Politics
Trump at the G20 summit was pretty much a gaffe-filled disaster
Trump has probably learned the hard way that not all Asians look alike, after he mixed up Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
The original Instagram post in which he mixed the duo up has now been deleted, but not before it was immortalised on Twitter:
Unfortunately for Trump’s social media team, this is President Joko Widodo of Indonesia.
< Reactions were swift on Twitter:
TRUMP THINKS THAT THE PM OF SINGAPORE IS INDONESIA’S PRESIDENT I WILL FOREVER BE LAUGJING
— ? amélia (@gloryizer) July 10, 2017
Maybe he was confused by Singapore’s flag, which has the same colours as Indonesia’s. But no, Mr Trump, Lee Hsien Loong is not Jokowi. pic.twitter.com/KY07AfBtKw
— Loh Chee Kong (@ck3012) July 8, 2017
The caption was later changed to reflect the correct leader.
You know what they say — second time’s a charm.
Taiwan or China?
But if you thought that was bad, be prepared for some major…
Politics
US Navy Carrier Conducts Exercises in South China Sea
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A US Navy aircraft carrier conducted exercises in the contested South China Sea on Friday, the US navy said in a statement. –
A strike group led by the USS Ronald Reagan conducted flight operations and high-end maritime stability operations and exercises, the statement said, Reuters reported.”Integration with our joint partners is essential to ensuring joint force responsiveness and lethality, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific,” US Navy Commander Joshua Fagan, Task Force 70 air operations officer aboard USS Ronald Reagan, was quoted as saying.The drill comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and China.
Washington has criticized Beijing over its novel coronavirus response and accuses it of taking advantage of the pandemic to push territorial claims in the South China Sea and elsewhere.The United States has long opposed China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea and has sent warships regularly through the strategic waterway.China has objected to such exercises and said the US rejection of its claims in the South China Sea has raised tension and undermined stability in the region.China claims nine tenths of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which some $3 trillion of trade passes a year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have competing claims.
Politics
How China is using tourism for geopolitical goals
The Chinese government has a degree of leverage over its tourists that other governments do not enjoy. Many Chinese tourists are new to international tourism and have limited international language abilities
Decades of astonishing economic growth have given China new tools for extending its influence abroad and achieving its political goals.
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