Ukraine is seeking an opportunity to speak “directly” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to help end its war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday. In an interview with SCMP, the Ukrainian leader urged China to use its outsize political and economic influence over Russia to bring an end to the fighting. “It’s a very powerful state. It’s a powerful economy … So (it) can politically, economically influence Russia. And China is [also a] permanent member of the UN Security Council,” the report quoted Zelenskiy as saying. Meanwhile, Zelensky told Australian university students that China must not help Russia in its war against his homeland and remain at least neutral. Zelenskyy addressed 21 Australian universities Wednesday in an online discussion hosted by the Australian National University in Canberra. Questioned by a student about Chinas stance, Zelenskyy said he would prefer Beijing join countries including the United … [Read more...] about ‘It’s a Very Powerful State’: Zelensky Seeks Direct Talks With China’s Xi to Help ‘End War With Russia’
China x russia
Kremlin Calls Military Drills Around Taiwan ‘China’s Sovereign Right’, Says Pelosi Visit ‘Unnecessary’
The Kremlin said on Thursday that China had the sovereign right to hold major military drills around Taiwan and accused the United States of artificially fuelling tensions in the region. China fired multiple missiles around Taiwan on Thursday as it launched unprecedented military drills a day after a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the self-ruled island that Beijing regards as its sovereign territory. Asked about China’s drills, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “This is China’s sovereign right.” “The tension in the region and around Taiwan was provoked… by the visit of Nancy Pelosi,” Peskov told reporters on a conference call. “It was an absolutely unnecessary visit and an unnecessary provocation.” Read the Latest News and Breaking News here … [Read more...] about Kremlin Calls Military Drills Around Taiwan ‘China’s Sovereign Right’, Says Pelosi Visit ‘Unnecessary’
Russia warns U.S. against ‘provocative’ moves toward China
The Kremlin on Friday offered strong support to China amid the tensions over Taiwan, warning the United States against any “provocative" moves that could exacerbate the situation. Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against meddling in China’s dealings with Taiwan during a phone call on Thursday with U.S. President Joe Biden, Speaking in a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia staunchly supports China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We believe that no other country has the right to call (that) into doubt or take any provocative steps,” Peskov said. He warned the U.S. against “destructive” moves, adding that “such behavior on the international arena could only exacerbate tensions as the world is already overloaded with regional and global problems.” The tough statement reflects close ties between Moscow and Beijing, which have grown stronger since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. China has refused to criticize Russia’s … [Read more...] about Russia warns U.S. against ‘provocative’ moves toward China
Taiwan vows army will “stick to its posts” during China’s war games
Taiwan 's military said it would respond rationally to a series of Chinese war games scheduled to begin on Thursday, a day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other U.S. lawmakers conclude a historic trip to the island that has drawn protests from Beijing. Within minutes of Pelosi's arrival in Taipei late on Tuesday local time, China's official news service Xinhua published a map showing planned military drills in six locations surrounding Taiwan, including in its territorial waters. One zone was marked only 9 nautical miles off the island's southwest coast. The exercises, which are scheduled to end on Sunday, represent what could be the largest escalation in tensions in nearly 30 years, since the third Taiwan Strait crisis of 1995 and 1996, when Chinese amphibious forces drilled in three locations off the mainland coast and fired missiles near major Taiwanese ports. Sun Li-fang, a spokesperson for Taiwan's Defense Ministry, described Beijing's announcement as … [Read more...] about Taiwan vows army will “stick to its posts” during China’s war games
South Korea urges China-Taiwan Peace as Pelosi arrives, North backs China
As U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Seoul directly from Taiwan, the disputed island claimed by China, South Korea called for calm across the Taiwan Strait, while North Korea backed its longtime ally Beijing. "As a regional country, we hope that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait will continue, and that cross-strait relations will develop peacefully through dialogue and cooperation," a South Korean Foreign Ministry official told Newsweek . Like the United States, South Korea broke off official relations with Taiwan to establish ties with China, though it did so only 30 years ago. The U.S. made the switch in 1979, and continues to back Taiwan through political contacts and military support that have expanded in recent years. Seoul also maintains informal ties with Taipei, but has also invested heavily in its relationship with Beijing, which is Seoul's top trading partner. Unlike in her previous Asia tour stops in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan, Pelosi was … [Read more...] about South Korea urges China-Taiwan Peace as Pelosi arrives, North backs China
Hayward – Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit Shows Politicians Can No Longer Ignore Americans’ Concerns About China
