Deaths of Chinese Officials, Public Figures Raise Fears | China In Focus 2023-12-21 02:34

more officials and public figures dying in China mystery shrouds the announcements sparking speculation and online anxiety Health authorities in a Chinese City Under Fire the accusation allegedly learing kindergarteners into testing new vaccines the struggle for survival beginning for earthquake survivors in China we haven't eaten anything in the past 2 days more on the challenges people are facing following the deadly quake and China has a new way to deliver covid-19 vaccines an inhalable dry powder that can penetrate deeper and wider into the lungs but what dangers lur behind its development what do you think let us know below and subscribe if you haven't [Music] already welcome to China INF Focus I'm Tiffany Meyer Chinese Society is seeing a lot of obituaries lately especially among highlevel officials and notable public figures in many cases the reasons for death are not disclosed but the reports have sparked speculation and anxiety online that says China has been ravaged by a severe wave of respiratory diseases since October Tang xao was the billionaire founder of Chinese AI giant s time he died at the age of 55 last Friday the company statement cited undisclosed health issues though no previous reports about him mentioned health conditions in 2021 the treasury Department banned investment incense time accusing it of developing facial recognition programs that help the Chinese Communist Regime persecute China's weaker minorities in Shing Jang one day after Tong's death another renowned Chinese expert died at 51 years old Chinese media did not not disclose his cause of death Joe Guang Yuan had been a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a leading figure in studying polymer materials also last week famous Hong Kong actress Kathy Chow passed away at her Beijing residence authorities did not disclose the reason for her death but Beijing police on Thursday detained a staff member at a local hospital and accused him of leaking child's medical records online the record shows the actress suffered a cough and experienced severe respiratory distress the night before her death the hospital confirmed that the medical records were authentic meanwhile at least 16 Chinese artists died after falling ill on October and November among them were renowned directors actors and actresses singers and photographers four of them were under the age of 55 the youngest was just 30 years old China has also reported at least 20 deaths among current high-ranking officials and former officials in the past 3 weeks they include the former Vice chairman of the national people's Congress a former deputy governor and a former Chinese ambassador to Germany those announcements follow the sudden death of former Chinese Prime Minister Lee Kang in October Lee died at the age of 68 just months after leaving his position as the second most powerful man in China hospitals across the country remain overcrowded with patients suffering respiratory illnesses many of them children Chinese authorities have claimed the undiagnosed pneumonia spike is easing but residents from the southern province of Hunan told us a different story I have a fever my throat feels like it's being cut by a knife and I'm extremely fatigued at my workplace someone I knew died in August is unclear what illness he suffered from the autopsy analysis shows the cause of death as a heart attack in October someone in their 30s was on duty went to sleep and never woke up the specific cost was not disclosed we have had one or two cases where someone suddenly fell ill and couldn't recover the Chinese regime has reported seven cases of the new covid-19 variant jn1 because of beijing's history of covering up Health Data during the pandemic it's unclear whether that number is accurate the World Health Organization classified the jn1 strain as a variant of interest on Tuesday Chinese scientists have created a new inhalable co9 vaccine looking to replace the injectable version here's what you need to know according to an article published by the nature Journal last Wednesday it's described as a dry powder aerosol vaccine compared to the traditional mRNA jab the powdered vaccine could significantly reduce transportation and storage costs and does not need to be refrigerated according to the development team it reaches deep into the lungs once inhaled the vaccine has already been cleared for animal trials it has yet to be tested on humans the team behind the new vaccine is a Chinese state run Institute based in Beijing run under the Chinese Communist party last year China greened the world's first inhalable covid-19 vaccine and exported it to other Asian countries but experts caution that its safety and Effectiveness still need testing they've also raised concerns about potential undesired inflammation when inhaled by patients internet users in the US also raised alarm Bells over the new powdered vaccine questioning whether it could potentially be used as bioweapons by Beijing and expressing worries about it being placed in America's Water Systems we'll bring you an in-depth report soon for more details concerning reports from inside China accusing one city of testing new vaccines on kindergarteners a local CDC Branch allegedly cooperating with several kindergartens promising test subjects around $20 in exchange what's behind the deal here's a closer look earlier this month Chinese internet users use social media to expose several kindergartens in one city the schools allegedly encouraging kids to volunteer to test new vaccines that's happened in the Northwestern city of Wayan in Changi Province many of the kids involved fall into a category known in China as the country's Left Behind children the term describes children whose parents work in other cities so they live with their grandparents photos of the volunteer agreement reveal the new vaccine being tested is against a brain disease upon signing the document Guardians must agree that quote doctors have answered all of my concerns I agreed to let my kids participate in this experiment the signature from the close relatives of their child have no legal validity China's local CDC is luring them to sign documents claiming that they're informed and that it's voluntary that's a criminal act the clinic reportedly pays each participant around $20 a report released two months ago said at least 12 kids in one kindergarten were already on board 11 of them are considered Left Behind children what's more it appears some of the kids grandparents aren't fully aware of the situation some only have low-level education While others may be concerned about other issues one grandparent said he was worried the school wouldn't accept his grandchildren if they didn't participate residents around the region spoke to NTD about the issue I'm very angry about this doing such things to children can have significant impacts on their health it's as if the children are being treated as guinea pigs the local CDC branch in China denies the