< strong >Guacar& iacute ; (Valle del Cauca), septiembre 15 de 2021strong >. En la Casa de la Cultura de Guacar& iacute ; estuvieron en escena los 25 estudiantes del programa ‘Danza al Valle’ que frente a sus padres, familia res, amigos y bailarines de la Compañ& iacute ;a Colombiana de Ballet, presentaron sus avances durante la clausura del taller.
El programa ‘Danza al Valle’ es ejecutado por el Instituto Colombiano de Ballet Cl& aacute ;sico, Incolballet, con recursos de la Gobernaci& oacute ;n del Valle del Cauca. “De la mano de nuestra gobernadora Clara Luz Rold& aacute ;n estamos logrando llegar a los municipios m& aacute ;s vulnerables, llevando formaci& oacute ;n en danza cl& aacute ;sica y contempor& aacute ;nea. Esta es una forma de llevar paz a nuestro Valle del Cauca”, dijo Beatriz Delgado Mottoa, directora general de Incolballet:
Este año es muy importante destacar que el programa se socializ& oacute ; con las Mesas Municipales de V& iacute ;ctimas buscando aportar un grano de arena a la reconstrucci& oacute ;n del tejido social, también en la poblaci& oacute ;n v& iacute ;ctima del conflicto en nuestro Valle del Cauca.
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The strong waves keep the main resorts of the Caribbean under observation.
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Yomaira Grandet WEATHER
The strong waves keep the main Caribbean resorts under observation.
Port Authority of Barranquilla calls for extreme measures in maritime activities.
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barranquilla Article publication time
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February 12, 2022, 05:00 PM
LH
Leonard Herrera February 12, 2022, 05:00 PM
The General Maritime Directorate (Dimar), through the National Marine Meteorological Service alerted swimmers and boats in the Colombian Caribbean before the forces of breezes and waves that this weekend is recorded in the coastal area of the north of the country.
(Also: This is Julio Gerlein, the businessman sprinkled in audio by Aida Merlano)
“The interaction between high pressure systems, located in the north and center of the ocean Atlantic North, and the low pressure of the Darién located on the center of the Colombian Caribbean coast, affect with intense winds Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa MartaRiohacha and Puerto Bolívar”, underlines the statement from the maritime authority.
(Also: $5,900 for street parties and Barranquilla Carnival events)
In its report, the Captaincy indicates that the continuous flow of winds with speeds between 18 and 24 knotsthat is to say 33 to 44 km/h, with the probability of greater gusts.
(Don’t stop reading: 378 kilos of coca fall in Barranquilla valued at 14 million dollars)
To this is added, adds the report, the significant increase in the height of the waves, ranging between 1.7 and 2.2 meters and reaching up to 3.2 meters.
“This adverse condition is expected to continue for the next 72 hours,” the Captaincy points out, while recommending extreme security measures in maritime activities.
BARRANQUILLA
BA
February 12, 2022, 05:00 PM
LH
Leonard Herrera February 12, 2022, 05:00 PM
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The researcher Diego Clemente, from the National Hospital for Paraplegics in Toledo, considers that the association of the Epstein-Barr virus with multiple sclerosis could open a door towards prevention in the population at risk.
Neuroimmuno-Repair Laboratory of the National Hospital for Paraplegics in Toledo where multiple sclerosis is investigated. EFE/Ana Soteras
Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis, a possible route to prevention
The biologist specifies that being infected with the Epstein-Barr virus is not a determining factor, but it is necessary or precipitating, to develop this chronic autoimmune disease.
This association between the virus and multiple sclerosis is what has been most convincingly proven by research carried out by the TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University in a macro-study that originally included ten million US soldiers from of which 955 were diagnosed with this inflammatory disease of the central nervous system.
Clemente specifies that this research demonstrates “a strong association” of the virus with the disease, but not exactly causality, since the origin of multiple sclerosis is also due to predisposing genetic factors and influencing environmental factors, such as vitamin D deficiency. , smoking or obesity.
The truth is that 95% of the population is infected with this virus (kissing disease is one of its consequences) but only a few develop multiple sclerosis, so it is not a determining factor. In Spain, about 2,000 cases are diagnosed each year, the majority in women.
“The most interesting thing about this study is that if this association is so strong” a path is opened for prevention in people with clear risk factors, says the director of the Neuroimmuno-Repair Laboratory of the National Paraplegic Hospital of Toledo.
