Human Rights

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Sakura Murakami TOKYO (Reuters) – The four leaders of the “Quad” group of countries vowed on Tuesday to work together for a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to fight climate change, as they met for talks aimed at standing up to an increasingly assertive China. U.S. President Joe Biden, at the opening of talks with the leaders of three “close democratic partners”, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as not just a European issue but a global one. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, echoed that, saying the same thin…

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Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden left Thursday for South Korea and Japan to cement US leadership in Asia at a time when the White House’s attention has been pulled back to Russia and Europe — and amid fears of a North Korean nuclear test during his trip. Biden wants the trip to build on recent moves accelerating a years-long US pivot to Asia, where rising Chinese commercial and military power is undercutting Washington’s dominance. But highlighting the competing demands from Europe, Biden met right before his departure with the leaders of Finland and Sweden to celebrate their applicatio…

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BEIJING (Reuters) -China warned on Thursday it would take strong measures if U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan and said such a visit would severely impact Chinese-U.S. relations, following media reports she would go next week. China considers democratically ruled Taiwan its own territory and the subject is a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington, especially given strong U.S. military and political support for the island. The possible visit has not been confirmed by Pelosi’s office or Taiwan’s government, but some Japanese and Taiwanese media…

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The European Union used a virtual summit in Brussels on Friday to warn China of the economic and reputational risks involved in supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. China was informed any support for Russia’s war “would lead to major reputational damage” in Europe, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a press conference after the summit. Von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel spoke with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping. The EU wanted to use the video meeting to send a stark message to China that helping Russia in Ukraine …

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