China expansionism

United Nations helps Chinese Communist Party make American high schoolers say Taiwan part of China

Xi Jinping United Nations flag
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

A high school in Colorado changed references to Taiwan on its website after a UN committee said it was a “hiccup” in an application for students to participate in a UN teen advisory board. “Trying to give some students a taste of foreign affairs, Colorado’s Regis Jesuit High School applied for credentials to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women,” The Wall Street Journal reported September 10. However, the UN emailed the school informing them of a

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Biden reassures: if Taiwan were invaded, the US would respond

Joe Biden ABC News interview
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The United States would respond to any action against, or invasion of Taiwan, US President Joe Biden said during an interview with ABC News George Stephanopoulos, Wednesday, August 18. In his first interview since the US’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan began, Biden made reassurances that the United States can be trusted to stand by its allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region. “You already see China telling Taiwan, ‘See? You can’t count on the Americans,’” Stephanopoulos prompted Biden. “Why wouldn’t

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Afghanistan crisis bodes badly for Taiwan says former US President

Trump Sean Hannity interview August 17, 2021
International 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments ,

Former United States President Donald J. Trump predicted that bad things will happen to Taiwan after the calamity of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump spoke of the implications for Taiwan in an interview with Fox News commentator Sean Hannity, Tuesday, August 17. “I think bad things will happen in respect to Taiwan because they [China] don’t respect our leadership and they no longer respect our country,” he said. “And that’s a really bad thing. China does not respect us any longer,” Trump said. Trump said that China’s

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China sends record 28 military flights into Taiwan ADIZ in one day: a response to G7 summit statement?

Chinese J-11 fighter jet.
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The People’s Republic of China made 28 military aircraft incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) today, June 15, a record number that follows an ‘unprecedented’ communique from the Group of Seven that highlighted the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait just two days ago. The G7 communique issued June 13 reiterated the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo Pacific, and mentioning Taiwan for the first time in the group’s history, stated “We underscore

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China incensed after Japan’s Prime Minister, opposition leader call Taiwan ‘a country’

Wang Wenbin spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

China expressed “strong dissatisfaction with erroneous remarks” in response to statements made in Japan’s parliamentary body yesterday referring to Taiwan as a country, according to Beijing Daily. Both the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, and the leader of the opposition, Yukio Edano, made comments using the word “country” when referring to Taiwan in the Japanese Diet yesterday, Wednesday, June 9. Prime Minister Suga, speaking about epidemic prevention efforts in overseas countries cited the examples of Australia, New Zealand, and

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CCP plutocrat offers Hong Kong $1,000,000 reward to rat-out protest icon “eye girl” believed to be in Taiwan

reward poster for Hong Kong activist
Protest 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments , ,

The Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Leung Chun-ying has raised the reward offered for information on the whereabouts of a young woman who became a symbol for protesters in Hong Kong in 2019. The existing reward of HK$400,000 was raised to HK$1 million (US$128,820) via Leung’s “803 Fund” after a newspaper report revealed, yesterday, May 25, that the “broken eye girl” as Chinese language reports call her,

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European Values think tank communist-watch program to open Taipei Office

Liang-Ruey Ke and EVC sign agreement
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The Czech think tank, European Values Center for Security Policy (EVC), will open an office in Taipei later this year, as part of its Red Watch Program, according to a press release issued today, April 20. The Taipei Office of the Red Watch Program will focus on monitoring Chinese influence operations. EVC signed a partnership agreement with Taiwan’s representative Ke Liang-Ruey at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Prague today. The EVC press release referred to Ke as “The

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Icelandic pensioner blacklisted by Chinese government unfazed by China anger

Jónas Haraldsson speaks to media about his blacklisting by Chinese Communist Party government
International 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

The government of the People’s Republic of China has blacklisted an individual from Iceland, after the island nation joined the European Union in sanctioning Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang Province, international news agencies are reporting, and the individual has been identified as a retired lawyer who wrote “negative” articles about the communist regime, according to the Icelandic press. “Beijing has sanctioned an individual from Iceland”, China’s embassy in Reykjavik announced, Friday, April 16, after Iceland joined the

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China orders more military training for high school students to strengthen “national defense”

A military officer trains high school students in china
International 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

The Communist Party of China today ordered military training for high school students to be increased to a minimum of 56 class hours from August 1, 2021, with the goal of “strengthening the building of the national defense reserve force.” The National Defense Mobilization Department of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China, and the Ministry of Education released the “Syllabus for Military Training for High School Students,” today, April 13. The syllabus will be implemented from

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Hong Kong’s public broadcasting service purged of democratic voices: journalist who challenged WHO with Taiwan question resigns

Hong Kong journalist Yvonne Tong and WHO assistant director-general Bruce Aylward interview March 2020
Media Issues Regional 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , ,

The host of an English language news and current affairs program on Hong Kong’s public broadcasting service who questioned a WHO bureaucrat about Taiwan’s lack of membership in the organization has resigned, according to reports including Hong Kong Media outlet The Standard, March 12. The host of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) program The Pulse, Yvonne Tong, had been dogged by pro-CCP (Chinese Communist Party) organizations since asking assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, Bruce Aylward, whether WHO would

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An intense day of Chinese-US military maneuvers around Taiwan

USS Theodore exercises in the South China Sea
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

US and Chinese military activity around Taiwan intensified April 7, with a US aircraft carrier group exercising in the South China Sea, a Chinese aircraft carrier group operating in waters east of Taiwan, a US destroyer transiting the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan fighters scrambled against 15 Chinese aircraft entering Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, accompanied by a type 055 destroyer, two type 052 destroyers, a type 054 frigate, and a supply ship sailed though

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