International
Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan political farce, and a dangerous, malicious provocation – Ma Zhaoxi, China Vice Foreign Minister
Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan political farce, and a dangerous, malicious provocation – Ma Zhaoxi, China Vice Foreign Minister
On 9 August 2022, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu took questions from China Central Television and China Global Television Network on Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Michael Mike monitored the interview for NEWSng and sends excerpt:
Q1. Over the past few days, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan has caused strong public outrage in China. What’s your take on this?
Ma: This is just a political farce, and a dangerous, malicious provocation. Speaker Pelosi made this provocative visit in disregard of China’s warning. The visit infringed on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; violated the one-China principle and provisions in the three China-US joint communiqués; affected the political foundation of China-US relations; and undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. It is unacceptable to the Chinese people. China has every reason to respond with countermeasures. The incident is also a lesson, revealing to the world US motives to contain China with Taiwan and the intention of the Taiwan authorities to seek American support for independence. In its aftermath, the one-China consensus of the international community emerged stronger, and the US attempt to play the “Taiwan card” and contain China proved more unpopular and futile.
Q2. The US claims that there is no change to its one-China policy and that Pelosi’s visit does not violate the one-China policy. How would you respond to that?
Ma: The one-China principle is the consensus of the international community. It is also the political foundation on which China develops relations with other countries. It is a red line that must not be crossed. What does one China mean? There can only be one answer. That is, there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is part of China, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is a basic norm of international relations confirmed by UNGA Resolution 2758. It is a commitment made by the US in the three China-US joint communiqués. The principle, written down in black and white, is crystal clear. There is no room for ambiguity or arbitrary interpretation.
The US claims that there is no change in its one-China policy. But in fact, it has been undermining the one-China principle over the years. It has put into its one-China policy some unilateral stuff, including the “Taiwan Relations Act” and the “Six Assurances”. This is against international law. China never accepts it, and is always opposed to it.
The US also claims that Pelosi’s visit does not violate the one-China policy. The three joint communiqués provide that the US can only maintain cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with Taiwan. The executive, legislative and judicial branches are all part of the US Government. Pelosi is the number three figure in the US Government. During her stay in Taiwan, she was speaking on behalf of the US from the beginning to the end. Even she herself admits that it is an official visit. If this is not official engagement, then what is it?
Q3. The US claims that the change to the status quo that’s prevailed with regard to Taiwan for more than 40 years is coming from Beijing, not from the US. What is your view on this?
Ma: So what is the status quo of the Taiwan Strait? The status quo is that both sides of the Strait belong to one and the same China, Taiwan is part of China, and neither China’s sovereignty nor its territorial integrity is ever divided. It is not China who is changing the status quo, but the US and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.
Over the years, the US has been colluding with the Taiwan authorities, and elevating its substantive relations with Taiwan. It has sold large amounts of weapons to Taiwan, helped it develop so-called “asymmetric capabilities”, and emboldened the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces. If these are not changing the status quo, what are they?
Refusing to recognize the 1992 Consensus, the DPP authorities have insisted on pushing for “incremental independence”, and redoubled efforts to remove the Chinese identity of Taiwan. If these are not changing the status quo, what are they?
China’s countermeasures are a necessary and legitimate response to the provocations by the US and the “Taiwan independence” forces. They are just and lawful.
Q4. The US says it will not seek and does not want a crisis, and China should take full responsibility for the current escalation of tensions in the Taiwan Strait. What is your take on this?
Ma: This is confounding black and white. The crisis is unilaterally provoked by the US. Despite China’s many representations, the US still allowed Pelosi to visit Taiwan. Faced with this, China has no choice but to fight back and defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The responsibility and consequence of the current tensions have to be borne by the US and the “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.
Q5. The US claims that China’s military exercise and crossing of the median line of the Taiwan Strait are overreaction that has escalated the situation and threatened regional peace and stability. What is your take?
Ma: It is the US that is threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan is part of China’s territory. There is no such thing as a median line in the Strait. The Chinese armed forces conduct military exercises in waters off China’s Taiwan island to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. Our measures are open and proportionate. They are in line with both domestic law and international law and practices. They are beyond reproach.
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The US and its allies often come to the adjacent waters of China, flexing muscles and stirring up troubles. They conduct up to a hundred military exercises each year. They, instead of someone else, are the ones that overreact and escalate the situation.
Q6. The US claims that China’s decision to suspend cooperation with the US in multiple areas does not punish Washington but the whole world. What is you comment?
Ma: The US cannot represent the whole world. China has warned the US well in advance that should Pelosi visit Taiwan, it would cause a crisis and major disruptions to China-US exchange and cooperation. Unfortunately, the US side ignored that, and went ahead with the visit. The Taiwan question is at the very heart of China’s core interests. The United States, while undermining China’s core interests, is asking for China’s cooperation where they need it. What kind of logic is this? China’s decision to cancel or suspend cooperation in some areas does not come without warning. We say what we mean and mean what we say. There is no reason why the US should feel surprised or upset.
