Laura Ru

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin: China did not create the Ukraine crisis. Nor are we a party to it. Scapegoating China will not end the crisis. There’s no use blaming China if some find themselves in a difficult position on Ukraine. Let the person who tied the bell on the tiger take it off—the US needs to stop blaming China and start making real effort for finding a political end to the Ukraine crisis. NATO has an undeniable responsibility for the Ukraine crisis. It should rethink its role, stop blaming others and start looking for a way to end the crisis through political means.

Xi Jinping to Blinken: China is willing to cooperate with the US, but cooperation should be a two-way street. China is not afraid of competition, but competition should be about common progress, not a zero-sum game. The two countries should achieve mutual success, not harm each other; they should seek common ground instead of vicious competition; they should be true to their words and be resolute in deeds, rather than saying one thing and doing another. China is committed to non-alignment, and the US should not form small circles, adding that both sides can have their own friends and partners and should refrain from targeting, opposing, or damaging each other. Blinken after talks with Xi Jinping: If China doesn't stop cooperating with Russia, the US is ready to impose new sanctions on China. @LauraRuHK

The Big Chill

So long, Abrams: Ukraine sidelines US-made M1A1 tanks due to Russian drones Ukraine has withdrawn US-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks from the front line because of attacks by Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the AP news agency quoted American military sources as saying. The proliferation of Russian surveillance and hunter-killer drones on the battlefield means "there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection," one of the sources said. The insiders added that "Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult" for the Abrams tanks "to operate without detection or coming under attack." For now, the tanks "have been moved from the front lines, and the US will work with the Ukrainians to reset tactics," Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher Grady told reporters. Over the past two months, Russian forces have destroyed at least five Abrams tanks in the special military operation zone, thanks in part to the work of combat drones. Previously, the US had delivered a total of 31 such tanks to the Kiev regime. Boost us! | Subscribe to @geopolitics_live

Poor Tony 😂

Meanwhile in the Land of Freedom, Democracy and Human Rights....https://t.me/QudsNen/103180

Wang Yi has told Blinken that the US needs to stop trying to hinder China's growth: "China's legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and our core interests are facing challenges." He could have added, Mr. Blinken, no one outside your imaginary Garden of Delights is buying your bullshit anymore. @LauraRuHK

Caption this 😏

Why did i bring up Kajsa Ollongren? https://t.me/LauraRuHK/8311?single Because despite all her recent Top Gun photo-ops she won't be operating an F-16 in Ukraine. But apparently neither will Ukrainian pilots. According to some of the western officers working with the Ukrainians, progress even after a year of teaching has been less than a success. Language barriers and unfamiliarity with western systems and combat tactics, has proven to slow their learning process. When the F-16s finally begin arriving in Ukraine this summer, the planes are likely to be handled by formally “retired” pilots from European air forces. That's what the US did when it sent “advisors” to Vietnam. In fact, they were US Special Forces who engaged in combat. @LauraRuHK

"Kajsa" Ollongren, Dutch Minister of Defense since 10 January 2022. Like many other EU ministers of defense, she doesn't let her complete lack of military experience cramp her style. She is very convincing as a cosplayer, thanks to privileged access to original costumes, props and extras. She can also draw on her ideological resolve to promote "European values" by any means, something she is slightly more experienced at. Not only because she practices what she preaches, she married a woman, after all. In 1992 she started training young politicians in Central and Eastern Europe, extolling the virtues of "democracy" to colonize the post-Soviet space. She was director of European Integration and Strategy from 2001 to 2004, then focused on her political career in Holland. Revanchism and colonialism are in her blood: her aristocratic grandfather fled Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution, and ended up in the Dutch East Indies, colonizing "barbarians". @LauraRuHK

"Negotiations on Georgia's accession to the EU should not take place while the law on "foreign agents" is in force in the country", according to a resolution of the European Parliament. 425 MEPs voted in favor, 25 opposed, and 30 abstained. The document also contains appeals: ▪️ to the European Council — to impose sanctions against the honorary chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili. ▪️To the European Commission — to assess the impact of the law on "foreign agents" on Georgia's fulfillment of the criteria for visa liberalization. ▪️ To the Georgian authorities to release Saakashvili and return to the European path. The Georgian Foreign Minister called the latest resolution of the European Parliament politically biased. "Their main goal is to damage the reputation of our country. I want to reassure our citizens, there will be no obstacles in terms of visa liberalization in Georgia. These statements pursue the political goal to harm our country," Ilya Darchiashvili said. (Source: Sputnik-Georgia) @LauraRuHK

Today Chinese media had better news to report than Blinken's visit to Shanghai. I have checked all major Chinese news outlets and Blinken is not mentioned on the first page. Hard to compete with these guys 😏 https://t.me/PDChinaNews/6559

