US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Beijing sees a “much faster timeline” for unifying with Taiwan than previously thought and that Chinese President Xi Jinping is leading the country in a more aggressive direction abroad.
Mr Xi is expected to secure an unprecedented third term as China's leader this week.
“We’ve seen a very different China emerge in recent years under Xi Jinping’s leadership,” Mr Blinken said on Monday during a forum at Stanford University that also featured former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and former defence secretary James Mattis.
Mr Blinken said China under Mr Xi has grown increasingly repressive domestically and more assertive internationally.
“In many instances, that poses a challenge to our own interests as well as to our own values,” Mr Blinken said.
He accused the Chinese president of changing the status quo towards Taiwan, and that a decades-long policy peacefully managed by both Democratic and Republican administrations was “up until recently, incredibly successful”.
“And instead of sticking with the status quo that was established in a positive way, a fundamental decision [was made] that the status quo was no longer acceptable and that Beijing was determined to pursue reunification on a much faster timeline,” Mr Blinken said.
The US says it remains committed to the One China policy through which Washington recognises Beijing as the sole government of China. The US does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but does send defence equipment to the territory.
China has long said that it seeks a “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan. On Monday, Mr Blinken said that Mr Xi could use coercive or forceful means to achieve unification.
“And that is what is profoundly disrupting the status quo and creating tremendous tension,” he said.
Tension between the US and China have grown increasingly fraught since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August — to which Beijing responded by conducting live-fire military drills near the territory.
China condemned the visit as a breach of the One China policy, but Mr Blinken said the US remains committed to the concept.
“We are determined to make good on our commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and supporting their ability to defend themselves … We also remain fundamentally committed to the One China policy as well,” Mr Blinken said. “That hasn’t changed. That won’t change.”
Mr Xi and President Joe Biden could potentially meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, next month in what would be their first face-to-face encounter since the US leader took office.
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%3Cp%3EDavid%20White%20might%20be%20new%20to%20the%20country%2C%20but%20he%20has%20clearly%20already%20built%20up%20an%20affinity%20with%20the%20place.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20the%20UAE%20shocked%20Pakistan%20in%20the%20semi-final%20of%20the%20Under%2019%20Asia%20Cup%20last%20month%2C%20White%20was%20hugged%20on%20the%20field%20by%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20the%20team%E2%80%99s%20captain.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EWhite%20suggests%20that%20was%20more%20a%20sign%20of%20Aayan%E2%80%99s%20amiability%20than%20anything%20else.%20But%20he%20believes%20the%20young%20all-rounder%2C%20who%20was%20part%20of%20the%20winning%20Gulf%20Giants%20team%20last%20year%2C%20is%20just%20the%20sort%20of%20player%20the%20country%20should%20be%20seeking%20to%20produce%20via%20the%20ILT20.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20is%20a%20delightful%20young%20man%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20said.%20%E2%80%9CHe%20played%20in%20the%20competition%20last%20year%20at%2017%2C%20and%20look%20at%20his%20development%20from%20there%20till%20now%2C%20and%20where%20he%20is%20representing%20the%20UAE.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CHe%20was%20influential%20in%20the%20U19%20team%20which%20beat%20Pakistan.%20He%20is%20the%20perfect%20example%20of%20what%20we%20are%20all%20trying%20to%20achieve%20here.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CIt%20is%20about%20the%20development%20of%20players%20who%20are%20going%20to%20represent%20the%20UAE%20and%20go%20on%20to%20help%20make%20UAE%20a%20force%20in%20world%20cricket.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):
British group
Coldplay
Foals
Bring me the Horizon
D-Block Europe
Bastille
British Female
Mabel
Freya Ridings
FKA Twigs
Charli xcx
Mahalia
British male
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Best new artist
Aitch
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Mabel
Sam Fender
Best song
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care
Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up
Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant
Dave - Location
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved
Tom Walker - Just You and I
Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger
Stormzy - Vossi Bop
International female
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
International male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Tyler, The Creator
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Best album
Stormzy - Heavy is the Head
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
Dave - Psychodrama
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Rising star
Celeste
Joy Crookes
beabadoobee
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
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Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
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Favourite Author: My father for sure
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Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
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Sector: Tech
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Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
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Tamkeen's offering
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- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
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Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
