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Independent Singapore
8 hours ago
- General
- Independent Singapore
U.S. urges Asian allies to prepare for China's ‘imminent' threat head-on
Screengrab from SINGAPORE: U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered an absolute and grim message during his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, forewarning that China's intentions toward Taiwan signify an upfront threat to global peace and security. A stark warning on Taiwan According to a recent CNN report, Hegseth made a clear warning saying that 'There is no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent,' highlighting intelligence reports that the Chinese military is vigorously setting up a plausible attack on the island by 2027. Hegseth accused Beijing of attempting to redesign the Indo-Pacific order via military pressure, principally with its regular training drills mimicking an attack on Taiwan. U.S. calls for allied unity Hegseth stressed that the United States cannot dissuade China alone. 'We ask – and indeed, we insist – that our allies and partners do their part on defence,' he said, asking countries in the region to meaningfully increase defence outlays. He cited NATO partners who have allotted up to 5% of GDP on defence as a standard for Asian allies. Hegseth's comments echo a mounting resolve from the Trump government to strengthen preemption in the light of what he labelled Beijing's 'wake-up call' to the region. China pushes back against 'defamatory allegations' Beijing summarily rebuked Hegseth's remarks. In a statement, China's foreign ministry vilified the U.S. for making 'defamatory allegations' and 'sowing division' via the defence forum. Chinese bureaucrats maintained that they remain open to negotiation but carped at Washington's growing military pomposity in Asia. Pressures were further augmented by China's pronouncement to reduce its involvement and input in the forum, sending a low-level team instead of its defence minister. Rising tensions, but no backing down Notwithstanding calls for sobriety from other regional powers, Hegseth made it clear that the U.S. will manifest and sustain a strong presence in Asia. 'We will not be pushed out of this critical region, and we will not let our allies be subordinated and intimidated,' he said. While reiterating that Washington does not seek friction that could lead to war, he asserted that the Trump administration is dedicated to guaranteeing Taiwan's safety and will stand firm against Chinese hostility in contested areas such as the South China Sea. See also India hangs four over 2012 Delhi bus gang-rape Experts and forecasters note that, in contrast to recent changes in U.S. policy toward Europe, the administration's approach to Asia remains intensive and forceful, underscored by sustained combined military training with Japan, the Philippines, Australia, and South Korea. Without high-level consultations arranged between the U.S. and China, optimism for alleviating tensions appears minimal, leading to the reinforced geopolitical schisms presently defining the Indo-Pacific region.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Macron says West is losing credibility with ‘double standards' on Ukraine and Gaza
Emmanuel Macron says the US and Europe risk 'losing all credibility' when it comes to maintaining global security if they fail to put a stop to wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, the French president said divisions between the US and China was the main risk confronting the world, as he urged for a new coalition between Paris and partners in the Indo-Pacific. Mr Macron and US defence secretary Pete Hegseth are among the world leaders, diplomats and defence officials in Singapore this weekend for a security forum that will focus on China's growing assertiveness, the global impact of Russia's war on Ukraine and the flare-up of conflict in Asia and the Middle East. The French president said if Russia could take Ukrainian territory 'without any restrictions, without any constraints… what could happen in Taiwan?' 'What will you do the day something happens in the Philippines?' he asked. 'What is at stake in Ukraine is our common credibility, that we are still able to preserve territorial integrity and sovereignty of people,' adding: 'No double standards.' 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. Beijing has not ruled out the use of force, if necessary, to bring the island under its control. At the same summit, Mr Hegseth warned on Saturday that the threat from China was "real and potentially imminent" and that China launching an invasion of Taiwan would have devastating consequences. Mr Macron said any shifts to developing a more hard-line deterrent stance in the region were tied to how the world views critical issues such as the climate crisis and Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza. He point out the West risked 'losing all credibility with the rest of the world' if Israel was allowed 'a free pass' in Gaza. "... even if we do condemn the terrorist attacks, we kill our own credibility in the rest of the world," he said. Mr Macron has moved closer to signalling French recognition of a Palestinian state ahead of a conference at the UN aimed at laying out a roadmap for a two-state solution. He threatened to 'harden the collective position' of the EU against Israel if there were not a response to the humanitarian situation in the next few hours. Israel's foreign ministry criticised the French leader, saying 'facts do not interest Macron'. Under growing international pressure, Israel partially ended an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza last week, allowing a limited amount of relief to be delivered under a new system that has been heavily criticised and is not endorsed by the UN. Israel said the assertion that there was a humanitarian blockade of Gaza was 'a blatant lie'. It claimed nearly 900 aid trucks had entered the Gaza Strip since the blockade was eased and the new US-backed system had distributed 2 million meals and thousands of aid packages. 