Bloomberg News August 17, 2020, 4:00 AM GMT+7 Updated on August 17, 2020, 7:46 AM GMT+7

•  Tensions rise as president highlights tough-on-China stances
•  Topics range from TikTok to Taiwan jet sales to Hong Kong

The almost daily drumbeat of tensions between the U.S. and China shows little sign of letting up, while touching on everything from the coronavirus to trade to defense issues to monetary policy.

President Donald Trump has made his tough positions on China a key element in the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election, now less than three months away, and he seems intent on keeping the pressure on.

Tensions have been mounting since the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the globe early this year. Barely a day goes by without Trump slamming what he calls a “plague” unleashed on the world by China in press briefings, Twitter and elsewhere.

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The hawks in Donald Trump’s administration are on the ascent. Do not expect the US to u-turn on this march towards a harsher stance on China, say Steven R Okun and James Green.

By Steven R Okun By James Green14 Aug 2020 06:00AM(Updated: 14 Aug 2020 08:07AM) CNA

SINGAPORE: Last week’s suite of actions by the United States against WeChat and TikTok were among the most significant developments since March 2018 when US President Donald took formal action in retaliation for China’s unfair trade practices.

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• Yeo Jun Wei, also known as Dickson Yeo, admitted to using his business as a front for collecting information
• He was recruited by Chinese intelligence while working as an academic at the National University of Singapore

Agence France-Presse Published: 1:44am, 25 Jul, 2020 SCMP

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By Tony Czuczka August 2, 2020, 10:14 PM GMT+7 Updated on August 3, 2020, 9:16 AM GMT+7 Bloomberg

•  Republican senators line up in favor of Microsoft purchase
•  Mnuchin says Democratic leaders agree new approach needed

The Trump administration will announce measures shortly against “a broad array” of Chinese-owned software deemed to pose national-security risks, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said.

The comments suggest a possible widening of U.S. measures beyond TikTok, the popular music-video app owned by ByteDance Ltd., one of China’s biggest tech companies. President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that he plans to ban TikTok from the U.S., but his decision hasn’t been announced. Pompeo signaled he expects a Trump announcement “shortly.” Chinese newspapers slammed a potential ban on TikTok.

The president continues to weigh his options and may have an answer Monday or Tuesday, Fox Business reported on Sunday evening.

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• Progressive Democrats eke out minor gains in draft party platformtoday
• United Airlines sees weak demand until coronavirus vaccine found2 days ago
• First COVID-19, now bugs: US states brace for illness outbreaks3 days ago
• Wave of high-profile Twitter accounts hacked in bitcoin scamlast week

 15:08 | 22/07/2020VOV 

Vietnam supports a comprehensive, fair and lasting solution to the conflict between Palestine and Israel through dialogues and negotiations, as well as the exercise of indisputable legal rights of Palestinians.

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnamese Permanent Mission to the United Nations, made the reaffirmation at an online meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on July 21 discussing the Middle East situation, including the recent Palestinian issue.

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By Anna Fifield July 22, 2020 at 5:14 p.m. GMT+7 Washington Post

CHANGSHA, China — The United States has ordered China to close its consulate general in Houston “in order to protect American intellectual property and American’s private information,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Wednesday.

Beijing vowed to retaliate, calling the order “an unprecedented escalation” in a broader conflict between the world’s two biggest economies, which now encompasses trade and technology, freedom of the press and religion, and the coronavirus and the race for a vaccine.

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By Jill Disis and Jennifer Hansler, CNN Business

Updated 1208 GMT (2008 HKT) July 7, 2020

Hong Kong/Washington (CNN Business) – The United States is “looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday.

Pompeo suggested the possible move during an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, adding that “we’re taking this very seriously.”

Pompeo was asked by Ingraham whether the United States should be considering a ban on Chinese social media apps, “especially TikTok.”

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VOA 14/7/2020

Sau một phần tư thế kỷ bình thường hoá quan hệ, hai quốc gia cựu thù Mỹ và Việt Nam đang có một mối quan hệ được đánh giá là “mạnh mẽ”. Tuy nhiên, họ đã không thể nâng tầm quan hệ lên đối tác chiến lược trong 25 năm qua vì những quan niệm khác biệt, mà theo Giáo sư Carl Thayer của Đại học New South Wales, là do “đồng sàng dị mộng” về lợi ích chiến lược.

Mỹ chính thức công bố bình thường hoá quan hệ ngoại giao với quốc gia cựu thù Cộng sản Việt Nam vào ngày 11/7/1995. Một ngày sau đó tại Hà Nội, Thủ tướng Võ Văn Kiệt ra tuyên bố thành lập quan hệ ngoại giao với Hoa Kỳ, mà theo truyền thông trong nước, đã mở ra một chương mới trong lịch sử hàn gắn và phát triển giữa hai nước.

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By Hoang Tao   July 11, 2020 | 08:08 pm GMT+7 VNexpress

Chuck Searcy (R) poses with Bui Trong Hong, National Technical Officer at Project RENEW. Photo by VnExpress/Ngo Xuan Hien.

For the past 25 years, Chuck Searcy has cleaned up explosives and helped disabled children in Quang Tri Province, a prime Vietnam War battleground.

Chuck Searcy is no stranger to the employees of Project RENEW, a Vietnamese organization that deals with unexploded ordnance left from the Vietnam War. His thin stature and silver hair are a stark contrast to his gregarious, lively persona. Traveling back and forth between Hanoi and Quang Tri Province, a major former battlefield in central Vietnam, Searcy has done all in his capacity to mend wartime wounds.

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