World
Will Xi-Putin summit deliver a breakthrough on Ukraine war?
Chinese language President Xi Jinping is on his option to Moscow, on a “voyage of friendship”, “cooperation” and “peace”, weeks after Beijing unveiled a 12-point place paper calling for a ceasefire within the Russia-Ukraine struggle and days after it mediated a shock rapprochement between longtime Center East foes, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Xi’s three-day go to, which begins on Monday, will characteristic one-on-one talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a person the Chinese language chief has described as his “greatest good friend” and who’s now wished by the Worldwide Prison Court docket on struggle crimes accusations.
The summit in Moscow would be the fortieth assembly between the 2 males.
The go to by Xi – who was just lately reappointed as China’s chief for an unprecedented third time period and who’s searching for a larger function for Beijing on the world stage – has raised hopes in some quarters of a breakthrough in ending the struggle in Ukraine. The battle, now in its second 12 months, has claimed tens of hundreds of lives, pressured hundreds of thousands from their properties, and induced widespread financial ache, with inflation hovering throughout the globe and provides of grain, fertiliser and power in brief provide.
The hopes have been kindled not solely by Beijing’s mediation within the Saudi-Iran détente and its proposal for a truce and dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv but in addition by media stories that Xi intends to observe on his summit with Putin with a digital assembly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
If it takes place, the dialog between Xi and Zelenskyy can be their first since Russian tanks rolled throughout Ukraine’s border in February of final 12 months.
International peacemaker?
Regardless of the surge in China’s world diplomacy, most observers say Xi’s state go to is extra about cementing the “no limits” partnership that he introduced with Putin final 12 months than about brokering peace in Ukraine. That’s as a result of, for starters, neither of the fighters seems prepared or prepared to finish the preventing.
“Until and till Russia and Ukraine have exhausted their will to proceed preventing and are in search of off-ramps for this battle, it’s not doable to finish it,” mentioned Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia Program on the German Marshall Fund of the USA. “And I don’t assume that China needs to get in the course of it.”
China’s 12-point paper on Ukraine, Glaser mentioned, was a abstract of its positions and never a “peace plan”, particularly because it didn’t define any particular space the place Beijing was prepared to play a extra lively function.
Certainly, the paper – unveiled on the anniversary of the struggle – displays China’s ambiguous stance on the battle. Whereas the doc helps Ukraine’s sovereignty and requires the struggle’s swift decision, it lays blames for the disaster on what it calls a “Chilly Battle mentality”, that’s NATO’s growth eastwards and the West’s disregard for Russia’s safety considerations. It additionally condemns the West’s “unilateral sanctions” in opposition to Russia, regardless of Beijing largely having adhered to the measures over the previous 12 months.
“The paper incorporates a complete paragraph on the necessity for humanitarian help, however the place is China offering this assist? So, it’s not a peace plan and China shouldn’t be enjoying the function of peacemaker,” Glaser mentioned.
She went on so as to add that the Saudi-Iran settlement – which ended seven years of estrangement and challenged the US’s longstanding function as the principle energy dealer within the Center East – didn’t imply that China was now going to emerge as a serious mediator for world disputes.
“The lesson of the Saudi-Iran deal is that China may be very nicely attuned to alternative,” she mentioned. “It turned more and more clear that Saudi Arabia and Iran have been in search of a option to begun to enhance their relationship. And China seized that chance to assist convey that throughout the end line.”
And for the Russia-Ukraine struggle, that “second has not but arrived”, she added.
Nonetheless, the battle is more likely to characteristic excessive on Xi’s agenda.
Writing within the Russian newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta, a day by day revealed by the Russian authorities, Xi on Monday referred to as for a “rational method” out of the Ukraine battle and mentioned China’s place paper “serves as a constructive consider neutralising the results of the disaster and selling a political settlement”.
Regardless of the deep scepticism within the West about China’s capability to be an sincere dealer within the Russia-Ukraine battle, it seems in a greater place than most nations to play mediator.
China is Russia’s most necessary ally, in any case.
And whereas it has adhered to Western sanctions and avoided coming to Moscow’s navy assist, it has saved up regular commerce ties, changing Germany as the biggest importer of Russian oil final 12 months. Bilateral commerce in non-sanctioned sectors has additionally ballooned, reaching a record-breaking $190bn final 12 months.
