Politics

  Bloomberg The chief of Taiwan’s military told a local magazine the island’s forces could repel an initial attack from China if they are well-prepared. “China is certainly strong enough to start a war, but it’s not so strong that it can successfully take Taiwan within one or two weeks,” Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said in an interview with CommonWealth ...

  Bloomberg Australia and the Philippines are considering joint patrols in the South China Sea, their defense ministers said, as the Southeast Asian nation reported continuing presence of suspected Chinese vessels in contested waters. Australia also wants to pursue more military exercises with the Philippines, Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a briefing after meeting with Filipino counterpart Carlito Galvez ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suggested a coming deal with the European Union over post-Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland would involve legal changes to the existing treaty, something the bloc has previously opposed. In the House of Commons, Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson complained that under the existing “unacceptable” deal — known as the protocol — “EU laws ...

Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin said Russia will suspend its observation of the New START treaty with the US, dealing a blow to the last accord limiting their nuclear arsenals, as he vowed to press on with his faltering invasion of Ukraine. Russia is fighting for its “historic lands” in Ukraine and “will fulfill the tasks set step-by-step, carefully and consistently,” ...

  Bloomberg Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said he will dissolve parliament in March, a move that paves the way for the next election. Prayuth told reporters he informed the cabinet in a meeting on Tuesday of his intention to dissolve the House of Representatives — the clearest sign he has given yet on the timeline for the vote, though ...

Bloomberg A year after declaring a “no-limits” partnership with Russia, China is now seeking to convince the world it’s a neutral actor that can help end the war in Ukraine. It won’t be easy. Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi is set to visit Moscow in the coming days after floating a fresh peace proposal to end the conflict triggered by ...

  Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s election commission has instructed its lawyers to inform the Supreme Court about a lack of funds and the backing needed to hold local elections next month, the head of the government agency said. The commission has not received financial resources and the required support from other agencies, including the government printer and police, for the ballot ...

  Bloomberg US President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv and met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy, declaring “unwavering support” in a dramatic show of solidarity as Russia’s invasion nears the one-year mark. Biden, who was originally slated to visit neighboring Poland this week, appeared in the Ukrainian capital at 8 a.m. on Monday as police sealed ...

  Bloomberg China laid out a fresh laundry list of problems it has with how the US uses its power, underscoring how tensions between the two nations have worsened over issues from the alleged spy balloon dispute to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The official Xinhua News Agency published a 4,000-word article on Monday titled “US Hegemony and Its Perils” that ...

  Bloomberg North Korea fired a barrage of suspected ballistic missiles and issued a warning to the US over joint military exercises, less than two days after Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket designed to hit the American mainland. South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff said North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles between 7 and 7:11 a.m. on Monday from ...