And their officials have never lied to us about this very thing before, right?
China is a liar.
It's a country.
Nah, Taiwan is a country.
I'm not even sure Taiwan makes that claim, but if they do then I'm fine with that. I had heard they view themselves as the legitimate government of a (unified) China. But I suppose I do think of Taiwan as a separate country.
What I mean is, China is a country not a monolithic entity or individual. There's a tendency for people to refer to Israel and China as if they were somehow embodied and conscious. As opposed to vast areas of land occupied by countless individuals.
It seems like the first step in dehumanising a population, and it makes me uneasy.
I'm not even sure Taiwan makes that claim, but if they do then I’m fine with that.
They do. The official government line currently is that they have no need to formally declare independence (which might trigger a Chinese invasion) because they already are an independent country by most meaningful measures (which is true of course)
I had heard they view themselves as the legitimate government of a (unified) China.
That used to be the official position decades ago. But apart from a few old nationalistic farts maybe, nobody on Taiwan really holds that position anymore.
Thanks for clarifying; that's definitely a more coherent position.
Do you see how your reaction to me saying "taiwan is a country" is to brainlessly say I'm dehumanizing a population?
Is that a sane reaction?
That was a reaction to you saying China isn't a country, or at least implying it. Actually it was more about explaining my earlier comment, which was a reply to somebody else.
It really isn't
Wait, this sounds really familiar.
I think repeated Covid infections have weakened everyone’s respiratory system over the last few years, making us more vulnerable to the usual respiratory infections.
They aren't saying which pathogen
They’ve been saying flu and RSV.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
SHENZHEN, China, Dec 2 (Reuters) - China's surge in respiratory illness is caused by known pathogens and there is no sign of new infectious diseases, a health official said on Saturday as the country faces its first full winter since lifting strict COVID-19 restrictions.
The spike in illness in the country where COVID emerged in late 2019 attracted the spotlight when the World Health Organization sought information last week, citing a report on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.
Chinese authorities will open more paediatric outpatient clinics, seek to ensure more elderly people and children receive flu vaccines and encourage people to wear masks and wash their hands, Mi Feng, an official with China's National Health Commission, told a press conference.
Doctors in China and experts abroad have not expressed alarm about China's outbreaks, given that many other countries saw similar increases in respiratory diseases after easing pandemic measures, which China did at the end of last year.
The original article contains 158 words, the summary contains 158 words. Saved 0%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
ooh, are we playing a guessing game? I nominate aerosolized ebola
Nope, go fish
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