Day: November 16, 2022

Türkiye tells Greece to mind its place and remember its history, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday about the increasing tension in the Eastern Mediterranean between Greece and Türkiye and Greece’s armament of demilitarized islands in the East Aegean, at the press conference after the G-20 summit in Indonesia, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.

“Again, I say it against Greece’s behavior that causes such tension. We can arrive suddenly one night. There are officials in Greece who do not know their limits. We tell them to know the diplomacy of the neighboring country. Don’t mess with Türkiye. They can fill the islands with as many guns as they want. None of these will do you any good. Here is Türkiye. Greece has to know its place. They need to remember history,” Erdogan said.

 

Source: TREND News Agency

LONDON — Britain faces major security threats from the trio of Russia, China and Iran, which all use coercion, intimidation and violence to pursue their interests, the U.K.’s domestic intelligence spy chief said Wednesday.

Ken McCallum, director-general of MI5, added to mounting warnings from British authorities about Russia’s aggression and China’s growing assertiveness. He also singled out Iran as a mounting concern, saying U.K authorities have uncovered at least 10 “potential threats” this year to “kidnap or even kill British or U.K.-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime.”

He said Iran’s intelligence services “are prepared to take reckless action” against opponents, both on Western soil and by luring people to Iran.

Last week, the U.K. government summoned Tehran’s top diplomat in London for a dressing-down, accusing Iran of threatening journalists working in Britain. U.K-based Farsi-language satellite news channel Iran International said British police had warned two of its journalists about “an imminent, credible and significant risk to their lives and those of their families.”

In a speech outlining the major threats to the U.K. from both hostile states and terror groups, McCallum said there is a risk Russia, China and Iran could help one another, “amplifying their strengths.”

He said Russia’s espionage capabilities had been dealt a “significant strategic blow” since the invasion of Ukraine from the expulsion of 400 spies working under diplomatic cover at Russian missions in Europe, including 23 in the U.K.

But, he said, British spies are still facing a “Russian covert toolkit” that includes assassination attempts, “cyberattacks, disinformation, espionage” and interfering with democracy.

“The U.K. must be ready for Russian aggression for years to come,” he said.

McCallum cast China as an even longer-term problem, saying “the activities of the Chinese Communist Party pose the most game-changing strategic challenge to the U.K.”

Using a sports analogy, McCallum said “Russia thinks nothing of throwing an elbow in the face and routinely cheats to get its way.”

“The Chinese authorities present a different order of challenge,” he said. “They’re trying to rewrite the rulebook, to buy the league, to recruit our coaching staff to work for them.”

McCallum accused Beijing of monitoring, intimidating, coercing and “forcibly repatriating Chinese nationals to harassment and assault.”

He also said Chinese authorities were playing a long game in trying to influence British politics by “seeking to co-opt and influence not just prominent parliamentarians across the political landscape, but people much earlier in their careers in public life, gradually building a debt of obligation.”

He said such activities were likely to grow as Chinese President Xi Jinping “consolidates power on an indefinite basis.”

At a Group of 20 summit in Indonesia this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said China posed “a systemic challenge to our values and interests and it represents the biggest state-based threat to our economic security.”

Last month, the head of Britain’s cyberintelligence agency, GCHQ, called China’s growing power the “national security issue that will define our future.”

Speaking at MI5’s high-security London headquarters, McCallum said Britain still faces a terror threat from both self-radicalized lone actors and groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, which he said “are down but definitely not out.”

He said MI5 had disrupted 37 “late stage” attack plots since 2017, eight of them in the past year. Three-quarters were driven by Islamic extremism and the rest by far-right ideology, he said.

Many of the plots involved “low-sophistication attacks” by self-radicalized extremists. Groups such as IS and al-Qaida have been weakened, but still pose “a very real risk that we are dealing with every day.”

McCallum also said his agents and police had done “quietly effective work” to ensure the safety of 10 days of national mourning that followed the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September.

The commemorations brought the biggest crowds in decades into London, as hundreds of thousands lined up to see the late monarch lie in state or watch her funeral procession.

He said no major attack plots were uncovered, but agents worked “to respond to emerging possible early stage” attacks as well as doing “protective security work.”

“There was nothing close to a late-stage goal-line clearance in respect to those events,” he said. “But there was good work done in a low-key way behind the scenes.”

 

Source: Voice of America

Journalists covering two major international events in Cambodia and Indonesia this week have been obstructed from their work.

A producer for the U.S. news outlet ABC News was pushed when she tried to ask a question during President Joe Biden’s meeting with China’s leader Xi Jinping.

