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
CBMiTGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS90YWl3YW4tbWEteWluZy1qZW91LXZpc2l0LWNoaW5hLTMzNTgyNTHSAQA

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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Pakistan court drops arrest warrant against ex-PM Imran Khan - CNA

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan judge dropped an arrest warrant against former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday (Mar 18), his lawyers said, after the ex-cricket star, who had skipped several hearings, travelled to court.

The 70-year-old has been tangled in a slew of court cases since he was ousted in a no-confidence motion last year and has been pressuring the fragile coalition government, which replaced him, to hold early elections.

Earlier this week, Khan's supporters fought pitched battles with police sent to arrest him in the eastern city of Lahore after he failed to appear in court over graft charges, citing security concerns.

"The court has cancelled the arrest warrant after marking Imran Khan's attendance. The hearing has been adjourned till March 30," one of Khan's lawyers, Gohar Khan, told AFP.

Khan, in office from 2018 to 2022, is facing a spate of legal challenges, including one that prompted a failed attempt to arrest him on Tuesday.

He was to address charges in court on Saturday of unlawfully selling state gifts given to him by foreign dignitaries while in office.

Khan says he followed legal procedures in acquiring the gifts.

The 70-year-old reached the capital on Saturday afternoon and was on his way to the court in a motorcade surrounded by supporters.

After days of legal wrangling, Khan travelled more than 300 km from Lahore to the Islamabad court complex, but was unable to get out of the car.

Around 4,000 supporters mobbed the complex, pelting stones and throwing bricks at police officers who fired back with tear gas.

The court however accepted Khan's attendance, his lawyers said.

Islamabad's police chief told local broadcaster Geo News that Khan's supporters had attacked police near the court and fired tear gas shells, prompting police to fire more tear gas back.

Khan has led nationwide protests since his ouster from power last year and has had a spate of cases registered against him.

The police chief for Punjab province, Usman Anwar, told a media conference in Lahore that officers went to Khan's house on Saturday to intercept people who had been involved in earlier clashes with police and had arrested 61 people, including for throwing petrol bombs.

Earlier this week, police and Khan's supporters clashed outside his home during the arrest attempt.

Hours before leaving his home, the former cricket star told Reuters he has formed a committee to lead his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), if he is arrested.

Khan, who was shot and wounded while campaigning in November, said in the interview the threat to his life is greater than before and asserted - without providing evidence - that his political opponents and the military want to block him from standing in elections later this year.

The military and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government has denied being behind the cases against Khan. The military - which has an outsized role in Pakistan, having ruled the country for nearly half of its 75-year history - has said it remains neutral towards politics.

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2023-03-18 12:57:00Z
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North Korea says 800000 people enlist to fight 'US imperialists' - CNA

Images released by Pyongyang's official Rodong Sinmun showed young North Koreans waiting in long lines to sign their names at what looks like a construction site.

The latest report comes after Pyongyang test-fired its largest and most powerful missile, a Hwasong-17, on Thursday - its second ICBM test this year.

State media has described the launch as a response to the ongoing, "frantic" US-South Korea joint military drills.

On Saturday, KCNA said the ongoing drills were "inching close to the unpardonable red-line".

Last year, North Korea declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power, and leader Kim Jong Un recently called for an "exponential" increase in weapons production, including tactical nukes.

Kim earlier this month also ordered the North Korean military to intensify drills to prepare for a "real war".

Pyongyang is using the drills to justify their nuclear weapons program domestically as "crucial and necessary", Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.

This involves "spreading the idea that the South Korea-US military drills ultimately aim to destroy the current North Korean regime and even occupy its capital Pyongyang," Yang added.

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2023-03-18 12:14:22Z
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Biden says Putin committed war crimes, calls charges justified - CNA

"There is no doubt that Russia is committing war crimes and atrocities (in) Ukraine, and we have been clear that those responsible must be held accountable," the spokesperson added. "This was a decision the ICC prosecutor reached independently based on the facts before him."

The ICC move obligates the court's 123 member states to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague for trial if he sets foot on their territory. The ICC also issued a warrant on Friday for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children's rights, on the same charges.

A US-backed report by Yale University researchers last month said Russia has held at least 6,000 Ukrainian children in at least 43 camps and other facilities as part of a "large-scale systematic network".

Russia has denied accusations that its forces have committed atrocities during its invasion. The Kremlin said on Friday the ICC arrest warrant against Putin was outrageous, but meaningless with respect to Russia.

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2023-03-18 10:16:14Z
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Man charged with the murder of his co-tenant in Redhill flat - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - A 59-year-old man was charged on Saturday with the murder of his 61-year-old co-tenant in a flat in Redhill Close in Bukit Merah.

According to court documents, Ng Boon Hong allegedly murdered Mr Ang Cheng Kek at Block 90 in Redhill Close between about 11pm on Wednesday and about 2am on Thursday.

The police said they were alerted at 10.50am on Friday to the murder case involving the co-tenants.

“Upon arrival, officers found a 61-year-old man lying motionless with multiple wounds inside the unit. He was subsequently pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene,” the police said on Friday.

Ng was arrested at the scene.

When The Straits Times arrived at the crime scene at about 2pm on Friday, police officers were seen in a flat on the fifth floor.

A 10m trail of bloody shoe prints stretched from the door of another unit down the corridor.

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2023-03-18 03:45:00Z
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