4/23/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 23 , 2021

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Biden-Harris administration: 100-day review of Sanctions policy

​Apr. 24 - ​When the Biden administration took office on 20 January 2021 it had already announced that there would be reviews of how the US deals with international partnerships.

Under the previous administration the US had left the Paris accord on climate change and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Within a day of taking office the new administration set in motion the reversal of both the withdrawal from the Paris agreement and WHO membership.

US secretary of the treasury Janet Yellen has said that one of her top priorities is to review the US use of sanctions as well as those that are currently in place. While the review will clearly take some time, the US cannot sit still awaiting the outcome and so it requires an active sanctions policy.

Burma
While the US had closed its previous Burma sanctions programme, recent events led to the announcement of sanctions and export controls under Executive Order 14014. This is now established and there have been some coordinated listings announced with the UK and EU during the early stages.

China
The US invoked two Chinese-related sanctions programmes in 2020. The Hong Kong autonomy act set out two sets of listings which have menu based prohibitions. The first list is those targeted, while the second list will be made up of financial institutions that are dealing with those on the first list.
The “Communist Chinese Military Companies” (CCMC) sanctions were more problematic for financial services due to the ‘near match’ element that was included in EO 13959. This provision was the subject of general licence 1 which was issued and updated to licence 1A in the early days of the new administration. This extension of the general licence to 27 May can be seen as a tactic to allow time for a full review and for appropriate action to be taken if required.

Iran
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which set out the plan for a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, is a significant agreement signed by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus the High Representative of the EU, Germany, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Biden administration has said that it is open to discussing the US re-joining, though this will be a problematic area for both the US and Iran to negotiate. The upcoming Iranian elections will add distractions through the middle of 2021.
Recent meetings between participants have been encouraging. If not resolving the differences, at least they have paused the divergence between the parties and JCPOA compliance.

Russia
Russia is a complex area. On one hand the US is likely to look for coordinated international action and this will almost certainly involve the EU, as we have seen with the recent sanctions in response to the Novichok poisoning of Alexei Navalny. This is counterbalanced by the increasing pressure the US is exerting on the Nord Stream 2 project which has joint investment and involvement from leading companies in EU member states (Germany, France, Austria and the Netherlands). The US recently imposed additional sanctions on Russian individuals and entities under EO 14024 which shows how the US is leading on additional sanctions. Those invoked under EO 14024 are wide ranging, covering areas such as cyber, election interference and sovereign debt prohibitions.

ICC

This month (April) the US has reversed the sanctions put in place against personnel of the International Criminal Court under EO 13928

On 27 April UK Finance will be hosting a panel of experts to discuss the first 100 days of the Biden/Harris administration, the approach we have seen and what we may expect with regard to the above.


This event is free to attend and registration can be completed via this link.     source from

APRIL 22, 2021
President Biden and Vice President Harris Deliver Remarks at Climate Summit
President Biden delivered opening remarks at a virtual climate summit from the White House with world leaders on Earth Day. The president spoke about the importance of nations working together to address climate change saying the challenge is too big for one country to solve. He also announced the U.S. will aim to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050.


Boris Johnson and Joe Biden, on screen, take part in the opening session of the virtual summit on climate change organised by the US President
​Joe Biden's climate change pledge will help to get world moving in right direction – Scotsman comment


When the US President speaks, the words echo all over the world.

Apr. 23 - Joe Biden’s promise that the US will cut carbon emissions by about twice as much as previously planned by the end of this decade is a rallying cry. It will be answered by countries whose governments similarly realise the importance of the fight against climate change, and also by those who understand the value of staying in Washington’s good books.

Boris Johnson has just increased the UK’s target to cut carbon emissions to 78 per cent of 1990 levels by 2035. Would this have happened if the coal-loving, climate change-sceptic Donald Trump was still in the White House and therefore the person to whom the UK would have to go, cap in hand, seeking an all-important post-Brexit trade deal?