Separately, journalists from the Voice of America (VOA) and Voice of Democracy (VOD) were denied access to a press conference by Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen during the ASEAN summit being hosted in the country.

White House pool reporter Molly Nagle, of ABC News, on Monday was part of the small media group covering the start of President’s meeting with Xi.

During a break, Nagle called out a question directed at Biden, asking if he would include rights issues during the meetings.

But an unidentified person believed to be part of the Chinese delegation pulled the journalist backwards so that she momentarily lost her balance.

The man, described as wearing a face mask with a Chinese flag on it, then pushed her toward the door, according to Agence France-Presse.

The AFP reports that two White House staff members intervened, saying the producer should be left alone.

VOA emailed the spokesperson for China’s Washington embassy for comment but did not receive a response.

Separately in Cambodia on Sunday, journalists from VOA’s Khmer service and the independent broadcaster VOD were denied access to a Hun Sen press conference.

Both media outlets had registered to cover the post-ASEAN summit press conference at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, but were not given passes.

The Cambodian Center for Independent Media, the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association and the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia have jointly called on Cambodia’s Ministry of Information to clarify why the journalists were denied entry.

“Since the prime minister welcomed questions from the media, we would like to know why journalists from VOD and VOA were not welcome to ask questions,” read the joint statement published Monday.

The media associations called on the ministry to “explain this apparent discrimination against journalists from certain news outlets.”

According to the group, two members of the Ministry of Information’s press staff said their supervisor would not allow VOD and VOA journalists to attend the conference with Hun Sen.

Pa Sokheng, a reporter for VOD whose application was not granted, expressed “deep disappointment” and said there should be no discrimination and restrictions on media outlets.

“Banning journalists to listen and ask questions … shows that the state is trying to hide any loopholes of society development rather than finding a solution,” she told VOA Khmer.

Ith Sothoeuth, media director at the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, said allowing some media to attend but not others “shows the unequal treatment of journalists.”

A spokesperson for VOA’s public relations department described the block on its journalists and others as “deeply concerning.”

“These actions by Cambodian officials are in direct opposition to the values of democratic societies,” VOA’s spokesperson said via email. “We stand with our audience in Cambodia, and we will continue to offer them accurate, balanced and comprehensive journalism in English and in the Khmer language.”

Phos Sovann, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s Information Ministry, said the prime minister’s office’s protocol doesn’t allow for VOA and VOD reporters to cover Hun Sen’s event.

The reason, the spokesperson said, is because the two media outlets do not run the leader’s speech in full. That approach, the spokesperson said, causes confusion.

Hun Sen’s speeches and events are usually broadcast on Facebook Live but for this event, journalists needed a pass to attend.

The ministry spokesperson rejected concerns at apparent discrimination, saying that only two media outlets are blocked and that “several others are allowed.”

In ABC reporter Nagle’s case in Indonesia, the White House pool reporter documented the incident in her report.

“I was pulled backwards by my backpack as I shouted, by a member of the Chinese group,” she wrote. “I stumbled back and then was pushed toward the door, knocking me off my balance.”

 

Source: Voice of America

TORONTO — Chinese President Xi Jinping chastised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G-20 summit on Wednesday for leaking details of a prior meeting during which Trudeau expressed concern about Chinese interference in domestic affairs.

The two had a brief encounter at an event in Indonesia that news outlets were able to record. A television camera was behind a Chinese interpreter in clear view as the two spoke.

“Everything we discussed has been leaked to the paper; that’s not appropriate,” Xi told Trudeau through the interpreter. “And that’s not … the way the conversation was conducted, if there is sincerity on your part,” Xi said, at which point Trudeau interrupted and stepped toward Xi.

“In Canada, we believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have,” Trudeau said. “We will continue to look to work constructively together, but there will be things we will disagree on.”

Xi looked around as Trudeau replied.

“Let’s create the conditions first,” Xi responded through the interpreter.

The two shook hands after the brief encounter.

Trudeau first spoke with Xi at the G-20 last Tuesday. A senior Canadian government official said the two spoke about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea and climate change, and that Trudeau also raised “our serious concerns around interference activities in Canada.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Asked later at a news conference about the confrontation, Trudeau said “not every conversation is always going to be easy, but it’s extremely important that we continue to stand up for the things that are important for Canadians.”

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly also said she discussed Chinese interference with her Chinese counterpart at the G-20.

Joly remarked last week that China is an increasingly disruptive, global power and warned businesses against deepening their ties, saying there were “geopolitical risks.”

Canadian police charged a Hydro-Québec employee on Monday with espionage for allegedly sending trade secrets to China. And Beijing’s ties with Ottawa nosedived after Canadian authorities arrested a top executive from Chinese tech giant Huawei who had been charged with fraud by the U.S.

