Shanghai: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in China on Wednesday, as the United States ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing.
The US diplomat will meet China's top brass on Friday in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates a new leader, and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices -- a vital issue for President Joe Biden in an election year.
But Blinken is also seeking to stabilise ties, with tensions between the world's two largest economies palpably easing since his last visit in June.
At the time, he was the highest-ranking US official to visit China in five years, and the trip was followed by a meeting between the countries' presidents in November.
At that summit in California, Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a US wish list including restoring contact between militaries and cracking down on precursor chemicals to fentanyl, the powerful painkiller behind an addiction epidemic in the United States.
Blinken will start his visit on Wednesday in Shanghai.
While in the city, he will meet students and business leaders in what an aide called a bid to highlight warm ties between the American and Chinese peoples.
The friendly side trip -- the first visit by a US secretary of state to the bustling metropolis since Hillary Clinton in 2010 -- would have been unthinkable until recently, with hawks on both sides previously speaking of a new Cold War between the two powers.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen similarly toured the manufacturing hub of Guangzhou before visiting Beijing earlier this month.
A senior US official previewing Blinken's trip said that the United States and China were at a "different place than we were a year ago, when the bilateral relationship was at an historic low point".
"We also believe, and we have also clearly demonstrated, that responsibly managing competition does not mean we will pull back from measures to protect US national interests," he said.
The Biden administration's eagerness to engage China stands in stark contrast to its efforts to isolate Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
After initially being pleased that Beijing has not directly supplied weapons to Russia, the United States in recent weeks has accused China of lavishing industrial material and technology on Moscow.
Washington has encouraged European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who recently visited Beijing, to stand firm on China not backing Russia, believing that it wants stable ties with the West as it focuses on addressing economic headwinds at home.
"If China purports on the one hand to want good relations with Europe and other countries, it can't on the other hand be fuelling what is the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War," Blinken said Friday after Group of Seven talks in Capri, Italy.
The Biden administration has trumpeted the agreement with Xi on fentanyl as a success.
A State Department official said that since the November summit, China appears to have taken its first law enforcement measures on the matter since 2017.
Blinken will ask for further implementation, the official said.
"More regular PRC law enforcement action against PRC-based chemical companies and pill press manufacturers involved in illicit fentanyl supply chains would send a strong signal of China's commitment to address this issue," the official said, referring to the People's Republic of China.
One source of friction between the two countries is new legislation that cleared the US Congress on Tuesday -- and which Biden intends to sign -- requiring the wildly popular social media app TikTok to be divested from its Chinese parent company ByteDance, or be shut out of the American market.
Biden faces a rematch in November against former president Donald Trump, who has vowed a more confrontational approach against China.
Yun Sun, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Stimson Center, said that China's leaders, eager to focus on their economy, were in a wait-and-see mode ahead of the US election.
"The Chinese understand that the Biden administration is unlikely to deliver any good news on trade because that simply does not support the election agenda," she said.
For Chinese leaders this year, "their priority is to keep the relationship stable".
"Until there is clarity on who the next administration will be, I don't think they see a better strategy," she said.
Blinken due in China seeking pressure but also stability
https://arab.news/v98ch
Blinken due in China seeking pressure but also stability
Kremlin declines to comment on reports N.Koreans withdrawn from front
- Citing US and Ukrainian officials, the New York Times on Thursday reported that the North Korean troops had been pulled back from the front and had not been seen fighting there
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “There are a lot of different arguments out there, both right and wrong“
MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Friday declined to comment on reports that North Korean soldiers fighting with Russia’s army had been pulled back from the front line.
Western, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence agencies say Pyongyang had deployed more than 10,000 troops to support Russia’s forces fighting in its western Kursk region, where Ukraine is mounting a cross-border offensive.
Citing US and Ukrainian officials, the New York Times on Thursday reported that the North Korean troops had been pulled back from the front and had not been seen fighting there for around two weeks, after suffering heavy casualties in combat.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak on Wednesday said that “some North Korean units have been pulled back from the front line in the Kursk region, according to reports from Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces.”
Asked on Friday about the reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment.
“There are a lot of different arguments out there, both right and wrong,” he told reporters.
“It’s not worth commenting on every time,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has published footage of what he said were captured North Korean soldiers taken by Ukraine’s forces in the Kursk region.
