China warns Taiwan's ruling DPP presidential candidate is dangerous - CNA

Both the DPP and the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party parties support Taiwan's sovereignty but offer different views on the island's relations with China.

The KMT argues that both Taipei and Beijing belong to one single China but each can interpret what that means under something called the "1992 consensus", a tacit understanding reached between the then-KMT government and China in 1992.

On Thursday, the KMT's presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih, told reporters that he wouldn't touch the issue of reunification during his term of office if elected, while maintaining the status quo and encouraging exchanges with China.

The DPP rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying Taiwan's future should be decided by its people.

The United States, in a clear signal to China, opposes any outside interference or influence in Taiwan's upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, a senior Biden administration official said on Wednesday.

In a move that might stoke tensions with China, the United States said it plans to send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan following the election, according to a US senior official.

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2024-01-11 04:11:20Z
CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS90YWl3YW4tZWxlY3Rpb24tY2hpbmEtd2FybnMtYWdhaW5zdC1kcHAtbGFpLWNoaW5nLXRlLTQwMzk4NDbSAQA

South Africa's genocide case against Israel set to begin at The Hague - CNA

DEFENCE AND RESPONSE

Visiting Professor at University of Minnesota’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Melanie O'Brien said that South Africa has a good argument at this stage and that it is likely the ICJ will order some kind of measure that Israel should comply with. 

“The extent of those (measures) remain to be seen, because what Israel can argue is that their actions are being carried out in the course of an armed conflict against a non-state armed group,” she told CNA’s Asia First on Thursday (Jan 11). 

She noted that the case is “an extremely complex one” and not as straightforward as others.

“There's a lot of discussion amongst lawyers at the moment about, particularly, the need to prove genocide. You need to prove what's called a ‘special intent’ and that's the intent to destroy the group,” she said. In the present Convention, genocide refers to acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. 

“In this case, South Africa is arguing that Israel has an intent to destroy Palestinians, or at least a substantial part of the Palestinian population. And that's really difficult to prove,” Prof O'Brien added. 

Once the arguments are heard, the court will reach a decision on the provisional measures in a matter of weeks. However, even if it orders such measures, it does not necessarily mean Israeli military action will stop.

The ICJ’s orders would be legally binding but enforcing them will be up to the United Nations Security Council, where the United States can block any enforcement action. 

The US, which has been supporting Israel with aid, last month vetoed a UN resolution backed by almost all other Security Council members and dozens of other nations demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

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2024-01-11 05:12:00Z
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World's most powerful passports: Singapore shares top spot with 5 other countries - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE – The Republic no longer holds sole claim to having the world’s most powerful passport, sharing the distinction in 2024 with five other nations, according to the latest ranking published by the Henley Passport Index on Jan 10.

The six countries – France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain – have visa-free entry to 194 out of 227 travel destinations.

In 2023, Singapore took the top spot with visa-free access to 192 destinations. Germany, Italy and Spain were second, with 190.

France and Japan were third with 189 destinations. They shared the position with Austria, Finland, Luxembourg, South Korea and Sweden.

Meanwhile, regional neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia saw increases in the number of destinations their citizens can visit visa-free, compared with 2023.

Malaysia added another destination to its tally, bringing it to 182. It remained in 12th position, however, sharing it with Cyprus and Liechtenstein.

Indonesians, on the other hand, can now visit 78 destinations without a prior visa, up from 76 in 2023.

Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the list, where it has been since 2019, with access to only 28 destinations. Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen round up the bottom five.

The Henley Passport Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association.

The index ranks 199 world passports and is considered a standard reference tool when assessing where a passport stands in terms of global mobility.

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2024-01-11 05:45:00Z
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US urges China don't interfere in Taiwan elections - CNA

A top White House official, Jon Finer, met on Wednesday with a senior Chinese official and the two discussed tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea, the White House said.

Finer, who is deputy national security adviser, met Liu Jianchao, head of the International Liaison Department of China's Communist Party, as part of efforts to maintain open lines of communications as directed by Biden and Xi in their California summit.

The meeting took place in Washington and the two officials had "candid and constructive discussions". They discussed a host of global hotspots, including the Middle East and Russia's war against Ukraine.

"Mr Finer stressed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea," the White House said.

