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☆ The US is worried about an invasion, but China could take control of Taiwan without firing a shot, war experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Defense experts say that an aggressive Chinese coercion campaign, short of war but still threatening, is more likely than a full-scale invasion and the US needs to prepare for such an event. Economic and diplomatic pressure is notable, and Chinese misinformation operations and the potential to slowly set up a blockade of Taiwan are also concerns. Annabelle Chih/Getty ImagesThe report identifies four things key to resisting Chinese coercion. CM-11 tanks fire artillery during the 2-day live-fire drill, amid intensifying threats military from China, in Pingtung county, Taiwan, 7 September 2022.

Persons: —, Han, Annabelle Chih, MANDY CHENG, Lai Ching, Lai, Ceng Shou Yi, John Aquilano, Xi, Aquilano, Carlos Del Toro, Frank Kendall Organizations: Service, Business, American Enterprise Institute, Institute for, Liberation Army, PLA, AEI, Cobra, Getty, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan, Getty Images, US, Pacific Command, US Armed Services, Air Force, Department of Defense Locations: Taiwan, China, Pingtung, US, Pacific, Hualien, AFP, Pingtung county, Guam, Japan

☆ US Army general says the 'future is not bright' for towed artillery, like the M777s America gave Ukraine to fight the Russians
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA US Army general said the age of the towed artillery cannon may be coming to an end and suggested the prioritization of other, more mobile options. The general's comments on towed artillery, systems like the M777 howitzer, come as these weapons are being used in the war in Ukraine. Related stories"I personally believe that we have witnessed the end of the effectiveness of towed artillery: The future is not bright for towed artillery," Rainey said, according to Breaking Defense. US soldiers fire a M777 towed 155 mm howitzer during an exercise at Vilseck, Germany on Feb. 13, 2024. Drones, for instance, have dominated the skies and have easily targeted artillery systems and denied troops mobility and access to safely move pieces to new positions.

Persons: —, James Rainey, Rainey, William Kuang, Charlie Battery, Savannah Smith, it's Organizations: Service, Army, Artillery, Business, Association of, United States Army's Global Force, US Army Futures Command, Breaking Defense, Spc, US Army, Defense, Cannon Artillery, Arkansas National Guard, 1st Battalion, 206th Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Chaffee, 119th Mobile Public Affairs, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Vilseck, Germany, Russia

☆ Some Authors Were Left Out of Awards Held in China. Leaked Emails Show Why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Alexandra Alter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Suspicions in the science fiction community have been building for weeks that something was amiss with last year’s awards, which rotate to a different city each year, and in 2023 were hosted in Chengdu, China. What are the Hugo Awards? The awards, first established in 1953, are given annually at a gathering hosted by the World Science Fiction Convention. Writers are nominated and awarded prizes by members of the World Science Fiction Society, which includes science fiction fans. In January, the Hugo Awards revealed which writers had been nominated for last year’s awards, and by how many people.

Persons: Ursula K, Le Guin, William Gibson, Philip K, Dick, Hugo, Kuang, Xiran Jay Zhao Organizations: Science, Convention, Writers, Science Fiction Society, Canadian Locations: China, Chengdu, American, Oxford

☆ Taiwan made its choice on who will lead it into an uncertain future as China remains hellbent on controlling it, and tough times may lie ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Read previewTaiwan has elected its new president, the Democratic Progressive Party's Lai Ching-te, who is also the current Vice President. While experts still assess that an invasion of Taiwan remains unlikely in the near future, that doesn't diminish concerns about other ways China could squeeze the island. AdvertisementTaiwan's Vice President and presidential candidate for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Lai Ching-te (C) casts his ballot to vote on January 13, 2024, in Tainan, Taiwan. Nevertheless, the win marks the first time a political party in Taiwan has won a presidential election three times in a row. The supporters of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cheer at an election campaign on January 12, 2024 in Tainan, Taiwan.

