Commentary Much of the commentary on the motives behind the expansion of the BRICS trading alliance—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa—announced last month has been centered on the anti-American bias of the coalition. Specifically, that behind the smiley-faced façade of an ostensible economic cooperation community lies a deep-seated opposition to the U.S.-dominated global financial system, and the weaponization of economic sanctions against any nation that opposes the U.S. led world order. De-dollarization—i.e., the imminent demise of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency—has become an increasingly common topic of discussion....Read more https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/oil-the-hidden-motive-behind-the-brics-expansion-5494748
Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) has sent a second letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging the State Department to extend a formal invitation to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen to a U.S.-hosted summit in November. The Sept. 19 letter, co-signed by 24 House Republicans, stated that Ms. Tsai should be entitled to a seat at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit in San Francisco, despite opposition from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “Denying the inclusion of Taiwanese leadership in APEC will only further embolden the CCP and be remembered as an immense failure of the Biden administration’s mission to uphold peace and stability in the region,” the letter says.... 
NEW YORK—When international human rights leaders held a panel adjacent to the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) crimes against humanity in their treatment of Uyghurs and other minorities, they knew Beijing was taking note. The weekend ahead of the Sept. 19 panel, the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the U.N. sent a letter to potential attendees, blasting the event as “anti-China” slander and based on “conspiracies” and strongly recommending member states not attend. “It’s essentially confirming that it’s got a lot to hide, and it knows it,” said Sophie Richardson, China director of Human Rights Watch, at the event....
Canada’s corporate ethics watchdog has launched an investigation into allegations that Levi Strauss Canada is working with companies that use forced labour in China. Sheri Meyerhoffer, the ombudsperson for responsible enterprise, is looking into whether the denim company known for Levi’s jeans has supply relationships with Chinese companies that source materials from Uyghur people forced to work in the Xinjiang region. Meyerhoffer’s office is tasked with investigating complaints about possible human-rights abuses in the operations of Canadian garment, mining and oil and gas companies. Levi Strauss denies the allegations, saying they are based on outdated and inaccurate data....