Video: Ukraine’s “imminent invasion” tale is a repeat (lies) of Taiwan story

Video: Ukraine’s “imminent invasion” tale is a repeat (lies) of Taiwan story 烏克蘭“即將入侵”的(美國吹水)故事是台灣故事的重演

The collapsing “imminent invasion… just seconds away” story about Ukraine is a blow-by-blow repeat of the fake story about the imminent invasion of Taiwan last year. That invasion didn’t happen either. You can fool the media but ordinary people are wising up 關於烏克蘭的“即將入侵……就在幾秒鐘之內”的崩潰故事是對去年即將入侵台灣的虛假故事的一次又一次的重演。 那次入侵也沒有發生。 你可以愚弄媒體，但普通人正在聰明起來.
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Demonizing Beijing Winter Games a sad example of US efforts to obscure China’s achievements by Ken Hammond

Demonizing Beijing Winter Games a sad example of US efforts to obscure China’s achievements by Ken Hammond Feb 03 2022

In the summer of 2008, I was living in Beijing, working with an American study-abroad program at Capital Normal University. The city was filled with excitement in anticipation of the Olympics, with athletes arriving from around the world and local people joining in a wide range of activities preparing for the big event. Many thousands of citizens volunteered at information booths or in other roles to assist foreigners who were coming to attend the Games and were exploring China’s capital, learning about the achievements of local people and their continuing work to build a better future for their country. Our American students shared in this excitement. There was a great feeling of energy as the opening ceremonies approached.

Anyone who witnessed those ceremonies, in person or on television, will remember the amazing impression they made. The 2008 Olympics were a moment when China took a prominent place on the world stage, showing off the rising prosperity of its people and the glories of its ancient civilization. Western media coverage of the Olympics was positive, recognizing the Games as a marker of China’s re-emergence as a major participant in international affairs, resuming the place of prominence it had long occupied before the era when Western imperialism had imposed the harsh period of exploitation and humiliation which was ended with the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Today a new Olympic Games event is about to get underway in China: the 2022 Winter Olympics. But this time, the Western world, most especially the US mainstream media and politicians, is uniformly hostile, attacking China for the way it governs itself, portraying the country as repressive and accusing the country of all kinds of bad policies and practices. This is in fact just a particularly intense version of a campaign of demonization which has been carried on for more than a decade, as the US seeks to block China’s development and isolate it internationally. Why has the reaction to the Winter Olympics been so different from the way the world welcomed and admired China in 2008?

One way to understand the changing relationship between China and the West is to consider the changes that have taken place in both areas over the last 14 years, since the 2008 Olympics. At that time, China was pursuing its policies of reform and opening-up, seeking to develop its economy through engagement with the global economic system, growing its productive capacities and enhancing its technological capabilities. It was deferential to the leading role the US played in that global economic order, while remaining true to the needs and interests of the Chinese people. China’s leaders understood that developing its modern economy and society was a long-term project, and they were patient in its implementation.

In 2008, the global financial crisis erupted, and the effects of that in China and the West were very different. In China, while 20 million workers were laid off due to declining export demand, the country’s core socialist system allowed the crisis to be managed without great human suffering. Policy adjustments and careful interventions by the government minimized disruptions and got people back to work as quickly as possible. In the West, again especially the US, millions of people permanently lost their jobs, while many millions more lost their homes. The wealthy elites prospered, with bailouts funded by ordinary working taxpayers saving financial corporations deemed “too big to fail.” The ongoing decline of the American economy intensified, with effects still being felt today. The contrast with China was stark, making clear the rising trajectory of the People’s Republic of China and the continuing erosion of the US economy at home and around the world. The era of American global dominance was coming to an end.

American political elites reacted to all this with fear and anger. They directed this at China, which refused to be made a scapegoat. As China has become more self-assured, as its development has continued to raise the quality of life for its 1.4 billion people, as it has managed the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and saved the lives of millions of Chinese people, America has become an ever-greater bully in international affairs. The US is trying to build an anti-China front of countries to contain and, if possible, thwart its further development and minimize its role in global affairs. This is a fool’s errand, as China’s rise is a matter of deep structural change in the global system. It is a return to a more balanced, multi-centric world order. It will not be stopped by American hostility and futile gestures.

Demonizing the Beijing Winter Olympics is a sad example of America’s desperate efforts to obscure China’s achievements and stave off its own decline. The Olympic spirit of competition and friendship would be a much better path to follow. But for American political leaders, this seems to be something they cannot understand.

The author is professor of East Asian and global history at New Mexico State University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

US Gov’t spokespersons it is make it up as you go, amazing!

Video: The big difference between when Chinese Gov’t spokesperson made allegations always backed up with facts. But for US Gov’t spokespersons it is make it up as you go, amazing! 中國政府發言人提出指控時和美國的巨大差異是有事實依據。 但對於美國政府發言人來說，它是隨手彌補，不做功課, 祇會吹水, 廢話連篇.

Reporter: “It’s an action that you say they have taken, but you have shown no evidence to confirm that. […] This is like – crisis actors? Really? This is like Alex Jones territory you’re getting into now.” Must-watch exchange between @APDiploWriter Matt Lee and @StateDeptSpox.

Huffpost: Biden officials to reporters asking for evidence: Just believe us! U.S. government officials twice dismissed questions from reporters who asked for evidence to back up claims, suggesting that the reporters should take the government at its word. One instance was the allegation that Russia is attempting to create a pretext for its troops to invade Ukraine. The other was the lack of proof of the killing of top ISIS militant Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in Syria.

https://vimeo.com/673412823
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Video: 24 hours of Zhang Yimou as chief director of the opening ceremony for Beijing 2022

Video: 24 hours of Zhang Yimou as chief director of the opening ceremony for Beijing 2022 張藝謀任北京2022開幕式總導演 1 天24小時工作

The opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will take place at 20:00 on Feb.4. How does Zhang Yimou, chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies for Beijing 2022 make the most of a day? This mini documentary has recorded it all. 2022年北京冬奧會開幕式將於2月4日20:00舉行。 2022北京奧運會開閉幕式總導演張藝謀是如何度過一天的？ 這部迷你紀錄片記錄了這一切.

https://vimeo.com/673287397
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