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'''General Research #22169 >>18086046

US Sending Delegation to Taiwan for Trade Talks in Move Sure to Anger China

The delegation will be led by an assistant US trade representative

The US is sending a delegation to Taiwan next week for trade talks with Taipei, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said on Wednesday, in a move sure to anger Beijing.

The US and Taiwan agreed to hold formal trade talks last year, and the first round was held in New York in November. Since Washington and Taiwan don’t have official relations, the negotiations are being held under the auspice of their respective de facto embassies, the American Institute in Taiwan, and the Taipei Economic Cultural Representative Office in the US.

But the US delegation is being led by Terry McCartin, the assistant US trade representative for China affairs, meaning the effort is being carried out by President Biden’s Executive Office. The USTR said the meetings in Taiwan would be attended by officials from several other government agencies.

According to The South China Post, Yang Jen-ni, Taiwan’s deputy trade representative, will lead the Taiwanese delegation, which will include dozens of officials from other departments.

China is against contact between high-level US and Taiwanese government officials as it views such cooperation as the US moving away from the one-China policy. Beijing is especially opposed to high-level US officials visiting Taiwan and typically reacts by launching military drills around the island.

The trade talks are an effort by the US to reduce economic dependence on China, and the overall increase in US contacts with Taiwan is part of the Biden administration’s strategy to counter China’s influence in the region. The USTR has dubbed the trade talks the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade and said they are intended to “develop concrete ways to deepen the economic and trade relationship.”

The USTR said the talks will focus on multiple areas, including “reaching agreements on trade facilitation, good regulatory practices, strong anti-corruption standards, enhancing trade between our small and medium enterprises, deepening agriculture trade, removing discriminatory barriers to trade, digital trade, robust labor and environmental standards, as well as ways to address distortive practices of state-owned enterprises and non-market policies and practices.”

Another major factor in the talks is the fact that Taiwan is the world’s largest producer of advanced semiconductors, and the Biden administration is trying to entice Taiwanese companies to open more facilities inside the US. The US has targeted China’s chip industry with major sanctions in recent months, which marks a major shift in US trade policy toward the country.

https://news.antiwar.com/2023/01/04/us-sending-delegations-to-taiwan-for-trade-talks-in-move-sure-to-anger-china/

Australia Speeds Up Purchase of ‘Smart’ Sea Mines to Deter China

Bloomberg January 23, 2023

The Australian government is looking to speed up the purchase of a new generation of sea mines to protect its ports amid growing concern over China’s military build-up and expanding influence in the Pacific.

The Department of Defence said in a statement Monday the “smart” sea mines would be able to discriminate between military targets and other shipping vessels and be “a significant deterrent to potential aggressors.”

The news was first reported by Australia’s Nine newspapers on Monday, which said the cost could be as much as A$1 billion ($700 million) although the final total was still considered confidential. The department did not release information on the cost of the mines.

Australia has sought to bolster its military forces in recent years to help counter China’s rapid military expansion in the region. In the past year, there were at least two reported incidents of confrontations between Australian and Chinese forces, including one just off Australia’s north coast.

At the same time, Beijing has broadened its diplomatic footprint in the Pacific, signing a security agreement with the Solomon Islands that could see Chinese warships docked just 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from the Australian mainland.

Australia is currently in negotiations with the US and the UK to acquire a fleet of nuclear submarines by 2040 as part of the wide-reaching AUKUS security partnership. An announcement on the design of the new vessels is expected within months.

https://gcaptain.com/australia-speeds-up-purchase-of-smart-sea-mines-to-deter-china/

General Research #22461 >>18326499

Anthony Albanese to become the first sitting prime minister to march in Mardi Gras - as annual gay pride parade snubs the NRL

Anthony Albanese to march in Mardi Gras

He will be first sitting PM to participate in parade

Anthony Albanese will be the first sitting Prime Minister to march in Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras when he joins the parade for the WorldPride festival.

The Prime Minister says he will be joined by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the first openly gay woman in parliament, when he takes part in the event on February 25.

Mr Albanese announced the news to a crowd gathered for the official opening of Pride Square at Newtown, in Sydney's inner-west.

'I'll be the first Prime Minister not to watch the march on Mardi Gras, but to march,' he said on Saturday.

Mr Albanese's appearance will come as the annual gay pride parade snubs the NRL for the first time in seven years after seven Manly Sea Eagles refused to wear the pride jersey at a match last year.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11738747/Ill-PM-march-Mardi-Gras-Albanese.html

General Research #22542 >>18387915

Sky News host reduced to fit of laughter by Biden video

21 Feb, 2023 11:13

The Australian presenter cracked up on air during a discussion of the US leader’s health

Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi burst into laughter live on air after viewing a montage of US President Joe Biden’s most memorable blunders.

The incident came during a program on Monday that discussed Biden’s recent medical examination, which found the 80-year-old leader to be “vigorous,” “healthy,” and “fit for duty.”

The group of Australian journalists questioned last week’s diagnosis by the White House physician, and showed a compilation of the US president’s slip-ups to demonstrate their point.

Panahi could not contain herself after watching a clip of Biden telling a story from when he was a young man and worked as a lifeguard at a swimming pool.

“I sit on the stand, and it’s getting hot, I’ve got hairy legs that turn… that turn, um, blonde in the sun. And the kids used to come up and reach in the pool and rub my leg down so it was straight and watch the hair come back up again. They’d look at it. So, I learned about roaches, I learned about kids jumping on my lap, and I’ve loved kids jumping on my lap,”Biden said in the video.

After the footage ended, the host burst into laughter and appeared to have tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.Yes, no man has ever been better equipped to lead the USand, indeed, the free world than the current commander-in-chief. We’re in good hands, folks,” Panahi said sarcastically.

According to the TV host, Biden’s story could only come from “a sane man in peak physical and mental condition.”

She later re-posted a video of the segment on Twitter, saying “sometimes you laugh so hard you cry… but normally not on air.”

Video at: https://youtu.be/WxXepkdJHko

https://www.rt.com/news/571823-biden-health-sky-australia/