Free Republic

“Cackler-in-chief” Kamala Harris was visiting Taiwan last week for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Sky News host Rita Panahi says. “The cackler-in-chief was in Thailand this week where she entered into meaningful dialogue with the locals,” Ms Panahi said

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is vying for another White House mandate, said he thinks that Taiwan should pay the U.S. for defense, claiming that the country “doesn’t give us anything.” His comment was in response to a question on whether he would defend Taiwan against China, as part of an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published Tuesday. Beijing considers democratically governed Taiwan as a part of its territory, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has previously said reunification with the mainland was “a historical inevitability.” Trump said, “Taiwan should pay us for defense.” “You know, we’re no different than an...

Donald Trump has cast doubt over whether as U.S. president he would defend Taiwan if China were to invade the self-governed island Beijing views as part of its territory. "Taiwan is 9,500 miles away," the former president told Bloomberg, "it's 68 miles away from China." China's long-ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its own but has never ruled there since coming to power in Beijing in 1949. Taipei rejects its neighbor's assertions. The GOP nominee for the U.S. presidential election appeared to suggest that Taiwan should pay the U.S. for protection, telling the outlet: "I don't think we're any different...

Does China sense weakness in the White House? In recent days Chinese troops have been sent to Belarus for military exercises, dozens of Chinese military aircraft have been threatening Taiwan, and four Chinese military vessels were even detected off the coast of Alaska. So why has China decided to become so aggressive all of a sudden? Right now, Joe Biden is facing endless questions about his competency, and those around him are focused on fighting for his political survival. So could foreign adversaries such as China use this window of opportunity to do things that they may not normally attempt...

In efforts to bolster foreign trade relations between Texas and East Asian countries, Governor Greg Abbott delivered remarks at the U.S. Embassy in the Republic of Korea on Wednesday. His trip to South Korea marks the second day of his three-nation economic development mission to Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. Abbott met with Cho Tae-Yul, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Korea, to discuss strengthening economic and trade ties between Texas and South Korea. Abbott and Tae-Yul spoke on innovation in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing. South Korea is a global leader in semiconductor...

Welcome again your host here remembering Rush Limbaugh who played songs like those back in 1974... That Top 10 song the Lord's Prayer back in those days..."Deliver us from evil" indeed I am thankful for deliverance from evil today Jesus gave that to me... On to a Money Update ABBA with our theme... And one of the great tech centers of the world is Taiwan and around Taiwan the South China Sea... "A key Marine Corps role is to 'serve as the inside force' in the first island chain-from the Ryukyus to Australia-to curb China's ambitions, Commandant of the Marine...

This is an invitation to an open discussion on whether or not China will move on Taiwan prior to Jan. 20th, 2025.

Senate Democrats are launching a new investigation into the foreign payments made to Jared Kushner's investment firm. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden announced the probe on Wednesday, saying that the panel would investigate the billions of dollars that Affinity Partners manages from foreign sources. Kushner started Affinity in July 2021, less than six months after leaving the White House as a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump. The firm quickly attracted big-time investors from the Middle East and within weeks, landed $2 billion from the Saudi public investment fund. Affinity continues to overwhelmingly derive the majority of its...

Nvidia on Sunday unveiled its next generation of artificial intelligence chips to succeed the previous model, which was announced just months earlier in March.Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced the new AI chip architecture, dubbed "Rubin," ahead of the COMPUTEX tech conference in Taipei.Rubin comes months after the March announcement of the upcoming "Blackwell" model, which is still in production and expected to ship to customers later in 2024.Huang's announcement of Rubin appears to quicken the company's already-accelerated pace of AI chip advancement.Nvidia has pledged to release new AI chip models on a "one-year rhythm," as Huang put it on Sunday....

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is scheduled to meet with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Singapore this weekend, holding the first face-to-face bilateral defense meeting in 18 months. The unusual dialogue comes only a week after China held aggressive military drills around Taiwan to “punish” the island for electing a president Beijing does not like. Austin’s previous meeting was with one of Dong’s predecessors, Wei Fenghe, at a regional summit in Cambodia. Wei retired and was replaced by Gen. Li Shangfu in March 2023.

