Arindam Bagchi responded to US envoy Eric Garcetti citing the Kashmir visit of US diplomats from Delhi for G-20 meetings, saying the two situations are not equivalent
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi (ANI)
India said on Thursday it has conveyed to the US its concerns over a recent visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by the US ambassador to Islamabad and urged the world community to respect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Donald Blome, the US ambassador to Pakistan, made a multi-day visit to Gilgit-Baltistan last month. He toured different parts of the strategic region that India says is part of undivided Jammu and Kashmir, and met several officials, including a minister and the deputy speaker of the local assembly.
Asked about Blome’s visit to Gilgit-Baltistan at a regular media briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “We have raised our concerns about that visit by the US ambassador to Pakistan with the US side.”
He added, “Our position on the status of the entire union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, that being an integral part of India, is well known. We would urge the international community to respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
When Eric Garcetti, the US envoy to India, was asked by Indian reporters to comment on Blome’s visit, he had said that the Kashmir issue can only be resolved by New Delhi and Islamabad. However, Garcetti had also pointed out that Blome had visited PoK in the past and that a US delegation had travelled to Jammu and Kashmir for G20-related meetings.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of “creating enemies” of countries that were unwilling to “blindly follow” the western elites.
Putin said that the Indian leadership was acting in the interest of the nation | Photo: Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that the Indian leadership was “acting independently in the interest of the nation” as he accused the West of forcing countries to “blindly follow” them.
While speaking at the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi, Putin said, “They (the West) are trying to create an enemy out of everyone who is unwilling to blindly follow the western elites. Anyone is at risk, including the People’s Republic of China, and at a certain point, India could become that. The Indian leadership is acting independently in the interest of its nation.”
Putin further said, “They also make an enemy out of the Arab world. They do this selectively. They tried to paint the image of Muslims as hostile.”
Earlier as well, Vladimir Putin had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership, referring to him as a “very wise man” while speaking at another event.
Legions of Afghans have migrated to neighbouring Pakistan over decades of conflict during the Soviet invasion, the following civil war and the U.S.-led occupation
And 600,000 have arrived since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021 and imposed their austere version of Islamic law. Image for representation purpose only. File | Photo Credit: AP
Pakistan’s plan to evict hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants is “unacceptable”, Taliban authorities said Wednesday, denying allegations by Islamabad its citizens were responsible for a string of suicide attacks there.
Around 1.3 million Afghans are registered refugees in Pakistan and 880,000 more have legal status to remain, according to the latest United Nations figures.
But caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said Tuesday a further 1.7 million Afghans were in Pakistan illegally, giving a November 1 deadline to return home or face deportation.
The order comes as Pakistan grapples with a rise in attacks the government blames on militants operating from Afghanistan, a charge Kabul routinely denies.
“The behaviour of Pakistan against Afghan refugees is unacceptable,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on social media site X.
“Afghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan’s security problems. As long as they leave Pakistan voluntarily, that country should tolerate them.”
Bugti claimed Afghan nationals were responsible for 14 of 24 suicide attacks in Pakistan since January.
“We deny all these claims because Afghans have migrated to other countries for their safety, their security,” said Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesman for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.
“It’s natural when someone migrates to another country for his safety, he would never want insecurity there,” he told AFP.
Legions of Afghans have migrated to neighbouring Pakistan over decades of conflict during the Soviet invasion, the following civil war and the U.S.-led occupation.
And 600,000 have arrived since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021 and imposed their austere version of Islamic law.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk during Xi’s visit in Pyongyang, North Korea in this picture released by by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on June 21, 2019. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to promote cooperative relations with China in a letter to President Xi Jinping, the North’s state media KCNA reported on Sunday.
The letter was in response to congratulations Xi sent for the North’s founding anniversary this month where the Chinese president had expressed his willingness to strengthen strategic communication and working-level cooperation.
“I believe … the DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations would steadily develop in conformity with the requirements of the new era and the desire of the two peoples in the future,” Kim said in the letter sent on Thursday.
One of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, Poland, has announced it will no longer supply weapons to the country as a diplomatic dispute over grain escalates.
The nation’s prime minister said it would instead focus on arming itself with more modern weapons.
The move comes as tensions between the two nations rise.
On Tuesday, Poland summoned Ukraine’s ambassador over comments made by President Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN.
He said some nations had feigned solidarity with Ukraine, which Warsaw denounced as “unjustified concerning Poland, which has supported Ukraine since the first days of the war”.
Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, announced the decision to no longer supply Ukraine with weapons in a televised address on Wednesday after a day of rapidly escalating tensions between the two countries over grain imports.
The grain dispute began after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine all but closed the main Black Sea shipping lanes and forced Ukraine to find alternative overland routes.
That in turn led to large quantities of grain ending up in central Europe.
Consequently, the European Union temporarily banned imports of grain into five countries; Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to protect local farmers, who feared Ukrainian grain was driving down the prices locally.
The ban ended on 15 September and the EU chose not to renew it, but Hungary, Slovakia and Poland decided to keep on implementing it.
The European Commission has repeatedly stated that it is not up to individual EU members to make trade policy for the bloc.
Earlier this week, Ukraine filed lawsuits to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against those countries over the bans, which it said were a violation of international obligations.
Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that “it is crucially important for us to prove that individual member states cannot ban imports of Ukrainian goods”.
But Poland said they would keep the ban in place, and a “complaint before the WTO doesn’t impress us”.
It was to be Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy’s first in-person appearance at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Moscow’s invasion of his country when Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia objected to him taking the floor at the start of the meeting.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, serving as president of the tense session, responded with a gibe at Moscow, which has long said the invasion does not amount to a war but was a mere “special military operation”.
“I want to assure our Russian colleagues and everyone here that this is not a special operation by the Albanian presidency,” Rama, known for a piercing sense of humor, said to muted laughter across the room.
“There is a solution for this,” Rama continued, addressing Nebenzia directly: “If you agree, you stop the war and President Zelenskiy will not take the floor.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the United Nations Security Council during a ministerial level meeting of the Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar Acquire Licensing Rights
Nebenzia did not agree. He went on to say the session was a show and criticized Rama for what he said was making politically charged statements rather than acting as a neutral guardian of procedure.
After the session, Zelenskiy thanked Rama on social media, saying the Albanian, who is both an artist and former basketball player, “showed the world how to correctly handle Russia, its lies, and its hypocrisy.”
In seeking to justify its invasion, Moscow has said Ukraine’s ambitions to integrate with the West – including NATO – pose a threat to Russia’s national security, an assertion that Kyiv and its allies deny as a baseless pretext to attack.
When given the floor after the back-and-forth, Zelenskiy asked Russia be stripped of its veto right as one of five permanent members of the post-World War Two U.N. Security Council as punishment for attacking Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted Kim Jong Un’s invitation to visit North Korea, stoking U.S. concerns that a revived Moscow-Pyongyang axis could bolster Russia’s military in Ukraine and provide Kim sensitive missile technology.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny ?osmodrome in the Amur Oblast of the Far East Region, Russia, September 13, 2023 in this image released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS Acquire Licensing Rights
The invite was made during a summit in eastern Russia at which they discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine and helping North Korea’s satellite programme.
Calling each other “comrades”, the two leaders toasted their friendship on Wednesday with Russian wine after the 70-year-old Putin showed Kim, 39, around Russia’s most modern space launch facility and they held talks alongside their defence ministers.
“At the end of the reception, Kim Jong Un courteously invited Putin to visit the DPRK at a convenient time,” KCNA said, referring to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s formal name.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin “gratefully” accepted the invite and that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would travel to Pyongyang in October. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Putin has rarely travelled abroad.
For the United States and allies, the burgeoning friendship between Kim and Putin is a concern. Washington has accused North Korea of providing arms to Russia, but it is unclear whether any deliveries have been made.
Both Russia and North Korea have denied those claims, but promised to deepen defence cooperation. During a visit to North Korea in July, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was shown banned ballistic missiles by Kim.
The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday the Biden administration “won’t hesitate” to impose additional sanctions on Russia and North Korea if they conclude any new arms deals.
On Thursday, the top national security officials of the United States, South Korea and Japan discussed the Putin-Kim meeting in a call.
A White House statement said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan and counterparts Takeo Akiba of Japan and Cho Tae-yong of South Korea noted that any North Korean arms exports to Russia “would directly violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, including resolutions that Russia itself voted to adopt.”
South Korea’s National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday North Korea and Russia would “pay a price” if they violated U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Kim is due on Thursday to visit military and civilian aviation factories in the Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and to inspect Russia’s Pacific fleet in Vladivostok, Putin said.