Kyiv and the West decried the deployment of North Korean fighters as a major escalation in the three-year conflict.
Serbian student protesters march ahead of bridge blockade as driver rams Belgrade demonstration
- Meanwhile in Belgrade, a driver rammed a car into a silent protest Friday, injuring two women who work as doctors at a nearby psychiatric institution
- Media reports say both hit the pavement with their heads and are being examined
INDJIJA, Serbia: Hundreds of striking students marched through the Serbian countryside Friday as they took their anti-graft protest toward the northern city of Novi Sad, where they plan to blockade three bridges over the River Danube this weekend.
The bridge blockade planned for Saturday will mark three months since a huge concrete construction at the railway station collapsed in Novi said on Nov. 1, leaving 15 people dead.
What started two months ago as a protest against suspected corruption in construction contracts has developed into the most serious challenge in years to the country’s powerful populist leader, President Aleksandar Vucic.
Meanwhile in Belgrade, a driver rammed a car into a silent protest Friday, injuring two women who work as doctors at a nearby psychiatric institution. Media reports say both hit the pavement with their heads and are being examined.
The incident, the third of its kind in weeks, happened in downtown Belgrade during 15 minutes of silence observed daily throughout Serbia at around noon when the canopy collapsed at the railway station in Novi Sad.
Pro-government thugs have repeatedly attacked the protesters, many of them students, twice ramming cars into demonstrations. Two people were seriously injured in the previous attacks
Along the way to Novi Sad on Friday, the students were greeted by cheering citizens who honked their car horns or came out of their homes to offer food and drinks.
When they reached the town of Indjija on Thursday, roughly halfway along their 80-kilometer (50-mile) route, the students were welcomed with fireworks and cheers from residents.
Although most of them spent the night out in the open in a soccer field, the freezing temperatures did not dampen their desire for major changes in the corruption-ridden Balkan state.
Nevena Vecerinac, a student, said she hoped the protesters’ demands that include the punishment of all those responsible for the rail station tragedy will be fulfilled.
“We will make it to Novi Sad,” she said. ”Yesterday’s walk was easy. It’s cold now, but we can make it. We all have the same goal.”
“We need support from all people. With this energy and mood I hope we can do it, otherwise there will be no brighter future,” said Luka Arsenovic, another student marcher.
Many in Serbia believe that the collapse of the overhang at the train station was essentially caused by government corruption in a large infrastructure project with Chinese state companies. Critics believe graft led to a sloppy job during the reconstruction of the Novi Sad train station, poor oversight and disrespect of existing safety regulations.
Monthslong demonstrations have already forced the resignation of Serbia’s prime minister Milos Vucevic this week, along with various concessions from authorities which were ignored by the protesters who say that is not enough.
Vucic and other officials have shifted from accusing the students of working with foreign powers to oust him, to offering concessions or issuing veiled threats.
The strength and determination of the protesters have caught many by surprise in a country where hundreds of thousands of young people have emigrated, looking for opportunities elsewhere.
German MPs haggle over immigration bill backed by far right
- Wednesday’s historic vote was cheered by the anti-immigration AfD
- While Wednesday’s motion was a non-binding call to restrict immigration, the proposal on Friday’s agenda would have the force of law
BERLIN: German party leaders were engaged in furious last-minute talks on Friday, delaying a high-stakes debate on an immigration bill which the conservative opposition has threatened to pass with the support of the far-right AfD.
The debate and a potential vote threatened to escalate a dispute which began Wednesday, when the conservative CDU-CSU relied on AfD votes to pass a motion calling for a crackdown on new arrivals and tight border controls.
The CDU leader and favorite to be Germany’s next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, sparked outrage with the maneuver, which was condemned by the other parties as a breach of a long-standing taboo or “firewall” against cooperating with far-right parties.
His move comes after a series of deadly attacks that have darkened the mood in Germany over the arrival of millions of war refugees and other asylum seekers in recent years, ahead of February 23 elections.
The debate in the Bundestag was initially slated to begin at 10:30 am (0930 GMT) before the CDU called for the sitting to be temporarily suspended for emergency talks.
The small, pro-business FDP had previously said it would request the debate to be completely postponed to allow parties other than the AfD more time to find a common solution.
