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☆ EXCLUSIVE Former U.S. military pilot arrested in Australia listed same Beijing address as Chinese hacker -documents
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The Beijing address is listed in Australian company filings for the pilot and a U.S. blacklisting for the Chinese businessman, however, it was unclear whether they used the Beijing address at the same time. Another aviation source said Duggan went to Beijing to work with Stephen Su, also known as Su Bin in China. When Reuters visited the Beijing address this week the reporter was told it was a residential building and denied entry. Under Australia's extradition treaty with the United States, an extradition request must be made within 60 days of arrest. Robert Anello, the lawyer who represented Su Bin in the 2014 hacking case, declined to comment and Su Bin could not be reached for comment.

☆ U.S. says China resisting nuclear talks after Xi vow to boost deterrent
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Pentagon says China is undergoing a major expansion of its nuclear forces and is moving toward having 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030. But Beijing has long resisted arms control talks with Washington, arguing that the United States already has a much larger arsenal. But Xi signaled during a Communist Party Congress in October that China would strengthen its strategic deterrent, a term often used to describe nuclear weapons. We're saying, let's talk about putting some guardrails into the relationship so that we don't have unnecessary crises," he said. Reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom; editing by Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. lawmakers slam Wall Street bankers' plan to attend Hong Kong summit
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Michael Martina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Two U.S. lawmakers on Thursday urged top American bankers to cancel their planned attendance at a Hong Kong financial summit next week, saying their participation would contribute to Chinese government rights abuses. Hong Kong officials hope the event will signal a re-opening from COVID-19 border restrictions, but it has raised the ire of Hong Kong activists after authorities used a national security law to stifle dissent in the former British colony. The State Department last year warned U.S. businesses of civil and criminal penalties should they violate U.S. sanctions by "engaging in certain transactions" with sanctioned Hong Kong and Chinese officials. Hong Kong reverted to Chinese from British rule in 1997 with the guarantee of a high degree of autonomy, which critics say Beijing has significantly eroded. Republicans, who hope to win control of Congress in November midterm elections, have also slammed executives for their plans to attend the Hong Kong event.

☆ Biden's national security plan aims at China, Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. President Joe Biden attends a meeting of the Reproductive Healthcare Access Task Force in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 4, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The White House rolled out a long-delayed national security strategy on Wednesday that seeks to contain China's rise while reemphasizing the importance of working with allies to tackle challenges confronting democratic nations. The 48-page document, which was delayed by the Ukraine crisis, includes no major shifts in thinking and introduces no major new doctrines for Biden's foreign policy. Even after the Russian invasion, China represents the most consequential challenge to the global order, it states. Sullivan said the Ukraine crisis did delay but did not "fundamentally alter" Biden's approach to foreign policy.

"U.S. prosperity and security depend on the Pacific region remaining free and open," it said, noting that Pacific island countries faced urgent challenges, most notably from the climate crisis, but also heightened geopolitical tensions. Leaders and representatives from 14 Pacific island states are taking part in the summit. read moreThe official also said Biden would designate career diplomat Frankie Reed as the first U.S. envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum. The U.S. strategy document says the United States would partner with Pacific islands to help them adapt to and manage the climate crisis, an "existential threat" to their lives, health, and livelihoods. Strategic competition in the Pacific intensified dramatically this year after China signed a security agreement with the Solomons, prompting warnings of militarization of the region.

Leaders and representatives from 14 Pacific island states are taking part in the summit. Washington and its allies want to boost maritime security and island states' communication links with countries like Japan, Australia and India, he said. SOLOMON ISLANDS TIES TO CHINAIn a statement on the first day of the talks, Henry Puna, secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, said he was confident the islands and the United States "can, and ... will secure and build a partnership." Sogavare has repeatedly appeared to snub the United States, heightening Washington's concerns. Wednesday's talks included a session hosted by U.S. special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry, who praised Pacific island leaders for a more ambitious global climate target than agreed at the 2015 Paris climate summit.