China is Kim and Putin’s biggest trade partner and most powerful political patron, and has influence that could prevent North Korean munitions being used in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un raise glasses in a toast during their meeting in the far-eastern Russian port of Vladivostok in 2019 [File: KCNA via AFP]China is the key to restraining a potential arms deal between Moscow and Pyongyang, an expert on North Korean military and politics has said as Russian President Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Kim Jong Un appear poised to meet for talks in Russia’s Far East.
Kim arrived onboard his armoured train at the Russian border on Tuesday morning, crossing the frontier at Russia’s Khasan city en route to the meeting where the Russian leader is expected to seek access to stockpiles of North Korean ammunition, which Moscow badly needs to feed its war in Ukraine.
The two leaders find themselves in changed circumstances since they last met in 2019, said Fyodor Tertitskiy, a historian of North Korea and leading researcher at Kookmin University’s Institute for Korean Studies in South Korea’s capital Seoul.
Both leaders have items to trade, advantages to gain and pressures at home that might encourage them to align their strategic interests more closely when they meet in Russia.
However, any agreement will be an “alliance of convenience” and one in which China – being the largest trading partner as well as Moscow and Pyongyang’s most powerful political patron – will tacitly have great influence in deciding the outcome, Tertitskiy said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives in Khasan, Russia, September 12, 2023, in this image released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency on September 13, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his visit to Russia shows the “strategic importance” of the two countries’ ties, state news agency KCNA reported on Wednesday ahead of an expected summit with President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting, which could be as early as Wednesday, is being watched apprehensively by Washington and allies, who suspect the two leaders will discuss military cooperation and could agree on a deal to trade arms and defence technology.
Hours ahead of the anticipated summit, North Korea launched at least two ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military and Japan’s coast guard said. Details on the type of missiles were not yet released.
The Japanese government said a second missile was launched and both fell outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Kim arrived in Russia by private train on Tuesday in the Russian Far East accompanied by top defence industry and military aides, and was welcomed by an honour guard and senior Russian and regional officials, KCNA said.
“Kim Jong Un said that his visit to the Russian Federation … is a clear manifestation of the stand of the WPK and the government of the DPRK prioritising the strategic importance of DPRK-Russia relations,” the KCNA report said.
The DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, while the WPK is the Workers’ Party of Korea, the country’s ruling party.
U.S. officials have said arms talks between Russia and North Korea were actively advancing, and Washington and allies have expressed concern that Kim and Putin would discuss providing Russia with weapons for the war in Ukraine.
The United Nations estimates some 300,000 people were affected by Friday night’s magnitude 6.8 quake, with most of the destruction and deaths in the High Atlas Mountains, where homes folded in on themselves and left residents trapped underneath the ruins.
Rescuers are battling to reach remote mountain towns devastated by the earthquake in Morocco, as the number of confirmed deaths from the disaster neared 2,900.
Search teams from the UK, Spain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were joining efforts to help find people buried under debris.
The United Nations estimates some 300,000 people were affected by Friday night’s magnitude 6.8 quake, which was made more dangerous by its relatively shallow depth.
Most of the destruction and deaths were in Al Haouz province in the High Atlas Mountains, where homes folded in on themselves and left residents trapped underneath the ruins.
Much of the quake zone is in hard-to-reach areas and roads have been blocked by rocks, making it hard for rescuers to access the worst-hit locations.
Authorities have not yet issued any estimates for the number of people missing.
The UK has sent a 60-person search team with four dogs, medical staff, listening devices and concrete-cutting gear.
The European Union said it was releasing an initial €1m (£858,000) to non-governmental aid organisations in Morocco.
A search worker stands among rubble in Talat N’yaaqoub, Morocco
Survivors spend three nights sleeping outside
Aftershocks have hit the quake zone, leading those left homeless to spend three nights sleeping on the streets of Marrakech or under makeshift canopies in devastated towns.
Survivors struggling to find shelter and supplies have criticised the government’s response, accusing it of being slow.
The army said it was reinforcing search-and-rescue teams, providing drinking water and distributing food, tents and blankets.
The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. In addition, as part of the deal, the administration has agreed to release five Iranian citizens held in the United States.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed off on the sanctions waivers late last week, a month after U.S. and Iranian officials said an agreement in principle was in place. Congress was not informed of the waiver decision until Monday, according to the notification, which was obtained by The Associated Press.
The outlines of the deal had been previously announced and the waiver was expected. But the notification marked the first time the administration said it was releasing five Iranian prisoners as part of the deal. The prisoners have not been named.
The waiver drew criticism of President Joe Biden from Republicans and others who say the deal will boost the Iranian economy at a time when Iran poses a growing threat to U.S. troops and Mideast allies.
On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said “it’s ridiculous for US to be blackmailed into paying $6B for hostages which will help indirectly finance the number 1 foreign policy of Iran: terrorism.” Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas accused Biden of “paying ransom to the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism.”
Another Iran hawk, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the waivers were a sign the administration was secretly pursuing a broader deal with Iran to include more than the release of the detainees.
“Today’s news confirms there has already been a side deal including a $6 billion ransom and the release of Iranian operatives,” Cruz said in a statement.
The White House pushed back on all criticism of the waiver decision, saying it was only a “procedural step” aimed at fulfilling the tentative agreement reached with Iran in August.
“What is being pursued here is an arrangement wherein we secure the release of 5 wrongfully held Americans,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council. “This remains a sensitive and ongoing process. While this is a step in the process, no individuals have been or will be released into U.S. custody this week.”
The waiver means that European, Middle Eastern and Asian banks will not run afoul of U.S. sanctions in converting the money frozen in South Korea and transferring it to Qatar’s central bank, where it will be held for Iran to use for the purchase of humanitarian goods.
The transfer of the $6 billion was the critical element in the prisoner release deal, which saw four of the five American detainees transferred from Iranian jails into house arrest last month. The fifth detainee had already been under house arrest.
Due to numerous U.S. sanctions on foreign banks that engage in transactions aimed at benefitting Iran, several European countries had balked at participating in the transfer. Blinken’s waiver is aimed at easing their concerns about any risk of U.S. sanctions.
People familiar with negotiations said they expect the detainees will be released as early as next week.
I’ll just follow my orders here. Staff, is there anybody that hasn’t spoken yet? I ain’t calling on you, Joe Biden said during the presser. (Reuters file)
While addressing media in Vietnam following the G20 Summit, US President Joe Biden, in response to a question about why he hasn’t spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping, joked, “I tell you what, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to go to bed.”
China and Russia’s respective presidents, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin did not attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
“I’ll just follow my orders here. Staff, is there anybody that hasn’t spoken yet? I ain’t calling on you,” Joe Biden said during the presser.
Biden also noted he does not want to “contain” China, as the two powers face deepening divisions on trade, security and rights.
The US President said he had met Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit in New Delhi and discussed “stability”. The meeting, however, was not announced by the White House.
“One of the things that are going on now is China is beginning to change some of the rules of the game, in terms of trade and other issues,” Biden stated.
Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang on Sunday afternoon for Russia via his private train, state media KCNA reports; declassified intelligence shows that Russia targeted a civilian cargo ship in the Black Sea with multiple missiles last month, Rishi Sunak has revealed.
Pic: @primamedia via AP
Possible sighting of Kim Jong Un’s train in Russian Far East
A picture has emerged of a train resembling one previously used by Kim Jong Un travelling through Russia.
The screenshot, from a video released by Russian Telegram channel Prima Media, shows a green train with yellow trimmings steaming near Khasan, some 127 km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday he held his highest level talks with Chinese leadership in months, adding that Beijing’s economic wobbles would not lead it to invade Taiwan.
Biden said he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s No.2, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, at the annual G20 summit in New Delhi. The talks were the highest level meeting between the two powers in nearly 10 months since Biden and Xi spoke at last year’s G20 in Indonesia.
U.S. President Joe Biden attends Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event on the day of the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, September 9, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Acquire Licensing Rights
Li, who took became premier in March, attended the gathering of world leaders in place of Xi. The two leaders were not expected to hold talks at the G20 but unscripted encounters at summits are common.
“My team, my staff still meets with President Xi’s people and his cabinet,” Biden told reporters. “I met with his No.2 person in India today.”
He added: “We talked about stability,” and the Southern Hemisphere. “It wasn’t confrontational at all.”
The White House on Sunday said Biden had met with a Chinese leader at the summit.
The two super powers have been trying to thaw frosty relations this year after a spat over a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over U.S. territory, while fears of an economic slowdown have gripped Beijing.
Speaking at a press conference in Vietnam, Biden touted the U.S. economy as the “strongest” globally. He told reporters that China’s growth was slowing due to a weak global economy as well as Chinese policies but did not specify which policies.
Biden called China’s economic situation a “crisis,” citing issues in the real estate sector and high youth unemployment.
“One of the major economic tenets of his plan isn’t working at all right now,” Biden said of Xi, without elaborating. “I’m not happy for that, but it’s not working.”