It would be children or young people who have not developed the disease, which usually appears between the ages of 20 and 40, but who have risk factors such as siblings and parents with multiple sclerosis (although it is not a hereditary disease, there is a greater family probability). or certain mutated genes that predispose.
“If there were a vaccine against the Epstein-Barr virus and it was administered to these people at risk and they did not develop the disease, we would be demonstrating that this virus is the cause of the disease together with the other genetic and environmental factors to which they are exposed. these people”, points out the biologist.
Regarding the possibility of treating the ongoing disease with antivirals against this pathogen, Clemente indicates that it could be more effective in newly diagnosed patients than in long-term patients, since from the time the virus infection occurs until the disease emerges An average of five years passes and it is possible that this time plays against it, but it is something that is not yet known.
The relationship between the Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis has been the subject of research in previous studies, but this Harvard research is the one that most emphatically demonstrates this association by following up to 20 years of a group of recruits: of the 10 original million, 955 develop multiple sclerosis, 801 are followed up and only one is not infected with the virus but is still affected by the disease.
Diego Clemente, director of the Neuroimmuno-Repair Laboratory of the National Hospital for Paraplegics in Toledo. Photo: Juan Carlos Monroy Escalona.
SEN specifies that the cause of multiple sclerosis is uncertain
The Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN) points out that, despite the study published in «Science», in which once again a possible association between the Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis seems to have been found, «it is not clear why multiple sclerosis manifests itself in some people and not in others».
Many studies have been carried out to try to identify which, or which, are the environmental factors directly related to the development of the disease without, until now, having been able to establish a definitively consistent relationship with any of them, he points out in a statement.
Currently, the cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown, although most of the studies carried out support the existence of environmental factors that, acting on genetically predisposed individuals, trigger the autoimmune phenomenon through which inflammatory and degenerative processes develop in the central nervous system.
The influence of these environmental factors seems crucial during childhood, as shown by studies carried out in populations that migrate from areas of low frequency of the disease to others of high risk, or vice versa, being able to modify the susceptibility to suffer from the disease so that The first two decades of life seem fundamental for establishing the risk of suffering from multiple sclerosis.
The disease does not follow a conventional inheritance pattern, associated with a single gene, but more than 200 genes have been identified that seem to give the individual a greater risk of developing it when exposed to the aforementioned environmental factors.
Among these environmental factors, vitamin D levels have been studied, in direct relation to exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight, smoking, salt consumption, obesity in adolescence and exposure to different infectious agents such as the Epstein Barr virus (EBV).
For many years, the existence of infectious agents has been proposed that would increase the risk of multiple sclerosis if they were acquired in adolescence, but not if the first contact with them occurred during childhood.
Supporting this “hygiene theory” hypothesis, the epidemiological findings indicate that the prevalence of the disease is low in developing countries and tends to increase in regions with a higher socioeconomic status and sanitation, where the age of these primary infections is delayed.
Interestingly, the timing of primary infection with this virus is generally considered a marker of childhood hygiene and has been linked to an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis.
Generally acquired in early childhood in developing countries, primary Epsteni-Barr virus infection is drastically delayed in developed areas, with a much lower seroprevalence in the young so that when it does occur, the risk of infection is significantly increased. develop infectious mononucleosis while in childhood the infection can present a very trivial or even asymptomatic clinic.
While several studies provide strong evidence that infectious mononucleosis is an important risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis, it is also true that the very high prevalence of EBV seropositivity in the general population (95%) and the relatively low frequency of incidence of Multiple sclerosis poses a great challenge to prove the direct causality between the risk of developing the disease and the previous viral infection.
According to the SEN, Epstein-Barr virus infection before the age of 15 could influence the risk of developing multiple sclerosis and this age dependency could be due to altered immune responses after contact with the virus in adolescence and old age early adulthood, but the fact that a person has developed an infection by this virus does not imply that they will necessarily develop multiple sclerosis since, as we previously pointed out, the disease is multifactorial.
Thus, they reiterate that research continues to point to a combination of genetic factors with other environmental factors and not just a single factor.
China has decided to raise its defense spending by 7.1%, which is the largest increase since 2019. The rise is significant because the country’s economy is expected to grow this year at the lowest level in decades at 5.5%.
China’s defense spending is being carefully watched around the world in view of the atmosphere of political uncertainties caused by the Ukraine war. China has refused to pick sides or condemn the Russian attack. Some experts believe China will look for opportunities to invade Taiwan. Beijing regards Taiwan as a rogue province and has often indicated plans to take it over by force.