'But instead of applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state,' Israel added. So far, Israel's war in Gaza has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the the health ministry in the Hamas-run Strip. The offensive began with Hamas's 7 October attack on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw some 250 taken hostage.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
North Korea says Donald Trump's Golden Dome plan threatens ‘outer space nuclear war'
In a memorandum issued by the foreign ministry's Institute for American Studies, North Korea described the plans as a "threatening initiative", not a defensive measure, aimed at securing military superiority and threatening nuclear-armed adversaries, according to state media KCNA. The Golden Dome plan"is a typical product of ' America first', the height of self-righteousness, arrogance, high-handed and arbitrary practice, and is an outer space nuclear war scenario," it said, urging the international community to speak out against the plan. Seven days after his inauguration in January, Mr Trump issued the ' Iron Dome for America ' executive order to create a cutting-edge defence system that protects the US from long-range missile attacks. Last week he revealed that his administration has settled on a design for the system, which he said will be operational within three years. The president appointed Michael Guetlein, the current vice chief of space operations, to lead the project. The project has been estimated to cost $175bn to the US, and the Congressional Budget Office earlier this month estimated that it could go up to between $161bn and $542bn over two decades. The North Korean memorandum called it 'the largest arms buildup plan in history', and said it threatened the global security environment. North Korea said US has been 'hell-bent on the moves to militarise outer space' after previously defining outer space as a battlefield in the future. 'The US plan for building a new missile defence system is the root cause of sparking off a global nuclear and space arms race by stimulating the security concerns of nuclear weapons states and turning outer space into a potential nuclear war field,' it added. It argued that the US's continued trilateral military cooperation with its allies Japan and South Korea is an effort to use them as 'cannon fodder and bullet shields to pursue its own interests'. 'We resolutely oppose the United States' criminal ambition to use outer space for hegemonic purposes,' it added. 'We will continue to exercise our sovereign right to defend our strategic security interests and ensure regional peace and security.' North Korea's criticism of the US missile defence initiative comes amid its own expanding nuclear weapons programme, with Pyongyang continuing to carry out hundreds of missile tests in open defiance of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. Despite international sanctions, including a 2006 UN Security Council order banning its development of nuclear weapons and related activities, North Korea has tested multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). In October 2024, North Korea conducted its latest test of its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, recording the longest flight in the process. The slew of frequent missile tests has prompted the US, South Korea and Japan to boost their military cooperation, including annual joint defence drills in the Korean peninsula. China last week said it was also "seriously concerned" about the Golden Dome project and called for Washington to abandon its development.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State, global leaders continue NATO assembly meetings today in Dayton
Leaders from 300 countries are here in Dayton for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] News Center 7's Taylor Robertson is LIVE in Downtown Dayton with the security measures in place. She previews Day 3 today on News Center 7 Saturday from 6 a.m. until 7 a.m., and again from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. TRENDING STORIES: Multiple police agencies involved in chase of at least 2 vehicles in Montgomery Co. Local water park moves opening due to chilly weather this weekend Police looking for woman accused of leaving Kroger without paying for items As previously reported by News Center 7, security is tight in Downtown Dayton. Roughly 16 square blocks are blocked off in Downtown Dayton. News Center 7 spoke with Ohio leaders about why they are here. Dayton Congressman Mike Turner was instrumental in bringing the NATO village to Dayton. Governor Mike DeWine also noted that NATO leaders signed the Dayton Peace Accords at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to end the Bosnian War. 'This meeting, of course, falls near the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords, which were so important to NATO's efforts to ensure global safety,' he said. Several international issues are being discussed this weekend. The war between Russia and Ukraine was a focal point of those conversations with delegates. We will update this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Forbes
