On Cam: After Hegseth's 'Humiliate, Subjugate…' Warning, China's Panicky Reaction Taiwan Trump
Big war of words between China and the United States. A Chinese defence official reacted to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's remarks regarding threats from Beijing. Hu Gangfeng, Vice President of China's National Defence University, accused Hegseth of making 'groundless accusations' at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He said Hegseth's actions are nothing more than attempts to provoke trouble, incite division, and stir up confrontation to destabilise the Asia-Pacific region. The US Defence Secretary had reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China. Watch this video to know more.
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Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Asia's forgotten hellscape
The world is not exactly short of crises. But one of the most alarming is also the most overlooked: an escalating state of anarchy in Myanmar, in the heart of Asia. The country is degenerating into a violent state of nature. Over 2m of its people are on the verge of starvation. The effects of crime, including drug-dealing, huge scam centres and human trafficking, spread far beyond its borders. What is taking place inside Myanmar is a disaster, but it matters for another, more abstract reason, too. America and Europe have walked away from what was once an influential role in the country. Instead, the hellscape is unfolding under the watch of China, which has gradually become the dominant outside power. Its cynicism and indifference in Myanmar are an ominous demonstration of its values-free foreign policy in action. Myanmar has a desperate past. After a coup in 1962, it suffered 49 years of military rule. Between 2011 and 2021, the army relinquished some power, and for a while that allowed Aung San Suu Kyi, a liberal darling of the West, to front a government. Even in those years there were severe human-rights violations, including pogroms against the Rohingya minority. In 2021 the army fully retook power in a coup. Since then, a sinister junta has been engaged in a civil war with a swirling cast of dozens of armed-resistance groups, freedom fighters and bandits, turning a country the size of Ukraine into a bewildering and bloody mess. As the West has lost interest, China has become more powerful. Its conduct is pragmatic rather than ideological, and it will do business with anyone who has power, money or guns. It has worked with Ms Suu Kyi, and now co-operates with the junta and also with the resistance groups and militias. It uses its influence and control over ammunition and weapon supplies to shape the fighting in order to safeguard its interests. These include protecting a 2,500km energy pipeline from the Indian Ocean. This gives China an alternative supply route that bypasses the strait of Malacca and might become vital in the event of a war over Taiwan. China also wants to maintain its access to minerals and other resources, protect infrastructure built under its Belt and Road Initiative, tamp down on scammers targeting Chinese citizens, and keep the West out of a country adjacent to its own southern border. China plays all sides, arming, threatening and coaxing them into meeting its demands. The results are lethal. Amid mounting hunger, the size of the economy has fallen by a quarter in nominal terms since 2019. The picture could get worse. China is pushing General Min Aung Hlaing, the junta's chief, to hold a sham election later this year, designed to provide a figleaf of legitimacy. That could trigger a surge in violence as resistance groups seek to disrupt an illegitimate process. More chaos could spill across the borders Myanmar shares with Bangladesh, China, India, Laos and Thailand. Having been mistakenly star-struck by Ms Suu Kyi's leadership in the 2010s, the West has abandoned the groups fighting for democracy. Today America and Europe could still help Myanmar by increasing their humanitarian assistance, publicising abuses and backing pro-democracy forces in any negotiations and even on the battlefield. But the Trump administration has cut aid to Myanmar and Europe is preoccupied with security on its own eastern border. Given Western neglect, Myanmar's best long-term hope is either that pro-democracy groups eventually consolidate and win the civil war, or that Myanmar's other neighbours, such as India and Thailand, strive for a just peace. Despite all the talk of a multi-polar world in which power and responsibility are more evenly spread, neighbouring countries have so far tended to back the junta and have encouraged other states to normalise relations with it. Yet over time they may come to recognise that only a more democratic Myanmar will provide the stability they crave. Until then, the war will continue and the liberal future that some Burmese are fighting for will remain out of reach. China's growing power and pursuit of its own priorities, the West's shrinking view of its own interests, and the apathy of everyone else have consigned a country to misery. That makes Myanmar not just a tragedy—but also a warning. Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
The Hindu
22 minutes ago
- The Hindu
U.S. vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire
The United States on Wednesday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza because it was not linked to the release of hostages, saying it would embolden Hamas militants. All 14 other members of the council voted in favour of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as 'catastrophic' and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory. The resolution before the U.N.'s most powerful body also did not fulfill two other U.S. demands: It did not condemn Hamas' deadly attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza. Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea, speaking to the council immediately before the vote, said the resolution would undermine the security of Israel. a close U.S. ally, and diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire 'that reflects the realities on the ground." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the resolution would only have empowered Hamas. 'Hamas could end this brutal conflict immediately by laying down its arms and releasing all remaining hostages,' he said in a statement. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon thanked the United States for refusing to abandon the hostages. He said the resolution's failure to make the release of hostages a condition for a ceasefire would have put all the pressure on Israel and handed Hamas 'time, leverage and political cover.' But the U.S. veto of the resolution — its fifth since the start of the war — was roundly criticised by other members of the council, who accused the United States of providing Israel with impunity. The Chinese ambassador to the U.N. said Israel's actions have 'crossed every red line' of international humanitarian law and seriously violated U.N. resolutions. 'Yet, due to the shielding by one country, these violations have not been stopped or held accountable," Ambassador Fu Cong said. Britain's U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward, a usual U.S. ally, lashed out at Israel. 'This Israeli government's decisions to expand its military operations in Gaza and severely restrict aid are unjustifiable, disproportionate and counterproductive, and the U.K. completely opposes them,' she said. Pakistan's Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the U.S. veto "will be remembered as a complicity, a green light for continued annihilation. A moment where the entire world was expecting action. But yet again, this council was blocked and prevented by one member from carrying out its responsibility.' Slovenia's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, the coordinator for the council's 10 elected members, stressed that it was never the intention to provoke a veto and therefore the resolution focused on the humanitarian crisis and the urgent need for unimpeded access to deliver aid. 'Starving civilians and inflicting immense suffering is inhumane and against international law,' he told the council after the vote. 'No war objective can justify such action. We had hoped and expected that this was our shared understanding.' Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said Palestinians are now urging governments to take 'real measures' to pressure Israel to get out of Gaza before it implements what he called an Israeli plan 'to destroy our people." And in the coming days, he said, the Palestinians will head to the 193-member General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, with a similar humanitarian-focused resolution. Unlike in the Security Council, assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are seen as a barometer of world opinion. The U.S. vetoed the last Security Council resolution on Gaza in November, under the Biden administration, also because the ceasefire demand was not directly linked to the release of all hostages. Similarly, the current resolution demands those taken by Hamas and other groups be released, but it does not make it a condition for a truce. President Donald Trump's administration has tried to ramp up its efforts to broker peace in Gaza after 20 months of war. However, Hamas has sought amendments to a U.S. proposal that special envoy Steve Witkoff has called 'totally unacceptable.' The vote followed a decision by an Israeli and U.S.-backed foundation to pause food delivery in Gaza after health officials said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings this week. Israel and the United States say the new system was designed to prevent Hamas from stealing aid previously distributed by the U.N. The United Nations has rejected the new system. The U.N. says its distribution system worked very well during the March ceasefire and is carefully monitored. Gaza is almost completely reliant on international aid because Israel's offensive has destroyed nearly all food production capabilities. Israel imposed a blockade on supplies into Gaza on March 2, and limited aid began to enter again late last month after pressure from allies and warnings of famine. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers.
Mint
32 minutes ago
- Mint
Oil Extends Drop as Saudi Arabia Seeks More Major Output Hikes
(Bloomberg) -- Oil extended declines on signs Saudi Arabia is seeking another big production increase at next month's OPEC meeting, in a bid for market share that could worsen a glut expected later this year. Brent traded below $65 a barrel after losing 1.2% in the previous session, while West Texas Intermediate was under $63. The kingdom wants the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies to continue to add at least 411,000 barrels a day of output in August and potentially September, according to people familiar with the matter. 'Once Saudi Arabia takes the lead in accelerating output increases, historical experience suggests that the market could face the risk of a price war, which would be highly unfavorable for oil prices,' said Gao Jian, an analyst at Qisheng Futures Co. In the US, crude inventories fell by 4.3 million barrels last week, the most since November, data from the Energy Information Administration showed. The drawdown was bigger than an earlier estimate by an industry body. Crude has fallen about 13% this year on fears trade wars will sap economic growth and energy demand. President Donald Trump has been calling for talks on tariffs with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who seems to be reluctant to go ahead with high-level negotiations at this stage. Still, oil is up for the week on relief that OPEC didn't go ahead with a bigger-than-expected output increase for July, and some metrics are pointing to near-term strength in the market. The prompt spread for Brent has widened compared with a month ago in a bullish backwardation structure, signaling tight supply. To get Bloomberg's Energy Daily newsletter in your inbox, click here. More stories like this are available on