Senior politicians from across the political spectrum shuttled in and out of Merz’s office in the Bundestag complex as they sought a compromise, an AFP journalist saw.
The wrangling over how to proceed with the bill had already lasted several hours on Friday without a solution.
Wednesday’s historic vote was cheered by the anti-immigration AfD but put Merz on the defensive as even his party’s former chancellor Angela Merkel broke years of silence on day-to-day politics to slam it as “wrong.”
Center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz charged that Merz’s tactical maneuver was a breach of his previous promises to shun the AfD and left him “open to the accusation that he is untrustworthy.”
Scholz even raised the spectre of Merz, if he wins, one day allowing the AfD into a government — a scenario that horrifies the mainstream parties in the country still seeking to atone for the Nazi regime and the Holocaust.
While Wednesday’s motion was a non-binding call to restrict immigration, the proposal on Friday’s agenda would have the force of law, which would mark another milestone in German politics.
To protest Wednesday’s move, thousands took to the streets in multiple rallies on Thursday waving signs that read: “Shame on you,” “Friedrich Merz is a security risk for our democracy” and “We are the firewall.”
Merz has vowed to wrest the initiative back from the AfD to call for a crackdown on immigration, in an about-turn from the open-door policy of his more centrist predecessor and party rival Merkel.
The CDU and its Bavarian allies the CSU want to propose the so-called Influx Limitation Act which would restrict family reunions for rejected asylum seekers with stays of deportation.
If it becomes law, it will also boost the powers of federal police to detain undocumented migrants, whom Merz wants to place in custody and send back as soon as possible.
Teh tarik: Malaysia’s iconic art of ‘pulled tea’
- Beverage developed by descendants of Indian Muslims who settled in Malaysia centuries ago
- Teh tarik’s quality is measured by its ‘pull,’ which aerates the liquid and enhances its flavor
KUALA LUMPUR: Often referred to as Malaysia’s national drink, teh tarik is not only the most popular beverage among the Southeast Asian nation’s young and old, but also one that reflects its diversity.
Meaning “pulled tea” in Malay, the strong, sweet, and milky teh tarik is named after the way it is prepared: by pouring it back and forth between two containers to create a frothy texture.
The beverage originates from the Mamak community — descendants of Indian Muslims who began to settle in the Malay Peninsula centuries ago. Most of them arrived during British colonial rule. Over time, they became heavily involved in the food and restaurant industry, where they set up small roadside eateries that would later become Malaysia’s iconic Mamak stalls.
While there are as many recipes for the perfect teh tarik as there are family-run tea shops, the beverage’s quality is measured by its “pull,” which aerates the liquid and enhances its flavor.
“If you do short pulls, you will not get enough air into the drink. It will not be frothy then. Also, this is my own interpretation, but the right amount of frothiness adds another dimension of flavor,” Senthil Kumar, a tea master at the ZamZam restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, told Arab News.
“Some people do it to make a show of it, which is nice, but actually the art is to alternate short and long pulls, almost slamming the liquid into the cup or tin can held below, to really get a good mix and ample froth.”
How long the tea leaves are soaked also matters, and so does the amount of milk.
“You cannot let the leaves soak for too long, but neither can they be under-soaked. Nothing longer than two hours. After that, the leaves lose their essence,” Kumar told Arab News.
“The condensed milk we use is a pretty common, well-known brand here. The trick is to not put too much. Because more condensed milk means a denser liquid. When the liquid is too dense, you can’t achieve the level of frothiness to make it creamy.”
The condensed milk version of teh tarik is the most popular but not the only one.
“In Indian restaurants or even Indian households, the tea is often made with fresh milk,” said P. Ramachandran, an avid tea lover and a retail shop owner in Kuala Lumpur’s Brickfields area.
“Once the milk comes to a boil, you add the tea leaves and let it boil, let the tea really seep into the milk. When the color turns to this beautiful golden brown, you add sugar. In my home, we use palm sugar, but you can also use normal brown sugar.”
The “pulling” part is the final touch and there are rules for it too, like the use of silver or stainless-steel dishes.
“Don’t use glass,” Ramachandran said. “Pull it generously, don’t spill and let the froth build. Then pull it directly into your drinking cup and drink when hot. Nothing beats that.”
