerated’ vaccine deliveries M Jaymalin P Star 1

C. NATIONAL SECURITY Title Writer Newspaper Page 3 China farm region produces lingerie AFP PDI A2 4 Time to rally Ph allies vs China – Drilon D Yap PDI A1 5 Bising exits Phl H Flores P Star 10 6 Beijing claims Julian Felipe Reef as EU P Brago P Star 4 slams China 7 PCG, BFAR hold maritime exercises in WPS E Macairan P Star 10 8 PH – China trades soars to $16.4B in Q1 G Kabiling PDI A2 9 EU raises concern over South China Sea A Geducos PDI 1 situation; bats for binding Code of Conduct 10 PH Coast Guard heightens sovereignty R Noriega M Bulletin 3 patrols in West PH Sea 11 EU blames China for endangering peace in Reuters Malaya B2 South China Sea 12 Drilon: Incursions result of gov’t R Africa Malaya B4 ‘appeasement policy’ on China 13 Coast Guard, BFAR conduct sea drills V Reyes Malaya B4 14 PCG, BFAR hold maritime exercises J Canlas M Times A3 15 PCG steps up West PH Sea Patrols R Noriega Tempo 2 16 PCG holds drills in SCS to assert PH P Journal 2 jurisdiction 17 Support our President – front liners’ group P Journal 2 18 Kakapusin sa isda PM 3 19 Beijing reacts vs EU concern over WPS D Tribune 1 20 COVID- free Lorenzana shares exercises M Punongbayan P Star 17 routine

D. INDO-PACIFIC Title Writer Newspaper Page Indonesian navy says lost sub with 53 AP B Mirror A7 21 aboard sank

E. AFP RELATED Title Writer Newspaper Page Parlade, Badoy called serious threat to PDI A4 22 N Corrales public Lawmakers eye realigning NTF-ELCAC P Star 5 23 D Porcalla budget Gag order not enough, Parlade must go P Star 5 24 – P Romero senators 25 Parlade, Badoy gagged S Locus D Tribune 3 -hunt on W Vigilia Malaya B3 26 Leni tells gov’t: Stop witch community pantry organizers Guevarra tells bloody Sunday vi H Lawas P Journa 13 27 ctims’ kin to trust AO 35 28 Pondo ng NTF-ELCAC ‘wag tanggalin A Dela Cruz Ngayon 2 29 NTF-ELCAC defunding bucked J Manalastas P Journal 2 U.S., PH forces conclude 36th Balikatan P Tonight 11 30 Exercises

F. CPP-NPA-NDF-LCM Title Writer Newspaper Page Communist terrorists should be held P Star 4 31 M Punongbayan accountable for their crimes 32 2 rebels slain in encounter G Bayoran P Star 10 150 Anakpawis members, NPA rebels yield L Iñigo M Bulletin 15 33 in Cagayan 150 Anakpawis members, NPA rebels yield L Iñigo Tempo 2 34 in Cagayan 35 DPWH man hurt in NPA grenade attack J Eleda P Journal 13 36 84 NPA rebels in Calabarzon yield A Dalizon P Journal 13

G. MNLF/MILF/BIFF/ASG Title Writer Newspaper Page 37 Abu bandit gunned down in Basilan raid A Dalizon P Journal 13

H. EDITORIAL-OPINION-COMMENTARY-SPECIAL Title Writer Newspaper Page P Star 8 38 ‘Community spirit’ uplifts Filipinos over politics 39 ‘Reboulusyon kontra gutom’ P Star 9 s community PDI A8 40 7 ‘reasons’ why gov’t fear J Butuyan pantries 41 Del Rosario lost Panatag to China R Tiglao M Times A5 Fighting terrorism needs cooperation with M Times A4 42 allies 43 AFP goes all-out for WPS P Journal

I. ONLINE NEWS Title Link NATIONAL NEWS Health-economy balance to determine https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137961 44 next quarantine status Phivolcs detects 56 quakes at Taal https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/26/phivolcs- 45 Volcano in 24 hours detects-56-quakes-at-taal-volcano-in-24-hours/ 26 quakes recorded around Mt. https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/26/26-quakes- 46 Pinatubo in 24 hours — Phivolcs recorded-around-mt-pinatubo-in-24-hours- phivolcs/ NAVY NEWS Govt Launches Maritime Exercise At https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/04/26/govt 47 West PHL Sea -launches-maritime-exercise-at-west-phl-sea/ Barko iniimbestigahan sa https://news.abs- pagpapakawala ng wastewater sa cbn.com/news/04/25/21/barko- 48 Manila Bay iniimbestigahan-sa-pagpapakawala-ng- wastewater-sa-manila-bay AFP RELATED Pangilinan, Binay want Parlade https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/25/pangilinan- 49 censured over 'stupid' remarks vs binay-want-parlade-censured-over-stupid- Senate remarks-vs-senate/ House leaders not buying gag order on https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/25/title-103/ 50 Parlade, want NTF-ELCAC defunded Lawmakers eye realigning NTF- https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/04/26 51 ELCAC budget /2093801/lawmakers-eye-realigning-ntf-elcac- budget NSA Esperon Confirms Gag Order On https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/04/26/nsa- 52 Parlade, Badoy Over Community esperon-confirms-gag-order-on-parlade- Pantries badoy-over-community-pantries/ Esperon defends NTF-ELCAC budget https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/25/esperon- 53 anew amid calls for defunding defends-ntf-elcac-budget-anew-amid-calls-for- defunding/ NSA Shields NTF-Elcac, But Gags https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/04/26/nsa- 54 Parlade, Badoy shields-ntf-elcac-but-gags-parlade-badoy/ ‘Communist terrorists should be held https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/04/26 55 accountable for their crimes’ /2093808/communist-terrorists-should-be-held- accountable-their-crimes NDF grows weaker as Filipinos expose https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137921 56 its ‘rapaciousness’ BDP for best interest of underserved https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137951 57 barangays: Esperon Another Ampatuan massacre suspect https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137954 58 falls 150 Anakpawis members, NPA rebels https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/25/150-anakpawis- 59 yield in Cagayan members-npa-rebels-yield-in-cagayan/ P16.5-B BDP funds go directly to LGUs: https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137943 60 NCIP exec Military Validating Reports On Alleged https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/04/26/milit 61 Bomber’s Death ary-validating-reports-on-alleged-bombers- death/ INDO PACIFIC NEWS Shelving disputes with Beijing has not https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202104250007 62 worked for Manila EU blames China for endangering https://www.reuters.com/world/china/eu- 63 peace in South China Sea blames-china-endangering-peace-south-china- sea-2021-04-25/ Germany should be tough on China, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 64 Greens’ chancellor candidate says article/3130986/germany-should-be-tough- china-greens-chancellor-candidate-says China’s dominance of rare earths https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 65 supply is a concern in the West article/3130990/chinas-dominance-rare-earths- supply-growing-concern-west China plans on boosting domestic https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china- 66 consumption in May plans-boosting-domestic-consumption-may- 2021-04-25/ China is switching its investment focus https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 67 in Africa from oil to minerals article/3130912/china-switching-its-investment- focus-africa-oil-minerals China pledges greater protection for hi- https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/artic 68 tech intellectual property le/3131007/china-pledges-greater-protection- hi-tech-intellectual-property Chinese observers: US’ Russia https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ article/3130884/us-russia-sanctions-noted-it- 69 sanctions noted, but it won’t work on Beijing wont-work-beijing-chinese

New Chinese Decree Tells Religious https://www.voanews.com/east-asia- Leaders to ‘Support the Communist pacific/voa-news-china/new-chinese-decree- 70 Party’ tells-religious-leaders-support-communist- party

Hong Kong civil servants become wary https://www.scmp.com/news/hong- 71 of office snitches jostling to prove loyalty kong/politics/article/3130981/watch-what-you- say-hong-kong-civil-servants-become-wary Biden and Putin eye possible June https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- 72 summit: Kremlin aide relations/Biden-and-Putin-eye-possible-June- summit-Kremlin-aide Japanese ruling party to fare badly in https://www.reuters.com/world/asia- 73 votes for three parliamentary seats pacific/japanese-ruling-party-fare-badly-votes- three-parliamentary-seats-2021-04-25/ Suga suffers triple defeat in bellwether https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Suga-suffers- 74 Diet by-elections triple-defeat-in-bellwether-Diet-by-elections Taiwan is a sovereign state, not https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4186 75 subordinate to China: VP Lai Ching-te 456 Korea's dilemma deepens over joining https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021 76 US-led Quad network /04/356_307780.html No response to Trump slamming Moon: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021 77 Cheong Wa Dae /04/120_307743.html ASEAN changed Myanmar statement https://www.reuters.com/world/asia- on release of political detainees pacific/asean-changed-myanmar-statement- 78 release-political-detainees-sources-2021-04- 25/ Asean leaders tell Myanmar coup https://www.hindustantimes.com/world- 79 maker to end killings news/asean-leaders-tell-myanmar-coup- maker-to-end-killings-101619315783386.html Myanmar anti-coup leader says ASEAN https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s- 80 summit falls short of goals Picks/Interview/Myanmar-anti-coup-leader- says-ASEAN-summit-falls-short-of-goals Myanmar activists deride ASEAN-junta https://www.reuters.com/world/asia- consensus, vow to continue protests pacific/myanmar-people-slam-asean-junta- 81 consensus-end-violence-no-immediate- protests-2021-04-25/ Burmese exiles cheer ASEAN plea https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archiv 82 es/2021/04/26/2003756379 Indonesia, Vietnam renew calls to https://www.thejakartapost.com/seasia/2021/0 83 finish EEZ negotiations 4/24/indonesia-vietnam-renew-calls-to-finish- eez-negotiations.html PM Modi says India shaken by https://www.reuters.com/world/asia- 84 coronavirus ‘storm’, U.S. readies help pacific/india-coronavirus-cases-set-new- global-record-us-readies-help-2021-04-25/ Russia may label Navalnys opposition https://www.nationthailand.com/international/4 85 networks as extremists 0000190 The Hambali Problem in ASEAN-US https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/the-hambali- 86 Relations problem-in-asean-us-relations/ https://thediplomat.com/2021/04/think-the-eu- 87 Think the EU Isn’t Acting on China? Look Closer isnt-acting-on-china-look-closer/ Kennan’s Containment Strategy: A https://nationalinterest.org/feature/kennan%E2 88 Consensus on What Not to Do by %80%99s-containment-strategy-consensus- Robert D. Kaplan what-not-do-183428 DEFENSE NEWS World military spending grows despite https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2105587/ 89 pandemic world-military-spending-grows-despite- pandemic 14 Chinese militia vessels spotted in https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/natio 90 Julian Felipe Reef n/785110/14-chinese-militia-vessels-spotted- at-julian-felipe-reef/story/ Philippines must take lead in sea https://news.abs- dispute vs China, US will support: envoy cbn.com/news/04/26/21/philippines-must-take- 91 lead-in-sea-dispute-vs-china-us-will-support- envoy PH asserts WPS presence https://manilastandard.net/news/top- 92 stories/352809/ph-asserts-wps-presence.html Philippine coast guard holds drills in https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archiv 93 south sea es/2021/04/26/2003756380 Indonesia confirms submarine https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast- 94 wreckage found, 53 crew members asia/article/3130961/rescuers-find-floating- dead debris-thought-be-sunken-indonesian Indonesian submarine split into three https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- 95 and all 53 are dead: authorities relations/Indonesian-submarine-split-into- three-and-all-53-are-dead-authorities Missing submarine is found crushed https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/missing- 96 into pieces on sea floor indonesian-submarine-is-found-cracked-apart- on-the-sea-bed-off-bali-crdmzg30v President Jokowi sends condolences https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2021/04/ 97 to families of sunken submarine crew 25/president-jokowi-sends-condolences-to- families-of-sunken-submarine-crew.html 'He was a natural leader': S'pore https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/he- professors remember commander of was-a-natural-leader-professors-remember- 98 sunken Indonesian submarine indonesian-submarine-commander-who-was- rsis

Vietnam building up its maritime militia, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplo magazine says 99 macy/article/3130932/south-china-sea- vietnam-building-its-maritime-militia-magazine

China, Vietnam agree to boost military https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ 100 trust amid simmering tensions article/3131002/china-vietnam-agree-boost- trust-amid-south-china-sea-tensions Xi unveils three new warships in https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/xi-unveils- 101 warning to Taiwan three-new-warships-in-warning-to-taiwan- xf2cz50kq China’s most advanced assault ship https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/arti 102 enters service cle/3130951/chinas-most-advanced- amphibious-assault-ship-expected-be China's latest warships pose regional https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4186 103 and US threat: Taiwan analyst 427 China Coast Guard vessels patrol https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04- 104 Diaoyu Islands 25/China-Coast-Guard-vessels-patrol-Diaoyu- Islands-ZK4ZaPkTzq/index.html China might increase the pressure, https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archi 105 officials warn ves/2021/04/25/2003756321 Why does the PLA keep sending planes https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/arti 106 into Taiwan’s air defence zone? cle/3130928/why-does-mainland-china-keep- sending-planes-taiwans-air-defence China aims to launch Chang'e-6 lunar https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04- 107 probe around 2024 25/China-aims-to-launch-Chang-e-6-lunar- probe-around-2024-ZJWpQGDNhS/index.html Wuhan lab helped Chinese army in https://www.kmjnow.com/news/wuhan-lab- 108 secret project to find animal viruses helped-chinese-army-in-secret-project-to-find- animal-viruses/ Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan https://www.reuters.com/world/middle- says steps to end military mission east/top-us-commander-afghanistan-says- 109 launched steps-end-military-mission-launched-2021-04- 25/ US, NATO begin troop withdrawal from https://en.mehrnews.com/news/172565/US- 110 Afghanistan NATO-begin-troop-withdrawal-from- Afghanistan NASA’s Mars helicopter’s third flight https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/26/nasas-mars- 111 goes farther, faster than before helicopters-third-flight-goes-farther-faster-than- before/ 74% in Japan support engagement in https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International- 112 Taiwan Strait relations/74-in-Japan-support-engagement-in- Taiwan-Strait-Nikkei-poll Battle erupts in Myanmar opposite https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general 113 Three Pagodas Pass /2105171/battle-erupts-in-myanmar-opposite- three-pagodas-pass Australia defence minister says conflict https://www.reuters.com/world/asia- with China over Taiwan 'should not be pacific/australia-defence-minister-says-conflict- 114 discounted' with-china-over-taiwan-should-not-be-2021-04- 25/ Australia and New Zealand honour https://www.reuters.com/world/australia-new- 115 military with return of public zealand-honour-military-with-return-public- commemoration commemoration-2021-04-25/ Australia and New Zealand mark Anzac https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archiv 116 Day with commemoration of war dead es/2021/04/26/2003756383 Why is Germany sending a frigate https://www.scmp.com/week- 117 through the South China Sea? asia/opinion/article/3130854/why-germany- sending-frigate-through-south-china-sea German chancellor fears conflict in https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4186 118 Taiwan Strait 529 Germany’s Greens back creation of https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/germanys- 119 European army greens-back-creation-of-european-army- rcn6vjlvq Four Ways a China-U.S. War at Sea https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/20 120 Could Play Out 21-04-25/u-s-china-sea-war-could-spread-to- japan-australia-india?srnd=premium-asia COVID NEWS Biden Health Official Says ‘Much https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponcian o/2021/04/25/biden-health-official-says-much- 121 Higher’ Risk Of Aspirin Causing Major Stomach Bleeding Than J&J Vaccine higher-risk-of-aspirin-causing-major-stomach- Causing Blood Clots bleeding-than-jj-vaccine-causing-blood-clots/ More than 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/31309 122 shots administered worldwide 73/coronavirus-more-1-billion-vaccine-shots- administered-worldwide Coronavirus: France to provide https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south- 123 ‘significant’ oxygen support to India asia/article/3131039/coronavirus-france- provide-significant-oxygen-support-hard-hit What you need to know about the https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health- coronavirus right now coronavirus-snapshot/what-you-need-to-know- 124 about-the-coronavirus-right-now- idUSKBN2C30HF Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020- 125 Across the World coronavirus-cases-world- map/?srnd=coronavirus Covid map: Where are cases the https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105 126 highest?

J. OPINION/EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY Title Link 127 Del Rosario lost Panatag to China https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/04/26/opinio n/columnists/topanalysis/del-rosario-lost- panatag-to-china/867540/ 128 Checking China’s maritime push https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/cro ssroads-by-j-a-dela-cruz/352797/checking- china-s-maritime-push.html 129 On seeing red https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/so- i-see-by-lito-banayo/352804/on-seeing- red.html 130 7 ‘reasons’ why gov’t fears community https://opinion.inquirer.net/139655/7-reasons- pantries why-govt-fears-community-pantries 131 Rebolusyon kontra gutom’ https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/04/26/2 093738/rebolusyon-kontra-gutom 132 China’s record 1st quarter fuels strong https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/04/26/opinio expansion, global prospects n/columnists/topanalysis/chinas-record-1st- quarter-fuels-strong-expansion-global- prospects/867538/ 133 Is Asean’s Myanmar five-point https://www.scmp.com/week- consensus workable, and what’s next? asia/politics/article/3131028/aseans-myanmar- five-point-consensus-workable-and-what-next

134 How US withdrawal from Afghanistan https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article offers promise and peril for China /3130804/how-us-withdrawal-afghanistan- offers-promise-and-peril-china 135 Traitors exploiting freedom of https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/ar expression chives/2021/04/26/2003756349 136 For China, Japan looks to be leaving https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Comment/For- Asia to side with US China-Japan-looks-to-be-leaving-Asia-to-side- with-US 137 What's the most distinctive part of the https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04-25/What- CPC's character? s-the-most-distinctive-part-of-the-CPC-s- character--ZJWiZrPlUA/index.html 138 Exorcisms, ‘corrective’ rape: inside https://www.scmp.com/week- Indonesia’s LGBT ‘conversion’ asia/people/article/3130861/exorcisms-and- therapies corrective-rape-inside-indonesias- controversial-lgbt 139 Why Chinese construction firms will https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/ remain the big builders in Africa article/3130988/why-chinese-construction- firms-will-remain-big-builders-africa 140 Why getting to the heart of Xinjiang https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/artic forced labour claims is so hard le/3131010/xinjiang-cotton-why-it-so-hard-find- out-truth-about-forced 141 On Taiwan: The last half century of https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/ar Taiwan’s ‘unsettled’ status chives/2021/04/26/2003756348

Health-economy balance to determine next quarantine status

By Azer Parrocha April 25, 2021, 8:21 pm

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque (File photo)

MANILA – Malacañang on Sunday said the next quarantine status for Metro Manila and four nearby provinces after April 30 will hinge on a delicate balance between the health and economy.

“The members of the IATF, in their next meeting, would look into the analytics of the healthcare system of the National Capital Region Plus and the country,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press statement.

Roque said the IATF-EID will specifically review the attack rate and the hospital care utilization rate while checking the economic health of the nation.

“Our approach is whole-of-government and our overarching goal is to promote the total health of Filipinos, including people who have been marginalized due to loss of jobs and have experienced poverty as a result because of the imposition of strict lockdowns,” he added.

Whether the quarantine status will be relaxed or retained, Roque assured that the IATF-EID will decide on the basis of science and hard data.

In a radio interview on Sunday, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the IATF is set to tackle the next quarantine classifications for NCR Plus on Tuesday.

OCTA Research earlier urged the government to retain the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status in Metro Manila until the reproduction rate is less than 0.9 in a sustained manner.

Metro Manila’s reproduction rate is currently at 0.93.

NCR Plus, which refers to Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, is currently under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) until the end of the month.

Besides NCR Plus, the City of Santiago in Isabela, Quirino (Region 2), and Abra in the Cordillera Administrative Region are also under MECQ. Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya (Region 2), Batangas (Region 4-A), Tacloban City (Region 8), Iligan City (Region 10), Davao City (Region 11), and Lanao del Sur (BARMM), and Quezon are under general community quarantine (GCQ).

The rest of the Philippines is under the least restrictive modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).

As of Sunday, health authorities recorded 8,162 new Covid-19 cases bringing the total number of cases in the country to 997,523.

The Department of Health also recorded 109 more deaths, bringing the death toll to 16,783 and 20,509 new recoveries raising the recovery tally to 903,665. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137961

Phivolcs detects 56 quakes at Taal Volcano in 24 hours

Published April 26, 2021, 9:02 AM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz Taal Volcano in Batangas logged 56 earthquakes in the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said on Monday, April 26.