“While the world’s attention is diverted to Ukraine, an escalation across the Taiwan Straits, in the South China Sea and along the disputed Himalayan borders with India cannot be ruled out,” Mohan Malik, visiting fellow at the Washington-based Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies (NESA) told VOA.
“For the Indo-Pacific, this is indeed the decade of living dangerously,” he said.
China will spend $229.47 billion on defense this year, according to estimates presented to the National People’s Congress, the Chinese parliament, by the country’s premier, Li Keqiang. Its defense budget rose 6.8% in 2021 and 6.6% in 2020.
Analysts said that the actual expenditure will be in the region of $270 billion, and a lot more would be spent on military-related infrastructure, like border roads that are shown under non-defense headings in the budget.
“We will enhance military training and combat readiness, stay firm and flexible in carrying out our military struggle, and safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests,” Li said.
Making a strong case for the higher defense expenditure, Li said, “Government at all levels must give strong support to the development of national defense and the armed forces, so unity between the military and government and between the military and the people will remain rock solid.” He emphasizes the need to modernize the military’s logistics and build a modern weaponry and equipment management system.
China, which has two aircraft carriers, plans to invest in two more. It has engaged in a sea rivalry with the U.S. Navy, which has 11 of them. The U.S.-China rivalry is evident because the U.S. sent aircraft carrier strike groups and amphibious groups into the South China Sea 13 times last year, according to Beijing-based research group the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative.
The Reuters news agency quoted Fu Qianshao, a retired Chinese air force equipment specialist, as saying, “Equipment is needed to fill performance gaps, and aircraft carriers, large warships, stealth fighters, third and fourth generations of tanks are expensive.”
Analysts said China is now forced to spend more on defense-related research and development because the U.S. is cutting off the flow of technology and there are similar actions in some European countries.
China may also reconsider planned arms purchases from Russia, including the proposed acquisition of Ka-52 attack helicopters, because the performance of Russian weapons in Ukraine has reportedly disappointed many arms experts.
A major area of focus is China’s military behavior in its neighborhood. Most of the country’s neighbors, including countries around the South China Sea, feel threatened by the rise in the strength of the People’s Liberation Army, which represents the land army, the navy and the air force.
Malik said China now spends more on its military than the combined military expenditures of Russia, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, India and Australia. That is significant because China is engaged in military disputes with Japan and India and wants to take over Taiwan.
“The growing power gap and military buildup in Asia doesn’t bode well for regional peace and stability at a time of heightened tensions over unresolved territorial and maritime disputes,” he said.
The fishermen and the community in general of the municipality of Puerto Colombia (Atlántico) say they are worried about the fish kill which has been recorded since this week on the beaches of the town.
(Also read: High tide brings with it the death of fish in Puerto Colombia)
The inhabitants surrounding this tourist area assure that the animals suddenly began to float and lifeless since Tuesday. Since then, the amount has increased over time.
In a video from EL TIEMPO, it is possible to observe how hundreds of fish were left on the shore of the beach, near the renovated pier of Puerto Colombia. The bodies are entangled with any type of waste that reached the water.
Due to the above, some residents fear that the phenomenon is due to the contamination of the water from the Magdalena River, while others, especially the fishermen, handle the version that it is a consequence of the high tide.
Puerto Colombia right now is in the tourism boom with the new plaza and the pier, but they have neglected nature
“There are many factors: yesterday (Wednesday) we met with a specialist from the CRA and he told us that it is not only due to pollution of the sea, but to climate change itself,” the environmentalist and inhabitant of Puerto told EL TIEMPO, Marlene White.
The woman assured that this phenomenon has already become repetitive every year at this time and regretted that the authorities, as she considered, do not take preventive measures for the care of the environment.
“This is very unfortunate, because Puerto Colombia right now is experiencing a tourism boom with the new plaza and pier, but nature has been neglected. There are thousands of fish affected, it is very sad and it is not known how this is going to be repaired,” added Blanco, who declared herself very upset by the situation.
Finally, the environmentalist called on the competent authorities of both the municipality and the department to work and Protect the environment local.
“What are we going to leave our children, our grandchildren? Pure death? Pure disaster? Do something for the environment, because it really needs to be healthy”, said the Buenos Aires woman.
