Page 43 - Us China

Ukraine war, US-China tensions to dominate G20 foreign ministers meet

In all, representatives of 40 countries, including non-G20 members invited by India, and multilateral organisations will attend

Blinken meets Wang Yi, says Chinese balloon programme 'exposed' to world

Amidst strained ties over an alleged Chinese spy balloon, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and raised "the unacceptable" violation of American sovereignty and warned that Beijing's material support to Moscow over Ukrainian war would attract sanctions. The meeting on Saturday between the two top American and Chinese diplomats took place on the margins of the Munich Security Conference. "The Secretary directly spoke to the unacceptable violation of US sovereignty and international law by the PRC high-altitude surveillance balloon in US territorial airspace, underscoring that this irresponsible act must never occur again," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said. "During the meeting, Blinken made clear the United States will not stand for any violation of our sovereignty, and that the Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon programme which has intruded into the airspace of more than 40 countries across five continents has be

US President Biden stresses need for open communication with China

Amidst growing tension with China in the wake of the downing of a suspected spy balloon, US President Joe Biden on Thursday underscored the need for an open line of communication with Beijing. "I've said, since the beginning of my administration, we seek competition not conflict with China. We're not looking for a new Cold War. But I make no apologies and we will compete. We will responsibly manage that competition so that it doesn't veer into conflict. "This episode underscores the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between our diplomats and our military professionals," Biden said at the White House, his first after the recent shooting down of a Chinese surveillance balloon over the American airspace. "Our diplomats will be engaging further and I will remain in communication with (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping). I'm grateful for the work of the last several weeks of our intelligence, diplomatic, and military professionals who have proved once again to be the mos

No indication that objects shot down linked to Chinese spy balloon: Biden

The three high-flying objects which were shot down over the American and Canadian airspace this month were not related to the Chinese balloon programme, but most likely tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions, US President Joe Biden said Thursday. Biden said this in his speech at the White House, his first one after a Chinese balloon was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina. Three other high-flying objects were shot down by American fighter jets two in the US and one in Canada. "The US and Canadian military are seeking to recover the debris so they can learn more about these three objects. The intelligence community is still assessing all three incidences. They're reported to him daily and will continue their urgent efforts to do so, and he will communicate that to the Congress," Biden said. "We don't yet know exactly what these three objects were, but nothing right now suggests they were related to China's spy balloon programme or

Hong Kong sees more pro-Beijing voices at United Nations rights review

Hong Kong supporters of a tough national security law imposed by China's ruling Communist Party have set their sights on a United Nations session, drawing concern from rights advocates. The law, which critics say Hong Kong authorities have used to crush dissent following massive 2019 protests, has been a focus at the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights' two-day hearing on China that concludes Thursday in Geneva. The committee reviews respect of those rights in nearly all UN member states every few years. Of some 30 reports on Hong Kong submitted for the session, more than half upheld the broadly applied national security law. None of the organisations some of which were led by pro-Beijing politicians that provided positive reports filed a submission in the previous review nine years ago, prompting concern from rights advocates that their participation could sway how the committee views human rights situations on the ground. They worry whether events are being ...

Beijing blasts US over response to suspected Chinese spy balloon incursion

China's ceremonial parliament has accused American lawmakers of trampling on the sovereignty of other nations after the U.S. passed a measure condemning a suspected Chinese spy balloon's intrusion into U.S. airspace. The statement issued Thursday by the National People's Congress's Foreign Affairs Committee repeated Beijing's insistence that the balloon was an unmanned civilian weather research airship, a claim the U.S. has dismissed citing its flight route and payload of surveillance equipment. While China at first expressed regret over the Feb. 4 incident, it has toughened its rhetoric in a further sign of how badly relations between the sides have deteriorated in recent years. On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said it will take measures against U.S. entities somehow related to the downing of the balloon, without giving details. The resolution earlier passed unanimously by the U.S. House of Representatives deliberately exaggerated the China threat,'" the Foreign Relations Commit

How Russia-Ukraine war has shaped US planning for a China conflict

As the war rages on in Ukraine, the United States is doing more than supporting an ally. It's learning lessons with an eye toward a possible clash with China. No one knows what the next US major military conflict will be or whether the US will send troops as it did in Afghanistan and Iraq or provide vast amounts of aid and expertise, as it has done with Ukraine. But China remains America's biggest concern. US military officials say Beijing wants to be ready to invade the self-governing island of Taiwan by 2027, and the US remains the island democracy's chief ally and supplier of defence weapons. While there are key differences in geography and in US commitment to come to Taiwan's defence, there are clear parallels between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan, a Center for Strategic and International Studies report found last month. A look at some of the lessons from the Ukraine war and how they could apply to a Taiwan conflict: ARM IN ADVANCE

Joe Biden seeks broad assessment of China's intelligence capabilities: WH

President Joe Biden has directed the US Intelligence community to do a "broad assessment" of China's intelligence capabilities after assuming office, the White House said following the detection of a spy balloon and high-altitude flying objects over American airspace. In recent days, there have been three incidences of balloon sightings in the US. A US F-22 fighter jet on Saturday shot down an unidentified cylindrical object over Canada, a day after another similar object was downed near Alaskan waters, and a week after the American military brought down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast. When President Biden came into office (in 2021), he directed the US Intelligence community to do a broad assessment of Chinese intelligence capabilities and assure -- and to ensure that we were working to detect and to protect against them, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters on .

