SINGAPORE: While the “fundamental problem” between the US and China is a mutual lack of strategic trust that bodes ill for compromise or peaceful accommodation, a face-off between the two countries is not a “strategic inevitability”, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.“To go down the present path would be a serious mistake on both sides,” he said.Mr Lee was speaking at the opening of this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday (May 31), which comes amid US-China tensions on the maritime, trade and technological fronts.Both Acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and Chinese Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe will be giving speeches at the dialogue.Mr Lee said both sides were “sensitive about being perceived (as) weak”, pointing out that the US wants to show it has come out ahead in any deal, while China, because of its long history with the West, cannot afford to show it is succumbing to Western pressure to accept … [Read more...] about US-China face-off is not a ‘strategic inevitability’: PM Lee
Western union how to claim
Erdogan defends Istanbul vote redo, critics see power grab
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By Suzan Fraser The Associated Press Tues., May 7, 2019 ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted Tuesday that rerunning the Istanbul mayoral vote that was won by the opposition will only strengthen democracy, while critics called the decision an “outrageous” move to eliminate dissent against his government. Ruling in favour of Erdogan’s governing party, Turkey’s top electoral body on Monday annulled the results of the March 31 vote in Istanbul, which opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu narrowly won, and scheduled a re-run for June 23. The loss of Istanbul — and the capital of Ankara — in Turkey’s local elections were sharp blows to Erdogan and his conservative, Islamic-based Justice and Development Party, or AKP. AKP had challenged the results of the vote, claiming it was marred by irregularities. Critics accuse the AKP of trying to cling to power in Istanbul, a city of 15 million people that is … [Read more...] about Erdogan defends Istanbul vote redo, critics see power grab