Let me stress this: as a responsible major country, China will, as always, take an active part in international cooperation on climate change and other matters. We make our own contribution to the tackling of global challenges. What the US should do is to fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations. It should stop making excuses for its own mistakes.
Q7. Some in the US compare China’s military drills in the Taiwan Strait to Russia’s “invasion of Ukraine”, which they claim will be denounced by the international community. What is your comment on that?
Ma: Such a claim is ill-intentioned. The Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair. It is different from the Ukraine issue. The US always stokes tension and provokes troubles. Preliminary numbers show that between the end of the Second World War and 2001, there were 248 armed conflicts in 153 regions across the world, among which 201 were initiated by the US. Since 2001, wars and military operations launched by the US have resulted in over 800,000 deaths and tens of millions displaced from home. After starting so many wars and killing so many civilians to preserve its hegemony, the US is now creating troubles in the Taiwan Strait. How could we possibly allow this to happen?
Q8. A few days ago, the G7 foreign ministers issued a statement regarding Taiwan with negative language, expressing so-called “concern” over China’s actions. Meanwhile we see an increasing number of countries and international organizations speaking out in support of China’s justified measures. What is your take?
Ma: More than 170 countries and many international organizations have spoken up for what is right, reaffirming their commitment to the one-China principle and expressing support for China in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both the President of the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General have stated that the UN will continue to adhere to UNGA Resolution 2758, the centerpiece of which is the one-China principle. Compared with over 170 countries, what do G7 think they are? Who cares what they say?
Q9. The US claims that if China continues to take more countermeasures, the US will be forced to respond, which may lead to a spiral of escalation. What is your view on what may happen next?
Ma: It has been proved time and again that the US is the biggest troublemaker of cross-Strait peace and regional stability. If the international community allows the US to do what it wants, the UN Charter will be just a sheet of paper, and the law of the jungle will prevail. In the end, it will be the developing countries that suffer.
The Chinese people are not to be misled by fallacies or scared by evils, and will never waver in defending our core interests. We want to stress to the US: do not act recklessly, and stop going further down on the doomed path. Give up the attempt to use Taiwan to contain China, play no games but return to the one-China principle and the three joint communiqués, and do right things and take concrete steps to facilitate the steady development of China-US relations
Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan political farce, and a dangerous, malicious provocation – Ma Zhaoxi, China Vice Foreign Minister
Cuba Condemns U.S. Accusation Against Raúl Castro, Defends 1996 Airspace Action
By: Michael Mike
The government of Cuba has strongly condemned what it described as a “despicable accusation” by the United States Department of Justice against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, escalating tensions between Havana and Washington over a decades-old incident involving the downing of two civilian aircraft.
In a statement issued Wednesday by the Cuban Revolutionary Government in Havana, authorities rejected the reported U.S. legal action announced on May 20, saying Washington lacked both “legitimacy and jurisdiction” to accuse Castro over the February 1996 incident involving aircraft operated by the Miami-based anti-Castro group Brothers to the Rescue.
The Cuban government argued that the aircraft had repeatedly violated Cuban airspace in the years leading up to the incident and maintained that the response by Cuban forces constituted an act of “legitimate self-defense” under international law.
The controversy centers on the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes by Cuban fighter jets, an incident that killed four people and triggered international condemnation at the time. The aircraft were reportedly engaged in missions linked to Cuban exile activism and humanitarian operations.
In its latest statement, Havana said the United States ignored repeated warnings and formal complaints made by Cuba between 1994 and 1996 to U.S. authorities, including the State Department, the Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization, over alleged incursions into Cuban airspace.
Cuba accused Washington of distorting the historical record and overlooking what it described as more than 25 deliberate violations of Cuban airspace by the organization during that period.
The statement further claimed that U.S. authorities failed to act despite warnings from Cuba about the potential consequences of continued flights near or over Cuban territory.
Havana also criticized what it called the “double standards” of the United States on issues of sovereignty and national security, arguing that Washington itself would not tolerate unauthorized foreign aircraft entering its airspace under hostile circumstances.
The Cuban government additionally linked the accusation against Castro to broader U.S. sanctions and longstanding hostility toward the communist-led island, describing American measures against Cuba as “collective punishment” and an “energy blockade.”
Relations between the United States and Cuba have remained strained for decades, shaped by political tensions dating back to the 1959 Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro. Although there have been intermittent efforts at diplomatic rapprochement, disputes over human rights, sanctions, migration and security issues continue to complicate bilateral ties.
The United States authorities had not immediately issued a detailed public response to Cuba’s latest statement as of Wednesday evening.
Cuba concluded its statement by reaffirming support for Raúl Castro and reiterating its commitment to defending the country’s sovereignty and socialist system.
Cuba Condemns U.S. Accusation Against Raúl Castro, Defends 1996 Airspace Action
International
NIGERIA AND CHINA: A PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON MUTUAL RESPECT, TRUST AND SHARED STRATEGIC INTEREST- NCSP
NIGERIA AND CHINA: A PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON MUTUAL RESPECT, TRUST AND SHARED STRATEGIC INTEREST- NCSP
By: Joseph Tegbe
When President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing alongside America’s most powerful business executives, the world was reminded that economic interdependence remains one of the most powerful forces in international relations. Beneath the trade and investment agenda, however, ran a question China has never left unanswered, the One-China Principle, and Beijing’s absolute, unwavering commitment to it.
