Slamming US policies
The secretary general of Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah has denounced the United States' meddlesome policy as the root cause of the problems in the region. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah attributed Washington’s interference in regional affairs to its relentless pursuit of hegemony over the countries. He highlighted the coercive strategies employed by the US, which have inflicted considerable hardships on regional nations, including Syria and Yemen. Nasrallah called for a united stand against Washington’s hegemony to hold it accountable for the crises that have plagued the region. The Hezbollah chief also addressed the recent clashes in a Palestinian camp in southern Lebanon. He said Hezbollah has no involvement in the conflict. He also emphasized that such violence only serves to undermine the path of resistance.
Slamming NATO expansion
China’s ambassador to Russia has raised the alarm about the consequences of NATO’s expansion to the Asia-Pacific region. Zhang Hanhui warned that such expansionist plans by the Western military alliance will exacerbate tensions and provoke a new cold war. He called on the military alliance to drop these plans, which can spur an arms race, and rectify its erroneous attitude. The Chinese diplomat said NATO is seeking to ruin peace and tranquility in Asia Pacific after misleading Europe, and what it is doing does not promote friendship and peace. Hanhui said NATO’s drills in Asia Pacific only fan tensions and create confrontation. He also accused the alliance of interfering in Asia-Pacific affairs.
US arms for Taiwan
North Korea has condemned the US’ decision to provide Taiwan with a new weapons package. Pyongyang says the move will drive tensions in the region to another ignition point of war. The North also described the plan as a dangerous political and military provocation and a flagrant violation of the One China principle. Pyongyang said the US intends to transform Taiwan into the first-line trench for carrying out its strategy for deterring China. North Korea warned that the US would have to pay a high price for provoking the core interest of China. The US on Friday announced 345-million dollars worth of weapons, ammunition and training for Taiwan. Congress has also authorized up to one-billion dollars worth of weapons for the self-ruled island as a part of the 2023 budget. China has warned that US military aid is turning Taiwan into a powder keg and is escalating the threat of war in the region.