Business Blog

SCMP: Chinese scientists war-game hypersonic strike on US carrier group. Military planners conclude the Gerald R. Ford and its fleet could be destroyed ‘with certainty’ in rare published report 南華早報：中國科學家對美國航母群進行高超音速打擊。軍事規劃人員在罕見的已發表報告中得出結論，杰拉爾德·R·福特及其艦隊可以“肯定”被摧毀

The Standard Newspaper HK: US ‘intentionally released Covid virus in Wuhan’ EU summit told by American patent-auditing expert David Martin, testifying in Brussels, claims the US triggered the global pandemic in Wuhan to raise people’s acceptance of vaccines.

香港標準報：美國“故意在武漢釋放新冠病毒” 美國專利審查專家大衛·馬丁在布魯塞爾作證的歐盟峰會上稱，美國在武漢引發全球大流行是為了提高人們對疫苗的接受度

https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/252653/US-‘intentionally-released-Covid-virus-in-Wuhan’-EU-summit-told

The Covid-19 coronavirus was “intentionally released” by the United States in Wuhan, China, with the target to trigger a global pandemic to raise public acceptance of vaccines, a US businessman specializing in patent auditing said.

David Martin, the founding chairman of M Cam asset management company, said at an International Covid Summit organized by the European Parliament in Brussels earlier this month that the US was responsible for the making of both coronaviruses causing the outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome – or SARS – in 2003 and the Covid-19 pandemic in the past three years.

The third edition of the summit featured speakers from anti-lockdown advocates to medical academia to discuss the global pandemic response. The speakers shed light on the possibility that the coronavirus which caused the pandemic was man-made, instead of naturally occurring.

In his speech, Martin said: “The pandemic that we alleged to have happened in the last few years did not happen overnight. In fact, the very specific pandemic using the coronavirus began at a different time.”

He said that in 1965, scientists discovered the coronavirus as a model of a pathogen – an agent that causes disease. They also found out that coronaviruses can be modified.

“Later we started learning how to modify a coronavirus by putting them in animals such as dogs and pigs,” Martin said, adding that such a practice became the basis for US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s first coronavirus spike protein vaccine in 1990.

But very soon the medical sector and drug makers found out that the vaccines did not work.

“Because the coronavirus is a malleable model, it mutates,” Martin said. “Every medical publication concluded that coronaviruses escape vaccines because it modifies and mutates too rapidly for a vaccine to be developed.”

In 2002, a university in North Carolina initiated a study to develop an “infectious replication defective,” which Martin interpreted as “a weapon to target individuals, but not have collateral damage.”

Characterizing the project as having “mysteriously preceded SARS by a year,” Martin said the coronavirus that caused the highly deadly infection was not from China and that it was “engineered” instead of naturally occurring.

On Covid-19, Martin said the coronavirus – named as SARS-CoV-2 by the World Health Organization – was poised for human emergence in 2016, with a preview about an “accidental or intentional release of a respiratory coronavirus” from a laboratory in Wuhan.

He said the purpose of the coronavirus “release” was to boost global acceptance on universal vaccination.

Explaining the common concern among the medical industry, Martin said: “Until an infectious crisis is very real, present and at the emergency threshold, it is often largely ignored.

“To sustain the funding base beyond the crisis, we need to increase the public understanding of the need for medical countermeasures, such as the pan-influenza, or pan-coronavirus, vaccine. A key drive is the media and the economics will follow the hype.

“We [pharmaceutical firms] need to use that hype to our advantage to get to the real issue. Investors will respond if they see profit at the end of the process,” he said.

The Covid infection was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei province in central China in late 2019, with initial clusters coming from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.

The disease turned into a global pandemic in early 2020.

As of Saturday, over 766 million infections have been recorded worldwide, with nearly seven million deaths.

The source of the coronavirus remained a mystery. Some scientists believe it transferred to humans from wild animals like bats and manidaes, while some politicians, in particular those from the US, accused the Wuhan Institute of Virology – a government-controlled lab – of leaking the pathogen.

A team of WHO-appointed experts inspected Wuhan in early 2021 to probe the source of the pandemic.