Johnson described Biden’s announcement as “game-changing” and spoke of “building back greener” in the wake of the Covid crisis.

Both leaders’ comments are a further signal to the business world – investors in particular – about the direction of travel over what Biden called a “decisive decade” if we are to avoid the worst effects of global warming.
It is clearer than ever what the future is going to be like and there will be much money to be made – and many jobs to be created – for businesses that jump at the array of new opportunities.

​Biden’s focus on climate change – the most pressing issue facing humanity bar none – also means that the United Nations’ Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow later this year could become as important and historic as the one that led to the 2016 Paris Agreement.     source from

APRIL 22, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and National Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy joined White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki to speak about the Biden administration’s climate initiatives. Ms. McCarthy reiterated President Biden’s goal of cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and discussed how the administration was using an all of government approach to reach this standard. Secretary Kerry talked about his efforts to work with other countries to encourage their efforts on climate change and said he was pleased with the commitments made by China, Russia, India and other nations. Ms. Psaki also answered a variety of questions on climate change, the president’s planned address to Congress, the American Families Plan, and working with Republicans for bipartisan solutions. 

4/22/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 22 , 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Pompeo Touts ‘Toughest' GOP Sanctions Bill on Iran Amid Signs of Tentative Progress at Vienna Talks

Amid ongoing Vienna talks to reactivate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Biden administration has been sending indications to Tehran that it may consider reducing punitive sanctions currently targeting Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Apr. 20 - ...Coming against the backdrop of ongoing Vienna talks between senior diplomats from the US, Iran, Germany, France, Russia, China and the European Union in a bid to chart a manner in which the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) can be fully restored, the bill seeks to forestall a US reentry into the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Amid signs of tentative progress in indirect talks between the US and Iran in Vienna, the proposed legislation would incorporate measures that would require any new deal with Tehran to be ratified by the Senate, while codifying into law sanctions introduced on Iran during the Trump-era.

​Furthermore, the bill would expand sanctions, extending them to the Iran's ballistic missile programme, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian-backed militias elsewhere in the Middle East and a range of Iranian industries...     quoted from
President Joe Biden is reportedly planning to refer to mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as an act of genocide.
​What Joe Biden Has Said About Armenian Genocide

Apr. 22 - President Joe Biden is on the cusp of formally recognizing the Armenian massacre by the Ottoman Empire more than 100 years ago as an act of genocide, fulfilling a promise he made on the campaign trail.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that the White House was moving to break with tradition and refer to the massacre as genocide on April 24, the date of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.


However, the news wire reported that the president could back out of the plan if he believes it will damage U.S. relations with Turkey. Ankara is expected to be angered by the move, should it go ahead.

Asked if Biden would call the Armenian massacre an act of genocide in time for the Saturday memorial, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: "I expect we will have more to say about Remembrance Day on Saturday. But I don't have anything to get ahead of that at this point in time."

The reported move to recognize the mass killings as an act of genocide has come after Rep. 
Adam Schiff (D-CA) penned an open letter to the president calling on him to honor his campaign promise.

​"On behalf of hundreds of thousands of Armenian Americans, the children and grandchildren and great grandchildren of genocide survivors, I ask you: Keep that promise," the open letter read. "Recognize the Armenian Genocide." More than 100 lawmakers representing both parties signed the open letter.     more
美拉伙伴“围攻”俄罗斯?普京称对敌对行为将强硬回应 20210421 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 22, 2021

The U.S. Embassy in MoscowUS Embassy in Russia Confirms That Sullivan Has Left the Diplomatic Mission and is On His Way to DC

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on 16 April that the Russian side had recommended that Ambassador Sullivan return to Washington for consultations about the bilateral relationship.


Apr. 22 - US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan has left the diplomatic mission and is on his way to Washington, the US embassy confirmed to RIA Novosti on Thursday.

"We can confirm that Ambassador Sullivan is on his way to Washington, DC," the embassy said.

