Trump card or wild card? What Trump 2.0 could spell for Taiwan, China and regional stability

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ALL EYES ON TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS

In light of this, observers claim that Mr. Trump’s team selections have attracted a lot of attention in Taiwan because of how much influence the appointees have over management plan.

” More so for the US than most institutions, staff is policy”, Mr Steven Okun, top assistant from the public affairs advisory firm APAC Advisors, previously told CNA.

Given their history of pro-Taiwan statements, Associate Professor Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore ( NUS) told CNA that the appointment of Mr. Marco Rubio and Mr. Mike Waltz as US secretary of state and as national security advisor was likely to some degree reassure Taipei.

In 2019, after Mr Xi made a new contact for Taiwan to embrace “peaceful unification” with China and accept independence, Mr Rubio reaffirmed his support for the island in a statement, describing it as” an impartial republic and strong supporter of the United States”. In response to China’s increasingly extreme rhetoric and deeds, he added that the US may strengthen ties with Taiwan.

Additionally, Mr. Rubio has introduced a number of laws to increase Taiwan’s help from the United States.

By establishing a status similar to that of an adviser to a foreign nation or international organization as required by the senate, one of these laws aims to strengthen US-Taiwan relationships.

Another initiative, the Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act, aims to boost joint military education, increase access to weapons, and establish a munitions consolidation account.

The new Trump 2.0 administration, which includes former military personnel and newscaster Pete Hegseth, even nominates two candidates for defence minister, along with Mr. Rubio and Mr. Waltz.

Observers have noted that all three people have a vehement criticism of China. They are known for calling for strong countermeasures and highlighting alleged and alleged threats that Beijing poses across a range of industries.

Dr. Wu anticipates that Mr. Rubio will use his position as secretary of state to support strong measures to issue Beijing on a global scale in fields like industry, technology, and security. This may preoccup China, according to the foreign affairs observer, which might lead to a lessening concentrate on putting pressure on Taiwan in the future.

Assoc Prof. Chong agrees that Mr. Trump’s government may benefit from having China hawks in crucial diplomatic and security positions. However, he also noted the great churn of important leaders during Mr Trump’s day in the Oval Office.

“( Trump ) has a tendency to cycle through his key personnel quickly, particularly when their loyalty is called into question. But, the question of how long Mr Rubio will remain in office is uncertain”, said Assoc Prof Chong, who is also a non-resident professor at Carnegie China.

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Bo Guagua: Son of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai reportedly in Taiwan and getting married

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According to local media reports, Bo Xilai’s son, a disgraced former high-ranking Chinese politician, is reportedly in Taiwan and getting married this Saturday ( Nov. 23 ). &nbsp,

Apparently, the ceremony will take place in the city of Hsinchu, which is located west of Taipei. &nbsp,

Bo Xilai, 36, the younger brother of past Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai, who was also a part of the strong Politburo before being expelled and given a life sentence for fraud, larceny, and abuse of power.

According to a report from Taiwan’s Central News Agency ( CNA ), which cited official information from the Mainland Affairs Council ( MAC ) on November 15 and is reportedly in town to visit his fiancee’s parents, the younger Bo has been granted legal travel authorization to visit Taiwan. &nbsp,

According to the CNA report, his rumored bride is a Chinese lady from a well-known family in northeast Yilan County. &nbsp,

The couple met while Mr. Bo was worldwide, according to Chinese news website The Taipei Times, and they were planning to get married this year. &nbsp,

In its speech, carried by Chinese media outlets, MAC officials said they were closely monitoring the situation given Mr Bo’s “unique history” and urged people to “respect his protection and his wish to keep a small page”. &nbsp,

Out of respect for his protection, MAC stated that his visa application would not be made public. &nbsp,

While the information was censored in China, it drew attention and comments from Chinese netizens on Twitter, many praising Mr Bo on his relationship while others criticised the media’s “obsession” with his arrival. &nbsp,

Some also made fun of Mr. Bo’s and his Chinese bride’s union, which meant that Xi Jinping’s government referred to two sides as “one family.”

