International

The US claims that China has rejected a meeting between its Defense chiefs in Laos

The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, said that Beijing has rejected a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Minister Dong Jun, in Laos, where both participate this Thursday in a Southeast Asian security ministerial meeting with their partners.

“I’m sorry that China has chosen not to see each other here. The decision of the People’s Republic of China is a step backwards for the entire region,” Austin told media from Laos, according to a Pentagon statement on Wednesday.

US and China in ASEAN

Austin and Dong participate today in Vientian in the meeting of the defense ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with their partners (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States).

Although it was expected that the heads of Defense of the world’s major powers could be seen on the margins of the meeting, Austin considered it “unfortunate” that China has declined the face, without the American going into explaining the reasons.

“You have to be in touch to get an explanation of your decision. It’s unfortunate. It affects the entire region because they really want to see two powerful people talking to each other, which would send a message of tranquility,” Austin added.

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China, for its part, has not yet commented on this issue.

Taiwan in the focus of the matter

According to CNN, Beijing would have rejected the meeting between Dong and Austin due to the sale of weapons in October from Washington to Taiwan, a self-governing island that China does not rule out invading and to which the United States provides ammunition and in principle would defend.

Dong and Austin had met for the first time at a security forum in Singapore in June, which formalized the restoration of high-level contact between the two powers, cut after the former speaker of the US House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan in August 2022.

Tensions did not ease until Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in San Francisco in November 2023.

Austin ruled out that the lack of a meeting this time will have “any kind of implication in the future,” amid uncertainty in the region in the face of the imminent change of administration in the United States and the turn in Defense that it may mean.

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“I just think it’s something they’ve chosen to do right now and only they can explain why they’ve chosen not to take advantage of a good opportunity,” he said.

The ministers of ASEAN (made up of Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam) conclude today with their partners their annual two-day summit in Vientian, with several hot spots in the region, including Burma and the South China Sea, and amid a war escalation in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon.

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”

International

Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation

Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.

The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.

“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.

He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.

For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.

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The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.

Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.

International

Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.

Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.

Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”

Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.

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The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.