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In New Year’s Speech, Taiwan President Warns China against ‘Military Adventurism'

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at a rank conferral ceremony for military officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force, at the defense ministry in Taipei, Taiwan December 28, 2021. (Reuters)
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at a rank conferral ceremony for military officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force, at the defense ministry in Taipei, Taiwan December 28, 2021. (Reuters)
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In New Year’s Speech, Taiwan President Warns China against ‘Military Adventurism'

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at a rank conferral ceremony for military officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force, at the defense ministry in Taipei, Taiwan December 28, 2021. (Reuters)
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at a rank conferral ceremony for military officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force, at the defense ministry in Taipei, Taiwan December 28, 2021. (Reuters)

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen marked the new year with a message for China: military conflict is not the answer.

"We must remind the Beijing authorities to not misjudge the situation and to prevent the internal expansion of 'military adventurism'," Tsai said on Saturday in her New Year's speech broadcast live on Facebook.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has increased military and diplomatic pressure in the past two years to assert its sovereignty claims.

In Chinese President Xi Jinping's New Year address the day before, he said the complete unification of "the motherland" was an aspiration shared by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan says it is an independent country and has repeatedly vowed to defend its freedom and democracy.

"The military is definitely not an option for solving cross-strait disagreements. Military conflicts would impact economic stability," Tsai said. "Our two sides jointly shoulder the responsibility of maintaining regional peace and stability."

Taiwan's stance has always been "to not succumb when facing pressure and to not rashly advance when receiving support," Tsai said.

To ease tension in the region, both Taipei and Beijing must "work hard to take care of people's livelihoods and calm the hearts of the people" in order to find peaceful solutions to problems together, Tsai said.

Tsai also said Taiwan would continue to monitor the situation in Hong Kong, adding that interference in the recent legislative election and the arrests this week of senior staff at the pro-democracy media outlet Stand News "made people worry even more about human rights and freedom of speech in Hong Kong."

Steady governance is Taiwan's most important goal in 2022, Tsai said.

"We will hold fast to our sovereignty, uphold the values of freedom and democracy, defend territorial sovereignty and national security, and maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region."

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World

China Warns Next Phase of US-Iran Talks Will Be ‘More Difficult’

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP)
Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP)
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China Warns Next Phase of US-Iran Talks Will Be ‘More Difficult’

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP)
Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP)

China's top diplomat told his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday that the next phase of negotiations between the United States and Iran -- which Pakistan has helped mediate -- will be "more difficult".

In a phone conversation ahead of the planned signing on Friday of a US-Iran memorandum of understanding to end their war, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Pakistan's Ishaq Dar that "it is foreseeable that, compared with the first stage, the second stage of negotiations will be more difficult".

Wang added that the United Nations Security Council "should also play a greater role" in supporting these talks, according to a statement from Beijing's foreign ministry.

"The current consensus is far from the final destination, rather it is a new starting point," Wang said.

"Achieving lasting peace in the Middle East and Gulf region still requires unremitting efforts from all parties," Wang said, adding that China was willing to work with Pakistan to promote peace.

Pakistani officials have previously said China, Islamabad's close ally and Iran's top trading partner, played a key role in supporting its mediation efforts.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said Wang and Dar agreed during their call to continue "engagement for the peaceful settlement of all outstanding issues", including the Strait of Hormuz maritime oil route that is subject to competing blockades that have roiled energy markets.

"They noted the importance of opening of the Strait of Hormuz for the global economy, energy security, and international trade," a ministry statement said.

World

One Dead, 4 Injured After China’s Qinghai Hit by Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake

A Chinese flag is seen in Shanghai’s financial district. (AFP file)
A Chinese flag is seen in Shanghai’s financial district. (AFP file)
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One Dead, 4 Injured After China’s Qinghai Hit by Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake

A Chinese flag is seen in Shanghai’s financial district. (AFP file)
A Chinese flag is seen in Shanghai’s financial district. (AFP file)

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the northwestern Chinese province of Qinghai on Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring four, as rescuers rushed to the site in search of trapped survivors.

The quake struck a high-altitude ‌area in ‌the prefecture of Haixi in ‌Qinghai ⁠at a depth ⁠of 10 km at 5:06 p.m. Beijing time (0906 GMT) on Tuesday, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said.

Initial checks showed transport, communication, water and power lines within 50 km of ⁠the epicenter were operating normally, ‌local newspaper Qinghai ‌Daily said late on Tuesday.

Some 320 ‌people are now deployed for the ‌search operation, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

State media previously reported that all workers at coal mines near the epicenter have ‌been evacuated and authorities are assessing casualties and property damage.

The quake ⁠was ⁠followed by over a dozen aftershocks including one of magnitude 4.9.

Authorities dispatched tents, beds and blankets to quake-hit areas and got companies and charities to provide food and water for affected residents.

The epicenter was near Da Qaidam, home to the mineral-rich Emerald Lake, a popular stop on the Qinghai-Gansu tourist route.

World

France to Try 14 over Channel Disaster that Left Iraqi Kurds Dead

15 June 2026, France, Berck: People thought to be migrants, who were previously detained by the French police, run across the sand as they try to board a small boat off the coast of Berck, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
15 June 2026, France, Berck: People thought to be migrants, who were previously detained by the French police, run across the sand as they try to board a small boat off the coast of Berck, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
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France to Try 14 over Channel Disaster that Left Iraqi Kurds Dead

15 June 2026, France, Berck: People thought to be migrants, who were previously detained by the French police, run across the sand as they try to board a small boat off the coast of Berck, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
15 June 2026, France, Berck: People thought to be migrants, who were previously detained by the French police, run across the sand as they try to board a small boat off the coast of Berck, France, during an attempt to cross the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa

Fourteen people will go on trial in France over the deaths of at least 27 migrants in November 2021 in the deadliest recorded small-boat crossing of the Channel, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The defendants, linked to people-smuggling networks, are accused of playing a role in the sinking in which at least 27 people, mainly Iraqi Kurds, died when their inflatable dinghy sank in the early hours of November 24, 2021.

Four others are still believed to remain missing, AFP reported.

The sinking remains the deadliest recorded small-boat crossing of the Channel, a route used by thousands of migrants each year to reach Britain from France.

The 14 individuals, most of them born in Afghanistan and Iraq, face charges including manslaughter and criminal conspiracy, the national organized crime prosecutor's office said, for roles ranging from drivers to those who organized the crossing.

Most deny any wrongdoing, with some Iraqi Kurdish defendants saying they were migrants rather than people smugglers.

It was not immediately clear when the trial would start.

In a separate probe linked to the sinking, at least seven French military personnel are under investigation for failing to help a person in danger.

A UK inquiry in February found some of the deaths would have been "avoidable" if British and French authorities had acted sooner to rescue those onboard.

Despite several distress calls, the boat was found by a French fishing vessel nearly 12 hours after the first pleas for help were made.

By that time, most of the people on board, including seven women and two children, had drowned.

France has long been a launchpad for migrants hoping to cross the Channel and start a better life in Britain.

Efforts by Britain and France to curb the crossings have largely failed, with some 41,000 people making the journey last year, the second-highest annual total after nearly 46,000 crossings in 2022.