Can Taiwan survive a second Trump term?

Can Taiwan survive a second Trump term? Another bullshit report from WP https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/14/can-taiwan-survive-second-trump-term/

The answer might lie in the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November. A free Taiwan might not be able to survive a second Trump administration.

President Trump’s policy of international retreat and disregard for allies, alongside Xi’s growing assertiveness and expansionism, put Taipei at the intersection of the two ominous trends.

Venezuela downed unidentified US plane

https://defence-blog.com/news/venezuela-says-it-shot-down-unidentified-u-s-aircraft.html

On 9 July, the Strategic Command Operations of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces has reported that it shoot down unidentified aircraft with a U.S. serial identification number as it violated the country’s airspace.

“CEOFANB reports that the United Aerospace Defence Command detected an aircraft with a US hull number intruding Venezuelan airspace overnight 8 July and neutralized it with military jets according to protocols”, the military said on Twitter.

Some sources reported that fighter jets of the Bolivarian Venezuelan Military Aviation forced a ‘narco jet’ transporting cocaine to land. After landing in the field, the crew allegedly set fire to the plane to hide all evidence.

Image may contain: fire and food

China has no interest in joining the US-Russia negotiation on nuclear arms reduction

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-07-08/China-will-not-join-U-S-Russia-arms-control-negotiations-RXADOSEvIY/index.html China has no interest in joining the US-Russia negotiation on nuclear arms reduction given the huge gap between the nuclear arsenal of theirs and China’s, and China has the need to improve its military capabilities.

China on Wednesday stressed that it has no plans to join the U.S. and Russia in their talks to renew a nuclear arms control treaty.

Recently, U.S. officials have been making a lot of noises about China joining the U.S.-Russia negotiation on nuclear arms. They even went so far as to tweet a staged photo.

Washington and Moscow began talks last month to try to extend the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), which they signed in 2010. It will expire next year.

Fu Cong, Director-General of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated China’s position during a press conference to share China’s policy mainly on arms control issues, noting that China has no interest in joining Russia and the U.S. in their bilateral negotiations.

Given the huge gap between the nuclear arsenal of China and those of U.S. and Russia, it is unrealistic to expect China to join the two countries in a negotiation aimed at nuclear arms reduction, Fu said.