Biden added: “He has his hands full right now.”
The Democratic president is headed into a 2024 re-election campaign where his own handling of the economy and inflation has become a central concern for voters.
The U.S. economy grew at a 2.1% annualised rate last quarter. Central bankers have sharply raised interest rates to bring inflation back down to target levels.
Rishi Sunak met China’s premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit after two men were arrested amid reports a parliamentary researcher spied for China. Mr Sunak said interference in UK parliamentary democracy was “obviously unacceptable”.
Rishi Sunak has confronted China’s premier about Chinese interference in the UK’s parliamentary democracy.
It comes after two men were arrested under the Official Secrets Act amid reports a parliamentary researcher spied for China.
The researcher, who is in his 20s, is understood to have had links to security minister Tom Tugendhat, foreign affairs committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns and other senior Tory MPs.
Mr Sunak met Chinese premier Li Qiang, who is attending the G20 summit in India in place of President Xi Jinping, on the fringes of the gathering’s final session on Sunday morning.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Sunak said he raised his “very strong concern” about interference with parliamentary democracy, which he said was “obviously unacceptable”.
It was the “right approach” to talk face-to-face with China’s premier, he said.
“Where there are areas of disagreement… I’d rather be in the room directly expressing my concerns, and that’s what I did today.”
The arrests were made in March and first revealed by The Sunday Times.
Mr Sunak has been clear China is an “epoch-defining” challenge, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.
He defended security in parliament, saying a “rigorous approach is taken” in terms of who is given a parliamentary pass.
Asked if there are weaknesses in the security system that need addressing, he said: “I don’t think you should rule anything out.”
Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, which oversees espionage-related offences, are investigating.
Mr Chalk said the investigation must “play through” and police and security services are taking this “seriously”.
“Whatever lessons need to be learned by the parliamentary authorities I’m sure will be learned,” he said.
Shoeless Joe dons slippers and a scarf to pay tribute to Gandhi as he wraps up G20 India trip: Summit addressed Ukraine war but didn’t slap Russia, while Biden shook hands with Saudi Crown Prince MBS
• President Joe Biden paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi Sunday in New Delhi, opting to walk to the Raj Ghat memorial in slippers as opposed to bare feet
• It was his last piece of official business at the G20
• He’s headed to Vietnam next
President Joe Biden opted for slippers while other leaders went barefoot to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi Sunday morning at the Raj Ghat memorial in New Delhi – his last official piece of business at the G20.
Biden got out of the Beast and gabbed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who presented the U.S. president with a matching scarf.
The president and the other world leaders then took their positions at wreaths on the perimeter of a yellow and orange square floral display that surrounded the eternal flame.
Biden was captured animatedly chatting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before all the leaders participated in a moment of silence.
Biden will head to Vietnam for meetings and a press conference later Sunday.
This year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit produced a joint declaration that included wording on the Ukraine war that even Russia, another G20 member, signed off on.
That’s because it does’t specifically label Russia as an aggressor, though it does say that the ‘use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.’
On Saturday, the G20 also officially welcomed the African Union to the table, with Modi making the announcement at the top of the meeting.
Additionally, the U.S. and leaders of India, Europe, and the Middle East announced a project that would establish rail, shipping, and tech corridors meant to link regional economies with the prospect of bringing more stability to the turbulent Middle East.
That announcement brought Biden face-to-face with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, after the White House played coy about whether the two leaders would have an official bilateral meeting at the G20.
The U.S. and Saudi are working toward a so-called ‘mega-deal’ that could lead to Saudi and Israel normalizing relations.
It would be a historic breakthrough for Mideast peace.
Earlier in the day, Rishi Sunak visited the Akshardham Temple in Delhi with his wife Akshata Murty and offered prayers.
A user shared the photo and called it “lovely” and “adorable”.
New Delhi: A picture of Rishi Sunak, down on one knee, speaking to his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Delhi is getting a lot of attention on the internet.
The picture, in internet speak, is viral.
A user on X, formerly twitter, shared the photo and captioned it, “Big man don’t have ego! Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of UK sat down on the floor to match the comfort – in a tetatete with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. #G20”
Big man don't have ego! Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of UK sat down on the floor to match the comfort – in a tetatete with with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. #G20pic.twitter.com/6oAbzuskbd
Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan lauds Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the successful G20 Summit in New Delhi, emphasizing India’s role under Modi’s leadership and the country’s global prospects.
Shah Rukh Khan Extends Congratulations to PM Modi for G20 Success, ‘Under Your Leadership, We Will Prosper’
Bollywood actor, Shah Rukh Khan, has extended his congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the triumphant G20 Summit held in New Delhi. In addition to praising the summit’s success, Khan has taken a moment to recognize the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
Shah Rukh Khan applauds PM Modi for a successful G20 Summit
Khan, known for his eloquence and influence, turned to Twitter to express his deep admiration for PM Modi. He commended the Prime Minister’s role in fostering unity among nations, with a shared vision of global betterment.
The actor emphasized the significance of India’s G20 Presidency under the guidance of PM Modi. He stated that it has instilled a profound sense of honor and pride within the hearts of every Indian. Khan believes that, under PM Modi’s leadership, India is destined to prosper, not in isolation but through unity.
Congratulations to Hon. PM @narendramodi ji for the success of India’s G20 Presidency and for fostering unity between nations for a better future for the people of the world. It has brought in a sense of honour and pride into the hearts of every Indian. Sir, under your… https://t.co/x6q4IkNHBN
The 2023 G20 New Delhi summit, held from September 9 to 10, made history as the first G20 Summit hosted in India and the entire South Asian region. The prestigious event unfolded at the Bharat Mandapam International Exhibition-Convention Centre, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
The summit addressed an array of critical global issues. These included extending economic support to developing nations, advocating for reforms within international financial institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, establishing regulations for cryptocurrencies, and addressing concerns related to food and energy security, climate change, and the far-reaching socio-economic consequences of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Slamming the Western media for criticizing India’s event, the Russian newspaper — The Russian Times (RT) vehemently stated that Western media has ‘double character’. The Russian Times asserted that India made world-class arrangements for the G20 Summit. It said that there can be minor flaws but the arrangements are worthy to be applauded.
Russian Newspaper tears into Western media for condemning India for its G20 preparedness.
While India’s G20 Presidency has been praised worldwide, Western nations have been pushing for strong condemnation in the G20 New Delhi Declaration and criticised India for its preparedness, on which, Russia, which has always backed India owing to its friendship, gave a befitting reply.
Slamming the Western media for criticizing India’s event, the Russian newspaper — The Russian Times (RT) vehemently stated that Western media has ‘double character’. The Russian Times asserted that India made world-class arrangements for the G20 Summit. It said that there can be minor flaws but the arrangements are worthy to be applauded.
The Russian Times (RT), while targeting the Western media, has said that India is hosting the G20, the organization of the world’s largest economies, for the first time in a grand manner. But the Western media is not focusing on these things and is publishing only negative news. “This is very unfortunate.”
In particular, Western journalists highlighted the beautification campaign carried out by Indian authorities to remove slums ahead of the summit. The Russian Times has argued that the Western media failed to acknowledge the hard work put in by Indian officials to ensure the success of the G20 Summit. The Russian Times also criticized Western journalists for their tendency to only seek out negative stories during the G20 summit.
Brazilian president says Russian leader will be invited to the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro next year.
Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, left, shakes hands with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on May 14, 2010 [File: Alexei Druzhinin/Ria Novosti via Reuters]Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not be arrested in Brazil if he attends the Group of 20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro next year.
Lula, speaking to the Firstpost news show at the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Delhi on Saturday, said Putin would be invited to next year’s event.
He added that he himself planned to attend a BRICS bloc of developing nations meeting due in Russia before the Rio meeting.
“I believe that Putin can go easily to Brazil,” Lula said. “What I can say to you is that if I’m president of Brazil, and he comes to Brazil, there’s no way he will be arrested.”
The statement comes after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March, accusing him of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.
Russia has denied its forces have engaged in war crimes or forcibly taken Ukrainian children.
Putin has repeatedly skipped international gatherings and was not present at the G20 get-together in Delhi, sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Brazil is a signatory to the Rome Statute which led to the founding of the ICC.
Lula’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Saturday, the G20 nations adopted a consensus declaration that avoided condemning Russia for the war in Ukraine but called on all states not to use force to grab territory.
The consensus came as a surprise as the G20 is deeply divided over the war in Ukraine, with Western nations earlier pushing for strong condemnation of Russia in the Leaders’ Declaration, while others demanded a focus on broader economic issues.
