Podcasts about chinese ambassador

Beijing has insisted it won't back down in the face of U.S. President Trump's increasing tariffs on Chinese goods which now stand at 145 percent. The Ambassador of China to New Zealand Dr Wang Xiaolong spoke to Corin Dann.

The first Ishara open  House Challenge .Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Odd Happenings{8:58 am, Wednesday, Sept. 3rd ~ 5 Days to go; the Final Salvo ~ at this time}I had deposited my Mother in the place I felt was safest for her   with OT (Oyuun T m rbaatar) at the Kazakhstan's UN mission. Her being my family was what mattered to them most. I picked her up on my way to work, which made my entrance into the lobby all that much more cataclysmic.I was traveling light with only Wiesława Živa providing me with security. Chaz, Pamela and Juanita were catching up with their sleep, with a promise of taking me out for a late lunch. That was really them telling me to not leave JIKIT until they came for me around 2:00 pm.So anyway, me, Mom and Wiesława walked into the ground floor of the Mil Ma Towers to find eleven people waiting on us. We were in downtown Manhattan in a part of town the NYPD paid particular attention to. What could go wrong, right? Two of the people were Amazons from Havenstone. With them were two fine young men from the US 'don't make me kill you' Department. By this time in my life I was sure they had one   which no one talked about.Five of my expectant visitors were of the same mold as those who protected Hana for me. Not the Ghost Tigers   that would have put me at ease. Sure, they were a gang of assassin and in this circumstance; I would have preferred them. As it was, ten sets of highly-trained Illuminati operative eyes kept me, my party and the four guardians of JIKIT in their overlapping fields of vision.The last two, were doing an impromptu family reunion. They were Aunts 'X' and 'Y', and neither of them smelled like fish, or crab."Aunt Deidre," I tossed out there. "What brings you here today?"It looked like clobbering time! No. Wait. Neither Mom, nor my aunts, were saying anything and they were normally so verbose."Sibeal.""Imogen.""Sibeal, you are looking surprisingly well for a dead woman," the other one said."Deidre, you are looking surprisingly alive for someone who deserves to be dead," Mom bantered back."How long have you known about this?" Imogen's eyes flickered my way."Not long, a while, more than a day, ah, take your pick," I mumbled. I decided to turn that frown aka 'my gut wrenching terror that my Mother was about to die' upside down aka ramped up my sexy, 'glad to see you in a totally incestuous way'."So, what brings you here today and why aren't you waiting upstairs with the rest of my band of cutthroats, malcontents and ne'er do-wells? Oh, and I'm happy to see both of you." Karma was about to bitch-slap the shit out of me and it was so well deserved."I'm pregnant," Imogen studied my reaction. Yeah, I had banged her after Deidre, but before Baibre because I am a fucking reprehensible human being and sometimes, I feel I am utterly irredeemable."Great news," I exhaled. I so wanted to ask 'so, who is the father?' except that was too cruel, even for an O'Shea.No one stopped me from stepping up and hugging her. Everyone in the lobby had heard her loud and clear. Anyone who knew me, or even about me, knew she wasn't passing on the information because Imogen liked sharing good news. I kept my hands on her hips while I leaned my torso back until we could make eye contact."Does Granddad know?" It occurred to me in that second that Pamela was going to kick herself for missing this and the opportunity to kick me as well."I told him over the phone. His reaction was neutral," she responded."Whoa, girl? Boy? How are you doing? When are we going to sit down and figure out a name? Is there anything I can do for you?""Come home with me," she suggested."No," Mom snapped. "Next time he steps into your custody, we all know you won't let him get away." She meant the plane trip to Ireland."No, Mom," I countered. "I'm a grown man now and I make my own decisions. That being said   no, I'm not going home with you.""Not only am I still in love with the concept of my personal freedom, I have important work to do. People are counting on me.""We are counting on you too," Deidre stated. "In fact, that is the other reason we came here. We need you.""Why do I feel that has to do with something besides sex?""Can we talk to you in private?" Imogen requested. There were a thousand and one reasons to say 'no'. Things like 'common sense', bad behavior   they had murdered my homicidal uncle   and the fact they were as morally twisted as their creator. Oh   and they were hot and I hadn't been laid in forever."Sure. Let's go upstairs. You can have your people sweep the room to ensure our privacy then the four of us can sit down and have a family chat," I offered."We don't want her in the room," Deidre indicated Mom."We are a package deal," I denied her. "Like her, or not, she is as much family to me as you both are."They consented far too fast. Either I was falling into their masterful trap, or something horrible had happened. Neither options was palatable to me. The bodyguards departed, Wiesława last of all."What's gone wrong?" Mom preempted me. Her sisters glared."Father's body is not his own," Imogen told us. I was trying to figure out the relevance of that when Mom gasped."Oh fuck," she said in a small voice. "No serum?" Oh yeah, the refinement of those addictive pheromones Grandpa Cáel had gifted me with. Whatever flesh-form he currently inhabited wasn't one containing his genetic make-up meaning,"Oh shit," I mumbled. "What can I do?""Yes," Deidre replied to Mom."Let them die," Mom insisted (to me). Less I forget, she was raised by Grandpa Cáel too. Her being a loving mother to me didn't translate over to her being a humanitarian of any kind."The Hell you say," I jumped up and stared down at Mom. "You hate them. I don't. Letting them die makes me worse than him." Grandpa."So you will help us?" Deidre moved to the edge of her seat."Okay. This is the point where I threaten you into making some concessions, we argue then you eventually cave in because no matter how terrible your futures look, you aren't willing to give up on living. None of that is going to happen. What do you need from me?""Come back with us to Ireland so we can finish our experiments," Imogen joined me in standing. Unwilling to give her sister any physical advantage, Mom stood as well."No. That isn't even a believable lie," I scolded her. "You don't need to blackmail me into helping you. I'll do it gladly. That doesn't mean I'll let you trick me into doing something stupid. I do 'stupid' all the time. I'm accustomed to it and I know it when its ugly head rises up before me. Try again.""We could pick a neutral location," Deidre suggested."How about Havenstone?" They didn't look like that plan was even worthy of their consideration. "Imogen, inside you is growing a possible heir to House Ishara. An attack on you would be an attack on Ishara. Barring you betraying the Amazons, you would be perfectly safe.""Wonderful," Mom's sarcasm dripped off every word. "I'm going to be a grandmother to my nephew while my son is bringing a child into the world that can double as his cousin.""That sound pretty horrible, Mom. It is the truth, but it still sounds pretty terrible."While those words tumbled out of my mouth, I did a little soul back-searching. How in the fuck was   outside of the actual fucking   was Imogen pregnant? My existence was a freaking fluke of nature. A few words were bandied about the room while I was lost in deductive reasoning and turning hunches into assumptions and turning those into reasonable mystic hypotheses.I created the Mojo-Little Engine that thought it could. Specifically, the legacy of Vranus. Legions of little Vranusian sperm had been jumping hurdle after hurdle to keep the faith alive   that Vranus would meet his Ancestors with his mission accomplished. I was already half way there.Still, the legacy of Vranus and the hopes of Dot Ishara hadn't stopped in their struggle just because I had been born. They were still trying to restore the mortal descendants of a Dead House. They were also still spiritually pushing me on to fulfill his last command   to save the Arinniti sons.I was halfway there by returning the offspring of Bolu, Vranus' fellow guardian, back to the fold. It remained for me to round up the purpose of the whole mission in the first place. My semen weren't taking a chance that I could get gakked before that was accomplished. Having knocked up an augur despite the toxic soup she called blood should have been a dire warning to me, I'm an idiot.When the curse of Sarrat Irkalli clashed with the actions of Dot Ishara, Ishara had won. Sarrat Irkalli sought to deny Alal any children of his own. Dot was insisting the male line of Vranus Ishara continue on. The end result was Alal received his long-denied grandson, who just happened to also want him dead because of a feud that stretched back over two millennia.As an added insult, his grandson then knocked up one of Alal's genetically manipulated daughters, again giving him something he couldn't accomplish on his own   heirs   grand-sons and  daughters, most who would also want to kill him, being Amazons and members of the 9 Clans after all. Why? Cause Goddesses are bitches, that's why.That got me to wondering when would be the next time I was going to meet Ishara. I hadn't suffered severe head trauma in while and she was overdue for some snuggle time, witty banter and a fortune cookie. I'd try to be careful. It wouldn't do any good, but I had to try."Why are you crying?" Mom touched my arm."No reason," I lied."Why don't we make plans for tonight?" Deidre insinuated herself next to me. "We'd like to meet Hana. From what I understand, Father likes her.""No can-do," I sniffled. "I've got an orgy with 159 women at 8 o'clock, except there won't be any sex, or fun of any kind. Basically, I have to convince a roomful of women to not beat me up and take my stuff.""You don't have to go," Imogen had finished boxing me in   I had a chair behind me and Momma-clones all around."For the same reason I'm going to take care of our child, Imogen, I have to go to this meeting. People are counting on me to do the right thing without telling me what the right thing to do is.""That's unfair," Deidre empathized by stroking my chest."Not so. This is just another day in the life of a new hire at Havenstone Commercial Investments. Every day is like this and in five more days, the real fun beings." That wasn't entirely accurate. I had one good, stress-free week. It was when Carrig put me in a coma. That week I had done pretty well for myself.{9:28 am, Wednesday, Sept. 3rd ~ 5 Days to go}I trundled my latest 'Assistant-in-Charge of keeping the hopes of future Isharans alive' (I didn't want to call Aunt Imogen, or any other woman, my 'Baby-Mamma'), along with Mom and Deidre, for a meet-and-greet with Buffy. I had spelled out in no uncertain terms that Buffy was the power behind the Ishara Throne and thus making 'her' believe they were playing on the up-and-up was their best hope for easing relations between the O'Shea and the Amazon Host.After they left me (with the assurance we'd be getting back together for lunch, with Hana), I made three calls. I needed to make a formal request to Katrina (any Illuminati member(s) entering any Amazon facility was her purview) and another to Elsa (as a sign of respect) that Aunt Imogen and two unarmed bodyguards, max, needed to see our medicos about a delicate issue.The third call was to Buffy to enlighten her as to both the arrival of another one of my aunts (so we needed to get along peacefully with her) and that Aunt Imogen was carrying yet another potential heir to House Ishara. I suggested it would be a symbolic gesture if a member of House Ishara could hang around for the visit, as it might impress upon Imogen our House had a vested interest in keeping her alive."Another one?" Buffy sizzled. "And this one is your aunt?""It is a date then," I stumped her."You are going to take your pregnant aunt out on a date?" Buffy's sizzle meter was rapidly climbing to Krakatoa proportions."Nope. I'm setting up a date for us. You, me and a quiet location at 12:01 am Tuesday morning, my First. Later in the morning, I'll be heading out to wherever they have stored Felix so we can work on some cooperative strategy.""And if I say 'no'?" She was terribly grumpy."Ugh, I guess I'll go bar-crawling with Odette and Timothy, Gay and Lesbian bars only. That way I know I'll behave.""And if they say 'no'?" she was slightly less hostile."I'll know you threatened their lives, and then you and I will finally find out who is better on the mats. Trust me, it will not be an experience you will enjoy.""I don't know. I think I'd like that.""No. You start threatening the other people I love and you will not be happy; I guarantee that, Buffy."She realized I was both serious and angry. She had stepped out of bounds, the 'bounds' I had set up two hours earlier during our elevator ride."Is the meeting still on for the night?" she evaded my disappointment."Yes. Will you be there?""Of course," she grumped."Buffy, don't bother showing up if you can't separate 'us' as friends, 'us' as Wakko Ishara and my First, and you as my apprentice."Making me miserable in the first relationship doesn't help the latter two one bit. I try not to be an irresponsible asshole as House Head. More than anyone else, you know what I will sacrifice to be Ishara and one with my Isharans. I'll also step out and be plain ole 'Cáel Nyilas' when events permit.""But I am sick and tired of people not taking my desire to be foolish and care-free seriously. Being a dogmatic ass-hat isn't in me, but if you can't work with that, from here on out we are Wakko Ishara and Buffy Ishara and nothing more. I will still trust you as an Isharan, but not as a friend. Your choice.""Don't be such an asshole!" she snapped."Screw you!" I fired back. "I made a fucking effort to plan out some personal time with you, disguised as a joke; you knew it and you still decided to be a ball-buster. Like I need another fucking ball-buster right now, with all the other shit on my plate. You know better!" I was screaming. The people in JIKIT were working overtime at not staring at me."I'm under a ton of stress here too," she snarled. "I have to deal with the Council, keep our House growing and fulfill my obligations with Executive Services.""Do you want to quit? No longer by my 'apprentice'? Go back to working for Katrina full time?""Really?" she whispered."Of course the fuck not!" I shouted. "I didn't pick you for the job because of your sterling personality, or your bedroom excellence. I picked you because I had, and still have, utter faith in your ability to do whatever is necessary to overcome the landfill-sized colossal ill-fortune the Ancestors have dumped in our lap.""I'm just asking you to stop being a whiny, over-sensitive cunt and remember: it was the psychotic bitch who I chose for the top spot," I rumbled."I'm going to kick your ass," she seethed."Nice to know. We on for Monday night?"Pause."Yes," and she hung up. Two seconds later my phone rang again. "Buffy?" I answered. "And don't be late!" she menaced, then hung up again."So," Addison turned my way, "are you praying for World Peace to break out, or Nuclear War?""Hardy-har-har," I griped."Now that your personal drama is temporarily derailed, we have something for you to look at," Mehmet motioned for my attention. "Ever heard of Kōfuku no Kagaku?" I shook my head. "It translates over as 'Happy Science' and it is a cult-like organization in Japan.""Cool beans. Why do I have a sinking impression it is not a front for the Ninja?""That is what we want you to find out," Addison took over. "Of critical importance is the news conference their leader, Ryuho Okawa, gave earlier this afternoon/morning (~ 3:17 pm Tokyo time = 2:17 am East Coast time ~), especially a very relevant part of his interesting public announcement."He claims to be the Earthly manifestation of the Supreme Being. That is old news. Today he claimed that Temujin of the Khanate was the reincarnation of the original Genghis Khan and, with him, Ryuho, as the unifier of theological forces and therefore serving as spiritual advisor to Temujin, they would usher in a new period of Peace throughout Asia.""I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," I exhaled."He also claims that Japan is in the midst of an epic struggle, both spiritually and in the physical sense. The 'ancient guardians' of Japanese purity, the 6 Ninja Families, are at war with the depth of all Evil, the Chinese Seven Pillars of Heaven by name, who are determined to drag all of Asia away from the Light and into the Darkness of pain, degradation and slavery."In fact I quote: 'Alone among the nations of the Earth, only the Japanese cultural identity can stand firm against this global menace. Only the Japanese can keep the torch of true Enlightenment aloft. Only the Japanese can guide the development of the Khanate into the Supreme Empire it is meant to be'.""I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this guy is pseudo-religious, a Japanese ultra-nationalist as well as anti 'all things Sino'," came out of my mouth."Correct.""None of the Secret Societies would do something so public. Temujin's background is a mystery, but no one in the Khanate is calling him a reincarnated spirit, and they know the truth," I continued."This guy is pretty nutty," Mehmet confirmed. "He also claims to channel Buddha, Mohammed, Christ and Confucius. His followers worship him as the Earthly manifestation of the 'Supreme Being' named El Cantare, which is yet another name for any number of ancient supreme deities. And he claims to consult with the 'spirit guardians' of national leaders and aids in their mystic defense, with the aid of the Five Sacred Sisters' Spirits."Clearly this man was insane. Unfortunately, insane didn't make someone wrong,"Ah Hell," I muttered.Mehmet and Addison perked up; after all, figuring out the bizarre was my position on the team."He probably is insane, and I can't blame him," I sighed. "He isn't El Cantare; he is in touch with the Weave.""I have a feeling this is 'not good'," Addison murmured. "How bad is it?""The Five Sacred Spirit Sisters are most likely the five augurs who died in order to save Temujin, which, in turn, allies the 9 Clans with the E&S and Amazons to 'save' Japan, though it is not 'saved' yet.""Technically, the Weave IS the Supreme Being. It's largely indifferent, yet capable of doing both good and ill in response to outside (aka mortal) stimuli. If you can observe the Weave, you might be able to see the most likely path destiny is taking as well as the key players screwing with that destiny."That would include the Gong Tau sorcerers and the ninjas use of their own brand of magic; and God only knows what other mystic tricks the others have been attempting.""How do we get them to stop?" Captain Delilah Faircloth muttered."Not that easy Delilah. Everyone in this room has intersected because of a magic experiment that happened before any of us were born (Mom).""The fight at Summer Camp was flipped on its head because I saw the ghost the 7 Pillars sent to scout the area. My freeing of one of those trapped and tortured souls led to the calamity at the Barbeque Pit. I didn't use magic. I countered it. Still, my actions were interfering with the Weave."All four people the augurs, those Five Sisters, told me about had been dead at some point in time, some for thousands of years. Ajax didn't kill anyone using magic. Neither has Saku, yet both of them are products of disruptions in the Weave. 