After the 12-day visit, including a visit to the lab, the scientists concluded that it is “extremely unlikely” that the lab could have leaked the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Biden wants to but inability to decouple with China, China stops buying from Micron due to security risks 拜登欲與中國脫鉤但是無能為力, 中國因安全隱患停止採購美光產品.

My Mother, by Ronny Tong 分享我夏威夷大學同學 Raymond Tong哥哥 RONNY TONG, GBS, KC, SC, JP 湯家驊資深大律師的一遍關於他母親的文章

母親

轉眼剛過去的周日又是母親節。助理提議我寫一篇懷念母親的文章，但提起筆卻又不知從何說起。

自幼家貧，父親在記憶中一直失業，脾氣變得古怪和暴躁，我們比較年幼的都不大敢與他交談。他在我大學一年級時便離世，說不上很了解他。

我們一直依賴母親的工作收入過活。她在內地的護士資格不被承認，在公立醫院工作不時受到歧視，每天也需當夜班，所以跟她詳談的機會也是絕無僅有。

學成歸來，事業上了軌道，自然地我便負上照顧母親的責任，與她同住；但事業繁忙，也不見得大家的關係更親近。最少這是自己的藉口。

她不同意我從政。在她眼中，我是一位成功的大律師，收入豐裕，用不着蹚這趟渾水。也許她是對的，但自己作了決定便誰也阻不了。也許她始終沒有原諒我；她不時頗帶自豪地跟朋友說，我兒子是大律師，但卻從不提我也是立法會議員。

她在醫院彌留之際，赫然發覺有很多話想跟她說；但還未組織好，她已靜悄悄地走了。曾經自問她走之前，找一些時間跟她談談，真的是這麼困難嗎？當然不是；只是到處找藉口罷了。

今天年輕人覺得母親節只是一個商界騙人的日子，要見母親，早幾天、早幾星期也可以。也許他們是對的；也許真正的母親節只在心中。但樹欲靜而風不息，更重要的是，有時失去的機會永遠也找不回來；後悔、內疚也來不及。

How Obama, Trump and Biden helped makes China great again! They are amateurs, shortsighted and all became commission salesmen for the military industrial complex

這是俄烏戰爭送給中國的一個地緣政治大禮，普京23年前上台時親美遠多於親中，但美国犯了21世紀的重大戰略錯誤，把俄羅斯硬生生地推向中國，特別是俄烏戰爭爆發後，俄羅斯已別無選擇，唯有擁抱中國才能活命，這樣的地緣政治改變對中國的好處説之不盡:

1. 中國從此不用擔心腹背受敵，好像毛主席的年代，東邊南邊防美帝，北邊西邊又要防蘇修，唔死都唔得，現在北邊西邊有倚靠，專注東部南部便可，壓力大減。
2. 馬六甲困局可解，三十年來（自1993年中國由石油出口國變為石油進口國的那一年) ，中國一直擔心馬六甲海峽被封鎖，中國便死得，因為80%中國石油經由此海峽運至中國，中國用了20年時間才和俄羅斯弄了一條西伯利亞油管通至大慶(安大線)，但俄烏一役，俄羅斯能源（石油和天然氣）可以無限量供應中國（因為在失去西方市塲後很難找到一個如此大的買家）
3. 俄羅斯有大量農産品供應中國，由小麥大豆豬肉，中國可以不用依靠美國。
4. 普京同意中吉烏鉄路開工，此鉄路談了20年普京都不同意，因為會搶俄羅斯中歐班列生意，但俄烏戰爭後普京馬上同意，此鉄路完成後可連接土庫曼，伊朗，土耳其一直到歐洲，形成第二條中歐鉄路，古絲綢之路之現代版。
5. 黑龍江大橋開通，中俄貿易增加
6. 俄羅斯開放海參崴為中國所用，對俄羅斯當然有好處，但對中國好處更多，自此東北產品不用經鉄路陸路進關內到塘沽或大連才可上船，東北經濟將會有大改善。原來圖門江中國有權由此出日本海，但當年蘇聯修一條橋去北韓擋住中國船隻出海 ! 現在這問題解決了，中國東北有海港出日本海。
7. 西伯利亞將會開放給中國農民及企業開發，俄羅斯人在西伯利亞人丁單薄，根本不可能發展經濟，以前極之不想中國人到西伯利亞去，但現在已別無選擇，因為經濟重心要東移。
8. 中亞五國峰會剛搞完，意味中國從此插手中亞，以前俄羅斯絕對不會答應，因為中亞五國是前蘇聯的加盟共和國，是俄羅斯的小弟，現在普京是放水給中國。
   9.普京最近這一年對習大大幾乎言聽計從, 這是中俄四百年歷史從未有過，俄羅斯亦知如此發展下去，烏蘇里江以東，黑龍江以北100萬平方公里土地五十年以後會回歸中國，但現在不走親中這一步，不用説五十年，五年俄羅斯都挺不住。
   這樣天掉下的餡餅，毛主席，周總理在下邊都真係會笑出聲 !
   多謝美國!