The "Axis of Resistence" can count on friends in North Korea. A high-level delegation from Pyongyang is visiting Tehran. North Korea and Iran are deepening their collaboration, sharing expertise and technology, notably in ballistic missiles. This partnership is not a recent phenomenon, it dates back to the 1980s, but it has reached an economy of scale that can drive down production costs, fostering mutually beneficial relations. @LauraRuHK

Iran and Russia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop bilateral relations in the security sector. Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Akbar Ahmadian and his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, put their signatures on the document, during a meeting on the sidelines of the 12th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. Under the MoU, Tehran and Moscow will work towards boosting their cooperation in various strategic areas. Iran and Russia, as two close and strategic allies, have over the past years deepened their ties in different fields, including security and defense, despite being under heavy Western sanctions. (Source: Press TV) @LauraRuHK

THE EU RAMPS UP ITS TRADE WAR AGAINST CHINA At 9.30am on Tuesday, EU authorities descended upon the Warsaw and Rotterdam offices of Nuctech, a Chinese manufacturer of airport scanning machines. In the sort of raids usually reserved for busting cartels, officers seized IT equipment and mobile phones. They also “scrutinised office documents and demanded access to pertinent data”, according the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU. In a statement on Thursday, China’s mission to the EU said it deplored the “unannounced inspections” and criticised Brussels for not raising its concerns with the company or Chinese authorities directly. The raids were the first such action taken by the EU since it adopted the Foreign Subsidies Regulation in July last year. “The Chinese side believes that the EU’s unannounced inspections interferes with the order of fair competition in the market, clearly jeopardises the positive atmosphere of trade and economic cooperation between China and the EU, and strikes a strong shock to the confidence and sense of security of all foreign companies in the EU, including Chinese ones,” the mission said. “It also highlights the further deterioration of the EU’s business environment and sends an extremely negative signal to all foreign companies operating in the EU. Protectionism cannot bring prosperity, and suppressing others will only weaken competitiveness of one’s own.” The EU should “abide by its commitment to open market and the principles of a level playing field, and stop using all kinds of excuses to unreasonably suppress and impede the Chinese companies,” the mission added, expressing hopes for cooperation and exchanges in an “open, fair and equitable way”. "The European side manifested its intention to weaponise the Foreign Subsidies Regulation as a tool to suppress lawfully operating Chinese companies in Europe,” the CCCEU said in a statement. @LauraRuHK https://x.com/CCCEUofficial/status/1782816913824895009

At 9.30am on Tuesday, authorities descended upon the Warsaw and Rotterdam offices of Nuctech, a Chinese manufacturer of airport scanning machines. In the sort of raids usually reserved for busting cartels, officers seized IT equipment and mobile phones. They also “scrutinised office documents and demanded access to pertinent data”, according the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU. In a statement on Thursday, China’s mission to the EU said it deplored the “unannounced inspections” and criticised Brussels for not raising its concerns with the company or Chinese authorities directly. “The Chinese side believes that the EU’s unannounced inspections interferes with the order of fair competition in the market, clearly jeopardises the positive atmosphere of trade and economic cooperation between China and the EU, and strikes a strong shock to the confidence and sense of security of all foreign companies in the EU, including Chinese ones,” the mission said. “It also highlights the further deterioration of the EU’s business environment and sends an extremely negative signal to all foreign companies operating in the EU. Protectionism cannot bring prosperity, and suppressing others will only weaken competitiveness of one’s own.” The EU should “abide by its commitment to open market and the principles of a level playing field, and stop using all kinds of excuses to unreasonably suppress and impede the Chinese companies,” the mission added, expressing hopes for cooperation and exchanges in an “open, fair and equitable way”. "The European side manifested its intention to weaponise the Foreign Subsidies Regulation as a tool to suppress lawfully operating Chinese companies in Europe,” the CCCEU said in a statement. https://x.com/CCCEUofficial/status/1783139241251254665

Chi vive in Italia conosce fin troppo bene il prezzo esorbitante dell'energia elettrica nel suo paese. Probabilmente non sa che la mia bolletta della luce da piu' di un decennio ammonta a zero. Come e' possibile? Allora, premetto che questa bolletta riguarda il mio appartamento di Hong Kong, e che a causa del clima tropicale l'aria condizionata e il deumidificatore sono spesso accesi, in aggiunta al normale consumo di chi abita in un piccolo bilocale e trascorre molto tempo a casa. Il fatto che io, e milioni di altri residenti, non paghiamo neanche un centesimo si spiega facilmente. Non solo il costo dell'energia elettrica qui e' nettamente inferiore che in Europa ma il governo fornisce da anni un contributo pubblico per aiutare chiunque, indipendentemente dal reddito, a far fronte alle spese energetiche. Poiche' il mio consumo e' relativamente basso, ho accumulato crediti per ancora molti anni. @LauraRuHK