'Me' being alive and breathing is yet another disruption, since I shouldn't exist because of another mystic curse from five thousand years ago."Being alive and killing people means I've killed people who shouldn't be dead. Do we need to go into all the millions that have died in the Khanate war? Which was a combination of a resurrected Temujin and the 7 Pillars hunger for World Domination, if we do nothing, the rippled of those other disruption will still carry on."Except for me, no one on this taskforce has used an iota of magic, yet we are all dedicated to combatting mystical forces," I related to the group. I wondered where Rikki (Martin) and Beatrice (Ya Konan) had gotten off to. Lady Yum-Yum being absent only made my 'Scooby' senses tingle more."You use magic?" Agent-86 tilted his head in curiosity."I talk to a Goddess on a semi-regular business. I see ghosts. I've been the conveyer of messages from dead people and I've killed an un-killable man. Do we need to go back over my kidnapping by the 7 Pillars? The memories of my undead Grandfather floating around in my head?""I'm not calling thunderbolts out of the sky and shooting fireballs out my ass, but what I am doing is magical, nonetheless.""So, what do we recommend to our allies and benefactors (i.e., our sovereign governments)?" Mehmet inquired."Hmm, we tell our governments this crackpot is a Prophet of Doom who could be turned into an asset," I rubbed my brow with all four fingers and a thumb. Rikki, Beatrice and Lady Worthington-Burke quietly entered the room. They were all highly pleased in a 'I just won the lottery' kind of way. I was curious, but had to carry on with my train of thought."Quietly start seeking out other mystic societies, preferably low-key, quiet types who avoid the limelight, and start looking into other forms of magical insight and, quite frankly, protection. If the Weave has let this happen, we can expect worse. Lastly, I'll ask my 'Brother' to meet with this guy and get a feel for his personality.""That will only increase the believability of his ramblings," Addison protested."The boat called 'Denial' has already sailed. The World is in crisis. People are going to look for non-conventional answers. It is better to get ahead of this and bring Ryuho Okawa on board as a 'consultant'. Don't give him the whole picture by any means. The guy is definitely a loose cannon. Even worse, he is also a loose cannon the Weave has touched.""Besides, the Seven Pillars are going to figure this out pretty quick, their Weave sensitivity, ya know, and either kidnap him to be their own spiritual seismic sensor, or kill him for being both a loose cannon and yet another person screwing with their 'best laid plans'. Keeping him alive has the added benefit of making the Seven Pillars expend resources trying to get at him. Japan needs every bit diversion they can get."Let's not forget to tell our Secret Society allies of our plans, lest they kill him too. His babblings aren't going to make the 9 Clans or the E&S happy with him. They both have an established habit of making perceived enemies dead. Let's keep him alive and utilize this opportunity.""I like this plan," Addison nodded. Mehmet was clearly on board as well. Agent-86 clearly was playing the best on-line mystic MMORPG ever! (And with the added bonus that his team's action had real-world consequences.) The three 'ladies' new to the room received an abbreviated version of our discussion and my 'suggestions'. They weren't really suggestions. Barring a few insanely criminal endeavors, JIKIT treated me like a true asset."Something else big?" Addison looked to her British counterpart (Yum-Yum)."The Japanese Diet has voted for a public referendum on a Constitutional Amendment to repeal/revise Article 96 of the Japanese Constitution.""Oh fuck," was echoed, either verbally or subliminally, by everyone in the room except for me, Delilah and Agent-86.'Cáel' knew Jack and Shit about the Japanese Constitution. Hell, I barely knew about the US one and I was a native. However, Alal did know it, and knew both what Article 96 was and what its amendment really meant. Good-old 96 was the rolling dark cloud across the political Great Plains that heralded a swarm of tornados. Clouds were clouds and their arrival could mean anything.Article 96 dictated how the Japanese Constitution could be amended. The current process was a 2/3rd vote in both the House of Councilors (the 'Upper House', roughly equivalent to our Senate) and the House of Representatives (the 'Lower' House) followed by a public referendum. The proposed amendment to Article 96 would transform the process to a mere majority vote in both Houses.Imagine the shit-storm which would be unleashed if the US Congress tried to pull that shit. The biggest political issue was that the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held 294 of the 475 seats in the lower house (a clear majority) and 115 of the 242 in the Upper House (7 seats short of a majority). If the amendment passed next month (October 14th to be precise), the LDP could pretty much do as they pleased.And what was the first thing they were going to do? They were going to put to rest another part of the Constitution, namely the far more globally important Article 9. And what was that?Real World Stuff: WarningsArticle 9:(1)Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.(2)To accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.If Article 9 was repealed, the Japanese nation could exercise diplomacy by military means, aka declaring an offensive war against a foreign power. Currently Japan had a modest budget military budget of $48 Billion a year (Earth's 10th largest). It was modest when you considered it was a mere 1% of the Japanese GDP. Great Britain, France and South Korea's smaller economies all functioned nicely with double that percentage for their military budget.Regionally, every other nation was increasing their military expenditures, except Japan's protector, the US and (perhaps) North Korea, who's spending on anything was a closely guarded state secret. Right now, China and the Khanate's military expenditures were running roughly even at $180 billion each, but this was an arm's race the PRC would eventually win, they had too great an advantage in the size of their workforce and a far larger industrial base.The truth was, if the PRC couldn't win this race fast, she was facing a long, grinding war reminiscent of the Communists' Long Rise to Power that wrecked their country a century ago. The monetary dynamic was shifting badly against them because the Khanate wasn't alone.India, Taiwan and Vietnam were also ramping up their war spending to a combined tune of $34 billion and now allied with the Khanate, equating to an additional $90 billion the PRC had to overcome. South Korea was already adding $8 billion to their military and Russia was taxing the fuck out of Manchuria to both pay for their 'Peaceful Intervention' and to increase the 'Readiness' of their other forces.All of this military spending was bad for both the regional and global economies (unless you were Israel who was turning out hardware 24/7/365 for the Khanate and Indian war machines). So at this point, Japan doing 'nothing' was possibly more disastrous than doing 'something' else.They were already spending $50 fucking billion on glorified policemen while the future of East Asia was being decided without them. Doubling the military budget would place a huge burden on the largely pacifistic population. It would also put Japan in the position of deciding the Fate of Nations.With the repeal of Article 9, Japan could utilize 'proactive means' to keep the naval supply routes to China open, not even the Indian's had the naval presence to confront the Japanese. Such a policy was a nice, friendly gesture to the Asian Colossus, who wasn't likely to show a shred of appreciation for their efforts.No, China had spent the last 60 years stoking the hatred of the Land of the Rising Sun among their people. (Many Japanese forgot current Chinese hatred was based on the Japanese butchering their way across China for nearly a decade between 1937 to 1945).(The Cornerstone) There was a truism which had guided American, Chinese, Japanese and Russian political thought for 150 years: 'There could only be one supreme power in East Asia and the Eastern Pacific'. Japan had followed the logical expression of that paradigm by invading Taiwan (1895), Korea (1910), beating up on Imperial Russia (1904), taking Manchuria (1931) and going to war with China (1937) while that country was trapped in a bloody civil war.To stop the Empire of Japan's rise, the US had attempted to cripple the Japanese economy before the Empire could harvest their just-acquired Asian natural resources. In response, Japan had thrown its soldiers and sailors into a futile effort against the British Empire, the United States and China and lost.With Imperial Japan crushed and the Soviet Union preoccupied in Europe, China had risen. The irresistible force of China's rapidly increasing population, natural resources exploitation and extensive land mass took hold. Japan couldn't compete in a 'fair' fight. Since 1945, the Japanese government had lived with the fear of aggression from Russia and/or China aimed their way.The US felt the same way, or they had. The fear produced by the broad acceptance of 'Only-One-Shall-Rule-Asia' had led to the Korean War, the half-century cease-fire along the Demilitarized Zone in Korea and the Vietnamese Civil War. The Communists in China and Russia had feuded until the Soviet Union collapsed under its own economic inadequacies.A reborn Russia, even with the ultra-nationalist Putin at the helm, couldn't stop China's growing domination. Asia was China's for the taking, until the Khanate rose up like some desert mirage in the Western Steppe, one that turned into the Mother of All Storms. So now, miraculously, the dominion of Asia was up for grabs once more.Japan could not overcome China; that was a given. The Dragon had more people, more resources and an almost three-fold larger economy. Given a decade, the PRC would grind the Khanate down. Once more it was the tyranny of numbers. Even India, Taiwan and Vietnam could only slow down the inevitable.India's subpar economic output marginalized the power of their citizenry. Taiwan had the proportional economy, but not nearly enough people. Vietnam had neither and had always had a rough time defending themselves, much less been successful confronting powers beyond her homeland. Putin's Mother Russia had a host of other problems, internal and external, so she had already contributed as much as Putin dared.Until Thursday morning, Tokyo Time, the undeniable Destiny of Asia remained in the hands of those men in Beijing. The dominoes were falling in a way those rulers had not foreseen and now fumed over. But on Wednesday night, there was no industrial power (with the population to back it up) which could threaten the People's Republic of China.Europe and the US wouldn't intervene. Much like the leadership in Japan, the Communist Chinese Politburo believed Putin had wagered as much as dared. No other nation on Earth mattered. Japan? That was laughable. Their Constitution bound the hands off their military behind their backs with a pledge of eternal pacifism.The Chinese weren't blind to the 250,000 men and women of the Japanese Self Defense Force. Without the political will, those troops might have well have been in Brazil. A hostile Brazil was actually a greater worry because Brazil was the powerhouse of South America, a G-8 economy and hungered for a Permanent Seat on the UN Security Council. The PRC was dedicated to denying their desire as it would have diluted the PRC's burgeoning diplomatic power.Japan? Ha.Thursday morning, in what was essentially an undetected (by anyone except the Ninja and JIKIT) coup d' tat, pacifism was sacrificed on the Altar of Nationalism. Article 96's demise was pre-ordained. A poll taken on July 1st, 42% of Japanese felt positively about the repeal of Article 96 while 46% opposed it.The same agency took a new poll on August 28th. The economic-political situation of Japan was going through a titanic tidal shift. If Buddhism moved you toward devout pacifist, the Khanate had liberated Tibet and was clearly withdrawing as the UN troops' boots hit the ground.If you were a Nationalist of any kind, you were seeing a whole lot more people at your rallies, accessing your websites and signing up to join your formerly fringe parties. If you were a Socialist, you were scared. Why? The PRC was in the process of nationalizing all of Japan's (and South Korea's and Taiwan's) business interests in China, for the 'Duration of the Emergency', or so they said.That meant plenty of Japanese workers were losing their jobs and looking to blame someone. You couldn't blame the centrist LDP. The LDP had been working alongside the Japanese Communist Party for months. They had done nothing wrong and had worked tirelessly for a peaceful diplomatic solution. It was their 'comrades' in China, their Marxist confederates, who were costing the hard-working Japanese workers their jobs.If you were in the Establishment, all of the above worried the crap out of you. Japan's economy had been limping along at barely-positive growth for a decade. Your aging population needed more and more from their public services and, worst of all, you had nothing in your political and economic tool box to escape the obvious oncoming national catastrophe.The possibility of a Global Recession loomed on the horizon, if they were lucky. Highly respected economists in Japan and elsewhere were examining all the key indicators over the past three months and were suggesting hording as a viable policy for middle class households to consider. If you were in the Developing World, worse was heading your way.The word being bandied about on those esteemed academic internet websites wasn't 'recession', it was depression. Global prosperity thrived on nations investing in both their own economy and the economies of other nations. The governments representing a third of the World's population were not investing in their economies.Unless you were a war profiteer, you could expect fewer consumer goods on the shelves; and what was there would cost more. Your income wasn't going up; your expenses were. If you were an Atheistic homeowner in the Western World with a secured 3.25% fixed rate home loan, you took up religion. The prime interest rate would be racing for the 20% mark and that was only if your economy was stable.If you lived in a country in the Developing World, your trade goods didn't compete with those created in the G-20. Your competition was with other Developing World businesses and the prize was the pocketbooks of those consumers in the G-20, which was a shrinking purse.It wasn't like you were being paid all that much to begin with; and now those once poor-paying, but at least plentiful, jobs were drying up. You needed your government to help you out. It wasn't like those governments could raise money by taxing the unemployed and under-employed. They didn't have money. And the rich in most of those same nations had a long and successful legacy of avoiding paying.Those growing economies had a few tried and tested 'solutions' for getting their countries through these rough stretches.The IMF? 'We are out to make 'positive' capital investments and your economic outlook doesn't look promising. We suggest 'austerity'.'The BRICS? Since India and China were basically in an undeclared state of war: 'we won't be loaning anyone anything for a while.'The BIS? 'As soon as the People' Bank of China, the Reserve Bank of India, the Central Bank of Ireland, the Bank of Israel and the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey get back to us about their sudden, serious lack of transparency, we'll call you back.'World Bank? Holy Shit! 'The world's going down the toilet, we will do what we can.'F Y I, I (as in Cáel) had been wrong. The 6 Elders of the Ninja families didn't talk to Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Awbee. They talked with another, far more immediately important man. So sue me (Cáel) for not knowing the inner workings of various world governments, and creatively interpreting events surrounding all those people I (Cáel) didn't. I'm a freaking Liberal Arts major with a fertile imagination, not a superspy, or even a competent Intelligence Analyst!}The Japanese government had appealed to the U.S., U.N., P.R.C., A.S.E.A.N., India; and (through back channels aka JIKIT) the Khanate for an end to this madness; all with typical results:The U.S.A: We are working on it (without letting them know what precisely they were working on)Japan: Well, do something fast. Our Government Bonds are about to be more useful as wallpaper.The U.N.: We are working on it (with their long-established tradition of not doing anything until the crisis had passed)Japan: You are preparing to pass a Resolution to move this matter from the First Committee to the Fourth Committee, gee, thanks guys. Will they be meeting sometime before Christmas?The PRC: We are too busy right now, so shut up, keep the trade lanes open, and was that your submarine we detected sneaking into our territorial waters?Japan: What? What do you mean you are 'too busy?' You are one of our biggest trading partners, your economy is going down the toilet, and, No! That was not our submarine in your territorial waters. That accusation is absurd.(Note from Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Awbee, to Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, head of the JMSDF {the de facto Japanese Navy}), The PRC has made this outrageous claim that one of our submarines has been sneaking around their territorial waters. There is no truth to that rumor, right?Kawano: Which time?Prime Minister: Oh My God! What have you people been doing and why is this the first time I'm hearing about it?Kawano: Sir, if you are just now getting around to asking us, you don't want to know.Prime Minister: What do you mean 'I don't want to know?' I'm the head of the damn government and, you are right. Fine. There is no way I'm going back to the Chinese Ambassador and apologizing for any this. Is there any way this can come back to screw us over?Kawano: With all these US and British submarines helping us out, not very likely, Prime Minister.Prime Minister: Oh, very good. You are correct, I don't want to know what you 'haven't' been doing. I am ordering you to destroy all transcripts and recordings of this conversation.Kawano: It has been my distinct honor not having this conversation with you, Prime Minister. Sayōnara.ASEAN, What do you expect us to do about this? Have you seen the unimpressive combined sizes of our members' air forces and navies? Did you see the smack-down the Khanate has inflicted on the PLAN's South China Sea Fleet?Besides, the PRC is claiming that the Khanate launched covert attacks against the Parcels and Spratly islands which originated from Indonesian and Filipino waters. We are investigating the issue. If you are asking us for help, you are truly screwed. Don't call us. We will call you.Japan, {muttering} Investigating the attacks that came from your territory, bullshit! You are covering your own asses, damn it!(Note from Prime Minister, Shinzō Awbee, to Shotaro Yachi, Japanese National Security Advisor), I've heard an ugly rumor that the Khanate has forces secreted in the Philippines and Indonesia. Do you happen to know anything about it?Yachi: Yes Sir. We had advance notice of the organization, composition and destination of those forces.Awbee (while muttering 'no one tells me anything anymore'): What the! Would you please tell me what is going on.Yachi: We have made critical steps toward future alliances which will guarantee Japanese security for decades to come.Awbee What does that mean, and since when have you been creating and implementing foreign policy? We have a Minister for that, in case you somehow over-looked him at the last cabinet meeting. Wait! Does he know about this too?Yachi: No Sir, Foreign Minister Kishida is currently unaware of the Kinkyū tokushu sakusen tasukufōsu (Emergency Special Operations Task Force). Admiral Katsutoshi knows the basics of our operational policy, since we need to borrow some of his assets from time to time. Director-General Kitada (of the Public Security Intelligence Agency) and key personnel from the Foreign Ministry's Intelligence & Analysis Service and Security Bureau make up the majority of the task force's operatives.Awbee: What have you been doing?Yachi: You don't want to know, Mr. Prime Minister. It would make things, awkward.Awbee: 'You don't want to know', of course, I don't. I'm only the elected head of this government. Why would I possibly want to know what acts of espionage and war my deputies are executing?Yachi: I am glad we are on the same page, Sir. Will there be anything else?Awbee: No, wait. Do you have any intelligence on what the Khanate is up to?Yachi: Yes Sir. Is there anything in particular you want to know?Analysis Services: Can you contact someone in their leadership willing to discuss regional affairs?Yachi: I can put you in touch with the Great Khan himself if necessary.AS: What!Yachi: Sir, I would hardly be acting in our nation's best interests if I couldn't divine the intentions of the key players on the stage. Shall I initiate the necessary communications to facilitate that level of clandestine diplomatic contact?AS: No. Yes. No, I need to think about this. Hmm, have you been conducting any domestic espionage missions?Yachi: You don't want me to answer that, Sir.Awbee: of course I don't, I'm only the damn Prime Minister. Shotaro, I'm still Prime Minister, aren't I?Yachi: Yes Sir. We have been working overtime to ensure that. We've foiled two enemy assassination attempts and one attempted kidnapping so far. We remain vigilant.AS: How come this is the first I'm hearing about it? Is the head of my security in on this conspiracy of yours too?Yachi: No Sir. These particular guardians wish to avoid notoriety at all costs.Awbee: Okay. Good to know. Ah, keep up the good work and destroy any trace of this conversation.Yachi: Way ahead of you, Sir. Have a good night.India, Yes, we are more than willing to work with you toward regional stability. Care to acknowledge the Khanate's legitimacy first? We'd really appreciate it. Sure, get back to us when you've done that. Until then, the South China Sea Awaits! Yes, we plan to keep what we've earned. Later now. We think there is going to be further instability in Southeast Asia.Japan, Ya think? It is your damn warships sailing around the freaking South China Sea enforcing your utterly un-secret alliance with the Khanate. Why are you doing this to us? What have we ever done to you?The Khanate, We are not out to damage your national interests. We apologize, but there is now way we will call off this war with the Communist Chinese. It is them, or us, to the death. We have already received and agreed to your request to allow all Japanese flagged ships safe transit through the South China Sea. We really wish to be your friends this time, to make up for those two invasion attempts seven hundred years ago.(Note from  Prime Minister to Self) Great. The only reasonable people who aren't out to kick me in the nuts are also the ones I can't acknowledge talking to. I've got to do something a

