??*?? US report says 41 military personnel stationed in Taiwan*

A total of 41 US military personnel were stationed in Taiwan as of December last year, a US congressional report said on Friday last week ahead of Tuesday’s passage of an aid package that included US$8 billion for Taiwan.

The Congressional Research Service in a report titled “Taiwan Defense Issues for Congress” said that according to the US Department of Defense’s Defense Manpower Data Center, 41 US military personnel were assigned for duty in Taiwan.

Although the normalization of relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1979 included a vow to withdraw a military presence from Taiwan, “observers have indicated that it is an ‘open secret’ that small numbers of US military personnel conduct work in an advisory capacity on the island,” it said.

#USA #Taiwan

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???? Deepfake of Marcos Jnr ordering military action against China causes alarm

An “audio deepfake” clip of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr directing his military to act against China has caused serious concern among government officials in Manila, who have warned that it could affect the country’s foreign policy.

In the manipulated audio, the deepfaked voice of Marcos Jnr can be heard saying he has signalled his military to “take action” if China attacks the Philippines, adding he can no longer allow Filipinos to get hurt by Beijing.

“We cannot compromise even a single individual just to protect what rightfully belongs to us,” says the voice in the faked audio.

The Presidential Communications Office issued a public warning about the manipulated media on Tuesday night, confirming it was entirely fake.

#ThePhilippines #China

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???? US-China relations 'stable but fragile,' AmCham chief says

US-China relations are "stable but fragile," the American Chamber of Commerce in China said, as it released its annual white paper on business conditions in the world's No. 2 economy.

But while AmCham and its members welcomed a resurgence in high-level communication between the governments — calling for it to continue — the message was that the ties remain in a delicate state, often shrouded in uncertainty.

Nevertheless, bilateral tensions remained the top concern for US businesses operating in China, according to AmCham's white paper. It noted that member companies have been facing mounting pressure from both governments.

#USA #China

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?? South Korea set to adjust medical reforms in bid to end walkout

South Korea's government is expected to announce it is willing to adjust plans to raise medical school admissions in a bid to end a walkout by junior doctors and in the wake of the ruling party's election defeat.

Some medical school deans suggested scaling back the increase by up to half and allowing universities flexibility to determine their quotas, as a potential way to reach a compromise.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will convene an intra-agency meeting and is likely to accept that request. The original plan was to boost medical school admissions by 2,000 from 3,000 starting in 2025.

#SouthKorea

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***🇰🇷*** South Korea orders junior doctors back to work amidst protests South Korea’s government has issued a directive for over 1,000 junior doctors to resume their duties following widespread walkouts in opposition to proposed plans to augment the number of…

?????? Papua New Guinea leader says China, Australia visits show 'robust' ties with major powers

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said on Friday he looked forward to visits by China's foreign minister and Australia's prime minister in the coming days that demonstrated strong ties with countries accounting for more than 70% of its trade.

The high-level visits showed Papua New Guinea's "strategic role and its robust diplomatic relations with major Asia-Pacific powers," the Papua New Guinea government said in a statement.

The biggest Pacific Island nation, Papua New Guinea, is resource rich but largely undeveloped and is balancing growing trade ties with China, policing cooperation with Australia and a defense deal that gives the US military access to its ports and airports.

#PapuaNewGuinea #China #Australia

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***🇨🇳******🇰🇭******🇮🇩******🇵🇬*** Wang Yi to push belt and road in Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will visit Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea from Thursday, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Tuesday. During his six-day trip…

???? **Rome looks for Belt and Road exit

Italy’s participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative is drawing to a close, with Rome expected to pull the plug on the four-year saga by the end of the year. Italian PM Giorgia Meloni is expected to travel to Beijing in autumn to explain the decision to Xi Jinping in person after meeting US President Joe Biden** in Washington last week.

The writing has been on the wall for some time. Even on the campaign trail, Meloni described the decision to join as a “big mistake”. Managing the fallout of the situation, however, puts her in an unenviable position.

The issue for Italy right now is how to move out of the Belt and Road, while maintaining or maybe strengthening the economic links with China. In effect, Italy faces being punished twice for joining the initiative, and for failing to harvest any of the economic rewards it might have hoped for.

#Italy #China

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???? **China's embassy to Russia criticizes treatment of citizens at border

China's embassy in Russia criticized the treatment of five Chinese citizens who were refused entry into Russia**, calling the treatment inconsistent with the overall friendly relations between the two countries.

The five, attempting to drive into Russia from Kazakhstan late last month, were refused entry after four hours of examination and had their visas cancelled.

The embassy cited statements by Russian officials that Russia welcomes and does not have discriminatory policies against Chinese citizens, as well as that the destination on their visa application of the five Chinese did not match their actual destination.

#China #Russia

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?? **Hiroshima marks atomic bomb anniversary, calls nuclear deterrence "folly"

Japan on Sunday marked the 78th anniversary of the US atomic bombing on Hiroshima, where its mayor urged the abolition of nuclear weapons and called the Group of Seven leaders' notion of nuclear deterrence a "folly"**.

"Leaders around the world must confront the reality that nuclear threats now being voiced by certain policymakers reveal the folly of nuclear deterrence theory," Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said at the ceremony, also attended by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The prime minister said the road to a world without nuclear weapons was getting steeper, due in part to Russia's nuclear threats, but that this made it all the more important to bring back international momentum towards that goal.

#Japan

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?????? **Japan, China to resume meetings with South Korea

Japan and China agreed to resume high-level trilateral talks with South Korea that would include the countries' leaders** and top diplomats, Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

Hayashi said he and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi made the agreement on the sidelines of ASEAN meeting in Indonesia earlier this month.

A trilateral summit meeting has not been held since December 2019 due to diplomatic tensions between Japan and South Korea, which have since thawed.

#Japan #China #SouthKorea

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