While teh tarik was perfected by South Indian cooks, most Malaysians, regardless of ethnicity, feel attached to it and have also customized their own versions of the beverage.
Mei Ren Li, a homemaker, said tea making in Chinese households was simpler.
“We occasionally have our black tea with milk and sugar,” she said.
“I am not very good with the pulling, but my kids love it when I do it, and I must say, it truly adds flavor to the tea. I typically use normal castor sugar, just one spoon per cup.”
Lately, local eateries have also been introducing more flavors to the traditionally three-ingredient-based drink. Ginger pulled tea and masala pulled tea are now more common.
Tejinder Kaur, a medical officer, prepares her tea at home this way, adding ginger, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.
“It’s made a lot like the Indian tea. We boil the fresh milk with water and add tea. As it begins bubbling, we add the spice mix and let it boil for two minutes. Then we pull it straight into our glasses and drink it hot,” she said.
“It’s a staple for my whole family, and we can all drink it all day long.”
Rwanda-backed M23 advances toward second DR Congo regional capital
- Group’s capture of most of Goma earlier in the week was a dramatic escalation in a region
- The crisis has rattled the continent and international observers
GOMA, DR Congo: The Rwandan-backed armed group M23 moved south as it closed in on a key military airport in DR Congo on Friday, a day after pledging to take the capital Kinshasa and as international criticism mounted.
The group’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier in the week was a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups.
Rwanda says its primary interest is to eradicate fighters linked to the 1994 genocide but is accused of seeking to profit from the region’s reserves of minerals used in global electronics.
The crisis has rattled the continent and international observers, with a southern African regional bloc holding an emergency summit in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare on Friday.
M23 fighters are now moving south.
Local sources said on Thursday that fighting was concentrated some 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the city of Kavumu.
The city has a strategic military airfield and is where the Congolese army has laid down its defensive line just 40 km north of South Kivu’s provincial capital Bukavu.
The United Nations warned it was concerned by “credible reports that the M23 is moving rapidly toward the city of Bukavu.”
The second biggest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after Goma, Bukavu has a population believed to be around two million.
The Congolese army has yet to comment on the latest M23 advances but President Felix Tshisekedi said earlier this week that a “vigorous” military response was under way.
Information about the fast-moving offensive has remained unclear, but so far M23 fighters have met limited resistance from the ill-equipped and poorly paid Congolese forces.
In Goma, residents have emerged to count the dead and search for food, as hospitals struggled to cope with the wounded.
“We do not want to live under the thumb of these people,” one person, who asked not to be named, said.
The United Nations, United States, European Union, China, Britain, France and mediator Angola have all called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces.
Britain said Thursday it was considering reviewing aid to Rwanda.
Rwanda has hit back at the criticism, with government spokesperson Yolande Makolo saying the UK did not deliver “a direct warning” about aid.
“The international community has its fair share of the blame in the current situation,” she posted on X.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame also strongly rejected accusations that Kigali is supporting the armed group, saying: “M23 are not Rwandans — they are Congolese.”
On Friday, the 16-nation Southern African Development Community will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the “worrying situation.”
Kagame and Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union-appointed mediator between Kigali and Kinshasa on the conflict, will not attend.
The meeting follows soaring tensions between Kagame and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after the deaths of 13 South African soldiers in DRC’s east.
“We are ready to defend ourselves if we are attacked by a coalition including South African forces,” Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told South African public broadcaster SABC late Thursday.
The M23 and Rwandan troops entered Goma on Sunday. During days of intense clashes that killed more than 100 people, the group seized control over much of the city as many Congolese soldiers surrendered or fled.
“We are in Goma and we will not leave,” Corneille Nangaa, head of a coalition of groups including the M23, said on Thursday.
“We will continue the march of liberation all the way to Kinshasa,” he added.
The offensive has heightened an already dire humanitarian crisis in the region, causing food and water shortages and forcing half a million people from their homes this month, the UN said.
Africa’s health agency warned that the “unnecessary war” in eastern DRC — a hotspot for infectious diseases including mpox — raised the risk of pandemic.
The DRC has accused Rwanda of waging an offensive to profit from the region’s mineral wealth.
A report by UN experts in July supported the claims, finding that Rwanda has thousands of troops in eastern DRC — and holds “de facto control” over the M23.
Rwanda has denied the accusations.
