Day: February 17, 2024

In Wake of Deaths, China Says Fishing Around Taiwanese Islands Cannot Be Restricted

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beijing —  There are no off limits or restricted areas for fishing around a group of Taiwanese islands close to China’s coast and Beijing reserves the right to take further measures after two Chinese nationals died near the islands, the government said. Taiwan on Thursday defended the actions of its coast guard after two people on a Chinese speedboat, which got too close to a frontline Taiwanese island, died when their boat overturned while trying to flee a coast guard ship. Two others survived. Taiwan, the self-governing island that China…

China’s EV suppliers look to leverage superior tech to recouple with west and drive expansion

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Chinese companies across the electric vehicle supply chain said lower costs and technological leadership would help them secure western deals despite geopolitical tensions and security concerns. Companies producing everything from EV chassis and autonomous driving software to the cobalt and nickel used in batteries are hoping to find overseas partners, despite US and European angst over the rise of China as a technological superpower. Paul Li, founder of Chinese electric vehicle parts supplier U-Power, claims working with the country’s EV sector, which is by far the world’s biggest, can mean…

China Describes Navalny Death as ‘Russia’s Internal Affair’

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beijing —  China’s foreign ministry declined to comment Saturday on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, describing it as “Russia’s internal affair.” “This is Russia’s internal affair. I will not comment,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in response to a question from AFP. Navalny, the Kremlin’s most prominent critic, died Friday in an Arctic prison, Russian officials said, a month before an election poised to extend Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hold on power. Navalny’s death after three years in detention and a poisoning that he blamed on…

Top Diplomats From US, China Hold ‘Constructive’ Talks in Germany

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MUNICH —  Top diplomats from the U.S. and China on Friday held a “candid and constructive” discussion on issues vexing their strained relations over Taiwan, the situation in the South China Sea, Russia’s war against Ukraine and synthetic opioids, the State Department said. The meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference marked the latest and highest-level meeting between the two sides since U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks late last…

US overhauls air force to meet China challenge. Will it work?

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In September last year, Kendall said the US Air Force must reorganise itself to prepare for a war with China, which has been “re-optimising its forces for great power competition and to prevail against the US in the western Pacific for over 20 years”. He added: “Our job is to deter that war and to be ready to win if it occurs.” PLA uses Microsoft mixed-reality headsets to maintain equipment, video shows The measures will see new offices and commands created to allow the major commands to focus on combat…

Jailed Former Thai Premier Thaksin to Be Released Sunday

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BANGKOK —  Jailed former Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra will be released from hospital detention Sunday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said. Billionaire political heavyweight Thaksin, 74, who was Thailand’s prime minister from 2001-2006, has been in detention since August, after making a dramatic homecoming from 15 years in self-exile overseas to avoid prison for a conflict of interest. He had his eight-year jail term commuted to a year by the king after his return and has served six months in hospital detention due to an undisclosed health condition. Thaksin was granted…

U.S. Fears Russia Might Put a Nuclear Weapon in Space

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When Russia conducted a series of secret military satellite launches around the time of its invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, American intelligence officials began delving into the mystery of what, exactly, the Russians were doing. Later, spy agencies discovered Russia was working on a new kind of space-based weapon that could threaten the thousands of satellites that keep the world connected. In recent weeks, a new warning has circulated from America’s spy agencies: Another launch may be in the works, and the question is whether Russia plans to use…

Foreign Minister Says Cutting China Out of Trade Would Be Historic Mistake

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MUNICH —  China’s foreign minister told a gathering of international security policy officials Saturday that trying to shut China out of trade in the name of avoiding dependency would be a historic mistake. Wang Yi spoke at the Munich Security Conference. Host Germany wants to avoid over-reliance on trade with an increasingly assertive China and diversify its supply of key goods in an approach it calls “de-risking.” That’s in line with the approach of other industrial powers in the Group of Seven, which has stressed that it doesn’t seek to…

Japan’s New Flagship H3 Rocket Reaches Orbit in Key Test

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TOKYO —  Japan’s flagship H3 rocket reached orbit and released two small observation satellites in a key second test following a failed debut launch last year, buoying hope for the country in the global space race. The H3 rocket blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on time Saturday morning, two days after its originally scheduled liftoff was delayed by bad weather. The rocket successfully reached orbit at an altitude of about 670 kilometers (about 420 miles) and released two satellites, said the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA. “We…

Munich Security Conference: China’s Wang Yi defends ties with Russia, warns West on Taiwan ‘red line’

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On Ukraine, Beijing’s top diplomat said China had been “working relentlessly to promote peace and peace talks”, but there were “not ripe conditions in place for parties to go back to the negotiating table”. According to Bloomberg, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was seeking to meet Wang at the Munich event to try and convince Beijing to take part in a Kyiv-backed summit on peace. 03:42 Ukraine says Russian strike killed over 50 in one of the deadliest attacks of the war Ukraine says Russian strike killed over 50 in…