Conflict

Taiwan’s Marine force sent to Dongsha Islands to counter China’s plans
30Aug By Nectar GanNo Comments
Conflict

Taiwan’s Marine force sent to Dongsha Islands to counter China’s plans

In order to counter China’s expansionist policies, Taiwan has dispatched its military to Dongsha Islands which Beijing is planning to invade, according to reports.On August 3, People's Liberation Army (PLA) National Defense University professor Li Daguang was quoted as saying that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will stage a landing exercise on China's Hainan Island to simulate an invasion of the Dongsha Islands.Although Li later denied this, claiming he had instead been referring to an article published earlier by Kyodo News.Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) has been on alert since reports surfaced in May saying the PLA is planning such a mock invasion, with China’s state-run mouthpiece the Global Times warning that it could become a real invasion.CommonWealth Magazine
Read More
China pushing territorial claims during pandemic, alleges Japan
23Jul By Nectar GanNo Comments
Conflict

China pushing territorial claims during pandemic, alleges Japan

In its annual defense review, Japan has accused China of Taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and push its territorial claims in the East China Sea.China “is continuing to attempt to alter the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea,” Japan said in the defense white paper approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government on July 14.The report further said that there have been "relentless" intrusions in the areas around the Senkaku islands as called by Japan or Diaoyu in China.Besides, in recent days, China has been asserting its claims in the South China Sea by establishing administrative districts around disputed islands while the neighbouring countries have been busy with dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.Chinese intrusions in the South China Sea have not only be
Read More
Hong Kong Journalists’ Association get slammed by Beijing for inciting sedition
19Jul By Nectar GanNo Comments
Conflict

Hong Kong Journalists’ Association get slammed by Beijing for inciting sedition

The Hong Kong Journalists' Association (HKJA) has been slammed for supporting "violence, terrorist attacks and inciting sedition" by the Beijing authorities shortly after it released its annual press freedom report titled 'Freedom in Danger'."The law itself has overriding power so that means in the name of national security... virtually all protections to free speech and free press are meaningless...I think the present situation now is that you're OK until you're not OK. When they think you're not OK, then you'll be in trouble," the HKJA was quoted saying during the launch of the report. Stanley Ng Chau-pei, deputy to the National People's Congress in Beijing and President of the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, in his Facebook account said, "For the past year, HKJA has su
Read More
China’s aggressive expansion of territorial claims may provoke future clash with US
8Jul By Nectar GanNo Comments
Conflict

China’s aggressive expansion of territorial claims may provoke future clash with US

By pressing its territorial claims aggressively from the Himalayas to the South China Sea, China may be raising possibilities of additional deadly clashes with the United States in the near future.China's military encroached upon its neighbours' territories on several fronts throughout the spring and now into summer, Beijing is flexing its military might in ways that have raised alarms across Asia and in Washington.For instance, in the same week of an escalating clash with Indian soldiers in Eastern Ladakh, China sent one of its submarines into the waters near Japan. Chinese fighter jets and at least one bomber buzzed Taiwan's territorial airspace almost daily.China's military assertiveness reflects a growing sense of confidence and capability, but also one of confrontation, particularly w...
Read More
First deadly India-China clash in 45 years: Five things to know
18Jun By Nectar GanNo Comments
Conflict

First deadly India-China clash in 45 years: Five things to know

Weeks of uncertainty and military standoff along the India China border in the western Himalayas took a dangerous turn this week when 20 Indian soldiers were killed on Monday evening in violent clashes.On Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country would defend every inch of its territory. "I would like to assure the nation that the sacrifice of our soldiers will not go in vain," Modi said."India wants peace, but is capable of giving a befitting reply if instigated,” he warned.In a phone call on Wednesday with his Chinese counterpart, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar blamed China for the conflict, saying "the Chinese side sought to erect a structure" in an area in the Galwan valley that India considers its territory."The Chinese side took premeditated and
Read More
US stands with India in pushing back against Chinese probing of Indian sovereignty: Alice Wells
17Jun By Nectar GanNo Comments
Conflict

