The ‘anaconda strategy’ of the PLA
The ‘anaconda strategy’ of the PLABy Liao Ming-hui 廖明輝Navy Commander Admiral Tang Hua (唐華) said in an interview with The Economist that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been implementing an “anaconda strategy” to subdue Taiwan since President William Lai (賴清德) assumed office. The interview reminds me of a story published in late August about the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a US think tank, mentioning that China is using an “anaconda strategy” to slowly strangle Taiwan — as an anaconda might overcome its prey — leaving no room for Taiwan to breathe or fight back. The operations would involve unprecedented levels of PLA activity, including aircraft and surface vessels encroaching into Taiwan’s territorial waters and airspace. The PLA would simultaneously cut undersea Internet cables and incapacitate Taiwan’s communications satellites to disrupt links within Taiwan and sever its connections with the international community. The PLA Navy would also position its Shandong aircraft carrier strike group southeast of Taiwan to deter US Navy vessels.
Source:Taipei Times
November 05, 2024 21:46 UTC
N Korea fires missiles toward the sea
N Korea fires missiles toward the seaAP, SEOULNorth Korea yesterday fired a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, its neighbors said, as it continued its weapons demonstrations hours before the US presidential election. Japanese Minister of Defense Gen Nakatani said at least seven North Korean missiles flew as far as 400km with a maximum altitude of 100km. Photo: AP / Korean Central News Agency / Korea News ServiceSouth Korea’s military also detected several missile launches by North Korea and subsequently boosted its surveillance posture. The North Korean missiles could be used to target key facilities in South Korea, including US military bases there. South Korea’s military intelligence agency last week said that Pyongyang has also likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test.
Source:Taipei Times
November 05, 2024 17:32 UTC
Taipei residents protest demolition of Daan bridge
Taipei residents protest demolition of Daan bridgeStaff writer, with CNAResidents have called on the Taipei City Government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass near Daan Forest Park. However, in recent days some local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as “sky bridge” in Chinese. The pedestrian overpass at the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads in Taipei is pictured yesterday. “Separating pedestrians from vehicles is the safest way.”People take a selfie with the pedestrian overpass bridge at the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads in Taipei on Sunday. “There are 13 sky bridges exceeding 40 years old in use in Taipei City,” Lin said, adding that the oldest has been operational for 55 years.
Source:Taipei Times
November 05, 2024 17:15 UTC
Getting heated
Difficult post-typhoon commute draws ire in TaipeiCommuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messagesBy Kayleigh Madjar
Source:Taipei Times
November 04, 2024 21:42 UTC
Legal changes urged against China threat
China has been enticing active and retired military personnel to help develop espionage organizations or to engage in psychological operations, such as by filming themselves “voluntarily” surrendering to China or signing a promise of their future surrender, he said. In January 2020, Hsiang signed a “pledge of surrender.”Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu speaks to reporters in Taipei on Wednesday. The Constitutional Court said it decided not to review the case. In a separate case, eight current and retired military officers have been allegedly leaking classified military information to China since 2021. For example, the government could refuse granting funding to artists and celebrities who have made pro-China statements, Shen added.
Source:Taipei Times
November 04, 2024 21:41 UTC
Indian doctors call off protest hunger strike over murder
Indian doctors call off protest hunger strike over murderAPPEAL: The victim’s parents expressed their worries about the fasting junior doctors’ health, as well as defunct healthcare services affecting hundredsReuters, KOLKATA, IndiaJunior doctors in India’s eastern city of Kolkata on Monday called off a 17-day-old hunger strike launched in protest against the rape and murder of a colleague, in response to an appeal by the victim’s parents. People take part in a mass protest to show their solidarity with junior doctors on hunger strike over a rape and murder in Kolkata, India, on Tuesday last week. The doctors said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee agreed to most of their demands when she met them on Monday. Government hospitals across India lack basic amenities such as restrooms for doctors, security personnel and closed circuit television cameras, doctors say. The Indian Supreme Court also took up the matter, but junior doctors say its efforts have not been sufficient to ensure justice.
Source:Taipei Times
October 22, 2024 17:16 UTC
Modi meets Putin and calls for quick end to Ukraine war
Modi meets Putin and calls for quick end to Ukraine warAFP, KAZAN, RussiaIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said that he wanted the Ukraine conflict to be resolved peacefully and “quickly” as he met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, embraces Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting on the sidelines of BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, yesterday. New Delhi has walked a diplomatic tightrope since the Ukraine conflict began, pledging humanitarian support for Kyiv, while avoiding explicit condemnation of Russia’s offensive. The Kremlin has touted the BRICS summit as a diplomatic triumph that shows Western attempts to isolate Moscow over the Ukraine conflict have failed. The US has dismissed the idea that BRICS could become a “geopolitical rival,” but has expressed concern over Moscow flexing its diplomatic muscle as the Ukraine conflict rages.
Source:Taipei Times
October 22, 2024 17:16 UTC
US, Canadian warships transit Taiwan Strait
US, Canadian warships transit Taiwan StraitINTERNATIONAL WATERS: Lin Chia-lung said that freedom of navigation fits not only the national interest, but also the common interest of the Indo-Pacific regionBy Ben Blanchard / ReutersA US and a Canadian warship on Sunday sailed through the Taiwan Strait together less than a week after China conducted a new round of war games around Taiwan. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins conducts bilateral operations with Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Vancouver, front,in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday. Photo: Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Trevor Hale / US Navy via AP“The international community’s navigational rights and freedoms in the Taiwan Strait should not be limited. “China firmly opposes any country provoking and threatening China’s sovereignty and security in the name of ‘freedom of navigation,’” Lin added. The US and Canadian navies last sailed such a joint mission in November last year, while the US last transited the Taiwan Strait on Aug. 22 when the USS Ralph Johnson passed through.