Italy PM Meloni told the Chinese Premier that Italy plans to withdraw from Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative
Italian PM Meloni spoke to the Chinese premier during the G20 summit in Delhi
Giorgia Meloni privately signalled to Chinese Premier Li Qiang that Italy is planning to exit from an investment pact that has become a test of her nation’s relations with the US.
During a meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in India, Meloni told Li that Italy plans to withdraw from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative while still looking to maintain friendly relations with Beijing, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named. Italy officially signed up for the pact in 2019.
The Italian prime minister has been taking her time before deciding how to communicate her government’s decision to exit from the global infrastructure pact, fearing trade retaliation.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday secured deals with Vietnam on semiconductors and minerals as the strategic Southeast Asian nation lifted Washington to Hanoi’s highest diplomatic status alongside China and Russia.
The U.S. has been pushing for the upgrade for months as it sees the manufacturing dynamo as a key country in its strategy to secure global supply chains from China-related risks.
A half-century after a lengthy and brutal Cold War-era conflict, Biden arrived in Hanoi to a ceremony organised by the ruling Communist Party that included school children waving American flags and honour guards carrying bayoneted rifles.
Biden noted the strides that had been taken toward improved ties.
“We can trace a 50-year arc of progress between our nations, from conflict to normalization, to this new elevated status,” he said.
The partnership with Vietnam is part of the Biden administration’s push “to demonstrate to our our Indo-Pacific partners and to the world, the United States is a Pacific nation and we’re not going anywhere,” Biden told reporters after the meeting in Hanoi.
Modi also mentioned that a relationship based on ‘mutual respect and trust’ is essential for the progress of the India-Canada relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Credit: PTI Photo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday conveyed to his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau India’s strong concerns about the continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada that were promoting secessionism, inciting violence against its diplomats and threatening the Indian community there.
In his talks with Trudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Modi also mentioned that a relationship based on ‘mutual respect and trust’ is essential for the progress of the India-Canada relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
‘The prime minister highlighted that India-Canada relations are anchored in shared democratic values, respect for rule of law and strong people-to-people ties,’ it said.
‘He conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship,’ it said.
The earthquake struck late on Friday – damaging homes in major cities and sending panicked people pouring into the streets. Many of the fatalities are said to be in hard-to-reach areas south of Marrakech.
At least 632 people have been killed and hundreds injured following a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Morocco, state TV says.
Many of the fatalities are said to be in hard-to-reach areas south of Marrakech.
Many buildings have been reduced to rubble in Marrakech. Pic: Al Oula TV
The earthquake struck late on Friday – damaging buildings in major cities and sending panicked people pouring into the streets.
At least 329 people were injured and are being treated in hospital.
Witnesses in Marrakech, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, told the Reuters news agency that some buildings have collapsed. Big cracks were seen in a section of the medieval city’s walls.
Local television stations broadcast pictures of a fallen mosque minaret, with rubble lying on smashed cars. Others were seen screaming as they ran out of shopping centres and restaurants.
Officials are working to clear roads so ambulances and aid can reach those affected – but large distances between mountain villages mean it will take time to learn the full extent of the damage.
Montasir Itri, a resident in the mountain village of Asni not far from the epicentre, said most houses were damaged – adding: “Our neighbours are under the rubble and people are working hard to rescue them using available means in the village.”
While many leaders have requested bilaterals with India, PM Modi as a host is hard-pressed for time and restricted by the travel schedules of the visitors.
PM Modi with US President BIden and French President Macron during the G-20 summit in Bali in 2022.
Pressed for time and organization of the G-20 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold bilateral talks with US President Biden on Friday eve and with French President Emmanuel Macron after the completion of the high-level engagement on Sunday.
It is understood that PM Modi is inclined to host dinner and lunch for his two close friends respectively but the program schedule is dependent on President Biden’s arrival schedule on Friday and the departure of President Macron to Dhaka on Sunday after the completion of the G-20 summit. While President Biden will be offered dinner on Friday but it depends on jet-lag, President Macron is inclined to have lunch with PM Modi on Sunday afternoon along with bilateral talks.
It is learnt that PM Modi will also have plans to hold bilateral talks with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the two haven’t had proper bilateral conversation for some months.
PM Modi with Bangladesh Prime MInister Sheikh Hasina.
While the Ukraine war and its impact on the global economy will be the political conversation during the G-20 summit, PM Modi’s priority focus will be to use the gathering to focus on the global south and put a priority tag on the 17 sustainable development goals as a 2021 UN report had shown that the global pandemic played havoc with them. The UN report indicated that in addition to four million deaths at the time of the report, between 119-124 million people were pushed into poverty and chronic hunger, and the equivalent of 255 million jobs were lost during the disease which had origins in Wuhan in China.
PM Modi wants the G-20 to focus especially on Africa as it was the worst hit among the global south by the pandemic and it is for that very reason he wants Africa to be given a permanent invite to the G-20 summit. While financial commitments of the developed nations are still awaited for climate change challenges, PM Modi is expected to promote green development understanding and green goals to protect the future from climate-related disasters. In this context, PM Modi will pitch for millets to be the answer for global food security as the grain has the ability to survive in tough climatic conditions and high temperatures.
In an unexpected move, Canada halted talks on a proposed trade treaty with India, just three months after both nations expressed the goal of reaching an initial agreement this year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India in 2018. (Photo: Reuters)
Canada on Friday unexpectedly said it had paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India, just three months after the two nations said they aimed to seal an initial agreement this year.
Canada and India have been talking off and on since 2010 about a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. The talks were formally relaunched last year.
“Trade negotiations are long, complex processes. And we’ve paused to take stock of where we are,” a government official told reporters ahead of a trip by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to New Delhi next week.
The official, who spoke on the condition he not be identified, declined to give more details.
The prime minister is committed to “making any deal with the Saudis possible, even at the price of toppling his own government,” HaModia reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/REUTERS)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday denied ultra-Orthodox reports he was preparing for the collapse of his government in return for a US-backed normalization deal with Saudi Arabia.
According to a report published in the Agudat Yisrael-affiliated haredi paper HaModia on Friday morning, Netanyahu had resigned to the fact that “his political career is nearing an end.”
Netanyahu, in accordance with White House officials, will receive the long-awaited Saudi normalization deal and plea bargain for his criminal trials for his resignation, with the understanding being that he “does not have the capacity to manage the country in Israel’s current political state,” as per the report.
Vivek Ramaswamy attacked another Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who had slammed him for his inexperience on foreign policy issues
U.S. presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. File | Photo Credit: Reuters
Indian-American Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has called for stronger relationships with India, South Korea and Japan to reduce U.S.’ economic dependence on China and Taiwan.
Mr. Ramaswamy, 38, whose poll numbers have surged following the maiden Republican presidential primary debate last week, spelt out his plans and foreign policy views on August 29.
On Monday, China released a “standard map”, which showed Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as parts of Chinese territory. The distorted map also incorporated China’s claims over Taiwan and a large part of the South China Sea.
The Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam on Thursday joined India to reject the latest “standard map” released by China that shows other countries’ territories as its own.
In a strongly worded statement, the Philippine government said, “This latest attempt to legitimise China’s purported sovereignty and jurisdiction over Philippine features and maritime zones has no basis under international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
Notably, the map includes the nine-dash line, now a 10-dash line, that supposedly shows China’s boundaries in the South China Sea.
“(The 2016 Arbitral Award) categorically stated that ‘maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the ‘nine-dash line’ are contrary to the Convention and without lawful effect to the extent that they exceed the geographic and substantive limits of China’s maritime entitlements under the Convention,” Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza was quoted as saying by the official Philippine News Agency.
“The Philippines, therefore, calls on China to act responsibly and abide by its obligations under UNCLOS and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” she further stated.
Meanwhile, Malaysia, whose maritime areas have been covered in the Chinese map, said it will send a “protest note” to China over the latter’s claims on the South China Sea.
The White House says Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un exchanged letters about working together.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un pose for a photo prior to their talks in Vladivostok, Russia, on April 25, 2019. | Pool Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko
New U.S. intelligence shows North Korea and Russia are “actively advancing” high-level talks for additional weapons and other materials to assist Moscow’s brutal war in Ukraine, the Biden administration disclosed on Wednesday.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu recently traveled to North Korea to try to secure additional artillery ammunition, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. Since that visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have exchanged letters pledging to increase their cooperation.
Also after Shoigu’s visit, another group of Russian officials traveled to Pyongyang for follow-up discussions about potential arms deals between the two nations, Kirby said. Under the potential agreements, North Korea would ship Russia “significant quantities and multiple types” of weapons for use in Ukraine, he said.
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The potential deals also include the provision of raw materials that could help boost Russia’s military manufacturing capability, Kirby said.
“Any arms deal between the DPRK and Russia would directly violate a number of U.N. Security Council resolutions,” Kirby said, referring to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the country’s official name. “We’re continuing to monitor this situation closely. And we urge the DPRK to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia.”