Alert for strong winds and waves
In fact, the General Maritime Directorate (Dimar) alerted bathers and boats last weekend about the strong breezes and the waves that are registered in the coastal zone of the north of the country.
In its report, the Captaincy pointed out that the continuous flow of winds with speeds between 18 and 24 knots, that is, 33 to 44 km/h, is presenting itself, with the probability of greater gusts.
Added to this, according to the report, is the significant increase in wave height, ranging between 1.7 and 2.2 meters, reaching up to 3.2 meters.
“This adverse condition is expected to continue for the next 72 hours,” the Captaincy pointed out, while recommending extreme security measures in maritime activities.
The fishermen assure that this fact occurs annually.
Photo:
Vanexa Romero/The Time
(You may be interested: In Atlantic towns they are already offering markets and won by votes)
The reasons the CRA gave
The images seem to show us migratory processes of marine fish that spawn in the sea
Given the concern of the community, this medium consulted the Atlantic Regional Autonomous Corporation (CRA), whose advisory biologist, Juan Carlos Pino, explained the reasons why this phenomenon is occurring.
“The images seem to show us migratory processes of marine fish that spawn in the sea, but their juveniles seek shelter and food in coastal lagoon or swamp areas,” he said.
Pino added that many of these species are unable to successfully supply the immigration processbecause they get stranded on the beaches, in the pipes, or are caught by fishermen during their work or by higher predators.
“It is very common for this to happen in species such as anchovies, snappers, lizas, lebranches, shads, groupers, which make this type of migration. However, what is seen in the image is probably related more to hidraulids and to anchovies and lebranches”, the expert concluded.
BARRANQUILLA
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The United States vowed on Friday to commit more diplomatic and security resources to the Indo-Pacific to push back against what it sees as China’s bid to create a regional sphere of influence and become the world’s most influential power.
In a 12-page strategy overview, the Biden administration said it would focus on every corner of the region, from South Asia to the Pacific Islands, to strengthen its long-term position and commitment.
“The PRC is combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological might as it pursues a sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific and seeks to become the world’s most influential power,” it said referring to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“Our collective efforts over the next decade will determine whether the PRC succeeds in transforming the rules and norms that have benefited the Indo-Pacific and the world,” the overview said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint press availability at the Quad meeting of foreign ministers in Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 11, 2022.
Release of the document was timed to coincide with a visit to the Indo-Pacific by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and intended to emphasize the priority the United States attaches to the region, even as Washington grapples with a dangerous standoff with Moscow, which has massed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border, stoking Western fears of an invasion.
It also comes after China and Russia declared last week a “no limits” strategic partnership, their most detailed and assertive statement to work together — and against the United States — to build a new international order based on their own interpretations of human rights and democracy.
In its document, the United States vowed to modernize alliances, strengthen emerging partnerships, and invest in regional organizations. It particularly stressed the importance of “a strong India” as a partner in a positive regional vision.
It said the United States would pursue a “free and open Indo-Pacific … through a latticework of strong and mutually reinforcing coalitions.”
Under an action plan for the next 12-24 months, the document said Washington would “meaningfully expand” its diplomatic presence in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands and prioritize key negotiations with Pacific island states that cover access for the U.S. military and which have appeared to stall in the past year.
“We will refocus security assistance on the Indo-Pacific, including to build maritime capacity and maritime-domain awareness,” it said.
On the highly sensitive potential flashpoint of self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own, Washington would work with partners inside and outside the region to maintain peace and stability in the strait dividing the island from China, it said.
The action plan also vows to expand the U.S. Coast Guard presence and cooperation in South, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, where Washington has identified China as a threat to fishing and free-trade routes.
“We recognize the limitations in our ability to change China, and therefore seek to shape the strategic environment around China,” a senior U.S. administration official told reporters, adding that the document did not embody the administration’s broader China strategy.
“Our China strategy is global in scope. It recognizes the Indo-Pacific is a particularly intense region of competition,” he said.
The document reiterated U.S. plans to launch an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework in early 2022, an initiative the administration hopes will at least partially fill a big gap in engagement with the region since former President Donald Trump quit a multinational trade framework in 2017.
It said the United States’ approach to trade would “meet high labor and environmental standards,” a reference making clear that the administration will stick to its vow to avoid damage to America jobs in economic dealings with the region.
The General Inspection of the Police dismissed and disabled four police officers attached to the command in Sucre, as allegedly responsible for the disappearance of 22 Galil rifles that were in the weapons room of the central station in Sincelejo.
