Elise Stefanik, Trump’s UN ambassador pick, vows to counter China’s ‘significant inroads’

By Igor Patrick

Elise Stefanik, US President Donald Trump’s choice to serve as America’s top envoy to the United Nations, has vowed to counter China’s ascendant influence and “significant inroads” at the intergovernmental body.

At her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday to serve as US ambassador to the UN, the Republican congresswoman from New York outlined plans to push back against what she described as China’s systematic efforts to expand its presence in UN agencies and gain support among developing countries.

“China has made significant inroads within the Global South and even within the Western hemisphere,” she testified. “They’ve done it by building ports. They’ve done it through telecoms. It’s really been a whole-of-government approach.”

Stefanik pledged to focus on “ensuring US taxpayer dollars support well-functioning UN entities” while advancing strategies to vie with Beijing’s infrastructure investments across the developing world.

Asked about comprehensive reform at the Security Council, a powerful UN body in which the US has veto power, she did not commit to advocating for the inclusion of members from the Global South, an idea floated by the Joe Biden administration.

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India set to take back 18,000 citizens from US to placate Trump

印度政府已表示愿意与唐纳德·特朗普政府合作,识别并带回所有在美国非法居住的印度公民,这表明新德里希望避免与美国的贸易战。美国已识别出约18,000名非法印度移民待遣返,印度将对此进行核实并启动遣返程序。

虽然目前的数字为18,000人,但实际的非法印度移民数量可能更高,因为尚不清楚在美国的非法移民总数。尤其是来自印度西部的年轻人,尤其是旁遮普和古吉拉特邦的居民,占据了大多数非法移民。印度与其他国家一样,正积极与特朗普政府沟通,以减轻其贸易威胁带来的影响。特朗普在其竞选中承诺加强对非法移民的打击,并在就职后不久便开始推行相关政策,进一步强化边境安全。

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China, Russia’s growing Arctic presence underpins Trump’s Greenland musings

特朗普声称美国对格林兰的拥有和控制是“绝对必要的”,强调了该岛在美国导弹防御和反潜作战中的战略重要性。尽管分析人士怀疑美国会购买格林兰,因为丹麦和该岛政府已明确表示“不会出售”,但美国军事存在的增加可能会加剧与中国和俄罗斯在北极地区的竞争。

特朗普的言论在北约及丹麦引发了不安,丹麦曾在1979年前殖民格林兰,并现在作为自我管理的领土进行管理。在他周一就职前的讲话中,特朗普提到美国可能会“必要时”武力夺取该岛。去年12月,他在Truth Social平台上发文,称将格林兰置于美国控制之下是“绝对必要的”,并提到该岛可能蕴藏丰富的关键矿产资源。

在1月14日的马阿拉歌新闻发布会上,特朗普未能保证其政府不会使用军事或经济手段来获得格林兰或巴拿马运河的控制权。他表示:“人们真的不知道丹麦是否对其拥有任何法律权利,但如果有,他们应该放弃,因为我们需要它来保障国家安全。”他还提到,中国和俄罗斯的船只在该地区频繁出现,强调美国不能对此置之不理。

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From TikTok to RedNote: a digital migration that defies geopolitics

在美国对TikTok的禁令争议中,数十万用户意外涌向中国社交媒体平台RedNote,展现出了一场独特的草根文化交流。 这些用户并未选择YouTube Shorts或Instagram Reels等美国替代品,而是聚集在RedNote,开启了与中国互联网用户的互动。

这一现象与美国驻华大使Nicholas Burns的言论不谋而合,他在采访中提到,通过这样的交流可以让中国人更好地理解美国社会。如今,越来越多的美国社交媒体用户通过加入中国平台,探索中国文化。这些“TikTok难民”不仅在寻找新的内容发布平台,更在进行一种数字抵抗,挑战传统社交媒体的权力动态。

这种网络迁徙的非凡之处在于其规模和性质,用户们积极与中国互联网用户互动,创造双语内容,寻求语言交流伙伴,甚至互相帮助完成作业。RedNote已成为跨文化理解的意外课堂,用户们分享各自的日常生活和社会现实,促进了更真实的文化理解,超越了官方叙述所能提供的视角。

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Trump lectured by bishop after he targets transgender people and immigrants

