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China Foreign Ministry Welcomes Blinken's Visit to China as Tensions Simmer

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim (L) arrive for remarks at the State Department April 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim (L) arrive for remarks at the State Department April 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP
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China Foreign Ministry Welcomes Blinken's Visit to China as Tensions Simmer

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim (L) arrive for remarks at the State Department April 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim (L) arrive for remarks at the State Department April 15, 2024 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images/AFP

China's foreign ministry on Thursday welcomed the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China as tensions rise between the two countries over global trade, regional conflicts and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Blinken will depart on April 23 for a four-day trip to China, where he will meet with senior Chinese officials amid heightened tensions, including over China's alignment with Russia and aggressive moves against the Philippines in the South China Sea, Politico reported.
Blinken is also expected to raise US concerns that Beijing is helping Russia build up its defense industry to fight the war in Ukraine, Reuters said.
"China welcomes Secretary of State Blinken to visit China in the next few days," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, at a regular press briefing.
Blinken is visiting the world's second-largest economy to help smooth over recent strains, most notably after US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for sharply higher tariffs on Chinese metal products.
"As a matter of principle, we have consistently demanded the United States earnestly respect the principles of fair competition, respect WTO rules, and immediately stop the trade protectionist measures aimed at China," Lin said.
Biden aides said the US president was proposing raising to 25% tariffs imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump on certain Chinese steel and aluminum products. The proposed higher tariff rate would apply to more than $1 billion worth of steel and aluminum products, a US official said. "China will take all necessary measures to protect its own legitimate rights and interests," Lin said.

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Netanyahu Prepares Grounds to Dismiss Chief of Staff

Netanyahu with dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in October 2023 (dpa)
Netanyahu with dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in October 2023 (dpa)
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Netanyahu Prepares Grounds to Dismiss Chief of Staff

Netanyahu with dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in October 2023 (dpa)
Netanyahu with dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in October 2023 (dpa)

After the successful ousting of his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing the grounds to dismiss Army chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, reports in Tel Aviv revealed.
The PM’s intentions were visible through a series of preliminary measures. In a nine-minute video statement posted to social media on Saturday, Netanyahu claimed the ongoing investigation into the alleged theft and leak of classified documents, including by his aides, aimed at harming him and “an entire political camp.”
He then asserted that vital classified documents weren’t reaching him. “I am the prime minister. I need to receive important classified documents, and indeed sometimes important information doesn’t reach me.”
Netanyahu then defended his former spokesman Eli Feldstein, who is accused of leaking a classified document in a bid to sway public opinion against a truce-hostage deal in Gaza.
Last Thursday, Feldstein was charged with transferring classified information with the intent to harm the state.
The PM considered accusations against his spokesman as a “witch hunt” against his aides and Israelis who support him.
For the past 14 years, the Israeli right had run a large-scale incitement campaign against the security services. But in the last year, this camp increased its attack, particularly against the Chief of Staff, Halevi, who believes it is necessary to stop the war and ink a deal with Hamas.
The right-wing “Mida” website published a report entitled “Herzi Halevi’s Political Sabotage,” describing the man’s “rising against the Israeli political leadership.”
The report said Halevi's inappropriate behavior started during the first weeks of the war when the Army announced it was “ready for a ground attack,” accusing Netanyahu of delaying such an operation.
Mida then listed several other instances in which it described Netanyahu as a great leader who ordered strong attacks and deep military operations. It then accused the army of refraining from following his orders.
The report concludes that the “freeing of hostages file was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
In an April 2024 speech marking the six-month anniversary of the war, Halevi has said that it is time to end the war in Gaza and reach a prisoner swap deal with Hamas, while Netanyahu took a hardline stance, refusing to compromise on what he called “red lines.”
The Madi website also criticized Halevi for saying that the government was responsible for ordering the army of again operating in Jabalia, a decision that resulted in significant Israeli casualties.
“Halevi should have been dismissed as soon as the government was formed, and this was Netanyahu's mistake. But it is not too late to fix it. You can't win wars with rebel chiefs of staff,” the website wrote.