washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Ranchers, landowners worry about copper mine's plan

LISBON VALLEY , Utah ( AP ) - When Mike Wilcox was a young man in the mid-1970s , he took a job at the Keystone-Wallace copper mine and mill near his home in Lisbon Valley , Utah .
Some days , Wilcox went down in the open pit and dug a series of deep holes that were each loaded with 100 pounds of explosives .
“ We ’ d wire them all together and get way back on the road , ” he recalled to the Salt Lake Tribune .
“ Then somebody would touch that puppy off .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole mountain changed every time you done a shot .
You couldn ’ t believe you was in the same place .
Boy , it was scary.
” The mine operated for five or six years , Wilcox said , but he only lasted two weeks on the job .
Instead , he returned to the profession that has sustained six generations of the Wilcox family since Ephraim Wilcox , Mike ’ s grandfather , homesteaded in La Sal in 1917 : ranching .
He owns a 1,000-plus acre private ranch in Lisbon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state and federal land in the area .
“ Some people are just made to be cowboys , ” Wilcox , 67 , explained , adding that he hopes his 4-year-old great grandson , who is already learning to ride a horse , develops the same love of “ punching cows ” as he grows up .
The mine shut down over 40 years ago , but Wilcox still deals with the mine ’ s mess .
“ Keystone-Wallace had a bond up , and they used to tell us , ‘ When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re not going to be able to tell there was a copper mine here , ” Wilcox said , standing in the old mill site on a sunny November day among piles of twisted metal and rebar .
“ I can still see it just like it was yesterday .
They ’ ve done hardly anything to clean this thing up.
” Tailings remain uncapped nearby , and few plants grow on the disturbed ground .
Retention ponds were built to catch the erosion from the site , and Wilcox remembers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like an oil slick on the surface of one of the ponds in the late ’ 70s .
“ It burned for three or four days , ” he said .
“ There was lots of big old black smoke coming out of that thing.
” But the fences around the ponds that were put up decades ago have since fallen into disrepair , and it ’ s not uncommon for Wilcox to have to ride into the ponds , which are often dry , to push out wayward cattle .
“ When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along them ditch banks , cows will go in and get it , ” Wilcox said .
“ When they kick that dust up , it makes your eyes water .
It gets in your nose .
You can feel it .
You can taste it.
” Repeatedly throughout Wilcox ’ s life of ranching in the mineral rich valleys near the Utah-Colorado border about 40 miles south of Moab , he has heard similar promises as those made by Keystone-Wallace half a century ago .
Each time a mining executive has proposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their millions of dollars in bond money and say that reclamation will be so comprehensive the landscape will be restored to its original state as soon as the mining is complete .
But those rosy projections rarely bear out .
Just over the hill from the Keystone-Wallace mine , the Rio Algom Uranium Mill , which operated from 1972 to 1988 , has leached contaminates into the groundwater , including uranium , molybdenum , selenium and arsenic .
The plume is being actively monitored , and it ’ s less than 100 feet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ property .
A scar from an abandoned limestone quarry slashes across a nearby hillside .
Another uranium mine near La Sal known as the Rattlesnake Pit doesn ’ t look much different than it did in the 1960s when Wilcox and his school buddies held a raucous Halloween party in the abandoned shafts .
Having seen so many mining companies sweep into the area , create a boom of jobs and brief prosperity only to leave behind denuded land and environmental contamination , Wilcox was skeptical when the Lisbon Valley Mining Company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the area in 2009 , which is adjacent to the Wilcox Ranch .
At first , however , Wilcox found a positive arrangement with the mine ’ s owners as they began expanding its footprint .
“ We leased them some ground and we sold them some ground , ” he said , “ and it helped us pay our bills .
It hasn ’ t been all bad.
” But that working relationship began to fizzle last year when the company filed a permit application to begin a new , experimental form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which involves injecting diluted sulfuric acid into the ground to dissolve copper deposits with up to 2,700 wells .
In-situ mining has been used in various forms for over a century , but the process that is being proposed in Lisbon Valley , which involves mining in sandstone as opposed to harder rock layers , would be a first globally .
At a public meeting last year , a representative said Lisbon Valley Mining has been “ putting in … millions and millions of dollars to prove up a technology that eliminates the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ) could benefit the overall industry on a global scale.
” The geological analysis presented at the meeting suggested that the in-situ mining would only impact the shallow Burro Canyon Aquifer , between 200 and 900 feet below ground , which currently supplies Wilcox Ranch with its water .
According to the company , the aquifer is already contaminated with oil and radioactive elements at levels beyond federal drinking water standards .
The company offered to dig a new well for the Wilcox Ranch into a deeper Navajo Aquifer that has better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a catch , Wilcox said .
They would only dig the new well - which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars - if Wilcox signed over rights to his current well , which he uses for drinking water at the ranch house where he lives with his wife Joan .
They also use the well to fill a series of guzzlers for wildlife and livestock on the ranch .
“ What happens if I sign off ( on ) that other well and they don ’ t hit water ?
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t got no other water .
We can ’ t exist here without these wells.
” George Shaw , Lisbon Valley Mining Company ’ s president , said Wilcox ’ s concerns would be addressed in detail at an upcoming public hearing with the Utah Division of Water Quality , which will be held virtually on Tuesday at 7 p.m. A public comment period is open through Dec. 4 .
“ We believe that our permit application process will show the company ’ s project will not have a long-term adverse impact on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Shaw said .
But for Wilcox , such promises sound like those he has heard time and again from mining companies using more conventional methods , and he fears the damage from the in-situ mining will be more permanent than a scar on the land , even if it means far less surface disturbance .
The in-situ mining requires the company to obtain an aquifer exemption permit through the Utah Division of Water Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) .
Part of the criteria the EPA typically uses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the aquifer not serve as a source of drinking water , and documents filed with the DEQ state that the nearest public water drinking well is 14 miles from the project site , not on the Wilcox Ranch .
Shaw said questions about why the Wilcox well wasn ’ t listed as a source of drinking water on the permit application would be answered at the public hearing .
If the request is granted , Lisbon Valley would become the first aquifer in Utah to be exempted to allow for the in-situ extraction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Scott and Julie Stevenson , are the only other residents of Lisbon Valley , and although they draw their water from a deeper aquifer that won ’ t be exempted , they ’ re also concerned about contamination .
The Stevensons rent historic cabins and serve food at the 3 Step Hideaway , a rustic 80-acre retreat utilized primarily by cross-country motorcycle riders completing one of two long-distance routes that pass through the area .
The 3 Step water well is less than a hundred feet from the aquifer exemption boundary , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ location was misplaced on maps used by the state , making it appear farther away .
The company plans to conduct extensive surveys of hydrological connectivity between the shallow and deeper aquifers in the region as part of the project ’ s planning process , but Stevenson and Wilcox are worried that the sulfuric acid and other contaminants could work their way into deeper aquifers widely used for drinking water or into the Dolores River , a tributary of the Colorado River .
And Stevenson noted that past in-situ copper mining has led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as uranium and thorium in groundwater .
“ This valley has been perforated , ” Stevenson said .
“ It ’ s like Swiss cheese out here with wells.
” “ They ’ ve drilled for uranium ; they ’ ve drilled for everything , ” Wilcox added .
“ It ’ s a wonder it don ’ t fall off the face of the earth.
” For both Wilcox and Stevenson , the Lisbon Valley Mining Company ’ s series of financial troubles dating back at least five years , are another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company owes over $ 2.1 million in property taxes to San Juan County , according to the treasurer ’ s office , with missed payments dating back to the 2014 tax year when there was a drop in global copper prices .
“ When copper was up in price ( in the early 2010s ) , they were knocking some serious money , ” Stevenson said .
“ The part that really frosts my cookies is then they can ’ t pay their taxes the next year .
Where did all that money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Utah State Tax Commission has filed multiple tax liens against the company , and four contractors have sued the company in district court over the last year for allegedly failing to pay invoices for equipment and machinery used at the mine .
“ Everybody has loaned them money , ” Stevenson said .
“ We just had a tax raise ( in San Juan County ) because these clowns can ’ t pay their taxes .
It just doesn ’ t sit well with me.
” Shaw estimated the company has generated over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2009 , which includes wages , local and state taxes , and payments to vendors .
If the aquifer exemption is approved , Shaw said it could potentially double the life of the mine , prolonging the copper deposit ’ s economic benefits for the county .
In March , after a bridge loan to the company was withdrawn due to the coronavirus pandemic , the company furloughed all of its workers with little advance notice , and was unable to meet payroll .
Some workers stayed on without pay to keep the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leach pads from spilling into the environment before the state stepped in to continue the work using surety bond money .
Regulators at the Utah Division of Oil , Gas and Mining issued a rare emergency order and revoked the companies permits .
They also ordered reclamation of the mine by 2021 .
But after the company received new financial support , including between $ 1 million and $ 2 million in federal CARES Act loans , it reapplied for its former permits and is expected to reopen soon .
Brian Somers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said San Juan County has the highest unemployment rate in the state , and mining is a key industry locally .
“ The Lisbon Valley Mining Company should be commended for its perseverance in refinancing its operations in order to preserve a major economic resource that provides jobs , tax revenues , royalty payments and many other economic benefits to the county and state , ” Somers said .
“ Highly-skilled workers in the mining industry in San Juan County earn 95 % more than the average county wage , ” he added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year , Lisbon Valley Mine was one of the largest private employers in San Juan County and will become one of the largest employers in the county again by providing 65 to 95 high-paying jobs as it reopens and expands.
