US President Joe Biden's warning the US would defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression has made headlines around the world -- and put growing tensions between the small democratic island and its neighboring autocratic superpower back under the spotlight.
Less than a decade ago, ties seemed to be on the mend as the two sides -- separated by a strait that is fewer than 80 miles (128 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point -- deepened economic, cultural and even political engagements. But today, relations are at their lowest point in decades -- raising fears of military escalation, even as experts caution that an imminent all-out war remains unlikely.
In recent months, China's tacit support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine has only fueled speculations over Beijing's intentions with Taiwan, raising questions about how the world might react should China launch an attack.
Though the White House quickly downplayed Biden's comments, no other country is as deeply intertwined in the dispute as the United States, which has a complicated history with both sides and has long trod a delicate middle path.
China's authoritarian turn under leader Xi Jinping and plummeting relations with Washington have pulled Taiwan closer into the orbit of the US. This has infuriated Beijing, spurring it to unleash more pressure on Taiwan and sending cross-strait relations on a downward spiral.
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.