Politics

Bloomberg US President Joe Biden taunted Xi Jinping in his State of the Union address, saying autocracies had grown weaker around the world and no one would want the Chinese leader’s job. “Name me a world leader who’d change places with Xi Jinping,” Biden shouted, departing from his prepared text Tuesday night as he waved a finger. “Name me one, ...

Bloomberg Chinese leader Xi Jinping appears to be recalibrating his hardline approach to Taiwan in the year before the island holds a presidential election that his government’s preferred negotiating partner has a shot at winning. Kuomintang Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia is expected to visit China on Wednesday, the latest in a series of friendly gestures between the one-time foes in ...

Bloomberg South Korea’s progressive opposition bloc used its majority in parliament to approve an unprecedented impeachment measure against the interior minister, heating up partisan tensions as worries mount about the country falling into recession. The Democratic Party and small groups passed the measure Wednesday to impeach Lee Sang-min, making him the first cabinet minister in the country’s history to be ...

Bloomberg Days before German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would ship 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron surprised allies by declaring that France would contribute 18 Caesar cannons and 40 AMX10 armored vehicles, and teased that he was still considering whether to send the embattled country a squadron of more powerful Leclerc tanks. The move ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak plans to carry out a mini reshuffle of his cabinet in an effort to re-set his premiership after a rocky first 100 days in office, according to people familiar with the discussions. Sunak will appoint a new Conservative Party chair, after he sacked Nadhim Zahawi over a tax scandal more than a week ago, ...

  Bloomberg India’s opposition parties said parliament has been repeatedly adjourned as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is “afraid” to discuss their demand for a probe into billionaire Gautam Adani’s fight with a US short seller. Parliament has been adjourned for three days and was briefly suspended on Tuesday as the opposition draws attention to what they describe as Adani ...

  Bloomberg New Zealand’s new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he won’t back away from criticizing China where necessary, as the new leader works to balance economic and diplomatic relations with his largest trading partner. Hipkins traveled to Australia on Tuesday to meet with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for the first time since coming to power. He was sworn ...

  Bloomberg A shakeup involving the replacement of Ukraine’s defense chief may be delayed as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government braces for a Russian offensive. A day after a senior lawmaker in Zelenskiy’s party announced that Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced by Ukraine’s head of military intelligence, a parliamentary official said no decisions on staff changes will be made ...

Bloomberg China and Australia’s top trade officials have met for the first time since 2019, in the latest sign of warming diplomatic relations between the two countries. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Trade Minister Don Farrell held virtual talks on Monday for more than 90 minutes, according to an Australian government statement that confirms a report by Bloomberg News. Both ...

  Bloomberg A United Nations peacekeeper died and another was seriously wounded after their helicopter was shot at in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, a day after East African Community leaders met to steady a flailing peace process. The helicopter was flying from Beni to the trading hub of Goma when it came under fire from unidentified assailants, ...