China hurls accusations at the United States on the Taiwan issue

Taiwan came center stage in the sidelines of the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York. The focus of talks between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, was Taiwan. During the nearly 90 minutes of talks, described as “direct and honest,” China accused the United States of sending “very wrong, dangerous signals” with relation to Taiwan. The Chinese side also added that Washington had “no right to interfere” in how Beijing wants to “resolve” the issue. The American said it was important to maintenance peace and stability across the Strait. However, China insists that the issue pertaining to Taiwan is an internal matter of China and the United States should not interfere. US sending ‘dangerous signals’ on Taiwan, China tells Blinken. Tensions over Taiwan increased subsequent to a visit in August by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Subsequently, China conducted large-scale military drills in the region. More recently, US President Joe Biden pledged to defend the island that is governed democratically.

The foreign ministry of China had a similar message for foreign minister James Cleverly of the United Kingdom. This was also on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York. The message was that the UK should “honour its one-China commitment and unequivocally oppose ‘Taiwan independence.’ China looks at Taiwan as one of its provinces and wants to bring it under its control. The government of Taiwan objects to the sovereignty claims of China and says it is up to the people to decide its future. Incidentally, Chinese leader Xi Jinping talked to Joe Biden in July over the phone and said - “those who play with fire will perish by it.” There are possibilities that the two leaders could meet on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in November.

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29 people injured in an explosion in New York - no evidence of any terror link

29 people were injured in an explosion in New York's busy and upscale neighborhood that is also frequented by tourists. It is being treated as an "intentional act" with no evidence of any terror link as indicated by the authorities. The incident has happened hours before world leaders are expected to arrive here for the high-level UN General Assembly session. This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 18 September 2016.

The explosion happened hours after a pipe bomb went off in a garbage can in New Jersey and took place in the Chelsea neighborhood at 23rd St. and 6th Avenue. It is a busy residential and commercial area frequented by tourists and city residents. President Barack Obama has been apprised of the explosion as revealed by the White House. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has indicated that the number of people injured is now 29 but none is life threatening except for one who is in "serious" condition. A second site in Manhattan is under investigation. The Mayor has added that the explosion is as an "intentional act" and there is no evidence at this point of a terror link. There is already tight security in view of nearly 190 world leaders, including Obama, arriving in the city for the about week-long high-level annual UN General Assembly session.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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