China jailed two Canadians shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies’ chief financial officer and the daughter of the company’s founder, on a U.S. extradition request. They were sent back to Canada last year, the same day Meng returned to China after reaching a deal with U.S. authorities in her case.

Many countries labeled China’s action “hostage politics,” while China has described the charges against Huawei and Meng as a politically motivated attempt to hold back China’s economic and technological development.

Canada has banned wireless carriers from installing Huawei equipment in its high-speed 5G networks, joining allies in shunning the company that has close links with the ruling Communist Party and its military wing, the People’s Liberation Army.

 

Source: Voice of America

WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans mostly condemned President Joe Biden for saying that there “need not be a new Cold War” between the U.S. and China, following a three-hour summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Indonesia.

A few Republicans, however, joined members of Biden’s Democratic Party in cautiously welcoming signs that the meeting may have helped to head off misunderstandings that could lead to unnecessary conflict.

Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas tweeted, “Joe Biden has again failed to address or even acknowledge China’s Cold War against the United States. His naive return to a policy of appeasement will hurt the United States, endanger Taiwan, and further embolden Xi Jinping.”

Biden also said, “I don’t think there’s any imminent attempt by China to invade Taiwan,” despite escalating military moves by Beijing in the Taiwan Strait.

Before the meeting, Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told VOA that “if the senior leaders or the president, the vice president of the United States are able to speak with the Chinese leaders to address the concerns about the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait or China’s violation of the status quo, I think it’s going to be very helpful to regional peace.”

Biden’s remarks drew a backlash from several Republican lawmakers.

Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, also a Republican, tweeted, “Xi Jinping is focused on global domination, not working with the Biden administration on climate change.”

Meetings described as ‘candid and constructive’

The leaders of the world’s two largest economies met this week on the eve of the G-20 summit in Bali. Each of the men had scored recent political victories at home — Xi starting an unprecedented third term and Biden riding on what is seen as a win for his Democratic Party after a strong showing in the U.S. midterm elections.

The two engaged in a frank conversation about their respective priorities and intentions on a range of issues, according to minutes of the meeting released by the White House.

Biden emphasized the necessity for the U.S. and China to work together on transnational challenges, including climate change, global macroeconomic stability including debt relief, health security, and global food security, according to the readout.

China’s Foreign Ministry said, “Both presidents viewed the meeting as in-depth, candid and constructive. They instructed their teams to promptly follow up and implement the important common understandings reached between them, and take concrete actions to put China-U.S. relations back on the track of steady development.”

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is vice chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence and a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, said the Bali meeting was not a turning point in U.S.-China relations.

Rubio told VOA Mandarin during an interview on Monday that “no meeting is going to solve the deep issues between the U.S. and China … which will remain the challenge of the centuries.”

In a written statement issued on Monday before Xi and Biden met, Rubio criticized Biden for “dangerously” misunderstanding “the CCP [Chinese Communist Party], which openly pushes for conflict with the United States and its allies.”

“This meeting should have held the CCP accountable for its rampant human rights abuses, ongoing theft of American intellectual property, and its refusal to investigate the origins of COVID-19,” Rubio said. “Instead, President Biden demonstrated that he is willing to sacrifice everything — including our national security and the security of our allies — for the sake of pursuing ill-fated climate talks with our nation’s greatest adversary.”

‘It’s good that we’re talking’

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, however, thinks the long meeting indicated a positive development.

“Three hours isn’t necessarily a good sign, but I think it’s positive, because there’re so many issues, and that tells me that both went into the meeting understanding how important U.S.-China communication is at a minimum,” he told VOA Mandarin on Monday. “So I was happy to hear that.”

Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota told VOA Mandarin on Monday that it’s important to maintain good relations with China.

“The Chinese Communist Party may have different points of view about how to get there,” he said. “We want to make clear our positions, but we also want them to understand that you would much rather have peace than to have conflict.

“I am always hopeful that communications and diplomacy can win out,” he added. “Time will tell whether or not we had a successful meeting. But it’s good that we’re talking.”

Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks of New York and Republican Representative Ami Bera of California said in a statement that “candid dialogue and sustained diplomacy are necessary to ensure that this competition is healthy, constructive, and does not devolve into conflict.”

But, they added, engagement with China “will continue to be based on the principle of strategic competition … as long as Beijing continues to ignore international rules and norms — whether it’s China’s aggression in the Taiwan Strait, its genocide in Xinjiang, its oppression in Hong Kong and Tibet, or its support for Russia’s and North Korea’s destabilizing actions.”

 

Source: Voice of America