” Copper prices are rebounding , Shaw said , and the mineral , which is a key component to many renewable energy technologies , will likely stay in high demand as the world transitions away from fossil fuels .
For Stevenson and Wilcox , however , the mine ’ s track record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the company .
“ Jobs are hard to come by in this county , and I ’ m all for jobs , ” Stevenson said , though he noted the majority of the mine ’ s employees come from outside of San Juan County .
“ But when it gets down to brass tacks , ” he continued , “ the job is only as good as the employer is honest and has integrity to take care of things and take care of its employees .
These guys have shown numerous times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The San Juan County Commission , which has generally been supportive of Lisbon Valley Mining Company and has waived hundreds of thousands dollars in fees and penalties on the company ’ s back taxes over the last two years , signaled concern over the in-situ mining plans at a recent meeting .
Commissioner Willie Grayeyes , a Democrat and member of the Navajo Nation , stated on Tuesday that he would like the Commission to take a formal stand against the in-situ mining proposal at the upcoming hearing .
And the commissioners recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a request that more information be made public .
“ Residents and livestock users of these existing water wells are understandably concerned with the potential effects on water quality of these wells with the proposed injection of a sulfuric acid solution into the aquifer that supplies these wells , ” the letter stated .
“ Quality water sources are scarce in this area and degradation or decrease of these waters would have devastating effects on culinary and livestock users of these waters.
” Carly Ferro , director of the Sierra Club ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the in-situ mining plans and will be following the company ’ s permit application process .
“ Overall , our region and our people deserve clean water , a healthy future and sustainable jobs , ” she said .
“ This expansion will create environmental and health harms at a time when we ’ re already facing a significant public health crisis .
We see it as unnecessary and reckless to risk public health and groundwater in an area where water is finite and a life-sustaining resource.
” Wilcox said the mining proposal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the lifetime he ’ s spent ranching .
“ If we got $ 10 million ( to relocate ) , we ’ re still never going to find another Lisbon Valley , ” he said .
“ Our whole life has been right here.
” Though he has tangled with environmentalists in the past , Wilcox said he ’ s willing to ally with any group that will step up to help protect the water in Lisbon Valley over the coming months .
“ My dad is probably turning over in his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ snare ( to hear me talk about working with environmentalists ) , ” Wilcox said .
“ But the America we live in is different now.
” “ I ’ ve never been somebody that looked that far into the future , ” he continued .
“ But I ’ ve got two great grandchildren right now today .
It ’ s a whole different way to look at things : What ’ s it going to be like when they ’ re my age ?
” Zak Podmore is a Report for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and change in San Juan County for The Salt Lake Tribune .

LISBON VALLEY, Utah (AP) - When Mike Wilcox was a young man in the mid-1970s, he took a job at the Keystone-Wallace copper mine and mill near his home in Lisbon Valley, Utah.
Some days, Wilcox went down in the open pit and dug a series of deep holes that were each loaded with 100 pounds of explosives. “We’d wire them all together and get way back on the road,” he recalled to the Salt Lake Tribune. “Then somebody would touch that puppy off. It was a wild deal … that whole mountain changed every time you done a shot. You couldn’t believe you was in the same place. Boy, it was scary.”
The mine operated for five or six years, Wilcox said, but he only lasted two weeks on the job. Instead, he returned to the profession that has sustained six generations of the Wilcox family since Ephraim Wilcox, Mike’s grandfather, homesteaded in La Sal in 1917: ranching.
He owns a 1,000-plus acre private ranch in Lisbon Valley and has permits to graze on state and federal land in the area.
“Some people are just made to be cowboys,” Wilcox, 67, explained, adding that he hopes his 4-year-old great grandson, who is already learning to ride a horse, develops the same love of “punching cows” as he grows up.
The mine shut down over 40 years ago, but Wilcox still deals with the mine’s mess.
“Keystone-Wallace had a bond up, and they used to tell us, ‘When we’re done mining copper, you’re not going to be able to tell there was a copper mine here,” Wilcox said, standing in the old mill site on a sunny November day among piles of twisted metal and rebar. “I can still see it just like it was yesterday. They’ve done hardly anything to clean this thing up.”
Tailings remain uncapped nearby, and few plants grow on the disturbed ground. Retention ponds were built to catch the erosion from the site, and Wilcox remembers when someone set fire to what looked like an oil slick on the surface of one of the ponds in the late ’70s. “It burned for three or four days,” he said. “There was lots of big old black smoke coming out of that thing.”
But the fences around the ponds that were put up decades ago have since fallen into disrepair, and it’s not uncommon for Wilcox to have to ride into the ponds, which are often dry, to push out wayward cattle.
“When there’s a little green grass along them ditch banks, cows will go in and get it,” Wilcox said. “When they kick that dust up, it makes your eyes water. It gets in your nose. You can feel it. You can taste it.”
Repeatedly throughout Wilcox’s life of ranching in the mineral rich valleys near the Utah-Colorado border about 40 miles south of Moab, he has heard similar promises as those made by Keystone-Wallace half a century ago. Each time a mining executive has proposed a new project, they point to their millions of dollars in bond money and say that reclamation will be so comprehensive the landscape will be restored to its original state as soon as the mining is complete.
But those rosy projections rarely bear out. Just over the hill from the Keystone-Wallace mine, the Rio Algom Uranium Mill, which operated from 1972 to 1988, has leached contaminates into the groundwater, including uranium, molybdenum, selenium and arsenic. The plume is being actively monitored, and it’s less than 100 feet away from reaching Wilcox’s friends’ property.
A scar from an abandoned limestone quarry slashes across a nearby hillside. Another uranium mine near La Sal known as the Rattlesnake Pit doesn’t look much different than it did in the 1960s when Wilcox and his school buddies held a raucous Halloween party in the abandoned shafts.
Having seen so many mining companies sweep into the area, create a boom of jobs and brief prosperity only to leave behind denuded land and environmental contamination, Wilcox was skeptical when the Lisbon Valley Mining Company took over the largest active mine in the area in 2009, which is adjacent to the Wilcox Ranch.
At first, however, Wilcox found a positive arrangement with the mine’s owners as they began expanding its footprint. “We leased them some ground and we sold them some ground,” he said, “and it helped us pay our bills. It hasn’t been all bad.”
But that working relationship began to fizzle last year when the company filed a permit application to begin a new, experimental form of in-situ mining in the valley, which involves injecting diluted sulfuric acid into the ground to dissolve copper deposits with up to 2,700 wells.
In-situ mining has been used in various forms for over a century, but the process that is being proposed in Lisbon Valley, which involves mining in sandstone as opposed to harder rock layers, would be a first globally. At a public meeting last year, a representative said Lisbon Valley Mining has been “putting in … millions and millions of dollars to prove up a technology that eliminates the need for open-pit mining … and (that) could benefit the overall industry on a global scale.”
The geological analysis presented at the meeting suggested that the in-situ mining would only impact the shallow Burro Canyon Aquifer, between 200 and 900 feet below ground, which currently supplies Wilcox Ranch with its water. According to the company, the aquifer is already contaminated with oil and radioactive elements at levels beyond federal drinking water standards.
The company offered to dig a new well for the Wilcox Ranch into a deeper Navajo Aquifer that has better water quality. But the deal came with a catch, Wilcox said. They would only dig the new well - which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars - if Wilcox signed over rights to his current well, which he uses for drinking water at the ranch house where he lives with his wife Joan. They also use the well to fill a series of guzzlers for wildlife and livestock on the ranch.
“What happens if I sign off (on) that other well and they don’t hit water?” Wilcox asked. “I ain’t got no other water. We can’t exist here without these wells.”
George Shaw, Lisbon Valley Mining Company’s president, said Wilcox’s concerns would be addressed in detail at an upcoming public hearing with the Utah Division of Water Quality, which will be held virtually on Tuesday at 7 p.m. A public comment period is open through Dec. 4.
“We believe that our permit application process will show the company’s project will not have a long-term adverse impact on groundwater resources outside the exemption boundary,” Shaw said.
But for Wilcox, such promises sound like those he has heard time and again from mining companies using more conventional methods, and he fears the damage from the in-situ mining will be more permanent than a scar on the land, even if it means far less surface disturbance.
The in-situ mining requires the company to obtain an aquifer exemption permit through the Utah Division of Water Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Part of the criteria the EPA typically uses to grant an aquifer exemption is that the aquifer not serve as a source of drinking water, and documents filed with the DEQ state that the nearest public water drinking well is 14 miles from the project site, not on the Wilcox Ranch.
Shaw said questions about why the Wilcox well wasn’t listed as a source of drinking water on the permit application would be answered at the public hearing. If the request is granted, Lisbon Valley would become the first aquifer in Utah to be exempted to allow for the in-situ extraction of minerals.
Wilcox’s neighbors, Scott and Julie Stevenson, are the only other residents of Lisbon Valley, and although they draw their water from a deeper aquifer that won’t be exempted, they’re also concerned about contamination. The Stevensons rent historic cabins and serve food at the 3 Step Hideaway, a rustic 80-acre retreat utilized primarily by cross-country motorcycle riders completing one of two long-distance routes that pass through the area.
The 3 Step water well is less than a hundred feet from the aquifer exemption boundary, Scott Stevenson said, but the well location was misplaced on maps used by the state, making it appear farther away.
