World Today China Plus

A Chinese mainland spokesperson said that Lai Ching-te's speech upon assuming the role of the Taiwan region's new leader has sent a dangerous signal regarding "Taiwan independence."
Chen Binhua with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office said Lai's speech stubbornly followed the "Taiwan independence" position, advocated separatism, incited cross-Strait confrontation, and sought independence by relying on foreign support and by force.
What provocations did Lai Ching-te make? What does Taiwan's future hold under his leadership? Host Liu Kun is joined by Professor Qu Qiang, Fellow of Belt and Road Research Center at Minzu University of China; Dr. Liu Kuangyu, Researcher at Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Josef Mahoney, Professor of Politics with East China Normal University.

①The Chinese People's Liberation Army conducts joint military drills surrounding the island of Taiwan. What signal do they send out? (00:38)
②UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls a general election for July 4. Why is he calling it now and what happens next? (13:44)
③14th China-U.S. Tourism Leadership Summit takes place in Xi'an, China. (24:09)
④What's behind the diplomatic crisis between Spain and Argentina? (34:08)
⑤Scarlett Johansson accuses OpenAI of creating a voice similar to hers without permission. (43:17)

①Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterates that the Taiwan question is at the center of China's core interests. (00:47)
②US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is urging Europe to join the US in clamping down on China's green-tech exports. Are they building a protectionism alliance in the name of countering overcapacity? (13:10)
③What next for Iran after President Raisi's death? (24:34)
④In a historic move, Ireland, Spain and Norway say they are recognizing a Palestinian state. How significant are the announcements? (32:08)
⑤Low-altitude economy takes off in China. (42:03)

①China has urged the United States not to use the Taiwan region as a tool to contain China. (00:44)
②The International Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders. What does that mean to the conflict? (15:17)
③A British court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the United States. What happens next? (23:45)
④Japan and ASEAN plan joint strategy on auto production. (32:53)
⑤Deadly clashes in a French Pacific territory raise fears of civil war. (43:02)

①Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Kazakhstan for a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Foreign Ministers Council. (00:42)
②China's economy continued to perform well in April. (13:10)
③A Chinese mainland spokesperson said Lai Ching-te has sent "a dangerous signal" of seeking so called "Taiwan independence". (24:17)
④Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died in a helicopter crash. What do we know so far, and what will happen next for the country? (34:34)
⑤US security adviser urges Natanyahu to connect war to "political strategy". (42:57)

Vladimir Putin’s visit to China has created one more opportunity for China and Russia to celebrate and strengthen their cooperation. Beijing and Moscow have signed more than ten agreements during Putin’s trip. Xi Jinping says the current relationship was not easily gained, so it ought to be cherished by the two sides more than ever before.
Why are China and Russia good friends and partners? What can their partnership bring to the international community?
Host Ding Heng is joined by Professor Alexey Maslov, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies, Moscow State University; Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations & security analyst; Dr. Zhang Xin, Deputy Director of the Center for Russian Studies, East China Normal University.