Of the total number of earthquakes, Phivolcs said 35 were volcanic tremors having durations of one minute to 18 minutes while 21 were low-frequency volcanic earthquakes and low- level background tremor that started at 9:05 a.m. on April 8, 2021.

It also observed a “weak” emission of steam-laden plumes from Taal Volcano’s gas vents that rose 10 meters.

(ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)

Taal Volcano’s sulfur dioxide emission averaged 701 tonnes per day on April 25, Sunday while temperature highs of 71.8 degrees Celsius and pH of 1.59 were last measured from the main crater lake on March 4 and Feb. 12, 2021, respectively.

Phivolcs added that ground deformation parameters continued to indicate a “very slow and steady inflation and expansion of the Taal region since after the January 2020 eruption.”

“These parameters indicate persistent magmatic activity at shallow depths beneath the edifice,” it said.

Phivolcs maintained the alert level over Taal Volcano at Alert Level 2.

The restive volcano in Batangas has been under Alert Level 2 since March 9, 2021.

“Sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within and around TVI (Taal Volcano Island),” Phivolcs pointed out. It warned the public from entering the volcano island, which is a permanent danger zone, especially the vicinities of the main crater and Daang Kastila fissure.

Occupancy and boating on Taal Lake should also be strictly prohibited, Phivolcs added.

Local government units were advised to continuously assess and strengthen the preparedness of previously evacuated barangays around Taal Lake in case of renewed unrest.

Civil aviation authorities were also asked to advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano as airborne ash and ballistic fragments from explosions and wind-remobilized ash may pose hazards to aircraft.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/26/phivolcs-detects-56-quakes-at-taal-volcano-in-24-hours/

26 quakes recorded around Mt. Pinatubo in 24 hours — Phivolcs

Published April 26, 2021, 8:44 AM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) detected a total of 26 volcanic earthquakes in Mt. Pinatubo from Sunday, April 25, to Monday, April 26.

In a volcano bulletin issued on Monday morning, Phivolcs said that Alert Level 1 will remain over Mt. Pinatubo due to low-level unrest that may be related to tectonic processes beneath its edifice.

The active volcano in Central Luzon has been under an “abnormal” state since March 4, 2021, when Phivolcs raised its status to Alert Level 1.

However, it clarified that “no imminent eruption is foreseen.”

“Entry into the Pinatubo Crater area must be conducted with extreme caution and should be avoided if possible,” Phivolcs advised.

It also asked communities and local government units surrounding Mt. Pinatubo to remain prepared for both earthquake and volcanic hazards and to review, prepare and strengthen their contingency, emergency, and other disaster preparedness plans.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/26/26-quakes-recorded-around-mt-pinatubo-in-24-hours-phivolcs/

Barko iniimbestigahan sa pagpapakawala ng wastewater sa Manila Bay

April Rafales, ABS-CBN News

Posted at Apr 25 2021 01:53 PM | Updated as of Apr 25 2021 06:27 PM

Iniimbestigahan ng mga awtoridad ang isang barkong nagpakawala ng maruming tubig sa Manila Bay. Kirk Salazar, ABS-CBN News

MAYNILA (UPDATE) — Iniimbestigahan ng mga awtoridad ang isang barko matapos itong magpakawala ng wastewater o maduming tubig sa Manila Bay.

Nakuhanan ng mga vlogger noong Sabado ang pagpapakawala ng barko, na itinuturing rason kung bakit naging kulay kalawang ang malaking bahagi ng Manila Bay sa may Baywalk.

"'Yong kulay niya ay 'di nagbabago, yellowish pa rin at kumakalat sa Manila Bay so posibleng mayroon itong epekto sa marine life at mismong sa ating paglilinis ng Manila Bay," ani Manila Bay Coordinating Office Deputy Executive Director Jacob Meimban.

Nitong umaga ng Linggo, kumuha ng water sample ang mga tauhan ng Manila Bay Coordinating Office kasama ang Philippine Coast Guard at Metropolitan manila Development Authority para malaman kung may halong langis ang pinakawalang wastewater.

Ayon sa oiler ng barko na si Escolastico Bunyi, ilang buwan nang nakatengga ang barko sa lugar dahil nasiraan at kailangang maiayos.

Pero itinanggi niyang may kasamang langis at pinakawalang wastewater.

"Galing din po 'yan sa ilalim, sa dagat din. Kapag pinaaandar 'yong makina dahil cooling po yan, seawater na may posibilidad na puwedeng sumipsip siya at papalabas ulit," ani Bunyi.

LOOK: A ship is under investigation for releasing a substance into Manila bay. Water samples have been collected Sunday morning to determine whether it contained oil. pic.twitter.com/dqjzb3i5m1

— April Rafales (@aprilrafales) April 25, 2021

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/25/21/barko-iniimbestigahan-sa-pagpapakawala-ng-wastewater- sa-manila-bay Pangilinan, Binay want Parlade censured over 'stupid' remarks vs Senate

Published April 25, 2021, 5:26 PM by Hannah Torregoza The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should censure National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade. Jr. for conduct unbecoming of an officer and for violating civilian supremacy over the military.

“Respect and obedience to the chain of command is a sacred and fundamental principle in the military. Despite a standing order from his superiors, Parlade’s red-tagging ordinary citizens and name-calling elected officials sow division and disunity in the military hierarchy,” Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said in a statement on Sunday.

Pangilinan made the call after National Security Adviser Hermgenes Esperon, Jr. issued a gag order against Parlade after he was criticized for red-tagging community pantries that have sprouted up in various parts in Metro Manila.

Parlade also called senators “stupid” after they called for the defunding of the NTF- ELCAC’s P19-billion budget and realigning it to the government’s COVID-19 response.

Sen. Nancy Binay said she would support the filing of a resolution censuring Parlade that Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon intends to file this week.

“There’s basis for Senate Minority Leader Drilon file a motion censuring General Parlade because we all know the statements he said against the Senate are inappropriate,” Binay said in an interview over Radio DZRH.

“At the end of the day, we need to protect the institution,” Binay stressed.

Pangilinan also said that aside from tarnishing the image of the AFP as an institution that adheres to the strictest tenets of discipline and professionalism, Parlade’s misconduct conveys to junior military officers the message that a subordinate senior military officer can disregard basic law of the land.

It also shows, the senator said, that Parlade can ignore the AFP Chief of Staff’s order and operate outside the chain of command “and get away with it.” “If the AFP can discipline intel chief Major General Alex Luna and remove him as intel chief for the red-tagging of UP alumni in January this year, why can’t it discipline Parlade?” he pointed out.

“This AFP inaction may be misconstrued as the AFP playing favorites and that some are more favored than others,” he stressed.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/25/pangilinan-binay-want-parlade-censured-over-stupid-remarks-vs- senate/

House leaders not buying gag order on Parlade, want NTF- ELCAC defunded

Published April 25, 2021, 3:36 PM by Ben Rosario Leaders of opposition and administration blocs in the House of Representatives are not buying the gag order imposed on spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as a way of sparing the agency from getting defunded.

Deputy Speaker and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. and Asst. Minority Leader and Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas want the remaining balance of the P19-billion of NTF-ELCAC re-allocated to various financial support programs for Filipinos who have continued to absorbed the economic impact of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Brosas said the gag order imposed on NTF-ELCAC spokespersons Gen. Antonio Perlade and Lorraine Badoy is not enough to stop the “dangerous red-tagging spree” that the two officials have conducted against various personalities, including community pantry organizers.

The opposition solon said the agency should be abolished and its budget realigned for emergency cash aid to Filipinos suffering from the ill-effects of the COVID 19 pandemic.

On the other hand, Abante said the government should prioritize financial assistance programs over a controversial counter-insurgency body more focused on red-tagging than its actual mandate.

In a resolution filed last week, Abante urged the House to act “to reallocate the 16 billion pesos allotted for the NTF-ELCAC’s barangay development projects to subsidy programs under the DSWD and the DOLE meant to provide financial support for unemployed Filipinos and underprivileged families.” According to the resolution, “given the gravity of the problems brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in light of the inability of NTF-ELCAC to properly perform its functions, the government should prioritize efforts to provide financial assistance and other forms of support to our countrymen who have no sources of income or have limited means as a result of the pandemic.” The resolution pointed out that “our country is currently in the middle of a pandemic that has claimed over 16,000 lives in the Philippines alone, with a total of close to a million COVID-19 cases tallied since January 2020 and 107,988 active cases as of 22 April 2021.” Brosas warned that the P19 billion budget granted by government to the NTF-ELCAC will go down the drain because the said agency does not have a clear program except to harass and put in danger the lives of people they have been red-tagging.

She also called for the dismissal of Badoy and Parlade because they are “a seroius threat to the public.” She said the duo should also be barred from holding any public office.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/25/title-103/

Lawmakers eye realigning NTF-ELCAC budget

Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star ) - April 26, 2021 - 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — For red-tagging community pantries, a key leader of the House of Representatives has hinted about “realigning” the P16.4 billion that Congress allotted this year for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

“The bulk of NTF-ELCAC funds can be rechanneled to giving more direct financial aid to the unemployed workers displaced by the pandemic, upgrading our contact tracing abilities or providing more hospital beds,” Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero said over the weekend.

“No one should get away with red-tagging and unlawful profiling,” Romero added.

The 1Pacman party-list representative has proposed a House inquiry on the matter as early as next week even before Congress resumes session on May 17.

“We want NTF-ELCAC officials to give details as to where and how the funds are being used, and how their vilification tactics translate to having more communist rebels turning their backs on insurgency,” he said.

“Should the NTF-ELCAC fail to substantiate their claims and justify their use of funds, Congress may realign its budget to more urgent needs,” he added. “Some may also go to upgrading the capabilities of our (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and the Philippine Coast Guard to guard our maritime borders.”

The president of the 54-member Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. joined his House colleagues in condemning NTF-ELCAC’s pronouncements, and called for an “immediate congressional investigation” into how the agency is using its fund in the 2021 budget.

“The rampant unlawful profiling and obvious red-tagging of organizers of community pantries by officials of the NTF-ELCAC are simply too wicked to be ignored by the members of this august chamber,” Romero said.

Meanwhile, local governments have been urged to follow the example set by Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, both of whom have forbidden barangay as well as police officials from interfering with the activities of community pantries.

Both Moreno and Sotto have also said community pantries in their jurisdictions need not apply for permits.

Due to the pandemic, some 4.2 million Filipinos have lost their jobs while another 7.9 million have suffered pay cuts at work, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The number of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger hit a record 21.1 percent for the whole of 2020, according to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations.

In a related development, the NTF-ELCAC said P9.66 billion worth of its projects have been approved under its Barangay Development Program (BDP).

The NTF-ELCAC said the BDP package of 483 barangays was approved and that the multibillion-peso budget ready for release to provincial and city governments.

“Note that these will not be released in cash, but in the form of projects earlier described, to the local governments of the identified barangay recipients,” NTF-ELCAC chairman and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said.

Esperon added that a total of 525 barangays have already endorsed their respective programs while the rest are in process in accordance with the guidelines set by the Department of Budget and Management.

A total of 822 barangays deemed cleared from the influence of the New People’s Army are covered by the P16.9-billion BDP budget.

Esperon said he recognizes the concern of lawmakers and the public over the utilization of the BDP funds, but gave assurance that there are proper transparency and accountability mechanisms in place.

“Allow me to reassure the public that the package of programs under the BDP are released following the stringent evaluation of the government agencies concerned,” he added. The NTF-ELCAC again had recently come under fire following the controversial statements of its two spokespersons linking community pantries sprouting in the country to communists.

Esperon imposed a gag order on Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade and Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy from speaking further about the community pantries.

“Yes, I did, if only to emphasize that the NTF-ELCAC or Gen. Parlade or Usec Badoy are not against bayanihan or community pantries,” Esperon said.

“Lest it be misunderstood, they will desist making comments on community pantries and the NTF-ELCAC will support, observe and assist community pantries as does the whole of government,” he added. – Romina Cabrera

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/04/26/2093801/lawmakers-eye-realigning-ntf-elcac-budget

NSA Esperon Confirms Gag Order On Parlade, Badoy Over Community Pantries BYRENE ACOSTA APRIL 26, 2021 2 MINUTE READ NATIONAL Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said on Sunday that he had asked the two spokespersons of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF- Elcac) to keep their mouth shut on the issue of community pantries if only to show that the body is not against their operations.

The “gag” order covered Armed Forces Southern Luzon Command commander Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. and Presidential Communications Operations Office Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy who are both also serving as spokespersons of the NTF-Elcac.

“Yes I did if only to emphasize that NTF-ELCAC or Gen. Parlade or Usec Badoy are not against bayanihan or community pantries,” Esperon, who heads the body, said.

Parlade and Badoy are under heavy criticism for claiming that communist pantries which are promoting bayanihan by providing free food stuff to pandemic-affected poor and hungry Filipinos are communist fronts.

Because of the two’s penchant for red tagging as in the case of the communist pantries, some congressmen and senators have pushed for the defunding of NTF-Elcac’s P19-billion Barangay Development Assistance Program and instead allot it to the government’s pandemic response. They also called for an investigation of how the NTF-Elcac had spent its budget.

In response, Parlade called the senators “stupid” in one of his interviews with the media.

While Parlade and Badoy are endorsers of bayanihan, according to Esperon, both however are being restrained from talking about the communist pantries so that they will not be “misunderstood.”

“As commander of Solcom covering three regions, Lt. Gen. Parlade does a lot of bringing basic services to disadvantaged or calamity- stricken barangays and residents, therefore with no personal agenda but to help, and achieve his mandates and missions for AFP, and therefore for NTF-Elcac where AFP is a member. “Usec Badoy , who is a medical doctor by profession, is also a bayanihan enthusiast,” Esperon said.

“Lest it be misunderstood, they will desist making statements on community pantries,” he said.

Esperon said that Parlade earlier offered to resign as NTF-Elcac’s spokesman, but has not formally tendered his resignation yet.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana declined to comment on the gag order, especially for Parlade whom some said was his “fair-haired” boy in the military.

“None!” Was his response to military reporters when sought for his comments.

Esperon said the NTF-Elcac would help the community pantries.

“NTF-ELCAC will support, observe and assist CPs (community pantries) as does the whole of government,” he said.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/04/26/nsa-esperon-confirms-gag-order-on-parlade-badoy-over- community-pantries/

Esperon defends NTF-ELCAC budget anew amid calls for defunding

Published April 25, 2021, 1:26 PM by Manila Bulletin “Why take back the Barangay Development Program that was allotted for communities that need it most?”

This was the question posed by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. Sunday, April 25, as he reacted to calls by lawmakers to defund the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) over the “red-tagging” of its spokespersons on some organizers of the community pantries.

“The failure to deliver this program would not just mean frustration among us at NTF-ELCAC and the principles that we stand for. Rather, the failure to deliver the Barangay Development Program to the formerly conflicted communities that need it the most is tantamount to abandoning their aspirations for a dignified life,” said Esperon, who serves as the vice chairman of the anti-communist task force.

Prior to this, senators and congressmen called for the realignment and audit of the NTF-ELCAC’s P19-B budget this year after its spokespersons, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade and Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, linked the community pantry initiative to the communist movement.

The red-tagging forced the Maginhawa Community Pantry in Quezon City, the initiative organized by Ana Patricia Non which inspired the establishment of more than 300 other pantries across the country, to temporarily stop its operations. The community pantry offers free food and other basic necessities to people affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Senator Joel Villanueva said in a tweet Thursday, April 22, that the budget of the NTF-ELCAC should instead be used in the government’s pandemic response.

“We should move to defund the NTF-ELCAC in the next budget. The people’s money are just being wasted. Reallocate the current P19 billion budget for ‘ayuda.’ The money is more needed by the people instead of them,” the senator said. This was backed by at least five other senators. Parlade called the senators “stupid” for wanting to defund the NTF-ELCAC, and said they should just remove him from the task force instead of defunding them.

Meanwhile, House deputy speaker Mikee Romero, Rep. Juliette Uy, vice chairperson of the House appropriations committee, and Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo, vice chairperson of the overseas workers affairs committee, called for a congressional inquiry to determine the status of the NTF-ELCAC’s budget spending.

But Esperon insisted that the fund allotted by the Congress for the implementation of the BDP will be used to bring “sustainable grassroots development and empowerment” to more than 800 communities that were cleared of communist insurgency.

“It is fairly easy to make speculations thus far on [the] misuse of the BDP funds but to substantiate allegations is a matter that requires comprehensive investigations altogether,” the security official said.

To prevent Parlade and Badoy from endangering the task force’s budget, Esperon reportedly ordered the two spokespersons to stop making statements about the community pantry and imposed them a gag order.

For his part, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana denied that Parlade, who is also the commander of the military’s Southern Luzon Command, was issued a cease and desist order because of his red-tagging of community pantry organizers.

“None!” was Lorenzana’s brief response when asked if Parlade was given a gag order.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/25/esperon-defends-ntf-elcac-budget-anew-amid-calls-for-defunding/

NSA Shields NTF-Elcac, But Gags Parlade, Badoy BYBUTCH FERNANDEZ APRIL 26, 2021 4 MINUTE READ FOLLOWING the threat of lawmakers to defund the agency for alleged red-tagging activities, the National Security Adviser on Sunday appealed to Congress and the public to consider the importance of the Barangay Development Program (BDP). He noted that 525 out of 822 barangays cleared of New People’s Army (NPA) threat and influence are now ready to enjoy the fruits of their areas’ socioeconomic development.

At the same time, NTF-Elcac Vice Chairman and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon issued a gag order on two controversial officials of the task force: its spokesman Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade and Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, whose remar+ks have drawn lawmakers’ ire.

These 525 barangays have already endorsed their program and projects to the DBM.

After thorough verification of the proposals at the national level, he said the BDP package of 483 barangays have already been approved with P9.66 billion ready for release.

Esperon clarified that this amount will not be released in cash but in the form of projects, as proposed, to the local government units of the identified barangay recipients.

The interagency task force is suffering collateral damage from the apparent penchant of some officials, mainly its spokesman Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, to issue reckless remarks, the latest being his use of the word “stupid” to describe senators if they insist on defunding NTF-Elcac.

The senators had made the defunding threat after Parlade said they were checking the backgrounds of organizers of community pantries, volunteer-driven initiatives by ordinary individuals to offer basic goods to people hit hard by the pandemic, while encouraging donations as well.

Parlade said the pantries were obviously communist-inspired, a remark that coincided with reports that certain people, including “policemen” were making the rounds of the community pantries to ask for the personal details of organizers. The red-tagging of the pantries drew quick, widespread condemnation even from government officials. The Department of Justice, Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Anti-Red Tape Authority, and the National Privacy Commission said the pantries fill an urgent need that government alone cannot provide when many people are jobless and hungry, and should be left alone.

Parlade Jr. faces censure proceedings at the Senate for calling senators “stupid” in moving to realign the anti-insurgency fund to the Covid response.

“It is only now that I heard an officer of the Armed Forces saying senators are stupid,” Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon said over DWIZ on Saturday, lamenting, “that is very disrespectful and uncalled for.”

Drilon confirmed to DWIZ that he would move to censure Parlade over his remarks by introducing the resolution to be taken up in plenary.

Several senators last week renewed their call to oust Parlade. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said firing Parlade was the right solution, not defunding the NTF-Elcac, adding that doing so would negate government’s gains in counterinsurgency.

The Senate Minority Leader, meanwhile, recalled to DWIZ that during the May 22 interview, Parlade was quoted to have said: “I will tell you, sila ang stupid kung ito ay binabawi nila. Pinirmahan nila ‘yung batas na ‘yan para maging serbisyo, ipagpatuloy ang programa ng gobyerno. Ngayon sasabihin nila na ide-defund nila ‘yung NTF-Elcac [They are stupid if they are taking back the funds. They passed that law so government can continue its service. Now they say they will defund it].”

Drilon said “such a display of arrogance beneath contempt should be censured.”

While “differences on several issues between the Senate and the Executive cannot be avoided,” Drilon said, “one should not go down to the level such as calling the duly- elected representatives of the people stupid.”

Drilon defended the call made by senators, including himself, to realign the P19 billion anti-insurgency to much-needed social amelioration programs or ayuda as millions of households remain in dire straits with the reimposition of lockdowns as Covid-19 cases started to surge starting March. He recalled that just last March 10, the Senate adopted the recommendation of the Senate Committee on Defense to remove Parlade as spokesman of the NTF-Elcac, as his appointment violates the Constitution.

The senator cited Article 16, Section 5 of the 1987 Constitution, that “No member of the Armed Forces in the active service shall, at any time, be appointed or designated in any capacity to a civilian position in the government, including government-owned or - controlled corporations or any of their subsidiaries.”

