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American Military News
a day ago
- Politics
- American Military News
Taiwan holds annual live-fire, air raid drills that simulate Chinese attack
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Air-raid sirens blared in Taipei and other cities in northern Taiwan on Thursday, part of annual drills testing the country's response to a potential invasion by China. Police stopped personal vehicles and public buses and directed pedestrians into shelters, such as basements and subway stations. Some shops and restaurants pulled down shutters and turned off lights, moves aimed to reduce their visibility during a potential nighttime attack. The drills also involved simulating wartime aid distribution and a mass-casualty event. Earlier this week, Taiwanese forces held their largest-ever military drills, which included simulating a response to an amphibious invasion of the Penghu Islands. Troops fired Javelin missiles, machine guns and tank rounds at maritime targets. Taiwanese forces also conducted maritime drills around the Matsu Islands involving speed boats, drones and mortars. Soldiers fired from rubber speed boats and positions on shore, responding to a simulated 'grey zone harassment' of the islands by Chinese Coast Guard and fishing vessels. In an early morning drill, Taiwan's military police used Taipei's subway system as it simulated the redeployment of troops and supplies. Taiwan's military also practiced securing and defending a major bridge in Taipei. This time they were firing blanks. Taiwanese military officials said the Han Kuang drills replicate full combat conditions, including simulated enemy attacks on communications and command systems and a full-blown invasion scenario.


American Military News
3 days ago
- Business
- American Military News
U.S. Secretary of State Rubio meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang at ASEAN
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that he had 'positive and constructive' talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, amid tensions over tariffs and trade. Rubio was in Malaysia on his first Asia trip since taking office, looking to stress U.S. commitment to the region at the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, as countries received notices of U.S. tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump this week. At a Thursday photo-op before the start of the U.S, Japan, Philippines trilateral meeting, Rubio learned the summit's signature 'ASEAN-way' handshake. 'How do we do that?' Rubio asked. 'The ASEAN-way' replied Philippines' Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro. Japan's Prime Minister Takeshi Iwaya then grabbed Rubio's hands and crossed them, with the three standing and smiling with the traditional cross-armed handshake for cameras. Rubio also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov where they discussed the Russia-Ukraine war.


American Military News
16-07-2025
- Business
- American Military News
Video: U.S. Secretary of State Rubio meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang at ASEAN
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that he had 'positive and constructive' talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, amid tensions over tariffs and trade. Rubio was in Malaysia on his first Asia trip since taking office, looking to stress U.S. commitment to the region at the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, as countries received notices of U.S. tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump this week. At a Thursday photo-op before the start of the U.S, Japan, Philippines trilateral meeting, Rubio learned the summit's signature 'ASEAN-way' handshake. 'How do we do that?' Rubio asked. 'The ASEAN-way' replied Philippines' Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro. Japan's Prime Minister Takeshi Iwaya then grabbed Rubio's hands and crossed them, with the three standing and smiling with the traditional cross-armed handshake for cameras. Rubio also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov where they discussed the Russia-Ukraine war.


Japan Forward
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
In Next Dalai Lama Search, China Should Keep Its Nose Out
このページを 日本語 で読む The 14th Dalai Lama, the supreme leader of Tibetan Buddhism, has declared that his successor will be selected by the traditional method. That means, after his death, a search will be conducted by Tibetans themselves to identify his "reincarnation." Only the person they identify will become the 15th Dalai Lama. "They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition.... No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter," the Dalai Lama said. This statement amounted to a stern declaration to the Chinese communist authorities not to interfere in the process. The People's Republic of China has already announced a policy of not recognizing anyone other than its own candidate to become the 15th Dalai Lama. However, there is no way that the Tibetan people will look up to an illegitimate "imposter Dalai Lama." Beijing should end its inhumane, forced assimilation policies and respect Tibetan religion and culture. The 14th Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6. At the age of two, he was recognized by the Tibetan government at the time as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. He was formally installed in that position in 1940, at the age of four. Chinese police patrol in front of the Potala Palace in Tibet's capital Lhasa in a file photo. (Radio Free Asia via Central Tibetan Administration) However, the People's Liberation Army occupied Tibet in 1951, and the resistance efforts in various places were harshly suppressed. As a result, the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet's ancient capital of Lhasa in 1959. He thereafter established a government in exile in Dharamsala in northern India. The year 2025 marks 60 years since China established the Tibet Autonomous Region with Lhasa as its capital in 1965. Ever since, Beijing has encouraged large numbers of Han Chinese to migrate to the region. It has also implemented an assimilation policy designed to strip Tibet of its unique culture and religion. As a result, portraits and photographs of the 14th Dalai Lama have been removed from Buddhist temples and other buildings and replaced by images of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Government security personnel are regularly stationed at temples in Tibet, and numerous surveillance cameras have been installed in their precincts. In effect, the Tibetan people are forced to practice their faith under smothering controls amidst a pervasive atmosphere of fear. Followers of Tibetan Buddhism believe the Dalai Lama to be an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Kannon. But he is more than just a religious leader. Since the 17th century, the Dalai Lama has also led the Tibetan government. As its highest authority, he has also been a figure uniting religion and the state. Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, exchanges greetings with former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in June 2023 (©REUTERS) Regardless of the prohibitions issued by the Chinese government, ordinary Tibetans continue to display portraits and photographs of the Dalai Lama in their homes. China should not turn a blind eye to the reality that the Dalai Lama continues to be a pillar of spiritual support for the Tibetan people. Ever since he began his self-exile, the 14th Dalai Lama has consistently maintained a non-violent stance. Meanwhile, he has also spread awareness of the reality of Chinese oppression to the world. In 1989, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to world peace, religion, and culture. Regarding this latest statement on reincarnation, the international community, including Japan, should support the position of the 14th Dalai Lama. It must not accept Chinese intervention in a purely Tibetan matter. Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む


