The G20 yesterday planned to approve a greater voice for Asian and Latin American countries in a historic shift that recognizes the rising influence of both regions.
The leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies began a two-day meeting on Thursday dedicated to fostering a healthy global economic recovery, and European leaders were expected to secure a priority of their own: limit on bankers’ bonuses.
But economic developments were overshadowed yesterday by news that US President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown demanded that Iran fully disclose its nuclear ambitions “or be held accountable.”
They threatened new sanctions after the disclosure of a secret Iranian nuclear facility.
On the economy, the leaders decided the G20 will serve as the board of directors on global economic cooperation, a function that for more than three decades had been performed by a smaller club: the US, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and later Russia. The G20 includes such developing economies as China, Brazil and India.
The G8 will, however, continue to meet on matters of common importance such as national security. Obama initiated the move, to be announced yesterday, the White House said.
The measure underscores how the world’s balance of power has shifted since a small group of wealthy, industrial countries began meeting in the mid-1970s in an effort to respond to oil shocks, stagflation and other economic crises of that period.
The Pittsburgh meeting marked the third G20 leaders summit in less than a year as the countries continued to grapple with a debilitating economic downturn that has resulted in millions of unemployed around the world, the loss of trillions of dollars in wealth and massive amounts of government stimulus spending.
The leaders trickled into Pittsburgh throughout Thursday — most of them in from New York, where they attended the opening of the UN General Assembly. Later, they gathered with their spouses for a welcoming reception before parting for separate banquets on Thursday night.
The Pittsburgh G20 meeting did have one thing in common with recent G8 meetings: protesters seeking to demonstrate unhappiness with global capitalism. Police fired canisters of pepper spray and rubber bullets at several hundred demonstrators who had tried to march toward the convention center.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS