Japan, China agree to press ahead on RCEP talks #nhk_world_news https://t.co/9L5j3OshGl
— NHK WORLD News (@NHKWORLD_News) December 28, 2016
Officials of the Japanese and Chinese governments have agreed to move forward with talks on another economic partnership as the prospects for the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations are unclear.
The officials met in Tokyo on Wednesday, with Japanese Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Keiichi Katakami and Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Gao Yan attending.
They agreed on advancing talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP. The 16 member countries include Japan, China, and Southeast Asian countries, but not the United States.
US President-elect Donald Trump says he will take America out of the TPP deal.
Observers say China wants to make RCEP the basis for trade rules in the Asia-Pacific region.
They also say Japan wants RCEP to enable free trade at the same level as the TPP.
Palestinians ask Putin to prevent @realDonaldTrump 's relocating @usembassytahttps://t.co/TNaRjHmQCN pic.twitter.com/InhwSoEBFJ
— Ynetnews (@ynetnews) January 13, 2017
A Palestinian delegation to Moscow transmitted a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that asked him to work to prevent the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as American President-elect Donald Trump has announced is his intention.
The delegation was headed by Saeb Erekat, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization. They met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other senior officials to deliver their message from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Erekat said, “I came with an urgent message from Mahmoud Abbas. We request that President Putin use all the tools at his disposal to prevent Trump from relocating the embassy, because, for us, this is crossing a red line.”
Lavrov said that his country was interested in aiding in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He announced to the press, “We will do our best to help launch direct and substantive talks between Israel and Palestine. As you know, we were ready to host the leaders of Israel and Palestine in Moscow last September. We are ready for it at the present moment, as soon as both sides are able to confirm their readiness.”
Erekat responded, “The President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, accepted the offer of Russia’s president to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow. And our agreement for this suggestion is still in force”
When a longstanding regional partner (Japan), whose security you have guaranteed against their largest regional rival (China), decides that it is now time to partner with that rival against their protector you are no longer a superpower. When the leadership of one of the politically, economically, and militarily weakest nationalist movements (the PLO) in the last 100 years turns to your current rival/competitor (Russia) and asks them to get you to do something, you are now a client state.
We are off the looking glass and through the map…
The Devolution of a Superpower into a Client State in Two PicturesPost + Comments (196)