A UN Security Council meeting tomorrow on the Memorial Day Weekend attack by Israel in the southern Gaza city... In Israel's largest city Tel Aviv tonight a clash between Eritreans who support and oppose the country's government... US Central Command says a drone launched from Yemen was destroyed... An alert over Israel's southern port city of Eilat tonight... Canada's Immigration Minister saying five thousand people from Gaza will be allowed to enter Canada... In the British election campaign the Conservative Party suspending MP Lucy Allan. Allan endorsed a Reform UK... In Amsterdam riot police stopping an effort by Pro-Palestinian demonstrators...

An Australian mother of five is facing the death penalty in Taiwan after she was allegedly caught with a stash of cocaine hidden in her suitcase. Debbie Voulgaris, 57, was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport in December after the drugs were allegedly found in black plastic bags inside her luggage. Taiwanese police allege she was carrying 15lbs of the drug, which - they say - she initially 'vehemently denied' having any knowledge of. She later claimed her ex-husband John was behind the scheme, police say. Ms Voulgaris's lawyer Leon Huang said it was 'essential' her ex took the stand as...

* Chipmakers ASML and TSMC can disable advanced chipmaking machines remotely, Bloomberg reports. * The move addresses growing fears of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a key semiconductor producer. * A China-Taiwan conflict could severely impact the global economy. Two of the world's most important chip companies can flip a "kill switch" remotely on their most advanced chipmaking machines should China invade Taiwan, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Netherlands' ASML — Europe's top tech company by market value — supplies advanced machines to chipmaking companies. They include Taiwan's TSMC, which produces, by some estimates,...

Taiwan's military mobilized its forces and said it was confident it could protect the island, after China started two days of "punishment" drills around Taiwan on Thursday in what it said was a response to "separatist acts". The exercises, in the Taiwan Strait and around groups of Taiwan-controlled islands that sit next to the Chinese coast, come just three days after Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan's new president, a man Beijing detests as a "separatist". China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has denounced Lai's inauguration speech on Monday, in which he called on China to...

A Taiwanese lawmaker caused a major commotion by grabbing a bill and running out of the legislative chamber to prevent it from being passed. The event happened just before President-elect Lai Ching-te was set to take office on Monday. According to reports, the morning session was already heated, with lawmakers shouting and shoving each other even before any votes were cast. The situation escalated when one MP, now nicknamed the “Bill Bandit,” grabbed the bill and dashed for the exit. Other lawmakers chased him, turning the chamber into a scene of chaos. The video was shared by @CensoredMen on X...

Chaos in Taiwan's parliament today... The US and Iran held indirect talks this week... US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan travelling to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend... In a legislative committee of France's National Assembly an 'assisted dying' bill approved tonight... The US State Department issuing a security alert claiming an increased threat to LGBTQ+ people and events inspired ... In Israel the popularity of top politicians measured in a Channel 12 poll... The Pentagon spin on sexual assaults in the US military... At least four people, three of the tourists, killed in Afghanistan... Dutch medical entrepreneur and former...

OPINION China’s recent outcry over the alleged breach of ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ with the Philippines reveals a profound irony, given the history of its coercion and deceit There is a huge amount of insincerity and gall involved in the Chinese complaint that the Philippines had torn up the bilateral ‘Gentleman’s Agreement,’ between Beijing and Manila. While the term ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’ has an implicit assumption of ‘trust’ as a fundamental tenet besting a relationship, which may otherwise not be legally binding -- to even imagine that there has been any element of ‘trust’ between these two sparing countries, is to put oneself...

When Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of U.S. naval operations, gave an interview in 2022, he made a point of saying he believed China could invade Taiwan in 2022 or 2023. As of the last week of April 2024, China has not invaded Taiwan. Does this mean that Taiwan and the international community can breathe a collective sigh of relief? Maybe. A compelling case can be made that if China does intend to take Taiwan, then the period between now and January 2025 is as favorable a time as it is likely to have over the near term.There is an array...

Are you a betting man? As we look at the next six to nine months, as Americans, we know the many possibilities surrounding the coming election. President Trump could be returned to office, or Joe Biden could remain in place, or one or both could somehow be replaced on their respective party’s tickets. Anything is possible. We see the polls, which say President Trump is ahead. We also know our history, the history of the American electorate often voting against their own interest, and we know of the corrupt political machines famous for fabricating votes and stealing elections. All the...