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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 18 July 2023

China criticizes the upcoming U.S. visit of Taiwan’s ‘separatist’

presidential front-runner

By SIMINA MISTREANU Beijing to avoid using it as
Associated Press a pretext for interference
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Chi- or escalation across the
na is criticizing an upcom- Taiwan Strait. The official
ing stopover in the United spoke on the condition of
States by Taiwan’s vice anonymity to discuss Lai’s
president and presidential upcoming travel.
front-runner William Lai as The criticism comes on the
a challenge to its territorial heels of Secretary of State
integrity, while Taiwan says Antony Blinken’s visit to Bei-
it’s merely a transit stop. jing to restore lines of com-
China regards Taiwan as a munication broken after a
breakaway province to be Chinese spy balloon was
retaken by force if neces- discovered flying over the
sary and prohibits its diplo- U.S. earlier this year, and
matic partners including as U.S. climate envoy John
the U.S. from having formal Kerry is in China for talks. The
ties with Taipei. While not official said the U.S. sees no
recognizing Taiwan as a reason why Lai’s trip should
country, Washington main- impact the restoration of
tains robust unofficial ties lines of communication
and has pledged to help between Washington and
Taiwan defend itself in case Beijing and described Lai’s
of an invasion. In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Paraguay’s president-elect Santiago travel as private and unoffi-
Pena, left, shakes hands with Taiwan’s Vice President in William Lai in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday,
A Chinese Foreign Ministry July 12, 2023. cial. Lai is expected to stop
spokeswoman said at a Associated Press in the U.S. as part of a trip to
briefing in Beijing that Chi- attend the inauguration of
na had lodged formal pro- spokeswoman Mao Ning pendence separatists and A senior U.S. administration Paraguay’s new president,
tests with the U.S. over Lai’s said. “We firmly reject Tai- their separatist activities.” official said such trips are Santiago Pena, on Aug. 15.
visit next month. wan independence sepa- “China will closely monitor hardly unusual there have Taiwan’s presidential pal-
“China is firmly opposed ratists visiting the U.S. under developments and take been 10 previous vice pres- ace announced Monday
to any form of official ex- any name and for any rea- resolute and forceful mea- idential visits in the last two that Lai’s delegation would
changes between the son, as well as any form of sures to defend its national decades, including one by arrive in Paraguay on Aug.
United States and Taiwan,” the U.S. connivance and sovereignty and territorial Lai previously and that the 14.q
support of the Taiwan inde- integrity,” she added. White House encouraged

U.N. says the Taliban have further increased restrictions on Afghan

women and girls

By RAHIM FAIEZ said. In early May, two Afghan the report said. during their previous pe-
Associated Press The U.N. said it has record- female staff of an interna- In June, a midwife was de- riod in power in the 1990s,
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Taliban ed instances in which the tional non-governmental tained and interrogated for the Taliban have imposed
authorities have further Taliban have enforced pre- organization were arrested five hours by the Taliban’s harsh measures since seiz-
increased restrictions on viously announced limita- by Taliban forces at an air- intelligence service, which ing Afghanistan in August
women and girls in Afghan- tions on women’s freedom port because they were threatened her with death 2021 as U.S. and NATO forc-
istan in recent months, in- of movement and employ- traveling without a male if she continued her work es were pulling out.
cluding in education and ment. companion, or mahram, with an NGO. She resigned They have barred women
employment, the U.N. said two days later as a result, from most areas of public
in a report on the human the report said. life and work and cracked
rights situation issued Mon- “Two other NGOs had their down on media freedoms.
day. licenses suspended by the They have banned girls
Taliban’s Ministry of Pub- de facto Department of from going to school be-
lic Health has announced Economy because of the yond the sixth grade, and
that only males will be al- presence of female em- prohibited Afghan women
lowed to take exams to ployees in their offices,” it from working at local and
pursue specialized medical said. non-governmental organi-
studies, the U.N. mission in There have also been re- zations.
Afghanistan said in the re- ports of physical violence The ban was extended to
port, which covers devel- against women, including employees of the United
opments in May and June. an incident in which mem- Nations in April.
That follows a ban on fe- bers of the Taliban’s vice The measures have trig-
male medical students tak- and virtue department gered a fierce internation-
ing graduation exams an- beat a woman with a stick al uproar, increasing the
nounced in February and Afghan women wait to receive food rations distributed by a and forced her to leave a country’s isolation at a time
a prohibition on women at- humanitarian aid group, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May public park, it said. when its economy has col-
tending universities issued 23, 2023. Despite initial promises of a lapsed and worsening a
last December, the report Associated Press more moderate rule than humanitarian crisis.q