Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. [Photo/Chinanews.com] Beijing reiterated on Wednesday its strong opposition to any form of exchanges between officials of foreign countries and Taiwan. We strongly oppose any form of official or military exchanges between Taiwan and countries that have diplomatic relations with Beijing, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at a news conference in Beijing. The United States should be clear about who is unilaterally undermining the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations, he said, urging the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the three joint communiques, and to prudently handle Taiwan-related issues. Last month, the new director of the American Institute in Taiwan, Brent Christensen, said at his first news conference that the US had an obligation to support Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defense capability against coercion. On Nov 8, two Perry-class guided missile frigates, formerly of the US Navy and sold to Taiwan, were commissioned by Taiwan at the Zuoying Naval Base in Kaohsiung. The frigates were built in the 1980s. The sale of the two vessels was announced during the Obama administration in 2015. The ships were signed over to Taiwan and arrived last year. Representatives of the American Institute in Taiwan attended the commissioning ceremony and said in a statement that the sale is consistent with US commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide military equipment that supports the island's self-defense. The frigates will improve Taiwan's capabilities in current and future defensive efforts, and support its continuing work to modernize its armed forces, the statement said. Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen said at the ceremony that the island is enhancing its ability to defend and safeguard its security. But Ma said at the news conference on Wednesday that any attempt to resort to armed confrontation has no future. Under the current situation of cross-Straits relations, compatriots on both sides should jointly maintain the correct path of peaceful development, oppose any attempt at Taiwan independence and advance the process of peaceful reunification, he said. rubber bracelets animalscustom photo braceletrubber wristbandsrubber band bracelet bandspersonalized wristbands canada
A crime ring that smuggled bags of smartphones from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland via fixed wires and high-tech drones was uncovered and its ringleaders detained after a joint operation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen law enforcement officers.The 26-strong cross-border smuggling ring was found to be shuttling handsets worth some 500 million yuan ($80 million), mostly refurbished iPhones.According to the Shenzhen Customs, the suspects would temporarily attach wires to two rented rooms on the 25th floor of a residential building in Luohu district, Shenzhen, and to a home on a vacant plot in Lin Ma Hang village on the Hong Kong side.The suspects would retract the wires at night to avoid suspicion.A total of 20 smartphones would be placed inside a small canvas bag and then shipped high above street level from Hong Kong during each shipment.About 10,000 to 15,000 smartphones could be smuggled in one day using this delivery method. For each successfully smuggled smartphone, at least 20 to 30 yuan could be earned. Revenues could be as high as 100 yuan for new phones. It was estimated that smugglers could make over 10 million yuan each a month.Shenzhen Customs officers confiscated 4,000 smartphones and tools used to smuggle them at the two rented rooms in Shenzhen. Hong Kong customs detained three people connected to the activity, and confiscated 900 smartphones and associated tools.
