Tag: East Asia

Taiwan President-elect: US military aid package strengthens deterrence against authoritarianism 

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Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te says the U.S. House of Representatives passage over the weekend of an $8 billion military aid package to counter China’s influence will “strengthen deterrence against authoritarianism” and “boost confidence in the region.” The U.S. House of Representatives approved a $95 billion joint aid bill Saturday that included money for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. That bill is set to be voted on in the U.S. Senate Tuesday. In addition to the $8 billion for Taiwan, another $1.9 billion in the bill is allocated to replenishing U.S. weapons…

Amid China tensions, India delivers supersonic cruise missiles to Philippines 

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New Delhi —  India has begun delivery of supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines as the two countries tighten defense and strategic ties amid rising tensions between the East Asian nation and China over maritime disputes in the South China Sea. The BrahMos missiles are being acquired by the Philippines under a $ 375 million deal signed in 2022. “Now we are also exporting BrahMos missiles. The first batch of this missile is going to the Philippines today,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday at an election rally. India…

German prosecutors accuse aide to European lawmaker of spying for China

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German prosecutors said Tuesday that an aide to a German lawmaker in the European Parliament had been arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Prosecutors identified the man only as Jian G., in line with German privacy laws, and said he repeatedly passed information about European Parliament negotiations to a Chinese intelligence service. The man also spied on Chinese opposition figures in Germany, prosecutors said. China’s foreign ministry said Tuesday the allegation is an attempt to “smear and suppress China and to destroy the atmosphere of cooperation between China and…

China ups pressure on Taiwan, opens new air routes

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Taipei, Taiwan —  Analysts say China’s recent opening of two new air routes, with flight paths near two outlying islands controlled by Taiwan, is but the latest move in a broad campaign Beijing has rolled out ahead of the inauguration of Taiwan’s president-elect, Lai Ching-te. Lai, a member of Taiwan’s pro-sovereignty Democratic Progress Party, was elected in January and will be sworn into office on May 20. Su Tzu-yun, a military analyst at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, says Beijing has been using a combination of…

Chinese general takes harsh line on Taiwan, other disputes at international naval gathering

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QINGDAO, China —  One of China’s top military leaders took a harsh line on regional territorial disputes, telling an international naval gathering in northeastern China on Monday that the country would strike back with force if its interests came under threat. The 19th biennial meeting of the Western Pacific Naval Symposium opened in the port city of Qingdao, where China’s northern naval force is based, providing a vivid backdrop to China’s massive military expansion over the past two decades that has seen it build or refurbish three aircraft carriers. The…

China’s ambassador to Canada leaves his post

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China’s ambassador to Canada has left his post and returned to China, a source familiar with the matter said Sunday, with the news emerging during a senior Canadian diplomat’s visit to the Asian nation. Further details into why Cong Peiwu, who has served since 2019, left his post were not immediately available. The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China’s foreign ministry said earlier that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu held talks with visiting Canadian Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison and the…

Flooding expected in China’s Guangdong, threatening millions

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BEIJING —  Major rivers, waterways and reservoirs in China’s Guangdong province are threatening to unleash dangerous floods, forcing the government Sunday to enact emergency response plans to protect more than 127 million people. Calling the situation “grim,” local weather officials said sections of rivers and tributaries at the Xijiang and Beijiang river basins are hitting water levels in a rare spike that only has a one-in-50 chance of happening in any given year, state broadcaster CCTV news said Sunday. China’s water resource ministry issued an emergency advisory, CCTV reported. Guangdong…

Pakistan protests ‘erroneous’ US sanctions on Chinese firms over missile program allegations

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Islamabad —  Pakistan criticized the United States on Saturday for penalizing four international companies on charges they are aiding its ballistic missile program. “Pakistan rejects political use of export controls,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch. The reaction came a day after Washington imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies and one Belarus-based firm for their alleged links to Islamabad’s missile development program. “These entities have supplied missile‐applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, including its long-range missile program,” the U.S. State Department said on Friday. It noted that the…

Blinken returns to China next week amid ongoing tensions, with no breakthrough expected

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State Department —  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to China April 24 through 26 for talks with senior officials in Shanghai and Beijing. Blinken’s second trip to China comes as the United States warns it against enabling Russia in its war on Ukraine, with Chinese firms directly supplying critical components for Russia’s defense industrial base. Other pressing matters on the agenda include counternarcotics, bolstering military-to-military communication, establishing talks on artificial intelligence risks and safety, and exploring ways to strengthen people-to-people ties, according to the State Department. A…