Snap Insight: Xi-Zelenskyy phone call could trigger real effort towards ending Ukraine war - CNA

And though China has saved billions on cheap Russian oil and coal, a long protracted war that Russia is not guaranteed to win won’t be in China’s long-term interests either. And a path to the negotiation table from his “dear friend” Xi could offer Putin a way to engage in the process without losing face.

China’s Ukraine peace plan was almost universally seen as lacking substance, ambition and utility. Zelenskyy called it “interesting” to avoid insulting China and encourage Xi to engage further.

This telephone call is the second effort by China to appear relevant and helpful. Hopefully, this time there will be a real and sincere effort by China to help achieve peace.

James Carouso is a Senior Fellow and Chair of the Australia Advisory Board at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC, and a former Acting US Ambassador to Australia.

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2023-04-27 00:07:00Z
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'A good thing': US hails Zelenskyy-Xi talks - CNA

WASHINGTON: The White House on Wednesday (Apr 26) welcomed a phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskyy but said it was too soon to tell whether it would lead to a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

"That's a good thing," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said about the call. "Now, whether that's going to lead to some sort of meaningful peace movement, or plan, or proposal, I just don't think we know that right now."

Xi spoke by telephone on Wednesday with Zelenskyy for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. The call came after months of pressure from Kyiv for such talks.

Xi told Zelenskyy that China would send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties seeking peace, Chinese state media reported.

"We have long said we want this war to end," Kirby said. "It could end immediately if Putin would leave. That doesn't appear to be in the offing.

"If there's going to be a negotiated peace, it's got to be when President Zelenskyy is ready for it," Kirby said, adding that the United States would welcome "any effort to arrive at a just peace as long as that peace could be ... sustainable, and could be credible."

Kirby said the United States did not have advanced knowledge of the call, and would not necessarily expect to.

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2023-04-26 15:14:14Z
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China's Xi holds call with Zelenskyy; Beijing to send special envoy to Ukraine - CNA

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone on Wednesday (Apr 26), the first call between the two leaders since the start of Russia's invasion.

Beijing says it is neutral in the Ukraine conflict and Xi has never condemned the Russian invasion, but the Chinese leader has come under increased pressure from Western nations to step in and mediate.

During the long-awaited call, Xi appealed for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that Xi told Zelenskyy "talks and negotiation" were the "only way out" of the war.

"On the issue of the Ukraine crisis, China has always stood on the side of peace and its core position is to promote peace talks," CCTV reported Xi as saying.

He told Zelenskyy that China will send a delegation to Ukraine to hold talks on resolving the conflict with Russia. 

"The Chinese side will send a special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs to visit Ukraine and other countries to conduct in-depth communication with all parties for a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," China's foreign ministry said at a press conference.

Xi said in early April he was willing to speak with Zelenskyy, who has repeatedly said he would be open to talks with his Chinese counterpart.

"I had a long and meaningful phone call with President Xi Jinping," Zelenskyy said on Twitter on Wednesday.

"I believe that this call, as well as the appointment of Ukraine's ambassador to China, will give a powerful impetus to the development of our bilateral relations," he wrote.

Zelenskyy's spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov said on Facebook that the two had "an almost one-hour-long telephone conversation".

Pavel Ryabikin, who previously headed the ministry of strategic industries of Ukraine, was named Kyiv's new envoy to China, according to a decree on the presidency's website. Ukraine has not had an ambassador to China since February 2021.

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2023-04-26 12:30:00Z
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Will the 2024 US presidential election be a Biden-Trump rematch? - CNA

The veteran Democrat is expected to face constant and fierce scrutiny over his age, said observers. He would be 86 by the end of a second term.

Some critics are unsure why Mr Biden, who called himself a bridge to future Democratic leaders during his 2020 campaign, is not ready to hand over the reins just yet. 

“Joe Biden is not popular, but the Republicans are sort of seen as extreme, at least Donald Trump's faction of the Republican Party,” Mr Coleman, a political cartographer, told CNA’s Asia First on Wednesday.

