Latest news with #ChinaEmbassy
Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
Moscow poses no threat to Britain, says Russia's UK embassy
Russia's embassy in London said on Tuesday that Moscow had no intention of attacking Britain, rejecting accusations by the British government of growing aggression and daily cyberattacks. Britain said on Monday it would radically change its approach to defence to address new threats, including from Russia, after endorsing the findings of an independently-produced Strategic Defence Review. After unveiling the defence overhaul on Monday, Healey said Europe was facing war, growing Russian aggression, new nuclear risks and daily cyberattacks. Russia's embassy issued a statement on Tuesday criticising what it described as "a fresh salvo of anti-Russian rhetoric". "Russia poses no threat to the United Kingdom and its people," the statement said. "We harbour no aggressive intentions and have no plans to attack Britain. We are not interested in doing so, nor do we need to." Relations between Russia and Britain are at their lowest level since the Cold War. They deteriorated further after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Britain and other Nato members have provided large amounts of military aid and other support to Kyiv. China's embassy in London also criticised Britain's defence review, saying in a statement on Tuesday that the document deliberately misrepresented Beijing's defence policy to justify British military expansion. The review had described China as "a sophisticated and persistent challenge", citing its rapid military modernisation, including an expanded nuclear arsenal, and saying Beijing was likely using espionage and cyberattacks, and stealing intellectual property.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
China slams Macron for likening Ukraine conflict to Taiwan issue, calls comparison ‘unacceptable'
SINGAPORE, May 31 — China hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron today for drawing a connection between the Ukraine conflict and the fate of Taiwan, saying the two issues are 'different in nature, and not comparable at all'. 'Comparing the Taiwan question with the Ukraine issue is unacceptable,' China's embassy in Singapore said on social media, a day after Macron warned Asian defence officials in Singapore not to view Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a far-away problem. 'If we consider that Russia could be allowed to take a part of the territory of Ukraine without any restriction, without any constraint, without any reaction of the global order, how would you phrase what could happen in Taiwan?' Macron told the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier annual security forum. 'What would you do the day something happens in the Philippines?' China's embassy fired back that the 'Taiwan question is entirely China's internal affair. There is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory.' While Taiwan considers itself a sovereign nation, China has said it will not rule out using force to bring it under its control. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Saturday at the same forum in Singapore that China was 'credibly preparing' to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, adding the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and 'rehearsing for the real deal'. — AFP
Japan Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
America's 'wolf warriors' are getting it all wrong in Asia
Every strategist knows that wars are not just won by force. Soft power matters, which is why the Trump administration's latest move to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students will resonate so badly across Asia. America and China are already locked in a battle for influence — but Washington risks sabotaging those goals. Even before the Harvard controversy emerged Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Singapore posted a video on social media last week likening China's sweeping South China Sea territorial claims to disputes over shared spaces in Singapore's public housing blocks. It did more than just raise eyebrows. The online clip landed with a thud, touching a national nerve. More than 80% of Singaporeans live in public housing — a highly prized source of social and economic stability, and many voiced their complaints online. China's embassy responded, accusing the U.S. of distorting the facts and being a "hypocritical preacher,' while Singapore said it "rejects attempts by foreign embassies here to incite domestic reactions to international issues involving third countries.' The city-state is usually measured in tone, so this public reprimand stood out. While it didn't name either China or the U.S., the message appeared to be clearly directed at Washington. Still, America remains a beacon for many in the region, a land of opportunity where young Asians aspire to study, work and build their futures. But those ambitions are at risk with the Trump administration's latest move, which Harvard has called unlawful. This is hardly the way to win over the next generation, particularly if this extends to more universities. India sends the most number of students to study in the U.S., with 331,602 in the 2023-2024 school year, according to the Institute of International Education, while China sends the second highest, with 277,398 students. Many are likely to be future leaders in government and industry, potentially instrumental in nurturing later relations. Just look at the current crop of Indian-origin tech leaders in the U.S., including Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella, who studied at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, or the chief executive officer of Alphabet Sundar Pichai, who went to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Beijing is already leading the economic game. Around 70% of countries trade more with China than they do with America, according to the Lowy Institute. Compare that to 2001, the year China acceded to the World Trade Organization, when over 80% of nations had a larger volume of trade with America. It is almost a direct reversal. In contrast, the White House has strained trade relations with allies and partners alike. U.S. President Donald Trump announced higher tariffs on scores of nations on April 2, but later paused them for 90 days, as investors panicked and markets fell. But duties are still higher than before he was elected. This has rattled Asian countries, which are trying to negotiate better terms for their economies. Soft power is the latest arena to sway opinions. Washington is merely paralleling what Beijing has regularly done, notes Ja Ian Chong, associate professor in political science at the National University of Singapore. "This is a feature of the intensifying competition,' he told me. "The Americans feel pressured to respond to the narrative China is pushing. As the world grows more contested, we'll see more of this.' Beijing's diplomatic outreach has been known to be aggressive, but the change in tone was really noticeable around 2019, when ambassadors and the foreign ministry took to social media to push back against the first Trump administration's characterization of the world's second-largest economy as an unfair trade partner. This was dubbed "wolf warrior diplomacy,' a reference to a 2015 nationalist action movie. The pandemic raised tensions even further. Both sides used social media and memes to shape their narratives. China's state-run Xinhua News Agency released videos mocking the American pandemic response, though Beijing's own "zero-COVID" strategy would later collapse following public protests. Meanwhile, the U.S. military reportedly launched a secret social media campaign to undermine China's growing influence in the Philippines, casting doubt about the safety of vaccines supplied by Beijing, according to a Reuters investigation. Washington also ramped up its own pandemic aid, pledging $274 million in assistance through the State Department and USAID, in addition to earlier contributions to the World Health Organization and UNICEF. That reality no longer holds true. In March, the Trump administration canceled 83% of American foreign aid contracts, leaving a vacuum China was only too happy to fill. The reaction to the recent 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar is a case in point. Chinese and Russian teams were among the first to provide emergency response personnel and key supplies, while aid cuts significantly limited the U.S. response. Just last week Beijing announced it will give an additional $500 million to the World Health Organization over five years, which would help make up the U.S. shortfall. America remains the most important security partner to many nations in the region. Still, the relentless economic tensions, White House mood swings and now actions that jeopardize the education of some of Asia's brightest future leaders will lose the U.S. friends in a region that has long admired it. A reassessment is overdue. Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China.
Bloomberg
09-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
China Firms Willing to Talk After Chile Says Lithium Deals Dead
BYD Co. and Tsingshan Holding Group Co. reiterated their interest in building lithium plants in Chile, appearing to contradict comments by local authorities that the projects had been scrapped. 'Neither company has stated that it has ended its investments in Chile and both maintain the willingness to continue dialog with the relevant Chilean authorities,' China's Embassy in Chile said in a post on X.
