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China Tag

Chinese President Xi Jingping announced at the large China International Import Expo (CIIE) that he will lower tariffs and increase imports as a way to "demonstrate goodwill amid mounting frictions with the United States and others." While this appears like a good thing, Xi has made these promises before.

Last year, after several American diplomats developed odd neurological problems that were theorized to be caused by sonic attacks, President Donald Trump ordered all non-essential personnel out of Cuba, then sent 15 Cuban diplomats packing. Then, this May, American diplomats in China developed health conditions similar to those reported by the staff who were serving in Cuba. Now NBC News has published a detailed review of the investigation of these “health attacks."
Physicians enlisted by the State Department have identified what they call a "Brain Network Disorder" acquired by U.S. personnel serving abroad, say U.S. officials, that includes structural changes to the brain not found in any previously known disorder.

A leading Chinese bank, which acted as the main conduit for payments to Iran, is halting financial transactions with the Islamic Republic, Reuters news agency reports. The state-owned Bank of Kunlun's decision was made "under pressure" of impending U.S. sanctions due to take effect early November, news reports disclose. The halting of transactions spells trouble for Iran's commercial ties to China, the country's biggest oil consumer. The Bank of Kunlun is controlled by China's state-owned energy group CNPC, a company running multi-billion dollar gas exploration projects in Iran.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that drug overdose deaths surpassed 72,000 in 2017, representing an increase of more than 6,000 deaths over the estimate projected from the data for the previous 12-month period. Fentanyl overdoses contributed significantly to this grim, new statistic.
That staggering sum works out to about 200 drug overdose deaths every single day, or one every eight minutes.

Last week, I blogged that U.S. Senator Feinstein had a "driver" who turned out to be a Chinese spy who reported back to government officials about local politics. While she endeavored to minimize the impact of this individual to her work, The Daily Caller did some digging and it turns out he was substantially more involved with her office than chauffeuring California's Senior US Senator to events.
All the details of a former, longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein staffer who’s accused of relaying information to Chinese intelligence services while working for the California Democrat point to Russell Lowe, a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation has determined.

This is a subject that has strayed into the background and I'm thankful the Washington Free Beacon reported on it last night. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo testified in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asked him about the attacks:
"That's a very good question," Pompeo told Sen. Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.) during testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee. "I don't know if they were the same events. It is the case that the medical condition, the single medical condition to date in China is, as the medical folks would say, consistent with what happened in Cuba."

We've been covering the Trump administration's trade talks with China, and now both nations have reportedly agreed to halt the trade war, including the imposition of tariffs, until a deal has been reached. The AFP reports:
Washington and Beijing have agreed to abandon any trade war and back off from imposing tariffs on each other, Chinese state media reported Sunday.

President Donald Trump is expected to announce new tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States later today. The decision comes after a seven-month-long investigation by the Trump administration into the U.S. intellectual property theft orchestrated by Beijing. The move is expected to hit $50 billion worth of Chinese imports.