‘Citizen control’: Venezuela’s rulers get by with a little tech help from China

‘Citizen control’: Venezuela’s rulers get by with a little tech help from China

by WorldTribune Staff, November 19, 2018 Venezuela has unveiled a new smart-card ID to track its citizens. The card is manufactured by Chinese telecom giant ZTE Corp. The ID card, known as the “carnet de la patria,” or “fatherland card,” transmits data about citizens to government computer servers, Reuters reported on Nov. 18. The report, […]

Taiwan’s ‘nightmare scenario’: Think tank weighs post-2020 contingencies

Taiwan’s ‘nightmare scenario’: Think tank weighs post-2020 contingencies

Special to WorldTribune.com By Geostrategy-Direct China is preparing for an invasion of Taiwan “from a 360 degree perspective” which includes a “Fifth Column” of pro-China supporters living on the self-ruled island who would back a Chinese invasion force in the post-2020 timeframe, analysts say. “It is thinkable if you think about the specific situation of […]

China seeks to dismiss growing outrage over mass rights violations against Xinjiang Muslims

China seeks to dismiss growing outrage over mass rights violations against Xinjiang Muslims

by WorldTribune Staff, November 15, 2018 A letter from 15 Western ambassadors expressing deep concern over China’s detention of some 1 million Muslims in re-education camps has been dismissed by Beijing as hearsay and a violation of the Geneva Convention. The Reuters news agency reported that the letter to the Chinese government, which has not […]

Another North Korean invasion of the South? Not so unthinkable

Another North Korean invasion of the South? Not so unthinkable

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk Korean history over the past century has been so full of surprises that it’s risky to make serious predictions. The North Korean invasion of the South in June 1950, ordered by Kim dynasty founder Kim Il-Sung, was the worst, most tragic surprise of all. So traumatic was that blitzkrieg […]

Chinese businessman who fell to death in France may have known of influence bids

Chinese businessman who fell to death in France may have known of influence bids

by WorldTribune Staff, November 4, 2018 A prominent Chinese dissident, Guo Wengui, said he doubts the official explanation from the French government of the events surrounding the death of the co-chairman of Chinese conglomerate HNA, who he said was in the company of security guards who were members of China’s military. Earlier this year, HNA dropped […]

U.S. trade war strain: China’s yuan sinks to lowest level in decade

U.S. trade war strain: China’s yuan sinks to lowest level in decade

by WorldTribune Staff, October 31, 2018 Amid an escalation of the China-U.S. trade war, China’s yuan currency on Oct. 30 hit a 10-year low against the U.S. dollar. The yuan sank past 6.97 to the dollar, its weakest level since May 2008. Bloomberg reported that the United States is preparing to announce tariffs on all […]

‘Crimes against humanity’ under Buddhist Burma’s generals and peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi

‘Crimes against humanity’ under Buddhist Burma’s generals and peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Burma’s human rights situation is deteriorating despite consistent pressures by the United States and the wider international community to stem the humanitarian crisis. In a rare address before the Security Council, Marzuki Darusman, human rights Rapporteur for Burma, aka Myanmar, presented a report which details […]

How China’s Communist Party and ethnic Han majority are erasing Muslim minorities

How China’s Communist Party and ethnic Han majority are erasing Muslim minorities

Special to WorldTribune.com By Sol W. Sanders China has launched an aggressive defense of its policies in the far western territory of Xinjiang, home to about 12 million various Muslim minorities. An estimated 1 million Muslims are being held at “counterextremism centers” and millions more have been forced into “reeducation camps”. Uyghurs, a Central Asian […]

Trump mocks NY Times cell phone story, ‘glad’ paper finally covered China’s meddling

Trump mocks NY Times cell phone story, ‘glad’ paper finally covered China’s meddling

by WorldTribune Staff, October 26, 2018 President Donald Trump said he was “glad” that The New York Times finally added China to its narrative of meddling in U.S. elections, but trashed the “fake story” it used to do so. The Times on Oct. 24 published a story claiming China and Russia are listening in on […]

In bow to Trump, China instructs state-owned firms to stop buying Iran’s oil

In bow to Trump, China instructs state-owned firms to stop buying Iran’s oil

by WorldTribune Staff, October 26, 2018 In a major victory for U.S. President Donald Trump, China has instructed its export-finance bank and largest state-run oil refineries to cease purchasing Iranian oil. Reuters quoted Chinese officials as saying they feared running afoul of U.S. sanctions which kick in on Nov. 4, adding that it was uncertain […]