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Vice President Kamala Harris recently announced a hefty new package to boost U.S. relations with the Pacific Islands—including plans to open three embassies, develop a comprehensive U.S. strategy for the region, and increase current funding to $600 million over the next decade. The announcement, delivered during a gathering of Pacific Island leaders, comes on the heels of a series of surprise meetings between Beijing and island officials that have left the U.S. worried . At a time when most foreign affairs coverage centers on Russia's war in Ukraine or President Joe Biden 's talks with Saudi Arabia, the Pacific is quietly and quickly emerging as a critical frontier for the next diplomatic tug-of-war between great powers. Both the U.S. and China have awakened to the economic and military potential of the strategically positioned islands—a potential long obscured by the islands' small size. This awakening is made apparent by Vice President Harris' promise to island … [Read more...] about The U.S. and China want influence in the Pacific. Here’s how to earn it | Opinion

The captain of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier ordered to monitor China's military activities around Taiwan says the warship will maintain the necessary readiness to win a fight. "Everything that we do onboard 'Warship 76' is oriented towards the common understanding that not only must we sustain our combat readiness in order to prevail in conflict, but that we also have a responsibility to maintain such a consistently high level of warfighting prowess that those who would otherwise threaten peace in our region understand without any ambiguity that today is not the day they dare pick a fight," said Captain Fred Goldhammer, commanding officer of USS Ronald Reagan , also known as CVN-76. The Japan-based Seventh Fleet released Goldhammer's statement over the weekend as the Nimitz-class supercarrier continued training exercises in the waters east of Taiwan. Kurt Campbell, the White House's top Asia policy adviser, told reporters last Friday that President Joe Biden had directed … [Read more...] about U.S. carrier watched by China will maintain “warfighting prowess”: Captain

The political fallout from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's recent visit to Taiwan continued on Tuesday, as China announced new sanctions against seven Taiwanese officials and lawmakers. The newly targeted "diehard 'Taiwan independence' elements" included Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan's envoy in Washington, as well as Wellington Koo, who is national security adviser to President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan. They join Beijing's blacklist of 10 Taiwanese politicians, all but one of whom are from the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). "For some time, a small number of diehard 'Taiwan independence' elements, out of their personal interests, have gone to great lengths to collude with external forces to pursue 'independence' provocations," China 's official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a spokesperson from the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) in Beijing. "They have deliberately instigated cross-strait confrontation and recklessly undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan … [Read more...] about In a rare move, China sanctions seven Taiwanese officials

China has sanctioned seven Taiwanese officials for supporting Taiwan independence , its state media reported on August 16. The sanctions come after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this month, a move that China said had sent a wrong signal to pro-independence forces on the island. Democratically self-ruled Taiwan rejects China's claim of sovereignty. Chinese state news agency Xinhua said among those sanctioned by China's Taiwan Affairs Office are Hsiao Bi-khim, the de facto Taiwan ambassador to Washington, and Wellington Koo, Secretary-General of Taiwan's National Security Council. Politicians from Taiwan's ruling political party, Democratic Progressive Party were also sanctioned. A Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson said that those sanctioned would not be able to visit China, Hong Kong and Macau. Firms and investors related to them will also not be allowed to profit in China. The seven are in addition to Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang, Foreign … [Read more...] about China sanctions seven Taiwanese officials for supporting Taiwan independence, says Chinese state media

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 BEIJING (AP) — Unusually high temperatures and a prolonged drought are affecting large swaths of China, reducing crop yields and drinking water supplies. The lack of rain has been especially marked in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing, which encompasses a large area of mountains and rivers. State media on Tuesday reported fire trucks were delivering water to outlying villages for drinking and irrigating crops. Rainfall in Chongqing has been half of what is usually expected for the year and some smaller waterways have dried up entirely. Authorities have issued warnings of temperatures exceeding 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Many parts of China have broken records for high temperatures this year. Amid the drought, other areas of China have been hit by flash floods, underscoring the effects of climate change on the vast nation of 1.4 billion people stretching … [Read more...] about High temps, drought in China affect drinking water, crops