China has warned New Zealand that joining Aukus could shatter trust between the countries and signalled that joining the military alliance with Australia the UK and the US would have economic implications for New Zealand. The warnings came in an interview that the Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong gave to RNZ's '30 With Guyon Espiner'. Espiner spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Chinese Ambassador says there will be consequences for New Zealand if the country decides to join the intelligence and security pact AUKUS. Labour leader Chris Hipkins spoke to Corin Dann.

On today's episode, the Chinese Ambassador says there will be consequences for New Zealand if the country decides to join the intelligence and security pact AUKUS, Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau wants to show the government they have nothing to worry after the council voted on its amended long-term plan, a retired medical specialist is calling the government's investment in more senior doctors and nurses a "band-aid" on a broken system, Donald Trump says he will put tariffs on all imports from Canada, Mexico, and China on his first day back in office and a painting by Charles Frederick Goldie sold for just over 3.7 million dollars at auction last night.

As a founding member, China is willing to work with its partners to continue improving the BRICS cooperation mechanism and creating a better future for human society, a senior Chinese diplomat has said.In the 18 years since the establishment of the mechanism, China and its BRICS partners have always worked hand in hand to move forward bravely against all odds and played an important role on the international stage carving out a path of mutually beneficial cooperation, according to Zhang Hanhui, the Chinese Ambassador to Russia.The past years saw the rapid development of emerging-market economies and developing countries. Some major powers, however, have regained their Cold War mentality, wielded the stick of sanctions and instigated camp confrontation, Zhang said."When the world is at the historical crossroads of unilateralism or multilateralism, President Xi Jinping has put forward the concept of a community of a shared future for mankind, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative to contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to solving the global peace deficit, development deficit, security deficit and governance deficit," Zhang noted.The ambassador emphasized that being the founding member, China will work with its partners to continuously improve the BRICS cooperation mechanism, continue to gather the consensus of the Global South, advocate and practice theabove-mentioned three global initiatives, and make BRICS contributions to creating a better future for human society.The historic expansion last year has created a milestone in the development of the BRICS.At the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting held in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod in June this year, all parties highly praised the important role of the BRICS mechanism and the results of its expansion, and believed that more and more countries joining the BRICS cooperation will help accelerate the process of multipolarization in the world and promote development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.The Chinese envoy said the BRICS countries share common views of international order, security and development. They are believers in defending multilateralism, maintaining common security, promoting common development and improving global governance."The expanded BRICS accounts for nearly half of the global population and one-fifth of global trade, and their total economic volume has surpassed the Group of Seven in terms of purchasing power parity," said Zhang, stressing that China and other BRICS members are important economic and trade partners, and their import and export trade have maintained steady growth.What's more, the BRICS countries play an important role on the international stage. At the end of last year, the leaders of the BRICS countries held a special meeting on Palestine and Israel, and jointly defended the rights and interests of developing countries in multilateral mechanisms such as the Group of 20, giving a strong BRICS voice.The diplomat while highlighting the upcoming meeting between President Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said Russia is an important BRICS partner of China."I believe that BRICS cooperation will further enrich the connotation of China-Russia strategic cooperation and inject new momentum into the development of relations between the two countries."He said the two presidents have met more than 40 times on various occasions in recent years, establishing good working relations and deep personal friendship. The heads of state of the two countries have also maintained close communication on strategic issues such as bilateral relations，the international situation and global governance."China is pleased to see that Russia has made great progress in its work as the BRICS chair this year," Zhang said, adding that China will, as always, support the Russian side in fulfilling the duties of the chairmanship and jointly promote the fruitful results of the BRICS summit to be held in Kazan from Tuesday to Thursday.Reporter: Ren Qi

China-Africa relations are in focus as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation kicks off in Beijing. What is at stake between China and the African states? And what is the future of China-Africa engagement? Zhang Lizhong, the Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, shares his view.

The Berlin Zoo has announced that its 11-year-old female giant panda Meng Meng is pregnant again with twins and, if everything goes well, could give birth by the end of the month.德国柏林动物园当地时间8月13日宣布，11岁的旅德大熊猫“梦梦”再次怀上双胞胎，如果一切顺利的话，大熊猫双胞胎预计将于8月底出生。The announcement was made on Monday after zoo authorities conducted an ultrasound examination over the weekend that showed the developing fetuses. Giant panda experts from China arrived in Berlin on Sunday to assist with preparations for the ultrasound.柏林动物园于周末对“梦梦”进行了超声波检查，检查结果显示胎儿正在发育。中国专家也已赶到柏林，为后续工作提供支持。Meng Meng was artificially inseminated in March. According to the zoo, female giant pandas are only fertile for approximately 72 hours each year.“梦梦”于三月进行了人工授精。据动物园介绍，雌性大熊猫每年的受孕时间为大约72小时。"One heartbeat could initially be made out on the ultrasound equipment, and shortly thereafter a second as well," the zoo announcement said, adding that the fetuses are now 2.5 centimeters long, but will grow significantly by the end of the month.“最初超声扫描检测到一个胎儿的心跳，不久后又发现了另一个。”动物园表示目前两个胎儿身长约2.5厘米，但到本月底将继续增长。Gestation generally takes three to six months, but the zoo said that dormancy—a period of up to several months in giant pandas during which an egg remains suspended in the mother's uterus and does not continue to develop—was the reason for the delay in confirming Meng Meng's pregnancy.大熊猫妊娠通常需要三到六个月，但动物园表示，大熊猫休眠状态（此期间卵子悬浮在母亲的子宫中，不会继续发育）是“梦梦”前几次孕检全都没有发现的原因。Zoo veterinarian Franziska Sutter told media that the pregnancy was still at a risky phase.园方兽医弗朗齐丝卡·祖特尔说告诉媒体，“梦梦”怀孕期间仍处于危险阶段。"Amid all the enthusiasm, we have to realize that this is a very early stage of the pregnancy and that a so-called resorption, or death, of the embryo is still possible at this stage," she said.她表示：“尽管大家都很兴奋，但我们也必须意识到，胎儿仍然有死亡的可能。”If everything goes smoothly, the cubs will be the first in five years to be born at the Berlin Zoo after Meng Meng gave birth to twin cubs, Pit and Paule, in August 2019. They were the first giant pandas born in Germany and became stars at the zoo.如果一切顺利，这两只双胞胎幼崽将成为柏林动物园五年来首批出生的大熊猫幼崽。2019年8月，“梦梦”生下了双胞胎幼崽Pit和Paule，它们是德国首批出生的大熊猫，成为了柏林动物园的明星。Both Pit and Paule, whose Chinese names are Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan, returned to China in December to join the breeding program under an agreement with the Chinese government.Pit和Paule的中文名分别是“梦想”和“梦圆”，根据此前与中国政府达成的协议，这对双胞胎将于12月返回中国参加繁育计划。Their parents, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, arrived at the Berlin Zoo in 2017.In early July, Ouwehands Dierenpark, a zoo in the Netherlands, announced that its giant panda Wu Wen gave birth to a cub. A second cub that was born about an hour later died shortly after birth.它们的父母“娇庆”和“梦梦”于2017年抵达柏林动物园。7月初，荷兰欧维汉动物园宣布其大熊猫“武雯”产下一只大熊猫幼崽，大约一小时后出生的第二只幼崽在出生后不久死亡。The surviving cub is the second born at the Dutch zoo after Fan Xing was born in 2020. Fan Xing, a female, returned to China in September last year to join the breeding program.这只幸存的幼崽是荷兰动物园继2020 年“梵星”出生后的第二只幼崽，“梵星”是一只雌性熊猫，已于去年9月返回中国参加繁育计划。In Spain, the Madrid Zoo Aquarium formally introduced a new pair of giant pandas, Jin Xi and Zhu Yu, in May in a ceremony attended by Queen Sofia, who has been a giant panda advocate since the 1970s.The arrival came after panda couple Bing Xing and Hua Zui Ba, accompanied by their three Madridborn cubs Chulina, You You and Jiu Jiu, returned to China on Feb 29.In Austria, the Schonbrunn Zoo in Vienna is expecting the arrival of a pair of giant pandas from China under a 10-year cooperation agreement on giant panda conservation that was signed in June.5月，西班牙马德里动物园正式引进了一对大熊猫，“金喜”和“茱萸”，索菲亚王太后也出席了仪式，自1970年以来，索菲亚王太后一直是保护大熊猫的倡导者。在此之前，旅西大熊猫“冰星”和“花嘴巴”及其3只幼仔“竹莉娜”“久久”“友友”已于2月29日平安回家，这也是近年来归国大熊猫中的最大家族。在奥地利，维也纳美泉宫动物园期待着一对来自中国的大熊猫的到来，这是根据6月份签署的为期10年的大熊猫国际保护研究合作协议。The giant pandas Yuan Yuan and Yang Yang, who are now in Vienna, will return to China after the expiration of an agreement this year.目前在维也纳的大熊猫“园园”和“阳阳”将于今年协议到期后返回中国。The two sides have applauded their successful cooperation in giant panda breeding, scientific research, technical exchanges, personnel training and public education.Yang Yang, a female, and Long Hui, a male, have had four litters in Vienna totaling five cubs through natural mating, which is a European record.合作期间，中奥双方建立了良好的合作关系，并在大熊猫保护繁育、科学研究、技术交流、人员培训和公众教育等方面取得了丰硕成果。大熊猫“阳阳”和“龙徽”创造了通过自然交配成功繁育4胎5仔的欧洲记录。On Aug 8, giant panda twins Bao Di and Bao Mei in Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo celebrated their fifth birthday in a ceremony attended by new Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Fei Shengchao.8月8日，比利时天堂动物园大熊猫双胞胎“宝弟”和“宝妹”迎来了5岁生日，中国驻比利时大使费胜潮出席了庆祝活动。The twins and their elder brother Tian Bao, born in 2016, will leave for China this autumn to join the breeding program.这对双胞胎和2016年出生的哥哥“天宝”将于今年秋天返回中国参加繁育计划。

