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TAIPEI/PRAGUE, June 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu will make a previously unannounced visit to Europe next week, four sources briefed on the matter said, and is expected to appear with the Czech president at one event in a diplomatic breakthrough. Taiwan, which is claimed by China, has no formal diplomatic ties with any European country except the Vatican. Taiwan's foreign ministry declined to comment on Wu's Europe travel plans. In January, then-Czech President-elect Pavel and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen spoke by telephone shortly after his election, in a diplomatic coup for Taiwan that infuriated China. Beijing views Taiwan as being part of "one China" and demands other countries recognise its sovereignty claims, which Taiwan's democratically-elected government rejects.

Persons: Joseph Wu, Wu, Petr Pavel, Zdenek Hrib, Pavel, Tsai Ing, Ben Blanchard, Robert Muller, Ryan Woo, Andrew Gray, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Taiwan Foreign, European Union, Service, Prague, Copenhagen Democracy Summit, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, PRAGUE, Europe, Czech, Taiwan, China, Vatican, Beijing, Central, Eastern, Ukraine, Brussels, Prague, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bratislava, Copenhagen, Denmark, Vilnius, Lithuania

That month, it announced five new agreements with multi-unit operators to condense and transfer more than 230 existing restaurants. "There is strong interest in growth opportunities with Subway from multi-unit operators," Subway said in a statement to Reuters for this story. Klein, the franchise attorney, said that since 2022, his firm examined three multi-unit Subway deals on behalf of clients interested in investing in the chain for the first time. Of the 100 largest multi-unit U.S. restaurant franchisees by revenue in 2022, none had a Subway in their portfolio, according to a ranking by Franchise Times magazine. Instead, top franchisees owned hundreds of Wendy's (WEN.O), Yum Brands' (YUM.N) Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, Restaurant Brands' Burger King, Dine Brands' (DIN.N) Applebee's and other chains.

Persons: Justin Klein, John Gordon, Klein, it's, Gordon, Burger, Alicia Miller, Hilary Russ, Matthew Lewis Organizations: YORK, Subway, Reuters, QSR Magazine, Restaurant Brands International Inc, Times, Yum Brands, Bell, Restaurant Brands, Catalyst Insight, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Miami, Jersey, New York, Nevada, New Mexico

☆ How to stay healthy this summer, according to an expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Stay healthy so you can have fun all summer with family and friends. Maskot/Getty ImagesCNN: What should people consider as they aim to have fun and stay healthy this summer? How can people prevent Lyme disease, and why is this important? Wen: Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Short-term, Lyme disease manifests as muscle aches, joint pain, fever, rash and headaches.

Persons: they’ve, Leana Wen, Wen, Maskot, Lyme, don’t, enteroviruses, Enteroviruses Organizations: CNN, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Getty, US Centers for Disease Control Locations: Lyme, enterovirus, United States, Covid

☆ China's Tiananmen Square demonstrations and crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Tanks rolled into the square before dawn on... Read moreJune 4 (Reuters) - Sunday is the 34th anniversary of China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in and around central Beijing's Tiananmen Square, when Chinese troops opened fire on their own people. April 17: Protests begin at Tiananmen Square, with students calling for democracy and reform. May 13: Hundreds of students begin a hunger strike on Tiananmen Square. May 30: Students unveil a 10-metre (33 ft) high "Goddess of Democracy", modelled on the Statue of Liberty, in Tiananmen Square. June 5: An unidentified Chinese man stands in front of a tank convoy leaving Tiananmen Square.

Persons: Read, Hu Yaobang, Mikhail Gorbachev, Gorbachev, Zhao Ziyang, Li Peng, Wen Jiabao, Zhao, Li, Butcher, Yuan Mu, Deng Xiaoping, Ben Blanchard, Robert Birsel Organizations: Communist Party, of, Asian Development Bank, People, Paramount, Thomson Locations: Tiananmen, Beijing, China, Xian, Changsha, Shanghai, Great

But China, which bristles at visits to Taiwan by foreign government officials, tends to ignore trips by business executives, who usually keep clear of politics. Dimon will meet bank employees and clients in Taiwan on his visit, said the source, who sought anonymity as the plans were not public, while adding that no meetings were planned with Taiwan officials. As part of his Asia tour, Dimon will also visit South Korea after the Taiwan trip, said the source. But there was no plan for President Tsai Ing-wen to meet Dimon, her office said on Friday. Dimon favours East-West "derisking" rather than decoupling, he told the three-day JPMorgan Global China Summit event in the city on Wednesday.

