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Japan Today
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Taiwan's Lai seeks cooperation with Japan to deter Chinese pressure
Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te has called for stronger cooperation between Taiwan and Japan to deter increasing military pressure from mainland China as he met former Japanese industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura in Taipei. Claiming Chinese military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China seas have undermined regional peace and stability, Lai told Nishimura that the self-ruled island and Japan should work together to ensure maritime security and counter Beijing's "gray-zone" threats. Gray-zone activity refers to aggressive acts that fall short of an armed attack. Lai also sought bilateral cooperation in such areas as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and drones. The senior member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who had close ties with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, referred to Abe's claim that "a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency" and went further to assert that "a Taiwan contingency is a global contingency." The House of Representatives member said he believes like-minded countries must work together to send a clear message in support of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Nishimura's four-day trip to Taiwan through Tuesday came after a visit last week to the island by former Japanese economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, who also had close ties with Abe. Communist-led China claims Taiwan as its "inalienable" territory and tensions have been on the rise since Lai, who Beijing condemns as a separatist, assumed the presidency in May last year. The two sides have been governed separately since they split in 1949 due to a civil war. © KYODO
The Mainichi
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Taiwan's Lai seeks cooperation with Japan to deter Chinese pressure
TAIPEI (Kyodo) -- Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te called Monday for stronger cooperation between Taiwan and Japan to deter increasing military pressure from mainland China as he met former Japanese industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura in Taipei. Claiming Chinese military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China seas have undermined regional peace and stability, Lai told Nishimura that the self-ruled island and Japan should work together to ensure maritime security and counter Beijing's "gray-zone" threats. Gray-zone activity refers to aggressive acts that fall short of an armed attack. Lai also sought bilateral cooperation in such areas as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and drones. The senior member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who had close ties with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, referred to Abe's claim that "a Taiwan contingency is a Japan contingency" and went further to assert that "a Taiwan contingency is a global contingency." The House of Representatives member said he believes like-minded countries must work together to send a clear message in support of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Nishimura's four-day trip to Taiwan through Tuesday came after a visit last week to the island by former Japanese economic security minister Sanae Takaichi, who also had close ties with Abe. Communist-led China claims Taiwan as its "inalienable" territory and tensions have been on the rise since Lai, who Beijing condemns as a separatist, assumed the presidency in May last year. The two sides have been governed separately since they split in 1949 due to a civil war.
Indian Express
03-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Vizhinjam: The several storms, and some politics, on way to a Kerala port
THE SAGA of the Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport, which began as an idea in the 1940s, and almost drowned in the ebb and flow of power politics, all came together in one place on Friday. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned it, the BJP leader was flanked by CPI(M) Politburo member and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on one side, and Congress Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor on the other. Occupying pride of place, right next to Modi, was Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, who at one time or another has been persona non grata for both the CPI(M) and Congress. Noting the cast of characters sharing the dais with him, PM Modi said: 'I would like to say to our CM, you are a big and strong pillar of the INDI Alliance. Shashi Tharoor is also sitting here, and I would like to say that today's event will take away the sleep of many.' He also noted that Kerala Ports Minister V N Vasavan had referred to the Adani Group as a 'partner' of the Communist-led state government, describing this as symbolic of the changes taking place in the country. CPI(M) position: Vijayan is the architect The CPI(M) is projecting the seaport as a major achievement of the Pinarayi Vijayan -led Left Democratic Front government's nine years of governance. This is mainly because a lion's share of the construction, which was slated to be completed in 2019, happened during its regime. Ports Minister Vasavan has been emphatic that it is Vijayan who is 'the architect of the seaport'. While the CM has in turn given credit to 'the people' for the project, he has denied any to the Congress-led United Democratic Front, saying that 'laying the foundation stone is not enough to bring development'. The May 2 inauguration of the project was also synced with the fourth anniversary celebrations of the second Vijayan regime. This is quite a far cry from 2015, when the Congress government first inked the deal with the Adani Group for the project, and drew the censure of the CPI(M), which raised the fact that Adani was the lone bidder. The Left party termed the Vizhinjam deal 'a land scam and a robbery of Rs 6,000 crore, at the cost of the livelihood of fishermen'. After it replaced the Congress in power in 2016, the Vijayan government ordered a judicial probe into the deal. Veteran CPI(M) leader V S Achuthanandan demanded that the government suspend the work until the probe report came out – which was ignored by Vijayan. Eventually, the judicial investigation could not come out with anything damning. Congress stand: Vizhinjam is Oommen Chandy's baby The Congress has been underlining that the deal with the Adani Group for the project was first signed by its government led by Oommen Chandy in 2015, and calls Vizhinjam a testimony to the late leader's willpower. After the CPI(M) raised corruption charges at the time, Chandy told the Assembly: 'Protecting the interests of the state, the Vizhinjam project will be implemented at any cost. All suggestions are welcome. The allegations of corruption will not deter the government from going ahead with the project.' The omission to invite Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan for the port's inauguration Friday was seen as another bid by the LDF government to erase the Congress's contribution to it. Satheesan was invited later, but decided to boycott. Tharoor, who has pronounced his wholesome support to the project and was at the airport to receive Modi for his Kerala trip, was present at the commissioning of the port as the Thiruvananthapuram MP. Pre-Independence: Once, a Diwan The idea of a port at Vizhinjam came up in the 1940s when C P Ramaswami