President Xi Jinping has reached out to all visitors from the United States with a welcoming gesture in a message that he sent to the 14th China-US Tourism Leadership Summit, which opened on Wednesday in Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province."We cordially welcome US tourists to travel to China to meet Chinese friends, experience Chinese culture, tour scenic mountains and rivers, and get a firsthand look at the real China," he wrote.US President Joe Biden also sent a congratulatory message to the event.Industry observers have voiced great hopes that both nations will further encourage two-way visits, as the most recent numbers on border entries and direct flights continue to increase, compared with those of last year, yet they are still lower than the highs achieved before the COVID-19 outbreak.In his message, Xi said that "tourism is an important bridge for the people of China and the US to engage in exchanges and get to better know and bond with each other".He expressed his hope that people from all walks of life in the two countries will take this summit as an opportunity for in-depth exchanges, consensus building and vigorous actions.The goal is to facilitate people-to-people exchanges through tourism cooperation, to perpetuate China-US friendship through cultural exchanges, and to help translate the San Francisco vision into reality, he added.The two countries are celebrating the 45th anniversary this year of the establishment of diplomatic relations.Xi said that the foundation of China-US relations was built by the people, the door of China-US ties was opened by the people, the story of the relations is written by the people, and the future of the ties will certainly be created by the two peoples.In his message, Biden said that both the US and China "are countries of rich cultural diversity, immense natural beauty and vibrant communities, big and small, all of which support travel and tourism industries that promote prosperity and understanding between our nations"."Four years ago, a global pandemic closed our borders and halted travel and tourism around the world," Biden said when welcoming Chinese tourists to discover US cities and history and to engage with its people.Observers noted that the huge potential of the China-US tourism market could be illustrated by the fact that before the COVID-19 outbreak, more than 300 flights operated between China and the US each week, and over 5 million visits were made between the two countries every year.Christopher Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA, an organization that promotes the US as a travel destination, said, "Last August, when the 14th US-China Tourism Leadership Summit was announced, we were all very excited to restart this type of connection between our two nations."Related discussions have since had a real impact on advancing tourism between the two economies, as well as fostering better cultural understanding, he told the summit."We're very happy that consumer interest in visiting the US remains quite high," Thompson said, adding that the US remains a popular destination among Chinese travelers.Experts noted that, as a sign of the recovery of international travel between China and the rest of the world, the country saw 1.78 million visits by inbound travelers and 1.9 million outbound visits during the recent five-day May Day holiday, close to the level in the same period in 2019 before the pandemic.With fresh joint efforts from both nations, the number of direct flights has grown from 20 per week early last year to 100 per week now, according to a recent speech by Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng.Xie noted that "the flights now are still far from enough, and the tickets are too expensive", and he said the China travel advisory issued by Washington "has deterred many American friends from visiting China".Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, told the summit that sustainable China-US tourism exchanges and high-quality tourism development "would not have been possible" without the guidance of the leaders of both countries, high-level visits, political mutual trust and interactions among industry players."For the continuous increase in tourist visits between China and the US, it is necessary to pragmatically promote tourism, implement more convenient visa policies, continuously expand direct flight quotas, and deepen cooperation and exchanges between tourism investment institutions and market entities," Dai said.Furthermore, efforts should be made to promote exchanges between the two countries' tourism industries, education institutions and think tanks, he added.Reporter: Zhang Yunbi, Yang Feiyue

Chinese ambassador Wang Xiaolong has issued a warning to New Zealand over the prospect of joining AUKUS. In a speech delivered to the China Business Summit in Auckland, Xiaolong said China's relationship with New Zealand had reached a critical juncture - and joining AUKUS could impact that. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says this stance is in line with earlier comments made by ambassador Xiaolong. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On April 26,1964, China and Tanzania established diplomatic relations. Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Chen Mingjian speaks with us on how the bilateral ties have evolved over the last 60 years. The ambassador says China and Tanzania enjoy solid political trust and wide cooperation, which have been a cornerstone of China-Africa relations. She unravels how the bilateral relations have entered the best period in history as she believes.

President Xi Jinping reiterated on Monday China's commitment to advancing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era to benefit the two countries and their people as he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection.In a congratulatory message, Xi said that the Russian people have been united as one to overcome challenges and make steady progress in national development and revitalization in recent years.Xi told Putin that his reelection fully demonstrated the Russian people's support for him and said he believes Russia will surely make greater achievements in national development and construction under Putin's leadership.Russia's Central Election Commission said on Monday that Putin had won his fifth term with a record number of votes. With nearly 100 percent of all precincts counted, Putin got 87.29 percent of the vote.Speaking at a news conference following the completion of the presidential elections early on Monday morning, Putin said the Russia-China relationship is a stabilizing factor in the Eurasian region and expressed his confidence that bilateral collaboration will continue to strengthen in the coming years."The most important thing is the coincidence of state interests. This creates a very good tone for solving common problems in the field of international relations," he said.Putin said China is very active in the international arena, is achieving great success and has a lot of friends all over the world.On China's economy, Putin said: "China is developing by leaps and bounds, at a fast pace, very confidently, and what is very important is that the structure of China's economy is changing toward innovation, toward making the economy more innovative. And we are trying to do the same within the country. We face exactly the same tasks in Russia."This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. The trade volume between the two countries reached a record-breaking $240 billion in 2023, a year ahead of the time set to hit the target of $200 billion.In recent years, Xi and Putin have met on more than 40 occasions. In March 2023, Xi chose Russia as the destination of his first overseas trip of the year. In October, Putin came to Beijing for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, marking the third consecutive time that he attended the forum.Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said, "We are glad to see Mr Putin has gained firm support from the Russian people during the presidential election, and under his leadership, Russia will continue to take the path that suits its national conditions."Zhang said that China is willing to work together with Russia to firmly implement the strategic consensus of the two heads of state, support and closely cooperate with each other on the road to the modernization of their respective countries, and promote the greater and stronger development of China-Russia relations.Observers from both countries said that relations between China and Russia will remain close and stable after the reelection of Putin, given their current close cooperation and communication at different levels.Li Yonghui, a researcher of Russian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the two countries are expected to further strengthen their political mutual trust during Putin's new term."China and Russia will also expand their strategic coordination on the global stage, elevate their relations with developing countries and play a bigger role in the Global South," she said.Alexander Dynkin, president of the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said trust and mutual understanding between the two leaders facilitate mutual support on the most important security and development issues between China and Russia."Russia-China relations have become a factor of global stability and a true example of a relationship between two major countries. Russia and China are not allies, but they trust each other more than average participants of Western formal alliances," Dynkin said.Kirill Babaev, director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said China and Russia have maintained close cooperation and communication at different levels.The new administration will continue to coordinate with China in various aspects, especially some nontraditional fields, such as infrastructure construction, biotech and the development of new energy, he said.Reporter: Mo Jingxi, Ren QiXinhua contributed to this story.

From February 27 to March 2, Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio paid state visit to China, marking the first African head of state to visit the country in 2024. This visit underscores the deepening bilateral ties and cooperation between Sierra Leone and China, a partnership that has flourished over the past fifty years. We speak with Sierra Leone's Finance Minister, Sheku Fantamadi Bangura, and the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Wang Qing, to explore the dynamics of this enduring relationship and explore future avenues of collaboration.

During the summit between the presidents of China and the U.S. in San Francisco last November, both sides agreed to promote people-to-people exchanges. Chinese President Xi Jinping extended an invitation for 50,000 U.S. students to visit the country over the next five years. Since then, groups of U.S. students have made the trip. More Chinese students are also getting the opportunity to see America for themselves, including a group from Beijing Foreign Studies University. But some members of the delegation had to go through hours of interrogation at U.S. customs. This came after the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. had protested over mistreatment of Chinese students with valid visas upon entry into the U.S. What has been the experience of the delegation from Beijing Foreign Studies University? What have they learned about the U.S. and bilateral ties?

The Albanese government has announced a review into the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says all options are on the table to force supermarkets to ease cost of living pressures on consumers. Even the option of significant government intervention.  Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Penny Wong copped criticism for her itinerary on her visit to Israel, representing Australia.  And the Chinese Ambassador gave an interesting press conference in Canberra which took an interesting turn… Today, chief political correspondent David Crowe, economics correspondent Rachel Clun and foreign affairs correspondent Matthew Knott join Jacqueline Maley on Inside Politics. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Albanese government has announced a review into the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says all options are on the table to force supermarkets to ease cost of living pressures on consumers. Even the option of significant government intervention.  Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Penny Wong copped criticism for her itinerary on her visit to Israel, representing Australia.  And the Chinese Ambassador gave an interesting press conference in Canberra which took an interesting turn… Today, chief political correspondent David Crowe, economics correspondent Rachel Clun and foreign affairs correspondent Matthew Knott join Jacqueline Maley on Inside Politics. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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①Chinese Premier Li Qiang is leading a delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos. What's on his agenda? (00:53) ②In Egypt, the first stop of his four-nation Africa tour, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the situation in Gaza and China's ties with the Arab world with Egyptian and Arab officials. What are the details? (12:55) ③In a phone call with Yemen's Houthi officials, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the U.S. air strikes on Yemen.(25:12) ④The latest customs figures show that China's foreign trade expanded by 0.2 percent in 2023.(34:00) ⑤Our exclusive interview with Wang Lixin, Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives.(43:15)

Kissinger: He always tried to 'think in long-range terms'Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who helped to change the course of history by playing a pivotal role in normalizing United States-China relations, passed away at his home in the US state of Connecticut on Wednesday at age 100."The world has lost a tireless advocate for peace. America has lost a towering champion for the national interest. I have lost a cherished friend and mentor," Winston Lord, Kissinger's top aide in the 1970s, told China Daily.At dawn on July 9, 1971, Kissinger and Lord entered Chinese airspace aboard a Pakistani plane. The clandestine trip, which resulted in a Chinese invitation to then US president Richard Nixon, resulted in top leaders from the US and China meeting in February 1972 for the first time in two-and-a-half decades — a period during which the two countries were, in Kissinger's words, "at war, near war".The trip also helped lay the foundation for today's international geopolitical structure.The Nixon visit was followed by a prolonged period of what Kissinger called "cooperative coexistence" that saw China rising to be a dynamic element in the world economy and the US "easing out of its pain at the outcome of the Vietnam War", according to Lord.The passing of Kissinger, who had been the last surviving member of Nixon's Cabinet, comes at a time when China and the US are working to improve what Kissinger deemed "the world's most consequential bilateral relationship".In July, two months after Kissinger celebrated his 100th birthday, the centenarian traveled to Beijing, where his host reminded him of what had happened there 52 years before."It was in July 1971 in the same place — Villa No 5 of Diaoyutai State Guesthouse — that you and Premier Zhou Enlai had a meeting to start the normalization process," President Xi Jinping told Kissinger.Some of the most intense hours of that visit and a subsequent one in October 1971 were spent between Kissinger and Zhou as the two negotiated a draft of what would become known as the Shanghai Communique."Today, more than 50 years later, the communique is still being invoked as one of the foundations of our relationship, while most communiques disappear within weeks," said Lord, who was US ambassador to China from 1985 to 1989.In a message of condolence, Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng wrote, "History will remember what the centenarian has contributed to China-US relations, and he will always remain alive in the hearts of the Chinese people as a most valued old friend."Recalling his 1972 meeting with Mao Zedong, Kissinger said the Chinese leader spoke allegorically, in "a Socratic manner", and "had the quality of being at the center of wherever he stood", adding that "it moved with him wherever he moved".In December 1975, Mao told visiting US president Gerald Ford that his secretary of state, Kissinger, "has been interfering in my internal affairs".When asked to elaborate, the 82-year-old chairman answered, "He does not allow me to go and meet God.""That would be too powerful a combination if he went there," Kissinger, who was also present, told Ford.On May 27, 1923, Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born in the German city of Fuerth in northern Bavaria, the son of a schoolteacher and a homemaker. In 1938, five years after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany, Kissinger fled from home with his Jewish parents and younger brother. He would return, first in a US Army intelligence role in 1944 before Germany's defeat in World War II and then, years later, as Nixon's national security adviser, bleakly admitting that "my (left-behind) relatives are soap".Many, including Walter Isaacson, former editor of Time magazine and author of the book Kissinger: A Biography, argue that this traumatic childhood experience explained Kissinger's preoccupation with peace and order, and had influenced the formation of his realist approach to foreign policy — a view that Kissinger himself did not share."The political persecutions of my childhood are not what control my life", he once said.Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger is greeted by students and faculty of Nanjing University on June 23, 2007, during the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo by Song Qiao / For China Daily]Scottish American writer-historian Niall Ferguson, who had immersed himself in Kissinger's private papers, correspondence and academic writings from Harvard, where Kissinger was a student and later a professor, sought to fathom the man in his 2015 book Kissinger 1923-1968: The Idealist."The idea of Kissinger as the ruthless arch-realist is based on a profound misunderstanding," Ferguson wrote, pointing to Kissinger's undergraduate thesis "The Meaning of History", in which the aspiring intellectual, after having studied the 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant, said, "Peace is therefore the noblest goal of human endeavor, the affirmation of the ultimacy of man's moral personality."Speaking to the UN General Assembly on Sept 24, 1974, Kissinger, then newly appointed as US secretary of state, and who first gained public attention as a nuclear strategist a decade before, echoed his younger self. "Two centuries ago, the philosopher Kant predicted that perpetual peace would come eventually. … What seemed utopian then looms as tomorrow's reality," he said, alluding to the avoidance of nuclear annihilation.Nixon made Kissinger his national security adviser after taking office in 1969. With a shared strategic approach to foreign policy, the two pursued the dual approaches of detente with the Soviets and opening to the Chinese throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s."Our basic strategy was to be closer to both of them than they were to each other," reflected Kissinger, whose ultimate goal was, in his own words, "to shape a global equilibrium" that he and Nixon believed could best serve US national interests."I'd like to think that what I have tried consistently to do is to think in long-range terms and in the national interest, but in the national interest related to the national interests of other countries. Because if you assert only your interests, without linking them to the interests of others, you will not be able to sustain your efforts," Kissinger said.A prolific author of intellectually hefty books, Kissinger was effusive about the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu in his 2011 book On China, written partly based on Kissinger's "conversations with four generations of Chinese leaders"."Western strategists test their maxims by victories in battles; Sun Tzu tests by victories where battles have become unnecessary," wrote Kissinger, who also traveled to China in his post-retirement days. This saw him continue to meet with prominent US and international leaders in what Lord described as "a remarkable display of savvy, stamina and sway".Reflecting on his mentor's legacy, Lord said, "Kissinger's single greatest achievement, I would say, was holding this country together in the wake of the Watergate scandal … to maintain American posture and ensure the continuity of its foreign policy."Tom Watkins, a former adviser for the Michigan-China Innovation Center, said, "Kissinger challenged all of us to take our society from where it is to where it has never been — that is the challenge of leadership."Kissinger is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two children, David and Elizabeth, from his first marriage, to Ann Fleischer, as well as five grandchildren.Lamenting the fact that Kissinger was never called back to office since stepping down as secretary of state in January 1977, Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University, said, "This was largely due to the coming to power of neo-conservatives in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and his successors. Unlike Kissinger, who was aiming for a balance of power favorable to the US, the neo-conservatives insist on American primacy and domination, something that Kissinger had consistently warned against."Kissinger, who credited leaders of his generation with a "willingness to raise their sights beyond the immediate issues of the day", said that the US "must temper its missionary spirit with a concept of the national interest and rely on its head as well as its heart in defining its duty to the world".Regarding the US and China, Kissinger said, "In a way, they were fortunate that their long isolation from each other meant that there were no short-term day-to-day issues between them."This, he added, "enabled them to lay the basis for a world unimaginable then but unachievable without Sino-American cooperation".