AFP Beijing, China   ● Mon, August 15, 2022 2022-08-15 15:20 1 c9040729547ca602062682df16f843c3 2 Asia and Pacific China,Taiwan,US,warship,military-drill,Lawmakers Free China said Monday it had organised fresh military drills around Taiwan, as a delegation of visiting United States lawmakers were set to meet the island's leader just weeks after a similar trip by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi heightened fears of conflict. The unannounced two-day trip came after Beijing sent warships, missiles and jets into the waters and skies around Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that China's leaders claim and have vowed to one day seize. The five-member congressional delegation -- led by Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts -- was due to hold a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday followed by a banquet at the foreign ministry. Their visit will focus on trade, regional security and climate change, Washington's de facto embassy in Taipei said. The bipartisan trip … [Read more...] about China conducts fresh drills around Taiwan as US lawmakers visit

A Chinese coronavirus vaccine is set to be rolled out in Turkey later this month, with some Latin American country also in line to receive COVID-19 shots developed in the East Asian nation over the coming months. On Wednesday, Turkish health minister Fahrettin Koca said his country had ordered 50 million doses of the CoronaVac vaccine produced by China's Sinovac Biotech pharmaceutical company, with the first shipment set to arrive on December 11, according to a statement. Turkish labs will assess the safety of the vaccine and initial results from Phase III clinical trials, with an emergency use authorization possible soon, he said. "If developments continue positively as we expect, Turkey would be among the first countries in the world to begin vaccinations in the early phase," Koca said. The vaccine is one of five COVID-19 shots being developed in China that are currently undergoing large-scale, Phase III clinical trials, which are typically required before regulatory … [Read more...] about China’s “vaccine diplomacy” begins as shots to be rolled out in Turkey, Latin America

A senior U.S. Navy officer described China as a "gorilla in the room" on Tuesday as he argued for pushback against Chinese military drills that would soon create a new status quo around Taiwan. Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, who commands the Seventh Fleet, said Beijing threatened busy commercial shipping lanes around Taiwan when it launched ballistic missiles earlier this month, some of which traveled over the democratically governed island, landing in its surrounding waters. The move was a stated response, which the White House has called an overreaction, to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's recent visit to Taiwan. At least five of the projectiles —Taipei said it detected 11 in total—landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone, drawing protests from the U.S. treaty ally that is also home to tens of thousands of American troops. Speaking in Singapore ahead of the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training naval exercise, commonly known as SEACAT, Thomas said: "It's very important … [Read more...] about U.S. must challenge “gorilla” China over Taiwan missile tests: Official

China will not be allowed to use the southern port of Hambantota for military purposes, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said, apparently attempting to allay fears in India and the US about China's increasing maritime presence in the strategic Indo-Pacific region. Wickremesinghe said this ahead of the arrival of a high-tech Chinese research ship, which on Tuesday docked at the Hambantota Port, which Beijing took over on a 99-year-lease as a debt swap in 2017. We do not want Hambantota to be used for military purposes, Wickremesinghe said on Sunday in an interview with the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper at the President's House in Colombo. His statement to the Japanese newspaper was apparently aimed at allaying fears in India and the United States about China's increasing maritime presence in the Indo-Pacific. The port was developed as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, but Colombo leased the port to Beijing in 2017 because it became unable to pay back the loan. … [Read more...] about China Not Allowed to Use Hambantota Port for Military Purposes: Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe

As ASEAN marks its 55th anniversary, its midyear foreign ministers’ meeting (AMM) of 3 August 2022 was as usual accompanied by two important ministerial meetings of ASEAN-centric bodies. The AMM was followed by the 12th East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers meeting and the 29th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) ministerial meeting — both on 5 August. These meetings were chaired by the current ASEAN chairman, Cambodia, through Prak Sokhonn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. India was represented by Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar had attended the ASEAN-India meeting on 3 August. The ASEAN Regional Forum in this set of meetings is most important because it meets only at the ministerial level. The EAS FMs report into the EAS summit which is held along with the ASEAN summit in November annually. The ARF is mainly a security-related institution and … [Read more...] about The Taiwan Tangle: How US-China Tensions Have Pushed ASEAN into A Corner