Xi Jinping arrives in San Francisco for talks with Joe Biden

Today's news: Taiwan's opposition parties have formed an alliance ahead of the next elections; Amnesty accuses Cambodian government of threatening relocation of Angkor Wat families; The Asean Defence Ministers' summit in Indonesia starts today, looking at tensions in the South China Sea; Russia criticised Kazakhstan over decision to open secret KGB archives.

CHINA – USA

Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in the United States to participate in the Apec summit: today he will meet American President Joe Biden in Filoli, a city 45 km south of San Francisco, according to  Voice of America. Despite several attempts to make the meeting appear friendly, yesterday the Beijing press agency, Xinhua News Agency, published a comment in which it invites the United States to "learn from the mistakes of the past" and not to waste this opportunity to mend the ties.

TAIWAN

Taiwan's two main opposition parties that have promised to renew talks with China (while the ruling party continues to highlight Beijing's interference) have teamed up ahead of elections on January 13. However, so far Vice President Lai Ching-te, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, has continued to lead in the polls, leaving Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang and Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People's Party in second place.

CAMBODIA

Amnesty International yesterday accused the Cambodian government of violating international law with the eviction of 10,000 families from the Angkor Wat temple complex, a well-known tourist destination and UNESCO world heritage site. Over the past year, Phnom Penh has stepped up the relocation of families, moving them to a new community under construction on former rice paddies 25km away from the site. Officials have long argued that families move voluntarily, but a report published by the organization said the threats of relocation received were "direct and subtle."

INDONESIA

The summit between ASEAN defense ministers begins today, in which some challenges for global security will be discussed. In addition to the war in Ukraine and Gaza, countries in the region are facing increasing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, especially towards the Philippines which is an ally of the United States and is seeking to deepen defense relations with Japan as well . Representatives from Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, New Zealand and Australia will also take part in the talks tomorrow.

THAILAND

After the outcry caused by previous statements, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said there were no plans to recruit Chinese police officers to patrol the country's most popular tourist spots. Bangkok wants to collaborate with the Chinese police only to exchange information on criminal networks that could be active in Thailand, the prime minister underlined.

GAZA – ISRAEL

The Israel Defense Forces entered al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City and took control of it. The White House said patients must be protected, while US intelligence confirmed Israeli claims that there was a Hamas command center underneath the facility.

RUSSIA - UKRAINE

Russia is trying to rebuild the Verkhnaja Khakovka dam destroyed during the fighting last summer, to restore supplies of drinking water to Crimea, which is in a phase of acute drought, with serious inconvenience for the population, but despite the proclamations of the governor Sergei Aksenov, the solution has not yet been found.

KAZAKHSTAN

On the occasion of the commemorations for the victims of the Stalin period, Kazakhstan decided to open the secret archives of the KGB linked to the republic, arousing criticism from Moscow, which considers these initiatives as disrespectful forms of relationship with the Soviet era, especially from of Central Asian countries, custodians of very burning memories.

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