China’s ‘aggressive’ military activities around Taiwan put region’s security at risk, US says

China’s ‘aggressive’ military activities around Taiwan put region’s security at risk, US says
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This handout photo taken and released by the Taiwan Coast Guard on April 1, 2025 shows a Taiwan Coast Guard ship (front) and a Chinese Coast Guard ship (back) sailing in waters off the Matsu Islands in Taiwan. (Taiwan Coast Guard photo via AFP)
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Updated 02 April 2025
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China’s ‘aggressive’ military activities around Taiwan put region’s security at risk, US says

China’s ‘aggressive’ military activities around Taiwan put region’s security at risk, US says
  • Washington issued the statement as China conducted large-scale drills around Taiwan to warn the self-ruled democracy against seeking formal independence
  • China's latest action has prompted the Philippines' military to prepare to rescue Filipinos working and living in Taiwan if China invades the island

WASHINGTON/TAIPEI: The United States on Wednesday reassured its allies in the Asia-Pacific region of its “enduring commitment” of support amid what it called “China’s intimidation tactics and destabilizing behavior.”

“Once again, China’s aggressive military activities and rhetoric toward Taiwan only serve to exacerbate tensions and put the region’s security and the world’s prosperity at risk,” the US State Department said in a statement posted on its website.

“The United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including through force or coercion,” the statement added.

On Tuesday, China conducted large-scale drills in the waters and airspace around Taiwan that included an aircraft carrier battle group, as it again warned the self-ruled democracy against seeking formal independence.

The exercises involved navy, air ground and rocket forces and were meant to be a “severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence,” according to Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command. No operational name for the drills was announced nor previous notice given.

China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status. Any conflict could bring in the US, which maintains alliances in the region and is legally bound to treat threats to Taiwan as a matter of “grave concern.”

Taiwan’s Presidential Office posted on X that “China’s blatant military provocations not only threaten peace in the #Taiwan Strait but also undermine security in the entire region, as evidenced by drills near Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, the Philippines & the SCS. We strongly condemn China’s escalatory behavior.”

The SCS refers to the South China Sea, the strategic and disputed waterway that China claims almost in its entirety. China’s navy also recently held drills near Australia and New Zealand for which it gave no warning, forcing the last-minute rerouting of commercial flights.

 

Taiwan tracks Chinese navy vessels

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said it had tracked 19 Chinese navy vessels around the island in a 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday. It added that the Shandong aircraft carrier group had entered into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, a self-defined area tracked by the military.

Beijing sends warplanes and navy vessels toward the island on a daily basis, andin recent years it has stepped up the scope and scale of these exercises. Taiwanese officials have recently warned that China could launch a sneak attack under the guise of military exercises.

“I want to say these actions amply reflect (China’s) destruction of regional peace and stability,” said Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo.

Taiwan has set up a central response group to monitor the latest exercises, Koo said.

On the streets of Taipei, people said the atmosphere was tense but they were more concerned about the economy and developments surrounding the administration of US President Donald Trump.

“The Chinese Communists spend so much time and effort on these things but most people don’t pay much attention,” said Lin Hui-tsung, a noodle seller in the Tiananmu district.

China’s Xinhua News Agency said the Eastern Theater Command conducted “multi-subject drills in waters to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island.”

The theater command “organized its vessel and aircraft formations, in coordination with conventional missile troops and long-range rocket launching systems, to conduct drills of air interception, assault on maritime targets, strikes on ground objects, and joint blockade and control,” Xinhua quoted the command as saying.

The exercises were “aimed at testing the troops’ capabilities of carrying out integrated operations, seizure of operational control and multi-directional precision strikes, the command said.

“The PLA organized naval and air forces to practice subjects such as sea and land strikes, focusing on testing the troops’ ability to carry out precision strikes on some key targets of the Taiwan authorities from multiple directions,” said Zhang Chi, a professor at China’s National Defense University in an interview with Chinese state television.