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Since the weekend, Beijing has impressed observers with separate series of intense, high-level consultations with Washington and Moscow, one after another.上周末以来，中国与美国、俄罗斯分别进行了一系列密集、高级别磋商，给观察家留下了深刻的印象。Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi completed two days of talks with United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Malta on Sunday, and he arrived in Russia on Monday for a four-day China-Russia consultation on strategic security.中国外交部长王毅于周日（9月17日）在马耳他完成了与白宫国家安全顾问沙利文两天的会谈，王毅周一（9月18日）抵达俄罗斯进行为期四天的中俄战略安全磋商。Analysts said the two series of talks — one closely following the other — are part of China's efforts to carry forward its regular two-way dialogues with influential major countries and help shore up nations' concerted efforts to stabilize the Asia-Pacific region.分析人士说，这两场时间联系紧密的系列会谈是中国努力推进与有影响力的主要国家定期双向对话的一部分，并帮助支持国家共同努力稳定亚太地区。Both China and the US described the weekend series of consultations as "candid, substantive and constructive" in official readouts released on Sunday. As part of the talks' outcomes, the two sides agreed to hold three China-US consultations — on the Asia-Pacific region, maritime affairs and foreign policy.中美双方在周日（2023.9.17）发布的官方报道中都将周末系列磋商描述为“坦诚、实质性、建设性”。作为会谈成果的一部分，双方关于亚太地区、海洋事务和外交政策进行了三次中美磋商。On Monday morning, Beijing announced that Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, will hold the 18th round of China-Russia strategic security consultations in Russia from Monday through Thursday.周一（9月18日）上午，中国宣布，中共中央政治局委员、中央外事工作委员会办公室主任王毅将于周一至周四在俄罗斯举行第18轮中俄战略安全磋商。Diao Daming, a professor at Renmin University of China's School of International Relations, said the common background of the two series of talks is that the world today is in turmoil and chaos, the global economy has a long way to go in recovering in the post-pandemic era, and the world has widespread expectations of an improved international order.中国人民大学国际关系学院教授刁大明表示，两场系列会谈的共同背景是，当今世界动荡混乱，后疫情时代全球经济复苏任重道远，世界对国际秩序改善有广泛期待。During the weekend talks, China and the US also discussed the Asia-Pacific region, the Ukraine crisis and the Korean Peninsula situation, among other international and regional issues.在周末会晤中，中美双方还讨论了亚太地区、乌克兰危机和朝鲜半岛局势等国际和地区问题。"China has retained its steady pace and resilience against various changes when navigating its major-country diplomacy, and it earnestly looks to shape relations with major countries in order to improve the region's situation and the world's trajectory," Diao said.刁大明表示：“中国在进行大国外交时，一直保持着应对各种变化的稳健步伐和韧性，认真寻求建立好大国关系，改善地区局势和世界轨迹。”"What China wants is to work with the international community to rise to the challenge, and it has always tried to inject the world with a steady stream of positivity and certainty," he added.他补充说：“中国期望与国际社会合作，积极迎接挑战，并一直努力稳定地为世界注入积极性和确定性。”Wang and Sullivan previously met and talked in Vienna, Austria, in May. Before that, high-level strategic communication between China and the US took place over the past two years in such places as Zurich, Rome and Luxembourg.王毅和沙利文此前曾于5月在奥地利维也纳会晤面谈。前两年中美两国的高层战略沟通一直在苏黎世、罗马和卢森堡等地进行。During the talks with Washington, the Taiwan question and the US perception of China's development were high on the agenda.在与美国的会谈中，台湾问题和美国对中国发展的看法都被提上议程。An unnamed senior official with the Foreign Ministry who took part in the weekend talks said the multiple rounds of consultations as a whole "exceeded 12 hours in total", and "the Taiwan question consumed the longest time".一位参加周末会谈的外交部匿名高级官员说，多轮磋商“总共超过12小时”，“台湾问题花费时间最长”。The official told Chinese media that Wang said the most essential status quo is that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, and the tension across the Strait originates from the increasingly rampant "Taiwan independence "activities by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party.官方告诉中国媒体，王毅表示最本质的现状是台湾海峡两岸属于一个中国，两岸的紧张局势源于台湾民进党日益猖獗的“台独”活动。The right path for peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question is "resolutely objecting to 'Taiwan independence' and supporting the peaceful reunification of China", Wang said.王毅表示，和平解决台湾问题的正确路径是“坚决反对‘台独'，支持中国和平统一”。China has always rejected attempts to use competition to define the whole of China-US ties, and it opposes economic decoupling under the pretext of "de-risking", Wang told Sullivan.王毅告诉沙利文，中国一直拒绝用竞争来定义整个中美关系，也反对以“去风险”为托词的经济脱钩。Wang expressed serious concerns over the US suppressing and frustrating China in terms of science and technology and over the US' unilateral, unreasonable sanctions on Chinese businesses, institutions and individuals.王毅严重关切美国在科技方面打压、挫败中国，以及美国对中国企业、机构和个人实施单边、不合理的制裁。Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the Department of American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the "several rounds "indicate the intensity of the negotiations and "the large number of agenda items between Beijing and Washington".中国国际问题研究院美国研究所副所长苏晓晖说，“多轮”表明了谈判的密集程度以及“中美之间的议程项目数量庞大”。"And Beijing's message is clear — not to cross the line over the Taiwan question and stop suppressing and encircling China," she said.她说：“中国的态度很明确--不要在台湾问题上越界，停止压制和包围中国。”"Washington is expected to work toward the same goal alongside China and take more positive moves in response to China's message," she added.“美国应与中国一起朝着同一目标努力，并积极回应中方的态度，”她补充说。Meanwhile, the previous round of consultation under the China-Russia strategic security consultation mechanism took place in Fuzhou, Fujian province, in September last year. The mechanism was established in 2005.与此同时，中俄战略安全磋商机制下的上轮磋商于去年9月在福建省福州市举行。该机制成立于2005年。Observers noted that the mechanism is part of the evolving China-Russia comprehensive strategic cooperation in the new era.观察者注意到，该机制是新时代中俄全面战略合作演进的一部分。The trip to Russia this week by Wang, who was invited by Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, for the 18th round of consultation is "a routine activity within the framework of the China-Russia strategic security consultation mechanism", Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Monday.王毅本周受俄联邦安全委员会秘书长尼古拉·帕特鲁舍夫邀请的的俄罗斯之行，对于第18轮磋商是“中俄战略安全磋商机制框架内的一次例行活动”，外交部发言人毛宁周一（2023.9.18）说。The trip to Russia "aims to implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, promote the development of bilateral relations and carry out in-depth communication on important issues related to the strategic security interests of the two countries", Mao said.毛宁说，此次俄罗斯之行“旨在落实两国元首达成的重要共识，推动双边关系发展，并就涉及两国战略安全利益的重要议题进行深入沟通。”She pointed to both countries' shared identity as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major emerging market economies.她指出两国同为联合国安理会常任理事国和主要新兴市场国家。"The two countries have always maintained close communication on major, strategic and overarching issues of common concern," she added.她补充说：“两国一直就共同关心的重大战略性、全局性问题保持密切沟通。”Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said that "China-Russia strategic cooperation is the 'mainstay' of maintaining international peace and security", and "the significance and impact of China-Russia relations go far beyond the bilateral context".中国驻俄罗斯大使张汉晖说，“中俄战略合作是维护国际和平与安全的‘中流砥柱'”，“中俄关系的意义和影响远远超出双边范畴”。In an interview published last week on the People's Daily website, Zhang said the two sides "work closely together in the international arena", resolutely oppose hegemony and power politics, and adhere to genuine multilateralism.在人民日报网站上周发表的一篇访谈中，张汉晖说双方“在国际舞台上密切合作”，坚决反对霸权和强权政治，坚持真正的多边主义。Maritime英/'mærɪtaɪm/美'mærɪtaɪm/adj.海事的turmoil 英/'tɜːmɒɪl/美/'tɝmɔɪl/n.混乱，动乱

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng has warned against decoupling and conflict between Beijing and Washington.

①President Xi Jinping addresses the BRICS summit: development as an inalienable right of all countries, expansion of BRICS for a more equitable international order, etc. We discuss the spirits of his address. (00:57) ②U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo meets Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. ahead of her China trip. (11:56) ③South Korea has held its first nationwide air defense drills in six years amid growing tensions with North Korea. Does this indicate that the tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached a new high since 2017? (25:12) ④We look at how Japan's trade with Russia continues despite Japan following the US and Europe in sanctioning Russia. (34:24) ⑤China is carrying out an anti-corruption campaign in the healthcare sector. (43:56)

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Three men were sentenced to prison after illegally crossing the border into Myanmar, including one who was returning after being rejected by a telecom fraud group due to his lack of typing skills.三名男子在非法越境进入缅甸后被判入狱，其中一人因打字不熟练被电信诈骗团伙拒绝后返回。According to a notice released by the official WeChat account for the intermediate people's court of Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, Guizhou province on Monday, they were caught by Yunnan police in February before being sentenced to between four and six months in prison and a fine of 6800 to 7000 yuan ($934 to $962) for illegally crossing a national border. All three people had prior criminal histories.根据8月14日贵州省黔东南苗族侗族自治州中级人民法院官方微信账号发布的公告，他们于今年2月被云南警方抓获，随后因非法越境被判处4至6个月有期徒刑，并处罚金6800至7000元（934至962美元）。这三人都有犯罪前科。The first defendant, surnamed Wu, crossed into Myanmar and returned to China in July and Oct 2019 and March 2020. When attempting to sneak into Myanmar again in Oct 2020 to work for a telecom fraud group, he was rejected for being unable to type.第一名被告人姓吴，分别于2019年7月、10月和2020年3月偷渡进入缅甸并返回中国。2020年10月，当他试图再次潜入缅甸，为一个电信诈骗团伙工作时，却因不会打字而被拒绝。The second defendant, surnamed Huang, snuck into Myanmar and returned to China in Jan and July 2019. When he was planning to sneak into Myanmar again in Aug 2020, he was apprehended by police.第二名被告人姓黄，于2019年1月和7月潜入缅甸并返回中国。当他打算在2020年8月再次潜入缅甸时，被警方抓获。The third defendant, surnamed Yang, crossed into Myanmar and returned home in March 2019. He again illegally snuck into Myanmar in May 2020 before turning himself in to police.第三名被告人姓杨，2019年3月潜入缅甸回国。2020年5月，他再次非法潜入缅甸，后向警方自首。In recent years, China has strengthened its efforts to crack down on telecom fraud crime. On July 25, Chen Hai, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar, met with Than Swe, Myanmar's Minister for Foreign Affairs, to coordinate with the Myanmar side about cooperating to fight criminal activities within Myanmar's borders, Xinhua News Agency reported.近年来，中国加大了对电信诈骗犯罪的打击力度。据新华社报道，7月25日，中国驻缅甸大使陈海在内比都会见缅甸外长丹穗，就中缅合力打击缅境内电诈网赌等犯罪活动进行专题协调。In addition, China advises its citizens to be cautious about job opportunities in Myanmar that claim to offer high salaries. These job offers are usually circulated by telecom fraud gangs.此外，中国建议其公民谨慎对待缅甸声称提供高薪的工作机会。这些招聘信息通常由电信诈骗团伙散布。Fraud英/frɔːd/ 美/frɔːd/n.欺诈，骗局Criminal英/ˈkrɪmɪn(ə)l/ 美/ˈkrɪmɪn(ə)l/adj.犯法的，犯罪的

Senior officials and observers from around the world have been impressed by China's enterprising diplomatic efforts in recent months in engaging wealthy nations as well as the most vulnerable countries in tackling the increasingly challenging global problem of climate change.The climate-themed diplomacy, led by President Xi Jinping, illustrates the evolving Chinese solution and the fair, responsible approach sought by Beijing for dealing with the growing deficit of global governance, they said.With July having been the hottest month ever recorded, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on July 27 that "the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable", and "leaders must lead" with dramatic, immediate climate action to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 C above preindustrial levels.At bilateral meetings with visiting foreign leaders and at some major international events last month, Xi said that China understands the severe challenges facing vulnerable nations such as Pacific Island countries, and he vowed further action to ensure that global unity and efforts focusing on climate change do not lose steam.Speaking with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on July 10, Xi said that China "stands ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with island countries in meteorological services, disaster prevention and reduction, clean energy and other fields".In a meeting on July 28 with Mohamed Irfaan Ali, president of the Caribbean country of Guyana, Xi also touched on dealing with climate change.Xi called on countries to "join hands to tackle global challenges such as climate change", when delivering a toast at the welcoming banquet of the opening ceremony of the ongoing Chengdu FISU World University Games.In addition, the past month witnessed senior Chinese officials' dialogues with dignitaries of leading economies and major sources of carbon emissions in the world — such as the United States and the European Union, observers noted.In July, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry visited China.Premier Li Qiang told Kerry that all parties should "abide by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in addressing climate change", developed countries should take the lead in reducing emissions and fulfill their financial commitments, and developing countries should make contributions within their capacity.Also in Beijing, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang and European Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans co-chaired the fourth EU-China High-Level Dialogue on Environment and Climate on July 4 and reached extensive common understandings.The dialogue with the EU "sent a positive signal of China and the EU working together on climate change, biodiversity loss and other global challenges", said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.Leila Benali, Morocco's minister of energy transition and sustainable development, said China has rich experience and achievements in energy transformation and sustainable development.Morocco looks forward to deepening exchanges and cooperation with China in relevant fields and jointly taking the road of green, low-carbon and sustainable development, she told Chinese Ambassador to Morocco Li Changlin last month.Wang Wen, executive dean of Renmin University of China's Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, said China's climate change-oriented green economy is developing at a rapid speed and "China is one of the few major countries that are faithfully committed to realizing the Paris Agreement on climate change"."For example, China's total output of hydropower accounts for 29 percent of the global total output. And over the past few years, there has been growing awareness among the Chinese public about the great significance and implication of tackling climate change and seeking green development," he said.Chinese diplomats have continued reaching out to foreign parties to advance the bilateral and multilateral agenda on tackling climate change.On Friday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan by phone that Beijing supports Dubai in hosting the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP 28, and is willing to strengthen strategic cooperation with the UAE in the international arena.Projects and cooperative programs for energy saving and improving the climate have played a key part in major visions proposed by Beijing, including the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, and have drawn widespread acclaim from countries around the globe, observers noted.Wang Yiwei, a professor at Renmin University of China's School of International Studies and director of the university's Institute of International Affairs, said the China-proposed programs "possess both high standards and great feasibility", helping introduce environmentally friendly projects to developing countries such as Kenya.Furthermore, "by technological upgrade and renovation, Chinese investors transformed some steel factories in Europe to make sure they meet standards of both the EU and China, while securing jobs for local workers and furthering tax contribution to local authorities", he said.It is no wonder that over 150 countries have actively subscribed to the BRI, including the projects seeking green transformation, he added.Reporter: Zhang YunbiDiplomacy英 /dɪ'pləʊməsɪ/美 /dɪ'ploməsi/n. 外交Climate英 /ˈklaɪmət/美 /ˈklaɪmət/n. 气候

