Pope to Congress (Video, transcript)
Chinese Pres. Xi in the Valley (Cook, Bezos, Buffet, Zuck, climate, photos, story)
Russia helps Syria, 6 considerations
Donald Trump’s slide in the polls is beginning to look real (numbers, charts)
Step wrong and boom: Boeing to build “brain chip” for DHS self-destructing Black smartphone
Dig: Archaeologists find bone fragments in hunt for ‘real’ Mona Lisa · · · →
China mostly talked this week. And they plan to talk more next week with Obama about Taiwan’s elections. Taiwan now allows 5,000 new Chinese visitors per day and China will give Taiwanese electronic passes in their visits. This raises questions about why China wants so many people in Taiwan while making Taiwanese in China easier to track. US experts think that Taiwan will be more difficult to defend from a Chinese invasion over the coming years.
Japan’s National Diet gave the nod for international military action for the first time in seven decades. China had some words about that too, having more to do with Japan’s military staying at home than with China’s military staying at home.
Thousands pour through Austria seeking shelter
…Europe is not the only continent with more international visitors
Japan
Okinawan governor to revoke permit for U.S. base relocation work
Japanese, China express opposition to law change
Japan enhances military’s role as contentious legislation passed
Support for Abe sags even further in more polls
China managed to stay out of the lime light this week, while its satellites shined. There seemed to be some chest thumping. Chinese police ordered local Taiwanese police to investigate a Taiwanese suspect without going through their normal international channels.
According to a statement from Zhang Xiaoming, chief of the Hong Kong liaison office from Beijing, the Hong Kong CEO has supremacy over the other branches, which have separation of powers “under the leadership of the executive”. On the surface this seems to run contrary to HK’s Basic Law as well as other statements from Beijing officials. HK remains under Beijing ultimately and there doesn’t seem to be much evidence of power abuse. But, they are thumping their chests.
Singapore remains free and independent, with more seats up for grabs and more voters than any time in history. Japan is having a bad year with a flood; 3,000 evacuated. North Korea thinks it is humanitarian and that the UN is wrong. · · · →
China’s pushing into the water. Beijing celebrated America’s victory over Japan in 1945. The Communists who took over China four years later seemed to take much of the credit. And, they are still angry that, even after 66 years, they don’t control Taiwan. A “victim of its own propaganda”, Beijing believes Taiwan doesn’t want to fly the Communist flag from lack of “communication” rather than, perhaps, Communism being communicated all to well. So, Communist China’s PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) is going to Alaska where Russia has more interests than China. So, is China a victim of it’s own propaganda—or of someone else working behind the scene?
China also seems to be having trouble on the money front. Even as its currency plummets, the world’s currency doesn’t. G-20 only loses trust in China.
Respect for Russia, however, is unchanged. Russia is playing some of its own games that will echo in the Pacific waters. · · · →
Kim’s dismissal of top military leaders mirrors the downfalls of history. Top leaders are Kim’s strongest supporters. North Korea’s power could be imploding. “One Korea” could happen peacefully.
Japan prepares to make it’s military more deployable. The US gave the nod in recent months. Now, the Japanese government is ready to follow suit. Japan has maintained a “defense-only” military as a condition of the WWII surrender. Soon, Japan will be able to aid in regional conflict, such as with Korea or, say, Taiwan and Beijing.
China’s spotlight is more of a laser. Taiwanese officials take domestic flack over attending a Chinese V-Day celebration. The US isn’t happy about spying. China isn’t happy about reporting. Sanctions are on the way.
China
U.S. developing sanctions against China over cyberthefts
China says 197 punished in crackdown on online rumors
Japan
Thousands protest Abe, security bills at Diet rally
…Soon to be allowed to deploy troops for wider range of reasons
Korea
North, South Korea agree to defuse crisis after marathon talks
North Korea’s Kim ousts top officials, credits nuclear weapons with securing deal
South Korea Red Cross proposes family reunion talks with North
North Korea agrees to talks with South on family reunions
Taiwan
Why Taiwanese leaders should skip the Victory Day parade in Beijing
…Inside baseball on the China-Taiwan conflict. · · · →
North Korea does it’s annual late summer saber-rattling while the US and South Korea run their annual pre-autumn laps on the peninsula. Everyone’s in an uproar and “this time” it could be dangerous—again. Back to school.
China’s market slows while it’s naval activity rises. Chinese business is no longer the talk of town, though banking is as Beijing goes liquid. 400 deep pockets lost $182B USD to China’s sinking tech.
Taiwan’s election season continues to heat up. In this week’s episode of old school v democracy, DPP Mayor William Lai threatened to close the KMT-Nationalist-controlled Taiwan Control Yuan if the Control Yuan tries to close him, but not Speaker Lee who was found guilty in a lower court of buying the votes that gave him his speakership. Apparently, the Control Yuan is not even a Constitutionally legal entity. China does is own gossip among Americans about the DPP. So, it’s clear how important the Taiwan 2016 election will be. · · · →
