Latest news with #Beijing-skeptic
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
China Censors Broadcast After News Anchor's Big Mistake
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Chinese state media has censored a news broadcast after an anchor mistakenly referred to Taiwan and China as "two countries" in a contradiction of Beijing's official position. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese and Taiwanese foreign ministries with written requests for comment. Why It Matters The government of Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, retreated to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war to communist forces. It has since operated as a sovereign state, with its own constitution, military and foreign relations. However, Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and insists unification is inevitable—by force if necessary. China has increased the frequency of its punitive military drills around the island since the inauguration of its Beijing-skeptic President Lai Ching-te. This screenshot captures the moment CCTV-13 anchor Hu Die refers to China and Taiwan as separate countries on May 20, 2025. This screenshot captures the moment CCTV-13 anchor Hu Die refers to China and Taiwan as separate countries on May 20, 2025. China Central Television What To Know Hu Die, an anchor on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV-13, made the on-air slip while reporting on a statement from the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO)—a Chinese agency tasked with promoting Beijing's messaging on Taiwan—criticizing remarks by President Lai the previous day. "The direction and pace of cross-strait relations moving forward cannot be obstructed," she said. "Even more so, the two countries cannot be obstructed—cannot obstruct the historical trend that the motherland will eventually be unified," Hu added, quickly correcting herself. The clip was soon scrubbed from the CCTV website and social media. May 20: 🇨🇳 CCTV-13 news anchor Hu Die (胡蝶) says '两国' (two nations) when she's talking about China and Taiwan during a live newscast… I guess this could be the end of her career at the state media group. All relevant video clips have been removed from Chinese media / social… — Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) May 21, 2025 Lai on Tuesday addressed the state of relations across the Taiwan Strait in a speech marking one year since he took office. "Many countries around the world, including Taiwan, are in fact under the threat of aggressors," he said in a barb aimed at China. Lai renewed an offer made during last year's postelection victory speech, saying Taipei is open to resuming official exchanges with Beijing if they are conducted on terms of "parity and dignity." TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua accused the Taiwanese leader of hypocrisy, saying his "separatist" stance—or insistence on engaging in a "two-state" framework—is incompatible with restarting talks. "His two-faced tactics are doomed to fail," Chen said, reiterating Beijing's stance that the trend toward unification remains unchanged. A poll released early this year showed 76 percent of Taiwanese support either maintaining the status quo or moving toward de jure independence, while only 13 percent favor unification with China. China has threatened to declare war if Taiwan declares official independence. Lai maintains that Taiwan is already independent, so such a declaration is unnecessary. What People Have Said Joseph Wu, head of Taiwan's National Security Council, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) Friday: "Taiwan is a democratic nation and will not allow China to turn it into another Hong Kong. We will invest in our defense and work with democratic partners to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open." Chinese President Xi Jinping said during his New Year's Eve address: "We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same family. No one can ever sever the bond of kinship between us, and no one can ever stop China's reunification, a trend of the times." What's Next China is almost certain to continue squeezing Taiwan's diplomatic space and conduct major military drills in waters near the island. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have said they believe Xi could move against Taiwan before the end of the decade and have said the best means of deterring an invasion is to dramatically raise the cost to Chinese forces.
Newsweek
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US General Details China Military Plans to Defeat US in Taiwan War
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A former top U.S. defense official has warned lawmakers that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is "no longer distant" amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Charles Flynn, retired general and former commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, also laid out the steps the People's Liberation Army would need to accomplish such a feat. Why It Matters China has vowed to unify with Taiwan, which it considers its territory, though the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled there. Beijing, in recent years, ramped up military activities around Taiwan to punish the island's Beijing-skeptic ruling Democratic Progressive Party. U.S. officials believe Chinese leader Xi Jinping has instructed the People's Liberation Army to be capable of taking Taiwan by 2027, even if he does not necessarily intend to give the order that year. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others in President Donald Trump's administration have stressed deterring China means making an invasion as costly as possible. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry via email for comment. What To Know In his Thursday remarks at a House hearing focused on the Chinese Communist Party, retired General Charles Flynn, the former commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, told lawmakers that "the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is no longer distant or theoretical." Flynn spoke at a hearing of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Also testifying were Mark Montgomery, former director of operations at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Kurt Campbell, deputy secretary of state from 2024 to 2025. Taiwanese soldiers take part in a drill at a military base in Taitung County on January 21, 2025. Taiwanese soldiers take part in a drill at a military base in Taitung County on January 21, 2025. Chiang Ying-ying/Associated Press In a statement prepared ahead of the hearing, Flynn pointed to the enormity of the challenge China would face in mounting an amphibious assault—factors he said help offset the yawning capabilities gap between Taiwan's military and China's. To pull off a fait accompli, Flynn noted, Chinese forces would need to cross the 100-mile Taiwan Strait under heavy fire. Upon reaching Taiwanese shores, they would need to establish—and hold—beachheads. In Taiwan's cities, People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops would then face urban warfare against defenders dug into fortified positions. Finally, China would have to achieve all this before the U.S. and its allies could fully commit their forces to an intervention. Flynn emphasized that while analysts often focus on China's rapidly growing navy, air force, and rocket force, the country's ground forces ultimately determine the outcome. "If the PLA Army cannot land, cannot maneuver, cannot hold ground, and cannot subjugate the people of Taiwan, it cannot win. If we can prevent them from even attempting to cross, we deter the war altogether," he told lawmakers. What People Are Saying Former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, in an opening statement submitted before the hearing: "Taiwan's future is deeply intertwined with America's own—our economies, technologies, and societies are inextricably linked—making a strong and secure Taiwan a vital U.S. strategic interest. "Meeting this moment requires a whole-of-government approach. Congress, the Executive Branch, and civil society must all play an active role in deepening engagement with their Taiwan counterparts. This includes strengthening our defense and economic partnerships with the Taiwan government, supporting Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations, and expanding educational, cultural, and scientific exchanges." What Happens Next Washington maintains a decades-old policy of "strategic ambiguity" on whether it would come to Taiwan's defense, which could mean being dragged into the U.S.'s first hot war with another nuclear power.
