All posts by Đọt Chuối Non
US Navy admiral makes unannounced visit to Taiwan, sources say
23 Nov 2020 08:56AM(Updated: 23 Nov 2020 09:52AM) CNA
TAIPEI: A two-star Navy admiral overseeing US military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region has made an unannounced visit to Taiwan, two sources told Reuters on Sunday (Nov 22), in a high-level trip that could vex China.
The sources, who include a Taiwanese official familiar with the situation, said the official was Rear Admiral Michael Studeman. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity.Advertisement
According to the Navy’s website, Studeman is director of the J2, which oversees intelligence, at the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command.
Vietnam Currency Investigation: Strategy and Policy Implications
November 2, 2020 CSIS
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on October 2 launched two investigations of Vietnam under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, including one into alleged currency undervaluation. The president has repeatedly complained about Vietnam’s large trade surplus with the United States, and the USTR action is one of several launched by the administration targeting Vietnam’s currency practices. But the administration has also touted the growing security partnership with Vietnam, which shares U.S. anxieties about China, and the trade actions could run counter to the broader strategic alignment between Hanoi and Washington.
Trump’s US investment ban aims to cement tough-on-China legacy
Move is latest chapter in deteriorating relationship with Beijing and improvement under Joe Biden is unlikely
Helen Davidson in Taipei @heldavidson Mon 23 Nov 2020 10.52 GMT
Donald Trump has banned US investment in a further 89 Chinese companies, and reportedly sent a navy admiral to Taiwan, as he seeks to secure a tough-on-China foreign policy legacy.
Multiple media outlets have reported plans by the Trump administration for a series of confrontations with China before Biden’s inauguration on 20 January, and the moves were largely expected. Foreign policy and political analysts believe Trump wants to leave a legacy of being tough on China, while simultaneously conducting a “scorched earth” policy on his way out of the White House.
The War on Thanksgiving
TĐH: See my article on The History of the Thanksgiving Day (in Vietnamese) here >>
Jarrett Stepman / @JarrettStepman / November 23, 2020 / The Daily Signal
COMMENTARY BY
Jarrett Stepman@JarrettStepman
Jarrett Stepman is a contributor to The Daily Signal and co-host of The Right Side of History podcast. Send an email to Jarrett. He is also the author of the new book, “The War on History: The Conspiracy to Rewrite America’s Past.”
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Will Americans still be celebrating Thanksgiving 100 years from now?
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival in America. The moment, which deserved wider recognition, was celebrated in an excellent speech by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
“A great American anniversary is upon us,” Cotton said on Nov. 18. “Regrettably, we haven’t heard much about this anniversary of the Mayflower; I suppose the Pilgrims have fallen out of favor in fashionable circles these days. I’d therefore like to take a few minutes to reflect on the Pilgrim story and its living legacy for our nation.”
Cotton delivered a fitting tribute to the Pilgrims and their story of faith and perseverance, which is so intertwined with the Thanksgiving holiday and the values we cherish most.
Why do Vietnamese Americans support Donald Trump? And why not?
DW
Among Asian Americans, Vietnamese Americans stand out in one regard: Their support for Donald Trump. But younger critics are trying to change their minds.
The Eden Center in Falls Church, Virginia, is a typical American strip mall, with more than 120 tiny restaurants, beauty salons and electronic retailers. Most of the stores in this mall are run by Vietnamese Americans. In the middle of the parking lot hang two gigantic flags — one American, and the other of South Vietnam, a country that ceased to exist with the fall of Saigon in 1975.
The political views of many Vietnamese Americans are shaped by the loss of their country. After communist forces from North Vietnam captured the southern region, many with close ties to the South Vietnam government feared reprisal and fled to the US.
US, Taiwan step up economic cooperation in new dialogue
21 Nov 2020 02:09PM CNA
TAIPEI: The US and Taiwan are stepping up cooperation in a newly created economic dialogue, in another move from the outgoing Trump administration to increase official exchanges with the self-ruled island.
The two sides signed a five-year agreement establishing the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, which is meant to be held annually. The deal falls short of a long-desired bilateral trade agreement, but is a significant step that increases ties between Washington and Taipei.
What does the ‘rescue’ of Vietnam Airlines reveal?
22/11/2020 15:07 GMT+7 vietnamnet
The national airline of Vietnam finally saw “the light at the end of the tunnel” when the National Assembly agreed with the Government’s proposal for solutions to help Vietnam Airlines overcome difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the resolution of the 10th session, the 14th National Assembly approved two options. Firstly, the State Bank of Vietnam refinances and extends no more than two times for credit institutions (excluding those under special control) to allow Vietnam Airlines to borrow additional capital to serve production and business activities.