The alleged arms talks come as Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine drags on with no end in sight. A Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed to make major breakthroughs, despite ample military support from the West. Both Russia and Ukraine are burning through ammunition and seeking any edge they can in a bid to gain a permanent upper hand.
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kirby declined to describe how the United States had obtained the information, citing the importance of protecting sources and methods used. Still, it was the latest example of the Biden administration publicly disclosing intelligence in a bid to stay ahead of Moscow as it has pursued its war on Ukraine.
Kirby said the fact that Putin was approaching a country like North Korea, one of the most isolated on the planet, was a sign of Putin’s desperation, even as he acknowledged it was not clear how long Russia would continue to wage war.
Indian-American origin, Vivek Ramaswamy is moving ahead in the US presidential race as one of the frontrunners in the Republican field. Ramaswamy is directly competing against former US President Donald Trump, although he has expressed admiration for his policies. The presidential hopeful said that the US is economically dependent on China today, favouring a stricter foreign policy. Indian-American presidential aspirant said a stronger US-India relationship can help America declare economic independence from China.#vivekramaswamy #ramaswamy #hindu #donaldtrump #kamalaharris
China and Russia say they have a ‘friendship without limits’
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to make a trip to China this fall in what will be his first trip outside of Russian or allied territory since the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest.
Putin’s regime is preparing for him to appear at China’s Belt and Road Forum in October, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. He has remained primarily within Russia or countries formerly held by the Soviet Union since the court issued its warrant in March, though he has also visited Iran.
The Russian leader has missed a number of notable international events in the months since the warrant was issued, including last week’s BRICS summit in South Africa, a meeting of the China-Russia-led economic bloc.
Putin’s trip to China will come months after Chinese President Xi Jinping made his own visit to Moscow in March. The two countries have declared themselves friends, and China has refused Western calls to urge Putin to end his war in Ukraine.
Putin has had an eventful few months since his last meeting with Xi, including suppressing a rebellion from the Wagner mercenary group earlier this summer. The Wagner group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, died mysteriously in a plane crash last week after being exiled to Belarus.
U.S. officials say Putin likely ordered Prigozhin’s assassination despite publicly repairing ties with him.
During Xi’s March visit to Moscow, the two leaders declared their countries to have a “friendship without limits.” The countries remain aligned in pushing back against Western leadership across the globe.
An explosive new report Meta released Tuesday exposed covert misinformation operations from China and Russia targeting the United States, as well as specific organizations like The Washington Post and NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, August 21, 2023. Theodore Manolopoulos/Greek Presidency Press Office/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing Rights
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, responding to calls by a US senator this week to announce elections in 2024, said on Sunday voting could take place during wartime if partners shared the cost, legislators approved, and everyone got to the polls.
Elections cannot currently be held in Ukraine under martial law, which must be extended every 90 days and is next due to expire on Nov. 15, after the normal date in October for parliamentary polls but before presidential elections which would normally be held in March 2024.
Top American legislators visited Kyiv Aug. 23, among them Senator Lindsey Graham, who heaped praise on Kyiv’s fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin but said the country needed to show it was different by holding elections in wartime.
Zelenskiy, in a television interview with Natalia Moseichuk, an anchor for the 1+1 Channel, said he had discussed the issue with Graham, including the question of funding and the need to change the law.
“I gave Lindsey a very simple answer very quickly,” he said. “He was very pleased with it. As long as our legislators are willing to do it.”
He said it cost 5 billion hryvnia ($135 million) to hold elections in peacetime. “I don’t know how much is needed in wartime,” he said. “So I told him that if the US and Europe provide financial support …”
He added, “I will not take money from weapons and give it to elections. And this is stipulated by the law.”
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, was listed as a passenger on a private jet which crashed on Wednesday evening north of Moscow with no survivors. (Prigozhin Press Service via AP/File)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday said he warned Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin twice to keep an eye out for threats to his life.
Speaking to Belta, Belarus-owned news agency, Lukashenko said that the first time he warned was soon after the Wagner’s forces foiled a bid to march on Moscow to mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The first time was when I phoned him and negotiations (were taking) place while they were marching on Moscow,” Lukashenko said.
Lukashenko told Belta that he told Putin’s former caterer: “Yevgeny, do you understand that you will doom your people and will perish yourself?”
Prigozhin reportedly said: “I will die then, damn it!”
Lukashenko said the second time he warned Prigozhin during a meeting between him, Prigozhin and Dmitriy Utkin, a long-term lieutenant of Prigozhin.
Russian state media outlets this week showed footage of a private plane crashing into a field northwest of Moscow while en route to St. Petersburg. The plane was purportedly carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose private army has been instrumental in the ongoing 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war.
A file photo of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The Minister told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone conversation on Monday that China would uphold an independent and impartial position on Ukraine as it strives to find a political settlement to the issue. | Photo Credit: Reuters
China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that international talks in Saudi Arabia at the weekend on finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis had helped “to consolidate international consensus”.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in a phone conversation on Monday that China would uphold an independent and impartial position on Ukraine as it strives to find a political settlement to the issue.
Wang’s comments to Lavrov were announced in a Foreign Ministry statement on Monday that said China would be an “objective and rational voice” at any international multilateral forums and “actively promote peace talks”. The statement came after the ministry said earlier on Monday that international talks in Saudi Arabia at the weekend on finding a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis had helped “to consolidate international consensus”.
More than 40 countries, including China, India, the United States and European countries, but not Russia, took part in the Jeddah talks that ended on Sunday.
China sent its Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs and former ambassador to Russia, Li Hui, who in May toured six European capitals to try to find common ground for an eventual political settlement of the conflict, now in its 18th month.
Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine it launched in February 2022. It has offered its own peace plan, which received a lukewarm response in both Russia and Ukraine, while the United States and NATO were sceptical.
During MEA Jaishankar’s statement in Parliament, chaos ensued as members in the Treasury benches chanted “Modi, Modi”, while those in Opposition raised “India, India” slogans.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Thursday, July 27, 2023. (PTI Photo)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Thursday hit out at the Opposition alliance, INDIA, over disruptions in the Rajya Sabha while he was giving a suo moto statement over the country’s foreign policy.
“If you claim to be INDIA but do not want to listen to India’s national interests, then what kind of INDIA are you? You are an INDIA which is prepared to sacrifice national interest, that is not India,” Jaishankar said.
Chaos ensued as members in the Treasury benches chanted “Modi, Modi”, while those in Opposition raised “India, India” slogans during his statement in the Upper House of the Parliament.
“We felt that in the past few months, there have been enormous achievements… We are putting really big energy into a semiconductor mission because that will make India strong for the future," EAM S Jaishankar tells media outside Parliament.
“Our effort was today to say how the country has progressed and our foreign policy is delivering for the people of India, for the national good of India. So we thought at least on this issue the Opposition will put its political differences aside, would listen to it with an open mind and will put national interest first,” Jaishankar told reporters outside the Parliament.
He said that if a foreign minister is not allowed to make a statement in the House, then “it’s a sorry state of affairs”. “It’s unfortunate how strongly and how wrongly partisan politics is pursued.”
“On certain issues people should put politics aside, and think about the country. They should be prepared to listen to where we have made progress. This is good for the country. It’s not just an achievement of a government, but of the country,” Jaishankar added.
A truce between Israel and the militant Islamic Jihad group officially came into effect late on Saturday night, with an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire agreement meant to end the worst episode of cross-border fire since a 10-day war in 2021.
As fighting tapered off, streets in Gaza that had largely been deserted filled with Palestinians. Some people cheered and honked car horns while others headed to the homes of people killed in the fighting to show their respect.
“In light of the agreement of the Palestinian and the Israeli side, Egypt announces a ceasefire between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides has been reached,” a text of the agreement seen by Reuters read.
“The two sides will abide by the ceasefire which will include an end to targeting civilians, house demolition, an end to targeting individuals immediately when the ceasefire goes into effect,” it said.
Israel’s national security adviser thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for Cairo’s efforts, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
“Quiet will be met with quiet and if Israel will be attacked or threatened, it shall continue to do what it must in order to defend itself,” the statement said.
Islamic Jihad also confirmed the agreement. “We declare our acceptance of the Egyptian announcement and we will abide by it as long as the occupation (Israel) abides by it,” the group’s spokesman, Dawoud Shehab, said.
A man stands in a damaged building at the site of deadly Israeli raid in Balata camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 13, 2023. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre welcomed the ceasefire on Saturday night, joining the Israeli government in acknowledging Sisi’s and Egypt’s mediation efforts, and thanking Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
Even as the truce was being finalised, the two sides kept up firing, with air raid sirens sounding as far as Tel Aviv’s suburbs and Israel’s military announcing it had hit Islamic Jihad targets in response to rocket fire.
