International

US agrees to sell $1.1bn in arms to Taiwan, angering China

Published

2 years ago

September 3, 2022

The US is selling high-tech military equipment worth $1.1bn (£960m), including anti-ship and air-to-air missiles, to Taiwan amid the ongoing strife with China in a move that has invited a stern response from Beijing.

The sale approved by the US state department was announced by the Pentagon on Friday and comes amid unprecedented tensions between China and Taiwan with Beijing carrying out aggressive military drills around the archipelago following Nancy Pelosi’s visit last month.

The sale includes Sidewinder missiles, which can be used for air-to-air and surface-attack missions, at a cost of some $85.6m (£73m), Harpoon anti-ship missiles at an estimated $355m (£308m) cost and support for Taiwan’s surveillance radar program for an estimated $665.4m (£577m), the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said.

Reacting to the arms deal, Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in a statement that the arms sale “severely jeopardises China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

“China will resolutely take legitimate and necessary counter-measures in light of the development of the situation,” he said.

The White House says the arms deal has been under consideration for quite some time and was developed in consultation with Taiwan and US lawmakers.

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“As the PRC continues to increase pressure on Taiwan – including through heightened military air and maritime presence around Taiwan – and engages in attempts to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, we’re providing Taiwan with what it needs to maintain its self-defence capabilities,” Laura Rosenberger, White House senior director for China and Taiwan, said in a statement.

The Pentagon says the equipment and support announced on Friday would not alter the basic military balance in the region. The US officials also stress they did not reflect any change in policy toward Taiwan.

“These proposed sales are routine cases to support Taiwan’s continuing efforts to modernise its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability,” a US department of state spokesperson said, requesting anonymity.

Taiwan’s defence ministry expressed its thanks, adding that China’s recent “provocative” activities represented a serious threat and the arms sale would help it face China’s military pressure.

“At the same time, it also demonstrates that it will help our country strengthen its overall defence capabilities and jointly maintain the security and peace of the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region,” the ministry said in a statement.

The sales must be reviewed by Congress, but both Democratic and Republican congressional aides said they do not expect opposition.

At least two members of Congress have visited Taiwan from both parties since Mr Pelosi’s visit, as well as governors of US states, despite Beijing’s show of aggression. China has issued statements condemning all of these visits.

While the sale of equipment comes as yet another show of support for Taiwan from the US, Washington has also maintained it follows a one-China policy, which means the US recognises only one government in China and has formal ties with it rather than the island of Taiwan that China views as its inalienable part.

While Beijing considers Taiwan as a breakaway province to be merged with the mainland eventually “by force, if necessary”, Taipei says that as the People’s Republic of China has never ruled the island, it has no right to claim it.

This is why the visit by Ms Pelosi, one of the highest ranked officials in the US, set off Beijing in a frenzy. Since then, China has adopted various measures to show its anger, however, experts believe it has limited options to exercise.

The Independent

International

Russia urges Israel to comply with international humanitarian law in Rafah

Published

6 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Trends Admin

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russia urges Israel to comply with international humanitarian law in Rafah

Russia has urged Israel to comply with international humanitarian law as its military operation in the Gazan city of Rafah has become an additional destabilising factor in the situation in the Middle East.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova disclosed this on Wednesday while answering reporters’ questions.

On Monday, Israel started a military operation in the eastern parts of Rafah and took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

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Hamas said it had agreed to the provisions of the ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar mediators, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the truce deal unacceptable.

Over a million people are believed to be sheltering in the city.

“An additional destabilising factor, including for the entire region, was the start of Israel’s ground military operation in Rafah in southern Gaza. About 1.5 million Palestinian civilians are concentrated there.

“In this regard, we demand strict compliance with the provisions of international humanitarian law,” Mr Zakharova told reporters.

Russia urges Israel to comply with international humanitarian law in Rafah

International

African Union condemns Israeli incursion into Rafah, calls for international intervention

Published

7 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Trends Admin

African Union condemns Israeli incursion into Rafah, calls for international intervention

The African Union (AU) has denounced the Israeli military’s recent actions in southern Gaza’s Rafah and urged the international community to intervene to halt the escalation of the conflict.

In a statement, AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat strongly condemned the extension of the war to the Rafah crossing, a crucial corridor for humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.

Faki expressed extreme concern about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, emphasizing the significant loss of life and destruction of infrastructure. He called on the entire international community to coordinate efforts to stop the deadly escalation.