Source:Taipei Times
October 22, 2024 02:16 UTC
S Korea demands N Korean troops in Russia withdraw
S Korea demands N Korean troops in Russia withdrawAP, SEOULSouth Korea yesterday demanded the immediate pullout of North Korean troops allegedly deployed in Russia as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest deepening military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow. The Russian embassy quoted Zinoviev as saying that the cooperation between Russia and North Korean is not aimed against the security interests of South Korea. Yoon said South Korea would send a delegation to NATO to exchange information about Russian-North Korean cooperation, Yoon’s office said. Russia earlier denied using North Korean troops in its war with Ukraine. Ukrainian officials released a video allegedly showing North Korean troops lining up to collect Russian military clothes and bags at an unknown location.
Source:Taipei Times
October 22, 2024 02:16 UTC
China central bank cuts two key interest rates
China central bank cuts two key interest ratesAFP, BEIJINGChina’s central bank yesterday said it had cut two key interest rates to historic lows, in the latest move by Beijing to boost sluggish spending and kickstart the world’s second-largest economy. The economy grew 4.6 percent year-on-year in the third quarter, its slowest rate in a year and a half, Chinese government data released on Friday showed. The country’s top banks on Friday cut interest rates on yuan-denominated deposits for the second time this year in another potential boost to spending. Months of sluggish spending have raised fears that China would dip back into deflation after it ended a months-long stretch of falling prices early this year. The real interest rate in China is too high,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2024 17:57 UTC
India is testing its friends’ trust over killing of Sikh activist
India is testing its friends’ trust over killing of Sikh activistBy Mihir Sharma / Bloomberg OpinionIndia’s friends and partners are clearly feeling a growing sense of disquiet right now. First, separatist activists that India views as dangerous extremists are allowed to thrive in Canada, and even given space within the formal political spectrum. The problem for New Delhi is that its official denials have only imperfectly distanced the nation from Nijjar’s killing. If India is doing things like that, the West would think, then this is a relationship without trust. As disquiet about India grows, trust in India dies.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2024 17:49 UTC
G7 defense chiefs criticize China drills
G7 defense chiefs criticize China drillsTROUBLED WATERS: The ministers also said they opposed China’s obstruction of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and the militarization of disputed featuresBy Lin Che-yuan and Lee I-chia / Staff reportersG7 defense ministers in a joint statement on Saturday singled out China over a number of concerns, including its “provocative actions” near Taiwan. The defense ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US gathered in Naples, Italy, from Friday to yesterday for the group’s first ministerial meeting dedicated to defense. In the joint declaration, they stressed “enduring unity and common determination to address, in a cohesive and concrete manner, security challenges, at a time in history marked by great instability.”Italian Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto, back row, center, speaks during a morning roundtable as part of the G7 defense ministers summit in Naples, Italy, on Saturday. The declaration also expressed concern about the situation in the South China Sea. “There is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we are strongly opposed to China’s repeated obstruction of freedom of navigation, militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating activities, as well as the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea,” it said.
Source:Taipei Times
October 21, 2024 02:14 UTC
Asian IPOs set for blockbuster week
Asian IPOs set for blockbuster weekBloombergAsia’s stock markets are gearing up for their busiest week of listings in more than two years, offering a crucial test of demand as companies rush to raise money before the US presidential election next month. Signage for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd is pictured at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Sept. 17. Their success might spark a broader revival of Chinese share sales in Hong Kong, once a busy — and lucrative — segment of the IPO market. The stakes are also high in India, with a trading debut on Tuesday for Hyundai Motor India Ltd’s US$3.3 billion listing, the country’s biggest-ever IPO. In Japan, Tokyo Metro Co’s US$2.3 billion listing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Source:Taipei Times
October 20, 2024 18:47 UTC
Investments in nature will decide our future
Investments in nature will decide our futureThe banking sector plays a key role in financing necessary climate projectsBy Ambroise FayolleIt is easy to think of humans as existing separately from nature. However, the greatest threats to humanity come from crises affecting nature, not least climate change, biodiversity loss and rampant pollution. Moreover, such investments not only improve our resilience to climate change, but they also would help to prevent future pandemics. This would help de-risk investments, prepare projects, and deliver impact at scale for climate, nature and inclusive economic development. In Ivory Coast, we are gearing up to support sustainable cocoa farming, in which forests are preserved rather than cut down.
Source:Taipei Times
October 20, 2024 17:27 UTC
Musk promises US$1m each day to signers of petition
Musk promises US$1m each day to signers of petitionReuters, HARRISBURG, PennsylvaniaBillionaire Elon Musk on Saturday promised to give away US$1 million each day until the US presidential election on Nov. 5 to someone who signs his online petition supporting the US Constitution. Elon Musk speaks at Life Center Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Musk started America PAC, a political action organization he founded in support of Trump’s presidential campaign. The petition Musk is asking people to sign reads: “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. Trump in turn has said that if elected he would appoint Musk to head a government efficiency commission.
Source:Taipei Times
October 20, 2024 17:27 UTC