Hua Chunying (Chinese: 华春莹; born 24 April 1970) is a Chinese official and former diplomat serving as spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China since 2012 and as the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2021.[2] Hua was the fifth spokeswoman and 27th spokesperson since the position was established in the ministry in 1983.[3]
Commentary
Hua has criticized the US plea to release Pu Zhiqiang saying “I think lots of people have the same feeling with me, that some people in the United States have hearts that are too big and hands that are too long. Washington should address human rights problems at home and stop trying to be the world’s policeman or judge."[11]
In 2021, she compared the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol with the 2019 storming of the Legislative Council.[12]
Social media
In February 2021, Hua said that many Western officials use Weibo and Wechat, and asked “Why can’t Chinese people use Twitter or Facebook when foreigners can use Chinese social media platforms?"[14] Twitter and Facebook have been banned by the mainland Chinese government since 2009.[14]
quotes from Wikipedia
FEBRUARY 16, 2022•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by phone today with Akiba Takeo, Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, to discuss the ongoing situation in Russia and Ukraine. Sullivan reviewed recent developments on the ground, and noted that Russian forces remain postured to attack Ukraine at any time. The two discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts by the international community and Sullivan reiterated President Biden’s statement that the door remains open to diplomacy. Sullivan thanked Secretary General Akiba for Japan’s recent decision to divert some Liquefied Natural Gas supplies to Europe, and he underscored the importance of a strong international response to any further Russian aggression against Ukraine. Secretary General Akiba emphasized that Japan is committed to closely coordinating with the United States and the G-7 in response to further Russian aggression against Ukraine.
What Happens When a Stealth Jet Ends Up on the Ocean Floor?
Here’s how the Navy might recover a $94 million F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that crashed in China’s backyard.
Feb. 10 – On Jan. 24, one of the U.S. Navy’s most expensive warplanes crashed as it tried to land on an aircraft carrier and sank to the bottom of the South China Sea. The $94 million F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is now the subject of a salvage operation.
In a statement issued on the day of the incident, the Navy said seven sailors had been injured when the jet suffered a “landing mishap” on the aircraft carrier, the Carl Vinson. It did not mention that the plane had ended up in the ocean.
The Navy has said little publicly since then about the incident. In response to questions from The New York Times, the Navy’s Seventh Fleet said last week that the service had “begun mobilizing units that will be used to verify the site and recover” the F-35 involved in the crash… more on The New York Times
Abdul Nasser Qardash
(Arabic: عبد الناصر قرداش[2]) (sometimes identified as Abdel Nasser Qirdash or Kardesh, also known as Hajji Abdullah al-Afari) is an Iraqi militant who in 2019 was wrongly reported as the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). He was also nicknamed “The Professor" and “Destroyer".[3] Qardash was a high-ranking and very influential member of ISIL with close connections to its first Caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and tipped as a potential candidate for ISIL leadership succession. However days after the death of al-Baghdadi, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was ultimately chosen as the new declared leader of ISIL. Qardash was captured by Iraqi security forces in 2020. quoted from Wikipedia
Reactions
The new package, commonly referred to as “Minsk II", was criticised for being “highly complicated" and “extremely fragile", and for being very similar to the failed Minsk Protocol.[5][34][35]The New York Times reported that the plan had “included some tripwires", such as not demarcating control over the city of Debaltseve, which was the site of the most fierce fighting at the time of the plan’s drafting.[5][36] Following the Minsk talks, Chancellor Merkel, President Hollande, and President Poroshenko attended a European Union (EU) summit in Brussels.[37] At the summit, the Minsk participants briefed EU leaders about the talks. During the briefing, they said that President Putin had tried to delay the implementation of a ceasefire by ten days, so as to force Ukrainian troops in Debaltseve to surrender their positions. For his part, President Putin said that the Debaltseve defenders were encircled, and that the separatists expected them “to lay down their arms and cease resistance".[37]Kommersant reporter Andrey Kolesnikov wrote that implementation of the ceasefire in Debaltseve hinged upon whether or not Ukrainian forces were truly encircled, “Above all, does it exist or not? Vladimir Putin insisted that it [the encirclement] exists and that if a cease-fire agreement is reached, it will be odd if it isn’t violated: Those in the kettle will certainly try to get out of there; those who have boiled that kettle will try to collect the foam".[38] quoted from Wikipedia
whitehouse.video.blog 