عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

China Complains to US About ‘Dangerous’ Weapons Aid to Taiwan 

Staff Sgt. Edward Greene, Sgt. Christopher Bazan, and Spc. Jack Ovando, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, supporting the 4th Infantry Division, conduct air threat engagement tactics with man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) during an exercise at Adazi, Latvia, on April 29, 2023. (AP)
Staff Sgt. Edward Greene, Sgt. Christopher Bazan, and Spc. Jack Ovando, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, supporting the 4th Infantry Division, conduct air threat engagement tactics with man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) during an exercise at Adazi, Latvia, on April 29, 2023. (AP)
TT
20
TT

China Complains to US About ‘Dangerous’ Weapons Aid to Taiwan 

Staff Sgt. Edward Greene, Sgt. Christopher Bazan, and Spc. Jack Ovando, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, supporting the 4th Infantry Division, conduct air threat engagement tactics with man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) during an exercise at Adazi, Latvia, on April 29, 2023. (AP)
Staff Sgt. Edward Greene, Sgt. Christopher Bazan, and Spc. Jack Ovando, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, supporting the 4th Infantry Division, conduct air threat engagement tactics with man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) during an exercise at Adazi, Latvia, on April 29, 2023. (AP)

China said on Tuesday it has complained to the United States about a weapons aid package to Taiwan, urging Washington to refrain from going further down a "wrong and dangerous" path.

The US unveiled an aid package for Taiwan worth up to $345 million on Friday as Congress authorized up to $1 billion worth of weapons aid for the island as a part of the 2023 budget.

A spokesperson for China's defense ministry, Tan Kefei, said the US must stop all forms of "military collusion" with Taiwan.

"The Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests and is a red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations," Tan said in a statement.

Beijing claims the democratically governed island as its own territory, and repeatedly warns against any forms of "official exchanges" between Washington and Taipei. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

The United States, Taiwan's most important arms supplier, is bound by law to provide it with the means to defend itself, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties and the anger such weapons sales generate in Beijing.

The top US general said in July it and allies should speed up weapons delivery to Taiwan in coming years to help the island defend itself.

China's military has also been flexing its muscles around the island, recently sending dozens of fighters, bombers and other aircraft including drones into the skies to Taiwan's south, according to Taiwan's defense ministry.

China's People's Liberation Army is paying close attention to the situation in the Taiwan Strait and is always on high alert, Tan said.

Most Viewed

 
World

Pope Francis, Starting Fourth Week in Hospital, Showing Improvement, Vatican Says

This photograph shows the Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised, in Rome, on March 8, 2025.
This photograph shows the Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised, in Rome, on March 8, 2025.
TT
20
TT

Pope Francis, Starting Fourth Week in Hospital, Showing Improvement, Vatican Says

This photograph shows the Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised, in Rome, on March 8, 2025.
This photograph shows the Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised, in Rome, on March 8, 2025.

Pope Francis is showing a "good response" to his treatment in hospital for double pneumonia and his overall condition is gradually improving, the Vatican said on Saturday.

Francis, 88, has been in Rome's Gemelli hospital for more than three weeks with a severe respiratory infection that has required continuously evolving treatment.

"The clinical condition of the Holy Father in recent days has remained stable and, consequently, indicates a good response to the treatment," the latest detailed medical update said.

The pope, it said, has continued to have no fever and his blood tests have remained stable.

Although the doctors said they had seen "a gradual, slight improvement" in the pope's overall condition, they maintained a guarded prognosis "in order to ensure these initial improvements continue in the coming days".

The pope is continuing to receive oxygen to help with his breathing, the Vatican press office said. During the day, he uses a small oxygen hose under his nose. At night, he has been using non-invasive mechanical ventilation as he sleeps.

Francis has experienced several bouts of ill health over the last two years and is prone to lung infections because he had pleurisy as a young adult and had part of one lung removed.

Double pneumonia is a serious infection in both lungs that can inflame and scar them, making it difficult to breathe.

Francis has not been seen in public since entering hospital, his longest such absence since his papacy started nearly 12 years ago.

The pope's doctors have not said how long the treatment might last. He will miss a weekly prayer with pilgrims for the fourth week in a row on Sunday, the Vatican said.

Doctors not involved in Francis' care have said the pope is likely to face a long, fraught road to recovery, given his age and other long-standing medical conditions.

The tone of the updates from the Vatican has been cautiously upbeat in recent days, after the pope suffered what was described as two episodes of "acute respiratory insufficiency" on March 3.

Groups gathered outside Gemelli hospital throughout the day on Saturday to pray for Francis. They placed candles, prayer beads and other items at the base of a statue of the late Pope John Paul II, who was treated at the facility many times over his 1978-2005 papacy.

Maria Neve, from Naples, Italy, left a small bouquet of yellow flowers. "He is an incredible person who gives so much to others, and we, in turn, must give back to him," she said.

Francis, who is known to work himself to exhaustion, has continued to work from hospital. On Saturday, the Vatican announced the appointments of four bishops that would have required his approval.

Francis on Saturday also sent a message to an anti-abortion group in Italy which was undertaking a pilgrimage to the Vatican.

The message, read aloud to the group by Cardinal Pietro Parolin in St. Peter's Basilica, was signed by Francis with a note to say it was sent "from Gemelli hospital".