Esperon, meanwhile, said the NTF-Elcac was grateful to Congress’ support for the counter-insurgency when it provided P16.44 billion funds for BDP under the General Appropriations Act of 2021.

“Allow me to reassure the public that the package of programs under the BDP are released following the stringent evaluation of the government agencies concerned,” he added.

“As the Vice Chairman of the NTF-Elcac, I take cognizance of the pronouncements not jut of our good Senators and honorable Representatives in Congress but also of the calls of the general public elsewhere on the BDP. I note that these voices come from a place of deep concern over the utilization of its funds under the GAA,” Esperon said.

Because the system is pork barrel-proof, Esperon pointed out that the officers and members of the NTF-Elcac have nothing to gain from the BDP. He was reacting to claims that the P16.44 billion is the generals’ pork barrel.

Esperon said the P16.44 billion is being utilized to bring sustainable grassroots development and empowerment to communities susceptible to recruitment by communist rebels.

The BDP is a flagship progject of the Duterte administration. About 822 barangays that were freed from CPP-NPA control will each be given at least P20 million worth of different projects. In accordance with the DBM Local Budget Circular 135 and 135-A, the breakdown is P12 million for farm-to-market road; P3 million for school classrooms; P2 million for water sanitation; P1.5 million for health station and P1.5 million for livelihood projects.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/04/26/nsa-shields-ntf-elcac-but-gags-parlade-badoy/

‘Communist terrorists should be held accountable for their crimes’ Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star ) - April 26, 2021 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the National Democratic Front (NDF), called on the public to remain vigilant against what he tags as communist terrorists who should be held accountable for their alleged crimes.

“As the National Democratic Front celebrates another year of their bane existence, its members could no longer ignore the fact that the government continuously enjoys the support of the people, while they continue to fade into oblivion,” he said.

The NDF marked its 48th anniversary on April 24.

Lorenzana said the discredited ideology of the NDF and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as well as the New People’s Army (NPA) has never received significant support from the people, nor has it contributed an iota of good to the country.

“The NDF and its member organizations continue to weaken as Filipinos have unmasked their lies and rapaciousness. Enabling communist terrorists, the NDF must be held liable for the violence and destruction wrought by the CPP- NPA,” he stressed.

“In extreme desperation, they would surely resort to more heinous acts to undermine our democracy and our way of life,” Lorenzana added.

The Department of National Defense chief said the government is calling on the people to “remain vigilant against the duplicity of these terrorists. Let us do our share by supporting the reintegration of our kababayans who were led astray by the CPP-NPA/NDF. Now is the time for us to heal our nation, reconcile our differences, and unite for our lasting peace and progress.”

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/04/26/2093808/communist-terrorists-should-be-held- accountable-their-crimes

NDF grows weaker as Filipinos expose its ‘rapaciousness’

By Priam Nepomuceno April 25, 2021, 11:56 am

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (File photo)

MANILA – Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Saturday said the National Democratic Front (NDF) continues to weaken as Filipinos persistently expose the evils perpetrated by the communist terrorist group.

The defense chief’s statement came as the NDF observed its 48th founding anniversary Saturday. He went on to blame the organization for all the violence and atrocities committed by its armed wing, the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA).

"The NDF and its member organizations continue to weaken as Filipinos have unmasked their lies and rapaciousness. Enabling communist terrorists, the NDF must be held liable for the violence and destruction wrought by the CPP-NPA," he said in a statement.

The NDF, established on April 24, 1973 was called a "revolutionary united front organization of the Filipino people fighting for national freedom and for the democratic rights of the people."

Lorenzana called the existence of the NDF a bane for its members as it could no longer ignore the fact that the government continuously enjoys the support of the people, while the political wing of CPP-NPA continues to fade into oblivion.

"Their discredited ideology has never received significant support from the people nor has it contributed an iota of good to the country," he added.

As a sign of extreme desperation, Lorenzana said NDF and its remaining allies would resort to more heinous acts to undermine the country's democracy and way of life.

"We, therefore, call on our people to remain vigilant against the duplicity of these terrorists,” he said.

He also urged the Filipinos to do their share by “supporting the reintegration of our kababayans (countrymen) who were led astray by the CPP-NPA-NDF.”

“Now is the time for us to heal our nation, reconcile our differences, and unite for our lasting peace and progress," he added.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137921 BDP for best interest of underserved barangays: Esperon

By Azer Parrocha April 25, 2021, 6:22 pm

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. (File photo)

MANILA – The government’s anti-insurgency body said the Barangay Development Program (BDP) is for the best interest of underserved barangays and denies communist groups the opportunity to take back what was formerly their playground.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Hermogenes Esperon Jr., in a statement Sunday, appealed to lawmakers to support the BDP, noting that many communities have long waited for these sustainable development initiatives since the start of the Duterte administration in 2016.

“Now that we have successfully liberated them from the clutches of the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front), is it not our moral obligation to see to it that they are not at risk for recapture? Is it not our duty as public officials to guarantee that the CPP-NPA-NDF will no longer return to these communities to exploit their vulnerability?,” he said.

Esperon, who is also vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), came to the defense of the BDP’s PHP16.5 billion funding after some lawmakers sought to defund the NTF-ELCAC.

Of the PHP19 billion total budget of the NTF-ELCAC, PHP16.5 billion is allotted for the development of over 800 barangays cleared of insurgency.

He said stopping the funds for NTF-ELCAC’s BDP would mean halting government means to end a divisive conflict that has handicapped the country.

“The failure to deliver this program would not just mean frustration among us at NTF-ELCAC and the principles that we stand for. Rather, the failure to deliver the Barangay Development Program to the formerly conflicted communities that need it most is tantamount to abandoning their aspirations for a dignified life,” he said.

Core programs

The BDP’s core programs and projects for each recipient barangay, which would receive PHP20 million, include a 1-kilometer farm-to-market road worth PHP12 million, classrooms (PHP3 million), water and sanitation systems (PHP2 million), a health station (PHP1.5 million), and livelihood projects (PHP1.5 million).

The PHP16.5-billion BDP budget goes directly to local government units from the Department of Budget and Management.

“We at the NTF-ELCAC have nothing to gain from the BDP apart from the fulfillment of our legal mandate,” Esperon said in a press statement.

To allay concerns over corruption on the utilization of BDP’s funds, Esperon said the NTF-ELCAC receives daily updates on the progress of the BDP funds and its utilization through various agencies concerned.

“I wish to assure stakeholders that the project management teams at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the various mechanisms of transparency and accountability of the regional and provincial task forces of the NTF-ELCAC are working to ensure that the BDP funds are used responsibly and for their intended purpose,” he said.

Transparency measures

He added that several measures were drafted to ensure the transparency of the nationwide program.

“At the very least, the guidelines stipulated under the Department of Budget Management (DBM) Local Budget Circular 135 and 135-A are in place to ensure transparency and accountability in the utilization of the BDP funds which will be released to provincial and city governments where the 822 barangays are located,” he said.

Esperon also provided updates on the BDP’s package of programs, which he said were released following the stringent evaluation of the government agencies concerned.

DBM okays 483 BDP projects

Citing data April 23, 2021, he said a total of 525 out of 822 barangays have already endorsed their respective programs and projects to the DBM while the remaining 237 are in the process of endorsing their plans.

“After thorough verification of the proposals at the national level, the BDP package of 483 barangays have already been approved with projects worth PHP9.66 billion ready for release to the provincial and city governments for the benefit of barangays under their jurisdiction,” he said.

Esperon said these will not be released in cash but in the form of projects to the local governments of the identified barangay recipients.

His office, he said, expects the remaining barangays to complete their requirements for the release of the BDP package to their respective provincial governments at the soonest possible time. He also urged stakeholders to report incidents of misuse, abuse of authority, and malversation, through the government’s appropriate grievance channels such as the Office of the Ombudsman, the Sandiganbayan, and the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center.

“It is fairly easy to make speculations thus far on misuse of the BDP funds, but to substantiate allegations is a matter that requires comprehensive investigations altogether,” he added.

Amid red-tagging allegations, Esperon assured that the NTF-ELCAC has “the best interest of the country” in mind.

The NTF-ELCAC was created by virtue of Executive Order 70 issued on Dec. 4, 2018 “to provide an efficient mechanism and structure for the implementation of the Whole-of-Nation Approach to aid in the realization of the collective aspirations for inclusive and sustainable peace.”

The BDP is the NTF-ELCAC’s hallmark program that aims to bring development to former conflict- prone communities. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137951

Another Ampatuan massacre suspect falls

April 25, 2021, 5:38 pm

ARRESTED. The Presidential Task Force on Media Security lauds the recent arrest of Andami M. Singkala alias Yamani Baga Dimaukom, one of the suspects in the 2019 Ampatuan massacre. Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, PTFoMS Executive Director, said the task force is relentless in monitoring the manhunt operations against the suspects still in hiding. (Courtesy of PTFoMS)

MANILA – The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) lauded the arrest of another suspect in the 2009 Ampatuan massacre in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

In a report submitted to PTFoMS, Col. Donald A. Madamba, Provincial Director of the Maguindanao Police Provincial Office, said Andami M. Singkala alias Yamani Baga Dimaukom was arrested by authorities early this month.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar, co-chair of the PTFoMS, welcomed this development.

“Our government has made it top priority to capture the remaining suspects of the Ampautan Massacre. So far, six accused have been arrested through the dedicated efforts of our law enforcement agencies including the Task Force. Justice will prevail,” Andanar said in a statement.

Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, PTFoMS Executive Director, said the task force is relentless in monitoring the manhunt operations against the suspects still in hiding.

“Our government will not rest until all suspects behind this heinous crime are arrested. We are relentless in seeing to it that justice is meted to these perpetrators whatever it takes,” Egco said in a news release on Sunday.

Singkala’s arrest comes after an intensified nationwide manhunt for the remaining suspects as ordered by the Task Force to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Police Office.

The suspect was brought to Datu Saudi Ampatuan Municipal Police Station (MPS) for documentation and will be turned over to Parang MPS for safekeeping.

Egco earlier issued a directive to form Special Tracker Teams to hunt the remaining suspects during a virtual meeting with the officers of the Maguindanao province on March 1, 2021. Joint elements of the local police served the warrant of arrest for several counts of murder issued by Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes of Branch 221 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Quezon City against the suspect.

On Dec. 19, 2019, Solis-Reyes convicted Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan, the masterminds of the infamous Maguindanao Massacre, of 57 counts of murder and sentenced them to reclusion perpetua without parole.

A total of 28 other co-accused including police officers were also convicted of 57 counts of murder and sentenced to 40 years, while 15 other accused were sentenced to six to 10 years for being accessories to the crime.

Egco explained that the conviction was a product of the immense support given by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to the victims of the massacre.

He clarified that the massacre happened during the time of President Gloria Arroyo and despite his numerous promises, no verdict happened during the time of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino. It was only through the political will of Duterte that justice was finally achieved.

Around 58 people, including 31 journalists and media workers, were killed on Nov. 23, 2009 while in a caravan to witness the filing of candidacy of then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu for the 2010 gubernatorial elections in Ampatuan, Maguindanao. (PR)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137954

150 Anakpawis members, NPA rebels yield in Cagayan

Published April 25, 2021, 3:26 PM by Liezle Basa Iñigo CAMP MARCELO A. ADDURU, Tuguegarao City, Cagayan – About 100 Anakpawis members and 50 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels surrendered and pledged allegiance to the government during a mass surrender ceremony in San Juan, Pamplona, Cagayan last Saturday.

(PHOTO VIA LIEZLE INIGO/ MANILA BULLETIN) The symbolic gathering was attended by heads of various government agencies and the local government unit of Pamplona.

During the program, lecturers from the different member-agencies of the Regional Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) presented and explained their programs and projects for all rebels who wish to return to the fold of the law and enjoy a peaceful life.

Emelita Vizcaro, former organizer of Anakpawis Pamplona who was recruited sometime in 2014, and alias “Manny,” a former youth member of a front organization, shared their testimonials and experiences and denounced the violence and atrocities committed by Anakpawis and its front organizations and the NPA in Cagayan and Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) in support of the government’s campaign to end local communist armed conflict.

Police Regional Office 2 (PRO 2) director Police Brig. Gen. Crizaldo Obispo Nieves, represented by Police Col. Ronaldo G. Bayting, deputy regional director for operations, cited Anakpawis members for their decision to break away from the organization.

Bayting said the PRO2 supports all government programs to end local communist armed conflict in Region 2. He added they will continue to bring the services of the government closer to the community under the PRO2 “Lingkod Bayanihan” program.

The Anakpawis members and former NPA rebels burned their flags and signed the pledge of allegiance to the government during the event.

https://mb.com.ph/2021/04/25/150-anakpawis-members-npa-rebels-yield-in-cagayan/

P16.5-B BDP funds go directly to LGUs: NCIP exec

By Azer Parrocha April 25, 2021, 3:49 pm

National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Chairperson, Secretary Allen Capuyan (PNA File photo)

MANILA – The PHP16.5-billion budget earmarked for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)’s Barangay Development Program (BDP) go directly to local government units (LGUs), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Chair Allen Capuyan said on Sunday.

Secretary Capuyan, who is also NTF-ELCAC Executive Director, made this remark in response to some lawmakers’ call to defund the NTF-ELCAC, stressing that reallocating the budget would mean questioning the intentions of LGU officials and their constituents.

Since the funds directly go to LGUs, he noted that Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICC) and Indigenous Peoples (IPs) are also beneficiaries of the NTF-ELCAC’s BDP.

“If the BDP will be defunded, it is as if we questioned the local chief executives and the masses of the opportunity to implement the long-needed government services in the countrysides especially to our neglected ICCs/IPs ancestral domains,” Capuyan said in a statement.

The NTF-ELCAC has been allocated a budget of PHP19-billion for 2021. Of this amount, around PHP16.5-billion has been allocated for its BDP.

He explained that the PHP16.5 billion intended for 822 barangays directly benefit at least 350 ancestral domains all over the country which have been long neglected of development.

“The funds go directly to the provincial government or city government who have BDP Projects directly coming from [Department of Budget and Management],” he said.

Capuyan said none of the BDP funds pass through the NTF-ELCAC.

“None of these funds passes through NTF-ELCAC and the projects to be implemented are socio- economics, infrastructure, livelihood and assistance,” he added.

Capuyan noted that there is “nothing political” in choosing barangays because these are historical lists of cleared barangays from 2016 to 2019 as a result of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) operations through the conduct of Community Support Program now enhanced by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) through the Revised Community Support Program.

He also emphasized the need to correct what he described as “propaganda” spread by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA- NDF) through their fronts that the NTF-ELCAC is red-tagging them.

“The NTF-ELCAC is just informing the Filipino people that these open organizations were created by the party, led by the party and operated by the Communist Party of the Philippines through their underground organizations under the National Democratic Front and these open organizations are under the umbrella of BAYAN,” he said.

He acknowledged that not all members of BAYAN are communists, but pointed out that “they are all candidates for recruitment into the party” and “participants to mobilizations for the future conduct of General Uprising against government.”

As long as minimum health and safety protocols are observed, Capuyan said NTF-ELCAC stakeholders support efforts to put up community pantries to feed those severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The entire NTF-ELCAC stakeholders especially the [Department of National Defense]/AFP, DILG/[Philippine National Police] and the local governments to include national and regional agencies such as [Technical Education and Skills Development Authority] support community pantries and related activities but with strict observance to government protocols and guidance,” he said.

Several lawmakers from both the Senate and House of Representatives have sought to withdraw funding for the NTF-ELCAC following its alleged red-tagging of community pantry organizers.

They suggested reallocating the NTF-ELCAC’s PHP19 billion budget to fund assistance to people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malacañang earlier called the proposal “unjustified” as the NTF-ELCAC’s funds are being used to develop areas that are now communist-free. (PNA)

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1137943

Military Validating Reports On Alleged Bomber’s Death BYRENE ACOSTA APRIL 26, 2021 1 MINUTE READ

THE military is validating reports that security forces have killed the youngest brother of Abu Sayyaf Group subleader and notorious bomber Mudzrimar Sawadjaan (alias Mundi) during a series of skirmishes with the terrorist group in Sulu over the weekend.

Joint Task Force Sulu and 11th Infantry Division commander Major Gen. William N. Gonzales said they were looking into reports that Al-al Sawadjaan was killed during the series of encounters with elements of the 2nd Special Forces in Patikul, Sulu.

“We have received initial reports indicating that Mundi’s youngest brother Al-al Sawadjaan was also neutralized during the encounters but it is yet to be verified,” said Gonzales following the death of Sawadjaan’s another brother, Mujafal Sawadjaan, during the operations.

“All our forces are on high alert as we continue to hunt for Mundi Sawadjaan. With the death of most of his followers, it is possible that Mundi is evading our forces all by himself,” Gonzales added.

The military had tagged Mundi in the January 2019 bombing of the Jolo cathedral in Sulu that was perpetrated by an Indonesian couple. He was also tagged behind the twin suicide bombings near the Jolo plaza last year wherein one of the suicide bombers was a Moro woman.

Mundi, who is allied with the IS, is a nephew of Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, the emir of the IS in Mindanao, who was killed by soldiers during a series of operations in July last year in Patikul.

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/04/26/military-validating-reports-on-alleged-bombers-death/

Shelving disputes with Beijing has not worked for Manila: analyst

04/25/2021 04:01 PM

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An aerial view of Taiwan-controlled Taiping Island in the South China Sea. File photo courtesy of the Military News Agency

Taipei, April 25 (CNA) The policy of setting aside maritime disputes and seeking joint development with China does not seem to have worked out well for the Philippines as evidenced by Beijing's recent aggressive actions in the South China Sea, according to a security analyst at a government-funded think tank in Taiwan.

Huang Chung-ting (黃宗鼎), an assistant research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), was referring to the massing of Chinese fishing vessels around the Whitsun Reef since early March, which at one point reached as many of 220 in number.

Whitsun Reef is a V-shaped reef in a shallow coral region of the resource-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. It is now at the center of a deepening maritime row between Beijing and Manila.

Manila suspects the Chinese fishing vessels were manned by maritime militia personnel and the incident could be a prelude to a Chinese takeover of the maritime feature, which lies within the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines and is also claimed by Beijing on historical grounds.

According to Philippine National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, at least 10 China vessels were still anchored in the area as of April 20, despite diplomatic protests and increased patrols by Manila.

In his paper posted April 15 on the INDSR website, Huang suggested that the massing of fishing vessels could be Beijing's response to the United States' freedom of navigation operations. He also speculated that the Chinese vessels could on a mission to build structures on the reef or to remove underwater spying devices sent by other countries. These vessels were operating with their ship trackers off and underwater lights on at night, he said.

The Rodrigo Duterte administration's response to Beijing in maritime disputes has been softer than that of its predecessor, the Benigno Aquino III government, Huang said in his paper.

For the Duterte administration, the country's claim to maritime rights in the South China Sea is negotiable in exchange for infrastructure investment, economic benefits and COVID- 19 vaccine donations from Beijing, Huang said.

Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Beijing on oil and gas development in the South China Sea in 2018, Duterte lifted a moratorium on petroleum exploration in the waters in October 2020, "paving the way for possible joint ventures with China," he said.

"However, the Whitsun Reef incident proved that seeking joint development with China in the SCS (South China Sea) does not lead to the shelving of disputes, but only invites more incursions and aggression from China," he said.

In another paper published on April 19 on the INDSR website, Huang said the U.S.- Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) failed to effectively deter China from its aggressive actions in the South China Sea, citing an incident on April 8.

On that day, a Filipino fishing boat carrying reporters to see how Filipino fishermen fare under Chinese pressure was chased down by two Chinese vessels in waters only 90 nautical miles from the Philippine province of Palawan.

Huang attributed the MDT's failure to deter Beijing to a lack of will on the part of the Philippine government to resist China, the Duterte administration's lack of confidence in the U.S., and the failure of the U.S. to say whether the MDT covers attack on civilians in the area.

"The incursion of Chinese militia vessels into the Philippines' EEZ and the dislodgement of Philippine civilian vessels by Chinese Navy vessels shows the urgency for the U.S. and the Philippines to fill the gaps in their security cooperation under the MDT," Huang said.

https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202104250007 EU blames China for endangering peace in South China Sea

Yew Tian 2 minutes read

An attendant walks past EU and China flags ahead of the EU-China High-level Economic Dialogue at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee

The European Union called out China on Saturday for endangering peace in the South China Sea and urged all parties to abide by a 2016 tribunal ruling which rejected most of China’s claim to sovereignty in the sea, but which Beijing has rejected. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/eu-blames-china-endangering-peace-south-china-sea-2021-04- 25/

candidate says Germany should be tough on China, Greens’ chancellor • If Beijing requires Chinese firms like Huawei to pass on European data ‘we cannot integrate products from such manufacturers into European infrastructure’, Annalena Baerbock says • ‘We can say: products from forced labour do not come onto our market,’ she says

or German chancellor later this year. Photo: Reuters

GermanyThe Greens’ must Annalena increase Baerbock pressure onwill Russia run f following its military build-up at the Ukrainian border and e Annalena Baerbock. strive for a policy of “dialogue and toughness” towards China, according to Greens chancellor candidat She announced on Monday that she would run to become chancellor in the September 26 election, the -leaning ecologist party has sought the top job in its 40-year history.

