Defence leaders cheered by US commitment to Indo-Pacific: Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing
Singapore's new Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing says defence leaders are cheered by the United States affirming its commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. Speaking to reporters after hosting a ministerial roundtable on day two of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Mr Chan also urged countries to continue engaging China, even as its defence minister is absent from this year's event. Jeraldine Yap with more.
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CNA
34 minutes ago
- CNA
China paraglider's thundercloud survival claim featured likely AI-faked video
BEIJING/SYDNEY: A Chinese paraglider's account of having been unwittingly swept into a thundercloud and dragged 8km into the sky has come under question after his video of the incident, carried by Chinese state media, turned out to have been likely faked in part. The video, originally posted after the paraglider's May 24 flight by his support team on Douyin, China's TikTok, employed artificial intelligence to fake some of the footage, according to a review by a digital security firm consulted by Reuters. The video's opening showed Peng Yujiang, 55, among the clouds, his face encrusted with ice. The video, which caused a sensation in paragliding circles, was aired in China and distributed internationally by state-run broadcaster CCTV. Other news providers also distributed the video, which was picked up globally. California-based digital security firm GetReal said it was "fairly confident" the first five seconds of Peng Yujiang's video contained AI-generated images. There are also inconsistencies noted by GetReal and paragliders who pored over the video: Peng's legs are initially dangling without the insulating cocoon shown later. His helmet is first white, then black. The current record for a planned flight is held by French pilot Antoine Girard who flew 8,407 metres over a stretch of the Himalayas in 2021. Peng recorded and then deleted his flight log on XContest, a website popular among paragliders, according to Jakub Havel, a Czech paraglider who helps run the forum. Havel said other flights by Peng remained on the site. "Nobody intentionally lets themselves be sucked into a thunderstorm cloud in an attempt to break a record - it's something that any sane paragliding pilot tries to avoid at all costs," said Havel, who said Peng's flight should not be considered a record. Peng could not be reached for comment. CCTV, which distributed the video on a platform owned by Reuters, could not be reached for comment. Like other Chinese media, CCTV faces a pending regulation from Beijing that requires all AI-generated content to be labeled as such from September. Contacted on the weekend, China's State Council, which oversees and coordinates government policy, had no immediate comment. In a statement, Reuters said it had removed the CCTV package on Peng's flight from Reuters Connect, an online marketplace that carries material from more than 100 news organisations. "This content is clearly labelled as third-party content and is not verified or endorsed by Reuters," the statement said. "When we became aware of a piece of content that likely contained AI-generated elements on the Reuters Connect platform, we investigated and took it down because the material does not comply with our partner content policy." STORM CLOUDS In a report published on Wednesday, the Gansu Aeronautical Sports Association said Peng had broken an altitude record after being swept off the ground by a strong wind while testing second-hand gear he had just bought. "According to Peng, he didn't plan on taking off," the report said. The association, a private group that oversees air sports in the province, did not respond to a request for comment. It deleted its report on Peng's flight from its WeChat account and by Thursday the association's website was blocked. The association suspended Peng from flying for six months. A member of his flight team was suspended for six months for releasing the video without authorisation. Expert pilots interviewed by Reuters said there were reasons to doubt Peng's flight was a fluke accident, saying he was either trying to make an unauthorised high ascent or should have seen the risk. Storm clouds like the one Peng flew in "don't just appear above your head and hoover you into space. They build over a period of time", said Daniel Wainwright, a flight instructor in Australia. "He shouldn't have been flying." The specialised heavy mittens shown in the video seem to undercut Peng's claim he had not intended to take off, said Brad Harris, president of the Tasmanian Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. He said he believed Peng may have made up the accidental take-off to avoid sanction for entering restricted air space. "These are not things you would normally wear or have ready if you were just ground-handling to test a wing," Harris said. Godfrey Wenness, a former paragliding distance world record holder, said a veteran paraglider could have managed to reverse the extreme but manageable ascent shown in Peng's flight data. "He was either inexperienced or he was trying to (keep climbing)," Wenness said. Wenness said, however, he believed Peng hit the altitude he claimed based on flight data posted on XContest and then deleted. That data has to be transferred from a GPS in a "tamper-proof" format, he said. "We conclude and are confident that the actual flight did occur," he said.