Beijing sends a message to Taiwan’s president

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the exercises were directed at Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s strongly pro-independence president.

“Lai Ching-te stubbornly insists on a ‘Taiwan independence’ stance, brazenly labeling the mainland as a ‘foreign hostile force,’ and has put forward a so-called ‘17-point strategy’ ... stirring up anti-China sentiments,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement. “We will not tolerate or condone this in any way and must resolutely counter and severely punish these actions.”

In mid-March, Taiwan’s Lai put forward a 17-point strategy aimed at shoring up Taiwan’s security. The points include allowing espionage cases to be tried by military courts and making immigration rules stricter for Chinese citizens applying for permanent residency.

China’s PLA also released a series of videos to publicize their military exercise, including one in which they depict Lai as a green parasite “poisoning” the island by hatching smaller parasites. The video shows Lai’s head on the body of a bulbous green worm, with a pair of chopsticks picking him up and roasting him over a flame set over Taiwan.

Taiwan and China split amid civil war 76 years ago, but tensions have risen since 2016, when China cut off almost all contacts with Taipei.

Philippines should be ready to rescue its citizens

In the Philippines, military chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. asked Filipino forces to prepare to rescue Filipinos working and living in Taiwan if China invades the island, speaking during a ceremony marking the founding anniversary of the military command that secures the Philippine region closest to Taiwan.

“If something happens to Taiwan, inevitably we will be involved. There are 250,000 overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan and we will have to rescue them,” Brawner said.


Apple to invest additional $100 bn in US

Apple to invest additional $100 bn in US
Updated 12 sec ago
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Apple to invest additional $100 bn in US

Apple to invest additional $100 bn in US
  • It builds on plans announced in 2021, when the company founded by Steve Jobs said it would invest $430 billion in the country and add 20,000 jobs over the next five years

WASHINGTON: Apple will invest an additional $100 billion in the United States, taking its total pledge to $600 billion over the next four years, US President Donald Trump said Wednesday.

Trump announced the increased commitment at the White House alongside the tech giant’s CEO Tim Cook, calling it “the largest investment Apple has made in America.”

“Apple will massively increase spending on its domestic supply chain,” Trump added, highlighting a new production facility for the glass used to make iPhone screens in Kentucky.

In February, Apple said it would spend more than $500 billion in the United States and hire 20,000 people, with Trump quickly taking credit for the decision.

It builds on plans announced in 2021, when the company founded by Steve Jobs said it would invest $430 billion in the country and add 20,000 jobs over the next five years.

“This year alone, American manufacturers are on track to make 19 billion chips for Apple in 24 factories across 12 different states,” Cook said in the Oval Office.

Trump, who has pushed US companies to shift manufacturing home by slapping tariffs on trading partners, claimed that his administration was to thank for the investment.

“This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of... ensuring that iPhones sold in the United States of America also are made in America,” Trump said.

Cook later clarified that, while many iPhone components will be manufactured in the United States, the complete assembly of iPhones will still be conducted overseas.

“If you look at the bulk of it, we’re doing a lot of the semiconductors here, we’re doing the glass here, we’re doing the Face ID module here... and we’re doing these for products sold elsewhere in the world,” Cook said.

Apple reported a quarterly profit of $23.4 billion in late July, topping forecasts despite facing higher costs due to Trump’s sweeping levies.

The tariffs are essentially a tax paid by companies importing goods to the United States. This means Apple is on the hook for tariffs on iPhones and other products or components it brings into the country from abroad.


France’s biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading

France’s biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading
Updated 5 min 24 sec ago
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France’s biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading

France’s biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading
  • Over 2,100 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft battled the blaze

SAINT-LAURENT-DE-LA-CABRERISSE, France: France’s biggest wildfire in years was spreading quickly Wednesday in a Mediterranean region near Spain after leaving one person dead and several injured, authorities said. The fire burned an area larger than Paris, and the military was called in to help.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou deplored a “disaster on an unprecedented scale” in the region.