Thefirst Greenstime Germany’s have seen left their support surge over the past year to within only a few points of Chancellor Angela Merkel CDU/CSU alliance. ’s conservatives, with a poll last week showing they had overtaken the conservative https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3130986/germany-should-be-tough-china- greens-chancellor-candidate-says

concern in the West China’s dominance of rare earths supply is a growing • China provides more than 85 per cent of the world’s rare earths and it is home to about two-thirds of the global supply of rare metals and minerals like antimony and baryte, report says • US and Europe are worried that any disruption to their supply chains for such products would hurt key industries.

China dominates the supply of rare earths, which are used in products like solar panels. Photo: Reuters

Western countries are becoming concerned about their reliance on China for supplies of rare earth elements and other scarce metals and minerals that are essential for the manufacture of electric car batteries, satellites, weapons, wind turbines and solar panels.

-thirds of the global supply of scarce metals and minerals like antimony and baryte, according to the Centre for StrategicChina provides and International more than 85 Studies per cent (CSIS). of the world’s rare earths and is home to about two manufactu d inChina lithium-ion dominates battery solar manufacturing PV manufacturing and and80 per is home cent ofto global more thanbattery 90 cellper manufacturingcent of the world’s capacity. wafer ring capacity. The CSIS said China had most of the world’s capacity for key components use https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3130990/chinas-dominance-rare-earths-supply- growing-concern-west

China to launch month-long effort in May to boost consumption

Yew TianRyan Woo 3 minutes read

People visit a newly opened shopping mall in Beijing, China April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

China will launch a series of promotional activities, including a new consumer goods expo in southern Hainan province, in May to boost spending as the Chinese retail sector recovers from COVID-19-induced consumer caution.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-plans-boosting-domestic-consumption-may-2021- 04-25/

China is switching its investment focus in Africa from oil to minerals

• Beijing has more options on where to source its crude these days, but is still reliant on Africa for its copper, cobalt and other rare minerals, analyst says • A ‘substantial part of the Congolese mining sector … is now in Chinese hands’, report says

January. Photo: Xinhua China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is pictured with his Congolese counterpart Marie Tumba Nzeza in The visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) earlier this year was in

During his tripdicative to Kinshasa of a shift in in January, Beijing’s Wang lending promised and investment that Beijin focusg would for writeAfrica, off according loans to tothe analysts. Central African nation worth about US$28 million to help it deal with the impact of Covid-19 and provide US$17 million in other financial support.

He said also that China would fund infrastructure projects in the DRC, as it became the 45th country to the world. sign up to the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing’s grand plan to boost interconnectivity and trade around https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3130912/china-switching-its-investment- focus-africa-oil-minerals

China pledges greater protection for hi-tech intellectual property

• ‘It is a must for the sake of our future development and competitiveness,’ head of the National Intellectual Property Administration says • Improved IPR protection will be part of country’s five-year plan for 2021-25 and longer strategy through 2035, he says

China is determined to reduce its dependence on the US for technology. Photo: Shutterstock

Providing better protection for intellectual property rights in the hi- development strategy, a senior official said on Sunday, as Beijing seeks to drive the next stage of its economic evolution and end its reliance on American technologies. tech field is a central part of China’s

China National Intellectual Property Administration, told a press briefing in Beijing.Blueprints for the improved“It is a must protections for the sake to of be our included future development in and competitiveness,” Shen Changyu, head of the

five-year plan for– 2021-25 and longer strategy through 2035 had already been drafted and were pending review, he said. China’s – https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3131007/china-pledges-greater-protection-hi- tech-intellectual-property

Beijing: Chinese observers US’ Russia sanctions noted, but it won’t work on • Financial measures against Moscow could harm Russian economy but would be counterproductive if used against Beijing, academics say • Despite rivalry, US-China trade means financial sanctions ‘would also hurt Washington’

Washington has taken aim at Russia with financial sanctions and expulsions of several of its diplomats. Photo: AFP China will have been put on alert by the latest sanctions on Russia, but would be equipped to withstand the economic measures among them if they were used against Beijing, Chinese observers said. US’ Washington last week announced an array of sanctions including banning US banks and institutional investors from buying new Russian government rouble-denominated bonds at auction.

Ten Russian diplomats, most of them identified as intelligence operatives, were expelled from the Russian embassy in Washington, followed in the next few days by the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Bulgaria also expelling Russian diplomats. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3130884/us-russia-sanctions-noted-it- wont-work-beijing-chinese

New Chinese Decree Tells Religious Leaders to ‘Support the Communist Party’ By Yang Ming April 24, 2021 06:51 PM

FILE - Tourists walk past a statue of philosopher Confucius in Beijing, May 28, 2019. At that time, China used five-day Confucian culture immersion courses for religious leaders as part of a campaign to extend government control over faith communities.

The Chinese government is implementing a new decree on May 1 that will require all religious leaders to “follow the lead of and support the Communist TheParty.” decree, "Measures on the Management of Religious Professionals," states that the preaching and teaching by religious professionals must in no way

endangerIt also requires China’s religious national professionals security, promote to resist extremism the infiltration or divide of foreignthe country. forces administrative sanctions and criminal charges. through religion. Religious leaders who violate the new decree will be subject to nd the separation of politics and Xu Yonghai “This decree goes against our religious beliefs,rowing a of religious freedom and more religion,” said , an elder at the Divine Love Fellowship of the Beijing House Church. “There will be a further nar severe'Sinicization' crackdowns of religion on believers.” Xu, whose gathering was established in 1996 with a congregation mostly composed“The church of should dissidents not becomeand rights a social activists group, from let across alone China.a political group,” said

He added that the decree promotes the implementation of the policy that

“persistsArticle 36 in of our the nation's Chinese direction Constitution toward the Sinicization of religion." organs, public organizations or individualssays thatfrom citizens compelling “enjoy citizens freedom to believeof in religious or not belief.”believe Itin bans any discrimination particular faith. based on religion and forbids state

—https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news-china/new-chines— e-decree-tells-religious- leaders-support-communist-party

Watch what you say: Hong Kong civil servants become wary of office snitches jostling to prove loyalty

• • The national security law and new oaths of allegiance have changed the culture in the civil service, insiders say • As complaints crop up, civil servants are taking more care with social media and sharing their views in the office

Civil servants said they have begun to watch what they say around the office following the imposition of the national security law and new oath-taking requirements. Photo: Nora Tam

Alice* was working in a public-facing was transferred last year to the back office of another government department after her bosses received anonymous complaints about her. civilian job in one of Hong Kong’s disciplined services when she The abrupt move caught her by surprise. She said she had only shared a news article about a police raid following the introduction of the national security law last June, without adding any comments of her own. said. “I was told that my personal beliefs might affect my performance at work, but that’s ridiculous,” she

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3130981/watch-what-you-say-hong- kong-civil-servants-become-wary

Biden and Putin eye possible June summit: Kremlin aide Russian daily reports that US president offered to meet on June 15-16 in Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a virtual global climate summit via a video link in Moscow on April 22. (Kremlin via Reuters)

April 25, 2021 22:06 JSTUpdated on April 26, 2021 03:23 JST

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden may meet in

June, RIA news agency reported on Sunday, citing a Kremlin aide, amid simmering tensions between

Moscow and the West.

The foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said a firm decision on the meeting has not been taken yet.

"We will take a decision depending on many factors," Ushakov, the Russian ambassador to the United

States from 1998 to 2008, was quoted as saying.

Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, cited by RIA, said on Sunday that Biden's proposal for the summit has been received "positively" and is now under consideration.

Russia's Kommersant daily, citing unnamed sources, said Biden had offered Putin to meet on June 15-16 in a European country.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Putin and then U.S. President Donald Trump held a summit in Helsinki in July 2018.

Earlier this month, Biden called on Putin to reduce tensions stirred by a Russian military build-up on

Ukraine's border and proposed a summit to tackle a raft of disputes.

The Kremlin said at the time that a summit would be contingent on U.S. behaviour, reportedly telling

Washington to scrap a plan to impose new sanctions on Russia. Russia-U.S. ties slumped to a new post-Cold War low last month after Biden agreed when asked in an interview if he thought Putin was a "killer" and Moscow recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Biden-and-Putin-eye-possible-June- summit-Kremlin-aide

Japan ruling party election loss a blow to Suga government Elaine Lies 4 minutes read

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a press conference on COVID- 19 situation in Tokyo, Japan April 23, 2021. Yuichi Yamazaki/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Japan's ruling party suffered a triple blow at by-elections over the weekend, as voter frustration with scandals and government management of the coronavirus risked weakening the influence of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japanese-ruling-party-fare-badly-votes-three- parliamentary-seats-2021-04-25/

Taiwan is sovereign state, not subordinate to China: VP Lai Ching-te

Senior advisor to president also proposes name change to ‘Republic of Taiwan’

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By Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

2021/04/25 18:18

Taiwan's Vice President Lai Ching-te spoke at the annual "Global Taiwan National Affairs Symposium" on April 25, 2021. (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid escalating aggression from China in the region, Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) emphasized on Sunday (April 25) that Taiwan is a sovereign state and that "the two [nations] are not affiliated with each other."

"Only [Taiwan’s] 23 million people can decide the future of the nation," Lai continued.

In his opening remarks at this year's "Global Taiwan National Affairs Symposium," Lai listed six principles the Taiwan government promises to its people: safeguarding sovereignty with no room for compromise; maintaining a free and democratic way of life with no infringement; honoring commitments to build a prosperous country that benefits everyone; guaranteeing the people the power to decide the future of the nation; being dedicated to stable and peaceful developments across the Taiwan Strait; and promoting peace in the Indo-Pacific region.

The symposium, organized by elite political group Taiwan Nation Alliance, highlighted the need for Taiwan to become a normal country and discussed issues of peace and security in the Asia Pacific region.

"It is an undebatable fact that Taiwan is not subordinate to China," Lai said. "No one but the 23 million people who live on this piece of land are entitled to the rights to decide the future of the nation," he added. The physician-turned politician also lamented the deterioration of human rights under Chinese leader Xi Jinping's (習近平) rule, which has worsened under Beijing's digital dictatorship that reinforces the surveillance of citizens, the ethnic cleansing of Uyghurs, and the demolition of Hong Kong’s freedom and autonomy under the "one country, two systems" framework promised decades ago.

"China's bullying and aggression against Taiwan are becoming more ruthless, such as by poaching Taiwan's allies and blocking the country's participation in the WHA and other international organizations," Lai said. Luckily the country has managed the challenges well and with national unity under President Tsai Ing- wen's (蔡英文) strong leadership, he added.

"Taiwan reported far fewer COVID-19 cases compared to other countries and recorded a strong economic growth rate of 3.11% in 2020 when most countries suffered from economic disruption at unprecedented levels during the pandemic,” Lai explained. “These accomplishments should be attributed to good government teamwork under Tsai's leadership and to frontline medical workers as well as to all Taiwanese people."

In addition to Lai, Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), a senior advisor to the president and former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman, also delivered a speech at the symposium.

Serving as a co-chair of the DPP's Constitutional Reform Panel, Yao proposed changing the nation's name to the "Republic of Taiwan" from the "Republic of China," the official though misleading name of Taiwan at present. A potential name change has been touted as one of the solutions that could help Taiwan to normalize as a state.

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4186456

Korea's dilemma deepens over joining US-led Quad network Posted : 2021-04-25 19:45 Updated : 2021-04-25 21:20 •

A journalist takes a photo of a screen showing a live image of Chinese President Xi Jinping delivering a speech at the opening of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2021 in Boao, Hainan province, April 20. AFP- Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

Korea may face tougher pressure from China to avoid joining the U.S.-led informal strategic group, as Beijing reportedly remains on high alert over Seoul's possible participation.

Citing diplomatic sources, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported Saturday that Korea had received a number of inquiries from Chinese officials about whether it was considering joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or "Quad." But the Korean government has so far said that there has been no invitation from Washington.

The report also said that Chinese diplomatic experts believe that if Korea were to join the Quad, it would be a significant challenge to China's security in East Asia, while referring to the alliance as an "anti-China coalition" in the region.

The Quad is a four-way strategic forum aimed at containing China, and is comprised of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. Washington wants to develop it into an Asian version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), by inviting New Zealand, Vietnam and Korea. Some media reports earlier this month claimed that Washington had "strongly requested" Seoul's participation ― although Cheong Wa Dae has denied such reports, saying that there has been no official request from the U.S. government on the matter.

Despite the presidential office's denial, diplomatic observers say that Seoul has been under growing pressure from the U.S. to join the Quad. But they also say that the South Korean government should take a flexible stance on the matter, because joining the Quad network could become a thorny diplomatic issue between Seoul and Beijing. The Korean government has been reluctant to join the Quad due to China being Seoul's largest-trading partner.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/04/356_307780.html

No response to Trump slamming Moon: Cheong Wa Dae Posted : 2021-04-25 13:29 Updated : 2021-04-25 19:01 •

President Moon Jae-in and former U.S. President Donald Trump / Korea Times file

By Kang Seung-woo

Cheong Wa Dae has refrained from responding to former U.S. President Donald Trump's denunciation of President Moon Jae-in as a weak leader and negotiator, in response to the South Korean president saying the ex-American leader "beat around the bush" in his nuclear talks with North Korea.

"It is not appropriate to comment on former foreign leader's statements," said an official at the presidential office.

Trump's scathing criticism of Moon came in a statement Friday (local time). The former U.S. president said, "Kim Jong-un of North Korea, whom I have gotten to know (and like) under the most trying of circumstances, never respected the current president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in."

He said, "President Moon was weak as a leader and as a negotiator, except when it came to the continued, long-term military rip-off of the USA (as is the case with many other countries we protect!). We were treated like fools for decades, however, I got them to pay billions of dollars more for the military protection and services we render."

During Trump's term from 2017 to 2021, Washington pressured Seoul to increase its contribution hugely to $5 billion a year in costs to keep 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, and consequently, cost-sharing negotiations were deadlocked for over a year.

"We had negotiations, abiding by principles," the Cheong Wa Dae official said.

In March, two months after Trump left office, South Korea agreed to pay 1.18 trillion won ($1.05 billion) for the U.S. military presence this year, a 13.9 percent increase from 2019, with annual increases thereafter linked to its defense budget.

The Trump statement is regarded as his response to Moon's recent interview with The New York Times, in which the South Korean leader said Trump "beat around the bush and failed to pull it through" when it comes to efforts on North Korea. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2021/04/120_307743.html

ASEAN changed Myanmar statement on release of political detainees - sources Tom Allard 4 minutes read

General view of the ASEAN leaders' meeting at the the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat building in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 24, 2021. Courtesy of Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS

A draft statement circulating the day before a Southeast Asian leaders' summit on the Myanmar crisis included the release of political prisoners as one of its "consensus" points, said three sources familiar with the document.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/asean-changed-myanmar-statement-release-political- detainees-sources-2021-04-25/

Asean leaders tell Myanmar coup maker to end killings

• The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also told Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during the two-hour talks in Jakarta that a dialogue between contending parties in Myanmar should immediately start, with the help of ASEAN envoys, President Joko Widodo said. AP |

PUBLISHED ON APR 25, 2021 02:00 PM IST

Southeast Asian leaders demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Myanmar in an emergency summit Saturday with its top general and coup leader, Indonesia's president said. The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also told Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing during the two-hour talks in Jakarta that a dialogue between contending parties in Myanmar should immediately start, with the help of ASEAN envoys, President Joko Widodo said. “The situation in Myanmar is unacceptable and should not continue. Violence must be stopped, democracy, stability and peace in Myanmar must be returned immediately,” Widodo said during the meeting. “The interests of the people of Myanmar must always be the priority.” Daily shootings by police and soldiers since the Feb. 1 coup have killed more than 700 mostly peaceful protesters and bystanders, according to several independent tallies. The messages conveyed to Min Aung Hlaing were unusually blunt and could be seen as a breach of the conservative 10-nation bloc’s bedrock principle forbidding member states from interfering in each other’s domestic affairs. But Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said that policy should not lead to inaction if a domestic situation “jeopardizes the peace, security, and stability of ASEAN and the wider region” and there is international clamor for resolute action.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/asean-leaders-tell-myanmar-coup-maker-to-end- killings-101619315783386.html

Myanmar anti-coup leader says ASEAN summit falls short of goals

Rejection of proposals leave bleak prospects for dialogue

Activists protest to support the anti-coup movement and democracy in Myanmar, near the ASEAN secretariat building in Jakarta. © Reuters

GWEN ROBINSON, editor-at-large, and RORY WALLACE, contributing writerApril 25, 2021 09:08 JST

YANGON/BANGKOK -- There will be "no compromise" between the newly formed National Unity Government of Myanmar and the military regime unless the group's demands are met, its civilian envoy told Nikkei Asia on Saturday, as he welcomed concerns voiced at a Southeast Asian leaders summit to discuss the crisis in Myanmar.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks/Interview/Myanmar-anti-coup-leader-says-ASEAN- summit-falls-short-of-goals

Myanmar activists deride ASEAN-junta consensus, vow to continue protests Reuters 5 minutes read

1/3 Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing arrives as he attends the ASEAN leaders' summit at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat building in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 24, 2021. Courtesy of Muchlis Jr/Indonesian Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS Read More Myanmar's pro-democracy activists sharply criticised an agreement between the country's junta chief and Southeast Asian leaders to end a violent post- coup crisis and vowed on Sunday to continue protesting. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-people-slam-asean-junta-consensus-end- violence-no-immediate-protests-2021-04-25/

Burmese exiles cheer ASEAN plea

‘IMMEDIATE CESSATION’: While an ASEAN leaders’ summit ‘heard calls for the release of all political prisoners,’ the consensus statement did not hold a pledge to free them

• AFP, YANGON, Myanmar

Myanmar’s shadow government of ousted lawmakers has welcomed a call by Southeast Asian leaders for an end to “military violence” after their crisis talks in Jakarta with Burmese Army Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

The junta leader on Saturday attended a high-level summit with ASEAN leaders to discuss Myanmar’s mounting crisis.

Since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a Feb. 1 coup, Myanmar has been in an uproar with near-daily protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement.

Police confront demonstrators holding placards and banners during a protest against a military coup in Jakarta on Saturday near the ASEAN secretariat building. Security forces have deployed live ammunition to quell the demonstrations, killing more than 740 people in brutal crackdowns, local monitoring group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has said.

The ASEAN meeting produced a consensus that there would be “an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar,” the bloc said on Saturday.

It added that ASEAN would also have a special envoy to “facilitate mediation” between all parties, and that the representative could travel to Myanmar.

However, while they “heard calls for the release of all political prisoners,” a commitment to free them was not included in the consensus statement.

On Saturday, a spokesperson from the shadow government — known as the National Unity Government — said that ASEAN’s statement was “encouraging news.” “We look forward to firm action by ASEAN to follow up its decisions and restore our democracy and freedom for our people and for the region,” said Sasa, the National Unity Government’s minister of international cooperation, who is in hiding with the rest of his fellow lawmakers.

The lawmakers — most of whom were part of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party — are wanted for high treason by the military.

Overnight, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that the bloc would continue to call for the release of all political prisoners.

As Myanmar nears three months under the military regime, escalating violence by its security forces — especially in urban centers — has pushed protesters and prominent advocates into hiding.

The military has also reduced communications across the country, imposing a nightly Internet shutdown for 70 consecutive days and restricting mobile data to a mere trickle.

By Saturday, the number of detainees climbed to 3,389, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said.

Yesterday, independent news outlet The Irrawaddy said that former editor Thu Thu Tha was arrested in Thanlyin, a city across the river from Yangon.

“In spite of Min Aung Hlaing’s appearance at the ASEAN summit, it’s business as usual,” Irrawaddy founder Aung Zaw told reporters, adding that most of his staff members are in hiding.

On Saturday, as the junta chief attended the meeting with ASEAN leaders and foreign ministers in Jakarta, soldiers and police fired on protesters near Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw.

One 50-year-old protester was held by the police and shot dead by a soldier, an eyewitness told reporters.