According to reports, Mr. Bo Guagua has been employed by the Power Corporation of Canada as a business analyst.

Before his families were arrested, he was well-known for his colorful attitude, frequent events, nightclub parties, and photo opportunities at parties. He has since studied at prominent international universities, including Oxford University in the UK and Harvard and Columbia in the US.

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Japanese, Koreans bottom of global love life survey

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Japan: &nbsp, Chinese people are the least happy with their sexual and intimate lives, closely followed by South Koreans, a global study by a European research firm showed. With their persistently low birth rates, which are extremely high, the two Asian rivals are dealing with a similar socioeconomic crisis. TheContinue Reading

How did China tackle its once-deadly air pollution, and is it gone for good?

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AIR POLLUTION AND LIFE EXPECTANCY

According to Dr. Hasenkopf, “air waste is frequently cited in terms of the number of people it kills.” Millions of people are born every year around the world, but that number is so huge and challenging to link to one’s life.

The Air Quality Life Index, based on her study, incorporated air pollution into its impact on human life duration.

According to the index, people are losing as much as 3.2 years of life on average in China’s most poisoned place of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei.

” That’s not just necessarily at the end of a long life”, Dr Hasenkopf pointed out. &nbsp,

The number also factors in life that are cut small, “like children or infants who are even more seriously affected by air pollutants than, say, child populations”, she said. &nbsp,

NEW ACTION Program

In December next month, China released a new air quality action plan to cut PM2.5 levels by 10 per share next year, compared with 2020.

The plan also includes lowering nitrogen oxide emissions and volatile organic compounds by 10 % and reducing the annual percentage of heavily polluted days to 1 % or less.

By 2025, China wants non-fossil power to accounts for at least 20 % of its total energy intake. It is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060.

Although China has made amazing progress, according to experts, new goals are getting harder to hit.

” There’s also a long way to go”, said Professor Huang Yanzhong, senior fellow for global wellbeing at American think tank Council on Foreign Relations.

” But improving air quality, because the low hanging fruit is no longer there, will be a more uphill battle” .&nbsp,

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‘I pity those little lives’: Worried pet owners mask up dogs after suspected poisoning cases in China

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After more than 40 puppy illnesses were reported in Guangzhou, the capital of the southern Guangdong province, concerned dog lovers in China are taking extra precautions to protect their beloved animals. They are purchasing veils and muzzles. &nbsp,

After reading about the deluge of poison situations when dogs allegedly ingested venom scattered onto grass, Chinese social media users posted pictures of their pups muzzled up or wearing specially fitted masks to protect their snouts.

The owners of a Samoyed puppy named Coffee claimed in a letter to the Xiaohongshu app that Coffee had been poisoned after playing with other dogs in a common grass piece close to the Liwan District on November 8. &nbsp,

By evening, some canines started showing signs of being poisoned before dying, Coffee’s users said. &nbsp,

Coffee was taken to the physician a day later because she started showing symptoms of poisoning, but sadly she did not survive. They claimed Milk Tea, their various pet dog, was also poisoned and had kidney failure, but they were able to survive. &nbsp,

Coffee’s dreadful death triggered an uproar online. As more dog owners came forth to express their anger over the situation, it was just one of the many instances that were being shared across Chinese social media. &nbsp,

One person wrote that Coffee’s owners should work together with other owners to highlight the situation in response to their owners. &nbsp,

” With more individuals, you can make sound about the situation”, the person said, also noting that similar instances had been happening in other regions in the area. &nbsp,

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Hong Kong jails 45 activists in landmark national security trial

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In a landmark national security trial that has harmed the city’s once tense democracy movement and drawn international condemnation, Hong Kong’s High Court on Tuesday ( November 19 ) sentenced 45 pro-democracy activists to 10-year jail terms. 47 protesters were detained and charged with conspiracy to defame subterfuge in 2021,Continue Reading