@haugejostein Why not start by inviting the leaders of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran to give a speech in Cambridge?
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James
1.8K posts
@fbermingham There is at least one change: whereas in the past Vietnamese people used to take boats to China to find work, now Chinese people need to take boats to Vietnam to find work.
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It's a bit like the EU trying to rival BRI in Africa, only for funds to flow to Chinese vendors. Or when the US tried to wean off Chinese manufacturers, only to start buying from them in Vietnam instead. Curb Chinese EV imports? Chinese EV makers buy underutilised EU factories...
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A striking thing on EU de-risking from China is how often it loops back to China
EU wants Rotterdam Port as a storage hub for critical minerals stockpiles (tungsten, gallium, rare earth). Yet Chinese-linked firms own parts of the port infra (Cosco, Silk Road Fund, Hutchison)
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@ChandimaLiyana2 @AJENews Russia is capable of providing Iran with nuclear capabilities and technology; the Rosatom State Corporation is currently constructing the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran.
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@jamesinxa @AJENews There is close relationships between Russia and Iran but when it comes to nuclear weapons no country like to see another country specially a neighbor trying to acquire a nuclear weapon. I think IEA can monitor Russian sites that suppose to store Iran's Uranium.
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BREAKING: Iran’s deputy foreign minister said lifting sanctions, releasing frozen funds and ending the blockade were included in Iran’s recent proposal to the US, according to IRNA news agency.
🔴 More on Aljazeera.com
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@ChandimaLiyana2 @AJENews Relations between nations are complex. Does China want North Korea to possess nuclear weapons? Perhaps it does! Totalitarian governments view it as their talisman! If enriched uranium is stored in Russia, IAEA can not monitor Iran, so how can it possibly monitor Russia?
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@ChandimaLiyana2 @AJENews It makes no sense. Given the close ties between Russia and Iran—for example, Russia’s provision of military and intelligence assistance to Iran—it is understandable that President Trump does not trust Russia. The international geopolitical landscape has changed significantly
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@jamesinxa @AJENews I feel there might be other reasons. For an example Iran might not had intentions to give away enrichment. If Iran officially says it is ready to handover to Russia then it is done. Trump will be a fool, joker, mega criminal if he refuse it without valid reasons.
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“我认为习近平相信他在此次峰会的某一方面取得了成功——那就是在台湾问题上教育了特朗普，”克莱蒙特·麦肯纳学院教授裴敏欣表示。
“在中国人看来，特朗普对台湾问题的表态是巨大的突破，”王文说，他现任北京人民大学教授。cn.nytimes.com/asia-pacific/2…
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@ChandimaLiyana2 @AJENews However, when Russia proposed that it should take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium, President Trump rejected the suggestion.
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@AJENews USA also saying their red line is nuclear weapons. I think there can be a deal but how to go to the deal is the issue. So Russia will be helpful to act as guardian for the enriched. Obama time USA agreed Russian role, at this time there is no reason for them to say not Russia
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@fbermingham Have you noticed that President Trump is someone whose views fluctuate very easily? His views are particularly susceptible to the influence of the people he has recently met. For example, every time he meets Putin… The same applies to Xi in Beijing.
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Trump on the Taiwan arms package:
"It depends on China, it's a very good negotiating chip actually"
Then...
"Taiwan was developed by presidents who didn't know what they were doing... they stole our chips... we're gonna put a 100% or 200% tariff"
The Bulwark@BulwarkOnline
Baier: "Xi probably liked that you haven't approved the weapons to Taiwan." Trump: "I would say 'like' is maybe too strong of a word…China's a very, very big country. That's a very small island. It's 59 miles away. We're 9,500 miles away…[Taiwan] stole our chip industry."
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@CollinSLKoh Weren’t these funds only approved after repeated obstruction? Isn’t the scope for independent defence development an issue for the island itself?
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Difficult to see this as “takes its self-defense seriously” when opposition-led cuts to the original Executive Yuan version of the budget only allows arms purchases (from the US of course, that’s why you’re elated), while leaving little fiscal room for defense indigenization.
Senator John Curtis@SenJohnCurtis
Taiwan’s recently approved supplementary defense budget is an important investment in deterrence and stability in the Taiwan Strait—and shows that Taiwan takes its self-defense seriously and stands ready to purchase defense systems from the United States. Approving the $14 billion arms sale package honors America’s well-established commitments to Taiwan and will help safeguard our national and economic security.
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历届美国总统排名川普兜底
今年美国有154位历史学家和政治学家，将美国历届总统做了一个“平均伟大程度”的排名，林肯总统得到了第一名，100分为满分，川普10.92分，排名为所有美国总统最低。
一些华人移民或者非移民在想，为什么唯一美国的总统他们喜欢的，却在政治学历史学家人眼里是最差的一位，是否他们和美国没有关系？
你最喜欢的却是美国最糟糕的，你的“脖子一点都不红”，有这样的结果你感想如何？
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@sentdefender Notable that the US pays neither rent nor costs for Rammstein and that the bill for Germany is very substantial. In an era of an unreliable USA, Germany will celebrate the totalo closure of Ramstein.
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Germany hosts over 36,000 American Servicemembers, along with nearly 1,500 reservists and 11,500 civilian employees with the U.S. Department of Defense, according to the latest figures from last December. Additionally, Germany is home to the Headquarters of U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Africa Command (AFRICOM), and its Ramstein Air Base is a key hub for U.S. operations, including recent military operations against Iran. Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, the largest U.S. military hospital abroad is also located in Germany and has been used to care for dozens of Americans injured in strikes during the Iran War.
