BEIJING/TAIPEI: Chinese military drills near Taiwan are targeted at forces promoting the island’s formal independence and are a “just” move to protect peace, China said on Wednesday, as Taiwan’s president reiterated her government would not bend to pressure.
Beijing also said the exercises are aimed at interference by external forces.
Military tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, are at their worst in more than 40 years, Taiwan’s defense minister said last week, adding China will be capable of mounting a “full scale” invasion by 2025.
He was speaking after China mounted four straight days of mass air force incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone that began Oct. 1, part of a pattern of what Taipei views as stepped up military harassment by Beijing.
Speaking at a regular news briefing in Beijing, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the cause of current tensions was Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) “collusion” with foreign force and “provocations” over seeking Taiwan’s independence.
Chinese drills are aimed at this collusion — a veiled reference to US support for Taiwan — and separatist activities, protecting the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, he added.
“They are absolutely just actions,” Ma said.
“The DPP authorities’ hyping of the so-called ‘military threat’ of the mainland is to completely invert right and wrong, and a bogus accusation,” he added.
“If the DPP authorities obstinately persist in going about things the wrong way, and do not know how to draw back from the edge, it will only push Taiwan into a more dangerous situation.”
Taiwan says it is an independent country called the Republic of China, its formal name, and will defend its freedom and democracy.
Despite Ma’s comments, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen made relatively conciliatory speeches at the weekend, even as Xi vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and Tsai said they would not be forced to bow to China.
Xi did not mention a desire for peace and dialogue with China.
Tsai, speaking at a regular party meeting later on Wednesday, reiterated that the government has never “slacked off” when presented with China’s military threats but has also never “advanced rashly.”
“I also want to repeat that we will never succumb to pressure. Strengthening national defense by ourselves is the government’s top priority,” she added.
China: Military drills near Taiwan a ‘just’ move to protect peace
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China: Military drills near Taiwan a ‘just’ move to protect peace
- Beijing also said the exercises are aimed at interference by external forces
- China mounted four straight days of mass air force incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone
Macron and Starmer discuss Ukraine, Middle East at UK meeting
Starmer welcomed the French head of state to his Chequers country residence northwest of London, and the two leaders “underscored the need for unity in uncertain times,” according to a readout from Downing Street.
On Ukraine, Macron and Starmer reaffirmed their commitment to work together to support the country for “as long as necessary,” according to a statement from Macron’s office.
They also stressed “the importance of continuing to supply the equipment needed to defend Ukrainian territory” and of guaranteeing financial support for Kyiv beyond 2025.
European powers are preparing for the return to office on January 20 of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has said he will end the Ukraine conflict.
Ukraine and its allies are concerned that a settlement could be imposed on terms favorable to Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Macron had previously said the two sides had “a lot of convergence” on pressing issues including Ukraine and the Middle East.
On the Middle East, Macron and Starmer “agreed on the importance of stability and security in the region, as well as the need to avoid regional escalation,” according to Downing Street.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations, including a UK-France bilateral summit slated for this year, which will aim to deepen cooperation on defense, energy, artificial intelligence and illegal migration.
Recent months have seen tens of thousands of migrants make the sometimes-deadly sea crossing from France to England.
US Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case
- he court’s 5-4 order clears the way for Judge Juan M. Merchan to impose a sentence Friday on Trump, who was convicted in what prosecutors called an attempt to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels
- The president-elect was convicted in what prosecutors called an attempt to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels
WASHINGTON: A sharply divided Supreme Court on Thursday rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s final bid to put his New York hush-money case on hold, clearing the way for him to be sentenced for felony crimes days before he returns to the presidency.
The court’s 5-4 order clears the way for Judge Juan M. Merchan to impose a sentence Friday on Trump, who was convicted in what prosecutors called an attempt to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied any liaison with Daniels or any wrongdoing.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court’s three liberals in rejecting his emergency motion.
The majority found his sentencing wouldn’t be an insurmountable burden during the presidential transition since Merchan has indicated he won’t give Trump jail time, fines or probation.
Trump’s attorneys had asked the sentencing be delayed as he appeals the verdict, but the majority of justices found his arguments can be handled as part of the regular appeals process.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh would have delayed the sentencing, the order states.
Trump said he respects the court’s order and plans to push his appeal of a verdict. “I respect the court’s opinion — I think it was actually a very good opinion for us because you saw what they said, but they invited the appeal and the appeal is on the bigger issue. So, we’ll see how it works out,” he said.
The conservative-majority court has handed Trump other major victories over the past year, ensuring that states could not kick him off the ballot because of the 2021 attack on the Capitol and giving him immunity from prosecution over some acts he took as president in a ruling that delayed an election-interference case against him.
The justices could also be faced with weighing other parts of the sweeping conservative changes he’s promised after he takes office.
In the New York case, Trump’s attorneys have argued that evidence used in the Manhattan trial violated last summer’s Supreme Court ruling giving Trump broad immunity from prosecution over acts he took as president.
At the least, they have said, the sentencing should be delayed while their appeals play out to avoid distracting Trump during the White House transition.
Prosecutors pushed back, saying there’s no reason for the court to take the “extraordinary step” of intervening in a state case now. Trump’s attorneys haven’t shown that an hourlong virtual hearing would be a serious disruption, and a pause would likely mean pushing the case past the Jan. 20 inauguration, creating a yearslong delay in sentencing if it happens at all.