Persons: —, Party's Lai Ching, Lai's, Lai, Tsai Ing, Lai Ching, Tsai, Getty Images Lai, Hou, Ko Wen, Amanda Hsiao, Annabelle Chih, Nancy Pelosi, flack, Annice Lyn, He's, Hsiao, Hao, Hou Yu, Beijing's, Chuan Kang, Xi Jinping, It'll, Joe Biden's, Xi, Biden, it's, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI Organizations: Service, Democratic, Taiwan, Business, Democratic Progressive Party, Getty Images, ih, Taiwan's People Party, Kuomintang, KMT, Getty, Washington, NBC, US, People's Liberation Army Locations: Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taipei, New Taipei City, AFP, Tainan, Taichung, Taipei , Washington, San Francisco

☆ I traveled to 7 countries this year. Here are 3 places I'd love to return to in 2024.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dominique Mills | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I traveled to seven countries this year, and some experiences convinced me to book a return trip. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Here are the three countries I'd love to visit again in 2024. I'd never sailed before, and it was one of the best challenges I'd taken on all year. Laos exceeded my expectations, making it one of my favorite countries to dateLaos was even better than I expected, and I hope to return in 2024.

Persons: —, Dominique Mills, Koh Tao, Koh Samui, I'd, Don Det Organizations: Service, Volkswagen, I'd Locations: Thailand, Laos, Bangkok, Krabi, Northern Thailand, Portugal, Porto, I'd, Lisbon, Camino, Santiago, Spain, Dominique Mills Laos, Luang Prabang, Vang, Vientiane

☆ HSBC to launch storage services for tokenized securities as more big banks warm to blockchain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

HSBC on Wednesday announced it will offer custody services for tokenized securities, making the British bank the latest major institution to embrace digital assets. HSBC is using technology from Swiss crypto custody firm Metaco, which was recently acquired by blockchain startup Ripple, to store bonds and other securities. HSBC is the latest institution to embrace digital asset custody, after U.S. banking giant BNY Mellon announced a similar move in 2021. Tokenized securities are effectively regulated assets, like bonds and equities, in the form of tokens issued on a blockchain. It marks another step from HSBC toward embracing digital assets.

Persons: BNY Mellon, bitcoin, Banks, Zhu Kuang Lee, Adrien Treccani Organizations: HSBC, Wednesday, HSBC Orion, BNY, CNBC, Hong Locations: Europe, British, Swiss, Hong Kong

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - HSBC (HSBA.L) plans to launch in 2024 a custody service for storing blockchain-based assets excluding cryptocurrency, the bank said on Wednesday. The service, which is a partnership with Swiss digital asset firm Metaco, will allow institutional clients to store blockchain-based tokens representing traditional financial assets, as opposed to crypto or stablecoins, HSBC said. The bank last year launched a digital asset platform, HSBC Orion, which allows financial institutions to issue blockchain-based versions of financial assets, also known as tokenised securities. HSBC did not give a figure for the size of the market for blockchain-based assets excluding cryptocurrencies. In 2019, HSBC announced a platform called Digital Vault, which allows investors to access digital records of securities bought on private markets.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Zhu Kuang Lee, Banks, Elizabeth Howcroft, Sinead Cruise, Mark Potter Organizations: HSBC Bank, REUTERS, HSBC, cryptocurrency, Swiss, HSBC Orion, Blockchain, blockchain, Thomson Locations: London

New Delhi/Hong Kong CNN —An executive at Vivo, one of China’s top smartphone makers, has been arrested in India in connection with a money laundering probe, raising fears of a renewed crackdown on Chinese businesses in the country. Guangwen Kuang, the head of administration at Vivo India, was taken into custody on Tuesday by India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED), his lawyer, Mudit Jain, told CNN. The ED is the country’s main financial crimes investigation agency, responsible for probing money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws. Despite the regulatory crackdown, Vivo is still India’s second biggest smartphone brand, commanding 17% of the market in the second quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. Authorities in India later banned Chinese apps and subjected deals with Chinese firms to greater scrutiny.

Persons: Guangwen Kuang, Mudit Jain, Kuang, “, Xiaomi, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Vivo, Vivo India, India’s, CNN, Jain, Samsung, Research, Global Times Locations: New Delhi, Hong Kong, India, Vivo, China, China’s, Vedika

SummaryCompanies China's Vivo faces growing trouble as executive arrestedIndian agency's court filing accuses company of visa violationsChinese nationals went to "sensitive" border areas, agency saysVivo, India's No. "Many employees of Vivo group companies worked in India without appropriate visas," the agency said in the filing. "They have concealed information regarding their employer in their visa applications and cheated the Indian embassy or missions in China." China's foreign ministry, which said this week it was closely following the case, did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. In their decades-old border dispute, both India and China claim large tracts of land controlled by the other in the western Himalayas.