The 2 neighbours – who share a protracted border – have additionally saved up the tempo of their joint navy workouts, holding large-scale naval drills within the East China Sea in late December. In addition they held joint drills with South Africa in February and Iran earlier this month.
Accountable, nice energy
China’s leverage over Russia, in addition to its need to be perceived as a accountable third pressure in world politics, might push Xi, some analysts mentioned, to press Putin for “mini-steps” within the route of a truce and dialogue in Ukraine.
“China needs to be perceived as a accountable nice energy,” mentioned Moritz Rudolf, fellow and analysis scholar in regulation on the Paul Tsai China Middle of the Yale Legislation Faculty. “It’s exceptional that China is presenting its personal place in any respect, when it’s really a couple of struggle in Europe. This can be a true new high quality of the China’s engagement on the worldwide degree and I feel it’s right here to remain.”
Rudolf mentioned though China’s place paper lacked substance, Beijing has positioned itself because the “solely nation that’s probably capable of, or no less than, be one of many nations that can should be a part of a peaceable answer” in Ukraine. This, he mentioned, is in keeping with China’s ambitions to reshape a world order that it perceives as skewed unfairly to the West and one the place the US and its allies set the foundations to their benefit.
Whether or not Xi is searching for an lively function within the Ukraine disaster will in all probability grow to be clearer after his Moscow journey, Rudolf mentioned.
If the Chinese language chief have been to go to different European capitals after his journey to Russia – as reported by the Wall Road Journal – and if he have been to talk to Zelenskyy quickly after his summit with Putin, it will present if Xi was certainly making an attempt to play a critical function, he added.
With expectations of a breakthrough on Ukraine low, Xi and Putin’s discussions of substance will in all probability give attention to increasing and deepening their financial and navy ties.
“All in all, it is a vital go to signifying the significance of Russia-China strategic partnership for one another,” mentioned Anna Kireeva, affiliate professor within the Division of Asian and African Research at Moscow’s MGIMO College.
“New financial agreements will be anticipated, particularly in power … Russia urgently wants to search out various locations for its exports, and China is greater than prepared to purchase Russian power sources and uncooked supplies at discounted costs,” she mentioned.
This might translate right into a deal on a brand new pipeline, Energy-of-Siberia 2, to ship gasoline to China by way of Mongolia, she mentioned.
Xi and Putin can even use their summit to sign the soundness of the relations between their two nations, regardless of the turbulence in world politics, thereby presenting a united entrance in opposition to the US and growing Moscow’s world standing, Kireeva mentioned.
“So long as Moscow and Beijing retain their strategic partnership, it means they can’t be absolutely geopolitically encircled,” she added.
World
Jay-Z’s Accuser Can Remain Anonymous, Judge Criticizes His Lawyer’s ‘Relentless’ Filings
The woman accusing Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 can proceed anonymously (“at least for now”) in her lawsuit against the rappers, a judge ruled Thursday.
New York Judge Analisa Torres also condemned the legal team representing Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) for the “relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks [on accuser’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee],” according to a court order obtained by Variety. “Since Carter’s attorney first appeared in this case seventeen days ago, he has submitted a litany of letters and motions attempting to impugn the character of Plaintiff’s lawyer [Buzbee].”
Judge Torres continues, calling the complaints “inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client [Jay-Z].”
Jane Doe, who filed her original lawsuit against Combs in October, and re-filed it with Carter’s name in early December, will remain anonymous at this early stage of the litigation. She could still be required by the court to reveal her identity.
Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Carter, recently asked the judge to dismiss the entertainer from the woman’s lawsuit. He cited a report from NBC News that revealed the accuser had admitted to some “inconsistencies and outright impossibilities” in her allegations. His team has also issued public statements referring to Buzbee as a “1-800 lawyer” who is “in the pursuit of money and fame.”
Judge Torres denied Carter’s request to dismiss the case. Representatives for Carter did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
In the last few weeks, Buzbee issued his own lawsuit against Roc Nation, the entertainment company owned by Carter, claiming they are using “shadowy operatives” to bribe his former clients into filing “frivolous” complaints against him. Carter has also sued Buzbee for defamation.