OSINTdefender@sentdefender
The Pentagon is planning to withdraw roughly 5,000 American troops from Germany in the near future, as part of the Trump Administration’s retaliation against European allies who refused to join or aid in the Iran War, senior defense officials have told CBS News.
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春季攀登旺季将至，珠穆朗玛峰通往一号营地的路线遭冰川碎块阻断，绳索固定延误数周；“冰瀑医师”只能等待其融化。即使路线开通，恐因天气窗口变窄、登山人潮等因素，出现峰顶塞车。
bbc.in/42cVTq5
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@sentdefender There have been reports that the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament has been forced to resign. Is this true?
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According to CNN, citing two administration officials, U.S. President Donald J. Trump is sending White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, Pakistan to engage in negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Per the report, U.S. Vice President JD Vance will not be attending as the Iranian speaker of parliament, who the U.S. views as their principal negotiator, is not in attendance. He is currently on standby to travel there if negotiations merit any success.
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@fbermingham In an effort to boost sales in China, they overlooked the international implications of this arrangement
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Striking contrast between how Geely-owned Volvo presents itself globally as a Scandinavian, apolitical brand and its use of Hu Xijin in China.
The ultimate wolf warrior - what's the message there?
Chang Che@Changxche
Volvo's new brand ambassador is Hu Xijin, longtime nationalist firebrand of the Global Times. The state's loudest voice and a top car company. Like the tech bros donating to the President's inauguration or Tucker Carlson as a Nike ambassador—not unfathomable. The twentieth century is not far in the rearview mirror... This quote is insane: "However fierce the storm, the steering wheel must stay steady. However noisy the discourse, safety is the bottom line." Yeah you know how we have to censor ourselves to keep us safe? That's also why we should buy Volvo cars
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@theyuenfamily @CollinSLKoh China does not currently recognise the law as binding upon it, nor does it intend to participate in arbitration before the tribunal. Does it really matter who invited the legal experts?
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@CollinSLKoh the arbitration panel was a legal expert team hired by philippines; china did not agree to go for arbitration & was not bound by its findings
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This warped narrative is in line with revisionist Beijing voices which harped on the fact that UNCLOS was a "Western construct" even though it was also instrumental in helping to realize the Convention in 1982.
ChineseEmbassyManila@Chinaembmanila
This is Jay Tarriela’s usual tactic: slap labels, pin charges, then hide behind emotional bluster to mask his insecurity. Such emotional rhetoric cannot withstand scrutiny by facts or legal reasoning. Tarriela repeatedly refers to the “South China Sea arbitration case,” which is essentially a political maneuver cloaked in legal form. China does not recognize or accept any policies or actions based on the so-called “award.” He also frequently cites the “unanimous ruling of the arbitral tribunal.” In that case, it is worth saying a few more words about this so-called “tribunal.” Of the five arbitrators on this ad hoc tribunal, four were from Western countries, and one had long worked in Western countries. Its composition itself violated international legal principles—including those in the Statute of the International Court of Justice—which require judges or arbitrators to represent the world’s major civilizations and principal legal systems. More importantly, two arbitrators, including Alfred Soons and Jean-Pierre Cot, issued rulings that were completely contrary to the positions they had long publicly held. Such a tribunal cannot be considered impartial; it exceeded its jurisdiction and rendered unjust decisions. Therefore, the relevant award is naturally illegal, void and null. One would think Jay Tarriela could stick to the historical and legal facts of the South China Sea, drop the emotional rhetoric and false labeling，and help manage disputes instead of stoking division and confrontation. ——Deputy Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy Guo Wei x.com/jaytaryela/sta…
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香港歌手张敬轩早前接受香港亲建制媒体《文汇报》专访时表示将会担任香港政府保安局的“项目导师”，并带领在2019年“反修例”运动中被捕但没有被检控的年轻人北上交流。另外，张敬轩又在访问中表示对于自己过去批评香港政府的言行感到懊悔及致歉。bbc.in/4sCwvol
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@sentdefender It’s no use; given the US naval blockade, even if they were produced, they couldn’t be shipped out.
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According to Iranian state news outlet Press TV, Iran has already started the process of reconstructing destroyed and damaged oil infrastructure, with a plan to reach 80% capacity in the next two months. Per Iran’s CEO of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, Mohammad Sadeq Azimifar, “Contractors have been mobilized, and restoration work is already in progress.”
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@bbcchinese 根本问题在于类似伊朗 朝鲜这样的政府为何一定要拥核 恐惧的什么 为何恐惧 或者得到了什么 肆无忌惮的杀害成千上万的民众 肆意愚昧民众的认知 救世主们认为一纸协议可以解决人性深处的恶 那么高于民用浓度的铀浓缩停止了吗 民众生活艰难 大量的武器生产储备和支援地区代理人和俄罗斯又是为了什么？…
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自美国和以色列对伊朗发动空袭以来，围绕战争进展的叙事权之争已在美国军事力量的核心地带展开。战争发展到今天，美国从中获得了、又失去了什么？bbc.in/47U54yR
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以广泛使用空调而闻名的新加坡已要求政府雇员将办公室温度至少调至25摄氏度（77华氏度），政府敦促员工改用风扇并搭乘大众运输工具。bbc.in/4cchT8R
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