Politics

Bloomberg China followed President Joe Biden’s vow to defend Taiwan militarily by announcing it held military exercises close to the democratically ruled island, underscoring its anger over the US stance. The air and sea “combat readiness patrol” was “a solemn warning about the recent collusion between the US and Taiwan,” Colonel Shi Yi said in a statement from the Eastern ...

Bloomberg With all eyes on Ukraine as it strives to mount the first rung of the process to join the European Union, neighbour Moldova worries that its own push to join the bloc may be forgotten. Sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania on the EU’s eastern frontier, Europe’s poorest nation has struggled since independence in 1991. It has suffered from rampant ...

Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping held an unusual meeting with a top human rights chief, highlighting the importance his administration places on United Nations official Michelle Bachelet’s landmark visit to China. Beijing is willing to discuss rights issues and cooperate with all parties on the basis of mutual respect, Xi said in a video call with Bachelet on Wednesday, state ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden is seeking to show US resolve against China, yet an ill-timed gaffe on Taiwan risks undermining his bid to curb Beijing’s growing influence over the region. Whether intentional or not, Biden provoked China with a vow to defend Taiwan militarily. After saying that US policy on Taiwan “had not changed at all” during a news conference ...

Bloomberg Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has vowed to defy a government ban on his planned march to Islamabad for a sit-in on Wednesday to press the administration to quit and call new elections. Khan plans to create chaos with his protest march and will be stopped, Interior Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan said in a briefing in Islamabad. ...

Bloomberg Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny lost his appeal against a new 9-year prison sentence and will be transferred to a high-security prison in a move that his supporters say is aimed at isolating President Vladimir Putin’s top critic even further. Navalny, 45, who was already serving a 2 1/2 year-sentence that the European Court of Human Rights called politically ...

  Bloomberg Swedish and Finnish officials are expected to travel to Ankara on Wednesday to try to overcome Turkey’s objections to the two nations’ bids to join Nato. Sweden’s state secretary, Oscar Stenstrom, and his Finnish counterpart Jukka Salovaara, will meet with Turkey’s chief presidential aide, Ibrahim Kalin, according to a statement from the Turkish foreign ministry. The formal acceptance ...

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden said the US military would intervene to defend Taiwan in any attack from China, comments that appeared to break from the longstanding US policy of “strategic ambiguity” before they were walked back by White House officials. Asked during a press briefing on Monday in Tokyo whether the US would be willing to get involved militarily ...

Bloomberg Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia’s economy should be shut off from the world and invited global investors to shift resources into Ukraine to help rebuild the country from the devastation wrought by Vladimir Putin’s war. “This is really the moment when it is decided whether brute force will rule the world,” the Ukrainian leader said in a keynote ...

Bloomberg Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as Australia’s 31st prime minister in a short ceremony in Canberra, taking office with a promise of swift action on climate change, greater gender equality and improved wage growth. Albanese moved quickly to be sworn in as Australia’s next leader as the PM is expected to fly out to Japan to take part ...