Trump Announces New Sanctions on China’s Military Industry

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The Trump administration unleashed new sanctions on companies that contribute to China’s military-industrial base, the White House announced Thursday.

The executive order will prohibit Americans from owning shares of 31 companies that support the industrial, communications, and technological capabilities of China’s People’s Liberation Army. Pentagon officials designated the firms as “Communist Chinese military companies” in June and August memos, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The targeted companies have enjoyed the support of American investors—many of the sanctioned firms are traded on Chinese stock exchanges, and two of them are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Even if the latest sanctions are reversed by a Biden administration next year, investment experts believe the White House’s order could deter further American investment in Chinese companies. (Read more from “Trump Announces New Sanctions on China’s Military Industry” HERE)

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ISIS Returns: Jihadis Claim Credit for Saudi WWI Memorial Bombing

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The Islamic State on Thursday claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s bombing at a World War I cemetery in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. Two people were injured in what the Saudi government denounced as a “failed and cowardly attack.”

The Jeddah attackers detonated an improvised explosive device at a non-Muslim cemetery where Western diplomats were gathered for a ceremony organized by the French embassy to Saudi Arabia.

The bombers evidently targeted the French, the latest in a series of jihad attacks after cartoons of Mohammed were republished by French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo in September 2020. Jihadis attacked the offices of the magazine in 2015, brutally murdering 12 people and beginning a series of Islamist terrorist attacks across France.

Much the same thing is happening today, beginning with the savage beheading of a teacher in Paris last month after he showed the Mohammed cartoons to his class. French President Emmanuel Macron’s unyielding response to the terror attacks enraged Islamists around the world, bringing threats of terrorism against the French at home and abroad.

The attack in Jeddah injured a Greek consular employee and a Saudi security officer. France’s i24 News reported on Friday that a British citizen may also have been wounded. (Read more from “ISIS Returns: Jihadis Claim Credit for Saudi WWI Memorial Bombing” HERE)

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Iran To Block Inspectors at Nuclear Sites

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Iran will reduce the access international nuclear inspectors have to its sites following a new watchdog report indicating Tehran is stockpiling more than 12 times the amount of enriched uranium allowed under the 2015 nuclear agreement.

Mojtaba Zonnour, chair of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic will continue to reduce the access granted to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is tasked with performing oversight on Iran’s contested nuclear sites. The agency will only be permitted to perform supervisory actions, severely limiting the IAEA’s ability to keep tabs on Iran’s nuclear advancements.

The move comes just days after a confidential IAEA report indicated Iran is hoarding large amounts of enriched uranium, the key component in a nuclear weapon. Iran has been steadily increasing its uranium stockpiles in breach of the nuclear accord since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the deal. The IAEA concluded that Iran’s reasons for producing this amount of uranium are “not credible,” furthering suspicions Tehran has resumed work on an atomic weapon. (Read more from “Iran To Block Inspectors at Nuclear Sites” HERE)

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China: Republicans Working With Democrats to ‘Kick Trump Out’

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China’s state-run Global Times reported on Thursday that “pro-establishment elites from both the Democrats and the Republicans are working together to kick Trump out of the White House” while President Donald Trump is still pursuing legal challenges against ballot counting in several close states.

“Chinese analysts said on Thursday that although Trump might have to accept his defeat eventually, his legacy has already made irreversible changes to the U.S. — The U.S. society has become more conservative and polarized, and the U.S.-led international alliance has become divided,” the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) paper wrote.

The Global Times cited American media reports indicating Trump could be planning a comeback bid in 2024 as “an implied acknowledgment of Trump’s failure among Republicans,” who must now accept the victory of former Vice President Joe Biden if they have any hope of hanging on to the 72 million votes Trump received during the election.

Expert Chinese analysts made the stunning prediction that Trump might not win the 2024 GOP primary if he runs again, because “Republicans such as Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Tom Cotton may seize the opportunity and have stronger influence by then,” and even Trump’s running mate Mike Pence could shoulder past him to run for the top job. (Read more from “China: Republicans Working With Democrats to ‘Kick Trump Out’” HERE)

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Taiwan Announces Military Exercises With U.S. Marines

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Taiwan announced on Monday the arrival of U.S. Marines participating in joint exercises, marking the first public acknowledgment of military exercises with U.S. forces in over 40 years.

Amphibious joint exercises between U.S. Marine Raiders and the Taiwanese Marine Corps began in Taiwan this week and were described as “routine” by Taiwan’s Naval Command, the first admission of direct Taiwanese-American military cooperation since 1979, according to Newsweek. Taiwanese soldiers will receive a month of amphibious training under the U.S. Marines.