Sullivan will briefly travel to the United States for a family visit and consultations with the US presidential administration. He is set to return to Moscow in the coming weeks.

Earlier this month, the United States imposed new sanctions on 32 Russian entities and individuals as part of a new round of sanctions for Moscow's alleged cyber attacks and other hostile acts against US interests. The United States also expelled ten Russian diplomats from the country and prohibited US entities from purchasing ruble-based bonds.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned the fresh round of sanctions as running contrary to the interests of the two nations. In response, Russia banned eight US citizens from entering the country, including US Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and FBI Director Christopher Wray.     source from

4/21/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 21 , 2021

 2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a meeting. 
Chinese President Xi to attend online Biden climate summit

Apr. 21 - Chinese President Xi Jinping will take part in President Joe Biden’s climate summit this week, Beijing said on Wednesday, as the world's top polluting nations seek rare common ground despite wider political tensions.

​China and the United States are the biggest emitters of climate-changing carbon pollution.

Biden has invited 40 world leaders including Xi and Russia's Vladimir Putin to the meet starting on Earth Day, meant to mark Washington's return to the front lines of the fight against climate change after former president Donald Trump disengaged from the process.

Xi said in December that China’s emissions would fall by 65% from 2005 levels by 2030.

The virtual summit will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Biden became president.
Xi will give an "important speech" at the meeting, said the Chinese foreign ministry, days after a trip to Shanghai by US climate envoy John Kerry -- the first official from Biden's administration to visit China.

Kerry and Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua had said they were "committed to cooperating" on tackling the climate crisis, even as sky-high tensions remain on multiple other fronts.

Washington and Beijing's pledge to cooperate comes amid acrimony over accusations about China's policies in Hong Kong and its treatment of Uyghurs in its northwestern Xinjiang region -- criticisms Beijing rejects as interference in its domestic affairs.

No global solution on climate change is likely without both the US and China on board, since the world's top two economies together account for nearly half of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions.     source from



A F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defence Fighter (IDF) is seen at an Air Force base in Tainan, Taiwan. Reuters

Two Chinese J-20 'Chengdu' stealth fighter jets perform during a flying display on the first day of a military airshow in Zhuhai, Guangzhou province, China.
Taiwanese defence ministry claims airspace violation by Chinese air force


Apr. 21 - China’s air force allegedly sent 25 fighters and bombers into the Taiwan Strait, according to the Taiwanese ministry of defence. There was no way to independently verify the claim.

According to a statement from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence, Beijing deployed 14 J-16 and four J-10 fighters, four H-6K bombers, two Y-8 anti-sub warfare planes and one KJ-500 early warning aircraft into the southwest section of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone Monday.

The ministry said Taiwan’s air force responded by sending patrol aircraft to the area and tracking the Chinese planes with missile defence systems.

The Chinese Defence Ministry said last week that the Liaoning aircraft carrier had carried out exercises near Taiwan recently and the navy is planning more more drills. The People’s Liberation Army also said last week that it monitored the USS John S McCain destroyer as it sailed through the Taiwan Strait.


Washington and Beijing have been issuing warnings to each other regarding Taiwan since President Joe Biden took office in January, adding to tensions that increased steadily during the Trump administration. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China should avoid encroaching on Taiwan, saying Beijing was fomenting tensions in the strait with “aggressive actions.”

The US State Department said in January that Washington had a “rock solid” commitment to Taipei after China flew more than a dozen military aircraft, including the H-6K bombers, into the strait. The bombers are believed to be capable of carrying land-attack cruise missiles.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi used an annual press briefing last month to warn the Biden administration to be careful in its dealings with Taipei.

Mr Wang said the US should stop “crossing lines and playing with fire,” and said there was “no room for compromise or concessions” in Beijing’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan.