Though happy about news of the truce, some Gaza residents, weary of repeated flare-ups, feared that another round of fighting would erupt before long. “We want the truce to be based on principles, not like in the past when after a calm (truce) people died,” said resident Munir Marouf, 43.
Israel launched the latest round of airstrikes in the early hours of Tuesday, announcing that it was targeting Islamic Jihad commanders who had planned attacks in Israel.
In response, the Iranian-backed group fired more than 1,000 rockets, sending Israelis fleeing into bomb shelters.
During the five days of the campaign, Israel killed six senior Islamic Jihad commanders and destroyed a number of military installations.
An aerial view of the new US embassy complex in Beirut under construction. (Credit: US embassy in Beirut via Twitter) US Embassy in Beirut/Twitter
A massive new US embassy complex in Lebanon is causing controversy for its sheer size and opulence in a country where nearly 80% of the population is under the poverty line.
Located some 13 kilometers (about 8 miles) from the center of Beirut and built on the site of the current embassy, the US’ new compound in Lebanon looks like a city of its own.
Sprawling over a 43-acre site, the complex in the Beirut suburb of Awkar is almost two-and-a-half times the size of the land the White House sits on and more than 21 soccer fields.
Many Lebanese on Twitter questioned why the US needs such a large embassy in their capital. Lebanon is smaller than Connecticut and has a population of just six million. Few American tourists go to the country as the State Department has placed it on the third highest travel advisory level, but it does have a sizeable population of Lebanese American residents.
“Did the US move to Lebanon??” tweeted Sandy, a social media activist.
“Maybe you’ll have enough room to work on all those pending visa applications,” tweeted Abed A. Ayoub, national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, responding to the grandiosity of the new complex.
Computer-generated images published by the embassy show an ultra-modern compound, hosting multi-story buildings with high glass windows, recreational areas, and a swimming pool surrounded by greenery and views of the Lebanese capital. The compound includes a chancery, representational and staff housing, facilities for the community and associated support facilities, according to the project’s website.
From the pandemic to the 2020 Beirut blast, Lebanon has been assailed by a number of crises that have left its economy in ruins. Many Lebanese are unable to afford basic commodities, including food, medicine and electricity.
“Let them eat concrete,” another user tweeted.
Plans for the embassy complex were announced in 2015 and it is reported to have cost $1 billion.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida inspect honour guards upon their arrival to Seoul airbase in Seongnam on May 7, 2023. (Photo: AFP/Kim Hong-ji)
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Seoul on Sunday (May 7) to meet South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, facing a sceptical public there as the leaders seek deeper ties amid nuclear threats from North Korea and China’s increasing assertiveness.
Kishida’s bilateral visit, the first by a Japanese leader to Seoul in 12 years, returns the trip Yoon made to Tokyo in March, where they sought to close a chapter on the historical disputes that have dominated Japan-South Korea relations for years.
Soon before departing, Kishida told reporters he hoped to have “an open discussion based on a relationship of trust” with Yoon, without elaborating on specific issues.
Yoon is facing criticism at home that he has given more than he’s received in his efforts to improve relations with Japan, including by proposing that South Korean businesses – not Japanese companies as ordered by a court – compensate victims of wartime labour during Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial occupation.
South Korean officials are hopeful that Kishida will make some kind of gesture in return and offer some political support, although few observers expect any further formal apology for historical wrongs. Yoon himself has signalled he doesn’t believe that is necessary.
The focus of the summit instead will likely revolve around security cooperation in the face of North Korea’s nuclear threats, said Shin-wha Lee, a professor of international relations at Seoul-based Korea University.
“Within the framework of the ‘Washington Declaration,’ which outlines plans to strengthen extended deterrence, Korea will explore ways to enhance the collaborative efforts with Japan,” she added.
“We have a lot of opportunities to cooperate when it comes to addressing the threat of North Korea” and securing a free and open Indo-Pacific, a Japanese foreign ministry official said.
Tensions have simmered between Washington and Beijing as China becomes more assertive in its territorial claims over Taiwan and in the South China Sea, while the US shores up alliances across the Asia-Pacific.
But the historical differences between South Korea and Japan also threaten to cast a shadow over the blossoming ties between its two leaders.
The majority of South Koreans believe Japan hasn’t apologised sufficiently for atrocities during Japan’s 1910-1945 occupation of Korea, Lee said. “They think that Prime Minister Kishida should show sincerity during his visit to South Korea, such as mentioning historical issues and expressing apologies,” she added.
On the other hand, Japan is taking it slow, said Daniel Russel, former US assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific.
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 28, 2023. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Friday it was necessary to ensure Russia’s invasion of Ukraine does not succeed and that Seoul was considering its options when it came to lethal aid to Kyiv.
In a speech at Harvard University’s Kennedy School on the fifth day of a state visit to mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-South Korean alliance, Yoon said the Russian invasion was a violation of international law and the rights of Ukrainians.
“We should prove that such attempts will never reach success, to block further attempts being made in the future,” he said, according to simultaneous translations of his remarks.
Yoon was asked about the possibility of South Korea providing lethal aid to Ukraine, and replied:
“We are closely monitoring the situation that’s going on the battlefield in Ukraine and will take proper measures in order to uphold the international norms and international law.
“Right now we are closely monitoring the situation and we are considering various options.”
On Wednesday, Yoon met U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House and the United States pledged to give South Korea more insight into its nuclear planning over any conflict with North Korea, amid anxiety over Pyongyang’s growing arsenal of missiles and bombs. The two also discussed the situation in Ukraine.
Yoon told Reuters in an interview last week before leaving for the United States that Seoul might extend its support for Ukraine beyond humanitarian and economic aid if it comes under a large-scale civilian attack, signaling a shift in his stance against arming Ukraine for the first time.
Answering another question, Yoon rejected the notion that the Washington Declaration he agreed with Biden meant they were accepting North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, adding that he was against treating North Korea’s possession of the weapons as a disarmament issue.
French President Emmanuel Macron (right) met Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a three-day state visit last week. (Photo: POOL/AFP/NG Han Guan)
French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview published Sunday that Europe must not be a “follower” of either the US or China on Taiwan, saying that the bloc risks entanglement in “crises that aren’t ours”.
His comments risk riling Washington and highlight divisions in the European Union over how to approach China, as the US steps up confrontation with its closest rival and Beijing draws closer to Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
“The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must be followers and adapt ourselves to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction,” Macron told media including French business daily Les Echos and Politico as he returned Friday from a three-day state visit to Beijing.
Citing his prized ideal of EU “strategic autonomy”, the French leader said that “we must be clear where our views overlap with the US, but whether it’s about Ukraine, relations to China or sanctions, we have a European strategy”.
“We don’t want to get into a bloc versus bloc logic,” he added, saying Europe “should not be caught up in a disordering of the world and crises that aren’t ours”.
China views democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take it one day, by force if necessary.
Angered by Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting last week with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Beijing launched massive military exercises around the island immediately after Macron departed for France, including simulated strikes on its territory.
“AMBIGUITY”
Macron discussed Taiwan with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday, during a visit in which he was feted but more hawkish EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was kept mostly at arm’s length.
His Elysee Palace office said the talks had been “dense and frank” and that the French president was concerned about “growing tensions in the region” that could lead to “a terrible accident”.
Macron was “simply talking about the risk of Chinese ‘overreaction’, forgetting China wishes to change the status quo by taking over Taiwan one way or the other”, Antoine Bondaz of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS) commented on Twitter.
“Why this desire never to recall we have an interest in maintaining stability?” he added, warning that “this ambiguity … instils doubt in our like-minded partners”.
Taiwan island was just one area that risked “an acceleration of tensions breaking out between the duopoly” of China and the US, Macron said.
One of the stars that aligned when Tony Blair felt the hand of history on his shoulder 25 years ago was the changing politics of the Irish lobby in the US. For years, American money had been funnelled to the IRA through an organisation called Noraid.
When I worked for the BBC in the early 1990s, I interviewed Irish Americans at a St Patrick’s Day fundraiser in New York who thought they were supporting freedom fighters against English colonial oppressors. They did not know that most people in Northern Ireland wanted to be part of the UK.
Pope Francis appeared to ask Russians to seek the truth about their country’s invasion of Ukraine in his Easter message to the world on Sunday and appealed for dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians following recent violence.
Francis, 86, presided at a solemn Easter day Mass in a sunny St. Peter’s Square after unseasonal cold forced him to skip an outdoor service on Friday – a precaution following his hospitalisation for bronchitis at the end of March.
A carpet of 38,000 flowers donated by the Netherlands bedecked the square for the most important and joyous date in the Church’s liturgical calendar – commemorating the day Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead. Honour units of Vatican Swiss Guards and Italian Carabinieri police – both in ceremonial dress – stood at attention.
