Globalsecurity.org

China is vowing to counter a decision by the United States to lift self-imposed restrictions on contacts between U.S. diplomatic officials and their Taiwanese counterparts, while maintaining the unofficial relationship between the two democracies.

A small batch of upgraded Hsiung Feng-2E surface-to-surface cruise missiles, which Taiwan hopes will give it a stronger deterrent against China's military threat, has been delivered for use by an active Air Force unit, a military source said Monday.

Taiwanese nationals can now travel abroad using a newly designed and "more identifiable" Taiwan passport without impediment, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said Monday during a press event for the launch.

China expressed firm opposition to and strongly condemned the decision by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to ease restrictions governing US diplomats and other officials' dealings with officials from the island of Taiwan, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday.

China has threatened a "counterstrike" against a provocative move by the United States to remove decades-old restrictions on official contacts with Taiwan in a last-ditch effort to further challenge China's sovereignty over the self-ruled island.

Taiwan's secessionist government has introduced a newly redesigned passport, with the purported aim of helping differentiate its citizens from those of mainland China, in a move that will likely further infuriate Beijing amid the recent spike in tensions.

Recent statistics from colleges and universities on the democratic island of Taiwan show a sharp rise in the number of students from Hong Kong, RFA has learned.

China on Monday threatened it would "counterstrike" after the outgoing administration of U.S. President Donald Trump removed restrictions on official and diplomatic contact with the democratic island of Taiwan.

Taipei recently spurned proposed talks with China until the "one country, two systems" proposal that characterizes Beijing's relationship with Macau and Hong Kong is dropped from negotiations. Beijing called the move a further slide toward independence for what it considers a rebellious province.

In December, the US sanctioned Turkey over its acquisition of Russian S-400 missile defence systems, a move that was harshly criticised by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions Monday against associates and entities affiliated with Ukrainian politician Andrii Derkach, who they say operates a Russian-backed foreign influence network that attempted to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

The leader of Russia's Republic of Tyva in Siberia, Sholban Kara-Ool, has vowed to look into claims by several recruits from Tyva about alleged race-based bullying in a military unit in the western region of Yaroslavl.

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The United States says it has imposed sanctions on seven Ukrainians and four Ukrainian entities for attempting to interfere in the November U.S. presidential election.

The Department of Defense, in coordination with the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), announced a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) to explore a new 5G Challenge aimed at accelerating the development of an open 5G ecosystem that can support DoD missions.

Today, the United States is imposing sanctions on seven individuals and four entities that are part of a Russia-linked foreign influence network associated with Andrii Derkach, who was designated on September 10, 2020, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13848 for his attempt to influence the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took additional action against seven individuals and four entities that are part of a Russia-linked foreign influence network associated with Andrii Derkach. Russian agent Derkach was designated on September 10, 2020, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13848, for his attempt to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

António Guterres confirmed on Monday that he will be seeking a second five-year term as UN Secretary-General, which would begin in January 2022.

As required by Section 901 of FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the Department of Defense's Chief Management Officer (CMO) position is repealed. DoD is leveraging the law to realign CMO responsibilities into existing, high performing organizations to better link performance with budget requirements – a longstanding goal.

The year 2020 has been an unprecedented year for the Louisiana National Guard. Between COVID response efforts, the busiest hurricane season since 2005 and a series of deployments, the LANG supported the longest emergency response effort in the state's history.