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Expert: China Has ‘Global Chokehold’ on Medicine, Can Shut Down Our Pharmacies, Hospitals in Months

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China could effectively shut down America’s healthcare system within months given the one-party state’s “global chokehold” on the manufacturing of medicines and medical supplies, explained Rosemary Gibson, author of China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine.

Gibson, senior adviser at the Hastings Center, offered her remarks on Thursday’s edition of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight with host Rebecca Mansour and special guest host Ed Martin.

Mansour noted how the coronavirus outbreak in China has exposed America’s dangerous dependence on Chinese production of pharmaceutical and medical supplies, including an estimated 97 percent of all antibiotics and 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients needed for domestic drug production.

Gibson said, “If China shuts the door on exports of medicines and the ingredients to make them, within a couple of months our pharmacies would be empty. Our healthcare system would cease to function. That’s how dependent we are.”

Gibson added, “Say there’s a coronavirus outbreak in the United States, God forbid, and a lot of people end up in hospitals with severe cases. The medicines needed to care for them if they can’t breathe and are on a ventilator — fentanyl and propofol — [are made in China]. We depend on China for the raw materials. If they go into shock, the epinephrine and dopamine we need to care for them, we depend on China. If they have bacterial infections, we depend on China for the antibiotics.” (Read more from “Expert: China Has ‘Global Chokehold’ on Medicine, Can Shut Down Our Pharmacies, Hospitals in Months” HERE)

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CDC Says Prep for Pandemic; Coronavirus Outbreak Exposes China’s Medical Supply Monopoly; North Korea ‘Executes Official for Visiting Public Bath While Quarantined’; ‘It’s Spreading Through the Eyes’

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Coronavirus Outbreak Leads CDC to Warn Hospitals to Prep Pandemic Plans

By Terry Sater. Coronavirus has now surpassed the number of people infected with Ebola, SARS and MERS combined.

As those numbers continue to climb, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now urging local hospitals to get out their pandemic plans and start preparing.

Doctors across the United States are using a novel coronavirus tracker created by Johns Hopkins University to prepare for a possible pandemic or outbreak. (Read more about the coronavirus outbreak HERE)

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CDC: Get Used to Coronavirus, it’s Not Going Away for Years

By Jacqueline Howard. “Right now we’re in an aggressive containment mode,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield told CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in an interview on Thursday.

“We don’t know a lot about this virus,” he said. “This virus is probably with us beyond this season, beyond this year, and I think eventually the virus will find a foothold and we will get community-based transmission” . . .

“The containment phase is really to give us more time. This virus will become a community virus at some point in time, this year or next year,” Redfield said. “We don’t have any evidence that this coronavirus is really embedded in the community at this time, but with that said, we want to intensify our surveillance so that we’re basing those conclusions based on data.” (Read more about the coronavirus outbreak HERE)

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Coronavirus Outbreak Reveals China’s Monopoly on Medical Supplies That United States is Dependent On

By Breitbart. The coronavirus outbreak has exposed the United States’ dangerous dependence on China for pharmaceutical and medical supplies, including an estimated 97 percent of all antibiotics and 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients needed to produce drugs in the United States.

The economic repercussions of the coronavirus reveal the dangers of allowing one country to have a near monopoly on global manufacturing, David Dayen explains in an article at the American Prospect:

China is a source of not only finished goods, but also of input parts and raw materials. A substantial number of the materials needed for defense and electronic systems come from China, and that nation is “the single or sole supplier for a number of specialty chemicals,” according to a recent Defense Department report. Rare earth minerals, which are critical to electronics, are largely mined in China. As a result, Chinese disruptions don’t just hit Chinese manufacturing, they hit everyone’s. Automakers have already had to slow or shut down factories globally due to supply shortages.

Perhaps the biggest concern is over medical supplies. China produces and exports a large amount of pharmaceuticals to the U.S., including 97 percent of all antibiotics and 80 percent of the active ingredients used to make drugs here. Penicillin, ibuprofen, and aspirin largely come from China. Last month, the medical supply firm Cardinal Health recalled 2.9 million surgical gowns “cross contaminated” at a plant in China; the blood pressure drug valsartan also saw shortages recently, thanks to tainted active ingredients at one Chinese plant. The combination of supply chain disruptions and increased demand at hospitals if coronavirus spreads to the U.S. could prove devastating.