A recent poll showed that Mr Biden's public approval fell to 39 per cent this month, nearing the lowest level of his presidency, as the US economy showed signs of losing steam. 

However, Professor Gordon Flake, founding chief executive officer of the Perth USAsia Centre at The University of Western Australia, said that is “kind of par for the course for presidents” at this stage of their presidency. 

“Ultimately, elections are about choices. They're really not about approval ratings,” he added. 

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2023-04-26 09:01:00Z
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Man climbing Mount Kinabalu dies from suspected acute mountain sickness in Malaysia - The Straits Times

KOTA KINABALU – A 45-year-old man climbing Mount Kinabalu with his wife in east Malaysia died on Tuesday of suspected acute mountain sickness (AMS).

Mr Alexzander Kueh, a Malaysian from Sarawak, was pronounced dead at 4.30am at the Ranau Hospital, said Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew.

She said in a statement that Mr Kueh and his wife, Madam Ng Wee Peo, 35, arrived at the base camp lodging in Panalaban, at around 3,200m above sea level. At an elevation of 4,000m, Mount Kinabalu in Sabah is the tallest mountain in Malaysia.

Madam Ng complained of a headache and breathing difficulties at 9pm and the couple called for help.

The Fire and Rescue Department’s Mountain Search and Rescue team arrived and gave her oxygen.

The minister said that rescuers carried Madam Ng down the mountain on a stretcher to the entrance of the climbing trail at the Timpohon Gate. She was then taken to the Ranau Hospital for treatment.

At 2am, about 2km away from the gate, Mr Kueh, who was accompanying his wife down the mountain, started experiencing breathing difficulties and muscle cramps. He was carried on a stretcher for the rest of the way, said Ms Liew.

“Based on the symptoms, AMS was believed to be the cause and, upon descent, both victims were sent to the district hospital for further treatment,” the minister added.

“The wife’s condition was reported to be stable after she recovered from AMS,” she said.

The minister offered her condolences to Mr Kueh’s family and said she has requested Sabah Parks, which oversees Mount Kinabalu, to assist the couple’s families.

She advised climbers to be physically prepared before venturing to scale Mount Kinabalu.

Mountain sickness, also known as altitude sickness, is caused by the body’s inability to take in enough oxygen due to changes in air pressure because of the altitude. Symptoms include headache, vomiting and fatigue. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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2023-04-26 05:35:47Z
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Malaysian health ministry orders recall of 2 types of instant noodles over carcinogenic fears - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Health Ministry has ordered the recall of two types of instant noodles - made by a Malaysian and an Indonesian manufacturer respectively – after health authorities in Taiwan detected a type of carcinogenic substance in the products.

In a statement on Wednesday (Apr 26), health director-general Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said that the manufacturer of the Malaysian-made "Ah Lai White Curry Noodles" had complied with local health standards but that a recall order was made on a batch of the products to ensure food safety.

"The Health Ministry has instructed the manufacturer to voluntarily recall batches of the instant noodles expiring on Aug 25, 2023, from the local market," he said.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for "Ah Lai White Curry Noodles" told local media that the firm had sent samples to be tested by a laboratory following claims by Taipei's Department of Health. 

"We have sent our samples to a lab and are awaiting the results," the spokesman was quoted as saying by The Star.

The spokesman also reportedly said that they do not think the noodles which were tested by the Taipei authorities were produced by the company. 

"They (Taipei's Department of Health) have not shown us their results or the samples they used but we do not think they used our instant noodles," said the spokesman, as quoted by The Star. 

Dr Muhammad Radzi on Wednesday also confirmed that the “Indomie: Special Chicken Flavour" noodles from Indonesia were imported into Malaysia. 

“The ministry has issued a hold, test and release order for the products at all entry points to the country. It has also instructed the company to voluntarily recall the product from the market," he said.

Taipei's Department of Health reportedly said on Monday that a batch of "Ah Lai White Curry Noodles" and a batch of "Indomie: Special Chicken Flavour" noodles both contained ethylene oxide - a chemical compound associated with lymphoma and leukaemia.