testing the incident is sparking Buzz online though reports and information have been largely scrubbed from the Chinese internet next a round up of international headlines the US is adding 13 Chinese companies to its unverified trade list the decision was made because American officials couldn't visit the companies in person to decide whether they can be trusted with American Technology China's Commerce Ministry has to approve the inspect visits if us officials still cannot perform site checks after 60 days these companies will be considered for Washington's more restrictive entity list these Chinese companies include PNC systems in jangu Province and shingu transportation in the city of guango the Chinese Communist party leader has reportedly told President Biden that Beijing would take Taiwan under control but he hasn't decided on the timing yet NBC News reported the convers ation citing unnamed sources the conversation allegedly took place during the recent us China Summit in San Francisco an Australian Court convicted a Vietnamese Refugee for working for the Chinese Communist Party the refugee dandong is a local community leader in Melbourne prosecutors said he cultivated a relationship with then Minister Alan trudge on behalf of Beijing and that dong arranged touge to receive over $25,000 in Don ations dang has pleaded not guilty Japanese media Reports say Tokyo is making the final arrangements to export Patriot missiles to the US at Washington's request the US has been supplying Ukraine with these missiles but its stockpile of them is running low the export would Mark a significant policy change if it goes through as Japan currently does not allow exports of finished lethal military equipment a lawmaker budding heads with the treasury Department the issue whether your electric car would qualify for thousands of dollars in tax savings let's take a closer look Senator Joe Mansion is pushing Congress to reverse guidance on electric vehicle tax credits he says the current rule will make America more reliant on China the division is looking to flip comes from the treasury Department it sets the bar on what type of EVS would qualify for the $7500 tax credit under the inflation reduction act anyone buying an EV could qualify for the tax savings but here's the kicker they wouldn't get the money if the cars batteries have components or minerals sourced from China the treasury Department's latest update clarifies that rule it says beginning in 2025 EVS eligible for the tax credit may not contain critical minerals processed in countries including China that gives automakers a 2-year grace period examples of those minerals in include lithium China refines over 60% of the Met globally now Senator Mansion is slamming the update saying it'll make it easier for Chinese companies to take advantage of the EV credit it's unclear if the Senate can override the treasury guidance will we witness a thaw in us China relations in the coming year from presidential elections in Taiwan and the us to continue trade fights the world's two largest economies appear to be treading on thin ice here's a wrap-up of the potential fault lines that lie ahead after a year that brought panic over spy balloons a fight over semiconductors and an intensifying military rivalry China and the United States are ending the year with an uneasy deant with both Biden and China's communist leader XI Jin ping looking to stop a freef fall in their country's relations but 2024 could bring new turbulence here are three problems that could cause a stumble in us China ties first Taiwan there votes kick off in mid January for the Island's new president and legislature the Chinese Communist Regime claims Taiwan as its own territory despite never having ruled it it has vowed to Annex Taiwan by force if necessary Taiwan officials say Beijing has been escalating military Maneuvers near the island and pushing a prickly narrative a choice between war or peace with China the us could be drawn in if military tensions escalate in the Taiwan Strait and there's a precedent for that in 1996 the US sent an aircraft carrier group to the area in response to China's military exercises and missile tests ahead of voting and I never thought the 2024 US presidential election could be even more consequential barring last minute surprises it will likely be a rematch between Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump analysts argue that the Chinese regime might prefer Biden for his perceived predictability and as a negotiating partner and semiconductors are a key issue in the US China Tech rivalry the US is expected to beef up export controls on high-end chips those rules are designed to prevent China's military from getting its hands on the most advanced semiconductors the devices power Ai and have other defense applications China sees this as an effort targeted at its de velopment but struggles to push back since retaliating against us businesses would only drive away the foreign Capital Beijing needs as its economic growth slows in Northwest China difficulties are mounting for those who just survived a deadly earthquake locals are grappling with cold weather and a lack of supplies reportedly with Little Help from authorities here are what some of them had to say we haven't eaten any say in the past 2 days we haven't had any water to drink the house is all gone and so is the food a magnitude 5.9 earthquake killed at least 130 people in the country's Northwestern Gansu and shingai provinces this week it damaged or destroyed over 150,000 houses the numbers come from Chinese State media officials said about 880,000 people were displaced those who lost their homes have been forced to take refuge outdoors in temperatures well below freezing my two kids are sleeping in someone else's tent they don't have a tent now yesterday my husband and my two girls stood in the yard for the whole night a powerful cold front has gripped most of China since last week villagers said the only assistance they've gotten from local authorities so far has been tense for shelter many of the now homeless Quake survivors say they're also lacking basic supplies like food and water that's all for today's China InFocus on YouTube we're now sharing a shorten version of our program here after being demonetized for more than 2 years if you'd like to support us subscribe to our partner platform epic TV where you can watch our full episodes or consider donating find us at donorbox.org chinin Dash Focus here's what to look at for in our second half a recruitment shortfall followed by a round of Tik Tock Mutiny Young American Service members are voicing their anger on the China back app taking Jabs at the military's top brass while on Mission the US Army already missed its recruitment goal by 25% last year what's driving the dissatisfaction and how does the Chinese regime's anti-us propaganda play into it to discuss we sat down with Casey Fleming CEO of intelligence and security strategy firm Black Ops Partners thanks for watching China in Focus I'm Tiffy Meyer see you tomorrow