GEORGIA - For the last ten days, protesters have been bringing the traffic of the capital, Tbilisi, to a standstill. They demand that the government scrap plans to introduce a bill - dubbed the "foreign agent" law - that will increase transparency on interest groups and NGOs making it mandatory for them to reveal who is funding their activities. While activists claim that the law will be used to suppress dissent, similar laws are in force not only in in Russia, but also in several Western countries, as well as in Australia, Israel, and China. The first such law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), was passed in the United States in 1938! After trying to introduce the bill a year ago, on 17 April, the Georgian parliament passed it in its first reading - the first of three barriers it must overcome before becoming law. EU officials have been very vocal in denouncing the law, claiming it will negatively affect Georgia's progress on the path to EU accession. It comes as no surprise, given that the EU has been funding anti-government activists, under the guise of supporting "civil society", for over a decade. @LauraRuHK

US Congress votes for weapons, free healthcare for Ukraine After months of languishing in congressional purgatory, Washington lawmakers finally passed renewed spending for Ukraine’s proxy war against Russia over the weekend. The bill’s passage prompted a dramatic display of patriotic pride – but not for the United States. A sea of Ukrainian flags was observed as representatives waved miniature versions of the blue and yellow banner. The scene prompted criticism from some Republicans, who questioned the legality of the display of a foreign flag in the legislative chamber.

“You'll see that of that, only $14 billion is direct military aid to the Kiev regime in Ukraine,” said security analyst Mark Sleboda on Sputnik’s Fault Lines program. “The largest chunk of that is $20 billion worth that is supposedly going to restock US military inventories because the Biden administration cut too deep into the US military's own supplies already.”

Perhaps most controversially, a significant portion of the aid will go towards simply maintaining Ukrainian civil society – a contentious prospect as the country is frequently ranked Europe’s most corrupt.

“$8 billion is going to support the Ukrainian budget, because it is entirely dependent on Western aid,” said Sleboda. “So they'll be paying for peoples' salaries and health care for Ukrainians because actually Ukraine has a government health care system… Hey, American taxpayers, you can't get a health care system but the Kiev regime that you support in Ukraine thanks you for your hard-earned tax dollars for that, because that's part of the Ukrainian budget.”

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Reuters reports that some of the missiles were contained in a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine that Biden approved on March 12 while other ATACMS were part of a $1 billion weapons package approved on Wednesday. So basically the House of Representatives and Senate just rubberstamped decisions that had already been made. So much for US "democracy". Since ATACMS have already been used in Ukraine, but failed to tip the balance - Russian forces are advancing - they are clearly not the wunderwaffe described by Western propaganda outlets. By supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles the US is strengthening Russia's determination to push Ukrainian positions further back and expand the buffer zone that is necessary to protect Russian territory. @LauraRuHK

Ahead of Antony Blinken's visit, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepared a 3,000 words press release in order to explain China's position and a 5-point agenda. By spelling out the meeting's objectives China is sending a clear message: if you twist our words you can't pretend it's some sort of misunderstanding. Establishing the right perception is the first and most important point, because the US side has yet to establish a correct perception of China. If this issue is not resolved, dialogue becomes impossible and the visit a complete waste of time -spreading lies about Xinjiang, falsely accusing China of engaging in "ethnic genocide" would be a non-starter as far as China is concerned. If the correct perception is established, then China hopes to strengthen dialogue, effectively manage differences, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly shoulder responsibilities as major countries. I assume threatening to sanction Chinese banks that do business with Russia would also go down like a lead balloon 😏 @LauraRuHK

Antony Blinken arrives in Shanghai, meets with business leaders before heading to Beijing for talks on Friday with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and a likely meeting with President Xi Jinping. His arrogance and total lack of diplomatic skills was in full display in March 2021 during the China-US summit in Alaska. Back then Yang Jiechi reminding the American delegation that they forgot all established diplomatic protocol when they opened the summit with unwarranted accusations. "The US does not have the qualification to say that they want to speak to China from a position of strength". Let's see if Blinkey has learned how to speak to China. We can use Blinken's performance in Alaska as a yardstick to judge his current one and see how it compares. 😏 @LauraRuHK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx-3o-jBP7M

This year the 14th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) runs from April 18 to 26. The 46th Moscow international film festival from April 19 to 26. The 8th BRICS Film Festival from April 19 to 23, this year in Moscow. Whoever chose the dates must have thought that film directors, producers, actors, critics etc. have the gift of ubiquity 😏 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoEw1rLusiQ

