Trump

Can Europe Stop A US-China War?

European countries are currently divided over whether to join United States (US) President Joe Biden’s diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. The episode underscores yet again that when it comes to dealing with China, Europe and the US truly are an ocean apart.

29 December 2021
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Why Are People Talking About Dr Fauci's Emails?

A National Institutes of Health specialist with a career spanning seven United States (US) presidents, Dr Fauci, 80, became the face of America’s COVID-19 response and has since been the subject of both effusive praise and ferocious criticism.The over 3,000 pages of emails, obtained by the Washington Post, Buzzfeed News and CNN through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, date from January to June, 2020.His conversations offer a glimpse into the early days of the US COVID outbreak and

3 June 2021
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Criticising The Pandemic

It has now been a year and a half since we started living with – and too often dying from – COVID-19. Although the pandemic is by no means over, it is not too soon to take a step back and draw some preliminary conclusions from the experience.One conclusion that has turned out to be especially tentative concerns the source of the pandemic.

29 May 2021
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Facebook U-Turn: Won't Ban Lab Virus Theory

Facebook has reversed its policy banning posts suggesting COVID-19 emerged from a laboratory amid renewed debate over the origins of the virus, raising fresh questions about social media's role in policing misinformation.The latest move by Facebook, announced late Wednesday on its website, highlights the challenge for the world's largest social network of rooting out false and potentially harmful content while remaining open for discourse."In light of ongoing investigations int

28 May 2021
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Rebuilding Democracies From The Ground Up

All over the world, democracy is in retreat. In 2020, the Democracy Index, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) since 2006, fell to its lowest-ever global level.

23 February 2021
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A Better Alternative To Banning WeChat

Shortly after United States (US) President Donald Trump issued an executive order effectively banning the Chinese-owned social-media app TikTok, he issued a second order prohibiting “any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person … as identified by the Secretary of Commerce.” According to the White House, the WeChat ban – which will take effect on 20 September – is intended to protect Americans and visiting Chinese in the US from violations of privacy by the Chinese governme

21 August 2020
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Decoupling From China Will Hurt The US

“Decoupling” is central to the geopolitical duel between the United States (US) and China. Conceived and promoted by hawks in US President Donald Trump’s administration, this strategy has now become America’s principal tool to weaken Chinese power.

20 August 2020
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To The Brink Of War With China?

Observers of United States (US)-China relations increasingly talk of a new cold war. On top of a long-running trade war, the two countries now find themselves in a destructive cycle of mutual sanctions, consulate closings, and increasingly bellicose official speeches. Efforts to decouple the US economy from China’s are underway as tensions mount in both, the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. A cold war between the US and China would leave both countries and the world worse off.

14 August 2020
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China Apps Ban May Create New Internet 'Firewall'

A ban by President Donald Trump's administration on Chinese mobile apps such as TikTok and WeChat risks fragmenting an already fragile global internet and creating an American version of China's "Great Firewall."Fears about the global internet ecosystem intensified this week with Trump's executive orders banning the popular video app TikTok and Chinese social network WeChat, following a United States (US) government directive to prohibit the use of other "untrust

9 August 2020
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TikTok & WeChat Dogged By Security Fears

The United States (US) has fired a new salvo in its rivalry with China, ordering sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media stars TikTok and WeChat.Here are some key facts about the platforms:What Is WeChat?WeChat, known as "weixin" or micro-message in Chinese, belongs to tech giant Tencent and has grown to become ubiquitous in daily life across China since its 2011 launch.It has more than a billion monthly users and is a "super app" used for everything from

8 August 2020
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China Plays The Iran Card

Earlier this month, Iran announced that it is negotiating a 25-year agreement with China encompassing trade, energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, and even military cooperation. For Iran, the prospect of a strategic partnership with China comes at a critical time.

3 August 2020
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