French President Emmanuel Macron told Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday that he can count on the Chinese leader to bring Russia to "its senses" and bring the warring sides in Ukraine to the negotiating table. "I know I can count on you … to bring...
CIA Director Tells Saudis the US Was Blindsided By Iran Normalization
CIA Director William Burns visited Saudi Arabia earlier this week to express frustration over Riyadh's surprise normalization deal with Tehran that was brokered by Beijing, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. According to the Journal, Burns told Crown Prince...
Blinken Can’t Reschedule His Trip to China After Canceling
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is looking to reschedule his trip to China that he canceled over the Chinese balloon that wound up floating over the US, but Beijing is rebuffing the effort, POLITICO reported Wednesday. The POLITICO report said China has effectively...
House Speaker McCarthy Meets Taiwan’s Tsai in California
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, marking the highest level meeting between US and Taiwanese officials since the previous House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taipei in August 2022. The meeting is...
McCarthy to Host Taiwan’s President on Wednesday, Risking a Chinese Response
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will host Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, a meeting that risks provoking major Chinese military exercises around Taiwan. The Tsai-McCarthy meeting has been long-anticipated but wasn't officially...
Taiwan, China Must Do Everything to Avoid War: Former President Ma
Former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou told a Chinese official Thursday that Beijing and Taipei must do everything possible to avoid a war. Ma met with Song Tao, the head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Ma arrived in China on Monday,...
China Tells Taiwan President Not to Meet With US House Speaker as She Heads to US
China on Wednesday warned that it would respond if Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) while she visits the US as part of a trip to Central America. Tsai departed for her trip to Guatemala and Belize, two countries that...
China Willing to Sign Treaty to Make Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has pledged that Beijing is willing to become the first nuclear-armed state to sign a treaty that makes Southeast Asia a nuclear weapons-free zone, The South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday. The ten members of the Association...
Indo-Pacific Command Seeks $3.5 Billion More Than Biden’s 2024 Budget
US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) is seeking $3.5 billion more than what President Biden has requested for his 2024 military budget, Defense News reported on Friday. The other five US military commands are also asking for more than what Biden has allocated for them,...
France Says Willing to Work With China to Find a ‘Peaceful Solution’ in Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron's diplomatic adviser has told China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, that Paris is willing to work with Beijing to find a "peaceful solution" to the war in Ukraine. "France is ready to make joint efforts with China to facilitate the cessation...