In a dark irony, most of the world’s face masks—now ubiquitous in China as a precaution—are made in China and Taiwan, and even for those made elsewhere, some component parts are Chinese-sourced. Shortages have led China to declare the masks a “strategic resource,” reserving them for medical workers. U.S. hospitals are “critically low” on respiratory masks, according to medical-supply middlemen. Lack of protective gear could increase vulnerability to the virus, and the one place on earth suffering from production shutdowns is the one place where most of the protective gear originates [emphasis added].

(Read more from “Coronavirus Outbreak Exposes China’s Monopoly on U.S. Drug, Medical Supplies” HERE)

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North Korea ‘Executes Trade Official for Visiting a Public Bath While He Was in Quarantine Over Coronavirus Fears After Returning From China’

By Daily Mail. A North Korean official has been executed for going to a public bath while he was meant to be in quarantine, a report in the South has claimed.

The trade official was arrested and immediately shot after risking the spread of coronavirus by visiting the public bath, the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reported.

The official had been placed in isolation after travelling to China, with Kim Jong-un imposing military law to enforce the lockdown, sources said.

North Korea has not yet confirmed any cases of the virus, but has taken drastic measures to stop it spreading over its border with China.

The trade official was reportedly quarantined under a policy of isolating anyone who had been to China or had contact with Chinese people. (Read more from “North Korea ‘Executes Trade Official for Visiting a Public Bath While He Was in Quarantine Over Coronavirus Fears After Returning From China'” HERE)
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Chinese Doc Says it Spreads Through the Eyes

By Vanessa Chalmers and Stephen Matthews. The killer coronavirus rapidly sweeping the world could be caught through the eyes, scientists have today warned.

Chinese doctor Wang Guangfa fears he may have contracted the SARS-like infection because he wasn’t wearing protective goggles.

Leading experts confirmed it is ‘absolutely possible’, saying the virus can enter the eyes by touching them – if it is on a patient’s hands.

And they even warned the virus – thought to be spread through sneezes and coughs – can roam through the body to reach the eye. (Read more about the coronavirus outbreak HERE)

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Cases of Infection, Deaths From Coronavirus EXPLODE in China; Coronavirus Cases Seemed to Be Leveling Off. Not Anymore; Trapped in China: U.S. Business Owner Stuck Overseas Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak

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By Daily Wire. The number of cases of those infected by the coronavirus in China exploded on Thursday as nearly 15,000 new cases and 242 new deaths from the virus were reported after health officials broadened the types of cases that they includes in their count.

The 14,840 new cases in the Hubei province was by far the largest single day spike of new cases as was the additional 242 people who were killed by it.

“Chinese officials previously only counted cases confirmed by nucleic acid tests, which critics said were faulty and greatly underestimated the true magnitude of the epidemic,” The Washington Post reported. “For weeks, Chinese doctors and patients have complained about a lack of nucleic acid testing kits and their accuracy. The dramatic jump in cases in Hubei essentially confirms longtime suspicions that China was for weeks vastly undercounting cases of the virus.” . . .

“The monthly survey of economists found 83% of economists expected the coronavirus outbreak will have a small impact on U.S. gross domestic product growth from January to March, or less than 0.5 percentage point,” The Journal reported. “Just 5% of forecasters expected a significant reduction of more than 0.5 percentage point off the quarter’s annual growth rate, while 10% expected no impact.”

Constance Hunter, chief economist at KPMG, told The Journal, “The negative demand shock from coronavirus is significant. China’s GDP will be impacted significantly and this will show up in everything from commodity prices to demand for global goods and services.” (Read more from “Deaths From Coronavirus Explodes in China” HERE)

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Coronavirus Cases Seemed to Be Leveling Off. Not Anymore.

By The New York Times. The news seemed to be positive: The number of new coronavirus cases reported in China over the past week suggested that the outbreak might be slowing — that containment efforts were working.

But on Thursday, officials added more than 14,840 new cases to the tally of the infected in Hubei Province alone, bringing the total number to 48,206, the largest one-day increase so far recorded. The death toll in the province rose to 1,310, including 242 new deaths.

