World News for Canadians

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/43734791

Just as Russian President Vladimir Putin was clear about his intentions toward Ukraine, Chinese President Xi Jinping has left no doubt about his plans for Taiwan. The only way to deter him from pursuing "reunification" with the island is to make clear that the costs of doing so will be punishing.

Web archive link

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Last month, Japan’s new prime minister, Takaichi Sanae, stated that Chinese aggression against the self-governing democratic island could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, warranting a military response.

Takaichi is right, but it is not just Japan that would be affected. Because Taiwan produces 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors and hosts one of its most vibrant globalized tech ecosystems, a blockade or invasion would send shockwaves through the global economy, potentially tilting the race for AI leadership in China’s favor. The fall of free Taiwan would also upend the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific, placing much of Asia under China’s yoke, while cementing China’s chokehold on the South and East China Seas. For these reasons, a conflict over the island has the potential to escalate into a broader war.

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cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/43239009

Web archive link

Here are the documents (in Russian).

• After Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, China decided to purchase Russian aircraft, combat vehicles, ammunition, and equipment to enhance its paratroopers.
• Chinese officers and representatives of defense manufacturers have repeatedly visited Russia to inspect examples of weaponry and negotiate deals.
• In 2023 and 2024, Beijing entered into several confidential contracts with Moscow to acquire Russian armaments, with the funds intended for Russian arms manufacturers being subject to international sanctions.
• The known deadline for implementing some of the contracts is 2027.
• The Kyiv Independent has identified several dozen Chinese military personnel and employees of arms manufacturers who continued to cooperate with the Russian arms industry, thereby violating international sanctions.

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A little over a month after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian government received a request from China, according to leaked correspondence reviewed by the Kyiv Independent.

In it, Beijing asked to buy a set of weapons and armored vehicles for airborne troops. The request, numbered ZH2022-Y53, was received on April 7, 2022, the documents show.

Three weeks later, according to the documents, Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation instructed Rosoboronexport, the state-owned company responsible for all arms exports from Russia, to demonstrate Russian air-droppable combat vehicles to a Chinese delegation.

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The agreements are set to provide sanctioned Russian arms manufacturers with revenue from the export of their weaponry to China. In return, China will receive weaponry and equipment for its airborne forces, the PLAAF Airborne Corps, which have been strengthening amid expectations of an attack on Taiwan.

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A key element of the cooperation is the steady flow of Chinese officers and defense industry officials who have been traveling to Russia since 2023 for closed-door talks. By piecing together leaked Russian documents with photos and travel data, the Kyiv Independent was able to identify many of these previously anonymous visitors by name and rank.

Chinese Major General Fan Jianjun was photographed during his visit to the annual Russian arms forum in the Moscow suburbs in August 2023. He was pictured showing then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu models of Chinese weaponry.

Fan Jianjun represented China's highest military authority, the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China (PRC). In 2023, he led the Bureau of Military Equipment and Technical Cooperation within the Equipment Development Department of the PRC Central Military Commission.

The Bureau's procurement division purchases imported weapons and equipment for China, including from Russia.

None of the Russian media that covered the event mentioned who was in the photo next to Shoigu.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/54551509

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39830329

Chinese fighter jets directed fire-control radar at Japanese military aircraft near Japan's Okinawa islands in two incidents, Japan's defence minister said on Sunday, condemning the move as "dangerous".

"These radar illuminations went beyond what is necessary for the safe flight of aircraft," Shinjiro Koizumi posted on X, adding that Japan had lodged a protest with China over Saturday's "regrettable" incident.

A fire-control radar lock is one of the most threatening acts a military aircraft can take because it signals a potential attack, forcing the targeted aircraft to take evasive action.

cross-posted from: https://piefed.ca/c/privacy/p/378099/we-lost-the-fight-against-chat-control

• Invidious
• Youtube

Jordan Bardella, leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, was hit on the head with an egg Saturday, just days after another incident in which a protester threw flour at him.

Bardella was at an event in Moissac, southwest France, to promote his latest book when a man broke the egg on his head.

The suspected attacker, a 74-year-old man, was arrested and taken into custody for violence against a public official, prosecutor Montauban Bruno Sauvage told AFP.

A complaint has been filed in Bardella’s name over the incident.

On Tuesday, Bardella was covered in flour during a visit to an agricultural fair at Vesoul, in the east of the country.