Persons: Guangwen Kuang, Arpan Chaturvedi, Aditya Kalra, Brenda Goh, David Kirton, Krishn Kaushik, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Indian, Vivo, Krishn, Thomson Locations: DELHI, Jammu, Kashmir, Beijing, New Delhi, India, Ladakh, Vivo, China, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ Armed with a heavyweight torpedo made to 'break ships in half,' Taiwan's first homemade submarine represents a new threat to China's navy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The vessel's ability to carry a powerful heavyweight torpedo capable of defeating ships and submarines — the US-made Mark 48, or Mk-48 — is a real eye-catching feature. The vessel — its English name "Narwhal" and Mandarin name "Hai Kun" — is the first sub of the island's Indigenous Defense Submarine program, a top priority in Taipei. AdvertisementAdvertisementTaiwan President Tsai Ing-wen receiving a submarine model in front of Taiwan's first locally built submarine, "Narwhal," during the vessel's unveiling ceremony at the CSBC Corporation shipbuilding company in Kaohsiung in September. US Navy/MC1 Michael B ZingaroOriginally designed in the late 1960s and deployed in the late 1980s, the Mk-48 torpedo was intended to counter advances in Soviet submarine technology. These considerations make the Mk-48 torpedo key.

Persons: —, Tom Shugart, who's, they're, Tsai Ing, Bryan Clark, Clark, Donald Trump, Michael B, It's, Shugart, MCSN Jaimar Carson, Huang Shu, kuang, they've, Philip Davidson, Michael B Zingaro, it's, Huang, wouldn't Organizations: China, Service, US, Center, New, New American Security, Indigenous Defense, CSBC Corporation, SAM, Getty, US Navy, Hudson Institute, Army, Pacific Command, Tomahawk, Maritime Locations: Taiwan, bulking, New American, Kaohsiung, Taipei, AFP, Los Angeles, Columbia, Soviet, Jefferson City, Beijing, China, Ukraine

☆ Armed with a heavyweight torpedo made to 'break ships in half,' Taiwan's first homemade submarine will represent a new threat to China's navy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

☆ Taiwan Investigating Accusation Submarine Program Details Leaked
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan prosecutors said on Monday they are investigating accusations that people tried to interfere in the island's submarine program and that details about it were leaked, in what would be a serious breach of security. Taiwan unveiled its first domestically developed submarine on Thursday, a major step in a project aimed at strengthening the island's defence and deterrence against the Chinese navy, though it won't enter service for two years. Taiwan's Supreme Prosecutors Office, in a short statement, said Huang's accusations had attracted "great attention" given the national security and defence implications. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has made the indigenous submarine program a key part of an ambitious project to modernise its armed forces as Beijing stages almost daily military exercises to assert its sovereignty claims. The submarine program has drawn on expertise and technology from several countries - a breakthrough for diplomatically isolated Taiwan.

Persons: Huang Shu, kuang, Ben Blanchard, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Taiwan's, Prosecutors Office Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Beijing

☆ Taiwan investigating accusation submarine program details leaked
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO-Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen attends the launching ceremony of Narwhal, its first domestically built submarine, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTAIPEI, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Taiwan prosecutors said on Monday they are investigating accusations that people tried to interfere in the island's submarine program and that details about it were leaked, in what would be a serious breach of security. Taiwan unveiled its first domestically developed submarine on Thursday, a major step in a project aimed at strengthening the island's defence and deterrence against the Chinese navy, though it won't enter service for two years. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has made the indigenous submarine program a key part of an ambitious project to modernise its armed forces as Beijing stages almost daily military exercises to assert its sovereignty claims. The submarine program has drawn on expertise and technology from several countries - a breakthrough for diplomatically isolated Taiwan.

Persons: Tsai Ing, Narwhal, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Huang Shu, kuang, Ben Blanchard, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Taiwan's, Prosecutors Office, Thomson Locations: Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Rights TAIPEI, China, Beijing

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Taiwan unveiled its first domestically developed submarine on Thursday, a major step in a years-long project aimed at strengthening the island's defence and deterrence against the Chinese navy. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has made the indigenous submarine program a key part of an ambitious project to modernise its armed forces as Beijing stages almost daily military exercises to assert its sovereignty. "In the past, a domestically developed submarine was considered an impossible task. The programme has drawn on expertise and technology from several countries - a breakthrough for diplomatically isolated Taiwan. Taiwan hopes to deploy at least two such domestically developed submarines by 2027, and possibly equip later models with missiles, the head of the program said this month.

