TAIPEI: China often makes promises in exchange for recognition that remain unfulfilled, the de facto US embassy in Taipei said on Saturday (Mar 25) as Honduras moves ahead with ending its long-standing ties with Taiwan in favour of China. The Honduran foreign minister travelled to China this week to open relationsContinue Reading
New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Saturday (Mar 25) she had expressed concerns over the South China Sea and tensions in the Taiwan Strait during talks with her Chinese counterpart at the end of a visit to Beijing. Mahuta also said in a statement she “noted New Zealand’s deepContinue Reading
WELLINGTON: New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said that she will discuss concerns about key regional and global security challenges when she meets with her Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in Beijing on Friday (Mar 24). Mahuta arrived in China on Wednesday for a four-day trip, the first byContinue Reading
BANGKOK: Russia’s backing for Myanmar’s military rulers is unacceptable and destabilising, with its supply of weapons helping to fuel a conflict that has become a catastrophe for the country, a top US official said on Thursday (Mar 23). The United States is concerned about the wider impact of the escalatingContinue Reading
OTTAWA: A Chinese-Canadian lawmaker, cited in unconfirmed media reports as having ties to the Beijing government, forcefully denied those allegations but announced his resignation as a member of the Liberal Party led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau last month denied a media report that the party had been warnedContinue Reading
WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday (Mar 22) that China has not provided substantial military aid to Russia despite Beijing’s ramping up of diplomatic support. “As we speak today, we have not seen them cross that line,” Blinken said in response to a question at a SenateContinue Reading
China has also stepped up diplomacy in the Middle East, where the United States has historically been the top power-broker. China announced last week that rivals and major oil producers Iran and Saudi Arabia would restore ties. Blinken, while saying that the accord had positive results, downplayed China’s role, saying thatContinue Reading
SYDNEY: A state-backed Chinese company has won a contract to develop a key Solomon Islands port, a major victory in Beijing’s quest to gain a strategic toe-hold in the South Pacific. Solomon Islands’ government on Tuesday (Mar 21) announced that the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation had been chosen to leadContinue Reading
The strict restrictions on the Chinese internet mean companies have “significantly less data resources for training purposes compared to Western competitors”, Lauren Hurcombe, a technology lawyer at DLA Piper, told AFP. Ernie Bot has not yet been launched for public use. China has announced ambitious plans to become a globalContinue Reading
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for two days of closely-watched talks on Monday (Mar 20) and Tuesday. Here are five key takeaways from the Putin-Xi summit: “A NEW ERA” The two days of talks at the Kremlin were heavy on pomp and ceremony as PutinContinue Reading