INDIA AS RIVAL HUB TO CHINA In another agreement, US chip giant Micron will invest US$800 million in a semiconductor assembly and testing plant in India, which is expected to reach US$2.75 billion after contributions from New Delhi. A US official said the plant would advance a goal of diversifyingContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Thursday (Jun 22) hailed a “defining partnership” with India as he rolled out the red carpet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sealing major defense and technology deals as Washington bets big on New Delhi as a counterweight to China. Modi is being feted withContinue Reading
WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s prime minister said on Thursday (Jun 22) that he did not agree with United States President Joe Biden equating China’s Xi Jinping with “dictators”, ahead of a visit to Beijing next week. Asked if he concurred with Biden’s assessment of China’s leader, Chris Hipkins said “no”, addingContinue Reading
NEW YORK: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the United States on Tuesday (Jun 20) for a state visit that has been projected as a milestone in ties between the two countries that would deepen and diversify their partnership. Modi has been to the US five times since becomingContinue Reading
NEW YORK: A retired New York police officer and two Chinese nationals were convicted on Tuesday (Jun 20) for their roles in a scheme to forcibly repatriate US residents to China known as Operation Fox Hunt. Michael McMahon, 55, Zhu Yong, 66, and Zheng Congying, 27, were found guilty byContinue Reading
“The two sides have basically agreed to explore the possibility of stabilising the bilateral relationship. There is no certainty they will achieve that goal,” she said. CAN GAP BE NARROWED? Glaser noted that while the US speaks of managing the growing rivalry, Xi again spoke of avoiding competition between majorContinue Reading
BEIJING: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday (Jun 19) he had asked China’s government to be vigilant about private companies that may be providing Russia with technology that could be used against Ukraine, although he said he had seen no evidence Beijing is providing lethal assistance toContinue Reading
PUSH TO DIVERSIFY Export giant Germany, by virtue of its economic might, has always enjoyed special ties with China. Under former chancellor Angela Merkel, Berlin took a pragmatic approach of talking up economic opportunities while keeping less flattering opinions on rights and freedom behind closed doors. That made China aContinue Reading
“The Chinese are determined to control the South China Sea,” he added.
“The US and its allies are determined to challenge that control, because it is after all international waters and international airspace. It’s not Chinese territorial waters, irrespective of what the Chinese claim.”
On the issue of Taiwan, Dr Davis said the US has a fundamental choice to make, because “if it does nothing, its strategic credibility in the Indo-Pacific region is completely gone”.
“But if it does respond, if it does intervene to support Taiwan, then we’re looking at a major war between China and the United States,” he noted.
“And I don’t think any diplomatic discussions are going to alleviate that, because the interests and the stakes involved around Taiwan are so great for both sides that it’s very difficult to see a way back from that.”
Moving forward, Beijing, in return for the US easing sanctions, could make constructive contributions to ensure stability, analysts suggested.
Tensions have soared between the world’s two largest economies in recent years on issues ranging from trade to technology to Taiwan. US officials say that they do not expect major breakthroughs from Blinken’s talks but they hope to reopen regular lines of communication to prevent mishaps from escalating into conflict.Continue Reading