The theft of the weapons was discovered at the end of the year 2021 after a review by the commando armerillo ordered by the colonel on duty, Ricardo Sánchez Silvestre.
(Also: Supreme Court revoked arrest against Mayor of Cartagena William Dau)
Military criminal justice took over the investigation
Charges were filed and four uniformed officers were summoned to a public disciplinary hearing…
Internal disciplinary control of the National Police took over the investigation and four policemen, two patrolmen and two mayors in charge of the custody of the weapons were linked to the process.
(You may be interested in: Strong winds wreak havoc in Santa Marta)
“Charges were filed and a public disciplinary hearing was summoned to four uniformed officers who held the position of control armerillo, once the due process was served, the inspection issued the decision in the first instance of the dismissal and general disability for the term of 12 years to two patrolmen ”, said the General of the National Police, Carlos Rodríguez Cortés.
In the same way, he indicated that the military criminal justice system also assumed responsibility for the investigation and that since the facts were known, the institution has provided all the information required by the control agencies.
“Likewise the dismissal and general disability for a term of 10 years to two mayors responsible for guarding the unit’s weapons. The decision was issued in a verbal hearing held at the Department command facilities,” said Major General Carlos Rodríguez Cortés, inspector general of the National Police.
He said that the process continues, because the ruling in the first instance was appealed by the lawyers of those involved in the case.
sincelejo
More news in Colombia
Strong winds wreak havoc in Santa Marta
In Cesar there was harassment by the Eln against the National Army
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Tremor in Santa Rosa del Sur, Bolívar.
Photo:
Geological Service of Colombia
Tremor in Santa Rosa del Sur, Bolívar.
It had an epicenter in Santa Rosa del Sur, Bolívar, and they felt it in Santander and Antioquia.
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NA
February 23, 2022, 08:15 AM
MR
Maria Alejandra Rodriguez Castellanos February 23, 2022, 08:15 AM
Around 7:50 in the morning, the inhabitants of municipalities in the south of Bolívar, the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga and Magdalena Medio reported a strong tremor that was also felt in neighboring departments such as Antioquia.
According to the Colombian Geological System, the telluric movement was 5.6 degrees with an epicenter in Sana Rosa del Sur, Bolívar, and it was 52 kilometers deep.
The risk management authorities of the 87 municipalities of Santander carry out a sweep of the region to verify that there have been no structural damages or people affected by the strong tremor.
In Medellín there are reports from social networks of how the distressing seconds that the earthquake lasted were experienced.
Likewise, in Bucaramanga several Twitter users report the movements in their apartments due to the tremor. “Very hard tremor in Bucaramanga, but very hard,” some trilled.In Bucaramanga and Barrancabermeja it was reported that in several neighborhoods people left their houses for fear that they would collapse.
News in development…
NA
February 23, 2022, 08:15 AM
MR
Maria Alejandra Rodriguez Castellanos February 23, 2022, 08:15 AM
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The epicenter was Santa Rosa del Sur, Bolívar.
Photo:
@joxegomez and @Trinity_goldx on Twitter
The epicenter was Santa Rosa del Sur, Bolívar.
According to the Colombian Geological System, the telluric movement was 5.6.
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TEA
February 23, 2022, 08:43 AM
NC
Nicholas Cortes February 23, 2022, 08:43 AM
On the morning of this Wednesday, a strong tremor was recorded whose epicenter was Santa Rosa del Sur, Bolívar. According to the Colombian Geological System, the telluric movement had a magnitude of 5.6 and was recorded at a depth of 52 kilometers.
According to reports, the strong tremor was felt in municipalities of the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga and Magdalena Medio, and in neighboring departments such as Antioquia.
As soon as the tremor ended, hundreds of users turned to social networks to share videos that show the intensity of the movement.
There was also room for dozens of memes between those who felt and those who did not feel the earthquake.
TEA
February 23, 2022, 08:43 AM
NC
Nicholas Cortes February 23, 2022, 08:43 AM
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Strong tremor of 5.6 degrees shakes the north and center of the countryAround 7:50 in the morning, the inhabitants of municipalities in the south of Bolívar, the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga and Magdalena Medio reported a strong tremor that was also felt in neighboring departments such as Antioquia.
Geological Survey of Colombia
There is damage to the infrastructure of the María Inmaculada Educational Institution in Santa Rosa Sur.