Despite the threat of violence, protesters across Myanmar continued to take to the streets yesterday — from the northern jade mining city of Hpakant to eastern Karenni state.

In central Myingyan — where brutal crackdowns have forced residents to hide in nearby villages — protesters smeared red paint on some of the city’s buildings to protest the bloodshed.

“Give power back to the people,” read graffiti on the city’s sidewalks. State-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar yesterday reported on Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Jakarta, saying that he discussed the country’s “political changes.”

However, it made no mention of ASEAN’s consensus for a halt to violence.

Independent UN human rights expert for Myanmar Tom Andrews said that it remains to be seen how effective the bloc’s engagement is.

“The result of the ASEAN summit will be found in Myanmar, not [in] a document,” Andrews wrote on Twitter yesterday. “Will the killing stop? Will the terrorizing of neighborhoods end?”

The military has justified its power seizure as a means to protect democracy, alleging electoral fraud in elections last year, in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party had won in a landslide.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2021/04/26/2003756379

PM Modi says India shaken by coronavirus ‘storm’, U.S. readies help

Sanjeev MiglaniSudarshan Varadhan 4 minutes read Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, saying on Sunday the “storm” of infections had shaken India, as the country set a new global record of the most number of COVID-19 infections in a day. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/india-coronavirus-cases-set-new-global-record-us- readies-help-2021-04-25/

Russia may label Navalnys opposition networks as extremists groups. Even T-shirts could be outlawed.

MOSCOW - A closed-door Moscow court hearing Monday is expected to officially ban the political and anti-corruption networks of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a ruling that would mark the most sweeping attempt to crush the Kremlins greatest political threat

The evidence to be used in the case is itself a state secret. Navalny's attorney has been told he will get access to the file shortly beforehand, according to Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov.

If the court sides with the prosecutor's general request - declaring Navalny's political group and his

Anti-Corruption Foundation to be extremist organizations - it would put them alongside the Islamic

State, al-Qaida and the Taliban in the eyes of Russian authorities.

The rights group Amnesty International said it would be "one of the most serious blows for the rights to freedom of expression and association in Russia's post-Soviet history."

Even selling refrigerator magnets or wearing T-shirts with Navalny's slogan "Russia will be happy" could bring jail time. Navalny's team members could face six years in jail if they continued to work. Putin foe Navalny once described prison life with dark humor. Now his messages are just dark.

Donating to Navalny's crowdfunded organizations would be akin to supporting terrorists, with penalties of up to 10 years in jail. Retweeting previous videos by Navalny's group, exposing the corruption of Russian politicians and bureaucrats, could also mean prison.

Already, Russian authorities have barred Navalny and many of his allies from contesting elections and made it a crime to call unauthorized protests or repeatedly participate in them. Many have fled into exile to avoid jail.

The court ruling takes to another level President Vladimir Putin's efforts to stamp out Navalny's influence.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40000190

Kennan’s Containment Strategy: A Consensus on What Not to Do

American foreign policy elites have adopted a partial myth about containment in order to worship at the altar of grand strategy before declaring that such a sweeping approach is no longer possible. Both propositions are false and are driven partially by nostalgia. by Robert D. Kaplan

THE MOST famous modern instance of the United States consciously adopting a grand strategy was the concept of “containment” against the Soviet Union, devised by the diplomat and Russian area specialist George Kennan in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Yet a look at how Kennan’s idea evolved, how it was adopted, and how it played out over time, indicates that it was no cut-and-dry affair; that it was adopted mainly in a negative sense; that it provided relatively little guidance during the long Cold War decades; and that it appeared prescient—romantic even—particularly in retrospect once the Cold War had ended.

American foreign policy elites have adopted a partial myth about containment in order to worship at the altar of grand strategy before declaring that such a sweeping approach is no longer possible. Both propositions are false and are driven partially by nostalgia—for a simpler era that was not so simple at all. In truth, Kennan’s theory codified the conventional wisdom of his colleagues who agreed only about what not to do. Moreover, achieving such a negative consensus is certainly possible today—if not in the larger foreign policy community scattered along the East Coast with all its divisions and “global” rather than “American” outlook, then at least within the community of defense experts centered around the Pentagon. By refusing to mythologize the past, the defense community can, on its own, better construct a framework about preparing for the middle decades of the twenty-first century.

ON FEBRUARY 9, 1946, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin made a speech at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, at the conclusion of an “election” campaign for the Supreme Soviet. The election was rigged, of course. But the purpose of the campaign, as Stalin’s speech would make clear, was to rejuvenate the country’s revolutionary spirit following the victory in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. The speech concentrated the minds of the State Department’s Soviet experts: rather than constituting a turning point for them, it helped confirm their gelid views about Stalin’s intentions. At the Bolshoi Theater, the Soviet tyrant did not mention historic Russia and the Russian people, which the Kremlin had been stressing throughout the war (and which Stalin had extolled only the previous May upon the Allied victory). Instead, Stalin now spoke only of the victory of “our Soviet system,” and for the first time since 1941 made little mention of gratitude to the quondam Western Allies. The Soviet leader blamed “modern monopoly capitalism” as the root cause of the war, and implied that Nazism was merely a part of that larger category. This was not new—Stalin had spoken in a similar vein in the 1930s. But now it turned out that the grueling and titanic struggle for survival against Adolf Hitler, which had cost well over twenty million lives inside the Soviet Union, had changed nothing in Stalin’s prewar thinking. Stalin, moreover, stressed in his speech that the Communist Party and its ideology were to be further fortified, and that from now on there would be much less talk of patriotism and of historic Russia. There would also be no mention of the marshals and generals responsible for winning the war. Personalities—individuals, that is—no longer counted, except for Stalin himself. As the late British historian Hugh Thomas wrote, summing up the speech, “Russia had determined to return to being the Soviet Union, the capital of world Communism, not the great ally.” https://nationalinterest.org/feature/kennan%E2%80%99s-containment-strategy-consensus-what- not-do-183428

World military spending grows despite pandemic

PUBLISHED : 26 APR 2021 AT 06:45 WRITER: AFP STOCKHOLM: Military expenditure worldwide rose to nearly $2 trillion in 2020, defying the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, researchers said Monday.

Global military spending increased by 2.6% to $1,981 billion in 2020, when global GDP shrank 4.4%, according to a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Diego Lopes da Silva, one of report's authors, told AFP the development was unexpected.

"Because of the pandemic, one would think military spending would decrease," he said.

"But it's possible to conclude with some certainty that Covid-19 did not have a significant impact on global military spending, in 2020 at least," Lopes da Silva said.

• Signs of hope • Cave-dwellers end 40-day adventure • Navy confirms Indonesian submarine sank He cautioned however that due to the nature of military spending, it could take time for countries "to adapt to the shock".

The fact that military spending continued to increase in a year with an economic downturn meant the "military burden", or the share of military spending out of total GDP, had increased as well. The overall share rose from 2.2% to 2.4%, the largest year- on-year increase since the financial crisis of 2009.

As a result, more NATO members hit the Alliance's guideline target of spending at least 2% of GDP on their military, with 12 countries doing so in 2020 compared to nine in 2019. There were however indications the pandemic had affected some countries. Nations such as Chile and South Korea openly decided to reappropriate military funds in response to the pandemic.

"Other countries, such as Brazil and Russia, did not explicitly say this was reallocated because of the pandemic, but they have spent considerably less than their original budget for 2020," Lopes da Silva said.

Another response, as in Hungary for example, was to increase military spending "as part of a stimulus package in response to the pandemic".

Lopes da Silva noted many countries responded to the 2008-2009 economic crisis by adopting austerity measures, but "this time around it might not be the case".

The world's two biggest spenders by far were the US and China, with Washington accounting for 39% of overall expenditure and Beijing for 13%.

China's military spending has risen in tandem with its growing economy and has seen an increase for 26 consecutive years, reaching an estimated $252 billion in 2020.

The US also increased its spending for the third year in a row in 2020, after seven years of reductions.

"This reflects growing concerns over perceived threats from strategic competitors such as China and Russia, as well as the Trump administration's drive to bolster what it saw as a depleted US military," Alexandra Marksteiner, another author of the report, said in a statement.

Lopes da Silva however noted that the new "Biden administration has not given any indications that it will reduce military spending." https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2105587/world-military-spending-grows-despite-pandemic

14 Chinese militia vessels spotted in Julian Felipe Reef Published April 26, 2021 8:25am Fourteen Chinese militia vessels have been spotted in the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea, according to a Bernadette Reyes' report on Unang Balita on Monday, citing data from Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTS).

A recent Philippine patrol also spotted the same number of Chinese vessels in the area, the report said.

According to Carlo Schuster, a retired US Navy captain and now a professor of diplomacy and military science, Beijing is trying to gain "de facto" control over the area by sending their ships.

"They are hoping to drive away Filipino fishermen to gain de facto control of these waters," he said in the report.

"If your people don't go there, if your fishermen don't go there, if your coast guard and navy don't go there, in effect they become Chinese waters."

The European Union over the weekend said tensions in the South China Sea, including the recent presence of large Chinese vessels at the Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef), endangers regional peace and stability.

"The EU reiterates its strong opposition to any unilateral actions that could undermine regional stability and the international rules-based order," the EU said in a statement.

The Union went on to urge all parties to resolve disputes through peaceful means under international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), including its dispute settlement mechanisms.

The Philippines has filed a series of protests in connection with the presence of the foreign vessels in Julian Felipe Reef and insisted that they be withdrawn immediately.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said some 160 Chinese vessels were spotted in Philippine waters. In a diplomatic note dated April 21, the DFA said the presence of these vessels in the West Philippine Sea "blatantly infringe upon Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction."

Despite repeated calls and protests from the Philippines, Chinese ships continue to linger in the area and have even been spotted in other parts of the Kalayaan northwestern waters. Island Group in the municipality of Kalayaan, Palawan off the country’s The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied that the vessels were manned by "maritime militia" and insisted that the reef was part of China's Nansha Islands.

China and five other governments - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan - have been locked in long-simmering territorial rifts in the South armed conflict. China Sea that analysts feared as Asia’s next potential flashpoint for a major zone has been renamed West Philippine Sea by the Philippine government. — PartsKBK, GMAof the News South China Sea that fall under the Philippines’ exclusive economic https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/785110/14-chinese-militia-vessels-spotted-at-julian- felipe-reef/story/

Philippines must take lead in sea dispute vs China, US will support: envoy ABS-CBN News

Posted at Apr 26 2021 09:19 AM | Updated as of Apr 26 2021 09:54 AM

MANILA - The Philippines must take the lead in protecting the West Philippine Sea from China and the US will support it, the country's ambassador to Washington said Monday.

The Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources over the weekend conducted maritime drills in the country's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. Beijing is expected to deploy its amphibious assault ship to the disputed waters.

"The Philippines [has] to take the lead. Any moves that are being made will have to come from the Philippines and the US will support it, for instance the joint patrolling of the area," Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez told ANC's Headstart.

"If anything were to happen to the Philippines, the United States is also very much obligated and they have clearly stated that they will but it will take the Philippines to take the lead. In other words they will not make any move unless the Philippines says so."

The United States has several times said it would uphold its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines and support Southeast Asian countries resisting Beijing's pressure in the South China Sea.

The Philippines on Friday filed two new diplomatic protests against China over its illegal and lingering presence in Philippine waters, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

It had vowed to continuously file diplomatic actions until Beijing's ships leave the country's EEZ, which is believed to hold valuable gas and oil deposits.

China's sweeping claims over almost the entire South China Sea has been adjudged to have no legal basis by a UN-backed arbitration court in The Hague last 2016.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/26/21/philippines-must-take-lead-in-sea-dispute-vs-china-us-will- support-envoy

PH asserts WPS presence

Coast Guard activates drills to secure 'maritime jurisdiction' over vast areas posted April 26, 2021 at 01:30 am by Macon Ramos-Araneta The Philippine Coast Guard is conducting drills in the South China Sea that an official said Sunday were part of efforts to secure the country's “maritime jurisdiction” over the disputed waters.

NAVAL DRILLS. Utilizing eight capital ships and several vessels of the national government, the Philippine Coast Guard steps up its maritime drills in the disputed areas of the West Philippine Sea under the newly-activated Task Force Pagsasanay. The naval drills also serve as an enhanced effort to patrol the high seas, officials say. Courtesy of PCG

The exercises near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island and China-controlled Scarborough Shoal come amid heightened tensions over the resource-rich sea. The latest diplomatic wrangle between the two countries was triggered by the detection last month of hundreds of Chinese vessels in the Spratly Islands. Most of the boats have since dispersed around the contested archipelago.

China – which claims almost the entirety of the sea – has refused repeated demands by the Philippines to call back the ships, which Manila says are maritime militia vessels and Beijing says are fishing boats. In response, the Philippines has deployed more patrol vessels, including Coast Guard and Navy ships, to intensify surveillance and prevent illegal fishing. The coast guard drills began last week. "We are supporting the whole-of-nation approach in securing our maritime jurisdiction," coast guard spokesman Commodore Armando Balilo said. The exercises involve training in navigation, small boat operations, maintenance and logistical operations. They are being held near Thitu Island and Scarborough Shoal, as well as the Batanes islands in the north, and the southern and eastern parts of the country.

Scarborough—one of the region's richest fishing grounds—has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing. China seized it from the Philippines in 2012 following a tense standoff. The drills began as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) held joint exercises with US soldiers that ended Friday. Beijing has ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that declared its historical claim over most of the South China Sea to be without basis. But once-frosty relations between Manila and Beijing have warmed under President Rodrigo Duterte, who set aside the ruling in exchange for promises of trade and investment. The Philippine Foreign and Defense secretaries, however, have been engaged in a war of words with Beijing. The Foreign Affairs Department has been filing daily protests over the Chinese vessels and, in a rare move, recently summoned Beijing's envoy to express its "utmost displeasure" over the issue.

But Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said Beijing no longer listens to Manila and “simply ignores us.” The country, he said, should initiate the move to present a united front with other claimants in the West Philippine Sea "to make China realize that what it is doing is wrong and against international laws. Drilon blamed the administration's policy of appeasement and accommodation toward China, which merely emboldened Beijing.

“China simply ignores us because we simply condoned… what they have been doing in our territory,” Drilon said. “What we see now are the fruits of the policy of appeasement and accommodation towards China.” Drilon said the country needed to get the support of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), particularly countries with claims on the South China Sea, to strengthen the country's stance on the West Philippine Sea.

“Bilateral talks with China on the maritime dispute do not work in the country’s favor,” he said. “Apart from the protests, which I support, we should, as an objective, get the other nations to confront China, including our allies--the United States, Japan and Australia. We must unite against the unlawful Chinese incursion in the West Philippine Sea,” he said. He added that the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in favor of the Philippines is the basis of the government in rightfully and forcefully asserting the country’s claims on the WPS. The award was based on the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which both China and the Philippines ratified.

Meanwhile, Drilon said that the alleged “verbal fishing agreement” that some sectors cited as a possible reason why Chinese vessels refuse to leave the country’s exclusive economic zone, is “invalid” if it indeed exists. “To me, any verbal agreement is invalid. Any agreement between two nations, whether in the form of an executive agreement or a treaty must be in written form, otherwise it cannot be enforced,” Drilon said. With AFP https://manilastandard.net/news/top-stories/352809/ph-asserts-wps-presence.html

Philippine coast guard holds drills in south sea

GUARDING JURISDICTION: Manila has deployed more patrol vessels, including coast guard and navy ships, to intensify surveillance and prevent illegal fishing

o AFP, MANILA

The Philippine Coast Guard is conducting drills in the South China Sea, which an official said yesterday were part of efforts to secure “our maritime jurisdiction” over the waters disputed by several countries, including Taiwan.

The coast guard drills near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island (Jhongye Island, 中業島) and China-controlled Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島), both of which are also claimed by Taiwan, come amid heightened tensions over the resource-rich sea.

The latest row between the two nations was triggered by the detection last month of hundreds of Chinese vessels in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), which are also claimed by Taiwan.

Most of the boats have since dispersed.

China — which claims almost the entirety of the sea — has refused repeated demands by the Philippines to call back the ships, which Manila says are maritime militia vessels and Beijing says are fishing boats.

The Philippines has deployed more patrol vessels, including coast guard and navy ships, to intensify surveillance and prevent illegal fishing. The coast guard drills began last week.

“We are supporting the whole-of-nation approach in securing our maritime jurisdiction,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Armando Balilo said.

Scarborough — one of the region’s richest fishing grounds — has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing, with China seizing it in 2012.

The drills began as the Philippine armed forces held joint exercises with US soldiers that finished on Friday last week. Beijing has ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that declared its historical claim over most of the South China Sea to be without basis.

Relations with Beijing have warmed under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who set aside the ruling in exchange for promises of trade and investment, but the Philippine foreign and defense secretaries have been engaged in a war of words with Beijing.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs has filed daily protests over the Chinese vessels and summoned Beijing’s envoy to express its “utmost displeasure” over the issue.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2021/04/26/2003756380

Indonesia confirms submarine wreckage found, 53 crew members dead

• The KRI Nanggala 402 carrying 53 crew lost contact on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill • Indonesia’s navy said an underwater submarine rescue vehicle supplied by Singapore got visual confirmation the wreckage in three pieces on the seabed

Topic | Indonesia

Agence France-Presse

A missing Indonesian submarine has been found cracked apart on the seabed in waters off Bali, the military said on Sunday, as it confirmed that all 53 crew died in the disaster.

Authorities said they received signals from the location more than 800 metres (2,600 feet) deep early on Sunday morning. They had used an underwater submarine rescue vehicle supplied by Singapore to get a visual confirmation of the KRI Nanggala 402.

More parts from the vessel were also retrieved, including an anchor and safety suits worn by crew members, they said.

“There were parts of KRI Nanggala 402 – it was broken into three pieces,” said Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono.

The discovery comes a day after the navy had first confirmed the retrieval of fragments from the submarine, including items from inside the vessel. They had also declared that it had sunk, effectively ending any chance of finding survivors.

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Among the earlier items recovered were a piece of the torpedo system and a bottle of grease used to lubricate periscopes. They also found a prayer mat commonly used in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.

Warships, planes and hundreds of military personnel had led a frantic search for the submarine since it disappeared this week during training exercises, hoping for a miracle rescue before its known oxygen reserves ran out.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3130961/rescuers-find-floating-debris- thought-be-sunken-indonesian

Indonesian submarine split into three and all 53 are dead: authorities

Jakarta will attempt to salvage the vessel and remains of crew

The family of one of the sunken KRI Nanggala-402 submarine crew members visit a naval base in Banyuwangi, East Java Province, Indonesia, on Sunday. © Reuters

JAKARTA -- All 53 crew members of a submarine that went missing last week off the northern coast of Bali have died, Indonesia authorities said Sunday.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Indonesian-submarine-split-into-three-and-all- 53-are-dead-authorities

53 dead as Indonesian submarine found split in three Bernard Lagan, Sydney

Monday April 26 2021, 12.00am, The Times

Relatives of sunken Nanggala crew were given confirmation of their deaths on Sunday

ANTARA FOTO/DIDIK SUHARTONO/REUTERS

Bernard Lagan, Sydney

Monday April 26 2021, 12.00am, The Times

A vanished Indonesian submarine has been found cracked apart on the sea bed off Bali, the country’s military said. All 53 crew were dead.

“There were parts of KRI Nanggala 402: it was broken into three pieces,” Yudo Margono, the navy chief of staff, said. The submarine was found at 2,750ft in the search area 25 miles north of Bali, far below the maximum depth of 1,640ft it was designed to withstand.

Confirmation that the submarine was on the sea bed and had broken up came after search ships received new magnetic signals from yesterday morning. The authorities then launched a small remotely operated underwater vehicle from Singapore’s MV Swift Rescue, a 5,000- tonne submarine support and rescue vessel. The remote relayed images of the

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/missing-indonesian-submarine-is-found-cracked-apart-on-the-sea- bed-off-bali-crdmzg30v

President Jokowi sends condolences to families of sunken submarine crew

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Sunday he had been informed by the navy that a missing submarine had been found sunken in the Bali Sea and sent his condolences to the 53 crew's families.

"The army and navy have changed the status of the KRI Nanggala 402 submarine from having lost contact to being 'sub-sunk' or drowned," he told reporters, quoted by Reuters.

"All of us Indonesians express our deep sorrow over this tragedy, especially to the families of the submarine crew."

The 44-year old KRI Nanggala-402 lost contact on Wednesday as it prepared to conduct a torpedo drill.

On Sunday, the hunt for a missing Indonesian submarine with 53 crew turned into a salvage effort after recovered debris suggested it broke apart as it sank off the coast of Bali.

