"Political virus"; Australia-China tensions; Anger at Pompeo; 900m China Internet users; Two meetings

We may learn of the date for the Two Meetings by Wednesday. I think it is possible there will be a remote video conference element to them, though I doubt that none of the delegates will make the trip to Beijing.

Australia is back in the PRC doghouse, the trigger this time seems to be mostly the calls for an independent investigation into the origins and initial handling of the virus. The PRC could never allow such an independent investigation, but its increasingly shrill protests are doing it no favors with many countries.

One term I am seeing PRC officials and propaganda organs increasingly use is “political virus 政治病毒”, used when pushing back on criticism of its handling of the outbreak, and mostly as far as I can tell against the US and certain US officials.

One US official who has really angered the PRC, and who makes a good proxy for attacking the US, is Secretary of State Pompeo. I think though he would be pleased to know that there were two segments on the Tuesday CCTV Evening …