The East has risen! The West heading to sunset fast! 值得载入史册的一幕。万国来朝的天国vs坚定的西方铁幕。历史将会有结果

Taiwan TVBS video: The G7 is the same 8-Nation Alliance countries robbed China in 1900. When the other 7 countries rob property & antiques, Japan robs gold, silver and jade only. G7, especially the US & UK want to rob China again 今天的G7 就是1900的八國聯軍, 日本最壞, 當其他七國去搶財物古董, 日本祇搶錢(金銀玉), G7尤其是美英兩國的春秋大夢就是想到中國再搶一次
https://rumble.com/v2p6luo-the-g7-is-the-same-8-nation-alliance-countries-robbed-china-in-1900.html
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTREUkV19/?t=1

The G7 is a colonial anachronism.

Economically, it is a group of wealthy countries whose economies are failing, but insist they have the economic answers to the world’s problems. Promises of billions are made, but not delivered.

Politically, it is about diverting attention from domestic problems, and international failures, by crying “wolf”.

In contrast, China, which will grow at between 3 to 8 X the rate of the various G7 members this year, has been building infrastructure and trade ties, not with empty promises, but with investments that are yielding results.

Japan chose to meet in Hiroshima, a reminder of the brutality of human history, China hosted it’s summit in Xian, a city at the center of new trade routes and a better future for all involved.

Don’t be confused by the arrogant ramblings of colonialists who believe hypocrisy is the only reality, leadership isn’t about preaching, it’s about practice.

Will worsening US relations with Beijing affect EU-China trade?

https://www.aljazeera.com/program/inside-story/2023/5/21/will-worsening-us-relations-with-beijing-affect-eu-china-trade

Scotland online today: Ukraine is not a symbol of Freedom & Liberal Democracy. It is a corrupt warmongering Proxy of the US and the Western Globalist Elites 烏克蘭不是自由和自由民主的象徵。它是美國和西方全球主義精英腐敗好戰的代理人

https://scotlandtoday.online/ukraine-is-not-a-symbol-of-freedom-liberal-democracy-it-is-a-corrupt-warmongering-proxy-of-the-us-and-the-western-global-elites

Statements from the U.S. and other Western officials, as well as pervasive accounts in the news media, have created a stunningly misleading image of Ukraine. There has been a concerted effort to portray the country not only as a victim of brutal Russian aggression but as a plucky and noble bulwark of freedom and democracy. The conventional narrative would have us believe that Ukraine is an Eastern European version of Denmark.

It is entirely appropriate to sympathise with Ukrainians who are experiencing terrible suffering as a result of a conflict brought about by decades of NATO expansion in Europe, but Ukraine is not a symbol of freedom and liberal democracy, and the war is not an existential struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. At best, Ukraine is a corrupt, quasi‐​democratic entity with troubling repressive policies.

Given that sobering reality, calls for Americans and Europeans to “stand with Ukraine” are misplaced. Preserving Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity most certainly is not worth the United States risking war with a nuclear-armed Russia, and certainly not worth the involvement of the collective NATO & EU Member States being dragged along for the ride.

Massive corruption in the Ukrainian government has left Ukraine and its people in a state of developmental stagnation for decades. Despite this, in recent years, Ukraine has demonstrated its willingness to reform and change for the better through countless efforts to expose and clean up these corruptions. These 10 facts outline the specifics of corruption in Ukraine.

10 Facts About Corruption in Ukraine

1. Corruption: According to Transparency International (TI), as of 2018, Ukraine ranked 120 out of 182countries in TI’s Corruptions Perception Index, making it the second most corrupt country in all of Europe. A survey from Freedom House also indicated that the level of corruption in Ukraine had only slightly alleviated since the fall of the particularly corrupt Yanukovych presidency in 2014.