在特朗普庆祝其第二任总统任期之际,华盛顿国家大教堂的主教向他恳求“对同性恋者和贫穷移民施以慈悲”。这一意外的训词让特朗普面露不悦,毕竟他在就职典礼上并没有预料到会面临这样的批评。主教玛丽安·埃德加·巴德从讲坛上呼吁,强调这些群体在美国面临的恐惧和不安。

主教强调,“民主党、共和党和独立家庭中都有同性恋、双性恋和跨性别儿童,”并指出许多为社会服务的工人并不拥有合法身份。她提及这些工人在农业、餐饮和医疗等领域的重要性,这正是特朗普执政初期内政策所针对的群体。主教的呼声不仅是对特朗普的提醒,也是在传达一种更广泛的社会关怀,指出政策制定者应当关注所有美国人的福祉。

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Marco Rubio holds talks with Quad leaders on first day as US secretary of state

By Khushboo Razdan

Just hours after being sworn in as US secretary of state on Tuesday, Marco Rubio focused his foreign policy agenda on strengthening strategic alliances in the Indo-Pacific.

On his first day in the job, he was set to convene a meeting of Quad foreign ministers in Washington, followed by bilateral talks with the foreign ministers of India, Japan and Australia – partners in the bloc formed to counter China’s influence in the region.

Rubio’s meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will be his first as US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat. Jaishankar is in Washington after attending Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

Traditionally, the first foreign outreach of a new administration is either with a neighbour – Canada or Mexico – or with an ally from Nato, the 32-nation transatlantic defence pact.

Experts said that by choosing the Quad as his initial focal point, Rubio underscored the Trump administration’s emphasis on maintaining a strategic balance in Asia, particularly in light of China’s expanding economic and military footprint.

Led by the US, the Quad was originally formed in 2004 but remained dormant until 2017. It was revived during Trump’s first term as a group of democracies pushing back against an “autocratic” China. The alliance was elevated to the leaders’ level under US president Joe Biden in 2021.

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Ukraine’s Zelensky urges united European defence, seeks meeting with Trump

乌克兰总统泽伦斯基正在努力安排与美国总统特朗普的会晤,强调欧洲在防御方面需要采取更多行动。在瑞士达沃斯的世界经济论坛上,泽伦斯基呼吁欧盟领导人加大对乌克兰的支持,并指出,至少需要20万名欧洲维和人员作为结束与俄罗斯战争的协议的一部分。

泽伦斯基的发言反映了基辅和欧洲对安全保障的迫切需求,以防止未来俄罗斯的攻击。他提到,考虑到俄罗斯军队人数达到150万,而乌克兰只有约75万,20万的维和部队只是最低要求。此外,泽伦斯基强调,这支部队只是乌克兰所需安全保障的一部分,显示出对确保国家安全的深切关注。

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Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin reaffirm ties as Donald Trump returns to the White House

中国主席习近平与俄罗斯总统普京在面对更具地缘政治挑战的美国新政府时重申双边关系的重要性。在特朗普第二次就任总统的首日,他对克里姆林宫在乌克兰的战争表示批评,然而,习近平借助与普京的视频连线强调了中俄两国关系的稳定性和韧性,并承诺将在今年提升这种合作关系。

特朗普的首次亮相以一系列行政命令为标志,虽然主要集中在国内议题,但也涉及到全球事务,比如美方退出《巴黎气候协定》和世界卫生组织。在贸易方面,他暂时避免了对中国等国的迅速加税行动,并寻求对抖音的出售或禁令下达75天的停滞。此外,普京在特朗普就职前祝贺他,并表示莫斯科愿意就核武器和乌克兰战争与新美国政府对话。尽管特朗普曾承诺推动战争的迅速结束,他在就职演讲中并未提及此事,显示出他与普京之间的微妙关系。

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Scott Bessent’s nomination as Trump’s Treasury chief clears Senate Finance Committee

美国参议院财政委员会已投票将亿万富翁对冲基金经理斯科特·贝森特的提名送交全院审议。该委员会以16-11的成绩通过了提名,所有共和党成员均支持提名,而来自两位民主党的投票也为贝森特赢得支持。贝森特的最终确认投票预计将很快进行。

如果获得批准,62岁的贝森特将成为新政府经济政策中的关键人物,对财政政策、金融监管、国际制裁以及外资投资等领域拥有重要影响。此外,他还将负责管理国家的税收和28万亿美元的国债市场,这将使他在美国经济管理中扮演至关重要的角色。

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Greenland PM says ‘we don’t want to be Americans’, as Trump takes office

By Agence France-Presse

Greenland’s prime minister said Tuesday the Danish autonomous territory wanted to stake out its own future and did not want to become American, following US President Donald Trump’s renewed remarks about taking control of the island.

