Zero-Covid proves untenable, Traitors in Taiwan, US involvement in the Philippines
News Brief (11/24)
Going forward Vermilion be putting out a newsletter that covers the important news seen throughout the week. The plan is to do this on either a weekly or biweekly basis depending on your feedback. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Zero-Covid proves untenable
China’s transition to a dynamic Covid policy is being tested by a massive uptick in Covid cases in Beijing and other major cities in China. Over the past 5 days, over 2,000 new cases have been recorded in Beijing alone. We can expect a shift back to draconian zero-Covid policies with more testing, restrictions, and more frequent lockdowns.
China’s Covid infections hit record as economic outlook darkens - Reuters
China reported record high COVID-19 infections on Thursday, with cities nationwide imposing localised lockdowns, mass testing and other curbs that are fuelling frustration and darkening the outlook for the world's second largest economy.
One-fifth of economy under lockdown, and analysts expect it to get much worse - SCMP
The renewed virus curbs have once again put the spotlight on the delicate balance Beijing is trying to strike between easing its zero-Covid policy to help the economy and reigning in new outbreaks across the country.
In a Challenge to Beijing, Unrest Over Covid Lockdowns Spreads - NYT
Earlier this month, officials said they would adjust Covid restrictions to limit the impact the disruptions have had on the economy and government resources. The latest surge in cases has called that pledge into question, with many officials falling back on familiar heavy-handed measures to try to stop the spread of the virus.
Video of roads being blockaded in Zhengzhou - Twitter
Traitors in Taiwan
China has a long history of recruiting spies within Taiwan and this will not be the last instance of a high ranking military officer pledging allegiance to the PRC. Over the past decade, Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau has been systemically dismantling PRC intelligence networks in Taiwan and we should expect to see more examples of malicious espionage operations being uncovered within the Taiwanese military.
Ex-Army colonel who pledged allegiance to China indicted on corruption - Focus Taiwan
The 49-year-old Hsiang Te-en (向德恩), former head of the Kaohsiung-based Army Infantry Training Command's Operations Research and Development Division, was accused of receiving a monthly payment of NT$40,000 (US$1,280) since late 2019 from a former reporter Shao Wei-chiang (邵維強) who recruited him to serve as a Chinese spy.
US involvement in the Philippines
This is a concrete step forward in the US presence in the Pacific and is an important indicator to US friends and allies that it is willing to invest in the region. Expansion and rehabilitation of the once-abandoned Philippine bases showcases a major reversal of US military presence in the First Island Chain.
US military poised to return to Subic Bay - SCMP
The former US Naval Base Subic Bay, which faces the South China Sea, has become a bustling free port that employs about 150,000 locals, administered by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.
Manila and Washington have been in negotiations over setting up five more locations in the Asian country to build US military facilities and preposition weapons under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement.
Philippines to accelerate U.S. defense deal on base access - Nikkei Asia
"The Department is committed to accelerate the implementation of the EDCA by concluding infrastructure enhancement and repair projects, developing new infrastructure projects at existing EDCA locations, and exploring new locations that will build a more credible mutual defense posture," the Department of National Defense said in a statement.
It added that $66.5 million has been earmarked to implement EDCA projects in agreed locations starting next year, including runway repairs and construction of warehouses for training as well as for humanitarian and disaster response.