Persons: Tsai Ing, Tsai, Lockheed Martin, Admiral Huang Shu, Carlos Garcia, Walid Berrazeg, Sarah Wu, Ben Blanchard Organizations: Lockheed, Lockheed Martin Corp, Thomson Locations: KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Kaohsiung

☆ 'Narwhal' ship: Taiwan unveils first domestically built submarine as China threat grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Eric Cheung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“It is also important equipment for our naval forces in developing asymmetric warfare strategies.”“In the past, many people thought building an indigenous submarine would be an impossible task. Taiwan's president gives a speech at the launch ceremony of Taiwan's first domestically built submarine, in Kaohsiung on September 28. Tsai said the indigenous submarine project was “a top priority” of her administration. Video Ad Feedback Taiwan's military is preparing in case China attacks. But Taiwan’s indigenous military procurement program remains a lynchpin of its defense strategy, particularly when it comes to systems like anti-ship missiles that could defend against a potential invasion.

Persons: Tsai Ing, Kun, ” Tsai, “, Tsai, Taiwan's, Eric Cheung, Sandra Oudkirk, Washington’s, Admiral Huang Shu, kuang, Huang, ” Huang, Collin Koh, ”, Admiral Huang, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Nancy Pelosi, Lee Teng Organizations: Taiwan CNN, Taiwan, CNN, National Security Council, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, PLA Navy, Party, US Pacific Fleet Locations: Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Taipei, Beijing, China, ”, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Philippine, United States, Taiwan Strait, South Korea, India

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen attends a ceremony for the start of construction of a new submarine fleet in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, November 24, 2020. Admiral Huang Shu-kuang, Tsai's security adviser, who is leading the program, said a fleet of 10 submarines - which includes two Dutch-made submarines commissioned in the 1980s - will make it harder for the Chinese navy to project power into the Pacific. He called the submarines a "strategic deterrent" to Chinese warships crossing the Miyako Strait near southwestern Japan or the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines. "If Taiwan is taken, Japan will definitely not be safe, South Korea will definitely not be safe." Eastern Taiwan is where planners have long envisioned the island's military regrouping and preserving its forces during a conflict.

Persons: Tsai Ing, Ann Wang, Admiral Huang Shu, Huang, Lockheed Martin, Chieh Chung, doesn't, Britain's, Yimou Lee, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Lockheed, Lockheed Martin Corp, U.S ., Shandong, Foundation, Taiwan, Britain's Royal Navy, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Kaohsiung, Rights TAIPEI, China, Beijing, U.S, Japan, Philippines, Borneo, South Korea, Eastern Taiwan, United States, India, Britain, Gibraltar

☆ Taiwan Expects to Deploy Two New Submarines by 2027 -Security Adviser
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

By Yimou LeeTAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan hopes to deploy at least two new, domestically developed submarines by 2027, and possibly equip later models with missiles, to strengthen deterrence against the Chinese navy and protect key supply lines, the head of the program said. Admiral Huang Shu-kuang, Tsai's security adviser, who is leading the program, said a fleet of 10 submarines - which includes two Dutch-made submarines commissioned in the 1980s - will make it harder for the Chinese navy to project power into the Pacific. He called the submarines a "strategic deterrent" to Chinese warships crossing the Miyako Strait near southwestern Japan or the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines. "If Taiwan is taken, Japan will definitely not be safe, South Korea will definitely not be safe." Eastern Taiwan is where planners have long envisioned the island's military regrouping and preserving its forces during a conflict.

Persons: Yimou Lee, Tsai Ing, Admiral Huang Shu, Huang, Lockheed Martin, Chieh Chung, doesn't, Britain's, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, Lockheed, Lockheed Martin Corp, U.S ., Shandong, Foundation, Taiwan, Britain's Royal Navy Locations: Yimou Lee TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Beijing, U.S, Japan, Philippines, Borneo, South Korea, Eastern Taiwan, United States, India, Britain, Gibraltar

People represent different countries during seminars on conflict scenarios with China, organised for youth by the Kuomintang (KMT) party, in Taipei, Taiwan May 21, 2023. Younger voters are again playing a role - but this time they are gravitating to dark horse candidate who has become the DPP's closest challenger. Ko Wen-je, a 64-year-old former Taipei mayor, has won over many younger voters with plain talk on issues such as high housing costs rather than focusing on the China threat. Some younger voters may show their hands late, so Ko's appeal to that demographic could close the gap with Lai. Although it may have a healthy lead in opinion polls, the DPP is acutely aware of the dangers of losing younger voters.