Over 2,100 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft battled the blaze that broke out Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute in the Aude region, a rural, wooded area that is home to wineries.

The fire, which has burned 16,000 hectares , remained “very active” on Wednesday and continued to progress as night fell, the local administration said. The weather was hot, dry and windy, making it difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze.

Villagers sought to help douse the flames or save their homes and small businesses, and described their alarm at the fire’s speed. Ash filled the air and coated windows and cars, and several roads were closed around the region.

’’The sky was blue, and then less than an hour later the sky was orange,″ said Andy Pickup of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, at the heart of the fire zone. “That’s when we went out and tried to help.”

’’We heard pops and cracks — it was the trees, it was the village,″ he told The Associated Press. ‘’We could see the fires taking hold on all the hills around Saint-Laurent.″ At dusk, he said, they saw fires in every direction, some as near as 100 meters  away.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the military will reinforce efforts starting from Thursday, with several dozens of soldiers to be deployed.

One person died in their home, and at least 13 others were injured, including 11 firefighters, local authorities said. Three people were missing, the prefecture said.

Jacques Piraux, mayor of the village of Jonquières, said all residents have been evacuated.

“It’s a scene of sadness and desolation,” he told broadcaster BFM TV after visiting there on Wednesday morning. “It looks like a lunar landscape, everything is burned. More than half or three-quarters of the village has burned down. It’s hellish.”

Residents and tourists in nearby areas were requested to remain in their homes unless told to evacuate. Two campgrounds were evacuated as a precaution.

The prime minister met Wednesday afternoon with firefighters and residents at Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, where the fire service’s command post has been set up. He said he came to express “national solidarity.”

The area’s economy is relying on winery and tourism and “both sectors are affected,” he stressed.

Bayrou said an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.

The environment ministry said the Aude region has been experiencing a drought this month, with water use restrictions in place. Lack of rainfall in recent months “played a major role in the spreading of the fire, since the vegetation is very dry,” the statement said.

This week’s fire was the biggest since the creation of a national fire database in 2006, according to the national emergency service.

Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France’s second-largest city, left aroundTh 300 people injured.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

‘’We’ve lived here for 10 years and we’ve seen nothing like that,” Pickup said. ‘’Consistently the summers are getting hotter, there is less and less rain, and that is a major problem.”

‘’We have been told the wind might come stronger tomorrow,” he added.


Trump says he could impose more tariffs on China, similar to India duties, over Russian oil

Trump says he could impose more tariffs on China, similar to India duties, over Russian oil
Updated 11 min 25 sec ago
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Trump says he could impose more tariffs on China, similar to India duties, over Russian oil

Trump says he could impose more tariffs on China, similar to India duties, over Russian oil

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he could announce further tariffs on China similar to the 25 percent duties announced earlier on India over its purchases of Russian oil, depending on what happens.

“Could happen,” Trump told reporters, after saying he expected to announce more secondary sanctions aimed at pressuring Russia to end its war in Ukraine.

He gave no further details.

“It may happen ... I can’t tell you yet,” Trump said. “We did it with India. We’re doing it probably with a couple of others. One of them could be China.”

Trump on Wednesday imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, on top of a 25 percent tariff announced previously, citing its continued purchases of Russian oil.

The White House order did not mention China, which is another big purchaser of Russian oil. Last week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned China that it could also face new tariffs if it continued buying Russian oil.


US Army soldier accused of attempting to share tank infomation with Russia

US Army soldier accused of attempting to share tank infomation with Russia
Updated 16 min 5 sec ago
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US Army soldier accused of attempting to share tank infomation with Russia

US Army soldier accused of attempting to share tank infomation with Russia

A U.S. Army soldier was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly seeking to pass sensitive information about American battle tanks to the Russian government, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Taylor Adam Lee, 22, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas, is facing two federal charges accusing him of attempting to transmit national defense information and export controlled technical data without a license, according to court documents.