The company plans to conduct extensive surveys of hydrological connectivity between the shallow and deeper aquifers in the region as part of the project’s planning process, but Stevenson and Wilcox are worried that the sulfuric acid and other contaminants could work their way into deeper aquifers widely used for drinking water or into the Dolores River, a tributary of the Colorado River. And Stevenson noted that past in-situ copper mining has led to elevated levels of radioactive elements such as uranium and thorium in groundwater.
“This valley has been perforated,” Stevenson said. “It’s like Swiss cheese out here with wells.”
“They’ve drilled for uranium; they’ve drilled for everything,” Wilcox added. “It’s a wonder it don’t fall off the face of the earth.”
For both Wilcox and Stevenson, the Lisbon Valley Mining Company’s series of financial troubles dating back at least five years, are another reason to mistrust the project. The company owes over $2.1 million in property taxes to San Juan County, according to the treasurer’s office, with missed payments dating back to the 2014 tax year when there was a drop in global copper prices.
“When copper was up in price (in the early 2010s), they were knocking some serious money,” Stevenson said. “The part that really frosts my cookies is then they can’t pay their taxes the next year. Where did all that money go?”
Since November, the Utah State Tax Commission has filed multiple tax liens against the company, and four contractors have sued the company in district court over the last year for allegedly failing to pay invoices for equipment and machinery used at the mine.
“Everybody has loaned them money,” Stevenson said. “We just had a tax raise (in San Juan County) because these clowns can’t pay their taxes. It just doesn’t sit well with me.”
Shaw estimated the company has generated over $200 million of economic activity since 2009, which includes wages, local and state taxes, and payments to vendors. If the aquifer exemption is approved, Shaw said it could potentially double the life of the mine, prolonging the copper deposit’s economic benefits for the county.
In March, after a bridge loan to the company was withdrawn due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company furloughed all of its workers with little advance notice, and was unable to meet payroll. Some workers stayed on without pay to keep the acidic solution used on the facilities heap leach pads from spilling into the environment before the state stepped in to continue the work using surety bond money.
Regulators at the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining issued a rare emergency order and revoked the companies permits. They also ordered reclamation of the mine by 2021. But after the company received new financial support, including between $1 million and $2 million in federal CARES Act loans, it reapplied for its former permits and is expected to reopen soon.
Brian Somers, president of the Utah Mining Association, said San Juan County has the highest unemployment rate in the state, and mining is a key industry locally. “The Lisbon Valley Mining Company should be commended for its perseverance in refinancing its operations in order to preserve a major economic resource that provides jobs, tax revenues, royalty payments and many other economic benefits to the county and state,” Somers said.
“Highly-skilled workers in the mining industry in San Juan County earn 95% more than the average county wage,” he added. “Before operations were disrupted earlier this year, Lisbon Valley Mine was one of the largest private employers in San Juan County and will become one of the largest employers in the county again by providing 65 to 95 high-paying jobs as it reopens and expands.”
Copper prices are rebounding, Shaw said, and the mineral, which is a key component to many renewable energy technologies, will likely stay in high demand as the world transitions away from fossil fuels.
For Stevenson and Wilcox, however, the mine’s track record make them question the projections laid out by the company. “Jobs are hard to come by in this county, and I’m all for jobs,” Stevenson said, though he noted the majority of the mine’s employees come from outside of San Juan County.
“But when it gets down to brass tacks,” he continued, “the job is only as good as the employer is honest and has integrity to take care of things and take care of its employees. These guys have shown numerous times that there is no real integrity.”
Looking ahead
The San Juan County Commission, which has generally been supportive of Lisbon Valley Mining Company and has waived hundreds of thousands dollars in fees and penalties on the company’s back taxes over the last two years, signaled concern over the in-situ mining plans at a recent meeting.
Commissioner Willie Grayeyes, a Democrat and member of the Navajo Nation, stated on Tuesday that he would like the Commission to take a formal stand against the in-situ mining proposal at the upcoming hearing. And the commissioners recently wrote a letter to the state supporting a request that more information be made public.
“Residents and livestock users of these existing water wells are understandably concerned with the potential effects on water quality of these wells with the proposed injection of a sulfuric acid solution into the aquifer that supplies these wells,” the letter stated. “Quality water sources are scarce in this area and degradation or decrease of these waters would have devastating effects on culinary and livestock users of these waters.”
Carly Ferro, director of the Sierra Club’s Utah Chapter, said her organization opposes the in-situ mining plans and will be following the company’s permit application process.
“Overall, our region and our people deserve clean water, a healthy future and sustainable jobs,” she said. “This expansion will create environmental and health harms at a time when we’re already facing a significant public health crisis. We see it as unnecessary and reckless to risk public health and groundwater in an area where water is finite and a life-sustaining resource.”
Wilcox said the mining proposal has helped him gain a new perspective on the lifetime he’s spent ranching. “If we got $10 million (to relocate), we’re still never going to find another Lisbon Valley,” he said. “Our whole life has been right here.”
Though he has tangled with environmentalists in the past, Wilcox said he’s willing to ally with any group that will step up to help protect the water in Lisbon Valley over the coming months.
“My dad is probably turning over in his grave just like an alligator in a snare (to hear me talk about working with environmentalists),” Wilcox said. “But the America we live in is different now.”
“I’ve never been somebody that looked that far into the future,” he continued. “But I’ve got two great grandchildren right now today. It’s a whole different way to look at things: What’s it going to be like when they’re my age?”
__
Zak Podmore is a Report for America corps member and writes about conflict and change in San Juan County for The Salt Lake Tribune.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Plan to boost big Swiss firms' liability fails in referendum

GENEVA ( AP ) - A proposal to stiffen penalties against companies based in Switzerland if they violate human rights or harm the environment abroad failed in a Swiss referendum on Sunday .
Voters were evenly divided on the initiative titled “ Responsible companies - to protect people and the environment , ” according to projections by SRF public television .
But with votes from most areas counted , it failed because a majority of the country ’ s cantons , or states , came out against it .
Under Switzerland ’ s system of direct democracy , which gives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year on a variety of issues , proposals need to win both a majority of votes cast and of cantons to pass .
The referendum had originally been planned for May , but was delayed because of the coronavirus .
The federal government opposed the plan championed by left-leaning groups and some big civil society organizations , asserting that it goes too far .
Parliament has proposed a countermeasure that would also boost scrutiny of such companies ’ actions .
The measure could have made large Switzerland-based companies liable in the country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those of their subsidiaries and subcontractors in foreign nations , unless they were able to show that they conducted proper due diligence beforehand .
It would have required Swiss-based companies to better verify their activities in foreign countries and could have made them more liable for any damage caused .
It could potentially have affected multinationals like mining and minerals company Glencore , agribusiness company Syngenta , and cement firm LafargeHolcim - which have at times faced criticism over their activities abroad .
Parliament ’ s alternative , which is supposed to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t require companies to answer to Swiss courts , and would focus on issues like mining of minerals drawn from conflict zones or child labor .
It also seeks more cooperation among countries on such matters .
Another measure being considered Sunday would have banned the financing by the national bank or pension funds among others of any weapons destined for export , from handguns to assault rifles to tanks .
That proposal also was projected to fail .

GENEVA (AP) - A proposal that could have stiffened penalties against companies based in Switzerland if they violate human rights or harm the environment abroad failed in a Swiss referendum on Sunday.
The initiative titled “Responsible companies - to protect people and the environment” won a narrow majority of votes, with 50.7% percent backing it and 49.3% against, but failed because a majority of the country’s cantons, or states, came out against it. Support was strongest in urban areas, much of Switzerland’s French-speaking west and Italian-speaking Ticino.
Under Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, which gives voters a direct say several times each year on a variety of issues, proposals need a majority both of votes cast and of cantons to pass. The referendum had originally been planned for May, but was delayed because of the pandemic.
The federal government opposed the plan championed by left-leaning groups and some big civil society organizations, asserting that it went too far. Parliament has proposed a countermeasure that would also boost scrutiny of such companies’ actions.
The measure could have made large Switzerland-based companies liable in the country’s courts for their flawed operations or those of their subsidiaries and subcontractors in foreign nations, unless they were able to show that they conducted proper due diligence beforehand.
It would have required Swiss-based companies to better verify their activities in foreign countries and could have made them more liable for any damage caused. It could potentially have affected multinationals like mining and minerals company Glencore, agribusiness company Syngenta, and cement firm LafargeHolcim - which have at times faced criticism over their activities abroad.
Parliament’s alternative, which should now take effect instead, won’t require companies to answer to Swiss courts and will focus on issues like mining of minerals from conflict zones or child labor. It also seeks more cooperation among countries on such matters.
Another measure that would have banned the financing by the Swiss national bank or pension funds of any weapons for export, from handguns to assault rifles to tanks, also failed Sunday, with a majority of both voters and cantons opposing it.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--The Latest: Pope urges finding good even from pandemic

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis is encouraging people to try to take away something good “ even from the difficult situation that the pandemic forces on us.
” Addressing faithful gathered a safe distance apart in vast St. Peter ’ s Square on Sunday , Francis offered these suggestions : “ greater sobriety , discrete and respectful attention to neighbors who might be in need , some moments of prayer in the family with simplicity.
” Francis said that “ these three things will help us a lot.