As US brings down third UFO in three days, here is all you need to know

The latest event is of the US military shooting down a fourth flying object over Lake Huron in Michigan. This comes after the US has already taken down UFOs in US and Canadian airspace

US holds drills in South China Sea amid tensions over balloon spy

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are holding joint exercises in the South China Sea at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon. The 7th Fleet based in Japan said Sunday that the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit have been conducting integrated expeditionary strike force operations in the South China Sea. It said exercises involving ships, ground forces and aircraft took place Saturday but gave no details on when the began or whether they had ended. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and strongly objects to military activity by other nations in the contested waterway through which $5 trillion in goods are shipped every year. The U.S. takes no official position on sovereignty in the South China Sea, but maintains that freedom of navigation and overflight must be preserved. Several times a year, it sends ships sailing past fortified Chinese outposts in the Spratly ..

US will act to protect if China threatens its sovereignty, says Biden

Amidst growing tension with China over a suspected surveillance balloon, US President Joe Biden has said that the United States will act to protect if Beijing threatens its sovereignty. "I am committed to work with China where it can advance American interests and benefit the world. But make no mistake: as we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did," Biden said in his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night. The US military downed the suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean last week, drawing a strong reaction from China which on Sunday warned of repercussions over America's use of force against its civilian unmanned airship. The US has accused China of violating American sovereignty and international law. "Let's be clear: winning the competition with China should unite all of us. We face serious challenges across the world. But in the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker, he

China refuses US request for call between Austin, Gen Wei Fenghe: Pentagon

China has declined Washington's request for a telephonic call between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Beijing counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe, the Pentagon has said after fighter jets shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon. The request was made soon after the balloon was shot down on Saturday off the coast of South Carolina in the Atlantic Ocean. It had hovered over continental America for several days after entering the US airspace on January 30 in Montana. China has acknowledged that the ballon was theirs but denied that it was for surveillance purposes rather for weather monitoring and that it had drifted off course. The US, however, has asserted that it has enough evidence to prove that this was a surveillance balloon. "On Saturday, immediately after taking action to down the PRC balloon, the DOD (Department of Defense) submitted a request for a secure call between Secretary Austin and PRC (People's Republic of China) Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe," Pentagon ..

US trying to recover parts of Chinese spy balloon after shooting it down

After shooting down a Chinese surveillance balloon in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, the Pentagon said it has launched a mission to recover all the equipment from the debris. At the direction of President Joe Biden, the US military at 2.39 pm EST shot down the Chinese surveillance balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, some six miles away from the US shores in South Carolina, with no damage to the life and properties of Americans, a senior defence official told reporters. Fighter aircraft from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia inspired a single missile into the balloon causing it to crash into the ocean within the US territorial airspace, said the official, adding that as of now there are no indications that any people including US military personnel, civilian aircraft or maritime vessels were harmed in any way. I told them to shoot it down, Biden told reporters in Hagerstown, Maryland. On Wednesday, when I was briefed on the balloon, I ordered t

Japan, Netherlands join US in cutting China's access semiconductor tech

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has invested billions to develop its own chip industry although its vendors still need foreign manufacturing equipment, raw materials and other technology

From China to big sky: The balloon that unnerved the White House

The biggest question was how would China respond to all the furore that was unfolding at a rapid pace as Asia was asleep

Another Chinese surveillance balloon transiting Latin America: Pentagon

The Pentagon on Friday night said that another Chinese surveillance is transiting Latin America. We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon. We have no further information to provide at this time, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said. The detection of the Chinese surveillance balloon transiting Latin America comes a day after the Pentagon found a Chinese surveillance balloon within its territory flying over Montana, leading to US Secretary of State Tony Blinken postponing his planned trip to Beijing.

Chinese balloon to remain over US skies for a few days, says Pentagon

The Chinese balloon, of the size of three buses, laced with a significant number of payloads will probably be over the United States for a few days, the Pentagon said on Friday asserting that it has surveillance capabilities. The development has angered the United States and in protest has cancelled the Beijing trip of Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who was scheduled to leave for China on Friday night. This would have been the first visit of a top American diplomat to China in several years. President Joe Biden has been briefed about the violation of US airspace by China and he is closely monitoring the developing situation, the White House said adding that as of now they have decided against destroying it because of the safety of the public, but all actions are on table. We will continue to monitor it. Right now, we assess that it'll probably be over the United States for a few days, but we'll continue to review our options and keep you updated as we can, Pentagon Press Secretar

Chinese surveillance balloon spotted over Western US airspace: Pentagon

The US is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over US airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday. A senior defense official told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has very high confidence it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon and it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. One of the places the balloon was spotted was Montana, which is home to one of the nation's three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The Pentagon announcement comes days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China. It's not clear if this will affect his travel plans, which the State Department has not formally announced.

China says it is looking into report of spy balloon over US, urges calm

China said Friday it was looking into reports that a Chinese spy satellite has been flying in US airspace and urged calm. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning also said she had no information about whether a planned trip to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would proceed next week as scheduled. China is a responsible country and has always strictly abided by international laws, and China has no intention to violate the territory and airspace of any sovereign countries. As for the balloon, as I've mentioned just now, we are looking into and verifying the situation and hope that both sides can handle this together calmly and carefully," Mao said at a daily briefing. Mao said that politicians and the public should withhold judgment before we have a clear understanding of the facts. Blinken had been due to arrive in China on Friday, becoming the highest ranking US official to visit since the COVID-19 pandemic began. He would arrive amid a sharp downturn in relations betw

US should show sincerity, help Sri Lanka: China on economic crises

In a counter-attack to a recent comment made by US government on Sri Lankas debt restructuring process, China said that Washington should show sincerity by helping the crisis-hit island nation