Asean foreign ministers retreat 2019

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi went on an explosive rant Friday disparaging the United States for condemning human rights abuses in China, casting a pall on optimism triggered by reports of a Washington-Beijing trade agreement.President Donald Trump has led an economic policy shift resulting in diminished two-way trade, imposing tariffs on key Chinese products in an attempt to negotiate a deal that would help American agriculture and manufacturing flourish. Shortly after Wang delivered his remarks about “paranoid” American officials, Trump and the Chinese news agency Xinhua both reported that the two sides had agreed to a phrase one trade agreement. Wang did not discuss economic negotiations, instead highlighting efforts in Congress to aid the peaceful Hong Kong pro-democracy movement and condemn China’s use of concentration camps to commit genocide against Muslim ethnic minorities in westernmost Xinjiang province. “We hope that the U.S. side will promptly … [Read more...] about Chinese Foreign Minister Rains on Trade Deal Parade: ‘Paranoid’ U.S. ‘Damaging Mutual Trust’

"This is stupid. Of course, we do not want to leave the European Union. We are interested in a strong European Union. And we think that the European Union should be based on strong member states. And we participate in debates on the EU's future to make the European Union strong again," Szijjarto told reporters. The foreign minister added that Hungary would make every effort to strengthen the bloc. Earlier in December, Danish investment bank Saxo Bank published a set of predictions for 2020, one of which said that the "15-year marriage" between Hungary and the EU was "now in trouble" in light of the latter invoking Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty against the country over the policies of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which, according to the bank, do "not conform with EU values." © AFP 2019 / EMMANUEL DUNANDViktor Orban Lambasts Population Decline in Europe, Hails Hungary's Pro-Family PolicyThe bank added that it was likely that Hungary would follow the United Kingdom out of the bloc … [Read more...] about Hungarian Foreign Minister Calls Rumors on Possible EU Withdrawal ‘Stupid’

Just one day after Washington lost its mind over the controversial and suspiciously-timed firing of an FBI Director actively investigating a sitting president’s alleged links with the hostile Russian Federation, President Trump decided to host diplomats from Moscow, the very same men who, according to U.S. intelligence information about the operational procedures of Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin, were intimately involved in Russia’s cyber warfare campaign against the United States. Adding fuel to the media fire, Trump also invited Henry Kissinger, the late President Nixon’s larger-than-life Secretary of State and National Security Advisor. I hate “optics” talk, but nothing screams “Not Nixonian” and “Not about Russia” like meeting Russia and Kissinger within 24 hours of firing — Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) May 10, 2017 It would be an understatement to assert that this is bad optics for an administration under fire from the … [Read more...] about TOP TROLL: Trump Hosts Russian Ambassador, Foreign Minister Day After Firing Comey. Then He Takes A Picture With Nixon’s Secretary Of State.

Maldives is working with China “practically” to discuss its approximately $1.4 billion debt, said Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid, indicating that the Solih government does not intend to cancel infrastructure projects or loans at present as the ruling party had promised ahead of elections last year. The comments came even as former Maldives President Mohammad Nasheed, who is the Speaker of the Assembly said that Maldives would not go ahead with the Free Trade Agreement signed by the previous government, and that it was necessary to “restructure the debt” with China.Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Shahid said that he had visited Beijing last month and said there was “goodwill in the Chinese leadership” to discuss the debt Maldives owed. “To be fair to China, it has been a generous donor. It has invested in housing and infrastructure projects. There has been irresponsible borrowing by the previous government and unfortunately we have to … [Read more...] about Maldives negotiating China debt, says Foreign Minister

BEIJING (AP) — China’s foreign minister on Friday labeled the United States the “troublemaker of the world,” citing the Trump administration’s withdrawal from a number of international treaties. Wang Yi said the U.S. had conceded its right to international leadership and had “seriously damaged the foundation of the hard-won mutual trust between China and the U.S.” “We are willing to resolve the contradictions and differences with the U.S. through dialogues and discussions based on equality and mutual respect, but we will never accept any unilateral sanction or bullying,” he said. Washington’s departure from international agreements had ”brought many problems and troubles to the international community, and has made the US the troublemaker of the world today,” Wang said. Wang’s remarks come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade, politics and allegations of the theft of … [Read more...] about China foreign minister calls US ‘troublemaker of the world’