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) visit to Taiwan, completed in defiance of belligerent threats from the hideous regime in Beijing, drew genuine bipartisan support from U.S. lawmakers and voters alike. Even in a time of deep political divisions, with a potentially earthshaking midterm election coming up, Americans are united in their concerns about the new Evil Empire and its malignant influence upon the freedom, health, and security of the Western world. A considerable number of sitting Republican legislators and former Trump administration officials expressed public support for Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. The GOP caucus was far more vocally supportive of Pelosi than the perpetually befuddled Biden administration, even though President Joe Biden ostensibly campaigned on standing up to Communist China. “What is the Pentagon thinking when it publicly warns against Speaker Pelosi going to Taiwan? If we are so intimidated by the Chinese Communists we can’t even protect … [Read more...] about Hayward – Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit Shows Politicians Can No Longer Ignore Americans’ Concerns About China
China-Southeast Asia Relations: Seeking Reassurances Amid Growing Uncertainties
The fast-growing US-China tensions are driving Beijing to exchange reassurances with its Southeast Asian neighbours. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s 10-day visit to Southeast Asia earlier this month, closely followed by the recently concluded visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to China, are noteworthy developments in that regard. President Jokowi’s China visit, which he smartly clubbed with Japan and South Korea to give an impression of being non-aligned to power politics of Northeast and East Asia, has been lauded as a successful one so much so that even Najib Razak, former Malaysian PM, praised Jokowi’s diplomatic moves, especially in terms of engaging China. Najib’s praise for Jokowi has a political hint attached with it targeting the current Malaysian government. Often considered primus inter pares in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, Indonesia has been striving to maximise the gains of its middle power diplomacy, albeit the ground reality, … [Read more...] about China-Southeast Asia Relations: Seeking Reassurances Amid Growing Uncertainties
China emphasizes ties with Southeast Asia in Cambodia meet
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed his country's efforts to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian nations at a meeting on Thursday with their foreign ministers, which came as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in the region. Wang's talks with top diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were held amid high tensions in the region, following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which has infuriated Beijing. The group issued a strong statement earlier in the day, urging both the U.S. and China to show “maximum restraint” in the wake of the visit and “refrain from provocative action.” China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as its territory and opposes any engagement by Taiwanese officials with foreign governments. In his opening remarks, Wang did not mention the situation but instead stressed how China and the ASEAN countries had strengthened cooperation in recent years. “We have safeguarded the oasis of peace in the face of the … [Read more...] about China emphasizes ties with Southeast Asia in Cambodia meet
Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit: Time to Counter China’s Extravagant and Illegal Territorial Claims
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan can be analysed from various angles: her longstanding campaign against China’s suppression of human freedoms, its conduct in the western Pacific, its challenge to US global power, Taiwan as a vital part of the first island chain that curbs China’s maritime expansionism, the critical importance of its semi-conductor industry, giving confidence to its East Asian allies about US commitment to the security of the region, the credibility of its Indo-Pacific strategy and, not the least, to warn China against taking advantage of the conflict in Europe to apply military pressure on Taiwan in pursuance of its reunification agenda. It would not be entirely right to treat Pelosi’s Taiwan visit as her personal initiative, as an extension of her long record of targeting China on human rights issues, in particular her support for the Dalai Lama and Tibetan rights. The separation of powers in the US can be cited to explain why the … [Read more...] about Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit: Time to Counter China’s Extravagant and Illegal Territorial Claims
It’s not just Pelosi. Why are the U.S. and China clashing over Taiwan now? | Opinion
Taiwan has always been a potential flashpoint between the United States and the People's Republic of China, but as Beijing kicks off live-fire exercises following Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's departure from the island , it is worth considering what has changed between the U.S. and China. What is bringing matters to such an acrimonious and dangerous boil? As always, the answer isn't simple. Internal dynamics are playing a key part and warrant attention before they are allowed to precipitate a worse crisis. The war in Ukraine may also be playing a significant role. While this round of saber-rattling is unlikely to erupt immediately in war, it will likely bring with it increased economic disruption and pressurize an already-tense relationship at a particularly inopportune time, as global markets stagger, inflation surges upward, and COVID continues to ravage the globe. Beijing has long held the view that a violent invasion of Taiwan is within their rights to "reunify" … [Read more...] about It’s not just Pelosi. Why are the U.S. and China clashing over Taiwan now? | Opinion