The sharp rise in reported cases illustrates how hard it has been for scientists to grasp the extent and severity of the coronavirus outbreak in China, particularly inside the epicenter, where thousands of sick people remain untested for the illness. (Read more from “Coronavirus Cases Seemed to Be Leveling Off. Not Anymore.” HERE)

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Trapped in China: U.S. Business Owner Stuck Overseas Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak

By News Las Vegas. A Las Vegas business owner who went to visit her family in China more than a month ago hasn’t been able to get back home because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“It’s serious here, it’s very serious here,” said Sarah Yang.

Sarah was set to land back in Las Vegas on Tuesday. By now, she would be helping her husband Heiko Katina run their Art to Art District Gallery in Tivoli Village. . .

She left to visit family and celebrate the Chinese new year on Jan. 1. It wasn’t until a few days later that news of the coronavirus outbreak came down.

The U.S. eventually banned entry on all foreigners traveling from China, and for the past two weeks, Sarah’s been confined to an apartment with limited interaction. (Read more from “Trapped in China: U.S. Business Owner Stuck Overseas Amidst Coronavirus Outbreak” HERE)

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WATCH: Chinese Ambassador Asked If Coronavirus Came From Biological Warfare Program; Coronavirus Has Killed More People Than SARS

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By Daily Wire. The Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, appeared to not deny that the coronavirus came from China’s biological warfare program on Sunday and instead suggested that the deadly virus could have come from a military lab in the U.S.

Tiankai made the remarks on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” in response to China’s struggle to stop the coronavirus from continuing to spread. It has now infected at least 37,198 and killed at least 811 in China.

“This week, Senator Tom Cotton, who sits on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committee, suggested that the virus may have come from China’s biological warfare program,” CBS News’ Margaret Brennan said. “That’s an extraordinary charge. How do you respond to that?”

“I think it’s true that a lot is still unknown and our scientists, Chinese scientists, American scientists, scientists of other countries are doing their best to learn more about the virus, but it’s very harmful,” Cui responded. “It’s very dangerous to stir up suspicion, rumors and spread them among the people. For one thing, this will create panic. Another thing that it will fend up racial discrimination, xenophobia, all these things, that will really harm our joint efforts to combat the virus.”

“Of course, there are all kinds of speculation and rumors,” Cui continued. “There are people who are saying that these virus are coming from some — some military lab, not of China, maybe in the United States. How — how can we believe all these crazy things?”

(Read more from “WATCH: Chinese Ambassador Asked If Coronavirus Came From Biological Warfare Program” HERE)

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Coronavirus Has Killed More People Than SARS

By Market Watch. Two months into the epidemic, the coronavirus has proven to be more deadly than the SARS virus, but the fatality rate of the coronavirus is still less than one-quarter that of SARS. That, however, may also help explain why it’s spreading so quickly.

There are now 37,198 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide and at least 811 people have died, according to the latest figures from China’s National Health Commission released Sunday; 89 deaths and 2,656 new cases were reported over the previous 24-hour period.

The majority of illnesses and deaths are in Hubei Province where Wuhan — believed to be the epicenter of the outbreak — is located. The illness has now spread to 25 countries. (The World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency.)

There are 12 confirmed cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An additional 14 Americans were confirmed to have contracted the virus; they are passengers on the quarantined cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, which arrived at a port in Yokohama, Japan on Sunday morning, Japan’s health ministry said. One of the 14 is a woman in her 70s who has joint Hong Kong residency and U.S. citizenship. Several cruise lines have issued quarantines for ships currently at sea, and have tested passengers for coronavirus. (Read more from “Coronavirus Has Killed More People Than SARS” HERE)

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U.S. Troops Who Recently Traveled to China Quarantined in South Korea; China Reports Bird Flu Outbreak Near Epicenter of Coronavirus

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By Washington Examiner. U.S. troops who traveled to China in the last two weeks were ordered to self-quarantine amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to American military officials in South Korea.

“The 14-day quarantine applies to any service members returning to South Korea from mainland China since Jan. 19, regardless of whether they show any symptoms,” officials said Sunday. There are not any known cases of American military personnel being infected with the deadly virus.

U.S. Forces Korea also encouraged family members, Pentagon civilians, contractors, South Korean employees, and United Nations military personnel to quarantine themselves “in the interest of public health safety.” (Read more from “U.S. Troops Who Recently Traveled to China Quarantined in South Korea” HERE)

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China Reports Bird Flu Outbreak Near Epicenter of Coronavirus

By New York Post. China has detected an outbreak of the bird flu near the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus, according to a report.

