Demonstration of military might in Xinjiang
Politics & Current Affairs
Top politics and current affairs news for February 17, 2017. Part of the daily The China Project news roundup "Former chief executive of Hong Kong found guilty of misconduct."
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Massive show of force staged in China’s Xinjiang region after terrorist attack / SCMP
After a knife attack in Pishan County in the troubled Xinjiang Autonomous Region on Tuesday that left eight people dead, police swarmed the city on high alert. Today, Chinese armed police and military aimed to further assure the public of their safety by staging a parade involving thousands of troops and military vehicles. The display took place in Hotan, a major town on the southern Silk Road. For more on ethnic tensions and the recently heightened security situation in Xinjiang, see this detailed roundup published by the Jamestown Foundation. -
America’s affirmation of the one-China policy pleased Taiwan, too / The Economist
The Economist reports that Donald Trump’s about-face on the one-China policy has not only pleased Beijing: It has also soothed rattled nerves in Taiwan, where President Tsai Ing-wen was no doubt worried that the erratic American leader would throw her under the bus after she had served her purpose as a bargaining chip. Furthermore, unlike a vocal faction of her party that insists on seizing any opportunity to push for formal independence, President Tsai “has presented herself as cautious, responsible and predictable,” and likely views these political events as a distraction from more pressing domestic economic issues.
- Kim Jong-nam’s family placed under police protection in Macau / SCMP
- Man sentenced to 8 years in prison for setting off homemade explosives inside Pudong airport / Shanghaiist
- Betsy DeVos’ brother is setting up a private army for China, sources say / Buzzfeed
- Hybrid warriors: China’s unmanned, guerrilla-style warfare in Asia’s littorals / The Diplomat
- Chinese foreign minister meets U.S. secretary of state in Germany / Reuters