Warships, planes and hundreds of military personnel had led a frantic search for the KRI Nanggala 402 since it disappeared this week during training exercises, hoping for a miracle rescue before its known oxygen reserves ran out.

This handout from the Indonesia military taken on February 20, 2019 and released on April 21, 2021 shows the crew and officers during a ceremony onboard the Indonesian Cakra class submarine KRI Nanggala 402 at the naval base in Surabaya. Indonesia's military said it was searching for the submarine with 53 crew aboard after losing contact with the vessel during naval exercises off the coast of Bali on April 21, 2021. (AFP/Handout)

But the Indonesian Navy acknowledged Saturday that pieces of the submarine, including items from inside the vessel, had been retrieved.

They declared that it had sunk, effectively ending any chance of finding survivors.

Among the items recovered was a piece of the torpedo system and a bottle of grease used to lubricate periscopes. They also found a prayer mat commonly used in the country. President Jokowi described the missing sailors as Indonesia's "best patriots".

"All Indonesians convey their deep sadness over this incident, especially to the families of the submarine crew," he said.

Authorities have not given an official explanation for the accident, but said that the submarine may have suffered a blackout and left its crew unable to resurface.

Indonesian Navy chief Adm. Yudo Margono discounted an explosion, however, saying Saturday that the evidence suggested the submarine came apart as it was crushed by water pressure at depths of more than 800 metres (2,600 feet) -- well below what the German-built Nanggala was built to withstand.

"Submarine hulls are pressurised... but when they're breached then water would come flooding inside," said Wisnu Wardhana, a maritime expert at Indonesia's Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology, quoted by AFP.

"Can you imagine if water with that kind of pressure hits people?"

Retired French vice-admiral Jean-Louis Vichot earlier told AFP that a submarine's steel shell could break "like a folding accordion" when it hits depths way beyond its limits.

On Sunday, the search team focused on pinpointing the sub's exact location.

Authorities have warned that any salvage operation would be risky and difficult in the deep waters.

Singapore's MV Swift Rescue -- a submarine rescue vessel -- has arrived to aid in the recovery effort, the navy said Sunday.

Neighbouring Malaysia, as well as the United States, India and Australia, were among the nations helping in the search.

Search vessels, reconnaissance aircraft and submarine rescue ships have been deployed to scour a zone of about 10 square nautical miles (34 square kilometres).

https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2021/04/25/president-jokowi-sends-condolences-to-families- of-sunken-submarine-crew.html

'He was a natural leader': S'pore profs at RSIS pay tribute to commander of sunken Indonesia submarine

SINGAPORE - The commander of the sunken Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala-402 had completed a master's programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).

Professors who taught Lieutenant Colonel Heri Oktavian, 42, during his time in Singapore described him as a natural leader and a thorough military man.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/he-was-a-natural-leader-professors-remember-indonesian- submarine-commander-who-was-rsis

Vietnam building up its maritime militia, magazine says

• Activities in waters near Hainan, Paracel and Spratly islands have ‘threatened China’s maritime law enforcement and national defence security’, Naval and Merchant Ships says • Matter must be ‘taken seriously and dealt with in a timely manner’, it says

Topic | South China Sea

Liu Zhen in Beijing

Vietnam is building up its maritime militia in the South China Sea in an apparent challenge to Chinese efforts to dominate the disputed waterway, according to a Chinese military magazine.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, but Hanoi is one of several rival claimants. Like China, the Southeast Asian country has a long tradition of using its maritime militia to defend its claims.

“Vietnam’s maritime militia force and their activities in waters near Hainan, the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands have threatened China’s maritime law enforcement and national defence security,” Naval and Merchant Ships magazine said in an article published last week.

The matter must be “taken seriously and dealt with in a timely manner”, it said.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3130932/south-china-sea-vietnam-building-its- maritime-militia-magazine

China, Vietnam agree to boost trust amid South China Sea tensions

• Senior officials pledge to ‘strengthen strategic communication [and] deepen pragmatic cooperation’ at defence meeting in southern China • At separate event, countries’ defence ministers agree to deepen cooperation between their land border militaries

Laura Zhou in Beijing

China and Vietnam have agreed to work together to improve trust amid simmering tensions between the two neighbours over their territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The commitment was made at a defence and security consultation in the south China city of Dongxing on Friday, according to a statement issued by the Chinese defence ministry the same day.

At the event, Shao Yuanming, deputy chief of the joint staff department at China’s Central Military Commission, told Vietnam’s deputy defence minister Hoang Xuan Chien that the two militaries should “strengthen strategic communication [and] deepen pragmatic cooperation … to address risks and challenges [and] push forward the traditional friendship between China and Vietnam”.

Philippine coastguard sends strong warning to Chinese vessels during South China Sea patrol Philippine coastguard sends strong warning to Chinese vessels during South China Sea patrol

Chien acknowledged the “deep friendship” between the two nations and said Vietnam’s military was willing to “strengthen strategic mutual trust with China and make a greater contribution to the comprehensive strategic partnership”.

The statement said the two sides had a “frank and in-depth exchange of views” on the international and regional security situation, and the relationship between their militaries. It did not elaborate.

However, Vietnam News Agency reported that the countries’ disputes in the South China Sea were a main focus for the talks, with Chien stressing the waterway’s “strategic importance in economy, trade and defence security”. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3131002/china-vietnam-agree-boost-trust-amid- south-china-sea-tensions

Xi unveils three new warships in warning to Taiwan Didi Tang, Beijing

Monday April 26 2021, 12.01am, The Times

Didi Tang, Beijing

Monday April 26 2021, 12.01am, The Times

President Xi has presided over a rare public display of China’s growing naval strength by unveiling three new warships — one an amphibious helicopter carrier, hailed as the most advanced vessel in the nation’s fleet — amid growing concern that he is building a force capable of retaking Taiwan.

The carrier, named Hainan, is designed as an offensive platform from which to launch an amphibious or airborne assault and can transport up to 1,200 troops as well as dozens of helicopters and jump jets. The second vessel, the Dalian, is a guided-missile cruiser with stealth technology; the third is an upgraded Type 094A nuclear-powered submarine, the Changzheng-18, believed to be capable of carrying 12 JL-2 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/xi-unveils-three-new-warships-in-warning-to-taiwan-xf2cz50kq

China’s most advanced amphibious assault ship expected to be deployed in disputed South China Sea

• The newly commissioned Type 075 vessel, named the Hainan, can carry dozens of helicopters and hundreds of troops • Its offensive capabilities are likely to cause concern among neighbouring countries which have conflicting claims in the region

Topic | South China Sea

Teddy Ng

China has commissioned its first type 075 amphibious assault ship, which is expected to be deployed in the disputed South China Sea.

Military observers said the ship, named the Hainan, may also be deployed in missions around Taiwan but was likely to cause particular concern among countries that have ongoing maritime disputes with China due to its offensive capabilities.

State media reported that the vessel was commissioned on Friday at a ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping at a naval base in Sanya in Hainan province, along with the Dalian Type 055 destroyer and the Long March-18, a nuclear submarine that could launch the JL-1 and JL-2 gig wave ballistic missiles.

The Type 075 is able to carry an estimated 30 helicopters and hundreds of troops. It is China’s largest amphibious assault ship with an estimated displacement of about 40,000 tonnes.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3130951/chinas-most-advanced-amphibious- assault-ship-expected-be

China's latest warships pose regional and US threat: Taiwan analyst Su Tzu-yun says new submarine can launch missile strike on US west coast from South China Sea

4656 By Kelvin Chen, Taiwan News, Staff Writer 2021/04/25 12:00

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three new Chinese navy warships demonstrate the communist country's intention to become a major maritime power and challenge the United States, according to a senior analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR).

On Saturday (April 24), General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Xi Jinping attended a handover ceremony in Hainan for a trio of new navy warships. They comprise the Type 094A ballistic missile nuclear submarine Changzheng 18, Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Dalian, and the Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan.

In an interview with CNA, INDSR analyst Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) responded to news of China's recent maritime advances. He noted that ballistic missiles from the nuclear submarine would enable China to launch an attack on the U.S. west coast from the South China Sea.

Characterizing the CCP’s maritime strategy as "defensive in the north and offensive in the south,” Su said that China is constrained by Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in the north and east — which is unfavorable for large-scale fleet maneuvers. Thus, the Chinese navy has deployed its three new ships in the south.

Su said the main reason for this is related to the development of its nuclear strategy. He noted that Beijing has actively increased its nuclear forces, producing advanced submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles, while the deep waters of the South China Sea are suited to concealing such weapons.

Additionally, he speculated that if the CCP decided to attack Taiwan, it could formulate a new strategy. This would see its Eastern Theater Command strike Taiwan, while its Southern Theater Command could conduct exterior lines of operation and hit Taiwan as well.

Su said the Hainan is the first ship in its class to weigh 40,000 tons, allowing it to carry 30 helicopters and hovercraft, three infantry battalions, and two tank companies. He said the Dalian is only the second ship of its class and its main function is to escort carrier strike groups and amphibious assault groups, adding the Hongqi 9 long-range air defense missiles deployed on the ship have a range of 200 kilometers.

Meanwhile, the Changzheng 18 is an improved version of the Type 094 nuclear submarine but is more silent underwater. Su added the most significant improvement is the "turtleback" missile magazine, allowing the vessel to carry the Julang-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile — which has a range of about 12,000 km.

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4186427

China Coast Guard vessels patrol Diaoyu Islands

Three China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels conducted a patrol in territorial waters off the Diaoyu Islands on Sunday, according to an online statement by the CCG.

The vessels are from the CCG 2301 fleet.

(Cover: Photo taken from a marine surveillance plane shows the Diaoyu Islands and nearby islands. /Xinhua)

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04-25/China-Coast-Guard-vessels-patrol-Diaoyu-Islands- ZK4ZaPkTzq/index.html

China might increase the pressure, officials warn

DOUBLE AGENDA: The National Security Bureau said Beijing is trying to defeat containment by Washington, but without giving up its opportunities to collaborate

o By Wu Su-wei and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer

China might ratchet up pressure on Taiwan as the Chinese Communist Party’s centennial nears, national security officials warned, adding that Beijing’s hegemonic ambitions pose a threat to regional stability.

The National Security Bureau made the remarks in a report it sent to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee ahead of a session scheduled for tomorrow.

China is taking a hardline approach to sovereignty and human rights disputes, a line of action that would put more pressure on Taiwan and its neighbors, the bureau said.

Beijing’s attitude is seen in its expansionist moves in disputed waters of the Indo-Pacific, its obstinacy over human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and the nationalist tune of its internal propaganda, it said.

China is “clashing fiercely” with the US in a bid to defeat its containment, but without giving up opportunities to collaborate on other issues, it said.

For example, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Thursday accepted US President Joe Biden’s invitation to attend a climate change teleconference, where he expressed support for global climate governance.

At the same time, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) is touring foreign countries with the aim of using personal diplomacy to undermine a US-built alliance, the bureau said.

Protracted US-China competition would engender unpredictability in the development of regional and global affairs, it said.

Confronted with this prospect, East Asian countries are likely to adopt “agenda-oriented diplomacy,” it said.

This means collaborating with the US or China issue-by-issue with an aim to reduce tensions, increase diplomatic flexibility and protect their own interests, it said. The importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan’s strategic value are increasingly recognized by the US, Japan and other powerful countries, the bureau said.

As a result, Taiwan should enjoy greater international support, it said.

China’s passage of a law empowering coast guard ships to fire on foreign vessels has led to a global backlash, with Japan and ASEAN members increasing patrols in disputed waters, it added.

The US and European countries are conducting freedom of navigation operations, and India might be brought in as an ally, it said.

These actions have increased the risk of mishaps and conflict, and should be deemed a concerning factor to Taiwan’s security, the bureau said.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/04/25/2003756321

Why does mainland China keep sending planes into Taiwan’s air defence zone?

• The incursions help train pilots and keep up the pressure on the island, but observers say it also helps gather intelligence on the US and other countries • Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan back into the fold and the large-scale sorties help the PLA prepare for a possible invasion

Topic | Taiwan

Lawrence Chung

The regular incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan’s southwest air defence identification zone serve multiple purposes, according to military observers.

As well as helping to train its pilots and intimidate Taiwan while wearing down its air force, the flights are also meant to gather intelligence on the US and other countries operating between the Bashi Channel and South China Sea and familiarise the People’s Liberation Army with the area.

Data released by Taiwan’s defence ministry shows that since the beginning of last year, more than 650 PLA warplanes have entered Taiwan’s southwest air defence identification zone on their way to the Bashi Channel – the gateway to the western Pacific and the disputed South China Sea.

Most of the incursions involve small numbers of planes, but there have also been several large- scale flights, including one involving 25 warplanes on April 12 – the largest of its kind since Taiwan started making the sorties public in September last year.

Responding to each incursion is costly and tires out Taiwan’s much smaller air force, which has to scramble twice or even four times as many planes to warn off their PLA counterparts.

Last year, the air force spent close to NT$30 billion (US$1 billion) and an extra 20 per cent of flight time on such actions, and last month the Taiwanese military said it would stop sending fighters to track every incursion and would use slower planes and ground-based radar to track some of the sorties.

Observers said the air and sea southwest of Taiwan, where the US has also increased its military activities, has become a key route for PLA planes and ships in recent years. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3130928/why-does-mainland-china-keep-sending- planes-taiwans-air-defence

China aims to launch Chang'e-6 lunar probe around 2024

China aims to launch the Chang'e-6 probe to collect samples in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon around 2024, a space expert said on Saturday.

Hu Hao, chief designer of the third stage of China's lunar exploration program, said that detailed designing on the mission is in progress. He made the remarks at the 2021 China Space Conference, held in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, from April 23 to 26.

China launched the Chang'e-5 probe in 2020, which successfully brought home 1,731 grams of moon samples.

As the backup of the Chang'e-5 mission, the Chang'e-6 mission would also collect lunar samples automatically for comprehensive analysis and research.

The China National Space Administration has invited scientists around the world to participate in the program, offering to carry solicited payloads.

Four payloads developed by scientists from France, Sweden, Italy, Russia and China have been preliminarily selected. After the detailed plan of the Chang'e-6 mission comes out, the payloads will be finally determined, Hu said.

China will carry out lunar resource exploration, scientific research and technological experiments in the Chang'e-6, Chang'e-7 and Chang'e-8 missions, aiming to build a prototype scientific research station on the moon by 2030, Hu added.

The country is also pushing forward its exploration of small celestial bodies, Ye Peijian, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the same conference.

The mission is to send a probe around an asteroid named 2016HO3 and then land on it to collect samples. The probe will then fly back to Earth's proximity and release a capsule to return the samples. After that, it will continue its journey to the second target – the main asteroid belt and orbit comet 311P, Ye said, adding that the whole process will take about ten years.

The mission's scientific objective includes probing the surface composition, internal structure and other features of the two targets. It also includes detecting possible water and organics on the comet and studying the formulation and evolution of the solar system, Ye said.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04-25/China-aims-to-launch-Chang-e-6-lunar-probe-around-2024- ZJWpQGDNhS/index.html

Wuhan Lab Helped Chinese Army in Secret Project to Find Animal Viruses

The Trump administration had long speculated the Wuhan Institute of Virology had been conducting military research amid the global coronavirus pandemic that is believed to have begun in November 2019 in Wuhan.

“The Chinese have made it clear they see biotechnology as a big part of the future of hybrid warfare,” State Department weapons expert David Asher told the Mail. “The big question is whether their work in these fields is offensive or defensive.”

The documents show research called “the discovery of animal-delivered pathogens carried by wild animals” detected the “dark matter” of biology in spreading disease, including 143 new diseases discovered in the first 3 years of the project, according to the report.

The de facto “Bat Woman” at the WIV lab, Shi Zhengli made trips to find samples in caves and helped lead a team of 5 that include Cao Wuchin, a senior Chinese army officer and government bioterrorism adviser, the Mail reported.

“I don’t know of any military work at the WIV,” Col. Cao said last month, denying U.S. government allegations of military research at the WIV. “That info is incorrect.”

But documents obtained by the Mail show Cao as a Academy of Military Medical Sciences of the People’s Liberation Army, director of the Military Biosafety Expert Committee and sits on the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s advisory board.

The epidemiologist studied at Cambridge University and was the No. 2 in China in the COVID-19 response and vaccine development.

“Many have been working with Western research institutes for years to steal our know-hows, but China still refuses to share critical information a year after the pandemic has killed over 3 million,” Lianchao Han, a dissident who defected from the Chinese government, told the Mail.

The U.S. State Department has long alleged intelligence showing gain of function research at the lab and COVID-19 spreading among WIV researchers weeks before it spread in the city of Wuhan.

The World Health Organization under China’s watchful eye issued a China-approved report that called the U.S. allegations of a WIV leak as “extremely unlikely.”

“They are still not being transparent with us,” King’s College London biosecurity expert Filippa Lentzos told the Mail, calling the latest report as fitting “the pattern of inconsistencies” from the Chinese government. “We have no hard data on the pandemic origins, whether it was a natural spill-over from animals or some kind of accidental research-related leak, yet we’re unable to get straight answers and that simply does not inspire confidence.”

The Mail report noted three miners died of a strange respiratory disease caught while clearing bat feces and a database of samples from the WIV were mysterious taken offline in September 2019.

https://www.kmjnow.com/news/wuhan-lab-helped-chinese-army-in-secret-project-to-find-animal- viruses/

Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says steps to end military mission launched Reuters

The commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General Scott Miller, on Sunday said an orderly withdrawal of foreign forces and the handing over of military bases and equipment to the Afghan forces had begun.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/top-us-commander-afghanistan-says-steps-end-military- mission-launched-2021-04-25/

Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says steps to end military mission launched Reuters

The commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General Scott Miller, on Sunday said an orderly withdrawal of foreign forces and the handing over of military bases and equipment to the Afghan forces had begun.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/top-us-commander-afghanistan-says-steps-end-military- mission-launched-2021-04-25/

Australia and New Zealand mark Anzac Day with commemoration of war dead o AP, CANBERRA • Australians and New Zealanders yesterday paid tribute to their war dead as the two nations prepared to withdraw from their longest war in Afghanistan. • The two countries commemorate Anzac Day every April 25, the date in 1915 when the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on Turkey in an ill-fated campaign that provided the soldiers’ first combat in World War I. • New Zealand is to withdraw its last troops from Afghanistan in May and Australia in • Australian Minister for Defence Peter Dutton said that the withdrawal allowed Australia to focus on its own region, where China is changing the security environment. • “Our focus now ... is to our own region, to providing support to our near neighbors,” Dutton told Nine Network television, referring to relief efforts for natural disaster and the COVID-19 pandemic. • “We need to recognize our region is changing. China is militarizing ports across our region. We need to deal with all of that, and that’s exactly what we’re now focused on,” Dutton added. • After the public was banned because of the pandemic from last year’s Australian commemorations, thousands gathered for a dawn service in downtown Brisbane without restrictions on numbers, with little evidence of social distancing and with few people wearing masks. • Commemorative events were canceled in Perth because of a three-day lockdown that started on Saturday due to a rise in COVID-19 infections. • Western Australia State Premier Mark McGowan and thousands of others remembered the fallen in dawn ceremonies on their own on driveways, as they did last year. • Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city that last year became the nation’s worst pandemic hot spot, recently lifted its Anzac Day march limit from 5,500 to 8,000, after veterans complained that more than 75,000 spectators would be allowed to attend an Australian Rules Football match in Melbourne on the same day. • Given Australia’s relative success in preventing COVID-19 from spreading in the community, veterans have complained that pandemic restrictions have been excessive in parts of the country. • Services and marches were livestreamed for those who could not attend or did not wish to take the infection risk of attending. • Sydney, Australia’s largest city, limited its march to 10,000 people. • A Maori choir sang at a Sydney dawn service in recognition of the intrinsic link that Anzac Day generated between Australia and New Zealand. • For the first time, a soldier played a didgeridoo at the dawn service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, in recognition of the sacrifices of Aboriginals in war. • In past years, the service attracted up to 40,000 people, but this year, it was a ticketed event with a limit of 4,200 people. • Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the Canberra service that Australian troops would soon leave Afghanistan, after losing 41 Australian soldiers to the conflict there. • “It has been our longest war. The world is safer from the threat of terrorism than when the Twin Towers were felled almost 20 years ago, but we remain vigilant. However, this has come at a great cost,” Morrison said.

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2021/04/26/2003756383

Why is Germany sending a frigate through the South China Sea?