2. Tax Reforms: Tax reform continues to be a major barrier in the fight against corruption in Ukraine. Outrageous tax schemes and gross misuse of funds led to a 35 percent VAT compliance gap in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, compared to the 6 percent gap recorded in 2011. In 2014, new authority investigations found that $37 billion of the country’s overall budget disappeared due to fraudulent tax schemes. Experts speculate that during Yanukovych’s presidency, a total of $9 billion went unaccounted for and at least $2 billion of that went into the pockets of Yanukovych’s family coffers.

 

3. Banking: Another major contribution to the corruption in Ukraine lies within its banking sector. The severity of corruption within Ukrainian banks became especially apparent during the 2014 banking crisis. Most banks involved themselves in the money-laundering Ponzi schemes. The banking systems were so corrupt that out of 182 of the nation’s banks, 98 of them have been or are in the process of being completely liquidated. Strict anti-money-laundering laws and tighter control over cash-flow have helped alleviate some of this corruption. In addition, banks that survived the crisis are now liable for any losses their clients suffer due to fraudulent banking practices.

4. Government Accountability: Quintagroup aimed to reach a higher level of government accountability by creating a transparent electronic procurement system for officials to use. The system, ProZorro, allows users to view all procurements, government contracts and funds from electronic platforms, ensuring the transparency of public funding and procurement procedures. The Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Economy are among some of the government entities currently in the system. Since its 2014 launch, the system has saved Ukraine $1.1 billion in costs to the state, annually.

5. Gas and Natural Resources: Ukraine’s elite took advantage of the discrepancy between subsidized and market gas prices, skimming billions of dollars from state funding. One major gas company, Naftogaz, is largely responsible for creating a domestic reliance on Russian-imported gas by penalizing domestic gas production and discouraging efficient energy methods. To combat this type of corruption in Ukraine, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) stepped in and insisted that the country equalize household and commercial gas tariffs and sought to improve transparency in the gas markets. With the reforms implemented by new officials, Naftogaz became a profitable contributor to the state budget and in 2018 accounted for 19.3 percent of state revenue. That revenue allowed UVG (a gas production subsidiary of Naftogaz) to boost domestic production by 4.2 percent in 2017.

6. De-Monopolization: During Yanukovych’s presidency, the oligarch’s established formal and informal monopolies, both locally and nationwide. These monopolies formed under informal business agreements that provided corrupt officials total control over a sector of their choosing. In 2015, the State Anti-Monopoly carried out an examination of the condition of Ukraine’s various markets. The results indicated that only 42.7 percent of all markets were still competitive and 9.8 percent of them were still completely monopolized by corrupt government officials.

7. Justice Systems: Distrust for the justice system in Ukraine is widespread. In fact, Ukraine ranked 101 out of 109 countries in the 2017 Index of Public Integrity. Opinion polls taken in 2016 recorded that only 3 to 5 percent of the population had any trust in the country’s justice system. In the same year, Ukraine took its first steps towards judicial improvement with the establishment of a new Supreme Court. This did little to gain public trust, however, as recruitment of new judicial officials was only half-way transparent. The Public Integrity Council of Ukraine found that 25 out the 113 new judges were unfit.

8. Higher Education: Surprisingly, another major facet of corruption in Ukraine lies within the country’s institutions of higher education. Bribery demands from professors, deans and department boards have increased in recent years and show no sign of slowing down. According to a student/teacher violation monitoring website, students attending these institutions reported more than 400 violations, 41 percent of them being related to bribery. To combat this widespread corruption, the Ukrainian Parliament passed a law in 2012 that required institutions to post all financial documents online. Despite this effort, only a very small portion of universities actually complied with the new requirement.

9. Deregulation: Since the Maiden Revolution of 2014, Ukraine has abolished several corrupted agencies and costly, dated regulations through deregulation. Among the various government agencies that Ukraine abolished for high levels of corruption were the Price Inspectorate, Traffic Police Inspectorate and the Real Estate Registration Agency. Between 2014 and 2015, the country also got rid of price regulations while it reassessed and updated others accordingly.