“Today’s arrest is a message to anyone thinking about betraying the U.S. – especially service members who have sworn to protect our homeland. The FBI and our partners will do everything in our power to protect Americans and safeguard classified information,” Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division said in a statement.

Lee has not yet entered a plea on the charges, which were filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Attorney information for Lee was not immediately available.

Prosecutors accused Lee, who holds a top-secret security clearance, of attempting to share information on the operation and vulnerabilities of the M1A2 Abrams, the main U.S. battle tank, with the Russian government in exchange for Russian citizenship.

Last month, Lee shared an SD card that contained documents and information about the tank and other U.S. military operations with someone he believed to be a Russian intelligence officer. The documents contained technical data Lee was not authorized to provide and some were marked “Controlled Unclassified Information,” according to prosecutors.

“Soldiers who violate their oath and become insider threats will absolutely be caught and brought to justice, and we will continue to protect Army personnel and safeguard equipment,” said Brigadier General Sean Stinchon, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command.


Trump immigration crackdown boosts private prison profits

Trump immigration crackdown boosts private prison profits
Updated 15 min 17 sec ago
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Trump immigration crackdown boosts private prison profits

Trump immigration crackdown boosts private prison profits
  • Geo Group, one of the two leading US private prison companies, said the White House’s policies will fuel their growth for the foreseeable future
  • The Florida-based group reported profits of $29.1 million and is adding thousands of beds for detainees at sites around the United States
  • CoreCivic, the other leading private prison company, lifted its financial targets after reporting that second-quarter profits more than doubled to $38.5 million

NEW YORK: One of the biggest US private prison companies announced a share repurchase program on Wednesday, the latest sign of an industry boom from President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Geo Group, one of the two leading US private prison companies, said the White House’s policies will fuel their growth for the foreseeable future, even as executives pointed to staffing and infrastructure limitations that could constrain the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s target of hiring 10,000 workers is “very expensive and very complicated,” said Geo Executive Chairman George Zoley, predicting it will “take a long time” to reach that figure.

“You need more people to go across the country and identify people who are here unlawfully,” Zoley said on a conference call. “One person doesn’t go out and do this job by themselves. It’s a whole team of people.”

Florida-based Geo, which is adding thousands of beds for detainees at sites around the United States, reported profits of $29.1 million after losing $32.5 million in the year-ago period. Revenues rose 4.8 percent to $636.2 million.

The company, which is also seeing growth in its transportation business for ICE, said its board had authorized $300 million in share repurchases.

Company officials expect more of a revenue increase in 2026 from the ICE crackdown. By that point, four facilities currently being activated will be at capacity, resulting in annual revenues of $240 million.

Geo also has another 5,900 beds at six company facilities that are currently idle. If fully utilized by ICE, they could yield another $310 million in annual revenues, Zoley said.

But company officials suggested a widely-discussed Washington target of one million deported annually could be difficult in light of the constraints facing the operation.

Trump’s multi-year fiscal package approved by Congress in July triples ICE’s detention budget to $45 billion over four years. Administration officials have said they need 100,000 beds at detention centers to reach their mass-deportation goals.

Zoley estimated that private companies currently have capacity for 75,000 or 80,000 beds, leaving a gap that could be met at military bases or by the US states.

“They are communicating with many red states in particular,” said Zoley, who mentioned Florida, Texas and Louisiana among the Republican-controlled states whose public sectors are being enlisted.

“These are unchartered waters for the agency to expand their platform of detention nationally... to literally more than double the size of the previous administration,” he said. “It can’t be done overnight.”

Shares of Geo rose 2.6 percent.

After the stock market closed, CoreCivic, the other leading private prison company, lifted its financial targets after reporting that second-quarter profits more than doubled to $38.5 million.