• The frigate Bayern is to set course for the Indo-Pacific – for the first time in almost twenty years the German navy will be active in the region • But Berlin is not trying to intimidate Beijing. Its real message is for Germany’s regional allies – Japan, Australia and the US

Arnaud Boehmann

German government and military officials recently revealed plans for the first German naval voyage to East Asia since 2002, in the wake of the country’s new Indo-Pacific guidelines. Amid increased French and British presence in the region – and explicit invitations from Germany’s partners, Japan in particular – this year’s trip is much less of a signal to Beijingthan it is a message of support to Berlin’s allies. The voyage was first publicised in 2019 when the frigate Hamburg was selected to conduct joint exercises with India and Australia from May the following year, though this did not proceed further because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Then, last September, the foreign ministry published the Indo- Pacific guidelines, which outline a shift towards increased German naval activity in the region, from more liaison officers to the presence of naval vessels. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3130854/why-germany-sending-frigate-through- south-china-sea

Germany’s Greens back creation of European army Oliver Moody, Berlin

Monday April 26 2021, 12.01am, The Times

Oliver Moody, Berlin

Monday April 26 2021, 12.01am, The Times

The Green Party’s candidate to succeed Angela Merkel has called for “steps towards” a European army as she set out the first detailed account of her foreign policy agenda.

Annalena Baerbock, 40, an MP with no ministerial experience, is coming under greater scrutiny as polls suggest that she has a credible chance of becoming her country’s first Green chancellor. Two surveys published over the weekend indicate that her party has pulled level with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

A third poll, of 1,500 business executives and public-sector “decision-makers”, found that 27 per cent intended to vote for Baerbock but only 14 per cent supported her CDU opponent, Armin Laschet, 60.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/germanys-greens-back-creation-of-european-army-rcn6vjlvq

Four Ways a China-U.S. War at Sea Could Play Out

Taiwan is the most likely flashpoint, but combat could stretch out as far as the Indian Ocean.

By James Stavridis April 26, 2021 5:00 AM CST

In the mid-1970s, I set sail as a young ensign, my first deployment after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy. We sailed west from San Diego on a brand-new Spruance-class destroyer. As a Cold War sailor, I was deeply disappointed that the ship was not headed into northern Atlantic waters to challenge the vaunted Soviet fleet. Instead, our six-month cruise was focused on the waters of the western Pacific, those around northern Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The furthest thing from our minds was a serious threat from Communist China (as we called it then). It had a somewhat capable coastal navy in those days, but the ships and aircraft of the oddly named People’s Liberation Army Navy simply were not a significant competitor.

Things have changed remarkably. Over the course of my naval career, I watched China slowly, meticulously and cleverly improve every aspect of its naval capabilities. That trend has accelerated significantly over the past decade, as China has expanded the number of its sophisticated warships, deployed them aggressively throughout the region, and built artificial islands to be used as military bases in the South China Sea. It is now a peer competitor of the U.S. in those waters, and this has real risks.

I see four distinct maritime “flashpoint” zones, where the Chinese navy may potentially take military against the U.S. and its allies, partners and friends. They are the Taiwan Strait; Japan and the East China Sea; the South China Sea; and more distant waters around China's other neighbors, including Indonesia, Singapore, Australia and India.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-04-25/u-s-china-sea-war-could-spread-to-japan- australia-india?srnd=

Biden Health Official Says ‘Much Higher’ Risk Of Aspirin Causing Major Stomach Bleeding Than J&J Vaccine Causing Blood Clots

With Johnson & Johnson's Covid-19 vaccine once again cleared for administration in the United States, one of the nation's top health officials is trying to dispel concerns over the single-dose vaccine's "very rare" blood-clotting problems, warning instead that vaccine hesitancy and Covid-19 pose greater risks.

Key Facts

Speaking to NBC News' Meet the Press Sunday morning, Dr. Francis Collins, who's in his twelfth year as director of the National Institutes of Health, said the blood-clotting risks associated with Johnson & Johnson's vaccine are "truly a rare event" and that "the benefits greatly outweigh the risks."

"You are less likely as a woman taking J&J to have this blood-clotting problem than to get struck by lightning next year," Collins added, referencing the fact that a majority of the 15 people in the U.S. who have reported a blood clot associated with Johnson & Johnson's vaccine have been women under the age of 50.

"The risk of aspirin inducing a significant intestinal bleed is much higher than what we're talking about," Collins further noted; studies have pinned the risk of developing "major gastrointestinal bleeding" due to aspirin use at about 1.8%, or roughly 2 out of every 100 people.

To compare, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has assessed the approximate risk of developing the rare blood clots associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at about seven in one million for women under 50—which Collins notes is at least "a thousand times less likely to happen" than an adverse stomach-bleeding reaction to aspirin. Instead, Collins said vaccine hesitancy and Covid-19 variants pose "serious risks" to reaching herd immunity in the U.S., which Collins forecasts will happen once around 70% to 85% of Americans are vaccinated or immune.

Crucial Quote

"We Americans, we’re not that good at this kind of risk calculation… Back when seat belts were first being introduced, people were like, 'Well, you know, suppose my car goes into a lake and I can't get unbuckled quickly enough when I drown,'” Collins postured Sunday. "Well okay, I guess that's in there too, but balancing the benefits and the risks, which is what we're trying to do here, you come out pretty clearly on the side of rolling up your sleeve."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanponciano/2021/04/25/biden-health-official-says-much-higher- risk-of-aspirin-causing-major-stomach-bleeding-than-jj-vaccine-causing-blood-clots/

More than 1 billion vaccine shots administered worldwide

• The milestone comes as the number of new infections topped 893,000 worldwide on Friday, a new daily record • India accounted for more than a third of those, while Thailand is also grappling with a spiralling caseload

Topic | Coronavirus pandemic

Agence France-Presse

The number of Covid-19 vaccine shots administered globally surpassed the one-billion mark on Saturday, offering hope after months of pandemic misery, even as the number of coronavirus cases worldwide hit a new daily record, mainly to an explosion of the virus in India.

At least 1,002,938,540 doses have been administered in 207 countries and territories, according to an AFP tally.

Nevertheless, the number of new infections topped 893,000 worldwide on Friday, a new daily record.

India accounted for more than a third of those, with authorities there announcing 346,786 new cases on Saturday, a record for a single country since the start of the pandemic.

The pandemic has now killed more than 3 million people worldwide since the first case was reported in China in December 2019.

And India, with its population of 1.3 billion, has become the new hotspot, with the current surge blamed on a new virus variant and recent “super spreader” public events. The country reported 2,624 new deaths in the past 24 hours.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3130973/coronavirus-more-1-billion-vaccine-shots- administered-worldwide

India’s coronavirus crisis intensifies as rest of the world offers support and New Delhi extends lockdown

• The Indian health care system has struggled to cope with a huge surge in cases, leaving patients’ families begging for help • ‘Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need,’ US President Joe Biden tweeted

Topic | Coronavirus pandemic

Agence France-Presse

The United States has led international pledges of support for India as the country grappled with worsening Covid-19 crisis with record daily death rates and severe medical shortages.

The Indian health care system has struggled to cope with a huge surge in cases, leaving patients’ families begging for help on social media and the capital New Delhi forced to extend its strict lockdown.

India recorded 349,691 new infections and 2,767 deaths on Sunday – the highest since the start of the pandemic. Delhi on Sunday reported more than one-quarter of those tested were positive.

US President Joe Biden said his country was “determined to help India in its time of need”, immediately making available supplies of vaccine-production material, therapeutics, tests, ventilators and protective equipment. Vice-President Kamala Harris, whose mother was born in India, also tweeted her support.

“The US is working closely with the Indian government to rapidly deploy additional support and supplies during an alarming Covid-19 outbreak,” Harris wrote. “As we provide assistance, we pray for the people of India – including its courageous health care workers.”

Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need.

Western nations including Britain, France and Germany have also pledged help.

“The United States has identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine,” a White House statement said, referring to the India- produced version of the AstraZeneca shot.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3131039/coronavirus-france-provide-significant- oxygen-support-hard-hit

What you need to know about the coronavirus right now Reuters

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now:

Indian health system staggers India reported the world's highest daily tally of coronavirus cases for a second day on Friday, surpassing 330,000 new cases, as it struggles with a health system overwhelmed by patients and plagued by accidents.

Deaths in the past 24 hours also jumped to a record 2,263, the health ministry said, while officials across northern and western India, including the capital, New Delhi, warned most hospitals were full and running out of oxygen.

The surge in cases came as a fire in a hospital in a suburb of Mumbai treating COVID-19 patients killed 13 people on Friday, the latest accident to hit a facility crowded with people infected with the coronavirus.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/what-you-need-know-about- coronavirus-right-now-2021-03-02/

Mapping the Coronavirus Outbreak Across the World Updated: April 26, 2021, 10:20 AM GMT+8 Tracking Covid-19 • Vaccine Tracker • Global Cases • U.S. Cases • U.S. Regions U.K. 1,951 67,553 2,199.8 2.5

Brazil 1,858 68,191 N/A N/A

U.S. 1,733 97,124 1,224.7 2.8

France 1,524 82,222 N/A 6.0

Germany 1,016 41,072 672.3 8.0

Russia 750 33,172 871.5 8.1

India 147 12,931 209.3 0.5

Japan 79 4,518 83.8 13.1

Mainland China 3 65 N/A 4.3

Testing data as of April 23, 2021, 4:15 PM GMT+8 Sources: OECD for number of hospital beds (2016 for the U.S., 2017 for other countries), government agencies and the COVID Tracking Project via Our World in Data for testing data (various recent dates) (reported in the past 45 days) and the U.S. Census Bureau for population figures (2019).

The world is bracing for a new wave of Covid-19 infections, as the coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 145 million people and killed more than 3.1 million globally since late January 2020. Efforts many countries took to stamp out the pneumonia-like illness led to entire nations enforcing lockdowns, widespread halts of international travel, mass layoffs and battered financial markets. Recent attempts to revive social life and financial activities have resulted in another surge in cases and hospitalizations, though new drugs and improved care may help more people who get seriously ill survive.

Getting to a Flatter Curve  The first 464 days with more than 100 confirmed cases

• Asia

• Other Show deaths 01002003004001 yrDays since 100 confirmed cases1001,00010,000100,0001,000,00010,000,00030,000,000CasesMainland ChinaSouth KoreaJapanFranceSingaporeSpainU.K.Hong KongU.S.AustraliaBrazilIndiaRussiaTaiwanNew Zealand Note: JHU CSSE reporting began on January 22, 2020, when mainland China had already surpassed 500 cases. Source: Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering 146,814,721 Confirmed cases worldwide 3,106,013 Deaths worldwide Jurisdictions with cases confirmed as of April 26, 2021, 10:20 AM GMT+8

• 1–99

• 100–999

• 1,000–9,999

• 10,000–99,999

• 100,000–999,999

• 1,000,000–9,999,999

• 10 million or more Where deaths have occurred Deaths Cases

U.S. 572,200 32,077,076

Brazil 390,797 14,340,787

Mexico 214,947 2,328,391

India 192,311 16,960,172

U.K. 127,681 4,420,443

Italy 119,238 3,962,674

Russia 106,434 4,708,640

France 103,017 5,559,121

Germany 81,625 3,298,608

Spain 77,591 3,468,617

Colombia 71,351 2,774,464

Iran 69,574 2,396,204

Poland 65,415 2,758,856

Argentina 61,644 2,860,884

Peru 59,440 1,754,150

Show more Note: Totals for Denmark, France, the Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S. include overseas territories and other dependencies. Cases and deaths for cruise ships have been separated in accordance with JHU CSSE data. More Coverage From Bloomberg • Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter • Stories about the coronavirus outbreak from Bloomberg News • Virus Update from Bloomberg News • The Future of Travel in the Covid Era • How Covid Is Shifting Human Behavior Around the World • The Covid Resilience Ranking The epicenter of the pandemic has continued to shift throughout the year, from China, then Europe, then the U.S., and now to developing countries like Brazil. Cases globally surpassed 10 million in late June, but ever since infections have been multiplying faster. The U.S. and India have the most infections, accounting for more than a third of all cases combined.

Global Cases Added Per Day New cases: 821,237 Jan 21, 2020 Apr 24, 2021 India

New cases: 349,691

Jan 21, 2020

Apr 24, 2021 Brazil

71,137 U.S.

53,363 France

32,642 Iran

18,230 Germany

14,422 Russia

8,698 U.K.

2,122 Mainland China

13 Note: On February 14, 2020, Hubei officials changed their diagnostic criteria, resulting in a spike in reported cases.

Countries took drastic measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19 on their homefront— with varying degrees of success. More than 140 governments placed blanket bans on incoming travelers, closed schools and restricted gatherings and public events, according to data compiled by Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government and Bloomberg reporting. As countries loosen lockdowns in an effort to reboot their economies, many have seen a resurgence of infections. The number of new daily cases in the U.S. rose to record highs after some states relaxed social distancing requirements. Even places that successfully contained infections earlier in the year, like China and South Korea, have seen cases bubble back up. Theories that warmer weather in the Northern Hemisphere would bring relief appear to be unfounded.

How the Outbreak Spread Country by Country  Seven-day rolling average of new deaths and cases

• Asia

• Other Show cases Mar 2020Jan 2021Apr 2400.5K1.0K1.5K2.0K2.5K3.0K3.5KNew deaths by dayU.S.IndiaRussiaU.K. Note: Shown are the 15 places with the highest totals of confirmed cases, as of April 24. Negative values resulting from governments revising their totals have been excluded from rolling average calculations.

The “worst is yet to come” given a lack of global solidarity, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, said at a briefing in Geneva on June 29.

In May, the WHO emphasized the need for a plan that includes testing for the virus and its antibodies, effective contact tracing and isolation, and community education. Antibody tests on the market that could potentially indicate a person’s immunity have been unreliable so far. Researchers and drugmakers are racing to develop treatments that could hold the key to recovery.

Gilead Sciences Inc.’s antiviral remdesivir is one of the first widely used drugs for Covid- 19. It received an emergency use authorization from U.S. regulators in May, after a trial found it sped recovery by about four days in hospitalized patients. It was also part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s treatment after he tested positive for the coronavirus in early October, along with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s antibody cocktail and the generic drug dexamethasone.

Vaccines are also in development, though the study of one leading candidate from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc is on hold in the U.S. while regulators investigate a potential safety issue.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-coronavirus-cases-world-map/?srnd=coronavirus)

Del Rosario lost Panatag to China By Rigoberto D. Tiglao

April 26, 2021

THE gall of former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario to even open his mouth on the Whitsun Reef brouhaha and to admonish the Duterte administration to do this or that in dealing with China.

In an article prominently posted yesterday in the Philippine Star, owned by the Indonesian- controlled First Pacific where del Rosario got most of his income for two decades, he wrote:

“On Panatag/Scarborough, an agreement in settling an impasse in 2012 was brokered by the US. It involved the withdrawal of all ships on both sides by a certain time. We withdrew while China deceitfully breached our agreement.”

That is a gargantuan lie. Not even the US claims that. Only del Rosario; nobody else — not even his fellow Sinophobe Antonio Carpio or even former president Aquino 3rd — dares repeat that lie that has been incontrovertibly proven as such. Del Rosario. in fact. will go down in Philippine history as the person to have dropped the ball so that this Republic lost its first territory. For that alone, del Rosario should have the decency to shut up on our territorial disputes with China.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/04/26/opinion/columnists/topanalysis/del-rosario-lost-panatag-to- china/867540/

Checking China’s maritime push posted April 26, 2021 at 12:10 am by J.A. Dela Cruz There is no question that a Chinese fishing fleet -- a 200-boat flotilla is how some quarters have described it -- has been anchored for weeks in the Whitsun Reef/Julian Felipe Reef well within disputed waters in an area commonly known as the Spratlys. There is also no question that upon receipt of official AFP confirmation about the fleet’s presence, the Department of Foreign Affairs immediately filed a diplomatic protest on the presence of this fleet within our EEZ which is violative of the governing UN Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).

There is also no question that from the very first day that photos of this anchored fleet went viral, a chorus of NGOs, advocacy groups and anti-Duterte personalities have been haranguing the administration to stop this “invasion” and get the fishing fleet off our “territory.” So, as if to show that the administration was not useless and giving in to Chinese incursions, we went on the offensive with no less than Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana quoted as having said that the reef area is “RP territory well within our exclusive economic zone where Filipinos have the sole right to its resources in accord with international law and the 2016 arbitral ruling.” As things now stand, a good part of that fleet remains in the area but the exchange has somehow died down in yet another episode in the continuing acrimonious debate over reefs and other features in the South China/West Philippine Sea.

It will probably take time, maybe never, for this matter to be resolved in the manner we or at least those insisting on the use of the 2016 arbitral ruling and/or UNCLOS rules prefer: Declare the disputed areas as our territory for which we dedicate resources and even lives to guard it to the last Filipino defender. In the meantime, instead of fighting among ourselves trying to make a big issue out of our so-called inability to protect our resources and in the process invite conflict among the Big Powers in our part of the world, it may be wiser to take stock of the realities on the ground and strive to find common cause with the world community in observing the basic tenets of maritime life. This includes responsible exploitation of the resources of the seas, freedom of navigation, non-incursion in territorial and inland bodies of waters and peaceful and proper resolution of disputes, if any.

For one, these boats are part of China’s ever-growing fishing fleet now considered the world’s largest. They bring millions of tons of seafood a year to feed China’s growing appetite for such bounties. They have become such a presence in the oceans using banned equipment and threatening ecosystems such as that in the disputed waters of the South China/West Philippine Sea and even around the Galapagos Islands in South America. Their crews have also established island settlements in these disputed waters, to the chagrin of claimant countries.

There is no doubt they have become a key cog in Beijing’s longtime ambition to become a maritime superpower as they have successfully established a global network of alliances with local companies in building ports and other facilities for their fishing expeditions. That they have also breached international conventions and local laws has increasingly become a cause of international concern particularly their exploits in the “gray zones” of the oceans such as those in the South China and/or West Philippine Sea and the Sea of Japan, among others.

An article on China’s growing fishing fleet in the April 22 issue of the Wall Street Journal should give everybody a pause. Expert analysis of available transponder and global registration data show that Chinese boats involved in distant water operations —meaning outside a country’s own territorial waters— total as many as 17,000 which is about seven times more than those of Taiwan and South Korea, considered having the second and third biggest fleets, with only 2500 vessels combined.

Of course, China has denied it has such a huge fleet, noting that the legally registered Chinese vessels doing distant water fishing stood at only 2700 as of 2019, advising that as early as 2017 it has capped the total to 3,000 in response to World Trade Organization efforts to cut government subsidies that contribute to overfishing. The Chinese foreign ministry has also been quoted as saying it has the strictest oversight on distant water fishing and has toughened legal penalties even more against errant fishing activities.

These claims sometimes do not tally with the facts as our, Vietnam and even Japan’s experience with the aggressive ways by which these fishing fleets operate in recent years has shown. Even Indonesia has periodically seized and even blown up seized Chinese trawlers in hopes to deter others from poaching in its waters. Last year, Ecuador and Peru placed their navies on alert to track hundreds of Chinese trawlers massing near South American fisheries. In Ghana, fisherfolks have complained about Chinese trawlers with their modern sonar and destructive equipment have been venturing into the country’s sovereign waters disrupting livelihoods and communities in the process.

Global watchdogs have reported that from 2010 to 2019, Chinese-flagged or owned vessels accounted for 21 percent of global fishing offenses up from 16 percent the previous decade. The Geneva-based Global Initiative has placed China first in the prevalence of illegal fishing by nations in 2019. These offenses are bound to continue in the years ahead as China grows its distant fishing industry as part of its national development plans. Under this plan which considers the industry “important for ensuring food security ..and in safeguarding national maritime rights and interests,” China aims to develop 29 distant fishing bases including one in Mauritania, its largest distant fishing base, a fishing port in Pakistan while its fishing companies have entered into joint ventures with local fishing groups in Peru and Ecuador and even in the Pacific Island group of nations. We note that China is now the world’s largest seafood consumer and the third largest seafood importer after Europe and the US with imports totalling $15 billion in 2019.

Given these facts and developments, the need for a comprehensive worldwide agreement on distant water fishing becomes imperative. While a number of conventions including UNCLOS has been in force for some time, what really matters is the enforcement of these agreements. What are we to do with private fishing fleets like China’s which, more often than not, are escorted and protected by that country’s Coast Guard and Navy? Is it possible for all aggrieved parties such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines in ASEAN, Ecuador and Peru in South America, Ghana and Sierra Leone in Africa, all of whose have been victims to aggressive incursions by Chinese fishing fleets to get the Chinese government not only to impose heavier penalties on those wrongdoers intruding in domestic waters but closer to home, withhold financing and other assistance on those using illegal fishing equipment and facilities for their activities?