“In order to maintain regional peace and stability, routine security cooperation and exchanges between the militaries of Taiwan and the United States are proceeding as usual,” the Taiwanese Navy said in a statement. (Read more from “Taiwan Announces Military Exercises With U.S. Marines” HERE)

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‘Serious Adverse Event’ That Led Brazil To Suspend Sinovac Trial Has ‘No Relation’ To Coronavirus Vaccine

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A “serious adverse event” that led Brazil’s health authorities to halt clinical trials of a Chinese-developed Covid-19 vaccine was not related to the vaccine trial itself, the director of Brazil’s Butantan biomedical institute said on Tuesday.

Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) suspended the trial on Monday after an incident on October 29. A note from Anvisa said the trial had been paused in order to better evaluate the data and assess the risk.

But Dimas Covas, the institute’s director, told reporters at a news conference in Sao Paulo that the incident was in no way linked to the vaccine trial.

“The serious adverse event observed in a volunteer in the trial has no relation to the vaccine,” Covas said. “It was analyzed and determined that there was no relation.” (Read more from “‘Serious Adverse Event’ That Led Brazil To Suspend Sinovac Trial Has ‘No Relation’ To Coronavirus Vaccine” HERE)

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Report: Vladimir Putin Stepping Down in 2021

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Vladimir Putin is planning to quit early next year amid growing fears for his health, Moscow sources claimed last night.

Kremlin watchers said recent tell-tale footage showed the 68-year-old strongman has possible symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. . .

Observers who studied recent footage of Putin noted his legs appeared to be in constant motion and he looked to be in pain while clutching the armrest of a chair.

His fingers are also seen to be twitching as he held a pen and gripped a cup believed to contain a cocktail of painkillers.

Speculation that his 20-year-reign – second only to that of Stalin – could be nearing an end grew earlier this week when laws were drafted to make him a senator-for-life when he resigns. (Read more from “Report: Vladimir Putin Stepping Down in 2021” HERE)

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Vienna Shooting: Gunmen Hunted After Deadly ‘Terror’ Attack

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Gunmen armed with rifles have opened fire in six different locations in central Vienna, killing two people and wounding several more, police say.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called it a “repulsive terror attack” and said one gunman was also killed.

Police were searching for at least one attacker who was still at large, the interior minister said.

The shootings took place near Vienna’s central synagogue but it is not yet clear if that was the target.

One of the victims was killed at the scene of the shootings while a second – a woman – died later in hospital from her wounds, Mayor Michael Ludwig said. It is believed 14 other people remain in hospital, six in a serious condition. (Read more from “Vienna Shooting: Gunmen Hunted After Deadly ‘Terror’ Attack” HERE)

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Hong Kong Anti-Government Protesters Are Rooting for ‘Tough Trump’ to Defeat ‘Soft Biden’

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. . . [Joe] Biden is not the favorite among Hong Kong protesters and some prominent opposition figures who prefer US President Donald Trump to win a second term, believing he will be tougher on China.

Compared with past US presidential elections, this year’s contest appears to have captured the most attention in Hong Kong political circles, not least because Trump has openly taken the side of protesters and acted to punish Beijing over its response to last year’s social unrest. . .

Hong Kong activists’ support for Trump goes back to last year’s anti-government rallies, when black-clad protesters waved US flags and banners that read: “President Trump, please liberate Hong Kong.” At several demonstrations, they called on Washington to stand up to Beijing. . .

Trump’s tough stance stirred prominent pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, with media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying making a direct plea to him in a CNN interview in May, saying: “Mr President, you’re the only one who can save us.” (Read more from “Hong Kong Anti-Government Protesters Are Rooting for ‘Tough Trump’ to Defeat ‘Soft Biden'” HERE)

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U.S. Warns of Threat Posed by China, Signs Military Pact With India

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The United States and India signed a pact to share sensitive satellite and map data on Tuesday as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned of the threat posed by an increasingly assertive China.

Pompeo, who arrived in New Delhi on Monday along with Defense Secretary Mark Esper, said after talks with their Indian counterparts that the two countries had to work together to confront the threat China posed to security and freedom.

The annual U.S.-India strategic dialogue comes at a time of heightened tension in the region, with Indian troops confronting Chinese forces on their disputed Himalayan border.

“Big things are happening as our democracies align to better protect the citizens of our two countries and indeed, of the free world,” Pompeo told reporters after the talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

“Our leaders, and our citizens, see with increasing clarity that the Chinese Communist Party is no friend to democracy, the rule of law, transparency, nor to freedom of navigation, the foundation of a free and open, prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Pompeo said. (Read more from “U.S. Warns of Threat Posed by China, Signs Military Pact With India” HERE)

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