Persons: Jamie Dimon, Andrew Collier, Dimon, Nvidia Corp's, Jensen Huang, Pat Gelsinger, Dimon's, Ma Ying, Tsai Ing, Chen Jining, Selena Li, Kane Wu, Scott Murdoch, Ben Blanchard, Emily Chan, Mrinmay Dey, Sumeet Chatterjee, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: JPMorgan Chase &, JPMorgan, Orient Capital Research, Bloomberg, Wall, U.S, Nvidia, Intel, Financial, Commission, Shanghai's Communist, JPMorgan Global China, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, China, Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong, Asia, South Korea, East, United States, Sydney, Bengaluru

Kinmen, Taiwan CNN —As the sun sets over Taiwan’s Kinmen islands, the neon lights of mainland China dazzle in the distance just 2.5 miles away. That lingering potential for invasion might make it seem like an unlikely place to construct a bridge to mainland China. Anti-invasion spikes along the coast of Taiwan's Kinmen islands. During a recent trip to Kinmen, Taiwan Vice President and DPP presidential candidate William Lai said he recognized the sacrifices of the islanders during decades of conflict. “The Taiwanese government looks at the Chinese military threat as something that cannot be accepted and we condemn it,” he added.

Persons: John Mees, Ko Wen, ”, Xi Jinping, Ho Chih, Sam Yeh, Kinmen, Yang Chien, ” Yang, “, Yang, Yang Pei, Huang Li, cheng, Tsai Ing, William Lai, Wu Chia, chiang, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Joseph Wu, ” Wu, Maestro Wu Tseng, Maestro Wu Organizations: Taiwan CNN —, Communist, People’s Liberation Army, CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan’s Presidential, Mainland Affairs Council, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Mainland Affairs, Russo, Getty, Communist China's, Tourism Association, Communist Party, Xi, United States, Taiwan’s, Taiwan Locations: Kinmen, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taipei, Taiwan’s, Xiamen –, Xiamen, Chinese, Ukrainian, Russia, Taiwan's, AFP, Jinsha, “, Fujian, California, Beijing’s

☆ Taiwan reports Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through strait
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A ship sails in the Taiwan Strait, as seen from Pingtan island, the closest point to Taiwan, in China's southeast Fujian province on April 8, 2023. The Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday accompanied by two other ships, Taiwan's defense ministry said, in the latest uptick in military tensions over the island Beijing claims as its own territory. Taiwan's military closely monitored the group using its own ships and aircraft and "responded appropriately", the ministry said in a short statement. The Shandong participated in Chinese military drills around Taiwan last month, operating in the western Pacific. In March of last year, the Shandong sailed through the Taiwan Strait, just hours before the Chinese and U.S. presidents were due to talk.

We're looking to de-risk and diversify our relationship with China," Biden told a press conference, adding that G7 nations were more unified than ever in terms of "resisting economic coercion together and countering harmful practices that hurt our workers." Biden suggested a shift in U.S.-China relations could occur soon, echoing his comment to reporters before his departure. "In terms of talking with them, I think you're going to see that thaw very shortly," Biden said. On the issue of tensions between China and Taiwan, Biden said there was a clear understanding among most of the allies that if China were to act unilaterally against Taiwan, there be a response. Biden reiterated that the United States and G7 allies would not trade in materials that would allow China to build weapons of mass destruction, but that was "not a hostile act."

☆ 'War is not an option', Taiwan president says amid China tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, May 20 (Reuters) - Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen vowed on Saturday to maintain the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait amid high tensions with China, which has stepped up military pressure on the democratically governed island. Taiwan will not provoke and will not bow to Chinese pressure, Tsai said in a speech in the presidential office in Taipei marking the seventh anniversary of her governance. Neither side can unilaterally change the status quo with non-peaceful means," Tsai said. "Maintaining the status quo of peace and stability is the consensus for both the world and Taiwan." Taiwan is gearing up for a key presidential election in mid-January, with China tensions set to top the campaign agenda.

☆ US, Taiwan reach deal on first part of '21st Century' trade pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. and Taiwan reached agreement on the first part of their "21st Century" trade initiative, covering customs and border procedures, regulatory practices, and small business, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Thursday. After the initial agreement of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade is signed, negotiations will commence on other, more complicated trade areas including agriculture, digital trade, labor and environmental standards, state-owned enterprises, and non-market policies and practices, USTR said. "We look forward to continuing these negotiations and finalizing a robust and high-standard trade agreement that tackles 21st Century economic challenges," Tai said. Announcement of the trade pact comes just ahead of planned meetings between China's commerce minister, Wang Wenta, and USTR Tai and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The bilateral talks commenced last August, after the Biden administration excluded Taiwan from its larger pan-Asian trade initiative, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

☆ China-Taiwan tensions could grip 2024 election as top business leaders sound alarms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

China's policy regarding Taiwan, the world's leader in the semiconductor industry, could end up making it an even bigger focus. The cross-strait strife has already provoked commentary from some top contenders in the Republican presidential primary race who have stressed the need to deter a possible Chinese invasion invasion of the island. But I think ultimately what I think China respects is strength," DeSantis said. 'Like trying to separate conjoined twins'But the political will to defend Taiwan in a Chinese invasion may clash with economic forces. Some CEOs of America's biggest banks have said they would pull their business from China if directed to do so following an invasion of Taiwan.