Chris Hipkins and Trade Minister Damien O'Connor are addressing the Chinese Ambassador and New Zealand business leaders, at the China Business Summit in Auckland. O'Connor told Mike Hosking their message to the ambassador will be simple. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last time we spoke about the Massacre at Port Arthur, actions in Manchuria and the fall of Weihaiwei. The Japanese had completely destroyed their meticulously cultivated public image when they let loose atrocities upon the Chinese at Port Arthur. Meanwhile, multiple Japanese and Chinese armies fought in Manchuria, culminating in a decisive blow at the battle of Yingkou. The Japanese advance was getting ever closer to Beijing, but the event that would inflict the most serious threat to China was the battle for Weihaiwei. The survivors of the Beiyang Fleet were trapped within the harbor of Weihaiwei when the Japanese snuck onto the Peninsula and laid siege to the great fortified port city. The Japanese stormed the fort's guns and quickly turned them on the Beiyang fleet before launching torpedo boats to finish the job. It was a catastrophe for the Qing Dynasty, now the Japanese could launch offensives at their whim against Shandong province.   #54 The First Sino-Japanese War of 1898-1895 Part 6: Taiwan and end of the War   Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Japan had just captured the port city of Weihaiwei. The Japanese government publicly reported their objectives of war were not yet attained and that the diet was prepared to grant whatever amounts were necessary for military expenses required to finish them. Meanwhile the Qing court in Beijing concluded that China's military defeats had been mostly a result of the weaknesses of European weaponry. Yes, that was their conclusion. They pointed out how there was a mismatch between Chinese gunpowder, which might I add was inferior to that of what was being used in the west, and their western purchased breech-loading rifles. From the North China Herald we get this gem "There is a movement in Peking for a return to the use of muzzle-loading rifles and long jingals [sic] for arming the Chinese armies. But the Chinese arsenals before the war was ‘unfit even for firecrackers' and had been provided ‘by unprincipled ordnance officials.' This inferior gunpowder supplied to the Chinese armies in Manchuria and elsewhere since the war began, had undoubtedly been one of the chief causes which has made our soldiery appear ridiculous in the eyes of the world. The powder in the cartridges has been found either not to carry far enough in nine cases out often or not even to explode! This sad state of affairs has been the principal cause of the hitherto astonishing panics of the Chinese soldiery whenever they were confronted by the Japanese." Instead of simply replacing defective powder and using modern weapons. The Qing solution to their gunpowder problem, which was the result of corrupt officials embezzling, was to simply dispose of modern weaponry and start using their old stuff. Instead of simply replacing defective powder and using modern weapons. With the Beiyang fleet's warships destroyed or captured, Prince Gong ordered the closing of the admiralty board since China no longer possessed a real navy. When he did so, they found 5 million taels missing from the account. It is alleged these funds were diverted to Empress Dowager Cixi's summer palace renovations. There was a general recognition in the west after the fall of Weihaiwei that the balance of power in the far east had changed. China was no longer the dominant power, it was clearly Japan. The Qing dynasty faced a horrible decision: they could negotiate a peace deal with Japan or they could risk a coup d'etat. It was to be defeat by the hands of Japanese, or their own Han subjects. The Manchu leadership clearly favored the former, especially since they were under the belief they could enlist some western intervention to mitigate better peace terms on their behalf. For the Japanese, they now were trying to figure how to make their war gains permanent, but to do so they really had to get the Qing to capitulate before foreign intervention occurred. While Japan could defeat China, she could not handle more nations jumping into the mix, particularly the Russians in Manchuria. The Japanese public and military were demanding peace terms to meet their great achievements in the field of battle. Japanese diplomats however were very aware of the international diplomatic consequences of being too ambitious in the peace terms. Cooperation between the Japanese military and diplomatic leadership began to wane after Port Arthur fell. A week after its fall, Premier Ito Hirobumi arranged Field Marshal Yamagata Aritomo to be relieved of his command for medical reasons, but he was not sick. No, it was because Yamagata favored a direct march upon Beijing and this made the Japanese political leadership worried he might not listen to orders telling him otherwise if he remained in the field. They believed such a strategy would ultimately backfire, because it would collapse the Qing dynasty which would simply drag western powers into the mix. As Premier Ito Hirobumi put it “Should this happen, Japan would be negotiating peace not with China, but with the Western Powers. But there is another twist to this story. Yamagata also happened to be Ito's most powerful rival and you can only imagine how much it might displeasure Ito if Yamagata marched into Beijing.  Thus Ito arranged for a different strategy. Beijing would no longer be an objective, instead the 2nd IJA hit Weihaiwei, but another far more distant objective was also tossed onto the map, Taiwan. It was the belief amongst the Japanese leadership, the western powers would tolerate Japan annexing Taiwan. Always trying to emulate the great powers, Japan wanted to obtain colonies, showcasing herself to be their equal. Taking territory on the mainland of Asia was much trickery and could butt heads with nations like Russia, but Taiwan was a lonely Qing held asset very far from her clutches. The strategy was extremely unpopular with the military and Japanese public, both of whom obviously were looking forward to a foothold on the Asian mainland and the ultimate spectacle of marching upon Beijing. In fact the Imperial Family had even sent Field Marshal Prince Komatsu Akihito over to specifically grab command over the march on Beijing. The Japanese royal family wanted one of its members to personally see the capitulation of the Qing emperor, now that would certainly be a hell of a spectacle. But most of the military and public did not understand what would occur if the Qing dynasty collapsed.  By this point of the war, the IJA sought to retain the Liaodong Peninsula, but the Japanese politicians understood this was far too close to the Chinese capital to be tolerated. Meanwhile the financial leaders of Japan sought, as you can imagine, large indemnity payments. War can be expensive. So the Peace demands would have three overarching demands: Taiwan, the Liaodong Peninsula and a fat sum of money in indemnities. Now ever since the disasters at Pyongyang and Yalu, the British and Russian governments began work to mediate between China and Japan. Nothing was coming to fruition, but after Port Arthur fell, the Qing began to get desperate. Just a week after Port Arthur's fall, the Qing government sent its first peace mission to Japan. On November 26th, the commissioner of customs at Tianjin, Gustav Detring and a journalist of the London Times named Alexander Michie arrived to Hiroshima with a letter from Li Hongzhang. Ito Hirobumi refused to receive the letter from Gustav Detring because he was not properly accredited by the Qing government, so he was sent away. When Gaiping fell on January 10th, the Qing government requested a cease-fire, which the Japanese turned down. In fact the Japanese publicly stated they would not halt hostilities even during peace talks. Thus the war continued on. Since the first mission, if you could call it that had failed, the Qing prepared a second. This time the Qing hired a special adviser, the former secretary of state to the US, John Watson Foster. Two commissioners were appointed, Zhang Yinhuan a former minister to the US, Peru and Spain and current Zongli Yamen. The second was Shao Youlin, a previous governor to Taiwan, and current activating governor of Hunan province. Zhang was capable of speaking English and thus he took the head. Speaking of heads, Shao Youlin, though a very unknown official, he was rather infamous for one thing. He had issued a proclamation at the beginning of the war, offering a 200 tael reward for the head of any Japanese officer or 100 taels for a regular soldier presented to him. Now if you have been listening to this series from the beginning you can guess this is the age old trick the Chinese played to save face. Always add some level of insult when performing negotiations. Thus Mr. Shao's appointment was just that, an insult and part of a game, a game the Japanese understood, China was still trying to make her look inferior. If China sent top ranking diplomats, it meant they were treating Japan as an equal. To this the Japanese retaliated. They used diplomatic fine print, found from European international law to rid themselves of the new delegation without breaching any rules on courtesy. They made the Chinese look ridiculous. Here is how it went down according to the North China Herald “the two envoys who should be proceeding were still idling in Shanghai because they were unfurnished with proper credentials” The Japanese also asserted the US minister in Beijing had been asked to draw up a proper set of credentials, but he was extremely late to present them and this was unacceptable. According to the Japanese the plenipotentiary powers of the two envoys lacked the authority to make any decisions. All of this occurred before the fall of Weihaiwei, meaning if the delegation had been successful the Japanese would have had a lot less chips on the table. A few days after the envoys departed for Hiroshima, the Peking Gazette, which was the official organ for the Qing government to publicate its edicts referred to the Japanese notably not with the term Woren, but this time the term Wokou which loosely meant “dwarf bandit'. The envoys reached Hiroshima on January 31st of 1895 and met with Ito Hirobumi on February 1st with Zhang keeping a friendly posture. Zhang continuously asked when he would be meeting with Emperor Meiji and Ito Hirobumi kept promising soon, soon he was a busy man, but in reality the Japanese, pardon my french, were just fucking with the envoys and were going to toss them out of the country. Ito Hirobumi made public statement to the two envoys, that they lacked official seals to conclude real treaties and that Japan had demanded assurances from the Qing government they would send proper envoys with proper seals. He finished off with this “ His Majesty the Emperor of Japan conferred upon my colleague and myself full powers to conclude and sign Preliminaries of Peace with the Plenipotentiaries of China." And on February 2, 1895, Ito called off the negotiations. Thus two days after the second mission arrived, they were already departing in failure. It would take over a month and a half before a third mission would leave China for Japan. In the meantime Japan captured Weihaiwei, destroyed the Beiyang fleet and were advancing upon Beijing by land and sea. This led the Chinese to stop messing around and choose envoys they knew the Japanese would accept. The Japanese made it known they would accept either Li Hongzhang or Prince Gong, China's two top foreign policy experts. Now if Li Hongzhang went, this offered the Japanese an enormous opportunity to humiliate the man who was commanding the Qing Navy and large parts of her land forces. The other choice placed a Manchu member of the royal clan in a position that would more than likely also result in humiliation. The Qing as you might guess, opted to toss the Han Chinese Li Hongzhang. It was the obvious choice to save the face of Manchu pride to scapegoat using a Han, a classica Qing dynasty strategy by this point in time. Thus the man who fought the most to modernize China and scapegoat this entire calamity would become the scapegoat and bear China's humiliation. To ready Li Hongzhang for his new responsibility, Emperor Guangxu simply restored all the honors and titles he had recently taken from him. Li Hongzhang yet again wore the 3 eyed peacock feather and yellow jacket. The Qing imperial court then asked all the highest ranking provincial officials for recommendations on what to include in the peace settlement. Li Hongzhang was provided with this: To accept a peace settlement as long as the Japanese only wanted indemnity payments. If Japan sought any territorial concessions, the Qing would continue to fight. Might I note, all of these officials who gave their recommendations were extremely out of touch with the reality of the ongoing war. On March 19th, Li Hongzhang alongside 100 other officials departed China for the port city of Shimonoseki. Premier Ito Hirobumi was the main Japanese representative and they would be conducted in english, with Li Hongzhang using an interpreter, Ito spoke english himself. Li Hongzhang presented official credentials with Emperor Guangxu's seal fixed on them. It's ironic, that when presented, Premier Ito asked why the Emperor used a seal, but no signature as was custom for modern society. Li Hongzhang waved it off stating it was Chinese custom and Ito did not press upon it, but yet again what a metaphor for China's reluctance to modernize. Li Hongzhang began negotiations by pressing upon things the two men used to talk about, pan-asianism vs western threats. In his words “the yellow race must work together to hamper the designs of the white race”. Ito replied “when I was at Tientsin 10 years ago settling the Korea problem, I gave you friendly advice that many reforms were most important for your country but I regret very much that no change whatever has taken place”. To this Li Hongzhang sighed and replied "the trammels of antiquated manners and customs in my country are most difficult to shake off and one cannot follow one's own inclination in effecting reform." Li Hongzhang then argued for the signing of an alliance between China and Japan against the West, which Ito declined. Then later that day, Li Hongzhang presented a proposal for an armistice, which Ito also declined. The main reason Ito Hirobumi was declining the armistice was because of the upcoming operations to invade Taiwan. Ito Hirobumi countered the armistice proposal by stating it would be accepted if the Japanese could occupy Dagu, Tianjin and Shanhaiguan; if China would cede control over railway from Tianjin to Shanhaiguan, which was her only railway at the time; and lastly pay for the cost of such occupation. According to Japanese foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu "As Li read this memorandum to himself, his face changed color and he appeared stunned. Over and over, he muttered that the terms were too severe." Li Hongzhang spoke with the Zongli Yamen, who in turn spoke to the Qing Court in Beijing and all agreed to reject such an armistice agreement. On March 24th, Li Hongzhang warned Ito "If the terms [for peace] involve the interests of any other country it would be well to proceed cautiously. Your Excellency said that Japan will attack Formosa [Taiwan]. This explains your objection to the Armistice." This was Li Hongzhang threatening that Western powers would intervene if Japan sought too extensive a price for peace and that China knew what they were up to with Taiwan. As Li Hongzhang left that days meeting to return to his lodgings, a Japanese youth named Koyama Toyotaro crept up to Li Hongzhangs palaquin and shot a pistol at him. The bullet went through Li Hongzhang's left cheek, literally just an inch below his eye. The Japanese police grabbed the man as Li Hongzhang was rushed to physicians to help him. The physicians were astounded with Li Hongzhangs fortitude in the face of such pain, especially since they could not anesthetize him due to his age. The operation would take a long recovery time, so Li Hongzhang decided not to have the bullet removed and simply went on with the negotiations. Now you think President Theodore Roosevelt was a badass,get a load of that. The bullet remained lodged deep under his nose. Emperor Meiji had ordered his personal physician to attend Li Hongzhang with bandages rolled up personally by the Empress. Emperor Meiji followed this up with an official public apology to the Qing government "It was of course incumbent on Us, in observance of international usage and on account of the credit of Our country to treat the Chinese Ambassador with proper courtesy and consideration...Most unfortunately, however, a fanatic has come forward and inflicted injury on the Chinese Ambassador. We are profoundly pained by the incident. The fanatic will of course be punished by Our officials in conformity with law." During the following week Li Hongzhang reported he had received over 10,000 letters of condolence from the Japanese public. This was an incredible loss of face for Japan. The wannabe assassin had very publicly breached the most elementary principle of modern diplomatic conduct. That said, the assassin received life in prison by the way. To restore some of their loss of face, Emperor Meiji granted a 3 week armistice to China, his entire military began pulling their hair out. The armistice was to be partial and not general however. What does that mean you might be asking? Well it meant it applied to the mainland, but not Taiwan and the Pescadore islands. The sneakiness of this was not lost of the press, the North China Herald had this to say “this voluntary sacrifice on Japan's part, is, as a matter of fact, no sacrifice and no armistice at all...[T]he march to Peking will not be continued...[but she] will go on with the subjugation of Taiwan." On March 15th of 1895, a Japanese expeditionary force of 5500 men had set sail for the Pescadore Islands. The Pescadore islands were the key to capturing Taiwan, their occupation would prevent the Qing from sending reinforcements across the Taiwan Strait. The Pescadores were garrisoned by 15 Qing battalions who held a recently created coastal defense battery that was created as a result of the French attacks during the Sino-French war. The Japanese opened up hostilities with a large naval bombardment of the Qing forts and batteries before landing ashore on Fisher Island and Penghu on March 24th. American-Canadian James W Davidson was a war correspondent with the IJA during the invasion of the Pescadore islands and later on Taiwan and he has honestly one of the best accounts on the entire story. So I am actually going to leave it to Mr. Davidson to describe how it went down. On March 20th, after a five days' trip from Sasebo naval station, the expedition, consisting of the fleet and the transports, arrived off the Pescadores and anchored near Pachau island to the south of the principal islands of the group. Bad weather on the 21st and 22nd prevented an immediate attack on the forts; but on the 23rd, the storm having abated, the ships got underway, and at 9.30 a.m., upon the first flying squadron drawing near Hau-chiau [候角?], the fleet subjected the Kon-peh-tai fort to a heavy bombardment, to which the Chinese replied for nearly an hour before they were silenced. During the afternoon, the disembarkation of the troops commenced. By the aid of steam pinnaces each towing several cutters, the troops, consisting of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Companies of the 1st Regiment of reserves under the command of Colonel Hishijima, were all landed in less than two hours. The landing of the troops brought the Kon-peh-tai fort into action again, but without inflicting much damage on the Japanese. The troops on shore engaged in a skirmish with some 300 Chinese soldiers, afterward reinforced by 150 more, near a commanding knoll which both forces were desirous of occupying. After a few volleys from the Japanese, answered by an irregular fire from the Chinese, the latter eventually fled, leaving the position in the hands of the Japanese. Staff-quarters were then established in the village of Chien-shan [尖山社]. At 2.30 on the morning of the 24th, the troops advanced with the intention of taking the Kon-peh-tai fort and Makung (Bako) with a temporary company of mountain artillery under Captain Arai and the naval contingent with quick firing guns under Naval Lieutenant Tajima in the van. The night was very dark and the only available route was so frequently cut up with ditches running in every direction that progress was laboriously slow; only some two miles being made after three hours of painful tramping. By about 4 a.m., the Japanese force had all reached the rallying ground, and thirty minutes later, led by the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment of reserves, were advancing towards the fort. The 5th Company, under the command of Captain Kinoshita, formed the advance guard, and a detachment of this company, under command of Lieutenant Ishii, were the first to engage the Chinese forces, 200 of whom had taken up a position outside the fort and appeared to dispute the advance of the Japanese. The engagement was very brief, the Chinese flying before the small number of determined Japanese. Meanwhile, the temporary battery of mountain artillery had been shelling the fort from a position too far distant to do much damage to the stronghold, but in a manner sufficiently effective to frighten out the garrison, who left in such haste that, thirty minutes after the first gun had been fired, the Japanese were in possession. Thus was the principal port captured in the Pescadores. The naval contingent were also enabled to participate in the engagement, and with their two quick-firing guns did much execution. The 4th Company of the 1st Regiment of reserves and the naval contingent captured the village, after only a slight skirmish with the enemy. The place had been held by a garrison 500 strong. With the 2nd Company of the 1st Regiment of reserves leading the van, the Japanese forces now reassembled and advanced on the capital and principal city of the islands, Makung. No opposition was encountered on the way, with the exception of some ineffective firing from the Yui-wang island fort [漁翁島砲臺]; and upon reaching the city, the 1st Company stormed the Chinese infantry encampment, being followed soon after by the 2nd Company, which dashed through the gateway with the intention of dividing into three sections and attacking the enemy from different sides. But, to their amazement, their plans were found unnecessary, the garrison, with the exception of some thirty who did make a slight show of resistance, having fled. Some shots were fired at a few stragglers, and at 11.50 a.m. the occupation of the city was complete. Another engagement the same day resulted in the capture of the fort in the Yuan-ching peninsula [圓頂半島] by Commander Tanji with a naval force; about 500 of the enemy surrendering without making any resistance whatever. Two days later (March 26th), blue jackets occupied the Yui-wang island forts and found the place empty, the garrison having fled. Soon after the Japanese entered, a native presented himself, apparently on a very important mission, which proved to be the delivery of a letter stating that the Chinese commander and garrison wished to inform the Japanese that they surrendered the fort. Thus fell the key to Southern China. The Chinese prisoners, with the exception of eight officers, were given their liberty. The spoils of the little campaign were considerable, including 18 cannon, 2,663 rifles, over a million rounds of ammunition, 797 casks, and 3,173 bags of powder, a thousand bags of rice, etc., etc. Rear-Admiral Tanaka occupied the post of first governor of the group, and a government office and military post offices were at once erected. While the battle for the Pescadores was raging, both sides were still undergoing negotiations. On April the 1st, Li Hongzhang's nephew, Li Jingfang met with Foreign Minister Mutsu to ask if he could replace his uncle as plenipotentiary. Given the embarrassing nature of the assassination situation, Mutsu agreed to this. That same day the Japanese handed the Qing delegation an 11 page treaty draft. The draft showed the IJN wanted Taiwan, while the IJA sought the Liaodong Peninsula and the bankers wanted a large indemnity. Interesting point to note, Ito Hirobumi was the main architect of the treaty and he modeled it very much on Otto Von Bismarcks treaty after defeating France in 1871. Ito Hirobumi was a great admirer of Bismarck, and he even modeled the Meiji constitution on that of Prussia. Thus he wanted the Treaty of Shimonoseki as it would become known to mirror the key features of the 1871 Treaty of Frankfurt. For those unaware the Treaty of Frankfurt held territorial annexation, a large indemnity payment and occupation of an enemy city until payments were complete. Ironically for those who know their world war history, the possession of Alsace-Lorraine would become the crux of two world wars, and much could be said of Japan's taking of Chinese territories leading to the same conclusion.  The Treaty held much more than the 3 demands however in totality it included, 1) the complete independence and autonomy of Korea 2) Qing cession of the entire coastal region of Manchuria from the Korean border south, including the Liaodong Peninsula, Niuzhuang, Taiwan, and the Pescadore islands 3) the indemnity payment of 300 million taels, to be paid over 4.5 years with a 5% interest rate 4) mandatory Japanese citizenship for residents in the ceded territories 5) a renegotiation of Sino-Japanese commercial treaties to mirror that with the West powers 6) the opening of 7 cities to international commerce, residence and industry (those being Beijing, Xiangtan, Chongqing, Wuzhou, Suzhou, Jiangsu and Hangzhou 7) the opening to international steam navigation of the upper Yangtze 8) exemption from the likin tax 9) Japanese occupation of Port Arthur, Weihaiwei and Fengtianfu until payments were done and 10) an end to all offensive military operations after treaty signing. Big gulp. To sing this would spell the end of Chinese influence not only over Korea, but major parts of Manchuria, and the complete loss of Taiwan and the Pescadore islands. When presented all of this China agreed to the issue of Korea's independence, but when it came to all the territorial claims Li Jingfang argued they were far too excessive. He also argued the indemnity fee was far too high and countered with 200 taels. It was at this point Ito Hirobumi pulled Li Jingfang aside for an informal meeting on April 8th. There he warned Li that time was running out and the closer the IJA got to Beijing the harder it would be to stop the toppling of the Qing Dynasty. Li immediately sent word back to the Qing court pleading for instructions on what to do, but they were not unified with factions emerging in the court fighting over differing issues. The next day the Qing delegation caved in to the Japanese demands with a few changes: 1) Both Japan and China would recognize Korea's independence 2) the territorial cessions would be the Pescadores, and part of Manchuria where it meets the border with Korea, this meant Andong, Kuandian, Fenghuangcheng and Xiuyanzhou 3) the indemnity payment was reduced 4) the Japanese would extend the same rights to Chinese in the ceded territories 5) The new Sino-Japanese trade deals would not be unequal treaties 6) Weihaiwei would be occupied until payments were made 7) all future disagreements would be submitted to international arbitration 8) all military offensives would cease upon signing. On April 10th, Li Hongzhang made the first visit to Ito Hirobumi since his date with the bullet and the talks began with a small exchange of courtesy. Li Hongzhang had this to say to Ito "What you have done for Japan I wanted to imitate for China. Had you been in my place you would know the unspeakable difficulties met with in China." Then Ito Hirobumi presented Japans revised treaty draft now including 1) Japan refused to recognize the neutrality of Korea and demanded China recognize the independence of Korea 2) Japan agreed to limiting territorial concessions, but wanted the Liaodong Peninsula, Nuizhuang, Taiwan and the Pescadores. 3) the indemnity payment was fine 4) Japan could not guarantee Chinese property right in ceded territories 5) Japan could not guarantee equal trade treaties 6) Japan reduced the list of cities to be opened from 7 to 4, Beijing, Xiangtan and Wuzhou were taken off. 7) Japan agreed to just occupy Weihaiwei 8) Japan refused to accept international arbitration to resolve future disputes 9) To stop military operations once this treaty was signed. The Japanese knew it would take another week or two for the delegation to get answers from the court in Beijing, thus giving their forces more time to subdue the Pescadores and Taiwan. Li Hongzhang began haggling more, so Ito Hirobumi pointed out that 60 more IJN transports were lying at anchor in Hiroshima's harbor awaiting the armistice expiration so they could depart for China. An ultimatum was given to the Chinese on April 11th and on the 15th they delegations met again where they simply hashed out the fine details such as waiving the interest rates and they extended the armistice to Taiwan and the Pescadores as by the 17th they were fully occupied. Finally on april the 17th the treaty of Shimonoseki was signed. With the treaty signed, the wolves came out in China to cast blame and cannibalize. Li Hongzhang's rivals at court came after him without mercy. Li Hongzhang for his part arranged to have his nephew take on the responsibilities of handing Taiwan over to Japan, a rough deal.  Now a lot would change, the balance of power in the far east for example. This is a podcast about the history of China so I do not want to delve too much into Japan, but it is important for the history of future events that you know this. Russia watched the war closely and by the end of it, came to the conclusion Japan posed a serious security threat to Russia and that of her expansion of the far eastern railway system. On April the 23rd, just 6 days after the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Ministers of France, Germany and Russia called upon the Japanese foreign ministry to offer some friendly advice. They recommended that Japan return the Liaodong Peninsula to the Qing dynasty on the grounds that Japan's possession of it would quote "would be a constant menace to the capital of China, would at the same time render illusory the independence of Korea, and would henceforth be a perpetual obstacle to the peace in the Far East." It was clear to the Japanese, the 3 western powers would intervene militarily if they did not acquiesce on the friendly advice. The IJN was not capable of facing the three navy's of France, Germany and Russia and thus Japan had to give up the Liaodong Peninsula. In truth Russia sought a warm water port in the Pacific, at this time they only had the cold water port of Vladivostok. As soon as Japanese forces had departed the Liaodong Peninsula, Russia immediately began occupying it and tossed immense funds into building up the naval base at Port Arthur. By December of 1897 Russian warships would be brought over to Port Arthur and in March of 1898 Russian formally leased the region for 25 years from China. And so the seeds of believe it or not WW2, had been sown some would argue. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Thus the first-sino Japanese war of 1894-1895 had come to an end. It was one of the most humiliating defeats for the Qing dynasty and yet again was breaking the dynasty brick by brick. For now the carving up of China was to ramp up. 

