Heard on the news this morning that the US is sending ventilators and other medical supplies to India.
Apparently the US isn't sending raw materials to manufacture vaccines to India while the PRC is. The PRC and India are geopolitical rivals and have been fighting a low level border war for decades. This move might be another effort by the PRC to use soft power. During the pandemic the PRC has been sending out their own vaccines to many countries also. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/dip...-help-india-tackle-covid-19-outbreak-after-us China offers to help India tackle Covid-19 outbreak after US vaccine snub Beijing’s pledge comes as its neighbour is battling the world’s highest number of cases The offer comes despite the ongoing tensions along their disputed border and follows a US refusal to export the raw materials needed to make vaccines China has offered to help India battle its Covid-19 outbreak after the United States declined a request to lift a ban on exporting vaccine raw materials. The olive branch from the Chinese foreign ministry comes as tensions between the two nations continue to run high along their disputed border . “The Chinese government and people firmly support the Indian government and people in fighting the coronavirus. China is ready to provide support and help according to India’s needs, and is in communication with the Indian side on this,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Friday. India is currently battling the world’s highest number of cases , with a record 346,786 new cases reported on Saturday, and its hospital system is on the edge of collapse due to shortages of intensive care beds, medical supplies and oxygen. India is also running low on vaccines and has asked the US to lift an export ban on the raw materials needed to make them, but Washington declined saying it had a responsibility to look after the American people first. “It is, of course, not only in our interest to see Americans vaccinated, it’s in the interests of the rest of the world to see Americans vaccinated,” said the US State Department spokesman Ned Price on Thursday. But the Chinese offer to help comes despite the ongoing tensions along their disputed border following a deadly clash last summer and with little apparent progress in the most recent round of talks between the two countries’ militaries. “India’s supplies of raw materials for vaccine production from the US and Europe are currently restricted. It desperately needs other countries’ help with the pandemic,” said Niu Haibin, deputy director of the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies. “This is also an opportunity for both sides to mend bilateral relations”. China has consistently denied that it is using offers to supply other countries with vaccines to extend its geopolitical influence. However, the United States, India, Australia and Japan – the so-called Quad – recently promised to deliver a billion doses of Covid-19 throughout the Indo-Pacific by the end of next year in a move that was widely seen as an effort to counter Chinese in the region. Niu said China is not deliberately using the pandemic for diplomatic purposes, but cooperation with other nations would increase its influence. Raj Verma, an associate professor of international relations at Huaqiao University in Fujian, said that because Chinese vaccines have not been approved by the World Health Organization, people there would be reluctant to receive them. But he said there were other ways China could help. “India is making efforts to garner oxygen cylinders from across the globe,” he said. “However, the overall bilateral relationship will still be tense and the prevailing mistrust on both sides will continue”. Li Hongmei, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, said: “China’s statement shows that it does not link the border issue closely with overall relations with India, and that China expects bilateral relations can be improved. “I think China is willing to help India by substantial actions, rather than making empty gestures.”
Somebody quoting the emperor of ultimate fighting in a pandemic policy thread really sums up "debate and discussion" in America better than any other post I've seen here in 20 years.
...betcha he somehow avoids getting put on that list of celebrities nobody's supposed to listen to...
nor·mal /ˈnôrməl/ conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. "it's quite normal for puppies to bolt their food" TECHNICAL (of a line, ray, or other linear feature) intersecting a given line or surface at right angles. "a single plane of symmetry with a diad axis normal to it"
China secures 1B more beta testers for its 50% effective vaccine. ...Surprised the Biden admin used America First when they said no.
Using the Flaming Lips to make a point about the media & government overreach with health/safety precautions really isn't going to get you anywhere. I remember back in I think 2011 at SXSW where I was just strolling down 4th street and out of nowhere Wayne Coyne just rolled down the street in his bubble. Then the crowd followed him to a stage that was setup where they played Bohemian Rhapsody. One of the more underrated bands of my generation for sure. But that point aside..... That and making fun of Asian people.... seems to be a good way to win people over to your cause there bubba.
One of my friends went to their last 2 shows just recently. Said the bubble experience was pretty awesome.
I'm sure he walked away feeling pretty oppressed by the MSM and the Democrats. (side note: their newest album American Head is one of my fav albums of the last year. Definitely worth checking out)