US stands with India in pushing back against Chinese probing of Indian sovereignty: Alice Wells

As the tensions between India and China continue to rise on the border, Alice G Wells, Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS), said that the US stands with India in pushing back against constant Chinese probing of Indian sovereignty."External rebalancing is critical. At the end of the day, it will be the US that stands with India in pushing back against constant Chinese probing of Indian sovereignty. #USindia dosti #india," Wells said in a post on Twitter.This statement by Wells comes after the Chinese military started a build-up along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in May first week along with the Ladakh sector and Sikkim where they came to the Naku La area and had a face-off with the Indian troops there.On May 27, US President Donald Trump had said that he is "ready, willin...
Read More
With its actions in Hong Kong, China has let known its scant respect for rule of law
17Jun By Nectar GanNo Comments
Conflict

With its actions in Hong Kong, China has let known its scant respect for rule of law

With Beijing pushing ahead with its plan for the controversial security legislation, the Hong Kong government will have to set up new institutions to safeguard national security and also allow mainland Chinese agencies to operate in the city "when needed". All moves were widely criticized by opposition politicians as a means to suppress dissent.The legislation has sparked fears that it would undermine the principle of "one country, two systems", eventually leading to erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy as stated under the Sino-British joint declaration of 1997.The Sino-British joint declaration on the question of Hong Kong was signed in Beijing on December 19, 1984, by the Prime Ministers of China and Britain, Zhao Ziyang and Margaret Thatcher. The two governments agreed that China would reass...
Read More
Coronavirus: China investing millions in WHO to make up for Trump cuts and boost its influence, officials say
20May By Our NewsroomNo Comments
Conflict, World

Coronavirus: China investing millions in WHO to make up for Trump cuts and boost its influence, officials say

  China's President Xi Jinping (L) speaks next to US President Donald Trump during a business leaders event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on November 9, 2017. Donald Trump urged Chinese leader Xi Jinping to work "hard" and act fast to help resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, during their meeting in Beijing on November 9, warning that "time is quickly running out" China has pledged to invest millions of additional dollars into the World Health Organisation (WHO) after Donald Trump announced he was cutting off US funding for the group while reviewing its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.   Beijing said it would contribute an additional $30m as the United Nations organisation battles the Covid-19 pandemic, with Chinese Foreign Ministry ...
Read More
Complaints of racism mar China’s coronavirus response
8May By Our NewsroomNo Comments
Conflict

Complaints of racism mar China’s coronavirus response

Race-based COVID-19 containment measures in Guangzhou evolve into major test of China-Africa relations. Lewis was at the hospital where he interns when he saw videos on social media of a black man being chased in the street by police. When the 23-year-old medical student from Sierra Leone checked his phone, he had missed calls and messages from friends in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou who had also seen the video, and there was a notice online in Chinese saying that Africans were "importing" the virus and needed to be quarantined. Then, local authorities came to the hospital where Lewis (who asked that his name be changed for fear of reprisals) worked and told him he needed to quarantine, too. They showed him a government notice that said if he had returned to China that ...
Read More
U.S. Views of China Increasingly Negative Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
8May By Our NewsroomNo Comments
Conflict, World

U.S. Views of China Increasingly Negative Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Republicans more negative than Democrats toward China, though unfavorable ratings have climbed among both parties Since President Donald Trump took office in 2017, his approach to U.S.-China relations has included increased pressure via tariffs and trade war rhetoric, and now, with the onset of an unprecedented pandemic, the stage has been set for both sides to cast aspersions on the other. Against this backdrop, negative views of China have continued to grow, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of Americans conducted in March. Roughly two-thirds now say they have an unfavorable view of China, the most negative rating for the country since the Center began asking the question in 2005, and up nearly 20 percentage points since the start of the Trump administration. Positive vie...
Read More