ABOARD THE BRP CABRA—As a U.S. Navy surveillance plane flew in circles, keeping a close watch, dozens of Chinese coast guard and accompanying ships chased and encircled Philippine vessels in the latest confrontation in one of the most dangerous flashpoints in the South China Sea. At the height of Friday’s four-hour faceoff in the high seas, a Chinese coast guard ship blasted a water cannon toward a Philippine motorboat delivering food and other supplies to Filipino forces on a marooned, rusting warship that serves as the country’s fragile territorial outpost at Second Thomas Shoal. China has steadfastly stood by its claim to virtually the entire strategic waterway, clashing with its smaller neighbors and drawing in the United States, Manila’s treaty ally and China’s main rival in the Asia-Pacific region. Washington and its allies have deployed navy ships and fighter aircraft to promote freedom of navigation and overflight, build up deterrence and reassure allies like the Philippines....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/dozens-of-chinese-ships-chase-philippine-vessels-as-us-renews-warning-it-will-defend-its-treaty-ally-5528037
Commentary The expression “being played,” which would appear to have its origins in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, came to mind when reflecting on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s journey to China. The trip was hyped as the 50th anniversary of former Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam’s historic visit to China in 1972. Apart from a flip for Labor’s “true believers,” it is hard to find any real outcomes. Not that impartial observers expected any, as distinct from the China boosters who applaud any discussions with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as the dawn of a new enlightened era of expanding trade and discourse....
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s life tenure has created not only political challenges at home but difficulties in the bilateral relationship with the United States, according to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Mrs. Clinton’s comment at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore came as tensions between Beijing and Washington remain high, including over China’s military aggressions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea and the U.S. restrictions on high-end technologies exports and investment that has the risk of supping the communist regime’s military ambition. The future of U.S.-China relations “really depends upon what Xi Jinping’s goals are,” Mrs. Clinton said at the summit via video link on Thursday. ...
In modern medicine, blood is understood to be the nutritious red liquid that runs through our bodies and maintains their physiological activities. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), there are two primary components of blood: nutrient qi (vital energy) and body fluid. Nutrient qi can be transformed into blood. Body fluid serves primarily as a neutralizer, which finds its way into the blood vessels, where it may also become blood through chemical reactions. This article explains TCM’s concept of blood. Production of Blood The raw materials required to produce blood are a combination of water and grain essence, and kidney essence....