” During the COVID-19 pandemic , the pontiff has often highlighted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HERE ’ S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK : - With no action by Washington , states race to offer virus aid - North Korea toughens rules of entry to sea to fight virus -When Turkey changed the way it reports COVID-19 infections , it confirmed what many long suspected : The country faces an alarming surge of cases .
-The European plazas where people gather at Christmas are new just empty squares due to the pandemic..
HERE ’ S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING : PARIS - French churches @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doors again to worshippers , but only a few of them , as France cautiously starts reopening after a second virus lockdown .
Some churches may defy the 30-person limit which they believe is too unreasonable , and other sites may stay closed until they can fully reopen .
Farid Kachour , secretary general of the association running the mosque of Montermeil , a heavily immigrant suburb northeast of Paris , says that his mosque simply wouldn ’ t open as long as there is a 30-person limit .
“ We can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for prayer .
“ We don ’ t want to create discontent among the faithful , ” he said .
Kachour noted that Muslims pray five times a day and that the mosque would need 40 services a day to allow all the faithful to pray .
BAGHDAD - Iraq has reopened its schools amid a raging pandemic that has claimed more than 12,000 lives across the country , with kids returning to socially-distanced classrooms and other safety measures Sunday .
Students will be attending school only one day per week according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the spread of the new coronavirus , according to the Education Ministry .
Iraq , like much of the rest of the world , has resorted to distance learning after schools closed in February due to the virus outbreak .
But online education is out of reach for many in a country with poor infrastructure that has suffered decades of war .
Iraq has the second-highest outbreak and number of deaths in the Middle East region after Iran , with more than 500,000 confirmed cases , according to Health Ministry figures .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ day - a slower rate than in previous weeks - but health workers say the number may be higher as many Iraqis with symptoms choose to stay home and avoid hospitals to get tested .
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has recorded 43 more deaths and 2,829 new COVID-19 cases .
With the new figures , Pakistan ’ s tally of COVID-19 deaths is now 7,985 .
HONG KONG - Hong Kong has reported 115 new coronavirus infections , the first time it has seen cases in the triple digits since Aug. 2 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at kindergarten , primary and secondary schools will be shut for the rest of the year in light of the worsening coronavirus situation in the city .
Of the 115 infections reported Sunday , 24 were untraceable .
Another 62 were linked to recent outbreaks in dance studios across the city , taking the total number of infections in that cluster to 479 , health officials said .
Employees and recent guests at three restaurants in the city have also been ordered to undergo compulsory testing after multiple positive cases had been linked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported 6,239 coronavirus infections since the pandemic began , with 109 deaths .
PRAGUE - The Czech government has announced it is easing measures imposed to contain coronavirus infections .
Sunday ’ s move was made possible by the falling numbers of new confirmed cases .
Health Minister Jan Blatny says all stores , restaurants and bars can reopen on Thursday while a ban on Sunday ’ s sales is lifted .
Restaurants can be opened 6 a.m.-10 p.m. with their capacity limited to 50 % .
Stores and shopping canters still have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ An overnight curfew and a ban on drinking alcohol in public are also lifted .
Services such as hair salons , fitness centers and gyms are allowed to reopen together with zoo parks , museums and galleries .
The day-to-day increase of new cases reached 2,667 on Saturday .
The country of almost 10.7 million has had 518,649 confirmed cases since the pandemic began , with 8,054 fatalities .
SEOUL , South Korea - South Korea is shutting down indoor gyms offering intense workout classes and banning year-end parties at hotels in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday authorities will also ban the operation of private music institutes teaching singing and wind instruments and saunas at public bath houses in the capital area .
He said fitness centers , cafes and libraries operating inside apartment complexes will also be closed .
The new steps will be effective from Tuesday .
The country reported 450 new cases on Sunday .
South Korea on Thursday registered more than 500 new virus cases for the first time in eight months .
PHOENIX - University of Arizona researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak will present the state with a hospital crisis that could become a disaster unless the state takes steps such as ordering a three-week stay-home shutdown and implementing a statewide mask mandate .
Members of the university ’ s COVID Modeling Team said failing to take such steps would be like facing a major forest fire without evacuation orders .
It also recommends providing economic aid to affected small businesses and families and preventing evictions and foreclosures .
The team has tracked the outbreak since last spring and made its recommendations in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Services .
Many local governments have imposed mask mandates since Gov .
Doug Ducey last summer lifted a prohibition on such orders .
The local mandates cover an estimated 90 % of the state ’ s population but enforcement is lax or nonexistent in some places .
Arizona on Saturday reported 4,136 additional known COVID-19 cases and 36 more deaths .
SALEM , Oregon - The Oregon Health Authority reported 1,669 new confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday , the state ’ s largest daily case count since the start of the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oregon has now surpassed 72,000 and the death toll stands at 896 .
The number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations also continues to surge with 529 people hospitalized - a 209 % increase since the start of the month .
In an effort to slow down the spread of the virus , Gov .
Kate Brown implemented a statewide two-week “ freeze.
” Until Dec. 3 , restaurants are limited to take-out only , social gatherings can not be more than six people and gyms , among other facilities , are closed .
CARSON @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported nearly 3,000 additional known COVID-19 cases as related hospitalizations continued in large numbers .
The state ’ s coronavirus dashboard reported 2,912 additional cases and 24 more deaths , elevating the statewide totals to more than 146,000 cases and nearly 2,100 deaths .
As of Friday , 1,338 people confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19 were hospitalized in Nevada .
The state set a record Wednesday with 1,414 COVID-19 patients .
Concerned by the virus ’ continued spread , Gov .
Steve Sisolak on Nov. 22 announced the state ’ s most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the capacity at casinos , restaurants , bars and many other businesses from 50 % to 25 % .
OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma health officials reported a one-day record of more than 6,000 newly confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday as experts warned the Thanksgiving holiday may make testing numbers erratic .
The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 6,257 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 more deaths linked to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus .
The record daily case count comes as the pandemic has grown worse across the state .
Infectious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause spikes in testing and delays in processing that may make the resulting figures difficult to interpret .
PHOENIX - Arizona reported 4,136 additional known COVID-19 cases and 36 more deaths on Saturday .
That increases the state ’ s totals to 322,774 cases and 6,624 deaths .
The Department of Health Services ’ coronavirus dashboard also reports that hospitalizations related to COVID-19 reached 2,383 as of Friday , including 553 patients in beds in intensive care units .
Seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases , daily deaths and COVID-19 testing positivity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two weeks .
That ’ s according to data from The COVID Tracking Project and Johns Hopkins University .

LOS ANGELES — More than 7,400 people are hospitalized for coronavirus in California, the state’s highest number yet.
The state reported 7,415 coronavirus hospitalizations on Sunday, citing the most recently available data from the previous day. More than 1,700 of those patients were in intensive care units. California’s previous record was 7,170 in July.
As of Sunday, California has had nearly 1.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 19,000 deaths since the pandemic began. The state reported around 15,600 new cases on Saturday.
Counties statewide are preparing for stricter COVID-19 restrictions that will take effect Monday amid surging cases and Thanksgiving travel. Health officials are preparing for a wave of cases in the next two or three weeks that could be tied to holiday gatherings.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
-Fauci: US may see ‘surge upon surge’ of virus in coming weeks
-U.K. stocks up on vaccines, hopes to start virus shots within days
-NYC to reopen schools, even as virus spread intensifies
- Federal judges uphold Kentucky governor’s virus school order
-When Turkey changed the way it reports COVID-19 infections, it confirmed what many long suspected: The country faces an alarming surge of cases
-The European plazas where people gather at Christmas are new just empty squares due to the pandemic.
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Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
___
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
LOS ANGELES — Counties across California will begin stricter COVID-19 restrictions on Monday as cases surge statewide and Thanksgiving travelers return home.
Health officials are preparing for a wave of cases in the next two or three weeks that could be tied to holiday gatherings.
Los Angeles County will impose a lockdown calling for its 10 million residents to stay home beginning Monday.
Santa Clara County is banning all high school, collegiate and professional sports and imposing a quarantine for those traveling into the region from more than 150 miles away.
San Francisco and San Mateo counties moved to the most restrictive purple tier in the state’s pandemic blueprint for the economy.
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CHICAGO - Public health officials in Illinois on Sunday reported 57 more deaths from COVID-19, as well as 7,178 new confirmed and probable cases.
There have been 720,114 COVID-19 cases in Illinois since the pandemic began. The death toll has reached 12,193 people.
The state reported 62,740 tests in the past 24 hours with more than 10.4 million tests overall.
Currently, 5,858 people in Illinois are being hospitalized for COVID-19, with 1,185 people in intensive care units.
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NEW YORK — New York City will reopen its school system to in-person learning and increase the number of days a week many children attend class even as the coronavirus pandemic intensifies in the city.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday that some elementary schools and pre-kindergarten programs will resume classes Dec. 7. Others will take longer to reopen their doors. The announcement marks a major policy reversal for the nation’s largest school system.
It comes just 11 days after de Blasio announced that schools were shutting down because of a rising number of cases. The plan for reopening middle and high schools is still being developed.
Some elementary schools and pre-kindergarten programs will resume classes Dec. 7, a week from Monday, the mayor said. Others will take longer to reopen their doors.
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INDIANAPOLIS: Public health officials in Indiana say 24 more people have died from the new coronavirus for a total of 5,418 deaths in the state.
The Indiana Department of Health reported 4,335 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. The overall number of cases in the state is 333,312.