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The Israeli incursion into Rafah occurred as negotiators and mediators convened in Cairo to seek a ceasefire in the seven-month conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Israel announced the reopening of the Kerem Shalom border crossing for humanitarian aid to Gaza, four days after its closure in response to a rocket attack that killed four soldiers. Additionally, the Erez border crossing between Israel and northern Gaza was opened for aid deliveries for the first time since the conflict began.

Both the United Nations and the United States, Israel’s staunch ally, condemned the closure of the crossings, which are vital for civilians facing severe humanitarian crises, including famine.

African Union condemns Israeli incursion into Rafah, calls for international intervention

International

Israel seizes key Gaza border, launches assault on Rafah

Published

2 days ago

May 7, 2024

Trends Admin

Israeli tanks entering the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on May 7, 2024 [Israeli army via AFP]

Israel seizes key Gaza border, launches assault on Rafah

Israeli forces have seized control of Gaza’s Rafah border crossing, cutting off a vital route for humanitarian aid and potential sanctuary for civilians from a building offensive.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it had seized “operational control” of the Gaza side of the border post, which links the besieged enclave with Egypt. The closure of the crucial passage and positioning of tanks in the centre of Rafah is seen as a demonstration of Israel’s determination to press on with an assault on the southern city despite ongoing truce talks.

The 401st Brigade entered the Rafah crossing early on Tuesday, the Israeli military said, closing a route vital for the aid entering Gaza and any civilians able to flee the fighting to Egypt.

The military claimed that the crossing was “being used for terrorist purposes”, alleging that Hamas’s mortar attack on Sunday on the Karem Abu Salem crossing, known as Kerem Shalom to Israelis, which remains closed, was launched from the vicinity. However, it has not so far provided evidence.

The operation came amid an overnight assault on eastern parts of the city. Warplanes pounded residential homes, killing at least 12 people.

Israel’s military said in a statement it had struck numerous Hamas targets in eastern Rafah, killing about 20 fighters.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority acknowledged to The Associated Press news agency that Israeli forces had seized the crossing and closed it for the time being.

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“It’s been a very difficult night,” reported Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud from Rafah. “It’s been very violent, very bloody and full of destruction.”

The assault comes despite Hamas having said on Monday that it had agreed with the terms of a truce deal hammered out by mediators.

However, pressed by hardline nationalist coalition partners who have demanded a full offensive on Rafah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears set to press on regardless.

Trapped

Tareq Abu Azzoum reported from Rafah that the Israeli military carried out an incursion on the eastern side of Rafah, during which there was a heavy exchange of fire with Hamas fighters amid an intense bombing campaign, with the main objective of seizing control of the crossing.

The Israeli control of the border post “is devastating because … Palestinians will no longer be able to leave the territory”, he said.

Despite urgent warnings from its closest allies that an offensive on the city risks huge numbers of civilian casualties, Israel insists that its plans will allow it to clear Rafah and press on to attack the Hamas command and fighters there.

“The Rafah offensive has started again, in spite of all the requests of the international community, the US, the European Union member states, everybody asking Netanyahu not to attack,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, told journalists on Tuesday. “I am afraid that this is going to cause again a lot of casualties, civilian casualties. Whatever they say,” he said, adding, “there are no safe zones in Gaza.”

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Israeli forces whipped up panic on Monday as they ordered 1.4 million or so Palestinians in Rafah – most of whom are displaced following previous instructions from the Israeli military – to evacuate.

The Israeli army reiterated on Tuesday that it has “encouraged” displaced people and international humanitarian organisations operating in eastern Rafah to “temporarily evacuate”.

However, people sheltering in Rafah, amid poor conditions with little shelter, food, or medicine, have few places to go.

The closure of the border crossing only threatens to worsen those shortages and trap more people close to the fighting.

Sources from three humanitarian relief agencies told the Reuters news agency that aid shipments had been halted due to the closure of the crossing.

The latest Israeli operation sees them being pushed towards al-Mawasi on the coast, where the military says it has set up field hospitals, tents, and medical supplies.

“The Israeli military is … strategically cutting off the Gaza Strip and sealing it off from the region,” suggested Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud.

“With the Israeli military presence there right now, we can safely say that we’re looking at a very difficult situation in terms of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he said.

“At the same time, when we look at the location of the Rafah crossing, at almost the centre of the city, that indicates that we’re very close to a full invasion of Rafah.”