'Dear friends' Xi and Putin meet in Moscow as Russia welcomes China's Ukraine peace plan - CNA

WESTERN SCEPTICISM

Ukraine and its Western allies say any truce would just buy Putin time to reinforce ahead of a planned Ukrainian counter-offensive and that for Russia and China to uphold international law as they say they do, they must agree to Russia's withdrawal.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby reiterated that call, adding that US President Joe Biden wanted to speak with Xi to keep communication channels open.

Putin signed a "no limits" partnership with Xi last year shortly before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine to end what he said was a threat to Russia from its neighbour's moves towards the West. The year-long war has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed cities and forced millions to flee.

The Kremlin said Putin would provide Xi with detailed "clarifications" of Russia's position, without elaborating.

Washington has noted that China has declined to condemn Russia and has given it an economic lifeline.

Putin said Russia was helping to build nuclear power reactors in China and the two countries were deepening cooperation in space exploration and new technologies.

As Western pressure on Russia grows, Putin's administration has told officials to stop using Apple iPhones because of concerns the devices are vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies, a newspaper reported on Monday.

"Either throw it away or give it to the children," the Kommersant daily quoted a participant of the meeting as saying.

Justice ministers from around the world met in London on Monday to discuss support for the ICC, whose chief prosecutor Karim Khan called on Russia to repatriate the Ukrainian children to prove it is acting in their best interests as it says it is.

Several European Union countries agreed in Brussels to jointly buy 155 mm artillery shells for Ukraine, which sees them as critical as both sides fire thousands of rounds every day.

Fierce fighting continued in the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut where Ukrainian forces have held out since last summer in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war.

Giving its regular morning roundup from the front, Ukraine's military said defenders in Bakhmut, Lyman, Ivanivske, Bohdanivka and Hryhorivka - all towns in the Donetsk region - had repelled 69 Russian attacks in the past day.

British intelligence said Ukrainian supply lines both west of Bakhmut and west of the town of Avdiivka, further south, were under pressure.

Ukraine's military said that Russian forces were on the defensive in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to the south.

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2023-03-20 14:20:00Z
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Thailand dissolves parliament ahead of May general election - CNA

BANGKOK: Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has issued a royal decree on the dissolution of parliament, according to an announcement published in the Royal Gazette on Monday (Mar 20), paving the way for a general election to be held in May.

The royal decree, which was issued on Mar 17, is effective on Monday. The Thai constitution stipulates that polls must be held between 45 and 60 days after the dissolution of parliament. This means the polls will take place between May 4 and 19.

The exact date of the election will be announced by the Election Commission and published in the Royal Gazette.

Last week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha requested a royal decree to dissolve parliament prior to the end of the government's four-year term on Mar 23.

Thailand held its previous election on Mar 24, 2019, marking a transition from nearly five years of military regime towards re-establishing a democratically elected government.

Junta leader Gen Prayut – a candidate from Palang Pracharat Party at that time – was elected prime minister. He staged a military coup in 2014 to seize power from Yingluck Shinawatra’s democratically elected government. 

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2023-03-20 08:30:00Z
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China's Xi Jinping arrives in Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin - CNA

MOSCOW: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday (Mar 20) where he was expected to press Beijing's role as a potential peacemaker in the Ukraine conflict while Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped for support against Western pressure.

Xi's three-day trip to Russia - his first in nearly four years - has been touted by Beijing as a "visit for peace" as China seeks to play neutral mediator in Putin's invasion of Ukraine. 

He said his first state visit to Russia since the Ukraine conflict broke out would give "new momentum" to bilateral ties.

Landing at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, Xi was greeted by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko on a red carpet as a military brass band played the countries' anthems, Russian state media showed.

"I am confident the visit will be fruitful and give new momentum to the healthy and stable development of Chinese-Russian relations," Xi told journalists, including from Russian state media, on the runway of a Moscow airport, describing Russia and China as "good neighbours" and "reliable partners".

"In a world of volatility and transformation, China will continue to work with Russia to safeguard the international system with the UN at its core," he said.

Xi will be the first national leader to shake Putin's hand since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia since its invasion.

Moscow said the charge was among a number of "clearly hostile displays" and Beijing said it reflects double standards.

Russia is presenting Xi's trip as evidence that it has a powerful friend prepared to stand with it against a hostile West that it accuses of trying to isolate and defeat Moscow.

"We can feel the geopolitical landscape in the outside world undergoing drastic changes," Putin said in an article in China's People's Daily published on the Kremlin website, adding that he had high hopes for the visit from his "good old friend".

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2023-03-20 10:57:00Z
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Steps taken to tighten process chain in shoe recycling project led by SportSG, Dow - CNA

SINGAPORE: Partners of a shoe recycling programme led by Sport Singapore (SportSG) and US company Dow have taken steps to tighten the process chain, after a Reuters investigation found that several pairs of donated shoes were sent to Indonesia where they were put on sale.

Measures to tighten the process include appointing only contractors and subcontractors that are not involved in any secondhand trading of textiles or shoes.

The recycling programme, which was set up in 2021, harvests the rubberised soles and midsoles of donated footwear. The recycled granules are then used in sports infrastructure in Singapore. 

Responding to parliamentary questions on the matter, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong said on Monday (Mar 20) that the services of a subcontractor, Yok Impex, were terminated after project partners looked into issues raised in the Reuters report.

Yok Impex had been engaged by one of the project partners, waste collector Alba-WH, to help with collecting donated shoes from recycling bins in selected parts of Singapore.

These bins were sorted at Yok Impex’s premises before being sent to Alba-WH’s warehouse for registering and weighing.

