Reuters:

China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed the United States for changing the wording on the State Department website about Taiwan, saying “political manipulation” will not succeed in changing the status quo over the island.

The State Department website’s section on relations with Taiwan has removed wording on not supporting Taiwan independence and on acknowledging Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China.

Washington said the update did not reflect a change in policy.

China’s government considers the democratically ruled island to be inviolable Chinese territory.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters there is only one China, Taiwan belongs to China and that the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole country.

Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s 23 million people can decide their future.

The United States’ changing of its fact sheet on Taiwan-U.S ties is “a petty act of fictionalising and hollowing out the one-China principle,” he added.

See also:
–US Intelligence Officials Warn China iIs ‘Working Hard’ To Be Able To Take Over Taiwan Militarily
–China, US Exchange Barbs Over Military Manoeuvres Near Taiwan
–Pentagon Walks Back People’s Republic Of China Statement. Confirms US Will Defend Taiwan

ABC News:

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Monday that Chinese patriots are now firmly in charge of the city following the election of its new leader, who ran unopposed in a process controlled by Beijing.

Lam’s comments came a day after a carefully vetted election committee voted overwhelmingly to approve John Lee, a hard-line security chief who oversaw a crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement after massive protests turned violent in 2019.

The protests led to the imposition by Beijing of a sweeping National Security Law and the reorganization of the city’s legislature. Political opponents were subsequently jailed, dissenting voices silenced and the organized opposition quashed.

The Jerusalem Post:

Taiwan’s air force scrambled on Friday to warn away 18 Chinese aircraft that entered its air defense zone, Taiwan’s defense ministry said, part of what is a regular pattern of incursions that has angered the government in Taipei.

Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has complained of repeated such missions by Chinese aircraft, which have become a common occurrence over the past two years or so.

Taiwan is currently in a heightened state of alert due to fears China could use Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to make a similar military move on the island, though Taipei’s government has not reported any signs Beijing is about to attack.

The Atlantic:

The last time the outside world paid much attention to the Solomon Islands was in 1943: More U.S. troops lost their lives in the six-month Battle of Guadalcanal there than in the deadliest four-year period of the Afghan War. Since World War II, this remote chain of South Pacific islands has gone from occupied territory to colony to frequently chaotic independent state, all without the great powers seeming to notice. Last month, however, a secret deal between the Solomons and China aroused fear of Beijing’s expanding presence throughout the region. China’s rivals worry that it may be shifting its security strategy, from a focus on economic sway alone to an increased emphasis on military dominance.

Reuters:

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday moved to begin formal legislative talks on a long-stalled bill to pay for $52 billion in semiconductor chips manufacturing subsidiesand boost U.S. competitiveness with China.

The Senate completed votes on more than two dozen motions addressing a range of issues, including Iran policy. Although the motions are not binding, they convey a sense of what senators would like to see in the final bill and what could keep it from getting enough votes to become law.

House and Senate lawmakers will now begin formal negotiations through a process known as a conference committee to hammer out a bill that can pass both chambers. Talks could last for months, congressional aides say.

Radio Free Asia:

The Japanese and Taiwanese militaries have been put on alert after a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy flotilla led by the Liaoning aircraft carrier was spotted sailing from the East China Sea towards the Pacific Ocean.

Japan Self-Defense Forces’ Joint Staff Office released a statement on Monday saying that the Liaoning, accompanied by seven destroyers and supply vessels, had left the East China Sea and passed through waters between Japan’s Okinawa and Miyako islands before entering the West Pacific.

The Japanese defense ministry dispatched the Izumo light aircraft carrier, as well as P-1 maritime patrol aircraft and P-3C anti-submarine aircraft to monitor the activities of the Chinese ships, the statement said.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, Taiwanese military spokesman Sun Li-fang told reporters that Taiwan’s military closely monitors Chinese military maneuvers in waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan, and would take “appropriate response measures.”

According to the Japanese statement, among seven warships in the Liaoning carrier group were the Type 055 large guided missile destroyer Nanchang, the Type 052D guided missile destroyer Chengdu, and the Type 901 comprehensive supply ship Hulunhu.

With a total of eight vessels, this is the largest Liaoning carrier group in recent voyages, said the state-run Chinese newspaper Global Times.

See also:
–U.S. Lacks Asian Logistics Support For Armed Conflict: Pentagon
–China’s Military Planners Move Faster Than Pentagon Bureaucrats, Official Says

Foreign Policy:

For all the economic turmoil stirred up by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is one important step in the escalatory spiral that has been averted so far: China has gone out of its way to comply with the G-7-led sanctions regime. However, as the world moves into the next phase of the war and the U.S. administration’s China strategy, the uneasy detente between Beijing and Washington could break down, feeding a fresh cycle of U.S.-China tensions.

South China Morning Post:

China has slammed Australia for opposing its security pact with Solomon Islands, calling it a colonialist myth-driven violation of sovereignty and saying Canberra had no right to lay down any “red line”.

This came as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the South Pacific nation would be a “red line” for his government, days after Beijing and Honiara confirmed the signing of the deal without revealing details.

Talk of China building a naval base on Solomon Islands was “purely fake news”, Chinese defence ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said on Thursday, accusing the Australian government and media of intentionally distorting facts and creating tension.

NPR:

Details of the agreement have not been made public, but a draft was leaked last month, and it set off alarm bells in Australia and the United States. If the final version is unchanged, China will be able to deploy police or soldiers to the Solomon Islands for training and to help maintain order. It could also make naval ship visits.

Despite denials from Beijing and Honiara, there’s concern that China could eventually even open a naval base there. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that would cross a red line, and senior U.S. officials visited the Solomon Islands to explain Washington’s stance. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink was one of them.