The bird flu outbreak was reported Saturday in Hunan, which borders the province of Hubei where the coronavirus broke out last month, according to the South China Morning Post.

“The outbreak occurred in a farm in the Shuangqing district of Shaoyang city,” officials said. “The farm has 7,850 chickens, and 4,500 of the chickens have died from the contagion.” (Read more from “China Reports Bird Flu Outbreak Near Epicenter of Coronavirus” HERE)

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Coronavirus Simulation Indicates Disease May Kill 65 Million, Cause Hundreds of Billions of Losses

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By Market Watch. Scientist and scholar Eric Toner, quoted above in an excerpt from a Friday interview with the business-news channel CNBC, explained that China’s efforts to contain the current outbreak of a fast-moving upper-respiratory illness are “unlikely to be effective.” . . .

The number of infections of coronavirus, or CoV, has risen to about 2,000, according to the Wall Street Journal. On top of that, the official death toll has climbed to at least 56, including a doctor treating flu-stricken patients in Wuhan, from 40-plus as of Saturday. The Journal reported that the outbreak was overwhelming Wuhan-area resources and hospitals. . .

Toner, an M.D. and researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, took part in a simulation, undertaken in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, that posited such a disease could kill 65 million people within 18 months under the right circumstances. . .

Toner said that his coronavirus simulation “was not [focused primarily on] the number of deaths; it was to point out that there could be societal and economic consequences from a severe pandemic, not just health consequences.” The simulation was also geared toward engendering international cooperation, making the case that governments and private companies alone can’t adequately respond to a pandemic. . .

However, the coronavirus was exacting a toll on the U.S. stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.58% on Friday lost 170 points, or 0.58%, closing just beneath 28,990 after having slipped as low as 28,843 in afternoon trading. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 SPX, -0.90% fell 30 points, or 0.9%, to 3,295. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -0.93% declined by 87 points, or 0.93%, to finish the week at 9,315, after touching an intraday record high in early action. (Read more from “Coronavirus Simulation Indicates Disease May Kill 65 Million, Cause Hundreds of Billions of Losses” HERE)

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China Coronavirus ‘Spreads Before Symptoms Show’

By BBC. A new coronavirus that has spread to more than 2,000 people is infectious in its incubation period – before symptoms show – making it harder to contain, Chinese officials say. . .

In humans, the incubation period – during which a person has the disease, but no symptoms yet – ranges from between one and 14 days, officials believe.

Without symptoms, a person may not know they have the infection, but still be able to spread it. . .

But stopping such “symptomless spreaders” will make the job of the Chinese authorities much harder.

There are still crucial questions – how infectious are people during the incubation period, and did any of the patients outside China spread the disease in those countries before becoming sick? (Read more from “China Coronavirus ‘Spreads Before Symptoms Show'” HERE)

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Chinese Consumption of Rats, Wolf Pups May Be to Blame for Potential Global Pandemic; A Terrifying Graph Shows How Fast the Wuhan Coronavirus Has Spread

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By Business Insider. The Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a deadly coronavirus outbreak, has banned the trade of live animals at food markets after one location was linked to the spread of the disease

Police in the central Chinese city were conducting checks to ensure that the rule was enforced by the city’s roughly 11 million residents, the BBC said Wednesday, citing state media reports.

The move comes after the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan was shuttered on January 1, after it was believed to be the starting point for the outbreak of 2019-nCov, also known as the Wuhan virus.

Before its closure, the market was selling an array of unusual animals for food, including young wolves and civet cats, which experts believe could play a part in the spread of disease. . .

Photos posted to social media also suggest the market was selling live wolf pups and civet cats, both of which are eaten in China.

(Read more from “Chinese Consumption of Rats, Wolf Pups May Be to Blame for Potential Global Pandemic” HERE)

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A Terrifying Graph Shows How Fast the Wuhan Coronavirus Has Spread so Far and How Close It Is to Becoming a Pandemic

By Business Insider. An alarming graph shows how fast the Wuhan coronavirus has spread in the past two weeks alone and highlights how soon it could become a pandemic.