AsiaOne
35 minutes ago
- AsiaOne
Taking sides, without context, 'breeds irrelevance': Chan Chun Sing on global order and security, Singapore News
In a fragmenting global security and economic order, taking sides blindly can make a country irrelevant, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) on Sunday (June 1). Minister Chan was speaking at the sixth and final plenary of the 22nd SLD on the topic of enhancing security co-operation for a stable Asia-Pacific alongside Papua New Guinea Defence Minister Billy Joseph and Sweden Defence Minister Pål Jonson. "For Singapore, we believe that taking sides, regardless of issues and context, breeds irrelevance," Chan stated, adding that if we must choose sides, he hopes that it will be the side of principles. These principles are ones that "uphold a global order, where we do not descend into the law of the jungle, where the mighty do what they wish and the weak suffer what they must", he explained. "Singapore will choose the side of principles that promote a more integrated global economic and security order underpinned by international law and sovereign equality." 'For the common good' In this global order, states, regardless of size, will have a fair chance to compete and improve the lives of people through trade, he also explained. Chan further emphasised Singapore's stance that all states have agency and responsibilities to uphold the global order. This, he explained, is why Singapore works with "like-minded partners", making connections "for the common good". "Any functioning global rules-based economic and security order must be able to address the emerging challenges of the day and the challenges of tomorrow," he stressed. "Openness and inclusivity are important, because all stakeholders must feel that they have a voice in shaping the rules." He also pledged that Singapore would work alongside Asean to raise awareness and develop principles to "facilitate defence co-operation on critical underwater infrastructure security in our region". [[nid:717748]] Addressing those present, Chan stated: "To all the powers of the world: the greater one's power, the greater is one's responsibility. "All great powers can choose to demonstrate the power of its example, or you can choose to demonstrate the example of its power. We all have a choice to make." Don't go it alone, Chan Chun Sing warns In his speech, Chan also highlighted the need to co-operate with others instead of "going alone". He explained that prioritising individual security isn't wrong, but must be done alongside a commitment to international laws and norms. If there is no trust between countries to act in accordance with these laws and norms, individual security could come at the expense of the insecurity of others, Chan said. "'My security first should not become 'my security only'," he warned. "Otherwise, we all fall victim to the Prisoners' Dilemma, where the pursuit of self-interest leads to less ideal outcomes, both individually and collectively." A Prisoners' Dilemma refers to a logical paradox where individuals pursue their own self-interests, inadvertently causing a less optimal outcome for everyone across the board. Chan then shared the importance of domestic confidence, citing US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had said that credible deterrence starts at home. "International co-operation and effective diplomacy must also start with domestic confidence," he said. "Externalising one's domestic issues cannot be the solution to one's domestic challenges." Conversely, it is domestic cohesion, policy coherence and leadership continuity that builds credibility, Chan stated. "Domestic security and external security must be mutually reinforcing… Political and military leaders must arrest the instinct or temptation to go at it alone when they feel insecure. Only then can we avoid conflict and keep the peace," added Chan. [[nid:716881]] khooyihang@
Straits Times
40 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Hong Kong activist challenges China's Tiananmen taboo from exile in Taiwan
TAIPEI - Fu Tong and his wife Elaine To were among the first demonstrators in Hong Kong to be charged with rioting in 2020 after pro-democracy and anti-China protests started in 2019 in the former British colony. After leaving for Taiwan, Fu continued his activism and is now preparing to mark this year's anniversary of Beijing's bloody June 4, 1989, crackdown on protesters in and around Tiananmen Square. Fu has co-hosted a Hong Kong human rights exhibition in Taipei, showcasing artwork from the protest movement, and leads guided tours of the displays. "When Hong Kong can no longer hold the June 4 vigils, and can no longer even mention it, Taiwan's existence becomes very important," Fu, 43, told Reuters in Taipei. "It's one of the very few places in Asia, where people can openly commemorate the accident on June 4, discuss it, and even condemn the Chinese Communist Party. The existence of such a space is already hugely significant," he said. Taiwan is the only part of the Chinese-speaking world where June 4 can be remembered openly, though Chinese communities in the United States, Britain, Australia and other Western countries will also mark it. In Hong Kong, a national security law has outlawed such events, which previously drew tens of thousands of people. Fu says he remains committed to advocating for Hong Kong issues and the values of freedom. "I really feel like I've been chosen to be in this era. If I don't step up to do things that seem foolish and unrewarding, then who will? As long as I can, I'm willing to keep going," he said. Before dawn on June 4, 1989, Chinese tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square, crushing weeks of pro-democracy demonstrations by students and workers. China has never provided a full death toll, but rights groups and witnesses say the figure could run into thousands. Public discussion of what happened is taboo in China, which blamed the protests on counter-revolutionaries seeking to overthrow the ruling Communist Party. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