Iyer was the Diwan of the erstwhile Travancore state. Fifty years later, in 1995, the Congress government finally signed an MoU with Hyderabad -based Kumar Energy Corporation for the development of a port under the BOT (Build Operate Transfer) scheme. But this never took off. In 1996, when it came to power, the CPI(M) government revived the plan by appointing a committee to study the project. Again, this remained in limbo till 2004, when a new regime, of the Congress, prepared a feasibility study. The first global bid was floated in 2005. This time, due to security reasons, the bid was not successful. Later, after updated studies, bids were floated again in 2007 and 2010, during an LDF regime this time, but failed to get clearance from the Centre. Finally, a bid in 2014 was successful, and led to an agreement between the Kerala government and Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited for the Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport. The total cost of the first phase is Rs 8,686 crore, of which the state has to provide Rs 5,370 crore, the Adani Group Rs 2,499 crore and Centre Rs 817.80 crore as viability gap fund. In the second phase, which is slated to be completed by 2028, the Adani Group is to invest Rs 9,540 crore. Since trial operations began in July last year, the port has already made big strides, with 285 ships docking there. In February this year, Vizhinjam ranked first among 15 ports in the southeast coast of India in terms of cargo handled – among several other firsts. Officials point to the Vizhinjam port's proximity to international shipping routes connecting Europe, Persian Gulf and the Far East, to underline its growth potential.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Vizhinjam seaport will bring economic stability, says PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport on Friday, stating that the capacity of this transshipment hub would triple in the coming years, allowing some of the world's largest cargo ships to dock smoothly. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Pakistan reopens Attari-Wagah border to allow stranded citizens in India to return Key Jammu & Kashmir reservoirs' flushing to begin soon Air India sees Pakistan airspace ban costing it $600 mn over 12 months In his speech following the commissioning of the Rs 8,686 crore project, he noted that 75% of India's transshipment operations had previously been carried out at foreign ports, resulting in significant revenue loss for the country. Emphasising that this scenario is now set to change, Modi asserted that Indian money would now serve India, and the funds that once flowed out of the country would instead generate new economic opportunities for Kerala and the people of Vizhinjam. He said ships from Kerala had long carried goods to other nations, establishing it as a vital hub for global commerce. "Today, the Government of India is committed to further strengthening this channel of economic power," the Prime Minister said, adding: "India's coastal states and port cities will become key centres for the growth of a developed India." Live Events Praising the Vizhinjam port , developed by Adani Ports , Modi said people from Gujarat might be disappointed with Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani for building such a large port in Kerala, despite hailing from the western Indian state himself. Modi also noted that Kerala Ports Minister V N Vasavan had referred to the Adani Group as a "partner" of the Communist-led state government, describing this as symbolic of the changes taking place in the country. Highlighting the importance of the private sector in advancing India's maritime industry, Modi said that under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, investments worth thousands of crores had been made over the past decade. He stated that this collaboration had not only brought India's ports up to international standards but had also made them future-ready, with private sector involvement driving innovation and increasing efficiency. Thiruvananthapuram: Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially commissioned the Vizhinjam International Seaport on Friday, stating that the capacity of this transshipment hub would triple in the coming years, allowing some of the world's largest cargo ships to dock smoothly. In his speech following the commissioning of the Rs 8,686 crore project, he noted that 75% of India's transshipment operations had previously been carried out at foreign ports, resulting in significant revenue loss for the country. Emphasising that this scenario is now set to change, Modi asserted that Indian money would now serve India, and the funds that once flowed out of the country would instead generate new economic opportunities for Kerala and the people of Vizhinjam. He said ships from Kerala had long carried goods to other nations, establishing it as a vital hub for global commerce. "Today, the Government of India is committed to further strengthening this channel of economic power," the Prime Minister said, adding: "India's coastal states and port cities will become key centres for the growth of a developed India." Praising the Vizhinjam port, developed by Adani Ports, Modi said people from Gujarat might be disappointed with Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani for building such a large port in Kerala, despite hailing from the western Indian state himself. Modi also noted that Kerala Ports Minister V N Vasavan had referred to the Adani Group as a "partner" of the Communist-led state government, describing this as symbolic of the changes taking place in the country. Highlighting the importance of the private sector in advancing India's maritime industry, Modi said that under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, investments worth thousands of crores had been made over the past decade. He stated that this collaboration had not only brought India's ports up to international standards but had also made them future-ready, with private sector involvement driving innovation and increasing efficiency.
Local Italy
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Local Italy
Italian PM Meloni slams vandalism at WWII massacre site
The monument in Basovizza, near Trieste, honours thousands of Italians killed by Yugoslav resistance fighters in the Foibe massacres, so called because victims were often thrown into deep sinkholes known as 'foibe'. "To insult Basovizza with repugnant inscriptions that recall dramatic pages of our history is not only to trample on the memory of the martyrs of the Foibe but to offend the entire nation," Meloni said. It was "an act of unprecedented gravity, which cannot go unpunished," she said in a statement. While most of the 'foibe' were sinkholes, the Basovizza Foiba was a mineshaft. The massacres are a source of contention in Italy. They are commemorated by the right, which has attempted to equate the mass murders of Italians by Communist-led anti-fascists to the Holocaust. Serbian phrases scrawled in red on the ground outside the monument overnight between Friday and Saturday read: "Death to fascism, freedom to the peoples," according to Italian media reports. In the decades after the war, Italy's attempts to turn the page on its fascist history and the crimes committed by its own forces in Yugoslavia, meant that the Foibe massacres were largely downplayed. It was only in 2004 that the right-wing government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi established a national day of remembrance on February 10th. Meloni's hard-right government has particularly embraced the event.