But the traditional pomp and sacred singing then gave way to modern realities. Francis later went up to the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to deliver his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message and blessing, addressing a crowd the Vatican estimated at about 100,000.
There, from the same spot where he first appeared to the world as pope on the night of his election in 2013, he spoke of “the darkness and the gloom in which, all too often, our world finds itself enveloped”, and prayed to God for peace.
“Help the beloved Ukrainian people on their journey towards peace, and shed the light of Easter upon the people of Russia,” he said.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, Francis has at least twice a week referred to Ukraine and its people as being “martyred” and has used words such as aggression and atrocities to describe Russia’s actions.
On Sunday he asked God to “comfort the wounded and all those who have lost loved ones because of the war, and grant that prisoners may return safe and sound to their families. Open the hearts of the entire international community to strive to end this war and all conflict and bloodshed in our world.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in his nightly video address, denounced Russian attacks that coincided with the observance of Orthodox Palm Sunday, including an attack that killed a father and daughter in the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Pope Francis arrives to attend the Easter Sunday mass at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, April 9, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
“This is how the terrorist state marks Palm Sunday,” Zelenskiy said. “This is how Russia places itself in even greater isolation from the world.”
The majority of Ukraine’s 41 million people are Orthodox Christians who celebrate Easter a week from now.
As he has done every Easter, Francis called for peace in the Middle East, his appeal made more urgent by recent violence in Jerusalem and cross-border exchanges of fire involving Israel, Lebanon and Syria.
“On this day, Lord, we entrust to you the city of Jerusalem, the first witness of your resurrection. I express deep worry over the attacks of these last few days that threaten the hoped-for climate of trust and reciprocal respect, needed to resume the dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, so that peace may reign in the Holy City and in the entire region,” he said.
A Chinese aircraft takes part in a drill around Taiwan
China has simulated precision strikes against key targets on Taiwan and its surrounding waters during a second day of military drills.
The drills – which Beijing has called a “stern warning” to the self-governing island – are a response to Taiwan’s president visiting the US last week.
As the Chinese military simulated an encirclement of the island, the US urged China to show restraint.
Taiwan said about 70 Chinese aircraft flew around the island on Sunday.
Eleven Chinese ships were also spotted.
On Saturday, Taiwan said that 45 warplanes either crossed the Taiwan Strait median line – the unofficial dividing line between Taiwanese and Chinese territory – or flew into the south-western part of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.
The operation, dubbed “Joint Sword” by Beijing, will continue until Monday. Taiwanese officials have been enraged by the operation.
On Saturday defence officials in Taipei accused Beijing of using President Tsai’s US visit as an “excuse to conduct military exercises, which has seriously undermined peace, stability and security in the region”.
On day one of the drills, one of China’s ships fired a round as it sailed near Pingtan island, China’s closest point to Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, which runs the Coast Guard, issued video footage showing one of its ships shadowing a Chinese warship, though did not provide a location.
In the footage a sailor can be heard telling the Chinese ship through a radio: “You are seriously harming regional peace, stability and security. Please immediately turn around and leave. If you continue to proceed we will take expulsion measures.”
Other footage showed a Taiwanese warship, the Di Hua, accompanying the Coast Guard ship in what the Coast Guard officer calls a “standoff” with the Chinese vessel.
While the Chinese exercises ended by sundown on Saturday evening, defence officials in Taipei said fighter jet sorties started again early on Sunday morning.
US state department officials have urged China not to exploit President Tsai’s US visit, and have called for “restraint and no change to the status quo”.
A state department spokesperson said the US was “monitoring Beijing’s actions closely” and insisted the US had “sufficient resources and capabilities in the region to ensure peace and stability and to meet our national security commitments”.
The US severed diplomatic ties with Taipei in favour of Beijing in 1979, but it is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
US President Joe Biden has said on several occasion that the US would intervene if China attacked the island, but US messaging has been murky.
At Wednesday’s meeting in California, Ms Tsai thanked US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for America’s “unwavering support”, saying it helped “reassure the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated and we are not alone”.
Mr McCarthy had originally planned to go to Taiwan himself, but opted instead to hold the meeting in California to avoid inflaming tensions with China.
Chinese state media said the military drills, which are due to run until Monday, would “simultaneously organise patrols and advances around Taiwan island, shaping an all-round encirclement and deterrence posture”.
It added that “long-range rocket artillery, naval destroyers, missile boats, air force fighters, bombers, jammers and refuellers” had all been deployed by China’s military.
But in Taiwan’s capital Taipei, residents seemed unperturbed by China’s latest manoeuvres.
“I think many Taiwanese have gotten used to it by now, the feeling is like, here we go again!” Jim Tsai said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Michael Chuang said: “They [China] seems to like doing it, circling Taiwan like it’s theirs. I am used to it now.
“If they invade we can’t escape anyway. We’ll see what the future holds and go from there.”
Taiwan’s status has been ambiguous since 1949, when the Chinese Civil War turned in favour of the Chinese Communist Party and the country’s old ruling government retreated to the island.
Taiwan has since considered itself a sovereign state, with its own constitution and leaders. China sees it as a breakaway province that will eventually be brought under Beijing’s control – by force if necessary.
Military aid, delivered as part of the United States of America’s security assistance to Ukraine, is unloaded from a plane at the Boryspil International Airport outside Kyiv, Ukraine February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Serhiy Takhmazov/File Photo
The U.S. unveiled $2.6 billion worth of military assistance that includes three air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets and fuel trucks, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday, as Ukraine prepares a spring offensive against invading Russian forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday told the U.S. National Governors Association that the United States could protect its values by helping Ukraine.
“Our cooperation will allow for the new enhancement of your security, for our economy and yours, for jobs in both our countries,” Zelenskiy said by video link.
“The main thing is not to lose time, not to lose the chance we have. Act now, help now. Ukrainians act so that Americans don’t have to fight – and together we gain new strength for our countries,” he continued.
The Russian embassy in Washington reacted to the announcement by accusing the United States of wanting to drag out the conflict as long as possible, Russian news agency TASS said.
“The decision to supply weapons to Kyiv is a step towards escalating the Ukrainian crisis and increasing the number of civilian casualties,” it cited an embassy statement as saying.
The weapons aid package was comprised of $2.1 billion from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding which allows President Joe Biden’s administration to buy weapons from industry rather than from U.S. weapons stocks.
The USAI package included additional munitions for NASAMS air defenses that the U.S. and allies have given to Kyiv, precision aerial munitions, Soviet-era GRAD rockets, anti-tank rockets, armored bridging systems used in assaults, and 105 fuel trailers, along with funding for training and maintenance.
The remaining $500 million came from Presidential Drawdown Authority funds, which allows the president to take from current U.S. stocks in an emergency.
JOE Biden’s wife Jill will attend the King’s coronation on behalf of the US President.
Mr Biden said on Monday he would be unable to attend the May 6 event because of his schedule.
Joe Biden’s wife Jill will attend the King’s coronation on behalf of the US PresidentCredit: ReutersThe White House said the President told the King First Lady Jill would attend on behalf of the US.Credit: Getty
But in a statement, The White House said the President told The King First Lady Jill would attend on behalf of the US.
The statement said: “President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with King Charles III, underscoring the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples.
“The President congratulated the King on his upcoming coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States.
“The President also conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date.”
The First Lady will be among a raft of world leaders and dignitaries descending on London for Charles’ crowning.
Events for the coronation will start on Saturday May 6 and continue over Sunday May 7 and Monday May 8, which has been declared a bank holiday.
The action packed weekend will see King Charles and newly titled Queen Camilla arrive at Westminster Abbey in The King’s Procession on Saturday morning.
This will be followed by the coronation service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The service will “reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry”.
After the service, the newly-crowned King and Queen will return to the Palace in a larger ceremonial parade known as the Coronation Procession.
This is expected to include thousands of troops, military bands and other members of the Royal Family.
After the procession the Royal Family are expected to appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Emmanuel Macron in China: The French leader’s aims include preserving and rebalancing China’s trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region
Emmanuel Macron will look to stand firm on Ukraine during talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping
French President Emmanuel Macron hopes to dissuade Beijing from supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while also using his visit from Wednesday to forge closer ties with a crucial trade and geopolitical partner.
Macron will look to stand firm on Ukraine during talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping and offer “another path” from the directly confrontational tone often heard from Washington, an official from his office told reporters before the three-day trip.
The French leader’s aims include preserving and rebalancing China’s trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region, where Paris sees itself as a player through its overseas territories and military deployments.
Macron will land in Beijing at around 3:30 pm (0730 GMT) and then meet French residents in the capital, before talks on Thursday with Chinese leaders and a state dinner in the evening.