American Military News
14-07-2025
- Business
- American Military News
Beijing's Growing Boldness: China's Stance On Ukraine Sparks EU Alarm
This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Publicly, Beijing has presented itself as a neutral party in the war sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, claiming it respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine while also highlighting the need to address Russia's security concerns. But behind the scenes, that may be changing. According to EU officials speaking to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas last week that Beijing couldn't accept Russia's defeat in the war as it would free up Washington to focus on China. The remarkable admission, first reported by the South China Morning Post, came during a four-hour long discussion with Kallas in Brussels that covered an array of topics from trade practices such as state subsidies for electric vehicles, Taiwan, the situation in the Middle East and, of course, the war in Ukraine. It was during those talks that Brussels accused China of siding with Moscow and noting that the invasion of a sovereign country was against international law. Beijing allegedly voiced objections to the EU's allegations that Russia is using Chinese products and other components in its war effort before adding its fear of both potential western sanctions against Chinese financial institutions and an eventual Ukrainian victory in the conflict. Signs of Brussels' displeasure with China over the war have been piling up. In May, a classified EU report said China, including Hong Kong, is responsible for 'approximately' 80 percent of the circumventions of sanctions against Russia. The 27-member bloc has also begun targeting Chinese companies it believes are responsible for the 'undermining of Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty.' In its latest sanctions package, the bloc is looking to slap asset freezes and visa bans on one Chinese businessman for repeatedly transferring goods made in the EU to Russia while those goods were subject to EU export restrictions. Two Chinese companies are also targeted for selling all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), infrared detectors, and other optical components to the Russian armed forces for use in Ukraine. Another sign of the growing concern in Brussels came from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who recently said China and Russia present growing threats to the transatlantic alliance. Rutte told reporters during a trip to Berlin that he believes Russia and China would coordinate attacks on Taiwan and Europe to keep the West bogged down in various parts of the world at the same time. 'Xi Jinping, the president of China, before he would attack Taiwan, he will first make a call into Moscow to ask [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to keep us busy in this part of Europe,' Rutte said. China and Russia struck a so-called 'no limits strategic partnership' shortly before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The partnership does not include a formal military alliance or a specific commitment to mutual defense, but it does involve extensive military cooperation and strategic alignment that enhances both countries' security interests. Still, Beijing publicly has been keen to distance itself from Russia's actions. Speaking after Wang's European trip, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated that 'China's position on the Ukraine crisis is objective and consistent, that is, negotiation, ceasefire and peace. A prolonged Ukraine crisis serves no one's interests.' Analysts, though, are focused on other recently spoken words by officials from Beijing. Speaking to Current Time, Russian political scientist Natalia Shevshkova noted comments from Wang after his recent European tour were a sign that Beijing has 'grown bolder' in its rhetoric to where 'it's no longer Eastern diplomacy, but rather outright, almost rude behavior.' 'China understands that if Putin is now allowed to recognize — if he's allowed to keep Crimea, if the Western community is ready to negotiate and leave some territories with Putin, then China's hands are untied too,' Shevshkova said.