The bar graph was created and posted to Twitter by Cate Cadell, the China correspondent for Reuters, on Wednesday.

It shows that in the past three days the number of infections has risen sharply, as have the number of deaths and the number of countries discovering infected people.

(Read more from “A Terrifying Graph Shows How Fast the Wuhan Coronavirus Has Spread so Far and How Close It Is to Becoming a Pandemic” HERE)

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Senator Proposes Travel Ban in Response to Coronavirus; U.S. Urges Americans to ‘Reconsider’ China Travel; More Suspected Cases Reported In U.S., Number ‘Will Only Increase’

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By Daily Wire. On Friday, freshman Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who is very outspoken on the 21s century geopolitical threat posed by China, raised with leading Trump administration officials the possibility of restricting or temporarily outright cutting off travel with the country due to the coronavirus that recently emanated from there.

Hawley “sent a letter Friday to the heads of four government agencies to ask whether the Trump administration was considering any potential Chinese travel ban to prevent an American outbreak of the coronavirus,” National Review reported.

Specifically, Hawley tweeted: “As deadly #coronavirus spreads, this morning I’ve written to the Secretary of State and others to ask whether temporary travel restrictions from affected areas in China may be necessary, and if they are, when American travelers will be notified. Public safety must be #1 priority.”

The tweet accompanied a letter that Hawley sent on Friday to four Cabinet secretaries or acting secretaries: Alex Azar of the Department of Health and Human Services, Chad Wolf of the Department of Homeland Security, Elaine Chao of the Department of Transportation, and Mike Pompeo of the State Department. (Read more from “Senator Proposes Travel Ban in Response to Coronavirus” HERE)

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Coronavirus Outbreak: U.S. Urges Americans to ‘Reconsider’ China Travel, Plans to Move Personnel out of Wuhan

By Fox News. The State Department on Monday urged Americans to reconsider traveling to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus, and said it ordered the departure of all non-emergency U.S. personnel and their families out of the country.

The travel advisory increase from Level 2 to Level 3 comes as Chinese authorities continue to impose quarantines and travel restrictions in and around Wuhan, where the virus was first reported last year.

At least 80 people have died and nearly 2,000 have been infected. The warning said travelers should avoid non-essential travel to China. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued a Level 3 warning to avoid all travel to China.

The agency said it has chartered a flight for American government personnel in Wuhan for Wednesday morning. The flight will depart Wuhan Tianhe International Airport and ultimately arrive in Ontario, Calif., a State Department officials said.

Passengers will be screened for symptoms at the airport in Wuhan before leaving. Some U.S. citizens will be offered space on the flight but will have to reimburse the government. (Read more from “Coronavirus Outbreak: U.S. Urges Americans to ‘Reconsider’ China Travel, Plans to Move Personnel out of Wuhan” HERE)

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CDC: 110 Suspected Coronavirus Cases in U.S. Under Investigation, Number ‘Will Only Increase’

By Fox News. Health officials monitoring the coronavirus in the U.S. said there are currently 110 “persons under investigation” across 26 states, noting that the number “will only increase” as the outbreak in China continues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an update on Monday that five of the cases in the U.S. tested positive for the novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, and 32 so far had produced negative results.

At this point, the CDC said the virus does appear to have mutated, but described the outbreak as a “rapidly changing situation.” The virus has killed at least 81 people in China and sickened over 2,700 more. The CDC said 16 other international locations had reported a case of the virus. All five cases confirmed in the U.S. have been in those who traveled to Wuhan recently, where officials have traced the outbreak to a live animal and seafood market. Since the first cases were reported in early December, the virus has been found to be transmissible between humans.

The health agency said that on Sunday it updated its travel recommendations for those making their way through China and encouraged travelers to take enhanced precautions which include “avoiding contact with sick people,” and discussing travel plans with a health care provider, especially for those who are older or who have underlying health issues. (Read more from “CDC: 110 Suspected Coronavirus Cases in U.S. Under Investigation, Number ‘Will Only Increase'” HERE)

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Will Trump Consider Suspending Travel to China Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak?

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An epidemic that begins in another country can only spread to America if we admit people at our ports of entry traveling from the source country. Yet whenever a public health crisis breaks out, such as the Ebola crisis in West Africa in 2014 and in Congo last year, a temporary travel ban seems to be the last thing on the minds of the federal agencies responsible for protecting public health, rather than the first option. Immigration and travel are regarded as too sacred to restrict. Will the coronavirus outbreak in China be different?

