| Submit your comments on this article |
| Europe |
| EU Leaders Rewrite Document On Government Coronavirus Disinfo After China's Government Freaks Out |
| 2020-04-25 |
| [ZeroHedge] EU leaders bowed to China this week, softening their criticism of the communist regime in a report documenting how governments have pushed disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic. "China has continued to run a global disinformation campaign to deflect blame for the outbreak of the pandemic and improve its international image," read the initial report, according to a copy seen by the New York Times. "Both overt and covert tactics have been observed." It cited Beijing’s efforts to curtail mentions of the virus’s origins in China, in part by blaming the United States for spreading the disease internationally. It noted that Beijing had criticized France as slow to respond to the pandemic and had pushed false accusations that French politicians used racist slurs against the head of the World Health Organization. The report also highlighted Russian efforts to promote false health information and sow distrust in Western institutions. -NYT But after China 'moved quickly to block the document's release,' European officials immediately delayed - and then rewrote the document which "diluted the focus on China, a vital trading partner." The European Union, meanwhile, was set to issue its report on Tuesday - until Chinese officials "quickly contacted the European Union's representatives in Beijing to try to kill the report," according to two diplomats. The Times notes that the report's alteration comes at a time when the EU is trying to get better treatment for its companies in China, with two-way trade estimated at over $1.6 billion per day before the pandemic. Both German automakers and French farmers are among the EU industries which heavily rely on Chinese exports, according to the report. EU spokesman Peter Stano said on Friday that the report hadn't been delayed, saying "It is ready once it is complete, cleared in an editorial process and ready to be uploaded."... Both German automakers and French farmers are among the EU industries which heavily rely on Chinese exports, according to the report. [Suplize!]... |
| Posted by:Clem |
| #8 /\ Speaks volumes. |
| Posted by: Clem 2020-04-25 21:09 |
| #7 Tough on the UK, pansies on China. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2020-04-25 19:10 |
| #6 This is the EU's "Infinite Justice/Enduring Freedom" moment. Nuts! |
| Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 2020-04-25 13:13 |
| #5 @ #1, #2, #3, and #4: Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes. |
| Posted by: Clem 2020-04-25 11:21 |
| #4 Time to play the Russia Card. |
| Posted by: Lex 2020-04-25 06:43 |
| #3 If this helps to end the EU quicker, I'm cool with it - silver lining & all that. |
| Posted by: Raj 2020-04-25 06:38 |
| #2 The only reliable ally against China, because of imminent threat, is Russia. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2020-04-25 04:16 |
| #1 Spineless wimps. Cut them off. They don't deserve our protection any more. |
| Posted by: Spike Grineng8188 2020-04-25 04:01 |