The findings were part of the city’s 2023 inspection of instant noodles available in Taipei.

The unspecified retailer from which the samples were collected had reportedly been asked to pull the two products off their shelves.

The products' importers will reportedly be fined between NT$60,000 (US$1,958) and NT$200 million.

According to information on the website of Taiwan’s Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau under the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration, ethylene oxide is poisonous when consumed or inhaled.

Bernama reported that aside from leading to lymphoma and leukaemia, ethylene oxide can also seriously irritate the skin and eyes of those who come into contact with the substance and can even trigger birth and hereditary defects.

Separately, Dr Muhammad Radzi said in the Apr 26 statement that the health ministry has been monitoring food safety on products sold in the local or imported market following a recall of Mi Sedaap products last year. 

This came after samples taken of the Indonesian-made noodles were found to contain ethylene oxide. 

Dr Muhammad Razi said that of the 36 samples taken from various instant noodle products in the Malaysian market, 11 Mi Sedaap samples were found to have contained the chemical and enforcement action has since been taken. 

“Actions taken include compounding, court action and the recall of products from the market,” he said.

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2023-04-26 08:02:42Z
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Taiwan drills to focus on piercing blockade, get 'Five Eyes' intelligence link - CNA

TAIPEI: Taiwan's annual military drills this year take into account China's recent war games and focus on breaking a blockade, the defence ministry said on Wednesday (Apr 26), as a senior security official said Taiwan now had a "Five Eyes" intelligence link.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military pressure over the past three years to try to assert its sovereignty claim.

China practised precision strikes and blockading the island in drills around the island this month that were staged after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met United States House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.

Taiwan's defence ministry said the "Han Kuang" exercises would be split into two parts - tabletop drills from May 15 to May 19, and mobilised forces from Jul 24 to Jul 28 that will participate in live-fire exercises.

The focus will be on combat forces' "preservation" and "maritime interception", it said.

That will include using civilian airports and dispersing air assets, as well as how to disguise forces on the ground, the ministry said.

The naval element will integrate sea, air and land forces to attack enemy forces and amphibious assault ships, and to protect sea lanes to counter blockade efforts, it said.

"Of course our drills are based on the threat of the communists invading Taiwan and its recent military exercises around Taiwan," the ministry's combat planning chief, General Lin Wen-huang, told a news conference.

Beijing has never renounced using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and has vowed to defend its freedom and democracy.

In view of the rising threat level from China, Taiwan has sought closer security cooperation with the United States and its allies.

Taking lawmaker questions in parliament on Wednesday, Tsai Ming-yen, the director-general of Taiwan's National Security Bureau said it had upgraded its computers to exchange real-time intelligence with the "Five Eyes" alliance of the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

"We can connect with the 'Five Eyes' alliance through a confidential system," he said, without giving details.

"STRONG NAVY"

Last week China's navy put out a slickly produced video to celebrate its 74th anniversary, showing its aircraft carrier the Shandong and new amphibious assault ships simulating an attack and landing somewhere in "Western Pacific waters", suggesting it was planning a Taiwan contingency.

"It takes a strong navy to safeguard the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday, when asked what message the video sent.

"The Democratic Progressive Party authorities and Taiwan independence separatist forces are trying to collude with external forces, but there's no chance of splitting the country," she said, referring to Taiwan's ruling party.

Taiwan is trying to boost its defensive capabilities by investing in new equipment like long-range missiles and drones and by extending compulsory military service to one year.

Although Taiwan's military is generally well-trained and well-equipped with mostly US-made hardware, China has huge numerical superiority and is adding advanced equipment such as stealth fighters.

Taiwan's domestic security chief Tsai told reporters China was using new "cognitive warfare" methods, such as artificial intelligence applications, to try to sway public opinion and spread fake news ahead of January's presidential elections

"We need to continue paying attention to what they are up to during the election process," he said. 

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2023-04-26 03:04:00Z
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