Trump’s attorneys went to the justices after New York courts refused to postpone sentencing, including the state’s highest court on Thursday.
Judges in New York have found that the convictions on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to personal matters rather than Trump’s official acts as president. Daniels says she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. He denies it.
Trump’s attorneys called the case politically motivated, and they said sentencing him now would be a “grave injustice” that threatens to disrupt the presidential transition as the Republican prepares to return to the White House.
Trump is represented by D. John Sauer, his pick to be the solicitor general, who represents the government before the high court.
Sauer also argued for Trump in the separate criminal case charging him with trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which resulted in the Supreme Court’s immunity opinion.
Defense attorneys cited that opinion in arguing some of the evidence used against him in the hush money trial should have been shielded by presidential immunity. That includes testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made while he was in office.
The decision comes a day after Justice Alito confirmed that he took a phone call from Trump the day before the president-elect’s lawyers filed their emergency motion before the high court. The justice said the call was about a clerk, not any upcoming or current cases, but the unusual communication prompted calls for Alito to recuse himself, including from the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.
Vice President-elect JD Vance resigns from the Senate
COLUMBUS, Ohio: Vice President-elect JD Vance is resigning from his seat in the US Senate, effective Friday.
Vance made his intentions known in a letter Thursday to Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who will choose his successor.
“To the people of Ohio, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of representing you in the United States Senate. When I was elected to this office, I promised to never forget where I came from, and I’ve made sure to live by that promise every single day,” Vance wrote.
“As I prepare to assume my duties as Vice President of the United States, I would like to express that it has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve the people of Ohio in the Senate over the past two years,” Vance said.
DeWine has said he would make the appointment once Vance vacates the seat. DeWine’s spokesperson said DeWine was at a governors’ event with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday evening, making it unlikely he would announce any appointment before Friday.
DeWine has the sole duty of appointing a successor to Vance, who was elected to a six-year term in 2022. A long list of elected Republicans in the state has expressed interest in the seat, including Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Treasurer Robert Sprague, US Rep. Mike Carey, state Sen. Matt Dolan, former Republican state chair Jane Timken and GOP attorney and strategist Mehek Cooke.
However, speculation has most recently zeroed in on Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who accompanied DeWine on a recent trip to Mar-a-Lago to speak with President-elect Donald Trump.
DeWine declined to even hint as to the subject of those discussions when asked by reporters during a Wednesday bill-signing at the Statehouse.
“I’m not ready to make an announcement yet, but the announcement will be coming soon,” he said.
Husted, who was also present, said merely, “We’re considering all the options, and just, that’s really all I have to say.”
Husted has been considered a front-runner to run for governor in 2026, after spending years positioning for the job. He is a former Ohio House speaker, state senator and two-term secretary of state.
Whomever DeWine appoints will serve until December 2026. They would need to run again for the remainder of the term in November 2026.
Elon Musk promotes German far-right leader in latest European intervention
- “Only AfD can save Germany, end of story,” the Tesla and SpaceX boss and ally of US President-elect Donald Trump said during the discussion with Weidel
- Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, has provoked fury across Europe with a string of attacks on the continent’s leaders
WASHINGTON: US tech billionaire Elon Musk doubled down Thursday on his full-throated support for the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), promoting its leader Alice Weidel during a livestream on X in his latest intervention in European politics.
“Only AfD can save Germany, end of story,” the Tesla and SpaceX boss and ally of US President-elect Donald Trump said during the discussion with Weidel.
“People really need to get behind AfD, otherwise things are going to get very, very much worse in Germany.”
Musk, who last year used his influence and vast wealth to propel Trump to victory in the White House race, has been vocal in his support for the AfD ahead of snap elections in Germany on February 23.
In the wide-ranging conversation, both Musk and Weidel heaped praise on Trump and voiced their shared disdain for “woke” politicians and traditional media, whom they blamed for what they called criminal immigrants and online censorship.
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• German leader is more worried about Musk’s backing of a far-right party than his insults
• Norway PM worried by Musk involvement in politics outside US
Addressing German voters, Musk said, “I’m really strongly recommending that people vote for AfD,” as he called Weidel a “very reasonable person.”
The AfD, founded in 2013 and especially popular in the formerly communist eastern Germany, is polling at around 20 percent ahead of the elections, but has been shunned as a coalition partner by all other parties.
Chapters of the AfD are considered right-wing “extremist” groups by Germany’s domestic intelligence service.
Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, has provoked fury across Europe with a string of attacks on the continent’s leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned on Wednesday that fascism could return as Musk “openly attacks our institutions” and “stirs up hatred.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot earlier on Wednesday urged the European Commission to protect its member states with “the greatest firmness” against political interference by Musk, telling France Inter radio: “We have to wake up.”
Four dead in shelling incidents in Ukraine, officials say
KYIV: Four people were killed on Thursday in instances of shelling in Ukraine, one blamed on Russia’s military, the other on Ukrainian forces, regional officials said.
In Donetsk region, the focal point of Russia’s slow advance westward along the front line, regional governor Vadym Filaskhin said on Telegram that two people were killed when Russian forces shelled the town of Siversk.
Further south, in a Russian-controlled area of Zaporizhzhia region, two people were killed when the town of Kamyanka-Dniprovska came under Ukrainian fire, the Russia-appointed governor, Yevgeny Belitsky wrote on Telegram.
The town is located on a large reservoir along the Dnipro River, which bisects Ukraine, not far from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.
Reuters could not independently confirm battlefield accounts from either side.
