While the disease spreads in the Middle East

And around the world

That and more on this week's China news headlines.

This is China Uncensored.

I'm Chris Chappell.

This week's China news headlines.

An update on the coronavirus disease,

also called COVID-19.

It's now spread to at least 47 countries.

But the World Health Organization

is declining to call it a pandemic.

Cool.

Just like they declined to call it

a global health emergency a month ago.

Now a pandemic means that a disease

is spreading around the world.

And the W.H.O. used to have specific criteria

for declaring a pandemic.

And with outbreaks in China,

South Korea, Italy, and Iran,

COVID-19 would likely have met those criteria.

But the good news is,

now the W.H.O.'s criteria for pandemics

is a lot more...vague.

According to the director general,

the coronavirus is not a pandemic because there

hasn't been “uncontained global spread”

or “large-scale severe disease or death.”

Instead the head of the W.H.O. says these are

“epidemics in different parts of the world.”

I mean, South Korea is reporting record daily spikes

and Japan is closing all schools.

It's spreading throughout the Middle East,

With Iran having the highest death toll outside of China,

And the guy in charge of fighting it in Iran was infected.

Coronavirus cases are also surging in Italy.

And spreading from Italy to the rest of Europe.

And it's in Latin America now.

But thank goodness it's not a pandemic yet.

However, official numbers of new coronavirus cases

are down in China.

Unfortunately, that might just be because the Communist Party

has a coronavirus scam—

changing the definition of what an infection is.

They've changed the definition 6 times so far.

So what does it mean that the numbers are going down?

According to an expert

at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security,

“There are two possibilities —

the draconian social distancing measures China has taken

are really driving down the number of cases...

or health officials are changing their view

of what constitutes a case.”

Kind of like how the Party lifted

millions of people out of poverty,

by changing the definition of what poverty meant.

Most of those people are called “low-income” now.

Problem solved!

But one thing we can all confidently count on

is the lack of medical supplies since everything is made in China.

The Coronavirus is hitting the Chinese economy hard.

Factories are struggling to start up again after being shut down.

Only a third of Chinese small businesses are open.

And migrant workers,

a critical part of the Chinese economy,

can't move throughout the country

because of quarantines and border restrictions.

You know what that means?

Now's the right time to buy Chinese stocks!

And JPMorgan says the Chinese economy

will grow in the second quarter.

I mean, just think about

how much money can be made in China!

There's probably no downside at all!

Especially if you don't learn from history!

I wish I knew how to quit you.

Well then why don't you?!

The Trump Administration is considering

punishing Chinese state-run news organizations

operating in the United States.

That's in retaliation for China

kicking out three Wall Street Journal Reporters.

Which itself was possibly retaliation for the US labeling

Chinese state-run media operatives of China's communist state.

Which...they are.

Some of them are part of the Chinese Communist Party's

Central Propaganda Department.

Others are directly under the Party's Central Committee.

Reporters with state-run media in the US

have been accused of essentially spying for the Communist Party.

That's why the new punishments the Trump Administration

are considering may include, “expelling journalists

who have contact with intelligence agencies.”

Then again, I have to say,

my opinion of Chinese state-run media really changed

after China Daily called China Uncensored,

a “leading Western media outlet.”

Also, “disgraceful anti-China garbage,

which seems to have come out of a gossip rag.”

Sorry Global Times.

I think China Daily is my new favorite Chinese state-run media.

Two major Apple shareholders pushed for a proposal

that would force Apple to disclose censorship requests

from China and any other country.

“The motion, set to be voted on

by the company's investors [this week],

was prompted by numerous allegations

of Apple kowtowing to Beijing

and blocking apps from being used by Chinese customers.”

That includes Apple removing VPNs at Beijing's request.

So that Chinese people can't access

the outside internet on their iPhones.

But good news for Apple!

The votes are in and...

Apple will not be held accountable.

Apple's major shareholders are all large corporations,

which themselves mostly have investments in China.

So really, this helps everyone not be held accountable.

But there is at least *some* good news this week.

On February 19,

you saw our episode about how the Chinese Consulate in New York

put up an exhibit about Tibet in the Queens Public Library—

full of all sorts of propaganda.

Well, this week,

thanks to unrelenting pressure from local Tibetans,

and also possibly China Uncensored

pestering library officials for comment,

the Library took the exhibit down.

Tibetans can finally celebrate a victory

against the Chinese Communist Party.

Tibetans in exile, at least.

And that's it for this week's China news.

Now it's time for me to answer a question

from a fan who supports China Uncensored

on the crowd funding website Patreon!

Today's question comes from Joe King

“Chris, do you think that while the plaque

will be placed into the box for shipping,

our cherry blossoms of joy will spread their petals

above the google exec's dew of shameful tears?”

I think that's my favorite question ever.

So, China Uncensored just hit 1 million subscribers.

Supposedly that means YouTube will send us a plaque like this.

This comes after YouTube and Google

have been suppressing the show.

Subscribers have been secretly unsubscribed.

People don't get notifications of new episodes,

even when the notification bell is on.

Videos have been demonetized, age-restricted,

or taken down with no explanation.

China Uncensored rarely turns up in suggested videos,

and for years, if you tried to search China Uncensored,

the suggested text would be China Uncensorship pollution,

which is definitely a real thing.

We struggle to even get our t-shirt merchandise approved.

And yet despite all this,

China Uncensored has continued to grow,

even as the revenue from YouTube continues to plummet.

This has been possible because you

are watching and sharing the videos

and you continue to support the show

on the crowd funding website Patreon.

So YouTube and Google have failed to stop us,

and that's all because of you.

So I can only imagine that plaque

will be bathed in a gentle mist

of the tears of those Google execs

who still long to get back into China.

That is if they ever ship it to us.

I'm not going to hold my breath.

Thanks for your question and your support, Joe King.

And if you'd like to join the China Uncensored 50-cent army,

head over to patreon.com/chinauncensored to learn more.

Thanks for watching China Uncensored.

Once again I'm Chris Chappell.

See you next time.