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SEOUL, May 27, 2024 (AFP) – Leaders from South Korea, China and Japan reaffirmed their goal of a denuclearised Korean peninsula Monday, during a rare summit at which they also agreed to deepen trade ties. The summit brought together South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul for the countries’ first trilateral talks in nearly five years, partly due to the pandemic but also to […]
SEOUL, May 26, 2024 (AFP) – The premiers of China and Japan arrived in Seoul Sunday for their first trilateral summit in five years, which is expected to focus on economic issues rather than sensitive geopolitics. There are low expectations of any major announcements or breakthroughs at the trilateral meeting Monday, but the leaders have expressed hopes it could help revitalise three-way diplomacy and ease regional tensions. On Sunday afternoon, South Korean President Yoon Suk […]
By Dene-Hern CHEN TAIPEI, May 26, 2024 (AFP) – Taiwan’s new president said Sunday he was still ready to work with China, despite this week’s military drills around the self-ruled island. Three days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in, Chinese warships and fighter jets encircled Taiwan in drills that China said were a test of its ability to seize the island. During the two-day drills, China vowed that “independence forces” would be left “with their […]
WASHINGTON, May 25, 2024 (AFP) – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet his Chinese counterpart, the Pentagon announced Friday, after Beijing carried out war games around Taiwan in a sign to the US-backed democracy’s new leader. The Pentagon said that Austin would meet Chinese Admiral Dong Jun when they attend the May 31-June 2 Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual gathering of defense officials around the world. China this week encircled Taiwan with warships and fighter […]
By Ludovic EHRET and Glenda KWEK in Beijing, with Amber WANG in Taipei BEIJING, May 25, 2024 (AFP) – China has ended two days of military drills around Taiwan that saw jets loaded with live munitions and warships practise seizing and isolating the self-ruled island. The exercises simulated strikes targeting Taiwan’s leaders as well as its ports and airports to “cut off the island’s ‘blood vessels’”, Chinese military analysts told state media. Beijing considers the […]
By James EDGAR BEIJING, May 24, 2024 (AFP) – Beijing on Friday said ongoing drills encircling Taiwan were testing the military’s ability to seize power over the self-ruled island, days after its new president was sworn in. China’s military kicked off the war games Thursday morning, surrounding Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft, while vowing the blood of “independence forces” on the island would flow. The exercises — codenamed “Joint Sword-2024A” — come after […]
SHANGHAI, May 23, 2024 (AFP) – China on Thursday announced two days of war games around self-ruled Taiwan, encircling the island with naval vessels and military aircraft. Here’s what you need to know. – Why has China launched these drills? – Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, when nationalists fled to the island following their defeat by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a civil war on the mainland. Beijing considers the democratic island part […]
By James EDGAR BEIJING, May 23, 2024 (AFP) – China on Thursday launched two days of military drills to surround self-ruled Taiwan in what it said was “strong punishment” for the island’s “separatist acts”. The drills come after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan’s new president this week and made an inauguration speech that China denounced as a “confession of independence”. Communist China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to […]
LONDON, May 21, 2024 (AFP) – A former member of the UK’s Royal Marines, bailed by a court last week over allegations of assisting Hong Kong’s intelligence services in a Chinese-linked espionage case, has been found dead, British police said Tuesday. Matthew Trickett, 37, was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, west of London, on Sunday following a report by a member of the public, Thames Valley Police said. Trickett had more recently […]
BEIJING, May 20, 2024 (AFP) – Chinese social media Weibo on Monday blocked hashtags referencing the inauguration of Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te, preventing them from trending as the self-ruled island swore in a new leader. A hashtag saying “Taiwan 520 new authorities take office”, referring to Monday’s date, was removed, with a notice saying that “according to relevant laws, regulations, and policies, the content of this topic has not been displayed.” Another that reported […]
By Dene-Hern Chen and Amber Wang TAIPEI, May 20, 2024 (AFP) – New Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Monday hailed the arrival of a “glorious era” for the island’s democracy, as he called on China to cease political and military intimidation. In an inauguration speech, Lai also directly addressed the threat of war following years of growing pressure from China’s to bring Taiwan under mainland rule. Lai said a “glorious era of Taiwan’s democracy has […]
KINMEN, Taiwan, May 19, 2024 (AFP) – Taipei’s coast guard ramped up patrols over the weekend around its outlying islands that have seen increased presence of Chinese vessels, the agency said Sunday, the eve of Lai Ching-te’s inauguration as Taiwan’s new president. China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, maintaining a near-daily military presence with frequent appearances of fighter jets, drones and naval ships around the island. It has also in recent months […]
