China lashes out at US defense chief over his speech in Singapore
The Chinese foreign ministry has hit back at US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for repeatedly criticizing China by name over Taiwan and the South China Sea at a security conference in Singapore.
The ministry's spokesperson made remarks on the protest lodged with the US on Sunday, one day after Hegseth delivered a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
The spokesperson said China "deplores and firmly opposes" his remarks and "has protested strongly" to the US.
The spokesperson described the Taiwan question as "entirely China's internal affair," and added, "no country is in a position to interfere."
The spokesperson criticized Washington again over the South China Sea, saying the US is the "primary factor that is hurting the peace and stability" of the region.
China lodged another protest with Washington last week when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a decision to begin revoking student visas for Chinese nationals.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
40 minutes ago
- Japan Times
U.S. pushes countries for best offers as tariff deadline looms
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump wants countries to provide their best offer on trade negotiations by Wednesday as officials seek to accelerate talks with multiple partners ahead of a self-imposed deadline in just five weeks, according to a draft letter to negotiating partners. The draft, from the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), provides a window into how Trump plans to bring to a close unwieldy negotiations with dozens of countries that kicked off on April 9 when he paused his "Liberation Day" tariffs for 90 days until July 8 after stock, bond and currency markets revolted over the sweeping nature of the levies. The document suggests an urgency within the administration to complete deals against its own tight deadline. While officials such as White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett have repeatedly promised that several agreements were nearing completion, so far only one agreement has been reached with a major U.S. trading partner: Britain. Even that limited pact was more akin to a framework for ongoing talks than a final deal. According to the draft document, the U.S. is asking countries to list their best proposals in a number of key areas, including tariff and quota offers for the purchase of U.S. industrial and agricultural products and plans to remedy any nontariff barriers. Other requested items include any commitments on digital trade and economic security, along with country-specific commitments, according to the letter. The U.S. will evaluate the responses within days and offer "a possible landing zone" that could include a reciprocal tariff rate, according to the letter. It was unclear to which specific countries the letter would be sent, but it was directed at those where negotiations were active and included meetings and exchanges of documents. Active negotiations have been underway with the European Union, Japan, Vietnam and India, among others. A USTR official said trade negotiations were ongoing. "Productive negotiations with many key trading partners continue at a rapid pace. It is in all parties' interest to take stock of progress and assess any next steps.' Trump's ambitious — and often frenetic — tariff policy represents a major part of his "America First" economic agenda as he seeks to reshape U.S. trade relationships, reduce trade deficits and protect American industries. Republican lawmakers are also banking on tariffs to add to federal revenue and offset the cost of the tax cut legislation now working its way through Congress. The twists and turns in Trump's tariff policies have taken investors on a rollercoaster ride. In May, U.S. stocks held their biggest rally of any month since November 2023, but that was after global indexes had cratered under the barrage of Trump's tariff announcements through February, March and early April. Stocks were little changed on Monday afternoon after Trump announced a surprise doubling of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on Friday at an event in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the legality of the approach used for imposing the most sweeping of his tariffs has been cast into doubt. Last Wednesday, the Court of International Trade ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority with tariffs devised under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), including the Liberation Day levies and earlier ones imposed on goods from Canada, Mexico and China related to Trump's accusations that the three countries have facilitated the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. Less than 24 hours later, an appeals court temporarily paused that decision. The tariffs at the center of the legal dispute are expected to remain in effect for now while the case plays out. The draft letter to trading partners warns them not to believe the tariffs will be sidelined if the court rules against Trump's use of the IEEPA. "I should also note that regardless of ongoing litigation concerning the President's reciprocal tariff action in U.S. courts, the President intends to continue this tariff program pursuant to other robust legal authorities if necessary, so it is important that we continue our discussions on these matters," the draft says.
NHK
an hour ago
- NHK
Two Japanese killed in Dalian, China; suspect detained
The Japanese Embassy in Beijing says 2 Japanese nationals have been killed in the Chinese city of Dalian. A Chinese national has been detained as a suspect. The embassy says public security authorities in Liaoning Province reported the deaths on May 25th. The local authorities say the individuals knew each other and had a conflict over business dealings.