​The Communist Party ruling China sees Taiwan as its territory, which must be seized by force if necessary. Taipei rejects the claim, saying Taiwan is already a de facto sovereign nation.     source from
解放军南海演习 美军“秀肌肉”反暴露重大缺陷?20210419 |《今日关注》CCTV中文国际
Apr 20, 2021

H-6K bombers in formation during a military parade in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, July 30, 2017. 
China conducted an aerial bombing drill after the US and Japan put out a statement on Taiwan

Apr. 21 - China conducted a large-scale aerial bombardment exercise over the weekend as tensions escalated over Taiwan, prompted by a joint statement about the island from the United States and Japan.

The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees the Taiwan Strait, deployed dozens of H-6K strategic bombers in a nine-hour live-fire drill, according to state television.

The bombers took off in groups from a military airport in eastern China in combat formations amid low-visibility conditions and headed towards an "unknown shooting range," the CCTV report said.

​During their flights the H-6Ks, which have a maximum load capacity of 15 tonnes, also practised electronic countermeasures with air-defence missile units. Once they reached their target airspace, they dropped free-fall aerial bombs from different altitudes, the report said.     more

4/20/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 20 , 2021

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US and EU Warning - Russia Massed over 150,000 Troops on Ukraine's Border

Apr. 20 - ​Russia has concentrated more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s border and in annexed Crimea, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine’s foreign minister.

“It is more than 150,000 Russian troops massing on the Ukrainian borders and in Crimea. The risk of further escalation is evident,” Borrell said, declining to give a source for the figure.


He said no new economic sanctions or expulsions of Russian diplomats were planned for the time being, despite saying that the military build-up on Ukraine’s borders was the largest ever.

In Washington, the Pentagon said the Russian military build-up was larger than that in 2014 and it was not clear that it was for training purposes.

The White House Press Secretary emphasized that the US had watched the increasing aggression of Russian forces on Ukraine’s border “over the course of the weekend.

​The United States also expressed its “deep concern” over Russia’s plans to block foreign naval ships and other vessels in parts of the Black Sea, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.     source from



China buys about a third of the 1.2 million tonnes of hay Australia exports each year.
Australia's $160m hay exports to China under threat as permits lapse


Apr. 20 - ​Australian hay growers could be the next major industry frozen out by China, with Canberra-Beijing relations yet to thaw since a year-long diplomatic spat over the origins of the coronavirus.

Australia's hay exports to China, valued at $160 million annually, have practically ground to a halt this year, as dozens of crucial export permits which lapsed two months ago are still to be renewed by Beijing.

​With China buying about one-third of the 1.2 million tonnes of hay that Australia exports across the world each year, the pause in trade is hurting.     more

APRIL 19, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki held her daily press briefing, taking questions from reporters on a range of issues. Ms. Psaki was asked repeatedly about the seeming reversal of the Biden administration’s policy regarding refugee caps announced the previous Friday, and whether pushback from progressive leaders led to the change. “We never said we’re not raising the refugee cap,” she said, disputing there was any change in policy. The press secretary said there was an “important caveat” in the earlier announcement that if 15,000 admissions were reached, there would be a subsequent presidential determination to issue more admissions. “Let’s be clear, we are changing the policies of the last administration,” she said. Ms. Psaki also answered questions on the FDA’s pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, President Biden’s infrastructure proposal, and whether the president believed the situation on the southern border was a “crisis.” 

'Fox is not news': New CNN morning anchor debuts with blistering takedown of right-wing network - Raw Story - Celebrating 17 Years of Independent Journalism

On her debut on CNN's morning segment, anchor Brianna Keilar tore into Fox News for its use of partisan chyrons to push far-right narratives against President Joe Biden.

Apr. 20 - "The chyrons, those headlines you see at the bottom of your screen? They are getting noticeably more creative," said Keilar. "Fox uses them to push their conspiracy theories that Biden is essentially senile ... other Fox banners imply that Biden basically belongs in a home, and one of their main experts literally called in from his retirement home in Florida. Another is this guy, the infamous Fox doc they have on to give a quote 'virtual medical examination' then reaching the evidence-free conclusion Biden is off his rocker, pushes the theory he is the puppet of a deep state."