For China, this is a matter of sovereign certainty. The People’s Republic of China is the world’s only legitimate Chinese government, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory. This is not a position Beijing has hedged or softened across decades of shifting global politics. It is the bedrock on which China conducts its diplomacy and evaluates the reliability of its partners.
China’s consistency on this question reflects not inflexibility, but the depth of a national conviction rooted in history, sovereignty and the long arc of Chinese civilisation, and for nations that share these values, China has proven to be a committed and consequential partner.
Nigeria is one such nation. Since establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1971, Nigeria has maintained a clear, principled and unbroken adherence to the One-China Principle.
This position flows directly from Nigeria’s own foreign policy tradition, grounded in respect for sovereignty, principle of non-interference and the belief that nations must be free to determine their own paths. Nigeria and China share a philosophical foundation that gives their relationship a depth that goes well beyond transactional interest.
That shared foundation received its most authoritative expression when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu met President Xi Jinping in Beijing in 2024. The joint statement was unequivocal: Nigeria affirmed adherence to the One-China Principle, recognised the Government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal authority representing the whole of China, regarded Taiwan as an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and expressed full support for China’s pursuit of national reunification.
These were not words of diplomatic courtesy. They were the deliberate reaffirmation of a partnership grounded in mutual respect and long-term strategic alignment.
Nigeria’s legislature has reinforced this position with equal clarity. Recently, the Hon Jafar Yakubu, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on China-Nigeria Parliamentary Relations recently confirmed that Nigeria’s stance is clear, consistent and firmly rooted in international law and bilateral agreements. Nigeria’s commitment to the One-China Principle is not the policy of one administration. It is a settled, cross-institutional expression of national conviction.
This consistency is a strategic asset, one that Nigeria deploys with purpose through the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership. Five decades of diplomatic reliability have built a genuine reservoir of political trust with Beijing.
The NCSP’s mandate is to translate that trust into a new and more productive phase of economic cooperation: manufacturing investment, technology transfer, industrial development and export-oriented production that reflects Nigeria’s true scale and potential as Africa’s largest economy.
China has already contributed meaningfully to Nigeria’s railway corridors, port infrastructure, energy infrastructure, telecommunications networks and industrial capacity. However, the relationship can and must deliver more.
Nigeria’s digital economy, solid minerals sector, agro-processing capacity and consumer market all represent areas of deep mutual interest. With a transparent, results-oriented framework aligned with Nigeria’s national development priorities, the NCSP can move the partnership decisively from infrastructure financing toward genuine industrialisation.
NCSP continues to strengthen bilateral collaboration with China across trade, investment, technology transfer, infrastructure and capacity building, with a clear mandate to deliver measurable, tangible value to Nigeria’s economy.
Joseph Tegbe is the Director-General of Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership
NIGERIA AND CHINA: A PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON MUTUAL RESPECT, TRUST AND SHARED STRATEGIC INTEREST- NCSP
International
FBI Arrests Nigerian Extradited to U.S. Over Alleged $Romance Scam Targeting Elderly Victims
FBI Arrests Nigerian Extradited to U.S. Over Alleged $Romance Scam Targeting Elderly Victims
By: Michael Mike
Nigerian Extradited to U.S. as FBI Cracks Alleged International Romance Scam Network Targeting Elderly Americans
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
A Nigerian national, Samuel Ugberaese, has been extradited to the United States to face prosecution over an alleged international romance fraud and money laundering scheme that reportedly targeted elderly victims across the U.S. and other countries.
The arrest followed coordinated operations involving American and Nigerian law enforcement agencies, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ugberaese was arrested by the FBI after being extradited from Nigeria to the United States, where he is now facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering before the U.S. District Court in North Carolina.
Authorities said a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina had earlier returned an indictment against him on January 22, 2021.
According to court documents, Ugberaese and his alleged accomplices operated sophisticated romance scams in which victims were manipulated through fake emotional relationships, fabricated stories and false promises before being persuaded to transfer money.
Prosecutors alleged that the suspect collaborated with co-defendant Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, a naturalised U.S. citizen, to move and conceal proceeds of the alleged fraud through a network of bank accounts, including accounts linked to purported export companies.
Investigators claimed the financial transactions were designed to disguise the origin, ownership and movement of illicit funds obtained from victims.
Ugberaese appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Brian S. Myers, who ordered that he remain in custody pending trial.
If convicted on both counts, the Nigerian suspect could face up to 40 years imprisonment under U.S. federal law.
American authorities disclosed that the extradition process involved extensive international cooperation among several agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of State, the Nigeria Police Force through INTERPOL, Nigeria’s Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office, as well as the South African Police Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam F. Hulbig of the Fraud Section in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
U.S. authorities, however, stressed that the indictment remains only an allegation and that Ugberaese is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
FBI Arrests Nigerian Extradited to U.S. Over Alleged $Romance Scam Targeting Elderly Victims
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