The death toll from the 2019-nCoV epidemic, simply referred to as the coronavirus, has now exceeded 80, as more than 2,700 cases have been confirmed in China. The potentially deadly respiratory illness originated in Wuhan, China, and has spread throughout Hubei province and even to Hong Kong. Travel likely should have been shut down two weeks ago, but the virus has now spread to the United States. There are now five confirmed cases – two in California, one in Seattle, one in Chicago, and one in Maricopa County, Arizona. All five patients had traveled recently to Wuhan.

Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, announced over the weekend, “We expect to find more cases of novel coronavirus in the United States.”

It’s particularly alarming given that the symptoms and source of this virus are like those of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which also originated in south China in 2002. During the SARS epidemic, which lasted into 2003, 774 died out of a total of 8,098 known cases worldwide.

One would expect that the first course of action of the government would be to prevent Chinese from traveling here or Americans from traveling to China and returning, or at least to impose a travel ban on parts of China. That is the first step to ensuring that the disease doesn’t spread like wildfire in our country. Yet, as with epidemics of the past, there doesn’t seem to be any imminent warning of suspending travel.

This is particularly jarring in the case of China. On average, we issue 1.4 million tourist visas to Chinese nationals every year, more than to nationals of any other country in the world. That’s a pace of nearly 4,000 per day traveling here, not including the Americans who travel to China and return. That is one massive pipeline through which an epidemic can spread.

Given that the epidemic is already reportedly this bad and China has a history of covering up the extent of natural disasters and viral epidemics in its homeland, shouldn’t there at least be a discussion about the parameters of a travel ban? As of now, the CDC has only issued an advisory notice not to travel to Wuhan City and urged people to take precautions while traveling to the rest of China. But where is the DHS on issuing a mandatory ban?

This lack of discussion over a travel suspension and the details of its parameters appears to be concerning Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo. He penned a letter to four cabinet members asking about the “when and how” of a potential suspension of travel and whether it is even under consideration. Hawley alluded to Chinese disingenuousness and failing to “be fully forthcoming with respect to the details of the spread of this virus.”

In the letter addressed to the secretaries of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, State, and Transportation, Hawley asked for a response on four pointed questions. But perhaps the most revealing is the final question: “In the event that federal officials make a preliminary determination to rule out restrictions on air travel, will you committ to inform the public that such a determination has been made in the interests of transparency and appropriate public scrutiny?”

It’s interesting how, reading between the lines, Hawley seems to suspect some departments might already have ruled out a suspension of travel. Clearly, history has shown that the concern about suspending either immigration or travel is deemed too great by our government, even when the circumstances require it. Hawley appears to be asking these departments to offer some confidence that public safety will be prioritized over the political or even economic concerns of a travel ban.

While the CDC has deployed officials to major airports to work with customs officers on screenings, the question is whether the volume of travel from China is simply too much. Statute (8 U.S.C. 1222(a)) requires the government to detain those seeking admission at ports of entry “for a sufficient time to enable the immigration officers and medical officers to subject such aliens to observation and an examination sufficient to determine whether or not they belong to inadmissible classes” carrying contagious diseases. Given the sheer numbers, it’s very hard to feel confident the effort is sufficient without a temporary suspension. (For more from the author of “Will Trump Consider Suspending Travel to China Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak?” please click HERE)

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U.S. Student Jailed in China After Critical Tweets About Government

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A 20-year-old University of Minnesota student named Luo Daiqing was arrested in China and sentenced to six months in prison for sending tweets critical of the Chinese government while he was in the U.S., according to court documents reported on by Axios.

The report says that Luo was arrested in his hometown of Wuhan, where he returned after finishing up the spring semester at Minnesota, in July 2019. He was then held for several months and sentenced in November, all for posts that the government referred to as “denigrating a national leader’s image.” . . .

This arrest and sentence could chill any criticism of the government by Chinese citizens, even when they’re in foreign countries. Over the past year, the Chinese police has escalated their fight to censor social media and crack down on critical posts by arresting more and more users who post content that they consider objectionable. (Read more from “U.S. Student Jailed in China After Critical Tweets About Government” HERE)

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