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February 23, 2022, 09:38 AM
JM
John Montano February 23, 2022, 09:38 AM
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February 23, 2022, 09:38 AM
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John Montano February 23, 2022, 09:38 AM
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A senior U.S. delegation visited Lithuania this week in a show of support for the Baltic state in its growing dispute with China involving Taiwan.
Beijing effectively blocked imports of Lithuanian goods last month after Taiwan was allowed to open a representative office in the capital, Vilnius. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory. The dispute has rapidly escalated into a trade tussle between the West and Beijing.
Jose W. Fernandez, undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment, met Lithuanian government ministers in a visit described by the U.S. State Department as showing “continuing strong support for Lithuania in the face of political pressure and economic coercion from the People’s Republic of China.” The two sides discussed the implementation of a $600 million agreement on boosting trade.
Lithuania welcomed the intervention. “We permanently feel U.S. strong political and practical support in our dispute with China over its systemic violations of international trade rules,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
Taiwan
The dispute began in 2020 when Lithuania’s new government pledged to support what it called “freedom fighters” in Taiwan and criticized Beijing’s human rights record in Hong Kong and Tibet.
In May 2021, Lithuanian lawmakers approved a resolution that described China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority as “genocide.” China has rejected such accusations.
In November of last year, Taiwan officially opened the representative office in Vilnius. Its director, Eric Huang, said the goal was the “strengthening of [the] bilateral relationship comprehensively between Taiwan and Lithuania.”
Lithuania said the opening did not affect its policy toward China or imply any official recognition of Taiwan as independent from Beijing. The move, however, stoked fury in Beijing.
“From the perspective of Beijing, it’s crossing a line, a real red line on how they approach Taiwan. And this is what led later to Beijing downgrading its embassy in Lithuania,” Grzegorz Stec of the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies said in a recent interview with VOA.
Import blockade
In December, China effectively blocked Lithuanian imports by delisting it as a country of origin, meaning goods can’t clear Chinese customs, while pressing multinational businesses to sever ties with the Baltic country.
“And that works not only in some cases for goods that are produced in Lithuania but also goods that include in their supply chain components produced in Lithuania. Also, the European exports that have been transited through Lithuanian ports, they have also been affected,” Stec said.
FILE – EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis speaks during a press conference in Brussels, on Dec. 7, 2021.
EU challenge
The European Union accuses China of threatening the integrity of its single market and has launched a challenge at the World Trade Organization.
“We are stepping forward to defend the EU’s rights,” EU Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters January 27.
“Since December 1, Chinese customs are banning Lithuanian imports from the Chinese market. … Chinese companies are canceling orders from Lithuania. China is also cutting its exports to Lithuania. Moreover, China is putting pressure on international companies to abandon the use of Lithuanian components in their production,” Dombrovskis said.
It likely will take years for the WTO challenge to be resolved. In the meantime, the EU is working on legal instruments to counter coercive practices.
“This could include really targeting or restricting access for companies from a specific country from the single market. Right now, we don’t really have a clear instrument for doing that,” Stec told VOA.
Lithuanian lifeline
The Taiwan government has offered Lithuania a $1 billion credit program and a separate $200 million fund to boost trade. Lithuania has donated hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan.
The United States has also stepped in to make up the shortfall caused by China’s blockade. The U.S. Export-Import Bank signed a $600 million export credit agreement with Lithuania, focusing on manufacturing, business services and renewable energy.
But it’s not just about money, Stec said. “Symbolic involvement [by the U.S.] of course supports Lithuania by showing that it’s not isolated in its moves. At the same time, it also makes it harder to unravel the situation because it once again puts it in the spotlight.”
U.S. officials also held talks in Brussels on joint measures to tackle economic coercion.
FILE – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian gestures as he speaks during a daily briefing at his ministry in Beijing, Feb. 24, 2020.
‘Betrayal’
China, meanwhile, accuses Lithuania of “betrayal.”
“The issue between China and Lithuania is a bilateral issue between China and Lithuania, not between China and Europe. We urge Lithuania to correct its mistakes immediately, and not act as a pawn of Taiwan independence separatist and anti-China forces. We also remind the EU to distinguish right from wrong and be alert to Lithuania’s attempts to hijack China-EU relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters January 27.
White House officials have called the latest package of sanctions against Russia “a severe action,” with President Joe Biden saying the economic restrictions will “cut off Russia’s government from Western financing” — powerful claims that some critics and even some Biden allies say are overblown and will do little to stop President Vladimir Putin on his military push toward Ukraine.