☆ Here's our Monthly Meeting rapid-fire update on all 34 stocks in the Club's portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

Here's a rapid-fire update on all 34 stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio we use for the CNBC Investing Club. Ford (F): CEO Jim Farley did a fantastic job delivering in the automaker's latest quarter, and we like his decision to scale back Ford's business in China . As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. Here's a rapid-fire update on all 34 stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust, the portfolio we use for the CNBC Investing Club.

☆ U.S., Taiwan reach deal on first part of '21st Century' trade pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. and Taiwan reached agreement on the first part of their "21st Century" trade initiative, covering customs and border procedures, regulatory practices, and small business, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Thursday. After the initial agreement of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade is signed, negotiations will commence on other, more complicated trade areas including agriculture, digital trade, labor and environmental standards, state-owned enterprises and non-market policies and practices, USTR said. "We look forward to continuing these negotiations and finalizing a robust and high-standard trade agreement that tackles 21st Century economic challenges," Tai said. Announcement of the trade pact comes just ahead of planned meetings between China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and USTR Tai and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The bilateral talks commenced last August, after the Biden administration excluded Taiwan from its larger pan-Asian trade initiative, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.

☆ When will an RSV vaccine be available?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, for adults 60 and older. Could the vaccine be available this winter, and how can people access it? The RSV vaccine specifically targets RSV. However, there is an RSV vaccine being developed by the drug company Pfizer that is being tested in pregnant women for the purpose of conveying protection to the infant. However, the FDA may not make a decision on when to make the vaccine available for pregnant people until this summer.

☆ As China Looms Over Taiwan’s Presidential Race, the Opposition Picks a Moderate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( John Liu | Paul Mozur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Once a dominant political force, Taiwan’s main opposition party lost the last two presidential elections in large part because it has promoted closer ties with China. Mr. Hou launched his bid with a rallying call. “We must unite for victory, especially at this stage when our country is facing fierce and dangerous international circumstances,” Mr. Hou said following the announcement of his nomination. His candidacy sets the stage for a tight race next January that could chart a new course for Taiwan in the big-power standoff between China and the United States and reshape tensions around the Taiwan Strait, one of the world’s most dangerous flash points. Under the seven-year leadership of President Tsai Ing-wen of the governing Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan has come under intensifying military and diplomatic pressure from China and pushed back by bolstering ties with the United States.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The speaker of Taiwan's parliament praised Japan, South Korea and the Philippines on Tuesday for helping to create a "crescent of defense" with Taiwan and the U.S. against China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. You praised Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for calling Taiwan a global issue and opposing a change to the status quo by force. "The crescent of defense formed by Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines will, with American support, be a key stabilizer of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region," he added. China has been stepping up its military activities around Taiwan to try and force the democratically governed island to accept Beijing's sovereignty. It has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

☆ Can the Zibo barbecue frenzy save China from economic crises?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Zhu Zheng/Xinhua/Getty ImagesSo many tourists flocked into Zibo, now dubbed China’s outdoor barbecue capital, that even the local tourism authorities urged visitors to go elsewhere. A few may, but most won’t.”A shop owner shows off grilled meat during a barbecue festival on April 29, 2023 in Zibo, eastern China. The city Zibo became a tourism hot spot after videos of its barbecue went viral online. China’s economy is navigating a growing array of challenges. The informal trade might reduce unemployment temporarily, and give people feeling poorer a boost, but it “won’t save China’s economy,” Tsang said.

☆ This Young Artist’s Works Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Alive
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Andrew Russeth | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Late one April night, the artist Liao Wen was in her studio in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, listing off the many instruments that she uses to make her astonishing art. “These are my chisels,” she said in a video interview, panning the camera about. “Chisels, chisels, chisels. They are alluring and frightening, psychologically fraught, and they have helped make her, at 29, “one of China’s most innovative young women artists,” as Wang Chunchen, the deputy director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (C.A.F.A.) Art Museum in Beijing, and the curator-critic Jia Qianfan put it last year in Art in America magazine.

☆ China's aircraft carrier Shandong returns to home port after show of might
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

This year, the Shandong has been spotted in the Taiwan strait, the Bashi channel between Taiwan and the Philippines, and even as far as Guam. "The Shandong carrier group, for the first time, in a formation and of scale, went to the waters of the western Pacific," it added. The carrier, commissioned in 2019, has featured prominently in China's military propaganda. During the April drills, China showed extensive images of the Shandong and its fighter jets being launched from the carrier. In March 2022, the Shandong, one of China's two operational carriers, sailed through the Taiwan Strait just hours before the Chinese and U.S. presidents were due to talk.

Customers are applying Google's technology in ways both expected, such as a customer-service chatbot for Uber, and unusual, including AI to handle drive-thru orders at a Wendy's Co (WEN.O) fast-food restaurant in Ohio. Its cloud division posted its first-ever operating profit last quarter, and the AI technology that Google pioneered may help it narrow the gap with bigger players Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O). And it is exploring if Google's AI can craft research drawing from economic data, market reports and other content, to give the bank's customers and staff, said Leukert. Other companies using the technology include Adore Me, the Victoria's Secret unit drafting ad copy with AI in Google Docs, Kurian said. Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in Mountain View, California Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China says imperative to stabilise Sino-US relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, May 8 (Reuters) - China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Monday it is imperative to stabilise Sino-U.S. relations after a series of "erroneous words and deeds" threw ties back into a deep freeze. In response, Beijing severed formal communications channels with the United States including one between their militaries. "A series of erroneous words and deeds by the United States since then have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-U.S. relations," Qin told Burns, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. "The top priority is to stabilise Sino-U.S. relations, avoid a downward spiral and prevent any accidents between China and the United States," Qin said. Last month, China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.

☆ China’s Foreign Minister Meets U.S. Envoy, Urges Washington to Reflect
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the three months since, China has ramped up a campaign of anti-American rhetoric and tried to drive a wedge between the United States and Europe, which is divided over how closely to align with Washington’s more hawkish policies toward Beijing. Mr. Qin blamed “a series of erroneous words and deeds” by the United States for undermining “the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-U.S. relations,” according to the Chinese readout. Mr. Qin said he hoped the Biden administration could “reflect deeply” and push the relationship “back on track.” To do that, Washington needed to respect “China’s bottom line” on issues such as Taiwan, the self-governing island claimed by Beijing. Mr. Qin said the United States was “supporting and condoning ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.”China reacted angrily to a visit last month by President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan to the United States. In a post on Twitter, Mr. Burns said he and Mr. Qin “discussed challenges in the U.S.-China relationship and the necessity of stabilizing ties and expanding high-level communication.”

☆ As earnings season winds down, investors turn to Tuesday's debt ceiling meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

With only a small fraction of the S & P 500 left to report quarterly earnings, investors are now turning their focus to another major hurdle for the markets and economy: the debt ceiling crisis. Earlier this week, we looked back to debt limit crisis of 2011 for potential lessons. The protracted fight ultimately ended in an agreement in early August of that year, but it was a choppy summertime ride for investors. Within the portfolio, Wynn Resorts will report Tuesday, after the closing bell, and Disney will report on Wednesday, after the closing bell. Estee Lauder (EL) and Emerson Electric (EMR) reported earnings before the opening bell.

☆ US moving ahead with $500 million in arms aid for Taiwan, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's administration plans to send $500 million worth of weapons aid to Taiwan using the same emergency authority that has been used more than 35 times for Ukraine, a source familiar with the plan said on Friday. As a part of the 2023 budget, Congress authorized up to $1 billion worth of weapons aid for Taiwan using Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), a type of authority that expedites security assistance and has helped to send arms to Ukraine. Last month, China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles. The spokesperson declined to comment on whether the U.S. was moving ahead with the $500 million aid package. It was unclear what would be included in the aid package for Taiwan, which was first reported by Bloomberg news.

☆ Paraguay president-elect commits to 'strengthen' ties with Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 - Paraguay's president-elect, Santiago Pena, said on Friday that he would continue to strengthen his country's "historic ties" with Taiwan following a call with his counterpart there after winning Sunday's election. Paraguay is Taiwan's only South American ally and the island - claimed by China as its own - has lost support from other Central American nations in recent years. We will keep strengthening the historic ties between Paraguay and the Republic of China (Taiwan), and look forward to working on mutually beneficial cooperation projects," Pena said on Twitter, referring to President Tsai Ing-wen. Taiwan faces an uphill battle to keep ties with the 13 countries that currently recognize it as a sovereign nation, amid pressure from China. (This story has been refiled to fix a typographical error in paragraph 1)Reporting by Daniela Desantis; Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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