Trump, who took office on Monday, set off alarm bells in early January by refusing to rule out military intervention to bring the Panama Canal and Greenland under US control.

While Trump did not mention Greenland in his inauguration speech on Monday, he was asked about it by reporters in the Oval Office afterwards.

“Greenland is a wonderful place, we need it for international security,” Trump responded.

“I’m sure that Denmark will come along – it’s costing them a lot of money to maintain it, to keep it,” he added.

But Greenlandic and Danish officials on Tuesday defended the Arctic island’s right to self-determination.

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Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai denies stirring up trouble on ex-US diplomat’s orders

Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, the former media boss, has denied allegations of inciting opposition against the Hong Kong government under the influence of a former American diplomat in the lead-up to the 2019 social unrest. During his ongoing national security trial, Lai stated that although he did not seek advice from former US consul general James Cunningham, he did instruct his newspaper, Apple Daily, to report on Washington's concerns regarding Hong Kong, as suggested by Cunningham.

As Lai continued to testify, he revealed his interest in engaging Cunningham to assist Hong Kong opposition activists in gaining US support against a controversial extradition bill in 2019. Despite this acknowledgment, he firmly refuted the conspiracy charges against him, which allege collusion with foreign forces and the distribution of seditious materials in violation of colonial-era laws. The prosecution also brought attention to a significant meeting between former Hong Kong chief secretary Anson Chan and then-US vice-president Mike Pence in March 2019, underlining the political dynamics influencing the situation in Hong Kong.

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China’s vice-premier says chaotic competition on AI could bring ‘grey rhino’

中国副总理丁薛祥警告称,人工智能的发展如果管理不当,可能会带来重大风险。在瑞士达沃斯举行的世界经济论坛年会上,他强调了中国在全球经济治理中的角色,并指出与美国的竞争使得这一新兴技术变得尤为重要。

丁薛祥在演讲中提到,“人工智能潜力巨大,如同阿里巴巴洞中的宝藏,但如果管理不善,可能会成为潘多拉的盒子,释放出不可预见的后果。”他进一步指出,如果各国继续在人工智能领域进行混乱竞争,可能会出现明显的风险,呼吁全球进行负责任的治理。这一发言同时反映出新一届美国政府带来的不确定性,尤其是在特朗普重返白宫后,全球科技竞争的格局可能会进一步复杂化。

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Will Trump create opening for China by quitting the WHO and Paris Agreement?

美国总统特朗普在上任首日决定退出《巴黎协议》和世界卫生组织(WHO),这可能对全球气候治理和公共健康造成重大影响,并为中国提供了填补领导真空的机会。分析人士指出,虽然中国似乎准备在全球气候倡议中发挥主导作用,但其在WHO公共卫生治理方面的影响力有限。

特朗普在周一签署了退出这两个框架的行政命令,虽然正式退出过程将持续约一年。特朗普表示,美国不会在中国肆意污染的情况下自我破坏工业,强调《巴黎协议》的重要性。此外,特朗普的WHO退出决定是基于该组织在应对源自中国武汉的COVID-19疫情及其他全球卫生危机中的失误,认为其无法表现出独立性。

对此,中国外交部发言人郭嘉坤在周二表示,中国对特朗普退出《巴黎协议》表示“关切”,并重申将努力应对气候变化,推动全球绿色转型和低碳发展。此时,中国在全球气候行动中的角色愈发显得重要。

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Israeli military chief resigns over October 7 ‘failure’, as army launches West Bank attack

以色列最高将领赫尔齐·哈列维今日辞职,原因是与哈马斯突袭相关的安全和情报失误,引发了加沙地带的战争。哈列维在辞职信中表示,军队未能执行保卫以色列国家的使命。他的辞职将在2023年3月6日生效,此举是对自10月7日以来以色列面临的安全危机的直接回应。

在哈马斯实施的这场突袭中,大约1200人遇难,250人被绑架,部分人质仍被扣在加沙。与此同时,以色列在约旦河西岸的珍宁市发起了大规模军事行动,导致至少六人死亡、35人受伤。珍宁市长期以来就是以色列与巴勒斯坦武装分子之间冲突的热点,此次行动是在战斗升级背景下的进一步军事介入。

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Hong Kong may require minimum stay to obtain ‘local student’ university status