The package of U.S. sanctions announced Tuesday and Wednesday include several elements: action to block Russia’s revenue-raising Nord Stream 2 pipeline plus sanctions on two large banks, Russia’s sovereign debt, and a handful of elites with ties to Putin.
A Ukrainian serviceman stands at his position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Svitlodarsk, eastern Ukraine, Feb. 23, 2022.
Any problem solved?
China, which is Russia’s largest trading partner, came out hard against the very concept of sanctions Wednesday. China, as a rule, follows a policy of noninterference in the internal affairs of other states.
“Our position is that sanctions are never fundamentally effective means to solve problems,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. “We consistently oppose all illegal unilateral sanctions.”
She cited U.S. Treasury data showing the U.S. has increased its use of sanctions tenfold in the last two decades, and asked, rhetorically: “Have the U.S. sanctions solved any problem? Is the world a better place because of those sanctions? Will the Ukraine issue resolve itself thanks to the U.S. sanctions on Russia? Will European security be better guaranteed thanks to the U.S. sanctions on Russia? … I would also like to point out that the illegal unilateral sanctions by some countries including the U.S. have caused severe difficulties to relevant countries’ economy and livelihood.”
But analyst Chris Miller of the American Enterprise Institute predicted that these sanctions would not do much to Putin’s bottom line.
“The sanctions announced [Tuesday] — notably the sovereign debt sanctions — will have a minor, negative macroeconomic impact on Russia,” he told VOA.
Anti-corruption campaigners have lobbied the administration to target several dozen members of Putin’s inner circle.
“Existing sanctions don’t reach enough of the right people,” Vladimir Ashurkov, director of the Moscow-based Anti-Corruption Foundation, said in a January letter to Biden. “The West must sanction the decision-makers who have made it national policy to rig elections, steal from the budget, and poison. It must also sanction the people who hold their money. Anything less will fail to make the regime change its behavior.”
He was referring to allegations that Putin ordered security officials to poison now-jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The sanctions announced Tuesday target three men from Ashurkov’s list of 35: top intelligence official Aleksandr Bortnikov, whom Ashurkov described as the man “responsible inter alia for the attempted poisoning of Alexei Navalny”; Bortnikov’s son Denis, who is the deputy president and chairman of the Russian state-owned VTB Bank; and Sergei Kiriyenko, a top official in Putin’s office. Ashurkov accuses Denis Bortnikov of “acting as a wallet for his father’s ill-gotten gains.”
The administration also leveled sanctions at Petr Fradkov, chairman of Promsvyazbank, one of the two banks that the administration has sanctioned.
Demonstrators hold placards and flags at a protest outside the Russian Embassy, in London, Feb. 23, 2022. Ukraine urged its citizens to leave Russia as Europe braced for further confrontation Wednesday.
Wiggle room
Jennifer Erickson, an associate professor of political science and international studies at Boston College, said the administration’s decision to impose limited measures at this time could leave it room to seek a diplomatic solution.
“There’s a lot more that the United States could do if they wanted to take really firm, strong action,” she told VOA. “So it’s leaving room to maneuver. And I think there’s a dilemma there for the U.S. You know, do you go really strong now, and hope to make the cost really high to stop further action from Russia? Or do you wait and leave room to sort of escalate your sanctions as Russia might escalate its actions, give it room to back down?”
Administration officials indicated that they were trying to leave space for diplomacy.
“No one should think that it’s our goal to max out on sanctions,” said Daleep Singh, deputy White House national security adviser for international economics. “Sanctions are not an end to themselves. They serve a higher purpose. And that purpose is to deter and prevent.”
But in Washington, where Biden faces political pressure, that moderation has drawn out his critics.
Republican Senator Ben Sasse described the package as “too little, too late,” arguing that the sanctions should have been issued before Putin ordered troops into the Ukrainian border regions of Luhansk and Donetsk regions — a move that Biden characterized as “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
“We shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking that today’s incremental sanctions will deter Putin from trying to install a puppet government in Kyiv,” Sasse said.
But perhaps the biggest, loudest criticism came from the nation in Putin’s crosshairs.
“First decisive steps were taken yesterday, and we are grateful for them,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. “Now the pressure needs to step up to stop Putin. Hit his economy and cronies. Hit more. Hit hard. Hit now.”