Public health officials say there are another 267 people who likely died from COVID-19 based on clinical diagnoses but for whom there’s no positive test on record.
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BEIRUT - The recorded coronavirus death toll in Lebanon has topped 1,000, just as the small Mediterranean country of about 6 million plans to ease a two-week nationwide lockdown.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported 13 new deaths on Sunday, raising the toll to 1,004. An additional 1,266 new infections have brought registered infections to 126,903 since February.
Health Minister Hassan Hamad said the government plans to ease a two-week lockdown that ends Monday. Hamad said the lockdown has given the battered health sector some breathing room, allowing the government to expand ICU capacity in the country.
The lockdown included a curfew from sunset to sunrise.
Lebanon is facing a crippling financial and economic crisis which had preceded the coronavirus restrictions and was only deepened by a massive explosion in Beirut’s port. The damage from the blast has further strained limited resources, particularly in the health sector.
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ISTANBUL- Turkey’s COVID-19 fatalities continued to rise Sunday, hitting another record with 185 new deaths.
The death toll has reached 13,558, according to health ministry statistics. The number of critically ill patients has climbed over 5,000.
The ministry said 29,281 people had tested positive in the past 24 hours. The Turkish government resumed reporting all positive cases this week after only reporting symptomatic patients for four months.
Nighttime curfews over the weekend are in effect for a second week across the country but media reports show packed public spaces during the day.
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ATHENS, Greece - Greek authorities announced 1,193 new coronavirus cases Sunday, a significantly lower daily figure than recently.
The total number of cases since the pandemic began is 104,227.
There were also 98 deaths over the past day, pushing the total number of fatalities to 2,321.
Despite the drop, the public health system remained close to capacity, as far as the number of specialized intensive care units go. There are 603 patients on ventilators, authorities said.
In the northern city of Thessaloniki, where most of the new cases have occurred recently, patients are now being transferred to private clinics requisitioned for the purpose. The first transfers took place Sunday.
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BERLIN - Austria’s defense minister has tested positive for the new coronavirus, becoming the second member of the country’s Cabinet to be infected.
The Austria Press Agency reported that her ministry said Sunday Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner is doing well and will work from home. She had already been in quarantine for 10 days because she had been in contact with another person who tested positive.
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg tested positive for the virus in mid-October and returned to his ministry later that month after showing no symptoms.
Austria on Nov. 17 deepened lockdown measures in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. They are due to run though Dec. 6.
Infection rates have declined in the Alpine country, but Chancellor Sebastian Kurz cautioned in an interview with Sunday’s edition of the Kleine Zeitung newspaper that Austrians will still have to live with “massive restrictions” after that.
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ROME - For a second straight day, the number of additional deaths of COVID-19 patients dropped considerably in Italy, according to Health Ministry statistics released Sunday.
Also lower were the number of beds occupied by hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
There were 541 deaths of persons with confirmed coronavirus infections since Saturday, compared to 686 on the previous day and 827 on the day before that.
Since the pandemic began, Italy has tallied 54,904 known deaths. Daily new caseload numbers also dropped considerably – 20,648 on Sunday, compared to 26,323 on Saturday — but as often happens on weekends, there were far fewer COVID-19 swab tests performed since the previous day. Italy’s total of confirmed cases in the pandemic rose to 1,585,178.
Doctors and other health experts are urging the Italian government to maintain most of the current anti-COVID-19 restrictions in the run-up before Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. They fear that crowds of travelers, shoppers and revelers would trigger another surge in contagion.
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HONOLULU — A group of Hawaii leaders launched a campaign Sunday to promote the islands as an appealing location for a remote office with a view.
Now that many companies, especially in the tech industry, allow employees to work from anywhere during the pandemic, they hope Hawaii will be alluring.
They’re also throwing in roundtrip tickets to Honolulu for the first 50 approved applicants.
Some say high-paid workers will bolster an economy decimated by dramatically fewer tourists.
Others worry what those with Silicon Valley money will mean for housing, especially when there’s already a crunch for affordable places to live.
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PRAGUE - The Czech government said Sunday it is easing measures imposed to contain the new coronavirus due to falling numbers of new confirmed cases.
Health Minister Jan Blatny said all stores, restaurants and bars can reopen on Thursday and a ban on Sunday sales is lifted.
Restaurants can be open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., though they are limited to 50% of their capacity. Stores and shopping centers also must limit the number of customers.
Hair salons, fitness centers and gyms are allowed to reopen, as are zoos, museums and galleries.
The Czech Republic was among the hardest hit by a new wave of infections in the fall, but the number of new cases has been on a decline since Nov 4.
The country of almost 10.7 million had 518,649 confirmed cases with 8,054 fatalities. The day-to-day increase of new cases reached 2,667 on Saturday.
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PARIS - France’s highest administrative court on Sunday ordered a rethink of a 30-person attendance limit for religious services put in place by the government to slow down the spread of coronavirus.
The measure took effect this weekend as France relaxes some virus restrictions, but it faced opposition by places of worship and the faithful who called it arbitrary and unreasonable. Even before the ruling, several bishops had announced they would not enforce the restrictions and some churches were expected defy it.
The Council of State has ordered that Prime Minister Jean Castex modify the measure within three days.
French churches, mosques and synagogues started opening their doors again to worshippers this weekend - but only a few of them, as France cautiously starts reopening after its latest virus lockdown.
Many people expressed irritation outside several Paris churches where priests held services for groups that numbered over 30.
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BAGHDAD - Iraq has reopened its schools amid a raging pandemic that has claimed more than 12,000 lives across the country, with kids returning to socially-distanced classrooms and other safety measures Sunday.
Students will be attending school only one day per week according to a rotation system meant to prevent crowding and the spread of the new coronavirus, according to the Education Ministry.
Iraq, like much of the rest of the world, has resorted to distance learning after schools closed in February due to the virus outbreak. But online education is out of reach for many in a country with poor infrastructure that has suffered decades of war.
Iraq has the second-highest outbreak and number of deaths in the Middle East region after Iran, with more than 500,000 confirmed cases, according to Health Ministry figures.
Daily infection rates average 2,400 cases per day - a slower rate than in previous weeks - but health workers say the number may be higher as many Iraqis with symptoms choose to stay home and avoid hospitals to get tested.
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ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has recorded 43 more deaths and 2,829 new COVID-19 cases.
With the new figures, Pakistan’s tally of COVID-19 deaths is now 7,985.
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HONG KONG - Hong Kong has reported 115 new coronavirus infections, the first time it has seen cases in the triple digits since Aug. 2.
The government on Sunday also announced that classes at kindergarten, primary and secondary schools will be shut for the rest of the year in light of the worsening coronavirus situation in the city.
Of the 115 infections reported Sunday, 24 were untraceable. Another 62 were linked to recent outbreaks in dance studios across the city, taking the total number of infections in that cluster to 479, health officials said.
Employees and recent guests at three restaurants in the city have also been ordered to undergo compulsory testing after multiple positive cases had been linked to the venues.
Hong Kong has reported 6,239 coronavirus infections since the pandemic began, with 109 deaths.
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SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea is shutting down indoor gyms offering intense workout classes and banning year-end parties at hotels in the greater Seoul area to fight the virus.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said Sunday authorities will also ban the operation of private music institutes teaching singing and wind instruments and saunas at public bath houses in the capital area. He said fitness centers, cafes and libraries operating inside apartment complexes will also be closed. The new steps will be effective from Tuesday.
The country reported 450 new cases on Sunday. South Korea on Thursday registered more than 500 new virus cases for the first time in eight months.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Supreme Court to hear Trump's bid to remove illegal immigrants from census

The U.S. Supreme Court may not decide the fate of the presidential election , but it will take up a case Monday that could fashion what the House of Representatives looks like over the next 10 years , when it hears arguments on President Trump ’ s latest attempt to shape the census .
Mr. Trump has sought to subtract illegal immigrants out of the count of Americans that ’ s used to divvy up House seats among the states .
A series of lower courts have ruled that illegal , and the justices will now have their say .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a slam dunk rejection of Mr. Trump , just as the lower judges have done .
“ The legal mandate is clear — every single person counts in the census , and every single person is represented in Congress , ” said Dale Ho , director of the American Civil Liberties Union ’ s voting rights project .
The administration , though , says the law is not so clear , and Congress has left the president with discretion to shape the count he provides to lawmakers that ’ s used to apportion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is premature , wrote acting Solicitor General Jefrey B .
Wall .
He said the Census Bureau is still trying to figure out how many illegal aliens it can identify and exclude , which makes all the complaints about changing apportionment speculative .
“ The court can decide these questions after apportionment , if they even arise , ” Mr. Wall wrote in the government ’ s final brief before Monday ’ s hearing .
The 2020 census count ended Oct. 15 , though several attempts are in the works to restart it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic caused too many people to be missed .
Mr. Trump , in an executive order over the summer , ordered the Census Bureau to produce two numbers out of the count .
The first is the usual count of all residents .
For the second , he asked the bureau to try to subtract out illegal immigrants , and he wants that to be the number submitted to Congress for apportionment of the House ’ s 435 seats .
Even if Mr. Trump prevails legally , it ’ s not clear what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out how to exclude illegal immigrants is tricky .
The government said in its legal briefs that it will try to use other government data to exclude people .
It will be relatively easy to subtract out people who were being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on April 1 , which was the day the census is pegged to .
But that ’ s only a few tens of thousands .