Last updated : 2023.06.13 The latest news from home and abroad, with a close eye on Northeast Asia and the Korean Peninsula in particular

On the weekend edition of the podcast this week Chris and Co have been in the bunker again this week and have been unearthing more future award winning articles. Some of the stories are - The government have been playing secret squirrel about a meeting they had with a Chinese official, the furl rorts scandal continues to rear it's ugly head, Alice Springs is set to get more poker machines and the CLP leader dodged a no confidence motion are just some of the stories we'll be talking about. Each week we speak with Chris Walsh, Editor of the NT Independent online newspaper, about some of the stories making news in the Territory. This week's stories are: 1. Breaking News - The government are trying to remove Mark Turner from the NT Labor party  2. ‘I have friends in China': Fyles' secret meeting with Chinese Ambassador only reported in China  3. Police coronial report was significantly altered after Rolfe's legal team became aware of it, documents show  4. Fuel card rorts: Independent board that sets pollies' benefits refuses to explain  5. New pokies for Alice Springs amid community turmoil  6. Lia Finocchiaro dodges no confidence motion by CLP members  7. Building code restrictions making student accommodation shortfall worse: Property Council NT  8. Qantas' Canberra to Darwin route takes off on June 9th  9. Job of the week - https://www.seek.com.au/job/67969165?savedSearchID=3a06b5cc-a1de-11e8-93a9-0bd920cd47b0&tracking=JMC-SavedSearch-anz-1  https://www.seek.com.au/job/67903402?savedSearchID=3a06b5cc-a1de-11e8-93a9-0bd920cd47b0&tracking=JMC-SavedSearch-anz-1-JYMHM The Territory Story podcast thanks to Oppidanus Digital Marketing, your local digital marketing agency. For more information about web design, search engine optimisation, social media management, video marketing or to discuss your digital marketing needs go to www.oppidanus.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/territorystory/message

①Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng calls for stabilizing bilateral ties. What are the details of his speech? (00:42) ②Honduran President is set to make her first visit to China. What should we expect? (13:38) ③U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Saudi Arabia.(25:08) ④Survey shows most Europeans want to remain neutral in U.S.-China rivalry.(34:00) ⑤China is to hold first nationwide village basketball tournament.(43:00)

By Kevin Andrews, EpochTimes

As the Australia-China relationship continues to thaw after years of tension, Australian timber will now be allowed back into China after a three-year ban. But the Chinese Ambassador to Australia has hit out at Australia's increasingly close partnership with the United States, insisting China is not a threat.

With the first China-Central Asia Summit around the corner, many analysts say that the relations between China and Central Asia including Kazakhstan are moving closer, not just economically but strategically too. Today, Wang Guan talks to the Chinese Ambassador of Kazakhstan to get his take on China Kazakhstan relations and evolving geopolitical landscape in the region.

