NATO summit puts focus on China, Russia

NATO allies are warning of threats linked to China and Russia. Melissa Duggan on the tough talk at the summit.

[goylanddefree]

G7 will never be taken seriously with their hypocrisy

[lifeisamiracle]

Should each country focus on itself? They all have tons of problems at home, focusing on China will not do a thing for gaining the trust of your country men and women or improving your economy.

[carmenlajoie]

Glad we can get the other side to the story with RT 🇺🇸& CGTN

[delizzy]

social distancing says the news..one hour later hobnoobing sans masks, hugging, all close together. and we are to do as they say

[djcubical]

We should have summit on how to work together as a people instead of this ongoing hate for Russia and China.

[orcsunited]

Justina will just scream and throw a tantrum at Russia and China, give me a break ;-)

[Pagiraynia]

We care about human rights. So we gotta keep digging. XXDDD

[iam]

Yes Yes Yes look they Gather come Rich And Poor Bond and Free Gather
This is not a ShotGun Wedding happening but My Lord Will walk and Lead All Sheep that gone Astray...

[CShellyProductions]

Worst way to begin this was showing them, "social distancing, " while we all saw the G7 meeting...

[Winter_Jasmine]

China's economy & development are now greater than ever.

[chaz]

"NATO summit puts focus on China, Russia" You mean "takes focus away from other things".

[CaptArgo]

don't poke the bear


attack when needed

[andyxman]

First comes death then poor then war. Oh I hope history is not repeating it’s self.

[cancayate]

up to the whit .. e. we chinese lives as usual.

[royalmontpark]

Seriously this is wrong, I don't fear of China, instread I am scared of uncle you know who

[fishersteven]

What's Justin Trudeau going to do against China or Russia. JT back back to the little kids table. 😂

[MinhNguyen-esoz]

But when US, France, and uk have more war head it all good tho right ?

[adamgibson]

Joe Bidens beady eyes makes me laugh. Not trying to be insulting, but its actually funny.

[srazysnake]

I just love how they act like myanmar crisis never happened lol

[qingtian]

Compared to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, the novel coronavirus that broke out in China last year has spread faster and wider, affecting more than 50 countries in just two months. There have also been cases in which the incubation period extends beyond 14 days and the infected patients show no symptoms, making it harder to stem the virus' spread.

Another challenge is the lack of preventive vaccines or therapeutic drugs. Although a number of companies are working or planning to work on it, the outcome remains uncertain. Remdesivir, a new drug made by Gilead Sciences, for example, is expected to work only on mild or moderate cases. The lengthy drug approval process may also mean that even before a drug is put on the market, the quick spread and mutation of the virus may have made it beyond treatment.

Some hope that the epidemic would fade like SARS as the temperature rises, but there is no evidence yet. “We absolutely don’t know that, ” says Trudie Lang at the University of Oxford. “I keep asking virologist colleagues this and nobody knows.”

Millions of people are placed under quarantine as the Chinese communist regime scrambles to contain the virus. With no end of quarantine in sight, many, especially those in Wuhan, feel trapped in their own homes, and their mental health is worrisome, which may lead to another humanitarian crisis.

As China's leaders grapple with the epidemic and its devastating impact on the economy and people's physical and psychological well-being, I am writing this open letter to share my understanding of the plague. I hope that they will learn from history and find a solution that addresses the fundamental, underlying causes of the epidemic.

Plagues in Ancient Times
A lot can be learned from plagues in the ancient times, whether in China or in the West. During the Ming Dynasty, for example, a plague broke out in 1580 and infected more than half of the families in Datong (in today’s Shanxi Province), and it later spread to Beijing as well as southern China. When it broke out again in Shanxi Province in 1633, many people fled and some families had no survivors. Another surge of the plague in 1641, three years before the dynasty’s end, wiped out a significant portion of the population in China.

Besides plagues, the Ming Dynasty also faced other threats, such as the rebelling forces from Li Zicheng (also known as the Dashing King). The plagues, though, seemed to infect only the Ming Dynasty’s troops, not soldiers of Li Zicheng or the invading Manchus. Moreover, after infecting China for decades and weakening the Ming forces, the plague diminished in 1644 after the Manchu established the Qing Dynasty. To some extent, this plague seemed to be a catalyst for the transition of dynasties.

In the West, the plagues in the Roman Empire were also well known in history. After Nero began to persecute Christians, several major plagues took place: the Autumn Plague in 65 AD, the Antonine Plague (165-180), the Plague of Cyprian (250-270), and the Plague of Justinian (541-542).

During the Antonine Plague, for example, there were up to 2, 000 deaths a day in Rome. With a mortality rate of about 25%, the total deaths were estimated at five million. The disease killed as much as one-third of the population in some areas and weakened the Roman army, ending a relatively peaceful period of Roman history.

The plagues stopped miraculously after people awakened in 680 and began to reflect on the cruelty against Christians as well as the general moral decay of society. In 680, Roman citizens carried the bones of Saint Sebastian (256-288, killed during the persecution by Diocletian) and processed through the streets. As people repented of their wrongdoings, the plague miraculously vanished in Rome.

People in other areas of the empire heard about this and followed their example, asking for the bones of Saint Sebastian to offer repentance. When a plague broke out in Venice in 1575, about 50, 000 people died. Similarly, a plague occurred in Lisbon in 1599. In both cases, people marched with the bones of holy people in repentance, and the plagues ended.