Israel's aura of invincibility has been largely dispelled by Iran's proxy Hezbollah. First they kicked Israelis out of South Lebanon and then they gave them a bloody nose again in 2006.
Miscellaneous News
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plawolf
Lieutenant General
Its also produced by Dumb and Dumber. Netflix will need to pay me double my normal rate per hour to waste my time on that trash.
Once Iran acquire nukes Israel is not winning a strategic exchange due to no strategic depth.
It's absolutely disappointing and puzzling why Aust won't enhance trade with Taiwan and sign a free-trade agreement with the island superpower. Why doesn't Canberra stand by its ally, which shares the same values of freedom and democracy, and has a massive well-developed market of 23 million wealthy high-end people who can easily consume all of Australia's red-wine, beef, lobster, coal and iron ore.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Picture: Annabelle Chih
2:20PM June 27, 2023
Taiwan’s government is frustrated by Australia’s refusal to begin trade talks, as Anthony Albanese’s China trip becomes the latest in a litany of reasons given for Canberra’s decade-long snub of its fifth biggest trading partner.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said that before President Tsai Ing-wen’s government was elected in 2016, it was told Australia wanted to sign a free-trade agreement with all of its major trading partners.
“After all this (time), Taiwan is the only country of Australia’s major trading partner … that has not had an opportunity to discuss an (economic co-operation agreement) or a (free trade agreement) with Australia,” .
Australia is on to its fifth prime minister since New Zealand signed a trade agreement with Taiwan in July 2013.
Taipei is now urging the Labor government to do what its Coalition predecessors avoided, with President Tsai’s top foreign affairs adviser suggesting the recently rebooted trade talks between Taiwan and the US could provide the impetus.
“That may be a very good starting point for Australia to think seriously about a trade agreement with Taiwan,” Mr Wu said.
However, multiple sources in Canberra said that Taiwan was likely to be disappointed, at least until after the Prime Minister’s trip to Beijing, which will likely take place in October. They warn the go-slow could last much longer than that.
“Clearly this government is going very slowly and cautiously on Taiwan,” said one, speaking anonymously because of the government’s sensitivity about relations with Taipei.
Asked whether the Albanese government was interested in pursuing a trade agreement with Taiwan, a spokeswoman at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade answered on behalf of Trade Minister Don Farrell.
“Australia and Taiwan continue to explore practical opportunities to deepen our trade and economic relationship through our annual Bilateral Economic Consultations, which are consistent with Australia’s longstanding and bipartisan one China policy,” said the DFAT spokeswoman.
Canberra’s caution is making it something of an outlier among many of its closest allies and partners.
The UK’s Trade Policy Minister Greg Hands visited Taipei for formal meetings last November, .
Singapore in November will mark 10 years since it signed a free-trade agreement with Taiwan, another precedent routinely raised by exasperated Taiwanese trade officials.
In another oddity, Canberra asks not to be photographed with Taiwan’s leaders, a stark contrast to visiting politicians from France, Germany, and other liberal democracies.
Australia also refuses to station a military attache in Australia’s de facto embassy in Taipei, unlike Japan, Singapore, India, the Philippines, the US and other countries.
Defence Minister Richard Marles’ office and the Department of Defence to better share information.
A Defence spokesman also declined to comment on why the department recently declined to meet a delegation of Taiwanese defence officials in Canberra.
However, The Australian can reveal the visiting Taiwanese met in Canberra with the opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie and Labor’s Peter Khalil, chairman of parliament’s joint committee on intelligence and security, in addition to security-focused academics and think tankers.
Despite the government’s anxiety, corporate Australia is growing ties with Taiwan. LNG, coal and iron ore exports are booming.
Australia’s best known asset manager Macquarie has bankrolled the Formosa wind power project, a key plank in the Tsai government’s policy to increase the amount of renewable energy in its grid.
Taiwan frustrated by Australia’s decade-long trade snub over fears of China
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Picture: Annabelle Chih
2:20PM June 27, 2023
Taiwan’s government is frustrated by Australia’s refusal to begin trade talks, as Anthony Albanese’s China trip becomes the latest in a litany of reasons given for Canberra’s decade-long snub of its fifth biggest trading partner.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said that before President Tsai Ing-wen’s government was elected in 2016, it was told Australia wanted to sign a free-trade agreement with all of its major trading partners.
