China-US ties have sunk to their lowest point since the normalization of relations in 1979, with problems stemming from the trade and tech wars launched by the Trump administration in 2018, complemented by the Biden White House’s repeated violations of the One China policy on Taiwan.
Taiwan is a security "red line" for China which Washington must never cross, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has indicated.
“In response to recent erroneous words and deeds by the United States on the Taiwan issue and Washington’s attempt to draw a line in Sino-US relations, President Xi Jinping comprehensively and systematically expounded on the origin of the Taiwan issue and China’s principled position, clearly pointing out that Taiwan issue is at the center of China’s core interests, and the core of Sino-US relations,” Wang indicated in a Foreign Ministry statement Sunday, summarizing President Xi’s trips to the G20 and APEC summits this week.
Stressing that “‘Taiwan independence’ is incompatible with peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” and that “the Chinese people will never agree to anyone who wants to separate Taiwan from China,” Wang warned that the issue is the “political foundation and the main red line that no one can cross.”
The Chinese top diplomat urged Washington to do its part to stick to the "Four No’s and One Without" pledge given by former Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian in 2000, which committed Taipei to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
In his talks with President Joe Biden, Xi called on Washington to abandon its “zero-sum game” approach to China, “establish a tone of dialogue instead of confrontation,” and “adhere to mutual respect and peace,” according to Wang.
Xi was also said to have slapped down US criticism on issues including democracy and human rights, and to have informed his American interlocutors that “the United States has American-style democracy, and China has Chinese-style democracy,” and that both countries must recognize and respect one another’s “different systems and paths.”.......More Below
https://sputniknews.com/20221120/beijing-warns-us-of-red-line-in-relations-1104468267.html
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
