Y-20 airlifter was put on the international market in November when it was shown to Nigeria’s defence chief, military magazine says.South China Morning Post
China is trying to sell its Y-20 ‘chubby girl’ transport plane to foreign buyers
Day: January 9, 2024
Taiwan’s pivotal vote: China casts shadow over island’s election
National identity takes centre stage even as many citizens have tired after eight years under ruling partyFinancial Times
Taiwan prepares to vote in election overshadowed by tensions with Beijing
National identity takes centre stage even as many citizens have tired after eight years under ruling partyFinancial Times
Kim Jong Un labels S Korea as ‘principal enemy,’ boasts war readiness
The North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared that South Korea is now officially Pyongyang’s “principal enemy,” openly stating his readiness for war – as foreign ministers from 48 countries issued a joint statement condemning the threat posed by North Korea to have extended well beyond the Korean peninsula. “The ROK scums are our principal enemy,” Kim proclaimed, referring to South Korea’s formal name, as cited by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency Wednesday. “While we will not unilaterally decide on a major upheaval in the Korean peninsula…
Taiwan election 2024: DPP lawmaker says alleged audio leak of Tsai Ing-wen amounts to ‘foreign interference’
In unverified recording, legislator and Taiwanese president appear to discuss personnel problems in their party in 2019.South China Morning Post
Asia space race heats up as China, Japan and India reach for the stars
Beijing-based LandSpace set to challenge Elon Musk’s monopoly on reusable rockets next year Financial Times
Can China halt the exodus from its state health insurance scheme as enthusiasm wanes?
At least seven provincial-level governments, as well as dozens of cities from seven other provinces, have announced extensions for subscribers to join the scheme, which is intended for anyone who is not formally employed and is managed by the local governments. Serving as one of the two pillars of China’s basic medical insurance system – the other being a mandatory plan for urban employees – the urban and rural residents’ scheme typically requires subscribers to pay the annual premium before the start of the year. The voluntary scheme, which has…
Nearly 3 dozen political prisoners died in Myanmar jails in 2023
Some 34 political prisoners died in military junta’s prisons across Myanmar in 2023, with 18 killed inside jails and 16 others dying due to a lack of medical treatment, a human rights monitoring group said Tuesday. The use of torture against inmates has increased in the wake of the military’s February 2021 coup d’état, with some political prisoners killed after being accused of escape during transfer to other detention centers, according to the Myanmar Political Prisoners Network and the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. A report issued by the Myanmar…
US and Chinese military officials hold first talks since 2021
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the US-China relations myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. US and Chinese military officials have held their first formal talks in over two years as Washington and Beijing follow through on an agreement struck by President Joe Biden and his counterpart Xi Jinping in November. The Pentagon said senior defence officials held two days of discussions this week in what were the first “Defence Policy Coordination Talks” since the previously annual engagement last occurred in 2021. Michael Chase, deputy…
The Taiwan that China wants is vanishing
Some 200-odd statues have been stashed away in a riverside park south of the capital Taipei. Here, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek is standing, sitting, in marshal’s uniform, in scholars’ robes, astride a stallion, surrounded by adoring children, and in his dotage leaning on a walking stick. BBC