They reaffirmed support for continued high-level diplomacy and interactions between the United States and China, the White House said.

In separate talks, senior US and Chinese officials held a virtual meeting on Wednesday and discussed cooperating on law enforcement issues including the illicit flow of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, the US Department Of Homeland Security said.

US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Chinese Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong participated in the meeting, along with other senior officials, the department said in a statement.

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2024-01-11 01:33:40Z
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Taiwan elections: Rivals strike deep in front runner Lai's stronghold Tainan - The Straits Times

TAINAN – Cab driver Wang Yong-li from Taiwan’s oldest city, Tainan, is a bit hesitant when asked who he would vote for in the Jan 13 presidential election.

“The candidate I vote for would not win anyway,” he said.

Then, after a pause, the 54-year-old lets on that he supports the main opposition party, Kuomintang (KMT). 

If Mr Wang sounds pessimistic, it is because Tainan is not only a stronghold of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but also where DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te, 64, made his mark as a politician. He was first a lawmaker representing the southern metropolis of about 1.8 million people, and then its mayor.

A popular travel destination famous for its ancient fortresses and local snacks, Tainan was founded by the Dutch in 1624 and was the capital of Taiwan until 1887.

The coastal city, dominated by Minnan-speaking Taiwanese whose ancestors had moved there from China’s southern Fujian province as early as the 1600s, has traditionally supported the pro-independence DPP rather than the China-friendly KMT.

At the 2020 presidential election, nearly 68 per cent in Tainan voted for the DPP’s Ms Tsai Ing-wen and her running mate, Mr Lai, who won with a record 8.17 million votes or 57.1 per cent of the vote.

But the odds have not stopped Mr Lai’s presidential race rivals – Mr Hou Yu-ih of KMT and Dr Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) – from making incursions into the city in an attempt to snatch votes from Mr Lai’s power base.

On Jan 8, Mr Hou, 66, went around two districts in the city in a motorcade and also visited temples and an evening market. Dr Ko, 64, spent two days in the same week campaigning, drawing a snaking queue of young people lining up at a night market to take a picture with him. 

Tainan might not be the iron-clad “warehouse of votes” for the DPP as people assume it to be, said political analyst Shih Cheng-feng, who retired from Taiwan’s National Dong Hwa University in 2023.

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2024-01-10 10:50:00Z
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UK, US forces repel 'largest attack' yet by Houthis in Red Sea - CNA

"Overnight, HMS Diamond, along with US warships, successfully repelled the largest attack from the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea to date," Shapps said in a statement.

"The UK alongside allies have previously made clear that these illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and if continued the Houthis will bear the consequences.

"We will take the action needed to protect innocent lives and the global economy," he vowed.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Houthis had launched "a complex attack of Iranian designed one-way attack UAVs", as well as firing anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

They were downed by a combination of F/A-18 warplanes, operating from the USS Dwight D Eisenhower aircraft carrier, three American destroyers and the British naval vessel, CENTCOM said.

FEARS

The incident is the latest since the US set up a multinational naval task force last month to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks, which are endangering a transit route that carries up to 12 per cent of global trade.

CENTCOM said US forces shot down a drone launched from Yemen over the weekend, while Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said the Houthis had launched an explosives-laden sea drone into shipping lanes last week - the first time they had used such a weapon in the current conflict.

The Houthis - who control much of Yemen - are part of the "axis of resistance" of groups arrayed against Israel.

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2024-01-10 10:09:00Z
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China says Taiwan ruling party 'creating panic' after satellite alert - CNA

BEIJING: China on Wednesday (Jan 10) accused Taiwan's ruling party of "creating panic" after the island's authorities issued a national emergency alert over a satellite launch by Beijing.

Phones across Taiwan blared with a "presidential alert" on Tuesday afternoon, around the time Beijing announced the successful launch of its Einstein Probe satellite, which it says will gather astronomical data.

Asked about the alert on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning accused Taiwan's ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, of "creating panic".

"I think everyone is clear about what aims the DPP authorities had in mind in misleading the public," she said.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan, which holds elections on Saturday, as part of its territory and has vowed to seize it one day.

The election is being closely watched - including by policymakers in Beijing and Washington - as its outcome will impact the future of Taiwan's relations with an increasingly assertive China.

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2024-01-10 07:59:55Z
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