Persons: Ann Wang, Tsai Ing, William Lai, Ko Wen, Ko, Lai, Terry Guo, Chen Kuang, Chen, Hou Yu, Mao Zedong's, Ho Chih, yung, Ho, Zheng De, Zheng, Sarah Wu, Yimou Lee, Ben Blanchard, John Geddie, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Kuomintang, KMT, REUTERS, Rights, United States, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan People's Party, Taiwanese Public, DPP, Apple, Chung Cheng, Taiwan's, ih, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, Taipei, Taiwan, Rights TAIPEI, Beijing, United, Hong Kong, Lai, Chung Cheng University

[1/5] Members of the Philippine Coast Guard remove a fallen tree from a road following the onslaught of Typhoon Doksuri in Buguey, Cagayan province, Philippines, July 26, 2023. As of 10:15 a.m. (0215 GMT) Typhoon Doksuri, categorised at the second-strongest typhoon level by Taiwan's weather bureau, headed towards the southern Taiwan Strait with maximum winds of 191 km (118 miles) per hour. All domestic flights and ferry lines were suspended in Taiwan while more than 100 international flights were cancelled or delayed. Railway services between southern and eastern Taiwan were shut. "Typhoon Doksuri should not be underestimated," Kaohsiung city mayor Chen Chi-mai said in a Facebook post late on Wednesday.

Persons: Doksuri, Chen Chi, Han Kuang, Yimou Lee, Ann Wang, Michael Perry Organizations: Philippine Coast Guard, REUTERS, Railway, Thomson Locations: Buguey, Cagayan province, Philippines, REUTERS TAIPEI, Southern Taiwan, China, Taiwan Strait, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Taipei Port, Taiwan's

[1/6] Black Hawk helicopters prepare to land at Taoyuan International Airport as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercise in Taoyuan, Taiwan July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Ann WangTAOYUAN, Taiwan, July 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan conducted an anti-aircraft landing drill at its main international airport for the first time on Wednesday, simulating the repulsion of an invading force as China ramps up military pressure to force the island to accept its sovereignty. The drill at the island's main Taoyuan international airport was part of Taiwan's main annual Han Kuang exercises that started on Monday, focusing on protecting its infrastructure and striking incoming enemy ships to keep key waterways open. Soldiers carrying rifles were seen running on the runway to fight off enemy forces being dropped off by the helicopters. Tsai has made modernising the military a top priority, pushing for various defence projects including developing Taiwan's own jets and submarines.

Persons: Han, Ann Wang, Han Kuang, Tsai Ing, Tsai, Fabian Hamacher, Yimou Lee, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Taoyuan International Airport, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Taoyuan, Taiwan, Ann, Ann Wang TAOYUAN, China, island's, Taiwan's, Taipei

Taoyuan, Taiwan CNN —Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport became the scene of a simulated Chinese invasion on Wednesday for the first time ever as the island’s military conducted an anti-takeover drill to fend off any possible attack from Beijing. The drill was designed to test the Taiwanese military’s cross-branch coordination and emergency response capabilities during a simulated Chinese invasion, the Ministry of National Defense previously said. At Taoyuan on Wednesday, soldiers wearing red helmets to mark themselves as simulated infiltrators engaged in a shootout drill with airport police. As they approached an airport building, they exchanged fire along the way with the Taiwanese military defending the facility and those hiding in makeshift covers. Elsewhere, Taiwan’s military canceled some Han Kuang exercises as Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in the northern Philippines on Wednesday.

Persons: China’s, Moscow’s, Han, Han Kuang, Doksuri Organizations: Taiwan CNN — Taiwan’s, Airport, Ministry of National Defense, Communist Party, Firefighters, Taoyuan International, CNN, Weather Bureau, Taiwan’s Air Force Locations: Taoyuan, Taiwan, Taiwan CNN — Taiwan’s Taoyuan, Beijing, Taipei, Ukraine, Airports, Kyiv’s, Philippines, China, Fengnian