香港可能会规定学生在本地居住的最低期限,以被认定为“本地人”,这是因为一些内地专业人士被指控利用人才计划为他们的孩子获得更便宜的大学学费。教育局局长蔡若莲表示,政府正在参考英格兰和新加坡等地区,考虑重新定义本地学生的标准,这将影响他们获得补贴大学名额的资格。

蔡若莲在新闻发布会上提到,政府正在审查这一定义,并将很快做出决定。她表示:“我们会参考一些国际做法,并考虑实施细则,可能需要设定过渡期。”去年十月,政府决定重新审视这一定义,原因是一些家长表达了担忧,他们指出“某些人和中介”帮助那些不打算在香港定居的家长申请人才入境计划,以便为他们的孩子获得依赖签证。

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China softens stance on TikTok deal in US as Trump offers 75-day grace period, sources say

中国当局似乎在TikTok的未来问题上放软了立场,这可能为北京的字节跳动公司与美国投资者的谈判铺平了道路。这一变化发生在美国总统特朗普对达成TikTok交易的热情增加之际,表明北京看到了通过达成合理协议来改善两国关系的价值。

特朗普在回到白宫的第一天签署了一项行政命令,推迟75天实施一项要求美国公司停止托管TikTok的法律,除非字节跳动出售其在美国的业务。他表示希望将美国实体的股份提高到50%,以便继续为1.7亿用户提供该应用。特朗普还表示,如果中国不批准交易,他将对中国进口商品加征额外关税,暗示需要获得中国的批准。

尽管中国政府尚未直接回应特朗普的请求,但其外交部最近对潜在交易的言辞有所缓和。外交部发言人毛宁在本周的新闻发布会上表示,企业的运营和收购“应由市场原则决定”,这表明中国可能在考虑达成协议的可能性。

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Xi and Putin hold talks, China ‘ready to work’ with Trump: SCMP daily highlights

By SCMP

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China and economy stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

The virtual talks came hours after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House and said he would meet Putin “very soon”.

Beijing has signalled its readiness for greater engagement with Washington under US President Donald Trump, who also appeared to tone down the rhetoric on China during his inaugural address on Monday.

Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang addressed China’s economic vitality, global cooperation and concerns over artificial intelligence at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.Donald Trump takes the oath of office for his second term as US president in Washington on Monday. Photo: Reuters

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Trump suspends US foreign aid for 90 days pending ‘American values’ review

特朗普总统签署了一项行政命令,暂时暂停所有美国对外援助项目90天,以待审查其是否符合他的政策目标。这一命令在特朗普重返办公室的第一天签署,但尚不清楚初步将受到影响的具体项目金额,因为许多项目的资金已经由国会批准,仍需按规定使用。

特朗普在命令中提到,他认为“对外援助行业和官僚机构与美国利益不相符,并且在许多情况下与美国价值观相悖”,这些援助可能会破坏全球和平,促进不利于国家间和谐稳定的理念。他宣称,未来的美国对外援助必须“完全与美国总统的外交政策保持一致”。此外,国务卿马尔科·鲁比奥在上周的确认听证会上指出,任何资金开支、项目资助或政策实施都必须考虑三个关键问题:是否提高美国的安全、增强美国的力量和促进美国的繁荣。

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Trump’s speech signals more ‘cajoling and containing’ for China, analyst says

唐纳德·特朗普在周一的就职演讲中宣称“美国的衰退已经结束”,并提出了一项雄心勃勃的计划,旨在在面对中国等竞争对手的挑战时,重新夺回国家的“应有地位”。与他2017年成为美国总统时的演讲以及前任乔·拜登四年前的演讲相比,特朗普此次演讲时间更长,且更侧重于外交政策。

分析人士指出,特朗普在演讲中显得更加自信,这与他首次就职时承诺的“国家成功的新纪元”形成对比。当时他首次在就职演说中提到中国。演讲还反映了过去十年华盛顿面临的现实变化,随着北京的影响力不断增强,其经济、技术和军事能力也在提升。

在长达半小时的演讲中,特朗普试图将自己塑造成“和平缔造者和团结者”,谈及“希望”和“复兴”,而在2017年的16分钟演讲中,他则对国家的前景持悲观态度,称“这种美国的悲惨局面在这里停止”。尽管特朗普在演讲中发表了一些党派言论,并签署了一系列行政命令以限制移民并退出巴黎气候协定和世界卫生组织,但他对中国的关注无疑是演讲中的重要议题。

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