Getting at the more than 10 million others believed to be in the U.S. is more trouble .
Conservatives have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divvying up House seats , saying it gives more political power to illegal immigrant-friendly states , at the expense of others .
The Center for Immigration Studies , for example , calculates that three seats would shift depending on whether the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants are excluded .
If counted , California , Texas and New York would end up with the seats .
If excluded , those seats would go to Ohio , Alabama and Minnesota .
It may be that the entire issue gets taken out of Mr. Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether they ’ ll be able to firm up a count by the end of the year or early January .
Should that date slip past Jan. 20 , it would be presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden in charge , and he could squelch the extra count .
Mr. Trump saw a previous attempt to shape the census swatted down by the justices last year .
In that case , he had tried to shoehorn a question about citizenship into the 2020 count .
Led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that while the administration has the power to ask about citizenship on the census — indeed , it was done up until 1950 on the full count and is still done on smaller census surveys — the president ’ s team bungled the process .
But the justices did step in earlier this fall to side with the administration on the timing of completing this year ’ s census count .
A lower court judge had ordered the counting to continue through the end of October , a month longer than the law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a coronavirus pause in counting earlier this year .
The Supreme Court lifted that order , allowing the in-person count to stop Oct. 15 .

The U.S. Supreme Court may not decide the fate of the presidential election, but it will take up a case Monday that could fashion what the House of Representatives looks like over the next 10 years, when it hears arguments on President Trump’s latest attempt to shape the census.
Mr. Trump has sought to subtract illegal immigrants out of the count of Americans that’s used to divvy up House seats among the states. A series of lower courts have ruled that illegal, and the justices will now have their say.
Voting-rights advocates say the case should be a slam dunk rejection of Mr. Trump, just as the lower judges have done.
“The legal mandate is clear — every single person counts in the census, and every single person is represented in Congress,” said Dale Ho, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s voting rights project.
The administration, though, says the law is not so clear, and Congress has left the president with discretion to shape the count he provides to lawmakers that’s used to apportion the seats.
Besides, the challenge is premature, wrote acting Solicitor General Jefrey B. Wall. He said the Census Bureau is still trying to figure out how many illegal aliens it can identify and exclude, which makes all the complaints about changing apportionment speculative.
“The court can decide these questions after apportionment, if they even arise,” Mr. Wall wrote in the government’s final brief before Monday’s hearing.
The 2020 census count ended Oct. 15, though several attempts are in the works to restart it, given questions about whether the coronavirus pandemic caused too many people to be missed.
Mr. Trump, in an executive order over the summer, ordered the Census Bureau to produce two numbers out of the count.
The first is the usual count of all residents. For the second, he asked the bureau to try to subtract out illegal immigrants, and he wants that to be the number submitted to Congress for apportionment of the House’s 435 seats.
Even if Mr. Trump prevails legally, it’s not clear what the Census Bureau will produce. Figuring out how to exclude illegal immigrants is tricky.
The government said in its legal briefs that it will try to use other government data to exclude people.
It will be relatively easy to subtract out people who were being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on April 1, which was the day the census is pegged to. But that’s only a few tens of thousands. Getting at the more than 10 million others believed to be in the U.S. is more trouble.
Conservatives have long complained about counting illegal immigrants when divvying up House seats, saying it gives more political power to illegal immigrant-friendly states, at the expense of others.
The Center for Immigration Studies, for example, calculates that three seats would shift depending on whether the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants are excluded. If counted, California, Texas and New York would end up with the seats. If excluded, those seats would go to Ohio, Alabama and Minnesota.
It may be that the entire issue gets taken out of Mr. Trump’s hands.
Census officials are wondering whether they’ll be able to firm up a count by the end of the year or early January. Should that date slip past Jan. 20, it would be presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden in charge, and he could squelch the extra count.
Mr. Trump saw a previous attempt to shape the census swatted down by the justices last year. In that case, he had tried to shoehorn a question about citizenship into the 2020 count.
Led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the court in a 5-4 ruling said that while the administration has the power to ask about citizenship on the census — indeed, it was done up until 1950 on the full count and is still done on smaller census surveys — the president’s team bungled the process.
But the justices did step in earlier this fall to side with the administration on the timing of completing this year’s census count. A lower court judge had ordered the counting to continue through the end of October, a month longer than the law says, in order to make up for a coronavirus pause in counting earlier this year. The Supreme Court lifted that order, allowing the in-person count to stop Oct. 15.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--Iranian official: Nation ready to respond to top nuclear scientist's killing

A top Iranian adviser said Sunday that Iran is prepared to respond to the recent killing of its leading nuclear scientist with “ calculated and decisive ” measures , which an influential newspaper said should include an attack on Israel .
Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was gunned down in his car on the outskirts of Tehran on Friday .
According to an account from Iran ’ s Fars news agency , Mr. Fakhrizadeh ’ s bulletproof car was shot at from an automatic remote-operated machine gun , contradicting reports that he was ambushed by a pack of gunmen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack , although Iran was quick to point fingers at Israel , which Iran believes has killed several of its nuclear scientists in the past .
“ Undoubtedly , Iran will give a calculated and decisive answer to the criminals who took Martyr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh from the Iranian nation , ” Kamal Kharrazi , a former Iranian foreign minister and head of Iran ’ s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations , said in a statement .
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Sunday slammed what he called the “ cowardice ” involved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ serious signs of Israel ’ s role.
” “ Iran calls on the world community including the EU to abandon the double standard and condemn this state terrorism , ” he tweeted .
While American and Israeli officials remain silent on the attack , a hard-line Iranian newspaper also ramped up the accusations against Israel and called on Iran to attack the Israeli port city of Haifa .
In an opinion piece published Sunday , Iran ’ s Kayhan newspaper , which has long urged Iran to aggressively respond to anti-Iran operations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facilities and cause “ heavy human casualties.
” The author of the piece , Sadollah Zarei , argued that launching a strike on Haifa “ will definitely lead to deterrence , because the United States and the Israeli regime and its agents are by no means ready to take part in a war and a military confrontation.
” While Kayhan is a small circulation newspaper , its editor-in-chief Hossein Shariatmadari was appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has been described as an adviser to him .
The Iranian parliament on Sunday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s killing .
A public session of lawmakers saw them chant : “ Death to America !
” and “ Death to Israel !
” But as Iran weighs retaliation , some former top officials are warning that the attack is going to present an increasingly difficult challenge for presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden and his intentions to return to the Iran nuclear deal , which President Trump repudiated .
Adm. Michael Mullen , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under then-Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama , told NBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sunday that the assassination “ makes it much more challenging in terms of where President-elect Biden wants to go in terms of renegotiating or making — you know , reentering into the nuclear deal specifically.
” Mr. Trump withdrew from the Obama-era pact in May 2018 and quickly reimposed sanctions that were lifted under the deal .
Mr. Biden has stated that he intends to rejoin the agreement if Iran returns to compliance .
But the former vice president has yet to make clear whether he would seek to modify the deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abandon the deal altogether .
Last week , Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Mr. Biden to not return to the deal and said during a memorial service for Israel ’ s first prime minister , David Ben-Gurion , that they “ must keep to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.
” Adm. Mullen said that Mr. Fakhrizadeh “ was at the heart of the Iranian nuclear program that has been for years not only the brains but also the passion behind it It ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you will , for that program.
” He compared the killing to the fatal January strike on Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani , and called the assassination a “ significant event.
” Soleimani ’ s death ratcheted up tensions between the U.S. and Iran , pushing the two sides to the brink of war .
“ I ’ m hopeful that President-elect Biden can actually reach in and calm the waters , ” Adm. Mullen said , “ but I think this heightens tension significantly.
” • This article is based in part @ @ @ @ @

A top Iranian adviser said Sunday that Iran is prepared to respond to the recent killing of its leading nuclear scientist with “calculated and decisive” measures, which an influential newspaper said should include an attack on Israel.
Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was gunned down in his car on the outskirts of Tehran on Friday. According to an account from Iran’s Fars news agency, Mr. Fakhrizadeh’s bulletproof car was shot at from an automatic remote-operated machine gun, contradicting reports that he was ambushed by a pack of gunmen.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, although Iran was quick to point fingers at Israel, which Iran believes has killed several of its nuclear scientists in the past.
“Undoubtedly, Iran will give a calculated and decisive answer to the criminals who took Martyr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh from the Iranian nation,” Kamal Kharrazi, a former Iranian foreign minister and head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, said in a statement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Sunday slammed what he called the “cowardice” involved in the attack and said that there are “serious signs of Israel’s role.”
“Iran calls on the world community including the EU to abandon the double standard and condemn this state terrorism,” he tweeted.
While American and Israeli officials remain silent on the attack, a hard-line Iranian newspaper also ramped up the accusations against Israel and called on Iran to attack the Israeli port city of Haifa.
In an opinion piece published Sunday, Iran’s Kayhan newspaper, which has long urged Iran to aggressively respond to anti-Iran operations, suggested that any response should destroy facilities and cause “heavy human casualties.”
The author of the piece, Sadollah Zarei, argued that launching a strike on Haifa “will definitely lead to deterrence, because the United States and the Israeli regime and its agents are by no means ready to take part in a war and a military confrontation.”
While Kayhan is a small circulation newspaper, its editor-in-chief Hossein Shariatmadari was appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and has been described as an adviser to him.