Jane Doe, who alleges she was 13 when Combs and Carter raped her in 2000, says she encountered the pair at an afterparty for the MTV Music Video Awards.
Carter responded to the allegation almost immediately. “You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same,” Carter wrote in a letter addressing Buzbee. “I’m not from your moral world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.”
Combs has been held in a Brooklyn jail since September. He will remain there until his trial is scheduled to begin in May.
World
China unveils world's largest amphibious warship
China has launched the first of its new line of amphibious assault ships and its biggest warship yet, strengthening what is already the world’s largest navy.
The Sichuan, a type 076 new-generation amphibious assault ship, was put into the water at a launch and naming ceremony on Friday.
With a full load displacement of 40,000 tons, the warship ranks among the world’s largest amphibious assault ships, featuring a dual-island superstructure and full-length flight deck, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said in a statement.
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China Bugle, an news outlet associated with the PLAN’s news media center, reported the ship will play a key role in transforming and developing the Chinese navy and enhancing its combat capabilities in the far seas.
The Sichuan is capable of launching fighter jets and unmanned drones from an electromagnetic catapult. It is designed to carry ground troops in landing craft with air support.
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The ship also features “arrester technology” that Chinese researchers boast will allow fighter jets to land on its deck, similar to an aircraft carrier.
China launched its first amphibious assault ship, a type 075 class warship called the Hainan, in 2019.
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The PLANmi has been working on modernizing its forces for more than a decade, with the aim of being able to operate globally rather than being restricted to waters near the Chinese mainland. China first managed to launch fighter jets with the new electromagnetic technology on its homemade aircraft carrier, the Fujian, which launched two years ago.
The Sichuan will now undergo additional tests at sea.
China has the largest navy in the world and is consistently trying to upgrade its fleet. Recently, researchers found that the country is working on designing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, which would allow it to deploy its ships in distant waters without needing a base to refuel.
The U.S. Navy currently has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers deployed in strategic locations globally, including in the Asia-Pacific.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Health worker displaced by Israeli attacks in Gaza dies of ‘extreme cold’
Many people in Gaza lack adequate shelter and are malnourished after more than a year of Israeli attacks and blockades.
A Palestinian healthcare worker has died due to “extreme” weather conditions, according to a statement by the enclave’s Ministry of Health, as severe cold compounds the hardship faced by people displaced by Israel’s relentless attacks.
The body of Al-Hakim Ahmed al-Zaharneh, who worked at the European Gaza Hospital, was found inside his tent in al-Mawasi area, west of the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the ministry said on Friday.
“This incident comes in light of the difficult humanitarian conditions that displaced citizens are experiencing, as the suffering of Gaza residents increases due to low temperatures and the lack of heating means in tents,” the ministry said.
The ministry said earlier that four Palestinian babies have died in tents in recent days amid the cold weather and widespread malnutrition.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said that the number of casualties in vulnerable groups is increasing due to worsening weather conditions.
“For 14 months now, people here have been lacking basic necessities to help them survive these difficult conditions – even in summer,” he said.
“Now in winter, the temperature has dropped very low, [and] people in tent camps feel the cold as being [colder] than the actual levels.”
He said that mothers often lack the strength or ability to breastfeed as they are malnourished and unwell.
“The conditions are worse for vulnerable groups like babies and, in the absence of [humanitarian aid], it is natural that deaths will happen.”
The vast majority of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once since war broke out with the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023, with many people living in tents that offer little protection from the cold, rain and flooding.
The United Nations and other organisations have repeatedly decried the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as Israeli attacks and blockades severely curtail access to food, water, medicine and other supplies.
A leading United States government organisation monitoring food crises around the world withdrew a new report this week warning of imminent famine in north Gaza under what it called Israel’s “near-total blockade,” after the US asked for its retraction, US officials told The Associated Press.
The move follows public criticism of the report from the US ambassador to Israel.
The report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) had warned that a “famine scenario” was unfolding in northern Gaza where Israel launched a renewed offensive in early October.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the director of Gaza’s Health Ministry told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few remaining medical facilities in north Gaza, and forced the 350 people there to evacuate, including all the patients and staff. He said contact with the hospital had been lost.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 45,436 Palestinians and wounded 108,038 since October 7, 2023, according to figures released on Friday by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.
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