Those Bombers China Sent Toward Taiwan? They Were A Dress Rehearsal For War
Forbes: But if Chinese president Xi Jinping pulled the trigger and ordered the PLA to attack Taiwan, the air force certainly would launch more than eight bombers. There are more than 200 H-6s in PLAAF and People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force service. It’s safe to assume many of them would take part in any air war over Taiwan, which probably also would involve strikes on U.S. bases in the region.
Fox News: The Chinese Communist Party is looking for the "soft underbelly" of the Biden administration in the hope of achieving a series of endeavors Donald Trump stymied as president, according to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The Washington Post: In a Senate confirmation hearing, President Biden’s nominee to run the Commerce Department said she plans to be “very aggressive” in combating China’s “unfair” trade practices, but she declined to detail how she would handle issues such as Chinese tech giant Huawei or the steel and aluminum tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump.
The Hill: The air exercises also sent a warning to the Biden administration. It did not take long for the Biden team to push back. The State Department on Saturday issued a statement calling on China to “cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives.” It pointedly declared America’s “commitment to Taiwan is rock solid.”
The Independent: China’s ruling Communist Party has ramped up its efforts to change the narrative around the origin of Covid-19, with the country’s state media now amplifying doubts over the Pfizer vaccine even as Beijing faces pressure of a World Health Organisation (WHO) probe.
The Federalist: Some have referred to BGI as the “Huawei of genomics” — an apt parallel given the essential role both companies play in helping China dominate strategically significant sectors that threaten the national security of the United States.
The New York Times: Alas, the Chinese Communist Party has consistently demonstrated that it is far more concerned with maintaining some myth of infallibility than with helping find the source of the scourge. In doing so, it is obstructing efforts to prevent other pandemics and endangering all humanity.
CNN: China and the World Health Organization (WHO) could have acted quicker and more forcefully to contain the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, an independent review panel said on Monday.
The Hill: President Biden’s administration condemned China’s Inauguration Day sanctions against former Trump officials, calling them “unproductive and cynical.”
CNN: But with Chinese medical company Sinovac facing questions over the efficacy of its coronavirus shot, the country's propaganda apparatus has apparently forgotten Xi's comments. Instead, it is choosing to attack other vaccines -- a dangerous gambit that could risk undermining overall confidence in mass vaccinations just as the world desperately needs people to get inoculated.