☆ Taiwan cancels military drills as typhoon approaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, July 25 (Reuters) - Taiwan cancelled parts of its annual military drills on Tuesday as authorities step up preparations for what they say could be the most damaging typhoon to hit the island in nearly four years. Typhoons are common at this time of year near Taiwan but the subtropical island has not been directly hit by a typhoon since 2019, prompting officials to urge vigilance. Taiwan's weather bureau has issued sea warnings and said it will issue land warnings for its southern counties later on Tuesday, urging residents there to prepare for heavy rains and strong winds. "I'd like to remind citizens not to underestimate the typhoon threats." Reporting by Yimou Lee; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Doksuri, Han Kuang, Chen Chien, jen, Yimou Lee, Stephen Coates Organizations: Typhoons, Tropical, Facebook, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Philippines, China, Kaohsiung, Palau

REUTERS/Jason Lee/File PhotoTAIPEI, July 14 (Reuters) - China's military has been flexing its muscles this week around Taiwan practicing joint force operations far out at sea, ahead of Taipei holding its annual war games at the end of the month when Taiwan will simulate breaking a Chinese blockade. Chieh Chung, a military researcher at Taiwan's National Policy Foundation think tank, said practicing long-distance missions was important for China as they would be the "main combat mode" in any conflict. "They are expanding military deterrence actions to create a cognitive effect that Taiwan's national defences are useless," the official said. China routinely denounces U.S. military activity in the strait as provocation. "The Eastern Theatre Command are well seasoned, but it's the Southern Theatre Command that needs training for long-distance support," Su said.

Persons: Jason Lee, Chieh Chung, Han Kuang, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, Xi Jinping, Su Tzu, yun, Su, Yimou Lee, Roger Tung, Yew Lun Tian, Ben Blanchard, Robert Birsel Organizations: Chinese Air Force, REUTERS, Foundation, Taiwan, House, Eastern Theatre Command, U.S . Navy, Institute for National Defence and Security Research, Southern Theatre Command, Thomson Locations: Beijing, TAIPEI, Taiwan, Taipei, China, Philippines, Japan, Borneo, Los Angeles

China's central bank said that financial regulators would fine Ant and its subsidiaries a total of 7.12 billion yuan, require it to stop operations of its crowdfunded medical aid service Xianghubao and compensate users. Reuters reported earlier, citing sources, that Chinese authorities intended to unveil its fine on Ant as early as Friday. The sources had earlier said that the fine on Ant had been revised to at least 8 billion yuan. Reuters reported in April that Chinese regulators were considering fining Ant about 5 billion yuan, a lower sum than what they initially had in mind. Alibaba was fined a record 18 billion yuan in 2021 for antitrust violations.

Persons: China c.bank, Ant, Ping, Rukim Kuang, Jack Ma, Jeffrey Towson, Pan Gongsheng, Pan, Didi Global, Alibaba, Julie Zhu, Jane Xu, Jason Xue, Kevin Huang, Meg Shen, Twinnie Sui, Josh Ye, Ethan Wang, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Brenda Goh, David Holmes, Susan Fenton Organizations: Ant, Singapore FinTech Festival, REUTERS, Ant Group, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Ping An Bank, PICC, HK, Postal Savings Bank, Tencent Holdings, Alibaba, Hong Kong, Financial Regulatory Administration, State Council, Lens Consulting, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, HONG KONG, Ant's, Hong, Beijing, CHINA

Reuters reported earlier, citing sources, that Chinese authorities intended to unveil its fine on Ant as early as Friday. The National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), a new government body under the State Council, is now the primary regulator to grant Ant the license, they added. The sources had earlier said that the fine on Ant had been revised to at least 8 billion yuan. Reuters reported in April that Chinese regulators were considering fining Ant about 5 billion yuan, a lower sum than what they initially had in mind. Alibaba was fined a record 18 billion yuan in 2021 for antitrust violations.

Persons: China c.bank, Ant, Ping, Rukim Kuang, Jeffrey Towson, Jack Ma, China's, Pan Gongsheng, Pan, Didi Global, Alibaba, Julie Zhu, Jane Xu, Jason Xue, Kevin Huang, Meg Shen, Twinnie Sui, Josh Ye, Ethan Wang, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Brenda Goh, David Holmes, Susan Fenton Organizations: Ant, Singapore FinTech Festival, REUTERS, Ant Group, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Ping An Bank, PICC, HK, Postal Savings Bank, Tencent Holdings, Tenpay, Alibaba, Hong Kong, Lens Consulting, Communist Party, Financial Regulatory Administration, State Council, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, HONG KONG, Ant's, Hong, Beijing, CHINA

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