Latest news with #ChineseEmbassy
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
China bristles at Macron linking Ukraine to Taiwan
The embassy's Facebook post did not mention the French president directly but had a photo of him talking at the event. (AFP pic) SINGAPORE : China on Saturday criticised as a 'double standard' attempts to link the defence of Ukraine with the need to protect Taiwan from a Chinese invasion – a thinly veiled reference to a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron in Singapore on Friday night. As part of a broader address on the risks of division between China and the United States, Macron told the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting that if Russia was allowed to take any part of Ukraine without constraint then, 'what could happen in Taiwan?'. In a Facebook post, China's embassy in Singapore said that comparing the Taiwan issue with the Ukraine issue is 'unacceptable'. 'The two are different in nature and not comparable at all,' the post said, saying that Taiwan was entirely an internal affair for China. 'If one tries to denounce a 'double standard' with a double standard, the only result we can get is still a double standard,' the post said. The embassy post did not mention Macron directly but it was accompanied by a photo of him talking at the event. Beijing has previously dispatched defence ministers and other senior military officials to the annual meeting, which ends on Sunday, but this year sent a relatively low-level delegation of military academics. China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games, saying the island is one of its provinces with no right to be called a state. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth told the gathering on Saturday that China posed an 'imminent' threat and any attempt to conquer Taiwan 'would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world'. Regional diplomats said that Macron's comments were far from isolated during the freewheeling, informal meeting and risks of a Russian victory emboldening a Chinese invasion of Taiwan had at times surfaced in sideline discussions. 'The message from many backing Ukraine is that the line must be held if a message is to be sent to China,' said one East Asian envoy.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Chinese embassy in Nepal repeats warning against India border travel after 2 more arrests
China's embassy in Nepal has once again warned Chinese citizens in the Himalayan country not to visit the Nepal-India border region, after two Chinese nationals were arrested by Indian police for allegedly taking photos and videos in the area. Advertisement The reminder, posted on Friday via the embassy's official social media account, was the third such reminder in the past month. It said that despite repeated warnings for Chinese nationals travelling in Nepal to avoid the India border area, some chose to ignore these cautions and insisted on visiting the region, resulting in several arrests by Indian border guards over alleged illegal entry. 'In order to protect the safety of Chinese citizens in Nepal, the Chinese embassy in Nepal once again solemnly reminds Chinese citizens not to go to the Nepal-India border area,' the statement said, warning that Nepal and India had 'comprehensively strengthened patrols and inspections' in recent days. The embassy also noted that Nepal and India shared an open border with few border signs, allowing the citizens of both countries to travel freely with their identity documents. However, nationals of other countries could not travel to India through Nepal without a visa, and Chinese citizens visiting the Nepal-India border area were very likely to mistakenly enter Indian territory and face the risk of arrest, it warned. Advertisement It also warned about severe penalties in India for illegal immigrants. Even if entry into Indian territory was accidental, individuals would be arrested, prosecuted, and could face between two to eight years of jail time, along with fines, the notice said. The reminder came a day after two Chinese nationals were arrested at the Jatahi-Pipraun border in India's Bihar state on Thursday.
Arab News
7 hours ago
- General
- Arab News
China rebukes Macron's comparison of Ukraine and Taiwan
SINGAPORE: China hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday 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".
Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
China bristles at Macron linking Ukraine defense to Taiwan threats
China on Saturday criticized as a 'double standard' attempts to link the defense of Ukraine with the need to protect Taiwan from a Chinese invasion — a thinly veiled reference to a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron in Singapore on Friday night. As part of a broader address on the risks of division between China and the United States, Macron told the Shangri-La Dialogue defense meeting that if Russia was allowed to take any part of Ukraine without constraint, then 'what could happen in Taiwan?' In a Facebook post, China's embassy in Singapore said that comparing the Taiwan issue with the Ukraine issue is 'unacceptable.' 'The two are different in nature and not comparable at all,' the post said, adding that Taiwan was entirely an internal affair for China. 'If one tries to denounce a 'double standard' with a double standard, the only result we can get is still a double standard,' the post said. The embassy post did not mention Macron directly, but it was accompanied by a photo of him talking at the event. Beijing has previously dispatched defense ministers and other senior military officials to the annual meeting, which ends Sunday, but this year sent a relatively low-level delegation of military academics. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games, saying the island is one of its provinces with no right to be called a state. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the gathering on Saturday that China posed an 'imminent' threat and any attempt to conquer Taiwan 'would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world.' Regional diplomats said that Macron's comments were far from isolated during the freewheeling, informal meeting, and risks of a Russian victory emboldening a Chinese invasion of Taiwan had at times surfaced in sideline discussions. 'The message from many backing Ukraine is that the line must be held if a message is to be sent to China,' said one East Asian envoy.
