Five thousand miles away from Ukraine, Russia’s invasion is bringing long-term questions into close and urgent focus. Concerns about Taiwan’s future have been mounting for years; in January, Beijing’s ambassador to the US said the issue could bring China and America into military conflict. China’s Communist party has regarded the self-ruled democracy as a renegade province since Chiang Kai-shek’s defeated forces fled there at the end of the civil war in 1949; Taiwan has never declared independence for fear of the reaction, but says it is already a sovereign state.…
Day: April 24, 2022
Beijing braces for rise in Covid cases amid outcry over Shanghai blockade
Authorities in Beijing are on high alert for an upsurge in coronavirus cases amid a fresh outcry in Shanghai over buildings blockaded under China’s zero Covid policy. The number of new cases in the capital rose by 22 on Sunday – all locally transmitted – compared with six the day before, according to official reports. Beijing authorities have so far not taken steps to lock down the capital, but they have ordered a number of gyms and after-school activity providers to suspend in-person classes. Health official Pang Xinghuo said preliminary…