He will travel to Guangzhou in southern China to meet local students on Friday, taking with him a broad delegation of top politicians, business leaders and even celebrities, including composer Jean-Michel Jarre.
– ‘Nerve centre’ –
Macron, 45, will also be eyeing France’s footprint across the entire Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Around 1.6 million citizens live in French overseas territories there, from La Reunion off Madagascar’s east coast to New Caledonia northeast of Australia and the dozens of Pacific islands of French Polynesia.
Thanks to its vast population, abundant natural resources and economic heft, the Asia-Pacific has become “the nerve centre of the planet”, said Cedric Perrin, co-author of a French Senate report on the region.
France hopes its vast economic zone and 7,000 deployed troops can lend it a seat at the table as tensions mount on several fronts, including with nuclear-armed North Korea and between China and the United States over the self-governed island of Taiwan.
President Tsai Ing-Wen is shoring up allies, but a meeting with Speaker Kevin McCarthy is drawing threats from Beijing
Josue Decavele/Getty Images
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen is in the midst of a 10-day trip to the Americas, with stops in Belize, Guatemala, and the US as the island faces an increasingly belligerent Beijing. Tsai’s trip underscores Taiwan’s vulnerable position as its international allies face a pressure campaign from the People’s Republic of China to switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan to the mainland.
Beijing has threatened conflict over Taiwan, which according to its “one China principle” is part of the mainland, to some extent for decades. The tension most recently reached a fever pitch when former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August of last year. At the time, Beijing retaliated by sanctioning Pelosi and firing ballistic missiles toward Taiwan, as well as announcing it would extend planned military drills. Now, with Tsai headed to the Americas to shore up support for Taiwan, Beijing has threatened “resolute countermeasures” should Tsai meet with current Speaker Kevin McCarthy next week, as she’s tentatively planned to do.
Just as existential for Tsai, though, may be her scheduled visits to Belize and Guatemala, particularly given the fact Honduras, a former diplomatic partner, recently changed its allegiance to Beijing. Though the US is Taiwan’s most powerful friend and security partner, the US government walks a fine line where the island is concerned. Officially, the US recognizes the People’s Republic of China and respects what it calls the “one China policy,” but practices strategic ambiguity where the two are concerned.
Taiwan itself is in a difficult position, too, as its official number of diplomatic partners dwindles from 14 to 13. Tsai’s visit to Belize and Guatemala will reinforce those countries’ commercial, diplomatic, and military commitments to Taiwan. But China has a tactic of using its relative economic might as a cudgel, typically by persuading poorer nations into infrastructure and lending deals that later make those nations economically beholden to Beijing. Honduras’s decision to switch allegiance may have had an economic payoff for the Central American nation, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu alleged.
Five Central American and Caribbean nations have switched their diplomatic ties from Taiwan to Beijing since Tsai took power, and it isn’t clear that diplomacy can stanch the bleeding. And in regard to Tsai’s US visit, Beijing has warned that it’s watching the situation closely should Tsai meet with US officials.
What Tsai’s Central American visit can do for Taiwan
Though Tsai will bookend her trip with stops in the US — she started off in New York and plans to visit McCarthy in his California district before heading back to Taiwan — her Central American stops are critical too, Kitsch Liao, assistant director of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub told Vox in an interview.
Much of Taiwan’s national security is connected to the threat from China, which can be dealt with in two different ways — cross-strait relations or international diplomatic relations. “Cross-strait doesn’t work if China doesn’t want to play with you,” Liao said, and China is not particularly disposed to work with Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Therefore, international support and diplomatic engagement, whether with official partners like Belize and Guatemala or powerful security partners like the US, does play an important security and intermediary role for Taiwan.
From a purely military perspective, Taiwan’s allegiances aren’t terribly strategic, but Taiwan does have priorities other than defense, like trade. Taiwan has a strong trade relationship with Guatemala, and has invested millions in the Central American country’s agricultural, manufacturing and tech industries, and Taiwan’s ties with the Marshall Islands in the Pacific are crucial for its fishing industry.
Of course, there’s also the symbolic importance of having official diplomatic relationships — they give credence to Taiwan’s sovereignty, a threatening concept for Beijing. That’s why, since Tsai became president in 2016, Panama, Nicaragua, and El Salvador in Central America, Sao Tome and Principe and Burkina Faso in Africa, the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, and the Solomon Islands and Kiribati in Oceania, have all broken ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing, many citing economic concerns for the switch, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Honduras, the most recent country to shift its allegiance to China, has been dealing with economic insecurity, including $600 million the country reportedly owed to Taiwan. China has made a concerted effort to isolate Taiwan, relying on the economic coercion it practices elsewhere — providing loans or support for infrastructure projects, only to exert more influence or take over those projects when the recipients of its largesse can’t pay China back or complete the planned construction.
“I expect that to continue,” Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst at the RAND corporation, said of China’s campaign to peel off Taiwan’s allies.
Another method of influence is the so-called “golden passport” programs in certain Caribbean nations, according to the research of Leland Lazarus, associate director of the national security policy program at Florida International University’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy. In a recent report, Lazarus found that some Caribbean nations’ citizenship programs for foreign investors see a large percentage of Chinese applicants, who then wield political influence in those countries. In St. Kitts and Nevis, a diplomatic partner of Taiwan, an estimated 60 percent of applicants to the citizenship program were from China.
Since Honduras’ defection, Taiwan’s three Latin American partners — Paraguay, Guatemala, and Belize — have all reaffirmed their support for Taiwan, touting shared democratic ideals. Guatemala and Belize both reaffirmed their position that Taiwan is a sovereign nation.
Of course, there is an argument that Taiwan should work on cultivating relationships with powerful security partners like the US, according Grossman. “Taiwan shouldn’t worry about the Hondurases of the world,” Grossman told Vox in an interview, but rather “focus on powers including Australia, Japan, even the Philippines,” nearby nations that could provide military support in the case of an attack by China, especially if for some reason the US weren’t in a position to or were unwilling to come to Taiwan’s aid.
“Time is not on Taiwan’s side here,” Grossman said.
A Russian tank in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol in March last year
Russia has taken the presidency of the UN Security Council despite Ukraine urging members to block the move.
Each of the council’s 15 members takes up the presidency for a month, on a rotating pattern.
The last time Russia had the presidency, February 2022, it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It means the Security Council is being led by a country whose president is subject to an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes.
The International Criminal Court – which is not a UN institution – issued the warrant for Vladimir Putin last month.
Despite Ukraine’s complaints, the United States said it could not block Russia – a permanent council member – from assuming the presidency.
The other permanent members of the council are the UK, US, France, and China.
The role is mostly procedural, but Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, told the Russian Tass news agency that he planned to oversee several debates, including one on arms control.
He said he would discuss a “new world order” that, he said, was coming to “replace the unipolar one”.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called Russia’s presidency “the worst joke ever for April Fool’s Day” and a “stark reminder that something is wrong with the way international security architecture is functioning”.
And in a further comment on Saturday, he called it “a slap in the face to the international community”.
Ukraine’s presidential adviser, Mykhaylo Podolyak, said the move was “another rape of international law… an entity that wages an aggressive war, violates the norms of humanitarian and criminal law, destroys the UN Charter, neglects nuclear safety, can’t head the world’s key security body”.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called last year for the Security Council to reform or “dissolve altogether”, accusing it of failing to take enough action to prevent Russia’s invasion.
He has also called for Russia to be removed of its member status.
But the US has said its hands were tied as the UN charter does not allow for the removal of a permanent member.
“Unfortunately, Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and no feasible international legal pathway exists to change that reality,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a news briefing this week.
She added the US expects Moscow “to continue to use its seat on the council to spread disinformation” and justify its actions in Ukraine.
The UN Security Council is an international body responsible for maintaining peace.
Five nations are permanently represented on the Security Council. They reflect the post-war power structure that held sway when the council was formed.
Members of this group work alongside 10 non-permanent member countries.
Russia’s presence as a permanent member on the Security Council means it can veto resolutions.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaks during a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan March 26, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Taiwan on Sunday confirmed it had ended its decades-long diplomatic relations with Honduras after the Central American country said it was seeking to open relations with Beijing as the “only legitimate government” representing China.
Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu confirmed the severing of ties at a news conference in Taipei and said it would close its embassy in Honduras and withdraw its ambassador there.
Earlier, the Honduran foreign ministry said in a post on Twitter: “The government of Honduras recognises the existence of just one China.”
“The government of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China… Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory.”
The flag of Honduras was removed from inside Taiwan’s foreign ministry, according to a Reuters witness.
The Honduran foreign minister travelled to China this week to open relations after President Xiomara Castro said her government would start ties with Beijing, Honduras being one of only 14 countries to formally recognise Taiwan.