The US has stopped hiding the true purpose of sanctions on Moscow, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said. "Washington has stopped hiding the true intent of its restrictive pressure on our country. It’s not about any mythical aspirations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, but about banal opportunistic and predatory ambitions. A trivial scenario is in order: if the Americans cannot win in a fair economic competition, sanctions are used," he pointed out, commenting on US officials’ statements about plans to increase pressure on Russia’s energy sector. Antonov stressed that US officials "use every opportunity" to threaten Russia with restrictions. Earlier, US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt said that Washington expected to further restrict Russia’s access to European energy markets.(Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK

Yves Engler argues that it is scandalous that the US and Canada have reduced their funding to UNRWA based on the claims of the Israeli regime, which is not in compliance with the ICJ’s ruling in the genocide case. #GazaGenocide @PressTV

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov has been arrested on suspicion of bribery, the country’s Investigative Committee announced on Tuesday. Ivanov is suspected of taking bribes on a large scale. If found guilty, Ivanov could face up to 15 years behind bars. According to Russian media, Ivanov led the military construction contractor Oboronstroy, a company building residential homes for servicemen, between 2013 and 2016. He was then appointed to his current post where he oversees military construction within the Ministry of Defense.▪️His arrest indicates that there no untouchables, even at the highest level of government. When you are at war there cannot be any tolerance for corruption because it jeopardizes national security. @LauraRuHK

Moldova, which last month was offered formal talks on its accession to the "Garden of Europe", alongside Ukraine and Georgia, under Maia Sandu's puppet regime has ardently embraced European values. Elite self-enrichment at a time of declining living standards, repression of dissent, a clampdown on civil and political freedoms, censorship of non-aligned news outlet, a ban on Russian media, fearmongering, sanctions. Opposition politicians were detained at the airport upon their return from Russia. https://t.me/IntelRepublic/36604

In case you are not following military channels... the Russian armed forces have the initiative along the entire contact line and are pushing Ukrainian troops away from the occupied borders. Ukraine has lost almost half a million soldiers since the beginning of the special military operation in 2022, Russian Defense Ministry Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday. But Washington and its henchmen in Kiev are demanding more blood. Ukrainian consular offices in foreign nations will no longer serve fighting-age men who are unwilling to become cannon fodder. No more passports/driving licences/certificates etc. will be handed over to Ukrainian men residing abroad. @LauraRuHK

If Your Rights Have Been Violated by a Digital Platform — Report it! We can all contribute to raising awareness about digital rights violations across the world and keep tabs on the worst offenders. FactsMatter.me is an international platform that helps you do that. SEND YOUR STORY to https://factsmatter.me/ Since links to their website are blocked on Facebook and X, here is their Telegram channel. @factsmatterme

German police arrested an Alternative for Germany (AfD) aide who works for MEP Maximilian Krah, AfD’s top candidate in the European Parliament election in June. German friends of the US are clearly exploiting the espionage accusation to undermine popular support for this party and defame China. The Chinese Embassy in Berlin denied all allegations. @LauraRuHK

The Wall Street Journal quoted sources as saying that the US is developing financial sanctions against some Chinese banks in a bid to force Beijing to cut trade ties with Russia. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin replied" China's right to conduct normal trade and economic activities with other countries, including Russia, cannot be violated. ▪️Washington hopes the threat of sanctions will provide Secretary of State Antony Blinken with some leverage during his visit to China this week. ▪️The visit hasn't started yet and Blinken has already managed to alienate his hosts by ranting about an imaginary genocide in Xinjiang in a report published on Monday. @LauraRuHK

The Ukrainization of Taiwan is proceeding apace and the DPP government is in a hurry to cancel the history of the island in its “de-Sinicisation” efforts. The interior ministry is coordinating the removal of the statues with relevant departments and has provided subsidies as an incentive for them to do so. The government on Friday also approved a plan to make May 19 a memorial day for the victims of political repression under Chiang’s rule. The memorial day will take place a day before the inauguration of the DPP’s William Lai Ching-te as Taiwan’s next puppet. @LauraRuHK

Pro-Israel lobbying groups like AIPAC blame TikTok for the rise in support for Palestinians and have been exerting both influence and pressure to get it banned. If the platform, which is extremely popular among young Americans, does indeed get blocked in the US, the backlash will be enormous. Many of these users would lose a source of income because migrating to US-owned and controlled platforms is not a seamless process - moving to another platform entails rebuilding their audience and there is no guarantee they will succeed. Those determined to circumvent the ban will rely on a VPN to access TikTok. Expect millions of disgruntled Americans to blame their government for infringing on their constitutional rights as the ban is a clear violation of the First Amendment. What could go wrong when a very unpopular government further alienates its citizens? 😏 @LauraRuHK

Spot on! Grifters are on X/Twitter to build an audience. They don't care about what, who, or how. They mostly care about numbers because that's how they monetize their content. https://t.me/Reality_Theories/18257

X/Twitter banned yet another pro-Russian account. https://t.me/vicktop55/24010