[Epoch Times, August 20, 2021]Hello, everyone, and welcome to the “News Talk” on Friday (August 20). I’m Lin Lan (host). Today’s guests are Professor Xie Tian and current affairs commentators Qin Peng and Lin Xiaoxu.
Today’s focus: Has the US policy on Taiwan changed? Biden rarely said, is it a shock bomb or an oolong? The vice president of Afghanistan fights to the death, the anti-Taliban coalition is assembled, and the CCP rushes to help the Taliban “encourage the throne.” Interviewed by the central bank for the first time.
[Biden: “The United States will respond if Taiwan is invaded]
The American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) broadcasted an interview with Biden on the 19th. The topic mainly revolved around the decision of the US military to withdraw from Afghanistan. When the host asked that the CCP used the topic on the Afghanistan issue to hype Taiwan “cannot count on the United States,” Biden replied that there is a fundamental difference between the Afghanistan issue and Taiwan, South Korea, and NATO. If someone invades or takes action against NATO allies, the United States will respond, as will Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Caitlin Talmadge, a senior researcher at the Brookings Institution, said the remarks were “extremely unusual.” Some analysts also believe that this breaks the long-standing “strategic ambiguity” that the United States has not clearly stated whether it will militaryly assist Taiwan in fighting the Chinese Communists’ military aggression.
However, later that day, according to a Reuters report, an unnamed senior official in the Biden administration said that the United States had not changed its Taiwan policy.
1. Xiaoxu, what do you think of this matter? Was it an Oolong slip of the tongue, or did it deliberately?
If the CCP’s cultural attacks and military intimidation continue to escalate, is it possible for the United States to break its strategic ambiguity? Now some politicians in Taiwan are exaggerating the possibility of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Taiwan. Do you think it is possible?
2. Qin Peng, in the past few decades, the United States has always adopted “strategic ambiguity” to create a delicate balance in the Taiwan Strait. But is the United States gradually breaking this “delicate balance” and moving towards a “terrorist balance”?
[Taliban “Chinese Communist”? Beijing urgently cleans up the Taliban]
Let’s focus on the progress of the situation in Afghanistan. After the Taliban occupied the capital Kabul on August 15, they announced on the 19th that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was established. But Afghan First Vice President Saleh said through social media on the 17th that he is still in Afghanistan and is the country’s legal caretaker president. He will never surrender to the Taliban terrorists. On the same day, he undertook a force from the Taliban. Retaken the strategic town “Charikar” north of the capital.
According to media reports, the vice president’s sister was tortured to death by the Taliban, and his teacher was assassinated by al-Qaeda protected by the Taliban, so he and the Taliban were in the same situation.
After the Taliban occupied the capital, they made a promise to the outside world, declaring that they would implement an amnesty, would not retaliate, and would not allow Afghanistan to become a base for threatening activities of other countries. But will the Taliban really change?
According to the data of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, just a month or two ago, after the Taliban captured the second and third largest cities in Afghanistan, they killed at least 27 civilians and executed more than a dozen captured Afghan government forces for no reason; Several foreign media reported that after the Taliban occupied the Taq district in Takar Province in late June, Taliban high-level officials shouted to the people in the mosque that all girls over 15 to widows under 40 should marry Taliban soldiers. .
The Taliban uttered peace and committed atrocities, causing panic fleeing among the people in the capital. At the Kabul Airport, desperate Afghan mothers threw their children over the barbed wire fence, begging the British soldiers who were evacuating to take the children to a safe place. Some babies were trapped on the iron fence, so that some British soldiers who witnessed the scene She shed tears and even had to accept psychological counseling.
However, the CCP is already eager to clean up the Taliban. Hua Chunying, the spokesperson of the CCP’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the Taliban is “more sober and rational than the last time in power” and called for “advancing with the times” to treat the Taliban.
3. What do you think of Xiaoxu, do you feel optimistic about the Taliban’s good and moderate course?
Ahmad Massoud, son of Ahmed Shah Massoud, an anti-Taliban flag in Afghanistan, has formed a resistance alliance in the Panjshir Valley. Afghan Vice President Saleh and some government troops have also retreated here. It is said that the number is between 2,000 and 2,500. On the 18th, someone photographed a motorcade passing through the valley with a flag representing the “Northern Alliance” against the Taliban.
4. Xiaoxu, how likely is Afghanistan to fall into a civil war?
5. Qin Peng (optinal), many people have noticed that the Taliban’s recent propaganda routines are similar to those of the CCP, and the CCP is also eager to clean up the Taliban. Are there any deeper connections between the two parties in terms of deep-seated interests and ideology?
[TheCentralBankoftheCommunistPartyofChinafirsttalkedabouthowlongthedebtcrisisofEvergrandearealestatecompanycanlast?】
On August 19, the Central Bank and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission rarely interviewed Evergrande Group, requesting Evergrande Group, as a leading company in the real estate industry, to maintain operational stability, resolve debt risks, and maintain the real estate market and financial stability. In the past period of time, Evergrande was stuck in a debt of RMB 1.9 trillion and had to sell some assets to ease the debt pressure.
6. Qin Peng: This is the first time that the Central Bank of the Communist Party of China has directly interviewed a real estate company. Does it mean that Evergrande’s liquidity upgrade risk is intensified and even imminent?
7. Qin Peng: Does Evergrande have the ability to get out of trouble? If there are systemic risks, will the CCP take action?
8. Qin Peng: Hengda’s current accident is related to the Chinese Communist Party’s real estate supervision and the introduction of new regulations restricting the debt ratio and short-term debt ratio of real estate companies. Companies that violate the regulations are required to limit the annual growth rate of interest-bearing debt. Belongs to this column. But the question is, why has the abnormal pattern of excessive expansion and massive borrowing of Chinese real estate companies been allowed for many years?
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