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
At this New York City sumo club, ‘Everybody gets thrown'
Standing proudly at 170 centimeters, Angelo Jesus Lizardi might as well have been on a quest to battle Goliath as he stepped into a sumo fighting ring on a recent bright Saturday evening in the courtyard of Japan Village in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He is a muscular wrestler, but compared to his opponent, he is also, well, small. Lizardi, 25, and weighing about 76 kilograms, was facing off against one of his own coaches, Daniel Robert Douglas, who, at roughly 163 kg and 198 cm, towered over him. They were there as members of the New York Sumo Club, which has brought the ancient combat sport to the city, giving its practitioners a place to test their confidence, experience a mental boost, and perhaps most importantly, find a community, Lizardi said. As fans watched, some with mouths agape, the two fighters slammed directly into each other, with Lizardi burying his face in Douglas' chest. They grappled and fought for dominance near the edge. Then, Lizardi managed to grab Douglas' right leg and pull it up, disrupting Douglas' balance and driving him out of the ring. Not only did Lizardi win, but he placed at the top of the open-weight class division by the end of the day, ranking fourth out of 33 in what had been the first amateur sumo tournament in New York City, last month. "I live for those moments,' Lizardi said later. The Empire Cup, held by the New York Sumo Club on May 17, drew countless spectators who munched on snacks, some sipping on beers, as they cheered on 56 athletes, who fought for a trophy and, mostly, bragging rights. The one-day competition was the culmination of three years of hard work by Oscar Dolan, the club's founder, who is a wrestler himself and a former U.S. lightweight silver medalist. Dolan, 25, who majored in Japanese in college, said he became a sumo fan after a project he did in 2019 on Enho Yuya, a popular lightweight sumo wrestler at the time. After a few years, Dolan wanted to try it for himself. He founded the organization in 2022 after realizing there weren't any amateur sumo wrestling clubs in the city. "I had to start my own, kind of begrudgingly at first, but, you know, starting my own made me get so much more into it,' he said. The New York Sumo Club has grown steadily since its inception, even accounting for hiccups, Dolan said. The club has about 100 wrestlers, with around 20 regulars. When it first started, members met and grappled on the meadow in Prospect Park. Now, they gather every Sunday at Queens Jiu Jitsu, a martial arts school in Astoria, and the club is "pretty much sustainable, almost profitable,' Dolan said. The club even has its own genuine portable dohyō, a sumo wrestling ring, made by Sanpuku Shoji, which is handmade and imported from Japan, and is similar to those used by wrestlers there. Membership in the club is "mostly based on vibes,' Dolan said. Members pay a $20 mat fee per session, and if you show up at least once a month you're considered a "regular.' There's also a group chat for people who want to talk about sumo in their free time. Over the years, sumo has gained in popularity around the world, though it remains closely linked to Japanese tradition and culture. Despite that fact, many young people in Japan may see it as old-fashioned. On Wednesday, Onosato Daiki of Japan was named yokozuna, or grand champion, the highest title in the sport. He's the first Japanese yokozuna in eight years, and only the second in 27 years. Spectators watch as Kofi Miller, left, and Kendell Perry face off in the ring at Japan Village during an Empire Cup match in New York on May 17. | Ann Hermes / The New York Times Sumo fighters observe the original rules of the sport, which has been "practiced the same way for 1,300 years,' Dolan said. In "Grand Sumo,' as the sport is known, the rules are fairly simple, according to the Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The goal is to force your opponent out of the ring to win, or to "make him touch the ground with anything other than the soles of his feet.' While the rules are largely the same, amateur sumo forbids explicit openhanded strikes to the face and bans a technique called Saba-ori, or forward force down, in which a larger wrestler will lean their entire weight onto a smaller opponent. On the day of the Brooklyn tournament, gray clouds parted in time for the first match, bathing wrestlers in brilliant sunlight as the competition heated up. Sumo matches are fast, and often end in seconds. Wrestlers enter the ring, bow and are told "hakkeyoi!,' a ceremonial salute that functionally means "go!' Immediately after, there is the slap of skin on skin as the wrestlers grapple, and the gyoji, or referee, repeatedly shouts "nokotta' (or "still in') as the two opponents fight for a win. The fights are so intense that officials warned the Brooklyn crowd to watch for falling wrestlers. Winners are forbidden from celebrating. Dolan reminded the wrestlers of this rule during the tournament, telling them that inside the ring, "we are samurai' and follow the Bushido traditional code of conduct of military warriors in feudal Japan, which emphasizes virtues such as honor and bravery. One of the first wrestlers in the tournament in Brooklyn was Lizardi, also known as A.J., who has been a club member for about a year and who works at a gym. Although he falls into the lightweight category, he likes to use speed and technique to outmaneuver giants. "Some of these guys might be bigger, but they have no experience in grappling,' he said. "So it gives me the advantage to throw them off balance, you know, use their weight against them.' Sumo wrestlers line up before a match during the Empire Cup competition at Japan Village in New York on May 17. | Ann Hermes / The New York Times After watching the World Championship Sumo exhibition at Madison Square Garden last year, Christopher Arnau, 41, knew he had to try it. "I saw a 220-pounder (100 kilograms) like myself taking on the behemoths, and I said, 'Hey, if they could do it, I could do it,'' he said. So he looked online, found the club and joined. He had his first competition in Las Vegas last November and emerged with "some wins.' Sumo is "very humbling,' Arnau said, adding that it's a sport "where everybody gets thrown. Everybody gets slammed in the mat once in a while.' Members of the New York Sumo Club praised the camaraderie they found in their group of wrestlers. The community built by the club is an inclusive one, where "all body types, all gender expressions' are welcome, said Douglas, the club vice president and founder of the company Mountain Mawashi, which provides the belts for the club's amateur sumo wrestlers. A self-proclaimed "big guy,' Douglas, 32, said he likes sumo because he likes "seeing big guys move fast, move athletically, be explosive and be respected.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times © 2025 The New York Times Company
