rival, Sidelines an Ally, cut through the noise. staying on the sidelines could jeopardize China’s standing in the global economy

• U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on China to persuade Russia to end the war, warning that staying on the sidelines could jeopardize China’s standing in the global economy.

THE NEW NEW WORLD In Coronavirus Fight, China Sidelines an Ally: Its Own People By LI YUAN The outbreak has exposed the powerlessness of private charities, civic groups and others who could help the effort but whom the Communist Party considers rivals.

紐時：新新世界專欄：公民社會缺位，中國政府想“獨自抗疫”卻力不從心

由於物資緊缺，武漢及其周邊湖北省的醫院已連續三周向全國人民緊急求助：送更多的防護裝備來。送來的東西近在眼前，但卻令人沮喪地遙不可及。捐贈給中國紅十字會武漢分會的醫療用品在倉庫裡閒置著。試圖組織救援物資的個卻人面臨違反中國嚴格的慈善法的風險。

中國政府已向世界證明，它能封閉整個城市，能在10天裡建成一座醫院，能讓14億人在家里呆上好幾週。但卻有一個明顯的弱點：政府不能與自己的人民一起協作。這個弱點讓生命處於危險之中，並威脅到控制疫情的努力。

一直以來，中國共產黨都不信任公民社會。它懷疑任何可能對其統治構成挑戰的組織，包括大的私營企業；並一直在打壓非政府組織，如人權組織、慈善機構，以及教會和清真寺。這種公民社會的缺位使“大政府”包辦一切的傳統管理機制暴露出了腐敗、低效、官僚主義等種種問題。歡迎閱讀時報“新新世界”欄目這篇文章的中文版 。

Amy Gillett, Author of the Speak English Like an American series, on conversational English

Answered Jul 15, 2016 · Author has 56 answers and 232.5k answer views

The idiom cut through the noise means that you are able to communicate in a way that grabs people’s attention. It is often used in business to refer to ways of marketing that will help a company stand out from its competition.

The “noise” in this phrase refers to all of the promotions and advertising in today’s marketplace. In order to be “heard” through all of this noise, companies (or individuals) need to be creative in differentiating their messages so that they are heard.

sideline
tr.v. Informal, -lined, -lin·ing, -lines.
To remove or keep from active participation.