​"Fox reliably provides the public disservice of pandemic disinformation, and sometimes it uses pictures," continued Keilar, showing a number of other Fox chyrons and graphics. "Top health officials shown in straight jackets ... one year into the pandemic, despite undeniable evidence that masks work, Fox's chief science officer, Mr. Karlsson suggests they're a national security risk with the new headline. When the new president marked one year of grief and loss, fox got impatient, saying how dare the president not wrap up before the power hour cockamamie commentary."     more


4/19/2021

White House News (白宮消息) | Apr. 19 , 2021

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Joe Biden is on track for the most impressive first 100 days of a U.S. presidency. The contrast should make Liberals blush

Apr. 16 - This will be the most impressive first 100 days of an American presidency since FDR invented the benchmark. Consider: $2 trillion pandemic package — done; Paris Accord reconnect and climate summit — done; first gun control package in three decades — done; fastest Cabinet approval in four presidencies — done. And on and on. Coming: Iran deal, climate deal and $3 trillion on infrastructure. Oh, and a new global tax system.

The contrast with even the vague promises, let alone the predictable underperformance, of their budget tomorrow should make every Liberal blush. Biden is not alone in setting new benchmarks and jumping on traditional political third rails. Angela Merkel broke decades of German obstinacy on EU-level grants and lending. President Macron erased the educational seat of power of the French elite, their national government academy. Mario Draghi is promising the most dramatic reform agenda for Italy ever. A club of transformational leaders appears to be emerging.

The leader of the club could not have been more improbable: good old, go along, get along, Joe Biden. Today’s Joe is not whom even Democrats thought they were electing. American pundits have expressed skepticism, then surprise, then hallelujahs. David Brooks, perhaps America’s most thoughtful conservative analyst, is iconic of this phenomenon with adulatory paeans of praise.

Why was this new Joe born? It has mystified many. Sage pundits point to four factors. There’s the pandemic, of course. The bitter reality that preaching bipartisanship may be good politics but is dead on arrival, so rush for the legislative finish line fast. Young mid-level officials care more about equality and inclusion, and are not afraid to break taboos like taxing the rich. Finally, there is the reality that Democrats have perhaps 18 months to get this done and visible, if they hope to survive the 2022 mid-terms.

This appears to be one of those moments like 1946, 1989 and 2009 when a crisis-driven unity lifts expectations of government performance across the developed world. It’s far from certain that the Trudeau government will be part of this consensus. However, it appears increasingly clear that Jagmeet Singh will have his moment, as the voice of those demanding deep change in equality, climate and inclusion. If he does not stumble, this should be the election that seals his leadership legacy.     more

WATCH LIVE ON APRIL 19 | 10AM ET | C-SPAN2
Derek Chauvin Trial for the Death of George Floyd, Day 15
Closing arguments begin in trial for Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, accused in the death of George Floyd.


Barry Brodd, a use-of-force expert, testifies in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis on April 13.
Pig's head thrown at former home of Chauvin defense witness

Barry Brodd, once a police officer in California, compared George Floyd's killing to an "accidental death."

Apr. 19 - Vandals threw a pig's head at the onetime home of a former California police officer who was a defense witness for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer accused of killing George Floyd, police said.

The incident occurred early Saturday in Santa Rosa, California, at a house where the witness, Barry Brodd,used to live, Santa Rosa police said in a statement.

Police said Brodd appeared to have been targeted over his testimony.
"Mr. Brodd has not lived at the residence for a number of years and is no longer a resident of California," police said. "Because Mr. Brodd no longer lives in the city of Santa Rosa, it appears the victim was falsely targeted."

A person at the home found the head on the front porch, which was splattered with blood. People who were dressed in black fled as the person called 911, police said.

The same people are believed to have drenched a statue at a mall in animal blood about 45 minutes later and left a sign that read, "Oink Oink," police said. They are accused of felony vandalism and have not been identified.     source from

Monday
April 19, 2021