21-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Dartmouth Given $34 Million For A New Institute For Global Security
Dartmouth College has announced that it will launch the Davidson Institute for Global Security, which will feature several programs focusing on a wide range of international security and defense topics. Initial funding for the institute has come from a collection of private gifts totaling $34 million from more than 20 alumni and parents. Included in those donations is a multi-million lead gift from the Jim and Julia Davidson family. Jim Davidson is one of the original co-founding partners of Silver Lake, a major private equity firm focused on technology investments. While neither of the Davidsons is a Dartmouth alum, their three children all attended the school. Dartmouth anticipates that the program will prepare its graduates for leadership jobs in the governmental policy, defense and security sectors, helping address pressing workforce needs in important security fields. As one example, the U.S. is projected to be losing more than a third of its nuclear security workforce in the next five years. The Davidson Institute for Global Security is an outgrowth of Dartmouth's Initiative for Global Security, a four-year pilot program for which the Davidsons had provided early seed funding. It will focus on undergraduate education, providing students with both relevant course work and real-world, practical experience through internships, national and international travel experiences, and access to global thought-leaders via a new speaker series and Dartmouth's international security forum held annually in Washington, DC. Through such programming, students will be exposed to policymakers, journalists, foreign service officers, military officers, and other key policymakers. The institute, in collaboration with the Tuck School of Business and the department of economics, will enable students and faculty to explore the intersection of security and business and will also serve as the organizational umbrella for existing Dartmouth programs in several policy areas. An example is the recent International Security and Economics pilot program, where students and faculty study the relationships of security challenges to economics and business. It will also house Dartmouth's War and Peace Fellows, which annually brings 80 undergraduate students together from multiple disciplines to learn how social, political, moral, and technological factors affect a wide range of topics such as international conflict, human rights, terrorism, military policy, and climate change. In addition, the institute will host the E. John Rosenwald Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, named in honor of a former chair of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees. That program is focused on international history and security, supporting leading young scholars from all disciplines to come to Dartmouth to work on research in areas such as the environment, health, and human development. Rosenwald's friends and classmates raised $12 million to endow the program which was named for him in 2021 in recognition of his 70 years of leadership and service to Dartmouth. Daryl Press, professor of government at Dartmouth and the faculty director for its Initiative for Global Security pilot, will serve as the institute's inaugural director. Included among the faculty who will be associated with the institute are: Press told me that about 20 Dartmouth faculty are currently involved with the institute, spanning areas like political science, economics, history, and engineering. He expects more disciplines to be represented in the future. According to Press, a distinctive feature of the institute is that it will promote 'rigorous, politically nonpartisan research on today's most momentous, complex issues' such as China's rise as a superpower, the changing military balance in Asia, nuclear proliferation, prospects for peace in the Russian-Ukraine war, violence against civilians during military conflicts, the control of new dangerous technologies, disruptions to the global trade system, and changes in U.S. foreign policy. Press said that institute faculty will also continue to influence national and international policy through research-based consultation and advising with senior officials at the U.S. National Security Council, Department of Defense, and Department of State, as well as intelligence agencies and senior policymakers at NATO and in allied countries. In a recent interview, Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock told me that she envisions the Davidson Institute extending Dartmouth's traditional strengths in preparing students for future leadership roles. 'The rigorous, nonpartisan scholarship being done by our faculty is key to helping students learn how to navigate an increasingly complicated geopolitical landscape,' she said. 'We will focus on issues, rather than political stances, and we will teach students how to think, not what to think.' The $34 million in private funds will be used to endow the various components of the new institute. Current plans do not call for the addition of any new undergraduate majors or a major expansion of the number of students in the programs. Instead, the emphasis will be on enhancing student opportunities and increasing the quality of the small-group interactions that both Press and Beilock believe are hallmarks of a Dartmouth education.
