Day: March 5, 2024

China Increases Defense Budget, Adopts Tougher Language for Taiwan

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WASHINGTON —  China announced a 7.2% increase in its defense budget on Tuesday, which has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping’s 11 years in office, as Beijing hardens its stance on Taiwan. Since Xi became president in 2013, the defense budget has ballooned to $230 billion this year from $100 billion. The increase mirrors the rate presented in last year’s budget and is well above the government’s economic growth forecast for this year. The growth target for 2024 is about 5%, similar to last year’s goal, according to the…

EU locks horns with China’s envoy on Ukraine, as schisms on war remain

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The Chinese diplomat’s mission, according to his ministry, is to “mediate and build consensus” on a war which is estimated to have cost hundreds of thousands of lives since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. China claims to be neutral in the conflict, but is seen by the US and its European allies to have sided with Russia. Li with Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin in Moscow on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua Over a long dinner meeting on Monday night followed by discussions on Tuesday, these suspicions were, in the minds…

Allegations of Uranium, Plutonium in Myanmar Puzzle Experts

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WASHINGTON —  Allegations of a Myanmar-Yakuza arms deal involving nuclear materials have raised alarms in Myanmar’s rebel-held Shan state and confounded scientists, who have long been aware of raw uranium in the region but say they have no idea how it could have been processed to weapons-grade material in the remote area. Last month, U.S. prosecutors announced charges against Takeshi Ebisawa, an alleged member of the Japanese crime syndicate known as the Yakuza, accusing him of conspiring to traffic in nuclear materials. Ebisawa, currently held in a Brooklyn jail, is…

Released from prison, Vietnamese activist vows to fight on

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Political activist Huynh Truong Ca says he will continue to demand democracy in Vietnam, following his recent release from a five-and-a-half-year prison term. Ca, 53, still has to serve three years of probation following Monday’s release, but he told Radio Free Asia Tuesday that wouldn’t silence him. He was arrested on Sept. 4, 2018 on charges of “propaganda against the state” under Article 117 of the criminal law. His detention came after he took part  in a protest against bills on Special Economic Zones and cyber ​​security in Ho Chi…

China’s military capability set to grow faster than its defence budget

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. When China announced its draft budget this week, its defence expenditure target revealed little about how much the country would really be spending on the People’s Liberation Army. The official defence budget will increase by 7.2 per cent this year. Experts believe, however, that the figure masks a much bigger boost for military capabilities as leader Xi Jinping seeks to transform the PLA into a more potent force while lowering…

‘Two sessions’ 2024: Xi Jinping says while China pursues ‘new productive forces’ it must avoid economic bubbles

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Chinese President Xi Jinping warned on Tuesday that the promotion of new productive forces as growth catalysts must not give rise to economic bubbles or unfettered expansion as Beijing seeks to build momentum in solidifying the nation’s recovery. “In the face of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, we must seize opportunities, increase innovation, cultivate and expand emerging industries, and plan future industries in advance,” Xi told his fellow deputies in the Jiangsu Province delegation during a panel discussion, following the opening of the second session of…

China Ex-Foreign Minister: Spy or State Secret Keeper? 

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When China opened its annual National People’s Congress in Beijing on Tuesday, one rising star from last year’s gathering was absent: former foreign minister Qin Gang. Ahead of this year’s meetings, China’s state media announced that Qin had resigned as an NPC delegate. That announcement, however, did little to unify opinion as to why Qin has not been seen in public since late June of last year and why he was abruptly removed from office seven months after he started. Reports citing anonymous and connected sources have suggested that his…

US Stops Short of Congratulating Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto on Apparent Election Victory

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The White House says it looks forward to working with the new Indonesian administration but stopped short of congratulating Prabowo Subianto on his apparent victory in Indonesia’s presidential election last month. Prabowo, for his part, has vowed to continue a policy that allows Jakarta to reap Chinese investments while maintaining security ties with Washington. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. Voice of America

Australian defence official warns Washington audience about military tech innovation gap with China, Russia

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Australia and the US must bolster their industrial cooperation to be better prepared to face evolving threats in the Indo-Pacific region, a high-ranking Australian defence official said on Monday. Hugh Jeffrey, Australia’s Deputy Defence Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Industry, commended his US counterparts for their assessment that the military-industrial architecture developed during the Cold War is not adequate for today’s challenges. Speaking in a livestream from Canberra in an event hosted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, he welcomed the Biden administration’s efforts…

Why is China Not Protecting Red Sea Shipping?

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Another commercial ship was hit by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, causing damage. As Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen continue attacks on international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, a coalition of about two dozen countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, has been working to secure the waters. But noticeably absent from the coalition is China, even though about 40% of trade between Europe and Asia goes through the area. VOA’s Carla Babb has more from the Pentagon.…