10. Law Enforcement: Reform in Ukraine’s law enforcement sector is slow-moving and still largely operates under communist influence. But, in 2014 an organization known as the patrol police emerged. The patrol service has developed a positive reputation for recruiting and training officials according to a much higher standard than officers working under the country’s primary police force. In the years since its creation, the patrol service has enlisted 13,000 officers in 33 different cities nationwide. The organization accounts for only a small portion of the country’s law enforcement, but its continuing growth, increased backing from international partners and civil society organizations have proven it to be an entity dedicated to ending corruption in Ukraine.

Despite endemic corruption in Ukraine, its people have clearly not given up on improving their quality of life through reform. Since 2014, Ukraine has taken strides, big and small, to combat corrupt systems and has proven that it is capable of change.

The 22nd Anniversary Celebration of the China National Reunification Promotion Association in the San Francisco Bay Area 旧金山湾区中国统一促进会成立22周年庆会

旧金山湾区中国统一促进会成立22周年庆会，于2023年5月20日晩在美国旧金山康年海鲜酒家隆重举行，中国驻旧金山总领事张建敏、副总领事邹永红，驻美中华总会馆总董李灿桐，该会理事长池洪湖，副理事长雷振泽、黄华玺、林延奇、刘源凯、雷华钦，会长李国宏、第一副会长黄楚文、第二副会长麦永康，新任顾问黄中华、杨国兴、谭念贴、梁兴栋、彭德龙、吕观德。洛杉矶中国统一促进会会长欧阳韬、俄勒冈州中国统一促进会副会长朱介眉、华盛顿州中国统一促进会执行副会长林绍长、华盛顿州中国统一促进会副会长陈文琛、圣地亚哥中国统一促进会会长周子兴、以及来自旧金山湾区侨团首长、华人华侨、乡亲共700多人共聚一堂同庆盛会，畅叙友谊，共策侨社和谐进步。

该会自成立以来，始终致力于促进中美友好关系的健康发展、坚持高举中国统一的光辉旗帜、密切联系两岸同胞、促进台海两岸交流、广泛团结各界华人、积极开展反“独”促统活动，为推进两岸关系和平发展、维护中国主权与领土完整作出重要贡献。在社区的各项联合活动中，担当重要⻆色，赢得广泛认同和赞誉。

在现场我还看到老朋友邓孟诗、何孔华、吴国宝、关家澄、古铣贤、伍萍芳、何伟明、陆森茂、伍柱钧、李殿邦、李士君、黄洪炎、陈国庆、黄海泉、彭书城、马金权、黄祯祥、钟绍元、关信民、邹志强、戴錡、李竞芬、林青、李振宇、张琳、明瑛、陈展明、黄海泉、吴耀庭、李彪、刘功驷、孙志雄、马求锐、吴康华、伍时江、陆作成、谭珍珠、叶坤玲、刘帼瑜等等，太多朋友，就不一一列举了。晚会由杨宝海、陈勇青担任司仪，张蓝真、陈兆进介绍嘉宾，赵惠贞、伍小伶主持了文娱节目。(滔哥)

“The official policy of China is that Taiwan should be integrated,” Elon Musk said in an interview with CNBC’s David Faber. “One does not need to read between the lines, just read the lines” “中國的官方政策是台灣應該整合，”馬斯克在接受 CNBC 的大衛法伯採訪時說。 “不需要讀字裡行間，會讀字的都明白”

Elon Musk this week compared China and the rest of the global economy to “conjoined twins” and warned of severe consequences from any attempt to separate them.

In China, China Daily ran with the headline “Elon Musk: Taiwan should be integrated.” China considers Taiwan to be its territory—despite the fact that Taiwan is democratic and self-governed—and has threatened to use force if necessary to gain control of it.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett this week dumped the rest of Berkshire Hathaway’s $4 billion stake in TSMC. He told Japan’s Nikkei last month that the threat of war was a “consideration” in dumping the bulk of the stake.

Last October, Musk told the Financial Times that a conflict over Taiwan is inevitable. His recommendation, he said, “would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable…they could have an arrangement that’s more lenient than Hong Kong.”

China’s foreign ministry responded to his statements by reiterating that China would “resolutely crush ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist attempts, resolutely stop interference by external forces, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”