Xi Jinping tells Joe Biden not to ‘play with fire’ over Taiwan in two-hour call

The Chinese president has warned Joe Biden against “playing with fire” over Taiwan in a highly anticipated phone call that lasted more than two hours on Thursday, as tensions remain high over the House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s potential trip to the island next month. “Those who play with fire will be perished by it. It is hoped that the US will be clear-eyed about this,” Xi Jinping, according to a Chinese statement. He also urged the US to implement the three joint communiques that serve as the foundation for relations…

UN Human Rights Committee Criticizes Rulings of Hong Kong’s Top Court

Advertisement The United Nations Human Rights Committee, the official watchdog of the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), issued strong-worded concluding observations in light of Hong Kong’s human rights violations after the National Security Law (NSL) was enacted. Article 39 of the Basic Law, a constitution-like document in Hong Kong, warrants that the ICCPR and other international human rights treaties remain applicable in Hong Kong. Thus the Hong Kong government has an obligation to fulfill the requirements and recommendations of the treaty bodies. The local…