The National
9 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Markets feel heat as Trump claims China broke trade deal
Stock markets ended the week mixed, reversing rallies on Friday after US President Donald Trump accused China of 'totally violating' their trade deal, reigniting tensions that had simmered down after a detente three weeks ago. Mr Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said US levies made it 'impossible' for China to trade with the US, and that the 'fast deal' was struck to prevent a 'very bad situation' for Beijing. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said China was 'slow-rolling' its compliance with the agreement, particularly on minerals and rare earth magnets. The US and China, the world's two biggest economies, have been the main protagonists in the trade war, with Washington imposing 145 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports. Beijing responded in kind, posting 125 per cent levies on American imports. However, on May 12, the White House announced that both sides struck a surprise deal to suspend their tariffs for 90 days, with the US and China lowering their levies to 30 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively. Mr Trump's latest tirade jeopardises their progress. China hit back at the US, with its embassy in Washington saying it had been in constant contact, particularly concerned about trade controls in semiconductors and 'other related practices'. 'China once again urges the US to immediately correct its erroneous actions, cease discriminatory restrictions against China and jointly uphold the consensus reached at the high-level talks in Geneva,' embassy representative Liu Pengyu said in a statement. After stock markets closed on Friday, Mr Trump poured more fuel on the trade tensions fire by threatening to double steel and aluminium imports to 50 per cent, which he claims is another part of his strategy to protect American industry. Shortly after making that announcement at a US Steel factory in Pennsylvania, Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social that the higher levy will come into force on June 4. That capped a whirlwind week for his grand tariff plans. On Thursday, the New York-based Court of International Trade blocked his tariffs, saying he exceeded his authority. But on Friday, a federal appeals court temporarily upheld his actions. Josh Gilbert, market analyst at eToro, said that while the appeals court has allowed tariffs to stay for now, the legal battle is far from over. 'The White House is taking its case to the Supreme Court and weighing other legal options, which, to be frank, are unlikely to be quick or straightforward. This uncertainty adds yet another layer of risk for investors. 'What we're seeing is just another example of today's current market conditions and how news flow, especially from a political standpoint, is injecting volatility into markets. 'Whether you've been investing for 10 weeks or 10 years, this is a tricky market to navigate. This constant policy whiplash is beginning to leave investors sore … diversification and a clear strategy remain the best tools for navigating this policy-driven turbulence.' At the close on Wall Street on Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.1 per higher, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 0.3 per cent. The S&P 500 was almost flat. For the week, the S&P 500 added 1.9 per cent, the Dow gained 1.6 per cent and the Nasdaq climbed 2 per cent. Year-to-date, the S&P 500 is up 0.5 per cent, while the Dow and Nasdaq are down 0.6 per cent and 1 per cent, respectively. In London, the FTSE 100 ended more than 0.6 per cent higher, as trade remained stable despite uncertainty triggered by the latest in the tariffs saga. Paris' CAC 40 retreated 0.4 per cent, while, Frankfurt's DAX added 0.3 per cent. Earlier in Asia, stock markets reversed gains to end lower. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index were both down 1.2 per cent, while the Shanghai Composite retreated 0.5 per cent. In commodities, oil prices slipped and posted a second consecutive weekly decline as the Opec+ alliance prepares for its meeting on Saturday, where it is expected to announce its third major output increase. Brent fell 0.39 per cent to settle at $63.90 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate dropped 0.25 per cent to close at $60.79 a barrel. Gold, meanwhile, inched down at the close on Friday, as the market absorbed the tariff drama and the dollar moved higher. The precious metal, a hedge against inflation, was down nearly 1 per cent to $3,289.57 an ounce.