Police detained a 17-year-old teenage boy before releasing him the following day, and he will have to attend a course on citizenship.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39371564

In short:

A suspected Chinese drone has been spotted off a Japanese island near Taiwan.

Japan's army scrambled its aircraft in response.

The incident comes amid an ongoing diplomatic spat between Tokyo and Beijing.

Portugal will on December 11 face its first general strike in 12 years to protest against the right-wing minority government’s planned labour law reforms, which unions argue harm workers’ rights.

In particular, his government hopes to simplify firing procedures, extend the allowed length of fixed-term contracts and expand the minimum services required in the event of a strike.

[Portuguese PM] Montenegro urged the unions on Wednesday to be “responsible”, arguing that “nothing justifies a general strike”.

Canada should build more taxpayer-funded pipelines to increase fossil fuel oligarch wealth! /s

Oil has largely languished this year, but the next two years could be much tougher for crude producers if JPMorgan's latest forecast is correct.

The price of oil is down 15% this year, and JPMorgan analysts say the commodity is staring down a problem from Economics 101: when supply exceeds demand, prices are likely to fall.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39251914

• Invidious
• Youtube

Starting Friday, X users were able to use a new “about this account” feature to see what country accounts were based in. And for many “America First” posters, this revealed an inconvenient truth, as reported by The Daily Beast.

For example, one account literally named “America First”—with 67,000 followers—seems to be based not in the U.S., but in Bangladesh.

Another popular conservative account, MAGA Nation, with nearly 400,000 followers and a bio that reads, “Standing strong with President Trump 🇺🇸 | America First | Patriot Voice for We The People,” is apparently based in Eastern Europe.

And an Ivanka News fanpage with 1 million followers that posts things like, “Does the spread of Islam on American soil concern you?” is based in Nigeria.

Twitter users rounded up dozens of these accounts, sharing their disbelief.

European officials and former officials have described the 28-point plan as “scandalous” and said [Trump envoy, Steve] Witkoff needs “a psychiatrist” if he thinks it will fly.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/50197411

Taipei (AFP) – Taipei resident Jay Tsai hopes he never needs the crisis guide Taiwan is handing out to millions of households across the island, which faces threats of natural disasters and a Chinese invasion.

The government began sliding the orange booklet under doors and into mailboxes this week to raise awareness about potential dangers, but critics have branded it a waste of taxpayers' money.

"I hope we'll never need it but it feels reassuring to have," Tsai, a 31-year-old 3D animation specialist, told AFP.

"I'll put it near my emergency items at home, like the flashlight, just so I know it's there."

The 32-page booklet offers advice on everything from how to prepare a "go bag" to what to do when an air-raid siren sounds and how to give first-aid.

It also warns readers that "hostile foreign forces" could use disinformation to weaken their resolve to defend the island if China attacks.

"In the event of a military invasion of Taiwan, any claim that the government has surrendered or that the nation has been defeated is false," it says.

The new printed version is the first time the government has opted for paper emergency guidelines for the public after previously publishing them online.

"A printed copy ensures that... the elderly in rural areas or anyone without access to digital tools can still obtain the information they need," Defence Minister Wellington Koo told lawmakers on Wednesday.

The guide, titled "In Case of Crisis", is part of President Lai Ching-te's efforts to prepare the island's 23 million people for a disaster or conflict.

"I think it's quite helpful," Chi Chien-han, 43, a community leader, told AFP.

"It reminds us to stay alert rather than acting like nothing matters."

However, IT worker Yang Chen-che said the guide was more political than practical and he would probably "throw it away".

"You can look up all of this online," Yang, 38, told AFP.

"I don't need to keep a paper copy."

Chiang Chu-hsuan, 60, another community leader, dismissed the guide as a "waste of money" and said Lai should try hard to "avoid war".

The defence ministry said Taiwan had studied similar books recently published by countries such as Sweden and France when putting its guide together.

"I think this booklet actually shows our determination of defending ourselves," said Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council.

Yeh Yuan-chih, a legislator with the main opposition Kuomintang party, which advocates for warmer ties with China, questioned the cost of printing and delivering the booklet.

"Is it necessary to spend more than NT$60 million ($1.9 million)?" Yeh asked Koo in parliament.

The government expects to finish distributing the guides to nearly 10 million households by early January.

"In the past, war didn't feel that close to us," said 32-year-old resident Ruru Liu.

"But after what happened in Ukraine I think this might help people to some extent."

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/47313117