Energy companies make a beeline for central Vietnam
By Dat Nguyen November 23, 2020 | 10:50 am GMT+7 vnexpress
An LNG tanker passes by the Strait of Singapore. Photo by Shutterstock/Igor Grochev.
Several foreign and domestic companies have expressed interest in building multibillion-dollar liquefied natural gas power and storage plants in the central province of Khanh Hoa.
Four foreign firms, Millennium Group of the U.S., Sumitomo Corporation and J-Power of Japan and a venture between Vietnam’s Embark United and the U.S.’s Quantum, want to build plants in the Van Phong Economic Zone, province authorities said in a recent statement.
In Singapore, one single person may be counted as a crowd
Singapore activist in court over one-man ‘smiley face’ protest
Jolovan Wham is facing charges under Public Order Act after posing for a photo with his placard in March.
![Jolovan Wham is being charged for an offence under the Public Order Act for holding a placard with a smiley face outside a police station on March 28 [Jolovan Wham/Handout via Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020-11-20T045137Z_601690018_RC2S6K9752GR_RTRMADP_3_SINGAPORE-CRIME.jpg?resize=530%2C380)
23 Nov 2020 Al Jazeera
Social worker and activist Jolovan Wham appeared in a Singapore court on Monday morning accused of illegal assembly after standing alone outside a police station holding a placard with a hand-drawn smiley face in March.
Wham, who has had a number of run-ins with the authorities in the tightly controlled country, wore a white T-shirt emblazoned with a smiley face and matching mask on his way to court.
Biden’s US to remain active in South China Sea, but confront China less: analysts
By Viet Anh November 21, 2020 | 08:00 am GMT+7U.S. VNExpress
President-elect Joe Biden is likely to mobilize the power of multilateral mechanisms to deal with the South China Sea and other issues involving China, analysts say.
“I expect President-elect Biden will be considerably more hawkish on China than some fear, the entire Democratic Party has shifted in that direction given China’s moves in the South China Sea, Xinjiang, Hong Kong,” Gregory Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a U.S. think tank, told VnExpress International.
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| U.S. President-elect Joe Biden (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping have a history of working together, but the U.S.-China relationship is much more fractured now than it was when Biden was vice president under Barack Obama. Photo by Reuters/Lintao Zhang. |
Faithful dog guards his master’s grave for 3 years
22/11/2020 09:50 GMT+7
A black dog in the southern province of Long An has become famous after a heartbreaking story was recently shared on social networks.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ut, 58, from Hamlet 1, Tan Thanh commune, Tan Thanh district, Long An province, said her family began raising a black dog named Muc (Black) when her grandchild named Kiet was 2 years old.
Kiet loved the dog very much. The two played together like friends. But six months after Muc joined the family, baby Kiet died in an accident.
Vietnam emerges as sole economic winner in Southeast Asia, said Nikkei Asia
mnghonganh@gmail.com
November 20, 2020 | 15:55
Vietnam is shaping up as Southeast Asia’s single economic success story in the coronavirus era, maintaining steady positive growth as other economies struggle to recover, said Nikkei Asia in a recent journal.
Canada opposes military build-up in South China Sea
By Phuong Vu November 18, 2020 | 08:30 pm GMT+7 vnexpress
Canadian defense minister Harjit Sajjan has made it clear that his nation is against militarization in the South China Sea.
“Canada opposes unilateral actions that have escalated tensions in the region and undermined stability in the South China Sea. We are against the threat or use of force, large-scale land reclamation, building outposts on disputed entities and using them for military purposes in the sea,” he said.
The Canadian Minister of National Defense was speaking at the 12th South China Sea International Conference held November 16-17 in Hanoi. Vietnam calls the waterway the East Sea.
Hanoi sidewalks with projected 70-year lifespan crumble after 3 years in use
Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 15:30 GMT+7 vnexpress
Claimed to last for at least 50-70 years, stones used to pave major streets in Hanoi are falling apart only a few years after they were installed.
Three years ago, Hanoi’s authorities introduced a new set of regulations on road renovation, which slated a complete transition of paving material from bricks to natural stone on 900 streets of the capital city for the end of 2020.
In the process, natural stone was praised as a sturdy paving material which can last for at least 70 years.
Đọt Chuối Non 