“After all this (time), Taiwan is the only country of Australia’s major trading partner … that has not had an opportunity to discuss an (economic co-operation agreement) or a (free trade agreement) with Australia,” .
Australia is on to its fifth prime minister since New Zealand signed a trade agreement with Taiwan in July 2013.
Taipei is now urging the Labor government to do what its Coalition predecessors avoided, with President Tsai’s top foreign affairs adviser suggesting the recently rebooted trade talks between Taiwan and the US could provide the impetus.
“That may be a very good starting point for Australia to think seriously about a trade agreement with Taiwan,” Mr Wu said.
However, multiple sources in Canberra said that Taiwan was likely to be disappointed, at least until after the Prime Minister’s trip to Beijing, which will likely take place in October. They warn the go-slow could last much longer than that.
“Clearly this government is going very slowly and cautiously on Taiwan,” said one, speaking anonymously because of the government’s sensitivity about relations with Taipei.
Asked whether the Albanese government was interested in pursuing a trade agreement with Taiwan, a spokeswoman at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade answered on behalf of Trade Minister Don Farrell.
“Australia and Taiwan continue to explore practical opportunities to deepen our trade and economic relationship through our annual Bilateral Economic Consultations, which are consistent with Australia’s longstanding and bipartisan one China policy,” said the DFAT spokeswoman.
Canberra’s caution is making it something of an outlier among many of its closest allies and partners.
The UK’s Trade Policy Minister Greg Hands visited Taipei for formal meetings last November, .
Singapore in November will mark 10 years since it signed a free-trade agreement with Taiwan, another precedent routinely raised by exasperated Taiwanese trade officials.
In another oddity, Canberra asks not to be photographed with Taiwan’s leaders, a stark contrast to visiting politicians from France, Germany, and other liberal democracies.
Australia also refuses to station a military attache in Australia’s de facto embassy in Taipei, unlike Japan, Singapore, India, the Philippines, the US and other countries.
Defence Minister Richard Marles’ office and the Department of Defence to better share information.
A Defence spokesman also declined to comment on why the department recently declined to meet a delegation of Taiwanese defence officials in Canberra.
However, The Australian can reveal the visiting Taiwanese met in Canberra with the opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie and Labor’s Peter Khalil, chairman of parliament’s joint committee on intelligence and security, in addition to security-focused academics and think tankers.
Despite the government’s anxiety, corporate Australia is growing ties with Taiwan. LNG, coal and iron ore exports are booming.
Australia’s best known asset manager Macquarie has bankrolled the Formosa wind power project, a key plank in the Tsai government’s policy to increase the amount of renewable energy in its grid.
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- Economic Security
The Ministers and the Executive Vice-President welcomed the progress of comprehensive cooperation between Japan and the EU in the field of economic security, and exchanged point of views on, "Addressing Economic Coercion," "Responding to Non-Market Policies and Practices," "Building Resilient Supply Chains," and "Export Control and Investment Screening," including cooperation in the context of the G7.
Minister Hayashi valued the European Economic Security Strategy published by the European Commission this June and expressed his willingness to further strengthen cooperation in this field between Japan and the EU as like-minded partners.
Hmm, seems that at least 45 minutes of the 1.5 hour high level economic dialogue between the EU and Japan today was about the PRC. A thing that comes back in those dialogues between EU, USA and Japan is their hostility towards the Chinese economic model which is supposedly unfair (non market policies'). In the past those predators and imperialists wanted to force upon us their religious model of christianity. In our age they want to force upon us their preferred economic model of neoliberalism. The rest of the talk like economic coercion, supply chains, investment screening and export controls are also all cryptic references to the PRC. These are hostile motherfuckers scheming how to fuck us over.
D
Deleted member 24525
Guest
Iran has had the capability to make a gun-type bomb for at least a decade at this point. That they haven't done it means they view the nuclear program more as a bargaining chip with the west then as an actual source of weapons. And that worked quite well until trump threw a massive wrench in things.
More importantly, the reason they haven't built a bomb is because if they do, Israel will first-strike them. Full stop. They have 200 warheads and all of them are aimed at targets in Iran , with the first priority being facilities for their nuclear program. If Iran tests a weapon its nuclear program is going to be immediately destroyed. Hence their not doing it.
I thought there was a photo from the PLAN side that indicated they were at least at the 12 nm line, if not slightly inside in one instance.