The Iranian parliament on Sunday held a closed-door hearing about Mr. Fakhrizadeh’s killing. A public session of lawmakers saw them chant: “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”
But as Iran weighs retaliation, some former top officials are warning that the attack is going to present an increasingly difficult challenge for presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden and his intentions to return to the Iran nuclear deal, which President Trump repudiated.
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under then-Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the assassination “makes it much more challenging in terms of where President-elect Biden wants to go in terms of renegotiating or making — you know, reentering into the nuclear deal specifically.”
Mr. Trump withdrew from the Obama-era pact in May 2018 and quickly reimposed sanctions that were lifted under the deal.
Mr. Biden has stated that he intends to rejoin the agreement if Iran returns to compliance. But the former vice president has yet to make clear whether he would seek to modify the deal, amid increasing pressure from Israel to abandon the deal altogether.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Mr. Biden to not return to the deal and said during a memorial service for Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, that they “must keep to an uncompromising policy to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.”
Adm. Mullen said that Mr. Fakhrizadeh “was at the heart of the Iranian nuclear program that has been for years not only the brains but also the passion behind it It’s a real, real center of gravity, if you will, for that program.”
He compared the killing to the fatal January strike on Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, and called the assassination a “significant event.” Soleimani’s death ratcheted up tensions between the U.S. and Iran, pushing the two sides to the brink of war.
“I’m hopeful that President-elect Biden can actually reach in and calm the waters,” Adm. Mullen said, “but I think this heightens tension significantly.”
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-29--China 'developing nation' status exploits benefits on trade, carbon emissions

China ‘ s status as a “ developing ” nation in the eyes of multinational institutions and agreements gives Beijing a range of benefits , including less strict carbon emission standards and softer foreign trade rules , despite its emergence as an economic and military superpower challenging U.S. dominance in Asia and beyond .
It ’ s a situation that drew outrage from President Trump over the past four years and spurred debate among foreign policy experts well before that .
Many argue that it ’ s long past time for China to graduate to the geopolitical grown-ups table and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries such as the U.S. , Japan , Germany and Singapore .
Although it remains to be seen how presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden views China ‘ s status , some are calling on the incoming administration to pick up where Mr. Trump left off by demanding that China ‘ s status and obligations better reflect reality at the World Trade Organization and other international forums and with commitments such as the Paris climate accord .
“ It is absurd and ridiculous for China to be designated as a developing country , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Studies at the American Enterprise Institute .
“ China is one of the prime movers of global markets at this point .
It distorts global trade through mass subsidization of its state-owned enterprises and through massive thefts of intellectual property .
It ’ s a major economy , not a developing economy.
” While China ‘ s gross domestic product , at an estimated $ 13.4 trillion , is just two-thirds that of the U.S. , its position as a global powerhouse has been increasingly harder to deny since 2013 , when President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Initiative .
The ambitious foreign policy program has since grown into a vast web of deals , contracts , grants and loans .
China has doled out well over $ 100 billion in infrastructure project loans to more than 100 countries that are also considered developing nations .
As a new go-to source of loans for cash-strapped countries in Southeast Asia , the Middle East , Africa , Latin America and even parts of Europe , China ‘ s communist government has emerged as the main rival to the World Bank and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the liberal economic international system that the U.S. fostered after World War II .
China also claimed developing country status in 2001 upon joining the World Trade Organization and has resisted efforts by the Trump administration to persuade other WTO members to clarify what countries deserve the designation .
Mr. Trump ‘ s frustration with China ‘ s “ developing ” status boiled over on Twitter last year , with the president tweeting : “ The WTO is BROKEN when the world ’ s RICHEST countries claim to be developing countries to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
NO more !
!
!
” Administration officials have since criticized the fact that China , as a developing country , can take advantage of longer timelines for moves such as implementing tariff reductions and can claim certain special protections for its domestic trading interests .
But determining who should or should not receive such benefits is complicated .
The Geneva-based organization ‘ s website maintains that there actually “ are no WTO definitions of ‘ developed ’ and ‘ developing ’ countries.
” It ’ s up to members to “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed ’ or ‘ developing , ’ ” the site says , although it adds that “ other members can challenge the decision of a member to make use of provisions available to developing countries.
” The Trump administration has spent recent years trying to block China from using the developing nation perks at the WTO on grounds that Beijing is a member of the Group of 20 , which includes most of the world ’ s largest economies .
“ Virtually every current economic indicator belies China ‘ s claim ” to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a memorandum to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in July 2019 .
The push has drawn fierce resistance from China .
Zhang Xiangchen , Beijing ‘ s ambassador to the WTO , accused Washington of attacking China “ without providing any cause-and-effect analysis.
” “ It is hard to see how China ‘ s development has benefited from its developing country status , ” Mr. Zhang wrote in July 2018 in response to U.S. complaints to the WTO .
“ All countries and regions join the WTO with a view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason why China has been able to make contribution to the global development is precisely because that we have achieved growth through developing our own economy , and more importantly , sharing the opportunities and benefits with the rest of the world.
” Chinese officials in particular point not to the size of their economy but to the hundreds of millions of Chinese who live in rural areas that are largely unconnected to the global economy .
Although China now has the second-highest number of billionaires after the U.S. , nominal per capital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IMF , was $ 10,582 , putting China 59th in the world , right between Costa Rica and Malaysia .
“ Like developed countries have done in the past , ” he said , “ today ’ s developing countries also need time to enhance their protection of intellectual property right , or develop their industries through strategic planning and policies.
” Communist Party stalwarts in Beijing have embraced the “ developing ” moniker .
The party ’ s Global Times newspaper appeared to brag in May that “ China remains the largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shown by the latest World Bank report ” on such matters .
The World Bank is widely regarded as setting the standard when it comes to determining whether a particular nation should or should not be characterized as developing .
But China ‘ s relationship with the bank , which was formed by the U.S. and its allies after World War II to rebuild Europe , has grown increasingly complicated in recent years .
China has had robust economic growth over the past several decades and now ranks as the World Bank ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Japan .
However , the bank , which has some $ 470 billion in assets , also counts China among its largest borrowers , with $ 14.8 billion in loans committed to Beijing since 2011 , according to Reuters .
The bank ’ s official website paints a nuanced picture of China ‘ s status .
It explains that “ today , China is an upper-middle-income country and the world ’ s second largest economy .
But its per capita income is still only about a quarter of that of high-income countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ living below the upper-middle-income poverty line of [ $ 5.50 ] a day.
” “ China also lags in labor productivity and human capital .
Income inequality has improved over the last decade but remains relatively high , ” the website says .
“ China ‘ s high growth , based on resource-intensive manufacturing , exports and low-paid labor , has largely reached its limits and has led to economic , social and environmental imbalances .
Reducing these imbalances requires shifts in the structure of the economy from low-end manufacturing to higher-end manufacturing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumption.
” Scott Kennedy , an authority on Chinese economic policy with the Center for Strategic and International Studies , suggested the situation could be explained in more basic terms .
“ China has a lot of poor people and regions , ” he said , “ but from the perspective of the global economy , it ’ s not a developing economy.
” David Malpass , appointed by President Trump last year to lead the World Bank for a term that will carry until 2024 , has pushed the bank to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital contributions from Beijing .
He has also pushed China to join Western nations in forgiving or rescheduling debts this year because of the global economic shutdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic .
Mr. Malpass , who has also criticized the lack of transparency in China ‘ s Belt and Road Initiative loans to poorer countries , told reporters in April 2019 that he seeks a “ constructive relationship with China ” and that Beijing ‘ s role should be “ evolving from one where it was a major borrower from the World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the loans from the World Bank — to one where now it will be a much smaller borrower.
” There are indications that China ‘ s status is a subject of intense debate inside the World Bank and other global institutions .
“ This claim that the Chinese are somehow benefiting by being characterized as a ‘ developing ’ country is not really substantiated by data , ” said one bank official , who spoke on the condition of anonymity .
“ Also , there is a strong sense that China doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way .
Beijing would rather rid itself of the designation , as it wants to be viewed as a global economic powerhouse , not a developing country.
” Others say the Chinese are bluntly gaming the system to expedite its rise as an economic challenger to the U.S. “ It ’ s outrageous that Beijing , with its ‘ developing ’ country status , has been allowed to borrow money from the bank at very low interest and then turn around and , through its own expanding Belt and Road Initiative , offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poorer countries in places like Africa , ” said a former bank official who also spoke on the condition of anonymity .
“ How is that in any way fair ?
” asked the former official , who envisioned a situation in which strapped countries unable to repay China would turn to the World Bank for help .
Although that situation is only hypothetical , the former official said , the Chinese government would have no qualms about quietly profiting from such circumstances .
Analysts generally agree , meanwhile , that China is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ China , like any other country , wants to use the tools it has available to it to get the best deals possible in international treaties , negotiations and commitments , ” said Devin T. Stewart , a senior fellow at the New York-based Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs .
“ China can also benefit by using the ‘ developing ’ country classification rhetorically , ” Mr. Stewart said .
Beijing can “ use it as an excuse to deflect international criticism , whether it ’ s on health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things that are consistent with the responsibilities of rich countries.
” Some argue that the incoming Biden administration would be wise to pounce on the issue .
Although the Biden transition team did not respond to a request for an on-record comment , a member of the team told The Washington Times that Mr. Biden ‘ s national security advisers are “ well aware of the debate ” on China ‘ s status at the WTO and the World Bank .
