Thailand has announced that the head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, will attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia on 24 April 2021.
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Category: In the news
US imposes sanctions on Russia for ‘malign’ actions
The US has imposed a range of sanctions on Russia, including curbs to its sovereign debt market, to punish it for allegedly interfering in last year’s U.S. election, cyber hacking, bullying Ukraine and other alleged malign actions. Russia denies the allegations, and considers the sanctions hostile steps.
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US moves to reinforce its position on Taiwan, hoping for Japan’s support
The US is said to be pushing for Japan to sign off on a joint statement of support for Taiwan, to be issued after the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the White House on Friday, 16 April 2021. It would be the first time that Taiwan is mentioned in a joint US-Japan statement since 1969.
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US troops to withdraw from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021
United States President Joe Biden will leave US troops in Afghanistan past the current May 1 deadline agreed with the Taliban but will withdraw them by September 11, US officials said on Tuesday [13 April 2021]. President Biden is expected to lay out his plan during a speech on Wednesday, 14 April 2021.
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Biden proposes $2 trillion infrastructure capital investment ‘to win the future’
On Wednesday 31 March 2021, US President Joe Biden announced a plan described as “the largest American jobs investment since World War Two” – intended to “create millions of jobs”, “grow the economy”, “make [America] more competitive”, “promote [US] national security interests, and put [the ¨US] in a position to win the global competition with China”.
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Australia’s intervention at the IEA Net-Zero Summit
On 1 April 2021, Australia’s Emissions Reduction Minister said at the International Energy Agency’s ‘COP26 Net-Zero Summit’ that “removing the price difference between current technologies and low or zero carbon solutions is the key to widespread global adoption” of low emissions technology – and that Australia was focusing on reducing the cost of ‘clean’ hydrogen.
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Iran and China sign 25-year cooperation agreement
Iran and China have signed a 25-year wide-ranging cooperation agreement referred to as the ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. The agreement has long been under development, but the signing comes as both countries remain under US sanctions.
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US President Biden invites 40 world leaders to Leaders Summit on Climate
US President Biden has today [26 March 2021] invited 40 world leaders to the ‘Leaders Summit on Climate’ he intends to host on 22 and 23 April 2021.
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Biden ‘consulting with allies’ on response as North Korean missile tests confirmed
It is reported that North Korea’s claim that it had launched a new type of tactical short-range ballistic missile has highlighted military advances by the nuclear-armed state and propelled it to the top of new U.S. President Joe Biden’s foreign policy agenda.
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US Secretary of State Blinken tells NATO it’s not an ‘us-or-them’ choice with China
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed NATO members in Brussels on Wednesday 24 March 2021 calling on them to work with the US to counter China. However in a shift of tone from that of recent weeks, he also said that the US “won’t force allies into an ‘us-or-them’ choice with China,” and acknowledged that the US knows “that our allies have complex relationships with China that won’t always align perfectly”.
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US-China talks: ‘tough and direct’ or ‘candid, constructive and beneficial’?
Two-day talks between the US and China, the first under the Biden administration, concluded on 19 March 2021. The unusual exchanges between the delegations were showcased the nature of the tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
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‘Global Britain in a Competitive Age’: UK’s new security, defence and foreign policy
The UK’s much anticipated new security, defence and foreign policy paper, Global Britain in a Competitive Age, sets out the government’s overarching national security and international policy objectives. Reviews have been mixed.
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Russia hosts Afghanistan peace talks with US, NATO troop withdrawal deadline looming
Russia is to host on Thursday [18 March 2021] the first of three international conferences aimed at jump-starting a stalled Afghanistan peace process ahead of a May 1 deadline for the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country.
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Turkey’s president Erdogan says Saudi Arabia wants to buy its armed drones
Turkey’s President Erdogan told a news conference in Ankara on Tuesday [16 March 2021] that Saudi Arabia is seeking to buy armed unmanned aerial vehicles from Turkey.
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‘Quad’ repurposed for, amongst other things, vaccine diplomacy contest
Leaders of the United States, Japan, India and Australia have launched “a landmark partnership to further accelerate the end of the COVID-19 pandemic” in a move widely interpreted as an effort to counter China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Turkey, Russia, Qatar foreign ministers push for political resolution in Syria
Turkey, Russia and Qatar are making a joint attempt to promote a political solution to Syria’s 10-year conflict. The foreign ministers of the three countries held talks in Doha on Thursday, 11 March 2021.
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Russia, China sign memorandum on lunar research station
It’s reported that Russia and China signed an agreement on Tuesday [9 March 2021] to set up an international lunar research station. The project aims to promote international cooperation and offer equal access to any nation that wants to take part.
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Biden joining summit with key Asia-Pacific ‘Quad’ leaders
US President Joe Biden will join with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia on Friday this week [12 March 2021] at a virtual gathering of the “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue”.
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First test flight of Australia’s ‘Loyal Wingman’ autonomous aircraft
The first test flight of a pilotless fighter-like jet, by a Boeing and Royal Australian Air Force team, has taken place at Woomera in South Australia. The Boeing ‘Loyal Wingman’ is the first military plane to be designed and manufactured in Australia in more than 50 years.
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Diplomatic efforts intensify as protestors are killed in Myanmar
Diplomatic efforts and international pressure intensify as tensions appear to increase in the Myanmar crisis, with casualties reported as the military continue attempts to disperse protestors.
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