Author: Grace Tsoi

US stealth bombers in Diego Garcia, warships in South China Sea, boost morale from Ladakh to Taiwan
14Sep By Grace TsoiNo Comments
Politics, World

US stealth bombers in Diego Garcia, warships in South China Sea, boost morale from Ladakh to Taiwan

With the deployment of three B-2 stealth bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons in the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, the United States has given a clear message to China to deter from starting a war in the India-Pacific.In Ladakh on the Indo-China border and in Taiwan, military tensions are showing no signs of abating.The three radar-evading bombers, widely recognised as the most advanced in the world, arrived at Diego Garcia on August 12.By deploying at the Indian Ocean island, which falls under the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), China was being sent an unambiguous signal - that Washington was committed to safeguard the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean, South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, under well-defined rules.Because of their ultra-long-range endurance, and freedom ...
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Former CIA officer charged with spying for China: US Justice Department
6Sep By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Former CIA officer charged with spying for China: US Justice Department

A former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer have been arrested by the United States’ prosecutors for allegedly spying for the Chinese government."Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 67, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, was arrested on Aug. 14, 2020, on a charge that he conspired with a relative of his who also was a former CIA officer to communicate classified information up to the Top Secret level to intelligence officials of the People's Republic of China (PRC)," the Justice Department said in a press release.The release said 12 years after Ma retired in 1989, he and his relative met with at least five officers of China's Ministry of State Security in Hong Kong, where they disclosed highly classified national defence information. “There is a part of the meeting captured on
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Malaysia rejects Beijing’s claims in South China Sea
4Sep By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Malaysia rejects Beijing’s claims in South China Sea

Following the steps of the United States, now, Malaysia has rejected China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, saying Beijing’s claims in the waters “have no basis” under international law. “Malaysia opposes China’s claim that they have historic rights over those waters,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told the Parliament.“The Malaysian government also considers China’s claims over maritime features in the South China Sea to have no basis whatsoever under international law,” he added while answering questions from Members of Parliament on the status of China’s demands for territory in the South China Sea.This is an unusual move for Malaysia, which in the past had avoided reproaching China openly.A recent Malaysian government report disclosed the Chinese shi
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Is Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on the rise again?
2Sep By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Is Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on the rise again?

The rise of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which operates on the Bangladesh-Burma border is seen by its observers as a reflection of its terrorist activities as it tries to radicalize the people in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh.According to a report in German media, the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar area are experiencing an increase in drug and other criminal activities, with the influx of outside groups.There are media reports that extremist groups are trying to take over the camps.They had earlier massacred about 99 Hindu women, men, and children as well as carried out unlawful killings and abductions of Hindu villagers in August 2017, Amnesty International revealed after conducting a detailed investigation inside Myanmar’s Rakhine State.In January, there were repo
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Tilak’s legacy continues to be significant for India-Myanmar cultural ties
31Aug By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Tilak’s legacy continues to be significant for India-Myanmar cultural ties

India-Myanmar ties are rooted in decades of shared ethnic, cultural and historical bonds. The ties date back to when India was struggling to gain independence from the British.In the early 20th century, Britain had charged Bal Gangadhar Tilak with sedition and intensifying racial animosity between Indians and the British, and incarcerated him for six years in Burmese prison of Mandalay from 1908 to 1914.However, this period later turned out to be a key contributor to the foundation of the India-Burma cultural ties as a prominent book Geeta Rahasya (an analysis of ‘Karma Yoga’, one of the three spiritual paths in Hinduism mentioned in Bhagavad Gita) written by Tilak during his jail tenure was looked upon by Indian side to assess and improve relations with its neighbor.The book is now availa
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Chinese Communist Party more assertive, demanding: Report
30Aug By Grace TsoiNo Comments
Politics, World

Chinese Communist Party more assertive, demanding: Report

Top US and European think tanks has cautioned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has emerged more “assertive, demanding, unyielding, confrontational, and punitive” in its international posture.A report titled ‘Dealing with the Dragon: China as a Transatlantic Challenge’, has summarized changing U.S. and European views of, and relations with, China.The contents of report is based on a symposium convened in Berlin, Germany in February 2020, which brought together 43 strategists and China specialists from the United States and 11 European countries for intensive discussions over three days.The first half of the Symposium was structured to probe the debates on both sides of the Atlantic, while the second half was dedicated to “deep dives” into seven specific dimensions of China’s behavior
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Five Eyes alliance question postponement of Hong Kong Legislative Council elections
28Aug By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Five Eyes alliance question postponement of Hong Kong Legislative Council elections

The Five Eyes alliance have expressed concern after the Hong Kong government disqualified candidates and postponed elections of Legislative Council.In a joint statement, the foreign secretaries of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States (the Five Eyes), said that the Hong Kong government’s decision have undermined the democratic process that has been fundamental to the city’s stability and prosperity.“We the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and the United States Secretary of State are gravely concerned by the Hong Kong government’s unjust disqualification of candidates and disproportionate postponement of Legislative Council elections,” the statement read.“We express deep concern at Beijing’s imposition of the new Nat
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New China-Pakistan relationship undermines U.S. in Afghanistan
28Aug By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

New China-Pakistan relationship undermines U.S. in Afghanistan

In an attempt to secure Beijing's influence in Afghanistan, China and Pakistan have begun an unprecedented intelligence-sharing arrangement, designed to help China exploit its economic investments in Afghanistan while also stifling outcry over its persecution of the Uighur population near China's western border with Afghanistan and Pakistan.The timing of the new relationship has become disturbing as President Donald Trump decides to pull out U.S. forces from Afghanistan. Now, American intelligence officials, who believe China will capitalize on ongoing problems in the administration's effort to secure a peace deal with the Taliban, says that Beijing will further expand its influence into other contested parts of the region."The reality is now dawning within the intelligence community," say...
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Abrogating Article 370 empowered Kashmiris: Member of European Parliament
22Aug By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Abrogating Article 370 empowered Kashmiris: Member of European Parliament

A Member of European Parliament (MEP), who visited Kashmir last year, said that revocation of Article 370, under which Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) enjoyed a special status, has empowered Kashmiris in multiple ways and has initiated a process of “healing and homecoming”.Maxette Pirbakas, sharing her experience about closely witnessing and monitoring Kashmir since after August 5, 2019, said, “It (revocation of Article 370) has lifted the artificial barrier that has dwelled in the minds of two generations of Kashmiris on the absence of their links to India and initiated a process of healing and homecoming.”Maxette was among a group of Members of European Parliament who visited Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 and interacted with the local people.“The precious hours which I spent in
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Why Ecuador was angered by a Chinese flotilla near its waters
21Aug By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Why Ecuador was angered by a Chinese flotilla near its waters

At the end of July, Ecuador was on alert as a flotilla of 260 Chinese fishing vessels was sighted near the Galapagos archipelago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, whose aquatic species such as manta rays and sharks have been endangered by commercial fishing.Every year, Ecuador faces the challenge of protecting its natural habitat from Chinese vessels.Ecuador’s Defence Minister said the situation is repeated every year, when ships reach the outer limit of the archipelago, outside the country’s exclusive zone.The flotilla, which also consisted of some Liberia and Panama-flagged vessels, was detected in an international water corridor situated between two areas of Ecuadorian jurisdiction – 200 miles away from both the Galapagos Islands and mainland Ecuador.In 2019, 245 Chinese fishing vessels we
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