Mr. Blumenthal , meanwhile , argued that the Biden administration should use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not hide behind its “ developing country ” status to avoid helping other nations recover from the crisis .
“ This is not hypothetical , but forget the official rules for a second , ” Mr. Blumenthal said .
“ The U.S. during the coming months is going to undertake a global COVID recovery leadership program that will involve organizing countries around the world to provide debt forgiveness and debt relief stimulus to truly developing nations in need.
” “ China should not be allowed to just wiggle out of that by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second .
We ’ re designated as a developing country too , ’ ” he said .
“ If China starts to balk at getting together with the advanced industrial economies to provide debt relief in Africa or Southeast Asia or Latin America , the Biden administration should say , ‘ Absolutely not .
You , China , provided a lot of loans and a lot of credit for your own purposes , and this is something we ’ re going to do together — and that designation isn ’ t going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

China’s status as a “developing” nation in the eyes of multinational institutions and agreements gives Beijing a range of benefits, including less strict carbon emission standards and softer foreign trade rules, despite its emergence as an economic and military superpower challenging U.S. dominance in Asia and beyond.
It’s a situation that drew outrage from President Trump over the past four years and spurred debate among foreign policy experts well before that. Many argue that it’s long past time for China to graduate to the geopolitical grown-ups table and play by the same rules as developed countries such as the U.S., Japan, Germany and Singapore.
Although it remains to be seen how presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden views China’s status, some are calling on the incoming administration to pick up where Mr. Trump left off by demanding that China’s status and obligations better reflect reality at the World Trade Organization and other international forums and with commitments such as the Paris climate accord.
“It is absurd and ridiculous for China to be designated as a developing country,” said Dan Blumenthal, director of Asian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. “China is one of the prime movers of global markets at this point. It distorts global trade through mass subsidization of its state-owned enterprises and through massive thefts of intellectual property. It’s a major economy, not a developing economy.”
While China’s gross domestic product, at an estimated $13.4 trillion, is just two-thirds that of the U.S., its position as a global powerhouse has been increasingly harder to deny since 2013, when President Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road Initiative. The ambitious foreign policy program has since grown into a vast web of deals, contracts, grants and loans. China has doled out well over $100 billion in infrastructure project loans to more than 100 countries that are also considered developing nations.
As a new go-to source of loans for cash-strapped countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and even parts of Europe, China’s communist government has emerged as the main rival to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the Washington-based pillars of the liberal economic international system that the U.S. fostered after World War II.
China also claimed developing country status in 2001 upon joining the World Trade Organization and has resisted efforts by the Trump administration to persuade other WTO members to clarify what countries deserve the designation.
Cheating the WTO?
Mr. Trump’s frustration with China’s “developing” status boiled over on Twitter last year, with the president tweeting: “The WTO is BROKEN when the world’s RICHEST countries claim to be developing countries to avoid WTO rules and get special treatment. NO more!!!”
Administration officials have since criticized the fact that China, as a developing country, can take advantage of longer timelines for moves such as implementing tariff reductions and can claim certain special protections for its domestic trading interests.
But determining who should or should not receive such benefits is complicated.
The Geneva-based organization’s website maintains that there actually “are no WTO definitions of ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries.” It’s up to members to “announce for themselves whether they are ‘developed’ or ‘developing,’” the site says, although it adds that “other members can challenge the decision of a member to make use of provisions available to developing countries.”
The Trump administration has spent recent years trying to block China from using the developing nation perks at the WTO on grounds that Beijing is a member of the Group of 20, which includes most of the world’s largest economies.
“Virtually every current economic indicator belies China’s claim” to developing nation status, Mr. Trump wrote in a memorandum to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in July 2019.
The push has drawn fierce resistance from China.
Zhang Xiangchen, Beijing’s ambassador to the WTO, accused Washington of attacking China “without providing any cause-and-effect analysis.”
“It is hard to see how China’s development has benefited from its developing country status,” Mr. Zhang wrote in July 2018 in response to U.S. complaints to the WTO. “All countries and regions join the WTO with a view to developing their economies. … The reason why China has been able to make contribution to the global development is precisely because that we have achieved growth through developing our own economy, and more importantly, sharing the opportunities and benefits with the rest of the world.”
Chinese officials in particular point not to the size of their economy but to the hundreds of millions of Chinese who live in rural areas that are largely unconnected to the global economy. Although China now has the second-highest number of billionaires after the U.S., nominal per capital GDP is China, according to the IMF, was $10,582, putting China 59th in the world, right between Costa Rica and Malaysia.
“Like developed countries have done in the past,” he said, “today’s developing countries also need time to enhance their protection of intellectual property right, or develop their industries through strategic planning and policies.”
Communist Party stalwarts in Beijing have embraced the “developing” moniker. The party’s Global Times newspaper appeared to brag in May that “China remains the largest developing country in the world, as shown by the latest World Bank report” on such matters.
Debate at the World Bank
The World Bank is widely regarded as setting the standard when it comes to determining whether a particular nation should or should not be characterized as developing.
But China’s relationship with the bank, which was formed by the U.S. and its allies after World War II to rebuild Europe, has grown increasingly complicated in recent years.
China has had robust economic growth over the past several decades and now ranks as the World Bank’s third-largest shareholder after the United States and Japan. However, the bank, which has some $470 billion in assets, also counts China among its largest borrowers, with $14.8 billion in loans committed to Beijing since 2011, according to Reuters.
The bank’s official website paints a nuanced picture of China’s status. It explains that “today, China is an upper-middle-income country and the world’s second largest economy. But its per capita income is still only about a quarter of that of high-income countries, and about 373 million Chinese are living below the upper-middle-income poverty line of [$5.50] a day.”
“China also lags in labor productivity and human capital. Income inequality has improved over the last decade but remains relatively high,” the website says. “China’s high growth, based on resource-intensive manufacturing, exports and low-paid labor, has largely reached its limits and has led to economic, social and environmental imbalances. Reducing these imbalances requires shifts in the structure of the economy from low-end manufacturing to higher-end manufacturing and services, and from investment to consumption.”
Scott Kennedy, an authority on Chinese economic policy with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, suggested the situation could be explained in more basic terms. “China has a lot of poor people and regions,” he said, “but from the perspective of the global economy, it’s not a developing economy.”
David Malpass, appointed by President Trump last year to lead the World Bank for a term that will carry until 2024, has pushed the bank to stop its lending to China and seek increased capital contributions from Beijing. He has also pushed China to join Western nations in forgiving or rescheduling debts this year because of the global economic shutdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Malpass, who has also criticized the lack of transparency in China’s Belt and Road Initiative loans to poorer countries, told reporters in April 2019 that he seeks a “constructive relationship with China” and that Beijing’s role should be “evolving from one where it was a major borrower from the World Bank — and I hope benefited from the loans from the World Bank — to one where now it will be a much smaller borrower.”
There are indications that China’s status is a subject of intense debate inside the World Bank and other global institutions.
“This claim that the Chinese are somehow benefiting by being characterized as a ‘developing’ country is not really substantiated by data,” said one bank official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Also, there is a strong sense that China doesn’t actually want to be labeled this way. Beijing would rather rid itself of the designation, as it wants to be viewed as a global economic powerhouse, not a developing country.”
‘Outrageous’
Others say the Chinese are bluntly gaming the system to expedite its rise as an economic challenger to the U.S.
“It’s outrageous that Beijing, with its ‘developing’ country status, has been allowed to borrow money from the bank at very low interest and then turn around and, through its own expanding Belt and Road Initiative, offer up its high interest Chinese loans to poorer countries in places like Africa,” said a former bank official who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“How is that in any way fair?” asked the former official, who envisioned a situation in which strapped countries unable to repay China would turn to the World Bank for help. Although that situation is only hypothetical, the former official said, the Chinese government would have no qualms about quietly profiting from such circumstances.
Analysts generally agree, meanwhile, that China is exploiting its “developing” country status.
“China, like any other country, wants to use the tools it has available to it to get the best deals possible in international treaties, negotiations and commitments,” said Devin T. Stewart, a senior fellow at the New York-based Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.
“China can also benefit by using the ‘developing’ country classification rhetorically,” Mr. Stewart said. Beijing can “use it as an excuse to deflect international criticism, whether it’s on health issues or intellectual property protections or other things that are consistent with the responsibilities of rich countries.”
Some argue that the incoming Biden administration would be wise to pounce on the issue.
Although the Biden transition team did not respond to a request for an on-record comment, a member of the team told The Washington Times that Mr. Biden’s national security advisers are “well aware of the debate” on China’s status at the WTO and the World Bank.
Mr. Blumenthal, meanwhile, argued that the Biden administration should use the COVID-19 crisis to make sure Beijing does not hide behind its “developing country” status to avoid helping other nations recover from the crisis.
“This is not hypothetical, but forget the official rules for a second,” Mr. Blumenthal said. “The U.S. during the coming months is going to undertake a global COVID recovery leadership program that will involve organizing countries around the world to provide debt forgiveness and debt relief stimulus to truly developing nations in need.”
“China should not be allowed to just wiggle out of that by saying, ‘Well, wait a second. We’re designated as a developing country too,’” he said. “If China starts to balk at getting together with the advanced industrial economies to provide debt relief in Africa or Southeast Asia or Latin America, the Biden administration should say, ‘Absolutely not. You, China, provided a lot of loans and a lot of credit for your own purposes, and this is something we’re going to do together — and that designation isn’t going to get you out of it.’”
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.