It may also be timely for these countries to seek the assistance of UN bodies and the Coast Guard of other nations to assist them in patrolling the fishing grounds, including the gray zones which have become targets of illegal fishing activities of late. The presence of such “white flotilla” of coast guard vessels and auxiliaries patrolling the seas, as it were, can go a long way in deterring many of these incursions and fishing expeditions by swarms of huge and heavily equipped Chinese fishing vessels which contribute to territorial disputes and diplomatic tensions. Such “soft” approaches may bring better results than the highly inflammatory, politically problematic focus on territorial disputes and EEZ entitlements.

After all, it may be too late in the day for the Chinese to now downsize their fishing fleets to satisfy the provocative calls for more active push backs by those aggrieved by their actions. Getting them to abide by verifiable rules and soft approaches may make them stay within limits https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/crossroads-by-j-a-dela-cruz/352797/checking-china-s- maritime-push.html

On seeing red posted April 26, 2021 at 12:25 am by Lito Banayo What started as a bright idea on the part of an ordinary do-gooder to share what she could to the needy in nearby communities has become such a huge cause celebre, much like a small bushfire gone wild. And the reason for attracting so much public attention and sparking so much controversy was not confined to the demonstration effect such communal concern would normally beget, where people wanting to do something to help their fellowmen in times of crisis normally do. It was the reaction of some people in government to the community pantry. It was a case of seeing red in practically anything and everyone, just like that Republican senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, who accused so many Americans from academe, government and the arts as “communists” at the time of the Cold War. From the unlamented senator who was eventually censured by his peers was derived the term “McCarythism” to denote anti-communist activities then, but has now evolved into a broader connotation to refer to reckless and unsubstantiated accusations on political targets. In this time when all of our citizens are grappling with a pandemic, battling a war on an unseen virus that kills and debilitates, apart from causing the collapse of our economy, rendering millions jobless, hungry and desperate, we have no need of McCarthyists in our midst. We do not need Badoys and Parlades who see red wherever they please, who in this day and age still think that anything that quacks must be a duck. A Catholic priest who works among the people of Batangas, and who was actively involved in helping evacuees from the Taal Volcano eruption in January of last year, sent me a very eloquent observation on the brouhaha over the community pantry. Said he:

“Filipinos are a relational and communal people. We do not like being independent, so we help and we ask for help.

“Filipinos are never ashamed of asking, or even begging for help. Our culture’s point of departure can be described in Tagalog as “kung nangangailangan, dapat ay tulungan”. “That also explains the reality of extended families, of why OFWs work hard to help not only their immediate families but even cousins, uncles and other relatives when they need help.

“Kapag hindi tumulong, nagiging outcast sa pamilya, even if those relatives may simply be too lazy to work.

“Millions have become destitute because of the coronavirus pandemic, which is why there are long lines in the community pantries that have sprung (as started by the Maginhawa do-gooder named Patreng Non). “ Someone sent me a video clip taken from his car, where he showed the long, long line of people waiting to partake of whatever in the Maginhawa experiment turned folk culture. Seeing red and ascribing subversive motives on the progenitor of the Maginhawa syndrome will simply be condemned and shouted out by the people, whether politicians, media, or common folk using social media platforms. Because helping out is never a crime. And accepting help when in need is ingrained in our culture. As my priestly friend said in his Viber message: “The brain can provide the thrust, while the heart will provide the care.” Further he adds a commentary: “To borrow Christ’s words, Filipinos are like sheep without a shepherd in these times. What we need is a responsible and loving leader.” He ended by citing someone who he thinks can fit that description in 2021. But I would rather not divulge his early choice. Beleaguered as it already is, and how many other governments all over the world are now at their wit’s end in dealing with this unseen virus, ours certainly does not have any need for McCarthyists who seize on everything they see and hear and even smell as people out to subvert lawfully constituted authority. President Duterte is better off dealing with the crisis without these characters.

* * * Meanwhile, from here in Taipei where I had my first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the National Taiwan University Hospital (similar to our PGH which is operated by our premiere state university), comes a cautionary advice from Dr. James Liao, president of Taiwan’s leading research institute, the Academia Sinica, who encouraged everyone to be vaccinated against COVID-19 despite the island’s low, low numbers of infection.

Speaking before the legislature, Dr. Liao dashed “overly optimistic” expectations of normalcy by year-end, noting the continual rise of new Covid variants elsewhere in the world. Meanwhile, he urged the public to remain vigilant and to continue wearing face masks even after their vaccination, as the slowing down of transmissions due to vaccinations could easily be erased by a resurgence of infections. In short, we should never let our guard down. * * *

Even the travel “bubbles” which constitute experiments on normalizing international travel between “safe” countries or territories, are having problems with the initial wobbly steps. Taiwan and Palau came up with a travel bubble which was launched with much fanfare late March. After a few trips, the bubble burst because of low demand. Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand started a travel bubble as well recently. But just as soon as it started, a new outbreak of the virus struck in Australia, and the restrictions resumed. IATA predicted last year that international travel would not normalize until 2024. The jeremiads of doom for our own travel industry have spawned bankruptcies all over, from airlines with both domestic and international service routes, to hotels and resorts, restaurants and other service establishments which cater to the travel industry. And has condemned the millions of their workers to penury. When will we see a glimpse of the light at the end of this long dark tunnel? And yet, we have to put up with characters who see red in so many things in these dark and desperate times. https://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/so-i-see-by-lito-banayo/352804/on-seeing-red.html

community pantries 7By: Joel ‘reasons’ Ruiz Butuyan - @inquirerdotnet why gov’t fears Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:05 AM April 26, 2021

It was a very simple act. A young woman brought out a small bamboo cart filled with fresh vegetables, canned goods, and other essentials. On cardboard pieces, ignite a national she scribbled “Community Pantry” and the very plain words that would soon

movement: “Magbigay ayon sa kakayahan. Kumuha ayon sa Notpangangailangan even the most (Take clever what advertising you need. company Give what or theyou most can).” astute political propagandist could have anticipated that the modest act of 26-year-old Ana

350 community pantries sprouted all over the country, from Northern Luzon to Patricia “Patreng” Non would electrify the whole nation. In just one week, some Mindanao, and new pantries are multiplying daily at an extraordinary rate. There are throngs of people who line up every day as beneficiaries of these free food stalls, and there’s been no shortage of benefactors who also replenish the supplies has been duplicated in daily. Patreng’s pantry has generated donors from the United States, and the idea will start emerging in more countries soon. Timor Leste. I wouldn’t be surprised if community pantries

https://opinion.inquirer.net/139655/7-reasons-why-govt-fears-community- pantries#ixzz6t7C5Pa4s

‘Rebolusyon kontra gutom’

CTALK - Cito Beltran (The Philippine Star) - April 26, 2021 - 12:00am Going through everything that has been allegedly said by Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade against the Maginhawa Community Pantry and its lone organizer Patricia Non, what caught my eye was the alleged statement where the spokesperson for the NTF-ELCAC referred to One Satan and One Eve and surmised that all it took was one for all to fall. It is ironic that the blame has always been on Eve while Satan smirks quietly on the sidelines while Men blame her for their misery. If Adam and the rest of his progeny had been more proactive in defending their mates, their family and their faith and their communities, we would surely be living in a less messier world. Let me just point out that Eve’s single sin was to disobey God. After that, it was men that started murders, wars and much of the agony in this world.

But I digress. Going back to the Community Pantry controversy and the subsequent calls for the “defunding” of the NTF-ELCAC, I was reminded of the incident in the life of Jesus Christ just before his enemies grabbed him and conducted their own version of EJK or extrajudicial killing. The scene took place in the house of Simon the Leper where a woman shows up with a bottle of very expensive perfume worth 300 Denarii or approximately $600, according to Google. The woman pours the perfumed oil on the head of Jesus as well as his feet and wipes them with her own hands. In response the apostles were aghast and indignant, saying, “To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.”

Jesus responded by saying, “Why trouble the woman? She has done a good work upon me. For you have the poor always with you; but me you will not have always. Because she has poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Surely I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, there also will be told what this woman has done for me as a memorial of her. “

The way things are, Patricia Non and her Maginhawa Pantry will go down in history as the heroic and godly commitment of one woman. As for her detractors, they will probably be a mere footnote that nobody bothers to read except their relatives, who hopefully will be more intelligent and sensible. Speaking of intelligent and sensible, when Senator Joel Villanueva boldly stepped up to call for the “defunding” of the NTF-ELCAC, many other legislators and personalities pointed out that “the money could be better used to help the poor.”

This reminds me of a time when President Joseph Erap Estrada was under house arrest in Tanay, Rizal but allowed to have visitors and host a Bible study every Friday.

https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2021/04/26/2093738/rebolusyon-kontra-gutom

China’s record 1st quarter fuels strong expansion, global prospects

ByDan Steinbock April 26, 2021 A YEAR ago, China’s first quarter plunge was minus 6.8 percent due to the pandemic effect. In the West, it was widely seen as the “end of China’s growth story.”

Instead, in early February 2020, I predicted a turnaround in the increase of new virus cases in China with the beginning of the economic rebound in the second quarter (See my columns “Virus outbreak at crossroads?” TMT, Feb 10, 2020 and “The coming global coronavirus contraction,” TMT, March 23, 2020).

Despite some ideological criticism, both contrarian projections proved valid. Moreover, following the 6.5-percent expansion in the fourth quarter of 2020, China’s gross domestic product rose to a record 18.3 percent year-on-year in the past quarter.

Though benefiting from the base effect, due to the pandemic plunge a year ago, the performance reflects strong impetus for normalization.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/04/26/opinion/columnists/topanalysis/chinas-record-1st-quarter- fuels-strong-expansion-global-prospects/867538/

Is Asean’s Myanmar five-point consensus workable, and what is next?

• Asean leaders and Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing on Saturday agreed on five issues, including ending violence and holding constructive talks • Analysts say not mentioning the release of prisoners like Aung San Suu Kyi or the role of the National Unity Government may have been a compromise to achieve the five points

Bhavan Jaipragas

The consensus forged between Southeast Asian leaders and Myanmar Hlaing to de- -coup crisis has come under scrutiny a day after it was forged at a summit in Jakarta. ’s junta leader Min Aung escalate his country’s post The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) said after the talks on Saturday that the bloc , the sending of aid to Myanmar, the appointment of a special envoy to facilitate talks, and for the envoy tohad be agreed allowed on visits five issues: to the country.ending violence, constructive talks among “all parties concerned”

The army chief, who made his first international trip since seizing power on February 1 from the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD), is said to have agreed to these points.

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3131028/aseans-myanmar-five-point-consensus- workable-and-what-next

How US withdrawal from Afghanistan offers promise and peril for China

• The balance in Afghanistan seems weighted more towards opportunity than challenge for China as the geopolitical equation changes • Beijing might believe it knows how to avoid pitfalls, but history is littered with powers that were confident they had sway over the Eurasian heartland

Raffaello Pantucci

US President Joe Biden to leave Afghanistanis both a challenge and an opportunity for China. On the opportunity side, China rids itself of worrying US military bases near its border. On the challenge side, it leaves’s open decision the question for the US of who will deal with the instability that might grow in Afghanistan.

China still lacks the hard power to do this itself, and it is unclear whether Afghan forces can deliver such security assurances. None of this is new for Beijing, but the balance now seems weighted more towards opportunity than challenge.

China has long worried about instability from Afghanistan, but more indirectly than directly. This is based on an understanding of the region the Taliban has not been known to attack north into Central Asia and are wary about irritating supporters in Pakistan with China is remote and fairly firmly secured.– – as well as the fact that Afghanistan’s border https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3130804/how-us-withdrawal-afghanistan-offers- promise-and-peril-china

Traitors exploiting freedom of expression

• By Chin Ching 秦靖 Article 29 of the Criminal Code states that “a person who solicits another to commit an offense is a solicitor. A solicitor shall be punished according to the punishment prescribed for the solicited offense.”

Academic Lai Yueh-chien (賴岳謙) said on China Central Television that “Taiwan’s military is just a paper tiger,” that its weapons arsenal is decades behind China’s, its training is weak and its officers’ ideas are based on a 50-year-old ideology instead of modern thinking.

Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) on Chinese TV called for “unification” by military force, saying that Beijing’s missiles should be aimed at the worst Taiwan independence activist, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) founder Chang An-le (張安樂) — also known as the “White Wolf” — said that he would establish “red troops” to promote “peaceful unification.”

He also called for an “uprising before the battle” and cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to overturn the Taiwanese government.

When all these things occurred, these people were not only solicitors, they were also guilty of treason.

Promoting the demise of Taiwan and encouraging China’s annexation of the nation by military force are not covered by freedom of expression.

These people should not be allowed to talk such nonsense and be tolerated based on the idea that the public should independently make up their mind about the comments.

Legal professionals dealing with false news and rumormongering should not ignore them and issue “not guilty” verdicts, saying that the comments have not incited any social unrest.

Faced with the Chinese dictatorship, democratic countries around the world are on their guard against Beijing’s aggression.

An increasing number of states are working together to form an alliance to contain China.

A meeting of top US and Japanese leaders last month condemned the threat posed by China’s military actions, calling them destabilizing. However, there is a group of people in Taiwan who chime in with anything China says.

They hold high the banner of “freedom of expression” as a protective umbrella, while working to destroy national unity, promote rumors and create unrest.

Lai, a former university professor, has become a mouthpiece for China, and CUPP members have on multiple occasions — here in free and democratic Taiwan — attacked Lam Wing-kei (林榮基), a former manager of Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay Books, as well as Hong Kong singer, actor and democracy campaigner Denise Ho (何韻 詩), pouring red paint over them.

These people are also using Taiwan’s freedom of expression as a protective umbrella as they work to suppress the same freedom on behalf of the CCP, a party that regards freedom of expression as a crime.

This issue, rooted in the tragic mess that surrounds Taiwan’s national identity, is a reminder that Taiwanese must protect their freedom of expression.

Chin Ching is an educator. https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2021/04/26/2003756349

For China, Japan looks to be leaving Asia to side with US

Tokyo's policies remind Beijing of 1895 war in which it lost Taiwan

Performers wait for the start of the reenactment in Beijing of a ceremony from the Qing Dynasty, which was humiliated in a war with Japan. © Reuters

TETSUSHI TAKAHASHI, Editor, Economic News GroupApril 26, 2021 03:10 JST

Tetsushi Takahashi was Nikkei China bureau chief from April 2017 to March 2021 and the writer of the Beijing Diary column.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Comment/For-China-Japan-looks-to-be-leaving-Asia-to-side-with-US

What's the most distinctive part of the CPC's character? Editor's note: This 100-episode podcast explains how China really works. Exploring Xi Jinping Thought and how the Chinese president's approach has shaped the governance of China, the podcast decodes the country's growth story to help you truly understand its success and challenges.

To have the courage to carry out self-reform and conduct strict self-governance, this is the most distinctive part of our Party's character. - Chinese President Xi Jinping To have the courage to carry out self-reform and conduct strict self-governance, this is the most distinctive part of our Party's character. We must uphold the Party Constitution as our fundamental rules, give top priority to the political work of the Party, combine efforts on ideological work and institution building, and strengthen Party competence in all respects. We must focus on oversight over the "key few," by which we mean leading officials, and see that the principle of the Three Stricts and Three Earnests is observed.

We must uphold democratic centralism, ensure that intraparty political activities are carried out in earnest, impose strict Party discipline and strengthen internal oversight. We must develop a positive and healthy political culture in the Party and improve the Party's political ecosystem, resolutely correct misconduct in all its forms and show zero tolerance for corruption. We will continue to strengthen the Party's ability to purify, improve and reform itself and forever maintain its close ties with the people.

Just as there are no bounds to practice, there is no end to theoretical exploration. The world is changing with every second, every moment, and China, too, is changing with every second, every moment. We must ensure our theory evolves with the times, deepen our appreciation of objective laws and advance our theoretical, practical, institutional, cultural and other explorations.

Comrades, The era is the mother of thought; practice is the fount of theory. If we respond to the call of our times and have the courage to uphold truth and correct errors, the Marxism of 21st century China will, without a doubt, emanate a more mighty, more compelling power of truth.

(Source: Extract from Xi Jinping's report at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, October 18, 2017.)

This episode is presented by Ning Yan.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04-25/What-s-the-most-distinctive-part-of-the-CPC-s-character-- ZJWiZrPlUA/index.html

Exorcisms and ‘corrective’ rape: inside Indonesia’s controversial LGBT ‘conversion’ therapies

• Faith-based ‘treatments’ for LGBT people – such as a type of Islamic exorcism known as ‘ruqya’ – are commonplace in Indonesia • Commercial entities have also cropped up in recent years, offering everything from pray-away-the-gay sessions to ‘sex therapy’ – a euphemism for rape

Resty Woro Yuniar

Growing up as someone who does not conform to traditional gender norms is not easy in Indonesia. Just ask Christine*, a 35 year-old transgender woman in West Java who has been made to undergo conversion therapy no fewer than four times.

While the pseudoscientific practice has been condemned in much of the West, conversion therapy is still widely carried out by faith- some commercial entities. Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia but rising religious conservatism has fuelled increasing discriminationbased againstorganisations the community. in the world’s largest Muslim majority nation, as well as

Christine, who grew up in the city of Medan in North Sumatra province, said that she was first subjected to the practice a type of Islamic exorcism known in Indonesia as ruqya when she was thirteen.

– – https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3130861/exorcisms-and-corrective-rape-inside- indonesias-controversial-lgbt

Why Chinese construction firms will remain the big builders in Africa

• Chinese government financing has helped to drive exports of services to the continent but Chinese companies have another big factor in their favour – price, analysts say • A major shift in lending is under way, with commercial banks filling some of the gap left by Beijing’s official credit agency

Jevans Nyabiage

Price-competitive Chinese companies are expected to continue to power dams, highways, ports and railways takes a more cautious approach to lending, observers say. dominate construction of Africa’s , even as China’s official export credit agency That outlook was reinforced earlier this week when state-owned China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) won a US$166 million contract to build a 453km (281-mile) road as part of a megaproject linking Kenya with Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The contract was signed less than a week after Kenya announced that a new seaport being built in Manda Bay in Lamu, on the Kenyan coast, by CCCC, would start operating in June. The company had won the contract to build the first three of 32 berths of the seaport for US$480 million.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3130988/why-chinese-construction-firms-will- remain-big-builders-africa

Xinjiang cotton: why it is so hard to find out the truth about forced labour claims

• The Chinese authorities have so far refused to allow diplomats or independent investigators to look into claims of human rights abuses • The issue has become yet another flashpoint between China and the US, further complicating the situation

Mimi Lau

International pressure against China over its Xinjiang policies has gained traction in recent months, with China criticised over the treatment of Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. China has denied allegations of forced labour and detention. We look at the issues in this series.

China has become increasingly forceful in its defence of what state media calls the “pure, white and Itflawless” is the latest cotton in produceda series of inalleged Xinjiang human amid rights a growing abuses international against Uygurs storm and about other forced Muslim labour. minority groups in the region charges Beijing has vehemently denied, insisting they are lies manufactured by anti-China forces. –

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3131010/xinjiang-cotton-why-it-so-hard-find-out- truth-about-forced

John J. Tkacik, Jr. On Taiwan: The last half century of Taiwan’s ‘unsettled’ status

In the excitement over last week’s Biden-Suga Summit in Washington, it was easy to forget — if you ever knew — that April 28th is the fiftieth anniversary of a momentous but long-forgotten episode in the history of the United States’ public policy toward Taiwan. On that day in 1971, US State Department Spokesman, Charles W. Bray III, approached the lectern in the Department’s press gallery late in the afternoon, to resume where he had broken off earlier in the day to seek clarity on a Taiwan question.

What Taiwan question?

In April, 1971, America was in the thrall of the US Table Tennis Team’s week-long ground-breaking tour of “Red China” and the advent of “Ping-Pong Diplomacy.” Newspapers across America were overloaded with speculation that President Nixon might end economic sanctions on Peking. United States ambassador to the United Nations George H.W. Bush was, at the same time, inventing a “two Chinas policy” he hoped would preserve Taiwan’s seat in the General Assembly against a tsunami of Third-World demand for Peking to replace Taiwan in the UN’s “China Seat.” The New York Times published “China” stories every day in April. Across America local newspapers reprinted all the wire-service China copy they could get their hands on. At the State Department on April 28, the question rang: “is Taiwan an obstacle to Washington-Peking detente?”

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2021/04/26/2003756348