See also: U.S. Turns The Screws On Solomon Islands To Counter China

Nikkei Asia:

The tensions over the South Pacific islands are part of a new battle over strategic chokepoints, and show how Washington is concerned that China’s quiet approaches to these key locations could alter the geopolitical landscape.

Other chokepoints raised by U.S. officials in recent weeks include the Panama Canal, the 82-km waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and the Argentinian port of Ushuaia, located on the southernmost point of South America and a key gateway to Antarctica.

See also: Biden Going To SKorea, Japan In May To Discuss China, NKorea

The Guardian:

One of the most senior US officials in the Pacific has refused to rule out military action against Solomon Islands if it were to allow China to establish a military base there, saying that the security deal between the countries presented “potential regional security implications” for the US and other allies.

Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was part of a high-level US delegation to the Pacific country last week.

He said the US team, which also included the National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, Kurt Campbell, had a 90-minute “constructive and candid” meeting with prime minister Manasseh Sogavare in which the US team detailed concerns about its recently signed security deal with China.

“We wanted to outline for our friends in the Solomons, what our concerns are,” said Kritenbrink. “Prime minister Sogavare indicated that in the Solomon Islands’ view, the agreement they’ve concluded has solely domestic implications. But we’ve made clear that there are potential regional security implications of the agreement not just for ourselves, but for allies and partners across the region.”

On Tuesday, Kritenbrink reiterated the US’s willingness to act in the region if a military base were established by China.

See also: China’s Military Spend Exceeds India, Australia, Japan, Korea’s Jointly

Reuters:

A senior-level U.S. delegation met the Solomon Islands’ leader on Friday and warned that Washington would have “significant concerns and respond accordingly” to any steps to establish a permanent Chinese military presence in the Pacific island nation.

A White House statement said Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare reiterated to the visiting delegation led by White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell that there would be no military base, no long-term presence, and no power projection capability under a security deal signed with China.

The White House gave no indication of what the U.S. response would be to such an eventuality, but its blunt tone indicated the level of U.S. concern that led to the dispatch of Campbell’s mission to the remote island country this week.

Al Jazeera:

A delegation of United States lawmakers led by vocal China critics Bob Menendez and Lindsey Graham arrived in Taiwan on Thursday for a two-day trip as Beijing threatened “strong measures” in response.

The group of six US legislators is making the latest in a string of visits by foreign politicians to Taiwan in defiance of Beijing’s efforts to isolate the island nation.

China’s Communist Party has never controlled self-ruled Taiwan but it views the island as part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary. Those threats have become more bellicose under President Xi Jinping, making the security of Taiwan a rare subject of bipartisan support in Washington.

Bloomberg:

Australia has publicly asked the Solomon Islands to “consider not signing” its draft security deal with the Chinese government, ramping up pressure on the Pacific country to ditch the controversial agreement.

Australian Minister for the Pacific Zed Seselja made an unusual mid-election campaign visit to the Solomon Islands on Wednesday to meet with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare. He said he had conveyed Australia’s discomfort with the deal, which would see Chinese warships have a safe harbor in the region.

“We have asked Solomon Islands respectfully to consider not signing the agreement and to consult the Pacific family in the spirit of regional openness and transparency, consistent with our region’s security frameworks,” Seselja said in a statement.

It comes after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke with Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele on Tuesday about plans for an American embassy in the Pacific nation. The two officials also talked about “joint efforts to broaden and deepen engagement between our countries in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement Tuesday. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in February that the U.S. planned to open an embassy in Honiara, the island nation’s capital, in a bid to counter China’s influence. The U.S. currently has a consulate there. 

See also: US Military Leader Warns Chinese Security Deal With Solomon Islands Sounds ‘Too Good To Be True’

CNBC:

Many goods are stuck in China right now as a result of the Covid lockdowns and it could become a “big problem” for the global economy, according to business consultant Richard Martin.

“Many of the things that we use around the world that’re manufactured, have components from China and we’re about to see a logistics snarl that’ll dwarf anything in 2020 or 2021,” Martin, managing director at IMA Asia, told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Tuesday.

“China is 20% of global demand but its role in supply chains is much bigger than that.”

See also: A ‘Zero Tolerance’ Covid-19 Policy In China Leads To A Dystopian Nightmare For 26 Million Residents

Financial Times:

The White House’s top Asia official is preparing to travel to the Solomon Islands in a rare high-level visit that underscores alarm in Washington over the Pacific nation’s security pact with China.

Kurt Campbell will fly to the Solomon Islands this month, according to four people familiar with the plan. He is expected to travel with Daniel Kritenbrink, the top state department Asia official. Their visit comes as the small Pacific nation emerges as a strategic battleground between the US and China.

The US has been increasingly worried about the Solomon Islands since it switched diplomatic allegiance from Taipei to Beijing in 2019. Those concerns have intensified after the leak of a draft security pact that would give China a toehold in a part of the Pacific that is closer to Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii than to Beijing.

The draft agreement — which has not yet been signed — paves the way for China to deploy troops and police on the islands. It also says Chinese security personnel would guard any Chinese navy vessels that dock in the Solomon Islands.

Newsweek:

A Chinese state newspaper warned of a potential “destructive strike” against Taiwan if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visits the island nation, arguing that “warplanes” should be used as a threat.

Some Japanese and Taiwanese media reported that Pelosi, a California Democrat who is No. 3 in the line of presidential succession, planned to visit Taiwan after a trip to Japan this weekend. (On Thursday, a Pelosi spokesman said she has tested positive for the coronavirus.) Pelosi’s office did not confirm any plans for such a trip, which would be the first by a House speaker since 1997.

China made it clear on Thursday that it would view such a high-profile visit as a provocation.