☆ U.S. CIA's in-house museum adds new spy exhibits
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LANGLEY, Va., Sept 24 (Reuters) - They like to call it 'the greatest museum you'll never see.' Tucked away in the corridors of its Langley, Virginia, headquarters, the revamped Central Intelligence Agency museum – while still closed to the public – is revealing some newly declassified artifacts from the spy agency's most storied operations since its founding 75 years ago. The hundreds of museum items, some of which have been on display since the 1980s, are all declassified. Neises said the agency does from time to time loan some to presidential libraries and other non-profit museums. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Michael Martina Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S., Chinese foreign ministers to meet as Taiwan tensions rise
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting comes days after Biden said U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, drawing an angry response from China that said it sent the wrong signal to those seeking an independent Taiwan. In a phone call with Biden in July, China's leader Xi Jinping warned about Taiwan, saying "those who play with fire will perish by it." Beijing has long-vowed to bring Taiwan under its control and has not ruled out the use of force to do so. "This is the Chinese people's will and determination," he said according to China's Foreign Ministry.

☆ Solomons 'unfairly targeted' since recognizing China, its president tells U.N.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 22, 2017. In an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Manasseh Damukana Sogavare said the Solomons had been "unfairly targeted" and "vilified" in the media. The Pacific islands region has become a new theater of geopolitical competition between China and the United States and its allies. This competition intensified this year after China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands, prompting warnings of a militarization of the region. read moreSogavare has since repeatedly appeared to snub the United States, heightening Washington's concerns.

☆ U.S.-led Pacific group to focus on climate, connectivity amid China concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"I think as we've seen in some instances, clearly China has ambitions in the Pacific, some of which have caused concern among Pacific Island leaders," Campbell said. But he said the group's agenda would be guided by Pacific Island countries' needs. The Blue Pacific event, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, comes ahead of a Sept. 28-29 summit U.S. President Joe Biden plans to host with Pacific island leaders. Campbell added that the group was also working on increasing connectivity among island states. In a separate meeting, Blinken and his South Korean and Japanese counterparts affirmed a shared commitment to support Pacific Island countries.

☆ U.S., Canadian warships carry out Taiwan Strait transit
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe USS Higgins is docked in the northern Israeli city of Haifa September 6, 2009. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File PhotoSept 20 (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy warship and a Canadian frigate carried out a routine transit of the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the U.S. military said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"Cooperation like this represents the centerpiece of our approach to a secure and prosperous region," the Navy statement added. The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who established the People's Republic of China. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Idrees Ali; additional reporting by Michael Martina; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterU.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have underscored this year that the United States does not support Taiwan independence. "It is incoherent to argue that America's Taiwan policy has not changed while also claiming that the U.S. has a commitment to fight for Taiwan and that Taiwan makes its own judgments about independence," said Craig Singleton, a China policy expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. read more"The President directly affirmed the United States' longstanding one China policy," said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for Biden's National Security Council. 'PRECISION OF LANGUAGE'Taiwan's Foreign Ministry responded to Biden's remarks by expressing its "sincere appreciation" for his staunch support of the island. "One issue where the precision of language is paramount is the discourse on our Taiwan policy," Blanchette said.

☆ Blinken to host 'Blue Pacific' event amid competition with China
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Campbell said circumstances for the Pacific islands countries were "much more dire" than in the past. We're going to seek to do that as we go forward, building on the existing institutions and engagements of the Pacific." The Blue Pacific event, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, will come ahead of a Sept. 28-29 summit U.S. President Joe Biden plans to host with Pacific island leaders, which Campbell said reflected "a desire to demonstrate clearly our larger commitment to the Pacific going forward." U.S.-China competition for influence in the Pacific islands has intensified this year after China signed a security agreement with the Solomon Islands, prompting warnings of a militarization of the region. read morePacific island leaders said this month Washington should accept their priorities, making climate change - not superpower competition - the most urgent security task.

☆ Dads cherish Sweden’s parental leave
▼ + stars: | 2015-04-05 | by ( Michael Martinez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Story highlights Johan Bavman photographed fathers in Sweden, which has generous parental leave Sweden's policies encourage fathers to take just as much leave as mothersCNN —When photographer Johan Bavman became a father for the first time, he took more than a passing wonder about how his native Sweden is said to be the most generous nation on Earth for parental leave. Get this: Sweden grants a total of 480 calendar days of parental leave, with 390 of them paid at 80% of income, with a maximum of 3,160 euros a month or $3,474. Fathers have to share that leave with mothers. In reality, only 12% of Swedish couples equally share the 480 days of leave, Bavman said, with women continuing to lead the way as the stay-at-home parent and men as the careerist. Still, Bavman mused last summer about how the policy impacts those men who use the full measure of their parental leave.

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