Dominic LeBlanc, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister; Michael Chong, Conservative MP; Ralph Goodale, Canada's High Commissioner to U.K.; Sabrina Grover, Shakti Strategies; Fred DeLorey, 2021 Conservative National Campaign Manager; Kathleen Monk, Monk + Associates; Laura Stone, the Globe and Mail; and Kevin Gallagher, CTV News.

Is he a loose cannon, or did China's ambassador to France just test the waters for a more offensive posture on Ukraine? Lu Shaye has made headlines before, most notably with his wolf warrior calls to order over Taiwan. Now come his latest comments questioning not only Ukraine's sovereignty over Crimea, but the very legitimacy of the 14 independent states that peeled off from Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed. The embassy claims he was speaking only for himself.

During the 19th century, there were far more Chinese men abroad than women. Mui Tsai women were bonded to affluent Chinese families as maidservants or concubines. Amahs worked as paid domestic servants overseas. Some lived in collective sisterhoods and refused to couple with men. China Mary was a pioneer woman in Sitka, Alaska. Oei Hui-lan was the daughter of a Javanese sugar merchant and married the future Chinese Ambassador to Great Britain and the United States. Chinese women overseas had influence and made their mark on their new communities, including in Malaya and Singapore.Image: "Portrait of a smiling, elderly Chinese woman" by simpleinsomnia is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: “The Drive at 5” is BACK: Why did the media completely dismiss the possibility of a laboratory leak being responsible for COVID-19? FLASHBACK: In April of 2020, NPR claimed that science had “debunked” the theory. For months, media members claimed that anyone suggesting there was a possibility that COVID-19 originated via a laboratory leak was conspiratorial and xenophobic. Those lines of attack were initially iterated by a Chinese Ambassador attempting to shield Chinese leadership from criticism during an interview with Face the Nation in February of 2020. Why did American media do exactly what China wanted? According to a report from Fox News Digital, the House Oversight Committee has learned that Hunter Biden considered one of his business partners a “close confidant and counsel” to then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2014. Actor Woody Harrelson hosted this past weekend's episode of Saturday Night Live—joking about a film script he was given where drug cartels forced citizens into lockdowns until they take certain drugs. Unsurprisingly, the monologue ruffled feathers.

The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (02/27/2023): 3:05pm- According to a Wall Street Journal report, the United States Energy Department “has concluded that the Covid pandemic most likely arose from a laboratory leak, according to a classified intelligence report recently provided to the White House and key members of Congress.” Michael R. Gordon and Warren P. Strobel note, “[t]he Energy Department's conclusion is the result of new intelligence and is significant because the agency has considerable scientific expertise and oversees a network of U.S. national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research.” You can read the full report at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-origin-china-lab-leak-807b7b0a?mod=hp_lead_pos2 3:20pm- Congressman Guy Reschenthaler—Representative for Pennsylvania's 14th District and Serves on the House Appropriations Committee & the House Committee on Rules—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss Pennsylvania resident Marc Fogel's continued detainment in a Russian prison. Why hasn't the Biden Administration prioritized Fogel's safe return? Rep. Reschenthaler also discusses the U.S. Energy Department's conclusion that COVID-19 likely originated via a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China. 3:45pm- In a new opinion editorial in The New York Post, George Washington University Law Professor Jonathon Turley argues that one of the most important stories associated with the COVID-19 laboratory leak theory is the media's desperate attempt to censor it. 4:00pm- Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) remains voluntarily hospitalized and is receiving treatment for clinical depression. What is the status of his health? His aides say he is doing well and “on a path to recovery.” 4:10pm- Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs & White House Spokesperson John Kirby addressed the press on Monday—defending the Biden Administration's decision to continue to support gain-of-function research despite revelations from the Department of Energy that COVID-19 likely spread via a laboratory leak. 4:15pm- FLASHBACK: On February 8th, National Institutes of Health Acting Director Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak told a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing that the viruses being studied at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, bore no resemblance to the one that is responsible for the worldwide pandemic. 4:20pm- FLASHBACK: The Daily Caller put together a montage of notable personalities and government officials dismissing the “lab leak theory” as a Donald Trump-initiated conspiracy theory. The montage includes Joy Reid, Joe Scarborough, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman, and several experts from CNN and MSNBC. Will anyone admit they were wrong? 4:30pm- While speaking with Martha Raddatz on ABC, journalist Terry Moran stated that he believes President Joe Biden should visit East Palestine, Ohio as the community continues to deal with a toxic chemical spill resulting from a February 3rd train derailment. 4:40pm- When asked by White House press if he plans to visit East Palestine, Ohio, President Joe Biden said he already did a “Zoom” with the community and expressed no interest in visiting in-person. He also hilariously said the video conferencing application “Zoom” reminded him of the Aretha Franklin song, “Who's Zoomin' Who?” 5:00pm- “The Drive at 5” is BACK: Why did the media completely dismiss the possibility of a laboratory leak being responsible for COVID-19? FLASHBACK: In April of 2020, NPR claimed that science had “debunked” the theory. For months, media members claimed that anyone suggesting there was a possibility that COVID-19 originated via a laboratory leak was conspiratorial and xenophobic. Those lines of attack were initially iterated by a Chinese Ambassador attempting to shield Chinese leadership from criticism during an interview with Face the Nation in February of 2020. Why did American media do exactly what China wanted? 5:40pm- According to a report from Fox News Digital, the House Oversight Committee has learned that Hunter Biden considered one of his business partners a “close confidant and counsel” to then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2014. 5:50pm- Actor Woody Harrelson hosted this past weekend's episode of Saturday Night Live—joking about a film script he was given where drug cartels forced citizens into lockdowns until they take certain drugs. Unsurprisingly, the monologue ruffled feathers. 6:05pm- On Monday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that removed Disney's “special status” in Florida. Caroline Downey, of National Review, writes: “The bill gives the governor the authority to appoint all five governing board members for the Reedy Creek Improvement District, a departure from the previous arrangement in which Disney was able to appoint all board members, allowing the storied entertainment company control over services and development within the special district.” You can read Downey's recap at: https://www.nationalreview.com/news/desantis-signs-bill-to-take-control-of-disneys-special-district/ 6:10pm- While speaking with Brian Kilmeade, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush endorsed Ron DeSantis for president in 2024. Does DeSantis really want Bush's endorsement? 6:20pm- Can President Joe Biden unilaterally cancel $400 billion in student loan debt? In 2021, even former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated, “it would take an act of Congress, not an executive order, to cancel student loan debt.” On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Biden v. Nebraska and will ultimately decide if the Executive Branch possesses this authority—or if it's exceeding its power. 6:40pm- REPLAY: Congressman Guy Reschenthaler—Representative for Pennsylvania's 14th District and Serves on the House Appropriations Committee & the House Committee on Rules—joins The Rich Zeoli Show to discuss Pennsylvania resident Marc Fogel's continued detainment in a Russian prison. Why hasn't the Biden Administration prioritized Fogel's safe return? Rep. Reschenthaler also discusses the U.S. Energy Department's conclusion that COVID-19 likely originated via a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has summoned Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian to express the country's concern regarding the recent incident between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. - Ipinatawag ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos ang Chinese Ambassador para ihayag ang pagkabahala ng Pilipinas sa mga insidenteng pinagmumulan ng tensyon sa pagitan ng China at Pilipinas sa South China Sea.

The Chinese ambassador to Tanzania says cultural exchanges help improve mutual understanding between China and Africa. In this episode, the ambassador shares her perspective on the development of cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa. Host Zanele Buthelezi also talks to Professor Kwesi DLS Prah at the University of South Africa about how he hopes to bring people from the two sides closer.

①In a speech at this year's World Economic Forum, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said China welcomes more foreign investment in the country.(00:50) ②China says it is in communication with the U.S. regarding U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China.(14:50) ③U.S. is likely to reach its existing borrowing cap of 31.4 trillion dollars on Thursday.(26:30) ④Our exclusive interview with Ma Hui, Chinese Ambassador to Cuba.(36:30) ⑤Poll shows two thirds of Hungarians oppose the withholding of EU funds.(45:40)

China's COVID fight has transitioned into a new chapter since it downgraded the management of COVID from Class A to Class B on Jan. 8th. Since then several countries have introduced entry restrictions for travelers from China. Are these restrictions justified? What is Cuba's reaction? And how will China's economy perform after the adoption of the new COVID policy?

Taiwan represents possibly the most intractable issue in international affairs, but also one of the most important. Arguably, no theory or opinion on the biggest questions Australian foreign policy can be complete, or maybe even credible, until it grapples with the Taiwan issue. And so on this episode Allan and Darren use the occasion of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to the island to sort through their views. Be warned, this is a long and wonkish episode! But more so than perhaps anything else discussed on the podcast, Taiwan requires the time and space to lay out one's views and have them challenged. The episode concludes with a quick update on Australia-China relations, given the Chinese Ambassador's recent speech at the National Press Club. We bid farewell Annabel Howard and thank her so much for all her help, and welcome Atikah Mekki and thank her for audio editing today, and thanks also to Rory Stenning for composing our theme music. Relevant links James Fearon, “Rationalist explanations for war”, International Organization, Volume 49 Issue 3 (1995): https://web.stanford.edu/group/fearon-research/cgi-bin/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Rationalist-Explanations-for-War.pdf Hugh White, “Sleepwalk to War: Australia's Unthinking Alliance with America”, Quarterly Essay, 27 June 2022: https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/sleepwalk-war Michael Beckley, Zack Cooper, and Allison Schwartz, “Deterring Coercion and Conflict Across the Taiwan Strait”, American Enterprise Institute: https://www.defendingtaiwan.com/deterring-coercion-and-conflict-across-the-taiwan-strait/ James R. Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara, “Taiwan's Navy: Able to Deny Command of the Sea?”, China Brief Volume 10, Issue 8 (2010): https://jamestown.org/program/taiwans-navy-able-to-deny-command-of-the-sea/ Bonnie Glaser and Zack Cooper, “Nancy Pelosi's Trip to Taiwan Is Too Dangerous” New York Times, 28 July 2022: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/28/opinion/china-us-taiwan-pelosi.html Ben Herscovitch, “Australia's shifting statements on Taiwan, China's changed tone, and coal exports”, Beijing to Canberra and Back” (newsletter), 4 August 2022: https://beijing2canberra.substack.com/p/australias-shifting-statements-on Ambassador Xiao Qian, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China, Speech to National Press Club (video), 10 August 2022: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXeHRtmWJ68 China's ambassador to Australia addresses National Press Club ⁠— as it happened (Live Blog), ABC News, 10 August 2022: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-10/live-updates-xiao-qian-addresses-national-press-club/101318252 Ben Herscovitch, “Beijing (re)embraces one-China disinformation plus aggregate leader-level meetings”, Beijing to Canberra and Back” (newsletter), 31 August 2022: https://beijing2canberra.substack.com/p/beijing-reembraces-one-china-disinformation Gatra Priyandita, Dirk Van Der Kley and Ben Herscovitch, “Localization and China's Tech Success in Indonesia”, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 11 July 2022: https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/07/11/localization-and-china-s-tech-success-in-indonesia-pub-87477 Kevin Rudd, The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping's China (Hachette, 2022): https://www.hachette.com.au/kevin-rudd/the-avoidable-war-the-dangers-of-a-catastrophic-conflict-between-the-us-and-xi-jinpings-china Jessica Chen Weiss, “The China Trap: US foreign policy and the perilous logic of zero-sum competition”, Foreign Affairs, Sep/Oct 2022: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/china-trap-us-foreign-policy-zero-sum-competition The Sandman (TV): https://www.netflix.com/au/title/81150303

Hey everybody! Big news! The Hot Girls will be setting up a Patreon with exclusive content at the end of this month! Erica and Hunter discuss the incoming Patreon and how the content there will be slightly different from what we're used to on the pod! For this week's episode, we will be giving y'all a bit of insight into how we imagine the Patreon episodes will be structured with a little less sourcing and a little more of our personal opinions and thoughts on specific events, and policies, or issues in domestic and foreign affairs. For this episode, we will discuss House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her visit to Taiwan, and the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, and his thoughts on the matter. As always, thank you all so much for tuning in and we will see you all next week on another episode of Hot Girl Briefing!

He Xiangdong, China's Ambassador to Ireland, responds to the visit to Taiwan of US Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

1. Supreme Court Strikes Down Roe V. Wade Abortion Precedent 2. 2nd Amendment Supporters Wary of New Gun Bill 3. Reactions to Scotus Ruling on NY Gun Law 4. Chance Weldon, Texas Public Policy Foundation 5. SCOTUS Ruling on Ny Gun Law Disappoints Biden 6. Atty: SCOTUS Gun Ruling Sets New 2A Standard 7. Atty: Struck-down Ny Gun Law Only on Books for Celebs to Get Guns, Leaving Out Ordinary Americans 8. SCOTUS Limits Miranda Rights Enforcement 9. Economist: Next Stage of Inflation Coming 10. Navy Mocked for Gender Pronouns Video 11. Florida Strengthens Immigration Enforcement 12. VA Worker Chokes and Bodyslams Elderly Vet 13. Twitter Suspends Doctor for Sharing Vax Study 14. Paul Pelosi Charged With DUI With Injury 15. Apple and Android Phones Hacked by Italian Spyware 16. Americans Weigh Driving for 4th of July 17. OSU Trademarks Use of Word ‘The' on Clothing 18. Restaurants Are Adding Extra Surcharges 19. Lightning and Rainbow Cover the Sky in Calif. 20. Balkans Losing Hope of Joining the EU 21. NATO to Focus on Chinese Regime 22. Chinese Ambassador's Speech Interrupted 6x 23. Air Force Reactivates Unit Over China Threat 24. Will the Nih Stop Funding Chinese Research? 25. AG Amicus Brief Supports Falun Gong 26. United to Reduce Newark Schedule by 12% This Summer 27. British Airways Workers Vote to Strike 28. Ancient Tortoise Discovered in Pompeii Ruins 29. Tower of London Flowers 30. Flower Meadow Blooms in Tower of London Moat 31. Madrid Holds International Dog Show Contests 32. ‘Trumpet' Wins Westminster Dog Show 33. ‘Thor: Love and Thunder' Red Carpet Premiere 34. Everlasting Marriage Is in Fashion 35. Couple Celebrate 70th Wedding Anniversary in Original Wedding Gown and Korean War Suit

Hour 3 of Monday's A&G: What did Jack's son say that cut him to the core? China stands for peace, and sends baby formula to Russia. That's what the Chinese Ambassador told Margaret Brennan on Face the Nations. Russian disinformation and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Hour 3 of Monday's A&G: What did Jack's son say that cut him to the core? China stands for peace, and sends baby formula to Russia. That's what the Chinese Ambassador told Margaret Brennan on Face the Nations. Russian disinformation and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on “Face the Nation” with no end in sight for the war in Ukraine moderator Margaret Brennan has exclusive interviews with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the new weapons being sent to Ukraine and the diplomatic approach to arming them. Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Qin Gang on the relations between the U.S. and China after President Biden warns Beijing not to help Russia with its invasion. Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova on her country's battle against Russia. A rare Sunday interview with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. And former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb on the latest Covid news. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.