They were then delivered to a grinding facility managed by BT Sports, said Mr Tong. The facility is the first in Singapore that is able to grind recycled shoes into granules for use as building materials. 

According to Reuters, which tracked 11 pairs of shoes, nearly all the footwear ended up with Yok Impex. Ten pairs were later exported to Indonesia. One remains in Singapore, with its tracking device still intact. 

"The investigation found that the shoe recycling bins at Yok Impex’s premises were not properly segregated from their other sorting activities, resulting in some shoes which were meant for recycling being exported to other countries for resale," Mr Tong said on Monday.

"Alba-WH has since terminated the services of Yok Impex."

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2023-03-20 06:06:57Z
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Former Taiwan president Ma to visit China in landmark trip - CNA

TAIPEI: Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou will visit China this month, his office said on Sunday (Mar 19), the first time a former or current Taiwanese leader has visited since the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island in 1949.

The trip will be at a time of heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei as China keeps up its military and political pressure to try and get democratically-elected Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty.

Ma, who remains a senior member of Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party, held a landmark meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore in late 2015, shortly before current Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen was elected.

Ma's office said that he would visit China from Mar 27 to Apr 7 and go to the cities of Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing and Shanghai.

He will meet students and visit sites connected to World War II and China's conflict with Japan as well as those related to the 1911 revolution, which overthrew the last Chinese emperor and ushered in the Republic of China, his office said.

The Republic of China remains Taiwan's official name.

It did not say if he would meet any Chinese officials or leaders, including whether he would meet Xi.

The KMT, which traditionally favours close ties with China but strongly denies being pro-Beijing, has been stepping up its engagement with China since both China and Taiwan eased COVID-related travel restrictions.

Last month the KMT's deputy chairman Andrew Hsia visited Beijing and met with senior Communist Party leader Wang Huning.

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) seized on Hsia's China trip to attack the KMT for being too close to Beijing and wanting to sell out Taiwan, and criticised Hsia for going to "pay court to the communists".

The KMT says it is important to keep lines of communication open with China, especially given the current tensions.

China has rebuffed repeated calls from Tsai for talks, believing her to be a separatist.

She says only Taiwan's people can decide their future and rejects China's sovereignty claims.

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2023-03-19 14:20:00Z
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China's Xi Jinping out to play peacemaker on Russia visit - The Straits Times

BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping heads to Russia on Monday hoping to deliver a breakthrough on Ukraine as China seeks to position itself as a peacemaker.

Freshly reappointed for a third term in power, he is pushing for a greater role for China on the global stage, and was crucial in mediating a surprise rapprochement between Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia this month.

Rumours that he may soon hold his first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since the outbreak of war have raised hopes in Western capitals that Mr Xi may lean on his “old friend”, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, to stop his bloody invasion during the three-day state visit.

Announcing the trip on March 17, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China would “play a constructive role in promoting peace talks”.

“Stopping the war is everyone’s wish, given that Europe stands to lose such a lot and the United States may not be able to support Ukraine for as long as it thinks it can,” said Professor Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Beijing’s Renmin University of China.

“China can put forth its views on both sides – it can say it is a trusted friend of both Ukraine and Russia. I think this is very significant.”

Beijing, a major Russian ally, has long sought to depict itself as a neutral party to the conflict.

But it has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion and has sharply criticised Washington’s support for Kyiv – leading Western leaders to accuse Beijing of providing diplomatic cover for Russia to bludgeon its European neighbour.

“Beijing has done remarkably little so far to encourage peace in Ukraine, since any credible effort would require pressuring Russia or at least calling Russia out directly,” said Professor Elizabeth Wishnick, a Chinese foreign policy expert at Montclair State University in the United States.

Mr Xi’s trip – which comes after the International Criminal Court on March 17 issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin on war crimes accusations – aims “to show whatever support for his strategic partner he can provide, short of aid that would result in sanctions”, she told AFP.

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2023-03-19 05:48:00Z
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China's President Xi Jinping plays peacemaker on Russia visit - CNA

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping heads to Russia on Monday (Mar 20) hoping to deliver a breakthrough on Ukraine as China seeks to position itself as a peacemaker.

Freshly reappointed for a third term in power, Xi is pushing a greater role for China on the global stage, and was crucial in mediating a surprise rapprochement between Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia this month.

Rumours that he may soon hold his first call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since the outbreak of war have raised hopes in Western capitals that Xi may lean on his "old friend" Putin to stop his bloody invasion during the three-day state visit.

Announcing the trip Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China would "play a constructive role in promoting peace talks".

"Stopping the war is everyone's wish, given Europe stands to lose such a lot and the United States may not be able to support Ukraine for as long as it thinks it can," said Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Beijing's Renmin University of China.

"China can put forth its views on both sides – it can say it is a trusted friend of both Ukraine and Russia. I think this is very significant."

Beijing, a major Russian ally, has long sought to depict itself as a neutral party to the conflict.

But it has refused to condemn Russia's invasion and has sharply criticised Washington's support for Kyiv – leading Western leaders to accuse Beijing of providing diplomatic cover for Russia to bludgeon its European neighbour.

"Beijing has done remarkably little so far to encourage peace in Ukraine, since any credible effort would require pressuring Russia or at least calling Russia out directly," said Elizabeth Wishnick, a professor and Chinese foreign policy expert at Montclair State University in the United States.

Xi's trip – which comes after the International Criminal Court on Friday announced an arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes accusations – aims "to show whatever support for his strategic partner he can provide, short of aid that would result in sanctions", she told AFP.

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2023-03-19 02:57:00Z
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