China’s foreign minister is jetting off on a blitz of Pacific Island nations
China is seeking security deals with almost a dozen Pacific Island countries according to fresh reports from Reuters.
The deals will focus on policing, security and data communication.
Reuters reports the nation’s foreign minister, Wang Yi is set to host a meeting in Fiji next week.
One of the nations on China’s list has reportedly voiced concerns saying their intent to control the region “threatens stability”.
David Panuelo, the President from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) fears this could lead to a new “Cold War” between China and the West.
Yi will visit eight Pacific island nations that China has diplomatic ties with.
It comes as the nation secured a deal with the Solomon Islands, which drew condemnation from Australia, New Zealand and the US.
Allan Behm from the Australian Institute says “to spend over a week with small island states in the Pacific is a very big investment of China’s diplomatic capital.”
“It’s a dramatic move for China to take.”
Behm says these visits also make people nervous about the future.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Foreign Minister will travel to Fiji today to counter China’s influence in the region.
The country’s newly elected Prime Minister says Australia is an obvious partner for these island nations.
But China says the Solomon’s pact focuses on domestic policing and that any criticism was interference in their decision-making.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said he was aware of the plans.
Foreign ministers will meet next week to discuss the plans.
TikTok users could soon find that the popular social media service is either under new ownership or could be outright banned in the United States.
President Joe Biden signed a bill into law that requires TikTok to find a new owner—or face a ban in the United States.
Over the past several months, Washington D.C. has been under pressure to ban the popular Chinese-owned social media app.
Lawmakers and security experts have long raised concerns that the Chinese government could tap TikTok’s trove of personal data about millions of U.S. users.
TikTok’s CEO said the bill is disappointing and reiterated that the company has committed to challenge it.
David Zhang from China Insider. joins Veronica Dudo to discuss
Threads, the social media platform owned by Meta, is gaining traction with a surge in daily active users, outpacing X in the U.S.
With Threads averaging 28 million daily active users compared to X’s 22 million, Meta’s ambitions to reach a billion users seem within reach despite a slowdown in growth. While X still boasts 550 million monthly active users globally, Threads’ focus on user experience and avoidance of real-time and political content could position it as a formidable competitor moving forward.
This weekend’s entertainment lineup has something for everyone.
Apple TV+ brings “Sugar,” a drama set in New York City, while “Civil War” offers historical intensity.
“Challengers” with Zendaya brings a saucy sport drama to life, and superhero buffs can catch the trailer for “Deadpool and Wolverine” for action-packed fun.
With options spanning drama, history, reality, and superheroes, there’s excitement in store for all this weekend.